19: Foundation

19: Foundation

"We will begin the tests with a combat simulation against robots specially built for this occasion. I want to remind you that injuries are highly probable, so I urge you to read the document that will be handed out to you in detail and sign it. If you have any questions, I will answer them," Robot said.

Suddenly, Eve raised her hand, and in the air in front of each participant, a sheet of paper and a pen were created.

Some participants easily took the objects, while others were more clumsy, either almost tripping or ending up picking them up once they fell to the ground.

They didn't know it, but Mark watched all this along with Robot. In fact, the tests had already begun. If you couldn't even take a piece of paper and a pen a few inches from you, then probably trusting the world's safety in your hands would be a very bad idea.

Even so, they wouldn't be discarded instantly; they simply had some points deducted.

Sarah looked at the paper she thought would just be a disclaimer but was actually more than that. While it stated that the GDA and its associates would not be held responsible for any unexpected "death," it actually covered any injury that could be obtained during the tests, paid for medical expenses, and even provided personal care at the GDA's private hospital.

Still, it was made clear that any possible accident was accepted by the participant, of course, all in legal jargon that, although somewhat complicated, was still easy to understand.

she couldn't help but get her boyfriend's attention by elbowing him in the side.

"What do you think, Kid?" The blonde man with a large long-handled hammer on his back smiled slightly at her and nodded.

"Everything seems in order; we should sign it." Sarah nodded; at least the injury benefits were quite decent. Not that they needed them, but it spoke well of their new potential employers that they didn't wash their hands of those who might fail.

Sarah took off one of the boxing gloves on her hands, feeling some of her strength temporarily fade. The gloves were incredible, but one of their major drawbacks was not being able to write or do things that require delicate manual work.

Fortunately, they didn't need a table to sign the paper; somehow, the sheet was hard enough. Eve had made them that way on purpose, preventing them from crumpling, and later she could modify them again to have the texture of normal paper.

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Glory looked at the paper with a frown. She had barely arrived in the world of men, and although she could read and write in Greek, this was a language she didn't know. Amazon magic only included the ability to speak and understand any language upon hearing it, but not to write or read it...

She discreetly glanced from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out what to do. It seemed that something needed to be written on the sheet.

"Your name." The voice made her blink, and she had to look down to find the source, finding herself looking at that strange girl who had spoken earlier.

"Do I have something on my face? Never mind, you need to write your name, here," she said, pointing to a part of the paper.

"Oh," how was 'Glory' written in this language?

Maybe seeing her doubt, the girl sighed and wrote it simply on her arm.

"Just copy this," she pointed to her arm, and Glory smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, little one." That comment seemed to irritate her as she heard her click her tongue.

"Listen, tough girl, never call me little, and we'll be fine, got it?"

Glory blinked but nodded, making the "girl" smile.

"You can call me Monster Girl." Monster girl? Glory had killed many monsters before, and this girl didn't really seem like one. Still, she shouldn't judge people's names, right?

"Alright, I guess you already know mine."

While the two were talking, another girl in a different part of the room was having a slightly similar but different problem for several reasons.

Yasuka Ohara wondered if it would have been better to stay in Japan.

"Will this... be valid for me?" She had come to America in a somewhat... not very legal way, but you can't blame her! She had spent the last six months fighting supernatural monsters without rest.

Just remembering how she had gotten here almost made her cry. Until six months ago, she was just a normal woman, living a normal life... well, she hadn't been very successful career-wise since she had spent almost two years after graduating from university without finding a job and simply living off her parents' savings... but still!

She enjoyed her life just the way things were, Okay!? Some might call her a hikikomori, but that was only because they didn't understand how pleasant it was not to be bothered and to live without worries.

Besides, her parents had left a lot of money before they died, and it would be really ungrateful not to use it to live a comfortable life, right?

In this day and age, it's said that it's still not too late to get married even if you reach thirty, so it should be fine to laze around a bit, right?

Well, all her plans were suddenly ruined by a stupid strange glove with a blood-red gem.

