It was still dawn, him and his bestfriend just got home for their vacation. But here he is, floating worriedly beside a boy scratching his capless head.
Since receiving the Oakuat Seed, Boboiboy practically drowned himself in books. All kinds of texts containing nature, plants, biology, and even alchemy, he hoards them all. He insists that it's their utmost priority to quickly upgrade his Duri element.
"What if an enemy like Retak'ka appears?" he said.
The orange boy rarely sleeps, eat, or shower, despite his smile telling everyone that everything's under control. But his friends didn't buy it the slightest, finding his sudden spike of rush, or perhaps anxiety concerning.
Ochobot fumbles the orange cap between his fingers. This cap was a gift from his father, he once told. That's why Boboiboy never let's it go. But just minutes ago, he was handed over the cap by the owner, stating,
"The cap's beginning to weigh on my head."
The yellow sphere flutters closer to Boboiboy. At this angle, he can see the faint dark circles around Boboiboy's eyes, his lips fixed into a frown, all the while scribbling theories and formulas on a paper. The boy looks like someone at the edge of a cliff of obsession.
"Boboiboy...?" Ochobot tries to call his bestfriend's name, but it comes out akin to a baby's whine.
Boboiboy suddenly snaps his attention to him. For a split second, you can see those brown eyes staring daggers at the power sphere. But he quickly softens his gaze as fast, his frown turning into a tired smile, "What's up, Ochobot?"
Ochobot stares at the boy in front of him. He looks somehow... Natural. His floofy hair against the soft light of yet rising sun, eyes soft too motherly for a boy, but his smile looks like preventing him from spewing a thousand words.
"I think you can use some sleep for now..." Ochobot mutters his thought loudly.
'You didn't even glance at dinner when we got home...' His other thought kept locked away.
The elemental hero sighs, he checks the time on the wall clock, 04.45 AM, "It's morning soon anyway, i'll just continue--"
"No!" The yellow sphere's voicebox screeches, he realized his tone then meekly lowers himself, "I-i mean... You wouldn't fight when you're tired, right? So it makes... Sense, that you regain at least some energy for yourself."
"..."
"...I'll wake you in the morning of course! 7 AM! C'mon! Just a 2 hour and 15 minutes nap?"
"..."
"Please...?"
Boboiboy glanced at his bed. His soft, tidy, and comfy bed seemingly inviting him to just lay down and went around the dream land. With a final consideration, that it's true he needs to be prepared for enemies, he gets up from his chair and flops on the bed's mattress.
Ochobot flutters happily seeing his best friend quickly falls asleep, his tiredness catching up to him. His metallic hands slowly puts the orange cap on the boy's head, surely, it would serve as a comfort rather than a weight this time.
Unknowingly to Ochobot, when the power sphere just shuts down, allowing himself to be fueled of energy on his resting-slash-charger bed. Boboiboy slaps his own cap away from his head.
Seems like it's still a weight even for his unconcious state.
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
The first time he fought Maripos, he felt fear.
Fear for it was another alien who seeks to steal his power.
Fear for a repeat of his encounter with Retak'ka.
That fear manifesting as Halilintar felt so right, but his defeat again and again just makes this numbing terror inside him worse.
The boy could almost drop his kneels and cry in front of his enemy if it's not for him currently not in control. Halilintar kept fighting his fear when Boboiboy just froze with panic and anxiety behind his conciousness.
"Relax, boy..." said a voice, breezing behind his ear.
"Look at him, Boboiboy. Look at Maripos. He's having fun!" the windy elemental grinning behind him, though Boboiboy can't see it, he can feel it in it's voice.
"You will be no match if you're so" the wind grips the boy's shoulders, "stressed like this. If you want to flip the table, you should have more fun than him."
Taufan embraced him from behind, smiling like an artificial sun, "Become the wind, boy. Let me take over, let me play! For you! For us!"
"What's an adventure if you don't have a little bit of fun, right, boy?"
Boboiboy took that first step towards joy.
