Chapter 45
July 18th, 2010
Empress
"Fascinating. Positively fascinating," Anita was sat in one of the very comfy armchairs dotted about Orca and Clock King's shared laboratory, her Empress Stick resting on a table as she nervously watched the time obsessed scientist take readings on one of his strange looking steampunk devices. "You say you can teleport using this?"
"Kind of," Anita said. "I'm still mastering it. If I know a place well enough, I can get there. I'm still learning about Hawaii though."
"And the explanation, the mystical one of course, for how it works?"
"That's like, waaaay complicated," Anita said.
"Believe me, I have a quick mind," Clock King said, tapping his head. "Try me."
Anita thought for a long moment, pursing her lips. "Well, it works on a combination of magical schools. Primarily Haitian Vodou, but also a few things my dad learned. It's guided by my memories, but also communicates with the spiritual plane. My body is pulled into the safest level of that plane, then ejected out, but in the place I picked. Like a wormhole or something."
The Clock King listened intently, nodding his head. "And the range?"
"Ten miles or so? Well, for my dad. I'm still learning."
"I truly wish I could bring your father in," Tockman said, shaking his head, before giving her a look of chagrin. "Uh, no offense, Miss Fite. Your insight is valuable, but having a more experienced user of the magical arts would help."
"What are you even trying to do?" Anita asked. "I mean, when you asked me to come, I kinda expected you to ask about gadgets or something."
Tockman walked away from the Empress Stick, lifting his scanner up to look it over. "In a sense, that is my goal. This new work, you and I are now a part of. Being a hero. It is, in a way, far more dangerous than when I was on the other side of it."
"Oh. Uh, yeah, because you were-"
"A villain," Tockman said without a hint of hesitation. "Anyway. As a villain, I had the advantage of the offensive. I could plan out assaults and know that no matter how skilled the opposition, they always had to respond to my action, to dance to my tempo and timing."
"Invincibility lies in the defense, the possibility of victory in the attack," Anita said absently.
"Sun Tzu? Appropriate," Tockman said. "As a hero, we cannot always be on the attack. So our defense must be immaculate. Our foes have shown great mastery of technology and biology, but what if we choose another avenue?"
"...You want to make magical technology?" Anita asked, bewildered.
"Science is not the ignorance of natural laws, but the understanding of them. And what is magic but a part of nature?" Clock King paused. He turned to look at Anita, biting his lip. Walking over, he sat down. "May I… confide in you? Briefly?"
This new twist in the conversation threw her. "Yeah, sure. If you want? We don't know each other very well."
"That makes this easier, in some ways," Clock King leaned back in his chair. "It is easier to speak with those who you are not close with about emotional matters."
"Emotional? Are you nervous about tomorrow?" God knows she was. Kahu had informed the team they were all going to meet with the Justice League's team of former sidekicks. Apparently they'd made some sort of covert ops group?
Which sounded insanely cool.
But now she was going to meet all those heroes. Robin, Kid Flash, they were household names!
And Aqualad was just so dreamy. She'd subtly asked Kahu a few things about him and he sounded just as cool and collected as she imagined. Like one of those guys from a drama or something.
So yeah, she was nervous about it. For normal reasons. Clock King probably had a few more realistic ones though.
To her surprise, he shook his head. "I suppose I have some anxiety. But no. I am instead filled with regret. Before the good Giovanni took me in, I had sacrificed everything for the chance of saving my sister. My reputation, my freedom, my interests. All because I thought I was dying…"
After a moment of quiet, he continued. "I am happier now. Therapy has helped. Reigniting my interests. Discovering new and incredible things about the world. But regret remains. Enjoy your youth, Miss Fite."
"You're only a little older than me."
Tockman smiled just a bit. "And yet, I've wasted so much time. All of this is a harried attempt to make up for it. Working with a superhero. Learning about the mystical arts. Taking up new hobbies, speaking with my sister on the web. All of it. I am a man of regret. I don't know if I'll ever be more than that."
