[Third Person's PoV]
Danny and the other heroes stood back-to-back in a tight circular formation, each of them covering a direction as more members of the League of Assassins closed in from all sides. The rain poured heavily, soaking them to the bone and making strands of hair cling to their faces.
"Just for the record," Danny said, slicking his dripping hair out of his eyes with a grin, "my name's Danny Phantom. Nice to meet everyone."
Green Arrow let out a short chuckle, pulling an arrow from his quiver and smoothly nocking it to his bow. "What an amicable kid you've got there, Bats. Name's Green Arrow."
Black Canary cast Danny a brief glance and smiled. "You can call me Black Canary."
"…Speedy," the younger archer muttered after a slight pause, mirroring his mentor's stance and preparing his bow.
The League of Assassins didn't wait for Batman or Robin to speak—not that they would have. With a sharp cry, the assassins surged forward, blades, chains, and smoke bombs in hand.
A chained mace cut through the air toward Danny with a whirring shriek. But Danny didn't flinch. He raised his arm, letting the chain coil around his forearm. With a grunt, he yanked it, supernatural strength rippling through his frame. The assassin on the other end was ripped off his feet, sent hurtling through the air straight toward Danny—who stepped forward and delivered a powerful uppercut, slamming the man to the rooftop with a splash of water and a bone-jarring groan.
Robin stepped forward, spinning his metal staff. He blocked a slash from a katana, redirecting it away before sweeping his feet with the staff. Midfall cracking the staff down driving him into the ground.
Batman didn't speak. He never did in moments like these. His fists did all the talking—grappling an assassin mid-leap, slamming him into the wall, then turning to block a dagger strike with his gauntlet before countering with a brutal elbow.
To their left, Black Canary let out a controlled scream, the sonic blast launching three attackers backward like rag dolls.
Green Arrow fired three arrows in quick succession—each one hitting its target with pinpoint accuracy. One pinning an assassin's hand to a metal vent, another disabling a sword with a flashbang tip, and the last hitting an assailant's leg, sending him tumbling to the wet rooftop.
Speedy wasn't far behind, covering his mentor's blind spot, sending arrows flying with mechanical precision. Each shot was calculated, each impact disabling or disarming an attacker with ruthless efficiency.
Meanwhile, Danny's hands began to pulse with an eerie green light, the same hue flickering in his eyes. In the darkness, the glow cast sharp shadows across his face, making him look otherworldly—ghostlike.
Then came the storm.
With a roar, Danny fired rapid pulses of ecto-rays from his palms, each blast whistling through the rain-soaked air. He spun and weaved as he attacked, catching an assassin mid-leap and sending him crashing to the rooftop with a hiss of steam as the ectoplasmic energy met wet stone.
But the League of Assassins were no fools. They didn't simply charge blindly into the barrage. They ducked, rolled, and flipped through the onslaught with deadly grace, closing the gap between the heroes and their prey.
A cluster of shurikens came spinning toward Danny, their metal edges glinting in a brief flash of lightning.
With barely a thought, Danny conjured a translucent shield of ectoplasm. It flared to life just in time, the glowing barrier absorbing the impacts with a hiss and a flicker. His superhuman reflexes kicked in—he shifted his stance, his shield rotating to intercept each incoming blade, knocking them aside with practiced precision.
One assassin tried to flank him while he was occupied, leaping from the shadows with twin daggers raised. But Danny twisted his body, letting the attack phase through him. He turned, phased back into solidity mid-spin, and slammed a glowing elbow into the attacker's back, sending him sprawling.
"Come on, this is just too easy~" he muttered with a confident grin.
On the opposite side of the circle, Black Canary caught his eye and gave him an approving nod before ducking under a sword slash and delivering a devastating roundhouse kick.
Green Arrow loosed another arrow, this one exploding in a cloud of smoke, giving them a moment of breathing room. But the shadows shifted again—more Assassins emerging, silent and deadly, their movements as fluid as the rain that poured around them.
Robin gritted his teeth. "They're testing our perimeter. Looking for cracks."
"We don't give them any," Batman said, voice firm and unreadable behind the cowl. He disarmed an attacker with a precise nerve strike, then spun and took another down with a sweep of his cape and a punishing punch.
Danny inhaled sharply. The thrill of the fight, the rush of power—it was exhilarating. The roar of the rain only added to the chaos, but he could feel the energy in his core building, begging to be unleashed.
"Cover my spot!" he shouted to Batman, his eyes flaring with green light. "Standing in one place doesn't work for me!"
