Since Viktor wasn't sure how much Kara knew about Emperor Viktor's situation, he didn't remove his helmet when he took Rachel to find Kara, who was watching TV in Clark's apartment, to explain their purpose.
To his surprise, Kara actually recognized Viktor's attire.
"You're the Atom? You look a lot more impressive in person than in the illustrations."
"Illustrations?"
Viktor's somewhat puzzled voice came from beneath the helmet.
Superman's earlier punch when he returned to the fight had nearly sent Emperor Viktor flying out of the atmosphere.
To avoid becoming a target by flying with two people and possibly colliding with Emperor VIktor or being dragged into the battlefield, Viktor had to rely on Rachel.
Rachel was currently drawing out a new targeted teleportation spell.
Since she had never been to Themyscira, Rachel had to rely on the location map and coordinates Batman had transmitted to Viktor to find the destination.
This was the first time Rachel had attempted to cast magic by combining geographical data, and she had to transport two beings who far exceeded normal physical limits.
The difficulty was evident because Rachel had basically no time to follow Viktor and Kara's conversation, murmuring continuously under her breath.
Kara pulled a beautifully produced illustrated booklet out from beneath a pile of snacks on the coffee table beside the sofa.
He took it and flipped through it and stopped short.
'What on earth is this?'
'A Justice League men's photo cover collection?'
Kara explained that Superman had brought it back for her.
Ever since the Justice League had been formed, various superheroes and villains had been popping up across the globe.
To prevent young children from getting caught up in incidents or failing to distinguish between a hero and a villain when encountering someone in a suit, Green Arrow and Batman teamed up to establish companies specifically dedicated to producing this kind of merchandise.
By controlling the copyrights to the various superheroes themselves, they could ensure children recognized trustworthy heroes they could shout to for help in a critical moment.
These illustrations were not only exquisitely detailed and stylishly posed, but they also included rough notes on the active areas of each hero.
Viktor looked back at Rachel, who was still working on the teleportation magic, and he took out his phone and searched for the company listed on the back of the booklet.
He opened Amazon and saw the booklet had sold over seven million copies worldwide, across more than fifty countries.
He was genuinely stunned.
This seemed to be the first time he'd ever directly witnessed Batman and Green Arrow's business side.
Kara seemed to rarely get the chance to talk to people, and she kept chatting at the side.
She explained that Superman's idea was for her to recognize his "colleagues" who might come to help her.
Until she fully mastered her powers, Kara could be in danger from Superman's enemies or villains seeking revenge.
Viktor put his phone away and flipped to his own page.
Atom in his illustration stood in a classic feet-apart, hands-on-hips stance, with a somewhat stiff smile.
It was easy to imagine how uncomfortable the laid-back Dr. Ray Palmer had felt when this photo was taken.
There was also a note below it:
"The Atom—commonly active in: Ivy Town, New York."
There was no doubt that Ivy Town was the hometown of Ray Palmer's version of the Atom.
As for New York, they really were living for now at the S.T.A.R Lab branch in New York.
It made sense that the Atom could appear in both places.
"...What is this, a Pokémon catching guide?"
Then, Viktor suddenly remembered Flashpoint Superman, and he casually asked about it too.
"He's at the North Pole."
After a short pause, Kara added, "In the Fortress of Solitude. He said staying there felt more like home. He did not like crowded places on Earth."
Ah. Fair enough.
After enduring years of inhumane treatment, Flashpoint Superman would have been considered kind just for not wiping out the entire human race the moment he got out.
Moreover, the Fortress of Solitude contained recordings from Krypton. For someone with such a tragic past, it really would feel more like home.
"The spell is ready."
Rachel announced suddenly.
Kara quickly jumped off the sofa and ran over to Rachel in her slippers.
He found a pack of wet wipes in the apartment, pulled out a few, and used them to wipe the sweat from Rachel's forehead.
The three of them stood together.
As the magic enveloped them completely, Rachel added one more thing at the last moment:
"There's some kind of magical interference around Themyscira, and the landing point will be a bit off."
Kara looked a little nervous.
This was her first time experiencing magic. She immediately looked to Rachel.
"So... where exactly will we end up?"
"The ocean."
As soon as Rachel finished speaking, Kara suddenly felt the ground under her disappear.
After some frantic splashing and yelping, Kara fell straight into the ocean.
Viktor held Rachel and hovered in the air.
Initially, he wanted to laugh, but then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
He turned his head to look at the expressionless girl beside him.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Did this girl get jealous just because he had talked with Kara a little earlier?
To his surprise, Rachel only frowned seriously with her brows and showed the most confused expression she could manage.
"She's supposed to be able to fly."
A moment later, Kara flew up while spitting out seawater. Her blonde hair was soaked and draped over her shoulders, and she had lost one of her slippers.
Still, Kara's face was full of excitement.
"That magic is amazing!"
Then, Kara looked sadly at the single fluffy slipper remaining on her foot.
"But every time I used my powers, I needed a little mental preparation, and next time, could you please warn me a bit earlier?"
...
600 POWER STONES = 1 BONUS CHAPTER
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