Spider-Man: Web of Ikebukuro chapter 02: Battle in Ikebukuro
Lyall the Werewolf: You know, I wasn't expecting Yūya to be compared to Batman. Well, I did plan to go for a slightly darker take on the Spider-Man character, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I was actually taking inspiration from Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man, as Peter's first outings as a vigilante were driven by self-interest and revenge. So right now, Yūya isn't quite the hero he is destined to be. Every Spidey has a bumpy road ahead of them.
So, let's continue Yūya's adventures in Ikebukuro.
(I don't own Durarara or Spider-Man)
It was a bright day in the afternoon of Ikebukuro. That was when the incident started. But first, let us introduce two new players.
[Shinra, what do you think of Spider-Man?] Celty Sturluson asked her roommate, Shinra Kishitani.
Celty was a unique woman. Or at least she resembled one. The only difference between Celty and other women was her lack of a head. Such is the main feature of a Dullahan, an Irish fairy known for having their head detached from their body. As she adjusted to modern Japanese society, the Irish Dullahan wore a black motorcycle jumpsuit. In place of her missing head, shadows seeped out from her pale, slender neck.
Celty originally came to Japan to locate her stolen head. She also worked as a transporter in Ikebukuro.
After a long and desperate search, she thought she had found it, but it turned out to not have been it. The face on her head was replicated and restructured onto an innocent girl via plastic surgery. And the one responsible for that was the man before her.
Shinra was an ordinary young adult Japanese man with short brown hair and brown eyes. His profession was an underground doctor, so he usually wore a white lab coat. While Shinra appeared to be an ordinary doctor, he was also quite strange. For example, he was in love with the headless woman living with him in his apartment and did not shy away from it.
That was the reason he worked with Yagiri Pharmaceuticals to mislead Celty away from her head by restructuring that girl's face to look like Celty. Now Celty was no closer to finding her head than she was from the start. But now, she had a new goal. To find happiness with Shinra.
"Spider-who? Oh, you mean that new urban legend everyone is talking about. You and your friends in the chat room were discussing him the other night, right?" asked Shinra.
[Yeah, that's right.] Celty replied on her PDA. It was given to her by Shinra so she could communicate via typing on the screen.
"Why are you curious about him? Oh! Don't tell me you've fallen in love with him?!" Shinra's calm demeanor broke at the thought of Celty loving another man.
This assumption earned him a jab to the stomach from Celty.
[Of course, I haven't! Don't be an idiot.]
As much as she didn't want to admit it, Celty has come to love Shinra too. Despite what he pulled to keep her from finding her head, she found it difficult to hate him for it. There was a twisted sincerity to his actions to convince her she could live with her head and find happiness with him. Celty wasn't sure how she could do it, but she would try.
"A little late for that…" Shinra groaned as he caressed his stomach, "Still, I'm pretty curious about him myself. If his spider-like powers are for real, I gotta figure out how they work! What if he makes web fluid from outside materials or if he produces them naturally? I hope he doesn't mind if I dissect him a little."
The excitement in Shinra's eyes was creepy, even to Celty.
[You're starting to sound like your father.] Celty typed. She may love Shinra now, but his father, Shingen, was a different story.
"I'm joking." Shinra shrugged, "So, what's got you curious about him?"
[I can't be certain, but I think Spider-Man might be like me.]
"What do you mean?"
[I can innately sense these kinds of things. For the past four weeks, I've been feeling the presence of another supernatural being in Ikebukuro, and it might be him.] Celty explained.
"I see. That's impressive. I thought our new urban legend got his powers from a lab accident or something. Science is often unpredictable like that." Shinra said.
[I'll know when I get a better look at him.]
"So, what kind of supernatural being do you think he is, Celty?"
[Well, he's running around with his head intact, so that rules out him being a Dullahan like me. Maybe he's some variant of vampire, but with spider-like abilities.]
"I think vampires have always been able to stick to walls. It's just one of their powers. Or so we may think. Also, none of the criminals Spider-Man has reportedly attacked had their blood drained. They were battered and bruised, though. Some of them ended up in the hospital."
