TSSM S03E04: Matchstick

Disclaimer: I do not own The Spectacular Spider-man or its characters or any other characters owned by Marvel or Sony. Copyright infringement not intended. The rights of Spider-man and related characters belong to Marvel and Sony.

The crowds cheered on loudly as a streak of fire appeared across the sky. The Human torch propelled himself with jets of flame as he flew round and round before making a graceful landing to face the sea of fans and reporters.

"JOHNNYYY!" fangirls screamed excitedly and blew kisses at him. There were flashes of light as camera men snapped pictures of the teenage member of the Fantastic Four.

Reporters swarmed him as the white flashes of cameras engulfed him.

"Mr Storm, could you tell us about your experiences as a superhero?"

"What are the perks of your job?",

"How does your body light itself on fire?",

"What is your suit made of?"

Reporters unleashed their barrage of questions as the Human Torch walked forward with confidence.

"Woah woah woah! One question at a time please. I can't answer all of your questions at once, but regarding the perks of this job, that would be loving fans like you ladies!" the suave teen replied as he winked and gestured to his fanclub.

"AWWWWWWW!" They squealed.

Just then, a figure clad in a red and blue spandex sailed overhead as he went about his daily routine, while being totally unaware of the crowds below him.

A significant portion of the crowd looked up at the web-slinger and started to discuss among themselves.

"HEYY IT'S SPIDERMAN!"

"I HEARD IT'S HARD TO GET PICTURES OF HIM!

"HE'S VERY ELUSIVE!",

"I HEARD HE FOUGHT A GREEN MONSTER THE OTHER DAY, WOULD MAKE A GREAT STORY!"

"NOW THAT'S SOME REAL SH*T!"

Several reporters cried out as they turned their attention from Johnny and attempted to follow the web-slinger.

"Hey wait, I've done cool stuff too!" Johnny pleaded as he looked around, bewildered at the disappearing crowds.

"Hey he's the reason I met my boyfriend!" a girl cried out.

"Wow really?! He does that sort of thing? I want a boyfriend too!" another girl chimed in.

Soon, most of the crowds disappeared, leaving poor Johnny in the dust, as they chased after the friendly neighborhood web-slinger.

"ARGHH that darn wall-crawler! I wouldn't be outshined by him. Not today!" Johnny cursed, shaking his fist as he looked at the jolly vigilante swinging off into distance.

A few days later, in school:

Peter was running late due to having stopped a thief on the way. He hurriedly psuhed open the school doors, only to be greeted by the sight of an unusually crowded hallway. He squeezed and jostled his through the crowds as he tried to find his way through the confusion.

Just then, he caught sight of a familiar red-head.

"MJ!"

"Tiger!"

"Hey what's up with this commotion today?" Peter inquired.

"Someone famous came to deliver a speech today." The redhead replied.

"Woah. What time is the speech?"

"It just ended."

"What? Wow. I was that late today. Who was it anyway?"

"Johnny Storm."

"JOHNNY WHAT?!" Peter cried out in shock as he took a step back and accidentally bumped into someone behind him.

"Oh gosh! Sorry about tha- WOAH IT'S YOU!" Peter cried out, wide-eyed with shock as lo and behold, stood the young blonde man clad in a brown leather jacket over a blue Fantastic Four suit.

"Oh Hey! Thought I just heard someone call my name." The blonde responded

"Oh it's nothing, was just surprised that a superhero would come to a place like Midtown High." Peter said as he glanced sideways, silently chuckling at the fact that he was Spider-man.

"Hey chill man, was just taking a tour around here." Johnny smiled, resting his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"By the way, do you happen to know of a guy, I heard he comes to this school. His name is Peter Parker."

Peter's jaw dropped.

For once, almost the whole school paid attention to the nerdy Peter Parker in the cafeteria. People often took glances at the table he and Johnny were seated at, as they gossiped and murmured about the unusual company the geek had today.

"I can't believe it! Out of all people, the one that JOHNNY FREAKIN STORM came to visit was that geek Parker!" Sally cried out in disbelief, her hands flailing around in the air. "It just isn't fair!"

"That's quite the company Parker's got today" Randy chuckled as his girlfriend continued ranting away her incredible disdain.

"A decent audience. But he's still no Spider-man." Flash scoffed.

