I couldn't help chuckling as I watched Benjamin booing at the announcer as he declared the conclusion of yet another boring fight while most spectators were on their feet, clapping and screaming like crazed fan girls.
There was little the average man could do to impress someone of Ben's level of martial arts mastery. However, the most mundane and average techniques were enough to impress the average joe, the spectators in this case.
Both Ben and the crowd's reactions made sense in a way. Even Richard stopped watching the matches and had been meditating to pass the time for a while now.
Meanwhile, I've been keeping myself busy working on a small Rubix cube that would act as a jumped-up, advanced swiss army knife on crack, with as many functions as I could jam into it.
I've been working on this project for a while now, but it's a slow process as I was nowhere knowledgeable or high-leveled enough to complete it the way I am now.
I'd need more levels in my mechanics skill to complete it, but it didn't stop me from working on it as soon as I got the idea. It was one of those rare thoughts you'd have while scrolling through Reddit on the bathroom seat.
You'd usually forget about it by the time you're out washing your hands, or it would seem so ridiculous you'd laugh it off and go on with your day like nothing happened.
My idea was on that level of ridiculousness, but I could actually bring it to life thanks to my skills and stats, so I did and immediately began working on it.
Now, what would the practical applications of this new toy be, you might ask? The answer is simple, utility gadget, which I'd stuff with various mini toys.
How would it work? That's even simpler, like a Rubix cube. You'd have to create a specific pattern in the Rubix cube to activate its respective function, and I plan on making each one as complicated as possible for security purposes.
And what am I going to call this marvelous invention? Pandora Cube, because if anyone who didn't know what they were doing tried to use it, they'd get a random result that might be beneficial or harmful.
And yes, there are more efficient ways to go about it, and the design is dog-shit because it would be troublesome to operate in the heat of battle as it was complicated.
But I really didn't care. I had the idea; I liked it, and now I'm doing it simply because I can, in time, probably. Pickle Rick, baby!
"Look, the new announcer is acting weird. He's looking at Gray..." Ben said, snapping me out of my focus, to which I sighed, putting away my tools while Richard opened his eyes and stopped meditating.
I looked down to see what was up with the new announcer, and he cleared his throat and looked away immediately after noticing my gaze, turning to the right corner.
"On the right corner... we have an unknown, a nameless dark horse, who recently came to Gotham..." the announcer stated as he grandly gestured to the right side entrance.
"Not much is known about this contestant except her distaste for words and her incredible martial prowess..." he continued in a cryptic tone to arouse the audience's curiosity.
"Some say she is a vigilante, while others claim she is a martial artist on a journey to improve her skill; everyone put your hands together for Orphan!" the announcer concluded, prompting a petite young girl to walk into the ring.
Wearing street clothes with a hoodie that covered her face, the girl stood at 5.5 feet tall as she calmly walked to the center of the arena, stopping beside the announcer.
"That's her; Shiva's daughter..." I said, immediately recognizing Cassandra Cain by the description the announcer gave and matching her height and body proportions with what I saw in the bar area after my meeting with The Penguin.
"How do you know...?" Richard asked, frowning as he turned to me, giving me a questioning look, and Benjamin's reactions weren't much different as he put away his phone and gave me his undivided attention.
"I just do. It'll take too long to explain. I'll tell you about it later..." I replied, shrugging my shoulder. I wasn't lying since it would really take too long to explain Cassandra's backstory and how it matched the description.
However, I didn't want to answer the question because it would only raise several more, like how I knew about Cassandra Cain's story, which should only be privy to her immediate family, and high-level League of Assassins members.
"Fine. Let's see how this goes for now..." Richard said with a nod, dropping the subject. He likely realized I didn't want to talk about judging by his tone and body language.
Benjamin, on the other hand, wasn't feeling as tactful. He kept giving me the stink eye, but I was thick-skinned enough to ignore it until he got bored and focused on the match yet to begin.
"One the left corner, we have a war veteran turned villain due to a horrible accident that rendered him sightless..." the announcer said, grinning as he turned to the left side entrance.
"Despite being blind, no one has yet managed to sneak up on him..." he went on, his smirk widening at the effect his words had on the audience, who didn't shy away from showing their excitement.
"Introducing, the perhaps ironically but aptly nicknamed villain, Ten Eyed Man!" the announcer concluded, prompting a muscular man in a tight orange spandex suit, wearing a white visor over his eyes, to walk into the stage.
The man was tall, standing at 6 feet. He had brown hair and a weird haircut. It was short on the sides and long in the middle, with a white patch in its center.
Ten Eye man had one hand behind his back while pointing the other onward, his fingers spread apart as he walked forward only to stop next to the announcer.
"Who's this weirdo?" Benjamin asked, his tone amused as he looked at the Ten Eyed Man up and down, giving him a once over with an expression that suggested he wasn't impressed.
"No idea, but the way he's moving is kinda weird..." I replied, frowning as I tried to put my finger on what was so strange about how the Ten Eye Man's walked.
"His head isn't turning at all even though he's not moving in a straight line... and the way he moves his fingers... it looks deliberate, not random..." I added, letting out a thoughtful hum.
"He isn't looking ahead either. His line of sight seems to be a bit high..." I concluded, wishing the riot gear wasn't on my head so I could scratch without exposing myself.
"I see what you mean... the way he's wiggling his finger in Cassandra's direction is off-putting, to say the least..." Richard commented from the side, looking just as confused and curious as I was.
"Wait, that's it... he sees through his fingers..." I added, halting as I felt how weird my words sounded when I spoke them, and the funny look Benjamin gave me didn't help either.
"It makes sense. The guy is called the Ten Eyed Man, but you can't see any of them, do you?" I hurriedly explained as I turned to Benjamin to argue my case.
"He's not looking where he's walking, but still avoiding every small pebble and rock in his way to move silently..." I added, pointing at the man, still blankly looking over Cassandra's head.
"One of his hands is pointing forward, while the other is pointing back behind him. He basically has 360 view of the arena..." I went on, gesturing at his hands.
"Ten eyes, ten fingers, I rest my case," I firmly concluded, nodding my head, satisfied at my reasoning, which I would have vehemently denied if I was not in the crazy world of DC comics.
