SEMI-FINALS: SPIDER-MAN VS. THE SCARLET SPIDER
The first match-up of the Semi-Finals takes place on top of the first Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, Japan, with a specially placed bright connecting the two towers, and with a teleportation pad stationed on each of the roofs. At the bottom of the building, there are holo screens stationed just above the Japanese spectators watching from behind the building's barricade.
Back up top, both flashes of light occur on the teleportation pads, and moments later, both Spidey and Scarlet Spider arrive on top of the building, with Spidey appearing on top of the right tower, and the Scarlet Spider appearing on the left. Both Spiders' arrival is broadcasted to the screen down below, causing jubilation from the crowd below.
Spidey, hearing the cheering people, takes a moment to look over the ledge and looks down to see not only the people but also was slightly shocked at the height he was at. "Oooookaaay, long way down," he thought, "It's a good thing that all that web-swinging helped me get over fearing heights." The Web-Head then looks through the corner of his left eye and is saddened to see the still seething Scarlet Spider. "And instead, I'm scared for someone else."
Meanwhile, back in Nick Fury's safe house in New York, Nick and the rest of his comrades all witness Spidey and the Scarlet Spider's arrival in Japan, with nick being the only one in the room remaining calm.
Beast, like the rest of the 'Secret Warriors,' looks both worried and anxious as he seems the Web-Head's arrival in Japan, as well as his opponent's. "I cannot help but feel sorry for Peter," said the furry X-Man. "Fighting a friend is never easy."
Nick, while still watching the screen, nods in agreement to Beast to show that he's listening. "Yeah, I know. Let's just hope that the Wall-Crawler can save his friend WHILE keeping his head in the game." Moments later, he looks around and notices that Gwen has still not returned from the restroom. "Speaking of the Web-Head's friends, where the hell is the girl? Shouldn't she have already taken care of her business by now?"
It was here that Misty Knight decided to answer, giving off a calm and collected expression to try and masked her fear and nervousness for the missing girl. "I think Caret said that she was going to check on her."
Just as Misty said that a highly worried Sharon comes running into the room. "Director Fury!" she exclaimed. "Gwen isn't in the bathroom, and I can't find her anywhere! She's gone!"
This news comes as a shock to Nick and the others, leading them all to say this in unison. "WHAT?!"
Meanwhile, back in Japan, the Ref Bot, with announcer's face on the screen, comes hovering into view to the surprise of Spidey and the Scarlet Spider. "Gentlemen, I can see that you're both ready to get things started…" In mid-sentence, the announcer mentally commands the Ref Bot to hover over to Spidey, and upon arrival, commands its arms to pop out of its sides. "But first, if you would both be so kind as to hand over your elimination belts. For in this match-up, you will not need them."
Though naturally confused by this sudden change in the rules, Spidey nonetheless complies by removing his belt and places it over one of the Ref Bot's arms.
The Scarlet Spider, on the other hand, doesn't seem to question this, and once the Ref Bot came his way, he quickly removes his belt as well and gives it to the Ref Bot. All so the announcer can go ahead and get the match started.
Now with both combatants belts surrendered, a confused Spidey askes the question which he and Scarlet Spider had in their minds. "So, what's with the change in fashion? Don't we need the belts to win the match?"
"Not this time," the announcer replied as the Ref Bot hovered just above the bridge. "For in this match-up, it will take more than just fighting skill to win."
The Scarlet Spider is the next ask question, sharing in Spidey's confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, gentlemen, by order of the 'powers that be,' it is here that we will see which of you is the better hero…by examining how you save civilians! And so, let's introduce your 'damsel in distress!"
Suddenly, another flash of light occurs at the center of the specially made bridge, and after it subsides, it is revealed to be Gwen, who is still in a zombified state.
Naturally, the girl's appearance is a shock to everyone watching, from the crowd down below to the people watching from the Madison Square Garden, to all around the world.
But none more so than Spidey and the Scarlet Spider. Both of whom respond to this with wide-open eyes and exclaiming the name of the one they both love. "GWEN!"
The announcer startled by how both 'the Spiders' took this news but continued. "That's right, for, in this matchup, Ms. Gwen Stacy has volunteered to help determine our winner!
