Quick A/N: A great big THANKS to all of you who support this story. My apologies for not updating for a good long while, but I've been really busy with school and stuff. Please review, flames are accepted as long as you provide a good reason for your complaint. I made a few changes to the previous chapters, so be sure to check them out! Two reviews for the next chapter?
This chappy starts a couple of weeks after Chapter Two, and. . . well, you'll see!
DISCLAIMER: None of this is mine except the plot line.
Here we go!
. . .
Chapter Three: A Fight Gone Wrong
The sun was shining brightly on Jump City. Students had forgotten about school, and they were enjoying the summer activities, such as zoos, carnivals, and even eating ice cream. College students either spent their break partying, or getting a part-time job. Children happily played on the beach, and parents relaxed in the sun.
The mall was crowded with consumers who were eager to buy the newest products, such as clothing, food, books, appliances, toys, and electonics. Stores had relatively long lines, and were filled with people. The food court was overflowing with chatter and laughter, the smell of delicious grub circling through the air.
The video game store was particularly crowded, as the latest game- Attack of the Cloud Sharks 3: The Rainbow of Terror- had just been released to the public.
Beat Boy waited eagerly in the line for the new video game, just about to enter the store. The sign above his head was supposed to read: The Video Game Universe, but some troublesome teens had spray painted it, and it had not been replaced yet. Instead, it read: The Video Game Ripoff Universe.
He turned enthusiastically to the person accompanying him.
"We're almost there! I can smell old hotdogs, chewing gum, and hair gel!"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, the food court is right over there," he said as he gesticulated wildly with his arm, "there is a chewing gum stand there, and the hair cutters are next door!"
"I meant, what does that have to do with video games?"
"Uhh. . . I may be kinda hyper right now?"
"Thant's an understatement."
The line continued to inch forward, until the two heroes could see the video game display.
"Look! There are only 37 copies left! I hope that we'll be able to get one, don't you?"
"I really don't care."
"C'mon, you know that you secretly want to play video games."
"No, I don't."
"Yeah you do."
"Why did I agree to come with you again?"
"Because Robin and Starfire are on a date, and Cyborg is with Sarah Simms and her students."
She groaned.
They continued to move forwards at an agonizingly slow pace.
"Can't this line move any faster?"
"Don't worry, we're almost there! I'm so excited!"
"If only they allowed you to get an early release copy or something like that. Unfortunately for me, they wouldn't make any exceptions, even for a superhero," she moaned to herself in response.
Finally they had reached the front of the line. Beast Boy shouted with glee.
"YES! FINALLY! I'M SO EXCITED!"
"I think we can tell that."
"And it's the LAST COPY too!"
"Well, at least this little escapade didn't end in disappointment."
Beast Boy reached out to grab it when-
"Hello, Titans! It is I, your archnemesis Control Freak!"
The Titans whirled around to see the aforementioned. Raven groaned.
"I am such a big expert on movies and television shows, as you know-"
"Then what are you doing in a video game store?" asked Raven in a monotone voice.
"Well, I've just acquired a taste for video games because of Attack of the Cloud Sharks: The Reign of Rain, and Attack of the Cloud Sharks 2: The Sun of Darkness, so I just had to get a copy of the latest game: Attack of the Cloud Sharks 3: The Rainbow of Terror. The very last copy is mine!" He grabbed the game right before Beast Boy could, cackling with glee. "See you later, Titans, after I play my newest game!"
Control Freak used his controller to animate cardboard replicas of video game characters, deciding to enjoy the show before running away, to make sure the two Titans wouldn't follow him.
"Attack, my wonderful real, live, characters!"
"You know, that's kind of an oxymoron," stated the young man at the cash register.
"Who are you?" sneered Control Freak. "And who gives you the right to comment on my comments?"
"Well," he replied, "My name is Jack Norlyn, and I am studying to become an English teacher for high school students. . ."
Meanwhile, the creatures began to advance. The Titans engaged in their defensive stances. Beast Boy crouched, muscles tense and ready to transform. Raven stood with her feet apart, hands raised, glowing and crackling with dark energy.
"THE MONSTERS ARE GOING TO EAT US!" shrieked a teenage girl in the crowd, causing people to grow panicked.
"Please, evacuate the area safely while we hold these. . . things off, and remain-"
People screamed and shoved as they ran towards the exit, knocking tables, displays, and other people over in their rush to get out. They almost broke the sliding glass doors as the squeezed through in a great mob.
"-calm."
By this time, the first of the characters had made it halfway to the two heroes.
He was wearing a fanciful black suit, complete with raindrop cuff links and a ring of crystalized water around his head. His eyes had neither pupils nor irises, but it looked like cumulonimbus clouds were stuffed in his sockets. Wherever he walked, he left a trail of puddles behind him, like a snail leaves a trail of slime.
"It's the Prince of Precipitation!" gasped Beast Boy.
"The what?" asked Raven, clearly lacking in the subject.
"The Prince of Precipitation, a novice boss from Attack of the Cloud Sharks 1: The Reign of Rain. He comes from the ancient family Downpour. He lives in his palace in the clouds, with his mother, The Dame of Deluge."
"If he's a prince, then why is he wearing a suit? And why is his mother of lower rank than him?"
"The suit is just what he wears, okay? And his mother got demoted to status of Dame because she used her powers to help save some people from a drought, which is strictly against their laws."
"But why-"
"She got demoted, not executed or banished, because there is a law saying that the Queen cannot be banished or killed."
"Why did I have to ask?" Raven moaned to herself.
By this time, the Prince had crept much closer, and was now only a few feet away.
"What are his weaknesses?" asked Raven, careful to keep her voice free of any panic.
