Chapter 4:
Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy flew towards the distress signal while Robin and Cyborg followed in the T-Car.
"There!" Robin yelled, pointing ahead at Predator, who was in the midst of fighting Mammoth.
Predator jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a devastating blow from Mammoth. Predator retaliated, sending a hard uppercut to his jawline and then quickly pouncing on him.
"Looks like he's already ahead of the game." Cyborg said as the other Titans arrived on the scene.
Mammoth was slammed hard into the ground with Predator still holding onto him. Mammoth grunted as he endured several punches, scratches and a stomp to the face from Predator, before he finally caught one of his punches. Predator struggled to free himself, turning his fingers into claws, ultimately to no avail as Mammoth stood back up. With earth-shattering force, he slammed Predator right into the cement.
Had it not been for Predator's extraordinary vitality, he would have been completely crushed.
Predator quickly recovered from the attack, catching Mammoth's foot before he could crush him underneath it. Predator growled as he gathered all of his strength and threw Mammoth off of him. Predator clawed the back of Mammoth's other knee causing him to kneel forward, landing himself into an uppercut. Predator took the opportunity and threw a right hook, followed by a left uppercut and two more hooks. He ended it with a kip-up, his feet impacting onto his face, pushing him backwards. Predator jumped over, landed on his back and bit him in the shoulder. Mammoth roared as he grabbed Predator and slammed him into the ground. He then picked him up by the neck and punched him into the air. Predator recovered midair, landing on both feet. He shook as he tried to steady the fire in his lungs.
"Is that it?" Mammoth taunted before he charged at Predator. "I've had chicken bones that put up more of a fight."
Predator glared angrily at Mammoth. He stood up and charged full-speed at him. The encounter was interrupted as a blast of blue energy knocked Mammoth away, sending him crashing into the side of a building.
Predator looked in the direction of the ray and saw Cyborg with his hand in the form of his signature sonic cannon. Standing beside him were Robin and Beast Boy—who stood on the top of a mailbox like a monkey—while Raven and Starfire hovered above them.
"You guys sure took your time gettin' here." Predator scowled.
"We like making an entrance." Beast Boy said with a cocky smile.
"Great, the cavalry has arrived." Mammoth growled as he stood back up. "Now I can crush all six of you in one day." He cracked his knuckles. "This just keeps getting better and better."
"Isn't this the part where you call in that little bald-headed, know-it-all partner of yours?" Cyborg asked. "And then we whip your butts and send you both back to jail?"
"Gizmo? Ha! I dumped that bossy little pipsqueak off a long time ago. And now that I'm finally rid of him, I get to call the shots all on my own. And my first order of business..." Mammoth slammed his fists into the ground and literally pulled a large chunk of the street out of the ground and lifted it over his head. "...is sending you punks into the dust." He threw the large boulder at them.
"Titans go!" Robin exclaimed. The five Titans quickly moved in different directions while Predator remained where he was, confused.
"Wait what?" Predator asked, confused. He jumped away to avoid the boulder, landing near Cyborg. "'Titans go?' Seriously?"
"Yep, he says it all the time. It's like a little motto of ours." Cyborg explained. "I say it too, sometimes."
"Alright, but...ugh, forget it. Who's the giant, walking furball?"
"Mammoth. He used to be a member of the H.I.V.E. Five and a student at H.I.V.E. Academy. H.I.V.E. eventually dissolved and the group broke up. We have one of them on our side now, but we've been dealing with the others as we go along. Seems like you two have gotten to know each other already."
"Yeah...I didn't need help, ya know."
"I couldn't tell from the way he was throwin' you around." Cyborg said with a smirk.
"Bite me!"
Beast Boy morphed himself into a rhino and charged at Mammoth at top speed. Mammoth grinned and grabbed him by the horn, pushing his weight against him. He flipped Beast Boy over with all his might and slammed him into the ground, knocking him unconscious with swirls rotating around his eyes.
