Saiyan Anti-Hero
~July 22nd~
"So, you think Kali, is going to be okay?" Megan asked.
"Knowing her, she'll be just fine after a couple of dips in the hot springs of Mount Fuji in Japan." Superboy said as they were gathered in the meeting hall of Mount Justice, dressed in their casual clothes.
"Is she still down in her funk? It's been nearly a week and she's only left her room to eat, train, bathe, and meet with her father whenever he's around." Wally said.
"Wally. What Kali is going through can't be easy. She found out she was chosen by the universe to become a Goddess, and that's had to have put a pressure on her, none of us could understand." Aqualad said.
"Chosen by the universe, good one." Wally laughed. "Still, she should be stoked. We're about to get assigned to our first mission, and she's busy pouting in her room, about something that doesn't even exist."
"I'm not even gonna get mad at you, because you're an idiot for what you just said. I'm just gonna focus on what I can do to make my sister happy." Superboy said.
"C'mon Sups, you can't tell me you believe in all that mumbo jumbo like, magic, Ki, and other ridiculous non-scientific stuff. The stuff Goku pulls off, it's all just highly advanced alien technology we have zero concept of understanding yet. None of it is real." Wally said, before his head was slammed into the ground, by a fist from behind.
"That certainly made me feel better." Kali smiled, dusting her hands off, dressed in the same top Piccolo made for her, but wearing a pair of mini-shorts.
"Kali." Superboy smiled.
"How are you feeling?" Aqualad questioned, as Wally picked himself up, rubbing his aching head.
"I'm fine. I finally got out of my funk, and finished a painting I made for my sister-in-laws, baby shower." Kali explained. "Even though its months away still."
"Is that what you were doing in your room?" Robin asked.
"You're the master detective, you should know." Kali said.
"I'd prefer not to spy on a girl in her own room." Robin said. "Or on girls in general."
"Ahem. If we're done catching up with the main problem child of the group..." Batman said, getting their attention. "I think it's time we debrief you on your first official mission as a team."
"Right, sorry." Kali said.
"Isla Santa Prisca. This island nation, is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid. A strength enhancing drug sold under the street name, Venom." Batman explained as he began telling them about the mission. "Infrared heat signatures indicate their factory is still operating at full capacity. However all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in. This is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report."
"Just putting it out there now while everyone's thinking it Batsy." Kali said, raising her hand. "But if our cover is blown, we will be fighting. There's no way around it. If our cover is compromised, then we won't have a choice."
"If your cover is blown, then you'll retreat immediately. No fighting. Is that understood?" Batman questioned.
"Fine. But any deaths on this team, are on your hands." Kali said.
Batman just glared at her, and things got tense. Everyone knew Batman already didn't get along with Goku. He had no obvious weakness for the caped crusader to exploit should he turn evil, and that put him in the dark, the kind of dark he didn't like. An' now here was Kali, who'd been acting this way around him, since she got back from Bulma's party, and hasn't backed down from him once.
"If you think you're gonna scare me into being submissive to you, then think again. I've fought against a literal God of Destruction who's way scarier than you. Compared to him, you're just a sad pathetic man in a bat suit with no powers." Kali said.
"Perhaps, its best if we get back to the mission on hand. No matter how valid a point Kali makes about the need for combat may be, should their cover be blown, this is not the place, nor the time for an argument between you both." Red Tornado said, defusing the situation.
"Combat won't be necessary. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will. Which means no one is dying, and no one is fighting." Batman stated, turning back to the holographic monitors, missing, or ignoring, when Kali stuck her tongue out at him, and pull down on one part of her lower eyelids. "The plan, requires two drop zones."
"So who's in charge?" Robin questioned.
Batman and Red Tornado turned to the group, looked to one another, then back at the Young Justice Team.
"Work that out between you." Batman said.
'Oh boy, with the way Dick asked that, he's gonna try and nominate himself to be leader.' Kali sighed.
~Caribbean Sea~
"We're approaching Santa Prisca." Megan said, piloting the Bio-Ship.
"So, who do you think is gonna be Team Leader?" Superboy questioned.
"Robin and Kid Libido over there are vying for the spot like its some sort of big showboat of power that can earn them instant respect." Kali sighed. "They have zero clue, what it means to actually lead a team."
"What about you?" Superboy questioned.
"Hmm? Well Cadmus was hoping to make me a general in their army for their, Righteous Mission, so they taught me what a leader is all about, how to act like one, and the best ways to come out of a conflict with as little casualties as possible when they were force feeding us our educations. But I don't wanna be leading this team. I'm already playing den mother to everyone when those three come to visit." Kali explained. "Plus it'd cut my training time with my dad and the others shorter than it already is."
"Drop Zone A, in 30." Megan said, alerting them to the coming task at hand.
Aqualad got up from his seat, and it merged back with the Bio-Ship, before the red of his suit, began to change from red, to black when he pressed his belt buckle.
"Ready." He said.
"Putting Bio-Ship in Camouflage mode." Megan said.
To them, nothing happened, but on the outside, the ship became invisible to the naked eye. The bottom of the ship opened up as it neared the water, and Aqualad jumped out, diving into the ocean swiftly, allowing for the plan to commence.
"Good luck fish boy." Kali said.
It was a couple minutes before Aqualad's voice came over the intercom.
"Heat and motion sensors patched." He reported in. "Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in."
"Copy that." Kali said as Megan moved the ship to the second zone.
"Drop Zone B." Megan informed as they all got up from their seats.
