Broken Dreams Repaired by mastergamer14
It was a clear, sunny day in Tokyo's Kiyashi Ward. One of the ward's most popular features was it shopping mall "Wookies". It was in this mall that we find the students of UA high school's Class 1-A. The students were doing a little shopping for their Summer Training Camp coming up; everyone, minus Bakugo, thought it would be a good bonding experience for the teens. Currently, Izuku Midoriya finds himself wandering by himself as he browsed the shops, mentaling listing all the things he'll need for the camp.
"Ok, so, I'll need some bug spray so I don't get any bug bites. Although, I wonder if having spider powers wards off bugs. I also might need a sleeping bag and tent; we may be going to a cabin, but there is a chance that we may spend the night outside."
As Izuku continued to think, he passed by an electronics store. Displayed at the front window was a wider screen tv which was currently showing the news.
"In other news, the citizens of Hosu City are still reeling from the villain attack a few nights ago. The damages done by the monsters known as Nomu are still being fixed and searches for missing people are still ongoing."
Izuku stopped in his tracks as he heard the news; the League of Villains unleashed more of those artificial monsters into the city, people were injured or killed, property damage was through the roof, and what's more, the League also sprung the Hero Killer Stain from prison and let him loose on the city too. If it wasn't for the actions of Izuku, Todoroki, Iida, and Iida's older brother Ingenium, Stain would've claimed the life of another hero. The Hero Killer was arrested once again and the Nomu were taken care of by the other heroes, but the damage done by the monsters will still be felt for who knows how long.
Peter was upset, of course. The fact that the group Mysterio was a part of would orchestrate such a tragedy was infuriating, but not surprising; when it came to proving himself the superior man, there was no line Quinten Beck wouldn't cross to come out on top. Peter then warned Izuku that the horrors committed by the man will only increase from this point on, unless he was stopped soon.
Izuku shook his head; as serious a threat Mysterio was, thinking about it right now would do him no good, he was supposed to be enjoying a day of hanging out with his classmates. Taking his phone out of his pocket, Izuku checked the internet.
"Parker-san was pretty upset when I last talked to him, maybe I'll get him something to cheer him up."
Izuku then checked for vintage comic bookstores. Despite how awkward it was, Peter enjoyed reading old Marvel comics. Of course, he didn't read the main canon, as he felt like it would be intruding on his friends' personal life. He found himself drawn to the Noir series.
In current times, while popular, some comics from pre-quirk era were not encouraged as they were all about vigilantes taking the law into their own hands without any official supervision, something that was frowned upon in this hero society. That made finding shops that sold them a bit hard. Looking through his phone, Izuku found a store.
"Found one, but it's not in the mall." He noticed.
After some thinking, Izuku decided to text the others that he was going to leave the mall for a bit to buy something for a friend of his. Putting away his phone, Izuku made his way towards the entrance.
"C'mon, just tell me what we're doing here."
"Hold your horses, you'll find out soon."
Clash could only sigh as Shocker once again refused to give her a straight answer. The two villains were currently in civilian clothes with their weaponized gauntlets in the backpacks they were carrying. The older bald man was leading the young redhead into an abandoned factory after telling her that she had an important job to do. Walking through the large, empty space, Clash couldn't help but notice a school bus was parked in a hole in the dilapidated building's wall; the fact that the bus didn't look old at all set off warning bells in her head. Before she could comment, Shocker spoke.
"Still been having trouble sleeping?"
The question threw Clash's mind in a loop.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She replied, her tone filled with false ignorance.
"C'mon, I'm not an idiot and neither are the others. We've heard you wake up in the middle of the night, panting and sweating. One night you even screamed. Must've been one hell of a nightmare."
Nightmare, that was an understatement. Clash hasn't had a good night's sleep for a while, not since…
She shook her head before putting on a defiant face.
"It's nothing and I don't see how that's any of your concern!" she growled.
Shocker merely rolled is eyes as he led Clash to an old office. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he turned back to his younger teammate.
"Well, I'm sure we'll be able to fix that with what we're here for." He then gestured to Clash's pack, "Take out your gauntlets, you're gonna need them."
Clash just sighed as she took of her pack. Shocker opened the door and stepped inside. Fastening her gauntlets onto her arms, Clash followed Shocker into the room
Only to completely freeze in her tracks.
The office was completely rundown and empty of any furniture or the like. But what really caught her attention was the group sitting in the middle of the room.
One was an adult man, completely scared out of his mind, hands completely bound in rope.
The rest… were children.
Twenty boys and girls, no older than six years old. Like the man, they were also scared, most of them had tears running down their faces, some clutching each other for comfort. None of them were bound, though frightened children at their age, they probably couldn't muster any courage to move.
"W-what the hell is this?" Clash stuttered, completely stunned, her eyes never leaving the frightened children. This explained the bus she saw, these were just elementary school kids.
"This, is what you might call an… "overdue" initiation." Shocker answered, finishing putting on his shock gauntlets.
"I-initiation?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Clash yelled.
"You see, lately, me and the other guys have noticed something about you. We're thinking that, maybe you're not really cut out to be one of us. That maybe your commitment is waning a bit."
"What?! I'm committed, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready to do what needs to be done." Clash argued, trying to convince Shocker.
Though, it didn't feel like he was the one she was trying to convince.
"There's commitment and then there's stupidly jumping into the deep end on a whim. People who get into our line of work because they're angry, often tend to be liabilities when they cool down and realize the gravity of the situation they've put themselves in." he explained, circling the kids and Clash slowly, brushing his hand over some of the kids' heads, causing them shrink back from his touch.
"I can't help but wonder if you're in over head and you're just now realizing it."
Clash couldn't speak, her whole body was shaking, and she felt ice cold on the inside.
"But, if you really want to continue to be a part of our group, if you really want to show your commitment, then you're gonna have to show it."
"H-how?" Clash asked.
Deep down, the redhead knew the answer. And a part of her was praying to god that she was wrong.
Shocker just chuckled before turning to the bound man.
"You, bus driver, get up." He ordered, his voice calm, but somehow also filled with malice.
The bus driver didn't say anything as he got on to his feet, having trouble because of his tied hands. Shocker looked at the scared man, before turning to Clash.
"This is how."
Time seemed to slow down for the redhead as in the span of a few seconds, Shocker, without turning his head from her, raised his hand and fired his gauntlet.
BOOOOM!
The bus driver crashed into the wall, his head smashing against it, cracking it completely open, though he was already dead when this happened, if the big hole in his chest was any indication. The children all screamed and started to cry as the body fell to the ground.
Clash could only stare wide-eyed at what just happened. Shocker lifted his hand and blew out the imaginary smoke from his gauntlet.
"If you truly want to prove your loyalty, if you really have what it takes to be one of us, then you know what you must do," the bald man then gestured to the children, "Kill the kids."
For a few seconds, Clash thought she was at the bottom of the sea; sheer cold felt throughout her body, breathing going from hard to impossible, and a ton of pressure threatening to crush her.
"Or if you're feeling a bit skittish, then just kill one, I'll handle the rest." Shocker continued, "Do this, and none of us will question your commitment again. Don't do it, then that's that, you'll be kicked out of the gang and we'll take back all the gear you were given and you'll go back to being a regular, quirkless girl. So, what will it be?"
That sentence, going back to being a regular girl, made Clash's heart pound, her arm raising itself subconsciously. Everyone saying she wasn't good enough because she had no power crushed her. When Mysterio gave her her gear, gave her power, a part of her was ecstatic, she will no longer be powerless. Her gauntlet started to hum. She could now show all those who scoffed at her dream that she can be just as powerful as someone like Endeavor. Then she'll go to the Marvel world, were people with no powers could be both hero and villain. And. And…
All she had to do to get there was kill some defenseless kids.
The kids were all crying at this point. Some were crying out for their parents, for their older siblings, for heroes to come rescue them from the scary villains. But their cries would go unanswered, for there were no heroes anywhere.
"It's never too late to do the right thing."
Fatgum's final words rung through her head. But it was too late.
Just like she told Fatgum before he died, there was no turning back.
…
…
…
Clash's gauntlet stopped humming as she powered it down. Her arm fell to her side as all her strength seemingly left her body as she fell to her knees
'God dammit!' she cried in her head.
She couldn't do it. Not this. To cross this line, even after everything she's done, she just can't—
Any further thoughts were cut off as great searing pain suddenly erupted from the side of her head.
Almost as if she was just hit with a shock gauntlet.
Clash completely crashed trough a wall and tumbled out into the factory's open space. Her head was spinning has pain coursed through her body. Hearing shifting rubble, the redhead's sight focused enough to see Shocker walk through the hole he just made with her body.
"I am very disappointed, yet, not surprised in the least." He stated calmly he made his way toward his former comrade.
"From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you wouldn't have what it takes. I told Beck that this whole bad girl rebel thing would pass, and you would end up a scared little girl that would drag us down."
Despite the pain, Clash lifted up her arms and pointed them at Shocker. Just as they started to hum, Shocker spoke.
"Memento Mori."
Clash's gauntlets stopped humming and started sparking. The redhead screamed in pain her own weapons shocked her arms. Three seconds later, they stopped. Looking to her arms, Clash saw that her gauntlets were now useless; smoke coming out from them, some part having melted, and burn marks on her arms. As panic set in, Shocker spoke to the hyperventilating girl.
"Failsafe password. You may have configured the gauntlets for your use, but they're still Mysterio's tech, and he sure as hell wouldn't give something like that to a kid without some insurance."
Clash couldn't hide her shock; Mysterio didn't trust her, to the point he would sabotage her weapons. In the back of her mind, she could hear cracking from where her heart would be.
"Don't take it personally. When villains work together, odds are one will try to screw over the other, he was just using common sense." Shocker spoke as he stopped right before the downed girl.
Clash's breath left her body as Shocker delivered a hard kick to her stomach. As she hunched over the ground, Shocker sent another kick to her head, turning her onto her back.
"Back when Nighteye and the other heroes came for us, you were shaking, and you could barely hold your lunch. I didn't nothing of it; it was your first kills, of course you weren't just gonna be fine."
Another kick went to her stomach as Clash tried curling into a ball. This didn't stop her attacker he just kept bringing his foot down on her body.
"But then we went to the USJ, and despite clear orders, you never went for the kill when facing the UA students!"
