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It had been a while since the original Young Justice had gone on a mission together, due to many recent events, but now they were getting back on track. They would no longer be Young Justice, nor would they be with the entire team, but they were still a team and, more importantly, they were one of the most iconic quartets in that universe — that much, they were sure of.
But! Now there was the possibility of doing a mission the old-fashioned way, where they would fight a villain who was capable of sending other people through different portals, and who knows where those portals would lead.
But (again)! Of course Rob — Red Robin — had a perfect plan with many contingencies, but not even the brightest mind could have predicted that Superboy and Impulse would crash head-on in the middle of a move, at the exact moment the villain, completely unhinged, cast a spell, teleporting the two of them somewhere else.
Hah, Cassie was going to give them such a huge scolding, not to mention Tim, he would give them a near-death experience.
Well, maybe he wouldn’t threaten them with death because, you know, he was still kind of traumatized by their actual deaths.
But that could also mean that he already knew how to deal with their deaths and, in fact, wouldn’t have much trouble doing it.
Anyway, look — now Superboy and Impulse were standing in the great training hall of Mount Justice, something they immediately recognized, and then the doubt hit:
Time or dimension?
They really hoped it was dimension, because their past versions were kind of embarrassing. Time travel sucked, and with one extra word they could trigger a massive paradox. Besides that, incidents involving people getting lost in different timelines had already traumatized Red Robin way too much for him to have to deal with that again. Let’s give him a break, okay, universe?
“I’m almost sure it’s dimension,” Bart said, vibrating anxiously.
“I hope so,” Kon replied while analyzing everything and noticing minimal details that were different — just small changes in equipment, shifts in positioning…
Yeah, it didn’t look like the past.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded. Bart quickly ran to Kon’s side and they took fighting stances.
Through the training hall doors, a group of people rushed in.
A younger version of Dick Grayson with a different uniform. There, he seemed to take on the role of Robin, but he was wearing a suit and wielding a staff that resembled Tim much more than his own original mannerisms from his time as Robin.
There was also Wally West, Kid Flash, wearing a yellow and red suit — really yellow first, and only then red.
A tall, bronze-skinned boy with short blond hair, with things that looked like shadowy gill marks on his neck.
A green girl aspiring to be a Martian Manhunter, with red hair and freckles.
A blonde girl who looked like Green Arrow’s apprentice, aiming an arrow at them without hesitation.
And—
Bart couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Is that supposed to be you?!”
He looked at Kon and pointed at what seemed to be a version of the boy without styled hair, without piercings, without iconic boots, WITHOUT A JACKET and without gloves.
“Shut up,” Kon snapped, trying to keep his focus on the possible enemies.
The others raised their eyebrows or looked confused, the other Superboy scowled.
The fish-boy who was probably an Aqualad stepped forward and, in a controlled voice, asked:
“Who are you? How did you get here? What are you doing here?”
Basic recognition questions that Kon promptly answered, raising his palms in a sign of peace.
“I identify myself as Superboy and my partner is Impulse. We believe we’re from another dimension and ended up here after being hit by unknown magic from a sorceress. We have no hostile intentions and only want to return home.”
He said it, and Bart went to his side, imitating the gesture of showing his palms in surrender.
“How can we confirm this information?” their Robin hurried to ask, pointing his staff at them.
“If it helps, we know the identities of Robin and Kid Flash, as well as your Justice League mentors. We also know some details about Mount Justice that only people who live — or lived — here would know.”
Robin and Kid Flash tensed, as did the others, exchanging looks.
The possible Aqualad, assessing the situation, decided to ask:
“What’s in the secret passage next to the refrigerator in the kitchen?”
It sounded like a silly question, but if the two strangers really knew Mount Justice, they would answer without thinking—
“A hidden pantry that stores sweets, but behind it there’s another door that leads to a cabinet full of different antidotes.”
Bart answered this time, speaking quickly — too quickly.
Kid Flash nodded.
“He got it right.”
Of course a speedster would be able to keep up with another.
The six members of the group exchanged looks, as if silently discussing, then turned back to Bart and Kon.
“Kid Flash and I will speak with you privately,” Robin said, slowly lowering his staff and approaching along with Kid Flash, still on guard.
Kon and Bart slowly lowered their arms, exchanging looks and agreeing as they watched the rest of the team leave through the training hall doors.
