Sorry guys,wrong chapter,here's the right one.
Max appeared inside his hideout deep within the mountains. He paused for a moment and surveyed the cave-like chamber around him. It had been a while since he had last come here.
The clones had done a good job cleaning and reorganizing the place, but after that it had been left largely unattended. Spiderwebs clung to some corners of the cave, and small mounds of dirt had fallen from the ceiling over time.
After all, it was still a cave.
Max walked forward and pressed his hand against the stone wall. Chakra flowed from his palm into the hidden seal embedded within the rock.
One by one, the lanterns lining the walls flickered to life.
Soft golden light spread across the chamber, illuminating the massive cavern and revealing the gigantic figure standing at its center.
The Gedo Statue which was the real reason he had come here.
Max folded his arms as he studied the statue carefully.
He hadn't expected the Ten-Tails to stop absorbing energy from Trigon when it did. What he definitely hadn't expected was for it to dismiss itself entirely.
Though, in hindsight, that was probably for the best.
He could only imagine what an enraged Trigon might have done to it in his ire.
Still… the plan appeared to be working.
Originally, the Gedo Mazo possessed immense vitality but very little chakra of its own. But now, through the vision of his Rinnegan, Max could clearly see that its chakra reserves were slowly increasing.
The statue was converting the chaotic magical energy of demons into chakra.
The process was slow, but coming along nicely.
For now, only one of its eyes had opened which is equivalent to roughly one tail's worth of power.
That meant it would take time,hopefully not too much time because Max had plans for it.
He exhaled slowly, thinking back over the events of the day. It had been… educational. And, oddly enough, entertaining.
Darkseid had been far stronger than he should have been.
And now the same was true for Trigon.
The Darkseid he had fought years ago,back when he wielded the Ten-Tails' power,wouldn't have stood a chance against the version of Trigon he had just battled,thw gap is just to big.
But there was another thing he had to acknowledge Nina.
From everything he had seen today and in thier battle back then,he was sure now that she was is slightly stronger than he had been back when he was a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. And if she opened the final gate, she would completely outclass that version of him.
If she were truly serious, she could probably defeat the entire Justice League by herself and it wouldn't even be close.
Max chuckled quietly to himself.
That thought didn't bother him at all,If anything…He was proud of it.
The following day
Max woke up feeling refreshed.
He got out of bed, pulled on his pants, and stepped out of his room. When he entered the living area, he found Terra, Thena, and Nina already sitting around the table, chatting with excited expressions.
Thena noticed him first. Her eyes lit up.
"Good morning, Dad," she said with a bright smile. "Can I make you some coffee?"
Max paused in the doorway, slightly suspicious.
"Um… sure," he replied.
That alone was strange. Thena had never offered to make him coffee before,well, not for free at least. Which meant she was definitely up to something… or she wanted something.
"One cup of coffee coming right up then," Thena said cheerfully as she stood and headed to the kitchen.
Max watched her leave for a moment before turning toward the table. He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"So," he said, resting an arm on the table, "what are you talking about?"
Nina leaned back in her chair casually.
"Well, we were talking about what we should do today."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"And what exactly brought that on?"
Nina shrugged.
"Our lives have basically been rotating between training and fighting for way too long," she said. "So we thought we should relax today and do normal things for once."
Terra nodded eagerly beside her.
"Yeah. You know… what normal families do."
Nina gestured vaguely with her hand.
"Go out, have fun, maybe cause a little chaos," she said with a grin. "End the year on a high note."
Max hummed softly.
"Oh. I see."
Terra leaned forward slightly, hopeful.
"So… do you have any plans for the day?"
Max thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.
"I don't think I do," he said. "So I don't have a problem coming along."
Terra immediately lit up.
"Sweet!"
Max held up a finger before she could celebrate too much.
"But," he said calmly, "I need to know where we're going and what we'll be doing."
Terra didn't hesitate.
"I was thinking we go to an amusement park!"
Nina snapped her fingers as if remembering something.
"And we should have a spa," she added. "Diana will probably tag along, and I'm sure she'd enjoy it."
Max nodded slightly.
"A spa sounds good."
He leaned back in his chair.
"What else?"
At that moment Thena returned, setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
"We go watch a movie," she said casually, "and then we head to the beach."
Max wrapped his hands around the warm cup and took a slow sip.
"The beach?" he said after a moment. "Sure. I'm actually looking forward to that."
Thena's smile widened.
"But-" Max continued.
The smile instantly vanished.
"no to the movies."
The table went quiet.
Thena blinked.
"What?"
Max set his coffee down calmly.
"I've never liked cinemas," he said. "If I want to watch a movie, I can stream it online."
Thena groaned loudly and leaned across the table.
"Oh come on, Dad, please!"
Max didn't even look moved.
"No."
Terra tried to hide her laugh behind her hand while Nina smirked.
"Wow," she said. "Didn't even hesitate."
