Chapter 9: The Destined Prom

Peter stared at himself in the lengthy mirror in his bedroom.

"Hehe, what's up, handsome." The young man in the mirror grinned back at him.

His brown hair was fulled black into an elegant side-part 7/3, highlining his contours and dazzling hazels. He was wearing a standard black three-piece suit threaded with navy-blue linings and a blue cravat. Leather shoes and trousers of the same colour, black.

The outfit for the prom fitted his lean build perfectly, elevating this elegant, dignified, and somewhat mysterious aura in him.

Of course, the true gentleman was without his trusty, stylish glasses. Well, Peter had to thank the Angel for giving him a pair of black square-framed glass, looking absolutely exquisite instead of his previous thick as hell one, obstructing anyone from beholding those hazel irises. This one toned it up a thousand times.

However, the gleeful moments were short-lived as Peter came back to reality. Heaving a long sigh, he let out a self-depreciating laugh.

"What's the point? It's not like I have a date... She's probably with Harry now."

Ever since being Lizardman that night, Peter thought that his life would finally turn into a new chapter, brighter than ever, but as they always said, "reality is often disappointing."

As every other crime that was encountered onward was just pity crimes, easily solved with a punch or a kick, the civilians thanked him for his generosity and moved on with their lives, right before he's about to make a cool introduction.

To be fair, he got to encounter Gwen, or Spider-woman, whilst being Lizardman; she encouraged him a lot as two also cooperated in stopping two other smaller smuggles of the KP. And that's it for the sake of secret identity stuff; no one got the chance to know the other better.

Haiz, outside of that, his school life did get much better as Ned and his gangs dared not to close to him within 10 feet, leaving more time to spend with his two best friends... or, to be precise, watching Harry flitting Gwen whenever possible while having The Mary Janes backing him up.

Peter heaved another long sigh, trying to get those images out of his head, when suddenly he heard a knock.

Knock knock! "Peter, are you done?" It was Uncle Ben coming up to check on him.

"Ah, yes, Uncle!" Peter shouted as if trying to liven up his spirit in front of his family.

Uncle Ben pushed the door open, his eyes widening at the new image of his godson.

"Gosh, Richard... you're just like your father when he was your age... and you also had your mother's eyes..." Ben's voice carried a tinge of pride but also nostalgia and sadness.

"Really!?" Peter was also looking fiercely at himself in the mirror while conjuring up the image of his beloved dad in his mind, and he did look pretty much like him. Realising this somehow elevated his mood, it somehow bridged a firm connection to his long-gone parents.

"Hi Dad, Mom..." Peter whispered under his breath, smiling at himself in the mirror.

Shortly after, May also came into the room. Watching Peter, her eyes also shone with bewilderment, a little bit teary as she tried to hold it back.

"Oh dear, you truly have grown up, Peter... Look at you now; Richard and Mary would be proud."

"Thank you, Aunty May, Uncle Ben." Peter pulled them into a comfy hug.

"Phew!" May swept away the teary eyes, trying not to get too emotional. "It was a great idea, improvising Richard's suit."

"It sure did, dear." Ben said, wrapping his wife's shoulder lightly. "Now, ain't you supposed to be there by now, or is she-"

"Actually...." Pete's words stuck in his throat.

"Oh, did she already have someone else?"

"Not really..."

"Then why are you still here? Go! You still have half an hour before the prom begins."

Under his uncle's word, Peter snapped back into realisation. 'Now or never.' With that, he whispered thank you and goodbye to the two before dashing out of the house.

"We'll be there when the music show starts!"

...

Still on his trusty bike Peter got to the prom in less than 10 minutes, no sweat. "Well, the prom starts at 5, so let's find her then."

In front of him was Midtown High School, now filled with glistening decorations, colourful lights, and streams of people, mostly teenagers his age and adults. All were bathing in the twilight, creating a dynamic ambiance.

Setting the perfect stage for what's about to come.

...

Peter took some time to adjust his slightly messy clothes before heading towards school under the widening eyes of passersby.

He paid no mind to their bewilderment, as he was only focused on finding Gwen; hopefully she's already inside somewhere near The Mary Janes.

It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. Laying quite still on the second-floor window's sill, there was a brown feather.

Peter's almost jumped in fright. The experience of being haunted by the girl, the Angel of... Adversity? as well as matters revolving around her true intentions, resurfaced in his mind.