Back in New York, more specifically, Times Square, the crowd is stunned as they watched Gwen's arrival in Japan, as the tournament staff, as well as the Damage Control construction company, were cleaning up the remains of Spidey and Electro's match.
One female officer, Patrolwoman Jean DeWolff in particular, sees this unfold and soon approaches Captain Stacy, who appeared to be watching the tournament through the TV's behind a display window in a nearby electric store. "Captain Stacy? Did you know about this?" she asked her superior, sounding professional but at the same time, very serious.
George, however, replies without even turning away from the screen. "Yes, I do know. She'll be fine," he said, sounding almost robotic.
Naturally, Jean looked somewhat confused by how George answered, for he usually didn't act this way. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," George replied, still watching the TV and sounding more lifeless. "Now, get back to your post and keep those people back."
Jean felt in her gut that something was not right, but at the same time, she knew that her captain was right about keeping the spectators behind the barricade so that the Damage Control could finish cleaning up. As such, she felt no choice but to comply with George's order and thus gives him a nod. "Yes sir," she said somewhat hesitantly, then turned and ran back to her post.
As for George himself, he continues to watch the events of the tournament….with brightly pale eyes. Similar to that of his daughter's.
Elsewhere, in his art studio, the Puppet Master himself, Phillip Masters, is sitting in his stool with his small sculptures of Gwen…and George Stacy, smiling as he watches the tournament via a small TV he set up on his work desk.
Back in Shinjuku, the announcer continued to explain the rules of this match. Much to the confusion of the Scarlet Spider, and the dismay of Spidey. "Now folks, here's how this match goes…"
Suddenly, a long, thin steel plank pops out underneath the entranced Gwen.
"Here, our 'damsel' will wait ten seconds, then take one step forward until she falls over the plank."
Hearing this causes Spidey to exclaim this in pure panic. "SAY WHAT?!"
"Whoa, whoa, hear me out!" said the announcer, holding his hand out in defense.
Back on the ground level, a giant balloon inflates just below the bridge.
On the roof, the announcer heard the collected sighs of the audiences in both in Japan, as well as in the Garden, and continued. "Now obviously, we won't have Ms. Stacy plummet to her doom. She will fall safely into a well-placed safety balloon." However, little did the onlookers know, the balloon also had a built-in needle in the center the Morlun Virus. In that should Gwen fall on it, she would land on the needle and she would die just a few minutes after being helped off. Norman intended for this to be a punishment for Harry, for just in case his son lost the match, he would lose the one girl who, in Norman's mind, made him a weakling.
The announcer soon turned his attention to Spidey and Scarlet Spider, both of whom did not look pleased. "Unfortunately, if such a thing should happen, it will result in a draw between you two, which brings me to your objective to win this match! Whichever one of you to grab Gwen Stacy and bring her to the teleportation pad you arrived in BEFORE, she steps off of the plank will be declared the winner! Any questions?"
Naturally, Spidey chimed in, with anger brewing in his voice. "Yeah, why does Gwen have to be part of this? Couldn't we use like a robot dummy or something? I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. has plenty to spare!"
Gwen is the one to answer Spidey, all the while still behaving almost mannequin-like. "It's all right, Spider-Man," she said in an almost robotic tone. "I must be here. I want to be here."
Spidey looked to Gwen with a worried expression behind his mask, both confused and scared on how the girl he loved was acting. "Gwen…?"
The announcer, on the other hand, took Gwen's off-putting answer as an opportunity to get things rolling finally. "Well, you heard the young lady, Web-Slinger!" said the announcer, trying to sound enthusiastic to keep the crowd engaged. He then mentally commands the Ref Bot to hover high into the sky and above the building itself. "And with that in mind…BEGIN!" After saying this, the image on the Ref Bot's screen changes from the announcer's face to that of a time clock counting backward from ten.
Though the Scarlet Spider was still confused as to why Gwen was here, he soon saw this as a way to show that HE was the rightful boyfriend to her and how she was nothing without him. As such, he wastes no time in jumping off of his platform and over to the entranced girl.
Spidey also hopes into action once he saw the Scarlet Spider leap towards Gwen. For while he was sure that the Thunderbolt did not want to hurt Gwen in any way, he would probably do so anyway due to the effects of the symbiote. As such, the Web-Head jumps up, and while in the air, points his right hand at the Scarlet Spider and shoots a web-line, making a direct hit on the symbiote wearing teen. The Web-Head then makes his move by zipping towards the Scarlet Spider, and plants both of his feet into his chest, sending his troubled friend back down and landing hard onto the top of the left tower, where he then pins him down by crouching on top of him.