A kick found its way to Clash's face. The crack of her broken nose rang through her head as her nose gushed blood.
"Then when we sprung Stain from the joint, he took one look at you and told you straight out that you weren't villain material!"
Clash screamed as Shocker stomped on her leg, possibly breaking it.
"But what really took the cake was Hosu!"
Shocker stopped his beating to catch his breath. He saw as Clash tried to feebly get on her knees, only to fall back down, her face hitting the floor hard.
"We were assigned to keep watch and maybe finish off some heroes who somehow survived the Nomu. As I was making my way through the city, there you were, on the street, looking as if the world was ending. Not far from you, a mother and her child were running for their lives, not noticing that they just ran in front of a collapsing building. When bricks and mortar started falling on them, what did you do?"
Seeing the redhead teen flail on the ground, Shocker delivered another kick to her face, the tip of his boot finding her left eye.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Another kick to the chest and Clash felt a rib or two break. Shocker then kneeled down next to her, grabbed the back of her head, and yanked it up so she can look him in the face, something that was hard for her to do considering her left eye was now swollen shut.
"You saved them."
Shocker then slammed her face on the ground. He stood up and started pacing around her.
"You smashed the debris to dust, saving their lives. They spotted and, realizing you were the one that saved them, they thanked you. And what did you do?"
Clash coughed up blood as she tried sit up, only to fall back down.
"You smiled. For one second, you lived your childhood dream of being a hero and you enjoyed it. That was when I knew you would turn. That's when I knew you were never gonna be one of us."
Shocker then nudged his foot to Clash's side, flipping her onto her back.
"What did you want out of this little venture of ours again? To start over in Beck's world and what, be the hero you could never be here. You think that was possible after everything you've done? Did you think the people over there wouldn't figure out who you really were. You're riding with Mysterio, a well-known villain in his world, you could've never been a hero there."
Shocker watched as Clash finally sat up, her back now propped against a cement column. He could see weight of reality finally start to weigh on her.
"A new beginning, a new chance at you're childhood dream?! You're beyond stupid to believe all of Beck's bullshit! Me, I knew from the get-go who Beck really was, but he was heading for the top and I was for damned sure gonna ride his coattails so I can head for the top as well."
Shocker looked at the redhead with pity, the girl now seeming smaller than before.
"The children he's been taking, it's obvious what's gonna happen to them. He's gonna send them to his world where he'll sell them to the likes of HYDRA or A.I.M., who no doubt will either turn them into mindless killing machines or dissect them find out what made them tick. Just what the hell did you think he would do to them?!"
"When I told Beck you were going soft, he came up this little initiation to see if you were really serious. If you went through with it, then we'd know you were one of us; I mean, offing a bunch of kindergarteners without batting an eye, that's straight up evil, just what Beck was looking for. If not, then I would kill you and we would just have to find a new Clash, one who would have no problem with bloodening their hands."
Clash head was down, but her whole body was shaking, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the strength to even open her mouth.
"Your friend, Narukami, he was nothing but confident that you would pull it off. He gave one big smile and, with absolute certainty, believed you would kill twenty defenseless children for the cause. That was pretty dark for the kid. When we asked him about it, do you know what he said?"
Shocker kneeled down next to Clash, bent his head to her ear and, with a smile…
"We're leaving this world behind, why the hell should we care about the damn pigs that live here."
If Clash's head was up, Shocker would've seen her eyes widen in shock. He then stood up and started to fiddle with his gauntlets.
"So, not only did you run into villainy, head-first, you also dragged your friend in as well. And unlike you, Narukami is taking to it just fine. I can't help but wonder about the body count he'll rack up when he's my age."
With his gauntlet now vibrating with power, Shocker pointed his fist at Clash.
"And now, this is where you'll die. The person you were before us, no one will remember her. As for Clash, like I said, Beck will just find someone else to wear the suit. When you die, it will be as if you never existed. Narukami will mourn you, but he'll get over it. Mysterio is gonna burn this world to the ground and he'll have you to thank for helping him."
The gauntlet glowed with power, the amount it had stored up will no doubt blow off her head.
"So, this is goodbye—" Shocker stopped speaking before shaking his head and chuckling, "Oh, I'm sorry, all this time, and I never bothered to learn your real name. Looks like you've been forgotten already."
Shocker smiled cruelly as he pulled the trigger.
Clash was completely numb to the world.
Her entire life was flashing before her eyes, both good and bad times.
'Dammit'
Shocker's words felt like they were beating on the inside of her head.
'God Dammit'
"No one will remember her."
'God Fucking Dammit'
The blindfold that she put on herself, the one made from anger and spite at the world, finally came off and the truth threw itself in her face.
"We're leaving this world behind, why the hell should we care about the damn pigs that live here."
Rei was a good kid when she met him; lonely, abused, but somehow still good. When she brought him to Mysterio, she thought she was giving a chance to prove he wasn't worthless. Now, she thinks she maybe damned him to hell.
After the hero ambush, Rei asked her to come with him to confront his father. She believed he was gonna finally stand up to that man, so she wanted to support him. Imagine her horror when Rei just walked up behind his father while he was watching tv and started bashing his head in with a hammer; Clash had to use all her strength to just pull him off his father's corpse. When they ran and made it back to the hideout, she was disturbed beyond belief to see such a happy smile on his face.
His treatment of the kids even changed. Before, he was also so nice to the kids, always making sure they had food and were comfortable, at least as comfortable as imprisoned kids could be. But as time went on, he grew colder to the kids; the time between meals increasing, barely getting enough for all of them, looking at them and scowling like they were some kind of vermin, and one time, when a five year old girl asked for some more food, Rei just backhanded her and told her to be happy to still be breathing.
The kind boy that was her friend had disappeared, and in his place was a cruel villain. And it was all her fault.
"What did you want out of this little venture of ours again? To start over in Beck's world and what, be the hero you could never be here. You think that was possible after everything you've done?"
Could she have really been a hero in the Marvel world, after all the horrible things she did in her world? No, no she couldn't.
The nightmares, the faces of Snatch, Fatgum, Nighteye, and the other heroes who died at the ambush, all the deaths she was responsible for since then, whether directly or indirectly, popping up in her mind when she slept, tortured her to no end. Some days, she would drink a whole café's worth of caffeine just to stop herself from sleeping and seeing their mangled corpses again.
The guilt would've surely followed no matter where she went. The nightmares wouldn't stop. She would never be able to put on a suit and call herself a hero, inn this or any other world, not with the sins she's committed.
"It doesn't matter what they say, I know you'll become a great hero and show them that being quirkless doesn't matter."
Dad.
The one person who was always on her side. The one person who always believed she could achieve her dream, even when the other kids, her teachers, her hero, even her own mother said it was hopeless. The one who told her she could be the world's first quirkless hero…
She took that support and stomped it into the ground when she joined Mysterio. If her father were still alive, then he would've died from a broken heart.
"My name is Mysterio… and I can take you to a world that you were meant to be born in."
She read the comics; she knew the kind of person he was. But the offer he gave her, the way he fed her anger at the world. She never stood a chance against his influence. Only at the end does she see how much of an idiot she was for believing him.
"The children he's been taking, it's obvious what's gonna happen to them."
The children…
The children…
There's no excuse. He was kidnapping children and she let it happen.
"It's never too late to do the right thing."
Fatgum's final words rung through her head once more. But it was too late. And now she was gonna die for her sins.
Clash lifted her head up to see Shocker's gauntlet radiate with power.
She was beaten, bruised, bleeding, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain going through her heart right now.
She was a villain, she did so much bad. All because her spirit broke when she spoke to Endeavor, leaving her as easy pickings for Mysterio.
She'll die in the old factory, no one will mourn her. Rei will probably be angry she didn't go through with the initiation and may as well forget her. The children in the old office will probably die at Shocker's hand and there's nothing any one can do about it.
She'll die a death she deserves. She'll never see her father in the afterlife, as he'll be in heaven and she'll burn in hell for her sins.
Looking at Shocker, Clash awaits her death. But, deep within her, one part of her cries out. It wasn't anger or courage or anything like that, it was fear, fear of dying. She knows this is her end, one that she deserves, but one small part of her, the part of her that was a coward that refused to see the truth, was now crying out that it didn't want to die. Even after all the truths she's accepted, she doesn't want to die.
Due to the rest of her having given up, the small fear inside was able to take control for just a moment. In a voice so soft even she had trouble hearing, Clash spoke.
"Someone… please help me."
Shocker smiled cruelly as he pulled the trigger.
CRASH!
Time seemed to have stopped as Clash stares in shock at what just happened.
A body fell through a hole in the ceiling and landed on Shocker, hard. The bald man's face distorted as a foot crashed into his cheek. His hand flailed about, the gauntlet launching the sonic wave it was storing at the ceiling, creating another hole as debris fell to the ground.
Time resumed as Shocker's body hit the floor hard, kicking up dust and clouding Clash's vision. She coughed as she waved her hand to clear the dust. Looking up, Clash saw a figure stand up in the dust cloud. Said cloud started clear out, finally giving the redhead a good look at her savior.
She was shocked beyond belief. It was a boy, about a year or two younger than her. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue shorts. A yellow backpack was on his back and some kind of devices were on his wrists. His back was to her, so she couldn't see his face. But she could see the bush of messy green hair.
She was just saved by Izuku Midoriya.
Again.
(Flashback)
Clash breathed heavily as she laid against rock wall. She and the other Enforcers were ordered to partake in League of Villains assault on the USJ. Another order they were given was to kill any UA students if given the chance.
That was an order that made her uncomfortable. Fighting and killing a pro-hero was one thing, but these were children; bright eyed kids who probably had the same exact dream she use to have before reality squashed it flat.
If any students attacked her, she will defend herself, maybe break a bone or two, but she's not gonna kill these kids. The others might give her grief about it, but the alternative was…
Clash shook her head as images of Snatch and Fatgum's bodies popped in her head. She had a hard enough time sleeping these days, she doesn't need these images coming during a mission.
Speaking of which, she had just escaped a brutal fight from a UA student that might as well have been a living bomb, both in quirk and personality. Honestly, it was like she was fighting a wild animal than another human being. Things got even worse when Prowler appeared, and instead of helping her, started to attack her with so much rage and fury that Clash thought the older woman would kill her. Taking the next chance to escape, Clash left the battlefield, the last thing she heard was Prowler screaming that things were now over between her, Mysterio, and Mysterio's partner.
