14 Chapter 14

-[Mount Justice]-

-[Dante]-

He stood in the mission room, typing away at the holographic computer. He was currently investigating something that could possibly cause more ripples depending on how he handled it.

He'd begun looking into Gotham, more specifically, vigilante activity in Gotham. As usual, you wouldn't find anything other than reports of Batman and Robin. That would have been enough to make him change targets had he not known what he was looking for.

There were a few reports of vigilante activity that were attributed to the dynamic duo but what stood out was the fact that neither of them were in Gotham during those times. That was something he wouldn't know about if he wasn't on the team.

Another thing that stood out was one particular report in the Gotham police records. The thugs they arrested said something about a female archer, exactly what he was looking for.

Artemis' early start to her nightly activities may have been expedited by Sportsmaster's capture. Either way, it worked better for him in tracking her down.

"I told you he was going to cheat!" Robin's voice came from behind him along with an exasperated groan from Wally and a giggle from M'gann.

"It seems you were right." Kaldur said as calmly as ever.

Behind him were the remaining members of his team sans Superboy who was in Metropolis. They were playing air hockey on a holographic board displayed from the computer systems.

"Dante, want to go again?" Robin called out.

"Yeah I'm just itching to kick your butt again." Wally added with confidence.

Moving the relevant documents and materials to a separate file, he closed the holographic screen and keyboard, turning to them.

"It's not fair when you use your super speed." Dante said, despite moving to the other side of the holographic table.

"Does that mean you're afraid?" Wally asked smugly.

Dante didn't reply as the game started. Seeing the disk coming to him, a smirk appeared on his face as he sent it back.

Wally, who had a banana in one hand, grinned smugly only for the grin to turn to confusion as he found his body unable to move, held in place by an invisible force as the disk entered the goal.

He looked to Dante whose smirk widened. "Hey, that's not fair." The force holding him disappeared.

"If you're not cheating then you're not trying hard enough." Dante said, repeating the speedster's words from earlier.

A cough rang out from another side of the cave, drawing their attention."Ready for training everyone?"

They turned to see Black Canary and Martian Manhunter walking towards them.

"Black Canary, Uncle J'onn!" M'gann exclaimed as she rushed up to Martian Manhunter to give him a hug while Dante floated over to Dinah who ruffled his hair.

"M'gann, I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting." Manhunter said before turning to Dante. "Both of you."

"It's been alright." Dante said lightly but M'gann was more excitable.

"It was rough at first but I've had a lot of fun. I've gone to the movies! I've gone to the park!" She was like an excited puppy.

"I am happy about that. Thank you for looking out for her." Manhunter said, aiming the last part to Dante who nodded.

The boy noticed the cut on the arm of Dinah's jacket as well as the bandages underneath. "You're hurt."

"It's just a scratch. I'll be fine." She said before turning to the rest of the teens. "Now it's time for training."

Dante frowned in confusion for a moment. "What about Superboy! He isn't back yet." He asked only to get his answer a moment later.

«Recognized. Superboy-B-0-4!» The Zeta Tubes announced as Superboy arrived in a flash of light.

"Well there's your answer." Robin quipped as the clone walked up to them.

Dante arched a brow as he caught the slight smile on the boy's face. A look at Robin and Kaldur told him that they caught it as well.

'He was supposed to meet Superman on the bridge in Metropolis and come back angry. If he's smiling, this could mean…' he trailed off, not wanting to fall into the trap called assumptions.

"Hi Superboy. How was Metropolis?" M'gann asked.

"It was alright." Superboy said with a small nod, further proving Dante's thoughts.

"Let's start." Dinah said, cutting off further discussion as she walked to the middle of the mission room which doubled as the training room.

As she got to the center, the ground lit up until the entire circle underneath was the same way. "I consider it an honor to be your teacher." She starts as she turns to face them, pulling on her jacket slightly.

"I'll throw a lot at you, everything I've learnt from my own mentors…" she paused slightly, a grunt of pain leaving her lips as she pulled the jacket off, revealing her bandaged arm. "And my own bruises."

"What happened?" M'gann asked in concern.

"The job." Dinah answers simply as she tossed her jacket away. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting. Dante, step forward."

"Aww man!" Wally complained, getting an elbow in the rib from Kaldur.

Dante walked forward until he was standing in front of Dinah who held a small smile. She suddenly threw a quick jab which he blocked before lowering herself into a low sweep.

He jumped over it, his foot sailing forward to Dinah's lowered face. She leaned backwards into a roll. Dante immediately moved forward, throwing a jab of his own.

Grabbing his arm, Dinah attempted to throw him across the ring only for his other hand to grab her wrist. He landed on his feet, using his higher strength to throw her across instead.

As expected, she landed perfectly into a roll before turning to face him. "Impressive. Your reaction tim-"

"Hmph!" Superboy made a mocking sound, interrupting her.

"Something you want to share?" She questioned, causing the boy to frown.

"With my powers I don't need training. I'm a living weapon. I don't need this." He said, causing Dinah's smile to widen.

"Prove it." Those simple words were enough to bait the clone into a fight.

As Superboy walked into the ring, Dante exited it with a frown.

"Way to go." Robin praised lightly with a light jab to his side.

"Meh. I could've done better." Wally contested.

"I'm sure you could." Dante replied in an unconvincing tone as he watched Superboy and Dinah get into their fighting stances.

'I thought his anger from his encounter with Superman was what triggered his reaction to Dinah's training but I guess it might be part of his programming.' Dante guessed already knowing how this would turn out.