Author's Note:
Well, hey everyone. How are you all doing? Have I made you wait long enough? I'm really, really sorry for that, it's just that you know things and stuff happen. But you don't want to hear about that, you just wanna read the story. So I don't want to get in your way, here is the next chapter.
Oh, if I may ask something, you all remember the episode Winner Take All, right? Okay, so I was thinking of adding more heroes into the competition, you know, since Kylar's gonna be there as well and he's gonna need opponents. So tell me who you think would be a good choice if you want, that would help a lot.
So... yeah, remember to write a review if you want to and to follow and favorite if you like the story. Now without further adieu, let's get this show on the road.
The full moon shined brightly in the quiet night sky. The luminous white glow spread across the city beautifully undisturbed, that is, until a bright flash in the distance made itself known. As the flash flew closer and closer toward the city, it resolved into a red-and-yellow alien spacecraft. Cutting a path straight through the clouds, the ship cruised over Jump City Bay and headed straight for the urban section of the city. As it passed the bridge and Titans Tower, the wake of its passing threw up a wall of water.
The vessel redirected its course for the mountains outside the city and crash landed in a quick dive, throwing up dirt a cloud of smoke that covered the entire area as a result. Inside the fresh furrow, a red-eyed silhouette reared up and leapt away from the spacecraft, sprinting down the mountain and toward the city.
0-0
The following day, the sun was shining beautifully in the sky. Inside the Tower's garage, Cyborg was tuning up the engine of the T-Car with the help of the acetylene torch built in his right finger. However, unbeknownst to the cybernetic grease monkey, a green lizard scuttled up the side of a storage container behind him and made its way along the ceiling. Hanging there, upside down, the small reptile surveyed the hard working mechanic.
Suddenly, the small animal dropped from its' perch and landed on the bionics' arm. "Wha-? Whoa!" Cyborg cried as he stumbled backwards, throwing the lizard against another container. After tumbling to the floor, and scattering his tools everywhere, the titanium Titan saw the lizard morph back into human form. "BEAST BOY!" He growled as his face glowed bright red.
"Heh… guess I shoulda knocked first." Beast Boy chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "So, what's up Cyborg? Working on your car?" The green teen asked as he approached his larger friend, who began gathering the items he dropped. "Bet you could use a few extra hands." He smiled before transforming into a green squid.
"Nah, I can handle it." The metallic teen responded while the squid began picking up some of the tools, "'Sides, some of these tools are kinda-"
"Ooh! What's this do?" Beast Boy asked after returning to his human form.
Cyborg looked over at him and dropped the equipment in his arms with a panicked little stutter. Before he could do anything, the curious shorter Titan activated the tool he was holding and released a flash of fire, causing a dense cloud of smoke to surround them. When the smog cleared, the two teens noticed that a good portion of the T-Car's bodywork had been badly singed. With a furious snort, the African mechanic glared at his green comrade.
"Oops… heh." The shape-shifting Titan blushed as a big sweat drop rolled down his temple.
"Maybe you should go help somebody else." Cyborg suggested icily, fighting against his urge to strangle the changeling. Taking the hint clearly, Beast Boy smiled sheepishly before darting out of the garage, hoping that his bulky friend wouldn't chase after him.
0-0
On the beach surrounding Titans Tower, a couple of man-shaped cutout targets popped out of the sand. Once three more targets finished rising, Robin sailed through the air and struck one with a roundhouse kick, then another with an overhead drop kick. He then went into a fast run and broke three more with various kung-fu moves. As he hurled himself into a spinning kick at the final cutout, Beast Boy popped up right in front of it.
"Hey, Robin." The oblivious teenager grinned as he held up a peace sign. However, his face went slack immediately as he realized what was about to happen. An instant later, he received the full force of the hit and was launched through the air before crash landing a few yards from the Boy Wonder. Woozily, he peeled himself halfway off the ground, "Need a workout buddy?" He groaned as his masked friend helped him stand up.
"Sorry, Beast Boy. But this is really more of a solo thing." The spiky-haired Titan apologized. "You okay?"
"Awesome." The changeling sighed sadly as he hung his head and stalked away from his team leader.
0-0
Inside Kylar's room, the resident brunette was sitting at his piano and playing a melodic tune. The scent of lavender and the soothing sounds coming from the piano created a very serene atmosphere. However, to the pianists' surprise, that atmosphere was disturbed when a smiling green teen slid up behind him.
"Hey, Ky!" Beast Boy shouted, causing the aura manipulator to stop playing.
"Hey, Beast Boy." Kylar responded flatly as he started playing again.
"Whatcha doing?" The changeling asked as he took a seat next to his taller friend.
"Practicing." He replied as he continued pressing keys without missing a beat.
"Cool. Can I help?" The eager teen asked as he cracked his knuckles. "Try something like a duet." He then began pressing keys on the piano in random order, creating a 'song' with no rhythm to speak of.
