I can honestly say I didn't expect my story to get that many hits, let alone over 1000. If I get 8000 more hits, I'll be obligated to make that corny "IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND" joke. XD You guys deserve the greatest thanks a writer can give; without an audience, an author is nothing. Anyway, on with the fic!


The seven superheroes materialized in Zadavia's aquatic home, schools of fish – and the occasional cetacean – swimming past the windows. Rip gasped in amazement, although he looked embarrassed when the others turned to look at him. Perhaps the grandiose nature of an underwater base was lessened when one was familiar with it. The alien woman who led the Loonatics soon appeared, walking into the room from some unknown depths of the building. She was clad in her usual violet attire, hair slicked back by some means that had yet to be revealed.

"Good morning, Loonatics, Rip." Zadavia said, "I'm glad you're all on time. This assessment must occur as quickly as possible, lest we leave Acmetropolis open to attack from its enemies."

"Assessment? I thought I was already a part of the team," Rip protested, although a quick gesture from the blonde silenced him for the moment.

"I could not simply allow you to join the Loonatics without making sure that you were capable of the job," Zadavia stated calmly, standing serenely before the team of anthropomorphs, "Simply saving the Loonatics on one occasion will not suffice. As such, you will be tested to judge your combat ability and tactical prowess." The young roadrunner looked around at the others, but they all seemed to agree with their leader. Rev looked sympathetic, but didn't oppose the test either. It was for the best.

"Alright, fine, I'll do your test. Let's get the simulation crap over with so we can get back to the surface." Rip grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Actually, Rip, I had a different test in mind," Zadavia said, causing a wave of intrigue to spread amongst the superheroes, "I myself do not actually possess a combat simulator. As such, I plan to test your combat against actual superpowered individuals."

"What do you mean, Zadavia?" Ace piped up, confusion evident on his furry, yellow face, "Where are you going to find people with superpowers to test Rip? We can't exactly go about busting perps out of jail just to make sure the kid can do something on the battlefield." Rip was obviously angered by the rabbit's 'kid' comment, but Zadavia's response stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Of course not, Ace; that would be irresponsible," Zadavia said, her voice eerily calm, "That's why the six of you are going to test Rip yourselves."


Rip couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd been thrust into a large, domed area with the Loonatics, and had been sealed in by thick, steel doors. The others had initially protested, but Zadavia assured them that she would stop the test if anyone was in danger of being seriously harmed. That wasn't exactly comforting to the teen, but he figured that if the Loonatics could trust her, then he could. If only the others would do the same in return. His green eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that could be used to his advantage. However, it was entirely empty, occupied solely by the seven superheroes. Bright lights shone down around the room, casting long shadows across the floor and walls. Taking note of that, Rip waited for Zadavia to announce the test's beginning.

Soon enough, her voice came in through the intercom system, announcing "Commence the test" in an authoritative manner. The Loonatics were on him like white on rice. He barely managed to defend himself in time, his shadow splashing up with liquid speed to block a kick from his brother. However, he took an egg to the back, one which, fortunately enough, only contained a copious amount of orange juice. Being drenched in a citrus beverage was preferable to being engulfed in flames, although he didn't have much time to dwell on that thought. Ace and Lexi were on him in a flash, the duo attacking with a flurry of limbs. Rip decided to retaliate this time, partially out of anger toward the leader of the Loonatics. His shadow arced around him fluidly, striking the lagomorphs and knocking them off their feet.

If they weren't trying to pummel him, he probably would have felt bad; conflict was one of his least favourite things. However, in this case, he was just going to have to accept that a few people were going to have to get injured. As Slam's spinning form collided with him, he knew for certain that he wasn't exempt from being harmed. The gangly teen was knocked into the steel wall, a loud clang echoing about the sterile room. He was winded, but he didn't have time to sit around and recover properly. Tech was preparing a device of some sort, a projectile weapon judging from its design. Rip wasn't given much time to think about what the coyote was preparing, as his brother ran up behind him and restrained his arms.

Rip tried desperately to escape his brother's hold, but he wasn't able to wrench himself free. He attempted to swipe at the older roadrunner with his shadow, but Rev managed to slide easily out of the way, his brother's attempts useless. Tech finally finished preparing his weapon, and aimed the device at Rip, who looked pleadingly back at the coyote. The genius gave a sympathetic look, and fired the weapon. It was the gluco-gel gun that he'd developed before they ran into the Ringmaster and Otto the Odd. However, the young roadrunner had suddenly gotten an idea moments before Tech fired. Acting as quickly as possible, he slipped into his own shadow, the gluco-gel slicking his comb backward as he slipped away. His brother had been hit by the gel instead, trapped in a gelatinous prison.

