New episode time! Hope you enjoy!


Episode Nine: Winner Take All

The episode opens with Tara waking up… and she's not in the Tower. Instead of being in her bed, she's strapped down in a sealed glass tube. She struggles with her restraints, but can't break free. She tries to identify her surroundings and realizes that her tube is part of a laboratory. Outside the class she can see various other equipment and scientists watching her in silence. Tara screams at the scientists, wanting them to free her. But they either don't hear her or they don't care. Suddenly the tube starts to fill with a thick, dark brown substance and Tara begins to panic when she sees it. She continues to struggle and scream, neither of which is effective. Her body is slowly being bathed in the substance, starting with her feel and moving up toward her neck. Tears stream down her face as Tara calls out a name: Brion. However, Brion isn't here to save her and the only thing Tara can do is lift her head to buy herself a few seconds. With those few seconds she screams one last time before the dark substance goes into her mouth and down her throat. Then the tube is completely filled and Tara can see nothing as she chokes on the substance, utterly helpless… which causes her to wake up, sitting up in her bed and gasping for fresh air as if she had really been drowning in the dark substance only moments earlier. But it was just a dream, just a memory. She then hears a concerned voice asking if she is okay and Tara sees that she's not alone. Raven is sitting next to her, while the Tower's other residents are standing in front of her bed. They explain that Tara's powers were shaking the Tower while she slept, which woke up the others. Thankfully, Raven used her empathic abilities to calm Tara down before she could do any serious damage. Tara, ashamed, apologizes for losing control. Bad dreams are nothing new to her, but they haven't affected her powers like this before. Donna suggests that it may be a lingering side effect of the Fear Toxin that Slade used on her, so maybe Tara should get herself checked out again in the morning. LaGrieve also reminds Tara that she can visit him, which she hasn't done yet, if she needs to talk. Tara appreciates that the Titans aren't mad at her, though she asks Raven if she saw anything. Raven admits that she did and Tara explains that her nightmare was about how she got her powers, how she was experimented on without her consent by scientists who didn't care if she survived the process or not. It's not a pleasant memory and it's something that she still hates to think about. The others understand, especially Blackfire and Starfire since they got their powers from being experimented on by the Psions. The Titans ask Tara if she needs anything, but she says that they've already done enough and can return to bed. She'll try not to wake them up again. They start to leave, though Raven asks Tara if she's sure that she wants to be alone. Raven is willing to stay with Tara and it could be like another sleepover. Tara considers the offer, but decides that she's fine tonight. The two hug and Raven leaves, though someone is still in the room with Tara. She notices Wonder Dog next to her bed, looking up at Tara expectantly. Tara tells Wonder Dog to get out of her room, but he doesn't move. After a moment, Tara sighs in defeat and agrees to let Wonder Dog stay with her. Wonder Dog immediately jumps into bed with Tara when he hears this, happily licking her face which causes Tara to smile a bit. She pets Wonder Dog and the two lie in bed next to each other, Tara slowly falling back to sleep while cuddling with the canine.

Cut from a blonde falling asleep to another blonde waking up. It's Bette Kane and she starts getting ready for the day ahead, once again going through her morning routine alone like she did when he saw her during Christmas morning. But before she heads to school, someone calls Bette on her phone. Bette looks at the number and answers her phone when she recognizes it. The voice on the other end belongs to Kate, who is calling Bette to let her know that she's back in Jump City. Bette asks Kate if she enjoyed her holidays and how "Uncle Jake" is doing. Kate tells Bette that her father is well and that she enjoyed spending the holidays with him, though she does remind Bette that they would have been more than happy to have her over. Bette glances at her gym bag with the Flamebird costume as she lets Kate know that "her place is in Jump City" though she still appreciates the offer. Kate says that they should really get together sometimes, like meet up to eat in the city. Bette admits that would be nice, since despite Kate living in Jump City now they haven't seen each much. Kate apologizes, since Wayne Enterprises has kept her busy, but she does want to make it up to Bette. Kate asks if Bette has been well and if she's been keeping up with her classes, which causes Bette to laugh. She jokingly tells Kate that she's her cousin, not her mother. But she thanks Kate for caring, because it means a lot to her. She says she has to go now and Kate reminds Bette to stay safe before the call ends. Bette smiles to herself and heads out of the door.

Cut to Raven and Starfire entering Murakami High School together. Raven sees Goth trying to get her attention and she tells Starfire that she'll see her later before walking over to Goth. He asks how her holidays were and she admits that she enjoyed them, though it is good to be back here after winter break. Goth chuckles, mentioning that a lot of her classmates would probably disagree with Raven. But Raven, unlike some teens her age, does like school because it shows her what she was missing out on during her… irregular childhood. She doesn't take this for granted, thankful that she can be both "Rachel Roth" of Murakami High School and "Raven" of the Titans. Goth understands and he asks Raven if she would like to come with him to a concert this weekend that he can get them tickets for. Raven realizes that Goth is asking her on a date and she says that if nothing comes up (since she is a superhero) she would love to go with him, since it sounds fun. Goth is happy to hear that and he'll text her the details, though he reassures Raven that it's fine if she can't make it and he won't hold it against her. Being a Titan comes first, after all. Raven is grateful that she doesn't have to hide her double life from Goth anymore and that he's so accepting of it. She promises that they'll talk later and then hurries off to class.

