After eating, I trained for a few more hours until finally, this 'Black Canary' arrived.

The sight was quite a surprise. Calling her attractive was an understatement. The woman was hot. Blonde, buxom, wearing a black bodysuit that cut off at the cleavage, a tiny jacket covering her shoulders, and long fingerless gloves that reached all the way to her biceps, and a pair of dark gray leggings made of a rather curious material that seemed far more durable than it initially let on.

I was working on my Blue control, evacuating citizens made of hard light, when she arrived with the Zeta tube, and grinned at me.

"Good to see you're working hard," she said to me. And I grinned right back at her.

"I wouldn't call this 'hard'," I said as I finished the drill to the computer's satisfaction. "Back where I'm from, we had assistants to handle evacuation. Surely, a hero isn't expected to do everything on their own."

She raised an eyebrow, "The nature of the situations that we heroes respond to often necessitates that we rescue as many civilians as possible before a villain or disaster can claim their lives."

And since their villains tended to act with far more purpose than a stupid cursed spirit would, those situations were a lot more time-pressing.

"Otherwise," she continued, "We let local law enforcement handle evacuations, if they can handle them."

Right, I forgot. The cops knew that heroes existed in this world. They must work closely together as a result.

Uncanny. Just uncanny. It was just downright weird to see the natural and supernatural coexist in such a manner.

"Would you mind hitting the showers, Gojo?" Canary asked, "We're nearing our meeting time."

"Computer, time," I announced.

"11:44."

Ah. A few seconds later, my 'alarm' rang. "11:45," the computer spoke up, "You have fifteen minutes until your meeting with Black Canary. Please shower and get changed before then."

I pointed up at the ceiling and grinned at her. "Now I'll go."

Fifteen minutes later, and she was waiting in the training grounds for me while I wore a simple set of gray sweatpants and a sweatshirt of the same color. My wet hair swished around with every step. "Ready?" She asked me.

"I was born ready," I grinned, following her into one of the cave's hangout lounges. There, she took a seat on one of the low couches, and bid me to do the same.

"Have a seat," she said. She put her folder on the nearby table and looked at me cryptically, though still with a grin.

"You're my psychologist," I said with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds fun. I've never had a psychologist before."

"From what we've gathered from you," she said, "You come from a world where high school aged children were put in harm's way, exorcising curses. You've admitted that this is a line of work that's very dangerous and regularly claims the lives of your classmates."

"Yeah," I said with a chuckle, "It's dangerous work, but I've never had anything to fear. Because I'm strong."

"And what about your classmates?"

"The ones worth caring about are strong," I said with a grin, "It's one of my conditions for making friends, actually. My best friend is a guy almost as strong as me. We were called the strongest duo back in high school."

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

"Why did Mike Tyson box?" I asked, "Because he was the best. Anything else would have been a waste."

"It's natural for you to want to use your powers," she observed. "It's the case with everyone, really. But you're doing it to protect those who can't protect themselves."

I raised an eyebrow at that, "I'm not the one who cares about weaklings that much. That would be my friend. Honestly, on most days, I don't even see the point in protecting them. It's such a drag. But, being a villain is an even bigger drag, so I guess I'll just be a hero."

She opened her folder and retrieved a notepad and a pen. I used my Six Eyes to see what she was writing, but either her handwriting was absolutely awful, or she was writing in some kind of code. Did she know about my Six Eyes? I hadn't shared that particular tidbit with Batman, but then again, the Martian had read my mind. Annoying. Things were already starting to become a drag. Guh.

"Do you feel any kinship towards the rest of humanity?" Black Canary asked me.

"No. Not at all."

"Is it that simple to you?" she asked.

I nodded. It really was. "Humanity's a dumb group of idiots who all individually think they are so important that they are more important than each other. But from where I'm standing, I can easily see the truth. They are all the same. And yet they don't act the same. You have billionaires and homeless people living in the same city, and honestly, it's just hilarious. Where does this pride even come from? The pride that holds society together and makes it unequal? The pride a wealthy man has that places him above his poorest worker?"

"Does it bother you?" she asked me.

I laughed, "It's funny. I don't care about the situation of the poor. I just think both the poor and the wealthy are all equally nothing in my eyes. And they should act in their place, but," I shrugged, "I'm not going to do anything about that, or I would be a villain. And besides," I leaned back, "I don't care enough, really. My opinions and emotions on humanity is not so great, really. It's not negative or positive. It's much closer to zero. Perhaps a decimal above zero, to account for the few humans I have met that I have liked."

