Chapter 1: Pilot
|Metropolis Docks
|November 5th, 2:20 EDT
Walking along the many large freight crate alleys was a hooded figure. A tall and broad-shouldered man milled about the sparsely populated docks of America's most populated city. His thick boots mask the noises of his heavy Meta-Steel feet. He trekked deeper and deeper through the metal maze. Surveying his surroundings and biding his time.
The man was called John Corben, otherwise known as Metallo! The infamous villain of Superman. The cyborg responsible for being the first man ever to put the big man in a hospital bed was skulking through the Metropolis Docks. Something he had never done before in his history as a supervillain. He was more of a public disturbance type of villain. Very public and open, not private and confined like the docks he was in. However, it was in his employer's best interests that he started a fight here.
Though Metallo was slightly peeved that he had to perform what was basically a back-alley brawl with the Man of Steel, something a nemesis of the powerful man in the world shouldn't be doing, he remained silent and did his job. After all, considering the amount of money just a button press away from filling up his bank account, this was a decent sacrifice.
Whoever was forking the cash to the middleman to pay him made his last payday look like pocket change. Seriously! This was John's lucky break! A payday amount to afford a private island in the Bahamas and all he had to do was a skirmish with the blue and red Boy Scout and give him some radiation sickness to leave him out of commission for the next few days. Not to mention they've added a little bonus: a prison transport breakout. Looks like the guards at Belle Reve won't be dusting out his old pen this time.
Going around another corner, he came across a large brightly lit building where all the dock road lines intersected to. It was the garage for the vehicles used around the docks. Some bays had big rigs while others held small Utes. All of them could create a big boom when hit at just the right angle. Then there was the workshop adjacent to the building. Plenty of flammable substances and stuff that makes a mess when broken. Metallo saw the whole building as the perfect place to make a mess. With a smile on his face and a crack of his knuckles, Metallo stepped forward out of the shadows and into the light. It was deathly quiet as he approached the building. He kept his augmented vision through the walls of the garage and his ears open for any signs of trouble. He froze just before the building as he noticed several beating hearts above the building. There were seven. Three were calm and soft while the other four were beating with worry. Metallo looked up and was met with a sight that both humoured him and frightened him.
Standing atop the building and looking down at him with bravado poses were the Wonder Brats. Not their actual name, but it was something the bitter criminal underground loved to call them. Comprised of the Justice's League's sidekicks, they were trying their best to compete with the big wigs that they played second fiddle with. Taking point was Aqualad, the Atlantean teen and portage to Aquaman. Either side of him were his teammates: Miss Martian, the sidekick to Martian Manhunter, Kid Flash, the accomplice of The Flash, Robin, the Boy Wonder and Batman's partner in crime, Superboy, Superman's rumoured love child, and lastly…
Metallo had no clue who this Green Arrow knock-off was. Metallo was expecting Speedy, not the female tween version of the Emerald Archer. Did Green Arrow replace the little brat? Did someone kill him? Shame. Metallo would've loved to teach the boy and the Green Arrow how useful a bow and arrow was against modern weaponry and a super-cyborg individual. He guessed this knock-off would have to do for now.
Metallo stared condescendingly at the kids. He noted that the kids weren't wearing their original costumes. Kid Flash's armour was bulkier and adorn with silver bands around the legs and arms. Superboy had a massive black and blue trench coat that covered all of his body below the neck. Miss Martian had a coat and cloth bands around her limbs. Robin had a thick red, black and yellow painted armour set strapped to his torso, thighs, shins, forearms and biceps. Aqualad and the Archer both had the same armour set as Robin, only in their respective colours and patterns.
Metallo had heard rumours that the super ragrats were working together for the past month or so without their babysitters. It appears that those hearsays were partly true. The brats were working together but they had one babysitter with them. One that honestly had Metallo sweating metaphorical bullets.
Drabbed in a purple and white kung-fu getup, the figure stood over the teenagers with a terrifying presence. Boarder and taller than the brats and most men, the green-skinned creature glared down at him with menacing eyes. His board figure was amplified by the ridiculously wide shoulder pads weaved into his white cape. Underneath the cape was a purple gi with a sky blue… belt? No, Metallo recalled it was called an obi. Some Asian cloth belt or corset or something. Anyway, that thing was tied around his waist. To top it all off, quite literally, was a purple and white turban atop his head.
The imposing figure, with a menacing aura that could rival that of Batman, is the World's Greatest Martial Arts champion and On-and-Off again superhero: Piccolo
Metallo stood tensely as he eyed off Piccolo. His glowing green eyes narrowed and his legs slowly spread shoulder-width apart, ready to move at a moment's notice. His mind triggered memories of Piccolo. The tales spun by the seedy men and women of the underground. Talking about Piccolo's feats in combat. How he had an endless source of powers and abilities. How he was just as strong as Superman or maybe more so. These thoughts made Metallo edgy and prone to pounce. A tense atmosphere fell over the two groups. Each one waiting for the other to act. To break it with words or a punch. The tense silence was broken with Piccolo's one word: "Identity".
Metallo stepped back with a befuddled expression. 'Does the walking cucumber not know who I am?! I was the first person to ever hospitalise Superman!' Metallo mentally cried.
The Superboy answered Piccolo's command. "John Corben, a.k.a Metallo. Ex-soldier turned petty crook turned deadly cyborg. Powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Superman. If he's powered by Kryptonite, he'll prove deadly to any Kryptonian opponent".
Metallo smiled at the little rat. "Heh. I see little Super-Junior has been doing his homework like a good little boy. Now, what the hell do you brats want? I haven't done anything wrong have I? I'm just taking a pleasant stroll. Oh, don't tell me the superheroes are looking to start fights, are they?" Metallo taunted.
The brats turned to Piccolo, waiting for his instructions. Piccolo remained still. Only his cape moved with the wind. The moments of silence were dreadful for both parties, doubly so for the brats when Piccolo's silence signified something they were all fearing. "Oh. You're serious? You can't be serious!" Kid Flash cried to Piccolo.
The green alien spared him a glance of disapproval. "Why do you think I brought you here?" Piccolo asked with a gruff tone.
"I-I don't know! To watch you take out the cyborg and take notes?" Kid Flash exclaimed.
Piccolo didn't give him an answer. His silence was all that was needed to tell the kids what was about to go down. Piccolo looked back to Metallo, homing in on him. The alien scowled at him, not breaking eye contact even as he unfolded his arms and outstretched them. The air shifted and the metaphorical hairs on Metallo stood on edge as a breeze bellowed past him. There was a loud groan that came from all directions. The freight containers around them started to move on their own accord. Metallo braced himself encase any struck him. No such blow came. Instead, the freight containers lift off the ground and flew away from him. Not too far though as the first set landed on the ground a good few meters away from him. One by one, the containers were lined up back to front and stretched out to make a large square surrounding Metallo, the brats and Piccolo. Then another set of freight containers landed atop the first row, then another. By the time the fifth layer of freight containers landed did Metallo realise that Piccolo was making an arena. Metallo must've let it show on his face, as Piccolo reaffirmed his speculation. "I doubt you came to the outskirts of the city for a peaceful stroll, so I had to make sure you don't harm any citizens and stay in one place while my students fight you. Hope you don't mind" He sarcastically asked.
