Author's Notes

To Velgamidragon, I felt the dialogue in Final Exam was better arranged than I had done it in Divide and Conquer. I am working through this story to show Raven's power and how Slade intends to capitalize on it by making Raven his apprentice.

To Lord-of-Change, thanks for the review and I guess I'm showing you what idea you materialized in that. With your story, The Mercenary (of which I am still awaiting an update on), I too felt some of your episodes were in fact superior to the cartoon episodes (such as Date with Destiny, Mad Mod, and Apprentice). While I do agree with you that the power levels on the team fluctuate, I also feel that in the earlier seasons, Raven was hiding her true potential from the others, and the writers were still trying to guide the series (so while I understand your criticism, I also recognize the source of the problem), and now because the show is over, I can adjust the characters to avoid the fluctuation in power. I feel that Raven definitely should not be judged based on her appearance (which is at least two heads smaller than Slade and maybe half as wide) and that may prove major when it comes around for Raven's fight against Slade - and this chapter begins Slade's recruitment attempts.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, I hope this scenario winds up working out as well, hopefully seeing how I could reshape season one.

To Kaarlinaa, I was trying to shape the lines in the story so they'd fit better based on the scenario I entailed. While there won't be actual romance per say, there will be at least a few Raven/BB moments.

To guest, the URB had some effects from Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry - while the story will hue fairly closely with the series, it will have a few differences you'll see.

To LordMesirix, I am trying to figure out which direction the story will go - whether or not Slade will succeed with making Raven his apprentice. I have a few scenarios in mind but ultimately I intend to have a poll to determine which ending becomes the true ending of Second Chance.

To HuggableMonsters, I can try to update as fast as I can, but between two stories and college, try not to expect more than two chapters a week for this story.

Attention readers: I have mostly decided which episodes I will be adapting - after this, there will be "The Sum of His Parts", "Masks", and "Apprentice Pts 1 & 2". I am not adapting "Sisters" (which was wholly a Starfire episode), "Deep Six" (a Beast Boy episode), "Mad Mod" (an episode I wasn't too fond of), and "Car Trouble" (since I already killed off Overload). I am trying to figure out if I should adapt "Nevermore" and "Switched" - my main concern with those is that I won't be able to make enough changes to the episode to make it worth publishing. Let me know (and soon).

Now, let's continue the story.

June 2, 2015. It's a very dark and stormy night in Jump City, with thunder and lightning striking across the city. What few people realized is that it wasn't just science behind the storms - it was something more...mystical. And soon they would find out.

But for now, let's go to Titans Tower, where Beast Boy was pulling back what appeared to be a very large rubber band that had ends in place, as a buffalo, soon hooking it up to a hook he placed nearby. He turned back into a human and mischeviously smiled at his results, soon grabbing a large water balloon and putting it in place for his newest prank (one he was assured would actually work).

Beast Boy commented to himself, "This is gonna be sweet."

He didn't realize Raven coming in behind him, and she was now levitating right behind him before asking, "What are you doing?" Beast Boy turned around to see Raven there.

She continued, "Please tell me this isn't another ridiculous prank."

Beast Boy replied, "Okay. It's not a ridiculous prank. It's a brilliant one", with a smile cracking on the changeling's face as he said that last sentence, which made Raven even more drab than before, rolling her eyes at Beast Boy's comment.

Now, a cloud bubble emerged from Beast Boy's brain as images begin to form alongside what Beast Boy is saying.

Beast Boy continued on, "All right, check it out. Remember how Cyborg put red dye in my soap two days before and I was brown for two days? Well, sister, it's payback time."

During Beast Boy's talking, we see Cyborg switching BB's soap with red dye and then everyone laughing at a brown Beast Boy.

"I give you...the Beast Boy Insta-lube 9000. See, when Chrome-dome steps around the corner, his foot tugs that string, the string trips the lever, the lever releases the mother of all rubber bands, which sends a balloon filled with motor oil flying right at him and BOOM! Pretty clever, huh?"

