10 advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
The third match of the second round was more heated than the preceding two.
And that was because both fighters were evenly matched.
Something that was made apparent from the get go was the fighters' mutual dislike for one another.
Displayed not only by the violent exchange and differing fighting styles, but also in the weapons they were using.
Robin had picked out a staff while Cheshire went with a pair of Sais.
Clang! Clang!
Metal collided with tough wood, Cheshire's offense putting Robin on a back foot as he needed to defend against the sharp and pointy ends of the Sais.
Not to be outdone, Boy Wonder remained calm, the tight grip on the staff not slackening in the slightest.
He was using his observational skills to memorize her attack pattern.
And when he saw a chance, he would switch from defending to thrusts and wide sweeps, mostly targeting her lower body.
The battle shifted in his favor. Not only did he have a longer reach, but his skill with a staff was downright master level.
"You're good."
Cheshire commented, stepping back as the end of the staff passed by where her foot had been.
The action saw Robin extend himself, leaving his back open.
"But I'm better!"
Cheshire snarled, rushing forward with a thrust.
It turned out to be a false opening from Robin as he smoothly spun, blocking the tip of the Sai with the middle of the Staff.
The Sai bit into the wood, and in a deft jerk, Robin twisted the Staff, intending to pull the Sai off Cheshire's hand.
Unfortunately, Cheshire was just as good if not better with her weapons as he was, and instead of letting go, she cartwheeled with the motion.
"It's like watching a dance."
Wally whistled from the stands.
"A dance where they're trying to kill each other."
Ravager commented on the ferocity both fighters were displaying.
"Who do you think is gonna win?"
Speedy asked her.
"Doesn't matter! I can beat the two of them at the same time!"
Goku, sitting in between the two, loudly proclaimed.
"But...they're both really good."
He added as an afterthought at the awkward stares he was getting.
"Oh come on, Rob's got this! Ain't no way he would lose to a girl."
Wally boasted.
Off to the side, Angel was busy studying the map from his nanites. He didn't have time to waste on a match he could already guess the outcome of.
Batman wouldn't send Robin to attend the Tournament if he didn't believe in his skills to keep up with the other contestants.
But Cheshire was highly trained too.
Angel had met Sportsmaster, her father and trainer in the past. A man who played to his strength. He wasn't someone to be taken lightly. In the same token, Cheshire wasn't someone to be underestimated.
That said, this was before she joined the League of Shadows. Her other skills, besides handling Sais were not as freshed out as they would be in the future.
"Who do you think will take this?"
So when Ravager turned to him and asked, he didn't have to think too hard.
The others on the stands listened closely, anticipating his answer.
"When all is said and done, it will come down to skill."
Angel started, sparing a single gaze at the Arena before refocusing on the map display. But not without adding a final statement,
"Robin takes it."
Back on the Arena, as if to echo the sentiment, Robin disarmed Cheshire before bracing the length of the staff on her neck.
Her Sais were lying on the ground, far out of reach.
"Submit."
Boy Wonder sternly demanded, the two of them breathing heavily.
There was a brief pause.
"Fine."
Cheshire sighed.
"You win, shorty. I submit."
A gong sounded out.
(Angel's P.O.V)
The Lazarus pit.
A supernatural phenomenon of restorative pools, capable of instantly healing injuries, resurrecting the dead, and even granting immortality to those who bathe in it.
Ra's Al Ghul had used them to attain a sort of pseudo-immortality.
I've used countless resources scouring the globe for places with Lazarus Pits. The one on Infinity Island was just one of few.
I knew others existed. But apart from the one deep under the Batcave in Gotham, Ra's was my only lead.
I had a theory. The same meteorite that gave Father his immortality and gave rise to the meta-gene, was connected to the Lazarus pits.
And that was due to one chemical found inside the pit. Dionesium.
I only knew it's existence due to my metaknowledge of DC.
Dionesium was an unknown element. One that didn't originate on Earth.
It was directly responsible for giving the Joker immortality when he came upon it in a comic issue I had read.
I wasn't entirely clear how, or maybe I just forgot,
But during a fight with Batman in the batcave, there is a cave in, that results in the Joker falling deep underground and discovering a pool of glowing emerald liquid.
Yup, a Lazarus Pit.
