Gold With Envy
Author's Notes: Gold With Envy is set in my own fanfiction continuity, which incorporates some characters and concepts from the stories of That One Evil Writer, Greywolf Lupous, and Rover Wizard. I realize this sort of thing can make getting into a story difficult, so I'll try to explain and streamline things so people can follow along. I credit Usami and Nightw2 for coming up with some of the ideas and dialogue presented in here.
To any KTSD fans who may be reading this, while I acknowledge the Krypto cartoon for inspiring GWE, the Krypto featured in here isn't quite the same as the one from the show in certain aspects, so this really can't be called a crossover between KTSD and Road Rovers since I'm mostly using a mix of elements from the DC animated universe and the comics. So the Superman mentioned herein is the version from Superman: The Animated Series, and GWE occurs sometime after the last episode in that particular series, "Legacy".
Chapter One: The Dog From Krypton
The hot afternoon sun mercilessly baked the parched land on what was yet another typical day in Socorro, New Mexico. Out in the desert wilderness, nothing seemed to stir. A majority of the wildlife had taken to hiding in their burrows or other shady spots, patiently waiting for the coming of the evening and the coolness it would usher in. As a result, other than hardy desert plants, the desert seemed devoid of life.
But in one particular area, it was another story entirely. If one was ever lucky enough to get a peek at the secret that lay concealed from the rest of the world several hundred miles beneath the dirt and bedrock, then they would've been absolutely astonished.
It was like a whole other world entirely – a small city of sorts amidst a vibrant, thriving jungle. There was even a flowing river and a majestic waterfall there just beyond the outskirts of the city. The seven large golden buildings comprising the city gleamed brightly, a multitude of lights both inside them and out serving to illuminate everything like a million fireflies. The seven structures were in the shape of - of all things - fire hydrants. Some were connected to each other by long tunnels made from a clear, super-dense plastic, while stone pathways lining the ground allowed the occupants to just simply stroll from one building to another. This subterranean hideaway was Road Rover Mission Control, or RRMC for short, the base (and in a few cases, home) of the Road Rovers.
The crimefighters in question were returning from their latest mission, pushing their way through the large double door which served as the front entrance to the largest of al buildings, known as Building A, which had two slightly smaller hydrant-shaped sections connected to the main structure on either side of the door.
Their one-time enemy, Gustave Havoc, had somehow escaped from prison, along with several lackeys of his. In order to rebuild his extensive empire and resources, he had taken to gun running. The Alpha Rovers had been dispatched to the African Congo, which was where Havoc had set up his new operation, joined by one of the latest additions to the Rover organization, an all-feline team called the Wild Kats. In the resulting fray, Havoc, his right-hand man Benjamin Skeam, and several other Havoc Incorporated members had managed to escape, but the Alphas and Kats had succeeded in rounding up the rest, who were now in Interpol custody.
So at first glance, nothing truly unusual had stood out about the Rovers' day (as far as an ordinary day by their standards went anyways): they'd ventured out, fought some bad guys, sent them off to jail, and that was it. But in actuality, this day was going to be a little different after all – special even. That was because before the Rovers and co. had struck out on their case, the Master informed that they would be getting a new recruit. As was always the case, the prospect of having a new Rover and a potential friend to get to know had everyone excited.
"What do you think he's going to be like?" Shag asked the other six dogs and five Felo-Sapiens who accompanying them as the group walked together through the pristine halls. "I hope he likes toilet water too!" The komondor's comment elicited shudders of revulsion from each and every one of the cats.
Colleen cast a glance over at Shag. "He? Why does it have to be another bloke? It might be a she for all you know." Personally, the rough collie was hoping for another female Rover. For the most part, she didn't mind the boys and really did adore them (well, most of them…), but back in the early days when she'd been the only female on the Alpha Rovers, it had been like being trapped in a guys' locker room sometimes.
"And why does it have to be another dog for that matter?" Sugar, an all-black Siamese/Burmese mix, put in. "Maybe he or she will be another cat." In general, the English-borne cat was not fond of dogs and didn't bother hiding her sentiments. As a result, she and the Rovers, Blitz in particular, often tended to trade insults with each other.
