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Chapter 308 Billy Batson
"Huh?"
Billy Batson frowned, opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again before they were fully open because he saw a Ceiling he didn't recognize at all.
Not only that, he could feel that the endless Magical Power within his Body had vanished, meaning he wasn't the powerful Shazam Wizard right now.
But no need to worry, Billy realized his mouth wasn't blocked, so if danger arose, he could immediately shout Shazam to Transformation, and no one could stop him then.
However, Billy wasn't clear about the situation, so he didn't Transformation rashly. Instead, he pretended to sleep, trying to recall what had happened. He only remembered fighting Black Adam, all the way from Fawcett City to the Wilderness. He hadn't paid attention to how far from Fawcett City he was, since Shazam could fly, and could fly back from anywhere, even from off Earth.
Billy continued to recall his Memories from before he fell asleep, but found a gap. His Memory only went up to the moment he exchanged Punches with Black Adam, and he couldn't recall anything after that. Billy didn't even know when he'd fallen asleep.
'Could Black Adam have knocked me out?' Billy pondered, thinking it was the only possibility. But he quickly dismissed the Idea. Even if Black Adam was strong enough to defeat him, Billy was sure he wouldn't be sleeping soundly on this soft Bed in perfect condition.
This Bed was far more comfortable than Billy's own. If the situation allowed, Billy would have loved to sleep in again. He felt like he could have a Sweet dream on this Bed.
"You're awake?" A Sound suddenly spoke, startling Billy so much he almost jumped. But then he realized the Sound was familiar. He opened his Eyes and sat up, wanting to see who was speaking. After all, with Shazam as backup, Billy was fearless.
Billy looked up and saw Yang Le stepping out of the Cockpit. He was momentarily stunned because he recognized the Face. He'd been involved in the Event where Yang Le recovered his Memory, but the situation had resolved before he could act.
"It's you?" Billy blurted out. Then he immediately realized his mistake. Shazam had met Yang Le, but Billy Batson hadn't. Hadn't he just revealed his Identity?
"What I mean is, did you save me, sir?" Billy quickly corrected himself. "Thank you so much. I really don't know what I'd have done if it wasn't for you."
Yang Le watched Billy pretending to be calm and couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed the other didn't realize his True identity was already exposed, or that he didn't want it to be.
This showed Billy's naivety, not thinking things through enough. But that was understandable, he was just a teenager. Although Fans often joked that Shazam's wisdom was more like Solomon Grundy's, it had actually helped Billy quite a bit. Unfortunately, Billy often didn't listen.
"Shazam," Yang Le said softly. The moment Billy heard the word, he froze.
"I mean, is it possible I saw you trigger the Transformation?"
"Ugh! Annoying." Billy covered his Face. "You saw everything and didn't even warn me? You just watched me make a fool of myself. I must have looked ridiculous trying to cover it up."
"Yeah, it was pretty bad."
Hearing Yang Le say that, Billy wordlessly slumped back onto the Bed, too embarrassed to speak. Yang Le shrugged, took two cans of Iced Coke from the Car Refrigerator, walked over to Billy, and handed him one.
Billy didn't say anything, but he honestly took the can. He'd been fighting Black Adam for so long and then slept for even longer. He was parched. He took the Cola, opened it immediately, and took a sip.
"Ah!" The strong Carbonated Drink and the icy coldness that stung his Head made Billy cry out involuntarily. But before he could feel embarrassed, Yang Le also 'ah'ed right after him.
"Definitely, Cola's gotta be Iced." Yang Le looked at Billy, as if asking for his Opinion. Billy nodded subconsciously, as a Response.
"What's your Name? I can't keep calling you Shazam, right?" Yang Le asked, feigning ignorance. Although he knew Billy's Real Name, he didn't want to reveal it preemptively, as that would only unnecessarily deepen the other's suspicion.
Whether he'd learned it through investigation or some other Method, revealing the other person's Name directly would make them uncomfortable, making further communication difficult. So, Yang Le decided to take his Time.
"Billy, Billy Batson." Billy honestly gave his Real Name, not even bothering to make up a fake one.
This wasn't because Billy wasn't Alert, but because he believed Yang Le had connections to the Justice League and was a Good person, vouched for by Batman himself. (Batman: I didn't say that, and that's not an admission.)
It was for this Reason that Billy told Yang Le the truth. After all, Yang Le seemed like a semi-acquaintance to him. But this approach was still too naive. Both the Justice League and Batman had been wrong before. It was too naive of Billy to drop his Alertness based on that alone.
"I'm Yang Le." Yang Le gestured with his can of Cola towards Billy. "We've met before. You were involved with the Watchtower and the Events that followed. I really thank you for your help."
"You're welcome." Speaking of Super Heroes, Billy seemed like a different person. He puffed out his chest and said, "That's what a Hero should do. But how are you recovering? I heard people who lose their Memory have Brain problems. Is your Brain alright?"
"Uh, my Brain's fine." Yang Le was speechless, but seeing Billy's sincere Face, he knew the other really meant no harm and was just being kind. So, he smiled and replied.
"Thanks for your concern, but my memory loss isn't really related to my Brain."
"Okay, guess my Friend isn't always right." Billy took another sip of Cola. He wasn't as reserved as he'd been at first.
"What are we in? An RV/Motorhome? Looking out the Window, it seems like we've been driving. Who's driving anyway?"
Billy, now full of energy, acted like a normal Child. Questions fired out like machine-gun fire, giving Yang Le a headache.
"Yeah, we're in an RV/Motorhome. My good buddy's driving. Little Broken Car, come on out. Billy wants to meet you."
Before Billy could react, a huge Electronic Screen descended from the Ceiling and was right in his Face.
