One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ Rumble! - The Perfect Union ( Chapter 19 )

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—and their pasts too!—belong to Pivitor. Remember it!

 

 

The Ultimate Cruise:
One Piece meets Teen Titans

 

Chapter 19: Rumble!—The Perfect Union

 

Beast Boy's chest moved quickly, the shapeshifter taking rapid breaths as he tried to calm himself. The situation confronting him—to put it in the Titan's language—was blowing his mind. Ivan was an old man, dangerous only for his armor, right? He had thought so, but the unconscious body of Chopper said otherwise.

 

`He didn't do anything to deserve this!' Beast Boy thought, his eyes watering at the sight of his fallen comrade. He growled as he remembered that reindeer's valiant actions. Tony Tony Chopper had launched the first attack upon Ivan, declaring that they had places to be, all to help him reach Terra!

 

`Chopper only wanted to help me! He ran into danger just because of me!' Beast Boy's green fist clenched. `And of course, there's still Terra! I can't let either of them down!' The shapeshifter's other hand followed suit, and his body tensed as his eyes finally met Ivan's.

 

“Old man! You're going down!”

 

Ivan chuckled, finally seeming to have regained some of his sanity.

 

“Boy, you stand no chance.” He clenched his fist as well, raising his arm. “Mother gave me Ehedren to suppress my true power! You've destroyed that gift—” His eyes suddenly became wider than saucers, his face coming alive with rage. “—leaving me no choice but to decimate you with that same power!”

 

The Teen Titan was already dashing forward, his fangs glinting. “I don't care what freaky power you use to fight me, or why! You won't hold us back anymore!”

 

“Freaky power?” Ivan too dashed forward, his charge now being met by a green rhino as his opponent changed shape. “The power of the Suji Suji Fruit is a curse—to the victim and the user!” Tears streamed behind him as the muscles in his outstretched arm began growing. He hadn't used his powers in years, and the destruction of Ehedren made it impossible to hold the memories back.

 

 

 

“Hey, get back here!” the shopkeeper yelled, abandoning his apron as he rounded the corner. However, the rotund businessman was no match for the thief. Even with a barrel of fruit beneath each arm, the tiny boy had the speed of a god. The older man continued his chase, but within minutes the boy was gone—along with his profits.

 

Collapsing against the wall, the shopkeeper sighed. “Damn! It's the third time this month—and this time he got away with my `special fruit!'” Finally regaining his breath, the man started the trek back to his stand; in the time spent chasing the thief, who knew what might have happened to his unattended business?

 

“It didn't used to be this way.” He lamented. “This island is going to Hell.”

 

 

 

Slipping through a small door, the thief slid down a steep dirt wall and to the floor. He was in a dimly lit basement beneath a rickety shack; this was the place he called home. The walls were lined with barrels, many empty but some still lined with various fruits.

 

Finally dropping his newest barrels, the boy collapsed onto a chair—besides it, a table was the only furnishing in the room. His body was gaunt, and his sweat-stained shirt hung from his arm as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead and shaggy brown hair.

 

“The old man's getting faster.” He sighed. “I need to start hitting up different stands—not that there's many more to hit. Who can afford fruit these days?” He started to root through the fruit he had pilfered, finding the usual apples, bananas and the like. “I guess selling this stuff cheap is a living when we get it for free…but…”

 

Suddenly, his thought was interrupted as he noticed a strange fruit in the barrel. It was small and round, covered with various patterns. However, its strangest trait was that it was purple.

 

“This is different!” the boy exclaimed, pulling the fruit from the barrel. He passed it between his hands a few times, his bright eyes following the tempting fruit the entire time. “I wonder what it tastes like?”

 

Quickly the boy turned, scanning the room a few times before making his decision. Slowly he took a bite of the fruit, sinking his teeth into the soft pulp. He was so hungry that he had swallowed the entire bite before the taste even registered.

 

“GAAH! This tastes like shit!” the boy cried, dropping the fruit. He began coughing, trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth.

 

“Ivan? You're back?”

