//-------------------------------------------------------// Flash Sentry The Spectacular Spider-Man Issue #3: Welcome to Tokyo (REMASTERED) -by SpideyFlash- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The Gold Serpent Strikes //-------------------------------------------------------// The Gold Serpent Strikes FLASH SENTRY THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ISSUE#3: THE GOLD SERPENT/WELCOME TO TOKYO Written By: SpideyFlash It was a rainy night in Tokyo Japan. Most of the citizens were out and about. Walking through the many attractions and parts of the city. Restaurants were serving and shops were selling. In other words, it was a typical busy night in Tokyo. But there's one specific individual who lurks throughout the night. Working in a very, very dangerous line of work. That individual worked in organized crime as a Hitman for The Japanese Yakuza. That individual stood a few feet away from a desk with a nonchalant expression. He was looking at a shadowy figure, a silhouette of a man wearing a suit. The only thing that the individual could see was the silhouette's eyes.. "I have a job for you. Get this done and I'll pay handsomely." The individual giggled, still retaining that nonchalant smile , "It shall be done." He walked backwards towards the elevator. Walking inside of the elevator as the silhouette watched as it slid closed. This individual was known across the street as one of the most, if not the most dangerous man in Tokyo. He had a patented look. A black trenchcoat with thin gold stripes and multiple compartments, black pants with multiple hidden pockets, black boots and gold gloves. But the most noticeable feature about this individual is his face. It was unknown what his full face looked like but his victims knew he had light orange skin and some remanence of reddish orange hair. It was protected by a black cap with a straight brim and a white and black checkered scarf which covered his mouth all the way to the bridges of his noses. This individual was known across Tokyo by one name, a name they all trembled to hear. The Serpent..... The Gold Serpent! The Serpent walked out of the huge skyscraper he'd been inside of and walked onto the street. He blended well with the shadows, almost as if he were a ninja. But he considered himself as a hitman, killing whomever whenever. But he could be anything, a mercenary, a ninja maybe even the head of organized crime. He leaned against a wall for a moment, watching as vehicles went by, looking for the right one. He watched as a motorcycle was coming up. It was specifically a red sports bike. Serpent smirked behind his scarf, commenting on the moving vehicle. "She doesn't look half bad." Putting his hand beneath his jacket, he went through the many pockets and handles he had in them, "What to use, what to use." He eventually pulled out an eight-sided shuriken. He smirked as his eyebrow curled, "Well it's been a while since I've played some street darts." he giggled. Closing one eye he waited as the vehicle got closer and closer. It was clear the driver was wearing a helmet. So a hit to the head wouldn't be effective. Meanwhile, the rest of his body had no protection whatsoever so Serpent had a clear idea of where his possible targets could be. "Hmm... Should I go for the torso? The Legs? Maybe even one of his arms...." As he was thinking, the motorcycle got close enough to just be near parallel with Serpent. Serpent shrugged, he carelessly and effortlessly threw the shuriken towards the driver. The driver whom was humming a tune suddenly felt a shar pain hit the lower side of his body. Like something had just impaled him. Stopping the motorcycle in the middle of the street, he put his hand on his lower side and took his helmet off. He raised his two fingers up, his eyes beginning to widen. It'd appear as blood covered the tips of his index and middle finger. Before he could even say anything or react, suddenly another shuriken hit him. This time right in the middle of his forehead. He sat there for a few seconds, stunned beyond belief. The only noises that could be heard were just the noises of car horns honking or cars and other vehicles driving. Then he fell to his side, falling off the motorcycle completely as a blood flowed down from his forehead and onto the pavement. Serpent approached the now vacant Sports Bike. Looking down at the ground he picked up the green motorcycle helmet the driver had worn, "ありがとう、変更を続ける (Thanks, keep the change.)" Serpent chuckled a little as he began to drive towards his location. Serpent skid across the road to the next turn, going past the speed limit. As he was driving he could see a ramp not too afar. Smirking, his eyes narrowed. Speeding up, he barreled through the road and basically drove past any traffic, doing all of this with a nonchalant tone. Then, as he got closer and closer he started for the ramp and flew into the air! Driving into a neighbourhood, he clasped the brake handles and stopped the motorcycle. He looked at the house. A nice two story home. He knew for a fact the place was probably reinforced with dozens and dozens of security cameras, so he had to make this quick and discrete. He got off the motorcycle. Going into his jacket he grabbed out a wrist device, a writs grappling hook to be exact. He put it on and looked up at an open window, pointing his arm at the window he clasped a push mechanism which exempted a grappling hook. Pushing the push mechanism again, the hook rope retracted, making Serpent go airborne and head all the way towards the window. He stopped, his feet landing on the wall of the house. Crawling through the window, he landed softly. Almost unheard, not even making a small thump. He analyzed the room, looking around he could see a child sleeping. He smirked shaking his head, "Oh the future I'm going to ruin." He sneaked out of the room, quietly tip toing towards the door. Opening the door as quiet as possible he slightly opened it, making sure for no creak. Walking out of the room, he slowly closed the door without even making the child wink an eye open. He walked down the hallway slowly, eventually making it to the railings of the stair. Looking down over the banister he could see a man who looked to be in his sixties. He was sweating, packing up clothes and other things in a suitcase. He was clearly freeing for his life. Serpent smirked as his eyes narrowed, "So there's our lucky contestant." He vaulted the banister and landed right in on top of the table. Startling the business man as he fell back and let out a scream. Serpent giggled, "こんばんは、ハカイさん (Good evening Mr. Hakai.)" Mr. Hakai put his hands up frantically, "もっと時間をください。 来週お金があります。(Please give me more time. I'll have the money next week.) Serpent grabbed a pocket knife from his trench coat, "時間は問題外です。(Time is out of the question.)" The man's eyes widened. He got up to run, but that would be the biggest mistake he'd ever make. Serpent threw the sharp projectile right to Mr. Hakai's feet! Making him stumble to the ground. Serpent approached the man in a sinister, threatening manner. Mr. Hakai began turned around and began backing up towards the door. He wept in fear, pleading with Serpent, "お願いします!(PLEASE!)" He screamed. Serpent however had none of that, kneeling down he picked up Mr. Hakai by his collar. Serpent grabbed a gun, a desert eagle with no silencer whatsoever. He pulled the scarf down and looked into the man's eyes. Making sure he got the message. He giggled, "私はしないでください。(I don't do "please")" He pulled the trigger and shot Mr. Hakai twice in the head. Killing him instantly. Watching as his eyes rolled back and his head rattling. He let go of Mr. Hakai, looking into his pocket he grabbed a business card. The business card read out, "Nagissa Hakai, CEO of Tron. Inc" Serpent smirked getting up off the ground and taking the front door, "Oh how it pains me to kill such a bright individual." Closing the door behind him he walked to his motorcycle but then stopped. Waiting for a moment as he could hear a woman frantically running down the steps calling out the name, Nagissa. He heard the footsteps come to a halt, than began some screaming. Serpent smirked under his mask and continued to walk to his motorcycle. "That's how the cookie crumbles." A woman with long orange hair wearing a trench coat and having light orange skin walked out the door, kissing her wife goodbye. "I Think he's just about arrived by now." Her wife, a woman with thick rimmed glasses, long blue hair and amber skin, wearing a plain long sleeve magenta shirt and a skirt giggled, "Oh, I can't wait to see him again!" The other wife got into a Silver Kia Sedona. Starting it up and heading towards the Haneda International Airport. …... Author's Note Alrighty Issue #3 REDO Chapter 1 So the first difference with this and the original is that the chapter is much longer! The original was 678 words while this one should be just around 1471 or 72. Nothing really special or different aside from a few changes in dialogue and more added details. Update May 13th 2020 So as I'm writing this. The Story is only three chapters away from being done. And just as a side note. THIS IS TAKING SO GODDAMN LONG! //-------------------------------------------------------// Welcome to Tokyo! //-------------------------------------------------------// Welcome to Tokyo! Just at Haneda International Airport, a plane from Equestria Airlines finally lands. "We hope you have enjoyed your flight and have a wonderful day!" "私たちはあなたのフライトを楽しんで、素晴らしい一日を過ごしていらっと願っています!" A sleeping mask wearing Flash Sentry immediately wakes up, startled by the pilots voice over the intercom. Taking off the mask he blinks twice, yawning and stretching, "Good Morning." Looking out the window however, he realizes that it's a rainy night. "Or Good...Night?" He shook his head, stuffing the sleeping mask in his jacket pocket and grabbing the Equestria State cap off the table and putting it on. He got out of his seat and looked up at the compartment above him. Opening it he grabbed a black duffle bag and slunk it around his shoulder. Flash walked out of the gate in a hurry, excited about finally landing in Japan. "HELLLLOOO TOKYO!" He had a huge grin on his face as he exclaimed. He looked around at the busy airport, thinking about all the stuff he's going to be able to do. "Man this is gonna be great! No more school! No more Jameson and most importantly NO SPIDER-MAN!....Well at least for a month, but so be it I'll make the most out of this month!" Flash took out his new DSLR Camera and took pictures of the airport. As he was doing so his, he saw a woman wearing a beige trench coat, she had long orange hair and light orange skin. Flash smirked, "Well might as well make the dramatic entrance." He began walking slowly to the woman, being unnoticed by her. He eventually found himself walking beside the woman without her even noticing. He held in his snicker as he began to make a funny remark, "You know Aunt Spark, I get lost at airports too sometimes." The woman glanced at Flash for a moment. Her eyes widened and she screamed in excitement as she went up and gave Flash a big hug, "FLASH!" She began hopping up and down, much to her expense, "Oh my god it's been so long! When you're mother told me you were coming me and Thunderstar jumped out of our shoes." This was Flash's Aunt, Spark Flamewalker Sentry "So uh...is this how people say long time no see?" Flash chuckled. His Aunt Spark giggled. She sarcastically put her hands on her hips "Well, even now someone seems to be the same goofball." Flash shrugged in response, "Well I learned from the best." Then suddenly, Flash heard his stomach growl as he hadn't eaten anything since midway through his flight. Aunt Spark giggled even more, "Oh...My...God. You must be starving from that long journey! Well, you're in luck." She reassured, "Your Aunt Thunderstar has been cooking all day! I haven't seen her cook this much since you guys came here in 2009!" Flash laughed, knowing his Aunt Thunderstar Sentry would go above and beyond when it came to cooking. But when it involves a relative, watching her cook would be like watching a race car go head-head with a bicycle. In other words, she would go on a rampage with every ingredient she'd get. Flash followed his Aunt Spark to her minivan, a 2015 Silver Kia Sedona. "Here let me take that." Flash glanced at his Aunt and handed her the duffle bag. He gazed into the distance afar, "Man, even after Ten Years this place just feels different." Flash accidentally opened the left door to the Minivan, he almost went in when the realization hit him, "Oh…. that's the drivers seat." Aunt Spark laughed at Flash's expense, "Flash, Do you want to drive us home?" Flash blushed in embarrassment, "Hey I haven't been here in ten years." He shrugged and began chuckiling, "Like come on.." Aunt Spark stopped laughing, pretending to wipe a tear off her eye to playfully tease Flash, "Okay, Okay." she snickered, "The passenger seat is on the right." Flash walked around the car. Opening the passenger seat he sat inside. Looking directly at his Aunt Spark. He jokingly was making sure he was doing everything right. "So is there anything I need to know about the seatbelts?" Aunt Spark chuckled and shook her head, pinching the bridges of her nose. "No, Y-you're good." She got into the car, closing the door and putting it into ignition. She soon began to drive, "So I gotta be frank with you." Flash glanced at his aunt, "What?" She chuckled a little, "Well, when Sabrina called us and said you were coming here alone, I was kinda in disbelief." Flash arched an eyebrow and smirked, "Why so?" "Well.... Don't take this the wrong way but she's really, really overprotective of you. I feel like she'd be hyperventelatting right now." Flash laughed, "Oh come on, Mom's cool. She's probably having a relaxing morning." Meanwhile in Canterlot City. Flash's mother, Sabrina Sentry is hyperventilating right now at the thought of her only son being in Tokyo alone for the first time. What was even worse was, he was going to be away for the whole month. "SHOULD I CALL HIM?! TEXT HIM?! I HAVE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S OKAY!" "Uh, Honey?" Said Mr. Cranky Doodle, "Your Sister called a little over ten minutes ago, I don't think he's landed yet." Sabrina glared at her boyfriend. Letting the wild, untamed, Mama-Bear unleash it's wrath upon him, "I AM HIS MOTHER!" Mr. Cranky Doodle ran out of the living room, in fear for his life. "Oh, speaking of your Mom. She told us that you got into Equestria State." "Yup!" Flash nodded, "Pretty soon, I'm gonna be an official University Student." He put both hands behind his head and leaned back into his seat. "What makes it unoficial?" Asked Aunt Spark. "Because I don't have my ID card yet." Aunt Spark chuckled at Flash's remark, "Did you get that from a movie?" "Yup!" Flash nodded "So uh, how's Firestar and Snowstorm been doing?" Asked Flash. "Oh they're doing great! Firestar's is going to start High School and oh...." She took a pause, getting a little emotional, "My little Snowstorm is going to start Kindergarten. Oh they grow up so fast." The Silver Kia Sedona pulled into the driveway of Aunt Spark's house. A nice 2 story suburban home. Flash looked out the door window, "Man talk about 'a blast from the past!' It feels like it's been ages since I've been here." "Well this is it. Our wonderful home." Flash mused at the surroundings. He definetley wasn't in Canterlot now. The streets looked a lot more different. He chuckled. "Man I forgot how different things looked here." Spark shrugged. "Well makes the experience that much better." He and his Aunt Spark got out of the car. Flash went over to the trunk of the car with his Aunt. She opened it, gave him his duffle bag and closed the trunk again. The two walked to the door of the home. Aunt Spark pulled her key chain out of her purse and began fumbling with the keys to get the right one. Flash then simply knocked on the door, making Aunt Spark blush in embarrassment. She giggled, "Or you could do that." The door opened. The person who emerged from the door was the same lady from before, the one who had kissed her Spark goodbye as she headed to the airport. Her eyes widened, it really had been a long time. The boy standing in front of her was also her nephew and he'd grown up a lot since they last met. Flash smiled. Raising his hand up. "Hi!" "Flash it's you!" The woman was Aunt Thunderstar Sentry and she gave Flash a hug. "Oh my god, you're a giant now! Oh! You must come in!" The three all walked inside, closing the door behind them and locking it. Flash felt an immediate surge of nostalgia go down his spine. The last time he was here he was only a third grader. He looked to the staircase smiling, "Oh Man this is definitely a blast from a past! I'm pretty sure I have a picture of Mom, Dad and I sitting on that stair case." Then his eyes widened, "Wait….MOM!?" He'd completely forgot that he was supposed to call his mother as soon as he arrived and after the yelling fit she'd had before he headed for the airport, he knew that if he didn't call her something bad was bound to happen. He blinked twice, "Uhh… Aunt Thunderstar, I know I just got here but uh could I possibly, perhaps have the Wi-Fi password?" Aunt Thunderstar blinked twice and smiled, "Of course." She went over to a nightstand just to her right and pulled open the drawer. Rummaging through some stuff she pulled out a strip of paper with their Wi-Fi name and password and handed it to Flash. An uneventful few seconds went by as Flash typed in the long password and successfully connected into the internet. He went into a video calling app and tapped on his mother's profile picture icon. It took a few seconds but eventually she picked up. "Uh...Hi Mo--" "FLASH!" Flash's shoulders raised as a reflex to his mother screaming his name. Meanwhile, his Aunts were both having laughing at his expense. "OH MY GOD, DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL EARLIER!?" She bellowed. Flash nervously giggled, "Okay, Okay. Everything is completely fine and uh.. as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. And uh I kinda got a bit caught up at looking at the city." It was during that talk his mother could hear her sister in background mocking her. Her eyes narrowed, "Flash dear, could you pass you're phone to my dear sister." Flash's arched an eyebrow and passed the phone to his Aunt who was still cracking up. "Gee, Overprotective much?" Thunderstar giggled "Oh like you have room to talk 'Mrs. Don't Touch The Remote during "Sesame Street!"' Thunderstar shrugged, "Hey what can I say. Grover's a pretty cool guy." Sabrina was not about to deal with her little sister's care-free attitude so she decided to teach her a lesson, "Okay if that's how you're gonna talk than you probably won't mind me mmm. Oh I don't know, maybe telling Flash and the girls about the time our Dog--" "HEY!" Her eyes immediately went wide, "DON'T EVEN GO THERE!" she bellowed. Sabrina broke out laughing as she finally got to her sister, "Haha I'm kidding, but speaking of which where's Snowstorm and Firestar." Though Thunderstar was still a bit annoyed by her sister she merely let out a sigh and calmed down, "They're both in their rooms." Turning her head to Spark, "Could you go get them." Aunt Spark nodded and went upstairs. Thunderstar turned her head back to the phone screen, "I swear Sabrina, if you pull a fast one and tell them about that damn dog story I will--" "Come on, I said I was kidding." Sabrina laughed, "Are you really gonna throw one of your infamous tantrums over a joke?" Soon Aunt Spark came down the stairs with two girls. One walking beside her and one in her arms. The one walking beside her was a thirteen year old girl with yellow skin and long orange hair. She wore a red flannel long sleeve over a black t-shirt with a skull vector, black jeans and socks. This was the older sister, Firestar. The girl in her arms was a four year old with snow white hair that was put into a pony tail, arctic blue skin and purple eyes. She wore a green t-shirt with a stripe pattern, colorful striped leggings that covered up to her knees and socks. This was the youngest sister, Snowstorm. Thunderstar turned the phone around so Sabrina could see her two daughters. Sabrina's eyes lit up at the sight of both her niece's. Immediately her eye was caught by the four year old Snowstorm. "Oh my god hi there! She cooed, "Do you know me Snowstorm? Do you remember me?" The young girl got a bit shy and hid her face into her mother's shoulder. Aunt Spark giggled a little and comforted Snowstorm. "Oh Snowstorm don't be scared." She said softly, "It's your Aunty." She turned her head back to Sabrina, "Oh she's just a little shy." Turning her head back to Snowstorm, she lightly patted her head, sliding her hand up and down at the back of her head, "Snowstorm can you say hi to Aunty Sabrina." Snowstorm turned back with a sheepish smile. She raised her hand up waived, speaking quietly, "Hi." Sabrina died of the cuteness that was being bestowed right in from the screen of her phone, "OHHH! You're so cute. Oh I wish Lucas could see this right now." Though her sister couldn't see it, Thunderstar's eyes widened at the mere mention of her brother in-law. Especially in the presence of Flash. Sabrina's eye was then caught at the girl who was as tall as her mother, standing right beside her gazing into her phone. She gasped, "Oh is that Firestar?" Firestar immediately looked away from the phone and onto Flash's phone. "Oh my you've grown so much I hardly recognized you." Firestar giggled a little, "Uh, hi Aunt Sabrina." she waived, "How are you?" "I've been doing great. Oh! I also heard that you're going to start High School this year." Firestar nodded, "Well let me tell you, Flash here has a bunch of High School experience, if you ever need some tips he's the person you can talk to." Firestar gave Flash a quick glance. He was looking around the house and stroking his chin. Glancing back at the phone she smiled, "Thanks, I guess I might ask a question or two." Spark got Flash's attention, handing him his phone back. "Uh well I gotta get settled in." said Flash, "I'll talk to you first thing tonight....tomorrow, promise." "Okay...be safe...remember if there's any emergencies or something goes wrong call me." "Yes--I know mom, you kinda yelled at me in the car. I think I got the memo." Sabrina let out a huff, "Okay, Mommy loves you." Flash's cheeks went a little red, "MO--" he let out a sigh, "I love you too." He hung up on the phone. Making Spark chuckle. Meanwhile, Thunderstar still had the whole Lucas comment. It reminded her of the one thing she and her wife promised on. That was to get Flash to at least open up about how he's been ever since. She looked at Firestar, "Uh, Firestar honey. Could you and Snowstorm take Flash to his room and help him settle in." Firestar cocked her head up and shrugged. "Umm, Alright." Spark put Snowstorm back to her feet as she followed Flash and Firestar upstairs. As soon as Thunderstar was certain the door to Flash's temporary room for the summer was closed, she glanced at Spark with looking her in the eyes. "So... did you guys talk?" Spark arched an eyebrow, "Talk?" "Yeah talk." said Thunderstar, "You know, about 'it'." "'it'?" "Yes, 'it'." Spark seemed a little confused, "Well yeah we talked. But I don't know what you mean by 'it'." Thunderstar slowly moved her head up and then facepalmed her self to her wife's cluelessness, "Oh my god Spark! I mean did you talk about...." She trailed for a moment as she didn't want to shout out his name, she took a sigh, "Lucas, did you talk about Lucas?" Spark took a sigh of relief, finally knowing what 'it' was, "Ohhhh, that 'it'." Than her eyes widened, her shoulders dropped as her voice somewhat died down, "Oh...that 'it'." "You mean you didn't even mention him?" Thunderstar nearly hissed. Spark put her hands up in protest, "Look I'm sorry I got caught up in the moment! How am I supposed to bring up the topic of Flash's dead dad when he just arrived. Huh? If I'd did that think of the uneasiness he'd face staying here. He'd probably want to go home!" Thunderstar let out a sigh and put her head down. Spark's eyes widened as she thought she may have a gone a tiny bit overboard with her details, "I'm sorry." Thunderstar shook her head, "No it's fine you're right." She let out another sigh, "I-I just really miss him y'know. I mean when he died Flash was the only other person I was thinking about besides Sabrina. When we met he was like the older brother I never had. And we've all had so much memories together." She sighed, "Look what I'm just trying to say is I want Flash to talk to us and open up about any struggles he's had. Y'know be the other outlets for him to talk to." Spark folded her arms and thought for a moment, "After Dinner!" Thunderstar arched her eyebrow, "Huh?" "After Dinner!" She explained, "Right after we all finish eating we sit Flash down in his room and have a little two on one chat about how he's been. Than we can all watch a movie in the living room and end the day on a great and relieving note." "Well....what about Firestar and Snowstorm?" "Well Snowstorm usually goes to sleep after dinner so you can just tuck her into bed. As for Firestar.... well I mean we can just explain everything to her. She'll probably understand." Thunderstar thought about the whole plan. She couldn't see any other situation that would be as good so let out a sigh, "Okay, we'll do it." Flash and his relatives were all sitting at the dinner table. They all were eating fried rice with chunks of vegetables mixed in there. The whole family was asking Flash about Canterlot and how his whole trip to getting to Japan was. "So Flash, was there any problems you had while getting here?" He picked up some rice with chopsticks and ate it. "Well, I'm trying to adjust to the time zone here." Spark smirked, "I know one problem he faced." The whole table looked at Spark as she her smirk turned into a grin. Flash on the meanwhile arched his eyebrows, "So when we got outside at the airport...." Soon, it hit Flash that his Aunt Spark was about to talk about the whole door incident, "Oh no." And in only a few seconds, the whole table burst out into laughter at Flash's expense. Making his face turn red in embarrassment, "Oh Man, No mercy!" "Oh come on!" Flash protested, "I just got here. And besides I've had a driver's license for months now, I'm used to the wheel being on the left." Aunt Spark wiped a tear off her eye, "You know, I'm pretty sure there's a handbook given to passengers on an airplane about how Japan is compared to America." Flash's eyes widened, he's pretty sure there was a handbook but he never actually read it. "Well they're never gonna let me live this one down." Firestar swallowed some rice and glanced at Flash, "So uh, Flash. What's High School like?" Flash stopped for a moment. He never particularly liked High School all that much, Freshman year was hell, Sophomore year was more or less the same. Junior Year was hell times two for Flash as that was the year Curly Winds came and pissed the hell out of him and don't even get me started with Senior Year. "Uhh… It's great." Flash shrugged, "I mean it's a bigger working environment, but the courses are pretty alright." He picked up another piece of rice and put in his mouth. "Oh Flash!" Said Thunderstar, "You're mother told me all about you having a girlfriend." Flash's eyes widened as he nearly choked on a piece of rice. "WHAT?" Spark put her hand on her mouth, this was the first time she'd hear about it, "My, My." She turned her head at Flash and shot him a teasing look, "Flash! You never mentioned anything about a girlfriend when you were at the airport, oh please go on." Flash's eyes widened even more, they then closed as he began to giggle nervously, "Well, you see.... uhh, it never really worked ou-- let's change the subject!" Thunderstar giggled at her nephews flustered state. It was almost like he combusted inside when she mentioned the mere topic to him. "Okay, Okay.... So are you gonna put yourself out there?