A/N: I'm back! Here's another chapter of Rebirth of the Red Ribbon Army, and I think you'll really like this chapter! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've just been a bit neglectful with this story, but when the new episode of Young Justice Season 3 came out, I was motivated to get back to this fanfic. Just let me say, season 3's world sucks. I mean, Batman, Green Arrow, and other members of the League quitting, Meta-Humans being kidnapped, tested, and used if not killed; what else could go wrong? The only good things are Kaldur's big promotion and that Nightwing is still in the game. Anyway, hope you like the chapter!
Disclaimer- I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Young Justice
Chapter 7
Tokyo, September 23, Capsule Corp. Gravity Chamber
"Hyah! Hah! Hyah!" Trunks cried as he performed numerous martial arts moves in the gravity chamber. Super Ranger's abduction and Gohan's injury were just five days ago, and while the Son of Goku was still recovering in the healing chamber, the Son of Vegeta spent his time trying to master the Super Saiyan Two state. He moved around rapidly through the chamber while dodging and deflecting energy blasts from the battle drones. He pressed one drone after the other, shutting them down instantly; when all the drones were deactivated, he landed on the ground and powered down to base form. "Computer, shut off gravity simulation!" he ordered, and the room immediately felt lighter. Trunks let out a sigh before exiting the chamber while wiping his face with a towel. He went over to the fridge and pulled out bottle of water, taking a quick drink before going to take a shower to freshen up.
When he was done, he came over to the healing tank where his fellow Demi Saiyan was still recovering. The hole in his gut was completely healed; all that was left were his other injuries and his mental state. Trunks touched the glass as he watched his sleeping friend get better. "Don't worry, Gohan. Once you're at full strength, we'll find Super Ranger together," he said before he left. He looked down at Icarus, who was sleeping beside the Son of Goku, and petted him. Trunks eventually made his way to the laboratory and pulled out a blueprint; he unrolled it and viewed the schematics for Android 16. "Ranger was somehow programmed into attacking us; if we see him again, he may still be controlled," Trunks mused. "I'll have to build that emergency suspension remote to deactivate him just in case."
As the Saiyan Prince studied the blueprint, his scouter started to beep. He picked it up and pressed the button, and a dot appeared on the lens, moving over to a marked location. "Looks like GPS coordinates, probably from that Red Tornado. Is this where he is?" Trunks wondered before the dot split into eight smaller dots. "Or not. There are about eight power levels in that location, so maybe it's that team of sidekicks." The Time traveler closed the blueprint and went to his room; a few minutes later, he came out in his Saiyan Armor. "Alright, based on these coordinates, I'll be going to… Northern India where those gorilla attacks took place," Trunks noted as he picked up his sword and went over to the chamber door; he opened it and was about to step out when something tugged on his cape. He looked back to see Icarus behind him. He smiled at the dragon and said, "Don't worry, boy, I'm just going out for a bit. Keep an eye on Gohan for me, okay?" The Saiyan Prince then turned Super Saiyan and flew off toward the Team's current location.
Northern India, September 23, 21:40 IST
Ever since the incident with the Reds, the Team had been feeling on edge. Kaldur privately revealed his suspicions on Red Tornado being the mole to Batman, but Superboy overheard the conversation and told the rest of the Team. Although the Team was miffed at their leader for not telling them about the mole, the Dark Knight still sent them on a mission to investigate a gorilla attack in India with Captain Marvel as their supervisor. Once they arrived at their destination, the team members ignored their leader's instructions and separated into the jungle. With the Leaguer, Aqualad wandered around and came across gorilla tracks. "Guess this is where Mayor hill's… monkey business went down," Marvel said. "So we've confirmed his story, right?" The Atlantean didn't respond and started walking off. "Aqualad?"
"Apologies, captain, I am… plagued by doubts," Kaldur confessed. "Perhaps I was wrong to withhold…" He was interrupted by the sound of large footsteps approaching them while shaking the ground. A giant elephant, its muscle fiber and bones barley contained by its skin, burst through the trees, charging at the heroes. Captain Marvel flew at it and punched it in the head, yet the beast was unaffected by the blow and used its trunk to grab Marvel and toss him into a tree.
Aqualad looked surprised as four more monstrous elephants appeared before him; he quickly jumped back as one of them tried to stomp on him. Captain Marvel got up just as one of the elephants swatted Kaldur aside.
The Saiyan Prince had just flown over the Indian jungle when he heard loud noises; he looked over and saw the Justice Leaguer and the Team leader fighting against the massive mammals. One of the elephants used its skull to pin Captain Marvel to a tree trunk while another smacked Aqualad onto the ground and prepared to stomp on him. Aqualad covered his face as the giant foot was lowered onto him; he felt no impact and looked to see what happened. He was surprised to find the Son of Vegeta pushing against the elephant's foot. "Hey there, need a hand?" Trunks asked jokingly.
"You… you're the Saiyan Prince!" Aqualad stated.