Audible groans from most of the canines save for Colleen followed Sugar's statement. Huntress, a rookie who'd been allowed to join the senior Rovers on their mission, took the opportunity to voice her own opinion. The sister of Hunter, she bore a remarkable resemblance to the male golden retriever-mix save for some obvious differences - namely her shorter size, having the build of a thin young woman in her twenties, and a fluffier, more prominent forelock then Hunter's. "Okay, so wouldn't it be totally cool if the new Rover turned out to be like Scrappy Doo? He could punch out the Wolf-Man and knock down brick walls even though he'd only come up to my knee! And we could all run around together shouting 'puppy power' every time we got to splat some bad guys! Well, if he were real, anyways."
For a moment no one said anything, too confused to respond before Dinamite, Sugar's brother, just shook his head. "Huntress, you're so random."
"Ja, but it is all part of pretty girl dog's charm." The Doberman pinscher, Blitz said, giving Huntress an adoring look as he did.
"See? Blitz likes my idea!"
"Oh, that's not the only thing he likes."
Just as Blitz opened his mouth to fire an annoyed reply back at Dinamite, Colleen cut off their exchange. "Right, time to see to those injuries." She said, ushering Hunter and the others into a large room which served as the Infirmary. Like Dinamite, it hadn't escaped her notice that Blitz seemed to have more than just a passing interest in Huntress. She as well as the other Rovers (the ones who'd picked up on it anyways) had been quick to assume that his interest was purely lecherous, even though from the time Huntress had first come to RRMC the two had hit it off, and she even seemed to reciprocate Blitz's attentions. Why, Colleen had no earthly idea (frankly, the thought repulsed her personally), but what she did know was that if Blitz wound up using Huntress and tossed her aside like trash afterwards there'd be hell to pay, and not just from her either.
"Thanks Colleen, but I'm fine, really." Hunter insisted, trying to get past her.
Dusty, the gray and white mix-breed cat, tried to follow his canine counterpart's lead. "Yeah. It's not like I lost a limb."
Colleen wasn't having it. "Oh no. Cut the macho tripe and get over there." She pointed to the nearby exanimation tables.
"Welcome back." A voice greeted the group in a unique blend of Scottish English and a New Yorker's accent as a black-furred head peered around the edge of the doorframe. Eldon, currently in his Rottweiler form, walked on in. His past and how he'd come to be a Road Rover was complicated, to say the least. It did account for how he had gained the ability to willfully change from a rottweiler into a dingo. Not only was Eldon a Road Rover, but he also served as the liaison between them and a famous clan of gargoyles residing in Manhattan, New York City. "Have fun?"
"If you consider being shot at fun El, then sure." Shag said from where he was leaning against the wall, having taken a cheeseburger out of his fur and munching on it.
Eldon flashed him a wry grin. "You mean you don't?"
"Maniacs. I am surrounded by maniacs..."
Taking advantage of Eldon's sudden appearance, Huntress easily slipped by the other Cano-Sapien and out the room with a quick but chipper "Hi Eldon!" Turning, she briefly caught Blitz's eye, then momentarily shifted her sights onto her brother, a mischievous light in her medium brown eyes. "Hey, Colleen! Remember when that Skeam dude ordered those other dudes to start shooting at us, and we had to hide? I think Hunter might've been hit by some shrapnel!" She snickered as Hunter grinned apologetically at a glaring Colleen, then turned on her heel and walked off. Who said that blondes were dumb?
Hoping not to draw any attention to himself for once, Blitz began edge his way out after Huntress. He wasn't especially worried about getting roped into a check-up by Colleen, since a part of him doubted that unless he was seriously injured she wouldn't pay all that much attention to his health. But he didn't want to get any grief targeted at him by her or the others simply just because he had a soft spot for Huntress and liked spending time with her.
Out in the hall, some ways away from the Infirmary, stood Huntress, arms folded over one another as she waited for Blitz. She was hoping that the two of them could spend the rest of the day doing something fun together, like go-cart racing or hanging out in the Game Room. She really enjoyed spending time with him, and saw that he really wasn't as awful a dog as most of the other Rovers acted like he was. Plus, he treated her like a peer, instead of some silly puppy. Quickly finding herself growing bored, Huntress decided to go see what was taking Blitz so long.
Using her super-speed, she zipped back the way she'd come. Unfortunately, she failed to see the other Cano-Sapien who was coming down the hall right towards her at that same time, and he her. Inevitably the two collided, the male dog's heavier bulk sending Huntress stumbling back to land on her backside with a grunt.
Though it had been completely unintentional, the stranger looked absolutely mortified at what had just occurred. "I'm so sorry about that, miss! I didn't even see you there."
