Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Metropolis, Delaware, Home of the greatest hero of the world: Superman, an alien who fights for truth, justice, and the “American way”, as some would say.

However, this isn’t his story. This is the story of how a fallen prince became a hero along with a group of powerful teen girls, who slowly became his new family.

Across the city of Metropolis, every TV was playing an ad for the VR headsets made by LexCorp, the company controlled by the world’s youngest billionaire, Lex Luthor. But then, it was interrupted by the News.

“As it becomes too clear this month, it seems that Metropolis needs further super help, despite having the likes of Superman looking out for its citizens. Last week, a mysterious hero appeared in the city, patrolling its streets and defeating villains during the night, a modus operandi similar to the Batman of Gotham City. Since there seems to be almost no information regarding him, the local press has nicknamed him “Zero”. And "Zero" isn’t the only new superhero in town.“

The News programme showed a video of a mysterious athletic young woman with long dark hair and tanned skin, wearing a red corset and a blue skirt with white stars on it cutting a monster’s tentacle with her sword.

“The video you’re currently watching has been recorded this morning, where a new glimmer of hope may have arrived. And now, And now, we're left with the question everyone's been asking: Who are Zero and ‘Wonder Woman’?” 

A taxi was driving through the city, inside of it, there was a handsome young man who was reading the news about Wonder Woman on his smartphone.

The young man was tall and very thin, he had short raven hair and violet eyes. Since it was his first day at his new school, the boy decided to wear his uniform from his previous school: A black jacket with golden trims and linings with fleurs-de-lys on the neck, black trousers and matching shoes.

“Wonder Woman, huh?” He thought, “By looking at the video recorded some hours ago, she must possess immense strength.” He chuckled, “She’d be a valuable ally, I wouldn’t mind teaming up with her.”

The taxi arrived at the destination.

“Keep the change.” The boy handed over the money, speaking with an Estuary English accent.

The boy looked at his new school “Metropolis High School”, a large building made of brown and grey bricks.

“Rather than a high school, it looks like a university.” He thought.

The boy noticed a girl looking at the building with a rather saddened expression. She was much shorter than him, and she had long orange hair tied into a ponytail and bright emerald eyes. She was wearing a yellow-and-violet t-shirt under a purple hoodie with bat ears attached to the hood, along with dark purple short shorts, white yellow-and-purple striped thigh-high socks and yellow shoes.

The boy decided to approach her.

“Let me guess, you’ve got transferred here, too.” He said.

The girl turned around and looked at him in surprise. “How did you-”

“I know that expression had it too many times.” said the boy, “But I’m glad at least I won’t be alone here, fellow Batman fan.”

At the mention of the Dark Knight, the girl’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “You’re a fan of Batman too?!”

“I lived in Gotham, of course I am. Him being a normal guy in a world full of powerful beings like Superman makes him rather remarkable, doesn't it?” He said,

“I know, right?!” said the girl, “Sure, I love all heroes, but Batman is just…Different, you get me?!” She calmed down. “Oh, s-sorry, I talked too much. I’m Barbara, but you can call me Babs!” 

“Lelouch, Lelouch Lamperouge,” The boy, Lelouch, introduced himself. “Nice to meet you, Babs. Well, I'll go now, maybe we will eat together at the cafeteria later?”

“Sure!” said Barbara, “See ya later, Lelouch!”

Lelouch entered the school. “First thing you need to do when you move to a new place is to befriend someone. Babs seems like a nice girl to be friends with.” He thought.

Barbara grinned happily.

“I've got a new friend on my first day!” She thought, “He’s a Batman fan and he's handsome, too!” 

Barbara then noticed a rather muscular tall girl with short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt, a leather jacket, brown trousers and a pair of boots talking with her parents.

“I don’t know why you're punishing me for something I didn't do.” She said,

“And we know that you “didn't do it”, Kara!” said the blonde's mother. “A new school will be less of a punishment and more of an adventure!”

Kara slammed the door of the car in annoyance, accidentally overturning the vehicle, as she entered the building.

“Have a great first day!” said Kara’s mother.

“Or don’t! Do whatever’s right for you!” said Kara’s father.

Barbara looked at the scene completely confused. 

A school bus arrived and a short black girl with sage-green eyes, maroon-brown lips and long, curly, dark brown hair with honey-blonde highlights tied up into pigtail buns, and wearing a large black-and-yellow striped turtleneck sweater, a yellow skirt, dark brown tights and a pair of boots, fell from it to the ground, with several tools coming out from her backpack.

Barbara quickly went to help her out. “Hi, the name’s Babs!” 

“Karen.” The short girl, Karen, introduced herself as she put her tools back into her bag and quickly went into the building.

Confused once again, Barbara then saw a girl named Zee, with long purple hair and violet eyes, wearing a white blouse, black waistcoat, a ribbon tie, purple skirt and black high-heeled boots coming out of a limo and heading towards the school. Her father call for her, saying that she forgot her backpack…And it immediately went into the girl’s hands, without moving an inch.

“Ooookay…That was weird.” Barbara thought.

Lelouch walked through the corridors of the school undisturbed…Well, not really, as some of the students were glancing at him (especially girls), either because of his good looks or because of his Ashford Academy uniform.

“Wow, look at him!”

“He’s so handsome…”

“Isn’t that an Ashford uniform?”

“He must be rich…”

“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea going to school with this uniform, I’m attracting too much attention.” Lelouch thought, “What if-No, calm down, you’re acting paranoid.”

While walking, the boy overheard a tall tan-skinned girl with long brown hair and olive–brown eyes, wearing a green beanie, light green hoop earrings, a mid-sleeved, slightly dark green off-the-shoulder crop-top over a light green tank top, a long green skirt talking with a tall, muscular young man with short brown hair and green eyes, wearing a white-and-grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Lelouch also noticed that both the two teenagers wore the same mysterious green ring, the muscular guy on his left hand, while the other on her right hand.
“I told you, Hal. I don't believe in the Lantern Corps. Their methods are too extreme.” said the girl.

“Look, Jess, I don’t make the rules,” said Hal, “That’s just how they work.”

“If so, then take it.” Jess took off her green ring. “I don’t want it.”

“No, Jess.” said Hal, “The ring chose you.”

The bell rang, and Lelouch walked away.

“Lantern Corps’?” He thought, “I wonder what she meant, I doubt something like Civil Services. I’ll think about it later, I don’t want to be late for the lessons.”

As he walked to his classroom, Lelouch overheard other students talking about the latest news of the city.

“Check out my new VR specs!”

“The podcast called her the “Wonder Woman”!”  

“She took down some giant monster!”

“There’s also that guy, “Zero”.”

“What’s he like?”

“Do you think he and Wonder Woman work together?”

Lelouch smirked. “That would be the intent, yes. But I wonder if there are any more superheroes in this city.”

At lunchtime, today’s lunch was spaghetti and meatballs…That didn’t look rather tasty for Lelouch’s standards.

“...Is this what people eat in public schools?” He thought.

“Lelouch! Lelouch, over here!” Barbara waved at him from the table she was sitting at.

Lelouch sat down next to her. “Happy to see you again, how was your day?”

“A…Bit weird, honestly.” Barbara looked around as if to check if someone was overhearing them. She then whispered to the Britannian boy “ I think there are people with superpowers in our school! ”

“Superpowers?” Lelouch repeated, “Hmm…You might be right. I heard before two students talking about a “Lantern Corps” or something similar. Both were wearing the same green ring.”

“I see…Well, don’t worry, Lelouch! I’ve got a plan!” said Barbara, “Watch this!”

She threw her spaghetti and meatballs at Kara in the face.

The blonde was furious, as she looked around for the culprit…And noticed Karen, who was also eating spaghetti.

Kara threw her hamburger at the short girl, making her fall to the ground. As she stood up, Kara threw another hamburger at her, but Jess parried it with her plate.

“Leave her alone, you bully!” She said.

However, the parried hamburger fell right into the purple-haired girl’s hair.

“My hair…MY HAIR!”

In a matter of seconds, the situation degenerated into a massive food fight in the cafeteria.

“And this is supposed to be your plan?!” said Lelouch as he dodged the food coming at him.

“Don’t worry, I have everything under control!” said Barbara.

A teacher arrived in the cafeteria and saw what was happening.

“Enough…I said ENOUGH!” 

Everyone stopped doing anything and pointed at Lelouch, Barbara and the other girls.

“You six, let’s go.”

So, the group were brought to detention.

Everyone sat down, looking either annoyed or sad (except for Barbara, whose eyes were sparkling from excitement).

“....I hope you all have really good attorneys.” said the fancy purple-haired girl, while checking her nails.

Kara snorted. “What? You’re gonna sue me ‘cause I have better aim than you?”

“So you were the one who threw those potatoes!” said the girl.

“And you threw those nuggets at me!”

“Will you all stop behaving like children?” Lelouch interjected, with his accent slightly slipping into an RP one.

“Oh-ho! Excuse me, I guess people at Ashford Academy don’t do stuff like this!” Kara mocked.

“He’s right, let’s not fight again,” said Jess.

“Um, f-for the record, if I offended anyone, I’m truly very sorry,” said Karen.

The teacher opened the door, as a police officer arrived. 

“We found her just walking around the streets.” said the officer.

“Cutting class on the first day of school…Get in here with the other delinquents.” said the teacher.

A cloaked figure entered the room as the teacher and the officer left. The figure took off his cloak, revealing to be an athletic girl with tanned skin, long dark hair and blue eyes, wearing a red-and-gold corset, blue skirt with white sars on it, a golden tiara with a red star on it and matching earrings.

Barbara gasped in admiration.

Lelouch smirked. “Looks like today is my lucky day.”

The mysterious girl nonchalantly sat down, not even noticing the staring the others were giving her.

“That’s…She’s…” said Karen.

“Gorgeous!” said Zee.

“Is that…” said Jess.

“The Wonder Woman!” said Barbara, with her eyes still sparkling.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you, Babs?” said Lelouch.

Kara laughed, “That’s no Wonder Woman, it’s just some dumb cosplay girl!”

“I am no girl!” the girl spoke with a Mediterranean accent as she stood up, offended by the blonde’s comment. “I am Diana, Princess of the Amazons. I alone survived the 21 tests of the tournament of Athena and Aphrodite. By right, I am not a girl, but a woman!”

“The Amazons? Like from the ancient Greek myths?” Lelouch thought.

“Trust me, Princess, you do not want to start with me.” Kara warned Diana.

“Is this a challenge?” the Amazon refused to back down.

“For you, maybe.” said Kara.

“Very well.” Diana prepared herself to fight. “I shall grant you the first strike.”

Kara looked surprised, people usually backed down when she threaten to fight. “Alright, don't say I didn't warn you.”

Kara threw a punch at Diana…But she dodged it.

“Again!” said the Amazon.

Kara tried to hit her again, but Diana kept dodging it or hit her instead.

“Why don't you just stand STILL?!” 

Kara hit Diana in the stomach and sent her flying into the wall, breaking the drywall.

The girls gasped in horror (except for Barbara).

“Oh god, oh my god!” Kara panicked “I'm so sorry, are you okay-”

Diana came out of the hole unscathed, and resumed the fight.

Zee, Jess and Karen looked at the two fighting worried about their safety, while Barbara was really excited and Lelouch was carefully studying them.

“The blonde has a strength almost matching Diana's, but her fighting style is incredibly rough, giving her a disadvantage. It can either end in a draw or with her losing.” He thought.

“Both of you, stop! Fighting is never the answer,” said Jess.

“I doubt they will listen to you,” said Lelouch. 

“I-I think we should run away…” said Karen.

Suddenly, they heard some footsteps coming towards them.

“The teacher is coming!” Zee pulled out a wand from her pocket. “!niaga egnarts ssalc os siht tuP!”

In a matter of seconds, the class was back to normal, everyone quickly sat down as the teacher returned.

“Everything all right in here?” He asked.

The students nodded.

“Hmm. Forgot my keys.” The teacher took the keys and left.

“A-ha! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!” Barbara jumped off her school desk. She pointed at Kara, “I knew you were super. I knew it the minute I saw you dent that car door because no ordinary person could possibly slam a door that hard.” She pointed at Karen, “And then when you spilt all those weird metal thingies on the bus,” She pointed at Zee, “I knew there was something weird going on with you, too. And then you, all of a sudden, had your backpack, and I was like, "That's weird."” she pointed at Jess. “And then Lelouch told me about him overhearing you talking to that cute boy about some Corps thing and some ring and I knew something was up, so I decided to start a food fight so that we all get detention together, which totally worked!” Then she pointed at Diana  “And then you, I wasn't planning on you showing up at all. So that's just like a huge bonus anyway. My plan was that you'd all keep fighting once we got to detention and all get so worked up that you'd be forced to reveal that you're super and guess what, so am I! The one and only... Batgirl! ” Barbara stood up on the teacher's desk and covered her face with her arm as if she was wearing a cape.

The others looked at Barbara as if she was crazy.

“...Great, another cosplayer,” said Kara.

“Huzzah! At last, a sister-in-arms.” Diana, pleased, put her arm around Barbara and pulled her close to her. “Never had I dreamed I would encounter the warrior spirit of an Amazon upon entering the World of Man. For you see, it is my quest, my crusade, my destiny, to bring the Amazon way of peace and prosperity to man's world, and to rid it of all evil. The gods bestowed this honor upon me and I feared I alone should have to carry my burden. But now... Now I have a sister by my side!” She hugged Barbara.

Barbara snapped out of her “excited fangirl” mode and freed herself. “What? No, no, no, no! Five sisters! And a brother, too!”

“Uh, nope.” Kara objected. “Every single time I use my powers I get in trouble.”

“I’m not fighting anyone,” said Jess.

“I’m an artiste, not a police officer,” said Zee.

“Um, I’m not…Really good at it-”

“Cowards!” Diana slammed her hands on the desk, surprisingly not breaking it. “I speak of destiny, the same mantle of greatness the Gods bestowed upon me, they have also bestowed upon you.

“Is it cowardice knowing your limits?” said Lelouch, “Some of us have never fought in our lives, hell, I don’t even have superpowers.”

“Neither Batman has superpowers! Nor I do!” said Barbara, “I’m sure there’s something you can do. Come on, guys! How can you not be excited about heroes and villains and fighting crime and hidden lairs and secret identities and stuff?!”

“The trick with secret identities, my dear, is that, in order to remain secret, one must convincingly pass as a normal human being,” said Zee.

Barbara glanced at Diana, who didn’t look like a normal teen at all. “Okay, tell you what! You guys give being a team a teensy try, she'll teach us how to be heroes and you can give her a makeover. Deal?”

Zee sighed, “Who am I to say no to a makeover?”

“Um…Okay,” said Karen.

“I'll try, too, but only to support and encourage Karen's brave decision,” said Jess.

“Okay, whatever, “ said Kara.

“I may not be fit for fighting, but maybe I can help you with other things. I’m in,” Lelouch smiled.

“YES!” said Barbara, “It’s settled, then! Super Awesome Super Hero-ness, here we come!”

After school, they exchanged phone numbers to better organise their “outing”. Diana sticked around with the girls, while Lelouch told them that he first need to do something important at home.

As he walked down the streets, the boy was deep in his thoughts.

“Looks like my school life here in Metropolis will be much more lively than I thought. Not only have I met Wonder Woman, but there are other students with superpowers in the school, too.” Lelouch thought, “However, I don't trust them enough to tell them about my power, for the moment. I'll pretend to be powerless till I learn their weaknesses.”

“Heeey there, buddy!” Lelouch heard a deep male voice coming from a hallway.

With a glance, he saw two teens bullying a shorter shy boy.

“W-What do you want, Mark?” said the shy teen, “I gave you my money already!”

“Yeah, yeah, we know!” said the other bully, “But you see, we wanted to buy those new LexCorp VR specs, and we're kinda out of money, sooo…”

“B-But I don't have that much money on me!” The shy teen complained.

One of the bullies sighed. “Oh well, I guess we're just gonna beat you up to kill some time!”

“ Ahem. ” Lelouch calmly walked into the alley. “What’s going here?”

The bullies noticed Lelouch. “Oh-ho! The cavalry has arrived!” One of them said.

“That's a Ashford Academy uniform, did you get lost, rich kid?” said the other bully.

“Apparently not.” Lelouch was now speaking with a RP English accent and with a deeper voice. “I’m asking you to leave that boy alone, he clearly said that he doesn't have money.”

“Alright, alright! We'll stop…Unless you give us money instead.” said the bully.

Lelouch scoffed. “As if I'm gonna give money to scum like you two. I advise you to go look for a job, rather than extorting money to people weaker than you.”

The bullies were pissed off. “The hell did you just say?!”

“Oh, you have heard me clearly.” Suddenly, Lelouch's left eye turned from violet to bordeaux, as a glowing bird-like red symbol appeared in it. “Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…Leave this place at once and never bully that boy again!”

As Lelouch's voice boomed as he gave the command, red edges appeared around the bullies' pupils.

“Come on, dude, let's go.” 

So, the bullies left, leaving the two alone.

“T-Thank you.” said the boy.

“You're welcome. By the way…” Lelouch turned to the boy, with the red “V” still in his left eye. “You will believe that Zero saved you from those bullies rather than me.”

Red edges appeared around the boy’s pupils. “Okay, I won’t tell anyone.” He left.

The “V” disappeared from Lelouch's eye as he left the alley. However, the lanky teen was unaware that he left a witness, someone who observed the scene from the rooftop… Diana.

<----To Be Continued------

Chapter Text

Lelouch arrived at his house in the suburbs of Metropolis. He was going to open the door with his keys until…

“You saw me in that alley, didn't you?” He said.

Diana jumped off the tree she was hiding in.

"How did you know I was following you?"  Diana asked.

"I noticed you jumping from roof to roof. You may be an Amazon warrior, but you're not a ninja." said Lelouch. “So, mind explaining why you were following me? I thought you stayed with Barbara and the others,” said Lelouch.

“I did not believe that you didn't have a gift like me and our sisters.” said Diana, “There is something…Unique about you, completely different from the others.”

“And that is? The fact that my power is more suited to a supervillain?” said Lelouch.

“No, not that.” Diana shook her head. “Everyone can do good or not with the gifts they receive, even mine could be used to harm others. Just…Why are you hiding it from us?”

“As if I was gonna tell that I can force people into obeying my orders to a bunch of strangers I just met.” Lelouch unlocked the door. “So? Are you coming in or not?”

Diana came closer and took a look at Lelouch’s house. “Are you sure I may come in?”

“Who am I to let the Wonder Woman stay outside of my house like a stray animal?” Lelouch smirked playfully. “Besides, there's someone you'll probably like to meet.”

The two stepped inside.

Lelouch’s house was small but cosy, like, with the living room looking rather classy.

“Nunnally, I’m home!” said Lelouch, his voice sounding softer and gentler compared to the “elegant coldness” he showed before to the Amazon.

Then, Nunnally, a young girl of average height with hip-length curly brown hair and wearing a simple white-and-green dress, arrived in the living room on her wheelchair and her eyes shut.

Nunnally greeted her brother with her usual small smile, “Welcome back, big brother!” She turned to Diana as if she could see her. “Oh? You brought someone with you?”

Diana looked confused. “How did she…”

“I heard the footsteps, that’s all,” said Nunnally.

“Nunnally, this is Diana, a…A friend from school.” Lelouch partly lied, he then glanced at the Amazon. “Diana, this is Nunnally, my little sister.”

“It is a pleasure meeting you,” said Diana.

“Likewise,” said Nunnally, extending her hand to her.

“Take her hand.” Lelouch suggested. “She recognises people by touching them.”

Diana obliged, letting the blind girl take her hand.

Nunnally looked surprised. “My, you've got calluses on your hand. Do you do any sports?”

“I train to use my sword, of course.” said Diana, “We Amazons must always be ready for battle, so we often train.”

“ ‘Amazons’?” Nunnally tilted her head.

“It's her sports team! You know, stuff from school.” Lelouch lied, winking at Diana.

“Oh, I see.” said Nunnally, “Maybe my brother could train along with you, Diana, he barely does any physical activities.”

“That's not true!” Lelouch blushed. “PE is more than enough.”

“Yet you are always out of breath after running for three minutes,” said Nunnally. “Even I can see it.”

“If that's the case, I will make sure your brother will have better stamina, Nunnally.” Diana smiled.

“Please don't,” said Lelouch.

Nunnally giggled.

“Are you staying here from lunch, Diana? My brother is a really good cook!”

“I don’t mind it,” Lelouch added.

Diana smiled. “It would be an honour for me.”

“Alright, gonna start cooking.” He went to the kitchen.

As Lelouch cooked, he kept giving glances at Diana, who was seemingly inspecting the kitchen while she was at the table.

“Great, now she knows about my Geass, I should have been more careful.” He thought, “Did I leave other witnesses? No, she’s probably the only one. How much did she see? Is she going to tell the girls? Did she find out that I’m-”

“Brother, is the food ready?” Nunnally interrupted her brother’s stream of consciousness.

“One minute of patience, Nunnally,” said Lelouch. He then brought to the table three plates of spaghetti. “Bonne appetit!”

They had lunch, with Lelouch feeding her little sister.

“My Gods…This is delicious!” said Diana.

“Told you so!” said Nunnally.

“Oh, come now, it was just spaghetti, nothing special,” said Lelouch.

After washing the dishes, Lelouch changed into more casual clothes for the outing: A grey high-collar shirt, brown leather jacket, black trousers and matching shoes.

“Nunnally, Diana and I are going out now, we have to meet with some friends of ours.” He said. “Sayoko should arrive soon.”

“Alright, have fun!” said Nunnally. “I hope you'll visit us again, Diana.”

“I shall, Nunnally.” Diana smiled.

Lelouch gently kissed his little sister on the forehead and he and the Amazon left.

“A real sweetheart, isn't she?” said Lelouch.

“She is.” said Diana, “If I may ask…What happened that left her in such a state?”

Lelouch stopped in his tracks. “...There was an accident 7 years ago, she could no longer walk due to the injuries and lost her sight out of trauma. I've been taking care of her ever since.”

“What about your parents? Have they perished in this accident?”

Lelouch remained silent until he received a text from Barbara.

“Let's go,” He said to the Amazon, “The girls are waiting for us. “ He smirked, “Time to be heroes.”

Diana smiled a little. “You’re still willing to join us?”

“I’ll just observe you, it’s not that I have much to train, considering my power.” said Lelouch, “And by the way, I’d prefer if you don’t tell the others about it, not for now, at least.”

“My lips are sealed,” said Diana.

“Very well,” said Lelouch, “Off we go.”

Lelouch and Diana met with Barbara, Zee, Kara, Jessica and Karen at the local mall.

Diana looked around the clothing store, completely baffled. “By the white beard of Zeus…What is this place?!”

“This is a mall, here we’ll find you a proper civilian outfit.” said Lelouch.

“And here it begins your “Normal Teenager Lessons”!” said Barbara, bringing Diana in the store by her hand. “Lesson #1, never say stuff like “By the white beard of Zeus!” Lesson #2, you’ve gotta look the part. Bright colours, big logos, be bold!” Barbara handed the Amazon several bright-coloured outfits.

“Wear leather, lots of leather.” Kara handed her several leather jackets.

“No, no leather.” Jessica objected, “These were all made with organic cotton from Turkey!”

Karen handed Diana several sweaters. “Dress to not draw attention to yourself. But not too much! Or you risk drawing attention to yourself.”

