"You understand what you're asking for?..."
"I'm asking the two get the best of this exam-"
"You're asking me to kill them!" All Might yelled out, slamming his fist down onto the wood desk. Though his skeleton frame wasn't nearly enough to make it falter an inch. And it wasn't at all threatening to the Sorcerer.
"See that? You're underestimating both of them just by saying that." Quentin spoke softly, adjusting the tie of his black business suit. "I see both of them, doing incredible things for this world...In Japan, the States, Europe...All of which they can't do without a bit more tough love, and the only way they do any of it is here. Where you show less restraint."
Toshinori simply stared at the hazel haired wizard as he sat down in the seat across from his desk. But soon he averted his gaze, interlocking his fingers.
"I could give examples too, if you want. Reasons why fifteen percent won't cut it." Beck continued, tilting his head some. 'You're supposed to put your students through the wringer, so to put it. Right?"
"Yes, bu-"
"Then what's the problem?" The American raised a brow, leaning back in his seat. His tone was nothing but blunt.
"If I recall one of them crashed onto your front door like a bullet, and lived. The other has had several of her body parts, including her neck on multiple occasions snapped and destroyed, and she gets right back up to fight. Neither of them know when to quit and if someone doesn't set them straight about their methods, they will pay."
"Mr. Beck, you're asking me-"
"To make sure they don't pay." Quentin leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together as he gave a reassuring smile.
"If you're that poignant about it, One For All at forty percent should be enough."
Immediately the scrawny Pro's eyes widened. Of course, All Might's Quirk was a secret, one most took to their graves. So how did this man he never met before today know about it?
"You're wondering about how I know about that, or how you gave that to one of your students, but I think we should focus on the exams." Quentin grew a soft grin as he spoke.
"You wouldn't take it easy on Midoriya and Bakugo. I'm simply asking you to show a higher courtesy to more...experienced heroes-in-training."
These thoughts, that recent memory flowed through his mind, as he stood tall in the awake of the destruction laid by his hand. Wiping the blood that dripped from his lips as he grinned softly.
His prey had escaped his grasp, scurrying underground into the sewer systems down below. Eith their speed they could cover a significant amount of distance. And he could feel his muscle form begin to waiver. He was getting weaker, and if he wanted to maintain his power for the time being, it was best he'd get back to his post.
He cursed himself as he balled his hand into a fist. He was getting weaker by the day. And he was certain his students could see it. Which only held the next question: What could they do now?
"Okay...Okay, god this sucks-hngh!..." Gwen hissed as the two March on along the cement platform, both seeming weathered.
"It sucks for you? At least you heal super fast...I can't feel my face...Or anything, really..." Peter retorted with a huff. Ironically he was the one pulling his alternate counterpart ahead, as she stumbled to find her footing.
"Yeah, but then again you're not all that frail either...Took worse than me..." The blonde shrugged softly, looking up at the masked young man as he carried her with an arm around her waist. "Aside from the...Broken spine..."
"Yeah, that's healed up, right?"
"Yeah, sure. If we don't count the millions of nerves that have to reconstruct themselves and then reattach to the original ends, not to mention the spinal column-"
"So that's a no?" He questioned dryly
"Nah, it's pretty much...there..." Gwen looked back down as the two walked, just barely tripping over herself. "It's actually walking again that's the hard part..."
"You say that like you have experience..." Peter raised a brow, looking down at the young woman while she groaned, adjusting herself so she was more secure in his arm.
"More than I think I wanna admit...At this point it can be counted as abuse!...If I didn't break something of theirs in return..." She let out a soft chuckle, before immediately wincing and putting a hand on her abdomen. "Okay! Hurts to laugh!..."
"You get used to that..."
"You say that like you have experience..." Gwen quipped dryly, laughing quietly before she hissed from the lingering pain.
"Yeah...A little."
After another moment the two arachnids stopped, with Peter setting Gwen sown against the concrete wall to sit.
"Okay...What now?..." She groaned softly as she leaned against the wall.
Peter crouched in front of her, placing his hand on his chin.
"Head-on confrontation's out the question..." He mumbled softly, tapping his chin as he looked down. "If he catches us he'll slam us back into the concrete..."
"And we can't focus on finding the hostage, the guy's like a predator from...that one movie."
"Huh? You mean 'Predator'?" The masked young man raised a brow. And then his eyes widened, and his fingers snapped.
Gwen huffed softly meanwhile, leaning her head back as her eyes narrowed. "Is every Peter Parker a movie nerd?"
"What if we split up?"
"Heh?" Gwen immediately lowered her head, raising a brow in confusion. "Why would we do that again? Didn't we get our absolute ass handed to us together?"
"Yeah, together." Peter started, looking down to the satchel, which miraculously hadn't been ripped or blown to all hell.
"I don't follow." She deadpanned as her partner reached out to the bag, grabbing it.
"It's so simple! As long as we're together we won't get anywhere. But, he can't get us both if we're in two different places."
"Oh! So only one of us gets our skull bashed."
"Not necessarily." Peter countered, opening the satchel and reaching into it, rummaging through. He then looked up to her. "I...Yeah, I have a...A Sixth Sense? I can sense danger, like a-"
"You mean Spider-Sense."
Immediately Peter stopped, both in confusion and disbelief. Considering he never heard anyone call it that. Moreover, he didn't know anyone knew about it.
"That's what Mina calls it." Gwen continued, shrugging softly. "From one the comics, she says."
"...Huh..." The red and blue spider turned away a moment to process the information as he mumbled to himself. "I've gotta read those things..."
"Anyway, it wasn't working earlier. It was going into overdrive, I could barely see him coming."
"This does not invoke confidence." Gwen deadpanned once more while her partner his hand from the satchel, looking over the contents in hand. A metallic red ball with a single round button in the middle.
"When I hit him last time, everything felt clearer. I could actually think." As Peter explained he reached back into the bag, before pulling out a piece of paper. "Gwen, the power he has is temporary, like Superhuman Steroids. He's running out, and that means he's getting weaker."
"Okay...Still doesn't fill me with confidence..." The blonde let out a sigh, whining softly while feeling the rest of her discombobulated spine pull itself together. "You have an injury, don't you? Can you even take a super-roided jock?..."
"I healed." The masked young man shrugged, looking down at the paper in hand. "Besides, we both have brawns, we just need to figure out which one has the-...Oh boy."
To that the hooded spider tilted her head, a single eye narrowing in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Peter simply faceplamed, shaking his head as he set the paper down. "Oh Mei..."
"Wait hold on, Peter?" Gwen persisted, even as the red and blue spider stood up, quick to catch his balance after stumbling a bit. "Okay, so one of us goes off to distract All Might. The only way we win's by finding the hostage, and we have no idea where they are!"
"Then we check the Cell Tower."
"The what?" Gwen questioned in confusion, soon picking herself up to get onto her feet.
"I saw it in the city, when All Might sent me flying." Was all he said, looking ahead for anything in the dark. "Can you walk now?"
"Yeah, I think..." She nodded softly, tilting her head to the side before the two heard an audible snap, followed by a grunt of relief. "So what's the plan?"
"I already said," He clarified. "We split up, one distracts him, the other finds the Hostage. The best place to check is the cell tower. If they aren't there, there should be equipment there to triangulate their position."
"As in track them down using devices in the city?" Gwen tilted her head some.
"Exactly." Peter nodded, looking over at his fellow arachnid. "We should getting moving too. Before he catches wind of it."
"Oh I have a feeling this is gonna get a lot more painful..." The white and black spider mumbled. "Why couldn't we have gotten someone like Midnight or Potts? Be a lot less of a pain in the ass..."
"This is not okay!" Mina wailed, sprinting through the course both her and Denki were set upon for their exams, as rubber bullets were sent flying through the air.
"This is not okay at all!"
The two young heroes had a similar task to Peter and Gwen, that being that had to shut down the facility they were put in, with a mass army of drones as their opposition. Courtesy of attack drones, all under the control of the Rescue armor AI: A.D.A.M.
The same armor that couched atop the roof of the facility they had to fight their way into, perched along the ledge to observe it all. Unmoving. Not at all surprising, considering no person was driving it.
The owner of the suit was sheltered among an observation room, accompanied by the rest of her fellow teachers, excluding Toshinori, Kayami, Rogers and Aizawa. But however including the nearest of the ranks, Quentin Beck. Though the latter was found in extreme odds with her.
"What did you say to him?!" The orangette questioned, getting up from her seat and slamming down on the table below.
