Hello, True Believers, and welcome back! Sorry it took me so long. I wrote a draft of this, which something completely different. I showed it to a friend of mine and we got in trouble and I had to revise everything and create a new episode. And this is a character that wasn't planned to be included, but I figured "What the hell, I'll try and find a voice actor for him". So, I hope you'll enjoy this episode I've crafted. But first, I want to pay tribute to the late anime dubbing voice actor Tom Wyner (June 16, 1947 - June 30, 2024), who sadly died a few weeks before I completed this episode. Rest in peace, Tom,
Warning: All characters in this show, even those based on real people, are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated... poorly. The following content for the following program contains coarse language and graphic violence and due to its content should not be view by anybody. Viewer discretion is advised.
Twisted Melody
Midtown High School: Science Room
It was another Monday for the students of Midtown High School, thankfully it's the last Monday of the school year. Everyone in the class was exhausted of all the work they had to endure during the school year, except for maybe Peter and Gwen of course.
"Hey Peter. Did you see that rainbow this morning?" Gwen asked, ever so cheery.
"Yeah, it was huge!" Peter responded.
"Ugh! I hate those things!" Sally comments in disgust.
"Nobody hates rainbows," Gwen frowned.
"Yeah. What's there to hate about rainbows?" Harry interjected.
"Well, you know, you'll just be sitting there, minding your own business, and they'll come, marching in and crawl up your leg and start biting the inside of your ass, and you'll all like: HEY! GET OUT OF MY ASS YOU STUPID RAINBOWS!" Sally exclaimed, causing silence within the class.
"Sally, what the hell are you talking about?" Liz blurted out, breaking the silence.
"I'm talking about rainbows, I hate those friggin things!" Sally remarked.
"Rainbows are those little arches that show up during a rainstorm," Gwen elaborated, causing realization through Sally.
"Ohh, rainbows. Oh yeah, I like those, those are cool," Sally backtracks her previous claims.
"What were you talking about?" Gwen wondered.
"What? Oh, nothing, forget it," Sally embarrassingly deflected.
"No! What marched in, crawls up your leg, and starts biting the inside of your ass?" Liz interrogated.
"Nothing… Nothing!" Sally sneered.
"Alright students, settle down. School's out on Friday and my parting gift for you is a pop quiz," Professor Raymond Warren announced, which had the class groan. "Now, now. This is to test what have you learned this year. I expect you to have been prepared."
Professor Warren turns his gaze to see an empty chair and asks, "Is someone missing?"
"Uh, I think that's Clayton. He's always late because he gets caught up in what he's doing," Seymour O'Reilly spoke up about the empty desk next to him.
"Well, let's just hope that the thing that's keeping him interested does not affect his score on the quiz," Professor Warren responded.
Peter, sitting next to Gwen, whispers, "Hey Gwen, isn't Clayton in music club?"
"Yeah. I've been meaning to sign up actually, but I sort of got anxious that I backed out," Gwen nods, her story of her wanting to join the music club leaving her in embarrassment.
"Wait, do you sing?" Liz quietly asked, intrigued of this revelation.
Gwen waves off Liz's question, her smile beaming despite her feeling of embarrassment. "No, I don't think I'm that good of a singer."
"Mr. Parker, Ms. Stacy, Ms. Allan. Unless this is about what you've learned in Biology and Chemistry, I suggest you keep the conversations to yourself," Professor Warren called the three out, just as a student with shaggy blonde hair, a blue undershirt, a white hood, dark blue pants, and white shoes. This was Clayton Cole.
"Finally, the wannabe Backstreet Boy has arrived," Sally commented.
"You're late, Mr. Cole," Professor Warren said, his face saying nothing but sheer disappointment as he crossed his arms.
"Sorry, Professor Warren. You see, I was busy with some sound…" Clayton apologized, explaining his absence.
"I don't want to know your excuse, just sit down so we can begin," Professor Warren demanded, and Clayton nodded in comply and sat in his seat. "You will work on your test for the next 35 minutes. I expect everyone, who isn't Sally, do well."
"Ay!" Sally called out defensively.
Lunchroom
Peter, Gwen, Harry, and Liz were all having lunch together as a new friend group.
"Seriously Gwen, I think you should join the music club next year?" Liz offered.
"I'm good, really. I'm not that really in tune to music," Gwen reassured Liz.
"That's not true. I always see you drumming to something while you have your headphones on," Peter pointed out.
"And you always sing Linkin Park whenever you're down," Harry added.
"No I don't," Gwen denied in embarrassment.
"Gwen, there's no need to modest or embrassed. I think you sound nice," Peter reassured the now blushing glasses wearing blonde, just as Chef approached them.
"Hello there, children," Chef greeted.
"Hey Chef," Peter and Harry greeted back.
"How are my little crackers today?" Chef asked.
"Good," Peter and Harry responded.
"Have you heard the news? There's a record producer from Sony coming here on Wednesday to audition which student from Midtown will be their next teen sensation," Chef reported.
"Sony? Why does Sony care about finding someone here?" Peter wondered.
"Well, their last potential teen star from Texas died at a Travis Scott concert," Chef casually disclosed.
The idea of Sony trying to find a star sparked an idea from a smiling Liz and she pulls Gwen towards her.
"Hey! What did you do that for?" Gwen asked, completely caught off guard.
