One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ Terra vs. Slade - Fallout of a Betrayal ( Chapter 17 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece, Teen Titans, or any characters or elements contained within. I believe these can be credited to the geniuses Eiichiro Oda [author and artist of OP], Marv Wolfman and George Perez [respective author and artist of The New Teen Titans comic of the eighties], and Glen Murakami and his talented crew [the staff of the Teen Titans animated series, the Titans version which this story is based off.] Thanks for developing these wonderful characters I have the pleasure of using in this story!

 

Any original characters, however, belong to Pivitor. Remember it!

 

 

The Ultimate Cruise:

One Piece meets Teen Titans

 

Chapter 17: Terra vs. Slade—Fallout of a Betrayal

 

Her entire life had been spent running. In her wake she left destruction—earthquakes, landslides, bottomless pits. Just when she felt as if she had finally found a home, her trust was betrayed. With nowhere else to go, she found control at the hands of a man she had considered her enemy. However, his training came at a great price; now at the fiend's eternal whim, she found herself infiltrating the compound of their mutual enemies.

 

However, she came to know these five in a new light. Their time together truly bonded the six into a family, while it only drove apart apprentice and master. Of course, her master wasn't a man to be crossed so easily; so when the time came to reveal her alliances, the girl betrayed her new family. If she denied the will of her master, harm would only befall her friends—their trust would be lost without reason.

 

The way she planned it, her betrayal of her friends would mean nothing if she brought them their enemy, and her master: beaten, battered and broken.

 

This is the story of Terra. Mistakes are scattered throughout, forever marring this young girl's life. These situations have left her without an alliance, valiantly fighting against the very man from whom she had first gone to for control.

 

Unfortunately, the saddest chapter of her story is yet to unfold.

 

 

 

With a remarkable scream Terra's yellow aura flared to life, billowing around her. Suddenly she shot into the air, atop a small crag. As if following its command, dozens of smaller rocks burst forth from the ground, hovering in place for a moment before propelling themselves towards Slade.

 

“Come now, my child.” Slade sighed, coming to a standstill. He was unreasonably calm as the storm of stone surrounded him, tapping his bo-staff menacingly in his palm. “A trick like this is rudimentary. I've taught you better.”

 

Just as the first projectile would have hit home, Slade ducked beneath it. Not pausing for a second, he instantly leapt into the air, the force of the combined movements propelling him far above the storm of rock. Of course their course changed, and the stones arced into the air.

 

However, Slade was most prepared for an attack of this sort. Like an acrobat on crack he twisted and twirled, his descent slowed by the constant recoil of rock being batted from the sky. In a breath-taking swipe his leg knocked a jagged pebble away, while at the same time his sweeping arms wiped out the stones taking on his front side.

 

Finally the terrorist landed, but this provided him no reprieve from Terra's brutal attack; the remainder of the stones now barreled towards him, dropping straight down. In one swift movement Slade lashed his staff above his head, spinning it like a propeller. He finally moved the weapon to his side, gripping it tightly as the last of the projectiles skidded to a stop along the dusty floor.

 

Slade raised his head, bringing his eye into direct contact with those of his traitorous apprentice's. “See? Rudimentary.”

 

Terra growled, clenching her fists so tightly that her fingers almost drove themselves through her gloves. “Stop taking me so lightly! You trained me; you of all people should know what I can do!”

 

“Of course, dear apprentice.” Slade responded. “I know exactly what you can do. That is exactly why I take you lightly.”

 

“Bastard!” Terra exclaimed, thrusting her arm forward. The ground before her so-called master exploded, sending a line of dust straight for him. Slade was knocked backwards, swept into the far wall by the surge of dirt.

 

Now the Earth-mover pulled her arms backwards, and that same wall began to crumble. The dust from her first attack had not yet settled as it was swallowed up by the falling stone above it. Terra heaved a small sigh of satisfaction as she stared at the piles of rock burying Slade.