Max shrugged and took another sip of his coffee.
"I said no."
Thena slumped back in her chair dramatically.
"You're ruining the day already."
"No means no, Thena. I won't be changing my mind regarding this matter," Max said.
Thena groaned and dropped her head back dramatically.
"Ugh, fine. Can we at least add skydiving on the least"
"That I can agree to," Max interrupted before she could finish.
He grabbed his coffee and finished it in one long sip before standing up.
"Well, I'm going to take a bath and get ready. You should too," he said as he turned and walked away.
Thena watched him go and muttered under her breath.
"Killjoy."
Nina snorted softly.
"Well, he agreed to come along. That's what matters."
Thena sighed but nodded.
"I guess you're right."
Terra bounced slightly in her chair, barely containing her excitement.
"I'm so looking forward to this," she said with a wide smile.
Nina stood up and stretched her arms over her head.
"Well, I've got to go now."
Thena looked up at her.
"Where are you going?"
Nina shrugged as she started walking toward the door.
"I'll be back soon."
The door closed behind her a moment later.
Thena turned to Terra with a curious look.
"Do you know where she's going?"
Terra shrugged.
"Beats me."
Then she suddenly perked up.
"Let's go see what we'll be wearing today."
"Sure," Thena said, standing up with a grin. "I have some questions to ask you while we're at it anyway."
Terra immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tell me it's about Beast Bo-"
Thena quickly pressed a finger against Terra's lips.
"Shhh."
She glanced toward the hallway where Max had disappeared.
"Let's talk in my room. Dad could hear us."
Before Terra could protest, Thena grabbed her wrist and started dragging her toward the stairs.
"Hey-" Terra cried out as thena dragged her away.
An hour later
Max stepped out of his room and found Thena, Terra, and Nina already changed and waiting. They weren't alone either,Diana had arrived as well.
Thena was wearing a white vest, blue shorts, and yellow flip-flops. Terra had on a lime T-shirt with gray shorts and matching yellow flip-flops. Nina wore a white vest with black pants and sandals.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman,Diana,was dressed casually in purple sunglasses, a teal shirt, black pants, and flip-flops.
The moment Max appeared, all four of them turned toward him.
Then they froze.
Max blinked at their stunned expressions.
"What?" he asked with a shrug.
He was wearing a peach T-shirt decorated with flamingos and palm trees, black shorts, flip-flops, a white cap, and white sunglasses.
Terra slowly pointed at his legs.
"Holy hairy"
She paused, staring.
"Those calves."
Thena's eyes widened as well.
"And ripped too," she added. "Have you considered skipping leg day for once?"
"No," Max replied flatly.
Thena folded her arms, still looking him up and down.
"I never thought I'd see you wearing shorts," she said. "And I can't say I like it."
"I don't like it either," Max replied calmly. "But I have to dress for the occasion."
He paused.
"I could change if you insist."
Diana tilted her head slightly.
"I think it suits you quite well," she said.
Nina immediately slung an arm around Max's shoulder.
"Yeah, ignore them," she said with a grin. "You look good."
Max glanced at the group.
"You don't look bad yourselves," he admitted.
Nina clapped her hands once.
"Well thank you. Now let's get going,we've got a long day ahead."
She walked to the door and swung it open before gesturing outside.
"After you. Chop, chop."
One by one, they stepped outside.
Parked in front of the house was a blue SUV.
Nina stepped out last, closing the door behind her with a flourish before presenting the car.
"Tadaa."
Max looked at it, then back at her.
"You went and got a rental?"
"Well of course," Nina replied. "Duh. We won't be flying around today."
She wagged a finger.
"Strict no powers day."
She pulled a set of keys from her pocket and spun them around her finger before holding them out to Max.
"So, will you do us the honors?"
Max didn't take them.
"I don't have a license," he said. "We can't have the cops stopping us."
Nina waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax. Who would even be able to arrest you anyway? As long as you can drive, we'll be fine."
She kept spinning the keys with a mischievous grin.
Thena looked at Max.
"Dad… you can drive, right?"
Max sighed.
"I can't."
For a moment there was silence.
Then a sudden snort broke it.
Everyone turned to see Thena and Terra trembling, their hands covering their mouths as they struggled not to laugh.
Even Diana couldn't help covering her mouth to hide a smile.
Max slowly frowned.
His gaze slid toward Nina.
He already knew she knew he couldn't drive,she was just making jokes at his expense.
Terra managed to regain control of herself long enough to elbow Thena.
"Thena… come on."
Thena burst out laughing.
Max stared at her with a completely unamused expression before turning back to Nina.
"You'll find me in the car when you're done," he said flatly.
He walked over and got into the passenger seat.
Diana cleared her throat.
"Well… I can drive," she said. "I do happen to have a license."
Nina immediately tossed the keys toward her.
Diana caught them easily.
"Well," Nina said with a grin, "looks like you're our driver for the day."
End of Chapter..
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