"Nice to see you again, Aqualad," Trunks said before releasing a kiai that blew the elephant backward. The three other elephants came charging at the Saiyan and Atlantean; Trunks fired two energy blasts that kept them at bay. They looked to their right to see Captain Marvel pushing his elephant away, but he was then swatted by another one. Kaldur rolled to the side as another elephant came him. Trunks flew up to avoid being snatched by the trunks of two elephants. Aqualad dodged his elephant again before he noticed the collar-like device around its neck; he pulled out his water weapons and moved underneath the animal before jumping and pulling the collar off. The Elephant blinked before peacefully turning and walking away.
"Remove their collars!" Aqualad yelled out.
"On it!" Marvel replied. He dashed to one elephant and punched its collar off; the device fell to the floor before the beast stomped on it and left the area. The Demi Saiyan was grabbed and squeezed by an elephant trunk; he managed to free one hand and fired an energy blast that knocked the collar off. The elephant let him go and he pulled out his sword before swiftly cutting off the collars of the remaining two mutant animals. All five elephants walked away as the heroes regrouped. "Hey! You're one of those heroes from Tokyo, the Saiyan Prince!" Marvel exclaimed before extending his hand. "I'm Captain Marvel. I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Thanks, you too," Trunks replied while shaking his hand.
"So I gotta ask, what are you? A Kyrptonian? An Amazon? Nah, the Amazons are all females. An Atlantean like Aqualad? Wait, you don't have gills. A Meta-Human? Oh, what are your powers? Super strength? Those lasers?" Captain Marvel bombarded the Saiyan with questions.
"Uh, mind if we save the questions for another time?" Trunks asked.
"At least answer this question: why are you here?" Aqualad inquired.
"I have some business with one of your allies, the Android named Red Tornado. I thought coming here would give me some answers," Trunks replied. "So, are elephants usually that big here?"
"I'm pretty sure they're not," Marvel answered. "By the way, Aqualad, pretty sweet how you figured out the problem was the collar!"
"But the collars indicate that there is intelligence behind this attack," Aqualad stated.
"Who would use animals to attack heroes?" Saiyan Prince asked.
"I'm not sure, but the rest of the team may also be at risk," Aqualad said he pressed on his com. "Team, report status." He flinched as he only received static in his ear. "Com is jammed. And Miss Martian failed to establish a telepathic link before we separated."
"Actually, you let everyone split up before communications were set," Marvel pointed out.
"They would not listen!" Kaldur argued.
"I guess, but back at the cave, Batman stopped everyone from arguing with one word," Marvel reminded him.
"But Batman is… Batman!" Kaldur said.
"Hey, you don't have to tell me," the Leaguer chuckled. "When I first joined the League, all the guy did was boss me around, and it's hard not to take it personally. But I never disobeyed an order, and that's probably what kept me alive."
"Batman takes command… because he has to for the good of the League." Aqualad said understandingly. "Thank you for helping me to understand."
"Hey, Wisdom of Solomon," Marvel said while pointing to his head.
"Aqualad, can you hear me?" Megan asked telepathically.
"Yes Miss Martian, report!" Aqualad replied.
"Artemis and I were attacked by animals wearing inhibitor collars like the ones they used in Belle Reve prison," Miss Martian reported.
While Aqualad was listening to his comrade's report, Captain Marvel spotted an Indian Tiger stalking them from among the grass; it growled at them before turning and trekking away. "Cool, a tiger!" Marvel announced. "I'll be right back!"
"Captain, wait!" Aqualad called, but the Leaguer was already out of sight. "Hey, Speed of Mercury," Kaldur said solemnly.
"Should we go after him?" Trunks inquired.
"He's too fast, we may not catch him," Aqualad replied.
"I don't know, I'm pretty fast myself," Trunks assured.
"I think it would be best if we focus on regrouping with my teammates, they'll need to know what you want from us after the mission is over," Aqualad decided. "Assuming that you'll stick around."
"Sure thing, lead the way," Trunks said as they made their way through the jungle.
Captain Marvel followed the big cat into an open field, where it stopped running and growled at the hero. "Hey there, mister, bet you'd like good old Cap to take that nasty collar off, huh," Marvel said while slowly approaching the tiger with a calm composure; the tiger seemed to calm down before the collar abruptly shocked him. Marvel stepped toward the beast before it stepped back. Suddenly, four electronic stakes shot out of the ground and created a light barrier. Captain Marvel collapsed onto the floor just as a gorilla with a Gatling gun landed beside the tiger and started pounding his chest while roaring.
Moments later, Kaldur and Trunks were still looking for Captain Marvel when the Atlantean contacted his Martian friend. "Ms. Martian, I need a telepathic link with the rest of the team now!"
Seconds later, M'gann called back. "Link established."
"Should he really still be giving us orders, and should you really be following them?" Artemis inquired.
"Listen, please!" Kaldur pleaded.
"Oh good, Aqualad's voice in my head. I've soooo missed that," Kid Flash remarked sarcastically.
