Finally, we reached the top step, and found ourselves on the roof on the Masked Mutant's headquarters. Libby and I were shocked to see a giant laser firing a green beam into a hole in the sky, and through that hole, I could see Earth! The real world's Earth! "We're too late!" I gasped. "He's using his weapon!" I suddenly heard a familiar tune, again from a familiar Nintendo game: Bowser's final theme from Super Mario 64. Then, our enemy, Mr. Fear dropped from the sky and landed on his feet with a deafening crash. He looked up and smiled under the cloak and hat. "I see you've decided to betray me, Libby. How unexpected."

"I've had a change of heart, you monster! And I won't allow you to do what you did to Dinah to happen to Earth!"

"My dear Libby," chuckled Mr. Fear. "It's already begun. Tell me, Skips. How do you want your parents to be? Vampires? Werewolves? Blobs? I'll let you make the decision."

"I want them to be human like me!" I screamed.

He laughed, "Like you? You're a comic book character! You're not even real!"

No. That was a trick. I was turned into one, but I am as real as can be! "Neither are you!"

"On the contrary. I am real." WHAT?! "But like you, I was sucked into this world by my enemies, thinking that they could prevent me from causing harm. Unlike you, however, I was never put through any scanner, thus I was able to keep myself from being like the rest of these idiots in this world. It was then that I could use the technology of this world to escape it and use it for my own means. Now I have what I wanted, and this time, I won't be giving you any more chances. YOUR TRIP ENDS HERE!"

The cloaked man pounded the ground, sending shockwaves that sent me and Libby onto our backs. What came next was a shocker: he was changing, growing in size and height until he took on the appearance of a large black dog with strange markings under its eyes, a stiff, rigid tail with an arrow head and bulging muscles. The hound padded the ground, getting ready to charge. I suddenly felt a tingling sensation in my body; I turned and saw Libby of all people merging into my costume.

"What are you doing?!"

"This time, I'll protect you!" she said, vanishing completely. Did she though? I could still hear her voice coming from my costume. "Mutant's powers are now yours, Skips. Don't be afraid anymore."

Afraid? No. Not anymore. I've faced the Masked Mutant twice! I think I can take on a giant mutt! Only after he charged at me did I realize I might have been a bit overconfident. Man was he fast! I probably only had a second to avoid being a chew toy! It wasn't over yet, though. The dog skidded to a halt and prepared to charge again. No, it didn't. Instead, it arched its head back, took a deep breath and sprayed a column of fire in my direction! I dodged, but it was too soon; a squealed in pain as a felt my leg singe. This dog means business now! He padded the ground, preparing to charge again. Not this time. What was it that Libby said? I have the Mutant's powers? Okay. Just let him come to you. The dog howled and charged right at me. I don't think he expected me to change my hand into an anvil and punch him square in the face. Dazed and confused, he staggered, rubbing his forehead with his left front paw. It was then that an idea struck me, especially when I eyed the tail. With a mighty jump I grabbed onto the tail and spun him around like a lasso.

"This is where years of video games pay off!" Then I let go.

The dog howled as he was sent flying. I could hear the mighty thud as he landed. I smiled with smugness, then gasped in shock as the dog came back and landed on the platform with a crash. The part of the roof underneath him collapsed as he jumped into the center in front of me. Oh, man, I don't think he liked that! Again, he arched his head back before spraying fire, blue colored this time, from his mouth. They landed on the ground and split into caterpillar-shaped creatures flame and spread out in different directions. Suddenly, the hound padded the ground, ready to charge; he dashed toward me and I jumped out of the way, careful to avoid the blue flames. I grabbed him by the tail, then spun him around like a lasso again. There has to be something I can throw him at! Then I spotted the green beam shooter, and I had a bulb bright up in my head.

"So long, doggie!"

A threw the hound at the machine, sending sparks flying. Surprisingly, he was still able to stand on his own four feet! Only now he seemed angrier than ever, as evidence by the little temper tantrum he seemed to be having: he was howling with anger, and banging his front paws on the ground, shaking the ground with such a fury, I thought that the floor would collapse. Wait. It was collapsing! Sections of the floor gave way, forming the shape of a peculiar shape: a distorted letter G.