"Ah!" The jacket wearing teen cried as he seized his teammates left hand to keep him from pressing more keys. "Thanks, B, but I think I can manage on my own."
"Oh... Okay." Beast Boy understood. Crestfallen, he stood up from the piano bench and made his way out of the aura manipulators' room.
0-0
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Raven chanted from inside her room. She and Starfire were floating crossed-legged just above the floor as they held their hands out to a large crystal ball that was placed between them. Both of their eyes were closed as they focused on the large glass orb.
"Tell me, Raven," The Tamaranean began as she opened her left eye to look at her friend, "does it always take so long to contact the spirit world?"
"Not always, Starfire, but it does require intense focus." The blue sorceress replied; her eyes closed as she continued meditating. "Absolute quiet and-"
"DUDES!" The image of Beast Boy shouted as it appeared inside the crystal ball. The two would-be mediums screamed in surprise and grabbed onto each other for support. A moment later, their green friend stood up from behind the ball, revealing he was still a member of the living. "Check it out." He held up a Chinese takeout container marked Hong's Tofu, "If I can eat twenty-nine pounds of tofu in under an hour I'll set a new world record." The two girls released each other and stared at him with bored expressions. "Wanna be my official witnesses?"
"Um…" Starfire hesitated in her reply.
"No." Raven answered bluntly, clearly annoyed with him.
After a moment, the poor teens' face fell as he looked away, frustrated and dejected. He then made his way out the door and headed down the hall, in hopes of finding something to do.
0-0
With none of his friends having any need for him, Beast Boy made his way to the Tower's open main entrance. Before leaving, he turned around one last time to see if anyone wanted to accompany him.
"Okay, well… if, uh, nobody needs me, I'm heading downtown." He cheerfully stated loudly, hoping to get someone's attention. "Crazy party in the big city. Anybody want to come with?" Silence was his only response since he was the only person in the entrance hall. "Yes?... No?... Anybody?" His words echoed through the empty space. With his answer, he hung his head dejectedly and trudged through the opening.
0-0
As he walked through the streets of Jump City, the normally energetic changeling stared at his communicator. "Crazy party…" He sighed before stopping. "There's gotta be somebody who wants to hang out with me." He said as he held his arms out wide, hoping for a sign. Then, as if on cue, the sound of giggling grabbed his ear. Turning to the source of the noise, he noticed two cute blond-haired girls sitting at a sidewalk table in front of the pizza joint the team normally likes to eat at. "Please let them be somebody!" Beast Boy grinned as stars appeared in his eyes.
As confidently as possible, the green Titan strolled up to the two girls as they giggled to themselves some more. "Hello, ladies." He addressed as suavely as he could, "Wanna go for a spin on my moped?"
"You own a moped?" One of the girls asked.
"No…" The debonair Titan admitted as he cracked his knuckles, "But I'm saving up." He smirked as he tried for a casual lean. Unfortunately for the lady-killer, he brought his palm down flat and planted it in the center of their pizza by mistake. His hand slid from underneath him, through the cheese and sauce, and caused him to lose his balance. "Whoa!" He cried as he banged his chin on the table edge. The impact jarred a pitcher of water, which flew into the air and landed upside down on his head.
Laughing, the two girls got up and left, leaving the embarrassed teen alone. He stood up and pulled the pitcher loose after a moment's effort, then cocked an ear at the sound of assorted cooing words from the pair of blondes. Looking at the pair in the park across the street, he saw them talking to and petting a large brown dog, whose young male owners stood nearby. "Lucky dog." Beast Boy stated sourly. "Sure wish I was…" A lit bulb appeared above him as he clapped the side of his head, "Okay, duh!" Acting quickly on his brainstorm, he transformed into a green dog with large dark spots and ran toward the park, barking as he approached the two girls. He then stopped on the grass, wagging and panting as endearingly as he knew how, only to receive puzzled stares from both girls and the real canine.
"Um… why is that dog green?" One of the girls asked.
"And, ew." The other girl winced as she and her friend covered their noses, "It smells like old pizza."
"Shoo! Yucky dog, get away! Go!" The first girl cried as she waved the poor dog away.
After getting rejected, again, the green spotted dog whined, hung its head, and slinked away.
0-0
Inside an alley, a green dog, without spots, barked and poked its head up from a dumpster. It leapt out and began gnawing at a boot left on the pavement; but after a few chews, the sound of something approaching made it drop the item and yip worriedly. In the sky above, the spacecraft from the night before floated over the alley. As it hovered above the dog, a broad beam of light poured from a hatch on the underside and made its way closer to the green canine. Without any hesitation, the dog took off running to get away from the beam, leaving the old boot to get sucked up instead.
The tractor beam was hot on the green tail, as the dog made its way around a corner, over an aqueduct, and then into another alley.
0-0
Inside the Ops Center, the window screen suddenly flashed red and displayed a message: Alert-City Sector 5. Robin, Kylar, and Cyborg were standing in front of the screen while Raven and Starfire soon flew in and joined them.
