The sun was beginning to set now, just as the students of 1-A began leaving the massive arcade. They were smiling and laughing with each other, a bit of adrenaline still running through them after laser tag. Bakugo still hung in the back, not bothering to interact with any of his classmates. Peter hung around Momo and Izuku, talking about the day overall.

"I'm really happy you guys brought me here, it means a lot to me," Peter smiled, "I really needed this."

"Of course!" Momo said, "We're friends, so we look out for each other. Besides, everyone else had a good time to! Even Bakugo, whether he admits it or not."

"I can hear you!" He shouts from the back.

Many of them laughed as Bakugo simply scoffed and turned his head. Peter was glad he came today and was able to grow closer to his classmates. He felt that his bond with them had grown stronger, at least with a few of them.

"Peter?" Overcast called out to him as she caught up with the group, "Hey, I was hoping we could talk for a minute?"

Peter looked to his friends for a moment, seeing what their faces thought of this, "You guys go ahead. Izuku, I'll see you at home. I'll be fine with Overcast."

"Oh, ok," He said, walking away with the rest of his class.

"See you at school, Peter!" Momo called out.

"Bye bye!" Mina jumped and waved.

Peter waved to them with a smile on his face. Seeing them walking toward the sunset was a beautiful sight, making him happy to have met them at all. Besides Bakugo's attitude, they were an enjoyable group to spend time with. He felt closer with some more than others, but there was still a sense of security with them.
Peter turned around and faced Overcast with his hands in his pockets, "So, um, what did you want to talk about?"

"Questions I'm required to ask," Overcast replied, "I'm sorry. I know you just got it off your mind, but I need to ask about what happened yesterday."

Peter's expression dropped as he tried to maintain eye contact, "What do you want to know?"

"Those villains came for you, Peter. They wanted you out of the picture. You weren't even going after them while you're here, so why did they want you dead so badly?"

Peter was silent. There wasn't a lot that he could really say to her without talking about the stones. He couldn't let anyone else know about them unless he trusted them or didn't have a choice.

"I thought about this for a while," Overcast continued, "And I realize maybe it has something to do with whatever you aren't telling the police."

"What do you mean?"

"They know there's more to it. The Rhino went on about some stone he was looking for, before the 'bug' stopped him."

Peter gulped, his heart sinking into his chest as she continued to speak.

"What do you know about this stone he was talking about, Peter? I really need you to work with me."

He tried to get a word out but found it impossible to speak. He just couldn't bring himself to talk about anything, it goes against everything that he is. Telling her about the stones would only put more people in danger, and he wasn't going to let that happen, "I don't know anything, Overcast. I'm sorry, but I just don't know anything. I stopped Rhino when I first arrived, that's it. I don't know anything about some 'stone', or why they are here at all. It scares me just as much as everyone else."

She examined his answer with her arms crossed, taking notes on his body language and facial expression. She knew something was amiss, but she wasn't going to pry it out this way. She needed another tactic to get the answer. Unfortunately, any idea's she has aren't something she herself can pull off.

"Ok," She sighed, "How about I walk you home. It'll be dark before we get back."

"Ok, lead on."

The walk back home was a silent one as the moon lifted into the sky. Peter kept to himself as Overcast kept an eye on their surroundings. She worried that she may have made things awkward with her question earlier, but it was a necessary evil. She was told to ask about it, whether he was comfortable or not. The police were cracking down on this case trying to figure out where these new villains may be, and his input could help them. However, it can only help if he's willing to share.

Overcast looked up into the sky and sighed, "Nice night, huh?"

Peter looked at her briefly before turning back to the path before them, "Yeah, it is."

"You ever actually been around the town?"

"Not really, been so focused on school." Of course, this wasn't completely true. He had seen a lot of the city when traversing it during his outings as Spider-Man.

"Why do you do this, Peter? Go to school I mean. Train to be a hero?" She asked.