Clash looked down at her gear; both her gauntlets and boots were damaged in the fight with explosion boy and Prowler, effectively taking her out of the fight. Even her helmet was damaged; a large crack showing her left eye and some hair. So now, she just needed to meet up with the others and call a retreat. Her thoughts were cut off as she heard a loud, inhuman roar.
If Clash could describe the League's Nomu in one word, the word would be nightmare. It still spooked her to her core that the monster the league brought was once a human being. Following orders, while otherwise completely docile and immobile. Clash just hoped this would be the only time she would ever lay eyes on—
The ground started to shake, breaking Clash out of her thoughts. Anchoring herself to the rock wall, the villainess heard the sound of rock breaking. With fear, she looked up, only to be greeted to the sight of the sheer rock wall completely crumbling, giant boulders falling off and headed straight for her.
Clash could only freeze in terror; with her gear broken, there's no way she can shatter the boulders or propel herself to safety and she could just forget about running to safety, she'll never make it. Seeing her imminent death, Clash ducked down and covered her head with her arms, a futile gesture, but there was nothing else she could do.
Thwip!
Clash felt something hit her back, before suddenly being pulled backwards off her feet. She then felt arms wrap around her as she suddenly felt like she was in a pinball machine; whatever was holding her jumped from surface to surface, dodging and weaving through the falling boulders. When all the moving stopped, Clash felt like she was gonna puke as her head swayed back and forth. When all the spinning stopped, Clash looked up at her savior.
To her surprise, the one who saved her was a UA student, maybe a year or two younger than her. He was wearing the UA gym uniform. He had bushy green hair, green eyes, and freckles on his face. Said boy looked down at her and…
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Clash could only gape as she looked up at the boy who saved her; one of the students that was supposed to be her enemy just saved her from death. What's more, there was no anger, resentment, or the like in his eyes.
Only concern and worry.
It took a second before Clash's mind caught up with the situation. With an embarrassed yell and blush, Clash slapped the boy in the face, causing him to drop her. She quickly got onto her feet and ran away. The boy could only look in surprise as he saw the villainess run away and out of site. Rubbing his throbbing cheek, the boy shook his head; no time to worry about some villain, he needed to get back to the others and find a way to take down that monster before All Might arrives, if said monster really could kill the symbol of peace. Using a device on his wrist, the boy shot out some sort of web and swung away.
Not far from where the boy was standing, Clash peeked from behind a tree. Seeing the boy had left, the villainess stepped out into the open. Confusion filled her; it was obvious she was with the force attack the facility, so why would a UA student risk his life to save hers. Shaking her head, Clash would put her mind back on meeting up with the others and leave to find them.
But the thought of the green haired boy would sit in her mind for months to come.
It would be after watching the UA Sports Festival that she would learn her savior's name: Izuku Midoriya.
(Flashback End)
Clash could only look in shock as she was once again saved by the hero in training and, if Mysterio were to be believed, Spider-Man's successor.
Said boy turned around to look at her.
"You're name is Clash, right?" he asked.
Said girl was surprised to hear that the boy remembered her, even now as she was out of costume. Before she could respond, he spoke again.
"Are you alright?"
Just like before, he asked her that question. And just like before, genuine concern was showing from his eyes.
He knew who she was, and he still saved her.
At that moment, the metaphorical flood gates opened. Her mouth twitched and her eyes started to mist up. Soon enough, all the tears she's been hiding and holding in these past few months were flowing down her face.
Seeing the crying girl before him, Izuku, true to his personality, started to panic.
"S-sorry, of course you're not okay, you're injured pretty badly!" the greenette stuttered, waving his arms around, "Don't worry, I know someone that can heal those injuries right up, we just need to—"
"RAAGGHH!"
The two quickly looked to where the source of the yell came from. Haphazardly standing up, a furious Shocker glared at the green haired boy who kicked him. His face was bruised, particularly around his left cheek.
"You! You're that spider kid that Beck wants dead. How the hell did you know we were here?!" he growled.
Izuku adopted a serious face as he completely turned toward the villain. Behind him sat Clash, who also wondered how Izuku was here.
"I was actually on my way back to meet up with some friends when a small kid came running in the middle of the street. He was crying about how he and his class were taken by a villain and he told me where was held captive." Izuku answered.
At the mention of the kid, Clash and Shocker looked towards the old office where the children were supposed to be held. Peeking through the large hole in the wall, the children quickly made themselves scarce when eyes turned to them. Doing a head count, Clash saw that one of the boys was missing. He must have escaped while Shocker was beating her.
"Dammit, I was so focused on the kid, I wasn't paying attention to the brats." Growled Shocker.
"I made sure to call the police before coming over here. I just need to keep you here until they get here." Izuku revealed, preparing himself for battle against the angry villain.
"All they're gonna find here are a pile of young corpses." The older man replied, both gauntlets humming with energy, "You know, Beck practically lost his marbles when he spotted you at the Sports Festival, almost ordered a full-scale invasion of UA just to kill you. I can only guess what kind of reward he'll give me for taking you out."
The young spider hero and the villain stared down at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Clash could only stare at the two, the air thick with tension. After what seemed like an eternity, Shocker made the first move.
The villain shot a blast at Izuku, who dodged as he shot a web at Shocker. The older man was tugged forward a bit as Izuku pulled himself to the man, delivering roundhouse kick to the face. In a split second, Shocker retaliated with a sonic punch to Izuku's stomach, sending the young boy flying away. Izuku flipped over and landed on his feet, only to leap away to dodge incoming sonic blasts.
While Shocker tried his hardest to blast Izuku to smithereens, Clash, with great difficulty, was able to stand on her feet. The pain in her leg told her that, while it wasn't broken, it at least had a fracture, which meant she shouldn't put too much pressure on it. Taking a quick look at the battle happening before her, the redhead then turned towards the office where the children were; right now, the very least she can do is get those kids to safety.
Ignoring the pain, Clash quickly limped over to the office, being sure not to get caught by a stray shot from Shocker. Heading over to the hole, the redhead looked inside to see the children all huddled together. They backed up a bit when they saw her. Clash winced at that; of course they were afraid of her, the fact that she almost considered going through with Shocker's plan made her sick to her stomach. Putting on a small smile, she reached out a hand towards the kids
"It's alright, I'm going to get you out of here. Everything's going to be okay."
After a few moments, the kids started to slowly move towards her; whether it was because they believed her words or they simply wanted to leave this place didn't matter, what did was making sure they survived.
Back to the fight, Izuku just leapt out of the way of a sonic blast that destroyed a pillar. A part of him thought to avoid the blast by phasing through it, but another, more cautious, part told him that now probably wasn't the time to see how sonic vibrations affected him mid-phase. Quickly, he webbed up the largest piece of debris and flung it at Shocker. The villain saw it coming and destroyed it with a sonic blast. From the dust cloud appeared Izuku, who hid behind the large rock, and delivered a punch to Shocker's face. He followed up with two strikes to the villain's gut and then a high kick to the chin.
Shocker was sent tumbling across the floor. Quickly getting to his knees, the older man sent out, not a sonic blast, but a constant stream of sonic energy at the young wall-crawler. Izuku fled from the beam as it tore up anything in its path as it chased the boy. Fortunately for Izuku, Shocker could only keep up the beam for so long until his left gauntlet lost power and needed to recharge. When the beam fizzled out, Izuku took his chance and jumped at Shocker.
The villain soon found himself getting wrapped in webbing as the young hero crawled all over his body like a real spider, binding him in layers of webbing. Pressing a button on his right gauntlet, Shocker released a wave of sonic energy, tearing through the webbing and sending Izuku flying. The villain huffed as he glared at the teen as he was getting onto his feet.
"Ok, I can see why Beck hates you spider people!" he growled, his left gauntlet finally recharged, "I gotta get my game up if I'm going to a world with more of you bugs."
"First off, spiders are arachnids, not bugs!" Izuku said, before whispering to himself, "Parker-san was right, that is annoying." He then turned back to Shocker.
"Second, you won't be going anywhere except for jail and Mysterio will follow soon after. Whatever he and the League of Villains are planning, they won't succeed!"
"Heh, kid, you have no idea the power Beck has at his hands or the powerful people he has backing him."
Just as Shocker was readying his gauntlets for another blast, the sound of shifting rubble caught both combatants' attention.
Looking to the source, they were given the sight of Clash leading the kids out through the hole in the factory wall; the kids were squeezing between the school bus and crumbling wall to get outside. Clash had just helped the second to last child through the opening when a loose brick fell from the wall. The redhead gasped at that before turning to the other people in the building, seeing Izuku and, unfortunately, Shocker no had eyes on her. Shocker just shook his head and sighed.
"Dammit, I really need to work on my situational awareness." The villain commented. He then raised his left arm at Clash and the last kid, "At least I can get rid of the weak link now."
"No!"
Izuku leapt at the villain. But in his haste to stop the villain from blasting Clash and the child, he didn't give himself enough time to react to his spider sense when Shocker lifted his other arm at Izuku. The greenette barely brought his arms in front of him when a sonic blast sent him fly across the room.
Seeing the boy sent flying stole the breath from Clash's body. Shocker was now pointing both gauntlets in her direction; with the state her body was in, there was no way she could grab the boy and dodge the attack in time. Quickly, she crouched down and wrapped her arms around the child, putting herself between him and Shocker.
If there was even a small chance the kid would survive, Clash would give her life to insure it would happen.
She could only curse herself for letting this situation happen in the first place.
"Goodbye, Clash. Everyone will probably be better off with you gone."
And with that, Shocker launched a power sonic blast from his gauntlets.
Time once again slowed as the death blast flew towards its targets. Clash could only tighten her arms around the frightened six year old boy, closing her eyes. She told the boy one thing.
"You're gonna be ok."
She hoped to god she was right.
CRASH!
Clash felt herself and the child fly from there current spot; it felt as if a big gust of wind blew them off their feet. Clash was able to put herself between the boy and the wall before they slammed into it. Pain flashed through her already injured body as she carefully sat up. Opening her eyes, Clash was shocked by what she saw.
Izuku Midoriya saved her life a third time.
Said boy had his back to her, arms spread out. His shirt was practically destroyed and his entire body was bruised. His shaking body and panting breaths were proof that he was still alive. In a split second, he had put himself between her and certain death; Clash and the boy were blown away by the left over force of the attack while Izuku took the full brunt of it, his strength and wall sticking ability in his feet insured he wasn't moved a single inch.
