It was hard for Peter to sleep after his interaction with Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of his world. He tried to drift off and find him in the dreamworld again but found he could suffer no connection with the strange Doctor. Eventually he gave up and tried to rest his eyes for the few hours till dawn he had left. Despite listening to his music, Peter found he could muster little rest, and watched as the sun slowly crept through the window with the approach of morning. As his senses returned to him, his pain did as well, reminding him of the events one night prior not just his body, but also his pride.

The lights of the room quickly turned on and nearly blinded Peter's bruised eye, forcing him to hide his appearance swiftly under the covers. Izuku thankfully hadn't seen anything as he was standing near the light switch. "Morning, Peter," he said, "You excited?"

"…For what?" Peter asked, remaining under the covers.

"The Sports Festival is today, aren't you excited?"

Peter had completely forgotten about the sports festival. He had been so busy building his new suit and hunting down Tombstones base that the event slipped his mind. That, and he wasn't going to be participating it so he never paid any attention to the news around it, "Is that today? I mean, of course I'm excited to see you compete."

"Are you gonna be there?"

"Of course. I'll be right there cheering you on."

"…Can you take the blankets off? You're muffled and it's hard to understand you."

"…No."

Izuku sighed, attempting to remove the blankets himself, "Come on, Peter, please?"

"Nope! Nope! Nope!" he shouted, pulling them back and wrapping himself up like a cocoon, "I uh-! I sleep nude!"

An awkward silence took the room as Peter's face flushed. Of all the dumb excuses to concoct, sleeping commando was not one he expected.

"O-oh! Sorry! My bad!" Izuku laughed awkwardly, "I never noticed! I'll just head out then and let you get dressed!" He grabbed his backpack and awkwardly walked out of the room, "See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" He recoiled, "I mean-! Bye!" The door slammed, leaving Peter frozen for a moment to ensure he didn't return. Finally, he revealed himself from the blankets and felt the bruises on his face. They still stung, many of them feeling sore now after having time to settle. He wasn't going to be able to swing properly like this; a visit to Recovery Girl was required, if she was even available for anyone not participating in the Sport's Festival.

Peter finally stood up and got himself dressed, moving slowly due to the excessive injuries across his body. All he had the energy for was sweatpants and his blue hoodie, his web shooters hidden underneath his sleeves just in case. He didn't want to worry May or Inko by stepping out and showing them his injuries. They've already had enough heart attacks. Instead, Peter grabbed his backpack, left a note on Izuku's bed, and climbed out the window without making too much noise.

His hood remained over his head as Peter strolled through the streets of the city, looking out at the other people who pass by. Peter constantly worried that they would notice how bruised and beaten he was and ask if he was ok, not that it would be trouble, but he just wasn't in the mood to come up with any excuses for people he didn't know. As he walked, he thought about what happened the night before, how Tombstone had thrown him around his office and nearly killed him. His eye still twitched at the thought of that knuckle duster.
He can't keep doing this all by himself, he just can't. Every time he goes out there, he risks not coming back. He risks leaving Aunt May stranded in a parallel world, a world left at the mercy of whichever villain finds the Infinity Stones first. That wasn't something he could do, but the only way to fulfill that is by acting. The only way to prevent tragedy is by doing the very thing that just may cause it.

…

The festival was already packed with people before Peter even made it inside the dome-like arena they've set up. Outside the walls was like a small carnival, where stands were set up left and right for food, games and other activities. Everyone seemed to have been enjoying themselves, even a few Pro Heroes were scattered about, probably here to watch and judge their upcoming predecessors. Above him was a jumbotron, filming the main event of the festival live. It had yet to start, but at least he had a good view regardless of if he was inside or out. He wasn't going to waste the ticket Izuku gave him, but he wanted to check out the varies activities first.
His eyes were drawn to a dart game, themed for superheroes. The stand supporting the game was multicolored, matching the palette he often see's All Might wearing. In fact, even his face with that famous smile was plastered above the Stand Workers head. It made Peter chuckle, seeing how much merchandise there was of him, even in Izuku's room. The targets that were hung up were made to look like other superheroes. It's somewhat symbolic, in a way.

