Katana at Super Hero High

by Lisa Yee

  “Enough of this playtime,” Dragon King yelled, looking disgusted. “I shall have you for my lunch!”

  He grabbed a surprised Beast Boy and was about to attack him with his horrible bite when Dragon King froze. He began to shake, as if being drained of his powers. He dropped Beast Boy, and only then did Katana see the school janitor gripping Dragon King’s tail.

  “Parasite, run!” Beast Boy yelled as he scrambled away.

  Katana looked over at Parasite, who was focused on Dragon King with an intensity she had never seen from him before. “Soooo much…power…,” Parasite screamed, refusing to let go. The tighter he held on, the more satisfied Parasite became as he absorbed Dragon King’s power, weakening his adversary.

  “Get your sword,” Parasite finally gasped. “Save yourself….”

  Before Katana could react, his eyes closed and, as if suddenly overcome in a blissful coma, Parasite fell motionless to the ground.

  drenaline surged through Katana’s body. Without taking her eyes off her nemesis, she reached for her sword, the one Onna had given her when she was a child. Could it even stand a chance against the Dragon King? She would find out soon enough.

  As Katana scrambled to take her fighting stance, Dragon King rose, weakened, angry, and shaken. Though Parasite had somehow drained him of his powers long enough to save Beast Boy, it didn’t last long.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Katana said. She hoped Dragon King could not hear her heart racing.

  He wiped his mouth and snarled. His claws were long and sharp. “Forget the snack, I shall proceed to the main courssse,” he said menacingly. She could see him gaining power with each step.

  As their swords crashed, Katana fought as hard as she could. But with each swing, each strike, each roar from the Dragon King, she could feel his strength returning. She was fast, but so was he. And with his enhanced size, Katana knew that she would have to come up with a new strategy to defeat him. With all this happening so fast, she began to lose focus.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Katana thought she saw a Ghost Crab. Then more. Two, three, four, they kept coming, and each one was sending her the same message at the same time, until it became more and more clear, louder and louder, like a chant.

  These Samurai swords

  Entrusted to Katana

  Tranquil be the mind.

  “Tranquil be the mind,” Katana repeated over and over again. “Tranquil be the mind.”

  For a brief moment, time stood still and Katana was a small girl again, holding the sword her grandmother had given her…

  “Tatsu,” Onna said. “Someday you will be big and strong enough to make this sword your partner. And when you do, remember, you are a team. Your sword will lead you, as you lead it. Go slow. Do not act in haste. Be at one with your weapon. Tranquility rules chaos.”

  Katana turned to face Dragon King, who was smiling at her, his white teeth bared.

  “Tranquility,” Katana whispered to herself.

  When she shut her eyes, Katana could hear Dragon King laughing. “Oh, little one,” he said mockingly as if speaking to a child. “Just because you close your eyes doesn’t mean I am gone.”

  Katana’s eyes fluttered open. A look of determination settled on her face. She crouched low with one leg out, then executed a masterful leap, landing silently on the ground near him. She raised her sword high in the air. But instead of swinging wildly like before, Katana did the opposite. She slowed down.

  Now circling Dragon King, when the moment was right, Katana seized it—lunging at him, fighting sword against sword with such power that it looked like a firestorm.

  Katana did not let her enemy’s roars of anger and frustration sway her. She focused on simplifying her fight. Not a breath or movement or motion was wasted. It was as if the sword was leading her, or was it the other way around? This plain sword of hers, which she had owned most of her life, was acting as if it had a life of its own. In her hands, like never before, it wasn’t just a sword—it was an extension of her and all her goals and dreams. Katana wasn’t just fighting for herself, she was fighting for anyone and everyone her enemy had ever harmed or would harm if he got past her.

  Dragon King raised his heavy sword high above his head, but Katana stood her ground. She braced herself, and when his weapon came down to crush her, Katana’s sword cut through the air. With a clash of metal so loud that buildings shook, Katana knocked Dragon King’s sword from his mighty grip.