“I have the feeling that she will do a mish-mash with all those different clothes…” said Lelouch.

“Me too,” said Zee.

“Now, get in there and be normal!” Babs pushed Diana into the dressing room.

As Lelouch and Zee predicted, Diana made a mish-mash of the several clothes the girls gave her.

“Have you finished tormenting this poor girl?” Zee sighed, “Allow me. kool stcefrep ni lla rennam detcefreP”

Diana’s outfit turned into something more decent and fitting for her. Her hair was now kept in a low-loose ponytail, accessorised with a golden headband. As for her outfit, she was now wearing a red mid-quarter-sleeved sweater over a similar-length, white swan-necked shirt, a high-waisted blue denim skirt with a darker waistband, white calf-length socks and a pair of red flats.

“Oh, she looks great!” said Jessica.

“Much better,” said Lelouch.

“Ladies and gentleman, may I present Diana Prince, foreign exchange student from Greece. Geek chic.

“And these garments give me the appearance of a typical mortal female adolescent?” Diana asked, checking her new outfit.

“A rather classy one perhaps, but yes,” said Lelouch.

“Excellent, it is my turn now,” said Diana.

The group were now on a roof with Diana, donning her hero outfit, walking back and forth like a commander.

“If we are to be a team, then I must know your skills and abilities.” She said, she then pointed at Jessica. “You! Name, rank, skills.”

“Uh... Hi, I'm Jess. I'm a cadet in something called the Green Lantern Corp. And...Oh, boy.” said Jess, “Well, see, I was given this power ring by these weird aliens. They are sort of like space cops and they patrol these different sectors. You know what, the whole thing is really complicated. I can make stuff with this ring.”

Using her green ring, Jess made a flower pot appear.

“Interesting…So it works like a hologram?” said Lelouch.

“Kind of.” said Jessica, “The things I create are fully solid,” She created a pogo stick.

“That’s so cool!” said Barbara.

“Hmm, so with this ring of the gods, you may produce any weapon imaginable to beat your enemies into submission?” Diana inspected Jess’ ring.

“In theory, yes.” said Jessica, “Although I don’t believe in violence.”

“Admirable,” Diana commented. “How shall you be known?”

Jessica’s ring started lowing, as her outfit suddenly changed. She was now wearing a black-and-green bodysuit with the Green Lantern Corps emblem being on her chest and on her right eye, other than her whole body and eyes emitting a green aura.

“Green Lantern, It kinda comes with the ring.” She said

“Good.” Diana then turned to Barbara, “And you, Batgirl?”

“I can do aaall sorts of cool stuff!” Barbara started taking out from her backpack several gadgets as she started ranting as her usual as she put on her Batgirl costume, which is similar to the Dark Knight’s albeit with a yellow-and-purple colour scheme. “Even though I don't have any alien rings or anything, but I'm really good at figuring things out. And I make the coolest bat gadgets, like this! Bat barometer and this glow-in-the-dark bat staff. And these bat grappling hooks that I was totally this close to using when Batman was fighting Professor Pyg on the roof of this building. But then Robin showed up, and Batman had to save him. And you know how that goes. And I never actually got to show him how they work. And I never even got to meet him, but that's a whole different story, so I-”

“You lack focus,” Diana interjected. She then went to Zee. “And what about you?”

“You may call me The Mysterious, Fabolous, and Awe-Inspiring….Zatanna!” With a swing of her wand, Zee’s outfit changed, making her wear a typical stage magician outfit.

“Impressive, have you got other skills?” Diana asked.

Zee then proceeded to show the Amazon several magic tricks, making the latter both very impressed and horrified.

“What kind of sorcery is this?!” She said.

“So…That’s it? She’s just a stage magician?” Lelouch thought, slightly disappointed. “No, there must be something else. Let’s try to push her buttons a bit.” As he smirked, he quickly changed into his “Lelouch Lamperouge” persona. “Oh, that’s it? I thought you could do something more than just cheap tricks.”

Those last two words seemed to have irked Zee. “Cheap tricks…Cheap tricks?!” Zee started flying. “You call this a cheap trick?”

Lelouch smirked, and then he played dumb. “Oh, nevermind, you’re an excellent magician, Zee! It looks so real!”

Zee smirked, satisfied with the boy’s answer as she stopped flying.

“Enough.” said Diana, “Though you possess great quantities of style, you must learn to channel your magic into a cause - our cause. And I am afraid this uniform will not suffice, think of another.”

“Try a cape!” said Barbara.

Then, it was Karen’s turn to show off her ability. She was putting some sort of yellow armour with bee-like wings. “I’m…I’m still working out the kinks.” She pressed a button and she suddenly miniaturized herself. She flew into Diana’s hand, embarrassed., with her wings buzzing.

“Oh, the wings aren't supposed to buzz like that…” said Karen, “I'm working on rocket launchers, but they malfunction. The whole thing is all messed up. I wanted to be big and strong, so people would notice me, but... my growth tech backfired, and now I'm even smaller and more invisible than before. Oh, I should just go home...”

“You possess far more strength than you know.” Diana gave her a reassuring smile. “You simply lack confidence, little Bumblebee.”

“Hmm, ‘Bumblebee’, sounds fitting,” said Lelouch.

“Yeah, it does!” said Barbara.

“Huh, I-I was thinking of another name…But Bumblebee it is.” Karen returned to normal.

Last, it was Kara’s turn.

“You’re the last one. We've seen your incredible strength. Is there anything more you have to offer?” said Diana.

Kara scoffed. “Not to you. I’m no hero, ‘Princess’, that racket’s for chumps.” She glanced at Lelouch, and smirked. “Besides, why don’t you ask Ashford over here instead? Maybe he got some superpowers he didn’t tell us, like ‘super snobbery’!”

“Excuse me?” said Lelouch, trying to keep his “normal student” facade.

“Lelouch, isn’t it?” said Kara, “You’ve been looking at us like you’re trying to see our weaknesses or something, and all with that look of superiority.”

Lelouch’s expression turned cold. He spoke with an RP accent, “You got expelled from your previous school, didn’t you?”

Kara was stunned. “How did you…?”

“Considering how you barely control your strength, I presume that you probably shoved a fellow much smaller than you into a locker a little too hard,” said Lelouch.

Kara elaborated on what the boy said. “Are you-Are you calling me a bully?!?!”

“You insulted me despite having done nothing to you, so yes,” said Lelouch, "It's definitely the typical behaviour of a bully who acts mighty with those weaker than him and cowers in fear when he finds someone stronger."

“Why, you-”

“Enough!” Diana interjected. “We are not supposed to fight between one another.” She turned to Kara. “You could be the greatest hero the World of Man has ever seen. You simply lack some motivation!”

Diana grabbed Lelouch…And threw him off the roof.

The girls gasped in horror. “LELOUCH!”

Kara acted almost out of instinct, she immediately flew down there to save him.

“Shit, shit! I have to think of a way to survive this.” Lelouch’s train of thought was very fast as he desperately tried to escape his death.

That was until Kara grabbed him and brought him back to the roof. She was now wearing a tightly-fitted, mid-quarter-sleeved blue-grey shirt with the Superman emblem on the chest area, a tailbone-length maroon cape attached at the back, a V-shaped yellow belt, a short maroon skirt and marron knee-high boots with white stripes on the top.

Kara let Lelouch go. “Okay, fine. I am a superhero, all right.” She scoffed.

“Well, thanks for saving me…” said Lelouch, he then turned to the Amazon. “And as for you, for the love of God, don’t do anything like that ever again.”

“My apologies if it frightened you, Lelouch,” said Diana, “Now then, it’s for you to train!”

The group arrived in a junkyard. As requested, Zee changed her outfit into something more fitting for a superhero: A long-sleeved black and white leotard with grey-ish purple tights underneath, a black cape with a dark magenta lining held by a magenta jewel and thigh-high stiletto boots. Other than that, her hair was now sparkling with different shades of purple.
“Ugh, I conjured a new outfit to hang out in a junkyard?” She said, disgusted.

“This place is pretty isolated from the rest of the city, nobody should see you all using your powers here,” said Lelouch.

“Soldiers!” Diana began, “Our mission is to save the World of Man, and in order to do that…We need to learn how to save Man himself!”

The Amazon showed her comrades a few mannequins near a tower of junk.

Then, she threw a bin lid towards the tower and kicked every single piece of it away from the “civilians”. As the tower fell completely, Diana emerged from it, with the mannequins completely intact.

Needless to say, Lelouch and the others were stunned.

“Now, it is your turn,” said Diana.

The girls (minus Barbara, who was still in awe) glanced at each other with uncertainty.

“Good luck, you’ll need it.” Lelouch sat on a deck chair.

“Wait, is he not gonna do anything?” Kara complained.

“Lelouch does not have powers like us, therefore he will limit himself to observe our training,” said Diana.

“Yeah, sure...” Kara glanced at the Britannian, not believing him in the slightest.

“Let's see how the girls will perform in the training, they have the potential to be excellent allies.” He thought, “I have to be careful though, Kara is suspecting that I'm lying about my powers…”

As the training began, Lelouch carefully observed and wrote in his notebook the abilities, strengths and weaknesses of the girls.

For ‘Batgirl’, he wrote:

“Batgirl does not have any superpowers, but compensates with an extreme agility and gadgeteer genius worthy of the Dark Knight she worships so much. However, her energy is a double-edged sword, as Batgirl can easily lose focus.”

For ‘Wonder Woman’, he wrote:

“A goddess among mortals, her fighting skills exceed everyone here, I made the right choice by looking for her, I can't find a single weakness in her.”

For ‘Supergirl’, he wrote:

“Faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, the ‘Woman of Steel’ has the same powers as Superman, pity that she's an impulsive brute who can easily be angered, making her a threat to her teammates. It's better if I start preparing a contingency plan to neutralise her in case she goes rogue, but if she manages to keep her temper in check, she could be much, much better than Superman.”

For ‘Green Lantern’, he wrote:

“Green Lantern is probably one of the most powerful members of this “team”, as long as she's very creative, nothing can virtually stop her…Except for herself being so adamant of not wanting to fight anyone. If only I could find a way to “bypass” this block…”

For ‘Zatanna’, he wrote:

“A powerful magician and a showgirl, Zatanna can do whatever she wishes thanks to her magic. However, excluding her magic she's just a normal human, and she has to speak to make her spells.”

Last, he wrote for ‘Bumblebee’:

“A genius who created something like her armour out of scraps. However, her crippling weakness is her shyness and her low self-esteem. By her looks, she seems to be of Nunnally’s age, perhaps if I try to be some sort of “big brother figure” to her, it could help her gain some confidence…”

The training was getting alternated with Diana’s “training” into being a normal teen. First stop: The comic book store.

“Alright, today’s Normal Teenage Lesson: Pop Culture!” Barbara announced.

Zee looked around the store, seemingly disgusted. “Culture? Are you joking?”

“Did you bring us here to help Diana integrate into the World of Man or because you just wanted to buy a comic book?” Lelouch asked.

“Yes!” Barbara replied, she then saw a Batman comic book and gasped. “ No way! It's the super-rare Batman giant super-special with a limited edition pull-out Batman poster! I would kill for this!”

“Have you learned nothing?” Diana scolded Babs, “We must protect the innocents, not engage in needless slaughter over material goods!”

“Diana…That’s a figure of speech, she doesn’t actually want to kill anyone,” said Lelouch.

Karen nodded, “Yeah! For instance, if you are hungry, you might say, "I'd kill for a burrito.".” She then pointed at a burrito stand “Go on, you try.”

Diana approached the vendor and shouted, “I WILL KILL YOU FOR A BURRITO!”

Of course, this scared the living daylights out of the poor fellow, making him run away in terror. “ACCEPT MY PAYMENT OR DIE!”

The others looked at the scene in embarrassment, with Lelocuh even facepalming.

“Let’s…Let’s not use figures of speech till Diana learns their mean, alright?”

“Yeah…” the girls said in unison.

“S-Sorry…” Karen whispered.

For another “Teenage Lesson”, the group went to the cinema to watch a movie called “Just Before Dusk”. As expected from a sappy teenage romance movie, most of the team was completely invested in the movie…Except for Lelouch and Kara, who both were on the verge of falling asleep from boredom (with the latter already succumbed to it)

“I never wanted to love her, Alexandra. But she's the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me, ever. So, why hasn't Caitlyn texted me?” said Aiden, one of the characters in the movie.

She just needs time, Aiden. It's only been two days. If she texts after three days, that's irrevocable love.” said Aiden’s friend, Alexandra.

Diana observed the movie with mild confusion, not exactly understanding what she was watching.

“Huh…What is happening?” She asked.

“Aiden just realised he can't live without Caitlyn. But Alexandra is telling him that Caitlyn won't text until tomorrow, because that's exactly what Michael didn't do to her when they broke up.” Barbara explained, “Isn't it all just so sad and beautiful?”

“Teenage males are…Very confusing,” said Diana.

“Tell me about it…” Barbara, Jessica, Zee and Karen said in unison, sighing dreamily.

“You do realise there’s a boy with you, yes?” said Lelouch, “And I think this stuff will do nothing but confuse Diana.”

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked.

“You will be mine, Caitlyn. Forever.” Aiden was going to kiss Caitlyn.

…But unfortunately, Diana misunderstood completely and, as an “attempt” to help Caitlyn, she started slashing the screen with her sword, waking up Kara too.

“This is what I mean.” said Lelouch, “Now let’s get out of here before we get arrested.”

The group left the cinema, all of them looking rather disappointed that their plan wasn't working, with Diana looking away, embarrassed.

“So, what's the plan then?” Kara asked, “This is definitely not working.”

“There must be a place to loosen up an uptight warrior princess here…” said Barbara

“Oh, I know!” said Karen. “We could go to that amusement park near the pier.”

"Good idea!" said Barbara, "Diana's gonna love it!"

“...I think I won’t join you this time,” said Lelouch. “I promised my sister to spend some time with her. See you tomorrow!” He ran off.

“I guess we’ll do it without him, come on, girls!” said Barbara.

So, the girls went to the pier, trying several attractions, making Diana try pizza for the first time, and generally having a good time.

But on the other side of the city, a mysterious hooded figure activated hordes of small green robots, heading towards several points of interest across the town. However, someone was carefully observing the robots from a rooftop, ready to engage in battle.

The figure was wearing a tight dark purple suit with golden stripes, long-wrapped sleeves, and a frilled white cravat, all worn under a large black-and-gold cloak with crimson lining that completely covered his torso and an equally enormous black cape that encircles his head.His face wasn’t visible, due to it being hidden by an opaque (from the outside, at least) spiky black-and-indigo mask.

Silently, the masked figure jumped from the building into the street and started slashing one robot after another with his sword.

However, only a few of them seemed to attack the masked fighter, as most of them were heading towards other buildings. As he finished destroying every robot trying to destroy the movie theatre, he picked up a piece of one of the robots, where the letters “Lx” were painted on it.

“Lx…LexCorp?” The figure thought. “Why would Luthor send robots to destroy several hotspots of the city?” He looked to the hordes heading towards a frozen dairy cafe. “The robots are heading to that cafe…And it’s still open! I have to evacuate those people before it’s too late!”

The figure took his grappling hook and after reaching a roof, he started jumping from one building to another to get to the cafe as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the girls, after having fun at the pier, were heading towards the same cafe.

<------To Be Continued----------

Chapter Text

Right after leaving the pier, the girls chatted about how they had fun.

“Well, ladies, after a night like this I think we deserve something sweet,” said Zee.
“To Sweet Justice!” Zee, Kara, Karen and Jessica said in unison as they entered the cafe.

“You don’t want to miss this!” Kara dragged Diana and Barbara inside.

The interior of the cafe was of vibrant pink, with the clients enjoying several sweet delicacies, from ice cream to cakes.

The girls went to the counter to make their order, and they were welcomed by a tall lanky boy with short blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Hey, guys. So, what's the haps, what's poppin', what's the latest?” He spoke fastly, “Can I get you something sweet? Sure hope so, 'cause that's what we have. It's sort of our speciality!“

“Hi, Barry!” The girls minus Diana and Barbara said in unison. 

“So, what will it be? The usual? The usual? The usual? The usual? The usu-” Barry noticed Barbara and Diana. “Oh, hi there! I didn’t notice you.”

“Babs will have the “Candy Cake Triple Ripple Tower” while Diana will have the “Death by Chocolate,” said Zee, she glanced at Diana. “Figure of speech, of course.”

In a flash, Barry brought to the girls what they ordered. As they sat down, Diana inspected the chocolate ice cream she had in front of her.

“Well? What are you waiting for, Diana?” Jessica noticed her friend hesitating.

The Amazon then took her spoon and tried her ice cream…Then proceeded to devour it like she hadn’t eaten in days from how good it was, much to the disgust of her teammates.

“Never have I tasted such wonderment!” She said, “More, I must have more of this magical concoction!”

Diana then proceeded to ravenously eat all the sweet food the girls have ordered till she collapsed on the table.

“Huh…Diana?” Karen checked if she was okay.

“SISTERS!” Diana suddenly woke up, “This food is more delectable than ambrosia and this place is more perfect than Elysium! I declare that we must celebrate our every future victory here and thus!”

“Sweet Justice for the win!” said Barbara, happily.

However, her enthusiasm soon faded as the robots stormed inside the cafe. 

“Attention, citizens,” the robot in the front spoke. “This business or dwelling has been categorised for immediate destruction. By order of the City of Metropolis, you must vacate before structure removal begins. You have 30 seconds to comply.”

Panic ensued, as the civilians started to evacuate the Sweet Justice. The girls, however, stood still, unsure on wherever to intervene or not.

“I think we should do something…” said Kara.

“Leaving, perhaps.” said Zee, “They’re City robots, it’s not like there’s much we can do.”

“You have 15 seconds to comply,” said the robot.

“But it doesn’t make sense!” said Jessica, “Why did the City decide to tear this place down out of sudden, while it’s still open?” 

“You have 10 seconds to comply. 10, 9, 8…” said the robot.

“Is this a law we must obey? Or should we fight?” said Diana

“Let’s get out of here, we’re not ready for a fight!” said Karen.

“2,1…This completes your warning. Demolition will now begin.” The robot announced.

Suddenly, more robots crashed into the Sweet Justice by destroying the walls and the windows. But then, as a robot was approaching a table where a boy wearing VR specs was sitting, unaware of the situation, Diana in an instant changed into her costume and destroyed the robot.

“It matters not if these villains are protected by Man’s Law, our mission is to protect the innocent, and that is what we must do.”  Diana spoke to her teammates. “Come, sisters, this is our time.”

The girls, inspired by the Amazon’s words, instantly changed into their costumes and started fighting back the hordes of robots.

…However, things quickly went downhill due to the girls’ inexperience in fighting. Zee acted cocky, treating it more like it was one of her many magic shows rather actually fighting to protect several people’s lives. Karen acted cowardly and soon retreated, Kara didn’t even let Diana finish giving her order and accidentally threw a robot towards two catatonic civilians, but luckily Jessica intervened and created a trampoline to bounce them away…Towards a wall, making the ceiling start falling apart.

Babs was having a hard time destroying the robots until suddenly, all of them were cut in half.

As she saw who did, the redhead gasped in shock. “You’re…You’re…”

The figure calmly turned and then went to destroy the other robots with his sword. But unfortunately, his intervention wasn’t enough to save the cafe from falling apart. The final nail in the coffin was Zee, who accidentally hit Diana with her magic blasts, who in turn hit Kara and pushed her to the wall.

“Everyone out! It’s coming down!” Jessica shouted.

The girls jumped out of the windows, with Jessica and the masked figure evacuating the remaining civilians right before the place fell down.

The team couldn’t help look in shock at their failure as the robots went away.

Then, Diana slapped Kara. “Insubordination! Why did you not await my orders?! You are reckless!”

“Well, excuuuse me, Princess!” said Kara with a mocking tone, “In case you didn’t notice, I was the only one in there actually fighting-”

Suddenly, they heard a laugh. It sounded hammy, yet collected. The girls turned and sawthe masked figure standing on a light pole. “It appears that you lot aren’t as efficient as I hoped. What a disappointment.” His voice was deep with a generic US accent

“Who are you?” Diana asked, not sure whether to trust the figure. 

“I am…Zero.” Zero jumped from the pole and kneeled in front of Diana like a knight. “At last, we finally meet, Wonder Woman.”

“Wait…Zero? ‘The Black Knight’ they talked about on the news?” said Jessica. 

“He does have some style,” Zee commented, “The purple cloak looks classy.”

"He looks stupid, what's with the mask?" Kara commented.

Barbara squealed like the fangirl she was.

“You may stand up, there’s no need to kneel,” said Diana, both flattered and slightly embarrassed, “I have heard many tales about you. I take you were also fighting these mechanical fiends before?”

“Indeed,” Zero stood up, “These robots have been targeting several hotspots of Metropolis, just a bit ago I encountered a few at the movie theatre.”

“But why does the City suddenly want to tear down these places? There wasn’t anything wrong with the theatre.”  Jessica asked.

“That is a good question. Whoever is behind this, must be linked to LexCorp in some way.” Zero picked up on the pieces of the slashed robots.

“And…What could Lex Luthor possibly have against cupcakes?” Kara asked.

“I don't know at the moment, I need to investigate.” said Zero, “But first, we must keep chasing those robots, it's unlikely they'll stop now.”

“Well, looks like you already have a plan. I'm out!” Zee turned back to normal and left.

“What?!” Barbara was shocked, “Why?!”

“Let's face it, we were never meant to be heroes, especially me…” Karen took off her helmet and left.

“I knew this ring would lead to just violence and destruction.” Jessica took off her ring and left.

“Like I said, being superheroes is for chumps.” Kara left.

“Guys, wai-” Barbara sounded so defeated. Zero put his hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her.

“Let them go,” He said,  “We can deal with this by ourselves. Isn't that right, Wonder Wo-”

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared. Diana looked at the smoke with a distraught expression.

“Barbara Gordon, Zero, meet…My mother.” She said.

A massive muscular woman emerged from the smoke. She had long golden blonde hair and golden eyes and wore a matching armour, tiara and a coat. As the smoke vanished, the woman’s soldiers appeared standing in line.

“Hippolyta…” Zero thought. 

“Dude…Your mom looks like a final boss!” said Barbara, feeling intimidated.

“Disguising yourself as a warrior, entering the tournament of Athena and Aphrodite against the wishes of your Queen, leaving Themyscira without my permission!” Hippolyta scolded her daughter.

“Wait, you…Snuck out?” Barbara was puzzled, “But I thought it was your destiny to save the World of Man!”

“This insolent child has no such destiny! She has brought shame upon her people!” Hippolyta then headed towards the ship along with the other Amazons, dragging Diana by her ear. “Come, Diana! It is for us to go home.”

And so, they left. Barbara fell on her knees, her morale was lower than sea level as she took off her mask.

“The situation got worse in a matter of seconds.” Zero thought, “All of my pawns have been eliminated instantly, I have to think of a plan…”

Then, Zero’s train of thought was interrupted by Barbara’s weeping.

“Batgirl, are you…?” He said.

“I’m…Fine.” Barbara lied. “I’ve…I’ve ruined everything, I shouldn’t have forced them to become heroes.”

“No, you are not at fault.” said Zero, “Your comrades have potential, they only lack motivation after their…Lackluster performance against the robots, motivation you are going to give them back.”

