Boboiboy knew it was a bad day when Shizuko was in the same cell with him, flipping through a graphic novel while lying on her side on the floor like she was on her bed.

"You're here too, huh?" she drawled. "Oh. I left my bag at your grandfather's stand. Can you help me take care of it so it doesn't get stolen?"

He groaned. He should have known. Shizuko tended to forget about everything that's anything. Now he was stuck in this alien's cell with the option of revealing his new abilities or sitting here while waiting for the right moment to escape.

Neither of that seemed convenient.

You're probably thinking, or maybe not: Why wasn't he asking why Shizuko was in here? Why isn't she reading the Boboiboy Galaxy comic?

Well, she's a carefree person. She does what she likes, and this was how she spent her breaks. Nobody would bother her while she's in a cell, being "arrested" and all that. No one would hassle about breaking her out, and she would escape that prison once she feels like it. There's nearly nothing in the galaxy that can trap her.

Also, she doesn't know about the comic, because she doesn't know how to break the fourth wall!

Boboiboy understood that a little too well. He paced around what little space he had and stared out of the transparent energy barrier that acted as bars. Suddenly he had an idea so cringe-worthy he would hurl at the thought of it even after thirty years.

"Hey, squared face!" he called. "Hello? The narcissist alien who's hellbent on destroying me? Where the fuck are you? Too afraid to face me?"

The doors opened with a hiss. An alien with green skin, a square face and antenna walked out. He was taller than what Boboiboy remembered, but aliens don't have puberty. His face was exactly what he saw years ago.

"You dare?" Adu-du challenged. "You have no powers. Your friends have abandoned you. What makes you think you can defeat me? You are powerless, Boboiboy! You're weak!"

The Boboiboy two years ago would have snapped. He would have lashed out. But he changed. All he did was snort and glare at him.

"So? You can't do anything without Probe," he pointed out. "You can't even carry me yourself. How can you defeat me if it was your trap and your robot who did the job? You didn't beat me with skill nor trickery, because it was a cheap trick."

Adu-du's eyes narrowed. What Boboiboy was trying to do was a risky gamble, but he wouldn't die. He wouldn't allow it to that extent. He can stand beating and torture, but he would not accept death as an answer.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying," Boboiboy explained patiently, "is that I want you to fight me hand to hand. Isn't that easy? I have no powers. I'll even let you use a weapon!"

"Hm." Adu-du was now the same height as him, which was vaguely disturbing. "What's the catch?"

Boboiboy smirked internally. "If I win, you let me go. If you win, you can do whatever you want with me."

The alien grinned. "Deal!"

Shizuko glanced up from her book and yawned. "Try not to die."

Boboiboy wasn't sure who was she talking to. Maybe him. Maybe Adu-du. Or maybe because she's just bored and wanted to see some action.

Adu-du called for Probe to escort him to a clearing where they had space to fight. The ship wouldn't cut it, because Adu-du would choose the most painful, destructive and a hazardous weapon with an extremely long name.

Of course he chose the location where they first met.

Of course it was midnight. At least Boboiboy won't have to deal with any drama from his friends, since they didn't bother to patrol the island.

"I'm feeling generous today, so you can have this!" Adu-du tossed him a metal staff. He gestured for Probe to turn into armour and climbed in it. "Now, face your doom!"

Now, this was a match in name only. An unarmed 16-year-old boy with a metal stick versus an alien with death armour that shoots missiles of death.

Adu-du never stood a chance. Boboiboy had a little too much experience fighting opponents larger than him with his bare hands or a sword. He would win this with his hands tied together and his legs cut off.

The armour was huge, but incredulously slow. Boboiboy dodged the first missiles and slid behind the robot. Probe cried, "Where is he, Mister Boss? Where is he?" as Boboiboy tackled Adu-du to the ground, the metal staff around his throat.

"Do you surrender?" he asked Adu-du. He had his right knee on Adu-du's back and both hands on the staff that was poised to cut off his oxygen supply.

