The Tourist Who Saved a World
Wanda sighed as she watched Wonder Woman, who stared back at her with a calm that was almost unsettling. She knew perfectly well that the only reason that warrior hadn't already caught her or beaten her brutally was because she was still keeping an eye on the battle between Superman and Owen.
She was fully aware that this woman was powerful, a true force of nature. Wanda, in her current state, couldn't even hope to stand against her, unlike Owen with Superman. He had years of training, discipline, and experience. She, although trained by Owen and her brother, couldn't compare to such an Amazon.
She knew a few things about her thanks to Owen's memories, but they were incomplete. All she knew was enough to understand that this woman could break her like a twig.
Sweat ran down her forehead as she noticed the Amazon preparing to strike. Her body tensed, and before she could react, Diana lunged toward her at a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Wanda barely managed to leap to the side. The ground shook with a deafening crash as Wonder Woman struck the earth, creating a massive crater. Without wasting time, Wanda gathered as much energy as she could and raised the terrain on both sides of Diana, trying to crush her or at least halt her advance.
The Amazon lifted her arms and shattered the attack with her bare hands. The ground split apart, and the rocks disintegrated as if they were dust.
Diana advanced with firm steps. Each movement made the air vibrate. Wanda retreated, concentrating more energy in her hands until a beam of crimson power shot toward her opponent. Diana raised her right arm and blocked the blast with her bracelet, walking forward without stopping for even a second.
"I can do this. I can do this," Wanda repeated in her mind as she tried to unleash more power. But no matter how much she increased the intensity, the Amazon kept approaching with the same calm, watching her without fear. It was as if she was enjoying the psychological effect she was having on her.
"Owen, you idiot!" shouted Wanda, no longer able to contain her nerves or the anger toward the man who had dragged her into this situation.
Her frustration and fear blended into an unstable surge of energy. Suddenly, a pulse of power erupted around her, violently pushing everything away. Diana was thrown backward, though she landed gracefully a few meters away, watching Wanda with a more serious expression than before.
Wanda swallowed hard when she noticed the change in her expression. That look made it clear that the Amazon had decided to stop holding back.
"Ah… no. That was an accident," Wanda muttered in panic.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Superman moved at a speed impossible to track. Owen, though slower, managed to stay in the fight thanks to the strength in his legs and his control over his energy. Each step made him slightly faster, though he was still far from matching the Man of Steel.
Both appeared in the center of the field at the same moment. Owen threw a punch straight at Superman's face while dodging the counterattack at the same time. This time, Superman didn't go flying, since the energy in Owen's strike had been restrained on purpose.
Superman looked at him briefly before attempting another punch, but Owen moved first, stepping in close and spinning on his axis. He used the inertia of the motion to deliver an upward kick that grew stronger with every inch it traveled.
Superman's eyes widened in surprise, and he moved aside just in time.
"I'm starting to get how this works," said Owen with a faint smile.
Sometimes his blows weren't as powerful because he couldn't channel all the inertia through his body. But when he did, his attacks became devastating. His energy seemed to feed on every bit of air friction, as if his body turned movement itself into raw power.
Even so, his body was starting to wear out. Sweat covered his face, and his breathing had become heavy. He had only recently begun to use this ability and didn't yet have perfect control, which caused him to burn through his energy faster than he should.
He knew this fight with Superman was worth more than a year of training, and that was exactly why he didn't want to stop, even if his body was reaching its limit.
Superman also seemed to be enjoying the fight, though it was obvious he wasn't using his full strength. He looked more intrigued than anything, watching how Owen grew stronger with every exchange, almost imperceptibly but steadily.
"I'd like to keep going, but we need to finish this quickly," said Superman with a calm smile as he looked at his exhausted opponent. Throughout the fight, he hadn't landed a single hit. Owen was an expert in martial arts, but his endurance couldn't compare to that of a Kryptonian.
Superman suddenly accelerated, moving even faster than before. His goal was to end the fight with a single blow and stop Owen before he collapsed. At the same time, his gaze briefly drifted toward Wanda, who was running from Diana with panic written all over her face.
His fist shot toward Owen's stomach, aiming to knock him out with one clean hit. It wasn't a killing strike, but it was going to hurt.
Owen barely perceived Superman's speed. Still, he stood firm, feeling the air slice around him. When the Kryptonian's punch was just inches away from his abdomen, Owen reacted with absolute precision.