No, he did mind. Metallo growled at him. "Sorry green man but I ain't in the mood to teach some brats the pecking order here in Metropolis. So, either you get down here and fight, or better yet, I'll just tear my way out of here and go about my merry way. Ha! Seriously? You thought corrugated steel could stop me? I can break out of here just as easily as snapping Batman's spine" Metallo boasted.
To prove this, Metallo walked to the walls of the newly built arena. Fully intent on tearing his way through the steel walls. Just as he reached it and drew his fist back, Piccolo spoke. "That would be true…" Metallo's fist struck the container wall with a thunderous boom, but no dent was made. "…If I wasn't holding them in place".
Startled, Metallo struck again and again at the walls. True to his words, Piccolo's telekinetic grip on the containers kept them from crumbling under Metallo's strikes. Metallo started to panic when the cold realisation of his ensnarement dawned on him. Trapped with Piccolo? A creature who was less uptight about preserving life than the Justice League. Oh, Metallo heard about the poor sods that crossed paths with Piccolo during his early outings. A majority of them were six feet in the ground or turned to ash, while a small percentage was now crippled and eating through straws. Thankfully for the League and everyone else, nowadays Piccolo's kill percentage had flatlined. However, the crippling's had risen in its place. Either way you look at things, Metallo was screwed.
Again, Metallo heard rumours about Piccolo's power. Of how people put him at the level of Superman and some even higher than the Man of Steel. Metallo was not in the mood to test their claims and add a base to them. Without the cocky attitude previously displayed, Metallo fitfully asked Piccolo, "Just the brats? I'm only going to be facing the brats?"
Piccolo crossed his arms and gave him a stern look. "Yes. You'll fight them and only them in this arena. Refuse to fight or try to escape, and I come down there and take you on myself" Piccolo warned.
Metallo quickly agreed with a blur of nods. "Yes! Ok! Get down here you little imps! I wanna go home in one piece so pull up the big boy pants and let's do this!" Metallo taunted.
He widened his step and let out a roar as he started up his combat systems. The Kryptonite within his chest burned to life and emitted the energy to power the beautiful temple that was his metallic powerhouse of a body. A rush of power fuelled his body and primed his systems. His clothes ripped and tore as his body grew a few inches wider and taller. They were then disintegrated when the exhaust ports built into his back, neck, caffs, thighs, ribs and chest spewed out green flames created from the Kryptonite emissions. The artificial skin covering his body was ripped asunder and burnt along with his clothes. Metallo chuckled darkly as his transformation had its intended effect on the super brats. They all looked at him with a mix of fear and abrasiveness.
Metallo couldn't stop the massive grin on his face. Free of his disguise, he let himself loose and enjoy the feeling of true freedom. No more hiding he cheered mentally. Several weeks of hiding his true power and keeping his human disguise built up so much frustration that he was more than willing to take it out on the brats' faces. Piccolo called out from his position. "Alright. You have your opponent. Either work as a group, in pairs or tackle him by yourselves. Either way, I want Metallo defeated" Piccolo cast a glance at the teens, more specifically at Kid Flash. "Show me that you have been paying attention to our lessons. Show me that I haven't been wasting my time" With his final words, Piccolo took off to the skies and floated above the makeshift arena.
As he floated above, all of the brats gave him a nervous nod, except for Kid Flash. "Ok, did anyone else catch on to the fact the last few parts might've been directed at me?" Kid Flash asked.
"Well dude, you do like to run your mouth more than your legs during workouts" Robin chimed.
Kid Flash chuckled nervously and rest his hand on his forehead. He looked delirious and stared at Metallo with disbelief. He let out a groan. "Oh…I can't believe he's serious about this. This guy can handle Superman even on a bad day!" he cried out.
Robin snickered. "Oh, and you're reallysurprised by this? You guys think Piccolo's one to take baby steps and half measures?" he snidely asked.
"Well, it's easy coming from you! Piccolo's like a second Batman. It's like you never left home, isn't it?!"
"Focus" Aqualad spoke for the first time. "Superboy. I want you on reserve. Don't get into the fight unless you have to. Miss Martian, you're with Robin. Kid Flash, you're with Artemis and I. We're taking point, understood?" Aqualad looked to his teammates.
Everyone looked at him with… mixed expressions. They weren't reacting to the words he just said but they looked like they were reacting to something else. They were moving their faces like they were talking, only they weren't moving their mouths at all. Aqualad signed and repeated more sternly, "Do all of you understand?"
This time everyone snapped to attention and gave him a vocal affirmative. "Alright…" Aqualad turned around to face Metallo with a fierce look. He stared at Metallo for a few moments before stepping back and letting Robin take centre stage. Metallo had to stifle a laugh at the boy strut up all confident and the like. "Oh? The little bird? What are you going to do little guy? Chuck a metal stick at me? Drop kick me? Throw a smoke bomb? Chuck a flashbang grenade at me?" Metallo jeered.
The boy snickered and gave him a shit-eating grin. "Something like that. As much as I would love to tell ya, I think you'll like it more as a surprise" Robin insinuated.
Metallo hummed in humour and waited for the brat to pull something out of his ass. Whatever it had to be, it needed to be some godly divine power to save his pathetic backside if he thinks he could go toe-to-toe with the great cyborg Meta-
Robin snapped to a low squat and spread his hands to either side of his face. His teammates around him covered their eyes and turned away just as Robin screamed, "Solar Flare!"
A blinding white light blasted Metallo and the surrounding environment. It was like someone shoved a 100,000-lumen flashlight right up to his eyes and turned it on. The light cones and visual sensors in his eyes were burnt from the bright light, rendering him temporarily blind. Metallo stepped back and held his eyes, letting out a loud curse. "Damn it! What the hell?!" Metallo screamed.
This mind was a whirlwind of disbelief and questions. The Boy Wonder had superpowers?! How? How was this possible?! No, it must've been some technology the Bat cooked up. The bird's cry and pose must've triggered it! That's it! "Heh. Neat trick little bird, but it ain't-"
Metallo heard and felt someone land right next to him. Metallo braced himself as he was socked in the face by, judging from the power behind the strike, Superboy. What happened to obeying Aqualad's orders? Metallo ducked and waived Superboy's punching as he waits for his eyes to repair themselves. He kept an ear out for the other twerps and prepared for their attacks. To his surprise, they did not move to help Sueprboy. They were all on the sidelines doing something. What it was, Metallo couldn't tell till his eyes were repaired. What were they thinking about sending their heavy hitter, a Kryptonian, against a machine that had the ability to weaken and kill them? Metallo guessed these brats really did need a lesson on how to fight villains. His repairs were complete, and his eyes received the world around him. Metallo was about to blast Superboy with his Kryptonite but was stopped at the last minute. He was rendered speechless when he found that his opponent was actually Aqualad!
Aqualad managed to land a hard blow on Metallo, kicking him in the stomach. Metallo groaned at the strength behind that strike. When did the Atlantean get this strong?! Aqualad moved to follow the strike up with a punch. It was too slow to hit Metallo, who tilt his head out of the way and let it sail through. He decided to punish the fish boy's mistake with a hit to the solar plexus. The air in Aqualad's lungs shot out of him and he crumpled to his knees. Metallo swiftly kicked him in the head and sent him flying off to the arena wall. This all happened in the span of three seconds. Metallo heard someone run up to him with heavy footsteps. "ARRGH!" Superboy cried as he threw a wild haymaker.
