Spider-Man: Hero Academia

by Timelord2024

After an encounter with one of the Infinity Stones, Spider-Man finds himself placed in a new world of superheroes. Mysteriously, he becomes enrolled in U.A, a high school created for teaching upcoming heroes. When he discovers the Infinity Stones have become lost In this world, somehow still retaining their power, he must find them before his new friends get caught in the crossfire

50. Pro Hero (Part 2)

Peter leaped over the rooftops with anger in his eyes. The tears had stopped flowing; dried by the wind in his face. Now, he was full of rage he had never felt before. Everything betrayal, every tragedy had filled his mind quicker than he could process, and all he could do to work it off was keep moving. He ran through a city he no longer recognized, just as he was starting to call it home, and it was all thanks to her.

Mayume Aihara.

She used him from the very beginning by doing the most sinister thing of all; she became his friend. Someone he could confide in with what he was feeling. She supported him at Norman's trial, fought for him at more than one occasion, all while using him to get what she needed. What hurt most was that she, too, considered him a friend. Unfortunately, their paths were divided, and there was only one way they could cross again.

He tried to save her, and now he needed to stop her.

He stopped on a roof at the sound of another thunder strike. The lightning was close to him, striking an antenna just a few blocks from where he stood. It was just like it was the day before; an unexplained storm coming out of nowhere. This kind of weather felt different; he could feel it in his spider-sense. This had to have something to do with her and whatever she did.

Who was he kidding? He knew what she did.

When she said she was going to remove quirks from the world, he thought she meant from the present. She did far more than what he thought, going as far as stopping quirks from every existing. In the little bits of memory he had left of his life in this new reality, he remembered no sign of super powers; that life was slowly fading from him as his old one returned. Everyone had changed. Some people may no longer exist, other only exist because of what she did.

What other consequences did she bring on them?

The phone in his pocket rung, loudly. He wasn't used to that since in the old reality, his phone didn't work here. When he pulled it out to see who it was, he held a hand to his mouth in disbelief; it was his mother. Perhaps he had been spending some time with her in this reality, but memory of that time was fading. This, as far as he was concerned, would be the first time he's heard her voice since he was little.

His hand shaking, he answered "Hello?"

"Peter! Are you ok?" Asked his mother desperately, "We're so worried about you, sweetie! Where are you?!"

He nearly started crying again. Her voice was one he knew well from the many nights she read him stories. The only reminder of it he had anymore were old videos kept by May and Ben. To hear her voice in real time—distorted by the phone or not—was a blessing he never thought he would get.

"Mom …" Peter began, wiping some tears away with a sniffle, "Yeah, I'm ok! I'm sorry I left; I just needed some time alone."

"Can you please call your Uncle and tell him you're ok?"

"Uh …sure, but can't you tell him?"

"No, he went out looking for you after you stormed off. Your father is getting very upset; you both need to come back here soon."

His Uncle was looking for him? That sent Peter into an immediate panic. With the storm as bad as it is right now, there was a good chance he could get hurt just like the car crash. Whether the crash really happened or not, this storm was still deadly to anyone caught in it, "I'll find him, Mom. I'll be home soon."

"Ok, I love you."

Peter nearly choked, but remained composed, "I love you too."

He hung up with his hands shaking worse than before. He couldn't let it happen again, not this time.

Not having his webs was starting to become a habit, but he didn't let that stop him. He jumped across the rooftops and ran across the sides with his adhesive abilities, trying to cover as much ground as possible while dialing his phone. His uncle's number hadn't changed; it was still the same as it was in the other reality. Ben quickly picked up before Peter could even get his phone to his ear.

"Peter! I've been looking for you!" Said Ben in relief.

"Ben! Tell me where you are! It's not safe with this storm!"

"Well that's the same reason I came looking for you!"

"Just tell me where you are!"

"Alright! I'm on the side of Stacey and Pride Street. Let me know when-"

A large crack erupted over the phone, leaving only static as the remnant. Peter didn't bother asking if he was still there, it wouldn't do any good.

By now, he knew the city well enough to find the best shortcut to where Ben said he was. He pushed himself as far as he could, making his jumps great in distance without caring who saw him. In the distance, he saw smoke lifting up into the air. Lightning had just struck in that area, right around Stacey and Pride street. That's where he was; That was Ben.

Quickly he leaped down to get a grip on the situation. A lot of the street was on fire from cars to street lamps. This wasn't just one lightning strike, not by the multiple burn marks on the ground. This entire area was hit with a shower of lightning.

"Ben!" Peter shouted, "Where are you?!"

A loud groan could be heard a short distance away. A lamppost had come down after being struck and set aflame; under the lamppost was his Uncle. There was a bruise on his head and the post had landed directly on his chest. Seeing him lying on the ground reminded him of that horrible night. A night undone by time but not by memory.

Peter rushed over and knelt down, immediately grabbing the post, "Don't move!" he said.

"Peter …" Ben coughed, "You won't be able to lift this! It's too heavy for you-!

Ben was shut into silence as Peter lifted the pole with ease, barely needing to give off any audible struggle before tossing it to the side as the powerful winds of the storm carried it away. Before Ben would question how he had done that, Peter lifted him onto his feet and held one of his arms over his shoulder, carrying him away from the source of the fires.

A good distance away from the flames, Peter put Ben down on the sidewalk. Finally, the old man could process everything that had happened, "You …you lifted that like it was nothing," Said Ben, "How did you do that?"

Peter ignored his question and pulled him in for a hug, making sure to be gentle. This was the first time since his death that Peter was able to hold him. Whether he was real or not, he needed this more than anything. Everything about him was just like the Uncle Ben that he knew, sending him back to before the night of tragedy. It was enough to nearly make him cry again had it not been for keeping his composure.

Peter quickly let go and sighed, "Sorry, just glad that you're ok."

Again, the ringing of tinnitus overtook his ears. This time he remained far more composed than before, refusing to even so much as bend over from the pain. His ears only bled slightly as the pain was quick. It was gone as fast as it had arrived.

Suddenly, there was silence.

Peter turned around and found the storm was completely gone once again. There were no scorch marks, no fires, no damage of any kind. All the clouds were completely gone along with all the danger they posed. Just like before, it was wiped away as though it didn't happen.

Peter turned back around, wanting to test a theory, "Recap literally the last 120 seconds for me."

"What?" Ben questioned.

"Please?"

"Peter, I don't see-"

"Humor me."

"What happened to your glasses?"

"Humor. Me. Please?"

Ben sighed in surrender, "…I was walking down the road when a lamppost broke and fell on me. You came and saved me."

"Why did it fall?"

"No idea."

"Lightning strikes? Storm clouds? Ring a bell?"

"Storm clouds?"

Just like before; there was a pattern here. One of these storms pops up and starts causing damage, then once enough people notice it, it vanishes as though it was never there. The tinnitus and the storms had to be connected somehow. Every time they vanished, his ears acted up. No, not his ears; What if it wasn't as simple as that? What if it wasn't tinnitus at all? There was only one other thing in his head that would cause pain on that big of a scale.

His spider-sense; Whatever made the storms go away triggered his spider-sense.

"Ben," Said Peter, "Let's get home."

Spider-Man: Hero Academia

Chapter 50

Pro Hero (Part 2)

Peter helped Ben into the house as he was still limping slightly from the pain. It had taken them a little longer than Peter would have liked due to Bens injuries, and to Peter's hesitation to return. Hearing his mother's voice was one thing, but to see her was another. Seeing so many familiar faces in one day may just be too much for him to handle. The last memory he had of either of his parents was when they dropped him off at his Uncles house, then left for a plane they would never leave from. Had Mayume really brought them all back, or were they just echoes of the real deal?

Mary came up to him quickly and hugged him, worrying he would shatter if she ever let him go. He couldn't help but hug her back; the emotional rush of being in her arms again was too much for him to handle, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"You think this is funny?" asked Richard as he came into the room, "You don't get to just walk out of the house whenever you want! And what happened to your glasses?! Don't tell me you lost them! They were expensive!"

The little memory of his old life he had left remembered being afraid of Richard, his father. In fact, even when he was a child, there were times where he was scared of making him upset. Anytime he was working, he was stressed in some way. That stress always led to verbal outbursts. There was a chance some of that trauma still existed somewhere within Peter; finally, he had a chance to face it.

"Mom, Ben," asked Peter, "Can you give us a moment alone?"

Nodding, Ben took Mary by the shoulder and led her out of the living room and into the kitchen. They assumed this would go like every talk Richard had with his son. He would scold him, Peter would feel upset and say nothing, he spends time in his room until he learned his lesson. At least, that's how Richard saw it.

"Who do you think you are, right now?!" Asked Richard, "You scared all of us and made us worry you were hurt! You can't just leave on your own! You're only a child! I've never seen you misbehave like this!"