(End of Chapter)
"Huh?"
Billy Batson frowned, opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again before they were fully open because he saw a Ceiling he didn't recognize at all.
Not only that, he could feel that the endless Magical Power within his Body had vanished, meaning he wasn't the powerful Shazam Wizard right now.
But no need to worry, Billy realized his mouth wasn't blocked, so if danger arose, he could immediately shout Shazam to Transformation, and no one could stop him then.
However, Billy wasn't clear about the situation, so he didn't Transformation rashly. Instead, he pretended to sleep, trying to recall what had happened. He only remembered fighting Black Adam, all the way from Fawcett City to the Wilderness. He hadn't paid attention to how far from Fawcett City he was, since Shazam could fly, and could fly back from anywhere, even from off Earth.
Billy continued to recall his Memories from before he fell asleep, but found a gap. His Memory only went up to the moment he exchanged Punches with Black Adam, and he couldn't recall anything after that. Billy didn't even know when he'd fallen asleep.
'Could Black Adam have knocked me out?' Billy pondered, thinking it was the only possibility. But he quickly dismissed the Idea. Even if Black Adam was strong enough to defeat him, Billy was sure he wouldn't be sleeping soundly on this soft Bed in perfect condition.
This Bed was far more comfortable than Billy's own. If the situation allowed, Billy would have loved to sleep in again. He felt like he could have a Sweet dream on this Bed.
"You're awake?" A Sound suddenly spoke, startling Billy so much he almost jumped. But then he realized the Sound was familiar. He opened his Eyes and sat up, wanting to see who was speaking. After all, with Shazam as backup, Billy was fearless.
Billy looked up and saw Yang Le stepping out of the Cockpit. He was momentarily stunned because he recognized the Face. He'd been involved in the Event where Yang Le recovered his Memory, but the situation had resolved before he could act.
"It's you?" Billy blurted out. Then he immediately realized his mistake. Shazam had met Yang Le, but Billy Batson hadn't. Hadn't he just revealed his Identity?
"What I mean is, did you save me, sir?" Billy quickly corrected himself. "Thank you so much. I really don't know what I'd have done if it wasn't for you."
Yang Le watched Billy pretending to be calm and couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed the other didn't realize his True identity was already exposed, or that he didn't want it to be.
This showed Billy's naivety, not thinking things through enough. But that was understandable, he was just a teenager. Although Fans often joked that Shazam's wisdom was more like Solomon Grundy's, it had actually helped Billy quite a bit. Unfortunately, Billy often didn't listen.
"Shazam," Yang Le said softly. The moment Billy heard the word, he froze.
"I mean, is it possible I saw you trigger the Transformation?"
"Ugh! Annoying." Billy covered his Face. "You saw everything and didn't even warn me? You just watched me make a fool of myself. I must have looked ridiculous trying to cover it up."
"Yeah, it was pretty bad."
Hearing Yang Le say that, Billy wordlessly slumped back onto the Bed, too embarrassed to speak. Yang Le shrugged, took two cans of Iced Coke from the Car Refrigerator, walked over to Billy, and handed him one.
Billy didn't say anything, but he honestly took the can. He'd been fighting Black Adam for so long and then slept for even longer. He was parched. He took the Cola, opened it immediately, and took a sip.
"Ah!" The strong Carbonated Drink and the icy coldness that stung his Head made Billy cry out involuntarily. But before he could feel embarrassed, Yang Le also 'ah'ed right after him.
"Definitely, Cola's gotta be Iced." Yang Le looked at Billy, as if asking for his Opinion. Billy nodded subconsciously, as a Response.
"What's your Name? I can't keep calling you Shazam, right?" Yang Le asked, feigning ignorance. Although he knew Billy's Real Name, he didn't want to reveal it preemptively, as that would only unnecessarily deepen the other's suspicion.
Whether he'd learned it through investigation or some other Method, revealing the other person's Name directly would make them uncomfortable, making further communication difficult. So, Yang Le decided to take his Time.
"Billy, Billy Batson." Billy honestly gave his Real Name, not even bothering to make up a fake one.
This wasn't because Billy wasn't Alert, but because he believed Yang Le had connections to the Justice League and was a Good person, vouched for by Batman himself. (Batman: I didn't say that, and that's not an admission.)
It was for this Reason that Billy told Yang Le the truth. After all, Yang Le seemed like a semi-acquaintance to him. But this approach was still too naive. Both the Justice League and Batman had been wrong before. It was too naive of Billy to drop his Alertness based on that alone.
"I'm Yang Le." Yang Le gestured with his can of Cola towards Billy. "We've met before. You were involved with the Watchtower and the Events that followed. I really thank you for your help."
"You're welcome." Speaking of Super Heroes, Billy seemed like a different person. He puffed out his chest and said, "That's what a Hero should do. But how are you recovering? I heard people who lose their Memory have Brain problems. Is your Brain alright?"
"Uh, my Brain's fine." Yang Le was speechless, but seeing Billy's sincere Face, he knew the other really meant no harm and was just being kind. So, he smiled and replied.
"Thanks for your concern, but my memory loss isn't really related to my Brain."
"Okay, guess my Friend isn't always right." Billy took another sip of Cola. He wasn't as reserved as he'd been at first.
"What are we in? An RV/Motorhome? Looking out the Window, it seems like we've been driving. Who's driving anyway?"
Billy, now full of energy, acted like a normal Child. Questions fired out like machine-gun fire, giving Yang Le a headache.
"Yeah, we're in an RV/Motorhome. My good buddy's driving. Little Broken Car, come on out. Billy wants to meet you."
Before Billy could react, a huge Electronic Screen descended from the Ceiling and was right in his Face.
(End of Chapter)
