Bane roared, his massive form shaking the ground as he charged forward again. The burn was already working against him—his strength was waning, his body fighting against the very power he injected into himself. But it wasn't enough. He still had more than enough raw power to crush Samuel where he stood.

Samuel, however, had no intention of engaging in any real fight.

[Samuel used Tearful Look!]

A pair of holographic, cartoonishly teary eyes materialized in front of Bane, their exaggerated sorrow seeming to radiate disappointment.

Bane skidded to a halt, momentarily thrown off by the absurdity of it. "¿Qué—?"

Then, inexplicably, his strength dipped. His limbs felt heavier, his rage slightly duller. He clenched his fists, shaking off the feeling.

"You mock me?" he growled, taking another step forward.

[Bane's Attack and Sp. Atk fell!]

Before he could take another swing, a green energy blast slammed into his ribs, knocking him back. The Bioship, still hovering invisibly above, was doing its job.

Bane gritted his teeth, pushing himself up. He charged again.

[Samuel used Tearful Look!]

The holographic eyes reappeared, shimmering with false sadness.

Bane snarled as the effect hit him again, his strength ebbing further. He felt it now—his attacks, once overwhelming, were getting weaker. His muscles burned from Venom's strain. It angered him. He wanted a fight. A real fight. But this? This was nothing more but a long, unworthy execution. The moment those orbs of fire hit him, it was over.

"Fight me like a man, coward!"

Samuel blinked. "No."

Another blast from the Bioship knocked Bane away again.

Bane roared in frustration. Every time he tried to strike, the ship struck first. Every second, the burn sapped his strength. Every time he tried to close the distance, Samuel weakened him even more.

Still, with sheer brute force, he finally reached him.

His fist connected, slamming into Samuel's torso with enough force to send most people flying. But Samuel… didn't even flinch.

Bane froze.

Samuel looked down at where the fist had landed, then back up at Bane.

"You're done."

[Samuel used Pound!]

It was barely an attack. A casual flick of his hand, a light tap against Bane's chest. But in his weakened state, with his body failing and his mind barely functioning through the exhaustion—

Bane collapsed. Unconscious. Defeated.

Samuel exhaled through his nose, lowering his hand. He looked down at the fallen giant, stepping past him without a second glance.

"This was a waste of my time."

[Samuel grew to level 18!]

[Samuel learned Metronome!]

Samuel finished securing Bane, binding his wrists with cuffs and placing him near the Bioship. He searched his pockets, pulling out a set of small, metallic devices—explosives, along with a detonator.

He sighed, pocketing them. Predictable.

He turned to the Bioship, placing a hand on its smooth surface. "Knock him out if he tries to do anything again."

The ship pulsed in acknowledgment. That was handled. Now, onto the others.

As he moved toward the secret entrance, he was vaguely concerned—had they gotten themselves hurt while I was dealing with this? But before he could step in further, a loud crash echoed from within the tunnel.

Samuel flicked on his flashlight and hurried inside.

What he found was the team—walking toward the exit, battered but intact. A few scrapes, some bruises, but no one looked like they were on the verge of collapse.

Robin spotted him first. "Hey, look who finally decided to show up."

"The comms were jammed," Samuel said flatly. "I had to come down myself."

Robin smirked. "Well, in case you were wondering, we picked a leader." He motioned toward Aqualad. "Kaldur's officially in charge."

Samuel barely reacted. "Okay."

Robin frowned slightly, clearly expecting something more.

Superboy, meanwhile, crossed his arms. "Where's Bane?"

"Tied up. He was planning to plant these at the entrance." Samuel pulled out the confiscated explosives, letting the team see before tucking them away again.

Superboy scoffed. "Knew he'd betray us. Hope you punched him real good."

Samuel shrugged. "Not really."

As they stepped outside, the team switched to telepathic communication, with M'gann linking their minds. The comms were still down, and this was the easiest way to talk without making noise.