By this point, Peter would normally be on the brink of crying, and Richard would tell him to stop. Strangely, he noticed there wasn't a single tear shedding. Peter did flinch slightly from the sound of his voice; memory of his childhood coming back to him. Right now, though, there were bigger things at stake, and that's what gave him strength.

"Are you going to answer me?!" scolded Richard.

"Are you going to act like a father?" Peter asked bluntly.

Now May, Ben and Mary were all listening. They had never heard Peter talk back before, not even a little.

"Excuse me?" Asked Richard, "You know something-"

"I know a lot, actually," Peter interrupted, "I know you spend more time working than you do being a dad. Whenever something goes wrong, you choose to get angry at it and people around you. Rather than actually talk to me, you take your own assessment of the situation and ignore all other possibilities. I know that you pin my emotional problems on mom rather than help me deal with them yourself. I know the only reason Ben Is living with us right now is because you need someone else to raise me in your place, and May is just along for the ride. "

"That's enough! I don't know where this behavior is coming from-!"

"You. It's coming from you. From years of harbored emotions that I forced myself to keep hidden because I didn't want to make you mad or disappoint you. I conformed to everything you wanted me to be and what you wanted me to do, sacrificing my own happiness in the process. You expect me to act like a man but you treat me like a child, making my choices for me then getting mad when I don't know how to make choices on my own."

"You're being-"

"Ridiculous? Retarded? I'm being honest about what I feel, maybe for the first time since I was little," he paused taking a deep breath, "Dad, I do love you. I love you and mom and Ben and May more than anything in the world. You guys were—are—everything to me. You set the groundwork for the kind of person I became, but you never allowed me to take any steps on my own. I need to take those steps now."

Richard had stopped listening to his speech at this point. He chose to see what he was saying as one big excuse to pin everything on him, to use him as some kind of scapegoat for all his problems. He wasn't going to allow his 16-year-old son suddenly decide to get rebellious on him out of nowhere.

In retaliation to Peters words, Richard tried grabbing Peters right arm again, telling him "You're going to your room!" In a loud voice. However, when he tried to pull Peter from where he stood, he didn't budge; he barely put an effort into resisting him. Richard continued trying for a moment, scolding him to listen. Eventually, he just gave up and let go.

"I'll see myself up," Said Peter, calmly walking up the stairs. The family could only look at each other in confusion. Peter had never acted that way to them until now, and they didn't entirely know how to feel about it.

The moment he had stepped into his room, he rushed for the laptop sitting on his desk, feeling thankful this version of him had a need for it. Knowing now that this world was nothing like the old one, he had to see just how far the changes went. He started with big events, typing the many forms of terrorism and crisis that have happened over the last 100 years. He searched for wars; WWI, WWII, The Vietnam War, all of them, and he came up blank. There was conflict during these times, sure, but no wars. No times where innocent men and women went into battle and never made it home.

Mayume erased war.

Countries didn't have to be allies, but no one was choosing to target one another. Terrorist attacks were what he searched next and found nothing. All the worst bombings, shootings, and genocides were non-existent. She had really done it; she erased all forms of conflict between nations. How could she possibly account for all the variables that would bring?

Unless she couldn't.

She's not stupid, she has to know she can't erase conflict entirely. Instead, she must have altered events so no one would die. Every bombing, shooting, terrorist attack minimized just enough so there was no death involved, but still big enough to keep society roughly the same, minus the inclusion of Quirks. If she did it that way, then she wouldn't need to worry about too many rouge variables.

A world where no one dies before their time.

She hadn't touched too much of previous history, specifically everything before the Civil War of America during the 1800's. Those people were long dead, and that history is the foundation of the current world. War is not unknown, but it hadn't happened for a long time. She focused mainly on people of the last 100 years, give or take a few decades.

Next, he worked on a smaller scale, typing in familiar names. He found himself on social media sites, searching up the names of his friends. He didn't bother with the ones in America; this wasn't his world that changed.

And this made him stop to think; This isn't his world. Why did he have a life here? Before remembering everything, he had an established history here with his family, where they moved to Japan and transferred him to a new school. Mayume could have sent him home, but she didn't. She kept him here and gave him a false life. Why? Was it to keep him close? Was it a blessing?

There was no time to dwell on it. He continued typing names to see the status of his friends. He managed to find some of them rather quickly, having decently active pages; Aoyama, Ashido, Asui, Uraraka, Jiro, Kirishima and Midoriya were among them. Others were Yaoyorozu, Kendo, Bakugo and Hagakure.

Some, however, didn't show up.

Several of the names he typed didn't show up in any fashion, including Tokoroki, Shoji, Koda, and Iida. There wasn't the faintest mention of them, only people with the same or similar names. He didn't immediately panic; it could have meant they didn't use social media. Todoroki likely never did even before all the changes.

Todoroki is who he started with. He searched the names of his parents of which he only knew because he researched several Pro heroes, including Endeavor. He found his father's page, but it wasn't very active. Any status updates were mainly professional.

What scared him was his status update: Single.

There was no mention of having or ever having a wife anywhere on the page. Peter didn't know Todoroki's mom, so he couldn't look her up. Still, with someone like Endeavor, he would boast about his achievements anywhere. Even on his current page, despite not being very active, spoke of things he's done and people he has met.

There was one solid explanation; Shoto Todoroki doesn't exist.

Izuku once told him that Shoto was only born because his father wanted to make someone powerful by mixing Quirks together. Without quirks at play, there was never any reason for him to exist. And unfortunately, he wasn't the only one.

Extensive research revealed shocking truths of the other students missing from social media. Iida, for example, doesn't exist either; His brothers page states him as an only child. Tenya was never born for whatever reason. Nearly a fourth of his classmates don't exist in this new reality. Mayume erased them from history.

To him, that's the same as killing them.

"Dammit …" he said under his breath, clenching the armrests of his chair and nearly breaking them with his strength. That's at least 5 out of 20 people who no longer exist, and who knows who else was affected? How many people exist only because of this reality, and how many were erased from it?

He was able to find some Pro Heroes he knew, but none of them were in the city. They were scattered all across Japan. Without the best hero school in the world, there's little reason for them to have flocked to this city. Miruko, Kamui and Mt. Lady were nowhere near each other. At least they still existed; that was a positive.

He couldn't be the only one from his world trapped here. If Mayume kept him here, maybe she did the same for the others. Searching their hero names would obviously do nothing, so he searched their real names instead. The only one he couldn't find was Thor, until he tried searching under his cover name of Donald Blake. Sure enough, he found them in America. Thor was a Doctor, Steve was serving in the U.S Military, and Tony was running a business out of a garage. She had forged lives for them just as she did for him. So why was he here, and not in America?

There was only one name that didn't show up.

Strange, the man of magic and mystery. The visions he had been having these last few days—a man in a padded room—he knew now it was him. He had been calling out to him, from where however, he didn't know. What he remembered from those visions was the padded room and doctors just outside the door. Everything about that scenario rang of a hospital. No, not a regular hospital, more like a mental institute.

"Think …" he spoke aloud, convinced that hearing the words would make it easier to understand, "If Strange is calling for me …he remembers everything despite the snap …she would know that he could cause trouble. She'd keep him somewhere trapped, where she could watch him like she used to watch me. She'd keep him …close."

His fingers stroked over the keys and searched for the nearest mental institute. Several results came up, but the closest on the map was one by the name of the Kimyōna Shūjin Mental Institute. There was very little information beyond the address. For all he knew, it could have been fabricated specifically for Strange. If he did remember the old reality, then she wouldn't want him getting out and spoiling everything.

It was decided; the Kimyōna Shūjin Mental Institute was his next stop.

…

Late that night, Peter waited until the family was fast asleep in their beds before carefully sneaking out his window, and closing it gently as not to alert them. He was dressed in dark clothing; his substitute for a mask was one of his winter hats that were too big for him, pulled down over his face with eye holes cut out of them in the shape of his lenses. Once again, he was without any of his gear, so he had to improvise with what he could find. No webs, no costume; a concept he was familiar with.

He kept high on the rooftops, making his way over the familiar yet distant city. The layout was at least the same, minus a few buildings no longer existing such as the hero agencies. There were fewer police stations as well. In a world where crime is low and suffering is foreign, police likely don't get as much funding. Mayume was smart, though, as she must have known she couldn't eradicate evil permanently, just police it.

After searching for the address for a good two hours, he finally found it on the edge of the city near the water. It was a large square complex fenced off, barb wire at the top. Despite the fence's height, he was able to jump over it with ease. A few search light towers were set up, probably in case patients tried to escape. Realistically, it was likely in case Strange tried to escape. Peter had to assume he didn't have access to his abilities; enough to contact him, but not to escape, otherwise he would have gotten out and found him by now.

