Titans: Elemental

Chapter 31: Winner Takes All

We see a pile of cards on a table. Each shows a natural element. Lightning, moon, and so forth.

Raven said, "Fire beats Wood."

Vic said, "but Water beats Fire."

Bryan said, "Snowstorm freezes Water."

Jack said, "but Fire melts Ice!"

Blackfire said, "and Water beats Fire, again!"

BB said, "Sun dries up Water."

Dick said, "and Thunderstorm blocks out the Sun."

Raven said, "I'm out."

BB said, "me too.""

Starfire said, "I wish to…. Go the fish?"

Raven, Rose and BB lean over to check her cards.

BB said, "uh, you want to fold, Starfire."

Starfire asked, "fold? That is good? I am victorious?"

The others shake their heads; BB's ears droop as well. As they lean away, a small drop of sweat pops out on Starfire's temple and a very uneasy look comes over her face. Finally, she lays her cards face down on the table and hangs her head.

Blackfire said, "work on your card skills sis."

Dick said, "sorry, Star. stands and reaches to sweep up the cards I guess I'm just…. Invincible!"

Vic reaches into view and stops him.

Vic said, "ah, ah, ah. How can you be invincible if I've still got one card?"

He holds it up, faced toward himself. Dick is grimacing and lowering his brows.

Vic said, "come on, Dick. You know you want to play me for it. One last round, winner takes all."

Dick said, "you're on, Vic, and you're going down!"

He sits and picks up his cards, scrutinizing them as if he were playing a five-card draw with his life savings in the pot. One eyebrow pops up and down behind the hand; he glares across the table at Vic, who flicks that single card teasingly back and forth. The two stare each other down for a few seconds before Dick makes his play. The card he throws down shows a funnel cloud; he leans back confidently in his chair.

Dick exclaimed, "tornado! Beat that!"

Everyone goes, "ooooh!"

Vic has his best poker face firmly established, but he breaks the stoicism with a casual shrug.

Vic said, "well, okay…. Boo-yah!"

He raises his card and slams the card down on the pile, and when he removes his hand, the card's face is revealed as a flaming meteor. The others gasp, their eyes popping even wider, and Dick leans over the table.

Dick yelled in shock, "Meteor?!"

BB's eyes shine and tear up as he says, "the one-in-a-million wild card that beats all others", he wipes his eyes, "ohhh…. It's too beautiful for words."

Vic says, "aw, yeah, baby", he rakes in his cards and continues, "who's invincible now?"

Dick is positively steaming at this super-trump play; little black flames shoot from his hair.

Starfire said, "be proud and cheerful, Richard. You competed well."

Raven said, "winning isn't everything."

Dick said, "yeah…. It's just the only thing that matters", he pounds the table; the others back off, "I want a rematch!"

Vic said, "um…. I don't know how to tell you this, man, but…. You're outta cards."

Dick, "Beast Boy, gimme your cards."

BB shows his hands empty, "uh…."

There is a sudden white flash; when it clears, Dick and BB have vanished entirely.

Vic could only say, "huh?"

Another flash, and he is gone as well, leaving only the heap of pasteboards lying before his chair.

Jack tried to say, "what the-"

Suddenly, in another flash of white, he and Bryan vanish as well!

Rose, Blackfire, Starfire and Raven are still in their seats and very puzzled.

Starfire asked, "this is part of the game?"

Raven could only mutter, "uh…."

Terra suddenly walks into the room and asks, "yo, what'd I miss?"

….

We see inside a large domed structure. Balconies and halls can be seen, and the windows and glass paneling tell that it is nighttime in this place. A sudden flash leaves the five boys standing here and very confused; another one rips through, and suddenly, they are not alone. Joining them, just as flummoxed, are Gizmo and Aqualad, along with three other teenage males.

One is human, with short red-blond hair, a mask similar to Dick's, a sleeveless, dark red tunic marked with an S over the heart, matching wrist guards and pants, a yellow belt, and a quiver of arrows slung on his back; this is Speedy.

Another wears a black outfit trimmed with red, and his skin appears to be transparent and filled with fire; this is Hot Spot.

The last is Wildebeest; very tall, muscular, broad-shouldered, with the head of the creature for which he is named, armor visible beneath his outer garments.

A booming male voice startles all ten of the new arrivals.

"Welcome, champions all!"

They look toward the source. They all turn to see a powerfully built humanoid figure, standing atop a dais that is at least fifty feet tall with steps running up to it. At this distance, gold bands can be seen at his biceps, wrists, and shins, as well as a loincloth-like garment similar to that worn by Roman soldiers. The chest and face are gray, while the arms and legs are white.

The Master said, "I am the Master of Games!"

White fur runs down the sides of the face and chest and covers the limbs. The exposed skin is gray, and the scalp sports short black stubble. A gold belt is in evidence, as is a necklace with a large red jewel.

The Master said, "and you are hereby invited to compete in the Tournament of Heroes!"

The heroes all look at one another in confusion.

The Master said, "the Tournament of Heroes. A friendly competition between the world's greatest young champions."

The jewel around his neck glows white; its radiance suddenly fills the area as he announces the heroes.

