The Thomas and Martha Wayne Foundation was Gotham City's most respected and effective charitable organizations. This was likely due more to the founder's willingness to throw money at it than anything else, but the end result was the same. And any fundraiser for the charity was more than likely to be incredibly well funded and a social must for the calendar.
Bruce Wayne making personal appearances at such events meant that it was due to get more press coverage than the local elections. Everyone loved to see Brucie make a fool of himself.
And besides, the booze was free, the food was good, and Wayne Manor was an incredible venue. If nothing else, it was a good night out.
For Dick Grayson, such events were the bane of his existence. Not a Bane like the Venom addict but a bane of the more mundane sort. When you were only thirteen, the appeal of such parties was exceedingly limited, and the fact that Barbara Gordon had not been able to make an attendance left Dick with little else to do but make himself scarce for both the reporters and those of 'Brucie's special friends' who thought chumming with the brat was a good way to get to the family money.
He expected little else of this night beyond begging Alfred to cover for him and taking the R-Cycle out for a spin.
What he got was a gatecrasher.
Now, gatecrasher's weren't exactly rare at a function such as this. Dozens of attempts were made to break into the party. But Wayne employed only the best in private security forces- an absolute must in a place like Gotham- so what was truly a spectacle was a successful gatecrasher.
Normally, the only ones who could manage it were the elite of Gotham's criminal underbelly.
But in Wally came, running through the door, thankfully having slowed himself to a speed that could maybe within the realm of possibility for an Olympic sprinter rather than a superhuman. Smoke billowing from a number of ragged holes in his clothes, many of which still glowed with the heat of embers.
Dick winced. If Wally hadn't taken the 0.3 seconds he needed to change into his uniform- which was designed to handle the friction one would expect in an object breaking the sound barrier- then things had to be bad. He supposed he should be grateful that the outfit had even survived.
Wally clearly gave no thought to his appearance or the situation when he came sprinting into the room. He zeroed in on Dick like a moth to a flame and came to a dead stop right in front of him.
"Where's Bruce?" No time was wasted on greetings. From the sound of it, he didn't have the breath enough to waste. Regardless, Dick didn't suffer from the same lack of manners.
"Wally, what the hell happened?" He asked, one hand pressing down on Wally's shoulder while the other waved off stunned and appalled guests. Already he was beginning to guide Wally to the exit, to somewhere they could speak freely.
"No time," Wally shook his head tersely. "Need to talk to Bruce. We've got an R.E.M. situation going on, dude. It is the end of the world as we know it and I have no time to explain."
With nothing more than a nod, Dick Grayson turned around and led the nearly teen out of the ballroom and deeper in Wayne Manor. The tabloids were going to have a field day, but that was something to be dealt with at a later date.
Conversations were rushed, hastened by urgency. Even Dick had the good sense to save his questions for the end, understanding from Wally's behavior that this, whatever it was, took precedence.
But then Bruce had told him to return to the party, to calm the guests and to help Alfred keep the event going. The world may be ending, but the people needed to go on as though the Earth intended to keep on spinning.
Dick tried to argue the point, insisting that he be allowed into the loop, but... the look on Bruce's face... since taking him as his ward Dick could count on one hand the number of times Bruce had ever 'laid down the law', as it were. That look had always accompanied it.
"When this is all over, I want an explanation," he said, not looking back as he stalked out of the room. "A real one, Bruce. And the same goes for you, Wally."
"When this is done," Bruce agreed, watching him leave the Batcave and seal the entrance behind him before turning back to Wally. "Now, what happened?"
And Wally explained. Koro-Sensei had unveiled a new technique that he boasted left him invulnerable for the next 24 hours. So far, all attempts had only proven his claims and frustrated his would be assassins.
Wally also explained that he wanted one of the Green Lanterns to take Koro-Sensei and throw him into the sun. Bruce revealed that the Lanterns of Sector 2814 had been called in to aid in a crisis alert in the Andromeda Galaxy. They'd never get a message to them in time, so unless they were lucky enough for the Lanterns to already be on their returning journey, they were unavailable.
Wally proposed that they have Superman do it. Bruce explained with patience that Kryptonian super speed and Flash super speed were two very different things. Clark would be lucky to even make it halfway there in less than a day.
