Author's Note: Aww, it makes me saddened that there's only one chapter left after this one…however, after this story, I'll be working on the Flash Novelization—which is already out. AND THE FLASH FINALLY CAME! WHOO! So, let's get going!

Summary: Bart's speed has been returned and he finds out how to stop Inertia once and for all.

Chapter 17: Weaknesses

A misty void appeared out of nowhere followed by a figure that had been materialized in the middle of the opening. Bart blankly stared at the distance as he wondered where he was.

It wasn't too soon that he started to hear voices that seemed to be calling out for him.

"Bart? It's over. You're free." a voice responded.

"Done…?" Bart whispered, blinking. He was confused, needless to say. "Who are you?!" he shouted.

Ahead of him, two figures appeared in the strange void. Bart made a curious look as he squinted his eyes. But what he saw shocked him; he gave a little gasp, his throat dry.

"Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?"

"It's us, honey." the mom smiled, warmly. She extended her hand out, having Bart be tempted by the idea of joining them.

"Son, you have done so well. You deserve a break. Take our hand and everything what you have done will be forgotten."

With a trance-like look, Bart began to walk forward and the only thing that was on his mind was to join his parents. As he came closer, a voice echoed in his mind, telling him to wake up.

"Don't do it, Bart. They aren't real. Wake up, Bart." a voice echoed.

"WAKE UP!"

Two bright yellow eyes flickered open and for a minute, everything was hazy. There were specks of blurriness here and there and the eyes squinted from the harsh blare of light.

A hand went up to cover the eyes from the light. Bart looked gazed up at the ceiling for a minute or two before he pushed himself up; he himself was still in a hazy mood and was trying to figure out where he was.

Once his focus was clear, Bart studied his environment around him. As he did, everything looked so…familiar.

Where am I? he wondered as he resumed gazing. However, something caught his eye when he found out on his desk. An old picture frame that contained the two Flashes, smiling and grinning.

He stared at the frame, an unknown smile escaped his lips and he gingerly wiped across the edge as though he was afraid that it would break.

He was in his room. But how and why, he didn't know.

Bart continued to study the house until he reached living room and a solemn look came on his face. The speedster stared at the scene until a voice tore his gaze away.

"Odd, isn't it? How you had found yourself staring in a solemn memory." a voice announced.

Bart whirled around only to stare with wide eyes. There, on the couch, was Don…his father…?

"Dad?" Bart replied with jaw-dropped.

Don chuckled. "Your mind thinks I'm your dad but in reality, I'm not your dad." he said though it Bart even more confused.

Seeing the puzzled look, Don gave a further explanation.

"All of this…where you are right now…is just a figment of imagination. That being said, I am nothing but an illusion to you only."

That makes sense. Bart thought.

"So…is there any way I can get back? The madman is still on the loose and I have to stop him."

Don chuckled, the smile stretches. "That depends…are you ready to go back?"

Bart stared at him with a dumb-founded look. What…? What does he mean by that? Of course, he's ready! He's ready to defeat the bastard that made his life a living hell.

"Yes, I'm ready!" Bart answered.

"Are you sure? What I think is that something is holding you back. And that is what stopping you."

And now Bart was even more confused. This Don might as well be a poetic. Bart pulled away from Don, averting his eyes to look at something. But by being distracted, Bart quickly remembered that he needed to go back.

"I need to go back." Bart announced, whirling around to face Don.

Don glanced sideways before turning his gaze to his son. He gave a little shrug. "Okay. So, what's stopping you?"

Bart stared at the figure who resembled his father. Or at least, that's what he thinks he still is.

"I…" he started but trailed off. He closed his eyes before taking a breath. "I've lost my speed." he said, quietly as he opened his eyes, looking down at the floor.

Don studied the boy, watching him as Bart felt a wave of sadness washing over his face.

"Did you?" Don asked which quickly gained his attention. "Or did you simply lock it away?"

Bart stared at the man, eyes wide. "Then why am I here? If I locked my speed away, then why am I here? What's my purpose?"

Don got up, walking towards him and he placed both of his hands on his shoulders. "That's for you to figure out."

:(/\):

"There are many metahumans activities, running around Central City. I'm assuming from the explosion of what Inertia made them escape." came Cisco's voice.

Blurs past by Barry as he resumed running around the city, stopping every crime there is. One metahuman to the next. This was better than sitting around the house, moping and sulking. He needed to get away and what better way to that that than this? Although, it felt rather weird now since he had to do this alone now.

Bart and Wally are gone. But…the thing is, he had stopped metahumans countless of times and they were all on his own—though he had some inside help—so, why should this be any different?

If he did it in the past, then he should have no problem doing it now. Besides, the less people he was with, the better chances they have of not being hurt.

"A metahuman on 3rd street."

"Got it."

Barry made a turn, quickly speeding through until he halted to the sides only to see a massive trail of destruction with burning fires at the side. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the building ahead before he made his way towards it, entering in once he reached the entrance.

Naturally, it was abandoned with shards of glasses scattered throughout the smooth floor and underneath his feet, the glass crunched from the weight. No sign of the bad guy…yet. The Flash resumed his searching until he gazed at a deserted hallway.

