Going Ghost! (Young Justice)

Chapter 208 208: Unda the Sea

[Third Person Pov]

Date: May 7th

Location: The Pacific Ocean

Time: 4:55 PM

Black Manta was quietly swimming through the deep depths of the sea, the pressure thick around him and the water dark enough that even his silhouette seemed to blur into it. He lifted his wrist and a holographic map flickered to life in front of him, casting a faint glow across his helmet. He kept himself steady with slow, controlled kicks, turning in place as he studied the surrounding terrain, then glancing back to the map to confirm his bearings.

He paused when something caught his attention—a cave entrance carved into the side of a jagged rock formation further ahead, partially hidden by the natural slope of the seabed. "Found it…" he muttered under his breath, his tone already edged with impatience. "He better be right about this or I swear I'll skewer him."

Black Manta pushed forward, cutting through the water with purpose until he reached the cavern entrance. As soon as he set foot against the rocky surface, he tapped the side of his helmet. A bright beam of light projected from his visor, slicing through the darkness and illuminating the interior of the cave.

He moved inside, slower now, scanning everything. His hand trailed along the wall as he advanced, feeling the texture of the stone while his light traced over uneven surfaces, cracks, and formations that had likely been undisturbed for years. The deeper he went, the narrower the cave became, the silence growing heavier with every stroke.

That silence didn't last.

The beam of his visor suddenly landed on something massive, and for a split second it didn't register. Then it moved. A large squid-like creature loomed in front of him, its body pressed against the cavern wall, its eyes snapping open the instant the light hit it.

It let out a sharp, shrill cry that echoed violently through the enclosed space, its tentacles lashing out in every direction as it woke in a frenzy. The water churned immediately.

"Shit…" Black Manta cursed, already reaching behind himself. His hand wrapped around the shaft of the harpoon mounted on his back, pulling it free in one smooth motion.

The cave erupted into chaos. The creature's tentacles slammed against the walls, sending vibrations through the rock as it attacked wildly. Manta fired back without hesitation, thick red optic blasts bursting from his visor in controlled beams that cut through the water and struck the creature's body. The confined space amplified everything—the noise, the movement, the impact.

The walls began to crack under the strain of the fight. Pieces of rock broke loose and drifted before being shoved aside by the current created from their clash. One of the tentacles wrapped around Manta and hurled him into the cavern wall with force, then again, and again, each impact sending dull shockwaves through his armor.

He didn't stay down.

Timing the next strike, Black Manta drove forward, forcing his way through the thrashing limbs. He raised the harpoon and plunged it straight into the creature's heart, pushing until he felt resistance give way. The creature let out another piercing cry, its movements turning erratic as it struggled.

Manta roared back, gripping the weapon tightly as he twisted it deeper, making sure the strike counted. Dark blood spilled out into the water, spreading quickly and staining everything around them. After a final violent jerk, he ripped the harpoon free.

The creature's body went limp.

For a moment, everything stilled.

Black Manta hovered there, breathing heavier than before, his chest rising and falling as he recovered from the fight that had dragged on far longer than he would have liked. He fought the beast for close to half an hour. He adjusted his grip slightly, his other hand moving to his arm as he growled under his breath. "This better have been all worth it."

He shoved a loose tentacle out of his path and continued deeper into the cave, his visor light scanning ahead until it landed on something resting at the far end. A raised rock formation, almost like a natural pedestal, and sitting on top of it was a large, aged treasure chest.

"Good… looks like it wasn't for nothing," he muttered, some of the tension easing as he approached.

He didn't bother with subtlety. A quick blast from his visor shattered the lock clean off. The chest creaked open, and a stream of bubbles escaped from within, drifting upward as the lid shifted back.

From inside, a single object began to rise.

A bottle.

Black Manta reached out and caught it before it could drift too far, turning it in his hand as he examined it closely. It wasn't just any bottle. There was a ship inside it, detailed and intact.

He rotated it again, looking for anything unusual—markings, mechanisms, anything that justified the trouble. There was nothing.

Just the ship.

He glanced back into the chest. Empty.

"What?" he said flatly at first, the word carrying more disbelief than anything else. Then the irritation set in, fast and sharp. "That's it? This is what I came down here for?!"

His grip tightened around the bottle as anger overtook whatever patience he had left. "I'll kill him for wasting my time with this—"

He cut himself off as he hurled the bottle down against the cavern floor. "Damn it, V—"

The glass shattered on impact.

A bright green flash exploded outward, filling the cave in an instant.

Outside, the ocean fell silent for a single second.