 

The boy stopped, suddenly motionless. That voice calling his name wasn't good—not now anyway. In an instant he had swiped up the remains of the fruit, trying to find a place to hide it.

 

However, in this sparse room that task proved to be quite impossible. Before Ivan could come to a solution, his father had already arrived downstairs. In contrast to his son, Ike was a large, strong man. Weathered flannel and denim covered his body, and his jet-black hair was slicked back. His chiseled face was one the ladies swooned over, as much for its attractiveness as for the rugged feeling it gave. Indeed, you could tell Ike was a tough man on first glance.

 

His eyes glistened at the sight of his son's haul. “Nicely done Ivan! Looks like my little thief is as fast as e…” Unfortunately, Ike's good mood vanished as he noticed the half-eaten fruit in his frightened son's hand.

 

The fruit fell to the floor as Ivan found his wrist caught in the vice-like grip of his father. The boy couldn't believe the look of pure, unadulterated rage on the elder man's face.

 

“I'm sorry!” Ivan cried, tears erupting as he felt the blood being cut off from his hand. “It was just one fruit! I didn't think it would matter! It won't make me too fat to be a thief! Please, I'm sorry!”

 

Ike only bit his lip, starting at his scrawny son. He kept the boy this way so he could perform his job. He was perfect for getting out of sticky situations. Still, Ivan was right. One fruit didn't matter. Not usually, at least.

 

“Do you have any idea what sort of fruit that was?!” he exclaimed, eliciting a frightened cry of no from his son. “That was a Devil's Fruit! The money I could have gotten for that thing would have set us free!

 

“This island is going to Hell, son! The gangs are getting worse every day! How much longer do you think we can keep doing this before they come after us? We're taking their business! That fruit could have gotten us out of here…there might never be another chance like this one!”

 

Ivan grunted in pain as he was thrown into the table, and barely had a moment to process his situation as his father again came toward him, his hand in a fist. Ike's teeth were clenched so hard you would think that they'd snap. He had to get away from this horrible place! He couldn't let Ivan think he could do whatever he wanted! This place was too harsh; one bad decision had cost them their freedom!

 

However, something new came to life inside of the boy. No matter how manipulative his father had been, he had believed in his cause, but this was too far! Ivan did all the work in this partnership, and it was time he received credit! He wasn't going to take this anymore!

 

In one quick swing of his arm Ivan had knocked away his father's fist. Ike stopped in his tracks, his vengeful expression changed to one of shock as he saw his son's bulked arm. The boy, meanwhile, had acquired the previous rage of his father as he lunged forward, the muscles in his other arm expanding as well as his fingers wrapped around Ike's windpipe.

 

Ike gasped desperately for breath as he was lifted into the air. He struggled to get loose, but Ivan's prodigious grip could not be escaped. Pleas for mercy died in his throat.

 

Finally the boy tossed his father to the ground. “Looks like a Devil's Fruit is useful for more than money, eh Dad?” Ivan remarked disdainfully.

 

However, he never answered. The boy's face started to soften as he noticed Ike's neck—or what was left of it, at least. His gaze turned to his hands, which were covered in the spilt blood of his father.

 

“NO!” he cried, pounding his fists into the ground. The floor shattered around him, and his tears fell to the fractured pavement like a rainstorm. As Ivan continued to sob the muscles in his arm shrank, returning to normal.

 

“This power…” he whispered, staring at his arms in amazement. For a second the tears stopped, but then he wailed again, tears spurting in all directions. “This isn't a power! This…this is a curse! This…this killed my dad!”

 

Then the boy collapsed, his energy exhausted by the trauma.

 

 

 

Several years passed, and faster then ever Ianoa Island was becoming that Hell everybody knew it would be. While crime had been predominant since the great disaster, the criminal underworld had now become organized and several gangs had the island at their mercy.

 

Two of those groups were now in a showdown, members of both groups charging brutally. Fists struck, knives clashed, and gunshots were fired. Blood filled the air, staining the streets as bodies tumbled.