 

However, her face quickly dropped as those rocks were sent soaring by a deafening explosion. A demonic shadow stepped through the dust, his costume ripped and torn but his expression unchanged. Foregoing even a taunt, Slade simply chuckled.

 

The rock Terra had elevated herself upon lurched backwards, affected by the sudden surge of fear coursing through her veins. Sweat pouring down her body, the frustrated ex-Titan was swept up in her own blinding aura. The rocks displaced by Slade's explosion levitated into the air, again soaring towards the fiend.

 

Slade tightened the grip he held on his weapon, jamming the bo-staff into the ground like a pole vaulter. The villain propelled himself far into the air, soaring upside-down as the staff extended itself beneath him. The rocks finally hit home, shattering the base of the staff. However, by this time Slade already had his bearings.

 

Flipping horizontally, the nearly-indestructible weapon again stretched until it hit the wall. As the staff reached its limit Terra was horrified to see that it had already propelled Slade across the room—and straight at her! It was time to flee; however, that action had been halted almost before she thought it by a single explosive disk. The floating stone beneath Terra was blown to bits, leaving the girl in a dizzying free fall.

 

Beneath her was the hard ground. Zooming towards her was Slade. Neither option was very appealing, but then again Terra wasn't the type of girl to let either overtake her anyway.

 

As she was battered by the remnants of her former ride, two of the larger pebbles quickly fell under Terra's control. They zoomed beneath her hands, and she clung on for dear life. The stones held steady as her body fell below it; a searing pain ripped through her shoulder blades as she hung.

 

Fortunately, not even that pain distracted her from her opponent. Slade's staff had returned to its normal length; his vaults with it had put him on a collision course with his former apprentice.

 

Damn his calculating mind! Terra thought as she twisted her body. She span the rocks in a loop-de-loop path, using their force to flip herself upside-down. The maneuver pushed her foot straight into Slade's chin. Blood flew from the vent in the madman's mask as his head snapped backwards.

 

That was why Terra was so surprised when Slade immediately retaliated; though still reeling from her attack, the terrorist managed to knock the rocks right out of Terra's hands with one circular swing of his staff.

 

However, the Earth-mover was able to once again enlist the assistance of those same stones, and Slade quickly found himself unarmed as well. Both rocks and the staff hit the ground with a clunk as their owners fell towards their location.

 

“Well, Slade, this is where you'll regret teaching me in the martial arts as well!” Terra taunted, swinging into a kick. Her momentum easily pushed her into Slade's reach, but he simply knocked it aside with his forearm. He returned with a right straight, but his target managed to grab his arm, pulling herself in close. Terra's fist, instead, was the one planted into a face.

 

However, her balled fist sat coldly in a strangely unaffected face.

 

“My child,” Slade cooed, “This sort of fighting is not your forte.” She gasped, reeling backwards and leaving a trail of spewed blood in her wake. The imprint of Slade's foot was still firmly indented in her stomach.

 

“Your hits are far too weak.” Slade continued as they plummeted ever closer to the ground. “I taught you a little of the martial arts as a last resort, that is true, but you must remember...last resorts are useless against someone such as myself!”

 

Terra reeled backwards, the effect of such words buffeted by the pain already dealt to her. As her arms soared above her head, it would seem an indication that she was slipping into unconsciousness. Instead, the motion was followed by a pillar of rock hitting Slade square in the stomach, growing from the ground and carrying the villainous man straight towards the ceiling.

 

Meanwhile, a small whirlwind of dust whipped around Terra. The Earth-mover regained her bearings as the dirty storm slowed her descent. She hit the ground expertly, with her feet spread out and one hand slapping the floor before her. Her long hair was draped over her face as she rose to a standing position once again, a smirk plastered across her face.

 

“How appropriate to be meet defeat right after one of your smart-ass narcissistic statements.” Terra smiled. However, her glee was cut short as she wiped her golden locks from before her eyes, and the situation at hand was truly seen.

 

Before her stood Slade, a bit more battered but still unshaken, truly. A trail of dust still stirred down the side of her giant pillar—Slade must have rolled just in time and slid down the side!