A little dazed, Huntress gave a quick shake of her head and felt right as rain again (or about as right as she'd ever be at any rate). Looking up, she could see a canine she didn't recognized standing over her, concern in his dark brown eyes as he gazed back at her. He appeared to be some kind of a Labrador retriever mix. Huntress realized he must've been the new recruit.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked. "Here, let me help you up." Reaching down, the fit-looking mix-breed effortlessly helped Huntress to her feet.
"No worries." The perpetually cheerful blonde airily reassured the stranger, smiling. His coat was short and totally white, and he had semi-prick ears similar to her own and Hunter's, but twice as large in size and floppier. He was taller than Exile, but slightly shorter then Hunter and definitely shorter than both Blitz and Shag were at about 6'0''. He was wearing the standard silver armor. It had the extra additions of a yellow dog collar with a gold badge-shaped dog tag hanging from it engraved with a boldly stylized "S", and a red cape attached to the collar in the back.
"Wait a minute…" Much to the stranger's confusion, Huntress began to circle him, scrutinizing him closely. "Red cape, a tag with a big 'S' on it…" She stopped in front of him. "Are you Spiderman's dog?"
"Uh, Superman's actually." Chuckling, he offered a hand for her to shake. "I'm Krypto."
"Oh, my bad!" Enthusiastically, Huntress accepted his extended hand and shook it. "I'm Huntress. I tend to get all those guys in red pajamas mixed up. Not my big bruber though – he knows about all of 'em!"
"Your big bruber?" Krypto repeated, confused.
"Yeah! My big bruber, Hunter! He can kinda be a killjoy sometimes, but he's still a pretty awesome bro. Anyways, are you new around here? I've never seen you before, so you must be new."
"Yeah, I am actually. I was trying to find the Debriefing Room. I think I should've taken a left turn somewhere instead of a right." He gave a sheepish laugh and shuffled his booted feet.
Suddenly grabbing one muscular arm, Huntress began pulling Krypto along with her as she resumed her original course. He moved along with her, but was surprised by her unexpected action. "Hey! Where are you taking me?"
"To meet Hunter and the other Rovers, silly!" Huntress replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
At that moment Blitz finally appeared, stopping short when he saw Krypto. "Who's that?" He asked, regarding Krypto with suspicion.
Seeing another Cano-Sapien, Krypto's tail began to wag, and he smiled in greeting. "Hi there! I'm Krypto. What's your name?"
Blitz's brown eyes locked onto the tag adorning Krypto's collar, and his entire demeanor changed, switching from distrust to astonishment in the blink of an eye. His jaw would've fallen off had it not still been attacked to his skull. "Krypto as in Krypto the Superdog Krypto? Flies through the air, Superman's dog Krypto?" He asked, voice quavering.
"Uh huh." Krypto nodded.
"That's Blitz," Huntress informed Krypto (whom she'd ceased tugging on when Blitz appeared) before turning to the Doberman. "Krypto here was looking for the Debriefing Room, but I was gonna take him to see the others first."
Blitz nodded robotically. Krypto watched him with some concern before turning to Huntress. "Is he alright?"
"Hmm… I dunno. He is acting a little freaky." Huntress peered closely at Blitz. "C'mon Blitzie, maybe we need to get you back to the Infirmary."
Soon, Huntress and Blitz had reappeared in the Infirmary with Krypto in tow.
"Look who we just found!" Huntress happily announced, pointing at the Kryptonian dog. "He's new, and he says his name is Krypto!"
"Hi guys! It's great to be here." Krypto waved to everybody.
Eldon, who'd been preoccupied reading a magazine, very casually glanced over at Krypto, then returned to flipping through his magazine. Suddenly, he started and jumped to his feet, staring wide-eyed at Krypto, the magazine completely forgotten. "Whoa! That cannae be -"
His cohorts had been swifter in their recognition of the newcomer, and were already having similar reactions of amazement and awe.
"Cor blimey! It's Superdog!" Being a former street dog, Colleen was not easy to impress, but even she couldn't help staring at Krypto with amazement. There probably wasn't a single person in the whole world by now who wasn't familiar with the distinctive 'S' sigil emblazoned on Krypto's tag (not counting Huntress) and what it stood for. It was difficult not to notice a hero who came from another planet and had saved the Earth several times. The Rovers had never actually had the pleasure of meeting Superman before, but several of them, including Hunter, followed the stories about him in the news. Superdog hadn't been on the scene for as long as his master had been though, as Superman had only just revealed Krypto's existence to the world a year ago.
The lone person in the room who didn't appear all that excited was Sugar. Pulling a face, she dryly remarked, "Oh, how lovely. Another tail-sniffer, only this one flies."