Remembering that night made her shiver.

"No, I'm tired of dealing with all this alone," she gritted her teeth and signed the paper. Everything should be fine as long as she was accepted, right?

Maybe she wasn't so good at other things, but she had been fighting supernatural monsters and demons for the last six months. She was sure she could pass any test necessary as long as it involved combat. Then she would have a team to help her get back to her days of relaxation or even find out why she had been attacked almost every day by supernatural entities trying to kill her.

Maybe even help her return to normalcy.

While Yasuka Ohara fantasized about returning to her old life, in another part of the room, two men who hadn't seen each other in a long time started greeting each other.

Kurr, better known to the public as Savage Dragon, looked at a man he thought he would never see again.

"Brit, I thought you had retired, you old bastard," the man known as Brit snorted in response.

"I was, until the Guardians of the Globe kicked the bucket. Now I must make sure there is still a world left for my son to grow up in" his expression and words were more serious than Kurr expected.

"Your son? Wait, then!" To Kurr's surprise, Brit nodded and, less seriously, spoke with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"He's two years old now." Kurr couldn't help but feel a bit happy for his old friend, and now he truly understood why he was here.

"Well, let's make sure this planet stays around so you can play with your grandkids," Kurr said, patting Brit on the back. Brit nodded with a determined look in his eyes, and both signed the papers.

Not far from the two men, a tall, dark-skinned boy in a mostly yellow and orange suit psyched himself up.

'All right, let's do this,' he was about to sign but hesitated.

'I hope I don't mess this up,' he swallowed hard and carefully began to write, not his name, as that name now belonged to someone else, someone who was now dead.

'Damn it!' He messed up a bit, but it looked decent enough.

'Why did you have to make things so complicated, brother?' He couldn't help but sigh. Remembering the past was always difficult, after all, it wasn't every day that your twin brother kidnaps you to experiment on you in search of powers.

Well, he got them, only the powers came to him instead of his brother, and as a consequence, his twin ended up dying.

Sometimes he asked himself why he chose this path, why he took on his brother's identity. Then he remembered his parents and clenched his teeth. He didn't do it for himself but for them. His twin brother had always been the smart one, the special one, the amazing one, the best son, the pride of their parents.

And he? He was the slacker, the kid who preferred hanging out with friends over studying, playing sports over reading a book, the disappointment. But despite everything, he loved his parents and knew that learning about his brother's illegal experiments on his patients, along with all his other crimes, would surely destroy them.

That's why he took on his brother's identity, why he faked his own death, why he became a hero, why he became Bulletproof.

He would atone for his brother's sins and make his parents proud, maybe not as himself but in his own way.

In another part of the room, Rachel quickly signed the paper. She had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time. Being a solo hero was fine, but she wanted to achieve more. She knew she could do more, so when the formation of a new team was announced, she didn't hesitate to come.

She knew she would make it. No matter what people said, her power was not useless, and she would prove it. Still, she couldn't help but look around. Quite a few people had come this time. It looked like it was going to be a bit difficult.

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Mark observed familiar and unfamiliar faces. Not far away, he spotted Dupli-Kate, who occasionally glanced at Eve. It seemed that even if they had patched things up, there was still an air of discomfort around them.

"The testing room is ready," Robot said, deploying several droids in the room to collect the papers.

Mark nodded. He had slightly changed the type of test; there would still be combat, but this time not between participants, but against automatons they could fight without reservations.

He wanted to see what they were capable of without holding back too much.

Of course, he had personally built the robots that would be used. They wouldn't send junk; that would just be a waste and wouldn't tell them anything. That's why they had made everyone sign the "disclaimer." Mark had really made an effort to make this test a difficult wall to climb.

Of course, only for those who couldn't measure up. Surely some of the participants would still pass easily.

"Then let's go, let's see what they can do." Mark walked alongside Robot to the main control room from where they would observe the tests from different angles using various screens and high-definition cameras, and control the robots if necessary.

