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Chapter 309: The Heart of a Hero
"Ugh!"
A laser blast finally hit Wonder Woman. She let out a muffled grunt and was sent flying, tumbling twice with black smoke rising from her body before crashing into a corner.
Several dark cannon barrels locked onto her position.
"Abominable lumps of metal," Wonder Woman grumbled in annoyance. "Once I get out of this rope, I'll tear you all to pieces."
"Look out!!!"
The voice came from above. Wonder Woman looked up and was stunned to find that Superman had somehow already climbed to the top of a nearby building. He was plummeting down in a free fall, aiming for a mecha.
Boom!
Superman seemed to be using his body as a weapon, relying on his invulnerability to smash right through the mecha's skull. The mecha was instantly blown to smithereens from head to toe.
Superman landed in a half-squat, a classic superhero landing. His eyes lit up. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!"
Evidently, Superman had forgotten how to activate almost all of his superpowers, but the passive ability of his steel body was still functioning. Thus, free-falling had become his effective method of attack.
With that, he turned and ran into the stairwell of the building behind him, beginning to huff and puff his way up the stairs.
Diana: "..."
Nearby, Batman abruptly spread his cape and declared in a deep voice to a mecha, "I am the night! I am vengeance! I am Batman!"
The mecha was momentarily stunned, seemingly unable to comprehend what on earth this human was doing. But it didn't dwell on it and immediately gave chase. Batman turned and fled, but he had left a Batarang on the ground where he'd been standing. A red glow pulsed on the Batarang.
BOOM!!!
The Batarang exploded, blowing off one of the mecha's arms. Its battered metal body fell to the ground, its eyes flickered twice, and it mumbled indistinctly, "Szzz... despicable... szzz... human..."
The amnesiac Batman also seemed to have found his combat method. He had forgotten how to throw a Batarang, but that wasn't a problem—he could just use it as a landmine instead.
Wonder Woman, for her part, had finally won the difficult struggle against her own Lasso of Truth and managed to break free. She immediately picked up a car parked on the roadside and, with a great shout, hurled it at a mecha.
With a loud crash, the mecha was snapped in half by the car thrown with immense strength, and it tumbled away before exploding into a fireball.
Wonder Woman clapped her hands. "Ha, this doesn't seem so difficult, does it?"
"Uh... but I strongly advise against doing that," Superman said, poking his head out from nearby.
"Why?" Diana asked, confused.
Superman said, "Because just imagine: what if you were an office worker, and on your way home, you saw some superhero pick up the car you have a thirty-year loan on and smash it into the house you have a sixty-year loan on..."
Diana: "..."
After pondering for two seconds, Diana said, "It's fine. Batman will handle the compensation issues."
Batman, busy running for his life, turned his head. "Hey, I never agreed to that."
Having suffered heavy losses to his mechs, John Corben could bear it no longer. "Are you three performing crosstalk over there?"
When Orin Vale and Kara rushed back, they happened to witness this once-in-a-century spectacle.
Floating in the sky, Kara was silent for two seconds before saying, "I absolutely have to record this."
Orin Vale nodded. "Especially don't miss any shots of Batman."
He suddenly remembered that the Justice League had a standing act for holidays and festivals: making Batman tell a joke. Now, he was suddenly beginning to understand where the fun in that activity came from.
If this continued, he could probably collect a whole compilation of Batman's embarrassing past for the Justice League, which he could play during every holiday celebration or when welcoming new members. It would definitely be fun, he just didn't know if Batman would murder him for it...
The last mecha fell, leaving only John Corben's true form. He gritted his teeth, looking at the string of "Continuous Damage" icons on his system interface. Surrounded by the Trinity, he had the distinct feeling of being besieged on all sides.
"I don't understand!"
John Corben's eyes were wide with unwillingness.
"You're all acting like a joke, like monkeys from a circus... Why did I still lose? Why can't I beat you???"
"Because we're the Justice League, you idiot."
Wonder Woman stood tall and proud.
"Surrender." Superman stepped forward and declared righteously, "Sir, you are under arrest for robbing a bank, destroying public property, assault with intent to injure, and stealing a sandwich!"
John Corben shot him a vicious glare.
"You just had to add the sandwich, didn't you?"
The criminal charge wasn't severe, but the insult was immense. It felt like being accused of stealing an old man's crutch to deflate the tires on an old woman's wheelchair...
*Clap, clap, clap, clap...*
After arresting Metallo, the group turned toward the sound. It came from Kara, who was descending from the sky. The young girl was applauding them enthusiastically.
