Starlio Stex.The man with everything in the world.

A superhero,who uses his extensive knowledge in technology to construct armors that he uses in battle against crime and threats.

A billionaire with over 2 billion dollars in net worth.Owning multiple luxury cars,jets,boats and more,a massive man made island described as a futuristic paradise,boasting some of the world's most advanced technological luxuries and living at it's 75th floor's penthouse,naming the island after his own horoscope,the Virgo.

As much as he knew how blessed he knew he was.....Starlio didn't know if he wanted this.The success and wealth he possessed now.It wasn't anything to complain about.If only things had played out differently,would Starlio still pay the sacrifices he did in order to be where he is now?

A wealthy superhero.A girl he loves and who loves him back.Friends and family that he loves.Who didn't want to be him....have his life?

Starlio stood at the balcony of his penthouse,embracing the cool breeze of the night,holding a glass of wine in his hand.Behind him in the living room,lying on the couch asleep was Shannon Ray,the girl he had fell in love with years ago and stayed together with,hugging his pet husky Silver who was also asleep.

Starlio smiled at that sight when a loud smack hit the ground.

Silver the husky jumped first,getting up and wiggling it's tail rapidly as Shannon shot open her eyes,about to get up when Starlio comforted her."Something dropped,it's nothing I'll pick it up."Starlio assures her."Phew...I'll head to the bedroom instead. "Shannon says before heading to the room.

Silver looked up at Starlio,it's eyes brimming with curiosity as Starlio went to check on the picture frame on the ground.The rotting wooden frame around the frame....an object he recognized instantly as Starlio picked it up,brushing it before looking into the picture of his classmates.Some faces of which,he had not seen for years.

North Star Academy:Class of 2010.

Friends for life!

Starlio's heart felt sour in a odd mixture of bitter sweetness.Memories,both good and bad flowed through him,bringing an inevitable tear down his eye....

13 Years Ago.Year 2008.

The year his life transformed.

Starlio was dozing off as usual,leaning his head against the concrete walls of his 8th Grade Class,his mind focused on the invention he had just started a week ago.If I could find any type of turbine there....I could study it's components,replicate it maybe...

"Star!Starlio!"

Starlio was broken out of his thoughts as he turned to his right,one of his closest friends Roy Brandon,tugging his arm and pointed to the front of the class where an extremely vexed Mrs Wooly glared at him,arms crossed."Dozing off again Starlio?Since you decided that your sleep is currently more important than what I'm teaching you,how about you answer my following questions?"

The entire class turned their attention to him,waiting for his answer.

Starlio rubbed his eyes,looking at the whiteboard.

A math equation spanning over a quarter of the entire board.Starlio got to work,counting the numbers in his heart and quickly replied:"Twenty two cancels out,so it's just the algebra left.2A square minus 4.That's the final answer."

The class stared at him in awe.For over half an hour Mr Wooly had been trying to teach the class the same question,with barely any students managing to understand the equation,much less solve it and just like that,a drowsy Starlio who had been dreaming off half the lesson had solved in within the snap of a finger.

Mrs Wooly sighed."You know,just because you're faster than others doesn't mean you can succeed long term wise Starlio.Pay attention."

"Sorry."Starlio answers the teacher,who resumed her class.

"Starlio,do you mind teaching me math some time?I'm...fairly lost."Angie Snow,a petite white haired girl who sat to his right nudged him."Hm...if time permits sure."Starlio answers her.

School ended not long after.

"Chip!"Starlio's nickname given to him by Conner.

So are we still meeting tonight?"Conner,a fairly chubbier boy with a mushroom like hair cut,one of his best friends since his early days in middle school,sitting right in front of him."What do you mean are we still meeting?Of course we are."Roy whispers back to Conner who gave them both a thumbs up.

"The thing you are working on?How's your progress?"Roy hissed as Starlio.

"If I get to find what I want to find,it's going to be a spectacle."Starlio answers Roy who made a sarcastic smirk:"Better not be a let down."

School ended not long after.

Starlio got on his own bike,a decade old bike that he upgraded with leftover spare parts from a scrapyard his neighbourhood had."So Chip,...7:30?"Conner was right behind him with Roy,who were both about to head to a library to study."Yep.Bring your homework,I can help you guys with that."

"Alright,then let's just not do any homework until we reach your house.We'll go to the library for comics instead."Roy suggests to a worried Conner:"But...hey,you're right.Chip you sure you don't wanna join us?"

"See you boys tonight.It's only twice a month the scrapyard security is this lacking."Starlio fist bumps both his friends,taking his bicycle towards the main street.