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"Cheer up, they're just robots. This should be a piece of cake for you." Feeling the pat on her back, Riley smiled awkwardly. Still, deep down, she was somewhat happy. Unexpectedly, this test favored her a bit, at least at first glance. It had been somewhat difficult to learn to control her powers due to their volatility, so she usually tended to hold back too much. This time it seemed she could give it her all for once.

"I think you'll do well too. I don't think any of those robots will be able to touch even a hair on your head." Her friend and teammate, Outrun, was the fastest person Riley had ever known, maybe even faster than the late Red Rush, although it wasn't like they could find out now; he was dead after all.

Even so, she knew without a doubt that Outrun would get in. Her powers were too useful not to.

The two blonde girls encouraged each other until Robot's voice suddenly sounded through the loudspeakers.

"The order in which the tests will be conducted will be random, starting with Throwbolt." Eh, Riley blinked.

"Come on! It's your turn, go and give it your all!" It wasn't until Outrun said this that Riley snapped out of her initial shock. She nodded nervously and headed toward the door of the testing room.

Outrun moved closer to the large glass panel that allowed the other participants to observe the arena, eager to see her friend shine.

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"Riley Carter, better known as Throwbolt, a heroine who started just a year and a half ago. Her main powers allow her to generate and control electricity, as well as adapt its properties to her body," Robot said, looking at the data of the first participant to be tested.

"Generate and control, huh? Do we have any idea how much energy she can create?" Mark looked at the data with some interest. Her powers reminded him a bit of a villain called Livewire, who usually tangled with the Kryptonian duo of DC.

Of course, it was unlikely that Throwbolt would be exactly like Livewire, but even if she had only half of her potential, she would undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the team.

"There are no exact data, but in her last battle against a villain, she used an energy attack with at least 5 gigawatts of power," Robot said, reading the data about the girl. Although some participants were relatively unknown, there were those who were known and had worked with the GDA in one way or another.

Outrun and Throwbolt had been an independent hero team making a name for themselves recently, so the GDA had several of their records on file.

"5 gigawatts? That seems pretty decent." An average lightning bolt contains around 1 gigawatt of energy. Although they didn't know if 5 gigawatts was her maximum, it was undoubtedly quite decent.

If she could do more than that... well, they could certainly find a place for her.

"In that case, send a D-4." Mark had prepared different types of automaton robots to face the participants. He knew there was a variety of heroes as well as a variety of powers, so the D-4s were created to counter elemental powers, whether fire, water, wind, earth, or even lightning.

Robot nodded and pressed one of the buttons on his control console.

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Riley smiled confidently as she saw a robot emerge from a hatch in the wall. It was humanoid, over two meters tall, with black and red metal, undoubtedly giving it an intimidating appearance. Still, she didn't back down; this would be easy.

"Let's hope they send more of you, or this might be disappointing," Riley said softly to herself.

Without hesitation, her entire body began to change. Her skin, hair, and every part of her that wasn't her costume turned an electric yellow.

"Take this!" she shouted, extending her hand and sending a bolt of electrical energy toward the robot.

Her attack was undoubtedly fast, no less swift than a real lightning strike. Many participants couldn't even react as the robot was struck head-on.

Riley smiled as she saw the cloud of smoke rising, but her smile faded when the robot became visible again, its arm extended toward her, its palm having easily stopped the attack.

Then, from its back, dozens of small thrusters ignited, and at a speed that easily surpassed the sound barrier, the robot launched itself forward with force.

Riley's eyes widened, but she was quick to react and dodge the blow, her body moving rapidly to the side.

Though fast, its wasn't as fast as Outrun. She had trained enough with her teammate not to be taken by surprise so easily.

Still, the robot quickly changed direction in the middle of its charge, beginning to chase her.

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"Do you think she can defeat it?" Robot asked, watching the fight.

"Its alloy is especially resistant to electrical attacks and extreme heat, but it's still metal. If she can generate a strong enough hit, then she can beat it," Mark said. Though resistant, the metal of the D-4 wasn't indestructible and still had a melting point.

The question was, could Riley reach that point?

