|Swiss Alpines
|June 28th, 11:30 EDT
|2010
Piccolo was peacefully meditating a few hundred kilometres away from where first landed on this planet. Over the Italian border and in the French canton of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The land was much like his home back on Earth. Not as warm as it was but to make up for it there were fewer people. There were small villages and tourist attractions dotted throughout the surrounding mountains and valleys, but none of the tourists or locals come near Piccolo's Mountain. One of the higher, less hospitable and unapproachable mountains was Piccolo's home turf. One of the warmer mountains covered in rich vibrant grasses and tall trees, annoyingly frequented by wild goats and deer. He did enjoy their company from time to time but not when they were constantly eating his garden to the bone. Which he was hearing one doing now.
With a frustrated growl, he threw his hand back and launched a small Ki ball down the mountain and towards his home. A smirk appeared on his face when he heard the Ki ball smack onto the side of the goat eating from his garden, causing the Ibex to yelp and run away. He huffed and shook the grin from his face. He took a deep breath and regained focus, ready to enter back into his meditative state. It was crushed yet again when a blaring ring interrupted him.
It was the ringing coming from his phone back down to his home. A state-of-the-art phone developed by STAR Industries that can receive calls from anywhere across the world. Even from the most remote environments like Piccolo's. The only reason he would ever receive a call was when the Justice League needed his help. With an annoyed huff, Piccolo unfolded himself and flew down to his home. After a quick journey, Piccolo landed by the entrance of his homemade lot.
Much like his house back home, the one here was a large Namekian-styled building. A shell-like design with large horns atop the small second-story room located above the entrance of the house. Unlike his original home, there was more than one building. There were three more structures around his house. The building on the right was a complete copy of his home. It was the guest house, formally his old pupil's home. Left of his house was a wider Namekian-styled building that housed the power generator and the Zeta Teleporter. Both are powered by his Ki. However, being the lone wolf that he was, he barely powered the teleporter up unless Batman or Piccolo's ex-pupil wanted to visit. The last remaining house was the smallest of them all; his greenhouse. It was beside his large garden, a hobby he took up at the behest of his pupil. Her reasoning was mental enrichment and to provide something for her to eat other than dehydrated food, wild fruit and animals.
Piccolo quickly studied the garden, finding the goat from before had gotten into broccoli and had eaten two heads of it. He grumbled and headed towards his house. Entering inside, it was just as spartan as his original, save the bigger and blockier phone. Piccolo pressed the answer button on the phone and another button to turn on the speaker. "Speak" he dully said.
"Hey Piccolo! How are you doing?" The voice of none other than Superman came over the speaker.
Piccolo rolled his eyes and walked over to his chair. "I'm fine. Why did you call?" Piccolo asked.
"Charming as always Piccolo. I've called to remind you about the meeting up on the Watchtower in about half an hour. It's an important one, so please be there on time" Superman emphasized.
Piccolo took a seat and rubbed his brow in irritation. "I already heard about it from Dinah and Diana. This better not be another U.N representative meeting. I've told them and I've told you all I'm not a part of the Justice League".
"I know- I know! You're a subsidiary of the League- You partner up with us in tough situations- Your actions don't represent the League, etcetera, etcetera. No, Piccolo. This isn't another U.N meeting, but it does involve you. As an affiliate with the League, the actions dictated in this meeting matter as much to you as it does to us" Superman explained.
Piccolo huffed. "What's the meeting about?"
"Confidential. Highly confidential. Batman's orders".
Superman's statement got a rise out of Piccolo. He instantly stopped slogging on his chair and lent upright. There were a few in the League who could garner great respect from Piccolo than Batman. The man for professional to a fault, didn't tolerate any sort of playful banter or flowery words. The man said it as is. Cut, dry and to the point. Just how Piccolo liked it. Then there was the man's discipline. A great martial arts practitioner and warrior you see once in a generation. He struck that perfect balance of physical power and mental strength. The brains to use his body effectively in and out of combat. Something that a few members of the Justice League sorely lacked. These factors alone made Piccolo genuinely respect and favour Batman. Still, Piccolo was a bit miffed about Batman refusing his offer of training him. The man's staunch need to protect his city day and night from crooks that should've been put down long ago kept him from finding the time to train. "Is it that serious?" Piccolo genuinely asked.
"Not life threatening or end of the world like, I can assure you on that. It is still serious business. I would really like you to be there. Batman feels the same way, as does Dianah".
"Including Queen? What about Jordan or Hol or Hall? Half of the damned League?" Piccolo sceptically asked.
"…With some convincing" Superman sheepishly replied.
"As in they're convinced to have me there, or do you or I need to convince him of whatever you have planned for me?"