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
You won't believe that it all happened so fast. The defeat. The victory. The sacrifice. The survivor. Everything happened so excruciatingly slow but now, as the superhero stares down at the begging tyrant on his knees.
The enemy that almost looks like a baby moth muttering apologies and praise for the teen clad in orange armor in front of him.
Boboiboy forgot how to react to such an easy 'boss monster'. The hard part in this whole journey was only how he reach the throne of Emperor Reramos, but now after he defeated it in a single, shot, from Solar?
The boy is ecstatic.
How could he expect other enemies stronger than Retak'ka, The Legend that will make even the whole galaxy tremble in fear upon hearing it's name, defeated by Boboiboy.
There is no one could possibly overcome the elemental superhero at this point.
When the residents of Windara came barging in the throne room, they were all cheering in relief and euphoria. One of them, points at the direction of Kuputeri and shouts, "That's our ruler!"
The butterfly queen opens her arms for her kingdom. Finally, reclaiming her beloved planet. Then she slowly lowers them, as her people run past her. Instead, straight for the elemental boy.
Realization hits the former queen like a typhoon. Her people deemed the boy as their new ruler because not only of his powers, but the fact that he's the whole reason they--no, he were able to defeat Reramos. She watched as those who once were hers was taken away bit by bit in front of her eyes.
Boboiboy's dearest orange cap was thrown away as he was lifted onto the throne. Honestly, he was stunned. His vision now sees two former rulers beneath him, as an elder of the aliens crowned his head. He feels literally on top of the world.
"Stop! Release our friend! Your rightful ruler is supposed to be Kuputeri!"
The scream of a girl gained everyone's attention. Yaya stands tall, her face fueled with rage. How could they?!
"How could you abandoned your queen, who has tried her best to save you all?!" she asks with dissappointment.
One by one, the rest of the gang joined her.
"Ya lho! She truly cared about this kingdom, and you people just ignored her like that?! Don't you have no shame?!"
"We wouldn't even CARED to come here if it were not for Kuputeri's efforts!"
"Y-yeah! And if our best friend becomes king, then who would drink Tok Aba's Special Hot Chocolate with me again?!"
Their hope was that the speech creates a silence of self-instropection. A time for everyone to re-evaluate their judgement and then do the right thing.
Or what's supposed to be the right thing.
"Well, tell us then, children! Where were she when we needed her the most?"
"the first thing she thought when she regained freedom, was to turn her back towards us"
"she ran like a decapitated cockroach, seeking help from other planet residents. She knows that she can't even help or even protect this kingdom with her own power!"
"But this boy!" The elder who crowned Boboiboy and gave the speech, spreads his arms as if presenting their new king, "He is capable of both power and empathy! He helps everyone on his way and he defeated the tyrant by himself! For he, is the suited King--"
"ENOUGH!"
Windstorm throws the whole room into chaos. Civilians, enemies, and friends alike is flying around the room. Some of them tries to grab on the carpet, the throne, their 'King' for help.
But the boy remained seated.
As a queen who was rejected by her own kind, Kuputeri approaches Boboiboy with a stare, deadly as a poisonous spider. She grabs the hero's collar and as fury flowns in her veins, she speaks, "I should have took back my Beliung element the moment i found you!"
The butterfly reached out for the wind.
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
From the moment the hero was throned, he found his conciousness strangely stuck in a limbo of his mind. A persona of wind with a face that mirrorred his, faces him from afar.
"Are you having fun with your new title, boy?" the wind snorted, "I personally don't like playing royalty, it's too boring for my taste."
Boboiboy stares at his friends as they try to defend Kuputeri, he questions himself, is this what he truly want?
No, he... He was planning to look for a way for Kuputeri to let him keep Taufan, and possibly ask her how to upgrade to Beliung.
"But is it not the same? Have an upgrade, be a king..." Taufan gives him a cheeky smile, "Both of them gives you power, is that not what you want?"
Is that it? Does he just wants power all along? He thinks back to when he was torturing himself while researching about the Seed of Balak. He thinks back to when he desperately wants to unlock a new element. He thinks back when the first time he really wants an upgrade as Tanah.
