Spider-Man and Batman.
They had no godlike powers capable of destroying heaven and earth. Batman relied on equipment and brains; Spider-Man relied on superpowers and intelligence. Both had suffered devastating blows and taken up a mission as a result. Bruce Wayne did it for revenge, Peter Parker for responsibility.
Both protected their own cities. Both fought mainly with their fists and their heads. Even their villains were strikingly similar: Joker and Green Goblin, Black Cat and Black Cat Woman, Sandman and Clayface.
Peter and Bruce were practically reverse mirror images of each other. One had superpowers; the other had extreme training and wealth.
If Peter wanted to become Spider-Man, he absolutely could not follow Peter Parker's old path. He had to be stronger. He had to surpass the original!
He leaned against the hangar wall and looked around. Why go to all this trouble? For people I don't even know?
No, I can't think like that. Images of the devastation from Hulk and Abomination's battle in Harlem surfaced in his mind. If a strong enough hero had intervened then, the destruction would never have been so severe.
He needed to become a hero. Now that he had powers, why be a mediocre wall-crawler?
Back home, Peter turned on his computer and began searching for skills he needed to learn.
He made a list: various martial arts, mechanics, chemistry, physics, and even foreign languages.
He found a dojo that taught mixed martial arts, including karate, judo, and taekwondo, with two hours for each, from three in the afternoon until nine at night. An ordinary person would only sign up for one class, but Peter was no ordinary person.
He could not put on a suit and go fight crime immediately. Both the suit and the second-generation launchers would take time. He had to be patient, lie low, learn, and grow. Spider-Man's birth still needed time.
The next day, Peter changed his study strategy.
He went to the library and borrowed an introductory French book. During history class, he listened to the teacher while frantically memorizing French vocabulary in his head.
Thanks to Peter Parker's freakishly powerful brain, he mastered basic French phrases in just one day. It was not enough to chat up French supermodels yet, but it was a good start.
In class, he began asking questions like mad, filling several pages with notes. His teachers were pleased at first, but his rapid-fire questions soon left their scalps tingling.
After school, Peter did not take the bus with Mary Jane. Instead, he took a train straight to Manhattan.
Before leaving, he told Aunt May and Uncle Ben that he was going to martial arts classes.
"Peter, why do you want to learn this?" Aunt May asked worriedly.
"I want to protect myself, Aunt May. If I run into danger, I want to be able to handle it."
"But Peter-"
"May, let the boy do what he wants," Uncle Ben said with a smile, dissuading her. "He wants to protect himself. That's a good thing. Besides, he finally has a hobby."
Not exactly a hobby. More like an agenda, Peter thought, but outwardly he nodded. "Yeah, life's too boring. I need to find something fun."
"Couldn't you and Mary Jane find something to do together?" Aunt May suggested.
"No, Mary Jane... she's been busy lately." Peter shrugged. "It's no big deal. But I really want to learn this, Aunt May. Please."
Aunt May finally gave in, but told him not to push himself. Peter lied, saying the lessons only ran from five to nine and that he was taking just one class, not three.
He arrived at the Chikara dojo in Chinatown. Seeing so many parents bringing their children inside made Peter uneasy. Could this place really teach him anything? Or was it just an empty shell scamming people out of their money?
As he hesitated, his gaze suddenly caught a sign on the street corner, half hidden by neon lights.
Chikara dojo.
Peter's pupils narrowed slightly. Colleen Wing. She was Iron Fist's lover, but at this point in time, she was also a member of the Hand! And in this universe, the Hand was an assassin alliance specializing in brainwashing children and turning them into killing machines!
Peter faced a dilemma. At another dojo, he feared being scammed. Here, he knew he was entering a wolves' den, but he might learn real skills.
It was a dangerous gamble. The Hand's ninjas were unrivaled killers in this world. But on second thought, hadn't Bruce Wayne also studied under Ra's al Ghul?
He planned to learn from the bottom up, then work toward obtaining advanced ninjutsu.
Peter entered the building and went to the second floor. The yellow hallway was exactly like the one in the show. He stood outside the dojo, watching Colleen Wing instruct her students. He had to admit that she really did look very charming.
Colleen noticed him and nodded for him to come in.
Peter took off his shoes and entered the dojo.
"I want to learn ninjutsu." He looked straight at Colleen.
The female ninja smiled slightly. "You've come to the right place. But you don't have to talk like you're in a kung fu movie."
Peter scratched his head and gave a dry laugh. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."
"It's all right. I'm Colleen Wing. And you are?"
"Peter. Peter Parker." He took off his jacket, revealing the workout clothes underneath. "Can I start now?"
Colleen looked a little surprised. "No, not today. Today, I want you to stand to the side and watch. Can you do that, Peter?"
Peter nodded. "Of course."
He sat at the edge of the training area, his eyes fixed on Colleen's movements. The students were practicing basic kendo cuts.
By the end of the first lesson, everyone was drenched in sweat. Kendo was not just about swinging a sword. It also required extensive hand movements and physical exertion.
"All right, that's it for today. Same time tomorrow. Don't be late!" Colleen saw the students off, then walked over to Peter.
"What do you think? Can you keep up?"
"If I can, will you let me skip levels?" Peter asked in return.
Colleen froze. "What do you mean?"
"What they're learning is too simple. This probably isn't your elite class. Your dojo must have different levels. If I learn fast enough, I'd like you to let me skip levels instead of having them slow my progress."