--" "Moving on!" He glanced at Snowstorm, changing his tone "So, how do you feel about going to school?" He sounded much more kid-friendly. Snowstorm giggled and clapped her hands, "Mommy says School fun." Flash glanced at both Aunt's. He chuckled a little. Knowing full well of the effect that the question he would ask have. "Snowstorm you're going to have to be more specific. Which One?" To that the whole table, Flash included. Burst out into laughter. …... Author's Note So this is more or less the same chapter as the other Welcome To Tokyo, obviously with a few things left out like the movie scene or the bank fight scene, those are for later chapters. Other than that, a bit more details and some differences in character interactions and some approaches to move the plot along. //-------------------------------------------------------// How A Hero came to be //-------------------------------------------------------// How A Hero came to be After Dinner, Flash was told by his Aunts to sit in his room and wait for them. They had finished cleaning dishes and had talk to Firestar ahead of time. Meanwhile Spark and Thunderstar was tucking Snowstorm into bed. Spark draped a blanket over Snowstorm and kissed her goodnight on the forehead. They walked into Flash's 'room'. He sat on the bed and was playing a game on his phone. That was until his Aunt's got his attention. "Flash." Flash glanced away from his phone and looked at his Aunt Thunderstar, "Oh hey." putting his phone away, "So... are you finally gonna tell me why I've been waiting here, I'm not grounded am I?" He chuckled a little. However seeing his Aunt's not even make so much of a smirk made him slowly stop chuckling and make him arch an eyebrow in confusion, "Did I really do something?" Aunt Spark shook her head, "No... it's not that." Aunt Thunderstar let out sigh, "Look Flash...…. It's been seven months and we just want to know how you've been holding up." Flash was now even more bewildered, "Holding...up?" "You know how you've been" Said Aunt Spark, "Since...….. you know." Flash peered at the two for a moment with a confused look. For a moment he had no idea of what they were talking about, "Holding up? How I've been?" He shrugged, "Since what?" "You know...since your Dad....dieeddd." Spark shoulders rose slowly and her face having a very nervous look. Flash's eyes widened, finally understanding what they meant. "OH! Oh.... Oh so that's what Holding up means. Oh.... I shoulda saw this coming." Thunderstar shot her wife a glare, "SPARK!" Spark shot her hands up in her defense and glanced at Thunderstar, "HOW ELSE AM I GONNA WORD IT?" Flash soon stepped in, "No, No it's fine." The two both looked at Flash surprised, "I mean it was bound I was gonna get this conversation anyway so I guess I should get it over with." The Aunts both let out a sigh of relief. Spark then nudged her wife's arm for blurting out at her a few seconds ago. But nevertheless Flash continued. "Well.... I mean I've been okay for the most part. I got some therapy to help cope with it and it really did help. But.... during September...." He trailed off. There was a lot that happened in September for Flash. A Spider bit him and gave him super powers. He temporarily was a wrestler before he dedicated everything to crime fighting and then there was his Dad. That was probably the biggest headline in Flash's life, even more than getting Spider-Powers. He still held himself fully responsible, but of course he couldn't tell them what really happened. But it was during the time he spent after his death is what really affected Flash a lot. Than a memory of his filled his mind. Prompting him to continue as he would use the memory as a basis to say how he felt. "During September I think I was the most quiet I could possibly be." We can see Flash sitting on a computer chair in his old home. He sat facing the corner of his room. He merely wore just a white t-shirt and blue jeans bouncing a ball from the wall and back. "It feels surreal when I look back at it all but, I just never talked after it all happened. I remember getting the news while I was out at night. It....broke me nonetheless. I mean Mom was probably in a worse condition but she was still brave enough to actually say things. I just never spoke. With Dad not being there I think I hit the most darkest points of my life. On the floor are some clothes left in a pile. On the wall there could be seen a hole, caused by Flash fisting it out of pure anger. The bed was a mess, Flash gave no effort to even fix it up. Every time he saw that it was all fixed up for him he felt even more guilt and tears swell from his eyes. He felt he didn't deserve the care of his mother. Flash's phone was left untouched. He hadn't looked at it in days, not one text one call. Nothing. "I stayed locked in my room for most of the month. Other than coming down to get my plate for a meal and then washing it afterwards. Or school, I still went to school regardless." The window was opened, letting in a soothing draft that made things a bit less humid. "I mean, I can't say I was always quiet. I mean at school I did answer some questions. And well, whenever Mom made something I would say thank you. But I mean I wasn't really that enthusiastic." Flash bounced the ball really hard. Sending it towards his dresser and going into an open drawer. Flash kissed his teeth in annoyance. "Fuckin' Hell." He muttered. Getting off from his computer chair and getting onto his feet, he walked towards the dresser. "At one point or another I really, really got agitated at times. Like once I was bouncing a small ball from the wall back to me and it ended up in the drawer." Kneeling down he took a look into the bottom drawer. The one in which the ball bounced in. The drawer was messy, having things just put in there at random. As Flash took the ball, something else caught his eye. A Poster, a poster that he recognized. "Sometimes if I ever found something that reminded me of him. It really ticked me off because I knew I was never gonna see him again." He took the poster in his hand. It was the poster he had printed out off the internet that'd advertise the wrestling competition. His eyes narrowed on the some of the words. The sum of money they'd pay you, the super stardom they'd promise you. All of it was there. Flash's lip curled, but that curl slowly began to show his clenched teeth. His hand clasped quickly, crumpling the paper in hand. He hated it with all his being. "Why do I still have this STUPID SHIT!" He tore the paper in half with anger and let go of it. As it hit the ground Flash stomped on it with his right foot. Moving his foot around, swirling it on the floor. "If I was just smart enough to realize that it was a mistake, maybe I'd still have my dad!" He raised his foot off the poster once he felt he was done. He gave it one last disgusted stare. Going over towards the drawer he knelt down to close it. As he was doing so his eyes fixated on a black briefcase. His eyebrow arched for a moment. Then he realized what the briefcase was. The briefcase contained his sketch of his wrestling suit. The 'Spectacular' Spider-Man suit. His Lip curled again. He closed the drawer, not wanting to even open the briefcase. Going back to his computer chair he sat on it and began to bounce the ball to him and back. But he couldn't get the briefcase out of his head. He hated the idea of being a superpowered freak for the rest of his life, no more than being a masked one who attempted to gain fame but ended up paying the biggest consequence for it. He hated Spider-Man with all of his guts, it was a wonder that the idea resided in his head. He let out a sigh. Getting off his chair he walked over to his dresser and knelt down, opening the bottom drawer. Grabbing the briefcase by the handle. He walked towards his bed and sat on it, opening the case. He pulled out a vibrant red bulky hoodie with a spider-emblem drawn onto it. Turning it around he found in that it wrote Spider-Man on it. Looking back to the suit case he found a red mask with sunglass lenses for eye pieces, blue shorts and black compression pants. Flash's eyes than fixated on a notebook. His eyes widened. He hadn't seen the notebook in weeks. Setting the mask aside with the hoodie he reached for the notebook and peered into it. It was the notebook he'd been using since he'd gotten his powers. Flipping the cover open, he looked through everything that had been written in there. It'd seem to be some basic things like him recording each power he'd gotten. As he flipped through some pages, he stopped at a sketch. It was the original concept for what he wanted Spider-Man to look like. Maybe it'd never hit him but the costume he created and the costume he wanted to create were two separate things. The conception had white lenses, had a webbing pattern and emphasized a little more blue. The suit he'd created was less detailed and more baggy. He set the notebook back in the brief case and then glanced back at the mask. Reaching for it he held it with both hands and focusing his gaze on that one object. "Something else that I think really helped the recovery process was thinking of all the good things my Dad had told me, especially is perceptions and philosophies." It was surreal to him now. But only a few weeks ago he'd felt so powerful, like he was on top of the world. All that power had gone to his head and he ended up paying the ultimate price. Flash's eyes widened, "Power...." That single word made him remember something his father had once told him. A single statement that he'd heard him once say. "If you have some huge significant power, you should also be responsible with it you know? In other with Great Power comes Great Responsibility!" Flash's eyes began swelling with tears, "W-What have I done." His lowered his head as he could hear himself sob, "He was right! I should've listened to him. If I hadn't have become so selfish, maybe just maybe everything could've turned out differently." His teeth clenched. He staggered to his feet and clenched the mask with both his hands. "As I long as I live. I will never forget these words." He looked at the mask and felt the flame of determination be lit inside him, "I'm not going to let my powers go to waste, I wont be that careless media star! I'll make sure no one has to go through what my Dad did!" "I will be Spider-Man!" "Honestly, along with therapy I did some self reflection of my own in order to figure out how I can be the best version of myself and make my Dad proud. But things got real tough for us after he was gone. Financially speaking at least. I did get a job at a newspaper company to get pictures but that didn't couldn't cut it." "So...the reason your Mother sold the house was so...." Flash sighed, "We could have some money to pay off some debts." "So how's your living situation?" asked Aunt Spark. "Well I just live at a small apartment in the city. It's pretty cozy but I can pay the bills and the place isn't all that bad albeit with a little heating issues." Aunt Thunderstar's eyes lowered to the ground and she frowned, "Look... Flash I know we weren't there for the funeral but.....were really sorry that your dad is gone." Flash's head angled down a tiny bit. He found himself frowning a little but soon it became into a reassuring smile, "Hey it's not your fault that you couldn't make it. It was an unexpected turn of events for everyone." Aunt Spark cocked her head up and looked at Flash. He rose to his feet, "I mean he'd always tell me to look forward and hope for the best, even if things were a bit in the rough." Aunt Spark found herself exchanging a warm smile. She and Flash both hugged, embracing one and other. Spark meanwhile found herself wiping tears off her eyes and smiling at the scene of a family moment. The two broke off the hug. "Well, you better get settled in so we'll get out of you're hair." The two Aunts both started for the door. "Hey guys?" asked Flash. The two both glanced back at him "Thanks." The two both smiled and nodded. Closing the door slowly. The two Aunt's began walking downstairs, "See, it wasn't so bad was it?" said Aunt Thunderstar. "Hey! The only reason I was worried was because I've been in his spot before and let me tell you it is not easy to talk about." Aunt Spark argued. The two stopped. Thunderstar put her hand on her wife's shoulder, "Yeah, but the way he handled the conversation. He was pretty calm. I think he's really matured over the couple of months." "Well...…" Spark let out a sigh "If you think he's in the right direction than I guess I have no room to argue." Thunderstar gave Spark a reassuring kiss on the cheek, "He's going to be fine." ….. Author's Note So this is the whole, Flash talks with his Aunt's and I use a flashback to show what Flash went through but of course in the story he uses a memory as a basis to help with his points in the conversation, obviously not telling his Aunts he's Spider-Man Other than that the memory in this and the original are different. But there will be an action scene with Flash during his early days as Spider-Man later. //-------------------------------------------------------// Movie Nightmare //-------------------------------------------------------// Movie Nightmare It was about Twelve at night in Tokyo. Flash had fully gotten settled in his room and had changed into fresh clothing. A White Air Jordan T-Shirt and black jogger pants. He was with his two Aunts and his Cousin Firestar as they all were sitting together and watching the Dark Knight. A movie Flash found himself a bit more interested in than ever before. He remembered watching the movie when it premiered with his Aunts back in Canterlot but now that he was an actual super hero he felt he could somewhat relate to Batman. "Wow! in all the years I've seen movies, who knew I'd connect to a billionaire philanthropist who dresses as a bat and stops crime in one of the most greatest pieces of fictional media." As the movie progressed, it prompted Firestar to ask Flash something that had been on her mind, "So uh Flash." Flash glanced at her and nodded, "So uh, doesn't Canterlot have that Spider-Guy person or whatever?" Flash's eyes widened, "Spider-Man? What about him?" He shot her a nervous smile. Meanwhile in his head, "How could she possibly know about Spider-Man? I cant be that well known globally can I?" "Well what's his deal?" asked Firestar, "Like do you know where he came from and well maybe who he possibly is. I mean I heard you get pictures for him from uh.... uh what's that place called?" Flash's eyes widened even more, he thought he could escape from Spider-Man for at least half of the summer, "Uh...The Daily Bugle?" Flash shrugged, "Well I mean.... yeah I get his pictures but I don't know the guy personally. The most we've ever talked was just me asking if I could get some pictures." "Well, do you ever wonder who could be behind the mask." "Wow...talk about Irony.", Flash smirked a little. He knew exactly who was behind the mask. He shrugged, "Well..... I guess I sometimes think about it. I don't really care to be honest, he lives his life the way he does and well.... a lot of people don't exactly view him as a good influence at times." "Interesting." Firestar stroked her chin and glanced at her parents, "Hey Moms, what do you think of Spider-Man?" Both Spark and Thunderstar looked at each other and merely shrugged. "Well, I don't know." Aunt Thunderstar shrugged, "I guess I see him as a creep crawling around town. Firing ropes and stuff out of his hands." "I mean... he sounds like he's in it for a great cause. But I wouldn't count on it." said Aunt Spark. Flash's shoulder's dropped. His eyes narrowed and his jaw dropped, WHAT?--Man first Mom thinks I'm a Criminal and now my Aunts." He turned his head at Firestar, "Well hopefully Firestar and Snowstorm can come in to the clutch for me." "So what do you and Snowstorm think of Spider-Man?" asked Flash. Firestar stroked her chin, "Well Personally... I'm just curious to know whether or not he's legit. Like if his powers are real or if he just uses complex gadgets. As for Snowstorm, I mean she's heard of Spider-Man and she likes the idea. But she's a kid so I'm not going to ruin in on her fun." Flash discreetly pouted, "Man, even Batman has more fans than me! Lame! Well at least Snowstorm is on Spider-Man's side." The sky was cloudy with an ominous dark blue. It couldn't be told if it was day or night, but nevertheless for Spider-Man it was in fact ominous, in fact the battle had already begun between him and The Green Goblin. Spider-Man and The Green Goblin are both in the extravagant hotel known as the Canterlot Towers. Specifically the Banquet Room at the top of the building. The room is a mess, tables destroyed and scattered everywhere. The huge window was shattered and shards of glass all over the floor. Both of whom standing near the wall of glass. Spider-Man swung at Goblin but ended up getting his arm grabbed by Goblin. His eyes widened, glancing up at Goblin he watched as he laughed manically. Goblin then headbutted Spider-Man, sending him into through the glass wall! Spider-Man found himself falling and landing on top of a building. He rose to his feet and looked around, dazed at how he'd ended up at the top of a building. "What in the world--" Than suddenly, he felt a shock of static hit him from behind. Spider-Man fell to his knees and grunted in pain. Looking back his eyes widened even more. His second nemesis, Electro! stood behind him with a twisted grin on his face and a charge of lighting sparking from his hands. Spider-Man staggered to his feet, baffled, "Y-YOU! That's impossible..." Spider-Man gave Electro an accusing finger, "I DEFEATED YOU!" "We all have dreams and wishes sometimes Spider-Man." Electro Scoffed. Spider-Man's teeth gritted behind his mask in plain fury, "I BEAT YOU BEFORE, I CAN DO IT AGAIN!" He lunged towards Electro raising his fist up and diving towards him. Electro's grin became wider. He raised his arms up and pointed them at Spider-Man clenching both his fists. Laughing menacingly he exempted violent charges of electricity towards Spider-Man. Spider-Man's eyes squinted behind his mask as he grit his teeth in pain, "AUGHH!" He was sent to the ground, moaning in pain. Landing right near the edge of the building. Spider-Man tried getting back, but he couldn't. Spider-Man couldn't get back up, it was like he was paralyzed from the neck down. "What's happening?! Why is my body completely frozen." Suddenly he heard Electro laughing, walking towards him, but he couldn't see any of it. He felt him self be picked up by Electro, being held by his chest. Looking Spider-Man directly in his 'eyes' he found himself chuckling, "Look at Canterlot's so-called hero." His chuckles became more apparent laughs as he tossed Spider-Man off the edge. Spider-Man screamed as he began plummeting towards the ground. "NO, NO!" But there was nothing he could do, he was completely paralyzed. Powerless. "PLEASE I CANT GO OUT LIKE THIS!" As Spider-Man's plummet was progressing, he began to hear the voices, the voices of his friends and family. All mocking him. First it was Micro Chips, "So this is what you've hidden from us all along?!" Than it was Sandalwood, "You're our so called hero?! what a joke man!" Soarin, "Man, you're comeback was worst than you're beginning." Flash was shaking his head, "NO, NO! NONE OF THIS IS TRUE!?" Sunset, "Even at being a hero you still fall flat on your face!" "NO!" Spider-Man's plummet ended. Flash's eyes shot open. Waking up abruptly, he sat up and began panting heavily. He looked around as his pants for breath slowed down. It seemed to be morning as the sun was out. His relatives were all asleep, His Aunt's were snuggled up next to each other while Firestar's head was rested on the edge of a couch cushion. Flash lowered his head and put his hand on his forehead, "It was a dream. Thank God it was a dream." Lifting his head, he checks the time on his phone, "Wow, 5:00?" He was baffled to say the least, "I haven't gotten up this early since Middle School." That left Flash with a minimum amount of options. He could go back to sleep in his own 'room' for the time being. He could maybe take a quick shower in the bathroom, or he could just go on his phone and waste two hours of his time doing nothing of significant productivity. And that's exactly what he did. He decided to check the news, something that he usually did in the mornings. "Okay let's see.... Stock Market....Stock Market...Gas Price--My god Gas Prices are really that high today?" Soon a notification came from a police radio scanner app, prompting him to swipe out of habit as he continued, "Hostage Situation at Mitsubishi bank ....Elon Musk's new--wait what?" He quickly presses the home button and went into the app, "Hostage Situation in Progress at the Mitsubishi Bank of Japan?" He looked a bit interested at first but then, he shrugged. Trying playing it off, not really wanting to deal with that, "No, No! This is Vacation time! The Police can probably handle it. Flash pressed the home button again and decided to go on a game. But as the game was loading, he felt his stress level go up more and more. Someone could get hurt or worse get killed. In other words, only after five seconds of discarding the matter, he couldn't help himself. He facepalmed himself and swore under his breath, "God Dammit!" He looked at his relatives. He'd been in clutch situations before but this might take the cake, that is if he can pull off a successful sneak out, "I have time to spare, let's just hope I can make it back." He got to his feet and started for the stairs in a hurry. However, trying to make as little noise as possible. Author's Note So this is the dream sequence, just like the original had only the fact that it's a different dream. //-------------------------------------------------------// Bank Robbery //-------------------------------------------------------// Bank Robbery Flash opened his duffle bag and reached into the bottom of it. Pulling out a his Spider-Man mask. He let out a sigh, "Man I didn't actually think I'd have to use this." He pulled out the rest of the costume, a red and blue compression body suit with a black Spider-Emblem in the middle and a webbing pattern covering the red torso and boots. . He sighed as he put on the mask and put the hoodie over his head. Starting for the window, he stopped. "Wait, this is not Canterlot." He realized that he was about to go into Tokyo city on his own for the first time. Hopefully his last. He grabbed out his phone and went into the google maps app, "Okay, Google hasn't failed me before." Typing in the name of the Bank, he set a waypoint to it from his location. He opened the window and took a deep breath, "Alright....this is where the fun begins." He leapt out the window and fired a webline. Meanwhile at Mitsubishi Bank, three robbers had barged into the place with machine guns and bags. Pressuring the bank workers to put money in their bag. Spider-Man on the other hand was swinging through the city of Tokyo. Admiring the stunning architecture around him. Man, it has been way too long since I've been here. Even in the morning this place looks great." As he was swinging, he saw Police cars driving towards the same direction. It wasn't long before Spider-Man's presence mustered up some attention. As he was swinging through the city, many civilians of Tokyo started pointing him out. He could hear the civilians clapping and cheering for him. Spider-Man smirked behind his mask, "Well at least one city like likes me!" He spotted an over ecstatic kid as he was swinging through the city. Smirking behind his mask he lowered the angle of his webline and swung towards the child. Getting closer to him, he gave the child a high five and continued to swing off towards the bank. Firing another webline and looking back, he could see that the child was more excited beyond belief. Making Spider-Man chuckle, "It's official, Tokyo City loves Spider-Man!" Spider-Man saw the bank coming up and swung in through the doors. Outstretching his feet, making the doors shoot wide open. He landed on the ground and struck a pose on the ground. The Robbers all froze at the scene of his presence. Nobody had gotten the memo Spider-Man had somehow made his way into Japan. One of them freaked and stated the obvious and pointing at the hero, "ほら、スパイダーマンだ!(Look, it's Spider-Man!)" Though he was the dumbest of the group and usually if he did point out the obvious he would get a platter of 'ridicule' served to him. His two other partners were much to shocked to even acknowledge there dumb partner's statement. "Hasn't your mother told you that pointing is rude." Spider-Man extended both his arms out and fired two weblines from his wrists. The weblines stuck onto the robber's feet. Spider-Man snagged the webline and tugged on them, causing the robber to be tripped and to fall back. That prompted the other two robbers to act quickly. Pulling the triggers to their guns and firing them directly towards Spider-Man. Spider-Man's eyes rolled behind his mask. "I've seen this movie too many times." He jumped into the air, narrowly dodging the bullets before they hit him. Spider-Man glanced down at both robbers, shooting a bunch of webbing on the muzzles of the gun. This made it so bullets couldn't get shot out of the muzzle because of how strong the webbing was. The Robbers were both stunned at the sudden action. They've never encountered anything this bizarre in their lives. Spider-Man's landed and his eyes narrowed on the two remaining robbers. Acting quickly, he pointed his arms at the robbers in the opposite directions and fired weblines at the two. One webline latched onto one robbers torso as with the other. Tugging on both, this caused both the robbers to slam into each other, knocking the two out and making them fall to the ground. Spider-Man let out a sigh, thinking he was done. "Woo! Nothing like an early morning workout." He stretched his arms but before he knew it, his eyes narrowed again, "My Spider-Senses are tingling!" Pivoting, he caught the fist of the Robber he had tripped earlier. "Man these guys never learn." Using his right leg, he swept him off his feet. Letting go of his fist he watched as the Robber fell back again. This time, Spider-Man sealed the deal by shooting some webbing on his hand, sticking him to the ground. Spider-Man panted, he began walking backwards and waiving, "Uh, no need to thank me." He could hear cheers from the civilians who were inside the bank, along with some claps. Running outside, he found himself smirking as he hadn't gotten a lot of positive feedback from people that often. Leaping up he fired a webline and began to swing off. Spider-Man crawled through the open window of his 'room'. Closing it behind him. He took his mask off and decided to make sure his relatives hadn't woke up. He crept towards the door and opened it as quietly as possible. Sneaking down the stairs as quietly as possible, he peaked around the corner to see that his Aunts and cousin were in fact asleep. He let out a sigh of relief before heading back to his 'room'. Closing the door behind him softly. As he began to take the suit off, he soon began to realize that maybe stopping the robbery wasn't such a good idea. "Wait, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. He face palmed, "Sentry you IDIOT! No doubt that this is gonna be all over the news! Spider-Man in Japan, that's gonna be the biggest headline of the month! Dear god if they find out Spider-Man was in Tokyo they're gonna get suspicious! I cant risk doing that again. Spider-Man's secret identity is my responsibility." He continued to change out of the rest of his costume and back into normal clothes. ……. //-------------------------------------------------------// Tokyo Tower //-------------------------------------------------------// Tokyo Tower "What? Why are we taking a Bus?!" Firestar was the most baffled she'd ever been in her whole life. For the first time this summer, she had to use public transportation. "Because Firestar" said Spark, "I'm not driving a car in one of the most populated areas of the world." Firstar's arched her eyebrow, "Soooo, taking a bus is a better solution?" Spark let out a sigh, "Were not taking a bus the whole time. Were gonna get off at a downtown bus stop and walk the rest of the trip. It'll be a good way for all of us to bond and it'll be a great way for us to explore the city with Flash over here." Thunderstar put her hand on Firestar's shoulder, "I know it's not exactly the most convenient means of travel, but Flash hasn't been here for at least a decade now. So could you at least bear with us here." She looked back at Flash who looked a little confused. She giggled and got up, "Don't mind her. She's just bored of the city, y'know with the whole 'I've been living here my whole life' kinda thing." Flash slowly nodded, "Rrright." The bus pulled up next to the bus stop and all five got on. Finding some seats, they sat down. "So uh, hey you guys ever consider coming to Canterlot? I mean it's been a while." Both Spark and Thunderstar simply shrugged. "Yeah I'd be down." said Thunderstar, "It's been a while since I've annoyed sis. I'm sure she and I could get into a war or two." Spark chuckled and shook her head, "All jokes aside, We'd love to go and visit Sabrina. But see we've been so congested with work and raising two kids, we haven't exactly found time to plan a trip." Flash stroked his chin, "If you were in a hypothetical situation in which you could plan a trip. When would you do it?" Both responded with the same answer. "Christmas" "Christmas" Flash arched his eyebrow, "Really?" Thunderstar nodded, "Yeah. I mean if anytime was more perfect than ever it would be Christmas. I haven't spent a Christmas with Sabrina in four years. I know we clash heads but I wouldn't mind spending Christmas with her again, and again, and again." Flash smiled, "I'm sure that mean a lot to her." The Bus began to drive, heading towards the big city of Tokyo. They got off the bus. They got off on one of the great structures of Tokyo. Tokyo Tower. Flash's eyes lit up His jaw dropped, marveling at the huge structure he was standing right in front of. "Wow! It looks a lot bigger than I remember!" Flash wore a neck strap that held his Camera. Looking straight up and snapping a picture. Firestar arched an eyebrow and smirked, "You gonna do that the whole trip?" Flash nodded, "Yeah. Why?" "No reason. Just curious." Thunderstar squealed in excitement. "Oh! We just have to get a picture!" She searched the area, looking for someone who could possibly help them out. Unknown to them, the help found them. "私はそれを手伝えそうです。