"Nightwing: the combat-equipped, kung-fu-trained one-man army, trained by Batman himself!"

"Hot Spot: a human flamethrower with a fiery temper to match."

"Zivel: the master of all four elements, and trained as such."

"Cyborg: the high-tech teen fighting machine."

"Aqualad: a water-breathing telepath with mastery over surf and sea."

"Wildebeest: four hundred pounds of primal heroic fury."

"The Winter Soldier: cybernetically enhanced super soldier, and master of any firearm he comes across!"

"Gizmo: the nasty little boy…. With the really big brain."

"Beast Boy: a quick-witted changeling…. Who can turn into any animal."

"And Speedy: the agile archer with an unstoppable arsenal of energy arrows."

The Master said, "ten brave and worthy champions, but only one shall win."

BB said, "so…. Does the winner get some kind of really cool prize, like…. Maybe…. Oh, I don't know…. A moped?"

Bryan said, "screw a moped. Give me a cash prize and I'll be fine."

The Master said, "I have no mopeds. But rest assured. When the Tournament is complete, there will be magnificent prizes. And, of course, the winner shall prove that he is the greatest young hero on Earth."

Jack gives an inquisitive look. If he wanted the greatest hero on Earth, he could do a lot better than them.

The Master said, "however, any who do not wish to compete need only say the word….", his jewel glows as he continues, "... and I shall return you home at once."

There is a quick, sotto-voce discussion of this offer, after which Dick steps forward.

Dick said, "looks like we're in, all of us."

The Master said, "the challenge is accepted. The Tournament begins! Prepare for competition!"

His jewel glows again, followed by a huge white flash that clears to show him gone from his perch. All are more than a bit confused at the sudden exit. BB and Aqualad trade a high five and shake hands.

BB said, "aqua-dude! What's up? Ready to watch me claim all those prizes?"

Aqualad said, "no. But after I win, I promise to let you have my autograph."

Vic gestures at Gizmo.

Vic asked, "hey, what's he doing here? He's no hero! I thought this was a Tournament of-"

Gizmo asked, "what's the matter, Robo-Wimp? Afraid I'll kick your stinking can?"

Vic said, "just try it!"

Jack muttered, "I've said this before, And I'll say it again, Gizmo needs better insults."

Hot Spot sniffs the air disgustedly and asks, "what's that sme-"

Wildebeest, nearby, glares down at him.

Hot Spot said, "oh."

He chuckles nervously, but a menacing snort cuts it off.

Speedy and Dick, who say nothing right away as they circle and give each other a slightly hairy eyeball. Dick breaks the standoff by extending a hand to shake.

Dick said, "Speedy. I've heard you're good from what Green Arrow said, real good."

Speedy shakes Dick's hand.

Speedy said, "NightWing. Likewise. Great to finally meet the guy who Batman trained."

Dick points at his quiver and asks, "so, what are those arrows made of?"

The bowman pulls one out and holds it forth for Dick to gaze eagerly.

Speedy said, "polarized matrices of high-energy electrons."

Dick says, "right", he pulls a disc from his belt, "same technology packs the punch in my electric discs. How do you overcome the quantum-entanglement problem?"

Vic is watching the exchange; BB pops up next to him, as do Jack and Bryan.

Speedy said, "borrowed some time on a prototype accelerator and generated enough positrons to slow down the reaction so that…."

BB said, "whoa, dude. Never knew Nightwing had a clone."

Bryan said, "both were young men trained by billionaires who fight crime in a specific theme. So the comparison you made makes sense."

The Master said, "Champions! Round One! Face your opponents!"

A flash, and all of them vanish.

...

The Master said, "Cyborg versus Gizmo!"

We zoom in slightly on one large platform as two lightning bolts strike it and clear to leave the two standing there. Gizmo hovers above its surface with the help of his metal wings and stares down Vic.

….

The Master said, "Beast Boy versus Wildebeest!

Now we see a collection of large steel cages suspended from chains. Zoom in on one of them; the two combatants are blasted into it, and BB looks nervously at the grid of metal bars at his back. Wildebeest charges straight at him from the opposite corner.

….

The Master said, "Speedy versus Aqualad!"

Now the area has changed to show a large circle of flat stones floating on water. Speedy appears on one of them and looks around, bow in hand; there is a flash that forces him to shield his eyes, and we pull back to show a patch of bubbles rising from underwater. Aqualad's head breaks the surface, throwing a bit of a scare into the archer for a moment.

….

The Master said, "Zivel vs The Winter Soldier!"

The brothers found themselves standing atop a large podium sitting in a jungle, with a large body of water surrounding it.

…

The Master said, "Nightwing versus Hot Spot!

They are in a large pipeline, eyeing each other across several yards. Dick throws a few punches at the air to limber up and ends with a backward jump that leaves him ready for action. Hot Spot extends short jets of flame from his arms.

The Master said, "let the contest begin!"

