The Tournament of What?
Danny was flying along in the sky back towards Jump City. He was again lost in thought over the visit he made to his family and friend's graves. While the trip rekindled old sorrows, he was still happier than he had been because he was able get a lot of things off his chest.
However, his thoughts were soon interrupted by a flash of light encompassing him.
The Titans were all playing cards in the main room, minus Terra who was off picking up their lunch. The game soon came to an end with Robin as the 'Victor'. "Sorry Star, I guess I'm just invincible." Robin said as he was about to gather the pile of cards.
"Ah ah ah, how can you be invincible if I've still got one card?" Cyborg said in a mocking tone as he flashed a card at Robin. "Come on Robin, you know you wanna play me for it. One last round, winner take all."
"You're on Cyborg and you're going down." Robin picked up the cards he had left to play and began studying them while at times looking at the one card in Cyborg's hand. At last he finally decided to play his best card. "Tornado! Beat that!"
"Well okay. Booyeaah!" Cyborg stood up and slammed the card down on the table.
"Meteor!" Robin exclaimed in anger and surprise.
"The one in a million wild card that beats all others, it's too beautiful for words." Beastboy added goggling at the card displayed in front of him.
"Oh yeah baby, who's invincible now?" Cyborg yelled doing a victory dance.
"Be proud and cheerful Robin, you competed well." Starfire said, trying to calm Robin down.
"Winning isn't everything." Raven added.
Robin finally calmed down a little. "Yeah, it's just the only thing that matters. I want a rematch!"
"Um, I don't know how to tell you this man, but you're out of cards."
"Beastboy, give me your cards." Yet before Beastboy could comply with his demand, there was a flash of light and all three guys were gone.
"This... is part of the game?" Starfire asked looking at Raven who just shrugged in return.
When the light cleared for Danny he found himself standing next to Robin, Beastboy, and Cyborg causing him to nearly jump in shock. Looking down quickly he let out a sigh of relief that he was still in ghost mode. Yet before he could do anything else he heard a loud booming voice speak. "WELCOME CHAMPIONS ALL! I AM THE MASTER OF GAMES AND YOU ARE HEREBY INVITED TO COMPETE IN THE TOURNAMENT OF HEROES."
The voice belonged to what Danny could only describe as being the likely missing link between humans and their closest genetic relation. The creature was an ape-like humanoid covered in white fur with red eyes and elfish ears similar to Beastboy's. The only things he wore were golden bracers, a large red gem around his neck, and a conservative loincloth. "THE TOURNAMENT OF HEROES, FRIENDLY COMPETITION BETWEEN THE WORLD'S GREATEST YOUNG CHAMPIONS."
Danny took the chance to look around and noticed that the titans and he were not alone. Before he could get a good look at all the other guys there, Robin was surrounded by light.
"ROBIN, THE COMBAT EQUIPPED KUNG FU TRAINED ONE MAN ARMY..." And in turn, the others in the room also got surrounded by the light while the Master Of Games introduced everyone.
"HOTSPOT, A HUMAN FLAMETHROWER WITH A FIERY TEMPER TO MATCH..."
"CYBORG, THE HIGH-TECH TEEN FIGHTING MACHINE..."
"AQUALAD, A WATER-BREATHING TELEPATH WITH A MASTERY OVER SURF AND SEAS.."
"WILDERBEEST, 400 POUNDS OF PRIMAL HEROIC FURY..."
"GIZMO, THE NASTY LITTLE BOY WITH A REALLY BIG BRAIN..."
"BEASTBOY, A QUICK LITTLE CHANGELING WHO CAN TURN INTO ANY ANIMAL..."
"SPEEDY, THE AGILE ARCHER WITH AN UNSTOPPABLE ARSENAL OF UNLIMITED ENERGY ARROWS..."
"KID FLASH, THE FASTEST TEENAGER ON EARTH..."
Following the pattern, Danny saw that he was going to be the last one introduced and wondered just how much the M.O.G. knew about him and his abilities.
"AND SHADE, FROM THE SHADOWS, SAVING PEOPLE WITH HIS MYSTERIOUS POWERS..." Even with the light fading around Danny, all the other heroes and Gizmo continued looking at him curiously. Reeeaal smooth M.O.G., it wasn't just blatantly obvious that you really have no clue what my powers are. At the very least I now know that I've somehow avoided whatever he used to spy on us. Danny smiled at that thought before turning his attention back to the M.O.G. who was hesitantly approached by Beastboy.
