Alex woke up the next day, refreshed from the emotional last night. His nostrils picked up the savory smell of bacon. After getting up, he saw the kitchen devices had been replaced with upgrades from what he did. Kayla is standing on a stepstool to cook chocolate chip pancakes on the stove.

"Morning! Oh, Quick and the company came by and fixed everything without waking you up."

"That's very nice of them", he yawned.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thanks for asking", as he embraced her.

The new microwave went off.

"I will get that. Can you flip them?", she asked.

"Sure."

He took the spatula and flipped the little pancakes when the edges were solid. His sister got the bacon out with oven mitts and set the table. He turned off the stove and brought the pan over with a heat plate underneath.

"Are mom and pops working today?"

"Yep!"

He took the syrup and poured it over his pancakes before taking a bite. He takes another bite.

"You make the best pancakes."

"Mom taught me how to do it."

Alex took some bacon and dunked it into the syrup before taking a bite. His sister imitated him.

"Don't be such a copycat", he jested.

"You can't tell me what to do", she shot back with a smirk.

She's right. I can't argue with that, he thought.


"What do you want to do today?"

"You're not busy today?"

"My day is clear. I will go back to work tomorrow. What do you want to do?"

"How about we go to the park, get some pizza, and watch a movie?", as she took another bite.

"Sounds like a plan. I will get ready."

Alex and his sister had a fun day as they walked, ate giant slices of pizza, and went to a movie theater. At the theater, there was an issue with the projector that it wouldn't play the movie. They heard an announcement.

"Sorry about that! We will get that fixed."

Minutes passed by, but the projected image was all fuzzy. "Sorry! Please give us more time."

His sister pulled on the sleeve of his jacket, telling him to help them out. They went to the front to show them his Level 4 technopath license. They lead him and his sister to the projection room where he saw the malfunctioning machine.

"Good thing that you're here. Sorry about that."

"It's no problem. I will get her fixed up."

Alex touched the machine and he "talked" with it as one of the staff opens it up.

What is your problem?

The projector "responded."


"You replaced some of these parts which is good, but this part has to be replaced. Do you have any spare parts?"

"We do", the staff member replied.

They handed him the gear and he replaced it. They closed it up and the movie starts with no issue.

"That's my big bro!", Kayla proudly exclaimed.

"Thank you so much. Would you like some free tickets for any movie?", the manager offered.

"I heard there's a new movie about Prime coming out this December. Do you have tickets for the premiere?", Kayla asked.

"We sure do."

"Can I get four please?"

"Certainly."

The manager returned back with an envelope and a written explanation for his staff in the future.

"Thanks."

After the movie, they returned home to find their parents came early. They hugged each other and were happy to see that Alex was up and about.

"Hey! What did you guys do today?"

"We walked, ate pizza, and watched a movie. Alex fixed a movie projector and we got free tickets!"

"That sounds like a great day. Keep those tickets in a safe place!", her mother suggested.

"I will!", she ran upstairs to do so.

"How was work?", Alex asked.

"It's an easy day, but- - Oh, we missed the game today!"

"I got it recorded, Pops. Let's watch it."

Pops smiled and he took out sunflower seeds for them to eat. Pops brought out a bottle of beer for him and a bottle of cola for his son. They watched the game and their favorite team scored.

"GOOAAAAAALLLLLL!", Alex and Pops shouted in unison.

Later, Alex tucked his sister in bed. He left the door cracked with the nightlight on. He went to his room and thought about Prime's words. Keep moving forward.

He got his tablet and put out a notice that he's now available to work.


The next sunny day, he wore his superhero outfit, but was hesitant to go to the same area where he stopped the mugger. He stayed clear from there while "listening" to the police scanner for anything. Things seemed to be normal.

Crunch. The disturbing sound was close by.

Techno followed the noise and his eyes widened as he took cover. A 6'5 man in a wet orange jumpsuit with metal jaws was trying to get the power collar off of him. Techno couldn't ignore the fresh blood stains on his suit. He quickly "talked" to the collar to shock him. The volts traveled through his body with electrical sparks coming near his jaws.