Among the lively group, sat a girl who was the only one who didn't say anything: Liz Allen. Peter's ex. The wound that he gave her still remained.

Ever since they broke up, she would avoid eye-contact with him whenever they met, not even bothering to say hi unless otherwise prompted. Though she was a little curious about why Peter was talking to a celebrity Superhero face-to-face, she did nothing except take occasional peeks at them from the corner of her eyes out of curiosity.

Meanwhile, on the opposite of Harry Osborn, sat two beautiful girls. A blonde with a black hairband and a foxy red-head. But their attention was not on the rich boy sitting in front of them.

Gwen gazed at Peter and Johnny with amazement and curiosity.

Wow...Pete...What kind of things have you been up to? she wondered as she continued to gaze at them.

"Well you should have seen his face when he bumped into him just now. It was quite a sight." MJ said as she gave a light giggle.

"Wow! Really?" Gwen replied, turning back to face MJ.

Harry looked on as the faces of two girls brightened up while they talked about Peter. He did not like it. It was all about Peter. Again. Peter always got the thing that Harry wanted. Good grades, his own father's recognition, good physique without drugs and lastly, Gwen. How could he have Gwen too? Just when Harry thought that he had truly gotten Gwen, it turned out that she actually harboured feelings for Peter instead! How could she?! How could he?! This cannot be. This must not be. Gwen was with Harry first. Harry has to take from Peter what's rightful his.

"Welll, since more superheroes keep popping up nowadays, it's not surprising that you may eventually run into one. It may even become a common thing" Harry cut in, attempting to steer away the spotlight away from Peter.

"Really..?" they asked, slightly sceptical about it.

"Well really! Anyways, I wouldn't be too surprised if one came looking for me too! " Harry replied as he slowly directed their focus away from Peter and Johnny

I wouldn't let you have her attention Pete, Harry thought maliciously as he stole a contempt-filled glance at his 'bestfriend'.

"So you wanted to ask me about Spider-man."

"Well that's right Parker! I wanna know exactly what he does that gets everyone's attention!" Johnny chirped

"Well... I guess maybe its because he helps people and fights crime?"

"What were his major exploits then?"

"Not really sure... I guess he did take down some animal-themed lunatics like vulture, Doc Ock, Kraven or Mysterio... if you count his helmet as a fishbowl"

"pfftt!" both of them gave a light chuckle at the mention of the villain's ridiculous gear.

"Well why do you wanna know Mr Storm?" Peter asked.

"Johnny. Just call me Johnny. Well...it's actuallyy kinda personal, but to cut a long story short, I just don't wanna be outdone by the one the media calls a menace in terms of hero work." Johnny explained

Peter sighed. Well... I kind of expected it.

"You see... we the Fantastic Four spend most of our work in either some distant land, planet or dimension and rarely have the time to do hero work in urban environments, so I'll need some clues on how city vigilantes operate. And what better person to ask than a photographer who follows them closely like you!" Johnny exclaimed as he clicked his fingers and pointed to Peter.

"So basically, you want to learn how you can beat Spider-man in popularity in the public media."

"Errr... not really...I...urmmm...I...hehe I guess I was a liiittle too obvious.." Johnny rubbed the back of his head with slight embarrassment.

"Well anyways Johnny, you see...Spider-man's not really a menace...he does help people.. and also captures criminals like vulture and Mysterio." Peter defended.

"Well your boss says otherwise. Anyways, he kinda seems like a try-hard wannabe hero to me. He even broke into my building the other day in an attempt to join us! Would you believe it!?"

Well that went well, Peter thought at the back of his head, silently reminiscing his failed audition for the Fantastic Four.

"Nevertheless, I definitely would not be outshined by him!" Johnny declared.

Peter sighed as he lay in bed. During their discussion, he had told Johnny about Spider-man's routine patrols and ways he checked for crimes scenes. A part of him wished that he didn't do that. Maybe he should have just told Johnny nothing and let him figure it all out himself.

But did he really have a reason to want Johnny to fail? After all, Johnny was a superhero just like him and if he wished to beat Spidey in catching criminals, wasn't it good for the city? By right, Peter should have been happy that he had helped the Human Torch to be more proficient in hero work.

