Creation began on 04-13-20

Creation ended on 07-11-20

Teen Titans Go!

You're not worthy to be heroes: Sacrifice

A/N: It's time for those that know they're not real heroes to finally prove their worth to those that need real heroes by facing a true villain.

"…But how do we know these are going to work against Brightburn?" Raven asked Cyborg as he presented the limited number of grenades and blades made from the metal of the ship that brought Brightburn to Earth.

"I don't," Cyborg explained, "but this metal came from wherever he did. If it was meant to protect him during the trip in space, then this metal must affect him enough to at least weaken him. Use the grenades to expose him to the atomized metal particles, then use the blades wherever you can to injure him."

Starfire held up a fine, curved blade, an impressive feat in the short amount of time since they lost to Brightburn the first time and they had to hide from him. Then, she slipped the blade under her left arm's gauntlet; when the time came, she would know when to use the blade on this alien that was unkind.

Beast Boy held up one of the small grenades and asked, "Do these detonate on impact?"

"Yeah, since this guy reacts quickly," Cyborg answered. "Just hope that he breathes in the atomized metal particles. The more exposure we get from him, the better."

Cyborg had only enough resources on hand to make twenty-five of these grenades and ten of the blades from the ship's metal. There was still more from the ship that could be harvested, but that would have to wait for another time. The weapons afforded to them were split equally among the five Titans; five grenades and two blades apiece.

"So, how do we get close enough to Brightburn for any of these to weaken him?" Beast Boy asked them.

"We draw him out," answered Robin, taking this matter serious.

"Yeah, but… How, I mean?"

Robin looked to Starfire and Raven and had an idea.

-x-

Still in the air, Brightburn had returned to where his life began on Earth and decided to look for survivors and kill them.

Flare! Bright green lights shot into the red sky, illuminating whatever ruins they could.

Brightburn suddenly heard some strange, loud noises from afar, sounding like dance music (A/N: It's the party music from BBRBDAY), and he flew down to the source, finding several loudspeakers scattered around the ground, all connected by wires to a damaged computer.

Blast! He fired his heat vision on the computer and destroyed it, silencing the music.

Blast! Something hit him on his back and exploded, covering him in gray smoke.

"I had a recent nightmare about you, Brightburn," he heard that voice belonging to that crazy, masked boy that tried to face him earlier. "I can't ignore how foolish I was to try and face you on my own, but it's just as foolish to face you without any edge in both knowledge and tactics."

Brightburn turned around to face him, seeing that his staff was brandished again.

"I grow tired of you," he told Robin. "None of you are any match for me. Especially you. You made it easier for me to kill those refugees. And you think you're a hero? There is no such thing as heroes. If anything, I'm the hero. I took the world."

"Yeah," Robin admitted. "Yeah, you did take the world. You took the world and left in ruins. Why take the world if all you do is destroy everything? I used to believe I was a hero, that I commanded a great team, but in truth… I was nowhere near being a hero. And my team… I didn't treat them the way a leader is supposed to treat them. If given the chance to do my life over again, I would treat my friends as friends. What of you, Brightburn? Do you have any friends? Do you have anyone in your life?"

"I have no need for friends."

BLAST! Brightburn was struck in the back by a star bolts and sent falling to the ground.

"Grraurgh!" He grunted as he got back up, showing signs of bruising; he had been taken by surprise by the other alien and was enraged by being injured. "You will pay for that!"

He unleashed his heat vision, but received a shock in the process.

"Aaaahh!" He screamed as his heat vision was unleashed towards Starfire, but his eyes became irritated and his face felt singed. "Aaaurgh! Aaaurgh!"

The atomized metal! Robin suspected. It must throw his powers off! Or it makes him vulnerable to his own abilities.

His mask had fallen off, revealing his very human-looking face, partially singed and looking almost like a regular Caucasian man with minor burns.

"If you weren't so evil, I would say that you are nice," Starfire expressed to him, floating above them, prepared to fire another star bolt.

With his eyes recovering from the failed attempt to attack Starfire, Brightburn hated the sight of her looking down on him like he was some sort of…freak.

"Don't look at me like that!" He yelled at her, his eyes flaring again. "Aaaaurgh!"

He felt the negatives of his heat vision stinging at his face again, but he had something else in mind. Feeling the weightlessness in his muscles and legs, he took to the air, slamming into her. But something was off with the way it all felt when he did so; his bones felt brittle, his skin less than impervious to injuries, and the wind resistance was off.

"I'll crush you!" He told her, trapping her in his grip, trying to crush her in a bear hug, but it felt like he was having difficulty making good on his threat.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Starfire told him, "but it seems the tide had turned."

Bash! Starfire kicked him right where the light didn't shine, freeing herself from his grip.

"Aaaurgh!" Brightburn groaned as felt the pain in his loins as he fell back to the ground.

-x-

"Are you recoding how long it's been since he was exposed to the atomized metal grenade, Cyborg?" Raven asked as they hid behind a ruined building.

"Yeah, and so far, it's been under three minutes since the first grenade was tossed at him," Cyborg answered. "I hope it lasts."