Shocker let out an angry and annoyed yell.
"Seriously?! What is it about other people that makes you heroes stupid enough to throw your lives away to save them!"
Izuku, body surging with pain and panting heavily, glared at the villain.
"Because it's a hero's duty to save people in danger, no matter the cost to themselves. If someone is in danger, then I will do everything in my power to save them! I won't let anyone suffer at the hands of villains like you!" he yelled, voice full of conviction.
Clash could only stare at the young man as his words resonated in her head, words that she herself once believed in when she was a child.
Words that were slowly working their way back into her heart.
"Tch, anyone you say, huh?" spoke Shocker, before he turned his gaze toward Clash and pointed at her, "Does that include her, too?"
Said redhead knew what Shocker was going to say: does someone like her deserve to be rescued. It was a question she was asking herself.
"You know who she is, you know what she's done; she killed the heroes Snatch and Fatgum, she fought against your classmates back at the USJ, she's part of the group that freed the Hero Killer from jail and released him and the Nomu onto Hosu city, something that cost many people their live, both hero and civilian. She knew exactly what kind of people we were, what we had planned, the crimes we needed to commit, and she still joined us."
Every word coming out of the man's mouth was like a knife to the heart for Clash. Now that the anger at the world she had was no longer blinding her, the weight of all the horrible things she's done came at her at full force; the lives she's taken or ruined, the chaos and fear she's helped spread, everything. She had become the very thing she once dreamed of fighting against.
"So, what if she's getting cold feet now, it doesn't erase all the evil she's done. The world will only remember her as a villain. And the truth is, she's not even that; she's just a little kid who didn't get what she wanted and started throwing a temper tantrum. But that tantrum has ended and now that reality has set in, she's become a scared little girl who wants to run away from this world because she doesn't want to face what she's done and take responsibility!"
The hole in Clash's heart grew bigger the more her former comrade spoke, to the point it physically started to hurt, and she gripped her chest hard.
Her anger at the world for denying her dream had blinded her, making her believe she could go through with all the bad that Mysterio expected of her. The moment she laid eyes on Snatch's mutilated remains, a part of her knew she made a mistake, but like any other angry teen, she tried to ignore the truth she knew in her heart. Now, she was a broken girl filled with guilt and the anger she had for the world was now pointed at herself. At that moment, Clash remembered the words that Stain told her before he went back on his hunt, when he correctly pegged her as pretender.
"Your false conviction is weak, you're just pathetic kid playing villain. Go home and maybe save what's left of your soul."
The Hero Killer was both right and wrong; she was pathetic and there was nothing left to save.
"She's nothing more than a sad, broken, sorry excuse for a human being, whose only legacy will be one of pain and suffering. She doesn't deserve to be saved!"
Mouth trambling, tears threatening to escape her eyes, Clash was on the verge of shattering completely. The small part of her that feared death was silenced, now she welcomed her own demise; Midoriya will save the trembling boy in her hands, while Shocker will end her life…
It's what she deserv—
"SHUT UP!"
The tone, the ferocity, the anger in Midoriya's voice stunned Clash and Shocker. Said villain could only stare in shock at the young man that was looking at him with such anger; the kid looked like Shocker just killed his best friend right now.
"She doesn't deserve to live? That's complete bullshit!"
Midoriya surprised even himself just now; he never cursed in his entire life. Then again, he never felt so angry before either.
"No one gets to decide whether someone deserves to live, least of all, you!"
In another universe, Izuku would be radiating with power right now, streams of green electricity flowing out of his body. He didn't have such power in this universe, but the presence he was currently exuding was none the less intimidating.
"You say Clash is a scared little girl but would someone like that have just risked her life for that child?! Would someone like that be trying to save the children you've endangered?!"
Izuku was breathing heavily; he could practically hear all the bones in his body rattling, the blast he took messed him up bad. Despite that, the young spider hero stood strong.
"Would someone like that have saved a mother and daughter back in Hosu?"
Clash eyes widened when she heard that; how did he know about that?
"That night in Hosu, I was on the trail of the Hero Killer, but that didn't stop me from saving people who were in trouble along the way. That's when I saw her; two people were about to be crushed and Clash saved their lives!"
Izuku then turned his head towards Clash. The redhead was treated to the sight of Midoriya giving her a warm smile, his eyes glowed with what seemed like pride and understanding. Clash felt her heart skip a beat at that moment.
"She didn't pause, she didn't hesitate. She saw people in danger and her first instinct was to save them. When the little girl thanked her, Clash put on a smile so bright, I knew that that moment was the happiest in her life. At that moment, I saw the true Clash, and she was a hero!"
Hero!
Hero!
Hero!
Trembling, Clash raised a hand to her mouth as tears flowed down her face like a raging river.
"The USJ, Hosu, and now, I saw in her eyes that she's a good person. I also saw the pain that was hiding under the surface, the pain of someone who believed the future they strived for was lost to them, of someone who believed they were alone in the world."
Izuku turned back to Shocker, his warm eyes hardened as he glared at the man.
"And Mysterio took advantage of that pain and sent her on a dark path; he convinced her to commit crimes, to cause chaos, to murder heroes! He made her believe that hurting the world will make her feel better, but all he's done is add more to the pain in her heart and pushed her to the breaking point."
"Tch, Beck gave her a choice, she was the one joined of her own will. Everything she's done, she chose to do. All that sin is on her." Shocker pointed out. It was if the more the hero in training spoke, the more Shocker grew to dislike him.
"Yes, she has sinned, she's done a lot of bad things and the world lost some of its heroes because of it, but her actions today and in Hosu shows that she's not beyond saving! Like I said before, a hero's duty is to save those who are in danger, whether it's from villains or their own darkness. Clash can still get out of the abyss, she just needs to reach out, and I know, without a doubt, that someone will grab on and bring her back into the light!"
Why?
Why did he have so much faith in her? Why did he believe she deserved a second chance, when the rest of the world has no doubt labeled her a lost cause after all she's done?
Clash could not understand why this boy was so adamant that she still had a chance for redemption. He had only met her once back at the USJ attack and saw just one good deed in Hosu and already decided she was worth saving; just one act of heroism couldn't erase all the villainy she's done.
Clash felt herself sink in a pitch-black sea, darkness as far as she can see. The light above the surface growing dimmer as she sank further into the abyss. Just as she resigned herself to her fate, a hand broke through the surface. It was reaching out for her.
It was Midoriya's hand.
"Clash can still get out of the abyss, she just needs to reach out, and I know, without a doubt, that someone will grab on and bring her back into the light!"
It was faint, but a small feeling of hope was enough for Clash to reach out with her own hand and grab onto Midoriya's. Her sinking stopped and, slowly but surely, she started to raise.
Raise back into the light.
"And let me guess, you'll be that person who pulls her out?" Shocker asked. The villain started to chuckle, before going into a full blown laugh; to him, Midoriya's words and belief were the most ridiculous things he's ever heard, "Heroes always say such holier-than-thou, sickly sweet nonsense to the masses, All Might more so than anyone. But you, (chuckle), you're just spouting out some fairy tale bullshit. It's because of that sort of thinking that people such as you can only look forward to being trampled over by the ones who don't let things like morality get in the way of reaching the top of the food chain."
The villain then raised his arms and his gauntlets started to vibrate with power. Despite his injuries, Izuku was nowhere close to giving up. He moved even before his spider-sense flared up, dodging Shocker's attack. Izuku quickly shot a web at the villain's face, blinding him. Before Shocker could pull the webbing from his face, Izuku quickly leapt at him and started to rain punches and kicks on the older man; he was putting everything he's learned from both Peter and UA into taking down Shocker.
Said villain was able to throw a lucky, sonic-infused left hook to the young hero's face. Izuku was thrown across the room and Shocker quickly tore the webbing off his face and shot another blast at Izuku. Izuku dodged and started shooting web balls at Shocker; the villain raised his arms to block the projectiles, only to have his gauntlets bound in webs. Seeing his opponent's weapons temporarily out, Izuku shot two web lines at two basketball-sized pieces of rubble. Now with makeshift flails, Izuku started swinging his improvised weapons at Shocker, who just ripped the webbing from his gauntlets. The villain barely had any time to retaliate as he was hit with the flails; just when he lifts one arm to shoot, Izuku hits him with one flail, repeating the process when Shocker tries to shoot with his other arm.
His anger reaching its peak, Shocker quickly set his gauntlets to full power and slammed both on the ground, creating a large sonic wave that spread in all directions. The wave destroyed Izuku's flail as they made contact with them. Izuku was thrown against a wall by the wave. He was disoriented as he looked back at Shocker. Said villain was, surprisingly, high in the air; he put so much power into the blast, that the force propelled him straight upwards. Reacting quickly, Izuku shot a web and quickly propelled himself to the airborne villain.
Slightly disoriented from his flight, Shocker turned his head to see Izuku was now above him. The young hero shot two web lines at Shocker. The older villain, with great reflexes, twisted his body, causing the webs to fly right past him. The villain then grinned at Izuku, who still had the web lines in his hands.
"You missed!"
Shocker then brought both arms up and shot two sonic blasts at Izuku. The young hero took the full force of the blast and was sent flying upward. Shocker grinned as he watched the boy fly up and, with no doubt, smash into the ceiling. However…
Whip!
A whipping sound was heard as the two lines in Izuku's hand grew taut suddenly. Izuku's ascent towards the ceiling was slowed down due to the tension now in the webs. Surprised by this, Shocker turned his head to see where the webs ended up; the airborne villain saw that the webs had attached themselves to the floor below him. Turning back to his opponent, Shocker saw Izuku had slowed down enough to safely crouch on the ceiling, the webs in his hands not having any slack. He then saw Izuku lift his head and grin.
"Who said I missed?"
Two taut wires…
Izuku at one end of them…
And Shocker right in his path…
The villain immediately figured out what happened.
'Shit!'
With a pull of his arms and push of his legs, Izuku slingshot himself at Shocker.
In a span of a few seconds, Shocker panicked a bit before crossing his arms in front of him; he wouldn't be able to get a shot of, so he'll just have to use his quirk. With all the damage he took in this fight, he was able to activate his Miracleshield. He grinned as his body was enveloped in his shield; with his shield being able to survive the force of a tank shell, Shocker can only laugh mentally as the kid will no doub—
CRASH!