Cut back to Titans Tower, where Tara is in LaGrieve's office. Tara admits that the reason she hasn't spoken to LaGrieve before now is that there are things she doesn't like talking about. She has opened up a lot more since the Titans took her in, but there are still a few things that she is just not ready to discuss. LaGrieve tells Tara that's fine, she doesn't have to tell him anything that she's uncomfortable with talking about and whatever they do discuss won't leave this room. Tara acknowledges that and explains that she was checked earlier this morning for any traces of Fear Toxin that still might be in her systems. They found nothing, meaning that the Fear Toxin wasn't directly responsible for what happened last night. The unfortunate truth is that the more Tara trains with the Titans, the more powerful she becomes. And while she does have better control, if she ever does lose control the consequences could be more severe. She honestly doesn't know her own limits and that scares her. Despite everything she has been through, Tara could still be a danger to the team even though the last thing she wants to do is hurt them. The sad truth is that she may never be one hundred percent safe to be around. However, she knows that the same can be said about Raven. Despite training her whole life to control her powers, Raven has lost control in the past. She was told about the Doctor Light incident and there was the movie night disaster. Tara is grateful that the Titans are sympathetic and understanding, but she hates that control is something she will probably struggle with for as long as she lives. All because of powers that she never wanted or asked for. Tara thinks she could easily destroy Jump City if she wanted to. She doesn't, but she believes that she has the potential to cause destruction on a global scale. Yet the Titans aren't scared of her, they have more faith in her than she sometimes has in herself. Tara just hopes that she can justify that faith. LaGrieve mentions that it seems Tara puts a lot of pressure on herself to succeed and Tara doesn't deny it. She doesn't want to ruin a great thing, she wants to be the Titan that they all think she can be. She's trying so hard to be good this time and LaGrieve asks what Tara means when she says "this time." Tara admits that in the past she was a danger to anyone that tried to get close to her because of her powers and people got hurt as a result. She wants to finally break the cycle and LaGrieve tells Tara that's a good thing. However, he advises her not to put as much pressure on herself. After all, she's not just a Titan because her powers are useful. She's a Titan because they can tell she has a good heart. LaGrieve asks Tara if there's anything else she wants to talk about and Tara gets a flashback. We see Tara with Donna on the roof of Titans Tower, admitting that she has a crush on her best friend. Donna is surprised, but understanding. She asks Tara how long she's known this and Tara answers that she's known for a while. Tara hoped that her feelings for Raven would go away, but they only got stronger and Tara couldn't deny them. However, Tara keeps them secret because she doesn't want to hurt their friendship which means so much to her. Tara believes that Raven wouldn't like her the same way, especially since she's now in a relationship with her classmate Goth. But Tara tells Donna that she isn't jealous, she's accepted that Raven is with someone else and she's happy to support her friend. Donna suggests that Tara should still tell Raven how she feels, because even if Raven doesn't return them she would at least understand and would want to continue being friends with Tara regardless. Especially since their friendship means a lot to Raven as well, enough that Raven would be willing to work through things with Tara. But even if Tara doesn't tell Raven, Donna promises that she'll still be supportive and she appreciates Tara for having the courage to talk to her about this. Tara thanks Donna for the advice and the two hug on top of Titans Tower. We see Tara smiling as she embraces Donna and the flashback ends, returning to the present where Tara tells LaGrieve that there is nothing else she wants to talk to him about.

Cut to Blackfire entering the Tower's garage, where Cyborg is working some more on the T-Car. Blackfire is bored and she asks Cyborg if he needs any help. She's fixed space ships in the past, so she feels like she could easily work on a car. Cyborg appreciates the offer, but says that the only person allowed to help him with his baby is Raven since they rebuilt the T-Car together. Blackfire guesses that Cyborg and Raven must be close then, which Cyborg confirms. He confesses that Raven is the closest he has to a little sister and Blackfire can relate to that, being an older sibling herself even if she hasn't always been the best big sister. Cyborg points out that he was saved by Raven like how Blackfire was saved by Starfire. They actually both tried to be loners once and Cyborg even almost walked away from the Titans early on. But he's glad that he didn't, similar to how Blackfire is glad that she was convinced by her sister to move into Titans Tower. Raven and Starfire have made Cyborg and Blackfire better people. They both acknowledge how lucky they are, despite how poorly life may have treated them before. Because they are still loved unconditionally by those that care about and support them and those people make life worth it even when it sometimes sucks. Cyborg has learned to appreciate what he has and to stop feeling sorry for himself, something that Blackfire can agree with. Blackfire realizes that the two of them honestly aren't that different, but Cyborg isn't surprised. He always had a good feeling about Blackfire, since he trusted Starfire's judgement. She has a good taste in people and Blackfire can't disagree, since Starfire has clearly picked the right friends. Blackfire thanks Cyborg for the nice talk and says she'll leave him to continue working on the T-Car. However, Cyborg stops her since maybe he could end up needing her help after all…

Cut to Murakami High School, later that day. Starfire is leaving the building with Bette and she sees a hoodie-wearing Beast Boy waving to her. Wonder Dog is with Beast Boy, who currently has a more normal appearance without his green skin or green hair. Starfire waves back and Bette asks Starfire who is her friend. Starfire brings Bette over to Beast Boy, deciding to introduce them to each other. She introduces Beast Boy to Bette as Garfield and explains that she had promised to hang out more with him so they could reconnect after things had been weird between them. Beast Boy mentions that he actually saw Bette before, since he was one of the friends that Starfire brought to that high school party all the way back in season one. However, it's still nice to officially meet Bette. She agrees and asks Beast Boy if she can pet his cute dog. Beast Boy says she can and as Bette kneels down he tells her that the dog's name is Wonder Dog. Bette pets the very happy Wonder Dog and Starfire suggests that Bette could hang out with them. Bette admits she would love to, but she already has somewhere that she needs to be and she can't miss it. Starfire understands and says she'll see Bette later. Bette says goodbye to Starfire and expresses a hope to maybe get to know Beast Boy at some future date, because she trusts that Starfire has good taste in friends. Beast Boy agrees with that and the two shake hands before Bette heads off on her own. As they watch her go, Beast Boy admits to Starfire that she seems nice and Starfire expresses disappointment that she couldn't join them. She then asks Beast Boy if Raven cast another illusion spell to change his appearance and Beast explains that his changed appearance is now thanks to a Christmas present from S.T.A.R. Labs: a pair of holographic rings that he can use to disguise himself. Now he doesn't have to keep asking Raven in order to look normal though he still doesn't feel normal. Starfire asks Beast Boy if he thinks she is normal, a question that surprises him. He quickly answers that to him she is and Starfire tells him that he is the same to her. While she does like going to school and being treated as just another student, she only truly feels herself when she is with the people that she doesn't have to pretend around. She does enjoy fitting in as "Kory Anders." But she loves being accepted by the Titans as "Starfire" even more. She's not ashamed of what she is and she doesn't want Beast Boy to be ashamed of what he is either. Normal is just an expectation, after all. Back on Tamaran, her own sister didn't meet the expectations for what was normal. But Starfire didn't see Blackfire as less because of that and to her she is normal. So Starfire doesn't want Beast Boy to think any less of himself just because he may be different. Beast Boy appreciates what Starfire is saying and he asks her if she's ready to go, since they were planning on getting pizza. They begin to walk away together, but then we see something unnoticed by them both. There's a car parked nearby and in the car are two men in suits, watching the teens with great interest. One of the men asks his partner if they should follow them, but his partner says they don't want to risk getting noticed. Besides, they've seen enough for now…

