14490/The Birth of Champions

The Birth of Champions
Date of Scene:	30 July 2022
Location:	Metropolis Stadium, Downtown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Doctor Doom, Power Girl, Wonder Woman

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Doctor Doom has posed:
The world can be a dark and frightening place. At times, it can be difficult to see the silver lining of a future clouded by the threat of climate change and political instability, by international conflict and economic downturn; in a world full of pain and doubt, sometimes joy is hard to find.

It's times like these where shows of international cooperation are most important, and what is more classic a showing of good faith than a friendly competition? This year is the first showing of the Latverian National Football Team, informally known as the Latverian Dooms, and this is their first game, a sign of sweetheartened relations between Latveria and the United States. First an embassy, and now a team..

As is only appropriate, the sovereign of Latveria himself is here to witness his country's inaugural game. As a foreign leader, and notorious supervillain, Doom occupies an interesting political position; he is too powerful to recklessly offend, but too dangerous to leave unmonitored. As such, for his visits in the states, he's given an escort of well-respected superheroes.

This time, it was Diana and Power Girl who drew escort duty, leading to them being requested to watch Victor Von Doom...

... while Doom watches football.

The three find themselves in a private booth in Metropolis Stadium. Doom is seated upon a throne. There wasn't a throne in the booth originally. The game will soon begin.

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Is, of course, watching the game.. she's humming while sitting in the air, legs crossed while munching on something as she watches the game.. Kinda having a happy face.. mostly because she's watching all the people here watching the game.. watching all the families having fun and enjoying themselves is what warms her heart.

She glances towards diana to see if there's anything and once again scans around the area... scaning doom too with her xray before moving around to check her super hearing on alert for anything.. but she can't help but say one little crack towards him " So they cheat too ? " She points to the players.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince had been asked to accompany Power Girl on this, well, babysitting assignment. Diana stood away from the throne, perhaps intent to make it clear that she was not there in any sort of leisurely fashion. She was more than accustomed to standing for long periods. Dressed as Wonder Woman, she remained alert, watching the statidum and particularly the various seating sections under the private suite should there be any who might try to protest the Latverian leader's presence.

At Power Girl's comment, she glanced over briefly. Perhaps wondering what his reply will be.

Doctor Doom has posed:
Whenever she might turn that x-ray vision upon him, Power Girl will find that Doom's armor is opaque to her supernal eyes; there is a thin layer of lead insulated between portions of complex machinery that blocks the invasive sight. Still, he's as clear to her other enhanced senses as any normal person: he strikes her as calm, in control, and perhaps even slightly bored. There's no perceptible rise in his heartbeat when she taunts him.

"They have been put through a strict training regimen of my own devising," the good Doctor Doom replies, his voice sepulchral and stained with rattling metallic echoes -- he speaks through a mask, after all, outfitted with a vocal amplifier. "They will crush this trifling American team, of this I am certain."

Below, the teams have begun to filter onto the field. The proud Latverians, with their grim, determined faces and hard eyes, resplendent in their national colors, and the Americans, who totally look lame in comparison, seriously. So lame.

"Wonder Woman, by all means, take a seat. This is a festive occasion."

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Gives doom a you just made a mistake look, but she doesn't say anything as she grins and looks back at the proud American team and sighs, " yep he cheated, " she says, shaking her head, but she still likes to watch football, so she's gonna enjoy herself. She's surprised he knows about the lead thing, but she doesn't say anything, mostly just looking around for anything else he might have placed around.. something covered in the lead is normally a good giveaway.

She's mostly looking for stuff that Wonderwoman might miss.. she's pretty aware that Diana is far more experienced than her so she just tries to help the other woman out as she two are watching the start of the game.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince looks toward Doom. After a moment she nods and takes a seat. "It is a fascinating thing, sport and spectacle. That the need for rivalry and a means to display prowess of one group or tribe over another reach back even before recorded history. I might consider it a particularly human trait, but it is seen even in the wild."

Doctor Doom has posed:
What knowledge does Doom not possess? He has a reputation -- one not undeserved -- of seemingly unlimited genius, one of the foremost intellectuals on par with Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and other advanced minds (Doom, of course, is foremost among them, whatever people might say about that abominable Richards). It is only natural he has some means of hiding himself from the prying eyes of Earth's mighty Kryptonians.

Yet there seem to be no other lead-lined things in the stadium. Doom himself is opaque, but everyone else, even the players, register as normal. They've got skeletons and everything.

"All, all is theft, all is unceasing and rigorous competition in nature," Doom quotes, an academic reference to the writings of the Marquis de Sade, for those knowledgeable in such literary fields. Doom, naturally, is an expert in it. "Violence -- symbolic and literal -- is a core expression of life, from the simplest to most complex. The urge to dominate, and make off with the substance of others, is arguably the pure essence of life itself. Without these contests, man would still be like a beast, simple and primitive."

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Smirks and Shows off her own mind it seems if he wants to word play she can play too " ?Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.? giving doom a nice Gandhi quote to counter his trying to make it sound like mankind " There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." She looks back at him

She looks back to the game " To Resist your greed and turn it to virtue that is the strenght of humanit not it's baser nature " .

Alot of people forget that Kara is aslo among those giants.. mostly because she downplays her own intelegence .

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince listens to Doom quote, of all people, de Sade. Somehow it is not surprising. She continues to watch the area around the private box for possible signs of trouble more than she watches the game. She does spare a few glances to the field to give the athletes their due respect for their performance.

Doctor Doom has posed:
"Peace is an admirable goal, but impractical, with the world as it is; the human spirit has degenerated in many, with politicians more interested in pork barrel and squabbles than practical solutions, with bigotry so widespread and petty differences magnified by corrupt media. The base instincts of humanity are what thrive in a chaotic, divided world, Power Girl. To champion passivity is to champion defeat."

Doom's convictions are as strong as ever, every fiber of his being convinced of the truth of the world's fallen state. He gazes out upon the land and sees ruin and ignorance; if only he ruled it all!

By now, the game has begun. The play-by-play is unnecessary, but suffice to say, the Latverians are crushing it; truly, their training regimen must have been devised by the world's most brilliant mind!

And, perhaps, some untraceable performance enhancers, some conspiracy theorists might later allege.

"A foul!", Doom later declares, as a referee whistles on the field. "What dishonorable conduct the Americans show."