The heel of Izuku's foot broke through his shield and shattered his gauntlets, before painfully meeting the side of Shocker's face.
His Miracleshield may stop a tank shell, but a kick from a spider-powered human with super strength and fueled with adrenaline and righteous fury?
It didn't stand a chance.
Izuku growled as put all his strength into his kick; he heard Shocker grunt in agony as he felt the villain's cheek cave in under his foot and even knock some teeth out. With one final yell, Izuku sent the villain hurtling to the ground.
CRASH!
The concrete shattered as Shocker impacted hard with the floor.
Clash and the child covered their eyes as dust and debris flew into the air. After a few seconds, the redhead opened her eyes just as Izuku landed on the ground. The boy shakily stood on his feet for a few seconds before falling to his knees. Both he and Clash then turned their sights to where Shocker landed as the dust started to settle.
In a small crater, Shocker's broken body laid still. His gauntlets were in pieces around him and the nasty purple bruises on his forearms showed that they were both shattered. His mouth was wide open, showing missing teeth, a collapsed left cheek, and a broken jaw. The weak moans from him was evidence that he was still alive, but he was not getting up any time soon.
Izuku sighed in relief at seeing the unconscious villain. Getting up to his feet, Izuku could feel his whole body shaking; no doubt that once the adrenaline wears off, Izuku would feel tremendous pain throughout his body. That just means he has to quickly see to Clash and the boy.
Clash could only stare in shock at the unconscious form of Shocker; out of all the enforcers, Shocker was the first recruited by Mysterio and arguably the most strongest of the four, though Vulture would argue with that assessment. To see the strong and, now that she sees clearly, cruel man taken down by a kid, the redhead just couldn't wrap her head around what just happened.
Clash attention drifted to Midoriya as the young hero made his way over to her. Standing over her, Izuku extended his hand to her with a small smile.
"Come on, let's get somewhere safe."
At this point, Clash didn't know how she still had any tears left in her as they once again flowed down her face. Shakily, but with a newfound strength, Clash reached up and took his hand.
After a minute or two, Clash found herself on Izuku's back, her arms wrapped around his neck and his left arm holding her up, his other arm holding the little boy's hand as they made there way out of the factory.
Clash laid her head on Izuku's shoulder as exhaustion, both physical and emotional, started to set in for her.
"Why?"
Izuku didn't stop walking, but he turned his head to Clash.
"Why, what?"
"Why did you say I still have good in me, you don't know me."
Izuku turned his head back forward.
"Back in USJ, when I saved you, there was something in your eyes that said there was more to you than just another villain."
Clash, despite growing more drowsy, listened closely.
"Like I said before, I could see the pain you were hiding in your eyes. The pain of believing that the world had taken that one dream you desperately strived for and punished you just for having it. That's when I knew you, of all people, needed saving the most."
Clash was surprised at his words; they perfectly described how she felt when everyone, her own mother included, told her she had no shot at being a hero, when Endeavor spoke his harsh words to her face.
"How do you know that?"
Izuku was silent for a few seconds before responding.
"Because I saw that same pain in the mirror everyday for the last nine years of my life. The pain of hearing people say I couldn't be a hero just because I didn't have a quirk."
Clash gasped quietly at that revelation.
"When that spider bit me and gave me my powers, I couldn't believe how lucky I was that I finally had a chance to be hero. But after meeting you, I couldn't help but think that it was also unfair that I just stumbled into such an opportunity while there were others like me who weren't even given a chance. Seeing you save that mother and her daughter in Hosu, I knew I didn't just want save you, I wanted to give you the same opportunity I had."
Izuku Midoriya, what was it about this boy that made it seem like he knew exactly what to say to her, how he seemingly knew the words that were able to reach her heart?
Just as he was on her mind these past few months, she was on his.
"Now, what direction you take from this point is up to you. But for now, I think you're due for some rest."
Once again, Izuku seemed to know just what to say. Laying her head on his should and being lulled by his heartbeat, Clash closed her eyes as sleep took hold of her.
For the first time in months, she slept soundly.
The sound of a door opening woke Clash from her slumber.
Slowly, the redhead sat up on the bed she was in; the aching soreness sweeping through her body told her not much time has passed since the incident at the factory. Reaching a hand to rub her neck, Clash could only groan at the punishment her body just went through.
"Oh, good, you're awake."
Clash turned her head to the person who just entered the room.
It was a middle-aged man. Brown hair with a bit of gray showing on the sides, brown eyes, a five-o-clock shadow on his face, worn out clothes, and a bit of a gut on him. He also had a warm smile on his face as he made his way over to her.
"So, you're Clash? I gotta say, your way more prettier than the first one."
…
…
…
"…that was probably the creepiest thing you've ever heard from a middle-age guy, wasn't it?"
Clash could only stare dumbfounded at the man as he now had an embarrassed grin on his face, scratching the back of his head.
"Okay, let's start over." He then reached out his hand to her, "Hi, my name is Peter Parker."
…
…
Eh?
EEEHHH?
Peter could only grin as the teenage redhead now had a shocked expression on her face, arm shaking and pointing at him while she tried to put together at least a two-syllable word.
"Y-y-your… y-y-you're really… I-I-I mean, I-I-I knew you were here, Mysterio said so and I saw your fight on tv, but you're actually…"
"Whoa, easy there, I know I'm a very popular guy in this world, but I didn't think I would leave people speechless. Now, calm down and wait until the amazing sensation from meeting me has faded enough so we can have a proper conversation."
Awful joke aside, Clash did as he said and took a deep breath, calming her beating heart. After a few seconds, the young girl calmed down and turned back to Peter.
Peter Parker
AKA Spider-man
The Freaking Spider-Man!
Yep, heart racing again.
She wasn't gonna lie, even back with Mysterio's group, the thought of actually coming face to face with the real Spider-Man may have excited her inner child a bit, until she would've had to fight him, which honestly, wasn't something she wanted to do.
Taking another deep breath, Clash calmed herself down once more and looked down at her hands. It was then she noticed that her hands were now covered in faded scars; they ached a bit when she bent her fingers, but otherwise, they moved just fine.
"W-what happened? To Shocker? To the Kids? To…"
Midoriya
"Well, you'll be happy to know that the children are safe and sound, they found a safe place to hide until the police came to pick them up. As for Shocker, he's currently on his way to Tartarus to be imprisoned, where they'll most likely interrogate him about Mysterio and the League."
Clash felt a weight lift off her shoulders knowing the kids were safe. But one thing struck her mind.
Shocker was going to jail, but she was here, wherever here was.
There would be no doubt that if Shocker woke up before she did, then he would've kept quiet about Mysterio and his operations, but would've told the police everything about her if only to ensure that she would be thrown into a cell along with him.
Not that she didn't deserve it.
With the injuries she got from her former teammate, Clash thought she was currently in a villain hospital to heal before being carted off to jail. A quick look around the room she was in, however, didn't give much proof to that thought.
Instead of a sterile white room with medical equipment and the like, she was in what looked to be a medium sized room with faded and peeling wallpaper, two old and worn down couches, shelves and a counter sink, old appliances like an old refrigerator and microwave, and what looked to be a vending machine in the corner, only it was empty and its glass window was broken. Looking down, Clash saw that she wasn't lying on a bed, handcuffed to the railing, but on a third old sofa. She also noticed a small coffee table in front of the sofa she was on. On said table were the melted and burnt remains of her sonic gauntlets.
Either the city decided to stop caring about injured villains after their arrest or she wasn't taken to a hospital.
"Where am I?" the confused redhead asked.
"You, young lady, are currently in the old employee break room of the abandoned amusement park that I have called home these past few months." Peter answered, before deciding to finish with a joke, "Don't worry about any crazed serial killing clowns running around, I made sure keep them docile with a steady supply of banana cream pies."
…
…
…
Pft!
For the first time in a long time, Clash went into the strongest laughing fit she's ever had. Tears gathered in her eyes as she laughed at Peter's joke. Not because the joke was funny, god no. She laughed because the fact that it was so awful was what amused her. The loud laughs started to wind down to soft giggles as the redhead started to catch her breath and calm down.
"(giggle) wow, your jokes really are bad."
"Hey! (Sigh) well, at least you laughed, that's what's important." The jab at his sense of humor aside, the older man let out a smile at the young teen's now lighter expression.
Once she calmed down again, Clash asked the question that was on her mind.
"Why am I here?"
"Well, Izuku was stumped on what to do with you; staying to wait for the police would've saw you getting treated at a hospital, but it would've also ended with you being arrested once the police found out who you were, something he didn't want to happen. So, he decided to bring you here. As for how your injuries were treated, a quick and private call to Recovery Girl saw to that."
"R-Recovery Girl?!" that bit of information shocked Clash; Recovery Girl was currently a nurse at UA High, if she healed her injuries, then does that mean the heroes of UA knew where she was now. The thought scared her a bit.
"Don't worry about other heroes coming for you." Peter responded after seeing the expression on her face, "Recovery Girl owed me and Izuku a favor, so she came here on the down-low and promised not to tell anyone, though she wasn't happy about it."
Hearing that put her heart at ease. Hearing that Midoriya also brought her here because he didn't want her to be arrested warmed her heart a bit.
"Where is Midoriya?"
"Well, after Recovery Girl healed him, and read him the riot act, he went back to Kiyashi to meet back with his friends, all the while trying to come up with an excuse. With the trouble he got into back in Hosu, he wasn't really eager to explain the real reason he was gone for so long."
Peter then moved over to the coffee table and picked up one of her broken gauntlets. Looking over them, the older man seemed to be inspecting the ruined piece of equipment.
"Complete and utter destruction aside, I gotta say, these were very sophisticated tech." he then turned to Clash, "Did Beck give this to you, or did you make them yourself?"
"Well, Mysterio gave me my equipment, but I modified them myself to better fit my use, they were kind of bulky when I first got them and the overall performance, while adequate, was in dire need of an overh—"
Clash then suddenly shut her mouth as an embarrassed expression appeared on her face; anytime tech was the subject of conversation, her tech especially, she would go on and on about her thoughts and how the tech could be improved. More than once, Shocker and Vulture would express their annoyance whenever she worked on her gear and speak her thoughts. A chuckle drew her out of her thoughts as she turned to see Peter with an amused and impressed expression on his face.