(I think I can help out with that.)" All four, startled, turned around to hear a very monotone and nonchalant voice. He wore a black trench coat with gold stripes, a black straight brim hat and black boots. He'd appear completely out of nowhere, but the most eerie part about him was the smirk across his face. It had a very 'peculiar' look to it. "つまり、あなたが私の助けが必要なら。(That is, if you need my help.)" Flash had no clue to what he was saying as he did not speak an ounce of Japanese. Meanwhile, Thunderstar, Spark, Firestar and Snowstorm basically understood him crystal clear. Thunderstar, though a bit startled by the man. Took up the offer anyway, "ああ!はい、はい!お願いですか。(Oh! Yes, Yes! Would you please.)" The man nodded. Thunderstar turned around and looked Flash, "Flash, He's agreed to take our picture. Could you give him you're camera." Flash, for some reason felt like something was off about him. Maybe it was just him being on edge about the whole Spider-Man thing but, he felt oddly unsecure. But he looked past that. He walked up to the man, he could see the man's eyes were hidden by the shadow of his hat. But what he could make out was some light, pale orange skin. Meanwhile, Spark found herself vigilant. Almost like Flash just she didn't seem to hesitate to show her suspicious look of him. Flash hesitantly handed him the camera and pointed at what button to press. Not saying a word. He walked back to the family and they all posed for the picture. The Man chuckled behind the camera, he pressed the shutter button a total of three times before walking back to Flash, and handing it to him. They all took a look at the pictures. Flash looked genuinely impressed by them and so did everyone else. Well everyone except Spark. Thunderstar looked up and was about to say thank you. But to her surprise, he was gone. "Wait? Where'd he go?" In-turn, everyone looked up to see he'd completely vanished without them noticing. They looked around. Even Flash couldn't see him. It got him a bit suspicious. "Okay either we just encountered a ghost or he just broke every law in physics and just vanished out of thin air." It was at that moment, Thunderstar noticed how bothered Spark looked. "Hey, what's wrong?" Spark crossed her arms and looked away, "Nothing, I-I just had a bad feeling about that guy." "Why? He seemed nice didn't he?" She let out a sigh, "I, I don't know he just the way he looked made me feel uncomfortable." She looked back at Thunderstar, "It's nothing, let's just go." She gave her a reassuring smile as if it were nothing to worry about and capped it off with a kiss. Firestar quickly expressed her disgust, "Eugh! Get a room why don't you." Both Thunderstar and Spark gave Firestar smug smiles. Then, they mockingly held hands and walked towards the line to enter. Flash chuckled, patting Firestar on the back, "You know, kissing doesn't necessarily mean they should get a room." He knelt down and picked up Snowstorm. "Still looks gross." Firestar pouted. "Alright, if you say so." Both Flash and Firestar walked, "But when you start dating and look back at this memory. You are going to cringe. A lot!" Firestar smirked and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, till that day comes." They both got in line, right behind Thunderstar and Spark. Even though that whole strange occurrence was over, Flash couldn't help but look back and search the whole area to see if he could spot the guy that'd just take his picture. Nothing. He couldn't seem to find him among the thousands walking by. He turned his head back forward finally giving up. But the fact was, the stranger was still there. Even though he was out of their sight, they weren't out of his sight. He stared at the whole family from a distance. He specifically looked at Spark. His smirk grew even more, "She seems to be doing well." He reached into his coat and grabbed a very familiar scarf and put it around his mouth. He then slipped away into the crowd. The group made it to the top floor of Tokyo, "Alright! Here we are." said Thunderstar. Turning around she looked at Flash, "So, what do you think?" Flash was marvelling at everything. Taking one picture after another, "Oh man. This place looks even better than I remember. Did they do renovation work? How tall even is this tower? Isn't there a--" "Okay Spaz." Spark Chuckled, "Instead of asking questions, why don't you just enjoy the experience." Flash continued to take more pictures of the Tower, from it's glass walls, to the people around. He then stopped taking pictures for a moment and reminisced about the last time he was here. "Man. Now that I think about it. I'm pretty sure Mom was downright scared of the glass floor." Thunderstar tapped Flash's shoulder. "Flash, would you mind taking our picture?" She held her phone out. Flash nodded, "Sure." letting go of his camera, he grabbed the phone and waited until everyone positioned themselves. "Alright, Smile!" Flash tapped the shutter button a few times. Which to his surprise responded quickly. He handed the phone back to Thunderstar. He then remembered something. Before he had left for the trip, Mr. Cranky Doodle had given him yen that was equivalent to $500. He'd told him that he could go nuts and get whatever he wanted, as long as he brought something back for them. Flash had tried to refuse but to no avail. "Uh...Hey. Umm, If I'm not mistaken there's a Gift Shop here? Right?" Thunderstar nodded, "Yeah, Tokio 333, why?" Flash chuckled, "Well see, my Mom's boyfriend kind of forcefully gave me uhh….55,000 yen or something. Well whatever $500 is the USA value--Anyway. I thought, 'Well I'm here I might as well just dump it all into gifts'." "That's where I'm going to have to stop you." said Aunt Thunderstar, "Your our Guest. And Guests don't pay for anything." Flash chuckled, "Oh, No it's fine Aunt Thunderstar. I got myself covered." "Flash. I insist, you don't need to drop a cent." "But--" "I, Insist." Spark shook her head. "Flash. You wont win. Trust me." Flash sighed, "Okay Aunt Thunderstar, you win." After taking a few more pictures, they finally made their way to "Tokio 333". The gift shop inside Tokyo Tower. They walked inside. Thunderstar kept her eye on Flash, making sure he dare didn't pull out his wallet. Flash found it to be a bit unreasonable, he didn't want to make Aunt Thunderstar pay for anything. But there was another problem. If his mother found out about this he'd probably be beheaded. He was basically in two problems. And didn't know how to get out of them. "Okay, here we are. Tokio 333!" said Spark, "We've honestly haven't been here in a while." Flash looked at all the stuff inside. His eyes lit, there was something about giftshops he found appealing. He saw a lot of things ranging from shirts, to keychains, to plushies and even some food. There was a whole lot of stuff. "So uh let's just walk around and find something that you'd think interest your friends and uh...I'll take care of it." Flash turned around, "Auntie, are you absolutely sure that you're fine with paying for me. I mean, my Mom kinda has me covered." Aunt Thunderstar nodded, "Sorry Flash, there's no way I'm gonna let you drop a dime here." Flash let out a sigh. Turning around and shaking his head he and his relatives began to walk towards some of the many items. The first thing that caught his eye was a pack of Pocky. It was a snack he was very familiar with, but the pack that he saw was a one that he wasn't familiar with. "Grape Pocky?" He reached for the pack and gave it a look and arched his eyebrow, "Well that's a new one." "They don't sell those in Canterlot?" asked Spark. "No." "Well I think you should grab a box, they are kinda good." Flash shrugged. Taking the box, they moved on and looked for more things. Walking around a bit more, "Well, I gotta get some stuff for my Mom, Her Boyfriend and a few more things for my friends." Thunderstar looked around for something that she could gift her sister. The last time either of which had given each other gifts were a few Christmases ago. Than her eyes stopped, the locked onto a box with a familiar branding logo on it's lid. She smiled, "I know exactly what to get your mother?" Flash arched an eyebrow, "What?" She picked up the box, removing the lid, it revealed nine Onigri Sushi plushies. Thunderstar found herself cracking up a little but she kept her composure, "These!" Flash's shoulders dropped again, "Sushi...Plushes?" Thunderstar nodded her head. Handing Flash the box, giggling a little, "Yup!" "Why?" "Well...….let's just say between the both of us I'm the dorkier one. And I have a track record of getting her dorky gifts and I end up getting confused reactions out of her. And well....you know it's been a while so I'd just like to see what her reaction would be after all this time." Flash put his finger up for a moment and opened his mouth. Then, realizing that he didn't even know what to say to that he just closed his mouth and slowly lowered his hand. Spark arched an eyebrow, "Man what is it with your side of the family being so dorky?" Flash and Thunderstar both turned around and spoke simultaneously. "It's a hereditary thing." Spark blinked twice and both her eyebrows arched, "Well figures." she let out a sigh, "Anyway, where do you wanna go for Lunch? Do wanna go here? or..... what's the deal?" As they walked on to find another item, Thunderstar stroked her chin. "Well.....hmm I don't know, I had a picnic spot in mind but I didn't actually make anything." She looked at Snowstorm and Firestar. "What you two want to eat?" Firestar shrugged, she looked at Snowstorm, "Hey, what do you want to eat?" Snowstorm answered almost quickly, not even giving it a second thought, "McDonalds!" Firestar looked back up at Thunderstar, "Well I guess were having McDonalds." Thunderstar smiled, kneeling down to pick up Snowstorm. "Okay, why not." She looked over at Flash, "Flash are you down?" "Y-Yeah sure." said Flash, "So uh, hey is there like a shopping cart or something?" Spark rolled her eyes and lend out her hand, "Here why don't you give me the dork present." ………. //-------------------------------------------------------// "Oh no..." Said Flash. //-------------------------------------------------------// "Oh no..." Said Flash. Almost a few hours had past. Flash and his family were actually having a pretty good time. even Firestar who had been pretty much a downer throughout the beginning of the trip was having a decent time. They hadn't been around the entire city as that'd be impossible but they'd fit time for a good amount of places. But tonight might've been the pinnacle of it all. Because tonight to cap of they're entire day, they were in the Shibuya Time Square. At this point it was basically overkill for Flash as he had seen so much in just his first day and died of amazement. But this, this was something else for him. He'd never even press a shutter button so fast before. He was basically having a breakdown being in an even bigger city than Canterlot. "OH MY GOD!!?--LOOK AT ALL THESE PEOPL--LOOK AT THESE DAMN BILLBOARDS--THESE ROADS!? OH MY GOD THEY'RE SO WIDE!" Literally, all his relatives were dying of laughter watching Flash with a camera and wheezing at the same time. It was the most hilarious thing they'd seen out of him all day. "Are you gonna do this every time we go here?" asked Thunderstar. Flash screamed in excitement, "Wha--YES! How could you ask something like that?!" Thunderstar at that point just lost it and burst out laughing. However, as she was laughing, her phone went off. Pulling it out of her purse, she saw that it was a video call from her sister. A chuckle escaped her mouth. "Well look who it is." She answered the call, swiping right on the green phone icon. "Hey sis. You miss me?" "Ha ha very funny. You know why I'm calling." "Sheesh, somebody needs to lighten up once in a while." "She says after throwing a tantrum at me about the time our dog--" Sabrina's eyes widened, "UH! Flash, it's for you." she handed him the phone quickly and glanced away to hide her embarrassed face. Flash arched an eyebrow. Looking at the phone screen he was nearly startled to see his mom, and oh boy she did not look amused. His voice quivered, greeting her, "U-Uh. His Mom....long time no see--" "WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?!" Flash's shoulders raised, "Mom, I swear....well I mean I can't call from all the way here--look I was gonna call you, I swear!" His mother let out a sigh on the other end. It was basically typical teenage behaviour in her eyes. But she was so not in the mood for arguing, "So, how've things been over there." "I kinda forgot how great it was over here. Heh, I think I might just stay here and call it at that." A small smirk formed on Sabrina's face, replying with the same sarcastic attitude Flash was "Alright, whatever you say." "So, how about you?" "Oh...Psshhh you know. I've just been having extreme anxiety about my son that kinda looks just like you and whose basically in another continent for a month. Other than that this summer's been pretty relaxing." Flash chuckled, "Mom it's not like anything bad is gonna happen out here, I'm in good hands." "I know. It's just...….you know what forget it, just try your best to come home in one piece. Flash nodded "Will do." "And hey. Call me at least once every week. You know just so I know you're fine." Flash rolled his eyes. He knew his mother meant well but he didn't want her to be so worried all the time, "Don't worry Mom. I'll call every week, but everything'll be fine." His mom ended the call. He handed the phone back to Aunt Thunderstar, "Well at least she isn't as mad as before." Firestar who was holding Snowstorm's hand arched an eyebrow, "So uh....Hey what's the deal between you and Auntie Sabrina's Dog?" Thunderstar simply glared at Firestar. Sending her a clear message that it was topic that was not to be brought up. Firestar quickly caught her drift and decided to back off for her safety, "Okay, sensitive topic. But uh...well you know are we havin' dinner or what?" Thunderstar let out a sigh, "Yeah. Let's go." Meanwhile in Shinjuku Alleyway. a group of men affiliated with the Japanese Crime Syndicate, Yakuza have been anticipating for one individual. They were getting impatient despite the fact it was 8:00. All wearing black coats and wearing black hats. One of the men let out a sigh, "ぐふ!彼はどこですか。!それは8:00です! (UGH! Where is he?! It's 8:00!)" However, unknown to them. Serpent was right behind them, hanging upside down on a railing and crossing his arms. He smirked behind his scarf, "誰かを探していますか? (looking for someone?)" All of the men jumped from being startled. The same man who'd ask where The Gold Serpent was a minute ago now took a moment to regain his composure. Letting out a sigh, he knew better to question Serpent and his '"interesting" behaviour. Serpent let go of the railing and did a hand stand. Launching himself off the ground, he executed a somersault mid-air and landed right in front of the group. His eyes narrowed on them but he maintained the smirk behind his scarf. "だから、仕事は何であり、私は何のためにいるのですか? (So, what's the job and what am I in for?)" The man cleared his throat. Taking a picture out of his coat. The picture was roughly the size of an average paper and showed a woman with black hair and very expensive sunglasses. She was wearing a blue fur coat and blue stilettos. The picture was taken during the sunset, showing her walking into a hotel. "大正君.これは、グランド日光ホテルに入る直前に、今日撮った写真です (Kimi Osana. This was a picture taken today, right before she entered the Grand Nikko Hotel)" He explained, "私たちの情報源は、彼女はまだ向こうにいて、彼女は他の何人かの人々とギャンブルをしていると言います。彼女を見つけて、彼女が借りているお金を得る。(Our sources say that she is still over there and is gambling with some people. Find her and get the money she owes.) "そうでない場合? (and if not ?)" The man's frown grew into a bit of a smirk, "ジョブを終了します。(Finish the job.) Serpent let out a small chuckle. "やりましょう。(will do.) Serpent quickly dashed off into the streets, getting no reaction out of the group. Serpent was pretty quick, faster than the average person and even some athletes to say the least. Some people in the underworld thought the name Serpent was a play on how quick he was and how razor sharp his reflex were. But of course, Serpent didn't really care all that much of what they thought of him. He made it onto the curb. There 'his' motorcycle sat there parked. He quickly jumped on and turned on the ignition. "Man, why do these people keep making promises they cant keep." He began driving off and towards the Grand Nikko Hotel. Just as The Gold Serpent was approaching quickly. The same woman from the photo stormed out of the Grand Nikko Hotel with bodyguards surrounding her. She was furious, losing another game of Poker. Screaming her head off. "でたらめ!私は勝つべきだった、そのゲームは完全なイジメだった! (BULLSHIT! I SHOULD'VE WON, THAT GAME WAS COMPLETE BULLSHIT!)" Her bodyguards would've done something to calm her down. But despite the fact that they were bigger than her, they were also very, very scared of her. They were walking towards a line of parked cars. One car specifically was a modified yellow Acura NSX. Complete with a bullet proof body. Behind that car was a five black Chevy Suburban vehicles and ten black sports bikes with bodyguards already on them and equipped with UZI's and Semi-Automatic Pistols. Bus as they were walking, Serpent's vehicle approached. Though as he was approaching he stopped. Looking at what he was about to get himself into. It wasn't something out of the ordinary for him, he'd seen worse. But the worst part was how many Suburban vehicle's there were. He sighed, adjusting his wrist grappling hooks. "Man! I really wanted to go home and sleep. Guess not." He then grabbed out two pieces of his own artillery. Matching black FN-90's with modified clips to hold even more bullets. "これは乱雑になるだろう。(this is going to get messy.) He then continued. As he was driving up, he shot all the bodyguards on the motorcycle one by one. Being parallel to them each time he shot at them and hitting all of them right in their heads. Right in the exact spot. It caught the attention of all the bodyguards, including Kimi herself. All being startled as Serpent "lightened the load". Serpent pulled up right next to one of the Suburban's. Just past the hood of one of them and being clearly visible from the gap left from the car parked in front. He tilted his head up a little and fixed his grim look on Kimi. He nodded, "大井、君。ヤクザは彼らのお金を欲しがっています。(Oi, Kimi. The Yakuza want's their money.)" Kimi squealed. She had some connections to the criminal underworld in Japan, and she knew that face anywhere. She and another bodyguard ran for her yellow NSX. As they were doing so, the rest of the bodyguards all headed for the Suburban's as that's where all there weapons were. Serpent, eerily might I add. Was actually politely waiting for all of them to get in. At this point he just wanted to entertain himself for the night, instead of going to a night club for once. As Kimi and her bodyguard got in, her voice boomed at him. Commanding him to drive as fast as he could, "ドライブバカ、ドライブ! (DRIVE IDIOT, DIRVE!)" All cars began to drive. Serpent's smirk grew even bigger and he chuckled a little. "ここから楽しみが始まります。(This is where the fun begins.)" Soon Serpent followed in pursuit. In-turn a whole city chase began. The sound of all seven vehicles could be heard roaring through the streets of Tokyo. Kimi was scared out of her mind while Serpent was as nonchalant as could be. However, within a few seconds. All body guards from each Suburban except for the driver, all poked their heads out and pointed a variety of assault rifles they had stashed. Serpent's eyes widened. "This thing's gonna be useless. I might have to go airborne and hope for the best." He had both FN-90's handy, he'd only use a few bullets with one of them while the other was full of ammo. Now all's he had to do was wait. All bodyguards had their phones on and were being ordered by Kimi through hers. Once they were sure everyone was locked and loaded and had were all pointing at Serpent, they struck. "今!(NOW!)" Kimi demanded. That's when Serpent knew it was time to ditch the bike. So quickly, he rose both feet onto the seat of the motorcycle as if he were crouching. Then, letting go of the handles he leapt off the motorcycle and into the air. Glancing down at all the Suburban's while holding both FN-90's, he pulled both triggers. He closed one eye and began shooting at as much bodyguards as he could. Within the few seconds he was up in the air, he managed to take out all the guards in one if the Suburban's. Making two of them fall out of the car while the others laid their with gun shots in their foreheads. In-turn, he also landed on it. He knew that the driver was still alive. At the same time however, he had to deal with multiple other cars with the same firepower. So he did. Going for an open window. He flew inside the passenger window. Right next to the driver's seat. The driver turned his head but in doing so he was met with Serpent's boot. This knocked him back. Colliding into the Car door hard and actually broke it. Flying out of the car and giving Serpent the driver's seat. Serpent let out a sigh, "This is why I hate working with cars!" He ducked his head, as he could see the men pointing at the windshield. But that gave him an idea. He put one of his guns in his pockets to conserve it. Then, poking his head out of where the door, he pointed his sub-machine gun at the tire of the Suburban in-front of him. He again, closed on eye. Taking one breath he pulled the trigger and shot at the back right tire. The driver who was driving the car in front widened his eyes. As if he felt the tire pop. The car began to skid into one direction before colliding into a wall. Serpent heard the explosion from the car, merely chuckling at what he considered a bunch of fireworks. "かわいそうな魂。(Poor Souls.)" Kimi also heard the explosion in the background, freaking out even more as she didn't know how much firepower she had left. She glanced at her driver, "たわごと、物事の準備をしなさい! (Shit, get the thing ready!)" Serpent again, climbed out of the car and got on top of it while it was still driving. Looking forward, he could see the next turn coming up. Looking forward to the last two standing cars, he narrowed his eyes on them. Knowing that the car would end up crashing into a wall, he quickly leaped off of it and onto the Suburban in front of him. Everyone in the car heard the thump. All widening their eyes as they knew what that was. But before they could say anything. They heard gunshots fire out. The driver looked from his windshield to see that the car in front of him lost both it's tires to gun shots. He freaked out, knowing that they were next. But then, in one of the most surprising change of events. The driver of Kimi's NSX popped his head out and pointed an Grenade Launcher at the vehicle. He yelled with a big grin. "申し訳ありませんが男の子!それは単なるビジネスであり、それ以上のものはありません! (SORRY BOYS! JUST BUSINESS, NOTHING MORE!) Serpent rolled his eyes at the scene, "典型的。(Typical.)" He lazily got up to his feet. Letting out a sigh. The driver pulled the trigger and shot the grenade launcher right at the vehicle. *BOOM!* In an instance, the whole car exploded. The windows shattered and tires exploded. The driver laughed and slowing down the car to be just under the speed limit. "さて、オサナ夫人。彼は世話を受けたと思う。(Well Mrs. Osana. I think he's been taken care of.) But before Kimi, could answer. A rather familiar voice did. "うん。あなたはとても良い仕事をしました。(Yup. You sure showed me.) Both Kimi and the driver widened their eyes. But Serpent did them the favour. Shooting the driver without looking and opening the door to the NSX. Pulling the driver out of the vehicle and throwing him away. He then effortlessly entered the vehicle and shut the car door. He turned his head and looked at Kimi's shocked face. He could see her mouth was about to open. Knowing the predictable question, he decided to do her the favour. "そうだそうだ。わかっています。(Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I know.) Taking both hands off the steering wheel, he rolled his sleeves up to show her his 'sophisticated arm contraption' otherwise known as his grappling hooks. "見て、短い話。これらのことは本当に便利です。特にそのようなものを持つ狂気の人々になるとき。正直なところ、私は銃を使用するのが嫌いです。(Look, long story short. These things come in really handy. Especially when it comes to crazy people with stuff like that. Honestly I hate using guns.) He took control of the wheel again. "しかし、私について十分です。これはあなたについてです。(But, enough about me. This is about you.)" Kimi winced, "何の用ですか。私は何も悪いことをしていません。私が保証します!(Wh-What do you want? I haven't done anything. I swear!)" "申し訳ありませんが茶色の目が、私たちの古き良きヤクザの友人によると。あなたはXさんにいくらかのお金を借りている。(Sorry brown eyes but according to our good ol' Yakuza friends. You owe Mr. X some money.) He slowly took his left hand off the steering wheel and reached for his gun. Getting it out, he pointed it at Kimi. Doing it rather nonchalantly. "だから。ヤはそれを得た? (So. Ya got it?)" Kimi began shaking at the sight. Never being more scared in her life. "待て待て!私はお金について何も知らないと誓います。または任意の氏。X!(WAIT, WAIT! I-I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANY MONEY. OR ANY MR. X!)" "さて、参照してください。あなたはちょっとそうします。今夜のギャンブルを覚えておいてください。