Everyone's costumes were the same, but Kali's was different. After the fight with Beerus, Kali chose to fight with a bit more style, with her costume consisting of the top Piccolo made her, and a pair of leggings under a pair of form fitting cargo shorts that weren't too tight, or restrictive of movement, and she had leather vambraces, similar to Wonder Woman's, with a black metal tungsten plate on the top half of her forearms, with the leather, extending into fingerless gloves.
"Hey, it's not a full moon tonight, is it?" Kali questioned.
"It is, why?" Megan asked as their uniforms went into stealth mode.
"Kali, your tail is gone, there's no risk of you turning into an Oozaru anymore. Not unless your tail miraculously grows back." Robin said.
"Which, would be impossible for a mammalian creature, I might add." Wally stated.
"My dad's tail has grown back three times when he was a kid, and once about a month after fighting Kid Buu." Kali stated.
"Show me proof." Wally replied with a snark.
"Keep egging her on dude. See where it gets you." Superboy warned.
"Oh hush. She wouldn't dream of doing anything to this pretty face." Wally smirked.
"She literally has your face, painted on the speed bag in her room." Robin said.
"I thought you said you don't like spying on girls?" Superboy asked.
"I had asked him to help me with something before we left for the mission." Kali exclaimed. "An' I needed his help with it in my room. You still have it?"
"Locked and loaded." Robin smiled.
"Ignoring the delusional words of Robin for a second… Sups, it's not too late to try on the latest stealth tech." Wally said, looking to Superboy.
'This kid is a hopeless delusional.' Superboy thought with a sigh folding his arms. "No capes. No tights. No offense." He punctuated.
"He doesn't like tights because that's what our solar suits were." Kali said.
"It totally works for you..." Megan said in a dreamy sounding voice. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes." She added a bit panicky.
'Smooth catch there girl.' Kali thought with a light chuckle. "Superboy, while Robin and KFC are lowering themselves via the bio-ships cables, I'll float us down, so you don't make a loud bang when you land."
"Alright." Superboy said, not liking the idea of being in mid-air on someone else's merit.
Opening up the Bio-Ship, Superboy and Kali waited for the others to go first, before the Saiyan girl grabbed Superboy by the underarm, and floated them down to the ground with minimal struggling from Superboy.
"Stop squirming you big baby." Kali stated, plopping him on the ground.
"Aqualad, Drop B is go." Megan said, through her com-link.
"Head for the factory. I'll track your GPS and track your rendezvous ASAP." Aqualad said.
"Copy that." Kali said, as she grabbed Robin before he could run off.
"Hey." Robin grumbled, after landing in the mud.
"We're working as a team. An' your teammates, can't slink through the shadows like you can. This isn't like with Batman. Which means, you can't just go do your own bloody thing." Kali exclaimed letting go of Robin's cape. "A team needs actual communication."
"Spoken like a team leader." Megan smiled.
"I'm not the team leader." Kali sighed.
"Damn straight. You need a man for that job." Wally smirked, confidently like he was the obvious choice for being leader.
"Somebody restrain me before I kill this pig for his sexist comment." Kali grumbled, as Megan held her back with her telekinetic abilities.
"Dude, one of these days she's actually gonna off you, and she won't regret it. So if you wanna die, keep talking and doing things the way you're doing them." Superboy exclaimed, putting a hand on Wally's shoulder.
"Can we please just get back on track?" Megan questioned as Kali calmed down.
Traveling through the jungle of the island was like a walk in the park for the super powered children. About half way through to their destination, Superboy and Kali stopped, both of them hearing something far off in the distance.
'Can dad hear this accurately too?' Kali questioned.
"Did you hear that?" Superboy questioned.
"Uh, no..." Wally said. "Wait, is this a super hearing thing?"
"You do have great ears." Megan said.
"Okay Rob, now what?" Wally questioned, turning to find Robin was gone. "Man I hate it when he does that."
"Seriously? Did what I tell him just go in one ear, and out the other?" Kali asked.
"Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared, see if you're being tracked." Aqualad said, as his voice came over the intercom.
Wally pulled his goggles down, and he began looking around as he activated their infrared function.
"Got a squad of armed bozos incoming." Wally exclaimed.
"Two squads." Superboy said, using his natural infrared vision. "But they'll meet each other before they find us."
"I'm not liking this." Kali said. "The soldiers of each squad are wearing different uniforms."
Megan, Kid, and Superboy just looked to her with confusion.
"What?" She asked, before gunfire echoed through the air.
"No super hearing required now." Wally said.
"Swing wide, steer clear." Aqualad instructed.
"Y-yeah, just as soon as I find Rob." Wally stated.
"No, get back here." Kali said, before Wally went running. "The ground is all muddy." She groaned as she heard him slip and fall, sliding right into the middle of the conflict.
"Okay, I am gonna question Kali later on how she knew about the different uniforms." They heard Wally say over the intercom, before more gunfire could be heard.
"Kid." Kali called out, as they ran to his aid.
Flying through the jungle scape, Kali was able to reach the sight of the conflict, faster than the others, and slammed her fist into a man wearing a wrestlers mask, with a black tank top, jeans, boots, and fingerless gloves, sending him flying back.
"It's Bane." Kali called out, before the Venom user grabbed her arm, and threw her to the ground in an arm lock, burying her head in the ground, with her wrist bent backwards.
With her other arm still free, Kali used it to get Bane off her with a Ki blast, and sent him flying back into a tree.