  His sword flew high and far, and before it landed, Katana did a flying sidekick, knocking the mighty Dragon King to the ground. Katana raised her sword in the air as if to slay the evil dragon. In that moment, for a brief second, her costume seemed to turn into that of a regal Samurai soldier, one with a snowball flower gracing the helmet.

  “Onna-bugeisha?” Dragon King said, his voice full of fear and surprise. “You live?”

  The mighty Dragon King began to shudder.

  “Spare me!” he begged. “Onna, my friend, ssspare me!”

  Katana took a deep breath. The Dragon King blinked in disbelief…and he would have sworn Onna-bugeisha Yamashiro’s armor turned back into Katana’s normal super hero costume. Then she stated in a voice that was clear and proud, “I am Katana, formerly Tatsu Yamashiro, granddaughter of Onna-bugeisha Yamashiro, the first female Samurai super hero. I will avenge the harm you have done to my grandmother and countless others!”

  “Mercy, please have mercy,” Dragon King begged. “Noble granddaughter of Onna-bugeisha Yamashiro, I beg of you, please show me mercy!”

  “Like the mercy you showed my grandmother?” Katana asked, her eyes flashing. Then suddenly the haiku began to roll through her mind like a gentle wind.

  These Samurai swords

  Entrusted to Katana

  The story unfolds.

  These Samurai swords

  Entrusted to Katana

  Prepare for battle.

  These Samurai swords

  Entrusted to Katana

  Tranquil be the mind.

  Katana looked around. All eyes were on her. Her friends and fellow Supers, her teachers, Principal Waller.

  Tranquil be the mind.

  As Katana swung her sword, she could hear her enemy cry out. But instead of her sword doing away with Dragon King, the blade merely nicked him. Then, like a punctured tire, he deflated, from a massive beast once bent on destruction to a tiny lizard. Whatever had powered the Dragon King and his mutants dissipated. His army shriveled into small lizards, too. From their hiding places, the Ghost Crabs appeared, chasing away Dragon King and what was left of his army.

  Katana breathed in deeply and then exhaled with relief. That was, until she heard someone moan. It was Parasite.

  As Wonder Woman led a team to attend to injured Supers, Poison Ivy got to Parasite first, quickly followed by Beast Boy and Supergirl.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Supergirl asked.

  “This is all my fault,” Beast Boy lamented.

  “Give her space,” Katana said to everyone.

  Ivy knelt down beside Parasite. His skin was ashen. Bumblebee flew over with a wicker basket filled with flowers and herbs.

  “Breathe in,” Poison Ivy said, waving a clutch of scientifically altered herbs under his nose.

  Bumblebee took his pulse.

  At last Parasite began to stir and Katana could exhale once again. Hawkgirl lifted him up and flew him to Metropolis General Hospital’s emergency room, and some of the Supers followed, flanking her. However, Katana remained, knowing he was in good hands.

  She stood on the spot where she had defeated Dragon King. Mixed emotions ran through her. It was only then that she noticed the Ghost Crabs had returned. They were lined up in neat rows in front of her, one hundred strong.

  Katana smiled at her small friends, but she could not have prepared for what happened next.

  ne by one, the Ghost Crabs transformed into ethereal versions of the human Samurai warriors they had once been. Strong and noble, they bow
ed to Katana, their living leader, who had led an army of Supers to fight a battle on their behalf.

  One stepped forward. “We are indebted to you,” he said. Though strong and handsome, his face looked tired. “The Heikegani legend is the truth. As Ghost Crabs, we are the reincarnation of honored Samurai who have been slain in battle. No longer seeking to avenge, all we ask for in our next lives is peace and tranquility. And we want the reassurance that our swords, which served us admirably, are safe from evil and harm. They are, indeed, a part of us and represent who we were and how we will be remembered.”

  Katana was speechless.

  “Thank you, Katana,” he continued, “for protecting the swords as only the granddaughter of a Samurai super hero could. We knew that we could place our trust in you.”

  Still unable to speak, she nodded.

  “Now, if we could be so humble as to ask one more favor of you?” the Samurai soldier asked.

  Katana nodded again.