A sudden green star bolt landed right next to him and he redirected his attention to Starfire who repeatedly swung her arms, doing her absolute best to hit him, but was overall unsuccessful. Mammoth grabbed the rhino Beast Boy and lifted him into the air. With a loud grunt, he threw him at Starfire who quickly came to a stop. Having regained consciousness, Beast Boy morphed back into his original form screaming for his life until he crashed into her and they were sent flying through the air, crashing into the pavement.
Mammoth was caught off guard when a light post emitting a black aura tangled itself around him. He looked up and saw Raven, her eyes glowing crystal white and her arms pointing at him while her hands emitted said aura. Raven used her telekinesis to tighten the hold on Mammoth and landed on the ground.
Really, is that it?" Mammoth said, unimpressed.
In one swift motion, he forcefully untangled himself, causing the light post to collide into her, pushing her backwards into the air, landing on her back.
"All these years and you losers are still as weak as ever." He picked up a nearby car and threw it at her as she slowly stood to her feet. Raven stood there, staring at the incoming car until Predator, from out of nowhere, tackled her out of the way.
"You okay?" Predator asked kneeling down next to her. She nodded.
"I'm fine, but he's a lot more powerful than he used to be. He's somehow progressed over the years."
Predator observed the other three felled Titans.
"Yeah, this isn't goin' well. But that doesn't mean he can't go down." Predator said reassuringly.
"He's right." Robin said from out of nowhere. "Every villain has a weakness, and I think I know a way to take him down. Predator, I know we can beat him, but I'll need you to tag along if we're gonna make some progress. Are you with me?"
Robin placed his hand out in front of him. Predator stared for a moment. Usually, he wasn't much of a team player, mostly because he's done things on his own. But from the look on Robin's face and the progress they were making so far, it seemed like they really needed it. He narrowed his eyebrows and grasped his hand.
"Alright, I'm in." He said.
Mammoth was focused on Robin and Predator until a rock-hard punch connected straight with his jaw, compliments of Cyborg. Cyborg followed with a series of punches until he finished it off with an uppercut, sending Mammoth off the ground and landing on his back.
"Boo-yah!" Cyborg exclaimed with a grin. His vigor disappeared as Mammoth got back on his feet and cracked his neck.
"Is that all you've got?" Mammoth laughed. "Last time I checked, you punched a lot harder than that."
Cyborg's face turned to shock as Mammoth threw a hard punch of his own, sending him crashing into a wall, collapsing face first right next to Beast Boy and Starfire, who lied on the ground unconscious.
"Come on. Have you wusses gone soft over the years? You guys are just making this look way too easy. I haven't even broken a sweat."
"Hey, Bonehead..." Predator called. Mammoth raised an eyebrow as he turned around to see Robin and Predator standing side by side. "...I dunno if ya noticed, but there's still two of us left in the party. And if ya ask me, I'd say the odds are pretty up against you. Now I said it before and I'll say it again: we can do this the easy way..."
"Or the hard way." Robin finished, pulling out his staff and twirling it counter clockwise.
Instead, of a response, Mammoth chuckled maliciously and slid his foot backwards like a wild bull. The only thing he saw was just two scrawny weaklings he could crush with one hand behind his back.
"Ready?" Robin asked.
"Let's do this." Predator smirked as he shifted his eyes into a brownish-orange color—the eyes of a lion—sharpening his teeth and morphing his fingers into claws. They charged towards Mammoth at full speed, screaming battle cries as loud as they could.
"One…" Robin began.
Mammoth was 10 meters away.
"Two…" Predator continued.
Mammoth was 5 meters away. He raised his fist, preparing a decisive blow.
"Three!" They both shouted in unison before ducking under the punch.
Robin swung his staff towards Mammoth's abdomen, but he blocked it, until Predator jumped up and caught him by surprise with a hard punch to his jaw, pushing him backwards at a pretty good distance.
"Let's give this creep a beatin'." Predator said as he and Robin charged again.