(Well, see. You kinda do. Remember gambling tonight.) Kimi screamed even more. Begging Serpent, "どうぞ!どうぞ!私は誓うお金を持っていません! (PLEASE! PLEASE! I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY I SWEAR!)" Serpent let out a disappointed sight. "さあそれでは。私は残念ながら私が追加するかもしれない、する必要があると思います。これを難しい方法で行います。(Well then. I guess were going to have to, disappointingly might I add. Do this the hard way.) Kimi's eyes widened. She didn't want to die. So she acted fast, "待つ!待つ!車!車! (WAIT! WAIT! THE CAR! THE CAR!)" Serpent rolled his eyes a little out of annoyance. Though keeping his composure. "まあねえ。私がここで混乱した場合、ちょうどあなたがそれに自分自身を得たことを知っています。(Well hey. If I make a mess in here just know you got yourself into it.) "いいえ、私はこの車を意味します。この車は私の借金を返済することができます! (NO I MEAN THIS CAR. THIS CAR CAN PAY OFF MY DEBT!) Kimi justified, "それは十分以上であるべきです。(It-It should be more than enough.)" She quickly opened the door of the car. Trying to get as far away from Serpent as possible. "ただ、ミーを傷つけないでください! (Just-JUST DON'T HURT MEEE!) She jumped out. Kind of a shocker to Serpent. "Damn. I wasn't gonna make it a long and painful one." He was about grab his phone to call Mister X. But as he was getting to the caller ID, he began to hear sirens. He let out another sigh, "And there's the encore." Flash and his relatives finally made it home after a long day. Flash was stoked by all of it. What he'd witness was merely just paving the way for more places to explore. "Man that was great!" Flash beamed. "You think that was fun. Just wait until we go to Dome City." said Spark, "Next week, I'm gonna book a hotel room. It'll be fun." Thunderstar opened the door to the house, letting everyone inside. "Well it isn't too late yet. I think we could fit in a family movie before and unwind we all hit the hay." Everyone seamlessly agreed with Thunderstar. Flash headed to 'his room'. He took his jacket off and threw it onto the bed and let out a relaxed sigh. "Man what a day." He collapsed on the bed and took a breather. "In all my days, Canterlot will never do be able to do this for me." "Well. Speaking of Canterlot." He grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "Might as well see what MC and Tree Bark have been up to." He went into Instagram. But, the first post he was led to wasn't about his friend. Instead it was footage of a yellow supercar zooming past the camera with multiple police cars chasing after it. Gunshots strongly being heard. Flash scrolled down a little to read the description. That's when his eyes went wide. The reason? Well the first word to catch his eye was Tokyo. Flash nervously gulped, "Oh no." He quickly exited out of the app. Quickly going on Safari he began hyperventilating. "Okay, Okay. Calm down Sentry. M-Maybe this old footage or somethin'. Yeah that has to be it. There's no way." He typed in car chase in Japan. Tapping the search icon. But unfourtanetley for Flash, the footage on the Instagram video was not in fact an archived video. Instead it was an event happening in real time. His shoulders dropped and his voice quivered just by looking at the headline. "B-Breaking: Ongoing Car Chase results in twenty deaths and quite possibly an additional t-ten dea--Oh my god!" He staggered to his feet panicking at what was going on. "WHAT THE HELL!? TWENTY! TWENTY!? THEY EVEN HAVE THE NERVE TO SAY AN ADDITONAL TEN BUT EVEN SO WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? He put his phone on the bed and began pulling on his hair. Not knowing what to make of the whole situation. Then, he took a deep breath. "I-I Can't risk it. Not again! If I get out there, Aunt Thunderstar and Spark are gonna suspect something." He sat right back onto the bed, trying to calm himself down. He was trying to supress the fact that he'd just read something like that. But as the seconds went by, it growing more difficult to forget. He grit his teeth in defeat, "Shit." He grabbed his phone and checked the charge. He sighed, "Well let's hope 25% can get through this." He clicked on one of the articles to gain more intel. "Might as well become a god damn comic book hero. I swear at this point!" ……. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Serpents Strike //-------------------------------------------------------// A Serpents Strike Thunderstar was in her and Spark's bedroom. Trying to look for a movie to watch. "Hmm let's see? Should I do something overly colourful or something live action?" She stroked her chin as she searched through the drawer of CD's and Blue ray discs they had. That was until she heard her name be called by Spark. "Uhhh….Honey! You might want to come in here. Like now!" She raised her eyebrow, "I wonder what this is all about." Rising to her feet, she started for the stairs. Walking down the stairs and into the Livingroom. When she entered, she saw Spark, staring at the TV in front of her. "What's wrong?" asked Thunderstar. Spark, broken out of her 'trance' paused the Television and glanced back at her wife. Pointing at the TV itself, "Umm, look." Thunderstar, still confused. Walked in front of Spark to look at TV. It was paused on a News Show with one huge headline at the bottom. She read it out, mumbling the words as she did. Her eyes widened almost immediately, just reading through all of it. "Umm, honey? Isn't Spider-Man....a Canterlot thing?" Spark slowly nodded her head and hesitantly spoke, "And don't we have a nephew from Canterlot?" They both looked at each other panicked looks. Trying to deny specific thoughts that were beginning to form in their heads. But the more and more they kept putting pieces together certain things and two certain people started to look to be more n' more the same. They simultaneously, uttered two words. "Oh no." "Mr X." "What is it?" "I have good news.....and bad news." "That doesn't sound good." Mr. X said in a grim voice, "Not good at all." Serpent cringed a little. He felt the grim tone of Mr. X. The one he created. Nonetheless he did his best to keep his composure, "The bad news is Osana didn't have the money. But before I could do anything, she jumped out of the car." " You've completely failed the mission I presume?" For the first time, Serpent's eyes widened a little as he felt the tension rise. "No, No. The good news is that I've got her car in my possession. She said it'll pay off her debts. I'm getting it to one of the export docks." "I see." There was a pause for a short moment. "Fine. Do whatever you need to do. Just keep the car in mint condition. Alright? "Understood." Serpent quickly hung up, feeling the chills down his spill. "Man that guy is something." Serpent pointed his gun out the window to hold off the multiple police cars chasing him. Meanwhile, Spider-Man who'd had to follow as much destroyed police road blocks as possible finally found Serpent and was in pursuit of him. Feeling like luck was finally on his side. Well, somewhat that is.... "Swinging through a city, check. Nighttime, check. Trying to get this over with because you have relatives who'll freak if they find out you've disappeared...….I'm sensing some Deja vu here." Letting go of his webline when it arched. He dived for the yellow vehicle. "Man these guys don't give u--" As Serpent was having a thought. He heard a thump on the top of the car. It completely broke his thought process for a moment. What then caught him off guard was to see a hand knock on the windshield. Before he could even process anything, Spider-Man caught his attention to the right door. Serpent arched an eyebrow to see Spider-Man, upside down and waiving at him. Serpent rolled down the window to the left door. "お前は一体誰だ? (Who the hell are you?)" That's when Spider-Man was stumped. As we all know, he didn't speak an ounce of Japanese. "Uhhh….. I don't really know what you just sa--I don't speak Japanese." Both of Serpent's eyebrows arched. Behind his scarf he smiled, "Good, neither do I." He pointed a handgun at Spider-Man. Knowing that a traffic light was coming up. He quickly shot the gun at Spider-Man. Spider-Man however quickly dodged the bullet from hitting his face. But that's when his Spider-Sense went off. Glancing to his left, his eyes widened behind his mask. He was too late. Getting hit on the forehead by the traffic light and knocked off the car. "GAH! Dammit!" He placed his hand over his forehead, "I can't be that rusty already! I just stopped a bank--" His Spider-Sense went off again. Quickly jumping up in the air, he avoided being flattened by Police vehicles. Mid air, he glanced at speeding NSX. He narrowed his eyes on the car. Outstretching his arm, he fired a long strand of webbing and snagged it. "Alright, better put those rope climbing skills to good use." He began climbing the webline, down towards the car. "What an odd experience that was. Man I gotta find a place to evade these guys, and fa--." But again, he heard the same thump noise again. He lowered his eyelids in annoyance, "Okay were doing this now." Spider-Man again, knocked on the windshield. "Sir!" He yelled, "I'm gonna have to see your license and registration! And I might need to know if you have the sufficient points to be operating a vehicle!" Serpent giggled, "I'm sorry. I don't think I gave you the right memo." This time, he took control of the vehicle with his left hand while pointing his gun at Spider-Man with the right, "I don't want what your selling!" But, to Serpent's surprise. He felt the gun be taken out of his grasp. "Wait, what?" He knew better to pop his head out the window. Instead, he pulled his arm back in to find that his gun had in fact been taken out of his grasp. He cringed, "Okay, that's a first." "Well, what very rude manners!" Spider-Man sarcastically blurted out, "Hmph. I think you owe me an apology!" Serpent chuckled a little. "Okay this is definitely a first." "You're right!" said Serpent, "Let me get the door for you and will discuss my 'rude' behaviour. I even have some food if you're hungry." Spider-Man raised an eyebrow under his mask. He felt as if he was seeing a small trend, "Why am I getting Goblin and Electro vibes all of a sudden." He sighed, "Oh well, One Spidey coming right up!" Serpent himself then raised an eyebrow, "Wait how does that even justify as a respo--" *Twip* As you can guess, Spider-Man kept the trend of cutting Serpent's thoughts off. But this time, Spider-Man completely caught him by surprise by shooting some webbing in his face. Blinding his gaze from the road. He squirmed, letting go of the wheel completely and trying to rip the webbing off. But that wasn't even the beginning. Then, he felt himself be grabbed by the collar and be pulled out of the now runaway car. Spider-Man unintentionally scoffed at Serpent, "Y'Know, a good way to say you're sorry is to say it with a face to face confrontation." But, to Spider-Man's surprise. He heard Serpent giggling again. Much to his confusion. "And you should no better to keep your hands to yourself." Without even a second to spare. Serpent drove a diamond hand right strike right into Spider-Man's forehead. Managing to make Spider-Man let go of him and stumble back. Completely falling off the vehicle. But, unfortunately for Serpent. The Vehicle was heading right for a building wall. His eyes narrowed, leaping up and off the speeding vehicle. *BOOM!* The car exploded. Causing all the police cruisers to hit the brakes and stop immediately. Meanwhile, Serpent. Who'd just watch his ticket to getting payed tonight explode from impact. For the first time, he felt actual shock. Shock that he just blew his own mission. He surveyed the area as he was mid-air. Looking to a building, he outstretched his arm and shot out a grapple rope. Spider-Man rose to his feet, searching for Serpent. Luckily, he was able to spot him. Already on top of a building. Because Spider-Man hadn't seen Serpent for a minute, he was led to believe he was abnormally agile. "W-What?! How did you get up there?!" He yelled. Serpent chuckled, "I used my wings and flew!" Spider-Man's eyes narrowed out of annoyance. "Okay, I know that he's joking. But this guy's really starting to weird me out!" Spider-Man got a running start and leapt up towards the same building Serpent was on. Scaling the walls and making it to the top. Serpent however, stayed put. Waiting for Spider-Man as he needed to finish the job with him. "So, who are you supposed to be anyway? The poor excuse for a wrestler." He took off his gloves and held both his fists up. "Oh, I'm so scared." Spider-Man sarcastically said, "Wh-what, you here to square up or are you here to criticize me?" "Ohhhhh….he's a Gen Zer!" Serpent rolled his eyes. In a blink of an eye, he lunged towards Spider-Man. Then, completely disappearing in sight. Spider-Man's eyes widened. "Wait, what the heck." He began searching the area, not seeing Serpent in sight. "Did-Did he just go in--" He narrowed his eyes, "My Spider-Senses are tingling." He turned around to see Serpent, somehow back in sight. Ready to drive a punch. Spider-Man reacted quick, catching the fist before it hit him. However, that would prove to be a mistake. Serpent, matching the same reflex time as Spider-Man. Raised his left arm up and straightened out his hand. Quickly, striking Spider-Man's arm. Spider-Man screamed. Letting go of Serpent's hand clutching his bicep area. "Is his hand made out of wood?! That felt like a bat!" He quickly raised his head and glanced at Serpent. Gritting his teeth as he painfully let go of his now aching arm. Serpent chuckled, "Well, I did as you kids say. Square up." Spider-Man, or rather Flash at this point. Cringed both mentally and physically, and not just because of his arm. "Wow he sounds like an Uncle." "Wow, either you'll kill me or that line will." Spider-Man scoffed. "But now, it's my turn." Serpent arched an eyebrow, "Oh please, do go on." Spider-Man charged at Serpent. Jumping in the air and attempting to kick him. However, that ploy was foiled rather quickly as Serpent completely dodged it. Spider-Man didn't let that stop him though. As he began to let out a barrage of fast punches. But, Serpent was giving him the middle finger and dodged as quickly as Spider-Man was punching. Eventually, Serpent caught the same arm that he'd attack. Even catching Spidey by surprise. Serpent grimaced, running two fingers up his arm before flicking Spider-Man's forehead. All in one quick motion. He raised his arm up, ready to drive another strike his face. But then, Spider-Man decided to go one step ahead of Serpent. Shooting some webbing in his face again and catching him by surprise. Making Serpent let go of Spider-Man's right arm. He wasted no time, rushing Serpent with the opportunity. Managing land two blows. A back hand fist strike and then and a gutsy punch at Serpent's stomach. However, as Spider-Man was about to try and knock him out with a kick. Serpent caught his foot mid way through. He began giggling. "Well seems you've shown me one weakness." He clutched the foot tightly with both his hands before tossing Spider-Man away and making him collide into a duct. "You seem to have forgotten but. I don't need just rely on sight. Remember the stunt you pulled when you pulled me out of the car?" Spider-Man slowly rose to his feet. Having a bit more left in him. But then suddenly, he realized something very crucial. "Wait, this isn't Canterlot Sentry! I can't stay here any longer, Aunt Thunderstar and Aunt Spark'll suspect something! No doubt freak if they find me vacant in my-their guest room. I gotta get out of here and fast!" Flash, clenched his fists. He knew that what he was gonna do was going to dent his pride but the situation he was in was a life or death situation. He glanced up at Serpent, giving him a two finger salute. "Sorry chief but I'm gonna have to end this rather quickly!" He began running off, firing a webline and swinging off. He grit his teeth under his mask. "URGH! I can't believe I'm doing this. I've never ran away from anyone in my life!" Serpent watched as Spider-Man swung off. He wanted to chase after him, but that's when he suddenly realized something very crucial. "Shit! Osana's car is worth Jackshit now! I got too carried away all because of....whatever that thing is! Man the jolly one himself isn't gonna like this." Flash, with the power of being smart and downloading locations. Manage to make it back to his Aunts home. "Oh man, if my phone didn't last up until now I'd be toast!" Quickly he crawled through the window he'd left open and entered the room. Turning around, he quietly closed the window and crawled on the ceiling for a bit. Getting down on the floor, he let out a sigh of relief that no one had seen him. He turned around, with the intentions to close the door and change out of his whole Spider-Man ensemble. But as he did, he saw Firestar and . With Firestar in complete shock. Flash's eyes widened behind the mask. "Shhhit." ……. Author's Note So, this fight somewhat changed compared to the original. This time, I decided that'd be more realisitic if Flash was the one to run away due to him coming to the realization that, this isn't Canterlot. I also added small things like both his Aunts finding out he's Spider-Man through the TV Other than that, I tried my best to remaster the whole Serpent-Spidey Skrimish. //-------------------------------------------------------// Rookie //-------------------------------------------------------// Rookie Flash quickly took off the Spider-Man mask, "This isn't what it looks like." Firestar pointed at Flash hesitantly with a spooked tone in her voice. "Y-You're the Spider-Man?" Flash shook his head, "I'm not." Firestar protesting otherwise, "You were on the ceiling!" "Umm, you know adhesive gloves exis--" "N-NO!" Firestar interjected, "Don't give me that 'adhesive gloves exist you know.' I know for a fact that those have....I don't know adhesive padding or something and I know for a fact that those are normal gloves." Flash sighed, "Man why do us Sentry's have to be so stubborn?" "O-Okay.....So, I might actually be--" "SPIDER-MAN!" Firestar yelled, "CAUSE IT SURE AS HELL LOOKS LIKE--" "Firestar shut up!" Flash interjected, "Please?" Firestar crossed her arms. Giving Flash a dirty look. "So what? This is your life. Sneaking out every night and parading in spandex!?" Flash arched an eyebrow, "Why does everyone keep saying that?" He looked at himself for a minute. But then completely shaking it off as he realized that he was in this situation now. "Wait, n-no! This is not my lif--Okay it's kinda my life--But it's kind of unintentional!" She walked in the room, closing the door. "Unintentional how?" She leaned on the closed door, crossing her arms. "Explain." Flash's eyes widened. The one thing he should've saw coming. And the one thing he desperately wanted to avoid. He sighed, "Alright, let me just do this this one time." He sat on his bed, taking a deep breath. "Sooo, it was just an ordinary Friday Morning." Firestar rolled her eyes, "Here we go." "Okay it sounds cliché and I'm sorry!" Flash barked. "Anyways! It was just an ordinary Friday Morning! My twelfth grade physics class I was in was scheduled to go to a University for a radioactivity energy showcase. Well, apparently something else was going on." "What?" "Arachnid Genetic Modification. I mean it was probably something the Biology kids were gonna see but that's besides the point. Anyways, while we were there an emergency protocol code was issued because, and granted I still don't know if it's the reason. One of the Spiders escaped and guess who became it's lucky target." "How?" "It bit me." Flash stated bluntly, "While the demonstration was happening. It bit me while I wasn't looking." "Oh. So, what did you get powers overnight or something and decided that it was your job to fight crime?" Flash grimaced. "Oh boy this is gonna be a long story." "Umm....well not exactly." "What do you mean?" asked Firestar, "Well I mean I was joking about the hero overnight but what about the powers?" Flash sighed, "Look, this whole origin story thing..... it's not something I really a topic of discussion alright?" Firestar arched an eyebrow, "Why? Are you afraid that I'm too little to absorb it. That I wouldn't understand or something, or maybe--" "It involves my Dad." Flash crossed his arm. Firestar abruptly stopped rambling. Widening her eyes she winced and grimaced. "Oh...my god wow I'm such a dick--Flash I am so sorry. That was not cool of me." Flash sighed, "It's whatever. I mean it's not like you knew or anything." A moment of silence ensued. They didn't really say anything to each other. Flash was busy mentally scolding himself for creating 'this' predicament. Meanwhile, Firestar was trying to process the fact that The Spider-Man was in her house. That's when something popped in her head. She grinned and looked at Flash. "So do you have any cool Spider-Man stories?" Flash arched an eyebrow. Confused, "What?" "Yeah you know. I mean you're in the flesh and blood and well you know....it be kinda cool if you just told me a story or two." "You....eerily grown to like Spider-Man so fast--Don't you not like him--me? Or whatever word that helps--." Flash shook his head as he couldn't even keep a consistent sentence, "L-Look! Why the sudden change of heart?" "Well, I've had some time to think and Spider-Man doesn't seem like such a bad guy." Firestar explained, "And besides! This is kinda cool. It's not everyday you know a real life Superhero, so come on! Don't you have one story you could tell me." Flash. Who didn't even consider himself a 'Superhero'. No doubt 'Cool'. Was now at a second predicament. He only had a few 'big' fights he thought could be worth talking about. But they both involved some crazy lunatic psycho and even though he wasn't a parent. He knew better not to tell Firestar something that heavy. So he made up a half lie. Even going as far to admit what most of the press thought of him as. "Umm, Firestar I don't know what to tell you but I'm kinda just a vigilante." He shrugged. "I kinda do what the police do. Well, in my own 'beat em' up' fashion." Firestar's eyes widened. For the first time, she let out her inner kid. "Flash you gotta tell me! Please, Please! Tell me!" Flash found himself chuckling, "Okay...if you insist." "How about my first time. I think it was around mid September" Flash is seen sitting at the back of the class. Hood over his head and sketching in a notebook. He'd been like that for a few weeks now. Trying to keep to himself. It'd work as everyone in the whole class kinda knew what was going on his life and they did their best to leave him alone. "So class had finished, the teacher had just let us out for Lunch. Now umm, usually I'd go to the caf but....well it was. You know around 'that time'. I was still slowly trying to recover from it. *Sigh* Anyway, Instead of going to the caf like I...well usually did. I went to the washroom instead. Flash and the rest of the class had gotten out of their seats. Usually, this was the part where he'd expect Curly Winds to shove his stuff out of his hands. But, he didn't. Curly Winds completely walked past him as he knew if he did it, he'd considered a certified asshole. More than what he really was Flash walked out of the class. Heading to his locker he shoved all his stuff in and grabbed his bag. Then, he headed for the washrooms. He knew that nobody really went in during lunch hours so it gave him some privacy. "I'd vow to become this....character a week before. After....After.... my father's death...I had a lot of time to think about what I should do with my powers. And after the circumstances of his death I made the vow to just...not let anything like that happen to other people." Opening the door to the washroom. His assumption of no one being in there was correct. He looked to the stall area. Especially near the window. The window was one short horizontal panel that sat just above the top of the stalls. Luckily it was opened. A one plus for him. "Luckily, the place was empty. No vapers, smokers, nothing. So, I quickly ducked into a stall and began taking a few layers off and I began changing into 'Prototype'. T-That's just what I call my pre...costume I guess. It wasn't really that special. It was just a plain red mask with make-do lenses, a really big red hoodie with a Spider at the front and I think at back? I'm not quite sure. Uhh, Oh! Throw some blue basketball shorts and red shoes and uh. That was it, that was my first costume. " Flash locked the stall. He placed his bag on the ground and there, his whole costume was stuffed inside. He began taking off a few layers. His hood, pants and shoes and he began to change into his costume. "You know. Now that I remember, I always hated doing the whole Spider-Man thing during school. Mainly because shoving pants into a bag sucks! Anyways, once I was done changing. I put my bag on my back and I headed out. There was a window above me so I crawled out and made contact with the outside world." Flash began crawling on the outside wall of the school. As he did, it was at that moment some people outside began pointing it out. Flash however, couldn't care less. He looked around, looking for a building that was respectably tall. After doing so, he leapt off the wall and outstretched his arm. Firing a webline. "So, I start swinging through the town and eventually make it to an urban area. Not crazy huge like downtown but...well you get the picture. So I find a building that was also decently tall and I began eating lunch. "Wait?" asked Firestar, "What's so exciting about that?" Flash sighed, "Well at the time. I was kinda new to all of it and it didn't occur to me that I should actually investigate parts of the area." "Oh. Wow." said Firestar, "So....how long did you wait for?" "Well out of the 45 minutes of lunch we get. Nearly 30 minutes was wasted." "Oh." "Yeah." "At this point, I was ready to call it quits and just get back to the school." Flash sighed, quickly snagging his bag. "Well I had a productive lunch." As he was about to jump however, something caught his eye. "So as I was about to jump, something caught my eye. From afar, I saw three guys all in trench coats walking into an alleyway. One of the guys was dragging a lady who...Okay you're probably old enough to know this but he was dragging what looked like a prostitute. Y'know she had some....some pretty proactive cloth-- I got really suspicious so I decided to follow them! "Wow does that look shady." said Flash. Flash backed up to get a running start. He ran off the edge of the building and fired a strand of webbing towards the building across. Meanwhile in the alleyway. The man who'd been dragging the woman, brought her to a dead end and threw her on the ground and crossed his arms. "Alright, where's the money?" The lady backed up slowly. Trembling in her voice, "I-I don't know what you mean." "Don't fuck with me Angela!" Out of his jacket, he grabbed out a night stick. "If you knew any better. Then you should know that Mr. Strakotsy doesn't appreciate his girls hiding things from him. Where's his money!" "I don't know. I SWEAR!" The man raised the baton, "Alright well then consider this your tarty warning!" "So I'd listen to somewhat of the conversation. Mainly about this pimp guy named Mr.....Man I don't even remember. He was arrested a while ago. I decided to finally intervene and save this person." "Y'know. Human trafficking is a serious crime." All four looked up. Seeing Spider-Man right on the wall, right above Angela. Quickly, he fired a webline at the night stick and pulled it out of the Man's grasp. "And It's not funny." He jumped down and landed right in front of Angela. Being a divider between the two sides. "And who are you supposed to be?" The Man asked. Slowly walking up towards Spider-Man, "Some sort of cop?" "So I wasted no time. I made my way to the scene and stood between these guys and this random lady. The guy was being a typical, asking me who I'm supposed to be, yada, yada, yada and all that. So I get in the guy's face as a response." Spider-Man quickly grabbed the man by the jacket and pinned