Rhode Island
August 28, 10:03 EDT
Peter immediately spotted Black Canary and Red Tornado as he and the others entered the mission room.
Black Canary stood with confidence, long blonde hair framing sharp blue eyes. She had a slender, athletic build and wore a black one-piece beneath a blue, lapelled jacket. Gray stockings ran up her legs, seams visible front and back, tucked into heavy black boots. Black fingerless gloves reached past her elbows, and a simple black choker circled her neck.
Beside her was Red Tornado. Tall and unmistakably robotic, his red metal head lacked ears or a nose, his black eye sockets and mouth giving him an unreadable, emotionless look. A yellow "T" was emblazoned on his chest, matched by a yellow arrow on his forehead, and a blue cape hung from his shoulders.
'Wow, Canary is way younger than I thought she was.' Peter realized as he looked at her. 'She has to be in her mid-20s.' His gaze moved on to Red Tornado. 'Red Tornado also looks exactly the same as he did in that picture of the JSA. Though considering he's a robot, that's to be expected.'
Red Tornado turned as the Team entered, his dark eye sockets settling on Peter.
"Spider-Man." he said in his flat, mechanical voice.
"Den Mother." Peter replied with a nod.
"I see my role within the Team has been explained. Good. However, I would prefer that you address me as Red Tornado." he said.
"Fair enough." Peter said. "Then I'd prefer if you call me Peter."
"No."
Peter blinked. "Why not?"
"Because I refuse." Red Tornado said. "I will call you Spider-Man."
Peter glanced at Wally and Robin, only to see them shrug as if telling him to accept it. He turned back to Red Tornado.
"Can't argue with that." Peter said with a shrug. "I mean, I could, but I'm guessing it'd be a waste of time."
"Yes, it would." Red Tornado said.
Black Canary stepped forward before the silence could settle in.
"It's good to meet you, Peter." she said, extending a hand. "I'm Black Canary."
Peter shook it, noticing her grip was firm. "Pleasure's all mine."
She nodded as she released his hand. "I've been following your work in New York. You do a good job."
"You know, I'd really appreciate it if you could slip that in the next time you're on live television. I think it'd really help me stick it to a few annoying papers and one really annoying English pundit." Peter said.
"I doubt it would, since that English pundit doesn't really like me much either." Canary said. "When Batman told me Spider-Man was joining the team, I thought you'd make a great addition to the League. When he corrected me and told me you'd be joining The Team, I thought Batman must be pranking me."
"Then you remembered it was Batman and pranks aren't really his thing."
"Exactly." Canary said, a faint smirk crossing her face before she became serious again. "I don't know if you already know, but I'm the Team's hand-to-hand combat instructor, and I consider it an honor to be so. If you're going to work with them, I need to know how you move."
She shrugged off her jacket and threw it to the side. "Granted, the fact that you're even standing here means Batman has some confidence in your abilities, but I like to make my own assessments."
Canary squared her shoulders once the jacket was off. "This isn't a performance. I'm not looking for flash or clever tricks. I want to see your fundamentals. No webbing or gadgets for you, no Canary Cry for me."
"I can do good old-fashioned fisticuffs." Peter nodded.
As Canary and Peter moved to the center of the tiled floor, the others stepped back, forming a loose semicircle around them.
"I'll bet five bucks he doesn't last a single move." Wally said.
"He's probably better than you." Robin replied. "I give him at least two."
"I'll take that bet." Wally looked at the others. "What about you guys? Any of you want to lose some money?"
"No thanks." Artemis said, uninterested.
"Don't care." Superboy said.
"Ooh, I'll bet." M'gann said. "But does it have to be on him losing?"
They all turned to her.
"You think he's going to win? Against Canary?" Artemis asked.
"Maybe?" M'gann said, uncertain.
"Are you kidding?" Wally laughed. "There's no way he beats Canary. If he even lasts a minute against her, I'll be your errand boy for a week."
"That sounds more like a reward for you than for her." Robin countered.
"Then I'll be Artemis' errand boy for a week." Wally said. "That's a punishment."
"For both of us." Artemis muttered.
"Why do you think he's going to win?" Robin asked M'gann.
She looked at Peter. "I don't know. It's just a ... feeling."
Back in the ring, Peter rolled his shoulders and settled opposite Canary.
'Chances are Canary's somewhere close to peak-human performance, so she should be able to take a good hit or two. But I'll hold back my strength. Better to be safe than sorry.'
Canary lifted her hands into a tight guard, feet set at a slight angle.
"Whenever you're ready." she said.
Peter exhaled and raised his hands, settling into the boxer's stance Grant had taught him. It felt strange, rusty, after so long. His fighting style wasn't built around stances or forms anymore. In recent times, it was flips, webs, and momentum, not footwork and guard positions.
Still, he decided to go with boxing for the spar, as it had been on his mind since he had brought it up earlier.
"Ready." he said.