His eyes darted around quickly, making sure the girl wasn't just somewhere nearby spying on him creepily.

Much to his relief, he didn't see or feel the girl's gaze, but the feather was still there, giving him a rather ominous feeling.

Still suppressing that, he refocused on finding Gwen. After a few minutes, he finally saw her, loitering by the school fountain.

Peter blushed, his eyes blinking uncontrollably at the gracious sight in front of him.

There she was, still the same Gwen, yet so beautiful; her waist-length, slightly curly blonde hair was done in half-up ribbon style. The pastel pink colour accentuated her light blonde hair.

She donned an elegant, lengthy, wavy, bisque-colored skirt. Short heels. Barely any make-up. She was standing there, hair fluttering in the afterglow, waiting for something or someone come

'Effortlessly amazing.'

Peter took a deep breath as he wholeheartedly took in one of those rare moments to see Gwen like this—much different from what you expected when you first saw her wearing a hoodie and playing drums for a rock band.

"Right! Here goes nothing." Peter mustered all his courage, put on a confident smile, and began stepping towards.

However, out of nowhere, Harry had already stepped to her side, raising an exquisite bouquet.

Peter's face dropped in despair as he watched the two from afar. His senses were dulled by swirling emotions, which temporarily nullified the lingered, ominous feeling brought by the feathered. Taking it step by step, Peter sadly turned away.

...

"Peter?... Ahm, uhm, Harry. Thank you for this, but I have to go first. See you inside." Gwen gave Harry a wry smile before chasing after the familiar figure.

Leaving a slightly disappointed Harry behind. "Haaiz, lucky you, Peter. You'd better treat her the best." Shaking his head, Harry headed outside the school, where a black car had been waiting for him.

Gwen tried to find Peter only to no avail, but it was at this moment that a terrifying scream echoed on the other side of the school, followed by a heinous figure that seemed like a green retile monster marching towards the prom!

...

Inside the main hall, Peter was nibbling on the food in one of those inconspicuous conners mindlessly while watching the prom unfold with heavy eyes.

Just a few more minutes The Mary Janes would stir up the atmosphere.

Yet right at that moment, Peter's hair stood up, his eyes widening with fear clawing down his back. Immense nausea came forth as he rushed to the bathroom.

"UGH! What the-". His mind raced with numerous thoughts, and as of now, his danger sense was overwhelmed with that ominous feeling.

"Something is coming—something absolutely dreadful." Fear was clearly etched on his face as he began running towards the outside, where the uneasy source was coming.

There, before his enhanced eyesight, Peter was frightened to see a humongous creature—no, a big guy in a metallic suit with the most prominent sliver horn that resembled a rhino. Despite his bulky figure, the thing was running towards the school at a rather terrifying speed. Followed closely behind the monstrosity were familiar patrol police cars, led by...

"Captain Stacy!?"

The police captain had been issued warnings while trying to throw Rhino off, but to no avail as the hired hitman marched forward steadily.

"Dammit! He's heading towards the prom; it's going to be a blood bath."

... Peter danger sense once again overwhelmed him with fear; more specifically, it was coming from his Reptilian Empathy 

"Uncle Ben, Aunt May... NO!" Peter rushed into the main hall, to the supposedly prom, now filled with screams that resounded the place. His pupils constricted as he witnessed a tall, terrifying humanoid green lizard standing amid the chaos.

Seemingly noticing another kind as it, the Lizard's tempting red as blood eyes were looking straight at Peter, sending chills down his spine.

Much to Peter's surprise, it began to talk, albeit too hoarsely. "Hello Lizardman, remember me? Filthy thieves."

It was then that Peter noticed the white torn clothing on his body, and his mind ticked as the answer came forth. "No, D-Dr. Connors."

The Lizard heinous visage bloomed with a twisted smile. "Yes Peter. It me! Now that I understand why you were so tempted by the Serum, look at what it could do! HAhaha" 

Peter was frozen in place. Whatching madness corrupted the once-amiable professor as guilt resurfaced in his mind.

The Lizard took slow steps forward as he extended his hand. "I can sense that you're the same as me. Join us, and we'll achieve greatness. Aren't you also sick of these filthy, ignorant humans?"