An unimpressed Raven deadpanned, "You're a genius", knowing that his prank was about as hair-brained as his other ones, and WILL backfire on him as it always does. Beast Boy tried to assuage her doubts with, "It's just a little good clean dirty fun", not noticing the oxymoron in his speech.

Beast Boy's enhanced senses (due to his changeling ability) enable him to hear a door opening - and he knew somebody was coming. After saying, "Here he comes", Beast Boy grabbed Raven and ducked them behind a corner.

Raven, slightly concerned, said, "Whoa, I don't think..." Before she could finish, Beast Boy shushed her. Raven asked, "But what if..." but got shushed again by the changeling.

After a few seconds, an unexpected voice came from behind Beast Boy, asking "Why are we hiding?" Beast Boy shushed him before realizing who the speaker was - it was Cyborg, the target of his prank. If he was with them, then who was heading for the Insta-lube 9000?

Beast Boy, shocked, frantically asked, "Cyborg? You can't be Cyborg!" A perplexed Cyborg replied, "I can't?" Pointing into the hall, Beast Boy asked, "If you're you, then who's..."

Suddenly, he got his answer when a familiar violet boot tripped the string, which quickly sent the oil-filled balloon right at Starfire. Beast Boy tried to stop it but he was too late as it impacted her, getting motor oil all over her face. She shrieked as her sense of direction went completely out of whack.

Cyborg and Raven got out from the corner, with the half-robot asking, "Are you okay?"

Starfire, who had a lot of things about Earth to learn, asked, "Is this punishment? Did I do something wrong?"

Raven deadpanned, "You didn't. He did."

Instantly, Starfire was furious as she looked at Beast Boy, who was nervously laughing. He said, "Star! It was... you weren't supposed to... I didn't... Just remember to change that oil every three thousand miles." As he continued on, Cyborg and Raven became more and more disapproving.

Starfire's head soon began to swell, growing larger and larger as she spoke, "On my planet, we have a name for those who do such horrible things..." while Beast Boy grew smaller and smaller. She finished, "You are a...a...CLORBAG VARBLERNELK", with all of Starfire's rage causing her head to return to normal size as she screamed at the changeling as the motor oil went right off her face and splattered around the place.

Beast Boy, trying to figure out what exactly Starfire called him, asked, "I'm a what bag?"

Cyborg replied, "You heard the lady."

Raven deadpanned, "You are such a clorbag!"

Beast Boy then panicked, saying, "Come on, you guys. Can't anyone take a joke?"

Before they could answer, Robin rushed into the room and urgently said, "Titans trouble."

Out on the Jump City Highway, two figures were standing right in the middle of it - a skinny yellow one with spiky blond hair and orange orient clothing and a large blue one with short black hair and blue orient clothing. And what would they be doing? Causing the havoc and the storm, if you notice well.

The yellow one sends a spark of lightning that pops off the tires on a nearby SUV, causing it to swerve to avoid a total collision. The driver is barely able to get out of their vehicle before an fuel rig rams right into it, which soon forces the car right off the highway and the rig is unable to stop in time as the blue one sends a burst of thunder that causes one of the suspenders on the highway to fall onto the rig.

The driver gets out just in time and runs away as the rig explodes in the blast brought on by the collapse on the rig. As the fire burned brightly in the storm, the other cars were forced to stop to dodge the calamity - a total traffic jam had consumed the highway on one side.

The blue one asked the yellow one, "May we have fun here, brother?" It's brothers that are causing this? How unexpected, or not.

The yellow one replied, "Of course," as he created a lightning bolt in his hand, adding, "We are Thunder and Lightning. We may do whatever we please," as he sent the lightning bolt right at a car on the other side of the bridge, which caused it to sputter briefly before dying - the bolt having fried the engine.

As sparks emerged from the fried engine, Lightning said, "Look brother! I command the sparks to dance!"

