Author's Note:
Honestly, I don't understand why some of my stories receive such a warm welcome from the start.
The first chapter of this story isn't even in the top ten of best things I've written, but it received a pretty positive response.
While the series of stories about Genshin Impact, which I put a lot of effort into writing, receives little attention or approval.
I think it all depends on the fandom.
Ps. At the moment, my biggest opponent is an exam that I can't pass, I only have one attempt left, then I'll have to wait a whole year to try again.
So, this chapter won't be at my best as a fanfiction writer.
XXX
Story Arc: A Journey to America
Episode 1: Recruitment (II)
Chapter 2: Shielder & Rider
Plot: Wonder Woman returns to the roof of a certain hotel, waiting to see Galahad again, this happens, but a new face also appears. Will he become an associate of the Justice League or not?
XXX
POV Narrator
[Date: June 5, 2010. Location: Greece, Athens]
After nearly twenty-four hours, Wonder Woman returned to the roof of the three-star hotel, where she met Galahad for the first time.
'I hope Galahad has decided to become an associate of the Justice League, it would be a win-win for everyone involved.' Diana thinks, convinced that the collaboration between the heroes is a method to keep the planet safe from internal and external threats.
Once upon a time, Wonder Woman herself believed she could tackle any challenge Man's World faced, but one fateful day, a threat too great for a single hero/heroine appeared.
Diana did not fail then, because she joined forces with Superman, Batman, Hawkwoman, Zatanna, Miss Blue, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter.
'Galahad reminds me of Flash, but I hope he doesn't have his habit of being late.' Wonder Woman thinks, fearing that she will have to wait a long time until Galahad arrives.
The Amazon Princess's mind imagines a scenario where she will wait for hours without seeing any sign of Galahad.
A rather immature way to say no to Wonder Woman's offer.
'I think I've spent too much time around Batman, I'm starting to think of the worst less.' Wonder Woman thinks, joking that Gotham's Dark Knight is a bad influence on her.
With nothing left to do but wait, the Amazon Princess grabs the Farnsworth that is attached to her belt, next to her Lasso of Truth.
Technology is not Diana's strong point, so when she returned to America, she gave the Farnsworth gadget to Batman for a quick analysis.
One way to figure out some things about Galahad is for a good detective to glean a lot of information from something superficial, like the clothes a suspect is wearing or where he has been in the last few hours, using the dirt stuck to the soles of his shoes.
Analyzing the Farnsworth can tell to some extent what kind of resources Galahad possesses, what kind of technology he is studying, whether the Farnsworth is just a communications device or something more.
Batman was unable to dismantle the device piece by piece and analyze it in minute detail, he was limited to using a machine to look inside the device.
Gotham City's Dark Knight said the Farnsworth is like a museum-worthy work of art, created by a genius from 1929, using the principles of his time, but the technology of the present.
This has raised several question marks over Galahad, but speculation brings no real answers.
Stopping her thoughts on the evening of yesterday, Wonder Woman waits for the Farnsworth, the retro communication device she received from Galahad, to start beeping in moments.
Suddenly, the device in the Amazon Princess's hands buzzes to let her know that she is receiving a call.
Diana opens the device as if it were a book, presses the rightmost button, located just below the red lamp.
The Farnsworth's circular screen displays a sharp, black-and-white image of Galahad.
"Wonder Woman, can you hear me? Can you see me?" Galahad asks, his voice clear even though there is a slight hum in the background.
"Yes, I see you and I hear you, I haven't seen a black and white screen in a long time." Wonder Woman replies, recalling her first experience with TV, which ended with her cutting the TV in half with a sword.
"I'm about to arrive at the building where we met yesterday, I'm bringing someone with me, so don't worry." Galahad announces his arrival and that of a friend.
"I didn't expect you to bring someone with you, but I don't see a problem with that." Wonder Woman said, her voice reasonable and slightly curious.
The Amazon Princess is curious about who might be coming with the Black Knight, a squire?; one of the female friends she mentioned yesterday?; someone unexpected?
The door that allows the hotel staff to go up to the roof opened, the first person to come out was Galahad, he is wearing the same outfit as yesterday, on his right shoulder is a certain little animal with white fur.
The second person to come out is a purple-haired adult woman of unparalleled beauty, dressed in a dress that can take the breath away of many men and some women.
"Wonder Woman, meet Rider, this is my partner." Galahad said, making the introduction for the purple-haired woman.
'Galahad to have a female partner?' Diana thinks, having no idea that Galahad had someone watching their back.