[And that's the other thing bugging me about this guy.]
"What is it?" Shinra asked curiously. He has known Celty since his childhood, so he developed a keen sense of what Celty was thinking, even without her head. Call it obsessive, but it worked. Right now, she was concerned about the Spider-Man.
[It's something Kanra said in the Chat Room. They think Spider-Man might be looking for someone, and he wants to get revenge on them.]
"Revenge, huh? Maybe that's why Spider-Man stalks the night and beats up random bad guys. He wants to find a specific crook and get even for something they did to him. But if he's not careful, he could get in serious trouble. If not with the police, then maybe crime syndicates, like the Awakusu Group."
[Or what if Spider-Man picks the wrong fight on his adventures?]
"Oh, I see your point. I heard some people are debating if Spider-Man might be a match for Shizuo. They're even betting on who'd win in a fight. And I think I know who the highest bidder against Shizuo is." Shinra said with a sense of dread.
[Big surprise. It's Izaya. I swear those two always make a mess whenever they see each other.]
Izaya and Shizuo were well known for their rivalry. The moment they met at Raira Academy, they became mortal enemies. The main instigator was always Izaya. Somehow, he tricked random thugs into attacking Shizuo daily. Even well past graduation, Izaya wouldn't leave Shizuo in peace. It got to the point where Shizuo would throw random objects and chase Izaya on sight if he ever found him in Ikebukuro.
"Yeah, and it's so like Izaya to set up a fight against Shizuo just to spite him… and now I'm starting to worry." Shinra turned pale as soon as he said it.
If a fight did break out between two superhumans, it could cause a major disaster.
[Actually, the other day, I did see Shizuo chasing Izaya again. I thought it was just the usual thing and left it alone, but the talk about Spider-Man in the Chat Room got me thinking…]
"Say no more! You should probably go find our new friend before he bumps into Shizuo and all hell breaks loose."
Celty nodded her non-existent head and bolted for the door.
"And be extra careful, Celty! With two powerhouses throwing hands, it might get dangerous!" Shinra hollered.
She summoned her steed, Shooter in its motorcycle form, and rode down the apartment complex. Shooter was an entity called a cóiste bodhar, or death coach. Its original form was a headless horse, similar to its owner. After Celty moved to Japan and settled in with Shinra, Shooter transformed into a black motorcycle.
They immediately sped into the street in search of Shizuo and potentially Spider-Man.
[-Meanwhile: Kadota's Gang-]
"Karisawa-san, I finished the mask!" said Walker. He presented the mask to his best friend, who was immediately impressed.
"Awesome, Yumacchi! I always knew he had a seamster in you!" Erika praised.
"To be honest, the mask was kinda tricky. It's a miracle I got the eyes right!"
"Well, now we just need to get the finishing touches on the costume done."
"Hey, you guys can do that at home, right? Why sow the costume in my van?" asked an annoyed Saburo. Driving would be less taxing if they were sowing in the back. And yet, they haven't injured themselves somehow.
"You never know when we'll run into Spidey on the street. We gotta be ready to present it to him!" Erika answered.
"Guess that means we have to listen to you two chatter all day about how much you think he'll like that costume." Saburo sighed.
"I know how you feel, man," Kyōhei said. He was surprised they could complete most of the costume in a single day and still had the energy to yammer.
Suddenly, the world shook violently. Or rather, it was the van that shook. It nearly tipped over after something hit its side.
"What the hell?!" Kyōhei gasped.
The van gang stepped out of the vehicle and saw a big dent in its side panel.
"NOO! My van!" Saburo cried.
"Oh no…" Kyōhei said.
"Ugh…" the groaning voice of the victim uttered as he lay limp against the van.
"Hey, Dotachin… you think Shizu-Shizu might've done this?" Erika asked.
"It can only be Shizuo. Something must have set him off again. And it's our bad luck we got caught up in it." Kyōhei answered.
"Hold on… the way this guy's dressed…" Walker said as he examined the masked boy.
"Is he…" Erika got a good look at him too.
"O-Okay… shake it off… it's just your bones, your organs…" Spider-Man muttered as he slowly worked his way back to standing.
