Chapter 10

A few weeks later, everyone left the cave and went into their normal lives: Kid Flash, Superboy and Miss Martian went to Keystone High School, Zatanna went to her Catholic School, Aqualad went to visit Atlantis and Robin went to join with his former mentor. Over the past weeks, The Team had been working day and night over recent activities. The main one is the break-out of Belle Reve. All the villains from Belle Reve escaped during the time when the League was under Savage's control.

It was only Artemis and Gohan who were left in the base. Artemis comes in and out of the base to visit her mother, but she wished that she could stay their longer. Every time she enters the base, Gohan was there eating away. Seeing Gohan eat like that makes her feel disgusted. But when Gohan tries to be friends with her, she just gives him the cold shoulder.

As she entered the cave that afternoon, she heard Red Tornado saying "Artemis, may I have a word with you?"

When she agreed, she followed Tornado into the briefing room. Once there she saw Black Canary and Green Arrow there.

"What is it?" Artemis asked.

Tornado replied "There had been report that four ice villain: Killer Frost, Icicle Jr., Blizzard and Mr. Freeze."

"We heard that they are near Gotham Harbor," Canary said, "But we can't be for sure. That's why we want you to go stealth and find out. If you do, contact the League."

"Affirmative," Artemis said.

"Yes, my first solo mission! Now I get to prove that I belong on The Team! Nothing is going to ruin it for…"

Her thoughts were cut short when Green Arrow said "Be sure to take Saiyaman with you. If something goes wrong, he'll be there to back you up."

She gave off a disappointed look.

"You have got to be kidding me?" she thought, "Why him?"

Tornado then said "Is there a problem?"

Artemis replied "Not to offend him; but he's immature, behaves like a child and…"

"…And is the only member available," Canary said, "If you have problems then we could wait for the team to arrive."

"NO, NO, NO!" Artemis said as she tried to convince Canary, "Gohan will definitely be there to help me!"

She lied. Although she had to take him along; Canary never said to leave him behind so that she could do the mission solo.

"Alright," Canary said, "Be sure to wake him up."

Artemis gave off another disappointment look and said "Still?"

Minutes later, she marched to Gohan's room and started to bang on the door. As she heard Gohan's whining not to get up, she was demanding him to get up.

As he replied no, she then said "Fine. Yum! This is some delicious bacon I am having. And I have a whole plate just for myself!"

She then stood next to the door where Gohan can't see her and heard the door open. As he was about to exit, she stuck her left leg out and caused Gohan to fall face first to the floor.

As he got up, Artemis said "I can't believe you! You can't get up after being told, yet you get up for food!"

Gohan rubbed his head and said "It's because I'm hungry."

Artemis shook her head and said "Come on, we're leaving."

"Where?" Gohan said as he yawned.

Artemis replied "Gotham Harbor. We're taking Miss Martian's ship."

Gohan then said "It's she going to be mad to know that her ship was taking?"

Becoming irritated, she said "We're going on a mission! It's okay for her if we take it to we're going!"

She then grabs his neck collar and began to drag him through the hallway.

"Wait!" he cried, "What about my clothes?"

Artemis replied "They're in the ship. Now stop whining and let's go!"

Half an hour later, the two heroes arrived near Gotham Harbor with the camouflage active. As Gohan was dressed in his outfit, Artemis pressed a button on her armband and her whole outfit turned black.

"Hey Artemis," he asked, "What about me?"

Trying to convince him to stay, she replied "You stay here with the ship. I need you to look after it while I'm gone. We don't want anyone to take it."

Hoping it might work, Gohan replied in a cheerful way "Roger!"

"Yes!" she thought in an excited way, "This guy totally fell for it!"

"Alright then," she said, "Be back in a bit."

After she said that, she left the ship and landed on the ground. She began to scan the area for the ice villains building to building. When she entered one of the buildings, she heard voices coming from it. Sneaking quickly, she crawled on the floor and saw them! She saw Blizzard, Mr. Freeze and Icicle Jr. near a table talking about something she didn't make out.

"Perfect!" she thought, "All I got to do is contact the League!"

But when she tried to, she noticed something unusual.

"Wait a minute. Where's Killer Frost?"

Suddenly, a female voice behind her said in a spine-chilling way "Looks like we have a rat in the building."

