The sun shone down on the Titans' Tower, which was where the five towns' heroes lived. For some reason or another, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were off somewhere else and Raven and Beast Boy were left alone in the tower...
"Hey Rae!" Beast Boy shouted from the refrigerator.
"What is it?" Raven asked him as she floated into the room, slightly annoyed.
"Yah want something to eat? I can make some tofu!"
"No, I don't want anything to eat. And you interrupted my meditation."
"Raven, you meditate too much. You barely eat!" Beast Boy complained.
Raven sighed and went back to her room to read, hoping that Beast Boy would leave her alone.
Beast Boy watched her leave, and looked back into the fridge, and saw a container full of tofu--with a sticky note on it.
Beast Boy read the note out loud, "'Tofu sucks'?!?!?!?!"
He knew it was from his friend, Cyborg, who hated tofu, and liked meat. While Beast Boy was just the opposite. They often argued about which was better. Beast Boy shook his head and went over to the GameStation to play a video game.
"Oh darn, there's only two player games!!!" Then Beast Boy had an idea. "Hey Rae!!!!!!"
Raven looked as if she were going to explode, melting empty soda cans as she strode towards the TV.
"What . . . is it now?!" she said. Raven was extremely annoyed because Beast Boy couldn't seem to find a way to entertain himself.
"Uh.... I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to play the GameStation with me," Beast Boy replied carefully.
"What do you think!?" Raven practically shouted. Then she calmed down a little. "Beast Boy, I don't play GameStation. Find something else to do."
Beast Boy frowned. "C'mon, Raven, you know you want to."
Raven just glared at him. Then Beast Boy had a brain storm, an idea for a deal that he knew Raven couldn't resist.
-
"If you play with me, I won't bother you for the rest of the day."
Raven grunted and thought about it. Hmm, either play with Beast Boy, or have him bothering me until the others get back..... It was a no-brainer for her.
"Okay, okay, I'll play. But I don't know how that thing works..."
Beast Boy almost jumped with joy. "All right! Just take a controller and hit the buttons, you'll get the hang of it."
An hour later, Starfire came back. Robin and Cyborg were still checking out the video game store and weren't going to be back for a while. Starfire then saw Beast Boy and Raven playing the GameStation.
"This car is so pathetic!! It's too slow! You set me up!" Raven shouted.
Beast Boy laughed. "You're gonna lose this race, you might as well give up!!"
Starfire was somewhat surprised to see Raven playing the GameStation, since the girl kept to herself most of the time. When she wasn't helping the team 'get the bad guys', she was usually found either meditating or reading.
Starfire walked over to Raven and Beast Boy, who didn't notice her.
"Friend Raven! You are engaging in the art of racing pretend cars!!!" she said excitedly.
The other two Teen Titans practically jumped in surprise, causing Beast Boy to drive his video game car into the wall, and letting Raven win the race.
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! I lost to an amateur!" Beast Boy cried.
Raven hid a smile beneath the hood of her cloak.
"Oh, hi, Starfire. Where are the other guys?" Raven asked.
"Friends Robin and Cyborg are checking out the 'high tech' video games! They are thinking about purchasing a game!" Starfire exclaimed in her usual perky voice.
"I hope they get something I like…" Beast Boy grumbled.
-
Turned out that Cyborg and Robin accidentally gotten a game that they already owned.
"Not my fault that you didn't remember we had it!" Cyborg complained once he realized their mistake.
"My fault?!" Robin shook his head in frustration.
Beast Boy held up a hand. "No worries, I'll go back to the video game store and pick up a cool game." And with that, he ran out of the Titans' Tower.
Robin looked at Raven pleadingly and said, "Raven, please go with him and make sure he gets back this time…"
Raven glared at him. Sometimes it seemed as if Robin wanted her to be around Beast Boy all the time, just to bother the heck out of her. But she went after Beast Boy anyway. Last time the Titans left him alone in the video game store, he got so absorbed in the games that he lost track of time.
She found Beast Boy checking out the Action/Adventure section of the store. He finally looked up and saw Raven.
"Hey Rae, what are you doing here??"
"Making sure you come back this time," Raven replied.
Beast Boy sighed. "They'll never let me live that one down, will they?"
Then he turned his attention back to the games that lay on the shelf.
Raven helped him look, wanting the trip to be as quick as possible. "How about that one?" she said, pointing to a game.
Beast Boy gasped. "That's Racing Rave 5000!! I heard all about it, it's supposed to be totally awesome! Yah even get to race rockets and stuff!"