Barbara wiped off her tears. “Me?”

“Yes, you. I am sure you will succeed, Babs.” Zero walked away.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Barbara asked.

“To give a hero back her freedom.” Zero used his grappling hook and left, heading to the Amazons’ ship.

Barbara stood up and looked at the Black Knight leaving. “How did he know my name…?”

Later, Barbara went directly to each girl's house, but with no success as they immediately slammed the door the moment they saw her. So, the redhead was forced to use other methods to get them to listen. Using her tablet, she videocalled the girls.

“I am not talking to you, Babs!” they said in unison.

“Girls, please!” said Barbara, “Don't hang up!”

“Give us one reason why not!” said Kara.

“ 'Cause I need you to fight!” said Barbara. She sighed, “Look, I know not all of us wanted to be heroes, but one of us did: H er . We don't have to choose to be heroes, but Diana's super scary warrior mom is dragging her back to her crazy magical island forever and now the one of us who knew for sure she wanted to be, she's the one who doesn't have a choice. She wanted to save everybody in the whole entire world, and now she needs saving. Zero went to save her, but he'll need all the help he can find. You don't have to be heroes if you don't want to, you don't have to fight...Except this one time. Because she's our friend. And best friends, they're worth fighting for, you know?”

The girls, after hearing Babs’ speech, now looked unsure about their decision.

“...Well, I suppose we owe her one,” said Jessica.

And so, the girls prepared for their rescue mission.

Meanwhile, the Amazons’ ship navigated the sea until suddenly it stopped moving.

“What is going on?! Why have we stopped?!” Hippolyta asked.

“I-I do not know, someone has dropped the anchor!” An Amazon soldier said.

“And who did it?” said Hippolyta.

“That would be me,” A male voice spoke: It was Zero, standing on the mast of the ship.

“A man?!” Several Amazons drew their swords, but the Black Knight wasn’t intimidated, as he calmly went down the mast. 

“And who you might be?” Hippolyta asked.

Zero bowed, his cloak moving giving a dramatic effect. “I am Zero, the Black Knight, and I am here to give your daughter her freedom back. And in order to do that…” 

He drew his sword and pointed at Hippolyta. “I challenge you to a duel, Queen of the Amazons!”

<----To Be Continued-------

Chapter Text

Hippolyta chuckled, seemingly amused by the Black Knight’s boldness. “You? A man with such a scrawny build, is challenging the Queen of the Amazons to a duel?”

“Do not let my appearance fool you, I don’t need muscles to win.” said Zero, “Here is my proposal: If I win the duel, your daughter Diana will come with me and shall resume her mission in the world of Man.”

“And if I win?” Hippolyta asked.

“I shall become a prisoner of the Amazons, and you may do whatever you wish, even execute me.” Zero calmly explained.

The Amazons minus Hippolyta gasped, shocked by the Knight's offer.

“You are willing to risk losing your freedom for someone you hardly know? You are as bold as you are foolish.”

“Perhaps I am,” Zero chuckled, “But Diana here is worth taking any risks. Her talents are needed in the World of Man, it would be a disgrace letting them get wasted on an island in the middle of nowhere eternally stuck in the Classical Age.”

Diana grabbed Zero's hand, worried for his safety. “You do not have to do this, Zero…”

“Do not worry about me, Wonder Woman. I promised your subordinates that I would bring you back, therefore I will.”

Hippolyta smirked “We Amazons do not tend to make prisoners, but I accept your challenge. Your courage is admirable…” She drew her sword, “But your arrogance will be your downfall, Black Knight!”

Zero chuckled. “We’ll see. Now…Let us dance! ”

In a flash, Zero hurled several smoke bombs into the air and detonated them, completely covering the ship.

He jumped away, disappearing from Hippolyta’s sight.

“Resorting to these sorts of tricks, typical of a man!” She said while coughing. “Show yourself, coward!”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Zero taunted. He then jumped to attack Hippolyta, using the mast for momentum, but the Amazon parried it in time.

Zero backed off, trying to attack from a different angle, the queen of the Amazons was fast enough to parry every attack.

The battle kept going, slowly heading into a stalemate. Against all expectations, Zero was pulling one hell of a good fight against Hippolyta, who couldn’t manage to land a hit on him due to his agility.

Meanwhile, Barbara, Kara, Jessica, Karen and Zee arrived aboard the ship without getting noticed.

“Looks like we missed the beginning,” Kara commented.

“W-We have to fight her ?” Karen asked, very intimidated.

“Well, Zero doesn't seem to struggle against her,” said Jessica.

“Yup! Come on, guys, time to be heroes!” said Barbara.

The girls jumped into the fight…And immediately got captured by the Amazons. Unfortunately, this caused Zero to get distracted for an instant and…

*SLASH!*

Hippolyta hit him. Zero jumped away without any injuries…And his mask began to crack in two. The two pieces of the mask fell to the ground revealing the Knight's face, that being…

“Lelouch?!” The girls said in unison, completely flabbergasted.

“You’re Zero?!” said Karen.

Diana observed Lelouch’s expression as he turned to the girls. There was something…Eerie about him, with him looking so calm and composed as if he was expecting this to happen. And there was the Geass sigil in his left eye, making it completely red and glowing…

“Yes, I am Zero. The Black Knight who torments the criminals of Gotham and now Metropolis. My apologies for not telling you, but I had to be sure that you could be trusted.” He looked at Barbara, “And I’m sure you figured it out already, didn’t you, Batgirl?”

The girls looked back at Barbara in confusion.

“You…Did?” said Kara.

“I found it out when he called me ‘Babs’ after you guys left,” Barbara explained, slightly embarrassed.

“But…Nunnally said you were lacking in physical prowess,” said Diana.

“That isn't exactly a lie. Without this bodysuit, I'm as athletic as a man in his 90s. Now then…” Lelouch turned to Hippolyta as he put himself in position. “Let’s resume the duel, shall we?”

“Wait!” Diana interjected. “Mother, I beg of you, stop this and let me remain in the World of Man!”

“Nonsense!” said Hippolyta, “You are only 317 years old, Diana. You are too young and too naive to make your own decisions, let alone go to the World of Man alone!”

“And yet it was I who survived the 21 tests of the tournament of Athena and Aphrodite, was I not?” Diana objected “While I may be young, I have proven I am my own woman and I decide who I want to be. And I won’t be alone in my missions, for I have now five sisters with me…” She gently held Lelouch’s hands, smiling warmly. “...And a brother, too.”

For an instant, a blush crept up the Knight’s cheeks, which he immediately covered with his cloak as Diana let him go.

Seeing how determined her daughter was, Hippolyta sighed and put her sword back in her scabbard. “...Very well, you may resume your path. As for you…” She turned to Lelouch, “I am impressed by your skills, Black Knight Zero. Not many would come out almost unscathed from a duel against the Queen of the Amazons, you have my respect.”

“The same goes for me, Your Majesty.” a smirk appeared on Lelouch’s face.

“ !ksam siht riapeR ” Zee used a spell to fix Lelouch’s mask and then handed it to the Knight.

“Well, ladies…” Lelouch put his mask on, “I believe we have a criminal to stop, do we not?”

Jessica created a magic carpet big enough for the seven of them and flew back to Metropolis.

“Well done, Diana!” said Barbara, “Standing up to your parents is Normal Teenage Lesson #234! You’re now officially a teenager and we are a team again!”

The girls shared a hug.

“So, did you enjoy my 'little show'?” said Lelouch.

“You were amazing!” said Barbara, now in “fangirl” mode. “You were all ‘swish-swoosh’-y, you managed to go toe-on-toe against that behemoth that’s Diana’s mom, and your costume looks soooo cool! You look like Batman if he was an aristocrat!” 

Lelouch chuckled softly, “Well, if it’s coming from you, Babs, I’m really flattered.” 

“I am in your debt, Lelouch. You fought valiantly to grant me freedom, even if you risked losing yours.” She smiled again.

“Thank God I’m wearing my mask…” Lelouch thought, “I knew Babs would arrive with the others, so I only had to resist till then.”

“By the way, what was the red, bird thingy you had in your eye?” Kara pointed at her left eye.

“It’s a manifestation of my power, but I'll explain another time. Let's first deal with the robots, they must have left a trail of chaos over the city,” said Lelouch.

“Huh...Guys?" Karen pointed at the pier, with the robots about to enter it. 

The team landed, the robots stopped moving right in front of the entrance.

“Why have they...Stopped?” said Diana.

Then, they heard a noise, the noise of wheels moving, becoming louder and louder.

“What's…That noise?’ Karen asked, having a terrible feeling about it.

“Eh, relax, Karen!” said Kara, “Let's focus on kicking these robots-”

Suddenly, a giant robot jumped towards them. It was different from the robots at the Sweet Justice, being more humanoid and holding a coil gun-based assault rifle. Before it could shoot at them, the team hid in one of the stands just in time.

“W-What the hell was that ?!” Kara panted.

“It was huge! And came out of nowhere!” Karen was shaking like a leaf.

“Why are you scared of it? Aren't you immune to bullets?” Zee looked at Kara.

“I'm not scared!” Kara blushed from embarrassment, “I-I'm just surprised, that's all! The biggest threats I've faced till now were robbers and kittens stuck on trees!”

“What is a Knightmare Frame doing in Metropolis?!” said Lelouch.

“You know that metallic creature?” said Diana.

“Yeah, a humanoid war machine that makes tanks practically obsolete.” Lelouch explained, “I thought only the Britannian Army had them, but it looks like Lex Luthor managed to get the blueprints…” 

“So…How are we supposed to defeat it?” Jessica asked.

Lelouch went silent for a few seconds, thinking of a plan. “...The cockpit. If we find a way to trigger the Cockpit Ejection System, the Knightmare will go off and then we could finally capture Luthor.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Kara cracked her knuckles.

"Here's the plan: Zatanna, Green Lantern and Batgirl, you will deal with the robots. As for the Knightmare..." said Lelouch, "You have an important role in its defeat, Bumblebee."

"M-Me?" said Karen, very unsure.

"With your ability to shrink yourself, you can sneak inside the Knightmare's circuits and cause havoc. Supergirl, Wonder Woman and I will distract Luthor long enough for you to do so."

"I-I don't know, Lelouch, what if I-?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Lelouch put his hand on Karen's shoulder. "I know it's dangerous, but you're our only hope to end this swiftly. If you built this incredible armour with a bunch of scraps, you can do anything with a bit of confidence." 

The shy teen seemed to be convinced by his words and nodded with determination. "Okay, I'll do it. I can do it!"

Then, the firing stopped as “Lex” laughed, “Come on, girls! Let’s have some fun!”

The team left their hiding and stood in front of the Knightmare Frame and its hordes of robots.

“Lex Luthor!” Lelouch spoke. “For the destruction you have caused throughout Metropolis, you shall be punished!”

“...‘Lex’? I’m not Lex! I am…” the pilot spoke. The cockpit opened, revealing…A blonde little girl with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a school uniform. “Lena Luthor!”

Needless to say, the heroes were not impressed.

“All of this was my plan, not my dopey brother’s! He could never come up with something this go-What’s with your faces?”

Lelouch facepalmed. “All of this chaos, hordes of robots and a Knightmare Frame…All controlled by a spoiled brat. It's Midnight, isn't it past your bedtime?”

“Shut up! I'll go to sleep whenever I want!” Lena shouted. “Ugh, teenagers! Thinking they’re so smart with your driving cars and commercials! Yet, you didn’t pick up on the most obvious of evil plots! So first, I reprogrammed Lex’s worthless VR specs, then, I hacked the Demolition Robots the city contacted my doofus brother to make and finally, I used them to destroy every " fun" and "cool" place to "hang" in Metropolis, so that there would not be any entertainment except for my VR world, where you will be stuck in there forever!” She monologued, “And with teenagers out of the way, children will rule Metropolis!” She laughed maniacally.

The team was still not impressed.

“That's…That's the dumbest plan I've ever heard,” said Kara.

“I made better plans when I was 8,” said Lelouch.

“SHUT UP!” Lena shouted again. She then went back into the Knightmare. “Enough talking! Roll out, boys!”

The Demolition Robots started destroying some of the attractions as they headed towards the heroes.

“Well, ladies, you know your roles,” said Lelouch, "It's showtime."

“We may be inferior in numbers, but we shall prevail despite it!” said Diana, "Come, comrades! This pier is where we shall become heroes!"

The team split up into the chosen groups.

Diana's team distracted Lana, bringing her away from the others.

“Where do you think YOU'RE GOING?!” The Knightmare chased them.

Lana tried to shoot at them, but they dodged every bullet. Meanwhile, Zee, Jessica and Barbara were having a few difficulties, especially in doing Damage Control caused by the Demolition Robots. But the main show was Wonder Woman’s group against Lena. The Amazon threw part of her Lasso of Truth to Lelouch, and then the two turned around and ran towards the Knightmare.

“OH NO, YOU DON’T!” Lana, realising what they were doing, was going to shoot at them…That was until Kara arrived and punched the Knightmare right in the face , almost making it lose balance. 

“Hey, Gundam!” the Kryptonian taunted, “How about you fight someone who can put up a better fight? Or maybe you’re just a chicken?”

“AAAAAAAARGH I WILL END YOU! ” Lana started shooting at Kara, who dodged every single bullet (not that she had to, though).

However, that distracted the younger Luthor long enough for Karen to sneak into the Knightmare’s circuits.

Then, Karen flew through the circuits, managing to even see how the Knightmare was powered.

“Wow…This is incredible!” She thought and shook her head. “Concentrate, time to test the cannons!” 

She pressed a button on her armour, which activated some roughly-made sonic blasters and started hitting every single cable she could see.

After doing it, the Knightmare’s operative system triggered an alarm. “CRITICAL FAILURE”

“What?!” said Lena, ”No, no, no!”

And in an instant, the cockpit got ejected from the Knightmare and fell to the ground. At the same time, the Demolition Robots and VR specs were deactivated.

“It’s over…” Lelouch smirked.

“Did…Did Bumblebee get out?” Barbara sounded worried.

Immediately after that, Karen came out of the Knightmare and returned to her normal size. Her suit was partly damaged, “I’m fine!” 

“Victory!” Diana cheered.

Then, many civilians, now freed from Lena’s VR world, went to the pier to see what happened, and among them, there was none other than Lex Luthor himself, escorted by his mother.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!” Lena shouted as the cockpit opened.

“See, Mom? I told you she stole my stuff!” said Lex.

“Lutessa Lena Luthor, get in this car right now!” said Mrs. Luthor.

“You can't make me! No, no, no, no! " Lex's bodyguards dragged Lena into the car.

“I'm sorry about your robot, Lex,” said Mrs. Luthor.

“Eh, don't worry Mom, Earl Asplund will understand.” The bald teen reassured, “I’m just glad that the little tyke is fine.”

Lena blew a raspberry at her brother.

“Oh, you think next time you can get those cupcakes you promised?” said Mrs. Luthor.

“Already on it!” Lex smirked, as he escorted his mother to the car.

 “You’ll pay for this, Super Teen Jerks! YOU WILL PAY!” Lena yelled as the car left.

Lex looked at the heroes, who were now surrounded by the amazed civilians.

“Is that Zero?!” A teenage boy commented.

“A brand new superhero team right here in Metropolis!” Said one of them.

“And they’re girls!” said a girl scout.

“Isn’t Zero a guy, though?” Another one asked.

“Who knows, their face is hidden!” The girl scout said.

As the crowd cheered, Lelouch noticed Lex, glaring at the group.

A week has passed since Lena’s defeat at the pier. Zero and the “Super Hero Girls” have been in every major newspaper, including The Daily Planet. Despite that, Lelouch has been distant from the girls, ignoring them at school and behaving differently with other students, consolidating his “Laid-Back student Lelouch Lamperouge” persona at Metropolis High.

One evening, at the Lamperouge residence, Lelouch kept looking outside of the window, tapping his foot on the floor.

“Is there something wrong, big brother?” Nunnally asked.

“Hmm? Oh, no, don't worry,” said Lelouch, “I'm…I'm waiting for a friend to arrive.”

“A friend? Is it Diana?” Nunnally asked.

“No, not her. Another girl I befriended at school. She's from Gotham, you know?” 

Someone knocked on the door.

“It must be her,” Lelouch opened the door to Barbara, who brought her backpack with her. “Thanks for coming, Babs.”

“No problem, Lelouch!” Barbara went inside. “Woo! Nice house you've got-” She gasped at the sight of Nunnally, “Who's this angel?”

“I'm Nunnally, Lelouch's little sister. Nice to meet you, Babs.” Nunnally smiled, making Barbara's heart warm.

“Your sister is adorable! ” Babs whispered to Lelouch.

“I know.” said Lelouch, “Now, Nunnally, Babs will stay here for the night, we have some...Homework to do.”

“Oh, I see.” said Nunnally, “I'll leave you be, then.” 

The instant she went to her room, Lelouch's expression turned from sweet to cold without a beat as he turned to the redhead. “Did you bring the stuff I asked?”

“Yup!” Barbara emptied her backpack on the table. “Blueprint paper, pencils, my sleeping bag…I also brought some snacks when taking breaks.” 

“Good, let's get to work, Batgirl,” said Lelouch, smirking. “We have a superhero hideout to plan.”

Hours of drawing and planning later, the two were quite exhausted.

“Are you alright, Babs?” He asked, bringing two cups of coffee.

“Yeah, just a bit tired…” She yawned. She showed the Britannian her blueprint for the hideout. “I added a few things to the hideout…What do you think?”

Lelouch inspected the blueprint. While his original plans were more serious, Babs' additions, such as the colours and furniture, made it a little more special.

“Not bad at all.” said Lelouch, “We’ve earned some rest.”

“Can I ask you something?” Barbara asked, taking a notebook from her backpack and a pen. “About your power, your ‘Geass’, can you tell me more? I've never seen something like yours!”

“Alright,” Lelouch decided to trust her, “I haven't experimented much with it for now, but I know that I can use on a person only once, and I can make them whatever I want, even the craziest things.”

“Really?” Barbara got even more curious.

“Yeah, for example, if I ordered you to b-” He looked away, “If I ordered you to burn all the Batman merchandise you have, you would do it.” 

It’s real luck Lelouch made that tame example, imagine if he told her, I don’t know, to kill all the Japanese and accidentally activated. Crazy, right?

Needless to say, Barbara was…Spooked from the Britannian’s explanation. “...Wow.”

The two kept chatting until it was time for them to go to sleep. Barbara had her sleeping bag, while Lelouch decided to sleep on the couch, feeling it would be rude to let her sleep alone in the living room.

And so, the two teens went to sleep…Or at least, that’s what Lelouch wanted to do. He heard a voice, a softspoken female voice, chuckling.

“Oh, aren’t you two adorable?”

Lelouch sighed. “Do you have to bother me even when I’m trying to sleep, C.C. ?”

He turned to face a beautiful girl with waist-length green hair and golden eyes, sitting at the table and holding a newspaper. She wore a sleeveless black uniform with a high collar, gold trim, and a silver Geass sigil on the chest with the uniform’s lower end into four long pieces that nearly extended to the floor, long gold-trimmed black gloves and long white-and-gold high-heeled boots and white shorts underneath the uniform.

“You know me, I just love pestering you.” She said. C.C. looked at the photo in the newspaper and then at Barbara. “Looks like you’ve made some new friends. You sure love being surrounded by pretty girls, don’t you, playboy?”

He scoffed, “You know that I couldn’t care less about stuff like that. The only girl I need in my life is Nunnally…Although I admit they’re all rather good-looking.”

“Oh, really?” C.C. smelled blood. “Tell me, which one you’re attracted the most to? I bet on the Amazon. Or maybe…Her?” She glanced at Babs. “She reminds me a bit of-”

“ Don’t you dare say that name, ” Lelouch glared.

“...Again with a story?” said C.C., “Lelouch, it’s not your fau-”

“ Yes, it is. ” The Britannian interjected once again, raising his voice but not enough to wake up the others. “And the girls are nothing more than pawns for my plans, so don’t-”

The boy looked at the chair, but C.C. was no longer there, having seemingly vanished.

“...Sometimes I wonder if I’m going mad,” Lelouch thought. He then looked at Barbara, seeing her sleeping so peacefully. “...I shouldn’t get attached to her or any of the girls. There won’t be another Shirley situation, never again!”

A day later, after Barbara headed back home, at the ruins of the Sweet Justice the construction workers hired by LexCorp were ready to begin the reconstruction of the cafe, until Lelouch, disguised as a city employee, arrived on the scene.

“Good morning!” He said, faking an accent. “I was sent here by the City, you see…” He takes off his sunglasses, showing the workers the Geass sigil in his eye. “ There have been a few variations on the blueprint. ”

In the following 3 months, Lelouch kept a very low profile, avoiding spending time with the girls, and secretly supervising the work on their special project along with Babs.

Now, at the grand re-opening of the Sweet Justice, Kara, Barbara, Diana, Jessica, Zee and Karen were eating the usual sweets as they waited for Lelouch to arrive, who invited them in the first place. The boy then arrived, donning his Ashford Academy uniform.

“Ah, there you are, Lelouch,” said Diana.

“Mind explaining why did you invite us here? Despite avoiding us for three months?” said Zee.

“Well, I had my reasons. I was preparing something I’m sure you’ll love, right, Babs?” said Lelouch.

“Yeah!” Barbara nodded

As the Britannian sat down, Babs pressed on a part of the table, revealing a numeric keyboard. She then inserted a code and the table and the ground disappeared, making the group fall into a tunnel.

After going down a very long slide, the team landed on a mattress. Well, the team minus Lelouch and Barbara, who were now in front of the girls with the former wearing his Zero costume minus the mask. Lelouch snapped his fingers and the lights went on, revealing their brand-new secret hideout. It was large, separated into 7 sections each for every member and a few couches, a table and a TV at the centre.

“Tada! Welcome to our home base!” said Barbara, confidently.

“Babs and I made the blueprints for this hideout, and I… Convinced the construction workers to build it under the cafe.” said Lelouch “I admit it’s a bit...Rough, it should do the job.”

The girls looked around, completely amazed.

“Truly, this is a place of wonder!” said Diana.

“Not bad, not bad at all!” said Kara.

Jessica looked up and saw a large coat of arms-like symbol: A large shield composed of each hero’s symbol (Diana’s golden ‘W’, Barbara’s yellow Bat insignia, the Green Lantern Corps’ emblem, a bee-like pattern for Karen, a purple stylish-looking ‘Z’ for Zee, the House of El crest and a silver Geass sigil with a sword in the middle for Lelouch. Underneath the shield, there was the phrase “EQVITES METROPOLIS”

“Equites Metropolis…” She read, “Latin for...‘Knights of Metropolis’? Is that our new name?”

“It’s better than ‘Zero and the Super Hero Girls’, we sounded like we were a lame band or something,” Kara commented.

“The Knights of Round, the Three Musketeers, groups of people that have inspired people with their heroic gestures.” Lelouch began his speech, “Now, in the Age of Metahumans, these tales can become reality. Heroes like Superman and Batman do a lot to protect their respective cities, but their work is not enough, more heroes are needed. I decided to don the mask of Zero to help make the world the gentle place my little sister imagined and if we join forces, I’m sure that dream will become reality. So, what do you say, fellow knights?” 

“Your mission aligns with ours perfectly, so you are welcome to our team, Lelouch,” said Diana.

“Super Awesome Super Hero-ness, here we come!” said Barbara.

