In the base of operations for the League of Villains, a pair of figures waited at the bar for word on the assault. Azazel stood behind the counter, cleaning a few glasses, and Hobgoblin was doing a bit of target practice with his Quirk. Several empty bottles were set up on a table.
"I must say, I'm surprised you're not out there with them," said Azazel, looking over to his young charge.
The villain raised his hand, pointing his index finger like a gun. The tip glowed brightly as a beam of light hit the bottle on the far left of the table. It was knocked off into the waiting garbage pail just behind.
"These guys're nothing like the idiots we recruited for the raid on M.A," replied Hobgoblin. "We brought them into the fold with assurances that they know what they're doing without hand holding. This is their test to prove as much."
He shot another bottle off the table, "Besides, the game's changed. We learned what happens when we go into a situation unprepared. I need to start smaller and work smarter, bringing gradual change along the way."
Azazel nodded approvingly at this response, "And that's where your teams come in."
"Precisely!" Hobgoblin grinned, moving his hand behind his back and shooting the third bottle off the table with his Sparkle Blast. "The Sinister Six has enough combined experience and power to deal with any Pros who try and get in the way."
"Und the Vanguard Action Squad?" Asked the devil man.
"They're willing and able to take on those upstarts from M.A. And with any luck, they'll take a few out of the picture," Hobgoblin said, shooting the fourth bottle. "Win or lose, the presence of all these guys will have 'em pissing their pants with fear!"
Azazel looked over, "Ah, so they're sacrificial pawns?
The pale faced villain glanced back, a bored expression on his face. "Come on, do you really think I'm that heartless?" He asked.
Azazel blinked once, saying nothing in response.
Hobgoblin shrugged innocently, "Ok, maybe I am. But I'd never underestimate their strength. They may have different goals than me, but they're still my comrades. In a society bound by ridiculous rules, villains aren't the only ones who're being oppressed."
He took aim and shot the fifth and final bottle. This was a full power blast that completely destroyed the bottle, glass shooting out in all directions. "For now, it's up to them to pull this off," Hobgoblin finished.
Picking up the tattered remains of his shirt, Peter ripped the material into strips, tying them around his wrists to stop the bleeding. His ribs were tender and it hurt to bend over, but the teen knew he couldn't rest yet. So he picked up a larger piece of fabric and ripped a pair of holes out before wrapping it around his head.
"U-Um..." A small voice made him stop. Ricky was looking at Peter nervously. He looked toward the pool, "Is he gonna..."
"Don't worry," Peter reassured, "Ol' chrome dome's not going anywhere for a while." He glanced over to see his discarded winter coat, it must've fallen off when the boy transformed. Picking it up, he placed the coat back over Ricky's bare shoulders, getting his arms in the sleeves and zipping him up.
"I couldn't have beaten him without you, Ricky," Peter said, patting the boy's shoulders. "Thanks for stepping in. I didn't know you had such a strong Quirk!"
Ricky looked away, somewhat embarrassed, "Well... It's like you said... 'With great power' and everything..."
Peter was taken aback, before a tired smile grew on his face. "Yeah... that's right," he said. "Speaking of, my job's not done yet. But first thing's first, we've gotta get you somewhere safe!"
"But you're hurt!" Ricky said worriedly, "What more could you have to do?"
"I learned something important during the fight," Peter replied, picking up the remains of his busted web shooter. "Those villains are after some of us students. I need to let Mr. Murdock and the Wrecking Crew know what I know. I'm injured and I can't fight anymore, but there's still a way I can help them."
He turned around and squatted lower, "Here, climb up on my back. I'm still strong enough to carry you out of here. We'll let the heroes know about Juggy when we find them."
Ricky moved toward him and wrapped his arms around Peter's neck. The teen stood back up, although it was a struggle to do so.
"Are you sure you can carry me?" Ricky asked, "You're all busted up..."
"Don't worry. I'm tougher than I look," Peter replied gamely. "I can't swing us around, but I can still run pretty fast. Just hang on tight, this could get rough."
With that, Peter bent his knees and took off toward the exit. He grimaced with the first few steps, adrenaline masking the rest of his pain. Ricky held on for dear life, amazed at the perseverance of his rescuer. But Peter had other thoughts on his mind.