Mt. Lady and Kamui entered the festival not long after Peter, and immediately she had started checking out the various food related items available. Kamui and another Pro hero had been following behind her, not entirely pleased with her behavior upon coming to the event. When she wanted to purchase an item of food, the man told her it was ten dollars. Her face showed she didn't like the price, and immediately took on a flirtatious pose, telling him she left her money in another costume. Being a fan of hers, the man gave in and let her have the meal for free. Kamui could only wonder if she had any shame to spare.

"I was hoping to do some scouting while I was here," Kamui said as they continued walking.

"Yeah, too bad we're stuck working security this time," Said the other Pro Hero.

Mt. lady took a bite of her meal with a resting face, "Looks like the called Pro Heroes from all over to guard this thing. What a show."

Her expression completely changed upon recognizing Peter's hoodie a short distance away. Normally these gigs are boring, so it was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn't as stiff as Kamui. Finishing what she had already eaten, she jogged over to Peter waving her hand and calling his name. It was clear he noticed her, but chose to hide his face instead of greeting her back. Though confused, she kept her expression the same as she stopped next to him.
"Peter! It's good to see you!" She said, holding her food close to her hip, "I didn't realize you'd be out here. I thought you'd be inside the arena with your friends."

She only received an 'mhmm' from him as he continued to hide himself.

"Peter, 'mhmm' is not how you answer a lady when she asks you a question. What's the matter?"

He couldn't stop her from turning him around and seeing his face. It was bruised, battered and a few dry blood stains that he forgot to wash off. His expression changed to that of defeat as she put her food down to use both hands in examining his face, "What the hell happened to you?!"
"Nothing!" he answered, "I-it-it- it was nothing, I mean obviously not nothing, it was this guy at school a uh, a real jerk."

"You let a guy beat you up?"

"No! No not let…There was an acceptable amount of resistance involved in this assault."

"Tell me his name and I swear I will have him expelled from UA. Otherwise I'll find him myself and-"

"And do nothing," Kamui said as he caught up with her, his arms crossed with a stern look on his face, "You can't just harm an innocent kid."

"I wasn't actually going to do anything, Kammy. Relax. I was just … emphasizing for dramatic effect."
Mt. Lady grabbed the nearest napkin from a food stand and dipped the corner of it in her drink, "Come here," She pulled him closer and started wiping the dry blood off his face, much to Peter's protesting.
"This really isn't necessary! I'm fine!"

"Bruises and bloodstains are not fine, Pete. Hold still and let me finish."

It was fascinating to Kamui how quickly her vibe had changed upon seeing that Peter was hurt. It wasn't long ago that she would just flirt with him like any other guy, mostly just to mess around with their heads. Now, though, it seemed she was being rather protective, and not in anyway that evolved from flirting. Rather, this seemed more like a guardian's instinct, one relating to that of a parent.

She finally finished cleaning his face and placed the napkin in the trash, crossing her arms in success, "There, much better. Now can you tell me who did this to you?"

"Nope, sorry," Peter replied with no hesitation, "My secret. What exactly are you doing here, anyway?"

The third Pro hero stepped forward. He was a tall, muscular man of a wide build with slightly tanned skin. He had a square jaw, small eyes and short white hair, spiking out behind his head. His costume was a large headband with a stripped yellow and black pattern, matching the wrist guards and belt he also wore. On his chest was a cyan cardigan, exposing his lower torso.
"We're working the security detail on the festival. After the attack from a few weeks ago, no one is confident that the event won't be attacked or interrupted in some way."

"I don't blame anyone, even I'm still a little on edge," Peter replied, "But I think we'll be ok, especially with so many Pro Heroes here."