Cut to Dick arriving at the dojo where Bette is waiting for him. When she sees Dick, Bette addresses him as "John" and says that she's ready to continue their training. They assume their fighting stances and begin to spar, Dick occasionally offering Bette some advice on her technique. Bette asks Dick who taught him to fight and Dick tells her that his father was a good teacher. He asks her if she's eventually hoping to become a Titan as Flamebird, but Bette denies this. She doesn't think that she would meet their standards, since they fight super villains and most recently giant metal worms that shoot out lasers. She just fights muggers and thieves, so Bette fully recognizes that she would be out of her league with the Titans. And as Bette told Dick before, she's not doing this for the attention despite the colorful costume. So she's fine if the Titans don't approach her. Bette doesn't think that she can save the world or even the city, but the Titans can. Focusing on small-time criminals is enough for her and so is never being more than a small-time superhero. Bette has been in the spotlight before and she thinks it's overrated. She won her first beauty pageant when she was five and whenever she enters a tennis court the stands always echo with wolf-whistles and cheers. Bette got used to adulation and though she always wore a smile, she started to feel like her life was empty and meaningless. She tried out many hobbies, including kickboxing and cheerleading, to give herself a purpose. But something was always missing and that feeling only got worse until she became Flamebird. When she saves lives and stops crime, she feels like she does have a purpose. Helping people helps her. Dick asks Bette if she's talked to a therapist about how she felt and Bette says that she's had, but what really helped was Bette realizing that she wanted to be Robin. Though she still made her own identity, inspired by her cheerleading team the Flamebirds and the mythological phoenix. Because like the phoenix, Bette was obtaining a new life by arising from the ashes of her previous self. Dick is sympathetic while listening to her, though he tells Bette not to sell herself short since the Titans could be interested in offering her membership one day. Bette dismisses the idea, but says it's a nice thought. They then continue their sparring, Bette showing improvement the more that she trains with Dick.

Cut to a basketball court in Jump City, where Kate Kane is dribbling a basketball. She's soon joined by Maggie Sawyer, since they had agreed to meet here. Kate is glad that Maggie could make it and Maggie admits that she needed this. Kate passes her ball to Maggie, who asks Kate if she's an athlete. Kate tells Maggie that she played soccer and took gymnastics in middle school, the second of which she continued through high school while maintaining her grades at the top of her class. Kate's father also taught her to box and she was a school champion when she eventually attended West Point. She used to play basketball with her cousin as well, but when Maggie reveals that she isn't really an athlete Kate promises to go easy on her and not be seriously competitive. The two start casually playing against each other while continuing their conversation, Maggie pointing out that Kate mentioned she went to West Point and asking to know more about it. Kate explains that she excelled there academically to the point that she became Brigade Executive Officer and was ranked in the top five percent of her class in academic, physical education, and military skills. Maggie is impressed, but Kate reveals that she was honorably discharged prior to graduation due to some anonymous allegations that forced her to leave the school. This left Kate with no direction in her life, which she told Maggie about before. However, she's since given her life direction again and she still has a close relationship with her father despite the discharge. Maggie says it's good that Kate is on good terms with her father, especially since it's been years since she last spoke to her parents… or seen her daughter. This surprises Kate, who currently has the ball but stops dribbling when she hears this. Maggie explains that's why she left Star City for Metropolis when a position in their Special Crimes Unit became available. She had originally joined Star City's Police Department and when she rose to the rank of Lieutenant, she married her captain. They had a daughter named Jamie together, but their marriage eventually ended in divorce and her ex-husband was awarded custody of Jamie. Kate offers her sympathies and Maggie says it's fine. Focusing on work helped her deal with it, though she knows that it's still important to have some personal time and that's why she's here. Kate agrees that they've talked enough about their difficult pasts and they go back to playing their basketball game, Maggie quickly getting the hang of it.

Cut to Star City, where we get a scene paralleling Robin's introduction back in season one. Drug dealers are making a drop off, though some of them are wary because they know whose city they're in. One of the dealers tells a buddy to relax, since they brought along some extra hired muscle in case Green Arrow does show up. He indicates an enforcer with reddish, stony skin named Brick, who the dealer explains is a metahuman with invulnerability and super strength. The dealer's buddy asks if Brick is really enough to take care of Green Arrow and the dealer says that even if he ain't, he would still buy them enough time to make their getaway. Brick is mainly useful as a distraction, just a low level henchman who happens to have superhuman powers. Someone then announces their presence with a smoke arrow. The crooks immediately assume that it's Green Arrow, opening fire at where the unseen vigilante might be. But none of their bullets hit as a figure moves through the smoke, taking out several criminals. The smoke eventually clears enough so that we get a better look at who is interrupting the drop off: Speedy, who tells the scum that they should know better than to bring their poison into this city. The remaining dealers ask where Green Arrow is and are informed by Speedy that he's working alone. The dealers chuckle, thinking that they may not even need Brick. They open fire, but Speedy avoids the bullets and begins knocking them out with different arrows one by one in an efficient manner. Soon only the two men we saw talking earlier are left standing. They wonder where Brick is and why he isn't dealing with this as they try running toward their boat with the money… only to find that Brick chose to make his getaway during the confusion in their boat and with their money. They try to shoot at Brick for double crossing them, but their bullets only bounce off his back before he turns around to give them a mocking grin and wave. Then he's gone, leaving the dealers alone with Speedy who is now behind them. The criminals immediately surrender and Speedy tells them that was a good call. However, he's still going to make this hurt. After leaving the two unconscious and bruised, he uses an explosive arrow to destroy the drugs they were dropping off. He smiles while watching the drugs burn and listening to the police sirens as they get louder before he is suddenly teleported away.