"Um... so does the winner get some really cool prize, like, maybe I dunno... a moped?" Beastboy asked hopefully.
"I HAVE NO MOPED CHANGELING, BUT REST ASSURED WHEN THE TOURNAMENT IS COMPLETE THERE WILL BE MAGNIFICENT PRIZES." The M.O.G. replied mysteriously. "OF COURSE THE WINNER OF THE TOURNAMENT SHALL PROVE THAT HE IS THE GREATEST HERO ON EARTH. HOWEVER, ANY WHO DO NOT WISH TO COMPETE MAY ONLY SAY THE WORD." The gem around his neck glowed ominously. "AND I SHALL RETURN YOU HOME AT ONCE."
After the M.O.G. finished speaking, all the heroes except Danny turned and discussed amongst themselves whether they would participate. Danny on the other hand was pondering about what the M.O.G. had said. Prizes? He didn't say what they were and who would be getting them though it usually assumed that the winner gets the prizes. Yet what worries me is that when that gem glowed I felt a strange sense of foreboding. After all the fighting I've done before, I have come to trust that particular instinct of mine. Besides, why did he choose only us when I know for a fact that there are a whole lot more teen heroes in the world. Something tells me that we shouldn't trust the M.O.G., after all this whole tournament of "heroes" stinks of a trap.
"Looks like we're all in!" Robin exclaimed snapping Danny out of his thoughts. Hearing this, the young halfa could only wonder if he was the only paranoid one of the group.
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS! PREPARE FOR COMPETITION!" In a blinding flash the M.O.G. was gone and everybody turned to their neighbors and started conversing with each other.
Danny chuckled to himself as Gizmo and Cyborg almost immediately started yelling at each other. Robin and Speedy started talking and comparing them side by side they almost looked exactly alike, except for the hair, the costume and pretty much everything else. Okay so the only thing similar between the two was the little black mask. Yet there was still that sense that they were the same.
As for the lonely ghost boy, Beastboy approached while examining him closely. Danny was thankful that Beastboy wasn't one of the brighter Titans or else there was a chance that his identity would be discovered. He knew Robin was an accomplished detective and Cyborg was... well... just plain smart and if they were involved there was a greater possibility of them figuring out his secret. So overall he was just going to have to be more careful than usual. Thinking back, Danny wondered how it was that nobody back in Amity Park ever figured out his identity.
"What kind of powers do you have Shade? The big dude didn't exactly say..."
"Can't you guess? After all, it is all explained in my name." Danny replied mysteriously, leaving Beastboy very confused.
"Er... What?" Danny chuckled at his reaction, which in turn annoyed him even more. "Aw, come on man just tell me, you already know all of our powers." The ever exuberant Beastboy was now pouting.
"Beastboy, leave him alone." Cyborg said walking over, his confrontation with Gizmo leaving him agitated. "Sorry Shade, this little grass stain can be very annoying most of the time." Beastboy threw him a death glare which as usual was just ignored. "Anyways, as you already know, the name's Cyborg." Cyborg offered him a handshake which he easily took.
"Yeah, introductions were already kind of taken care of."
"So you said your powers have to do with your name hmm..." Cyborg thought for a moment. "Based on my internal dictionary your powers have something to do with colors, more specifically darkness, or from one definition they have to do with spirits and ghosts." Cyborg said, trying to keep from laughing at the ridiculous sounding power definition and failing.
"Well, I can definitely say that my powers don't have anything to do with colors." Danny replied chuckling as he had not thought about his new name in that context when he came up with it.
"So you're saying that your powers have something to do with ghosts and spirits?"
"Yeah, you could say something like that." Danny said trying to stifle a yawn. "Man, I really shouldn't have traveled so far in one night. That M.O.G. has really lousy timing."
"Travel?"
"Yeah, I was heading home after a long trip when I suddenly found myself here. What about you guys?"
Cyborg smiled. "We were just playing a nice friendly game of cards and I so kicked Robin's butt at it!"
Danny laughed when he saw Robin walking over after overhearing what Cyborg said. The displeased look on the boy wonder's face said it all. "You know, after this is over, we are going to have that rematch when we get back."
"That still doesn't mean you're going to win Robin." Turning away, Robin ignored Cyborg's last comment and offered Danny a handshake, which he took.
"It's nice to meet you Shade, I'm Robin the leader of the Teen Titans." Robin said putting emphasis on the word leader.