"NEVER!" Adu-du barked. "Probe! Lasers!"

Boboiboy was faster. He flipped Adu-du over his back and dodged the incoming projectiles. He sped around Probe, which led him to turn and shoot simultaneously, destroying multiple trees and benches in the process.

He dived behind an alien ship that belonged to TAPOPS. Why was it doing here, he had a pretty good idea, but he had priorities. He could just call his elements and fry Adu-du or freeze him or electrocute the guy, but he wasn't going to. Not yet. He wasn't even winded.

He could hear the sound of metal coming closer. Boboiboy had trained under a universe-renowned assassin for years, and he had mad talent. What did you expect? He fought aliens for breakfast. He arrested criminals before his nap time.

"Now, Probe!" Adu-du screeched. "Finish him off!"

Boboiboy lunged towards as a missile denotated, knocking the entire ship over. Ciciko was definitely going to get a shock in the morning. He maintained his footing and was pushed back lightly by the minor shockwave, but there was nothing serious. Not even a minor cut.

His eyes darted towards Adu-du and Probe. Probe counted as a weapon, and defeating him entirely would make quite a mess. Boboiboy preferred to end things clean and quick. Adu-du was giving him instructions, so the only thing he had to do was take Adu-du down and Probe would retreat.

Gripping the staff tighter in his fist, he ran towards the ship and used it as a launching pad. He sailed over Probe and landed next to Adu-du.

But before the alien could bark more orders, Boboiboy knocked him out with a chop to the head in a second. Adu-du didn't even know what hit him.

"Mis – Mister Boss!" Probe panicked and picked his master up. "You – good game, Boboiboy! We will beat you next time!"

Boboiboy shrugged and tossed the metal staff elsewhere. "Good game, I guess."

Probe fled to his ship in a hurry, carrying Adu-du in his metal arms. Someday they'll learn that Boboiboy is out of their league by lightyears. Or not.

So that happened. Boboiboy brushed the dust off his shoulder and headed back to Tok Aba's house.

He parkoured from roof to roof until he finally reached his room's window. But before he entered, he saw people chatting in his room. Those people were the recruits of TAPOPS and even the Admiral himself.

Why at this hour? It's, like, three in the morning. Or eleven. He lost track of time. His powerwatch doesn't exactly tell time.

Should he intrude or should he not? It wasn't intruding, since it was his room in the first place.

He barged into his own room through the window.

"What are you all doing here?" he demanded. "In my room? In the middle of the night? Do you guys know something called privacy?"

They gawked at him.

Boboiboy started to wonder whether if he had entered the wrong house that happened to have a room exactly like his or being sent to an alternate universe where he's the ultimate villain. Both options were equally alarmingly awesome.

"Hm. Guess not," he decided. "Now if you all would excuse me, I'll come back later... um, never mind. I'll go annoy my friend."

He turned to the window once more, but Fang called out to him. "Boboiboy."

Boboiboy faced him. "Yeah?"

"Where were you?"

He raised an eyebrow. What kind of question was that? "Kuala Lumpur. Why?"

"Why did you leave?" Fang said. "You left without saying anything. No proper goodbyes, no notes, no nothing."

Boboiboy ain't even mad. He knew that Fang was at TAPOPS full-time, but he wasn't so sure for the rest of his friends. As for why they're doing here in his room, he was less than keen to pry. He couldn't care less.

"I left because... I wanted to," he admitted. "I don't know. Family issues. Homesick. Friends yelling at me to come back. The usual."

"Are you saying we're not your friends?" Ying demanded.

Since when did I say that? Boboiboy thought. Can't I have my own friends? No wonder the people here are so idiotic and selfish.

"I didn't say that," he replied casually. "Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going."

"Boboiboy," Ciciko intervened. "We demand that you release the hold on your previous power watch this instant. If you don't intend to lead your team, someone else would do it."