Starlio felt multiple pairs of eyes staring at him as he turned to his right to see Frank Basto,an infamous bully within his school stare at him,whispering something to several of his equally douchey buddies.Whatever he was saying probably had something to do with his bike,making fun of Starlio's financial situation.

Starlio ignored them when he noticed several of his classmates not too far away from Frank's group.Several students that had been in his class for almost half a year already,but he never really talked to them.Kane Kyoung,a Korean exchange student that he believed was....second scoring in class right behind him...?

Not too far away,Starlio noticed three girls from his class.If he remembered correctly,the blonde hair girl in a loose t shirt was called Shannon,the slightly muscular and taller brown haired girl who was in a basketball jersey was called Joseline Fisher and Angie Snow,who sat right next to him.Starlio saw them noticing him as he quickly looked away,taking off on his bike.

Clicking on a switch on his gear,the bike's hidden motor kicked into action,boosting Starlio down the streets at high speeds close to 40mph,allowing him to leave the sight of students from his schools quickly.

DO NOT TRESPASS.

The same sign that Starlio had passed hundreds of times,the entrance to North Star Town's scrapyard,sitting on the outskirts of Plex City.Starlio parked his bike behind a bunch of trees,a process that he repeated dozens and dozens of times already as he grabbed a device out of his schoolbag,another one of his invention,a complicated metal chunk that was shaped like a baton.

Starlio knelt down beside a marked rock using crayon that he himself carved himself,digging a small hole to fit the device and with the flick of a switch,the baton like machine expanded,firing out a magnetic force field that started pushing the fence apart and creating a hole for Starlio to enter.

"Sweet,still works."Starlio crawled into the scrapyard,grabbing his near empty backpack with him,turning off the machine and closing the fence behind his tracks.

"Alright,what's new here."Starlio looked around the scrapyard.It didn't take long before something crossed his sight.G.H.O.S.T Mechas,destroyed ones,around the size of a car about three of them,lying at the scrapyard with massive holes or missing limbs,several inactive bulldozers right beside them.Starlio looked around,ensuring that no one was seeing him as he made his way over to the mechs,climbing into one of the broken pods in it's torso where the pilot seat was.

"Oh my god....this is gold...."Starlio analyzes the destroyed mech,looking at the exo-skeletal like seat,presumably how the pilots work the mech.

Starlio began grabbing a screwdriver and hammer,getting to work and starting to chip away the loose metal around the exo-skeleton,pulling it out of the pod and tried to shake it around,testing the weight.About 2 kilograms at most,it was fairly light,probably to accompany the pliot's movements.Easy enough,Starlio folded the flimsy exo suit into his bag before continuing out of the mech's pod,looking for anymore spare parts.

Thrusters....yes.

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Starlio headed to the back of the mech where true enough,two rocket thrusters the size of a water bottle were,attached to the back of the mech."Definitely not for flight,short term boost for jumps....if I can re engineer it though..."Starlio says before getting to work.

Starlio reached home an hour later,his bag pack filled to the brim with spare parts and his bike,carrying the majority of the load,including the exo suit he found and four thrusters from the multiple mechs he scavenged.The white wooden walls of his house was beginning to yellow,holes from his creaky roof were becoming larger and the wooden fence that surrounded his house were basically just chunks of wood barely holding themselves together.

A three decades old house,a house that they could have moved away from easily given his father's high ranking within the military.If only he knew how to save...or to put it more accurately,knew how to not waste their money.With the growing crime rates within the town and city near them,Starlio couldn't help but worry about their safety constantly.

Starlio entered his house,about to open the door only to realize that it was unlocked.

"What the-"Starlio mutters to see shattered bottles of beer glass on the floor.

"He's drunk again."Starlio's 12 year old brother,Mitchell Stex tells him,referring to their father,Mason Stex who laid on the couch with more beer bottles stacked on the coffee table in front of him,getting up lazily as his mother,Alice handed him his military jacket.

"Clean this up."Mason says,getting up and without even looking at Starlio and Mitchell,left the house,leaving a pile of mess behind.

"Where is he going this time?Isn't it evening already?"Mitchell turns to their mother,who sighed reluctantly:"Who knows,gambling,finding other women,drinking with his buds.It's anyone's guess.You guys hungry?I have roughly 10 dollars,Starlio you can get Mitchell some food.I have porridge leftovers from yesterday so you don't have to worry about me."

"Don't eat that Mom.Conner and Roy are bringing food over for me,you two get dinner instead."Starlio offers,dragging his bag of salvaged tech with him.