"Yeah it's nice to meet you too..."
"CHAMPIONS! ROUND ONE, FACE YOUR OPPONENT!" Before anyone could react to this declaration, there was a flash of light and they were all gone.
When the light cleared from his eyes, Danny found himself in a cave with many torches hanging on the walls while across from him stood a guy in a red and yellow suit. "Kid Flash, I guess you're my opponent for the first round. May the best man win."
"Yeah may the best man win." Kid Flash replied sounding highly confident of himself.
Again the M.O.G's voice boomed all around them. "ROUND ONE BEGIN!"
Danny blinked when he found Kid Flash already in front of him and another blink later, he found himself bound by an old looking rope "Man you are fast but... where did the rope come from?"
"I found it over in a corner." Kid Flash replied arrogantly.
Danny sighed and simply let the rope fall right through him, completely catching Kid flash completely off guard. Seeing his opponent in shock, Danny followed with a punch that sent him back a few feet.
Kid Flash quickly stood back up, looking at Danny wide eyed expression on his face. "What... but... how did you just do that?"
"Dude, that's just one of my powers. You know... like everybody else's powers." As Danny spoke his words slowly, realization hit Kid Flash and was now embarrassed by his reaction. Nodding to show his understanding, they continued their fight with Kid Flash going back on the offensive. He sped forward and started a punching combo at Danny who in turn had to dodge as quickly as he could.
Having to concentrate on dodging, Danny was unable to go intangible or even try to fly away. But even with his increased concentration, attacks were still making it through his defenses and with a final blow, Kid Flash finally landed a powerful kick to his abdomen and sent him back a few feet. Following up this hit, Kid Flash ran forward once more with the intent on continuing his onslaught yet before he reached his intended target he ran head first intoa green dome that had suddenly formed around Danny.
Breathing really hard, Danny noted that his exhaustion from his long trip wasn't exactly helping him at the moment. With his quick speed, Kid Flash had been keeping him off balance the entire fight so he was unable to use any of his usual powers as effectively as he would have liked. Thinking things over, Danny finally came up with a way to beat his quick opponent, even if it wasn't a very honorable thing to do in a fight with a hero. This is going to be tricky, I'm going to have to time this perfectly.
Kid Flash hadn't exactly been waiting patiently outside Danny's shield while he was thinking of a plan and was still beating on it. When the shield finally fell, the speedster saw this as the chance to beat his white haired opponent, and Kid Flash rushed towards him. The moment he was within two feet of Danny he was surprised to find a glowing green fist unleash a blast to his chest at nearly point blank range.
When the smoke cleared Danny found that the concussion from the ecto-blast had knocked Kid Flash unconscious. Before Danny could take a step, the M.O.G's voice echoed through the cave declaring him the winner. Following this statement there was a flash of light and both occupants were gone.
Once Danny opened his eyes he once more found himself back in the room he was in before with Robin, Cyborg, Speedy, and Wilderbeest. But where are the losers? I know something is not right here and from the given evidence so far it looks to me like a big white ape. Danny looked around for the M.O.G., waiting for an answer to his internal questions.
"Hey Speedy, alright, you won!" Robin congratulated Speedy with a handshake.
"But Beastboy didn't." Cyborg was worried for his teammate and was now just as suspicious of the M.O.G as Danny was.
The M.O.G soon reappeared back in the room. "CONGRATULATION CHAMPIONS, YOU HAVE SURVIVED ROUND ONE."
"Survived? What do you mean by that? Where are the losers?" Robin asked as everybody looked accusingly at the M.O.G who held up his hands defensively.
"PEACE HEROES. SURVIVED IS MERELY... AN EXPRESSION. BEASTBOY AND THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN RETURNED HOME SAFELY."
Everybody accepted this response except for two, Cyborg and Danny...
"THINK NOT OF THE VANQUISHED MY CHAMPIONS. NOW YOU MUST REST, FOR TOMORROW YOU FACE ROUND TWO!"A flash of light erupted in the room leaving the M.O.G alone in the room who now wore a sinister grin as he continued speaking in a whisper to himself. "Oh what a marvelous game, no matter who is victorious I win all the prizes."
The amulet around his neck glowed while screams and pleas for help could be heard yet the only one who could hear simply ignored them...