Raven used her telekinesis to summon the game to her hand. "Then why don't you get it?" she asked as she handed it to him.
Beast Boy didn't need any more persuasion. He took the game up to the checkout counter and dug out his money. Minutes later, they were back at the tower. Cyborg and Robin were pleased when they saw Racing Rave.
"I can't believe we didn't see that one!!" Cyborg exclaimed.
Raven listened as the boys rambled excitedly about the new game as she fixed herself a drink. She didn't even notice when the rambling stopped and Starfire came in.
"Robin and Beast Boy are doing a rocket ship race! It is most amusing, won't you come and watch?" Starfire asked with an enormous smile.
Raven shook her head. "No thanks."
Starfire's smile disappeared. But she quickly replaced it with another smile.
"Then would you like to accompany me to the mall tomorrow? It will be most fun!"
-
Raven thought about it for a bit. "As much as I want to give you a complete makeover by just using the tester stuff, I—"
Starfire spoke up fast. "Oh, I will not be the only one getting a makeover, you will too!!"
Raven's eyes widened with shock. "Uh… Starfire…I—"
"Oh thank you, friend Raven!!! We shall go at the time of lunch, yes?"
Raven began to protest, but Starfire flew out of the room. "Great," she muttered under her breath.
She knew that once Starfire got an idea like going to the mall in her head, it was almost impossible for her to not go.
The next day, Beast Boy, who was taking a break from Racing Rave 5000, watched Starfire drag Raven out of Titans' Tower. He laughed to himself. It wasn't the first time he saw Starfire do that to Raven, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
"What's so funny?" Robin questioned as he walked towards the kitchen, seeing Beast Boy's amused face.
"Starfire just dragged Raven out of the tower. Probably another mall strike."
Robin sighed. "Poor Raven. First she has to stay home with you all day yesterday, then she has to rescue you from the clutches of the video game store, now she has to go to the mall with Star."
"Yeah . . . Waita second!!!! What do yah mean, 'poor Raven, she had to stay home with Beast Boy all day'?!?! Because it kinda sounds like you're saying I'm annoying or something."
Robin ignored Beast Boy and said, "Oh yeah, Cyborg told me to tell you that he challenges you to a 'super high-tech roller coaster race'."
Beast Boy suddenly lightened up. "Don't worry, Robin, I'll cream him!"
-
"Come now, Raven!! Just let me put a tiny bit on??" Starfire said, a little impatient. "Do not fear! It will not harm you!"
Raven gave her a glare. "I'm not afraid of it! But if you get that thing within five inches of my hand, I'll explode the bottle."
Starfire quickly took the nail polish tester away from Raven. "Do not explode it! Then you will have to pay the nice owners! And do not glare! It is ruining your eye shadow!"
Raven exhaled in frustration. They must have visited every store in the mall, Starfire insisting that they give each other makeovers. But Raven was losing her patience, she didn't want a makeover, she didn't even want to come to the mall in the first place.
"This is the last stop," Starfire said calmly, giving a grand gesture towards the Borders book store.
Raven couldn't help but give a little smile as she and Starfire floated into the Borders.
-
"Oh, no you don't!!" Cyborg shouted as Beast Boy tried to force his car off the road.
Beast Boy laughed and drove his car across the finish line. "Dude, I like totally creamed you!"
Just then, they saw Starfire and Raven come in. Starfire was holding a half a dozen shopping bags from various stores, and Raven was holding six books.
"I see Star showed you the new Borders," Robin said to Raven from the couch.
"Yeah," Raven replied, then went off to her room.
Starfire flew over to Robin, telling him about her day. Beast Boy only caught a little bit before he started to play Racing Rave again: "And then she threatened to explode the bottle that contained the nail polish!"
"All right!!!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he beat Robin at Racing Rave.
Robin shook his head in disbelief. "You're too good at this game, Beast Boy."
Beast Boy was practically jumping with excitement when he realized that he had just unlocked a secret race track in the game. "Wanna race again? I just unlocked one of the secret tracks!!"
"Nah, I think I'll take a break," Robin responded, leaving the room.
Beast Boy frowned. He was dying to go at that secret track. But since Cyborg was gone, and Robin wanted to take a break, there were only two other people to play with—Starfire and Raven. Beast Boy decided to try Starfire first. He went to her room and knocked on the door.
Starfire opened the door to Beast Boy. "Yes?"
"Yah want to play Racing Rave 5000 with me?"
"I apologize, my friend, but I am about to neaten up my untidy room! But you can help if you wish," Starfire said.