"Okay, so you're a fellow nerd, that's nothing to be ashamed off." He stated, "I can already see that big brain of yours; the original Clash was a genius too, seeing as he made his equipment himself. You've no doubt got talent."
Talent
Peter's expression turned to confusion when he saw the young girl grow solemn. Despite the soreness, especially in her right leg, Clash drew her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"No one else seems to think so." She quietly replied, "Despite my intelligence, despite my grades, despite my 'talent', no one saw past my not having a quirk; kids would make fun of me, my teachers were set in convincing me to go to the support or general class… My own mother left when it was clear that I would never get my quirk. Every time I would declare that I would be a hero, the world responded with mockery and scorn. It would say I had no chance without a quirk and that I would only get in the way; even Endeavor, the hero I looked up to, said those words right to my face, without any remorse or compassion, as if I was stupid to believe otherwise."
Peter could only look on in silent empathy as he sat down on the couch, a small frown on his face, as Clash spilled out her feelings.
"I was so angry, why did the world say it was wrong for a quirkless person like me to have a dream? Why were people so against the idea of a quirkless hero? When Mysterio found me and told me of his world, a world I only read about in comics, where you didn't need an amazing power to be a hero, I felt like fate was giving me the chance the world denied me. When Mysterio said what we had to do, what I had to do, before I could leave, I didn't hesitate; this world worshipped heroes who only cared about popularity and put down those who didn't fit the mold, if you had a 'villainous' or 'useless' quirk or if you had no quirk at all, you were thrown to the wayside. I had told myself that I could do whatever he asked of me, that I wouldn't feel sorry for anyone who got in our way."
Clash's grip on her legs tightened as her lip started to tremble.
"But then the hero ambush happened. When I fought Snatch, when I… 'defeated' him, I was sick to my stomach. When I 'beat' Fatgum, it just got worse. When I was holding a beaten Nigtheye, when Mysterio killed him right next to me, I felt like all the warmth was stolen from my body. And that night, and every night since, I saw them; every time I closed my eyes they were there, their broken bodies and lifeless eyes staring me right in the face. I did all I could to not go back to sleep, working on my tech, drinking caffeine, taking pills, but even then, they would still appear."
Her body started to tremble.
"When we attacked UA, Mysterio told us that if we get the chance, we kill any student we came across. But a part of me argued that these were just kids; they haven't yet become like these arrogant heroes that walk the world. So, I didn't follow that order."
Her hands left her legs and now gripped her head; it looked like she was doing all she could to keep herself together.
"And then Hosu happened. When I saw all those Nomu running wild, when I saw the fires that were raging, when I saw people running for their lives, when I saw some of them die, I truly believed I was standing in Hell."
Peter wanted to reach out, to put a hand on her shoulder, but he knew she wouldn't react well to that right now. Peter could only frown as Clash shut her eyes tight and tears slowly dripped down her face.
"And today, when Shocker showed me those children, when he told me what I needed to do to prove my loyalty, it was as if someone ripped off a blindfold that was over my eyes."
Clash let out a choked sob.
"I couldn't do it. Everything I've done was eating me up inside. I was so angry that I fooled myself into thinking I could be a remorseless villain, that I could burn this world and not feel anything. But it was the exact opposite; every life ruined, every life taken, it was like a stab to the heart. And I believed that after all that, I could just go to your universe and just be a hero, that I could forget all the horrible things I've done here. (sob) god, what an idiot!"
Sobs filled the room as the young woman let it all out.
"They were right, if this is how I ended up, then there was no way I could've been a hero. And it wasn't just me, I dragged my best friend into this as well; he was going through such crap, but he was still such a kind boy. But now, he's become so cold, so cruel, I don't recognize him anymore. I've ruined so many lives. The kids Mysterio kidnapped, for the life of me, I couldn't think of anything to excuse what he was doing, but I still turned the other way. I found out that Rock Lock was expecting a baby, and now that child will grow up without a father. Rei, he won't stop, he'll continue to be a villain, even if he were to go to the other universe, he'll still cause so much pain, enjoying himself while doing it."
After what seemed like a lifetime, her sobs went quiet and she stopped shaking, but her tears were still falling.
"What's left for a pathetic sinner like me other than spending the rest of my life in a cell?"
The room was quiet as the grave as the two sole occupants soaked in the raw feeling that were just let out. Clash had her face in her hands, while Peter sat next to the poor girl, thinking of what to say.
After a few minutes, he did.
"They're not going to go away."
Confused, Clash looked to Peter as the veteran hero seemed to stare out in space.
"The lives lost because of you, whether it was directly or indirectly, purposely or not, their faces will stay with you for the rest of your life."
His tone was so quiet and somber, Clash had trouble believing this was the real Spider-Man she had just met. His words didn't help her mood either.
"Gwen Stacey, her father, my best friend Harry Osborne, my clone Ben Reilly, Eddie Brock, my Uncle Ben. I sill see their faces, sometimes I relive their deaths in my dreams. On worse days, I dream of saving them, only to lose them to even worse fates."
Peter turns to Clash, eyes sad, but also understanding.
"The faces of people who are gone because of you will always follow you, there isn't anything you can do about that. The only thing you can do, is make sure those deaths weren't meaningless."
Hearing that the faces of her victims were never gonna fade worsened her feeling of self-loathing, but Peter's final words confused her, and angered her a bit.
"What do you mean not making their deaths meaningless? I killed heroes because I was so angry with society and Mysterio used me because of it. Now he's out there with some powerful villain backing him and the heroes and police are nowhere near getting close to him. He's got a foothold in this world and I helped him hold onto it. How can the deaths I caused be anything other than meaningless?!"
Peter didn't even flinch as the redhead's voice grew; he could see how she didn't understand his words.
"Tell me, what was the heroes' goal on that night." He asked her. Clash could only turn her head in shame at that question.
"T-they came believing Rei could lead them to Mysterio."
"And why were they looking for Mysterio?"
"Because he needed to be stopped." Clash knew that now.
"Now tell me, did their goal die with them?" he asked with much seriousness. Clare could only stare at him with confusion.
"When my uncle died, I was devastated, especially when I found out it was my fault. Before that, being a hero was the farthest thing from my mind. Afterwards, once I caught the robber, a part of me wanted to just lock myself away from the rest of the world; because I didn't bother to stop one robber, one of the most important people in my life was gone for good, what right did I have to be a hero. But then I remembered how Uncle Ben always supported me; he thought that with my intelligence and skills, I could do whatever I wanted, that I could help a lot of people. If I were to have just given in to my doubt that night, if I threw away the mask after that one night, then Uncle Ben would've died for nothing; I had the power to help people, to make sure others don't go through the same pain, to be the kind of person that my uncle believed I could be, not following through with that was tantamount to spitting on his grave. So, I fought through my grief and doubt and became Spider-Man, but it wasn't easy. Every death of a person I cared for brought back that doubt, stronger than before. But if I had let it consume me, then the people that passed would be rolling in their graves."
His tone was so full of conviction that Clash couldn't but be mesmerized.
"A death you caused loses meaning if your doubt paralyzes you from making things right."
Clash just froze at those words.
"It's never too late to do the right thing."
As if put on a loop in her head, Fatgum's final words came in clear. Even after what she did to him, in his final moments, Fatgum still thought she could walk away from villainy. And now, Peter looked at her as if the option to try to undo everything was open to her.
But…
"I-I've done horrible things; I made sure that all anyone will see me as is a murderer. With all the mistakes I've made, how could I change? What right do I have to it?"
She dropped her head and just stared at the floor. She felt the couch shift and then a pair of shoes enter her vision. Looking up, the redhead saw Peter kneel down in front of her, a small smile appeared on his face.
"Listen, if you know anything about my world, then you should know that there are more then a handful of heroes that started off playing on the other side of the law; Black Widow was a KGB agent that who fought against Iron Man many times, Magneto was a mutant supremacist whose goals involved exterminating all non-mutants, Venom was a monster whose sole purpose was to ruin my life and the lives of everyone around me, and of course, let's not forget the guy you've modeled yourself after."
Peter then placed a hand on her shoulder; Clash wanted to flinch from his touch, but her body seemed to relax at it. She couldn't help but feel a distinct warmth from his hand.
A warmth she felt when Midoriya carried her on his back.
"Now, Black Widow is a part of the greatest team of heroes my world has ever known. While he still wants to improve the mutant race's standing in the world, Magneto no longer does harm on humans, he's even saved a few. Venom, in the hands of Flash Thompson, has become a protector for the weak and powerless, rough but just. And as for your predecessor, unlike in the comics in this world, Clayton never fell back into villainy, and now when people speak of him, they speak of a great hero who does all he can to help those in need."
At this moment, Clash could see how Midoriya became this man's successor; it was more than just having similar sets of powers. They both had such conviction and a strong sense of justice, they just fit together as teacher and student. They also knew just the right words to say to make her heart beat with something akin to excitement.
"They all have sins that hang on their souls, but they still push forward to do their best and be the type of heroes people need. Sins can't be erased, nor should they be, they remind us of the mistakes we've made and also teach us how not to make them again and how to do better from that point forward. If a person wants to change and do the right thing, then they have to face their mistakes and move past them, but not forget them. Your first mistake was looking up to a guy like Endeavor; no offense to your taste in heroes, but the guy's just a grade-A a-hole, he makes Wolverine look like a fluffy bunny." Peter finished with a joke and chuckle, before quickly whispering, "If you ever meet Logan, don't tell him I said that."
Once more, Clash let out a giggle. Putting the actually funny joke aside, she couldn't help but agree with Peter; she looked up to the flame hero because of his immense power and the numerous arrests under his belt, but after meeting him face-to-face, she couldn't help but wonder how such man with, in her opinion, an ugly personality became a hero. Such a question helped in setting up her twisted view of the world.
"True, this world is far from perfect and some heroes here are just celebrities looking for their time in the spotlight, but making this world worse won't make you feel better. The fact that you feel so much guilt and sadness right now just proves how much of a good person you still are. Though you tried to hide it from yourself, the truth is you don't enjoy seeing people suffering, a part of you still knew that what you were doing was wrong. And if what Izuku said was true, when people are in danger, your first instinct is to save them. Trying to bury the true you just made you feel even more pain. Now that you're no longer held by anger, you can now ask yourself the most important question right now?