The so-called Fantastic Four spot the spider insignia on the boy's shirt.
"It is him! It's Spider-Man!" Erika shouted.
"Huh?" Spider-Man looked at the four in confusion.
How did Spider-Man get here, you may ask? Let us go back a little in time to find out.
[-Earlier: Raira Academy: After School-]
"Hey, Maekawa." a male teacher called out to a female Raira Academy student.
The girl had short reddish brown hair and big gray eyes. Her face was pretty, and she had a petite and slender frame.
Junko Maekawa turned around to see the male teacher approaching her.
He was a tall man with light brown hair. He wore a white dress shirt and black slacks.
"Oh, hello, Nasujima-sensei." Junko politely said to Takashi Nasujima.
"Heading home already?" Nasujima asked casually. He was a little too close for comfort, but Junko paid no mind.
"Yes, I'm done with my shift at the library for the day," Junko answered.
"Always the diligent one, Maekawa. I admire that." Nasujima said as he put his hand on her shoulder.
Coincidently, no one else was around to see what the infamous Nasujima was doing. It was rumored that Nasujima had a habit of coming to female students when they were alone.
Junko was one of his favorite targets because she was too nice to say anything rude or spread rumors.
"By the way, I've been hearing about the Slasher recently. I heard they appeared again." Nasujima leaned forward to Junko as he spoke.
"Y-Yes, I know about the Slasher. Please don't worry. I always avoid going down dark alleys." Junko nervously said.
"That's a smart move. But I think there's an even bigger menace out in the city. Spider-Man." Nasujima said venomously.
"Huh?"
"You know, the vigilante people say crawls on walls, swings on webs, and he beats random thugs up. Personally, I think that's a bunch of comic book nonsense. Either way, there's no denying that this Spider-Man is nothing but a troublemaker. It's only a matter of time before he targets ordinary people just for fun."
"U-Um… I don't think that's…" Junko couldn't finish her sentence as Nasujima pulled her closer to him.
"Are you saying I'm wrong despite being a teacher?" Nasujima asked.
"N-No. I'm just saying that you shouldn't judge others based on rumors." Junko was starting to get scared.
"That's a naïve way to think. You're better off trusting the word of your teacher." Nasujima refuted, "If you have any problems, let me know, okay? I'm a very compassionate man, you know."
"T-That won't be necessary! I'm fine, honest!" Junko was desperate to get away, but Nasujima's grip on her was too strong.
"That reminds me, aren't your parents away on a business trip? Maybe I should escort you home just to be safe- Huh?"
The lecherous teacher suddenly felt a chill. He backed away from Junko like he was afraid.
"Junko!" a familiar voice called out to the young redhead.
Junko and Nasujima see a boy coming up from behind them. The boy was of average height and slim build. He had short black hair and brown eyes. He was somewhat androgynous facially. He had a red backpack on.
"Ah, Yūya-kun!" Junko exclaimed happily as her childhood friend came to the rescue. She walked passed the confused Nasujima.
The slimy teacher wondered where Yoshinaga appeared from.
"Are you heading home now? Why don't we leave together?" Junko suggested.
"Yeah. Sounds good." Yūya nodded.
The two students were on their way and they ignored Nasujima.
Frustrated, Nasujima was about to say something to the two, but he paused. While Junko was looking ahead and was none the wiser, Yūya momentarily glanced back to the teacher with a menacing look in his eye.
Nasujima refrained from speaking out and walked away.
"Dammit…" the lecherous teacher muttered. It was frustrating. After his failed attempts with Anri Sonohara, Nasujima figured he could make a move on his second favorite target.
Anri was resistant but never really tried to rebuff Nasujima's advances. All it would take was proper molding, and she'd be the perfect little slave. Junko was similar in that regard. In fact, Nasujima could tell she was naturally submissive to someone who showed dominance. How nice it would be to have those two at his bedside.
