"Barry, should we stop them?"
From the edge of the crowd, Barry and Ben had already noticed the fight between Peter and Flash.
They could have stepped in from the beginning, but chose not to.
Peter wasn't part of the hero community. He might have been clever, but he had no way of understanding the unspoken rules within their circle.
Every hero cared about whether their record had a stain on it. A single mistake could mean losing the right to keep their title. But rules had always been tools for those at the top to control those beneath them.
Standing in front of true elites like Barry and Ben, those celebrated heroes, no matter how glamorous they looked, were no different from ordinary people.
So, while the fight between Peter and Flash could very well be judged as misconduct, the former, with his ties to LexCorp, and the latter, who had already caught the eyes of two top heroes, were not going to be bound by those regulations.
Ben's reason for suggesting they intervene had nothing to do with leaving bad records. He was worried the clash would tear apart any chance of the two boys mending their relationship.
Barry, however, saw something else.
"To be honest," he said quietly, "between Peter, who headquarters insists we must recruit, and this kid called Flash, I admire the latter more. Just like his name, he's swift as lightning, tearing through the darkness."
* * *
"Peter, let's go."
Harry appeared then, pulling the dazed boy away from the scene.
"Stop clashing with him. Whether or not you continue being a hero, getting into fights with him won't lead to anything good."
His friend's words cooled Peter's impulse to step forward to check on Flash.
The truth was, fear had already taken hold. Memories of the day he lost control and hurt a classmate resurfaced the moment he saw Flash sent flying like a ragdoll. That old guilt returned sharper than ever.
So he let Harry lead him away in silence.
Behind them, Flash slowly stood back up.
He brushed the dirt from his face, eyes following Peter's retreating figure. Ignoring the strange looks around him, he raised his voice.
"Parker!"
The shout made Peter tremble. Though his first instinct was to keep walking, he turned around, facing the battered boy who stood with unshaken resolve.
"You're stronger than me, I admit it! Compared to me, you'll definitely defeat greater enemies."
The words shocked everyone. No one expected Flash, hot-blooded and stubborn, to acknowledge his own weakness in front of the crowd.
But then his tone hardened.
"So you'd better become a real hero. If you don't, even if it kills me, I won't forgive you!"
When he finished, he picked up his discarded shirt, ignored the mocking stares thrown his way, and walked out.
"Peter, don't listen to him. Don't put pressure on yourself." Harry quickly tried to reassure him.
But it was too late. Flash's words had carved themselves deep into Peter's heart.
For the first time, he felt the true weight of being a hero, shouldering someone else's expectations. This was the first lesson of becoming one.
On the outskirts of the crowd, Barry let out a smile. Not for Peter, whose spirit had shifted quietly, but for the boy who had turned his back and walked away alone.
He nudged Ben with his elbow. "Well? Didn't I tell you? Reid and Luthor might have special reasons to favor Peter, but looking at it purely from a hero's perspective, this Flash kid isn't half bad, right?"
Ben's mouth twitched. He could already guess where Barry was going with this.
Everyone knew there were many top-tier heroes. Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, and Aquaman; these were all among the strongest, and some of them were even far more popular than anyone in the Fantastic Four.
But when it came to top superhero teams, there was only one: the Fantastic Four.
It also meant something else. To protect their legacy and ensure strength for the future, they were the only ones who had begun formally training and grooming the next generation.
Barry continued speaking, "You've started another round of hero selection, haven't you? The kid doesn't have credentials yet, but as a potential recruit, he's worth watching. Even Dick wouldn't dismiss him outright."
Ben sighed, realizing if he didn't agree, the man would never stop pestering him.
Among all kinds of superpowers, speedsters were the hardest to deal with.
Barry was the perfect example. He could talk endlessly at someone's ear without it affecting his own daily life. And distance wasn't a problem either. For a man like him, the space between New York and Central City was no greater than the gap between a dining table and a chair.
"Fine, fine, I get it," Ben muttered. "I'll mention him to Dick, make sure he keeps an eye on the kid. But whether he'll take him seriously, I can't say. You know how it is. He might smile more than Batman, but when it comes to standards, they're exactly the same."
Barry grinned, satisfied with that answer.
With that settled, the two returned to the venue to continue their work for the day.
And with two superheroes taking notice of him, soon to be placed under Dick's watch, Flash's story was destined not to end here.
* * *
Elsewhere, the afternoon lessons had been consumed by the superpower test. With nothing left on the schedule, Peter went home with Harry at his side.
"Peter, no matter what anyone else thinks, as your friend, I'll always stand by you," Harry said firmly.
He knew he couldn't change Peter's nature. He couldn't force him into anything. All he could do was let him choose for himself.
* * *
Night fell.
When Benjamin and May returned from their shifts at LexCorp, they immediately noticed something was off with their nephew. Knowing the school had held ability tests that day, they easily pieced things together.
After dinner, Ben stopped Peter, who was heading back to his room with a heavy look on his face.
"Uncle Ben, is something wrong?"
Peter's voice betrayed his nerves. He understood his uncle probably guessed what had happened.
"Peter, I've been thinking," Ben began slowly. "Maybe… we should return that five percent stake."
"What?!"
* * *
Outside, the night sky above the Parker home shimmered faintly.
Unseen, Reid hovered there, his presence hidden by magic. After so many years of keeping his emotions buried under reason, his heart stirred again.
In his past life, his favorite hero had always been Spider-Man. And tonight, he was here to see his dream come true: to personally witness the birth of that same superhero.
But here, in this world, his intervention had changed things.
This time, the birth of Spider-Man would not be stained by Benjamin's death.
Satisfied, Reid nodded.
Because he heard the familiar words etched into his memory:
With great power comes great responsibility.
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