In the Zone

I have a problem. There are too many ideas I want to write, but I have so little time. (crying emoji)

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(3rd Person POV)

"G-Get out of my head! Your v-voice ... it huh-hurts ..."

{Not yet, Edward Nygma.}

"Stop! I've done everything you've told me to! Release me!"

{You've baited the hook, little man. That's all. But you are in no position to make demands. I am.}

"no no no no ... you don't understand..."

{Your pathetic fear of a man shames you. One more task lies before you. Pay close attention to my instructions ...}

.

- Gotham; Memorial Park -

Batman can be seen reading the red markings that were left there by the Riddler when the fluttering of Superman's cape is heard.

"Still here?"

"I said I will help you and I will. If this is a Kryptonian involved, you will need the help, no matter how much you think you know."

"Suit yourself."

"'I'm buying a common item in a hardware store, something you see every day. I can get 1 for a dollar, 16 for two dollars, 256 for three dollars, and 1519 for four dollars. What am I buying?' ... do you know what this means?", Superman asks.

"1, 16, 256, 1519 ... those are house numbers. If we add them up we get 1792."

"I see. Half of an address, maybe? Then what's the other half? Given where we are ... 1792 Memorial Avenue? 1792 Monument? Does Gotham even have-"

"You're on the right track rookie, but the Riddler delights in taking me down the obvious path first. Even though we only had two encounters that is what he likes to do.

The message is written strictly on the left-hand side of the wall. Left. Right ... counterclockwise ... sinister ..."

"Port. There's an abandoned shipyard at 1792 Port Street.", Superman says and looks into the distance and sees the ship at the port and when he looks inside ...

"Got him. ... Wait! You don't actually want me to believe that you couldn't figure that out, do you? Why are you doing this?"

"No reason. Let's go."

.

{Stay in place. Just a little longer, Nygma.}

"Please ... I've done everything you've asked ... the trap is set! Let me go, I beg you!"

*SKREEUNCHH*

Superman breaks the door to the room Riddler is in.

"And you thought my clothes were garish.", Superman says and grabs Edward Nygma's collar.

"Start talking. You must be working with someone. Someone who could be dangerously powerful. Otherwise, how do you know my language?"

Batman holds his Omnitool in hand and is checking the surroundings for the spatial-temporal disturbance he noted a few days ago. This should be the place and suddenly his tool sounds an alarm ...

Superman hears the alarm and turns around only to see a fist hitting him in the face.

*THOOOOM*

Superman shoots through the ship. The man that hit him follows him close behind and grabs him by the throat.

"Son of my jailer.", the man says.

"GKK ... J-Jax-Ur? But you're ... you're trapped in the Phantom Zone!"

"No longer, Kal-El. I've found someone to take my place."

[Picture]

.

*BOOM BOOM*

"Don't look to your Earth friend for help, Kal-El. He no longer resides on this backwater planet where you've wasted your Rao-given potential.

The Batman lies trapped forever in the Phantom Zone. It's from there I've been observing you. for decades. Watchin' you sink to the level of the natives. Watching you squander your sun-powered gifts.", Jax-Ur says as he punches Superman around.

"It is my verdict that such a shortsighted weakling is better off dead ... and Jax-Ur should be the last son of Krypton!"

*BOOOM*

The Phantom Zone is a prison used by the Kryptonians to exile criminals incapable of reform or remorse. Normally, it is inescapable. However, Jax-Ur noticed a slight weakening of its walls. Small, fleeting breaches beginning to occur. These breaches inadvertently swallowed several Gotahmites.

"Initially I thought these portals too random to predict, but there was no finer mathematical mind on Krypton. A pattern emerged and with it, a chance for revenge.", Jax-Ur says and punches Superman into a building.