"Trouble!" The leader shouted.
"Where is Beast Boy?" The auburn-haired teen asked once she landed.
"No time to found out." Robin replied, "Titans! GO!" He shouted. The others obliged and quickly ran for the door.
0-0
In an unoccupied section of the park, a familiar green spotted dog walked over a hill. Stopping in a secluded area, the disheartened canine whined softly at its twofold rejection-first as a teenager, then as a dog- but a distant bit of yapping shook him out of his depression. Looking over at some bushes, another green pooch skidded out from behind the shrub and ran straight for him. A head-on collision sent both animals to the ground and stunned them for a moment. Shaking their heads, they both gave each other a good look, surprising both parties equally. Before either could react, the whirring sound of a flying craft caught their attention. Looking to the skies, they noticed the red-and-yellow ship bearing down on them.
Not wanting to stick around, the plain green dog bailed from the area just as another tractor beam shot from the underside of the ship. Not understanding what was happening, the imposter dog was caught and hauled up into the ship, leaving the T-Communicator in a patch of grass singed by the energy.
0-0
Inside a very large circular chamber, dimly lit by only a double row of lights at the base of the walls, the spotted green dog lied dazed under a pool of light cast from an overhead source.
"Bad dog!" The canine heard a voice say to him, causing him to sit up and notice a metal collar clamped around his neck. "You should not try to escape." As the voice spoke, a very large shadow fell across the 'dog.' The figure casting said shadow was made of gray stone and very blocky, with two white slits for eyes, and wearing a yellow jumpsuit of some sort.
Shaking himself back into human form, Beast Boy tugged on his collar, "Um… you sure you got the right dog?" He asked as the large being leaned down and stared at him menacingly.
0-0
Back in the secluded section of the park, Robin crouched down and plucked a bit of singed grass for examination. Next to him, Cyborg was examining his forearm panel closely while Starfire looked around the immediate area.
A little later, Raven and Kylar walked up and regrouped with the team. "Word is, it was some kind of flying saucer." The mage said as she approached the group.
"It was also firing some kind of beam at the ground." The brunette added.
"Whatever it was, my sensors can't track it." The metallic bruiser stated as he lowered his forearms, "Didn't leave any kind of trail."
"But it did leave this." The Boy Wonder assured as he pointed at the burned grass. "Something got zapped. Question is, what?"
Looking off to one side, the orange Titan gasped as she bent over to pick something off the ground, "Beast Boy!" She cried as she picked up a T-Communicator.
The others hurried over to see. Cyborg took the device and sniffed it. "It's BB's, all right." He confirmed as he jerked his head away hastily. "Smells like tofu."
"Oh, I fear our friend has gotten 'the zap.'" Starfire worried as she took the communicator back.
To the teams' surprise, a green dog jumped up toward them and bowled Raven over, giving her a hearty lick on the face.
"He looks fine to me." The gloomy sorceress groaned in disgust.
"Beast Boy!" The Tamaranean cheered as she picked up the dog, allowing Raven to stand up, "You are unharmed!"
"Where have you been?" The titanium Titan asked.
"Why are you a dog?" The aura manipulator questioned.
"Did you get a look at the UFO?" The spiky-haired teen queried. However, instead of giving an answer, the dog squirmed out of Starfire's grip and jumped on Raven, knocking her down again.
"Ugh! Don't make me send you to another dimension." Raven threatened as the dog licked her face some more.
Kylar walked over and pulled the dog off his friend, "Easy, Tiger." He said as he placed the animal on the ground, "Don't want to invoke the wrath of the mage." He chuckled as he patted the dogs' head. Without any warning, the green pooch playfully bit the brunettes' hand. "Ow!" He recoiled as he nursed the injury, "You little runt, you'll pay for that!" Kylar was about to lunge at the dog, but Cyborg grabbed him around his torso and held him back.
"All right, Beast Boy, quit fooling around. We've got work to do." Robin ordered as the pooch barked excitedly at their feet. "Beast Boy!" To the leaders' annoyance, the dog was engaged in the time-honored pursuit of chasing its own tail, causing a drop of sweat to slide down the back of his head.
"Friend! Why will you not resume human form and speak with us?" The alien teen asked as she moved a bit closer to the dog.
"Maybe he can't." Cyborg suggested after letting his hotheaded brunette friend go. "Maybe something's wrong with him. Kneeling next to the canine, He extended a forearm and checked its panel. A computer outline of the dog was displayed on it while a red bar swept across the image. "That's strange." The bionic awed as he examined the screen.
On the street outside of the park, a nice looking sports car sped past and down a side road. To the team's bewilderment, the green dog left them behind and raced after the vehicle.
"Yep. Definitely something wrong with him." The African teen reassured as he stood up.
0-0
Giving chase to their friend, the other five Titans emerged from an alley and looked around.
