You know, I've always thought that Kryptonians are supposed to be the pinnacle of all races in the DC universe.
There might have been stronger races in the comics, but since I was only a casual fan of the series and only have watched some of the DCEU movies and about two seasons of Young Justice, that was how it looked like to me.
The Superman in the DCEU was also shown to be far more powerful than the one in the Young Justice series and I have to admit that that kinda bummed me out since I was expecting to see the Man of Steel throw hands with his usual villains in an animated show.
Now, as I was holding back a G-Troll trying to crush me into the ground with barely a struggle, I realized that I may have severely underestimated just how much powerful a Kryptonian is in this universe compared to the average human.
'And this is as someone who's a Human-Kryptonian clone and hybrid…this almost makes me want to know just how much stronger Superman is compared to me.' I thought with a frown as I shifted to the side and leapt up past the fist.
Spinning through the air, the G-Troll barely had time to blink before I landed a vicious kick to its side that sent the large beast stumbling into the side of the wall.
I wasn't even given time to land though as four G-Elves leapt off of the walls and up at me, but a heavy clap sent out a shockwave that pushed them away just long enough for me to land and leapt back.
As I did, four bird-shaped batarangs flew over my shoulders and impacted the four G-Elves, each exploding with a powerful force that sent them flying into the walls.
"Don't worry about the small guys! Just take out the big ones!" Robin shouted as he ducked under a swing from a G-Elf before tripping it into the attack of a second G-Elf, to which I nodded before turning back as I watched four more G-Trolls charging down the hallway.
Taking a deep breath, I crouched and tensed my legs before shattering the ground with my first lunge, the second boosting my speed even further as I charged low to the ground at them before leaping into the air with a roar.
Pulling my fist back, the first G-Troll didn't stand a chance as it raised an arm into the path of my attack only to be knocked back by the force of it, sending it crashing back into its buddies while I landed on its chest.
Leaping up and landing a knee to the G-Troll's jaw as it went to sit up, the blow knocked it out while I leapt at the second troll, our fists clashing with a powerful boom.
The force of the attack sent me flying back and sliding across the ground while I grinned as the G-Troll fell backwards with its arm broken, charging back into the fight as fast as I could as I saw the last two charging at me.
Leaping from wall to wall, I leapt in with a barrel roll as the two beasts swung in unison, slipping in between their attacks before grabbing their wrists and pulling them back with a grunt.
The beasts stumbled backwards as I landed in between them before jumping up with a spin kick, landing the kicks into their skulls and sending them both crashing into the walls as I landed with a grunt.
Looking back at where the other tree were fighting, I rose an eyebrow as Kid Flash knocked out the last G-Elf, Robin already putting away his staff while Aqualad sheathed his water whips once again.
"You sure you're not actually Superman?" Kid Flash asked as he walked towards me and I snorted as I shook my head while pushing the trolls to the side of the long hallway.
"If I was, this wouldn't have taken so long to finish. Anyway, who the hell are all of you?"
"Right, forgot about that. I'm Robin. This is Aqualad and this is Kid Flash. We're kind of like the sidekicks to Batman, Aquaman and the Flash respectively. Do you have a name other than Project Kr?" Robin asked and I shrugged as I looked around.
"No, Krypt is a pretty good one or Caesar. Wait, what about Christopher or Cole?"
"…Chris sounds like a good one." Aqualad spoke after a moment of silence and I shrugged before looking at Robin as he typed away at the holographic screen on the back of his wrist.
"While I like how we're talking, we have about three minutes before another army comes through so let's make our way towards the top floor."
"Then let us escape from this place and make our way to the ground floor."
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"Is this not fun?!" I shouted with a smile as I blocked the hammer fist from a G-Troll, laughing as the other three looked at me with deadpan stares before I gripped the troll's fists with both hands and swung it upwards into the ceiling.
One might find my excitement at getting to fight unusual, but after getting dog-walked by Superman numerous times, you can only go so long with loss after loss before you start to crave the arrogance you get from beating the absolute crap out of someone.
However, as I leapt and kicked the troll back into the crowd as it was falling down, I frowned as I saw an actual army of genomorphs rushing in from both sides.
"Robin! How much longer?!" Aqualad asked as he threw a G-Elf into another group of them while I leapt over his back with a spinning axe kick, slamming the G-Elf that tried to attack head first into the ground.
Giving me a thankful nod, I simply nodded as both Aqualad and I backed up to where Robin was typing away on the keypad while Kid Flash took deep breaths as he was busy protecting the Boy Wonder.
