Spider-Man swung through Gotham City, in pursuit of two criminals who had just robbed a jewelry store. As he moved, easily gaining upon them, Liam couldn't help, but feel disappointed. It had been just over a week since he had defeated Firefly, and while he had stopped more than a few crime's since then he felt he wasn't improving. Training with Jack, and fighting petty criminals, only let him improve so much.
Jack was not a young man by any means, and hitting him or criminals too hard was more likely to kill them.
'There has to be some way I can improve.' He thought as he swung over top of the fleeing robbers and landed atop a lamppost.
The men noticed, and before they could turn around and try to run the other way he shot out two weblines snaring both men. He pulled them up off the ground before jumping off the post and pulling, so they now dangled above the sidewalk squirming. He shot another webline wrenching the bags from their backs and webbing them to the post as he bound them in a cocoon of web and jumped back to the top of the post.
"Really guys? Robbing a jewelry store in broad daylight without even masks? How dumb are you?" He asked.
"Shut up brat!"
"Dumb enough that telling me to shut up, is your best response got it. Well at least you guys made for a decent warm up. I needed to stretch anyways, when the police come to collect you try to be of some help to them." Spider-Man said, preparing to swing away when he noticed something.
Nearly falling out of one of the men's coat pockets next to the red rose in his lapel was what looked like a business card. Curious, he plucked it from them ignoring the man's protests and examined it. It didn't reveal much of interest just a few sentences:
The latest rounds begin! Be sure not to miss the action, Saturday Night in the old Gotham Sports Arena nine sharp!
"Ooh, what is this?" Spider-Man asked, holding up the card.
"That's nunja!" one of the robbers snapped.
"If you're gonna say none of ya business, I'll lose all hope for common criminals." Spider-Man quickly replied. "Come on, tell me what's the deal with it."
"It's our poker night." the other robber said.
"Now I know you're lying. I'll keep this and go check it out!" Spider-Man said, swinging away. "Bye!"
Spider-Man swung away from the two robbers, wondering what the card was all about. He looked at one of the large clocks scattered around the city. It was only six o'clock so that meant he had enough time to give Jack a heads up about him being late and enough time to find the old arena. He wondered what the message meant as he swung through the air towards his destination. If it was in the old sports arena then it meant that it had to be something sport related. But that left a lot of possibilities if it was about the criminal underworld.
He pulled his phone after landing on top of one of the many gargoyles the city had.
"Ello, Jack's Antique Emporium. How may I help you?" Jack answered.
"Hey, Jack, got a question for you. What was the old Gotham Sports Arena best known for?" Spider-Man asked.
"Liam? Well, that damn dusty place was known for almost every sport activity. I remember losing some money back in this big boxing match a few years back. Now that I think about it, boxing was the biggest thing that place was known for." Jack replied.
"So there's a good chance that the mob or someone with strong criminal connections would run something shady there, right?"
"What did you find?" Jack asked in an almost annoyed tone.
"A card fell from one of the bank robbers I webbed up. Says something big will happen at the old Gotham Sports Arena tonight at nine." Spider-Man said before swinging away from the gargoyle he'd just been perched on. "Just wanted to let you know that I might be home late."
"Look at you being a detective. Just remember that a good detective has a good head on his shoulders and doesn't rely only on his fists. Worst case scenario you'll have to lie and sneak out when things get a little too tough for you."
"I understand that, I'll try and stay out of too much trouble anyway. Though, I think it might be something run by Falcone."
"What makes you say that? Ever since Batman got bigger and bigger the mob families have been folding to Penguin left and right."
"One of the guys had a red rose in his lapel. That's Falcone's calling card, grow up in the slums you learn these things just to avoid treading on any toes." Liam admitted landing on the side of a skyscraper and staring out at Gotham as the sun began to set.
"Well, if you're sure about that, be even more careful, kid. I can't exactly come storming in to save you from an arena's worth of thugs."
"Don't worry, I can handle myself and like you said worst comes to worst I can sneak away. Whatever this is though I feel like it's a big deal, see you later old man." Liam said before hanging up and resuming the swing to the old Gotham arena.
-Later That Night Gotham Arena-
Spider-Man was very carefully crawling near one of the main entrance areas for the arena. Originally, he had intended on going in his civilian clothes. It wasn't like Laim Dupin was a well known person in Gotham. However, he had been forced to abandon that plan when he had seen the arrivals. Men and Women from the upper class of Gotham who paid their way in, with more money than Liam had ever had at one time. Thugs who presented special cards and were allowed in, or simply stood outside as security.
'Why couldn't one of those idiots have had an invite?' He thought to himself checking the clock on his phone. He had five minutes before whatever this was, was due to start.
Tucking his phone away he crawled along the wall, avoiding as much of the light as he could around the building. At last he saw an entryway with only two guards on the backside of the arena, the door that was clearly supposed to be an exit propped open.
"Come on man, hurry up. I wanna get my seat before the show starts!" The man nearest the door said, sounding frustrated.
"If you'd just let me take a piss, before we had to come out here. No point anyways, we don't need be here no one's dumb enough to try and sneak in." The other man said, zipping up his pants.
As the two men began to argue, again Spider-Man flipped off the wall, landing without either man noticing the sound of his boots. Moving quickly he slipped in through the door and down a dark hallway. Darting off into a doorway he removed his mask and gloves, and tied his jacket around his waist. Now, for all anyone knew he could be one of the thugs' kids, or maybe a new guy.