"...You will be," Anita said sadly.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. My dad was the same way."
"Oh." He paused. "Do you wish to speak about that?"
"No. I'm okay now. As for what happened, I'd leave it to him to explain. But my dad got through it. Anyone can, with enough time. I think you're doing the right thing, if that helps?" She added a bit nervously.
For a moment. Just one. Tockman's smile was amazingly bright. "Yes. So far so good." The smile faded quickly. "But until I am truly tested, I won't know."
"Tested? Tested how?"
"I do not know. One day, someone or something, a situation, will force me to face myself. At that moment, I'll know what sort of man I am now."
Anita sighed, rubbing her face. "I'd almost prefer if you were just nervous about meeting the heroes tomorrow."
"Well, it will be awkward if Green Arrow is there. Hard to speak with a man who shot arrows into you after you tried to stab him with a sword shaped like a clock's hand."
"Ha!" Anita froze, mortified. "Oh, god, that's actually more sad than funny."
"Believe me, it's both." Tockman chuckled, rising to his feet. "Now, I believe that you were hoping for some gadgets?"
"I mean… maybe something cool?" Anita said with a hesitant smile. "And not clock shaped. Uh, no offense."
"None taken. Let us consider it, shall we? I'll need time to implement something that will work with the mystical, though I have confidence it will be short. What can I provide that can cover a weakness you have?"
Empress thought about it briefly. Then a thought came to mind. When she voiced it, Clock King smiled at her, clearly approving the idea.
Kahu Kiaʻi
"So where are we meeting tomorrow?" I asked Kaldur on the phone as I watched Tyrunt and Mimikyu stare at the TV. "Your lair, my lair, a room at Giovanni's restaurant?"
"Technically it would be my… lair, though we share it," Kaldur sounded amused. "The League agreed to let you into the cave. You won't be allowed to know its location, but you can enter designated areas."
"They're testing us a bit?" I guessed.
"I imagine so. Black Canary will be there with us, as will Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter. They'll be monitoring us."
"And Clock King?" I asked.
"He is invited. But under strict rules. The League is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt… but-"
"Yeah, I get it. They aren't stupid," I figured. Clock King was a genius. A comic book styled one at that. "You sure you guys can take guests though? Didn't you just deal with that android guy today?"
"Mister Twister didn't injure any of us. We are more than ready for guests. Miss Martian is excited, as is Robin," it sounded like Kaldur was doing something. For a moment, I imagined him doing the same thing I was, just vibing in random positions while talking. Why is it that people can't just stay still while on a long phone conversation anyways? "I hope you like cookies. M'gann has been somewhat overeager in her baking."
He sounded more affectionate than annoyed. I kinda smiled. "Hey, cookies are awesome. Only the truly evil people don't like em."
A loud sound came from near the tv. I looked over.
Tyrunt and Mimikyu were staring at me imploringly.
"...Kaldur, I gotta go," I said with a sigh. "I've said cookies near my children and now must pay the price."
"Truly, you live a hard life," Kaldur teased. "I'll see you at the meeting point. Speak with you later, my friend."
"Later dude."
Hanging up, I looked down at my Pokemon. Tyrunt was giving me the big puppy rex eyes, whimpering slightly, while Mimikyu had fake tears in her own eyes while she wiggled in place, her classic Pikachu costume wiggling.
"All right, you punks. I think Alakazam and Martian Manhunter left a few packs of Oreos."
Coming home to find the two of them playing chess while drinking tea and eating cookies was a hell of a trip.
"Ty!"
"Mimikyu!"
The twin cries of happiness made me smile. I got up and walked to the kitchen, Mimikyu hopping onto my shoulder while Tyrunt pranced next to me. Tomorrow was going to be interesting.