Metallo shifted around, ready to grab the wild fist but was surprised when the Superboy pulled a fast one on him. Fainting his attack and diving under his outstretched arm. He then clasped his hands together and brought them shooting up to Metallo's chin. Metallo let out a grunt and was flung in the air. He didn't get far as Superboy grabbed his ankles and slammed him to the ground. Superboy then hurled him off to the side. Metallo skidded across the ground, creating sparks as he went. He regained control of his momentum, swinging himself upright and facing Superboy. The young Kryptonian had followed him and was ready to launch another flurry of attacks.
Despite standing upright and throwing a decent punch, Superboy started to look pale and sickly. Even when behind the reinforced Metallo Steel, or Meta-Steel for short, that made Metallo's chest, the rays of the Kryptonite still affected the little Kryptonian. If Metallo opened his chest now and blasted the boy with the green rays, the boy's systems would be sent into shock and then he'd be easy pickings. However, the plan would only work if he was alone. Metallo had others to contend with that could easily snatch the Kryptonite right out of his chest like the Speedster or the Martian. Metallo had a messy experience similar to that with Martian Manhunter and The Flash, which he didn't want to repeat. So, pulverising Superboy with his fists was the way to go.
Metallo shot a quick gap, aiming for Superboy's face. Superboy blocked it with his forearms but struggled with the power behind the hit. Metallo gabbed, again and again, barraging Superboy with a flurry of attacks. Each one tearing the boy's defences down and making him look sicklier. Just as Metallo was about to perform an uppercut, Kid Flash appeared to his right. Metallo quickly shifted around to chuck a hook at the Speedster to interrupt his attack but quickly found out that he wasn't the boy's target.
Kid Flash gave the swing a wide birth and ran to Superboy. He picked him up and ran with him. Grabbing him by the hips and skidding him across the floor. Faster than Metallo could react, Kid Flash had dropped Superboy on his flanks. Superboy took advantage and struck at one of Metallo's major pistons located where his kidneys should've been. The metal groaned at the impact, as did Metallo. He took a backhand swing at Superboy as he pivoted around to face him, only Kid Flash was back at it again the transportation. Picking up Superboy and moving him to his flanks. When Metallo caught on, Kid Flash started doing fake-outs and trickery. Almost as if he was teasing Metallo. By the fifth strike to his flanks, Metallo had enough. He activated the weapon systems within his arms. A helpful little upgrade provided by Intergang, a series of crystallised tubes ran from the Kryptonite chamber in his chest towards the wrists of his arms. Funnelling the Kryptonite rays into a thin point exit. Like a chamber of a gun, it drove the rays' force and power into one point; turning it into a deadly projectile.
He activated it and swiped his arm in a large sweeping motion. The rays passed through the environment, slicing anything in their way. The brats setting up at the sidelines dove out of the way. Kid Flash and Superboy were caught in its wake but Superboy shielded the Speedster. The force of the attack pushed Superboy into Kid Flash and both went flying off, skidding across the ground. Metallo stopped his rays once they came to a stop and saw that Superboy's armour had protected him from the heat but not from the ray's effect. He looked deathly pale with dark bags under his eyes and a sunken face. Metallo didn't have a chance to finish the job when an arrow and Birderang struck his face. Each triggered an explosion that just tickled Metallo.
He looked towards the top of a freight container to see the archer, Artemis, and Robin perched up top with their weapons in hand. Metallo guessed their original plan was truly out the window now. Trying to trick him with false information? Metallo smiled at them and rose a hand to them. Robin quickly reacted by firing his grapple gun and shooting off. However, the archer remained still. Facing him and aiming a drawn-back arrow. Metallo saw the easy target and fired his wrist lasers.
The laser's attack was struck true, piercing the cloth belly of the little Emerald Archer and passing right through her back. Metallo mental cheered and even prepared a whole slew of quips and jokes about the death of their beloved archer mascot, only for that train of thought to instantly derail when the Archer's form dissipated. Fading out of existence like she wasn't even there. A foam arrow striking from the back and into his spinal joints, jamming up the pistons and slowing his movements, was proof she still exists.
He craned his head around to see the Archer well and truly alive. Levelling heated but exhausted glare at him. "Seriously? Holding the After Image for that long?! Are you trying to pass out and get us to do all the work?!" Kid Flash quipped out load.
"Shut up Flash!" Artemis snapped back.
Artemis fired another foam arrow at the same space, gumming up his pistons further and hindering his movements. Miss Martian took this moment to intervene. Thanks to the foam, the Martian could finally hold him in place with her powers. Metallo was forced to spread his arms out and expose his chest. Metallo knew he could've broken out of the telekinesis hold if it weren't for the hardened foam. Miss Martian, with her eyes glowing green, looked towards Robin and Aqualad, widening her eyes and frowning at them. Somehow, they both nod their heads, understanding her and running to Metallo. It took a while for Metallo to figure out that the Martian was using telepathy to communicate with her friends. Metallo wouldn't have figured it out if they weren't giving each other expressions like they were talking to each other. With this information in mind, Metallo decided to make the Martian his new target once he got out. Her or Robin, whoever was closer and easier to break once freed.
Aqualad and Robin arrived in front of Metallo. Robin pulled a device out of his belt and placed it on his chest. It blinked rapidly as it powered up. Metallo felt something warm up underneath the device. The heat transferred to the surrounding metal, making the part of his chest under the device glow a bright orange. It spread out past the device and stopped at about a two-centimetre circumference from it. Robin growled and ripped the device off. He glared at the spot where the device once rested, the glowing surface untouched. "Damn it! The laser isn't strong enough!" Robin yelled to Aqualad.
Aqualad turned around, eying a fire hydrant along the roadside. He took out the handles attached to his shoulder blades and aimed them at the hydrant. His tattoos glowed bright blue and the hydrant burst open with water. Aqualad manipulated the water and splashed it onto Metallo. "Heh? A buffering and wash? Don't expect a tip afterwards" Metallo joked.
"That's not all. How about we check your engine?" Robin quipped.
The water blasting onto Metallo shifted and coiled into tentacle-like forms. They then slid over his pistons, metal chassis, and under his armour. They were searching for an entry, some way to slide into his body and disable him. A smart move, if Aquaman wasn't the one who first came up with that plan. Metallo deployed countermeasures for this exact scenario. His exhaust ports opened up and he flared his power. Green flames burst from his exhausts, striking the water and creating a burst of steam. A thick cloud flogged around them. During that time, Metallo used that burst of Kryptonite energy into his strength and ripped himself out of the foam. He felt the Martian's telekinetic grip break, signified by the loosened weight of pressure and her loud gasp. Free to move as he liked, he aimed for the Martian. Luckily for the girl, she managed to fly just out of his reach. Unfortunately for a little bird, Metallo landed right next to him. Seeing the opportunity, Metallo struck. He took a swipe at Robin, who struggled to dodge. Metallo put him on the back foot, making him lose more and more ground as he dipped and dived over and under his strikes. Soon his back hit the walls of the arena. Metallo thought him easy pickings till he heard rapid footsteps behind him. Aqualad sprinted at Metallo and tackled him from behind. Robin slowly rolled out the way as Metallo slammed into the arena walls. Aqualad tried to pin him down but struggled to do so. "Robin! Regroup! Regroup with the others!" Aqualad ordered through gritted teeth.