[We found something] Aqualad said, his voice steady. [The Kobra cult isn't just hoarding Venom. They've combined it with something else—some kind of formula taken from Cadmus. They're making permanent super-soldiers.]

Samuel frowned. [What's 'Blockbuster'?]

[Long story] Robin cut in. [Just know it's bad news. The point is, Kobra shouldn't even have access to this stuff. Someone's been working with them.]

Samuel exhaled slowly. The sheer absurdity of this world continued to chip away at his patience.

[Great. So we figured out what's happening. Let's go home.]

Aqualad shook his head. [Not yet. We need to stop the shipment.]

Samuel narrowed his eyes. [That's not our job. We report to the League, they handle it.]

[By then, it'll be too late] Aqualad countered. [Whoever is supplying Kobra with Cadmus technology could be part of something bigger. And now, we know the shipment is meant for Sportsmaster.]

[And that's bad because…?]

Robin cut in. [Because Sportsmaster doesn't work for himself. If he's involved, then someone bigger is pulling the strings.]

Samuel sighed. [And that means you're all going to stay and try to stop it, no matter what I say.]

[Correct] Aqualad replied. [As leader, I'm making the call. This mission isn't over.]

Samuel clenched his jaw slightly but said nothing. He could just leave. He wasn't obligated to follow orders.

But if they stayed, that meant more risks. More reckless decisions. More opportunities for things to go horribly wrong.

He didn't have a choice.

[Fine] he muttered. [Let's get this over with.]

And with that, the team began forging a plan to stop the shipment.

A helicopter descended in front of the factory, its blades kicking up a storm of dust. Dozens of red-hooded figures stood in formation, surrounding the shipment. Among them, four individuals stood out—a towering, mutated brute, the cult leader draped in ceremonial robes, a woman with strikingly peculiar hair, and finally, a man clad in a gray hockey mask.

Samuel only recognized one of them. Sportsmaster. And from what little he had gathered about him, the man seemed exactly as reckless as his reputation suggested.

[Ready?] Aqualad's voice echoed in their minds.

The team gave quick confirmations, tense but prepared. Aqualad's eyes flicked toward Kid Flash.

[Go.]

In an instant, Kid Flash blurred into motion, weaving through the cultists and striking down several before they even had a chance to react.

"Go! Take the shipment!"

From his position aboard the Bioship, Samuel observed the chaos unfolding below. He still had no defined role in all of this—his job was simply to react when things inevitably went wrong.

And they would.

Kid Flash was handling the ordinary cultists with ease, dodging attacks and keeping them off balance. Superboy, meanwhile, made his entrance by slamming into the ground near the helicopter, cracking the pavement beneath him. The monstrous brute wasted no time charging at him, but before he could close the distance—

A massive stream of water surged forward, Aqualad manipulating it with practiced precision, slamming the behemoth backward and keeping him restrained.

Meanwhile, Sportsmaster had already secured the shipment and was firing at Superboy with an energy weapon. The kryptonian flinched slightly under the blasts but kept advancing. That was, until Miss Martian—who had stealthily planted Bane's confiscated explosives inside the helicopter—was suddenly grabbed.

A firm grip locked around her arm, yanking her backward. Sportsmaster's masked face tilted slightly in amusement.

"Nice try, kid," he mocked, pressing a blade to her throat.

And on the other side of the battlefield—Robin was losing. Badly.

The Kobra leader barely seemed to be exerting himself, countering Robin's every move with calculated precision. Within moments, the boy was struggling just to stay on his feet.

Samuel sighed. Here we go.

He directed the Bioship toward Miss Martian's location while deploying himself to the battlefield below. Landing with barely a sound, he found himself face to face with the Kobra leader.

A status screen flickered in his vision.

Robin, already winded, looked up in alarm. "I got this!"

He really didn't.

Kobra, unfazed, glanced at Samuel and let out a low, amused chuckle. "The Justice League sends children to do their dirty work now? How pathetic."