"What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert?" Robin questioned. "Why didn't you follow my lead vanish into the jungle?"
"You have zero privilege to chastise us about the mission, when you went ahead to do your own thing." Kali stated firmly, grabbing Robin by the cape, and hanging him on a branch, making sure he was in a spot where the bullets from the firing enemy, wouldn't reach him. "Hang tight while we take care of this."
"Hey, come on no fair." Robin said.
"Act like a kid, get treated like a kid." Kali stated, before going back and rejoining the fight.
Taking down the rest of the goons was a breeze for the super powered youngsters, as none of the gun toting men had powers of their own. The final goon had been taken out by Aqualad with an electric shock, before smashing the gun by stomping on it.
"Way to leave me out of the fight." Robin grumbled as he came down.
"Like I said, act like a kid, get treated like a kid." Kali exclaimed. "Did you not listen to a word I said earlier? You are literally the only one on this team, who can do that shadow movement you do. None of us were trained by Batman like you. None of us were trained to move like you do. This team needs communication, and a trustworthy leader. An' guess what Einstein, neither you nor Kid Dumbass, are qualified for the position."
"Says the six month old clone bred for mass destruction." Robin said.
"Robin." Megan said sternly.
There was a moment of silence as everyone let what had been said, sink in.
"Dude, not cool." Wally said.
"Fine, you know what. That's it." Kali said, pulling a flare gun out from her pocket. "Red Tornado gave me this to fire if we needed an emergency Evac. He also told me to fire it, if the first actual mission this team went on, went sideways."
"No don't." Robin said. "You can't fire that flare. The mission will be cancelled, and we won't get to prove ourselves."
"No." Kali said, firing the signal flare. "The mission is cancelled. This team is dysfunctional, because you can't seem to get the concept of Teamwork, through your ego driven head. I swear, you have more pride and ego than a Saiyan."
"Are you kidding me? We saved you and Superboy from Cadmus." Wally said.
"An' I'm grateful to you for it, but I don't owe you anything." Kali said.
"Kali, I have received your signal flare, and am on my way to escort you back to Mount Justice." Red Tornado said over the intercom.
"No don't come." Robin said. "Our cover was blown and a goon managed to grab the flare, and fired it to try and warn the boss."
"He's lying Red Tornado. Continue on route." Kali said.
"Understood. ETA two minutes."
"Why. Why are you so adamant about ending this mission for us?" Robin questioned.
"You're not ready." Kali said.
"Are you kidding me? We've been fighting crime longer than you. We have more experience than you, and we can easily kick your ass." Wally stated.
"You misunderstand." Kali said. "I don't mean, individually. I mean you're not ready as a team. So until a leader is chosen, I think it be best we don't go on missions."
"Oh yeah? Just try and stop us from completing this mission." Robin said, disappearing into the shadows.
Kali sighed in annoyance as Wally began running circles around her to try and disorient the Saiyan girl.
"Oh-ho-ho. A little conflict of interest huh? A team that's not all put together." Bane laughed. "This is very entertaining."
"Just shut up." Superboy said, knocking him out with a punch to the face, before Kali went Super Saiyan. The wind pressure of her ascension knocking Wally back.
Staring at Kali in shock when he picked himself up, Wally knew he fucked up when he and Robin picked a fight with her.
"What's wrong? I thought you were gonna try and stop me?" Kali questioned, the black markings now a gold color, with her hexagonal pupils clearly visible in the blue irises.
Kali raised her hand and caught three of Robins bird-a-rangs that had been sent at her. Looking in the direction they came from, Kali groaned in annoyance, before the three bladed weapons went off, creating an explosion that blinded her.
"Batman couldn't figure out a Saiyan's weakness. Yet it was so obvious. Blinding them. We will restrain you to complete the mission if we have to." Robin said, coming down to strike Kali with his staff, but was stopped when Kali reached her hand through the smoke, and grabbed the staff.
"Blinding me won't work either, Boy Wonder." Kali said, her eyes shut. "I can sense your Ki."
Robin stared at her in horror before he was sent flying, and hit a tree, after Kali slammed her fist into his stomach, forcing him to leave a trail of his dinner. Pulling the staff down, Kali pivoted to the side to avoid Wally's oncoming punch, that would have knocked her away with the speed he was behind it.
"That should not be possible." Wally said, sliding to a halt.
"You know what..." Kali groaned rubbing her eyes, and being able to see through them again, but just barely. "I've been wanting to slam your face into the ground for a while." She exclaimed, charging at Wally, only for a funnel of wind to stop her, as it hit the ground between the two teammates.
"Children, that will be all." Red Tornado stated, coming down and intervening in the fight. "Superboy, Aqualad, Miss Martian, can you please explain to me, what has happened?"
"You're not gonna ask us?" Robin questioned, picking himself up.
"I cannot trust that either of you will be honest when telling me what's going on. So the logical conclusion would be to ask the impartial party witnessing the fight." Red Tornado said.
"Robin and Kid didn't like that Kali was pulling the plug on the mission. So they picked a fight to take her down to restrain her and continue the mission, despite the decision to cancel it, already having been made." Megan explained. "We would have stepped in to help Kali, but she sent me a telepathic message, saying to let Superboy and Aqualad know that she wanted to handle this on her own, and not to intervene at all."
"She has zero right to pull the plug on a mission Batman assigned us." Robin exclaimed. "Batman wouldn't approve that you gave her the signal flare."
"Actually. It was Batman, who told me to give her the flare, and the responsibility that came with it." Red Tornado said as Kali reverted from Super Saiyan.