The teen torch projects a fire stream at NightWing, who stops it by pivoting away from the flames and then charges. Hot Spot takes a kick, flips backward, and spews flame from both arms to act as a rocket engine, propelling him at high speed toward Dick. The latter brings out his fighting staff and twirls it like an airplane propeller, and Hot Spot counters by flipping into an upside-down spin. A sheet of fire pours from arms at ground level, his legs twirl like a high-speed flail at head level, and Dick has his hands full trying to block both with his staff.

He is finally driven backward a few steps. Rising to the tunnel ceiling, Hot Spot gathers his strength and hurls a large fireball downward; Dick darts away and just avoids the huge explosion that occurs when the shot hits his former location.

….

Even though the contest had begun, Jack and Bryan stayed standing across from one another.

The Master said, "umm…. The contest has begun?"

Jack said, "we know…. But I refuse to fight my brother."

The Master asked, "excuse me?"

Bryan said, "same here. I don't care what the prizes are, I'm NOT fighting my brother for anything! Even if the prize was ten million daughters and my girlfriend in a gold bikini!"

The Master said, "but, the whole point of this game is to fight one another for a chance at the glorious prizes!"

Jack said, "we know, and we don't care. We're family, we don't fight one another unless there was some sort of mind control involved."

The Master sighed, "very well. Since you refuse to fight, you will be sent back home…."

Suddenly, both brothers vanished in puffs of smoke!

….

When the area clears, we are back among the floating platforms. Vic jumps from one to the next and barely stays ahead of the laser shots coming from Gizmo. He returns fire, is greeted with another barrage, and hops to another platform.

Gizmo said, "what's wrong, barf-brain? Feeling jumpy?"

Vic said, "seriously, get better at insulting people!"

….

Speedy jumps from one stone to the next, but Aqualad swims alongside and keeps pace easily. The two stop and face off. The Atlantean charges and Speedy readies his bow as his perch rises as a tall column. Aqualad runs smack into it and tumbles backward. Now several yards up, Speedy gives a taunting salute, and the other platforms rise in the same fashion. Once Aqualad resurfaces, the young archer knocks a glowing arrow; the target's eyes pop as a drop of sweat rolls down, the string twangs, and he quickly ducks under again. The arrow splashes in after him and explodes.

Aqualad swerves all over the place to avoid a rain of arrows, which Speedy is shooting off in every direction with incredible speed. Grinning, he brings out yet another one, the head glowing blue-white, and chuckles as sparks crackle from it. He pivots slowly to keep Aqualad in his sights, then lets it go. The arrow hits the water, a flicker of light from its location draws Aqualad's attention, followed by a great flash and energy discharge that leaves him paralyzed and yelling in pain.

Speedy sits on the edge of his perch and laughs, arms and legs flailing, and doesn't notice that the water begins to swirl into huge waves. He stops laughing and looks down just in time to see a broad shaft of liquid shoot up in front of him; the opponent rises within it and delivers an uppercut that sends Speedy off the column.

….

We see the cage that holds BB and Wildebeest. The giant thunders at the green Titan, who becomes a vampire bat and flaps away from the corner. When Wildebeest hits the wall, the momentum of his rush sets the entire cage swinging. BB makes a break for an opening between the bars, but an invisible force field stops him from escaping this way. As Wildebeest runs at him again, he transforms into a boa constrictor and wraps himself around the giant body. Both topple to the floor.

The cage swings back and forth a couple of times, during which the giant green snake becomes a gorilla and grapples with his foe. Wildebeest breaks the hold, forcing BB back to the wall to set the enclosure in motion once more, and charges straight in. This time, there is no sidestep and the big ape is smashed halfway out through the steel bars, breaking some of them. In a trice, BB has become a skunk, put himself between those huge feet, and cocked his tail. The horrid stench fills Wildebeest's nostrils and makes him recoil.

….

Dick runs from Hot Spot, who soon stops in midair and sends a broad stream of fire at him. Dick races along, nearing the end of the pipe, but a barricade pops up in front of him and he nearly breaks his nose on it. Others follow suit, so that he is forced to go around and over them while dodging the burning shots that hurtle down after him. He gets clear with a huge leap and scales a disc back at Hot Spot, who has touched down. It explodes against his raised arms in a cloud of smoke, which clears to show a very surprised face above them, and Dick, charging in to throw a punch that knocks Hot Spot silly.

….

Back at the floating platforms. Vic drops onto one of them, gets his cannon ready to fire, and tries to get a lock on Gizmo as he buzzes past. Instead of shooting, though, the big man grabs hold of those metal wings and digs in all ten fingers.

Gizmo said, "let me go!"

Vic rips the wings away, leaving Gizmo to tumble through the air. Out come the four spider legs, one of which lands a big roundhouse lash against the jaw. Vic goes over the edge and crashes down onto a lower platform; in no time flat, Gizmo has jumped after him and planted those four legs to hem him in. Two of them come down to impale the bionic Titan, but he seizes them just short of his face and strains to push them away.

Gizmo asked, "still think I don't belong in your pit-sniffing Tournament?"

A missile launcher pops up on his back.

Vic said, "yeah! And it's about time somebody gave you the boot!"

He raises one foot. A panel slides away on the sole to reveal a small blaster. Gizmo's eyes go very wide at the sight.

