To fight the upcoming battle, John, Harley, and Maureen decided to train further by sparring. So they flew to the desert, where they could unleash their power without worrying about hurting anyone.
"Alright, no holding back," John said as he cracked his fingers. "If we're gonna take on whatever comes next, we need to get better. You ready?"
The girls stood a few feet away from him.
Harley grinned. "Born ready, Sparky."
Maureen tightened her gloves, a cold mist swirling around her hands. "Let's do this."
Without another word, John shot toward them like a blur. The sand beneath his feet erupted in a plume of dust as he collided with Maureen first, a blast of force that sent her skidding back a dozen feet. The impact rattled the ground, but Maureen didn't flinch. She twisted her body and sent a wave of frost spiraling outward, encasing the sand in ice and sending a blizzard of sharp shards in his direction.
John flew up in the air and raised his hands, summoning lightning, the blue arcs crackling through the air. With a sharp motion, he sent the bolts crashing down, obliterating the ice in an explosion of steam. The shockwave hit Harley, but she was already in the air, dodging with ease.
Then, Harley flew straight for John. A wide grin split her face as she raised both hands, charged with a burst of golden energy.
John didn't flinch. He shot a bolt of lightning in her direction, but Harley twisted her body midair, the bolt missing her by inches. With a smirk, she threw herself into a roll, then flipped in the air to close the distance between them.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, Sparky!" she shouted as she threw a punch at him.
John caught her with a quick burst of speed, his fist slamming into her midsection before her punch could connect with his jaw. The impact sent her spiraling backward, but Harley was quick to regain control. She twisted and stopped herself in midair with ease.
Maureen shot up toward John from below, a spear of ice forming in her hands. She hurled it at him with deadly precision, forcing him to dodge to the side. The spear whizzed past his head, close enough for him to feel the cold radiating from it.
Harley saw her opening and shot a beam of lightning at John's back. He sensed it at the last second, turning to raise a shield of crackling electricity. The beam slammed against it, creating a blinding flash of light and a sound like tearing metal. The shield held, but the force of the impact still pushed him back several feet.
"Nice teamwork," John grunted, shaking out his tingling arms.
"We've been practicing," Maureen replied, already forming another ice weapon, this time a pair of daggers. She hovered there, the cold mist around her intensifying.
Harley charged again, but this time she feinted left, then darted right, trying to circle around him. John kept his eyes on her, but Maureen was moving too, creating a pincer attack. The air grew thick with moisture as she summoned a blizzard, reducing visibility to almost zero.
John smirked. "Cute trick."
He let out a pulse of electricity, a wave of power that expanded outward in all directions. The blizzard was instantly vaporized, the mist and ice turning to steam. The sudden change in temperature created a powerful updraft, kicking up sand and debris.
Maureen and Harley shielded their faces, their hair whipping around wildly. When the dust settled, John was gone.
"Where'd he go?" Harley asked, her eyes scanning the empty desert.
"Right above you," Maureen shouted.
Harley looked up just in time to see John descending like a comet, a fist wreathed in blue lightning aimed directly at her. She threw up a golden energy shield, but the punch was too powerful. The shield shattered like glass, and John's fist connected with her stomach.
The air rushed from her lungs as she was sent hurtling toward the ground. Maureen shot toward her, trying to catch her, but John was already there, intercepting her with a kick to the chest. She was sent flying in the opposite direction, her body tumbling through the air.
John hovered between them, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Come on, ladies. You're getting sloppy."
Harley slammed into a sand dune, creating a small crater. She groaned, pushing herself up. "That... actually hurt."
Maureen felt the impact of the kick despite her super endurance. The force of the kick was like getting hit by a train. She rose from the sand, dusting herself off.
"Don't tell me that's all you got?" John said as he flew down on the sandy ground.
Harley stood up, a determined look in her eyes. "Not even close."
Maureen stood up, nodding. "We need to change our strategy."
"Divide and conquer?" Harley suggested.
Maureen nodded. "I'll keep him busy. You find an opening."
"Got it."
Maureen flew towards John, her hands glowing with an icy blue light. John met her charge head-on, their fists colliding in a shower of sparks and ice shards. The force of their clash created a shockwave that flattened the sand dunes around them.
While John was occupied with Maureen, Harley flew high into the sky. She took a deep breath, her hands glowing brighter and brighter. John noticed her out of the corner of his eye, but Maureen was relentless, her attacks a flurry of ice and lightning.