"Where did he go?" Robin asked.
"And what did he do to that car?" Raven asked as she pointed to a car on the other side of the street.
They looked over and saw the rear bumper of the car gone and its rear axle severely bent. The owner jumped all around, looking at the damage from different angles. "My bumper!" The man cried as he fell to his knees.
"Split up and search." The masked teen stated. "Start with Beast Boy's usual hangouts and fan out from there." With a nod, the four followed the order and ran off in different directions.
0-0
Back at the pizza joint, Robin questioned the two blonde girls Beast Boy met with earlier, seeing if they knew anything. He was soon in for a surprise when the green mutt tugged on the end of his cape. Letting go, the dog ran off while the young Titan followed in hot pursuit.
0-0
On the shore of Jump City Bay, under the bridge, Raven was walking along the water's edge in search for her green comrade. She soon found her target when it ran up behind her and knocked her down to the ground. It licked her face a few more times before running off again, leaving the girl completely stunned.
0-0
In the streets of downtown, Cyborg made his way through the city before noticing the green dog next to him. Unfortunately for him, the bionic Titan appeared as only one thing to the dog: a king-sized fire hydrant. Recoiling in disgust, and realizing that he had just been used as a toilet, the cybernetic bruiser chased the dog through the streets.
0-0
Kylar stood outside the entrance of an arcade and looked around for his shape-shifting friend. He heard a noise come from an alleyway next to the building and walked over to investigate. He saw his target sniffing around a trio of trashcans and quickly made his approach. He was able to grab the dog and make his way out of the alley, but the animal squirmed from his hands and kicked off the brunettes' chest, sending him crashing into the trashcans behind him. Sitting up and removing a piece of old pizza off his head, he noticed a group of stray dogs surrounding him. Closing his eyes and grinning sheepishly, he offered the pizza to the dogs, but they all went for him, creating a giant cloud of dust that surrounded them in the fracas.
0-0
In a different part of the city park, the green pooch ran along a path with one of Starfire's boots in its jaw. She hopped along after him, keeping her bare foot off the dirt.
0-0
Running across the rooftops, Robin chased the dog as it leapt from one to the next. It reached a ledge beyond which no other buildings were visible and stopped to look back at the pursuer. Before it could be caught, the canine jumped over the ledge. Coming to a stop and looking out, the spiky-haired teen saw no green mutt anywhere in sight at street or roof level. What he failed to notice, however, was a small niche just below him where the dog was standing on its forelegs and pressing itself against the masonry.
0-0
In the parking lot of a drive-in restaurant, Raven walked through and looked around; no luck for the moment, but that changed when the dog leapt up at her and plowed her to the ground for another enthusiastic lick. It then let up after a moment and bounded off, leaving her to chase after him.
0-0
The sun was now beginning to set as the constant searching for their friend wasted more and more time. In the park, Starfire found her boot next to a bench. It was soggy and chewed up, but she had little time to worry about it once she noticed the canine running behind her. Pulling the boot on hastily, she ran off across the grass to give chase.
0-0
It wasn't until evening when the entire game of cat and mouse ceased. After chasing their target into an alley, Robin and Cyborg quickly walked in after it while Raven, Starfire, and Kylar followed.
"Careful, everybody. We don't want to hurt him." The concerned leader cautioned as they all made their way through the alleyway.
"Speak for yourself." The emotionless mage stated.
"Ugh!" The auburn-haired Titan groaned as she covered her nose. "What is that smell?"
"Dog-Boy here confused me with a fire hydrant." The embarrassed mechanical teen admitted as a little drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
"And he covered me in garbage." The black-jacketed Titan added. To their surprise, the dog in question poked out from a trashcan.
"Easy, Beast Boy." The masked teen assured as he and the rest of the team held up their hands as they approached the dog.
"We just wanna help." Cyborg added, as they got closer.
It unleashed a colossal belch that brought up the bumper from the trashed car, causing the five Titans to stare in shock for a long, silent moment. "EWWW!" They all were finally able to shout in unison.
To follow this disturbing display, the dog opened its' jaw and out snaked a wet tongue-several feet of it, to be exact-and reached for the team sorceress. Before it could touch her face, Kylar held up a hand, grabbed it, and squeezed tightly, causing the dog to let out a yelp as it quickly retracted the muscle. The mutt then leapt out of the trash can, ran toward a sewer grate, turned its body into a mass of slime, and oozed through the bars before solidifying again to make its' escape.
"Ummm… ooooo-kay." Cyborg deadpanned as he eyed the grate suspiciously.
"You guys saw that too, right?" Kylar asked as he rubbed his palm against the side of his jeans.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that isn't Beast Boy." Raven stated angrily as she folded her arms.
"And if that's not Beast Boy…" Robin began.
"…then where could he be?" Starfire finished, worried for their green friends' safety.
