Power Play
In the Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude, Richie was playing superhero. While Allie sat in a chair next to a desk with two computers as she watched Richie playing.
"Evil, sinister tentacles threaten to strangle the fair city of Dakota. But fear not. For today, a new champion is born." Richie narrated as he put on a red mask, and a belt, and stood on an old chair with his fists up.
He was also wearing a red sweatshirt as a cape and was wearing gloves. Richie jumped onto a rolling table and pretended to fly as the table rolled through the room with Richie imitating air whooshing.
"Soaring through the sky, our young hero spots trouble on the ground." Richie narrated as he dropped and landed on the ground.
"Alright, Dr. Insidious, your plan to destroy the world with your mondo gravity ray is over." Richie said as he got up, grabbed a broom, and jumped toward the area where Allie was watching.
"Armed with his awesome electro quarterstaff, he makes quick work of the evil doctor's heinous henchmen." Richie narrated as the spun the broom and swiped it in the air a few times.
"Whoosh! Ksst! Whoop!" Richie yelled as he threw the broom away, pretending to lose his 'staff.'
"Aah! My staff!" Richie yelled in fear as he put his hands on the ground and rolled before he kneeled on the floor while making sounds of lasers firing.
"Dodging death rays, he makes a desperate dive for the control panel." Richie narrated as he jumped toward the desk where Allie was sitting as she rolled the chair away to avoid him getting hit.
Richie jumped out of the desk, landed on his hands, and landed on his knees close to a machine.
"If he can reach it, he, he..." Richie narrated until he saw something.
"Uh, how long have you two been there?" Richie asked nervously as he saw Static and Magnetta levitating in front of him.
Static was sitting on his Static Saucer while Magnetta was levitating in front of Static with a smile on her face.
"We came in at 'heinous henchmen.'" Static said with a smile as he tried not to laugh.
"So you could say that we've been watching for a while." Magnetta said.
"At least I'm not the only one who was watching Richie playing superhero." Allie said as she got off the chair and walked toward Static and Magnetta.
"Why didn't you say anything? Especially you, Allie?" Richie asked.
"I wanted to see how it turned out." Static said as he got off his Static Saucer and landed on the machine while folding his Static Saucer and putting it in his pocket.
"As for me and Allie, we didn't want to ruin your superhero moment." Magnetta said as he landed next to Static with her white magnetic aura disappearing.
"Eh, very funny." Richie said with an annoyed tone as he walked away while taking his gloves off.
"Don't worry, Richie. No hard feelings." Magnetta said with her hands up as she walked off of the machine and stood next to Allie.
"(Laugh) I'm sorry, Rich. But, hey, man, it's no big deal." Static said as Richie took off his belt.
"Sometimes, I still pretend to be Green Lantern." Static said as he fired purple electric bolts from his hands at the machine.
"Hail, Guardians of the Universe!" Static said in a deep voice as the machine lifted him up with Richie, Magnetta, and Allie looking at him.
"And there were times when I used to pretend to be Vixen." Magnetta said.
"Those certainly bring back memories." Allie said with a smile.
"Everything's always a big joke to you, isn't it, Virgil?" Richie asked angrily as he took off his mask.
"At least Magnetta doesn't joke around and is always serious when being a superhero." Richie said.
"What?" Static asked as he undid his powers.
"What do you mean?" Allie asked as Richie threw his mask at Static.
Static caught Richie's mask as the machine lowered to the ground.
"You know, sometimes I think the wrong guy got the powers. While Ruby was the right person to get magnetic-gravitational powers." Richie explained angrily as he unwrapped the sweatshirt tied around his neck.
"Sometimes I think if I..." Richie said angrily as he pointed his finger at himself before he stopped.
"If you what, Richie?" Magnetta asked in concern.
"Nevermind." Richie said as he grabbed his helmet and walked outside while putting on his glasses.
Richie put on his helmet, got on his scooter, and drove off.
"Richie, wait!" Static yelled as he, Magnetta, and Allie ran outside to try and stop him.
But it was too late as they saw Richie driving away.
"Aw, man." Virgil said with a frown as he put his hand around his neck.
"It looks like he's jealous that you both have superpowers and he doesn't." Allie said as she looked at Static and Magnetta.
"You're right. I just hope his jealousy doesn't get the best of him." Magnetta said in concern.
Ruby has heard about people becoming jealous of their superhero partners and dreaming about having powers. However, she's also heard that it could lead those people into trouble. They either get their powers and have to do something for someone who gave them powers or their powers will corrupt them and turn them into villains for having too much power or if they can't control it. She knows what it feels like to have a lot of power and that it feels good rushing through her body. But she also knows that they can corrupt her to be a villain if she can't control her powers. Ever since the Big Bang happened a year ago, Ruby has spent the last year making sure to not let her powers corrupt her and make her a villain and has been training with her powers in order to control them and make sure they don't get out of control.
Meanwhile, Richie was riding his scooter through an abandoned neighborhood that was going to be under construction for a new city that will be coming soon as he was still mad about Static's actions.
"'I wanted to see how it turned out.' Yeah, more like I wanted to see you make a fool of yourself." Richie said angrily as he looked back.
"At least Ruby doesn't make fun of me like that and respects me pretending to have powers." Richie said as he turned back.
"He thinks he's so..." Richie said but was interrupted when he saw an old man standing in front of him with a walking stick in his hand.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Richie yelled as the old man fell to the ground.
When Richie passed the old man, he fell to the ground with his scooter.
"Hey, are you okay? I-I didn't see you." Richie said as he got up and ran toward the old man.
"I'm so sorry." Richie said as he was standing in front of the old man who was sitting on the ground.
"That's alright, son." The old man said as he held out his hand.
However, when Richie grabbed his hand. The old man's eyes glowed purple with purple electricity around Richie and the old man's hands. Richie gasped in shock as the electricity faded away. The old man got up as he let go of Richie's hand and walked away.