The teenage roadrunner emerged through Tech's shadow, knocking the gun out of the coyote's hands. He scrambled to catch the gun, managing to ensnare the genius with the device by sheer luck. Mumbling a quick apology, he tossed the device onto the ground, watching it skitter away into the corner. Rip didn't have time to make sure that they couldn't escape; he still had to deal with the other Loonatics. After all, he couldn't exactly show Ace how useful he could be if he couldn't join their team, right? Slam pounded him with another spinning body slam, knocking him into the wall again. His jacket squeaked as he slid down to the floor, pain searing throughout his body.

Groaning, the teen moved his shadow about himself, creating a protective bubble while he attempted to steady himself. Slam bashed into it a few times, although he didn't manage to break through. Ace, Duck and Lexi all hit him with projectiles, but his temporary shield held true for the moment. In an attempt to force them away, he lashed out with his shadow, tendrils of liquid darkness streaking toward the other anthropomorphs. Ace and Lexi both took the hits, but Duck managed to quack out of harm's way. The mallard reappeared behind Rip, hitting him hard with an exploding egg. Pain surged through the gangly teen's body as he flew forward a few feet, skidding across the ground. If he kept taking hits like he was, there was no way he'd last. Stubbornly, he stood up, his shadow slithering quickly about his body, enveloping him in its immaterial form.

Both avians looked somewhat surprised, but Rip acted faster that the water fowl. His shadow stretched from his body, striking the mallard hard with a fist-shaped tendril. Duck cried out in surprise, flying across the room and skidding into the wall after he hit the floor. The roadrunner winced slightly, but decided he could apologize later; there were still three Loonatics that hadn't been put out of commission. Ace had quickly closed in, landing a solid flying kick in the small of Rip's back. A cry of surprise, intermingled with anguish, left the teen as he spun forward, his lanky form going airborne from the kick's strength. Slam caught him, but quickly tossed him to the ground, barely giving the bird time to recover from the blow he'd taken.

Groaning in pain, Rip once again struggled to his feet, glaring stubbornly at the others. They looked surprised, but returned to their fighting stances; if Rip wasn't going to give up, they couldn't either. There were only two possible outcomes: the teen would pass the test, or he'd go down trying. Ace smiled at that thought, finding common ground in their willpower. He could respect that the roadrunner wasn't going to give up. This wasn't just an assessment to join the Loonatics to the bird; it was his way of proving himself. Well, then, kiddo, let's see what else you've got, Ace thought, his smile growing slightly. At this point, he wanted to see Rip succeed, but he wouldn't make it easy. Just because the kid had spunk didn't mean he was going to let him win.

Lexi was the first to make a move, firing a brain blast at the feathery adolescent. Rip took the hit, taking air for a few moments before hitting the ground again. His theory had proven incorrect; he couldn't redirect the rabbit's energy attack back at her through his shadow. If it had worked, it would have been advantageous, but he couldn't expect everything to work out magically. He rose to his feet again, his shadow slipping back to its usual place on the floor. The teen looked exhausted, and was panting heavily from either stress or pain. Either was plausible, but neither was completely evident. As Slam approached to put Rip out of commission, the teen turned to face the Tasmanian Devil, his shadow rising like a wave and crashing headlong into the purple heavyweight. The large marsupial was down for the count, groaning incomprehensibly as he lay on the steel floor.

Lexi and Ace moved in for another tag team attack, one rabbit swinging while the other moved to get a better attacking position. Rip tried to block all the attacks, but he wasn't always able to move his shadow quickly enough to take the blows for him. Eventually, he had to resort to the bubble again, bruises blossoming beneath his feathers from the repeated beating. The two lagomorphs attempted another joint attack, this time succeeding in rattling the protective sphere. The roadrunner was starting to get worried, but he knew that if he panicked, he wouldn't pass the stupid assessment. Grumbling, he forced himself to calm down, reinforcing his shield while he tried to time their strikes. After about a minute of repeated blows, he finally got their rhythm, and decided to move back onto the offensive.