him against the wall. Scaring him. "I'm the guy who doesn't appreciate what the hell you're doing. And unlike you, I'm not afraid to throw hands and prove it!" "So I pick up the guy who's being a jerk and I...basically set off his, I guess his cronies or whatever. Cause next thing I know, they're charging right at me." Spider-Man's glanced to his left where he saw the other men charge him. In instinct, he slammed the guy who was threatening Angela against the wall. Knocking him out. Then he turned around to deal with the other two. "So I knock out the first guy by slamming him against the wall. The next two actually threw some punches at me. Though they didn't actually hit me. I just kept dodging them and made them look like idiots." The two charged right at Spider-Man and immediately resorted to throwing punches at him. However to no avail. Spider-Man had kept dodging each blow rather quickly. "Well at least you two aren't being pussies." Spider-Man jumped over them and landed right behind them. "But that being said, I don't respect the fact you three assholes decide and hurt someone! He grabbed one of the men and threw him into a wall, knocking him out. That left one last person. "So I tell them that I think what they're doing is dumb and I don't think they a shred of decency. I basically isolated it to one person. I took one of the guys and threw him into the wall. Basically scaring the last guy. I scared him so much that he didn't even try to fight back. But I didn't let him escape either. Not without a little warning." The last guy. Started backing up. Trying to plead with Spider-Man, "Ay look man I don't mean no harm. For real I--" Spider-Man didn't want to hear it. So he shot some webbing on the guy's face to shut him up. Causing him to stumble back and fall to the ground. Spider-Man quickly approached him and picked him up. "You listen and you listen good!" Spider-Man scowled, "If I ever see you on the streets again doing something as dumb as this you're not gonna have a functioning arm when they put handcuffs on you. YOU GOT IT!" The man nodded quickly, getting the idea of what Spider-Man could possibly be capable of. Spider-Man threw him on the ground and let him go, "Now get out of here and go rethink your life while you're at it." The man complied, staggering to his feet and running as fast as he could. "Once I thought I 'mediated' the situation. I went to go check on the lady her self. She was fine, just a couple scratches but it wasn't anything too serious." Spider-Man walked over to the somewhat frightened lady. Calming himself down. Speaking in a calm and soft "Hey, are you okay mam?" The lady, slowly nodded her head and slowly got up. "Y-Yes" She nodded. "Please don't hurt me." She shot her hands up and could be seen visibly shaking. Spider-Man, or rather Flash kind of chuckled, "I'm not gonna hurt you." He clung onto a wall and looked back at the lady, "Just, look if you're caught up in a trafficking situation, just call the police. Alright?" He began to slowly climb up the wall. Though as he did, Angela had one last question. "Wait!" It was enough to make Spider-Man look back at her one last time, "Who are you?" She asked. Flash, found a small smirk forming under his mask. For the first time in a while, he happily cried out, "Uhh….Call me Spider-Man!" He slowly scaled up the rest of the wall. "And that's a story." Flash sighed, "It's kinda weird thinking that it happened that long ago, but I still feel like I'm still new to this." "Dude! That was so cool!" Firestar beamed, "Man you're like.....the Batman of Canterlot!" Flash shook his head, "Eh, not really. I've kinda soften up in tone when it comes dealing with villains." "Sooo…..Do you have anymore stories you could tell me?" Flash sighed, "Well, let me think...." However as he was thinking, Aunt Thunderstar called everyone into the living room. "KIDS!" Flash's eyes widened, realizing he was in regular clothing. He quickly rose to his feet and was pushing Firestar out of the room, "Well looks like were gonna have to talk about this tomorrow." "W-wait!" Firestar stammered, "I have so many questions." Flash opened the door, "Look we'll talk about this tomorrow." Firestar now stood in the doorway. She sighed, "Promise?" "Promise." She smiled and nodded, heading for the living room. Flash sighed, closing the door and locking it. He leaned on it, quickly sliding down and sitting on the floor. This was it, his worst nightmare somewhat became a reality. Someone figuring out his secret. The one responsibility he swore he'd keep. He now believed he failed one of his biggest responsibility. But it wasn't all so bad. "What have I done." …….. //-------------------------------------------------------// A little upgrade //-------------------------------------------------------// A little upgrade "Hey, sorry I've been quiet for a while. Y'know with the constant whole constant change of scenery and all that." "It's fine." said Flash. lying in his bed on a 9 am morning. "I've been trying to adjust to time zones for two days. And let me say, it's been a while. Man how'd you do it." Micro Chips chuckled from the other side, "When your the child of an Ivy League school graduate, the creator and CEO of the worlds leading military scientific research and arms. You've ended up in more than one business trip as a child." Flash rolled his eyes and smirked, "Did you enjoy some fine wine and martini's while you were there?" "Well I was close to drinking when I was 14. We were in Venice and I came across a half filled bottle of wine. My Mom and Dad scolded me for a few hours afterwards." Flash chuckled a little. But that led his mind to another question, "Hey speaking of which. How's things with your parents?" "Well things with my dad has strangely gotten a lot better. My step mom is pretty cool, she honestly, I haven't seen my Dad this happy in his life. As for my biological mom. I haven't seen her in a while. I tried getting in contact with her but...she hasn't...……. called back....." "Wow, dude I'm so sorry." "It's not your fault Flash." Micro Chips assured, "I mean I haven't had much contact with her since October--" He was quickly cut off however. Both him and Flash hearing his dad call him in the distance. Micro Chips chuckled, "Heh, I gotta go. And uh hey, try and make it back in one piece." Flash chuckled, "No promises." He hung up on the phone. Letting out a deep sigh. Reason? Because of what Micro Chips said near the end of the phone call. "I hate to disagree with you Micro Chips, but I'm pretty sure I hold a bit of responsibility with you leaving." Then suddenly, a knock came at the bedroom door. *knock, knock knock* He stretched his arms and sat upright, "I'm Up!" Firestar opened the door slightly and poked her head out from the corner, "Uhh, can I come in?" Flash shrugged, "Well I mean, this is your house." Firestar rolled her eyes at the 'obnoxious one' and walked right in. Holding a notepad and having a pen on her ear. "Soo, you promised more Spider-Man info last night. So uh, spill it." Flash let out one long blink. "Okay....you couldn't wait until breakfast." "Nope." "Oh yeah that reminds me. You didn't tell anyone did you?" Firestar giggled and rolled her eyes. "No, don't worry." She mocked, "I know all about the whole identity and secret stuff you superheroes have." "I am not a superhero!" Flash playfully protested, "But that identity and secret stuff is important to keep everyone I love and care for, safe." "I've definitely heard that one before. Anyways, back to the Spider-Man stuff." Flash sighed, "Okay, shoot." She sat on her knees. Grabbing the pen off her ear and flipping through her notepad. "Okay. Soo let's get the nail biter out of the way. How do you shoot webs!" Flash, chuckled. "See here's the thing. I've been doing this for about.... nine-ish months and I can't say I have a concrete conclusion. Long story short I....shoot webs out of my wrists. Like organically. It's kinda weird to think about sometimes, but I guess have some spinnerets in their or something." "How about climbing walls?" "Electrostatic force." Flash rose to his feet. Glancing up He jumped up and clung onto the ceiling. "As long as I'm not wearing heavy duty gloves or boots, I can stick onto any surface." "Wow okay that is actually kinda cooler than I thought." She flipped through her notepad, "Uhh, okay. So um, what's up with your costume." Flash raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" "Well, why the whole red and blue design?" "The red and blue design.....uhhh. Well I thought it kinda popped. Made me look different from the crowd and all that." "What about the mask? How do you even see through it." Flash let go of the ceiling and landed on both feet. Walking over to his bag, he pulled out the mask and tossed it over to Firestar. "One way glass. I used to use two layers of tinted sunglass lenses. But it was way too weak I moved up to tinted one way mirrors You can try it on if you want. It's pretty crystal clear in my opinion." Firestar raised her eyebrows. She held the mask over her head and gazed at it for a short moment. before finally putting it on. "Wow, my whole field of view just got a whole new white tint." Flash chucked. Shaking his head, "Okay so maybe saying it was Crystal Clear was a bit of an overstatement. But they got the job done and that's really all that matters." She stroked her chin. A small grin crept on her face as she saw some potential . She took the mask off and looked at Flash, "Hey? Uhh...Have you ever thought about upgrading into something more modern?" Flash arched an eyebrow, "Wh-What do you mean?" "You know. Techgrading, as I like to call it." "Oh." Flash shook his head, "Nah, I'm pretty contempt with what I have. And besides, that'd take a lot of work." "Well you know....umm..." Her voice died down, "If you want I could possibly, work on it." "Wait what?" Flash turned his head at Firestar. Not hearing a single word she said. "You're gonna have to speak up a bit." She slightly raised her voice, "You know, If I could....help with that." Both Flash's eyebrows rose, a small smirk crept on his face. Letting out a chuckle "You mean you wanna...'techgrade' my suit?" She blushed a little, nodding her head. "Y-Yeah." "I didn't even know you were into tech." Firestar shrugged and grinned. "W-Well. I mean, I've got a knack for inventing tech like items or collecting gadgets and all that. But uhh...about that techgrade?" Flash shook his head. "Look, I'm flattered and all that. But this suit, this suit can be such a hustle sometimes. Half my paychecks have gone into fixing it. I had to learn how to repair and replace glass which, kinda has gotten easier but that's not the point. " He sighed, "Look, what I'm saying is. You need to have a lot of patience and dedication if you'd want to make something like this. No doubt upgrade. And at the beginning of it all you think you have it but mid way through you want to destroy the whole thing because things aren't going your way. Do you get my drift." "You know what. I actually love challenges." She said, "Soo, I do get your drift. But I still would want to techgrade your mask. Or your whole suit for that matter." "Firestar no. I'm not gonna force you into doing that." "But you're not." She protested, "I'm offering to do this out of my free will." "Firestar--" "Come on, Please!" "Fire--" "Pleeaaaasssseee!" "Firestar, how much longer are you willing to keep this up." "Well, judging by the little kid in me. Probably the whole day. Maybe even the week." Flash sighed. "Man us Sentry's really are stubborn!" "Okay fine. I'll let your work on the mask. But only the mask And don't go too crazy on it, I only have the one." She squealed in excitement. Staggering to her feet she rushed out of the room. Leaving Flash a little shook. Out of everyone he'd ever known, the only person to ever run that fast over an invention was Micro Chips. He didn't even have time to react. He sighed, "I give her like, ten minut--yeah Ten minutes top before she finally breaks." Flash again, was on his phone. Basically forgetting that Firestar had ran off with his mask he instead was playing games on his phone. Specifically, mobile advertisement games on his phone. The type of ones that always shows the player purposely playing horribly so they could reel in the average phone user. Even though Flash could see right through them, he'd still get the games due to how pissed he'd get by the below par gameplay depicted in the ads. That's was when Firestar abruptly opened the door with the most excited expression on her face. "Flash, you gotta check this out!" Startled, Flash jumped. Nearly dropping his phone. "You know, knocking doesn't hurt your kncukl--" "Never mind about that!" Firestar beamed, "You have to check this out! Like, right now!" Flash winced a little by the sudden enthusiasm. Then he remembered the fact he'd give her his mask to 'techgrade.' He rose to his feet and began following Firestar. "There's no way she actually managed to do something super crazy in under an hour. No way!" The door to Firestar's room was half opened. Pushing it opened, the two both walked in. Upon entering the room, Flash noticed a bunch of differences from the last time he was there. "Wow. The last time I was here it was some Hello Kitty and Naruto. Now it's old vintage Japanese posters. "Yeah I'm a bit of a collector when it comes to stuff like that." Firestar shrugged, "But never mind about that cause get load of this." She ran over to her desk. A very messy work station with a bunch of tools and bunch of parts and components. In the middle of the desk laid the mask itself. She grabbed it and tossed over to Flash. "Here, catch." He snagged it. He looked at the black eyelids. He noticed a slight reflection coming off of them. Feeling them, he realized they weren't cloth anymore. He looked at Firestar, "What did you do to this mask?" "Something cool." Flash looked back at his mask. "Which is...." "I Basically created shutters on where the eyelids used to be. What I'm saying is you'll be able to express your emotion by either narrowing your eyes or widening them." Flash was about to open his mouth and ask how that was even possible. But Firestar quickly interjected. "There are sensors in them. They can track the movement of your eye lids and directly translates to the shutters." Flash sighed. "Alright it wont kill me to see this for myself." Flash jerked his head up. Realizing the small pun he made in the sentence. Firestar gave Flash a smug smirk. Folding her arms, "Was that on purpose?" Flash rolled his eyes, putting the mask on. "Trust me I'm not that clever." Putting the mask on, the shutters almost immediately reacted. Widening and them, or squinting. They were extremely responsive. "Wow, wow okay....WOW." Firestar giggled a little. "I know, I know. I'm awesome." "N-No, I mean this is...weird to get used to." Firestar's eyes widened. She sheepishly giggled and scratched the back of her head. "Uhh, heh. It may take a while to get used to. But...you know you'll get used to it." Flash took the mask off. A little skeptical about this whole techgrading thing. "If you say so...." ……. //-------------------------------------------------------// Assasination/'Just' //-------------------------------------------------------// Assasination/'Just' "So you're telling me you messed up the mission. Lost the car and the target?" Serpent was kneeling. His head bowed down. "Mr. X, I'm-I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. There was this-this thing this person who--" "Enough." The shadowy silhouette sternly asserted himself. "I hate to be your parent. But what you did is inexcusable and costed me quite a bit." Serpent, didn't say a word. Keeping silent. Mr. X narrowed his eyes on him. He sighed. Going into his desk and pulling out a picture of familiar family. "You have quite the extended family here." Serpent's eyes widened. Jerking his head up, a chill went down his spine. "Two beautiful nieces and a Sister in-Law. And, even a lovely sister. It'd be a shame if something happened to them." Serpent rose to his feet. "You wouldn't. Please!" Mr. X chuckled. Putting the picture down. "Then can I trust you to make up for yesterday's....failure." Serpent nodded, prompting him to continue. "Kimi Osana, though she escaped from your grasp yesterday, she's still out there. And lucky for you, we've been able to locate her at a hotel near the airport. She's in seclusion. I want you to take her out from long range, since clearly you couldn't do much from...close contact. Once you got the job done, see if you can find anything of value." Serpent nodded again, heading for the exit. But Mr. X had one more thing to say. "Oh and consider yourself lucky to get a second chance at this assignment. If you mess this up, then I'll no longer be able to vouch for you. And well, we wouldn't want that to happen now would we?" Serpent narrowed his eyes. Right there he would've just been dying to snarl at Mr. X. But he didn't, walking away and heading for the exit. "Well it's about time you finally called. I mean I know you're a slacker sometimes but this is just a whole new level" Flash chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Well good to see you to Soarin." "I hate to be a broken record, but how's Tokyo." "Trust me, I have a list of sentences and phrases people are gonna say to me. And I also hate to be a broken record but it's great! I mean I might stay here longer than I planned if I want to." "Well good to see you're still a dork. So uh hey what've you done so far?" Flash sighed, leaning back in a chair he was sitting on. "Well on my first day I felt a little sleep deprived. Went into the city with my relatives, saw and got some really, really neat stuff. Ate some really great food. And uh now....I'm gonna go see a Dora movie in Japanese Dubbing. I got the chance, might as well see it for myself." Soarin chuckled, nodding his head. "I know which one what you're talking about. Rainbow Dash practically dragged me into it." That bit of information ended up being the most shocking thing Flash had ever heard. He went to open his mouth, but before he could. Soarin sighed and further explained. "It reminded her of Daring Do which is kinda like Tomb Raider which is kinda of a cool game. That and she was all like. Um Ahem. He proceeded to make his voice as high pitched and raspy as possible, "Man Dora was the shit back then! No question." Flash let out a laugh. "Well horrible impression aside, it kinda sounds like her." A mischievous expression crept on Soarin's face. "Hey, I think you're forgetting something?" Flash arched an eyebrow, "Forgetting what?" "Oh come on you know. Forgetting something you did yesterday." "I, I don't know what you mean. I've said everything I've done so far." Soarin chuckled a little, a huger grin forming on his face. "So, you didn't have conversation with a certain red head we all know and love?" Flash blinked twice. His eyes widened and his face went completely red. "WHA--How-How did you know---WAIT WHAT!?" Soarin laughed, "Oh man, let's just say the term 'Kissy kissy friend' is-is hones-s-s---PFFT!...." He couldn't help himself and broke down laughing. Flash grumbled, "WHO TOLD YOU! HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?! IF YOU DON'T STOP LAUGHING I SWEAR I--" "Flash chill! Look it may have accidentally got out but still you gotta admit, it's a little funny right." Flash glared at Soarin from the phone. Prompting Soarin to sigh and do a complete 180. "Look Flash, umm. I'm not the person that should say this but hell somebody has to say it eventually. Sunset still....likes you..." Flash's whole expression changed from angry to dumbfounded. "What?" "You know what I said. Look she-she said told us that she still kinda has 'those feelings' for you. She wanted to go directly to you, but by that time your flight had already taken off." "You're...being serious?" "Flash look I know I can be a bit of a dick. But, I wouldn't lie to you about this.....I know you two had a, more than shaky relationship and things haven't exactly been that much better. But...look I'll let you think about it. And please, talk to her man. If it's anybody that has to set it straight, it's you." Soarin left the call. Leaving Flash more....even I don't know how to put it he's just...just we'll say that. He's feeling 'just'. "Sunset still....likes me?" Immediately all the memories of the relationship that used to be flooded his head. But in-turn, the memories of Flash bailing out on dates to go be Spider-Man also flooded his head. He looked at the floor , still feeling 'just'. "Flash are you ready?" Aunt Thunderstar called from the hallway. "Snowstorm really, really wants to go!" Flash was broken out of his trance. Responding rather quickly, "Uh yeah! Yeah, I'm coming." He stuffed his phone in his pocket. Rising to his feet and starting for the door. Serpent jumped from building to building. Having traveled a good Hour and a half, he decided to screw with the road travel and utilize structures around him. Leaping onto one more building. Staring at the hotel Kimi was in. He could an Airplane take off as well, which though unnecessary to the plot, was really, really loud. He knelt down, reaching for his back he pulled out a Sniper rifle. He began calibrating the scope, zooming onto the window which allegedly was Kimi's floor. "Okay room 741!" Serpent closed on eye, looking into the scope, it seemed his source was right. Kimi Osana was pacing back and fourth, looking like she hadn't winked an eye the night before. Usually, Serpent would probably chuckle and let out a pun. But he didn't so much crack the slightest smirk. In fact, he was the most expressionless he'd ever been in a while. "Okay Bitch, you've roamed freely long enough." Kimi was mumbling to her self in panic. Walking with both hands placed on the back of her head. After last night's incident, anything was inevitable to happen. So she had a plan, get out of Tokyo and go to another a place to keep a low profile for a while. But suddenly, She wailed. A bullet hit her right in the shoulder. Getting deep in there. She fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder with her left hand. For a moment, there were only two things she could hear. Ringing and her heavy breaths. Blood was pouring out of the bullet hole. She was slowly began to black out. *CRASH!* The window panel shattered. Serpent effortlessly landed on his feet. Reaching into his jacket, He pulled out a handgun and walked over to limp body laying on the ground. He stood right beside Kimi, making sure he would be the last image she ever saw. He knelt down, putting the gun right in her mouth. He pulled down in his scarf with his free hand. Making sure she saw the cruel smirk on his face. "熱いものを見る (See ya hot stuff.) ........ //-------------------------------------------------------// A Suggestion/Leave it //-------------------------------------------------------// A Suggestion/Leave it Firestar chuckled a little as she and the rest of her family walked through the door. "Man for a person who has to ask the audience a what their favourite part is, I gotta say this movie wasn't half bad." "Well you know what might be half bad." said Thunderstar, "Spark cooking dinner. Cause this gal's takin a back seat" Spark folded her arms and glared at her wife. Losing a bet she was pretty much in a bad mood. "Okay so I was wrong about Boots! But I didn't think he'd actually talk. Or have a deep hunky voice for that matter alright. That trailer was a bunch a bullsh--" Thunderstar, immediately went in for Spark's lips. Stopping her from talking. Just being a quick peck on her lips. When that whole action was completed, she justified herself. Hissing a little, "Snowstorm is right here and fyi, she doesn't need a potty mouth. Got it." Spark, just a tiny bit frightened nodded her head slowly. Snowstorm looked up at both parents, pretty confused to what's going on. Thunderstar did a 180, picking Snowstorm and changing her tone. "Your mommy's being a little cranky. Isn't that silly?" Meanwhile, Firestar felt really disgusted. "Great, now the image of my moms kissing. Up close!" Flash chuckled, placing his hand on top of Firestar's head, giving it a little push. "Trust me, it could be a lot worse." Firestar looked up, confused. "What do you mean." Flash's grin grew a little wider. However, he refrained himself from telling Firestar as the memory was just too awkward and inappropriate to tell her. "Don't worry about it." He started for the stairs, with Firestar close behind. Reaching the second floor, Firestar got down to business. "Sooo, if you don't mind me asking. Why'd you go all Spider-Man yesterday? I mean not that it isn't cool or anything but uh why?" Flash was a bit taken back by the question. His first instinct was to lie. But honestly it wasn't like he'd come across anything life threatening. He sighed, looking at Firestar. "Well there was a car chase going down somewhere." He and Firestar went into his room. Flash closed the door and continued. "I didn't want to go into pursuit of it but the vigilante side of me got the better so I decided to go and stop it." "And?" "Well, I sorta did. What's really bizarre was the driver." Firestar arched an eyebrow, "Why?" "Well, he seems to be some sort of.....I don't even know. He's a really good fighter, well I guess a pretty fast one. Of all the times I've taken down an ordinary crook, I've never met a guy who could fight as..." He trailed off. He took a sigh, "I don't wanna sound arrogant, but I've never seen a normal guy fight as fast as me." "What?" "But I think he's actually faster than me. I got the guy out of the car and got him at a building top. That's where the most bizarre thing happened. He was about come at me when he just disappeared out of thin air for a second." Firestar's eyes widened a little. It prompted another question out of her. "What'd he look like?" "The only thing I can remember was he had a long trench coat. A black baseball cap and he wore a checkered scarf. Why?" Firestar's eyes widened even more. She placed both hands on her mouth. Muttering, "Oh no." Flash rose an eyebrow. "Um, by that response I think you might know him?" She looked at Flash with a shocked and a little panicked expression. "Flash that description matches a criminal named....The Gold Serpent." "Is that something I should know?" Flash asked with a small hint of urgency in his voice. "Firestar what, what are you talking about?" Firestar gulped nervously. "Look, A few years ago there was this guy who'd been shot by a Mercenary who's linked to the Yakuza. He survived however and made it to the hospital. He was able to somewhat recover, enough for him to say a description of the person who shot him." "And I'm guessing the description I mentioned..." "Matches what he said in a statement. Just in his statement, he said the guy called himself The Gold Serpent" "What happened next?" Firestar went silent. Flash could see in her eyes that whatever happened to him wasn't exactly a happy ending. He sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I have to stop this guy." Firestar quickly rose to her feet. With an even more panicked expression. "Flash no!" She begged, "This guy isn't some amateur. He's, well for all we know probably a bonified assassin. Who know's what he could do to you, Spider Powers or not!" Flash sighed. "I know I'm not exactly a professinal at this type of stuff. But as Spider-Man there's a responsibility I uphold and I refuse to ignore it. Even just this once." He smiled and looked her in the eyes. "And besides, I never go down without a fight." Firestar was still skeptical. Maybe Flash was more than capable. But it still didn't feel like it should be a risk he should take. "Flash? How exactly did your first encounter with The Serpent end?" Flash looked down. His smirk instantly faded away and it turned into a grimace. "I had to bail out. I got worried Aunty T. or Aunt S. would find out I sneaked out so...I had to