"Sorry," Liz apologized before continuing. "Why don't you audition for Sony to be their next teen sensation? Just for fun."
"I don't know. I'm not really that good at singing," Gwen hesitated as Clayton Cole approached the table.
"Hey, you're Gwen, right?" Clayton inquired and Gwen nervously nodded in confirmation. "There's no need to get nervous. Did you hear about Sony trying to find a young new artist here to profit money off of?"
"Huh?" Gwen asked.
"Never mind. I was wondering if you want to enter the auditions as a duo?" Clayton offered, in which made Gwen blush. She had never been asked to hang out with a boy before; well, he was someone that wasn't Peter. She tried to think of what she was going to say, feeling nervous on the opportunity on auditioning as a musician.
"Sure. I'd like that," Gwen calmly accepted, which made Clayton happy.
"Really? Great. Here's my address and we can rehearse after school if you're not busy," Clayton told Gwen, handing over his address and number. "See you then!"
As Clayton then leaves, Gwen's eyes widen when she realized what she's done.
"Congratulations, Gwen. Looks like you and Clayton will be the ones killing it at the audition," Harry smiled, which contrasts with Gwen's anxiety.
"Why did I say 'yes'?" Gwen asked herself, covering her face with her hands. "Stupid."
"I don't get it. What's the big deal?" Liz wondered.
"It looks like someone's got a bit of stage fright. There's nothing to be scared of, Gwen. They're just guys in suits wanting to see what you can bring to their label. But the second you find out they're using you for profit, get out of there immediately," Chef advised Gwen.
"Why would they want to make money off of me? Shouldn't the artist be getting most of the money because of their hard work?" Gwen inquires.
"They should, but no matter what the record company gets all the money," Chef explained, which made Gwen even more nervous. "Oh. Uh… Sorry."
Clayton's House
As Gwen entered Clayton's garage, she was nothing but impressed on the setup of the musical instruments. There was two guitars, an electric and rhythm respectively, and a bass on stands, drums in the back, two pianos on the side, percussion instruments, and at least five microphones.
"So, what do you think?" Clayton asked.
"It's amazing," Gwen replied in awe.
"Thanks. My parents got them for me after I begged them dramatically on my knees," Clayton explained playfully, which made Gwen giggle a bit. "Everything is yours to check out."
Gwen turns to see some speakers extracted from the amp. Clayton continues, "Except those. Those are for special uses only. I don't want you to touch that. Got it?"
Gwen nods in comply, "Sorry."
"No need to be sorry," Clayton reassures Gwen as he turns to get one of the guitars. "Now, from the looks of it you're more of a guitar person. Just a question. How well do you…"
As Clayton turns with the electric guitar, he turns to hear drumming next to him… and it's Gwen putting her soul through each drum and cymbal she hits. After she finishes, breathing from the amount of drumming she did, Clayton was nothing but impressed by her. Gwen turns and flashes an embarrassed smile. "Sorry."
"No need to apologize for everything. I think you found your instrument or rather… it's found you," Clayton observed.
Fifth Avenue
The citizens of New York were going from one place to another at the famous Fifth Avenue Street. Suddenly, a group of people gathered to see something strange by the buildings. It wasn't Spider-Man, but something else.
"Hey, what's that?!" A female civilian asked.
The citizens were witness a costumed person levitating in the air, emitting sound waves from his white boots. He had a black body suit, with a white mask and torso, both having a sound wave texture in the design.
"Another one?!" A male civilian inquired.
"The world may have mocked me then… it will soon marvel at the awesome might of the Spectacular Sultan of Sound: Clash!" The masked person contemplated to himself.
Gymnasium
All the students were all assembled and sitting on the bleachers for an announcement from Principal Andrea Davis. She's a woman in late 30s, wearing a white blouse, a light blue blazer, gray trousers, and black shoes.
"Okay students, settle down. As you can tell, for some reason, Sony has taken interest in taking one of our students to becoming their next teen sensation after their last potential star died at a Travis Scott concert," Principal Davis announced through her microphone. "We have the president of Sony here today, who traveled all the way from Minato, Japan, just so he can oversee the auditions. Please welcome Keinchiro Yoshida."
Principal Davis stepped aside for Sony President Keinchiro Yoshida to take the stage. He had the most slanted eyes known to man, gray slicked back hair, a black suit with a white buttoned up shirt underneath, and a red tie with black shoes.
"Konichiwa, Middotaun koko!" Yoshida greeted and the students just blinked in response. "Gozonji no tori, tin eija no senseshon o makiokoshita saigo no suta koho ga, Toravuisu Sukotto no konsato de nakunarimashita."
Sally leans next to her boyfriend, Randy Robertson, an African-American student at Midtown. He wore a turquoise cap, a red shirt with a varsity jacket over it that showcased Midtown's colors, turquoise and white, and white shoes with red accents. Sally whispers, "Do you have any idea what kind of Chinese he's saying?"
"No idea. And it's Japanese," Randy corrected Sally.
"Dakar, watashitachiha tin eija no senseshon o mitsuke, karera ga watashitachi ni totte-yo-zumi to nari, suteru koto wa dekite mo eatarogu wa nokosu koto ga dekiru made, karera kara riekiwoeru made yamenai noda!" Yoshida continued in Japanese and the students just blinked in response. "Dou you knowu what I am sayingu?"