She smiled in sympathy, "Ultimately positive then."

I shrugged at that. If she wanted to take it that way, then sure.

"Good people are a godsend," she continued, "It's important to always make sure that you are surrounded by people who give you faith in humanity."

"Sure," I shrugged.

"And would you mind telling me what it was that tested this faith to begin with?"

"Pushy idiots older than me who thought they knew better. Idiot parents with too many expectations and not enough brain cells to nurture me directly, so they would outsource that as much as possible, playing around with my life like I was a Sims character," on the bright side, all their ceaseless demands for study had made my English great. Impractically great for my usual circumstances, but at least it was paying off now, "Old creepy politicians who kept putting their hands on my shoulders," I shuddered and stuck my tongue out, "They were the worst. And, of course, being treated more like an object than a human being for most of my life," then I remembered, and chuckled, "Yeah, and the bounties put on my head before I knew how to read. Me being born pissed off a lot of bastards," I laughed. "They never gave me a break." I grinned sharply at Black Canary, "Not until I started ripping them apart, limb from limb, always leaving one alive to run away and tell the others fuzakerunna: Don't screw with me. It's bad for your health," I chuckled.

"How old were you when you took your first life?" Black Canary asked. I expected a more vehement reaction from her. Weird.

"Seven," I frowned pensively, wondering if that was accurate. As far as my memory told me, it was, "Yeah, seven. I kept begging to go to the mall that day, and a guy with a gun tried to take me out. That was the end of him." He didn't even get close to touching me.

"And how do you feel about that?"

"Massive, unquenchable rage," I told her, smiling. "The rage I reserve for my enemies. A desire to see them bleed. It's like a thirst, almost." Then I shrugged, "But those were enemies, and there is no helping their enmity. Enemies will be enemies after all. Nothing to cry about. The most disappointing part was really my allies. The people supposed to be on my side. The elders and the creepy politicians and the clan higher-ups. All treating me like a prized object instead of a cursed one that needed to be disposed of. Annoying, either way."

To be honest, at the time that I had left my world, I really would only have needed a slightly good reason to just massacre the entire Jujutsu Council. Then again, I just didn't care enough to do so.

"And how do you feel about that?"

"Terrible, so terrible! I cry myself to sleep every night thinking about this treatment," I put my hand on my forehead and leaned forward. Then I whispered, "Sometimes, I even consider killing myself."

She paused for a long moment, and then I started chuckling. My chuckling turned into a laugh as I looked at her. "Ah, sorry. I couldn't resist. Honestly, I don't feel too complicated. It's just how it is. If I wasn't so powerful, maybe I would have felt worse, but I am so unimaginably powerful compared to the average practitioner that I saw no reason to cry or complain. I took matters into my own hands and decided my own fate. No one controls me anymore. No one tells me what to do. I do what I want, and everyone else simply have to accept this, because they're weak. Nice system, no?"

"You've clearly had a challenging upbringing," she said to me.

I snorted. "What challenge? My whole life has been easy. I grew up rich and powerful. What else can one ask for?"

"Emotional support?"

I rolled my eyes, "My emotions are not complicated. I don't need support. I don't even need to talk to you that much, not really."

"Why is that?" she asked me.

"Because I know the deal," I said, "No killing or crippling villains. No destroying property. No harming civilians. You know, standard comic book hero rules. I did not even want to do most of that in the first place anyway. It's not like I was a crazy person back in my world. I have always been a reasonable type. You have to be if you are as strong as me. Otherwise, people get… scared."

"Are people scared of you, Gojo?"

I chuckled. "Everyone is. I figured it out when I was five. The day I learned that everyone was scared of me was… a fun day. Taught me the meaning of freedom. If everyone is scared of you, that means that even your minor irritation becomes a big thing that everyone listens to."

I wondered… was Black Canary scared of me? Probably. She was keeping quite the brave face, though. Kudos to her.

"How did you feel that day?" Canary asked me, "When you were five and learned this?"

Alone. Scared in turn. Angry. So angry. But ultimately, I saw the value in time and the blessing for what it was. "I told you, it was a fun day. How am I supposed to control what idiots think, anyway?"

"Did you hurt anyone with your powers as a kid?"

I thought back to those days, "I remember breaking a nanny's legs by accident when I was six. And the servants told me that I did other things when I was younger, too, when I couldn't control my ability well. I don't remember."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"And how do you feel about that?"