beeline back here." "Alright, what about the encounter itself?" "I seemed to have kept my ground well. But still that guy.....out of everyone I've encountered he's probably the most skilled at fighting. And I have the feeling he's capable of worse." "And that's why I don't think you should just go out and go pursue this guy. Who knows what type of work he could do out of you." Flash sighed, "Well I'm willing to take my chances." Firestar stroked her chin. A small smirk crept on her face. "Well, what if you learned a form of martial arts." Flash rose an eyebrow, "A form of martial arts, Why?" "Think about it. You're practically raw talent. So, if you maybe practice a certain form. Maybe you could do more than a scratch on him." Flash folded his arms. He wasn't exactly that much of a fighter, but he did know a thing or two about martial arts. "Look not to burst your bubble of brilliance or anything. But, martial arts takes years to master, at best I'd probably....I don't know dust off the surface." "Come on. It might help a little." Flash sighed, "Look, as much as I'd love to put time into that. This isn't some professional fight I'm prepping for, this is somebody I have to stop ASAP. I mean who knows what he could do next." "Then...." Firestar stroked her chin, "Come on it's worth a shot. Maybe you wont become Black Belt worthy but just try" Flash sighed again. "Fine. But there's another problem." "And that would be?" "Well I don't know where to find this guy. I know virtually nothing about him and since this isn't Canterlot. I don't really got that much time to spare." Firestar chuckled. Getting up and starting for the door. "Uhh hello, 21st Century. We live in a world of tech." Flash followed her back to her bedroom. Entering it, she went over to her desk. Pulling out a small drone. "So just send a drone over to where the most criminal activity happens and take an educated guess that the Serpent will be there." "And that would be...." "Shinjuku district. Particularly an alley dubbed Criminal Sanctuary. It's a place where shady stuff goes down at night. Prostitution, Drug dealing, anything." "Maybe I should pay that place a visit." "Yeah no." said Firestar, "Unless you've fought off a criminal mafia or something. I wouldn't exactly go pursuing these guys, especially if you want to keep Spider-Man under the rug while you're here. I'm pretty sure people can't be that stupid to suspect something." "Well I keep myself pretty well hidden in Canterlot. But I guess you're right." Flash sighed, "So anyways, what now?" Firestar shrugged, "Well we cold play the waiting game till....about 10 at night." Thunderstar walked into the kitchen to see Spark still not cooking anything. A wide grin crept on her face as she began to approach her wife. "So, how's dinner coming along. Honnneey?" "Shut up. I'm still figuring this out." Spark chuckled, "I thought you said you were taking a back seat." "Well I decided I need a front seat. So I'm just gonna sit here, maybe grab a snack. And watch from the sidelines." Spark shook her head as she looked through the cabinet for some ingredients. "Between you and Flash. I think you'd take home the award for the biggest dork in the world." A moment of silence went by. The only things that could be heard was the TV playing in the background and Spark's feet shuffling from one place to another. Thunderstar took a deep breath, deciding to address the elephant in the room. "Look...about last night." Spark's overall attitude changed. Playfully angry to a little annoyed. "Oh my god." she groaned, "Is this really something we should address?" "Well what are we suppose to say to a Spider-Man report in Tokyo? It's too much of a coincidence." "I..." Spark sighed, "Look so what if he hypothetically is Spider-Man. It doesn't change who he is. He's still our nephew." "I know but....well if he is. I-I don't know, why. Just why would he go out be a crime fighter everyday? That's just way too dangerous. Something bad could happen." Spark gave Thunderstar a smile. "Hey don't say things like that. Flash is a responsible young man. Even if he was Spider-Man he wouldn't be reckless." Thunderstar looked down, still with an unsure expression. So in response. Spark put her hand under Thunderstar's chin and held it up. "Let's just leave it okay. He's happy, the kids are happy. There's no need for us to be worrying over a far fetched coincidence. Okay?" Thunderstar formed a sentimental smirk and nodded. "Alright." …….. //-------------------------------------------------------// Akira Sensei //-------------------------------------------------------// Akira Sensei "Okayyyy, here!" "Wow so this is the place?" Flash and Firestar were looking at the live feed the small drone was getting. Directly from a laptop. What they saw was 'interesting' to say the least. A full on drug dealing was happening right there while other members of the Yakuza were interacting with one and other. Flash grit his teeth. "There doesnt seem to be any sign of him here!" "You sure he isn't dressed as one of them?" Flash shook his head. "His voice was a bit higher. So it's pretty distinct from the rest. And these guys don't sound a thing like them." "Well then what are we supposed to do while we wait?" Asked Firestar. "I wish I knew." There was some silence. The two just sat there staring at the laptop. But that's when something in Firestar's head went off. She looked back at Flash. "Hold on, I recall that earlier this afternoon you agreed to take a little Taekwondo, right?" Flash turned his head. Arching an eyebrow, "Yeah. Why?--Wait why Taekwondo?" "Because you're pretty flexible. Sooo, high kicks could be a strength of yours. But anyway, you agreed to take a little Taekwondo right?" Flash shrugged. "Sure, I guess." "Well then why don't you go over to his Dojo and get yourself acquainted with him. Hell he might teach you a thing or two on your first day." Flash sighed, "First of all, I don't know where that is. Second off all, I don't even know if I'll be able to communicate with him. And finally, if Aunt T and S find out I just left they're gonna get mighty suspicious." Firestar stretched her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Lucky for you, I got all the answers. This guy speaks a lot of languages, English being one of them. Also, I used to take his classes for like two years after we moved here. I know where the place is. And finally." "Okay. But then there comes the whole. How am I supposed to sneak off into the night and got to this place huh? I don't wanna have to dress up as Spider-Man and do this whole thing everyday y'know. That'll just attract too much attention." "Well you don't have to necessarily dress up as Spider-Man. Now do you." "Okay so then what?" Flash asked. "Sooo you have plenty of clothes in that bag. Just dress in something that'll disguise you pretty well. Heck put on some glasses and a hat and that should be the solution." Flash looked down at the clothes he was wearing. A plain white shirt and some black sweatpants. He sighed. "Alright fine, I'll be right back." He got up and started for the door. When Flash came back. He simply put on some layers. The same two zippered pocket black bomber jacket he'd worn at the airport. His ESU cap and in his arms he carried his only other pair of shoes. A pair of Nike Red Hi-Tops. "I didn't have any pair of glasses so I hope this'll do." "Not bad. But I can help with the glasses problem." She went into her drawer again. Pulling out a pair of sunglasses. "Here try these on." She threw them over to Flash who quickly caught it by the temple. However in the process, he dropped his shoes. Much to his dismay. He looked over at Firestar who gave him a sheepish smile and chuckled. "Okay maybe I shoulda payed more attention." "I-It's fine." He put the glasses on and knelt down to put his shoes on. "Say how am I gonna know if Aunty T and S might be needing me for something. I mean my phone doesn't exactly work all that well without Internet. The SIM card is practically useless here." "Easy. We go back in time to the good ol' days." She went into her desk and pulled out two black walkie talkies. "Until we can figure out the phone situation, we'll just use these. And.... an earpiece for you. That is if I can..." She backened her seat so she could see a little better. Eventually, she pulled out a wired earpiece complete with a microphone and two Bluetooth receivers. "Just plug that into there. Pair these two up and.....Done!" She handed him the Walkie Talkie and ear piece. "Now just put that into your ear and we'll be able to stay in touch." Flash again arched his eyebrow. He took the walkie talkie and put it in his pocket, zipping it up. He then grabbed the earpiece, putting it in his left right ear and speaking into the Microphone. Seeing the microphone right in front of him actually got him to smirk. "Uh, testing, testing." Firestar rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Hold on let me at least turn mines on." she went over to her desk and grabbed the other Walkie Talkie, turning it on. "Okay now." "Testing." "##Testing##" "Well doesn't sound too bad so I guess we got that covered." "Okay....soooo the place I'm going to. Where is it?" Firestar got out a piece of paper and ripped it. She grabbed a pen from the pen holder and began writing down the place's name and address. "Okay, Master Akira's Martial Art's Dojo. Just plop that into Google Maps and you'll be on your way." Flash grabbed the piece of paper and got out his phone. "Man I gotta say, a lot of these streets don't have names. It's kinda interesting actually." Firestar shrugged, "Yeah. And I gotta say, America streets seem to have a lot of names. I mean I know I lived there and all, but I don't remember there being that much names." Flash chuckled, putting the paper in his other pocket. "Emphasis on live. Trust me I wouldn't expect a five year old to remember that much about the good ol' days." He went over to the window. Opening it and putting his leg through the hole. "Alright, I'll see you whenever." As he turned his head however, he saw the weird expression from Firestar's face. A mix of 'wow' and 'what the hell are you doing?' He put his leg back in and stood there confused. "What?" She snapped back into reality. Replying. "Oh um...no. It's just uh...." Flash looked back at the window. Putting together the pieces he sighed. "Okay look so this looks a little odd. But....this kinda how I used to sneak out of my own home. It's kind of a habit alright." "Umm, yeah whatever." She gestured for him to go on. So he did. Crawling out of the window. Firestar ran over to the window just as Flash had become out of her gaze. He made his way onto the exterior wall. Looking down at the sidewalk. He narrowed his eyes onto the ground before jumping right off. Firestar watched as he took a 15 foot fall. She gasped, for a moment completely forgetting Flash had super powers. However as she gasped. Flash made a perfect landing. Making it look effortless. He looked back at Firestar. Giving her a wide grin and playfully adjusting his glasses. Firestar sighed in relief. Then giving Flash a smug look. She went on her walkie talkie. "Okay, Okay. Ya got me. Just go already! And uhh, don't take too long." "Aye, Aye Cap'." Flash turned the other way. Looking at his phone and following the waypoint to his destination. Running. Meanwhile in Canterlot. It was a crisp 9 AM morning there. Sunset laid her in room. Hair a mess and the side of her face buried deep in her pillow. Her room was lit with red LED Lights. With a white couch and television. And of course, a nice little gaming setup. She'd been there for a while. After the little incident, she'd completely confine herself in her room. On the floor were some snack packets and some fast food packets. The door to her room creaked open. Twilight walked in with a smirk to her face. "Uhh, well I know I already did it. But can I come in?" Sunset groaned, turning her head so the other side of her face would be buried into the pillow and the side that was before could be visible to Twilight. "You here to tell me that you have a press conference in place?" Twilight kept her smirk. Walking inside and grabbing the chair from Sunset's gaming setup. "No...well not yet anyways." "Hilarious." Sunset said bluntly with an emotionless expression. Twilight pulled the chair up just a few inches away from Sunset's bed. "So....how's life?" "I don't know." Twilight folder her arms and leaned back into the chair. "Look Sunset. Maybe I kinda dropped the ball on the whole." Her smirk grew a little wider but she held back her snickers. "Kissy, Kissy thing." Sunset raised her arm up and gave Twilight the finger. In-turn getting a chuckle out of her. She leaned forward. "I mean come on don't be hypocritical. You'd do the same when it comes to me and Timber. But then that makes me hypocritical because the rest of us would do the same to Rainbow Dash when it comes to Soarin. Then there's Applejack and Rarity. Which honestly we just tease the both out of. Fluttershy. Man Fluttershy's probably the best at this because she somehow keeps her love life in check. And well let's be honest. Pinkie Pie being flustered will never happen--" Sunset moaned. Turning her head so her face was fully buried in the pillow. Twilight sighed, patting Sunset on the back of the head. "Well I probably should get going. I got a thing to do with Timber. But...." She got up off the chair and reached into her pocket. "I did you a favour. I asked Rainbow Dash to ask Soarin to give me Flash's new number. You know, so you two could talk and stuff." Sunset's head jerked up in an instance. That emotionless look became an almost taken back look. "Uhh, granted the likeliness of him picking up varies. Umm, texting though. That might work out." Twilight walked over to Sunset's desk where she placed the piece of paper. She looked back at Sunset. "And uh by the way. Clean your room." She closed the door behind her. Leaving Sunset alone. Sunset got out of her bed slowly. Walking over to her desk where she picked up the piece of paper. She bit her lip as a anxious expression formed on her face. Flash's mouth hung open. He stood in an alleyway. Right between two apartments. He was confused. He pressed his earpiece, speaking into the microphone. "Uhh...yo?" There was some static for a moment. Just before Firestar responded. "Yo. What sup?" "Uhh eyeah. Uhh the place you sent me too turns out to be an alleyway. Where's the School or whatever?" Flash heard Firestar giggle a little. "Oh maybe I should've been more clear about where the place is." Flash. Because he was in a foreign area. Got a bit anxious . Widening his eyes. "You didn't send me to the wrong place did you?" Firestar laughed. Clearly sensing it. "No, No. If I did it'd be funny but-but no. There should be a railing to your left, right?" Flash turned his head. Taking off his glasses to get a better view of things. He saw a silver railing coming out of the wall. His shoulders dropped. "How did I miss that?" "Y'know. Scientist say Arachnaids aren't exactly known for their eyesight." "Okay you know what screw you too." Firestar chuckled. "Right. Anyway just walk around them and you should find a set of stairs leading to a room beneath those apartments. From what I remember, he has night classes that usually end before midnight. So you should be fine." Flash sighed. "Man when you said Dojo, I kind of envisioned something else." "Well life isn't always a movie either. Now get going. If something bad happens, I'll let you know. For now just take out earpiece for now so you don't look suspicious. Oh and whatever you do, don't say you're real name. Try and give yourself a fake identity. This guy's kinda close with my Mom's and...well I guess you get the rest. Kay good luck." Flash's shoulders dropped. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well isn't that a shocker. I gotta hide my identity." He put his glasses on and approached the railings. Flash walked around the railings and surprise, surprise. A small set of stairs leading to a door in what looked like a lobby. Nothing too exquisite. A line of plastic chairs, some beige floral wallpaper and a wall mounted coat rack. Flash sighed in relief. "Well it's not an underground club or anything so that's a good sign." Upon entering the place. He could hear what sounded like a sensei instructing his students. "Yup this is definitely the place." Flash took his hat off and set it on the rack. He walked towards the only other room. The Dojo itself. Upon entering, the place was a lot bigger than Flash would've thought it out to be. It was just a wide and narrow room with place mats. One set on both sides of the room. All being parallel to one another. On those placemats were students, people all as old as Flash. If not just a little older. They were reciprocating exactly what their sensei was doing. The Sensei himself, he was a tall and well built guy. He had black hair and a long goatee. Doing drills with his class. Flash didn't know how to really approach this. He'd already been standing there for a few seconds. "Wait should I like approach him or something? Or do I wait here. Dam--Wait what am I supposed to do? Umm..." Flash decided to just lean on the doorway. Moving slowly and awkwardly until his arm leaned on it. As soon as the Sensei turned his head. His gaze met Flash. This caused him to freeze in place as Flash's presence was a little bit of a surprise. Instead of finishing the action he was going to do. He paused the session. So he addressed the class. "やめる (Stop.)" It confused the whole class. They looked into the same direction the Sensei was looking at. In other words, all the eyes were on Flash and he quickly noticed. It dawned on him that he had to say something whether he liked it or not. So he did, but his voice cracked. "Hi--HI! Hi...Hi." Already a sheepish smile grew on his face. If it weren't for the glasses covering his eyes, the whole class would've seen his nervous look. The Sensei approached Flash. Stopping a few feet away from Flash and crossing his arms. Speaking sternly with an accent to his voice, "And you are?" Flash took a deep breath. In his head he was trying to think of something clever and non generic. "Uhh, my name is....John..knee. Johnny, My name is Johnny O'Conner." A confident grin crept on his face, trying to discard that slight struggle he'd just have. The man rose an eyebrow at Flash. "Okay. What brings you here?" "Well uh....I heard from a uh...book! Yeah a uh book that you taught some different styles of Martial Arts." Flash ran that "So, you heard about this place from some...book?" Flash's eyes widened. Getting a bit anxious. "Uh-DumUh Yessssss?" He shrugged. Feeling unsure of his own response. The Sensei smirked chuckled and nodded. "Okay then." Flash sighed in relief. "Well I think I made a... great impression." The Sensei bowed. "I am Akira. But if you it is learning you have come here to seek. Then see to it that you shall address me as Akira-Sensei." Flash nodded. For the first time since he arrived, he had a confident demeanor. "Okay, Akira Sensei." Akira tilted his head up. His smile had faded away. He was in deep thought, analyzing the person in front of him. "Though I feel it to be rude of me. Why is it that you want to take up Martial Arts?" Flash's eyes widened a little. That confident demeanor practically faded. The reason, he hadn't even formulated a good excuse. No less expecting that question. "Umm....Pffffffttttt--I thought it could be useful to learn a style of Martial Arts. As a means of self defense.." Akira sighed. "And that is the term of emphasis young man. 'Self Defense'. A term that many have forgotten. And with that forgetfulness, lead to many, many consequences. Some that somehow I find myself responsible for." He put his hand on Flash's shoulder. "If it is my teachings you want to commit yourself to. Then you must remember. You do this for Self Defense. No more, no less. The tools you acquire are not used to cause havoc or to escalate discord. do you understand me?" Flash let those words sink in. He now realized that excuse he just said. To him it felt no different to lying to his Dad about the whole Wrestling thing. Because in reality, the only reason he's doing this is to beat Serpent. But at the same time, Firestar wants him to do this. So he could possibly put up a better fight and take Serpent Down. So he nodded. "Yes, I understand." Akira smiled. "Then you are now officially my student. But what is it you want to learn from me?" Flash took a deep breath. Standing up straight. "Taekwondo." Akria's eyes widened a little. He put his hand under his hairy chin. "Taekwondo. That is an interesting one. One that requires some intricate reaction time and movement. Do you fall under that category?" Flash nodded and responded quickly. "Yes." Akira raised an eyebrow. It wasn't out of the ordinary that he chose it. He turned around to look at the class he was currently teaching. He looked at each student. Eventually he found a student he thought would be perfect. He pointed at him. Speaking rather sternly. "ここ春樹! (Haruki here!)" A student, the same age of Flash. Like the rest of the class, wore a blue training gi. He was a little shorter than Flash but he was also a pretty skilled student. Akria then glanced at Flash. Gesturing at him to stand in front of The student Using the same stern demeanor. "Johnny Here!" Flash was a bit taken back by his tone. But he obeyed. Stuffing his hands in his pockets and casually walking over. He stood in front of Haruki. Not really knowing what to do, he rose his hand up. "Uhhh.....Hey." Haruki stood silent. Staring intensely at Flash and not as much replying to him. Flash's smile somewhat faded away. "Or not...." Akira stood in between both of them. Without giving any further instruction. He put up three fingers and began to count down. 三 二 一 "行け! (GO!)" Haruki in an instant, charged at Flash. Going immediately for a kinfehand for Flash's gut. Flash's eyes widened behind his glasses. He let out a "Woah!" Before pivoting to the left and dodging the strike. Flash's shoulders rose a little as he was put in a very tough situation. "Wait I have to fight this guy!?" Haruki also pivoted. Clenching his fist and going at Flash again. Flash again dodged, avoiding the jab to his face. While still freakin' out a little. "I can't actually hurt this guy. That goes against everything I believe in." Haruki narrowed his eyes at Flash as he would not stay still. So he decided to go all out. Going at Flash with a chain of punches and kicks. Flash let out another brief scream. Bracing himself. He was dodging as much as he can. Ducking and pivoting mostly. He was much too scared to actually physically touch the student. "Well I mean I fought Curly Winds when I thought my powers suddenly resurged. That's when, midway through it all his eyes narrowed at the thought. "Wait he had that coming! I was not about to let his comments about Mom slide." He got a little angry by the thought. So much so that when his Spider-Sense went off due to the oncoming barrage of strikes. He ended up catching Haruki's hand and grasped it firmly. A little too firmly. It kind of surprised everyone, including Akira Sensei. It wasn't until that he heard Haruki yelp that Flash snapped back into reality. His eyes widened as he looked to what he had grabbed a hold of. He almost immediately let go, took a step back and began apologizing. "Oh my god. Dude I am so sorry." Haruki rubbed his hand. Glaring at Flash, getting ready to strike back. That was until Akira Sensei stopped them. "さて、それで十分です! (Okay, that's enough!)" The two glanced at the Teacher. He put both his hands behind his back. Walking over to Flash. "Okay, you're not exactly a work of art. But you aren't very lousy. I think with a little steering in the right direction. You can make some good progress." "So you'll teach me?" Akira Sensei nodded. "Yes." "When?" Flash asked Akira Sensei stroked his chin. Looking at Flash's posture. He turned and looked away from Flash. "5:00 in the Morning sharp." Flash's shoulders dropped. "5:00?! In the Morning!?" "Discipline plays a huge factor in learning." He glanced at Flash with a smirk. "Have you not ever attended school before? We all must leave the comfort of our bed at an early time so we have better focus on what we are doing." Flash, would've argued otherwise. Being the lazy couch potato he was, he didn't want to actually wake up practically before Dawn. Even if it were for one day out of his summer. Sleeping was just so very, very valuable to him. But, he agreed to do this. So he felt he had to brace for whatever is necessary to make it work. He sighed. "You know--Fine. Just fine, I'll be here at 5 AM sharp." He started for the exit. Stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Man this is gonna blow so hard!" Firestar sat in her chair. Going through her phone as nothing on the drone's camera feed had picked up anything of relevance. But then, out of nowhere. She heard a knock at her window. *Knock, Knock* The noise alone made her jump from out of her seat. Glancing over she saw Flash who at that point had already looked like he was about to burst out laughing. Her eyes narrowed on the boy. She walked over to the window and opened it. Giving Flash one of the most nicest greetings she'd ever have. "You scared the CRAP out of me!" Flash laughed upon entering the room. Putting his hand on Firetsar's shoulder for a brief moment before she pushed it away in a fit of annoyance. He shrugged. "Well I do like making dramatic entrances." Firestar sighed upon Flash striking one of her annoyance chords. She got straight to business. "So how'd it go." Flash took the glasses and hat off. Putting away all the Walkie Talkie stuff as well. Then responding. "Great, I have to wake up at 5 every morning though. But Great, I think I made a pretty good impression. But I also interrupted his class. And sparred with some guy." Firestar smiled at the news. "Well. That's a step in the right direction. I mean think about it. If you haves classes at 5 then you can basically sneak out without a sweat." "Yeah....I guess losing valuable sleeping time is worth this." Flash looked over at Firestar's laptop. "Say what about crime alley?" Firestar sighed. "Nothing of interest. I'm getting the drone back here for a full charge. Then maybe we could see if anything happens tommorow." "Alright." "Say, you have Money on your right. Y'know I mean like Yen." Flash sighed and gave Firestar a smirk. "Well whether I like it or not, why?" "Just in case. A little advice about sneaking out: Always have some cash on you, it might prove useful later." Flash shrugged. "Alright. He started for the door. "Well I better hit the hay. Uh good luck with the drone and all that." Flash saw her nod before he walked out on her. Entering the hallway, it was clear that his Aunts were still up. But lucky for him, they weren't even near the room to hear the conversation. He entered his room and closed the door shut. "Alright, I guess I'm doing this now. Have my cousin help me with this whole case and take martial arts classes to make myself better. Man this is so not what I had in mind when it came to vacation." He took his jacket off and dropped it on the ground. Lying on the bed he took his phone out to go set an alarm. But it was upon doing that, he found out that he had been getting some texts. His eyes widened at the person who was sending them. "Sunset Shimmer?" //-------------------------------------------------------// Define/Couple of Dorks //-------------------------------------------------------// Define/Couple of Dorks Flash went through all the texts that he'd been sent. There were so many questions going on his head. But the big one was 'how did she get his number.' He looked at the texts. "Hey Flash." "It's me Sunset. You know Sunset Shimmer." "I wanted to talk to you about something." "But I mean if u dont wanna talk then that's cool to. I understand. 