Peter enacted his usual trick; sneaking in through the vents on the roof. In a world without massive conflict, this place was rather highly fortified. As he crawled through the vents, he saw every hallway had at least two cameras. Just like with the hospital, he spent a good hour searching through the vents for the right room.

Left said Strange's voice.

Peter didn't doubt the voice, and crawled to the left. He was close now; Stephens voice was getting louder by the second. Right he would say, and Peter went in that direction, following his words like an echo of an empty room. He sounded weak, like he hadn't slept in a while, or like being constantly out of breath.

Finally, he found a room with Strange's name on it. The vent unfortunately didn't go into the room, and there were cameras just outside of the hall.

"Dammit, Strange," Muttered Peter, "What do I do?"

Wait Said Strange, Wait for my signal.

Thus, Peter held his ground above the grate, watching the cameras intently. They moved in formation to observe the hallway in full. They were almost in perfect sync. Almost. One of them was moving just a half-second faster than the other. Had they been moving in perfect sync, there would never be a time when he could move. Now though, there would be only a moment when Strange's door would have a blind spot. He just had to wait until the right moment.

Now said Strange.

Peter removed the grate and jumped down just as the two hallway cameras looked away from the door. He didn't think, and chose to break the lock on the door with his super strength, rushing inside and shutting the door without a slam. He closed it just as the cameras came back around, and sighed with relief.

He gently took off his mask and held it tightly in his hand, turning around to find Stephen Strange sitting with his legs under the covers. His body was hooked up to a bag of liquid, slowly dripping into his bloodstream. He was dressed in white clothes. His hair was ruffled like he hadn't showered in weeks. His eyes were droopy, barely able to stay awake with whatever was being pumped into his system.

Peter examined the liquid in the bag. The label told him it was some kind of sedative. He didn't hesitate to take the needle out of him and stop the sedatives flow, taking a rag and covering the puncture before it bled, "Strange," Peter spoke, "Strange? It's me. It's Peter. I'm here, I heard you calling."

"Peter …" Strange spoke softly, "…Peter…"

"…How much of this have they given you?" He asked, trying to widen Stephens eyes as he shined his phone light into them. The pupil's reaction time was slow, but they still managed none the less.

"Mayume …" Strange said suddenly, "She …"

"I know, she changed everything," he put the light away, "Why did she put you here?"

"I …I kept remembering …"

"Didn't she try taking away your powers?"

"My power … it doesn't come from me. It comes from other realms of magic that are drawn to me. There was nothing for her to remove."

"And she kept you here so you'd stay out of trouble; kept you sedated so you'd never try anything. Do you know where the stones are?"

"…No," He nearly passed out, but managed to shake himself awake, "The drugs are still in my system …I'm still too weak."

"…Ok," Peter stood up straight, quickly removing the blankets from Strange's body, "I'm breaking you out."

"You can't …" Strange denied, "If she notices I'm gone …she'll just snap her fingers again and bring me back. If she finds out you remember everything, she'll turn you back into that other version of yourself. You have to …you have to stay below the radar, or she'll snap again."

Peter didn't want to leave Strange in this place, but he was right. If Mayume caught wind of him, she would undo all his progress. He couldn't take that risk, not with how long it took to remember everything. He may have had a false history, but his legit memory spans at least a few weeks after the snap, meaning this world has existed for a couple of weeks now.

"You have to stop her … before…" Strange tried to speak, but nearly passed out again.

"Before what?" Peter slapped him lightly.

"…Before it gets worse."

"…You mean the storms."

"They aren't storms… they're tension. After creating this world, she's snapped her fingers a total of seven times to get it perfect, and an additional three to be rid of the storms. Those storms are a side effect of the snaps. Each time she snaps, she throws off the balance of this reality. The universe wasn't meant to withstand changes of that magnitude that many times," he took a moment to breathe deeply, his lungs too weak to carry enough air, "…imagine it like a hammer on a wall of wood. Each snap is the hammer slamming against the wall. Eventually, the wall is going to break."

"The more she snaps …the worse it gets."

"She won't stop…until her world is perfect."

"Which is impossible …"

This is everything he had warned her about. He told her she would succumb to the power and seek perfection. Now, it'll never be enough for her; the world will never be perfect. She's going to keep using the stones over and over, destroying the world in the process, if it doesn't destroy itself first.

Strange struggled to move his arm, but managed to lift himself up enough to reach under his pillow and pull something out. It was shiny and round, made out of some kind of bronze or gold material. It was carved to look like a giant eye in his hand.

"This," Said Strange with a deep breath, "Is the Eye of Agamotto. This is how I remembered everything."

"How?" Peter questioned, examining the artifact.

"It's a weapon of wisdom, and within it is a light that shines past all disguises and illusions, see past events, and so much more. It was on me when she snapped her fingers. It protected my memory and stayed with me. She couldn't remove from reality because she didn't know I had it. Opening the eye restored me, but it's energy is weak in this world."

"Does it only restore memory …or …?" He sounded hopeful. If this could restore his friends, maybe even the world, he had to use it as soon as possible.

"If you can find a way to power it …It can fully restore anyone or anything on a small scale. It won't repair the world …but it can repair people," Strange took Peters hand and put the eye into it, closing his fingers tightly around it, "Take it."

"What should I do with it?"

"Find people you trust and restore them. Not too many, no more than five, roughly, or Mayume will notice. You must retrieve the stones and turn everything back."

"Will that fix everything?"

"Reversing everything to the moment before the snap should undo all the tension."

He wanted to rush out of the building and find his friends, but he also didn't want to leave Strange behind. Leaving him here meant allowing him to continue being drugged up with sedatives. Even if he could reverse all of this, that still isn't something Peter was willing to do to someone. At the same time, Strange was right; moving him now would only set them back to square one. He had to make a sacrifice at Stephens expense to stop her.

"…I'll fix this," Said Peter, stuffing the eye of Agamotto into his pocket, "I'll stop her."

"To use the eye, just run your finger in a circle around the iris," Said Stephen, "Now …put the drugs back in before someone notices."

Peter looked between him and the bag of liquid, shaking his head, "I can't …I can't do that to you."

"You have to …please."

He didn't want to. He didn't want to be the one to do this to him. All the suffering he must be going through right now, and the only way to cover his tracks was to hurt him worse? It was the right move, it was the smart move, but he still didn't like it.

Hesitantly, Peter moved toward the bag and picked up the needle, gently bringing it back to Strange's arm. He stopped, looking him in the eye and begging for a reason not to. Strange only nodded, sealing his fate as Peter regrettably put the needle back into his veins, letting the sedative flow into his body. It took almost no time for it to have effect, knocking Strange out quickly as his head collapsed onto the pillow.

With a quivering lip, Peter pulled the covers over Strange and tucked him in, looking at him with sad eyes, "I'll fix this …" he said, before making for the door. Like when he arrived, he waited until the cameras were in a blind stop before leaping back into the vent, and crawling away as though he was never there.

Exiting the facility proved to be a lot easier than breaking in since he now knew the way, though he did so with a heavy heart. He hated leaving him behind, but the odds were stacked against him. He crawled onto a roof just a block away from the Institute, pulling off his mask enough to let it rest on his head, hanging his legs over the edge.

Strange said to gather people he trusted, but not too many so he could stay under Mayume's radar. The only Pro heroes he trusted were all too far away. All that were in close proximity were his friends; the aspiring heroes of class 1-A. He didn't need time to decide who was first on his list.

In his back pocket, he found the sticky note given to him by Itsuka Kendo, with her number written in blue ink. He dialed the numbers into his phone but hesitated to press the call button. What was he supposed to say? It was almost two in the morning. She was likely asleep right about now. On the other hand, he didn't want to waste time and wait until morning to call her.

With a deep breath, he pressed call.

It rang for a quarter of a minute before she picked up, being the first one to speak before Peter could get a word out, "Hello?" She said, sounding wide awake considering the hour. In fact, she sounded like she was gasping as though she just went for a run.

"Kendo?" he asked, "It's uh …Peter…Parker?"

"Peter? Oh! Hey! You know it's like two in the morning, right?"

"Yes …so why are you awake?"

"You uh …woke me up."

She was lying; he could tell, "You don't sound remotely tired, in fact you sound out of breath."

"Nothing gets past you, huh? Why'd you call?"

"Are you dodging the fact that you weren't sleeping?"

"Yes."

He nearly face palmed himself, "Right …I just thought you'd be worried after I left so suddenly."

"Your dad is intense; I could feel it. I'm glad you're ok. You sound …different. Confident. I can tell by how you're speaking."

He wished he could explain why that was, but now wasn't the time, "Yeah …I thought a lot about what you said. Had a …kind of a soul-searching moment today. So, what are you doing right now?"

"Sitting in my room."

"Ok, but what are you actually doing?"

She didn't answer right away, likely because she feared his reaction to her answer. He didn't blame her for that; this version of her had no outlet for her feelings other than fighting, "If I tell you where I am …promise you won't get mad."