"Trying to ignore me?" Maureen taunted, creating a giant ice hammer and swinging it at John.
John dodged the hammer, but Maureen was already on him. She was faster than he remembered, her movements more fluid and precise. He was forced to go on the defensive, blocking her attacks.
Meanwhile, Harley continued to gather energy. The sky above them darkened, the air crackling with power. A sphere of golden energy formed in her hands, growing larger and larger.
John saw it out of the corner of his eye. 'Hahahaha! Nice job, love. I can't believe you managed to learn that exploding sphere magic.' Though he was happy, he knew he had to act fast. He grabbed Maureen's fist and shot her away with a lightning blast, then shot towards Harley.
"Too slow!" Harley shouted, throwing the energy sphere at him.
"Ah! Crap!" John cursed.
The sphere slammed into him, the explosion of golden light engulfing him completely. The ground shook, and a mushroom cloud of sand and debris rose into the air.
Harley and Maureen hovered in the air, watching the dust settle.
"Did we get him?" Harley asked, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"I don't know," Maureen said, her eyes fixed on the center of the explosion.
A figure emerged from the dust, unharmed and smirking.
"Not bad," John said. "Not bad at all."
He flew towards them, his speed leaving a trail of crackling electricity in his wake.
Harley and Maureen braced themselves for another attack, but John stopped a few feet away from them.
"That was a great team coordination. Nice job, girls," He said with a large grin. He pointed his finger at Maureen. "Maureen, awesome job on creating weapons that fast in the midst of a fight. It takes great concentration, and it's freaking hard." Then he looked toward Harley. "And you. That was an advanced explosion magic. If you had charged it for another ten seconds, then you might have injured me. Awesome job, Harl."
"Thanks," Maureen blushed a little thanks to John's compliment.
"Hehe, I have no idea what I did. I just did it. It's so fuzzy and weird. But can we go one more round?" Harley said in excitement. "It's so freakin' exciting."
"Alright," John replied, cracking his neck. "One more round."
...
[Night]
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the desert in hues of orange and purple, the trio lay scattered across the sand. Though they weren't that exhausted due to their super recovery, well, sometimes pretending to be human is nice.
Harley rolled onto her back, staring up at the stars. "Man, I can't feel my arms... but that was freakin' awesome." She grinned lazily. "Like, we actually kinda kick ass now."
Maureen sat up beside her. She looked across at John, who was sitting a few steps away. Her expression softened, a sense of accomplishment in her eyes. "We've definitely gotten stronger," she said, her voice thoughtful. "I didn't think I'd be able to pull off freezing time like that."
John chuckled, still leaning back on his elbows. "I didn't either. I mean, when you stopped me in midair... it was like seeing you moving at super speed... A blur. I couldn't even keep up with you. It was so weird." He smirked at her. "Good move, though. You really got me with that."
Maureen shrugged, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I'm just glad it worked. It only lasts a few seconds, but those few seconds can make a big difference."
"Definitely," Harley chimed in, "I couldn't believe you just froze time like it was no big deal! One second he's dodging ice daggers, and the next he's frozen in midair!" She snapped her fingers. "And bam, time's frozen. It's like you're a total badass now, Maureen."
Maureen smiled, but then her expression shifted to one of curiosity. "You are also badass, Harley. I saw you charging up that explosion magic like a pro. You've definitely got it down."
Harley grinned, the pride in her voice impossible to hide. "Yep! I'm an explosion expert. I can probably blast Sup's ass now." She wiggled her fingers as if still feeling the power surge through her hands. "I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. I could feel the magic this time, you know? Like it was alive in me. I've gotta admit, it's freakin' sweet."
John raised an eyebrow, still leaning back on his hands. "You've really come a long way, Harley. I mean, a while ago, I'd be worried about you blowing us all up with that power, but now... I don't have to worry about you anymore. Just don't prank Superman or Batman."
Harley grinned, "Can't I just short-circuit Bat's cave? Like a little bit?"
"Nope," John said sternly.
"Argg! Fine. Can I blast Joker's ass?" She asked again.
John thought for a moment. He knew it was time to wrap up the villains who were going to create big chaos in the future. And Joker is at the top of the list.
He stood up and stretched his arms. Then looked down at Harley.
"Well, I guess it's about time to take care of that maniac killer."
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