When the light cleared for Danny, he found himself in a simple spartan bedroom that contained a dresser, bed and table with a lamp. Connected to the bedroom was a bathroom which, after little thought, he headed to first deciding he needed a shower, which he took while still in his ghost form. "Now that that's done I do need to get some sleep, I'm utterly exhausted."
Slipping into bed, Danny transformed back into his human form and quickly fell to sleep but to his subconscious dismay, his dreams were plagued with nightmares of his friends and family.
Meanwhile out in the halls, Robin and Cyborg were quietly arguing about whether the tournament was a trap or not. Robin who thought Cyborg was just trying to trick him so he could win, like in the card game, went back to his room. Cyborg on the other hand, started walking down the hall grumbling about his leader being paranoid when something caught his eye.
Sneaking in the shadows he headed to the main room where there was a brief flash of light and, like the many other times the light flashed, he was gone.
Deep within his dreams, Danny was running and while he kept trying to go ghost but, the circles of light only appeared at his midsection and disappeared. He didn't know what he was running from, but he felt nearly overwhelmed by the feelings of fear and helplessness. "You..." The sound of a dark voice echoed all around him, urging his legs to run faster in fear.
"You are not a hero." Danny could feel the shiver running down his spine yet he still continued running. "You never were a hero. The city you protected saw you as a menace and even your own parents wanted to take you apart and destroy you." The darkness parted and in front of him was the dreaded, yet recognized Nasty Burger and once more he saw bound to the tank of secret sauce was his friends and family. "And you failed to save all who were precious to you." The looks of fear in their eyes drove him forward to try and save them but before he could take two steps, another figure appeared in front of him.
Standing there before him was his evil future self. With his fanged other self grinning down at him the fear within Danny spiked as Dan created four duplicates of himself. "You see, I'm still here and no matter what silly little promises you make, you're still going to become me." Before Danny could do anything all four Dans unleashed powerful ectoblasts at him. "After all, it is only a matter of time..."
Sitting up with a start, Danny woke in a cold sweat and to his dismay found that he had been crying. He hadn't really had a nightmare like that in a long time but remembered that with his visit to their graves, it would make sense for a reoccurrence. Regaining his composure, he went to the bathroom and splashed his face with water.
Clearing his head, he turned his thoughts back to the tournament he was participating in and decided to figure out a few things. Transforming back into his ghost form, he concentrated for a moment and his backpack he had packed before he had left appeared on his back. Pulling out his cell phone he found that the time was still the same as when he had appeared with the rest of the heroes. He tried making a phone call yet all he got was a buzzing sound.
Floating up to the ceiling, he tried phasing through it but only accomplished bumping his head and then tried to do the same with the walls and floor, still getting the same results. "Damn it, what is with these walls?" Getting angry he was almost tempted to start blasting away at the walls but decided against it.
Turning around he found a tray of food that vaguely reminded him of his school's lunches on the dresser. "When did that get there?"
As if on cue the M.O.G's voice boomed throughout the room. "CHAMPIONS, ROUND TWO WILL BEGIN IN HALF AN HOUR. PREPARE YOURSELVES!"
Danny bolted down the meal that was provided for him, grabbed his bag and headed out.
In the main room from before he found Speedy, Robin, and Wilderbeest waiting for the next round. "Good luck today and may the best man win." Speedy said earning him a snort of disdain from Wilderbeest. "Oh, sorry, may the best champion win."
"Right back at ya Speedy." Robin said shaking his hand. He then looked around the room searching for his teammate. "Where's Cyborg? It's not like him to be late."
His question was soon answered by the M.O.G. "CYBORG WILL NOT BE JOINING US. YOUR FRIEND HAS BEEN DISQUALIFIED FOR ATTEMPTING TO SABOTAGE HIS FELLOW CHAMPIONS."
"He should have played fair." Robin said shaking his head. Danny could tell he was way too into this competition to think of anything else and with that assessment made, the young halfa turned his attention back to the M.O.G who he now knew for sure was lying. Cyborg was very competitive person but he never was one to cheat against someone. He may trick someone, play a harmless prank, or use every advantage possible, but he still never cheated. Danny had played against him quite a few times on Doom with and without Beastboy and not once did he use any cheats against him.
However, before he could contemplate much more, Danny's thoughts were soon interrupted by the M.O.G. "THE SECOND ROUND WILL BEGIN." A flash of light and once again everybody was gone.