 

A punk in red gasped as his buddy collapsed in a pool of his own blood. His side was losing, and losing bad! He whipped out his pistol, the murderer of his friend in sight, but it was never fired. He gasped pitifully as he fell to the ground, a wound gaping in his back.

 

Behind him a criminal in blue snickered, holding a blood-stained knife. However, his laugh was cut off as his head was sent flying. The body tumbled beneath a bloody hand, attached to a muscle-bound body. The figure was clad only in red pants, with shaggy brown hair that nearly covered his face completely. He held no weapons—Ivan the human weapon didn't need one.

 

More blue-clad gangsters charged for him, but he received the assault with only a smile. “Suji Suji Maximum!” he cried as he crouched low, crossing his arms. Every muscle in his body grew to epic proportions, nearly doubling the teen's size.

 

With a blood-curdling scream Ivan threw his arms to the side; the force of the attack blew away the mob around him without even landing a hit. His feet clenched into the concrete beneath him, and the ridiculous power of his calves propelled him faster then the eye could see.

 

As the opposing gang was left clueless, Ivan appeared behind them—one swing of his arm decapitated an entire row. He grabbed one body, hurling it forward with the force of bazooka fire. It tore through the bodies of its former gangmates, downing at least a dozen more punks.

 

He heard guns cocking behind him, but they were no match for his power. Almost instantaneously his hands had torn into the ground, pulling a slab of asphalt before him as a shield. It stopped the bullets in their tracks, and made a wonderful projectile as it decimated the gunmen.

 

In a matter of minutes Ivan had single-handedly destroyed the rival gang, much to the surprised faces of his allies. All of them had heard the stories, but few had seen this human militia in action before.

 

Ivan, meanwhile, just stared at his handiwork, emotion absent from his eyes. “Little bastards.” He growled.

 

 

 

“Ivan! Fantastic job!”

 

Back at his gang's headquarters, a man leapt down from his throne. He had a red eyepatch over his left eye, while the rest of his battle-hardened body was clothed in black and red. He was Rodell, Ivan's leader and one of the most feared men on Ianoa Island.

 

Ivan stood at attention, the look of apathy he had adopted in recent years softening a bit for this dangerous figure. However, he needn't worry about Rodell taking offense. Ivan was his biggest asset, and for now he could do no wrong.

 

“Pretty soon, kid, I won't even need a gang! You're doing all their work!” Grunts could be heard coming from the rest of the gang, but Rodell paid them no mind. “That's why I have an assignment for you. I've gotten a tip that Gang Green is having a meeting tonight by the docks. All their bigwigs will be there. It's too dangerous to storm the place. Can I count on you to take them out?”

 

Rodell extended his hand, and Ivan gripped it without hesitation. “Absolutely.”

 

As his leader further explained the plan, Ivan couldn't help but let thoughts flood his head. `Finally', he thought, `finally all this killing has a meaning! Finally, this cursed power is doing something good for me!'

 

 

 

With only a small sliver of moon illuminating his way, Ivan slipped into an alleyway by the docks. The building before him was the place, no doubt about it.

 

“Strange,” Ivan observed, “there's no guards.” As he peered into one of the small windows on the building's side, his eyebrows arched low. “And no gang leaders either.”

 

“Exactly!” a voice exclaimed. Ivan turned to see a man in red on the other side of the alley, with a rifle aimed toward his heart.

 

“Archer?” Ivan asked, stunned at the presence of another member of his gang there. “What the hell are you doing here? And where's Gang Green?”

 

Archer just laughed. “They were never meeting here! I arranged for Rodell to get that tip!”

 

“Bastard!” Ivan exclaimed. “What could you possibly gain from that?”

 

“Silence, you goddamned kiss-ass!” Archer yelled. “You make us look bad! You're leaving all of your `friends' in the dust!” He cocked his weapon. “And the last thing we need is competition.”

 

However, Ivan actually smiled. “We?” he asked. “The others are as messed up as you?”

