Chapter 6: The Flash Is Born (and Adam Gets a Name)
"Okay, so, 'Girder.' Seriously? Did the villain-naming committee just give up that day?" Adam muttered, leaning over Cisco's shoulder, watching the news footage of a hulking metahuman with skin like reinforced steel. "I mean, it's not even a good pun. It's just… what he is. You know, like calling the Flash 'The Fast Guy.' Or me, 'The Guy Who Asks Too Many Questions.'"
Jisoo, who was meticulously polishing a perfectly ripe apple she'd conjured (a very minor, very cheap wish that Adam had begrudgingly allowed), simply hummed. "I think 'Squeaky Man' would be better. He sounds like a rusty door."
Adam snapped his fingers. "Jichu, you're a genius! System, Minor Wish: 'Squeaky Hinge.' Target: Tony Woodward. Activate whenever he enters a scene."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]: Minor Wish 'Squeaky Hinge' Used. Cost: 10 Days. Current Wish Balance: 2 Days.
A faint, almost imperceptible creak-screeeech sound effect immediately accompanied the news anchor's cut to a live shot of Woodward smashing through a wall. Barry, who was mid-sentence, paused, looking around. "Did anyone else hear that?"
Cisco frowned. "Sounded like… a really old door."
"It's his theme music," Adam deadpanned, taking a bite of Jisoo's apple. "Very subtle. Very menacing."
The fight with Tony Woodward was less about speed and more about brute force, which wasn't exactly Barry's strong suit yet. Woodward, Barry's childhood bully, knew all his weaknesses, both physical and emotional. Barry kept getting knocked around, his confidence wavering.
"He needs to hit him harder," Jisoo observed, her eyes narrowed at the screen. "Like in that movie, The Fist of Fury. You have to use the momentum, the pivot." She gestured with her free hand, demonstrating a surprisingly elegant martial arts move. "My memory… it shows me things. Like how to punch a big, metal man."
Caitlin looked at her, impressed. "Your eidetic memory is really something, Jisoo. Can you… recall any specific weaknesses?"
Jisoo tilted her head, eyes briefly glowing. "His joints. They are… less strong. And his ego. Very fragile."
Later, during the climactic showdown, Barry was struggling. Woodward was a brick wall. Adam, watching the live feed, felt a surge of desperate frustration. His Wish Day balance was practically nonexistent, but he had to do something.
"System," Adam thought, his mind racing. "I need a name. A heroic name. Something that will… empower me. Minor Wish: 'A New Name.' Make it… inspiring."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]: Minor Wish 'A New Name' Used. Cost: 1 Day. Name Assigned: 'The Snack King.' Current Wish Balance: 1 Day.
Adam froze. "The Snack King?! You've got to be kidding me! I ask for 'inspiring,' and I get 'The Snack King'? Is this some kind of cosmic joke? Because if it is, it's not funny. It's just… accurate. And humiliating." He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw something. But Barry was still getting pummeled.
Despite his internal meltdown, Adam focused. He saw Barry hesitate, then remember Joe's advice about hitting hard. Barry wound up for the sonic boom punch. Jisoo, seeing the opening, subtly nudged the air around Woodward's head, creating a tiny, almost imperceptible vortex that slightly disoriented him, making his steel-hard head just a fraction of an inch off. Barry's punch landed, creating a devastating sonic boom that knocked Woodward out cold.
"Whoa!" Cisco exclaimed, checking his readings. "Barry just broke the sound barrier with his fist! That was… epic! The Flash is born!"
Adam just grumbled, eyeing his new System-assigned moniker. "The Flash is born, and I'm stuck being 'The Snack King.' Great. Just great."
Later that night, the mood in S.T.A.R. Labs was celebratory, until Joe West called, his voice grim. "Someone was in my house. They wrote something on the wall. In blood. 'Wells was right. The Flash must die.'"
A chill went down Adam's spine. The Reverse-Flash. He knew this was coming. He saw Barry's face, a mixture of fear and determination. But before Barry or Joe could dwell on the chilling message, Jisoo's eyes glowed with a faint, reddish light. She extended a hand towards the wall on the video feed, and the bloody scrawl shimmered, then faded, leaving the wall pristine.
"Hmm," Jisoo murmured, her expression unreadable. "Bad energy. Needed to be cleaned."
Joe blinked. "What… what just happened?"
Barry stared at the now-clean wall. "I… I don't know. But it's gone."
Adam looked at Jisoo, a mixture of awe and exasperation. "She just erased the Reverse-Flash's first warning. My chaotic queen. She's going to be the death of me. Or at least my Wish Day balance. Which is currently at one. One measly day. I need a business plan. And maybe a better name."