Canary moved first without warning.
She threw out a sharp jab, then followed with a cross meant to test his guard and timing. Peter's spider-sense tingled as it always did. He slipped the jab, then moved to the side to dodge the cross.
She pressed forward with another quick combination: jab, right cross, jab, into a right high kick. Peter slipped all three punches and blocked the kick with his left arm. Immediately after the kick, Canary threw a left hook that Peter rolled under.
With him lower to the ground from rolling under her hook, Canary rolled her body across his back, ending up behind him. As Peter turned and stood, she threw a flying knee to his face. Peter blocked with his hands and pushed her away.
"Nice." she said as she landed back on the ground.
Canary didn't immediately rush him; she circled, watching him like a hawk.
Then she darted in.
A jab snapped at his face. Peter slipped it and fired one back. Canary parried and answered with a hook. Peter blocked, then threw a short right at the body, followed by a left hook up top. Canary took the body shot with a grunt but leaned back just enough for the hook to miss.
She came in low with a kick aimed at his thigh. Peter checked it, then immediately snapped a jab at her head, followed by a right hook to the ribs; naturally, he held back on the power.
Canary took the hit and stepped back. "You're holding back."
"Little bit." Peter admitted. "It's a habit."
"Not a good one." she said.
She began attacking again, faster than before. Punches flowed in tight combinations. Peter slipped, blocked, and countered more.
Seeing that didn't work, she adjusted her tempo, speeding up, then slowing down, trying to trip Peter up. She began throwing elbows and knees, fast strikes meant to crowd and confuse him.
Canary stepped in close, throwing a tight elbow aimed at his jaw. Peter leaned back just enough for it to miss, then slid to the side as her knee came up. She followed with a quick backfist, then a low kick meant to buckle his leg, but Peter hopped back.
Canary clicked her tongue. "You're fast."
"That's good, right?" Peter replied.
She came in again, a jab, a short hook, then a sudden shoulder check meant to slam into his chest.
Peter absorbed the shoulder with a step back, then he slipped inside her guard and landed a quick body shot to her ribs.
Canary grunted softly and twisted away. She didn't retreat far, just enough to give her some space. She rolled her shoulders once, eyes locked on him with a look that showed she wasn't underestimating him anymore.
She stepped in with a feint, then snapped a jab toward his eyes. Peter slipped and answered with his own jab, then a cross that stopped just short of her chin. Canary swatted it aside and came back with a hook to the body.
Peter took it on the forearm and fired back with a quick three-punch combo, a jab into a cross into a hook. Canary slipped the first one but blocked the other two, forcing her to retreat a step.
This time, Peter took the initiative. He stepped forward and fired a jab, cross, hook to the body, and hook to the head. Canary blocked all of them, and Peter was about to continue into another combo.
"Stop." she said.
Peter stopped instantly, hands dropping to his hips. "Phew. Been a while since I've had to fight like that. So, how'd I do?"
Canary didn't answer right away; she just looked at him for a few seconds. "Where did you learn to box?"
"At an old school boxing gym in Harlem." Peter replied.
A look of surprise flashed across her face before a smile appeared. "So that old coot trained you, too?"
"Too?" Peter said, eyes widening a second later. "Ted Grant trained you?"
Canary let out a soft huff of a laugh. "Yeah, he did. Ted trained me back in the day. Before the League." Her voice was full of nostalgia.
'I guess this is what he meant when he talked about recognizing that look in my eyes about me wanting to be a vigilante.' Peter thought. 'It's because he's trained one. And probably more than one at that. I wonder who else he's trained.'
"Small world." Peter said.
Canary nodded. "Small world indeed."
"Quick question." Wally put his hand up. "Who's Ted Grant?"
Peter looked at Canary to answer Wally's question. "Ted Grant is an old heavyweight boxing champion." she said. "But you might know him better as Wildcat."
A moment of silence followed.
"... Wildcat?" Wally repeated.
Robin's eyes widened a bit. "As in that Wildcat?"
"Who's that?" Superboy asked.
Canary answered. "Wildcat is one of the founding members of the Justice Society of America. One of the best hand-to-hand fighters ever." She glanced back at Peter. "And one hell of a teacher."
"The Justice Society of America?" M'gann said. "Weren't you a part of that, too, Red Tornado?"
"That is correct." Red Tornado said. "I was an active member of the Justice Society of America along with Wildcat."
"Wait, then wouldn't that make Wildcat ... ancient?" said Artemis.
"That's putting it lightly." Peter said. "But he moves like a much, much younger man."
Wally scratched his head. "You know I've noticed something about old people." He started counting on his fingers. "Kent Nelson, Ted Grant, the original Flash. All super old dudes who should be senile but can still kick butt. Isn't that weird?"
"Clone, Martian, super speed, hundred-year-old android, really loud scream, genius with spider adjacent powers." Peter pointed at the respective person as he listed them out. "And that's the part you find weird?"
