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Going Ghost! (Young Justice) Chapter 116: The Penguin (3)
🕑 Added 2025-09-12 21:27:39 +0000 UTC[Third Person POV]
“If it isn’t boy wonder~” The Penguin greeted with a grin, his nasally voice dripping with mockery. He leaned lazily against the edge of his desk, a throaty laugh escaped him as he took in the sight of the figure crouched before him.
“What?” Talon asked flatly, confusion flickering behind the crimson glow of his visor. He crouched low, muscles coiling like a spring as he unsheathed his sword, the steel singing faintly in the tense air.
“Ahh… I didn’t think I’d get the pleasure of seeing you again,” Penguin continued, pushing himself upright with deliberate slowness. His cane clicked against the hardwood floor as he circled from behind his desk. “With Batman gone, I assumed you’d vanish too. After all… Batman and Robin. One doesn’t live long without the other, eh?”
Talon’s grip on his sword tightened. “I think you might be confusing me with someone else,” he said coldly. “Or maybe you’re just mentally ill. Either way, you’ve been deemed an obstacle to the Court of Owls. And for that, they demand your head.”
He didn’t wait for a reply. Talon sprang forward, his blade cutting through the air in a vicious arc.
CLANG!
Penguin swung his cane with surprising speed, the tip glowing faintly as it intercepted the strike with a sharp metallic crack. Sparks burst across the room. Before Talon could recover, Penguin twisted and drove a heavy boot into his chest.
The impact was thunderous. Talon was flung backward like a rag doll, his armored body smashing into the far wall with a deafening CRACK that sent splinters of plaster raining down.
“No,” Penguin sneered, stepping forward with measured, predatory calm. “I’m not mistaken. I know exactly who you are.” His lips curled into a grin far too sharp to be anything but hatred. “You’ve been nothing but an insolent brat since the very beginning.”
Talon groaned, forcing himself to his feet. He flicked his wrists and unleashed a flurry of razor-edged shurikens aimed for Penguin’s vitals. The projectiles whistled through the air—only to ping harmlessly off a shimmering barrier that flared to life around the crime lord.
Penguin chuckled darkly. “Pathetic.”
But Talon was already moving, a blur of crimson light. His eyes left streaks in the air as he charged, his sword slashing in a deadly whirlwind of steel. Strike after strike rained down, each one aimed to kill, but every blow sparked against the invisible shield or was deftly deflected by Penguin’s cane.
“You’re more delusional than I thought!” Talon barked, flipping into a spinning kick that slammed against the barrier with a BOOM. “Since you ‘know who I am’’? We just met!”
The shield shuddered under the force of his assault. Talon leapt again, twisting into an axe kick that crashed against the top of the barrier. The impact dented the shimmering field—before a violent rebound hurled him backward.
As Talon flew, Penguin raised his cane and aimed it. The air thickened, warping around Talon’s body as an unseen telekinetic grip seized him midair.
“You might have forgotten,” Penguin hissed, eyes gleaming with hatred, “but I remember. Every. Single. Moment. Every time you beat me down. Every time you overpowered me. All the bruises. All the broken bones. All of it!”
With a vicious flick of his cane, Penguin sent Talon crashing sideways. The assassin slammed into the wall with a bone-rattling CRUNCH, blood spraying across the cracked plaster.
Penguin laughed—high and sharp, a sound like breaking glass. “HAHAHA! Now it’s my turn!” he roared, his voice reverberating through the chamber. “You’ll feel everything I felt—one hundred times over! Too bad Batman isn’t here to share the punishment!”
He swung the cane again and again, each motion sending Talon hurtling across the room like a rag doll. Into the walls. Against the ceiling. Down to the floor. Again. Again. Each impact detonated like a gunshot, painting the room in streaks and splatters of crimson.
By the time the assault slowed, Talon’s body was barely recognizable. His armored suit hung in shredded tatters, his limbs limp and broken. Blood streamed freely, pooling across the cold stone floor beneath him. His once-bright red lenses were cracked to a dull haze, his eyes flickering faintly behind them, lids drooping with the weight of unconsciousness.