At that moment, the countdown on the Ref Bot's screen ends at zero, and as ordered, Gwen takes one step forward on the plank.
Spidey sees Gwen stepping forward through the corner of his right eye, and is more scared for her safety than before. "Gwen is being controlled too?!" he thought in disbelief. "Since when?! And more importantly, how did they find her?"
While Wall-Crawler was too busy looking at Gwen, the pinned Scarlet Spider was seething, as he had Spidey sitting on top of him and making a fool of him in front of the world. And, more importantly, in front of his father. As so, with an aggravated growl, the Scarlet Spider pops his waist up, and with his symbiote enhanced strength, caused Spidey to lose his balance and fall forward.
Fortunately for Spidey, though, he is quick and agile enough to control his fall and to roll forward off of the Scarlet Spider and end up in a kneeling position. As he stands back up, Spidey spins around to see that the Scarlet Spider also got back up on his feet and throwing a right hook, causing the Web-Head to hold up his right arm to successfully block the punch.
Though his previous attack had been stopped, the Scarlet Spider was able to sneak in a left middle punch into Spidey's abdomen, knocking the wind out of Wall-Crawler and forcing him to bend forward. Now in control, the Scarlet Spider continues his assault by throwing a right knee strike into Spidey's face, causing the Web-Head to stand up in a daze. Seeing that Spidey was still disoriented, the Scarlet Spider tries to capitalize by throwing a left hook.
However, despite the throbbing pain in his face, Spidey manages to spot his troubled friend's attack, thus quickly ducks to avoid the punch and dashes underneath the Scarlet Spider's left side, until he ends up behind him.
After missing the Wall-Crawler's head, the Scarlet Spider turns to see Spidey stand back up on his feet and spin around to face him. Not wanting to give Spidey the chance to fight back, the symbiote wearing Thunderbolt goes for a right legged round kick, aiming for the Web-Head's right thigh to try and take away his ability to jump.
Luckily for Spidey, though, he sees this coming and throws his right harm downward, blocking the kick. But even after saving his leg, he still was not the least bit happy with his current situation. "Right, can't forget the icing on the Parker Luck cake," Spidey though as he held his right arm up to block an incoming right legged round kick aimed for his head. "In that Harry is wearing a living alien suit which can not only mimic my powers…." He then sees the Scarlet Spider throwing a left hook and quickly ducks. After standing up, the Web-Head spots his troubled friend angrily throwing a right spinning back-fist, and promptly uses his left arm to block. "But it also makes him aggressive…"
Now frustrated on how Spidey was stopping his attack, the growling Scarlet Spider spins once again and manages to throw a left legged back-kick and hits the Web-Head's chest, more specifically, where his adamantium stitches were. Thus, hurting Spidey enough to clutch his chest and stagger backward.
After finally stopping, Spidey looks down and removes his hand to see if his stitches were still in place, and miraculously, they were. However, this also troubled the Web-Slinger, as he knew that this was something that he could easily avoid, which led him to this unfortunate conclusion. "And undetectable to my spider-sense." Suddenly, Spidey's train of thought is interrupted when he hears the rage-filled yell of the Scarlet Spider. As he looked up, he saw the Thunderbolt himself leaping towards him and throwing his right leg in a flying kick, prompting the Wall-Crawler to duck and roll forward, barely dodging the attack.
Once the Scarlet Spider landed on his feet, he looks back to see that Spidey has now gotten back up on his feet. The sight of the Web-Head still healthy angers the Scarlet Spider so much, it actually causes his muscle mass to increase slightly. A moment later, he acts by holding out his left hand and shooting a symbiote based 'web-line' at the Web-Slinger, with the intent of trapping him and pulling him towards him.
Spidey, however, turns to face the Scarlet Spider shooting his line and saves himself by jumping and flipping in a corkscrew motion to the right side, dodging the line before it could hit him. After landing on his feet, the Wall-Crawler acts by holding out and pointing his right hand at the young Thunderbolt and shooting a web=line, hoping to safely subdue him long enough so he can rush over to Gwen and bring her to his teleportation pad.