Heading back down the hall he entered the main area and froze. The old Gotham Arena was supposedly a dilapidated mess. Or that was what the word around town was. While on the outside, it still looked that way, here was something else. The large area was filled with comfortable looking arm chairs and couches. Balcony Boxes ran along the upper walls, all around there were waiters and waitresses taking orders. Against the fair wall he could see a gambling area.
In the center of the room was a large wrestling ring, with bright gold ropes and black rig posts. A man in a suit was taking his place in the center, a microphone clutched in his hands which he raised to his mouth.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats, the show is about to begin!" He declared a ripple ran through the crowd, as everyone scrambled to their seats. Liam simply did his best to stay out of the way, allowing people to rush past him, taking no notice as the lights in the arena dimmed and several spotlights pointed to the ring.
Ladies and Gentlemen Welcome to Fight Night! We have a very special show for you all, as tonight we decide our Champion rolling into the open challenge nights! So, without further ado, please welcome your participants!
Spider-Man's eyes were glued to the entryway as a variety of men and women began to come in through a giant curtain. Some looked just like any normal person, hands wrapped in gauze ready to fight. Others were more unique either due to appearance or their own flashy costumes. He was fairly certain a few of Batman's less...impressive villains stood among them. There was however one person who the moment she entered through the curtain received deafening cheers, and immediately had his attention.
"Wow, these guys look like they could give the League a run for its money." Spider-Man muttered.
In the right corner, we have the masked beauty that hits as hard as she looks good! Welcome the wild woman from the south of the border, the Ferocious and Powerful, Pantha!
Spider-Man followed the presenter's instructions. He spotted a tall woman walking towards the ring. She was the best description of an Amazon he had ever seen in his life. She was tall with bronze colored skin, long auburn hair. She had large muscles all over her body but they still carried a womanly beauty to them. She wore a black leotard that left her arms and legs exposed with a yellow belt around her waist, black bracelets on her forearms with yellow stripes, black wrestling boots, and her face was covered with a yellow full face mask with white eyes, black stripes on her cheeks and forehead with a pair of cat ears on top.
In the left corner, we have the brute wrecker that has the strength of a mighty beast of prehistory! Welcome the mighty destroyer of Hive Academy, The Second Bane, Mammoth!
Pulling his eyes away from Pantha for a moment, Spider-Man looked across the ring and paused in surprise. Second Bane, might have been accurate. Mammoth was well, mammoth in size easily pushing past the six foot mark. He was a wall of muscle with greenish-brown skin and long red hair that fell to his back, sharp pointed teeth, and dark blue eyes. His muscles appeared to be too big for his body as his skin was split open in places exposing the corded muscle beneath.
"Oh wow, that's something new." Spider-Man muttered as the bell rang. He leaned forward, sure they had both clearly agreed to the fight, but this seemed a bit one sided at first glance, however he knew from experience appearance wasn't everything.
Now Mammoth, Pantha, I want a clean fight. But make sure you sprinkle a little bit of blood and low blows here and there, we are showing off to the people of Gotham! Let's get this started!
Mammoth charged at Pantha with a snarl. He threw a savage punch to her face, forcing her to jump back before grabbing hold of his arm.
Pantha flung Mammoth towards the ropes before she rushed at him. She jumped high in the air, landing a double kick to his chest, knocking the air out of him. The female wrestler spun in the air before she landed on her feet.
Mammoth growled, holding his chest in pain.
"Come now little man! Are those muscles all for show?" Pantha taunted. "Come on!"
Mammoth didn't like being taunted. Woman or not, he'd make her beg for mercy. He roared like a caveman, banging his chest before charging at Pantha. She dodged each of his sloppy punches, ducking beneath one before coming up with a hard uppercut of her own. Mammoth staggered backward as she landed two more hits to his chest and gut.
"Aw, did that hurt?" She asked, smirking at the man as he bent over struggling to regain his breath. Pantha ran to her left, bouncing off the ropes and back towards her opponent before slamming her knee into the side of his head. Mammoth was on jelly legs groaning in pain, as she wrapped her arm around his head and used her full body weight to plant him on his head. He rolled to his side, clearly still dazed and unable to stand.
Pantha climbed to the top rope raising her arms, which was met with a cheer, before she jumped, driving her elbow into Mammoth's gut. The giant muscle man let out a gasp of pain, as she simply stood on his chest, arms raised as the referee counted Mammoth's shoulders down for a three count.
"Your winner in impressive fashion, the ferocious Pantha!" The announcer declared as the arena filled with cheers, a few people throwing away their gambling tickets in rage.
Spider-Man couldn't help but throw his arms in cheer. He quickly recoiled, hoping that no one saw him. He knew that he shouldn't have been cheering for either of them, but the fight was so intense and he could tell that they were both really strong. He wished that he could take on an opponent like that, but he needed to stay on task.
Gambling, and fights were troubling, but nothing concrete. He needed to find out where the money was going and possibly more than that who was running the whole circus.
"What do you mean one of the wrestlers couldn't make it?"
Liam's ears perked up at the sound of a voice below him. He saw two men talking, one clearly angry while the other one was more worried than anything.
"I'm sorry sir. But apparently he got caught by Batman for armed robbery."
"Motherf-... What do we do now? We need a fighter for the next battle and we just can't grab someone from the street. If the boss finds out about this we are toast. The Falcone family doesn't like being screwed over."
Liam found this quite fortunate. He now knew that the Falcone family was behind all this and the best way to keep investigating would keep a closer look. A lightbulb turned on in his mind, these guys needed another fighter, and he wasn't well known. It was risky but when would he be able to put his new strength to test and see how far he could go.
"What do we do? Do we jump in the ring?"