"I said what needed to be said." The sorcerer spoke, arms crossed as he looked up at the screens. "He needs to change their way of thinking. The best way to do that is to put them against an immovable object."
"They're children! And you told Toshinori to bury them into the pavement?!"
"Yes. I did." Was his only response, turning back towards the pseudo-mother figure of the two.
The other faculty only stayed quiet for the moment, Wanda even stepping back some. She could feel the Iron maiden's anger, growing more intense by the minute.
"What is wrong with yo-"
"Has it occurred to you that Peter holds back when fighting? He doesn't throw a punch, barely engages." Quentin interrupted, taking a step forward. "He doesn't because of one thing. He fears his own power. He's afraid he'll end up killing someone, to the point it hinders him."
To that, Pepper shook her head slowly, narrowing her eyes in the process. "That is perfectly natural, it doesn't mean you push him against a juggernaut!"
"Why is that, exactly?" The sorcerer stepped closer, letting out a soft breath. "He's faced juggernauts, if you haven't recalled. He'll do it again, sooner than later. I think it's important for both of them to prepare, now. Find ways aroundthem at the least. Unlike All Might they won't be holding back!"
Immediately Pepper silenced, her eyes slowly averting to the side. He was right. No matter what they did, neither Peter or Gwen would stand down if they can help somehow. Even more so, if the beings like the Elementals or Thanos surfaced, what would happen to them?
"It hurts me too, don't get me wrong. But this is for a reason." The emerald eyed, hazel haired man settled a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me..."
The businesswoman simply glared, slapping his arm away with a swat. "If anything else happens to them, it's on you."
To that, the sorcerer nodded softly, turning back to the screens in front of them.
The black and green semi-liquid swirled in its container for the doctor -- its creator -- to observe, mindless to its actions, much like its untouched siblings, Substance Five and Substance Six.
"Subject Four vitals at an adequate ninety beats per second. Substance graft optimizing." Ezekiel spoke lowly, typing through his keyboard as the light of the liquid filled human container illuminated his armor.
"Symbiosis Bond Synthesis...Complete." He continued coldly.
"So, what?" The voice of Toga filled the air, causing the scientist to turn his head to the blonde school girl, as she held one of the containers, full of red semi liquid crawling against the glass for her chest.
"You're just giving these things away? Isn't this process supposed to be permanent?" The Black Ant questioned, stepping to Himiko's side.
"It is Micro Electrocution Therapy." Ezekiel spoke simply, turning back to the container that held his silver Symbiote, coating a massive muscular mass as its consciousness faded in and out of reality. "To ensure the Substance does not reject the Subject, and in turn kill them through incompatibility."
Hearing that Toga's eyes immediately widened, before narrowing as she stepped forward. "What?! What do you mean kill them?! I've had this blob in me and I didn't get any of your shock therapy!"
"Because you didn't need it." Was Stane's only retort, stepping back from the lit tube in front of them all. "Your mental patterns were perfect for Substance two. Therefore there was no need to interfere in Symbiosis, except to prevent hostile takeover of your mind."
"WHAT?!"
"The fuck is wrong with you?" O'Grady spoke out, stepping forward in front of the blonde. His usually calm and low voice full of aggression, for good reason. "She's a kid, and you just gave her some odd fucking blob that turns her into a mass murderer. And now you're saying that it can kill her and take over her mind?!"
"I'm saying she's perfect for the Symbiosis, and is only at risk where her mental state is concerned. As if her mind isn't already drastically impaired."
"That doesn't mean anything!" The Quirkless thief growled lowly, clenching his fist as he stared down the mad doctor's backside. "She's a fucking kid! Don't you have morals about this shit?! You tormented an agent of Shield, and you're using some guy as a battery. And you knew this whole time there was also a chance one of our guys can go insane?!"
The warehouse soon fell into silence as the Black Ant vented. Twice had halted in his part working on his project above on the catwalk. Himiko was shocked; It was the first in a long time that anyone had stood to defend her wellbeing, even with knowledge of what she had done.
Ezekiel only narrowed his lenses. Insubordination was all he heard.
"No wonder Stark killed your pops. Guessing he was a lot worse..." He continued. The final straw that broke the camel's back.
Immediately the armored scientist spun around, outstretching his arm out as strings of orange electricity surged along his fingers. He would've been quick to take a possibly problematic variable out of the equation, but he was immediately halted by a familiar voice.
"Now Now, Mr. Stane. Don't invalidate your words thinking so irrationally." A voice echoed, with a nonetheless calm voice, despite his predicament.
Tubes running through his neck and cheeks, hooked up to the machine that kept him breathing after all these years. His face held no details, not even eyes, only a nose and mouth, which grinned endlessly. As if nothing had happened to him, and he was right where he wanted to be.
Slowly the scientist lowered his arm, but didn't dare break eye contact with O'Grady.
"He shows insolence." Ezekiel declared, cold as ever. "Insolence must be met with repercussions. It is only logical to keep the other soldiers in line."
"But I told you already, Eric O'Grady, much like you, serve a purpose. If you want to return home, that is."
"Unlikely." Stane retorted. "Aside from rudimentary mechanical and computer engineering he is little more to me than an extra minute to work among other items."
"Ah, but he is nonetheless important." The voice spoke calmly. "Don't go and stoop down to Tomura's level. It is unbecoming of you."
To that, the android of a man growled lowly, turning to the source of the voice, which lied beyond his experiments.
"Or have you killed more underlings for less?"
"It isn't wise to patronize me, All For One. After all, I am the one with the highest intellect on your side, no?" Ezekiel questioned, his tone remaining low and calculated. "After all, I'm the one implementing the improvements to your artificial humanoids. Truly the only thing missing between the two are the abilities that you are to give them."
"And I appreciate your efforts, Ezekiel. Really, I do. But, you do wish to go home, no? You never to slow down, wait. Be patient."
"I am not your lackey." Ezekiel raised his hand to point at the source of the voice.
"No, of course not." All For One agreed. "Moreso business partners. And we won't get our returns fighting among ourselves."
With that, the doctor gave a low growl, looking back to his underlings O'Grady and Toga. "Put the Symbiote back, and get to work, Mr. O'Grady."
The thief only gave a glare to his supposed superior's condescending gaze, before stepping to the side and walking off towards the stairs that lead to the catwalk. Leaving the school girl alone in the android's gaze.
"The Symbiote." Stane persisted, while Toga glared right back. "Put it back."
Their stare down only lasted a moment, before the messy-bun blonde let out a huff. "If it gets me one step closer to what I want..." She groaned, turning to the wall of canister pods, four empty, before sliding her own canister into one of them.
Though the contents inside was displeased, pressing its mass against the bottom right in the direction of its host, it was quick to calm seeing her near unhinged grin.
"Don't worry, it won't be long~ Until we're right back together~" Toga cooed shamelessly, inching closer to kiss the glass.
Seeing it all from above, the villain Twice couldn't help but shiver in discomfort of her liking to the monster, but also shuddered, with his split mind actually finding it attractive. Proof he needed a therapist.
True to its purpose of simulation, Course Delta truly was like a city. Built with an actual sewer system under the streets and buildings. Of course, Gwen was more adept to the routes, being that without much of the lights she could still see just as clearly, as opposed to the Stark Suit's now foggy Night vision.
It took a while, but the two finally made it to their destination, as proposed by a manhole cover in the middle of the street being sent flying by Peter's fist, right before leaping out and onto his feet and hand, taking a quick glance around.
His Sixth Sense, err, Spider Sense, wasn't getting set off, meaning there was no danger close by.
"Coast is clear..." Peter spoke lowly, as his partner leaped out from the manhole after him, landing in a crouched posture much like him. Their sights both set on the massive skyscraper in front of them. The cell tower.
"You think you can handle Goldie Locks?" Gwen questioned, standing up straight as she began to walk, turning in the process to look at her partner.
"Yeah, of course...I'm feeling my face again..."
"Doesn't answer the question-"
"Yes, go already!" Peter persisted, jumping some on his two feet to find feeling in everything else. It actually confused him just how numb his lower body felt, despite what he was doing. He could easily chalk it up to the dangerous amount of adrenaline. "He can only smash my face in so much before he gets bored."
"Don't joke about that!" Gwen scowled behind her mask. She always hated Peter's quips about harm to himself, and even now, with a guy she didn't really know, she felt the exact same way.
But she understood why he joked about that type of thing. She did too when she was afraid.