Hoping he'd timed it right, the teen's shadow exploded outward, knocking both rabbits away from him. Lexi hit her head hard on the floor, while Ace landed on the still dazed Slam. The female rabbit was out cold and Slam was now groaning loudly, but the leader of the Loonatics was still ready to fight. It was one on one now. Rip felt much more confident, knowing that he'd subdued five of the six Loonatics. If he ever turned on them, he could give them a run for their money. However, after going through all this trouble to prove himself, he didn't plan to blow it all by double-crossing them. His opponent acted first, the lagomorph setting into another flying kick.

Rip decided to try sending Ace through a shadow portal, but he only succeeded in blocking the attack. It seemed that only he could go through his shadow unless he was touching the other person or object. That was a useful discovery, although it was inopportune. The rabbit hit him with an uppercut, the likes of which one might see in an action movie. He was knocked off his feet, landing hard on his back, tail feathers splayed out behind him. Perhaps he should just give up; five out of six was a pretty good record, in his books. However, a larger part of him was screaming at him to stand up and kick Ace's ass. That part of him won out, and he staggered to his feet, his entire body shaking.

"C'mon, kiddo, you've done enough," Ace said, the concern evident in his voice surprising the teen enough not to care about being called 'kiddo,' "You've already shown us that you can handle yourself in combat, even after that car accident. There's no shame in quitting after all that."

"Of course not, since I'm not quitting," Rip replied stubbornly, trying to stop his body from shaking, "I'm going pass this assessment, and prove you wrong."

"Prove me wrong about what?" Ace asked, apparently confused by Rip's comment.

"I heard you telling the others that you didn't trust me last night," Rip said angrily, reacting the way Rev usually expected him to, "But I'm going to earn that trust, and your respect. So don't just stand there blathering on about me being injured; either you finish this assessment or I do." The rabbit smiled at this, and said nothing more. There wasn't anything that needed to be said. They were going to settle things, and one of them was going to be down for the count. Once again, Ace reacted first, firing a blast of energy from his eyes at the younger male. Rip moved out of the way quickly, watching as the lasers collided with a small panel on the wall opposite of the rabbit. A loud explosion resounded through the steel-enclosed dome, and the lights flicked off immediately.

At first, Rip believed he had the upper hand, given the fact his abilities allowed him to manipulate the darkness. However, he found that he couldn't manipulate the umbra of the room, as he was unable to block a well-aimed punch that the rabbit delivered. He also realized too late that he couldn't see in the dark, a limit that Ace didn't seem to have. As much as he respected Tech, it was moments like these that he disliked the coyote; the two of them weren't on an equal playing field. He attempted to blindly dodge the rabbit's blows, but he was unsuccessful. Soon enough, he was on the ground, groaning in pain. He attempted to stand up again, but Ace simply pushed him over.

While he lay on the ground, Rip remembered Tech's gluco-gel gun. They'd already receded into that corner area; he'd brushed against one of the gelatinous cubes on his way down to the floor. Scrambling as quickly as he could, he rushed toward the corner, his hand stretching out to reach for the weapon. Ace was in hot pursuit, already prepared to let loose one last flying kick on the roadrunner. The gun was in the teen's hand, and he quickly rolled onto his back, aiming it directly above him. Praying to some higher power that he succeeded, he fired the weapon, listening to the sound of the gooey gel flying through the air.


Rip awoke in the medical wing in the tower, all the others huddled around him with worried expressions on their faces. Rev hugged the younger male tightly when he realized he'd awakened, speaking so quickly that even he couldn't understand. He gently pushed his brother off him, groaning in pain from the effort the action required. His entire body ached; even his socks hurt. However, that didn't stop him from sitting up, despite the protests the others and his own body gave him.

"Did I pass?" Rip rasped, his throat feeling uncomfortably dry. Rev grinned slyly, pulling a black spandex suit off of a nearby tray. A light blue triangle was emblazoned on the chest, and Rip knew instinctively that it was his. Despite himself, he felt tears welling up in his eyes, incredible joy enveloping him. Wiping his eyes hastily, he took the uniform – his uniform – and hugged it to his chest, barely managing to keep himself from giggling giddily. It was official. He was a Loonatic.


Well, hope you enjoyed that chapter. It was actually a great release of tension for me after this crazy time. XD I think I've finally gotten out of my slump. :D Stay tuned; the fic isn't far from being finished. ;3