The quartet walked towards the cafeteria, and Peter remembers something he'd wanted to ask Wanda for a while. "Hey, Wanda?"

"Yes?" She asked.

"Why did you decide to come to M.A?" Peter got a bit more specific, "Why do you want to be a professional heroine?"

Everyone there had already said it at some point: Peter dreamed of being a hero like Iron Man, and be someone his Uncle would've been proud of. Danny wanted to prove his worth to Orson, and make the most of his skills to save others. Gwen simply wanted to become a hero because it's not like she has another option in a world like this, whatever she wanted to say. But Wanda's response was something that surprised the three.

"Money? You want to become a hero to get rich?" Peter asked, a little taken aback and for moment the girl scratched the back of the head in embarrassment.

"If we're going straight to the point, then yes," she said, a little embarrassed. "I know, it's not too heroic or honorable, but I hope you won't think less of me..." It was the first time Wanda told anyone, and she feared her friends wouldn't accept her anymore...

"Of course not," replied Danny in his serene and calm way of speaking. "You seek a livelihood so that you have comfort, and you will do it while helping others. It's just as admirable as our motives."

"True," added Peter, while Gwen just nodded. "It's just a bit surprising coming from you."

"...Look, it's..." Wanda started, but stops. This was something she hadn't told any of her friends during elementary school. But these three had become such good friends in such a short time, she knew she could trust them.

"The truth is, we don't have much money," she said. "My mom's family came from overseas, looking for a better life. Mom was attending M.A, hoping to become a hero when she met my father. They dated in secret for a while until the unexpected happened: she became pregnant with twins; me and Pietro. When they found out, my grandparents threw my mother out of the house and my father disappeared after receiving the news..."

Wanda took a deep breath, "She had to drop out of school and abandon her dream of becoming a hero to take care of both of us. My paternal grandparents were the the only ones who helped her, until they died a few years ago. My mother now works two jobs to keep us a roof over our heads. She always did everything for us, and all I wanted was to be able to help her."

She looked up determinedly, "I will become a pro hero. I will get a contract with a good agency, and I will earn a lot of money!" She squeezed the hem of her uniform nervously, and faced her three friends, "That way, I can let my mother live an easy life!"

For a few seconds, the three are even floored by the words and determination of the auburn haired girl, who still stared at them with red eyes, which now radiated with drive and focus.

"WAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Gwen can't contain her tears and unleashed two floods from her eyes while running the short distance to her friend. She gripped her in a hug that could break ribs, while Wanda just smiles in embarrassed shame, trying to calm the blonde.

Danny simply smiled and approached the pair, putting his hands on Wanda's shoulder. "Your goal is the most heroic there could be," he said, making her smile gratefully.

She's not here for some kind of superhero fantasy, she's more down to earth and focused on reality than any of us... Peter thought, seeing the girl with another type of look, one of admiration.

"Parker! Just the young man I was looking for!" Iron Man in his armor flew around the corner of the corridors. But before he can say anything else, he's interrupted by an inconsolable Gwen.

"WAAAAAAAHHH" She threw herself from Wanda onto the hero, hugging the armor while rubbing her cheek where the hero's torso should be. "Life's so unfair..."

"Yeah, I know, I know..." Iron Man pat the girl on the back, while Danny approached the two and removed Gwen from the hero. He bowed in apology as she clung to her friend like a sloth in a tree. "Anyways, mind if I borrow Parker for lunch?" The teacher asked the group

The boy looks at both Wanda and Danny for a moment. Gwen was babbling something, so it was impossible to understand her, but his other friends nod in agreement and Peter left with the hero for the teachers' room.

"Any idea why Iron Man wants to talk to Peter?" Asked Wanda. She looked down the corridor where Peter had been with Iron Man.

"I heard that Peter helped him during the bomb thing, so it's likely either to thank him or scold him..." Danny said thoughtfully. He carried Gwen on his back, who's now dozing.