"Finally, he speaks English," Sally commented.
"Oi! You puray the Pureisuteshon and shutto your ugly feisu!" Yoshida called out, in which Sally just blinks in response.
"Okay… Mr. Yoshida, why don't you tell the students about the auditions, in Americanese," Principal Davis offered, breaking the silence.
"Wery well. Sony will… be holding… auditions… in… in… this gymnasium to find our… teen sensation… that will help us gain millions of yen! I… expect every… single one of your students… to audition! Even… the ones who… don't want to do it!" Yoshida slowly stuttered in English, catching the students and Principal Davis off guard.
"Mr. Yoshida, I don't think that's necessary. Everyone has their own interests," Principal Davis said.
"No, no, no. The most… famous stars had been forced in… entertainment industry… s-since birth… because their parents want profit money off them!" Yoshida proclaimed, still stuttering in English.
"Do they actually do that?" Gwen leaned in and whispered to Liz.
"Only maybe 45%," Liz quietly replied, which made Gwen anxious about the audition.
"We will find… our new Michael Jackson… and use up this star… until they are no use to us. Don't worry, you'll get at least 55 million yen per year!" Yoshida continued.
"I want in!" Sally raised her hand.
"Yeah, I want to be financially famous!" Kenny chimed in as more students started to voice their desire to be famous.
"Oh man," Harry facepalms in resignation.
Chef's House
Chef was pacing back and forth as Peter, Gwen, Harry, and Liz were present in his home, sitting on the couch.
"So what are we going to do Chef?" Peter asked.
Chef sighs, "I don't know, children. Sony is a multi-media corporation that makes millions, despite making crappy movies. Their last movie almost made me lose hope in humanity. Not because of the girl power, because of the toxic girl power."
"But why force everyone to do it? Half of us aren't musically talented," Liz pointed out.
"Gwen, if it's too much for you, then you don't have to…" Harry began to suggest.
"No, it's okay, I think it would be kind of fun," Gwen reassured everyone.
"But Gwen… You're now being forced to audition," Peter stated.
"I know, but I just think it would be fun, with Clayton and all," Gwen smiled, blushing just thinking about Clayton.
"So that's why you still want to audition? You have a crush on that Clayton boy?" Chef inquired and Gwen just daydreaming about him gave Chef his answer. "Oh boy. Children, it's okay to do an activity for someone you like but it's not okay if the person is doing something that is worse for them or yourself. You understand?"
"No," Gwen replied.
"Gwen, do you really want to be forced to do this audition for Clayton? What if he's a bad influence on you and he gets you on drugs and alcohol and has you die of an overdose?" Chef hypnotized, causing Gwen's eyes to widen.
"What?" Gwen blurted out.
"Never mind. I just want confirmation, is Clayton someone who is doing music for money?" Chef inquires.
"No. He very much is doing music for art, in his words. He really puts in the time and effort to make his music," Gwen explained.
"Well, if he's doing it for the art, you'll have a possibility to being rejected if you're that good," Chef pointed out.
Gwen was silent for a moment before saying, "I can live with that. I still have an education I need to work on, since that's important too."
"Okay, good luck at the audition!" Chef exclaimed.
Clayton's House
Clayton was tuning his busy guitar so he can sound perfect at the audition tomorrow.
"Let's see…" Clayton turned the second left tuning key on the middle side of the head until it started to sound right to his ears. "Good."
As Clayton was ready to start practicing, Gwen appeared in his garage. "Gwen. What are you doing here? It's like 7 at night."
"I know, I know. But I wanted to rehearse with you," Gwen admitted with a smile.
"But it's seven," Clayton repeated.
"Don't worry about that. Do you have a song you want to perform?" Gwen asked as she walked to the drum set.
"Um… Yeah, I guess," Clayton faltered.
"Is there a problem?" Gwen inquires.
Clayton shakes his head, "It's nothing. As for the song, have you ever heard of the song 'Seven Nation Army'?"
"No," Gwen answered.
"Well, you're in for a discovery," Clayton smirked.
As they started rehearsing Seven Nation Army, Clayton guides Gwen on what the drumbeat should be,. "Now bass drum and floor tom."
Gwen began playing the beat of the iconic song, feeling a sense of content as she played.
"Don't wanna hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell
And if I catch it comin' back my way
I'm gonna serve it to you
And that ain't what you want to hear
But that's what I'll do
And the feelin' comin' from my bones
Says, "Find a home"
Manhattan
Spider-Man was webslinging across the city, thinking about the events that have unfolded today.
"It's not like I want Gwen to not hang out with that Clayton guy, but she shouldn't be forced into this audition if she isn't ready yet," Spider-Man thought as his Spider Sense went off and he was hit by an incoming sound wave, sending him falling down onto the asphalt. Luckily, Spider-Man fires to weblines from both of his wrists to create enough force to slow down the fall. Letting go of his webbing after he slowed down, Spider-Man collapses onto his hands and knees. "Okay, what was that?"
Levitating in the sky, Clash reveals himself to a bewildered Spider-Man. "The Amazing Spider-Man, we meet again."
"Do I know you?" Spider-Man inquired.
"You may not remember me, but that's okay. I assumed you didn't care anyways," Clash stated.
Spider-Man groans from exhaustion as he rises up. "Great. What's your problem with me? You hate spiders or something?"