Apparently choosing to ignore Sugar, Krypto smiled at Colleen and the others. "Please, just call me Krypto ma'am – er, miss." He quickly amended his words when a frown clouded Colleen's face at being referred to as a "ma'am."
"There you are, my boy. I was wondering where you'd gotten off to." The Rovers' lead scientist, the bloodhound/basset hound mix Professor Hubert, walked in just then. "I had to sniff you out."
"Oh, sorry about that Hubert." Krypto said, looking a bit shamefaced. "I guess I got a little lost. But at least I found the others." He turned to the Rovers and Kats. "See, Hubert was going to introduce me to you guys, but I needed to go use the bathroom first. Uh, longish story short, I got lost - this place is really big, by the way - and that's when Huntress found me."
Noticing the star-struck expressions on the faces of most of his friends, an amused smile lit Hubert's normally rather austere features. "The Master thought all of you would recognize our newest recruit."
Greta let out a piercing squeal of delight. "You mean we're actually going to be working alongside Superdog?!" Raising the back of her right hand to her forehead, she melodramatically fainted, conveniently falling back into Moffet's arms as she did. For her part, Moffet rolled her yellowish-green eyes and pushed Greta towards Colleen, who, needless to say, was put out at having a giddy fan girl suddenly foisted upon her.
By then, Blitz had managed to sufficiently recover from his earlier shock and approached Krypto. "Hallo. I failed to properly introduce myself before." Grinning toothily, he flexed a chiseled bicep. He was just as muscular as Krypto was and didn't have any qualms about showing it.
Rolling icy blue eyes at his friend's vanity, Exile also stepped forward. "Welcome, comrade Supe – uh, Krypto! Our castleski is your castleski." He heartily gave Krypto one of his infamous bear hugs, which, while well-meaning, was said to be strong enough to warp a steel girder.
Krypto took it very well – his eyes didn't bulge, and no one heard anything crack. Afterwards, Krypto was so touched that he grabbed Blitz and Exile both in an embrace. "Aw, thanks for the warm welcome guys! It's great to meet the both of you!"
"I… think we… made a good first impression…" Blitz gasped as Krypto squeezed him tightly.
"…Da…" Exile similarly gasped, getting to experience what it was like to be on the receiving end of a super-strength-reinforced bear hug for a second time.
Fortunately for the pair, Krypto didn't hug them for too long. Once Exile and Blitz were free, they stumbled away gasping for breath. Completely oblivious to their discomfort, Krypto looked at the other Rovers and Kats and cheerfully asked, "Who's next?"
Having just witnessed what had happened to Blitz and Exile, no one was very eager to accept his invitation. The Master, who had come to stand in the doorway, came to the rescue. "Good to see you again, Krypto. How is Superman?"
Krypto returned the metahuman's smile. "He's fine, sir. Busy as always, but fine." He laughed a little.
"Whoa, wait a minute," Hunter interrupted, gesturing for a time-out. "What do you mean 'again', Master?"
"Well, Krypto and I have actually crossed paths before. It was back when Hubert and the original Space Rovers were still the only Cano-Sapiens I'd ever created. We were in the final stages of preparing RRMC for the rest of you. I was working late one night when I noticed something fall from the sky on the monitors. It landed nearby, out in the desert, and I decided to go see what happened. It was Krypto, and he was injured. Later I discovered that he had been fighting a group of super-criminals known as the U-Foes. I calmed Krypto and tended to his injuries. Superman arrived not long after, having apprehended the U-Foes and searching for Krypto. He thanked me for keeping an eye on him, and we talked a while. When I explained what I was doing out here, he thought Krypto could be a good fit for the Rovers."
During the Master's story, the Rovers and Kats' attention had shifted from Krypto to him.
"You know Superman? How come you never said anything before?" Hunter asked. Out of all the Rovers, he was one of the ones who actively followed the exploits of other superheroes the most, just like Huntress had said. In fact, Superman was one of his favorites, even though in the last few years the Man of Steel's reputation had taken a serious hit after he was brainwashed by an alien tyrant and warlord named Darkseid and had sided with him against Earth.
"I haven't spoken to him in a while, but yes, he and I are friends," The Master calmly replied. "I suppose I never mentioned it before simply because I didn't feel it was really relevant to."
"If you wanna meet Superman sometime, I could introduce you." Krypto offered.