"Mmmm... Chosen heir..." the girl mumbled incoherently.

"You say something?" Danny looked back curiously.

"...Spoilerzzzzzzz," she said, snoring softly into Danny's shoulder.

As they walked to the cafeteria, a certain classmate with black hair and a white tuft at the end, listened to what they had to say. He pondered what Iron Man could've wanted with Parker...


"Coffee?" A de-armored Tony Stark offers a mug to the boy.

"If it's decaf, thanks," the boy replied, accepting the hot drink.

"I wanna talk about the Festival," the hero said, getting up and looking out the window, watching the city outside. "I hate to say it, but I've gotta be honest with myself. The time for my retirement's coming faster than I thought. After that explosion the other week, I can only wear my armor for an hour and a half at a time. I can stretch it a bit longer, but only if I'm inactive..."

"Oh man..." Peter commented, a little sad.

"Yeah, so this Festival is your shot at presenting yourself," he replied, turning to Peter. "Being a Symbol of Hope is more than just having powers or a cool suit, it's about showing people who you are, and making them feel safe..."

"This thing will be watched all over the world,l he went on. "It's a chance for everyone to observe the next generation of heroes. You need to use every moment to show what you're about, both in the initial activities and in the fights later. You do know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Peter replied. "The four classes of the courses; Heroes, Administrative, Support and General Studies are divided by years and face each other in preliminary competitions until the fights that lead to the finals."

"Okay, good summary," Tony said, scratching his cheek. "But remember, the most important thing is mentality. There are two kinds of heroes; those who aim for the top, and those satisfied without the limelight. Personally, I think there's no problem with either one. But don't expect to win if your mind isn't on that, kid. I want you to feel the same way you did when cleaning the gym, understood?"

"Yes sir!" Peter said with conviction, ready for whatever comes his way. As it happened, the first obstacle would come a bit early.


It was just after three in the afternoon, which meant the end of classes. Everyone was ready to go home or do something out of school with friends. But for first year Class A, this wasn't as easy as it should have been.

"Um... Why are you here?" Asked Wanda to the crowd standing outside the door. They occupied the entire corridor, taking up a small area that kept everyone from leaving.

None of the faces were recognized by the students; maybe one or two they'd passed by at the entrance or in the cafeteria, but they definitely didn't know them.

"Do you, by any chance, have something you want with our class?" Azari, acting as Class President politely asked the crowd.

"Yeah, why are you blocking our way?" Kei added. "I'm not into mind games!"

"They're scouting the competition, idiots," said Flash, walking to the door without showing any emotion. "We survived a villain attack, so they want to see what they'll have to deal with at the festival." He stopped in front of the crowd, "Alright, you had your look at a future hero, now get lost!"

"My, such hostility! Is this really a student of the famous Class 1-A? Am I meant to be impressed?" A boy moved through the crowd, making space until he gets to the class door, and consequently in front of Flash. "In theory, you're supposed to be the closest to becoming heroes," he said, not changing his bored expression. "But all I see is just one angry, little loudmouth."

The boy himself was actually slightly shorter than Flash, but he wasn't intimidated by it, nor the fact that he was thinner. His hair was short and brown, well combed, with clear, pale skin was clear. But what really caught others off guard were his eyes; the left was green and the right blue. They both looked at Flash while the boy stared back.

"Scouting the competition, you said..." Flash raised an eyebrow, incredulous at the boy's boldness.

"Sure, maybe some of my colleagues are actually doing that, but not me," the boy went on. "I just came to give some friendly advice. I didn't pass the Practical Test the first time for the heroes course, as they only seem to consider Quirks good in direct combat. A bit disappointing, but not unexpected."

He turned to address the rest of Class 1-A, "But that wasn't my last chance; if any of us do well at the sports festival, teachers can choose us to send us to the heroes course. With that, they would have to make space, expel someone from your class. So keep in mind; if you don't do your best, I'll take your spot from right under your nose. Consider this a declaration of war..."