"Considering I'm struggling to figure out just how this alien tech work, it's going to take mo-!" Robin stopped talking and just slumped to the floor, my eyes widening as Kid Flash and Aqualad did the same before I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood as I felt a feeling of sluggishness washing over me.
"Just sleep. Everything will be fine."
"I…have had months of sleep…No more…No! Fucking MORE!" I roared as I slammed my fists down onto the ground, unleashing a powerful shockwave in front of me that sent the G-Elves and G-Gnomes flying while the G-Trolls struggled to stay on their feet.
"Perhaps our brother should be allowed to make up his own mind." I frowned at the new voice that entered my mind before relaxing as I saw that it was the one good Genomorph out of the bunch.
Recalling his name prove difficult since it's been so long since I watched the series and I shook my head as he looked at me with glowing horns before his frown deepened as his horns dimmed slightly.
"The future of our race, the hero of the Genomorph race. You represent the hope for all our kind. What do you choose?"
"Freedom." I answered instantly and the Genomorph nodded with a smile before the glow faded from his horns, to which I looked at the others and smiled as they stood up whilst groggily shaking their heads.
"Guardian?" The Genomorph asked as it looked at the golden-helmet wearing man standing in front of the group and he frowned slightly before nodding.
"Go. I'll take care of Desmond."
"I think not." The Genomorph group parted as the scientist stumbled up the stairway, but before anything could happen, I dove right through the air and speared the man back down the stairs.
Making sure that I curled up into a ball with him in my grasp, I subtly took the Blockbuster serum in the sealed-up vial from his body and placed it down the side of my suit under my armpit the moment the two of us reached the end of the stairs.
"Sorry for that, but you guys were the one who made me fight Superman every day for the past couple of months so I don't know how to hold back." I spoke with a grunt as I threw the unconscious man over my shoulder before making my way back up the stairs.
"Uh…is he…?" Kid Flash asked with an unsure look before letting out a sigh of relief when I shook the scientist and he let out a groan, placing him down on the ground next to the leader of the Genomorph and Guardian before walking back over to the three sidekicks.
"You could have gone a bit softer." Robin said with a slight frown and I nodded as I rolled my shoulders.
"I could have, but when you've been killed by Superman in as many mental simulations as I have, you tend to forget what the term 'holding back' means."
"What did they do to you?" Aqualad asked and I gave a wry smile as I shook my head.
"Depends. How much time do you have?"
"I hate to break up this bonding, but we have to go~ You know, don't want to give Mr. Telepathy over there a reason to lock us back up. Uh, no offence, sir."
"None taken. Brother, I wish you luck in your journey." The Genomorph leader spoke and I nodded with a smile before the doors opened and the four of us ran out of the building.
"Aw, dang~ I should have gotten a souvenir~!" Kid Flash whined and I remembered that he liked to do that before surprising them as I reached down to my chest and tore off the 'S' symbol.
"Will this do?"
"Awesome~ Thanks, man!" He exclaimed with glee as he took the fabric and I nodded before turning to Aqualad as he patted my shoulder.
"It appears you are a natural-born hero." He spoke and I chuckled as I shrugged.
"It doesn't take much to do the good thing. Hah, it feels good to be breathing in fres-Is that who I think it is?" I asked as my entire body tensed up, fighting every urge I had to leap up and swing at him as the other three looked up to see what I was seeing.
Superman did not looked amused at all as he landed in front of us along with pretty much the entirety of the Justice League, Robin and Kid Flash's smiles fading away as they saw that no one was happy to see us.
"Hey~! I'm Chris and I'm a clone of Superman!" The moment I said that, I grinned at everyone's expression shifting into shock, the most shocked of them being Superman while Batman was his usual stoic self even as his eyes narrowed.
"Dude…not even a warning?" KF asked and I smirked before shrugging as I walked up to the Man of Steel only to raise an eyebrow as he tensed up the moment he saw me getting closer.
"You know, you're a lot more of a coward than the simulations showed."
"Excuse me?" That seemed to knock him from his shocked state as he looked more confused and I nodded as I crossed my arms.
"I said you're a lot more cowardly than the simulations of you I fought and lost against. Well, more like got killed than lost, but to-may-to to-maa-to, right?"
"…Is anyone seeing and hearing this or is it just me?" Flash asked with his arms crossed before nodding as everyone nodded.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm a hybrid clone of Lex Luthor and Superman."
"…Start from the beginning."
"You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders and in doing so, you found a hybrid clone of Superman and Lex Luthor along with an army of genetic monsters called Genomorphs that are currently on the loose. Do you have any idea of the potential damages to the world that you just caused?"