Beast Boy, taking the form of an owl for greater perception in the red night, saw Brightburn rise back up, just in time to see Robin thrash him with his staff, knocking him back down. It looked as though Brightburn was still vulnerable…until he got back up and Robin's staff started looking dented, like it was being used to hit something too tough for it. He resumed his human form and looked to Cyborg.

"How long has it been now?" He asked him.

"Five minutes," he answered.

"That looks like the limit to the atomized metal grenade's effects."

"Aaaaurgh!" They heard Robin's yell of pain, and they saw Brightburn had managed to break his right arm, throwing him aside.

"I'd end you right now, but you're just a human," Brightburn told him. "You're not worth a migraine and you're doomed to die soon."

"Get away from him!" Starfire yelled as she flung her star bolts at him, but they barely fazed him at all. He's invulnerable again.

She reached behind herself and grabbed one of her grenades, but Brightburn flew towards her again, tackling her against a ruined building.

"Aaurgh!" Starfire grunted, sprawled on the ground as she struggled to get up.

"I'm the only one that deserves to be here," she heard him say as she looked up at him.

BLAST! She tried her eye beams, but he was unaffected, looking as indifferent as he was cruel.

"One day, you will fall," she warned him.

"Not today," he responded, about to reduce her to molten pulp with his heat vision.

Bang! Something exploded behind him and covered him in that smoke again.

"You really think these stupid bombs are going to stop me?!" He yelled at whoever was foolish enough to stop him.

A glistening flick of light caught his attention in the clearing smoke, and he felt a tear in his clothing and flesh, feeling something dig into his waist.

"Urgh!" He groaned, seeing that it was that pathetic boy with the spiky hair and green tights whose arm he broke.

"You shouldn't have taken your eyes off of me," Robin told him.

Brightburn's eyes flared as he felt the singing pain of his heat vision acting up, but he didn't care about his own repercussions. He was just sick of this wannabe hero.

"Die!" He yelled as his eyes unleashed their fury upon Robin.

BLAST! The whole building came down…and only Starfire made it out.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy yelled, seeing her fall as he, Raven and Cyborg ran to the area away from where the former building once stood.

"Ugh…urgh…" Starfire groaned as she crawled.

Cyborg came and picked her up.

"Robin…" She uttered. "Robin's still in there."

Cyborg looked at the ruins of the building…but couldn't detect any thermal signatures belonging to a human; earlier on, he found that Brightburn had a higher body temperature, probably the result of embracing his drive to take the world…or excessive use of his heat vision.

"I don't think he made it, Star," he told them.

-x-

Robin didn't even feel the end crashing down upon him, but he found himself laying in a grassy plane under a blue sky.

"What were you thinking when you stabbed him, Boy Wonder?" He heard Brother Correction's voice as he turned around and saw him standing a few feet away, looking down upon him.

"As the effects of the atomized metal grenade wore off, he was going to harm her," he responded, "or worse. He was going to kill her. I couldn't let him do that."

"Did you have any concerns for your own life? Any degree of self-preservation? Everyone for themselves? Any of that at all?"

Robin denied any thoughts of wanting to save himself from Brightburn's attack. He had to stop him before he harmed her. If he could do at least that…then…at least he would have gone out knowing that she got away from that monster.

"Did I save her?" He asked Brother Correction. "Did I save Starfire from Brightburn?"

"You did," he answered him.

"Tell me one other thing… Did I make any difference trying to stop Brightburn? Did anything I do to help matter? I wasn't being a hero in the beginning and I caused the deaths of people trying to hide from Brightburn, so I have to live with the guilt of failing them, but did I at least give the others a chance to stop him, to save those that were left alive?"

Brother Correction sat down in front of him and responded, "Self-sacrifice…is the difference between being a hero…and being a martyr. You put one of your friends before yourself and gave your life to save Starfire's. You made a difference, Robin. So long as the rest of the Teen Titans are alive, there is still a chance to defeat Brightburn and save those who remain. If they win, you'll be remembered for your sacrifice. In Starfire's eyes, you became her hero."

Unlike the previous times Robin and the other Titans had made serious messes and caused more problems than they offered lousy solutions, this time was different. There was no do-over, no save or reset, and no second chances to redeem oneself. Robin had died protecting Starfire…and would stay dead. Heroes, real heroes…didn't come back to life unless it was under special circumstances or special considerations, like a Lazarus Pit or time machine. But not for Robin; the Boy Wonder, the former sidekick/partner of the Batman…was to remain dead.

"What is this place?" He asked.

"This place…is called the Elysium Fields," Brother Correction answered. "This is where those who are heroes come when they die."

In Robin's mind, it was like Heaven…but he didn't feel at peace. Heaven had to be a place that was earned by those that deserved to be recognized as being good people…and he didn't feel like he deserved to be here. He didn't feel like he deserved to be here at all.

To be continued…

A/N: What did you think? I had Robin do a selfless act, he ends up in a place where selfless people reside, and he doesn't feel like he belongs there. But I had to make him willing to make the choice that only a real hero would make, resulting in him becoming a real hero, close to what his serious self would be.