"Umm, no thanks, Star," Beast Boy replied.
After a while of thinking, Beast Boy then decided to try and get Raven to play with him. He went up to her room and knocked on the door lightly.
Raven opened the door. "What is it, Beast Boy?"
Beast Boy spoke fast. "Raven, I just unlocked one of the secret racetracks in Racing Rave 5000! But Cyborg is gone, and Robin's taking a break, and Star is cleaning her room, and I need another person to play with. . . And I was wondering . . . will you pleeeeeeaaasee play with me??"
"Beast Boy . . ."
"Pretty, pretty, pretty, please?" Beast Boy said as he turned into a puppy and gave her his cutest puppy face.
Hmm, Raven thought, if I say no, Beast Boy will without a doubt keep bothering me . . . She sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine, but only one race."
"Yippee!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he dragged Raven towards the GameStation.
"But on one condition," Raven then said.
Beast Boy stopped abruptly. "What condition???"
"That I get to pick out the car that you will race."
-
"Fine!" Beast Boy said with a sigh in relief.
At least the condition wasn't worse, he thought.
Raven used her controller to flip through the selection of cars to race. "Hmm, they all look pretty impressive," she said.
She finally picked her and Beast Boy's cars, and then they started out on the race.
"Five laps, Raven, you don't stand a chance!" Beast Boy said as he expertly maneuvered his car.
Raven didn't respond, she just concentrated on driving her vehicle, all with the thought that she would teach Beast Boy a lesson.
"Last time you got lucky. I was just caught off guard when Star came in…" Beast Boy's voice trailed off as he pulled his car into a sharp turn.
Meanwhile, Cyborg had come back. He heard Racing Rave from the other room and thought, BB and Robin must be going at it again! He crept into the room, planning to surprise Beast Boy and Robin, but instead got surprised himself once he saw Raven driving a race car like a pro. He silently tip-toed back out of the room and into his room to get his camera.
"This'll be one for the Titan photo album…" he whispered to himself as he sneaked back into the room where Raven and Beast Boy were facing off.
He was just in time to hear Beast Boy wail, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"
And see two big words flash across the TV screen.
'RAVEN WINS!!!' over and over and over. Cyborg took many quick pictures as Beast Boy stood up and tried to make the words on the screen stop.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!" he cried.
Cyborg took another picture of Raven stifling a laugh as Beast Boy went on, and then finally, he turned off the GameStation. The words disappeared from the TV screen. Cyborg quickly hid his camera when he saw Raven and Beast Boy turning towards him. Beast Boy's eyes widened when he saw Cyborg.
"Oh no! You didn't just see that, did you?" Beast Boy exclaimed with horror.
Cyborg pretended to think. "What part? The part where Raven totally kicked your butt or the part where you almost smashed the TV for saying 'Raven wins' over and over?"
Beast Boy groaned. "You won't tell anyone, will yah?"
"Oh no, never! I promise, I will never, ever tell anyone about it!!! Unless they ask about it of course."
Beast Boy looked confused. "Why would someone ask about it if you wouldn't tell them, I wouldn't tell them, and Raven didn't tell them?"
They'll ask about it when I show them! Cyborg thought mischievously, thinking about the pictures he had taken.
"Where're you going, Cy?" Robin asked when he saw Cyborg walking out of the tower.
"I'm going to get my film developed," Cyborg replied with a devious grin.
"Really?" Robin responded. "I thought you still had at least seven pictures left on there."
"Well, I saw something interesting yesterday, so I used up all my film."
"I see," Robin replied, not pressing the subject.
"Be back later!" Cyborg shouted as he left.
-
Raven was in the kitchen fixing herself some herbal tea, when Beast Boy popped up out of nowhere with a very serious look on his face.
"Rematch," he said.
Raven took a sip of her tea. "No way. I said one race. I won it fair and square, so leave me alone."
"No, it wasn't fair and square!" Beast Boy protested. "The sun was glaring off the screen, and the X button on my controller kept sticking, and the rumble pack was vibrating too much… The point is: I let you win."
"Now you're just making excuses," Raven replied with a shake of her head.
Beast Boy was about to protest again, when Starfire walked in.
"Hello friends Beast Boy and Raven!!!" she said with one of her big smiles. "Have either of you seen Robin?"
"I think he's in the training room, Star," Beast Boy answered.
"Oh, thank you!" Starfire responded, flying out of the room.