There were only two bothersome obstacles in his way. There was one student, Masaomi Kida. He seemed to be friends with Anri. Why else would that nosy delinquent step in and blackmail Nasujima into backing off with hard evidence of his behavior toward Anri? Kida had no right to interfere. Nasujima was the one who pulled the strings to get Anri in the same class as her unruly friend. It was his right to have his way with her.
And then there was Yūya Yoshinaga. Something about him changed recently. Before, he was your typical loner and social misfit. He didn't have any notable friends or associates besides Junko. As far as Nasujima could tell, Yoshinaga was in no rush to get together with his childhood friend. If he was willing to let her go to waste, Nasujima figured he should call dibs on Junko.
But now, Yoshinaga seemed to be acting slightly less asocial. You would think after what happened, he'd be more reclusive. Moreover, Nasujima didn't expect Yoshinaga to show such a hostile gaze.
He felt something similar a long time ago. It was like when…
"No, don't think about her. Don't think about Haruna Niekawa… She's far away now. She won't bother me again, and she certainly wouldn't talk about what happened to other people."
That's right. Takashi Nasujima was safe as long as Haruna stayed far away. He only dated her for the money he could squeeze out of her family to pay his debt to the Awakusu Group.
The real score was getting Anri and Junko without getting caught. The board was ready to fire him when his affair with Haruna almost got out, but sending her to a faraway school in West Ikebukuro prevented that. He needed to be more careful this time.
[-Meanwhile: Yūya and Junko-]
Yūya and Junko made it to the shoe lockers.
"Thanks, Yūya-kun! I didn't know what to do back there." Junko sighed in relief.
"Don't you know the rumors going around about him? You should be more careful, Junko," said Yūya.
"I will." Junko nodded.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay, so I'll be going now," Yūya said as he finished switching his shoes and prepared to exit the building.
"W-Wait, Yūya-kun!" Junko sputtered, forcing him to stop.
He turned back to her curiously.
"Is everything okay? You seem tired." Junko said. She became concerned after seeing Yūya's tired expression.
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, Junko." Yūya replied.
"I don't know. You've changed a bit… I've known you a long time, so I can tell when something's bothering you. I guess that can happen because of… your uncle." Junko lamented.
"Junko…" Yūya's eyes hardened at the mention of his uncle.
"We saw him at Meiji University on that field trip. He was alive and kind like always. And then…"
"Junko, please don't." Yūya sighed.
"I'm sorry…" Junko apologized, realizing she upset her friend when she mentioned his uncle. She hadn't meant to, but she had no idea how to help him.
"I just… need time," Yūya said.
"I understand. And I'm here if you need anything." Junko assured as she held his hand. Yūya pulled away and sauntered off, leaving Junko feeling dejected.
Unbeknownst to her, a girl with light brown hair watched the sad exchange. She wore casual clothes, consisting of a white dress shirt, pink skirt and tie, and a white beanie with a pink heart pin. Contrasting with the rest of her slightly fair-skinned body, the girl's head from the neck up had pale skin due to plastic surgery. She had a visible scar circling her neck.
What this girl was doing was unclear, but it was evident that she felt sorry for Junko. Being separated from the love of your life was sad.
[-Meanwhile-]
Yūya calmed down after his talk with Junko.
As much as Yūya would like to sort out everything with his childhood friend, he had something else on his mind. And that was finding Shizuo Heiwajima. He was going to get him to talk about Scorpion, one way or the other.
Yūya snuck into an alley where no one could see him. He chose this specific alley because once he was out of sight, he'd take off his uniform and don the makeshift costume for one he was patrolling the night. He kept his costume carefully stored in his backpack.
Soon after, he leaped onto and crawled up the wall like a spider.
Once he reached the roof, Spider-Man shot a web line to a nearby tall building and began swinging through the streets.
"Alright, I did a little research on Shizuo Heiwajima. They say he's got a short fuse, and he's got superhuman strength. And that's why they call him the strongest man in Ikebukuro. They also say he works for a debt collector. Right now, they should be in the city collecting cash from deadbeats."
Spider-Man stopped and landed on a water tower to survey the alleys. If he were a debt collector, he'd preferably do the collecting in places no one could see.