Peter didn't look at her, or even change his movement pattern. He had been asked this before, and again he didn't feel like answering.

Overcast simply sighed and looked forward, "My family was murdered."

Peter jerked his heard toward her with widened eyes, "What?"

"My family," She continued, "They were murdered by villains. These people were granted powerful abilities and they chose to use them …to kill. I was young at the time, but I still feel I could have done something. I was only spared because I did what my parents said and hid. My mom, dad, and brothers …all murdered in a villain's rampage. I've lived with that guilt for a very long time. I dedicated my life to stopping people with powers from hurting others," She looks at him with glossy eyes, the memory still painful for her, "How about you? Who did you lose?"

"…How did you know…?"

"I know what it looks like, when you're eternally grieving inside."

Peter sighed, his own eyes becoming glossy as he looked to the ground, "…My uncle. Once, I wanted to use my powers to win some money while wrestling. I won match after match because of my powers. It went all the way to my head, though. One night, someone robbed the wrestling arena, and I let them get away because I didn't think it was my problem …but …" Peter clenched his fist, "That same man later murdered my uncle on the street. He'd still be alive if I had just done the right thing."

Overcast listened carefully to him, shifting herself closer to him for comfort, "You want to make up for it. I get that, I really do. And I'm going to guess it's why you won't talk about what happened yesterday, right? You feel its your responsibility and yours alone."

He didn't answer, but she had a feeling she was spot on.

The two of them stopped, just at the street crossing. Peter didn't make eye contact despite her gestures, "Peter, you can talk to me. We want to help you stop these guys."

"You want to stop them for me," he blurted out, immediately regretting it.

"So, you do feel its your fight," She confirmed, "Peter, please. Let us protect you."

He couldn't bring himself to meet eyes with her. Of course, he wanted to badly to open up about what was going on. Only himself really knew what was at stake. As much as he wanted help, he knew it was better to go at it alone.
"…Can we just …go home now?" He asked.

It was clear this was their stopping point in the conversation. Try as she might, there wasn't much more she could get out of him tonight, "Ok," She sighed, "Come on, I'll take you back."

Elsewhere

Shockers fist collided with the wall of the empty room, earning a flinch from his comrades, "She must be insane," He said, "Peter Parker has two of the stones and we're just here twiddling our thumbs! Why don't we kill him now?!"

"Because she has a plan," Goblin spoke, "Believe me, I want him dead too. But she insists that it's all apart of her grand scheme."

The villains stood roughly in a circle, talking across to one another. Hydro Man sat in the corner fiddling with his powers, while The Vulture hung on a bar high above. He watched the show from above as the villains grew angrier with each passing second.
"You told me where he was because you wanted him out of the way," Shocker stated, "Now you're ready to submit to this woman?! Since when do you take orders?!"

"I don't!" Goblin shouted back, "Believe me, I have a plan of my own. A new plan, in fact. But we need to wait until the right day comes. I've been …communicating with the other villains of this city and working out a sort of deal."

Shocker crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow under his mask, "Go on."

"Our 'accomplice' believes Peter can find the stones faster and more efficient than we can. Me however, I believe that having him on the chess board only complicates our strategy. We could have killed him and been done, then the stones would have been ours. Of course, I'm not stupid. I recognize my own mistakes."

Goblin fiddled with the infinity gauntlet over his hand, "I realize we rushed in to the police station. We were eager to kill him once and for all. This time, however, we are going to be more …patient. Her and I may disagree on many things, but …perhaps a more tactical approach is what we need afterall."

…

Goblin roamed the dark streets of the city with a massive black cloak over his body. It wasn't much protection as he was still massive, but it was enough to cover him under the midnight moon. He stepped into the alley of a supposedly abandoned building, waiting there with his arms crossed. Thanks to his heightened senses, he knew what was coming to meet him.
A portal of black opens, and out steps two beings. One was a man in a suit, who's head was nothing more than black smoke and big eyes. The other was smaller and pale, with dismembered hands sticking to his face and body. The pale man was slouched as he addressed the goblin.