Beast Boy turned back to Raven. She wasn't there anymore. She had silently crept out while Beast Boy and Starfire were talking. Beast Boy groaned. He couldn't live with the fact that Raven beat him, the champ of Racing Rave 5000, at his own game.
"I will get that rematch," Beast Boy swore.
Awhile later, Cyborg came home and went straight to his room. He had just gotten his pictures back, and he wanted to look at them in private before showing the others. He opened the envelope and took out the pictures.
"Hmm, Starfire drinking mustard, Robin beating up a training dummy, Robin losing to Beast Boy on Racing Rave again, Beast Boy acting goofy…Ah ha!! Here they are!" Cyborg exclaimed as he found the seven pictures he had taken last night.
He grinned evilly as he went out of his room and sat on the couch.
"Star!!! Robin!!!" he shouted. Starfire and Robin came in.
"What is it, Cyborg?" Robin asked.
"I got my pictures back, and I really want to show you some I took last night."
Starfire clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh! Cyborg, you must let me see!"
Cyborg handed the pictures to Starfire, who looked at them with great interest. The first picture was of Beast Boy, looking dumbfounded. The second one was Beast Boy, pounding the TV screen that said 'RAVEN WINS'. Starfire giggled in delight as she flipped through the other five pictures. The last picture was Raven, who, beneath her cloak, was stifling a laugh as Beast Boy tried to shut off the TV. Starfire jumped up and down.
"These photographs are most delightful!" she said.
"Let me see," Robin said.
Starfire handed the pictures to Robin, who looked them over in surprise. "Beast Boy convinced Raven to play the Rave? And she won? Whoa…"
Just then Beast Boy came in, and saw the three other Titans gathered around Robin. "Uh, hey guys, what's up?"
The other Titans whirled around, Cyborg hiding the pictures that he had taken back from Robin behind his back.
When the other Titans didn't answer, Beast Boy said, "Who wants to race against the pro-champ of Racing Rave 5000?? Pro-Champ being me, of course."
-
"What do you mean, 'Pro-Champ' being me'? I really thought it was someone else…" Robin said with a smile.
"Robin, I know you're jealous that I'm the champ, but it doesn't mean you have to assume the title." Beast Boy replied.
"Jealous?!"
"That's what I said."
Robin shook his head "I didn't mean that I was the Pro-Champ! I meant someone else."
"Oh, so quick to throw the blame on someone else now?"
Starfire spoke up. "What Robin means is: there is someone who beat you. And now that person is the 'Pro-Champ'!!"
Beast Boy laughed. "That's a very nice joke, you guys, but you all know that no one beat me at the Rave."
"Oh, yes, there was someone…" Cyborg said with a wink at Beast Boy.
Beast Boy's eyes widened. "Cy, you didn't!"
Cyborg pretended to look innocent when he said; "No, no, no, I didn't tell them" He showed Beast Boy one of his pictures. "That Raven is the real Pro-Champ!"
"CY!!!!"
Robin laughed. "Good going, Beast Boy, you let Raven beat you at the Rave!"
Beast Boy put his hand on the back of his head and sweat dropped. "You don't understand, I let her win…"
"Suuuuuuure yah did."
Beast Boy glared at Cyborg, who was giving him a very evil smile. Oh, you'll be sorry, Cyborg. I'm gonna get you back so bad…he thought.
-
That night at dinner, it was silent. Everyone knew that Raven was the real champ, but Raven didn't know that Robin and Starfire now knew. Raven looked over at Beast Boy, who was unusually quiet. Little did she know that Beast Boy was plotting his revenge on Cyborg.
Starfire sipped her mustard, and then couldn't hold it in any longer. "Raven!!! We heard that you became Champ!!!!!!!"
Raven looked up in surprise. "What? What are you talking about?"
"I am speaking of last night! We know that you beat Beast Boy in Racing Rave 5000! And we are very proud of you and we praise your victory!"
Raven's mouth almost dropped open. She glanced at Beast Boy.
He shook his head. "I didn't tell 'em. It was doofus over there," he said, pointing to Cyborg.
"No, I didn't tell them…I showed them. There's a difference you know." Cyborg protested.
"'Showed them'?" Raven asked carefully.
Cyborg handed her the pictures. Raven's eyes narrowed. She flipped through them. Then she came up on the one where it showed her stifling laughter. She gave the other six back to Cyborg, and was about to rip the one in her hands apart, but Starfire snatched it up.
"Do not do that!! If you did, we wouldn't be able to put it in the album of wonderful photos!"
"Fine…" Raven finally said.
-