"The kid's last name is Thompson. Know if he's around here?" Those were the words Juggernaut had said.
I've got a bad feeling about this, Peter thought, as he and Ricky left the demolished facility.
Several moments ago, Daredevil leapt out the emergency window, the single thought in his head as he rushed next the side of the building was to not have a repeat of the E.D.R. Perhaps if he'd paid more attention to his Quirk, however, he would've noticed the individual waiting for him sooner.
"Looks like your concern has you distracted, Daredevil," said the stranger, waiting around the corner. His hand stretched out as a burst of electricity shot forward to envelop the hero.
However, Daredevil ducked and slid forward on his knees, narrowly avoiding the attack as it fired. Turning back, he threw his batons at the stranger. They made impact against his chest and the electricity stopped. Daredevil charged forward and caught the batons, then using the wall as leverage, leapt off it to deliver a punch to the villain's face, forcing him to back off.
The stranger rubbed his jaw and grinned, "Nice move. Still lining your suit with rubber, I see."
He was clad in a dark green boiler suit with jagged yellow accents running up from boot to shoulder. His face was scarred, as if he'd suffered burns at some point in life, and sparks of electricity jutted out around his head as he powered back up.
Max Dillon, alias: Electro. Quirk; Electrokinesis. He can physically absorb and distribute electricity at will.
"You're here too, Max?" Asked Daredevil, having previously encountered the villain early in his career. "What did the League promise you in exchange for attacking a bunch of kids?"
"Nothing," Electro replied with a smirk. "But they are paying me to disrupt the power coming in and out of this place. No emergency signals, no backup from other Pros, and now it looks like I'm getting another crack at you, Devil."
He began to power up again, "What's wrong, hero? Worried about your students? I wonder if you can save them in the end..."
Daredevil grit his teeth, this was not someone he was prepared to deal with right now. The best he could do for the moment was stall, maybe try and lead Electro away from the building so communications could be restored.
"Tell you what, how about we see what's faster; my charge-bolts or your whistle!" The villain declared as he surged forward on the attack, shooting electricity at Daredevil, who was dodging only by the skin of his teeth. "C'mon! I'll show you what it means to ride the lightning!"
Then suddenly, a burst of water shot from behind, hitting the villain square in the chest, knocking him several feet away. As Electro began to glitch and short circuit, he glared behind to see an uninvited guest.
It was a girl, wearing a pair of high tech goggles, some sort of armor strapped the her chest, with scarlet colored gauntlets and boots, and a grey, metal frame going up her body. A belt with a series of pouches was worn on her waist. She held a firehose attached to the Wrecking Crew's truck, pointing it at the villain. Riri Williams had joined the fight.
"Might wanna work on your phrasing there, chief!" Riri grinned, hand on the nozzle and ready to shoot more water. "How 'bout I hose you down and you can think of better material?"
"Damn kids..." Electro grimaced, trying to maintain his form. "We'll do this another time!" With that remark, he turned into pure electricity and disappeared up into a power line.
"Yeah, you'd better run!" Riri called after him.
Sensing they were safe for the moment, Daredevil relaxed his stance before turning to the teenage girl. "Ms. Williams," he said. "Not that I don't appreciate your assistance, but you were told-"
"Yeah yeah. We were told to 'get to the panic room', yada-yada-yada," Riri rolled her eyes slightly. "But I figured a hard reset might free up communications and then you guys can call for help. I was on my way to do that when I saw you and Sparky."
Murdock considered her words, remembering the report he'd read on her actions in San Francisco. "How long will it take you to do it?" He asked.
"Assuming I can get direct access and I'm not attacked by villains, maybe 5 minutes once I get there," she replied. "I don't have access to Wakandan tech to speed run it this time, so I'll have to do it all by hand."
"Consider yourself covered," the hero agreed. "Just tell me wha-" He stopped as he heard someone else approaching. The scent of blood filled his nose, and it got to the point to where Riri could hear the footsteps as well. "Stay behind me," Daredevil warned, prepared for the worst.
However, it would be a disheveled looking Peter Parker who ran over from a different part of the building, a bandanna-esque mask over his face. The teacher could sense he wasn't alone, detecting a boy riding piggyback. Peter skidded to a halt in front of the two.