"C'mon, I'll be fine. I took worse, trust me..." The masked young man gave two thumbs up.
"Right..." Gwen nodded softly, raising an arm towards the skyscraper before flicking her wrist back shooting out a silk line of webbing. "Try to avoid the brain damage if you can?"
"Can't be worse than any of your concussions." He quipped cheekily
"Only if you took a grenade to the face..." The white and black spider gave her partner a small wave, before leaping up and pulling herself up with her webline onto the side of the building, and then sprinting her way up the building.
Now he was on his own, left to fight the proclaimed Pillar of Hero Society. Even as the villain, and even seemingly weaker than their first encounter, as he saw himself he was greatly outmatched.
Reaching for the satchel he wore, he unzipped it and reached his hand inside, before pulling out one of the items inside; a type of pipebomb, supposedly full of the webfluid compound such as the ones in his webshooters.
The only problem of course being, he never actually shared the ingredients of the compound. And even then Mei was a terrible chemist.
"Lets see how effective these things are..." He mumbled to himself, before raising his free arm and shooting out his own webline from his wrist bands.
But before he could move himself to higher ground, the hairs on the back of his neck raised, and his eyes grew wide.
Without a second's hesitation the masked young man leaped up into the air, just as the muscular giant would have blown right through him with a mighty punch that whiplashed the air itself.
He stretched out his arm and shooting a webline, which found its mark on the side of a skyscraper's lower wall. And with that pulled himself up to an elevated level, landing on the surface and sticking to it.
He was right. All Might was slowing down.
"Heh. What's wrong, old man?! Getting tired already?!" Peter called out from above, the eyes of his mask forming a raised brow expression. "Or is it you can't keep up? Either one works!"
"Don't get cocky now, young Parker!" All Might smirked, lifting a hand to pound towards the young man. "You have potential, but it doesn't matter without experience!"
With that the masked young man narrowed his eyes. "Then take me to school."
Just then his lingering tingle spiked in full alarm. There was no time to think, only move.
Just as All Might launched himself straight for him, Peter let all but one hand unstick from the wall he perched on, using his feet to propel and swing his body higher, right before the blonde's fist made shattering impact into the building.
"You really are slowing down! Runnin' out of steam?" The webhead taunted, looking All Might in the eyes. Even with the now constant ringing in the back of his head he couldn't help but grin behind the mask. Though out of excitement or utter terror he had no idea.
"See if you can keep up, Old Man!" He spoke as he leaped off from the side of the building, over the pro while he reeled his arm back and out of the hole in the wall. And while the arachnid fell head first to earth he shot out a webline, using his newfound inertia to swing off.
However he wouldn't get so far.
Reaching the end of his pendulum swing the spider released his grip on the silk string, sending him flying through the air. But hust then, another spike in the shivers down his spine.
Before he knew it the giant was on top of him, his arm reeled back and ready for a punch. There was no time to think, just move.
Peter extended one of his arms and in the same breath shot out a webline from his webshooters, pulling on it just as it found its mark on the roof of a building. Only inches from All Might's deadly strike.
Finding his footing as he landed he didn't miss a beat, going into a full on sprint across the rooftop of the commerical building, while the tingle down his spine spiked once more.
In midair the Pro Hero threw himself into a spin, moving like a human-sized top at drastically increasing speeds, before releasing all that pent up kinetic energy, throwing a single punch in the direction of his foreign student stood.
Before the wind followed suite.
The young man didn't hesitate, going straight for the ledge before leaping forward off the edge, shooting yet another webline from his wristbands to another building to the side, while the one behind him was blown through by the concentrated hurricane that was the Heroic Villain's attack. Just barely escaping the crosshairs of the attack he swung off, leaving All Might to follow.
Gwen watched from afar as her partner lured him away, halfway up the tower. The eyes of her mask narrowed.
"Oh this plan's gonna backfire..." She mumbled to herself, he tone laced with concerned for her fellow arachnid. "Don't do anything stupid..."
While the two arachnids worked on their hostage rescue strategy, their classmates watched. While most had hope they would prevail, some's optimism were faltering.
Primarily Midoriya, the sucessor of the very man they were up against. If anyone knew his limitations he would. And he knew one thing was for sure, he was still holding back.
"What are you planning, you guys?..." He mumbled to himself, furrowing his brows softly.
"C'mon, do something guys..." Kirishima grit his teeth.
There was no way the guy who put his life on the line twice already would be running, even now against a Pro. Even if he was beaten and bloodied.
"It's a viable strategy..." He heard beside him, turning his attention up to the dupli-armed Mezo Shoji as he cupped his masked chin with a hand.
"Huh? What is?" Hanta questioned with a raised brow, helmet in hand while he looked at the Mutant.
"Whaddya think, you rejects?!" Everyone nearly jumped hearing Bakugo's intense words. "The punk's using the same trick he did with Copycat Monoma!"
Hearing that Midoriya blinked softly in realization. Of course.
"So instead of trying to fight back he's waiting for him to burn his energy..." Momo spoke softly as she turned her attention back to the screens, as the red and blue spider barely missed the concentrated winds against him in midair.
"And regardless Gwen's looking for the hostage, while he leads All Might away." Todoroki finished the shared train of thought.
Cue an angry Bakugo in the background screaming "THAT'S WHAT I FUCKING SAID!" At the top of his lungs.
"You sure? Seems pretty single minded..." Jiro spoke, sat in the back with an ice pack to her formerly bleeding ear. "He might catch on."
"Yeah, he probably will..." Deku started, with a look of doubt in his eyes as he rubbed his chin. "But...I don't think that matters, as long as Gwen can get to the hostage first..."
"Dammit, why is this so high?" Gwen groaned, slapping her hand against the metal panel of the Cell tower, the highest building in the simulated city. And that was the problem.
"There's about a dozen other buildings all over the place! But no, they have my ass climbing about thirty thousand feet! Because screw me in the ass with a stick of dynamite!"
With a heavy groan she raised another hand, slapping it against a vent panel above her. Then she stuck her fingers onto it, before heaving back with a powerful yank and pulling the frame off its hinges.
"At least this isn't another Riot situation..." She mumbled while she crawled into the now open vent, making her way through slowly.
"But at least they didn't involve crawling through vents like a rat..."
Only minutes later did she find her footing, that flooding being a loose grate in her new cramped space, leading down to a vacant hallway. And using those same feet she proceeded to kick the looking vent plating in and to the floor with an ear wringing clang, before dropping down and landing on all fours.
"Alright, Mr. Hostage...Where are ya?" She mumbled to herself as she slowly stood, stepping forward one foot at a time. albeit the first step was wobbly on her part, but it wasn't something to think about now.
Walking down the hall Gwen focused her senses, unsheathing the sharp blade that was her enhanced hearing, smell and feeling, shutting her eyes in the process. Her sight wasn't needed.
Stepping to the side of the hall she raised a hand, balling it into a fist and slamming it into the wall beside her. Just enough, as the material of the wall shifted and echoed throughout the floor, like a ripple in a puddle. And she could feel it all, like a bat in the deep crevice of a cave.
It didn't take long until she found what she was looking for, someone she was looking for. The vibrations were off, somehow. Right under her.
"Huh...That was easier than I thought." She mumbled to herself, stepping away from the wall as she looked down to the floor. Then shrugged, tilting her head and cracking her neck. "Welp, down we go!"
It didn't even take a minute for the female arachnid to break through the floor beneath her, as fell through and into the room below to land on all fours.
Her sight was illuminated by the lights of the television screens mounted to the walls, all displaying the different posts of the city.
And with those lights she could see her objective clearly. Sitting there spooked in a rotating chair beside a desk with wide eyes through her glasses. Indeed an appropriate response considering there was a door right behind her she was supposed to go through.
Yes, her. The motherly, yet flirtatious R-Rated hero in her early thirties! Midnight! Or more accurately the civilian Nemuri Kayami!
"Midnight...Of course..." Gwen narrowed eyes, which translated through her mask. "You're the hostage?"
"Yes...Why yes I am." The flirtatious Hero attempted to calm herself, adjusting her glasses as she stood from her chair, hands on her hips. "I'm quite impressed you figured out my location so quickly! Though I wouldn't put it past you or Peter. Two smart cookies, I'd say!"
"Smart?" Gwen questioned, tilting her head to the side. "Don't tell me there was some deep meaning to you being in the tallest skyscraper..." She grumbled lowly.
Hearing that the older woman's smile fell, blinking softly as she stared at her student a moment, more surprised than anything.