"What?" Robin questioned.
"Please explain, because I think Robin's bombs might have affected my hearing too, not just my eyesight." Kali said.
"Yeah, I'm needing an explanation myself." Superboy said.
"Despite how they act around each other, Batman respects her for being able to stare him down without fear. An' he wanted to see how responsible she was when it came to the safety of the team. Would she end the mission if it became clear the team wasn't ready as a whole to do so, or would she follow her Saiyan lineage and continue on just to get a thrill in battle? It was a test to see if she would actually be, an asset to the team." Red Tornado explained. "An' she's proven herself more than capable to be just another team player."
"What are you saying?" Megan asked.
"Robin, Kid Flash, you two are to return to the base with me at once for reprimandation on attacking a team mate, just for disagreeing with her decision." Red Tornado said. "Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian. You three will continue the mission, following Kali's lead."
"Wait, you're putting her in charge of the mission?" Robin questioned.
"Yes. Batman thought it appropriate should this outcome of her decision to end the mission, occur." Red Tornado stated. "This time, there won't be any restrictions on the mission. If you need to fight, then fight."
"Roger that." Kali said.
"Hang on a minute, that's so not fair. I should be team leader. I have the most experience." Robin said.
"As if, I'm older than you, cooler than you, and smarter than you, I should be team leader." Wally stated. "She's just gonna run the team into the ground. This team needs a man to lead it."
"I am going to kill you." Kali said, charging a Ki blast, aimed for Wally's head, only for Megan to restrain her.
"That's enough." Red Tornado said. "Kid Flash, you'll have additional reprimandations for how you treat women."
"I treat women just fine." Wally stated.
"The lethal attack Kali's charging up would beg to differ." Superboy said.
"Come now. Leave the others to continue the mission." Red Tornado said, using his wind powers to take Robin and Kid Flash away.
"Hey wait... what about the thing you had Robin hold onto for you?" Megan questioned.
"I snagged it from him, when he tried to hit me over the head." Kali said, holding up a burlap sack.
"What's in the bag?" Superboy asked.
"Senzu Beans. Dad managed to convince Master Korrin to give me the method for growing them myself, so I have some for when we go on missions. They're able to heal any injury, they might even keep Wally fed since they keep an uninjured person full for ten days." Kali explained, eating one of the Senzu Beans, her eyes healing up almost instantly.
"Interesting." Megan smiled.
"Anyone else injured?" Kali asked.
"We're fine." Aqualad said. "So, what's the plan Kali?"
"This might be a bit uncomfortable for Superboy, but first I think we should establish a mental connection with Miss Martian." Kali said, looking to Superboy. "It would help because we don't know if our enemy can cut off our tech connection."
"Fine." Superboy said, begrudgingly.
"We'll only establish the mental link if our com-links go down." Kali said. "Second, we should figure out what's going on between Bane, and those weird snake dressed cultists."
"Agreed." Superboy said as Bane woke up. "Morning sunshine."
"Dios Mio, you hit like a Kryptonian, boy." Bane said, looking to Superboy.
"That's because I am one." Superboy stated, folding his arms. "Now talk, what's going on here, on the island?"
"As if I'd have anything to say to the likes of you." Bane said.
"Miss Martian." Kali said. "Let's see if we can't persuade him to talk."
"Right." Megan said, kneeling in front of Bane, and entering his mind, telepathically.
"Uh-uh Chika. Bane isn't that easy to read." He said.
"He's right. He just keeps repeating football scores, and speaking in Española." Megan said.
"Filter it to me." Kali said, putting a hand on Megan's shoulder.
"If you're sure."
Megan's eyes began to glow again and Kali could feel the words flowing into her mind, and smiled.
"He keeps reciting recipes he knows for tacos, burritos, and a few Spanish pastries." Kali said. "But he did mention that an organization called Kobra, has taken over his factory, and he's trying to get it back. Ironically enough, their leaders name, is Kobra."
"How did you know what I was saying?" Bane questioned, shocked she could understand him.
"No eres la única que es bilingüe." Kali smiled.
"You know Spanish?" Superboy questioned.
"One of the things my mom taught me back on dad's earth. Surprisingly cultures from both worlds are mirror images of one another." Kali said. "But putting that aside, now we know what we're up against, and what's going on. So let's get moving."
"Right." Aqualad said.
"Hold on, you can't just leave me here." Bane said.
"Yes we can. You're a villain, we're heroes." Kali said.
"Look, you need my help. I'm the only one who knows that base like the back of my hand. You need me." Bane stated.
"Kali?" Megan asked.
"It's your call as mission leader." Superboy said.
Kali looked to Bane, then to her three teammates.
'We're two members down, and we don't know what we're walking into. Bane's file says he's a crafty one, but we don't know how crafty he can be. He's smart enough to have reverse engineered the Venom serum from the original used on him, and recreate it, so he's got to be plotting something. Question is, what could he be plotting? I don't like going into a fight blind, but it's needed in this case.' Kali thought. "Fine, Bane you'll be accompanying our party as a guide."
"You won't regret this Chika. The enemy, of my enemy, is my friend." Bane said.
"I'm pretty sure I'm gonna regret it completely by the end of the mission." Kali sighed. "Superboy, if he tries, or does anything to betray us, snap his neck."
"Gladly." Superboy said, cracking his knuckles.
After undoing Bane's bindings, and having him lead the way, with Superboy keeping an eye on him, they managed to make it to the Venom Factory, and saw it was crawling with guards.