When she turned around, she saw Killer Frost with a dead look in her eyes! When Artemis saw her, she immediately jumped out of the way and shot one of her arrows at her. However, Killer Frost waved her left hand and frosts her arrow in mid-air. Once Artemis landed on the ground, a giant spike of ice appeared and nearly hits her. As she turns, she saw Icicle Jr. in his frost form laughing hysterically at her. As she was about to draw her arrows, a blast of cold air knocks her out and fell in front of Blizzard, Mr. Freeze and Icicle Jr. When she tried to get up, Killer Frost used her ice powers to freeze her legs down to the ground.

As she struggled, Mr. Freeze taunted "It appears we are surrounded."

Everyone laughed and Blizzard said "Whatever shall we do?"

Killer Frost then said "Shall I freeze her?"

Freeze replied "We don't want any witnesses."

As Artemis tried to reach for her bow, Killer Frost froze her hands in place. As Artemis quivered in fear, Killer Frost walked closer to her in a vile way.

"This is not happening to me!" Artemis thought as she got up on her knees "This is not what I wanted!"

As Killer Frost raised her left hand to her, she said "I hope you enjoy the cold."

In a matter of seconds, Frost used her ice powers to trap Artemis inside a block of ice. As Frost laughed in a vile way, Icicle Jr. said "Shall I end her?"

Frost replied "Knock yourself out."

As Icicle Jr. pumped his right arm, he swung it towards Artemis, who was encased in ice. When his bulky fist was about to hit Artemis, he punch was suddenly stopped! When he looks to see who it was, he saw Gohan stopping his punch with his bare hands!

"How did you do that?" Icicle Jr. asked in a stunned way, "And who the hell are you?"

Gohan replied in a serious way "The name's Saiyaman."

As he pushed Icicle's arm back, he created a small ball of energy in his left hand and hurled it at the ice villains. The explosion caused the ice villains to fall backwards and away from Gohan. Having the chance, Gohan turned to Artemis and saw her encased in ice.

"Darn it!" he thought, "If I would have been here, I could of prevented this!"

Knowing that breaking her out of the ice will hurt her, he had to try something else. He placed his hands on the ice and released ki energy from his hands and began to melt the ice. In the matter of seconds, he melted the ice away and freed Artemis. However, she was unconscious from the attack Frost had given her.

As he pick her up bridal style, he said "Artemis, wake up!"

But he got no reply.

"It's no use!" Gohan thought, "I have to get her back to the base!"

As he looked back at the ice villains, he had to get rid of them. He then flew upwards and back to the ship. Once Gohan placed Artemis on the bed, he flew back where the ice villains are.

As he landed in front of them, Blizzard said "Looks like we have a trickster here."

As he pulls out two guns from his side, he fires blasts of ice beams towards Gohan. However, Gohan dodges the beams while Icicle Jr. shoots out five giant spikes from each of his arms. But just like Blizzard's beams, Gohan dodges the giant spikes. In a sneaky move, Killer Frost freezes the floor leading outside. As Gohan continued to dodge the attacks by performing back-flips, that when he landed on his hands where Frost froze the floor, Gohan slips off balance and skied through the floor and outside the building. Once outside, Icicle Jr. rushed up to Gohan and punched him across the body that sends him flying into the water. In a fast pace, Mr. Freeze pulls out his ice rifle and fires a beam of ice into the water where Gohan landed in and froze the area with him in it.

"HA!" Icicle Jr. taunted, "This guy was all talk!"

"Yeah," Killer Frost said, "He didn't last five minutes."

Mr. Freeze then said "Enough talk. Find the girl and dispose of her. We have to get on with the plan."

As they were they were about to take a step, they heard cracking sounds where Freeze froze Gohan in. In an instance, Gohan blasted right out of the iced area and landed near them.

"That's impossible!" Blizzard cried, "How is he even alive?"

Instead of a serious expression from Gohan, he simply wrapped his arms around his body and said in a ridiculous way "That's cold! M-M-M-My body feels like ice right now!"

The ice villains just stood there speechless. Here they thought they were about to fight someone who was serious at first, but they end up being a baby.

"I had enough of this," Killer Frost said as she forms finger claws at her fingertips.

She then charged at the shivering hero, ready to pierce him with her claws. However, Gohan saw this and reacted by dodging her attacks. In the distance, Blizzard shots more if his ice beams at Gohan, thinking it would hit him. Gohan saw this and performed a back-flip to dodge the attack. As he landed on the ground, Icicle Jr. threw more spikes at Gohan, who eventually dodges them. The ice villains had enough of this and all fired their ice beams at Gohan at once. Thinking it was a normal blast; Gohan crossed his arms and took the impact of the beams. However, instead of being blown away like the other blast, Gohan was turning into ice! In a matter of seconds, Gohan himself encase in ice. When the ice villains hold their fire, they saw Gohan in the block of ice.