Metallo threw his head back, impacting Aqualad's nose. The fish boy stumbled back and Metallo freed himself. He saw Robin launch his grapple hook and was about to take off. Quickly Metallo pounced and grabbed the boy by his shin's armour piece. Robin cried out and struck Metallo across the face with his other foot. Metallo did not budage an inch. He raised an arm up, ready to bring it down and break the bird's leg, but Aqualad was on him again. He wrapped his arm around Metallo's and pulled him back. Metallo lost his grip on Robin, freeing the boy to launch into the air and back to his friends. He landed by Miss Martian, who was struggling to establish a telekinetic hold on Metallo. Robin gripped angrily onto his chest plate. "Damn it! I can barely move in this thing!" Robin whined as he jostled his armoured chest.
Kid Flash ran up beside him, dragging a slightly healthy-looking Superboy with him and nodding along. "Tell me about it! I'm clocking under 100 miles per hour! I'm totally underperforming here".
"You sure that's because of the armour?" Superboy weakly chimed.
"Shut up!"
"I hate to agree with Wall Man, but he's right. This armour's dead weight!" Artemis appeared beside them to add her two cents.
"But Piccolo ordered us to wear it!" Miss Martian reminded.
"Yeah, when we trained and practice with him and each other! This is a villain! Someone trying to kill us!" Artemis cried out.
Metallo, who was listening in, had enough of their conversation. He swatted Aqualad's hands away and grabbed onto his chest. He then flung the boy at the archer. She dove out the way in time as Aqualad sailed past her. Fortunately, the Atlantean was caught by Miss Martian's telepathic grasp. He was quickly put back onto his feet and prepared to fight back. "No, we mustn't discard the armour. Wearing it in this fight is going to make us perform better in the future" Aqualad exclaimed.
"Yes, it helps us in the future, not so much in the present" Robin snidely chimed as he eyed Metallo walking towards them was a menacing look.
Robin glanced upwards towards Piccolo and shouted. "Hey Pic! I know we'll feel very sad about it later but for the love of everything holy, can we ditch the armour and actually live through this?!" Robin yelled.
Piccolo looked down at them with his scolding face. He remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a scoff. "Fine".
They could practically taste the bitterness coming from that one word alone. The members like Aqualad and Miss Martian flinched in shame while the others, like Superboy and Artemis, couldn't care less about their hard-ass of a teacher's disappointment or, like the rest, were instantly relieved by the go-ahead. "Oh finally! I can actually move now!" Robin cheered as he ripped off his armour.
Metallo meant literally ripped off his armour. The metal straps and hinges snapped off as he tugged the plate off of his chest. The rest either peeled off with the chest plate or fell off his body without the support of the straps. He threw it to the ground, with the chest and its accompanying pieces landing with a loud thud. Seeing that, Metallo stopped his stride and started to reevaluate his earlier assumption of Robin's newfound abilities. No way this was new tech.
One by one, the other brats took off their armour in the same manner. Artemis ripped off hers in the same manner as Robin but Aqualad took his time by unclasping the hinges and straps. Miss Martian rolled off the arm and leg bands while Superboy tore off his already ruined trench coat by the burnt hole. Kid Flash was already out of his. As soon as the letter F left Piccolo's lips, Kid Flash started to tear off his armour. Which was now sitting in neat bile next to him. The super kiddies then did something that further surprised Metallo. They threw their armour and extra clothes onto the ground. Artemis' landed with a loud thud like Robins, but Aqualad's, Miss Martian's and Superboy's articles of armour and clothes fell and crack the cement! 'How heavy are those things?!' Metallo exclaimed.
The group now stood before him in their original costumes, all of them looking relieved and on top of the world. "Finally, now I'm feeling whelmed!" Robin cheered as he dash right at Metallo.
Metallo was caught completely off guard when the little bird launched at a professional sprinter's speed right at him. Metallo didn't have time to block as Robin dropped kicked him in the chest. Metallo feltthat. He felt the power behind that. No little kid should have that kind of strength! The strength of a fully grown adult bodybuilder! Metallo was on the back foot. He stepped back but Robin was on him. He struck left and right, flipping and dodging at insane speeds. Metallo managed to land a heavy blow on the kid, but the boy tanked it like a champ. He skid across the floor and broke out into a backflip to ease his momentum. He flipped back upright with a grin. "Alright, had my fun. Everyone else?"
Kid Flash, Superboy and Aqualad all took his spot on attacking Metallo with their hindering equipment off of them. The results from before and after were staggering. Kid Flash was like fighting with The Flash. Just as fast and hit just as hard. Kid Flash zoomed back and forth in a blur with Metallo just able to keep up. That left him wide open for Aqualad and Superboy. Both hit his chest with a thundering clap. Metallo gasped as he felt the pain and force of their impacts. Aqualad hit just as hard as Superboy did when he had his armour on, while Superboy was hitting at a new level above his previous bout with Metallo. It was close to Superman's, but not close enough. Despite their duel attack, there was no dent or damage made to his chest. It didn't discourage the boys, however. They continued their onslaught. Striking at his head, kicking his shins and trying to force an opening for them to strike. Metallo didn't give them any. He blocked and dodged every attack the boys threw his way. It was like a dance. Metallo blocked Aqualad's right punch, Superboy struck a kick to the left, and vice versa when Metallo defended his other side. To outside viewers, it was like watching a speeding blur. The only thing they could see clearly was the boys' and Metallo's torsos while their limbs were blurred and fuzzy to see as they struck either side of each other's head and torso. They were locked in this stalemate till Kid Flash, Artemis and Robin intervened.
Kid Flash grabbed one of Metallo's legs, tripping him up and leaving him exposed to Aqualad and Superboy. Both boys did a duel uppercut, sending Metallo into the air for Artemis and Robin to fire at. Their arrows and Birderangs exploded and sprayed Metallo with a corrosive substance. To lite to eat away at his metal body. Metallo, still in the air, looked down at the brats and fired a Kryptonite-heated laser from his eyes at the Emerald Archer. Just like before, she did not move and instead disappeared from existence. He saw her out of the corner of his eyes, trying the sneak away. Metallo shot another laser at her. Again, she disappeared into nothing but he saw her fade back into existence only a few feet away from her fading clone. She looked panicked and out of breath. Metallo was about to launch another volley of lasers but was stopped when Miss Martian telepathically threw him back onto the ground. He landed on his feet but the force of his landing created a spherical crater around him. He looked back up to see Superboy, Aqualad and Kid Flash standing together silently arguing. Again talking via telepathy. Whatever they said, it was over quickly and had Aqualad rushing inside the garage. Metallo thought about chasing after the teen and seeing what he was cooking up but wisely chose against it. Aqualad left the Krytorinan alone with him again. If Metallo could finally take this super brat down, then the others would be easy.
As soon as Aqualad ran out of sight, Superboy and Kid Flash charged at him, with Miss Martian, Artemis and Robin behind them for backup and support. Thinking fast on his feet, Metallo thrust his arms forward and fired two lasers at Kid Flash.
Kid Flash twisted his body to the left, letting the beams fly over him. A shame for the group, because Kid Flash was the only thing blocking the lasers from hitting their Archer. Artemis froze as the beams sailed to her. Again she did that 'After Image' thing. Her clone was struck by one laser, but Artemis was too exhausted and slow from the sudden and repeated use. She was struck by the second one. She wasn't killed by it but a strike to the stomach knocked the wind out of her and made her writhe on the ground. Metallo had to sacrifice power for speed to hit the speedy Archer, but at least Artemis was down for the count. "Artemis!" Miss Martian called out to her.
Kid Flash stopped his advance on Metallo, leaving Superboy to solely handle Metallo. "Robin! Take care of Artemis! Get her somewhere save!" Kid Flash yelled out.
