"Oh, spare me the theatrics, you filthy alien."
Lex Luthor hadn't bothered to count how many times he and the Kryptonian had clashed over the decades.
It wasn't because he was incapable. As a matter of fact, he prided himself on being a one-of-a-kind genius, and having a photographic memory came with the package of geniushood.
For each battle he lost, he neglected to count, and for each battle he won, he merely scoffed.
To him, victory was only attained when the Last Son of Krypton was vanquished from the world. Doomsday had accomplished that once, and yet, like always, the accursed Kryptonian returned.
"Always trying to play the saint. Trying to hide your true nature behind that boy scout persona of yours."
Activating his power gauntlet, Lex rammed it into the ground. The resulting impact unleashed a massive quake that threatened to level the surroundings.
Superman, his fist ready, lunged at Lex—but his assault was halted as a man with a skeletal head ignited in flames grabbed him by the leg and hauled him back.
"Stall him!" Lex barked.
He left those instructions to Atomic Skull as he bolted toward Livewire. It wasn't out of fondness but because she made a good power source.
While he tried siphoning her electrical energy, Atomic Skull gathered a swirling mass of radiative energy within his palms. Switching forms, he punched the air.
A beam of green light burst from his fist, crashing into the Kryptonian, who countered with his heat vision.
Red met green in a destructive clash that melted the ground and sent waves of scorched wind tearing through the battlefield.
Even Ren, who had long since escaped the prison and observed from a high point, couldn't help but shudder at the heatwave resulting from the clash.
"So he held back on me back then."
Rubbing his temple in discomfort, he mused, his attention drawn to the Man of Steel.
When he first awakened as a Metahuman and lost control, the hero who took him down had been Superman. Back then, the haunting memories of having killed his sister corrupted his mind, driving his abilities to extreme heights.
"I should leave!"
Turning tail with a dissatisfied look, a red birdarang whistled through the air and locked itself on the ground in front of him.
Ren froze. A voice followed.
"I would advise you to return to where you came from."
Looking up, Ren noticed two heroes. Sidekicks, to be precise.
Robin number three, with his bo staff resting on his shoulders, and Robin number five, unsheathing his katana.
"The opposite is still applicable."
Robin No. 5 grinned before leaping down from the tree and descending toward him.
Ren unconsciously took a step back. He wasn't afraid of the Robins, not by any means. He just didn't want to hit a kid.
Well, he too was a kid, but it still felt wrong. And it might add to his already stained record.
"Robin, stop encouraging him," Robin Three remarked, hovering down with his cape parachuting.
"Either way, please return back to your cell." Robin Three warned, taking out cuffs from his utility belt.
Ren, unwilling, tried to argue.
"I can't. I won't return."
Both Robins grew vigilant and took guarded stances.
"Just leave me be, and I won't hurt you or anyone," Ren added.
"And why should we do that?" Robin Three questioned, wondering what his game was.
Belle Reve was a Metahuman and supervillain prison. People sent there had either wronged society or were far too dangerous to be let out into the world.
Robin Three—or rather Tim Drake—had already done a facial recognition of the teenager before him. He had then made a brief sweep of his files and knew he wasn't a villain. But whether he could be let loose or not, it wasn't up to him to decide.
If heroes decided the fates of villains, the streets of Gotham wouldn't be as dangerous as they were now. But they didn't. It was up to the government, and until proven otherwise, this young man must not be let loose.
"I promise I will not hurt anyone again. I just want to go back to Metropolis. Please—"
Robin Five lunged at him before he could finish, turning the base of his katana to strike him down.
He was fast, far faster than his tiny build or even his age suggested. It was borderline superhuman.
But Ren was a superhuman who had traded blows with the strongest hero on Earth. So he merely raised his arm and shattered the katana in his grip.
As fragments of the blade scattered around, he looked ahead and found no sight of No. 5.
Panicked, he began searching around, only to receive a brutal punch to his gut.
But Damian wasn't done. He swept Ren off his feet, leading him to trip and fall to the ground, where he was swiftly handcuffed and rendered powerless.
"Why are you so impatient?" Tim, fed up with Damian's recklessness, complained.
Damian only puffed his chest in pride. He didn't speak, but he was clearly trying to imply a form of superiority over Tim, who tried his best to keep his irritation in check.
As for Ren, he lay on the cold, soft ground of the forest, wondering how the heck he had been this easily neutralized.
Sure, he hadn't used his abilities for a while, and he wasn't primarily a brawler type of Metahuman, but he still shouldn't have lost that easily.
At Robin's punch, it seemed he had targeted a weak point of his that stunned him. After that, Robin had thrown him off balance.
Everything had happened so fast and fluidly that Ren couldn't help but grow more in awe by the second.
"What the heck does the Bat teach his sidekicks?"
Horrified by that thought, he was hoisted onto Robin Number Three's shoulders as the duo began returning him back to Belle Reve.
"Hey Robin, I didn't kill anyone, so could you put in a word for me for some more junk food?"
Since he was going back, he might as well make a few requests.
"Fine!" Tim sighed and looked up—only to pale when a giant rift tore through the sky.
A/N: Just writing to apologize for the late update. I just reopened school and had a lot on my plate, but now I've adapted and crafted a timetable for updates.
Basically: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The time of update will vary, but it will mostly be on those days.
Also, I wouldn't mind reviews and ideas.
Anyway, thanks for reading this fanfic and have a good day.