"Are you going to be competing in the festival?" Asked Mt. Lady.

"No, unfortunately. Since I'm a transfer student, I'm not allowed to actually be apart of any events."

"What?!" Mt. Lady scoffed, "That's stupid! I should have a talk with Nezu about this!"

Peter raised his hands to calm her down, "Please no. I don't need to be a part of the festival anyway. I've got enough going on as it is. The effort is appreciated but …please no."
Though she pouted, she also knew she had been defeated, "Alright, hun, you win. You going to stay out here for a while? I could use more interesting company than Kamui and Death Arms."

Peter slowly looked to the taller man behind her, "You're …name is Death Arms? Do you not think that's a little …violent?"

"No," He said sternly, a rather serious facial expression taking over.

Peter looked away with wide eyes and muttered to himself, "Oh-kay 'Drax'," Peter cleared his throat, "I should actually join my class in the stands, but I'll come out and see you during half time?"

"Sounds good, hun," She ruffled his hair, "Go have a good time, now."

With an awkward but sincere smile, Peter left the trio to their security job. Kamui looked at Mt. Lady with a raised brow, his arms still crossed, "Mt. Lady. You wouldn't happen to be a mother, would you?"

She turned around in utter disbelief, her pupils seeming to shrink in shock, "Agh! How could you even ask that?! A young beautiful woman like myself secretly being a mother?! Ridiculous! What ever made you think that?!"

"Nothing, I guess," Kamui backed off. If she wasn't a mother, why did she act like one toward Peter?

…

The halls surrounding the gigantic arena were nearly empty, almost everyone was already seated and waiting for the event to start. Though he looked, he could not find any trace of his classmates. There was a good chance they were already in the locker rooms, getting ready. It's alright, he'll see them eventually, most likely during half-time first. Kendo, Izuku, Momo, Mina and others would likely be looking for him in the crowds as well, and he'd be cheering them all one, whether they lose or not. Besides, it's not about losing, it's about showing everyone what they're capable of in the time they have.

"Peter," A voice rang from behind him, leading his eyes to find Mayume, also known as Overcast. She wasn't wearing her signature costume, however. Instead, she was dressed in jeans and a collar jacket, casual if not fancy. It was strange not seeing her wear her superhero getup, but also nice at the same time. It allowed Peter to see her more as human than superhuman.
"Overcast?" Peter asked aloud, "What are you doing here?"

"Just Mayume is fine right now. I'm not on the job," She reassured, "They pretty much packed this place with so many Pro's that I wasn't really needed. So, this is my day off to enjoy myself amongst the people."

"The people?"

"It's like you always say; Superheroes are basically celebrities. Sometimes it does us good to bring ourselves down to civilian level and enjoy the normal life for a day. Keeps me humble, at least. Might not stop a few people from recognizing me but, not like wearing glasses would change that…" She suddenly took notice of his injured state, though not to overreact to it, "You won the fight, right?"

He chuckled, crossing his arms and looking away slightly, "Not really, but I escaped it. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Alright, I trust you. But if there are kids at school causing you trouble, I'll stick up for you."

"I appreciate it, Mayume, thank you."

In the background, the announcer had started speaking with great enthusiasm, meaning the event was about to begin, "We better get in there," Mayume said, "Don't wanna miss anything."

"Right," replied Peter, as they entered and found their seats together, isolated from any serious crowds of people.

…

"Aw man!"

Mina pulled on the outfit of her gym gear; her expression clearly not proud of the attire. Everyone else getting ready in the locker room wore roughly the same thing in many different sizes. Some of the other classmates were sitting down and talking, while others were stretching and psyching themselves up for the coming challenges. Mina was one of the few unsatisfied with the outfit choices.
"I was totally hoping I could wear my costume!" She complained.

"At least everyone will be in uniform," Her classmate, Ojiro turned to her as he stretched his arm, "That'll keep things fair, right?"