The hound padded the ground, then inhaled greatly. Oh, boy, what's he going to do now? My jaw dropped. A huge wall of fire! No way I can jump or dodge that thing!

"Jump!" Libby shouted.

"What?!"

"Jump and grab the ledge!" she screamed.

I don't see where this is going, but okay! I jumped off one edge and gripped the ledge, feeling the heat pass above my fingers. I can't believe that - GAH! A tight bite pressed down on my left hand and dragged me onto the platform again and shook me like a rag doll. He let go and spat me onto the ground. One of his heavy paws pressed onto my back, making me wheeze. "Any last words?" he growled.

"Yeah," I said, with a smirk. "Did you forget about me being elastic?"

My legs stretched out under him and kicked him in the back of the head. That one mighty kick was enough to loosen his grip on me, and allowing me to wrap my arms around his huge body and perform my lasso toss. One more should do it. I aimed my spinning prey at the green beam machine, and let him go. "Here we go!" The hound flew into the machine, and the damage was done: the beam stopped firing and the machine itself started to tip over and fall off the roof, taking the hound with it.

"That's how Elastic Boy fights!" I shouted with glee, feeling proud.

"Is that it?" Libby asked. "Did we win?"

"It seems like it," said a familiar voice. I turned around. Dinah!

"But how?" I asked in confusion, as Libby reappeared next to me. "You're a human again! And...you really need a new change of clothes." I said, taking in the woman's ruined clothes and shoes.

"I broke free, and was telekinetically ordered to attack you while you were distracted by Mr. Fear, but I changed back once the machine was destroyed. And from the looks of it," she said, looking at the sky clearing up and the hole with the Earth in it disappearing. "Your world is safe and all the damage done by Mr. Fear and the Mutant is being healed."

"Indeed it is," said another voice. I grinned. The Galloping Gazelle, and the other super heroes were all flying up to meet me and congratulate me and...why are they carrying paralyzing handcuffs? "I got to say," said Feedback. "You got the style and the moves to be one of us, if you weren't fictional."

"Thanks," I said, distracted by the cuffs he was carrying. It didn't take long for them to realize what I was looking at.

"Sorry, Skips," Feedback said with a heavy sigh. "But Libby has to be arrested along with the Mutant. She is him after all."

"Wait!" I shouted. "Did her teaming up with me and saving me from Mr. Fear say anything? Does that prove that she can be redeemable?"

"Well..." said Flo, uneasy. "I'm afraid we can't take any chances. She's created from the Mutant, so there's no telling if she goes bad."

"But...but...!" I was shaken. Okay, maybe she did cause some trouble for me and the League of Good Guys, but she saved my butt back there! She has to be redeemable somehow! "You gave Molecule Man a chance!"

"That's different," Molecule Man said sternly. "I defected because I knew what would happen if Mr. Fear and the Mutant destroyed this world in order to take over yours, kid. She on the other hand, stayed by your side until the last minute!"

"Maybe she could be good," Dinah said, shocking everyone. "If Skips says she's trustworthy, then I believe him."

"But..." sputtered the Gazelle. "But she...did you forget that she helped Mr. Fear turn you into a Bigfoot?!"

"Perhaps she was starting to see the error of her ways," Dinah said. "Or perhaps, being separated from the Mutant caused her to have a personality of her own, and make her become good."

"You see?" I said, triumphantly. "I told-"

"No." We all turned to Libby. "I have to be arrested. It's the least I could do to redeem myself for real. I did cause a lot of trouble."

"Libby!" I protested.

"My decision is final, kid. Rest assured, I won't be in the cell block for long. Just give me a prison far away from the Mutant."

"Hey, if she's willing to turn herself in," Feedback said, grinning with arms folded. "Perhaps she can be good after all."

"Hey, after she's served her sentence, perhaps you could give her some super hero training?" I suggested.

"We might," said Dinah. "We could...but..." She suddenly stopped and her face contorted with horror. "Oh, my goodness!"