"Neither. That will be for us to do if you agree to what we'll propose".
Piccolo signed. "I'm not going to like what I'm going to hear aren't I?"
"Depends… I think you might like it. I'd do it if I were in your position".
"And you and I are so alike?" Piccolo joked.
It would be a stretch to call his tone joking. It still had his trademarked gruff and stern tone. Fortunately, The Man of Steel had spent enough time around him to pick up his tone. "Ha! Yeah, silly me! Anyway, properly boring you enough already so I'll just cut to the chase. Please Piccolo, can you please come to this meeting?"
Piccolo honestly didn't want to. Unless it was to do with a crisis threatening Earth, Piccolo rarely wanted anything to do with the League. It originally stemmed from not wanting to form attachments for when he eventually returned home, to morphing into plain old apathy. Just like the Z Warriors back home, the League was formed out of a necessity to defend their homes from the evils that wished to have them subjugated or destroyed. Unlike the Z Warriors, however, the League didn't have what it takes to defend their homes.
The Z Warriors were always training and improving, learning new skills and talents for self-growth and to better their fighting potential. Even when there wasn't an obvious threat, they still trained and strive for improvement. The League weren't like that at all. They trained yes but only to the bare minimum. Only Batman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman and Dinah trained constantly and pushed themselves to the limits because of their superpowered counterparts or because they were raised to constantly fight. The others were the ones that irritated Piccolo to no end. They truly believe their powers were the pinnacle and need no refinement. They only pushed themselves when they encountered an enemy that could match them in strength or wit. Even then when that enemy lay defeated, they reverted back into atrophy and truly thought they couldn't be topped. Their victories got to their head. They always underestimated their opponents. That was something Piccolo was more than willing to prove to be their downfall.
There were a few skirmishes between Piccolo and the League that left a bit of bad blood between him and some of their members. Piccolo only did so to prove a point that there is always someone more powerful than them and that they had to train past their limits to be better heroes and to save those they love from people less lenient than Piccolo. Some like Wonder Woman and Superman saw what he was showing and agreed while others simply saw him as a bully. To say this made encounters with them somewhat tense was an understatement. So the fact that The Big Three: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, are going to propose something to him without the rest of the League's knowledge about his presence at the meeting meant it was something big. Something important.
Piccolo spent a few seconds mauling his thoughts over and told Superman: "Yeah, don't worry. I'll be there".
"Great! We'll see you there Piccolo!" Superman cheered before he hung up.
Piccolo ended the call on his end and slumped back into the chair with a sign. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He rarely allowed himself to find comfort in his chair as he thought a soft surface made for a soft mind. Too many creature comforts made one complacent and needy. However, he reasoned that he should treat himself just this once to prepare for the eventual headache he was about to walk into. 'A meeting with the League…' Piccolo grumbled mentally. 'Just remember, Batman arranged this and invited you to come. He wouldn't drag you- or ask Superman to beg for you to come unless it was absolutely necessary or important.'
Piccolo sat there in comfortable silence. Soaking in the soft and serene noise of his home and the mountains. It only lasted for a few moments before he heard the goat was back eating the watermelons this time.
|Star City
|June 28th, 11:50 EDT
|2010
The afternoon rush hour hit Star City big time as downtown was turned into a warzone. The city's residential hero, Green Arrow, was currently in the thick of it between two villains. Just his luck that these two recurring adversaries, Dark Archer and Prometheus, had sought an alliance to finally put him into the ground. They weren't having any luck so far but they were cutting it real close.
Dark Arrow had gotten some decent shots on him and Prometheus had broken his bow and forced him to use his foldable one. Not as powerful or versatile as his main one but it would serve for now. Green Arrow was constantly on the move. He tried his best to keep the fighting to downtown but with his supplies dwindling he had to move on to other districts to access the hidden caches he placed all around the city. Of course, this wouldn't have been an issue if someone from the Justice League would actually come and helped. Too bad all of them were busy traversing the upcoming meeting to help out. Green Arrow's musings fell when one of Dark Arrow's explosive arrows hit the roof support below him and caused him to fall through it.
Quick thinking saved his life. He grabbed a thick foam arrowhead and shot it at the ground. The foam made an excellent cushion for him to fall into and roll out of. He ran down an alleyway just as he heard Prometheus jump down from the rooftops. Green Arrow looked up to see the man's gauntlets dig into the walls of the surrounding building to slow his descent. Green Arrow quickly shot a stun arrow at him but it was intercepted by Dark Arrow's own. "Damn it!" Green Arrow hissed.