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"Seriously?" Riley's eyes widened in astonishment as the robot continued to ignore her energy beams, she quickly continued to dodge his blows though barely, she turned her body to the side, the metal fist slammed into the ground where she had been before causing a huge dent to appear in it.

'Well, that would hurt,' she thought. she had been hit hard in the past, her body was more durable than ordinary people's, still she felt the blows and definitely didn't want to be hit right now.

She focused, if she wanted to win she needed to give it her all, a strong and decisive blow, Taking a deep breath, she watched her opponent. She had done this only once before, facing an especially tough villain, and hadn't expected to repeat it so soon.

Riley concentrated all her energy into her fist, electric arcs shooting out from her body. The yellow lightning began to turn blue, and just as the D-4 lunged at her, she struck.

The explosion shook the entire place. The D-4 resisted for a brief moment before the metal in its body began to melt and break apart, then it exploded into pieces, a blue energy bolt shooting toward the wall behind it.

Mark, in the observation booth, vanished, leaving only a residual image behind. In less than a second, he appeared in front of the blue bolt and stopped it with one hand.

His eyes widened slightly as he felt a small resistance.

"Interesting," he muttered, crushing the bolt with force, causing it to explode and envelop the area in smoke.

Riley took a deep breath, looking at the cloud of smoke. Was that enough?

Then Robot's voice came through the loudspeakers.

"Throwbolt, you have successfully passed the test. Please exit the arena."

"Fuck yes!!" she couldn't help but raise her fist in triumph.

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Back in the booth, Mark watched the girl exiting the arena and nodded, then looked at his palm, the skin showing slight burn marks.

'This is interesting,' he thought. Why had he been burned? Although the attack was strong, Mark had been hit harder before.

'Temperature?' It could only be that. In a blink, his palm returned to normal, only his suit showing signs of having received the attack.

"Let's continue with the tests."

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Outrun fared both better and worse at the same time; her enemy was a bit different from Riley's, being a robot with six whip-like arms, seemingly made especially for fast enemies.

Of course, not as fast as her, she easily circled around it, dodging every attack with extreme ease. As Riley had said, it couldn't even touch her hair.

The problem came when she attacked; her fist hit the side of the robot without doing anything at all. Instead, she felt a slight numbness.

'Freaking tough,' she gritted her teeth. It seemed she would have to try a bit harder.

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"Fast, but her attacks are too weak," Robot commented, watching the battle.

"Just wait, quantity makes up for quality," Mark said, somewhat interested in her. A speedster, he thought Red-Rush was the only one in this world.

Even so, she didn't have access to the Speedforce either. It was something interesting he'd have to find out about later if possible.

And as Mark said, in less than a second, Outrun concentrated and attacked the same spot more than a thousand times. The D-2 robot, although tough, was designed to face fast and agile opponents. Its alloy was penetrated by the consecutive blows and soon it was destroyed.

"Outrun, you have successfully passed the test, please leave the arena," Robot said, and Outrun smiled, raising her hand in a peace sign towards the glass from where Riley was watching her.

Of course, just as there were those who passed, there were those who failed.

Many of them, actually. A guy who threw boomerangs ended up with both arms broken once the D-2 caught him. This discouraged many more people. In fact, the clearer it became how tough this test was, the more participants began to withdraw.

Glory watched as some people left and clicked her tongue. Cowards, why had they come in the first place? Although she didn't know much about the world of men, she knew what a test was. The Amazons had many of those. It was a disgrace to sign up for one and then quit without even trying. It was pathetic.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the robot's voice, and without hesitation, she entered the arena.

"Send all the golems you want; I'll finish them," she said confidently. She had seen enough battles by now to get an idea of the strength of these "summons." None of them were worth it in her eyes.

Mark smiled at her words.

"Well, let's send a D-0," Robot stopped his hand and looked at him.

"Are you sure?" Mark understood the doubts. The D-0 wasn't created for the tests but as a prototype to replace the droids that Robot normally used, one tough enough to fight against a Viltrumite.

