Power to Be No. 1
Don hit the water with a loud "SPLASH!". He blinked and registered the water he was in was deep.
Am I in some sort of lake? he wondered. He kicked and began swimming up to the surface. I need to get out and try to find my classmates. As he swam, Don happened to look down and saw a dark figure heading straight for him.
The thing had dark blue skin, fins on its head, gills on its neck, and webbed hands and feet. Its yellow eyes bulging from its brain were locked on him, and it opened its mouth wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth.
Don tried to scream but only bubbles came out. I can't get away! He's going to get me!
Then another figure zoomed in and slammed his feet against the creature. Don recognized the blonde hair and green tights.
Curry!
The other blonde looked up at him.
"Yo."
Arthur kicked off the creature and propelled himself at Don. He wrapped his arm around him and kept heading towards the surface. Once he broke through, Arthur ordered, "Take us to the platform!"
The water around him formed a solid wave that he crouched on as it moved towards a white deck extended out into the water and on the same wall as the two elevator shafts. Arthur jumped on as soon as they reached it. He placed Don down and another figure he had been holding under his other arm. Don's eyes widened.
"Hank!" he cried out. He rushed to his brother's side as he propped himself up on his elbows and coughed.
"What *cough* the hell *cough* just happened?" the redhead asked.
"We were attacked by a villain," Arthur nonchalantly said. He surveyed their surroundings. Besides the surface they currently stood on, everything was water. The walls were white, and there were rectangular windows. "Seems like we're on the Flooding Floor."
Don helped his brother to his feet. "Are any of our other classmates here?" he asked.
Arthur shook his head. "I only spotted you and your brother. I'm assuming everyone else has been scattered through the building."
Don's eyes became downcast. "I hope they're all safe."
Jason was in a defensive pose. He had been looking for a way out of the Tempest Floor when horrific creatures appeared before him. He ran throughout the faux city when they cornered him down a dead end. He glared at the things as the artificial rain swirled around them.
It's useless to run. I have to fight!
The creatures slowly drew closer like wolves circling a deer.
Be on guard. But don't tense up.
Then they stopped. They stared at the teen for what felt like hours. Jason couldn't tell if it was rain or sweat running down his neck.
Suddenly the three creatures pounced at him, extending their clawed hands and revealing their razor-sharp teeth.
Now!
Before they could get halfway to him, a giant hand slammed them all into a wall with a "Crunch!". The hand which looked as though it was made of shimmering red energy removed its claws from the wall. The creatures dropped to the ground, twitching before they stopped moving.
"Those things weren't human. And they're dangerous. It's best to purge them from the realm of the living."
Jason walked away, and the hand shrunk and retracted into his back.
"Good job, Etrigan. Let's find a way out of here."
Justin sliced off the arm of a creature that reached out to grab him. It gave a screech of pain and backed away as it started to regrow its limb.
"So you have the ability to regenerate. However..." The blonde charged forward and swiftly severed the thing's head from its shoulders. It rolled away as the body fell to the ground, lifeless. "I doubt you can regenerate after that."
Justin heard footsteps and turned to see more creatures emerging from the controlled flames of the faux city. The sword and shield then glowed before the light dissipated, and he was left with a metal pole and plain shield.
"My time limit has been reached. I need to remember to prolong it," he reminded himself. His hands began to glow brilliantly and then his sword was back and his shield had intricate designs again. The teen got into a defensive pose. "Come at me, you monsters."
Nathaniel blasted another creature that lunged at him while Oliver fired arrow after arrow.
"There's too many of them! Can't you just blast them all away?" the blonde asked.
"We're on the Earthquake Floor. I can't risk causing a chain reaction," the other teen responded. He looked up, and his eyes widened. "Take cover!"
He grabbed Oliver and pulled him behind a slab of building debris. Four winged creatures dived at their cover and spat out globs of saliva. They pulled up as the globs made contact with the slab and ground. The two boys watched as the concrete was eaten away at.
"Corrosive spit. Great," deadpanned Oliver.
Nathaniel looked around their cover and fired a beam of energy at the four flyers. The creatures dispersed and completely dodged his attack. Nathaniel cursed and ducked back when their cover was assaulted. "They're too fast. I can't get a hit on them. Queen, can you handle this?"