Thunder commented, "Amusing. Now listen as I make music!"

Thunder claps his hands, which creates a very loud shock wave that soon blasts the fried car right into the top of the highway, destroying it. Thank the Lord that the driver was long gone from her vehicle. Jump City Auto is going to make a killing tomorrow selling new cars - if the city isn't somehow destroyed.

Lightning gloated, "Let all who pass this way know that Lightning was here!"

Thunder added, "And Thunder too!"

Thunder bangs his fists together and creates a mini-quake that soon impacts the stuck cars, causing all of the alarms to beep.

Lightning noted, "Most amusing!"

Suddenly, the two brothers heard a different person speak, one they were not prepared for. "Hate to break it to you guys...", the person said. Thunder and Lightning turned around to see the Titans there, ready for battle.

Robin continued, "...but you guys have a lousy sense of humor. This ends now!"

Lightning demanded, "No one gives orders to Thunder and Lightning. Taste my power!"

With that, Lightning sent a lightning bolt at the trailer the Titans were standing on, completely destroying it. The Titans jumped off of the trailer before hand, and soon it was battle time.

Starfire flew towards Lightning, sending endless starbolts towards him but he dodged them before jumping onto the cars on the highway. He sent lightning towards Starfire as she sent starbolts, but in the end, Lightning got off a lucky shot that sparked her onto the ground.

Cyborg was tussling up with Thunder, throwing punches at him as he sent his own back towards him. It was a very even fight between the two of them. Cyborg turned his arm into a sonic cannon while Thunder prepped a thunder bolt. The two blasted each other with a cannon burst and a thunder bolt, respectively. However, Thunder was clearly victorious as he used a cloud to catch himself while Cyborg was skiddering across the ground.

Thunder flew away, heading to deal with Robin. Thunder sent a thunder clap right towards Robin, who dodged it but the clap hit something else - another suspender on the bridge. Seconds later, the other suspenders, having also been dealt some damage in the fight, snapped. Without the support from one side, the suspenders on the other side followed in destruction, causing the bridge to begin to fall apart.

Raven quickly flew to try to fix the bridge as soon the tall tower in the center began to collapse, about to crush several cars in its path. Raven created a dark shield that blocked the tower as she realized she could not hold it up forever. Taking a lot of energy, Raven forcefully pushed the tower back up and made it stay as she yelled out, "Move! Away!"

With that, the cars quickly hit reverse and left the scene, which under most circumstances may have been disastrous, was not as much given that the traffic was almost non-existent now in Jump City.

Lightning took aim at Raven, trying to take her down, but Beast Boy turned into a panda and punched him away. He then ran up to him and gave Lightning an enormous bear hug, only to be met by a very shocking jolt.

Lightning laughed, "Your powers are strong, but mine are stronger" before sending Beast Boy crashing into the divider as a human. As he shook his head in pain, Thunder emerged and picked up Beast Boy. Thunder said, "Your power of the animals is impressive. Rise so we may do battle.

A confused Beast Boy asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Thunder replied, "Because it is not sporting to attack an unready opponent." So the big blue one has some sense of honor in him. Go figure.

Beast Boy added, "No. Why are you wrecking everything?"

Thunder was obviously confused by that last remark and meekly shrugged, "Uh, because it is amusing." Destructive Thunder is, smart he is not.

Beast Boy growled, "Do they look amused", pointing at the motorists driving away from the scene in panic as the bridge Raven is trying to hold up is beginning to come down from their "fun".

Thunder could only stutter, "I -"

"This isn't funny. This is wrong!" Now he just has to connect what they are doing to what he did and things should be right in the universe.

Thunder, suffering an attack of concience, is unable to attack. However, Lightning provides an attack in the form of a lightning bolt and blasts Beast Boy away (again).

Lightning put his shoulders on Thunder's arms and said, "Ah, the thrill of victory. Come Thunder, we shall seek more amusement." With that, the brothers both went into the air and left.

