Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.
Also, if you have not read my other stories, it would be helpful to do so before reading this one. The chronology goes: Brothers in Arms, Where Do We Go From Here, Tragedies of the Past, Betrayal From Within, Future Sins, Reestablishing Bonds, Parents and Children, New Allies, Rivals or Friends, Public Enemy Number One, Double Date, Mind Games, Solar Complications, Mentors and Pupils, Brother Against Brother, Calm Before the Storm, Opening Moves, and Isolation.
The Great Father and Son Contest
Location: Titan's Tower
"I'm surprised you're here," Robin said. "I thought that Ninjaboy would be accompanying Batman in Gotham this weekend."
Kon sighed. Robin wasn't taking Batman's consideration of Match as his successor well. Worse, he was taking his frustrations out on Match.
"Batman thought any further training should be delayed until my ribs fully heal," Match replied. "I agree with him; it makes sense."
"Why did you come here, then?" Wonder Girl asked. "Won't this put your recovery back?"
"I didn't want to be confined to bed. That would have happened if I remained home."
"Match gets really antsy if he's forced to stay in one place too long," Kon added. "He'd go stir crazy."
Match frowned. "That's not true. I've worked for days in the same area."
"Yeah, but you weren't forced to do that. I think that's the difference."
All of a sudden, somebody crashed through the wall, creating a gaping hole in the Tower. When the dust cleared, a twisted, pale version of Superman was grinning freakishly at the Titans.
"Me am Bizarro," he proclaimed. "Goodbye!"
"Take him down!" Robin called out. "Wonder Girl, Superboy, give him a high-low charge!"
The two teens flew at Bizarro, but he encased them in blocks of ice with his cold vision.
Beast Boy changed into an elephant and charged, but had to dodge away when Bizarro's flame breath nearly roasted him. Cyborg unleashed a sonic blast but was thrown across the room. Bizarro hit the floor to make a shockwave powerful enough to temporarily incapacitate Kid Flash, Robin, and Raven.
Match examined the blocks of ice that Wonder Girl and his brother were in. He hit then at just the right spots to break them open and leave the two unharmed. They were shivering with what appeared to be the early stages of hypothermia. They weren't going to be able to help him against Bizarro.
"What is it you want?" Match demanded of the intruder, gathering his power.
He was shocked when Bizarro pulled him into a rough hug and declared, "Me am not here to rescue Boy Bizarro!"
Location: Desaad's secret underground lair
"Why did you do this, Desaad?" the image of Darkseid demanded. "You cannot believe that foolish creature will actually defeat the spawn of Kal-El."
"I don't expect him to, my lord," Desaad said. "However, he will allow me to wear them down. I'm going to weaken the white-haired one before I move to destroy him."
"Why use that buffoon? Why deceive him into thinking the white-haired one is his spawn?"
Desaad smiled. "There are many ways to torture someone. There's the kind where I would do most of the work, and then there's the kind where I let the subject's mind do the work for me. It's akin to driving someone crazy with a continually dripping faucet. This is the latter."
Location: outside Titan's Tower
The shock had worn off and was quickly being replaced by frustration and anger. Bizarro had ripped off his shirt and put a t-shirt with a clumsily drawn backwards "S" on it. He wasn't strong enough to fight the demented clone because of his injuries, so he was forced to endure being manhandled by Bizarro as he was brought places as his 'father' tried to bond with him.
Bizarro landed outside a cafe, creating a small crater. "Me not want to have lunch with you! Me not want to hear about how you not doing!"
Match looked disgusted and muttered, "I've never been so ashamed to be a clone as I am now."
He turned to the cafe's panicking patrons. "Please calm down. Withdraw in an orderly fashion. I won't let him hurt you. The owners of the cafe can charge any loss in value to the JLA; they have a fund for these situations. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Match breathed a sigh of relief when the patrons fled without being too obvious about it. Of course, Match was of the opinion that few individuals were as oblivious as Bizarro.
"Me am so happy with the fast service," Bizarro babbled. "Me am not proud of you, son!"
"I'm not your son."
"You am not! Strange man tell Bizarro that you am not Bizarro's son!"
Location: Titan's Tower
Kon had recovered from being frozen in the block of ice. He looked around to see the other Titans recovering as well; nobody looked seriously injured.
"That was embarrassing," he said. "Bizarro smacked us around and kidnapped Match. We've got to rescue him!"
"If we rush into it, we'll just get beaten again," Robin pointed out. "We've got to have a plan. We can't match his power."
"I've got a suggestion," Wonder Girl said.
Location: the cafe
Most people would have panicked if abducted by a twisted copy of Superman who was trying to prepare food by burning it with his fire breath and freezing it with his cold vision. Match was not most people; he was getting very, very annoyed.
"You're making a mess," he told Bizarro. "Why don't you just go away?"
"Me am not wanting lunch and conversation with son, Boy Bizarro!" Bizarro said in a disturbingly enthusiastic voice. "Me not love you!"
"Please acknowledge the truth: I am not your child."
The door to the cafe opened and two people entered. Match was relieved to see Superman and Superboy. They'd get him away from Bizarro before he had a stroke or choked on his own bile.
Kon had to stifle back laughter. Match looked utterly ridiculous in the odd shirt Bizarro had forced him to wear. He also looked very angry, so it wouldn't be wise to antagonize him.
"S-Man and S-Boy!" Bizarro exclaimed. "You am not here to have good discussion with Bizarro and Boy Bizarro?"
"Boy Bizarro?" Kon snickered.
"Get me out of here before I rip someone in two," Match said.
"We're here to challenge you to a father-son race!" Superman said.
Match glared at Superman and said, "Stop messing around."
"Why S-Man want to not compete with Bizarro?" Bizarro asked.
"If Superboy and I win, you give us Match," Superman responded. "If you win, I'll give you Superboy."
"Have I told you how much I don't like this plan?" Kon asked aloud.
"Bizarro not agree with S-Man," Bizarro said, shaking his head. "What we not do?"
What followed was Superman would suggest a task, and Match would purposely sabotage 'his' side. Bizarro did not notice this, reinforcing Match's belief of his observational powers. At the end of it, Superman and Superboy were the clear victors.
Bizarro turned to Match. "Boy Bizarro, you am not S-Man's son now. Me not wish you good luck!"
With that, Bizarro zigzagged away into the sky.
Location: Titan's Tower
Match ripped off the shirt Bizarro had forced him to wear, threw it at Kon and ordered, "Heat vision!"
Kon incinerated it and tried not to laugh. He hadn't ever seen Match so frustrated.
"Match, you should calm down," Superman said. "It's over."
"I've never been so humiliated in my life," Match fumed.
The other Titans looked at the shirtless teen and shrugged. They had no idea why he was so enraged. It was very out of character for him.
"Why are you acting this way?" Kon asked. "I can see why you'd be angry, but this seems out of proportion. What's the deal?"
Match took a deep breath and visibly calmed down before he began. "Do you have any idea how many times I've been compared to him? I've been called the 'Bizarro Superboy' all my life. I'm nothing like that idiot and don't appreciate the comparison."
Kon gave him a hug. "I know you're nothing like him. Anyone who knows you knows that. The people who think otherwise don't know anything."
Kon felt some of the tension drain from Match's body.
"You're right," he said. "I shouldn't get upset about it."
"That's right, you shouldn't. Now, go get dressed because my girlfriend's getting excited seeing us like this."
Cassie blushed furiously. "I am not!"
Everyone laughed.
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