"Well, not that it matters to me. Shizuo has to know about Scorpion. He can't be that strong. It should be easy to get to him talk." Spider-Man said confidently. The thugs he had beaten so far weren't strong at all. At least not compared to Spider-Man proportionate strength. He found he could easily lift and throw a dumpster around. He could even stop a driving car with his webs. To put it simply, Spider-Man was incredibly strong for someone his size. And he was looking forward to using his strength to take Shizuo down.
That is until he found him.
According to Izaya Orihara, Shizuo was a tall blonde man wearing a bartender outfit and sunglasses. He should be easy to him.
[-Later: Separate Alley-]
"I-I swear this is all I got!" the crying man groveled before two other men in front of him.
One was average in height and wore a brown suit. He had a swarthy complexion and long brown dreadlocks. He also had a pair of rectangular glasses. His name was Tom Tanaka, a debt collector.
His partner was considerably taller by comparison and more intimidating. He wore blue sunglasses and a bartender suit. His hair was bleached blonde, which helped his imposing demeanor. His name was Shizuo Heiwajima. He was rumored to be the strongest man in Ikebukuro.
"We'll take it. Just make sure you pay us on time instead of trying to weasel out with so little cash." Tom said as he took the money offered by the crying man.
The crying man promptly ran away with his tail between his legs.
"I swear, these guys make it harder each time." Tom groaned. Maybe it was because he was too lenient.
"Should I have roughed him up a little more, Tom-san?" Shizuo asked.
"No. Trashing his apartment should be enough." Tom shrugged, "Let's get back to the company and then grab a bite to eat. Some good?"
"Yeah." Shizuo nodded respectfully.
Meanwhile, up above the duo, a lone figure landed on the edge of a roof. It was Spider-Man. He spent almost thirty minutes looking for Shizuo Heiwajima.
"Finally!" Spider-Man whispered as he glared at the bartender through his goggles.
Shizuo suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up to where Spider-Man was watching. However, the vigilante was gone.
"Something wrong, Shizuo?" asked Tom.
"I thought I heard something. Probably my imagination." Shizuo shrugged.
Before the two could leave the alley, a lone figure dropped down in front of them. It was Spider-Man.
"Shizuo Heiwajima. I've been looking for you." Spider-Man growled.
Shizuo and Tom stared at the newcomer in front of them with curiosity.
"What's wrong with your voice?" Shizuo asked.
"Huh?" Spider-Man blinked beneath his goggles.
"You got a frog in your throat or something?" Tom asked.
"N-No, I don't! This is my natural voice!" Spider-Man yelled. Yes, he had to lower his voice to appear intimidating to the thugs he fought.
"I highly doubt that." Tom said, "So, who are you supposed to be?"
"Can't you tell from the symbol on my chest?" Spider-Man asked as he pointed to the spider symbol on his shirt.
Tom quickly assessed their assailant and realized his identity, "Oh, I see. You're that Spider-Boy everybody's going on about."
"No." Spider-Man refuted.
"Spiderling? Crime Fighting Spider?" Tom jokingly guessed, to the Spider-Man's increasing annoyance.
"I'm Spider-Man!" the vigilante yelled.
"Not in that get-up, you're not." Tom scoffed.
"People usually freak out when they see me…" Spider-Man grumbled. True, what he was wearing was something he threw together. It may not look cool, but it was effective at intimidating the thugs he's encountered.
"We're not like most people, kid," said Tom.
"I'm not a kid!" Spider-Man snapped.
"Right, I'm convinced." Tom shrugged.
"Hey, you said you were looking for me. Did you want something, kid?" Shizuo asked.
"Grr… I want information, and you're gonna give it to me, Shizuo Heiwajima!" Spider-Man declared as he pointed at the confused bartender.
"Me? Why?"
"Because Izaya Orihara said you know about-"
Before Spider-Man could finish, he flinched at seeing Shizuo's face harden into an angry scowl at the mention of Izaya.
"Izaya…" Shizuo growled.
"Easy, Shizuo. You chased Izaya out of Ikebukuro yesterday, remember? He's not gonna busy you now." Tom assured while patting his subordinate's back, "And clearly, this kid has no idea what he's doing, so let's just leave him be."