"About things I can't remember? Obviously, I don't remember."

"How do you feel about that now?"

Sorry. Ugh. Not that. I killed that impulse the moment it came. Gods didn't apologize. "Nothing."

"Do you feel nothing on purpose?" Canary asked me.

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. Then I used my Six Eyes to scan for any telepathic waves. Nothing. I looked harder, across a wider band of signals, searching for anything that might be giving her these hints. "Why did you ask that?"

"I believe it to be a good question," Canary said to me.

"It doesn't make any sense," I rolled my eyes.

"You said you had your powers from when you were younger than six," Canary said, "What do you remember?"

"Not much," I shrugged. "I know they had me exorcising cursed spirits at that age already. I was three when I exorcised my first cursed spirit."

"And how did you feel about that?"

"They told me I was scared—until I realized how easy it was. Then I started laughing," I chuckled. "What a cute picture, don't you think? This blue-eyed, white-haired baby laughing. I guess that was the last time I was ever afraid, because I haven't felt fear since then."

"And what about fear for others?"

"I try not to get attached to people I have to be worried about," I said.

"Are you afraid for those you've left behind in your old world?" Canary asked.

I drew in a breath sharply. "Suguru can handle himself," I said. Amanai probably couldn't. But as long as that bastard got to her in time, he'd have no reason to stick around and kill Suguru. Then again, he'd have to get past Suguru to manage it in the first place.

I… didn't know how to feel about that, thinking that Amanai being the only one to die was the best case scenario.

She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve any of what had happened.

I shook my head. Didn't matter. None of it did. It was all just speculation, and in the past. Nothing I could do about it. I looked at Black Canary with a flat expression, "This is getting boring, miss. Can we move on to something that makes more sense than these endless questions about nothing at all?"

"I'm here if you want to talk about anything that bothers you, Gojo," Canary said tenderly. "And I know this might sound like a cliché, but I'm ready to lighten the burdens you carry. All you need to do, in turn, is to be honest about your feelings. You must let yourself feel naturally."

"Feel naturally," I repeated, "I wish that made more sense, doctor. Why don't we talk training instead?" I asked, "Batman said you would teach me how things are done."

"Before we begin on that, I must ask, do you not have any need for sleep?"

I shook my head, "No, not really."

"You trained for an entire night. Why?" They were watching me through the cameras.

"Batman told me that it would be easier for me to figure out how I was sent to this world than for you guys to find the technology to send me back," I said with a shrug, "So I'm training for that purpose. But, honestly, it's also just to get stronger."

"Why?"

"The stronger you are, the less problems you have," I said, "For example, if I was strong enough, I would have put a gaping hole through that bastard before he could even approach me with that ugly knife of his. Obviously, the moral of the story is to not be weak. It's the universal moral of every story, really," I grasped for a western fairy tale and found one. "If Red Riding Hood's grandma was strong, she would not get eaten by the wolf. And the Red Riding Hood was saved by a hunter with a gun, right? That is strength. It's all the same, really."

She grinned indulgently, "And what about the boy who cried wolf?"

"Once the boy really saw a wolf, he should have been able to deal with it himself," I replied with a shrug. "Humans have killed wolves for tens of thousands of years. What excuse did he have?"

"He didn't have superpowers, for one. Or the trust of his tribe. Humans were strong in antiquity because we had numbers. And we had numbers because we evolved a sense of trust, and an instinctive understanding not to strain that trust, or you will lose support from the collective."

"The boy could have done whatever he wanted if he was craftier," I said with a wave of my hands, grinning. "Set up a few traps. Maybe the real moral is 'don't lose the support of your tribe if you are weak, because nothing can save you when you are in trouble'? And then the greater moral becomes 'don't be weak'."

"Attaining strength is not always an option for most."

"This is a world where a normal human with no superpowers stands side-by-side with aliens and people with cosmic power," I said.

Canary grinned, "Batman should hardly be the standard for humanity."

"I don't see why not."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So," Canary said, "The reason you train hard to be the strongest is because you know you can't rely on a tribe. Is that because you anticipate they will reject you?"

I laughed. "It's because I will reject them. Because they're stupid, or weak, or generally of no use to me."

"Why do you want to become a hero?" Canary asked. "And why do you expect the League to trust you, considering your self-admitted misanthropy?"