"No, that's not-" 

TWIP TWIP! Lizard narrowly dodged the oncoming spider webs, snaring at the figure shooting them.

Ghost-Spider came in between, preventing the Lizard taking another step further

"Run!" She ordered, eyes still locking at the creature.

"No! There are still my-"

The lizard let out another hearty laugh. "Finally you're."

"What?" Gwen got a feeling something bad was building up.

BAMP!

Followed by the thunderous sound, causing the entire floor to shake vigorously, crumbles and dust began to fall off. 

'Not good! It's here.' Peter darted his eyes around in search of his aunt and uncle. There were still some other injured people sprawling on the floor, either unconscious or physically immobilised.

Seconds passed by as the earthquake finally cut out. It was then, to Peter's dismay, that he spotted two familiar-figured hurdling in an inconspicuous corner, surrounded by crumbles and debris. At least they didn't seem to be hurt. He had to get them out here first.

ARGH!

"HAHAHA! Let's start the party, Spidey!" Madness fully controlled the lizard as he vigorously swung his claws at Peter and Gwen, but both dodged his attacks swiftly while evacuating the injured to safety. Lucky for them, the police, led by Captain Stacy, had arrived, lifting a heavy weight from the two's shoulders. Leaving the two to distract the lizard.

Gwen was surprised to find Peter able to do all this. But of course, the moment she was about to ask him, their danger sense tinged off as Rhino was charging from afar with incredible speed, aiming at Gwen. On the other side, the Lizard also began to throw a new barrage of attacks, focusing solely on Peter.

The situation was getting out of hand; Peter could see that this place was about to collapse, yet his family hadn't been rescued yet due to the debris.

Throwing away his suit, Peter chose to transform right here and now.

"What are you even doin-" Gwen was dazed to see her dearest childhood friend mutate into another humanoid Lizard albeit with silverish grey skin, slightly taller than the green one.

"Go handle that charging beast, Gwen! I'll take care of this one." Peter's voice was hoarse yet understandable."

"Wait What? How? Why-" 

"No time! I'll explain the latter!" Without looking at the bewildered Gwen, Peter could clearly perceive her rage and frustration.

"We're gonna have a very long talk, Peter." Immediately, she swung herself towards the charging beast and attempted to blind it.

While Peter also charged forward, Dr. Connors, the two then locked hands in combat.

Peter had quite a hard time dealing with a maddening lizard; their strengths were merely equal. However, relying on his exceptional danger sense and incredible durability given by the improved serum. Later on, Peter had the upper hand as he started to comprehend Dr. Connors's simple attack pattern, which was clearly instinctual.

Dodge, counter, and repeat! Simple was that, thus after a few rounds of doing so, Peter was finally able to restrain the raging Lizard, but knocking it out would require more potency.

Snatching the precious time Dr. Conners was out of breath, Peter focused the toxin in his claw and dealt a decisive blow to the green one. His sharp claw immediately left a visible mark on the green one's forearm. Putting some sense of fear into its red eyes.

Of course, Peter was using only light dose of toxin, enough to put Dr. C into deep slumber

"Phew, one down. Now-" 

Despite his sense of danger, the attack was too fast for him to react. With a thud, Peter's bulky figure was sent flying straight into the wall.

Puff puff.

Grasping the air, Peter was dazed as he saw two distinguished figures flying above him.

One bore hood and cape, blond hair alluring figure, she bore an amicable smile, yet her cold eyes and the insidious aura she exuded speak otherwise. The woman was floating in the air as he loudly annouced. "Fret not, citizen of New York. I'm Susan Storm, and this is Johnny Storm."

Flying beside her were the ones that attacked him with fire bolts. Literally, a man on fire. He also bore an ambiguous smile.

"And we're here to ensure your safety, as we will eradicate these two vile creatures."

Peter's eyes widened in shock, for he could truly feel their raging murderous intent hurdling towards him.

"Wait, I'm not..."

BOM!

...

On one of the rooftops, Silk was watching Spider-woman struggle to prevent Rhino from tearing down the buildings with great interest. She also spotted the KP goons shooting aimlessly at the police—no, they were targeting something or someone. Well, whatever it is, it has nothing to do with S.I.L.K.

Shifting her gaze towards the place where another fierce battle was happening,

"Tsk, useless scientist. Well, let's hope that another of his kind could restrain those two anomalies."

