Bab 35: Chapter 34: Welcome to Happy harbor
Toneri sat cross-legged in his room, deep in meditation. The silence of the cave was calming, his mind focused on the energy flowing through him. Suddenly, a portal materialized beside him, the shimmering edges casting a soft glow in the dimly lit room. The real Toneri stepped out, his presence commanding attention. The clone meditating nearby opened its eyes, acknowledging the original before it dispelled in a wisp of chakra.
As the clone dissipated, Toneri's traditional kimono dissolved away, replaced by an elegant, casual outfit. He wore a fitted black turtleneck that accentuated his lean, muscular frame. Over it, a deep navy blue blazer with subtle silver accents provided an air of sophistication. Dark trousers and polished leather shoes completed the ensemble, the outfit exuding a blend of timeless elegance and modern style.
Toneri's room was a serene sanctuary. The walls were adorned with intricate lunar motifs, reflecting his celestial heritage. A low, futon-style bed rested in one corner, draped in soft, white linens. A small, traditional Japanese tea set sat on a wooden table, surrounded by plush cushions.
With a final glance around his room, Toneri made his way out and into the lobby. As he approached, he saw Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy gathered around a holographic display, studying various schematics and data feeds. Miss Martian noticed him first and greeted him warmly.
"Hello, Toneri. Come join us."
Both Aqualad and Superboy nodded in acknowledgment as Toneri approached.
"How was the mission in Star City last night?" Toneri asked Aqualad.
Aqualad sighed. "We encountered Speedy and Brick. Speedy rejected our offer to join us again."
Toneri nodded thoughtfully. "That's understandable, but his aggression is all but childish."
Aqualad sighed again. "Give him time. If he comes around, fine. If he doesn't, that is also fine, as long as he's doing what he needs to do."
Before Aqualad could respond, the Zeta Tube activated, filling the room with its characteristic hum.
"Recognized: Robin, B-01. Kid Flash, B-03," the Zeta Tube computer announced.
Robin and Kid Flash materialized through the teleporters, making their way over to the group.
For the past two weeks since the team was assembled, Toneri had been both present through his clone and observing from the moon. His clone had been getting to know his new teammates, while the real Toneri worked tirelessly to open a stable portal to the Elemental Nations, only to find himself repeatedly opening portals to other dimensions within this universe.
'It's frustrating,' Toneri thought, 'but also intriguing. These strange universes hold their own mysteries and potential.'
Toneri had sparred with Robin before and was impressed by the young hero's capabilities. 'His skills are impressive for this world, at the level of a seasoned genin,' he mused. 'In the shinobi world, his abilities would be considered normal, perhaps even inadequate in clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga.'
Robin, for his part, had been equally impressed with Toneri. He found Toneri's fighting style fluid and almost unreal, comparing it favorably to Batman's. 'His fighting style might even be better than Batman's,' Robin thought.
Then there was Kid Flash, Wally West. 'His speed makes it hard for him to stay put,' Toneri noted. 'But his incessant talking and antics can be a little annoying.' Despite this, Wally respected Toneri for his skills and maturity, seeing him as a sort of elder sibling figure.
Toneri already had a deep respect for Aqualad from their previous encounter with Typhan. 'He has the potential to be their leader,' Toneri thought, appreciating Aqualad's maturity and leadership skills.
With Superboy, Toneri felt a brotherly bond. 'Out of all his teammates, Superboy listens to me the most,' he realized, appreciating the clone's willingness to learn from him.
Miss Martian, the newest member of the team, had been trying to become friends with Toneri's clone. Despite his poor social skills, Toneri found common ground with her. 'We're both new to this world,' he thought, amused by her obvious crush on Superboy. 'It's pretty clear to everyone except Kid Flash and Superboy himself.'
"All right here," Wally said, heading their way with Robin and Aqualad after walking out of the Zeta Tubes.