 

“Forgive me if I'm wrong, my child,” Slade began, “but I believe that you're the smart-ass.” The child in question took a step backwards. “Besides, narcissism is nothing but confidence when it is founded!”

 

The unshakable confidence of her opponent only terrified Terra more. However, it was time for her to turn her fear to power! “Enough!” she cried as clumps of dirt shot from the ground at Slade's feet. They attempted to ensnare his legs, but he deftly leapt above them, unleashing a handful of explosives.

 

Not even the former Titan's reflexes were fast enough to block the disks as they hit their target. Terra flew backwards, her skin charred and costume shredded from a direct hit. However, the tenacious young girl dug her feet into the stone beneath her, managing to push past the pain to see her opponent's next move. More of the deadly projectiles whizzed towards her.

 

This time Terra was prepared to counter-attack, and as Slade's weapons drew close they were intercepted by a large slab emerging from the ground. The slab was freed from its connection to the Earth by the weapons' detonations, providing the girl with a rather deadly projectile of her own.

 

Slade's next move was halted by a slight shiver of trepidation—was Slade actually feeling fear? With the swing of her arm the slab was sent hurling towards the madman, spinning on its side like a discus. Any apprehension on Slade's part seemed to disappear as he leapt mightily, stepping upon the edge of the spiraling stone so as to leap upon it.

 

However, it was not meant to be. This time, the apprentice took the upper-hand. With the snap of her wrist, the slab flipped positions again; no longer on its side, the stone now flew with its taller side facing forwards. Unfortunately for Slade, this left him the figurative fly on the windshield; the path of his jump was completely blocked by the face of the stone soaring straight towards him.

 

It became much more difficult for the slab to travel with so much mass resisting the wind, but that meant nothing to Terra. Her aura exploded before her into a luminescent beam of yellow, colliding with the projectile and relentlessly driving it into the far wall. It exploded in a blinding flash; Terra wouldn't even let the dust settle as she brushed it aside, eager to see the state of her so-called Master.

 

Slade stood, finally battered. His blood flowed to the ground—in places soaking through his thick suit, in others simply gushing through the holes torn from the same garment. His mask was cracked, barely managing to stay on his face. Slade was only on his feet because of the support provided by a pedestal.

 

“So, I guess this is the end.” Terra smiled, brushing her hands together. “With you out of the way I can return to my home safely.”

 

“Do—do you really think they'll trust you?” Slade asked, managing to maintain his composed speech despite his physical condition. “You have forever planted the seeds of doubt in their mind. Do you think even killing me can undo that, my child? Robin most of all will think it an elaborate ruse of mine.” Terra's lip quivered. “There is no turning back! From here you are destined for destruction—everyone is your enemy!”

 

Clenching her jaw, Terra retaliated. “You're wrong! You don't know my friends like I do!” Then, as if the thought just hit her, her lips curved into a sadistic smile. “Besides, what good is the opinion of a dead-man anyway?”

 

“I'm not dead yet, my child.” Slade reminded her. “If you believe you will be proven right with my demise, then quit talking and make it so!”

 

No words suited this situation: only action. Yellow hues shone around the teen, rallying the very Earth itself into action. The ground surrounding Slade fractured, lunging four razor-sharp jagged boulders towards the villain.

 

Then, as suddenly as they had moved the stones collapsed, completely losing their animation. Terra gasped, confused as to what could possibly have happened. Again she thrusted her hand forward, but the second the yellow energy surrounded the stones it just dissipated.

 

Slade chuckled softly, and in seconds it turned to full-fledged maniacal laughter. He pulled his body uneasily from the pedestal, holding his right arm into the air. A glistening red gem was held tightly between his fingers: Slade had again called upon the power of the Stone of Iso Toa.

 

“Your energy is now my energy, my child.” Slade laughed. “I can simply absorb any energy that even gets close to me, making your abilities worthless. You can't lay a hand on me.”

 

“Liar!” Terra cried, clenching her fists as the various debris littered across the cavern took to the air, hurling itself towards her so-called master. As they grew within several feet of the madman, they suddenly dropped to the ground.