The blonde grinned. "You got it, Class Rep." Oliver got out four arrows that instead of ending in arrowheads had cylinder pieces at the ends. He quickly readied one and got out of cover to fire. The moment the arrow left, Oliver focused his stare on one of the flyers, and his cross-pupils turned white. The flyer he had aimed at tried flying out of the arrow's path, but as Oliver's eyes followed it, so did the arrow. Soon it made contact and an explosion rang out. Immediately he fired another arrow and another and finally, all the flyers laid scorched on the ground.
Oliver rubbed his eyes though his smile never left. "Got them all. And I didn't overuse my Quirk."
Oliver Queen
Quirk: Excellent Shot
Anything he touches with skin contact will lock
onto a target he stares at after it's thrown.
This requires direct eye contact, so it misses when he
blinks or something blocks his vision.
Nathaniel blasted another creature. "We need to find a way out of here and alert the outside of the situation."
Mari and Greg were hidden behind some rock formations of the faux mountain that served as the setting of the Rockslide Floor. Below them, creatures prowled around as did a few across a rift in front of their hiding spot.
"I counted six below and seven in front. Ya think ya can take out the six? My Quirk ain't gonna work in two different directions," Greg said as he checked his revolvers' chambers.
Mari nodded. "We'll take them out simultaneously."
Greg clicked his chambers back in place, and Mari removed a bone from her necklace. She placed it in her mouth and bit down. The two locked eyes and nodded.
3...
2...
1!
They flung out from either side of their rock cover. Greg's eyes locked onto his targets. His eyes shifted, and he fired. All of his shots landed on their exposed brains, and the creatures fell to the ground with a weak screech. Meanwhile, Mari leaped down and landed on one creature. She drew back her hands, and her nails had sharpened. She clawed out the thing's eyes. As it shrieked in pain, the girl leaped off it and switched to a new bone. She landed on her feet and quickly punched two creatures off the mountain. She then grabbed one approaching her from behind and threw it at two other creatures. She then quickly kicked the one she blinded after them.
Mari placed the bone back on her necklace. "First the talons of a falcon, then the strength of a bear. The fall hopefully is enough to incapacitate them," she said as she looked down.
Mari Jiwe McCabe
Quirk: Bone Copy
She can gain abilities from biting into animal bones.
She only gains one ability and cannot bite more
than one bone at a time.
Greg looked at his targets, the black gunsights in his eyes shifted back to his brown irises. "Well, I definitely put down these varmints."
Greg Saunders
Quirk: Ironsight
He can increase his visual acuity
and see up to 4 kilometers.
It's like having a built-in tactical scope.
He called down to Mari, "We need ta climb down and find some way off this floor." She nodded in agreement and placed a new bone in her mouth. "Alright, let's get moving."
Shayera punched another flying creature out of the air and threw one down to the ground. "Incoming, Lance!" she shouted.
The blonde turned to look and saw the thing heading straight for her. She unleashed a hypersonic scream that blew it into a pillar. "What even are these things?" she questioned.
"Don't know, but that doesn't matter right now," Zatanna said before she yelped and ducked out of the way of a swipe.
"Worht skcor ta ti!" she yelled. Pieces of concrete floated up and pelleted the creature, driving it back.
The girls had been warped to the Traffic Collison Floor. It was a recreation of highways and bridges with cars in crashes of different severities. That meant there was plenty of debris on the ground.
Shayera drove her fist into a creature's face and knocked it out. I'm worried about everyone else. We've got to get out of here and find them.
Vic and Helena had their backs pressed against the fake canyon wall. The thing slowly approaching them suddenly lunged at them. Helena cursed and her right arm transformed. She quickly loaded a bolt and fired it into the thing's head. It fell to the ground, dead.
"Damn, there's so many of these freaky things. What the hell even are they?" she asked as her arm transformed back.
Helena Bertinelli
Quirk: Crossbow Arms
She can transform her arms up to
her elbows into crossbows.
She has to supply her own ammo.
"I'm not sure, but since the villain from before said we would be tortured to death, I assume there are many creatures," Vic casually said.
Helena glanced at him. "How can you say that so calmly?" Vic turned to her. "Because that's basically the only conclusion. If that villain wants these things to kill us, he would send many after us."
