"What's the Tetramand customs? Is there such a place as Tetramand in the world?" Gar touched his head, asking in confusion.
"On Earth, of course not, but in the universe, it's possible," Yuri replied ambiguously.
"I don't know what is Tetramand customs are either." Starfire had traveled through most civilizations in the galaxy and was certain she had never heard of Tetramand's existence.
"So... you're actually an alien, and you're from beyond the Milky Way?" Gar approached Yuri and sniffed him hard.
"What are you doing?" Yuri sighed with a black line on his forehead.
"Mmm..." Gar closed his eyes, placing his hand under his chin in thought.
"I smell it!" Suddenly, Gar opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "I can't believe it! You're actually... an Earthling!"
The black line on Yuri's forehead deepened.
"Don't mind him, Yuri. Gar always likes to make these meaningless and crude jokes," Starfire glared at Garth with a warning look, then turned to Yuri. "Now, Yuri, can you tell us what Tetramand customs are?"
At this point, Yuri got excited, and a playful smile appeared on his face.
"Tetramand customs, well... it's Four-Arms."
Yuri rolled up his sleeves and quickly pressed the start button on the omnitrix, then slapped it with force!
*Thud*
The excessive force caused Yuri's palm to slightly roll away when it touched the DNA selection interface...
A green light flashed, and Yuri's human body instantly transformed into a humanoid being composed entirely of green crystal-like material, resembling diamonds.
Standing over two meters tall, he had four spikes growing from his back. Under the setting sun, his entire body emitted a dazzling glow.
"Diamondhead..."
Yuri stared at his sparkling hands, momentarily stunned.
'Shit. I went overboard. I didn't expect that this version can't handle the forceful slap. If I had known, I wouldn't have been in such a rush... but Diamondhead is fine.'
Diamondhead, a race known as the Petrosapien, can freely change the shape of their bodies, possess strong regenerative abilities, and have a very high body hardness. It is currently Yuri's omnitrix's DNA sample with the highest defensive power.
"Damn! What on earth is this?"
Gar stared in astonishment at the massive diamond figure before him, his heart in a whirlwind of emotions.
Repeating in his mind were the words Yuri had said earlier:
"My abilities are similar to yours..."
"Similar to yours..."
"Similar to yours..."
Similar, my ass!
Garth really wanted to ask Yuri what on earth this transformation was all about. Was it a cold-blooded creature or a warm-blooded one?
"The so-called Tetramand customs involve fighting during festivals! Be careful, Garth."
Yuri warned, then flicked his hand towards Garth. Several crystal spikes immediately shot out from his hand, heading straight for Garth.
"Yuri, what are you doing? Do you want to kill me because of that irrelevant little joke just now?"
Terrified, Gar instantly transformed into a green frog, and the crystal spikes flew past him, hitting a tree behind him.
However, these spikes did not embed into the tree trunk; they bounced off the bark upon contact.
"You're making a big deal out of nothing, Gar. I'm not that petty. I didn't use any force just now, and the tips of the spikes are completely dull. Even if they hit you, it wouldn't hurt."
Yuri looked down at the little frog Gar and spoke through the mouth of the Diamondhead, sounding somewhat pompous.
"Yuri, what are you doing?"
With such commotion, how could the other Titans not notice? Bart immediately ran over to inquire.
Conner, Tim, and Cassie also approached.
"I'm preparing a welcoming ceremony," Yuri said matter-of-factly.
"In where I come from, there's a saying: 'No fight, no acquaintance.' The fastest way for new members of a newly established team to get to know each other is through combat!"
"But, one-on-one fights in turn are too slow and boring, and a free-for-all might lead to uncontrollable situations. So, my proposal is to divide into two teams and engage in combat with each other. This way, we can test and familiarize ourselves with each other's abilities, while also strengthening our bond. What do you think?"
"That sounds great, but this is something for you kids to do. I won't participate," Starfire was the first to respond. If judged by Earth years, Starfire was at least in her fifties, but by Tamaranean standards, she was still a teenager. Her age, however, was not the main issue. Despite being the initiator of the team, she had no intention of leading or joining it. Her role was more like a supervisor and mentor for the Teen Titans, commonly known as a "nanny."
Moreover, there were seven people present, and if they split into two teams as Yuri suggested, one team would have an extra member, which would be unfair. Whether someone possessed overwhelming power or not was not the point. Fairness meant fairness, and although the world might inherently be unfair, the fundamental principle of fairness had to be ensured in the Teen Titans Tower.
"I'll join the opposite team of Yuri. The surprise attack earlier was just because I wasn't ready. Yuri, I'll show you the prowess of Beast Boy later," Gar was the second to announce, having transformed back into his human form.
"Why do we have to fight each other right after meeting?" Bart asked curiously.
"Don't ask so many whys, Bart. Learning to fight has no downsides for us. Besides, Wally told you to listen to me here, right? Come over to my team," Yuri beckoned to Bart, who sleepily walked over.
"What do you guys think? Isn't this a bit too reckless?" Conner turned to Tim and Cassie.
"Count me in. I've been itching for a good fight!" Cassie raised her hand.
"I think it's a good idea too," Tim said solemnly.
"Tim?" Conner blinked.
"I want to see how much progress we've made in the past year. If we encounter the same situation as we did a year ago, will the outcome be different?" Tim's words left everyone in silence.
Conner's eyes grew firm, and he took off his glasses and put them in his pocket.
"Okay, then I'll go with..." Conner didn't finish his sentence before Tim interrupted, "Conner, you're with me."
Gar had already made it clear that he wouldn't be on Yuri's team, so now, with Tim and Conner on the same team, the final result would be...
Sure enough, as soon as Tim said he would be with Conner, Cassie immediately walked over to join Yuri's team.
Teams were formed!
Yuri, Bart, and Cassie vs. Conner, Tim, and Garth!
..
..
To be continued, stay tuned!
°°°
A/N: Stones, peeps.
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