Alex stopped it from electrocuting him to death. He "sent" out a 911 call with his phone and asked for backup. He checked through the settings and picked an option.

The power collar emitted knockout gas, but the villain known as Jaws knew about it. He covered his mouth and nose. His eyes dart around and found a costumed hero who was responsible. He charged at him!

Alex rolled out of the way and went through another option on the collar.

The collar emitted hissing tear gas which blinded Jaws. It's stinging his eyes as he tried to attack Techno. Alex kept his distance to avoid a fist fight. Jaws threw a punch and Alex sidestepped it.


Thud.


The punch made a big dent into the car behind him. His heart raced as he tried again to use the shock option. The collar didn't work because of his lack of focus. Jaws smiled with blinking red eyes.

"You look delicious", he licked his metal shark-like teeth which shook Alex's body.

Jaws charged at him, but he jumped out of the way. The fugitive grabbed him by the back of his outfit and slammed him into a car. Alex's breath escaped his mouth, but he rolled out of the way as Jaws lowered his jaws onto him! A piece of the roof and his whole jacket was in his mouth. Alex had slipped out of the jacket in time.


Sirens of the police were on the way, but Alex had to act fast.


He thought about his metal powers and how to enact them. He reminded himself of what he did to save Kayla and him from the runaway car. If stress was the trigger, it's time to pull it.

He raised his hands after checking his surroundings. Jaws leaped at him with his mouth wide open as Alex claps his hands together. Two empty cars sandwiched Jaws with another one landing on top of him! The fugitive's eyes slammed shut.

Alex sat down to calm himself and kept watch over the villain until Barria's arrival. He manipulated the cars off of Jaws with trembling hands resulting from the adrenaline spike.

The experienced hero checked on Jaws to make sure he was unconscious before booking him. A crowd formed as they took pictures.

"Good job taking care of Jaws. He can be dangerous if left alone."

"What other powers does he have?", he grunted.

"The collar restricts his leaping ability, but he is known for his nasty bite and durability."

"You don't say", he half-joked.

"Let's get you looked at."

Alex agreed. The crowd cheered for what he did.

"Great job, Techno!"

"You saved us!"

"That second power is so damn cool!"

Alex waved at the crowd while smiling underneath his mask. He stopped his first villain without hurting anyone.

He swallowed some aspirin and was told to take it easy while his back healed from the bruising. An independent journalist ran up to talk with him.

"Techno, may we have a few words?"

"I'm just glad that I was here at the right time to stop him. See ya next time."

He was walking away, but he heard this sentence.

"What about my car?!"

Three pairs of narrowed eyes were aimed at him. He was confused on why they were angry with him despite stopping Jaws from doing more harm.

"How am I supposed to go home? I live 30 minutes away from here!", a woman demanded.

I can't repair anything that is destroyed like that. It's not at the level Prime told me about, but I guess this is similar to that.

"Call your insurance and they will help you", he proposed.

"You asshole!", a young man with dirty blonde hair yelled.

"If he didn't step in, Jaws would have killed someone. He's known for eating people, you idiot!", a person argued with the young man. Arguments heat up between the crowd.

Barria stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Have your insurance talk with us and we will help you out. We will pay for rental vehicles in the meantime so you can go home. Take these cards and call that number."

The dissenters' anger was quelled from her words and attitude. Barria calmed them down without a problem.

"Don't argue and just go", she whispered to Alex.

He listened and left by cab. He opened the door to his home and leaned on the door frame after taking off his mask. His parents noticed the tears on his clothing and how tired he is.

"Mijo!", his mother panicked.

His parents helped him inside as he was roughed up.

"Damn, that hurts!"

"Do you need to sit down?", his father asked with concern.

"I need to lay on my side for a bit."

They helped him get comfortable on the couch with plenty of pillows.

His sister heard them and ran downstairs. Her eyes widened and she ran over to him. Her hands trembled from fear about what had happened to him. He held her hands in his.

Alex told them everything and they later watched the news. The reporter he talked to brought up a video recording of their fight. His parents paused at the part where he got slammed into a car.