July 19th, 2010
"...This explains a lot about how you got around so fast." I told Kaldur. We stood in a random garage hidden in Honolulu. It had been downtown, out of view of any random people. Inside, was the actual secret to the League members ability to seemingly pop in and out of any city in moments. A gigantic circular tube filled with technology. It kind of reminded me of the ghost portal from Danny Phantom.
"I've seen this design before," Clock King mumbled, circling the device briefly. "But only in an old journal."
"Is it some kind of wormhole tech?" Orca asked curiously, looking over at Kaldur.
"It is similar. Instant teleportation between two points," Kaldur said. For some reason, Clock King looked over at Empress, the two sharing a small moment. "It's heavily guarded and coded of course. But you are all allowed to use it for today."
"Coooool," I mumbled. Like the others, I was dressed in my full costume. Mask, long coat, tough undersuit, and my Pokeballs resting on my belt, all my Pokemon inside. The war club Amos had gifted me was on my back, along with my shield.
"My life has gotten so weird," my favorite killer whale girl mumbled next to me.
While Smiley, Empress and Clock King stayed with their usual outfits, Orca now wore a black and white bullet/knife resistant vest and leggings combo, woven to protect her chest and back. It wasn't as thick as I would have liked. But she had to swim and was durable already, so light and thin armor would have to do.
"It pretty much became weird when you gained a few feet in height," I mumbled. "After that it's all uphill with the freaky stuff around us."
"Hn. That explains why you're so used to this stuff." She asked. "You must have been freaky weird your whole life."
"...Are you making fun of me?"
"Just a little bit," she said, lifting her hand to bring her thumb and forefinger close together with a fanged grin. Empress giggled behind her.
Fail Tuba Sound (The Price is Right Losing Horn) - Sound Effect for Editing
When I looked over at the familiar sound, Smiley gave me a thumbs up.
I rolled my eyes at my so-called team and walked over to Kaldur. He was typing on a computer, inputting something. "So. We need to do anything crazy for this? Give DNA samples or whatever?"
"Not at all. Once you're in the system, you simply need the designation. Your biometrics will be read automatically."
"Our designation?"
"Yes. The Justice League is referenced by number based on when they joined. Guest's are 'A', the Team is 'B'. Thus, you and your team are now 'C'."
"Still don't have a name for your group, huh?" I asked. "We're workshopping it too."
Kaldur smirked. "What have you all come up with?"
"The Hawaiian Knights." That would be Orca, the native Gothamite trying to name us after her favorite sports team.
"Carnival of Terror!" An exuberant voice cried out from Smiley's tape recorder.
"The Elites was on the table," Clock King hummed. "I believe our sponsor recommende-"
"NO." I said firmly.
Yes, I knew he was making fun of me. I didn't care. Giovanni wasn't going to get us to call ourselves Team Rocket.
"Maybe," Empress said hesitantly. "Something related to our goals? To destroying the Silicon Dragons?"
"..." The thought burned in my head for a moment. "Something about being a killer of dragons? Like St George or uh… Sigurd?"
"Now that has merit," Clock King mumbled. "He was called 'Sigurd, Fafnir's Bane' if my memory is correct. Perhaps… Oormsbani?"
"That's a little… weird?" Grace said, getting an affronted look from Clock King.
"Well excuse me, for trying to tie us to historical legend!"
The train of thought that conversation led me made me suggest something laughable. "Dovahkiin might be available."
"Dovah-what?" Empress asked.
"Never mind… The Champions?" Like the ones in the Pokemon world.
Orca, Clock King, Empress, and Smiley glanced at me. "What? It's a good name!"
"I guess. I just… don't feel like a Champion?" Orca said nervously. "I don't think it really fits us."
"What she said," Empress added.
"It would look good on lunch boxes," Clock King said, though he didn't seem into it.
I sighed. "Fine. We'll wait on it then."
Well shoot, I thought it was good at least.
"The Zetatube is ready," Kaldur said, smiling just a bit. "Kahu? Would you like to enter first?"