And that’s how it began, the day a Demon found new allies to assist them in his mission. And who knows, maybe one day he would eventually start to consider them more than just that.

<----To Be Continued----

Chapter Text

“Checkmate.” 

Ah, annihilating rich pricks at chess, one of Lelouch's favourite hobbies. The instant he starts playing and grabs the King, the opponent has already lost.

“W-Wha?!” The other man said. “That's…That's impossible! You must have cheated!”

“You can ask the referee, I won this game fair and square,” said Lelouch.

“W-Well, it is true, sir. The boy didn’t break any rules.” said the referee, seeming nervous about the rich man’s possible reaction.

“So…I suppose there is a reward for those who have defeated you,” said Lelouch, offering his hand.

The man sighed, as he handed over 300$. “Defeated by high school student…”

Lelouch left the building. Despite having won a lot of money, he still felt…Unsatisfied. 

“Even in Metropolis, I can’t find a good opponent in chess…Not that’s what I’m longing for.” He sighed. He then checked his phone. “Right, today there’s the football game. Going to see it won’t hurt anyone.” 

So, he walked away, heading towards the school. On the way, Lelouch stopped at a kiosk to buy a copy of the Daily Planet, which once again featured the Knights of Metropolis on the front page. 

“Three months in since our debut, and the public has a high opinion of us,” He thought with a satisfied smirk on his face. “I have now some valuable pawns and my identity is safe, some even think Zero is a girl, too.” He chuckled, “Looks like moving to Metropolis was the right choice, I should call Milly to thank her soon.”

He took a quick shortcut passing through the park, where he saw a group of kids playing superheroes.

One kid in particular caught the Britannian’s attention. He was wearing a jacket like a cape and a toy helmet on his face, imitating Zero’s mask.

He chuckled softly and went to the school.

The football game was about to begin, the audience was sitting on the bleachers, waiting for the players to arrive. As Lelouch arrived, he saw Jessica talking with Hal about something.

“He’s right, you know?” said Hal, “You won’t always solve problems peacefully, you have to fight one day.”

“Oh, Hal…” Jessica sighed condescendingly, “Must you be so wrong about so many things?”

“Well, I don’t think he’s wrong on this one.” Lelouch stepped in, “Negotiations are useless if the other side is deaf.”

“Lelouch!” Jessica was surprised. “You startled me!”

“Sorry, sorry.” He chuckled awkwardly, “I just came back from…A chess match, so I came to see the football match to kill time.” He noticed Hal, “Oh, Jess, don’t you introduce your friend?”

“Oh, right.” said Jessica, “Hal, this is Lelouch Lamperouge. Lelouch, this is Hal Jordan.”

Lelouch and Hal exchanged a handshake. “Nice to meet you.” said Lelouch, “I didn't know you were friends with a school celebrity, the star of the Metropolis Hamsters!”

“yeah, that’s me.” He smirked, satisfied. “I like your friend, Jess.”

“Of course you do.” Jess rolled her eyes.

However, Lelouch was lying as naturally as he breathed. He couldn't care less about the school football team.

“Wonderful, he's an idiot,” He thought. “And he has the same ring Jessica has, so he must have her powers, too. He could be useful.”

Then, a bus arrived and then the players and the cheerleaders went outside. As Hal noticed them, he immediately hid behind a garbage bin.

“She found me! She found me!” He said.

“ Who found you?” Jessica asked.

“My arch-nemesis!” said Hal, utterly frightened by someone neither Jess nor Lelouch could figure out.

They looked at the bus as a short cheerleader with long purple-ish dark hair tied into a ponytail and violet eyes.

“You’re scared of…A cheerleader?” said Lelouch.

“Oh, come on now, Hal! She’s probably harmless!” Jess attempted to reassure the jock.

The cheerleader noticed Hal for an instant, and went behind her bleachers with an angry look crossed on her face, that soon turned into a smirk as she glanced at her violet ring.

“You can’t hide anymore…” She said. 

“For Hearts long lost and full of fright,”

“For those alone in Blackest Night.” “

Accept our ring and join our fight,”

“Love conquers all…”

“With Violet light!”

A violet light engulfed her, so bright that could seen from the other side of the bleachers.

Then, the cheerleader emerged from it and flew into the sky. Her hair was loose and was now wearing a puffy pink dress with a matching tiara and her entire body emitting a pink aura.

“Did you really think you could just get rid of me, Hal Jordan?!” She said, “You are mine! And if I can't have you… THEN NOBODY WILL!! ”

Chaos ensued as the girl began scorching the field with her energy blasts to find her beloved Hal. 

“RUN!” Lelouch ordered.

The three ran away, barely dodging Star Sapphire’s flaming hearts. Eventually, they

“What's going on? Who is she?!” said Jess.

“Her name is Star Sapphire, she's super clingy,” said Hal.

“Oh, really?” said Lelouch sarcastically, with the cold tone of his ‘vi Britannia’ persona creeping in. He then checked Star Sapphire, who was blasting the ground with flaming hearts as the panicking students ran away. “She seems to have the powers of a lantern, and she wants you…Is she your ex-girlfriend, Hal?”

“Yeah…” Hal looked away.

Jessica facepalmed. “Of all the girls in Metropolis…You had to date a supervillain

“You have to intervene, Jess.” Lelouch whispered, “I can't do it now, not with him around.”

“Why? Hal is trustworthy…Although I can guess why you don't.” Jess whispered back, glancing at Hal.

“What are you two whispering about?” The jock asked.

“Nothing, let's get on with it,” said Jess. She and Hal began reciting the Green Lanterns' oath.

“In the Brightest Day, in the Blackest Night,”

“No Evil shall escape my sight.”

“Let those who worship Evils might”

“Beware my power…”

“GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!”

Jess transformed in her Green Lantern uniform…But Hal did not.

“...Was something supposed to happen?” Lelouch asked.

“Why didn’t it work? Did you forget to charge your ring?” Jess asked.

“What? No! I didn’t even use it today!” said Hal.

“Alright, here’s my plan,” said Lelouch, “Gree-I mean, Jessica, you hold our friend there off for as much as you can. I’ll bring Hal to safety.”

“FOUND YOU!” Star Sapphire hit their hiding. 

“NOW!” Lelouch ordered.

So, the Britannian and the jock ran away and the female Green Lantern remained to hold Star Sapphire back.

“Oh, so you're the one who stole my man!” Star Sapphire said, her tone full of venom, “Well, congratulations! That is gonna be the last mistake of your LIFE!!”

“Wait, what?!” Jessica created a wall construct to defend herself from the wave of flaming hearts. “No, no, no, no, no, NO. Hal and I are not together! Like, we’re the complete oppo-”

Star Sapphire broke Jessica’s construct. The more time passed, the more the Green Lantern’s defences weakened with every attack as her willpower slowly diminished.

But…She had to resist. As much of an idiot as Hal is, Jessica wouldn’t wish something like that to happen to anyone. 

"Lelouch...I hope you know what you're doing." She thought.

Hal and Lelouch entered the empty locker room.

“We should be safe in here.” said Lelouch, “Now, Hal, do you have any more information about- What are you doing? ”

Hal was attempting to hide a locker, despite being too big to fit in. “Hiding from her!”

Lelouch sighed. “Could you please tell me more about this ‘Star Sapphire’? Jess won’t keep her busy forever.”

“Carol’s ring is like mine, only that hers is fueled by love.” Hal explained, “Oh, if only I wasn’t so charming  and ruggedly good-looking…”

Lelouch resisted the urge to punch the jock in the face and began thinking of a plan. “ ‘Fueled by love’...So, if the source of her love would get cut, then her powers would vanish. I could use my Geass and order her to stop loving Hal…No, that would be too cruel. There has to be another way. Unless…” He looked back at Hal. “By the way, why is she this angry? How did you two break up?”

“I sent her a text,” said Hal nonchalantly, “With a smiley face, of course. I’m not the Joker.”

The Britannian looked at the jock with an expression that screamed “You’ve GOT to be kidding me”. “So, let me get this straight…I sent Jess to a possible death against a murderous space princess because you didn’t even bother to break up with her IN PERSON?!”

“...Yeah? That’s what I said,” said Hal, completely oblivious.

“...You know what? Change of plans.” Lelouch activated his Geass. "Slam your face into the locker until I order you to stop."

"Wait, wha-" The Geass influenced Hal, who immediately obeyed Lelouch's order.

The situation was dire for Jessica. 

She was exhausted, her face was a bit bruised and her hair was incredibly messy. She used every trick she had to defend herself, but her willpower was almost nonexistent now, so much so that her uniform was slowly transforming back into her dress.

Could it be...That Hal was right? She had to fight Star Sapphire?

But then...

“STAR SAPPHIRE!” Lelouch kicked the door open. “I’ve come to bargain!”

Star Sapphire stopped her attack as Lelouch caught her attention. “Took you long enough. Where is he?!”

“He’s right there in the locker room. Leave Green Lantern alone, and I will hand him over to you.”

“Lelouch, no-” Jessica wanted to object, but then saw Lelouch winking at her.

Star Sapphire looked at the injured Green Lantern and then shrugged. “Fine, but she better don’t try to steal my Hal Jordan anymore!”

“I wasn’t even doing it in the first place!” Jess complained.

“Come out, Hal,” said Lelouch.

Hal obliged, and he looked…Different. As in, his face was completely messed up like he just got punched repeatedly and then slammed his face into a locker. His face was so puffy he could barely speak.

Star Sapphire was horrified by her love’s terrible state, her constructs disappeared and her heart-shaped pink aura weakened. “What…What happened to you?!”

“This is the new self, his real self. All the best!” Lelouch walked away and helped Jessica stand up. “Are you alright?”

“It could have been worse…” Jess panted. “What happened to Hal?”

“Star Sapphire’s power is based on her love for Hal. So, if she no longer loves him, she becomes completely harmless. I used my Geass on Hal and made him slam his face into the locker a few times until he became ugly enough.

Jess held a laugh, causing the Britannian smirk. “Oh, would you look at that, the pacifist is a bit of a sadist.”

“I’m not a sadist!” Jess justified herself, “…Although I admit I would have wanted to see Hal doing that.”

“Oh, Hal Jordan, you look hideous…” Star Sapphire caressed Hal’s face gently, looking saddened, “Nobody would love you like this… Except ME. ”

The flames of her love burnt even more. “Only I can see your interior beauty! So no skank will ever dare to try to steal you from me!” 

“The plan backfired…I have to do something, brute force won’t do anything.” Lelouch thought. Then, he glanced at Jessica. “Star Sapphire, tell me… Is he really worth the hassle? ”

Star Sapphire turned and glared at the Britannian boy. “What did you say?!” 

“Is it really worth being so devoted, so obsessed…With someone who doesn’t love you?” said Lelouch.

“Lies! My Hally Wal does love me! He was distracted by girls like her who want to take him away from me!” said the girl in pink.

“Oh, really? He loves you so much that he broke up with you via text message. Do you really want to be with such a cowardly buffoon?”

“You did WHAT?! ” Jessica shouted at Hal.

“What? I added a smiley face!” Hal justified himself. 

“You have to face the truth… Carol, he doesn’t love you.” Lelouch’s tone sounded cold, yet sympathetic.

“No…NO! You’re lying!”  Carol attempted to attack Lelouch, but Jessica grabbed her using a hand construct…And pulled her in a hug.

“I know it hurts, but it’s the truth…” said Jess, her tone sounded very soothing. “You have to move on, I’m sure you’ll find someone better than him, but you’ll need to start loving yourself first.”

“Hey!” Hal shouted, offended.

Lelouch silently observed Carol as tears streamed down her face. She hugged the Green Lantern back.

“...Thank you, Green Lantern,” said Carol, “Thanks to you and your boyfriend, I finally get it: If he doesn’t appreciate me, then maybe he’s not enough for me.”

Jessica smiled…Which then immediately vanished as she realised who Carol was referring to, while the raven-haired boy kept his usual poker face.

“W-Wait, Lelouch isn’t my-” She tried to object, but Carol didn’t listen.

“So beware, Hal Jordan!” Carol threatened, now powered up again, “One day, I’ll make you good enough, and then you’ll be mine FOREVER!” She flew away as she laughed maniacally.

“...Well, the plan backfired slightly, but at least you’re still alive,” said Lelouch.

“Yeah…” said Hal. He glanced at the embarrassed Green Lantern. “Soo…He's your boyfriend, huh? Now I get why you weren't attract-Ow!” Jessica punched his arm.

After this kerfuffle, Lelouch and Jessica, after returning back to normal, left the field and decided to have a walk together.

“Never thought football matches were…This lively. I might watch another one next time.” said Lelouch. He glanced at Jessica, still a bit embarrassed. “You're awfully silent. Are you disgusted because Carol thinks we’re a couple?”

“Oh, no, I'm not disgusted.” Jess reassured, “I'm just…Embarrassed, that's all. I didn't mean to offend.”

“I'm not offended,” said Lelouch, “Anyway, look on the bright side: Next time she returns, she won't think you're trying to steal Hal from her.”

“Yeah, I guess that's true,” said Jess.

The two arrived at the Lamperouge siblings' house.

“This is my stop,” said Lelouch and headed to the door.

“Alright, I'll…See you at school.” Jessica left.

As Lelouch looked for his keys in his pocket, C.C. appeared again.

“Not bad this ‘Green Lantern’, huh?” She said, “The Pacifist with everyone but one…She's a fun gal.”

“Since the ‘one’ is that Hal Jordan buffoon, I don't blame her at all,” said Lelouch, “But yes, Jess has a good heart…Too good, perhaps.”

He went inside his house.

“Looks like you'll have some problems here in Metropolis High. Just like there are super-powered teens like your friends…There are also people on the other side of the moral compass.” said C.C.

“And we will be ready for them.” said Lelouch, “And, again, they are not my friends-”

“Who are you talking to, brother?” A voice spoke. It was Nunnally.

Lelouch looked back at C.C., but she vanished once again. “I'll call you another time.” He faked closing a phone call. “Sorry, I was talking to someone on the phone.”

“Oh, sorry, then,” said Nunnally…Although not fully convinced. 

Lelouch headed to the kitchen to prepare something. “That was close.” He thought, “Sorry, Nunnally, but I can’t tell you about it. Maybe one day, when you’ll no longer need me…”

<----To Be Continued-----

Chapter Text

Another day of school for Pamela Isley… Oh, joy.

Saying that she hated humans would be an understatement, she despised them, she loathed them .

For her, Humanity is nothing more than a cancer for Mother Earth, stealing its resources to satisfy their never-ending greed. “Let’s build a highway!”, “Let’s build a mall!” As if there weren’t enough of those already.

And now, she had to return to school after her parents insisted that she “needs to socialise” and “to spend less time with plants”, she feels much more comfortable with her friends, especially thanks to her powers. She’s one with nature, and can control plants and hear their thoughts…Which is both a blessing and a curse, as she could hear their screams as they get brutally murdered by “people”. Oh, one of these days, she will avenge all the fallen plants and eradicate Humanity from the face of the planet!

…Although, she had to admit, there was a person she wouldn’t mind sparing. A boy from her childhood in Gotham City, who once protected her from a group of bullies. That boy would be her first friend...And first love.

Pamela remembered well that day, and especially him, how could she forget someone like that boy? Raven hair and violet eyes, a black suit with a golden fleur-de-lys on his necktie, a cold glaze, an elegant accent and above all… His kindness. Even before she began loathing humanity, Pamela was a lonely girl and an act like that boy's was more than enough to make her fall in love.

But alas, that boy is nothing but a memory. It's not like she's gonna randomly bump into hi-

Pam bumped into someone and fell to the ground.

Great…Of course, something like this had to hap-

Pamela looked at the face of the person she bumped into. A boy, with short raven hair and cold violet eyes, although with a bit of warmth- Wait. It can't be…

“Oh, I'm sorry. Are you...Alright?” He spoke with an English accent…Which then switched into an RP accent. “…Pam?”

“L-Lelouch?” said Pam. “I-Is that you?” 

Lelouch smiled softly and helped her stand up. “Meet me on the rooftop, we'll talk there.” He walked off.

He…He remembered her, after all this time, he still remembered her. She grabbed her books and put them in her locker, then she took a deep breath and headed to the rooftop, both anxious and excited.

Lelouch was admiring the view from the rooftop, as he patiently waited for his friend to arrive.

“What a surprise, reuniting with a childhood friend from Gotham right here in Metropolis.” C.C. appeared, “And really, you sure have befriended a lot of girls, didn’t you?”

“A simple coincidence, that’s all,” said Lelouch, mildly annoyed. “Pam is just a friend I haven’t met in years, and considering it's likely she's a Metahuman, it would be best to keep her around, I might even make her join the Knights. By the way, do you really have to torment me here at school, too? People might think I’m crazy.”

“Who says you aren’t already?” said C.C., “Seeing your mother dead in front of you, spending most of your life in that madhouse called Gotham City, and now talking with a girl you don’t even know if she’s real or not. That’s some looney behaviour, if you ask me.”

“Never said I’m fully sane, but I’m not crazy like the Joker.” said Lelouch, “...Not that it’s a high bar to reach.”

Pam arrived on the rooftop, shaking like a leaf. “D-Did I keep you waiting?” 

Lelouch smiled. “Not at all. I wanted to chat with you here, knowing you aren’t exactly a fan of people.”

“Oh, you have no idea… ” Pam thought.

“It’s good to see you again, Pam.” said Lelouch, “How have you been? You look…Different.”

“Y-Yeah…” Pam glanced at her outfit, seemingly embarrassed. She started losing interest in her appearance as she grew older, why would she care about what a bunch of murderers think of her? She had dark circles under her green eyes, her clothes were baggy and her hair was messy and long enough to reach her knees and cover her right eye. “I…I guess I let myself go a little.”

“To be fair, the messy look suits you rather nicely,” said Lelouch.

Pam blushed,  “T-Thanks…” She played with her hair “How's Nunnally?” She sat next to him.

“She hasn't changed in the slightest, still the same old ray of sunshine.” said Lelouch, “You should come to visit us one of these days, she'd love to see you again. Perhaps we could even hang out at the park, surrounded by green. What do you think?”

Is…Is he asking her out on a date? Her?

“I’d…Like to,” said Pam.

The bell rang.

“Oh, the lessons are starting, better go back.” Lelouch stood up, “I'll see you later, Pam.” He left.

“S-See ya…” said Pam. She sighed as she calmed down. Perhaps going back to school won't be as terrible as she initially thought.

Lelouch walked down the corridors deep into his thoughts.

“I still can’t believe Pam is a student here at Metropolis High, although hanging out with her carelessly would lead to some problems.” He thought, “Why would Lelouch Lamperouge, a transfer student from the prestigious Ashford Academy, have an outcast as a childhood friend? That would arouse suspicions, and that Lois Lane is the last person I want on our tails. I need to think of a plan…” 

“Or maybe…You should just spend time with her.” C.C. appeared, “Not everything you do has to have a master plan behind it.”

Lelouch stopped in his tracks. “You think so?”

“She’s just a lonely girl you haven’t met since you were children, not some psychotic villain who wants to destroy you. There’s no need to be this defensive.”

“...You might be right.” said Lelouch, “Although I might have my doubts regarding the first thing you said. There is no such thing as a fully sane Gothamite, I can't help but wonder how Babs remained so lively.”

It was lunchtime, Pam was eating a sandwich (made of just ham, nothing else) at her table alone, the ideal situation for her.

Although, as she ate, she kept giving glances at Lelouch, who sat at the table with the other girls.

At the same time, Lelouch was deep into his thoughts, thinking of a way to spend time with Pam without others snooping around.

“You seem concerned,” said Diana, “Is there something wrong, Lelouch?”

“Yeah! You haven’t touched your food.” Barbara added.

“Hmm?” Lelouch snapped out of it, “Oh, don’t mind me, it’s just…I was anxious to meet an old acquaintance from Gotham.

“Really?!” Babs’ eyes sparkled. “What are they like?”

“They’re probably some rich, pompous spoiled brat from Ashford Academy,” Kara commented.

Lelouch rolled his eyes, “Quite the opposite, actually. Now, if you excuse me…” He left.

Babs looked at the Britannian teen as he left. She wasn’t exactly convinced of it.

“Don’t you think he’s hiding something?” She said.

“When he doesn’t?” said Kara, “He hardly stays with us when we’re at school.”

“Surely our brother must have his reason to be so distant,” said Diana.

“Yeah, Lelouch’s a private person, it’s okay if he doesn’t want to talk much about his past, it’s fine,” said Jess.

“Him? Private?” Kara raised an eyebrow, “Have you seen him in battle? He’s more of a showoff than Zee!”

“Hey!” Zee was offended.

“I don’t know, guys, but despite all these months, I still don’t trust Lelouch.” Kara took a bite of her sandwich. “I mean, don’t you also find it a bit creepy how he behaves?”

“What do you mean?” Karen asked.

“You know, when he’s with us he's all cold and fancy, but when he's with other students, he's…Different. Haven’t you noticed?" The blonde asked.

Jessica remembered the…Incident with Star Sapphire. At first, Lelouch seemed so relaxed and cheerful…The exact opposite of the Lelouch they know.

“...You're not wrong.” said Jess, “But I’m sure he has his reasons. Lelouch doesn’t have the warmest of personalities.”

“Meh, if you say so.” Kara went back to eating.

“Sorry guys, I’m no longer hungry!” Barbara took her backpack and left.

Despite knowing that spying on Lelouch was wrong, the redhead is incredibly curious about the boy’s “acquaintance”.

…But then again, she also installed a tracker in all of her friends’ phones, so it’s fine.

Babs quickly changed into her Batgirl costume and went to the chase.

Pamela was in the park, sitting on a bench and waiting patiently for Lelouch to arrive.

“He’ll arrive…” She thought after a quick check of her phone. “He won’t ditch me, not him…”

Pam looked around and saw people chatting, relaxing…Taking flowers from the ground She pinched her hand, she mustn’t lose her temper, not now that she has to meet with someone.

Then, she looked at her hand, and one thought emerged in her head…

“...Should I tell him about my secret?”

She moved her hand, and from the ground, several flowers blossomed.

Pam has changed a lot since the last time she met the boy from Britannia all those years ago. As she grew, so did her powers, now granting her the ability to not only communicate with plant life but grow and manipulate it as she wishes, too.

It’s with these powers that Pam wants to eradicate the cancer called “Humanity” from Mother Earth, but…What to do with Lelouch? She doesn't want to hurt her love, but she knows for certain that he won't understand…Not at first, at least.

“Maybe he’ll understand my reasons…” She said under her breath.

“Understand what?” Lelouch joined in, startling the redhead.

“L-Lelouch!” she regained some composure. “I thought you ditched m-me…”

“My apologies, I had a little setback.” He sat down. “This park sure is nice, isn't it? You couldn't see this much green in Gotham.”

“Yeah…” said Pam. “That dumpster fire is beyond saving.”

“You might be right, but hope springs eternal,” said Lelouch. “I presume you didn't tell anyone about my secret.”

Pam shook her head. “Of course not. This is what friends are for.” She smiled a bit.

Yeah, friends…He sure missed having one, but unfortunately…He won't allow himself to get attached to anyone.

“Lelouch…There’s something I want to tell you,” said Pam.

“I'm listening,” said Lelouch.

“Remember back when we were kids, and I told you I could talk to plants?” She started, “Well…I can do more than that now.”

