What had he learned? In the weeks – almost months – since he begun to understand the mere fact he existed, he had a dozen ways to ask why. Why was he here in this empty void? Why was he alone? Was this a punishment? A cruel act of fate? Coincidence?

So many words, so many thoughts, so little understanding. How could he ever hope to learn if there was no one around to teach him?

…

After he leapt into the air after his own shadow, Spider-Man deployed the web-wings from under his arms. Having never tested them before, he very easily could have fallen straight into the trees. Instead, the wind caught perfectly against the wings and carried him over the earth.

By now, he had already lost sight of Venom, who disappeared underneath the cover of the forest. Spider-Man wasn't sure how he knew, but his friends where in there somewhere. It was a feeling in the back of his heart that he just couldn't ignore. They were in danger, and they needed him.

He spotted a trail of dust with leaves and wood chips flying into the sky, as though something was charging its way through the forest. Nothing and no one else could do that—or even would—other than Venom.

And Rhino, more accurately.

Ahead of Venoms trail of destruction, Spider-Man caught in his eye a familiar green glow of electricity. Using his new lenses, he was able to zoom in closer to see his adoptive brother running through the trees with both arms broken and swaying behind him.

Just before Venom could reach the green haired boy, Spider-Man dove in, gliding into a strong tackle that pinned the monster to a tree and brought the whole thing down.

It was only now that Izuku stopped to look at his brother, wrestling with a monster that reminded him so much of the Nomu.

"Run!" Shouted Spider-Man, cutting across the greetings and questions, "Keep going!"

Venom shifted his arm into a tentacle and grabbed Spider-Man before swinging him into the trees surrounding them, creating a clearing in the process. Izuku wanted to help, but he knew he was useless with both his arms broken.

"I said run!" Spider-Man shouted as he was slammed into the ground, "Get your ass out of here!"

Almost intimidated by his tone, Izuku reactivated his quirk and continued to run through the forest.

"You must care for that kid," Venom realized, "We'll make sure to kill him first!"

With a quick thwip, Spider-Man shot a taser-web directly at Venoms chest. The electricity destabilized his form and freed Spidey from his grasp, who immediately went in for an uppercut that threw the monster off balance.

The hero struck again and again, refusing to let the monster recover. Vibrations rippled through his skin. He wasn't thinking; he was barely feeling. His eyes were blinded by the rage of his own strength, like fog made of adrenaline.

Venom kicked him off quickly and scrambled to get space between them. A clearing of fallen trees was all that stood between them, now.

"Why are you here?!" Spider-Man demanded, "To attack the U.A students? To kill them? To kill me?"

"Would 'all of the above' suffice?" Venom snarled.

"How long will this grudge go on for, Eddie?!"

"We are not Eddie! We are Venom!"

"I'm not talking to Venom!" He clarified aggressively, "I'm talking to Eddie. The things I did back then – the way I had treated you – I can't take that back, but I was under the influence of the symbiote, just like you are now!"

"We are in complete symbiosis!"

"Are you? Do you honestly think any of your thoughts are yours, and not ITS? Right now, you're the wood and it's the flame. It's feeding off of you, your emotions, your darkest thoughts!"

"Our mind has never been clearer! All we want is your corpse!"

"All IT wants! You may have been a jerk before, but Eddie Brock wasn't a killer! He was a good photographer and reporter with a decent life! That thing is feeding off your anger and jealousy! You're just food to it!"

"Enough!"

Venom struck his arms into the ground, extending his tendrils through the dirt and toward the spider. He had only just managed to move before the ground erupted underneath and launched him above the trees. Luckily, he had avoided getting too injured from the attack.

From so high up, he could almost see the entire premises of the camp. There was shaking and lights flickering everywhere, which could only mean the students were all fighting for their lives against this attack.

A short distance away, he could see a large section of the campgrounds covered in a now dissipating smoke. In another corner, flames and ice flew into the sky. Things were happening everywhere.

There was no way he could save them all.

