"Next will be Hawk Gal against Sonic Youth!" Announced Catman.
Tooth Titan looked around the room and noticed that he would be the odd man out of the sparring tests. "What about me?" he asked rather disappointed.
"You shall take on the winner." Cat-man stated. "Simulation Program: War-torn Woodlands." Again the scene slowly and somewhat majestically appeared; Burned-out jeeps and destroyed buildings as far as could be seen. One lone tank was sitting to one side, apparently inactive.
Hawk Gal looked at her opponent as he entered the arena. A blue and red-clad young man with red wings attached at his wrists and hips. And here I was thinkning flight could be to my advantage... she thought dully. She entered the arena after him
"Good luck, girl!" Wonder Gal called out to her long-time friend.
Hawk Gal just shrugged and clutched her mace.
Cat-man raised his hand high. "Annnnddd…Go!" he let his hand drop fast and then a clock appeared set to five minutes.
Hawk Gal rushed at Sonic with her mace. Sonic whipped out a red baton and rushed her with his red baton held out in front of him. The two met with a clash of light. The flash of light temporarily blinded everyone but the contestants. They continued their battle as if their lives really did depend on it, light flashing with every clash.
"Wow," breathed Wonder Gal as her eyes readjusted to the light.
Sparrow stood next to her and nodded. "Didn't see that one coming." He felt something in his gloved hand and looked to his left. Astral was holding his hand. Sparrow just sighed and did nothing.
Sonic took to the air followed closely by Hawk Gal. They had three minutes left. Hawk Gal raised her mace above her head and the two resumed their combat. Hawk Gal would swing and Sonic would block then counterattack with a kick or a punch. Variations on that basic pattern were continually repeated until Hawk Gal did something that surprised everyone. He raised her mace above her head and chopped down apparently to break his defense, but at the last minute it changed. The spiked ball at the end detached and a chain appeared connecting the ball to the handle. The mace became a morning star.
The chain wrapped around a surprised Sonic's baton and wrist and Hawk Gal pulled the handle toward her, across her body, then to the other side of her body with a snap! The chain released its prisoner and Sonic plummeted to the floor at astounding speeds. Sonic was apparently in shock of the surprise attack because he didn't even try to fly away. He hit the ground, hard.
"Winner!" Hawk Gal landed and jumped up and down with her hands in the air. The timer said thirty seconds remained. Then, much to everyone's surprise, she collapsed in mid-jump. Sonic was barely standing behind her, panting heavily, with his red baton outstretched in his right hand. He was covered in mud and had a bloodied nose. His left arm was limply hanging at his side.
"Why can I stand?" Hawk Gal whimpered. From the waist down, she could feel nothing.
"I hit a nerve. Do not worry, it is only temporary." He taunted. He leaned over her face so close that blood from his wounds dripped onto her face. He raised his batons over his head to strike her.
The rush of adrenaline that Hawk Gal felt gave her a certain high. Her bird-like instincts kicked in and she rolled away then used her wings to take to the air. She glanced at the clock. twenty seconds. Her wings lifted her off the ground and she flew to Sonic.
Sonic opened his mouth and screamed. Hawk Gal was flung back by the effect and strength of the almost solid-feeling sonic wave. The observers covered their ears. Even Cat-man felt as if his head would be split down the middle.
"Time!" Cat-man said after his ears stopped ringing. "Sonic Youth is the clear and honorably loud victor!" he raised Sonic's hand a little too fast and high, and when he released, Sonic collapsed.
"He's not that strong, physically is he?" A.J. asked Sparrow jokingly.
Sparrow smirked uneasily at A.J.'s remark.
Tooth Titan approached Cat-man. "So, who do I fight?" Tooth Titan asked.
Cat-man looked over at the two students who had just finished fighting. Hawk Gal had lost, but the winner was injured and taken to the med-bay. This new group is too... extreme. Catman thought. He was sure to have a talk with Hawk Gal after the next fight. "Would anyone like to volunteer?"
Sparrow raised his hand immediately. Wonder Gal looked at him in surprise.
"You are not tired?" A.J. asked, incredulous.
Sparrow shook his head then stepped over to Catman.
"I've been watching him. He's got good endurance," Wonder Gal commented without thinking.
Astral looked at her friend and frowned. "Are you trying to move in on my man?"