"What was that?" Richie asked as he held his wrist.
"What was what?" The old man asked as he turned around and looked at Richie.
"I'm not sure." Richie said as he looked at his hand.
"I thought-" Richie said until he heard laughing.
He turned around to see two boys laughing at him while sitting on top of a monkey bar set.
"What's so funny?" Richie asked angrily as he saw the old man walk away.
"Hey, mister!" Richie yelled as he ran after the old man.
However, he stopped as he watched the old man walk deeper into the shadows and when he turned around, he saw that the two boys were gone.
"Where'd they go?" Richie wondered as he looked around until he walked toward his scooter and drove off.
'Suddenly everybody's gone but me...' Richie said.
Virgil, Richie, Ruby, and Allie were sitting next to a table outside of a cafe with Richie explaining his encounter with the old man.
"...and the place totally gets this haunted house vibe, so I tore out of there." Richie finished as Virgil drank out of his cup.
"Mm-hmm." Virgil said as he kept drinking.
"At least you got out of that place before something bad happened to you." Ruby said in relief as she drank out of her cup.
"Thing is, though, I've felt weird ever since that old guy grabbed my hand." Richie said as he looked at his hand.
"Richie, you've been weird as long as I've known you." Virgil said.
"Tell me about it." Allie said.
"Want a refill on cola?" Virgil asked as he got up from his chair and grabbed Richie's empty cup.
"Yeah, and don't scrimp on the ice, man, it's free." Richie said as Virgil walked away with him, Ruby, and Allie watching Virgil leave.
"Very good, sir. Would you like a slice of lime with that?" Virgil said in a Jamaican accent as he turned around and walked backwards.
He walked through the doors and turned around as he walked inside.
"That was a cool Kangor reenactment." Allie said to Ruby.
"It sure was." Ruby said as she got up from her chair.
"Want to get some refills on Rasberry Ice Tea, Allie?" Ruby asked as she grabbed her cup.
"Sure, I'm starting to get thirsty." Allie said as she got up from her chair and grabbed her cup.
"Don't worry, Richie. We'll talk later about your encounter with that old man." Ruby said as she and Allie walked inside.
Once Ruby and Allie were inside, Richie looked at his hand until he heard tires screeching.
"Look out! Runaway truck!" A man yelled as Richie looked at the street with a shocked expression.
"Look out, look out!" A man yelled as he was chasing after a truck that was rolling down the street.
A small dog was on the sidewalk, sniffing the ground as he walked on the road. Richie gasped as he saw the dog getting close to the truck. Richie jumped over the fence and ran toward the dog.
"Uh, here, doggie, here, boy!" Richie yelled as he ran toward the street.
However, the dog stop and looked at Richie as it sat down. Richie jumped toward the dog and grabbed it as he looked at the truck that was about to run him over. Richie screamed in fear as he held out his hand, closed his eyes, and braced for impact while he held the dog in his arm.
When Virgil, Ruby, and Allie walked out of the door with their cups, they heard a crashing sound as they were shocked by what they were seeing. A giant purple energy shield came out of Richie's hand and stopped the truck as the hood burst open and the windshield had a bunch of cracks. The front side of the truck was also a few feet off the ground with a huge dent on the front. As the shield faded away, the front side of the truck landed back on the ground. Virgil was so shocked that he dropped his and Richie's cups and ran toward Richie. However, Ruby and Allie's jaws dropped as they put their drinks at a nearby table and ran after Virgil.
Meanwhile, the man was slowing down as he started panting when he stopped in front of the back of the truck.
"The brake must've popped." The man said as he laid his hand on the back door.
"We're just lucky nobody was hurt." The man said as he laid his hands on his knees.
Richie put the dog down as Virgil, Ruby, and Allie ran toward him with smoke coming out of the hood of the truck.
"How'd you do that?" Virgil asked as he put his hand on Richie's shoulder.
Richie got up as he, Virgil, Ruby, and Allie looked at the truck before Richie looked at his hands while the dog looked at Richie with a confused expression.
"I don't know." Richie said as he covered his hands with his arms.
"Let's get out of here." Virgil said as he grabbed Richie's shoulder and pulled him away from the scene.
"We'll catch up with you boys later once Allie and I finish our drinks." Ruby said as she and Allie ran toward the table to finish their drinks.
Once they were done, they put the cups away and ran after Virgil and Richie.
A few minutes later, Virgil, Richie, Ruby, and Allie were at the junkyard to test Richie's powers.
"Okay, bro, fire away." Virgil said as Richie held out his hands.
Richie's hands were surrounded in purple energy balls before they faded away after a few seconds. He put his hands down for a second before holding out his fists and then just his hand as he grunted, trying to do something with his new powers.
"Well?" Virgil asked.
"I'm trying." Richie said as Virgil put his finger on his chin.
"Okay, last time, you were in danger. So maybe if we recreate the situation..." Virgil said.
"Your powers might instinctively come out." Ruby said as Virgil held out his hand and fired a purple electric bolt at the front bumper of a car.
Virgil pulled the bumper toward Richie as he backed away, looked away while closing his eyes, and held out his hands while screaming. As soon as the bumper got close to Richie's hands, it was surrounded in a purple energy ball as Richie looked at the bumper being repelled into the air and landed on the ground.
"Wow." Virgil, Richie, Ruby, and Allie said in amazement.
"Let's see if you can do it at another object." Ruby said as she held out her hand at a car.
Her hand glowed white along with the car as she pulled it toward Richie. He held out his hands and the car was surrounded in a purple energy ball as the car was repelled into the air and landed on the ground.
"It looks like you have the ability to repel objects." Ruby said to Richie.
"You, my friend, just had a genuine superhero origin moment." Virgil said with his arms crossed as Richie nobbed with a smile.
"(Chuckle) Gee, I always wanted a sidekick." Virgil said as he walked away.
"Sidekick?" Ruby and Allie asked with a frown.