"Don't scare us like that again! You could have died out there!", his mother expressed with fear more than anger.

"You're right. I had no idea who he was but check this out."

He pressed play and they saw how their loved one defeated Jaws. They were all amazed.

"That is so cool!", his sister proclaimed as she hugged him.

"Not ready for hugs, sis", he winced.

"Sorry. Still my brother defeated a villain! If only I could tell my friends what you did!"

"Don't make a habit out of it", his mother warned.

"You didn't mind when I stopped those bank robbers."

"That's only because you had Barria to help you. What if she and the others didn't show up in time?", she argued.

He paused as she was right. "The funny thing is even though I was scared, I was so pumped to fight him. I now know how to access my second ability. It's stress from being in danger. I won't make a habit out of that, but it's a good sign so far. In case technopathy doesn't work -

"Listen to your madre, please. Just run if it gets out of control."

Alex nodded in response. They played the rest and they saw some people are mad at him for destroying their cars.

"What idiots! My son saved their lives!"

He was proud, but his wife was a little upset so he backs down.

"They are idiots", she admitted.

"They do have a point."

His family is confused.

"I'm thinking of having a weapon so that I don't rely on the environment."

"That's smart. Where did you get that from?"

"I can thank Kayla for her comics."

"Can I design it for you?", her eyes lit up.

"Sure. I will bring it to the company so they can bring it to life."

"Yes! My brother will be so badass! I'm going to get started right away."

"Now you got her riled up", his mother sighed.

—

In DC, Tiffany was watching the news in a new apartment and saw Techno had saved lives that day. She's laying comfortably on the couch with a Hispanic man around her age. He held her lovingly.

To think my ex-lover could be such a badass this soon. Keep it up, Techno.

"I love to see that smile on your face, mi novia", before kissing her cheek.

Tiffany kissed him back and rested against his chest. She's lucky to have found love again.

----

In the prison system meant for supervillains, the prisoners heard about what had happened to Jaws.

"Damn it!"

"You owe me two cartons of cigarettes, dumbass!"

"That's only if Prime stopped them!", the prisoner argued.

"No, you said if a hero stopped them. You didn't say only Prime."

"He's right about that."

"Fine", he huffed.

"Jaws was lucky until he met that new hero. Technopathy and can control metal? Bad luck indeed."

The doors opened. The guards escorted Jaws who's wearing a mouthguard and an improved collar to restrain his powers.

"Welcome back, loser!"

"You costed me two cartons!"

Jaws got put into his cell and the guards locked the door. His eyes narrowed with shoulders heaving up and down. A nobody defeated him.

Wait until I break out and find who you are. I will eat you and everyone you-

His thought comes to a stop as all of the cell doors opened. The guards were nowhere to be found. All of the villains were confused except for a few.

"Blaze is getting us out of here!"

The villains go to break out, but a body was sent flying towards the few that planned it. It landed in front of them to their shock.

"B-Blaze?"

The villain tried to ignite the fire on his body but coughed up blood.

"R-Run!", Blaze yelled before his head was instantly stomped. Brain matter splattered around.

All of the villains were speechless as Prime stood before them all.

"P-P-Prime?! What the fuck?!"

They backed away from him since the collars stopped them from using their powers.

"Why is he here?"

"It's time for things to change", Prime shortly replied with a cold demeanor. His body glowed with the Power of Friendship he had collected.

The villains cowered to their knees as they beg to him. "W-Wait! We will not escape again! We promise on our-

Prime clapped his hands to release some of the energy. A small wave of energy made their ears bleed to the point that they fell dead to the ground.


He rushed in with his enhanced speed and several heads fell off the toppling bodies. Several tried to make it for the doors, but he vaporized them with a blast of the hand. Prime continues the massacre with a blank expression on his face before going to the last one.

"Y-You can't get away with this! Someone will find out about this!", Jaws begged. He looked at the cameras, but they were all turned off. "W-What of your team?"

"A riot just broke out when your collars were turned off and some of you attacked each other. This isn't business. This is for hurting Techno."