 

“Absolutely.” Archer laughed. Much to Ivan's despair, the members of his own gang began to appear, pouring in from alleyways and rooftops. Each had a gun pointed toward the despised teen. “And this is what we do to competition!”

 

The powers of Ivan's Suji Suji Fruit came to life with a passion as he fought for his life, but nothing could have saved him from the surprise betrayal. Bullets flew from all directions, searing into his muscles. Blood flew as he finally collapsed, ending the display of carnage.

 

“Looks like even a Devil's Fruit can't stand up to the element of surprise.” Archer sneered.

 

 

 

However, destiny had greater things in mind for Ivan. It had been forseen.

 

Before the traitors could even leave the site of their murder, they were given the same treatment themselves. The alley was cleared of the punks in a blinding flash of white.

 

Before that light had even faded away, it was followed by a wave of red.

 

 

 

Ivan's vision began to return to him—it came in a slow blur, but who could complain when on the verge of death only moments before? He was finally able to pull himself to his feet, and as his sight regained its full capacity he noticed an old woman standing beside him.

 

“Quite a power you have there.” She said. “Found a Devil's Fruit, did you?”

 

“It's no power.” Ivan growled, spitting on the ground beside him. “It's a curse. All it's ever done is bring me pain—from Dad all the way up to those bastards.”

 

Suddenly, his eyebrows perked as if he had just remembered something. “But you…are you the one who saved me?” The old lady nodded, a wry smile covering her wrinkled face. “I wish you had just let me die! Dad's gone, and I certainly can't go back to Rodell's gang anymore.” His head hung. “And Mom's been gone for almost as long as I can remember.”

 

The old woman placed her hand on the teen's shoulder, her tender touch surprising him. “I can be your Mother now.” Ivan sent a surprised look in her direction. “I have a place for you, my child. I can give your life a purpose.” Her eyes took on a whole new intensity as they gazed into his. “I can rid your life of this curse.”

 

 

 

Ivan now sat in the plush accommodations of the Ehever. He had brand new clothes—sans a shirt—and they'd even given him a haircut. He was still skeptical, however. The gang had been kind at first, too. He didn't know how this refuge could be any different.

 

Suddenly, Mother shuffled into the room. She held a shirt of some kind in her arms.

 

“This, Ivan, is the Ehedren armor.” She said with a smile. Before Ivan could object, she had already stuffed the tunic over his head and onto his body. “Now, just try to use your power.”

 

Ivan stood and attempted to tap into the Suji Suji, but his efforts only resulted in a crimson power that filled the room.

 

“This is amazing!” The teen exclaimed as he stared at himself. “You…you've saved me!”

 

Mother seemed to take the statement in stride as she got on her feet. “Come, we have a mission to fulfill. You know better then most the condition of this island. We are going to bring a new renaissance, my child. Are you with me?”

 

Ivan smiled happily—for the first time in years—at this woman. She had freed him from this cursed power that had cast a miserable aura over his life. He owed her so much.

 

“Your very wish is my command, my Mother. Forever.”

 

 

 

“Suji Suji Maximum!”

 

Again Ivan's muscles bulked to their maximum size, and one hand grasped the green horn of the charging rhinoceros. Effortlessly he lifted Beast Boy into the air, and then slammed him into the stone floor. He moved to stomp the annoyance's head flat, but already it had become an alligator, with razor sharp teeth and a jaw ready to snap shut.

 

Instead, the only snapping was the sound of Ivan's kick sending him flying. An effortless transformation to a monkey ended the flight, however, and his nimble feet had barely touched ground before they propelled him into the air. Of course, as he soared towards Ivan Beast Boy became a gorilla—one of his favorite forms—and raised his arms in preparation for a fierce attack.

 

The Iso-jin leapt backwards, easily evading the green paws tearing into the floor. Stone flew as Beast Boy's confidence suddenly rose; he had just as much destructive force as this old man! Unfortunately, this proved untrue as the gorilla's punch was stopped dead in its tracks. Ivan held the beast's arm at bay as if it was a baby throwing the punch; with a sudden snap the man pulled his arm back, bringing his opponent in close.