"Might as well," I looked at the others and smiled under my mask. "Well… see you on the other side boys and girls."
"Godspeed!" Smiley gave me an over the top salute.
Then, trying to hide my nervousness, I walked forward. At the last minute, a thought struck me.
My pokeballs. They were an advanced form of technology. What if they had some sort of reaction to the tube? What if they exploded, or did something unfathomable? What if this counted as being traded, would Gurdurr evolve?
Then, in a flash of light, I was somewhere else. I panicked for a second, grabbing at myself.
"...Still all there," I huffed out in relief.
"Hey, I did the same thing!" A very familiar voice said. I looked up from my inspection of myself to see Robin grinning at me. "First time is always the weirdest."
"Yeah well, I've seen too many sci-fi movies," I looked over the group.
Robin was directly in front of me, his arms crossed and little smirk fixed on his face. To his left, a tall young man with piercing blue eyes and a very familiar red 'S' symbol on his black shirt was glaring at me. To the strangely angry looking kid's left was a petite young girl with green skin and long red hair, a happy smile on her face. To the right of Robin, another redhead stood, this one a guy, with a yellow suit and a red lightning bolt on his chest.
Superboy, Miss Martian, and Kid Flash.
"Hi." I waved at the bunch.
"Hello!" Miss Martian said, moving forward with a hand out. "I'm Miss Martian!"
"I know," I said with a grin, shaking her hand. "Good to meet you though."
"Kid Flash," the redhead sped forward, shaking my hand as well with a smirk that mirrored Robin's. "So you're the Hawaiian hero, right? Ever save any babes on beaches?"
"Sometimes. I usually work at night, so it's mostly gangbangers and rapists."
"Yeesh," Kid Flash winced. "Wow, Rob was right. You are intense."
I was? Ignoring that, I looked over at Superboy. "Nice to meet you."
"..." He crossed his arms and glared at me further.
"Huh. Anyone tell you the bad boy image works for you?" I grunted.
Miss Martian blushed, apparently agreeing.
Behind me, a series of lights went off.
"Recognized," A robotic female voice declared. "Orca, C-02. Clock King, C-03. Empress, C-04."
When Orca appeared, Kid Flash's eyes widened at the sight of her 8-foot form, wearing her uniform of a skintight swimsuit tailored to her. "Whoa. Big… uh, I mean-"
"You get used to it," Orca said, apparently pretending not to notice where Kid Flash was trying to avoid looking.
"Didn't you fight Green Arrow a few times?" Robin asked Clock King, though he sounded more teasing than accusatory.
"And lost quite handily," Clock King said graciously, as behind him Kaldur appeared.
"Uh… hi!" Empress said shyly to Superboy. Miss Martian looked very uncomfortable about that, while Superboy just nodded at her.
Yeah, the bad boy thing really did work for him.
"So… I guess we're all here. What now, board games?" I joked.
"Board games? How old are you?" Kid Flash asked.
"Older and younger than I look."
"Come on, I will give you the tour," Kaldur said, cutting through the awkwardness. "Would you like your Pokemon to join us?"
"Yeah, let me see the dinosaur again!" Robin said excitedly.
"You… have a dinosaur?" Superboy said. Despite his grumpiness, he showed just a bit of… I wanted to call it excitement?
Rather than answer, I ran my hand along my belt, tapping each of the Pokeballs in sequence. In flashes of familiar red, each one appeared.
"...Mudkip!" My little blue guy said happily, landing on my head and waving.
"Mimikyu." My shy girl waved a ghostly hand from under her Wonder Woman costume, then hurriedly hid behind Empress and me.
"Ty, tyrunt!" He ran up to Robin, pointing eagerly at the mask Mimikyu had made him.
"Hey, looking good, buddy," Robin said, getting a toothy grin from Tyrunt and a happy wiggle from Mimikyu.