So my theory posits that the remains of that meteorite Father came into contact with, had higher and purer amounts of Dionesium.
And over the years, its remains seeped into the Earth, resulting in what was known as the Lazarus Pits.
And now one was within my reach. Without wasting time, I directed the nanites to take a sample of the Liquid and analyze it.
It was the start of the Fourth match.
The nanomachines proceded through the stony ground in the form of gray dust, almost invisible to the naked eye.
Luckily, their cloaking functions made them blend in with the color of the stone steps and in a few seconds, the first few nanites made contact with the liquid.
Immediately, I frowned as I lost control of those particular nanomachines.
It was an unprecedented loss. The nanites were programmed to work under extreme conditions and environments.
Even if they were dropped in a volcano, they would still withstand the heat.
And that was because they were made using Promethium.
The same metal that made up Amazo's skeletal structure.
Promethium comes in two forms, Volatile promethium which is a mutagen that can trigger and awaken dormant metagenes.
And Depleted Promethium, which is more stable and unlikely to awaken meta-powers in a person.
However, both share two distinct advantages. One, they are virtually indestructible and two, they can absorb energy, especially heat with 100% efficiency.
And that was how I recharged them. By funneling Heat Mana into the watch, which the nanites then converted into energy.
Regarding which of the two types I had Ivo use to create them, I chose Volatile Promethium.
If it indeed helped awaken metahuman abilities, then being covered by billions of microscopic nano-machines could help me trigger my meta-gene faster.
So the current situation made little sense. The nanites should have been able to procure a sample.
But the instant they came into contact with the surface of the Lazarus Pit, I lost that portion of nanites.
Mmh. Could it be a magical barrier put up by the Demon's Head? Or maybe the Lazarus pit itself messed with technology?
No one could understand how it promoted regeneration or resurrected the dead. So who knows what adverse effects it had on tech like my nanites?
So I tried again, but this time I had the nanomachines construct a small spoon. No direct contact.
The spoon was barely the size of a toothpick. And it was made by assembling the dust collected from the stone steps.
The spoon was dipped into the liquid and a small sample was collected that was then funneled into a miniature vial made from assembled dust.
I didn't analyze it right there and then- Even if I wanted to.
Instead, I chose to pull back as the nanites left along the path informed me of someone's approach.
By now, the third match was about to start.
So I decided to watch Kid vs Speedy while waiting for an opportunity to sneak the nanites out of the Lazarus chamber.
(General P.O.V)
Speedy and Kid faced each other on the Arena, none of them making the first move despite the gong declaring the start of their battle.
"You know why I have to win this Speedy."
Wally stated, uncharacteristically serious.
Speedy widened his feet into a wide stance in preparation, before he answered,
"I do."
He nodded.
"But I'm not going down ea-"
His next words were cut off as a blur passed by him. He blinked and suddenly found himself at the edge of the Arena.
"-sy. Huh?"
The archer looked behind him, finding his heel an inch away from the edge of the Arena.
Turning around, he met Wally's eyes with a surprised look.
"Sorry, but I need to win."
The speedster said, before pushing his friend off the Arena with his hand.
The gong rang out, and Sensei announced Wally as the winner. The whole fight hadn't even lasted a minute.
Shock took over the stands.
"Oof. Tough luck."
Cheshire commented.
"Also, was it just me or were there streaks of lightning around him?"
"It wasn't just you."
The ever silent X-23 replied.
"Whoa...that was almost as fast as you."
Goku addressed Angel, who had a narrowed look as he made eye contact with Wally.
For a split second, he had felt a small dip in the amount of speedforce he could draw from the speedforce.
Which meant, his overall speed had been reduced. Just for a second, but it was something he instantly noted.
The same serious expression on his face, was reflected back at him by Kid Flash.
The speedster even raised a hand and pointed a finger at Angel.
Then without a word, Wally dropped the hand and left the Arena, passing by the stands.
He was headed for the exit to the Training Grounds.
Angel watched him walk away with a smirk.
He now knew without a doubt that Kid Flash had snuck into the Tournament specifically for him.
Most likely, for revenge against him due to what he did to the Flash.
Things were getting lively now.
If Wally won his match tomorrow during the Third Round, then the two of them would undoubtedly clash in the Semi-finals.