Cut to a yacht in the ocean being hijacked by pirates who are holding a wealthy family at gunpoint. One of the pirates asks their captain if he intends to hold their prisoners for ransom, but the captain says that it'll be easier to just find a buyer on the black market that they can sell their captives to. He knows a few that might be interested, especially in the girls… He starts to laugh before getting interrupted by the arrival of Aqualad, who quickly begins to take out pirates with his hydrokinesis abilities. The captain, realizing that his men are outmatched, tries to use his hostages as leverage and warns Aqualad that he'll kill them unless the Atlantean stands down. He tells Aqualad that it was unwise for him to come alone and Aqualad smirks, because he's not alone. He brought back-up. And that back-up is Aquagirl, who catches the captain by surprise with an attack that takes out the remaining pirates. Aqualad compliments his partner, though she points out that Aqualad could have still handled this by himself despite the captain's threats. Aqualad knows this, but he prefers it if they both share the credit. The two of them check on the rescued family, who are grateful to the Atlantean heroes. Then the duo makes sure that the pirates are tied up before calling the Coast Guard. They are waiting for the Coast Guard to arrive when both Aqualad and Aquagirl get suddenly teleported away.

Cut to Titans Tower, where all the Titans and Blackfire are in the living room playing a card game reflecting natural disasters. Blackfire ends up with everyone's cards despite having never played the game before. She explains that she "has experience" though she is disappointed when she learns that she hasn't won anything, since she's used to playing with gamblers and has always played to get something from them rather than for fun. Dick suggests that they play again, wanting to beat Blackfire this time. However, any idea of a rematch ends when almost everyone in the room is suddenly teleported away. Only Blackfire, Dick, and Wonder Dog (who was sitting on the couch) are left to wonder where their friends went. Blackfire asks what just happened and Dick admits that he doesn't know, but he has a bad feeling about this…

Beast Boy, Cyborg, Donna, Raven, Starfire, and Tara find themselves in a large domed structure. With them now is Aquagirl, Aqualad, Speedy, and other young heroes. They are welcomed as champions by a humanoid figure standing atop a dais. He explains that they are now in an alternate dimension called the Colony, that he is the Master of Games, and that he has invited them all to compete in the Tournament of Heroes. Said Tournament is a friendly competition between twelve of the world's greatest young champions, though only one shall win. The Master of Games introduces the combatants, including a few that we haven't met yet: Bunker, a Mexican teen superhero with the ability to create energy constructs that manifest as purple bricks with his mind; Pantha, a cat-human hybrid who has become quite popular in the wrestling scene; and Wildebeest, a genetically created powerhouse with the head of a wildebeest and the body of a man. The Master of Games promises that there will be magnificent prizes when the Tournament is complete and that the winner shall prove that he is the greatest young hero on Earth. However, any who do not wish to compete need only say the word and they shall be returned home at once by the Master of Games. Anyone caught cheating or going against the Master of Games will be disqualified and sent home as well. The Titans exchange looks. They don't completely trust the Master of Games, but they know it's better if they stick together and they don't know if the Master of Games would really send them home. For now it would be better to play along until they get a better idea of who they're up against. All the invited heroes, for one reason or another, tell the Master of Games that they're in. The Master of Games informs the heroes to prepare for competition and teleports away, giving the combatants a chance to interact with each other.

Beast Boy goes up to Aqualad and Aquagirl, giving them high fives and handshakes as he says that it's great to see them again. The two Atlanteans agree, though Aquagirl speaks softly and little while blushing like she did the last time that she encountered the Titans. Aqualad speaks to Donna, mentioning that he heard that she had replaced Robin as leader and he congratulates her on the new position. He knows that she deserves it and though he doesn't know why Robin stepped down, she is more than a worthy successor. Donna thanks him and the two do make an attempt to be friendly with each other, despite their awkward history. Aqualad and Aquagirl are introduced to the newest Titan, since Tara wasn't a member when they teamed up last year. They're pleased to meet her and so's she. Bunker, who is standing next to Wildebeest, notices a distinct smell and Wildebeest growls at him when he asks about it. Bunker immediately apologizes and Pantha intervenes, telling Wildebeest that Bunker didn't mean to offend. Wildebeest calms down due to Pantha's presence and she tells Bunker not to mind him, since she and Wildebeest go way back. Despite his hard exterior, he's a real softie. Bunker says he'll take her word for it and mentions that he is actually a big fan of Pantha, having followed her wrestling career. Pantha laughs and tells Bunker that she's always happy to meet another fan, asking if he would like her autograph when this is over. Bunker excitedly says that he would love to and promises they'll talk later before going over to meet the Titans. He is ecstatic to introduce himself to them, since the Titans are his heroes and he looks up to them. Robin was even his inspiration for becoming a superhero and he admits that he was really worried when he heard about Robin getting shot, asking how the ex-sidekick is doing. Bunker is relieved to be told that Robin is fine and is just currently off-duty, though Bunker is disappointed that Robin couldn't be here with the other Titans. Then Bunker sees Aqualad and starts to fawn over him, though the Atlantean doesn't notice. That's when Donna hears a voice behind her: "So you're Wonder Girl, huh? I've heard a lot about you." Donna turns around and she sees Speedy. "I've heard a lot about you too," she tells him. "I've heard you're good, real good." Speedy smiles and admits that he heard the same about her. Donna says that it's finally great to meet the sidekick of Green Arrow and they shake hands, though Speedy mentions that he's not Green Arrow's partner anymore and that he's going solo in an attempt to make a name for himself. He is trying to step out of his mentor's shadow, just like how Donna is no longer her older sister's kid sidekick. Donna brings up how Diana told her about Green Arrow's refusal when he was offered Justice League membership and she asks Speedy if he shares the same views toward the League. Speedy admits that like Green Arrow he feels that the underprivileged are too often forgotten about by the heroes in the League, who care more about stopping bigger threats than the filth that poison youth and ruin lives with their products. Donna agrees that helping the underprivileged is important too, pointing out that there should be heroes for different problems. The two start getting along very well, asking each other about their respective cities and Speedy's arrows. But it isn't long before they are interrupted by the Master of Games returning and announcing round one of the Tournament. It's time for the champions to face their opponents.

