Darkseid had made it easily through his bracket.
He paralyzed Parallax, having given the creature a true understanding of fear. “For there is no one as fear-inducing as I.” he said. Punctuating the remark, by throwing Parallax to the ground in sign of his victory.
Next up, The Manhunter. “Your weakness is fire, Martian. You and I both know this. I live in a world of my own making, where fire is more common than soil.” That match was over quickly, indeed. Darkseid wondered to himself. “Competition. I’ve hard more difficulty putting on my dressing gown in the morning.”
Power girl was next. “She is quite beautiful.” he thought as the matchup announcements were made. Without hesitation he pulled out the anti-life equation, and Power Girl was quickly bent to his will. She followed him around as befits as love-sick puppy. “An apt analogy, I suppose. I have made her my bitch, after all.”
The bracket final was ready. “Ah…a kryptonian. Finally a passable, if barely passable, advisory.” The battle was fierce, as spectators looked on. Cheering for Supergirl, their echoing chants filling the stadium. “Enough play acting. What better way to crush the spirts of the assembled.” Darkseid thought. His Omega Beams lashed out, tracking Kara as she flew around. Thinking she could employ a trick she had used in their last battle. She maneuvered so the beams would come at her and she would reach the back of the mighty Darkseid. She would then flint in an instant and his own beams would strike him in the back.
As Supergirl flew the towards his back, “He won’t see this coming.” she thought to herself. It was a shame that Kara had forgotten the speed which Darkseid possesses. Certainly the equal of any kryptonian. Darkseid spun, grabbing the Girl of Steel and keeping her in place. The Omega Beams struck Supergirl, leaving her dazed. Wrapping his hands around her chin and shoulder, Darkseid whispered into her ear. “Concede this paltry contest and I won’t snap your neck.” Now remembering Darksied’s physical prowess to do exactly what he had described, The Maiden of Might tapped out.
Babs road to the finals had been far more difficult. Fortunately, she had thought to bring more batarangs than GA had arrows in his quiver. The battle of long range attacks eventually got closer. She got the better of GA, with a roundhouse kick to his face that left him stunned just long enough to put him down for the count.
2nd round and Damian attacked with ferocity. Babs avoid and blocked most of his blows and landed a few of her own. Yet his undoing was the twisting of Damian’s wrist which caused him to drop the sword he had brought. Thinking he could use it to offset his obvious height disadvantage. Damian was taught a valuable lesson that day…never underestimate the power of a female. A lesson his moderately sexist grandfather never taught him and often implied the inverse. When Batgirl slid the sword into his thigh, Robin tumbled to the ground. “You’ll heal up in about 5 weeks, you little snot…it’ll give you time to brush up on anatomy. How to wound is an essential skill in our line of work.”
Nightwing was next. Given their romantic history, Babs knew her tactical advantage and how to best use it. The two engaged in a battle that bordered on ballet mixed with a Bruce Lee movie. Finally, the two combatants were face-to-face. “I’m sorry Barbara. Bruce will have my head if I don’t get to the finals.” Barbara smiled sweetly “I know Dick. He would have your head, I suppose.” Her smile turned into a grin, as Nightwing looked at her curiously. “Luckily, it’s not your head you have to worry about that.” Barbara quickly brought her knee up hard and fast into Nightwing’s most vulnerable of areas. Sudden rushes of pain overwhelmed him and Nightwing fell to his knees. An opportunity Batgirl would not waste. She kicked him in the face, and Nightwing fell to the ground. Barbara put her boot across Dick’s throat. “Now tap out you son of bitch, or I’ll crush your windpipe. Do you think your fling with Starfire didn’t hurt, damn you! You’re just as cold hearted as Bruce. Especially when it came to my heart.” With that, Nightwing yielded.
Slade was going to be the battle royal. “It was nice getting this far, but I am at a serious disadvantage and I know it.” she thought. Slade looked around the arena, “All these people. They must be making a pretty penny at the gate, but all I get is a lousy t-shirt if I win this thing. Screw this, I’ve got real work to do.” Batgirl was in a defensive crouch. Her thinking was to play defense for a while to get a better idea of Slade’s tactics that day. His tactics were unconventional, to say the least. Slade turned his back as the whistle started the match. He walked deliberately back to the arena entrance he had used to come out on to the field. “It’s all yours kid. I don’t care.” he told her, over his shoulder as he exited. Batgirl won by TKO. As much a surprise to her, as it was in the stands. Yet many rejoiced as the heroine had won the day.
The Final Four.
Babs was up first, and glad that against the odds Zatanna had advanced. While Z herself laughed, “In a one and done tournament like this, there is always a lower seed that advances, with a bit of extra effort and, yes daddy, a little bit of luck.” Fate had allowed Zatara a brief few minutes before her match. “I am so proud of you.” he told her as the father and daughter embraced. On the field of battle, that extra bit of luck had now fallen on Babs, when a batarang struck Zatanna in such a way as to dislocate her jaw. This rendered her speechless. Batgirl pressed the advantage and quickly had Z gagged and hogtied. Babs reached into her utility belt and pulled out her phone. Snapping a quick pic of her kneeling beside the helplessly bound Z. “This is going on instagram.” she said excitedly. “Wonk thgir uoy etah yllaer I” flashed through Z’s head, wishing she could actually speak.