He picked the man up and went through a portion of cell doors with his speed. The convict's body split into chunks that disgustingly fell to the floor. His metal jaws hit the floor with a clatter. Prime wiped the blood off his body before tapping his earpiece.

"Team, I need your help against this new monster! Lend me your energy again!"

He raised his hand. Whatever blood was on him evaporated into nothing. He walked through the doors and went to another section of the prison. A pair of female guards stood by the doors of the next section. Cries for help were heard from the doors behind them.

The guards saw Prime and walked......past him. As soon as they were clear, Prime blasted the doors open with his energy and the screams of powered women prisoners littered the night along with their bodies.

—------------------

The prison warden released a statement the next day.


"At 8pm last night, there was a riot when collars malfunctioned, and prisoners started attacking each other for control. There was a big explosion and no survivors have been found so far. We will continue to investigate and improve our security measures in the meantime."

This made news everywhere, including the Organization of Villains which was a hideout in the desert. One of the villains spoke with a heavy Spanish accent.

"Something's not right. Blaze was trying to free the others, but they attacked each other?"

"Was there any video?"

"No. I checked. It must have been an inside job."

A villainess with a French accent interjected. "But who could make such quick work out of–Merde!"

The rest of the villains trembled as they come to the same conclusion. Only one person is capable of doing all that.

"W-We have to call him. We will all get new identities after some time."

"Do it."

"Bonjour. Did you hear- So you came to the same conclusion? We need your help to lay low. New identities, new everything. I also need a favor."


They exchange information about the favor in question.


"Thank you so much, Switch."

She held herself as she tried not to break down into tears. The other villains were silent to give their condolences.

—----------

Alex was watching the news unfold about the prison attack while he's healing up. He changed the channel with his mind when his sister came into the room. She brought him a new ice pack for his back.

"I heard what happened at the prison for the bad guys."

"Oh. It's something else. Even the guy I fought is dead."

"I don't want to say it, but good riddance to them", his mom interjected. Alex, his sister, and Pops all looked at her from that unexpected comment.

"What? It means everyone will be a lot safer this way."

"That could be true."

"I don't know. If a lot of villains were dead, wouldn't there be a power vacuum?"

"There would be an uprising of villains who want to take their spots", his sister guessed.

"Damn it. Kayla, don't repeat that word outside the house", their mother warned.

"That means I have to heal quickly so I can be ready for them."

"I can teach you some more boxing skills that may come in handy."

"Sounds good."

"Pops showed me a few moves when I got healthier."

"Really? Show me."

He extended his hands out and she got into a boxer's stance.

"Give him a 1, 2!" She threw a jab and a cross to his palms.

"3 and 4!" She did an uppercut and hook.

"That's really good, sis. Just don't hurt your classmates."

"I know. Only to defend myself. Oh, I got the design ready."

She ran up the stairs and returned with it. "One of my favorite characters has this weapon and it's versatile too. You can do this and this and this and....also that."

"That's smart thinking. Let me take a picture and send it to Barria. She knows someone from the weapons side who can create it."

"No. Relax for now", she commanded. He didn't argue with her. She took a picture with his phone and sent it to Barria with a quick message.

"This is Kayla, Techno's sister. Here's a weapon I suggested for him to have. Can you make it?"

"I will let the weapons division know. You are a good little sister. Let him know that we are praying for a speedy recovery."

"Okay!"

Alex continued to rest and later got a call from an unknown number. He ignored it, but it kept calling him.He decided to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Alex! It's good to hear you. How's your back?", Prime answered.

"Still bruised up, but I have a good support system here. How are you?"

"Much better. Have you heard about the prison?"

"I did. It's crazy what happened. Does that mean there will be an uptick in villain activity?"

"We can't say for sure, but we will be ready."

"Is there more information about what happened?"

"Unfortunately, not. The cameras were all shut down during the riot. There was an electric user in there who could have done that."

"Are the guards safe?"

"None of them were harmed."

"Huh?"

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm glad they are okay. I just think that's odd. Wouldn't they go after the guards first when their powers were back?"

"Who's to say? There were gangs in each block so maybe they fought for control first before breaking out."