When the four of them were alone, Robin spoke first.
“So, who are we?”
Kon looked at Bart, indicating that he should take over.
“Dick Grayson. Wally West.”
He said it confidently, and the two flinched slightly, seeming to lower their guard afterward.
“And who are you?” Kid Flash asked.
“I’m Superboy, a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, Project CADMUS. I’m Kon-El, or Conner Kent.”
“I’m Impulse, Bart Allen.”
Kon turned to Bart at his modest introduction, and Bart only gave him an innocent, stupid smile, making Kon roll his eyes.
Robin and Kid Flash looked at each other and then nodded, turning back to them.
“How does your dimension work?"
Kon and Bart were caught off guard by the question and seemed to think — not the kind of thinking that invents excuses, but the kind that decides what to say first — Robin observed.
“Well… we were part of Young Justice, but the team was disbanded. Currently, we’re part of the Teen Titans and stay at Titans Tower. Our team had eight members, but today we’re only four, not counting Red Tornado,” Kon explained, assuming they were questioning their roles as heroes.
Kid Flash nodded, and Robin seemed to narrow his eyes beneath the mask.
“What happened to the other members?”
Kon remained silent at Robin’s question, and Bart chose to answer quickly.
“They focused on civilian life.”
Robin nodded and asked again"
“Who are the other members still working with you?”
Kon smiled slightly.
“Red Robin, formerly the third Robin, and Wonder Girl.”
That made Robin step back, looking more seriously at Kon.
“Third Robin? How many are there in your universe?”
“Probably five? I think so. But only one takes on the role currently; the others have their own identities,” Bart answered.
Kid Flash placed a hand on Robin’s shoulder, who sighed and asked again:
“So the mantle was simply… passed on?”
Kon and Bart looked at each other, tilting their heads in sync — it was funny.
“I don’t know if it can be put that way, but yes, the mantle was passed on,” Kon answered, shrugging.
Kid Flash and Robin bombarded them with many more questions, at times asking things that seemed meant to verify their identities.
The other members of Young Justice waited outside, a somewhat heavy atmosphere hanging over them, the Superboy — the one without style — being the quietest among them.
After long — truly long — minutes, Robin and Kid Flash came out, accompanied by the outsiders, completely unharmed.
Robin took the lead in speaking.
“We can trust them. Apparently, everything they say is true, and our focus now is sending them back to their dimension.”
Silence fell over everyone, curious and questioning looks spreading.
The fish-boy decided to speak.
“If that was your assessment, we’ll trust them. I think it’s best we formally introduce ourselves.”
He spoke calmly and turned to his team, who, though hesitant, agreed. Then he turned back and spoke first.
“I’m Aqualad. Forgive us for the hostility.”
He extended his hand to Kon, who quickly took it and returned the handshake.
“As said, I’m Superboy. We understand your behavior, don’t worry.”
After that, it was discovered that the style-less Superboy really was Superboy, the green girl was Miss Martian, and the archer was Artemis.
With everyone introduced, they headed to a meeting room under the pretense of discussing their return to their original dimension.
“Do you have any idea what’s needed to go back? We’re not used to this,” Aqualad asked as he sat down.
Kon and Bart mimicked him, sitting as well, in chairs farther away from the others.
“We could just wait, because our team certainly started working the moment we disappeared, but it would be good to try contacting the Justice League, or at least Zatanna or Constantine,” Kon said.
“The Justice League has already been contacted. The representatives should arrive shortly,” Robin said, leaning back in his chair.
After an awkward silence, Kid Flash decided to break the mood.
“Hey! I’ve wanted to ask since I saw you — how did you do those piercings?”
Taking the cue, the other Superboy asked as well:
“And why do you dress so flamboyantly?”
Kon looked momentarily offended by the comment, but quickly answered:
“It’s called style! A little respect, please.”
He said sarcastically, receiving an irritated murmur from the other.
Rolling his eyes and choosing to ignore his other self, he turned back to Kid Flash.
“The piercings were done with Kryptonite needles by Rob.”
He answered and proudly showed all the visible ones.
While Kid Flash examined them and Kon explained in detail how each one was done, Artemis turned to Bart.
“Who’s Rob?”
Bart jumped toward her and answered with a smile.
