[Third Person Pov]
Danny phased up through the cracked pavement, emerging back into the sunlight with an armful of dismantled toy soldiers sparking and twitching faintly in his grasp. He dropped them onto the street, where their broken metal limbs clattered among a sea of other shattered contraptions. The ground around him was littered with twisted clockwork gears, cracked plastic faces, and sparking wires. Nearby, several toy tanks—once filled with stolen gold bars—were left smoking wrecks, some punched clean through while others were half-melted.
"Got everything handled?" Superman asked, hovering above the street with his cape fluttering behind him. His expression was relaxed, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he looked down at the half-ghost hero.
Danny straightened and dusted off his hands, smirking slightly. "Clearly. The inside's been cleared out," he reported. "I even did an additional sweep just to make sure I didn't miss any of the little creeps."
Superman crossed his arms, a playful glint in his eye. "So, in a way, you could say… they've been put away permanently, huh?" he teased with a raised eyebrow.
Danny groaned and felt heat crawl up his neck. "You heard that, huh? Don't you have anything better to do than eavesdrop and quote my one-liners?"
Superman chuckled warmly. "I'm great at multitasking."
Danny rolled his eyes, floating a few feet off the ground. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But seriously, what do you think Toyman was after by robbing a bank full of gold? Does that sound like his usual M.O?."
Superman's good humor faded as he frowned thoughtfully. "That's what I've been trying to figure out," he admitted. "This doesn't fit his pattern. Toyman's crimes are usually theatrical—sentimental, even—but this…"
Before he could finish, a scream echoed through the air.
"Aaaahhh!"
"You're gonna get what's coming to you, Luthor!!"
A thunderous crash! followed, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass and more terrified shouts. Superman's head snapped toward the source. His eyes narrowed as his telescopic vision focused far into the city skyline.
Through the haze of distance, Superman saw a massive robot scaling the gleaming face of LexCorp Tower. Metal claws gouged into the upper floors, and with a violent jerk, it tore a section of the building open, exposing the office inside. In the robot's grip, flailing furiously, was none other than Lex Luthor himself.
Superman's jaw tightened. "This was a distraction," he realized aloud. "Toyman wanted us busy while he made his move."
Without another word, he shot into the sky, leaving a sonic boom in his wake. Danny's hair whipped in the gust as he gritted his teeth and took off after him.
Superman weaved through the dense cityscape at supersonic speed. Danny, meanwhile, took shortcuts—phasing through rooftops, billboards, and concrete like a blur of light.
By the time they reached LexCorp Tower, Superman moved in like lightning, snatching Lex from the robot's claw and slamming the robot down into the ground below. The impact sent tremors through the street, cracking asphalt and rattling nearby buildings.
"Lex," Superman said curtly, as they levitated in the air.
"Put. Me. Down," Lex spat through gritted teeth, trying to wiggle free while glaring up at the hero. "I refuse to be humiliated like this, again. I didn't need your help, Superman."
Superman smirked faintly. "As friendly as ever, I see."
"Darn it!" a shrill voice blared from above.
The robot loomed over them, its patchwork frame cobbled together from the shell of a children's toy store—one Superman instantly recognized as belonging to Toyman himself.
"I planned everything perfectly!" Toyman's voice echoed from inside the metal giant. "How were you able to get here so fast?! You should've been too busy with my decoys!"
Toyman let out a frustrated scream and lifted the robot's arms. Panels unfolded, revealing launchers, compartments, and glowing emitters. "Well, no matter! One way or another, I'm getting my payback!"
The air filled with a bizarre whirring chorus as hundreds of toys burst from the robot's chassis—stuffed bears, wind-up monkeys, dolls. All of them streaked toward Superman and Lex, flashing with bright, ticking lights.
Superman braced himself—but before he could move, the toys froze midair, their outlines shimmering green.
Danny hovered beside him, eyes glowing with spectral energy. "Sorry, but these seem a bit defective," he said with a grin. "Back to the sender they go!"
With a surge of ghostly power, the toys reversed direction and hurtled back toward Toyman.
The sky lit up as they detonated one after another, painting the skyline in bursts of color and fire. The robot was engulfed in its own chain reaction, the explosions tearing off pieces of metal and sending Toyman flying backward. He smashed into the side of a skyscraper, shattering windows before slowly picking himself back up.
"To answer your previous question—" Superman said with a half-grin, "—I had help."
Before Danny could reply, something metallic streaked through the corner of Superman's vision. He turned just in time to see a silver blur swoop in and snatch Lex straight out of his grasp.