Suddenly gigantic vines emerged from the ground, surrounding most of the park as the panicked civilians ran away.

Lelouch looked bewildered as the vines formed

“Plant manipulation…” He thought, “This was beyond my expectations. Pam is not only just a Metahuman, she is… Poison Ivy! ” 

Lelouch turned to see Pam, but the girl looked…Very different from before. Her hair was bright red and curlier and wavier than before, her skin was green, her ears were elf-like and her cheeks were rosy, all while wearing a tight leaf-like minidress with matching arm-length gloves and thigh-high boots.

Though normally the Boy from the Britannia couldn’t care less about these sorts of things…He had to admit Pam looked gorgeous.

“Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt you,” said Pam.

Lelouch was now hanging by a thread: He was now at Pam’s mercy and had no way to contact the girls without angering her, and didn’t want to use his Geass on his friend…Therefore, all he could do was act diplomatically.

“So…You’re Poison Ivy.” Lelouch remained composed, with the same cold eyes and sharp glaze that made the redhead’s heart flutter. “Looks like you’ve got a bigger secret than mine. You look…Great. The brighter red of your hair really suits you.”

Pam’s cheeks became rosier from the boy’s compliment. “Y-You think so?”

“I do.” He smiled softly, “But the real question is…Why? You’re a good person, why become a supervillain?”

“I’m not a villain!” said Pam, seemingly offended. “Humans cut out millions of trees every year for the most useless reasons, and I’m the villain? I can hear every single poor plant soul as they got eradicated, but now it’s time for payback!”

“And I presume I will be killed along with everybody else?” said Lelouch, calmly.

“N-No! I could never do such a thing! Because…” said Pam. She then held both of his hands, “I want you by my side, Lelouch.”

“...What.” Lelouch was genuinely flabbergasted. “Why me? Why do you want to spare me, of all people?”  Lelouch asked.

“Because you were the only one who showed me kindness, and I want to reciprocate.” Pam gave him a genuine smile. “We can destroy Britannia and build our paradise, the gentle world you wanted for Nunnally!”

1 minute. It took 1 minute for Lelouch to respond. And yet, during those mere 60 seconds, it felt for him like Time itself had stopped with how fast his thoughts went. 

Then, he spoke.

“Pam…I admit I’m tempted to take your offer, I’ve desired to take my revenge against Britannia and build a gentle world for Nunnally ever since I arrived in Gotham, but this…This isn’t the right way. I can’t make a gentle world if said world is only inhabited by plants. And you, Pam…You’re a good person, even more than me. You don’t have to do this, there has to be another way.”

For a moment, Lelouch could swear that Pam seemed…Hesitant. But then, parts of the vines forming the vine got slashed…By a yellow Batarang.

“Stop right there, Poison Ivy!” Batgirl appeared. “Let the boy go!”

“Batgirl…” said Pam. “You have a terrible sense of timing, don’t you?!” 

Her vines attacked the Purple Knight, who threw her Bataranags at them.

“Babs is agile, but Pam is faster.” Lelouch thought. “One wrong move, and she's screwed. I have to do something.”

“Hang in there, Lelo-I mean, boy-I've-definitely-never-met-before! I'm gonna save you!” said Batgirl as she kept dodging.

“The only one who needs saving is YOU!” Pam's vines grabbed Batgirl and slammed her to the ground. 

“I'm fine!” She tried to stand up, but Pam slammed her again.

“Not for long!”

But just before she could give the final blow…Lelouch jumped and stood between the two.

Pam immediately stopped her attack.

“Let her go.” He said to Pam.

“Lelouch, move.” said Pam, “I don't want to hurt you.”

“I know you don't, and that's why I want you to let Batgirl go.” said Lelouch, “Pam…I know you're better than this. Please, my friend, it's not too late to change.” He extended his hand to her.

Once again, Pam looked hesitant. She really wanted to go with him, but then…

“...I'm sorry.” Pam's vines began moving to drag Lelouch away, but Batgirl threw smoke bombs at her and used the distraction to escape with Lelouch.

As the smoke dissolved, Pam noticed that the two were no longer there.

She was furious, especially towards Batgirl, and wanted to chase them…But then she remembered what Lelouch told her, and desisted.

“... ‘There has to be another way’, huh?” She thought, “I’m sorry, Lelouch, but I already tried the peaceful way.”

Meanwhile, Lelouch and Babs landed on a roof.

“Phew, that was close!’ She said, “You’re okay there, Lelouch?”

“Yes, I am.” said Lelouch, “How did you find me?”

“I was nearby when I saw the giant vines emerging from the ground and forming that dome, so I put on the costume and I went to the rescue!” Babs explained, proudly.

“...You were following me to see who I was meeting, weren't you?” said Lelouch.

“What? Nooo!” Babs lied, but Lelouch wasn't buying it. The redhead blushed from the embarrassment and chuckled awkwardly. “...Okay, I did follow you after you left. I was so curious!”

“My private life is not your busi-” Lelouch then realised something, and looked away. “...Babs, how did you see, exactly?”

“Not much, but I heard Poison Ivy's real identity, “She's Pam Isley, right? How did she get her skin green?”

“...Shit. She heard me calling Pam by her name! I can't let Babs tell it to others…” The Geass manifested in Lelouch's eye.

“By the way, don't worry about it, I'll keep the secret,” said Babs.

Lelouch deactivated his Geass and turned to Barbara, utterly puzzled. “...What? Why?”

“Because…Pam is your friend, isn’t she? And you want to help her.” said Babs, taking off her cowl. “I know that feeling, my GBFF can get a little too…Looney, sometimes.”

“‘GBFF’?” Lelouch repeated.

“Gotham Best Friend Forever, her name’s Harley.” said Babs, “She’s hilarious, full of energy and always ready to make a joke…Even if she can exaggerate sometimes.”

“My, she reminds me of a certain someone.” Lelouch teased.

“Hey!” said Babs.

Lelouch laughed. “I’m only teasing you. Thanks, Babs, I really needed this talk.” He gave her a smile. A soft, genuine one.

Babs gasped. “Did you just smile?!” 

“Oh, did I?” He said, “Well, congratulations, you won whatever bet you had.”

Babs chuckled. “Seriously though, you should smile more. It’s really pretty.”

Lelouch was caught off guard by the redhead’s compliment, causing his cheeks to blush ever so slightly. “O-Oh…Thank you, Babs.” He stood up and regained composure before Barbara could see him blushing. “Now then, would you mind escorting this frightened civilian to his home, Batgirl ?”

Babs grinned and put on her cowl. “Of course! Hold tight, BBFF!” 

"And what does that mean, instead?"

"Britannian Best Friend Forever, of course!" Batgirl grinned.

Batgirl swung away using her Bat-Grapple Gun, dragging Lelouch along with her.

After Babs brought him home and left, Lelouch sighed and headed towards the door.

“That ‘Babs’ is really interesting, isn’t she?” C.C. appeared. “A girl who isn’t Nunnally finally made you smile, didn’t you say they were all just pawns to you?”

“They still are,” Lelouch responded coldly, “I just didn’t expect Babs’ compliment, I’m not getting attached to any of them.”

“Yet you call Barbara Gordon by her nickname.” said C.C., “And when Star Sapphire mistook you for Jessica Cruz’s boyfriend, you didn't say anything. Or do we have to talk about you and-"

“ What are you trying to imply, C.C.? ” Lelouch glared.

“Nothing, I'm not blaming you.” said C.C., “I said that the Power of the King will lead you to a life of solitude…But there always are exceptions.”

Lelouch said nothing and entered his house.

“I'm home-” 

“Brother!” Nunnally went to hug Lelouch. “I heard the news about the park on the radio, are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” Lelouch gently ruffled his sister's head and broke the hug. “Batgirl saved me, sorry for making you worried Nunnally.”

“You met Batgirl?” Nunnally was curious. “Were the other Knights there too?”

“No, just her.” said Lelouch, “What, you wanted me to ask Wonder Woman an autograph for you?”

“...If it doesn't bother you…” Nunnally blushed, embarrassed.

Lelouch chuckled, “If I ever gonna meet her, I'll definitely ask her for one.” 

“You're the best, brother.” Nunnally smiled.

“I know I am.” He chuckled as he went to his room. 

He then looked at himself in the mirror, Barbara's words echoed in his head.

“You should smile more, I find it really pretty.”

Lelouch tried to smile.

“Huh…I guess it's not so bad.”

After that, he glanced at a photo on his desk, showing him as a child, wearing his black suit and tie, with little Nunnally on his left…And a familiar short redhead girl on his right.

“...I’m not giving up on you Pam.” Lelouch thought, “I’ll find a way to save you, no matter what.”

Days later, after the lessons, Pam left the school but didn't head back home. Instead, she entered the empty school gym, with the lights off.

“Are you the one who put this in my locker?” Pam took a letter from her pocket. “What do you want from me?!”

She heard someone clapping their hands.

“Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy …I'm glad you came.” A male voice spoke.

“Who are you?” Pam's voice sounded cold.

“You can call me Mao.” He approached Pam, “And I think you and I have some...Interests in common.”

Pam felt rather intimidated by Mao, for his creepy voice and the fact she couldn't see him…Except for one thing.

His red, glowing eyes... With the Geass sigil in them.

<----To Be Continued---------

Chapter Text

It was a brand new day for Lelouch. He got up, went to brush his teeth, and then got dressed. But this time, he wasn't going to wear his Ashford Academy uniform, which he had grown so accustomed to wearing since he arrived in the US, but instead, he put on a black suit and a black tie with a golden fleur-de-lys on it.

“Feeling dandy today, aren’t we?” C.C. appeared, lying down on Lelouch’s bed. “What’s the big occasion?” 

“I have an interview with the school principal regarding Nunnally starting studying at Metropolis High, They also gave me an exemption permit for today,” Lelouch explained, fixing his tie. “Nunnally shouldn’t rot here in this house homeschooled.”

“I see.” C.C. stood up, “And who will take care of her during school?” 

“I already thought of that.” Lelouch headed out of the house. “Since there isn’t much difference between their ages, Karen could take care of Nunnally in my absence, I’m sure they’d get along.”

Lelouch left the house and went to school.

Hours later, after ending the interview, Lelouch left the principal's office. As he walked off, he noticed several students laughing at their phones. He reached the girls, who were also laughing at a video on Kara’s video (Well, minus Diana, who looked puzzled more than anything).

“What are you laughing at?” Lelouch asked.

“Just a video compilation of embarrassing moments of the students or our school,” Babs explained.

Lelouch gave it a look. Lelouch recognised a few faces in the video. Garth Bernstein, a favourite victim among bullies of the school, Barry Allen from the Sweet Justice, and even the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, “The Daily Planetoid”, Lois Lane.

“I cannot understand why it is considered humorous. Mockery of the suffering of others should not be encouraged,” said Diana.

“Indeed, but unfortunately, it’s rather common here, especially among us teens.”Lelouch explained, “Laughing at others’ suffering to feel better about themselves.”

“Hey, look! It’s Lois Lame!” A student pointed at Lois, who walked towards the newspaper office, trying to ignore the other students laughing at her.

“As expected…” Lelouch commented. Then, the boy noticed someone in the crowd who was observing the scene. It was a tall and thin punk-looking girl with black hair with blue streaks all shaved into a mohawk and dressed in dark clothes: a Grey top under a black leather jacket and grey leggings under a ripped black miniskirt. As Lois tried to open the door, some electricity came out of the punk’s hand and hit the doorknob, causing Lois to get shocked and her papers falling on the ground. 

Lois grabbed her papers from the ground, embarrassed as her peers laughed at her.

Lelouch turned around and walked off.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Kara asked.

“Outside, I need some fresh air.” Lelouch left. 

As Lelouch walked away, C.C. reappeared.

“It looked like you wanted to help her.” She said, “Why did you leave?”

“Because I couldn’t,” said Lelouch. “Lelouch Lamperouge isn’t supposed to be altruistic, but laidback and lazy. If I went to help, people would begin to be suspicious of me. ”

“...Wow. Your paranoia makes Batman look sane in comparison.” C.C. commented.

“You can never be too careful, C.C.” said Lelouch, “Especially with teenagers, in this age it’s incredibly easy to attract unwanted attention.

After school, Lelouch was at the mall buying groceries when he noticed some bizarre noises coming from outside. He left the store and saw that the elevator was on the point of collapsing.

“Lelouch!” A familiar voice called to him, it was Diana, who came out of a shoe store. “Have you heard that scream, too?” 

“Yes, unfortunately,” said Lelouch. “That lift is collapsing.”

“Let us get to work, then,” Diana smirked confidently.

The two immediately changed into their costumes and went into action.

The elevator fell, but Zero threw a modified automatic jack under it, which lifted it up for enough time for Wonder Woman to grab the elevator with her lasso and make it land gracefully.

The crowd cheered for the two heroes…Except for one person.

“OUT OF THE WAY!” She shouted as she pushed the civilians away. It was the girl Lelouch had noticed before at school. She accusatorily pointed at the two. “The hell is your problem?! You’ve ruined my shot!”

“‘Your shot’? Are people almost dying entertainment for you?” said Zero.

The punk shrugged. “Hey, that’s what people love; who am I to judge?”

“That is not a justification.” said Wonder Woman, “Your intra-web theatrical comedy is in fact, a tragedy and mean in spirit.”

“Moi? Mean in spirit?” The punk faked being offended. “Oh, my! What a disgrace! How could I have possibly have made those losers getting laughed at on the internet over and over again…I’m a monster!”

The Knight, of course, didn’t believe a single word said by the girl, but unfortunately,  the Amazon did.

“Well, I am glad you’re seeing the error of your ways.” She smiled, and Zero facepalmed.

“TYou know what?” said the prankster, “Why don't you and the others of you team watch my…Uh…inter-web theatrical comedy tonight for an extra special announcement? Just for you two!”

Wonder Woman nodded, “Indeed we shall.”

Zero threw a smoke bomb and as it dissipated, the two were no longer there.

Instead, they were now on a roof nearby the mall.

“You really need to work on detecting sarcasm, Diana,” said Lelouch, taking off his mask. 

“What do you mean?” Diana asked.

“I…Never mind,” said Lelouch, “Let’s meet at the hideout later tonight, I want to hear what our little prankster wants from us.”

He put on his mask and left.

Later in the evening, the Knights of Metropolis were at the hideout under the Sweet Justice, ready to see the ‘special announcement’ made just for them.

Karen turned on her laptop and went online on Lesle Willis’ latest video.

“Hey, everyone. I’ve got a special announcement to make…” Leslie began, “After two kind people made me noticed it, I realised that this channel is mean in spirit. Therefore, I decided to retire.”

The Knights seemed relieved.

“...And handle it over to new management!” said Leslie. “Say hi to the new host of the show!”

Electricity surrounded Leslie, ending up engulfing her. Then, a thunder hit her, causing the ball of electricity to vanish, revealing the new Leslie. Her skin was now light blue, along with her eyes and hair, now glowing and styled into a proper mohawk.  Her outfit changed too, now being a black bodysuit with spiked shoulder pads, glowing blue elbow-length gloves, and black thigh-high boots with spiked soles.

“WHAT’S UP, METROPOLIS!” She said, “I’m your new host, Livewire! And if you think what Leslie did was mean-spirited, I’m going to double down even more! Let’s see if Wonder Whiner, her boyfriend and her gang of losers can stop me!”

The video finished. The Knights of Metropolis were…Flabbergasted.

“…’Boyfriend’?” said Jessica, confused.

“Why would she think Lelouch and I are romantic partners?” Diana commented.

“Ignore it, just a fool using elementary-level insults,” said Lelouch, 

“This Shock Jock thinks she can scare us? Let’s go give her a lesson!” said Kara.

The team got changed into their costumes and went to battle.

…The battle didn't go well at all for the Knights.  One by one, most of them suffer humiliating defeats at the hands of Livewire, from Supergirl getting thrown into the garbage truck to causing a short circuit in Bumblebee’s armour to kick away Green Lantern to sending Batgirl flying to making Zatanna’s hair a frizzy mess. Only Zero and Wonder Woman managed not to get humiliated.

When they returned to the base, the team’s morale was lower than sea level.

“‘These videos are the best’, ‘And these losers are supposed to be ‘Knights’?’...” Babs read the comments under Livewire’s videos about their defeats.

The humiliation got harder on poor Karen, who was now hiding behind the sofa.

“I’m never going out again!” She cried.

“O-Oh come on, Karen, it’s not so bad…” Jessica attempted to comfort her friend.

Then, a new video was uploaded: An important announcement from Livewire, for her “greatest prank she has ever made” and most important, invited again the Knights to fight her.

“Livewire wants to fight us again? Now that is funny!” said Diana. “Come, comrades! Battle a-”

Diana and Lelouch noticed the girls, who looked…Demoralised.

“...Waits?” Diana finished her sentence. “What is the matter, sisters? You look frightened.”

“W-Well, we aren’t frightened… ” said Jessica, her tone unsure.

“They’re scared of being humiliated again.” Lelouch heard C.C.’s voice. 

“You don’t want to be humiliated by her, do you?” He repeated, “Well, you don’t need to worry about that, my dear Green Lantern…”

A malicious grin formed on the Britannian teen’s face.  Sure, Livewire may be a tough opponent, with all the technology in the city, but Lelouch vi Britannia had a plan…

…Lelouch Vi Britannia always had plan.

Glenn Morgan Square, Midnight. Several teenagers are gathered around, waiting for the arrival of their idol, Livewire. 

Then, she arrived, coming from a large screen, and being bombastic as usual.

“WHAT’S UP, METROPOLIS!” She said, and the crowd cheered. “Ready for the Prank Night of the Century?!” 

The crowd cheered again.

“Well, I did invite the Duds of Metropolis to a challenge, but looks like they didn’t have the guts.” 

“Cowards!” one of the crowd repeated.

“The Knights of Metropolis suck!” said another one.

“See? Come on, Livewire’s calling you out!” said Livewire.

Then, she heard a familiar, elegant voice.

“ I’m afraid you will wait for little more, Livewire. ”

Suddenly, every screen around the plaza turned purple, showing Zero’s sigil.

Then, he appeared, and calmly spoke.

“I am…Zero!” 

The crowd gasped, shocked by the Knight’s sudden appearance.

“Ah, Zero!” said Livewire, “I didn’t expect to see you like this! Where are you and your harem hiding, hmm? Too much chicken to face me? No wonder you wear that mask!”

“As expected, you immediately resorted to childish insults. “ said Zero calmly, already starting to anger Livewire. “And as for where I am…”

Zero snapped his fingers, and the camera zoomed out, showing more of the Black Knight’s whereabouts. He was standing on a roof in front of a silver Ferris wheel, with a stylised black  TV silhouette wearing a bowler hat and a bow tie printed on it. 

“As you can see, I am now at the soon-to-be-opened brand new amusement park, a perfect hideout from someone with your powers. And naturally, I am not alone.”

The other Knights entered the frame.

“Oh, look! The whole Losers' Club assembled!” said Livewire, making her fans laugh. “So, ready to get your ass kicked again? Literally for some of you, right, Green Lantern?” 

Green Lantern blushed, but then regained some of her composure. “Not this time! The only one who will get kicked is you!”

“We'll see-”

Suddenly a figure jumped from the crowd and attacked Livewire with a sword.

“What?!” She said as she looked at her attacker… Wonder Woman .

Wonder Woman pushed her off.

“Wha-How did you?!” Livewire was flabbergasted. She looked again at the screen, then back at the Amazon. 

“You have been fooled, Livewire!” said Wonder Woman, “What you have seen was nothing but a clever illusion!”

“Indeed,” said Zero's voice. Suddenly, several smoke bombs exploded on the stage. When the smoke vanished, him and the other Knights were there, ready for battle, “The discussion you have just seen was recorded last night, perfectly synching with what we thought your answers could be.”

“Your reign of cruelty ends here, Livewire!” Wonder Woman pointed at Livewire with her sword.

But the villain then…Began laughing.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but, as they say…The Show Must Go ON!! ”

Livewire charged up her fist, gathering electricity from the monitors, and released it towards the Knights.

The Knights jumped off the stage, dodging the attack.

“Zatanna, now!” Zero shouted.

“ !rebbur fo reppraw tnaig a ekaM! ” Zatanna created a giant wrapper of and threw it towards the sphere of energy and Livewire, Then, Batgirl blocked the wrapper in place by throwing Batarangs at its sides.

Livewire tried to free herself without success, as the wrapper completely isolated any electricity she tried to use. 

“The show is over!” Lelouch threw another smoke bomb, and the Knights disappeared, along with the electric villain.

After dropping Livewire to the nearest police station, the Knights headed back home. But suddenly, Livewire noticed something odd. She heard a couple of policemen near her cell…Crying, and murmuring something like they just went mad.

Then, a man walked in front of her cell, holding the keys to it. He was tall and thin, with medium-length silver hair and five bangs over his face. He was wearing a some sort of light blue school uniform, a matching short jacket, along with a pair of headphones and sunglasse.

“Who the hell are you?” Livewire asked.

“Livewire…I’m a big fan.” said the man, “My name is Mao, and I was hoping you could hear my…’Collab’ offer, in exchange of your freedom.”

Livewire raised an eyebrow. “Sure, go on.”

“You see, I’m assembling a team…” Mao pulled down his sunglasses, showing the Geass sigil on both his eyes, “And I’d really need someone with your capabilities.”

<----------To Be Continued--------

Chapter Text

It was breaktime at Metropolis High. The students were chatting and whispering rumours about the new "transfer student".

"A new student is arriving today?"

"Yeah, I heard she used to be homeschooled."

"She's probably a spoiled brat, I heard she's the sister of that Ashford student!"

Then, other students gave glances at the new student sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Karen, and as the two walked, Nunnally took the opportunity to learn more about her big brother's friends.

"Thanks for helping me, Karen. I hope it doesn't bother you," she said, sporting her usual small smile and gently touching the other girl's hand.

"Oh, not at all, Nunnally!" Karen reassured, "Lelouch is my friend, so I'm just doing him a favour."

"Tell me, how's my brother like at school? He's always vague about it." Nunnally asked.

"Well..." Karen thought about what to say. "He's...Really kind, even if he doesn't show it. He's really smart too, although he often slacks off."

Nunnally giggled, "Sounds like my brother, alright. You know, I'm really surprised how fast he made friends here; he rarely talked with anyone outside of the Student Council back in Gotham."

"Really?" Karen was surprised. Lelouch seemed so easygoing (even with the Knights outside of the 'job', though in a much composed manner) and confident, he didn't look ike a shy person.

Nunnally nodded, "You see-"

The two bumped into another student, stopping the wheelchair.

"O-Oh, sorry, I...Didn't mean to..." Karen gulped, realising who she was talking to.

It was a girl, much bigger than Nunnally and her, with a rather bulky figure, hazel eyes, red, curly hair tied into an afro-puff and wearing a yellow-ish tracksuit.

And by looking at the glare...She was not happy.

"O-Oh, hey there, Doris..." Karen chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't see you there..."

"Yeah, I noticed, Beecher," said Doris, "But it looks like I have to remind you to be more careful." Doris grabbed Karen by the collar of her sweater.

"Wait, wait, wai-"

"Enough!" Nunnally intervened, hearing the panic in Karen's voice, "Let her go, please."

Doris looked at Nunnally...And burst out laughing. "Oh, you've got yourself a friend to defend you, Beecher? Only a blind girl would hang out with an ugly loser like you!"