Then the cavern ceiling burst apart as something massive forced its way through from within, rock and debris blasting outward in all directions. A giant, ghostly pirate ship tore free into the open water, its form glowing faintly with an eerie green light.

"Hahahaha!" A high-pitched, childish laugh echoed through the sea, carrying far beyond the cave. "Arrrr! Beware, sea, and tremble in fear! For the great pirate Youngblood has returned!"

Black Manta landed hard on the deck of the ghostly ship with a low groan, the impact sending a dull vibration through his armor. He pushed himself up slowly, one hand bracing against the wooden planks as he steadied his footing. When he finally looked up, his glowing red visor fixed on the figure standing above him at the helm.

Youngblood.

He was smaller than expected. A boy, dressed like a pirate straight out of some exaggerated story, complete with a hook for one hand and a peg leg. A ghostly parrot rested casually on his shoulder, its faint glow matching the eerie green hue of the ship and crew surrounding him.

"A child?" Black Manta growled, the irritation from earlier still sitting heavy in his voice. "And how exactly is a child supposed to help me bring Atlantis to ruin?"

"Now wait just a minute," Youngblood replied, his tone immediately defensive, though not lacking confidence. "Normally I would've kicked you off my ship or had my men kill you just for being an ugly adult." He paused briefly, glancing Manta over again. "But you did free me from my bottle, and you just said something that caught my interest."

He drifted away from the wheel, lifting into the air as he floated down closer to Manta, stopping just a short distance in front of him. "Did you just say Atlantis? As in the legendary sunken city of Atlantis?"

"Yes," Black Manta shot back without hesitation, his patience already thinning. "But that is none of your concern."

Youngblood rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "This is why adults are so unpleasant. You lack imagination." He crossed his arms, hovering in place. "I think we can help each other out here. From the sound of it, you've got some deep hatred for the city—"

"Wrong." Manta cut him off sharply. His posture stiffened, and the glow of his visor intensified slightly. "I couldn't care less about the city itself. Its king, however, is another story entirely. By bringing it down, I'll make him watch as everything he loves crumbles right in front of him. I'll make sure he's powerless to stop it. I'll make him feel what it's like to lose something that matters."

There was a brief pause.

"Cute…" Youngblood said flatly, his expression barely changing. "I don't really care about your reasons." He shrugged, dismissing it without a second thought. "All I know is this—you can help me, and I can help you. You want to ruin Atlantis, and I want to pillage it for everything it's worth. For I am Youngblood, a feared pirate of the seven seas, and all of its treasure will be mine."

"Right," Black Manta scoffed, glancing around at the spectral crew moving about the deck. "And what exactly do you plan to accomplish with this?" He gestured vaguely at the ship and the ghosts around them. "Atlantis' forces will wipe you out along with whatever you're calling a crew."

"You insult me," Youngblood said, placing his hook against his chest in mock offense, though the arrogant smirk never left his face. "Do you honestly believe this is all I have?" He gestured outward toward the empty ocean beyond the ship. "This isn't even a fraction of my armada. These are just the ones I was captured with. The rest of my crew is waiting for me in the Ghost Zone."

Black Manta didn't respond immediately.

'An armada?' he repeated to himself, his head tilting slightly as he reconsidered. The anger from earlier began to settle into something more focused. 'Maybe this wasn't a waste. Maybe I wasn't led down here for nothing.'

"And how exactly do you expect me to help you?" he asked after a moment, his tone more measured now. He wasn't agreeing to anything yet, just listening.

Youngblood's grin widened slightly, like he had been waiting for that question. "Simple. There's a dimensional nexus point somewhere in these waters. If we open it, it'll create a gateway to the Ghost Zone. That's where my full armada is. Once the gate is open, I bring them through, and we lay siege to Atlantis and take everything it has." He spread his arms as if presenting the idea in full. "But opening that nexus isn't easy. We're going to need a powerful source of magical energy to do it."

"A powerful source of magical energy…" Black Manta repeated quietly. Beneath his helmet, a slow smile formed as an idea took shape. "I think I know exactly what you need."

He stepped forward and extended his hand toward Youngblood.

"You get your power source, you open your gateway, and you summon your entire crew," Manta said. "And in return, I use that army to drag Atlantis even further into the depths. Once the city falls, so does its king."

Youngblood looked down at the offered hand for a brief second, then back up at Manta, his grin sharpening.

"Of course," he said as he reached out and shook it. "Sounds like a deal."

For a moment, neither of them let go.

Both of them smiling for entirely different reasons, but with the same kind of intent behind it.

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