Part 20: Conclusion
Fire whipped around Draco, morphing his armor to Survivor Mode as tornado winds did the same to Pluto. Blackbird watched on in shock and asked, "What is happening?" Jinx and Blackfire grinned proudly.
"The boys just got an upgrade," Blackfire answered, referring to the crimson and gold and sapphire and gold armoured Knights.
Presenting: Draco and Pluto in Survivor Mode.
The Knights' belts, however, had gone through some changes. Their Zodiac Decks and Buckles had merged and the belts had modified themselves. Meaning, the cards were now inside the belt buckle. Their Zodiac Crystals, in the centre of their buckles, glowed as their powers grew. The Knights didn't question this as they prepared for battle.
Pluto pulled out his sword from his scabbard and locked blades with Blackwing as Draco leaned back and kicked Dreadwind into the air.
"Let's take it to the skies!" Pluto shouted as his cape morphed into a pair of batwings. He took to the air.
"Got it!" Draco nodded in agreement. He blasted flames from his feet before leaping into the air.
There was going to be a dogfight of sorts between the Knights and Deathtrons, and who better to commentate than Victor "Cyborg" Stone and Garfield "Beast Boy" Logan, dressed in their sports commentator suits and sitting behind a desk with microphones (See Part 20 of Volume 1 to know what I mean).
"Welcome sports fans to Titans Tower's first air born dogfight!" Beast Boy shouted into his microphone.
"BB, dogfights are always in the air," Cyborg reminded.
"Really? I thought dogs fought in real dogfights?"
"And do you think cats fight in real catfights?"
"Good point."
"What are those two doing?" Blackfire asked, referring to Cy and BB.
"It's a long story," Terra answered.
Draco had just drawn his Shoot Vent card and slid it into his Dragblaster. "Shoot Vent!" The Meteor Bullet option of his card reader activated. He then fired at Dreadwind with super hot and super fast fireballs. Dreadwind, however, with his new upgrades (courtesy of Fixit) dodged and avoided each shot, executing complex aerial acrobatic maneuvers.
"Eat hot plasma!" Dreadwind shouted as panels on his shoulder swung up to reveal 3 mini gun barrels on each shoulder. He then let loose several plasma shots at Draco.
Draco saw this and quickly teleported to avoid the shots. He then reappeared behind Dreadwind and fired another shot, only for an plasma energy shield to erect itself around the Deathtron flier.
"Crud!" Draco swore before Dreadwind turned and flew straight at him. Draco dodged to the side, but Dreadwind used his speed and slashed Draco's chestplate with one of his wings. Sparks flew upon contact. "Ugh!" Draco grunted. He shook his head; his inner Orphenoch, Ifrit, was trying to take over. He wasn't going to let him.
Pluto and Blackwing, in the meantime, were fighting with their blades. Blackwing's blades were now made of a material that could vibrate at high speeds, allowing it to cut through anything. Thankfully, only Soul Metal could cut through Soul Metal, so Pluto was safe.
Pluto had used Guard Vent, giving his scabbard the defensive capabilities of a shield as he used it to block Blackwing's slashes, swings and swipes. Blackwing then twirled in mid-air and smashed his heel into Pluto's side, executing a reverse roundhouse heel kick. Pluto quickly caught the foot before Blackwing could pull it back.
"LET ME GO YOU FILTHY EARTHBORN APE!" Blackwing screeched, flailing about as he tried to pull away.
"Not before I give you the shock of your life!" Pluto retorted, sending his electricity through Blackwing through the leg he was holding. Blackwing screamed as he was being shocked by millions upon millions of electrical voltage. Blackwing then pulled away with all his might, his body armor slightly charred and smoking.
"You're gonna pay for that!" Blackwing squawked.
"Would that be cash or credit?" Pluto barked back as they continued their fight. Pluto thrust his sword forward and Blackwing parried with his own blades. Pluto then spun around and threw Blackwing down, following after him with the fast beating of his wings.
Cyborg announced proudly, "It looks like Draco's in trouble!"
Jinx shouted, "BABY!"
"Wait, he's getting his head back into the game!" Beast Boy added. He then took a lot at Pluto, "Oh, and Pluto, the Knight of Dogs, just gave his opponent a shock-literally!"
"GO PUPPY!" Blackfire cheered.
Draco was able to throw Dreadwind back with a telekinetic blast before reaching into his deck. He drew out a new card and slid it into his Dragblaster. "Random Vent!"
"DIE!" Dreadwind shouted as he readied a photon blast from his cannon. He fired.
"Shoot Vent!" A pair of familiar shoulder mounted cannons that belonged to ARMS appeared on Draco, he then countered Dreadwind's blast.
"Wow!" Cyborg whooped, "What an upset!"