Danny now found himself in a jungle terrain, but the odd thing was how quiet it was. Most jungles were filled with life such as insects and animals, but here it felt like it was completely devoid of life. A feeling of unease had settled in Danny yet that only made him put up his guard even more. If it was Robin or Speedy he was facing, they would have already exchanged greetings for a good fight. So the only opponent left was the untalkative Wilderbeest.
Taking a deep breath, he started walking through the forest, ducking under vines and moving around trees. Every so often he would hear some movement and rustling of vines and with a start of realization he soon realized he was at a distinct disadvantage against this opponent. Wilderbeest was an animal and this jungle area was most likely somewhere he was used to fighting in. It almost made Danny wonder if the M.O.G had wanted to make sure that he would lose in this match. Though if that was the case, just what did that mean for the fate of the losers?
Danny walked into a small clearing when his instincts screamed at him that he was about to be hit by a truck. His internal question was answered by a roar and he looked up just in time to see Wilderbeest ten feet above, falling towards him with his fists clasped together above his head.
Danny concentrated quickly and went intangible just in time to see Wilderbeest's massive fists go right through him, creating a crater where he was standing. Flying up into the sky, he now realized just how hard he was breathing and felt that his heart may pop out of his chest any second. That was too close. "He could have killed me with that hit and then I'd be full dead instead of half dead." As he thought about what he had just said to himself, he realized just how stupid it actually sounded.
After finally calming himself he looked down to see his beastly opponent, looking up at him, smiling as he waited patiently for him to return and fight. Deciding that he might as well since he had nothing better to do, he flew back down, phasing through trees as he circled his opponent to gain momentum.
Making a sharp turn, Danny flew forward and slammed his foot into Wilderbeest's side in the most powerful kick he could muster. Wilderbeest was pushed several feet but to Danny the only accomplishment he made was breaking his foot and/or leg, or at least that's what it felt like. To him, Wilderbeest's hide and muscles felt like solid concrete, which distinctly reminded him of the guy made out of stone he had fought a while back.
Anyways, Danny was in excruciating pain and when he saw that his opponent was distracted, Wilderbeest took advantage of this by grabbing him by said leg very roughly and swinging him around a couple of times before throwing toward some trees. The tree limbs Danny hit he broke as he continued onward and as just as he was about to slam into the trunk of a tree he managed to pull his concentration together just in time to phase right through it.
Floating up in the air Danny decided that for this powerful opponent he was going to have to use the heavy artillery. Concentrating through the throbbing pain in his leg he let a green glow consume his hands before unleashing volley after volley of ghost blasts. Wilderbeest was like a deer caught in the headlights and all the blasts hit their target.
When the smoke cleared, Wilderbeest was still standing with his arms covering his face defensively. Lowering his arms, he looked back up at Danny, his smile that he had been wearing seemed bigger than before and he snorted as if he was saying 'is that all you got?'
Danny knew now that if his normal ectoblasts were not going to work, he was going to have to use something much more powerful. It looked like he was going to have to use the ability Vlad had taught him.
Flashback
Vlad and Danny were standing in the middle of an open field on the outskirts of Jump City.
"Daniel, I want you to fire your most powerful ectoblast at that boulder." Vlad said motioning to one of the many boulders that inhabited the field.
"Could you please call me Shade while I'm in my ghost form?" Danny sighed but decided not to ask why and fired what he considered to be his most powerful ectoblast. When the smoke cleared, there was a small crater with cracks spreading out from it where the blast had hit the boulder. "There, you happy now?"
"No Daniel, that was just sad."
"It's Shade. So, what, you think you can do better?"
Vlad sighed and in his hands he started gathering pink energy which got brighter by the second until it was a brilliant white with a pinkish hue. He unleashed the blast at another nearby boulder causing a huge explosion and when the smoke cleared there no longer was a boulder, just a big crater. "Now, I want you to do that." Vlad told a now stunned Danny.
Present
Danny started gathering energy in his hands just like Vlad had and the energy had taken a white glow with a greenish hue. When he unleashed the attack he saw Wilderbeest's eyes get as big as saucers just before the attack hit.
When the smoke dissipated, he saw his opponent sprawled out on the ground, dazed from the explosion. The M.O.G's voice rang out through the Jungle declaring Shade the winner followed by the ever so familiar flash of light.
When Danny opened his eyes he found that only he and Robin were in the main room. Hearing the M.O.G's voice once again they looked around but found he wasn't there. "CHAMPIONS, YOU WILL BE GIVEN A BRIEF REPRIEVE BEFORE THE FINAL ROUND."