He ran back into an open street. Thankfully it was void of any civilians or police officers. Green Arrow ordered the police to stay well away from Dark Arrow and Prometheus. They both weren't afraid of killing officers just for the sake of it. Green Arrow rushed into the street just as Prometheus was catching up to him. His high-tech suit enhances his physical abilities to the point he was superhuman. Green Arrow stopped and faced off against him. Above the buildings, Green Arrow saw Dark Arrow load an arrow in his bow and aimed at him. Green Arrow thought about dodging but his thoughts were interrupted by the cries of an angel.
An ear-pounding scream so powerful you could see it ripple the air blasted under Dark Arrow's feet. He was thrown back and temporarily out of commission. Prometheus had stopped his charge and stared up in the air. Green Arrow did the same and smiled when he saw Black Canary standing over them. Atop a building on the opposite side of the street, she stood defiant and glared towards the villain. With a loud and confident voice, she boomed, "Prometheus! You have one chance to stand down. If you don't, we'll do this the hard way- and trust me- you do not want the hard-"
Quicker than Green Arrow could perceive, a rocket barrel popped out of Prometheus' gauntlet. He whipped his arm towards Carnary and shot an explosive 40mm fragmentation grenade at Canary. Green Arrow didn't have time to intercept it with an arrow. The munition aimed to embed itself into Canary's torso. Just centimetres before it could, Canary snatched the munition out of the air. Canary sighed in pity. "Hard way then" she huffed as she dropped the munition.
Her face suddenly tensed and she let out a loud cry. It wasn't a Canary Cry. It was a roar to unleash her full power. The air bellowed around her and shot outwards as she manifested a dark blue aura that surrounded her form like a bright flame. Her eyes homed in on Prometheus and she bounced. He leapt off the roof, but instead of falling, she flew. Just as quick as Superman, Black Canary flew low to the ground and charged him. Prometheus prepared for an impact and thought about trying to put her in a chokehold after her tackle. A foolish assumption as Black Canary easily saw his plan and improvised. Fulling using her ability to fly, she suddenly stopped before Prometheus and twisted her body to perform a roundhouse kick. Prometheus was launched into a shop window with a loud crash.
Canary landed next to Green Arrow. He had to hold his hood down as she didn't ease the aura around her. Canary flashed him a brief smile before a bolt from Dark Arrow uselessly bounced off her head and made her return focus to the task at hand. "I've got 'Theus, recon you can handle Dark Arrow?" she asked.
"I don't know, you sure you don't need help?" Green Arrow cheekily asked.
Canary huffed and gave him a playful stinkeye. "What? Just askin'" Green Arrow laughed.
With that, the duo split and attacked their targets. Green Arrow engaged with Dark Arrow in a battle of attrition. Pelting arrows and projectiles at each other in the hopes of knocking one out of balance for a takedown. Meanwhile, Canary rushed to Prometheus' position. The criminal leapt out of the store window at a blinding speed. Canary met him halfway with a haymaker. Prometheus rose his hands to block her punch and they collided with a massive boom. Canary heard Prometheus grunt in exhaustion. She kept on the offensive with a flurry of rapid gaps and kicks. A mix of boxing and kickboxing styles flew from her form at such speed that Prometheus struggled to keep up. However, struggling did not mean failing. Eventually, Canary's violent dance had a gap that he exploited. A quick hook knocked Canary off balance and the positions switched. Now Prometheus was on the offensive and he had more tricks up his sleeve. Powering his gauntlets to their max strength, he created an opening in Canary's defence and ceased her throat. He gripped hard. Hard enough to cut off her airway. Yet, disputing having a look of surprise, Canary didn't panic. Canary tried to pry his hands away but instead used her hands to block Prometheus' blows to her torso. Prometheus kept up the pressure in the hopes of Canary choking out in a few seconds.
Canary opened her mouth. Prometheus didn't fear nor moved to stop her. He knew that without air to exhale, Canary couldn't hit him with a Canary Cry. However, he didn't account for the fact Ki didn't need oxygen to operate. A swirl of dark blue energy amassed in Canary's mouth. Prometheus' face and torso were blasted by a powerful surge of Ki. The beam knocked him to the floor and pushed him through the street, leaving a trench in his wake. His armour was slightly warped and smoky from Canary's blast. When he came to a stop, he flipped out and prepared for an attack. To his surprise, Canary just stood there. She hadn't moved an inch, holding her position with a hand on her hip and a cocky smile. With a 'come at me' hand gesture from Canary, Prometheus ran at full sprint towards her. He was silent as he charged her though his posture screamed of rage. Opposite to his, Canary had an indifferent look. Boarding on cocky. Hands still on her hips, she waited for Prometheus to throw that right hook she knew he was going to throw. Just as he was going to clock her in the face, she'd block it with a lazy backhand then perform an upper-
"What are you doing?!"