"Daredevil!! Riri!! Thank goodness you're both alright!!" He panted, looking back at the worried boy on his back. "It's alright Ricky, you're safe now."
Riri gasped, "Peter, you're bleeding..." In addition to the fresh bruises on the teen's face and torso, she could see the blood soaked rags wrapped around his palms and wrists.
"Don't worry about it," he replied, shaking his head. "Listen, I ran into one of the villains. It was Juggernaut! Somehow the League freed him and he's working for them."
Daredevil stared down at the boy, or at least would be if his eyes worked. Electro was one thing, but if the Juggernaut was loose in the facility... "Where is he now?" He asked.
"Stuck in the cement mixer," Peter said, squatting so Ricky could climb off. "Long story. He's alive, but trapped for now. That's not important though, I know the villain's plan!"
"Alright, slow down," his teacher urged, his enhanced senses taking note of the extent of Peter's injuries. He could tell the boy was running on pure adrenaline right now. "Those injuries are severe. You overused your Quirk fighting him, didn't you? Have you forgotten about Harlem?"
Peter's eyes briefly widened, recalling the discussion he'd had with Agent Coulson in regards to using his powers against a villain. It figured Daredevil would know what really transpired against the Punisher, as well as the follow up.
"Technically, he used his Quirk to fight me," he said, sheepishly. "Mostly I just dodged."
"It's true," Ricky spoke up. "He didn't even throw a single punch at him! I did!!"
Daredevil turned to acknowledge the boy. A quick listen of his heartbeat verified that he was indeed telling the truth. But also that raised several questions...
"Listen!" Peter got the Daredevil's attention once more. "I need to tell the Crew what's going on. And if communications are still out, then I'm the only one who can relay what I know in time!"
The teacher scrutinized his student, not needing his Quirk to sense the raw determination and stubbornness emanating from him. Finally, he sighed and came to a decision.
"Go," he said. "But tell Wrecker something for me, too."
Vengeance stood at a higher vantage point overlooking the park. Joining him was another villain dressed in green armor with a triangular helmet. He'd been using a wind based Quirk to distribute the gas Jack-o-Lantern had created across the park, when he'd stopped suddenly to speak with his group leader.
"Whirlwind," Vengeance, acknowledged, not bothering to turn around. "Why did you stop?"
The armored man pointed at his helmet, where his ear would be. "I'm not hearing anything from Juggernaut," he said. "Electro's been radio silent as well."
"You think somebody got to them?" Asked Vengeance, finally turning his head toward his associate.
"I think it's a possibility," replied Whirlwind. "But I heard the Crew wasn't all that powerful once they're separated..."
"Don't forget who else is there," Vengeance's eyes narrowed. "Daredevil can cancel out Quirks with his power, and some of those kids already have combat experience. It's not a stretch to assume they're fighting back."
"So what's our next move then?" Whirlwind looked back out toward the park.
"I think you've spread enough of the gas for now," replied Vengeance. "Go knock a few heads. I'll call you when we find the target."
A miniature cyclone started up around the armored villain's body, whipping up snow around him as he rose into the air. "Sounds good to me!" He called as he took off over the trees.
David Cannon, alias Whirlwind. Quirk; Spin. He can rotate at subsonic speeds, focus air currents into a jet stream and a windscreen, and even create small tornadoes.
Vengeance watched as his associate dropped down in search of students. So far, so good, he thought. As long as the Six keeps the pros busy, the plan should go off without a hitch.
Nuke opened fire as Seol hurriedly created a barrier of ice to block the stream of bullets. A few managed to hit Luke's back beforehand, as he covered Danny. But they bounced off harmlessly, just destroying his jacket as the ice grew high enough to stop the rest of them.
"Brrr, talk about the cold shoulder!" Sinthea shivered mockingly.
"Great, she does puns," Ava groaned.
"That's not all I do!!!" Rushing forward, Sinthea raised her hammer and swung it hard at the ice. It made impact with an almighty CRACK! The barrier shattered to pieces, leaving nothing to protect the teens from more gunfire.
"Phew, not my best work, but I think it gets the job done!" The red haired villainess gave a thumbs up to Nuke, a wicked smile accompanying it.