"What are you going to do now?"
The young teen lowered her head as her mind became a whirlwind of thought as she tried to find an answer to Peter's question. All the events up to this moment played out through her mind, it was all too overwhelming. Feeling another hand on her left shoulder, Clash looked up to Peter.
"As cliché as it sounds, just look deep within yourself and be true to yourself. Forget everything, forget Mysterio, forget the pain, forget even me right now. Look back and ask yourself this: What is the one thing you truly want to do in life? What is the one thing that'll make you happy doing?"
The one thing she wants to do?
The thing that'll make her happy?
Seemingly on its own, her mind did what was asked of her and shut everything out; her guilt, her fear, Mysterio, Rei, Peter, the world around her, Clash blocked it all and looked deep inside herself. As if responding to her search for an answer, certain memories came to the forefront of her mind.
Confronting bullies as a child for picking on other kids.
Seeing all the heroes on the news after they've defeated the bad guys and saved the day.
Her dad, even after everyone else has said it was impossible, still believing she could fulfill her dream, even defending her to her own mother.
The thought of going to the Marvel universe and becoming a hero there, despite how, in her anger, what she would've done to get there.
That night in Hosu, saving that mother and her daughter and the warm, happy feeling she got when they thanked her.
Izuku defending her from Shocker and how, despite everything, he believed there was still good in her.
These memories played back in her mind, each one adding a spark to an old dream that she once believed was dead and then almost twisted with her anger. Then a certain memory appeared.
She had just come home from the doctor, having just learned that she was quirkless. A cloud of depression loomed over her as reality started to set in. Her mother went straight to her room, not having looked her way once. Her father, seeing the state she was in, looked through the closet before handing her something. A Marvel comic book about a certain heroine. Her father then went on about how the heroine in the comic didn't have any powers and only relied on her training and wits to defeat the bad guys. When she argued that such a thing existed only in a comic, her father stated that some point in the past, people thought having superpowers was pure fantasy as well. Seeing her father look at her with such belief and support, her dream of being a hero seemed to be revived. From that day on, she would make sure her father's faith in her wouldn't be for naught. It was also that day that the heroine from the comic book become her favorite Marvel hero.
Peter saw as Clash lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself. He then saw small droplets fall to the floor as her body shook. Then in a low voice…
"Can I… still be a hero?"
His grip on her shoulders didn't lessen one bit.
"Is that what you truly want?"
Clash raised her head, lip quivering, eyes shining as tears flowed down her face. All she could do was nod her head.
"Then do it. If being a hero is what you truly want, then go for it with all your soul. If you truly enjoy helping people, then don't let a thing like not having license or everyone saying you can't stop you from helping those in need. If you still want to prove everyone who said your dream was nonsense wrong, then do so by becoming the very thing they thought was impossible. With your intelligence, I know you can do it. It won't be easy though, in fact it will be the hardest thing you'll do, there will even be times where you'll feel like giving up, but knowing you've helped at least one person and made a positive change in their life, you'll find the strength to keep going. And I know you have the strength."
Clash then saw a warm and compassionate smile appear on Peter's face. At this moment, she felt like she was a little girl again and her father telling her that her dream was still in reach. Just like her father did for her, Peter Parker had chased away all the darkness that gripped her heart.
"You can be a hero."
Ba-Dumb!
Five words, five little words, words she so desperately wanted to hear, especially after her father died.
Five words that have just revived a dream she held dear since she was a child, coming from one of the greatest heroes on Marvel no less.
This wasn't like when she met Mysterio. This was a true second chance.
Peter barely moved an inch as Clash threw herself in his arms, face buried in his chest as she let out loud cries of relief. Peter couldn't care less about the tears staining his shirt as he wrapped his arms around the crying girl; honestly, he didn't know if it was her hair and eye color or her kind nature that has surfaced once again, but right now, he felt like he was back home, comforting his daughter May after she just woke up from a nightmare.
He had made a lot of mistakes in his life, but hell will freeze over before he lets the girl in his arms fall back into the darkness.
After what seemed like an eternity, Clash's cries slowed, her shaking came to a stop. Taking the girl out of his arms, he spoke.
"It feels so different, doesn't it, to feel like a massive weight has be removed."
The redhead could only nod as she wiped the tears from her face. She can still feel the pain and guilt, but it now seemed like they were miles away.
"Well, this is just the first step, it's long road for you; like I said, it won't be easy, but I know you can do it. And know that Izuku and I will be there with every step of the way to keep you company."
The girl let out a small smile. Knowing that she had two true heroes supporting her brought her comfort. She then saw Peter look to the coffee table. More specifically, the ruined gauntlets laying on top.
"You know, it will be hard to get parts, but I'm sure that between the two of us, we can build you a new pair of—"
"No!"
Peter turned to Clash in surprise. The redhead shook her head, as if trying to forget a bad memory. Considering all she went through, that description was probably more than accurate.
"I… don't want anything to do with those anymore. They belonged to a person that was too blind to see that she was way in over her head. I don't want to be that person anymore. I don't want to be Clash anymore."
Peter stared at the girl before smiling, understand her thoughts.
"Okay then, we'll just have to come up with a new hero name for you. Have any in mind?"
The redhead couldn't help but smile at that question; almost immediately, her favorite comic book hero came to mind.
"I have one in mind."
"Well good. Then I guess we can say goodbye to Clash the villain and say hello to the hero…" Peter started before trailing off. This talk about hero names brought a thought to him.
"(chuckle) Oh man, this entire time we've been talking, I don't think I even asked you your real name. Well that's embarrassing."
The girl could only giggle at the older hero. She could already tell that she's going to like this light-hearted environment she's in. It's no doubt better than back with the enforcers.
"My name is Mei, Mei Kurokumo."
A Few Months Later
It was a quiet and pleasant day in Musutafu, Japan. People were going about their daily lives, whether it was kids on there way to school or adults heading to work, the city was experiencing a peaceful day.
On a busy street was a small post office. The front doors automatically opened and out walked a young girl with a large package underneath her arm. The girl then took a small piece of paper out of her pocket and started to read.
"Okay, we need a gallon of milk, a bunch of bananas, some cups of ramen, and… a box of jellybeans and gummy bears? Ugh, I swear, Pete says he wants to lose the gut, but then he has me buy him sugar filled candy? Honestly, a spider-enhanced metabolism can only do so much."
Despite her words, Mei couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of her teacher and his sweet tooth. Reaching up to make sure her brown wig wasn't crooked, Mei started making her way towards the supermarket.
She's been through a lot ever since she came under the tutelage of the one and only Spider-Man. Like he said, it wasn't easy; training from scratch alongside Izuku was no cake walk. There were days were her whole body somehow felt like both a sore muscle and a limp sock. But she toughed it out, and she's proud to say that she could take on a group of wannabe thugs with her bare hands.
And it wasn't just the training. There was that incident on I-Island that Izuku found himself in the middle of just as summer started; being so far away and not being able to do anything to help her friend had Mei worried sick. She was sure she almost broke the greenhead's back when she hugged in relief when he returned, a little rough around the edges, but otherwise okay.
Then there was that training camp he went to a few days after. Again, she was worried sick when she heard the League had attacked the camp. She all but sped over to the hospital he was recovering at. It was also there that she met his classmates; she gave them a fake last name and told them she was an old friend of Izuku's and she came to check up on him. Seeing his injuries saddened her greatly, but they were nothing compared to the look on his face. Complete failure from not being able to stop the League from taking his childhood friend. Seeing him so depressed broke her heart a little.
When his classmate, Kirishima, suggested to go and rescue the guy themselves, Mei knew that nothing would convince Izuku to do anything else. Not wanting feel useless again, she went with Izuku, Kirishima, Iida, Momo, and Todoroki, not leaving them any room to argue. That night, she was introduced to true evil.
All for One. She heard Mysterio speak of him. She's even been present one time when they spoke on video. Mysterio always said that All for One was an important backer for his schemes, yet she always had the feeling that Beck seemed to think All for One would eventually become his servant, that he believed he would get one over on the old villain. Oh, how delusional Beck must be. When he appeared, Mei felt the entire world go cold; it was as if all the hope in the world disappeared and all that was left was a cruel, soul butchering despair followed by a long, drawn-out death.
That feeling lightened a bit when All Might and the other heroes came, though that didn't make trying to save Bakugo any easier. Then came the Prowler, who disappeared without a trace after USJ, and boy she was pissed. For what reason, Mei didn't know, but she was given the sight of the villainess unleashing her wrath on the League. It was because of her intervention that Izuku's crazy plan to get his friend out of there even worked. Once the rescue was accomplished, they hightailed it out of there.
Then, along with the rest of the city, Mei witnessed All Might's titanic clash with All for One. Seeing the number one hero reduced to such a weak and frail form scared a lot of people, herself included. Things got worse when Mysterio showed up; because of his illusions, All Might nearly met his end at All for One's hands. It was only thanks to the quick, and surprising, intervention of the Prowler that saved All Might's life and gave him the opening to take down All for One, though it did cost the Prowler her left arm. When all was said and done, Prowler disappeared once again, but not before getting a few good hits on Mysterio, who also ran away when things went south. Though All for One was now behind bars, the world was still despairing now that the Symbol of Peace was effectively retired.
Things seemed to settle down after that. All Might's retirement rallied the other heroes in more proactive roles. Mysterio has been quiet, no doubt his plans have been stalled due to his premier backer getting arrested. And it was during this time that Izuku started bringing her to hang out with his friends.
She got along well with the girls, though for some reason, Mei got this weird felling whenever either Ochaco, Tsuyu, or Momo looked at Izuku with a strange look in their eyes. Formally meeting Bakugo, had Mei questioning how such a guy with a bad attitude wanted to be a hero; he said it was for fame and recognition, but something told her there was more to the foul-mouthed boy then he let on. Ironically enough, Mei struck up a good friendship with Shoto; she didn't think she could stand being around the son of Endeavor, but somehow, they got along just fine, in part due to their mutual dislike of the flame hero funny enough. Though Shoto says that his father seems to have simmered down a bit since All Might's retirement, though not by much.
Thinking about Izuku and the others reminded Mei that they were currently working to get their provisional hero licenses today. She had no doubt that they would all pass, except for Mineta, how he was even in UA boggled her mind. Starting tomorrow, Izuku will be able to do hero work without getting into trouble, yet somehow, she knew he would find a way. Speaking of hero work, Mei took the package under her arm into her hands. She smiled when she saw who it was from.