"It'll be fine, Mina," Momo closed her locker, adjusting her uniform to fit. It was kept unzipped due to the need for her quirk to have exposed skin. She still needed a tang top, but as much skin as she could have exposed would benefit her, as strange as it sounds without the knowledge of how her quirk actually works.
"Today is about showing everyone what we are capable of, not how good we look doing it …" She paused, looking toward the ceiling, "Though that would probably help quite a bit. Actually I should probably think on that …" She pondered as she strolled over to sit at one of the tables.

"It's too bad Peter won't be joining us. I totally wanted to see him rematch with Kirishima!" Mina shouted.

"You impressed I won against him, Mina?" Kirishima asked from across the room, roaming over with a proud look on his face, "I admit, I'm pretty cool when I wanna be."

"Didn't Peter technically win the fight?" Asked Mina, earning a disregarding shush from Kirishima, "I'm just saying, you're probably bummed you won't get that rematch."

"Yeah, well, whatever! I'm gonna show everyone just what I'm made of! I'm just as good as Peter is!"
Mina laughed, leaning against the locker and checking her phone for the time. It wouldn't be long now before everyone got ready to head out. This was their chance to show the world they could be real heroes.
"Hey uh …Mina?" Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Jokes aside, for what it's worth, I think you'll do great out there. I mean, you've always had a pretty awesome quirk afterall! I'm sure you'll nail it with the crowd just by letting them see you."

Mina looked up from her phone, rather surprised by Kirishimas sudden compliment. If not for her pink skin, everyone would have seen the faint blush that had appeared on her face. Regardless of any embarrassing thoughts, she smiled warmly at him, "Thanks, Kirishima, you'll be great too! Fair game, whatever happens?" She holds out her fist, and he gladly responds by bumping it with his own.

The tender moment was interrupted when Tenya rushed in, shouting how it was almost time to head into the field. Everyones stomachs dropped in nervousness, except perhaps Bakugo. It was always hard for anyone to tell whether or not he felt anything other than anger. Izuku however couldn't help but hold a hand over his heart and let out a sigh of tension as Mineta panicked next to him.

"Midoryia," A voice called out, belonging to Shoto Todoroki as he approached the young green haired hero with a hand in his pocket. He looked serious, enough for everyone to look his way while he stared down at Izuku. Some were even worried they would have to jump in, as if Todoroki would suddenly get physical. In fact, it was sometimes harder to tell what he was thinking than Bakugo.

"From an Objective standpoint, I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you," He claimed, without an ounce of ego, rather as if stating it as a simple fact, "However, you've got All Might in your corner helping you out. I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you two, but know that I will beat you."

His words frightened Izuku, enough to make him want to back up a few steps. The silence was too much to bear, and it took Kirishima to step up and put a hand on his shoulder, "What's the big deal, why're you picking a fight all of a sudden, and right before we get started?" he asked, more concerned for Izuku's safety than his own. Even Mina worried Shoto was going to retaliate and even hurt Kirishima, her left foot was put forward in case she needed to jump in.

Todoroki shoved him off, nearly making Mina leap had he not spoken first, "We aren't here to be each other's friends. Don't forget this isn't a team effort," he said as he began walking away.

Though his words were clearly frightening, only adding to Izuku's nervousness, it still didn't break him, perhaps like how Shoto wanted them too. Instead, Izuku remembered something Peter had once told him.

Must have been crazy finding out about his true form, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah …" Izuku sulked, "It was kind of crazy …but I still respect him just as much, if not more than before! He's the gold standard for what a hero needs to be!"

"Maybe," Peter removed his hand, "But you're the gold standard for the hero you need to be."

"Wait a sec, Todoroki," Izuku looked to the floor as he called out to him, making the stone-cold hero stop in his tracks, "I don't know what's going through your head, or why you think you need to tell me that you'll beat me, and yeah, of course your better than me. You probably have more potential than anyone in the hero course. That's why you got in so easily. But…" He looked up with confidence, "I'll be aiming for the top too. Because I need to set my own Gold Standard for the kind of hero I want to be!"