"As much as I wanna say this theory of yours is ridiculous... I've seen weirder shit..." Benjamin said, sighing as he shook his head, but he didn't seem wholly convinced.
"The way you explained it did make some sense, though. I guess we'll just have to wait and see..." he concluded, shrugging his shoulders and dropping the subject as he resumed looking at the arena.
The two fighters were already in position and waiting for the fight to begin, and the announcer couldn't look more eager to oblige them even if he tried.
"Are the contestants ready?" the announcer asked as he looked between Cassandra and the Ten Eyed Man, to which they both nodded, looking as ready to fight as they could be.
"Then let the fight begin!"
...
Cassandra immediately moved as soon as the announcer declared the beginning of the fight, sprinting towards Ten Eyed Man, who seemed content to wait for her.
She planted her feet on the ground and lowered her posture when she approached her opponent, causing her to slide forward, perfectly halting her momentum within swinging distance in front of Ten Eyed Man.
Cassandra put her hands on the ground and raised her legs, using the momentum to power a kick she aimed at her opponent's head.
Before her attack could connect, Cassandra spun herself and adjusted her attack to the side of Ten Eyed Man as soon as the latter raised his arm, intent on blocking.
Ten Eyed Man saw the change of trajectory coming and stepped back, dodging the attack, to which Cassandra jumped back, performing a back flip to land a safe distance away.
She frowned, her gaze alternating between Ten Eye Man's hands, and his eyes, seemingly in thought before she moved forward, her steps slow and deliberate this time around.
She reached Ten Eyed Man and was again the first to make a move. However, she wasn't attacking. She raised her hand to the side to block an attack that her opponent was yet to perform.
Sure enough, Ten Eyed Man swiped at her head, but her hand was already in place to block the attack. She spun her arm around his, stepping forward to put her right leg behind his as he palmed his chest.
She held on to his arm and wrapped her legs around it as he fell, putting him in a hand lock as she lay over him on the ground, squeezing at his arm, seemingly intent on breaking it.
The fight seemed like a done deal at this point as Cassandra put her entire weight on Ten Eyed Man with her legs over his chest and his arms locked tightly in her arms.
However, Ten Eyed Man had a considerably bigger frame and was physically stronger. He used those advantages to barely get on his feet, raising Cassandra along with him.
He was shaking and grunting in pain, but he stayed up, despite Cassandra's continued pressure on his wrist, as her lighter weight wouldn't let her break it that quickly.
Ten Eyed Man used his free hand for support to raise Cassandra above his head, preparing to slam her into the ground, which forced her to let go, but not before kicking him in the face first and using him as leverage to get away.
Cassandra let out a drawn breath as he raised her hands and quickly began approaching Ten Eyed Man, who took a side stance, facing her with his shoulder, with arms raised in her direction as he waited.
The two fighters met halfway through and immediately began trading blows, though most of them never connected, and the ones that did had no force behind them.
"See what I mean...?" Gray said, turning to Benjamin as the latter intently watched the fight, having finally found one that was worth spectating, thanks to the incredible show Cassandra was putting on.
"He's only ever using one hand to attack while keeping the other open and pointed in her direction..." He added, clearly still hung up on Benjamin dismissing his theory.
"He's dodging and blocking flawlessly, but he's not even looking at her hands..." Gray concluded, radiating an aura of smugness so intense it was almost visible to everyone in the room.
"I think Gray is right..." Richard commented from the side, causing Gray's smug aura to evolve, and become almost tangible, to which Benjamin snorted but chose to say nothing about the subject.
"Let's just keep watching..." Benjamin said, proceeding to ignore the teacher and student duo in favor of spectating the fight that was heating up with every second.
The two fighters were currently moving at an incredible speed that was knocking on the doors of human limits, making it hard for the regular people in the audience to track Cassandra and Ten Eyed Man's movement with their untrained eyes.
"You're not bad, kid..." Ten Eyed Man said as he joined his finger and sent it flying toward Cassandra's throat. The only answer he received was silence as the latter quickly moved aside to dodge.
She then quickly spun along her opponent's arm, using complicated footwork to get behind Ten Eyed Man's back, punching at the back of his head.
However, Cassandra had no choice but to stop her attack and jump back as she found Ten Eyed Man's left hand behind his back, already lunging at her throat.
He had already adjusted his posture, somehow knew her exact location behind him, and attacked with surprising accuracy without even needing to turn his head.
"She's faster, more skilled, and perfectly predicting his movements, but he's durable, strong, and his martial arts are decent..." Richard said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin as he watched the two fighters cautiously eyeing each other.
"I'd usually say this could go either way, but..." The martial arts instructor added, pushing to choose his words. "She's holding back by not targeting his vital areas, and he knows it..." he continued, sighing as he shook his head as Cassandra and Ten Eyed man resumed exchanging blows.
"He's leaving his vitals open and protecting other areas because he knows she's reluctant to target them..." he concluded as he observed Ten Eyed Man's strange posture.
It did nothing to protect vitals like his abdomen, head, and neck and covered less vulnerable areas like his shoulders, arms, and legs.
"I think it will be her win..." I said, smiling as I shook my head. "Looks like she already figured out his shtick..." I added as I watched Cassandra dance around her opponent.
She avoided being in front of his fingers, using feints to cover his field of view with kicks and punches, only to stop and attack somewhere else when she knew he wouldn't see it coming as he used his hands to block, rendering him partial blind.
Cassandra began landing more punches as the time went on, and despite Ten Eyed Man being more durable, he didn't seem to do well in the stamina department.
Add to that the many hits Cassandra was landing now, and you had a snowball effect that would end in her rolling over Ten Eyed Man and winning the fight.
"Looks like my lessons weren't in vain, at least..." Richard said, turning to me and giving me a smile that quickly turned smug when he looked at Benjamin, causing the latter to scoff.
"You people are worse than newlywed couples. I'm never going out with you two again..." Benjamin jokingly said, shaking his head and proceeding to ignore us.
The fight went on for several more minutes, with Cassandra slowly but surely gaining the advantage as the seconds passed, and she finally moved for the figurative kill when Ten Eyed Man was panting in exhaustion.