His arm moved smoothly, and his fist barely brushed against the incoming strike. It wasn't a collision but a subtle touch, perfectly calculated. At that instant, Superman's power seemed to vanish, absorbed as if the impact had never happened.
A red glow surged from Owen's arm, racing through his body at impossible speed, concentrating in his other fist, which was already flying straight toward Superman's face.
The hero's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the punch right in front of his face. He didn't have time to dodge. The impact sent him flying across the field, leaving a deep line carved into the earth before crashing into Diana. Both were engulfed by a cloud of dust, and a massive crater was left imprinted on the ground.
Owen was breathing heavily. His skin was pale, and exhaustion was visible in every movement. That last attack had drained all of his energy.
It was the same technique he had used long ago when Pietro attacked him with his speed, but this time he hadn't just absorbed the impact—he had returned it multiplied, along with his own energy.
He looked down at his arm in pain. His shoulder seemed out of place, and a burning sensation ran through his muscles. Even though he had redirected the blow, not all the energy had transferred, and part of it had damaged him internally.
Wanda ran toward him, her face full of worry. She found him completely exhausted, his arm hanging limp and his body drenched in sweat. Her eyes shifted toward the crater, where Superman and Diana were struggling to stand among the wreckage.
"Give me a hand," Owen said calmly, though his labored breathing betrayed the pain he was in.
"What do I do?" asked Wanda, confused.
"Just pull hard. I'll set it back in place," he replied with a composed tone, trying to stay in control.
"You're crazy. We should go to a hospital," she said immediately.
"I'm a special kind of super soldier. My body heals fast, but I need to set it properly first. Besides, I don't want my DNA ending up in any hospital in this world," explained Owen with quiet seriousness.
Wanda hesitated for a few seconds but then stepped closer and grabbed his wrist. At his signal, she pulled with all her strength. A sharp crack echoed as the shoulder popped back into place. Owen exhaled in relief, though the pain was still there, pulsing through every fiber of his body.
He moved his arm slowly to test it and nodded, satisfied despite the lingering ache. Then he lifted his gaze. The dust was beginning to settle. Diana was helping Superman, who was fixing his broken nose while blood trickled down his face. Even so, both maintained calm expressions.
They both looked toward Owen and Wanda at the same time.
"Wow, now that I notice, she's actually pretty," said Owen casually, ignoring the fact that two of the most powerful beings on Earth were staring at him.
Wanda frowned as she heard him. Something stirred uncomfortably in her chest, a mix of irritation and nervousness.
"I want to go home," she said softly, her voice trembling as she met the unwavering gazes of Superman and Diana.
At that moment, her magic reacted on its own. A red glow surrounded them both, and a powerful wave of energy erupted from Wanda. The force spread through the air uncontrollably. She opened her eyes wide, shocked by the power that had come from within her.
Owen, standing beside her, looked at her with a mix of fatigue and resignation. His face said more than any words could.
A moment later, the two vanished.
Superman and Diana watched the spot where they had stood, bewildered by what had just happened.
The sound of engines broke the silence as a dark aircraft descended from the sky and landed heavily. It was a familiar craft. Batman had arrived.
"Where is he?" were his first words as he stepped out, his eyes fixed on the devastated terrain. His voice was steady and controlled. He scanned the area, pressed a button on his belt, and several small devices launched from his ship, scattering across the battlefield. Each began emitting light and scanning waves.
"They're gone," said Superman calmly, pointing toward an area where the ground had vanished completely in the shape of a perfect cube.
Batman frowned. His eyes shifted to Superman, scanning him from head to toe until they stopped on the blood still dripping from his nose.
"Your wife is pregnant, and you're out here playing hero with an alien intruder," he said coldly before turning back toward his ship.
Superman blinked in surprise. He had no idea how Batman could possibly know that, considering he had just found out that very morning. He smiled faintly, a mix of disbelief and fondness crossing his face.
"Congratulations," said Diana with a genuine smile as she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
The two walked away, letting the dust settle over the battlefield. None of the three knew that the strange visitor who had stumbled into their world and killed a simple psychotic clown had just saved millions of lives and prevented one of the worst wars between the most powerful heroes on the planet. All because of the whim of a tourist.
…
N/A: I was going to continue this arc a little longer. Yes, it was Injustice. But I think it's time for Owen to return to his own world and face the enemies waiting for him at home.