*Yawn*
Derek James stretched out his arms, walking along with the rest of the class out of the lodge. It was a quiet morning, not too many birds chirping. The class followed their teacher Vlad King down a well-defined dirt path, shaded by the trees above.
"Catch them Z's Derek?" said TetsuTetsu.
"Yeah, I usually don't wake up this early is all." said Derek, "I wonder how training's going to go today?"
"I'm not sure, but I bet it'll be rigorous." said Kendo.
"King said something about strengthening our quirks." said Derek, "But how does that work?"
"You know when you exercise too much and tear your muscle fibers, but they grow back thicker and stronger?" said Vlad King, walking them towards a brighter clearing in the woods, "That's what we're doing with your quirks, they're the same idea."
"But we've all got different quirks." said Derek, "How does that work?"
"Well," said Vlad, breaking into the clearing, "you'll just have to break past your own limits!"
*BOOM*
As Class 1-B entered the clearing, they were greeted by a terrifying sight. Most of Class 1-A were in the clearing, using their quirks to an almost torturous degree. The class watched as Bakugo drove his hands into a barrel of boiling water before flinging them towards the sky and unleashing a massive explosion. Shoto stood in a similar barrel, creating a massive influx of ice before melting it all in one go.
The class looked elsewhere, spotting more of Class 1-A. Ojiro assaulted Kirishima with his tail while Kirishima hardened up, taking every strike. Sero was on his knees, emptying a seemingly endless supply of his tape. The screams of Tokoyami echoed out of a dark cave nearby.
"What-What it this?!" said Derek, "This doesn't look like training!"
"Believe it or not, it is." said Vlad King, "We're here to train your quirks and get them up to snuff."
"I see!" said Kendo, "You train each quirk based on its individual use!"
"Correct Kendo," said Vlad, "Though as you can see, It can't just be Aizawa and I training all 42 of you."
"Actually, I was going to ask that question." said Derek, "You guys can't handle all of us at once, so how can you train us?"
"Well," said Vlad King, "We've got some help."
"THAT'S RIGHT, WE'RE FOUR PARTS OF A WHOLE!"
"ROCK IN WITH THESE SPARKLING GAZES!"
"We've come from...Somewhere."
"STINGINGLY CUTE AND CATLIKE!"
Four figures leaped from the brush, striking a variety of different poses. It was the Wild Wild Pussycat's! Though they had some other members join in to complete the set. One was a perky lady with long flowing green hair while the other was a massive muscular man. They all wore different colored variants of the same costume, a cat costume complete with ears, paws, a skirt.
"WILD WILD PUSSYCATS!" They all collectively announced.
Class 1-B was taken aback by the sudden appearance, stepping back with wide eyes and mouths.
"Uh, wasn't expecting THAT." said Derek, "Are you guys here to help us?"
"Yup!" said the green-haired hero in a yellow, "I'm Ragdoll, and my quirk is Search! It gives me all the info to know on anyone I lay eyes on, up to 100 people at a time!"
"I'm Pixie-Bob!" said the blonde woman in the blue costume, "My quirk is earthflow! It gives me control over the dirt beneath our feet and lets me create the perfect training environment!"
"My name is Mandalay." said the woman with brown hair and a red costume, "I'm a telepath, so I can give advice to each of you individually or all at once!"
"I'm Tiger." said the man, rocking an orange costume, "I'm here to punch and kick you into shape!"
"That's comforting," Derek remarked sarcastically.
"Power types with me!" announced Tiger.
Derek sat tight as his classmates began to disperse, "Um, Mr. King, sir?"
"Yes?" said King.
"Where am I going?" asked Derek.
"He's with me."
Derek looked to his left, only to find a small ginger boy, kicking the dirt while cracking his knuckles. Derek gave the boy a strange look before turning his attention back to Vlad.
"You can't be serious." said Derek.