Gurdurr popped in and simply looked around, before gruffly moving over to take a bodyguard stance to my right.
Alakazam floated in the air for a moment, then glanced at M'gann. She eyed him, confused, then gasped, before her eyes glowed, Alakazam's following suit.
"Uh… should we be worried about that?" Kid Flash asked.
"They're just getting to know each other," I said, rubbing Magcargo under her chin and getting a gurgling noise of pleasure. "So yeah, this is our team."
"Wow," Kid Flash mumbled, looking over all of us. "I guess Speedy was right."
"I thought you were Speedy," Orca asked, sounding genuinely confused and cutting off my question about what the arrow boy was 'right' about.
"Ah man, seriously!? Every time!"
"Come," Kaldur said, looking amused even as he got us back to business. "This shouldn't take too long."
I frowned. Smiley hadn't shown up. "Wait. Where is Smiley?"
"Smiley?" Kaldur looked around, then frowned. "He entered before me. Where-"
"R-Reco-gnized, Smi-SMILey, C-05." The robot sounded… confused? Towards the end it smoothed out, like it managed to push through whatever was confusing it.
In a burst of light, Smiley appeared. He looked around. On seeing us, he raised both his thumbs up, doing a Fonzie as his tape recorder played the familiar 'Ayyyy!'
Fonzie Thumbs Up
"Did you… just hang out in the Zeta Beam?" Kid Flash asked.
Smiley didn't answer beyond shuffling his hands a little, thumbs still raised. I think he was trying to be friendly.
"What does-" Kid Flash looked befuddled, to say the least. Those of us more used to our violent vigilante teammate, if barely, did a combination of focusing on Kaldur while not really ignoring Smiley.
Ignoring Smiley when he was having a good time always somehow led to him finding the nearest gangsters and getting covered in blood.
"Lead the way, Kaldur." I said, following him. Smiley joined us, while Kid Flash frowned.
"So that's it. No one is going to comment on that? …And I'm talking to myself. Wait up!"
Giovanni Giovanni
The new world wasn't as peaceful as his old one. Not simply in terms of war, but also in the battlefield of business. Business was competitive in the world of Pokemon of course, but compared to this new world of superheroes, they might as well have been squabbling children.
Funny that a world full of the devastating power of Pokemon paled in comparison to the ruthlessness of this new one.
Giovanni loved it. Loved it. Hawaii's value could not be overstated, and he was taking full advantage of that. All of his businesses were thriving
While his lobbying to legalize gambling in the islands was being fought against by the more idiotic, the Restaurant Royale had exploded in popularity, drawing in tourists from across the world. The inclusion of plushies based on Kahu's Pokemon, as well of plushies for the man himself, had added a pretty penny to the pocket.
His medical branch was by far the most profitable. Even with criminals robbing some shipments, all the rest of it was getting sent across the world. Compared to other medicines, it was not only massively cheap, but also effective. This world was highly advanced, but the sheer power of his old world's medicines outshone anything this world had to offer outside of the supernatural.
Along with that, he had opened an insurance company. A very reasonable one. Nothing as established as Wayne's own companies of course, but the combination of reasonable rates and generous payouts would add not only to Giovanni's bank account, but also the goodwill the islanders had towards him.
He may not have been the most popular man in Hawaii, but he was quickly rising in the eyes of even the most skeptical. It was funny, the sheer amount of money you could make simply by not being the worst option.
Perhaps he would open up some more criminal enterprises down the road, but for now he was having quite the novel life.
And now Giovanni sat in his office, reading through paperwork. Honestly, no matter how advanced, the world couldn't avoid the need for a man to double-check the numbers. Persian was resting beside him, only for his whiskers to flick. Giovanni knew what that meant.
"Floyd."
"Giovanni," the assassin circled around him. Even with all of Giovanni's experience, he could never track the man without Pokemon help. "Nothing since Kahu and his band left. Islands are quiet."
