Chapter 43: Schooled

Metropolis, August 3, 2010, 7:30 am EDT

It was a fairly peaceful summer day in Metropolis. There hadn't been a disaster and no supervillains were attacking the city. This tranquility was largely due to the city's protector, the Man of Steel, Superman. Few in Metropolis or the world could stand up to Superman's powers. The day was calm until the bridge connecting half of Metropolis to the other side across the bay began to collapse.

In an office overlooking the Metropolis Bridge, Bruce Wayne stared down at the chaos that ensued. The steel wires holding up the bridge snapped, causing a bus full of school children to teeter dangerously over the edge, threatening to fall into the river below with even the slightest shift in the wind.

Without a moment's hesitation, Bruce walked to his desk, lifted the head of a copper bust, and pressed a red button. A hidden drawer to the left of his desk opened, revealing his Batman uniform. He was about to don the suit when a familiar sonic boom turned his head. Superman had arrived just in time, flying in to hold up the underside of the bridge, using his heat vision to secure the steel beams.

Bruce was ready to turn away, confident that Clark would handle the situation, when he noticed another blur entering the scene.

---

On the collapsing bridge, a school bus filled with children swerved to avoid a falling cable. In doing so, it collided with several cars, pushing it to the brink of falling off the bridge, along with a handful of other vehicles.

Superman flew under the bridge, pushing it up to its original position to stabilize it. He then began using his heat vision to weld the collapsing supports back together.

Superboy, arriving with a super-jump, landed on the bridge, causing a tremor. Since he couldn't fly like Superman, his ability to jump long distances was his best means of keeping up with his biological father. Once on the bridge, Superboy lifted several cars, placing them in safer locations before moving to the bus. Although strong enough to pick up the bus, its precarious position and lack of leverage meant it continued to slide off the bridge.

Just as the bus was about to fall, it lifted into the air against gravity. Caught off guard, Superboy fell backward, seeing Superman flying above him. Superman gently placed the bus in a safer location on the bridge. Superboy walked up to him, frustration evident in his eyes.

"I had that," Superboy growled.

"I couldn't take the chance," Superman said sternly. "You did a good job with the cars, but your landing almost destabilized the bridge."

"It didn't," Superboy bristled.

"But it could have," Superman insisted. "We don't know the full limits of your powers yet. When innocent lives are in danger, you need to control your strength better."

"Maybe you could help me out with that?" Superboy asked.

Superman felt immense guilt, knowing he had been avoiding the boy. Accepting a person grown from his stolen DNA as a new family member was hard. He looked back at Superboy and said, "I promise, I can help you somehow with—hang on, I'm getting another League alert."

Superboy tensed as he listened to half of the conversation. "Superman here. What's the— Whoa, slow down Arrow. What's attacking? I see; no, I'm available. What are your quadrants? Acknowledged, I'm on my way." Superman turned to Superboy. "Sorry, duty calls. Listen to the League and your friends, they'll be there for you."

Reluctantly, Superboy nodded, watching Superman fly off. He was frustrated that Superman was still avoiding him.

---

From a distance, two people observed the interaction. Bruce Wayne, watching through binoculars, noted how Superman had been avoiding Superboy. He believed they needed to talk about Clark's treatment of the clone. Reaching for his cellphone, Bruce called Clark directly.

"Already got the alert, Bruce," Clark's voice came through the cell.

"I know, Clark," Bruce replied as he watched the Kryptonian fly away. "But we need to talk."

A voice next to him startled him. "He needs to learn how to accept the boy," Toneri said. "Dodging him will build anger until it can't be contained. It might even push him into the hands of those who would use him for their gain."

Bruce thought, 'How did he get here? I didn't hear a thing or feel any displacement in the air.' His surprise didn't show on his face. "You've been missing for two weeks. Where have you been?"

"I was stuck with a very bad host on my way home," Toneri replied.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes.

Toneri sighed, closing his eyes. "I might have trespassed where I'm not supposed to and got stuck for a while."

"Is that so?" Bruce said while turning to look at superboy who leaps of the bridge going towards the nearest zeta-tube. "Talk to Superboy and try to ease that anger."

When Bruce looked back at Toneri, he had vanished. Chuckling, Bruce said, "So that's how they feel when I do it, huh?"

Mount Justice, Happy Harbor 1:06 PM EDT

Back at the Cave, the Young Justice team, apart from Superboy, were challenging each other to a holographic game of foosball. Wally smirked victoriously as he won over their Field Leader, Aqualad, while snacking on a ripe banana.

"Recognized: Superboy B04," the automated voice of the zeta-tube announced.

The team turned to see Superboy stepping out of the zeta-tubes. His expression was more sullen than usual. Despite his typically grumpy demeanor, Miss Martian could tell something was particularly bothering him.

"Hi, Superboy," M'gann said cheerfully. "How was Metropolis?"

Superboy grunted, walking through the chessboard hologram, causing it to fade away. Though he knew she was only being polite, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Aw, dude!" Wally complained, "I was about to redeem myself!"

Suddenly, the zeta-tube sounded again.

"Recognized: Lunaris B06."