Shizuo took a deep breath and calmed his anger.
"Yeah, you're right, Tom-san," Shizuo said.
"W-What's happening?" a confused Spider-Man asked.
"What's happening is that we're leaving, and you better go home," Tom answered.
"No way! Not after all the trouble went through to find him!" Spider-Man yelled.
"Listen, kid. The last thing you wanna do is make Shizuo angry. You won't like him when he's angry." Tom sternly warned, "And besides, Izaya-"
"I'm the one angry here! You're gonna tell what I wanna know or else…" Spider-Man paused as he approached Shizuo.
As the two stood face to face, Shizuo glowered, "Or else what?"
"I'm gonna do this!" Spider-Man gave a hard right hook to Shizuo's face.
POW!
To his and Tom's surprise, Shizuo was taken off his feet and flew into a nearby wall. A Shizuo-sized wall was made on impact.
"Holy shit…" Tom uttered in disbelief. Russia Sushi's Simon was one of the few people Tom knew who could take Shizuo on, and half the time, Simon rarely fought back. Instead, he opted to keep Shizuo at bay until he calmed down. No one else has ever taken Shizuo off guard and sent him flying with one punch before. How strong was this kid?
"Ow! What's that guy's skin made of?!" Spider-Man complained as he caressed his right hand.
In any event, this was not good. One punch was not enough to keep Shizuo down.
"Kid… you just made a big mistake." Tom grimly said.
"Oh please! It's his fault for not telling me what I want to know."
"No, if anything, this is your fault. I warned you…"
"My suit…" Shizuo's voice growled from the debris. The bartender emerged from the hole, seemingly unharmed. However, his suit was damaged. The top was torn and covered his dirt.
Spider-Man's Spider-Sense went off like never before. This man had danger written all over him now.
"Seriously, don't say I didn't warn you," Tom said as he wisely stepped away from the brawl to ensue.
"I don't know what your problem is… BUT YOU BETTER READY FOR ME TO SMASH YOU INTO THE PAVEMENT, BUG-MAN!"
Shizuo charged forward to throw a punch at Spider-Man in retribution for ruining his suit.
The vigilante caught the punch in a single motion.
"Whoa, I actually felt that…Huh?!" Spider-Man yelped as Shizuo grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the air.
The wall-crawler flew to and perched himself on another wall. His adhesive ability lets him stay in place.
"Okay… he shrugged off my attack, and he could casually throw another person with such velocity that I could have crashed into the wall. Guess that means we're equally matched. In which case, this won't end quickly." Spider-Man thought.
Not long after, his Spider-Sense went off again. He turned and saw a dumpster flying right at him. The wall-crawler quickly jumped off the wall before the dumpster hit him.
As Spider-Man landed on the ground, Shizuo barreled at him again. The bartender attempted to tackle him, but Spider-Man leaped over his head and launched off his back to soar across the air. He stuck to another wall and stared down Shizuo.
He shot web lines from his wrists and zipped down to kick Shizuo. However, Shizuo countered with a left hook, sending the vigilante crashing down on the ground. While he was disoriented, Shizuo picked Spider-Man up from the ground and was prepared to pound him. However, Spidey shot the web into Shizuo's face. Surprised, Shizuo let go of Spider-Man to tear the sticky web off his face.
Meanwhile, Tom watched the fight with astonishment.
"You gotta be shitting me… so not only is this kid strong enough to match Shizuo, but his wall-crawling and web-slinging weren't an exaggeration?" Tom thought out loud. Then again, if the headless Black Rider existed, spider-people could be a thing too.
After having torn the web off, Shizuo resembled his brawl with Spider-Man.
"You little punk!" Shizuo yelled as he recklessly swung his fists. Spider-Man kept away and got in a few hits, but none of them slowed the berserk bartender down.
"Okay, so you don't wanna talk?!" Spider-Man asked. He threw a punch, which Shizuo dodged. However, that was a ruse to web up a trash can and pull it toward his opponent, making it land on his head. "There ya go!"