At the M.O.G's words Danny sat down on the floor and started examining his injured leg while Robin watched with interest. "So Shade, how did your match go?"
"Well, without my powers I would be the equivalent of a human pancake right now with every bone in my body broken. You?" Danny replied, unwrapping some of the decorative bandaging from around his arms and wrapping it around his leg.
"Speedy was a real challenge but I was still able to beat him."
Danny finished wrapping his leg making sure it wasn't too tight before standing up and testing it. The pain wasn't that bad anymore but he knew it wouldn't be completely healed for at least a day. Thank you ghost powers for the quick healing.
"Wilderbeest was a really powerful opponent and I was lucky that I recently learned the ability that I used to beat him with." At the quizzical look he got from Robin, he let out a sigh. "Unlike you Mr. Full-time Teen Titan, I don't fight villains for a living. I just try to live a 'normal' life, go to school and work at a normal job. I don't even really use my powers anymore unless the situation calls for it." Danny's eyes widened as he realized what he said and started the familiar, internal imaging and chanting of 'I'm stupid' over and over again while beating his head with the Fenton anti-creep stick .
"You go to school?" Robin's probing words caused Danny to grind his teeth in frustration at his own big mouth and thankfully his silent prayer for their match to begin was quickly answered.
"THE FINAL ROUND WILL NOW COMMENCE!"
Once the light cleared for Danny and Robin they found themselves in a city that looked very similar to Jump City. Danny even saw a building right across from him that looked oddly enough like where he worked. "FINALS, ROBIN VERSUS SHADE, BEGIN!"
Robin started off by running forward with his staff extended and swinging it at Danny. He smiled when he thought it was going to make contact but was surprised to find it go straight right through him. Danny took the advantage of his opponent's surprise to punch him.
Recovering from the attack and surprise, Robin threw a couple of exploding disks at Danny. Dodging them, but at the risk of letting down his guard, the young halfa ended up getting punched in the face and a kick to the stomach.
Suppressing a grunt, Danny quickly recovered from the blows and started flying up in the air. Focusing on his opponent, he created a green glow from his hands and started firing ectoblasts at the boy wonder. Robin dodged them to the best of his abilities while he studied them. At his first glance at the green blasts, he thought of the starbolts that Starfire used but when one came close to hitting his face he felt a cold sensation instead of the familiar warm one and with that observation made, he dismissed his thoughts.
Robin saw that he wasn't going to get a chance to get close with the barrage of blasts sent at him, so he threw down a couple of smoke bombs and disappeared into the shadows.
Danny looked all around for the boy wonder but could not find him. He then started wondering if it would be honorable or not to go invisible and search for him that way. Yet to his obliviousness, he didn't see the dark silhouette on the building right above him.
Soon enough, Danny was jolted out of his thoughts by the pain of a solid kick to his back that sent him spiraling to the ground. When he hit the concrete ground, most of the damaged focused around his legs, especially his already injured one. He tried getting back up but the pain in his leg said otherwise, so with the help of his good leg he was able to turn his body over onto his back, facing the sky.
Looking up Danny found Robin with his staff pointed down at him, smirking at his own loss he held out his hand which in turn was received. "Good fight Shade."
"Yeah, good fight Robin but... what's your prize?" Danny's question caught Robin off guard and before he could question the reply the M.O.G.'s voice rang out.
"WINNER ROBIN!"
A flash of light and they were both gone.
Robin found himself back in the main room with M.O.G., who was clapping his hands slowly. "CONGRATULATIONS ROBIN, CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS."
"So... I'm supposed to get some... prize or something like that?" Robin asked as he tried to figure out the reason for the M.O.G's change in demeanor.
"ROBIN, I DID SAY THERE WERE PRIZES, BUT THOSE PRIZES WERE NOT MEANT FOR YOU."
"What do you mean?" Robin asked not understanding what the M.O.G meant.
"YOUR PRIZE IS YOUR RETURN TO YOUR WORLD, BUT THE LOSERS STAY WITH ME." The M.O.G said evilly as he held up the gem around his neck. Robin could now see the glow and hear the pleas for help radiating from it.
Why didn't I realize this was a trap? Cryptic warnings from Shade and Speedy... The blatant warnings from Cyborg... I let my arrogance and competitiveness cloud my judgment but now I'm going to fix my mistakes, no matter what.