"Well...There was an entendre behind it...But it doesn't matter how you figured it out," Nemuri declared, raising a hand and setting it on her savior's shoulder, not so much to her indifference. "All that matters is you found me!"
"Great! So...We win then?" The masked blonde questioned in hopes of agreement. "Please tell me we win."
All she got was a wag of her finger while she shook her head.
"Nope! You gotta get me to the finish line first, dear." Kayami clarified, giving a warm smile as she spoke. Much to Gwen's dismay.
"Great...Great..." She looked away a moment, crossing her arms as the eyes of her mask squinted in annoyance. "Oh I'm betting Peter's better at this than me..." She mumbled under her breath. Then after she turned to the pro-civilian, with such sarcastic enthusiasm so thick you could put a fork through it.
"Okay! Lets get going, citizen!" She spoke triumphantly, hands on her hips like she was from a comic book. "It'll be safe! I won't let anything...This is already exhausting, c'mon lets go."
"This sucks! This sucks, this sucks this sucks!"
While his partner took the easiest objective within this situation the two found themselves in, Peter was on the other end of that spectrum. Which was only partially solved simply by running away.
"Don't think, just move..." He mumbled to himself, landing on the side of a building with all fours, latching to the surface. "Don't think, just-" He felt the spiking tingle at the back of his neck. The eyes of his mask widening he leaped forwards, extending his arm to shoot out a webline as he just narrowly escaped the crosshairs of the concentrated cyclone of a man, which easily blew through the structure behind him.
"We can always take a break!" Peter called out as he swung into the air, letting go of the webline and letting himself shoot into the air in a soft flailing motion. "It's alright to get tired out at your age! I won't hold it agai-"
Once again his buzzing and overworking Sixth Sense shot into overdrive, more than the last strikes he dodged by the skin of his teeth.
He could just barely register the near hulk sized blur shooting through the collapsing structure.
And then appearing right on top of him.
His eyes widening he swung his head back to look up, only to be met with a massive fist to the side of his face, sending him flying back down to Earth like a bullet into the tarmac, breaking the ground below and destroying the street beneath them, picking up debris dust all around the newly formed crater.
A good few yards away All Might landed on tarmac. His overzealous grin having left his face. And for good reason. For the majority of the match up he was careful to hold back with his Quirk, only giving twenty five percent, enough to give the two a challenge and maintain his transformation. But he noticed something, if anything Peter was stalling. And with his partner out of sight, it was easy to figure out what they were trying to do.
"There's no point in running, Young Parker! There's no running out the clock like you did for Monoma!" The Pro called out, stepping forward towards the crater. "You can't wait for the villain tire himself out! How many people would have to die before you took one down with this single-minded tactic?!"
While the giant stepped closer, behind the smoke the masked young man stumbled onto his feet, the eyes of his mask narrowing as he winced heavily, putting a hand to his cheek.
"That's a thick second wind..." He groaned softly, before turning his attention to the blonde Pro.
"Do you think this is a joke, Hero?!" He suddenly heard, as from afar the Pro Hero widened his stance, reeling his arms back. "You don't realize? Right now you're fighting to live!"
With that he leaned forward, putting all his weight into his attack and slamming his hands together, while letting out a gut scream.
"IDAHO! SMASH!"
As if on cue the wind in front of the behemoth warped and combusted onto itself, sending out a whirlwind directly towards the masked young man.
The overwhelming presence broke windows all the way down ten city blocks, ripping through the very ground in front of him and sending the stationed cars and the like flying aimlessly.
Including Peter, who attempted to make a run for one of the alleyways to his side, only to be blindsided by an SUV slamming into him.
Everything in his path was blown back by his power, at least the use of thirty percent in the attack, which only succeeded in picking up a larger smokescreen from the fall out.
And once the dust settled, and everything was settled, nearly nothing stood before him. Just a pile of rubble and collateral damage from afar.
"Hmm? I suppose I overdid that one, didn't I?" All Might spoke to seemingly no one, still with his triumphant and heroic tongue as he began to walk forward towards the remains.
And that imminent danger was exactly what jolted the masked student back from the depths of unconsciousness, his eyes shooting open to be met with the debris that came along with him.
His initial intent to get onto his feet was for not, with the weight of an entire SUV pinning him down.
"Oh c'mon..." He groaned, more in annoyance than the pain of the added pressure of a near two ton metal object pinning him. "Why does this happen to me?..."
"All of this can end if you forfeit, Young Parker!"
Peter perked up hearing that now menacing voice call his name, his eyes growing wide. Even without the ever escalating and near numbing feeling that was his Sixth Sense, he could hear the rubble crush under his feet as he came closer.
"If this is your only hope to stop a villain, there's no point in continuing this charade! In a real battle, Gwen won't be around to do what you're supposed to!" The Pro declared, as he student slammed his elbow into the side of the SUV holding him down to push it up enough for him to slide out. His mind raced to rethink his strategy. Running wouldn't work anymore, not for either of them.
"Well, Parker?! Just give up! If you believe so much in this cowardly act!" His teacher called out once more, his voice laced with venom of disappointment. A young man who showed so much promise, wasting it. And he knew the reason. And because of that he hoped, prayed that he could break through to him somehow.
Perhaps he did.
Out the cloud of smoke an object was thrown, the SUV sent flying through the smokescreen and straight towards the Pro, in an act that shocked All Might.
And Class 1-A.
"Holy crap!" Hanta cried out in awe, having seen the arachnid both lift the two ton metal can off of him and then pick it up with almost no trouble.
"Wait, he can do that?!" Jiro was near speechless, slap jawed. "I thought his Quirk was just to stick to things!"
"Yeah, he said that...But," Midoriya attempted to explain, cupping his chin in his hand in thought. "People have thought their Quirks were one thing when they were really another...Or he was keeping that part secret?"
"He doesn't seem like he wants to hog the spotlight..." Todoroki spoke up, though even with the reveal of his classmate's super strength to match the agility and durability, he was stoic as always.
"And it means he was holding back in the practice rounds with 1-B." Iida mumbled, adjusting his glasses softly.
"Amazing..." The successor mumbled to himself, gulping softly as he and the rest of his class watched in anticipation.
Momo was left speechless. He was strong, possibly the strongest in the class, but he never used it. Why? She didn't know, she couldn't. But it didn't matter. Not now.
"Peter..."
The blonde Pro was quick to go on an offensive defensive, reeling his arm back quickly before thrusting it forward, sending it flying back where it came like it was but a lightweight. Exactly what the hero-in-training hoped for.
Leaping through the smoke with his righy arm reeled back, wide eyed and gritting teeth behind his mask he prepared his counterattack.
Around his right arm was a gauntlet, the invention created by his host to amplify his punches by at least five times, with the possible acceptance that if he used it he'd end up breaking his arm. It was best to use it as little as possible, but now wasn't the time.
Just as the two ton metal can was about to hit, he rammed his armored fist into the object, the gauntlet compressing the kinetic force in the exchange and blowing back tenfold. Thankfully without blowing up.
Putting full force into his punch the vehicle nearly ripped apart, before the concussive force shot it right back where it was supposed to be.
Something his teacher wouldn't have, reeling his other arm for an uppercut, and swinging upwards just as the car would hit him, splitting the object completely in half with his brute force.
Exactly what Peter was hoping for.
One thing he had done this whole time wasn't just running or waiting for his opponent to ware out. He was watching his movements the whole time to get a better grasp on how he moved, how he attacked. He could only deduce it was a powerful brute strength approach, and that he was holding back. But that was enough.
He didn't have to face him head on. He just had to make him use his Quirk, which left him wide open.
Taking the opportunity the red and blue spider shot out thick webline from his unarmored left wrist, its end hitting and sticking to All Might's backhand. And landing on his feet he blew into a full-on sprint, only letting off his feet and letting himself fall on his back to slide right under the behemoth.
The Pro grew wide eyed as his arm was pulled against, combating even his strength at thirty percent. Before he knew it his arm was under him, Peter yanking on the webline as he swiftly hopped on his feet, before leaping into the air and over the massive man.
"Splitter Webs!" He called out, and with it shot out a barrage of weblines that he grasped between his fingers tight. And with them he wrapped him in his cocoon, using his inertia to swing around him and only landing on the ground to change directions.
And once it was all said and done, Peter slid to a stop in front of him, stumbling some bit but quickly catching his balance.