"That could be it. My sister's comics would always mention a power struggle when multiple groups have conflicting ideas. What do you think about that event?"

"It's unfortunate. However, some of them were beyond help and I'm sad that those that could be redeemed never got the help they needed."

"Me too. Anyway, thanks for checking up on me. I should be back by the end of the week."

"Nope. You will rest properly and contact a doctor. Once they send us good results, we will let you help with hero work. We won't risk losing one of our own. You may be new to our team, but we like you already. You're a good friend who watches out for others."

"Thanks. You're a good friend too. It's always good to talk with you."

"Good night, Alex."

"Good night."

2 weeks passed by with Alex in better shape. The pain was still there, but he's managing. Another month to go for him to be completely healed. So far, there hadn't been any villain activity reported from the police scanners.

He used up this time to manage software tasks from his neighborhood. He dressed up as Techno and helped fix things through video chat. He was helping out a woman with an issue.

"Hi, Techno. I've been getting weird ads lately on my desktop monitor."

"Hi. What kind of ads?"

"Something about meeting singles in your area? And weird credit card purchases through. Oh, my god! What is with all this porn?!"

Alex stifled his laughter as he remembered his time with Tiffany. "Have you clicked on anything lately?"

"No, I haven't."

"Do you live alone?"

"I don't. I have a son and no one else lives here."

There was a brief moment of silence until the mom figured it out.

"Jonathan Miguel Latimer! I know what you did and you can't get out of it!"

She pulled out her chancla. "Could you clear that out while I handle him?"

"S-Sure."

He cleared it out while hearing crying in the background. Multiple thwacks were heard as he takes care of the problem remotely.

Typical Hispanic household. Poor little guy, he thought.

She returned.

"Everything has been cleared up and I also installed parental controls over what he watches online. Just fill out the form with a few clicks and it will be set. Anytime he tries to access an unauthorized site, it will block him from it."

"Splendid. Muchas gracias! Payment is on the way!"

After the chat, he saw the payment in a separate account to hide his identity. He took his medicine as prescribed and started moving around with his sister's crutches. Anthony swung by to eat and chat.

"I can't stop replaying that video of you and Jaws. You are really becoming a hero. All you need now is an arch nemesis."

"Not in front of my parents", he whispered.

"How are the jobs?"

"Nothing too hard. I did hear a mom beating her son for watching porn on their computer. It also turns out he made purchases with her card."

"She probably used the chancla on him", Anthony winced.

"She actually did. He will never forget that now."

At some point, his sister started school and he saw her off. He did some more online tasks and they waited for her outside. She ran and hugged him tightly.

"How was school?"

"It was so fun! All my friends were there and we had a party!"

"¡Qué chévere!", her father exclaimed.

"They also asked when Techno will be coming back. I told them next month."

"You have to keep the crowd hyped up. Good job! If you have a bully, let me know."

"I will give them what Daddy taught me."

"You might become a hero when you're grown up", he chuckled.

They walked back inside. He got a message on his tablet sent from Tiffany. He "reads" the message to avoid prying eyes.

"I saw you on the news. You did a great job in your fight. Are you okay?"

"A little banged up, but I'm okay. How are you?", he "texted" back.

"I met a wonderful man and he's also Hispanic. Maybe that was my type all along haha. Have you found someone yet?"

"Not yet, but congratulations! He's a lucky man."

"Thank you so much. We make each other so happy. I'm so lucky!"

"That's great!"

"You should go out and find a girlfriend already."

"I will do that once I'm healed."

"I hope you heal up nicely. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Tiffany. I'm glad we helped each other out."

"Me too."

Alex smiled that Tiffany found love. She deserves it and so do I. I need to let my friend help me make a dating profile. I don't think there's a dating app for heroes, but my face will do.

After healing up, he went to the Weapon Division to retrieve his weapon. Barria accompanied him.


The staff member took out a metallic plate and handed it to Alex. "This plate is made with flexible steel. It can survive temperatures up to 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. Come to the combat room to test it out."