Todoroki, though curious, didn't much react with anything more than "Fine" before walking out of the room. Izuku released a breath of relief, earning a pat on the back from Kirishima and being glad it was all over.

Momo, however, wasn't satisfied.

Yayorozu stood aggressively from her chair and stormed out after Todoroki, much to Mina's protesting. He was already part way down the hall when she left the room.

"Hey!" She called out, making him stop again, "What's your deal, Todoroki?"

"I told you," he turned around, "We aren't here to be friends."

"Don't try that on me. We are here to prove to everyone we can be heroes, not one-up each other by casting out threats."

"I made my intentions clear."

Her eyebrows stiffened, "Then your intentions need realigning. Because we are all in this hero gig together. 10 years from now, we could all be Pro heroes. And no matter how strong you think you are, we all will need each other. These moments, these challenges, they'll bring us together. We may only be friends now, but we have potential to be family. And I will not let you ruin that by driving a wedge between everyone because your ego is feeling threatened."

"I'm not doing this for my ego!" He finally raised his voice, backing off immediately after in regret. It was clear she found the nerve that was driving him.

"So, what is it? We all have something to prove so …" Her eyebrows relaxed, "Maybe it's whoever your trying to prove it to?"

"We're done," Shoto immediately shut down, walking away without anything else to say. His rejection only proved her point. This was more personal for him than it was for everyone else.

…
Peter and Mayume watched as the announcer introduced the coming classes from 1-A to 1-B, as well as everything up to the Support Class, where Mei was. With the crowds so big, it was unlikely his friends would see him, but he could at least see them. Izuku looked so nervous, probably because the sheer number of people terrified him. Mina seemed to be rather excited, nearly jumping out of her shoes in anticipation. Momo was confident like she always was, and he expected nothing less from the Vice President of the class. Still, there was a hint of nervousness in her eyes, much like everyone else who wanted to do their best.

He immediately spotted Kendo when she came in with class 1-B. She looked pumped and ready to fight in whatever way she had to. She had clearly been working out and training a lot by how good she looked. Had she done something with her hair before the event today? Something about it just captured his intrigue. Either way, her smile was enough to tell him she was ready for this.

Mei came in with the support class, and Peter knew exactly what her plan was after working so closely with her for the last few weeks. She wanted to show off her inventions to the crowd even if she lost the competition as a result.

The introductions came and went, and Bakugo was chosen for the opening speech. Of course, being Bakugo, all he did was rile everyone up by telling them he was going to win, making Class 1-A a target as well as himself. Peter could only pinch the top of his nose close to his forehead, in utter shock of his foolishness.

"Lack of confidence is not his problem, huh?" Mayume asked.

"No, it is not. You can expect nothing less from Katsuki Bakugo."

Mayume took a second look at the bruises on Peter's face, and sighed, "You really should head to the infirmary here and see Recovery Girl. I know you aren't participating, but you're still a student. I'm sure she'll help you out."

"I don't wanna miss anything, though. I'll head there during the halftime event."

He was stubborn, and she knew he wouldn't budge so easily, so she decided to just give up and let him enjoy himself, "At least tell me what actually happened."

"I did. What? You think I was lying."

"If there is one thing I know, Peter, it's that super heroes are incredible at playing pretend, especially around those they love."

Peter didn't speak further, instead playing it off as being more interested in the coming event than the conversation. Even she recognized that trick, having done it once or twice. She wasn't telling him everything, not that keeping secrets was anything new for a teenager, especially one with super powers.

Eventually, the first challenge is finally introduced; an obstacle course race. Every one of the students scrambled to get ready as the announcer called for the race to start. Peter's biggest worry for Izuku was that if he used his quirk to jump ahead, he'd break his legs before he could reach the finish line. He'd have to get creative to make it to the end. As everyone had started running, he looked to Mayume. This was the first time they had really had a moment alone without it being to protect him, or fight along side him. They weren't Spider-Man and Overcast, they were Peter and Mayume.