Donna faces off against Bunker, Beast Boy against Wildebeest, Cyborg against Pantha, Tara against Speedy, Raven against Aqualad, and Starfire against Aquagirl. Cyborg initially points his sonic cannon on Pantha while she gets out her retractable claws, but then Pantha suggests that they have a fair one-on-one fight. No claws, no weapons, no tricks. Cyborg considers her suggestion and agrees, lowering his sonic cannon. He remembers how he defeated Atlas in a fair one-on-one fight and this shouldn't be any different. The two heroes shake on it and Pantha smiles, commenting that this is going to be fun. Tara, meanwhile, is hesitating because she doesn't want to hurt Speedy who unlike her doesn't have powers. But then Speedy attacks, forcing Tara to go on the defensive and use rocks to stop his arrows from hitting her. Speedy presses his advantage, wanting to keep Tara focused on defending herself rather than attacking him. Like Tara, Bunker is also hesitating but Donna encourages him to show her what he's got. She promises that she can take it and Bunker thanks her for the encouragement before they start to fight. Aqualad tells Raven that he hopes she won't get too upset when he beats her and Raven just laughs, promising Aqualad that he wouldn't be saying that if he really knew her. Beast Boy finds out that Wildebeest isn't much for conversation, while Aquagirl and Starfire are apologetic to each other while they fight since neither of them want to really hurt their opponent. Donna manages to dodge Bunker's energy constructs, which resemble walls, pillars, pummeling fists, and projectiles. Bunker gets a few hits in, but is unable to stop Donna from getting in close and finally getting in a hit as well. Bunker eventually goes down, though Donna still compliments him on his own efforts and he says that it was a huge honor to test his skills against hers before he is suddenly teleported away. Tara tries to be more offensive, but Speedy uses a smoke arrow to blind her and she loses sight of him. Before she can find him again, she gets struck from behind with a taser arrow that shocks her and knocks her out. Speedy smirks victoriously as Tara gets teleported away. Cyborg and Pantha seem to be evenly-matched in strength, but Pantha tells Cyborg that there is something she has that he does not. Cyborg asks what and she says it's experience before performing a move that throws Cyborg over her shoulder. The match is soon in Pantha's favor and it isn't long before she is pinning Cyborg down to the floor, asking if he taps out. Cyborg admits defeat and Pantha tells him that he was a worthy opponent before he gets teleported away. Beast Boy is also at a disadvantage, since he is fighting Wildebeest in a cage and he's used to using his powers in less enclosed spaces. He throws everything he's got at Wildebeest, which includes shocking his opponent as an electric eel, but Wildebeest just won't go down. Wildebeest is also more of a brawler than Beast Boy is, eventually grabbing the Titan and smashing him against the walls of the cage until the fight gets knocked out of Beast Boy. The defeated shape-shifter groans weakly before getting teleported away. Aquagirl tries to submerge Starfire in water, apologizing to the Titan before she suddenly gets knocked out by a blast from Starfire's starbolt eye-beams. Starfire says she forgives Aqugirl as the Atlantean is teleported away. The last match to end is between Aqualad and Raven. While Aqualad's magical abilities are impressive, they pale to Raven's who eventually manages to cast a spell that traps Aqualad in a pillar of ice. She briefly teases Aqualad before he gets teleported away.

The winners of round one find themselves back in the domed structure, where the Master of Games congratulates them all on their victories. The remaining Titans notice that Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Tara are no longer with them, so they demand to know where they went. The Master of Games tells the Titans to calm themselves, since their friends and the remaining losers have all been safely teleported home after they were eliminated from the Tournament. The Master of Games promises that the Titans will see their friends again when the competition ends, unless they wish to forfeit now and be disqualified. The Titans exchange looks before telling the Master of Games that they wish to stay in the Tournament. The Master of Games tells the six champions who remain to rest and recover their strength so that they may be ready tomorrow for round two. He says they can find their sleeping quarters on their own and then teleports away. Speedy goes up to Donna, apologizing for taking out one of her teammates. He tells her it wasn't personal, he just wants to win and prove that he has what it takes to be a solo hero. Donna only has a warning for Speedy, since she has a feeling that the real winner of the Tournament may be none of them. He considers this as she walks away.

Cut to the sleeping quarters of Pantha and Wildebeest. Pantha says that they're alone now, so Wildebeest can change. She removes her mask, while Wildebeest starts to transform. It's revealed that Wildebeest is actually the size of a human toddler and that he has the ability to assume an adult form. Pantha addresses Wildebeest as "Baby" in his true form, while he (speaking for the first time) calls her "Momma." The two embrace and get into bed together, Pantha holding Baby Wildebeest close to her in a protective and motherly manner. She tells him to go to sleep and to not worry, since soon they'll be back home.

Cut to the sleeping quarters of the remaining Titans. Raven is trying to mediate while a worried Starfire watches Donna anxiously pace around the room. Donna admits that she doesn't like this or trust the Master of Games to keep his word. She doesn't think that he sent the losers home and that if they forfeit, they'll only have the same fate as the losers. Starfire suggests fighting the Master of Games, but Donna still isn't comfortable about that idea considering how they still don't really know what the Master of Games is really capable of. However, Donna does acknowledge that if they make a move they need to do it soon because if they keep playing along there will only be less of them to actually do anything. Especially since they have already lost half of their team and she has been unable to reach the Tower with their communicators, though that doesn't surprise Donna considering where they are. Donna decides that she's going to try to sneak around the Colony, maybe find out anything else that they can use. Starfire volunteers to come with Donna, but she tells her friend to stay with Raven. Sneaking around is already risky enough and she's less likely to be caught if she's alone. Though Starfire is reluctant to let Donna go by herself, she agrees to the plan. Donna leaves and an even more worried Starfire asks Raven if she could meditate with her. Raven allows Starfire to join her, admitting that she is worried about their friends as well.

