Chapter 268 The League
---
*Author: Rowing Without Oars 233*
Gotham, HISHE Cafe.
"Come on, look at the camera and say CHEESE~"
*Click.*
Barry held up the camera and pressed the shutter. The moment the picture was taken, he let go, his body flashing to the reserved spot on the sofa, where he sat down and leaned against Hal's shoulder, making a "Yes" hand gesture.
The camera captured the image, freezing the moment. As soon as the shot was taken, he sped back and caught the camera steadily in his hand before it even had a chance to fall.
"Look, it turned out pretty good."
Barry passed the camera over, and everyone took turns looking at the result.
Having just achieved a great victory in defending the Earth, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. In the photo, they all wore smiles. Except for Batman.
Batman looked very unhappy.
Yes, he usually looked unhappy, but it seemed especially so today. Of course, this was most likely related to him being forcibly dragged here by Superman to attend this post-war celebration.
He disliked group activities.
And if there was anything that could make him even more unhappy, it was the fact that Alfred was also here.
A few minutes earlier, Alfred had driven the Wayne family's private car to the cafe, even bringing desserts with him when he entered.
Batman was a bit surprised. "Penny-One, why are you...?"
"I don't think codenames are necessary here; everyone knows each other," Orin Vale said with a smile. "I called him. Alfred entrusted me with helping to find you. Now that the commission is complete, I have to give his guardian a proper report, right?"
Batman narrowed his eyes at him, looking none too pleased.
But Alfred, on the other hand, looked quite cheerful. Although his expression was subtle, his eyes were clearly filled with relief.
Orin Vale figured that on one hand, it was because he learned that the young master was safe and sound, finally setting his mind at ease. On the other hand, it was likely because his young master had finally made some friends and even joined a small club.
Although these friends were also not quite normal, his own young master wasn't normal to begin with. What more could he ask for?
Alfred began distributing the small pastries. "These are handmade by me, just a small token..."
"This is really delicious, thanks, Alfred," Superman said with a smile.
"You're too kind, Young Master Kent." Alfred smiled. "I know you've taken great care of my young master before..."
Batman interjected, displeased, "Actually, I was the one taking care of him."
But Alfred ignored him, continuing with a smile, "I hope everyone will continue to look after him in the future."
Hal couldn't help but chuckle, whispering to Barry, "I get it. This is a 'Bat-parent'."
Hearing this, Barry couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Alright, we should really introduce ourselves properly," Superman said. "Some of us might not be familiar with each other yet. I'll start. My cousin and I are from Krypton. The radiation from a yellow sun has given us superpowers... which you've probably all seen by now."
Barry said, "A bolt of lightning struck the chemicals in my laboratory and hit me. When I woke up, I was connected to a power called the 'Speed Force'. It lets me change the flow of time, or just be incredibly fast."
Hal said, "This ring comes from a group of immortal beings called the Guardians of the Universe. It grants me power from the universe's Emotional Spectrum, allowing me to wield its energy to create anything I can imagine. The Guardians say it's the most powerful weapon in the universe."
Martian Manhunter said, "I am a Martian, the last survivor of Mars. Our racial talents are primarily telepathy, gigantification, shape-shifting, and phasing through objects. We also possess a degree of super strength and super speed..."
Orin Vale said, "I'm from a place called the Land of Light. I'm just an ordinary scientist-in-training among the eighteen billion people of the Land of Light, not even a permanent employee yet. As for my abilities... size manipulation, energy projection, super strength, super speed, duplication, teleportation, and so on. I know a little about the Speed Force, I've dabbled a bit in the Emotional Spectrum, I can absorb some solar radiation, my phasing is decent, and I know a little telepathy too..."
Everyone: "?"
They all looked at him with somewhat peculiar expressions.
Everyone present had worked with him to some extent and had witnessed some of his abilities. Recalling his performance when Darkseid was getting thrashed earlier today...
It felt like he was actually telling the truth.
The cafe suddenly fell into a brief silence.
Even Batman began to consider the necessity of creating a list of abilities for Ultraman.
The files for the others could be clearly itemized, listing abilities like strength, speed, mind-reading, and phasing. As for this guy...
Rather than wasting unnecessary space, one word would suffice.
Invincible.
The silence lasted until Superman took a sip of coffee. "Ha, well, why don't we continue sharing our stories."
Now this was something everyone could talk about. Each of the future founding members of the Justice League had their own origin story, and nearly all had unique adventures in different fields.
Kara looked at Hal with the eyes of a curious child. "So, you're like a cosmic police officer?"
"Yeah, Earth is in Sector 2814, and this whole area is my beat." Hal puffed out his chest proudly and waved the ring on his finger. "This is the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"It's just like in the comics!" Barry said excitedly. "I loved superhero comics when I was a kid. There was a book about a group of Earth's greatest heroes who formed an alliance..."
At this, he tilted his head, remembered something, and looked at Wonder Woman.
"Wait a minute, you said you participated in a world war?"
"Yes," Diana nodded.
"Whoa," Barry said, a bit strangely. "I don't know if this is some kind of wonderful fate. But you have a shield with a star on it, you fought in a world war, and you had an ex-boyfriend named Steve who ended up sacrificing himself by crashing an aircraft... You know what? I read a comic book when I was a kid that was freakishly similar to your story..."
"Hold on, what did you just say?" Superman interrupted.
Barry said, "I said there was a comic book where the protagonist also carried a shield to fight in a world war and ended up crashing an aircraft..."
"No, a little before that... you mentioned an alliance?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Just as I thought," Superman said with delight. "The invaders might return, and there could be more threats. Think about it, with so many of us exceptionally talented people, how much could we accomplish if we banded together!"
Everyone looked at each other, seemingly starting to seriously consider the proposal.
"What the hell, I'm in," Barry was the first to declare. He then looked at Hal. "Now I've joined the League faster than you. From now on, you have to call me senior."
"Hey, that's not fair," Hal yelled. "I had already decided to join in my head; you just shouted it out faster than me."
"That sounds interesting!"
Kara tugged on Orin Vale's sleeve.
"Should we also..."
"If you're interested, you can give it a try. I'll pass," Orin Vale said with a shrug and a smile. "The place I come from has some... special regulations. Our laws state that we should interfere as little as possible in the private affairs of other planets."
Although the Justice League was formed due to an external invasion, one of its main functions was still to fight crime, and it would sometimes be unavoidably drawn into international affairs, which clearly conflicted with the principles of the Land of Light.
"Okay," Kara said, a little disappointed.
"I'll pass," Batman said coolly, his face still impassive. "I'm not interested in clubs."
Superman nodded. "Alright, Batman's in too. Anyone else?"
Batman: "..."
(end of chapter)