This irritated Shizuo even more because now his suit would smell like garbage. While the bartender was distracted, Spider-Man pulled Shizuo into a standing arm lock to get him to submit.
"Don't…" Spider-Man began threatening, but Shizuo was not one to be kept down.
The bartender rammed the wall-crawler into a wall.
"Make me…"
And another.
"Have to…"
And another…
"Hurt you!"
Until Shizuo shook him off and launched him out of the alley. Shizuo immediately gave chase.
"I'm kinda impressed the kid's lasted this long. But he has a long way to go before he can beat Shizuo into submission. And if this gets out into the street, it's gonna be a major pain." Tom said before he went after them.
[-Present Time-]
Not to the present, where Kadota's gang has discovered Spider-Man had been thrown into the van.
"It's Spider-Man!" Erika cried with excitement.
"Huh?" Spider-Man gasped.
"There's no question about it! He has to be Spider-Man!" Walker excitedly cried.
Walker and Erika inch closer to the vigilante with excited looks in their eyes.
"No freaking way…" Kyōhei uttered in shock.
"It hasn't been a day and we found the guy?" asked Saburo.
"W-What's going on here?" Spider-Man muttered.
"Can you really stick to walls and shoot webs? If so, how did you get your powers?" Erika asked.
"Were you bitten by a radioactive spider? Or was it a genetically modified one?" Walker asked.
"I-I…"
"Who are you underneath the mask?" Erika asked.
"Are you a mild-manner photographer or playboy billionaire?" Walker asked.
"Most importantly, what's your superhero origin story?" Erika and Walker asked.
"I think telling you guys details about his identity defeats the purpose of the anonymous superhero thing," Kyōhei interjected.
"I got a question; how are you gonna fix my van?" Saburo angrily asked.
"What is wrong with these people?!" Spider-Man thought.
"There you are!" a familiar voice roared.
Everyone turned to the alley Spider-Man flew out of and Shizuo charged in their direction. His target was Spider-Man.
"Oh, its Shizu-Shizu!" Erika exclaimed.
"I knew it," Kyōhei grumbled.
"Ugh… I've had it with you!" Spider-Man yelled.
Before Shizuo could come closer, Spider-Man came forward and released a torrent of webs spreading across to cover the alley entrance. The web spread and covered the entire entrance, blocking Shizuo. The bartender immediately began tearing the web wall down.
While Shizuo was distracted, Spider-Man took the opportunity to web sling up to a building. He clung to the building wall, crawled up to the roof, and swung away.
It seemed the four newcomers were friends with Shizuo. He was one thing, but who knows what crazy powers those four had. There was no way Spider-Man was going to find out. Therefore, it was time for a fast exit.
"Get back here, you little bastard!" Shizuo yelled after getting free of the webs and chasing after his quarry.
"Holy shit, he's for free," Saburo uttered in disbelief.
"That was awesome! Freaky, but amazing!" Erika yelled with twinkles in her eyes.
"It's spectacular is what it is! Ikebukuro's first superhero in action!" Walker cheered.
"Superhero, huh?" asked Tom as he calmly exited the alley, "You know, as someone who's grown used to weird shit these days, I think this one might top 'em all."
"I think shit will get weirder if we don't get after those two," Kyōhei said.
The group of five pile in the van, with the four taking their usual seta while Tom shares the backseat with Erika and Walker.
"Let me guess, our new urban legend/superhero started throwing hands first?" Kyōhei asked. He was acquainted with Tom through Shizuo.
"Yep. And you won't believe he's strong enough to send Shizuo flying." Tom answered, to the surprise of the Fantastic Four.
"No shitting? I thought only Simon could take Shizuo." Kyōhei said.
"Even more amazing! Spider-Man can wall crawl, he can shoot webs, and he's strong enough to knock Shizu-Shizu off his feet! But how's that possible?" Erika asked.
"I think I know. He must have the proportionate strength of a spider. You wouldn't know it from how easy it is to squish them, but spiders can hold up to 90 times their own weight or more, making them one of the strongest creatures on the planet." Walker explained.
"Ooh…" a fascinated Erika gasped.