She moved forward, palming at her opponent's chest, to which he exhaustedly raised his hand to block, walking right into her trap.
Cassandra changed the trajectory of her attack and clutched Ten Eyed Mans' hand, pulling him towards, and he could do nothing about it, exhausted and battered as he was.
She held on to his fingers and pushed them in the opposite direction he was staggering, causing them to break with a loud snap of bones, accompanied by Ten Eyed Man's anguished scream.
Now that she broke the fingers of his left, rendering them motionless and robbing Ten Eyed Man of half his sight, doing the same to his right was as easy as taking candy from a baby.
Cassandra then proceeded to beat the shit out of her opponent, still avoiding his vitals so as not to cause any long-lasting damage, until he was on the ground, still conscious but unable to move a muscle.
The announcer quickly ran to Ten Eyed Man to check his condition and started the countdown. The latter didn't even have the energy to try standing up even, resulting in Cassandra's win.
She patiently waited for the announcer to finish the countdown, observing him intently until he declared her victory. She bowed before leaving the arena as the henchmen came in with the stretcher.
"Well, that's that, I guess..." Gray said as he watched Cassandra leave the arena. "You guys gonna watch the rest of the fights...?" he asked as he turned to Benjamin and Richard.
"You're leaving? Don't you want to see who you might be up against tomorrow?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms and turned to Gray.
"I've seen all I wanted to see for today. I've also installed a camera, so I can fast forward the boring fights and see what's what from home..." he added, shrugging with a chuckle as he stood up.
"Youngsters these days rely on technology for everything..." Richard said, rolling his eyes as he too got up, prompting Benjamin to do the same with a chuckle.
"Come on, let's get you out of here, old man," Benjamin said, smiling as the three of them all made for the exit.
...
Gray's hideout
"My fucking couch...!" I exclaimed, falling to my knees in front of the expensive couch I'd bought shortly after moving to the bunker as I saw how tattered it looked.
I slowly turned my head to the little cat sitting a distance away from the couch, leisurely licking the back of his paw, which still had cotton stuck on the claws, evidence of his horrid crime against my wallet.
Little Soot meowed and slowly approached me, rubbing against me while circling my body, causing me to sigh and bitterly smile at the small feline's antics.
"You're lucky you're so cute..." I remarked, shaking my head as I picked up Little Soot and walked to my work area, storing the tattered couch in my inventory as I walked past it.
'The tournament should still be going...' I mused as I thought of what I could do to pass a couple of hours until the end of the last fight, so I could watch the footage and see if there's anyone I'd need to worry about other than Crush.
'I guess I'll work on the forge...' I concluded, nodding as I approached and getting to work after dropping Little Soot near his bowls and refilling them.
I've been working on the forge for a while now, but as you already knew, things were a bit hectic as of late, and I could never work on it for more than an hour each day, busy as I was.
I took off my shirt to avoid ruining it and immediately started working, humming under my breath.
"You load sixteen tons... and what do you get... another day older and deeper in debt... "
...
East End
Cassandra innocently smiled as she looked in her bag, full of expensive foods and desserts. There was spring in her step as she raised her head and noticed she was approaching her destination.
Cassandra's smile widened as she finally reached her destination, a seemingly abandoned warehouse. A homeless man was standing at the building's entrance, chatting with a shady-looking person, who immediately turned to leave when he saw Cassandra approaching.
The homeless man, Patrick, sighed and frowned as he watched the man suddenly leave and turned to see what alarmed him, only for his eyes to meet Cassandra's
Patrick's frown immediately disappeared, replaced by a gentle, exasperated smile as he spotted the young girl walking towards him and waved his hands at her.
Cassandra stopped in front of Patrick and quickly opened the bag in her hands, full of delicacies, presented to the homeless, to which his eyes winded as he saw what was inside.
"This... this looks expensive..." Patrick said as he slowly raised his head to look Cassandra in the eye. "Tell me the truth, girl... did you steal it...?" he firmly asked, giving the young girl a reprimanding look that resembled one a father would give to his well-intentioned, misbehaving child.
"I was worried you might do something like this—" Patrick said, clearly prepared to give a never-ending lecture to the young girl, who looked both confused and aggravated at his words, prompting him to interrupt him.
Cassandra grunted as she pushed the bag forward, urging Patrick to take it as she shook her head to defend herself and deny the insinuation that she'd steal something clearly so expensive.
As a young girl and a runaway, she didn't have much to her name, and the only way she could feed herself and survive in Gotham was by stealing.
She only ever took from the crooks she encountered, assaulting her or some unsuspecting civilians, and never took more than what she needed, which usually was nothing more than the price of her next meal.
Still, as detrimental as the act was to her survival and continued well-being, Cassandra loathed herself for every penny she stole, so she understandably couldn't resist the urge to stock up on the free food The Penguin offered.
She knew the food would only provide temporary relief for the people in the warehouse, but Cassandra would soon be able to improve their lives for the better permanently.
The money from the tournament would not only enable her to take off and feed herself and her new friends, but she might also have a surplus to give back to the people she stole from even.
"You..." Patrick said, unsure of what to say at Cassandra's volatile reaction, but something in her expression tugged on the strings of his heart, prompting him to believe her.
"Fine, kid. I believe you," Patrick said, regaining his smile as he took the bag with a grateful nod, turning to the warehouse as he gestured for her to come along.
Cassandra's smile returned, as beaming and innocent as ever while she followed Patrick, unaware of the heated debate taking place in the Iceberg Lounge concerning her.
...
The Iceberg Lounge
Oswald Cobblepot's office
"What do you mean the deal is off, Cobblepot...?" Lady Shiva asked in a cold tone, forgoing honorifics out of sheer rage at the words she'd just heard from the mob boss.
"It means what it means, Lady Shiva..." The Penguin replied, leisurely seated behind his desk as he smoked a cigar. "Someone asked me to do the opposite of what you did..." he added, shaking his head as he blew a cloud of smoke.
"Unlike you, the other person wasn't asking for himself, but on behalf of the League Of Assassins..." He added, shrugging his shoulders as he gestured to the side.
