"Hey, guys!" a soft voice chimed. That was Alanis, a friend of the Bodega trio, who looked at them as they entered the store.
"Yo, Al!" Radicles picked up his short friend. "It's been awhile since you last came here! Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, just busy with school and all," Al replied. "It's pretty stressful, especially in the last year."
Enid looked at the two. "You guys are so similar in so many ways, it's hard to not think you're siblings. I still can't believe it myself."
Alanis giggled softly. "Everyone tells me this. So I haven't seen K.O. yet. Is he at school? I miss talking to him a lot-" The alien was interrupted by a young boy hugging them tightly, nearly cutting off their breath.
"AL! I'm so happy you're here! I missed you and I thought something bad had happened to you and I was so worried about you and I'm glad everything's alright…!" K.O. said quickly, not letting go of his second alien friend.
"I'm fine, K.O.! Don't worry too much about me," said Alanis, "I'm just busy with school is all."
K.O. let go of Alanis. "Why did school make you so busy? Isn't it easy, like it is for me?" he asked.
Enid left her place at the counter, kneeling beside the young boy. "Well, K.O., when you're older, school isn't as easy anymore. It's when it requires more from you so your chances of getting into a good college are higher," she explained.
K.O. tilted his head to the side. "Oooh, I get it now. So it makes you busier because of lots of work for better grades?" he asked.
Enid nodded. "Mhm. One day you'll get there too."
"Well, I'm just glad it's the weekend! I can finally get to hang out with you guys-" Alanis cut themselves off as they noticed a purple glow outside of the store.
"Boxman." The four said in unison. They got out of the store shortly before the box landed on the Plaza.
"Are you sure you can do it this time, Al?" Rad asked. "Last time you tried, your butt was kicked way too hard! By Darrell, to boot!"
Alanis huffed. "I'm sure I can! I've been practicing on my free time from studies." As they finished their sentence, the box opening, revealing a robot the short alien had never seen before.
"We meet again, Lakewood Losers." The robot greeted the group in a soft voice.
"Raymond!" Enid shouted. "Alanis, I think it's best you stay out of this one-" she said, turning to face her friend, who was staring blankly at the robot.
"Uh, guys…? I think they're not feeling well…" said K.O., waving his hand in front of Alanis' face.
Raymond cleared his throat. "In case you benchwarmers forgot, I am still here."
"Uh, we didn't forget," Rad replied with snark in his voice, "probably because you're the one who did this to our friend!"
Raymond chuckled. "I have not met your friend yet," he said courteously, walking over to the group. "Worry not, I will not hurt them."
Alanis, still frozen in place, looked at the robot, who gently lifted their face to make eye contact with them. "Well, so your name is Alanis, right?" he asked softly.
Alanis nodded slowly. "Y-yes," they managed to stammer in a low voice.
"Could it be… you're captivated by my charms?" he asked, moving his face closer to the alien's, whose cheeks were now slightly tinted.
"I… guess so…" Al's voice continued soft. "B-but…"
"Hmm? What is it, my dear?"
"Could you… please… not approach like this?!" said Al, pushing Raymond away from them as they snapped out of the trance.
"Ohh, so the short one can fight, after all," teased Raymond, shifting his forearm into a blaster.
"Al, no!" the trio yelled as Alanis readied themselves for the fight.
"Don't worry, guys! I don't like picking fights for nothing, after all," they said, pulling up their sleeves.
Raymond took his time to aim at Alanis, but he did not notice the short alien was indeed quite fast, though not fast enough to dodge a sole beam, which pushed them back. Recoiling from the hit, Alanis called for their friends in order to prepare a team power move, while they attempted to catch the robot off-guard.
"Are you sure you can do it?" quietly asked K.O., who looked concerned about his friend.
Alanis nodded. "Yep. I'm going to be his 'target', while you guys prepare the attack."
"Hey, Raymond!" Al called out for him. "I think your focus is on me at the moment, isn't it?"
"Hmm. Fair point. Now where were we…?" he said as he took aim towards the daring alien. "Oh, yes, I was about to destroy you."
"Yeah, and I'm about to make you cry!" retorted Alanis, in an attempt to be tough.
Raymond laughed. "I truly doubt someone your size could defeat someone like me!"
Alanis smirked. "Well, maybe not by myself, but I can at least try to prove my worth!"
While Raymond had his back turned to the other three, they prepared the team power move they had used the same day the group was introduced to the narcissistic robot. As K.O. had been launched forward by Rad's bungee net, Alanis moved out of the way of yet another projectile.
"Will you just stop moving?!" the robot growled. "It's difficult to not miss the target when it's-" Raymond got cut off by K.O. fireball-punching him, sending him flying, though not back to Boxmore.
Raymond lay on the ground, holding a rose over his chest. "W-well done, Alanis. You've proved yourself not to be physically the strongest, but strategically. Y-you managed to keep me distracted, something I did not imagine an opponent of mine could do so easily."
Alanis walked over to him, hands on hips. "That's called 'teamwork', dear Raymond," emphasizing "dear" in a teasing tone.
The robot chuckled softly. "I suppose I can consider you a worthy opponent," he said as he got up. "Shall we meet again…?" he asked quietly.
Alanis blushed. Is this a romantic advance…? They thought. If so… But he's a villain, and I'm a hero. It's not possible…!
"Uhh… y-yeah, sure!" replied Al, hoping their friends did not overhear the conversation.