"Your performance just now was really impressive," Kara said. "For people who don't remember their combat methods or abilities at all..."
"Thanks, but it still feels strange." Diana glanced at the battlefield behind them, then at her own outfit. "It's hard to explain, there's a sense of unreality, like something is out of place... We should hurry and find a way to solve this memory problem."
"But this experience wasn't meaningless," Superman said, putting his hands on his hips. "You see, even though we couldn't remember anything—not our abilities, not our identities, and certainly not why we stood up in the first place..."
"...when the city needed us, we still stood up, didn't we?"
Batman and Wonder Woman looked at each other.
"What I mean is, regardless of the outcome, this at least proves we have the hearts of heroes," Superman said sincerely. "Even without our individual experiences, or our reasons for fighting, we still came here to fight for those who can't protect themselves."
"Because this is who we are. We were born this way."
That was, in fact, true.
This reminded Orin Vale of the so-called iconic moment where his senior, Max, was relentlessly roasted by marketing accounts: "The Fastest and Strongest, Ruined by Episode 16."
The truth was, however, that most viewers only remembered the various gags that happened after Old Max got amnesia, and easily overlooked what was hidden behind that amnesia episode.
That even though he'd forgotten who he was, and perhaps didn't even remember the meaning of the name "Ultraman," Old Max still stood up and faced the monster for all those who couldn't protect themselves.
Because that was Max. That was Ultraman. Taking away his memory, taking away his identity, couldn't change who he was.
"Perhaps you have a point," Diana mused.
"Right?"
Superman was very happy. He looked at Batman and held out his fist, as if wanting to give him a fist bump.
Batman paused for a moment, but still hesitantly extended his fist and bumped it against his.
"Kal should cherish this moment," Kara whispered in Orin Vale's ear. "Once Batman gets his memory back, there's no way he'd ever do this."
"Now, can we get our memories back?" Batman asked, looking at Orin Vale.
"Of course."
Orin Vale presented the memory crystal he had just "bought" from the black market.
"Go back and find the Old Wizard. He'll help you remember everything."
A few minutes later, at the coffee shop.
"No."
The Butler Knight, Alfred, stood before everyone, looked at the magic crystal, and shook his head firmly.
"I don't agree."
(end of chapter)
"Ugh!"
A laser blast finally hit Wonder Woman. She let out a muffled grunt and was sent flying, tumbling twice with black smoke rising from her body before crashing into a corner.
Several dark cannon barrels locked onto her position.
"Abominable lumps of metal," Wonder Woman grumbled in annoyance. "Once I get out of this rope, I'll tear you all to pieces."
"Look out!!!"
The voice came from above. Wonder Woman looked up and was stunned to find that Superman had somehow already climbed to the top of a nearby building. He was plummeting down in a free fall, aiming for a mecha.
Boom!
Superman seemed to be using his body as a weapon, relying on his invulnerability to smash right through the mecha's skull. The mecha was instantly blown to smithereens from head to toe.
Superman landed in a half-squat, a classic superhero landing. His eyes lit up. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!"
Evidently, Superman had forgotten how to activate almost all of his superpowers, but the passive ability of his steel body was still functioning. Thus, free-falling had become his effective method of attack.
With that, he turned and ran into the stairwell of the building behind him, beginning to huff and puff his way up the stairs.
Diana: "..."
Nearby, Batman abruptly spread his cape and declared in a deep voice to a mecha, "I am the night! I am vengeance! I am Batman!"
The mecha was momentarily stunned, seemingly unable to comprehend what on earth this human was doing. But it didn't dwell on it and immediately gave chase. Batman turned and fled, but he had left a Batarang on the ground where he'd been standing. A red glow pulsed on the Batarang.
BOOM!!!
The Batarang exploded, blowing off one of the mecha's arms. Its battered metal body fell to the ground, its eyes flickered twice, and it mumbled indistinctly, "Szzz... despicable... szzz... human..."
The amnesiac Batman also seemed to have found his combat method. He had forgotten how to throw a Batarang, but that wasn't a problem—he could just use it as a landmine instead.
Wonder Woman, for her part, had finally won the difficult struggle against her own Lasso of Truth and managed to break free. She immediately picked up a car parked on the roadside and, with a great shout, hurled it at a mecha.
With a loud crash, the mecha was snapped in half by the car thrown with immense strength, and it tumbled away before exploding into a fireball.
Wonder Woman clapped her hands. "Ha, this doesn't seem so difficult, does it?"