Donna stealthily checks out different parts of the Colony, looking for anything that would confirm her suspicions. She suddenly senses that she's not alone and her reflexes kick in, catching an arrow mid-air before it could hit her. Speedy is impressed as he steps out of the shadows and reveals himself, telling Donna that not just anyone can catch one of his arrows like that. Donna gives the arrow back to Speedy, pointing out that she is not just anyone. She asks Speedy why he's out of his sleeping quarters and he explains that it's probably for the same reason she's out as well. He thought about what Donna said and he thinks that she's right. There is something weird about this game. He suggests that they investigate together and she agrees, since they're already both out of their quarters. While looking around, they stop in front of a window and see that the environment outside the domed structure is constantly changing. One minute there is lava and fire, the next minute it's snowing. Speedy thinks it's weird, but it's nothing that Donna didn't expect from an alternate dimension. Donna admits that while she doesn't trust the Master of Games, she doesn't really know what he wants. If he is really teleporting the losers somewhere else, he could probably do the same to all of them easily without the Tournament of Heroes even being necessary. Speedy suggests that maybe the Master of Games wants one of them to still win the Tournament and that gets Donna thinking. Still in front of the window, Donna acknowledges that this place does have its own beauty even if she can't trust it. Speedy reassures Donna that she can trust him, since while he would like to prove himself it won't be when his gut is telling him that something isn't right and when others might be in danger. He's fine with competition, but on his terms and by his rules. He promises that if Donna's friends are in trouble, he'll help her save them. Donna appreciates that and thanks Speedy, telling him that she does trust him. After all, ex-sidekicks have to stick together. The two smile at each other.

Cut to Titans Tower at night. Blackfire is sitting on the couch with a worried Wonder Dog and Dick comes back into the living room, explaining that he contacted the Justice League about what happened. Aquaman has been unable to get in touch with Aqualad and Aquagirl, so the Titans may not have been the only ones to vanish. However, Dick has been unable to trace the communicators of their friends and the League believes that they may no longer be in this dimension. Blackfire asks then what they're supposed to do and Dick admits that they can do nothing. Blackfire is surprised that Dick doesn't seem too worried and he explains that he has faith in their friends. This is far from the first time that heroes have been teleported out of this dimension for one reason or another. It happens more often than you would think and for the League it's actually pretty standard stuff. They always end up resolving themselves, so Dick thinks that it's best for him and Blackfire to just wait. Donna and the others are very capable, so it's only a matter of time before they find their way home. Dick is still worried, but he believes in his friends more. They have the Tower to themselves until then and Dick suggests that they have a rematch of that card game they were playing earlier, since Dick wants to beat Blackfire this time. Blackfire, comforted by Dick's reassurance that her sister and the other Titans will be fine, says she is willing to play Dick again… if he wagers something.

Cut back to the Colony. It's morning now, though none of the champions would be able to tell from looking out the windows. The Master of Games has summoned the six heroes that remain. Since it is time to move onto round two of the Tournament. Hearing this, Donna and Speedy nod to each other. In round two Pantha faces off against Wildebeest (back in his adult form), Raven faces off against Starfire, and Donna faces off against Speedy. However, none of them make any moves. They just stand there, staring at their opponent and refusing to fight. The Master of Games is surprised, then outraged. He teleports the champions back to the domed structure, demanding to know what is the meaning of this. Donna explains that she figured out the Master of Games wanted a winner for whatever reason, so the only way that they could win the real fight was not to play. She told this to the other heroes, who agreed to go along with her plan. So now the Master of Games has no winner to his Tournament. They're done playing his games and they want to know what's really going along. The furious Master of Games says very well, if the champions want to skip to the end then that can be arranged. He begins to change, revealing his true appearance to the gathered heroes. His Master of Games form was just the deception of a more sinister-looking red skeletal-faced demon with a hood, wings, and an energy scythe, a cross between an angel of death and the Grim Reaper. This being says he is really Harvest, but he was not lying when he said there would be magnificent prizes. However, he never said that the prizes were for the heroes. He reveals that the mystical red crystal medallion that he wears around his neck was used to summon the heroes here, but he has also trapped the losers in it. Their souls and powers are now his, making him even stronger. Though Harvest is disappointed that he didn't find out which of the heroes was truly the greatest, he'll still settle for their souls and he attacks. As Harvest fights the six remaining heroes, he gets asked why he even wanted a winner. Harvest explains that the winner would have the prize of being able to serve him, which the heroes find idiotic. They make fun of Harvest's plan, pointing out that the winner would have no reason to want to serve him and that Harvest wouldn't need the winner to serve him anyway if he was already so powerful. Disguising himself as the Master of Games and hosting the Tournament of Heroes made Harvest's plan more elaborate than it needed to be and it would have all been for nothing anyway. This angers Harvest even more, who insists that his plan is great and that the heroes can't just see it. But despite the flaws in his plan, Harvest is no slouch in combat since due to having the souls and powers of the defeated champions. With his scythe he is able to "reap" Wildebeest (who cries out "Momma"), Pantha, Raven, and Starfire, trapping them in his amulet with the other losers. Seeing that only Donna and Speedy are left, Harvest boasts that he is invincible. Speedy tells Donna that he's on his last arrow and Donna says that he better make his next shot count. Speedy looks for an opening and gets an idea, hoping that this will work as he fires his last arrow… into Harvest's amulet. The amulet is now glowing very strongly with the arrow protruding from it and Donna sees what Speedy was trying to do. She rushes at Harvest and with her foot she hits the shaft of the arrow, pushing it all the way into the amulet. This succeeds in freeing the other heroes from the amulet, leaving Harvest defeated and powerless. Donna takes the amulet from the now withered and weak looking Harvest, who looks up at her in disbelief. "B-but my plan was great." Donna laughs. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that." She then tells the others that it's time to go home and she uses the amulet to teleport them away.