"Miss Martian, take this." Kali said, tossing Megan a thumb drive. "Locate the main server room, and gather any intel you can get your hands on."
"Right. I'll let you know if I find anything." Megan said, before disappearing.
"Alright Bane, what do you know of Kobra's plans?"
"Not much. But it's big. They came in challenging me and my forces a few days ago, and with a sample of Venom, they combined it with something. Something that turned one of them, monstruo. An' from the looks of what I saw, unlike my venom, the effects are permanent." Bane explained.
"They created their own upgraded Kobra Venom." Kali said. "Superboy, Aqualad, be careful. We don't know what's going down."
"Follow me, I know of a secret entrance into the factory I kept hidden from my men." Bane said, leading the way.
~Mount Justice~
"What the hell were the two of you thinking, challenging a Saiyan like that?" Flash questioned, pacing in front of Robin and Kid Flash, while other members were in front of the duo. "Do you have any idea, how dangerous it was for you to do that? She could have seriously hurt the two of you, or worse."
"We just wanted to stop her from canceling the mission." Kid Flash said. "She said neither of us were qualified to be Team Leader."
"An' she's right." Batman said. "You acted brashly. Neither of you took the abilities of your teammates into consideration, or thought about the terrain you were in."
"Says the one who gave her the flare to end the mission." Robin said.
"Watch that tone Robin, you're already on thin ice with me. You both purposefully attacked a teammate, just because she took initiative for the safety of everyone there. With the way things were going, if either of you were leading that mission right now, you'd all be dead before night's end." Batman stated.
"What made you think you could take her on the way you did?" Flash questioned. "She's a Saiyan. Not only that, the natural born Goddess of the Saiyan Race. Need I pull Goku's report on her from the files, and play it back for the both of you?"
"C'mon Flash, you and I both know, Gods and other Deities don't even exist. They're just superstitions made up by nut jobs to make sense of things they don't understand." Kid Flash said.
"That's where you're wrong Kid. I've met actual Gods and Deities. Hell, Goku's even been trained by a few of the Gods known as Kai's. King Kai is who he learned Kaioken from. You might not wanna believe it, but Gods and Deities do exist. Hell, even the Gods from Greek Mythology exist, and Wonder Woman is living proof of it, because she's the child of Zeus." Flash said. "Kali even fought against a Destroyer God named Beerus."
"The point is, neither of you stood a chance at defeating Kali. An' the fact you tried taking her down, to continue a mission that had already gone sideways, proves, you're not leadership material, or ready to work as a team." Batman said. "So until you are, you're both grounded from missions, until further notice."
"What?" Robin questioned.
"That's so not fair." Kid said. "Flash?"
"I'm with Bats on this one. You two were out of line, and acted selfishly." Flash stated.
~Santa Prisca Team~
"So that's Kobra huh?" Kali questioned, spotting several of the cultists in snake robes.
"Si. They've taken over my factory, like a nest of cucaracha." Bane stated.
"That's a whole lot of Kobra Venom they're shipping out." Superboy said. "Who do you think is the buyer?"
"Definitely someone on the Justice League's most wanted list." Kali said.
"Hold up, I hear something." Superboy said. "It sounds like a military issued helicopter."
After a few minutes, the helicopter rudders became louder, and louder, until it came down to where everyone could hear it, and the aircraft landed in front of the open doors.
"Guys, I'm back." Megan said, phasing through the wall. "An' I've got the specs on the product Kobra's shipping off." She stated, holding up a thumb drive.
"Let me see it." Kali said, pulling a folded piece of tech out of her pocket, and plugging the thumb drive Megan had, into the device.
"What's that?" Aqualad asked.
"A Mini-Computer Bulma made for me. She said it should come in handy on missions. I connected it to the cave's network, so analyzing whatever it is Megan transferred to the thumb drive, will be simple enough." Kali explained, before the computer finished analyzing. "Well this is troublesome."
"What is it?" Aqualad inquired.
"Bane, take a look at this, and identify which is which." Kali said, showing the masked man the computer.
"This one on the left, is my product. It's my Venom. But this one on the right, Ay Dios Mio, not even I would tamper with something like this." Bane said.
"So the one on the right is the Kobra Venom." Superboy said. "What does it do exactly?"
"It turns, whoever takes it, into that." Bane said, pointing to the monster that had beaten him. "An' unlike regular Venom, it's a permanent transformation."
"An' one giant shipment is gonna be loaded up into that helicopter if we don't do something fast." Kali said, looking out to the helicopter as the doors opened, revealing the buyer. "An' guess who the buyer is."
Everyone else looked out from the hiding place, and saw what Kali meant. Standing in front of the open helicopter doors, was the Villain Sports Master.
"He's the buyer?" Superboy questioned.
"He does know they're not selling protein shakes, right?" Megan questioned.
"It's likely he's just the face of the real buyers." Aqualad said.
"Guys, I have a plan, but it's not gonna be… HEY LET GO OF ME." Kali cried out as Bane grabbed her, and a canister of Venom, holding it to Kali's neck with the needle breaking her skin.
"Ah-ah-ah. Anyone tries anything, I pump her full of Venom, and we'll see how you do against her." Bane smirked.
"Show yourselves, come out from behind there." The Leader of Kobra called out.
"Is just me, and some super brats." Bane said, dragging himself out from behind the crates, with Kali as his hostage.
"You? I thought we banished you from the factory." Kobra said.
"You did, but I have my ways of getting back in. Now I wanna make a deal with you." Bane said.