They were discussing the merits of an active volcano when Wally's communicator, currently linked to his cellphone, buzzed in his pocket.
"Sorry," Wally apologized, answering the device reflexively and listening intently. "Karma's got an idea, but he needs supplies. Get whoever you can to meet us at the school."
Without another word, Wally dashed off. He didn't even think of the fact that he had just given Batman an order. Had he, he would have fainted when Bruce, without a moment's hesitation, moved to comply.
Hours later, the day's lessons reached an official end with the tones of the school bell, but E-Class remained in their isolated schoolhouse, testing and probing again and again against Koro-Sensei's crystalline form.
So far, just about every student had contacted West for something to aid in their next attempt, and a pile had rapidly formed in the corner when the items proved useless, often breaking on impact with Koro-Sensei, who had taken to singing karaoke in order to amuse himself once it became clear that he wasn't in any real danger.
The pile was quite an impressive thing. Blades ranging from common fire axes to an enchanted sword stolen from the Themyscirian Embassy had been collected, broken and subsequently discarded, along with an exotic range of firearms from around the globe, the crown jewel of which included an rocket-powered grenade launcher.
The grenade had done nothing but create a small crater in the yard, but several of the students were certain that they'd be able to find another use for it sooner or later.
Other items ranged from the mundane to the slightly more unusual. A hammer and chisel of impeccable quality, now blunted completely after Sugawa had attempted to chip away the crystal. A now empty canister that had once been filled with liquid Nitrogen before Kanzaki had proposed they try to freeze Koro-Sensei in an attempt to shatter his crystal shell. Several empty bottles of vodka, after Terasaka had sarcastically suggested they try and get Koro-Sensei drunk via an alcohol bath in the hopes of getting him to let his own guard down.
Anything the students could think of was there within minutes.
So far, the only things that they'd manage to do was destroy a good portion of the hardwood floor and infuriate Koro-Sensei by raiding his snack caches in their own form of petty vengeance.
Okuda was still at her desk, tireless and determined as she continued mixing chemicals to try and determine Koro-Sensei's crystalline composition, Hara at her side, carefully documenting each new concoction.
Okajima was trying to get Koro-Sensei to do something by showing him his own porn collection. So far all he'd managed to get was some humiliated spluttering while Karma recorded it all for posterity.
Nagisa was scouring the notes of the day, trying to find an idea that hadn't already been tried and failed.
Karasuma-Sensei and Bitch-Sensei had already had their turns. Currently they were off to parts unknown, hopefully calling in reinforcements.
And then West returned, coming to a dead stop at the doorway, hunched over with his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily, his arrival announced only by the harsh gust that followed.
His uniform was in even worse shape than it had been last time, with the ragged tears only growing larger with each appearance. It was a minor miracle that his modesty was still being spared.
"Wally?" Koro-Sensei's questioning voice cut through the harsh sound of Wally's breathing, but Wally only looked up for a moment, before turning to lean against the doorway. Koro-Sensei's frown was visible to Kataoka and Fuwa, who had been trying to wear away at his crystal with a razor wire. "Ladies, I believe Wally is currently suffering the after-effects of constant high-speed travel. If you would be so kind, there is a small stash of chocolates I keep hidden away inside Ritsu's casing that I don't believe anyone has gotten to yet. Would you please offer some to Wally?"
Blinking in surprise, the girls quickly moved to obey, Ritsu kindly opening her own casing with a bashful smile. She had been hiding the chocolates at Koro-Sensei's request, even from her classmates, in the hopes that, when he returned for them, she would have the chance to assassinate him whilst he was distracted by the prospect of candy.
There were a dozen chocolate bars of various brands and flavors. Kataoka picked out two randomly, assuming that would be enough to sate a teenage boy's immediate hunger. Fuwa summarily grabbed the rest and started poking around Ritsu's insides for any more hidden gems, knowing full well that at this point in the manga any protagonist worth the role would eat like his legs were hollow.
Fuwa, in spite of her reasoning, was still undeniably correct. Wally ate the proffered candy so quickly he didn't even realize it was chocolate until he was saw the wrappers he'd let fall to the floor.