His spider-sense couldn't warn him of the symbiotic monster who leapt into the sky and struck the hero with all his strength. The impact shot him back toward the ground in the direction of the dissipating smoke.

…

Three of the U.A students had taken a moment to rest within the forest. The smoke that was finally dissipating was poison gas, emitted by a now defeated villain; one of many brought here by the league. they had been training much of their lives for such an event, yet found it to still be far more terrifying than any of their classes could prepare them for.

the lead student of the trio was Itsuka Kendo, the big sister of class 1-B. She had just removed a gas mask from her face and taken a deep breath of fresh air. The other two students with her weren't aware of the experience she's already had with fighting villains, thanks mainly to her romantic partner. She had faced the end of the universe alongside him, so this emotionally was no big deal.

At least, it shouldn't have been. In truth her heart was pounding. Though she had faced greater dangers, this still felt just as terrifying as the first time. Their lives were on the line, and she had stepped up to protect them. Lately she's had to step up for a lot of things she wasn't ready for.

"We should try and find some of the others," Kendo suggested to her classmates, who simply nodded in agreement.

She didn't need a spider-sense to hear the splitting of the wind above her as a body came crashing into the trees nearby. A puff of dust and dirt mushroomed the air as Kendo took a defensive stance. They weren't ready to face another villain, not now. One of the trio was injured, and they were still recovering from the last fight.

Gesturing them to stay still, Kendo approached the crash site with caution, only to find her partner crawling out of the dirt.

"Peter?!" She exclaimed as she slid into the crater, "What the hell are you doing here?! Why are you wearing that?!"

"Why?" He coughed, getting to his knees, "Does it make me look sexy?"

She chuckled at his humor before lifting his mask up enough to kiss him, "It's good to see you," She kissed him again, then again, simply glad he was at her side again.

The two other students approached the site eventually, worrying for Kendo, only to find her being affectionate with the rogue hero, "The hell is this?!" The white-haired kid said.

Kendo quickly composed herself before helping Spider-Man to his feet, "It's okay, Tetsutetsu. He's on our side."

"Oh," he groaned, adjusting his position to better hold the weaker classmate piggybacking him, "You're the boyfriend."

Peter sensed a hint of jealousy and spite from his tone, "And you are?"

"A better man than you!" He spat.

"Man? Specifically? You sound like Kirishima."

Kendo waved her hands through the air before their arguing could evolve, turning to Peter with a curious face, "Peter, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed to fight villains. Did you know this was gonna happen?"

"Not until a few minutes ago," He answered, "As for the 'fighting' part …I'll explain it better when we get home, but it's basically a legal-loophole thing."

"It better be."

"What's that, Spider-Girl?"

She punched his arm, resisting the urge to enlarge it for greater force.

A loud roar echoed across the trees, reminding them of the imminent danger they faced.

"Hide! Now!" Shouted the arachnid hero.

He grabbed Kendo by the waist and swung into the tree branches, hiding them behind the many leaves. Tetsutetsu took his ally behind one of the fallen trees and kept low, unsure of what may have been hunting them.

The large, shadowy monster landed in the crater, looking around with his large, intimidating eyes. The impact in the dirt was fresh, so he knew the hero couldn't have gotten too far. Using his superior senses, he tried looking through the darkness of the forest, expecting to see him running away.

"Parker!" Venom cried, "Show yourself! Face us! Face all you've done!"

Kendo and Peter held each other close as they looked through the small openings between the leaves. She noticed how the monster looked similar to the one they fought in Hosu, only this thing was much bigger. Asking about it now just wasn't an option, not without giving themselves away. She barely wanted to let a breath out, much less a word.

"We need to get Tetsutetsu and the girl he's carrying out of here before we can take Venom on," whispered Peter.

"I'm so happy you said 'we' instead of 'you'," Kendo responded quietly.

"Well, I did say that I trusted you," he assured.

"Good, then we take him down together."

"No other way I'd want it."