0-0
"Dude, for the last time: I am not your dog!" The missing Titan shouted angrily as he strained to pull the collar off his neck, without success. Losing balance, he fell to the ground backwards. On the collar, a glowing red string was attached to it, much like a leash.
In front of him, the large rock alien sat on the ground, watching him, and gasped happily. In the light, his clothing was seen to be a full-body jumpsuit with many patches sewn on, as well as gloves and boots built in. In face, the outfit strongly resembled a giant pair of child's "footie" pajamas.
"You are funny!" The alien clapped happily, "Soto likes you." He referred to himself.
"Okay. I didn't want to have to do this, but…" Beast Boy morphed into a bobcat, roared at full voice, and leapt toward his captor. To bad for him, though, the giant rock extraterrestrial pressed a switch on a remote control in his hand, causing the leash to pull taut and yank the giant cat to the floor. Getting to his feet, the green cat looked at an eyebolt that the leash was connected to and tried for another lunge, only to have it stopped when the slack ran out.
The sentient rock laughed and clapped as his new pet flailed his paws and then transformed into a crane. Pecking at the leash did no good; ditto when he became an alligator and tried to bite through it. Donkey, monkey, hippopotamus, fish-none of these forms allowed him to slip free of the collar, which grew or shrank as needed to fit him every time. Even as a pterodactyl, he couldn't break free.
"You are not Soto's dog!" The alien laughed as he grabbed and hugged his captive. "You are better than Soto's dog!" Having reverted to human form, Beast Boy was dropped on a group of cushions then offered a dish of assorted strange foods.
"Oh!" The changeling exclaimed in surprise as he took one of the odd snacks. "Uh… thanks."
"You can change into any pet?" Soto asked as he clapped his hands, "Any pet Soto asks?"
With a smirk, Beast Boy tossed the food in his hand aside, "Well… I don't like to brag, but…" He cockily stated as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Change!" Soto cheered.
"If I do, will you let me go?" The captive demanded as he sat up.
"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmmm." The alien muttered as he nodded excitedly.
The shape-shifter got to his feet; in an instant, he became a giraffe. Soto stared, thunderstruck, and then laughed after a moment. "Change!" The alien child cheered.
Reverting back to human form, the changeling pointed at the collar, "Uh, hello? Aren't we forgetting something?"
"Bad dog!" Soto shouted angrily as he brandished the remote, "Soto said, 'Change!'" He pressed the switch and a strong electric shock coursed through the young Titans' body, forcing him to turn into a parrot.
"Happy now?" The parrot squawked as it flapped its' wings.
"Change!" The alien pressed the button again, delivering another shock. This time Beast Boy transformed into a bighorn sheep. "Change!" Soto laughed. Another shock, another animal, this time a green mouse. "Change!" He laughed again. After another shock was delivered, the shape-shifter transformed into a sullen gorilla. "You're the best dog ever! And now you are Soto's new dog!"
The gorilla grunted softly and resumed human form. "Say what?!" Beast Boy shouted angrily, completely sick of the whole situation, "Dude, I am nobody's pet!"
This outburst caused the alien child to tear up, "You… do not like Soto's ship?" He asked through a trembling voice, "You do not like Soto?" He asked as he leaned down toward his new 'pet.'
"Um…" The captive nervously uttered before not replying.
His silence seemed to have brightened the young alien since he gave the young Titan a big smile, "Good dog!" Soto said as he patted his head. Beast Boy sighed with relief, knowing he temporarily defused his anger.
"Now we go home." The large rock cheered as he stumped away toward the helm of the ship.
"Home?"
At the helm, the owner of the ship was adjusting the controls, which looked very much like the sort of toys a toddler would play with: bright colors, simple shapes, little bells that rang when buttons were pressed. "Soto's planet, on far side of galaxy." The driver explained. This response made the new house pet swallow very hard at the prospect of relocation.
0-0
In the dark recesses of a sewer tunnel, Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Kylar looked around for the green dog, while nothing but the sound of water dripping accompanied them. A moment later, their target walked along behind them, grabbing their attention before running down a side tunnel. As the dog ran down the corridor, it failed to notice Cyborg hiding behind a corner. After releasing a fierce yell, the hiding Titan dove from his spot and wrapped all ten fingers around the animal-but only for a moment, as it slithered out of his grasp in the same way it escaped down the sewer grate. Free from the cybernetic African, the dog made its way around another corner.
"Remind me again why we're chasing this thing." He said as he stood up.
"The creature is not of this Earth." The Tamaranean began.
"And neither is the UFO." The cloaked girl added.
"The alien ship must have come here looking for the green dog-" The masked Titan said.
"-and captured BB instead." The brunette finished.
The Gothic mage then spoke again, "So, if we ever want to find Beast Boy-"
"-we have to catch that dog." Robin finished. "We need a plan."
"Or maybe we just need some bait." Cyborg suggested.
At his words, the other three Titans turned around and looked at Raven. The three of them shot knowing glances toward her, having figured out what their genius friend had in mind.