"Hey Kaldur, KF and I were attacked by giant Vultures," Robin reported before adding, "Of course since we're moles, you probably think we attacked ourselves."
"If he did, he wouldn't tell you," Artemis said.
"Superboy, are you online or just pouting?" Ms. Martian asked the clone.
"Busy. Call back later," he replied as he continued to wrestle with the mutant Alpha Wolf.
"This is supposed to be a team of future heroes? Sounds more like a bunch of complaining kids," Trunks said.
"Who was that?" Artemis demanded.
"We have an unexpected guest on this mission. The Saiyan Prince wishes to speak to us about something, so he will be assisting the team until then," Aqualad explained.
"It's just one surprise after another from Kaldur today, isn't it?" Kid Flash stated.
"Yeah. Maybe he invited this new hero and kept it from us because we might be the mole!" Robin agreed.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that was true," Artemis said.
"Hey! I don't know what problems you guys have with your leader, but I'm here for a different reason, so keep me out of it!" the Saiyan Prince told them. "Besides, what right do you have to question your leader? None of you were there when he got the Intel of a mole on your team!"
"Oh, and I suppose you were," Wally said sarcastically. No answer was given in return. "You're kidding me! This guy knows about the mole!"
"You let an outsider find out about the mole before us, your teammates?!" Artemis asked.
"I did not realize that the conversation made it to your ears," Aqualad said to the Demi Saiyan.
"I have excellent hearing," Trunks revealed. "But that's not important now; what is though is completing this mission!"
"Who made you part of this team anyway?!" Robin demanded.
As the Team continued to rant, Aqualad and the Saiyan Prince came across the electric trap that caught Captain Marvel; the only signs left were tracks of something being dragged off into the jungle by a gorilla. "What gets me is how nonchalant Kaldur is about telling us," Kid Flash stated.
"He should be chalant, way chalant, extremely chalant!" Robin agreed.
"How can we be a team if he doesn't trust us with his secrets?" Artemis questioned.
"Or if Conner doesn't trust us to protect ourselves?" M'gann added.
"Did he really think you or I could've been the mole?" Wally inquired.
"We've known each other for years!" Robin said.
"Trust is a two-way street!" Artemis pointed out.
"And you know they'd hate it if we kept secrets from them!" M'gann said.
"Not that we'd do that," Artemis quickly added.
"Enough!" Aqualad exclaimed before he yanked one of the electric pillars from the trap. "Captain Marvel has been captured and we must act as a team to rescue him!" he alerted them.
"Under your leadership? I don't think…" Wally scoffed before he was cut off.
"THIS IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE!" Aqualad declared, shutting his team up. "You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over, if you wish to select a new leader, I will happily step down. Until that time, I am in command here!"
"Spoken like a true leader," Trunks praised him. "I can help lead you to your comrade if you want."
"How?" Aqualad inquired.
"I can sense Ki or life forces and my scouter can detect powers levels," Trunks explicated. When the Atlantean looked confused, he simplified. "Basically I can track anything with a lot of energy, and that guy's definitely got a lot."
"Very well then, after you," Aqualad complied.
Moments later, the Demi Saiyan led the Atlantean to a hidden laboratory in the heart of the jungle; pretty soon, Robin, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Artemis had joined them. "What's he doing here?!" the speedster asked about the time traveler.
"I asked him to stick around until the mission is over," Aqualad replied. "Is that a problem?"
The others glanced at each other before Wally answered, "No sir." He then placed his goggles over his eyes to scan the area.
"I'll fly over," M'gann said while in camouflage mode.
"Negatory," Kid Flash alerted. "The field is surrounded by an electro-dome over the whole compound."
"One good shock could cause momentary gap," Robin said.
"I see a target," Artemis reported as she aimed her arrow at the fuse box.
"Then be ready to hit! Be ready, all of you!" Aqualad ordered. He then slid toward the dome and used his electricity powers to force open a hole in the barrier big enough for Artmeis' arrow to fly through.
"Now!" Wally shouted. The archer fired her arrow and it sailed over the Atantean's head before striking the box, shutting down the barrier. The young heroes rushed into the compound when Trunks abruptly stopped and looked up.
"Heads up, guys!" he alerted the team.
Robin looked up and saw a howler monkey with a collar standing guard on the gate; it spotted them and howled very loudly, setting off an alarm and calling seven more monkeys to attack. The Team readied themselves as the animals attacked.
Inside the laboratory, the gorilla, wearing a medical suit and a hat, was observing the battle going on through the outside security camera. "Go, Mala! Deal with those intruders! I can handle Mon Capitan's brain extraction myself. Oh, and take Project K.O. with you," the gorilla's superior ordered as his robotic hand positioned the scalpel over the head of Captain Marvel, who was strapped to an examination table and incapable of moving with the inhibitor collar around his neck. The gorilla named Mala nodded before removing his clothes and stepping toward a locked cage; Mala ripped off the lock and opened the cage door. A set of glowing red eyes glared at the gorilla before it stepped out of the cage and followed Mala to the exit.
