Back with the boys, there continued to be an awkward silence between the two.
"So... are gonna just stare deeply into each other's eyes, or was there a point to this 'private' conversation?" Asked Peter. "If not, then I'm leaving-"
"My flames..." Reyes finally said.
Peter blinked, "Come again?"
"My flames..." he repeated, this time a little louder. "You managed to make me almost use my flames. You put me in such a vulnerable position, I was so overwhelmed, that all my mental blocks were gone, and I acted on pure instinct... And I almost broke the promise I made myself so long ago..." Roberto glared at his own hand as if it were a tainted, corrupted piece of his body.
"..." Peter said nothing, thinking it wiser to keep quiet at the moment, not wanting to add fuel the boy's proverbial fire, he didn't seem to be in one of his best moods anyway.
"You're intelligent, Parker. And I hear you used to research Quirks..." He took the focus off his own hand, looking directly back at Peter. "Tell me, what do you know of the Spirit of Vengeance?"
Peter was slightly taken aback by this, "Um... well I've read the theories online, considering the man himself isn't very open on the subject. Some say it's an incarnation of God's divine wrath, others say it's a demonic entity taken form."
He placed his hand to his chin, in thinking mode. "Personally, given how it's supposedly popped up throughout history, I think it's one of those rare Quirks capable of being passed on to others," he theorized. "Regardless, the possibilities are incredible and depending on the wielder, it's potentially one of the most powerful Quirks in existence."
Reyes nodded slightly, "It seems you are as smart as you let on, Araña. While my Quirk works very similarly to the Spirit of Vengeance, it has a very troubling origin..."
Peter looked at Robbie, this seemed to be a touchy subject for him, one that he doesn't readily share. But he nodded, as if to say 'continue'.
"I was a part-time mechanic back in East L.A," Reyes began. "The neighborhood I lived in with my little brother was rough, lots of gang violence and corruption. Naturally, I wanted out. So I got a chance to compete in a street race, the prize was 50 grand, too good to pass up."
"Oh wow, you race cars? Guess that explains the hot wheels you were driving earlier," Peter quipped.
"I call it the 'Hell Charger'," Reyes grinned, momentarily letting his guard down. "Used to belong to my Uncle, I modified it myself for more speed."
His face quickly fell however, "So I'm driving in the race, I'm even up front coming into the last stretch. But I was chased down by what I thought were cops, trapping me in a dead end. I got out to try and explain myself, only to see they weren't cops at all. They were the gang hosting the race, not wanting some outsider to win their money. They surrounded and shot at me, and in that moment... I died."
Peter's eyes widened, "D-Died!?"
Robbie nodded solemnly as his classmate looked him all over, as if searching for evidence. "B-But then, how are-"
"Something brought me back," he said. "Turns out the car was inhabited by an evil spirit, more specifically, that of my Uncle Eli."
The boy's jaw dropped, "Your Uncle is a ghost??"
"Either that, or he had a Quirk that allowed him possession after death," Robbie shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't know much about him while he was alive. My parents didn't let him near me before they died."
Peter could barely keep up with each bombshell, this kid had a rough life.
"Anyway, when the gang came to torch the car and my body, Eli's spirit manifested from the car and possessed me," Reyes continued. "I transformed into a... a demon. I had no control, and the demon chased down my attackers, taking them all out. I already had a Quirk of my own, I can create and control chains formed by my body. But once I merged with Eli's spirit, they became more unruly and violent, harder to control."
"The next thing I remember was waking up in S.H.I.E.L.D custody. The demon went on a rampage after defeating the gang, and it was only stopped when it was beaten by Ghost Rider," he finished.
"I thought I saw him in the crowd," Peter replied. "I was tempted to ask for an autograph."
Reyes nodded, "He's been keeping an eye on me ever since that day, even offered to help me try and learn to control the fire, since my Quirk works a lot like his own. Might even be an offshoot of some kind from the original user."
Roberto shook his head, as if telling himself to get back on track. "After they heard my side of the story, S.H.I.E.L.D gave me two options: go to jail for a very long time, or learn to control my Quirk and maybe become an agent after I graduate." Reyes tightened his fist, "I refuse to let mi hermano grow up all alone, I'm all he has left!"
"Where is he now?" Asked Peter, concerned.
"S.H.I.E.L.D relocated him with me here in New York. He has... medical needs, and they agreed to see to them while I attend classes," Reyes explained. "So for now, I'll play along. I'll become a hero, or an agent, or whatever it is that will keep a roof over our heads."
He slammed his fist against the wall, "But I refuse to use that power. I swore that I would never allow Eli to take over my body again. I'll use the chains, that much I can control freely now. But I will not use the fire again..."
Peter exhaled, "Wow... I'm honestly not sure how to respond to all that..."
"It doesn't matter, I just wanted you to know that I will beat you today," said Reyes. "And I'll do it using my power. What happened before was a fluke, Araña. Don't expect it to happen again."