The room spun in and out of focus as death consumed him, sound turned muffled and distant. Penguin’s voice reached him only as a warped echo, a cruel whisper stretched across a void.
“I wish…” Penguin’s grin widened as he stepped closer, lowering his voice to a near hiss. “…he was healed.”
“What…?” he croaked, blinking as sudden awareness ripped through him like a jolt of lightning. Breath flooded his lungs in a harsh gasp. His wounds—every shattered bone, every torn muscle—were gone, yet the slick warmth of blood still clung stubbornly to his skin and soaked his ruined uniform.
Before he could even raise his head, an invisible force seized him. The Penguin willed him forward with a casual flick of power, dropping him to his knees. His arms snapped outward, hanging stiff in the air like a marionette’s strings pulled taut.
The Penguin stepped closer, the echo of his shoes sharp against the marble floor. The mask he wore gleamed dully under the low light, hiding every flicker of emotion. With the silver tip of his cane, he hooked the captive’s chin upward until their eyes met. “It seems,” the villain murmured, voice smooth and cutting, “that you thought you could just die on me so soon, little birdie. Tch, tch, tch… no, no, no. We’ve only just begun.”
“Who the— SMACK!—UGH!”
The question died in a spray of blood as the cane whipped sideways with skull-splintering force. Talon’s head snapped back, cheek caving beneath the brutal strike as his neck twisted violently.
The Penguin tilted his head, almost playful. “I wish he was revived again,” he said lightly. The words dripped with amusement.
Reality warped. Light flared. Flesh knitted. Bones reformed. The body twitched back to life.
“Wha— SMACK!” Another swing, faster, crueler. The cane struck with a wet crack, splitting bone and sending a crimson mist across the floor. Talon’s skull burst like rotten fruit, brain matter streaking his mask and suit.
“I wish he was revived again!!” the Penguin howled, eyes glittering behind his mask.
He pointed the cane, and a blast of invisible force detonated against the corpse. Talon’s head erupted into gore.
“HAHAHA… AGAIN!!”
Flash. Blood. Gore.
“…AGAIN!!”
Flash. Blood. Gore.
“…ONCE MORE!!”
Flash. Blood. Gore.
“HAHAHAHAHA!! NO ONE MESSES WITH THE PENGUIN!” His laughter ricocheted through the chamber, a mad symphony of triumph and obsession.
Above the chaos, Desiree hovered, emerald light spilling from her translucent form. Her eyes burned with a feverish glow as she stretched her arms wide, every wish feeding her like fire. Each resurrection poured raw energy into her, thick and intoxicating. Her body pulsed, growing sharper, more defined, her spectral curves blazing with power.
‘The power coursing through me, if I made the same wish of Batman's disappearance I could do it without any repercussions. In fact, I think I'm ready, I have more than enough power… My plans can now come into fruition, I just need the right moment…’
But when she chanted the revival once more, the body at the Penguin’s feet remained still. No spark. No twitch.
Penguin crouched, bloody cane nudging Talon’s limp head. It lolled uselessly before dropping back down. “Booo,” he said with mock disappointment. “Don’t tell me you’ve already lost the will to fight. How boring. Come now… Sigh. I could wish it back but oh Well, I suppose I’ve had my fun.”
He released the corpse, letting it slump like a puppet with its strings cut. From inside his tailored coat he drew a pristine white cloth, carefully dabbing the crimson from his black-and-gold mask. With a flick of his wrist, he draped the soiled cloth across Talon’s ruined face.
The top of his cane suddenly roared to life, green fire licking upward in a twisting spiral. “Bye-bye, birdie,” he whispered, voice low and venomous. “You won’t be missed.”
A storm of emerald flame erupted, swallowing the body whole. Flesh blackened, bones cracked, and within seconds only a charred husk remained.
A chuckle rumbled deep in the Penguin’s throat. He pressed gloved fingers to the mask where his mouth should have been and erupted into a booming, manic laugh.
“AHAHAHAHA!! I killed Robin! Me! Little ol’ Penguin—the one they mocked, the one they underestimated. And look at me now!”