"Bane you bastard." Kali growled, before Bane's arm tightened around the front of her neck.
"What deal, are you wishing to make?"
"You allow me to keep making Venom out of my own factory, and I won't interfere in whatever it is you're planning, while you still make your Cobra Venom."
Kobra thought this proposition over.
"What happens if I say no?"
"Then I inject this little Saiyan, with enough Venom, to make her go crazy." Bane smirked.
"How did you…?" Kali questioned.
"When your mind was connected to mine, it was a two way street. I could see what you were, see your memories. An' I'm not estupido. You've been nervous about this mission, because you were afraid, you might accidentally get injected with venom, and your tail would grow back, allowing you to turn, into an Oozaru. A Great Ape." Bane smirked.
"Bane, let go of her right now." Superboy said, smashing the crate he was behind. "Or I swear to Beerus, I'll kill you."
"Ah-ah-ah Superboy. It wouldn't be wise for you to lose your temper, that might cause my finger to slip, and inject Chika here, with Venom." He smirked.
"Alright Bane, your terms are acceptable. We will work together to maintain our efforts." Kobra stated.
"Excellent." Bane smirked.
"Damn it Bane, I knew we couldn't trust you." Kali growled, before slamming her elbow into Bane's ribs.
Bane grit his teeth as he felt a few of his ribs cracking, nearly letting go of Kali, but not before he pressed the injector button on the canister of Venom, and it was pumped into her neck, causing her body to stiffen from the initial injection as she fell to the ground.
"I tried to warn you Chika." Bane wheezed as Kali's body convulsed on the ground. "But now you've taken a full dose of Venom, and now we'll see you tear your own teammates apart."
"Not good." Aqualad said.
"This should be interesting to watch." Sports Master said, smiling under his mask, as Kali's tail grew back, with a sickening squelch of tearing through flesh and bodily fluids, and tore a hole in the back of her leggings and shorts.
Letting out a roar of pain, Kali lunged at Sports Master, narrowly missing him as he moved out of the way, and crashed into his helicopter, denting the door.
"Watch the paint job." He shouted, as Kali picked herself up, her face showing nothing but rabid animal instincts as her muscles bulged.
"She's looking up?" Megan questioned.
"The moon." Aqualad said in realization. "She's looking at the moon."
"Not good." Superboy said as he ran at Kali as her body began to grow and change, becoming covered in brown fur, as the markings gained a reddish color to them, with the forehead markings taking on a more dark blackish gray color.
Superboy was unable to reach Kali, as she had unleashed a large amount of power, in multiple waves, and turned into an Oozaru, roaring in pure rage.
"Not good." Sports Master said, as he saw Kali stomp on his helicopters, destroying all the Kobra Venom that had been loaded on board.
"She's going on a rampage." Aqualad said.
"The bad guys are getting away." Megan pointed out as the Kobra Cult, along with Bane and Sports Master, ran off.
"They're secondary priority right now. There are innocent people deeper inland on this island, which means our top priority is keeping Kali contained and taking her down until she calms down." Superboy said. "Aqualad, you're the designated leader with Kali rampaging like this. What do we do?"
"I'm thinking." Aqualad said. "What are the three ways of taking down the Oozaru?"
"Uh, let's see." Megan said, grabbing Kali's dropped pocket computer. "Cutting off the Saiyan's tail. Knocking the Oozaru out, which would result in them reverting back to humanoid form, or blotting out the moon."
"None of us have the resources or power to cut her tail off when she's rampaging like this, and I might be able to knock her down and out if Megan throws me with enough centrifugal force, so our only other option besides that one, is to blot out the moon." Superboy said.
"If I can make contact with her, I can use my powers to trick her optical nerves into seeing no moonlight, that could revert her back to normal." Megan said. "I'm not a hundred percent sure it'll work, but I can at least give it a try."
"Make a note of that being the fourth option. Superboy and I will distract her to give you an opening." Aqualad said.
With Aqualad and Superboy running to Kali's feet, the duo began distracting the Oozaru woman, and unfortunately for them, it was working better then they'd hoped.
"Scatter." Aqualad called out as Kali stomped her foot down, trying to squash them like ants.
"At least we got her attention. Now we just gotta keep it until Megan can do her thing." Superboy said.
"Which hopefully won't be too much longer." Aqualad stated, using his magic over water to create two whips, and wrap them around both Kali's ankles, and pull down on them.
"I get the feeling you're gonna need a hand with that." Superboy said, grabbing Aqualad's whips and pulling on them with him.
With her legs pulled down, Kali was brought to her knees by the unexpected pull, before Superboy jumped as high as she should, bringing Aqualad away with him as the Oozaru put her arms out to catch herself as she fell forward.
Dropping Aqualad on the ground, Superboy jumped back into the air, right into Kali's face, and slammed his fist into it, knocking her head to the side. But the attack was a bad idea as he had to bring his arms up, as Kali slammed her palm into him, and into the ground, creating a giant imprint of her hand within the center.
"Well, that was a dumbass move on my part." Superboy groaned, as Kali lifted her hand off the ground.
"Superboy, Aqualad, I'm in position." Megan's voice echoed in their heads.
"Good, we'll keep her busy while you do you try and get her to calm down." Aqualad said.
Behind Kali's head, Megan was invisible, as she reached forward and put her hands on the back of her head, she established a connection with Kali, entering her mind.
Opening her eyes, Megan found herself in the void of Kali's mind, and it was a lot cleaner than she'd expected it to be. But a lot of it looked like ancient ruins.