"On it!" Robin yelled back.
The Robin was quick on his feet, rushing to Artemis and scooping her up. He launched his grapple around one of the street lights. He reeled himself in, and at the apex of his swing, Metallo struck. Knocking Superboy out of the way and clearing himself of Kid Flash's attacks, Metallo shot his lasers at Robin's cable. The thing snapped like a twig. Robin and Artemis were sent flying over everyone's heads. Kid Flash rushed after them along with Superboy. Miss Martian tried to grab them with her telepathy but Metallo didn't let her. Going all out with his speed, he ran straight to her with a right hook ready. The Martian was warned mentally by her group but she was too slow to either dodge or Density Shift. Metallo's fist connected and a resounding boom echoed across the docks. To Metallo's surprise, The Martian's head wasn't smeared across the dock roads. It was very much intact and looking at him with an angry expression.
Behind them, Artemis was caught by Kid Flash while Robin was snagged by Superboy. All of them turned to see Miss Martian face off against Metallo. The brats must've yelled something mentally because Miss Martian's face scrunched up and she yelled out. "NO! I can handle him! It's my turn to show Piccolo what I can do!" She growled.
Metallo saw her cloak and shirt ripple like waves on the ocean. Her back began to shift and morph. With a growl, she grew two new sets of arms on her upper back. They looked gangly and malnourished, but after some concentration on Miss Martian's part, she grew their mass and gave them a musculature definition. Once they were fully formed, Miss Martian crouched in a stereotypical martial arts stance. Each of her arms posed in various states: one had the hands in a clawed motion, the other open palm and the last set closed fist. Metallo had to stifle a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Not that he would've gotten the chance to laugh as Miss Martian instantly jumped on him.
She swung her right fists at him with incredible speed. Due to her multiple appendages, Metallo couldn't fully block her blow. He managed to stop the middle set from hitting his torso, but the lower and upper set hit their mark. The lower impacted his stomach while the upper his head. The power was just as strong as Superboy's. Metallo was pushed back by the blows and tried to retaliate with a wide kick. Miss Martian blocked them with both her arms and, thanks to the added limbs' strength, she pushed back the attack and followed it up with one of her own. Unable to block, Metallo ate three fists to the body. Forced into a staggered state, Metallo was wide open for Miss Martian's combo.
Miss Martian leapt up into the air, spinning around and bringing her fists down on Metallo's head. Metallo was forced to take a knee on the ground. Preparing for her next move, Miss Martian thrust her right limbs back. She clutched them into fists and tensed her muscles. She swung them low and hit Metallo with three simultaneous uppercuts. Metallo was kicked off the floor and into the air, but just before he was fully airborne, Miss Martian launched another three uppercuts from her left side. Metallo was thrown high into the air. Metallo was airborne for but a moment before Miss Martian pulled him down on her fists with her telepathy. Then she repeated her beat down, the same techniques and combos over and over again. Metallo was hit in the exact same places at the exact same time. Metallo was hit with this so many times that he started to notice flaws with her fighting style. Noticing how repetitive it was. He also noticed her original set was functioning fine, but the other ones had difficulties. They were too slow and sluggish in their movements, and weak in their attacks. Her footwork was off too, favouriting her right more than her left.
Seeing a way out of his predicament, Metallo attacked quickly. Just as Miss Martian prepared to take a swing, Metallo attacked to her left. Unprepared, Miss Martian haphazardly defended herself. Metallo easily broke through it and sent a nasty hook into her cheek. There was a loud crack as Miss Martian stumbled backwards from the blow. Metallo prepared another strike to the face. The Martian crossed her hands together and held them out in front of her face in defence of Metallo's punch. The only issue was that she wasn't blocking. The air around her hands shimmered and, before Metallo could dodge, he was blinded by a bright light and was hit with something that felt like a tank shell. He recoiled from the blow striking his head. His mind was rattled, and his system took a millisecond to reboot before he was aware of what was happening. The blow had knocked him off his feet and he was in the air. He quickly tucked himself in and rolled upright in mid-air. He unfolded himself and aimed to land on his feet, but Kid Flash blurred past, grabbing his ankles and breaking his balance. He crashed onto the ground on his back. He tried to move but Superboy and Miss Martian leapt onto him. Superboy pinned his right arms and legs while Miss Martian did the same on the left side. Metallo struggled and thrashed about with Superboy and Miss Martian barely able to hold on. "Superboy! MM! Get out of the way!" Robin yelled to them
"Nphm!" Miss Martian cried out through her broken and swollen jaw.
"Aqualad! Shoot him now!" Superboy screamed.
Metallo's eyes widen at the super brat's words, and he frantically searched around for the Atlantean. He soon found the little imp breached on one of the balconies of the garage, just below Piccolo.
Aqualad stood shoulder-width apart and with a tense stance. The Atlantean's tattoos were glowing bright blue as lightning raced up and down his body. It crackled and struck his surroundings, creating scorch marks. There was so much electricity emitting from his tattoos that he looked like he was showering in the bolts. Aqualad's face was scrunched up in pure concentration. His teeth were bared and gritting together, his brow was full of sweat and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. He held his hand before his face, pressing his index and middle finger deep into the bridge of his brow. He let out a shaky growl then a mighty roar as all the energy around him lanced onto the tips of his fingers and brow. All of the lightning he built up and was emitting was all transferred into his fingers, which now glowed with a glaring pale blue light. Aqualad focused his attention on Metallo, more specifically his chest. With a considerable amount of effort, as evidenced by Aqualad's shaky arm and bulging muscles, Aqualad thrust the fingers off his brow and in the direction of Metallo.
"Pukuniahi Uila Uila!"
Aqualad roared as out of his fingers came a spiralling beam of bright blue energy. His electricity generated from his Atlantean magic and his own power was condensed into a fist-sized beam with a spiralling arc of lightning orbiting the main beam. Pinned and with no way to defend himself, Metallo could only brace for the impact. It hit hard and it hit fast. It slammed into Metallo's chest and dug him and the others pinning him into the ground. The concrete around them cracked and exploded outwards. The beam dug painfully into Metallo's chest, feeling like something was drilling into him. Then there was the lightning coursing through his systems. It felt like he was on fire. Metallo let out a pained cry with the brats pinning him doing the same. While not being drilled by the beam, they were getting hit by the condensed electricity of Aqualad's attack. They grit their teeth and powered through the pain. Ten painful and god-awful seconds later, the beam reached the apex of its power. Aqualad couldn't hold the beam's form anymore and let go of it. The remaining beam slammed into Metallo's chest, festering on the surface before crackling with unstable energy. Aqualad's actions made the leftover energy beam expand outwards and then explode. Superboy and Miss Martian were thrown to the side and were caught in the violent rapture that blew a decent chunk of the arena away and push Metallo deeper into the newly formed crater.
After the brutal explosion subsided, Kid Flash and Robin ran and swung down respectively to either side of the crater to retrieve their injured teammates. Robin checked on Superboy. He was still conscious with a black eye and a few new scratches and bruises from his ally's attack. Meanwhile, Kid Flash was about to give Miss Martian a flirty line but froze when he saw her battered form. A litany of bruises adorned her form along with deep cuts. Due to her rapid shapeshifting attack from before, her energy attack and the power she needed to hold down Metallo, she was completely drained of any energy to shield her against Aqualad's special attack. "Oh no! M'gann! Oh no! Come on!" Kid Flash cried as he knelt before her.