"About time," Mr. Freeze said, "I thought that will never end."

Killer Frost then said "Let's just find that girl and kill her."

Inside the ice, Gohan heard what they were talking about and he couldn't let them hurt Artemis.

"I won't let them hurt Artemis," he thought, "I won't!"

As he started to power-up, he caused a small earthquake that the ice villains took notice. As they were thinking what was going on, the ice started to crack bit by bit.

"Impossible!" Mr. Freeze cried, "No one could easily do that!"

"What is he?" Icicle Jr. asked in a frighten way.

As Gohan let out a loud shout, he released a flash of blue light and completely shattered the ice he was trapped in. As everyone looked back at Gohan, their mouths completely dropped.

As Killer Frost stood there motionless, she said "How can anyone survive that? No one could have survive that and live!"

Icicle Jr. then said "But I'm sure he can't survive this!"

He then charged at Gohan with his bulky arms ready to throw them at him. In a split second, Gohan delivered a quick jab into Icicle's stomach and he started to moan in pain. As Icicle wrapped his arms around his stomach, Gohan slapped Icicle Jr. across the face and send him flying into the building. Everyone was shock to see Icicle Jr. being knocked out like a little insect.

"He got him by surprise," Blizzard said as he pointed his guns at Gohan, "This it how you do it!"

As he fired the beam of ice towards Gohan, the beams immediately disappeared upon contact. The ice villains were stunned at what they were seeing!

"H-H-How did he do that?" Blizzard asked.

In a flash instant, Gohan disappeared then reappeared in front between Blizzard and Killer Frost. Before anyone of them could react, Gohan delivered a soft right strike into Frost's neck while he punched Blizzard in the face with his other hand. As the two villains fell to the floor unconscious, Gohan looked at Mr. Freeze with seriousness in his eyes.

"You think that you took down those three, you could take me so easily?" Freeze asked, "Fool, I'll make sure to freeze you permanently."

Gohan simply replied "Look: you can freeze me, hurt me or kill me for all I care. But if anyone hurts my friends, they will pay with their lives!"

Freeze laughed and said "You think too much!"

As Freeze pointed his rifle at him, in a split second; Gohan rushed up to Freeze, pushed his gun away from him and head-butted his helmet. With the impact from Gohan, the front glass of Freeze's helmet cracked open and the fumes from inside began to flow out. Freeze began to gasp for air and was about to fall to the floor. When he was about to fall, Gohan quickly wrapped his arms around Freeze's body and flew up into the sky with him. When he was at high attitude, Gohan flew down once more, but this time towards the water below.

Seeing this, Freeze said as he gasped for air "What are you doing? If the fumes come in contact with the water we'll both freeze!"

Gohan replied in a serious way "Then so be it."

As they were near the water, Freeze cried "NOOOO!"

And with that, Gohan and Freeze crashed into the water that caused a huge splash. In that instance, the splash and the area where the two crashed into turned into solid ice. Now, Gohan and Freeze were trapped in the ice.

Five hours later…

Artemis opened her eyes and let out a loud gasp of air. As she looked around, she found herself back at the base. When she looked at herself, she saw that she was out of her outfit and was wearing a white top shirt and dark blue sweatpants.

"What happened?" she asked herself, "I thought I was frozen."

Suddenly, the door opened and Black Canary walked into the room.

"Good," Canary said in a disappointed way, "You're finally awake."

Startled by Canary's appearance, Artemis said "Canary, what…?"

Before she could finish, Canary replied in a strict way "What exactly happened out there? You were ordered to observe if Mr. Freeze and the others were there! Not to take them head on! You could have gotten killed or worse!"

Artemis felt bad. She failed the mission and now the ice villains are probably gone.

Canary then calmed down and said "The important thing is that you're safe. At least your mission wasn't a failure: the ice villains have been returned to Belle Reve. And it's all thanks to Gohan."

"Gohan?" Artemis asked surprised way, "What happen to him? Where is he?"

Canary gave off a depressed expression and said "I'm afraid…he didn't make it."

"Oh no!" Artemis thought, "He can't be dead! He can't!"

"It can't be!" Artemis cried as tears ran down her face, "He can't be dead!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the hallways cried "AAAACHOOOO!"

When Artemis heard that, she said "What was that?"

Canary smiled and said "It appears that someone has the cold."