"These are made with Saiyan architecture." Megan gasped. "Kali?"
"No, get away from me." Kali's voice echoed around her.
"Kali." She said, a bit more worried.
Flying through the mindscape, Megan searched for Kali, and found her hiding behind a wall of stone.
"Kali." She said.
"Megan? What are you doing here, get out of here." Kali said.
"I've come to help. I'm trying to trick your optical sensors, into seeing no more moon." Megan explained.
"That won't work, that won't work. The Oozaru isn't stupid." Kali said. "She's terrifying, and there's nothing we can do to stop her."
"You're damn right there isn't."
Megan and Kali looked up to see an anthromorphic ape woman, with Kali's hair style in Saiyan Armor, standing atop the stone wall, with glowing red eyes.
"I'm just too powerful for you to handle." She smirked.
"Run." Kali cried, grabbing Megan's wrist as she ran, with Oozaru chasing after them.
"Kali, who or what is that?" Megan questioned.
"That's the true source of the Oozaru power. When my tail was gone, she was in a sort of petrified state, but when Bane injected me with the Venom, it's like her blood lust went into overdrive after my tail grew back." Kali explained. "Even my Oozaru form is bigger than it should be."
"Why are you running Kali? I thought Saiyans weren't supposed to be scared of anything?" Oozaru taunted.
"She's right, why are you running?" Megan asked.
"Because I'm scared. I don't want her to take over me completely."
As they ran, Kali and Megan managed to hide from the Oozaru again, being sure to keep quiet.
"So mind explaining this a bit clearer to me?" Megan questioned.
"I'm not too sure myself. But from what I understand is, the Oozaru, is an omnipotent being, who has a spiritual connection to anyone with Saiyan blood. What we're looking at, is only a fraction of its true power, which I cannot even begin to understand." Kali explained.
"So that's why you're terrified of her? Because her power exceeds your own?" Megan asked.
"Not just that. If she gets her hands on me, the natural born Super Saiyan Goddess, she could take over my body, my entire life, and cause havoc beyond anything anyone's ever imagined." Kali said.
"You mean like this?" Megan asked, showing Kali images through Oozaru's eyes. "Oozaru is causing havoc, and is on a rampage with your body right now. If you want to stop her, then you'd better do something other than run and hide, because she's on a direct path, to the closest village."
"No, all those people…"
"Kali you can stop this. You can stop Oozaru from taking control, and ending innocent lives." Megan said.
"But, Oozaru is…"
"No buts. You can do this, I believe in you." Megan said, before she began to fade. Returning to her real body, Megan connected to Superboy and Aqualad. "Boys, change of plans. The plan won't work, Kali has to do this herself."
"Why what happened?" Superboy questioned.
"The power of the Oozaru is far greater than we ever thought. An' more complex to. This battle is one Kali will have to win on her own." Megan said.
Back in Kali's mindscape, the Saiyan girl was just looking on at the destruction Oozaru was doing with her body. She hated it, and she wasn't gonna stand for it anymore. Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, Kali stood up from her hiding place just as Oozaru landed in front of her.
"Oh, there you are. Where'd your little friend go?" Oozaru smirked.
(Cue Music… Warriors: Imagine Dragons)
Kali only growled, as she slammed the side of her fist into the crumbling mental wall she was hiding behind, shattering it to pieces.
"This ends now." She glared, her eyes glowing red, revealing the hexagonal pupils.
Kali cried out in rage as she ran at Oozaru, making the ape personification, laugh.
"What are you gonna do, swat at me with your weak ass punches?" She smirked, before Kali's fist made contact with her face, and sent her sliding back, hitting another wall. "The hell?" She questioned, looking at Kali.
"This is my body, not yours." Kali growled, her hair turning crimson red, with her markings turning gold. "You will not harm, any innocent people." She shouted, charging at Oozaru again.
"I see, your friend was a telepath, and she allowed you to see what was going on outside. Well that ain't gonna help." Oozaru stated, matching her strikes, blow for blow with Kali's. "Just because you got a boost of false courage from seeing all those worthless lives in danger, doesn't mean you will stand a chance when fighting against me."
"Yeah I'm scared. I'm scared out of my mind of you, but when there are innocent people counting on me to protect them, I can't afford to let me fear, hold me back." Kali cried out, her punches getting faster and stronger. "You know… I recently got into anime, and there's this one from my dad's world, that really stuck with me. Because it proves that anyone, who tries hard enough, can achieve their dreams. An' one phrase, stuck with me because it was the alma mater of the school the show revolves around."
"What are you saying?" Oozaru questioned, grabbing Kali's wrists.
"You want me to spell it out for you?" Kali questioned, as her markings changed from gold to red as she broke free of Oozaru's grip.
Grabbing Oozaru's arm, Kali flipped the Ape Woman over her head, before spinning around and slamming her into the ground.
Oozaru jumped to her feet up and quickly spun around, facing Kali, throwing a punch at her, clashing with Kali's forearm, as she used it to block the strike.
The constant clashing of power continued to create gales of wind within the mindscape, as their fists continued to cancel each other out. Kali steadily raised her power, giving it everything she had to fight back against Oozaru.
Outside in reality, Oozaru Kali had fallen to her knees, crying out in pain as she grabbed her head.
"What's going on?" Aqualad inquired.
"Kali and Oozaru, are battling for dominance over Kali's body." Megan said. "Oozaru is struggling to fight back against Kali."