Of course, it was still a prototype and far from the real thing, yet it was undoubtedly tougher than any other automaton used previously.

"Hey, she's a tough girl; she can surely handle it." This wasn't at all a revenge for being attacked by her, absolutely not.

Robot hesitated for another second before nodding and pressing the button.

Glory waited eagerly until she saw one of those golems emerging from a wall. She raised an eyebrow, noticing it was different from the ones she had seen so far, but still complained.

"Only one?" As her voice fell, the figure of the D-0 vanished into the air, leaving only a residual image behind.

Glory's eyes widened in astonishment as she narrowly dodged a punch aimed at her face. Even so, the gray garment covering her was easily reached and ripped from her body, revealing an incredibly well-proportioned figure wearing light armor of red with silver color.

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Mark raised an eyebrow at her true appearance. It seemed the Amazons were undoubtedly the most beautiful women.

"Quite fast," Robot commented, somewhat amazed. It should be noted that the D-0 had a miniature warp drive, although less powerful than the real thing, it was still enough for the D-0 to travel hundreds of times the speed of sound in an instant.

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The D-0 didn't stop attacking at an absurd speed. Glory carefully dodged each attack. Though caught off guard at first, she soon got accustomed to the rhythm.

"Let's see how tough you are," she said excitedly. She couldn't help it; as an Amazon, she loved battles. Her fist tightened, and without hesitation, she struck the side of the robot, sending a shockwave through the arena.

The D-0 withstood the blow and counterattacked with its own punch. Glory raised her arm, blocking the attack.

"A bit strong," she said with a smile, feeling the impact.

"But not enough!" Then she struck again, this time her fist impacting the robot's head, twisting its neck and tearing off its head.

The headless body of the D-0 fell to the ground. Glory smiled softly with a hand on her hip, looking towards the booth where Mark and Robot were, showing her gleaming white teeth.

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"It seems the D-0 still needs improvement," Mark said, and Robot beside him nodded, staring numbly at the headless automaton.

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Soon more fights took place.

Dupli-Kate overwhelmed her enemy with numbers and strategy. After all, she had considerable experience fighting different opponents, and her power was versatile.

A woman named Sarah, codenamed Knockout, seemed quite decent. Her boxing style was clearly that of an expert, and she undoubtedly hit hard, very hard. However, the one who caught the most attention was her partner.

Kid Thor.

Mark wondered if he was truly the Norse god or just a metahuman using his name, though he could bet a bit on the former. Somehow, he could sense a strange energy emanating from him, something mystical.

And well, he was undoubtedly strong, not just using his hammer. Even with his bare hands, he was able to easily face the automaton.

He wanted to fight him, to see if he was really a god and if he could defeat one.

"Is that him?" Mark looked at the next participant; he remembered him a bit.

"Markus Grimshaw, better known as Black Samson, or well, he was until he lost his powers," Robot said.

"A power armor, huh? Seems like someone refuses to retire," he recalled that the guy regained his powers later or something like that.

"I think he could be a valuable member, at least he was for the Guardians before he lost his powers and retired."

"Well, he's passed the test, so let's see how he does," Mark said, gesturing towards the arena. They hadn't sent anything too tough against him since he was essentially just a human, but his power armor was something interesting.

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Yasuka Ohara heard her name and entered the arena with some nervousness. Although she had been quite confident before, once she saw the robots and how they fought, that confidence quickly diminished.

Demons seemed much simpler than this. She swallowed hard, massaging her wrist, feeling what was hidden beneath her skin.

"Come on, you've already ruined my life, at least help me do this," she muttered. She didn't like it when this thing fully awakened. When it did, things tended to get quite crazy. But if the robot she was going to face were too tough, she would have no choice but to let it take over.

As if responding to her call, a red gem glowed in her hand, and silver metal began to spread across her body like liquid, forming a glove with long, sharp claws on her right hand.

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"Huh?" Mark looked on with interest. There was a very strange energy, something sinister.

"It seems we don't have much information about her. From her name, we know she's from Japan, but there is no hero with her same characteristics, at least not one that is known," Robot said, looking at the data.