"I don't know what's happening on that side, and I honestly don't care," The Penguin said as he stood up from his seat, turning to look down on the empty bar area from the window behind his desk.
"Being toyed with like this by you people, this bloody back and forth, do this, do that..." The Penguin added, sounding genuinely pissed at what he considered a disrespectful act.
"I care for that even less. My respect for you and the people behind you is boundless, but I've had enough of your shit..." He continued, unmoving as several armed men stormed the room, accompanied by Orca and Magpie, his top enforcers.
"The opponent placement will be random, as planned. If you or that person have a problem with it, feel free to discuss it with my bodyguards..." The Penguin blankly concluded.
"I will go back to the League and get to the bottom of this... but make no mistakes, we will be having a discussion after..." Lady Shiva replied, unwavering as she carelessly turned to the room's exit as if the menacing humanoid giant whale glaring at her and the many armed men didn't even exist.
...
Unknown Location
"I did as you asked David..." said Alpha, addressing a white-haired, tall man, roughly 6.2 feel with a muscular build, wearing a red and black full-body suit and armed to the teeth.
Alpha himself was tall, but his height fell short of David as the latter's stature still showed despite being seated on the bed of the cheap motel room.
"You did good, my friend," David blankly replied, nodding at Alpha, one of the few men he considered a friend, as they partnered on several occasions to further Ras Al-Ghul's agenda to great success.
"Are you sure it was ok to leave it at that...?" Alpha asked as he sat at the edge of the other bed, rubbing his neck which was sore after a long journey back from Gotham that left him utterly exhausted.
"You know we've lost Cassandra's trail, and it was a miracle we managed to find her now..." he added, sighing at the mention of the young girl he helped train when she was a child.
"Not to mention whatever Shiva is plotting for her. I didn't have the time to investigate..." He concluded, taking his gun from its holster and tucking it under his below.
"There's no need to worry. No matter what that silly woman plots it would only make my weapon sharper..." David Cain replied, grinning as he dismissively waved to the side.
"I know Cassandra she won't leave Gotham. It's a great place for her to learn and grow her skill..." he added, his grin deepening as if everything was under control, which most of the time it was.
"In the end, there's only one path my dear daughter could take, to my former apprentice..." he added, images of one billion are he trained a long time ago flashing in his mind.
"He'll make her into the perfect weapon, and I'd only need to claim my prize when the time is right..." he continued with a chuckle as he lay on the bed, closing his eyes.
"Now get some rest. We will have a busy week ahead of us if we want to get Merlyn back from Amanda Waller's clutches..."
...
I sighed, wiping sweat that didn't exist off my forehead out of habit as I stopped working to take a look at the still, unfinished forge I'd been working on for several hours now.
It was still far from finished, but I reckon one or two more similarly long work sessions would do the trick, and I'd finally have a way to create alloys and solve many of the problems I'm having with my inventions.
And yes, I do mean inventions as in plural. You remember that thing about getting ideas in the shower and whatnot? Well, that happens often, and every time I get one, I'll immediately get started on it, only to abandon it halfway when I think of something else.
I'd started so many projects it would probably take me all day to talk about each of them, so I'll save myself the trouble and leave it to your imagination.
I don't plan on starting anything new until I finish a good portion of the projects I'm already working on, but it would probably take me months, if not years to wrap up, which is fine since I enjoyed the process.
'The tournament should be over with by now...' I mused, heading into my living area as I put on my shirt. Once there, I plopped down on the closest chair and retrieved my laptop, since a certain someone fucked up my couch.
I could watch the fights in my head, but any footage I view that way imprints itself into my brain as a memory would. I'd never forget what I saw regardless because of my Perfect Recall, though it would be less disorienting this way.
"Now, let's see what we have here..." I remarked to no one in particular as I accessed the footage from the camera I planted in the arena, fast-forwarding once it started playing.
'Small fries... small fries... and more small fries...' I sighed, rubbing the back of my head as I watched the footage, seeing nothing but nameless gang enforcers beating the shit out of each other.
They weren't really nameless as they were all bigshots in their respective factions and would make any regular person shit their pants, but they didn't look like named comic characters. Thus I couldn't give two shits about them.
"Oh...?" I intoned, raising an eyebrow and slowing down the video back to regular speed as I noticed the change in the announcer's demeanor while proclaiming the upcoming fight.
"Fucking great..." I cursed, bitterly smiling as I spotted a familiar face, a scaly, menacing one I used to dread whenever nature called, walking out of the right side entrance.
Waylon Jones, also known as Killer Fucking Croc. That's the owner of the face if you're wondering.
It made sense that he'd participate since he was obsessed with regaining his street cred from when he was an actual gang boss and not the neighborhood's friendly sewer-dwelling hired muscle, now that I thought about it.
I knew I'd meet Croc again sooner or later, but this time I was confident in my ability to of kicking his scaly green ass, even without showing too much power. He won't be a problem this time, at least.
'Tough luck, dude...' I mused, feeling genuine sympathy for the thug who walked into the arena through the left side entrance, already looking like he'd shit his pants at any second.
Luckily for the poor guy, Croc didn't seem to be in the mood to play games, and he merely picked him up and threw him into the wall, leaving before the announcer could even start counting down.
'Rest in peace, my guy. You won't be forgotten. I practically can't forget you even if I wanted to...' I chuckled, shaking my head as I put the fights on fast forward again.
...
'Crush, Croc, Amygdala, and Finally Bane...' I nodded as I wrote down the names of the only four contestants with superpowers as they were the only people who could pose a real threat to me.
Crush was the biggest threat of the bunch because of alien genes bullshitry, but I won't run into her if The Penguin's words were to be believed, which is one of the dumbest things any sane person could do.
Amygdala was likely the strongest of the remaining three, but he's got nothing but brute strength, resembling a child throwing a tantrum when he fought rather than a warrior.
He was also the easiest to take care of because of his nature and how he mindlessly fought like a baby bull put on steroids and a shit ton of growth hormones.
Bane and Crocodile were equal in terms of strength, the former excelling in martial arts and the latter in sheer ferocity and durability, but I'm more wary of Bane since I have no idea why the fuck he's even in the tournament.