He began to walk off, leaving Peter to ponder the information he'd learned.
"Robbie!" The boy called out, making him stop. "I can't fully understand what you went through that night, I don't think anyone can. But when you can do the things that you can do, but you don't, and then bad things happen, they happen because of you."
Reyes looked back briefly, before continuing on his way.
"And welcome back to the M.A. Sports Festival!!!" Deadpool gets back to work in the announcer's booth. "We're coming up on our final event here, ladies, gentlemen, and that technicolor rainbow in between and beyond! It's a-"
Over the loudspeaker, Deadpool can be heard flipping through notes and arguing with someone. "Aw shit, lemme see what it was… Yes I know we rehearsed this… What do you mean you threw it out?! Our mind doesn't have a garbage ca- It's gonna be a one-on-one tournament folks!"
The crowd was thrilled with the announcement, the only event that never changed was the individual battles that made up the finals. This was the real chance for the students to show their value in a more direct way, not being diluted by the presence and skill of other students. Now, it was every man for himself.
"But not to worry, those who didn't make it to this stage, our recreational activities are in full swing!" Matthew addressed the audience.
Another awaited moment was the scavenger hunts; all students could, but weren't required to participate in the various games that took place in a space of time before the battles themselves. It was a relaxed time when students could have fun and interact with the audience without the weight of competition on their backs. The word is then passed on to the field judge.
"As everyone knows, the first four teams from the last competition will go on to individual battles," Emma Frost explained, presenting the same holographic screen as before. It now showed the four teams with the names of each participant. "We will now start the drawing for-"
"Excuse me!" A voice is heard among the crowd of students and a hand is raised between the heads. The speaker was Class 1-A's deputy class representative, Ava Ayala. She wore her white mask, but her demeanor was that of a sad and disappointed person, until she was given the right to speak. "I want to give up my position in the competition!"
Everyone at that moment was extremely shocked, that was a golden opportunity she was throwing away. Many knew of the girl's determination to be the best, and others knew of the desire she had as the heir to her family. Something about all this didn't make sense.
"Ava, what are you talking about?" The girl's friend Azari approached, putting his hand on her shoulder. As a fellow Class Representative, he was on good terms with the girl. There was something that didn't fit, in his view.
"During the Cavalry Battle, I didn't know where I was..." she said looking down, but not removing Azari's hand from her shoulder. "Something happened, but I wasn't sure if I was in the right place... it must have been the work of someone's Quirk."
Peter looked around, remembering the one who led Ava's team. It was the same heterochromatic boy from General Studies. Peter searched for him quickly among the students. He wasn't sure, but there was this feeling that he could be responsible.
"But you still won anyways, didn't you?" Wanda asked, getting close.
"Really, you were there, weren't you? I'm sure you were important to the team," Nico added.
"NO!" Ava said louder, making her classmates back off. "I didn't fight, I was just someone's puppet. So I don't deserve to advance to the next competition..."
Moved by the words of the girl, a chubby boy with auburn hair, blue eyes, light skin and thick eyebrows from Class 1-B also raised his hand and spoke. "I also want to give up."
"Aiden?" The blonde Theodore asked while standing next to the boy.
"I was also a puppet. I didn't see what happened, and I want to give my place to someone who deserves it..." He said, looking directly at Professor Frost, who as the field judge, was the one who would resolve the situation.
"... " Quickly using her powers, Emma did a simple emotional scan of the minds of the two teenagers, feeling the real guilt they had at that moment. Upon learning of such information, she gave her verdict, "Very well! In response to their requests, their vacancies will be assigned to two members of the team that came in fifth place; Team Altman!"
"Don't worry, I'll avenge you, my-" Sam tried to use the emotional loophole to talk to Ava, but she quickly grabs his arm and twists it. "Owowowowowowowowow!!!!"
"Don't even think about it," she threatened, letting go of the boy's arm and walking away.
"Very well, the two new names have been chosen!" The judge said, while the names 'Tigress' and 'Axe' were replaced by 'The Squirrel' and 'Lil' Hulk'. "Now that we have all the participants, let the draw be done!
The large holographic screen soon changes to a white background with blue lines, in the format used in sports competitions; with two lines turning one and so on until the end, where only one would remain.
The sixteen participants are randomly assigned to a pair, the algorithm made sure there were no people competing who had been on the same team in the cavalry battle. After a few seconds, the names of each member of the eight pairs were written on the screen;
1) Spider vs Stryker
2) R. Reyes vs Glotona
3) The Squirrel vs Mr. Mercury
4) The Fist vs. R. Williams
5) Ms. Marvelous vs Hot Stuff
6) Shadow vs Ice Queen
7) Muscle Man vs Lil' Hulk
8) E. Thompson vs. Witchy Woman
"Aw, come on..." Amadeus complained, seeing that he'd been placed to fight the boy with powers similar to him. One more way to compare to the student.
