Barely having any time to react after Lex finished speaking, his armour glowed before his right fist shot forward and crashed into my stomach, spittle flying from my lips as I was sent hurtling through the fog.
The aching burn of kryptonite seeping into my skin had pain exploding in my torso and I gritted my teeth, forcing my body to recover midair as I flipped over onto my feet on a rooftop.
Luthor was not too far behind as he landed a few feet in front of me, his boots clicking against the rooftop as the man adjusted his gauntlets and looked at me with an eerily calm expression.
"I am quite disappointed. I expected more resilience, more tenacity, more ferocity. You are the perfected model, the better one compared to Match." His gaze was that of a scientist observing a test subject as he walked closer and I clenched my fists, ignoring my body screaming in pain as the krypnonite slowly sapped my strength away.
"I…don't need lectures from a bald megalomaniac in a tin can, especially when said person is nothing but a vision made by his stupid Meta-Gene."
"Ah, but you do, Superboy. After all, this little confrontation is necessary if you wish to grow in power." Luthor spoke with a smirk and I charged in, swinging a punch aimed straight at his smug face.
He sidestepped with a smirk while catching my arm in his left gauntlet, the touch of the metal instantly making my vision flicker with blots of green light while I felt pain slowly seeping in from the impact area.
"Do you feel that?" He asked as he leaned down, a wide smirk on his smirk as he slowly turned my arm just enough for me to wince at the spikes of pain.
"That's your own body rejecting its limitations. You were designed to be better than Superman in every way. To be stronger, faster, more durable and above all else, smarter! Yet, you limit yourself with this weakness for sentimentality."
'That's because I'm not the fucking weapon anymore, dickhead!' I snarled as I yanked my arm free with brute force before delivering a heavy high kick to his helmet.
Unfortunately, the kryptonite's negative effects seemed to be worse over time as while the kick did sent him stumbling back, he barely looked fazed as he simply rose an eyebrow and looked at me.
"There's what I'm looking for. That raw aggression, the potential for greater things. The kryptonite should have weakened you and yet look at how strong you still are, Superboy! Let go of your weakness and stop holding back!"
"Do not listen to him. This is not Lex Luthor but simply an apparition made by his Meta-Gene." Connor's voice echoed in my mind and I didn't respond as I took a deep breath before spitting out a bit of blood to the side.
With a grunt, I rushed at him again, feinting a right hook before ducking low to the other side and connecting a punch to his left side.
The suit gave slightly under the force of my punch and Lex did grunt as the punch shifted him slightly to the side, but his counter was immediate and I hissed as his knee to my right ribs sent me sprawling across the ground.
The blow sent me flying from one rooftop and ragdolling across the next, slamming into an air conditioning unit on the third and I coughed up a mouthful of blood as the brief exposure to kryptonite had hit me a bit too hard.
"You know, Superboy, if you just accept what you are, what I made you to be, we would not be struggling like this." Lex spoke with a smirk as he landed on the rooftop and I shook my head while standing up, wiping the blood from my lips.
"Yeah? And what exactly do you think I am?"
"A weapon. My weapon."
"Yeah? Well, screw that." With a glare and without warning, I dug my fingers into the rooftop before ripping half of it up, Lex looking a bit surprised as rubble came falling down onto him.
He rapidly punched at the rubble, but it blocked his vision of me and that was the opening I needed as I lunged forward.
His eyes widened as I burst through the rubble, ignoring the pain that began as I got closer before slamming my fist into his helmet, cracking the visor and making even more of the roof crumble down as he stumbled back with a surprised look.
"Guess this weapon's got a mind of his own and right now, it's decided on making sure you can't ever eat solid food again." His expression darkened and the glow from his suit intensified as he growled.
"So be it." Before I could react, he pressed something on the back of his left gauntlet and suddenly, the entire rooftop was bathed in a sickly green light.
The Kryptonite radiation immediately impacted my body as every limb went limp, my joints locking up and my jaw clenching as my vision blurred while every muscle screamed in agony.
"You look disappointed. Did you expect a fair fight?" He asked, his voice filled with a mocking and amused tone as he turned down the radiation and I felt my body going limp as ragged breaths filled my lungs.
"I…expected a challenge. Not an old man…in a metal suit." I shot back, forcing myself to my feet and spat to the side while shaking off the disorientation.
"Oh, child, you're still clinging to that childish bravado, as if it meant anything, but deep down, you and I know the truth." He spoke mockingly as he raised a gauntleted hand, the suit humming and radiating a sickly green glow.
