Chapter 103: Teasing the Flash

Two streaks of lightning—one red, one yellow—burst out of the café in an instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Barry Allen chased after Su Sheng through the neon-lit city, fueled by rage. For Barry, Iris was the most important person in his life, and what Su Sheng had just done—mocking him with something so personal—made Barry furious. The only thought in his mind was to catch him.

Faster, faster, faster!

Barry pushed himself, his speed increasing as he closed in on the red figure ahead. But just as he was about to reach him, Barry had to slam on the brakes. The ground beneath him showed signs of friction from his sudden stop, and he watched in disbelief as Su Sheng ran straight up the side of a tall building without missing a beat, reaching the roof in the blink of an eye.

If he can do it, so can I, Barry thought, determined. He had never tried running up a building before, but he took a deep breath, ran back to gain some distance, and then sprinted toward the wall. As he lifted his foot and stepped onto the building's side, he focused on maintaining his momentum, and to his amazement, it worked.

Barry's heart soared as he sped up the side of the building, reaching the rooftop—only to see Su Sheng running back down even faster, red lightning trailing behind him. The sheer speed of Su Sheng's descent created a powerful gust of wind, throwing Barry off balance and sending him tumbling backward.

"Ahhhh!" Barry screamed as he fell, but just as quickly, the red lightning flashed by again, and Su Sheng vanished.

Panic set in as Barry tried to control his fall, his fear gripping him. He managed to twist his body toward the wall, and when his feet touched the side of the building, he rolled down, desperately trying to stabilize himself. He could see the ground approaching fast. Without thinking, he began running again, barely managing to land on his feet and sprinting two blocks before collapsing to the ground, utterly spent.

His heart pounded like it was about to burst, his body felt weak, and nausea and dizziness overwhelmed him.

"No thrill in that!" Su Sheng's voice cut through Barry's haze as he stood in front of him.

"You…" Barry tried to rise, but his legs gave out again, and he slumped back down.

"Tsk tsk, it seems you liked the little gift I gave you. Don't worry, if you're embarrassed, I don't mind giving you a fresh one every time we meet," Su Sheng teased, grinning as Barry clutched the item in his hand. "Just a bit of a hassle to wash up afterward."

"What do you want from me?" Barry demanded, anger flaring as he thought of Iris.

"God might not trouble someone as simple-minded as you, but people will. If you don't understand why I'm doing this, I don't mind keeping it up," Su Sheng replied with a smirk. "I actually considered giving you the one Iris was wearing, but maybe later."

"My coffee's probably ready by now, so I've got to head back. Just a heads-up, using the Speed Force affects your blood sugar… and you might want to change your clothes." With a whistle, Su Sheng disappeared.

Barry snapped out of his daze and quickly checked his clothes. The friction from moving at such high speeds had nearly set his shoes and outfit on fire.

"Why didn't that happen to him?" Barry wondered, trying to steady himself despite the dizziness. Su Sheng was faster than him, yet he seemed unaffected. How?

Filled with frustration and questions, Barry called Caitlin Snow, telling her he had to leave and asking her to explain things to Iris. After hanging up, he staggered into a nearby fast food restaurant, needing to replenish his sugar levels.

"What did you do to him?" Caitlin asked, putting down her phone as Su Sheng returned to the table.

Su Sheng smiled as he sipped his coffee. "I just gave him a little gift and told him I didn't kill his mother. If I had, I wouldn't need to deny it—he wouldn't stand a chance against me anyway."

"Is that all?" Caitlin asked, a bit incredulous.

"Pretty much."

"Then what about the Weather Wizard? You forced him to attack S.T.A.R. Labs—was that for what you asked me to help with yesterday? Did you get the result you wanted?" Caitlin pressed.

"Yep!" Su Sheng replied, a satisfied grin on his face. "Turns out I have nothing to do with his Speed Force."

"Good, then I won't have to keep you updated anymore," Caitlin said, relieved. Monitoring Barry had been a heavy burden.

Suddenly, Su Sheng's phone rang, and he answered with a puzzled expression. "Laura? What's up?"

"There's someone here to see you. A woman. She says her name is Felicity… your girlfriend," Laura reported from the other end.

"Got it. I'll be there soon," Su Sheng replied before hanging up.

"If you've got something to do, you should go. I'll wait for Iris and explain things to Barry," Caitlin offered.

"Thanks," Su Sheng said simply before activating the Speed Force and leaving the café.

Back at the villa.

Laura put down the phone and turned to Felicity. "He said he'll be back soon."

Before Felicity could respond, she turned around to see Su Sheng standing behind her.

How long had it been? More than five years? Though Felicity had grown accustomed to his absence, the sight of him brought all her long-buried emotions to the surface. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed forward, embracing him and kissing him passionately.

Holding her close, Su Sheng could feel the depth of her yearning.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally pulled apart.

Felicity raised her hand to slap him, but Su Sheng quickly dodged.

"Don't worry, I'm not a pushover like Hammer Guy who'd let his girlfriend slap him for no reason," Su Sheng joked.

"You still consider me your girlfriend?" Felicity asked, surprised.

"Shouldn't you be more curious about who Hammer Guy is?" Su Sheng replied with a chuckle.

PS: I'm sure everyone knows who Hammer Guy is. For context, Batman has returned to Gotham, and Arrow is back in Starling City. However, I won't delve too deeply into the Green Arrow TV show plotlines—they're a bit too lackluster to write about in detail, so I'll just roll them into the Flash storyline! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that Little Thea should be growing up; she's probably the most beautiful in Green Arrow besides Laurel!