Mammoth growled at them and blocked another swing from Robin's staff, along with another surprise punch from Predator. Their speed got the best of him once Robin managed to hit him hard in the stomach, nearly taking the breath out of him. Predator threw another punch to his left eye, followed by an uppercut. Mammoth retaliated by slamming both fists down but they swiftly dodged his attack, causing him to punch another hole in the ground. Predator landed a reverse somersault kick, standing him straight up on impact, allowing Robin to send a hard punch of his own which pushed him back some more.
Beast Boy, from the sidelines, groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the ground.
"Oh, my head... I guess that settles who would win between a mammoth and a rhino." He murmured, rubbing his forehead. Looking to the side, he was quickly attached to Predator and Robin double teaming against Mammoth, performing a series of unbelievably fast punches, claws and kicks, not once giving him a chance to fight back. The whole scene itself looked—in his vocabulary—awesome.
"Whoa..." He moaned in amazement. "Guys, get up, you've gotta see this." He moved to his friends and began almost hysterically shaking them awake.
"Ugh, what?" Cyborg mumbled, looking upwards and also noticing the battle taking place. He stood up to his feet and automatically became focused on Predator and Robin. Starfire was the last to rise from the ground, her eyes also becoming attached to them.
"Raven, you gotta-" Beast Boy called until he suddenly noticed she was right next to them, already catching a glimpse of the fight as we speak.
"I'm way ahead of you." She said with a smirk keeping her eyes focused on the fight.
Robin and Predator continued their attack with a knee to the gut by Robin, an elbow to the nose by Predator and—to be precise—one hit after the other until they finished it off with a double punch to the face, hoping it would be the final blow. To their dismay, all it did was push him back even more. Cracking his jaw, Mammoth growled and glared at them with hatred.
"Now, you're really gonna regret making me mad." He snapped.
"I'd regret not making you mad." Predator panted with a sly smirk. He then turned to Robin. "You got anymore left in ya?"
"I'm fine." Robin panted. "But it looks like we'll have to hit him a lot harder. We have to stop him, one way or another. Get ready to hit him with everything you've got."
"My plan exactly." Predator agreed, his eyes now glowing similar to that of a Mountain Lion. "It's time to show him what we're really made of."
Charging towards him, Predator jumped over Mammoth and landed right behind him. Mammoth quickly turned to face Predator, only to be blindsided by a powerful straight from Robin. The blow pushed him backwards into a flying roundhouse kick to his lower back by Predator.
The two began delivering a series of punches to Mammoth's lower abdomen and lower back. Mammoth stood his ground, enduring every blow before throwing a hook towards Robin. Robin swiftly ducked back and delivered a spinning elbow to Mammoth's jaw. He winced and twirled around, his body now facing Predator.
Robin twirled to the side, positioning himself right next to Predator allowing them both to send an even faster and harder series of punches to his left hip and abdomen. Even after twelve punches, Mammoth unbelievably remained on his feet, taking every single punch as if they were nothing. He swung his fist, this time aiming for Predator.
Predator ducked underneath it and he and Robin continued their assault. They simultaneously punched Mammoth in the chest, nearly taking his breath away. They combined their efforts with a series of kicks and uppercuts. Mammoth threw another punch towards both of them, but they swiftly ducked it and simultaneously punched his stomach, causing him to gasp and lean forward.
Robin jumped and slammed his elbow down on the back of Mammoth's neck, followed by Predator sending a jumping knee to his face, standing him straight up again. They continued to deliver an even faster and harder barrage of punches, ignoring the sweat dripping from their foreheads, the intensity within their lungs and the sores in their knuckles. One way or another, they were determined to take Mammoth down and there was nothing that could stop them. It wasn't long before they suddenly noticed Mammoth's body starting to give up on him.
Mammoth growled and threw an aggravated punch at Robin, who ducked again, grabbing Mammoth's wrist and performing a wrist lock on him. He stomped on the back of Mammoth's knee, forcing him to kneel in front of Predator. Mammoth, becoming increasingly tired by the battle, desperately swung his free hand at Predator. Predator effortlessly caught him and delivered a powerful headbutt to his nose.
