If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[Rachel Roth POV]
David and Superboy faced off in the training area. It's a wide open space, with plenty of room for the two of them to fight. For a few seconds, they circled each other, looking for an opening, until Superboy seems to have had enough and lunges forward.
A foolish mistake.
With a calm expression, David dodged out of the way, planting a right hook that connected with Superboy's jaw.
The hit made Superboy stagger a few feet back, leaving him with an expression of complete utter shock, his emotions shouting to me his clear confusion as to why David's attack had hurt him.
Growling, he lunged at David again, this time with a flurry of punches trying to overwhelm David. However, instead of being overwhelmed as he wanted, David took a step forward, meeting Superboy's approach head-on.
With ease, David weaved under Superboy's assault, deflecting and parrying his punches like a children's game, before kicking him away.
"Stop dodging!" Superboy growled, slamming one of his fists on the ground as he stood up.
"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of… this?" I replied, a deadpan expression in place.
Smiling at my comment, David rushed at Superboy, with Superboy doing the same.
In a series of movements too fast for me to fully appreciate, David dipped and weaved around Superboy, moving with unimaginable grace, while landing attacks on the Kryptonian clone that he never seemed to notice on time.
~We can stop, if you want,~ David offered, coming to a halt in front of Superboy, who simply growled at the offer, throwing a hard punch at him.
Clearly expecting this, if David's emotions were anything to go by, David dodged, and swiftly punched Superboy in the solar plexus right as he was relaxing his muscles to breathe, knocking the wind out of the Kryptonian, and stunning him for a brief moment.
Seeing this blow had opened Superboy up for another attack, David obliged him, putting a simple upward kick into the Kryptonian's chin, before quickly following that up with a knee strike to his stomach, doubling him over.
Still not over, David followed that up with a quick rising uppercut that lifted Superboy into the air, making Miss Martian wince for the man.
~We are done here,~ David said, as Superboy stood up, looking angrier than ever.
"I haven't even started," Superboy growled, trying to hide how winded he was. It was like David said, punch left in the air tires more than one that connects, and Superboy had so far only punched the air.
David smiled, pointing at Superboy's chest.
I blinked, just now realizing David had planted several explosives on the Kryptonian. Just when did he do all that? I couldn't help but wonder.
"This won't do anyth-" Superboy didn't get to finish his sentence as David detonated the explosives, all of them going at the same time.
"This… this is getting out of hand," Miss Martian muttered in worry as the smoke from the explosions cleared, revealing Superboy on the ground kneeling, gasping for air.
I frowned. Explosives of that size, no matter how powerful they were, shouldn't have done so much damage.
David smiled, winking at me.
It was here that I realized what he had done, remembering something that had happened a few months ago. Two to three months ago, David had asked me to enhance some of his equipment with magic.
Today, he had used some of that equipment. I'm impressed; I didn't even realize those explosives had magic, though now that I'm aware, I can feel some residue around Superboy.
It seems I'm quite good at concealing magic.
"W-what was that?" Superboy said, glaring at David.
~Magic,~ David replied, offering Superboy a hand to stand up.
Superboy, even though angry, took David's hand, much to my surprise. "Magic?"
~Yes, Raven over there buffed some of my equipment for situations where a bit of extra punch was required,~ David replied, with a small nod.
"Whatever," Superboy replied, crossing his arms.
~Now that I showed you what a bit of skill can provide, let's start training, shall we?~ David replied, brushing Superboy's aggressive demeanor.
"You won because you cheated, that's all; in a real fight, I would've-" Superboy began, but I stopped him, using my magic to freeze him in place.
"In a real fight, all he needs is a well-placed whisper, and you are done," I said, floating toward him. "One close enough to your ears should be enough to liquify your brains, killing you instantly."
"Guys… maybe we need to talk this out?" Miss Martian said, trying to break the tension off.
I paid her no heed, my gaze fixed on Superboy. "Even the likes of Superman can be defeated with ease with the right tools and strategy. What makes you think you are any different?"
At this, David frowned, giving me a look that said, drop him, please.
"In a real fight, the odds will never be in your favor unless you make sure they are. Brawn and natural skills can only take you so far," I said, releasing Superboy from my grasp.
~Raven is right,~ David said, looking at Superboy and Miss Martian. ~This, however, doesn't mean you should feel bad or angry at your shortcomings. Because we all have them, even the big heroes.~
Superboy said nothing, simply staring at David.
~For miss martian, all you need is heat to defeat her, or any martian,~ David said, making Miss Martian flinch. ~For me, all you need is magic, a weakness I share with you. With Raven, she lacks any powers that could translate well to a physical fight. We all have our weaknesses.~
"And training will make them disappear?!" Superboy scoffed, glaring at him.
David smiled. ~Oh, no, that will never happen; I mean, some weaknesses are there to stay. What training can do, is help us to better prepare for when enemies try to exploit our weakness; training will help us compensate them in ways you can't even imagine. You are stronger than me, faster, yet, you can't land a hit; with training, you might even give Superman a run for his money, even without all of his powers.~
Superboy froze, his emotions going between angry and hopeful. "I need a drink." With that said, he walked out of the room, a turmoil of emotions erupting within him.
If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[David Lance POV]
Much to my incredible surprise, after his defeat, Superboy had decided to join during training.