 

However, Ivan was greeted only by the claws of a bear slashing across his chest. With an attack finally landed Beast Boy charged forward, paw raised and ready to rip. However, even as the Iso-jin fell backwards he didn't let his offensive fall; his leg swept up, planting itself into the bear's chin and punting him like a green football. The Titan spiraled before slamming to a halt, having reverted to his human form.

 

Ivan grinned as he finally regained his footing, and not wasting a moment he charged, becoming nothing but a blur. Dust filled the air as the Iso-jin's heel tore into the floor, slowing his halt as he drew close to his target; his arm was already wound.

 

Much to the Iso-jin's surprise, however, he was the one on the receiving end of an attack. His body soared into the air as the shapeshifter beneath him took on the titanic shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, his prehistoric head butting Ivan towards the ceiling. Before they met, however, the monster's tail lashed into the old man's side and drove him into the far wall.

 

As Ivan recovered from that vicious strike, his first sight was that of Beast Boy's extinct form charging, his mouth wide open and teeth—which were nearly the size of Ivan himself—glinting evilly. The smile that passed the Iso-jin's face wasn't so nice itself as he leapt from the wall and straight into the Titan's mouth.

 

With inhuman speed Ivan landed on BB's tongue, but he rested only for as second before leaping into the air, planting his heels into the roof of Beast Boy's mouth. The tyrannosaurus's head snapped backwards as Ivan somersaulted into the air—and out of its mouth.

 

Beast Boy quickly shook it off, but by then the Iso-jin's acrobatics had ended. He pulled his arms behind his head, clasping one hand within the other.

 

“Suji Suji Enhancement: Arms!”

 

As if he had taken super-steroids the muscles in Ivan's arms nearly tripled in size—however, the rest of his body shrunk to its normal size. The soldier swung his fists, striking the beast's nose like a hammer would a nail. Beast Boy was frozen in place as the impact traveled through him, even crushing the very rock beneath him. After a few seconds the Titan finally collapsed as well, hitting the ground in his human form.

 

Ivan somersaulted to the ground, confident in his victory. As he fell to the ground his muscles had returned to their previous form, maxed out evenly across his body.

 

Beast Boy was woozy; he could only see the ground beneath him, but it span like he was on an amusement park ride. His hand moved around feebly until it finally landed upon a furry figure.

 

Chopper!

 

The Titan leapt to his feet and instantly noticed the mountain of rock behind him. Pushing Chopper onto his back, he was relieved to see the reindeer's chest moving up and down. If he had died in the collapse…Beast Boy didn't know what he would have done!

 

Moving the pirate's backpack, BB was relieved to see that last Rumble Ball still in one piece also. Bringing the fragile medicine into his grasp, the changeling then found his opponent standing on one of the piles of displaced rocks.

 

“So, you can control your muscles.” Beast Boy remarked. “Looks like you can even focus them in different parts of your body.” he noticed, referring to Ivan's last attack. “What should I call you then? Captain Steroid?”

 

“Call me what you like, it doesn't matter.” Ivan crossed his arms—Beast Boy was stumped at how he did so with such large arms—and let his condescending glare meet his enemy's. “Don't you see?! Mother can even give this cursed power of mine a purpose—my faith in her will be your downfall!”

 

Clasping the crystal around his neck, the Iso-jin couldn't help but gloat. “After all, you're damned no matter what you do! If you don't fight back, you're dead; if you do, not only are you dead but you're helping us! You didn't think we called you here just to get Terra back, did you? Every last attack you can muster only brings us closer to our goal!”

 

Beast Boy gasped, but he had barely made the sound before his fist and teeth clenched instead. “I don't care!” he exclaimed. “Know why? Because, like you, I have friends I'd trust my life to! And they trust me too! I know we can stop whatever you guys are planning together!”

 

The Titan's gaze passed his unconscious comrade for a moment. “I'd be letting them down if I died, or if I let him die! So for that reason I will fight, no matter what it means for you!” Suddenly, he tossed the Rumble Ball into the air. “And I will do whatever it takes to bring you down!”