"Wally's not training you." said Vlad, "He's taking you to the guy who's training you."
"Oh, got it." said Derek, rubbing the back of his head, "Lead the way buddy!"
"Don't call me buddy, buddy!" said the boy, apparently named Wally.
Wally started down another forest path, leading Derek downhill.
"So, uh," said Derek, "What's your quirk?"
"Don't have one." said Wally.
"Sorry, didn't mean to be rude." said Derek, "You here because of family?"
"Mandalay's a family friend, she's letting me stay with her for the summer." said Wally, "This is it."
Derek looked forward gazing upon a massive racetrack made from dirt and rock, no doubt a product of Pixie-Bob. Bits and pieces of sticks and leaves stuck out like sore thumbs. Iida ran around the track, keeping a brisk pace while Barry ran on the inside of the track on a treadmill.
"Well, c'mon!" said Wally, "Let's go."
"Pivot!"
A loud screeching filled the air as Iida torqued is feet, screeching to a stop on the track. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air as Jay approached him.
"Nice job, but you're sliding a little too much." said Jay, "Try again, but this time try using your engines to apply more stopping force when you torque your feet."
"Yes sir!" said Iida, Racing around the track again.
"Mr. Garrick, I brought him!"
Jay turned to find Derek and Wally walking up behind him.
"Mr. Garrick, the physics teacher?" said Derek, "He'll teach me?"
"What, is he not good enough for you?" asked Wally.
"No, he's just not what I expected," said Derek.
"Don't worry about it." said Jay, "I've got something special for you. PIVOT!"
Iida slid to a stop once again, this time sliding 5 meters less.
"Good job!" said Jay, "Swap with Barry on the treadmill, set yourself up for a long-distance run, sat 100 KM. Come back to me when you're done."
"Yes sir!" said Iida, jogging toward the treadmill.
Jay faces Derek, "I've got a challenge for you and Barry, whoever wins gets out of the brutal regiment I have set up for them 2 hours early."
Derek's mind flashes back to the brutal training the rest of the class was going through.
Nope, I've got to win this challenge, for my own body!
Barry speeds up the track, sliding to a stop in front of Jay. Sweat rolled off his brow as he panted, hands on his knees.
"What's up!" said Barry, "I was just hitting Mach 2."
"Good, cause Mach 5 is next." said Jay.
"What?!" said Barry, "I can't do that, not without breaking into the speed force again!"
"Don't worry Barry," said Jay, "as long as you keep your focus and maintain an anchor, you'll be fine."
Barry took a deep breath, "I...alright! Let's do this!"
As Barry took his stance, Jay sped in front of him, blocking the way.
"Now now, hold your horses!" said Jay, "I wasn't finished."
Barry raised an eyebrow, standing up.
"You see, I thought that Mach 5 would be too easy without an obstacle," said Jay, "so Mr. James will be that obstacle."
"Huh?" said Derek.
"Mr. James, you're job is to prevent Barry from reaching Mach 5." said Jay, "You fail is he reaches his goal, but win if you can bring him to a full stop. Aside from physical assault, everything goes."
"Wait, how does this train my rifts?" asked Derek.
"You're gonna have to make em fast, and make em in numbers." said Jay, "So try it out. The winner gets off training 2 hours early."
As Jay walked off, Barry got in his stance once again while Derek readied his hands, "Sorry Barry, I can't go through that kind of torture for too long."
Barry smirked, "Well, too bad for you."
Barry shot off like a rocket, flying around the track at blazing speeds. Each lap kicked up more and more dust, blinding Derek.
"Oh no you don't!" said Derek, making a rift on the track.
As Barry made the lap, he spotted the rift on the ground.
He knows I need to run for an unbroken period to gain speed, so he's trying to stop me or slow my momentum. Too bad he can't stop this.
As Barry reached the rift, he made a leap, sailing over the rift and landing on the track again. While he did avoid the trap, his momentum was slowed.