Melissa Shield
I-Island
Mei couldn't thank Izuku enough for getting her into contact with the friend he made on I-Island. One of the few people who knew the truth about Izuku and Peter, Melissa turned out to be a very great person. The two girls would go on and on about technology and pass ideas through each other. It got to the point where Mei felt comfortable enough tell the girl about her true self. Understandably surprised at first, Melissa saw past her days as a villain and saw Mei as a kind girl and good friend. It was then the blond decided to help her new best friend in her quest to become a hero.
The package held within it the culmination of tinkering and brainstorming between the two geniuses. It was on the down-low, of course, considering Mei was technically still a wanted criminal in the eyes of the law. She still will be, but as a vigilante instead of a villain, not that anyone would be able to connect the two identities. With this, she will finally be the hero she wanted to be.
The nightmares didn't go away, just like Peter said, but they have become much scarcer. In fact, the last time she dreamed of Fatgum, she didn't see him dead, but alive and smiling, as if he knew she turned her life around. That just strengthened her resolve to become a hero. Soon, she'll be saving people, taking down bad guys, and most of all, she be helping Izuku take down Mysterio.
Back to the night of the hero ambush, she was close enough to hear Sir Nighteye's prediction about Mysterio, about how he'll meet his defeat at the hands of a new Spider-Man. Mei had no doubt believing that the vision was referring to Izuku; Mysetrio went ballistic when he learned of him after the USJ attack, even more so after seeing him compete in the UA Sports Festival. She knew, without a doubt, that Izuku will take down Beck once and for all. She had a feeling that it will happen soon and when it does, she'll be right there by his side.
Crash!
Mei was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a loud crash a few blocks away. This was followed by police sirens as police sped down the street, towards the source of the crash. As she saw the police cruisers drive away, Mei looked down at her package; she had planned on debuting alongside Izuku tomorrow after he got his license and fight crime together, but her instincts were telling to head over to where the police went and help. It took all of two seconds to come to a decision. Quickly running into a nearby alley, Mei ripped off her wig and ripped open her package.
It was hero time.
The police were currently in a shoot-out in front of a bank. The entrance was completely destroyed as the robbers shot at the cops from behind the destroyed walls. The closet hero was ten minutes away, meaning the cop had to hold out until they got here. So far, it was a stalemate between the police and the criminals, neither was getting the edge over the other. It wasn't ideal, but as long as the police kept up this stalemate, then they will be able to buy the time they need until—
Screech!
All of a sudden, the police covered their ears as high pitch wail assaulted their ears; it was so bad that some of their ears started to bleed and others became disoriented and lost their balance. The sound then stopped, but the police were still agonizing over the sonic assault. The robbers then started coming out of the bank, smug grins on their faces. In the middle of the group stood a man, the source of the sound attack and wearing very familiar armor.
"Ha, how do you like that you pigs?! Just one, annoying sound and you're all rolling around on the ground like bugs who've had their legs ripped off! That's what you get for thinking you could go toe-to-toe with me, the all-new, all-different Clash, the Master of Sound!"
Yes, there is a new villain who holds the mantle of Clash. After Mei's defection, Mysterio had searched for others who could wear the mask. This led to a once, small time gangbanger to becoming the new Clash. Said villain was in the process of 'appropriating' funds for the boss.
Clash then raised his arm and fired his gauntlet at a police cruiser. The blast sent the car flying; it didn't hurt anyone, but it did reveal all the cops that were hiding behind it. With a grin under his helmet, Clash raised his arms and aimed at the police.
"Say goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Thwip!
A split second of confusion was followed by something hitting Clash's face and covering it in something. Whatever it was, it was sticking and held on to his face really tight. As he tried to free his face, Clash suddenly heard his men start shooting at something. The sound of gunfire was then followed by the sounds of fists hitting flesh, bones breaking, what sound like people being electrocuted, and… thwipping sounds?
It took a few more seconds before Clash finally removed the thing that was covering his face. No longer blinded, Clash laid eyes on the scene and was shocked.
All around him, his men were all moaning in pain and down for the count, either being knocked unconscious, electrocuted, or bound in some sort of white material. It almost looked like…
Webbing
"Over here, metalhead."
Turning to the source of the voice, Clash saw the person who was responsible for taking down his men.
Standing in front of the downed, but slowly recovering, police officers was a young woman. She was decked out in a black, skintight body suit. Red lines went down her arms and legs and red gloves. A red utility belt hung off her hips. She had on a black, short-sleeved jacket with red web designs. The suit also an attached face mask that ended at the girl's hairline, letting her bright red, shoulder length hair flow free. The red eye lenses on the mask seemed to move, giving her the ability to express emotion through the mask. The final thing to take note of was on her chest; two red triangles, one atop of the other, each connected through one point, making them resemble an hourglass.
Clash could only stare gob smacked at the new arrival before shacking his head and growling.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you must have a death wish if you want to tussle with me!"
"Oh right, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself."
The girl raised her left hand, the palm of which suddenly started to crackle with electricity.
"The name's Black Widow, I'm the girl whose gonna send you back crying to Mysterio."
The villain just seemed to get even angrier.
"Tch, now there's three bugs crawling around here, what are you guys multiplying or something?"
"Not bugs, arachnids, how hard is it to remember that little fact?"
"Tch, bugs, spiders, it doesn't matter, you'll squish just the same!"
Clash's gauntlets started to thrum with power. He wasn't gonna go easy on this girl.
Behind her mask, Mei couldn't help but grin at the irony; her debut as Black Widow and her first villain is the guy who's using her old alias? She honestly had to stop herself from laughing out loud. Whether this was merely coincidence or fate, Mei at least knew one thing and that was that this guy needed to go down.
Clash fired a sonic wave at her, but Mei quickly reached back and webbed a fallen door from the destroyed police car. Swinging it forward, Mei use the door to block the blast. She the jumped into the air, activating her Widow's Bite gloves, electrifying the web line and the car door. With one great pull, Mei swung the makeshift flail at Clash.
This day would be remembered as the day the world was introduced to Japan's newest vigilante: The Bewitching Black Widow.
Quentin Beck could only internally growl as his mind went back to today's news.
A new spider has entered the stage. A Black Widow with the skills of Spider-Man. As if his luck couldn't be any more worse.
Especially knowing who was under that mask.
When Shocker came to him with his concerns for Mei, Beck couldn't but agree with him; she was starting to gain a conscious. If nothing was to be done, then she would've brought them all down. When Shocker proposed his 'Initiation', Beck saw the merit; if she went through with it, then she had what it took to continue with them, if not, then Shocker would've ended her life quickly.
Obviously, neither outcome came to pass.
Beck had sent one of his men, Bullseye, to keep watch and come back and report what happened. When he came with the news that Parker's protegee took down Shocker, Beck practically had an aneurysm. Bullseye could've jumped in to help Shocker, but as he said, he wasn't ordered to; the only fault with Bullseye was that he was too literal, unless you give him explicit orders, he might not do anything at all. Because Beck only ordered him to watch, Bullseye didn't jump in to save Shocker. He also didn't follow Midoriya to see where he took Mei, also because he wasn't ordered to do so.
Beck could only surmise that the kid took Mei to Parker. No doubt, the fool's disgusting sense of justice and morality cemented Mei's turn over to 'good side'. All these months under Spider-Man's watch, along with her skills with technology, there wasn't a doubt in Beck's mind: Mei was this new Black Widow.
Parker, Midoriya, that spider creature killing people, and now Mei? It as if the universe is punishing him by throwing spiders from every direction.
Taking a deep breath, Beck calmed himself down.
While this was a big hurdle, it wasn't one that will stop the great Mysterio. Turning around, Beck laid his eyes on his current gambit,
Rei Narukami stared at the metal case that was laying on the table before him.
When he learned of Mei defection, rage didn't come close to describing what the boy felt. Mei was the only person who was his friend, she brought him to Mysterio and promised him a new world where they could start over. But it seemed like Mei wasn't strong enough. Her so called conviction was a farce, and when push came to shove, she ran and left him behind. In the end, she was just like everyone else. And just like everyone else, she will pay.
Beck looked on as Narukami opened the case. If he were being honest, Beck himself considered this option too far. It was only by sheer luck that he had acquired the contents of the case. Knowing the power of what was held within, Beck was hesitant on using it at all. But with All for One in jail, the brat Shigaraki all but severing ties with him, and now another spider in the picture, he was left with no other option.
It was honestly unnerving to see the boy not so much as shy away upon seeing what was inside the case. Even more so when the boy gained a cruel smirk on his face, not flinching one bit as the contents started to crawl up his form.
Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, Beck quickly left the room just as Narukami's body was covered in a grey and red ooze. With the boy's frayed mind, there was no doubt he will welcome the coming madness. Once he has synchronized with it, he will be ready to face any hero dumb enough not to run at the very sight of him. Once he's unleashed on the world, there will be no question. It will be…
A Bloodbath
Note to Infamous Man: Hey there, really big fan of this story, as well as your other stories, particularly 'A Different Kind of Truth' (planning any updates?). So, I have to say, chapter 16 was so intense that my heart was beating. After reading about a particular character in the chapter (obvious which one), I couldn't help but anticipate her future. I'm just all for unsure villains finding their way back to the light. Thus, how this one-shot came to be. Though I was surprised at how long it ended up (if it's too long then you can post it in parts). I tried to finish before chapter 17, but of course that didn't happen. Obviously, I took some liberties with the characters, especially Clash since so little is known so far, but I'm rooting for her. Of course, this is your story, you decided how things end up. I just had to get the one-shot out of my head and see what you thought of it. If there are some things you like about it, you're free to use some of the ideas if you want. Again, really like the story and looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Note From The Infamous Man: Well, thanks for the story! I really appreciate that you liked the last chapter and are anticipating to see where Clash goes! This one-shot is certainly not what's in store for the character, but I'm glad you managed to pump this bad boy out! Use it to craft wonderful stories!
Of course, this isn't canon to the main story and due to the sheer effort mastergamer14 put into this I didn't edit any of it, hence why Shocker, Rei, and Mysterio are pretty OOC (Ironic given their approximately one and a quarter chapter of character, I know). However, don't let that dissuade you guys! If you're interested be sure to send your own snippets to me so I can post them!