 

The yellow orb landed between Beast Boy's pointed teeth.

 

“RUMBLE!”

 

Ivan only raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that thing can really help you?”

 

Beast Boy shrugged. “Chopper said it mutated Devil's Fruit DNA, but this is a whole different world now—besides, my DNA is twisted to begin with!”

 

“Then let's see whose faith brings about a perfect union.” With the proposal barely out of his mouth, Ivan charged forward.

 

The Teen Titan's body began to vibrate, and suddenly a giant set of wings sprouted from his back. “Sweet!” he exclaimed. With one mighty flap of his new appendages he easily evaded his opponent's strike, and almost as if it was a game he soared about, pulling beneath and maneuvering above Ivan's punches.

 

As he dodged another attack Beast Boy's right arm suddenly enlarged to that of a gorilla's. He flew to the side and unleashed a skull-shattering hook; it lived up to its name, sending blood soaring from the Iso-jin's mouth as he staggered.

 

Before he could even recover, Beast Boy was beneath him; positioned upside-down, his legs were resting just below Ivan's chin. As their owner laughed, they shifted to the legs of a donkey. Ivan hit the floor a few feet away, hoof-prints imbedded on his face.

 

“Be careful,” Beast Boy taunted, pulling his eyelid down, “We don't want you making a jackass out of yourself now.” Of course, he didn't expect any laughs—just like home—so instead his thoughts wandered. “Wow, looks like that ball messed up my DNA so badly now that I can mix and match my animal parts!”

 

The Iso-jin, meanwhile, pulled himself to his feet easily, cracking his neck.

 

“Hey old man!” The Titan exclaimed. “What do you have to say now?”

 

“Only that…” Ivan suddenly disappeared, and instantaneously emerged directly before his opponent, “You shouldn't have made me take you seriously!” With no room to maneuver, Beast Boy was sent reeling by the old man's punch; just the cracking echo of the impact shattered nearby rocks.

 

Blood filled the gap between the two fighters, but Ivan was stunned to discover that it was his; the skin on his fist had been ripped clean off!

 

Beast Boy stood a few feet away, his torso covered in craggy gray plating. It was shattered by Ivan's punch, but as it quickly reverted to the Titan's purple and black “Doom Patrol” uniform it could be seen that he was unharmed.

 

“Hide of a rhino.” The boy smiled.

 

His mind filled with uncontrollable rage, Ivan pulled his arms behind his back again. “Suji Suji Enhancement…” Again his arms borrowed the muscles from the rest of his body; with all his might he thrusted them forward. “…HURRICANE!”

 

The force of the Iso-jin's super-powered movements created a powerful wind that stormed past the Titan, pulling rocks with it. “Density of a blue whale!” the changeling cried. While everything in the attack's path was swept up, Beast Boy remained unmoved—he was far too dense to be blown away.

 

“Legs of a gazelle!” he next cried, using them to push his physics-defying body toward the old geezer. His other arm took on the claws of a bear, and they were aimed straight for Ivan's head. Realizing the severity of his predicament, his muscles resumed their rightful positions.

 

“Suji Chest Shield!” Ivan proclaimed. His pectoral muscles shot upwards, intercepting Beast Boy's claws. Blood poured through the air as he sliced through his chest; but far better it then the Iso-jin's head.

 

As he staggered backwards, however, Ivan was already recovering. While his skin remained shredded, his tendons were already at work, and in only seconds there was no damage to his muscles.

 

“I can easily rebuild my muscles from scratch.” Ivan bragged.

 

“Yeah yeah, I get it. Just means I have to fight you a different way!” Beast Boy sighed. Shifting his weight to the side, he pulled back his middle and index fingers. “Webbing of a spider!”

 

Steel-like threads span from the changeling's new-found spinnerets, instantly ensnaring the Iso-jin. Beast Boy grabbed the line with his gorilla arm and then took to the air, spinning his opponent about before slamming him to the ground.