A loud, gruff and familiar voice frightened Canary and took her out of the fight. Enough time for Prometheus to connect a brutal right hook into her cheek. Canary was in a daze as pain shot through her head and the world spun. She was knocked off her feet and thrown onto the ground with a loud crash. She was forced into a roll which Prometheus took advantage of by kicking her in the stomach. She was further stunned and tossed down the street. She rolled with her momentum and staggered onto her feet. She was then met with a boot to the face by a flying kick courtesy of Prometheus. He was relentless in his attacks. Scoring strike after strike against a defenceless Canary till she recovered with a panicked Ki blast. She crossed her arms before her, opening her palms towards Prometheus and uncrossing them in a swift motion. A cross of Ki energy whipped out and lashed at Prometheus. He blocked the whips but the power Canary funneled into them had a lot of kickback. Prometheus again was thrown back into the street.
Canary took a few quick breaths, spitting out blood and looking upwards. Hoving in the air was her ex-teacher, Piccolo. The Nameikan looked down at her with a cross look. He lowered himself down and landed beside her. His hulking figure was intimidating, doubly so with his signature scowl, but Canary was not affected by it. She was used to it. Scowl and all. "Did you hear me? I ask-"
Their ears picked up a wooshing noise. Two arrows fast approaching them. Without looking they got rid of Dark Arrow's projectiles. Canary yanked the arrow just before it hit her and threw it back at Dark Arrow while Piccolo mentally disintegrated the arrow targeted at him. Canary's reflected arrow, a concussion-tipped head, knocked Dark Arrow out of cover, allowing Green Arrow to get the drop on him and begin disarming him.
Canary's focus returned to Piccolo. Uneasily, she replied. "I was toying with him. Breaking down his-"
"Confidence? His morale? Space me the drivel Canary. I taught you to go for the takedown. No flashy moves or this attrition bullcrap. You take your opponent down whenever the opportunity presents it" Piccolo hammered in.
Canary eyed the perfect opportunity right then and there as Prometheus emerged out of another crater. He looked back to see his partner being taken down by Green Arrow. The hero was too preoccupied with tying up the enemy archer to notice Prometheus staring at him. Figuring Green Arrow was a quick and easy target, Prometheus aimed to shoot Green Arrow. Canary stepped forward and prevented that.
Canary's aura flared out as she took in a deep breath. Prometheus noticed the change in the air and snapped back to Canary. With her lungs filled to capacity, Canary let it all out with a mighty cry!
"Kahea Kanari!"
Instead of the usual warped rings of her Canary Cry, these were instead bright halos of dark blue energy. Her Ki intermingled with her Canary Cry. A deadly combination that she was sending directly towards Prometheus. He panicked, launching his weapons, from small firearm rounds to miniature rockets, at her in desperation. As soon as the munitions passed the rings, they disintegrated. They didn't explode or bounce elsewhere, they simply turned to dust. Prometheus panicked and crossed his arms to shield himself. Canary again pulled a fast one on him and split her Cry in two. The split sonic sound wrapped around Prometheus' side and collided together with the villain in the middle. Prometheus cried in shock and pain as his armour chipped and crumbled while Ki energy surged through his body. The circuits in his suit fired and the munitions cooked. Fortunately, Prometheus was smart enough to apply a thick bit of armour between his body and his ammunition. The end results still disarmed Prometheus and even terminally paralysed him. When the light show of Carnary's move died down, Prometheus was left standing with a crooked posture. His armour was charred and warped with stray sparks flying out from it. Canary heard a few ragged breaths come out of his helmet before a groan silenced them. The lights on his armour dimmed and shut off. His body crumbled onto the ground defeated.
Out of the smoke came Green Arrow with his nemesis tied over his shoulder. The hero spent a moment giving Piccolo the stinkeye before throwing Dark Arrow atop his partner. Thus ended the villains of Green Arrow's brief alliance and battle.
Green Arrow walked towards Canary, patting his hand together as he did so to shake off the dust and rubble. "Well, not gonna lie, it was getting a little bit…" Green Arrow's words fell into silence when he saw Canary's attention was elsewhere away from him.
She had turned her attention to Piccolo. He walked up beside her with his scowl slightly elevated. "Good work with your technique. I was afraid you weren't going to power it down once it hit Prometheus" Piccolo praised.
Canary smirked. "I told you I've been practising on my Ki control. Come on Piccolo, you need to have more faith in me"
"Always have" Piccolo hummed.
"Well, this reunion has me in tears" Green Arrow sarcastically drawled.
Canary and Piccolo turned to Green Arrow, who himself turned his attention to Piccolo. "And what are you doing here?" Green Arrow asked in a gruff tone.