Venom struck the base of the tree they hid in and watched as it came crumbling down. Spider-Man instinctively pulled Kendo in closer as they tumbled, letting all of the branches strike him rather than her. Tetsutetsu only watched as the monster approached them.

"Who's this, now?" He asked, "You're holding her rather close …this must be someone very dear to you. The perfect thing to take away!"

The two young heroes stood up, ready to fight back as Kendo's fist enlarged, "You'll find I'm not easy to kill, bug-eyes!" She taunted.

"Hey!" Spider-Man complained.

"Sorry, Pete; poor choice of words."

Much to the monster's surprise, Battle-Fist make the first move and moved in for a strong hook punch that set up off balance. She then immediately ducked down so Spider-Man could side-flip over and land the bottom of his feet on his chest, getting him to the ground.

Tetsutetsu watched in both awe and horror at the fight going on between the three. He wanted to jump in and help, but that would leave their defenseless friend all on her own. It wouldn't be very manly of him to just abandon her so he could go play hero. As much as he wanted to show up Parker, he wouldn't let that endanger others.

He had to trust in Kendo to finish this.

…

Mirko was on her own, now, having lost both Venom and the kid in one swift motion. She knew what Spidey was capable of, but her ego wanted to smash the monsters head in herself. After all, she still had a score to settle with it.

"Damn it," She cursed, "Where are ya', kid?! Don't go dying on me!"

She's the one who pushed for Peter to hunt his own villains. She's the one who brought him out here to face these dangers. If he dies, she's the one to blame and no one else.

it's only now she realizes that she's never really seen him as a child. She first met him while he was wearing the mask, and saw him first as an annoying Punk, turned friend, turned hero. Despite his strengths, she forgot he was still a kid. Has she pushed for this too quickly?

Why was she worrying so much about him? He's the one that stopped Aihara, not her. He was Spider-Man; he could do anything. Anything, that is, except stay out of trouble.

…

The powerful young woman pushed Spidey out of the way just before he could be struck by Venom, and took the blow herself. Before her body could fly too far, Venom extended a tendril and pulled her back in, holding her face close.

"What a delightful looking snack!" He snarled.

"Ugh, you're breath is worse than the poison gas!" She insulted, right before using her feet to push off his chest. As he tried pulling her back in, she used that to slam into his face and force him to drop her. She hit the ground with a shoulder roll and turned around quickly to strike him with an enlarged fist.

This time, however, Venom was ready and dodged the attack, grabbing her wrist and throwing her to the side. Spider-Man quickly fired off web-shots and created a net to catch her.

"This is between you and me!" Spider-Man stated, "And I charge by the punch!"

Venom responded only with a monstrous roar.

"That all you have to say?!" The hero scolded, "Has the symbiote degraded your mind that much that you're nothing more than a monster?!"

"Our mind is-!"

"A mess! Always has been! I know you're childhood was rough and you've had ups and downs, but this isn't who you are! You're not a killer!"

Venoms expression changed, feeling offended as an uncovered rage came forth, "You …you don't know me, Parker! You don't know the pain I've felt."

"…'me', not 'us'?"

A pause in the monsters' eyes. It was the first time in nearly a year but he referred to himself in a singular tense. His hunger satisfied without food; his addiction without a fix. This only lasted a mere moment before the poisonous thoughts returned to cloud his minds sky.

The thoughts of malice were replaced by shock when a metal foot collided with the monster's face. The motion was quick and powerful as the monster crashed through the trees and left a stretched crater in its path.

"Never! Run off! Again!" She scolded, "Now get the students out of here!"

"But-"

"Don't you freaking dare to argue with me!"

Fearing more for his own safety than Venom's, Spider-Man rushed over to the wet net and freed his partner with ease, letting her down gently from the trap and holding onto her arm. "Time to go, Itsuka."

"What about Mirko?"

Spider-Man looked between her and the pro hero, "I think she's got this. Right now, my priority is you."

"When will I not be the priority?"

"Never."