"I don't know what misanthropy means, but I assume it's wisdom," I lied.

"Dislike for humanity."

"Because it's a job," I said, "Obviously, I will do the job. Why does it matter what I feel while I'm doing it? This is a very American perspective, I think. Back where I'm from, when you do something for a living, you do it until perfection. Kodawari."

"Usually, people are attached to the craft when they pursue this perfection," Canary said, "And what is your attachment?"

"Power," I said with a shrug, "And fame, perhaps. Respect would be nice as well. And finally, the understanding that no one stands above me."

"The Team is meant for covert operations," Canary said, "Until we deem you ready to move on to the Justice League—provided you stay here for long enough. The keyword is 'stealth'. That and strategy. You won't find fame in this team. As for respect, that is earned with good work."

"Not really," I said with a grin.

"How so?"

"I took down my first villain yesterday," I said, "And all I got was people telling me what I did wrong. And what I did wrong was showing the team that I was stronger than them. But if I had played to their level, we would have gotten our butts kicked all day. You should have seen them. They are really so bad at this."

"Did you look at it from their perspective?" Canary asked.

"Why would I want to look at anything through their weakling perspective?" I asked in disgust. "They're upset because it's obvious why the Justice League doesn't want them in their team. What I can't figure out is why you wouldn't take me," I grinned at Black Canary, "Do you think you are stronger than me, superhero?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Black Canary gave an easy shrug, "But what I do know is that my teammates enjoy working with me."

I had no idea how strong she was, but… let's be honest, she was no Wonder Woman. Otherwise, I'd have heard of her in my comic reading.

And who hated working besides a weakling that made them look stronger in comparison? Not that I would say this to her. After all, she was my elder and I needed to be respectful, right?

And I didn't want to give Batman more reasons to reduce my pay.

"Oh well," I shrugged, "That is just too bad, then. Can we move on?"

"What do you mean about no one standing above you?" Black Canary asked.

I cracked a grin, "I'm a prized commodity. Everyone will seek to use me for their ends because of the overwhelming power I possess, forgetting that this power is attached to a will," I pointed my thumb at myself, "Me. Satoru Gojo. No one stands above me. I will do what I want, and I will not be controlled. Not by Batman, or by you, Canary-chan." I gave her an apologetic grin. Whatever psychological levers she was trying to put into place, none of it would work.

I'd have to show her that over time.

She nodded solemnly, "Your autonomy is important to us, Gojo. You deserve freedom."

Ah. She was playing along. Cheap. "Is the therapy session over? Can we move on to the training?"

Finally, she relented, with a sigh, "Sure, Gojo. I will give you a summary of your training. First, we will figure out the extent at which you have been trained, and then go from there: First," Black Canary began, her tone steady but not unkind, "we're going to assess your close-quarters combat skills. Not just how well you throw a punch but how you take a hit, handle pressure, and keep your form under stress. Combat's as much about staying composed as it is about technique."

I raised an eyebrow. Basic stuff. I'd long since mastered even advanced martial arts, and my Limitless kept me from feeling much pressure to begin with. But I nodded, letting her continue.

"Second, defensive capabilities and evasive maneuvers," she said. "We'll see how well you can defend or dodge under real attack. The Team will encounter all kinds of enemies, and if you can't avoid damage when your power's pushed to its limit, that's a major liability."

Alright, that one I could actually appreciate. I might be untouchable, but testing how fast I could move through enemy attacks sounded a lot more interesting.

"Next up," Black Canary continued, "we'll focus on rescue drills. Your job as a hero is more than just fighting. Sometimes, it's about saving civilians and getting them out of dangerous situations. Speed and decision-making under high-stakes pressure are crucial."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Rescuing people wasn't exactly my style, but I kept my mouth shut. The last thing I needed was a lecture.

"And finally," she said, with a pointed look, "teamwork. You need to show you can follow directions and cooperate. That's non-negotiable if you're going to work with us."

I huffed, crossing my arms. "Follow directions? That's what you're really worried about?"

Black Canary tilted her head, a small smile forming. "Consider it a different kind of strength training. In battle, you won't be the only one making decisions. Sometimes, you have to trust the people beside you and let them do their part."

I looked away, bristling. "Fine, whatever. So, when do we start?"

"Right now," she said with a nod. "We'll head to the sparring ring to get a baseline on your combat skills. You and me, hand-to-hand. No powers."

A slow grin spread across my face. "Alright, then. Let's see what you've got."