Chapter 4: Jump City, part 2

Abby was still having a hard time figuring out how she, Double D, and Ed had gotten to where they were. The trio had been doing just fine in the tournament. They couldn't help but notice that there were abundant amounts of Heartless participating in the tournament as well. Double D was also quick to remind them that they also had to find the keyhole in Jump City.

Beast Boy and Raven had warned them to be careful when facing their next opponent. Abby had promised they would, but…she honestly had no idea how powerful Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune would be.

That's probably why Sailor Uranus was currently holding her up by the collar, while Sailor Neptune was making sure the exhausted Ed and Double D wouldn't make any sudden moves.

"Looks like they're no match for us, Neptune," Sailor Uranus smirked.

"But wanting to take out these kids…" said Sailor Neptune. "Slade is up to something."

Meanwhile, Beast Boy and Raven were watching from the sidelines.

"Oh man…" said Beast Boy.

"This is getting dangerous," said Raven. "We might have to call a draw."

Meanwhile, Sailor Uranus was noticing the Keyblade Abby was clutching in her right hand. "What kind of weapon is that?" she asked. "Looks more like a toy…"

But suddenly, the fight was interrupted by a low rumbling…like someone was stomping toward the fighting area.

"Do you hear something?" asked Double D.

Then, Ed saw what was making the noise. "Uh oh!" he said.

Then, everyone else saw what it was. A giant monster made of stone was towering over the group.

"What is that?!" asked Double D.

Beast Boy and Raven were the most shocked.

"What's Cinderblock doing here?!" asked Beast Boy.

At that moment, Cinderblock unexpectedly swung a punch that was aimed straight at Sailor Neptune.

"Michiru!" Sailor Uranus exclaimed, dropping Abby and running straight to her comrade. She jumped in front of Sailor Neptune just in time; both senshi took the force of the attack.

"This is not good…" said Double D, as he, Abby, and Ed struggled to stand.

The trio braced themselves for another blow…but none came.

When the dust cleared, the trio saw that three new people were standing in the fighting ring, between them and Cinderblock.

One of them was a tall, thin girl wearing a purple outfit; her hands and eyes were glowing green. The second one was a dark-skinned boy who was outfitted with high-tech parts on most of his body. The last one was a boy wearing a mask over his eyes, with spiky black hair and wearing a red, yellow, green, and black outfit.

Abby remembered that earlier, Beast Boy and Raven had told her that they were part of a group called the Teen Titans. Based on appearance, Abby assumed that these were the three other members of the Titans: Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin.

"Guys!" said Beast Boy as he and Raven headed toward the fighting area.

"Beast Boy, get them out of here!" Robin called to his comrade.

"Come on!" Beast Boy called to Abby and her group. The three reluctantly followed the green-skinned boy while Raven joined the other Titans.

---

Soon, Abby, Ed, and Double D found themselves panting for breath in the same area where they first met Beast Boy and Raven.

"A beast sent from the molten center of the world has been summoned to put an end to the tournament!" Ed exclaimed.

Beast Boy gave Ed a confused look. "Uh, not quite," he said. "That was Cinderblock. He's one of Slade's lackeys. But it's weird…we haven't heard anything from Slade for a while now…" Suddenly, a banging noise was heard, as if someone had been thrown against the wall of the arena. "Oh, man! Listen, uh…I'm sorry, but I gotta go help! Just…just stay here, okay?" With that, Beast Boy ran back in the arena.

Abby, Double D, and Ed stared at the entrance to the fighting area for a few seconds, before Abby's stance grew straight.

"I'm going back in there," she said.

"What?" asked Double D.

"This isn't any different from what we've already faced," said Abby. I'll be all right." She began to walk back to the fighting area.

"Oh, why must she always play the hero?" Double D muttered. "Abby, wait! We're coming with you!" He ran after Abby.

"Defeat the rock monster!" said Ed, following his friends.

---

Meanwhile, the Teen Titans were obviously having some trouble with Cinderblock (sometime before, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune had both stumbled off the area).

"We'll take it from here!" Abby called to the Titans. Ed and Double D were not too far behind.

"Hey, be careful!" Robin called.

However, the other Titans were already falling back, and Robin hesitantly went with them.

This left Abby, Ed, and Double D to face Cinderblock alone.

"Any suggestions?" asked Double D.

"I think a full-frontal attack is our best bet," said Abby. "On three, okay?"

"Yep!" said Ed, readying his shield.

"One…two…THREE!"

"PREPARE TO MEET YOUR MAKER!" Ed yelled as the trio jumped, aiming their weapons right at Cinderblock's head.

It was a direct hit. The Keyblade, Double D's staff, and Ed's shield smacked Cinderblock square in the face.

The trio landed back on their feet, waiting for the next move.

"Be careful…" warned Abby.

However, the next move Cinderblock made was unexpected. He just stood still, making no move to attack, and then…he toppled over backwards, landing hard on his back.

This move earned three dropped jaws from the trio.

---

"Oh…" Starfire was gazing at the entrance to the fighting area. "I feel that we have made the wrong decision. Should we not go back in and help them?"

"Eh, we shouldn't be that worried," said Beast Boy. "Raven and I have been watching them throughout the whole tournament. They're tougher than they look."