"Hey, so, Mayume," He started, grabbing her attention, "I wanted to ask you some stuff. Really get to know you for once."

"Ok, shoot," She teased the term by making his famous hand gesture.

"I wanted to ask about your family …what were they like?"

She was rather surprised that he'd bring this up of all things. It was a sensitive topic, but he wouldn't ask if he wasn't comfortable with her, "Any reason you wanna know? I'll happily share, I'm just curious."

"I just …lately I've thought a lot about my family, and my friends, and how much danger I've put them in. To me, they're worth it, even the ones I've already lost. My Uncle Ben made me who I am, and you said your family's words define you."

Smiling sadly, she placed her hands gently on her lap, "My dad was born quirkless. He got stuck in a job he didn't want, and it made him really unhappy. He was the type to hold his emotions in because he was scared if he ever shared them, people would only get mad at him for it. Everything changed however when he met my mom. They always got along, and she made him feel like he could speak freely without fear. That kind of connection lead to their marriage."

"Did your mom have a quirk?"

"Yeah. I inherited her Shadow quirk, as did my twin brother. My younger brother, however, was born quirkless like dad," Her smile faded away, replaced with a face of guilt, "My twin, Daichi, and I, we teased him about not having powers, but we never realized how much it hurt Koji. We never knew what it was like to be weak. I think it was that pain that drove him to want to be a police officer, prove that he could win without super powers."

"Did he ever prove it?"

"Once. We got into a fight, and he actually beat me, pinned me down. It was the first time I ever felt helpless despite my powers. The first time I felt what Koji had. It did bring us closer, at least. But it was too late for that, I guess …"

"How old were you when it happened?"

"…Daichi and I were 11, Koji was only 9," Tears had begun to flood her eyes, "He was only 9 years old, Peter," Hiccups took over her voice as it cracked and crumbled. Peter scooted closer to her and put his arm around her, holding her close to his body, hip to hip. Her tears landed on his lap, drying and staining his jeans.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," Peter apologized.

"Don't be," She sniffled, "It's actually really nice to talk about it."

"…My Uncle Ben wasn't perfect either. I always talk him up as a saint, but he made mistakes too. Sometimes he was too protective, never let me go anywhere alone when I was younger. He'd get frustrated easily when he didn't understand my homework. But he was also trying so hard to be a father again, to his grandchild, which was especially hard after suffering the loss of my parents. But he put on a brave face despite that, even if it sometimes made him angry."

"Do you ever wish you had more time with him?" She asked sincerely.

"I can't ever think about him without wondering that."

A loud boom caught their attention from the race track. Everyone was running through a mild mine-field, trying to dodge explosions. Izuku had gotten his hands on a large metal plate, and used it to protect himself from the explosion and send him flying straight across the finish line, ending in first place. People cheered loudly for him as his name appeared on the jumbo-tron.

"Look at that," Peter said, "He won first place without using his powers."

"Yeah, kids got real potential," Mayume said, "Can't wait to see what he does with his powers if this is what he's capable of without them."

As the next challenge was about to be announced, Peter suddenly started to feel a familiar drowsiness. The sound of the announcer's voice echoed across the arena, but just barely reached him as he spoke of the next challenge everyone would face. He looked around him, but even that which was close to his eyesight was fading into a blur. A voice was calling out his name, one he could just barely make out.

"…Peter…"

…

Peter eyes opened to the same area of outer space he dreamt of the night before, except this time planets he noticed to have been far away were somewhat closer now, enough to at least be noticeable. A few shooting stars were soaring in the distance, cutting through space clouds and fields of debris with their beautiful light. Below Peter's feet he could see a reflection, despite there not really being anything to stand on. Though he himself was just Peter, his reflection showed him in his classic Spider-Man costume.