The weapon discharges, wrecking the metal legs and sending him screaming up into space. He plummets back to the platform only to be caught by the collar of his jumpsuit in one hand. Vic reaches into view with his free hand and tears his control panel away, and he tosses it aside.

The Master exclaimed, "Winner…. Cyborg!"

The loser grumbles angrily to himself for a second before vanishing in a flash of light and smoke.

Vic has a rather bemused face.

….

Back to Aqualad and Speedy, struggling at the edge of the water shaft that erupted up from the surface. The fluid starts to work its way along the black-and-blue forearms and envelop Speedy's head, Aqualad is trying to drown him, but he gets one hand free, grabs an arrow from the quiver, and thrusts its point into the water next to his opponent. Everything freezes solid in seconds, trapping Aqualad in place and allowing Speedy to slide out of his grip. The bowman stands up, a bit of frost still covering his face; tilt up to show that Aqualad is now encrusted as well. Next to him, the ice cracks a bit.

The Master exclaimed, "Winner…. Speedy!"

He leans toward the frozen mass to touch the hero trapped within it, but as he does so, there is a flash and Aqualad is gone.

….

Another flash shows Dick directing a flying kick at the camera; pull back to show him delivering a healthy thrashing to Hot Spot. The final blow dumps the firestarter on his back.

Dick lands and straightens up triumphantly.

The Master exclaimed, "Winner…. Nightwing!"

A flash marks the removal of the defeated fighter and puts a surprised look on Dick's face.

….

In the cage, Wildebeest has both hands clamped over his nose and copious tears still running from his eyes due to BB's skunk attack. He uncovers his face and his eyes go wide; pull back to show that he is now facing a green lion that charges at him. Though Wildebeest is able to get both arms wrapped around the jungle cat, it transforms into a crocodile, then a bear, then a rhinoceros, then an elephant. The big fellow stays in control and manages to sling the pachyderm, but his eyes soon pop again as he looks across the cage. BB, who becomes a tyrannosaurus rex and roars with enough intensity to set the cage vibrating.

His weight is more than the bars can bear, and the entire bottom of the cage breaks out to drop him into space. BB reverts to human form in stages and flails his arms and legs in midair with a frantic yell before a lightning bolt transports him away.

We see Wildebeest, still in the cage, who plastered himself up against the corner, feet on the stubs of the floor bars.

The Master exclaimed, "Winner…. Wildebeest!"

….

Back to the domed chamber. A flash deposits the four victors here.

Dick exclaimed, "Speedy! Alright, you won!"

Vic said, "but Beast Boy didn't. And where's Zivel and Winter Soldier?"

A flash, and the Master is back on his dais.

The Master said, "well played, young champions. You have survived Round One."

Dick steps up and asks, "survived? What happened to the losers?"

Vic steps up and asks, "yeah, where's our friends?"

The Master said, "peace, heroes. 'Survived', is merely an expression. Beast Boy and the other losers have been returned home safely. Zivel and Winter Soldier were sent home because they refused to fight one another."

Dick nods to Vic, who is uneasy.

The Master said, "but think not of the vanquished, my champions. Now you must rest, for tomorrow you face…. Round Two!"

A flash takes all four heroes out of the chamber.

The Master says, "oh, what a marvelous game. No matter who is victorious….", his jewel flickers, then glows brightly, "... I win all the prizes!"

Muffled, panicked voices make themselves heard within; the eliminated competitors are trapped inside, rather than back home as he said!

….

We see Dick sleeping in a room, when he hears a light knocking.

Vic said, "yo, Dick! Wake up! It's me!"

The Titans' leader yawns expansively as he opens the door to see his cybernetic teammate standing there, having been shaken out of a sound sleep, and takes a second or two to put his brain in gear.

Dick asked, "Victor? It's late. And I don't think we're supposed to be out of our-"

Vic said, "can't sleep."

He raises his forearm, which shows a panel flashing 'BUSY' in big red letters and emits a telephone busy signal.

Vic said, "I tried calling home to make sure Beast Boy, Jack and Bryan are okay…. But I can't get a signal through."

Dick said, "we're in an alternate dimension, kind of outside your calling plan."

Vic said, "um…."

Dick said, "I'm sure they're fine. The Master said all the losers were sent home, safe and sound."

Vic said, "yeah, I know. But I've just got a bad feeling. There's something weird about this game."

Dick steps into the hall, "I guess it couldn't hurt to have a look around."

After a few steps, he stops and his eyebrows go up as far as they can.

Dick says, "hold on", he turns around and continues, "I know what you're doing."

Vic asked, "what am I doing?"

Dick said, "you're trying to trick me again, like you did in the card game."

Vic asked, "I am?"

Dick said, "sure. We'll go; 'investigate', and be up all night, and find nothing. Then you'll recharge your batteries in fifteen minutes while I get no sleep."

Vic asked, "say what?!"

Dick said, "when Round Two starts, I'll be fighting fatigue, and you'll be that much closer to winning the prize."

Vic said, "no, man, for real! I'm just worried about the others. Come on. Winning isn't-"

Dick starts backing through the doorway, "riiiiight."

