Two months.
That's how long it had been since Kai emerged in this world. Since fire bloomed in a desert canyon and a man in a suit of scrap metal carved his way back to life.
Since Iron Man was born.
Now, the world couldn't stop talking about him.
Every TV in every deli, bar, and electronics store flickered with the same face—Tony Stark, bold and smirking, in his now-iconic red-and-gold armor. Footage of his high-speed flights, weapon tests, and headline-grabbing antics played on repeat.
He was more than a billionaire now. He was a symbol. An icon. A hero.
Kai tried not to feel bitter. He was proud of what Tony was becoming. He should be the center of attention. But watching from the sidelines sometimes felt… strange.
And while Tony soared through the sky, Kai was stuck on the ground—delivering pizza.
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Brooklyn – "Crispy Crust Pizza" – 4:42 p.m.
"Order up, Kai!" shouted the store manager, tossing a hot box onto the counter.
Kai jogged up, catching the box midair. "Where's it going?"
"Apartment 3B, Van Brunt Street. Twenty-five-minute guarantee."
"On it."
He slid his delivery bag onto his back and sprinted into the alley behind the store. Once out of sight, he flipped open the Omnitrix.
"Just this once," he muttered. "Gotta keep the streak alive."
He selected XLR8, slammed down the core, and transformed in a flash of green light.
In a blink, he was gone—racing down the sidewalk at super-speed. To the average person, he was a blue blur trailing behind a gust of wind.
XLR8 zipped between cars, ran across park fences, and bounced off lampposts, all while balancing the pizza bag carefully. But by the time he screeched to a stop outside the building, he sighed.
Crushed on one side again.
He groaned, reverting back to human form. "This always happens."
After two months, he'd mostly stopped using XLR8 for deliveries. Too risky, and too hard to keep the pizza intact. But every now and then, when tips were tight or streets were packed, he made exceptions.
He knocked on the door, handed over the pizza, and smiled through the awkward "why is it warm on one side" look from the customer. A mediocre tip and a halfhearted thanks later, he stepped back out onto the stoop.
Across the street, he heard yelling.
Sharp. Angry. And young.
Kai turned.
At the corner of a quiet school playground, three kids—probably fifth or sixth grade—had a smaller boy surrounded near the fence. One of them shoved the kid hard enough to send him to the ground.
"C'mon, Parker! You gonna cry again?"
Kai narrowed his eyes.
Parker?
He jogged across the street without thinking, setting his delivery bag aside as he approached.
The small kid on the ground looked maybe 8 or 9. Messy brown hair. Oversized backpack. Big eyes hidden behind cracked glasses. His lip was bleeding.
Definitely Peter Parker.
Kai stepped between the bullies and Peter, arms crossed.
"Hey. You three like pushing around kids half your size? That your afternoon hobby?"
The biggest one scowled. "What's it to you, delivery boy?"
Kai smirked. "One, that pizza paid for your school's fundraiser. Two, I really don't like people who beat on someone just because they're smaller. So how about you buzz off before I call your moms and read out your report cards?"
The smallest bully blinked. "You know our moms?"
Kai pointed at his head. "Pizza guy. I know everybody's address."
That worked.
The three kids glanced at each other, muttered a few curses, and slunk off—threats forgotten, egos bruised.
Once they were gone, Kai turned and knelt next to Peter.
"You alright?"
Peter looked up, still wary. "You're not gonna hit me too, are you?"
Kai's expression softened. "Nah. I only hit people when they start it."
He offered his hand.
Peter took it slowly, letting Kai help him up.
"You're bleeding a little," Kai said, pulling a napkin from his back pocket and gently dabbing Peter's lip. "That looked like it hurt."
"It's fine," Peter muttered. "They're just jerks."
Kai raised a brow. "You stand up to jerks a lot?"
Peter gave a small nod.
Kai grinned. "Good. That's the kind of thing heroes are made of."
Peter looked up at him, confused.
"Iron Man's a hero," Peter said. "He has a suit and flies and shoots stuff. I'm just a dumb kid with books."
Kai tilted his head. "You ever hear what Iron Man was before the suit?"
Peter shook his head.
"A prisoner in a cave. Surrounded by enemies. Barely got out alive. He didn't have armor. Just his brain. And a lot of guts." Kai ruffled Peter's hair. "You remind me of him."
Peter blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah," Kai said. "Being a hero isn't about powers. It's about what you do when it's hardest to stand back up."
Peter smiled, just a little. "You should tell my Aunt that."
"May?"
Peter's eyes widened. "Wait—how'd you—?"
"Lucky guess," Kai said quickly, waving it off. "Look, Peter, those kids? They're nothing. They want to feel strong by making someone else feel small. But one day, you're going to be the one helping people. Trust me."
Peter's smile grew.
"Hey," Kai added, reaching into his delivery bag and pulling out an untouched slice. "I, uh… had an extra. Want it?"
Peter's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah. Take it. Payment for letting me play hero for five minutes."
Peter took the slice, and for the first time since Kai had seen him, he looked genuinely happy.
As Peter walked away, still nibbling the slice, Kai sat back on the stoop, watching him go.
So that's him, he thought. The future Spider-Man.
He'd expected someone louder. More confident. But he wasn't disappointed. Even at eight, Peter had a spark. And when the bite came, when that fateful moment happened—he'd grow into something incredible.
Kai looked down at the Omnitrix on his wrist.
Maybe his job wasn't to change everything.
Maybe it was to nudge things in the right direction.
He smiled, stood, and grabbed his bag.
As he turned to leave, he glanced up at the nearest TV screen in a storefront window. Iron Man was flying again—rescuing a convoy in Gulmira. The crowd around the store cheered. A new kind of hero was rising.
And somewhere, a boy named Peter was walking home, dreaming of suits and justice.
And Kai?
He was still the pizza guy with an alien watch and no idea how long he'd be here.
But now… he didn't feel quite so lost.