Cut back to Titans Tower, where Dick has lost to Blackfire at cards yet again and Dick is forced to give Blackfire another one of his gadgets. We see that Blackfire has by now won quite a few pieces of Dick's Robin equipment and gadgets, though he still refuses to give up. He wishes he knew Blackfire's secret and she just decides to tell him, revealing some cards that she has up her sleeve. She's been cheating the whole time. She laughs when she sees how mad Dick is, promising that she'll give him back all his stuff. She was never planning on keeping it anyway, she just thinks a wager makes the game more fun. Suddenly the other Titans return to the Tower with Aquagirl, Aqualad, Bunker, Pantha, Speedy, and Wildebeest. Wonder Dog, who had still been moping on the couch, immediately leaps up and barks happily with his tail wagging. Dick casually pulls out a pair of shades and puts them on while saying "I told you so" to Blackfire. Donna and Speedy happily hug each other when they see that the amulet worked and they're back on Earth, though after a moment they let go of each other while blushing. Donna compliments Speedy on that well-aimed arrow, though Speedy reminds her that she was the one who pushed it in. They agree that they couldn't have done it without each other. Starfire, meanwhile, has gone to hug both Dick and Blackfire. Looking at how many people are now in the Tower, Beast Boy gets an idea: Pizza. Lots of pizza.

Cut to some time and several pizza boxes later. All the young heroes are having a good time, celebrating the defeat of Harvest and their escape from the Colony. Even LaGrieve has joined in, since everyone loves pizza. Including psychiatrists. Wonder Dog is seen chewing on a pizza crust while Dick and Donna are discussing something. They nod in agreement and Donna gets everyone's attention. She has decided to offer Bunker, Pantha, Speedy, and Wildebeest their own communicators, which would make them honorary Titans. Bunker happily accepts, as do Pantha and Wildebeest. Donna tells Speedy that while she knows he wants to follow his mentor's example and not "sell out to the League" but she still thinks he could benefit from having allies that he could call upon if he ever needs help. Speedy couldn't agree more and he accepts the communicator. After all, ex-sidekicks have to stick together. Pantha is seen giving Bunker her autograph as promised and she tells Cyborg that she would love to have him as a wrestling partner in the future if he's ever interested, since he can give her a challenge. Cyborg appreciates the offer but politely turns Pantha down, his back still hurting after their last match. Bunker goes over to Dick, asking if he's really Robin. Dick confirms that he is and Bunker says that both honored to meet him and relieved to see that he's fine, since he's a huge fan. Bunker explains that Robin was his inspiration to become a superhero and Dick admits that he has heard of Bunker's exploits, encouraging him to keep up with the good work. Bunker almost passes out from joy when hearing his hero's praise and Dick notices that Speedy is looking him over. Speedy tells Dick that he's not what he was expecting and Dick explains that he's in the middle of changing his image. He was thinking of the name Bluewing, based on a mythical hero called Alazul who protects the weak in their time of need. Speedy laughs a bit and says that the name still needs some work. Dick points out that Speedy's name isn't really much better and that his friend Kid Flash was even sometimes mistaken as "Speedy" because of the name. Speedy admits that Dick has a point and maybe he should think about changing his image as well. But Speedy does wish Dick luck on changing his image and settling on a name, shaking his hand. Dick also wishes Speedy luck, since he can relate to Speedy trying to leave his mentor's shadow. Aquagirl, meanwhile, is telling Aqualad that she can't do this. But Aqualad tells Aquagirl that she can, since she is one of the bravest people he knows and that he believes in her. Aquagirl nods, takes a deep breath, and walks over to Beast Boy who is feeding more pizza crust to Wonder Dog. Aquagirl gets Beast Boy's attention, overcoming her shyness long enough to thank him for the pizza. Beast Boy says it's no problem and Aquagirl admits that she missed him, since it's been a while since their last team-up. She mentions that she could maybe visit Jump City more so that they can hang out. Spend time together as friends and not just when their superhero duties cross over with each other. Beast Boy says that would be a great idea and Aquagirl quickly walks away, hiding the smile on her face. Beast Boy takes a moment to process what just happened and his eyes widen in realization. He asks Wonder Dog if she just asked him out and the canine tilts his head in confusion.

Cut to later, on the roof of Titans Tower. The T-Jet is ready to take Bunker, Pantha, Speedy, and Wildebeest back to their respective homes. Donna says goodbye to Speedy and the two shake hands. Speedy admits that he liked working with Donna and he hopes that they can do it again in the future. Donna hopes so too, reminding him that he can always contact her with the communicator. He's also been calling her Wonder Girl this whole time and she tells him that he can call her Donna. Speedy smiles and tells Donna that she can call him Roy. He starts to board the T-Jet, turning around only once to give Donna a wave and a wink. Donna watches the T-Jet take off and leave, then goes back inside the Tower. She stops in the evidence room, where she adds Harvest's amulet to the other trophies. Dick joins her and Donna notices his smirk. She asks what he's smirking about, but he just tells her that he knows what he saw and he chuckles to himself as he walks away.

Cut to the apartment of Maggie Sawyer. She is on her computer and looking at an article about what happened to the Kane family, the terrorist kidnapping plot that resulted in the deaths of Kate's mother and sister. Maggie reads it over and seems to be trying to figure something out…

Cut back to the Colony one last time. Harvest is still laying on the floor, defeated and weakened. But not alone. He hears approaching footsteps and he recognizes the well-dressed being now walking toward him: The Agent, who isn't surprised that this is what Harvest's schemes resulted in. Because the Agent describes Harvest as "the guy who thinks he's smarter than he really is." A poor excuse for a demon, if the Agent is being honest. The Agent reaches down and lifts Harvest off the ground by the throat, strangling him. The Agent taunts Harvest by offering to let him live if Harvest can say his true name. Harvest tries to talk, but can only make choking sounds. The Agent smiles darkly and in his grip Harvest withers away even more until there is nothing left of him, only dust. The Agent shakes his head and says Harvest was such a waste before starting to walk away, leaving behind the abandoned and empty Colony…