Outside, Aqualad had knocked one of the monkeys aside, yet it landed on its feet and growled at him. He noticed the collar around its neck and put his weapons away. The monkey pounced on him and he slammed it on the ground before tearing off the collar. The primate looked frightened and quickly fled. "Remove their collars!" Kaldur instructed his comrades.
"Sounds easy when he says it," Robin groaned as he struggled against two monkeys. Artemis responded by kicking one away and firing two arrows to help her teammate; they hit the monkeys' collars, freeing them and Robin, who returned the favor by throwing two disks, cutting off the collars of the two monkeys behind the archer.
Trunks fought off two monkeys as one jumped onto his back; he pushed the two away before grabbing the one on his back and pinning it to the ground. He pulled off its collar and let it go, allowing it to run away. He then fired two fingers beams which hit the other two monkeys' collars, damaging them before they fell off, and the primates returned to their pack. The Saiyan then sensed a large energy source behind him and turned to face what looked like a miniature version of a great ape wearing pants, with a tail and its own collar. "Is that an Oozaru?" Trunks questioned before it growled at him; Trunks braced himself as the beast charged at him. The Demi Saiyan punched it in the face but it shook it off and punched him back. "You're quite strong for an ape, much stronger than you should be!" Trunks commented. Project K.O charged at the Saiyan and the two pushed against each other. The Atlantean noticed the gold, spiky-haired fighter tangling with the monster ape and called to his teammates, "Artemis, Robin! Assist Saiyan Prince!"
The non Meta-teens nodded as they threw explosives at the mini-Oozaru back. While this was happening, Mala stepped out of the lab with his Gatling gun; he snarled before taking a few sniffs and turned around to grab the camouflaged Martian that tried to sneak past him. He slammed her on the ground and pointed his weapon at her. "Get yer paws off her, you darn dirty ape!" Kid Flash said as he rushed at the gorilla. He bashed him but the ape's mass was greater, causing the speedster to be knocked backward.
"You're not taking my brain!" Marvel exclaimed as a tube of water was placed by his head.
"Do not struggle, Capitain, ze extraction is largely painless. And the benefits are enormous…" A laser was directed at the subject's head as the villain spoke to the hero. "Just look what it has done for me." He stepped into the light, showing himself to be a brain on a cylinder-shaped machine.
"That thing won't work on me," the Captain stated.
"Perhaps, but it works on solid steel. So I'll try my luck," The Brain said. "I'm told you have the courage of Achilles, no? Perhaps you should've asked for his invulnerability instead." The Brain was then pounced on by the tiger, causing him to roll away from the examination table. "Traitor! You will suffer for that!" The Brain said angrily as he activated the cat's collar, making it feel an electric shock.
"Stop it! Stop!" Marvel cried. As the tiger roared in pain, an explosion caught the Brain's attention; Mala and the small Oozaru were blown through the wall and the young heroes entered the lab.
"It's The Brain!" Wally exclaimed when he saw the villain.
"I can see it's a brain!" Artemis stated.
"Not a brain, The Brain!" Wally clarified.
"In the flesh, so to speak," The Brain said before turning to his assistant. "Mala!" The gorilla pressed a button on a remote and the same trap used on Captain Marvel was used on the teens, paralyzing them.
"Ms. Martian, Superboy, now!" Kaldur ordered. The Martian complied by using her telekinesis to swipe the remote from the gorilla and switch off the trap; the teens stood up just as Superboy and the Alpha Wolf he was fighting broke into the lab. The wolf growled before attacking Mala. The gorilla was knocked off his feet before standing up and receiving a kick from Kid Flash. Project K.O. jumped to attack but was grabbed by the tail by the Saiyan Prince and slammed into the wall. Mala fired his gun but was kicked by Robin, and then M'gann used her telekinesis to lift Mala up and drop him hard on the floor. He fired his gun again before dodging a punch from the Kryptonian clone; he blasted the boy of steel away just as an arrow shot his pack and blew up. He looked back to see Archery girl and Boy wonder throwing explosives at him, disabling his weapons.
The Brain fired laser blasts at the Atlantean, who made a shield to block it before running to the examination table; The Brain, Mala, and Project K.O. were then surrounded by the young heroes. Aqualad then removed the collar from Marvel's neck, freeing him. "Thanks! Now one good turn deserves another!" he said before getting up and freeing his tiger friend. The Heroes and the predators cornered their enemies, ready to take them down. Mala and the Oozaru roared, showing that they refused to back down.
"Try it. I hate monkeys," Superboy dared as Wolf growled.
"That makes two of us," the Saiyan Prince said.
"Mala, it's time for the final experiment," The Brain decided. "Activate the Blutz wave!"
"The what wave?" Kid Flash inquired.
"Blutz wave? He can't mean…" Trunks muttered just as Mala held up a different remote and pressed a button; the three lights on K.O.'s collar lit up and the beast roared as his eyes grew wider. Its heartbeat got faster as its body started twitching. The Oozaru started getting larger, taking up space in the room.