"Know that I will not hesitate..." Tyrone comments, extending his closed fist to his opponent Seol.
"It wouldn't be fun if you did!" She grinned, punching the boy's arm in a friendly gesture.
"Ok Kamala, unfortunately I'll have to-" Sam tries to speak, but was cut off as usual.
"Hey Sam, make sure you don't cry when I rub your nose on the floor!" She said, excitedly pointing to the boy who started to sweat cold from the comment.
"I'm in the first match..." Peter said, looking at the screen with the names. He really didn't like the idea of being first, but what could he do? "Depending on the case, I can fight Reyes in the second match. But one thing at a time, first I've gotta worry about this 'Stryker'..."
"It's you, right? Spider?" Peter heard a voice behind him, and the image of the boy with tidy brown hair and eyes with heterochromia comes to mind. It was the boy from General Studies. "So, are you nervous?"
"Um-" Peter was going to turn around and answer, but a hand on his shoulder stops him, he looked to see Ava, who prevented him from turning around to talk to the boy.
"He's fine, you can go now," she spoke threateningly to the boy, who just smiles, raising his hands in a sign of innocence and left.
"Ava? What's the problem?" Peter asked when he's let loose by the girl.
"Whatever you do, you can't look him in the eye..." She said, looking directly at Peter. Although he didn't understand what that was about.
"You can be my second fight..." Reyes looks toward Peter, then at the holographic table. "Win and move forward so I can defeat you. First, I will take care of this one..." He watched Laura at a distance.
"'Witchy Woman'? Who the hell is that?" Flash asked himself in the most ignorant way possible. Wanda became indignant when her classmate seems to forget she advanced as well.
"You're Williams, aren't you? Riri?" Danny asked, approaching the dark skinned girl.
"That's me," she replied, turning to the blonde boy.
"I just wanted to wish you luck. It will be an honor to duel against you," the boy said serenely, bowing in an oriental greeting.
"Okay..." Riri really didn't know how to react.
Thankfully, Deadpool's voice cut through the awkward moment, "But before we get to the cool stuff, we've got some exhibition activities for the losers! We gotta have them do somethin', am I right?"
The recreational activities proposed by the organizers of the Sports Festival were limited to several children's games. The objective was simply to let the students and spectators have fun with funny and interactive games.
Most participated, especially those who hadn't gotten into the duo battles, since they'd have more of a chance to show their Quirks to the world, and subsequently to heroes who were looking for students for internships.
But of course, most of those who had passed tried to do other things more useful with their time. Some would think about strategy, rest, physically prepare for the competition or just try to relieve the stress of being in the middle of that whole situation. But in any case, when poor Peter least expected it, his battle was about to begin.
"Alright it's do or die time! Level one! The wheel of fate is turning! Heaven or Hell!" Deadpool said excitedly.
"For God's sake, Wade..." Matt didn't know how much longer he could take working with his colleague.
Deadpool pressed a button, "Let's rock!!!"
In the middle of the stadium, once all the recreational activities concluded, a small battlefield with a rectangular stage rose from the ground. Meanwhile, Professor Frost explained the rules of the fight to the crowd; combat would end if someone gave up or was no longer able to fight, or if part of a combatant's body went outside the barrier's sensors. They also existed in the air for those flight capabilities. Frost would remain as the field judge, and Colossus was there in case they needed to interfere directly in a fight.
Peter stood in one of the side tunnels that served as an exit for the competitors, there was another identical one at the opposite end of the arena. He was very nervous, going over the strategy he managed to form at the last minute with Ava's help. She didn't know much about the boy's Quirk, but something better than nothing. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to step out when he heard a voice behind him.
"What's up kid? Sorry I didn't come down before," Iron Man apologized to the boy. "But I wanted to wish you good luck, you've been doing very well so far."
"Thanks Mr. Stark," the boy replied, his nerves obvious to the pro hero.
"What's with the face? Come on, spill," he pressed the boy.
"Well, I wanted to get here for sure. But I've gotta admit, this isn't the best space for me to use my powers..." He said, looking out the tunnel. "And I only managed to get here by luck and-" Peter was interrupted by a quick chop to the top of his head. "Ow! What was that for?"
"First; you were talking nonsense," Iron Man began, "It's like you were begging me to give you a whack. Second; every hero goes through moments of uncertainty, when situations are unfavorable. He has to overcome them if he wants to be called a hero," The hero approached the Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"And third; there's no such thing as luck," he finished. "You won't be a pro if you continue to believe in it. You have the ability, you just need to trust yourself and do your best."
Peter looked up and smiled, giving a nod of affirmation. Finally, the boy was called in, and he followed the tunnel, entering the arena.
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Barber's Chair
• We get the full scoop on Roberto's origin this chapter. Thankfully, he has fewer daddy issues than his manga counterpart, but still quite a few (literal) demons following him.
• Always nice to see more moments between Peter and Tony. It's not as sappy than Izuku and All Might's friendship, but I think it has a unique charm.