"With those monsters, I'm not looking for a suicide route."
"Excuse me fellas. I heard you were looking for a new fighter." Spider-Man said walking up to them in his costume. "I may be able to help you with that."
The two guards turned to face Spider-Man.
Liam could tell that they were not impressed with his looks nor his outward lack of muscles.
"Well, he doesn't need to win, does he?"
"You over 18 kid?"
"Yeah. I may sound young but I'm old enough." Liam lied, figuring that a lie amongst criminals wouldn't be a big deal. After all, the fights weren't legal anyway, even if they found out he couldn't see them really caring all that much.
"That's good enough for me. Just do your best and try not to die. Go tell the ref about the last minute change. Make sure that he knows that it isn't our fault."
One of the guards ran off as Liam smiled under his mask.
Spider-Man made his way to the arena as the ref heard everything through his ear piece.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid that there's been a change of fighters at the last minute! But do not fear, for there is a new fighter taking up the challenge! In the right corner we have the concrete titan that can turn buildings and city blocks into dust with his bare hands! Please welcome, the Wrecker of Jump City, Cinderblock!
Spider-Man got a good look at his opponent. He was a large golem made out of the same material as a cinderblock. He was easily twice his own size. He had red eyes, the face of a statue and a pair of blocky arms and legs.
"Jeez where did they get this guy, a construction site?" Spider-Man asked.
And in the left corner, our recently arrived cannon fodder-I mean fighter! He may look small but he is sure to pack a punch, or at least I hope he does. Give it up for The Red Spider!
"It's Spider-Man, jackass." Spider-Man grumbled as the audience laughed at his expense and appearance.
Liam stood face to face with Cinderblock, wondering if the golem was smirking at him. He could practically feel everyone lean in, clearly expecting a one sided beating in the giants favor as the bell rang.
"Don't worry, little bug. I'll make this fast!" Cinderblock declared, swinging his fist down to crush Spider-Man. That had been the plan anyway, what he hadn't expected was for the arachnid hero, aided by his Spider-sense to jump back flipping in the air and landing on the top rope.
"You know, you don't strike me as all that bright. I didn't think you were going to be so slow though. Seriously, I've had a harder time dodging a toddler's punches." Spider-Man taunted giving a small fake yawn.
"Insect!" Cinderblock shouted bringing both his hands together as if to clap, aiming to crush Spider-Man again. But much like the first time, the arachnid hero jumped over the golem.
Spider-Man grabbed hold of Cinderblock's head, pulling him down with surprising strength. He flipped the golem down to the ring's floor, causing the ref to jump back in surprise. The webslinger didn't let up though, he rushed at the villain as he was getting up. He reeled back his right arm before unleashing a punch to the villain's face.
Cinderblock was pushed back against ropes.
"Wow, you're still standing. Ouch, I might've punched a little too hard. But I don't mind." Spider-Man said, throwing a couple punches as though he was shadow boxing. "I really want to see how strong I really am, so don't let the bell beat you just yet."
Cinderblock growled at the words that the wallcrawler was saying. He stood back up, planting his feet like a mad beast about to rampage. He was not going to be anyone's punching bag or test dummy for no wannabe newbie.
"Ok, just roar back. I can work with that." Spider-Man replied, getting ready for his opponent to charge.
Cinderblock did not disappoint, giving another roar and charging at him. He waited just a second before stepping to the right side of the living concrete block. Cinderblock seemed to have been expecting him to jump again, so when he sidestepped the blocks arms had been raised up. Spider-Man meanwhile slid back around and faced Cinderblocks back as his opponent bounced off the ropes nearly tilting the ring before he ricocheted back towards him.
Spider-Man jumped forward towards his opponent, drawing his hands together before slamming his cupped hands into the back of Cinderblocks head. The impact sent Cinderblock back into the ropes bouncing off them, with no control over his momentum, he staggered backward again as Spider-Man grabbed the back of his head and yanked him downward. The impact shook the ring with the ref actually loosing his balance.
When the shaking stopped, Cinderblock lay flat on his back groaning. Spider-Man landed on top of Cinderblock before sitting cross legged on the giants chest and turning his head towards the referee,
"I think you're safe to count. He's not getting back up." Spider-Man said with confidence. The referee, still a little shaky, nodded and scrambled over before counting Cinderblocks shoulders down for a three count.
"Holy shi...er Uh..Ladies and Gentlemen the winner of this match Spider-Man!" The Ring announcer declared. There was a pause as the crowd took in the result and then a cheer broke out as Spider-Man took a bow before getting off Cinderblock and heading towards the entryway.
As he stepped through the curtain, he was surprised and forced to stop short when he found Pantha waiting for him on the other side. Up close, he found that while she was certainly muscular, she was also curvy, a fact that her leotard did nothing but emphasize. He also noted that in terms of height, they stood about even, with maybe an inch between them. The eyes that looked him up down beneath the mask were emerald green and seemed to be assessing him.
"Can I help you?" He asked awkwardly.
"Yeah, how about you start telling me who are you and what do you think you're doing?" Pantha asked, looking down on him with a challenging stare.
"...Umm, is that a rhetorical question?" Spider-Man asked.
"This is a wrestling match to test the prowess of the strongest people in Gotham, not some superhero practice match." Pantha nearly roared.
"There's nothing in the rules that says no heroes allowed." Spider-Man retorted.
"Regardless, just because you think you might be the underdog of this tournament, that doesn't mean that you are the one to win." Pantha said.