"I wasn't sure about them at first…" said Raven. "But they're deceiving. They can be powerful when they get into it."

"And don't forget, we had already worn Cinderblock down by the time they got out there," Cyborg added.

"Let's just hope they're not too disappointed," said Robin.

"WE DID IT!"

All five Titans turned toward the sound of Abby's excited voice, and saw the psychic girl and her two companions coming back in from the battling area.

"We knocked out Cinderblock with a single blow!" Abby said, obviously having no idea what really happened. "It was great!"

"Somehow, I don't think that was the case…" said Double D, who was skeptical.

"Well, at least he can't damage the tournament anymore," said Ed.

"I guess we should thank you guys," said Robin. "So…thanks."

Just then, Cyborg noticed something else. "Uh…BB?"

Everyone turned to the storage room. The doors were still wide open.

"Oh…" said Beast Boy. "Guess I forgot about that."

"We'll do it!" said Ed, walking toward the door. Abby and Double D shrugged, and then walked over to help.

With all three of them working with the two large doors, they managed to get the storage room secure and shut. It wasn't until the doors were closed that they saw something that caught their eye.

On the storage room doors was the same keyhole shape they saw at Foster's.

The next thing they knew, another beam was shooting out of the Keyblade, right at the keyhole. Once again, the keyhole seemed to "shut" with an audible clicking sound.

This wasn't new to Abby, Double D, or Ed, but it was new to the Titans.

"Uh, what just happened?" asked Beast Boy.

"That was…magic?" asked Starfire.

"I'm not sure," said Robin. "But either way…I can tell, there's something special about those three."

Abby turned back to the Titans. "I think it's time for us to go," she said.

"Oh…so soon?" asked Starfire. "Then…you simply must come back and visit us again!"

"I'll second that," said Cyborg. "And if you feel like it, maybe you guys can enter another tournament."

"Granted we can clean up the mess from this one," said Raven.

"Way to kill the mood," Beast Boy muttered.

But Abby just smiled, and then took something out of the pouch on her belt. "Don't worry," she said. "We'll be back. I'm sure of it."

She then held something out to Robin. It was the "T" friendship bracelet she had made earlier.

"What's this?" Robin asked, taking the bracelet.

"It's to show that we'll always be friends," Abby answered. "And to make sure we'll never forget about each other."

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" said Starfire. "I might just have to make some of my own!"

Robin smiled. "Feel free to visit us anytime," he said.

"We'll remember that," said Abby.

---

"Well, they were nice," said Double D as the trio exited the arena.

"So you're gonna give friendship bracelets to all the new friends we meet, Abby?" Ed asked.

"Yep," Abby replied. "I want to make friends with as many people as I can. And just so I don't forget them…" Abby then took out another bracelet that was identical to the one she had given Robin. "I make one for myself, too!" She then unhooked her belt and looped the bracelet onto it.

It was then that the trio realized that they weren't alone. They looked up and saw Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune sitting on a bench a few feet away from them.

"Uh…are you guys all right?" Abby asked, taking a few steps forward.

Sailor Neptune gave a small smile. "We'll be okay," she said. "We've dealt with worse before."

Abby's expression suddenly turned calculating. "That guy…Slade…he's the reason we got to be in the tournament, right?" Sailor Neptune gave a sad nod. "So then…" Abby continued, "Why did you guys even agree to help him in the first place?"

Sailor Uranus stood up. "We have our own mission," she said. "Slade said he would help us. We tried to exploit the power of darkness…but it was just too much for us."

Sailor Neptune stood up, too. "I guess you could say we fell into darkness, and then we lost sight of our light."

Abby smiled. "You'll find it," she said. "I'm searching, too."

"For your light?" asked Sailor Uranus. Before she received an answer, she added, "Don't lose sight of it." She then walked over to Abby and put something in her hand. Abby looked at the object; it was another Gummi Block, similar to the one they found in Foster's.

"Say…" said Abby. "How about, sometime, we have a fair rematch? No dark powers involved?"

For the first time, Sailor Uranus gave a smile. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said. She began to walk away.

"I think we can safely say that our tournament days are over," Sailor Neptune added. She then began to follow Sailor Uranus.

With that, Abby, Ed, and Double D began to head back toward the Gummi Ship.

---

Meanwhile, back in the subway systems, Slade was not amused.

"It appears that it is harder to find good help than I originally thought," the villain said out loud to nobody in particular. "And, dare I say it, I seem to be running out of ideas for the time being." He visibly stiffened, but immediately forced himself to calm down. "No matter. I suppose I can kill two birds with one stone. If the Titans are able to train those three…then it will be that much easier to get rid of them all in one fell swoop."

Suddenly, Slade felt as if he was no longer alone. He whirled around, just in time to see an all-too-familiar black spirit emerging from the shadows.

Slade's visible eye narrowed. "I don't seem to recall inviting you to this event," he bluntly stated, whirling around so he was no longer facing the newcomer. "I do not require your assistance. Leave now before I have to use force."

Aku stared at Slade for a moment, before finally sighing. "If that is your wish, then by all means, fight to your heart's content."

Aku said nothing else. He simply slunk back into the shadows, the same way he came, leaving Slade alone once again.