  “It would be an honor to us if you would please accompany the swords back to the Temple of the Sacred Swords under the sea, where they shall reside in peace for all eternity. Can you, will you?”

  “Yes,” Katana promised. “I can and I shall.”

  “We are forever in your debt,” the Samurai said, stepping back to join the others. Then, in unison, the Samurai warriors bowed once more to the granddaughter of Onna-bugeisha Yamashiro.

  As Katana and the rest of the students and staff of Super Hero High looked on, one by one the phantom Samurai warriors turned back into Ghost Crabs.

  “They are anxious to return to the calm of the afterlife,” Miss Martian said as she appeared by Katana’s side.

  “After all their battles, they deserve peace,” Katana said. “I will make sure their swords are protected from the likes of Dragon King.” She looked around at her friends. “Who will help me get the swords safely to the Temple of the Sacred Swords and fortify it?”

  Instantly, everyone raised their hands.

  “Come on, Ghost Crabs,” Bumblebee said, “I’ll take you back to the aqueduct.”

  “And I’ll turn into a swordfish to accompany you back to the temple!” Beast Boy volunteered, adding, “Swordfish. Sword. Fish. Get it? Swordfish!”

  Wonder Woman laughed. “I’ll fly as you journey under the sea to protect you from any harm that may come from above!”

  And so it went, with each Super telling the Ghost Crabs how they would help.

  “We have to wait for the waters to return,” Batgirl noted. “Then the crabs can return to the ocean the way they arrived.”

  Batgirl set about mapping out the best route to get to the temple. Using her B.A.T. sonar satellite hookup, she was able to home in on the underwater location of the hidden temple.

  Meanwhile, everyone gathered the swords in one spot. Those that were battered were bent back into shape by Wonder Woman, or soldered by Supergirl’s heat vision, or hammered by Harley with her mallet. Any jewels that were missing were replaced by Star Sapphire, who used her own personal cache of gems.

  “This is going to make a dynamite video special!” Harley said as she worked an ancient sword back into shape. “Hey, Mr. Ghost Crab, mind if I interview you, or what about you there?” But the crabs were too fast for even Harley Quinn. Besides, they had someplace else they’d rather be.

  “The water has returned,” Parasite reported, already back from the hospital.

  Poison Ivy ran up to him and handed him a bouquet of flowers. He pushed them away, but Katana noticed he was hiding a smile—until he remembered he was supposed to be grumpy.

  “The water has returned!” Katana said, echoing Parasite. She knew what this meant. “Beast Boy, rally the Ghost Crabs. It’s time!”

  Beast Boy offered her an impish grin, but got uncharacteristically serious when he saw the injured janitor. “Thank you, sir,” he said.

  “For what?” Parasite said. He took another deep breath from the colorful bouquet that Poison Ivy had infused with healing scents.

  “For saving my life,” Beast Boy said. He looked like he was going to cry. When he stepped forward to hug Parasite, the janitor stepped back.

  “Sure, kid. You’re welcome. But this is probably the last time you’ll see me. If anyone asks, you tell ’em that Parasite wasn’t so bad after all.”

  “Sure thing,” Beast Boy said, looking confused.

  “Where are you going?” Katana asked. “Why won’t we see you?”

  “Are you going on vacation?” asked Poison Ivy.

  “Vacation?” Parasite scoffed. “That’s a good one. Noooo, I’ll be headed back to prison, most likely. Part of the condition of my parole was that I was never to use my power—the power to drain others of theirs.”

  “But you did it to save me!” Beast Boy protested.

  “Yeah,” Parasite muttered. “But the rules are the rules. You know how the Wall can be.”

  To ensure the swords would make it back safely, the Supers each accompanied and guarded the sword they fought with. That meant some would fly, others would run, and still others would teleport—but no matter how they did it, all would convene at the same destination.

  Meanwhile, Beast Boy’s green swordfish would lead the Ghost Crabs away from Super Hero High to the temple so they could be sure their swords were safe before continuing on their journey to peace and tranquility.