"What?" The sorceress asked as her eyes darted uneasily between the three of them.
0-0
Back on the surface, the extraterrestrial pooch was sniffing a sidewalk tree in the downtown section of Jump. The sound of a throat clearing quickly got its attention and it turned and saw the reluctant mage a few yards down the sidewalk.
With a sigh, Raven began beckoning for the animal, "Here, doggie… here, doggie, doggie…"
Hearts briefly popped in the doggie's eyes before it shot off like a rocket toward her. Its' four feet pounded across the cement as it closed in on the extremely reluctant live bait. Just as it got close enough to jump at her, though, Starfire swooped down and placed a large glass globe in its path. This item had a hinged lid, open, and the aperture was facing the dog. With a panicked yelp, and a skid of paws on the sidewalk, it slid neatly into the container. Its speed flipped the thing up 90 degrees, putting the hatch toward the sky, allowing Robin to leap down and slam it shut.
Growling angrily, the imprisoned dog tried a quick shape change, then a lash of its overlong longue, but neither could even crack the glass.
"Sorry, Fido. When Cyborg builds it, nobody breaks it." The cybernetic Titan boasted as he and the other Titans surrounded the animal.
Raven approached, relieved that she was finished with being live bait. "So, now that we've got him…" She trailed off.
"We just have to figure out how he can lead us to the spaceship." The Boy Wonder stated, "I can run a chemical analysis on his fur-see where he's been."
"I can do a molecular scan." Cyborg offered. "Maybe he and the ship have the same isotopic signature."
Kylar brought a hand up to his chin, "Both of those might take too long. We don't know how long that spaceship is going to stay before it decides to stop searching."
Starfire turned toward her gloomy friend, "Perhaps you could use your powers to communicate with the creature." She suggested, hopeful that her friend would agree.
"I'm still getting his drool off my face." Raven hissed, "I don't want him anywhere near my brain."
"Uh, pardon me…" A male voice, a bit higher in pitch than average, called out to the teens. Having their attention caught, the five Titans stared in surprise toward the ground with an exclamation mark floating above them. "…but I believe we might be able to help one another." The dog spoke through the bowl.
As a result, all ten eyes of the teens popped widely as though they might fall right out of their respective skulls. "Okay… am I the only one who heard that?" The masked Titan was the first to compose himself.
"You talk?" Cyborg asked, completely flabbergasted, "Dogs don't talk!"
"Perhaps not on your planet, my dear fellow." The dog assured as the rest of the team finally composed themselves, "Now if you'll agree to release me, I would be happy to help you locate my odious former master." He offered, "After I escaped his ship, he pursued me here and mistakenly captured another green dog-your 'Beast Boy,' I presume." He said as he made air quotes with his front paws.
"And you didn't tell us this earlier because…" The annoyed spell caster trailed off.
"I was having to much fun." The dog admitted softly as a wide grin stretch across his face.
0-0
Inside Soto's ship, a Pac-Man-like creature, shaped like the outline of Soto's head, munched two rows of dots on a monitor. Once it disappeared, a flashing message of Full Power replaced it. "Engines ready!" The ship's owner stated as he continued pressing on the controls. "Hang on, new dog. Time to go home."
"I am home!" Beast Boy cried, pulling feverishly on the leash that held him to the floor. "Now let me go!" He soon felt the vessel vibrate as it cleared the ground, "Huh?" He muttered before redoubling his efforts to break the restraining line.
Higher and higher, the red-and-yellow spacecraft made its way through the air. "Bye-bye." The driver waved out the window as the ship proceeded over the forest.
With a defeated little sigh, Beast Boy dropped his head as he saw the ship rise even higher into the sky, "See ya." He muttered sullenly. To the pilot and pet's surprise, however, the entire deck started tilting back and forth, throwing both passengers off balance.
"Huh?" Soto looked toward his control panels where a monitor showed a simple computer graphic of the ship descending toward the trees. "No!" The child pouted as he pounded his control panel, "Soto want up, not down!"
Outside the ship, Starfire and Kylar were pushing down on the upper portion of the fuselage with all their strength. The pilot countered by working a few controls, letting the engines hit overdrive and power the ship skyward despite their best efforts.
From ground level, Robin's grappling hook flew up and wrapped its line around one wing, while a beam of black energy seized the other one. The ship was then slowly towed down.
"Hang on, Beast Boy!" Robin shouted as he and Cyborg pulled on the line, which was wrapped around a tree trunk, with all of their might. "We're going to get you out!"
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted as another spell hit the underside hatch and forced the front end open.
As the engines fell silent, and the ship rested on metal rods that kept it off the ground, the Titan leader charged toward the opening, but stopped short when the giant rock alien emerged in a single leap.
"NO!" Soto shouted, "New dog belongs to Soto! You go now!"