So this was a fun episode to write. I actually did debate with myself over who to include in the Tournament of Heroes. I knew that I wanted to include both girls and boys, unlike the original episode. I also knew that I wanted to cut Gizmo, because I'm not even sure why he was even in the original episode. As for why I cut Hot Spot, I actually intend to introduce him later so that I can be more faithful to his comic backstory. I did consider several heroes who ultimately didn't make it into the episode like Batgirl, Lightning, and Thunder. But I didn't want the episode to be too crowded, so I limited myself to twelve. Out of the champions, Bunker is the most recent since he was introduced in 2011 during the New 52. I'm not a fan of what the New 52 did with the Titans, but in New Titans I am trying to pay tribute to their entire history. From the Silver Age to the New Teen Titans to the runs from the 90s to the Geoff Johns run to the New 52. Especially since any of those series could have made somebody a fan of these characters, like the Geoff Johns stuff did for me. And I didn't think Bunker was a bad character, since I liked his powers and his cheerful personality. Bunker isn't even the first New 52 character in New Titans, since in season one I introduced Crux who debuted in the New 52 as well. Bunker is also gay in the comics, shown in New Titans when he fawned over Aqualad (a follow-up to the gag in season one where Raven and Starfire fawned over Aqualad). Considering that New Titans currently has three lesbian characters, I did want to introduce a gay male character as well since I am trying to be fair with my representation. Though his sexuality isn't the only reason I chose Bunker. I also just like putting in lesser used or more obscure characters in New Titans, give them more exposure. Pantha was definitely a more obvious choice for the Tournament. For her I combined elements of her comic counterpart (where she is a cat-like hybrid) and her cartoon counterpart (where she is a wrestler). I also wanted to include her relationship with Wildebeest from the comics, where he saw her as a surrogate mother. Wildebeest did have a toddler form in the tie-in comics to the animated series, though it wasn't in the main cartoon itself and I'm imagining the design of "Baby" Wildebeest as closer to his comic appearance. Their backstory in this is that they were both test subjects that worked together to escape their captors, Pantha becoming Wildebeest's "Momma" afterward. I did like writing them, since I find their mother/son dynamic sweet. As for the villain, Harvest is another character from the New 52 and he isn't well-liked. For good reason too, because he sucks. Watch Linkara's reviews of "The Culling" if you want to know why. But I chose to include Harvest, because I saw a chance to both improve the character and make fun of him. Linkara's reviews actually gave me the idea, because someone in the comments pointed out that Harvest would work better if he was a demon who was harvesting the souls of the young metahumans he was capturing rather than some asshole from the future who thinks he's the hero even though he's obviously not. Harvest's design (the best thing about the character) also worked better for the demon idea. However, I still couldn't resist the chance to make fun of Harvest by giving his plan some of the same flaws as his plans from the comics while he still insists that his plans are great (a reference to Linkara's reviews). And while "The Culling" ended with Harvest not being defeated by the heroes, here he is definitely beaten and then killed by the Agent. "The Culling" treated Harvest like he was smarter than he actually was, in New Titans he is treated like the moron that he kinda actually is and it was honestly fun to write.

But there was one thing in this episode that I was looking forward to writing more than anything else. Because this episode had the first meeting between Donna Troy and Roy Harper. And I had a blast writing them. Speedy did have a cameo in the second episode of season one, but this was a more proper introduction for the character. In his first scene I even threw in a cameo from Green Arrow villain Brick, who in the comics started out as an enforcer and low level henchmen before he became one of the most intelligent enemies of Green Arrow. His double-crossing of his employers that planned to leave him behind hinted at that, since this Brick is on his way to becoming the kingpin he was in the comics. I also didn't want him humiliated like he was in Young Justice. The scene also established this Speedy's hatred of drugs (which he does have a history with in New Titans). DC has definitely not been kind to Roy Harper, whether it's ruining his life in "Cry For Justice" (aka "Gay For Justice) or killing him off during "Heroes in Crisis." I can promise you that I will be more kind to Roy than DC has been and I look forward to writing him more in the future. I especially look forward to developing his relationship with Donna, since they hit it off really well in this episode. And just like how Donna noticed what was going on between him and Starfire, he's already noticed that there is something between her and Speedy. Also, while Dick wasn't invited to the Tournament of Heroes like he was in the original cartoon I still tried to reference his competitiveness from the original episode by having him trying to beat Blackfire at cards, which was a fun interaction. One of the main reasons I also cut Dick from the Tournament (other than him being off-duty) is so that Donna could get more focus in this episode. Another big difference between the episodes is that while Cyborg was the only one suspicious of the Tournament before the Master of Games revealed his true intentions in the original episodes, here the characters are a lot more genre savvy and suspicious of the Tournament. That genre savviness applies to Dick as well, who knew the Titans would return because heroes getting teleported to alternate dimensions is nothing new and the heroes always manage to find a way home.

As for everything else, I chose to develop the relationship between Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer more in this episode. Currently the two are off-work buddies opening up to each other more, with the backstory they mentioned being right out of the comics. Yes, that includes Maggie having a daughter who lives with her ex-husband. You wouldn't know that if you only knew the Arrowverse version of Maggie Sawyer, who is honestly a completely different character other than them both being cops and lesbians. This episode also did more with Bette Kane, fleshing out her backstory and motivations (such as her depression). I also wanted to have her interact with Kate more, since despite being cousins living in the same city they only interacted once in season one. I actually lampshaded this when Bette says they haven't seen each other much because of how busy Kate has been. But Kate does want to make up for this (especially after learning about her vigilante activities) and you can expect more interactions between the Kane family in the rest of season two. This episode even includes Bette being properly introduced to Beast Boy, setting up their potential friendship from the comics. Bette liking Wonder Dog was also a reference to the original version of "Every Dog Has His Day" where Beast Boy wanted to impress some blonde girls who were dog lovers. And in that same scene, both the rings and Starfire telling him that he is normal to her are references to the season three episode "Deception." This episode gave me the chance to follow up on Aquagirl's crush from "Deep Six" and actually progress it, since I don't want to give Aquagirl a crush on Beast Boy and then have nothing change over several seasons.

I think I've said enough for now, though there is more than I could say (like Tara's nightmare about how she got her powers). But I've already been writing for a long time and I want to get this out. Hope you've enjoyed the new chapter and that you'll leave a review. See you next time.