"Uh... but I strongly advise against doing that," Superman said, poking his head out from nearby.
"Why?" Diana asked, confused.
Superman said, "Because just imagine: what if you were an office worker, and on your way home, you saw some superhero pick up the car you have a thirty-year loan on and smash it into the house you have a sixty-year loan on..."
Diana: "..."
After pondering for two seconds, Diana said, "It's fine. Batman will handle the compensation issues."
Batman, busy running for his life, turned his head. "Hey, I never agreed to that."
Having suffered heavy losses to his mechs, John Corben could bear it no longer. "Are you three performing crosstalk over there?"
When Orin Vale and Kara rushed back, they happened to witness this once-in-a-century spectacle.
Floating in the sky, Kara was silent for two seconds before saying, "I absolutely have to record this."
Orin Vale nodded. "Especially don't miss any shots of Batman."
He suddenly remembered that the Justice League had a standing act for holidays and festivals: making Batman tell a joke. Now, he was suddenly beginning to understand where the fun in that activity came from.
If this continued, he could probably collect a whole compilation of Batman's embarrassing past for the Justice League, which he could play during every holiday celebration or when welcoming new members. It would definitely be fun, he just didn't know if Batman would murder him for it...
The last mecha fell, leaving only John Corben's true form. He gritted his teeth, looking at the string of "Continuous Damage" icons on his system interface. Surrounded by the Trinity, he had the distinct feeling of being besieged on all sides.
"I don't understand!"
John Corben's eyes were wide with unwillingness.
"You're all acting like a joke, like monkeys from a circus... Why did I still lose? Why can't I beat you???"
"Because we're the Justice League, you idiot."
Wonder Woman stood tall and proud.
"Surrender." Superman stepped forward and declared righteously, "Sir, you are under arrest for robbing a bank, destroying public property, assault with intent to injure, and stealing a sandwich!"
John Corben shot him a vicious glare.
"You just had to add the sandwich, didn't you?"
The criminal charge wasn't severe, but the insult was immense. It felt like being accused of stealing an old man's crutch to deflate the tires on an old woman's wheelchair...
*Clap, clap, clap, clap...*
After arresting Metallo, the group turned toward the sound. It came from Kara, who was descending from the sky. The young girl was applauding them enthusiastically.
"Your performance just now was really impressive," Kara said. "For people who don't remember their combat methods or abilities at all..."
"Thanks, but it still feels strange." Diana glanced at the battlefield behind them, then at her own outfit. "It's hard to explain, there's a sense of unreality, like something is out of place... We should hurry and find a way to solve this memory problem."
"But this experience wasn't meaningless," Superman said, putting his hands on his hips. "You see, even though we couldn't remember anything—not our abilities, not our identities, and certainly not why we stood up in the first place..."
"...when the city needed us, we still stood up, didn't we?"
Batman and Wonder Woman looked at each other.
"What I mean is, regardless of the outcome, this at least proves we have the hearts of heroes," Superman said sincerely. "Even without our individual experiences, or our reasons for fighting, we still came here to fight for those who can't protect themselves."
"Because this is who we are. We were born this way."
That was, in fact, true.
This reminded Orin Vale of the so-called iconic moment where his senior, Max, was relentlessly roasted by marketing accounts: "The Fastest and Strongest, Ruined by Episode 16."
The truth was, however, that most viewers only remembered the various gags that happened after Old Max got amnesia, and easily overlooked what was hidden behind that amnesia episode.
That even though he'd forgotten who he was, and perhaps didn't even remember the meaning of the name "Ultraman," Old Max still stood up and faced the monster for all those who couldn't protect themselves.
Because that was Max. That was Ultraman. Taking away his memory, taking away his identity, couldn't change who he was.
"Perhaps you have a point," Diana mused.
"Right?"
Superman was very happy. He looked at Batman and held out his fist, as if wanting to give him a fist bump.
Batman paused for a moment, but still hesitantly extended his fist and bumped it against his.
"Kal should cherish this moment," Kara whispered in Orin Vale's ear. "Once Batman gets his memory back, there's no way he'd ever do this."
"Now, can we get our memories back?" Batman asked, looking at Orin Vale.
"Of course."
Orin Vale presented the memory crystal he had just "bought" from the black market.
"Go back and find the Old Wizard. He'll help you remember everything."
A few minutes later, at the coffee shop.
"No."
The Butler Knight, Alfred, stood before everyone, looked at the magic crystal, and shook his head firmly.
"I don't agree."
(end of chapter)