Sinthea 'Sin' Shmidt. Quirk; Hammer of Skadi. By using the hammer as a conduit, she gains increased strength. The more she swings, the harder it hits.
"Damn, swinging this thing always makes me exhausted," she went on. "I've gotta up my stamina!"
"That's why I prefer guns," Nuke grinned as he raised his reloaded submachine gun on the defenseless students. "No effort, no finesse, just pull the trigger and you're-"
"DONE!!!" Roared a voice. Suddenly, a wrecking ball attached to a metal chain sailed through the air, nearly hitting the muscular gunman as he narrowly dodged. He dropped his weapon in the process.
Instead, it made impact against Sin, as she braced her hammer to absorb the impact. However, she was knocked far away through the brush and out of sight, her yell of shock slowly fading away.
Leaping in and yanking back the chain, Thunderball spun his weapon in a circle, whipping up snow around him as he slammed it down on the gun, destroying it.
Eliot Franklin, Hero Name: Thunderball. Quirk; Kinetic Absorption. He can absorb kinetic energy, turning it into physical strength and enhancing his durability.
"Get going, now!!" He ordered the students, "I'll hold him off while you get to safety.
Ava nodded, "Let's go, you guys!" The group rushed down the trail as Thunderball turned his attention on momentarily stunned Nuke.
"What's the matter with you!?" He growled, his angry eyes set on the villain. "They're just kids, and you wanna mow them down like they're nothing!?"
"It's all for the sake of a better world!!" Nuke roared, pulling his knife and rushing at the hero.
"You're not... real heroes!" Rhino glared, charging at the pair of heroes. "You brought this on yourselves!"
Piledriver grunted as his giant hand punched the villain away before covering up to block more bullets from Chameleon. They were beginning to bruise up as he protected himself and Wrecker. "Jeez, you guys're persistent," he complained.
"As are you!" Replied Sandman, slamming an enlarged fist into Piledriver's palm, finally breaking the guard. "But it's time to knock you off your little throne. Kraven!!"
The human-beast hybrid leapt toward the unguarded heroes, claws out and teeth bared. He was ready to rip them both to pieces. But then-
"CROTCH!"
From off to the side, in a blur of blue and red, Peter swung in and wrapped his legs around Kraven's head. Using a scissor takedown, he twisted in mid-air, throwing him down down to the ground hard and delivering a right cross to the villain's jaw. Kraven was knocked unconscious before he'd even realized what happened as his body transformed back into its human form.
Piledriver looked up to see the bruised and bloodied student he'd previously interacted with, "Parker!?"
Peter leapt away, dodging a blow from Sandman. "Piledriver!" He exclaimed, "I found Ricky! He's safe!"
The hero gasped, "You found him!?"
"Wrecker, I've got a message from Daredevil," Peter went on, shooting web at the flying Vulture. "Set that radio to speaker mode and crank up the volume, you're getting a brief window to send it around the park."
"What? How?" Asked Wrecker.
Peter smiled tiredly, "Friends in high places."
Back in the Headquarters, Riri worked tirelessly on a set of breakers as Daredevil stood guard next to her, Ricky on his back. The teacher's Quirk was alert to his surroundings, but his mind was focused on something Electro had said.
"What's wrong, hero? Worried about your students? I wonder if you can save them in the end..."
The hero exhaled, similarly recalling the message he'd instructed Peter to give.
What he said made it clear to me that you students are the targets. So it's unavoidable, you have to protect yourselves. And each other. Go ahead and use your training.
Finally, Riri hit pay dirt as a light flickered. "Eureka!!" She exclaimed, "Ok teach, hit that switch!"
Daredevil grabbed the lever on the wall, slamming it in the upward position as the lights came back on.
Seeing the light turn on in the building, Peter whirled around toward the hero, "NOW!!"
Wrecker pressed the button of his radio, as his voice echoed around the city park.
"Attention, everyone in Class A and Class B!" He began, "In the name of the pro hero, Daredevil, you are granted permission to engage in combat. I repeat, use your training. You may fight these villains!"
Wrecker let go of the button, I hope you know what you're doing, Red...
Daredevil listened as the message went through the walls of the facility, as Riri continued to restore the power. He thought back to the student who'd risked everything to save a little boy and warn his friends of the danger yet untold.