Starlio began making up his way through the creaking steps of his stairs,getting to the top floor where he went to his dusty room.His house was spacious,giving him the space he needed for his builds but it felt like it could be broken down at any moment.Water and electricity would cut out randomly throughout the day,forcing Starlio to build his own source of power via spare batteries laying in the scrapyard,compiling all the energy into a cell the size of a gas canister that he has in his room.

"Alright,time to work."Starlio laid out his loot for the day.

The sky darkened before Starlio even realized it.

His doorbell rang,signalling the arrival of his friends as Mitchell knocked on his bedroom door:"Bro,your friends are here."

As usual,the duo brought packets of cup noodles,chips,skittles and mountain dew.In exchange for homework help,they feed Starlio.Conner noticed the exo suit on the work desk of Starlio's room as he asked:"What in the world is that?"

"Holy hell that looks sick."Roy analyzes it as well.

"What is this?You hit a jackpot today?"

"I hope so.I mean it does look pretty useful.It also has circuits running through it.If I can find a way to redirect the electrical currents-"Starlio was cut off as Roy:"Hey hey,I don't understand what you are saying but I'm really hungry.Let's boil some water and cook these bad boys up eh?"Roy raised the cup noodles in his hands.

"Alright,mushroom cream for Star and chicken soup for you."Roy tossed a cup over to Conner,who barely caught it as Starlio began prepping hot water via a kettle in his room.

"What's the homework?"Starlio asks.

"You know Chip,eventually you have to pay attention to class you know that right?It's not like we can attend the same schools forever."Conner points out."Well,true....but I'm just-"

"A cocky ass?"Roy pokes fun at Starlio.

"Yep."Starlio agrees.

"Page 48-56 of the Math Workbook."Conner answers Starlio,who grabbed his workbook and calculator,putting in down on the floor as the three friends gathered.Within a couple of minutes while the water boiled,Starlio was done with all the workings and formulas written.Roy took a look,began copying it when Conner slapped his arm:"Hey,what are you supposed to learn if you just copy?"

"Uhhh I get more time to rest.Pretty worth it if you ask me."Roy says,the three of them finishing prepping their cup noodles."Dude,that's why you are failing."Starlio passes Roy the skittle packet as they began eating.

"Shush...I'll study eventually."Roy says."That's what they all say."Conner and Starlio replied in unison.Roy turned to one of Starlio's metal box under his bed as he asks his friend:"So,anything new that you made recently?"

"Not really.I mean,you guys saw the-"

"The taser glove?Yea we saw it.What's the point of building it if you don't bring it out?"Conner reminds Starlio whom immediately reached for the metal box,opening it to reveal a magnitude of homemade inventions,taking out a metallic glove that had multiple wires running through it."I mean what can I do bringing this out?It's like carrying a gun to school."Starlio tells his friends.

"It's not like we are living in a town with sky high crime rates."Roy says sarcastically as Starlio placed the taser glove in his bag:"Well no harm I guess."

"Alright,Chip can you teach me question 3B from page 52?"Conner asks.

The following morning.

Another boring school day.Starlio had the taser glove fit into his pocket perfectly like he designed,excitedly waiting for recess time where they could test it in a field at the back of their school building.

He daydreamed like usual.Starlio did catch several words like project and physics and true enough,several classmates did approach him,begging the top scorer of their class to be in their teams for an upcoming project.To solve the matter,Mrs Wooly decided to just group them up herself,which landed Starlio in a group with Shannon,Joseline,Angie and Kane.

"So,physics project.2 Weeks to dateline what do you guys wanna do?"Joseline,the basketball girl starts the conversation to a seemingly irritated Kane:"I don't know.Ask Mr Genius over here."

"Why the sarcastic tone?"Angie stepped up for Starlio.

"Who knows.Maybe working for once would help justifying your results huh Starlio?"Kane glares directly into Starlio's eyes."Did I offend you before Kane?What's your problem?"Starlio returns a question to the Korean transfer student when Shannon spoke up for the first time:"Hey,let's chill for a moment okay?"

"Alright,put our ideas out,we'll narrow it down from there on what to do."Joseline finalizes the plan.Things went pretty smoothly and less awkward than Starlio thought it would be.Kane looked pissed for some reason,Angie was initiating conversations with Starlio which greatly eased the awkwardness.

Joseline was pretty upfront with her ideas,talking most of the leadership within the team and this girl...Shannon Ray,she was pretty quiet.She looked awkward,which is something he saw in himself before he decided to show his intellect off,finding it pretty relatable now that he was seeing it in another person.