"Are they?" Giovanni wrote down something quickly and placed the paper in his hand aside. "I assumed that there would be some action from the Silicon Dragons by now. They have been… quiet."
"That attack alongside Crystal must have cost them a lot," Floyd hummed, crossing his arms.
"Crystal?"
"Killer Frost."
"Ah, of course. I still wonder about the brazenness of that attack. No one seems to know why there were similar attacks across the world at the same time. And your old contacts?"
"They've been getting organized. More than before," Floyd, even under his bone-white mask, seemed disquieted. "There's something happening out there. I thought it was just the Silicon Dragons, but the old crew is getting skittish."
"Hm…" Giovanni leaned back in his chair, finally ignoring his paperwork in favor of the conversation. "I suppose it can't all be good news. So someone is behind Killer Frost. And it isn't the Silicon Dragons. I would even say they were to aid her, rather than the other way around."
"Something is happening," Floyd said again. "A lot of names that are usually looking for work went underground. The ones that are left over are minor names or guys like Bane, folks who have crews."
"...We'll continue to focus on Hawaii and the Silicon Dragons," Giovanni said firmly. "But once they're done, looking into the broader world may be to our advantage."
"You want to take advantage of something that's got the world's supervillains running scared?"
"Their lack of imagination isn't my concern," Giovanni said without missing a beat. "Kahu will be thankful for the assistance, I'm sure. And he'll be able to work outside the country!"
"I still can't tell if you like him or not," Floyd mused.
"I like his usefulness. Beyond that, I maintain professionalism," Giovanni said with a smile that faded. "Still. Hawaii is to be mine one day. And it won't be if others feel free to play here."
"You better be ready then," Floyd said slowly. "If I'm right, when the Silicon Dragons are done, they won't be the last heavyweights we fight."
"Then we're well within our weight class, Mr. Lawton," Giovanni didn't touch the set of Pokeballs hidden on his person. He was too professional for that. But they remained, as always, at his side. "In the meantime, I'll require more training. Mr. Lawton, we may need to expand our hiring practices. I'll inform Roxy of the budgetary concerns."
Persian let out a small purr of noise, pleased at the savage look on his master's face.
Kahu Kiaʻi
The cave was legit. Super cool in every way. First off, the place was massive, big enough to hold dozens more than the small team inhabiting it. Gurdurr kept on trying not to look impressed, but he couldn't seem to help himself.
"The cave is actually the entire mountain!" M'gann said proudly as they led us through the halls.
"I guess construction is easy when you have that many superhumans working together to build it," Orca hummed.
"Why doesn't the League still work out of here then?" Empress asked.
"The Joker found it," Superboy said simply.
"Ah," Empress couldn't be seen blushing under her mask, but I could imagine it. "I guess that would do it. So why do you guys live here? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Well, we know they know we know, so you know?" Robin shrugged.
"Ty…runt," the little dinosaur mumbled, befuddled.
"Really hope I don't have to depend on that logic one day," I mumbled to myself.
On the list of things the cave had were a hanger, kitchen, library, a set of living quarters, a workout room with full lockers and showers, a lounge with a TV that was way too big, a very advanced medical bay, and a few other things they didn't feel the need to show us.
Coming back to the lounge, Kid Flash casually hopped onto the couch, grinning at us. "So that's the crib. Impressed?"
"Very," Empress said, sounding excited.
"Gurdurr," my fighter guy had pulled out a pen and paper and was beginning to write on it. It looked like he was drawing makeshift blueprints? It was very nice.
"I'm surprised there isn't a laboratory in the place," Orca asked, gingerly sitting down as well.
"Yeah, well, no one here besides me is really a scientist," Kid Flash said proudly. "And I can just run to the nearest lab whenever I want."
"That seems… inefficient," Alakazam noted.
"I may have suggestions, if it helps?" Clock King said. He leaned over to watch Gurdurr draw. "Hm, perhaps an adjustment here?"