"You were built to fail." A surge of energy blasted from his palms and I barely had time to cross my arms in front of me before the force of the blast sent my flying backwards.
I could feel my stomach lurch as I was sent crashing through a building and I tried to orient myself, but my eyes widened as I fell right through the floor and into the abyss below it.
'W-What?! Where's the ground?!' A cold sensation gripped my heart and dread took over my body as I continued falling before…the world snapped into focus.
I gasped as I found myself standing perfectly still in the middle of Metropolis yet it was not Metropolis at the same time.
The buildings stretched impossibly high, disappearing into the mist and the streets were empty as I could not feel any wind nor hear a single sound.
It was just me…and Luthor standing across from me, his arms folded behind his back like a disappointed teacher as realization hit me slowly but surely.
"This…this isn't real. That's…why I can't hear Connor. We're in my subconscious mind or something." I muttered, my brain trying its best to make sense of my situation as I glanced down at my hands.
They didn't feel any different, but I couldn't shake the sensation that something was off, creeping up my spine like an itch I couldn't exactly get to.
"Clever boy, but does that knowledge actually help you?" Lex asked as he tilted his head and I clenched my fists as I felt frustration boiling beneath my skin.
If I can't hear Connor inside my own head, then this was no longer just a simple telepathic dream.
Was it a vision? A test? A way to see if I was mentally capable?
No. Not, it was not.
This…this was a fight.
'Fine then.' I thought as I exhaled sharply, unclenching my hands and rolling my neck as Lex slowly let his arms rest at his side.
'If this was a battle in my mind…' Hopping from foot to foot, the weakness of his kryptonite radiation slowly began to settle in before I shook it off and crouched down.
'Then I'm going to win this on my terms!' I shot forward, my feet barely touching the ground before I was on Luthor and swinging a right hook towards his helmet.
His armoured left forearm quickly blocked the strike, sending a flash of my pain through my bones, but I did not stop.
Twisting around while pushing his arm away, I drove my right knee towards his chest only for him to catch it midway and slam me back first into the street.
The impact shattered the road below me and pain stabbed into my as he lifted a foot and pushed down onto my chest.
"You don't get it." He spoke as he pushed down, resting an arm on his knee and making me grit my teeth as I struggled to push his leg off.
"It does not matter how hard you fight. You were engineered to be weaker, to be weaker. You were always designed to be less than him!"
'Superman.' That one word, unspoken yet spoke at the same time, made my blood boil and I growled as I placed my hands on the ground with a glare.
Lex looked both amused and surprised as I slowly pushed myself up, not even caring for the foot trying to push me back as I fell backwards before twisting and spinning out from under it.
'Forget what Batman said! Forget what you want to do! Forget technique! Forget skill! Forget finesse! This time! This time, I'm going with nothing but power, determination and sheer fucking will!' I roared as I leapt up with a spinning backfist, Lex staggering backwards as my fist tore right through his helmet and tore it off.
"Good. You're learning." He spoke with a smirk but I didn't care as he charged at me, lifting my arms and hissing as his fist slammed into my ribs and lifted me off my feet.
Yet even as pain exploded in my side, I gritted my teeth and swung back, connecting with his jaw and knocking it loose as his jaw hung before he snapped it back…and laughed.
He retaliated with a brutal kick to my stomach and I gagged as the air was ripped from my body, but I refused to fall and grabbed onto his arm before yanking him forward.
Pulling him off balance, I swung my head forward and drove my forehead into his chestplate, cracking it upon impact before I blinked as he actually fell to a knee while his suit flickered.
'Found the weak spot!' My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I took a step forward, watching as Luthor steadied himself while slowly standing up with narrowed eyes.
"I see. You're waking up." He muttered and I opened my mouth to reply before I feltit.
It started as a slow burn in my core, like a furnace being stoked as the heat spread through my veins, my muscles, my very soul.
Lex must have seen it on my face because for the first time since we started this battle, I watched as his smirk vanished before mine grew as I clenched my fists.
"Heh, yeah…I think I am." I spoke with a deep breath and as I looked at him, I slowly lowered myself slightly before I moved.
This time though, I was surprised as I felt my body to be faster and stronger than a few minutes ago, ducking under his initial swing before spinning around as his punch missed me.
Pulling my own fist back, I lunged forward and delivered a fist straight into his chest, watching as his suit flickered violently this time and the kryptonite glow dimmed significantly for a few seconds.
"No! You're supposed to be weaker!" He hissed as he stumbled back before reorienting himself, swinging another punch that I moved out of the way off as I smirked.
"I was. Now, I'm not." I shot back while rushing forward, delivering a haymaker that not only had him gasping for air for the first time since our battle again but also made the cityscape around us flicker and distort with its trembling.