He stared at it before walking towards it though when he reached the corner, without a warning, two hands appeared out of nowhere which startled Barry, giving him a jump of scare. Having little time to react, the hands charged up until blue electricity flew through them and then, the charge got released, colliding with Barry who flew back, smashing into walls.

Barry grunted from the impact but quickly staggered back up, just in time to avoid yet another blast.

"I'm going to crush you!" the metahuman snarled in his heavy thick accent.

Barry smirked. "I would like to see you try."

"Barry, don't get all cocky. There's a possible chance that this Electrifier can actually get you despite the fact if you run." Cisco cautioned him.

"Well then." Barry muttered. "You always have to ruin the fun."

"Fine. Get electrified."

"Cisco." came Caitlin's warning voice.

Barry took a step back but then, a small jolt came to him as he felt something dampening at the bottom of his foot. He gazed down, looking at the puddle of water. He then looked up, finding the original source only to discover a fire hose that was implanted in a glass case. However, the cabinet got broken and sprays of water from the pipe gushed out.

Having an idea in his mind, the Flash got ready and locked stares at the Electrifier.

"I hope you're ready because you're the one who's going to get a surprise shock." Barry remarked.

STAR Labs

"I hope you're ready because you're the one who's going to get a surprise shock." Barry remarked.

"Ha! See? I told you my jokes would wear off on someone." Cisco grinned, beaming proudly.

Caitlin shot him an annoyed glare. "Someone has to."

Back at the building

The enemy laughed. "I would like to see you try."

Barry shrugged. "Okay."

With that, Barry spun around him and the foe released his electrifying attacks, aiming blindly. A look of angry flashed over him as he was quickly getting annoyed by the speedster.

"What's the matter? Can't hit a moving target?" Barry grinned.

"I'll kill you!" he roared.

Barry stopped running, facing him. "Funny how you said that two minutes ago." he replied before moving away to avoid yet another blast.

Noticing that his anger was rising up, Barry took this chance to defeat him. He sped towards the broken pipeline, having a small brief pause at the destination.

Barry whistled, calling out to him. "Hey, I'm over here!"

Angered, the brute crackled his hands with electricity and then he charged towards him, raising his hand up. Smirking, Barry timed it right and moved out of the way when it was necessary. When that time came, Barry used his speed to get away which made the fiend punched at the jet of water. As a result, a shock of electricity shocked through the man, letting the enemy give out a loud scream of pain.

Barry shielded his eyes from the bright light though he lowered his hand once the power died down. The speedster then walked towards the fallen opponent, shaking his head.

"Now, that's shocking." came Cisco.

"Cisco…"

"Sorry. Couldn't help it."

:(/\):

Bart resumed investigating the surroundings of his current location. He still needs to find a way back and still needs to take down Inertia once and for all. Bart kicked a pebble that was lying on the street. Everything just got a lot complicated then it needs to be.

Inertia escaped and he was sure that the city was now a mess, being infested with metahumans and Barry stopping them. As he resumed walking, he suddenly stopped, squinting his eyes. He was able to make out the silhouette but it wasn't enough to actually identify it. Puzzled, the speedster walked towards it and started to call out.

"Hello?! Can you hear me?" he called out but frowned as he did when the figure didn't respond. "Hello! You there! Can I help you? Are you alright?"

Still no answer.

The minute Bart took another step, he suddenly gave out a gasp as though he felt something was squeezing the life out of him, making him unable to breath. He started to choke, his vision going blurry but he was able to slightly turn his head to gaze at the strange shadow that was still ahead of him.

But when Bart took his gaze off the shadow, his eyes suddenly went wide with fear when he saw an image in front of him. A monster. A monster with red eyes in a yellow suit, its hand wrapped around Bart.

Unaware to him, the surroundings around the speedster seemed to be changing, taking on its appearance of a black void.

"You will die!" the demon voice responded. "Just like you and the others. They all died. Not one of them is worth being called a hero! They're all a piece of scum, worthless pests! You will die. You're a shame to the Flash legacy."

Bart choked, unable to see clearly. "N…no…y—you lie," he gasped.

The monster made a cruel sick smile. "You can't even defend yourself. You think you're a hero but you're not. You're a disgrace."

And then, the fiend slammed Bart down to the ground hard which made him gasp for breath. He coughed as he eagerly took air which he desperately needed. But before he could even have the time to regain himself back, the monster in yellow kicked him painfully in the stomach before giving out a hard smack across his face which caused him stagger backwards.

"You're weak. Not even your friends like you. Waste of space. I should annihilate you!"

The brute resumed sending powerful blows until Bart was in a weak state. He panted as he was on his knees, arms on the ground and all he heard was the sadistic smile.

"Weak…Pathetic…Worthless…"

Bart shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore the horrible words.

"Look around, Impulse. You have lost everything." the fiend cackled.

And then, Bart lifted his head to the side until he was able to see two shadows. However, the image looked wrong though. It seemed as though that one of the shadows who was standing up appeared to be holding something in its grasp.

"Wh…what?" Bart weakly replied.

It wasn't until then that blurriness began to clear out and this time, the figures were now visible. But what Bart saw shook him.

