"Hahaha..." Reverse Flash burst into laughter after Kaitou Kid exposed him.
"Professor?" The three young people stared at him in fear.
"I'm really curious, Kaitou Kid, how exactly did you find out about me?" the professor asked.
Liu A'dou just laughed back, matching Reverse Flash's energy. "Didn't I say I was friends with Flash? Didn't I say Flash and you have the same abilities?"
Everyone looked confused, but the professor understood. "Are you saying the Flash from the future has traveled to this era?"
"What?" Barry time traveling? Cisco and Caitlin stared at Barry in shock. They'd watched him get faster, but never imagined future Barry would be that overpowered.
Even Barry didn't believe it. "You're saying my future self came to the present and met you?"
"That's right." Liu A'dou kept his own time travel secret, sticking to this version instead. "You found out everything in the future and told me yourself."
"I see!" Reverse Flash let out a long sigh, finally making sense of everything. He slowly stood up from the wheelchair, exuding that final boss aura.
The trio stared in disbelief. The professor's legs were fine. They'd really been fooled this whole time.
"So, are you ready?" Reverse Flash was about to attack. "Get ready to feel the speed!"
Whoosh—he disappeared, then reappeared already dressed in his yellow Reverse Flash suit. "You can blame this nosy thief for what's about to happen."
"Go ahead and try," Kaitou Kid said confidently.
"Hm?" Seeing Kid so sure of himself, Reverse Flash hesitated. "You really don't seem afraid of my speed at all."
"You're a speedster, I'm a magician. In some ways, we both rely on speed," Liu A'dou replied. "Actually, just now, I left something in your hair." He grinned. "Looks like you didn't notice. If I activate it, your head's gonna pop—no matter how fast you are, you're done for."
"When did you—" But Reverse Flash didn't doubt him. He instantly blurred into motion, and soon had a small black 'button' in his hand. He grinned, ready to taunt, "You—"
Zzzzt!
He never expected this wasn't a bomb at all. Kaitou Kid had tricked him—it was just like Spider-Man's web shooter. Kaitou Kid's custom web-slinger fired a white net that wrapped around Reverse Flash's hand and head in an instant, leaving him struggling.
But Kid wasn't done. The second round started right away. Reverse Flash suddenly twitched, his legs going numb, and collapsed to the floor.
Still not satisfied, Liu A'dou went over and knocked him out for good measure. "Get a cell ready, lock him up quick."
It all took less than thirty seconds—at most fifteen. Reverse Flash was down before he could even fight back. Flash was sweating—when had Kid set so many traps? Even if he were the one facing that barrage, he'd have lost just as fast. It was all too quick—he couldn't even tell what was happening.
Actually, Kid wasn't as calm as he looked. During that split-second fight, his heart was pounding too. If Reverse Flash had rushed him right away, there's no way he could've kept up his act. Luckily, Reverse Flash was so confident he didn't attack instantly, which gave Kid the opening for that whole dazzling performance.
The particle accelerator at STAR Labs was now converted into a prison. It was built with high-density copper pipes, so dense that even particles could barely get through. It was a safe place to lock up superpowered criminals.
Since it was all about speed, Kid didn't waste time. He unleashed his 'messy punch' combo first, then started explaining. "Just now, when I got close to the wheelchair, I put three things on Reverse Flash. One was in his hair—that was the net shooter. The other two were mini shockers, placed just behind the outer ankle bones. Then I talked him into pulling out the net shooter from his hair, which triggered my attack. The most important thing was timing," Kid explained. "The Speed Force is fast, but there's still a moment between thinking of a strategy and actually reacting. It's just like a supercomputer: even though it's fast, it still takes time to boot up. From standing still to moving, there's a tiny acceleration window. Even if it's super short, if I launch my attack right then, Reverse Flash can't react. I gambled everything on that brief startup time."
Cisco was genuinely impressed. "So you already calculated all this? No wonder they call you the Moonlight Magician. You must have prepped for Reverse Flash before coming, right?"
"Not really. I came up with the plan on the spot, but I had the gadgets ready ahead of time." It was all about having a plan while your opponent didn't. That's how Kid managed to beat Reverse Flash with such style. If there was a next time, it definitely wouldn't be so easy.
But now Reverse Flash was locked up, and who knew when the next showdown would happen.
Flash stayed quiet, thinking about something else.
"You're wondering how to clear your father's name, right?" Kid knew that would be tough. If Reverse Flash escaped, he'd just run away again, and the judge would never believe someone could travel through time.
"My dad's been in prison for fifteen years." Barry felt heavy. If his father's name couldn't be cleared, he'd never feel at ease. "Isn't there any way to make Reverse Flash confess?"
"Probably not. But don't worry, your dad won't blame you. Everything you've done will make him proud," Liu A'dou said.
Flash sighed. He knew that was true, but he hadn't expected the truth to be so harsh.
Suddenly, Kid remembered something else. "Flash, your future self asked me to pass on a message."
"What?"
"Whatever you do, don't go back in time to save your mother. If you do, you'll destroy the whole world." Liu A'dou definitely didn't want to see a Flashpoint Paradox happen.
Smart people could guess that Flash's future self must have tried it, and even saved his mother, but things got even worse afterward. That's why Kid had this warning to pass on.
Cisco looked at Flash, realizing just how amazing his friend would be in the future.
"Seriously, don't try it," Kid emphasized. "It's important."
Flash nodded, but he still didn't know if he could really keep that promise. Kid had done all he could. "Flash, keep training your Speed Force. Wait for the Justice League's call. The crises we'll face together will be way more dangerous than Reverse Flash. The better you master your speed, the more you'll help the League."
With that, Kid turned around and, with a "poof," disappeared in a burst of white smoke, streamers, and flowers.
"Cool." Kid was cool. The Justice League was even cooler. Cisco felt incredibly lucky. Just thinking about a League with Batman, Flash, and Kid, and knowing even more famous heroes would join, made his heart race with excitement.
Flash looked at the streamers all over the floor, thinking Kid was definitely a strange guy. But if his future self was friends with Kid, that meant he couldn't be a bad person. Barry trusted himself—past or future—not to team up with a villain.
With Flash taken care of, Kid's next target was Wonder Woman.