"Ah ha!..." Peter panted softly, before putting his hand over his side while hunching over and lowering his head. He was getting tired, the adrenaline that was pumped into him from his Sixth Sense going berserk was dying down. And thanks to that, the injuries afflicted to him were catching up.
"Crap..." he spat out, his legs beginning to buckle under him, before giving out under the pressure and letting him fall to his knees. "K-Karen-"
"I'm here! I'm doing the best I can, but the damage is extensive!" The suit AI spoke desperately "Just stay awake!"
"Right...P-Patch me to Gwen..." the young man groaned out. And with his command his HUD filled to signify the established connection in seconds.
"Pete, what's up?" Gwen's voice filled his ear. For a moment he didn't answer, trying to catch his belated breath as he leaned back and fell on his rear end.
"Peter? You there, man?" Gwen questioned, her voice laced with uncharacteristic concern.
"You...You found that hostage, right?..." He winced while he questioned, glancing up at the entrapped Pro in front of him.
"Yeah, I'm...I'm with her now."
"Great...I got Mighty Man tied up far away...Shouldn't have any trouble getting her to Evac..."
With that he heard a soft sigh of relief. "And you're alright?"
"Eh...I can feel my face..." The masked hero chuckled softly, growing a feint smile behind his mask. "I'm as fine as I can be...But please get her there, I think I'm gonna pass out..."
With that the call ended, leaving the young man alone while he struggled to stay awake.
"Hm...So your partner was after the hostage this whole time?" All Might queried, tilting his head.
"Yeah...I wasn't expecting to capture you, so...we decided to divided and conquered..." Peter huffed softly, the eyes of his mask widening in an almost relaxed expression. "Not the most heroic thing to do, leading the bad guy away...But I don't think I'm ready to go head-on again..."
He was ready to just collapse and blackout, he had already won. His stamina nearly depleted and body exhausted. The buzzing of his Sixth Sense seemingly done. The only thing that kept him conscious were All Might's words.
"As I thought. How predictable." He spoke, his now terror inducing grin growing onto his face.
Out of nowhere Peter's eyes widened, and before his eyes the thick cocoon of webbing that enveloped the Pro ripped away, as if it was paper, as he let out a gut wrenching cry.
That alone was enough to blow the injured hero-in-training back, letting him fly as All Might's simple flex broke through his prison.
Before his student could hit the ground he reached out to grab his leg, twisting his arm to hang him upside down in front of him. He was just barely conscious.
"Not a bad effort, Young Parker! But, there's so much room for improvement. I believe that."
As the blonde giant spoke he could barely hear the near inaudible mumbles he forced out.
"K-Karen...Insta-Kill...I...I need..."
"I can't do that! If we activate that function the Healing Unit won't be active! You're compromised enough!"
"B...But...I can't give up...I..." Peter attempted to reach his armored right hand to the man holding him triumphantly and defiantly. "I don't care what this is...I...refuse to sit back...and do nothing again..."
"Do you, now?" The Pro hero tilted his head. "You're exhausted, you can barely move. There's no point in figh-"
He was silenced by a shot of webbing splattering all over his face, causing the giant to groan in annoyance, using his free hand to peel it off.
"There's...always a point...Trust me..." Peter mumbled, coughing afterwards while his body soon went limp. He was entirely spent.
Still, deep down All Might couldn't help but commend him. There were few kids like him who could go against him, taking so many hits at twenty-five percent, and overpowering him somewhat at thirty. He had the potential to be a hero. But as he was now, he had a long way to go.
"Rest now, Young Parker. You fought adamantly." He spoke softly, a genius statement. Then he reeled his arm back, taking the masked hero with it, before swinging him forward and into a store building to his side, sending into a through the brick foundation, along with three more buildings right after, leaving him tumbling into the fifth vacant interior.
Nearly every student watching was wide eyed. The most notable being Yaoyorozou, who covered her mouth in utter shock and horror of just how brutally her classmate was put to rest. Possibly the strongest in the class, beaten within an inch of his life.
Pepper was devastated. Seeing him sprawled over the floor, struggling to try and move, outstretching his hand for what was now unreachable, before falling limp.
The blonde giant simply lowered his head, turning away from the direction he sent his student before stepping one foot forward. And then, in a flash he was gone, in a full on sprint to his next victim.
"G-Gwen, what's happening?!" Nemuri questioned, her voice trembling in fear. Not that her student seemed to care, she knew it was fake. But it was convincing.
"It doesn't matter if we lose. Now move it." Her voice was monotone, but it carried the exact message she wanted to convey. 'Shut up and let me do my job or I dangle you over the edge of this building'.
And being on the receiving end, Midnight immediately dropped the distressed victim response, only chuckling lowly out of nervous instinct. "Right!...I-I won't get in your way, then!...But, is Peter alright?"
"He's tired out, but he's fine." Gwen clarified as she walked down the flight of stairs of the skyscraper. As opposed to the second option that was to just jump out a window, which Nemuri deemed far too dangerous. For her, anyway.
"He even tied down Goldilocks, so that's the one and only problem out of our hair."
Hearing that a look of surprise swept the female Pro's face. "He took care of All Might?...That...That doesn't sound right..."
"I'd question what you mean by that, but I don't give a crap, so lets kee-"
Suddenly the hero-in-training halted in her tracks, leaving an unsuspecting Midnight to bump into her.
With a look of confusion she looked down at her student, tilting her head some. "What's wro-" She started, but was quickly cut off by a hand covering her mouth.
With the newfound silence the masked blonde narrowed her eyes, focusing her sense, using the floor beneath her to feel the dozens of floors below.
Something was coming. He was coming.
Without a word the arachnid reached out, wrapping her arm around her teacher and leaping down the flight of stairs in front of them, landing on her two feet and using her free arm to ram into the door beside them, leading to a new hall that was left untouched.
"You better be holding on!" She growled, going into a full sprint with Midnight wrapping her arms around her waist.
While behind her the predator came, shooting himself up the numerous flight of stairs in a single leap, only to grab the railing and swing himself into the concrete that crack and nearly gave way under the pressure as he landed feet first.
And looking back as he stood, he locked his sights on his prey.
"Dammit, Peter! You halfass!" Gwen growled while she made a sharp turn for the next corridor on her right, coming up on an office full of cubicles. Not the best place to end up, but it'd work.
She sped into the office room, ramming into the door and nearly blowing it off its hinges, before spinning around and using her foot to slam it shut. It wouldn't do much in terms of slowing the behemoth down on his own. Thankfully it seemed like the only entrance from that direction.
She set Kayami down on her feet, before jumping back and extending her arms towards the door. "Either grab something to fight back or run! I don't care which!" She declared, and before the R-Rated hero could respond she was already shooting out rope after rope of webbing from her wrists, all hitting the door and enveloping it in durable silk.
But there was no time for rest. As Gwen would say herself: "I did not get my neck broken five different ways just to lose!"
"So then what's the plan, hero?" Midnight questioned, only to get a cold glare as she narrowed her eyes.
"Quiet Ms. Safe and Slutty."
Hearing that the older woman immediately turned crimson, her eyes going wide as she set her hands on her hips sternly. Though out of embarrassment or anger was to be determined. "G-Gwendolyn Stacy! That's no way to ta-"
"We've seen the costume! Either you're a man-chaser or a virgin. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you were the latter!"
And with that Nemuri was at a loss for words, leaving her student to continue.
"Now either help me find a way out of here or you're getting tossed out the window!" She declared, pointing towards the windows that displayed the outside world.
Including the fist that broke through the glass.
In a flash Gwen found her back against and going through the wall beside her, a familiar massive hand grafting to her face and slamming her into the floor, which broke under the intense force and sent her flying through to a lower level.
"And then there was one." All Might grinned, looking down through the newly made hole in the floor of the lobby the two barged into. What he saw broke his heart, but he had to persevere.
In his view Gwen laid, on her back, one of her arms rendered useless from the crushed bones inside. Her leg fractured just the same.
She struggled to get back to her feet, pushing herself up with her one good arm, only to fall back on her side. Her breath heavy and littered with groans of agony she attempted to hide, she looked up at the perpetrator as he took his leap, landing only a few feet in front of her.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me..." She groaned while she stared up, only to be grabbed by her hood and lifted into the air to look her predator in the eye.
"Stubborn to the end, aren't you?" He asked, reaching to her mask and slowly pulling it off to reveal her beaten face, blood smeared over the side of her face as gritted her teeth.