 

“Marvel better not expect any money from that either.” The Titan laughed. Attacking his opponent with another line, he again readied to attack.

 

However, Ivan took a lesson from his opponent's strategy. Before he was in the air he managed to grab the line, and this time he pulled Beast Boy to the ground! BB landed on his feet, the shock sweeping through his body and paralyzing him for a second.

 

“Suji Suji Enhancement: Hands!” Ivan cried. Muscles moved and skin stretched, and within seconds the Iso-jin's hands were as big as Beast Boy. The changeling's eyes grew wide as saucers as he realized he couldn't move in time to avoid being crushed!

 

Ivan's eyes grew wide with bloodlust at the opportunity. “THUNDER CLAP!”

 

A boom as loud as thunder echoed through the cavern, as did the screams of not one but two warriors.

 

In unexpected pain Ivan stumbled backwards. Quills lined his oversized hands, but even stranger were the halos of blue energy coursing across his body. With a strange movement of his hands the quills popped out, and the Iso-jin fell to his knees as his muscles returned to their well-distributed maximum. As the strange force dissipated smoke flew from his tired body.

 

Beast Boy was rather devastated as well. As he staggered, however, he wore a smile on his face. Quills—which were now quickly retracting—had covered his green body.

 

“Quills of a porcupine,” he announced, “Covered with the scales of an electric eel.” Ivan grunted as he managed to get on his feet—still shaking. “Plus, I upped the amperage just for you. Figured if I was getting smashed I might as well return the favor.”

 

Ivan cocked his head to the side, spitting a load of blood to the ground. “Not bad at all.” He admitted. “For you I might have to pull out all the stops!”

 

As the Titan was left to contemplate what that just might entail, Ivan had already ripped several boulders from ground, hurling them toward his opponent. Taking flight, Beast Boy's butt stretched into a massive dinosaur's tail; whipping about, it smashed through the oncoming projectiles.

 

Not waiting for more to come flying, the Titan charged forward—only to be knocked back by a punch likely to have shaken the very Earth itself.

 

The winded Teen Titan couldn't even pull himself to his feet; he had to rely on his wings to do so. What sort of power could create a punch like that?

 

“Suji Suji Overdrive.” Ivan grunted. His body answered Beast Boy's question rather easily. His muscles had overcome their limits, pushing past safe sizes. Skin had snapped, now only barely covering the lumbering masses of tendons and pure meat.

 

Beast Boy's jaw dropped. “Okay, now that's just sick!” But the power it packs is just as sick! he realized. I'd better pull out all the stops too!

 

The changeling's entire body now vibrated as he became a green blur. “Wings of an eagle! Arms and chest of a gorilla! Claws of a crab! Head and tail of a raptor! Legs of a gazelle!”

 

If a raptor's face could contain a smile this one would; the proud Titan's freakish gaze met that of his equally freakish opponent. “I see our minds are in the same place. If you can go all out, why not me too?”

 

“I see you kept the vocal cords of a human.” Ivan observed. “How unfortunate. But I agree. It is time to end this now!”

 

Suddenly, both competitors vanished. Across the cavern they both met; an utterly devastating punch was landed to Beast Boy, but his flight was prevented by his green claws tearing into the Iso-jin's other arm. Muscle flew as he ripped it straight from Ivan's arm, and then bore that other claw into his chest.

 

By the time Ivan had landed, however, that flesh was completely restored. The changeling charged again, but this time his assaults were blocked with relative ease by shield-sized muscles. Taking his body into a spin, the old man landed a roundhouse that sent his opponent skidding across the floor.

 

However, distance was no problem in this fight. Beast Boy's arms shot forward as if fired from a grappling hook—now in the form of snakes—and the claws both dug into an arm. Reeling him in, the Titan sunk his prehistoric teeth into the soldier's shoulder.

 

Ivan screamed, and as if urged on by the cry his shoulder muscles expanded, knocking the raptor's mouth away. At this distance he couldn't miss, and he launched a straight guaranteed to knock that head right off its shoulders.