Is he just a new Retak'ka?
"No! I-i'm not Retak'ka! I just want to protect my friends! My family! I just want to... To help everyone!" the sobbing boy screams at the cold wind, "I'm not some kind of megalomaniac!"
The wind wipes away his tears, "No one's accusing you for being Retak'ka. I didn't resist when i was absorbed by you like i was when with that beast," it cups the boy's face, it's dark blue eyes seemingly comforting,
"I want to help. We want to help you."
Boboiboy tries his best to regain his cool. His own powers is patting his back, he should've cry of happiness. "I... just wanted to have a fun adventure with my friends..." he finally mutters between sobs.
"And that's exactly why i'm content with you," Taufan responses with it's iconic smile.
The wind circles around him, "So you just want to have fun deep down, right?"
Boboiboy nods.
"Well, you're talking to the right guy! I'm the master of fun and joy!" Taufan skips cheerfully, "I can promise you the true taste of fun, if you just" it glances to the side, "let me take over for awhile and become Beliung!"
That statement made Boboiboy chokes on his own spit, "You can become Beliung?! Now?!"
Apparently, the boy's reaction was so funny that Taufan tries really hard to contain it's laughter, "Yeah! Remember those butterflies that is always with Maripos or Kuputeri?"
"I can seize them to become Beliung!"
Boboiboy frowns, "Isn't that... Too harsh? We're just gonna rip them of their powers again?"
"Well, it would be boring to try having fun with everyone if they were happy already"
"right?"
"I..." he doesn't have any comebacks, "suppose so?"
The wind giggles, oh, to be able to give it's dearest person his deserved happiness! Such joy and honor it felt after so, so long!
Taufan offers it's hands, it doesn't need to do this, it can just take over right now and go wild. But it at least wants to give the boy the reassurance of their promise.
But before Boboiboy places down his hands, in a sudden moment of clarity, he asked,
"Taufan, who am i?"
His question made Taufan chuckle, "Of course you are Boboiboy!"
No, that's the wrong question.
"What am i?"
That silences the mistral.
"Taufan, what are we?"
The wind whispers, "We are the elemental superhero."
"What are you?"
"I'm an elemental."
Boboiboy's perception of world shatters again. He makes sense of the answers. All he can do is laugh at his newfound misery.
"As i said, we are here to help you."
'To be somebody.'
"We are the elemental superhero."
'Boboiboy was not the elemental superhero.'
"Boboiboy..."
The orange boy is still laughing as the elemental finally referred to him by his name. He is nothing without the elementals. He could never protect anyone without the elementals. He was not the one who defeated Retak'ka, it was them.
It was not a story of a hero saving the world.
It was a story of the revenge of slaves against their master.
The wind carefully embraces him as he breaks down. Whispering a breeze of comforting phonies to his ears.
"We are going to make you happy, Boboiboy..."
"We promised."
"We are going to make everyone make you happy, be happy for you, for your life always be filled with new kinds of ecstasy."
Taufan once again offered it's hands.
"Do you want to?"
This time, Boboiboy gripped it's hands like his life depended on it. Well, he is already depended on them all his life anyway.
"What even am i without you?"
Nothing.
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
And the wind snatched the butterfly.
The deep blue eyes in front of her was not the boy's, Kuputeri knows that. He would never have such a crazed smile plastered on his face. It feels awfully familiar, this scorching aura of blissful joy swirling around them.
This is Beliung.
But not the Beliung she was expecting.
She can feel her powers sucked out of her, in the form of butterflies they began to surround the boy like a cocoon. Panicked, she tries to pry open the bundle of blue to no avail.
The windstorm died down, as the catalyst's power is stripped away from her. Everyone stared in awe and anxiety at the 'cocoon' sitting gracefully on the throne.
Then erupts a laughter from it's inside.
The guffaw could be described as that of a child who just got a new toy from a gift. Though for most, it sounds like a terrible cachinnation.
When the cocoon bursts open, a strong gust of wind throws everyone to the walls. Some unfortunate folk gets defenestrated. As for the former queen, she is once again looking up from the feet of the throne.
