Dr. Lizard

Osborn Building.

Several helicopters circled in the pitch-black night sky, their beams crossing over a huge, agile, and incredibly strong Lizardman in the street.

Police officers and soldiers armed with all manner of firearms fought in coordination, pouring shells into the green, scaly monster as if ammunition were free.

"General, radar has detected an unidentified aircraft approaching... Wait, two!"

The major general in the armored vehicle took the display board his subordinate handed him and immediately called the NYPD Chief. "George, is that your backup?"

"What?"

Chief George, charging on the front line with a little pistol in hand, looked up. Two metal-armored figures, one large and one small, were speeding toward the green monster that had climbed onto the Osborn Building.

"Since when do the police get equipment this advanced? Those aren't our people!"

"Hey, Yuri."

Tony was grinning excitedly inside his armor. Judging by the data Jarvis had collected, there was no doubt he'd reached the destination first. Hovering beside the Osborn Building, he scanned the giant lizard clinging to its wall and declared victory to Yuri, who had just arrived. "So, based on the results so far, will you admit that my Mark I is the greatest creation?"

"No!"

Yuri wasn't convinced. His Steam Armor didn't have built-in navigation, and compared with Tony, who had flown along the optimal route, he'd run into plenty of trouble along the way. There was the building he'd nearly crashed into after turning a corner, and power lines that were almost impossible to spot unless you looked carefully. In the end, he'd decided to follow Tony, avoiding unnecessary damage to the city.

"You should know that we weren't far apart in terms of speed. The only reason I fell behind was that my dad started a chain of restaurants, while your dad created the artificial intelligence Jarvis!"

Tony shrugged. He didn't see anything wrong with standing on the shoulders of those who came before. Just as he was about to trade a few more words with the sore-loser Yuri, Jarvis spoke up. "Sir, the scan is complete. This creature appears to be a human individual with genetic mutations. It has retained some intelligence and memories. Its strength is slightly lower than your armor's, but its regenerative ability is exceptional."

"I can see that."

Tony clearly saw bullets tear into the Lizardman, only to be forced back out by wounds that healed from within in less than a breath.

Just then, a bright spotlight fell on Tony and Yuri as they hovered side by side. A voice amplified by a loudspeaker rang out from one of the helicopters circling overhead. "Identify your unit and land immediately! Identify your unit and land immediately!"

Yuri exchanged a glance with Tony. They accelerated, slipping out of the spotlight's beam, then raced toward the Lizardman, who was nearing the rooftop. Neither said it aloud, but they both knew: the second showdown between their greatest creations had begun.

"Jarvis, prepare the Jericho Missile!"

"Target locked, sir."

"Fire!"

The right arm of the red-and-gold Mark I opened, and a miniature Jericho Missile streaked toward the green lizard, one hand already gripping the rooftop. The giant lizard seemed to sense the threat. It swung its huge tail, striking the missile just before it had built up enough momentum.

BOOM!

The missile was tiny, but its power was enormous.

A torrent of flames and a powerful shockwave swept across the entire floor. Tony's mouth twitched beneath his armor. Wasn't this Norman Osborn's private space?

"Sir, Jarvis advises you not to reveal your identity. Otherwise, Stark Industries and Osborn Industries may become enemies."

"Wow, that's great news."

Tony replied without a care. Seeing Yuri's Steam Giant engage the Lizardman after it leapt onto the roof, he hurriedly activated his thrusters and ordered, "Jarvis, analyze their combat styles. Both of them!"

Yuri, still inside his armor, had no idea that Tony nearby had already begun preparing the "Anti-Yuri Series." He raised an arm to block a heavy punch from Dr. Lizard and was about to strike back when a thick tail came out of nowhere and sent him flying.

Tony seized the opportunity. Another miniature Jericho Missile shot from his left arm.

"Whoosh!"

A slender strand of Silk struck the missile, which wasn't moving very fast. A moment later, the Silk tightened, and the missile was flung straight into the empty sky.

BOOM!

Tony glared through gritted teeth at the fourth person on the scene, dressed in a red-and-blue bodysuit. Neither missile had done the Lizardman any harm. He could already imagine how that bastard Yuri would mock him when they got back. The shoulder plate of his red-and-gold armor opened, and a small machine gun aimed at the tight-suited freak who could shoot Silk. "Who are you? Are you with the Lizardman? Why did you stop my missile?"

"Okay, sir."

Spider-Man raised both hands. As he curiously studied the two mechanical suits, so different in style, he rambled, "I saw how powerful your missile was. If it hit the doctor, he'd be blown to smithereens. I mean, the doctor doesn't deserve to die... Or, well, he could still be useful... Uh, anyway, you can't kill him."

"Peter!"

Seeing Spider-Man, the Lizardman—who had just been punched into the rooftop floor by Yuri—shouted his name in rage. "Stop pretending! You're the one who wants me dead most, aren't you?"

"Shut up!"

Yuri punched Dr. Lizard in his barrel-thick neck. The tremendous force passed through flesh and broke the comparatively fragile bone at its center. As he watched Dr. Lizard twitching on the ground, Yuri suddenly felt an urge to devour him.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The massive metal arm slammed into the Lizardman's neck again and again. Most creatures needed their brains to control their limbs; once the cervical vertebrae were severed, they were paralyzed from the neck down. It was a miserable state: able to see and hear, but unable to do anything—like a single guy who could only practice the old-fashioned arts while staring at his phone.

Yuri's five fingers pierced the flesh of Dr. Lizard's neck and gripped his forearm-thick cervical vertebrae. He dodged the Silk Spider-Man shot at him, then ordered his armor to rise into the air. Looking at Spider-Man, raging helplessly, and the police and soldiers who had just reached the rooftop, he pointed to the green glass tube Dr. Lizard had left on the ground. Then, under Dr. Lizard's venomous glare, he snapped the rapidly regenerating vertebrae again.

After watching Tony pick up the green glass tube and take off, Yuri waved his trophy around boastfully. "Only real combat can test equipment properly, Tony. So, given what's happened, will you admit that my armor is the greatest creation?"

Tony rolled his eyes beneath his faceplate. He dodged a spotlight shining toward him and accelerated, flying ahead of Yuri. "Come over to my place tonight. I think we've got a lot of work to do."

Yuri shrugged and waved amiably at Spider-Man, still hopping around on the rooftop trying to get closer to him. He was curious about whose face was under that mask.

But this clearly wasn't the time to investigate. He glanced at the Mark I armor growing smaller in the night sky, turned, and followed it.

Without anyone noticing, he quietly hypnotized Dr. Lizard in his grasp. Greenish-blue tubes burrowed deep between his smooth green scales.