"Maybe she's new." It wasn't unusual. There was a guy named Bulletproof who started his hero career shortly after him, and despite that, he had passed the test successfully.

Still, Mark had a feeling there was something dangerous about this woman.

"Send two D-4s," he said finally.

"Two? Are you sure? That might be too much for someone we don't know much about. So far, we haven't sent more than one robot against anyone."

"Just do it. If something goes wrong, I'll save her." He had a hunch.

"Alright," Robot didn't insist further.

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Yasuka waited for her enemy to come, but her expression quickly changed when she saw two gates open in the wall, with two robots emerging from them.

"Hey, hey, hey! This is wrong! Is there a mistake? Why are there two?!" she shouted in alarm. But the answer she sought didn't come. Instead, the two D-4s rushed toward her with speed.

She barely dodged their charge by jumping into the air and landing clumsily on the other side of the arena.

She swallowed hard, seeing her enemies changing direction. She gritted her teeth and resigned herself.

"Damn it, I hope my clothes don't get destroyed again," she muttered. She hated when that happened.

She closed her eyes and let the dark influence in her mind begin to take control. Her hair started changing color from dark brown to blood red.

She felt the metal coursing through her body, forming armor over her bare skin. Her clothes puffed up, but fortunately, she had worn loose exercise clothes, so she managed to avoid ending up semi-naked again.

When she opened her eyes, her sclera had turned black, and her pupils a sinister yellow that almost seemed to glow with their own light. Two red tattoos formed on her cheeks.

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"A transformation?" Mark looked on, interested. Was she a magical girl? But noting her voluptuous body, he doubted it a bit. Why didn't her clothes tear like in those animes?

Still, he could see she was much more endowed than any other woman he had known before. It was unfortunate he didn't have X-ray vision.

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The red-haired woman created a stark contrast with the previous brunette. Her expression became completely relaxed, and her posture exuded extreme confidence.

She looked at the two D-4s running towards her with a slight smile on her lips.

"Too weak," she whispered softly.

The D-4s reached her in a blink, ready to strike, but before they could, she stepped forward, casually passing through them.

Many barely noticed what happened. Suddenly, both automatons froze in the air, and then, out of nowhere, their bodies split in half from head to crotch, cleanly cut before exploding.

The woman lowered her right arm, from which a sharp sword had formed from the metal composing her "armor."

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"See, I told you everything would be fine," Mark commented, watching as the woman began to leave the arena.

But before she did, she turned in his direction. It was just a feeling, but he definitely sensed their eyes meeting despite the distance. As she looked at him, a strangely lascivious smile formed on her lips, causing Mark to raise an eyebrow.

Somehow, he felt that smile was dangerous.

"Let's continue with the tests."

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The next was Monster Girl. There were no surprises; she passed cleanly. Her monstrous form raised more than one eyebrow, especially from Glory, who now understood why she was called Monster Girl.

Feeling time fluctuate once she transformed, Mark couldn't help but have his curiosity piqued. It might be more beneficial to have her around than he expected. Mark knew how to accelerate time but didn't know how to make it go backward.

He felt that if he studied Monster Girl's condition, he might figure it out somehow. He would need to talk to her privately later.

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"That's... an interesting way to do it." The next participant was a former hero named Brit, who seemed to have come out of retirement to return to action.

The way he passed the test was certainly... unique.

"I think it's a valid strategy," Robot commented, looking at the arena where Brit stood victoriously over the automaton that had destroyed its fists by repeatedly punching him.

Brit's superpower was invulnerability, just that. No super strength, no super speed, just being extremely tough.

"Well, at least he'll make a good shield," Mark said with a strange smile.

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Savage Dragon was next, and well, there were no surprises in his test. The man was a veteran hero who knew what he was doing. The automaton he faced was not really a challenge for him.

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"Shrinking Rae?" Mark also remembered her. Although her power didn't seem that spectacular, it could surely be very useful in many situations.

He looked at her information. So her name was Rachel—who would have thought?