Back on the street, Beast Boy got up after suffering quite a shock (pun intended) from Lightning. He said, "Well that was a shock" as Starfire, having gotten out of the rubble that she was pushed into walked by. She just shrugged him off, not paying him any attention as he was a clorbag in her eyes.

Beast Boy mildly joked, "So, I'm guessing you're still mad?" It wouldn't take a genius to figure that out.

Robin assembled the Titans near Raven, who is still struggling to hold up the bridge, which is about to come down. Robin said, "Okay team. We have to find those guys before they do any more damage. Cyborg, search the west side. Raven, downtown. I'll take east. Beast Boy and Starfire, take the skies."

Beast Boy, definitely not liking the partner he was assigned at the moment (because she wanted to likely kill him), suggested, "Um, maybe Cyborg should come with me instead."

Robin was quick to point out the fallacy in BB's logic with, "Cyborg can't fly." Beast Boy just responded, "Oh. Yeah."

Cyborg pinched his cheek and mockingly said, "Have a nice flight my little clorbag!"

Robin got onto his R-cycle, which was convinently hidden nearby and drove off heading to the east side. Cyborg quickly kicked it into high gear to make it to the west side. Beast Boy and Starfire flew off of the bridge, with Beast Boy a hawk but Starfire turned away from him. With everybody off of the bridge, Raven let it go, unable to keep it up as it crashed into the sea. The city was going to demand a lot of explanations for why the highway was nothing more than scrap metal.

Author's Note: Since we already know what happens with Beast Boy and Starfire in the episode, we'll instead look at the subject of our story and a chance encounter she has upon her lookout for the troublesome brothers.

Raven was looking downtown for Thunder and Lightning, but she already knew it was a lost cause. Based on the amount of joy and recklesness coming from them, she knew they were on the east side. But she also knew that Robin would demand she be searching downtown as he still didn't believe in her abilities.

Raven screamed out loud to herself, "Robin, you can be such an asshole."

However, a mysterious voice beckoned to her with, "Just because that may be, does not mean you have to suffer for it."

Raven turned around to see an old man in heavy red robes, a white goatee, and an Asian sun hat. Raven asked, "What do you mean?"

He explained, "The two you are looking for. They seek only fun not purposeful vandalism. I take it you have figured it out already but your leader is much more stubborn. He will not absorb it so quickly, especially from you."

Raven was trying to figure out what he was saying and asked, "How do you know about them?"

The man replied, "I seek to find them. Perhaps you would like to join us. The window will not be closed."

Raven shrugged him off with, "No thanks. I'll pass. Who are you, though?"

The man chuckled her off with, "You'll know my name soon enough" and vanished. Who was just talking to Raven and why did she think he was up to no good?

Now, we skip ahead over to a clearing in the forest, where the old man was having Thunder and Lightning blast targets made out of hay and sticks in a clearing, all with a mysterious symbol on them.

Raven, who had begun following the old man, found them blasting the targets and immediately recognized the symbol - the Mark of Skaath, the symbol of her father, the Archfiend Trigon the Terrible. Her instincts were right - this old man was up to no good at all.

The brothers had finished blasting the targets, now ablaze. Lightning requested, "More targets, old one!" Thunder added, "Yes, please, give us more."

The old man simply said, "That won't be necessary. You've done quite enough" as he pulled out a disc with the Mark of Skaath on it and threw it at the burning targets, which quickly caused them to take form as the light from the disk reached them all. The old one commanded, "Rise" and a giant fire monster emerged in front of the three. Things had gone from terrible to just plain god-awful.

He further commanded, "Burn fire! Burn it all!"

Raven then came out of her place in the woods to confront the old man and the other Titans soon located her and the brothers, plus the old man who almost took out Starfire.

Robin lined, "Didn't anyone ever tell you play with fire and you're going to get burned?"

However, the Titans were soon distracted with trying to put out this fire monster as Thunder asks Lightning, "Brother, what have we done?"