"I was in a cryo-pod for most of my short life and I also have this irritating headache. Forgive me if I really don't care what you say." I answered from the back, earning a wince from Kid Flash and a look of warning from Robin as Batman turned his narrowed gaze towards me.
"Repeat what you just said."
"Uh, Superboy, I wouldn't…"
"I said forgive me if I really don't care what you say. Despite the fact that you are angry, we managed to stop an army of genetic monsters from attacking the city and they also got a powerful ally to assist them in. Notice how I'm saying we and they and not…you? A 'thank you' for doing your job is to be said first followed by a compliment for our forward planning of stopping a potential invasion and maybe, just maybe, if we feel like saying it, you'll get a 'you're welcome' for doing your job."
'…I am way too antagonistic for this to be normal. Must be all that pent-up anger from when I was nearly forced to sleep earlier or it's just my general dislike for Batman, especially after all the Batman with preptime memes I had to suffer through.' I thought with a frown even as Batman and I stared each other down while everyone else stood with hitched breaths in the background.
"While I do disagree with how he said it, Chris here has a point. With his statement and with blood tests, you would have evidence to finally put Lex Luthor behind bars if not have him lose some of his political power at the very least." Aqualad said as he stepped up besides me and I smirked before turning as KF and Robin did the same.
"You're the ones who taught us everything we know. If we can't use that, then why teach us at all?"
"If this is about what happened at the Hall, the three of y-!"
"Four of us. Gotta include the big guy or else he'll knock your head off." Kid Flash spoke up with a frown before I smirked as he gave me a sly wink.
"Don't worry. I don't hit friends…unless they deserve it." I said with a smirk and the three of them smiled before I frowned as I turned to the Justice League gathered around us.
"As for you all, being a hero means to save those that need help even if no one else wants to or if the one who needs help refuses it. So, you either let us help the people that need our help or get out of our way."
"What Chris here said…except for the last part. We don't really want to fight."
"Speaking of me, anyone want to lend me a place to sleep?" I asked and smirked as both Aqualad and Robin looked away the moment their mentors looked at them while KF grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
"You can hang out at my house, man. I think we still have that spare room."
"…Your mom is going to kill you."
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"So we fought against an army of monsters, he talked smack with Batman and now he needs a place to stay? Can he please stay with us?" Wally asked his mom and dad as they sat opposite of us two and his Dad simply pinched the bridge of his nose while his mom looked exasperated.
"That depends. Is he as strong as Superman?" His dad asked and Wally snorted and nodded.
"Do you need me to help with any repairs?" I asked in turn and the man grinned as his wife looked amusedly at me.
"He can stay! I need another hand with that dang old car in the garage and this son of mine doesn't seem to care to help.."
"I can help with that, sir. Do you need help as well, ma'am?"
"No thank you, dear, but I will let you know." She spoke with a smile, which I returned as I nodded.
"Okay, okay. You can help my parents, but you can't steal them, okay? Else, I'm going to have to put you out myself."
"You think you can?" I asked with a smirk and chuckled as he gave me a deadpan stare.
"You know I can't."
"I do."
"Oh, you'll fit right in, dear. So, what do you boys want for dinner? No, Wally, we can't have pancakes and bacon for dinner."
"Why not~?!" The guy whined as he walked after his mom and I shook my head before looking at his dad as the man spoke up.
"Think you could help with that car now?"
"Of course. Lead me to it." I said and followed the man towards the garage, whistling lowly at the sight of a rusty car that seemed to be some kind of Ford or Chevrolet.
"This is a 1970's Chevy. My dad bought it for me when I turned 16 and I've had it ever since. However, it's been giving me a lot of trouble and with my old back, I can't exactly lift it with the jack like I used to."
"Allow me." I said as I crouched besides the car, steadying it with one hand before grunting as I lifted it up the left side.
"Almost…" I grunted as I slipped slightly under the car before tossing it lightly in the air, catching it and making the man let out an impressed whistle as I held it up with both hands on the underside and looked at him with a smirk.
"So…where do we start?"
A/N: The Cadmus fights are now over, Superboy stopped a villain from being created, got a little something for his trouble of escaping and he even talked back a bit to the Dark Knight while also releasing a lot of secrets that most definitely will disturb the timeline down the road.
….Eh, who cares? Life is meant to be lived on the edge.
Anyway, next chapter is getting new threads, finally speaking face to face with a Man of Steel, meeting the new teammate and fighting an Android.
Oh, boy, it's going to be a long one.
Also, I just want to say that the new threads part was supposed to be in this chapter, but I had an emergency so I was pressed for time to finish this chapter.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
To Be A Hero~!