"Uh, is it just me or is that monkey thing getting bigger?" Kid Flash asked.
"Everybody out now!" Kaldur ordered. The Heroes quickly left the laboratory just as the Great Ape's body expanded to the ceiling and burst through. When it finally finished growing, it raised its fists and roared before staring down at its prey… the heroes. It raised its gigantic fist and swung it toward the teens. They scattered, avoiding the explosive impact of the Oozaru's fist. The Saiyan Prince immediately got into position and put his hands together while taking aim at the beast, but before he could fire at it, the Kryptonian jumped over him and charged at the Oozaru.
"Get out of the way!" Trunks yelled.
"Superboy, do not engage the giant!" Kaldur ordered.
Superboy ignored them and punched the beast in the chest. The Oozaru showed no sign of being injured, so the Genomorph jumped up and uppercut it in the chin. The gorilla simply lowered its jaw, knocking Superboy to the ground before raising his foot over him and stomping on him. "CONNER!" Miss Martian cried. Captain Marvel flew at the monstrous primate and bashed it in the chest; it stumbled backward, freeing Conner and allowing M'gann to carry him away. Marvel attempted to punch the monster again but he was swatted aside by its right hand. Robin and Artemis got behind the Great Ape and launched explosives at its back. It turned toward them and tried to smash them with its left fist but Kid Flash quickly sped by and grabbed them, evading the attack. Aqualad pulled out his water whips and wrapped around the Oozaru's left wrist; he then sent electricity through the weapons that stunned the beast. The Oozaru shook it off and swung its tail at the Atlantean, slamming him into a tree. The beast then tried to stomp on the team leader but Marvel quickly pulled him out of the way.
"You alright?" the Leaguer asked.
"I am well enough," he replied just as the team regrouped beside him.
"What the heck is this thing?" Artemis questioned.
"Don't know, but I do know that we cannot take it ourselves!" Kid Flash said. "This would be a good time to contact the League!"
"Can't, coms are jammed on this island," Kaldur alerted his team. "We're on our own here."
"So what do we do, boss?" Superboy inquired.
"Miss Martian, read its mind! Try to find a weakness!" Kaldur ordered.
"Okay!" Megan complied. Her eyes glowed green as she entered into the beast's mind, but the only thing she could perceive from it was, 'Wake up, destroy all life forms! Destroy all life forms! Destroy!' She gasped as she was pushed out of the ape's mind.
"M'gann!" Conner yelled as he helped her up.
"I couldn't find a weakness. His mind is only filled with rage and natural instincts of a predator, and there's some sort of mental command fueling his emotions," she explained.
"Kaldur, now what?!" Robin asked.
"Everyone retreat back to the Bio-Ship!" Aqualad ordered. The Team quickly fled into the jungle, but before they could get far, the Oozaru opened its mouth, firing a red energy beam that landed in front of the heroes, intercepting their path by causing an explosion that blew them backward. The heroes landed on the ground in pain and looked up to see a fiery blockade ahead of them and a giant Great Ape stomping toward them from behind. The Oozaru glared at its prey before opening its mouth again and firing the same Ki blast at the heroes. They all closed their eyes as they awaited their demise; instead, they only heard the sound of the eruption but felt nothing from the attack. They opened their eyes to see a large blue barrier of energy surrounding them, and the one emitting this shield was the Saiyan Prince. Trunks then lowered the energy shield and crossed his arms.
"Multi-Form!" he exclaimed as his body started glowing with energy; he suddenly split into two, surprising the Team. The two Saiyan Princes nodded before going to do their jobs: one of them went to tend to the fire in the jungle and help the mutant animals in danger, while the other advanced on the King Oozaru. Trunks fired numerous blasts at the beast, forcing it to step backward. The ape threw its fist at the time traveler, who quickly dodged it by flying toward its face and kicking it in the forehead. The monstrous primate roared in pain and grasped its face; Trunks then flew behind the ape and grabbed its tail. He pulled with all his might and lift the beast into the air before tossing it up into the heavens. The Demi Saiyan then raised both his hands into the air and surrounded himself in an enormous yellow dome of Ki. "Heat Dome Attack!" he shouted as he fired a gigantic energy beam into the sky, where it collided with the Oozaru. The explosion blinded everyone watching aside from the Son of Vegeta; the Brain and Mala watched in awe at the fireworks display that consumed their comrade.
"Magnificent, isn't it, Mala?" the Villain asked his simian assistant, who grunted in response. "Such overwhelming power, in the hands of one man! This is truly an excellent speculation."
The Team was just as astonished as their enemy was at Trunks' power. "Super Strength, Super Speed, duplication, laser blasts, force fields… just who or what the heck is this guy?" Robin inquired.
"No idea, but he seriously doesn't mess around!" Kid Flash replied.
"I didn't think anyone could wield such incredible power," Aqualad admitted.
"Does his friend have the same power?" M'gann inquired.
"If so, then they must've been holding back when we went up against them," Superboy stated.