"What the heck just happened, Cy?" Beast Boy asked.
"Pluto told me that, in Survivor Mode, Draco has access to a card called 'Random Vent'. It will then turn into any of the cards belonging to any of the Zodiac Knights." Cyborg added, "It's also very random, hence the name, so Draco never knows what comes next!"
"Now that's random!"
Pluto blasted at Blackwing with electrical bolts that the Deathtron dodged. The flier then dove down and flew back up, catching Pluto from under his arms. He then decided to dive back down, taking Pluto with him.
"So long, ape!" Blackwing laughed. Pluto wasn't in the mood to laugh, but instead drew a card and slid it into his sword.
"Nasty Vent!"
Darkwing flew into the scene, summoned by the card, before transforming into Darkraider. The newly transformed (and upgraded) bat let out a loud screech targeted towards Blackwing. Blackwing's audio sensors (ears) were overwhelmed, so he let go of Pluto to close his ears. Pluto then drew another card and slit it into his sword.
"Blast Vent!"
Darkraider stopped its infernal screeching and flapped its wings. The turbine in its wings spun and blew tornado winds straight at Blackwing. Blackwing was blown away but the extreme turbulence.
"Talk about getting blown away!" Cyborg shouted.
"And this guy is gonna get burned," Beast Boy said as he turned his attention to Draco.
"Sword Vent!" Draco's Golden Dragon Blade extended from the barrel of his gun. He discarded the Giga Cannons. He deflected all of Dreadwind's plasma and photon shots with the blade and flew straight at the Deathtron. He swung the blade down and Dreadwind…just vanished! "Huh?"
Blackwing, now tired of the winds he was caught in, vanished as well. Pluto looked around, confused. "What the hell?"
"What just happened?" Jinx asked Cyborg and he shrugged.
"It looks like they vanished into thin air!" Beast Boy announced.
Or did they?
Draco got shot in the back and then in the arms, legs and chest. The shots were mild, but painful, and the Knight of Combustion grunted in pain from the small explosions on his armor. "Ugh! What the-Urgh! What's going-Arg!"
Pluto was suffering similar complications as sparks flew from his armor, like he was being attacked. He felt a swipe of several blades on his happening in several short seconds, but couldn't place their origin.
"Are they invisible?" Draco questioned his comrade through the communicator in his helmet.
"I don't think so!" Pluto shouted back, getting a hit in the chest, causing him to yelp, "I think they're moving fast!"
"No kidding!" Draco shouted as he got a powerful shot in the chest.
"Remember those upgrades?" Pluto grunted from a slash spark.
"Yes," Draco nodded. "Let's do it."
"CLOCK UP!" They both shouted in unison, pressing a button on their Excel Watches. Like the Deathtrons before, they just vanished.
(Look to MY profile to see what Clock Up is about)
Jinx and Blackfire were bewildered, as were the other Titans and Blackbird. The Knights seemed to have vanish after shouting out the words, "CLOCK UP!" The two Knights' girlfriends' hearts pounded in worry. Where had they gone?
They hadn't gone. In fact, there were just going too fast for the human eye to see.
Pluto and Draco fought the Deathtrons in their own battle zone, playing at their own game. The H.A.W.K.S., though shocked, were not going to be intimidated by mere 'copycats'.
"DIE HUMAN!" Blackwing shouted as he flew at Pluto at high speed.
"EAT PHOTONS!" Dreadwind shouted as he fired upon Draco with his rifles.
The Knights, now more inept at speed, were dodging their opponents strikes and shots with ease. This time, the Knights were going to finish the H.A.W.K.S. off.
To our four combatants, time froze around them, making the Titans look like statues. Things were moving at a near standstill as they fought. Sparks flew, but then froze in mid-air where they had momentarily had been.
The Knights were going to level the playing field pretty soon.
Pluto and Draco floated next to one another as Blackwing and Dreadwind did the same. Pluto spoke, "You can give up now, if you want. We're clearly more than a match for you."
"Don't think you've won, apes," mocked Blackwing, "We're just getting started." He turned to look at Dreadwind and his brother nodded.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Draco asked.
"Wait and see!" Dreadwind announced before the two Deathtron brother shouted in unison:
"BLACKWING AND DREADWIND-COMBINE!"
To the Knights' surprise, the two Deathtrons began transforming. Dreadwind changed into a large pair of legs with his head becoming a sort of belt buckle and his arms becoming laser blasters. His wings and cannon were left unchanged. Blackwing, on the other hand, changed into a robotic upper body, his head folding in to form the chest as his body expanded. His arms lengthened as well as his blades, becoming claws. His wings, like Dreadwind's, remained in their spot.