"C'mon!" said Derek, "Guess I'll have to make more obstacles!"
"Bring it on!" shouted Barry.
As the sun set, Wally brought out a bag of chips coming back to the track to check on the boys.
*Chomp* "How's it going guys!" said Wally,
What Wally saw didn't shock him. Derek stood in the middle of the track, flailing his arms about making as many rifts as possible. Small patches of yellow appeared all over the tracks, but Barry continued to leap over them, never quite going faster than the eye could see.
"Hey guys, you can stop now!" said Wally.
"Yay." said Derek weakly, his hands flopping down to their sides. Oddly, Barry continued making leaps, as if on auto-pilot.
"Barry, YOU CAN STOP NOW!" screamed Wally.
"What?" said Barry, his concentration broken.
Not looking where he was going, Barry tripped on a loose stone, flopping onto the ground and sliding a solid 20 meters on his face. Barry groaned, picking himself up despite being completely covered in mud from the front.
"Did I win? Who won?!" said Barry.
"Nobody, that was the point." said Wally, "Training's over, you guys have to cook dinner for yourselves now."
"What?!" said Derek, "What do you mean it was the point for there not to be a winner?!"
"That challenge was the training, Jay told me himself." said Wally, "Now you should have an easier time making multiple portals, and you should be fairly mobile even in long-distance sprints."
Barry and Derek looked at each other before simultaneously facepalming.
"C'mon, tonight's curry night!" said Wally.
"Did they start without me?" said Barry.
"Yes, yes they did." said Wally.
Barry watched as the rest of his class milled about the benches outside, carrying pots and pans around in order to cook their food. Ingredients lay spread out across the benches, specifically picked out to make curry.
"Barry!"
Mina strode up to Barry, prepared to wrap him in a hug, but Barry slid backward.
"You don't want to do that Kirishima," said Barry, "As you can see, I'm kinda caked in dirt."
"Oh, right, sorry Barry!" said Mina, "You should probably wash off."
Barry chuckled, "Heh, sounds like a plan!"
Barry sped off into the lodge, leaving Wally and Mina behind.
"Hey, you guys sound like good friends." said Wally.
"Yeah, we are I guess." said Mina.
"You hoping to get closer?" asked Wally.
"W-What?" said Mina, a blush on her face, "Of course, yes."
Mina clamped her hands over her mouth upon realizing she had misspoken, she eyes Wally, who began rubbing his hands together.
"Ooh! Do tell!" said Wally.
Barry strode into the bathroom, walking right up to the sink. Turning the knob, he watched as the warm water poured from the faucet. Barry cupped the water in his hands, wiping his face to get the mud off. He looked up, observing his now clean face in the mirror.
Heh, all done.
As Barry finished off by washing his hands, he noticed that the lights began to flicker.
Eh, probably just a loose wire.
Then the light went out with a *Pop*.
Barry turned around, standing in the darkness for a moment before sighing.
Guess they need a new electrician.
"Hiya Barry."
The horrible voice of Eobard Thawne invaded Barry's ears, whispering as if he was right behind him. Barry whirled around, throwing a panicked punch behind him and punching a hole in the mirror and the wall.
The lights flickered back on, revealing that Barry was all alone. Sweat rolled off his brow as his breathing became rapid and shallow. Leaning on the wall and sliding down, Barry eyed his fist, now bleeding from the loose mirror shards embedded in his knuckles. He winced, picking them out with his fingers.
He's not here Barry, you're fine. More importantly, they're fine. He can't...
Barry took a deep breath, putting his hands over his head.
He can't hurt us, he can't.
"Curry's almost ready!" said Iida, "We need those carrots now!"
Mina and Wally stood by the cutting board.
"Where's Barry?" Mina wondered aloud, "He went to the bathroom to wash off, he hasn't come out."
*Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop*
Mina turned around, only to find that Barry had snuck behind him and already chopped every single carrot.