He walked with her inside the room and a hologram activated. Jaws attacked him with his metal teeth. Alex backed away and used the stress of combat to activate the plate. He turned it into a baseball bat as he whacked Jaws across the face. "Jaws" fell to his side but got up quickly to charge him.

Alex tripped him by the leg by turning the bat into a hook with his thoughts. The fake villain fell on his face but got up. He threw a fist at Alex who quickly changed the hook to a shield that withstood the impact.

Time to go all out!

He bashed him with the shield and changed the metal to form gloves around his fists. He rushed in and hits Jaws in the solar plexus with a jab and a hook to the ribs. Jaws hits him back and some blood came out from under his mask. He wiped it away as an idea sprung into his mind.


He formed his blood into a ball and flicked it at Jaws. He got hit in the forehead like it was a rubber pellet and Alex came in with a metal uppercut that knocked the villain out. The head popped off which scared him until he remembered it was just a hologram.

He changed the gloves back into the plate.

"You did good out there, Alex. Still a little rusty with the reflexes but you will get there. I didn't know you could do that with blood", Barria commented.

"I did it before to a lesser degree. It's useful as a last resort. Ow!", as pain shot down his face.

Barria gave him an ice pack and he lifted his mask to put it on.

"I just got better too."

Barria laughed.

"Hey, Barria. Has there been any villain activity? I haven't heard anything."

"Not that I know of. It's quiet. I don't like that."

"What do you mean?"

"The rest of the villains could be gathering for something big to do. We must remain vigilant."

"Right. Would someone like Switch know? Since he's retired?"

"When a villain retires, they agree not to commit any crime. He's old, but we will throw him in prison if he does anything. So far, he hasn't contacted anyone."

"Okay. Why did he become a villain again?"

"That's the same question I always ask myself. He's nothing like Jaws or the criminally insane. I fought him several times, but he's always a mystery to me. He doesn't seem to like violence, even though he killed someone."

"He killed one person?", he asked for clarification.

"Before his retirement, he spent time after killing Bruce Tyman, the former Director of the DOJ. We made sure that Switch's identity was kept a secret from that as long as he gave us information on the crimes we could never catch him on. He didn't argue about that."

Alex changed the subject. "Thanks for the weapon. This will come in handy. Did those angry people get their rental cars?"

"They did. Jerks like that will always be around so I need to give you a crash course on how to talk to them. Let's get started."

They sat down.

"If a battle with any villain gets out of control where lives are lost, don't admit fault. Contact our legal team and say no comment to the protestors. You can still defend yourself, but never get angry. They will use that emotion against you. Always be calm. Show that you care about what happened. We may have superpowers, but we need to show them that we are humans just like them.....

He hung onto her every word. After leaving the base, Anthony called him up. "You free?"

"Yep and I can't wait to show you my weapon."

"Nice! I have good news! Swing by and so we can also make that dating profile for you. If you don't, I will make it for you."

"Please, don't. I will be right there."

He made the metal disc larger and got on it. He thought about flying and it lifted him up. He almost lost his balance so he held on and took his time getting back. He got to Anthony's place but landed on his butt. He got inside Anthony's apartment and found his friend had made hamburgers and hot dogs. The friends ate together.

"I got great news. I got my scholarship so I'm going to college!"

"Congrats, man! I knew you could do it!", Alex Hi-5d him.

"What do you want to do while you're there?"

"I'm thinking of being a lawyer. I would like to work with you someday. You help book the villains and I will put them away."

"To the perfect team."

They clinked their cans of soda. They finished their meals and they set up Alex's profile.

"So to start, what are you looking for? Casual, meaningful relationship, open, long-term?"

"There are that many kinds of apps?", his eyes widened.

"Yep and each interest has its own apps too. How about casual because of Ms. Lakeson?", he joked.

"It was more than casual", Alex blurted.

Anthony gauged that Alex had developed feelings for her. "Okay, so meaningful relationship?"

He nodded. Anthony tapped away on Alex's phone and picked an app that was best suited for him.

"Alright, so let's talk about your preferences. Age?"

"19 and up."

"Okay so up to 50?"

"Ha ha. Let's make it up to 26."

