Dr. Arthur Watts let out a small laugh. "I have to admit, when I heard that Otto Octavius, the man who was too timid to present his patent in time, had gained this much confidence and strength, I was beside myself."
"What are you doing here, Arthur?" Otto asked. "I was told you were dead."
"Yes, a clever ruse, if I do say so myself. Anything to keep our common enemy off of my trail."
"Common enemy?"
"Yes. General Ironwood. Old friend, you must have heard of what he did to me."
"James just told me that before you died, he denied your project and chose to work with Dr. Polendina."
Dr. Watts tightened his grip on his glass of water before taking a sip. "I held nothing back from James. I gave him everything he ever asked for. I only wished that he'd do the same. Instead, he disgraced me in front of everyone who wished they were my peers. He held me back just like he's holding you back."
"Holding me back?" Dr. Octavius asked. "What do you mean?"
Dr. Watts smiled beneath his mustache. "May I see them? Your extra arms, I mean."
Octavius paused for a moment before slowly exposing what he had been hiding. Dr. Watts stared in astonishment as the mechanical tentacles surrounded him.
"Incredible!" he praised as he examined one of the arms. "I must ask, how are they so flexible?"
"Smart metal. Used every last trace of it to perfect them."
"Fascinating. And how do you know where to use them when you're not looking?"
"Camera lenses. The neural implant that comes with the harness allows me mental control over my arms. I am also able to see what's right in front of it because of that."
"All that and the ability to break Grimm in an instant? And General Ironwood wants you to stop?"
Otto tried to look away. "He… He told me it would be safer for me."
"But James is not in control. He never was. He thinks extra Atlas security would keep the Vytal Festival safe, but the fact that I managed to get through proves how foolish he really is."
"What do you mean by that? Are you planning to attack the Vytal Festival? You're taking quite a risk telling me this."
"I'm doing more than just telling you, Otto. In fact, I'm here to ask you to join. We could use another three pairs of hands to work with."
"Join what exactly?"
"The same group which helped stage my demise. A syndicate, you might say. You see, we intend to get back at everyone who's ever wronged us and get what we deserve. In order to do that, we will have to take drastic measures that most people would be against. Would you?"
"You're actually asking me to join you in this conspiracy? Why in the world would I do that?"
"Oh, come now, Otto. I think you would want to join. After all, it's the only way to get what you truly want deep inside: revenge."
Otto widened his eyes and looked blank. He lowered his head with his mouth open while thoughts entered his mind. On the other side of the table, Arthur Watts smiled as he continued.
"Yes. We know about what you desire, who you hate, and why. You were too frightened to act on your desires, but now, you don't have to. You will not hesitate as you do whatever you'd like to that person. But before we can get there, you will have to fulfill your end of the deal. Just do what my patron says, and you will have everything you desire."
Otto thought for a moment before raising head back towards his old friend. "If I agree to this, what can we do?"
"Events are already in motion. Tonight, the Vytal Festival will begin its one-on-one competitions. The first match will prove that we are in control. When one of the competitors gets maimed in front of the whole crowd without provocation, you will see. And then…" Watts reached into his pocket and pulled out a white card before sliding it to his colleague. "Go to this address and you will meet up with my compatriots. I'd stay, but I need to leave Vale before James actually suspects something is amiss. I look forward to your answer, Dr. Octavius."
Watts lifted himself from his chair before leaving out the back. Otto was left sitting in the empty restaurant and lifting the card he was given with his tentacle claws. He examined the card while having sinister thoughts roam in his head. Thoughts about right, wrong, what he can do, what he shouldn't do, and how everyone will see him. In the end, his mind had started to become resolute and his mind was already made up.
As the sun set, the roaring crowd echoed throughout Amity Arena. But while everyone was in their seats, Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson had their own special spots. The two of them sat on top of the Colosseum wall watching from above. They had special snacks, popcorn, and sodas to drink while watching. Of course, Peter Parker had to be in his normal clothes to eat anything.
"So who's up first?" Mary Jane asked.
"Hard to say really." Peter said. "Unlike the brackets in the team battles, the opponents are chosen randomly right before the fight."
"Don't you think it's ironic how these kids are celebrating peace by fighting each other?"
"I asked the same thing. Ozpin said this competition is meant to strengthen our bonds with the other kingdoms. He then spouted a bit of philosophical stuff that I couldn't ultimately understand."
Mary Jane chuckled. "Hey, Tiger, is there any progress for us returning home?"