Helena huffed and looked away. "Well, let them come. We've just got to hold out until All Might gets here. He can definitely take out these things."
Vic stared at her for a while. "Bertinelli, you do realize there is a high chance All Might isn't going to come to save us?" She turned back to him shocked. "What the hell do you mean?" Vic began explaining. "All Might is scheduled to teach at the USJ today. So if a villain is attacking us, no doubt that the class at the USJ is being attacked. That means he'll be preoccupied, possibly long enough for all of us to die."
Helena continued to stare, and she now was becoming shaken by how Vic's voice remained its usual monotone. "So? All Might can take down any villain. Even if it takes him a while, he'll still come," she said. She tried to keep her voice steeled, however, dread crept at the edges.
"Bertinelli," Vic continued, "There is no doubt that many villains have wanted to kill All Might. However they never really tried since he could never be harmed. If they're now going to these lengths of all-out attacks on U.A. students, don't you think they may have a mean of killing All Might?"
Helena was now beginning to visibly shake. Vic continued talking.
"Even if All Might comes to the W. A. T. C. H. Tower, there is a high probability we'll die since we are on one of the highest floors, and he wouldn't get to us on time-"
"Okay, can you stop talking about that!" Helena yelled. Vic looked at her.
"What's wrong? I thought you wanted my reasoning."
"Yeah, well I don't want to hear stuff to stress me out in an already stressful situation!" the girl snapped.
Vic tilted his head. "I was stressing you out?" he asked.
"Yes," she said as if it was the most obvious thing. "How could you think what you were saying wasn't going to stress me out?"
Vic shrugged. "I believed it would be most logical to list out the possible unfavorable scenarios in order to motivate our survival. I had no idea it would make you upset. Sorry," he nonchalantly said.
Helena stared at him. "So you... really didn't know you were upsetting me?"
"No," came the quick answer. Vic then turned and began walking. "Come on, we should find an area we can climb to get out of here. We then need to find a way of the Canyon Floor."
Helena stood still before slowly beginning to follow after him.
Diana ducked under a punch and delivered an uppercut to the creature's jaw. Wally ran at a group of creatures and sent them flying in different directions. J'onn sent kicks and punches at every monster that attacked him while Hal swatted several flyers out of the air with a giant fly swatter.
"Come on you guys, there are just a few of these things left," Diana tried to encourage her friends.
"I'm not really too worried about these guys," J'onn said as he kicked a creature. "I'm more worried about us freezing to death here."
They had been transported to the Blizzard Floor where a faux city was in a constant snowstorm. Wally had already slipped on black ice three times. Diana was only still warm because of how active she was, however, snow was sticking to her exposed skin. J'onn was suffering from the same problem, and Hal wasn't fairing much better with his bodysuit.
Bruce flipped over the charging creature and fired a grapple at it. It wrapped around the thing's neck, and he tugged it hard. Bruce landed on his feet, and he swung it around before loosening the cable and sending the thing flying into a wall. Clark delivered a haymaker to the side of one creature's face. That sent it flying into another pair, and they all crashed into a wall, leaving cracked plaster and a dust cloud.
The two boys had been fighting for what felt like hours. Clark had suggested breaking through the large glass windows, but Bruce had immediately shot down the idea.
When the W. A. T. C. H. Tower entered lockdown, an electric current was immediately and constantly released through the glass and activated a repulsion field that a speeding semi-truck couldn't break through. Bruce should know. He was the one who commissioned its creation.
"Wayne, when we're done we should look for the others. I'm worried about our classmates who have less offensive power," Clark said.
Bruce threw an explosive bat, and it landed in his target's brain. It blew up, and the thing fell to the floor. "You go ahead and do that. I'm going to get out and get help. Besides if I can handle these things, then our classmates can definitely hold their ground against them."
Clark grinned. "Alright! I'll follow your lead and believe in our friends!" He punched another creature. "Who knows, maybe All Might will come!"
Bruce stiffened at that comment. "... We can't count on him showing up. We're on our own." He threw two electric bats which hit their marks.
Clark punched away another creature. He looked at his friend in confusion. "What do you mean we can't count on All Might? He's the No. 1 hero. He always saves everyone with a smile!"
Bruce glared over his shoulder. "A hero that can save everyone? Don't say something so idiotic."