"CRACK!" Mammoth shouted as his nose broke. The other Titans flinched. Mammoth's eyes were shut tight, his mouth wide open in pain as blood flew out of his nasal.
Robin sent two vertical punches to the back of Mammoth's neck and Predator sent two hooks and an uppercut to his jaw. Robin ran over Mammoth's back and reverse aerial flipped off of his shoulders. Predator kicked Mammoth back and Robin landed feet first right on his chest, forcefully pushing him down and bashing the back of his head against the hard ground and finally knocking him out.
"Whew, he down?" Predator asked catching his breath as Robin stepped off of Mammoth.
"Yeah...he's down. And I don't think he's getting back up either." Robin replied, also catching his breath, staring down at the now unconscious Mammoth.
"Not so tough now are ya, big guy?" Predator smirked at the felled villain. "You got some nice moves, man." He said to Robin.
"Thanks. You're not too bad yourself." Robin said.
"Dude, that was sick!" Beast Boy commented in admiration.
Robin and Predator turned to see the other Titans approaching them.
"That was literally one of the most awesomest things I have ever seen!" Beast Boy continued.
"I'll say." Cyborg agreed. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I took Martial Arts when I was a kid." Predator said, stretching his sore body. "Plus, it comes with the shape-shifting abilities. It's really no big deal."
"No big deal?" Beast Boy shouted. "Hellooo, did you not see yourself back there? You guys like, performed the greatest double team takedown in history back there. It was like looking at a sequence of 'The Dynamic Duo 2.0'."
Beast Boy looked up and a thought bubble appeared over his head with an image of Predator and Robin standing on a rooftop, side by side with their arms crossed. Raven suddenly popped the thought bubble, bringing a glum expression to Beast Boy's face.
"I think what he's trying to say is: you guys make a pretty good team." Raven said.
"Indeed it was!" Starfire chimed. "I believe it would be appropriate to offer our new friend a place on our team!"
"Wait, what?" Predator exclaimed, surprised.
"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, Star." Robin said, rubbing his chin in thought.
Predator stared at him a little bit bewildered.
"You've shown great skill and potential since you arrived, Predator. I believe you've earned the opportunity to proclaim yourself as one of us. With all of your abilities, you'd make a great addition to the team. How would you like to become an official member of the Teen Titans?"
"We know things have been pretty hectic for you the last few days." Cyborg said, assuredly. "Trust me, man, once you become a Titan, everything will get better than it ever was before. Sure there'll be some minor issues. You know, typical roommate stuff, like agreeing on food and whose turn it is to do the dishes. But it just takes a bit of getting used to."
Predator looked down in heavy thought. He wasn't much of a team player. For a majority of his time as a vigilante, he considered himself as a loner. But now, an actual team was offering him a chance to become one of them. It almost felt it wasn't just an offer to be part of a team, but also a chance to make things right for him. A chance to prove to others that he is not something or someone to be feared, except by those who choose the wrong path. However, the question quickly grasped onto him: Is he really cut out for being a Teen Titan? He looked back up to the others and stared for a moment. The looks on all of their faces clearly stated that they really wanted him to join, even though they just met him.
"I gotta ask, what's the catch?" Predator asked.
"No catch; you just have to be willing to protect and serve others at all costs especially those who still have much to live for-that includes your allies. You have to be willing to put their lives above yours. There's another rule that you have to follow, bar none."
"Which is?"
"You can never take a life." Robin answered, sternly. "No matter how big or serious the threat, stooping to that level would only show that you're no better than the villains we've sworn to fight. So...are you in?"
Predator narrowed his eyebrows.
"Okay, I'm in."
"All right, then. As of now..." He grabbed a T-Communicator from his utility belt and held it out for him. "...consider yourself an official member of the Teen Titans."
Predator took the communicator and stared at it. At that very moment, it became official to him. He no longer considered himself as just 'Predator,' but now as 'Predator, the Teen Titan.'