Robin was wearing black pants, a black hoodie, a green shirt, black sneakers, and a pair of black sunglasses to hide his identity from anyone who didn't know who he was.
Wally wore a long-sleeved yellow shirt, short brown sleeve jacket, a pair of jeans, and red sneakers.
Kaldur wore a blue long-sleeved jacket that was zipped up, black pants, and no shoes, his Atlantean features making a secret identity unnecessary.
"Yeah," Wally said in a depressed tone, then quickly perked right back up. "Did you ask him?"
Robin chimed in. "What did he say?"
Aqualad answered, "He is arriving now."
They all walked out through the front entrance, with Toneri hovering a few inches above the ground, his hands in his pockets, while M'gann flew out. Once outside, they saw Red Tornado descending through a crimson-colored tornado from the lower half of his body.
"Red Tornado!" Wally greeted with a wave.
"Greetings," the android replied. "Is there a reason why you intercepted me at the cave?"
"We hoped you have a mission for us," Aqualad said.
"Mission assignments are Batman's priority," Red Tornado said.
"But it's been over a week," Robin complained. "and nothing-"
'Well, that was to be expected,' Toneri thought. 'It's not like missions are going to be spawned out of nowhere.'
"You will be tested soon enough," Red Tornado said. "For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company."
Aqualad stepped up. "This team is not a social club."
"No," Red Tornado agreed before he continued. "but I am told social interaction is an important team-building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourselves with the cave." He then proceeded into the cave.
"Keep busy!" Wally hissed.
"Does he think we're falling for this?" Robin said.
"Oh! I'll find out!" M'gann declared, her eyes narrowing towards the retreating android.
Toneri glanced at her, a perplexed expression crossing his face. 'Isn't she aware he's inorganic?' he thought.
M'gann focused intently on Red Tornado, attempting to use her telepathy. After a moment, her expression changed to one of disappointment. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot, he's a machine, inorganic. I can't read his mind."
'Hmm, yes,' Toneri mused while looking at Red Tornado. 'But still, for a machine, he seems to have developed a little bit of…'
"Nice try though," Wally said, stepping closer to her. "So, know what I'm thinking right now?"
Robin rolled his eyes and elbowed the speedster. "We all know what you're thinking right now."
Toneri chuckled softly.
Superboy turned to him. "What's funny?"
Dropping to his feet near Superboy, Toneri replied, "It's funny how you can't see it just yet, but give it time; you'll understand."
Frustrated with Toneri's cryptic words, Superboy scowled. "Fine, don't tell me."
"So now, we tour the clubhouse," Aqualad suggested.
"Well, Superboy, Toneri, and I live here," M'gann said. "We can play tour guides."
All eyes turned to Toneri and Superboy.
"It's M'gann's idea, so I'll leave that to her," Toneri said, stepping back.
"Don't look at me," Superboy added.
"We won't," Wally said, then looked back at M'gann with flirtatious eyes. "A private tour sounds much more fun."
"She never said private," Robin hissed.
"Team building, we'll all go," Aqualad insisted.
'Well, my clone already mapped out this entire mountain,' Toneri thought. 'This is a waste of time.' He told them, "You all should go; I'll be in the control room."
Kaldur frowned. "But this will help us bond more as a team."
Toneri looked over his shoulder. "Remember, I am not a team member. I'm here to observe and keep an eye on you, and in turn, you keep an eye on me." He said the last part while looking at Robin.
As he left, M'gann looked a bit sad. Kid Flash tried to cheer her up. "Cheer up, baby girl. He'll come around eventually." She nodded before starting the tour.
"This would be the front door, and on the other side would be the back door," M'gann explained as she led them around the Cave. "Down this way is the kitchen and bathrooms, right here is the living room, the bedrooms are over there, the gym is down the hall that way, that hallway probably leads to the holographic room, but I'm not sure. The Cave is actually the entire mountain."
