Battle Heroes X: S02E02

A Step Forward is the seventh episode of the Battle Heroes X series, the second episode of season two, and the seventh episode overall. The plot has Zack, Julius, and Cloud learning more about their powers and an imminent threat.

## The Episode

When the trio returned home from the store, it was very late. Nobody could keep their eyes open as they finally stumbled through the door. Shuffling to their rooms, they went straight to bed due to exhaustion. The next morning, Zack sat at the dining table, sipping a mug of coffee. Julius was eating a bowl of cereal, and Cloud was cracking an egg into a pan on the stove. No one had said anything about what happened last night.

After seasoning his egg, Cloud turned to Zack and Julius to break the silence. "Alright, I feel like we should talk about what happened last night."

Zack looked at Julius. "What you did was stupid, dangerous, and irresponsible. You could have gotten yourself killed. Not to mention us as well."

Julius swallowed a bite of cereal and pointed his spoon at Zack. "Did it feel good?"

"Did what feel good?"

"Taking down those would-be robbers like it was nothing! The adrenaline, the rush, man!"

"I gotta admit, it felt great putting them in their place. It felt like we were superheroes." Cloud said, flipping his egg.

"Exactly, Cloud! I was amazed when you pulled off that shockwave attack! When did you learn how to do that?"

Zack shook his head. "You guys aren't thinking about the consequences of our actions. There were cameras in that store. The cashier is bound to recognize us if we go back there.

Julius and Cloud stared at Zack. "Man, you really know how to ruin a good mood," Julius said.

Zack looked at his phone. "8:00. I gotta head to work." He got up and looked at his friends. "This isn't over, we'll need to cover our tracks and make sure this doesn't lead to us."

"We'll see you off," Cloud said, turning off the stove. He and Julius got up and the three went downstairs and left the apartment.

"Zack, Zack, Zack. You always look at the worst case scenario," Cloud said. "Maybe this won't be so bad."

Two pedestrians walking together passed by the boys' house. They were deep in a conversation. "You won't believe what happened last night! Some people tried to robbed the Snack Mart!" One said.

Zack turned to Julius and pointed at the couple with his head.

"I was jogging through the neighborhood this morning when I saw the place boarded up with yellow tape. Here's the thing, though. Somebody stopped them!"

"Really?" The other asked.

"Some police cars were parked there and three guys were being handcuffed. Here's where things get really weird. One of the guys I saw had pieces of ice on his arm!"

"That's crazy! Know anything else?"

"That's it, I had to get back so I could get ready for work. The news will probably give a better scoop."

The couple continued walking and turned the corner. As soon as they werre out of earshot, Zack sighed. "The beginning of the end right there."

Cloud patted Zack's shoulder. "Relax, man. After work, we'll get informed about the situation. Now get going, you don't want to be late for work!"

Zack nodded and walked away from Cloud and Julius, who went back into the apartment.

Later on, Zack and Cloud entered the Fowler City Mall's food court, where Julius was sitting at a table. He had a bag of Golden Palace in front of him and was enjoying a burger.

"I love their food. Hate working there, but love their food," He said, taking another bite.

Zack and Cloud sat with him. "You're on break, right?"

"Yeah, but if my boss asks, I have explosive diarrhea and you guys came to give me my medication," Julius winked. "Now what did you want us all together to see?"

Zack turned on his phone and showed it to Julius. On the screen, a video was playing. A news reporter stood in front of the taped up Snack Mart.

Julius looked at Zack. "You watch it already?"

Zack shook his head. "Not yet, I wanted to get us all together to watch."

The three directed their attention to the news reporter as they spoke.

"I'm here at the Snack Mart, where a robbery nearly occurred, if not for some...strange circumstances. Last night, three armed men entered the mart, shot the cameras, and held the cashier and three other patrons at gunpoint while taking money from the register. According to the cashier, the last thing he saw was a blue light before he ducked for cover under the counter," Julius smirked when he heard this. "When he got up, all three of the robbers were knocked out and the other customers were gone. The cashier then called the police and the men were arrested."

The footage then cut to the cashier, who was sitting on the sidewalk outside the store. He rubbed his head and looked around anxiously. "It was crazy, man. I don't know what happened in-between those thugs running in and them being knocked up, so stop asking, ok?!"

The video finished there and Zack breathed a sigh of relief. Cloud smiled. "Looks like our secret is safe."

"Yeah, and the cameras aren't telling any stories any time soon," Julius said.

"It looks like you guys are right and we *are* in the clear."

Out of the corner of his eye, Julius noticed his manager looking around the food court. He got up. "I gotta get back to work."

"We'll leave you to that," Zack said, getting up. Cloud got up as well.

"Guys? How about tonight, we do some more...training stuff?"

"Sure, we can do that," Zack said, looking surprised at Julius taking initiative. "You interested, Cloud?"

"Hell yeah. To be honest, I have no idea how I did that shockwave thing last night."

As Zack sat and looked around, he noticed that the people were slowing down and moving as if they were in slow-motion. He quickly turned to Cloud and Julius, who were moving at normal speed and noticed the exact same change as Zack. Soon, the motion of everyone and everything but the three ceased. The mall was eerily silent.

"Uh...what's going on?" Julius asked, confused. "Is this you, Zack?" He looked at Cloud. "You? Or is it..." He pointed at himself. "Me? Well, I *can* control ice, and ice slows stuff down, so..."

"It is none of you, Julius Vladmire," An unfamiliar voice said from behind them. Unfamiliar to all but Zack.

They turned around and saw not a person, but a ray of light. A foot stepped out of the light, revealing the owner of the voice. It was someone in a white robe with light green stripes. Their eyes were covered by a green headband.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked, perplexed.

Zack immediately recognized the voice, however. "You...you're the voice from my dreams!"

"Correct, Zack."

Julius looked around at all the frozen people. "So what's going on? Are we all in Zack's head right now or did you freeze everyone..."

Suddenly, the world around them began to fade. The heroes were transported into another area Zack recognized. They were now in the crystal room that served as the setting for many of his dreams.

"Now this..." Cloud began, looking around incredulously. "...Is bonkers."

"Well, voice in Zack's head, it's an honor to finally meet," Julius said, eying the crystal refrigerator.

"Is everything alright?" Zack inquired.