"Sure …but what do you mean where you are?"

…

Of all places to end up, it felt like fate had something to do with it.

The address Kendo gave him lead him to a building down in the suburbs, hidden among the rest. Inside was a massive room with crowds of people circling a massive wrestling ring. Announcers were shouting into microphones as lights flashed from the ceiling. Two people were fighting in the ring, blood spilling from their bodies.

She brought him to a fight club.

It reminded him so much of the wrestling ring he used to go to before his vigilante days. The warm yellow lights and thick crowds gave him a sense of nostalgia. Contestants were waiting in lines on each side of the ring for their turn to fight. In the corner was the betting table, where the crowd could bet money on who wins and loses each round.

Up in the ring he heard grunts of frustration. One of the fighters was an average sized man dressed in a wrestler's outfit. The girl facing against him was none other than Itsuka Kendo. She wore a jacket that somewhat resembled the hero costume he remembered her wearing. She was fast as she moved around her opponent, striking him with quick jabs and kicks, all while a smile was brightly plastered on her face. She was enjoying this.

Her opponent kicked her in the stomach and sent her barreling down. Peter almost wanted to get in there and fight him himself for that move, but Kendo recovered rather quickly. When her opponent charged at her full speed, she moved at the last second and swept her let to his feet, sending him flying out of the ring and crashing into the crowd.

Bell rings; Kendo is declared the winner.

The crowd cheers for her and she takes it all in. It was clear she was a regular here by how familiar the people were with her. They shouted her name as though she was an old friend. It reminded him more of his wrestling days now, beyond the setup.

The way she walked, the way she talked; she was just like him right after he got his powers.

Kendo rushed up to him with a worn-out smile just as the next fight had begun. She had a few bruises on her face and on her arms, but thankfully wasn't bleeding. She had clearly been in a few fights already, and didn't care how much pain she felt.

"Hey, Peter," She said with a raised brow, "What happened to your glasses?"

"I uh …got contacts," He lied, "For my eyes …of which…I use…to see. Yes."

Despite her suspicions, she pushed the signs aside and smiled, "Good to see you. Your posture is different. The confident you finally come out to play?"

"In a fight club?" asked Peter with a hint of concern, "Do your parents know about this?"

"Sure, because I would love to give them a heart attack," She rolled her eyes, "I told you fighting is how I deal with stuff."

They were interrupted when a body went flying over their heads from the ring. They crashed into the crowd and knocked over a dozen people. The fighter was out cold along with a few people they landed on.

"In a place like this?" He said, one thumb pointing backwards to the fallen fighter, "I'd ask if you think this is dangerous but I think that's exactly why you like it here."

"There is nothing like that rush," She smirked, "Bet some money on me. Better than a real job."

"I'll do you one better."

Peter held up a finger, signaling for her patience as he reached into his pocket. From it, he pulled out the eye of Agamotto. It glowed in her presence, as though it sensed a fault in need of restoration. For just a moment, as Kendo stared into the eye, she seemed entranced by it. Peter did as Strange instructed and the eye opened for her, looking into hers and beyond to her soul.

He could see it; just for a moment. He could see the spark of the real Kendo behind her eyes, scratching to get out. All sense of thought escaped her, making the eye the only other existence in the world. This had to work, Peter thought, it just had to.

And then, it all stopped.

Kendo seemed to revert back to her false self and shake her head, as though working off a minor headache, "Need trinket," She said, "What's it for?"

Peter couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was working; the eye had influence over her. She should be back to her old self right now. Strange said it would restore her memories at the very least. Had he done something wrong? Is the eye not strong enough? Why didn't it work? "It's …a good luck charm."

"Aw, thanks, I won't need it though," She winked before making her way back to the ring.

Strange wouldn't lie to him, nor would he have been wrong. No one knows more about the eye of Agamotto than Strange does. If he said it would work, then it should have. True, he also said it was lacking its full power, but that shouldn't have mattered. What was he missing?

He had to think. When it came to Peter, he didn't need the eye to be restored. All the eye is supposed to do is reveal the contradictions between two realities, and restore a person's memories using that. For Peter, he didn't need the eye to see the contradictions because his abilities did that for him. Kendo has no such advantage, so the eye should have worked.

Then something occurred to him. Peters powers never went away, but he didn't remember everything until he discovered them. Discovering his abilities somehow jump started his memories.

She needs a jump start.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Shouted the announcer from the speakers, "We begin our next round by introducing a fighter in the lead for today's winning streak, 'Battle Fist'!"

Upon hearing her nickname, Kendo waved to the crowd.

"Facing off against her is the destructive killer, the champion of the ring, Crusher!"

Standing in the opposite corner was a large, muscular man in a black wrestling suit. There was still blood left over from a previous match that was staining his thick beard. He looked ready to beat her down, and she didn't look remotely scared. In fact, she looked excited to be fighting him. Peter, however, wasn't as excited.

Peter rushed over to the announcer sitting at a table outside the ring with concern written all over his face, "Is it a good idea to have her fight him?"

"It was all her idea," Said the announcer, speaking away from the mic.

"Has anyone ever beat him?"

"No, that's why he's the champion."

"Has anyone come close?"

"The tag teams have, but even then, they couldn't win."

The second he mentioned tag-team, Peter got an idea he couldn't pass up. He moved away from the crowd and pulled out the makeshift mask he made earlier and pulled it over his face. The audio of the room was only slightly muffled, and his senses made up for what he lost. Kendo and him have fought together many times in the past. Each time they fought together brought them closer. He had to believe it could happen again.

Leaping high into the air, Peter back flipped over the crowd and landed in the ring between Kendo and Crusher, striking his signature pose. The crowd went silent for a moment. Was this a part of the show, they wondered? Whose side was he on? No one had more questions than Kendo, who dropped her guard only slightly as she didn't immediately recognize her friend.

"Let's make this a tag-team!" Peter shouted, standing close to Kendo's side wand waving to the crowd. They cheered in excitement, some in hopes they could actually beat Crusher together, and others in the thought that Crusher would wipe the floor with them both. Kendo now recognized him by his voice, a little confused as to how he got into the ring so fast.

"Peter," Kendo whispered, "Are you sure?" She didn't sound defiant of his involvement, rather worried he would get himself hurt.

"Trust me. We're in this together, remember?" He smiled under the mask.

She blinked, as though those words seemed to spark something, "What did you say?"

"You know what I said."

The announcer jumped into the ring and approached the masked fighter, rolling with the new variable, "It seems that we're turning this into a tag-team fight! Now we have the Crusher, verses Battle Fist and…" he leans in to Peter, "What's your name, kid?"

"Spider-Man," Said Peter, "And if you say anything else, I'm fighting you next."

"…Ok," he cleared his throat, speaking into the mic, "The terrifying, the deadly, the amazing Spider-Man!"

He cleared the ring and made room for the three fighters. As long as Peter was confident, Kendo had no reason to kick him out. It wasn't often she fought with someone instead of just against them.

The bell rung, and Crusher was the first to charge at them. His size left them little room to maneuver. Kendo slid under his legs while Peter jumped over and slid down his back, kicking him once he landed. When Crusher turned around, Peter leaped straight into the air and hit him with a hook kick to his right cheek. Kendo followed up the assault with a back knuckle to the chin. Despite his superior size, they seemed to outmatch him in speed and technique.

Crusher swatted away one of Kendo's attacks and struck her in the stomach before throwing her to the side. She remained on the ground, holding her stomach in pain as Crusher came closer. He lifted his foot and prepared to bring it down on her, but Peter slid in and struck his knee with his palm. His leg bent in the wrong direction, making Crusher stumble back in agony.

Kendo looked at Crushers bent knee with curiosity. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite figure out what. Had she used that move before? Had she seen someone use it before? She was normally one for brute force; it wasn't often she used any critical techniques like breaking someone's limb like that. In fact, she was surprised Peter had what it took to do that, not just in skill, but in gumption.

No, it was her; She had done it before. She faced an enemy much like Crusher, but bigger and scarier. It wasn't an arena fight either; it was real. Peter was there too, but he looked different. He was dressed so strangely in a blue and red costume. How can she have memory of this? She hadn't met Peter until the nurse's office the other day.

No, they hadn't. Hadn't they met in the halls? He was wearing that strange costume. He said something to her, something that made her smile.

"I don't think a letter can decide what kind of hero you are, right?"

A spark ignited in her brain. It was painful at first, but also welcoming. Images, sounds, faces, voices, they all rushed into her mind at once as the world around her became clearer. Spider-Man was a name she had heard before. Peter was very fond of it, and there was a time he thought it was his greatest identity. It wasn't the spider she admired; it was the man. He was Spider-Man.

And she was his Spider-Girl.

"…Peter!" Kendo got to her feet, charging Crusher head on.