With a flirtatious grin, she followed him over to Tetsutetsu and the wounded student, quickly recruiting them for a retreat. Peter looked back at Mirko who had been left to deal with the monster he himself had created.

Mirko stood before Venom with her chest puffed out and her chin held high. She wanted to show that she didn't fear him, no matter how much he snarled and roared her way. She knew exactly how to handle someone like this, now.

"Are you in there?" She called out, "Your name is Eddie, right?"

"We are Venom!"

"You are Eddie Brock, from what I'm told. That thing your wearing is just like the red one in Hosu. Is it controlling you, just like the other one did?"

"Controlling? No, our actions are our own!"

"'Our', he says," She scoffed, "Then it's manipulating you, otherwise you wouldn't speak as though you were two people. You don't need to let this thing manipulate your mind. You can think for yourself," She took a step forward, putting her hand out, "Let me save you."

Venom hesitated as he eyed her hand. Those words—the proclamation that she could save him—itched at his chest. Those were words Eddie always wanted to hear, ones that he always wanted someone to say, to promise. He never heard them as a child, and almost believed them to be a myth. Now, this random hero offered it with sincerity.

It wasn't like Mirko to try the passive route first. However, she's seen first-hand what these symbiote things do to people. They manipulate and control their hosts. Eddie might only think he is in control when in fact he is not. If she could rescue him from it, she was going to try.

"You …" Venom growled, "You don't know me! You can't save me, rabbit!"

Even if she had to beat the thing out of him.

Her eye twitched as she clenched her fist tight, "Okay, that's getting you kicked," She announced before immediately leaping forward toward the monster.

…

Spider-Man and the trio of U.A students had managed to get some distance from the fight between Pro Hero and monster, enough that they could stop and take a breath. They had found a dirt path that may lead back to the center of the camp, where the other adults and Pro heroes should be.

"Can you find your way back to camp?" Spider-Man asked Tetsutetsu.

"Yeah, it ain't far," He panted, "Mirko can take that thing down, right?"

"Yeah, she should be fine," he assured, "but there are still other villains here, and who knows what their doing or who their hurting."

Kendo brushed herself off, "Well then," she announced, "We better go deal with them."

Tetsutetsu recoiled, "We?! The three of us were barely able to take down the villain with the poison gas!"

"Wasn't talking about you," She corrected, eyeing Peter through his bug-eyed mask, "We got this, right?"

Tetsutetsu looked to the young hero with expectation.

Spider-Mans lenses tightened for a moment as he pondered before expanding with compliance, "Yeah, we got this."

Tetsutetsu started to panic before the duo could even take a step away, "Are you crazy?! You're going to drag Kendo - who's still a student – into a mess that you probably started?!"

"Ouch, prejudice much?"

"I'm serious! Isn't she your girlfriend?! Your priority should be protecting her! That's what a man is supposed to do!"

He looked between Tetsutetsu and Kendo, "She can protect herself. I trust her."

"But-"

"We got this," he looked at her, "Right?"

"We got this, tiger," She grinned, "Tetsutetsu, head back to camp. I'll meet up with you soon."

Before he could protest further, the partners in crime took off into the dark forest. He wanted to follow them, if just to protect Kendo, but he was still carrying one of their classmates who couldn't defend herself right now. As much as he protested it, his priority was getting her somewhere safe.

With reluctance, he started on the path back to camp.

Kendo and Spidey ran side by side with smiles on their faces, "Thanks," said Kendo, "for trusting me."

"Always," he returned.

Mirko kicked away the flying tendrils of Venom, creating quakes and gusts of wind with a single movement. She moved in close and collided her knee with the monster's face, stumbling him back. He tried to retaliate with a punch but she blocked the attack and struck him again with her foot. The symbiote rippled across Brocks body.

"You might be as strong as me," She said, "But I'm a helluva lot faster!"

We must kill her said the voice in Eddies head, we must end her, now.

Mirko was not who Eddie wanted to kill. Sure, she was a nuisance and a decent challenge, but he had no quarrel with her. To kill her would just be pointless.