Bane had literally zero obvious reasons to participate in The Penguin's tournament because what in god's name could he gain from it that he didn't already have?
Money? The guy was one of the biggest drug dealers on the planet and probably had so much money he might even be able to swim in it.
Fame, notoriety, respect? Nope. Bane broke fucking Batman, and everyone in the world knows it since the guy never shuts up about it. It's basically his catchphrase.
In conclusion? Whatever Bane's reason for joining the tournament, it was nothing good, and I had no idea what the crazy luchador was thinking, which was a huge problem since he never holds back, and always goes balls deep.
'Cassandra Cain, Kite Man, and Zero...' I hummed as I wrote other notable contestants. Though these three people were without super powers or access to super advanced gadgets, thus not a threat, they were still named characters from the comics, and as such, worthy of note.
However, I'm only writing them down since it might be helpful to keep track of them as they tend to get into all kinds of shit that I could benefit from if I play my cards correctly.
Cassandra was the reason I was in this tournament, and there's not much I could say about her that I didn't already. I'll only need to overwhelm her with my gadgets and end the fight quickly, and that will be that.
Kite Man was well... Kite Man. I'd honestly blow my fucking head off with Ebony right here and now if the idea of losing to that guy even came to my mind.
I genuinely liked the guy. The perseverance he showed in his fight was admirable, but come on. I'd be a waste of air if I lost to him as I am right now with all my gadgets, stats, skills, and whatnot.
Zero, on the other hand... the guy was another unknown to me. I'd never heard of him before, and I don't remember such a character from the comics, meaning he could be anything and anyone.
His motives were unknown, much like Bane, and so was his power level, like Crush, meaning he might be the most dangerous potential threat in the tournament despite not showing any superhuman ability.
'And here I thought I'd just kick some regular dudes' asses and call it a day...' I sighed, scratching my head and wishing with all my being that The Penguin wasn't lying.
'I can't rely on The Penguin or put any value on his word for that matter...' I concluded, frowning. I didn't want to let Richard down on this one, but I didn't want to fight anyone who could force me to go all out.
'When in doubt... play dirty...' I mused, my frown disappearing, replaced by a blank expression as I shut off my laptop and activated my personal computer power.
'I'll just have to find ways to get Crush and other lunatics to withdraw from the fight if I run into them before Cassandra...'
...
The next day
The Iceberg Lounge
Gray frowned under his riot gear at the sight of several henchmen waiting at the club's entrance, who immediately approached him once they noticed his presence.
His paranoia going overdrive, Gray immediately prepared himself for a fight as the three henchmen stopped before him, one familiar face stepping forward to address the young vigilante.
"Welcome back, Mr. Wraith... if you'd allow me to inconvenience you for a minute..." the henchman responsible for escorting Gray to his fight the previous day politely said, giving him a smile.
"What do you want...?" Gray asked, still feeling paranoid, but he didn't let it show as he maintained a straight posture and spoke in a neutral tone.
"Mr. Cobblepot would like a word with you. He wished to tell you something you must know..."
...
My suspicion soared, and my paranoia reached unprecedented levels as I heard the henchman's words. While it may seem like I'm overreacting, I discovered something yesterday that warranted such an extreme reaction.
Through the many cameras I've installed in the Iceberg Lounge and accessing the ones already there, I've noticed something very suspicious, which immediately raised every red flag there is, was, and will be.
None of the defeated contestants left The Iceberg Lounge. And while it could be attributed to their injuries, some of the victors were equally or even more badly injured, yet they all walked out.
Some through the door, some through more DC comics fitting methods such as the windows, the roof, or simply punching a hole in the wall in Amygdala's case, but they all did, in fact, physically exit the Iceberg lounge, unlike the losers.
I had no idea what The Penguin was doing with the losers, whether it was feeding them to his penguins (I shit you not, he actually did that to someone in the comics), harvesting their organs, or enslaving them to build a giant golden penguin monument; I didn't know or care.
However, I did know that whatever The Penguin was up to, it couldn't be anything good. I couldn't find a single hint, and it wasn't for the lack of trying.
"Lead the way..." I replied after intently staring into the henchman's eyes, much to his discomfort as he awkwardly cleared his throat and adjusted his tie with no trace of yesterday's composure.
Ultimately, I couldn't avoid this mess since I had to defeat Cassandra. Talking to the penguin might help me get to the bottom of what he's plotting or planting some bugs in his office, which I didn't do the first time I was there out of caution.
"This way, please..."
...
Oswald Cobblepot's office
Oswald Cobbelpot gnashed his teeth in frustration as he read the paper in his hand containing the latest instructions from the mysterious organization that coerced him into creating the tournament.
Anyone not privy to how and why Oswald created the tournament might think it was another way for him to rub his status and undisputed position as one of Gotham's most successful crime lords in everyone's faces. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Tough Oswald was no stranger to rubbing his success in other people's faces as he thoroughly enjoyed doing that. He preferred other more subtle methods to do it, like social gatherings and the like.
The only reason he'd create something as ridiculous as this tournament is because someone forced him as it would bring too much unwanted attention his way, putting a wedge in his plans.
Oswald had been preparing to take over Gotham's underground for over a year, slowly and meticulously plotting Black Mask's demise by pushing more people to hate him.
He whispered in every listening ear how Black Mask was no good for business, what with his obsession with Batman and his die-hard attitude. He gathered allies and waited for an opportune time to strike.
And that wasn't all Oswald did. He even provoked conflicts between Black Mask and the city's most notorious villains, such as when he bribed some of the latter's men to attack Killer Croc or steal Harley Quinn's hyenas.
And just as he was ready to strike, he found a letter with a USB stick sitting on his desk like it was always there. Surprise, surprise, It had enough evidence to send him to prison for the rest of his life.
It also came with instructions to start the ridiculous tournament and capture everyone who'd lose to hand over to the people threatening him or suffer the consequences.
Oswald had no choice but to grit his teeth and comply or risk everything he'd worked so hard to build suddenly collapsing over his head, and so he did, reluctantly.
