A/N: Hi! Okay so this is what, my fifth story? I'm really excited for this, although I can't take credit for the general idea. That came from a very fantastic writer on here, AjStarlet. I read her story (which you guys HAVE to check out, all of her stories are hilarious!), titled: SOS. She also has a lot of other really good stories!
Anyway, this just sort of came to me whilst reading hers. So, without further ado...
Welcome To Camp, Titans
"Rachel!" her mom squawked from downstairs. "There's an ad for a competition on the TV, come check it out!"
Rachel Roth (1) rolled her eyes. She wasn't one for competitions, but she figured if it would make her mom happy, she would do it. She made her way down the staircase grimacing as she was faced with the familiar, cheerful bright orange paint that covered the walls in the living room. Her mom, a woman with long, black hair and adoring dark eyes sat on the couch, her eyes focused on the TV.
"So, what's this competition?" Rachel asked, coming to sit next to her mom.
"Ooh, it's a bit like LOST, but for teenagers with, ah, special abilities!" she squealed.
Rachel groaned. "You mean special abilities like demonic powers such as mine?"
Her mother shrugged. "If you want to put it that way," she murmured before continuing on with her story, "Anyway, eighteen teens with abilities-"
"Supers, mom. They're called supers."
"Okay, okay, eighteen teenaged supers go to this island and have to compete in a series of challenges! The winner gets ten thousand dollars and a chance to join the Justice League! Wouldn't that be nice, honey? They could teach you so many things-!"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sure, Mom. Why would I get picked though?"
Her mom smiled warmly at her. "Because you're interesting, sweetie." She patted her daughter's knee. "Now let's make your audition tape!"
Dick Grayson (2) frowned at his two best friends, Roy Harper (3) and Wally West (4). "You know, Roy and I aren't technically considered Supers," he said.
Roy rolled his eyes. "But we spend enough time around them and sure know how to kick super-villain ass well enough that I don't see why we shouldn't be allowed in this competition."
Dick responded by rolling his own eyes. "C'mon, Roy, it's just a stupid competition. Not like we aren't already guaranteed spots in the Justice League anyway."
Roy glowered. "No, Dick, that's you and Wally. I don't have a super mentor to guarantee me anything."
Wally clapped his hands on both of his friends shoulders. "Aw, c'mon guys, this will be fun! Besides, maybe we'll meet some hot Super chicks," he added with a wink.
Roy nudged Dick, grinning now. "C'mon Dick, Wally's right. It'll be a blast!"
Dick sighed. "You realize only one of us can win, right? This isn't going to be a team effort, we're going to go against each other."
Wally puffed out his chest. "I wouldn't go into this things with your hopes too high, boys. I've already got this one in the bag."
Roy scoffed. "C'mon, Dick. Are you seriously going to let him sit there and trash talk us like that?"
Dick smirked. "You're right, Roy. Super or not, we can easily do this."
Hannah Jinxe (5) was not one for getting up early. She just wasn't. She preferred to stay up late and admire the stars, and go to bed around two or three in the morning, then sleep in until one. So when her father decided to wake her up at eight in the morning to make some stupid audition tape for some idiotic competition for freaks like her, needless to say she was pissed.
So much, in fact, that it took five takes for her to be able to make her audition tape without stray hexes flying from her fingertips and breaking things around the living room.
Her father kept insisting that this would be good for her, that she would meet people and with her talents, would bring home ten gran and a chance to work in the major leagues.
She new her protests would be futile, so she simply agreed. Her father finally got the video he had been looking for and happily sent it through email to the competition supervisors. "Don't worry, Hannah, you're sure to get in," he kept assuring her, although she couldn't tell if his words of encouragement were for her benefit or his.
Kori (6) was laying on her bend, mindlessly flipping through an old magazine of hers when her door burst open. Her twin sister, Koma (7), stood there, a video camera in her hand.
"Koma? What are you doing?" Kori asked, sitting up.
"We're entering a contest," her sister told her, smirking.
"What kind of contest?" Kori asked, skeptically.
"Oh, just a competition for Supers, like us. The winner gets ten gran and a contract with the Justice League. Just imagine working with Superman, agh! He's so hot," her sister said, rather dreamily.
Kori smiled. "Let us enter then," she said, patting the spot on her bed next to her.
Koma grinned and set up the camera, taking her seat next to Kori. The camera beeped, and a red blinking light started, indicating that it was recording. "Hi, I'm Koma Anders, and this is my sister, Kori..."