The thing that is gleefully smiling on top is not a king nor a prince. It is a jester. But it's only interested in creating amusement for himself.
"We meet again, Kuputeri," it says, with Boboiboy's voice, "i missed you so much!"
"Not!"
Kuputeri stares in disbelief at the giggling boy, "Have you abandoned me too, Beliung?!"
The hilarity stops. Only a grin remains.
"Me? Abandoning you?" it snorts, "YOU were the one abandoned ME! All because of this" the whole throne is thrown by Beliung using wind across the room, "stupid throne!"
"All you do is either sit there, or your BORING desk, doing BORING papers, when we promised ourselves a life of happiness!"
"But i was happy! To rule such a lovely kingdom, is it not enough?!" Kuputeri snarls back, trying to shove some of her sense into the wind.
"YOU are the only one who's happy! Have you ever considered my desire to at least play a 'silly' child's game to just have a little spark of fun?!"
Before she knew, the boy was kneeling in front of her. A smile meets her shaky gaze, "But we've had this squabble in the past aren't we? It's not even funny anymore."
Beliung places it's right hand on it's chest, "To be with and serve such a lively boy, i've never felt such a fun and thrilling adventure since millenia," a little speck of genuine smile was there for a second, "and it's now my turn to return my side of promise for him."
That same right hand placed itself on it's former owner's forehead.
"Starting with showing him a new kind of fun~"
⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝
'We are his friends', Fang thought. So why didn't they get up from this shameful position of a bystander and stop their friend from flinging the butterfly alien around like a ragdoll, all the while giggling like an innocent child.
"DO YOU SEE THIS BOBOIBOY? THIS IS HOW YOU PLAY WITH A LIAR!~" Boboi--that thing asks to nobody.
Right, they didn't intervene because he's no longer their friend. It's something else entirely. But still,
"Are we just gonna sit here and watch that... that THING use our friend's body to hurt people?!" Fang finally asks his idiot friends.
His question is answered with three pairs of confused yet scared stare. "A-are you not seeing the scene in front of you?!"
"He's the kind of guy who would laugh like a psycho while he mutilates our body!" Gopal's statement just makes their doubt worse.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea surfaces to Ying's mind, "Hey, remember Taufan's first appearance? Maybe we can do the same thing like last time!"
Though still doubtful, the others seems to see no other good ideas than Ying's. They quickly made a plan.
Fang will hold the thing down with Jari Bayang, Yaya helps with increasing the gravity pressure beneath it.
Since Ochobot is currently not with them, Ying would be the one who shows the telenovela from her wristwatch, she could also quickly dodge if the plan fails--which hopefully doesn't. If she can't dodge in time, then Gopal would turn the surface that Ying's about to land on into a soft thing like jelly to avoid fatal injuries.
With bravery, or rather foolish guts, they proceed with the plan. Fang summons the shadows, wrapping around the thing's body, quiet as the night. Yaya hurriedly created a gravity zone beneath it, and increases the gravity pressure as Fang pulled the shadows. They succeeded in locking it in place.
Kuputeri falls down form the ceiling pathetically, as Beliung is strapped down by Boboiboy's gang.
Though somehow, it just lifts his eyebrows amusingly. As if it could just easily breaks free, but decides to play along to see where would this play go.
Ying quickly opens the final episode of 'Seguni Mawar Merah' before it's eyes, specifically the scene where the main character with his cat and--
Beliung slaps her hand with the wind without lifting a finger.
"Using the same trick? And i thought you were the smartest girl in class?"
If they were scared, now the gang is now utterly terrified. Whilst the people of Windara continue to cheer for their 'King' at the display of his power, ignoring their own injuries.
"Who are you?" the time-bender asks on the verge of tears.
Beliung sneers, "I'm Boboiboy."
╔═══════════════╗
Author's Note
╚═══════════════╝
I'm used to write poetry, why did i force myself to write a story ( ；∀；)
Sorry if there's any grammar mistakes or weird sentences, English isn't my first language :")