However, the Scarlet Spider reacted quickly by jumping and flipping in a corkscrew to the left — all which helped him dodge the web-line in the process.
As the two Spiders traded web-lines, the timer on the Ref Bot's screen goes off again, and thus, the controlled Gwen takes another step forward on the plank, causing those watching to gasp in shock.
Spidey hears the shocked reaction of the crowd below, and as he turned around, he saw that Gwen had already stepped forward and was now more fearful for the girl of his dreams. At the same time, he didn't want to take his attention off of the Scarlet Spider, and as he turned to face him, he saw that the Thunderbolt was now coming towards him with a right-legged scissors kick, causing the Web-Head to dash to the left side to avoid it.
The Scarlet Spider still refused to give up on his assault, however, and after looking to the left to set his sights on Spidey, he turns and performs a left legged spinning back-kick, aiming for the Wall-Crawler's abdomen.
Fortunately for Spidey, though, he sees this and stops it by throwing his arms downward in an 'X' fashion and blocks the kick. Moments later, he spots the Scarlet Spider throwing a right hook and acts by using his right hand to catch his friend's wrist, stopping the attack. "Harry, please…!" Spidey pleaded, then sees the Scarlet Spider going for a left cross and thus uses his other hand to catch the Thunderbolt's fist. "For Gwen's sake, and yours, you need to stop this!"
Scarlet Spider feels offended as Spidey would bring Gwen into this. "You mean give up to you?! Fat chance! Not when I finally have the chance to prove myself to my father!"
As Spidey tried to reply, he was having difficulty keeping the Scarlet Spider's hands up due to the latter's increasing strength. "Your father is using you! Just like he used you to save his own sorry butt when he was the Green Goblin!"
"SHUT UUUUUPPPPPPP!" yelled the Scarlet Spider in a rage, and as he leaned back, something unsettling happens. In that his red eyes suddenly changed turned bright yellow, and a large sharp tooth mouth soon appears on his mask. Moments later, the changed Scarlet Spider delivers a hard head-butt to Spidey's masked face, forcing the Wall-Crawler to release his hands. Once free, the now monstrous Scarlet Spider grabs hold of the disoriented Spidey's head with one hand, and with incredible strength, tosses him over the ledge like a rag-doll, then proceeds to run towards the zombified Gwen.
As for the airborne Spidey, he manages to save himself by pointing his right hand at the top of the left tower, web-zips over to it, and lands on top of the Scarlet Spider's teleportation pad in a crouching position. The Web-Head looks straight ahead to see the Scarlet Spider about to grab Gwen, and in desperation, points both of his hands out and shoots two web-lines at the bridge, then web-zips over to the Scarlet Spider and tackles him with speed and momentum so powerful, it sends both Spiders flying towards and crashing onto the top of the right tower.
After taking his symbiote opponent down, Spidey quickly hops off of the fallen Scarlet Spider, not wanting to risk him toppling him again.
The Scarlet Spider, on the other hand, is only angered by this setback, and as a result, begins to undergo another unsettling change. In that, his organized red and black costume design soon changed to a crimson blood red, and his fingers take the shape of talons. And if that wasn't odd enough, strange tentacle-like appendages soon popped out of the top of his hands. After letting out an anger-filled, animalistic roar, the horrifically changed Scarlet Spider throws his right arm in a back-hand motion. All with the intent of using his newly gained tentacle to take Spidey's head clean off in a rage.
Luckily for Spidey, he sees this coming and leans all the way back, just barely missing the tentacle. Upon standing back up, he sees the Scarlet Spider holding his left arm up over his head and thus throws it in a downward chop, forcing the Wall-Crawler to cartwheel flip to the right side, avoiding the tentacle and causing it to hit and crack the roof floor instead.
Upon landing on his feet, Spidey stares at the Scarlet Spider's hideous form once again, all which makes him more fearful for both his friend's mental and physical state. "Come on, Harry! Look at what you've become! That suit…!"
"Is making me stronger!" The Scarlet Spider interjected, with his voice sounding deep and almost none human. "Stronger than you!"
"You don't understand!" replied the worried Spidey. "It doesn't just make you stronger; it controls you! Makes you do what IT wants! You need to get it off!"
