Max's days as a baby were boring. The only things he could do were eat, sleep, poop, and occasionally suck his fingers while making strange noises.
His mother, Stella, was a very caring woman. She was a nurse but never neglected her son. His father, on the other hand, was equally involved but more of an authoritative figure. He was a police officer, and his job made him a more serious and disciplined person.
Max's parents cherished every special moment of his life and immortalized them. Every day that Max grew was special to them—though some moments were a bit strange.
One of those moments was the day of Max's first word, something his family had eagerly anticipated. It happened on New Year's Eve while they were watching TV together. Since Max was actually a 17-year-old mind trapped in a baby's body after being isekai'd, he already knew how to speak. But he had to hide it. So, he had been pretending to be a normal baby all this time... until that New Year's Eve when he let his guard down.
On the TV, the world's greatest hero, Hypernova, was giving a speech during a New Year's special program.
"Being a hero isn't about physical strength. It's about the power of love and belief in your heart. Anyone can be a hero. HERO! HERO!"
At that moment, Max forgot everything around him. As if acting on pure instinct, he shouted, "HERO!"—and that, to his parents' excitement, became his first word.
From that day on, his parents recognized his deep interest in heroism and supported him in every way possible.
Max's room became filled with action figures, comic books, and posters. Even his bed had a Dark Pretender vs. Hypernova theme.
His parents wanted him to have interests outside of heroism, so they introduced a reward system. For every good grade he got, he would receive a new action figure. For participating in extracurricular activities, he'd earn comic books.
By the time he entered middle school, Max started taking heroism more seriously. Midway through middle school, most students began awakening their superpowers—but Max's had yet to manifest. This frustrated him at first, but he believed in himself. While others focused on discovering their powers, Max trained in sports and martial arts to keep up with them.
He became the kind of student who preferred self-improvement over socializing with friends. He didn't want to repeat his past mistakes... but then, he had a realization.
"I lost my friends and my girlfriend because I was obsessed with becoming a hero. My only focus was heroism. Am I not doing the same thing again? I thought this time would be different. I need to change. I was given a second chance—I'm going to live a life without regrets!"
It was the end of middle school when Max finally made a decision. He accepted his friends' invitation to go out for the first time. He went on a trip with his closest friend, Rex—a cocky, red-haired guy with a sharp tongue but a loyal heart.
"Dude, you've been training so hard, but your powers still haven't awakened. Wouldn't it be hilarious if they never did? You already love green; it'd make for a great anime protagonist story." Rex teased him.
"I don't mind. Some people awaken their powers during high school. Besides, late bloomers tend to be stronger. Hypernova awakened his powers in his second year of high school, and now he's the strongest hero. I want to be just like him."
"Well, I want to surpass him. If you become the strongest, then I'll crush you too! Imagine how cool it'd be if we were like Dark Pretender and Hypernova—best friends and greatest rivals!"
"Sounds good to me. Just don't run crying to your mom when I kick your ass. HAHAHA!" Max enjoyed teasing Rex. He liked how quick-tempered yet easygoing he was.
"HEY! That's rude! You talk big for someone who doesn't even have powers yet!" Rex snapped, though he enjoyed their friendly banter.
"And you dream too much for someone who hasn't even graduated yet."
For the first time in a long while, Max was laughing this much.
"At least my dreams are realistic! Everyone should have a dream!" Rex declared.
As they talked, they decided to buy ice cream. Rex, as always, chose cherry, while Max got apple. They continued walking as they ate.
"Have you thought of a hero name yet? I bet there are some cool ones that fit your future power." Max asked, looking at Rex curiously.
"Actually, I'm thinking of The Storm King. People should know who their king is! Plus, it'd be fun hearing people call me a king—" Rex suddenly stopped and yelled, "MAX, LOOK AT YOUR HAND—YOUR ICE CREAM IS MELTING!"
"It's normal for ice cream to melt, it's hot outside," Max shrugged.
"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT, YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE MELTING THE ENTIRE CUP! YOUR POWER IS AWAKENING!" Rex shouted in a mix of excitement and concern.
Max looked at his hand, and sure enough, the plastic ice cream cup—and even the metal spoon—were melting. A burning sensation spread across his palm.
"Does this mean… my power is some kind of acid or something?"
The spoon had liquefied and was now eating through the pavement. His hand felt like it was on fire. Panicked, he looked at his palm—it was glowing with a strange green light.
"Am… Am I doing this?"
Realizing he had just awakened his power, thoughts raced through Max's mind. Middle school was almost over, and his power had only just appeared. He had spent years training in martial arts to stand out among his peers, but that wasn't enough anymore. Now, he had to master his new ability.
He wanted to rush home and research everything about it—but he had already made up his mind. He wasn't going to be the same as before. He would be someone who valued his friends and the people around him.
"I don't know what the hell this is, but it's dangerous. You better learn to control it before high school, or you might hurt someone." Rex said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of gloves.
"Here, wear these. They're power-dampening gloves. Sometimes, when I get angry, I accidentally create storm clouds, so I always carry a pair with me."
"Thanks. My power never awakened throughout middle school, so I never trained for it. But trust me, I'll work on it all summer. I'll get stronger than you—I'll even melt your lightning!" Max smirked.
"As if! That's impossible!"
"I'll do it."
"Idiot, that's physically impossible! Lightning moves at the speed of light!"
"Don't care. You'll see in high school." Max suddenly turned serious. "You applied to Imperium Hero Academy too, right?"
"Yeah, why? Why are you getting so serious? Is going to the same school a bad thing?" Rex hesitated for a moment, wondering if Max didn't see him as a close friend.
"No, idiot. If you were in another school, I'd enjoy kicking your ass even more. Now we'll be teammates—I'm upset about that." Max grinned, purposely annoying Rex.
Max and Rex had been friends since the beginning of middle school. Rex was loud and short-tempered but always had Max's back. Max, on the other hand, was quieter and always aimed to be the best at everything. Normally reserved, he became more lively and expressive when he was with Rex.
They spent the entire day having fun together. As the day came to an end, Max walked Rex home. Just before parting ways, Max had one last thing to say.
'I'm going to train all summer and become the strongest in Imperium Hero Academy. Stay out of my way, idiot.'
'Keep dreaming! I'm the one who's gonna be the king of the school!' Rex retorted without hesitation.
After this fun day, Max said goodbye to Rex and ran home.
Having gained his new superpowers, Max will spend the summer uncovering the secrets of his strength and striving to become the greatest hero.