However, deep down, the competitive part of Peter's heart just wanted to beat Johnny. To prove to that ego-filled fireball that he was indeed better than him. Better than his seemingly self-centred and attention-seeking ways. Perhaps he could try. A little competition wouldn't hurt right?

Peter rolled over in bed. "I guess I should see how it'll work out tmr," he thought to himself.

The next day, Peter resumed his usual routine as Spiderman. Hmmm, I wonder if I'll run into that matchstick today...

Just then, Peter's sharp ears picked up the faint sound of a bank alarm going off. I may have told him my usual routes for patrolling, but I still have my superhuman senses to give me the edge! Peter thought as he started swinging towards the sound of the alarm.

Suddenly, he spotted an incredibly hairy individual among a crowd of people. He stopped to take a look and witnessed a man of dressed in a hairy suit that very much resembled an ape. His body also seemed to have some simian proportions as his arms were a little long and slender. He was hanging off the side of a building as passer-bys watched in shock and disgust.

"ARGGGH WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET DOWN FROM THERE!" several onlookers shouted.

"What is this guy, an escapee from a mental asylum or a monkey from the zoo, I can't tell" a male bystander mockingly remarked.

The costumed man curled his lip in disgust. "First, everyone mocks me for my physique. They called me an ape. Now that I've finally donned this costume and embraced who I am, you still dare to make fun of me. Let me show you who I am! I'm the GIBBON!" and with that, he sprang off the ledge he was perched on and attacked the bystander who mocked him.

"Wha-" the man's eyes widened as he saw the hairy assailant sail through the air, towards him. With a swift swing from one of the Gibbon's lengthy arms, the man's vision blacked out and he collapsed onto the floor.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" several other bystanders screamed

"SOMEONE CALL THE COPS!" a lady cried out.

"Well Miss, you may want to call the Animal Control instead." A quippy voice called out.

Gibbon turned around.

"SPIDER-MAN!" The Gibbon and the Bystanders cried out in unison.

"Hrrrr I guess it's true that I'm always bound to face animal-themed lunatics. What are you this time? A monkey?"

"A GIBBON! I'M THE GIBBON!"

"Ohhh right... you don't have a tail! Sorry bout that...Anyway, I can't let you go around doing things like that." Spidey replied as he pointed to the bystander the Gibbon had knocked out.

The Gibbon's face narrowed with rage. He's mocking me. He thought. He thinks he has the right to contain me. I'll teach him!

With that, he roared. "YOU! YOU'RE JUST LIKE ONE OF THEM! JUST LIKE THIS SOCIETY THAT ENCLOSES US AND PREVENTS US FROM DOING WHAT WE WANT TO DO! I'LL BEAT YOU TOO!" And with that, he lunged at Spidey with rage burning in his eyes.

Indeed, he was like a beast. His movements more simian than human. In his moment of rage, he felt powerful, like he could do anything. He would break out and teach the society that did not accept him a lesson.

But his thoughts were suddenly disrupted as Spidey flipped over him and did a dropkick onto him, knocking him right flat into the pavement beneath.

The Gibbon lay sprawled there, on all fours, knocked unconscious with his face ppanted into the sidewalk as Spidey scratched his head.

So I guess he wasn't that much Superhuman after all, guess I was too used to fighting powerful guys in suits, I expected a little more from him. Spidey wondered to himself as he webbed up the Gibbon to leave him for the police.

Hmmm I wonder where the police are? Oh right! The Bank Robbery! I've got to go! Spidey then took off and continued on the route he was previously using.

When Spidey arrived, it was already all over. Bank robbers were handcuffed and led into police vans by officers. The red and blue flashes of the sirens lit up the scene. There seemed to be no signs of apprehension from the police side, indicating that all conflict had been resolved.

I guess they didn't need me after all, Peter thought to himself.

"Hey web-head, where have you been so far, I took care of this scene before you got here." a familiar, flamboyant voice called out.

Oh wow, so it was Johnny's work. Peter thought. "Well good job Torchie, you took care of it, keep it up!"

"Hey webs," said Johnny as he flew towards Spidey and landed to talk to him.

"Why don't we compete to see who can stop the most crime, taking into account the number and magnitude of it." Johnny proposed.