Piccolo responded equally. "Attending a meeting with your little club. Sensed my pupil-"
"Ex-pupil" Green Arrow hissed.
Piccolo wasn't fazed by his tone, though he did spy Canary reacting with an embarrassed look. Piccolo rolled his eyes and continued. "I sensed Canary and I wanted to see how she progressed in my absence".
"Well, as you can see, she's walking, breathing on her own and eating solid food. I say your absence has done wonders for her" Green Arrow rustled.
Canary broke out of her shamed state and moved towards Green Arrow. Her hand latched onto Green Arrow's right forearm and she gripped hard. Green Arrow winced and turned to Canary, who had a stern glare directed at him. She said two words so laced with hidden threats that even Piccolo was startled into blinking. "Drop it".
Green Arrow narrowed his brow. He spared a glance at Piccolo before returning it to Canary. With a sigh, he wisely relented. "Hm, fine," he said through clenched teeth.
The immediate tension somewhat eased but was still there. A cold hostility hovered between Piccolo and Green Arrow with Canary caught in the middle and acting as a mediary. "You know, if it wasn't for what I learnt from Piccolo, you would've been seriously hurt today" Canary highlighted.
Green Arrow scoffed. "Why? You were here. We both could've handled it".
"Not with the way she was acting" Piccolo gruffly stated.
Green Arrow's heated glare returned. "Don't you have someplace else to be?" he snapped.
Piccolo hummed. "Yes actually. We're needed at the Watchtower in a few minutes" Piccolo informed.
Green Arrow's face lit up with surprise. "Really, you'll be there. God, and here I was hoping the meeting wouldn't be crap" he cursed.
Piccolo ignored Green Arrow's remarks and picked up on sirens in the distance. The local surveillance must've seen them finish up the fight and come to wrap things up. Piccolo turned away from the hero duo and walked away. "I'll leave you two alone to deal with this mess. I'll be at the Watchtower. Try not to be late" Piccolo quipped.
With two fingers on his forehead and a concentrated look, Piccolo vanished into thin air.
Piccolo did not sit idly by during his 7-year imprisonment in this dimension. Piccolo had explored all that he could. From around the globe to outer space, Piccolo mastered the one technique that allowed him easy travel to and from those distant lands. Mastery of the Instant Transmission was a long but fruitful journey. Many mistakes like teleporting halfway through a wall and into space were encountered plenty and part in parcel to learning just an advanced technique, but stubbornness and perseverance won in the in. Now Piccolo could Instant Transmission wherever he saw fit. Like right in the Watchtower's lavertries.
|The Watchtower
|June 28th, 12:55 EDT
|2010
Piccolo fazed right beside Zatara. The wizard was in the middle of washing his hands before jumping back in shock. "MY GOS- Piccolo?! Damn it Piccolo! What are you- Why did you teleport here?!" Zatara exclaimed.
Piccolo gave him a sideways glance. "Good to see you too" he drawled. "I'm here for the meeting".
"No, I mean why are you here? With me, in the bathroom! Why did you teleport to me?! I could've been in the middle of… you know?!" Zatara bellowed.
Piccolo sighed and rolled his eyes. "I chose you because you were convenient. If I didn't, I would've been stuck with Green Arrow at the Zata-Tube or I would've chosen either the Hawks or the Captain to Instant Transmission to" Piccolo flatly pointed out.
Piccolo didn't have a good history with either Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Captain Atom or pretty much half of the League's members. Confrontations in the past have soiled their relationships and Zatara understood that completely. The man sighed and mumbled. "Far point, though I am a bit miffed that I am now a 'convenience' to you".
Piccolo smirked. "Now, who was it that always asked me to restore artifacts and summon magical objects on a near-monthly basis? The name keeps escaping me-"
Zatara rose his hands in surrender. "Alright-alright. I take it back" Zatara said with a mirthful grin.
Piccolo shook his head. His ears twitched as he picked up a distance sound. "The Lanterns have arrived. Can I count on you to keep the others at bay?" Piccolo asked.
Zatara gave him a firm nod. "Always".
Piccolo didn't really need his help physically holding back the others but Zatara did wonders playcating them to a point Piccolo could never achieve. After waiting for Zatara to finish up, they both made their way out of the bathroom, through a hallway and out to the main foyer of the Watchtower. The massive windows that made up the walls of the foyer allowed the tower's occupants to look down at the planet they all swore to protect. Right now they were orbiting past the Northern Hemisphere. Over the north pole which was experiencing a dark night but bathed in the shimmering lights of an aurora borealis. A wonderful and breathtaking sight of those planetside. For the Justice League and Piccolo, it was just another Tuesday.