"Your dumb jokes won't get your way out of this one, liar!" Clash proclaimed.
"Liar?" Spider-Man repeated as Clash fired sonic blasts from his gloves, forcing Spider-Man to dodge his mysterious opponent. "Great, I have to deal with another Shocker."
"From what it looked, that guy was an amateur. I had practice," Clash shot back as he fired more sonic blasts from his gloves.
"Dude, not cool! It's late at night and you're going to wake up the neighbors!" Spider-Man quipped as he dodged Clash's sonic blasts. From an alleyway, Rose, in her casual attire, was watching the battle unfold with a hint of curiosity.
"Who is that fighting Spider-Man? He's strong," Rose observed, watching Clash's every move.
"Perhaps fighting in the air isn't quite fair for you, so I'll come to your level," Clash proclaimed as he levitated onto the asphalt.
"Great, now you got jokes like me," Spider-Man groaned, getting up after he got blasted by Clash. "Who are you?"
"I am… Clash," The sound-powered costumed adversary announced.
"Clash? Okay, what do you want with me?!" Spider-Man demanded.
"To expose you of the money fraud you are," Clash claimed.
Spider-Man knew that Clayton was talking about him at the wrestling arena a month ago back, when he was trying to win money with his then-new spider powers.
"What are you talking about? That was the old me," Spider-Man acknowledged.
"I highly doubt you've changed considering all the jokes you make. Now, sit back and enjoy this sound check!" Clash exclaimed as he fired sonic waves towards Spider-Man so hard, that the sound was too much for Spider-Man to handle, covering his ears.
"What… the hell?! It's too loud!" Spider-Man shouted as the attack sent Spider-Man on the asphalt. "What was that?"
"That was the power of sound. You didn't like that hit? That's okay. I'll just construct another beat and we'll see if it will change your mind. We'll meet again bet on it!" Clash proclaimed as he fired another sound save at Spider-Man, forcing him the asphalt to crack due to the impacts. Once Spider-Man snaps out of it, he sees that Clash is gone.
"Man, that rip-off is sure something alright," Spider-Man sighed in exhaustion as his iPhone then rang. He looked at who it was calling him, and it was his Aunt May. Sighing again, Spider-Man answers, "Hey Aunt May. I know it's past my curfew, I was just finishing something up."
Alleyway
Clash makes it to an alleyway to stop and catch his breath, slowing taking off his mask… and it's Clayton Cole.
"Interesting," A voice whispered, causing Clayton's eyes to widen and turn to see Rose, stepping out of the shadows.
"How are you?" Clayton asked the Japanese beauty.
"I am an associate of your old friend, Herman Schultz," Rose introduced herself.
"He's not my friend," Clayton denied.
"Because you never assaulted anyone," Rose added, smiling as she got closer to Clayton. "Tell me… Why did you base your tech off Shocker's?"
"Herman wanted me to get in on robbing banks. But it's really not my thing. But I built the tech and suit anyways," Clayton explained.
"And as for the decision for sound…?" Rose asked.
"Well, I'm a musician and I have a passion for music. I couldn't help but include that as the gimmick," Clayton continued.
"Music?" Rose repeated, as she then smirked. "Sony is in New York to look for their next teen sensation, right? I'm going to be there as one a part of the head of the market focus groups. You just do you music and I'll make you a star, regardless of what those assholes think. Believe me… I know potential when I see it."
"What about Clash?" Clayton inquired.
Rose continued her smirking and said, "Consider it as a part of the show. I suggest you don't fail this audition and give it your all. Some musicians don't get to live their dream and have to turn to a miserable life."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Clayton asked.
Rose suddenly then grabs Clayton's hands and started to squeeze them tightly. "Meaning if you fail, I'll make those hands of yours not work anymore and you'll have to work for me. I can take you talent away in the most painful ways possible. So, you better pass. Do I make myself clear?"
Clayton nods in compliment and pain and Rose lets go of the young boy's hands.
"Well then, good luck tomorrow," Rose smiled in pleasure as she turned her back on Clayton and walked away.
And now it's time for Good Morning, New York!
"Good morning, New York," The newscaster greeted. "Our top story, the Japanese are invading once again with Sony planning to abduct teenagers' lives and turn them into superstars to profit off them after their last star got killed in a Travis Scott concert. Here with a report is an anorexic K-Pop star."
The newscast cuts to a young and anorexic Korean young woman, who has long black hair, slanted eyes, cherry lips, black eyeshadow with long eyelashes, and wore gym shorts and a crystallized top, standing by Midtown High School, in which it had Japanese protesters outside, with the microphone in her right hand.
"Tom, I'm standing outside Midtown High School where Sony, the mega evil cooperation, plans to take kids hostages and make them stars. Ever since the current failures of their planned cinematic universe, they've been panicking and have been losing stock faster from their box office bombs. The Japanese market has had high numbers in the stock market, but because of Sony's actions of ruining movies, the company giving the Japanese a bad name," The anorexic K-Pop star reported.
"Uh-huh. And how are the Japanese feeling?" The newscaster asked.
The anorexic K-Pop star continued, "Well, Tom, as you can see behind me, it appears that the Japanese are pissed off that Sony aren't giving a fuck about making good movies, they only want to box office numbers. Which is understandable, their last film almost made me want to starve myself even more. Let's just hope these kids can fail and fail miserably."