"Heh heh heh, you're a funny one Johnny, you know that I'm far more experienced at this sort of thing than you."

"Yeah, we'll see about that web-face,"

"Yea yea whatever...see ya next time Matchstick!" Spidey shouted as he webbed off, not even looking back.

"M-M-MATCHSTICK!? WE'LL SEE WHO'S THE QUIPPY ONE WHEN THE PAPERS COME OUT!" Johnny retorted as he shook his fist at the web-slinger.

The next day, Peter woke up, only to be greeted by another headline that yet again, desecrated his name :HUMAN TORCH THWARTS BANK ROBBERY WHILE MENACE SPIDER-MAN BEATS HOMELESS, HAIRY MAN INTO THE PAVEMENT On the front page, were two images. One showed Johnny flying above the bank robbery scene and while the other, depicted the scene of Gibbon imprinted into the pavement by Spider-man.

'beats homeless hairy man' That definitely does not sound good. Peter shuddered. Perhaps I shouldn't submitted that photo in the first place. Anyways, I hope I'll do better today.

But the next few days were not in Peter's favour. Johnny's speed and power allowed him to apprehend criminals more quickly as they often had little answers to his pyrokinetic abilities. He even managed to nab one of Peter's own foes, the vulture! Matchstick even commented on how Adrian Toomes looked like a chicken on fire as he frantically landed due to Johnny's flames burning up his wings. Johnny was praised as Manhattan's incredible teenage the other hand, Peter ran into yet another animal-themed criminal who proved to be not-so superhuman. Again, Peter overestimated his opponent and ended up injuring him more than he intended.

"I-I am the Grizzly. And don't you forget that Spider-man, the man who was wearing a bear suit threatened as he was taken away."

Geez what is up with these guys nowadays, it can't be Halloween, it's only MAY! Peter wondered

But things only got worse as rumours began to spread online:

"FIRST GIBBON, AND NOW GRIZZLY. DOES SPIDER-MAN HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST PEOPLE DRESSED IN FUR SUITS? MAYBE HE HATES FURRIES!"

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that. Peter thought, as he wore the most confused expression on his face upon reading it.

Things weren't much better in school either as many of Peter's schoolmates giggled at Spidey's recent exploits, with Flash being one of the few to defend him.

"Hmph! Guess he likes to harass freaks just like him. What a loser!" Harry spat.

Peter sighed. Alright Matchstick, you win, even though I didn't actually agree to compete with you.

It was not long before the two superheroes once again crossed paths at the very heart of New York city, on a main street.

"Hey Spidey! Howd'ya doing? holdin up with all your furry friends?" Johnny teased.

"Sorry Matchstick, couldn't bring them along as I had to drop em off at the Zoo."

"Matchstick? Well anyways, you're no match for me Spider-man," Johnny grinned.

"Hey! Quipping's my thing Bunsen burner! At least let me have a role in that!"

"Bunsen Burner!? Hey listen up web-spurt, before I turn you into a pile of-

"BEHOLD THE POWER OF MYSTERIOOOO~"

Johnny and Peter looked in the same direction to see a rather familiar-looking figure with a fishbowl helmet, surrounded by green smoke.

They soon turned and gave chase after the illusionist.

"Hey! I can't get any closer with that-

"VVVVFFFFRRRTT" Johnny's trail of flames obstructed Peter's path, forcing him to take a slower, more unconventional route to the magician.

Mysterio was just about finishing plundering a jewellery store when he spotted the human torch flying towards him from a great distance.

"Ahhh, so it is the huuumaan torchhhh. But he cannot defeat Mysteriooooo~" The illusionist then mounted a mechanical dragon and flew off.

"Cannot defeat you? why don't you say that after I crack that fishbowl helmet of yours!" Johnny retorted as he angrily boosted his flames to increase his speed.

"WAIT! JOHNNY DON'T LET HIM PROVOKE YOU! THIS GUY'S TRICKY-"

But Johnny was not listening as he intently chased the master magician. Peter was soon left in the dust as he could not keep up with Johnny's explosove speed.

Eventually, Peter managed to track them down to an old, abandoned warehouse as he saw Matchstick enter it from the distance.

I've got a bad feeling about this, He thought as he landed on the side of the building.