  While her friends and schoolmates prepared for their trip to the other side of the world, Katana went over to the ground where Dragon King had fallen. There were still signs of battle everywhere—but the day seemed crisp and new and the world felt safe again.

  Sensing a presence, Katana turned around. There was no one there. “Miss Martian?” she said. “Is that you?”

  When there was no answer, Katana looked down to find a Ghost Crab standing alone. The mask that marked the shell looked familiar. “They’re all leaving now,” she said. “You’d better hurry so you can catch up with them! I will join you soon.”

  “Katana,” she heard a familiar voice say. “Tatsu.”

  atana watched as the tiny Ghost Crab changed in front of her eyes. There standing before her was the most regal, glowing Samurai warrior she had ever seen.

  “Grandmother!” she cried. Her heart was so full she thought it would burst. “Onna…”

  “Dear Katana, my love,” her grandmother said. Katana heard the familiar gentle melody in her voice. Onna was wearing the Samurai uniform that Dragon King had seen on Katana the moment she had defeated him. The snowball flower was as fresh as if it had just been plucked from Harmony Garden.

  Katana was surprised that she was taller than Onna, until she remembered that she had not seen her grandmother since she was a child. Onna smiled warmly at her. “Take your sword,” she told her granddaughter.

  When she did as she was told, Katana’s eyes grew big as her sword began to glow. “How? Is this…?”

  “Yes,” Onna said, nodding. “My dearest granddaughter, you have been in possession of the Muteki Sword all this time. Only a true Samurai super hero can wield this invincible weapon. In the hands of anyone else, it is just a sword like any other. When you faced Dragon King, you proved yourself worthy. Revenge is easy, but to pardon an enemy takes even more courage.”

  When Onna-bugeisha Yamashiro bowed to her, Katana felt her spirit fill with pride and joy…and most of all, love.

  “Oh, Onna,” she wept. “How I’ve missed you.”

  Her grandmother held up her hand and whispered something in her ear. Just as Katana was about to ask her what that meant, Onna turned back into a Ghost Crab and, in an instant, was gone.

  east Boy’s swordfish went by sea, and, protected from above by Supergirl and Wonder Woman, the Ghost Crabs rode the ocean currents toward Japan. True to their word, the Supers accompanied the Ghost Crabs’ one hundred swords to the Temple of the Sacred Swords. But it was the 101st Super who was in the lead—Katana, the Samurai super hero granddaughter of the legendary Onna-bugeisha Yamashiro. In her hand sh
e carried her own sword, the Muteki Sword.

  “We are here to announce the Hero of the Month,” Principal Waller said from the stage. The auditorium was packed with Supers. In the back of the room, Parasite gripped his broom.

  Katana sat between Harley Quinn and Batgirl. Though it had been a week since she had bid the Ghost Crabs goodbye, they still weighed heavily on her mind, especially one in particular.

  “Katana!” Waller boomed as Harley instantly turned her camera on her. “Super Hero High’s Super Hero of the Month!”

  Cheers filled the room as Beast Boy led the “Ka-tan-a, Ka-tan-a” chant.

  Liberty Belle motioned to Katana from where the faculty sat onstage. Her teacher whispered, “Your Legacy project? A-plus! This battle is one for the history books!”

  Humbled, Katana looked over the sea of expectant faces before her. She had seen her friends Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl receive this honor, but never dreamt that it would be hers one day.

  “Katana, we are in your debt,” Waller said, her deep voice filling the auditorium. “You had the strength and insight to defeat a known villain, one who had wreaked havoc on so many. And by teaching your fellow Supers the art of the sword and martial arts, you enhanced their already formidable skills. Please, say a few words….”

  Katana stepped up to the mike. When she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. Public speaking was almost as scary as battle, she thought! Her mind was racing. Then she closed her eyes and breathed. Tranquil.

  When her eyelids fluttered open, Katana saw her friends staring at her. “I am humbled by this honor,” she began, nodding to Principal Waller. Her voice faltered with emotion as she went on. “I dedicate this award to heroes and Samurai, super or not—and to anyone who has ever found themselves in harm’s way while battling evil, saving lives, and making the world a better place.”