"What?" Clark asked. His voice was now dangerously low, and he was glaring back at Bruce.
Bruce turned to his friend. "Can't you just hear how stupid that sound? What hero can possibly save everyone? That way of heroism is absolutely absurd."
The other teen walked up to him. "You never talk like this. What's the matter, Wayne?"
"What the matter is is that All Might has essentially put society on a crutch! One that happens to be him," Bruce said.
Clark furrowed his brow more. "So? He's the Symbol of Peace. He brings hope to everyone in Japan. Isn't that one of the duties of a hero?"
Bruce glared harder. "Heroes are supposed to inspire hope and bring it to fruition by doing something!" he shouted.
Clark was startled by the sudden outburst but regained himself. He scowled at his friend. "All Might does do something! He saves people every day. He does what any hero should: help everyone in need!"
"Stop saying that!" Bruce yelled, "Why can't you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
The two boys were so absorbed in their shouting that they hadn't noticed that all the creatures now laid motionless on the ground. However, they also failed to notice the black shadow emerging from the pool of water.
"I just don't get why you're so upset!" Clark shouted. "Why is it stupid to think that a hero can save everyone? That's what it means to be a hero!"
That seemed to finally push Bruce over the edge. "Stop holding onto that illusion! If a hero really could save everyone, then no little boy would have to suffer from seeing his parents murdered in front of him by some punk with a gun!" he screamed.
Clark once again stepped back, but this time he remained stunned. Bruce took deep breathes to calm himself, his eyes wide, and his fists clenched. Clark knew that his friend was still high strung and had to be approached carefully.
"Hey, Wayne..." he said softly as he reached his hand out to place gently on the other teen's shoulder.
Something dripped onto Clark's shoulder.
The teen looked behind him, and his eyes trailed up the hulking figure standing right there.
Bruce noticed Clark's sudden stiffness. He also noticed the shadow that now fell over them. He looked to his classmate's terrified expression. He then looked up to see what stood above them.
This creature was much larger than the ones they had been fighting. Its skin was pitch black, and its mouth had no lips, exposing crooked fangs. Its neck was long and appeared to have difficulty holding up its head. The thing was wiry and uneven ribs protruded from its side. Its right arm had muscles fitting of its build even if it reached the floor. However, its left arm was something else. It looked as though it had exploded with muscle since there were tears in the skin showing red tissue. The thing used its monstrous hand to steady itself on its digitigrade legs. Its veiny eyes stared down at Bruce and Clark.
Clark slowly made eye contact with Bruce. "W-Wayne...?" he began frightfully. He was then slapped away by the thing's oversized left hand.
"Kent!" Bruce cried out. He saw his friend slam against the far wall before sliding into a slumped position. Then something grabbed his face and lifted him up off the floor. Bruce could only struggle and futilely claw at the creature's hand. It stared at him with unblinking eyes.
Then there was a splash of blood.
Don ducked under another swipe and kicked the creature back into the water. Hank blocked a punch with his forearm and delivered an uppercut to the thing. Arthur was out in the water. He had commanded the water to be solid under his feet, and he was using tendrils to attack the creatures lunging at him.
The trio had tried using Arthur's Quirk to forcefully open the locked emergency stairs door but a sudden burst of creatures from the water distracted them.
Don grunted when a hit connected to his side. "Dang it," he mumbled. He began dodging that thing's swipes before grabbing its arm and sending it over his shoulder.
"We've got to end this! I don't think I can keep this up for much longer!" Hank said as he took a punch to the abdomen.
"Isn't that obvious?" snapped Arthur. He used a water hand to grab one creature and throw it all the way to the other side of the floor.
Suddenly a dozen of the creatures leaped from the water at all three sides of the deck. Hank and Don backed up to the point their shoulders touched.
"Shit!" Hank shouted as he quickly pulled his brother to his chest.
"Dammit! Grab them!" Arthur called out. A water tendril wrapped around the siblings and pulled them out of harm's way. "Attack them!" he commanded. Several water hands formed and smashed the creatures to the concrete deck.
Don looked down at the other blonde. "Thank you, Curry," he said relieved. "You can put us d-" Don gasped when he saw a large shadow rapidly making its way to his classmate. "Curry, look out!"