School...projects....Starlio knew he wanted more.He needed more.

Things were getting way too stale for him.School sucks.Everyone says that but Starlio felt that he had a legitimate reason for so.He was better than everyone here,he had grades that would have easily granted him positions on higher levels of institution.If only his family had the financial background....he wouldn't be stuck here.

Recess arrived as he immediately left the company of his group,right towards Conner and Roy."Eat first or what?"Conner asks as the three of them headed towards the canteen together,agreeing to have their meal first.Hotdogs and rice,a perfect meal to hate as the three friends sat together."So how's your group?Come up with any crazy project ideas Mr Stex?"Roy asks.

"Nah not at the moment.Yo but what's wrong with Kane?He seems to dislike me."Starlio mentions.

"I heard his parents has unrealistic expectations on him.Maybe something with his grades?"Conner suggests when Roy added:"His grades are the second highest in class already though.It's as good as it gets,definitely better than whatever I've been getting."

Starlio thought about the project discussion they just had,particularly Shannon Ray,the blonde haired girl beside him.She had a unique personality,quiet and reserved,not extroverted or over outgoing like most other girls he knew.That's interesting....Starlio thinks to himself.

"Hey,biggest stinky butthole is here."Roy points out as Starlio turned around to see Frank Basto with his squad of three equally jerks he calls friends,talking loudly and vulgarly as the rest of the canteen stared at them in fear or disgust.

"Just stay quiet Chip,don't have to get involved in unnecessary trouble."Conner tells him.

"I wouldn't care less anyway."Starlio went back to eating his food when a loud slam was heard,prompting Starlio to turn immediately to check what was going on.A terrified Shannon Ray,with her tray of food all over the ground right in front of Frank,whose jacket was now stained in apple juice.

"What the hell?!OI!IT'S THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS RIGHT HERE!ARE YOU GONNA PAY UP HUH BLONDIE?!"Frank roared at the top of his lungs.

"Sorry...I'll get it cleaned for you-"Shannon tried only for Frank's voice to muffle hers:"NO!I'm not gonna bear with your cheap detergents.I WANT A NEW ONE.SAME.EXACT.JACKET."Frank crossed his arms when Joseline and Angie went forward."We are just students Frank,how the hell is she supposed to get any money to get you a new jacket."

"Piss off,this doesn't concern you."Frank tells Joseline as a few of his buddies pushed her and Angie back.

"Look.I don't have any money-"

"That isn't my problem lady."Frank tells her."Yea I can't take this shit."Starlio got up from his seat,surprising both Conner and Roy as Starlio yelled:"Hey!Come on dude it's just a stain."

Frank turned his attention to him."Yea it's just a stain to your broke ass.This stain ruined something you will never afford in your lifetime.Bugger off unless you wanna pay for her."Frank marches over to Starlio,the two of them fighting before in the past over previous disputes."What so good about being rich if you can't even forgive someone over such little stains."Starlio growled when Frank closed in,landing a punch across Starlio's jaw and knocking him to the ground.

"Stay out of my way Starlio,not a smart move for a prodigy huh?"Frank says before turning his attention back to Shannon,who immediately went over to Starlio's aid:"You okay?It's okay,don't get involved with this,it's my mistake."

Roy and Conner got up,wanting to help their friend only to notice Frank looking directly at them,giving them an intimidating expression,warning them to back off.

"Pay up."Frank grabs Shannon by her arm,pulling her to him forcefully.

He didn't know why....but Starlio's heart pumped with rage as an idea came to him."I ain't afraid to hit a girl blondie....PAY UP!"Starlio fished his hand into his pocket,the taser glove enveloping its cold metal around Starlio's hand,slotting it in perfectly before standing up,pushing Frank back from Shannon with one hand before slamming his taser glove right into Frank's chest.

ZAP.

A wave of electricity vibrated across the air as a blue glow exploded from the impact,Frank being blasted halfway across the canteen with beams of electricity radiating across his body,shocking Frank into shaking uncontrollably on the ground in pain.

Joseline quickly grabs Shannon away as the entire canteen of students stared at them in shocking silence.Frank groaned,pointing his finger at Starlio slowly:"Get....him!"

Frank's friends turned to Starlio,their fists raised as Starlio raised his taser glove,ready to fight back only for a voice to boom across the canteen:"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?STOP!"

Mrs Wooly stood by the canteen entrance with her arms crossed,glaring at them.

Next Chapter- A Talent's Enemies