"No…no!" Bart exclaimed.

There, in its grasp, was the Flash; Bart's mentor who was all bloodied and unconsciousness.

"BARRY!" Bart screamed.

As though he was light, the monster merely threw him on the ground like a ragged doll. The demon then turned its head to Bart, staring with its red eyes.

"Look around you, Flash."

Daring to look around, Bart stared down at the floor and gave another frightened gasp which made him quickly scramble back. His heart raced and his blood roared in his ears as he hung his mouth opened.

"No…No…nononono…"

Bart quickly went to the fallen figures on the floor; their appearance all bloodied and they appeared to be dead. It was like a nightmare, a scene where Bart hoped not to see it again. It was terrifying to see his friends in this…state.

"Please…you're not dead. You're not dead." Bart repeatedly told himself.

"Oh but they are…" the twisted voice responded. "They're dead…they're dead because of you." the voice said in his ear.

Bart squeezed his eyes tight, trying to erase the horrible image. Trying to forget about it. This seems all so wrong but the worst feeling is that it feels real.

It's a nightmare…he would tell himself. And he needs to wake himself up.

"Bart…listen to me…" another new voice came which made Bart open his eyes.

Barry…?

"All of this…this scene…it isn't real. None of this is. See that monster? He's not real. You can escape this nightmare only if you choose to do so. You're the one who's in control here…not him."

In his mind, Bart began to feel overwhelmed, multiple thoughts running through his head and he tried to get them in order. But then he felt a new power coursing through his body.

"He's right…" Bart suddenly said which caused the monster frown.

"What?"

Bart narrowed his eyes and he stood up. "You're not real. None of this is"

"You fool! It is real! There's no escaping between dreams and nightmares. Dreams and reality! This is your reality, your future! There is no escape of what's to come!" the beast snarled.

Bart made a little scoff before he fully looked straight at him. As he did, he saw flashes of images race inside his mind; the images contained of him running around the city, racing throughout time, seeing his grandfather… and then, spark of electricity flashed through his eyes.

"You're wrong."

With that, the brute gave a rage of yell and he charged towards him. Feeling the new sense of power, Bart raced head on, having the trail of speed following behind him. And like that, Bart released a charged yell before he attacked the fiend by sticking his hand in his weak spot. The enemy gave a yell of agony, feeling the burn as he felt himself being vibrated and then…

He vanished.

Out of breath, Bart collapsed on his knees and the black void that once surrounded him was now gone. After he regained back his composure, Bart looked up only to see the figure (which he saw earlier) disappeared.

Erasing the thought away, Bart got up and stared at his hands before a smile tugged at his lips.

Time to go back.

:(/\):

Barry raced this way and that as he headed towards the destination where Cisco had told him too. He had finally found the location of Inertia and that's where Barry was heading to.

With a final zip, Barry skidded to a halt and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the scene before him. There was a figure, a few meters away, and he had his back facing Barry.

"It's over, Inertia."

The figure ahead of him chuckled cruelly before he turned around to face him. For a minute, Barry lost his composure and stared at him with mouth open. This person wasn't like how he had seen him before. His whole appearance had changed. Inertia now had red demon eyes that were glaring at the speedster and it seemed that his suit now had a dark yellow and dark red color.

"You think so?" the demonic voice responded. He laughed, sadistically which made shivers down Barry's spine. "No. It's just the beginning, Flash. It's you who will be defeated and I will remain victorious. And when that time comes, I will make you suffer. I will make you watch how your city bleeds. I will make you watch how your friends die! But for now…I will have the pleasure of killing you."

Barry glared at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"BECAUSE I HATE YOU! I HATED YOUR LEGACY FOR YEARS!" he screamed. "They're the reason why I'm like this! Why I never had a proper childhood! It was because of you and your worthless grandson!"

"Don't talk about my family like that!" he snarled.

"Ooo, getting protective are we?" he laughed. "Funny! Funny how you couldn't protect your nephew! He's dead. He's dead because you couldn't save him."

Anger boiled inside Barry and he felt the speed running through his body and eyes. He tightened his hands and he wanted nothing more than to kill him right here and there.

Seeing this, it only made the monster laugh wickedly.

"Well? Go on, Flash! Kill me!" he extended his hands out. "I will be waiting for it! But you and I both know that you can't kill."

With speed in his body, the Flash started to race towards the fiend but before Barry could even attack him, something else took his place. In a flash, the newcomer performed a powerful blow at the beast which made him fly backwards, crashing down the ground with a hard impact.

Confused, Barry skidded to a stop with a confused look on his face. With rage, the enemy got up and his face was twisted with fury when he saw the figure.

"YOU!" he raged.

In the middle of the street battle, there was Bart with a determined face. He was ready to end this once and for all.

Author's Note: Oh my God. I finally got rid of the damn writer's block I had. So I really hope this was worth a read and not confusing. Just in case though: this chapter was mainly about Bart being in the Speed Force and how it went to a dream to a nightmare (which was why that monster appeared) and then Bart overcame his nightmare which in the end, having him getting his speed back. Questions? Don't hesitate to ask! The next chapter is the final showdown. Toodles!