Arthur turned just in time to see a shark-like creature burst from the water. Its wide mouth revealed several rows of sharp teeth.
"Shit, shit, shit!" the blonde cursed. He hastily threw his classmates to the safety of the deck just as the thing closed in on him.
The brothers hit the concrete with grunts, but they quickly sat up when they heard Arthur's sharp cry of agony.
"Curry!" Don cried out.
The water reddened with blood.
Jason panted with fatigue. There was a small trail of blood from his mouth. There were scuff marks on his face, and his hood had been knocked off.
Five creatures were surrounding him. One lunged at him, and Jason quickly released a red arm from his back to block. The hit sent him flying onto his back and the arm retracted. Jason hissed in pain and rolled out of the way of a claw strike. He got to his feet and ran blindly in the pouring rain. The teen took turn after turn in an attempt to shake his pursuers.
As he made a ride, he skidded to a halt when he was met with a dead end. Jason cursed and turned to run back only to be met with the five creatures chasing him. He slowly backed up until he was up against the wall. All five lunged at him, and Jason quickly formed an X-guard with two arms sprouting from his sides. However, that didn't stop them from all slamming into him. Jason coughed and struggled to stay standing. One thing grabbed his head and smashed it into the wall before lifting him and smashing him face first into the ground.
Jason fought to remain conscious. He felt them close in on him and felt them grab his arms and legs.
No, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die...!
"I don't want to die!" Jason screamed. In a split second, the creature holding his head was sliced up, leaving only its lower legs intact. The hand that had done so looked different from before. The red energy that composed it shimmered wildly, it was much larger now, and the fingers were tipped with white claws. Another identical arm sprouted out and slammed one against a wall. As the arms pushed Jason up to his feet, something more emerged from his back. The arms were now attached to a lean figure with elven protrusions from the sides of its head, white horns from the forehead, and glowing red eyes and menacing opening smile.
Jason's eyes were now completely vibrant green, and his snarl revealed his sharp teeth. A roar echoed through the whole floor.
Justin decapitated another creature. He panted heavily and tipped a bit to the side. He quickly steadied himself but remained lightheaded.
"Strange... it's so hot... yet I'm not sweating anymore..." he murmured to himself.
Justin looked up and noticed how everything was blurred.
"Oh no... I need to get out of here."
Oliver rubbed at his closed eye. He kept it shut as he readied an arrow. Nathaniel was nearby, firing away at flying creatures.
"Damn," Oliver said as he fired at one, "my right eye is out of commission, Adams."
"It's okay," Nathaniel responded, "We can get through this."
Suddenly, a flyer divebombed but aimed at the ground between them. It struck the ground and immediately took off. The two boys wobbled as they felt shifting underneath them.
"Oh, shi-!" Oliver couldn't finish as the faux ground broke, and they fell through.
Greg fired and shot another creature between the eyes. He checked his ammo and swore. "McCabe, I'm down ta my last rounds! How ya holdin' up there?"
The dark-skinned girl rammed a creature into a tree, breaking it. "Nothing too bad. Still a long way down though."
Greg readied his guns. "We caint slow down. Just a little longer, and we'll-"
Something rammed into his side. Greg then felt gravity pulling down on him as he fell off the mountain.
"Saunders!" Mari screamed.
Shayera watched as Dinah was thrown into a car, her head smashing through the windshield.
"Lance!" she and Zatanna cried. Shayera quickly flew down to the blonde. She carefully removed her classmate from the vehicle. The blonde was out cold, glass littering her hair and blood ran down her face. Shayera looked over to see Zatanna hurrying towards them. She could also see more creatures making their way to them. "Zatara, cover me!" said Shayera.
Zatanna blinked and nodded. "Got it!" She turned to face the creatures.
"Worht ssalg sdrahs ta meht lla!" she shouted.
The largest shards of glass from the broken windshield lifted off the ground and car and fired at the creatures. Some tore through the membranes of the flyers' wings and sent them crashing to the ground. Zatanna turned to see Shayera running away with Dinah in her arms. She looked back at the things approaching her.
"Worht srac ta meht!" she shouted. Three cars, including the one Dinah had been thrown into, rose into the air and came crashing down onto the things. Zatanna turned and ran after her classmates. She caught up with them near a black van.