"I thought we were partners." Richie said as he walked toward Virgil.
"Yeah, Ruby doesn't call me a sidekick. She calls me her partner." Allie said.
"And I treat Allie as a friend. Not a sidekick." Ruby said as she and Allie followed Richie.
"We'll work out the billing later." Virgil said as he, Richie, Ruby, and Allie stopped with Ruby and Allie standing in between Virgil and Richie.
"Can you do it again?" Virgil asked with his fists on his hips.
Richie turned around with a smirk on his face as he held out his fists and fired a purple energy beam at a couple stacks of cars, causing them to explode with smoke coming out. Richie started laughing as he fired another energy beam at a stack of cars and a stack of home appliances with tires. Then, he fired another energy beam at a stack of cars in front of him, Virgil, Ruby, and Allie. They looked at the stack with jaws dropped and their eyes widened as they saw the stack of cars shaking.
"Oh boy." Allie said nervously as the cars on the stack were about to fall on them.
However, Richie held out his fists and fired two energy beams to create a force field that surrounded him, Virgil, Ruby, and Allie as the force field repelled all the cars into the ground. Once all the cars were on the ground, the force field faded away.
"That was cool. Try it again. Let's see how tough it is." Virgil said as he, Ruby, and Allie ran away before they stopped.
"I'm gonna give it a little juice." Virgil said as his fists were surrounded in purple electricity with Ruby and Allie standing next to him.
"Ready when you are, V-Man!" Richie said as he held out his fists and surrounded himself in a purple energy force field.
Virgil held out his fists and fired two purple electric bolts at the force field.
"Ha! Is that all you got?" Richie asked with a smile as Virgil had a shocked expression before turning it into an angry look and giving it all he had.
A few seconds later, Virgil's body turned white before the white light faded away as he stopped with smoke coming out of his fists.
"Cool!" Virgil yelled.
"Now it's my turn." Ruby said with a smirk.
"Go for it, R-Girl!" Richie said as Ruby held out her hand and fired a white magnetic ray at Richie's force field.
"Is that the best you got?" Richie asked with a smirk.
"I haven't even started." Ruby said with a smirk as she increased the power of her magnetic ray.
A few seconds later, the force field started to form cracks. This shocked Richie as he strained to keep the force field up. Eventually, the cracks got bigger and bigger. Finally, the force field broke. Ruby lowered her hand as Richie held his fists close to his chest with purple energy balls surrounding Richie's fists.
"Whoa, that was amazing! You managed to break through Richie's shield while Virgil couldn't." Allie said in shock.
"I've been practicing." Ruby said to Allie.
"Wonder what else you could do." Virgil said.
"I got an idea about that." Richie said with a smirk as he lowered his fists to the ground and fired purple energy beams to use them as rockets to fly up.
"Woo-hoo!" Richie yelled as he flew high in the air.
'Looks like he can fly by repelling himself off the ground.' Ruby thought.
"Yo, V, R, Al, look at me! I'm flying!" Richie yelled in excitement.
"Yeah, great." Virgil said with a frown as he, Ruby, and Allie ran after Richie.
"Woo-hoo!" Richie yelled as he spun around in the air before Virgil, Ruby, and Allie stopped running.
"Richie, you're too high! Come down before somebody sees you!" Virgil yelled as Richie flew higher.
However, Richie wasn't listening as he was laughing. Richie flew over, Virgil, Ruby, and Allie as they fell on the ground and were on their hands and knees.
"Looks like Richie's having too much fun to listen." Allie said.
"I can't blame him. Everyone loves the feeling of flying. Especially me." Ruby said as they watched Richie flying.
Ever since Ruby learned how to fly by manipulating the magnetic energy around her, she started to love the feeling of flying. It made her feel like she was free. But, she made sure not to go overboard and is always careful not to let anyone see her use her magnetokinetic flight or levitation when she's not in costume.
"Woo-hoo-hoo. Oh, yeah! Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Richie yelled as he flew higher and spun around in the air.
However, after a few seconds, his fists stopped glowing purple as he started falling while screaming in fear. Virgil, Ruby, and Allie watched with their jaws dropped and eyes widened as they stood up.
"Don't worry, I got this." Ruby said to Virgil and Allie as she looked at Richie and held out her hand in the air.
Ruby began using her gravity powers by altering the gravity around Richie as he stopped falling and was floating in the air. Richie looked at Ruby with her hand in the air as she gently lowered her hand to bring Richie down to the ground and was standing in front of Virgil, Ruby, and Allie.
"Are you okay, Richie?" Ruby asked in concern as Virgil walked toward Richie.
"I guess." Richie with a disappointed tone as Virgil stood next to him.
"Then what did you think you were doing? You could have blown all our secret identities." Virgil yelled angrily as Richie walked away.
"What secret identities? Weren't you watching?" Richie asked angrily.
"My powers are gone." Richie said as he looked at his hands and walked away while Virgil, Ruby, and Allie watch him leave.
'Gone? How can they be gone? Powers don't just disappear like that.' Ruby said telepathically to Allie.
'This day is getting weirder by the minute.' Allie said telepathically.
'I hope he'll feel better soon.' Ruby said telepathically.
Richie was in his house as he was scraping his fork on his food with a sad expression.
"Richie, are you okay?" Maggie asked in concern as she was holding a coffee mug.
"I'm just not hungry, mom." Richie said sadly as he looked down.
"Richard Osgood Foley not hungry?" Maggie asked as she sat in front of Richie.
Richie was always hungry and that surprised Maggie to see that her son wasn't hungry.
"You must be coming down with something." Maggie said as she put her hand on Richie's forehead, thinking that Richie was sick.
"I-I'm fine, mom." Richie said as he pushed away Maggie's hand.
"Um, but I gotta go." Richie said as he got out of his chair.
"I'm supposed to, uh, meet Virgil and Ruby. Bye." Richie said as he walked away.