He watched the arena, seeing the girl running toward her opponent, who rushed at her quickly. Of course, this mattered little when she suddenly began to shrink until she disappeared from sight.

"Well, she passed too," Mark said without needing to watch more. He had built these robots, after all; he knew they had no way to protect themselves when attacked from the inside.

And as he predicted, it happened. The automaton suddenly began to malfunction, sparks and smoke starting to emerge from its interior, and in less than a second, it fell to the ground, immobilized.

From one of the openings in its neck, Rae emerged, returning to her normal size. She looked at the inert robot and smiled, jumping with a big grin on her face.

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There were more tests, but no one else of note appeared besides those already mentioned. Of course, Mark, Robot, and Eve didn't participate—they were, after all, the "founders."

Soon, everyone was gathered again in the main hall where it all began. Robot stepped forward, ready to announce the results.

"First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who took the time to come. The GDA staff will take care of all those who were injured, so please don't hesitate to follow them." Many took up the offer; of course, those with more serious injuries had already been taken care of.

"With that said, I would like to congratulate those who successfully passed all the tests. Without a doubt, all of you have shown to be more than capable of facing the calamities ahead. Although the future is uncertain, I am confident that together we can create a new dawn for this world and its people."

Having said that, Robot began to name those who had successfully passed.

"Throwbolt," Riley nodded, stepping forward.

"Outrun," Lily followed her friend with a smile.

"Glory," the Amazon looked at Invincible on the podium and then at Eve, who seemed to be throwing daggers at her with her eyes, she smiled at her and stepped forward, clearly remembering their earlier dispute.

"Dupli-Kate" Kate nodded toward Robot and Eve. The two girls exchanged glances for a moment, and although reluctant, Eva also gave her a nod.

"Knockout" Sarah patted her boyfriend's shoulder and stepped forward.

"Kid Thor" Of course, he followed her.

"Black Samson" The former hero clenched his fists and advanced with determination.

"Bulletproof" The young hero smiled and stepped up alongside Black Samson, the veteran nodding at him upon seeing him.

Robot took a second longer to name the next person, causing some people to raise an eyebrow.

"Yasuka Ohara," he finally said, and the brown-haired woman stepped forward, embarrassed. She seemed quite out of place, didn't she? She had completely forgotten that she needed a "hero name." With a shy smile, she scratched the back of her head as she felt the eyes on her.

"Monster Girl" Amanda arrived next to Glory, the Amazon greeting her.

"Brit"

"Savage Dragon"

The two heroes advanced together, Black Samson nodding at them.

"And lastly, Shrinking Rae" Rachel raised her fist in victory and advanced with the others.

"All of you have proven to be more than capable of defending this world, and I am glad to be the one to welcome you to this new team. The Guardians of the Globe undoubtedly did an incredible job, but now that they're gone, it's our duty to step forward for them and create a more prosperous world and future. To honor their memory, the old name will no longer be used, and from now on, we will start our story with a new one."

A new name? That caught the attention of several.

Mark stepped forward, spreading both arms and speaking loudly alongside Robot and Eve.

"We would like to welcome you to the Justice League."

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Note.

This chapter... It was very difficult for me to do. Since Saturday, I have been writing and rewriting, but I have finally finished!

I wanted to give much more screen time to several characters, but I don't want it to be too heavy, so I will mostly focus on those I will work on the most.

(of course, the girls being the majority of them ;D)

Justice League, let's see how they do. (The name justice league was the winner of the poll on p)atreon.)

Originally, there were going to be many more characters, but I trimmed the list because it would take a lot to introduce them all adequately.

For now, we will stick with these, and if necessary, I will add more.

(Remember that the members of the team Cecil wanted to form are still missing)

I hoped to finish this sooner to bring a chapter of Still Defiant, but I am exhausted. I will bring a new chapter tomorrow.

Remember if you notice any errors, don't hesitate to tell me and I will correct it. and if you want to support me don't hesitate to visit my p)atreon: p)atreon com/EmmaCruzader