"I never claimed that it did, I simply saw an opportunity to participate, and I took it. I understand if you're mad, but I'm not trying to insult you, and it's not like this is the most professional league is it? I mean between the two of us we just beat two guys who should be behind bars. I don't know why you participate in this, you seem so much better than this." Spider-Man admitted.
"Just watch out araña. I'm going for the top spot." Pantha said, brushing against Liam's shoulder with more strength than he expected.
Spider-Man observed her walk away. He hated to be talked down to and pushed, but he had to admit it but she looked way too good walking away. His eyes almost fell out of his sockets to keep them on her shapely body.
"She might have the tenderness of a cobra, but she has a body to kill for." Spider-Man muttered.
"I heard that!" Pantha snapped.
"Look at the time, I need to be...somewhere else." Spider-Man said evasively as he turned and walked towards the other end of the hallway.
Unbeknownst to him, once he was fair enough down the hall, Pantha smirked just a little bit, before turning to watch the next match and see how many rounds there would be tonight.
The rest of the night went out in a blur. Spider-Man and Pantha crushed the competition like a couple of professionals would against a bunch of beginners.
Pantha vs Adonis
Adonis winked at Pantha, trying to charm her. However, the wrestler punched him across the face, knocking loose his front teeth before knocking him out with another swift shot to the jaw.
Spider-Man vs Dr. Light
Spider-Man jumped out of the way of the beams of light. He used the ropes to spring himself forward, kicking the doctor in the face sending him slumping to the floor.
Pantha vs Copperhead
Pantha struggled against the slippery snake man as he wrapped himself around her body. Just as he was about to bite her, she headbutted him, loosening his hold over her. She broke free from his hold before slamming him into the floor before kicking him in the teeth.
Spider-Man vs Killer Moth
Killer Moth jumped at Spider-Man, using his wings to get a better jump on the hero. But the webslinger grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before slamming the moth with a punch. Spider-Man punched Killer Moth so hard that he was knocked out.
Pantha vs King Snake
Pantha and King Snake were pushing each other with neither giving up an inch. King Snake tried to headbutt Pantha but she pulled back in time, kneeing him in the jaw. Pantha then jumped over the former revolutionary, kicking him in the back before putting his leg in a lock and pulling back until he was forced to tapout.
Spider-Man vs Giganta
Spider-Man was running circles around Giganta, wondering how he could defeat the large woman. He was then caught by the large hand of the wannabe Amazon. The webslinger broke free from her hold, tearing his jacket as a result. He grabbed hold of the large woman's arm, pulling her down to the ground, twisting it until she tapped out. As soon as the match was over, Spider-Man noticed that he was topless. He covered himself before fleeing the scene hearing a few wolf whistles as he went.
One by one, they each stepped up and one by one Pantha or Spider-Man sent them crashing back down. Some had been easier than others. Liam had bever been happier that his mask covered his face after that round with Giganta.
At last the finals of the nights tournament were set in stone Pantha vs Spider-Man. Winner, got the prize pot of 500,000 and the right to call themselves champion. They had been given an hour to rest and prepare.
Spider-Man sat in a locker room, now clad in a compression tank top with a White Spider hastily drawn on the chest. His mask was half up as he chugged a bottle of water. This hadn't been how he was expecting things to go tonight, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't having fun.
The door swung open, and he looked up from the bench to see Pantha walking in, looking directly towards him.
"I hope I'm not disappointing you?" He asked, surprised to find he really meant that.
"Don't think you can sweet talk your way to victory. I'll be taking that money home tonight." Pantha said, giving him a cocky smile.
"You really think that you're gonna win? Well, I hope you're not a sore loser, because I'm winning."
"Keep dreaming, it'll probably help nurse your pride when I beat you." She said, sitting down beside him.
There was a moment of silence before Spider-Man looked over to her, "So feel free not to answer, if you don't want to, but I meant what I said earlier. I really do wonder how did you ended up here of all places? You are so much better than all of this." He admitted.
Pantha was slightly surprised by his honesty. She was used to opponents and other wrestlers to either throw insults and bravado like a cafeteria food fight or keep quiet to focus on the fight. Hearing something honest and a compliment was new for her. She shook her head, thinking that this was just his way of getting in her head. She turned to look at him, but she couldn't see any meanness coming from him.
"Some of us don't have a taste for the hero/vigilante life. We just try to make a living." Pantha replied. "But thanks for reminding me that I'm best."
"Well if you beat me that would be hard to deny wouldn't it?" Spider-Man replied. "But I still haven't heard no bell."
"When you do, you had better give it your all, I don't want charity. Winner, buys dinner?" Pantha asked, extending her hand to him.
"Why not? I can think of worse ways to spend my night than with free food and a beautiful woman." He shrugged, shaking her surprisingly soft hand as she stood and headed for the door. "See you in the ring, Pantha."
"See you in the ring Spider-Man." She said, smirking over her shoulder as the door closed. He smiled, win or lose he was having fun. Which made what he had to do now, hard. He had come here to prove the Falcone's were up to something, he still had forty-five minutes before the round started.
He really didn't want to ruin this for Pantha, but he needed the proof. There was no question what was going on here wasn't allowed. He had discovered through a quick search on his phone that Cinderblock, Mammoth and Giganta at the very least were currently supposed to be sitting in prison not icing their bruises in a private locker room.
He decided to pay a visit to the betting booth where members of the criminal underworld were collecting their winnings and betting them all over again for a chance at a bigger cut of the dough. Liam took a couple pictures of known criminals and people that had come here for the night. He took some more of the security that was moving all the money and that were guarding the large case filled with money. Now he only needed to get a picture of a known member of the Falcone family or one of their associates.