Victor Stone (8) walked into his house, immediately pulling off his heavy sweatsuit, revealing his robotic parts. He sighed, wiping sweat off his brow. Wearing that stupid sweatsuit in the heat of late May was awful, and he sincerely loathed his metallic body parts.
He grabbed a coke from the fridge and sat in his favorite recliner. His dad was probably working late, per usual. He didn't mind, really. This way, he didn't have to deal with his dad's usual questions about the kids at school and how he was being treated.
He snatched the remote from his coffee table and began flipping through the channels, only stopping when an enticing commercial caught his eye.
"Are you a social outcast? Do you have trouble fitting in, because you're different? Because you're a Super?"
Victor nodded excitedly. "Uh, yes?"
"Then have we got the competition for you! Eighteen lucky applicants will be selected to partake in the event of the century, as these lucky teens embark in a series of challenges, all to outdo each other. The remaining Super wins a whopping ten gran and a chance to work with the one and only, Justice League!"
Victor nearly spit his soda out. "The JUSTICE LEAGUE?" he cried.
"Just send in a video explaining who you are, what you can do for the world and send it in to superschallenge ! Your applications are due by next Monday, May 12th. The competition will begin on June 1st and continue throughout the summer."
Cyborg grinned. A whole summer with other Supers? Hell yeah. He made a beeline for his room, grabbing his old camera and setting it up on the tripod in front of his bed. He was totally taking this thing.
Joseph Wilson (9) was quietly strumming his guitar in the backyard when his father came out to greet him. "Joe," he simply stated.
Joseph turned to look at his father and gave him a slight nod. He would say something back, of course, except for the fact that he was mute. Of course, he could communicate telepathically, but that was a waste of energy.
Especially on his father.
Speaking of whom, his father was now sitting awkwardly beside him. "There's a competition for Supers," he muttered. "I want you to apply for it. It will help you learn to control your powers, and the winner gets a contract with the Justice League. Just think, if I could have a man on the inside..." his father trailed off, a dreamy expression in his one good eye, his right.
Joseph shook his head. I don't want to enter some stupid competition just so I can become a spy for you.
His father patted his back, rather too roughly. "C'mon, Joe. Think how much it would help you, hmm?"
Joseph rolled his eyes. It wouldn't matter how he felt in the end, he was going to end up applying. He shrugged, his eyes downcast. He gave the 'okay' sign with his hands and his father beamed.
"Great, glad you're on board, kiddo. I sent in your application an hour ago, can't wait for their response!" he called before bounding inside.
Joseph sighed. For some reason, he wasn't surprised.
"DADDY!" the blonde beauty, Kitten screeched, stomping into her father's study.
"Yes, Kitten (10) dear?" her father asked, looking up from his book.
"I want to apply for a Super competition. It was on TV."
Her father looked at her. "Kitten, you aren't a Super-"
"DADDY I WANT TO APPLY AND I WANT TO DO IT NOW!" she shrieked.
Her father simply nodded, slightly frightened at his daughter's shouts. "O-of course, Kitten, dear. Daddy will film you for your application right now!"
Kitten squealed, rushing over and grabbing her father in a hug, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Eep!"
Karen Beecher (11) sat at the dinner table with her parents, Joe and Linda Beecher. Her bumblebee wings buzzed behind her, and her parents at least attempted to hide their disgust. Her father cleared his throat.
"Karen, there's a new competition for people with-ahem- abilities such as yours taking place this summer. Your mother and I believe it would be in your best interest to apply for a spot."
Karen grimaced. "A competition? What's the prize?"
Her mother smiled sweetly, but Karen could tell that in her eyes there was nothing sweet about the way she regarded her only daughter. "The prize doesn't matter, Karen. What matters is they're giving you an opportunity to get out there and meet people just like you!"
"Sure, Mom, Dad. It- It sounds like a blast," she muttered.
Her father gave a relieved sigh. "Great, we can film your application video tonight!"
Karen scoffed. "You'll still be stuck with me until it starts, you know."
Her mother gave her that same sweet smile again, and Karen couldn't help the frustration building up inside her. Ugh.
Garfield Logan (12) moped around his bedroom, shifting from animal to animal due to his boredom. His parents, Steve and Rita, were cool and all, but they didn't really believe in fun things, like video games, for example. It was all training to them.