Samuel didn't respond immediately. He simply adjusted his stance, his eyes locked onto the man in front of him.

This would be over soon. And he can finally go back home and rest.

Samuel's eyes flicked to the status screen hovering in front of him.

Name: Jeffery Burr
Type: Poison/Dark
Level: ?
Ability: Pressure
(The opponent is put under immense stress, forcing them to expend more energy when using their abilities.)

Samuel read it twice.

"Jeffery."

It was such an… ordinary name for a cultist.

A snort almost escaped him. "Jeffery, huh? I expected something more ominous. 'Kobra' just sounds so much more dramatic."

Kobra's eye twitched.

"You dare—"

Samuel didn't let him finish.

[Samuel used Protect!]

A translucent, green shield flickered into existence just as Kobra lunged, his strike rebounding off the barrier. The force sent ripples through the air, but Samuel remained still, his expression unreadable.

Robin staggered back, gripping his ribs. "I told you—I got this!"

"Sure," Samuel said dryly.

Kobra regained his footing and exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "How arrogant."

[Jeffery exerted Pressure!]

Samuel suddenly felt the strain. Using his abilities was… draining. Each move cost more energy, like wading through thick water.

He clicked his tongue. Annoying.

[Samuel used Tearful Look!]

A pair of holographic, watery eyes flickered in front of Kobra, glowing with exaggerated sorrow. It wasn't real, of course, but the effect was—Kobra's body stiffened as his combative instincts dulled, his strength momentarily wavering.

Kobra scowled. "What is this nonsense?"

[Jeffery's Attack and Special Attack fell!]

Samuel said nothing.

Kobra rushed forward again.

[Samuel used Sand Attack!]

A sudden gust of holographic dirt and dust swirled up from no where, blinding Kobra mid-strike. The cult leader growled, staggering slightly as he rubbed at his eyes.

[Jeffery's Accuracy fell!]

Robin, now back on his feet, took the opportunity to strike. He lunged in with an acrobatic flip, aiming for Kobra's head.

But Kobra wasn't done.

The man moved, his body slipping out of Robin's reach with unnatural speed. He countered, grabbing Robin mid-air and slamming him hard against the ground.

Robin wheezed.

Samuel frowned. This was taking too long.

[Samuel used Yawn!]

A small, ghostly bubble drifted lazily from his mouth and popped in front of Kobra's face.

[Jeffery grew drowsy!]

But Yawn took time to work.

And then—

BOOOOM.

The helicopter detonated.

A chain reaction of fire and explosions engulfed the factory in a violent blaze, sending metal and debris flying in all directions. The shockwave shook the ground. This was according to plan, but...

Samuel instinctively checked—and Miss martian was unharmed with Superboy.

Good.

But Kobra wasn't done.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Kobra grabbed Robin again, this time locking an arm around his throat in a crushing grip. The boy struggled, but Kobra was too strong.

"Don't follow me," Kobra hissed. "Or your friend dies."

Robin's breathing became strangled. He clawed at Kobra's arm, his movements getting weaker.

Samuel exhaled through his nose.

This wasn't good.

Yawn wouldn't take effect fast enough. Protect wouldn't work on someone else. The usual methods weren't viable.

He had to do something.

Then—his eyes lied on the newest skill he had.

[Samuel used Metronome!]

In a second, a giant hand pointing out its index finger appeared in front of Samuel, and waved itself several times. His eyes widened slightly. What was this skill? He never used it before, and the explanation was...The user waggles a finger and stimulates its brain into randomly using nearly any move. So...what move would he get?

[Samuel used Explosion!]

…

…

Samuel blinked.

"…What?"

And then—

BOOOOOOOOOM.

A massive shockwave erupted from Samuel's position, a blinding surge of energy expanding outward in an instant.

"AHHHHH!"

"Samuel! Robin!"

The force wiped out everything.

Kobra. Robin. Himself.

Everything went black.

[Samuel fainted.]