"Alright, now that we're done with the introductions, why don't we get to know each other first?"
said Black Lightning, aka Jefferson.
"Jefferson Pierce. Most people call me Black Lightning."
"Mike. Just Mike," I replied calmly.
"I hate my last name for many reasons, but that's a minor detail anyway."
"Wally—which I already said—then there's that girl with the attitude, Artemis. Speedy, Zatanna, Aqualad..."
Wally chimed in, introducing the others. He spoke so fast without taking a break that I could barely keep up with him.
"Girl with the attitude?" Artemis repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"You prefer 'sunshine and rainbows'?" Wally shot back.
"I prefer you shutting up."
"See?" Wally pointed dramatically. "Attitude."
Artemis grabbed a nearby pen and threw it at him.
Wally caught it without even looking.
"Assault! In front of witnesses too!"
"Next one won't miss."
I watched the exchange for a moment before nodding to myself.
"Yeah, that description was accurate."
"Thank you!" Wally said immediately.
"I wasn't talking to you."
"Rude."
"Accurate," Artemis replied.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, what are your powers?"
He ended with that question, which I noticed had been bothering him the entire time and he had only now finally gotten the chance to ask.
I thought for a moment before replying.
"Well, let's just say Fire Force."
"Fire Force?" Wally asked, confused.
"Well, think of it as me being able to use fire to do crazy things. If I were to explain it properly, we'd spend months going through everything," I answered.
But before I could continue—
"Wait, better idea. Just show us. Saves us the trouble of sitting through the explanation," Wally immediately proposed.
"Well..." I thought it over for a moment before shrugging.
"Sure, but don't charge me for burning the place down."
"Hold up, we can't do something that reckless here!" Aqualad spoke calmly, though there was a hint of concern in his voice.
"Oh, come on," Wally complained. "It's just a demonstration."
"That's exactly how disasters start," Artemis replied.
"I think you're exaggerating."
"You say that every time."
"Because every time I'm right."
"You're not."
I watched the exchange for a moment before raising a hand.
"For the record, I wasn't planning on turning the building into a crater."
"That's surprisingly reassuring," Zatanna said.
"The word 'surprisingly' is doing a lot of work there," I pointed out.
Before anyone could continue, the doors behind us slid open.
The room quieted slightly.
Two figures entered.
One I immediately recognized as Batwoman. She walked in with the same composed confidence that seemed mandatory for every member of the Bat Family.
Beside her was Supergirl.
The blonde Kryptonian looked around the room before her eyes landed on me.
For a moment, she looked curious.
Then she looked excited.
Which was somehow more worrying.
"I heard someone wanted to demonstrate their powers," Supergirl said.
Wally immediately pointed at me.
"See? Kara gets it."
"No," Artemis said.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Batwoman ignored them completely.
"If a demonstration is necessary, there are designated training facilities for that purpose."
"See?" Aqualad nodded. "That's what I've been saying."
Supergirl crossed her arms.
"The lower training levels are empty right now anyway."
A grin appeared on her face.
"And if he actually manages to damage them, I'd kind of like to see how."
"That's not helping your argument," Aqualad replied.
"It's helping mine," Wally said.
Black Lightning sighed.
"I'm starting to regret being here."
"I thought adults were supposed to stop bad ideas."
"We do."
"Then why does it feel like this idea just got approved?"
Nobody answered.
Which was answer enough.
I looked around the room before shrugging.
"Well, if the building explodes, I want it officially noted that this wasn't my suggestion."
"Plus, Oliver can just pay for all this. Or worse, there's always Batman!" Wally added, which somehow got everyone's attention.
The room went strangely quiet for a second.
Even Black Lightning looked like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or stop the conversation entirely.
I glanced around at the sudden lack of objections.
"So... I can let loose?" I asked skeptically.
"Hahaha! I like you already!"
Before I could react, Kara was suddenly beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
The speed behind the movement caught me off guard more than the actual contact.
"That's the spirit!" she said with a grin. "I've been trying to get these guys to stop treating every training session like a hostage negotiation."
"Kara," Batwoman warned.
"What?" Kara shrugged innocently. "It's a training facility. It's supposed to be used for training."
"Not destruction."
"Same thing if you're strong enough."
"That's not how that works," Artemis replied immediately.
"Sure it is."
"No, it isn't."
I looked between them before turning back to Kara.
"You know, you're surprisingly enthusiastic about property damage."
"That's because it's not my property."
Wally pointed at her.
"See? That's exactly what I've been saying!"
For once, nobody argued with him.
Which was probably the most concerning thing that had happened all day.
"i feel more concerned now but whatever, lead the way!" I agreed