 

The `told-you-so' look shining in Slade's eye did nothing to deter Terra's frantic attack. With one final gesture the ex-Titan sent her aura blazing across the room; correspondingly, a mixture of dust, dirt and rock uprooted itself, rocketing straight towards Slade.

 

You could hear the maniacal genius's muscles stretching as he pulled himself completely upright, his arms hanging limply but his legs tensing. Then—literally out of nowhere—Slade exploded forward into an Olympic level dash. His charge went unabated; it was as if Slade had a force field around him as he speeded through the field of rubble. Any that drew even minutely close to him instantly fell to the ground, the energy animating it instantly drawn into Slade's magical gem.

 

Finally, the villain drew within striking distance. The ground beneath Terra trembled, but with the Iso Toa so close it was far too late for an escape. Slade's right arm thrusted forward, the gem held within poised to be much more then a brass knuckle. The girl's eyes closed tightly as she braced for impact, but the expected attack never landed. Terra opened her eyes to the sight of Slade's fist stopped only inches away from her face.

 

As soon as her eyes opened an intense burst of light unleashed itself from the Stone of Iso Toa, temporarily blinding the ex-Titan. Terra tumbled backwards, her legs finally buckling as she fell to her knees. Tears fell from her stinging eyes, making a sloshing sound as they hit the ground. However, these tears were not a product of the gem's attack; these were tears of regret, of pain, of absolute sorrow.

 

Even death would be better then again having to fight her friends. It would come before she ever again performed any of Slade's evil acts.

 

However, with her energy being drained—not to mention her handicapped vision—Terra couldn't even summon the strength to end her miserable life.

 

“You, my child, are nothing but a traitor.” Slade's condescending glare cast itself upon the toppled Titan. “A traitor has no honor, has no spirit. You are not worthy of being my apprentice!”

 

Even as Slade was berating his traitorous apprentice, he was pulling a control panel from his belt. His imposing finger loomed above a button.

 

“However, your powers have always been far more worthy then you have.” Slade's eyebrow suddenly arched into a fierce glare. “Besides, you made me a promise! My control in exchange for your power!”

 

Slade's finger pounded down on the button. Blue electricity crawled up Terra's body, and though you could see her face straining to resist, she slowly pulled herself onto her feet.

 

“So that's exactly what you're going to give me. My control over your powers.”

 

 

 

Pulling her arms back, the entire wall crumbled atop Slade. However, the Earth-mover's satisfaction didn't resonate across at least one of the spectators.

 

With a small humph Ivan rose to his feet, pulling at the collar on his bulky tunic. He began to walk onto the battlefield until he was stopped by a familiar voice—his favorite voice.

 

“Where are you going?” Mother asked. “You dislike where this battle is heading?”

 

“You chose Slade as your ally,” Ivan began, “So I cannot sit idly by and watch him be killed, no matter how I feel towards him myself!”

 

Ian tapped the hilt of his weapon against the stone he was lying on, obviously amused. “Lighten up,” he smiled, “It's not like we needed Slade for anything besides getting to this world.”

 

Ivan moved his arm, prepared to reprimand his son, but again was cut-off by his superior. “You are absolutely correct.” Both men turned in surprise. “Slade's purpose in this mission is over, but that doesn't mean he's done for. Slade will win this battle, and live to see the Great Power revived.”

 

“Such an unworthy man.” Ivan sighed.

 

“Indeed.” Mother agreed. “A man who so flagrantly discredits love deserves none of this power! Indeed, he will see the errors of his way in due time. Until then, the charade continues.”

 

 

 

“Well done.” Mother complimented, placing her withered hand upon Slade's shoulder. The madman looked back at the three Iso-jin; he had actually forgotten they were even here through all this chaos.

 

“Most certainly.” Confirmed Ivan. “You had me worried for a while there though.”

 

Suddenly they were overtaken by an undulating crimson wave. Mother chanted in an incomprehensible murmur, her healing energies instantly sealing the battle scars both Slade and Terra had acquired throughout their battle.