"Good thing they did, or else we would've been demolished," Artemis remarked.
When the explosion ended, there was a large cloud of smoke in the sky; the Oozaru burst out of the cloud and roared in fury as he descended on the Demi Saiyan. Trunks backed away as the beast smashed his fist against the earth. The Saiyan Prince raised an eyebrow at the primate in confusion. "He shouldn't have survived that attack. Even if it was half of my power, it should've been enough to obliterate him," Trunks thought. "He must be stronger than I originally thought, and I can feel his power level increasing by the minute."
The Oozaru roared as it released a massive energy wave from the result of its growing power. It then opened its mouth again, firing the energy blast from its jaws at the Super Saiyan; Trunks held out his hands, catching the attack before deflecting it into the atmosphere. "I have to end this quickly before this whole jungle is wiped out," Trunks thought before he spoke to the other heroes telepathically. "Listen, you guys! That thing needs to be stopped!"
"Dude! Sending messages into someone's mind without permission is rude, you know!" Kid Flashed replied.
"Sorry, but I need your help to stop that monster ASAP!" Trunks told them.
"Why should we help you?" Superboy questioned the Saiyan.
"Because if you don't, that thing could wipe out everything in its path, and I'm the only one who knows what it is and its weakness!" Trunks answered harshly.
The team glanced at each other before their leader said, "Please, educate us."
"First, that thing is an Oozaru! A giant monstrous ape that a Saiyan transforms into during the full moon," Trunks explained.
"What's a Saiyan? Some sort of were-monkey?" the Speedster asked.
"I'll explain that part later," Trunks answered before continuing. "The reason behind this transformation is that when the moon is full, a new energy source known as Blutz wave is emitted from it and absorbed. This form usually amplifies the Saiyan's power tenfold, but there's something different about this Oozaru; its power seems to be growing rapidly!" The Great Ape gave the Super Saiyan a fierce look before attempting to stomp on him; Trunks evaded the attack and began hopping in every direction in order to avoid the Oozaru trying to stomp him. "If we don't stop him soon, his power will grow to the point where he can destroy this entire planet in one go!" he warned the other heroes.
Although the team didn't understand most of what the Saiyan teen said, they acknowledged that they had to save the world from this vicious beast. "So what's the plan?" Robin asked.
"Here's the plan: I'm going to jump right in front of the Oozaru's face and blind it! You guys remember the technique I used to escape you, right?" Trunks elaborated as he continued to evade the giant primate's assault. "Once he's distracted, Captain Marvel will fly behind the ape and grab onto its tail!"
"Why?" Marvel questioned.
"Its tail is its weak point; if you squeeze it with all of your might, the beast will lose all of its strength and become paralyzed!" Trunks revealed. He then pulled out his sword and tossed it over to the Kryptonian hybrid, who caught it. "Once the Oozaru's been immobilized, Superboy will use my sword to cut off its tail, which will prevent it from absorbing Blutz wave and return it to its original form. At that time, Aqualad will quickly remove its collar so that the monkey and the brain can't control it!"
"What about us?" Artemis asked.
"It's best if the four of you stood back or helped my other half deal with the fire," Trunks suggested.
Kaldur nodded in agreement. "Good idea! Robin, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Artemis, assist the other Saiyan Prince in attending to the fire and securing the safety of the animals here!" The four protégés nodded before running toward the fiery jungle.
"Alright guys, shield your eyes and get ready!" Trunks said before he jumped up to the Oozaru's face; he looked it right in the eyes as he placed his fingers beside his face. "Nighttime's over, pal! Time for the sun to shine! Solar Flare!" The Demi Saiyan unleashed an intense flash of light that struck the beast right in the eyes; the Oozaru then covered his face in agony while the Saiyan Prince turned to his allies and shouted, "NOW!" Captain Marvel flew around the monster in pain and grabbed his tail, wrapping his arms around it tightly to apply pressure. The Oozaru slowly turned to glance behind him to see the member of the Justice League squeezing his tail. The Kryptonian clone then jumped up with the Saiyan Prince's sword and swung it downward, slicing the beast's tail right off. The Oozaru grunted as its body began to slowly decrease in size. Eventually, the monstrous ape shrunk down to its original size with a humanoid form composed of bulky muscles, long spiky hair, and red eyes. It collapsed onto the ground as the Captain dropped its severed tail. The Atlantean then leaped toward project K.O. and ripped its collar off.
"Alright, the beast is finished!" Marvel exclaimed.
"Not yet," the Saiyan Prince said as he descended to the ground and aimed his hand at the experiment.
"What are you doing?" Kaldur inquired.
"I'm ending it!" Trunks replied as he channeled Ki into his palm; before he could fire it, Superboy dashed toward him and grabbed his wrist. The Saiyan glared at the Kryptonian. "Is there a problem?" he asked sternly.
"You can't kill him," Superboy said.
"And why's that?" Trunks inquired.
"Because heroes don't kill! What kind of heroes are you?!" the Genomorph hero demanded.
