CHAPTER 96

[Dick Grayson's POV]

Dick who was dressed in a black suit and had on a bowtie hanging in front of his blue shirt, sat at the end of a well decorated table with flowers and with a candle lit on it, as he had dinner with Star Fire who sat across from him.

She wore a red dress with black stripes crossing it on one side, also with beautiful stones engraved around the waistline of the dress. The red heels she had on was indeed meant for the feet of a true princess as it complimented the purse which laid on the table, beside her.

"You sure can be romantic when you want to." Star Fire said, letting out a giggle before raising a hand to signal to the waiter that she wanted more wine.

"It's our anniversary and I wanted it to be special, let's forget all about heroism for tonight and just relax as we enjoy each other's company." He stretched his hand across the table and took her hand. "You look beautiful tonight." He complimented her in a flirty manner.

"Thank you, it's all thanks to a certain someone." Kori giggled as she blushed to his words.

Suddenly a beeping sound came from his suit's inner pocket. Reaching for his phone and the smile he had on his face completely vanished.

The waiter arrived and just finished refilling their glasses. Star Fire held on to his hand the moment he was about to leave. "Why don't you just leave the bottle." She said, noticing the look on Dicks face as she took the wine bottle from the waiter and placed it on the table.

"What happened?" Concern grew on her face as she wished it wasn't going to be bad news.

"I just got word that a facility was broken into earlier this evening and by the traces left behind, it matches the EMO of the tech thief that had been going all around stealing from different Laboratories lately." Dick replied.

"Were they able to trace him?" Kori asked, she hoped the team had everything covered so they don't interrupt the romantic dinner with her boyfriend.

"No, it says here that he disappeared without a trace. More neatly than he previously does." Dick sighed, he had hoped that nothing would disrupt their night.

"Just take your mind off it and focus on our time together right now, tomorrow you could look into it." Kori said with a reassured tone as she took a sip from her wine.

"You are right sweetie, I am sorry for bringing up work during our date." He put his phone back into his pocket and tried to live the night as he had envisioned it.

"There's no need to apologize, it's the life of a hero after all. It was unavoidable." She said, trying to wave it all off and focusing back on their date.

"You're right. For tonight we aren't going to bother ourselves with our duties, bedsides we have so many heroes who are out there and working tirelessly to keep the world safe."

…

Superman approached Batman as he was working on a new gadget in his workshop at the Justice League Headquarters. The Man of Steel stood tall and imposing, his cape fluttering behind him as he walked towards the Dark Knight.

"Hey, Bruce," Superman said in a serious tone. "We need to talk."

Batman looked up from his work and saw the gravity in Superman's expression. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I think we aren't taking this new threat as seriously as we are supposed to," Superman replied. "Remember exactly what happened to the Young Justice team?"

Batman nodded. "How could I forget something that took place just a few weeks ago?" He said with a low tone. "They experienced an utter defeat at the hands of that masked criminal. But they'll learn from their mistakes and come back stronger."

"That's not the issue," Superman said firmly. "The way this criminal completely and single handedly took down the Young Justice team, he needs to be regarded as our level of threat. The kids can't handle him."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "What do you suggest we do?"

"We need to track him down and stop him before he causes any more harm," Superman replied. "And we need to do it as soon as possible."

Batman put down his gadget and stood up, facing Superman. "I can't believe I am saying this but I agree. Let's call the rest of the Justice League for a meeting and come up with a plan of action."

Superman nodded. "I'll make the call."

As the two heroes made their way to the main room of the headquarters, they contacted the other members of the Justice League, including Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern. They all gathered around a table, ready to discuss their next course of action.

Superman began the meeting, "As you all know, a masked criminal took down the Young Justice team. This criminal is powerful enough to take down our young team, so we need to take this way more seriously than we currently do. We need to figure out who this guy is, what and stop him before he causes any more damage."

Green Lantern spoke up, "Am still on the lookout for any sign of unusual activity resembling his previous one."

Batman added, "I'll analyze the security footage from the area just as I did before and try to identify the culprit, maybe there was something we missed earlier"

"Okay, then I'll speed up the process of gathering intel from our sources to see if there are any leads on this guy." Wonder Woman suggested

The Flash agreed, "And I'll be on standby to assist in any way possible to bring this guy down, after what he did to Wally and Bart, I can't forgive him. He needs to pay."

Superman nodded, "Great. Let's get back to work. We need to stop this guy before he starts hurting innocent people."

As the Justice League members began their individual tasks, Superman turned to Batman and said, "I know how you feel about working with a team, Bruce. But in this case, we need to work together if we want to stop this guy."

Batman nodded, "I understand, Clark. We'll do whatever it takes to stop this criminal and keep our cities safe."

…

Kid Flash and Impulse were back at the Young Justice headquarters, ready to train and hone their skills. Superboy and Aqualad had already started their training, sparring fiercely in the combat room. The sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the base as the two powerful heroes battled it out.

As Kid Flash and Impulse entered the room, they were immediately hit by the energy and intensity of the training. They exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

The two speedsters began to stretch and warm up, getting ready for their own training. They started by running on modified trend mills, pushing their speed to the limit. After a long while, Impulse was the first to slow down, gasping for breath. Kid Flash kept going, his muscles burning with exertion.

Impulse grinned at Kid Flash, impressed by his stamina. "Man, you are so fast. How do you do it?"

Kid Flash shrugged, still running. "It's all about endurance and pacing yourself. You have to know when to push yourself and when to hold back."

Impulse nodded in agreement, but he knew that he still had a lot to learn from him. Kid Flash learnt most things he knew from The Flash who so happened to be one of the fastest heroes in the world, and Impulse admired him greatly.

As they continued their training, they were soon joined by Superboy and Aqualad. The two older heroes had finished their sparring and were ready to help their younger teammates.

Superboy took the lead, instructing the others on various combat techniques and strategies. Aqualad demonstrated his control over water, creating small waves that crashed against the walls of the room.

The four heroes trained for hours, pushing themselves to the limit. They were all determined to become stronger and more skilled, to be ready for whatever challenges may lay ahead and prevent what happened last time from repeating itself.

As they rested and caught their breath, Nightwing entered the room. He observed the group, nodding in approval at their hard work and dedication.

"Good work, everyone," he said. "But remember, it's not all about physical strength and speed. You need to be smart, strategic, and work together as a team."

Kid Flash nodded, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, we know. But it's hard not to take our last defeat personally. We were each given an utter defeat by that masked criminal."

Nightwing sighed, understanding their frustration. "I know it's tough, but you can't let it get to you. You need to take it as a learning experience and use it to get stronger. We all make mistakes, but it's how we learn from them that matters."

Superboy spoke up, his voice low and intense. "You should have seen the power of that guy. He was strong and fast, and he knew exactly how to take us down. We need to get stronger if we're going to beat him."

Nightwing nodded, his expression serious. "You're right. We need to get stronger and work together as a team. But we also need to remember to take things easy and not push ourselves more than we are supposed to. Burnout is a real danger, and we need to avoid it at all costs."

The four heroes nodded in agreement, understanding the importance of balance and self-care. They knew that they had a lot of work ahead of them, but they were ready for the challenge. They were a team, and they were stronger together than they could ever be alone.

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