"So, Spider-Man can cling to walls, can shoot webs, and has the strength of a spider added to his human physiology. The question is, where did he come from? And why did he pick a fight with Shizuo?" Kyōhei wondered.
"It's Izaya's doing," Tom stated.
"Why am I not surprised?" Kyōhei groaned.
"Hey, Tanaka! Do you think you can help with the repairs on the van? I doubt the kid's carrying his wallet on him." said Saburo.
"Sure…" Tom sighed.
[-Meanwhile: Spider-Man and Shizuo-]
Spider-Man swung up to a ledge on a short building down the street.
This was after dodging various objects flying at him at high speed.
At this point, Spider-Man started to get tired. He needed to escape fast, but Shizuo was shockingly not far behind.
Using the parkour he developed during his years of chasing Izaya, Shizuo quickly climbed up the buildings to reach his opponent.
"Are you crazy?!" Spider-Man asked a Shizuo tackled him off the ledge.
"Don't run from a fight you picked!" Shizuo yelled back.
The two punched and kicked each other as they fell from the building.
However, Spider-Man cast another web line to a tall building to swing to it. Unfortunately, Shizuo was latched onto him, which slowed his swinging speed.
Their struggle eventually caused them to fall to the sidewalk. The impact caused them to separate.
"Ugh…" Spider-Man groaned as he slowly picked himself back up. However, he was shocked when he saw a familiar face standing a few feet away from him.
And now that he got a good look around, this area was near Ikebukuro Freeway, and Junko lived around here. It was insane, bad luck that she happened to be standing here at this moment bearing witness to Spider-Man's fight with a crazy bartender.
"Junko, why here… why now?" Yūya thought. If Junko got hurt here, or worse…
"U-Um… are you…" Junko began to say before she froze in terror.
Spider-Man understood why. His Spider-Sense detected immediate danger from behind.
He turned around and saw Shizuo holding a vending machine above his head and was prepared to smash it down on his opponent.
"I told you I'd smash you into the pavement. Now, hold still!" Shizuo roared as he swung the vending machine down.
Moving instinctively and without thought, Spider-Man rose and caught the vending machine, catching Shizuo by surprise.
Spider-Man's fingers dug into the vending machine and pushed him back.
"Don't… you dare.. hurt her!" Spider-Man yelled. He sent the vending machine away with a mighty thrust and kicked Shizuo hard enough to send him flying again.
"You!" Spider-Man snapped as he turned back to Junko, "Get outta here, or do you want to get hurt?!"
"Y-Yes!" Junko ran from the fight as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Damn you…" Shizuo growled as he glared down at this annoying bug. He stood up from the ground and was rearing up for another charge.
"I'm ending this. Now!" Spider-Man said. Beneath the goggles, Yūya's eyes turned yellow.
The two superhuman combatants were ready to resume their battle. However, a web of shadows appeared from behind and grabbed Spider-Man.
"Huh? What the hell?!" Spider-Man exclaimed as he tried to get free. He quickly found he couldn't escape. The shadows had him bound.
Shizuo recognized those shadows. He saw a familiar figure slowly driving up the street on a black motorbike. Their right hand was extended with shadows seeping out of it, making it clear where the shadows holding Spider-Man up came from.
"Celty…" Shizuo said.
Celty's intangible gaze was on the struggling boy caught in her shadows.
What faint supernatural presence she had been sensing was stronger now. It confirmed Celty's suspicion.
"I thought so. Spider-Man is supernatural, but at the same time, he's still human. I can feel some other presence empowering him somehow. It's almost divine in nature. Just what is he?"
Lyall the Werewolf: That ends the fight. Next, we will dive into how Yūya became Spider-Man, and naturally, it will have a depressing outcome.
Speaking of depression, last month, I had to go to my brother's funeral. He had a troubled life, so I hope he's found peace in the afterlife. Granted, I wasn't that close to him, so I didn't know how I should feel about his death, but after seeing him laid to rest, reality hit me pretty hard. I'm doing fine now. As a human being, I can move on from life's tragedies.
So, with that out of the way, see you next time.