"Good job, Zatara," Shayera said. The redhead looked behind her classmate. "Dammit!" she exclaimed as she saw more flyers heading towards them. "Zatara, hurry!" Shayera opened the van's side door and practically shoved the black-haired teen inside. She then gently laid Dinah across her lap. "Make sure she doesn't get worse. I'll take care of these things, and then we'll find a way off the floor. Alright?"
Zatanna nodded. "Mm!"
Shayera returned the nod, then closed the door. She cracked her knuckles. "Okay. Let's make this fast," she growled.
Helena fired two bolts from her crossbow arms. One struck a creature in the head, and the other pinned one to the canyon wall. Vic wrapped the wires from his metal wristband around the outstretched arms of one creature and threw it into another.
"It's like there's no end to these guys," Helena said as she readied another bolt.
"Don't worry," Vic said, "I don't see or hear any more of these things, and you have enough ammunition."
Helena smirked as she fired again. "Nice of you to say something reassuring."
Vic turned to her. "If you want to hear the probabilities of us surviving versus us dying, I can provide."
Helena groaned and rolled her eyes. "You really need to work on your social skills." She smiled and turned to face to him. "You know, I'd be happy to-"
A large rock connected with Helena's head. Flecks of blood splattered on Vic's cheek. He looked to see one creature bite into the canyon wall and spat it out like a cannonball. The blank-faced boy dodged and without a second thought, wrapped in his wires around the thing's head and sliced it to pieces.
Vic gathered Helena into his arms and began running.
"I'll protect you," he whispered, "I'll protect you, no matter what."
He could hear the remaining creatures chasing after them.
Probability of her survival: 94.6-98.2%. Probability of my survival:... 1.7-5.1%. That's fine with me.
Diana kicked one creature into the air, and Hal hit it with a giant baseball bat.
"Flash Forward!" Wally rammed another creature into a concrete wall while J'onn punched one into the snowy ground.
The four gathered together and caught their breaths. The cold started to settle in a long while ago. Diana and Hal's ears were red-tipped, J'onn had thin ice forming on him, and Wally's teeth were audibly chattering.
"That's the last one. We need to find a way off this floor," Diana said as she rubbed her hands over her arms.
"J'onn looked around through the thick blizzard. "The elevators are somewhere out in the storm. Even if we find them, they're likely locked down. Same with the emergency stairs," he said.
"T-The B-B-Blizzard Floor is t-the second floor of t-the W. A. T. C. H. T-Tower. If we c-can find an alternative t-to get down, we c-can exit t-the first floor and get h-help," Wally said.
Hal's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea. Everyone stand back." Hal readied his ring which began glowing brilliantly.
Dr. Mid-Nite drove a scalpel into the creatures lunging at him. It rammed through the thing's eye. It screeched and dropped to the ground. The hero pulled the scalpel out and immediately threw it behind him through the throat of the thing approaching him.
The hero was scruffed up, and his eyes were dried up from using Infrared so many times to locate creatures.
Dr. Mid-Nite felt another presence to his side. He immediately swung out with another scalpel. It pierced into the creature's temple but not deep enough. The thing grabbed his cape and swung him around like a ragdoll. He grunted and gasped in pain as he crashed into trees. The thing threw him through a parting in the forest.
Dr. Mid-Nite grunted when he collided with something hard. Even through his dazed mind, the hero could tell what he had slammed into was smooth and cold.
Not what I'd expect in a forest, he thought.
He slid down to his feet only to be met with a creature ramming full-force into his midsection. Dr. Mid-Nite coughed out the air in his lungs before shouting in agony when another rammed into his left arm.
"Dammit!" he hissed through clenched teeth. He sent the thing in front of him into a far tree with a powerful kick. He then pulled out another scalpel and stabbed the other one in its exposed brain. With a weak cry, it collapsed along with the hero.
The hero panted through his fatigue and soreness and looked behind. He saw a crater with his vague imprint in white plaster.
"I'm still in the W. A. T. C. H. Tower. I must be on the Thick Forest Floor."
A noise drew his attention to the creature he had kicked away. It shook its head as it got on all fours. Dr. Mid-Nite knew it was going to charge again. He looked back at the caved-in wall behind him. As he readied himself to dodge at the last second, he began registering a burning pain in his arm. He glanced over and stared in shock. When the now-dead creature had slammed into his arm, it hadn't broken it. It had gotten half his arm in its mouth and sunk its fangs into his elbow. The creature's jaws were still clasped tightly.