Peter sighed. "Not sure. Ironwood says he's doing everything he can, but it's hard to believe that with the extra work he's been doing with security personel."
"Why is this happening, Peter? We were just doing what we normally did. Then, suddenly, we were brought here in what could be a Final Fantasy world."
"I know. Believe me, I'd love to know what's going on and how we can go back to Earth. For now, though, let's just enjoy the moment."
Suddenly, the opponents were selected. It was Yang Xiao Long versus Mercury Black. They entered the battlefield and began their fight. The crowd cheered for the whole thing. It was a long battle that was pretty back and forth. But in the end, Yang came out the victor. In the skybox, Dr. Oobleck and Professor Port congratulated the blonde.
"That was awesome." Peter said. "Probably the…" Suddenly, his Spider-Sense tingled aggressively. So much so that it began to hurt him. He fell over holding his head in pain. Mary Jane leaned in to check on him.
"Pete! Pete, what's wrong?"
Suddenly, the two saw something bizarre on the screen. Mercury Black was just standing there, but for some reason, Yang jabbed right at his kneecaps and fired her dust right into it. He was sprawled on the ground yelling in pain while the crowd gasped in shock.
"That's what you get, you little…" Yang was interrupted when Atlesian Knights and soldiers circled her and pointed their guns at her. She was dumbfounded until she saw the replay of the incident. "What? Wait, that's not… He attacked me! I swear!" He words fell on deaf ears.
Emerald carried the screaming Mercury out of the battlefield while everyone looked terrified at Yang who was confused.
"What… What just happened?" Mary Jane asked.
"I don't know." Peter said. "But I don't think it means anything good."
Paramedics carried Mercury across the courtyard. There, they came across another paramedic standing beside an Atlesian airship. She placed Mercury on a stretcher and brought her into the ship with Emerald.
When the airship flew above, however, the paramedic and the pilot were revealed to be Cinder and Neo. Mercury continued his fake misery without even tryingto hide it.
"Oh, doc, tell me. Will I ever walk again?" Emerald punched her partner in the arm. "Ow! What's your deal?"
"Headache." Emerald said as she rubbed her forehead. "One mind I can handle, but two is a stretch. Not to mention, I think there was something strange that mixed with my Semblance."
"It doesn't matter now." Cinder said. "We all performed marvelously, including our Chameleon driver." Neo smiled in response to that.
Later, in an abandoned warehouse, the villains were watching the television which scolded Yang for her "cold-blooded" attack and Beacon for teaching her such a thing. Even Mysterio went public saying he couldn't believe what just happened, but left to deal with a horde of Grimm starting to creep at the kingdom. Emerald ended it by turning the TV off.
"Hey! I was watching that!" Mercury shouted.
"Shut up."
"Is this how you treat a patient?" Emerald grabbed a screwdriver and aggressively tightened the bolt on his metal leg. "OW! Too tight!"
"Enough." Cinder said. "Mercury put on a wonderful show. He was quite…"
Suddenly, the door opened. Emerald and Mercury prepared for a fight. Cinder, however, already knew who it was. The three of them waited until Dr. Otto Octavius approached them using his extra arms to walk. The children were awestruck while Cinder was delighted.
"Dr. Octavius, I presume." Cinder greeted. "Dr. Watts spoke highly of you. My name is Cinder Fall."
Octavius looked and observed Mercury with indifference. "Ah. Prosthetic legs. You weren't really hurt."
Mercury was still a little nervous around the man with metallic tentacles, but he answered. "Uh, yeah."
"And the attack?" Otto asked.
"That was due to Emerald's semblance." Cinder said. "The dear girl can fool anyone with eyes."
"Impressive." Octavius said. "And somehow, I doubt this is about winning the Vytal Tournament."
"Oh, it's about so much more than that." Cinder said. "And the best part is that no one will be the wiser. And tomorrow night, we will unleash a spectacle they'll never forget, no matter how much they want to."
"And if I assist, I will have what I want?"
"You'll get what you desire, but only if you follow orders. When this is over, I'll introduce you to the real mastermind and she'll take over from there." Cinder held out her hand and offered it to the tentacled man. "So what do you say?"
Dr. Octavius thought for a moment before shaking Cinder's hand with his own. "Cinder Fall, consider me your ally."
Author's Note: Never thought I'd get here so early in the story. But, like I said, it couldn't be helped. Thank you for understanding.
Any and all comments are welcome.