It doesn't matter. Kill her.

She was his enemy but not his burden.

Her life must end if we are to end Parker.

She is innocent, isn't she?

No one is innocent. Kill her.

Kill her.

Kill.

That same word echoed in his head despite trying to block it out. Mirko could see the turmoil happening within the monster, and hesitated to attack again.

"You gonna let a pile of goop tell you what to do?!" Mirko shouted, "I thought Americans were supposed to be the stubborn ones!"

With his thoughts scattered everywhere, he couldn't see straight. The symbiote rippled and shrunk around his body as the conflict grew between host and parasite. Both were too angry to act, both too burdened by choices they can't agree on.

That anger needed to be released.

The monster released more tendrils in a fit of rage toward Mirko. She moved as quickly as she could to avoid them, having to kick a few away to get some space. Venom was somewhat smaller in size now, closer to a real human being. Was that from over-exertion, or was she getting through to the victim inside?

"We-!" Venom shouted, "-are Venom!"

Retracting the tendrils, getting into a primal pose of aggression.

"Must you keep reminding yourself of that?" Mirko asked, "Makes it seem like you ain't sure."

"We know who we are!"

"No," She positioned herself for attack, "I don't think you do."

The duo trekked through the repeating maze of the forest. The only thing guiding them was the sound of fighting, which came from more than one direction. Following the loudest noises were the best they could do considering those in the conflict; Mirko was in the top 5, and Venom was a monster.

"So, this thing," Kendo asked as they ran, "Is it anything like Carnage?"

"Compared to Carnage, Venom is the sane one," Spider-Man answered, "He's not as creative with his methods but he's a lot stronger and focused. Same weaknesses, though."

"Which neither of us has access to."

"My taser webs should work."

"You have taser webs? Since when?"

"Since a day or so ago."

Spidey came to an abrupt stop when his spider-sense triggered. Kendo nearly bumped into him as he held his head in agony. This wasn't anything like he had ever sensed before, as though his powers were on overdrive. Kendo tried to ask what was wrong but he couldn't answer her; he could barely open his eyes.

Time seemed to slow as he looked around. Something came from behind them. It almost looked like the end of a roll of measuring tape, being flung their way at high speed. The only difference was how the tape was transparent, passing straight through them. Spidey reached out to it, watching as his fingers phased through it.

His senses rang again, prompting him to grab Kendo in a bridal hold and jump away, just as the same roll of tape – no longer transparent – slashed their way. It sliced against a nearby tree and flicked leaves and dirt into the air, barely missing their feet as they landed a few yards away.

Spider-Man put Kendo down as his head began to settle, and was able to see their attacker.

He looked on them with great sadness.

Standing there, in almost as much surprise as himself, was a man he once knew. Wearing a grey and black outfit and holding the roll of sharp measuring tape was the villain Twice. Peter knew him better as Jin Bubaigawara.

"Parker?" Asked Twice, having not known who he was attacking.

"Bubaigawara," Spider-Man trembled, "You're …that's right; you're with the League."

Part of him had blocked out the mistake he had made with Jin, how he had unknowingly pushed him to join the League of Villains and sent him down this path. He was another man whose fate Peter was now responsible for.

"Wasn't sure you'd be here," Said Twice, "I would have held back if I knew …" he twitched, "why'd you have to go and dodge like that?!"

"Bubaigawara, you don't have to do this."

"Nope! He ain't here!" he twitched, "but he sure wishes he could stop. I don't wanna hurt ya'."

"Then don't!"

"Can't. Leagues orders."

Spider-Man stood in front of Kendo, not so much as to protect her, however. She could see from his body language and the way his hands shook that this was something he needed to do alone. She knew he respected her and her strength, but this was too personal to drag her into.

With a gentle stroke of his arm, she backed away and let him face his mistake.

"You could put that down," Spider-Man suggested, "We can leave; go back to the soup kitchen for a meal and talk."