At this point, the Scarlet Spider was fed up with hearing Spidey's voice. So much so, all he could think of doing was smashing the Web-Slinger's head with a hammer. As such, the symbiote responds to its young host's thoughts by retracting the tentacles back into his hands, all so it can turn his fists into mallets. "Stop acting like you care!" yelled the now monstrous Thunderbolt, and in pure fury, charges towards Spidey and throws a left hook, with the attempt of using his now mallet-hand to take the Wall-Crawler's head clean off of his shoulders.
Luckily for the Web-Head, he spots this attack coming and saves himself from being decapitated by quickly ducking and ending up in a crouching position. As he looked up, he saw that the Scarlet Spider raised his mallet-shaped right hand up over his hand and threw it downward, going for a literal hammer blow. As such, Spidey had no choice but to roll to the left side, causing the ravage Scarlet Spider to ram his other mallet hand through the roof floor. Once he ended up in a crouching position, Spidey stood up and spun around to face the Scarlet Spider, who by now had pulled his mallet fist out of the roof floor. "But I do care, Harry!" said the Wall-Crawler, catching the Thunderbolt's attention and making him turn to face him. As this happened, the Scarlet Spider's hands soon changed from mallets to long talons again, causing the Web-Head to grow worried. "Just as I also care about the 'no killing your opponent' rule."
With a loud roar, the Scarlet Spider charges towards Spidey, resulting in the Web-Slinger to jump and flip over him.
While the fight between the two Spiders raged on, the alarm in the Ref Bot went off again, and Gwen stepped forward once more, ending up in the middle of the plank.
Meanwhile, back in the Garden, this match was earning a mixed reaction from the crowd. For while one half of the audience, namely the Thunderbolt fans, were cheering for the action, the other half, as well as the announcer himself, were left in utter shock in the Scarlet Spider's sudden transformation.
As for Ms. Marvel, she watched the match from the Avengers' corner with her arms crossed and appearing to be calm and collected but was secretly worried that Spidey was too preoccupied with his transformed opponent than saving Gwen. "Come on, kid," she said in concern. "You've spent a good deal of this day focused on the safety of that girl, don't lose it now."
Elsewhere, In Nick Fury's safehouse, Nick and his comrades watched Spidey's match with just as much fear as the audience supporting the Avengers.
Sharon, most of all, who appeared to be more focused on the controlled Gwen on the screen. "I can't believe I let her out of my sight."
Nick answers the blonde-haired agent, all the while still maintaining his focus on the match. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Carter. It's obvious that the kid is being controlled somehow."
It was here that Misty Knight jumped in. "Yeah, but how? Didn't you say that only the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents drank the water that had those mind control robots in it?"
Beast could see Misty's point, which made him scratch his chin in deep thought. "Then, we must assume that Gwen is being manipulated by other means." The furry X-Men then reached in his coat pocket, pulled out a cellphone and dialed the number to the Xavier Mansion. Upon placing the phone to his ear, he, sure enough, heard the name of the X-Man he wanted to speak to answer. "Jean, I need your help. Are you watching the tournament?"
Meanwhile, back in Japan, things have gone from bad to worse for Spidey as he leaned sideways to the left to avoid a rising claw slash from the now monstrous Scarlet Spider. Suddenly, he hears the sound of the buzzer from the Ref Bot, forcing the Wall-Crawler to look over his shoulder and sees that Gwen had moved closer to the end of the plank. "No!" thought the worried Spidey, then turned to face the Scarlet Spider, who by this time was throwing a left-handed claw slash, and thus leaving him no choice but to use his open left hand to catch his wrist. "For god's sake, Harry, think of Gwen!" he pleaded to his friend. "She's not part of this in any way, and does not deserve to be put in this situation!"
The Scarlet Spider only gave the Web-Head an angry roar as an answer, then went for a right-handed claw slash, which Spidey avoided by ducking.
As the Web-Head popped back up, he soon spotted the bloodthirsty Scarlet Spider throwing a left spinning back fist, forcing him to hold up his right arm to block it. Moments later, he sees the Thunderbolt pull his left fist back so he can spin around and go for a left hook, causing Spidey to use his left arm to block that as well. "I'm sorry, Harry…" thought the saddened Spidey, now seeing that he has no choice but to fight back, he quickly uses his right foot to kick the Scarlet Spider in his right shin, causing him to go down one knee. From then on, the Web-Slinger attempted to capitalize by placing his right foot on the Scarlet Spider's by placing his right foot on the Scarlet Spider's still raised left knee. From here, he pushed up and threw a left-legged round kick, hoping to knock the winded Thunderbolt out-cold so he can go and save Gwen.