 

Then, as the rippling effects of her spell dissipated, she handed both combatants one of the energy-collecting crystals. Slade slipped it around his neck, and Terra followed—nearly identical in her donning of the device.

 

“Just what the hell did you do to her?” Ian asked, genuinely confused at Terra's loss of all aggression—hell, of all emotion altogether.

 

“I planted control devices into her nervous system the night she became my apprentice.” Slade paused, waiting for the dumbfounded gawks of Ian and his father to subside. “Please, it was simply insurance after what my last apprentice did.” Slade's fist subconsciously clenched at the mere mention of Robin's insubordinance. “Anyway, now that I've activated them, Terra is at my complete control.”

 

“Therefore, the perfect tool for this mission.” Mother said, a wry smile cracking across her wrinkled face. “Now is the time to set off and gather the energy for our great revival!”

 

Ian smiled as he walked to one of the tunnels that trailed from the cavern. “Yes, why wait for Roronoa Zoro to come to me?” he asked, snapping his fingers. Tashigi appeared around the corner; like Terra, she too was no longer acting under her own free will.

 

“Mother, I will serve you to the best of my capacity.” Ivan declared, bowing before heading to another tunnel. As he walked there, he tucked Mother's crystal beneath the collar of his tunic. “Good luck on whatever challenges that are coming your way.”

 

Finally, Slade turned his gaze to a third tunnel. Terra struggled for a second, but almost instantly her expression was wiped blank, and in a slow, monotonous walk she headed into the passageway.

 

Now Mother and Slade were alone, their minions headed on a mission to collect the energy of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Teen Titans.

 

“So,” Slade inquired, “You really think they'll find their way here?”

 

“You know better than I that those kids are not stupid.” replied Mother. “Some will find their way here, and that is where they will find their greatest challenge. Within two hours, the Great Power will be unrestrained!”

 

 

 

“RUBBER BALLOON!” cried Luffy, his inflated body nearly suffocating the Boy Wonder—but fortunately, also insulating Robin from the impact of the rocks tumbling from the ceiling.

 

The Titan crawled to his feet, rubbing his whirling head as Luffy spiraled through the limited tunnel space behind him, letting air slip through his lips as his body deflated.

 

However, despite the tumbling rubberman behind him, Robin could only think of one thing.

 

“How could Terra do this to us?” he asked himself, his head hanging uncharacteristically low. To the leader—to the boy who strived to keep the peace and unity flowing, to keep the Teen Titans together—Terra's betrayal hit especially hard.

 

“Do what?” Luffy asked, finally back to his normal form.

 

His companion's inquiry didn't meet kindly with Robin's agitated attitude. “What do you think? You were in the room too!”

 

“Oh yeah.” Luffy closed his eyes for a second, pushing his straw hat up as he scratched his head. “Yeah, she did a good job stopping us from fighting Slade and the Iso-jin all at once.”

 

Robin just blinked slowly. Sometimes, it took an empty mind to find a new perspective on something. Were Terra's actions simply to save their misery? After all, she was family. He couldn't believe that after all their time together she would still hold a grudge!

 

“Oi, I smell meat!” Luffy exclaimed, charging down the tunnel they found themselves stranded in.

 

“Wait up!” Robin cried, dashing with all his might to keep up with a hungry rubberman.

 

 

 

A mighty ball of green energy spiraled through the cave, widening the tunnel's width by several feet in all directions. As the last of the crumbling rocks were vaporized the ball dissipated, revealing Starfire, energy brimming from her hands and eyes.

 

“Do not worry, friends.” she smiled cheerfully. “It is safe now.”

 

Cyborg was in a ball on the floor, and as the mechanical man slowly rose it could be seen what he was protecting—Nami lay under him, shaking.

 

“That was close!” the navigator exclaimed, wiping dust from her tight skirt. “Without you guys I would have been done for!”

 

“Yes, it is fortunate we were able to stick together.” Star replied.