I forgot to tell Parker to come back right away, he thought. This is bad. The only reason he's still going with those injuries is because of the endorphins pumping through his body. It's temporary. Once he's accomplished his goals and calms down a little, he won't be able to move at all.
"Mister?"
He turned his head back to acknowledge Ricky, a worried expression on the boy's face.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Ricky asked timidly, "I... I was sort of mean to him before. And still, he got all beat up just so he could protect me. I never apologized. Or even thanked him. Please tell me... He's not gonna get hurt more, right?"
"Don't worry," he said. "It'll take more than those wounds to stop him. But as his teacher, when this is over, I'll need to have a talk with him for acting rashly without my permission..."
Ricky looked out the high window, where the fighting continued. "Are you sure?" He asked, watching the figures moving around below.
"You'll get your chance to see to him again," the teacher assured. "And when you do, put more emphasis on the 'thank you' part."
Ricky nodded in response, as unbeknownst to him and Daredevil, Riri listened to their conversation as she worked. A worried expression on her face.
"Alright, now get back inside! Those injuries aren't normal," Wrecker advised.
But Peter shook his head, "I'm sorry. I can't! You need to send one more thing. The villains; I know one reason they're here."
"Huh?" Wrecker was taken aback, before having to dodge an aerial attack from Vulture, before hitting Sandman with his crowbar, using the built up energy to disperse the villain.
"They're after Flash!" Peter exclaimed as he engaged the Shocker, dodging a blast from his gauntlet as he delivered a powerful uppercut. "Please, you have to let the others know!" He blasted the villain with webbing, and swung him into the Chameleon. Peter stuck them to the wall with more webs as he took off running.
"Flash? Who's that?" Wrecker asked, before he saw the teen rushing toward the park trail. "Wait, stop!!"
"Flash Thompson!" Peter called back, "Hurry, before they block the signal again!!"
"Who the hell was that!?" Asked Sandman as he reassembled himself. "He moved so fast and took down half our guys!"
"Those webs..." Vulture muttered darkly, "It's the Spider!!"
"(Сукин сын) Sukin syn!!" Exclaimed Rhino, as he charged after the boy. "Catch that little runt!!"
Sandman considered several facts. By now, Juggernaut should've destroyed the building, and yet he hadn't. Plus the fact that the pros had access to their radios again meant that Electro must've been taken out of play. And from the brief glance he had, the kid looked seriously beat up.
Did he actually beat them both!? He thought in astonishment, Is he that powerful??
Before Rhino could get much further, however, he was stopped by a combination attack from Wrecker and Piledriver, who'd used his Quirk to launch the former toward the villain. Growing his fists larger, he threw a clubbing two-handed blow atop Rhino's head. He tripped over, stunned by the sudden blow.
Wrecker looked on as his partner got up and stared down the remaining two villains. Can't stop the boy, he thought. But I can still relay his message.
Within the park, several students heard the announcement as Wrecker's voice echoed throughout once again.
"Listen up!" He said. "We've discovered one of the villains' targets. It's a student called 'Flash'."
"Thompson?" Asked Laura aloud. "What do they want with him?
"Flash Thompson, you should try to avoid combat, and to stick to a group!" Wrecker continued.
Over with the teen in question, his goo covered body seemed to tremble somewhat as if the loud noise was agitating him. "Ugh, damn it!" Flash exclaimed, trying to maintain his form.
"I repeat-"
"We could focus if you'd shut the hell up!!" Roared Flash, as if the Wrecker could actually hear him. "We can take care of ourselves!!!"
"Don't rush into this fight carelessly!" Roberto warned, noting how Flash appeared to have switched up his pronouns as he became increasingly agitated.
"Come on!" Jack-o-Lantern swung his chain-sickle at Flash, the teen barely dodging. "It's no fun when you're talking!! I wanna see you bleed!!"
Flash prepared to attack the villain again, but Reyes grabbed him by the shoulder. "Weren't you listening to Wrecker?" He asked, "They're here because they're after you."
The angry teen pulled his shoulder free, "Telling us not to engage and then changing their minds!! We don't know how, but somehow this is Parker's fault..." He charged at Jack-o-Lantern, "Well, we don't care what anyone says!!!"