Toneri materialized as the light died down, and Wally zoomed in front of him. "Dude, where have you been?"

Aqualad followed closely behind. "Yeah, it's been over two weeks, and we didn't hear anything from you."

Superboy stopped and looked at Toneri with a frown. "You just up and left without an explanation."

"Guys, calm down," Miss Martian interjected. "I'm sure Toneri had his reasons for leaving... even though it would've been nice to say something." She added the last part in a slight whisper.

Toneri sighed. "I had my hands full with a little trouble I ran into, so I got delayed."

Robin suddenly spoke up. "Who could you have possibly run into that could hold you back?"

Toneri's eyes narrowed slightly. "He was big, black, with horns on his head, and he had a throne and an army of monsterlike creatures telling me to stay and play with them."

Everyone on the team looked at him incredulously. Miss Martian giggled, and Wally said, "Riiiiiiight, so you were in a fairy tale?"

Toneri sweat-dropped and thought, 'Of course they don't believe me.' He looked at Wally and said, "Yes."

A cough behind him alerted the team that they were not alone. Black Canary and Martian Manhunter walked towards them.

"Ready for training, everyone?" Black Canary asked, her gaze locking onto Toneri's milky white eyes. He noticed her right shoulder was bandaged—something new since he last saw her.

Black Canary approached Toneri. "It's been a while. Batman told me you hit a snag and that's why you've been missing."

"It was just a little annoyance I encountered while trying to find a way home," Toneri replied.

"Oh, any progress?" Canary asked worriedly.

"Not really, although I might have made an enemy instead," Toneri admitted.

"Want the League's help?" she offered.

Toneri glanced at her, then at Martian Manhunter. "No."

"Uncle J'onn!" Megan ran over to her uncle, giving him a hug. "What are you doing here?" A large smile lit up her face.

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by to see how you were doing," Martian Manhunter smiled.

Megan beamed. "I hit a few bumps, but I'm learning."

"That is all I can ask," J'onn replied warmly.

Superboy watched the interaction between Megan and her uncle, feeling a surge of envy. Was it too much to ask for something like what Megan had with her uncle?

Toneri sensed Superboy's jealousy and sighed internally. 'I do hope Batman speaks to Superman about his clone,' he thought, watching the boy leave.

"Stick around," Canary called out. "Training is in session." She activated the simulation. "I want you to know that I consider it an honor to teach you." She winced slightly as she removed her jacket. "I will throw everything at you—everything that I learned from my own mentors and my own bruises."

Toneri crossed his arms and thought, 'That looks recent. How'd she get that?'

"What happened?" Megan asked, concerned.

"The job," Canary smirked.

---

"Combat is all about putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, not reacting. I need a sparring partner."

"Oh, me!" Wally stepped forward with a cocky smirk. Taking one last bite from his banana, he tossed it into a nearby garbage bin. "Once this is over, I'll show you my moves."

Toneri shook his head, thinking, 'This should be interesting.'

Canary cleared her throat, drawing Wally's attention. "Are you ready?" He turned back around with a flirtatious smile. She crouched into a fighting stance. Moving quickly, she threw a straight right punch. Wally easily blocked it, but she predicted that and ducked into a leg sweep, knocking him to the ground. The word "FAIL" appeared next to him.

Toneri nodded, thinking, 'As expected. He rushed in without a thought or strategy. She was in control the whole time.'

"Hurt so good," Wally groaned. Robin burst out laughing.

"Good block," Canary praised lightly. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Robin said excitedly. "He hit on the teacher and got served?" A smirk painted his face.

"DUDE!" Wally hissed at his friend, thoroughly humiliated.

Canary, however, continued her lecture. "He allowed me to dictate the terms."

"Oh, please." Superboy's chiding tone interrupted her. "With my powers, the battle's always on my terms. I'm a living weapon, and this is a waste of my time."

Toneri shook his head, muttering "Idiot" under his breath, already foreseeing the outcome of the spar.

Canary smirked. "Prove it."

Superboy's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, crouching into a fighting stance. Canary got into her own stance. A silent signal went off, and Superboy threw a punch. Canary grabbed his arm and tossed him over her shoulder.

'Bad move, he's giving her too many openings to exploit. He relies too much on his invulnerability,' Toneri thought. Superboy, instead of throwing punches, should have been looking to turn this into a grappling match.

Robin openly laughed but covered his mouth when Aqualad sent an elbow to his rib cage and a stern glare.

Superboy's anger rose as he immediately stood up. "You're angry," Canary stated. "Good, but don't react. Channel that anger into—"

Before she could finish, Toneri noticed the telltale signs of Superboy's muscles tensing. The boy launched himself at her again, but Canary simply jumped over him, using his shoulders, and swiped her legs under his, causing him to fall once more.

'And there we go again,' Toneri thought.

Black Canary extended her hand to help him up, but he pushed it away. "That's it," he growled. "I'm done."

"Training is mandatory," Black Canary said softly but firmly, placing her hand on his shoulder. Superboy brushed it off and glared at her.

Before Superboy could say anything else, a soft alarm rang, and Batman's face appeared on one of the holographic monitors.