"What does that mean? Will Kali return to normal if she wins?" Superboy questioned.
"I don't think so, I think it just means Kali will be in full control of herself from now on, if she ever goes Oozaru again." Megan said.
Back inside the mindscape, Kali punched Oozaru in the stomach, sending her a great distance back.
"I won't let you harm innocent lives, for your own god damn amusement." Kali shouted, making contact with a hit in sync with each word.
Oozaru began to feel the overwhelming power of Kali's attacks, several of which knocked her head back as he couldn't keep up anymore.
Kali punched Oozaru in the face sending her flying back as she destroyed the terrain.
"A real hero." Kali stated suddenly appearing over Oozaru, slamming her elbow into the ape woman's stomach, and sending her into the ground. "Will always find a way for justice to be served. A little advice I learned from the anime."
Kali flew high into the air, and went for a headlong dive straight for Oozaru, in turn the Personified being went running at her, before they collided, and butted heads, knocking Oozaru over as they destroyed more of the ground around them, before Kali flipped over and slammed her foot into Oozaru's head with an axe kick to the jaw, sending her high it into the air, before Kali flew after her, and grabbed the Oozaru's arm, throwing her towards the ground, with the impact sending boulders of stone and dirt flying everywhere. Kali landed on the ground as Oozaru bounced off the ground from the impact.
"Now, it's time for a lesson. You may have heard these words before when I was watching my shows. But I'll teach you what they really mean." Kali stated pulling her right arm back.
The aura around Kali began to glow brightly, before she focused it all in her right arm, with the energy taking on the form of a dragon's head and neck.
"Go Beyond. Plus. ULTRA." Kali shouted slamming her fist into Oozaru's stomach.
The moment Kali's attack made impact with Oozaru, the force of the punch and the shockwave sent the ape woman flying, before she was stopped, as chains, coming out of nowhere, grabbed her by the wrists and ankles, holding her tight in the star formation.
(End Song…)
"Like I said, this is my body." Kali stated.
Back out in reality, the trio stopped in their tracks as the Great Ape Kali, was motionless, before they went on guard as Kali raised her head, and looked at them.
"Stay calm, it's me." Kali said, her voice gruffer.
"You won." Megan smiled. "I knew you were strong enough to do it."
"It is good, to have you back Kali." Aqualad said.
"Way to go." Superboy smiled.
"Well, I guess there isn't much to do now, but wait for sunrise." Kali said. "The mission went array and I think Sports Master, was able to get away with some of the drug."
"You aren't gonna pull off your own tail?" Superboy asked.
"Are you kidding? This form might be useful in the future, I ain't gonna give up this trump card." Kali said.
"She makes a fair point." Aqualad said.
"But… I am gonna need one of you to get me a change of clothes. As soon as I'm back to normal, I'm gonna look like I just came from a Y2K Party." Kali said.
"I'm on it." Megan said.
"I'll come with. I know which clothes Kali likes to wear after a fight." Superboy said.
"I'll stay to keep her company while you two report in." Aqualad said.
~Mount Justice: July 23rd~
"The mission was a failure, yes." Batman said, as Aqualad, Kali, Megan, and Superboy stood side by side in front of him, and Red Tornado accompanied by Black Canary behind him. "However, the initial plan, and sometimes the beta plan, never always go as they should, which is why we have contingencies."
"The mission wouldn't have gone so array if we'd been there." Robin stated, standing with Kid Flash a bit off to team Alpha's side.
"Hey, no commentary from the peanut gallery thank you very much." Kali said, her tail flicking in annoyance.
"Be that as it may, the main operation of the mission was a success, you found out what was going on, why Venom had suddenly stopped for some reason, and who was behind it. The battle might have been lost, but the war is still ours." Batman said. "Some of you even gained a few new experiences and techniques to employ as Team Leader."
Kali looked to Batman, then to Aqualad and Superboy on either side of her, before she pointed at herself questioningly.
"Wait, you mean me? I'm the full time Team Leader?" Kali asked.
"Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy, all voted for you to be made Team Leader. True you took a huge risk by allowing Bane to come with you, and bore that responsibility all on your own so none of your teammates could take any blame, but that's what being a leader is all about, looking out for the rest of the team." Batman said. "It's not an easy job, but you are qualified for it."
"The vote was majority rules, the people with actual brains, voted against it." Kid Flash said.
"You two, put a sock in it before Kali actually gets mad. There's another full moon tonight and trust me, you don't wanna see what she can do under the full moon." Superboy said.
"Kali, the choice is yours, do you accept the position?" Batman inquired.
Kali just looked at Batman, before looking to her three teammates who voted for her, then to the two her voted against her.
"I'm gonna need some time to think it over." Kali said. "I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes either. Just… make Aqualad leader until I decide. I'm going to Earth Omega to think it over." She stated, turning to head to her room, and pack her bags. "I'll be gone for a couple days."
"Good, just make Kaldor the official Team Leader. He'd do a way better job than that battle crazed woman anyway." Kid Flash said.
Kali paused in her step, hearing Kid Flash say that, and this pause gave Megan, Aqualad, Superboy, and Batman a chance to step back, before she zipped right past them, and buried her fist into Kid Flash's stomach, forcing him to bend over, before Kali hit him with a hook to the face, sending him flying back, and into one of the cave's walls, unconscious.
"You got anything smart to say now?" Kali questioned, before stomping off to her room.
"Not gonna lie, Wally had that coming." Megan said.
"You go girl." Black Canary smiled proudly.