2. Trainer for Hire
A.N.
Hi peeps. So this volume will mainly involve Young Justice members. The even will happen somewhere between Season 1 and Season 2 but since it's a fanfic, the story will be very loosely follow the series.
So please bear in mind that there will be a lot of changes. Feel free to turn off your brain and enjoy the story.
Cheers!
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Connor wakes up early, much like any other day. He's already had his breakfast which was cooked by Megan, the over enthusiastic Martian, and is just sitting on counter. Nightwing and Artemis sits next to him and the Martian happily hands them a plate. "This is good. Thanks, Megan", says the archer as she continues stuffing her mouth.
"Thanks, Artemis", says the green teen with a warm smile. "And don't be shy asking for seconds. I cooked quite a bit. Especially since Wally's gonna be needing a lot of energy today".
"Why's that?", asks Connor but immediately remembers what Black Canary had told them a few days prior.
"For the training, silly. Ms. Lance said today's session would be special".
Wally shows up, yawning as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. "What are you guys talking about?"
Megan greets him good morning before she continues. "Black Canary's special training. Apparently, it would be really useful for our future missions. Dick, you got any guess on what it is?"
"Maybe", answers Dick with a mischievous grin. "And no, I won't be telling".
Before the others could argue, the zeta-tubes begin to hum and three people come out. "Good morning, everyone", says Kara and Barbara enthusiastically to the group. Black Canary's greeting was more reserved but still held a motherly warmth.
"I hope everyone's ready for today", says the group's mentor. "As I said before, today's training will be different to the rest. However, I can promise you that the lesson's you'll learn today will be valuable to your growth in the future".
Everyone reacts differently, most smile with enthusiasm and excitement, while some, like Wally, groan at the thought of more training. Black Canary gave them some time to have their breakfasts and prepare themselves before eventually heading for the training room.
Black Canary stands in front of the group. "As we all know, there are some situations in which your abilities become useless. There are also those like the Parasite with the ability to take your powers entirely. And so, you will need the skill to defend yourselves when those situations come".
Suddenly, the group hears footsteps and sees four people walking towards them. Zatanna waves at them while Batman and Aqualad walks stoically next to her. Seeing the fourth man, however, is what shocked them the most.
"What the hell is he doing here?" yelled Wally as he points at the Meta Killer.
"He will be your trainer for today", Batman says with a flat tone.
"What the- Can you- Is that-".
Wally mumbles but is quickly cut off by Black Canary. "As I was saying, you must be ready for situations where your powers become a vulnerability or in cases where you lose them altogether. And so, Batman asked Toji to help train you".
The group other than Dick and Barbara, stared at their mentor who simply stood there with a cheeky smile. "Furthermore, for the duration of this training, each of you will be wearing a power dampener to simulate your power lose".
They all groan and complain. Black Canary gives them a sorry look while she tries to calm them down. The Batman stands there impassively before eventually speaking.
"That's enough", he says with a stern voice. "There will be times when you will face challenges above your capabilities. You must learn to adapt and compensate for your and your team's weakness".
The group sighs, finally accepting the situation. Batman leaves them while Black Canary and the Meta Killer head to a nearby table. The rest of them follow quietly except for Wally who continues to whisper loudly to the group. "This is insane. We can't trust him. What if he's a spy? And what's that thing wrapped around him like a massive di-". Artemis elbows him, making the speedster yelp.
"So, they've all had basic training on weapons. We can start slow, get them to-". Black Canary talks but is quickly cut off by their 'trainer'.
"No. If I'm going to teach them, I'll teach them the way I was taught", says the Meta Killer.
The group, including Black Canary gulp, noticing the man's current tone. "Maybe we should take it easy for their first lesson", she says.
Without even bothering to listen to the woman, Toji goes directly to the center of the arena. Black Canary sighs and gives the young heroes a smile. "Very well. Wear these. They're modified power dampeners. They should help simulate power loss and will limit all your physical capabilities to match a normal person. Toji, your instructor, also allowed you to use any training weapons".
Connor watches each of his friends put on the power dampening bracelet before he did the same. Then they all go towards the arena. "Who wants to go first?" asks Connor.
Toji glares at him. "I don't have time for this. All of you, come at me".
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Batman sits in the Batcave and watches carefully as Toji teaches Young Justice. Although, it's a good way for the team to learn, his main goal has been to observe the mercenary. Doctor Fate has already reassured him but that wasn't enough for the man. Throughout the months, Batman continues to prepare for the worst the same way he did for every potential threat he's ever met. He studies each moves carefully, documenting what the mercenary is capable of. He studies the man's movements, and from it, learning the man's thinking and methodology.
He's already told Batgirl and Nightwing what to do. Push the man to the best of their abilities. Force him to reveal as much as they could while Batman observes as he looks for anything that can be exploited. Although he hopes to never use it, the man has had too much experience with many of his comrades going rogue, be it from magic, chemical serums, or a hero's psyche finally breaking down.
And so, the man alerted his son and his apprentice. If anything ever happens, the Bat-family will be ready.