We all turned and our faces contorted with horror too! Mr. Fear! Still alive! And holding the machine in one hand! "What?" he said. "Have you not heard of sequels?" he said with dark humor. "The bad guy always comes back in another story!"

"It's over, freak!" Feedback shouted. "You're monster making, takin' over the world days are over!"

"Over?" Mr. Fear grinned under his cloak and hat. "I'm already starting! Remember, now Skips!" he shouted at me. "How I turned defeat into victory! How I got away with the means for the reshaping of the world!" And suddenly, he vanished, taking the machine with him.

"What now?" I asked in horror. "We have to go after him!"

"Correction," the Gazelle said. "You have to go after him."

What.

"It's true," Dinah said. "We're bound to this world, and the only means of leaving this world is in the clutches of a mad sorcerer."

"But...I can't do this alone, and without you guys and my powers!"

"Dude, you just walked through the Mutant's lair with no powers and took on the Masked Mutant by yourself; why should you complain about facing that cloaked creep now?"

"But..." I was at a loss for words. These guys honestly think I can take on that powered mad man?

"We believe in you," Libby said. "I know I do."

I blushed. I didn't believe. And I just lived the life of a comic book character twice, and I still don't believe. Suddenly, my attention was diverted by a flicker of light that appeared in the center of what was left of the floor. "I guess that's my ticket out of here I think. Wonder who activated that thing."

"So, is this goodbye?" asked Libby to me.

"It seems like it," said Flo, leaking her own body from her eyes.

"Hey," said Dinah, placing a heartwarming hand on my shoulder. "You take care of yourself, okay, kid? And...would you mind reading the next issue when you get home?" I nodded.

"So...uh..." said Molecule Man, looking uneasy. "I, uh...I have to say..."

"Come on," egged Gazelle. "We all feel bad about seeing the kid leave. You should too."

"Alright! Alright! Fine! I'll miss you, Skips! Happy now, Gazelle?"

"I am," I said. "Thanks, Molecule Man." He grumbled at me.

Libby shuffled her feet, looking down, not facing me. I looked her over. She seemed to want to tell me something. I walked up to her then she looked into my face and grinned. "Yes, Libby?" I asked.

"I..." she mumbled. She grabbed me by the shoulders and placed her lips next to my ear. "See you." Then she pushed me into the hole.

(!)

I awoke. Wait, where's Libby? Where are the League of Good Guys? Where am I? It took literally a minute for me to realize I was back in my room. It was then that I realized I'm not in my super suit any more. I began to wonder. I stretched out my arms. Nope, I can't stretch to extreme lengths anymore. I'm normal again. Then I saw the comic book on the floor next to my bed. A League of Good Guys comic with a picture of my friends giving a thumbs up and grinning up at the reader; in this case, me. Even Libby is there. I smiled. I can't wait to read the next issue. I wonder what they will call her?

"Skips!" shouted mom's voice. "You ready for school?"

Crap! School! I didn't think I would have to go through this again! Changed clothes, ate breakfast, brushed teeth, got school stuff in backpack, then I was ready for another boring day in the classroom. Well, I would have if I noticed a piece of paper taped to the front door with my name on it. I looked around, but I didn't see anyone who would have taped the paper on here. Curious I tore it off, then I realized that it was a note!

"We have been watching you, Bradley 'Skips' Matthews," it read. "And we know you encountered our enemy, Mr. Fear." MR. FEAR?! "You have two choices now: throw away the paper and walk away, or hawk a loogie on this note and accept our terms of acceptance." The letter ended with a familiar shaped letter G. The same one that Mr. Fear made in his temper tantrum during our final battle.

So...Mr. Fear is still around huh? I felt something familiar. Rage. Rage against the man who manipulated others, who wanted to turn my family into creatures along with my world, who wanted to rule a world of monsters. If he is alive...I have to stop him, just like my friends in the comic said. With no hesitation, I spat on the note.

"Glad to join us, Skips," a boy's voice said. "Welcome to the team. As long as you're on our side, you have nothing to fear from us."