"What's he like?" Eldon asked him. "Not too upset considerin' everything, is he?" Seeing as how Eldon's clan was still having trouble being accepted by humanity, a few of the gargoyles had expressed bitterness about the situation several times before. Both they and Eldon could empathize with Superman.
Some of the others winced or otherwise felt a sense of dismay when Eldon spoke up. He had a bad habit of shooting his mouth off without even really meaning to – it was actually a special ability of his, dubbed the power of "super-annoyance" - and they hoped he hadn't offend Krypto.
"Bitter? Nah." Krypto replied, apparently not finding Eldon's forwardness off-putting in the least. "He'd like for everybody to start trusting him again, but he's knows it's not going to be easy and understands why. And he's a really great master. He's busy a lot, but he always finds time to hang out with me."
The others eagerly pressed forward, bombarding Krypto with more questions that he happily answered. This would've gone on for who knows how long until the Master finally cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention again. "I believe Krypto would appreciate a tour of Mission Control."
"Come on Krypto, I'll take you to our theater room." Greta demurely said, taking him by the arm. "We have all the latest releases on home video!"
"I -" Krypto began when Shag grabbed a hold of his other arm.
"I think he'd rather start off with the kitchen. Right, Krypto? You haven't lived until you've tried my Swedish meatballs!"
Seeing Krypto starting to look a little beleaguered, the Master stepped in again, sighing under his breath. "Why don't all of you go?" He suggested as calmly as possible.
"I was just going to suggest that myself, Master." Blitz said, earning eye rolls from most of the others.
"… I used to be a gargoyle beast who lived with my clan in Scotland during the Dark Ages. We were frozen in time by a sorcerer and revived in the present. I met the Rovers when I stowed away on one of their planes, and accidentally got changed into an anthromorph."
Krypto regarded Eldon blankly. "But… you're a Rottweiler…"
Eldon's muzzle twisted into a pained smile. "That's a long story behind that too."
Krypto's expression brightened as a new thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, you're not one of those gargoyles, are you, the ones from New York City? My master says they do good work, and he'd like to meet them sometime."
"Aye, the one and the same. I'll be sure to pass yer master's compliments onto Goliath and the others." Eldon looked both pleased and a little proud.
The two of them were walking along with the rest of the Rovers. Despite their saying earlier that they weren't interested in hanging around a dog, even one who was partnered with a famous superhero, Moffett, Trouble, Dinamite, and Sugar were tagging along with the group, surprisingly enough. Further introductions had been made, so now Krypto was on a first name basis with everybody.
Krypto heard the strange noises, a series of heavy repetitive thudding, long before he saw what was making them. He stared with a mixture of utter disbelief and bewilderment as a second rottweiler in what appeared to be a muzzle and white straightjacket and who was strapped to a handcart came bouncing up to him. Unlike the Rovers and himself, he was an ordinary dog. Krypto glanced around at the others. "Who's this, and why's he all tied up like that?"
"No worries." Hunter reassured him. "That's Muzzle. He's just curious about you."
Krypto reached out and petted Muzzle on his head. "Nice to meet you, Muzzle! Name's Krypto." It struck him as weird to be petting another dog the way a human would pet him, but Muzzle seemed to like it. In spite of his namesake, he seemed friendly enough, wagging his stubby tail as he leaned in to allow himself to be petted.
The tour continued on with the added addition of Muzzle. Hunter, walking in the forefront of the group nearby Krypto, addressed him. "Hey, thanks for offering to let me meet Superman. I don't know how to repay you. Ever since I've been a Road Rover, I've always looked up to him and tried following his example. I don't believe one word of those dumb stories about him being dangerous or whatever."
Hunter's words brought a smile to Krypto face. "Thanks. I know he'd be real pleased to hear that. He always enjoys meeting people. And you don't need to repay me. I'm just happy to be here. I think that through working together, all of us could make a real difference in the world."
"You know, I have the feeling we're gonna be best buds." Hunter smiled back.
"Really?" Krypto stared at him. "I've never actually had a best dog friend before... A human one, yeah, but never one who was a dog." A wide grin of delight broke out on his face. "This is really exciting!"
Hunter's eyes widened ever so slightly before he just simply chuckled. Krypto was not turning out to be like what he had been expecting. At times he almost acted like a half-grown puppy and not the adult he was.
"You never had dog friends before?" Dusty looked mystified. "Weren't there other dogs on your world?"
"Oh there were. But you see, when I was a puppy, my master's father built a rocket ship and used me to test it out. The rocket was supposed to return after making a few orbits around Krypton, but somehow it got knocked off-course. So basically I was lost in space until the rocket landed here on Earth, when I was a year old."