He closes the door while Vic switches on his built-in flashlight and makes his way down the hall.

Vic muttered, "crazy, paranoid, hyper-competitive, spiky-haired little…."

His light advances out of the unlit far end. Cautiously he moves along, sweeping the flash back and forth, and slips into that side passage. As he continues on through the arches, some machinery is heard kicking up. He puts out the light and backs up to a wall. Gizmo's metal spider legs step past him. Vic looks out after the moving appendages.

Vic muttered, "Gizmo?"

A shadow moves across the wall, a human figure attached to those four limbs. Vic's hand detaches from the rest of him and scuttles into view on a ledge and raises its middle finger. The tip pulls loose and trains a tiny camera on the area.

We see the owner of said hand, still hidden away and working a control on his forearm. Out pops a small joystick, which he begins to manipulate; on the accompanying panel is the view through the camera lens, which shifts as he tweaks the stick.

He gets the spidery silhouette in frame. It zooms in on the figure at the center, and the light comes up and reveals this to be not Gizmo, but the Master.

The image refocuses itself briefly, and the hand jumps up in surprise.

The Master says, "magnificent", he lowers himself to the floor, "absolutely magnificent prizes", the legs retract into his back, "Gizmo, Hot Spot, Zivel, Aqualad, Beast Boy and Winter Soldier!"

He produces a spark of fire between his hands, turns it into a ball of water, then makes it disappear and turns his arms into those of a gorilla. He summons Jack's staff and one of his eyes turns cybernetic.

The Master said, "now that the vanquished are in my possession, their powers are mine to command! I can scarcely wait to see what I win in Round Two."

Vic yelled, "there's not gonna be a Round Two!"

The Master looks off to one side to see Vic, who has moved into the chamber. The detached hand returns to him and jumps neatly up to connect to his wrist; he gives it a half-twist and locks it back in place.

Vic said, "game over."

The Master said, "the game is never over, young champion, but I'm afraid that you are disqualified!"

His head changes to match Hot Spot's and he brings his huge, furry arms down to break the floor. Vic is flung back to the wall by the tremors, but has to get up very quickly when a blast of fire lances toward him from the staff. Now the Master rises on the spider legs again. Vic brings up his cannon and fires a long blast at the Master's chest with a roar; we see the jewel as it is hit dead on and the Master laughs wickedly. Energy is feeding back along the beam. When it reaches Vic's arm, it wraps itself around his body and reels him in. The bionic Titan has time for one last yell before he disappears into the great red gem.

The Master drops to the floor, head and arms back to normal and metal legs retracting; the last of the feedback disappearing into his jem.

The Master says, "never challenge the Master", he turns his right arm into Vic's cannon, "I always win."

He fires the cannon as a test.

….

The next day, we see the three remaining fighters. Dick throws a few punches at nothing.

Speedy says to Wildebeest, "good luck today. May the best man win", the behemoth grunts and turns his back, "sorry. May the best…. Champion win."

Wildebeest nods reluctantly.

Dick says, "right back at you, Speedy", the two shake hands, "where's Cyborg? It's not like him to be late."

The Master said, "Cyborg will not be joining us."

The fighters look across the chamber. He stands atop his high dais; the right arm is normal again.

The Master said, "your friend has been disqualified for attempting to sabotage his fellow champions."

Dick gave a small grimace. That didn't sound like Victor at all….

The Master says, "and with only three champions remaining, we shall proceed directly to….", the jewel flashes, "... the final round!"

A big flash wipes out the area, and three still shots slide in to fill it, labeled as in the previous round of fighting. A "vs." slides into view at the right spot as it is mentioned, then moves off again.

The Master exclaimed, "Speedy versus Wildebeest versus Nightwing, in a three-man fight to the finish!"

….

We move into a crater on a barren moon and tilt up to an asteroid floating not too far from it. Three lightning bolts strike the surface and leave the fighters standing there. We see Speedy and Wildebeest, facing off with Dick in at the far edge. Dick charges at Wildebeest and goes up for a flying kick, only to have his foot grabbed and flung, along with the rest of him, across the asteroid. He stops right at the edge.

Speedy fits an arrow to his bow and lets it loose; it bursts into flame as it travels to the target, Wildebeest, who just swats it down and charges. The archer jumps backward to land next to Dick as he stands up from the throw. They glance at each other and rush Wildebeest, Dick pulling out a disc, and as they go, each unleashes a salvo of his respective missiles. However, their common foe simply dodges every shot and runs through the smoke of the one that explodes too far ahead.

When they reach Wildebeest, Speedy dodges to one side and stops, but Dick goes into a leap that carries him straight over the animal head and sets off a charge in that direction. The bowman shoots off three arrows at once, none of which do any damage to Wildebeest when they hit. As Speedy stares, temporarily paralyzed with shock at this failure, Dick vaults over his shoulder and off the lowered bow for a new jump. He lands behind the head and tries to ride Wildebeest like a rodeo bull; as they skid past Speedy, he gets the brawler's fifth of a ton dumped onto one side and jumps clear.

Speedy said, "thanks, Nightwing."