*BOOM*

Jax-Ur put the Riddler under his telepathic control, forcefully ripping him from his great depression and trauma, that Batman put him in. At Jax-Ur's prodding, Riddler drew Superman and Batman to the site where an upcoming breach was scheduled to open and where Jax-Ur could switch places with Superman. But, he failed and instead grabbed Batman, leaving Superman to be ambushed by a Kryptonian murderer who has all of Superman's powers.

.

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(Batman POV)

The Phantom Zone is an interdimensional realm outside the normal space-time continuum. It's a timeless dimension, a vast expansion of near-nothingness. It's also the permeable membrane between the light side of the DC Multiverse and the Dark Multiverse. Along with it being a projection of a living mind.

It is a barren and insubstantial null area absent of any physical material. There is only one native denizen of the Phantom Zone, the enigmatic and powerful entity known as the Aethyr. All cause and effect that occurs within the zone does so at Aethyr's capricious whim. People who travel into the Phantom zone are no longer corporeal and exist only as psychic phantasms of their true selves. Though their minds and personalities remain intact, they can no longer physically interact with any other being.

This includes direct physical contact as well as the power of speech. Communication within the Phantom Zone is done so by telepathy. As the Phantom Zone exists outside of space-time, those within it are no longer subject to the rigours of age or illness, rendering them effectively immortal – and they also require no sleep, food or air.

But only when Aethyr slept. When it awakened, everything changed. This became a place of living nightmares. The Phantom Zone is the domain of Aethyr and those who breach the dimensional walls, tearing the fabric of his mind without warning or permission, will sire his ire and can't go unpunished ... which is exactly why I am here right now.

.

Since everyone that enters here, exists only as psychic phantasms of their true selves, I am as well. And what I see, does not surprise me in the slightest. I am buffed like the comic Thanos is. I am wearing a lab coat but over the lab coat is the Batsuit. The cape and the mask are all there stopping anyone from seeing my face. But something that is the most interesting is my head ... it is open at the back and seemingly extends ... endlessly.

I stop thinking about how I look and focus on my task. I came here for the Phantom Zone. Why else would I team up with Superman? I mean the guy needs a few reality checks but other than that he's not that bad. His no-kill rule is stupid and would make me roll my eyes if I cared enough.

I mentally project my will and the suit responds. I prepared for this moment after all. Well, I have prepared for a moment that I lose my physical form in general and this is just the time I will use it. My suit creates two arms from my back, that have two spray cans.

*FFFFFFFTTT*

The cans spray their contents on me. When it is finished, I can suddenly move again as a small layer of energy surrounds my form. I call it the collection can, as it collects your mind or psychic form and binds it together under your control. With this, I can move again. I press the beacon, I took with me to signal ALFRED, that I am ready for it.

A portal opens in front of me and from it comes a small box. The box is also encased in a thin energy barrier, allowing it to exist in physical form. And that is important after all. I move around using my mind and press the activation key on the box.

'How is it, ALFRED?', I think and connect to the AI.

[Everything is working flawlessly, sir. Would you like me to activate the process?]

'Not yet. I still need to work on protocol #921 and create the defensive systems. We wouldn't want someone to hijack the ride we are basically giving them.'

[Agreed, sir. Then I shall wait for your command.]

.

I activate the defences. Multiple small balls of energy are created and begin to fly around the box. As they do, they begin to fly around in strange patterns leaving white lines behind. The longer it takes, the more the lines start to form a picture. After some more time, they are finally finished and a giant structure becomes visible, made out of tubes and futuristic circuits. This is the defensive structure I came up with. It will protect the box from any attack or creature of any kind from taking the box and travelling to the light or dark Multiverse.

'It is done, ALFRED. You can power it on and tell me the readings.', I think.

[Affirmative. Loading now ... 39% ... 42% ... 57% ... 61% ... 83% ... 100% Loading complete. Machine activating.]

The machine came to life and inside of the box, a small hole appeared of nothingness. The technological version of a black hole. It is like an electricity cable, but just without the cable part. I created a way for me to harness the special energy that is the Phantom Zone and use it for ... something very important.