"Said Miss USA." A male voice with a familiar Britannian accent: It was Lelouch, donning his Ashford Academy uniform and glaring at the bully.

"Lelouch!" both Karen and Nunnaly said in unison, relieved.

"Picking on someone shorter than you and one who can't see or walk. I didn't know you were so much of a pathetic coward, Doris Zeul," said Lelouch. His tone was calm yet furious at the same time.

"Mind your business, Lamperouge! Unless you want to hang out with these two in a locker!"

"Spare your pathetic excuses of a threat to someone else, I'm not scared of a lobotomised gorilla who thinks they're strong just because they pick on people who can't defend themselves."

"What did you just call me?!" Doris let Karen go and glared at the Britannian teen, who still looked unfazed. Other students gathered to see what was happening, some even pulling out their smartphones to record the soon-to-happen beating.

But boy, if they were wrong.

"Oh, you've heard me. In fact..." Lelouch activated his Geass. "Until I snap my fingers, you will behave like an ape."

The Geass took effect, and Doris started behaving like an ape, making noises, punching her chest and jumping around.

The other students, hearing the noises, went to the hallways. Some laughed, others took photos and videos.

Karen felt pity for Doris, despite being her victim most of the time.

"What's...Going on?" Nunnally asked, "Why is she making monkey noises?"

Karen tugged Lelouch's sleeve. "You're not leaving her like this, are you?" She whispered, slightly intimidated by the boy's malevolent grin

"Of course not, I just wanted to have some fun," said Lelouch. He snapped his fingers, freeing Doris from the Geass' control.

As she snapped out of it, Doris was both embarrassed and utterly confused. "What the?!" Her eyes then fell on Lelouch's cold glare, who then walked away with Karen and Nunnally.

Doris clenched her fists. "You...LAMPEROU-"

But then, Doris' rampage was halted as the Principal arrived in the hallway.

"Of course it's you behind all this noise, Zeul!" He said, "To my office, now!"

Doris was furious...But gave up and followed the Principal to the office, not before giving one last glare at Lelouch, who walked away as if he barely even noticed her.

Later, the Knights were having lunch at the cafeteria. Lelouch, Karen and Nunnally joined them.

"Everyone, this is my sister, Nunnally," said Lelouch, "Nunnally, these are Zee, Jessica and Kara; you already met Barbara and Diana."

"Nice to meet you/Hello/'Sup." Jess, Zee and Kara greeted in unison.

"It is good to see you again, Little Nunnally," said Diana with a soft smile.

"Hiya, Nunna!" Babs waved while eating a burrito.

"'Nunna'?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you for having me," said Nunnally. "It's nice to finally meet my brother's friends."

The group had lunch...Except for Karen, who was instead looking at her food with a sullen expression.

"Something's wrong, Karen?" Jessica asked, "You haven't touched your food."

"Oh? W-Well, I'm not that hungry anymore..." She said,

"Eh, that's good for me-Hey!" Kara was about to grab Karen's plate, but Lelouch slapped her hand away.

Then, Lelouch looked at Karen, "You're moody because of that Doris Zeul, aren't you? You know it's not your fault-"

"But it is!" Karen interjected, "I was supposed to protect Nunnally, but she ended up trying to protect me! It's all because...I'm small."

"I think you're a bit too harsh on yourself, Karen," said Nunnally. "You were just scared, it's normal."

"I shouldn't be. But that's gonna change soon, I promise."

Later that day, Doris was heading home, and was absolutely pissed off.

She was humiliated in front of the entire school, and by whom?! A weak midget and her scrawny boyfriend! And what frustrated her the most was that she didn't even remember what happened!

"When I get my hands on them..." She mumbled.

She kicked the door of her house open.

"Welcome back, sweetie!" said Mrs. Zeul. "How was school?"

"Shut up, nerd!" Doris went upstairs...To her parents' laboratory.

As she entered the room, she started looking for something that could help her become stronger, like steroids or something like that.

Then, Doris found an interesting thing, a "Growth Serum", able to triplicate a subject's size.

She smirked as she grabbed one of the four test tubes and put it in the injection gun.

"Hell yeah," She said. Then, Doris injected herself with the serum.

The transformation began immediately taking effect as the serum entered her veins, making them glow orange.

Back at the Knights' HQs, Diana, Lelouch, Kara, Zee and Jess were sitting on the couch, waiting for Karen to show the upgrade she made on her armour.

Babs came out from the curtain, "Ladies and...Gentleman! May I present you the new and improved Bumblebee!"

Karen stepped out of the curtain, revealing her new armour: It was now much sleeker than the previous one, and looked more like a bee.

"Oh, Karen, it's simply divine!" said Zee.

"I'm impressed, it looks much less rough now," said Lelouch.

"An armour befitting a true warrior!" said Diana.

"Looks cool, what does it do?" Kara asked.

"Well, Babs and I added some thin photovoltaic modules, making the suit sun-powered." Karen bl

"Plus, it makes her look like a bee!" Babs added.

"I also modified the wing mechanism, so there's a more dulcet tone to the way they buzz."

Karen made a demonstration of the wings.

"Like a bee!" Babs added, annoying Karen.

"...And we're working on quartz prisms that will emit an electrical sting." Karen pressed a button, and her arm turned into a large sting.

"Like a cute little-"

"Yes, we get it, Babs, she looks like a bee," Lelouch interjected.

"And now...The biggest upgrade. Here goes nothing." Karen pressed the button on her arm, she started levitating...And then shrunk.

The Knights were quite confused, and most of them awkwardly clapped.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"No, it wasn't! I was supposed to grow, not to shrink!" Karen complained, "And I thought we finally fixed it..." She landed on Zee's finger.

"Aww, but you're so cute and small!" said Zee.

"Cute and useless, more like." Karen flew off and returned to her normal size. "How am I to stand up against villains if I'm...A puny little insect?"

"Now you're exaggerating, Karen. Being small has its usefulness," said Lelouch, "After all, David won against Goliath, didn't he?"

"Yeah, and I bet that we just inverted the Zeta thingy when we had to cross-wire that other thingy because we were out of those thingy thingies," said Babs.

"...Yeah, sure. Let's get you the correct materials, then," said Lelouch.

"As much as I'd love to come with you, I have to refuse," said Zee, "My father and I have a show tonight."

"And I'm going to protest the use of animals on her show," said Jessica.

"If that's the case, we'll go look for the components by ourselves," said Lelouch.

Later, Lelouch, Kara, Babs, Diana and Karen were at the local mall, looking for he components for Karen's suit.

"This...Is where you get your materials?" Lelouch was surprised.

"Normally, I go to the scrapyard, but here the parts are in a better state," Karen explained.

"Hmph, if that's the case, I might buy something nice for Nunnally."

But it was then that the group heard a crashing noise coming from the upper floor. Then, someone came out of the hole.

She was...Huge. Long curly red hair and the leopard outfit, she looked like a giant cavewoman.

"MALL SHALL FEEL GIGANTA WRAAAAAATH!" She shouted.

"Well, ladies, it's showtime." Lelouch detonated a smoke bomb. When the smoke vanished, the Knights were in their costumes...Except for Karen.

"Huh...Why aren't you in your suit?" Batgirl asked.

"I can't, it's not-"

Giganta threw a plant at the Knights, which they dodged.

"...Ready." Karen finished her sentence.

"Go hide in the electronics store, we'll buy you time." Zero ordered.

As Karen ran into the store, the Knights went into battle.

Wonder Woman was the first to attack, trying to punch Giganta in the face, but the giantess grabbed her by the arm and threw her off. Immediately after that, Supergirl managed to land a few hits at Giganta, sending her off to a wall.

...But unfortunately, while the Kryptonian was too busy gloating, Giganta grabbed her by the legs and started slamming her left and right as if the alien was a puny God of Mischief.

"Focus, Supergirl!" Zero threw smoke bombs in Giganta's face, making her lose grip of Supergirl's leg.

Zero and Batgirl kept dodging Giganta's attack, which angered her even more.

"STAY! STILL!" She said as she kept trying to hit them.

Meanwhile, in the electronics store, Karen was desperately trying to finish fixing her suit .

"Batgirl, now!" Zero ordered.

"Roger that!" Batgirl helped the Black Knight jump higher, giving him direct eye contact with Giganta.

"Zero commands you..." The left side of his mask opened, revealing his left eye with the Geass activated. "Sleep!"

But instead of obeying, Giganta threw a punch at Zero, which he barely dodged.

"What?!" He thought as he struggled to stand up. "It...It didn't work?"

"What happened?" Batgirl went to help him. "Why didn't the Geass work?"

"I don't know, the Geass always works unless it's been used before on the victim," Zero explained, "But I've never met this villain before."

"Eh, no matter," said Batgirl, "We only need to wait for Kar-I mean, Bumblebee, to arrive."

"H-Hey!" The two and Giganta heard a meek female voice: It was Bumblebee, donning her suit. Giganta turned to the small girl, her feet thudding loudly.

Bumblebee gulped, but didn't back down. "How about you pick on someone of your SIZE!"

She pressed the buttons on her arm. Bumblebee seemed to start growing...But instead, she shrank as usual.

"Oh, come on!" She moaned.

Giganta grinned and squashed Bumblebee with her hand...Or so it seemed. In fact, she didn't hit her at all!

"I'm...I'm fine?" Bumblebee looked around and then finally got it. "David and Goliath..."

Zero laughed hammily, "At last, you finally get it, Bumblebee!"

Bumblebee started flying around Giganta fastly, making it basically impossible for her to grab the hero due to her speed and size.

Bumblebee flew high, chased by Giganta, who then started climbing on one of the columns.

When Giganta reached the higher floor, Bumblebee started shooting her stingers at her...But they didn't even nick her.

Furious Giganta tried to punch her, but Bumblebee dodged it and, in a flash of genius, she flew towards Giganta, causing her to accidentally uppercut herself and fall directly into the lower parking floors.

"I...I did it?" Bumblebee couldn't believe what she did.

"Nice work, kid!" said Supergirl, now feeling better along with the others.

"You made Athena proud, young Karen!" said Wonder Woman.

"Indeed, you have done an impeccable job, Bumblebee," said Zero.

"Growth tech, smowth tech!" said Batgirl.

"O-Oh, I..." Bumblebee chuckled sheepishly.

Days later, everything was back to normal, and Karen seemed to have started growing some self-confidence.

However...On the rooftop of Metropolis High, Lelouch was observing the view with a thoughtful look.

"You seem concerned," C.C. appeared, "What's the matter this time?"

"The battle with Giganta," said Lelouch, "She was immune to my Geass."

"Maybe you already used it on her before?" said C.C.

"I didn't," said Lelouch, "Before the attack, I've never seen her before...Unless..."

"You've met under a different look?" said C.C., "That would explain why she disappeared so fast."

Lelouch remained silent for a few minutes...And then chuckled. "Of course, I should have realised it...If Poison Ivy herself attends Metropolis High, there have to be other villainous metahumans here. Yes, my life at Metropolis is getting more eventful as time goes by...Well, I happily accept the challenge. I will destroy anyone who stands on my path, and make the gentle world Nunnally desires!"

Meanwhile, not too far from there, Mao was observing the rooftop using a pair of binoculars.

"So that's the famous Lelouch, huh? He looks like a prick." He said, "Don't worry, soon I will free you from the grip of that big meanie...C.C."

<------To Be Continued----------

Chapter Text

“Checkmate.”

At the Sweet Justice, Lelouch just won a game of chess against Kara…For the fifth time in a row. And the Kryptonian was struggling to resist the urge to throw the chessboard to the Moon.

“How did you-You’ve cheated!” said Kara.

“As if I need it to,” Lelouch scoffed. “Chess is a game of strategy, Kara, and strategy is something you hardly ever use, especially in battle. And no, ‘Punching something really hard’ doesn’t count as a strategy.”

Kara scoffed, “Strategy? Oh, yeah! You mean ‘overthinking’!”

“No, it’s just ‘thinking’, I know, it’s a foreign concept to you.” Lelouch snarked back.

“What did you say?!” Kara, furious, sent the chessboard flying and grabbed Lelouch by the collar of his shirt, but the Britannian teenager didn’t flinch.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” He said, “You’re too impulsive, the moment someone insults you lose all reason and start attacking mindlessly. It’s a matter of time before a Villain weaponises it against you if you don’t start thinking of a strategy before you act. And believe me, I’m not the only one in the team who thinks that.”

Kara grunted and let Lelouch go. “Whatever.”

Another customer entered the building, a face familiar to the Britannian teen. A gorgeous young woman with dark skin, short dark hair and wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt, dark trousers with matching boots and a pricey-looking necklace that was clearly stolen. She approached the desk and winked at the clerk seductively.

“Coffee with whipped cream, please.” She said.

The clerk, blushing, immediately went to make the coffee, allowing Lelouch to approach the girl.

“Look what the cat dragged in…” He said, “Selina Kyle, I didn't know you were in Metropolis. Did Gotham start to bore you?”

“Lamperouge…How nice to see you here,” said Selina.

“You know her?” Kara asked Lelouch.

“Met her a few times back in Gotham,” Lelouch explained, “A pesky little thief, always tried to rob the Ashfords.”

“But you were always there to ruin the fun, weren’t you?” said Selina, “Though I admit, our little chases were quite fun, even though you had low stamina…”

Lelouch rolled his eyes. Selina glanced at the boy’s outfit, different from his usual Ashford Academy attire: He was wearing a black three-piece suit, with the emblem of the Ashfords printed on its tie. 

“Well, I’ll leave you and your girlfriend to your little date. Have fun~!” She took her coffee, paid for it and left.

Lelouch looked disgusted by Selina’s comment, while Kara was blushing like mad out of embarrassment.

“I…You…We…Ew!” She said.

“‘Ew’ indeed,” said Lelouch, “To be frank, I wouldn’t date you even if you were the last woman on the planet. Even then, it would be unpleasant, considering your problems with your strength. It would be difficult to take care of Nunnally if I were also in a wheelchair, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess…” said Kara…And then, after 10 seconds, her face became once again as red as a tomato. “Wait…What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothing,” said Lelouch calmly, as he headed to the exit after paying. “And one more thing: She stole your wallet.”

Kara checked her pockets and found out that he was telling the truth.

“Oh, that little…!” 

It was a quiet night in Metropolis, while the other Knights had their day off, Zero did not.

And so, here he was, observing the City from the top of a building, the dark cloak wrapped around his body flowing slightly, making it seem like his body was made of shadow.

Then, he heard an alarm blaring.

“That comes from the museum.” He thought. And so, Zero jumped and swung using his grappling hook till he reached the roof of the museum. When he arrived, the Knight found Supergirl on the scene, too.

“Ah, Supergirl.” He said, “I thought you were at that concert.”

“It just ended,” said Supergirl, “And I was about to go home, but noooooo, some dweeb had to rob a museum! That’s the lamest place you can rob!”

“Let’s get the work, then.” Zero jumped into the hole in the glass roof, landing gracefully at the end.

When Supergirl also landed, the two heard a female voice laughing and…Meowing?

“Did…Did she just meow?” Supergirl asked, flabbergasted.

“That’d be a normal Tuesday in Gotham,” said Zero, not fazed at all.

A figure emerged from the shadows: It was a girl wearing a tight-fitting, high-collared grey bodysuit, with a matching dark grey cowl with cat ears attached to it, large black-and-violet goggles over her eyes, a cat-o’-nine-tails wrapped around the waist, making it seem like it was a real cat tail, black boots and black gloves with sharp claws.

“Well, well, well…” She said, observing the two heroes from the second floor. “Look what we got here: The mysterious Zero and his personal gorilla.”

“Okay, I’m gonna have some fun with you…” Supergirl cracked her knuckles.

“Calm down, Supergirl…” said Zero, “The show’s over, Catwoman! Surrender immediately!”

Catwoman laughed, “Well, dear Zero, if you really want to catch me… come and get me. ”

She disappeared into the hallway, with Zero and Supergirl chasing her.

They arrived in the planetary room. It was dark, and Catwoman was nowhere to be seen.

“Here, kitty kitty…” Supergirl taunted, “Where are you hiding, nerd?”

“Here, dummy dummy.” Catwoman taunted back, sitting on a giant replica of Earth

“Now you’re done for!” Supergirl shouted.

Zero looked around and noticed that the room was full of replicas of the other planets of the Solar System, and they were all rather close to each other…And that the Kryptonian’s eyes were turning red. “Supergirl, wai-”

Supergirl shot her laser beams, missing Catwoman…And cut through the wire that held the replica of Earth.

Zero jumped away immediately, and Supergirl grabbed the falling planet.

“Oh, poor thing, holding the weight of the world on your shoulders…Let’s add some more,” said Catwoman, as she jumped from planet to planet, cutting the wires and forcing Supergirl to grab all of them, while Zero chased the thief, arriving in the Taxidermy hall.

Not too long after, Supergirl reached her teammate.

“I am so gonna punch that Puss in the Boots when we get her.”  She said, frustrated.

“Easy now, she’s hiding somewhere in this hall,” said Zero, then he sighed in exasperation. “Shooting laser beams in a cluttered room, what the hell were you thinking?!”

“I panicked, okay?!” Supergirl objected.

“Sure, ‘panicked’,” said Zero, “Let’s start searching. Catwoman likes to play, so she’ll wait for us to find her.

“Oh, Zero, you know me so well~” said Catwoman.

Hearing the voice, Supergirl accidentally punched through a stuffed leopard out of impulse. She groaned in frustration. “Where could she be?” She rubbed her head with a finger.

“The family resemblance is uncanny…” Catwoman taunted, making Supergirl and Zero look at the statue of a caveman doing the exact same action as the Kryptonian.

Supergirl growled, and Zero noticed a shadowy figure on top of an aquarium with a giant, behind another stuffed feline, which was right in front of Supergirl… Oh no.

“Supergirl, don’t!”

But once again, Supergirl didn’t listen and punched through the stuffed animal…And the aquarium began to crack.

“Uh oh…” She said.

Catwoman laughed, “I hope you like calamari…”

Zero used his grappling hook to reach the roof, dodging the giant wave. But unfortunately, Supergirl did not and got dragged back to the main hall by the water and then covered in severed tentacles.

“Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!” She said, throwing the pieces of tentacle away from her.

Zero walked out of the Taxidermy hall, disappointed. “Faster than a speeding bullet, and you can’t even dodge a wave.”

“Look, I’m trying-”

“No, you’re clearly not.” Zero shut down Supergirl’s attempt at finding an excuse immediately. “Every single time Catwoman set a trap, you fell for it like a complete idiot. And all of this is because, as we said this afternoon, you don’t think before you act , sabotaging the whole operation. Therefore…You’re on your own, Supergirl. I’m out.”

“What?!” said Supergirl, “You can’t just leave!”

“But I can,” said Zero, “You either learn to think before acting, and I’m not gonna use my Geass on you to force it. Prove to me that you’re not a dumber knock-off of Superman, Woman of Steel.”

“Bu-”

When she turned, Zero was no longer there.

“SON OF A--AAARGH!” said Supergirl, even more angered that Zero just pulled a Batman on her. “You know what? Fine! I don't need him anyway!”

Supergirl flew to the Magnets room, where Catwoman was waiting with her arms folded next to a giant magnet.

“Took you long enough,” She said, “Where’s Zero?  Aww, is he tired of playing?”

“AND SO AM I!” Supergirl grabbed a large metallic sphere, ready to throw it at Catwoman. 

“Oh, really? Well, I’m certainly not!” Catwoman turned on the magnet, causing every metallic sphere to get attached to it, crushing the Kryptonian and temporarily knocking her out. 

And so, the chase kept on and on, every time ending in Supergirl being outsmarted and humiliated by Catwoman, making the Kryptonian get caught in an explosion caused by the hero’s laser beams hitting a gas tank.

Then, as she skipped through the hallways laughing, Catwoman reached a very important room: The jewels room.

“Purr-fect….” She said. But when she entered the room, Supergirl arrived. Her costume was tattered because of the giant explosion, her hair was messy, and she was royally pissed off.

“YOU’RE DEAD MEAT, CAT!” She yelled.

Catwoman meowed, frightened and ran off into the “Treasures from Space” section, being chased by Supergirl.

Then, at the end, Catwoman hid behind a case made of lead, but the Woman of Steel smashed through it with ease. Seeing how the thief was panicking, Supergirl grinned.

“So, who’s the dumb one now?” She taunted.

“Well… Still you. ” Catwoman pulled out a piece of Kryptonite. Suddenly, Supergirl felt incredibly weakened and in pain.

“W-What…What is that…?” She said as she collapsed to the ground.

“Oh, this little thing?” said Catwoman, “A piece of your home planet, it’s called Kryptonite. It deprives you of your powers, quite the useful gem.”

And so, after taking all the gems and jewels from the museum, Catwoman dragged a weakened Supergirl by her leg to the main hall, while still holding the Kryptonite.

“Oh, what a purr-fect plan,” said Catwoman, “And it was so easy to do, all thanks to you. All I had to do was be a bit loud with my break-in in and you arrived immediately. I didn’t expect Zero to arrive, to be honest, but I guess I have to thank you for driving him away. Now that I think of it, we were partners in crime this time, weren’t we?” She laughed.

Then, Catwoman put the large piece of Kryptonite on Supergirl’s back, making her flinch in pain and practically immobilising her. “Take this as thanks.”

While Catwoman was walking away, Supergirl attempted to grab her phone to call the rest of the Knights of Metropolis, but the thief noticed it and snatched it from her hands.

“Nuh-uh-uh! The ride is just for two.” She put the phone on top of a large chess piece statue. “Now, ta-ta, my dear!”

Catwoman left, leaving Supergirl to her possible demise. 

And so, here was where her recklessness brought her. Dying, without her friends and stuck in a place that she hates, full of nerd stuff.

…But then, after seeing the pieces of dominoes, the cogs, the T-Rex skeleton and a pearl in front of her, she had an idea. No, Supergirl had a plan.

Supergirl used all the strength she had left to push the pearl towards the cogs, blocking them. And then, after the cogs exploded, the skeleton was beheaded, making the dominoes fall.

“A-ha! Checkmate, idio-”

When the chess piece fell, Supergirl’s phone landed right on her face, making her yelp in pain. She struggled to reach the phone…But unfortunately, she fainted.

But luckily for her, a familiar shadow descended into the hall to her rescue…

Later, Catwoman was calmly walking from roof to roof with all the loot she got from the Museum inside a bag.

“Ah, this city is great,” She said, “Sure, Gotham is fun, but Metropolis is just…”

Catwoman was startled when she saw Supergirl, standing like nothing had happened, the moment she turned.

“Missed me?” She said.

Catwoman hissed as she backed off, but then the other Knights appeared, surrounding her.

“Going somewhere?” said Zero.

“Catwoman, meet my actual partners: The Knights of Metropolis…Who always help me despite me acting like a jerk.” Supergirl said the latter part slightly sheepishly.

The Knights were ready to block Catwoman, until suddenly the thief threw the bag full of jewels at Batgirl.

Using the distraction, she jumped off the building…And disappeared into thin air.

“She escaped again…” said Zero.

“Well, at least we got the stolen jewellery back,” said Batgirl.

“That’s true,” said Zero. He then walked to Supergirl, “Looks like you’ve finally thought of a plan that wasn’t just punching someone really hard, well done.”

“Whatever…” said Supergirl, trying not to appear flattered by the Knight’s compliment.