“He’s our Rob, the third Robin! Your Robin was the first, and we’ve had about five in our universe.”
Artemis seemed to consider the situation.
At that, Robin raised another question.
“You still call him Rob even after he took on another identity?”
“Rob will always be our Robin!” Bart and Kon answered together, then stared at each other with “Hey! That’s my line!” expressions.
The conversation continued at a more relaxed pace for a while, with Kon constantly teasing the other Superboy, finding it amusing how easily he got stressed, teasing him even more when he found out the other couldn’t fly as naturally as he could.
Miss Martian, Aqualad, and Artemis were tasked with mediating the discussions between the two Superboys.
Meanwhile, Kid Flash challenged Bart to a race around the room, with Robin acting as judge. They did it about twenty times, and Robin lost count, but he was almost sure Bart won most of them — even though he wouldn’t admit it to either of them.
That atmosphere continued until a robotic voice announced the arrival of Batman, Superman, Flash, Black Canary, and Zatanna, making the Young Justice members quickly straighten themselves, while Kon and Bart just sat calmly, not understanding the sudden change in posture — it even seemed kind of funny.
When the newcomers entered through the door, Robin spoke first and explained the situation to them. Kon and Bart couldn’t help but stare at Zatanna with intense curiosity.
Zatanna noticed and decided to approach them. Artemis noticed as well and commented:
“Isn’t staring at a woman a bit shameless?”
She said it playfully after realizing Zatanna didn’t seem bothered and was more curious too.
Pulled out of their confusion, Kon hurried to explain:
“Oh, sorry, it’s just that we were caught off guard by her.”
Zatanna raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly.
“But weren’t you the ones who said my help could be useful?”
Artemis and Zatanna shared a small laugh, but Bart’s response made them understand the curiosity.
“In our dimension, you’re older! With all due respect, you’re still amazing, but you’re already an adult.”
“Oh…” Artemis seemed to actually ponder that. Zatanna just laughed.
“I’m an adult? At least I’m still great, right?”
“Yes,” Kon and Bart answered, amused, laughing.
The fun ended when Batman, Flash, and Superman approached, asking to speak with them.
Zatanna agreed and stepped aside, moving closer to the other team and Black Canary.
Honestly, what was she even doing here? This version of Young Justice seemed more influenced by their mentors than they remembered being.
To be fair, their mentors didn’t always care much about what they did. Sometimes they completely shocked the older heroes with their mission reports, and there were also some details they had hidden from everyone to this day.
As Flash, Superman, and Batman approached, Kon and Bart quickly straightened their posture and faced the other versions of their mentors, then turned to Batman at the same time, throwing looks that were purely curious.
“Well…” Superman began.
“Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad explained what they know about you, but if you don’t mind, we’d like to ask our own questions.”
“Go ahead,” Kon answered calmly, with a slight smile.
“You really have knowledge of the identities of a good portion of the Justice League and the current Young Justice?” Flash asked, receiving confirmation from both boys.
“Alright…”
They continued the interrogation, many questions being the same as before, some more serious, others more trivial — Superman asked about Kon’s piercings and almost fell over when Kon smiled and answered that he had them done with Kryptonite needles. Damn teenagers.
“Apparently, in your dimension there is greater knowledge of dimensional and temporal travel, but here such knowledge is still underdeveloped. The estimated time for us to study the situation and send you home is at least one week,” Batman explained — the longest thing he had said during the entire conversation.
“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Our Rob is probably already on his way. For him, dealing with this stuff is easy, it only takes a few hours, and I think we’ve already been here that long,” Kon said, crossing his arms behind his head, with Bart nodding fervently.
“Is your Robin really that good?” Batman asked, and that was the first time even minimal curiosity could be detected in his voice.
After an enthusiastic “of course” from both and almost a lecture about their Robin’s many achievements, they suddenly stopped and stared at a fixed point behind the older heroes with bright eyes.
Murmurs of surprise and deliberately audible footsteps were heard. The three heroes turned and saw a portal there, from which a boy emerged.
Apparently a teenager, wearing a uniform following the Bat-pattern, holding a staff in one hand and a communicator in the other. His critical gaze quickly scanned everyone and stopped on the three older heroes — actually, on the people behind them, though they didn’t realize it and assumed battle stances.