"KF! Get her out of here now!" Robin yelled out to him.
Kid Flash quickly grabbed Miss Martian and secured her in a bridal style before taking off. He only took one step before a metal hand grabbed his ankle. "Going somewhere?" Metallo growled before tightening his grip.
A sickening crunch echoed around the arena as Metallo crushed Kid Flash's ankle. The boy let out a painful wail and was forced to drop Miss Martian. He reached around and grabbed Metallo's metal hand, desperate to pry his crushing fingers out of his foot. Metallo responded to his attempts with a chuckle and threw him at Robin and Superboy. Seeing Kid Flash hurling toward them, Superboy acted by shoving Robin out of the way before Kid Flash crashed into Superboy. Superboy was flung back from the impact with Kid Flash in his arms. He skids across the floor. Ripping apart the back of his shirt and leaving it in tatters. Superboy sat up and checked on Kid Flash, finding him to be knocked out. Superboy thought about putting Kid Flash down but stopped when he saw Metallo had Robin in his arms. "Fly bridie Fly!" Metallo sickly chuckled as he hurled Robin high in the air.
Thinking fast on his feet, Superboy leapt up in the air and intercepted Robin's trajectory. By the time Robin collided with Superboy's chest, they had flown right out the arena walls. Superboy held both Robin and Kid Flash close as they plummeted to the ground.
After Superboy flew out of sight, Metallo surveyed his remaining opponents. The Archer was still down, with the Martian accompanying her. All that was left was the Atlantean. The teen did not move a muscle from where he fired his energy beam. His shoulders were slack, his eyes unfocused and his overall posture screamed of fatigue. Metallo laughed at his sorry state. "Gotta admit fish boy! A great attempt! Too bad all you gave me was a little toasty burn" Metallo laughed as he scraped off charred clumps off his chest.
Besides the burnt metal and melted earth on his chest, it was pristine and undamaged. "But, if it's any consolation…" Metallo's eyes burned with a bright green hue and his metal face morphed into one of pure rage, "that hurt like hell".
With that, Metallo launched his final attacks for the night. He jumped and threw himself at Aqualad, who did nothing to avoid or brace for his attacker. Metallo tackled him and slammed Aqualad into the wall behind the Atlantean teen. Not letting up, Metallo struck Aqualad across the face and kneed him in the gut. The teen was too weak to let out a cry of pain, only mustering enough strength to let out a groan. Metallo growled in frustration from the lack of cries and threw the boy out of the wall and onto the ground below. Aqualad landed without so much as a thud. Metallo leapt down beside him, reached down and holstered Aqualad up by the neckline of his suit. Metallo brought the boy close to his face, right where his green eyes burned bright into the Atlantean's organic green ones. "Don't worry boy. We're close to where you belong, I'll give you a proper Atlantean burial after I'm done" Metallo sickly joked.
He pushed Aqualad forward, pulled his fist back and threw all his power into the hit, making sure his hand came out the other side of Aqualad's head. He launched his fist towards Aqualad. He was mere millimetres away from the boy's face before someone caught the fist with a thundering clap. The wind around the bellowed as the force from the hit pushed the air around them. Metallo's eyes widen when he saw his fist was caught by none other than Piccolo. Metallo looked up to meet the fierce glare from the green alien. The larger man pulled Metallo to his feet by his arm, never letting go of his fist. Metallo let go of Aqualad and tried to pry at the green hand holding his fist. It was useless. No matter how much power he put into his hand, Piccolo's fist didn't budge. "I told you; you can fight my students…" Piccolo sternly said as he used his other arm to blow up Metallo's arm with a Ki Blast. "… Not kill them" Piccolo darkly finished with a swift kick to the stomach.
Metallo screamed in pain as he shot through the air and into the ground. His momentum slowed and he tumbled out of the crater, rolling back upwards and gripping where his arm used to be. He looked at the stump to see green liquid and electricity ooze out of it. Wires acting like nerves sparked and crackled, and warped pistons and muscle fibres twitched and spasmed. Metallo cursed and started to panic. The high spirits he got from bullying the kids was gone, replaced by horror and a fight-or-flight response. Seeing as Piccolo effortlessly blasted his arm off, his flight response took precedence.
He leapt off the ground and towards the top of the makeshift arena. He only got two meters off the ground before Piccolo was on him. He grabbed Metallo's legs, crushing his ankles with his iron grip and threw him downwards into his knee. Piccolo's knee tore through his crotch and came to a stop at his stomach. The attack almost split him in half. Piccolo didn't waste a second as he moved to his next attack. With his knee still in his stomach, Piccolo grabbed Metallo's shoulders and dragged him towards him. In time with his move, Piccolo brought his head back and thrust it forward. Piccolo's forehead connected with Metallo's with a loud bang. Just like his knee, Piccolo's forehead rammed into Metallo's skull and concaved half his face. Metallo's optics were crushed, and his brain case rattled his brain about. Piccolo's headbutt knocked Metallo completely out of consciousness. Not done with him yet, Piccolo tore his knee free and, with Metallo still in the air, he thrust his hand into his chest. Tearing into the same spot Aqualad shot at, Piccolo dug deep into Metallo's body and ripped out his main power source: The Green Kryptonite.
Without his conscious to guide it, Metallo's body automatically went into standby mode at the loss of the Kryptonite to conserve power and to keep him alive long enough for him to find a replacement shard. Not that he would be getting one anytime soon. His body crashed limply onto the ground with Piccolo hovering above. The Namekian looked down at Metallo with a sneer before pocketing the Kryptonite away. He planned on giving it to Batman's sidekick after he patched them up and finished fixing the place.
Focusing his mind, Piccolo thrust his open hands outwards towards the arena walls. The freight containers moved according to his will, flying off in different directions. Eventually, all of them found the place that they were originally from before the fight. Turning around, Piccolo surveyed the damage before moving to fix it. The dust in the air and the chunks of cement on the ground were picked up in a tornado of debris. The dust compressed and formed back into its previous forms. They were then stuck to the larger chunks of debris. Meanwhile, Piccolo's telepathy influenced the craters around him. Straightening them out and propping them to a levelled position. There were still gaps in the ground that were filled by the reformed debris. Like pieces of a puzzle, they fell into place so snuggly that it looked like there wasn't even a fight to begin with.
With the evidence of their fight gone, Piccolo moved to take care of his students. Using his telepathy again, he scanned for them and flew to them. A majority were out cold, except for Superboy and Kaldur. Superboy was limping towards him with a Kid Flash and Robin over his shoulders while Kaldur was laying exhausted on the ground. Just where Metallo and Piccolo left him. Piccolo silently walked toward Superboy. Without a word, he placed a hand on Superboy's chest and emitted a warm yellow glow in his palm. Connor held still and sucked in a deep breath as he felt Piccolo's energy course through him and heal his serious wounds. The other battle damage like the dull pain in his arms, the headache, the sickness and the cuts on his body were left untreated. A 'No Pain, No Gain' motif that Piccolo was fond of teaching. Once healed, Piccolo moved to heal the two boys over Connor's shoulders. After they were partially fixed, Piccolo flew over to his other students. One after the other, they were healed of their wounds. After each of their healing trance, Piccolo shot a small amount of his Ki through their systems. Effectively giving their systems a shock to wake them up.
Artemis was the last to be healed and awaken from her injuries. She shot up with a gasp and started to search franticly around for Metallo. She stopped when she saw Piccolo looming over her. She let out a sign and grumbled. "About time you stepped in".