Maggie waved goodbye as she watched Richie leave before she placed her hand on her cheek.
Meanwhile, Richie was driving his scooter in the abandoned neighborhood where he met the old man. He stopped in front of an abandoned apartment and looked around.
"Where is he?" Richie wondered as he looked back.
However, when he turned around, he saw a purple flash of light. The light formed into Jump, who was standing in front of him as Richie backed away in fear.
"Looking for someone?" Jump asked with an evil smirk as he grabbed the handlebar.
Richie stopped as he looked at Jump until he saw Run running around him before he stopped and looked at Richie for a few seconds.
"Huh." Run said as he turned around and looked up.
"He came back, old man!" Run yelled as his voice echoed.
Suddenly, the old man walked toward the edge of the apartment roof as he looked down with his eyes glowing purple and chuckled evilly. Run and Jump looked at each other with smirks as Richie took off his helmet and looked at the old man in shock.
A few minutes later, Richie was on top of the apartment roof with Ragtag as Run and Jump leaned at an abandoned shed. The bottom of the apartment roof had grass while the statues and building structures were wrapped around in vines and plants.
"I'm glad you came back, Richie." Ragtag said.
"I had to find out about the powers." Richie said.
"You gave 'em to me, right?" Richie asked.
"That's right. At my age, it's rather odd to find oneself a Baby again." Ragtag said as he turned around and walked away.
"A baby?" Richie asked.
"A Bang Baby." Ragtag answered as he looked back at Richie and leaned onto his stick while standing close to Run and Jump.
"However, instead of gaining powers of my own. I can only give them to others, as I did with Run and Jump." Ragtag explained as he held out his hand at Run and Jump.
"And as I did with you." Ragtag said with an evil smile as his eyes glowed purple before they turned back to normal.
"Who are you?" Richie asked in shock as he backed away a little.
"My real name is unimportant." Ragtag as he dusted off his sleeve.
"Call me Ragtag." Ragtag said as he took off his hat.
Ragtag put his hat back on and walked toward Richie.
"From the moment I touched your hand, I knew you were special." Ragtag said as he wrapped his arm around Richie and pointed his stick at Richie.
"I could tell you have great potential." Ragtag said as he and Richie walked toward the edge of the apartment roof and looked at the view.
"So you can give me powers again?" Richie asked as he looked at Ragtag.
"Of course. And in return for my gift, I only ask one thing, at least for now." Ragtag said as he walked away.
"Promise me you will never tell anyone where or how you got your powers." Ragtag said as he stopped and looked at Richie.
Richie looked down for a second until he looked at Ragtag with a smile.
"I promise." Richie said.
"Good." Ragtag said as he grabbed his stick with both hands.
"Then it's our little secret." Ragtag said as he held his stick in the air with his eyes glowing purple and his stick surrounded in purple energy.
When Ragtag held his stick in the air, it created a gust of wind around the rooftop as Run and Jump looked at the scene with smirks. Richie backed away a little as he looked at Run and Jump. Run leaned his head to face Ragtag. Richie walked toward Ragtag and grabbed his stick with both hands as he was surrounded in purple energy. Richie grunted as he felt Ragtag's power flowing through his body. Richie levitated into the air while still holding onto Ragtag's stick as a huge explosion of white light burst out. Once the explosion was gone, the wind died down as Richie let go of Ragtag's stick and walked backwards, feeling dizzy from Ragtag's power. Richie groaned as Run and Jump caught him by his arms.
Meanwhile, Static and Magnetta were flying around the city, looking for Richie as they flew past a crane that was on top of a building.
"Richie. Richie, come in." Static said in his Shock Vox.
"Maybe he's not carrying his Shock Vox." Static guessed.
"Allie, any luck?" Magnetta asked in her Solar Pole.
'Nope, I haven't found him. He's gotta be around here somewhere.' Allie said through Magnetta's Solar Pole.
"Okay. Call me once you find him. Over and out." Magnetta said in her Solar Pole as she hung up.
"Looks like Allie can't find Richie either." Magnetta said as she put her Solar Pole away.
"Well, there's more than one way to make a phone call." Static said as he and Magnetta flew toward a utility pole.
Static held out his hand and fired a purple electric bolt at the wire as purple electric arcs spiraled around his body. Until the purple electricity went through his hand as he held out his finger and created a telephone keypad. Static pushed some buttons on the electric keypad as they made beeping sounds like a real telephone. While Magnetta levitated next to Static as she watched Static dialing Richie's phone number.
In Richie's house, the phone from the kitchen was ringing as Maggie answered.
"Hello?" Maggie asked.
'Hi, Mrs. Foley.' Magnetta said through the phone.
"It's Ruby and Virgil. Is Richie home?" Magnetta said in Virgil's hand.
Static's hand was close to the wire and was surrounded in purple electricity while purple electric arcs spiraled around his body with Static using his other hand like a telephone.
"I thought Richie was with you two." Maggie said on the phone.
"Oh, yeah, right. We were supposed to meet at the place about the thing." Static lied.
'The where?' Maggie asked through Static's hand.
"We better get there before he leaves. Bye." Magnetta said as the purple electricity around Static disappeared and hung up.
Maggie took the phone out of her ear and looked at the phone with a shocked expression.
"Great. Now we're covering for him." Static said.
"We better figure out where he is fast before Mrs. Foley..." Magnetta said before they heard metal creaking.
Static and Magnetta turned around to see something that gave them shocked expressions. They saw a load of steel beams rocking around the crane's hook while making creaking sounds.
"I told you this load was too heavy." The yellow-hat construction worker said as he looked at the load of steel beams.
"Okay, okay, let it down easy." The orange-hat construction worker said nervously as the crane lowered the load of steel beams.