"Are you... alright?" Kataoka asked nervously. Wally gave a shaky breath, and smiled weakly.
"You know, Wally," Koro-Sensei attained 'lecture mode' even with his position on the floor. "Malnutrition is a serious issue. Especially for someone with your metabolism. You really need to take better care of yourself if you intend to see me assassinated."
Wally's weak smile evolved into a grin. "It won't be for much longer. The calvary's almost here."
"'Calvary'?" Koro-Sensei almost seemed unnerved as he repeated the word. "You didn't..."
Wally's grin widened, showing a full contingent of teeth that might have been threatening if it weren't for the chocolate stains. "I did. The Justice League are on their way."
The Justice League were useless. Karma wished he could say he was surprised but, well, if they weren't, then why was the fate of the world resting on a classroom of fifteen year olds being able to successfully murder an octopus monster from outer space? Put like that it sounded like the plot of a bad manga.
Superman was the first to arrive, and while at first many of the students had been enraptured by the icon of 'Truth, Justice and the American Way', that sense of awe quickly gave way to disappointment.
Wally was the only one who spoke to him. Superman didn't speak more than a few words of Japanese and only a few of the students had the English skills to even understand that Wally was taking the time to explain the situation.
At Wally's behest, Superman plucked Koro-Sensei from the ground. For a moment, hope swelled in the classroom and even Koro-Sensei, placed between the Kryptonian's hands, appeared nervous.
Then Superman pushed his palms together, his expression tense and strained as he worked muscles to their limit.
And Koro-Sensei smiled, his fears dissipating in the blink of an eye. Hands that could crush diamonds into dust did nothing.
He said something in English, but Karma wasn't able to catch it. Judging from the general tone and the fact that, well, it was Koro-Sensei, Karma figured it was something incredibly condescending.
Superman's eyes glowed red and beams of focussed heat burst forth. Koro-Sensei muttered something about getting a better air-conditioning unit installed.
Superman frowned. Wally frowned. Karma frowned. Most of the students frowned. The few who didn't merely watched uncertainly, waiting for Superman to try something else. They didn't realize that he'd already used his full strength and was already out of ideas.
In his defense, this kind of thing wasn't usually what Superman was called in for. He was brought in to hit things, and that was something he did very well. But Koro-Sensei just didn't respond to being hit.
Karma hoped that the next Leaguer would have better luck, because E-Class had clearly run that well dry.
"Well, that was a bust," Wally muttered as Clark regrettably placed Koro-Sensei down on a student's desk. "You realize that you've just lost the respect of an entire class of Japanese students?"
"My heart will never recover," Superman drawled blithely.
"Sorry, Supey," Koro-Sensei's smug tones interjected. "But there's 'invincible' like you, and then there's 'unkillable'. It's literally the name of my game."
Superman raised an questioning eyebrow in Wally's direction, who waved him off. "His name's a pun. Blame the girl with the green hair."
"Who?" Superman frowned when a cursory glance of the room showed no such individual.
Wally, taking his own glance around, shared the Kryptonian's expression. Switching to Japanese as he caught a pigtailed boy's eye. "Nagisa, where'd Kayano go?"
"She went home," Nagisa informed him dully. "She said that even if someone did kill Koro-Sensei today, it wasn't going to be her."
Wally furrowed his brow as he glanced around again, noticing that almost a quarter of the class was absent. Terasaka and his followers were the first to spring to mind, but there were a few others missing as well.
"Not to worry, Wally," Koro-Sensei informed him. "I've taken careful note of those who left before the end of class and I can assure you that their absences will be reflected accordingly. I'll be sure to send notes home to their parents if they keep this up."
Wally grit his teeth at his teacher's words. Turning back to Clark, he asked, "When's J'onn going to get here?"
Sparing the octopus a look, Wally was pleased to see that he wasn't so smug all of a sudden.
But then he noticed that Clark hadn't answered him.
"What?" Wally asked the Kryptonian, his face at first blank as he wondered why Superman wasn't responding, only to grow concerned when he counted a number of potential answers that he wouldn't like. "J'onn is coming, right? He's not on Mars?"
"He's on Earth," Clark shifted awkwardly. "Sort of. He's on the Watchtower."