She held nothing back as she struck him with her fist straight into his nose. She expected a larger punch; a larger fist, but that didn't seem to happen. She held her hand in confusion afterword's, and didn't see when Crusher came in for another attack. Peter zoomed in and struck him with everything he had, sending him flying out of the ring and crashing into the announcers table. The announcer managed to jump out of the way at the last second, his mix broken to pieces with large feedback channeled through the speakers.

As the crowd cheered for their victory, Peter removed his mask and looked at Kendo. She was still staring at her fist in confusion. She expected something to happen in that attack but it didn't. She had never encountered this before.

Suddenly, she remembered why.

"…Kendo?" Peter turned her around and looked her in the eyes, "Are you ok?"

In seeing Peters face, she teared up and leaped into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she possibly could. Her vibe was completely different now. The brute force fighter from before had faded away, and what remained was a determined, loving girl with strength of will to rival his own. He didn't need words of confirmation to know it was her; his Itsuka, his Spider-Girl.

Peter hugged her tightly with tears in his eyes. Just when he thought he was done crying, here he was, a baby in man's clothing.

…

On the roof above the Fight Club, Itsuka Kendo looked down upon the city as everyone cleared out for the night. She had been walking these streets since she was a little girl, but now she barely recognized it. The layout was the same, but everything else had changed. The people, the economy, everything had been altered without choice. She was blind to it before, but not it was something she couldn't look away from.

"You ok?"

Peters voice soothed her as he gently hugged her from behind. She held his arms with her hands and let her body rest into his. With all that transpired, the embrace felt nice.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Bizarre," She answered, opting to holding his hand as he hugged her, "That life …the one that wasn't real …it's slowly fading away. I can recall bits of it, but even those start to disappear."

"It was the same for me. Everything from the old life just started disappearing. It won't take long before it's all gone."

"Yeah, it all came back at once. Meeting you in the school halls, saving your ass from Hydro Man-"

"I'm pretty sure I saved your ass."

"Mm, no, I saved yours."

"Uh huh, sure."

They laughed, then Kendo fell silent.

"So, Aihara did this?" Kendo broke the hug and turned around, holding his hands for comfort, "She changed everything?"

"Made it so quirks never even existed, no one ever got their powers."

Kendo lifted one of her hands and examined it, opening and closing it repeatedly. The usual muscle movements she performed to enlarge her fists were no longer working. She can't remember a time when she couldn't use her abilities. Being without them scared her, like a part of her was still missing, "How did you fix me?"

"This," Peter showed her the Eye of Agamotto from his pocket, "Doctor Strange gave It to me. It can see past illusions. I was able to use it to restore your memory."

"…and my powers?"

Peter sighed, putting the eye away, "It needs more power before it can do anything like that. I don't know what we could do to charge it up."

It was obvious by the look on her face that she was beginning to feel the weight of their situation. To ease her, Peter pulled her back in for a full embrace that she didn't refuse. Even as the tears rolled down her face and onto him, he didn't pull away. He simply held her close as though the world was trying to steal her away. In her mind, his arms became the only safe place in the world.

"How are we going to fix this?" She asked as she sniffled.

"Not alone," said Peter, "We're going to find others to help us. I already have them picked out. We're going to fight Mayume together."

"How? She has all that power, and no one has their quirks anymore."

"Well," he parted from the hug still holding her, and picked her chin up with his finger, "I'm hoping we can figure that part out too. We'll find a way; I know we will. We just have to find the right equipment and I know I can crack it."

Something suddenly came to mind that fought past the tears in her eyes, and she looked at him with such determination and said "I know where we can get some."

"Where?" he asked with one eyebrow down.

"It's becoming fuzzier now, but there's a girl at school who spends a lot of time in the robotics lab. I think that despite being without her quirk, she didn't change that much. She might be able to help us."

"Are you referring to who I think you are?"

"We need Mei Hatsume."

…

The next morning came quick after the two had gone home. She didn't want to part from him but they wouldn't be able to find Mei in the dead of night. They had to wait till morning and find her at school. Kendo needed to return home and see her parents upon waking. They were different than she remembered; changed by the snap of the stones. It was hard to see them that way, now without memory of her false life, but she had to cope with it until she arrived at the school.

Peter had been waiting at the entrance for her, forced to wear his school uniform. He had no intentions of going to class, nor did Kendo, but it was the only way they would get inside to find her. None of this would matter anyway once they fixed the world.

If they fixed the world.

Kendo came into view, her uniform messy due to throwing it together quickly. After seeing her parents the way they were, she couldn't bare to stay any longer. Peter pulled her into a quick hug upon seeing her, confirming she was here and well.

"It was so different," Said Kendo, "The house was nothing like I remember it. My parents felt like strangers."

"I know. I wish we didn't have to part ways last night, but until we fix this, we have covers to keep with our families."

"Mei always spends homeroom in the robotics lab, we just need to get inside, restore her memory, and she can help us."

Peter hesitated with a strange look on his face after she said that, and it took little effort for her to notice and ask what was wrong, "It's what Strange said," Peter spoke, "He said to restore no more than five people roughly, or Mayume would notice. Maybe that means she would sense it or something."

"I don't understand."

"Think of it like …like a messy room. Pick up one or two pieces of trash, it still looks like a mess. If you clean up enough, you begin to notice a difference. Maybe Mayume will sense if we restore too much, and we don't need her attention right now, wherever she is."

Kendo sighed, rubbing her face gently, "Ok …ok, so we find Mei and convince her to let us use the equipment. You do your thing and charge that Eye of …something motto."

"And hopefully we can restore your quirk. Just follow my lead."

Peter lead her inside as she followed behind him. Since they were wearing their uniforms, teachers and other school staff paid little mind to them. Kendo by this point lost all memory of her false life, but the layout of the school was the same as U.A, minus the title. The robotics lab was found in the same location as the Department of Support.

Kendo knocked on the door and they waited. It was still 45 minutes until homeroom began. Peter had fond memories of coming here to work on his stealth suit with her. If she was anything like she was before, she was more than capable of helping.

The door opened slowly, and Mei was there to greet them. While her hair used to be styled in short dreadlocks, now it was smooth and flowing well past her shoulders. That usual constant smile he remembered from her was gone, replaced with a content neutral expression. She had the same face, but everything was different. Her spunk that Peter admired so much was gone.

"…Mei Hatsume?" Peter questioned.

"…Hi," She quietly said, "What's up?"

"Um …We could use your help with something."

"You going to join the robotics club?"

"No it's …It's a small project and I could really use your help."

"You need to join the club. Sorry."

Peter sighed, looking between her and Kendo. She was nothing like Mei used to be; he didn't know what to do to convince her. Restoring her wasn't going to be an option, so he had to appeal to this version of her somehow.

"…This project Is really important to me. A lot of things depend on it. I can't afford to fail going forward. I hear your one of the smartest people in the school. If anyone can help me crack this, it's you. Please …give me a chance."

Mei stared at him, her eyes barely flinching at his words at first. After a moment, however, her face began to rest into genuine emotion. Something he said had gotten to her; just a small piece of it had struck her in the right place. "…Failure is the mother of invention. Thomas Edison once said that. Just cuz a creation doesn't work as intended doesn't mean the effort is wasted..." She stepped out of the way, opening the door further, "Come in."

Smiling, Peter lead Kendo into the room as Mei shut the door. The lab was similar to how he remembered, but there weren't quite as many inventions laying around. Those that were consisted of little variety. Mostly it was just remote-control cars, robot prototypes and so forth. The designs were unique, but as far as functions went, it didn't seem like there was much creativity or motivation. Where did her spark go, Peter wondered?

"So," Mei asked, "What's your project?"

From his pocket, Peter revealed the Eye of Agamotto and placed it on the table. Mei looked at it briefly, but paid it little thought, "I don't get it."

"It's a …device. It's not working at full power. I need something that will fix it."

"It would be easier if I knew what it was."

"I just need the right equipment to study it's material compound and determine what energy is required to charge it."

Mei sighed, gesturing to her work bench in the corner, "Make yourself at home."

Peter nodded, quickly taking the eye and rushing over to the desk.

Mei sighed again and sat down at a different desk, holding her palm to her head and keeping it afloat. Kendo could see how depressed she was, and it concerned her. It reminded her of how Mei was last time they talked. Back then, she wasn't as forthcoming about her feelings. Now, perhaps because of losing her quirk, she was no longer the cheery optimistic inventor she used to be. All that made her spectacular was stolen away.

Slowly, Kendo approached Peter and sat in a chair next to him, "Peter," She spoke softly, "We need Hatsume. The real Hatsume."

Peter continued to work, but kept her in the corner of his eye as he examined Agamotto, "We can't. Strange said five people and I already picked them out."

"He said roughly five people. If we don't get her help, we may run out of time. If what you told me is true, reality only has so much time before it tears itself apart."