He looked up towards the sky boxes. "If I were a rich crime lord, looking to watch the action while I made some dirty money, that's where I would be." He muttered making sure he wasn't being watched he jumped onto the wall and crawled up towards the boxes. When he made it to them he was careful to stick to only the edge of the windows so he could duck out quickly if he had to.
Liam spotted the head of the Falcone family having a drink with some of his business partners and laughing. He pulled his phone to take a picture when the head of the family walked out. Spider-Man cursed his luck as he missed him, but he settled for getting his partners.
He checked the clock and he had roughly ten minutes to prepare for his bout with Pantha, he needed to get moving. He snapped some quick pictures before rushing back before anyone could even notice him. He kept to the shadows as a way to ensure that none could see him or raise any suspicions, taking a few photos of the men and women betting as he went. As he made it back to his locker room he began to stretch. Whatever else happened here tonight Pantha wanted a fight, and he would give her a worthy one, at least he hoped.
-Pantha vs Spider-Man-
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have come to the last fight of the tournament! This night has brought us all so many surprises, but this last one is bound to be the biggest one of all! Please, put your hands together and welcome your finalists!
The stadium erupted in cheers and calls for both sides of the fight. If someone fired a shot, no one would've heard it in the stadium. The lights all shut off, leaving only the announcer in the light.
In the right corner, you know her, you love her and her opponents should fear her, the ferocious beauty Pantha!
The lights on the right corner of the ring lit up as fireworks flared up as Pantha walked towards the ring. She looked ready for a fight, her eyes narrowed, leaving behind any and all pleasantries back in the dressing room. She was going to win and no one was going to get in her way. She cracked her knuckles, hating to admit it but she was so looking forward to her battle with the webslinger. Pantha jumped into the ring, sending a shockwave through the ring, lifting her arm up in a victory pose.
In the left corner, the underdog of this whole tournament, I give you the web slinging, wall crawling new hero of Gotham, Spider-Man!
The lights on the left corner of the ring lit up as fireworks flared up as Spider-Man made his way to the ring. He let out a deep breath, putting his head in the game by loosening his limbs as he walked. Despite him being on a mission to bust this criminal scheme, he really wanted to test out his limits and surpass them, but he also wanted to really show Pantha what he was all about. Spider-Man jumped high in the air with his spider strength, spinning in the air three times before landing with a thankful bow.
"Oh, you wanna play it like that, bug boy?" Pantha muttered. "Well bring it on."
Spider-Man and Pantha walked to the middle of the ring, pushing away the presenter. They sized up each other like old rivals, readying to battle it out one more time. They were each flexing their own muscles to show that they were not to be messed with. Although Spider-Man was a bit distracted by Pantha's sexy body, he also made it so that she would see that he was not to be messed with.
Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, let the battle begin!
The stadium burst into cheers once more, but oddly Spider-Man and Pantha didn't pay much attention to them.
They each jumped back to their respective corners, getting some space between them. They began circling each other without breaking any eye contact. Hearts beating in their ears as they each smiled, each trying to decide the first move. After a moment, Spider-Man decided to open things springing towards her, and aiming a kick at her ribs.
Pantha dodged, stepping to the side, and grabbing his leg before spinning him around and throwing him into the corner. Spider-Man turned his body, using the ropes to jump back to the fight with his right arm reeled back. Pantha caught the arm and slammed him to the floor. Spider-Man rolled out of the way before Pantha slammed her foot on his face. He tackled her against the ropes, surprising her with his strength.
"You know I hate to admit it, but I was looking forward to this." Spider-Man said, leaning into her, trying to push her over the top rope, and trying even harder to ignore the soft feeling pressed against his chest.
"I was too, you might actually be a challenge!" She shot back smirking as she began to use her own strength to push them both off the ropes. Pantha was getting excited, even here she had few opponents that could match her in strength, well few that weren't a bit brain dead.
Pantha grabbed Spider-Man, pulling him off of her. She then began spinning in place, picking up speed as she did. She flung Spider-Man with all her momentum.
Spider-Man, although surprised, grabbed hold of the ring's ropes, stopping his flight. He was pulled back into the ring by the rope like a large slingshot. He spun in the air before planting his feet into her ribs sending her towards the opposite end as he ran in after her. Pantha, however, had a plan, rather than trying to stop, she let herself bounce off the ropes and back towards her opponent. Just as his Spider-sense went off she crashed into him with a clothesline that actually made him flip in mid air before landing flat on his back.
'Okay, so Spider-sense doesn't make me immune to sudden enough hits. Good to know.' Spider-Man thought, groaning as he tried to stand up quickly before she could go for another attack.
"Wow, you've lasted longer than I thought. You're also a lot tougher than before." Pantha pointed out, feeling the weight of all the hits taking their toll.
"You are also pretty tough yourself. I'm gonna have to start taking this a lot more seriously." Spider-Man replied.
Pantha smirked, it wasn't often that someone could throw the same sass at her that she dished out. She rushed towards her opponent once more with her arms reeled back. She swung a strong right, only for Spider-Man to catch it this time. He swung her to the floor, using her weight to his advantage. He then used his wall crawling ability to grab hold of her armband, lifting her up into the ropes once more.
"Well, well the bug continues to impress, but really you think I can't replace an armband!?" She asked, giving a mighty tug and ripping the armband clean in half, freeing herself. She grabbed the back of his head, bending him over and bringing each of her knees into his face.