Raymond nodded and kissed Alanis' hand, no longer caring about keeping it so much of a secret. "We will meet once again, in the guise of battles. Maybe, on occasion, you can meet up with me somewhere?"
Alanis nodded. "Sounds good! See you soon!"
"Until we meet again," said Raymond as he walked back to BoxMore. "Don't forget me."
Alanis walked back to their friends, still rubbing the back of their left hand. "Woah, dude, is Raymond into you, of all people?!" Rad asked, laughing. "I'm not making fun of you, though. I'm just surprised a villain like him would fall in love with a hero after a single throwdown, is all."
"Ah, so am I…" said Al, still bewildered.
K.O. chimed in. "But he's evil, and Al is nice, like us! How would it even work?!"
"I guess love is just the way it is," added Enid. "Alright guys, let's get back to work. Care to join us, Al?"
Alanis shrugged. "Eh, it's Friday. Guess it doesn't hurt to hang out with you for a while. I'm just… afraid of what Mr. Gar can do to you guys."
"Worry not, for I will do my best!" said K.O., striking a heroic pose.
…
"RAYMOND!" A familiar voice could be heard throughout the entire factory.
Boxman was disappointed. "I have never expected you to return with a single scratch! I thought you could do better than this, Raymond."
"I am very sorry, Coach Boxdad, but those Plaza heroes managed to defeat me without any difficulty. It's all thanks to this 'friend' of theirs, Alanis, who acted as a distraction for me." Raymond did not like disappointing his father. It made him feel something… odd. 'Remorse', as one would say.
The short man flinched at the mention of a 'friend'. "Ah, friendship. I absolutely despise it. Not only it's harmful for our sales, they use it as an excuse to fight alongside other heroes, which makes them seem helpless if fighting by themselves."
Raymond nodded. "I agree, dear father. Although, Alanis proved themselves a worthy opponent with their excellent planning ability," he said, not realizing he had just complimented a hero in front of his father.
Lord Boxman glanced towards the robot. "What did you just say?!"
"A-ah, nothing!" he replied.
Raymond was lost in thought. I wonder if I'll get to see Alanis any time soon… I miss them already.
The robot no longer felt as remorseful after being lectured by his father. All he could feel was… something impossible to describe.
…
The next few weeks were rather uneventful. It was not everyday that Alanis and Raymond got to see each other, but when they did, it was a brief moment both cherished in a particularly odd way.
What Alanis did not expect was to arrive at the bodega in their after-school hours and receive the news.
"Hey, Al. I think Raymond's left this for you before you got here," said Enid, handing the short alien a note.
Alanis,
Despite my dear father's opinion of heroes,
I do not think the same thing of you.
I am particularly fond of the times we met.
Do you remember the first?
Your personality is quite interesting, but
I wish to know the real you.
Alanis blushed. "O-oh, my… this is no poem, but he wrote it with so much emotion," they said softly, still looking at the note. "He wants to know the 'real me'... What did he mean by that?"
"You're always trying to look cool. Maybe he wants to know who you are beyond this façade you put up?" Rad pointed out.
"Why are you, out of all people, talking about this?" Al asked.
"W-well, we hang out pretty often, you know. How wouldn't I be able to tell?" Rad crossed his arms.
"Well, that's true." Al's ears perked up. "That's it! I spend a lot of time with you guys, and that's why you know so much about me. If I spend more time with Raymond, he'll know more about me too! Thank you so much, Rad!" they said as they gave the taller alien a hug.
"But how will you be able to spend time with him if he's always at BoxMore?" K.O. asked.
"We should wait until the next time he shows up," said Alanis.
The moment they finished their sentence, the group had to go outside, to deal with another — daily, at this point — blind box.
"Greetings. I am not here for a battle today. In fact… I have something else in mind." said Raymond as he looked at Alanis.
"My dear, I have a confession."
Alanis put their hands on their cheeks. I have the slightest idea of what this means. I just know it!
"What is it?" the short alien asked.
Raymond cleared his throat. "I have analyzed my emotions several times over the course of the past few weeks. I could not grasp their meaning at first, but I realized… I have grown fond of you. You may be weaker than I am, but your sheer determination to take me down is something I truly admire in this personality of yours." Gently pulling a rose from behind Alanis' ear and giving it to them, the robot said the words Al was preparing themselves for.
"Alanis.
...Will you let me get to know the real you?"
Closing their eyes, Al answered his question.
"...Yes."
Raymond picked Alanis up in an embrace, holding them gently. "I'm so glad you gave me a chance, darling."
Alanis giggled. "Of course I did, I was the one who fell for you."
The robot set his now-datefriend down carefully. "I apologize for the lack of excitement today. I just needed to get something off my chest."
"Psh, that's nothing. At least Al is happy," Rad commented.
"And I'm so happy for them!" said K.O., running to give Alanis a hug.
"Thank you so much, guys!" they said, tears streaming down their face as they returned K.O.'s hug.
"I didn't mean to interrupt your celebrating, but could you come here, Alanis?" called Raymond. "There's one thing I have to do before I depart."
Raymond got down on one knee in order to be at Alanis' eye level. He felt rather awkward doing this, as he was sure his nose would get in the way. Al tilted the robot's head up, leaning in and placing a kiss on his lips. The two parted after a while, which to them, seemed like an eternity.
"I shall now be taking my leave. We should set up a day for ourselves, one of these days."
Alanis waved to Raymond, turning to their friends with an awkward smile on their face. Nodding to the trio, they made their way back to the bodega — they were supposed to be helping out with something that day.