"So, what exactly can you offer?" he spoke. His voice sounded like he was a child holding back excitement.

"You're apart of the League of Villains, as you call yourself," Goblin smirked, "Let's say I have villains of my own to offer you. I heard rumors of a little …mission you're planning on taking. I believe we can both benefit from my help."

The pale man scratched his head, "How many villains are we talking about?"

Goblin smirked, "A whole worlds worth."

The Next Day

Homeroom came rolling in the next day, and everyone had been talking about the night before. Some considered going back to the arcade again, others complained about what they didn't like. Izuku and Peter came in at the same time, taking their seats as they waited for the time to go by. As soon as Peter sat down, Mina came rushing to him with a smile.
"Hi Peter!" She exclaimed, "Did you have fun yesterday? Because I had a blast!"

Peter laughed and greeted her, "I had fun, Mina. Thank you. What did you do afterword's?"

"I went home and watched some sci-fi movies. The laser tag game just got me so pumped!"

"What movies?"

"Just some old ones I found laying around," her eyes lit up, "Hey! Maybe I could show them to you! It would be fun to watch them together!"

Momo's voice suddenly butted in, reminding them that she was sitting next to them, "I'm sure Peter will probably have homework anyway."

"Well, not tonight actually," Peter said, "Got some done ahead of time. I had nothing better to do. So, I probably could watch them with her."

"Are we talking about movies?" Ururaka walked toward them, gaining interest in their words, "I like Sci-Fi too, which ones are we talking about?"

"'Heart in the Vortex'," Mina replied, "It's a romance Sci-Fi that's based off the book series."

"Oo! I'd like to see that!"

Momo quickly stood up, "We should all probably get to our seats should we not?"

The other girls looked down, but nodded, "Okaaaaaay," Mina said, "But I'm holding you to that, Peter!"

"Noted," he said.

Just as Mina began to go back to her seat, Momo moved close to her and gently took her arm, "Hey, um … do you like Peter? You just seem to get attached to him when he's around."

Mina looks between Momo and Peter before smiling, "I could probably ask you the same thing. But I don't know, I just like talking to him. He makes me feel appreciated."

"Appreciated?" She questioned, just as their teacher came walking in.

"Yaoyorozu, Ashido, sit down." He scolded.

"Yes sir!" they exclaimed before jumping to their seats. Momo still looked at Mina, wondering what she meant about feeling 'appreciated'.

Lunch rolled around, and everyone rushed to the cafeteria. Mina grabbed her food and started looking for a place to sit. Normally, she finds herself sitting with Kirishima or Tsu. However, she lit up when she saw Peter sitting not far from her. With a smile on her face, she power-walked over to him. Sitting with him was Izuku, Ururaka and Tenya as they always were.
"Hi, Peter!" Mina said, earning their attention, "Is it ok if I sit with you guys today?"

"Oh, well It's fine with me," Peter said as he looked to his friends, "Guys?"

"Sure!" Ururaka said, "We're all friends here."

Mina eagerly sat down across from Peter, placing her tray down firmly, "What are we talking about?" She asked.

"We're anticipating todays class with All Might," Tenya answered, "It's supposed to be another rescue mission in Ground Beta. However, the scale is supposed to be higher this time around."

"Gives me a chance to redeem myself," Peter said, "Since I failed it last time."

"OOOo, sounds fun!" Mina said, "Is it a one-person rescue, or teams?"

"I think teams?" Izuku questioned, "But we never got a straight answer. All Might likes to have his surprises."

Peter eyed Mina with suspicion, but not in any way that accused her of a crime. It seemed strange that she wanted to sit with them since she never has before, "How come you aren't sitting with Kirishima or Tsu today?"

"Hm?" Mina perked, "I don't know, I guess I wanna talk to my other friends more. Even though we're one class, we seem to stick to a group of three or four each. I just wanna change that."

