The Final Showdown (That He Didn’t Want)
Things escalated quickly after that. The cube—which Alex had now nicknamed “The Nudge” because it wouldn’t stop nudging him into trouble—seemed to be getting stronger. It no longer waited for a crisis; it actively dragged him into situations, often to Alex’s dismay.
One night, while Alex was at home, trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, he heard an explosion in the distance. He immediately tried to bury his head under a pillow, pretending he hadn’t heard it. But The Nudge had other plans. It zapped him, hard, and before Alex knew it, he was dressed, out the door, and running towards the source of the explosion.
It turned out to be a full-blown supervillain situation—a mad scientist-type with a giant robot, wreaking havoc in the city square. Alex stood there, staring up at the robot, feeling very much like a bug about to be squashed.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” he muttered to The Nudge. “You want me to be a hero. But just so you know, I’m not good at this!”
The Nudge glowed brighter, and suddenly, Alex felt a surge of energy. He jumped—higher than he’d ever jumped before—and landed right on the robot’s head. The villain inside looked up in surprise as Alex banged on the glass.
“Hey, uh, could you maybe… not destroy the city?” Alex said, trying to sound authoritative. The villain scowled, and Alex added, “I mean, I’m sure we can work this out, right?”
The villain pressed a button, and the robot’s head started spinning, throwing Alex off. He landed on a nearby rooftop, barely managing to hang on.
“Nope, nope, nope! I did not sign up for this!” he yelled, clinging to the edge. But The Nudge pulsed, sending another wave of energy through him. Alex sighed, pulling himself up. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
It was clumsy, it was chaotic, and it was anything but graceful. But somehow, Alex managed to disable the robot, mostly by accident—tripping over some wires and pulling out the main power supply. The robot crumpled, and the villain was arrested, much to the cheers of the crowd that had gathered.
Alex stood there, panting, covered in dust, his shirt torn. He looked at The Nudge, which was now glowing softly, almost like it was… proud of him.
“You know,” Alex said, shaking his head, “I’m really starting to hate you.”
The crowd erupted in applause, and someone shouted, “Three cheers for the Phantom Protector!”
Alex forced a smile, waving weakly at the crowd. “Please,” he said under his breath, “just let me go home.”
And maybe, just maybe, one day he’d figure out how to get rid of that stupid cube. But until then, it looked like Greendale City had its hero—whether he wanted the job or not.