😁" "Get back to me ASAP if you can" Immediately, that whole conversation he had with Soarin earlier rekindled itself in his mind. The one about how Sunset still actually liked him. And reading those texts. He could even tell the emoji was probably just a touch to make everything seem great between the two when it was really not. It just made him feel even more guilty that a nice person like Sunset wanted anything to do with selfish, unhonest jerk like himself. Looking back at the whole relationship. Flash viewed himself as that. A selfish guy who broke a girl's heart because of his own double-life. Before he'd probably just blame Spider-Man for it. But looking back, he felt that he was fully responsible for it all crashing down. To make it worse on him. The memory of him losing his cool on her after that fight with Curly Winds made it's way back into his head. He frowned. He wanted to reply and talk but what to even say. "No Sunset. You deserve better than me." He exited out of the app. Setting his alarm and putting his phone to rest. He put the covers over himself and closed his eyes. Trying his best to forget the whole situation. He could feel a lump in his throat. All the reminiscing was getting to him and making him a little emotional. "It's for....the best that I don't try and hurt you!" His teeth grit and fists clenched under the blanket because of everything that was going on in head right now. But then, he heard a very familiar voice call out to him. "Flash." His eyes opened swiftly. Everything was different. He was not in the bedroom anymore. He was in, his old home's living room. His eyes went wide. He wasn't even sleeping in a bed. He was sleeping on a couch. He sat up straight, being more confused than ever. "What the heck?" Then, the same voice called out to him again. "Flash? Come on now you have to be awake by this point." "Dad?" He couldn't believe it. He looked over to where the kitchen was. His eyes widened. His Father stood on a stepping stool. Holding a paint brush, painting the cabinets. When he saw Flash peak his head over the couch he grinned. Calling out to him one more time. "Come on Flash! The kitchen isn't gonna paint itself." Flash got up slowly getting up and approaching the kitchen. "Dad?--Wait what's going on?" Lucas sighed, "What's going on is that we gotta get this done before your Mother gets home. It'll only take an hour, grab a brush and help me out will ya?" Flash looked over to the counter. There was in fact a paint brush laying there. He was still confused on what was going on, but he picked up the brush anyways. Walking over to where his Dad was painting at. He just stood there. Staring at the wall blankly while holding the dry paint brush. His father quickly noticed. Glancing at him as he just stood there. He chuckled. "Okay compadre, what's wrong?" "Hm?" Flash glanced at his Dad. Lucas again, chuckled. "Come on I know when something's up. I mean I raised you, didn't I?" Flash sighed, looking away. "It-It's nothing. Let's just paint this wa--" "Nope." Lucas interjected. "I'm not gonna stand by while you're down like this. Son, what's been eating you up?" Flash looked down. He turned around to lean on the counter and finally answered. "So I found out from a friend that a person I used to date likes me again. She even texted me today saying she wants to talk and I think I know what it's about. But....." He trailed off. This prompted his Dad to get off the stepping stool and walk in front of Flash. He folded his arms. "You don't wanna talk because you did something bad or selfish in some way and you think it's best to keep your distance from her." Flash looked up at his Dad. He basically got it on point. His frown only grew bigger when he heard the words 'something bad or selfish'. Implying one thing. He corrected him. "Actually, a lot of bad stuff." Lucas sighed. "Son I--It's one thing to shun a girl on a date. But trying to sever ties with her completely. That's just insult to injury don't you think?" Flash's eyes narrowed, from the way his Dad made it sound. It made it sound as if he purposely missed some of his dates. He stood straight. "Hey I didn't want to miss any of my dates! The only reason is because a bank robbery happened, or hell an Electric Man has created a massive city wide black out! Alright and-and maybe being Spider-Man is just gonna be my life from now on. I wish I could've gotten a second chance but honestly now I don't think I deserve it! I mean my Social Life has taken a lot of blows, why should I bother living a normal life." Lucas smirked. He walked up to his son and put his hand on Flash's shoulder. "Flash SoftMax Sentry. You are not defined by the mask you put on everyday. And normal...heh. That's just relative to say the least. Everyone has a different life no one is and can never be defined, normal. I'm not saying were freaks but that's besides the point. He chuckled. He put his other hand on Flash's other shoulder and his smirk grew wider. "To me, you will always be my son. To everyone else you will always be Flash Sentry "Then what is Spider-Man?" "Spider-Man is a responsibility you took up because you knew that with Great Power. Comes Great Responsibility. If I could just...If I could just see you one last time. I would tell you that I'm proud of everything you've overcome." He embraced Flash with a hug. Flash found himself smiling. He hugged his Dad a little tighter. When they broke it off. Flash asked his Dad about 'what he was supposed to do now'. His father kept his smile and responded. "Do what you've always done Flash. Take responsibility for your actions and apologize. And the rest, it's up to you." He went over back to the stepping stool, giving Flash one last look. "Good luck son." Flash's eyes slowly crackled open. He let his vision adjust. When it everything became more clearer, he saw that he was back in his room. He must've left the lights on because the room was well lit. He felt tired. He must've fallen asleep because he felt really tired. "Wait, so then that whole confrontation was...." He narrowed his eyes and stopped his train of thought. He glanced at his phone, reaching for it. Opening it. He went into the DM's and intended to finally responded to Sunset. But he stopped again. "Man up Sentry! Talk to her for real!" Sunset for the most part got herself cleaned up. She still hadn't gotten anything back from Flash. But at this point, all the things they've been through. She understood if he didn't want to talk with her. So she was trying to forget about it. How? By doing a Gaming video. She was setting up to record a video. She was currently focused on her audio mixer. Doing a quick Audio test before she actually started to record. But suddenly her phone started ringing. She glanced at it to see the Caller ID. Her eyes widened at the first name. She took her headphones off and reached for her phone. Without a second thought. She answered the call. "Hello?" "Hi Sunset." There was some silence for a moment. But Sunset decided to address the texts she sent. "Look Flash I--" "Wait Sunset...Wait. Flash interjected. "I.....Really want...to...tell...you something." Sunset's voice went a little soft. "What?" There was some silence again. It left Sunset in a little suspense. But she kept quiet, she wanted to let him talk. She heard an inhale on the phone. And then she finally heard Flash speak. Well...blabber to be specific. "Look I just wanted to say that everything that happened. Every bad thing that ever happened in our relationship. The missed Dates, some--all! All of the arguments. It was all my fault because I was just the most selfish person! and I...I am so Sorry! I am so sorry for everything." Sunset blushed a little. Out of everything she'd expect Flash to say to her. An Apology was not even on the list. Her lips curved to form a genuine smile. "Flash I-I, I don't even know--" "Wait I'm not done. Her smile faded away. She spoke again in that same soft confused tone. "What is it?" "I--I.... Flash. Took a deep breath. "Look what I'm about to say might jeopardize everything and might make me sound desperate." "What?" "WAIT NO! I MEAN NOT DESPERATE! SCRATCH THAT, FORGET I SAID THAT! Umm---Saying that would be implying that you're ugly--WHICH YOU'RE NOT! Which you are not! I mean you are one of the most prettiest, most beautiful and ho--Wait now I that makes me sound like a creep! Uh-What I mean is that I--" "Flash, are you asking me out?" His voice broke. "Y-es. But if you don't wanna either than that's cool too! I mean it's really your decision not mine!" She frowned. "Even after all of that stuff I said to you. A-and then having the nerve to intentionally hurt your feelings. You'd wanna try again." There was another pause between the two. But eventually, Flash responded. "Well I--. Look I....I know that you're not really like that. The Sunset that everyone knows and loves is a....Dorky, Funny, Smart, and really, really Nice and....beautiful person. All of that stuff that you said was....really my fault. Because I..I pushed you to that. And maybe--No I'd like to have a second chance and make this right. Well I mean I--Look if you don't want to do this I.... understand." Sunset frown turned into a smile again. She blushed a lot from all of that. "Oh....Lightning. How could I have ever been mad at you?" Flash sighed. "Okay....I guess I'll--" "--Love to." Flash's shoulders dropped. His eyes went wide. His voice broke again. "Come again?" "I said I'd love to do give 'us' another shot." "Wait you're....you. Really mean it?" "Mhm." A smile grew on his hanging mouth. He couldn't find the right set of words. "Sunset I...I." Make a sweet interjection. "Can't wait to see you back in Canterlot." "I..." Flash chuckled. "I yeah, I guess I cant wait to see me back in Canterlot either." Sunset giggled at Flash's remark. "At least you're still an adorkable person." She sighed, "Hey, maybe. Maybe we could talk s'more tomorrow, if that's alright with you. Well I mean I know you're on a family thing but...well you know whenever you're free." "I'll try my best....okay?" "Alright....Love you." Flash giggled a little. Making another dorky remark. "Love you even more." "Takes a dork to know a dork." She hung up on the call. Flash's smile grew bigger. He put his phone down and walked over to the light switch. Turning off the lights. He walked over to his bed. Getting under the covers, this time with a whole different feeling. He glanced over to the window, looking at the moon. "Dad....if you were still here. I'd give you the biggest thank you ever." Sunset put her phone down. Somehow with just one phone call, her whole day went from mediocre to surprisingly awesome. She put her headphones back on to get the audio test over with. But, she couldn't shake off that smile and a certain feeling inside of her. It was like Flash's 'just' feeling. Except it was kind of 'rosy' like. Not fully rosy, but rosy-esque. She went on her phone just one last time and decided to text Flash something. "❤" "❤" "And FYI. Imma harass you with these hearts everyday till you come back." Shortly after, Flash responded. "Ur a monster" "Ur a monster "Mhm 😉" "Mhm 😉" "Well I'm about to go to bed. u got any more enlightening things for me?" "Mhm 😉" "Well Im about to go to bed. U got any more enlightening things for me?" "Just that I love you more than you loving me more." "Just that I love you more than you loving me more." "Takes a Dork to know a Dork. 💙" Sunset giggled at Flash's closing text. She put down her phone. And massaged the bridges of her nose. Giggling even more. "Dorks. We are just a Couple of Dorks." ...... //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 1 He awoke at 4:50 AM. No Sun outside. Still just pitch black. The noise of Flash's alarm woke him up. He groaned in annoyance, the last time he had to listen to an alarm was over a week ago. And he still didn't miss the sound of it. He slowly sat up straight. Reaching for his phone which was playing a looping tune over and over. Finally answering the Alarm he sighed. This was it, this was his first day doing Marital Arts. Why he had to do it at 5:00 in the morning, was still a mystery to him. But nonetheless, he made it in and that's kind of all that mattered to him. He moved his legs to sit on the edge of the bed. He sighed, "How am I gonna pull this off successfully?" He opened up Google Maps. Luckily from the night before, he had downloaded the area so he could get to it without any connection. He glanced over to his door. Getting up from off his bed and starting for the door he looked for any locks. He sighed. Speaking quietly. "No locks. How convenient." He leaned against the door and crossed his arms. In his head, he had a few ideas. Though he kept discarding them. Keep the door shut with some webs Barricade the door Use a laptop and phone to start a video feed of my room and then set up a dum--Oh yeah I forgot, no internet. And My Laptop's broken. Not go at all and forget this whole thing He sighed. "Yeah if that were ever an option. Firestar would probably get all mad at me." He stroked his chin. "And it's not night time so I cant pull that whole, jump from building to building thing either." Then his eyes widened. Looking over to his bag. For a moment his face went smug, "But Spider-Man can." But just as fast as the idea came. So to did the objection to it. "Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait! Wait! I'm supposed not be doing that. And minimize Spider-Man's appearances here. So I guess that's another idea discarded." He sighed, "I actually have to be common and walk. Or Jog. Or Run--Yeah maybe running would be a lot faster." He walked towards his bag. Opening it up pulling out a standard black hoodie and his signature ESU hat. "Oh yeah. I should probably take a shower when I get back or something." He pulled the hoodie over himself and put the hat on his head. He looked back at the closed door. Sighing. "Let's hope I'm not held up for too long." He opened the window. Looking down at the street, the coast was clear. He took a deep breath before heading out and diving for the sidewalk. Landing on both feet. Looking around he let out a relieved sigh that no one had saw him. Taking out his phone, he followed the blue waypoint to his destination. Well rather, beelining it all the way there. Running as fast as he could. It took him five minutes less than last time but he made it to the same alleyway in which the Dojo was located. At the same time he was also late by Five minutes. In other words, it was 5:05. Flash didn't sweat it though. He entered the establishment. Opening the already unlocked door and walking inside. He walked into the dojo room itself. There, he saw Akira-Sensei sitting criss crossed. In front of him was a small table with a black cast iron kettle and the same black tea cup. He was sipping tea. Upon hearing Footsteps, he greeted Flash. "Starting your fist day off on a tardy note I see?" Flash shrugged. Chuckling, "I'm only five minutes late." "Time is a very vital factor in a daily life. Is it not?" He set his cup down. "Each second that passes is unique on it's own. It is never retainable. Anything could happen in just one second. " Flash scratched the back of his head. Arching an eyebrow. "Uhh...Okay. Soooo, are we going to get this started or what?" Akira Sensei chuckled. "Oh we will. But...before I do, I must do me a great favour. So you can become my student." Flash, who'd been slouching at that point. Stood up straight. Intrigued a little. Enough that he responded quickly "What do I have to do?" Akira Sensei raised his right arm up, stopping it when it was straight. He pointed to his right. Gesturing for Flash to look in the direction. Flash did so, turning his head to...….. ….To see a broom leaning against a wall. His mouth loosened up. He glanced at the Teacher who was merely chuckling. Afterwards, staring at him intensely. Eyes narrowed and lips curved to be a smile. Flash's head tilted a little to the side. "No, No, No, No N--" Flash was sweeping the floors with a broom. He had a very annoyed expression on his face. He glanced at Akira Sensei who was merely sitting. Watching Flash sweep the floors with a grin to his face. Flash let out an annoyed sigh to the scene, questioning the teacher. "Why am I sweeping the floors huh?" He asked. "This doesn't seem like a Great Favour. Now does it?" "Oh but it is." He replied. "It is a Great Favour for me that is. Not because you are cleaning my class. But because I have a great show to watch. Not so much so bad comedy....but. It's in it's own category." Flash stopped sweeping. His mouth hung open and his shoulders dropped. Staring at Akira Sensei with dumbfounded eyes. "You're enjoying this?" His ominous chuckle return. "Quite Possibly. But...think of this as a small workout before your class. It is good to get active before taking on tasks. Helps focus." Flash, was about to argue. But, realizing that he really had no time to waste. He stopped himself. Merely opening his mouth, no words coming out of it. A few more minutes passed but eventually. Flash finally got done sweeping the floor. It promoted Akira Sensei to get up. He analyzed the floor that'd been swept by his new student. Nodding. No more, no less. Flash meanwhile thought he did a 10/10 job. So much so that he wanted to hear it out of Akira Sensei. Asking him just to get the benefit of the doubt. "I know I know. Pretty good huh? How'd I do?" "About as good as my Father." Flash formed a toothy grin. Putting his hands behind his back and looking all victorious of himself. Until he got the final grade from Akira-Sensei. "Terrible. he never swept a floor in his life." Flash's whole expression changed in an instance. His shoulders dropped, he slouched and his mouth hung wide opened. He mumbled, "Terrible." Akira Sensei sighed. "Nonetheless. I did say I'd take you in as a student. So this session has officially begin. Flash stood up straight again. However, one thing was still on his mind. The duration. Before anything happened, he quickly asked Akira Sensei. "Umm....Akira Sensei. How long will this take?" Akira Sensei responded in an instance, "What is the time?" "About 5:15--5:16ish." "Then We shall end at 6:20." He asserted sternly. "Anything else?" "Umm...." Flash shook his head. A gesture that he was done. "Good! On with the class then!" Flash was a little surprised by his sudden change in demanor. A second ago he was pretty nonchalant. Now he was downright Ms. Harshwhinny level stern. And Flash thought that was impossible to be. "Man. Talk about getting down to business." He slowly paced back and fourth. "Young O'Conner. When I watched you, it was clear you had no stance. The stance is a fundamental to any style of Martial Arts. And even with that, there are five fundamentals you must remember. He Introducing the five fundamentals. "The six are as follows. Balance A Relaxed body. A Straight Back. A Tight Core. Proper Foot placement and to breathe. It is with that, you're stance will be on point. Each of these have their own purpose, and each are very important in their own way." Flash nodded with an understanding look. Prompting the teacher to go forward. Putting emphasis on each fundamental. "Balance! It is the fundamental for every Style of Martial Arts. Without Balance, you will always have flaws with fighting. Offensively and Defensively!" "Relaxed Body! A relaxed body is very important. It ensures smooth movement and quicker reaction times. Always remember to Relax!" "A Straightened Back! A stance is no good if you do not have a straightened and aligned back! If you lack that, then you're stance will be off base and very, very flawed!" "A Tight Core! You Abdomen must be tight. So you can control your own movements while in a stance. "Proper Foot Placement! Foot Placement is the base of your stance. You must be on the balls of your feet. It will distribute even weight to both leg and give you better reaction time!" "Breathing! Breathing is a vital! And, it'll help you keep a proper stance!" Flash's back slouched. "Man I have not had to memorize something since last month! And damn, this is a lot to take in!" Akira Sensei slowly got back to pacing back and fourth with small walks. "For now, you need four. Charyot Sogi, Joon Bi Segoi, Gunnun Sogi and finally Dwi Kubi Seogi! Attention Stance, Ready Stance, Walking Stance and Back Stance. I will call out each and explain to you their importance." He began circling Flash. Putting his hands behind his back. "The first stance we will focus on will be the one you will always stand at the beginning and after these classes. And that is the Attention stance. You must follow my callings very intently to perfectly reciprocate the stance." He stopped walking right in front of him. "You must spread your feet apart and keep them parallel to form a 45 degree angle, let your first drop down naturally, bend your elbows slightly and form relaxed fists. You must keep your head up and maintain a straight gaze. When I say 'Charyot'. You must stand in exactly that stance understand." Flash, very unsure of himself. Slowly nodded. So Akira Sensei took a deep breath. Before yelling at the top of his lungs. "Charyot!" In-turn. Flash immediately did exactly what he remembered from all of that. Spreading his legs out, letting his hands drop down, forming two fists and bending his elbows. Meanwhile keeping a very surprised expression on his face. Needless to say, he completely got it all wrong. And Akira Sensei could tell. He began circling Flash. Critiquing him. "You're feet aren't spread wide enough." He put both hands on his shoulders. "You've clenched your fists too tightly! Your elbows are too bent! and you head is angled slightly down, more than it should be!" Flash sighed. "Note to self. Maybe pass on far fetched suggestions that your cousin gives you." Akira Sensei could clearly tell by that sigh that Flash was irritated. He smirked. "Do you not recall the statement I made about Discipline? The one from last night?" Flash arched an eyebrow. "W-Well yeah." "Well. What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't enforce it?" "Uhh…" "A terrible one!" He proclaimed. "So, in order to teach you better. I must really strike your nerves. And be very strict with you. For your best interest that is." Flash's head titled to the side. "Okay? Sooo...What exactly--" "You shall keep trying until you perfect it!" Akira Sensei Asserted. "Now again!" Flash sighed. "This-This is gonna blow so hard!" "Step closer!" "What is it Mr. X?" Meanwhile, Serpent's presence had been formally requested by Mr. X. The reason, he had an upcoming assignment for him and wanted to tell him in advance. "So, you managed to finish the assignment from last night successfully. Or so I've heard." Serpent nodded. Prompting the shadowy silhouette to lean forward and rest his elbows on his desk. "Then I can trust that you can advance through your next assignment with no errors." "What do you want me to do." "I want you to ponder about this." He instructed. Then proceeding to give some details about the mission. "Do you remember that undercover cop from years ago? The one that took out a strong affiliate for the Yakuza?" Serpent took a moment to ponder about what Mr. X was talking about. Then it hit him. "You're referring to Jacob Latterman? Aren't you?" "He's made another return into Japan and he's here in Tokyo. According to some contacts. Why he's come back is unknown but we cant take any chances on letting him live." "So you want me to kill him is what you're saying." "It has been planned out already. In a few days, we will orchestrate a setup at the bridge. You will be at one of the towers, playing the most pivotal role." "That would be?" "Sniper. After the whole incident two days ago. My ability to trust you with a close, face to face confrontation has diminished." Serpent sighed. "Look I-I know it was a one time thing. But it wasn't entirely my fault. I--" "Don't want to hear it." Mr. X interjected, "If you somehow get this done. Without messing it up, then my trust will be reinstated with you. But until then...." Serpent sighed again. Nodding. "Yes sir." He turned the other way. Starting for the exit. "Man this blows. Hate Sniper." "Charyot!" Flash reciprocated exactly what was expected out of the attention stance. His feet spread to form a forty five degree angle. He formed relaxed fists and let them drop. All while bending his elbows slightly. His expression was different than half an hour ago. For that whole time, he'd been practicing the one stance. Either messing it up or getting super close. There were moments where he thought he'd never do it. Moments where he felt like his head was gonna explode. and moments where he wanted to go home. But nonetheless. He managed to finally perfect it. That and a little more. "Joon Bi!" Flash changed course. Moving his left foot a bit more apart. Then, moving his fists up slightly so the were at his waist level. Akira Sensei smirked. Still circling the student. "So far you've proven to be a lousy student. But somehow young O'Conner. Somehow you've managed to get down two stances." He stopped right behind Flash. "That's more than my classes full of children. With a very young demographic." Flash arched an eyebrow while still maintaining the stance. "Man this guy has a really odd way of teaching a class. Or one student for that matter." He walked around Flash and stood in front of him. The next two stances I will teach you. They will be just as crucial as the other two. Watch carefully. Pay attention!" Akira Sensei took a step back. Taking a deep breath, he went through the first two stances. Stopping at the Ready stance. Mirroring Flash. He explained to Flash. "This is where foot placement is the most vital. For this stance, you foot placement must be proper. So you can evenly distribute weight to each." In the stance. He moved his left foot forward, at least by one shoulder length. Then, moving his back foot to make it a 30 degree angle. Evenly distributing weight to each foot. "You must move your left foot forward by a shoulder length. Then, turn your left foot to create a 30 angle degree. Stand on the balls of your feet and keep your attention at me. Now, go!" Flash narrowed his eyes on the teacher. "Okay...Okay. You can do this! I mean I messed up the first two times....and then had to practice for like---IT DOENST MATTER! It Doesn't matter." He moved his left foot forward and started turning his right foot. "I just gotta do this. I just gotta do this." "Your over one shoulder length." Akira Sensei observed. In his mind. Flash groaned in annoyance. "COME ON!" "So...You know the drill. Don't you?" Flash let out a very heavy sigh. Going back to his normal actual posture. He went through the first two stances again, then giving the Walking stance another go. Only for him to be critiqued by Akira-Sensei again. "Now you're under one shoulder length. Again!" Flash did exactly everything he just did the first time. Giving the Walking Stance a third go. But again, only for him to be critiqued by Akira-Sensei. "Oh, you moved you shoulders up a little. Again!" So Flash attempted it again. And again. And again. And again. It was already an ongoing cycle. Flash makes an attempt at a new stance. Messes it up, tries it again until he gets it right. "Okay he's definitely enjoying this!" And well, Flash actually made a correct assumption about the Teacher. As in Akira Sensei's mind. This was truly bad comedy. So much so that it was amusing. "This is bad comedy! So much so that this is amusing!" Eventually after a good few minutes. Flash finally got the stance down. As the Sensei stopped critiquing him. Akira Sensei chuckled. "Hey that was your fastest time. I thought it'd take you the rest of the class to figure out that one." "Well....I'm a fast learner." Akira Sensei looked at the clock. 