There was a beat of silence.
"I'm getting serious deja vu here." said Wally.
"For the record, I am not a century old, merely sixty-two." Red Tornado said to Peter.
"And yet you don't look a day over twenty."
"Ahem." Canary cleared her throat. "Back on the topic of our spar, I have to say ... I'm impressed."
"Thank you." Peter nodded, feeling proud.
"That said, there's still a lot of work to do." she said.
"I don't know about a lot, I think a little would be more correct." Peter said. "Besides, that's not usually how I fight. I'm not really the bear down and throw fists kind of fighter."
"No, you're not. You're evasive. Reactive. Tricky. You use your surroundings to your advantage."
Peter pointed to her. "Exactly. See? You get me."
"I get that it works." she corrected. "And to be fair, it works well. But here's the thing, your usual style is much more suited for solo work. You versus multiple non-superpowered opponents."
She gestured to the others. "This team fights together. And it's usually not thugs with pocket knives. You'll be dealing with trained soldiers, assassins, killers, and villains, to name a few. These are people who can take a hit and keep coming."
"You won't always have space." she continued. "You won't always have walls to bounce off of or ceilings to stick to. Sometimes it'll be close, ugly, and crowded. That's why I want you solid up close."
Peter wanted to point out that he'd dealt with people like that before, using the same style to do so, and that even Wildcat had recommended he find his own style. However, he kept it to himself and nodded instead. "Okay, fair."
Canary nodded. "Good. That's all I needed to hear."
"Now that that's out of the way, if you had to rank him in terms of pure martial arts skill, I know he'd be below me, but would he be above Artemis?" Robin asked.
"You think you're on top?" Artemis asked, incredulous.
"Duh." Robin said with a smile. "It's me, then you, then Aqualad, and depending on the day, the last three are a toss-up."
"A toss-up? I'm better than both of them for sure." Wally turned and smiled at M'gann. "No offense, sweetcheeks."
M'gann smiled awkwardly yet politely. "None taken."
"Don't care." Superboy said.
"See?" Wally said, pointing. "Confirmed."
Canary chuckled. "We are getting very off track, but since you asked, in terms of pure martial arts skill and based on what little I've seen, Peter is below Robin and Artemis."
Robin nodded smugly, and Artemis grinned.
"But," Canary continued, holding up her hand with a small gap between her fingers, "that gap is looking a lot smaller than either of you thinks. Keep up the effort, unless you want him to pass you."
The two looked at each other, then at Peter with determined expressions on their faces while he grinned beneath his mask. "And she hasn't even seen what else I can do. Isn't that crazy?"
Artemis rolled her eyes. "You're really annoying."
"I know a few criminals who'd agree with you." Peter said.
"I really think you and Green Arrow would get along." Canary said with a grin. "You're very ... similar."
"That's who he reminded me of!" Artemis threw her hands up.
"Well, I don't have a goatee, so I assume it's the fact that we're both roguishly handsome?" Peter said.
" ... and annoyingly confident." Canary replied before turning to the rest of the Team. "Today was supposed to be a training day, but considering there's a new arrival, I say we call it early."
"Alright!" Wally pumped his fists. "Air hockey, anyone?"
"Not so fast there, KF." Robin said. "You made a bet, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah." Wally groaned, reaching into his pocket and rummaging only to come up empty-handed. " ... can someone spot me five dollars?"
"Keep your five." Robin smiled. "I'm more interested in the bet you made with Miss M."
"That's right." Artemis smiled. "Something about being my errand boy if Peter lasted more than a minute against Canary."
"Was it even a minute?" Wally rebutted. "There's n-"
"The spar lasted a total of two minutes and twenty-three seconds." Red Tornado chimed in.
"Thank you, Tornado, for that information." Wally turned to M'gann and did his best puppy dog impression. "M'gann?"
"Sorry, Wally. A deal's a deal." M'gann said without hesitation.
Artemis smirked. "I'm feeling really hungry right now. Anyone want anything from the kitchen?"
"Actually, I just put in an order for some pizza." Robin smirked. "And don't worry, it's already paid for."
"Oh, even better then." Artemis smiled.
Wally sighed dramatically before speeding away.
Peter chuckled as he followed the Team into the kitchen.
"So what do you think so far?" Robin asked.
"This team is ... something else." Peter said. "In a good way."
"Good." Robin patted him on the arm. "You're one of us now. Part of the Team."
"By the way, is that really the name of this team? 'The Team?'" Peter asked.
"We're a covert team, I don't think we really need a catchy name." Robin said.
"Big disagree." Peter said.
"Okay, then. What do you think our name should be?"
Peter thought about it for a second before grinning. "How about ..."
~~
AN
Pretty obvious what the name is going to be (not Young Justice btw)
Also Canary's only saying that because she hasn't really seen him fight. As time goes on, she'll come to the same conclusion as Wildcat, but she'll actually help train with him.