The two brothers, now two halves, combined, forming ONE humongous figure nearly 11 feet in height. A new head popped up from the body's shoulders, looking like a hawk's head with a Native American headdress. The hawk's beak opened to reveal a fact that had a red visor covering the eyes. The combination was complete.
"DREADWING!" Dreadwing was the combination of Blackwing and Dreadwind. He had four large wings and large and long sharp claw blades. Photon rifles were on his hips. He looked to be an imposing figure, standing at 14 feet in height.
The two Knights were shocked.
"Like it?" Dreadwind's voice boomed, sounding like a combination of Blackwing and Dreadwind's voices. "It was a little something we picked up when we used that old man's stuff to fix ourselves. Pretty handy, don't you think?" The two combined Deathtrons were referring to Fixit again and this enraged Pluto. Pluto, in his blind rage, flew at Dreadwing. "Hah, pathetic," Dreadwing said before firing at Pluto with his hip blasters. The shots slowed the Dog Knight down enough for Dreadwing to swipe at him with his claws. Pluto got hit and sent flying away. Draco caught him.
Pluto said, still angered said, "They used the plans that created the T-Robo to upgrade themselves." Draco realized that he was right.
"Time for your demise!" Dreadwing shouted before firing at the two Knights with his hip rifles.
Draco drew a card and slit into his Dragblaster. "Guard Vent!" Dragonzer morphed into Dragonrizer and flew around the two Knights, forming a barricade against the shots. Dreadwing then changed tactics and swiped with his claws, only for Dragonrizer to catch them in its jaw, biting down with its sharp teeth.
"LET GO!" Dreadwing shouted, trying to shake the Zodiac Beast off. Pluto saw this and used the chance to activate a card of his own.
"Add Vent!" he summoned Darkraider and the beast clawed at Dreadwing's face. Not only did he have to take care of a meddling dragon, but also a pesky bat.
"Time to divide and conquer," Pluto said as he drew a card. Draco, upon seeing its image, knew what it was and drew a card as well. They then slid them into their card readers, activating them.
"Survivor Final Vent!"
Dragonrizer and Darkraider left Dreadwing to regroup with their Knights. Dreadwing then watched, arrogantly, as the two Knights executed their Final Vents.
"DARK TORPEDO!"
"DRAGON METEOR FIRESTORM!"
The two Knights and their monster bikes smashed into the giant. Dreadwing held them back with his powerful hands, not allowing them to break through. However, the Knights were much more powerful than the Deathtrons realized. This was proven when Pluto drew a card from his belt and slid it into his sheathed sword.
"Focus Vent!"
With explosive force, the two Knights smashed into Dreadwing, splitting him back into Dreadwind and Blackwing.
"DIE!" enraged, Blackwing let out a loud cry and swung his arms, sending several energy blades in Pluto's direction. Pluto then drew his sword and raised up his scabbard as an electrical energy field formed around him and the blades harmlessly bounced off. Enraged, Blackwing decided to go medieval on Pluto's butt. Pluto anticipated this and with a quick draw, activated a new card.
"Trick Vent!"
Once there was one Pluto, now there were four, moving around Blackwing just as fast as he was. This confused the Deathtron, for he had no clue which one was the real Pluto.
The answer: as far as it was concerned, they ALL were REAL.
The 4 Plutos let out a harmonic battle cry as they flew straight at Blackwing at full speed, swords charged with electricity. Blackwing only crossed his arms over himself to block from the slashes. Several flashes and slashes rained on the Deathtron. When it was over, the Pluto duplicates vanished, leaving the REAL Pluto to sheathe his sword. "It's over," he muttered.
Blackwing turned, but then realized something was wrong. His blades suddenly shattered and they weren't the only ones as his wings shattered to bits, clean cut off his back. "SLAG!" he swore.
Draco, meanwhile, was still fighting Dreadwind. They both fired shots at one another, neither one letting down. Draco's Pisces Power of Clairvoyance kicked in, allowing him to see the shots before they were made, enabling him to dodge each of Dreadwind's photon shots with ease. Draco drew his DRA-Blaster from his belt. Together with the Dragblaster, he fired precision shots at the two rifles mounted on Dreadwind's forearms, damaging them severely and making them utterly useless. Dreadwind was shocked as his primary weapons had been disabled. However, he still had the cannon on his back. He screamed, in anger (which was unusual for him for he was known to be calmed. Maybe the stress was getting to him?), "EAT HOT SLAG!" he powered up his cannon. Draco saw this coming (literally) and put his blasters back on his belt before he quickly teleported away before the blast hit. Dreadwind, angered and confused, looked around for his target. "WHERE ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF!" he demanded shrilly.
Draco reappeared in flamed, right behind Dreadwind. He then grabbed Dreadwind's wings and put his feet in the Deathtron's back. With all his Ox Power induced super strength, his legs pushed as his arms pulled. Dreadwind screamed as his wings were RIPPED RIGHT OFF! He then felt his cannon freeze over before shattering to pieces, courtesy to Draco.