Without waiting for a response, Danny pumped his fist down one at them—like revving a supernatural engine. A surge of ectoplasmic energy flared out, and both of his fists erupted into vibrant green flames that shimmered in the rain like ghostly fire.
Then he blasted forward, defying gravity, his body leaving behind a glowing trail as he took flight. The air cracked with the force of his acceleration, sending ripples through the puddles below.
The assassins ahead barely had time to react. Danny's fist collided with the chest of the first one, sending him flying backward into two more. His momentum didn't stop. He twisted mid-air, spinning with a wide, flaming backhand that scorched through the next attacker's staff and knocked him unconscious with a violent thud.
One leapt from behind, twin daggers aimed for Danny's back.
Danny phased instantly.
The assassin passed right through him, his momentum carrying him off balance—and Danny reappeared behind him, catching him by the collar and hurling him down to the rooftop with crushing force.
"Let's keep this momentum going!" Danny cheered with a wide grin, "I'm on a roll right now!"
From the rooftop, the rest of the heroes caught flashes of Danny's strikes—green light flaring in rhythmic bursts through the veil of rain. He was a blur, a streak of glowing energy ripping through the remaining assassins like a tempest of wrath and precision.
Green Arrow blinked. "Okay, that kid's pretty impressive, where did you find him, do you think I could get one of my own"
"Need I remind you that your protégé is standing right here!" Speedy retorted in annoyance.
Black Canary gave a faint smirk. "You sure he's the kid you said needed my guidance? He seems to be doing well for himself."
Batman, watching carefully, didn't speak—but his eyes narrowed with both approval and calculation.
Little by little, the number of assassins began to dwindle. The rooftop was littered with their unconscious and bleeding bodies, the rain turning crimson as it mixed with the blood and ran in rivulets to the edges. Every step now came with a splash, and the low hum of the city below seemed almost distant compared to the storm and aftermath above.
Danny caught a fist wielding a sai, the blade gleaming for a split second before he twisted the arm with supernatural strength. Bones snapped audibly, piercing the assassin's flesh as a scream tore through the rain-soaked air.
"Seriously? How fragile," Danny muttered with a frown. And he meant it. He effortlessly swung the wounded man around, placed a hand against his chest, and released a controlled blast of ectoplasmic energy. It wasn't enough to pierce him, but it sent the assassin flying—crashing into the last remaining enemy with a painful thud.
Smoke rose in wisps from charred clothes and scorched metal, remnants of Danny's ecto-blasts. The rain hissed against the ghostly energy, and steam coiled lazily into the night sky. The heroes slowly caught their breath—except for Batman, who remained as still and composed as ever, his cape soaked but unbothered.
Batman turned his gaze toward Green Arrow, his tone calm but sharp. "Do you know why the League would deploy such a force against you?"
Green Arrow sighed in frustration and nodded. "Yeah. Most likely Merlin. He has this habit of testing me while trying to kill me at the same time. He sends these squads to gauge my progress—see how much stronger I've gotten—before attempting to finish me off himself."
"You're certain?" Batman asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Absolutely. That bastard does this all the time," Green Arrow scoffed. "Wouldn't be surprised if he shows up in person in a few days."
While the veterans spoke, Robin made his way over to Danny, who had perched himself on top of a tall ventilation unit, legs swinging as he watched the group from above. Despite the rain, a mischievous grin lingered on his face.
Leaning against the tall ventilation shaft, Robin asked, "So what'd you think? I'm guessing this was your first time fighting a group like that. You've mostly dealt with solo enemies before, right?"
"It was exhilarating…" Danny grinned, crossing one leg over his knee while letting the other swing freely. "I can still feel the adrenaline… if I even still have that in this form."
"Nice work out there," Robin said, tapping Danny's hanging leg with a smirk.
Speedy stepped forward and frowned at Batman. "What are you doing here, anyway? This isn't your city… Shouldn't you be in Gotham?"
Batman didn't answer. He simply stared at Speedy in silence. Speedy held his ground—mostly. Maybe he was a little intimidated, but he didn't show it.
Batman turned toward Green Arrow and Black Canary.
"Right! Sorry, forgot to mention!" Green Arrow said, smacking his forehead. "Batman told us he's taken in a new kid—" he gestured toward Danny "—and figured he'd benefit a lot from Canary's training. So, he'll be hanging around for a while. Better get used to him."
Speedy glanced from Danny to Batman, then nodded awkwardly.
"Before we continue," Green Arrow added, "I like the rain as much as the next guy, but maybe we should take this conversation somewhere dry. Come on—I'll take you to my hideout."
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