"I'm thinking you're the one who's gotta go." Robin quipped as his teammates grouped behind him. The rockheaded being leapt impossibly high and came down with a mighty growl. "Titans! Move!" The masked teen shouted. Heeding his words, the rest of the teens leapt out of the way just in time to avoid getting smashed into the ground. The landing released tremors that threw everyone toward or into the trees.
Out of the resulting dust cloud, Soto charged toward the spiky-haired teen, "Soto smash!" He roared as he brought his arms over his head.
The leader vaulted over the clearing and threw a handful of grenades down at the giant rock. These exploded all around him in a string of brilliant flashed, leaving him dazed and dazzled. As Robin backed away, Cyborg and Starfire moved in with sonic cannon and starbolts; the double barrage forced the alien to go on the defensive.
"NO!" Soto cried as he held his arms over his face to block the attacks. To counter the barrage, he tore loose a rock slab from the ground and used it as a shield. However, the oncoming attacks blew it apart, creating a large cloud of dust that covered the extraterrestrial.
As the smoke cleared, the three Titans gasped in shock when they saw their opponent charging straight toward them; his head down in a bull rush. Once he plowed the trio, they were all thrown into the air like bowling pins before they crashed down on the ground.
With the giant rock alien distracted by her teammates, Raven made a dash for the ship, but soon flew out of the way to avoid getting crushed by his giant hands. "My dog!" The childish behemoth growled.
Backing up a bit more, the cloaked Titan aimed a spell to her right, uprooting a tree and swinging it at him, trunk first. The attack hit, but Soto was able to get a grip on the makeshift club and brought it to a stop. With enough force, he was able to pry the tree from the young teens' hold and began swinging back at her.
Before it could hit her, Cyborg dove at her and knocked his teammate out of the way. "Why didn't you just hand him a laser cannon?" The metallic teen sarcastically asked as they ducked another swing.
As the two fled, Starfire flew in, holding Robin up by the arms, and released him in an up swinging motion. The resulting throw sent him flying through the air where he threw two birdarangs that homed in on the tree trunk. A quick double flash of metal against wood, and the weapons circled back to the hands of their owner, who had just landed.
Soto braced for impact, but nothing happened to him directly; instead, the trunk fell apart along the lines scored into it. Looking at the now shortened bludgeon, the rock alien cried like a baby as he stomped the ground. The other four Titans just watched as their opponent threw his tantrum.
After a moment of puzzlement, Robin and Cyborg traded a look and charged with a double yell of fury. Their attacks proved ineffective as Soto blocked their attacks with his tree truck and swung at them to counter. Before he could hit his intended targets, black energy seized the trunk and pulled it from his hands. Next, the powerful Tamaranean Titan released a salvo of starbolts all around her enemy, forcing him to shield his face.
As she and Raven continued their barrage, Soto scooped up two handfuls of dirt and sent a machine-gun barrage of clods up at them, causing their double attack to end. Behind the gargantuan stone, Robin came down with a jump kick that merely glanced off one massive arm. Two more boot soles against the chest had no effect, forcing the Boy Wonder to leap away to avoid getting grappled. Annoyed by the tiny pest flying around him, Soto brought his hands together for a massive thundering clap. This created a powerful shockwave that sent the masked Titan hurtling into the trees.
As Robin tumbled overhead, Cyborg charged the otherworldly visitor. With a roar of undiluted rage, he pulled back a fist and swung with all his strength. Despite his best efforts, that bionic arm was caught in a giant yellow-gloved hand. The African teens' face went slack as he immediately regretted throwing the punch and found himself being swung back and forth by his caught arm as he was repeatedly slammed into the ground.
To try and free her friend, Starfire fired another fusillade of starbolts from midair. These also had no effect, and with a growl, Soto hurled his current captive up at her. The robotic man-turned-projectile crashed into her, and both took a short and very graceless flight back to the forest floor, leaving them severely dazed by the impact.
"We've hit him with everything and it's still not enough!" Robin stated as his downed friends stood up. "Where's Kylar? We need more. We need-"
Before he could finish his statement, the sound of trumpeting from an elephant caught their attention. "Huh?" Soto turned around and saw a green pachyderm, free of his collar, thunder across the clearing and bowl into him.
The elephant reverted to his human form as the giant rock alien staggered across the ground. "You rang?" Beast Boy asked cockily as he extended his thumb and pinky like a telephone.
"Bad dog!" Soto yelled as he held up the remote to the collar, "Soto will punish!" He pressed the buttons on the remote, but they had no effect, no matter how hard the master pressed them or shook the unit. The sound of whistling drew his attention again and he turned to face the source.
When he faced the direction the whistling came from, he saw a black-jacketed brunette standing on the top of his ship, twirling the metal collar around his right index finger, "Looking for this?" Kylar asked as he tossed the device at the ground at the giant rock aliens' feet.
Once it clattered on the ground, Soto picked it up and stared at it. To his surprise, the huge muzzle of a tyrannosaurus rex pushed into his face and snorted out a big cloud of steam. Two big drops of nervous sweat slid down his temple, as he knew what was coming next.