"See you back on the ground," Pluto and Draco said in unison before grabbing their opponents by the waist and bringing them to the ground at high speeds. Their Deathtron opponents screamed before they SMASHED into the ground HARD, creating a tremor and a large crater within the surface of the island.
"CLOCK OVER!" an internal computer in both Excel Watches announced.
There was a dust cloud of sand that billowed all around, obscuring everyone's vision. Who had won, the Titans could not tell.
"Puppy!" Blackfire called, "Yoshi! Are you okay?"
"Baby!" Jinx called, "Ryuki, please answer me!"
"Hey Plutes! You there?" Cyborg called.
"Yo, Leo! Where are you?" Mortuary called.
The Titans attempted to call out for their friends. The sand cloud was causing communication interference with the communicators. When the cloud began to dissipate, they heard two familiar voices:
"We're over here!" That was the Dragon Knight's voice.
"Yeah, what he said!" That was distinctively the Dog Knight's voice.
The Titans heard this and rushed towards the large crater. They looked down and rising back up, without their armors, were Pluto and Draco, carrying Blackwing and Dreadwind, respectively. The two Deathtrons appeared to be unconscious, not dead. Blackbird was relieved and DT…he was impressed. He had seen the Knights defeat Magnus, but seeing their power again was a magnificent sight indeed.
But how was he going to write the report? He was wondering on that as well as what to do with Blackbird.
"I can't believe these guys caused us this much trouble," Pluto said as he threw down Blackbird's damaged and unconscious form.
"I agree," Draco nodded, gently laying Dreadwind down. "Gomen," he apologized.
"Good job you two," DT said as he approached the two. He then kneeled down and placed a strange device between both Deathtrons. "Please step back," he told the two and they did. The device activated and an energy field, in the shape of a bubble, formed and the two Deathtrons were trapped inside.
Pluto, impressed, asked, "What is this?" he was always interested in new types of technology.
"It's a stasis energy field bubble generator," DT answered, changing back to human form. "It's designed to keep prisoners in suspended animation." The two Deathtrons were floating inside the large bubble. Draco poked it a bit.
"It doesn't seem too strong though," Draco stated.
"It was designed to be flexible," DT replied. He then turned to Blackbird. "Now, as for you..."
"What are you going to do to me?" Blackbird asked fearfully.
"I'm not going to capture you, is that what you think," DT said to her. "According to what Cyborg told me, they found you in a Sabretron stasis pod, correct?" she nodded. "Well, that would mean you defected from the Deathtrons, right?" she nodded, sadly. "So, you're not guilty of any crime as far as the Sabretrons are concerned." She smiled with relief. "However, neither can be said for your two brothers."
"I know, and I apologize for their behaviour. They enjoy chaos and destruction far too much and I finally got tired of it. That was why I chose to defect and become a medic, to make up for all the damage I caused."
"I see."
"I hope you can at least try to reform them."
"I promise," DT nodded.
"Thank you."
"However, my mission is still to bring you over to the Sabretron City-not as a prisoner, but we need more medics like you in the city, just in case. Also, we will need your stasis pod."
"Why is that?" Cyborg questioned.
DT didn't know if he should tell them this for this was classified information, "Well, off the record, the Sabretrons are going all over the world looking for stasis pods that went missing on Earth during the last war. We've already tracked down 15 so far, including Blackbird."
"And how many of these pod-thingies are still missing?" Beast Boy asked.
"An estimated 200 pods," DT replied nonchalantly, not noticing Beast Boy's shocked expression. "Give or take."
Blackfire, in her surprise, whistled, "That's a lot of pods."
"Agreed," DT nodded, "So, if you find anything, let me know."
"Will do, DT," Cyborg shook hands with the Sabretronian Titan.
"By the way, how is Fixit?" DT asked. Pluto and Cyborg's eyes widened.
"SHIT! I forgot!" Pluto swore. He flipped open his DOG-Phone and commanded, "T.I.T.A.N., disable defence grid!"
"Affirmative," T.I.T.A.N. answered.
Back inside the Tower's infirmary, Pluto pressed a few buttons on the computer, allowing the nanotech fluid to drain out. The down swung open, letting out a cloud of steam.
"Ah, I feel much better," said an aged and wise voice. When the cloud dispersed, Fixit was good as new and there was no evidence of injury left on him. He regarded Pluto, "Thank you. Your machine is quite remarkable and I would very much like to study it." At that, Pluto smiled.
To Be Continued…
New card used:
Focus Vent: This card can only be used by Pluto. When using this card it allows the user to become faster and stronger by slowing the rest of the world down.