The tournament wasn't supposed to happen anytime soon, so Oswald figured he'd hasten his plans and take down Black Mask before that but little did he know.
One day, and for no apparent reason, he found a letter on his desk, instructing him to move the tournament to a closer date, forcing him to postpone his plans and even consider aborting them.
However, in a sudden turn of events, some new vigilante took down Black Mask, kidnapping the latter and using him as bait to lure and neutralize hundreds of mercenaries and thugs.
It goes without saying, Black Mask won't recover from such a humiliation anytime soon, if ever, and the time he'll spend in prison would give Oswald all the leeway he needed to take over Gotham, which he already began before the tournament.
The vigilante known as Wraith was basically a godsend to Oswald, not that he'd ever admit his most recent and impressive successes were in no small part thanks to him.
Even as the tournament started, Oswald's men were covertly taking out small rival gangs one by one and replacing their leaders quietly with none the wiser. However, the problem of the people threatening him still loomed overhead.
That wasn't all as Lady Shiva suddenly showed up before the start of the tournament, demanding that Oswald rig the opponent placement in favor of two people, Wraith and Orphan, who she claimed would join.
And shortly after that, the people coercing him also popped up again, leaving another letter instructing him to contact Wraith to try buying some of his sentry guns.
Another representative from the league of shadows also showed up, making different demands from those of Lady Shiva, prompting Oswald to snap and tell them off.
In other words, Oswald was in the crossfire of at least two organizations with only one thing in common; their shared interest in the vigilante Wraith.
The situation was so funny that Oswald would have laughed if it wasn't so troublesome and thorny at the same time. It was Wraith who took Black Mask. On the other hand, he was one of the reasons the two organizations were toying with him as they did.
Oswald honestly didn't know if he wanted to kiss the vigilante or put a bullet in his head, not that he could anyway, but the idea did occur in his mind on multiple occasions.
Suddenly, Oswald heard a knock on the door, snapping him out of his daze as he cleared his throat. "Come in," he loudly said, to which the door opened, revealing Wraith's form accompanied by Orca.
Wraith naturally moved and sat on the couch as if he owned the place as Orca moved to stand beside Oswald's desk. Of course, she didn't forget to murderously glare at the vigilante for his rude behavior.
"I won't waste your time or mine," Oswald said as he turned to the vigilante staring at him in silence, waiting for the former to start the conversation.
"There have been changes to the opponent placement..." Oswald said, intently watching Wraith as he tried to get a read on him by reading the latter's body language. However, he was disappointed that the vigilante remained motionless without twitching a muscle.
Wraith said nothing either and continued to silently stare at Oswald, which the latter took as asking for an explanation, and he obliged, proceeding to elaborate.
"I was asked to make certain that you wouldn't fight the opponent Lady Shiva wants you to face..." Oswald continued after a second of silence, gesturing to the side.
"I've no interest in being toyed with, so I told them off, of course... but the person who asked was from the same organization as Lady Shiva..." he added, his tone and expression annoyed.
"I don't know what conflict they have, but I can't afford to take sides. The fights will be random originally planned..." Oswald concluded with an Oscar-worthy show of helplessness, to which Wraith barely stopped himself from scoffing.
"No matter. I wasn't expecting you to keep your word anyway..." Wraith blankly said as he got up, pausing to look at the giant humanoid whale who seemed ready to lunge and bit his head off at any second.
"We're done here..." Wraith added as he turned and made for the door, mindful of Oswald's eyes drilling a hole in his back with an unreadable expression as he watched him leave.
...
'What kind of fucking mess is this...?' I silently contemplated as I followed behind the henchman assigned to bring me to my room, as I'd come early today to scope out the situation.
First it was whatever The Penguin was doing to the losers. And now it's another mother fucker from The League Of Assassins middling in the fight.
The cluster fuck kept getting more fucked and clustered with every passing minute, and with every new discovery, I'm beginning to like this situation less and less.
'Good thing I took some precautions...' I had the urge to sigh as I watched the henchman leave after guiding me to my room.
'I just hope Crush buys what I'm selling, or I'd have to fight otherwise...'
...
'Is this David Cain's doing…?' I mused as I silently went to work, dismantling any hidden camera, microphones, and any other assorted surveillance devices in the room. However, I was surprised there was none.
'I suppose The Penguin learned his lesson….' I shrugged as I slumped into the couch and resumed contemplating what the fuck was happening with the tournament and the League of Assassins.
Lady Shiva was not only a deadly martial artist and assassin, but she was a high-ranking member of the League. The only ones who could publicly defy her and had the means to go through with it were Sensei, David Cane, Ras Al-Ghul himself, and maybe even Merlyn.
Merlyn was currently in prison (probably), while Sensei and Ras Al-Ghul had no reason to interfere with Cassandra's situation, leaving only David Cain as the most likely suspect.
There was also the chance that The Penguin was Lying. It wouldn't be out of character for him to re-randomize the tournament or even purposely place against the more powerful opponents out of spite because I refused to sell him the Sentry Guns.
It was anyone's guess which is which, and I could only hope the bugs I installed in the mob boss' office while I was there would help get to the bottom of the matter and maybe even find out what he's been doing to the losers.
It goes without saying that I was more concerned about the latter. I've also been digging about the current situation in Gotham to stay in the loop since I wasn't too aware of the city's happenings lately due to how busy I was.
I've noticed that several notable people from Gotham and the neighboring Bludhaven have suddenly disappeared shortly after or during my encounter with the Mawzir, like Lady Vic, Harley Quinn, Blockbuster, and other famous villains and mercenaries.
Now, The Penguin was disappearing people as well, and I couldn't help but connect the instances, unable to dismiss the similarities as a mere coincidence.
Either The Penguin was working with (or for) people who wanted those villains for reasons unknown to me, or maybe he's had enough of the crazy bunch and was clearing them to make sure they wouldn't interfere in one of his diabolical schemes.
'Whatever the case... I'll have to wait and see...'
...
The Penguin's arena
"To the right, we have the sewer-dwelling monster we've all come to know and love..." The announcer said, gesturing towards the right-side entrance as he riled up the audience.