"One who gets the job done!" Trunks answered. "If we don't take him out now, he could still pose a threat to this planet!"
"We'll deal with him, and if he becomes a danger, we'll stop him!" Superboy declared as he gripped the Saiyan Prince's wrist tighter. "Just like I'm stopping you from killing him!"
"You don't know who you're dealing with!" Trunks warned the clone.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, spiky!" Conner retorted. The two alien hybrids stared at each other intensely until they heard a grunting noise; they looked over to the King Oozaru, who got to his feet as he was joined by The Brain and Mala. The two villains watched as the mutant primate opened its jaw and fired a super strong energy blast from its mouth at the half-breeds. The blast knocked them both backward while creating a large smokescreen to cover the villains; Trunks quickly used a kiai to blow the smoke away but their adversaries had already vanished.
"Are you satisfied now?! That monster escaped, with the same people that were controlling it!" Trunks yelled at the clone.
"We probably would've restrained them if you hadn't tried to kill 'em!" Superboy pointed out.
"Or if you hadn't stopped me from doing it!" Trunks argued back. The two looked like they wanted to fight before they were interrupted by the Justice League hero and the team leader.
"Uh guys, now really isn't the time to be arguing," Marvel suggested.
"Captain Marvel is right. We need to be sure every animal on this island has been freed from The Brain's control," Aqualad said.
The Saiyan Prince and the Superboy were still glaring at each other but took a step back and nodded to show that they agreed that that was their top priority. As the Captain and the Atlantean went to assist the rest of the team, the half-breeds stuck back for a few minutes. "Don't think this is over yet, spiky," Superboy whispered.
"Wouldn't dream of it, broody," Trunks replied before the two went to join their comrades.
Moments later, the Team, Captain Marvel, and the Saiyan Prince had met up at M'gann's Bio-Ship finishing up on their job. Aqualad removed the final collar off the neck of a mutant monkey before it ran off into the wild. "That's the last of the collars?" Captain Marvel asked his tiger friend, who responded with a roar. "And I can count on you to make sure the other animals stay out of trouble?" The tiger roared again and received a pat on the head. "I'll be back for a visit, I promise," the Captain assured the cat before it left into the jungle. "I think I'll call him Mr. Twany."
"The rest of the pack is gone, so what are you still doing here?" Superboy asked the white wolf beside him.
"I think he wants to stay with you," M'gann said.
"Can I keep him?" Conner asked.
"First the Sphere and now this beast, you sure make a habit of bringing home strays," Kid Flash commented.
While the three protégés were discussing Superboy's new pet, Aqualad had wandered over to the Bio-Ship, where Robin was waiting for him. "Look, I need to know… why'd you keep the mole Intel a secret?" the Boy Wonder questioned his leader. Aqualad glanced at the rest of his teammates, who were all waiting for the same answer.
"The source of the tip was Sportsmaster," Aqualad revealed.
"What?! You can't trust him!" Artemis immediately protested.
"I did not," Kaldur admitted. "It seemed possible, even likely, that he attempted to divide the team with false information."
"And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded," Robin realized. "But you still had to consider it might be true."
"Yes. As leader I did. In which case I did not wish to alert the traitor," Kaldur said.
"Hate to say but… makes sense," Robin relented.
"I am still prepared to step down," Kaldur declared.
"All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader?" Kid Flash asked as he raised his hand; the rest of the Team did the same, including Batman's protégé who smiled at the Atlantean.
"Guess it's unanimous," Captain Marvel said as he offered his hand to the still-team leader, who shook it.
At that moment, Trunks' duplicate descended onto the ground and merged back with his other half. "Alright, the fire is out and all the animals have been rescued and are safely returning home," Trunks reported to the team.
"Thank you, Saiyan Prince, for the assistance, especially against the monstrous ape," Aqualad said the Demi Saiyan.
"Don't mention it," Trunks replied before turning to leave. "See ya around!"
"Wait a minute! Didn't you say you had some business with us?" Artemis inquired.
"Are you sure you wanna know that now?" Trunks asked them. "You guys just resolved your own problems; I wouldn't want to add another to your list."
"Please, if there is something you need from us, let us know," Aqualad requested.
Trunks nodded before pressing the button on his scouter; a holographic image of the Android hero appeared before the young heroes. "Red Tornado!" Kid Flash exclaimed.
"So you guys know this Android?" Trunks inquired.
"Yeah, he was our… supervisor, until recently," Artemis answered.
"Well recently, he's been doing other things… like attacking me and my comrades," Trunks revealed, surprising the team. He pressed the button again, and this time, images of the Red Ribbon Androids and the Reds appeared. "Yesterday, your supervisor and two other androids I didn't recognize attacked us alongside Androids 13, 14, and 19. They kidnapped Super Ranger and fatally injured my partner Saiyan Kid before leaving without a trace."
"Is your friend ok?" M'gann asked.