"Go screw yourself..." She spat out, alonf with actual blood as she spat into his face, marking his cheeks with her red fluids. A last act of defiance. "Goldilocks...Take that to your overzealous fucking grin..."
It was nothing to him, but still seeing that fire in her was more than welcome. It was enough to make him chuckle even as he used his free hand to wipe her blood from his cheek. "Stubborn indeed. I see why they chose Bakugo to host you."
"Really?...I don't see the resemblance abound me and Ticky Time Bomb Boy..." The blonde young woman let out a small chuckle, only to wince not long after. "Or...Are you saying we're both thick headed?..."
"Yes, something like that, I suppose."
From atop the civilian Hero ran through the destroyed wall into the lobby, stopping herself just short of falling into the hole in the floor. And with that perch point she could see clearly the near barbaric scene before her.
All Might let go of Gwen's hood. A breath of relief th should've been. But it was swiftly undercut by the giant hand grabbing her by the face, wrapping around her head.
And beginning to squeeze.
Gwen's eyes widened, and her facade of strength fell apart as she parted her lips. The only thing that left her was a blood curdling scream of utter agony. Her body began squirm and flail, kicking her one good leg and working through the pain to try and break free. But to no avail.
The idle students of 1-A watched on in terror. Not only was Peter beaten and thrown within an inch of his life, Gwen, with her enhanced healing factor was subjected to the torture of slowly having her skull caved in.
"Your teacher told me the feats of your Quirk." All Might declared over his student's screams. He took no joy in it. "You can regenerate on the cellular level as long as there's enough of those cells. Which includes brain cells. I can pop your head like a balloon and you'd grow it back."
Soon his grip tightened once more, and as it did her screams only grew higher.
"Forfeit the test, Miss Stacy!" He all but demanded, lifting her further up into the air. "Forfeit so this all can end!" He pleaded.
But to no avail. Even as she screamed at the top of lungs and flailed around, grabbing All Might's massive wrists with her dwarfed hands, she wouldn't break.
"Go fuck yourself with a rusty...pipe!..." She just barely spat through her gritted teeth, digging her nails into his arm even through the fabric.
Despite the seemingly impenetrable exterior he wore, his heart broke with every passing moment.
"It's over, Stacy. You've lost. Your partner has fallen, and we both know you aren't as strong!"
"Doesn't fucking matter!...You son of a bitch!..." Gwen spoke through clenched teeth and heavy breaths, slowly overcoming the pain of having her head squashed. "I'm not scared! Not of you...or anyone like this!...So shut the fuck up and do what you're gonna do!...Cuz otherwise I'm gonna kick your ass for kicking Peter's!"
It was no use. She was far too stubborn to quit. The best thing to do was end it quickly.
"Very well..." All Might spoke solemnly, staring her in the eye, while his grip tightened, and her screams grew once more.
However before he could finish the job, he was taken off guard by the hostage he was meant to overpower.
Throughout the altercation between teacher and student, Nemuri jumped down the hole in the floor and silently came up behind the behemoth. All while her Quirk worked up her pheromones under her clothes.
As a teacher shouldn't stand by and watch her student be tortured without doing anything. And knowing just how powerful All Might was and how little he seemed to hold back, it was only fair.
Without much thought to the strategy the civilian ran forward towards a giant, letting out a battle cry before leaping at him, much to his surprise as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"W-What the-?!" He groaned out, before her forearm attempted to cover his mouth, her pheromones seething out the sleeve for him to breath in. Though it wouldn't knock him out, it was enough to leave him dazed.
Feeling his grip loosen the female spider was quick to push away with all her might, eventually falling to the floor and landing on all fours with a pained groan, a result of one of her legs not yet fully healed. But it was healed enough.
"Alright, time to go!" She spoke hastily, shooting out two weblines from both her wrists to hit All Might's ankles as she darted under him and between his legs.
Sliding to a stop and grabbing both weblines with one hand she shot another, hitting Nemuri's back and reeling back, sending the R-Rated hero flying back to her, landing in her arms to both their surprise.
There was no time to think about it however. "And now we run!" Were her words, turning and leaping into the air, all the way to the level above. And once she landed she bursted into a full-on sprint through the giant Pro sized wall, directly for the windows, much to her teacher's dismay.
"Wait a minute hold on!-" Nemuri stuttered to speak, wide eyed and flailing, just like a normal civilian would. Unfortunately Gwen wouldn't hear it.
"Yeah! Hold on, lady!" She yelled back, going full speed ahead with no sign of stopping. Especially once the floor under them began to buckle and shift.
Reaching the end of the office room the white and black spider leaped through the broken window, while the civilian screamed her heart out in her arms, not noticing her swing an arm out to shoot a webline. However an airborne tremor was her undoing.
Right behind her the floor gave way, breaking apart as the blonde behemoth blew through. The mere swat of his arm was enough to send the two heroines flying through the window in a wash of turbulent winds.
"Son of a bitch!" The blonde growled lowly, using her free hand and shooting out a webline under her as she flew back down to earth. And with her firm grip the silk stretched and tightened, before slinging her back upwards some, leaving her to swing away towards the edge of the city.
"Heh...Is that really how you want to play it?..." All Might growled lowly, putting his fist to his mouth while he coughed ferociously. Not just from the pheromones he was forced to breathe in.
When he looked down at his hand, what he saw hadn't surprised him. It was blood, a clear sign his time in this form was almost over. He had to end this now.
"Fuck me!" Gwen groaned passionately, more out of annoyance than anything else, holding the civilian in one arm tight while the two swung. "Who the hell thought it was a good idea to pair us with the counterfeit Captain-Hulk!"
"G-Gwen, dear I'm sure we're safe from All Might at this range! You can land now!" Was all she heard from the raven haired woman in her grasp, shutting her eyes tight while unintentionally squirming. "Or at least swing lower!?"
"That didn't at all answer my question."
However she wasn't one to deny the request. Not when she was so close. Letting her grip loose from her last webline she fell down to earth, veering to one of the lower buildings under her and landing on the roof. Not with any help from Nemuri, who was rambling and praying for dear life on the way down.
Landing on her feet and crouching down and letting the teacher fall from her arm with a groan.
"Okay! Okay, back on solid ground!...Or, roof..." Nemuri sighed, sitting up on her knees and lifting her hand to run through her hair, which had become a mess from the G-forces she was made to experience.
"Are you done?" Gwen spoke dryly, twisting her own head until she heard an audible crack. "I'd like to end this before I get my back smashed in again...So mind telling me how?"
"Gwen, I can't just tell you how to pass." Kayami spoke softly, standing up and setting her hands on her hips once more. "It's a point for a hero to always find their own way to victory-"
"Shut it with the pompous lecture. I get it!" The unmasked blonde groaned heavily while taking a stumbling step forward to her teacher. "All I'm asking for is clarification, so we can end this so I don't have to deal with this crap anymore!" Her tone elevated with each word, growing from monotonous to repressed and restrained aggression as she inched closer and closer, while Nemuri leaned back some, wide eyed in response. "Where. Do I. Put you?!"
"Y-You just need to get me to the edge of the city!" Midnight stuttered some, blurting her words out while pointing off into the distance, quite opposite of where they came through to the solid wall. "Then I'll be considered safe! I-It's that simple..."
"Thank you." Almost at the flip of a switch Gwen's demeanor grew stoic once more, gently patting her teacher's shoulder and pulling back to begin stretching her healing limbs. "So I can just throw you the rest of the way, then."
"A-Actually, you know you could just cuff him conversely..." Midnight gulped softly, crossing her arms under her cleavage with a nervous tone.
"Can't do that, bud." Gwen declared while crouching down to stretch her leg muscles, straightening one at a time with a hefty groan. "If you were paying attention you'd know Goldilocks balled it up into a paperweight. Meaning the only way we win is through you."
That was a surprise to be sure, for her anyway. "Wait, All Might broke the cuffs?!" Nemuri spoke out with a look of shock. "He can't do that!"
"Well he did, and I'm definitely paying for it." The hero-in-training training retorted bluntly, hopping back up into standing position. "Now lets hurry up befo-"
For a split second she froze, swinging her head back where they came, before quickly shifting her attention back to her main priority.
"Gwen? Dear, what's wr-"
Without a word Gwen darted for her teacher, wrapping her arm around her waist and leaping forward into the air, only seconds before the building below and in front of them were blown straight through by intense concentrated winds. Their predator had caught up to them.