"Aww yeah!" Cyborg patted Predator on the back. "Bad guys, beware! Because we've got the big, bad Predator on our team now, baby!"
"Finally!" Beast Boy exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Predator's shoulder. "Another animal in our group that I can actually look up to. It's almost like having an older brother."
Predator glanced at him with an eyebrow raised, which Beast Boy quickly noticed. He removed his arm and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously.
"By brother I mean in a new friend/teammate type of way."
Cyborg and Beast Boy were swiftly pushed aside by Starfire, who pulled Predator into a crushing hug.
"Glorious!" Starfire shouted, tightening the hug, forcing Predator's head to turn blue and increase in size. "I am very excited to consider you not only as my new friend but also as my trustworthy ally. I offer you my most sincerest gratitude."
"Yeah, me too, Star..." Predator gasped. "Could you let me go, now; you're crushin' my ribs!"
Starfire released Predator with a smile, allowing him to take a deep breath, desperately gasping for air and grasping the painful spot on his ribs. He looked up and noticed Raven with a small smile on her face staring at him, her hood covering a majority of her face. Thankfully, she was also the only one who didn't try to physically welcome him.
"You're not gonna hug me too, are ya?" Predator asked.
"And give you the pleasure of being physically maimed?" Raven smirked.
"Actually comin' from you, I really wouldn't mind. I heal fast, remember? Come on, I don't bite...much."
"No thanks."
"So you're fine with goin' through my head, but ya don't wanna hug me?" Predator smiled playfully.
"She has her own way of doing things." Beast Boy explained. "You'll realize that once you get to know-" Without warning, Predator ran up to Raven and brought her into a hug of his own.
"No, Predator, stop! What are you doing?!" Beast Boy cried, freaking out, knowing that anyone who even tried to touch Raven—even if it was a hug—usually end up with something very bad happening to them. But to his and everyone else's surprise, she didn't do anything at all. Instead she just stood there wide eyed with a dark red blush around her cheeks. After a few more seconds, Predator let her go and gave her a wry smile.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He teased. Raven shook her head and her blush quickly went away.
"People don't normally get away with that." She advised. "But I'll give you a free pass, this time."
"What?" Beast Boy exclaimed, his mouth agape. "He can hug you without permission, but no one else can?"
"Like you said, I have my own way of doing things."
Pretty soon two specialized officers arrived in a large van. They opened the back doors but struggled with trying to get the still unconscious Mammoth off the ground.
"Man, this guy weighs a ton." One of the officers complained. "We should've brought a fork lift."
"You need a hand with that, Chief?" Predator asked, approaching them.
"Thanks, kid, but I don't think you can-" The officer quickly became silent as Predator picked Mammoth up without even a struggle. He carried him over his shoulders until he threw him in the van without hesitation. Everyone stared at him, shocked as to how strong he was.
"What were you saying?" Predator asked, crossing his arms. Neither of the officers answered, but instead went back into the van and drove off. Predator turned to the others with a smirk. "The food's still at the table, right?"
(A While Later)
Predator rested peacefully on his bed, the nighttime rain patting against his windows, somehow making it seem a little more peaceful for him. This was by far the best sleep he's had in a while now. His body turned over, now facing the wall when suddenly:
"Beep, beep, beep…" Predator's T-Communicator suddenly sounded off while a small red light flashed rapidly. His eyes popped wide open, revealing a pair of tired red eyes. His clock showed it was 6:00 in the morning.
"Ugh… what?" Predator groaned, grabbing the communicator from the nightstand and pressing the button. "Hello?" He mumbled, tiredly.
"Predator, it's Robin. We need you to report to the 5th floor, right away." Robin's voice responded from the T-Com.
"Seriously... now?" He groaned, lying back down, closing his eyes.
"Yes. Now." Robin repeated, hanging up on the other end.
Predator sighed and got out of bed, grabbing his mask. What could Robin and the others possibly want so early in the morning?
To Be Continued...