At this point, Boboiboy was practically giving them the Say What? face. What did he mean? He did nothing. All he did was reunite with his previous powerwatch and that was all. He didn't miss that powerwatch that Ochobot gave him.

The black watch on his left wrist started to feel cold under his black jacket sleeve.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Boboiboy's tone was still casual, like he was telling a joke.

You want to make him mad? Okay. Try again in your next lifetime. If he really gets mad? Run. He will kill you, bring you back, throw you into a volcano, bring you back again, and feed you to wolves.

In other words: do not mess with this cinnamon bun. He's like a fluffy black cat that will turn into the nightmare that you fear.

The Admiral grunted. "He's telling the truth. He knows none of this."

"But, Admiral!" Ciciko frowned at the watch in his little green hands. "It only activated when he came! It's his doing! Ochobot confirmed it."

"He left TAPOPS, but that does not make him an enemy of it," the Admiral debated. "But if he lies, he will face me."

"Hey." Boboiboy crossed his arms. "I'm still here. Are you letting me leave or not?"

Gopal threw himself at him. Boboiboy sidestepped and he crashed into his nightstand, a pile of books falling on Gopal.

"Ouch! I missed you, Boboiboy!" Gopal sat up and rubbed his sore head. "Everything's been so hard after you left!"

Boboiboy raised an eyebrow. He could barely remember everyone's names. "Um... hi?"

He'd almost forgotten about them being here. After he left, he'd put them at the back of his mind completely. It was like rewatching your childhood show after ten years and you're struggling to remember every character's names individually.

Yaya crashed in the room. "Admiral, Commander! The ship's been damaged!"

"What?" Admiral Tarung demanded. "How? Who did this?"

Boboiboy raised his hand. "Guilty."

"WHAT?" Admiral Tarung yelled in his face. What is going on? "What did you do?"

"Boboiboy! Don't you remember me?" Gopal asked.

"Boboiboy? He's back?" Yaya asked. To her, Boboiboy had been obscured by the Admiral's presence. "When? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Um." Boboiboy had trained to handle multiple deadly opponents, not answer dozens of questions from your past friends. "Adu-du tried to kill me; I don't know what you're talking about, dude; and I'm gonna ask you what are you all doing my room?"

Everyone gawked at him. Especially Gopal, whose jaw hit the floor.

Fang wrinkled his nose. He was aware that Boboiboy had changed, but this kind of change was drastic. City life could be stressful.

"Ochobot told us you've been kidnapped this afternoon," Ying supplied. "We didn't believe it, because we thought you're at Kuala Lumpur. Even if we had proof, we didn't expect you to come back so soon!"

At this point, Boboiboy was ready to return to Kuala Lumpur and never step foot on this island again. Besides, he's only staying here for one month, and it's the swordfighting championships. He can't miss it and let Shizuko take all the glory.

He was wondering whether showing up in their sights was a good idea, but it was better than nothing. At least he didn't have to live with the guilt of someone dying because of him.

He could care, but he wouldn't. That's just how the world works.

To be honest, he could totally live with his guilt. He's just not sure how he would come to that.

No one answered his questions. Oh, come on! He spent like, five seconds answering theirs. Can't they just humour him for one stupid question?

"Boboiboy," Ciciko spoke up. "I have an offer for you."

Boboiboy groaned inwardly. Can he just leave? In peace?

"What is it?" he asked innocently.

"Ever since you left TAPOPS, we have been targeted more frequently. Your battle with Vargoba has brought many power spheres back to justice, but after your departure..."

Boboiboy zoned out. He hated when people didn't get to the point. Can he just get to the important part already? He's getting bored.

Personally, I would just shake Ciciko and yell at him. He needs to be more straightforward and attentive. But no. He has to spend ten minutes on one single monologue and he hasn't got there yet.

"We want you to rejoin TAPOPS."

Boboiboy had brought cans of drinks in his suitcase. By the time Ciciko finally finished, he spat all the contents in his mouth out.

"Say what?" he demanded.