The black-haired heroine looks intently at this woman named Rider.
Rider (Medusa) is an impressive and statuesque woman, 172 cm tall, with an agile but powerful physique, her three dimensions are: B88/W56/H84.
Rider's hair can be described as a cascade of long, silky purple hair that falls past her waist, almost ethereal in its flow.
On his forehead is a red tattoo in the shape of a strange S or a snake.
In addition to her unparalleled hair, she has porcelain-pale skin, smooth and flawless, unnaturally resembling a marble sculpture brought to life.
Rider's outfit consists of a black one-piece dress, which can be described as a miniskirt combined with a corset. Near the edge of the corset is a line of purple, adding a pop of color.
The legs are covered in tight black boots that reach up to the thighs, a purple colored line decorates the edge that touches the thighs, in front of the ankles there is a piece of light purple colored armor.
As for his arms, he wears tight, fingerless leather gloves that reach past his elbows, and has four purple belts on each arm, positioned along his arms.
Around his neck he wears a purple strap and a silver buckle.
Finally, Rider's most noticeable accessory is a purple mask decorated with two rectangular silver pieces, which covers her eyes like a fetish blindfold.
'And some people say my clothing is inappropriate.' Diana thinks, letting her mind wander on a trivial matter.
"Hello." Rider said, giving the Amazon Princess a short salute.
"She is a woman of few words, but she is reliable, extremely strong and agile." Galahad lists some of Medusa's best traits.
"If you came here with a friend, does that mean you're accepting the offer to become a Justice League Associate?" Wonder Woman asks, quite confident that the conversation will have the outcome she hopes for.
"You and I talked yesterday for quite some time, looking at the pros and cons of having close ties with the Justice League." Galahad said, sounding like he had thought about it seriously.
"We accept the offer." Galahad declares, as the purple-haired woman nods.
Wonder Woman smiles, happy to have successfully recruited not one, but two heroes for the Justice League, including a woman.
"But we have some conditions, nothing outrageous or unreasonable. After all, a good partnership is based on mutual respect and a mechanics of giving and receiving services/favors." Galahad said, treating the situation as a business deal, rather than a union with an international superhero team.
'Despite his age, Galahad seems more mature and level-headed than Flash.' Wonder Woman thinks, having labeled the fastest man alive as the clown of the Justice League.
"Let's hear what your condition is." Wonder Woman said, slightly curious to hear them.
"Rider and I don't want to give a damn about teaming up with the Justice League, but if any creative differences or personality conflicts arise, the two of us will go back to working alone and pretend we never met," Galahad said, his voice serious.
The boy with the powers of Mash Kyrielight wants to be able to "resign" without worrying about "contractual obligations" or "hidden clauses."
Clearly, Galahad is treating this conversation too much like a job interview, despite the awkward position of the conversation and the daring attire of the two women present.
"The Justice League is an all-volunteer group, no one has been forced to join or had any problem leaving, although that has never happened before." Wonder Woman speaks the plain truth, not just hers, but that of every hero who has been a part of the Justice League.
Despite the many concerns and paranoias of various people in the government and politicians, the Justice League has not planned anything nefarious or pressured other heroes to join their group.
Galahad did not finish his sentence.
"Of course, if there were alien invasions, machine uprisings, world-eating cosmic entities, an army of evil clones of heroes, someone threatening humanity or the planet, the two of us would be willing to help no matter what might happen between us and the Justice League." Galahad said, sensible enough to participate in any operation to avert the end of the world.
The Amazon Princess says nothing, but the look of a school teacher says: This child has a vivid imagination.
As if Rider had telepathy, guess what Wonder Woman is thinking.
"Galahad reads a lot," Medusa declares, as if that explains everything.
Galahad keeps a calm expression, but crosses his arms, feeling criticized by the two women, even though one has said nothing, the other a single short sentence.
"Second condition, most of the time the Justice League works in America, but me and Rider are Europeans, we don't want to leave the Old World to Live the American Dream." Galahad said, not liking the idea of giving up everything and moving to America.
"I have no problem saving a city in America or performing heroic deeds overseas, but not if it means leaving Romania and the rest of Europe without their first major superhero," Galahad said, explaining his point.
For some reason unknown to all, eight out of ten disasters involving Meta-Humans/Experimental Technologies/Unexplained Events take place on American soil.
Almost all Superheroes and Supervillains are American or live in the USA.
A thought that puts the rest of the world on tenterhooks, especially countries that are not on good terms with America.
"A patriot?" Wonder Woman asks, raising an eyebrow.