"Wow!" said Mina, "50 carrots in 5 seconds? That's a new record!"
"Yeah, I guess it is." said Barry, his voice was monotone and unenthusiastic.
"Woah, what's wrong Barry?" said Mina, "You sounded really excited before."
"I uh, something came up." said Barry, "Eat without me, I want to be alone for a while."
"Barry? Are you ok?" said Mina, "Maybe you should eat with us, it'll be fun!"
"I...sorry Mina, I just don't feel it." said Barry, "I'll see you guys later."
"Oh," said Mina, a little dejected, "Ok."
Barry turned around and strode into the forest, leaving Mina and Wally behind.
"Is he usually like this?" asked Wally.
"No, he wasn't like this before the summer break." said Mina, "He's been so much more distant than before, I have no idea why."
"Why do you like him?" asked Wally.
Mina blushed, looking away.
"You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable." said Wally.
"No, it's just that," Mina stopped, struggling to find the words, "He's gone through so much, you don't realize that, I don't even realize that. But despite those things, he chooses to be a hero, to push past those things and be a better person today than he was yesterday. That's why I like him. He makes me feel like I can do anything."
Wally smiled, "That's a beautiful reason to love a person."
Mina blushed once more, "T-Thanks."
Barry walked through the woods at a leisurely pace, making his way down a less-traveled mountain path, heading upwards towards a peak. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing in frustration.
"Barry?"
Barry looked up, almost running into Midoriya of all people.
"Midoriya?" said Barry, "It's kinda late, what are you doing out here?"
"I saw Kota come out here alone, he looked hungry so I brought him some Curry." said Midoriya, "He seemed a little lonely."
"Oh," said Barry, "I heard about what happened to him, it really sucks."
"Yeah, I just wish I could do more to help." said Midoriya, "Well, I'm going to bed! Enjoy your walk!"
Midoriya walked on, leaving Barry to walk ahead. As he continued his stroll, Thawne's words echoed in his mind.
I'm gonna make you suffer Barry, but you won't be the only person who gets hurt.
"I don't understand," Barry thought aloud, "What would drive someone to hate another person so much."
Barry looked up at the moon as he made it to an outcropping over the valley. Walking to the edge, he took a seat.
"What are you doing here?" said an angry voice.
Barry turned around, finding a little boy in a red baseball cap.
"Oh, you're Kota, right?" said Barry.
"Who are you supposed to be?" said Kota, "Actually, nevermind, I don't care. You heroes are all the same. Get out of my secret base!"
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were here." said Barry, "I'll leave you alone."
Barry got up, dusting himself off before walking towards the woods. Just as he took a step onto the dirt, he stopped himself. He didn't know why he felt compelled to stay, but he just couldn't leave the boy alone.
"Hey," said Barry, "wait just a sec."
"What?" pouted Kota.
"I...I just wanted to say, I know what you're going through." said Barry, "You've lost two people very dear to you and the world doesn't make sense anymore."
"Oh it makes perfect sense," said Kota, "you heroes fight villains, kill each other for no good reason just to show off!"
"That's not true." said Barry, "It's more complicated than that."
"Grown-ups just say that so they don't have to justify what they're doing." said Kota, "My mom and dad died trying to show off against a villain and look where that got them."
Kota turned away from Barry, "I heard my aunt saying that it was a good death, whatever that means. I hear everybody talk about how honorable it was for them to die that way. But it just seems stupid and pointless. I hate them for it!"
Barry was shocked, unable to reply. It wasn't just the fact that Kota's answer held so much anger, so much grief. It was that Barry, in a way, agreed.
"Kota," said Barry, "You're right."
"Huh?" said Kota, clearly not expecting that answer.
"Kota, there's no such thing as a good death, an honorable death. Only good lives." said Barry, "My mom led a good life until she was murdered when I was ten. After that, I was bitter. I couldn't move forward. I spent years dwelling on it, trying to figure out what happened, who did it. But last year, I realized something."