Midtown High School
Every single student at Midtown High School were preparing for their forced audition for Sony. Some students were nervous, others were excited, while one particular vain student with long luscious blonde hair was live streaming throughout the mixed emotions in the atmosphere.
"I mean, of course Sony's going to pick me. I'm pretty, I have 20k followers, I can drive, and I don't eat animals," Sally broadcasted towards her followers, which had Harry and Liz, leaning on the lockers, stunned, yet not surprised at the same time.
Harry remarks, "There is no way that there are still people like this. You were friends with her?"
"Yeah. I don't even know why I even pretend to like her half the time," Liz acknowledged as she and Harry then turned to see Peter, a bit bruised after his last fight with Clash. Liz quickly hurried to check her friend's injuries. "Petey! Are you okay?! What happened to you?!"
"Oh, I just… um… injured myself when heading back home last night. I'm fine," Peter lied in a stutter.
Liz raises an eyebrow in disbelief, "You injured yourself by accident?"
Peter brushes his bruises off, "I don't think they're that serious. Hey, where's Gwen?"
Liz shrugs, "I thought she was with Clayton."
"Where is she?" Harry wondered, getting worried… until someone grabbed Harry from his right side, causing him to jump and turn to see that…
"Boo!" Gwen exclaimed with a smile. "Did I scare you?"
"Jesus Christ, Gwen! You almost killed me! I almost didn't recognize you" Harry breathed heavily, referring to Gwen's rock-styled outfit, which included a black and white striped shirt, a black leather jacket and boots, a red leather skirt, and black leggings, while still keeping her glasses.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting for you to react like that," Gwen apologized, her smile fading.
"It's- It's alright," Harry forgave Gwen, almost in just a second. Harry and Peter knew that Gwen's intentions were never in the form of malice or the intention to hurt others. "Have you seen Clayton?"
"Clayton? Liz told us he was with you," Peter said.
"I thought Clayton was with Gwen because I saw him while I was heading in to meet up with you guys," Liz explained, causing an uneasy vibe within the four about the student.
"That's weird," Harry stated.
"Something's not right. Why would Clayton be here but not with Gwen," Peter thought, as Rose stepped forward with a clipboard in her hands.
"Uh, Liz Allan. You're up first," Rose announced, causing Liz to get all nervous.
"You're going to do great," Gwen smiled in encouragement.
"I don't even sing. What am I supposed to do?" Liz quietly panicked.
Gwen thought until she finally got a decent enough of an idea. "You still remember the school cheer, right?"
Auditorium
"Say, hey, what do you say?! Midtown wins the Mustang way! Go, Mustangs! Score!" Liz cheered, shouting in the microphone. Mr. Yoshida, who was with one of his associates and an undercover Rose, was nothing but speechless as he took the microphone and asked…
"What the fuck was that?"
Liz was confused, "What? It's the Midtown school cheer for the basketball team."
"Oh, a school cheer?! I… didn't ask… for your stupid school… cheer! In fact, nobody… asked for it and liked it!" Yoshida shouted through the microphone, stuttering in English.
"I thought it was cute," Rose remarked.
"I don't remembering… asking you shit! Who… the hell even are you?!" Yoshida demanded through the microphone, while still stuttering in English.
Rose smirks, "Call me a part of the focus group. As for this girl, you've got to admire her school spirit."
Liz smiles at the compliment given by Rose. "Wow, thanks. I didn't come prepared on such a short notice and-"
"Get the fuck off the stage!" Yoshida barked through the microphone.
"Okay," Liz responded, stepping off the stage and leaving the auditorium, passing by Sally, who stepped on the stage with full confidence.
"Well, at least she's pretty," Yoshida sneered, as Sally then started to do a lot of sexy poses on stage.
"Um… What are you doing?" Rose asked.
"Auditioning," Sally answered.
"But why are you posing?" Rose added to her question.
"Come on. Don't people know that you don't need talent to make it to the business?" Sally challenged.
Yoshida paused, answering with, "That… is a fucking star! That is a star! No talent... and is eye candy! That… is exactly what we're looking for! Y... es! You're going to... be the next Ice Spice!"
"Sir, please stop," Rose annoyingly insisted, before speaking through the microphone. "Thank you, you may leave the stage."
Sally, confidently, walks down the stairs and exits the auditorium, making an impression for Yoshida.
"Goddamn... she's just what I need for my autistic son!" Yoshida exclaimed.
Jason Ionello was the next to audition and he did a poor cover of Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, in which he was immediately voted off.
After that was Kenny "Kong" McFarlane and he did a decent cover of I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown, but it wasn't enough to impress Yoshida, despite Rose liking it a bit.
Tiny McKeever did a terrible cover of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson later and he, like Jason, was immediately voted off.
Seymour O'Reilly then didn't even sign or perform; instead, he did a sports commentary of a basketball game he did at school, since he is the sports commentator. Yoshida almost lost his shit when he heard Seymour's commentary, but luckily Rose stopped him before he could strange the teen.
The next student that was up was Harry, all nervous in front of Yoshida.
"Well?!" Yoshida bellowed, jumping the young Osborn boy.
"Um... You see, I don't even think I can sing or play an instrument," Harry swallowed.
"Well, what can you do?!" Yoshida retorted.
Harry thinks for a beat and says, "Nothing, according to my dad."
"Your father?" Rose inquired.