Although Galahad worked at the beginning of his career in Romania, half of the time he appeared irregularly between several Eastern European countries.
"I don't call myself a patriot and I have a fair amount of contempt for the politicians of Bucharest." Galahad said, not having sent Assassin to "retire" certain people by a miracle.
"But America has the largest amount of super-heroes and super-villains in the entire world, Romania and other smaller countries don't even have a single hero." Galahad said, believing that it is better to work in the Old World than to go to a country already full of heroes and villains.
"France recently got two superheroes, Icon and Rocket." Comments Medusa, knowing some of the latest news.
"Adding the infamous and unknown John Constantine in England, we are five superheroes in all of Europe, that's if I count Rider." Galahad said, knowing no other madmen who have the same hobby as him.
"Each member of the Justice League divides his time between his hometown and his duties to the Justice League and the rest of the world." Wonder Woman replies, trying to make it clear that Galahad is not limited to working exclusively in America.
"In short, three days of being a hero in America, three days of being a hero in Europe, and Sunday off." Galahad sums it up in a simpler way.
"It won't be such a rigid schedule, after all, this job is full of unexpected things, but I promise you will have time for your personal life and protecting your homeland." Wonder Woman replies, stating the obvious.
"I have one last condition to add before I can be considered an official or probationary associate of the Justice League." Galahad said, reaching out and holding up three fingers.
"Let's hear it." Wonder Woman said, gesturing for Galahad to proceed.
"Anything that has to do with my personal life is none of your business. I like to keep my personal life and my professional life as far apart as possible. The same goes for Rider." Galahad said, his voice serious, as Rider nods.
"You sound like Batman, no one on the Justice League knows his true identity." Said Wonder Woman, unaware that Superman knows who Batman really is.
"Now that we've agreed, let's celebrate this agreement with some ice cream!" Galahad suggests, believing it to be a good move, since he hasn't had to negotiate with Wonder Woman.
"He likes to eat." Rider said, providing another little piece of information about his Master.
"For me, a good day begins and ends with a good read and a hearty meal." Galahad said, easily.
Mash Kyrielight's heir has rather simple wishes.
'Galahad will definitely get along with Flash and Kid Flash.' Wonder Woman thinks, confident that the two speedsters will be able to bond with the Black Knight.
"If there are no impediments, I would like to take you two to the Hall of Justice." Said the Amazon Princess, wanting the first day of the two new associate members to be unforgettable.
Rider turns to Galahad, leaving the decision to his Master.
"Rider and I have nothing serious to do in Athena anymore, our schedule is free. But I leave it to you to find passports and plane tickets for the three of us." Galahad said, wanting to get a new set of documents and make the trip to America at the expense of the Justice League.
"That won't be necessary, the Justice League has their own methods of traveling the world quickly and without attracting attention." Wonder Woman said, with a small smile.
The Amazon Princess wants to surprise the two new members associated with the Zeta-Tube technology.
"Before we go any further, I want to tell you that I have chosen my official superhero name, Shielder." Galahad states, choosing to take the classic, simple option.
Galahad, no, Shielder takes off his glasses, after which, his clothes emit a whitish light, transforming into a black and purple knight's armor.
The goggles have vanished into thin air, replaced by a metal knight visor in the shape of a V, covering only the eyes. Galahad stole the design from Artoria Pendragon Alter.
"Exhibitionist." Rider comments, feeling compelled to add his two cents to the scene.
'Shielder & Rider, they sound good.' Wonder Woman thinks, finding the title of the two European heroes catchy
"Wonder Woman, how are we going to get to the Hall of Justice?" Shielder asks, having no idea what Zeta-Tube technology is.
"You'll see him soon, follow me." Said Wonder Woman, slowly flying away from the roof she's on.
Shielder and Rider chased the Amazon Princess, running and leaping across rooftops using their superhuman speed and strength.
Continues ...
XXX
Author's Note:
In case anyone hasn't figured out, my story takes place in a combined universe that unites the DC Universe with the Nasuverse.
So I took a few small liberties which will become clear later.
The Type-Moon characters exist in this world, doing their own thing, trying to stay away from super-heroes and super-villains. But some of them have gotten involved in the world of colorful capes and costumes.
By the way, this world's Justice League was founded by nine superheroes, five men and four women.
I really love the DC Universe, I'm a fan of a lot of their stuff, but I feel like there are too few female superheroes on screen. So I decided to tie the number.
Little question for Type-Moon fans, who figured out who Miss Blue is?