Wonder Gal blushed slightly, "Your man?" she asked sarcastically.
"Okay my soon-to-be man." Astral stared back at Sparrow with wanting eyes and sighed. "Isn't he perfect?"
"If you are into normals, I suppose." A.J. said off-handedly.
Wonder Gal only rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the starting fight.
"Would you like a timed fight or an all-out brawl?" Catman asked. Though the timed fights went quicker, he was sure that the limit was the reason the previous fight was more... brutal.
Before Sparrow could even answer, Tooth Titan piped up, "Timed!"
"Timed it is!" Declared Catman. But he had the uneasy feeling that this match would end in a rather brutal, yet funny manner.
then he looked at Sparrow, "You were good against A.J. when you could take your time, but do you think you can beat me before the time runs out?" He asked with playful taunting.
Sparrow smirked beneath his mask, "Considering your father's legacy, I'd say I've got a shot."
Tooth Titan took the jab rather well as he walked to his end of the arena, "Watch me beat him!" He whispered excitedly to Hawk Gal and A.J.
"Wont do much for your rep," A.J. laughed.
"But if he beat you... and I beat him," reasoned Tooth Titan, "I've indirectly beaten you!" He beamed at the revelation and A.J. just grimaced.
"Go!" The time started and the environment popped up immediately. It was the same environment the previous fight was located. The damage done in the previous fight was still there. Tooth Titan dug into the ground, eating through the thick soil. He popped up in front of Sparrow in a flash and laid a solid uppercut to Sparrow's jaw. Sparrow flew back a few feet then fell to the ground and held his jaw.
Tooth Titan approached Sparrow, "Wow. That was easy." Wonder Gal didn't seem surprised to see Sparrow hunched over. She had a feeling of what he was doing. Astral, however, was hysterical.
"Oh on!" She squealed. "He's down already? That can't be!"
"He has no power, though. I'm not surprised." A.J. commented without feeling.
"Just wait," Wonder Gal said impatiently. "It's not over."
She was right; when Tooth Titan was close enough, Sparrow jumped up and returned the uppercut, knocking Tooth Titan back into a wall.
"Hey, how'd you-?"
"It's never 'easy'." Sparrow interrupted. He pulled a baton out and it extended into a quarter staff. He twirled it in his hands as he approached. Tooth Titan was so fixated on the staff's movement that he failed to notice how dangerously close the other hero-in-training was getting.
Sparrow used the staff to whack Tooth Titan across the field. But Tooth Titan did not fly far; he grabbed at a branch and swung around the tree into Spearow's back. Sparrow fell and rolled to the side, avoiding a punch from Tooth Titan. Then he popped up and brought his foot down on the back of Tooth Titan's head.
Tooth Titan was hit once, but he would not be hit again. When he knew Spearow's foot coming down for another pounding, he dug into the soil and Spearow's boot thudded against the earth.
Tooth Titan popped up again behind Sparrow and was going to club Sparrow's neck, but then he felt his feet being swept form under him and he fell on a patch of scrap metal. Spearow approached to finish. Tooth Titan looked at the time; one minute left and he wasn't doing so hot. He knew of only one thing left he could do. He shoved a bunch of metal in his mouth, chewed it, then pulled a small makeshift sword form his mouth.
A.J. looked surprised, "Now that's a sword swallower!" Hearing the comment, Hawk gal smacked the back of A.J.'s bald head, upset at the pun.
Wonder Gal looked away, a look of disgust on her face. Astral started to gag.
"En guard, Spearow!" Tooth Titan struck a fencer's pose as he skillfully approached Sparrow with his slobbery weapon.
Though alarmed and taken back by the odd technique, Sparrow withdrew an exceptionally long Spear-Rang and held it between his fingers as if it were a sai. Then he jabbed his staff forward sharply and the end of the top side fell off and three blade's deployed making the staff more like a short trident-like weapon; one long blade straight, three others horizontal to the main but 120 degrees from each other. "Bring it."
Tooth Titan rushed to meet Sparrow. When the two locked in combat for the last thirty seconds, the clash was not as large as the previous fight, but seemed more intense. Soon Sparrow was knocked back in the last fifteen seconds of the match due to clumsy footing. He fell back against the tank and looked up. Tooth Titan was moving in for the kill, his blade pointed at his chest.