He had never been so grateful for his increased durability, because he was fairly certain originally that would have shattered his whole face. As it was he felt his nose start to bleed beneath his mask. Pantha prepared to repeat her attack, only for Spider-Man to push her arms up and off his head. He spun out of her way, keeping a grip on one of her arms and flipping her over his shoulder and to the mat.
She hit the mat, actually bouncing off the mat a little before he jumped on her, pinning her arms above her head and attempting to keep her down for the pin.
"You know, in a different situation this wouldn't be such a bad position to be in guapo." She muttered into his ear. Causing him to lose a little of his grip as he gaped at her in surprise. Which was exactly what she had hoped for. Her legs came up wrapping around his waist and squeezing before using her own power to flip him over her head and plant him to the ground with her now on top.
"Oh, that was a dirty trick." Spider-Man muttered.
"It's a fight, araña you take the advantages where they come besides, I wasn't kidding." She said with a smirk.
"You know, you make hating you very difficult when you talk like that." Spider-Man replied. "But I am so going to make you pay for that. Hope you're ready for the next round."
"Come at me then guapo." Pantha taunted.
Spider-Man and Pantha looked into each other's eyes, and got ready for the next round.
Just then a large explosion rocked the stadium.
Spider-Man and Pantha turned to the origin of the explosion. They spotted several men in suits armed with machine guns and rifles coming out from the smoke caused by the explosion. The two young fighters could only assume these guys were gangsters, taking the chance to rob the tournament of the big prize.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're sorry for the disturbance to the evening but we'll be taking the prize tonight!" The ringleader said, firing a couple rounds into the ceiling. "Don't do anything stupid, we'll take the cash and any valubles you want to uh...donate." He stepped out of the smoke to reveal a short squat man, with a long nose dressed in a suit and top hat holding an umbrella in his hands whose tip still smoked. The Penguin took a puff of his cigarette as he looked around and sighted the ring, with the two young heroes.
"What's this now? What kinda show did we crash here?" He asked, smirking like a bird. "Gentlemen, restrain those ruffians."
Spider-Man's Spider sense buzzed, warning him of what was before him. He turned around only for him and Pantha to be caught by Cinderblock. The two heroes struggled but the large golem kept them in place.
"And before anyone else gets any bright ideas, my associates and I decided to fix the game in our favor." Penguin said as Mammoth and Adonis came out with bags filled with the prize money.
'Damn it! Did they go down easier just to soften those of us not involved up?' Spider-Man thought as Cinderblock squeezed them tighter. 'I'm such an idiot! I need to get free and stop these thugs from taking all the money!'
Spider-Man turned to Pantha as she was also struggling against the hold of the giant Golem. Had these fights really worn them down that much? Or had Cinderblock simply had more time to rest? They couldn't tell and it didn't really matter as Penguin and his men took the prize money as well as walking around taking valuables.
"Well, I would say this has been a pretty beneficial evening. But as they say, it is time to call it a night." The Penguin said. "Now, farewell! Oh, and tell dear Carmine I said thanks for the cash."
The Penguin, his goons and hired muscle save for Cinderblock got back into their getaway vehicles. Once inside, Penguin stuck his hand out and made a swatting gesture and Cinderblock threw both the heroes across the room, as they smashed into the wall the cars sped away and Cinderblock jumped through the other wall after them.
They both groaned, shifting the little bits of rubble off themselves and getting to their feet.
"I shouldn't have entered this tournament. I could have been ready, I could have stopped them!" Spider-Man muttered making his way towards the door determined to swing after them. However, he was stopped by Pantha's hand on his shoulder.
"Where the heck are you going?" Pantha asked.
"I'm going to stop them." Spider-Man replied, taking her hand off his shoulder. "That's what I'm doing."
"But that's not your problem. It sucks they took the prize, but you don't have to go after them. You're not Batman." Pantha argued.
"No. I'm Spider-Man. And with Great Power comes a Great Responsibility." Spider-Man replied. "I hope we can have a friendly match again, Pantha. Catch you on the flip side." He added, firing a web to swing out of the hole in the stadium and after the criminals.
Pantha groaned in frustration.
"Why are the cute ones always this stubborn?" Pantha groaned.
She sighed, but still she couldn't just let him run off and get himself killed. Not only was he a worthy, even fun opponent that owed her a true rematch, but she knew he made a fair point.
"Just this once." She muttered to herself before running at impressive speed out the door and into the night after the group.
-Penguins Getaway Car-
"Not a bad haul gentlemen! Even after we pay off the extra muscle. Losing this much will weaken the Falcone's even more. They'll have no choice, but to cut a deal." Penguin said counting a large stack of hundred dollar bills.
As they drove, one of the men in the back seat looked out the window and paused his eyes going wide, "Uh boss, we've got something following us."
"Of course we do! You great lump, you think Cinderblock is fitting in a car!?"
"No, not him. Something else." The man said, pointing behind Cinderblock and up into the sky.
The Penguin thought that it was probably Batman, flying towards him and his convoy. But when he narrowed his eyes to see what was pursuing them, he was surprised. It wasn't Batman, it was someone swinging towards them like Tarzan with a spider painted on his shirt.
"What in the world?" Penguin asked as Spider-Man landed on top of Cinderblock's head.
"Hey guys, you left before the final match. Didn't like the popcorn?" Spider-Man asked, looking at Cinderblock.
Cinderblock swung one of his fists at Spider-Man, but he moved at the last minute. Spider-Man allowed Cinderblock to punch himself, giving himself a chance to fight back.
"I've heard of kicking yourself, but punching yourself is not a term I'm familiar with." Spider-Man quipped. Before adding a kick to Cinderblocks head using both feet before launching off with all his strength towards Penguin and his mens cars.