"Yeah? Norman Osborn?" Harry elaborated, confused.
Rose contemplates on this relation, momentarily losing focus. "That will be all."
"Huh?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Just call in the next person," Rose insisted with a smile.
Harry stepped back away from the microphone and made it out of the auditorium.
Outside, Harry looked unease, according to how Peter, Gwen, and Liz interpret his current facial expression.
"What happened?" Peter asked.
"The woman there just asked me about my father," Harry responded.
Liz comments, "That's weird. Why would she ask you about your father?"
Before Harry can say anything, Chef arrived with Clayton.
"Children! Children!" Chef exclaimed, running towards the four. "I found Clayton! For some reason he was in the gymnasium for two hours!"
"The gym? What were you doing there?" Gwen wondered, concerned.
"Nothing. Come on, it's probably our turn," Clayton brushes the issue off, grabbing Gwen by her right wrist and forcing her into the auditorium.
"Okay, what the hell was that?!" Chef questioned.
"Something's not right with Clayton," Peter observed.
As the two stepped on the stage of the auditorium, Gwen was struggling against Clayton's grip.
"Clayton, let go," Gwen quietly begged.
"I'm sorry, but we have to nail this audition, now get on that drum set," Clayton quietly ordered, and Gwen nodded in comply, heading towards the drum set in the back.
As Clayton gets on the mic, he sees at Rose and immediately remembers what Rose had told him.
"Meaning if you fail, I'll make those hands of yours not work anymore and you'll have to work for me. I can take you talent away in the most painful ways possible. So, you better pass. Do I make myself clear?"
Clayton gulps as he started speaking. "Hello, we're Sonic Crash and…"
"I don't care who you are, just play the damn song," Yoshida ordered.
Clayton, still scared for his talent, immediately started to play Seven Nation Army, starting with the bass-like rift before Gwen joined in with the drums.
All was going well, as Rose started to vibe to the song.
"I'm gonna fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
They're gonna rip it off
Takin' their time right behind my back
And I'm talkin' to myself at night
Because I can't forget
Back and forth through my mind
Behind a cigarette
And the message comin' from my eyes
Says, "Leave it alone"
But as the song got to the chorus, Yoshida signaled them to stop the song.
"So… let me get this straight. There's a… girl in this band, who is ugly… nor horny, both of you… know how to play… instruments, you have a good taste in music, and… you're actually talented?!" Yoshida vociferated, while slurring in English.
"Um… Is that a problem?" Gwen innocently asked.
"Yes, it's a problem! You're supposed to be trash!" Yoshida loudly explained.
"But we're not," Gwen pointed out.
"That's the issue! We don't want talent! We want eye candy that TikTok boys and girls can get horny and want to jerk off to!" Yoshida shouted.
"Uh, I'm sorry but I don't know what you said," Gwen apologized.
"Get the fuck off the stage!" Yoshida ordered.
"We can go again," Gwen offered.
"This isn't an industry where you put effort in! Get off the stage!" Yoshida badgered, having Clayton freeze on the spot before running off.
"Clayton, wait!" Gwen begged but Clayton had already left before he could hear her. "Don't go."
Later
Outside of Midtown High School, Yoshida was leaving as he walked to his limousine, reporters trying to get their questions asked.
"Mr. Yoshida. We've had fans that have been disappointed with your business choices during the past 25 years. What do you have to say to them?!" A reported asked.
Yoshida then takes the reporter's microphone and shouts, "FUCK FANS!"
The response caused an outrage within the Japanese. Then, out of nowhere, Clash came flying from the sky and landing on the roof of the limousine.
"Who… the fuck… is… this?!" Yoshida demanded as he was then blasted by Clash's sonic blasts, falling onto the concrete.
Peter, Gwen, Harry, and Liz stepped outside of the school as they saw the event that was currently underway.
Peter's eyes widen, "That guy…"
"Who is he?" Harry inquired.
"I have no idea, but let's not get caught in the mess again," Liz suggested.
"Okay," Gwen nods as she turned to Peter. However, her friend had vanished. "Huh? Where's Peter?"
Liz and Harry turned to see that Peter had vanished. "Petey?"
"Hey!" Harry shouted.
Clash jumps off of the hood and grabs Yoshida by the collar. "Do you have any idea for you've done?! Why am I even asking? You don't! Maybe this will change your mind about Clayton Cole!"
As Clash was prepared to deliver a sound-powered punch, his right fist was caught by a spider thread. Clash looks up and sees the webhead himself, Spider-Man.
"You!" Clash growled.
"Sorry, but your concert's cancelled!" Spider-Man quipped as he tugged his webbing to get Clash away from Yoshida.
"How did you know I was here?!" Clash demanded, struggling.
"Come on, I'm your biggest fan. Well, a lot of people claim to be your biggest fan. So, you can say I'm a super fan," Spider-Man joked.
"SHUT UP!" Clash shouted as he used his sound powers to break through the webbing. As Clash fired another sonic blast from his gloves, Spider-Man swiftly dodged the attack before he stuck onto a wall.
"Listen, that person who you think I am today… That's not me anymore. I've been trying to make things right since that night," Spider-Man explained.
"You don't get it! I was your fan! Do you know what it's like to know that your idol is a scum bag!" Clash shouted firing another sound attack at Spider-Man, in which he dodged, and the attack broke through the wall.