"With scales as green as emerald and hard as diamonds, welcome the one and only Killer Croc...!" he added, prompting an enormous humanoid green lizard to slowly and calmly walk into the arena.
Killer Croc scowled as he stopped beside the announcer and looked around at the audience, his yellow, predatory eyes sending chills down everyone's spines.
"To the left, we have one of the most notorious Gotham villains, the man, who no women ever loved, and never will..." The announcer humorously introduced as he gestured to the left side entrance.
"The man who broke the Bat, the one and only Bane...!" The announcer added, prompting yet another humongous specimen to walk into the arena, albeit more human this time.
Bane had a clear look of superiority that anyone could see despite wearing his iconic wrestling mask as he stopped before Killer Croc, locking eyes with the latter with no intention of looking elsewhere.
Killer Croc growled at the challenge in Bane's gaze and seemed prepared to lunge at the latter, which the announcer immediately realized, causing him to step back quickly.
He hastily gestured for some henchman to start the fight to maintain decorum, and the latter obliged, ringing the bell before the two behemoths began treating each other apart.
Killer Croc was the first to make a move as he lowered his posture and lunged at Bane, to which the latter ducked, allowing the humanoid lizard to fly over his head.
The luchador wasn't done either. HE caught Killer Croc before he could fly past and sent the humanoid lizard flying into the arena's wall with a grunt, quickly sprinting towards him.
The impact, despite leaving a dent in the arena's had no effect on Killer Croc as he merely shook his head, and charged, meeting Bane halfway, as the two monsters clashed, locking hands together.
The two fighters began testing each other's strength as they pushed and pulled, trying to take the initiative, but they were equal in that regard, with killer Crocs having a slight advantage in physical strength.
Bane frowned as Killer Croc's slight advantage in strength finally began showing, the humanoid lizard slowly but surely pushing him back with a hideous, satisfied smirk on the latter's face.
The luchador moved his head back and brought it down on Killer Croc's nose with a loud thud that reverberated all over the arena but had little effect beyond that.
"You tryna tickle me?" Killer Croc asked, his grin turning more pronounced and hideous as he bit at Bane's shoulder, immediately drawing blood with his sharp fangs.
Bane's only response was silence as he didn't even react to the pain. He let go of Croc's hands and began battering him with punches to the side, that even the latter felt despite his thick skin, forcing him to let go.
Bane pushed his advantage as he charged and speared Killer Croc with his shoulder, smashing him against the already dented arena wall, and damaging it further.
He proceeded to barrage the humanoid lizard with more punches that would break even stone, evident by how the wall was rapidly turning to dust despite Killer Croc's body taking the brunt of the impact.
Suddenly Bane Stopped attacking as his injured shoulder finally started affecting him, and Killer Croc immediately took advantage of it, using his scaly tail to push himself off the wall to lunge at the luchador.
Killer Croc pushed Bane to the ground and stood over him, arms spread to the sides as he looked down on the luchador with his claws shining ominously and reflecting the arena's light projectors.
He immediately swiped at Bane's head, but the latter had already gathered his bearings, rolling to the side while locking his feet around Killer Croc's ankle, tripping him and making him fall to the ground.
The two behemoths got up at the same time and quickly resumed exchanging blows with rapidly increasing speeds despite their injuries, that any regular man would have died to already.
Looking at this display, the audience was giddy, at a loss at what to do with themselves, as some cheered while others whistled, clearly excited by the violent display, much like sharks smelling blood.
Meanwhile, the fight was quickly coming to its conclusion, as the two supernaturally strong fighters were approaching their physical limits, accumulating injuries and exhaustion with every passing second.
"I used to run this town 'til the cops and Black Mask and you hounded me to the sewers. And I blamed nobody but myself..." Killer Croc said as he and Bane stopped trying to tear each other's throats for a second to catch their breaths.
"But now... there ain't no cops with electric rods here, no Black Mask Goons... just you an' me..." The humanoid lizard added, growling and showcasing his teeth in an expression that was both a scowl and smirk.
"I'm gonna kill you first, then claim what's rightfully mine..." He concluded, trailing off and pausing as he waited for a reply from the luchador, who was happy to oblige.
"Gotham was never yours, Lizard. It was always mine for the taking, you and everyone else are just keeping it warm for me..." Bane replied, clearly dismissive of the humanoid lizard's words.
"I broke that bat, broke you once, and now I'll break you again..." He concluded with no intention of mincing words any longer as he charged Killer Croc, and the fighters quickly resumed began trading punches.
They didn't dodge or block, they merely stood there, taking whatever they threw at each other while giving back their all. Every punch connected sending echoes all over the arena and chills running down the audience's spines.
The two behemoths continued on like this for several minutes, and Killer Croc was the first to falter as one of Bane's punches caught his chin and caused him to stagger back, disoriented.
The Locahdor took advantage and moved forward, tripping the humanoid lizard, and punching him one more time in the head, to which the latter finally fell, unable to move a single muscle, but still conscious.
"Kill me... already..." Killer Croc said, his voice strained and exhausted as he struggled to move his head to the side and spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, sighing in defeat.
"I could kill you... but death would only end your agony— silence your shame. Instead..." Bane replied, scoffing in derision as he picked up the humanoid lizard and raised him high over his head.
"I will BREAK YOU!"
...
'So much for my epic rematch with Killer Croc...' I mused, holding back a chuckle as I watched Bane violently smash the humanoid lizard's back into his knee with a loud snap.
Killer Croc didn't even have the time to scream in agony and immediately went comatose, causing Bane to let out another mocking scoff before throwing him away like a piece of sewer garbage.
Even the announcer didn't bother to check on Killer Croc and immediately declared Bane's victory. Honestly, who could blame him? The humanoid lizard was definitely not getting up anytime soon after that, if ever.
"Killer Croc was more powerful, but Bane's tactical mind and ability to fight intelligently won him the day..." Richard analyzed as we watched Bane leave the ring contently after beating his opponent.
"Rage blinded Croc. He was spraying and praying while Bane was targeting vitals and protecting his week areas..." He added, turning to me with a raised eyebrow, and I immediately got the hint; keep your shit together when you're fighting, or you'll get your ass broken.