But last night, he was with Cliff and Larry and some ad for a competition for Super teens came on. Since then, he had been itching to mention it to his adoptive parents. He just couldn't picture their reaction. He would either have Rita's support, who would eventually convince Steve, or Steve would immediately put his foot down, insisting that Garfield already has a team, so a contract with the Justice League wouldn't mean anything.
"Garfield," Rita said, opening his door and interrupting his thoughts. She laughed softly at the boy as he shifted back from a snake into his human form. "Are you alright? You've been locked in this room all day!"
He nodded, shuffling his feet nervously. "Uh, Rita?"
She smiled at him. "Yes?"
"I, er, I was with Cliff and Larry and we were sort of watching football, and this commercial for a Supers competition came on, and I was just wondering-"
"Gar? Cliff already spoke to Steve and me. I was actually coming to talk to you about it. Steve and I have been discussing it, and we figured that you're fifteen now, and old enough to make certain decisions on your own."
Garfield was grinning. "Wait, so I can go?"
Rita nodded, her smile widening. "Of course! Steve has the camera all set up in the living room for you, anytime you're ready to film."
Garfield laughed aloud and flung his arms around his adopted mother's waist. "Thankyou thankyou thankyou," he gushed.
Tara Markov (13) sat with her older brother, Brion as they watched the television he had snuck into the palace. It was crazy the things you could get away with when half of the staff was terrified of you. They were watching some old sitcom when the show switched to commercial. Same old boring stuff, new mops, a computer, some cell phone... Hello? What's this?
Some crazy cool ad for some competition had caught her attention. Why yes, she was a teenager. And yes, she did have super powers.
She glanced at her brother, who was already looking at her, a mischievous gleam set in his eyes. "Now, I'm too old, but you... You, Tara, are joining this thing!"
Garth Roberts (14) was minding his own business as he swam through the ocean. Fish greeted him, he greeted them back. Dolphins waved, and of course he returned the gesture. Ah, it was good being an Atlantean.
He swam down to the depths of the sea, enjoying the feel of water rushing against him. He closed his eyes in bliss until he heard a low hiss. He turned in time to see a hideous creature baring its fangs at him.
He glanced around himself and noticed that while he had been drifting mindlessly, he had somehow gotten himself into the dangerous part of the ocean—the floor. The creature darted forward, and Garth barely missed its fangs as he dodged. He kicked furiously towards the surface, and looked down, glad to see that the creature was gone.
He sighed in relief, his frantic kicks becoming more and more relaxed. He grinned confindently as he looked up- only to see the fangs of the creature.
He let out a cry and swam to the left, then up. As long as he could get out of the dark waters, he'd be okay. He kicked as hard as he could until he became immersed in light again. The creature hissed at him as it slipped back down into the darkness.
Garth kicked to the surface, his heart racing. Okay, maybe being an Atlantean had its downsides. He made his way to the shore, where a couple had set up a portable TV. He couldn't help but overhear an obnoxious commercial advertising some summer competition.
He flexed. Everyone could use a break from their norm every once in a while, right?
Arge Silvs (15) carefully massaged product through her black and red hair, spiking it up around her head. She grinned at herself in the mirror as she admired her 'do. The gel never fails.
She grabbed her eyeliner and began applying it, when a bright ad caught her eye on the television. While holding her liner wand in one hand, she reached for the remote and upped the volume on her old set.
The commercial was really loud and really obnoxious, but its message got across to her, and she was definitely interested. It's not often you hear about a competition designed specifically for people like her. She grinned as she applied the finishing touches to her makeup, already planning out what she was going to say in her application.
This was going to be a fun summer.
Rosabelle Mendez (16) panted heavily. "I dare you to challenge me!" she bellowed. The female wrestler snarled, and the crowd went wild. Being a super strong meta-human has its perks. The announcer stepped onto the stage then, and held a hand for silence in the stadium.
"LAAAAAADIES AND GENTLEMEN," he boomed, "TONIGHT WE HAVE A SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR OUR VERY OWN PANTHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The crowd went wild at the mere mention of her name, and Rosabelle flexed. Yeah, she was pretty awesome. But wait, what? A 'special surprise'? She turned her attention back to the announcer who held a DVD in his hand. "WE HAVE BEEN FILMING PANTHA AND ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT ON THE COMPANY'S BEHALF, THIS VIDEO WILL BE SENT AS AN APPLICATION FOR THE SUPER-TEEN COMPETITION TAKING PLACE THIS SUMMER!"
A roar went up in the audience and Rosabelle grinned. A competition? Easy.