"Peter Parker," Said the voice, belonging to Doctor Strange as he floated down to him, this time able to get just a little closer than before.

"Strange," He greeted, "You need to pick better times to do this. I have a cover I need to maintain in this world you know."

"A cover, you say?"

"Yeah. The only way to keep myself from getting arrested the moment I got here was to pretend I was enrolled into a school. Plus, it keeps me safer from villains than just being out there on my own. I was …an instinctive decision."

"Right. I'm still trying to forge a stronger connection, with little progress. Finding you across this version of the multiverse is troublesome."

"This version?" Peter questioned, "You're saying there's a multiverse of multiverses?"

"Yes. The most common form is that of actual universes that are physically separate from one another. Another uses different timelines that exist as different branches on a tree. What we are dealing with is layers of reality. Universes existing in the exact same spot, at the same time, but are moving at different frequencies. The lower the frequency, the farther down in layers you are. You're moving at a slightly different frequency than us, so I'm trying to find the right one. Each one I try brings me closer to you, but …" Strange tries to move forward, but finds there is a force holding him back, "I'm not there yet."

"Right …how's Tony?" Peter asked.

"Worried. He thinks this is his fault for letting you get lost."

"Tell him it's not. I fought Goblin without backup, this is my punishment. And it's not bad here. I have friends, people I can rely on. My Aunt May is here now thanks to Gobby and his goons so I have family."

"That's good. I'll let him know. Just work on finding the space stone, that will allow you to return home with only a thought. Then we can get the Avengers to help you."

"Ok, sounds good."

The area around them shook, meteors flying in the background at a great pace, "I must go now."

"Strange, before you do," Peter said, pausing between his thoughts, "Tell Tony that I'm sorry I let him down."

"…You can tell him yourself soon enough."

…

Peter's mind returned to reality to be greeted by the cheering of fans across the bleachers. When he looked down at the arena, the second challenge had already been finished. It seemed to have been some kind of team effort, with Izuku's team just barely making it into the semi-finals. From the look of the scoreboard, both Mina and Momo had made it in as well, as well as Mei and Kendo. Most of his closest friends had made it into the next round, which made him very happy.

"Peter, you ok?" Mayume asked, "Back with us? You dozed off for the entire second challenge?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'm ok, don't worry."

"Uh huh, sure. The students are going to eat now, then it's the half-time event. I'd say this is the perfect opportunity to go and see Recovery Girl. Get a move on and I'll catch up with you later."

Peter sighed, knowing there was no excuse he could use with that evidence on the table, "Alright, I'll go," he said as he got up and went for the door.

"And Peter," She called out with a smile, "Thanks for the talk."

Giving her a thumbs up, he entered the halls and maneuvered through the crowds of people.

…

"Mwah!"

One super powered kiss on the cheek from Recovery Girl, and all of Peter's wounds were miraculously gone. He had never actually taken advantage of her power before, feeling too guilty since she's always putting up with Izuku, but it was a rather useful quirk. Since his wounds weren't nearly as bad as a broken arm, maybe a few cracked ribs, his stamina wasn't too drained after the fact.

"Thank you so much, Recovery Girl," Peter stood from the bed, "I really appreciate it."

Recovery Girl was a short, elderly woman with gray hair that was styled into a netted bun, with a large syringe poking out of it to the left. She wore a doctor's lab coat and a dress with yellow and red vest-like designs on either side, two yellow buttons and a belt with a pink 'R' shaped buckle. Her boots were also pink as well as her helmet that only covered the sides of her head, with a visor to protect her eyes. In her hands was a cane that was designed to look like a massive syringe, completing the vibe and style.
"Don't worry too much about it, sweetie," She spoke happily, You're definitely not as injury prone as your friend, Midoryia, that boy could learn to ease up a bit with his abilities!"

"You don't need to tell me," Peter agreed, "Good luck with everything, I'm going to go and see my friends."