Dick said, "don't thank me yet."

Speedy looks down in surprise. One of Dick's discs is lodged in the rock between them; it turns that patch into ice, and he loses his balance with a yell and falls.

Dick said, "we are playing to win, aren't we?"

Wildebeest sneaks up and wraps him up in a bone-crushing grip. Speedy gets up.

Speedy said, "looks that way."

He readies a new arrow, this one with a large canister at its head that shows his S insignia. This opens up to reveal a boxing glove, and he draws the bowstring and fires. Wildebeest was knocked off his feet by the impact of the arrow as Dick jolted out of his grasp. Wildebeest crashes down on his back, the rock surface cracking under the impact. He is hit by lightning and removed from the battle zone. The edges of the asteroid start to crumble away.

Speedy said, "may the best man win."

Dick said, "I intend to."

The fissures are spreading in all directions now, and in due course the entire mass disintegrates into fragments. As Speedy and Dick drop toward the nearby moon, the former lets fly an arrow that has a long line attached to its feathered end. It strikes a tumbling rock and lodges there: his equivalent of a grappling hook, and in an instant he has hauled himself onto this. Dick, meanwhile, leaps from rock to rock toward Speedy, who hurls himself backward across empty space to stay out of reach.

One exploding arrow after another flashes down at Dick, forcing him backward toward the edge of his perch, and when Speedy follows them in, the black-haired Titan tumbles out of view. Now we see him hanging on to the rock's underside while Speedy draws a bead on him. The ensuing barrage sends him sliding down, one handhold at a time; as he starts into free fall, he launches a grapple and snares Speedy's bow arm. The archer is summarily yanked off to join Dick in space.

They take several swings at each other as they tumble, ending with Dick being thrown toward an asteroid fragment. He catches the edge and swings himself up onto its surface, looks down, and finds the moon's surface approaching fast. Speedy jumps from one rock to another; in one large crater, a few chunks of rock crash down to fill the screen with dust. The haze parts to reveal Speedy standing there, ready to fire, then a smirking Dick with his staff in hand.

He charges and easily deflects the arrow that comes his way; when he gets in close enough, he uses the staff to throw off Speedy's aim and pin the bow to the ground. Both of them struggle for the upper hand, Dick's boots sliding slowly backward on the lunar rock.

Speedy said, "just a friendly competition, huh?"

Dick said, "yeah. Should be fun."

They lean toward each other.

Speedy said, "right. 'Cause winning isn't everything."

Dick said, "it's just the only thing that matters."

Both push off and back away. Speedy goes into a high leap and shoots a stream of arrows downward; Dick leaps and swerves to avoid their explosive impacts, does a jump of his own, and hurls a disc across the expanse of the crater. When Speedy touches down, he lets go with one more shot, and the two projectiles collide in midair and detonate with terrific force. The glare clears to show the two aggressors smirking at each other from opposite sides.

Dick retracts his staff and starts running; his opposite number beats feet as well, pulling a fresh arrow from his quiver on the way. They run around the crater's inner edge, Speedy losing one after another and Dick somersaulting away from their blasts. Now the tunic-clad marksman knocks three at once and lets them fly; Dick dives away easily, but they climb high above the moon's surface and then double back toward him. His eyes pop.

Dick said, "heat-seekers!"

He starts running again and goes into a leap that brings him down just ahead of the streaking arrows, which are now descending at a steep angle. A last-second dodge takes him to one side; the missiles are unable to correct their trajectory, and they crash into the surface and blow up. Dick touches down on the crater wall and gets his feet in high gear once more, staying a few feet above its bottom. Standing on the level surface, Speedy pivots to keep him sighted and fires; Dick retaliates by slinging three discs, which go off just in front of the shooter.

As Speedy strains to steady his aim through the smoke that has billowed up around him, Dick launches himself from the crater wall. Speedy starts coughing in the murk, and he looks skyward. Dick plunges out of it for a new attack. His opponent brings up a new, canister-tipped arrow and lets it go. This time, the entire shaft falls away and the load opens up to reveal a triangular net with weights at the corners. In mid-leap, Dick whips a disc downward and gets caught up in the net a moment later.

At the crater floor, his disc slams down at Speedy's feet and starts to freeze them up a moment before he bounces across the screen. We see the expanding ice mass as it covers the legs and chest. Dick manages to get a wingding out of his belt. Not to be outdone so easily, Speedy grabs an arrow, twirls it, and jams the point into the ice; the projectile explodes, destroying it, and his counterpart cuts himself loose from the entangling strands.

Now both face off across the crater floor. As Speedy prepares another shot, Dick wings a wingding past him, it soars high and curves back, and the archer slowly turns to sight it for a long moment. When he releases the bowstring, the arrow's course sends it directly toward Dick, whose own throw is coming back as well. With his hand out to catch the wingding, his eyes bug out in sudden surprise and his jaw drops, and he disappears in the glare of Speedy's exploding arrow.

