Birds chirped beneath the rising sun. The morning light spread across Ultra City, dancing off towering glass buildings and flickering billboards.
"Good morning, Ultra City!" a news reporter's voice echoed from a city screen as people bustled through the streets, back to their daily lives.
A new day had begun.
***
Deep beneath the ocean, at the Fortress—the Hero Squad's base—steel walls illuminated softly as the underwater haven woke with the rest of the world.
But inside, most of our heroes were still asleep, exhausted from the events of the previous day.
Blong. Blong. Blong.
An alarm blared from Max's room.
At first, he didn't stir—mumbling drowsily into his pillow.
"Shut up… you stupid thing…"
Minutes passed before his eyes snapped open.
"Shit! I'm gonna be late!"
He stared at the alarm clock, face twisting in panic.
"Why today of all days? The assignment's due!"
Max shot up from the bed and, in a blur of motion, got dressed, cleaned his room, and packed up.
"Thank goodness I'm fast. What would I even do without these feet?"
In a sonic flash, he zipped out of the underwater base and soared toward Ultra City's university.
Meanwhile, still in the Fortress, a few of the heroes were finally waking up.
Raymond sat in the living room, already alert, flipping through news channels when Derick and Sage walked in.
"Yo, good morning," Derick greeted.
"Good morning," Sage said calmly.
"Hey, good morning, guys," Raymond replied, glancing up. His eyes were sharp despite the early hour.
"So… the Captain's still asleep?" Derick asked.
"Yep," Raymond said with a small nod. "Let him rest. He's earned it."
"Max already left for the city earlier this morning."
"And Tyler?" Derick followed up, arms folded.
"Oh, he never came back to base," Raymond replied, hands now resting on his hips. "Guess he's still with his family."
"It seems Jakson and Rudy aren't around either," Sage observed, looking around.
"Yeah, you're right, Sage. If those two were here, we'd have heard their morning bants by now," Derick said with a smirk. "Those guys are inseparable."
Just as Derick finished speaking, the monitor in the living room lit up, displaying a visual alert—an image of the ocean parting outside the Fortress.
"Someone's coming," Raymond said, standing up.
From the parted ocean trench, two sleek motorbikes raced through the tunnel toward the Fortress entrance.
The metal gates opened—and in rolled the familiar duo: Jakson and Rudy, stepping off their bikes like they owned the place.
"Wassup, fellas?" Jakson said with a wide grin, his helmet tucked under his arm.
"Good morning, peeps," Rudy added, matching his friend's smile.
"Speak of them and they show up," Sage said calmly.
"Where the hell were you guys yesterday?" Derick asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, Derick, we were out in the city," Rudy replied with a smirk.
"The city has a lot of interesting ladies," Jakson said, letting out a ridiculous, exaggerated sigh.
"You guys partied with ladies last night?" Derick said, clutching his chest like he was in pain.
"Yeah, and it was exhilarating," Jakson answered, his smirk deepening.
"You should've told me!" Derick said. "I would've been down with the partying."
"Hehe… maybe next time," Rudy laughed.
"We all need to hit a party together sometime. What do you think, Raymond?" Derick asked.
Raymond raised an eyebrow at him. "Parties can wait. We'll do all that when we retire."
The room fell into awkward silence.
The first to speak was, surprisingly, Sage.
"I don't really party like that," Sage said slowly. "But still… Raymond, that'd be sad if we waited till we were old to enjoy life."
Raymond chuckled. "Just kidding. I party once in a while."
"Better be a joke," Derick muttered, shooting him a side-eye.
***
Meanwhile, in the city…
Horizon University – Ultra City's Premier Institute
In a quiet office with thick brown curtains covering the windows, Maximus Alle sat across from Gregor Fish, a stern-faced lecturer in Quantum Physics.
"Mr. Alle," Gregor began, his eyes flickering toward the paper in his hand. "Your theory for this assignment was… interesting."
"Thank you, sir," Max said, hopeful.
"But you see, Maximus…" Gregor's tone shifted. The air tensed. What he said next landed like a punch.
"Your work isn't pass-worthy."
Max blinked. "What?"
"I mean—you failed again, Mr. Alle," Gregor said flatly. "You're brilliant. Your ideas are creative. But they're not the kind of answers I expect. Not in this class."
Max's heart pounded in his chest. His hands trembled. His face twisted from hopeful to crushed in seconds.
"I can't fail this class, Mr. Gregor," he pleaded. "I poured everything into that project. I've already been held back in other courses just to meet your standards. Please reconsider. I can't keep failing. I just can't. Please."
"There's nothing I can do," Gregor replied coldly. "Now leave my office."
He turned toward the window.
Max stood frozen, pale and defeated, then walked out without another word.
Behind him, Gregor stood quietly, watching the cityscape outside. A smug grin crept onto his face.
"You think you're special… just because you're fast? Just because you're clever?" he muttered. "As long as I'm the lecturer for this course—you'll never pass."
***
Outside the university…
Max wandered aimlessly.
His body felt drained, his steps heavy. Friends tried calling out to him—but he didn't even look at them.
He was now at the university exit, his thoughts spiraling.
"I failed again. Why do I keep failing? Who did I offend?
Everyone says I'm smart, but what if it's all a lie?
"Maybe I am a failure, maybe I should quit thinking I'm smart. But what if...
What if it's just Gregor—what if he's the one holding me back?
I could kill him.
I'm fast. No one would see it coming.
A fast death. That's all it would take…"
His lips curled into a subtle, devilish grin. He turned—ready to act.
But just as he shifted, a hand touched his shoulder.
He froze. Slowly, he turned his head.
Standing behind him was Larry Stones.