But none of that was necessary, because within seconds the new arrival was pulled into a hug by Bart and had his arm yanked by Kon.
“Rob, Rob! I knew you were already coming!” Bart spoke frantically.
“That’s right, Red never disappoints,” Kon said with a huge smile while shaking his arm.
Their excitement was met with silence, and they quickly remembered the situation.
They smiled awkwardly and let go of him, standing one on each side of him, silent.
“First of all, I am Red Robin, and I come from the same dimension as them. I apologize for any trouble my partners may have caused, and I’m open to any questions you might have, but please be brief, as the portal does not remain open forever.”
The way he spoke sent shivers through some of them, who quickly assumed a more rigid posture.
Surprisingly, Batman was the first to approach, his presence unshakable as he analyzed the boy from head to toe.
Red Robin did not step back, returning Batman’s gaze and maintaining the same posture from start to finish, greeting him with a brief nod.
“Hello, B.”
The boy’s voice was lower, with a slight hint of irony.
“I imagine the Batman of your dimension is waiting for you,” Batman said curtly, not returning the greeting.
“Certainly. I’m not sure my partners explained everything adequately, but I hope so, since no one is asking anything truly productive,” Red Robin replied.
Batman muttered something and stepped back, making room for Superman and Flash, who approached more amicably.
“Hello, Red Robin. Don’t worry, it seems your partners didn’t cause too much trouble here,” Superman said, followed by a nod from Flash.
Red Robin’s eyes quickly scanned them and the others in the room, noticing only an irritated scowl from the possible other-Kon and a defeated sigh — literally — from the one who seemed to be Kid Flash.
“Alright…” he replied, releasing Superman’s hand.
“We’d like to go home now. Would that be alright?”
He turned his gaze back to Batman, then to the others.
Superman, Batman, and Flash exchanged looks, then Superman turned to the other Young Justice, receiving nods from Aqualad and Robin.
“I think that’s fine. In any case, it’s good to know you’ll be returning home sooner than expected,” Superman said with his usual brightness.
“Great,” Red Robin said, turning toward the portal without further delay, placing his hand on it and watching it disappear inside.
He turned back to Kon and Bart, giving them a quick look.
They quickly ran and said their goodbyes to everyone (it was possible to hear Kon saying he’d give more fashion advice to his other self if they ever met again).
They returned to Red Robin’s side after a brief wave to the older heroes.
“Have a safe trip back,” was all they heard Flash say before jumping into the portal.
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“I would really appreciate it if you followed the damn plan properly and didn’t give us so much work!” Cassie scolded them as Kon and Bart listened silently, only nodding.
Tim walked over to Dick, who for some reason was there, and greeted him with a smile.
“Your other version is jealous,” he announced, and Dick didn’t understand, asking him to elaborate.
“Bo staffs are my thing, and the Robin uniform with pants started with me.”
He said it, patting Dick on the shoulder and heading toward Batman, probably to explain what had happened.
Dick, still confused, turned and found Bart and Kon staring at him.
“Don’t you already have enough teams? Why did that version of you decide to take Tim’s team too?”
“Yeah, man, your other self had a lot of Tim’s traits, and by dimensional codes, you can tell that dimension came after this one, so it’s safe to say that you from that world copied this Tim.”
Dick really didn’t understand what was happening as he was drowned in a sea of random information about himself from another dimension.
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“You only give me work,” Tim said once he was alone with Kon, Bart, and Cassie.
“Sorry,” the two replied quietly, still relieved that Tim had promised not to threaten their lives — they only had to endure a lecture.
“But tell me, what was it like in the other dimension?” Cassie asked, trying to break the tension.
“Their Kon wore a basic black shirt with a miserable red Superman logo, no style at all — no jacket, no gloves, no piercings,” Bart said in disbelief, making Cassie burst out laughing.
“And he looked straight,” Kon added.
“What?” Cassie stopped laughing at the strange comment.
“Yeah, like, there was a girl who looked like Martian Manhunter’s niece. They were obviously a couple, though not officially, but he didn’t have my charm,” Kon tried to explain, and Tim raised an eyebrow.
“Charm?” he asked sarcastically.
“Yes! Charm!”
Cassie laughed through it all, Bart tried to back up Kon’s accusations, saying it was all true, and Tim just kept provoking them more and more.