However, the ground started to break and form cracks beneath the crane as the ground rumbled. The wire rope swung the load of steel beams at a constructed building as the load of steel beams clanged on impact and was lowered down to the road, causing the lever on the crane to bend. Suddenly, one of the ropes broke and caused two steel beams to fall out as Static and Magnetta flew toward the scene. Static held out his fists and fired a purple electric bolt at the people above the steel beams that formed a purple electromagnetic force field around the people, protecting them from the two steel beams. Static and Magnetta flew toward the bent crane lever as Static held out his fists and fired a purple electric bolt at the crane lever to try and lift it. However, Static was having trouble lifting the crane lever as he started grunting with the rest of the steel beams falling out of the rope. Magnetta saw this as she looked down to see the steel beams about to fall on top of the people. Magnetta held out her hand to face the ground as she altered the gravity around the people to cause the steel beams to float over them. The steel beams floated safely away from the people and landed on the sidewalk. But it wasn't over as she looked at Static still struggling with the crane lever.
"It's pulling apart." Static said as part of the crane lever broke off.
"Aah!" Static yelled as he lifted part of the crane lever into the air.
Static grunted as he pulled part of the lever high into the air with him.
"Static!" Magnetta said as she held out her hand to where Static took off.
But then, the edge of the roof broke off as the crane leaned to the side, causing the two construction workers to fall out and ended up holding onto the crane. The yellow-hat construction worker was holding onto the door. While the orange-hat construction worker was holding onto the crane tread.
Suddenly, a purple energy hand scoop scooped up the people away from the sidewalk as Magnetta looked up to see Richie flying toward the scene while wearing a green jumpsuit, goggles, and a green beanie.
"There's help from above when Push comes to shove." Richie said with a smile.
'Richie? Looks like he's back. Along with his powers. I guess it makes sense to call him Push since he has the ability to repel objects. But, I wonder where he got his powers.' Magnetta thought.
Richie flew the people toward a safe distance and put them down to the ground as the hand scoop disappeared. Magnetta smiled as she appreciated Richie helping her. But then, they both looked up to see the construction workers lose their grip and fell along with the crane. Richie flew up and held his hands out to the side to create purple energy hand scoops to grab the construction workers as he dodged the crane. Richie flew up to the roof and the hand scoops disappeared as he and the two construction workers landed on the roof. While Richie and the orange-hat construction worker kneeled on the roof, the yellow-hat construction worker landed on his side as he kneeled on the roof.
"Some landing." The yellow-hat construction worker said as he grabbed his leg.
"What about our crane?" The orange-hat construction worker asked as the crane was still falling.
However, before it could hit the ground, the crane glowed white as Richie and the two construction workers walked toward the edge of the roof and looked at the crane glowing white as it was only a few feet above the ground. They looked up to see Magnetta levitating above them as she held out her hand to face the ground with her hand glowing white.
"Don't worry, boys. I got it." Magnetta said as she looked at the construction workers.
Magnetta raised her hand to lift up the crane and lowered her hand to gently place the crane on top of the roof behind Richie and the two construction workers.
"Thanks for saving our crane!" The yellow-hat construction worker said with a smile as he waved at Magnetta.
"You're welcome, sir." Magnetta said as she flew down.
"Wait for me, Magnetta!" Richie said as he flew after her.
The people walked toward the area where the steel beams were as Richie and Magnetta landed on the ground behind the crowd as they turned around to look at the two heroes.
"Are you guys okay?" Magnetta asked as the crowd cheered and clapped their hands while two girls walked toward Richie.
While Magnetta backed away a few inches to give Richie some space with the two girls.
"I'll take that as a yes." Richie said.
"You saved us." An African American girl said.
"Oh, my hero." A white blonde-haired girl said.
"Oh, really, it was nothing." Richie said to the girls as the white blonde-haired girl kissed his cheek.
"Well, not entirely nothing." Richie said as he was blushing.
Until Richie, Magnetta, and the two girls heard something as they looked up and gasped at what they saw. They saw Static flying down while holding onto a piece of the crane lever with a purple electric bolt. Static put the crane lever on the road as he fell down. However, before he could hit the ground, Magnetta held out her hand and used her gravity powers to make Static float a few feet above the ground and lowered her hand to set him gently on the road as Static lay on the ground. Magnetta ran toward her cousin to see if he was okay.
"Are you okay, Static?" Magnetta asked in concern as she kneeled on the ground and put her hand on Static's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm okay, cous." Static said as he sat up.
"Hey, everyone, it's Static and Magnetta! They...helped me save you!" Richie said as he held out his hand at Static and Magnetta while Static kneeled on the ground.
However, the crowd had frowns on their faces.
"You're welcome." Static said angrily as he stood up while Magnetta took her hand off his shoulder.
'I thought this might happen. But, I'm not interested in fame anyway.' Magnetta thought.
The crowd surrounded Richie as they started complimenting him for saving them. Static and Magnetta walked toward Richie as the girls were asking him a few questions.
"What's your name?" The African American girl asked.
"Where did you get your powers?" The blonde-haired girl asked.
"Oh, can I have your autograph?" The African American girl asked as Static and Magnetta were now standing next to Richie.
"Well, I..." Richie said until Static put his hand on Richie's shoulder.
"Much as I hate to break up this little meeting of your fan club, we gotta talk." Static said sternly as he jerked his thumb to point at the side.
Richie looked at him with a stern expression. Static, Magnetta, and Richie flew up to a tall skyscraper as they landed on top of the roof while Static got off his Static Saucer and grabbed it.
"You wanna tell me and Magnetta what's going on?" Static asked as he folded his Static Saucer and put it in his pocket.
"Simple. I'm a superhero." Richie said.
"Yeah, Richie, we got that much." Static said with an annoyed expression.
"Excuse me. When I'm in costume, I prefer that you two address me by my superhero handle. From now on, just call me Push." Richie said as he pushed his hands.
"Whatever you say, Push." Magnetta said as she pushed her hands.
"How did you get your powers back? And where did they come from in the first place?" Magnetta asked as she and Static walked toward Richie.
"Sorry, bud. That's classified." Richie said with a smile as he turned around and walked away.
"Classified?" Magnetta asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Man, this isn't like you. The heavy tude, the big secrets? What's up?" Static asked as he and Magnetta walked toward Richie.
"Nothing's up, except me." Richie said angrily as he turned around and looked at Static and Magnetta.
"I feel great! Better than I ever felt!" Richie said with a smile and his arms up.
"That doesn't answer our..." Static said angrily as he and Magnetta walked toward Richie until they remembered what Richie said.
"Wait a minute. Does this have something to do with that old man you met?" Magnetta guessed as she jerked her thumb behind her back.
Richie turned around as this confirmed Magnetta's suspicion.
"It does, doesn't it?" Static asked.
"Mind your own business, V and R." Richie said as he turned around and looked at Static and Magnetta.
"You are our business, partner." Static said.
'Oh, so he said that Richie was his sidekick and now he's calling Richie his partner? He's really got to make up his mind.' Magnetta thought.
"Oh, I see. When you're the only two with powers, everything's fine. When I get 'em too, suddenly it's a crisis." Richie explained angrily as he walked toward Static and Magnetta while pointing his finger at them as Static and Magnetta backed away.
"That's not what we're saying, Richie." Magnetta said with a calm expression.
"Frankly, we just think this thing's getting out of your control." Static said as he grabbed Richie's arm.
"I can handle it! And I don't have to explain myself to you, Magnetta, or anybody!" Richie yelled angrily as he got out of Static's grip and backed away.
"Now back off!" Richie yelled as he held out his fists and fire two purple energy beams at Static and Magnetta.
Static and Magnetta hit a wall and fell to the ground while sitting up as Richie looked at them with an angry expression. Static and Magnetta looked at Richie with shocked expressions as Richie backed away with his fists flickering in purple energy balls. When Richie got into a fighting position he saw his fists flickering.
"Richie, you have to listen to us. We know you're jealous of us because we have powers, but whatever your doing to get these powers isn't the way. I know what it feels like to have a lot of power. It feels good at first with all that power flowing inside your body, thinking that you can do anything. But if you can't control your powers. Sooner or later, they're gonna control you. They'll corrupt you and turn you into a villain. Please, you have to stop this, now." Magnetta explained.
However, Richie wasn't listening as he looked at Static and Magnetta with angry expressions. He turned around and flew away as Static and Magnetta watch Richie leave.
A few minutes later, Richie got to the abandoned neighborhood as he landed on the ground with his powers gone. Richie stood up and took off his beanie and goggles before putting on his glasses as he climbed up the ladder that led up to the rooftop of the abandoned apartment. As soon as Richie got to the top and kneeled on the ground, he saw Jump grunting as Ragtag was giving his powers back with Run laying on a chair as he watched the scene. Once he was done, Jump kneeled on the floor.
"Oh yeah. Ha." Jump said as his body was surrounded in purple electric arcs.
"Good." Jump said as he looked at Ragtag.
Jump turned purple and disappeared as he hopped around a mini abandoned Collesium with a pool and water fountain. As Richie looked at the scene, Jump reappeared behind him.
"Booyah!" Jump yelled as he floated behind Richie.
"Aah!" Richie yelled as Jump landed on the ground.
"Well, how very good to see you again, my young friend." Ragtag said as he saw Richie.
"Oh, by the way, I heard about your little heroic exploit today. Wonderfully done, really." Ragtag said as Richie walked toward him.
"Please. I need some more." Richie begged.
"Of course, you do." Ragtag said as he held out his stick which was surrounded in purple energy.
Richie grabbed the stick as he was lifted off the ground and surrounded in purple energy while screaming in pain. Ragtag pulled his stick away as Richie fell to the ground on his hands and knees.
"That should last you long enough." Ragtag said with a smile.
"No. I need more." Richie said as he looked up to see Ragtag walk away.
"And you shall have more. Much more." Ragtag said as he stopped and looked at Richie.
"But first, you'll have to do something...for me." Richie said with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Richie asked as he turned around to see Run and Jump laughing evilly.
Richie looked at them with a shocked expression as he could tell that this won't be good.
That night, Run, Jump, and Richie were hiding behind a bush that was close to a Museum as they kneeled on the grass.
"I don't like this." Richie said.
"Relax, Push. It's gonna be a piece of cake." Run explained as he put his hand on Richie's back.
"First, Jump will teleport inside." Run said as he pointed up with Jump looking at him with a smirk.
(Visual Operation)
A security guard walked around the halls with a flashlight.
'Once he takes out the alarms, all you have to do is get the place open.' Run continued.
Jump teleported inside the hallway and landed on the ground as he took out the security alarms. Once he was done, he turned around to see Richie holding out his hands and fired two purple energy blasts to burst the doors off. Richie looked to the side with an evil smirk.
'Then it's up to me to grab the loot. In and out, quick as a flash.' Run finished as he ran inside the Museum and grabbed a bunch of jewelry before putting them inside a sack.
(Visual Operation End)
"What do you say?" Run asked.
"I never agreed to steal anything. I want to be a superhero." Richie said as Jump disappeared in purple light and reappeared behind him as Jump put his hand on Richie's shoulder.
"Man, you can't be a superhero without powers." Jump said.
"We've had ours for weeks. After a few recharges, it feels like they'll never go away." Run said as he put his hand on Richie's other shoulder.
"No one's gonna know, dude. You do what the old man wants, you get what you want." Jump said as he put his other hand on Richie's chest.
"All that power rushing through your body, doesn't it feel good? Come one, man, you know you love it." Jump said as he poked Richie's chest.
"No!" Richie yelled as he slapped Run and Jump's hands off his shoulders.
"Can't believe I went this far!" Richie said as he backed away.
"Static and Magnetta's right. This whole thing is getting out of control." Richie said.
"I'm gone." Richie said as he turned around and was about to walk away.
"Too late, hero." Jump said as Richie turned around to look at him.
"There's a price for what we've been given. We're doing this." Jump said as he crouched down and turned purple as he disappeared.
"Wait!" Richie yelled as he tried to grab Jump.
But it was too late as Richie fell to the ground and Jump teleported inside the hallway with a janitor scrubbing the floor.
"Just stay out of our way." Run said as Richie got up and kneeled on the ground.
"No. I'm gonna stop you." Richie said.
"Hah. All by yourself?" Run asked with a smile.
"Nah, that'd be stupid." Richie said as he pointed his finger at Run.
Richie looked up and held out his hand as he fired a purple energy blast at a window, breaking a hole in the window. Suddenly, the alarms went off as Jump looked at a hallway where an overhead door rolled down. Jump disappeared and flew out of the Museum as purple energy as he returned to his human form when he landed next to Run.
"What, what happened?" Jump asked Run.
"He did it, he did it!" Run yelled as he pointed his finger at Richie as Run and Jump looked at him with angry expressions.
Richie flew up in the air with large purple energy balls surrounding his hands. However, Jump teleported over Richie and grabbed him as they both fell down.
"Hey!" Richie yelled as he formed a purple energy barrier around himself when he got close to the ground.
The energy barrier repelled Jump as he fell to the ground. Richie got up and turned around to look at Run. However, when Richie and Run got into fighting stances, he saw his energy barrier flickering as Run smirked.
"What's the problem, Push? Running out of juice? Cause I'm not." Run said as he rapidly punched Richie's energy barrier.
Eventually, the energy barrier formed a few cracks and broke as it faded away and Richie backed away a few inches.
"Now, I'm gonna do the same thing to you." Run said as he was about to punch Richie.
However, when he tried to punch Richie, his fist was repelled by a wall of purple electric bolts that protected Richie, causing him to scream in pain.
"I thought you were out of power." Run said as he grabbed his wrist.
"He is, but he's not out of friends." Static said as Richie and Run looked up and saw him and Magnetta levitating over them.
"And by that, we mean his real friends. Unlike you." Magnetta said as she pointed her finger at Run.
Static and Magnetta tried to fire purple electric bolts and white magnetic rays at Run. But he jumped out of the way to dodge all the electric bolts and magnetic rays.
"You'll have to be a lot faster than that to beat me, slowpoke!" Run said as he leaned his hand on a statue.
"Thanks for the tip." Static said as he held out his hands and fire a purple electric bolt at Run's hand as it was surrounded in small purple electric arcs.
"Hey, what'd you do?" Run asked as he looked at his hand and tried to get it off the statue.
"I call it my Static Cling." Static said with a smirk.
Run grunted as he struggled to get his hand unstuck. He put his leg on the statue to try and get his hand unstuck, but it was no use as his hand won't come off.
"Boy, talk about stuck on stupid." Static said as he flew backwards into the air.
However, Jump teleported under Static's feet and grabbed his Static Saucer. Jump disappeared as Static fell to the ground. Jump reappeared as he stood over Static.
"Done playing around?" Jump asked with the Static Saucer in his arm.
Magnetta landed in front of Jump as he looked at her.
"Not quite." Magnetta said as she held out her hand and fired a white magnetic ray at Jump.
However, Jump disappeared as the magnetic ray missed him. But, Magnetta could sense where Jump will reappear as she turned around, held out her hand, and fired another white magnetic ray as Jump reappeared and ended up getting hit by the magnetic ray. Jump fell on the ground as he sat up and saw Magnetta walking toward him and stopped to look at him.
"How did you do that?" Jump asked.
"I can predict a metahuman's teleportation by sensing disruptions along the magnetic lines of force. Besides, this isn't the first time I've dealt with a teleporter." Magnetta said with her hands on her hips.
"Now it's time for some fun." Magnetta said as she held out her hand at Jump and altered the gravity around him.
Jump ended up floating in the air as Magnetta raised her hand to make Jump float a few feet in the air.
"Hope you like loop-de-loop rides. Cause you're in for a real spin." Magnetta said as she spun her arm around, causing Jump to spin around in the air and kept this up for a few seconds.
"Put...me...down!" Jump yelled.
"As you wish." Magnetta said as she stopped spinning her arm, which caused Jump to also stop spinning.
Magnetta lowered her hand to the ground, causing Jump to fall on the ground as he tried to get up, but couldn't.
"Why can't I get up?" Jump asked as he felt heavy.
"That's because I've altered the gravity around you to make you heavy." Magnetta said.
"Good. But not good enough." Jump said with a smirk as he disappeared.
"Static, behind you!" Magnetta yelled as she turned around to look at Static who was now standing.
"Got it!" Static yelled as he turned around and saw Jump reappearing.
Jump tried to punch Static but missed.
"Tag, you're it!" Static yelled as he touched Jump's shoulder.
Jump screamed in pain as he was surrounded in purple electric arcs. Jump disappeared as Static and Magnetta turned around to see him reappearing in front of Richie before falling on the ground, unconscious. Richie grabbed the Static Saucer and walked toward Static along with Magnetta. Richie stood in front of Static while Magnetta stood next to her cousin.
"Am I glad to see you two." Richie said as he gave Static his Static Saucer.
"So now you want to tell us what's going on here?" Static asked as he grabbed his Static Saucer.
A few hours later, Ragtag was pacing around the rooftop, waiting for Run, Jump, and Richie. Suddenly, he heard broken glass pieces moving.
"Jump? Is that you?" Ragtag asked as he turned around.
"Wrong, the answer is Static and Magnetta." Magnetta said as she and Static walked out of the old shed.
"But we do have some lovely parting gifts for you." Static said.
"I don't understand." Ragtag said with a smile.
"Then I'll keep it simple. We're here to close down your little school for delinquent metahumans." Static said.
"But I..." Ragtag said as he kneeled down and started coughing.
"Are you okay, sir?" Magnetta asked in concern as she and Static kneeled in front of Ragtag and put each of their hands on his stick.
"I'm perfectly well. How about you?" Ragtag said with an evil smirk as he dropped his stick and grabbed Static and Magnetta's wrists.
Static and Magnetta screamed in pain as their bodies were surrounded in purple electric arcs with Ragtag standing back up.
"Yes, Static and Magnetta, it works both ways." Ragtag said as his eyes glowed purple.
"In a few moments, I will have drained you both of your entire life force." Ragtag said as Static and Magnetta were lifted off the ground and were in the center of a gust of wind with purple electric bolts and a circle on the ground with purple electricity that surrounded them.
"No!" Richie yelled as he ran out of the old shed and saw Ragtag draining Static and Magnetta's energy.
Richie grabbed a chair and ran toward Ragtag.
"Let 'em go!" Richie yelled as he whacked Ragtag away from Static and Magnetta.
Static and Magnetta fell to the ground feeling weak as Ragtag wobbled toward a statue. Ragtag stopped as he straightened the statue's head and put it back on the stool.
"I gave you powers most people can only dream about." Ragtag said as he turned around to see Richie kneeling in front of Static and Magnetta, who were unconscious and laying on the ground.
"And this is the thanks that I get in return?" Ragtag asked angrily, feeling betrayed as Richie ran away.
Ragtag grabbed his stick and ran after Richie as he turned around and had his back behind a statue. Richie gasped in fear from seeing Ragtag as he screamed and held up his stick that was surrounded in purple energy and purple electric arcs. Richie ducked as Ragtag smashed the statue and broke it.
"Hold still, you!" Ragtag yelled as Richie ran away.
"I don't know. Somehow, that seems like a really bad idea." Richie said as Ragtag ran after him.
Richie pushed a statue to try and hit Ragtag, but he jumped over the statue as it broke into pieces. Ragtag tried to swing his stick at Richie, but he ducked and jumped out of the way as Ragtag lost his balance and fell off from the edge of the rooftop.
"Richie, please help me!" Ragtag yelled as Richie crawled toward the edge of the rooftop to see Ragtag hanging on one of the beams on the rooftop.
"Please, I'll fall!" Ragtag yelled.
"Hang on, I..." Richie said as he was about to grab Ragtag's hand until he saw Ragtag's hand surrounded in purple electric arcs.
Richie gasped as he pulled his hand away. Ragtag held onto the beam with his hands surrounded in purple electric arcs, smoke coming out of his hands, and his eyes glowing purple.
"You won't escape me, you ingrate!" Ragtag yelled as he grabbed the vines on the edge of the rooftop.
Richie stood up and backed away as he saw Ragtag climbing back up. However, one of the vines broke off as Ragtag fell inside a dumpster with the lid closing on him. Richie looked down to where Ragtag fell with a shocked expression as he turned around and ran toward Static and Magnetta.
"V? R?" Richie asked as he turned Virgil around to make him lay on his back.
While Magnetta used the last of her strength to roll over and lie on her back.
"How are you both feeling?" Richie asked in concern.
"When I wake up, remind me to be very angry with you." Static said as he pointed his finger at Richie before falling asleep.
"As for me. I'll forgive you after I wake up." Magnetta said as she fell asleep.
The next morning, Static, Magnetta, Richie, and Allie were in the Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude as Richie hung his Push costume in a locker.
"Hanging it all up, huh?" Allie asked as she and Magnetta stood in between Static with their hands on their hips.
"Yep. I miss having superpowers, but all things considered. I think I'll stick to being a sidekick like you, Allie." Richie said as he closed the locker and turned around to look at Static, Magnetta, and Allie.
"Glad to hear it. I feel better knowing you got my back." Static said as he took off his mask.
"Me too. Including Allie." Magnetta said as she took off her mask.
"Even though I was more powerful than Virgil." Richie said.
"In your dreams, Pushy Boy!" Virgil said.
"Oh, yeah? Then how come you couldn't break through my force field while Ruby was able to do it with one hand?" Richie asked.
"Because I wasn't even trying." Virgil said.
"Ha! Was, too!" Richie said.
"Was not!" Virgil said as he and Richie got close to each other's faces with angry expressions.
"Guess there's only one way to settle this." Richie said as he held up his hand and pointed his finger up before both he and Virgil backed away.
"Man to man." Virgil said as he got into a fighting stance.
"No quarter asked, no quarter given." Richie said as he got into a fighting stance.
"You're on!" Virgil said.
"Gimme a quarter." Richie said as he held out his hand.
A few hours later, Virgil and Richie were playing a game at an arcade while Ruby and Allie watched them play as they stood behind Virgil and Richie.
"Your will is strong, young bushwhacker, but it is no match for my thumbs of darkness." Virgil said in a deep voice.
"Oh, yeah? Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Richie said.
"Oh, ooh! Ha-ha!" Virgil yelled.
"What button you pressing?" Richie asked as he started laughing.
"(Sigh) Boys." Ruby and Allie said as they looked at each other.
This chapter reveals that Ruby's favorite superhero is Vixen like Green Lantern is Virgil's favorite superhero. Also, it shows that Magnetta was able to save the crane from being smashed into the ground. Magnetta doesn't make fun of Richie pretending to be a superhero like Virgil does. She also knows what it feels like to have a lot of power and what would happen if they can't control their powers. This won't be the last of Ragtag, for I have a few ideas for him in the future. I also want to thank Imaginestarsines for helping me with my version of The Big Leagues. She helped me figure out what three scents I should add that Ferret will pick up from Magnetta. I forgot to thank her in the last chapter. I'm sorry Imaginestarsines, it just came to me a few hours after I published The Big Leagues. I hope this didn't make you think I forgot to thank you for helping me. Anyway, time for me to work on my version of Brother-Sister Act. That episode is one of my favorites in Static Shock Season 2, and I'll be looking forward to showing you what I'll be adding to my version of that episode. Please Review.