"He's recovering, but he'll still be upset when he finds out about Ranger being abducted," Trunks answered. "After the attack, I received this message…" Trunks pressed another button and said, "Speaker! Replay previous message!" The message from Red Tornado was then played aloud for the team to hear. "This is Red Tornado," it said "If you're hearing this message, then your enemies and my siblings, along with myself, have succeeded in our attempt to capture the one called Super Ranger. My apologies. I was also recently abducted by my siblings and could do no more than record this message on your devices with my little willpower. I do not know what more to say, other than this… if you wish to rescue your comrade, then you must find the team of young heroes. They are the only ones who can help you get him back!"
The protégés all had surprised look on their faces, as did Captain Marvel. "I don't believe this," Superboy blurted out.
"Conner, I know it's hard to except but…" Miss Martian said before she was cut off.
"No! I mean I don't trust this guy!" Conner clarified as he pointed at the Saiyan Prince. "You expect us to just believe that Tornado teamed up with some other androids and came after your friends?!"
Trunks glared at the Genomorph. "Look! I only came here because that machine said that you guys could help me get my friend back; it gave me a reason not to dismantle him if I ever saw him again! But if you don't believe me, that's fine! I'm prepared to tear that Android to pieces if it gets me Super Ranger back!"
"Superboy, stand down!" Kaldur ordered before approaching the Saiyan. "We acknowledge your desire to rescue your Android friend; we also wish to find our Android companion. Five days ago, our base was attacked by two Androids who were similar to him. After we defeated them and Red Tornado arrived at the scene, he suddenly incapacitated us. When we came to, he was gone, along with his siblings. We didn't think he would commit such acts in his absence; if he left you a message saying that you must seek our help, it must be for a reason, and it would be in both of our best interests to work together until we can find them!"
"But wasn't our mission to bring this guy and his friends in?" Superboy questioned.
"It was our mission, before we failed it," Kid Flash reminded him. "Now it's the Justice League's mission, and we're not a part of the league."
"So Cap, you gonna take this guy in or what?" Robin asked.
"I think I'll let him go this time. Consider it thanks for helping against that monster," Marvel said. "But you have to answer my questions on that thing and yourself next time."
"Sure," Trunks replied.
"Then we are free to work together until we find our Androids," Kaldur said. "Is there a way we can contact you?"
"There is," Trunks answered before he took off his scouter and tossed it to the Atlantean. "That's a scouter. It'll act as a radio com, so you can use it to call me whenever you guys get Intel on the Androids' whereabouts or when you're facing enemies that you're unfamiliar with. I might be able to help with that."
"We'll be sure to do so," Kaldur assured before the device was swiped from him by the Speedster.
"Cool, now this is a souvenir!" Wally exclaimed.
Trunks smiled before saying, "Later," and taking off into the sky.
Right after that, Captain Marvel said, "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow," before turning to leave.
"You're not coming back with us?" Kaldur asked.
"Nah, gotta fly!" Marvel said before quickly flying away. The rest of the Team let it go before entering their Bio-Ship and preparing to go back to their base of operations.
Tokyo, Capsule Corporation home
The Saiyan Prince made it back to his home, where he was quickly greeted by his dragon companion. "Hey there, Icarus, thanks for the welcome," Trunks said as the dragon licked his face. "How's Gohan?" The dragon gestured over to the room where the Son of Goku was still waiting to be healed. Trunks glanced at the monitor for the medical machine; he saw that the black-haired Saiyan was ninety nine percent healed physically and that his brain waves were slightly off.
Trunks just stared at the glass while still waiting for his friend to wake up. "Hey buddy, looks like you should be healed soon. Which is a good thing cause we've got a lot to talk about." Trunks said. "I ran into that team of sidekicks we met the other day and helped them on a mission. Saw something strange, I mean other than a brain in a robotic jar with a gorilla servant; I saw something that looked like an Oozaru. It was some sort of experiment that the brain created, and it escaped 'cause the Superboy stopped me from killing it. The Team and I have agreed to work together to find Super Ranger and their Android supervisor, but there's something going on with these things happening. First, Tao joins the League of Shadows, next the Androids attack some major heroes, and now there's an experimental Oozaru on the loose. It's clear our enemies and the enemies of the Justice League are conspiring together and it might be for whatever Dr. Zero's planning. You really need to wake up soon, bro, 'cause there a lot of work to be done and I'd like my partner to be by my side again."
As soon as he finished talking, the medical machine's light turned green and it rang; the liquid synthesized with Saiyan DNA was drained and the Son of Goku immediately opened his eyes.
A/N: Done! Sure took a while, but now the plan is in motion, and I mean my plan for this story! Now we'll see where this path takes us next; hope those reading will stay tuned 'cause there's still more to come, especially now that season 3 of Young Justice is out and watching it has motivated me. Until next time, TTFN Antihero out!
P.S.- Project K.O. is an Oozaru/human hybrid that was created by Dr. Zero with the assistance of The Brain's cobra venom and was given to the DC villain as a gift, and the K.O. stands for King Oozaru.