 

Of course, no twist was too absurd for this battle, and the punch easily missed. A giraffe's neck was curved around the oversized arm, and it now lunged forward for a headbutt. Triceratops horns sprouted as his head connected with Ivan's chest, and as he pulled back an elephant's tusks grew from his cheeks—guaranteeing slashes up and down the Iso-jin's chest.

 

Releasing his grip to further attack, however, changed the tide as Beast Boy received a foot in his gut. Sent soaring uncontrollably toward the ceiling, he was quickly followed by Ivan. Spiraling through the air, Ivan snickered as all his muscles moved into his already outrageously backed arm.

 

“Suji Suji Overdriven Enhancement…” One punch from the godlike arm knocked the wind out of Beast Boy as well as knocking him back to his human form. “…HURRICANE!” The resulting force of the attack slammed the changeling to the ground as if he was a cannonball.

 

“This is it!” Ivan cried, spiraling through the air as he swooped in for the final punch. “You can't survive this last punch! My trust in Mother has won this battle! I will fulfill my mission and bring her glorious vision to life!”

 

“No you won't!” Beast Boy rebutted. “No matter how much you trust in her, the old hag is working with Slade! I can't let them win: for the city's, no, the world's sake!” His eyebrows narrowed in resolve. “Even if it means taking desperate measures!”

 

Beast Boy hurled his leg forward, and it took on the body of a snake. However, the snake's head stretched into a protruding claw. Ivan's muscles tried to intercept it, but nothing was stopping this attack; Beast Boy's claw pierced the Iso-jin's chest.

 

A second later, a stream of blood exploded from Ivan's throat.

 

The old man's muscles nearly disappeared as he fell to the ground, flat on his chest. The Titan's leg returned to normal as he made it to his feet.

 

Tears streamed from Ivan's eyes as he desperately tried to get up. “Wh…wh…”

 

“My snake leg extended through your chest and straight into your heart.” Beast Boy said. “Plus, I made it a poisonous snake; the poison was a combination of every naturally occurring poison in nature.” He shook his head sadly. “There's no way you'll be getting up from that. That poison is unstoppable, and it's already going through your whole bloodstream.”

 

“N-no…” Ivan gasped, his hand finally grabbing the crystal around his neck. “M-Mot-ther…can…h-heal me…I…I s-saw it…”

 

His grip nearly crushed the crystal. “Mother please!”

 

Then Ivan's head hit the ground. The last signs of life fled his tired body.

 

“What a poor old man.” Beast Boy couldn't help but admit. “He trusted so much, only to be let down in the end.”

 

The Titan moved to fly back to Chopper, but he couldn't help but take one last glance at the fallen Iso-jin.

 

I've never killed anybody before, he thought. Shaking his head, he turned into a raven. And I'll never do it again.

 

 

 

A raven landed besides Tony Tony Chopper. As it resumed its human form the green boy shook the reindeer.

 

“Wake up, Chopper.” he urged. “Wake up!”

 

Finally the doctor stirred. The strange creature hopped onto his tiny feet, adjusting his hat. “Did we win?”

 

“You bet we did.” Beast Boy smiled, giving him thumbs up.

 

“Great!” Chopper exclaimed. “Now we can get out of here and help our friends!”

 

“Yeah!” Beast Boy realized. I can still save her! “But first, we should wash that paint off you!”

 

Chopper looked his new green fur up and down. “Yeah, we'd better. No offense, but this shade doesn't really suit me.”

 

The changeling chuckled. “It's cool. Mind if you do it yourself though? I need to take a r…”

 

Beast Boy collapsed, still in mid-sentence. The battle with Ivan had taken a lot out of him, after all. With it over and the Rumble Ball's effects gone, it was about time he felt the damage.

 

“Beast Boy!” Chopper gasped, leaping into the air. “Doctor! Doctor! We need a doctor!”

 

Everything grew silent as the reindeer looked around for a second.

 

“Wait a second! I'm a doctor!”

 

Next time: Control—You Can Only Save Yourself