The sound grew wilder, echoing off the grand chamber’s marble walls. His shoulders shook with each breathless cackle as a rush of realization coursed through him, “There’s no one left to stop me. Batman is gone. I killed his precious bird! He couldn't do nothing to stop it! Gotham is mine. Hahahahaha! Others may try, but with the power I now wield—ohhh, they don’t stand a chance!”
“Congratulations…”
Desiree materialized behind him in a swirl of green mist, her form shimmering with otherworldly light. She draped her cool, spectral arms over the Penguin’s blood-stained shoulders, fingers brushing the edge of his mask with a teasing caress.
“With what?” Penguin asked, turning his head just enough to eye her, suspicion flickering behind his mask.
“With becoming the strongest being around,” she replied sweetly, her lips curling into a slow, knowing smile. “Wasn’t that what your triumphant little declaration was about? If no one can stop you… doesn’t that technically make you the strongest of them all? Isn't that the definition of being the strongest”
Penguin froze for a heartbeat, Desiree’s words sinking into his mind like poisoned honey. Then a flush of heat coursed through his veins, a thrill so sharp it nearly made him dizzy. “Ha!” he barked, chest swelling. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right!”
Desiree’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “So then, logically, there’s only one last thing left to do…” Her arms tightened around him, the faint chill of her ghostly form seeping through his coat.
“And what would that be?” Penguin asked, a tremor of unrestrained delight vibrating through his voice.
“Why, to be king, of course,” Desiree purred, leaning closer until her breath tickled his ear. “Isn’t that the duty of the strong? To rule over the weak. To be worshiped for their might. To be praised, feared, adored. The weak exist only to bow before the strong… and because you, Mr. Penguin, are the strongest, that means you get to rule above everybody.”
A wicked grin stretched across Penguin’s face. “Ohhh, I like the sound of that. Kehahaha!” He threw his arms wide, drunk on the thought of endless adoration. “Oswald Cobblepot—King of the World! Now that has a ring to it…”
“But why stop at just one world?” Desiree floated in front of him, eyes glowing like emerald fire. Her grin widened, fangs of temptation gleaming in the dim light. “Why settle for less when you are the strongest?”
Penguin tilted his head, intrigue flickering through his blood-shot eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean,” Desiree said, voice dropping to a near-whisper that slid like silk around his mind, “why limit yourself to this single dimension? There are others—realms beyond life and death. The Ghost Zone, for instance. A place where beings of unimaginable power dwell… beings like me. Imagine it, Emperor Oswald—ruler of both the living and the dead. All those mighty spirits kneeling at your feet, worshipping the very ground you walk upon. You won't even have to worry about dying yourself if you rule the dead don't you think?”
Penguin’s breathing quickened, the image searing itself into his imagination. “Heh… you certainly know how to sweeten a deal. And how exactly does one go about becoming the ruler of such a place?”
Desiree’s expression softened into an almost innocent smile. “Because it is a separate dimension, my magic cannot fully bridge the gap. But you could. All you need is a single wish—one powerful enough to unite our two realities. Once the worlds are joined, the result will be a single kingdom… your kingdom… where you reign supreme over both life and death.”
Penguin threw back his head and laughed, the sound booming through the chamber like the cackle of a mad god. “Very well! I’ve grown bored of merely being Mayor. It’s time I set my ambitions higher. It’s time… to be King!”
He raised his cane, eyes wild with triumph. “I wish for this dimension and the Ghost Zone to merge into one—one endless kingdom where I shall rule forever!”
Desiree’s smile turned sharp, eyes glittering like distant stars. She lifted her hands, green energy sparking and swirling in a hypnotic dance.
“If you so desire,” she intoned, voice echoing like a spell across the fabric of reality, “then so it shall be…”
The air thickened with magic, and the world itself began to tremble.
Comments
KingSpy25i .
What have you done Shadow?! 😱 Thank you for the awesome chapter 🙏
Green223
He does know he's walking into a trap, like I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Penguin getting too much power and exploding to merge the worlds for Desiree.
firerock laser
Dear god this man is stupid. He doesn't even think about why she would ask him to make that wish