Dr. Mid-Nite bit back on his tongue and felt panic rising when the other creature took off in a bolt towards him. He began desperately trying to pry the jaws open but only succeeded in digging the fangs deeper and cutting up his fingers. As the charging creature closed in on him, Dr. Mid-Nite's thought went to his students.
I can't die. I have to ensure their safety!
The hero gritted his teeth and pulled at his trapped arm. He could hear the cracking of bones and feel tears in his flesh, but he continued pulling.
"GRRAHH!" he screamed as he finally tore free. He fell to the ground from the sudden lack of resistance. An arc of blood flew into the air and splashed to the ground. A second after he was freed, the creature smashed through the wall, allowing sunlight to leak in. Before the thing could fully pull out of the hole, Dr. Mid-Nite plunged a scalpel into the back of its head and tossed it aside. He pulled away more concrete and plaster. He quickly pulled out his phone and stuck it out as far as he could.
"Just a signal. Just enough to send a message," he whispered.
Finally, one bar lit up. Dr. Mid-Nite quickly opened his messaging app, smearing blood on the screen. He selected three of his contacts, and typed a simple message:
"HELP WATCH TOWER"
He hit "Send" and waited for confirmation that it had gotten through. As soon as he got it, the hero collapsed onto his knees. He breathed heavily and repositioned himself to sit against the wall. Dr. Mid-Nite looked down at his left stump, blood still pouring from it.
"Shit... I'm... becoming anemic... "
He cut a long strip of his cape off with a scalpel and winded it tightly around his injury.
"You'd better get my message on your day off..." he said as he passed out.
Three cellphones in three separate places chimed with the same message. Three individuals picked them up and read it.
"Mid-Nite...!" they all said.
Clark felt both consciousness returning and an increasing throbbing throughout his body. He slowly forced his eyes open, and they began to focus on the scene in front of him. His blue eyes widened as he fully registered what he was seeing.
"W-Wayne!" he stammered frightfully.
Bruce hung limply in the monster's grip, its oversized hand wrapped around his neck. Blood gushed down his head, from his nose and mouth, and into a puddle below. Even when unconscious, Bruce had a clear expression of pain.
Clark's eyes widened even further when the creature lifted Bruce up a bit before slamming him down into the ground. The teen remained out cold, but there were a gurgle and wet cough of blood.
"Stop... please... stop hurting him!" Clark shouted as he stood up only to collapse immediately. He glanced behind him and saw there was a large tear in his pant leg and that the side of his calf was badly bruised with something poking against but not through the skin.
"My leg..." he said shakingly. He quickly directed his attention back to Bruce when he heard a shrill cry of pain. The monster had let go of Bruce's neck and stomped on the teen's body. Clark winced at the cracking of ribs.
"Stop it... I said stop it!" Clark shouted. His eyebrows slowly pulled into a frown. The desperation in his voice began vanishing and anger started replacing it.
There was a sudden burst in the ceiling, and there was the loud sound of a drill. Hal fell through the hole and landed on a green platform. Diana, J'onn, and Wally followed.
"Good job, Jordan! Now we can-!" Diana cut herself off when she caught sight of their other friends. "Wayne! Kent!" she cried. The three boys turned and gasped as well. At that moment, the monster raised its giant fist, preparing to smash it down on Bruce's head.
"I said stop it!" Clark screamed.
The thing's fist crashed into the ground, sending concrete flying. Diana, Hal, J'onn, and Wally blinked and looked to the side. Clark stood with Bruce cradled in his arms. His scarf returned to its natural position, one of the only indication he had just moved.
"How... my eyes couldn't track him..." Hal said.
"So fast..." whispered Wally.
"Thank goodness," Diana sighed in relief.
"..." J'onn only stared on.
Clark looked down at Bruce regretfully. The teen was still unconscious and clearly still in pain. "I'm sorry Wayne. I let something trivial stop me from help you." His left leg twitched in protest, but he ignored it. "It's fine now though. It doesn't hurt at all." He gently placed his classmate down. "I'll protect you." Clark stood up and looked to his four friends on the platform. "I'll protect all my friends."