"Jeez. And I thought Shocker had worse aim," Spider-Man quipped, dodging more sound attacks.
"That guy's scum for money! Don't you dare put us together!" Clash vociferated.
"You use the word 'scum' twice. Better not overuse it," Spider-Man joked, and Clash raised his palms towards Spider-Man, gloves charging for an attack. "Oh, me and my big mouth."
Clash fires as powerful attack that Spider-Man quickly dodged thanks to his Spider-Sense. However, the attacked hits a higher area of a school causing bricks to fall to where Gwen was standing, closing her eyes to see wait for the impact.
"Gwen!" Clash shouted.
But before the bricks could hit Gwen, she is grabbed by a swinging Spider-Man.
"Look, it's Spidey!" Flash cried as Spider-Man let go of his webline and landed on his feet.
Gwen slowly opened her eyes to see that she was okay and uninjured, and that Spider-Man had saved her, blushing. "Uh… Hi."
Under his mask, Spider-Man smiles. "Looks like our paths crossed again. It must be fate."
Gwen giggles at Spider-Man's joke, feeling a sense of comfort from his humor.
"Get away from her!" Clash screamed, firing more sonic blasts at Spider-Man, sending him flying on the steps of the school entrance.
"Hey! Can't a celebrity like me talk to their fan?" Spider-Man asked.
"Stop talking!" Clash shouted, firing more sonic blasts from his gloves, in which Spider-Man dodged.
"He seems very sensitive and angry. Maybe I can use that to my advantage," The red and blue wall crawler contemplated. "Wow, Clash. I've heard of bad music but wow!"
Under his mask, Clash clenched his teeth. "I'll show you wow!"
Despite Clash's sonic attacks, Spider-Man continued with his plan. "Geez, can't take a little criticism? It's important to help you grow."
"Don't give shove morals down by throat!" Clash raged, continuing with his attacks. As Spider-Man dodges his attacks, he uses the wall to launch himself towards Clash, firing his webs towards the sound-based delinquent's gloves. "My hands!"
Spider-Man finishes the fight by webbing Clayton onto a lamppost. "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen! The Amazing Spider-Man has won the battle against the inferior Clash!"
Clash struggles as Spider-Man walks towards him. "You can't hold me like this! My sonic suit will blast through these webs in no time!"
"Yeah, but they'll shatter your eardrums too," Spider-Man shot back as he took of Clash's mask.
"No, wait," Clash begged, but it was too late. Clayton's identity had been revealed, sending shockwaves towards Spidey, Gwen, and the entirety Midtown High.
Gwen was the most shocked on this revelation. This was a boy she liked, who helped her find a passion she was scared of trying, and he almost killed her. "Clayton?"
"Wait? Clayton Cole? How did you… It all makes sense," Spider-Man realized. "You were there at the wrestling arena. You were the first kid who asked for my autograph."
"Do you realize what you've done?! My career, my dreams… They're dead! They're…" Clayton shouted, as he then started to shed tears.
From a distance, Rose watched the battle occur and smiled when she saw the outcome. "Too bad. He would've been a valuable asset. But the Big Man would be interested to hear more about how Spider-Man fights."
With that, the Japanese beauty turns and walks away from the scene.
A while later, Clayton had been removed from the lamppost and taken into custody. Gwen couldn't help but feel remorse for Clayton, who struggled against the hold of officer Bernard O'Brien.
"Stop struggling!" O'Brien ordered.
Gwen couldn't help feeling the need to help him and she acted on that instinct. "Wait! Clayton!"
Clayton was pushed into the back of a police car and O'Brien slapped door the door shut. Gwen runs towards the window and locks eyes with Clayton. They share apologetic looks with each other, Gwen trying hard to fight back tears as she places her hands in the glass. The police car then drives off with Clayton. Gwen wanted to chase after the car for Clayton. She really wanted to.
"Gwen," a voice said behind her, and Gwen turned to see her father. "Are you okay?"
Gwen tries hard to fight tears, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah."
"I'm sorry about your friend. And I'm sorry that you didn't pass the audition. I know you practiced and really hard," Captain Stacy apologized.
"It's fine," Gwen lied, sniffling.
"Gwen. It's okay to feel disappointed and sad," Captain Stacy reassured his daughter.
Gwen sighs before expressing her truth. "It's true I'm upset that Clayton is going to be gone for a while, but you see, I learned something today. Music is a form of expression, and you want people to hear it. But sometimes there's going to be higher-ups in suits that want to change you into something you're not and have you do things you're not comfortable. They don't want music to be unique or inspire or break new ground, all they care about is the money for themselves and not the artists putting in their best effort into making a great piece of music. Sure, you become super famous like you've dreamed but the industry will screw you over for profit. If that's what the music industry stands for, is the fame really worth it?"
Captain Stacy couldn't be at awe with Gwen's perceptive speech, his serious demeanor breaking into a smile. "That's my girl."
"Gwen!" Peter called out.
The two embraced each other, with Gwen letting the tears flow from her eyes.
Gwen and Captain Stacy released and turned to see Peter, Harry, Liz, and Chef running towards her.
Once they stopped, Harry asks, "Are you okay?"
Gwen was silent, trying to hide her feelings from her friends.
"She's alright. She just needs some time to process," Captain Stacy reassured the trio.