A flicker of surprise crossed Colleen's eyes. "I would never hold back a talented student. If you prove yourself, I'll let you advance. But don't get your hopes too high, Peter."
The corner of Peter's mouth lifted. "I think I can do it."
"Really?"
"Of course." Peter walked over to the weapon rack and picked up a wooden sword. "May I give it a try?"
Colleen hesitated, then nodded. "Go ahead. Let me see."
Peter took a deep breath and began demonstrating the three basic forms Colleen had taught her students that day. The first was a basic combination of attacks and defenses, the second added footwork and turns, and the third involved complex cuts. With Spider-Man's agility and super brain, he not only reproduced them perfectly, but also corrected several errors in how force was applied.
Colleen's eyes widened. "What?! How did you do that? Have you trained before?"
Peter shook his head. "No. I just watched how they moved and copied them. I also noticed a few mistakes, so I corrected them while I was at it."
Colleen took a deep breath, an appreciative smile appearing on her face. "It would be an honor to teach you, Peter."
Peter bowed slightly. "Thank you, Miss Wing. Does your next class start soon?"
"Yes, there are three more after this. Do you want to stay?"
"Yes."
"All right. But you mustn't practice the moves I teach them today, understood? Those moves are extremely dangerous. Only masters can use them safely. Don't rush ahead, understood, Peter?"
Peter smiled. "I won't even think about it."
Over the next three hours, Peter sat at the edge of the training area and watched four groups of students come and go. Colleen's teaching system was well developed: the first group practiced kendo, the second advanced techniques and sparring, the third unarmed combat, and the fourth pure killing-machine training.
Peter knew perfectly well that this was not the Hand's complete ninja training program. The fourth group's students were still full of openings. They would be sent to some facility for further brainwashing and training. Iron Fist had mentioned that the facility was in New York, but Peter could not remember exactly where.
After paying a month's tuition, Peter returned home early. Aunt May was delighted that he had found a dojo with reasonable hours, completely unaware that her nephew was making a deal with an assassin alliance. If she knew, she would probably faint on the spot.
Early the next morning, Peter got up for a run.
Seeing him exercise, Aunt May smiled with relief. "Mary Jane really is a wonderful influence on you, Peter."
Peter's expression darkened, and his tone turned stiff. "I'm not doing this for her, or for anyone else, Aunt May. I'm doing it for myself."
He ran out the door with some anger. In the two hours before school, he ran for half an hour and spent the rest of the time in the hangar, gripping chains and practicing swinging leaps. This helped improve his balance and control in the air.
After school that evening, Peter went to the Chikara dojo. Colleen had him join the beginners, but his far-beyond-human grace and precision put everyone else to shame. Spider-Man's physical abilities were the ultimate cheat.
After training, Peter took the train back to Queens.
He had just left the station when a scream shattered the street's quiet.
Peter's gaze sharpened. A robbery!
He shot through the doors like an arrow loosed from a bow, his gaze sweeping across the street. A man and his girlfriend were being forced into an alley by three knife-wielding thugs.
Without hesitation, Peter pulled up his sweatshirt hood, covering most of his face, and charged inside.
"Hand over your jewelry and money, or I'll fucking stab you to death!" one thug threatened viciously.
"Okay, please don't hurt us!" The man shielded his girlfriend.
"Hey, asshole!" Peter shouted from the mouth of the alley.
The nearest thug turned his head. "What-"
Before he could finish, Peter's boot slammed into his face. With the sharp crack of a breaking nose, the man went flying and crashed heavily to the ground.
"Kill him!" another thug roared, thrusting his dagger at Peter's abdomen.
His Spider-Sense warned him instantly. Peter shifted his body slightly and easily avoided the blade. He caught the thug's wrist with a reverse grip, twisted hard, wrenched away the dagger and flung it aside, then swept his opponent to the ground with a whipping kick.
Seeing this, the last thug lunged at him with a roar, trying to tackle him. Peter leaped lightly over his head, landed, and kicked him in the back, pinning him firmly to the ground.
Before the man could struggle, Peter had already rushed forward and grabbed his fallen dagger. With force from his fingertips, the dagger seemed to stick to his hand, and he easily snatched it away and threw it aside.
"You fucking-"
Peter's fist had already slammed into his face. The tremendous impact instantly caved in the man's nose and sent him sliding two meters backward.
Peter turned and delivered another heavy kick to the abdomen of the last thug, who had just climbed to his feet. The air was instantly forced out of the man's lungs, and he curled up in pain, clutching his solar plexus.
"Th-thank you..." the rescued man stammered his thanks.
Peter did not turn his head, his face beneath the hood hidden in shadow. He glanced at the two of them, then turned and disappeared from the alley entrance at tremendous speed.
He was no superhero. A scrawny kid instantly taking down three knife-wielding thugs? If someone filmed that, there would be no explaining it!
That night, Peter came home with a smile.
"Good workout at the gym?" Aunt May asked.
"It's a dojo, Aunt May. And yes, it was great." Remembering his clean, decisive performance in an actual fight, Peter secretly reveled in it. If he truly mastered fighting techniques, he could definitely look even cooler!
He only hoped that his fusion and reconstruction of Batman and Spider-Man was accurate enough.
"That's good. Go wash up, Peter. We're having your favorite pizza tonight!"