"Aren't you going to tell me what happened to have you end up with such extensive Injuries."

"They weren't that bad."

"No, but what they lacked in quality they made up for in quantity."

"It was really nothing, just some kid being dumb. It won't happen again."

"Well, alright. Just take care of yourself, young man!"

With another thank you, Peter made his way into the halls, which were now empty again after everyone had gotten their refreshments and bathroom breaks. He knew all his friends were in the mess hall, eating away and regaining the energy they needed for the next challenge. He was excited to ask them about everything, what was going through their heads, and what they thought was coming next.

As Peter walked down the hall, his spider-sense suddenly started tingling again. The source of the vibration was collecting mostly around the back of his head, as he felt a shift in the air and space behind him. Like usual, he didn't know what was coming, but chose to react on instinct.

He ducked his head to the side just as a silencer's bullet flew by and struck the floor instead of himself. Now knowing what he was dealing with, Peter swiped his arm across the gunmans hand and brought it full circle, trapping his arm inside his grip. After a quick twist of his wrist, the gun fell out of the criminal's hands, who then tried to punch Peter with his free arm. Though Peter managed to block it, it left him open to a kick from his enemy. It was stronger than he thought it would be, even sending him flying a few yards across the hall.
The gunmen made for the silencer, which Peter webbed to the ground with a single gesture. Before he could free it from the ground, Peter then shot two webs on both walls and pulled back, launching himself forward and colliding his feet with the gunmen's chest. When he skids across the ground, Peter webbed him up with ease and watched him struggle to get out.

"Who's trying to kill me today, I wonder," Peter said aloud, walking over to him and pulling off the gunmen's hood. It was a middle-aged man with horns coming out of his head, a clear sign he had some kind of quirk, likely super strength from how far he managed to kick him.

Takeshi struggled in fear as Peter stood over him, "You'll regret this, you know!" The gunmen blurted out, not very confidently.

"Who are you?!" Peter demanded.

Takeshi lifted his arms with his super strength, and broke the webs in one snap. Peter managed to jump back before he could swing at him, but instead he went for his gun and ripped it from the webs. Takeshi quickly fired, the silencer barely making any noise as he fired off round after round. Thanks to his Spider-sense, Peter was able to dodge each of the shots, only one or two managing to barely scrap his clothing, thankfully without leaving any more wounds. When he ran out of ammo, he knew it was time to panic as he took off in the other direction.

"Get back here!" Peter shouted, running after him as fast as he could. The ceiling was too close to swing from, instead he tried web zipping to make up some distance between him and Takeshi, who was rather fast thanks to him leaping with super strength. A few pedestrians were coming up fast, and Takeshi pushed them aside like they were nothing. One had flown into the air, but Peter managed to leap forward and catch them, setting them down gently before continuing the chase.

Kendo was coming back from the bathroom, thinking she was alone in the halls while everyone else ate in the mess hall. Much to her surprise, however, Takeshi ran right past her, with Peter following rather quickly.
"Peter?!" She tried calling out, but he was too distracted to respond. Knowing him, he was likely in some kind of trouble she wasn't aware of. Taking only a few seconds to decide, she ran after the two and did her best to keep up, trying to launch herself forward with her giant hands.

When Peter felt like he was finally close enough, he shot a web to Takeshi's back, stopping him right in his tracks. The sudden stopped thrusted him backwards as he landed on his head, knocking himself unconscious. Peter skid to a stop just before his body, breathing deeply as his heartrate tried to slow down. Kendo finally managed to keep up, but at first said nothing as she was trying to figure out for herself what was going on. Eventually though, she finally spoke up.

"Peter?"

Peter looked to her, awkwardly trying to think of some kind of excuse. Though, once she registered that if was Kendo, he relaxed his shoulders in defeat, "I'm about as lost as you are, Itsuka."

She approached him, standing by his side as they looked over the unconscious assassin, "Well," she said, "Let's find our way, then."