With a bulkier form and clawed hands, Flash swung wildly at the villain, trying to get a hold of him. However, it seemed the teen wasn't used to this form, as he appeared to be a bit slower than usual.
But in spite of the disadvantage in agility, the blows were powerful enough to put the villain on high alert. He was trying to maintain his distance, and Flash was using the surroundings to his advantage. Leaping and swinging from tree to tree, he avoided the series of chain attacks Jack was using and gained ground.
"Damn, he's good at moving through this terrain with his Quirk," Jack grinned. "This is getting interesting..."
"This freak, he looks like a scrawny little sidekick to us!" Flash called back cockily to Reyes, "C'mon, ya bastard!"
The Hispanic teen wasn't convinced however, "This clearly isn't his first battle. Keep on your guard, he's sure to try-"
"Yeah, we get it! We're not stupid!!!" Flash glared with narrowed white eyes. "Why don't you do something then!?"
"I'm already blocking off the area with chains," Reyes replied. "If he tries to escape, we'll have him. But I can't use my full power. With my flames, I could start fires in this park, and then we're all screwed."
He looked back toward another part of the park, "And even if I could convince you to retreat, there's poison gas everywhere. They're obviously trying to drive us into a corner."
"Show me..." Jack-o-Lantern pulled another pumpkin bomb, pressing the button that was the stem before he threw it. "Show me your exquisite flesh!"
Using her martial arts prowess, Sharon Rogers was keeping Batroc at bay. Every so often, she'd fire up her Quirk, Enhance, which briefly powered up parts of her body to attack or mostly block against the villain's blows.
Fighting alongside her classmate, Kate Bishop would switch from close combat to long range where she tried to shoot her trick arrows at the advancing Frenchman.
"Bon, Mon ami," Bateoc grinned, as Sharon blocked one of his blows. But he flipped backwards, delivering a kick to the tip of her chin as he put space between himself and his opponent. "But not bon enough!"
"Ugh, this guy keeps moving!" Kate complained angrily, missing another shot at the nimble villain.
"Don't shoot at him!" Sharon advised, leaping after him with powered up legs. "Shoot where he's going!"
The purple coated archer took in her friend's words, gazing at their surroundings. She wasn't as analytical as Sharon, but she could still see patterns. Every good hunter needs to be able to read their surroundings; the speed and direction of the wind, the amount of obstacles blocking a shot, and most importantly, the habits of their prey.
He sticks to the perimeter of the woods, Kate thought. Probably so he can see what's happening with his buddies. But he always comes back to the center of the trailto reset. And the direction he's going, he'll be landing...
She drew a Trick Arrow and took aim...
"THERE!!!"
Kate let the arrow fly. Upon impact with the ground, a purple ooze began to bubble out, growing in size. Batroc hadn't noticed the substance and landed square into it, his left leg becoming stuck. He strained and struggled against it, but to no avail.
Pulling another Trick Arrow, Kate shot it directly at Batroc. The arrowhead broke apart to reveal a series of bolos flying toward the villain. They wrapped around him, preventing Batroc from moving his arms.
Sharon made her way over and threw a right haymaker to the villain's face. The blow knocked him out cold as he collapsed to the ground, his leg still trapped in the goo.
"Thought he'd never stop," she muttered. "Nice shooting, Kate."
"Thanks Sharon," Kate beamed with relief. "Um, can you pull those out? I'm not carrying a ton of arrows with me, and I'm not strong enough to yank them out of concrete."
Sharon gave a smile and nod, pulling the imbedded arrows out of the trail, handing them back to the young archer.
"I appreciate it," Kate said, putting them back in her quiver. "So what now? We've got the go-ahead to fight back, but Wrecker never mentioned the gas."
"Meaning there probably isn't any wherever he is," Sharon reasoned. "This gas is moving really slowly. Normally it would spread out more, right? This is staying in one place, not acting naturally. And look, it's denser here than it was in the area we just ran away from."
Kate looked closely, allowing her Quirk to activate as her eyes scanned over the gas. "You're right," she said. "But what does that mean?"
"I think it's swirling around specific source. Somewhere near here, like a typhoon," Sharon replied. "If that's true, there should be someone who's producing the gas at the center of the storm. Likely the villain who's controlling it."