 

“But what about Terra?” Cyborg asked. “I still can't believe this happened in the first place!”

 

Even Starfire's perpetually optimistic smile drooped.

 

The hopelessness of the situation was getting to Cyborg; he drove his fists together in anger. “I mean, is it some sort of mind control? A hologram?”

 

“No.” Nami said, drawing gasps from both of her friends. “That was Terra, plain and simple. She made a mistake, and she's not sure how to fix it. She's scared.”

 

“What do you mean?” The two Titans asked in unison.

 

Nami sighed; she had hoped to keep these memories buried. “That look on her face—I saw that face in the mirror every day for seven years. She's scared that we're not powerful enough to stop Slade—that she'll end up alone again, that her mistake will be her downfall.”

 

Just like Arlong, Nami thought. I never thought Luffy had the strength to fight him.

 

Cyborg lowered his head; even his mechanical body could sense Nami's pain as well. “Well…how's it going to turn out then?”

 

“It all depends on Terra now.” The pirate sighed. “She has to decide whether she has more fear of Slade, or more faith in her friends.”

 

Just like I had to learn to depend on the power of Luffy-san.

 

 

 

Rocks flew in all directions, propelled by vicious fields of darkness. Zoro stood idle, watching as Raven took her magic close to the level where she had exploded into anger only a day before. Finally, as the rubble ceased to fall, the witch moved to the ground.

 

“I could have handled that myself.” Zoro grumbled. His complaint was met by a piercing stare from the Titan.

 

“Men.” she growled, her teeth grinding slightly. Deciding to ignore the remark, Zoro turned to travel down the tunnel they now found themselves in. After taking a few steps, he noticed that Raven hadn't followed.

 

She still stood unwavering, her eyes reduced to arched slits.

 

“Something wrong?” Zoro asked, the tone of his voice indicating that he already knew exactly what was wrong. “You seem a bit upset.”

 

Raven's scowl was directed in his direction. “I'm fine.” she insisted. “My emotions are under control.” However, no matter how much she insisted, the Titan was still visibly shaken. Raven couldn't even fool herself with that weak line.

 

Just as with the Iso-jin, Raven couldn't forgive herself for ever trusting Terra. However, this was even worse then their short alliance with those soldiers; Terra was family. Terra was a Titan!

 

Suddenly, Raven was snapped out of her trance as she felt two strong hands grip her shoulders. A tingle ran through the girl's body as her eyes followed the muscular arms up to Zoro's face.

 

“If you're so mad at Terra,” Zoro began, “Maybe you should get us up to her and finish this now.”

 

Raven gasped. How stupid she had been! Zoro was right, of course—besides Terra herself, nobody could get to her quicker!

 

“Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!” Raven exclaimed. A bubble of black energy surrounded them, taking the shape of a raven as it floated into the air and through the stone above them. However, as it began its ascent into the rock ceiling it suddenly dissipated—shattered by a spark of red energy.

 

Both heroes fell to the ground, and Raven again growled angrily as she lay there. “Of course,” she growled, “Slade's channeling the Iso Toa's aura throughout the structure's walls.”

 

“And that means?” Zoro asked, offering the Titan his hand. Raven was about to explain, until she felt her hand immersed by the strong hand of Zoro. It took her breath away for a second.

 

Finally, she regained her bearings. “Remember when Ian attacked me when my anger went berserk? His sword nullified my powers; it's obviously a trait received from the Iso Toa!”

 

“Damn.” the swordsman muttered, rubbing his head. “I guess we'll just walk then.”

 

Zoro began his trek down the tunnel before them, followed quickly by Raven. I'd follow him anywhere, she found herself thinking—much to her own surprise.

 

A smile crawled across the witch's face. Of all the emotions she had repressed, she'd never have thought that romance was the one she would be falling back into so quickly.

 

 

 

The sniper didn't move. A pile of rocks lay atop him, completely pinning him to the ground. It needn't matter anyway; Usopp's spirit hampered any further action much more than any physical obstacle.