"Jeez, this guy's like a machine!" She cursed under her breath, while the elder woman in her grasp on instinct began to squirm and yelp at the sudden movement and further elevation from the ground. "He doesn't stop...Doesn't bargain or feel pity...Oh God now I'm thinking like Peter!"
"Detroit!..." The haunting triumphant voice called out, causing the two to turn their heads to the source.
"Oh c'mon!"
"SMASH!" At his word the Pro rammed his fist forward, cutting the air with his strength and sending a cyclone of wind down below, to engulf the both of them and running them into the ground.
The crash of air on asphalt, even from afar was enough to snap Peter back to consciousness, the eyes of his mask opening dimly and weakly. Though he was quickly snapped back to his senses with the sharp pain in his ribcage. Something had to of been knocked loose in there.
Slowly he struggled to get up, stumbling once he got onto his feet and leaning against a slab of debris.
"Alright...I'm a lot more durable than I thought..." He huffed softly between breaths. "Which says a lot, considering..."
"Peter, you shouldn't be moving!" Karen's voice filled his ears, which had only now stopped ringing.
"Yeah...Figured that much..." The young man chuckled softly, only to wince with a heavy groan, gripping one of his sides as he fell on his knee.
"You took a lot of damage. You need to rest! Let the Healing Unit do its job and-"
"I can still move..." Peter choked out, planting a foot forward while lifting an arm, before shooting a webline from his webshooter, sending it out the interior he was left for dead in to splat on the wall of a building across the street. "I'm still standing. Meaning I'm not finished yet..."
The female arachnid's vision had become hazy, much like most of her senses. Being smushed between a hurricane and hard concrete as well as dragged through the street had been a major factor.
The last she knew what was happening she held Nemuri in one of her arms, but 8n a knee jerk reaction threw her aside with a webline sticking to her leg and the wall of a building an entire block back. And then hard asphalt cracking with the pressure of the blow, digging through the ground below.
Eventually she was sent flying through the air after hitting a slab of the broken away street, her body going limp as she made her way back to the ground face first and slid to a stop.
Her body was ruined. Once again she couldn't feel her legs, or any of her body aside from her neck and one arm. All she could do was dig her fingers into the tarmac in front of her with a restrained groan of pain. She barely noticed the brute step closer while she tried to somehow get up.
"I'm impressed!" All Might declared as he stared down at his student. "You and your partner. You're persistent to the very end."
The unmasked blonde looked over her shoulder to him, gritting her teeth while her breath stayed heavy. Still she was as calm as before.
"Is that so?...What, do I get a cookie?..." She winced while pushing herself onto her back to look back up at him. "Maybe a brownie?..."
"Cute." In only a few moment the behemoth of a man towered over the young girl, balling his hand into a fist. "But it's over now. Forfeit."
To that, Gwen turned her head to the side, spitting blood and spit knocked out. Along with one of her back teeth. "Why would I do that?...Sounds like quitter talk...Is that what you think of me?..."
That was far from the case. Slowly the Pro Hero reeled his arm back staring down the defenseless hero-in-training. Just a teen. Just a kid.
"I don't think that at all...You'll make a fine hero. But now it's time to rest."
It was over. She couldn't fight back. Couldn't move out the way, and her vision was beginning to blur. Still he wouldn't get the satisfaction of her giving up. All she could do was smirk with a bloody lips.
"Do your best not to hit like a girl..." Was her last remark.
And then, the unthinkable happened.
Just as the Number one would land the final blow, he was met himself with a fist to the face, strength amplified by the gauntlet around the young masked man's arm. For the first time he wasn't holding back.
Gwen's eyes widened in shock of it all. There Peter was, having leaped from a nearby building, using the momentum from his angle fall and putting his while weight into the punch. He was finally fighting back.
With the kenetic burst of the gauntlet to accompany the wild hit that sent him a few inches off his feet, All Might was blasted back, into one of the shops to the side, while his opponent was blown back upwards into a wall, which he was quit to stick to.
His breath, much like his partner's, were heavy. Seeing as it was already a challenge just staying on his feet, with his suit's Healing Unit being the only thing keeping him from collapsing.
"Gwen?!...How're you holding up?..." He asked between breaths, curling the fingers of his right hand just to make sure he could still feel it.
"Can't feel three fourths of my body!" She called back, wincing from over asserting her lungs, which had collapsed and slowly reformed. "Midnight's a block back! Go get her and get her over the wall!..."
"Wait, Miss Kayami?" The foreign hero gave a look of expression with the eyes of his mask. But it was no time to think about it, just move. Without another word he jumped off the wall he stuck to, shooting out a webline and swinging back where his classmate came.
However behind his foe still stood, leaping through the debris of the structure he was thrown through and landing onto his feet with a sliding stop.
"Heh...Finally going on the offensive!...Better late than ever..." All Might spoke through gritted teeth. Not from pain, but from strain. His powered for was slipping away. Without even using half of One For All this constant use at a higher level was taking its toll. He only had a few more minutes at best. "Lets finish this, Young Parker..."
Meanwhile down the block:
"Urgh!...C'mon, come loose..." Nemuri grumbled under her breath, tugging at the webline that left her dangling from her leg on the side of a building. But it was no use, it wouldn't budge with her only average strength. And then her hands couldn't pull away.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me..." She groaned our in frustration. And why wouldn't she? "My students were both beaten to bloody pulps, I can't do anything about it, and my hands are stuck!...I don't think this can get any worse."
"Oh, should I come back later?"
At the sound of a new voice Midnight perked up some, looking up to the ground to be met with her red and blue arachnid, having stood himself up with a noticable hunch after landing. And his voice was strained.
She knew he had been beaten and battered. Just taking twenty percent of his power must have been a challenge for Peter. And yet he was still standing.
"Peter! Er, Mister Parker!" Nemuri gasped softly in both surprise subtle joy. Though it quickly went away once she realized her current predicament, tugging her hands away from the adhesive silk only to fail miserably. "You...wouldn't mind getting me down from here, would you Spider?..."
"Yeah...Give me a minute..." He nodded, crouching down some before leaping up into the air and onto the wall with his teacher, sticking to the surface just above her. Even if he somehow slipped as he struggled to stay awake, it was quite impressive for the female Pro to watch.
"Peter, it is imperative you stop and rest!" Karen spoke in his ear, but to no avail as he turned to look down to Kayami, lifting a hand over the webline while grabbing her wrist with the other to keep her from plummeting.
"I'm fine, Karen!...I'm alright..." He huffed to himself.
"What was that?" The webslinger's eyes immediately widened hearing the hostage's voice, to which he shook his head in response.
"N-Nothing, everything's okay..." He spoke offhandedly. A worrying response from someone who was anything but. "De-Webbing Age-" He started, only for his eyes to widen. He was coming.
"Ah crap..."
"Peter?..." Kayami started with a worried gaze. Like a mother to a troubled child. "What's wrong? You can tal-"
Quick as a flash Peter let a determined cry, reeling his armored arm back as the circuitry within whirred and lit up. Before he thrusted it forward into the side of the building, immediately blowing through it.
The concussive impact resulted in a sudden gust of concentrated wind, taking the young man off guard, much like Nemuri while the two were blown back from the wall with a smokescreen of dust and debris. It was as strong as All Might's own attack, from what Peter could deduce. Certainly enough to strain his right arm. His scarred arm, the bones beginning to crack under his skin.
"Gah! Crap!..." Peter gritted his teeth behind his mask, wincing from the pain. Were Mei's adjustments knocked loose with his first go-round? Or was it something else? Was it his own strength that was a detriment to his limb?
There was no time to think about it now. He just had to move.
Reaching out with his strained arm he grabbed the now fleeting webline that blew in the wind with a near unbreakable grip he shot another silk line to the interior of the building, reeling his arm back once the other end hit. And with it he threw himself and his teacher inside. Much to All Might's own surprise while he blew straight through the cloud of debris before landing with a sliding stop.
His line of sight was cut. Everyone's line of sight was cut.
And from the refuge of the teacher's prep room, Quentin merely smirked. "There you go..."
Spinning around with a sloppy land as his back hit the wall while his feet stuck to the surface, the masked young man spread his arms to catch Midnight. And the moment she crashed into him, with a pained groan from her weight pushing into his chest, he wrapped his arm around her tight.
"O-Okay! Yeah no, that definitely hurts..." He winced to himself, groaning in utter pain. Not just from his cracked ribs. His right hand which held onto Kayami twitched, shaking while his body pumped him full of adrenaline to compensate, among other things.