The monster turned to eye Diana, Hal, J'onn, and Wally. It then launched itself at them in alarming speed. They all flinched, too frightened to move. The platform they stood on grew worryingly dim. Suddenly Clark was in front of them, his fist pulled back.
"50 Ton Shot!"
His fist connected with the creature's fist. The punch stopped its momentum, and he swiftly punched it to the floor. Clark glanced over his shoulder at his classmates who were frazzled from the shockwave of the wind that resulted from the clash.
"Get down on the ground and far away. I'm taking care of this," he ordered.
Hal, though stunned, nodded and quickly lowered everyone down. After they were a good distance back, Clark floated down and landed a few meters away from the crater the monster made upon impact. It stood up and zeroed in on him.
Clark glowered at it. "I let a friend down. I let him get hurt." The teen readied his fists. "I won't make that mistake again. Because..."
Unknown to everyone, Bruce's eyes had cracked open, and he had struggled to roll onto his front.
Clark's deep blue eyes were nearly blazing. "... a hero protects others no matter what!"
The teen launched at the creature, a move it imitated. Their fists collided, unleashing a massive shockwave that blew everything back. Clark glared.
"So, you could take a 70 Ton Shot? Then how about a 90 Ton?!" He pulled his other fist back and threw it out. It was parried. As was the next punch. And the next and the next and the next. Soon there was just a flurry of punches. The wind blasts pushed the onlookers even further.
Bruce struggled to keep himself from being blown into a wall while shielding his face with his forearm. "A head-to-head fistfight?"
Diana, Hal, J'onn, and Wally were wide-eyed and mouths slightly ajar as they watched their friend.
"Amazing," Diana said.
"I had no idea he was this strong," Hal commented.
As Clark continued to punch, he spared a quick glance to his wrist cuffs. Both had a small red light flashing on them. He growled.
"You've pushed me to my usual limit. However, I'll just go beyond it even if it means going to 100%! 200 Ton Shot!" he shouted. This time when their fists collided, the monster's arm muscles rippled.
Wally's expression became slightly confused. "Wait, 200?" If Kent hasn't reached 100% why would...?" His expression returned to shock. "You mean, all those punches until now... were single-digit percentages of his power?!" the redhead exclaimed.
Bruce watched in awe as Clark began slowly pushing the creature back, tearing up the tiling of the floor. Some of his punches started connecting with its body rather than just being countered.
Kent isn't holding back anymore, and he isn't just randomly swinging. With every hit, his power increases closer to 100%!
"RAAH!" The next punch sent the monster flying back, and Clark immediately took off after it. As soon as he reached it, he punched it down to the floor again, only this time the floor broke into waves of segments that flew up from the impact. Before the creature could fall back to the ground, Clark landed right next to it.
"Alright you villain, I'm ending this fight now!"
He pulled back his fist for one final punch.
"1000 Ton...
Cannon...!"
It connected dead-center in the monster's chest. It blasted off into a window and smashed effortlessly through. Electricity crackled and webs of fractures spread around all the windows. The creature soared into the sky until it was gone. The entire tower shook from the sheer amount of force behind the impact.
Everyone stared at the hole in the glass.
"Did that... really just happen?" Hal asked.
"Y-Yeah," Wally answered dazed.
"His brute strength... alone is insane," Diana said.
J'onn remained silent. So this is power...
Is this... what it takes... Diana thought.
... to be at the top in the world of pros...? Hal wondered.
Is this...? Wally questioned in his head.
Bruce returned to stare at Clark.
"... Power to be... No. 1," he whispered.
Clark grunted when he fell forward but remained standing while favoring his right leg. There was a loud clank as the broken cuff fell from his wrist. Clark's scarf was in tatters and the collar and sleeves of his top were ripped up. His right arm dropped to his side. Purple bruising stained his arm and his torn glove revealed his broken purple fingers and chipped nails dripping blood. Clark's face was pulled into a grimace, and he stared ahead at the broken window.
"As I thought... I can't handle it at full power... I seriously can't..."
Bruce stared at his friend, and his mouth turned into an awkward smile.
"You're... really something... huh, Kent?"
Now for the Preview!
We all just had the fight of our lives.
Where do we go from here?
Next time: 0-JL's Start Line
See you in the conclusion.