It had been minutes since Johnny had entered the building. Could something have happened. Peter heard some noises when Johnny first flew in, and now it was much quieter. Did Johnny beat Mysterio? Or has Mysterio captured Johnny?

As Peter crawled in from a window, he realised his gut-feeling was right. There, in the main room of the warehouse, before Mysterio, stood Johnny, frozen in a huge chunk of ice!

Wow. That idiot. He probably fell head-first into one of Mysterio's traps. Liquid Nitrogen I see. Peter deduced as he spotted several pipes and tanks of liquid nitrogen hanging above.

On the floor, were full of thugs and henchmen. There were many of them, armed numerous weapons too.

So many thugs. If were to try to take them all out here, I may actually risk hurting Johnny. Also, since when was Mysterio such a Kingpin? Spidey wondered.

"Today I, Mysteeeerriooooo present to you the man responsible for many of your mishaps these past few days, the man who disrupted countless of your operations, I have taken time to study his behaviour and movement patterns to set up an elaborate trap to capture him. It had taken up quite some of my time and resources to capture this man. I present to you, the Humaaan Toooorchh~" Mysterio declared as he gestured both of his arms the solid ice-block while he stood in front of the huge crowd.

A middle-aged man dressed in a suit and spectacles stepped forward. He had brown, neatly combed hair. Unlike most of the thugs around him, he was more composed and properly mannered. He also seemed to command a high level of respect from the thugs around him.

"Thank you Mr Beck, for your cooperation, our boss will be pleased. You shall be properly compensated for this job we have offered you. As you can see, he really takes this seriously as he has sent numerous men to protect the package you have secured for us. He believes that the package will not only remove a minor hindrance, but also have a great multitude of uses." He stated, in the usual formal business tone.

So Mysterio isn't their boss, he's working for them, which means...there's another crime boss? Arghh who could it be this time? Lincoln, but I thought I crippled his business. Silvermane? In prison. Doc Ock? Not his style. Gobby? Oh Nevermind! Anyways I've got to save Johnny from this pinch now! I guess one good thing about being outshined by Johnny is that they totally forgot about me!

Spidey then took off into the shadows of the alleys of the warehouse.

"My pleasure. Anyway, before you take him away, may I ask a question? What do you plan to do to him, now that he's essentially frozen and helpless?" Mysterio asked the bespectacled man.

"As of now, we will keep him frozen until we've decided what to do to him. He has so much potential in this frozen state. He could be used for energy, scientific research to make super-powered criminals, a bargaining chip against the Fantastic Four, or even sold off to his nemesis Doom. But I'm afraid we can't disclose the final decision to you since you're not a part of our organization."

"What a waste...after all the trouble I took to freeze him. Well at least I'll be paid handsomely." The Illusionist lamented.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble or fishbowl, in your case, but I think it's time for this ice cube to thaw." A cheeky voice cried out.

Mysterio's eyes widened.(well if you could see them) He recognised that voice. "Spidermaan, how did you get-"

But before he could finish, a small, rectangular metal container crashed into the ground a few metres away from him. It exploded into a huge mess of a white, sticky substance. It was a web-shooter catridge. The mesh of webs engulfed Mysterio, the bespectacled man, as well as numerous other nearby thugs, trapping them as they struggled to break free from the fluid. They looked up to see a figure dressed in a red and blue spandex swinging down towards the ice block that held Johnny.

"GET HIM! DON'T LET HIM GET TO THE FROZEN TORCH!" The bespectacled man yelled.

"Heheh now they're calling him the frozen torch. This guy never runs out of nicknames does he?" chuckled Spidey as he dodged several projectiles mid-air.

Numerous thugs ran towards the ice block in an attempt to secure it. But Peter was not going to let them do it.

Spidey attached a web to a pile of fire extinguishers he had collected throughout the warehouse and prepared for this moment. Yanking it towards himself, Peter scattered the fire extinguishers among the crowds of thugs.

"PSSSSTTT!" They exploded upon hitting the floor, releasing powerful jets of white foam that knocked nearby thugs off their feet. It also obstructed their sight and hearing, causing them to stumble into each other aimlessly, churning up confusion in the massive crowd. The warehouse was a mess.