"Oh, don't Oswald. I haven't forgotten you!" Spider-Man called out shooting a web and swinging towards the car as Penguins men leaned out guns drawn and began firing at him from all three cars.
Spider-Man's spider sense went into overdrive for the first time ever. He sensed every bullet flying towards him, seeing them fly in what appeared to be slow motion. He jumped over the bullets and ducked under them. Flipping and twisting his body, and even then he felt a few of them graze his arms, his legs, and his sides.
'Stay focused, don't stop. You can do this!' Spider-Man thought, firing another webline and swinging to his right to avoid another barrage of bullets. He tried to keep their bullets firing up towards him, less likely to ricochet and hit anyone else that way. He needed to close the distance, but as their only target they wouldn't let him get close enough. Who knew how many bullets they had to reload with, and even if they stopped Adonis, and Mammoth would still be issues.
"I need a better plan, or some kind of back up if only I had a way to get ahold of Batman, or see where the police were." Spider-Man muttered each time he got closer the bullet fire increased.
Just as he was trying to figure out a plan, a shadow dropped down from the rooftops, and landed on one of the rear cars. He expected it to attack him, and then the car drove beneath as street light, and to his surprise he saw Pantha as she reached into the car and chucked out two of the gunmen from the back seat. Then crawled to the front of the car and punched out the driver. The car swerved, crashed into a light post as Pantha jumped up from it and Spider-Man caught her around the waist as he continued to swing after the other cars.
"I thought this wasn't my problem?" Spider-Man asked, swinging them to the side to avoid more fire.
"It's not, but I couldn't let you get yourself killed. You owe me a rematch, besides just because I don't do the hero thing often doesn't mean that I can't. Come on, let's stop these guys!" She declared and smirking he nodded, swinging them higher into the air.
"If I throw you to the lead car, can you disable it?" Spider-Man asked.
"Of course I can! Ready when you are." She said with confidence. Spider-Man nodded before releasing the webline grabbing Pantha by the belt around her waist and threw her towards the car.
She flew through the air, twisting gracefully and landed on the roof of the car, before reaching in and seizing the drivers shirt, "Excuse me, but you interrupted my match, I don't appreciate interruptions!" She declared wrenching the man out the window and throwing him into the air, where he was caught and webbed to a nearby wall.
Spider-Man thought that leaving splattered minions all over the street would've been a bit unheroic.
The car swerved left and right, before Pantha leaped in front of it bracing her legs for hard landing. However, she was caught by Spider-Man once more.
"You really are always there when I need you, aren't you?" Pantha asked.
"Don't get used to it, I'm only human after all." Spider-Man replied. "Let's take care of the muscle and then deal with the nun reject."
"Leave the wannabe womanizer to me." Pantha said, having Spider-Man drop her off in the car where Adonis was.
Spider-Man landed on top of the other car and webbed the back bumper. He jumped flipping over and landing on the road, planting his feet and dragging the car to halt with his strength, feeling his shoes shred beneath him.
'Wonderful.' He thought to himself before moving and webbing the car's doors and windows closed.
"Stay put, little bird, we'll get to you right after we deal with your muscle." Spider-Man called out turning to the other car which had stopped a few feet behind him as Adonis and Mammoth stepped out and glared at a smirking Pantha who stood in front of them, her arms folded.
"So you wanna go another round, babe. Don't blame you, Adonis has that effect on women." Adonis said.
"Jeez, this guy is really full of himself. But at least he is proof that most people have evolved from being cave people." Spider-Man chided. "I really want to punch him now."
"You take care of the car man, you deal with the muscle freak." Pantha replied.
"Oh sure, you get to fight the annoying one that can at least talks, and I have to fight the guy who speaks in grunts?" Spider-Man asked.
"Hey, I beat him in round one. You saying you aren't good enough to beat him? Maybe you got lucky getting to the final?" Pantha taunted.
Spider-Man sighed, "Fine I'll fight him, but I'm doing this for me not because of you." He said, cracking his neck and glaring at Mammoth.
"Let's make this fast shall we big guy? Or are you too dumb to understand me? I couldn't tell with how fast she kicked your ass earlier." Spider-Man taunted, causing Mammoth to roar and charge towards him as Spider-Man sprang towards him as well. "Ok, so you do understand me."
Mammoth drew back his fist, Spider-Man dodged attaching a webline to Mammoth's arm as he slid between the man beast's legs and pulled the webline. The villain fell down face first into the street. As Mammoth tried to get back up, Spider-Man attached two more weblines at his chest, pulling himself at the villain.
Spider-Man slammed onto Mammoth's face with both of his feet. He bounced off the large brute before, spinning in the air before he brought a punch to the face, knocking out the large brute. Spider-Man webbed the villain with his webs, making sure that he would not get back up and run off.
"Stick around big guy, the police will want to have words with you. …And I'm talking to a guy who can't reply." Spider-Man sighed. "I can't believe I agreed to fighting him instead of the other caveman. She really owes me for this one."
Adonis, who had watched the whole thing, swallowed, "Hold on here babe, I thought you wanted a fair fight two on one is hardly that." He said.
"Oh, he won't interfere. I asked him to make sure I got you all to myself." Pantha said, narrowing her eyes and cracking her knuckles.
"Ah, I see you really want to get your hands on Adonis, I'm okay with that, what do you say we take this somewhere more private?" He asked, winking at her.
"She might kill him." Spider-Man muttered, seeing a hard edge come to Pantha's eyes. "And yet I don't pity him."