Peter looked at her now, knowing she was right but hating the idea.

"Peter, we need her."

Of course Peter wanted Mei back, but he was too worried about making Mayume aware of their presence. He didn't want to take an unnecessary risk. It would only set them back to the start from which he would never escape. At the same time, having the real Mei's help would speed things up. It came down to what he thought was more important. Quick results, or safety.

Peter glanced over at Mei, stricken with sadness at her table. She likely wanted them gone so she could sulk in peace. Peter understood that all too well. Slowly, he stood up while leaving the eye at his desk, and moved over to Mei. He sat on the table just next to her, and she glanced over reluctantly.

"What was it you said about Einstein, before?" asked Peter.

"Failure is the mother of invention," She answered.

"…How many times did you fail?"

She had answered any question targeting her feelings by dodging it. This time, however, her blank expression vanished as emotion took hold. She wasn't sure what it was about Peter that made her want to talk to him, but it was an urge she was unable to fight, "…So many times. I tried to invent something useful but they always fail. I don't even know why I come in here anymore …failure is supposed to lead to success."

"Only if you remain stubborn. Failure is always going to suck, but it helps when people believe in you."

"No one believes in me."

"…I do."

It was like a weight in her chest lifted, making her body feel light and warm. Seeing someone take the time to care about her like this. It was a strange yet familiar feeling she wanted so badly to embrace.

"Mei," Peter continued, "I know you're a brilliant inventor with a brilliant mind. I believe that you're capable of doing really incredible things. I want you to prove it to me by helping me unlock that things secret. I know you can do it, please."

"…Show me what I can do."

He lifted his hand to her, and she took it gently between her fingers. He lifted her out of seat and pulled her to the other side of the room, where the Eye was sitting on the desk. Tools were scattered around it from Peter's quick rummaging. Peter led her into the seat as she took a deep breath. Her confidence was still fragile, but Peter was there to keep it afloat.

"Ok … If we're trying to charge this thing, we have a few methods to start on. Magnetizing, electricity, and so on."

"I know it's a very conductive material. Can we test what kind of energy its conductive with?"

"Most conductive materials convert energy from point A to point B. If it's conductive, then it can handle a high variety of energy types to power it. I'm going to need the car battery in the drawer over there," She pointed to a desk just a few meters from them. Kendo quickly went and opened the drawer, finding a small car battery hidden inside under papers. It was just like Mei to have something like this on school property. Perhaps she hasn't changed as much as she thought.

Kendo quickly brought the battery over, along with the cables that came with it, "Is it charged?" Kendo asked, "The battery, I mean."

"I haven't used it, so yes," Mei attached the cables to the battery, "This won't charge it I don't think, but it will help me understand how much it can take. You better step back."

"Why?"

"In case it explodes."

Knowing Mei, no matter what form she took, it needed little convincing for him and Kendo to take a large step back as she started up the battery. She began small as the dial on the battery went up. The Eye vibrated from the electrical charge, shaking the table it slept on. It came to a point where the electricity was audible, yet Mei did not flinch. In a quick burst, the battery expelled a puff of smoke, forcing Mei to shut it off.

"Well," Mei began, "This little thing can take well beyond 15 volts of energy."

Suddenly, the eye began to glow ever so lightly. A gentle golden mist faded off its surface and vanished as quickly as it formed. Peter watched the process slowly even as it ended, taking in every detail with great care. It was progress, that much he knew, "Fascinating," He said, "It took the volts and converted it into the necessary energy. We need just need a bigger charge-"

"And it will convert it all into usable energy that will jump start it!" Mei exclaimed, finally gaining a smile.

Peter grinned at her, seeing a glimpse of the real Mei even without restoring her.

"Peter," Said Kendo, "I'm just going to get a drink of water, ok?"

He nodded, getting back to work with Mei as Kendo left the room.

…

Kendo roamed the halls looking for a drinking fountain. The stakes of their situation were beginning to get to her, and she just needed a moment to process everything. She didn't know Mayume as well as Peter did, but she knew enough to respect her as a hero. The very idea she would do something like this—force everyone to change for her own goals—it shocked her to the bone. Peter was right all along about how she would become corrupted by the power. The sad thing is that she still wanted to save Mayume.

She wanted to save her soul.

A faint sound of sniffling caught her attention from the girls bathroom. Her false self would have kept walking, but the true Kendo wanted to see what was going on. She entered quietly as not to disturb who was inside. She was surprised to see who she found.

Inside, staring in front of a mirror, was Momo Yaoyorozu. Her hands were pressed firmly on the sink as she stared into the drain. Her eyes were red as tears fell into the sink. Paper towels were clenched in her hands, covered in mucus from blowing her nose. Her cheeks were stained with her tears, telling Kendo she had been here for a little while.

Whether Momo was herself or not—whether she knew her or not—she needed a friend.

"…Yaoyorozu?" Itsuka greeted.

Momo nearly jumped out of her shoes, turning her back to Kendo and wiping her tears away. One big sniffle and she felt she was ready to let her words out, "I'm fine," She said instinctively.

"I didn't even ask if you were ok yet," Kendo retorted, "You wanna talk about it?"

"No," She stood firmly, "I'm perfectly fine."

"…They really did a number on you."

Momo turned around with one eyebrow raised, "Who did?"

"Whoever hurt you," She stepped forward, "The way you're forcing yourself to be ok tells me you aren't doing it for you. You're doing it out of fear someone will disapprove."

"You don't know me."

"I know …someone like you. She got into this really good school based on recommendation. Everyone looked up to her because she was the smartest person in the classroom. Even kids in other classes looked up to her because she was not only smart, but extremely beautiful. One day, though," Kendo leaned on a sink with one hand, "She had a chance to prove her worth to a large crowd, and she fell flat. She lost every ounce of her confidence that day; it really destroyed her."

"…How did she recover?" asked Momo with a hiccup.

"She hasn't …yet. She's still dealing with everything. I think she was used to being held up at such a high standard that being anything less shattered her spirit. She started giving in to whatever would make people happy at the cost of her own happiness. She said horrible things to a boy she was friends with and now she thinks he hates her. So …who hurt you? Come on, what's said in the girl's bathroom stays in the girl's bathroom."

She was hesitant, but Kendo's nature told her she wasn't here to cause harm. Her eyes weren't vicious, they were kind and inviting. Momo actually felt, in this moment of weakness, that she could speak without fearing where she stepped, "…My parents," Said Momo, "I'm under a lot of pressure from them to be …to be perfect. Get perfect grades, have a perfect face. I can never be …me. I have to be the image they've drawn for me."

"No, you don't," Kendo steps forward and puts her hands on Momos cheeks, catching her tears between her fingers, "Who you really are is wonderfully beautiful, I can see it. I can see past the illusion and I can tell you how amazing you are just as you."

Momo smiled, sniffling once again, "You mean that?"

"I know that, because I believe in you."

Kendo handed her another paper towel to blow her nose. She took a step back so Momo could throw the towel away and wipe away the last of her rogue tears. There was a moment of pause between them. Mom almost expected her to take back everything she said with a 'but', yet there was nothing. Her words cemented into reality and Momo actually managed to believe it.

"…Thank you," Said Momo, "I'll be ok, now, really."

"If you need me," Kendo smiled, backing up toward the door, "Let me know."

She exited the bathroom, leaving Momo alone with all of her deepest feelings.

Kendo strolled back into the robotics lab to find Peter and Mei examining the Eye of Agamotto with a magnifying glass. She chuckled; only these two would be fully invested in something as simple as holding a magnifying glass. It was nice to see that Mei—despite all the changes—didn't lose her talents and interests.

Peter noticed Kendo come in and approached her, seeing the look on her face. It wasn't exactly sad, but it was somewhere in the middle between that and being content, "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah …yeah," Kendo sighed, "I just spoke with Yaoyorozu."

"Is she different?"

"That's just it. She's pretty much the same if not worse. After the sports festival, Momo was completely broken. She had no fight left in her, and now she's so much worse. If this version of her is anything like the one we know, then her parents are why she's like this. She feels like she has to prove something to them—I mean she got into the school through recommendation. All that pressure just to fall flat …"

"It would break someone …I know," Peter sighed, "When this is all over, I need to see her. I need to set things right."

A crack of thunder sounded from the sky beyond the school, shaking the premises with great force. The shake knocked over several of the tools sitting on the table, and nearly knocked Mei out of her seat had Peter not quickly caught her. At first, he thought it was a knockback from their experiment, but ruled it out quickly as something worse. The lights flickered on and off as they struggled to maintain power, and the wind became stronger outside, easily told by the whistle coming from the windows.

"The storms," Said Peter, "I gotta check it out. Kendo, stay with Mei."

She wasn't able to protest as he bolted out of the room, leaving her with Mei and their sudden science project.

"What's happening?" Asked Mei.