Groaning softly, Danny found himself on the stone floor of a small cell that was surrounded by red energy. Getting up on his good leg he was about to try and blast his way out when a voice rang out. "Don't bother." He looked across from his cell and saw another cell where the voice came from, spotting Cyborg who was just sitting on the floor looking downcast. "We already tried busting out, so you will only just waste your energy."
Danny realized that Cyborg mentioned 'we' and looked around to see the other "losers" of the tournament in cells next to them. He also noticed the crystal in the middle of the area showing Robin fighting the M.O.G.
Feeling a drain on his energy unrelated to his injuries, Danny looked up to notice that on the top of his cell the crystals started to glow like all the other ones in the area. He ignored Cyborg's words to give up, and started frantically thinking about how to get out.
Firing an ectoblast towards the crystals it contacted the red barrier, but there was only a small explosion with no visible effect. Deciding that his best chance to get out was going to have to be his ghostly wail, he could only hope that he didn't revert back to his human form. Yet under the circumstances he had little choice because of the rate his energy was depleting. Looking at the other prisoners, he declared, "Everybody cover your ears." At the serious tone of his voice everyone complied, even Gizmo.
Taking a deep breath, Danny unleashed his Ghostly Wail towards the crystals above his prison shattering them instantly like glass and even with that accomplished, the wail continued reverberating throughout the chamber, creating a huge crack in the wall.
Robin had just escaped from getting barbequed by the M.O.G using Hotspot's powers, when the M.O.G suddenly stopped with a look of horror crossing over his face. The gem around his neck glowed a familiar shade of ghostly green and cracked. Following the splitting, a horrible sound that Robin instantly recognized issued forth from the gem. It was the same dreadful noise that he had heard echoing in Jump City when Punk Rocket had been beaten.
When the noise finally ceased, Robin took advantage of the M.O.G's surprise to land a solid kick on the gem.
When Danny finished his attack, he was exhausted but still able to keep himself in his ghost form and already could feel some of his energy that was drained from him returning. He noticed Cyborg and Speedy shakily getting out of their cells which thankfully had also been destroyed by his attack.
They could have passed for ghosts because of how pale they were but as soon as they left the cells their normal color started to return. Danny started pushing them towards the crack in the wall. "You guys gotta help Robin, while I free the others." Before either one could say anything he pushed them through the crack.
Walking over to the nearest cell he blasted the crystal, thereby releasing the prisoner who by chance happened to be Beastboy. "Dude what was that, that sound you made? Dude it was so awesome!"
"It was just my most powerful attack, more commonly known as my Ghostly Wail." Danny answered warily as he tried walking to the next cell but fell down to his knees. "And it exhausts a lot of energy." Beastboy helped him up and they moved on to the next cell containing Hotspot. With his flames extinguished, all they could see was a young Arabic boy.
After freeing Hotspot, he continued on to free Aqualad who in turn shivered. "It's very dry in here."
Next, he freed Wilderbeest and Gizmo. "That snot nosed, gunk eating ape is going to pay for tricking and imprisoning me." grumbled the pint sized genius as his backpack extended robotic legs to lift him off the floor. Wilderbeest just simply made a grunt, which Danny guessed was his way of saying thanks.
The last to be freed was Kid Flash, who got up shakily as he rubbed his head. "Shade, remind me to never make you mad. That attack of yours gave me one hell of a headache."
As everybody started walking towards the crack in the wall with Danny floating in the lead, the crack suddenly widened as the whole room shook. A flash of light filled the room.
Everybody now found themselves outside of the gem, standing around the M.O.G who had his head down in defeat. Dejectedly, he stated, "I lose." Another flash of light and he disappeared, leaving behind the gem that had been around his neck, now cracked and dull.
"As far as I'm concerned, you're all honorary titans." Robin said as he passed out communicators to everyone. Danny looked down at the one he was given and wondered just how many extra communicators Robin carried on him at one time, but then he realized that Cyborg probably kept a lot of extra ones on him. After all, who knew what was on that part robot body of his.
"Yo give me that!" Danny looked up in time to see Cyborg taking a communicator from Gizmo, who looked like he was about to take it apart. "You're not a good guy, remember?"
"Scum bucket toe jamming gunk eater!" Gizmo grumbled.
"Well dudes, it's been fun!" Beastboy said as he tossed the M.O.G's pendant to Robin.