Nevertheless, it became immediately apparent to me that while open to the idea of training, Superboy was not entirely comfortable with the entire situation.
During training, he carried himself stiffly as if he expected to be insulted or provoked at any given moment. More than not, he would avoid making eye contact with anyone in the room unless we were sparring.
When he did make eye contact outside sparring situations, his entire demeanor would change in a different direction. He would hold his head high with an air of defiance around him.
One didn't need to be a genius or have the ability to read minds to know what he was thinking when he did this.
That air of bravado demonstrated that, on some level, he thought he was better than the rest of us; even when failing, that; this training wasn't going to be enough for him. I could see it in his eyes.
I wasn't angry about this. Not even bothered, really; in fact, I welcomed his behavior with open arms to an extent, as long as it didn't interfere with the training directly, because I knew that this show he was putting on for the rest of the world was nothing but a self-made mask to hide his fears.
To hide the fact that deep down, he thought that he wasn't enough.
It was simply a matter of time before he came to terms with himself, so until then, it was more than enough for me that he actually wanted to train, even if he didn't believe training would help him at all.
Now.
On the matter of Miss Martian. Well, that was a completely different can of worms.
She had immense power, but little to no skill or control over it. Talent like no other, but lack of confidence to capitalize on it, in short, from a psychological point of view, she was a wreck, perhaps one even bigger than Superboy.
I had severely underestimated what decades of racism, abuse, and other factors had done to her.
Be that as it may, working with her was proving to be easier than one would expect, all things considered.
While it was true that she had many, many problems. She was, unlike Superboy in most situations, open to the idea of a helping hand because, unlike Superboy, she was willing to accept her shortcomings, well, almost all of them.
In fact, because of this, she was eager to prove herself. If I had to take a guess, she was not only trying to learn but gain any semblance of approval and acceptance from us.
In Raven's words, her emotions felt like those of a starved child looking for affection, a mix of desperation, despair, hope, and fear, all at once.
Even though I had deduced that much from a simple glance here and there, it was actually remarkably shocking to hear how M'gann felt.
I guess that, in some way, I was still clinging to the M'gann I had seen in Young Justice, a girl that, while not without her problems, she would face them quite easily.
Well… That's the difference between reality and a show. Both can share much, but reality always hits harder.
"I did it!" M'gann cheered.
Did what?
Confused, I turned around to find M'gann and Raven training in hand-to-hand combat without powers.
"Congratulations," Raven said in a barely audible tone. Her tone and expression were blank, emotionless.
I tilted my head, giving the girls a look.
"I managed to block four hits in a row without panicking!" M'gann said, reading my expression and answering my unspoken question, with a big smile on her face.
I smiled at her from my eyes and under my mask. ~Congratulations.~
"Again?" Raven asked.
"Another spar? Sure," M'gann nodded.
I grinned at this, giving Raven a look. ~Since when are you eager to spar in hand-to-hand combat?~
"Since the moment I was given someone below my level," Raven replied, giving me a piercing look. "You and Black Canary always beat me up."
I frowned. Sure, I had won every spar we had ever had, but I wasn't beating her just for the sake of beating her; I wasn't even beating her. That was my sister. All I was doing was parrying/blocking her hits and giving her my pointers here and there.
I might have thrown a kick at her, here and there. But she ain't no saint when we train with powers. Hell, I'm pretty sure that last time she sent me to a demonic dimension for a brief moment.
"I did not," Raven said.
I narrowed my eyes.
"You have no proof," Raven said.
"Are you two having a telepathic chat?" M'gann asked, her eyes going between the two of us, confused as to what was happening right now.
"No," Raven replied, a small smile gracing her face. "But I've been with Black Bolt long enough to know what he thinks. It also helps that he's easy to predict."
Did… did Raven call me a basic bitch?!
"I did," Raven nodded.
…
...
...….
Well, time to use one of my secret weapons.
~You just won yourself a M'gann breakfast,~ I said, smiling at my choice of punishment.
At this, Superboy snorted in a faraway corner, slipping out of his sulking persona.
"And how do you intend to make me eat, said breakfast?" Raven asked, one of her eyebrows perking up.
I smiled, an impish smile at that. ~Oh Fabio, the darkness within me consumes me, for there are two souls within me, one bad, one evil, both in love with-~ I hadn't managed to finish what I was saying when Raven had materialized in front of me, using her magic to stop my hands.
"How did you find that out?!" Raven hissed, her eyes glowing black.
I blinked a few times at her, Disney style. ~You used my library card…~
Raven froze. ".... Well played…."
"I… Ehmm… what's happening? And why does my breakfast feel like a punishment?" M'gann muttered, confused as hell with the situation.
"It's an earth thing; couples fight all the time according to the internet; this is what some people call a love fight or a fight without bark," Superboy replied.
"I won't even dignify that with a response," Raven said, turning around to mildly glare at Superboy.
"You guys aren't a couple?!" M'gann gasped. "I could've sworn you were; I mean, you can read each other's thoughts without a clear connection! On Mars, only lovers can do that!"
Well, this is getting weird; time to bail.
~So… library?~ I asked Raven.
"Yes," Raven nodded, engulfing us in her magic.
On the good side, M'gann and Superboy were showing some behaviors that were to be expected of their ages, like teasing; sadly they picked the worst target for teasing, Raven, and a mute by a choice. But, nevertheless, it was progress.
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