"Why do I have to come along?" In the sky, a sleek and cool-looking jet was advancing at supersonic speed. Starfire and Gar were piloting the aircraft, while Bart and Yuri were sitting in the cabin.
"Because you need to get to know the other teammates, Yuri. Bart and the others were originally a team, lacking guidance, but they are indeed good friends," Starfire turned back, looking at Yuri. "I can sense that you seem to dislike group actions, but I believe that at your age, making more friends can never go wrong."
"Wally told me that you've been living alone for over a decade, and that's truly remarkable. You are so intelligent that Wally is convinced you can accomplish research that even Star Labs can't. Perhaps such experiences and abilities make you lack an understanding of and need for teamwork, but in this world, many things cannot be done by just one person. Even someone as powerful as Superman or wise as Batman needs a team."
Starfire never concealed her opinions, maybe most Tamaranians were like this, or maybe it was just Starfire herself not wanting to hide her true feelings.
"Alright, maybe you're right, but can you at least not completely ignore Wonder Woman's warning?" Yuri didn't know whether he should refute Starfire's words, so he changed the subject to ask another question.
"Wonder Woman doesn't want us to find this girl named 'Cassie.' By the way, who is Cassie?" Yuri asked.
"Bart, Cassie is your friend, so it's better if you explain it to Yuri," Starfire instructed Bart to give Yuri the details.
"Cassie Sandsmark, she is the second Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman's half-sister from a different mother," Bart began explaining. "She greatly admires the original Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, so one time, she took Wonder Woman's blessed Gauntlets of Atlas and Sandals of Hermes, dressed up like Wonder Girl, and went out to fight crime. Unexpectedly, she ended up assisting Wonder Woman in defeating their enemy at the time."
"Later, Zeus granted Cassie divine powers, making her incredibly... strong, and she truly became the second Wonder Girl. Afterward, she joined us in forming the Teen Titans."
"Hold on! Let me take a moment to process..."
Bart's words contained quite a bit of information, and Yuri found it a bit overwhelming. Blessings from divine artifacts and Zeus bestowing divine powers seemed too ethereal and abstract.
Yuri knew Wonder Woman was the daughter of Zeus, having seen the Wonder Woman movie in the past. But he was quite certain that in the movie he watched, the ancient Greek Gods had long been extinct, except for Ares, who was killed by Wonder Woman.
Now, it seemed that these ancient gods were not entirely gone. It was not surprising that Yuri was unaware of the existence of deities in this world; after all, the impact of "human gods" and "true deities" on the world was completely different. Such information was definitely not publicly disclosed.
Of course, this was the DC comics universe, and anything could happen.
Yuri quickly accepted this information and couldn't help but have a thought. 'Do Gods have DNA?'
Suddenly, Yuri realized that there was another significant piece of information in Bart's words. 'Cassie, like Wonder Woman, is also the daughter of Zeus and has inherited Zeus's divine power!'
That meant Cassie and Wonder Woman belonged to the same species - half-human, half-god hybrids!
Putting the chaotic thoughts in his mind aside, Yuri continued, "No wonder Wonder Woman is so resistant to having Cassie join the Teen Titans. The last time a Wonder Girl joined the Titans, it ended in tragedy. She surely wouldn't want the same fate for the second Wonder Girl."
"This is just excessive protection for Cassie!" Starfire suddenly exclaimed. "No one wants a repeat of Donna's tragedy. Cassie's identity has been exposed, and finding a school that will accept her is nearly impossible. Though it sounds heavy, Cassie can no longer lead an ordinary life."
"Most importantly, Wonder Woman doesn't know how to properly mentor a teenager, and neither do Superman, Batman, or Aquaman. They don't have the time and energy to focus on the psychological changes of teenagers, but we do. So, only the Teen Titans can be Cassie's true home."
Yuri was speechless but had to admit that Starfire was right. The great heroes of the Justice League were always busy saving the world and battling various super-villains. They hardly had the time to deal with the psychological issues of teenage superheroes.
However, if they neglected these matters, the rebellious nature of teenagers combined with their powerful abilities could lead to catastrophic consequences. The existence of the Teen Titans could at least prevent the potential successors of the Justice League from succumbing to darkness.
"I'm just a little worried. If Cassie doesn't want to come, it's fine, but what if she secretly joins the Teen Titans without Wonder Woman knowing? And then, if Wonder Woman finds out, would she storm the Titans Tower?" Yuri recalled the scattered Wonder Woman fight videos often seen in the news. With his current DNA samples, Yuri was certain he wouldn't stand a chance against an enraged Wonder Woman. If she came knocking on their door, Yuri would undoubtedly transform into Speedstar and run away at top speed.
"Cassie isn't anyone's slave. She has the right to choose her own path, and no one can force her, not even me or Wonder Woman!" Starfire declared firmly.
About half an hour later, the group arrived in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, at Griffiths Women's High School, inside the principal's office:
"Mrs. Sandmark, I believe your daughter has extraordinary talents, but that doesn't change the final outcome. She must be expelled from school!" Mrs. Griffiths, the school's principal, said decisively. Sitting across from her were two women - one in her forties, and the other a teenager of about sixteen or seventeen years old, clearly a mother and daughter pair.
"Principal Griffiths, Cassie is a good kid..." Although Cassie's expulsion was already a done deal, Mrs. Sandmark wanted to plead her case once more.
"Mrs. Sandmark, please don't make it difficult for me. Your daughter is a significant safety risk to the school. Ever since her identity as Wonder Girl was exposed, we've been receiving warnings from agencies like the Argus Agency, FBI, and even congressional representatives," Principal Griffiths explained.
"They say our school has become a potential target for super-villains like Cheetah, Silver Swan, Circe, Giganta, and Mr. Freeze... The warning list is long, very long!" Principal Griffiths said discontentedly, remembering how many sleepless nights she had endured due to those warning calls.
"And not to mention, she's promoting her heretical beliefs within the school!"
°°°
A/N: Heretic beliefs?! How dare she?! Give your stones to me so I can throw it at her.
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