Though it was not enough to take them all out, it was enough to clear a path for Spidey to grab Johnny. As he landed beside the encapsulated Human Torch, Spidey wrapped several strands of webbing across it. Holding on to the ice block and webbing with his left hand, Peter used his right to spin a web into the distance and catapulted himself off into the distance, along with Johnny still frozen.

"HEYY! STOP! I'VE WORKED HARD FOR THAT!

"Whelp! Sorry fishbowl head! Hope you enjoy that prize money!" Spidey teased as he disappeared from sight.

"NOOOO CUUURSE YOU SPIDER-MAAAN" Mysterio shook his fists angrily as he struggled in the webbing that trapped him.

The bespectacled man sighed and straightened his glasses. "Well Mr Beck, I'm sorry to say this but, we cannot pay you until we have properly secured the agreed package.

"WHAT?! After all the work I PUT THROUGH? SPIDER-MAAAAAANNN!"

On a random rooftop, Spider-man patiently melted and chipped away at the ice that surrounded Johnny's body.

"So, you promise you won't tell anyone about this?" Johnny asked worriedly.

"Not a word Matchstick, not a word..." Spidey replied as he continued chipping away the ice.

"Hey, just sayin, I had it under control back there...But thanks man,"

"Johnny you're still covered head-to-toe in ice, you were trapped and immobilised...Anyways, what did I tell you? I'm more experienced at this sort of thing. Mysterio's a tricky guy. He may not have powers but it's pretty dangerous if you underestimate him like that."

"Point taken."

both fall silent as Spidey continues thawing Johnny out.

"Hey Spidey,"

"Yea?"

"Sorry bout the past few days you're actually kind of a nice guy." Johnny apologised.

"Heh it's alright Johnny, I just did what I had to." Peter said casually as he continued working on the ice.

"Spidey! I think you can stop now, my body's warmed up enough."

"Okay, if you say s-

"FLAME ON!" Peter was pushed back as the ice block that previously encased Johnny was now shattered as it exploded into millions of small shards to reveal the bright plasma that wrapped around the Human Torch. His flame, his spirit shone brightly before Peter as he hovered in front of him.

"See you around Spider-man." Johnny said as he held out his fist to Spidey for a bro fist.

"Sure thing Torchi- Owww oooh!" Peter shook his burnt hand as he had foolishly bro-fisted Johnny's plasma-covered fist.

"HAHAHA YOU ACTUALLY FELL FOR THAT?! WELL SEE YA!" And with that, Johnny took off and flew out of sight.

"Heh, I'll see you around matchstick," Peter said as he grinned mischieviously.

The next morning, Johnny was not-so gently woken up by Ben Grimm's rough and enthusiastic voice.

"C'MON JOHNNY! JOHNNY! YOU GOTTA SEE DIS! CHECK DIS OUT! HAHAHAHA WHADDYA BEEN UP TO THESE DAYS HAHAHAHA!"

"What isit Ben? I had a beautiful dream where I was having a real good time with some hot babes, why'd you wake me up so ear-" His eyes widened with shock.

In front of his face, was the headlines of the newspaper that Ben shoved in his face. It read: FROM THE HUMAN TORCH TO THE HUMAN POPSICLE

There, on the front page, was a clear shot of Spidey breaking him out of the ice block, on full display in all it's glory. There was no mistaking it as Johnny's face and Fantastic Four outfit were clearly visible. His jaw dropped. His eyes widened. Johnny was speechless. How did this happen? HOWW? Who took this photo? WHO!? He looked down at the corner of the photo.

Although it was just morning, a scream of rage resonated throughout the Baxter building. If you had approached the source of this scream, you would also hear the sound of Ben's hearty laughter and Sue's annoyed pleas for Johnny to keep it down. But the teen just couldn't take it. His face twisted with rage as he gripped the newspapers so hard that they tore.

"PAAAAAAAAARRRKKKKEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"(*voice crack)

So that was it for episode 4!

Anyways, I just wanna thank everyone for reading this, and also for those who have given me constructive feeback! Really appreciate it. I'll do my best to let each character shine and have their own moments and I'll also try harder to be as detailed as possible and improve on the speed of the development.

Although I took a while for this chapter, do not worry as I do have plans to continue this series. Do continue to give any constructive feedback where needed. Stay tuned!

Next Episode: Spidey struggles to reach home on time!