Peter raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Well, that's really sweet of you Mina. You're a good person."

Mina was taken aback, and her cheeks began to blush. It was somewhat harder to see it against her pink skin, but it was still noticeable overall. She straightened the tie on her uniform and tried to air her shirt out through the collar, "Aw stop, you're making me fluster."

The other four laughed along with her, making her joyful and proud. Momo had watched from her own table, beginning to understand what she meant earlier that day. Jealous as she was, she was happy for her.

The Hero class came around, and everyone gathered their gear together. All Might took them to Ground Beta, standing in front of the massive doors. He stood there with his fists on his waist, towering over his students, "Alright! Today's rescue shall be in teams of 5! The heroes, and the villains!" he points to the buildings in the fake city, "One of these buildings has a 'nuclear bomb' that will go off in half an hour! The heroes must find and disable it before the city is wiped out, and the villains need to stop them. Clear?"

"Clear!" They all shouted.

"Now, do we have volunteers for the heroes of the first round!"

Many of the students shot their hands up, some at the same time. Only a few managed to beat them in time, and All Might called them out, "Peter! Tenya! Mina! Tsuyu! And Toru!"

"WOO!" Toru shouted from the back, making everyone 'look' at her. How she managed to beat them was confusing, considering her quirk made her invisible 24/7. She was nothing more than a floating pair of gloves.

"Alright!" All Might said, "Our hero team will be sent in, without knowing who is put on the villain's team! Each group will be given ear phones to communicate with their allies. Since Peter makes the numbers uneven, his team will be put at a disadvantage this round. The villain team will have 6 members instead of 5. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" They shouted.

The five were let inside as the door shut on them. Immediately they took position in an alleyway, kneeling with each other.

"So, we should discuss quirks first," Spider-Man suggested, "We need to know who can handle what."

Tsu was the first to speak, "My frog quirk lets me maneuver pretty quickly. You, me and Tenya are probably the best for traversing the city quickly."

"Good point," Tenya said, "Mina's acid could provide use against our enemies too. Remember how she made me slip during laser tag? Perhaps she could do the same for everyone else."

"You're lucky I dumbed the intensity of that acid," Mina smirked, "Or that would have stung a lot."

"What about me?" Toru asked, "What can I do?"

"Your invisibility," Spider-Man addressed, "You're the best chance of finding the bomb undetected. If your carful, we can keep them busy while you win the round for us."

"Oh, wow!" She exclaimed, "Now I'm super excited! And kind of nervous …It's not often I get to be this useful."

"You'll be fine," Spider-Man smiled, "Our opponents will be here soon, let's get to work!"

Everyone stood up, except for Toru who was stopped by Minas hand on her shoulder. As the others walked away, Mina gave her a serious look.

"Everything ok?" Toru asked.

"Yeah …" Mina answered, "It's just …I know what that's like."

"Know what what's like?"

"Not feeling useful."

She didn't say anything else as she stood up and peered out the alleyway. Toru only stared in confusion. It wasn't often she saw this side of Mina, as someone more vulnerable. She was always so cheery; what exactly was on her mind?

Everyone suddenly covered their ears at the sound of sonic waves rushing through the streets. Down the street, a girl with short dark-blue hair had her hands in her pockets. From her ears hung what seemed to be ear-phone jacks, which stretched and plugged into her boots. From her boots, massive sound waves escaped and covered the streets. Windows shattered and littered the area in glass and debris.

"I'm right here," She said, "Come get me."

"It's Kyoka," Tenya whispered into the coms, "Getting past her will be difficult."

Spider-Mans senses went off, as he looked in the direction of Mina and Toru, "Girls! Lookout!"

Toru looked behind her, and immediately jumped forward to tackle Mina out of the way. Landing behind them was Momo with a club in her hand. She landed elegantly, standing up and facing her side to them. Mina stood up as well, staring her down with determination.

It was time to prove she was worth the appreciation.