And so, the Knights went back to return the stolen goods.

Later, Selina was walking down the streets, annoyed about the fiasco at the museum.

“Great, just great …” She said, “I need a new bag now…And some new friends, too.”
“I think I can help you with that.”

Selina turned immediately and saw a familiar lanky young man… Mao.

“Selina Kyle, the famous Gothamite thief known as Catwoman. Happy to finally meet you.”  He said.

“Who are you?” said Selina, defensively. “And how do you know my name?”

“Oh, relax! I’m not your enemy!” said Mao, “And besides, the names are the easiest thing to find for me, you basically scream it!”

Then, Seina had a realisation.

“Oh…So, you’re a mind reader.” She said.

“Correct!” Mao clapped his hands. “I knew you were a smart girl, Selina Kyle. So, I see that you had a debacle with the Knights. I think we could…Come up with a deal.”

“Meaning?” Selina raised an eyebrow.

“I’m forming a team,” Mao explained, “Made of people who, like you and me, have a score to settle with the Knights of Metropolis.”

Mao offered a handshake while pulling down his sunglasses. “So…What do you say, Catwoman?”

Selina smirked, "Well...Can't say I'm not intrigued."

<-----To Be Continued----------

Chapter Text

It was a quiet night in Metropolis…But just because it was quiet, unfortunately, it didn’t mean that it was totally safe. In fact, a muggler recently just stole a bag from an old lady and was taking his time checking the money in an alley.

“Another honest day of work,” He said.

But then, he heard a noise and turned around to see a figure lurking in the shadows.

“Who’s there?” He said, but nobody replied. Then, the muggler took a better look: The figure seemed to be tall and rather lanky with a thin waist. Maybe it was one of those ‘Knights of Metropolis’ he had seen on TV, right? That ‘Zero’.

Smugly, he raised his hands. “Fine, you’ve got me. Just arrest me, I’ll be back here in just a week.”

The figure didn’t move, starting to make the man feel…Nervous.

“Hey, are ya deaf or somethin’?!” He said, “I said that I surre-”

The figure slashed him with a sword, but didn’t get any sort of cut. In fact, he fell to the ground, with his body being an empty husk.

Metropolis High School had several extracurricular clubs, and Diana was in many of them and excelled in all of them due to being an Amazon.

One of the many clubs she was in was the Fencing Club, where she brutally annihilated the competition (if you could call it ‘competition’).

One day, Diana was alone in the club room while all the other members had left. As she was cleaning her épée, she noticed that there was another person in the room, wearing full fencing gear.

“Oh, greetings!” said Diana, “I did not notice you were there. Are you new to the club?”

The other person didn’t reply.

“I joined recently too,” the Amazon continued, “I find simulated combat most invigorating! Don’t you agree?”

The fencer still remained silent and instead assumed a fighting stance with their épée.

Diana smirked, “I see…Let us these do the talking, then.”

The two began a fencing match, and the unknown fencer was surprisingly good, so much so that Diana was struggling for the first time. And that made her ecstatic.

Diana switched swords, deciding not to give her opponent a handicap and counterattacked. But it wasn’t enough, for the fencer managed to disarm her and touch her with the épée, ending the match.

Diana laughed, “Oh, it is so thrilling to finally experience a loss! You are incredible!” She offered a handshake, “Diana Prince.”

The fencer took off their mask, revealing themselves to be a young, pretty Japanese woman with long dark hair, brown eyes and olive skin. “Tatsu Yamashiro.” She shook Diana’s hands. “I’ve moved here from Japan recently, you're the first worthy opponent I've met.”

“You must teach me how to parry like that!” said Diana.

“Sure. How about…Now?” Tatsu assumed a fighting stance.

And so, Diana and Tatsu went on with their fencing matches for hours , with the two forming a great bond in the meantime.

One night, Lelouch was in his room, writing something in a dossier.

“What are you doing?” C.C. appeared, sitting on his bed.

“Putting down some plans,” said Lelouch, “Possible contingencies.”

“Contingency plans? You’re planning possible ways to kill them in case they betray you?” said C.C., “You just Geass them in that case.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, my plans aren’t lethal,” said Lelouch, “...Even though there’s Kryptonite for my anti-Kryptonian contingency plan.”

“How did you even get that stuff?” C.C. raised an eyebrow.

“There was a discount at the supermarket.” Lelouch joked., “By seriously speaking, as much as I trust the girls, I need to be prepared for everything.”

“And yet it’s not enough to tell your secret?” said C.C.

Lelouch stopped writing.

“...That is not their business.” He said.

“Maybe, but who wouldn’t understand having a secret identity, if not others who have one too?” 

“I’m not gonna put them in danger for futile reasons, C.C.”, said Lelouch, “If something bad happened to them, I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

“Maybe, but I think you wouldn’t forgive yourself if two specific people were to get killed…Diana and Barbara Gordon, am I right?”

Lelouch took a deep breath, “You’re acting as if I’m doing something bad.”

“I’m not saying that,” said C.C. calmly, “Just stating that you care about the girls despite acting so detached from them. Didn’t you say that they were just ‘pawns for your plans’?”

“...The situation has changed,” said Lelouch, “I…Consider Diana in high regard, so much so that I’d entrust her Nunnally if something were to happen to me. And as for Babs, she…She reminds me a lot of…”

Lelouch suddenly closed the dossier and put it back with the others on his bookshelf, interrupting the discussion. Then, he heard his phone vibrating and checked it. It was a text message from Jessica that read.

“Hey, Lelouch! I was thinking that maybe we could all go watch a movie together tomorrow evening. Wanna come?”

“A movie night? With the girls?” He thought, “...Better not. People might get suspicious if they see a boy hang out with 6 girls. I’ll politely decline the invite.”

Lelouch replied back:

“Sorry, I can’t. I’ve promised Nunnally that I’d spend time with her.”

He put his phone on the desk and went to sleep.

The day after, the lessons were over, and the Knights of Metropolis (and Nunnally) just left the school building.

“So, it’s settled, we’re gonna see ‘Exploding Ninja Pirates from Outer Space IV’,” said Jessica, “It has a good story for me, lots of special effects for Karen, great costume design for Zee, a ton of action for Kara, and Babs doesn't care what we see as long as she can sneak in a bucket of burritos.”

“Soon, my pretties, soon…” Babs gently caressed the tons of burritos inside her backpack.

“When did she even get those…?” Lelouch thought, slightly creeped out by the scene.

“Sounds like you have a nice plan,” Nunnally commented.

“Are you sure you three can’t come?” said Jessica.

“Sorry, Jess. As I told you, Nunnally has the priority.” Lelouch gently ruffled his little sister’s hair, making her chuckle softly.

“And I have made plans with Tatsu,” said Diana.

“Oh, yeah, your mysterious friend,” said Kara, “Are we ever gonna meet this ‘Tatsu’?”

“If it is what you desire…” Tatsu appeared out of nowhere, startling the girls.

“Wow! You appeared out of nowhere!” said Babs.

“...Yes,” said Tatsu.

“なるほど、あなたは山城達さんですね。ルルーシュ・ランペルージといいます。お会いできて光栄です。” (So, you must be Tatsu Yamashiro. The name’s Lelouch Lamperouge, a pleasure to be meeting you. Diana told us a lot about you.) said Lelouch.

The girls looked surprised.

“Uh…What?” said Kara.

Tatsu looked surprised. “You know Japanese?”

“Yes, though I’m a bit rusty,” said Lelouch, “I had an acquaintance from Japan back in Gotham.”

“That is an impressive pronunciation, Brother Lelouch!” said Diana.

“‘Brother’?” said Nunnally.

Lelouch faked a cough. “We have to go now. I’ll see you girls later.” 

“Have fun at the movie night!”  said Nunnally.

The two left.

“So, Tatsu,” said Zee, “We heard a lot about you.”

Suddenly, Tatsu assumed a fighting stance, startling the other Knights. “Direct me to these rumour-mongers, and I will make sure they will be silenced. ”

“N-No! We heard good things! From Diana!” said Jessica.

“...Oh.” Tatsu backed down, realising her faux pas.

Kara coughed and also attempted to break the ice. “I didn’t think it was possible, but Diana says that you like training as much as she does?”

“The strong are driven by discipline, not desire,” said Tatsu, once again killing the mood.

“Is she not great?” said Diana happily and completely oblivious of her friends’ discomfort.

Later at night, Diana and Tatsu were doing a boxing sparring match, though the latter seemed to be…Less energetic than usual.

“Is there something wrong, Tatsu?” Diana stopped, “You have not punched me in the face once.”

“I…Do not believe I made a good impression with your friends,” said Tatsu, saddened.

“Really?” said Diana, “Why is that?” 

“I have…Always struggled in making friends, since I moved to Metropolis,” said Tatsu, “And when I met you, you gave me hope that things could have changed. But it seems I am destined to be a loner…”

“...I know the feeling.” said Diana, “My friends…I really loved them. But I must confess, I often feel out of place in this world, despite all of their efforts, as if no one truly understands me…But you do, Tatsu, and I understand you. At least we have each other.”

Tatsu smiled, “I am…Glad to be your friend, Diana Prince.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Diana smiled back.

As the two went back to sparring, Tatsu decided to ask some questions.

“That boy, Lelouch…What is he like?” She asked.

“Lelouch?” said Diana, “Oh, he is a formidable man! Cunning like Odysseus, and brave like Heracles. Although…Despite having us as his friends, similar to me, he seems…Alone. I wish I could do something about it.”

It was a quiet night in Metropolis. While Diana was with Tatsu and the rest of the Knights were at the cinema, Zero was on top of a building, observing the streets alone. Then, he heard an alarm going off and jumped from building to building until he reached a local jewellery store.

Zero landed inside gracefully and noticed the cat-shaped hole in the window.

“Catwoman…” He thought. He turned and saw Catwoman…Unconscious on the floor?

He turned her to see her face. Her eyes were…Blank, completely of an eerie light blue colour.”

Zero checked her pulse, “She’s alive…It’s like she’s in a comatose state. I should call the other Knights; this is a big problem.”

Not too long after his call, the other Knights (minus Wonder Woman) arrived on the scene of the crime.

“Where’s Wonder Woman?” Zero asked.

“Still busy with that ‘Tatsu’,” said Supergirl, “Now, what exactly happened here?”

“I was patrolling the city until I heard the alarm going off,” Zero explained, “I entered in and I found Catwoman in a coma on the ground.”

“ !gnorw si tahw kcehC ” Zatanna used her magic on Catwoman, and then gasped. “Oh no…Someone used black magic on her; her soul is gone!”

“N-Now what?” Bumblebee asked.

“Couldn’t we just hand her over to the Police?” Supergirl asked.

“And let her stay like this forever? No, we have to take her with us,” said Zero.

The group left, with Supergirl carrying Catwoman’s body.

“Well, there’s nothing to worry about if we have to hide a body, in Gotham it’s a local spo-”

Batgirl yelped as she tripped…On Poison Ivy’s soulless body.

“Another one…” said Green Lantern.

“Now, now what?” said Bumblebee.

Zero approached the body and gave a closer look with a saddened expression.

“They also got you, eh, Pam…” He thought. He gently grabbed Poison Ivy’s body, carrying her gently rather than like a sack of potatoes, like Supergirl was doing with Catwoman.

The team reached Green Lantern’s car, and as they headed to the Gordons’ residence, they encountered several villains with their souls stolen. Livewire, Giganta, Star Sapphire…

After arriving at Babs’ house and hiding all of the villains in her room (with her father not noticing anything), the Knights decided to call Diana.

“Now that all of us are here, we have to find the culprit of all of this,” said Lelouch.

“But how, exactly?” Kara asked, “We don’t have a clue about it.”

“Well, I have a simple plan for that.” He said.

The hunt for the soul-stealer began as the Knights explored by jumping from building to building.

“This villain targets other villains,” said Zero, “Therefore, if we find their next target, we can stop them before another soul gets taken.”

“ Villains! ” A female voice suddenly spoke, causing the Knights to look up to see a young woman wearing an armour-like suit and a white mask with a red dot on the top.  “Your souls are tainted, and now… They will be mine. ”

“Sorry, sis, I like my soul right where it is!” Supergirl flew towards the enemy, ready to attack until…The swordswoman swinged her Katana, a light-blue beam of light hitting Supergirl and taking her soul, which was absorbed by the sword.

The Knights were horrified by the sight. Just like that, their friend became an empty husk like the villains they found.

“W-Well…At least we know where the souls are,” said Batgirl.

Zatanna and Green Lantern attacked next, combining their attacks, but it was a no-sell, and Katana took their souls too, leaving only Batgirl, Bumblebee, Wonder Woman and Zero remaining.

Now, the Knights were getting really scared.

“N-N-Now what?!” said Bumblebee, hiding in Wonder Woman’s hair in shrinked mode.

“RETREAT!” Zero ordered.

They ran off. Katana swung again with her sword, creating a large beam and capturing Batgirl and Bumblebee’s souls. The beam was about to hit Zero, until…

…Until Wonder Woman pushed him off the building, taking the hit for him.

Katana approached the border of the roof, but saw nobody, as if Zero had vanished into thin air. “You cannot hide forever! Soultaker will find you!” She said, and then left. Zero returned to the roof, having hidden under it and saw what transpired.

“No…” He said weakly, “NonononononononoNO!”

He rushed to Diana’s soulless body. took off his mask and shook her. “Why did you do that…Answer me, Diana… I SAID ANSWER ME, DAMNIT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!?! ”

But nobody answered. Diana was…Gone. Along with the rest of his comrades. Then, he turned to Batgirl’s body, as tears fell down the Black Knight’s face. For instance, his mind went back to months ago, during his first days as Zero…When she died .

“Babs…Wake up. ” Lelouch tried to use his Geass, despite being well aware of its futility. “ Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…Wake up. P-Please, w-wake up…”

…Some people think that all it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man to lunacy. Lelouch didn’t believe in all of that. Everyone has bad days, but this…He felt that something in him just…Broke.

And so, he did the only thing he could do in that situation: laugh. Laughing like mad, like someone who not only just lost people he cared about again, but also a fragment of his sanity.

C.C. silently observed the scene.

“...Now this is a real mess.”

After bringing the soulless bodies of his friends along with the others, Lelouch geassed Babs’ father, so that he wouldn’t notice anything odd until he snapped his fingers. Then, he returned to the Knights’ HQs…And sat down on the couch, with a thousand-yard stare in his eyes.

C.C. wanted to try saying something, but seeing the broken state Lelouch was…She had no idea how to commence. Then, the boy spoke.

“...It happened again.” He said, “I swore that after you-know-who I wouldn’t feel like this again. But instead…It happened. I lost Pam, I lost Babs, I lost the girls. And it’s all my fault…”

“Lelouch, it’s not-”

“ YES, IT IS! ” He suddenly shouted, “It was my plan, I’ve sent them to slaughter!” He looked away. “J-Just…Why did Diana save me? She could have saved herself. Why did she push me away?”

“...Maybe because she knew you would save them,” said C.C., “She had faith in you.”

“...You might be right,” said Lelouch, “But…How? I didn’t even know who-”

Then, Lelouch had an epiphany. The voice, the skin colour, the mask resembling the flag of Japan …

“It’s her,” He said, with a venomous tone. “That snake…”

But then, he let out his characteristic hammy laugh. “You know, C.C., Diana is right. I will get them back. I will avenge Pam and my Knights and…She will pay for what she has done.

He looked up, his eyes shining with bloodlust. “Enjoy these days, because you have just signed your death warrant… Tatsu Yamashiro. ”

<----------To Be Continued-----------

Chapter Text

One week. One week since the…Mysterious disappearance of Diana Prince, Barbara Gordon, Jessica Cruz, Kara Denvers, Karen Beecher and Zee Zatara. And boy, the lengths Lelouch had to go to make sure no one investigated. He had to use the Geass on all of the girls’ parents, ordering them to pretend that nothing was wrong. 

And then…There were the nightmares. Every single night, Lelouch had nightmares about his fallen comrades, seeing their lifeless bodies on the ground…It was a torture. A torture that nobody will know is happening, as Lelouch kept going with Nunnally and at school with a fake smile on his face.

The first day after the battle was terrible, seeing all of those empty seats…And Tatsu is sitting like nothing is wrong.

“Stop glaring at her,” He heard C.C.’s voice in his head, “She might get suspicious.”

And so, Lelouch followed her advice, restraining himself.

After the lessons, Lelouch headed to the library to gain information about Katana’s sword, the “Soultaker”.

All he could find was an old, dusty book about Japanese legends, and he found a chapter entirely dedicated to the accursed sword.

“A legendary sword that traps souls inside its blade…” He read, “And a way to free them is for their owner to recite this spell…The spell is Japanese.”

“Well, all you have to do is order Tatsu to recite it, no?” said C.C.

“Too easy,” said Lelouch under his breath, but then, he read a very interesting paragraph…

‘The one who will defeat the previous owner of the Soultaker will, in turn, become its possessor.’

Lelouch smirked, “Good, I guess it still counts if I kill her.” 

He left the library.

“Are you sure about this, Lelouch?” said C.C. “You won’t go back from this if you kill her. It’s not something a he-”

“This is not a matter of ‘Heroics’, C.C.” said Lelouch coldly, “It’s a matter of vengeance. She had dared to hurt them. I will have that bitch’s head on a pike.”

He took his phone and called an old acquaintance. “Hi, Milly, it’s me.”

Tatsu was starting to get worried. Diana has been absent from school for a full week by now and has had no way to contact her. Her other friends were gone too, and she wasn’t sure how to approach Lelouch.

And so, she continued training alone, trying not to think about it.

But then, she heard a window breaking. Tatsu turned and saw a letter attached to a wall…By a yellow Batarang.

Tatsu grabbed the letter and read it:

“When the sky is dark, follow the beacon of light. Soon, you will pay for all the souls you have wrongfully taken.”

Tatsu’s glare narrowed, realising what the letter meant. She looked outside the broken window, but found nobody.

“So, they desire my blade?” She thought, “Very well, they will get it…”

Back home, Lelouch was watching TV with Nunnally, as he waited for the preparations to be complete.

But then, the News went on.

“It’s the seventh day since the mysterious disappearance of the Knights of Metropolis with the exception of Zero, and crime is currently on the rise,” said the news anchor, “Without a second team of heroes in the City, the efforts of the Man of Steel and the Black Knight are insufficient to keep the city completely safe. Citizens can’t help but ask: Whatever happened to the other Knights?” 

“I hope nothing bad happened to them…” said Nunnally. 

“I’m…Sure they’ll come back soon.” Lelouch tried to keep up with the facade, “After all, there’s still Zero around.”

“Big brother? Can I ask you something?” said Nunnally.

“Sure, go on.” He said.

“Do you think…Do you think Zero feels alone?”

Lelouch’s eyes widened, another crack in his facade. “W-Why do you ask that…?”

“Well, the Knights of Metropolis are friends, right? That’s why they’re a team,” said Nunnally, “His friends disappearing, fighting crime all alone…He must feel very lonely.”

Normally, Lelouch would try to cheer his little sister up when she started thinking like this, saying that things would be okay or similar stuff…But instead, he replied:

“...Yes, he is. I think he feels very lonely.”

Sensing the sadness in her brother’s voice, Nunnally gently held his hand.

Then, the two heard the doorbell ringing. Lelouch stood up and went to the door. He opened and found a box with the Ashford emblem printed on it.

“A package from the Ashfords?” said C.C.

“More than just a package…” He grabbed it and went back inside.

“Who was it?” Nunnally asked.

“Just…Something I ordered online.” Lelouch told a half-lie. “I’ll be upstairs for a bit, be right back.”

He went to his room and opened the package, and pulled off no other than his old costume: It was identical to the current one, but with a black-silver palette and with Zero’s sigil printed on the front of the cloak.

“Your old costume?” said C.C.

“It’s a special occasion, so I will dress properly,” said Lelouch. “And the Ashfords are preparing the battleground. I only need to wait now.”

“...Before you do something that you might regret, I’m gonna ask it again,” said C.C. “Lelouch, are you sure you want to kill her?”

“Yes, I am,” said Lelouch, “I fail to see what you can’t understand.”

“I don’t know like…What would happen when the girls find it out after you save them?” said C.C., “I doubt they will be happy to find it out.”

“...Simple, they will not find it out,” said Lelouch, “I’ll lie to them, and if some of them get too suspicious, I’ll just use my Geass. So-”

Lelouch turned, but C.C. was no longer there.

“...Typical.” He said.

Today was the day of the showdown. Zero vs Katana, the Britannian Black Knight vs the Swordwoman from the Rising Sun.

Lelouch was putting on his costume in the Knights’ hideout, as he mentally prepared himself for the battle. 

“When I first donned the mask of Zero, I swore that I would have fought for Justice, to create the gentle world Nunnally desired…But not tonight. Tonight, I am vengeance, I am the Knight…”

Just before he put on his mask, Lelouch glanced at the wall with the first news article about the Knights of Metropolis. Seeing the faces of the girls, embarrassed but flattered by the praise and attention of the crowd…It warmed his heart a little.

“...I will get you back,” He said, “I promise.”

The night was dark and stormy. Katana, in her costume, waited on the roof of a building for the supposed beacon to appear.

And then, it did: A giant beacon light, projecting Zero’s sigil up in the cloudy sky. Normally, in places like Gotham, seeing something like that would be a warning against criminals. But for her, the signal meant one thing:

“Come and get me.”

Zero was waiting next to the ‘Zero-Signal’ on top of an old building, far away from the rest of Metropolis.

“You asked the Ashfords to make your own Bat-signal?” C.C. appeared.

“I have a flair for theatrics,” said Zero. He smiled softly. “I wish Babs could see it, she’d be like a happy fangirl.”

Then, Zero heard a thud and turned around immediately. Katana finally arrived.

“So, it was you who sent the letter.” She said, “You said that I would pay for the souls I took.”

“...Pamela Isley.” Zero began, “Diana Prince. Barbara Gordon. Kara Danvers, Karen Beecher, Zee Zatara, Jessica Cruz…These were the names of souls you’ve taken.”

Katana looked shocked. Did he just say ‘Diana Prince’? “What are you talking about?”

“You know, I wouldn’t care about the souls of the criminals you took, but then you did one grave mistake…You took my friends away from me,” said Zero, taking his mask off, “Friends who were good people, innocent girls who wanted to change the world…Who thought I was a good person. I’m a little glad they’re not here, for they would have tried to stop me.”

Katana started to feel regretful, but shook the feeling away. “I…”

“When I’m done with you…Nobody will remember you. I’m gonna use my power on all of the school, to make sure nobody knows you ever existed.” Lelouch continued, his accent reverting to his Received Pronunciation one, and his tone was full of venom. “You die tonight, Tatsu Yamashiro.”

Lelouch pressed the button on the detonator, and the bombs went off. As the floor collapsed, Katana fell, hearing the Britannian boy’s unhinged laugh before getting KO’d.

Katana woke up, her mind still dizzy. A dizziness that passed immediately as she realised what had just happened. Then, he heard Lelouch’s voice.

“Come on, Tatsu! Don’t tell this is all you’ve got.” He said, “I won’t let you go so easily.”

Katana was on the defensive, looking around at the darkness to see when the vengeful Knight would strike. Though the pain from the fall and her leg bleeding made her struggle to stand.