"Well," he began, "he -"
Suddenly, the Prince slammed his fists together, creating a boom of thunder, knocking the Titans off of their feet. Beat Boy slammed into the wall by the cash registers right before Raven crashed into him.
He groaned, then saw Control Freak beginning to run away, more confident that he would be able to escape.
"I'm going after Control Freak!" he said, picking himself off the floor. "You get these guys!"
"But, how do I-" she began. But Beast Boy had already rushed out the door, leaving her alone to fight the monsters.
"defeat them?"
Well, I know that his powers are water-based, so to get rid of him I should dry him out, she reasoned.
Holding her hand up above her head, she gathered a ball energy, making it as hot as she could. She shot it directly at the vile creature.
As soon as it hit him, a loud sizzle filled the air and her disintegrated, his boiling vapor blinking out of existence.
"Well, that's one down, two more to go," she said. Looking up, she tried to gauge the difficulty of the other bosses.
One was a strange ghost-like creature, hovering above the floor by a few feet, glowing with orange and coral. It had no definite shape, but changed shape often, sometimes looking like a cloud, other times looking like a volcano eruption.
The other looked strangely simple, having merely the figure and coloration of a goldfish, yet giant in size and somehow swimming through the air, seemingly unconnected to water in any way. Other than that, it seemed to have little power. It's mouth opened and closed gently, its fins waving above the ground.
"I guess I'll start with the harder-looking one," she said, adding in her head, But I'll keep my eye on the fish. It's bound to be more than it seems.
Once again, she figured that, to defeat a fire monster, you have to use water. So, using her powers, she broke open a water fountain, directing the stream at the monster.
It hovered and dodged, evading the powerful streams of water. Raven began to get frustrated, and when she had had enough, whispered, Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!
A great mass of water suddenly spewed from the pipes, forming into a sphere around the fiery specter. I shrank quickly, finally forcing the creature to touch the sides and cool down. As soon as it made contact, it turned into a black, ashy substance which dissipated after a matter of seconds, leaving a smoky smell in the air.
"Two down, one to go," she muttered, focusing her attention on the fish. As she turned to look at it, it glowed a bright neon orange, and out of its mouth came a tornado.
(scene break)
Beast Boy was having a hard time chasing Control Freak. The annoying villain kept sending minor minions at him, ones he was able to stop with a swipe of the paw or a strong headbutt, but costing him precious seconds of time. Plus, he had to make sure he didn't hurt any of the bystanders, like the mother pushing her baby in a stroller, or the man heading to work at the grocery store, of the girls from the high school. . .
Oh, no.
She was there.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no. . .
Can't think, can't act,
I'm supposed to be chasing Control Freak
But I can't
I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't. . .
His thoughts were his jumbled mess, his movements had ceased and he couldn't get himself get get moving again. He was stuck there as several minions began sneaking up on him from behind. . .
Raven was clinging to to cash register with all her might, having had only a few moments to get the employees out of the way. She struggled both physically and mentally, frantically thinking about how to escape.
My strength is soon going to fail me. I need to come up with and idea fast.
Suddenly, with a surge of power, the fish wrenched her off her only aid, and she was quickly being sucked into its now terrifying mouth.
With a great scream of effort, a blast of power suddenly burst from Raven. Everything was still, silent for one second. Then, as the light faded away, Raven dropped to the floor unceremoniously. The fish was gone.
"I've got to go help Beast Boy," She said, and stepped through a portal hurriedly.
Beast Boy had now crouched into a ball, inconspicuous in the dark alley that he had began to turn into when he saw her. She was completely unaware of his presence, and had passed by some thirty seconds ago. In that time, Control Freak's minion had come dangerously close. As one was about to spring, a black field of energy suddenly sprang up around the defenseless shapeshifter.
"Beast Boy!" yelled Raven. "You've got to snap out of it!"
"Can't. . . Terra. . ." he mumbled as he crouched on the ground.
"Yes, you can. I know you can," continued Raven, crouching beside him, holding up her shield against the weak, but numerous attacks from the minions. She laid a hand on his shoulder and firmly shook him. "Come on, Beast Boy, remember what we worked on. Think of something other than her. Focus your mind away from her. Think of something good."
He concentrated as hard as he could, the picture he had chosen before forming in his mind. As he felt his anxiety over Terra fade away, he opened his eyes. He was met with Raven's, with the slightest hint of worry in their amethyst depths. He could also see the tension in her face from holding up the shield.
"Thanks, Rae," he said, and springing up, he ran to meet the troublesome minions.
"It's Raven," she murmured as she dropped her shield. She felt slightly dizzy from keeping it up for so long, but she was still able to take down several of the minions.
They finished in a few minutes, easily and quickly. Raven began to use her powers to locate Control Freak.
"He's in the park," she said, and after pinpointing his location, she teleported them to the pesky villain.
Control Freak was giddy with excitement. He had escaped the Titans! But, as he turned the corner. . .
"It's over, Control Freak. Time to go to jail."
"Aw man," he groaned as Raven teleported them all to the jail. "I thought I had beat you guys this time."
"Sorry, man, but I don't think that's gonna happen in a good long while. Not while we've got each other's backs, right Rae?" gloated Beast Boy, slinging his arm around the empath's shoulders. She involuntary flinched at the touch.
"It's Raven. And why is your arm around my shoulders?" she complained as Control Freak was shut away.
"'Cuz I like it there."
Raven groaned.
. . .
Well, that chappy took a long time to write. Sorry if the beginning is choppy. I hope you enjoyed it. Please rate, review, flames are okay as long as they are reasonable, and keep reading regular books too! Who noticed what the Titans forgot? Post in the comments what you think.
ITNOJ- SHB😉