With that, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy went to fight the blaze while Thunder and Lightning stayed with Raven and the old man, who were about to go to battle. The old man dismissed them with, "Go, young masters! Fire is your creation! They have no right to destroy your fun."

The two brothers left to fight the Titans to protect their creation, leaving Raven alone to fight the sorcerer. He greeted her with, "Raven, here to join me are we?"

Raven asked him, "Who are you?"

The man chuckled at her, "I told you that you would find out in due time. You have much to learn, young one." With that, the old man charged at her with his bo-staff.

Raven flipped away to dodge the man's staff attack and sent two attacks of black energy right at him. The old man was very well versed with magic, having been able to summon Trigon's fire spirit and was able to dodge one attack before sending another one to the ground. He was more than a match for Raven.

The old man went back at Raven with his staff, managing to move faster than Raven had expected, sending two blows that knocked her onto the ground. Before he could press his staff into Raven, she grabs the staff and twists it to send the old man aside. She then went back at the old man, sending two punches right at his chest before kicking him into a tree.

The old man proved highly resilient as he got back up before sending a current of air right at Raven. It sent her back a few feet, but she did manage to glimpse the current generator in his wrist. Raven knew that he was not a true sorcerer, but was convincing enough to pose as one.

Raven surrounded the generator with black energy and whisked it away from him before smashing it into a tree. Raven deadpanned, "You have to do better than that you fraud."

The sorcerer quickly became enraged as he charged back at Raven with his staff, swinging right at her, but she dodged the blows yet was soon backed into a tree. Raven summoned some of the branches in dark energy and sent them right at the sorcerer, but his staff knocked them down and split them.

The sorcerer flung his staff again at Raven but she kicked it away, causing it to impact into a nearby tree, which resulted in quite a bit of smoke emerging from the staff.

It didn't stay there for very long as the staff quickly returned to the sorcerer's hands. Raven quickly figured it was some very powerful magnet that attracted the staff and was quickly forced back to blocking the sorcerer's skilled blows.

Soon enough, Raven found herself slammed up against a tree by the sorcerer, who mocked her with, "Raven. Is that the best you can do?"

Before he could finish her off, he was suddenly faced with an incoming lightning bolt that forced him to back away from Raven. She then took the opportunity to deliver a powerful kick to his face that shattered off much of the disguise, revealing a half-black mask as the rest of the disguise falling off to reveal a half-black, half-orange bronze mask.

To cover his escape, the man drops a disc that quickly creates a cloud of smoke, after which he vanishes from sight of Raven. She picked up the disc and saw the large S on the disc. Now she knew who the man was as she uttered a bitter, "Slade."

June 3, 2015. The Titans, along with Thunder and Lightning had stopped the fire monster and saved Jump City from catching fire. As a result of their work to stopping it, Robin had given Thunder and Lightning their own T-communicators, making them the first Honorary Titans.

Raven soon came by and gave them the disc she found when Slade had dropped it. Cyborg asked, "So Slade wants to destroy the city. Question is why?"

Raven remarked, "I don't know, but we will find out and he won't get away with it."

Beast Boy asked Starfire, "So...am I, still you know, a clorbag?"

After thinking about it for a second, the alien replied, "No. I believe you are more of a milnip wusserloop."

Beast Boy began cheering, "Sweet. Go Beast Boy. I'm a milnip. Who's your wusserloop? Huh?"

With that, Starfire flew away from the scene as did Thunder and Lightning. Robin and Cyborg soon walked away as well, leaving a confused Beast Boy with Raven.

He continued, "That's a good thing, right Star? Star?"

With that, Beast Boy turned to an eagle and flew away, trying to chase down the alien. Before joining the other Titans, Raven turned around and looked at the forest damaged by the fight with Slade. She asked herself, "What are you up to Slade?" before flying off.

Back at his lair, Slade was watching the results of the fight with Raven and said, "She now knows who I am. Now, let the games begin."