*RUMBLE*

*BOOOOOOOM*

*THOOOOOM*

"WHO DARES WAKE ME?!"

'Huh?'

.

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(3rd Person POV)

[Picture]

A face starts to form in front of me. It is absolutely ginormous. The face looks like that of a bat for some reason ... or is it a dragon?

"WHO DARES WAKE ME?!", the booming voice is projected across the entire Phantom Zone. Anyone who hears it has his psychic form either ruptured or shaken. If you aren't strong enough, you could very well die or become a vegetable from this.

"So that would be me. Sorry about that, I was just here for ... sightseeing ...", Batman excuses himself. A truly smart man. Never would the being in front of him suspect that he was lying ... sure the structure next to him might seem a bit suspicious, but that could have been placed there by anyone ...

"Who are you lowlife that you dare lie to me? don't you think I can see the energy leaving this place? don't you think I feel your lies? don't you think that the one whose mind you are inside would know what is going on???!!!"

"... No?"

*BOOOOOOOOOM*

The entire dimension shakes as the creature becomes furious.

"You are in the presence of Aethyr. All this universe is Aethyr. I am its means to your comprehension. As the red sun was to the priests of Rao. You have entered the domain of the Oversoul unbidden - And by so doing obliterated the distinction between its existence and your own. Many before you have tried stealing from me and failed. They have all ceased to exist. And now the spiritual force which defined those entities must be transformed-- Merged with the Oversoul-- For all eternity!"

"It was truly necessary for me to do this, though.", Batman says.

"Pray tell, you insignificant worm, what could be so important that you would dare steal from Aethyr and earn his wrath? Were you trying to save your world? Aethyr's breath can destroy galaxies and even universes if he wishes. Are you trying to save the love of your life, from eternal damnation? Aethyr doesn't care about you or your loved one?

So tell me ... what was it?"

"... Well ... something has to power the appliances in my house no? We were having trouble with the mixer as of late and that was just getting annoying."

"..."

"..."

"... you come into Aethyr's dimension, into his mind ... to power your kitchen tools? ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF AETHYR?!!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM*

*BOOOOM*

Batman saw the storm of cosmic proportions forming due to Aethyr's anger. But he was ready. He had been training for his entire life. His mask transformed into a hat. He grabbed his hat and turned it around.

🎵I will be the very best 🎵

🎵Like no one was before 🎵

🎵 To catch them is my real test 🎵

🎵 I will travel across the land 🎵

🎵 Searching far and wide 🎵

🎵Teach Entinites to understand 🎵

🎵 The power that's inside 🎵

🎵🎵 (Entinites- Gotta catch 'em all) 🎵🎵

Batman took a black Pokeball from ... somewhere and threw it in front of him.

[Picture]

"Battwo I choose you!!"

A totally original Pokemon came out of the Pokeball and stood in front of Batman.

[Picture]

"Battwo."

"Go Battwo! Use 'Suck Attack'!", Batman screamed like the teenager that he was.

Battwo ... oh god ... opened his mouth and ... I can't say this, this seems so inappropriate ... ugh ... Battwo opened his mouth and ... sucked. A black hole of suction force was felt across the entire Phantom Zone and even Aethyr was affected.

"No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo ...."

Aethyr screamed but nothing worked as his consciousness was sucked in by Battwo. Battwo was not a normal Pokemon. It was designed ... ugh whatever.

.

"Well done, Battwo. I can see that your training paid off.", Batman said and petted Battwo.

"Battwo!"

"You know you can speak right?"

"Ah shit you're right. It just feels wrong for some reason, you feel me. Well, whatever. Call me whenever I guess. Peace."

"I don't think showing him the internet was a good idea. Eh, it'll be fine."

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Not gonna lie, the last part of this chapter came to me as I was writing the scene. I think my mind has changed.

But I enjoyed it very much. I made myself laugh.