Two figures were present among Piccolo and Zatara. Earth's two Green Lanterns: Hal Jordan and John Steward. Both Lanterns noticed Piccolo and, after a brief moment of surprise, levelled glares at him. One more heated than the other. The latter was Jordan. The man still held a firm grudge over what Piccolo did at Oah, even when no one was truly hurt in the end. Steward wasn't present at the time but still thought negatively of Piccolo after hearing what had happened from Jordan and the other Lanterns. Piccolo wasn't fazed by their glares. Instead, he turned away from them after the Zeta-Tube whirled to life.
Recognised: Batman – 0-2
The Zeta-Tube's computer announced as the light within it glowed brighter and brighter till the Dark Knight manifested out of it. With his cape draped over his form, Batman moved out of the dying Zeta-Tube like a passing shadow. The way he marched out was filled with purpose and attention. He was alert to everything and anything around him. Immidtiely his pupilless eyes snapped to Piccolo, then to Zatara and the Green Lanterns. He made his way over them. Piccolo and Batman met each other's gaze. A silent greeting flashed between them before a verbal one.
"Piccolo"
"Batman"
And that was all that needed to be said. Batman turned to the rest. "Zatara, Green Lanterns. I trust we can be amicable during this meeting" Batman said.
He spoke with a monotone tone but the authority was front and center. A message sent loudly and clearly: behave. Steward gave Batman a nod while Jordon bristled at the sentence. "Depends on what he does" Jordon flashed a brief look at Piccolo.
"Behaving myself" Piccolo huffed.
"Good. Shall we?" Batman butted in.
Easily defusing the situation, Batman led the group towards the main conference room. Through the main hall chiselled out of stone and through a massive titanium door, they emerged onto a large room with a one-way window looking outwards into space. In the centre of the room was a long conference table. The surface was polished marble with metal outlines and strips woven throughout it. Across the centre of the table were several half globes shining a white light. Hologram projectors. All of them were activated and displaying a number of screens projecting a variety of information. Piccolo ignored the holo-screens and their users. The Thanagarians were discussing with fellow Justice League member Captain Atom. The subjects of what was lost on Piccolo. It wasn't his business so he ignored them. Even when they levelled disapproving glares at his presence.
Piccolo's attention was instead focused on his place in the meeting. Along the sides of the table were padded swivel chairs bolted into place. All sides except one. On the end of the table pointing towards the doors was a plastic fold-out chair. A cheap one at that. A mirthful look Zatara confirmed whose seat that was. "I see you pulled out all the stops for me" Piccolo drawled.
"Only the best" Zatara chuckled.
Batman called out through the room. "The meeting will begin soon. Please find your seats".
The heroes present followed suit. Piccolo sat on his designated seat and, when feeling the plastic almost split and give way, chose to hover a multimeter above it. Zatara sat to his left while the Lanterns sat two chairs away from Zatara. To Piccolo's right, a good four chairs were spaced between him and the Hawks. Captain Atom had a chair between them. It wasn't long before those chairs were filled. Members of the Justice League filed in one after the other. Piccolo knowing who would walk through the door long before they do. The damned Zeta-Tube was too loud for its own good.
Red Tornado, Aquaman, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman arrived and took their places. Nearly all of them voiced their surprise at Piccolo's attendance. Red Tornado was the exception as the expressionless Android knew that any expression of surprise or dissatisfaction towards the Namekian would be met with indifference to downright disregard, so he didn't bother wasting energy. Wonder Woman gave Piccolo a pleasant greeting, Captain Marvel gave him a nervous one and Aquaman a courteous one. Right after the King of Atlantis came Green Arrow and Canary. Piccolo could hear them arguing about an argument. Apparently Canary wanted Green Arrow to drop it at the Zeta-Tube but the archer didn't have the smarets to not bring it back up after the crossing.
Canary managed to shut him up with a heated glare just as they walked into the eyesight of the others. Canary sat right beside Piccolo's right with Green Arrow reluctantly seating next to her. The archer rested his elbow on the table and leant his head on his palm. He was deliberately facing away from Canary and Piccolo. A wooshing noise came from behind Piccolo. He sensed Superman had flown from the door and toward's Piccolo's side. "Piccolo! Good to see you made it. And early too" he praised.
Piccolo met his eyes with a dissatisfied look. "Trust me, I'm regretting it as soon as I saw the chair".
Superman laughed. "Well, you always go on that soft comforts make soft minds and bodies. I thought the chair was a perfect fit " Superman pat him on the shoulder.
Piccolo grumbled and looked away. He let the Man of Steel have the last laugh as Superman made his way to the front of the conference table. Just as he took his seat, Martian Manhunter arrived. He too was surprised by Piccolo's presence. "Piccolo? How serious is this meeting?" he asked aloud.