"Gur." As Gurdurr edited the page, Mudkip spoke up.
"Kip, Mudkip?"
"He wants to know what the sea life is like around here," I translated.
"There are many mammals in the waters around us, including seals and dolphins," Kaldur said.
"They can talk?" Superboy asked. He looked over at Mimikyu, who was currently being pet by Empress, then at Magcargo, who was letting me rest against her shell. "All of them?"
"Them saying their name is a language?" Kid Flash asked, just as confused.
"It's actually a combination of subtle gestures, sophisticated vocalizations, and other things we're still having trouble deciphering," Orca said excitedly. "It's very interesting!"
"So what should we do now?" Robin asked. "Maybe we go fight crime?"
"You mean go on a patrol? Aren't you guys supposed to be covert?" I asked.
"Oh, right," Robin said, chuckling.
"Gurdurr," the Fighting-Type in question rose up and began walking off, makeshift blueprints in hand.
"He wants to borrow your library," I said.
"Oh… uh, feel free?" M'gann said.
"I'll come along," Clock King said brightly. "I'm quite interested in those plans."
"I'll come too," Robin said.
"To escort the former supervillain?" Clock King asked, though he didn't seem too annoyed.
"Nooooo," Robin said with a very mischievous grin, following the two closely.
"Orca, Mudkip, would you like to join me for a swim?" Kaldur asked. "There are several interesting points I can show you, if you wish?"
"Sure!"
"Mudkip!"
The tiny mudfish and giant woman both rose up to follow the Atlantean, all of them heading towards the grotto.
"Tyrunt!"
"Is your dinosaur trying to play video games?"
I turned to see Kid Flash staring in confusion at Tyrunt, who had somehow turned on a fighting game on the giant tv. Tyrunt was grinning happily while selecting his character.
"Yeah, he does that. Little guy's addicted."
"So am I!" Kid Flash became a yellow and red blur, stopping next to Tyrunt and plopping onto the sofa next to him. "Dude, I'm gonna play video games with a dinosaur!"
"Huh," I looked around. Smiley, Empress, M'gann, Magcargo, Mimikyu, Superboy, Alakazam, and I were remaining.
Actually, scratch that. Miss Martian and Alakazam were floating across from each other, eyes glowing as they communicated
"I guess it's just us, then," I said to Superboy and Empress as Mimikyu hopped onto my shoulder. "So. What do you guys want to do?"
"Nothing," Superboy said immediately. He continued to glare at me.
Awkward silence followed. Empress shuffled just a bit next to me, while I cocked my head, confused.
"...Mimikyu?"
"No, I think he's mad at me, and he's too immature to explain why. I'm gonna hit the gym. Empress, Smiley?"
"Huh? Oh, coming!" Empress followed me quickly, while Superboy seemed stuck between being more angry and just plain confused. I ignored him.
"-Eye of the tiger," Smiley's mp3 sang, the masked man stretching as he followed. Huh. Who knew he was a fan of fitness.
Anyway, in the case of Superboy… Look, if someone is angry at you, and won't say why, then it's not really your problem is it? Best to just move on.
Still, after a bit of walking, I did hear some booted footsteps following. Yeah, like I thought. Batman had ordered the team to keep an eye on us. Which was just smart I guess.
So yeah. Spending the day in a superhero hideout and using the super advanced facilities to workout with super humans. You couldn't say I wasn't productive.
Hopefully before I left I could find out why the half-Kryptonian was still pissy.
Author's Note: So uh... I posted this on my pa tre on on the 21st, planning to post it on the 25th.
Then I ended up alone as supervisor at my new job. The job I got less then a month before. The last few days have been... hell.
Anyway. Lost track of time, and here we are.
Whatever the case is, the chapter is here boys. Let me know what you think, and please consider supporting me on in hopes that I can one day spend 24/7 doing nothing but writing fanfics.