"If you ever need us, you know where to reach us." Robin said looking at all the heroes around the room.
"Right back at you." Speedy declared voicing everyone's thoughts.
Robin raised the pendant, which glowed once more before a bright light flashed, and everyone was gone...
Danny now found himself floating in the air above the outskirts of Jump city. Making his backpack visible and tangible, he pulled out his cell phone. Checking the date and time, he found that only two hours had passed while he was at the 'tournament.'
Arriving back at his apartment he transformed back into his human form, but winced as he felt pain rush up his injured leg from the sudden weight he put on it. After all, in his ghost form he had been floating to lessen the pain in his leg. Getting out his first aid kit, he started tending to his leg and the few cuts he had received from his last two matches. Finishing, he decided to log on to Doom. He didn't get the status he had on the game by not playing.
Phantom has logged on
Ronan360: Hey Danny how was ur trip
Phantom: Very tiring
Ronan360: Haven't seen Matt stopped by his house but wasn't home
Phantom: Wonder where he's at
Firion98 has logged on
Firion98: Hey guys
Ronan360: wher the hell have u been
Phantom: yea wat he said
Firion98: Sorry Ive been busy with a job
Ronan360: OMG Matt has a job the world is ending and hell just froze over
Phantom: What kind of job
Firion98: you know this and that
Phantom: you aren't going to tell us are you
Firion98: Yep
Robin, Beastboy and Cyborg found themselves back in the Tower and were pinching themselves to make sure it wasn't all a dream. The girls weren't there, but they found the lunches that Terra had went to pick up before they "went to the tournament" sitting on the table. As they were eating Cyborg brought up the subject that had been on their minds for some time, Shade. "Robin, you remember that guy called Shade."
"Yeah, I fought him in the last round of the tournament. Why do you ask?"
"He saved our butts from being imprisoned in that guy's amulet."
"Yeah, and he used this super cool attack called the ghostly wail and everything started to shake and then he freed us all!" Beastboy said getting really excited.
"So he really was the one who caused that horrible sound and cracked the M.O.G's amulet." Robin said as he started thinking over all of the facts he had on Shade. "I think that he may be the person who has been helping us all this time in the city."
"That's what I've been thinking." Cyborg added. "He has white hair and his abilities do have to do with ghosts and spirits."
"Not to mention that sound attack he used to crack the amulet was like that noise we heard before when we found Punk Rocket defeated." Cyborg and Beastboy thought for a second before agreeing with their leader's observation. "Shade let slip that he goes to high school, trying to live a normal life. He probably goes to the same high school that Punk Rocket attacked."
"So are we going to look for him or try to contact him? We did give him a communicator." Cyborg asked. " I'm sure we can always use another member on the team."
"Even if he is the one who has been helping us, he didn't seem like he wanted to join our team."
The next day Danny found that his leg still hurt yet he had to go to work, so instead of walking, he flew. As he flew invisibly over the city and as he got closer to his work, he passed over the titans on their way out of a mall. Even though he was invisible, he could have sworn that he saw Raven look straight up at him.
Landing in the alley behind his work he hurried and clocked in. Once behind the register the phone rang, Cyborg was on the other end telling him that they were coming. The call reminded him that they had seen his ghost form and he hoped they hadn't figured out his secret and they won't figure it out at all. Why didn't I ever think to start wearing a mask like Robin?
Minutes later, the titans walked in and Cyborg and Raven approached the register while Beastboy and Terra went to look at CDs, and in the meantime Robin and Starfire went to the books. "Hi Raven, Cyborg, what have you'll been up to?"
"Nothing much, just got forced into a tournament of heroes by a guy who called himself the Master of Games." Replied Cyborg and he proceeded to go into great detail of everything that had happened. Danny listened to him carefully, trying his best to act like he wasn't there. "Then Shade used this powerful ability to destroy the cages that held us and we defeated the M.O.G."
"Hey Cyborg don't forget, I think he called it his ghostly wail." Said Beastboy as he and Terra walked up to the register. "Danny did any new games come in yet?"
"I don't know, let me go check." Danny walked to the back room, limping in a small and almost unnoticeable way. However, the one person who saw it was Robin while he explained to Starfire about the use of cookbooks. Robin noticed that there was a small amount of bandaging around the same leg that Shade bandaged up during their fight.
"Robin, are you well?" Robin turned to Starfire who looked at him with a worried expression on her face.
"I'm fine Star, I just kinda got distracted..."