Piccolo shrugged while everyone else turned to The Big Three. Wonder Woman and Superman shared a look between them while Batman answered. "There is no immediate danger if that is what you're referring to. This, however, is a serious matter that will be discussed when the meeting begins" he explained.
Satisfied with the answer, the Manhunter took his seat. Only one Member remained unaccounted for. One that had them waiting for five minutes for them to arrive. Just when everyone began to think he wouldn't arrive, The Flash burst through the door. A sheepish look was on his masked face as everyone looked at him. "Ahhh… I'm late again, aren't I?" he giggled nervously.
Some Leauge members sighed and shook their heads in disappointment. Piccolo's ear caught Hawkwoman sighing under her breath saying mockingly "Fastest Man in the World". Piccolo couldn't help but smirk at her comment.
In a blink of an eye, Flash ran to his chair and took his seat. Finally, all of the Justice League members were here and accounted for. Batman struck a few keys on his holo-keyboard. Piccolo heard the doors close behind him and the numerous clicks and clangs as their locks engaged. A holographic red light flashed above the table. Signifying the room was being recorded. Once the recording was set, Batman rose from his seat. "This meeting is now in secession. I remind everyone here that the room is locked till the proceedings are finished. The doors will reopen only during a recess, the conclusion of the meeting or an emergency" Batman informed.
Batman returned to his seat. After giving the room some time to digest Batman's words, Superman spoke up. "This special meeting is one of great importance. The agenda of which, as you all could guess, involves the Justice League associate: Piccolo Jr."
A few side-eyed glances were sent Piccolo's way, yet he did not react to any of them. He remained firm and set with his arms crossed and his undivided attention posted on the ones talking. Wonder Woman was up next. "The subject of this meeting also affects the future of the Justice League and its ability to protect the law and order of the world. The safety of all its people from both terrestrial and extraterrestrial dangers. Be they man-made or environmental".
She stuck a few keys on the holographic keyboard. The air above the table was awash with multiple screens of varying sizes displaying numerous different objects, tables, paragraphs, graphics and images. Piccolo scanned as many as he could. He recognised some of the screens showing events he'd been an eyewitness to. Wotan escaping his imprisonment, the 2007 global floods, the Belle Reve mass outbreak, the Gotham Fires and many-many more. Accompanying these images was information about them. Their cause and effects. "Displayed here are response events between natural disasters, and confrontations between rouge metahumans and other dangerous individuals. Accompanying them is information pertaining to collateral damage, economic, social and environmental damage, Justice League member injuries, and civilian injuries… and deaths" Batman grimly stated.
His last words had a profound effect on the League members. Anger and shame flashed through some while others held a saddened look. Captain Marvel in particular was distraught under his attempted stern façade. Piccolo took pity on the boy. Under the Courage of Achilles and the Wisdom of Solomon, there still is a boy too young for this line of work. Sensing the aura among the Members, Superman rose from his seat. "We don't hold anyone accountable for what happens on the field outside of our abilities. We are not perfect. We have and will fail. We do what we can, when we can and to the best of our abilities. Sometimes however… our best isn't enough" Superman sighed.
Wonder Woman picked up Superman's words. "The number of villains and League opponents are on the rise. And with it an increase in natural disasters and societal turmoil".
A few keystrokes brought up a large line graph before the League. Wonder Woman explained. "…Here are the numbers for the inmates within maximum security prisons and meta-human penitentiaries the League has placed there at the beginning of the 21st century". The graph was low at the beginning, near the 10s and 20s. "… and this is the present day" the graph shot up to the 150s.
"And these numbers are continuing to grow by the hour. Every day, another man picks up a gun and takes what he wants. Every day, more meta-humans are discovering their powers and using them for their own greed and ambitions. Each one influences the other to do so. Regular humans corrupting or pressuring a meta-human to commit crimes or a meta-human using their abilities to form a gang filled with petty criminals wanting a piece of the action. For a chance of riches or violent outlets," Batman described.
"Belle Reve had to be recommissioned as a Meta prison, and there are talks in the U.S senate about commissioning another one to be placed in New Mexico" Superman explained.
"Everyone here knows full well another prison won't help the situation" Hawkwoman declared.
"I concur. However, there is not much the U.S government can do about the situation at this present moment" Red Tornado spoke. "Increased first response resources have little to no effect. The recent push for non-meta-human Helplines and Television advertisements showcasing meta-humans as monsters have had the opposite effect. The only positive act the government has done is focusing on community outreach and youth programs. These programs across the states have managed to dissuade large swaths of adolescents and their families from becoming criminals, however, these programs do not target adults with older offspring. That is a large percentage of the American people that the government has tried and failed to persuade away from criminal actions" Red Tornado lectured.