Chef adds to the conversation, expressing his shock. "Still, I can't believe that Clash guy was Clayton and that Spider-Man fought him. I knew something was up with that kid!"
"Hey. where were you, Petey?" Liz wondered, which had Peter's eyes widen, automatically nervous.
"Well… Well… You see, you- You have to realize that-" Peter stuttered.
"What matters is that Peter is okay," Captain Stacy interjected, catching Peter on surprise. "Just don't get yourself hurt too much."
Peter was confused, but despite his confusion, he nods his head.
"Come on, Gwen. I'll take you home," Captain Stacy offered, as he and Gwen prepared to leave.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Gwen stated as she turned and left with her father.
"Poor Gwen. That boy was probably her first crush ever," Chef sighs.
Liz expresses, "I know I've been friends with her for a week, but I can't help but feel bad for her."
"She'll be alright. I know it," Peter stated.
"Yeah, just give her time," Harry added.
Liz smiles, grateful of their consideration of their friend. Despite being friends with the trio for a week, she couldn't help but feel like she's in a place where she can be herself.
"Hey, wait a minute. What's going to happen with Sony after all of this?" Harry wondered.
Newsroom
"After the supervillain Clash attacked and Spider-Man stopped him, this is what Sony president Koichiro Yoshida had to say," Tom, the newscaster, reported, before the newscast cuts to the Yoshida's office in Japan.
"Fuck fans!" Yoshida shouted as he gives the camera the double middle finger.
And that's the episode. This is probably the most South Park-esque episode I've done so far. After "All Falls Down", I didn't know what to do for the following three episodes, so I thought I put the South Park influence that's been present in the series. The original idea was much like a South Park episode, just taken place in the Spider-Man episode. But after I got in trouble, I had to rewrite it, but I wanted a topic to cover. Since Clash is sound-based and loves music, I thought I critique the music industry and how they find their talent. And what company wouldn't be better to take shots at than Spider-Man fans' least favorite studio: Sony? I've had negative feelings about Sony, mostly because they made the stupid decision of cancelling Spectacular Spider-Man before the story could be completed. I did have ideas of taking shots at them and they have had some controversies throughout the years, like them screwing over Michael Jackson to the 2014 hack and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to use them, in a way, to expose the music industry to people who might not know what truly happens. There's a consequence for wanting to be a part of this industry. People can use you for their profit and that was mentioned in the episode. For those who've read this and want to do music as a career, don't be scared of what's been unveiled of what's been going on for years, use that information to try and change the norm to create a safer place for expression.
Moving on, since new characters have been introduced, it's fitting to give out the voice actors casted for those roles.
Clayton Cole/Clash: Anthony Pulcini (You may not know this voice actor, since he hasn't done a lot of voice work since the mid-2000s, but he's a voice actor who worked for the anime dubbing company, Animaze, he's probably best known as for being the voice of Kai for the 2001 Animaze dub of Akira and Michel Ninorich from Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team)
Principal Andrea Davis: Melora Harte (She's a retried voice actress who had started working in anime dubbing with Robotech, she's also the wife of voice actor Steve Kramer, she's best known for being the voice of Princess Archerina from Power Rangers Zeo, Kiyoko for the 1989 Streamline dub, Carmine from Gestalt, Rally Cheyenne from Silent Möbius, and Seto Jurai Kamiki from Tenchi Muyo! GXP)
Randy Robertson: Walter Jones (He's best known for playing Zack Taylor, the original Black Ranger, from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, he has done voice work for the monsters Nightmare from Lost Galaxy and Gerrok from Wild Force and has done looping in films like Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs 2, I envision Walter to deepen his voice a bit for Randy) (Fun fact: Randy was technically in the first episode but was mostly in the background, much like Tiny and Seymour)
Bernard O'Brien: Tom Wyner (He was a voice actor who started his career during the 80s, voicing characters like Quent Yaiden from Wolf's Rain, M. Bison from Street Fighter II, Devimon from Digimon, Project 2501/the Puppet Master from Ghost in the Shell, Shogun from Heat Guy J, Furio from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Carrozo 'Iron Mask' Ronah from Mobile Suit Gundam 591, Father Juliano Colegui from Witch Hunter Robin, Teddy Bomber from Cowboy Bebop, and Dino Brachio from DinoZaurs) (For "Great Responsibility", I retconned the cop that failed to catch Dennis Carradine to Bernard O'Brien, I just imagined Wyner's voice for that cop and I looked through characters I can use for the series and O'Brien wasn't orignally considered but I decided to use him anyways because I envisioned Wyner's voice in my head as the character)
Koichiro Yoshida: Me (I would probably just do Trey Parker's impression of a stereotypical Asian)
Anorexic K-Pop Star: Wendee Lee (I saw a video of her doing a sterotypical Asian accent and I thought it would be good for this South Park-esque character)
Note: This episode takes inspiration from the 2014 "Learning to Crawl" arc that takes place during the first two issues of the original Amazing Spider-Man series.
I have some questions for you readers. What do you think of Gwen in this episode? Did you think my take on Sony was close to accurate? Are there any other grounded villains you want see in the season? What do you think of Rose as a character so far? Allow yourself to be heard in the reviews.
Thank you so much for reading. I don't know what the next episode is going to be about but it will have that same comedic vibe as this episode. I hope you'll look forward to what I come up with and I'll see you soon.