The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics

"Clang!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing rang out as Courtney raised the golden Star-Scepter, deflecting the incoming rapier.

As the Star-Scepter was raised, the other attacker was revealed: a figure with a gray hockey mask, golden hair, dressed in black, with a complete bracer on his left arm.

"Sportsmaster," Wally said, pulling Courtney away from the two attackers.

"Not bad, kids," Sportsmaster said, holding his rapier in front of him. "Even though I was warned, dodging two surprise attacks means you've got some skill."

"What's your purpose here?" Wally asked, no longer concerned about Courtney; he needed to know why these two supervillains were here.

"That's none of your business," Sportsmaster retorted, brandishing his rapier. "That little girl's got the Star-Scepter, huh? Didn't expect such a pleasant surprise."

Starman was a well-known superhero for a long time. Although he passed away many years ago and the general public may have forgotten him, supervillains who frequently dealt with superheroes naturally knew a lot about their opponents.

"Deathstroke, that thing's worth a lot. We're taking it back," Sportsmaster said, pointing his rapier at the Star-Scepter in Courtney's hand.

"I work for money," Deathstroke replied impassively. "That wasn't part of our original agreement. If you want my help, you'll have to pay extra."

"Forget it. I can't afford your price," Sportsmaster said, unfazed.

"Then stick to the original plan: kill those two kids. I'll handle the Star-Scepter."

"Understood." Before Deathstroke finished speaking, he drew a pistol with his free hand and fired at Wally without hesitation.

"Bang!"

With a deafening gunshot, Wally abandoned all pretense. He was wearing a mask anyway, so the worst that could happen was Courtney finding out. As long as the villains didn't know, it wasn't so bad.

Golden electricity crackled around Wally, and in the blink of an eye, he had dashed to the gymnasium door, only to freeze in dismay. The once-open doors were now tightly shut.

"Kid Flash?"

Wally turned back. Sportsmaster had already said his codename. Even with the mask, Wally could sense the excitement in the other man's eyes.

"Looks like the Star-Scepter isn't the only surprise," Sportsmaster said with a smile. "Today might be my lucky day. I can take out two teenage heroes in one go."

Sportsmaster saw Courtney with the Star-Scepter and naturally assumed she was a member of the Young Justice League. What he didn't know was that one of them was a novice and the other was retired.

Wally couldn't make light of the situation. He stared intently at the two masked men, while Courtney's mind was reeling.

'Wally's Kid Flash!' Courtney was so distracted by this shocking news that she didn't notice the tense standoff.

"Focus, Stargirl!" Wally shouted without turning around. Courtney was a beat late in snapping back to attention.

"Are you talking to me?" Courtney asked, pointing at herself in confusion.

"Yes," Wally said. "That's your codename. I just came up with it. Being a superhero isn't a game. Be careful."

Stargirl took a deep breath, raised the Star-Scepter, and adopted a fighting stance. "Save that for yourself, Kid Flash," she said.

"Full of spirit, but useless," Sportsmaster said, reaching behind him and pulling a boomerang from his belt. He threw it.

Stargirl raised the Star-Scepter, ready to knock the boomerang away, when she heard the sound of breaking glass from her side, followed by a piercing screech, like a raptor preparing to hunt.

As soon as they heard the screech, a huge shadow broke through the darkness and swooped down in front of Stargirl.

"Whoosh!"

The sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air rang out, and the boomerang was instantly cut in half. When everyone came to their senses, they saw a huge creature, a hybrid of human and raptor, standing between them.

In the light of the Star-Scepter, the bronze feathers gleamed. White bandoliers looked like overalls strapped to the birdman's massive pectorals. Sharp black blades extended from his elbows, and his four dark eagle claws were equally intimidating.

A mask like a wrestler's covered the birdman's head, but his sharp eagle eyes were visible, their piercing gaze making it hard to meet his stare.

"Kids are like the eight or nine o'clock sun. It's always good to be energetic," the birdman said with a smile, his beak curving upward.

"Instead of bullying children, why don't you try your hand with me?"

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"What the hell are you?" Sportsmaster asked, staring at the sudden appearance of the birdman. "Did Hawkman have a throwback?"

"Hey, Kid Flash," Stargirl asked Wally, "Do you know this guy who suddenly appeared?"

"I should know him, right?" Wally had an idea, but he wasn't sure if he was right. The birdman had his back to him, so he couldn't see if he had an Omnitrix symbol on him.

"Leave this to me," Yang Le said, turning to Wally and Courtney. "You two should go home early. I still need to fulfill my guardian duties."

Hearing the word 'guardian,' Wally knew who it was. He was right. The birdman who suddenly appeared was Yang Le.

"You should be able to run out through the window I broke," Yang Le said, slicing a bullet fired by Deathstroke in half. "Now, let's let Blade Falcon play with you."

"Blade Falcon? Never heard of him," Sportsmaster said, pulling a baseball bat from his back and charging at Yang Le. He didn't know who Yang Le was, but it couldn't hurt to capture him. The Illuminati loved these bizarre creatures.

Yang Le raised his arm and elbowed Sportsmaster hard. This was why Yang Le liked Blade Falcon; he could elbow and show off his chicken feet. It was too comprehensive.

"Crack."

The blade met the bat, and sparks flew immediately. It seemed Sportsmaster's bat was not ordinary, or it would have been cut in two.

Unfortunately, while the weapon was good, their physical abilities were worlds apart. As soon as they made contact, a huge force was transmitted from the bat to his body. His arms went numb, and he almost lost his grip on the bat.

Yang Le grinned. Like he said, Blade Falcon could elbow and show off his chicken feet.