The others slowly made their way over to Piccolo, looking tired and defeated. "Not gonna lie Big Green, making us andMetallo fight was not a good idea" Kid Flash whined, hiking his foot up and rubbing his newly healed ankle.
Wally hissed as it still felt stiff and stung when touched. Piccolo threw a glare at Kid Flash right before he thrust an open palm at him. Despite having superhuman reflexes, Kid Flash was blindsided when Piccolo cast his Materialisation Magic on him. In a flash, Wally's weighted armour returned to his form, now with extra several kilograms built into it, and numbered and key locks attached to the clasps and straps of the armour. Making it impossible for the boy to get out of it. "Oh come on!" Kid Flash cried out.
Piccolo remained unfazed by his bemoaning. "Remember what I said if you were to call me that again?" Piccolo questioned.
Kid Flash looked at him with a shocked look. "I thought you were joking about that…"
Everyone looked at Wally with bewildered expressions, disbelieving Wally's logic and thinking process "Seriously Kid? I've been under his boot for half the time you've been, and I know that Piccolo can't tell a joke to save his life. No offence Piccolo" Artemis apologised.
"None taken" Piccolo simply said.
Leaving Kid Flash to wallow in his weighted prison and trying to think of something to entice Robin to pick the locks on his armour, the group prepared for their assessment. Kaldur stepped forward and stared into Piccolo's eyes. "I understand that there are much-needed improvements. We were all defeated, and I was almost killed. Thank you for saving me, but I know you shouldn't have done so. We shouldn't expect your help during missions. We need to rely on ourselves, our teammates, our abilities and our power. We failed at that tonight. So please, tell us what needs improvement?" Kaldur bluntly asks, bracing for a barrage of criticism.
Piccolo stared at his students with a critical eye. His frown not leaving his face. "Well, there's a lot to improve and a whole lot more training is in order…" Piccolo let his last statement hang in the air, seeing his students look down trying to hold their shame and horror.
Then, to their collective surprise, Piccolo's face softened and he gave them a smile. "I got to say, I'm proud of all of you"
Dumbfounded was the understatement of the century for his students. All of them were open-mouthed and wide-eyed. They were stunned by his expression and his words of praise. Piccolo was one to rarely smile, if at all. The number of times they saw him do so can be counted on one hand alone. Wally voiced his disbelief. "Did you just-"
"Zip it Wally!" Artemis hissed at Wally and stomped on his foot for good measure.
Piccolo ignored the outburst and continued. "While you were defeated, you all went down swinging. You had Metallo on the back foot for nearly all of the fight. You dictated the battle, forcing the enemy to react the way you wanted them to. You knew where to strike and defend. You forced Metallo to take you all seriously and to go all out. Something he's only done so with Superman. That fact alone, that you survived and handled a villain who could stand up to Superman? Impressive doesn't come close"
"Thank you Piccolo" Kaldur beamed, mirroring his friends beside him.
"However…" Piccolo quickly added, "Don't let this praise go to your heads. Kaldur is right, there are still markable improvements to be made"
Piccolo turned his attention over to Artemis. "Good work on using the After Image technique. You've come a long way from where you began, but using the same technique over and over again makes you predictable, and that's something you don't want to be in a battle if you want to stay alive. Study, train and get use to the other techniques I taught you"
"Yes sir" Artemis grumbled.
"Miss Martian, we only just started to cover the basics for your hand-to-hand Martian style, why on Earth did you think it was a good idea to use it when you still struggle with the footwork and the mental requirements to operate another set of heavy limbs?"
"I-"
"Don't answer. It's a question you should be asking yourself. Trying to impress me by rushing headlong into battle with a half-assed technique? That isn't going to stun me, just draws my ire. However, while I was irritated by your lackadaisical martial arts, I was impressed by how you powered through your fatigue and injuries to help your comrades fight. That perseverance will no doubt save lives in the future. Especially if you focus on your telepathic and telekinetic powers. I saw you save your comrades from a nasty fall a few times".
"W-Well thank you Mr-"
Piccolo turned away from her and looked down at Robin. "Robin, I don't think I need to tell you how good you are at martial arts and your physical training. I would've preferred it if I saw more of your Ki abilities but you pulled through in the end. However, it's your attitude in battle I'm struggling with" Piccolo informed bluntly.
Robin quirked an eyebrow and waited for Piccolo to clarify. Piccolo huffed and continued. "The talking. I'm referring to the talking. Your joking. The quips. At least when the battle commences, Kid Flash keeps his mouth shut… most of the time. Stop laughing and doing jokes in battle. You're just losing focus on the task at hand and creating issues for yourself and your team. I understand Batman let you do that, god knows why, but you're not doing it here and under my tutorage. Either shut up or head back to the Batcave" Piccolo threatened.
"Ouch" Kid Flash murmured.
All the kids flinched at his last sentence. They all found it to be a bit too harsh on their friend. However, Robin didn't seem affected by his words like the others. Mayhaps it was working with The Batman that allowed him to develop thicker skin or that he whole heartily agreed with Piccolo's words and understood his message. Either way, Robin gave him an unwavering nod of acknowledgment. Piccolo looked over at Superboy. "Good work on using your martial arts techniques and learning to focus that anger. I wasn't impressed with you jumping in time and time again to face Metallo while still suffering from the Kryptonite poisoning" Piccolo informed.
Superboy huffed. "They needed me to handle Metallo. They couldn't handle him on their own" Superboy flatly stated, much to his teammates' dismay.
Piccolo looked at Superboy with a questioning look. "Really? So, when you faced off against Metallo, you didn't struggle at all? Did you last longer than Aqualad and Miss Martian did? Were they thrown down the second they faced him while you 'handled' him on your own for longer?" Piccolo went on with a condescending tone.
Superboy crossed his arms and looked away, shame and anger prevalent on his face. Piccolo didn't let up. "I know you like to think Superman can power through anything and get the job done quickly and more efficiently, but there are some things he can't do alone and things he won't do. He knows his comrades can face whatever they're up against because he trusts them to pull through. He isn't there swaddling them 24/7. He lets them fight their own battles and grow as warriors. And he doesn't let his pride get in the way. Despite him being his enemy, you have never seen Superman face Metallo alone, have you? Not after he was put in the hospital. He lets his colleagues fight with him because he needs them when he's at his weakest. He lets them fight someone on his level because he trusts them to push through and secure the victory" Piccolo boasted proudly and he clenched his fist in front of him. "Do you understand what I am saying?"
Superboy looked like a trigger pull away from bursting into a furious rage. His fingers dug deep into his arms and his teeth clenched and ground together. His friends around him tensed at Superboy's reaction and Piccolo's words. The subject of Superman was still a sensitive topic for the clone, so Piccolo using it as an example was touching a raw nerve. Yet, his words hit close to home and allowed Connor to see clearly what Piccolo was talking about. Biting down his rage, Connor gave Piccolo a nod of understanding. "Crystal" he said through clenched teeth.
It was then Kaldor's turn to face Piccolo's critique. Unlike the others, Piccolo seemed to be more prideful than the others. "Your tactic of confusing the enemy was a stroke of genius, and you kept everyone's head in the game. You encouraged them to face the odds with everything they have. That is a remarkable sign of a true leader. However, a leader is only as good as the men and women he leads. When you were distracted building your attack, the team floundered without your guidance. Artemis got predictable, M'gann showed off and Superboy attacked while addled. Kid Flash and Robin functioned reasonably well, surprisingly" Piccolo offhandedly mentioned. "Most importantly, you had a plan in mind, told them, and then they processed to ignore it" Piccolo growled as he glared at his students.