"I doubt any world government can stop the numbers of natural disasters happening because of these criminals" Aquaman called out.
"Brilliant segway Aquaman, as this is are next point" Superman praised. "Just last year, the amount of natural disasters like storms, tornados, tsunamis and other catastrophic events orchestrated by magical users or environmental manipulating meta-humans has raised by 120 per cent" Superman described.
Piccolo huffed at this. Hearing it brought back annoying memories. It was every other day Piccolo's meditation was spoiled by some trigger-happy moron who thought it was a wonderful idea to change the weather by shooting bowling ball-sized hail down on the world. Piccolo's musings were interrupted when Superman continued. "The amount of damage these freak weather conditions do to civilian infrastructure is astronomical. A majority of taxpayer money is now given to rebuilding ruined infrastructure and damage public spaces. Distribution to global trade has increased the cost of living two times over. And then there are the multiple food crises all over the world when this happens. I don't know about you, but potato plants don't grow well when fist-sized ice hails slam into them going 80m/ph" Superman said.
"Despite the rising issues, the League has overcome them and maintained law and order. However, I think it is time we become less passive in these matters" Batman said then brought up a few screens featuring Piccolo. "The next information involves threats and events where Piccolo was an active participant in rectifying the issue".
More and more scenes appeared. Each one shows Piccolo in a variety of situations. From battling a villain, using his Aura to stop a tidal wave, flying in the air above a burning forest with terrified children clinging to his arms, to him sitting on a downed supervillain with a bored and grumbly look. Batman pointed out to the screens. "Drastic improvements across the board. Life expectancy for civilians is tripled. Confrontations only last a few minutes with minimal collateral damage and distribution to everyday life. Not to mention the constant insistents to take the fight away from populated areas".
"The most prudent piece out of all of this is Piccolo's proactiveness. Multiple world-ending events and major catastrophes orchestrated behind the scenes and out of our line of sight were thwarted by Piccolo. He sensed them and made an effort to stop them. He has saved many lives and the world many times over" Wonder Woman informed.
"Except when they're a villain" Green Arrow sarcastically remarked.
Canary roughly elbowed his side and glared at him. Piccolo huffed and tried his best to ignore the others giving him looks. Piccolo's history with the most deplorable villains wasn't a clean one. Evil and vile men and women considered by most to be nothing more than rabid animals were put down like one by his own hands. Actions that the League heavily frowned upon, even though most of which the League had to admit the world was better without said villains. Though those days of taking a life by his own hands were long gone, the stain of his actions was all that the League could see. Superman stuttered a bit before changing the subject. "There are plenty of other issues we can touch on, but the main caveat is that we need to take a page out of Piccolo's book: be more proactive. We need to because the villains are becoming harder and smarter"
Flash shrugged his shoulders. "We can do that or Piccolo could pull his thumb out his butt and join the League and-"
"No" Batman curtly interrupted. "Everyone present here wore the masks, the uniforms and their symbols by choice. All of you had a choice to use your abilities for the great good. You chose acts of heroism and valour. All of you are here, in this room, on this station, holding your Justice League membership cards, by choice. None of us forced the other to join. We try to convince them to join, saying they can bring great peace with their abilities, save lives, protect people and make tomorrow a greater day. No one was forced here or pressured into doing so. The same level of courtesy we gave to everyone here, we've done that with Piccolo. We'd shown him what he can do if he joins us. However, he hasn't chosen to be a hero, and he has given us reasons that I can respect. He went further and met us halfway. He became a subsidiary of the League. Only called on when the situation is dire. I respect that choice as I have done with everyone else in this room" Batman sternly explained.
"That… being said" Superman stood up.
Unlike his strong and comforting deminer from before, this one was grimacing and looking quite uncomfortable. Piccolo quirked his brow. He then noticed Wonder Woman sharing the same look as Superman. Batman had the same flat face. The man had schooled his face to the point not even a gunshot to the chest would change his stern expression. Superman looked to Piccolo. "This meeting… was arranged to present to you a proposal. A proposal that all of us must vote on whether or not to go ahead with it if you agree to do it"
Wonder Woman rose from her seat and took over. "This proposal is one that will secure the future of the Justice League and make sure the next generation is prepared to take the mantle from us. To be better than us at everything we do. No longer will they passively perceive threats and act when the opponent has made the first move. They will act first and stop those who wish to commit great harm before they even do so"
Finally, Batman arose from his seat. With a stern and loud voice, Batman spoke directly to Piccolo. "Piccolo Jr. we are asking you to train the Justice League's proteges: Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Speedy on the ways of Ki"
By the time Piccolo registered Batman's words, the whole room erupted into chaos.