I've mostly gotten my anger issues under control, evident by how I handled the gangster fucktard who shot me and firefly without, you know, tearing them new ones.
Then again, I usually tend to lose control and go bat-shit crazy when I'm in a life-or-death fight, and no one pushed me that far since Abbot. Even the Mawzir wasn't a real threat at that point.
No one has seriously pissed me off so far either, so I still don't know if I had the problem under control and never will until someone does. I just hope no one will be there to see it when it does happen.
"Fair enough," I replied, shrugging at my teacher's unsaid words, and he merely smiled, nodded, and resumed staring at the arena once he understood I got the message.
"To the left side..." the announcer began introducing the next fight, and I immediately ignored the match once he declared the two fighters who were your average gang enforcers.
...
Louisiana
Belle Reve Penitentiary
Amanda Waller had a blank look on her face as she sat behind her desk, staring into her computer screen that showed footage from inside the prison cells of multiple captives.
Some seemed injured, some were unmoving, and some were healthy. Maybe too healthy, Amanda thought with a sigh as she watched Blockbuster violently smash his shoulder against the walls.
She looked away from the computer screen, wondering how her life turned the way it did. Her choices led her to her current position. Amanda walked into it of her own free will, but she couldn't help but contemplate the what-ifs.
What if her son, Joe, wasn't murdered by some mugger right after getting a basketball scholarship? What if her Daughter, Damita, wasn't raped and killed in some dark alleyway?
What if she and her husband didn't know The Candy Man was the one responsible for their daughter's tragic death? What if the police had done something about it instead of washing their hands off the case?
What if her husband didn't confront the psychotic serial killer and die after killing the latter?
Would she still be known as Amanda The Wall Waller, one of the most feared and respected members of the U.S. government, because of her ruthless and uncompromising attitude? Would she even want that for herself?
So many questions that Amanda would ask herself whenever she allowed herself to grieve in silence, to be vulnerable, but only when no one was watching.
Amanda Waller was an unfeeling machine of justice to everyone else, a cold-hearted bitch that didn't stop at anything to get shit done. But in the end, she knew she was only human with her own emotions, insecurities, and moments of vulnerability.
The day her husband died, Amanda swore the streets would not take any more of her family. She strove to get her remaining children through college despite struggling with bills.
And once the last of her children graduated and were ready to stand on their feet, she put herself through college and earned a degree in political science.
Amanda then decided to go into politics, and she approached democratic congressional candidate Marvin Collins to become his campaign director, and he agreed upon noticing her intelligence and drive.
Collins was elected thanks to Amanda's efforts, and he took her to Washington as his aide to show his gratitude. She quickly achieved great success in her environment, quickly making a name for herself.
Eventually, Amanda discovered the old Task Force X files while searching through old bills. Realizing it would be the best chance to remove threats like The Candy Man and make the world a better place for her children, she asked to revive the Suicide Squad.
The rest? Well, the rest was history.
Amanda could have dwelled on her past and the many rapid turns her life took for her to finally come to what it was now, as she sometimes does when alone. But a knock on the door snapped her out of it this time.
"Come in," Amanda said as she turned to face the door after clearing her throat and shaking off the stray thought of her head to gather her bearing and make herself look presentable.
Amanda The Wall Waller could not be seen by anyone if she didn't look her ruthless, calculating, cold self, after all.
The door opened, revealing a tall, black-haired woman with white skin in a tight, black and purple suit, who immediately entered the room and stood before Amanda's office.
"What can I do for you, Nightshade...?" Amanda asked, keeping her tone distant as she addressed one of the oldest members of her task force, one that joined willingly at that.
She kept a professional tone while addressing her agents, avoiding any personal involvement, whether they were hardened criminals working to earn their freedom, heroes who joined for personal reasons, or government operatives who only wished to serve.
Nightshade was, of course, one of the people who willingly joined for personal reasons. She was a hero who genuinely wanted to make the world a better place, but the dirty work the Suicide Squad did was never her cup of tea.
Amanda lost count of how many times Nightshade defied her passively and actively, going as far as to ask Rick Flag to rescue their teammate, Nemesis, after he was captured by Russian operatives and held captive in Moscow.
She couldn't risk causing an international incident to rescue a convicted villain. However, she eventually had to cave in and let Nightshade have her way after the latter banded with other squad members, pressuring Amanda into authorizing the rescue.
Thus Amanda preferred to deal with convicts and government agents, as she could bind the former to her will with promises of freedom and explosives planted into their brains, and the latter needed no convincing. They were ready to obey without question by default.
Heroes like Nightshade, on the other hand, were quick to rebel, and the only thing keeping her in the Suicide Squad was Amanda's promise to let the heroine commandeer the squad to rescue her brother from some shadow demon in a different dimension.
Amanda contemplated letting go of Nightshade's services multiple times. But her ability to blend into the shadows and open portals proved too valuable in many scenarios, proving indispensable to the team's success.
"I did as you asked. However, Wraith refused to sell his weapons to The Penguin..." Nightshade replied, trying and failing to hide the contempt in her expression and tone as she looked at Amanda.
"Shame. We could have had a fine addition to our arsenal and leverage over Wraith if he went through with the deal..." Amanda blankly said, shaking her head as she brought up Wraith's file and began typing.
"But at least now we know his weapons won't get into the wrong hands, so that's one less thing to worry about..." she added as she finished the new entry to Wraith's profile and closed it.
"How goes the recruitment effort...?" Amanda asked as she turned back to face Nightshade, to which the latter's eyes frowned at her choice, and disgust leaked into her expression like never before.
"The recruitment, as you call it, is going well. The Penguin arranged the fights as instructed by you..." Nightshade replied, barely holding back a disgusted scowl at the shady dealings with the Gothamite mob boss.
"By the end of the day, we should receive custody of Killer Croc and other notable villains, though the former is severely injured..." she concluded as images of Bane snapping the humanoid lizard flashed in her mind, giving her goosebumps.
"Very good. Then we should prepare our medical facilities to hasten Croc's rehabilitation..." Amanda said, nodding in satisfaction at Nightshade's report.
"You are doing well, Nightshade. I will give you command over the squad once this is over, as promised..."
...
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