A long, tense pause, and he drops neatly into a crouch, intact and well away from the blast site. Another arrow out of the quiver, the fighting staff out and extended, and here we go again. Speedy shoots at Dick, now yelling his way through a monster leap, and misses; the metal shaft crashes against his upraised bow, and both swing their weapons at each other with renewed fury. Dick breaks away for a high jump and points one steel-soled boot straight out for a kick. It comes down across Speedy's bow and jaw, smashing the former to splinters and knocking arrows from the quiver. They tumble down, as does he, followed by the broken weapon.

Speedy said, "my bow!"

Dick steps up and smirks at him, holding out his staff horizontally, "you lose."

Speedy asked, "but was it really worth it?"

The question gives Dick pause; his smirk fades and he lowers the staff. A flash of lightning takes Speedy away from the battle zone.

….

We go to a red/black vortex, through which Speedy falls screaming away, then dissolves into the jewel on the Master's necklace, with his fingers curled around it. Energy crackles from it, but stops. He looks down at the gem with an expression of quiet satisfaction at having captured another hero.

….

We see the Master's dais, with him standing halfway up the steps. A flash deposits Dick here in a crouch; he stands up to face the gamesman.

The Master said, "well done, Champion of Champions. Victory is yours."

Dick said, "guess I'm supposed to get some sorta prizes now?"

The Master descends.

The Master said, "I did say there would be prizes, young champion. I did not say they were for you."

Dick asked, "what are you talking about?"

The Master grips his jewel and kneels to Dick as he says, "you may be the winner…."

Dick's wide-eyed reflection is visible on the surface; from within, the captured contestants' voices are heard in a panicked babel.

The Master said, "... but the losers are mine to keep."

Dick's face rearranges itself into a fierce grimace, while the Master makes Wildebeest's horns pop out from his forehead and transforms his left arm into that of a gorilla. Jack's staff forms in his gorilla hand.

The Master said, "and with all their powers at my command…."

The right arm becomes Vic's cannon; next Gizmo's metal spider legs bite down on the floor.

The Master said, "... no one will ever defeat The Master of Games."

His eyes glow as he says this, with one becoming Bryan's cybernetic eye, and after he finishes, his head takes on Hot Spot's look.

The Master yelled, "I am invincible!"

We then see him towering above Dick. The young man stares dumbfoundead for a second, then cocks his head and puts on a taunting half-smile.

Dick said, "how can you be invincible if you don't have me, the Champion of Champions?"

This catches the Master flat-footed; he lowers himself to Dick's level, and he steps around to eye the youth.

The Master said, "you are quite skilled."

Dick said, "then maybe the game isn't over…."

The Master said, "the game is never over."

Dick asked, "one last round, winner take all?"

The Master smiles and hoists himself up.

The Master says, "Nightwing versus the Master of Games", his eyes glow, "let the contest begin!"

On the last word, he shoots beams from his eyes to send Dick running for cover. The cannon blazes after him next, followed by a hail of Speedy's arrows coming from the gorilla hand. Dick bobs and weaves to avoid their detonations and fires a grapple that whistles past the Master to stick in the far wall. Hauling himself up, he plows into the Master's chest; both go flying across the chamber. The Master slams into the wall as Dick rises on the line to the attachment point of his hook.

He quickly throws the staff forward and shoots a beam of ice that chases Dick for a few moments.

Now the dirty dealer works his jaw back and forth a bit and opens his mouth very wide. Inside is a gush of water, which he spits up at the young hero. To avoid instant drowning, Dick slides down the line and tumbles across the floor; he fires off another grapple and snags one spider leg. The Master snaps the line tight to crack Dick off and against the wall, then fires his cannon for a direct hit that drops the dazed champion to the floor.

Dick comes to his senses and looks up just in time to see the Master closing in on him. The florid face breaks into a wicked grin as the eyes glow.

Dick presses a button on his belt, opening a compartment that reveals his old cape from when he was Robin, with which he wraps himself in it just in time to stop the stream of fire that pours over him. The air shimmers slightly in the intense heat.

The Master exclaimed, "I win! I always win!"

The fire clears away as Dick stands up.

Dick growled, "not today."

A quick wave of the gorilla arm turns it into a boa constrictor, which whips down at Dick. The Titan does a quick side jump and plants both boots firmly on the serpentine body; it retracts into the Master's arm, and now one of those reinforced soles aims straight up at him. With all Dick's weight behind it, it smashes into the large red jewel, throwing energy beams everywhere that wash out the screen. From within the blinding glare, Speedy, Jack and Vic are propelled yelling to slide across the floor toward Dick. They stand up, one by one; Speedy's bow is now back in one piece.

Speedy said, "nice work."

Vic yelled, "told you there was something weird about this game!"

Jack growled, "I didn't even fight and he got me! That clorbag! Woah, I've spent too much time with Starfire and Blackfire…."

Staggered by the kick, the Master straightens up after a moment, and realizes that his right arm has returned to normal with the loss of Vic.

The Master growled, "Victory shall be mine!"

He turns the other arm into Bryan's, to make up for the loss of Vic's arm.

We see Vic's right arm in cannon mode, and then look to Speedy as he fits an arrow to his bow. Jack twirls his staff around as rings of water, fire, earth and air swirl around him. Dick moves up between them.