The Flash contingent had filled the stadium, cheering him and the much beloved Speedforce. Darkseid mused to himself, as the intros were made, “Ah…how soon they forget the powers of which I wield. However, with all the money bet on that Scarlet Simpleton, InterGang’s bookies should clear quite a bundle.”
The whistle blew and The Flash started like a freight train straight towards the Lord of Apokolips. Yet with the merest of thought, there it was and stopped Barry in his tracks. “Iris!! No!!!” Barry reached out to cradle the head of his beloved wife. “What? How?” He could only look around and see the evidence. Iris had suffered a fate even worse than if you had taken the imaginary but unspeakable terrors inflicted on Barbara in The Killing Joke and combined them with the fate of Sue Dibny in Identity Crisis. Taking in the horrific scene took The Flash a second. Not just the evidence, but, the emotional trauma of his worst fear fully realized and his life long love dead in his arms.
Yes, it was just a second, but, it might have well been a month, as far as Darkseid was concerned. He sped around the kneeling Flash and crushed both his legs. The bones in both legs, breaking into pieces. Before Barry had the 4/10ths of a second to respond to the pain, Darkseid had pulled both of his arms out of socket. The head of his wife, slowly hitting the ground, is what Barry saw through tearful eyes.
“You did this, you monster!!” he shouted up at the imposing figure that had beaten him. “Done what?” Darkseid responded, gesturing towards the ground. Barry looked down to see what had broken his heart, merely melt away. “I haven’t used that little parlor trick in years, but, it is effective as ever.” Darkseid slowly told him. “WHAT!!!” Barry screamed at him. “The ability to manifest, in tangible form, an opponent’s worse fear, mortal.” Pausing for a moment, Darkseid added in a cold tone. “Your wife is quite well and still in the stands. Look for yourself.” As Barry’s head turned, to see Iris still in the stands, Darkseid walked to the center of stadium and raised his hand. An eerie hush falling across the crowd as the PA system announced him the victor.
So here they were. The final match. Batgirl vs Darkseid. Darkseid shouted to Batgirl, “I shall use only my physical strength in this battle. Add to that, I won’t attack for at least the first 60 seconds.” The whistle blew and Darkseid slowly, calmly, with powerful strides, walked to the center of the ring. Batgirl had pounced, throwing every explosive batarang she could. None of which had any effect. Finally, the two ended up directly in front of each other, mere inches away. Darkseid gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “I have no quarrel with you. We need not do this.” Darkseid told her. Looking deeply into her eyes. Batgirl said nothing. She had no quick retort, no witty reply. The audience was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The silence finally broken by a lone voice from the stands. The voice seemed oddly familiar to many of the assembled. It was coming from the DC Daily stadium suite. The sound of Whitney Moore’s voice echoed through the stadium.
“Special option 3…They kiss!!”
Which they did. A long passionate kiss. Upon it’s conclusion, Darksied asked Batgirl. “I know this lovely Parisian bistro that does a very nice croque madame, with a bottle of chilled Billcart-Salmon Rose Brut. Care to join me?” Batgirl smiled, “Sounds fantastic. So shway.”
Jim Gordon could only let his head fall. He was so not feeling the aster. He lightly shook his head from side to side. He sighed, “Good girls dig the bad boys. Why should I think Barbara is no different.”
“What about the final result!” a voice called out over the PA. “Take a vote. We’ve got a lunch date.” Babs responded. Darkseid picked her up and they rose above the stadium. Batgirl giggled, “I hear on Earth-87, there is a version of this where Flash and Nightwing advanced to the finals.” Darkseid laughed, as Batgirl added, “I guess it was a best butt contest.” Darkseid replied, “In all the mutliverse, my dear Batgirl, you always win the best butt contest.” Babs replied with “Cheeky”, as the flew away from the stadium. “Punny…very punny.” Darkseid responded. Batgirl quipped, “This is DC…it’s kinda mandatory.”
Thus began a beautiful, passionate, and long lasting love, which resulted in an offspring. Batgirl primped in the mirror, before their first real date night in nearly a year. “I got a sitter.” Darkseid told her. “Who, darling?” Darkseid smiled as they looked at each other through the mirror’s reflection. “Batman” he told her. Babs couldn’t help but laugh. “Tell me you did?” she said. “Of course I did.” Darkseid replied with a grin. “Bats with baby Darkseid in a front carrier pak. Oh, for a picture of that. Priceless!” Batgirl giggled. “Quite so. I slipped Alfred $200 for such an auspicious picture, just for you” he remarked, touching gently her long red hair. “I can’t wait to show that off to Kara, Z, and Artimis.” Barbara said, trying to muffle her laughter. “He’ll never live it down, I assure you. Shall we my dear.” Darksied remarked. Offering his hand, Babs stood up from the make-up mirror. She smiled at her partner and replied, “Let’s shall.”
This Week’s Exercise 
Guidelines:
Word Count Restriction: 3,000 word maximum.
Note: If you need help developing an idea, have suggestions or just general questions, please see the FCF Introduction thread titled, “DC Universe Presents: Fan Creation Fridays!” in the Watchtower section, here: https://www.dcuniverse.com/community/boards/watchtower/dc-universe-presents-fan-c
Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!