"THE WINNER OF THIS COMPETITION WILL RECEIVE TEN GRAN AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE!"
Rosabelle smirked. This a deal no one could pass up. She marched up to the announcer and held out her hand, and he eagerly placed the mic in her palm. She held the small instrument up to her lips. "I ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!"
The crowd went crazy, and Rosabelle couldn't have been more confident. She could easily crush any opponent thrown her way, this competition was hers.
Jason Todd (17) was up to the usual, running around in his awesome suit (that his idiot step-brother designed) and creating havoc. Not that he meant harm-well, yeah. He meant harm. But that doesn't mean he's a villain, right?
So there's not really a problem with him applying to the new competition for Supers? Besides, he just knew Dick was going to apply. There was no way he was letting his stupid older brother get the jump on him again. Old man Bruce was always telling Jason how he could do this more like Richard, stand taller like Richard, throw Bird-A-Rangs with the precision Richard uses...
It was exhausting to listen to, but here, in his hands now, rested a small flash drive, holding his application video. He was so going to destroy Dick, and the other members of this competition, and finally Bruce would get that he makes a way better sidekick than Dick or Tim. He would be ten gran richer and promised a spot in the Justice League, not to mention, he would make fools out of Bruce and Dick.
Oh, this summer was going to kick ass.
Mal Duncan (18) rested lazily by on a hammock in his backyard, tooting notes on his regular brass trumpet. Using his silver one so casually would most likely result in a catastrophic ripple in time, messing something up who-knows-when. So, he petitioned his mom to get him a regular trumpet to play on in the meantime.
He was almost asleep, his trumpet resting on his chest when his mom shouted for him. He cried out, shocked, flipping over the hammock.
"Mom?" he called, rushing into the house. His mom sat in the living room, poised on the edge of the couch, scribbling furiously. Some stupid commercial was playing in the background.
"Mal!" she said, looking over at him. "Oh, hon! There's a competition that I just knew you'd love to check out!"
"Yeah? What is it?"
"It's a competition for incredible people, such as yourself!" she gushed.
Mal grinned. "You mean Supers?"
She nodded. "All you have to do is create a video showing off your special powers and send it to this address," she said, handing him the paper she had just written on.
Mal grinned, and kissed his mothers cheek swiftly before darting away.
"Mal! Where are you going?" she called after him.
"To get my trumpet!"
A/N: Well, there you have it, the first (although incredibly boring chapter) of this story. I know, I know, it was pretty boring but it was necessary to establish the story line. I promise the next chapter will be WAY more interesting.
Speaking of which, I promise I will try my hardest to update weekly, but I'm leaving for vacation next week and I'll be gone for a week, but once I get home I'll have the rest of July for writing!
If you guys happened to notice the numbers throughout the story, they're sort of for clarification for each character listed. Since this is AU, the characters will be going by their real names, rather than their superhero identities. Now, I'm sure everyone reading this knows who Dick Grayson is, but I'm going to clarify, just for... well, clarification.
*Any names listed below with asterisks are original names because I couldn't find real ones anywhere I looked.
(1) Rachel Roth = Raven
(2) Dick Grayson = Robin
(3) Roy Harper = Speedy
(4) Wally West = Kid Flash
(5) Hannah Jinxe* = Jinx
(6) Kori Anders = Starfire
(7) Koma Anders = Blackfire (I made her and Star twins solely so that their ages would be the same)
(8) Victor Stone = Cyborg
(9) Joseph Wilson = Jericho (His father is Slade, for those wondering. And yes, that's canon in the comics, it just wasn't mentioned in the show.)
(10) Kitten Walker = Kitten
(11) Karen Beecher = Bumblebee
(12) Garfield Logan = Beast Boy
(13) Tara Markov = Terra
(14) Garth Roberts* = Aqualad (Garth is his real name, however I came up with Roberts.)
(15) Arge Silvs* = Argent
(16) Rosabelle Mendez = Pantha
(17) Jason Todd = Red X (This was never revealed but c'mon, Red X is so Jason Todd.)
(18) Mal Duncan = Herald
Well, you know the drill! Review, review, review! Reviews are like, the best things in the world to wake up to. So please, review! Tell me what you think of the characters so far, what ships you'd like to see, what sort of challenges should ensue in this competition... I'm very open-minded so if someone wants to see something happen in one of my stories I will try my hardest to somehow incorporate it into the plot!
As always, thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!