Nobody moved a muscle, all students of 1-A were impressed by the boy's audacious words. While he and Flash stared daggers at each other, each waiting for the other to retreat. The one in the Hero Course sulked while the General Studies boy chuckled, thinking what he could do in that situation with his Quirk. But, it wasn't worth it. The flying sparks is interrupted by a voice from the left.

"Hey, you!" A tall, muscular, white-skinned boy with blonde hair stands out. "I'm from class 1-B! We heard that you fought some villains, so I came to see if it was true! But you're just a bunch of thugs who think they're better than us!" He proclaimed loudly, likely talking about Flash more specifically.

But while all the students were apprehensive that probably all the first year students hated them, Flash continued to sulk and then walked around the corridor to leave.

"What? Not gonna say anything?" Asked the dark-haired boy while the blonde continued to complain.

"You don't matter," Flash said, not even turning around. "All that counts is that I beat you." And he walks back, leaving everyone behind.

Peter watched the scene, while his classmates discussed the truth of Flash's words and the fact that he made everyone at school hate them. The boy realized how determined his ex-bully was, and he couldn't fall behind, everyone there had goals like him. None were better or more honorable than another, but if he really wanted to triumph, he'd have to consider how everyone had struggled to be there. They chose not give up now, but to get stronger.

- The M.A. Sports Festival is in one week. Everything will be broadcast live on TV. There is no doubt that whoever impresses the audience the most will have a much better chance of becoming a professional hero one day. We have no way of knowing which games will be played until the exact moment, they can play anything for us, so we have to prepare for any possibility. -

All students then divided into different locations during the weeks to carry out different training to improve their body and their Quirks.

Peter, thinking that the webs wouldn't do much in an open arena, focused on improving his endurance and strength with runs on Pier 4 and a few other more conventional exercises he could do in the comfort of his home.

Near the Danger Room, this time in the school grounds, Pietro tried to accelerate more in the open areas, running at high speeds. Inside the danger room, Gwen and Sam used the obstacle courses; the girl on land and the boy in the air.

Gwen used her Quirk to create portals and escape traps along the way, while at the top, Sam swerved with his speed and blasted targets with his lasers. He even tried to show off to Gwen, but she didn't notice, and the boy was hit in the face by one of the obstacles.

Using another area of EDR, the duo Tandy and Tyrone trained; the girl invoking and throwing several daggers of light at her partner, who aimed to deflect, teleporting to various locations in the area.

Under the supervision of a recovered Danger, Wanda and Kamala used the EDR directly. The girl with telekinetic powers tried to maintain concentration while levitating several debris at the same time. While the one with more physical powers used her Quirk to do long distance exercises, such as scaling the side of a building by stretching and retracting her arms.

In the forest area outside the cafeteria, the two most "primitive" students met up to practice. Groot was already stationed in the place, the nutrients of the soil and the sun were perfect to train the stretching his arms and legs, and hardening his roots.

A pity that his new training partner was a bit noisy. Laura had set targets in the trees and timed how long it took to pierce them all, using her agility and sharp claws. This unfortunately bothered Groot to no end with her screams of fury.

Some others preferred more indoor areas, such as Luke and Flash, who used the school's gym. The one with brown skin did a bench press with more than 220 lbs on each side. While the other worked out his legs on a machine, while having several tentacles of his Quirk doing other exercises.

The areas used in the entrance exam were also released to students. Amadeus was one such student present, having his training a little unconventional. Instead of smashing something, he preferred to train something else, carrying two huge rocks on his back while jumping from building to building in the area. This increased the resistance and strength in his legs. Another student present was the Korean Seol, who used her Quirk to create ice ramps around the fictional city and would skate through with impressive agility.

Others, even with physical training, preferred to do them in the comfort of their homes. As was the case with the martial artists: Ava, Azari and Danny. Each training at the dojo they had access to; Danny and Ava at their respective parents' schools. And Azari used a private, highly technological training room developed by his Aunt Shuri. Another one who trained in combat was Robbie Reyes, but this was away from home. He mistreated an old punching bag in the basement of a church in Hell's Kitchen, which, although not his home, was just as familiar.