The real Jin underneath shined for just a moment, looking sad even through the mask, "That does sound nice, but I don't think either of us are gonna change our minds. I've finally found a place I belong."

"I'm happy for you …I am."

They charged at each other immediately. Twice slashed the tape toward the hero, who dodged it with ease but twisting his body around its malleable shape. Twice came in close for a strike but Spider-Man swirled around and put him in a headlock. The villain struggled and tried to use his tape, but the hero wouldn't let him.

"Stop it! Let me help you!"

"I don't want your help, kid!"

Rather than using the tape on the hero, Twice slashed the weapon toward Kendo who was still standing off to the side. It was moving too fast for her to react quickly enough, and Spider-Man could sense that.

Time slowed once again for everything but him. A blue, fiery energy enveloped his body and stretched his muscles. Letting go of the villain, he leapt over him and used his chest as a launching pad. The impact sent Twice flying back and Spidey flying forward, leaving a trail of blue burning energy on the ground below.

Spidey got to Kendo in just under a second and swatted the tape away, creating a powerful gust of wind that rustled every tree in the surrounding area and disrupted the momentum of the weapon.

Kendo looked onto her partner, now enveloped in a blue fire-like energy. She had never seen him do anything like this before; it was almost intimidating. The energy was alluring, like a candle in a dark room, or a fireplace during winter. It was warm, but not scorching, at least not to her.

"I want to help you," Spider-Man struggled to say, "but don't you dare lay a finger on her!"

Twice only now managed to recover from the blow, seeing what had become of his former friend. This wasn't in the data file that the League had collected on the hero. Since when could he do something as powerful as this?

The energy dissipated in an instant, and Spider-Man suddenly collapsed to his knees, shaking from the pain. Kendo tried to help him get up, but his body just wasn't having it.

"Peter, what's happening?!" She desperately asked.

"Dammit …" he muttered, "It happened again …I can't move!"

Finally on his feet, Twice reached for the earpiece under his mask, and spoke with a heavy and heart-broken sigh, "He's down."

A black mist moved in quickly and separated Kendo from her partner, pushing her away and pinning her to the closest tree. She was unable to see what was happening through the mist, and called out Peter's name in fear.

The mist circulated in the center to form a man in a tux, whose head was completely mist with shining yellow eyes that pierced through. He stood over the hero with an interested glare.

"Good work, Twice," Said Kurogiri, surrounding the hero in mist, "It's time to go. The primary and secondary targets have been acquired."

Twice hobbled over to Kurogiri, rolling his tape back up and stuffing it in his belt. Spider-Man was unable to fight back as Twice picked him up and slugged him over his shoulder.

"What …are you…?"

"We might be able to have that meal, after all," Twice said, with only a hint of joy.

Kendo tried to grow her fists and break free, but the struggle proved useless. Twice looked at her with guilt, not wanting to take something like this from her.

Instead, all he could say just before they disappeared was "sorry kid."

Finally free of the mist, Kendo found them to be gone, Peter included.

…

Venom had just dodged another of Mirko's attacks, gaining some distance from her opposing strength. They were both taking a few breaths. Other than with Spider-Man, Venom didn't often meet anyone who could match them in raw strength. They were near equals, constantly gaining the upper hand on one another.

"Venom," said a voice, echoing through the earpiece hidden underneath the symbiote, "Primary target has been acquired, and the secondary target has been obtained earlier than expected."

"Parker?" he laughed, "What a happy day."

"What did you say, punk?!" Mirko shouted.

"Sorry, my dear," Venom laughed, "We'll have to continue this fight another day."

Before she could stop him, a black mist appeared underneath the monster and sucked him in. Her instinct was to jump forward and kick the portal and Venom in one go, but she had just missed as it vanished.

"What the hell was that about?" she asked aloud.

"Mirko!"

The rabbit hero turned around to find Kendo desperately running toward her with tears in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Mirko asked in a scolding tone, "You should be back at the camp!"

"It-it's Peter!" She stuttered, "The villains; they took Peter!"