A Hollow in DC

Chapter 20



Once we got back to Mount Justice, Batman met us to debrief after we all got cleaned up and relaxed for a bit.

More particularly Batman was focused on me who tore down Robins' school in a brief battle with what they were already calling a gender-bent clone of Superman.

And boy did the League have some scary morbid thoughts or at least Wonder Woman did. She was under the impression whoever was having the clones made, had a female clone made so that they could try having the clone carry a pregnancy to term and see if the natural actions would stabilize the DNA as well as leaving them with a pliable child that could be reared however, they planned.

With Vandal Savage being more than twenty-five thousand years old honestly, I doubted he saw an investment that would take a decade and a half to become relevant as something to bemoan. So, I could see him doing something like that with how he wanted to one day replace Darkseid as the evil of the universe.

"The clone has been taken by Wonder Woman to the island of Themyscira to heal in the divine pools there. Now Lorde did the clone now designated as Galatea say anything or show any personality traits?" Batman questioned with his arms folded over his chest.

I shook my head and recounted my thoughts before I answered. "Cheshire asked if I was supposed to be Superboy and I believe she was kept as an ace in the hole against Superboy but having another Kryptonian level fighter forced her to active her through that code I mentioned."

Then I looked to Artemis. "Batman, could you explain the background of Artemis or Artemis, why don't you do it yourself as it would be far better to get it out in the open rather than allow your family to say something in the middle of a mission and destroy our trust in the heat of the moment."

Batman shook his head as he spoke. "No, it's her business."

But Artemis sighed and cupped her hands in her lap as she was sitting down like the rest of the team was. "My sibling is the assassin Cheshire, and my father is Sportsmaster, that man you guys fought on that island and destroyed Kobra and Banes operations." She explained making Robin and Kid Flash the younger members of the team and more set in the black and white justice recoil in surprise.

"After my mother was badly hurt during work, she decided to retire and raise me, but I never took to my father's training like my sister did... And once I got older, I didn't want to be part of that life, so I did some vigilante work in Gotham and Star City which is how Green Arrow took me in and then Green Arrow nominated me to join this team after knowing I had no contact with that side of my family."

'More like she stepped in and messed around in Gotham and Batman put his foot down and made Green Arrow pick her up before he put in her in the hospital for messing around on his turf...' I thought wryly.

But either way with Green Arrow and Batman of all people endorsing her, the rest of the team let go of any prejudice they had for our archer. Well, that and Kid Flash was flirting with her, so he didn't want to 'ruin' any chance he had with her by acting like a suspicious ass.

And the rest of the team members either trusted Batman and Green Arrows' endorsement or simply didn't really care.

"So, with this... Galatea being taken to the Amazonian Island she is very likely to survive, isn't she?' I asked as I realized a very likely fact...

As Batman nodded and seemingly gave us a small smile, I wanted to hit Batman with a Bala or something as he answered just as I feared. "Galatea was supposedly blessed and claimed by the goddess Artemis when Wonder Woman took custody so it's likely just as Superboy was added to the team to give him direction and the training he needed to more thoroughly protect himself. She will likely be added to the team should she desire to leave the island to be Wonder Woman's protege."

Our Artemis and very much not the Greek goddess one weakly raised her hand as she asked Batman. "Should I change my name?"

Batman's exposed mouth twitched as he hid his thoughts before he slowly answered unsurely. "I am not sure... If you are still a maiden and performing such feats of archery in her name, I believe she would be lenient and allow you to use her name... But should that change things outside our control could happen to you"

In other words, if the actual Artemis curses or ruins your life there's jack the League will do for you.

"Well, I will let my archery do the speaking for me." She said taking a bit of confidence in herself not getting smote for her hubris so far.

"This concludes this briefing," Batman announced as he closed his wrist computer before he looked back to us. "You all did phenomenally well especially you Jake in fighting off a Kryptonian. Black Canary will be here tomorrow for training while Superboy will be spending the day with Superman. Robin come with me; we are going to patrol Gotham tonight."

Hearing Batman's orders, the clearly tired Robin just nodded and didn't complain as he followed behind his mentor.

-

With Kid Flash, Artemis, and Aquaboy already having gone to their own rooms I was in the living room watching TV with Megan and Conner before their not so subtly glances with one another made me realize I was being a third wheel, so I groaned as I got back up. "Alright, guys don't make a chimera baby. I am going to bed, so I don't have to be stuck in the same room while you guys are eye fucking one another."

Even though both of them denied it. It didn't stop the duo from moving closer to one another and go from modestly sitting beside one another to holding each other's hands by the time I went from the living room to the kitchen to grab a snack and a drink to take with me to my room and saw the vile act of handholding as I passed by the living room back to my room.

"Damned perverts... Making us single dogs feel such jealousy." I cursed as I couldn't help but bury my face into my pillow as I bemoaned the fact that I have spent more than a couple months on a new world after being Isekai'd and didn't even have a harem yet.

'I am such a failure of a Gary Stu!' I thought before I broke out into chuckles as I left that thought behind and ruminated on how I was in a dream world with heroes and villains abound for me to experience in adventures.

'Once we meet up with Dr. Fate or whoever is going to help me merge with the rest of humanity I should go on a 'soul' finding trip and maybe even go back to Hell to get stronger so I can try to naturally become an Arrancar like Stark did when he split himself up.' I thought as I tried to think of a way to tear away some of my Hollow features to allow Soul Reaper powers to naturally grow in the void of the Hollow essence.

But frankly, I very much doubted simply ripping off the crown of bones atop my head was the answer to becoming an Arrancar.

Thus, the thought of taking on a training trip even to Hell or another of DC's much less civilized subdimensions so that I could revel in my Hollow nature and grow by feasting on the souls of my prey.

-

The next day Black Canary met me in the afternoon as everyone else was taken by their mentor for further training.

"Well, Lorde looks like it's just me and you. What kind of training do you want, or we can just talk?" She offered and I could see how she became the Leagues therapist with how she was able to put people at ease especially the prickly people on the League who wouldn't at all want to share their 'feelings'.

"I think getting into a fight with a Kryptonian is enough physical training for a bit," I said wryly before I shrugged. "I rather just relax for a bit and if you want to talk that's fine."

"Have you healed up fine?" She asked concernedly seeing how I wasn't raring to get in the ring with her.

"Yeah, I healed up just fine. I just have a bunch of thoughts stuck in my head." I said waving off her concern as I was absolutely unharmed at this point with my high-speed regeneration having kept me from even getting sore from the battle.

"Then tell me your thoughts. Hearing the thoughts of what the strongest ghost in the world is thinking may very well earn me a Ph.D." She joked.

 

 

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