Finally, some others didn't train their bodies, but their minds. Nico sat in her room with one of her mother's spell books open on her lap, reading and rereading several names and descriptions. Attempting to memorize the ones that seemed most useful. And Kei, in his room on a big canvas, tried to find better and more comfortable methods of drawing.

- Days went by, training made time go faster. Before we knew it, it was the morning of the Festival. -

Much of M.A's land area was occupied that Saturday morning. Family, friends or simple fans of the event were present in the stands, which was much more than a simple school event. This was the big event for true sports fans. The main path leading to the school was lined with stalls selling food, drinks, toys and even games for children. Prizes would include masks of the most famous heroes.

Due to the recent attack by the villains, there was now a huge reinforcement in security. Several heroes patrolled the site and a rigorous inspection was given to anyone in the media who tried to enter the event. This unfortunately created a long line of workers from that area to enter the event.

While the general people ate, enjoyed the festivities, and entered the arena, the classes were already separated into specific rest areas. In one such room, labeled Class 1-A, all twenty students were preparing for what's to come.

"Aww, I was hoping I could wear my costume," said Gwen, mournfully looking at her red gym outfit.

"The best battle takes place on an even plane, where none of the armies have a prior advantage," Danny said to his friend, who despite knowing him for years, still couldn't decipher what he was saying.

The boy sighed, seeing Gwen's confused face, and changed the words, "The Heroes' Course is the only one with costumes. As we will be facing the other courses, it would be unfair to them."

"At least you can still wear your mask," Peter pointed out, holding his own on his hand.

"Even I'm nervous about what they can throw at us," said Luke.

"Anyway, we'll just have to face them head on," put in Tyrone.

"You said it!" Tandy replied, leaning against the wall.

"Attention Class 1-A!" President Azari opened the door. "Be prepared, we are about to enter! If you intend to wear a mask, now is the time to put it on!"

Peter was about to do so, when someone else called for his attention. "Araña!"

Reyes walked towards him. Peter was surprised the quiet boy wanted to talk, as they hadn't really spoken before.

"Hey Reyes, what's up?" Peter asked, staring at the boy. He was a little taller than him, creating a slightly if unintentional, bit of intimidation.

"Evaluating objectively, I can say that I'm better than you, he said dryly, not caring that everyone was staring at him now.

"Um, ok..." Peter didn't know what he was getting at.

"But for some reason, Iron Man has an interest you." And there it is; while not knowing the reason, Reyes seemed to think the hero saw more potential in Peter than in the others. "You should know, I will defeat you."

"Wow, what's with the declaration of war?" Asked Sam.

"Ok, ok, we don't need to start the day with threats, do we?" Amadeus placed himself between the two and put a hand on each one's shoulder. "Why don't we just forget it and-"

"You speak as if we're here to be friends," Reyes said dryly, brushing off the big Asian's hand. "But we're not. This is a competition to show who's the best." With that statement, he turned and began to walk away.

"You're right," Peter said a bit louder, which made the other boy stop and turn back. "You're probably a lot better and have more potential than most of us here. We'll all have to fight, since all the other courses are come at us in full force."

He paused before regaining his determination, "You might want to beat me, but I won't go down without a fight. I'm aiming for the finals, so if you really want to settle things, we'll do it there!"

Reyes stared at the boy for a moment. "...Then may the best man win," he finally replied before walking off.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the class, with the exception of Flash, who just scoffed, somewhat indignant that Puny Parker was being called out instead of him.

Finally, a horn blew outside and Azari stuck his head back in, "It's time! Everyone proceed in an orderly fashion!"

Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Steeling his nerves, he put his mask on and followed his classmates outside.

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Barber's Chair

• Some hints given toward the antagonists of this arc. Can you guess who's who?