Thus, she decided to watch the parade, patiently waiting for the opportunity to capture Spider-woman whilst keeping an eye out for the outcome of the battle on the other side.

...

Gwen was having quite a hard time, trying her best not to let Rhino destroy the building any further in order for the police to evacuate the survivors.

She was using the web to blind the guy whilst attacking his head, as other places were heavily fortified.

After a few rounds of doing so, she managed to drive Rhino out of the building into the main road and attack his head. Gwen was finally able to deliver a decisive drop kick, knocking the monstrosity out for good.

"Phew! Is everybody alright-"

BANG BANG BANG!

Horror filled her eyes as she witnessed the police falling down under the barrage of bullets coming from the KP.

'oh no, DAD!'

Her father was trying his best to hold off the attack, waiting for reinforcement, but the situation seemed dreadful.

Just as she was about to provide aid, those ninjas from before leapt out of the shadow; on the rooftops, there were a dozen of them. All were really engaged.

"Out of my way!"

Whoosh! "Huh? What the?" Gwen jumps backward, dodging a tenacle that was hurdling towards her. There, she spotted another group of three on the side: that woman whom she presumed to have the same power, along with that creepy scientist with an actual disgusting octopus on his back, and finally a guy that looked like a robber. Yet they exuded an utterly dangerous aura, and she was their target.

"Great! Ninjas, and now this group, now this creepy group of three, which sewer did you all come from?"

'At least they didn't seem to be working together,, as those ninja also surprise to see the group of three appearance... I don't have much time, hang on Dad, Peter!'

There begins the battle of the three!

Back to Peter, thing went awfully bad for him, cut, bruised and burned covered his body, there were healing but slower and was quite painful.

'Ugh, not good; I'm losing too much stamina.' Peter's red eyes even showed signs of exhaustion, which brought an insidious smile to the so-called saviour, Sussan Storm.

The speed and barrage of attacks were really too much for an unexperienced Peter, Every time he managed to dodge the approaching attack of the fire guy, his company would throw at him those transparent things that cut deep.

And as Peter tried to trade blows, he realised that the woman were capable of conjuring some sort of shield-no force field that was sturdy enough to sustain Peter's attacks. His mind swirled with the unexpected rendered him not being able to immediately analysis and came up with a solution.

Tiredness crawl over his mind, despite his command to stay focus.

Peter did tried to initiate a conversation but he soon realize these simply didn't care, they were already set out to eliminate him, using him a stepping stone for their grand heroic introduction.

WHOOSH! 

Another barraged of fire bolts, force field discs cominng...

Thud! The fire man sent a decisive punch as Peter were sent flying backward, his body now burry in the debris.

"Hmp! goodbye lizards." the blond woman said coldly as she gestured for her brother to join the fight on the other side.

"Come Johny were done here!"

...

Crumble. Puff puff. Peter was revealed lying on the debris, now reverted back to his human form, was grasping for air with agony. He was complete deadbeat.

Getting out of the debris already marked the end to of his stamina, as even his wound failed to heal.

"No...no...no.. Uncle Ben, aunt May... Gwen.. " He's dazed, whispered in agony, his hazel's eyes filled with despair as he could only look at his unconscious family laying under the debris waiting for death to come. While Gwen were also in a dire state as much as Captain Stacy. Locked in a four-ways combat.

Looking the billowing smoke and debris, Peter drifted back to that image, the image of his death, albeit slightly different setting.

"Were the angel telling the truth. This is the adversary? Should I have taken her accord, thing would have been better?... I should have die, but Ben and May do not deserved it!"

'For whatever Faith bestowes there is alway a price..' every cripid words the angel drawn upon him realization but it was too late.

Hsi vision turned blurry Peter cried. He's failed with all his strength he couldn't protect his family. And now he could also feel death was nearby.

"Is this the end."

...

"Yes."

Peter's eyes widened as he used every moment of strength left to look towards where the sound came from. There, he witnessed an impossible scene.

Brownish feathers, like leaves falling from the sky, encapsulated the entire city like ashes in the air.

Reality was frozen

Thud thud! Amidst the falling feathers and ruins of debris, the Angel of Adversity was walking steadily towards him.

Those dark-amber eyes were still bearing the same inexplicable and indescribable look.

But now Peter could finally discern it.

It was pity...