"Preferred race?"

"Black, Latina, or AfroLatina."

"Good news is that you can have multiple races selected. I will pick those out for you. I will just fill out the obvious and....we are good. Let's start filling out your profile. I will choose for your interests: avid gym goer, tech expert, and other stuff I know about you. I will leave out the superhero part for obvious reasons."

He filled it out and showed Alex for his final verdict. He nods and Anthony submitted the changes to save it.

"Now for some photos."

He picked out some good photos of his friend Alex from social media which included photos of him boxing and lifting.

"Alright. Everything is set. If you want to match with someone, hit the checkmark. If they like you back, you can message each other. From now on, you are the captain of your love life", as he handed him back his phone.

"Appreciate it."

He saw his first option which was a black woman with only one photo. No bio included.

"Hey. Why does she only have one photo?"

"Use your ability."

"A bot program?", he concluded from his gift.

"Sometimes they throw in bots there. If they only have one picture, just assume it's a bot and move on."

"What else should I watch out for?"

"Based on my experience, avoid the ones that explicitly state a man who can communicate. They will expect you to carry the whole conversation every single time."

"Damn. That must have been harsh."

"I know, right?"

"For them", Alex smirked.

"Hey! I'm a good talker. Okay, you should also avoid profiles that only have group pictures because you can't tell who the person could be."

"My technopathy could help me with that."

"Trust me. I thought I was going out with a hot brunette, but it turned out to be someone who I wasn't attracted to."

"Okay. What else?"

Anthony gave him a rundown and it helped clear up what Alex wanted. He went through his options and selectively picked 3 women that he likes. Not just on looks, but also their interests and who he could see himself with. His phone pinged back with a match.

A dating profile of a 22-year-old Afro Latina woman named Brooke. A beautiful dark-skinned woman who's proud of her hair, athletic, and wore glasses. Her photos included her in swim wear at the beach and some sparklers on a starry night.

"That's a good sign."

"What should I say?"

"Look at her profile and mention something you both have in common. Set up a small date around that."

"You have a sparkling personality", he risk fully messaged Brooke.

"That's it? That's what you came up with?", Anthony tilted his head.

"Shh. She's responding."

"That's actually funny! You look like you eat plenty of iron on a daily basis <3"

"That actually worked. Huh. I will leave you two weirdos to it."

"I sure do! The best thing about dating me is that I will always lift you up."

"But sometimes you may not know squat ;)"

He had a good feeling about her. "If you are free this weekend, how about a coffee date?"

"I'm free on Saturday. Will that work?"

"It does. How about El Cafe on Lima Street at 2pm?"

"Sounds great. I can't wait :)"

"Me neither, Brooke."

"It's all set", he told Anthony.

"Sweet! Now you have to do some background research on her because she will do the same."

"Why?"

"You don't want to be surprised on your date. If she has a boyfriend or something else, you could get in trouble."

"You're right, but I got a good feeling about her."

He looked through her profile and there were no pictures of her friends or family. He thought she must be private about her life and decided not to pry into it. We will see how the date will go first.

"Want to check out my weapon?"

"Definitely!"

Alex took out his metal plate and shifted it into a bat which amazed Anthony. He then changed it into a sword then a shield before turning it back to normal.

"So freaking cool! Can you fly on it?"

"I suck at the landing part."

"Let's practice then."

They go outside to the large backyard and Alex wore his mask to hide his identity. Alex stepped on the metal plate and he is up a few inches in the air.

"What happens if you lean forward?"

Alex leaned slightly forward. The metal plate moved him forward slowly in response.

"Ok, now try to land vertically."

Alex stood upright and thought about going down. He fell on his butt as he did it too fast.

"Ow!", he rubbed his butt.

"Up and at em! We won't stop until you get that part down!", Anthony encouraged.

He crashed several times, but he kept getting up.

"That's good so far. Just keep it up."

Alex went home and kept practicing what he learned. He also looked forward to his date with Brooke. He couldn't stop blushing from thinking about her.

*************Things are looking up for him! Give Alex a vote of confidence so he can have a great date!!!