Episode 17: The Hunt
Takes place on May 27 - 30
The Justice League is guarding the key room on the WarWorld. For some reason the Reach are keeping the captured Team and the crystal key on a different part of WarWorld. Miss Martian and Nightwing are searching WarWorld for the Team but are having difficulties (Hey, it's a big planetoid). Also on WarWorld, Arsenal is narrowly avoiding being captured or killed by the Reach, who are looking to tie up loose ends.
Lex Luthor gives the Runaways a mission to rescue the Team and a fatherbox that will track Kryptonians (more specifically Superboy) and teleport them near his location. They fight some Reach goons and meet up with Arsenal but when they reach the prisoners Black Beetle attacks them. Arsenal frees Mongul to distract him. He also tries to get the crystal key but it has been stolen by Deathstroke.
At this point they're found by Nightwing and Miss Martian, who had found Sphere and used her to track Superboy. They take the Runaways, Arsenal, and the Team to the bioship. Nightwing offers the Runaways a spot on the Team but when he hears about Arsenal's stunt with the airlock he kicks him off the Team. The Runaways are grateful to Arsenal for helping them, so they angrily reject Nightwing's offer and Arsenal joins them. When they boom tube back to their hideout they're contacted by Luthor. Arsenal tells the others how Luthor was responsible for his kidnapping and the loss of his arm. He also correctly deduces that the whole mission was a distraction so one of Luthor's men could take the Key. The Runaways decide to stop taking orders from Luthor and go on their own.
Tropes:
- Both Sides Have a Point: When Godfrey calls out the Ambassador's lies about the Reach fleet, the Ambassador reminds Godfrey that Blue Beetle and those same ships saved the day. Godfrey immediately replays a video where the Ambassador stated that the Reach only had one ship that was only for observational purposes, but that and the fleet were enough to repel Warworld. As Godfrey continues, if the Reach lied about their hidden fleet, then what else are they hiding?
- Enmity with an Object: Arsenal has difficulty with one of the WarWorld consoles, and figures it's actively out to get him, not helped by it retracting into the floor when Reach goons are shooting at him.
- Never My Fault: Arsenal refuses to take any responsibility for his actions getting his team captured, insisting if he hadn't they'd never have gotten free in the first place.
- No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Black Beetle gets annoyed when the Runaways don't put up as good as fight as he'd hoped.
- Oh, Crap!: Dick's reaction when he sees the Runaways are using a Fatherbox to get around, though he's unable to do anything before they boom out.
- Summon Bigger Fish: Rather than both freeing any of the Team, who've already been shown to be no good against Black Beetle, Arsenal lets out Mongul instead.
- That Makes Me Feel Angry: The closest Black Beetle gets before Mongul is let out is almost annoyed at how things are going.
- You No Take Candle: Asami's grasp of English has gotten marginally better, but is extremely basic.