Suddenly, a feeling came over Sparrow. He wasn't sure what it was, but it grabbed control over his body like a vise and soon he wasn't thinking at all. It was like watching himself from a thrid-person stumbled into the top of the tank with ten seconds left. In two more seconds wires in the floor were stripped of their insulated coverings and were being put together. Soon there was a whir and the tank coughed to life.
"Five, Four…"
Sparrow heard the countdown and knew he had one shot. He climbed into the gunner's seat, aimed and Tooth Titan.
Right as the crowd said 'two,' the cannon fired and the impact of the large dense rubber bowling-ball sized projectile knocked Tooth Titan back. Way back.
The bell rang and Sparrow crawled out of the tank. When he looked up, he saw Tooth Titan. He was lying on the ground, the rubber ball that knocked him back rolling slowly away. Spearow turned to the crowd, everyone was staring at him. It was deathly quiet.
"He just hot-wired a tank!" A.J. breathed quietly trying not to break the reverent silence, thoroughly impressed. "I haven't even done that yet!"
"You mean you can't." Sonic stated in awe while holding an ice pack to his left upper arm.
A.J. looked at his companion and scoffed. "Of course I know how! I just… just haven't had the chance." His face, however told the truth.
The environment dissipated and Sparrow exited the stage and walked to the drinking fountain, trying to appear nonchalant. But he was shaking.
"That was awesome!" Astral was overrun by emotions. "It was like THEE best movie without that fat guy who always shouts and talks to the screen." When Wonder Gal looked at the geeky girl, she was crying.
Wonder Gal smirked at the crying girl and shrugged. "I told you he was good." She stated easily. She looked back at Tooth Titan. "I sure hope he's okay." He was just standing up and shaking his head. Catman was standing near the hurt boy holding an ace bandage and a bio-cast; a cast that was placed on the break and grown over the limb, straightening the bone then hardening and acting like a normal cast.
Wonder Gal looked back at Sparrow and wanted to speak to him. She wanted to ask him how he knew what to do. What it was like to have defeated two super powered beings in less than one hour. But her hopes were dashed a squeal broke her thoughts. She looked to her left and saw that Astral was already making her way to Sparrow, ignoring a tall shadow that had just appeared behind Sparrow.
Sparrow was finishing his drink when he noticed the shadow behind him. He turned around fast and saw Black Bird standing there. "Whoa!"
"Hello Timothy." Black Bird's eyes narrowed as he said Sparrow's name.
"How do you know my name?"
Black Bird held up an entrance application. "I thought that would be obvious." He said as Sparrow tilted his head to one side, agreeing. "I saw your fights, most impressive. Especially volunteering for the second one without hesitation."
"Ah, Thank you?" Sparrow was pretty sure that Black Bird had ever praised anyone. Then again, the guy never had partner.
Astral then appeared behind Black Bird. "Oh my gosh! Sparrow that was amazing!" Astral's eyes were nearly hearts and more hearts floated around her head.
Black Bird briefly glared at Astral though his mask then turned to Spearow. "We'll talk." Then the figure stealthily walked away.
"Was it something I said?" asked Astral inoccently.
That was probably my only chance to talk to Black Bird. She ruined it! Spearow tried to smile apologetically at Astral and walked off thinking about all the questions he had wanted to ask the mature hero.
Astral caught up to him. "Really; what did I say?"
"Nothing. It was supposed to be a private conversation."
"Oh," Astral's pace seemed to slow.
"Come on, Astral. Don't walk so slow." Spearow said not looking back.
Astral smiled to herself, He doesn't hate me! The first person to care about me since the... 'accident'! She thought as she happily rushed to her prospective boyfriend.
A/N: Finally done with this chapter! Again, the same as it was before in essence but words have been fixed, grammar corrected, and events slightly changed to fit the new story. If you haven't noticed yet, I have deleted the old version as I do not want the plot twists that were in that story that I will be using here to be revealed (FOr the same reason Onar has deleted his has well and when Mine is finished or at least past the part his story references, he will start to repost it edited and fixed to be coherent to the new timeline.) It was a hard decision :/ Even so, Read and Review please! It really means a lot to the writers... but you know that right? We are all writers and we all want feedback!
Also thanks to everyone who has given me reviews! You all get internet cookiez :P