However, even after having the wind knocked out of him, the Scarlet Spider is still able to save himself by ducking his head and causing Spidey to kick nothing but air. Once he popped his head back up, the Scarlet Spider watches the Web-Head land safely on his feet, and it was at the moment that the symbiote influenced Thunderbolt springs up and uses both of his hands to grab Spidey's head, pick him up off the roof floor and begins crushing his skull.
For Spidey, the pain was immense, like his head being placed inside a vice, and someone was using it to crush his head like a grapefruit. As such, the Wall-Crawler tried to dig his fingers into the Scarlet Spider's hands and tried to pry them off, but unfortunately, thanks to the symbiote that the Thunderbolt was wearing, his grip was too strong, which only led to the pain-ridden Wall-Crawler to scream in pain.
Meanwhile, back in New York, Phillip is still watching the tournament, all the while still controlling Gwen by moving her sculpture on a specially made wooden plank. "I must admit," he said as he watched Spidey's predicament on screen. "This is more fun than those pitiful arts and crafts courses in Ravencraft."
However, little did Phillip know, he had two uninvited guests. Namely, Misty Knight and Sharon Carter, who both casually walk into the room after dealing with two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the front door.
And it is Misty who lets preoccupied Puppet Master know that they were here. "Fun's over, Baldy."
Phillip heard Misty's comment, and as he turned to face her, his face turned white, and his eyes grew large with fear upon seeing the two women. "What?! How did you…?!"
Sharon is the next to speak, as well as finish Phillip's question. "Find this place? Well, we had some help," said the smirking agent, referring to the X-Men's Jean Grey, who used her telepathy to read Gwen's mind and found the 'source' of the girl's mind control. "So why don't you help yourself by coming in quietly."
Not wanting to surrender so easily, Phillip desperately reached in his drawer and pulled out a handgun, aiming at the blonde agent herself.
However, Sharon proved to be quite the quick-draw, as she instantly pulled out her handheld laser and shot the gun right out of Phillip's hand.
As the disarmed Puppet Master grabbed his hand and groaned in pain, Misty is the next to act by pulling out her handgun, taking aim, and fires a single shot at the Gwen sculpture, making a direct hit and destroying it.
The result of the sculpture's destruction carries over to Japan, where at that very moment, Gwen's pale eyes return to baby blue, and she shakes her head in confusion, a side effect that occurs when the Puppet Master's victims were free from his control. "W…What happened?" As she looked around, Gwen soon spots the monstrous form of the Scarlet Spider, causing the startled girl to cover her mouth in fear. "Oh my god…!"
Suddenly, the sound of Gwen's voice caused the Scarlet Spider to snap out of his blood lust and turns to see Gwen herself, looking quite surprised. "Gwen…?" he asked in a gentler tone, and unknowingly loosens his grip on Spidey's head.
As for the Web-Slinger, he felt the pressure loosen on his skull, and though relieved, he couldn't understand why this was happening. That is until he looked forward to seeing Gwen now out of her trance, and more alarmingly, now knowing where she that she was standing on a narrow plank on a rooftop. Gwen…Gwen, don't move!"
The confused Gwen unknowingly moved back a bit, and at that moment, lost her balance and soon fell off the plank, screaming as she fell to the ground below.
Something in which causes both scared Spiders to scream this unison. "GWEN!"
With the Scarlet Spider stood frozen, it is Spidey who acted by taking both of his feet and kicking the Thunderbolt in his chest, forcing him to release his hold. This action also turned the Scarlet Spider into a boost that sent the Web-Headdarting off of the roof and towards the falling Gwen. Acting fast, Spidey shoots a web-line at the side of the building itself, and thus swings over the girl he loves. He later extends his left arm, and with expert timing, he successfully catches Gwen as he swings upward and ends up right above the left tower. And so, holding Gwen close, the Web-Slinger points his right hand downward, shoots another web-line that hits Scarlet Spider's teleportation pad, web-zips down and lands on the roof, where he finally can take to the dazed and confused love of his life. "Gwen, are you okay?"