His tale took the others aback.
"So this jerk stuck you in a rocket and ended up getting you lost?" Moffet snarled.
"That is terrible!" Exile added sorrowfully. "Story is reminding me of poor Laika…"
"Whoa, now hold on guys." Krypto held his hands up. "I know how bad that makes him sound, but he wasn't really. He treated me really well, and the rocket's computer system put me into hibernation to keep me safe during the journey. And I understand why he did it. He wanted to save Kal-El – my master – from the big disaster that destroyed Krypton."
This time, no one said anything. Being reminded of the fact that their new friend was the last of his kind and that his homeworld had been completely destroyed was sobering. Eldon especially sympathized with Krypto's situation, seeing as how the Manhattan Clan was apparently only one of a handful of gargoyles clans still left in the world, the rest apparently having either gone extinct or wiped out by humans.
"Uh… hey look, here's the gym!" Hunter quickly said, steering Krypto over to its open doors. Their current topic of discussion was getting too dark for his tastes. "I know you've never been in one before. You're gonna love it as much as we do!"
Stepping inside, Krypto found himself standing in an impressively large, spacious room with a high concave ceiling. It was outfitted with bleachers and had two basketball courts. Nobody else was there, so the group had the whole place all to themselves.
"Hey, you're right, Hunter! This place is pretty cool!" Going over to a basketball ball rack, Krypto picked one of the balls up and twirled it on his finger. "Do you guys have a baseball team? Or a football team?"
"The thought of playing football suddenly scares me now..." Eldon mumbled to Exile.
"Well, we don't have any official teams or anything, but those are a couple of sports that we love to play here." Hunter told Krypto before pointing to another set of doors off to the side. "So over there is the locker room area – we got one for ladies and one for us dudes – and right there's the storage room. We keep the training equipment and stuff in there."
"I have a question, Krypto." Dinamite suddenly asked. "Who's faster, you or Hunter?"
"Ah, well…" Krypto started fiddling with his dog tag, then hazarded a glance over at Hunter, slightly embarrassed by the question and uncertain of how to respond.
For his part, Hunter merely laughed. "Aw, it's alright. We can race - if you want to."
Krypto perked up. "Okay, but… are you sure?"
"Hey, it's no problem, really."
It was quickly decided that they would race around the perimeter of the gymnasium, which was marked by a red line dividing the sidelines from the main floor. Intrigued, the rest of the Rovers and Kats gathered on the bleachers to watch as Hunter and Krypto went to go stand at the starting position they'd agreed on and lowered themselves into set positions.
Dusty, who had been designated referee, called out, "Ready… set… go!"
By the time Hunter actually started running, he didn't even realize that Krypto was already ahead of him. The others actually didn't see much of a race - just a white blur moving noticeably faster than Hunter's familiar golden-yellow form. In less than a minute it was over with.
Once he was back at the starting line, Krypto stopped, not looking the least bit exhausted. He was quickly swarmed by the others, who began congratulating him.
"Blimey, how fast were you going?" Colleen asked, flabbergasted.
"Around seven-hundred miles per hour or so, give or take - I didn't want to try going any faster," Krypto replied. "I don't wanna tear up your gym like I did my master's parents' farm once. Sometimes I kinda forget how destructive my powers can be." The memory caused him to grin ruefully. Jonathan Kent had not been pleased with him that day.
"Well my boy, this gym was specifically designed with super-powered beings in mind." Hubert reassured him. "It can take whatever you can throw at it."
"Chto! You can run even faster?" Exile exclaimed.
"Yep. I think the fastest I've ever gone was like mach three."
Having reached the finish line a few minutes after Krypto had done so, Hunter stood there like a statue, watching in stunned silence as his friends continued to excitedly barrage Krypto with more questions and compliments.
He couldn't believe it. He had actually just been beaten in a race. He'd always been one of the fastest Road Rovers around, rivaled only by Huntress and Persia, the afghan hound who commanded the Space Rovers, but a guy who hadn't even been a Rover for an entire day had just beaten him like he was a joke. Granted, the guy in question was Superdog, but still, it didn't quite feel real to him.
"Hey." Krypto was talking to him now, snapping him out of his daze. "Good race! No hard feelings, right?"
"Right." Hunter replied, smiling.
Translations:
German:
Hallo: Hello.
Ja: Yes, yeah, etc. Basically an affirmative reply.
Russian:
Chto: What.
Da: Yes.