"Ok, that makes sense," pondered Kate, picking up the other arrows she'd previously shot. "But what should we do about it? Do we go after the villain, or do we try and snap the others out of it?"
"I say for now, we follow the gas," said Sharon. "We stop the source, we help everyone at once."
Kate nodded, picking up her last arrow, "Alright then, let's get moving."
Just then, a large, shadowy figure began to draw closer along in the dimly light trail. Kate nocked an arrow to her bow and Sharon got into a fighting stance. The figure raised a hand to placate the pair, "Whoa whoa, hold your fire!!"
Kate looked up, "I know that voice... Teddy, is that you?"
Through the snowy brush, their green scaled classmate made his way over. He carried two unconscious teens over his large shoulders as a smile grew on his face.
"Boy am I glad to see you guys," he said gratefully. "And I'm especially glad you're not attacking me like these two." Teddy gestured to the boy and girl he was carrying.
"How are you breathing with all this gas in the air?" Sharon asked.
Teddy thumbed to his chest, "Part of my shapeshifting Quirk. If any cells or tissue gets damaged, they adapt and regenerate. But I'm not sure for how long it'll keep going, so I'd just as soon get out of this place."
"Well, you're in luck," Kate lowered her bow. "We were just about to go find the guy making this stuff, and having a bit of muscle wouldn't hurt."
"Count me in," the teen grinned. "But first, let's get these guys out of this park. The air's doing them no good, especially if they wake up and try attacking again."
Sharon nodded in agreement, "Let's avoid the trails for now, they'll be expecting us through there. I know a quick way back, but we'll have to get through a bit of brush. Follow me..."
Peter had begun panting as he rushed through the snowy path. His injuries were starting to get to him, but he couldn't stop yet. There were still several of his classmates trapped by villains within the park.
Flash and Robbie went second in the test of courage, he thought. If they're still not back to the base, then by now they're probably around here somewhere...
Suddenly his Spider Sense went off. Out in front of him, a giant shadow came from out of nowhere and attempted to cover him. Peter was about to be sucked in, when he was saved by a familiar face leaping in and urging the darkness back with a light dagger.
The shadow blob retreated briefly as the duo leapt aside and took shelter behind a snow covered bush. The boy exhaled a breath of relief, "Thanks Tandy, I owe-"
Peter gasped when he saw one of the girl's arms was bleeding. She had marks all over her back, ripping through the fabric and scratching her skin. "Tandy, what the hell happened to you?" He asked, concern in his voice.
"I could ask you the same thing," she replied. "With those injuries... You should be laid up in bed recovering. But knowing you, I'm guessing wanna save your friends. Looks like we have that in common."
"Well, look at you, knowing me more than I know myself," Peter quipped with a smirk. "Now tell me what's going on? Did the villains get the drop on you guys?"
"Yes," Tandy nodded. "We were ambushed by a pair of them. But the gas attack triggered Tyrone's Quirk, even though he was desperately trying to hold it back all night. It's at the point where my light isn't enough anymore!"
Peter thought back to when he'd worked with the shadow user during the Sports Festival. "At night I can teleport and release more of that energy with less effort, but it increases my hunger..."
"Oh no..." he muttered. "Don't tell me-!"
"Yeah," Tandy looked back into growing darkness. "If we wanna get through here, we'll have to stop him first."
Within the living shadows, Tyrone groaned in pain, trying desperately to rein in his power, but to no avail. He gasped in horror as he saw his best friend once more in his sights. "Stay away from me, Tandy!" He yelled, "You'll die!!!"
.
.
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Barber's Chair
• Another classic Spidey villain introduced with Electro. Little trivia, not long after his introduction, Daredevil took him on back in his yellow suit days.
• Riri's cobbled together exo-suit is loosely based on Mandalorian armor, at least in appearance. A bit more streamlined compared to what she first wore in Wakanda Forever, don't you think?
• Flash is starting to show more troubling signs. Now he's completely covered by the Symbiote, save for the white eyes. And referring to himself in the "we/us" pronouns like classic Venom.
• I thought it fitting for Sharon Rogers to be the one fighting Batroc hand to hand. The MCU Captain Americas all fought him, so why not continue the trend?