Reaching forward and grabbing Lex by the collar, I lifted him up before pulling my head back and with a final grin, swung forward and delivered a final headbutt right into his head.
A burning hot surge of energy erupted from my body as I sent him blasting through building after building and as I watched him fly, I gasped as my body locked up before darkness consumed me once more.
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Jerking awake and flying up from my sleeping position, I rested a hand on my chest as it fell and rose rapidly, my heartbeat drumming in my chest as I felt my senses being driven into overdrive.
"Chris!" I blinked as I slowly looked towards the side right as Megan hugged me from the side, a bit confused at the panic in her voice before looking to Connor only to be even further confused by the relief in his mind.
"Uh, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean what's wrong?! You were gone for an hour! Both Connor and I thought we'd have to get my uncle because you didn't even respond when we both tried to look for you."
"Connor, how bad?"
"You were far too deep for either of us to feel your mind. It felt as if you were…dead." Connor spoke and I blinked before slowly sighing as I reached forward and wrapped my arms around Megan.
"I apologize for that. I did not think that it would take that long."
"It's okay." She answered and we just sat like that, soft humming making my chest rumble as I kept my arms around her while closing my eyes.
"Uh, C-Chris?"
"Yeah?" I asked as I continued humming, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as I kept my arms around Megan
"Since when can you fly?"
"Oh, I can't."
"You're flying." Connor spoke and I blinked before slowly looking down and staring in shock at my body being a few inches away from the bed.
"…Megan, are you playing with me?" I asked and in response, she slowly shook her head while floating backwards, an excited gasp escaping her lips and Connor's happiness flowing through our link as I continued to stay up.
Slowly shifting my body while softly kicking at the air, I couldn't help my excited grin as I floated through the air, grunting as I bumped back first into the wall behind me before looking at Megan as she let out an excited squeal.
"We need to go outside!" She exclaimed and I blinked as she grabbed my arm before I found myself being pulled alongside her, Connor having crawled under my shirt and having a tight grip on the back of my neck as we flew through the cave.
"Hey, Megan! Hey…Chris?" Wally looked confused as he tilted his head when we flew past, Kaldur and Richard looking just as confused and surprised as Megan led me out of the cave and up above the forest around the mountain.
"Uh, now that we're outside, I don't think I'm ready…"
"Nonsense! It's easy! Just think of moving in that direction and slowly pushed yourself around." Megan spoke with an excited smile as she floated upwards and I frowned while biting my lip as I slowly pushed down.
'O-Okay, Chris. S-Slow…and steady…' I grunted as I slowly floated upwards, spinning and twisting a bit but Megan clapped and squealed as I floated up to her with a relieved smile.
"See?! It's easy." She spoke with a smile as she flew up while spinning through the air and I watched her fly before blinking as Connor spoke in my mind.
"Do not fear. Do not hesitate. It's all a leap of faith." Turning my head slightly to gaze at him, he looked back and I chuckled at his thumbs-up before nodding as I took a deep breath.
I slowly lowered myself before kicking the air below me as hard as I could and the next moment, my eyes widened as I shot right past Megan and right up towards the clouds above us.
"Too much! Too much!" I hissed as I spun and kicked the air again, wincing at the air popping behind me before I shot back down, but this time, I forced myself to spin around and threw Connor up into the air right as I slammed feet first into the ground.
Forcing myself to keep moving, I leapt up and caught Connor with a spin right as he began falling down, spinning and throwing him towards Megan before kicking off the air more softly this time.
The force was not enough to sent me flying, but I grunted as I just barely flew above the tree tops, twisting and turning my body as I flew slower this time and only slid across the ground with a groan.
"Hah…hah…that…was awesome." I muttered and turned as Megan landed behind me, sharing an amused smile with her before turning right as Wally, Kaldur and Richard walked out of the cave with shocked looks.
"Did…I just see what I thought I saw?" Richard asked with a blink of his eyes and Megan and I looked at each other before we turned back and nodded in unison.
"We unlocked my Meta-Gene!"
"…It's always when I'm not around."
A/N: And just like that, another member of the team got a power boost~!
However, this is not actual flight if I can say that. It is based on the Tactile Telekinesis that Superboy has in the comics except it has a lot more limitations to weaken it somewhat at the start.
Although, as he grows stronger and masters it more, it will also get more and more stronger.
Hence, why he's not exactly flying. He's hovering, but he has to hit the air and use it in a quick one-second burst to send himself flying in one direction instead of consistently flying as he pleases.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!