Then, Zero appeared out of nowhere, attacking with his sword. Katana barely managed to parry it until he disappeared into the shadows once again

“So, Tatsu, do you have any words?” said Lelouch. “Surely you must feel regret after taking the souls of a group of Heroes. Just let them go, and you'll come out unscathed.

“I…I can't.” She said, “If I free them, so will the souls of the criminals…”

“And does it look like I care?” said Lelouch, “I want my friends back; we can deal with the criminal rabble by ourselves.”

He reappeared and fought again. Katana was excellent with her sword, but again, the wounds she received gave her a massive disadvantage; she couldn’t even capture his soul with how fast he was now.

“You know, there’s a reason I let a week pass…” He said, “I had to prepare this whole arena just for you. And of course, I have some surprises for you.”

Lelouch pressed the button of the detonator, causing another explosion to occur. Glass shared went flying, hitting Katana and making her crash into a wall. 

Lelouch, seeing her exhausted and her mask broken, calmly approached her. “How pitiful, I thought you’d last longer.”

“I…I didn’t mean to do it,” said Katana, weakly. “I just wanted to help people, to free the city from corrupted souls…”

“Oh, but I know that!” said Lelouch as he approached her and kneeled to look at her in the eyes. “But I said, you took innocent souls, and let the vilest of them go. This is for Pam.”

He punched her in the face.

“This is for Kara.”

He punched her again.

“This is for Jess.” 

And again, this time faster.

“This is for Karen.”

And again.

“This is for Zee!”

And again.

“THIS IS FOR BABS!”

And again.

“AND THIS IS FOR DIANA!!!!”

He gave her a punch in the face one last time, knocking her out. 

He backed off, panting from exhaustion, his knuckles were dirty with blood and hurt like hell. Lelouch grabbed his gun and pointed at the unconscious swordswoman, ready to take her life.

But then…He hesitated, but not out of regret or anything, but…Because he had a better idea.

He grabbed the Soultaker, pointed it at the sky and activated his Geass.

“Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…Release the souls you have absorbed!”

Suddenly, the Geass sigil appeared on the blade. The Soultaker started glowing, and all the souls left it, returning to their bodies.

Zero put on his mask, dropped Katana at the closest hospital, and headed to Babs’ house as soon as possible.

When he arrived, he could hear the voices of his friends. He did. He saved them. 

Lelouch hadn’t smiled like that in years. He took a deep breath, took off his mask, and entered the room, now that he had regained his cold facade.

“Lelouch!” The girls said in unison.

“W-What happened?” said Green Lantern, “We were on that roof, and then…”

“Everything has been dealt with, Green Lantern,” said Lelouch, “It took me a week, but I took care of everything, the swordswoman has been…Disposed of.” 

"Nice suit you've got," said Zatanna, "The black-and-silver suits you."

"Thank you," He then turned to the Amazon, “May I have a word with you, Diana?”

Diana nodded, and the two went outside Babs’ room.

“What is that you want to talk about, brother Lelouch?” She asked.

“Back on the roof, despite me being closer to get my soul taken, you pushed me away and took the hit for me.” He said, ”Why?”

Diana looked surprised, “Is it not obvious? You would have done the same thing for me, or any of us. And I knew you would-”

Lelouch hugged her, startling the Amazon at first.

“...Don’t you dare do that again.” He said, his tone shaking.

Diana smiled warmly and hugged the boy back. “I cannot promise that, Lelouch.”

Suddenly, Babs opened the door abruptly, her expression being a mix of shock and excitement.

“YOU HAVE YOUR BAT-SIGNAL?!?!” She said.

Lelouch, flustered, broke the hug immediately and faked a cough. “W-Well, that’s a long story…”

He entered the room again, pretending like nothing had happened. Diana was still a bit confused about the Knight’s sudden change in behaviour, but didn’t mind it. 

She knew that, deep down, Lelouch was really happy to see them again.

Later at night, at the local hospital, Tatsu was resting in her bed peacefully, despite all the wounds and the punches.

But unfortunately, she wasn't aware that she wasn't alone in the room. Lelouch appeared from the shadows, the bright Geass sigil in his left eye.

"You thought I'd just let you go, after all you've done to my comrades?" He said softly, but venomously. "No...I think you still have a use."

<-------To Be Continued---------

Chapter Text

Lelouch was getting dressed for the school day. This week would be full of events, from the volleyball match to the science fair to the debate club, and all of them would involve his good friend, Diana.

“You don't have to dress like that for school, you know.” C.C. commented, “Unless, of course, you want to look good for someone.”

Lelouch looked at himself in the mirror, wearing his black three-piece suit with the golden fleur-de-lys printed on the necktie.

“Nonsense,” He said, “I'm only dressing properly for the event. It's Diana's special week, after all.”

“Oh, so you want to look good for her.” C.C. taunted.

Lelouch rolled his eyes and left the house.

At Metropolis High, the match had already begun as Lelouch arrived in the gym.

“Lelouch! Over here!” Babs waved at him, and the Britannian boy approached them.

“Sorry if I’m late,” He said as he sat down next to Kara. “I had a little setback.”

“Eh, it’s fine,” said Babs, “What matters is that we’re all here to see Diana destroying the competition in this match!”

“And not only now, she’s gonna crush it at the Debate Club tomorrow!” said Jessica, “The other day, the topic was ‘paper or plastic?’ and Diana shut everyone down with reusable canvas bags!”

“She’s my Science Fair partner for Wednesday!” said Karen, “We’re gonna kill it with Ancient Greek alchemy!”

“And she’s gonna lead the marching band on Thursday!” said Babs.

Zee scoffed, “Oh, really? Diana’s gonna tear the house down with her role as Juliet in the play on Friday. My directorial debut will be fantastic!”

Lelouch chuckled softly, “Quite the busy week for our Princess. I’m sure she’ll simply be wonderfu-”

A young man with a fairly muscular build entered the gym: Tall, with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a tan shirt, brown trousers and matching shoes.

At the same time, Diana jumped high into the air and was about to hit the volleyball until she noticed the young man entering. Her eyes widened and started sparkling. For a moment, nothing else in the universe existed but him.

…But unfortunately for Diana, reality disagreed, and the ball hit her right in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.

The crowd winced. The Knights were totally confused.

“...What,” said Lelouch.

“W-What just happened?” said Karen.

For some bizarre reason (or perhaps not so bizarre), Diana was completely unfocused, and that caused everytime to get hit by the ball, making the match end 25-15…For the other team.

Later, only the Knights remained on the stands, even more shocked and confused than before.

“What the HELL was that?!” said Lelouch.

The Knights approached a dazed Diana, who was lying on the ground, murmuring incoherently while being a blushing mess.

“Diana? Diana!” Jessica poked Diana’s cheek, but with no response.

“INCOMIIIIIIIING!!!!” Babs threw a bucket of water at Diana, making her snap out of her trance.

“What…What happened?” She asked.

“You were doing well during the match…But when a blonde boy with blue eyes entered the gym, your performance tanked harder than Wall Street in ‘29,” said Lelouch.

“Basically, yeah,” said Kara.

“‘Boy’? You mean…Steve?” said Diana, uttering that name with awe. “Incredibly handsome, alluring, more-beautiful-than-Adonis, Steve?”

Hearing this description of Steve, Lelouch felt…Something, down in his heart. He couldn’t exactly get what he was feeling, but it was something he didn’t like.

“Oh, rea-” Lelouch put his hand on his mouth immediately the moment he realised his tone sounded…Venomous? Why was he venomous?

“Uh…Yeah, I guess that’s him,” said Karen.

“But why would Steve affect my performance? I barely know him,” said Diana “He's only the first boy I ever saw when I arrived in the World of Man from Themyscira.”

Then, Steve returned to the gym, and in that instant, Diana fell once again into that state of trance.

“Oh, hey, Diana, great to see you again.” He said. He then noticed the other Knights. “Oh, and your pals here, too. Hi!”

“Hi…” The girls said in unison. Lelouch remained silent.

“Listen, Diana, I wanted to tell you the big news since we’re buds,” said Steve, “I…Didn’t get to the Military Academy like I wanted, so looks like I’ll stay here at Metropolis High with you all!”

As Steve kept talking, Diana was still in ‘Lovestruck mode’ while Jessica noticed something was off with Lelouch: He was giving an oblivious Steve a death glare so intense it felt like the Black Knight was restraining himself from strangling him this instant.

“Well, I have to go now, lots of extracurricular stuff to do,” said Steve. “I’ll see you around, Diana. Good game, by the way.”

Diana spouted some lovey-dovey nonsense as, distracted, she walked backwards into the volleyball net, which threw to the other side of the room and caused the volleyballs to swarm around the gym.

“We…Have a problem.” said Zee, “A really big one.”

“The Amazons prepared her for everything except talking to boys,” said Jessica. She glanced at Lelouch, who was glaring at the door. “Uh…Lelouch?”

“Hmm?” Lelouch snapped out of it, “I’ll…I’ll go home now, I’m not feeling well.”

He left, leaving the non-lovestruck Knights rather puzzled.

“What’s with him?” Kara asked.

“I don’t know, he’s also acting weird,” said Jess.

Lelouch walked through the hallways with a certain urgency.

“What’s gotten to me?” He thought, “Why did I feel so….Furious at that boy?”

“I didn’t know you were the jealous type,” C.C. commented.

“What are you talking about now?” said Lelouch, annoyed.

“I mean, why else would you glare at a guy you’ve just met?” said C.C. “You’re jealous because Diana is in love with the first guy she has met, and you are in love with-”

“Not another word,” Lelouch interjected, “I did it because…Because…Because that boy only distracts Diana! The moment he enters her field of vision, she completely loses it. What if it happens during battle? That’d be disastrous.”

The week that followed went completely against the Knights’ predictions, and it’s all due to one simple variable: Steve Trevor.

From the debate match to the science fair to the play, every single one of those events ended up in disaster due to Diana getting distracted.

And after the final straw during Zee’s play, Lelouch decided to summon an emergency meeting of the Knights of Metropolis…Without Diana.

But then, much to the Knight’s surprise, one of the girls arrived at the hideout earlier than he expected…Jessica.

“You’re early, Jessica,” said Lelouch, donning his Zero costume (minus the mask) and not looking at the Green Lantern. 

“I wanted to talk with you, Lelouch,” said Jessica, a bit nervous, “...In private.”

“Go on, then,” said Lelouch, “What’s so important that you want to talk about?”

“Back in the gym, I’ve noticed that you were…Glaring at Steve Trevor, like you were jealous of something. I know that you’re not a fan of talking about your feelings, but tell me…Are you in love with Diana, Lelouch?”

Once again, Lelouch’s train of thought went so fast that it felt to him that Time froze. 

“Me? In love? With Diana?! Why would she think of that?!” He thought, “Diana is…A friend! Yes, only a friend, nothing more. If I'd fall in love with someone…”

Suddenly, memories about Shirley flashed into his mind, making his tone and expression become…Colder.

“...They'd be just taken away from me.”

Jessica was getting a little anxious about Lelouch’s silence. “Uh…It's okay if you don't want to answe-”

“Listen very carefully, Jessica Cruz.” Lelouch turned. “I will fall in love with a person the day Hell freezes over. I don't need anyone but my sister.”

He put on his mask. “Tell the girls that the meeting has been cancelled.”

He left the hideout, leaving Jess surprised by Lelouch's harsh reaction.

“I hope I didn't mess up…” She thought.

Meanwhile, Zero swung from building to building, patrolling the streets of Metropolis to keep his mind busy.

He then landed on a roof and admired the view.

“You didn't have to be so rude to Jessica, you know?” C.C. appeared, “She was just asking a question.”

“A question that was none of her business and incredibly inappropriate.” Lelouch replied, “I'm just worried for Diana, but apparently I can't be because I'm a boy, so I must be in love!”

“Someone who isn't in love wouldn't glare at a potential rival like that,” said C.C., “And I'm the only person who knows when you lie or not, I am in your head, after all.”

“Then you know damn well that I’m telling the truth. I admit she’s attractive, but that’s the same as stating that the sky is blue. I am not in love with anyone,” said Lelouch, “Now, if you excuse me, I have a flimsy crush to crush under my boot.”

“What are you planning to do with Steve Trevor? I’m all ears,” C.C. asked.

“I’m gonna use your very generous gift on him,” Lelouch explained, “And then I’ll force him to reject Diana’s feelings, breaking her heart so that she can finally return to normal!”

“Wouldn’t that make the situation worse?” C.C. asked, “Going from lovesick to heartbroken?”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” replied Lelouch with a certain coldness, “Diana’s strong, she’ll get over it. I shouldn’t do this as ‘Zero, ’ though, it’s unnecessary.”

Lelouch turned, but C.C. disappeared.

“...Ran out of comments to do, C.C.?” He said, “Alright, time to begin Operation: Heartcrusher.”

It was late evening, and Steve Trevor had just arrived at Metropolis High.

He wasn’t fully sure what he was doing here; he was just following the letter he received from his friend Diana, which told him they had to talk on the roof of the school. An unusual hour to go here (and it was also weird that he found the door open), but he didn’t mind; it must have been urgent.

“I wonder what she wants from me?” Steve thought as he went up the stairs.

When he arrived on the roof, Steve didn’t find Diana, but…Lelouch, dressed in his Ashford Academy uniform.

“I was waiting for you, Steve Trevor,” He said, “Diana will not come. I wrote the letter to bring you here. We need to talk. In fact…”

He activated his Geass.

“Unless I snap my fingers, you will follow my commands and answer my questions.”

The Geass took effect on Steve.

“Sure, dude.” He said, smiling.

“What do you think of Diana Prince?” Lelouch asked.

“Oh, well…” said Steve, “Diana’s great. She's kind to everyone, she's smart, strong and really pretty, too.” 

“Really pretty? How shallow.” Lelouch glared, “What are your intentions with Diana Prince? Do you have a crush on her?”

“No, I don't,” said Steve, “She's just a great friend.”

A grin appeared on the Britannian boy's face. Everything was going better than he planned, Steve Trevor doesn't reciprocate her feelings! The only thing he needs to do is to order him to reject Diana…

…But then, Lelouch hesitated.

“I…I can't,” He said softly, “I can't do it, it's too cruel.”

'But enslaving Tatsu Yamashiro isn’t cruel?” C.C. appeared.

“That's different!” Lelouch objected, “She had signed her death warrant the moment she attacked them, but this…Diana doesn't deserve this.”

“Then, what’s your plan?” C.C. asked.

Lelouch snapped his fingers, freeing Steve from the Geass.

“Forget this conversation, Steve Trevor.” He headed towards the door until…

“Wait!” said Steve, “You’re Diana’s friend, right?”

“Yes, I am,” said Lelouch, “That’s why I ask you to forget about the letter and that you’ve seen me here.”

A soft, friendly smile appeared on Steve’s face. “Oh, I see. You were worried about her, weren’t you?”

Lelouch’s eyes widened, but then he regained some composure. “...Yes. I suppose you could say that.”

Then, Steve received a phone call.

“Hello?” He answered, “Yes…Yes…Really?! Thank you so much, sir!” He closed the call.

“What’s the matter?” Lelouch asked.

“It was a call from the Military Academy, I got in!” said Steve. “I have to go now, say Diana hi  for me!”

Steve left, leaving Lelouch rather confused.

“Uh. That was easy.” C.C. commented.

“Too easy, even,” said Lelouch, “Perhaps some of the Knights have intervened earlier. Possibly Batgirl, knowing her.”

“Looks like you didn’t need to do anything,” said C.C. “Congratulations, you can keep going with hiding your feelings under the rug.”

Normally, Lelouch would have replied with a snarky comment, but this time…He limited himself to just glaring at C.C., and then he left, just like that.

Lelouch remained silent throughout the entire journey home in the taxi, for he was deep inside his thoughts. He should be glad, a threat to his team has been neutralised, and yet, he felt…Empty.

He thought about Jessica’s question and C.C.’s comment; the thought of him being in love with the Princess of the Amazons filled the Britannian boy with dread. Not because she was awful or anything, but because it meant one thing: 

After all this time, Lelouch was regaining his heart.

<---To Be Continued-----

Chapter Text

Lelouch was…Nervous. He didn’t know why, but he was very nervous.

Well, his behaviour was understandable, after what happened with the ‘Steve Trevor’ affair, he had no idea how to act with the Knights, or rather…With Diana.

“Oh, I don't know, maybe you should…Just talk to her normally?* C.C. commented with snark.

“I…Can't,” said Lelouch, “I can't even look at her in the eyes without getting flustered, and this is all your fault!”

“Moi?” C.C. raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, you!” said Lelouch, accusatorily. “It's your fault for putting these weird thoughts inside my head!”

“Come on, Lelouch, there's nothing wrong with being attracted to a pretty girl,” said C.C., “Though I thought you preferred redheads, like Babs and Pamela. They're both sweet and adorable, aren't they?”

“...So was Shirley,” said Lelouch coldly, as he fixed his Ashford Academy uniform. He turned to the girl with a look of someone who was holding back his tears. “And we all know how lively she is now, don't we?”

He left home.

Lelouch was in a taxi, heading towards the school, while still deep in his thoughts. He knew that he was not in love; he refused to think he was, but he couldn't help but wonder...What made him feel like this?

"It's...It's just that I'm still shocked that she saved me during the kerfuffle with Katana, that's all. I'm not some blushing schoolgirl who falls in love with their rescuer, I'm the one who rescues people!"

"Maybe, but you're definitely a blushing schoolboy," C.C. commented.

"Can it," Lelouch whispered, so that the taxi driver wouldn't hear it.

The taxi arrived at Metropolis High. Lelouch headed to the entrance, glancing around to see if Diana was nearby.

"Until this odd behaviour of mine vanishes, it's better if I keep interactions with her to a minimum." He thought.

But unfortunately for him, the Britannian teen heard a female voice calling him:

"Brother Lelouch!"

It was Diana. Lelouch took a deep breath, put on a fake smile and turned to face her.

"Oh, good morning, Diana." He said. "Are the girls inside already?"

"No, I believe you and I are the first," said Diana, "Shall we wait for them together?"

"No, thank you," said Lelouch, the smile looking even more forced. "I...I have to go now. I'll see you later in class."

"Very well," said Diana, "Oh, and remember your training session later today!"

"...Of course," He said and left.

C.C. appeared, "You...You're going to train with Diana?"

"Yes, I am."

The green-haired woman glanced at Lelouch's build. She knew very well that he gets tired really easily without his Zero suit. "Are you suicidal?"

"Possibly," said Lelouch, "Diana couldn't train with Tatsu because of...'Reasons', so I offered myself instead to divert her attention."

"Oh, yeah, Tatsu! The girl whom you enslaved to be your puppet," said C.C.

"I've enslaved a murderer. Stop trying to make me feel bad, because it doesn't work," said Lelouch. “Oh, it’s gonna be torture…Both physical and mental.”

Later, Lelouch was in the gym, waiting for Diana to finish getting dressed for the training. Lelouch was wearing just a black shirt with a silver version of the Ashford emblem, a pair of dark shorts with matching sports shoes. After a few minutes, Diana arrived in her workout outfit: A magenta sports bra with blue yoga pants and red sports shoes, along with having her hair tied into a ponytail. Lelouch couldn’t help but give some glances at the Amazon's well-toned abs…

“Whoa, look at those,” said C.C., deadpan.

“You're not helping, C.C.” Lelouch whispered, annoyed.

“Who says I want to help?’ said C.C., smirking

“Is there something wrong?” Diana asked.

“...Nothing,” said Lelouch, blushing a little. “It's just that…You…You look nice.”

“Thank you,” Diana smiled. “Now, let us begin with some boxing.”

And so, the sparring matches begin. Of course, Diana was the better fighter between the two, but Lelouch was great in defence. But alas, it wasn’t enough for her, and she managed to accidentally pin him down.

“As expected, you’re an excellent tactician," said Diana, as if there was nothing wrong. “Keeping up with the defence, knowing your opponent has higher strength.”

Lelouch didn’t reply, for at the moment, he was screaming internally from pure embarrassment. Then, he managed to move Diana away and ran towards the locker room as fast as he could, hiding his blushing face with his hands.

When he arrived in the locker room, he sat down. His heartbeat was as fast as a drum.

“Whoa, calm down, take deep breaths.” C.C. sat down next to him.

“She…She was so close…” Lelouch panted, “I felt like I was about to have a bloody heart attack…What's gotten into me?!”

“You’re starting to realise that Diana is also a girl, other than just your fellow ‘knight’, a really pretty girl,” said C.C., “Perfectly normal, you are a teenager. I wouldn't be surprised if you start to be like this with others, too. Jessica and Zee are very pretty too, Babs is adorable and Kara-”

“HA! As if I'd do something like this with that alien gorilla,” said Lelouch. He took a deep breath, “I should not feel like this. I am growing too attached to the girls, then that means…”

“Lelouch?” Diana knocked on the door outside. “I know you are in the changing room, but…May I come in? If you’re decent, of course.”

“...You may,” said Lelouch, and Diana came in. “Sorry if I made you worry.”

“No, it is alright,” said Diana, with a reassuring smile, which soon faltered. “It’s just that…I was wondering if I did something to anger you. Was it because I pinned you down?”

“Yes, actually.” This is what Lelouch would have wanted to say, but instead he said. “No, it’s not your fault, I’m…Not feeling well recently.”

“Is there something I can do?” Diana asked.

“Come on, tell her,” said C.C. “If there’s anyone who wouldn’t judge you, it’s probably her.”

Lelouch contemplated it for a while. Then, he said something he never thought he’d say:

“Diana…What…What do you think of…Me?”

Diana looked surprised by the Britannian boy, but then she spoke:

“I think…You’re extraordinary, Lelouch.” She began, “A masterful tactician, cunning like Odysseus, and, despite being rather physically weak, you’re the first to jump into the battle. And then, there’s the way you treat your little sister, always by her side, no matter what happens.” She smiled, “And...You're like the brother I never had, Lelouch."

Lelouch felt...Odd. Normally, he wouldn't mind Diana calling him 'brother' - he was her brother-in-arms, after all - But this time...He felt something he didn't recognise. Was it disappointment? Sadness? Betrayal?

...Anger?

Seeing the boy's expression so...Lifeless, Diana started to get worried. "Lelouch? Are you-" She tried to extend a hand, but then-

"Don't touch me." He replied, his RP accent crept in as he shot her with an ice-cold glare, shooting her attempt down."I will be going home now. Leave, Diana."

"But-"

"Don't make me force you, Diana." Lelouch threatened, "Leave."

Diana nodded reluctantly. “...Very well. See you tomorrow, Lelouch.” She left, leaving the Knight alone with his thoughts…And C.C.

“...Okay, what the hell was that?" She said.

Lelouch didn't reply. Instead, he got dressed in his Ashford Academy uniform and left.

While in the taxi, Lelouch, as usual, was deep in his thoughts…Which sometimes can be a bad thing.

“I am Zero, I’m not allowed to be normal, I’m not allowed to be happy. I lost that privilege a long time ago; Shirley’s death confirmed it, and the fight with Katana reminded me. Growing fond of the Knights was stupidly foolish of me; I have to keep the illusion of my invincibility. After all…The Power of the Kings leads to a path of solitude, doesn’t it, C.C.?”

Lelouch’s typical cocky smirk appeared on his face, trying to seem like he was completely fine with it, but of course…This was just one of the many lies he has said since his mother’s death. 

And a tear fell down his face. Lelouch wished he could believe his own lies.

<----To Be Continued---------