Chapter 2: Thunder Vs Bird

Watchtower

July 4, 13:14

The seven present team members were gathered around the arena floor, perking up as three League members walked in. Superboy, Batman and Black Canary each took a prominent position and nodded to the teens.

"Team," Canary began, waiting as all eyes turned to her. "Welcome to the Watchtower. I hope you're finding it to your liking."

Everyone gave a polite nod, with Zachary being a little more vigorous than the rest. He caught eyes with Katherine but looked away quickly as she gave a slight laugh.

Taking note of the interaction, Batman continued, "The three of us will be in charge of you during your time on this team. Canary will handle mission assignments. I will be in charge of training. Superboy will supervise you during social hours."

"Big brother is watching you," Katherine muttered sarcastically under her breath, before noticing her brother's glare and going quiet.

It was Superboy's turn to speak now. Everyone viewed him with a look of curiosity. The guy had been alive for 25 years and was a hero for just as long, but he looked younger than Jackson, Ruby and Lian. He'd clearly expected the reception, since he kept his face neutral throughout. "We'll begin sparring as soon as our last-"

He was cut off by the sound of the teleporter activating in the distance.

"Recognised. Redman. B-57."

Everyone bar Jackson looked towards the room entrance, awaiting a glimpse of their other ally. Lian glanced back to Superboy, and saw a look of annoyance form. She turned back just in time for a corny one-liner.

"Did someone order a Kryptonian?" said the new arrival as he glided into the room before landing firmly on the ground. He looked like Superboy, but with slightly different facial features and green eyes inherited from his mother, Lois Kent. Still, the resemblance was close enough that Kinako and Ethan had to turn around and check, which only served to irritate Superboy more.

"Redman, you're late," Canary interjected as he joined the group.

"I'm here now, that's what counts," he looked to his fellow teens, "And the real name's Colin, by the way."

"Welcome to the team Colin," Ethan said, rushing forward to offer a handshake, which was happily accepted. They held eye contact until Batman made a coughing noise. Ethan fell back into line, grinning to himself.

"You will be split into four pre-determined pairs in order to test your combat readiness," he continued, ignoring the interruption. "Lian?"

Nodding, Lian stepped forward, addressing the group. "Zack will go up against Ruby, Katherine will fight Jackson, Kinako will go with Ethan and I will spar with Colin. Understood?"

The matched pairs exchanged looks with each other. When Colin looked at Lian, he scoffed. "No offense, but shouldn't I go up against someone who can take one of my hits?"

Narrowing her gaze, Lian crossed her arms, "And with that sentence you've just given us all a reason. Hubris."

"Whatbris?" Colin responded, getting the message but still curious.

"Pride. Over confidence. Call it whatever you want, the point is I'll have you on your back before you can land a hit."

"Now who's got hubris?" Colin muttered, knowing that everyone was judging him. Unseen, the three mentors exchanged a look and a smirk, getting a sense of déjà vu.

Ten minutes later, Zack and Ruby were in the circular arena. The others were sat on benches outside of the perimeter and a blue energy dome rose over the training ground, preventing bystanders from being harmed. The three mentors were sat at a separate viewing podium, giving them the best view of the battle.

"I hope you're ready for this," Zack exclaimed in a cocky tone. He tapped the power cells on his belt and electricity coursed through his body, visibly crackling over his fingers.

"I can avoid your bolts before they leave your hands," Ruby replied, refusing to show any sign of weakness. Her wings flapped unconsciously, showing that she was full of energy. The floor blinked red three times alongside a beeping noise, before a green flash indicated the battle had begun.

Immediately, Zack fired a bolt from his right hand, aimed squarely at Ruby's chest. She quickly flew upwards, missing the attack by inches. Now airborne, she rushed forward at Zack, wooden staff in her hand, still collapsed. As she flew downwards, Zack smiled before sidestepping. Ruby was counting on this though and, just before reaching him, she extended her staff to maximum length. It slammed into his ankles and he faceplanted the floor, earning some 'ooh's from the crowd and an unsympathetic laugh from Katherine.

As Ruby went down for a dropkick Zack electrified his body, repelling her into the air. He fired a few more shots at her chest but she dodged each one effortlessly. She cut an impressive figure, her wingspan casting a shadow over most of the arena. Zack looked up, noticing that the wings seemed to be an easier target.

Ruby, spotting an easy opening, threw her staff at Zack in order to knock him off balance. As she did so though, he fired a beam of electricity at her left wing. Since her focus was on attacking, she did not have time to react before it impacted. She screamed in pain, pinwheeling down until she hit the ground. She lay there twitching, as a timer on the ground counted down from ten. Zack, revelling in the moment, moved forward and crouched over the body, which was still twitching. He opened his mouth to gloat, but was interrupted by a fist punching him in the face. He fell backwards as Ruby got back up. She pinned him to the ground by holding her staff to his throat, making sure not to make skin contact. The timer reset and this time reached zero, as the energy shield disappeared. Ruby let go as the others crowded round the pair. Ethan, Katherine and Kinako patted Ruby on the back whilst Jackson and Colin helped Zack to his feet. Batman came forward and the group parted, leaving the two combatants in the middle. "You'll get a full evaluation later. For now, well done to both of you. Next pair, get in the training field.

A/N: So now we've got our eigth member, Colin Kent! Thank you to Kypress for submitting him. We've also had our first battle (of sorts) so any feedback on how I wrote that would be well appreciated.

Also a question for reviews: who's your money on to win these matchups? Until next time, have fun!