Flash lay on the floor of the bus, rolling back and forth in agony. For a moment, he didn't even know which part of his body to clutch first.
His left fingers were twisted into something resembling a mangled pretzel, but the pain radiating from his "vital center" was far more piercing.
He couldn't wrap his head around it—he was the one who swung the punch, so why was he the one on the ground?
It was no joke. Peter, bolstered by the motor-neuron enhancements of the Lizard Serum and protected by Makoto Kyogoku's Karate Insights, was impossible for someone like Flash to hit.
The instant Flash swung, Peter had already pivoted to the side with superhuman speed. This slight adjustment caused Flash's fist to slam full-force into the hard plastic backrest of the bus seat, snapping his knuckles on impact.
Simultaneously, before anyone could process what was happening, Peter delivered a lightning-fast knee strike to Flash's groin.
He had held back, using less than 1% of his strength. Had he used any more, it wouldn't have just been a rupture; Flash would have been structurally disintegrated.
Silence.
A deathly stillness fell over the bus. Everyone stared first at Peter, then at Flash, who was curled up on the floor like a cooked shrimp. For a few seconds, they wondered if they were dreaming.
What just happened? Why is Flash the one crying?
As the confusion reached its peak, Peter suddenly threw his hands up, wearing a look of total innocence.
"Whoa! You all saw that, right? I didn't even touch him! He just... fell over on his own!"
The students looked at the "defenseless" Peter, then at each other. The whispering started immediately.
"Peter didn't even touch him... why is Flash acting like that?" "Yeah, look at Peter's scrawny arms. Even if he fought back, he couldn't hurt a tank like Flash. What kind of stunt is this?"
Sensing the tide turning, Peter suddenly put on a face of realization mixed with sheer terror.
"Flash... It's one thing to bully me every day, but are you seriously trying to frame me now? Are you trying to get me expelled or sent to juvie with this pathetic act?"
He looked around at his classmates, his voice trembling with "sincerity."
"We're classmates! I've never done anything to you! Why are you trying to ruin my life like this?"
Wait... what?
The thought rippled through the crowd: Is Flash... insurance-scamming him?!
"Oh my god, that explains it!" someone shouted. "He must have missed his punch, felt embarrassed, and decided to frame Peter instead!"
The theory caught fire. There was no better explanation. After all, what was the alternative? That Peter—the resident bookworm—had KO'd the star quarterback with a move so fast the human eye couldn't track it?
Ridiculous! If Peter had that kind of power, why would he have let Flash walk all over him for three years?
Applying the principle of "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," the entire bus reached a consensus: Flash Thompson was using a "self-harm" tactic to destroy Peter's future.
The collective gaze of the bus shifted. It turned cold, disgusted, and hostile. Flash's parents were rich; framing a kid like Peter would be easy for them. A little bit of legal pressure, and Peter's life would be over.
How could someone be so evil? To bully a guy for three years and then try to frame him for assault? This wasn't just bullying anymore; it was character assassination!
People instinctively root for the underdog. In the past, they turned a blind eye because Peter's life wasn't at stake—just his lunch money. But this? This crossed a line.
Flash, sweating through the pain, was utterly stunned. "No... It's not like that! I'm the one who's hurt!"
But his explanations only fueled the fire. "Shut up! Look at him, still trying to play the victim!" "Ugh, he's so disgusting. Does he actually think we're that stupid?"
As Flash tasted the bitter fruit of being abandoned by everyone, a red-headed girl spoke up, twisting the knife.
"Flash, I can't believe you're this kind of person. I must have been blind to think you were just 'joking' with Peter. I'm so disappointed in you. We're done. It's over!"
Mary Jane Watson didn't even look at her now-ex-boyfriend. She stepped over his groaning body and walked straight to Peter.
She began fussing over him, checking his "scrawny" arms for injuries and promising him that she would testify on his behalf.
In some universes, Mary Jane was Peter's soulmate. But in this one? Peter felt nothing but indifference. A girl who dates the school bully and then cuts him loose the second he loses social standing wasn't exactly his type.
Compared to my sweet, loyal Gwen? No contest.
But while Peter didn't care, Flash certainly did. Seeing the girl he had spent three years chasing ignore his agony to comfort his rival... Flash's heart broke. He wanted to scream: "NOOOOO—!!!"
Queue the sad music: "Snowflakes drifting, the north wind whistling..."
However, he didn't scream. Partly because he was too busy trying not to vomit from the pain, and partly because... he was actually terrified.
The others might not know the truth, but he knew. Peter Parker had somehow obtained terrifying power. He was dangerous. He was a monster wearing a nerd's skin.
Flash realized right then and there: This "Big Bad Boss" was not someone a low-level bully like him could ever mess with again.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.