"Peter?!" His teacher stared to him with nothing but worry. She could feel his shaky grip around her waist while watching him reel his head back in discomfort. "Peter, stay with me. Stay with me!..."
"Your chest...crushing my lungs..."
"Huh?" She raised a brow in confusion, before looking down. She hadn't noticed her heavy bust was pushing against his chest. Even if it wasn't her fault, seeing as her hands were still relatively stuck to her knee. "O-Oh dear, I am so sorry!"
"It's fine!..." The young man grunted softly, looking forward with his lenses narrowing. "Just keep holding on..."
With that he raised his free arm up to the ceiling, shooting out another line to splat above. It was all or nothing now.
"Heh...What's he doing now?..." All Might mumbled to himself from the street, hunched over in exasperation from the strain of using his muscle form to the extent he had. "He's beaten...Does he think he can sneak one past me?..."
No, that wasn't the point of this exam. He had always tried run, save, fight as indirectly as possible. It may work some times, but he had potential, just like his own Izuku Midoriya. He could handle a fight with twenty-five percent of All Might's power where most would fall. His strength was on par with thirty percent. But he was too scared to use it. To scared to throw a punch without reinforcement he didn't need. A mold he had to break.
"What will you do, Spider-Man?..."
A moment of silence washed over the vacant street. A moment of preparation for this final stretch. Even if it only last a few mere seconds, close to a minute, it felt like an eternity for both sides.
And then, with a concussive blow that blew the side of a building off, the silence ended.
And Flying through the dust and debris Peter was, Nemuri on his back holding on tight, to no one's dismay. He was as quick as he could be, hitting the floor of the next rooftop running at full speed. And his right arm getting worse. At this rate he had three more hits before either his arm gave way, or the gauntlet broke. He didn't know which, but it didn't matter.
"Are you alright, Miss Kayami?!" He called back while looking over his shoulder to the woman riding him.
All he got was a frantic nod, holding on tight with her arms around his neck while he held her up with his hands holding her thighs.
"Good! Just keep holding on!" Because now wasn't the time to think.
"Oh no you don't!" The Number One Pro smirked, crouching down before shooting himself into the air with a strong gust of wind that cracked the very ground he propelled himself from. "You don't get to just run away!"
Hearing him Peter only narrowed his eyes, looking ahead while his opponent reeled his arm back, before propelling himself through the air on sheer strength alone. And he saw it immediately.
He was going for a full contact hit. And he slowed down again. Was this on purpose? To see his reactions while holding a civilian? It didn't matter.
"PENNSYLVANIA! SMAAASH!"
He did the first thing to come to mind, reaching the end of the line of rooftops in front of him. But just before he reached the ledge he leaped up into the air, backflipping and just narrowly avoiding All Might's turbo charged fist.
He had to of slowed down, before he could barely keep up with his attacks! And now all of a sudden this giant was just at his level of speed? Was All Might going easy on him? No, down to the white it had to be something else. And that rung around the young American student's mind. But there was no time for such a thought, it didn't matter.
He gave them an opportunity to save this woman. He was going to take it.
His right arm reeling back once more and circuitry whirring to life in his gauntlet, balling his hand into a fist that held his grief and anger, without even thinking about it.
Even if this was just a test, even if she wasn't in real danger, he refused to do it again. Not when he could stop it!
"Not when I'm still standing!"
Looking over his shoulder the giant's eyes went wide. Hearing such raw determination in Peter's voice...So much like his own successor.
With a cry the masked hero threw his punch, landing his strike square on his opponent's cheek, enough strength to throw the unmovable wall off balance, before the concussive blast sent him flying straight into and through the ground.
And it was enough to blow both Peter and Kayami intobthe stratosphere, the concussive force throwing them both back while his right hand cracked more under the pressure.
Without thought the young arachnid shot out a webline, hitting the street below to anchor himself and his hostage, who held on for dear life. It was pretty impressive to him to say the least.
"You got a good grip?!..." He looked over his shoulder towards the older woman, not much caring for his growing injury. Perhaps it was the combined adrenaline of the fractures and his Sixth Sense on constant buzz.
"I-I'm fine, Miste-...Finish this, Spider-Man!" Nemuri nodded, growing a soft smile as the waves died down.
"That's the idea! Keep that grip!"
With that and a pull on his webline the two were pulled back down to Earth, peter shooting out another line before they hit and using the momentum to swing off.
"Gwen said we just need to get you to the wall, right?!" Peter questioned, the eyes of his mask narrowing some. "Anything else I need to know?!"
"No, you just need to get me to the wall!"
"Seems pretty!...Straight forward..."
"Peter?..." Nemuri spoke softly while looking down at the young man she held onto.
All that adrenaline was quickly dying down, being overwhelmed by his ever growing injuries. He needed to rest, but he wouldn't. Not until this was over.
And then, he broke.
The eyes of his mask widened, having just let go of his last webline to shoot out another, before he froze in seized pain. Part of his ribcage broke, with shards digging into his lung.
Unable to stop he fell to the ground, landing on his face and sliding to a literal grinding halt. Hid teacher was sent flying forward on impact, landing and tumbling just a few feet in front of him, landing on her back.
The older woman let out a pained groan, rolling on her side towards the young man who laid in the middle of the street. His breathing was heavy and singed in distress while he tried to get back up, but to no avail. His recklessness was catching up with him.
"Peter? Peter!" Midnight swiftly crawled to his side, slipping her hand under his back to flip him over, only to cease once he growled out in pain. "Peter, what's wrong?! Say something!"
"Ribs...Can't breathe!..." Was all he could choke out between pained breaths. It was over.
Hearing that Midnight put a hand over her mouth. He tried so hard to get her over the line, against what was essentially an unmovable wall. And now he was paying for trying to overcome it.
Quickly she lifted her hand to her ear, her voice panicked and shaky as she spoke. "Hello? Recovery Girl, I have a student in need of medical assistance! His...His ribs might be broken! He's started to struggle breathing..."
In fact, he had begun to gasp reactively between certain breaths, his own rib shards close to cutting through the meat it was met to protect.
Still he wouldn't stop. Still trying to get up on his feet while the eyed of his mask narrowed further, before suddenly widening.
The ground began rumble beneath the two, getting closer and closer before the blonde giant blew through the tarmac and into the air only to land a few feet in front of his student. His aura steaming like he was ready to burst into flames.
"And what do we have here?" the blonde questioned while taking a step forward, while Midnight held Peter's head and rested it in her lap, her stance shifting from the damsel in distress to the motherly to a endangered cub.
"Toshinori!" She spoke up, staring up at the Pro while undoing the top of her shirt to let her Quirk breathe. "It's over! He's had enough, he's at his limit! He needs medical attention..."
Hearing that All Might's grin soon faded. Of course. Only giving him just under half of his power was too much. Where most adversaries fell in one punch he stood right back up for more. But there was only so much a man could take.
Except he wouldn't back down. Looking down at the poor boy Nemuri watched as he lifted his armored arm forward, the components inside lighting up as he prepared to swipe away. If he was right, the motion would propel him and Kayami to the the finish line.
However before he could prove such half baked theory he felt a motherly hand over his, before his mask was pulled out and he was made to breathe in her pheromones.
"Ssh...Sleep for me, darling. It'll be alright..." She cooed softly as she stroked his cheek, his eyes beginning to flutter as he struggled to keep himself awake.
It wasn't long until he drifted off, his body going limp in her embrace while the device around his arm powered down.
The two Pros only watched their young student, one with a stoic glare hiding his regret and the other wearing her utter concern on her sleeve.
Truly he fought apparently. And truly he would never give in.
Even if he failed, within Beck's eyes, the two all but succeeded. And the two of them will.
Author's Note!
This took a lot longer than it should've and was a lot more frustrating to write, because we'recdealijg with an inexperienced versatile heavyhitter and essentially a blonde wall. That and, in the middle of writing I divided my focus on other literatures, including spin-offs and shorts related to this story! Including a movie-like short story! Probably.
Also, I want to thank everyone who's been reading this, especially from the beginning throughout the criticism and everything. I actually can't believe it's been a year since we started all of this, and I thought I'd get further by now. But I'm glad I got here. This is the biggest story I've ever made and it was just gonna be a harem love story!
And to clarify: this, nor the next chapter is the end. Because I have an arc to get through and I plan to put Midoriya and Peter through the wringer before the end of it.
So put your reviews, criticisms down. Let me know what you think. We want this thing to be as good as possible, right? I love you.