They flinched at his stare. Artemis tried to defend herself but was silenced when Wally stomped on her foot. Piccolo was quick to silence the upcoming bickering as he told Kaldor sternly, "You tellthem who is in command. Do you understand?"
"I… I think I do Mr Piccolo…"
"Good. That goes for the rest of you! You voted Kaldor as your leader, meaning you all follow his-"
"It's just…" Kaldor interrupted Piccolo.
Piccolo snapped back to him, giving him a look that Kaldor interpreted as 'stop talking'. However, Piccolo said, "Go on" and ushered him to resume his question.
Kaldor swallowed nervously and continued. "…I might need… I would like some pointers. On where to begin with leadership? At least enough to help me prepare for the future" Kaldor asked.
"No."
Piccolo's quick and blunt reply knocked Kaldor off his feet but the Atlantian teen quickly caught himself. "I see…" Kaldor said with a dejected.
"Not from me. You're better off asking Canary for that. As you know, I fly solo, so team building and structure isn't really my forte" Piccolo swiftly added in.
Kaldur's face quickly summoned a smile and he nod his head in agreement. Piccolo turned to address his other students. "And that right there is what I want to see more of. Asking questions about how we do things. The more you know, the more powerful you become. Just a heads up though, I don't subscribe to the notion of 'There are no stupid questions'. You ask me something obvious or something you can find easily by yourselves, expect your next few days to be one-on-one training sessions with me" Piccolo said with a sick grin.
The thought of his last statement alone sent shivers down his students' spines. They nod at his words and took Kaldur's initiative and Piccolo's praise of it to heart. "Kid Flash" Piccolo called out.
Last but not least, Kid Flash stepped up to Piccolo with a smug look to receive his teacher's boost. Piccolo looked down at him and scoffed. "Call me Big Green again, and I will leave you in the middle of Grand Teton Reserve with fifty more kilograms on your legs".
With Kid Flash's disappointment, Piccolo took that moment to levitate off the ground and hover over his students. Without moving a muscle, the remains of Metallo levitated off of the ground and floated beside Piccolo. "Good work tonight. Head back to base and get some rest. I'll take care of the Android here. The next two days are free. Do with them as you will" and with his last words for the night, Piccolo about-face and blasted off into the night sky with a trail of white energy leaving in his wake.
After a solid minute of waiting with stoic expressions and calm stances, The Team looked at Robin and waited for him to fish an object out of his belt. Taking out a slim cylinder no longer than his hand and as wide as his finger, he pressed down on the tip and let it play a whistling noise. As soon as the whistling started, the group broke out in smiles and cheers of joy. "Hell yeah! Two days off! No training!" Kid Flash leapt into the air with a loud call.
The others shared his enthusiasm with Artemis doing the same, Miss Martian laughing and Robin fisting bumping Kaldur. Even Superboy was smiling a wide grin. Kaldur looked at his team with a happy expression. "I must admit, it's weird that we aren't celebrating our victory over Metallo" he said.
"Dude, first off, we got our butts handed to us by Metallo. Second, Metallo was a cakewalk compared to Piccolo's training. Of course we're celebrating that!" Kid Flash exclaimed.
Artemis barked out a laugh. "Training? Seriously, the C.I.A could take a few notes from Piccolo's training. I bet you can make any prisoner or terrorist talk with what he makes us do".
"Speaking of making us do. Robin, a little help buddy?" Wally begged in the most polite voice he could muster.
Robin laughed and shook his head. "No way. You dug this hole, I ain't the one that's gonna be riskin' my neck to save you. Besides, half of those are Bowley padlocks spliced with a Squire Stronghold padlock. I don't know how he did it, but unless you develop super strength soon or suck up to Piccolo, you're screwed, my friend. Capital S-screwed".
Wally whimpered in despair but lit up as a thought came to mind. He turned to Superboy with a smile but it fell when Connor turned his back on him and walked away. "I'm going back to the Cave. See you guys tomorrow" Connor called out with a lazy wave.
"Oh! Wait up Sup- I mean Connor!" M'gann flew over to Superboy, stopping briefly and slapping a palm to her forehead. "Hello Megan! Sorry guys! Almost ran off without saying goodbye! Goodnight everyone! See you all tomorrow! Sweet dreams!"
M'gann gave them a wave and continued flying next to Connor. Wally waved back at her retreating back. "Oh, I will babe" Wally said in a flirtatious tone.
"And with that disgusting note, I'm going to sleep for the next two days. Bye." Artemis unceremoniously farewelled and walked away.
"Well, I'm gonna head off too. Go work tonight guys" Robin said.
He walked off from the duo but was quickly joined by Kid Flash. "Please Robin! For the love of everything holy! Please get me out of this!" Wally begged.
As Wally and Robin walked away, Kaldur ventured over to the objects Piccolo didn't touch during his clean-up: The Team's armours. While Kaldur's armour was in good condition, the others were unsalvageable. Deciding it wasn't worth picking up the armour, as Piccolo could just summon a new set for him, Kaldur instead sought to destroy it with the others. It was for no particular reason other than to test his abilities. Kaldor thrust his hand out to the pairs of armour and summoned his Ki. His Atlantean tattoos glowed as magic and Ki fused within his body and emitted to life in the palm of his hand. The ball was a pale blue that sparked with electricity. With a roar, Kaldur threw a Ki Blast at each piece of armour.
Aquaman, his King, and Piccolo would've called him a fool for using all of his might into an attack after just recovering, but Kaldur wanted to know something. He remembered how Piccolo save him moments ago. Stopping Metallo's fists and blowing up his arm with a Ki Blast. A Ki Blast; one of the first Ki related techniques Piccolo taught them. The basic one, the bare bones. He was able to rip apart the metal of Metallo's body. Something that Superman had to put all of his power into doing. The Ki Blast was something a few of his teammates struggled to do, and those that did felt stranded while doing so. Only managing to do one or two blasts before tiring out.
Kaldur just performed six in a tired state. Bit of the road beneath the armours were charred and chipped, while the pieces of The Team's armour were scattered and alit in flames. Kaldur was forced to take a knee as the energy to create the Blasts took its toll on him. On his knees, panting and gaining his breath, one thought went through his mind. Looking towards the burning pieces of armour, some of which looked to be undamaged, Kaldur frowned. He remembered Piccolo tearing through Metallo's arm with the same technique, and how was now Kaldur was struggling to destroy something that was just made of compressed steel. Looking at the blemished armour, that thought burned more brightly in his head. 'I… We… We have a long way to go yet…'.
Thank you for reading the first chapter of Learning the Ropes. As the name of the chapter suggests, this is a pilot chapter for the story, just a taste of what is in store in the future. Expect the next chapter to be explaining in depth why Piccolo is here in the DC Universe and how he became the teacher of The Team.
If you so wish, support me Pat r e on to receive chapters early and to see sneak peeks of developing chapters. This chapter was on my Pat r e on for the past week. I upload at least once a week. I'm also making SFM projects as well, so if you want to see some, head over to my YouTube channel to check them out. Same name as this account.
Pat r e on /TheAlamore
Once again, thank you all for reading and look forward to the next chapter: Piccolo Junior: First Flight