"Peter will take care of it," Said Kendo, "We gotta keep working,"

"Then I need more power," She stood, looking Kendo in the eye, "How much does this project mean to you guys?"

"Want the truth?"

"Yes."

"It's literally life or death."

Knowing the stakes, as vague as they were, made Mei pause for a moment. It was a lot to take in, but she processed it with a deep breath, "Ok, then we're going to need to get a little drastic."

Mei grabbed the other end of the cables from the battery and jumped onto the table. Holding them under her arm, she used her free hand to open the casing of the lighting and tore it down. She started reaching underneath the surface level to whatever was underneath that Kendo couldn't see. She clipped the cables on the inside of it, immediately draining power away from the lights.

"Is this safe?" Kendo asked.

"No, but don't worry, I do it all the time."

"…What?"

Mei immediately jumped to the ground as she expected the massive sparks falling from the ceiling. A loud humming came from the cables and shook the Eye of Agamotto. It began glowing fiercely with a golden mist as it converted the electricity into some kind of magical energy. Kendo wanted to stay away, but she noticed the Eye vibrating closer to the edge of the table. As it fell, she dived forward and caught it just as it disconnected from the cables.

By this point, they had done the job.

She laid on her stomach as the Eye fell into her palms. The energy gravitated instantly to her skin. The mist flowed upwards, then straight down into her veins. The energy traveled up her arm and through the rest of her body in a single wave. Once it reached her brain, her eyes glowed yellow only for a moment.

Something changed, she could feel it. She suddenly felt stronger now, but it wasn't an unfamiliar strength. She stretched the muscles in her fingers to find that same feeling she had grown so accustomed to in her lifetime. When she flexed them, she felt that same feeling. It made her smile.

"What happened?" Mei asked.

Kendo stood up, looking at her closed fist with a passionate grin, "I need to get this to Peter."

…

As Peter roamed the halls, he looked out the windows to the skies outside. They were beginning to change color to that of a much darker grey. Clouds rolled in quick and filled the skies with lightning flashes and cracks of thunder. It was enough to shake the entire building and send students into a panic. Those who weren't boarded up in the classrooms were panicking in the halls.

A light above him completely gave out and expelled sparks to the floor. Wires fell from the ceiling as posters taped to the walls caught fire. The fires only spread further across the walls and lit the halls with a yellow and red light.

A voice called out for help; It was one he recognized.

"Mina?!" Peter shouted, "Mina!"

Peter rushed through the halls, dodging the fire and debris that fell from the building. He listened to his spider-sense and moved whenever it was appropriate. When he turned the corner, he found a large pile of debris laying all over the floor. Mina was there, and for a moment he didn't recognize her without her pink skin. Her foot was trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen down. She was struggling to get free and no one else had come to her rescue.

"Mina!" Peter exclaimed as he rushed to her side, "Are you ok?!"

"My foot!" She panicked, "My foot is stuck!"

"Just don't move, ok?"

Carefully, Peter tucked his hands under the debris and lifted it slowly. He didn't want to give away his superior strength, but didn't hesitate to lift it up enough for her to pull her foot out from under. She jumped into his arms the second she was free, holding on as though she'd die if she let go. She was crying from the fear of the situation, and he couldn't blame her.

"We need to get you out of here," Peter said as he lifted her to her feet.

"We can't!" Argued Mina, "I was in the halls because I was trying to get help! Our homeroom class is closed in by debris!"

"Are they ok?"

"I-I don't know! A fire started and there's too much smoke! They tried opening the windows-"

"But it only accelerated the smokes circulation," He knew this only from experience dealing with fires. Opening a window helps drain out the smoke, but if it's developing just as fast, it does little over a long period, "Fire department won't get here in time if it's already escalated so fast. Take me to them!"

"Are you sure? What can you do?"

"Take me to them!"

Refusing to argue further, Mina began leading him down the hall in a sprint of panic. The damage to the school was getting worse by the second because of the storms. It made him wonder why Mayume hadn't done anything about it by now. There was a lot of destruction going on right now; she had to have seen this was happening. Did she just not want to do anything? What was he missing?

Mina brought him to the door of their homeroom. The door was covered by a pile of debris tightly packed together. They were pressed to the ceiling which was filled with fully formed cracks that spread to the walls. It was a miracle it was being held together at all. He could see the flashing red and yellow light coming from the other side, but it was dim, meaning there was little room to maneuver.

"We gotta help them!" Said Mina, "Can you move the debris?"

"You assume I can lift that?" He asked.

"I saw you lift that piece of the ceiling off my leg!"

"This is more complicated," he pointed to the cracks forming in the walls and ceiling, "Those cracks are fully formed, but the pieces haven't budged. This pile is all that's holding everything together. If we try moving them, it's all going to come crashing down," He looked back to her with a serious expression, "It could kill everyone inside."

The idea of death staring her in the face was overwhelming. She held her mouth in disbelief and couldn't refuse to cry as the tears flowed over her fingers. She couldn't handle the thought of losing all her friends in the attempt to save them. This couldn't be happening, she thought, it just couldn't, "There must be something we can do!"

Peter looked at Mina intently, specifically at her skin. He knew that if she had her Quirk, she would be capable of helping. As she was, however, there was nothing either of them could do without making it worse, "If we had a type of acid," Said Peter, "We could melt a hole in the debris. The acid would cool down quickly, stabilizing the damage so nothing falters and falls."

"Do we have any of that?"

"We could mix together Hydrogen and Chloride to make Hydrochloric acid, but that would take too long."

"I can't stand here and do nothing!"

She was panicking, and he wanted to help calm her down but couldn't. Her friends were suffocating in there and there was little he was able to do about it. He was helpless; powerless, as was she.

"Peter!"

Kendo's voice rang loud as she turned a corner to greet them. The Eye of Agamotto was in her hands, glowing fiercely with a golden mist. There was a smile on her face. Had she done it? Had she fixed the eye, he wondered, as she tossed it over to him, His reflexes kicked in and he caught it quickly above his head, examining it and Mina simultaneously.

He knew what to do.

"Mina," He grabbed her by the shoulder, "Everything is going to be fine, I just need you to look at this, ok?"

"What? Why?" She questioned.

"Mina, I know you don't know me well, but you need to trust me. Only you can save your friends."

"Why trust me?"

"Because you're worth it."

A level of appreciation that felt familiar to her, she thought. His words— his kind and gentle words—were like a welcome-home hug.

Carefully, she took the Eye into her hand and looked directly into it. It's mist traveled straight up, then dived back down into her skin, entering her veins the same it had for Kendo. Starting at her finger tips, her skin had begun to change color from dark brown, to a light pink. The change traveled up her arm but she paid no attention to it as she stared deeper into the Eye. Her skin change had now reached her head. Her eyes became black with yellow iris's. Small horns grew from her hair, which changed to a brighter pink than her skin.

She blinked her eyes, as though just waking from a dream.

"…Peter?" Asked Mina, "Peter …it's you."

"Welcome back, Mina," Peter smiled, "Time for reunion is later. Can you melt a hole in the debris?"

Mina looked to the debris covering the door, then back to Peter with a determined look, "I can," She said, handing him back the Eye, "Stand back."

Peter took a step back and reunited with Kendo, who held his arm for safety. Mina rubbed her palms together and began to generate acid from her skin. With her hands pressed against the debris, the acid began to melt the material with ease. She remained careful about how she expelled it, creating a circular shape as though she was finger painting. The acid cooled at the edges of the hole, fusing the material as to avoid a collapse.

When she reached the door, she backed away to make room, "Probably best no one see's me like this," She suggested, and hid around the corner so Peter could get in close. Once he was at the door, he kicked it down as smoke poured out along with almost two dozen students, some of which he recognized. Everyone began running for the exits as quickly as they could, thanking Peter for his help.

When they were gone, Mina came out of her hiding place, "What's happening?" she asked.

"Bad weather," Answered Peter, "We need to see who else is in the school that needs help. Kendo, I need you to watch after Mina, have her help anyone else who's in trouble."

"What about you?" Asked Kendo.

"I need to find the rest of our team," He gestured to the Eye of Agamotto, and she nodded in understanding, "We'll take more later. Go!"

Mina didn't want to leave Peter so soon after finding him again, but Kendo pulled on her arm and insisted they get moving as the shaking of the building got worse. They parted quickly from Peter, leaving him alone on his search.

…

Peter raced through the flaming halls as people yelled in terror. Again he wondered why Mayume hasn't done anything yet. The school is coming down around them and not a single snap has occurred to undo it. He was still against the idea of fixing everything will all that power, but she would have done something by now knowing her. She had undone things before, and he couldn't understand why this was suddenly different. What was she waiting for?