Meanwhile at the living room; Gohan was covered with layers of covers, sweaters, gloves and sweatpants. His feet were dunk in hot water, his skin was pale and his nose was bright red. It appears that Gohan had the cold from the battle from the ice villains. Although the cold was a small reminder for himself, he manages to bring Mr. Freeze's gun as a souvenir for the mission. Although The Team wasn't there to help him get over his cold, Captain Marvel was there trying to make his new friend comfortable.

As Captain Marvel brought a cup of hot cocoa on one hand while holding a plate of cookies in the other, he brought them to Gohan and said in a cheerful way "Here you go, man! I brought you some goodies!"

Gohan grabbed the cup with his left hand and said while his mouth was shattering "T-T-Thank y-y-you, C-C-Captain M-M-Marvel!"

As Gohan downed the cocoa, he held it to Captain Marvel and asked in a fainted way "More please."

As Marvel gladly agreed, he got the cup and rushed to the kitchen. Just as he did that; Superboy, Miss Martian and Kid Flash just arrived from.

"I can't believe I got a C on my test!" Kid Flash whined.

Superboy then said "Well at least you know to study more."

"Cheer up," Miss Martian tried to cheer him up, "At least you didn't…"

Before she could finish, she saw a person with layers of clothes sitting on their couch.

"Hey, who let them in?" she asked.

Kid Flash replied "I don't remember them."

As the walked over to the figure, they were shocked to see Gohan with layers of clothes and his feet dunk in hot water.

"Gohan!" Miss Martian said in a panicked way, "What happened?"

Gohan replied as his mouth shutter "I-I-I g-g-got t-t-the c-c-cold."

"We can see that," Superboy said, "But what happen? The last time we saw you, you were perfectly fine."

Kid Flash then said "How can you get the cold?"

Captain Marvel showed up and said "Hey, you guys! You missed one heck of a mission!"

Everyone looked him and Superboy asked "What mission?"

As Captain Marvel placed the hot cocoa in front of Gohan, he said "This is how it happened: Artemis and Saiyaman went one a mission to see if the ice villains: Mr. Freeze, Killer Frost, Icicle Jr., and Blizzard escaped from Belle Reve. As it turns out, they did! As Artemis got caught by one of them, they froze her! When they were about to pound her, Gohan showed up and took them all out with one hand tied behind his back!"

"He did what?" the three of them asked in a shocked way.

Everyone looked back at Gohan, who was sneezing like a maniac.

"Dude!" Kid Flash cheered, "You took out four of the most dangerous ice villains all by yourself? That's hardcore!"

Gohan then said "I-I-I b-b-brought a-a-a s-s-souvenir. I-I-It's in the s-s-ship."

As Kid Flash rushed to the ship with his Superspeed, he brought Freeze's ice rifle.

"Now that's what I call a souvenir!" Superboy said.

Miss Martian felt bad for Gohan and said "Would you like it if I made you something warm to eat?"

Gohan excitedly nodded his head.

Miss Martian then said "I'll see what I can cook up."

When Miss Martian left, Kid Flash said "I'll put this in the Souvenir Room and got to my homework. I got a lot to do."

After he left, Superboy said "I need to go too. See you later."

As soon as they left, Gohan dozed off to sleep.

Suddenly, a voice said "Gohan?"

That made Gohan jump out of the couch and landed on the floor. When he saw who it was, he saw Artemis

"A-A-Artemis!" Gohan said, "You're okay!"

"Thanks to you," she said, "Listen, sorry about today."

"I-I-It's okay," Gohan said as he sat back on the couch, "T-T-This cold will be gone before you know it."

Artemis shook her head as she sat next to him and said "Not that. You see: It's my fault. This mission was supposed to involve the two of us. And I told you to stay behind so that I can do it by myself."

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"Because," she replied, "I want to be proven that I can handle things by myself."

Noticing her situation, Gohan said "Artemis, trust me when I say you can't do things by myself. No matter the situation is; you need your friends to help you."

Artemis smiled and said "I'll be sure to remember that. Thanks again for saving me."

Gohan smiled and said "That's what friends are for!"

"Friends?" Artemis asked herself, "Maybe he's not so childish after all."

In a moment of relief, Artemis gave Gohan a small kiss on the cheek. In that moment, Gohan felt déjá vu happening to him.

Gohan thought, "Why is this happening?"

When she saw Gohan's reaction from the kiss, she smiled and thought "I take it back, this guy is childish."

As Gohan saw the smile on Artemis' face he thought "Can this get anymore worse?"