"I think so. But Pe…Uh, Spider-Man," Gwen answered, catching herself as she caught a glimpse of the Ref Bot high in the sky, and wanted to keep the Web-Head's secret safe. "What's going on?! How did I get here?"
"Well, A, you were under some kind of mind control," Spidey replied, using humor in hopes of calming down the stress of the situation. "And B, you got transported here by Osborn to be used something for me and Harry to fight over."
Gwen looked at Spidey bewildered, and little annoyed on how he could quip at a time like this. "What do you….?!"
Suddenly, Spidey and Gwen's conversation is interrupted when they hear something big and sharp plunge itself into the roof floor and near their feet. As they looked down, they spotted what appeared to be a large black hook attached to the end of a black tentacle.
As the two teens looked forward, they saw that the tentacle was coming out of the left arm of the Scarlet Spider, who at this point was now had numerous tendrils all over his upper body. "GWEN!" he roared, his voice now sounding more demonic.
Naturally, Gwen looks completely mortified upon seeing the monster that was once boy she had known for so long. She knew that the suit was changing him, but never thought that it would go this far. "Oh, god...THAT'S Harry?!"
"Not at the moment," said the saddened Spidey.
Now overcome with pure rage upon seeing his girlfriend in the arms of his friend turned enemy, the Scarlet Spider zips over to both Spidey and Gwen, roaring all the way.
All in which prompts Spidey to quickly scoop Gwen off of her feet and into his arms. "Hold on tight!"
Gwen, seeing that she has no choice, warps her arms around Spidey's neck and holds on for dear life.
From then on, Spidey runs towards the approaching Scarlet Spider, and just as he was close enough to the Thunderbolt, he jumps up and kicks both of his feet behind the Scarlet Spider's head. This not only causes the symbiote costumed teen to tumble forward, but it also gave the Wall-Crawler enough of a boost to flip over the bridge and land safely on his teleportation pad, to which he gently puts Gwen down.
As this happened, bright lights soon flashed on the pad, and a giant buzzer goes off, which also resulted in the Ref Bot, announcer's face and all, hovering over to the two teens. "Here is your winner….SPIDER-MAN!"
Even in winning the match and saving the girl he loves, Spidey does not have the time to enjoy his victory. For as he looked straight ahead, he spots something that causes his eyes to grow wide with shock. "GET DOWN!" he yells, then grabs Gwen and brings her down to the roof floor so they can avoid the incoming symbiote tentacle, to which the Ref Bot barely avoids by hovering backward and far away from the building.
The tentacle then retracts back into the arm of the Scarlet Spider after missing Spidey, the intended target. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he screamed, then sprinted towards Spidey and Gwen on all fours.
Gwen, determined to try and reach out to the teen inside the monster, pushes Spidey off of her and stands straight up. "HARRY STOP!"
This drastic move actually succeeded, for upon hearing the girl's voice, the Scarlet Spider suddenly stops dead on his tracks. As he did so, the tendrils seem to retract back into his body, his muscles begin to shrink down, and his tooth-filled mouth turned into a more human one.
As Spidey got up, he was naturally surprised by how Gwen managed to get the Thunderbolt to stop, but soon remembered that Gwen's sweet and caring nature always had a positive effect on people. Thus, he decides to try and let her try and talk to their troubled friend but still stayed close.
The Scarlet Spider, even while looking less threating, still snarls like a rapid dog kept on a tight leash. Gwen, get over here! Now!"
"No, Harry!" Gwen replied defiantly, but at the same time, still worried about Harry's well-being. "Look at what that suit is doing to you! It's turned you into more of a monster instead of the Harry I know!"
Spidey quickly stepped in and tried to be more of a supportive friend, something that Scarlet Spider truly needed at the moment. "She's right, Harry. We both that you're better than this. Please fight the suit and separate and get it off before it makes you do something that you're going to regret!"
For a moment, the Scarlet Spider seemed almost touched by the words of both Spidey and Gwen. Still, the symbiote's influence is too strong, and the suit itself seemed to remind of the right that all three of them were at Gwen's house, and he eves dropped on the two of them discussing how they were going to end things with both him and Liz Allen so that they can be together, and as a result, becomes angry once more and his muscles to bulge a little. "Yeah…like I'm going listen to two people who tried to stab me in the back!" he saw that this response surprised both Spidey and Gwen. "Yeah, I know! I'm not some dumb little kid, so don't treat me like one! Because if you think that I'm going to fall for whatever lies you can cook up, both of you are dead wrong!"