Another set of voices cried for help, coming from close to the schools side exit. It was the same one he remembered was supposed to be under construction. The doors had been torn open from the falling debris. Outside, the pavement in front of the door had collapsed into a sinkhole. He could see several students and school staff with half their bodies trapped under dirt and concrete, unable to budge from their spots. They cried for Peter's help—begged for it.

"Just stay where you are-!" Peter winced, "Bad choice of words, sorry! Just hang in there-! No, that's worse!"

Even having his strength and agility, without his webs, he would have a hard time getting them out without consequences. He needed a rope and fast, but the nearest place for that was the gym, which was on the other side of the school. He wouldn't be able to get it in time.

Then again, he didn't have a choice.

"I'll be right back!" He shouted as he left the sinkhole and darted back into the school, despite how they begged him not to go.

He sprinted as fast as he could through the halls. The lockers he passed by were nothing more than blurs in his vision. His target was the gymnasium, where hopefully he could find some ropes to get everyone out. If not, then he wasn't sure what else he was going to do. Perhaps he could find something heavy like a pole to fish them out. That would be option two if option one is a dead end.

He came to a skidding stop, not because he arrived, but because he saw something. Someone. Down the hall, evacuating through an open exit with other students was Momo Yaoyorozu. She was keeping the door open as everyone ran out the door, leading them to safety. Even in this reality, she was still a hero.

As of this moment, she was also option three.

The last student left through the door and she was about to leave herself when Peter grabbed her by the arm, "Momo!" he said, "I need your help!"

Momo looked panicked and worried, much like she was the last time they had met. She was breathing quickly out of fear and exasperation, "We need to get out of here!"

"There are people trapped in a sinkhole and I need your help to free them!"

Fear told her to run away as it always did. As long as she can remember, she did as she was told, except when she was afraid. To avoid failing, she chose not to try. It was better than embarrassing herself again in front of those she cared about. She had no confidence she could help Peter in any way, so she didn't want to even try.

When she tried to leave, Peter tightened his grip on her arm, "I know that look," he said.

"What look?" she asked.

"You think you can't do this, so you give up before it starts. I've been there more times than I care to mention because I thought no one believed in me. Here's the unthinkable for you; I believe in you, Momo! You're the only one that can save those people!"

"How?! I don't even know you! And you don't know me!"

"I do!" he grabbed her other arm, "You're one of the smartest, most talented, most determined people I have ever had the pleasure to meet and I know with every cell in my body that deep down, you are a hero! Please, be one now!"

It was true; deep down, she liked helping people. Years of her parents telling her to only care for herself had gotten to her. They'd scold her for giving money to the poor, wasting time on volunteer events, and so much more. She had finally given up, but this boy was trying to pull her back. Why did he care?

Why did she want to listen?

Before she could stop herself, she was running at his side back down the hall. They arrived at the side entrance to find the sinkhole had only gotten worse. The people were even deeper in the ground now, the dirt reaching up to their chests and trapping their arms against their sides. Momo looked down at them wondering what on earth Peter expected her to do.

To answer, he handed her The Eye of Agamotto.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Look into the eye, and you'll get all your answers."

She didn't want to disappoint him, so she did as she was told and looked into the eye.

Further screams of horror stole Peters attention as he got to his knees and looked down into the hole. They were sinking deeper and further into the ground and they were too far out of reach, "Hang on a little longer!" Shouted Peter.

Momo kneeled at his side, tossing the Eye back into his hands. The look on her face had changed; it wasn't confident, but it was determined. In her other hand was a rope that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Unless it came from her.

"Grab the end of this rope and pull with everything you've got," Momo commanded, "Hurry!"

Peter obeyed her and grabbed the end of the rope as Momo tossed it down. The victims trapped in the hole began grabbing onto it one at a time. Momo kept her hand up to signal that Peter should wait. Once everyone was grabbing on, she told him to go, and he began pulling with his super strength. It took little effort to pull them up, though there was a bit of a tug at first. Eventually, he was able to pull them out of the hole and drag them away from the edge.

They each stood to their feet, thanking the two of them before running away to safety. Momo remained silent, looking at the rope in her hands.

"…Momo?" Asked Peter, "Is it …you?"

"…What the hell is happening, Peter?" She asked quietly.

It was here, definitely, but she still felt as broken as before, if not for different reasons. She didn't know what was happening or why her head was filled with the memories of two lives. All she knew is everything changed, and now she was confronting Peter for the first time since the festival. She never imagined it would finally happen, much less under these circumstances.

"We need to get somewhere safe," Said Peter, "Do you trust me?"

She didn't know if she trusted him, much less herself.

…

Police and Firefighters arrived soon after everyone had evacuated the building. Thankfully no one was killed, though many were injured. Smoke was erupting into the air as the school was consumed in fire. The storm had passed on its own without the need for a snap. The students and staff were processed by police and doctors—and on occasion, reporters—before being allowed to return home.

Standing atop a roof across the street was Peter, and he wasn't alone. Joined with him was Itsuka, Momo and Mina, each of them restored from their false identities. Mina couldn't stop examining her skin, never thinking she would be so happy to have it back. She hadn't had normal skin since she was five years old, and while it was nice to be normal for a little while, she felt grateful to be herself again.

Mina finally approached Peter with a smile on her face, leaping at him for a tight and overdo hug. To hold him like this again made her feel like everything was going to be ok, despite all that has happened.

"I missed you, Peter!" Said Mina.

"I missed you too," Said Peter, "How're you feeling?"

"Really weird," She broke the hug, keeping her hands on her hips, "I remember a life that …isn't mine, but I'm starting to forget it."

"It'll pass."

"What happened to us?"

Peter looked between her and Momo, knowing they wanted answers beyond just what happened. They wanted to know every secret he has kept from them, and he wanted to give the answers. He just wanted to wait until everyone was accounted for.

Of course, that didn't include the basics.

"Overcast did this. I'll explain more about it when everyone is here."

"Everyone?"

"I still have two more people to find."

Momo stepped forward with her arms crossed, avoiding eye contact as she asked "Why us? Why fix what happened to Ashido, Kendo and I? Wouldn't it make more sense to help Pro heroes."

"None of the Pro's I trust are in the city. My friends are," He sighed, "And I trust all my friends. All of them."

It was clear an overdue conversation was in need, so Mina and Kendo stepped away, far enough to give them some space.

"…Momo," Peter spoke first, "When we first met, you rescued me from my own social awkwardness, remember?"

"…I do," She said softly.

"You've always been my friend, Momo. That has never changed no matter what was said, and what remained unsaid. I have made mistakes, I know. I've lied, I've deceived, I've manipulated my way through this world because I thought I had no other choice. I betrayed the trust of my friends, my family, and everyone else I care about. I know I hurt you too-"

"Do you hate me?" She asked, fighting back her tears.

"…No. No, of course not! Momo-" He wanted to question what made her think this, but he already knew, "What you said at the festival …I know you were hurting. I don't blame you for anything. I forgave you for what you said a long time ago."

"But I-"

Peter pulled her in for a hug, rubbing the back of her head with his hand, "Momo, I forgive you. I will never stop caring about you … no matter what." He couldn't stop his voice from cracking. This was something he needed to say, and something she needed to hear a long time ago. She thought it would take more to break her down, but in truth, she had been waiting for this opportunity ever since she last saw him.

"…No matter what," She repeated, a gentle smile on her face, "Thank you, Peter. I …I needed to hear that."

He broke the hug, but kept contact with her arms, "I told you the truth, nothing more."

"What do we do now?"

"We find the two people who remain on my list. We assemble a team of six people, and we take Mayume head on."

"Who else do we need?"

"Kyoka Jiro, and Izuku Midoryia."

…

Deeper into the city was a warehouse abandoned by time. No one in this new reality ever paid any attention to it. City officials marked it as condemned yet never bothered to take it down. Within its walls was the last remaining piece of a world forgotten by almost everyone but a select few. One of those few made this abandoned place their home.

Poetic; an abandoned building to house what's left of an abandoned world.

The layout was exactly as it was; mostly empty with a few couches and a TV in the corner. The TV was playing the news, talking about what happened at the school that day. Sitting in a chair facing the screen was the woman herself, the golden gauntlet wrapped around her hand. She was waiting to see if they would mention any deaths that occurred during the incident, holding her middle finger and thumb together for a snap yet to happen.

That moment never came.

The newscast ended and there was no mention of death, meaning she had no reason to act on the incident. She only ever fixed things when death was involved, as she promised she would do. Most of her time now was spent in front of this TV, snapping her fingers and shaving the edges of this new world until everything was smooth and perfect.

She'd get there, eventually.

"Mayume," Said a voice.

She turned around and saw her brother standing there. The scars on his face were gone now, along with any other wounds given to him over the years. He wasn't dressed in his costume, rather a plain sweater and sweat pants. He clearly hadn't left this building for some time.

"How's it going?" he asked, somewhat reluctantly.

"Fine," Said Mayume, "No one got hurt."