"It was hollowed out and reinforced by Green Lantern and Superman in the early days of the League," Kid Flash explained as they entered the Cave's secondary hall, half-filled with an underground freshwater pool.
"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked.
"The Cave's location was compromised," Aqualad replied.
"So they traded it for a tourist trap? Yeah, that makes sense," Superboy said sarcastically.
"If villains know about the Cave, then we must be on constant alert," M'gann said.
"The bad guys know we know they know about this place," Robin said, taking the Martian's hand. "They never think to look here."
M'gann looked confused. Kid Flash stepped in, removing Robin's hand. "I think he means we're hiding in plain sight. True, the bad guys know about this place, but they don't know that the League is using it again for us. They don't expect a thing."
"I smell smoke," Superboy said.
M'gann gasped, her eyes widening. "My cookies!" She flew to the kitchen, where smoke was drifting out of the oven. Using her telekinesis, she opened the oven door and took the tray out, resting it on the counter. A dozen burnt, blackened cookies lay on the tray. "I was trying to make Granny Jones's recipe from episode 17 of… ah, heh, never mind. Sorry that they're ruined."
Robin spoke up. "I bet they would've tasted great. He doesn't seem to mind." He nodded towards Wally, who was eating the burnt cookies, much to everyone's amazement.
"What? I have a serious metabolism," Wally shrugged.
"I'll make more," M'gann offered.
Toneri entered the room. "So, how was the tour?" he asked, eyeing the burnt cookies and then Wally eating them with a raised eyebrow.
M'gann replied, "It was great, but I totally forgot about my cookies, and they got burnt."
"It was still sweet of you to make any," Kaldur said.
"Thank you, Aqualad," she said.
"We're off duty; my name is Kaldur'ahm," he said, smiling. "Actually, my friends call me Kaldur."
"I'm Wally," Kid Flash said, leaning on the counter and staring at M'gann. "I already trust you with my secret identity."
Toneri looked at Wally for a moment, then shook his head. 'Does he ever stop? It's like watching a young Naruto chase around that pink-haired kunoichi in the early days… how annoying.'
"Also, don't bother with Robin," Kid Flash gestured to the Boy Wonder. "Batman keeps him from revealing his name."
"Well, my name isn't a secret. It's Megan Morse. Well, my real name is really M'gann M'orzz, but I'm trying out Megan while doing the whole being-on-Earth thing and all," she said.
Superboy turned and left with a blank expression, feeling jealous that he didn't have a real name yet, though he shrugged it off. Toneri watched him go and sighed.
M'gann looked at Superboy with a sorrowful expression. "Don't worry, Superboy," she gently said using telepathy, catching the clone by surprise. "We'll find you an Earth name someday."
"Get out of my head!" Superboy yelled, turning back to glare at her. Everyone turned to M'gann, who returned their expressions in confusion. Toneri narrowed his eyes, feeling her telepathically nudging at his mental walls before he crushed the connection with a flare of his chakra. M'gann gasped, touching her head as a headache and dizziness overcame her. She steadied herself with the table, and as Kid Flash moved to help her, she spoke telepathically again.
"What's wrong? Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically," she said mentally, causing the others to shift uncomfortably hearing her voice in their minds.
"M'gann, stop!" Kaldur said. "Things are different on Earth. Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy."
"And Superboy has had bad experiences with telepathy when Cadmus' psychic G-Gnomes tried to take control of his mind," Kid Flash added.
"Oh, I'm sorry," M'gann said sincerely. "I didn't know." She looked at Toneri, who remained blank-faced. She tried to apologize to him but was cut off.
"Do not try to get into my mind again without my explicit permission. What you may witness will shatter your very being," Toneri said before turning and leaving.
"Just stay out!" Superboy said, storming out.
"I will, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any discomfort to you all," M'gann replied, still a little depressed. Then she perked up with an idea. "Hello, Megan! I know what we can do. Meet me at the hangar. Also, we should get Superboy too; we shouldn't leave him alone in here."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone