Chapter 3.- First time for everything.
As usual for the holder of the Miraculous of responsibility, Peter Parker was still sleeping, even if his alarm had gone off several minutes ago.
- Peter... Peter... Peter! - A rather squeaky voice said.
- Five more minutes, aunt May... please... - Peter moaned.
- I'm not your aunt May, so get your lazy butt off this bed!
- Leopardon, please...
- Peter Benjamin Parker, it's late for school! Get up! - A woman's voice said as she knocked on Peter's room.
- I'm up already, Aunt May... - The brown-haired teen said.
Peter Parker yawned loudly and looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, then he sat up while he sighed and met his kwami's annoyed glare.
- Your alarm has been blaring for twenty minutes. - Leopardon snapped.
- Twenty minutes?! - Peter said in dismay. - Damn it, I'll be late for school!
The clumsy teenager tried to get up, but he got caught on the blankets and the covers, so he fell face first to the ground, moaning in pain.
The kwami sighed and shook his head as he flew down to check on the teen.
- Are you ok, Peter? - The kwami said.
- I think I broke my face. - Peter said.
- Then you're lucky that you can't get any uglier, so get up.
Peter rubbed his aching face and stood up, then he quickly took off his pajamas and quickly slid on his blue shirt, put on his jeans and his sneakers, and grabbed his hoodie before rushing to get his backpack, while Leopardon hid into one of the inside pockets of the boy's hoodie.
However, before he could open the door, a woman with some gray hairs on her head, grabbed him by the shoulder.
- Aren't you forgetting something, Peter? - The woman asked.
- Oh, right, sorry, Aunt May. - Peter said as he kissed his aunt in the cheek. - See you later.
- Not just that, your lunch. - Aunt May said with a smile as she handed him a paper bag.
- Oh, that too... Well, see you at afternoon, May.
- Be careful and have a good day at school.
With that said, Peter ran out of the apartment in which he and his aunt lived, and headed for school. However, when he was about to reach the entrance, he heard a loud explosion nearby. Then he crashed into someone and fell to the ground, as he was running without looking where he was going.
Then Peter heard a feminine groan, which made him look down and see that he had run into Marinette.
- Marinette! - Peter said as he got up to help the girl. - Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I got distracted by that explosion. Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?
- It's ok, Peter, I wasn't looking where I was going either. - Marinette said as she got up. - You better go inside and seek refuge.
- I will. - The brown-haired teen said as he ran into the school. - But not to take refuge.
Peter ran to the bathroom and let Leopardon fly out of his hoodie.
- What's with all the commotion? - The kwami asked.
- Gobby seems to be working early today, so let's get ready! - Peter said as he uncovered the bracelet on his left wrist. - Webs on!
(Meanwhile)
Like every morning, Adrien Agreste was being driven to school while he stared absentmindedly out the window, but unlike every morning, the driver was forced to stomp his foot on the brake and skid to a stop as a bunch of people ran in front of the car.
Soon, Adrien snapped out of his stupor and looked at the front, seeing the people running. Immediately after that, he opened the door of the car, ignoring Natalie's instructions to stay inside and ran into an alley, as Plagg flew out of his hiding spot.
- What's the matter now? - Plagg said.
- I don't know but when there's a crowd running in panic, nothing good can be happening. - Adrien said. - Claws out!
Shortly after that, the young model, now as Chat Noir, used his staff to reach the rooftop of a building and ran in the direction from where the people were running. Then he gasped as he saw someone dressed up in a green jumpsuit with a yellow mask that resembled an electric spark was firing lightning bolts at a car, making it explode and sending pieces of it flying around while the man in the green jumpsuit just laughed evilly.
Shortly after that, he saw two figures wearing red suits, swinging by each side of the street, making the villain chuckle as he grinned maliciously.
- Ladybug, Spider-Man, I was waiting for you. - The green villain chuckled. - Where's the other runt? If I'm not mistaken, there was also a kitty in your team.
- I'm right here! - Chat Noir said as he jumped to the street. - I'm sorry I'm late, I got caught up with something.
- Don't worry, we haven't even started, so there's plenty of this bad guy's butt to kick, for us three. - Spider-Man said.
- I wouldn't be so sure about that, wall-crawler...
With that said, the villain made an X with his arms as electricity began to build up his body, then he unleashed the energy into some sort of shockwave that electrocuted the heroes and sent them backwards, as the attacker laughed evilly.
- Face it! You are no match for the might of Electro! - The villain said.
Spider-Man growled and stood up, then he rushed at the villain, who shot more electric bolts at the hero. However, Spider-Man evaded the bolts rather easily and fired a strand of web to Electro's chest and used it to pull the villain and slam him against a car.
Then, Electro growled and fired a bolt at him, which was stopped by Ladybug's swirling yo-yo.
The green and yellow villain bared his teeth and charged electric bolts on his hands, but before he could attack, Chat Noir kicked him in the back and made him fall face first on the ground, where Spider-Man started to web him up to restrain him.
- Ladybug, use your Lucky Charm! My webs won't keep him down for long and I don't think an electric shock like my Spider Bite will work on him! - Spider-Man snapped.
- I'm on it! - Ladybug said as she threw her yo-yo upwards. - Lucky...!
All of a sudden, Ladybug and Spider-Man were thrown backwards by an electric shockwave again, making them slam against some cars, then Electro turned to Chat Noir with a murderous glare as his entire body emitted a powerful electric field that sparkled angrily.
- I'm gonna fry you for that! - Electro said as he started flying.
- Ok, I definitely wasn't expecting that... - Chat Noir said as he stood in combat stance. - Bring it on, Sparky!
- I am Electro!
With that said, Electro charged against Chat Noir, who could barely evade the villain's electric field, however, Electro turned midair and immediately fired a bolt at the cat hero's back, which hit Chat Noir and made him fall to the ground with a thud. However, he soon stood up, evading another bolt in the process and charged against Electro, with his staff ready to attack.
Electro smirked and fired several bolts at Chat Noir, who evaded them with several jumps and barrel rolls, then the cat hero swung his staff as it extended and hit Electro in the head, making him fall to the ground.
After the villain fell to the ground, Chat Noir pounced on Electro and tried to punch him in the face, but the villain roared and created another electric field around him to shock Chat Noir, then he kicked him off him and glared at the hero as he charged more electricity in his hands, and finally, he fired the energy at the cat hero and kept a constant flow, shocking him and smirking evilly as Chat Noir started writhing and screaming while several thousand volts ran through his body.
In that second, Ladybug stood up and glared at Electro as she tortured her crime-fighting partner, then she charged against the villain with her yo-yo ready to strike.
- Leave him alone! - Ladybug roared as he threw her yo-yo at Electro.
The green and yellow villain smirked and ceased his attack against Chat Noir as he evaded Ladybug's yo-yo and fired another bolt at her. Ladybug evaded the bolt as her yo-yo returned to her hand, then she swung it around, trying to hit the villain, but he simply created another electric field around him, stopping Ladybug's attack easily. Right after that, Electro lunged at Ladybug and grabbed her by the shoulders, slamming her against the ground as he made twenty thousand volts of electricity run through her body. The French heroine screamed in pain as the bolt hit her, which made Chat Noir grit his teeth. Then the cat hero tried to stand up, but the electricity had left his limbs completely numb and he was too worn out, which made him growl in impotence as he could do nothing but feel how everything was going black for him.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man stood up and blindly lunged at Electro, knocking him down and ceasing his attack on Ladybug, but getting himself shocked in the process, as Electro still had an electric field around him.
After that, Spider-Man jumped off Electro and got into a battle stance as his opponent growled and stood up again.
The spider hero fired several strands of webbing at Electro, who fired tiny electric bolts at the strands, burning them midair, but since he was focused on the webbing coming at him, he didn't see that Spider-Man had jumped and was coming at him with a flying kick, which hit Electro in the chest and made him slam against a car.
Then, Electro gritted his teeth, destroyed the car with a powerful electric shockwave and pounced on Spider-Man to slam him against the ground as he charged an electric ball to finish the hero off.
- Any last words, wall-crawler? - Electro grinned.
- You're about to be hit... - Spider-Man said.
- By who? Your pesky friends are too injured to even get up...!
All of a sudden, Electro was tackled and Spider-Man fell to the ground, chuckling a bit.
- I was just bluffing... I didn't see that coming... - Spider-Man panted for himself.
On the other hand, Electro growled and stood up with a murderous glare, charging more electricity to fry the other hero who had attacked him.
However, he was taken aback when he saw that Chat Noir and Ladybug were still on the ground.
- Who dared to challenge the might of Electro?! - Electro roared.
In that second, an electric bolt hit him in the back and made him fall face first again, then he released another electric shockwave as he roared and turned, finding a girl that had a very similar suit to his, except hers was composed by two long gloves, sweatpants and a sleeveless blouse that left her navel uncovered.
- You dare to not only attack the mighty Electro but also copy his suit?! I'll destroy you for that! - Electro said as he created another electric field around himself.
- Indeed I do, old man! - The girl grinned as she created an electric field of her own. - There can only be one master of electricity in the world and that's me, Aftershock! And after I make you pay for destroying everything I had worked on, I will destroy the ones who failed to protect Paris!
Electro and Aftershock lunged at each other, but once their electric fields collided, the two of them screamed in pain and were thrown backwards, causing a powerful shockwave that destroyed all the nearby windows.
Meanwhile, inside Electro's mind, he heard some chuckles as a weird glowy green form appeared in front of his eyes.
- What are you laughing at?! - Electro snapped at the chuckling voice in his mind.
- It's just hilarious, Hawk Moth is quite entertaining. - The voice said in his mind. - This is the third time he copies someone else to create a villain. People use to say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but to me, it's just hilarious.
- Still, I can crush that little brat!
- I have no doubt of that, Electro, your power comes from me, after all, and I am much more powerful than Hawk Moth will ever be. - The Green Goblin chuckled. - But our job here is done.
- What do you mean?! I still haven't fried the spider and his little friends! Let alone that copycat!
- I know, but you will have time for that later, leave that place and make sure you lure Aftershock away from those little brats, then lose her on the way.
- No way, Goblin!
In that second, Electro felt an excruciating pain coming from his chest.
- Do you really think it's a good idea to go against the wishes of the one who can kill you with a simple thought? - The Goblin chuckled evilly. - Do as I said before I kill you and give your powers to someone else, Dillon!
- Ok, fine! You win! Just stop the pain! - Electro begged.
In that moment, the pain stopped, so Electro stood up and started flying again, while Aftershock was standing up.
- I think my job here is done. - Electro said.
- You won't be going anywhere when I'm done with you! - Aftershock snapped.
- You can try but you'll never catch me, brat!
With that said, Electro flew away, which made Aftershock growl angrily.
- You won't escape from me! - The villain girl roared as she flew after Electro.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man had managed to recover a bit from the fight with Electro and was now crawling up to his hurt companions. Once he got close enough, the American hero gasped in horror as he saw some rips on the suits of the French heroes and burns on their skins. Immediately, Spider-Man got up wearily and felt a pang coming from his right side, which made him bend a bit in pain and hold the part where the pain was coming from. After that, Spider-Man looked down and saw a rip in his costume and that there was some blood on his hand.
The spider hero sighed heavily and fired some web at his side, wincing in pain as soon as the patch of web touched his skin. Then he looked at Ladybug and Chat Noir and did the same with their burns, sighing in relief as he heard them wince in pain.
After that, Spider-Man picked up his crime-fighting partners carefully and jumped his way up to the rooftop of a nearby building, trying to stay conscious as his body begged him to stop moving.
Once he made it to the roof, the American hero noticed that some sort of mist started to cover the area, slowly engulfing them completely as Spider-Man panted heavily. Then, an elderly-looking woman appeared in front of the young heroes. The elder was sitting in a strange chair with some sort of cobweb-design in the back and wore red glasses, a reddish black dress with a white spider on the chest that covered her legs entirely.
- I thought I had told you to be more careful, young boy. - A woman's voice said.
- Not now, Madame Web... - Spider-Man gasped. - We need Strange's help, not your nagging for whatever I did wrong this time...
- You certainly need both, Spider-Man.
The American hero growled and the elderly woman in front of the battered heroes just chuckled.
- But today, I just wanted to speak with you for a bit and don't worry, Stephen was already alerted of your state, he'll be with you three to help you as soon as possible. - Madame Web said.
- I doubt you wanna speak about the weather... - Spider-Man groaned.
- Would you mind being serious for once? It's quite annoying when you act like a spoiled brat.
- Hey, Miraculous holder or not, I'm still just a child, am I not?
- You are, indeed. - Madame Web said.
- Are we dead...? - Ladybug groaned.
- No, you are not dead yet, child.
- Who are you?
- My name is Cassandra Webb, but you can call me Madame Web.
- Where are we? Where's Electro? Did you defeat him?
- Calm down, we're in a mindscape. - Spider-Man sighed.
- What does that mean?
- It means Electro defeated you three and got away. - Madame Web explained calmly.
- You let him get away?! - Ladybug snapped at Spider-Man.
- I didn't let him get away! Hawk Moth sent another villain after us, if she hadn't been more focused on attacking Electro, we'd be dead! So even if we had managed to actually defeat Electro, Aftershock would've definitely killed us and Hawk Moth would have unlimited power! - Spider-Man snapped back.
- For once, you are right, Spider-Man. - Madame Web let out. - But you still should have used kinder words. Ladybug and Chat Noir had never experienced defeat, it's not odd that she snapped like that, she's worried that if she fails, people will pay the price.
- And someone already did. - Ladybug sighed as she looked at Chat Noir.
In that second, Ladybug let a tear run over her cheek as she saw her partner laying on the misty ground. She was sure that there was no way she'd ever forget his screams of agony as Electro attacked him.
And she felt guilty for it, if she had been quicker, they would've defeated Electro and Chat Noir would have never been hurt.
Meanwhile, Madame Web's strange chair hovered next to her and she took a deep breath before speaking again:
- Things like this are bound to happen on the way you have taken, child. You can not let them bring you down, because if you give up, Hawk Moth and the Green Goblin will win, no matter what.
- But we can't beat Hawk Moth... much less we'll beat the Goblin... - Ladybug sighed and fell to her knees. - I told Tikki at the beginning... I'm just a mess...
Spider-Man frowned and made Ladybug stand up rather harshly.
- Listen, I've been through something very similar, if not something much worse, and yes, I know the pain of failing someone... much more than I wish I did... and if there's one thing I've learned is that if you give up, more people will get hurt and it all will be on you, because you had the power to stand up for those who couldn't. That's what "With great power comes great responsibility" means. - Spider-Man said.
- Spider-Man is right. - Madame Web said. - Something like this was bound to happen someday, an enemy that none of you was going to be able to beat. And make no mistake, child, this will not be the last time, so you will have to keep your chin up and face whatever awaits you.
Ladybug didn't feel any better because of Madame Web and Spider-Man's words, but she had to admit that they were right. She was bound to lose at least once against an enemy and the only thing she could do now was to think of a way to defeat Electro and Aftershock before they could cause any more harm.
- You're right... - Ladybug whispered as she put her hand over Chat Noir's chest. - Is he going to be alright?
- Your partner is strong, Ladybug, he will survive even worse. - Madame Web smiled. - Besides, you are being healed as we speak. For now, I must go but remember what I told you, Ladybug.
- Is that all? No riddles, no puzzles, no chitchat? - Spider-Man asked in a surprised tone.
- Yes, it's ok to change the formula for once, besides, your new friend is much more polite and kinder than you. - Madame Web chuckled, making Ladybug do the same.
- Thanks, Madame Web. - Ladybug smiled.
- See? You could learn some manners from her.
Spider-Man rolled his eyes under his mask as Madame Web began to fade away. Then the mist started to disappear, along with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and finally, he also began to fade away.
Right after that, Spider-Man felt a very familiar pang coming from his side, as well as bandages all around his torso.
- You should stay put, Spider-Man, you are very hurt. - A male voice with an Asian accent said.
- I know... I can feel it... - Spider-Man groaned. - Wait... Ladybug and Chat Noir! Where are they...?! Oh... bad idea...
Spider-Man cringed in pain as he gripped his aching side and slowly relaxed back into the mat he was. Then a bald Asian man got close to him and handed him some sort of cup, full of a hot beverage.
- Drink this, and do not worry, your partners are ok, I have taken care of their injuries as my master requested me to. - The bald man said.
- That's a relief... - Spider-Man sighed as he took the cup. - Thanks again, Wong...
- I would say that it is no problem, but you have been here quite a few times and I would be lying if I said it has not turned a bit bothersome.
- Sorry... I don't mean to get so hurt, so often.
- I suppose it is not uncommon for teenagers to be brash and get themselves into troubles for, as it is commonly said, biting more than they can chew.
Spider-Man smiled and looked at the cup in his hand, then he raised his head a bit to take a sip of the beverage that Wong had given him and couldn't help but gag as the liquid was incredibly bitter. Still, he forced himself to swallow it and grimaced in disgust as the aftertaste threatened to stay forever in his mouth.
- Where are we? - Ladybug's voice whispered.
- We are at the Sanctum Sanctorum, the humble abode of my master, Doctor Stephen Strange. - Wong said as he turned to Ladybug. - My name is Wong.
- Who's Stephen Strange?
- The Sorcerer Supreme, master of all mystical arts and one of Spider-Man's guides.
- So that guy's the one you mentioned that taught you about our Miraculouses, webhead? - Chat Noir chuckled weakly.
- I see you are pretty much like Spider-Man, you two are tough enough to survive almost dying and you two have an odd sense of humor. - Wong smiled as he poured two more cups of the bitter tea he had given to Spider-Man. - Drink this, it will help you heal better.
Chat Noir and Ladybug did what Wong had told them, but at the moment the bitter substance touched their taste buds, they couldn't help but spit the drink, blushing in shame once they noticed that they had soaked Wong.
- Sorry... - Ladybug and Chat Noir said.
Wong just sighed and grabbed a nearby towel to dry himself up.
- All this is going to make me lose my temper someday. - Wong sighed. - I also took the liberty of repairing your outfits, meanwhile, rest and stay put.
- Our outfits?! - Ladybug and Chat Noir said as they checked themselves.
- Calm down, I used a spell, my master asked me to repair your outfits because they were just as battered as you.
- Thanks... - Chat Noir said.
- No need to do so. - Wong said as he bowed.
Then, the bald man left the room as the heroes sighed heavily.
- What are we gonna do now? - Chat Noir asked.
- We must find a way to defeat Electro and Aftershock, the problem is that we can't touch either without risking ourselves to get electrocuted. - Spider-Man said.
- Maybe my Lucky Charm could help us out with that. - Ladybug said.
- It could but since there are two of them and you can only use it once, we'd be in big trouble, but I doubt we can beat either of them in just a few minutes, let alone with just me and Spider-Man. - Chat Noir sighed.
- I hate to admit it, but yes, I don't think just me and Chat Noir can beat any of those living capacitors. - Spider-Man sighed. - So, I suggest we save the Lucky Charm for the last of them we beat.
- Agreed. - Ladybug said.
- Meanwhile, I'll try to see if I can design some isolated suits for us, that should at least give us some protection and make us able to hit them. - Spider-Man said.
- You can do that? - Ladybug and Chat Noir said in surprise.
- I reverse-engineered my web-shooters and their web fluid capsules in two months, I think making some rubber suits, or at least rubber gloves or some sort of electric diverter, will be no problem. - Spider-Man said confidently.
- What are you behind that mask? Some sort of scientist? - Chat Noir chuckled.
- Nope, just a guy with a lot of time to spare, but anyway, I'll have to get to work on the suits as soon as I get back home, otherwise, we'd waste precious time and just imagine all the chaos Electro and Aftershock can cause...
- What can we do to help? - Chat Noir asked. - If you're gonna make suits for us, I think we should at least help you.
- I don't think you can unless you can get enough rubber fabric and know how to put it all together and take bodily measures.
Ladybug and Chat Noir smiled and chuckled wholeheartedly at Spider-Man's statement, as they could do that without a problem.
- I take it I couldn't be more wrong, am I not? - Spider-Man chuckled.
- You'd be right. - Ladybug said. - I know a bit about how to make clothing.
- And I can get the resources. - Chat Noir grinned.
- And here I thought we were in a bind. - Spider-Man let out. - We have to work fast, the suits must be ready ASAP.
- I can get the rubber fabric ready for tomorrow in the afternoon. - Chat Noir said.
- Excellent, I can work on the electric diverters to give the suits some extra protection, in the meantime. - Spider-Man said.
- I can put the suits together in two days. - Ladybug said.
- Then it's settled. - The American said. - Chat, as soon as you get the fabric, tell Ladybug were to pick it up, and once you get the suits ready, call me up to get them and add the diverters. Once all that's ready, I'll give you a shout out and give you your suits.
- If everything goes well, we should be able to beat Electro and Aftershock in two days... though I'd wish it wouldn't take us so much time.
- But wait, how are we supposed to call you? - Chat Noir pointed out.
Spider-Man sighed and moved his left hand to the buckle of his utility belt, he pressed a button on it and dettached it from the belt. Then he checked a display on the back of his Spider-Signal, with which he messed for a little bit and suddenly, some beeps were heard.
Chat Noir and Ladybug grabbed their weapons and opened them, being taken aback as they saw that Spider-Man was calling them.
- There, I managed to link your comms to mine. - Spider-Man said as he sighed and put his Spider-Signal back in its place. - I don't know about you, but I think we gotta go now.
- All this is gonna hurt in the morning... but I agree. - Chat moaned as he sat up.
- Um... Mr. Wong? We're ready to leave. - Ladybug said.
- So I have heard. - Wong said behind the heroes. - Although I would recommend you to stay here for at least another hour, given the damage you have suffered.
- We'll have to manage, the people we care about must be really worried. - Spider-Man said.
- Right, worried... - Chat Noir sighed.
- As you wish, I will prepare the portal.
Wong walked out of the room once again as the hurt heroes stood up wearily.
Once they were back up, Ladybug and Chat Noir tried to walk to the door, but Spider-Man stopped them.
- I wouldn't recommend following him yet, the Sanctum Sanctorum is... well, saying that it's the weirdest thing you'll ever see is actually an understatement. - Spider-Man said. - We have to wait until he comes back or we'll get lost, trust me, I'm speaking from experience.
The French heroes just nodded and they all looked around as they waited.
A few minutes later, Wong opened the door and gestured the young heroes to follow him. Ladybug, Chat Noir and Spider-Man complied to Wong's gesture and followed him through a corridor with several doors, which looked just like any other corridor of an ancient-looking mansion.
- This isn't as weird as you said it was, web-head. - Chat Noir snapped.
- Oh, trust me, the corridors are just for deceiving the unwary. - Spider-Man said.
- Spider-Man once got lost into one of these doors and when master Strange found him, he was shivering like a terrified puppy. - Wong said.
- Well, yeah, who wouldn't if they were sucked in by a room in which one can only float endlessly into some sort of dimension full of creepy stuff and psychedelic colors?
- Are you sure you didn't hit your head a bit too hard? - Ladybug giggled.
- I dare either of you two to open any door now...
- While that would be entertaining for you, my master would not be the least pleased if they got lost and he had to interrupt his meditation to find them before they get more hurt. - Wong said as he stopped in front of a door. - So, I recommend you to use this door instead, this one will take you directly to the Eiffel Tower.
- Thanks once more, Wong, and thank good doc too, without him and you, we'd be done for. - Spider-Man said.
- It was almost no problem, but I do suggest you three to be more careful in the future.
- We'll be more careful. - Ladybug said. - Thank you for your help.
Wong just bowed a bit and walked away as Chat Noir opened the door. The heroic trio walked through the door and found themselves in the spot where Spider-Man had spoken with Chat Noir and Ladybug, then they heard a door closing, which made them look around to see that the door was gone.
Then the three youngsters sighed and looked at each other.
- Well, I guess it's time to go, we have to make those suits quick. - Chat Noir said.
- I agree, but try to stay on the down low, if Aftershock or Electro corners either of us, we'll be done for. - Spider-Man said.
- Indeed. - Ladybug said as she turned her sight to the city. - Good luck.
- You too, my Lady. - Chat Noir said with a smile.
Spider-Man fired a strand of web, Ladybug threw her yo-yo at the top of a nearby building and Chat Noir jumped on a railing as he extended his staff, then the three heroes spread out through Paris, heading to their respective homes.
The webslinger hero was swift to arrive at the building in which he and his aunt May were living, then he entered his room through the window quickly and silently as his costume started to disappear in a flash.
Right after that, Peter and Leopardon let themselves fall on the bed and sigh deeply as the teenager rummaged in his pockets to find the chocolate bar he always carried with him.
Then Peter unwrapped the chocolate and laid it next to his kwami, who rolled on top of it and started gnawing at it.
- I gotta call aunt May so she knows that I'm fine. - Peter said.
- You're everything but fine, kid. - Leopardon said as he broke a piece of the chocolate bar. - Even I'm still feeling the electric shocks.
- I know, but I wanna call her to tell her that I'm not dead, then I can get started on the power diverters, I'm gonna have to call Mr. Stark too, I need some resources.
- Aren't you taking a bit too much of an advantage at Tony's offer?
- Maybe, but he did say I could ask for almost anything if I needed it, either for school or for the job, and that includes my time as Spider-Man.
- If you say so, just don't get under Stark's skin. - The kwami said.
- I won't, I wouldn't want to get on the mean side of a founding member of the Avengers.
Peter pulled out his phone and quickly dialed his aunt's number, but he only heard static.
- Dammit, Electro and Aftershock must've destroyed the communications. - Peter said. - Well, I guess I should go check on her, but first, where's my Avenger ID?
- Your desk, under the first drawer. - Leopardon said as he kept eating his chocolate bar.
Peter got up from the bed and opened the first drawer of his desk to look under it, finding a little card taped to it. The teen grabbed the card and pressed a button on it.
- Mr. Stark, I need some help. - Peter said.
- Mr. Stark and the Avengers are busy right now, but he has ordered me to attend your call. - A robotic voice replied.
- Great, JARVIS, Mr. Stark said I could ask for anything I needed, and I seriously need some materials for a special suit.
- I'll make a list and charge the cost to Mr. Stark's account, what do you need, Spider-Man?
(Meanwhile)
Inside his dark room whose only light source was a window, the Green Goblin was looking out through said window as a flash of light came from behind him, which made him turn and find Electro standing behind him with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
- Why did you make me leave? I was about to win. - Electro snapped.
- It's not always about winning, Electro. - The Green Goblin grinned. - Sometimes it's all about sending a message.
- Message?
- Yes, as of right now, the people of Paris know that their heroes can be defeated, they now realize that the two bugs and the alley cat are not flawless nor invincible.
- We could've done that and kill the little brats!
- Shut up, Electro! Your simple mind can't comprehend that I have a much bigger plan for everything I do, and trust me, once all this is over, the Miraculouses of Ladybug, Chat Noir, Spider-Man and even Hawk Moth will be mine, and so no one will be able to stop me!
- And what's your plan?
- I will form a team to overpower them, a group of the most powerful villains to destroy them.
- Fine, whatever you say, what do I do now?
- You'll wait, that Aftershock girl will lure the wall-crawler and his little friends out soon, and once they beat her, I'll send you to test their skills once more.
- I'm not a guinea pig, Goblin!
- You are whatever I say you are, Electro! Or do you want to be the pushover loser, Max Dillon, again?
Electro growled and glared at the Miraculous holder, he wanted to fry the stupid green-faced freak, but he knew that the Green Goblin had total control over him, so he just stayed silent and looked at the ground in defeat.
Meanwhile, the Goblin turned his back and looked out the window again.
- Thought so. - The Goblin said. - Now, go and rest as much as you please, I don't think Spider-Man and his friends will be able to defeat Aftershock anytime soon.
Electro disappeared in a flash as the Goblin grinned widely.
- Very clever, Hawk Moth, but copying my villains will help you just as much as coal helps to put out a fire. - The Green Goblin chuckled. - But no matter, you'll soon find out I am a superior being to you.
With that said, the window slowly started turning opaque, leaving the Green Goblin in pitch darkness.