 

“Terra…how…” Usopp just kept muttering the words that almost became a mantra after the revelation of her betrayal.

 

How could she?, he thought. Without her, there's no way I can love anymore. Why would I keep going on?

 

Suddenly, his thoughts were disrupted by a shower of shattered stone. It was quickly followed by a trail of smoke as Sanji walked into Usopp's line of vision, inhaling the deadly vapors as he took in the sights with a grim look.

 

Finally, he noticed Usopp. “Get up,” Sanji commanded, “We've got work to do. It's time to rescue Nami-san, Star-kun and Terra-chan!” Hearts gushed from the cook's eyes.

 

Usopp just sighed. “Terra? You want to save her? What can we do?” Looking at the ground dejectedly, he just closed his eyes. “Bury me here Sanji! Let me have a noble death!”

 

Suddenly—like a streak of black lightning—Sanji's leg ripped through the stones imprisoning Usopp.

 

“Nonsense.” the cook growled, snatching up his crewmate by his collar. “Luffy would kill me if I didn't bring you back—Terra-chan as well.”

 

The sniper's eyes grew wide. “Do you really think she can be saved—or that she even wants to be?”

 

Sanji just grinned as he tapped the ashes from his cigarette. “Rescuing damsels in distress is what I do best!”

 

 

 

The scene kept replaying itself in Beast Boy's mind. Over and over he saw Terra walk away, quite literally crossing that gap from good to evil. Over and over and over until he just wanted to bash his own head in.

 

“Wake up Beast Boy!”

 

With a frightened yelp the changeling leapt to his feet, aroused from his near-trance by the high-pitched yelp of Tony Tony Chopper.

 

“Are you okay?” the reindeer asked, holding a pack of bandages in his hooves.

 

Looking around the cavern, Beast Boy nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine…except for…”

 

Chopper interjected before his friend could continue the depressing statement. “Yeah…but we really need to get to the others too! We can't get separated, or we could end up like Sanji and Starfire back when Slade got them!”

 

“They'll be fine,” Beast Boy shot back with a strange sense of both malice and despair—emotions never usually present in the jovial shapeshifter. “We just need to get to Terra—and free her from Slade!”

 

Chopper looked on with wide eyes as his friend started across the cavern. Did he truly think Terra could be saved—or was this all just denial? Either way, he wasn't going to let his heart-broken companion take on this challenge alone. Tony quickly dashed to the Titan's side.

 

“Not so fast!”

 

Both heroes turned to see one shadowy figure emerge from the darkness of the cavern—revealing himself to be Ivan.

 

“Mother's plans require your lives to end here,” he droned, “So I cannot allow you to take another step!”

 

“You're just an old man!” Beast Boy smiled, a bit of the Titan's true nature returning to him. “What are you going to do, bore us to death with long stories? Blind us with liver spots?”

 

Ivan didn't take too kindly to joking in any way, shape or form—especially at his expense. The frown on his face just deepened, further accentuating his numerous wrinkles. “Neither. I will reduce you to ashes!”

 

Suddenly, both were shocked to see Chopper explode forwards in a blinding dash of speed, his reindeer point dashing wildly.

 

“Well, we have plans too!” Chopper exclaimed, reeling backwards onto a hind foot as he drew close to the Iso-jin. “I can't let you stop them either!” He quickly shifted to his human form, already lunging one massive hand toward the elder man's head.

 

As quickly as the assault had begun it ended, however, as Chopper was sent reeling across the room by a spark of red energy. Beast Boy couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the pirate's massive body embedded in the wall behind him.

 

However, the situation became even more ludicrous as his sites turned to Ivan. His entire tunic was glowing, and had taken the appearance of red stone—emulating the Stone of Iso Toa. Red energy flew from the collar, traveling down his arm and to his hand. Another band of stone surrounded it, red smoke still pouring from the unusual adornment.

 

“For that act of defiance, you will be the first to go!” Ivan exclaimed. “That attack sealed your fate!”

 

Next time: Ehedren—The Lean, Mean, Shapeshifting Double Team!