"Two minutes. All I need is two minutes, probably less." Pantha said before surprising both boys as she sprang at Adonis, planting her feet hard into his chest and sending Adonis flying backward into the car he had exited, denting it on impact.
Adonis coughed, as the breath left his body, "Okay, not a bad shot, but it'll take more than that to beat Adonis!" He declared looking up only to be met with Pantha's fist in his face faster than he had expected, feeling his nose breaking. He tried to stand only for her to kick him hard in the skull.
Adonis fell down, completely knocked out.
"That was very satisfying." Pantha commented.
"Looked like it. I'm not sure what looked worse, the punch or the kick." Spider-Man said, chuckling at Adonis' crumpled form.
"Both were good, but personally I preferred the kick." Pantha shrugged as they both headed towards the car where Penguin was still shouting as he tried to cut through Spider-Man's webs without much success.
"So, you going to take the prize money?" Spider-Man asked, pulling the door off and webbing Penguin's mouth shut as the small man struggled to get out of his grip.
"It is tempting. But I think that you'd rather give it to the police as evidence." Pantha replied.
"You aren't wrong. I was really hoping you were going to say that. I didn't want to have to fight you again tonight." He admitted causing Pantha to actually giggle, which he had to admit sounded amazing and was definitely something he wanted to hear again.
"What's the matter? Afraid to face me again?"
"Maybe a little, but mostly just really tired. I need three things at this point, food, a shower, and some sleep." He admitted as they bound Penguin, Adonis and Mammoth to the car even as they heard sirens getting closer, then he looked down at his now bare feet, "Okay four if you include shoes," He added
"Since neither of us won the fight I would be willing to treat you to some food, and help you find new footwear." Pantha offered after a slight pause between them.
"Thanks, but the shoes of a grown woman won't really fit me. No matter how hot you are." Spider-Man replied.
"'Grown woman'? How old do you think I am?" Pantha asked, almost completely shocked.
"Um, 25, 26?" Spider-Man guessed.
Pantha stopped Spider-Man before she burst out laughing. She gave a very sweet laugh despite her imposing figure. She wiped a tear from her mask, before grabbing his shoulder.
"A woman would usually be pissed by being called old. But this time, I'll let it pass since you are a pretty tough hombre." Pantha laughed. "I'm just about to turn 17, guapo."
Spider-Man's eyes went wide behind his mask. He looked her over, surprised at how tall and amazingly built she was. He was certain that she was young and well in her prime. But to think that she was the same age as him made him want to ask so many questions. What had she been fed as a child to have such a killer body? How did she get so tall? And did she still go to high school? All these and more swirled in Spider-Man's head as Pantha gave him a smile.
"Wait, are you really barely 17? You can't be my age! No girl my age looks as good as you!" Spider-Man blurted out before covering his mouth with one hand.
"Oh, so you're actually Spider-Boy then, huh? Don't worry araña, you'll get your growth spurt yet." Pantha laughed. "But, if it helps, I can't wait to see you turned into a man." She added walking away swaying her hips from side to side.
He wanted to call out to her to point out that at most she had an inch on him in terms of height. To say that he still wanted their rematch, but the sway of her hips had struck him speechless, unable to find his voice.
'Seriously, you face down a pyromaniac, a stone golem, crimelords, and more and you can't shut up. Yet when a hot girl talks to you, maybe even shows an interest in you and you can't find your voice!?' He mentally screamed at himself.
"Jack will never let me hear the end of this." Spider-Man finally muttered, dragging the Penguin behind him.
Ten minutes later, the GCPD had arrived to take away the Penguin and all his hired muscle. They had found the money of the underworld fighting tournament with a note and a folder filled with pictures of all the criminals attending the event. It was a good day for the GCPD, although Detective Bullock was less than thrilled. Both by more vigilante's and the fact that he now had to direct meant to carefully place Cinderblock and Mammoth onto flatbed trailers.
"So much paperwork for the movement of these two alone. Freaking vigilantes!" He growled rubbing his eyes and wishing he could drink on the clock for once.
At the top of a building across the street from where the GCPD was rounding up the criminals, Spider-Man and Pantha looked down in pride at their work.
"That man sounds like he's having the time of his life." Pantha snickered.
"That's Detective Bullock for ya. From what I've heard, that's the happiest that he is when dealing with vigilantes and other costumed heroes. I don't even think he likes Superman." Spider-Man said, walking away from the edge.
"Really, the big boy scout is on his black list? Well, where does that leave us?" Pantha asked.
"Don't know, maybe a little close to Batman in terms of likeness. Still, thanks for helping me out on this one." Spider-Man said, holding out his hand.
Pantha shook it with pleasure.
"Well, you can repay me for that and the shoes with a rematch." Pantha said.
"Sure, name the place and time." Spider-Man replied.
"Okay, here and now." Pantha said, walking to the corner of the rooftop.
"Seriously? Aren't you tired?" Spider-Man asked.
"Night is still young, araña. Plus, we are both around the same condition so the fight will be very even. So come on, niño bonito." Pantha said, gesturing to him to come at her.
Spider-Man smiled under his mask. He assumed a combat stance, "First pinfall or submission then?" He asked.
"You got it. Try not to get distracted." She said winking as they began to circle each other.
"I can't promise that." He admitted smirking at her before as one they sprang towards each other.
A/N: So ends chapter 4! This was one we were really excited to write. It was fun, and we got to introduce Pantha! She's an underused character and she will be in this story more. Anyways, hope you enjoyed see you all next chapter, and go check out my amazing co-author Awesomerebel55! He's great! Bye