Mercy Graves—Lex's cybernetic assistant—landed with perfect precision, servos humming as her boots dented the pavement. She set her employer down gently, and Lex immediately began straightening his suit jacket, brushing off imaginary dirt with the dignity of a man who refused to acknowledge he'd just been rescued.
"I want a full report on Superman's new helper," Lex said coldly, glaring up at the two heroes. His lip curled into a sneer. "Find me everything you can—abilities, weaknesses, history, all of it."
Mercy nodded silently, her artificial eyes flickering with data as she began scanning Danny from afar.
Superman sighed but had no time for rebuttals—the massive Robo-Shop suddenly lurched forward, gears grinding and lights flashing. Superman turned and unleashed twin beams of molten red heat from his eyes. The searing rays cut through the air, striking the robot square in the chest—
—only for a massive mirror panel to spring open from its torso, angling itself with mechanical precision.
The beam reflected back in an instant. Superman's eyes widened—
—but Danny appeared beside him in a green flash, pressing a hand to his shoulder. The two went intangible just as the blast zipped through them harmlessly.
The redirected beam struck the ground behind them, obliterating a sleek luxury car parked beside the LexCorp building. The explosion sent flames licking up the tower's mirrored walls.
"My car!" Lex bellowed furiously, his voice echoing down the street. He turned on Superman, face red with outrage. "Superman!!"
"Oh, come on!" Superman shouted back, exasperated. "You can't seriously blame that on me!"
The mirror retracted back into the robot's chest with a hiss of steam.
Danny floated backward, charging two glowing ecto-spheres in his palms. "Dude, less talking, more punching!"
"You're right," Superman said, the amusement in his voice fading into focus. His cape fluttered as he shot into the air, circling the robot alongside Danny.
The two heroes moved in perfect sync—Superman exhaled a deep gust of freezing wind, coating the Toyman's creation in a sheath of ice from the knees down. The street around it crackled and shimmered with frost.
Danny followed up immediately, firing blast after blast of neon-green ghost rays that exploded against the robot's armor, leaving molten streaks along its sides. Sparks rained like fireworks.
"Why must you always get in my way!" Toyman's voice screeched through the speakers. The robot's arms spun rapidly in circles around itself as it lumbered forward, breaking free with a single step and cracking the frozen asphalt.
Superman darted in, one hand outstretched. He caught one of the spinning arms mid-rotation—the grinding metal shrieked in protest, gears popping and sputtering smoke. With a grunt, Superman forced the limb still. Then, pulling back, he slammed his fist forward.
The impact dented the robot's torso inward like crumpled tin. The machine slid backward several meters, its claws tearing up asphalt and flipping cars as it struggled to stop.
Danny saw his opening. He cupped his hands around his mouth and unleashed a sonic wail so powerful the air itself rippled. The concussive blast hammered the robot's frame, sending it rocketing backward through the air and crashing spine-first into the side of a nearby skyscraper.
Glass shattered. Debris rained down in glittering cascades. The giant machine hung awkwardly against the building's side, its head slumped forward, smoke pouring from its chest.
Superman surged upward, ready to finish the job—
—but with a loud clang, a hidden hatch in the robot's side burst open.
A massive boxing glove on a spring shot out with cartoonish speed and slammed into Superman's chest, the force of it sending him hurtling backward through the air like a missile.
Danny yelped and phased, allowing Superman to pass through him harmlessly before grabbing the hero's cape mid-flight. With a twist of using his momentum, Danny spun like a tornado and hurled Superman straight back toward the robot.
"Fastball special, baby!" Danny shouted.
Superman rocketed forward, fists first, crashing into the robot with an earth-shaking BOOM. The impact sent the behemoth sliding upward, scraping the side of the skyscraper as sparks and metal shards scattered across the cityscape.
Then, with a final punch, Superman launched it skyward. The robot spun out of control, smoke trailing from its back—
Until panels opened, and a pair of enormous jet wings unfolded, engines roaring to life. The Robo-Shop stabilized midair and blasted back toward LexCorp, streaking like a missile.
Superman groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course it has jet wings," he muttered. "Why wouldn't it have jet wings?"
He shot off after it again, breaking the sound barrier in a thunderous boom.
Danny followed close behind, grinning ear to ear as green energy crackled around him.
'I'm fighting a giant mecha in the middle of Metropolis,' he thought, exhilarated beyond words. 'Alongside Superman.'
His grin widened.
'This. Is. Freaking. Awesome.'
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