Back in New York, the events in Shinjuku are being seen by the people of the Garden.
Especially the Iron Patriot, who looks on in great disappointment at his son for his failure to control the symbiote, as well as lose the match. "Such a waste," said the Patriot shaking his head, then secretly presses a button on his right gauntlet.
This, in turn, caused the com-link in the Scarlet Spider's ear to admit a high-pitched buzzing noise that caused the young Thunderbolt to scream in pain, but also caused the symbiote to separate from its young host's body, turning the once unstable Scarlet Spider back into the young and fragile Harry Osborn once more, who at this time was wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. jumpsuit underneath.
Naturally, this dumbfounded Spidey and Gwen, though were both glad to see Harry free from the symbiote, they were still concerned that Harry was still in so much agony and confused as to what was causing it.
As for Harry himself, he manages to pull the com-link out of his ear, all the while walking away from the symbiote and staggering aimlessly towards the ledge while holding his head pain until he unknowingly steps over the ledge and falls of the roof.
A sight that horrified both Spidey and Gwen. "HARRY!" they screamed in unison, until it was Spidey who acts by running to the ledge, points both of his hands down at and shoots two web-lines, successfully catching Harry's feet. After saving his friend from falling to his death, the Web-Slinger proceeded to pull him up.
Gwen, just as eager to help, runs over to Spidey just as he almost pulled Harry to the roof and grabs her boyfriend's left leg, while the Web-Head grabbed his right. Both teens then worked together in pulling Harry back to the roof floor, with being the one to hold him gently.
As Spidey stood up and looked down at the fallen, Harry, he couldn't help but feel great sadness overcome him on how his friend was used by his own father to try and stop him, and what was worse, involved the girl that they both loved. However, the Web-Head's sadness is short-lived for though the corner of his right eye, he sees the symbiote trying to slither away. This prompts the Web-Head to look around the roof and try to find what he could use to catch the oily parasite, and miraculously finds a blanket that had been used to house the tools of one of the workers that set up the teleportation pad hours before and was left behind.
Nevertheless, the Web-Slinger found this useful and points his right hand at it, shoots a web-line that sticks to the blanket on contact, pulls it towards him, and catches it with his left hand. Moments later, the Web-Head briefly turns to Gwen, who is still holding a semi-conscious Harry. "Wait here," he told her urgently, then got up and leaped after the symbiote, which was just about to escape by slipping into the building's air vent. Once he landed, the Web-Head quickly scoops the symbiote into the blanket, then wraps it around the oily being, making it into a make-shift bag. And just to make sure it didn't escape, he uses his left hand to shoot webbing around the top, sealing the bag and trapping the symbiote inside. "No way you're getting off that easy!" Spidey thought angrily after catching the oily being that bonded and nearly destroyed his best friend, then runs back over to Gwen and Harry, and upon arrival, throws the bag forcefully to the roof floor.
Harry, still in a daze after what just happened, looks up at both Gwen and Spidey, completely confused. "You…saved me? Why?
Spidey gently knelt down next to his fallen friend, with his mask hiding the tears in his eyes. "Because we're your friends, Harry. And that's what friends do!"
Harry appeared to be stunned by all of this, and with wide-open eyes, seemed like he was about to say something. "I…" before he could get another word out, his eyes soon flutter, and moments later, he soon passes out.
Seeing Harry faint greatly worried Gwen. "Harry?" she asked as she gently shook him to wake him up, but gets no response. "Harry?!"
Spidey was just as scared in seeing Harry pass out, but before he could act, the Ref Bot finally shows itself by hovering in, with the announcer's face in full view and also looking worried. "Is anyone hurt?"
The Web-Head does not answer the announcer, for he was far too focused on helping Harry, as he soon picks him up out of Gwen's arms and hoists him over his right shoulder. After he uses his left hand to shoot a web-line at the symbiote bag, pulls it, and catches it with the same hand, the clearly unhappy Spidey looks straight up at the announcer on screen. "Just get us back to New York, and some medics ready!"
WINNER: SPIDER-MAN