Dick said, "winning isn't everything."

The Master roars and barrels straight toward the four fighters, putting out a wide stream of fire as he goes. It lances between Speedy, Jack and Vic; Dick somersaults away as the flames lick up the wall behind him. A cannon blast leaves the cheater reeling, and Speedy takes very careful aim. Vic fires another burst as it flashes past the Master. Speedy aims. The Master roars out his rage, only to catch Vic's next shot with his face.

Jack freezes the Master's legs, ie: his regular ones and the metal ones as he shoots several chunks of Earth at him, hitting his chest several times!

The master snarled as he shot fire at Jack, who caught it in his hand and threw it back at him!

Jack said, "I've got way more skill to go with my power than you do!"

Jack shoots a violent jet of water into his face, staggering him and blinding him for a moment.

His necklace's jewel flips up into the air, catching sparkles from the light. The head of that arrow goes from yellow to red and Speedy lets it go. It sings across the chamber, hitting the gem dead on.

Dick rushes at the Master, whose necklace is now glowing very strongly with that arrow protruding from it, and brings one foot up with a savage scream. It hits the shaft as the arrow is pushed all the way into the necklace.

The Master yelled, "NOOOOOO!"

As light pours from the stone, he crashes helplessly to the floor. All four heroes move closer and watch as he is enveloped in a broad shaft of crackling light. A wave expands from floor level to fill the entire chamber; when it clears, we see the Master kneeling as the necklace goes out. He has lost all his stolen powers.

He looks off to one side. The chamber is now repopulated with all of the contestants.

The Master muttered, "I lose."

He disappears in a flash of light and smoke. When it clears, the view is of a patch of the floor, and his necklace clinks down against the stone after a moment.

….

Dick said, "as far as I'm concerned…."

Dick places a communicator in Speedy's hand. The five others now hold the devices.

Dick said, "... you're all honorary Titans."

Gizmo opens his.

Gizmo said, "cool!"

Vic said, "yo, gimme that! You're not a good guy, remember?"

He grabs the communicator from Gizmo.

Gizmo growled, "scrum-buffing toe-jamming gunk-eater!"

Jack said, "seriously, read a book on better insults. You'll sound less stupid that way."

Dick holds out a hand to Speedy.

Dick said, "sorry I've pretty much acted like a jerk."

They shake and smile broadly.

Speedy said, "we both did. Besides, in the end, it was your drive to win that saved us."

Dick said, "actually, when I faced the Master, I wasn't fighting to win. I was fighting for my friends."

BB approaches and holds up the Master's necklace as Vic joins him.

BB said, "well, dudes…."

He tosses it ahead.

Vic said, "it's been fun."

Dick catches it.

Dick said, "and if you ever need us, you know how to reach us."

The gem glows.

Speedy said, "right back at you."

All of them promptly disappear in smoke and lightning. The necklace clatters down again. It is silent now, but it promptly glows again and another blast goes off. This one clears to show Starfire, Rose, Blackfire, Jinx, Raven, and Terra now on the scene, along with other young female heroes.

They appeared to be the ones known as SuperGirl, Bumblebee, Jessica Cruz, and Wonder Girl.

The Master said, "welcome, champions all! You are hereby invited to compete…."

The master is back atop the dials and wearing the necklace.

The Master exclaimed, "... in the Tournament of Heroines!"

The girls instantly caught on to the Master's bologna.

Starfire asked, "Raven?"

Raven asked, "yeah?"

Starfire said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Blackfire said, "you and the rest of the universe."

….

An indeterminate amount of time later...

Raven, Rose, Blackfire, Starfire and Terra reappeared in front of the others.

Jack asked, "you guys deal with that jerkwad game master too?"

Rose growled, "yep!"

Blackfire said, "the clorbag tried pitting me and Starfire against one another."

Bryan said, "same happened to me and Jack."

Raven said, "I was the last one standing, and freed the others from that maniac."

Starfire said, "friend Jinx was there. As were a few other female heroes. I believe we ran into Wonder Girl, Bumblebee, Jessica Cruz, and Supergirl."

Blackfire said, "we got them to join the Titans."

BB said, "sweet. We did the same for the ones we met."

Bryan said, "Hot Spot, Wildebeest and Speedy. Aqualad and Gizmo were there too."

Raven said, "interesting…."

Rose said, "I'm just glad we're all back home."

Bryan said, "us too…."

….

Reviews:

Canadude2029: thanks so much. Yeah, Terra was a legit good hero, and it's a shame what happens….

SuperSentai199: thanks so much. And yeah, don't worry, Terra will get a happier ending eventually….

Bailey Radcliff: thanks so much. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. I'll eventually get to the next Potter film….

CNguy: don't worry, I plan on retelling the entire series. And I'm glad you enjoyed my version of Nevermore.

….

And that's Winner Takes All.

I've got a new poll up for a future DCAU story. We follow my OC I've used multiple stories, Sam, who in this story is a Saiyamite, (basically a cross between a Saiyan and Viltramite), and the poll is to help decide his love interest/interests.

Vote on it, and make sure you pick 10 of the options.