The Apprentice.

Prologue

P.O.V of Robin
"Motivate this!" I screamed as I went to punch him but he just grabbed my fist and threw me backwards with enough force to launch me across the room.

I flipped back over and landed on my feet, giving him my most threatening stare I could summon.

"Robin," Slade said as he stood from his chair and walked over to me, "That was vicious, dishonourable and ruthless. Excellent work, you're becoming more like me every second."

I took a step back in surprise at that, if he thought I was going to turn into a monster like him, he had another think coming. I was about to retort when he came at me. I quickly dodged but as I went to attack back he grabbed him and lifted me off the floor, holding my chest in such as position my arms were rendered useless, but not my legs. I used all my force to lift them up and over to kick him in the face, satisfied as he let go and stumbled back.

I leapt back over mustering all the anger I had at him and came back down in a manoeuvre that should have knocked him down, instead, he grabbed my legs and swung me under, across the floor and used my momentum to throw me across the warehouse. I grabbed onto one of the gears to slow my fall, pain lancing through my arm but I ignored it, Slade needed to be taught a lesson. As the gears slowed I dropped back down but he had gone. I moved through the warehouse, senses on high alert as I looked for Slade, but he found me.

With a release of smoke, the gears started churning again and Slade came over one of them, "Good Robin," He began to walk towards me and I took a couple of steps back to the levers, "You're doing much better than last time. A few more years of training and you might actually pose a threat."

He knew just what buttons to push, but he was going to come out worse. I grabbed one of the levers and then, with all my might, used my foot to snap it into a makeshift Bo Staff, but he just pulled out his own as another round of smoke released from the gears. I attacked first this time but he blocked with swiftness that should not be possible for a man his size, but I knew never to underestimate him now. He quickly moved out the way of one of my hits and came back with his own knocking me towards a pipe. As he went to jab his staff into me I leapt up and expertly landed on his, hitting into the smoke where I had last seen him, satisfied when I heard it connect with metal and he went stumbling back but then he was lost from my sight. All of a sudden he appeared behind me and I barely managed to leap off the staff in time as he brought his hand down, chopping it clean in two. I landed at the top of the pipe and began to move backwards, watching for him. Between one sweep of machinery and the next he was there and gone again. I tried to suppress my shock but not enough as he came barreling into me from the side, causing me to drop my staff as I was sent flying to land on another gear that wasn't moving. Before I even had time to get back up Slade was leaping over, ready to pound me and I thanked my training as I was able to get up and out the way as his fist connected with the floor, causing a dent that almost scared me. I went at him again, this time with a spinning kick to his face as he nursed his hand and it connected with much more force than I expected, so I went for it again and sent him flying off the platform and back down to where we had started. I leapt down after him.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that." He said as I noticed I had set a split down his mask.

"I only wish I'd done it sooner." I growled and ripped off his logo from my chest, throwing it at his feet where he crouched on the ground.

This seemed to really anger him and he came at me again with more force as I danced out the way and blocked hits. I went to kick him as I flipped over but he caught my foot and left me in a handstand before throwing me.