"And?" Wally waited for him to be elaborated. "When's he getting here?"
"I don't believe he is Wally," Koro-Sensei chose to answer on Superman's behalf. "Judging from Mr. Superman's reaction, I'd hazard a guess that I'll be going to the Martian, and not the other way around."
Wally's eyes blazed such that Clark wondered if there was any Kryptonian in the West family history that he should know about. The speedster managed to ground out a single word.
"What?!"
Clark sighed, "I'm sorry, but we want 'Koro-Sensei' somewhere where we can control him if we can't destroy him. I'm taking him to the Watchtower. If we can't find a way to break through his shell, then we're going to try and find a way to imprison him. Or we'll eject him into space before he returns to normal and hope that he can't survive in a vacuum."
"I can, just FYI," Koro-Sensei grinned as Superman picked him up again, his large hand dwarfing his own shrunken form. "It's really a pity you humans can't though. The view of the sun rising over the Earth when you're sitting just outside the exosphere is just magnificent."
"It is," Clark concurred with a curt nod. "If you're lucky, I'll make sure you get to see it one last time before we get to the Watchtower."
Without another word, he turned for the door, only to be stopped when a redheaded boy that Clark was pretty sure was not Wally stood in his way, his jaw set and his eyes held firm.
"Wally?" Clark asked, uncertain as a pair of boys, a blond and brunette, took up Not-Wally's sides. One by one, each of the sixteen students remaining in the class moved to stand besides their classmates. "What's going on?"
"Koro-Sensei is ours," the redheaded ringleader stated firmly, his English heavily accented and his gaze shifting from Superman to Wally, who still stood with the Kryptonian, uncertain of where his allegiance yet lay.
Superman's gaze followed, just in time to see Wally tense and look him straight in the eye.
"He's right," he said simply. "Koro-Sensei is their mission. E-class's mission. They've been working towards this for months, every single day. You can't just swoop in here and take all that away from them."
"Wally, you're the one who called us in," Clark countered him, confused.
"Yeah, but they deserve to see it," Wally gestured violently towards his classmates. "They deserve to take part."
"I'm sorry, Wally," Clark's voice was firm, as unyielding as his strength. "But it's not happening."
And then he was gone. Not immediately, and not without a trace. Compared to Koro-Sensei Superman was noticeably slower, and the students were able to track his movements without much trouble.
Karma even moved to intervene, but where Koro-Sensei would simply flow around, Superman pressed lightly on the boy's shoulder to push him out of the way. Not enough to hurt him, but it lacked the finesse their teacher was prone to show.
Wally could have chased after him. Maybe he couldn't have retrieved Koro-Sensei, but it would have been a nice gesture.
But he didn't. Wally could have chased after Superman. Maybe he could have even ripped Koro-Sensei from Clark's arms and been gone before the Man of Steel was able to mount a chase of his own. But he wouldn't.
Because Wally was still Kid Flash. And Kid Flash wanted more than anything to see the threat Koro-Sensei posed to the world ended. And Kid Flash knew with certainty that right now the Justice League was perhaps the greatest hope the world had.
But Kid Flash also could have chased after Superman, not to retrieve Koro-Sensei, but to hand him the careful notes Nagisa and the others had been keeping all day. Notes on every weakness Koro-Sensei was known to have and every attempt on his life that had ever been made. Notes on every poison, acid or weapon that had been tried and tested and ultimately failed. Every hypothesis pertaining to the chemical composition of his crystalline shell, so many of them either disproved or potentially supported by the labored experimentation that had followed.
Kid Flash could have done this. He could possibly have saved the League hours of work. But he wouldn't.
Because Kid Flash was still Wally. And Wally wanted more than anything else was to see Koro-Sensei dead by the hands of Class 3-E. Because Koro-Sensei was Wally's mission just as much as it was theirs and he'd put too much of himself into this not to see it through to the end.
And he knew that when the Justice League failed today, then it would be E-Class who finished the job.
"Guys," Wally spoke quietly, his voice sullen. He had hoped that today would end Koro-Sensei and his mission and his charade. "Do you think Karasuma-Sensei would mind if I took over P.E. for a day or two?"