Kota turned towards Barry.
"You can't let stuff like that dictate your life." said Barry, "It's not healthy."
Kota frowned, turning away again, "Go away, I want to be alone."
Barry had a sad look on his face, preparing to reach out to Kota. However, just before he touched his shoulder, he realized that the wound was still too fresh. Kota was young, he still needed to grieve.
"I'm sorry, I'll go now." said Barry, turning to leave.
Taking a few steps, Barry's foot touched something on the ground. Looking down, He spotted a plate of Curry.
"I see Midoriya brought you curry." said Barry, "You should eat it while it's hot."
"I said go away." said Kota.
Barry looked back with heavy eyes before sighing, strolling down the hill.
"You see the lodge?"
"Oh I see it, it's gonna be kindling tomorrow night!"
Far away, on a mountain top over the valley, a gang of villains camped. Somewhere League mainstays, like Dabi and Toga. Others were newer recruits, such as a hooded man wearing clamps on his mouth and a boy in a gas mask. Closer to the edge sat the Rogues, all huddled around a fire.
"You guys are the Rogues, right?"
Snart, Rory, Jin, Jesse, and Mardon all looked up from the fire, finding themselves being approached by Owen Mercer, the new Captain Boomerang.
"Mind if I sit down?" asked Mercer.
"Do whatever you want kid." said Snart.
Mercer smiled, taking a seat by the fire. His costume was fairly functional, jeans and a leather jacket lined with boomerangs.
"So...what does it take to join the Rogues?" asked Mercer.
"It takes 5 grueling years of training." said Jesse, "Plus a hazing ritual."
"Jesse's just pulling your leg." said Rory, "You're welcome to join if you want to."
"I...I do." said Mercer.
"Why?" asked Mardon, "You're already in the league, what makes us special?"
"You guys want the Flash." said Mercer, "The Flash put my dad away, I want payback."
Snart nodded, "That's good enough reason if I do say so myself. But know this, we here at the Rogues have rules."
"I'll follow them to the letter." said Mercer, "Just tell me what they are."
"For our hunt, we've got 2 rules." said Snart, "One, when one of us gets the Flash, you don't keep him to yourself, you let everybody here take a shot at him. Rule number 2, no Rogue, under any circumstance, gets left behind. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir." said Mercer, "No way in hell he can handle all of us."
"Especially since I'm helping too."
The Rogues all stand up as a new villain enters the light, dressed in a yellow costume with a red lightning bolt insignia on the chest.
"You're the hooded guy, I can tell from your voice." said Snart, "Who're you supposed to be?"
"Call me Reverse-Flash." said Thawne, "I've got beef with the Flash, just like the rest of you."
"What, want to join the club?" asked Rory.
"No, but thanks for the offer." said Thawne, walking over to the edge of the mountain. Peering over the valley, Thawne eyed the lodge, "You know, they aren't expecting us."
"Hell yeah," said Jin, "Gives us more time to find Flash."
"We aren't just here for Flash, even if it is important." said Thawne, "We're here to send a message, and when they see it, they'll all be running scared."
Uh oh! Somethings about to go down! This chapter had more effort put in than before and I feel a lot better about it!
I posted the same chapter, Twice in one week. I am dumb. I have to ask myself this now: /view/dr-phil-are-you-delusional-delusional-do-you-suffer-from-amental-illness-illness-gif-13616466
Reviews:
Jose Ramiro: Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
DCDGojira: Swamp Thing was a cameo, we won't see him again in this fic, though I do have something else planned :). I like the scenes you added! All three characters will return at some point, though not at the same time. If Comedy had a god, it would be Robin Williams, he was a deeply funny man and I miss him dearly. I haven't seen Ghost in the Shell, but I'll have to check it out!
Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
Aztec 13: Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
Next Chapter: The Rogue's Return!