With a mighty roar, and a swing of the tail, the green T-rex launched its' former master across the ground. Reverting back to his human form, Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl and took to the air. Kylar quickly flew after the childish alien and got underneath him. Focusing his energy into his arms, the aura manipulator pressed his hands against his opponents' back, delivering a pulse that sent him rocketing into the air.
Finally seeing their friends in action, the other four Titans closed in for a final assault. First, the green flyer morphed into a kangaroo and somersaulted to bring its' rear legs and heavy tail down on Soto's head, after which Robin leapt past and delivered a punch that sent him spinning. Cyborg threw another punch that sent the poor behemoth careening through the clear night sky, followed by Kylar coming down with a double axe handle that sent him toward the space vessel. As their opponent sailed through the air, Raven and Starfire simultaneously fired black energy and starbolts that connected with the visitor and sent him crashing into the ground next to his ship.
The impact resulted in smoke and dust being thrown into the air, obstructing the teams' view. Once all of the debris cleared, they saw Soto now sitting in a deep crater with a very dejected look on his face. The others soon joined Cyborg and Beast Boy, already at the lip of the hole, as the big granite lip on the alien started quivering. Before this could blossom into a full crying jag, his original dog's long tongue flicked down at him and snapped the abandoned collar around his neck. Surprised by the sudden latching, Soto turned his head to see his pet sitting on the other side of the crater, next to the remote.
"Sit. Stay." The green dog ordered.
With a gasp and laugh, Soto climbed out of the crater and sat in front of his pet. "Doggie! You came back!" The childish alien cheered.
"On the contrary, I am only here to retrieve my squeaky toys." The green canine explained without facing his former master, "I refuse to be your pet any longer."
This response saddened Soto as tears formed in his eyes. This soon gave way to a sharp gasp as he thought of an idea, "Okay!" He said as he dropped to all fours, "Soto will be doggie now, and you will be the master!" He began rolling on the ground and jumped around, laughing, panting, and barking like a dog.
"What? Oh, my." The new master laughed as Soto licked his face, "That tickles."
"Woof! Woof!" The new pet barked as he continued running around his new master.
The six Titans just shot bemused stares at the events that transpired in front of them. "Wow." Kylar stated flatly.
"Okay… weird." Beast Boy said.
"Better him than me." Raven stated.
"Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf!" The rock alien barked before hearing the green dog whistle for him.
"Come along, Soto. Time to go home." The dog said from the gangway.
"Bow-wow! Bow-wow!" Soto laughed as he ran up past his master and into the ship. Looking back at the Titans once more, the green dog closed the hatch and the ship flew off the ground and into the night, retracting its landing props as it did so.
Once the ship was gone, the five Titans surrounded their green friend they had been searching for. "All right, Beast Boy!" Robin cheered as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Glad you're still in one piece!" Kylar grinned as he playfully rustled his shorter friends' hair.
"Welcome back." Raven said.
"Gimme some love, dog." Cyborg said as he held out his giant fist. The green teen tapped his own fist against it before getting a big giggly hug from Starfire.
"Ah! I am elated to see you!" The eccentric alien smiled as she released her friend, "We have all missed you so."
"You guys… really missed me?" The shape-shifting Titan asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely!" The bionic teen assured, "Who else is gonna help me wax the T-Car?"
"And help me practice my duet?" The brunette added as he pressed imaginary keys in the air.
"And spar with me in the gym?" The spiky-haired teen asked as he playfully threw a few punches.
"And eat nauseating amounts of tofu while Raven and I watch?" The auburn-haired Titan finished, receiving a funny look from the mage.
"Uh, how about we all just go for pizza?" The gray-skinned sorceress suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Cyborg agreed as they all walked past their green friend.
After watching his friends walk away, Beast Boy gazed up at the stars with a smile. "Beast Boy?" He heard Robin call out to him, "Aren't you coming?"
"Thanks. But if it's cool with you guys," The changeling started, "I've kinda had enough attention for one day." He explained, his face filled with exhaustion. The other five Titans smiled warmly back at their friend, understanding that after everything he had been through today, he deserved a nice, long rest.
Author's Note:
All right, here it is. I make you all wait for like what, two to three weeks and you get filler? I'm terrible, I know. Sorry. But the good news is that you all should know who comes in next chapter! Go ahead, take a guess.
I want to apologize again for making you all wait, and thank you for the PMs to get me back into gear. Life, classes, work, laziness, all those things got in the way, but you fans make it all worth it. So thank you all for the continued love and support of the series, really you all are the best.
One more thing, if I may be so bold. I want to know what you all think about Kylar's character from what has been said in the chapters so far. It's just something to help with the character development for him, since I want him to be a likable character and not someone who is, you know, bad.
Okay, now that I have said everything I wanted to say, it is time to say goodbye.
Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.