5:47 AM. They'd been at it for a good half an hour and they had approximately 40 minutes left. "Okay, Break time!" Flash rose an eyebrow. "Break time?" "Yes. All this teaching has made me hungry. I think I'm going to go to a café nearby." Flash kinda liked the sound of that. He was a little hungry after all. But to be sure, he asked Akira Sensei. "What about me?" Akira Sensei chuckled. "Hold on there. I'm your teacher. Not your parent. I'm not buying you breakfast. Flash's eyelids lowered a little from the response. "Figures." But that still left one question unanswered "So then, what am I supposed to do?" "Oh, you elect yourself to want to do something." He smirked. "Then I have another great favour for you." Flash's eyes widened. He immediately protested against it. "Wha--I just swept the floors! Come on I am not doing that again." A mischievous grin grew on his face. "Oh...you're not sweeping the floors again." Flash's expression changed. He looked confused and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not?" "Oh no...I have something much more intense in mind." Flash looked even more confused. "Uhh…." Flash was sitting. Criss-Crossed on the floor near an outlet. In front of him was a short portable wooden ironing board. Holding an Iron and ironing Training Gi's. He didn't look so enthusiastic about it. His face was blunt as he looked down and kept ironing each multi coloured Gi. "Note to self. Come to this thing early next time. Maybe you wont have to do two of his great favour's in one day!" Akira Sensei again entered the Dojo after picking himself up a great breakfast. He walked in with a pretty nonchalant attitude. Only getting more better to see Flash Ironing the Marital Art Uniforms. "Ahhh. The Sound of Ironing. Music to my ears." Flash gave the Teacher a blunt stare. "I'm starting to sense a trend here." "Indeed." Akria Nodded. "But I gotta say you're the not that lousy with Ironing." The comment managed to get a chuckle out of Flash. "Secret Identities tend to make you learn a lot about clothing." "So what exactly are we supposed to learn after I get all this done?" Flash inquired. Looking back down to iron Akira Sensei smiled. Nodding. "More Stances" Upon hearing the two words. Flash stopped ironing. His eyes widened and he made another glance at Akira Sensei. "More Stances?" He nodded. Clearly seeing the disbelief in Flash's eyes. Knowing that the whole thing would make him baffled. Flash's shoulders dropped. This really was gonna be a long class. "HATE! HATE! I HATE IT!" It was 9:45 AM in Tokyo. Firestar sat in Flash's room as he reflected on his first day of Martial Arts lessons. Firestar raised a finger up while she continued to talk to the Teenager. "Well we have to start somewhere, right?" "I'VE BEEN DOING DIFFERENT STANCES FOR ONE HOUR! ONE HOUR!" Flash emphasized, "I didn't even learn any fighting moves it was just STANCES! Like the uh...Oh! LIKE THE FIGHTING STANCE OR-OR THE HORSE STANCE!" "Okay...So you're mad about this whole thing." Flash let out an angry chuckle. "Oh You have no idea kid." "Hey things will get more interesting down the line. You just gotta hang in there." Flash sighed. She was most likely right and he was probably just getting a bit in over his head. "I don't think I've ever felt more tired in my life." "Well we gotta make sacrifices?" Firestar chuckled. "Right?" "Yeah I guess." Then a knock came at Flash's door. It caught the two off guard and completely surprised. They both looked at each other a little panicked for a moment. What if someone had heard the whole conversation. They stood there frozen for a few seconds. Then, Thunderstar called from the other side. "Flash? Can you open the door please?" "Uhh….Yeah! Coming!" He slowly got off his bed and hesitantly moved over to the door. When he stopped and stood right there. He nervously gulped. Praying that his Aunt didn't hear a word that they said. "Please Life. Please just give me some luck. Just this once!" He opened the door. His eyes widened. He looked spooked. His shoulders dropped and he muttered only two words. "Oh no." //-------------------------------------------------------// Dropping the Ball //-------------------------------------------------------// Dropping the Ball "Oh man!" Flash sat in the washroom. All four of his relatives also present watching him. He looked at himself in the mirror. Completely and utterly horrified that the worst thing to have ever happened to him actually happened. A Haircut! It was an undercut. The sided and back of his head were shaved. His hair was still spiky, but it was a lot shorter than it used to be. It made him frown. Whining a little. "I spent so long growing all that out!" His Aunt Spark. The woman responsible for his haircut let out a hearty laugh. Putting her hand on his shoulder. "Well it was either now or never. And plus Sabrina put us up to this. And gotta say it was pretty worth it. Now you can probably sleep better at night." "Yeah...I guess." Flash said to his own dismay. Then mumbling a little. "Man I don't know how Sunset's gonna feel about this." The four all became confused upon hearing Flash quietly mutter those words. So Thunderstar decided to break the ice. "Who's Sunset?" Flash blinked twice before his eyes went wide. Realizing that he let one of his thoughts slip out of his mouth. "Oh...I just said that out loud didn't I?" "Uhh...Yeah?" said Spark. "But uh, you wanna elaborate on who you just mentioned?" Flash sighed. He knew what was coming up next. Especially out of those four. "Soooo." He let out a nervous giggle. "Remember how I had a Girlfriend?" ….. Squealing was the only thing that was heard in that house. Squeals of absolute excitement from The whole family. "YOU REKINDLED YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR EX!?" Thunderstar exclaimed. "THAT'S-THAT'S WONDERFUL!" "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US EARLIER?!" Spark said with an equal amount of charisma that her wife displayed. "Uhh…." Flash giggled. Giving them shrugs. "Because I knew you two would react like that?" Firestar chimed in in the excitement. "DUDE! YOU GOTTA SHOW US WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE!" Flash blinked a few times out of purely being stunned. It was at this moment he realized that he could've been a little slick and told them before he left. But it was kinda out there now. Well in the home that is. So just to be a little dorky. He questionably questioned the gesture. "Well I don't know if that'd be necessary. I mean...is it?--" "YES!" They all exclaimed in unison. Stunning Flash a little more. Flash sighed. Grabbing his phone. "Jeez you guys have no chill. This is why I don't tell you things until the last minute." "Flash you cant just try and be lowkey like that." Thunderstar stated. "You're basically living with two adult teenagers when you mention a girlfriend." Spark then chimed in. "Not to mention. You can't just say something like that and not show us the girl. That'd be criminal of you." Flash shook his head at both remarks. Opening the phone, he saw that his notification bar was full to the brim with texts from most of his friends. All relating to the exact subject. Flash chuckled a little, reading the texts. "Seems like you two aren't the only ones congratulatin' me." He swiped up and entered the home screen. Going into the app drawer, he opened up Instagram and immediately mused at the amount of texts he had. "Oh my god." He let out a laugh. "What?" Asked Firestar. "I've never seen this many texts in my life! And I thought you guys were persistent." "Okay that's cool and all but uh..." Thunderstar took a deep breath. Exclaiming "Show us the girl Dammit! Come on at this point were all gonna die of curiosity!" Flash let out another hearty laugh at the scene of his Aunt getting quite cranky. "Okay. Okay. Man even my mom wasn't this giddy." He eventually went onto Sunset's profile. Upon doing so he saw her Bio. It made him smile to read it. Pulling up a random picture of her. Not really caring that much because he thought she looked beautiful in all of them. The finally putting an end to his Relative's anticipation. "Okay here since you guys but Snowstorm have any chill." He then glanced at Snowstorm. "Also thanks for having chill." He briefly patted her head. The four all looked intently at the picture. Analyzing the girl in the picture. Thunderstar smirked. "Ooo She's cute." "I second that." said Spark. "I didn't even know you were capable of asking someone out." Firestar chuckled. "Flash has a kissy friend!" Snowstorm exclaimed. "And that's enough.." Flash pulled the phone away and exited out of the app. Than glaring at his cousin. "And FYI I am totally capable of asking a someone out. Thank you very much." He then glared at his Aunts. "And please don't flirt with her you two." Spark chuckled. "Calm down Flash were just being annoying Aunts." She then gave Thunderstar a flirty look. "And besides I'm more into bluenettes." Thunderstar let out a giggle. Raising her hand up. "I can vouch for her on that." Flash let out another sigh. Putting his phone down and getting up. Starting for the door. "Okay well now that that whole thing is settled. I'm gonna go take a shower. And when I get out I'm not gonna get bombarded with a thousand questions about this." The two Aunts both put on smug looks. Thunderstar leaned on Spark's shoulders, shrugging. "I wouldn't count on that." "Good Monring." Sunset replied. "Good Night." "To be compleltey honest I didn't think you'd pick up at what I could assume to be 9:12 in the morning." Sunset giggled. Putting on a Palaptine impression. "You're lack of faith in my ability to wake up blinds you Young Jedi." Flash snickered at the remark. Putting on a quizzical look. "Since when does Sunset Shimmer watch Star Wars?" "Okay so I got bored editing and I decided to give it a shot. Gotta say...You really strike me as an Episode II Anakin." "I'm insulted." Flash chuckled. "So....whaddya wanna talk about?" Flash smirked. He had one thing already in mind. "Well I mean...people know were a thing again. I kinda got assaulted with Text messages." Sunset let out a hearty laugh before responding. "Uh-Heh. I may have dropped the ball a little on that. Ya see I kinda accidentally mentioned it lowkey. Yeah Rarity and Applejack were in the room and after I may have said 'Man what Flash think of this?' They kinda put two and two together and well...You know how Rarity's kind of a diva right?" "Roger that chief." said Flash. "But uh, what were you exactly doing when you said that." "Rarity basically kidnapped all of us and made us do some outfit measurements. So you know: Normal Rarity activity." "So I see..." Flash chuckled a little. "Well if it makes this whole thing kinda funnier. My Aunts found out. And there basically like the biggest divas ever so...yeah." "Okay. Go on..." Flash smiled. "Well ya see...I kinda also lowkey mentioned it after getting a haircut--" "You got a haircut!? Sunset interjected, baffled. "Damn If I knew that then I would've elected to do a video chat..." "Nooo you can't though." Flash responded. "I hate it. Like a lot. I'm kinda self conscious about it." "Okay well that just makes me want to see it even more. But go on..." Flash let out a small laugh because of the random interjection. He continued anyways. "Well you see I was kinda like...'Man I wonder what Sunset would think about this?' and they also kinda connected the dots on it and....squealed really, really loud." Sunset giggled on the other side. "Sounds like something two Divas would do. There was a small pause for a moment. On the other side Sunset felt her stomach growl. Upon hearing it, she had to cut the conversation short. "Well my stomach's decided that it needs to be fed. I kinda gotta go..." "Alright. I should probably get some sleep before the two jolly ones come around and secretly listen in." "Kay'. Luv you." "No you." Author's Note This was just a fun random chapter... (Filler!) //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 2 Flash was at it again. Sneaking out of his Aunt's home and going to the Martial Arts Class. However, he decided to wake up a little earlier than 4:50. A mighty 4:30. By the time he made it near the place it was already 4:45. So this time around he could ensure he didn't have to do a 'Great Favour' So again it was completely pitch black outside. But he didn't head towards the Dojo this time around. He decided to take a detour. Going straight for a café . He decided to finally put the money he'd been given, against his will to good use. And so he could maybe do a little independent exploring of his own. It wasn't that far from the Dojo. It was only a small walk down the street. Reaching the place, it wasn't anything too special. Just your ordinary café. So walking inside, he got the usual ambiance and atmosphere that a person would get walking in a café. Food on display, tables with people occupying them. The fundamentals. Flash had even gone as far as bringing cue cards with him. On them was a few basic things. Hello: Konichiwa I would like a Muffin please: Muffin o kudasai Thank you: Arigato Flash got in line. In one pocket. Was his cash, in the other. Was the one cue card he had. He was, really nervous. He pretty much only had one scenario in his mind. And that was him being completely laughed at because of the one whole attempt. The Line moved fast. Only making Flash just a bit more nervous. So much so that as the few minutes progressed. He was the next person to go up. Flash walked up to the clerk. A female wearing the usual for the establishment. A cap with logo plastered on it and an apron. She smiled, greeting Flash. "こんにちは (Hello.)" Flash smiled back. Raising his hand. "uh こんにちは" Right then and there. The Clerk knew what was up. Her smile only grew bigger because of Flash's awkward tone. She would've just spoken English right there. But at the same time, this was a once in a year occurrence for this clerk. So she let him go on. Politely nodding her head. Flash's eyes widened a little. This was it for him. He nervously gulped. Speaking. "Um... a Muffin...kudasai?" He quickly put on a smile. Albeit a sheepish looking one. But anything to make him look completely confident in his own craft. His own, horribly articulated craft. The Clerk let out a loud snicker. Trying not to laugh at Flash's expense. Flash pretty much read the message that he probably sounded like an idiot. It made his face blush a little red. But the clerk nodded, "マフィン1個。 すぐに来ます!(One Muffin. Coming Right up!") She knelt down. Reached for a pair of tongs and grabbed a Muffin with chocolate chips. Putting it in a paper bag. She grabbed a marker and wrote on the bag. Something for his expense. Getting back up, she handed him the bag. Letting him read it. "A lot of food places here are English Friend...ly..." Flash's eyes narrowed out of just realizing what had just happened. "Oh..." The clerk burst out laughing upon Flash reading that. Letting Flash wallow in his own embarrassment. When she finally calmed down. She spoke, albeit with a thick accent. "I assumed you were not from around here when you said Hi." Flash smiled sheepishly. Scratching the back of his head. "Umm...Yeah. I'm not. I K-Kinda just didn't how to exactly approach this whole thing." She smiled. "That's alright. Just next time you come around. You are allowed to speak English." "I--Alright." Flash sighed. "How much will it be?" "105 yen." Flash had only brought with him one 10,000 Yen Bill. As he didn't actually have any coins with him. He handed her the bill. A bit hesitantly. "Um...will this do?" "Mhm." She nodded. "I'm going to assume you've never actually payed for anything here either?" "N-No. Not really." "Well let me just give you the change and you should be on your way." She handed him a two 5,000 Yen Bills and a few coins. Nodding. "Have a nice day." Flash smiled. Sighing. "Uh yeah you two." He turned the other way. Walking out of the establishment. Upon doing so, he immediately began scolding himself in his head. "STUPID! WHY DIDN'T I JUST SEARCH THIS UP BEFORE?! Flash entered the Dojo. It was still much before 5:00. 4:57 ish. But he had a few minutes to spare. But upon entering. He watched as Akira Sensei ran past him, grabbing his yet to be eaten Muffin. Flash was stunned. Widening his eyes to see that his food was gone. He looked up. Seeing Akira Sensei already munching on it. "Hey!?" Akira Sensei looked up at him. Chuckling. "It has seems you've completed for me another 'Great Favour' by getting me breakfast." "But--That was mine!" Flash retorted. "I-I payed for that." "Well I appreciate the polite gesture." He then pointed at the broom. Now, if you could do me another 'Great Favour' and sweep the place. Hopefully this time you'll more than a measly passing grade." "Wha--I!? Ye-HaO…" Flash let out a very annoyed sigh upon making all that noise. Eventually just obeying and starting for the broom. "Whatever." Grabbing it. He began sweeping the floors. Takin' his usual time. "So please say were not doing any more stances." "What those. Those were only the basic stances. There is so much more that you'll have to learn overtime." "Great... So then what are we doing today." Akira Sensei took a bite into the muffin. "Apply some stances that you used from yesterday. You will delve into Basic hand and arm movement. Strikes and blocks to be more or less precise." Flash arched an eyebrow. "I thought Taekwondo was all about High Kicks?" "It is emphasized. Not all about. Huge difference. There are still hand techniques that students learn. And if you pick up the pace, we might actually be able to start the class at 5 sharp." Flash sighed. Continuing to sweep the floor. "At least I'll learn something useful today." "Oh and once you're done. I'm gonna need you tie a rope onto that ceiling fan over there. It'll be apart of the lesson so just bear with me." Flash's eyes narrowed. "Even if I have to be a housekeeper." "Shoot!" "What's wrong?" Sabrina Sentry was on her laptop. Looking through her Calendar she found that she had an event she had to go to with one of her old-time friends. Cranky Doodle leaned against the doorway, utterly confused. "Uhh…I said--" "Tia's only gonna be free on the 30th. That's when Flash's coming back to Canterlot." "Oh...so then just reschedule." "I can't reschedule. The 30th is the only day Tia's free. She's mainly busy throughout this whole month. Plus we haven't hung in a while." Cranky Doodle folded his arms arching an eyebrow. "Well then, just tell him to take cab." "Yea and just make him pay a whole lot for a Taxi Fare. NO!" "Well you gotta do something." She sighed. Rubbing her temples as she found herself in a horrible situation. "Well I'll have to call him and maybe figure something out. If he can't get a ride then I'll have to cancel on me and Tia's hangout." She reached for her phone. Prompting to call Flash. However Cranky again interjected. "Wait isn't it like 5:00 over there. Wouldn't he be asleep right now." She blinked twice. Setting her phone down and sighing. "Yup. Well maybe I'll just leave him a text to call me later." Flash stood in the Ready Stance. Watching as Akira Sensei tied a piece of Bamboo onto the rope that Flash had to his best, hung on the ceiling fan. Akira Sensei looked back at Flash. Ordering him to change stances. "Gunnun!" Flash changed stances almost immediately. Doing exactly what he did yesterday. Moving his left foot a shoulder length forward and standing on the balls of his feet. His Sensei then told him to correct his footing. "Left Foot O'Conner!" Flash narrowed his eyes a little. Moving his foot a little back. Just until he saw Akira raise his hand up to stop him. He walked behind the hanging rope. Opening up the distance between Flash and the bamboo. Introducing the lesson to him. "This is an exercise that will test your own reflexes. You are to stop the bamboo with your dominant index finger. No more no less. Flash arched an eyebrow. Kind of smirking. "Okay this is gonna be easy. Reflexes? I'm basically king of that." Akira Sensei held the piece of bamboo. Moving it back, ready to let it swing forward. "Now, raise your finger up and get ready to block it." Flash nodded. A cocky smile growing as the seconds go by. Akira Sensei let go of the Bamboo, letting it swing towards Flash's finger. Flash stood there, basically confident that he was gonna pass this with ease. Until... "OW!" Flash yelped. As soon as the Bamboo hit the tip of his finger, he let out a yelp because of how much it actually hurt. It was like stubbing his toe, just worst. Flash immediately moved his finger away. Rubbing it and gritting his teeth. Akira Sensei chuckled. "Isn't as easy as it looks. Does it?" "Yeah." Flash looked back at his finger. "But how is stopping Bamboo gonna even help with reflexes? Sounds like a recipe for a swollen finger." "Because, you'll find that you have to stop many things with just the tip of your finger. Maybe even certain strikes if you ever find yourself in that situation." Flash continuously rubbed his finger. However, Akira Sensei didn't cut him any slack. Again, repeating the action. "Again!" Flash's eyes widened. Quickly he got into stance. Getting the same comment about his foot from earlier. He spent a few seconds moving his left foot so it be in perfect place. Then, the Sensei did it again. Letting the piece of bamboo swing towards Flash's finger. And like before. Flash yelped. "YOW!" But of course. Akira Sensei ran the drill back. Repeating "Again" and prompting Flash to get back into stance. He's told to fix his feet placement, The Sensei let's the bamboo swing towards Flash's finger. Of course, the same outcome. Flash yelps. You know the story. Akira Sensei folded his arm. Raising an eyebrow. "I'm sensing that this is not working." Flash gave the teacher a blank stare. "Yea...ya think?" "Wait, wait, wait, wait....Wait." Then. Out of the blue, a remembering expression came to the teacher. Looking as if he'd remember something very vital to the whole thing. Which he did. Letting it be known to Flash. "I just realized we've been doing this whole thing wrong." Flash's shoulders dropped. With that, so did his jaw on cue. He merely muttered. In disbelief "All wrong?" "Yeah. I think you're supposed to actually thrust your right arm forward as the Bamboo's coming at you." He chuckled at his own mistake. Shrugging. "Well we all make mistakes sometimes." On the outside. Flash merely nodded in agreeance. Not wanting to cause a scene. But in his mind... "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE! I HATE THIS SO MUCH! WHY?! WHY DID I LET FIRESTAR TALK ME INTO THIS. OH MY GAAWWWWD!" He let out a very heavy sigh before getting back into stance. Like before, he went through the usual routine. Fixing his foot placement and all. But now, this time would be different. This time for sure, he was gonna get it right. Bending his elbow and moving his hand back. Akira Sensei let go of the piece of Bamboo, letting it swing towards Flash. Flash narrowed his eyes on the oncoming object. He thrusted his whole right arm forward. Straightening out his index finger. He thrusted hard enough to make the bamboo swing back. Celebrating at the whole thing. "YEAH! IN YOU FACE ROPE!" However, much to Akira Sensei's disagreement. "You've done it all wrong." Flash's eyes widened. His head quickly gawped over towards Akira Sensei's way. "WHAT?!" "You were to stop it altogether with your index finger. Not make it swing back and then slowly stop. Clearly there is some pent up anger within you." He sighed. "So, you know the drill!" A chill went down Flash's spine. Knowing that whatever it was started with a 'G' and ended with a 'R'. He shook his head. "NO! NO! NO! NO!--" *** Flash was scrubbing the floors of the washrooms. He's basically using a sponge, a bucket of water and elbow grease. "This guy needs to hire a janitor who is not me! Man I swear the people who have a class with classmates must be lucky as hell..... Sunset let out a heavy sigh. Her gaming session wrapped up. Even though she kind of smashed a controller while recording. "Every time" She let out another sigh before letting all her pent up anger come out of her mouth. Babbiling. Everygoddamntimewiththisdumbassgame!" But she wasn't alone. She was with a guest. That guest being Fluttershy. Who was scared out of her mind. After witnessing what was Sunset Shimmers rage. Even having a little sympathy for that poor XBOX controller. She raised her hand up a little. Muttering. "So, I'm guessing you've never really played that game before." Sunset leaned back into her chair. Simply nodding. "Yup." She glanced at Fluttershy. "Everyone, everyone and their mom's can some.how make a squirrel collect as much acorns up a tree as possible. Meanwhile I'm stuck trying to figure out how to make the damn thing go up and pick up one acorn. Man how do you all do it?" Fluttershy smirked. Giggling a little. "Well I guess a childhood here tends to make you pick up a few things." "Touché" She sat up straight. Electing to start a new conversation. "So you got any plans after this?" Fluttershy shrugged. "Well I might go visit Wallflower later and see how her garden's doing. But other than that I'm basically free for the whole afternoon and evening." "What about Sandalwood?" "He and Timber are out getting some camping supplies. Next week me and Twilight are going camping." "What at Everfree?" "No some other place. We even convinced Rarity to lend us her RV for the weekend." "Nice..." Sunset turned around to open up her editing software to edit her latest Gameplay video. The turning back around. Letting out another sigh. "Man I kinda wish this whole month could go by super fast..." "Because of Flash?" "Because of Flash." Sunset reached for her phone. Looking at the time. "I gotta say. Doing this whole long distance thing can be a little....I don't wanna say annoying but...I don't know." "Well I'm sure it might be just as hard on him." Fluttershy comforted. "I mean when you're up he's mostly asleep and when he's up. Well more or less you're hibernating." Sunset smirked. Letting out a snorted. "I'm offended." Fluttershy shot her a smug look. "Well someone has to say it." Sunset folded her arms. Leaning back. "Since when did you become the Sassy one." "Whatever keeps Sandalwood happy at night." Sunset's expression changed. She rose an eyebrow. "What?" "Nothing." Fluttershy got up to stretch. "Hey you wanna tag along and go visit Wallflower. I don't feel like driving." Sunset again smirked. Shaking her head and getting up from off her chair. "Again, since when did you become the sassy one." Flash stood in stance again. He'd done the drill a few times. The first few times, hurting his finger while the next. Over doing it. But after finally clearing his mind of all that anger he had earlier. Akira Sensei held the bamboo. Ready to let it swing again. Flash closed his eyes taking a deep breath. Ready to finally overcome the drill. The teacher let go of the bamboo. Letting it swing towards Flash. Flash opened his eyes. Thrusting his arm out forward, not trying to be too hard with it. He let his index finger collide with the plant. Stopping it. However, watching it swing back slightly before stopping. Still somewhat an improvement over fifteen minutes ago. Akira Sensei let out a sigh. "You got better. But I still see some soft knockback in that stop." He began to pace around the room. "Nonetheless. I think I can take a quick detour on this session and each you one form of offense." Flash's eyes lit up a little. Finally hearing that he'll be doing some action. "What exactly?" "Basic Hand Punches." Flash's smirked. "Okay, this should definitely be easy. I practically punch people for a living....and take pics of myself punching people to actually make a living..." Akira Sensei got into the horse stance. A different stance to what Flash was standing in. Going into an exaggerated squat. Putting his fists to the side of his waist. "Remember O'Conner. This is all in the name of self defense. Do not go out in public and start attacking the innocent." Flash smirked again. As that would be something he'd never do. But he still couldn't help making a blunt comment in his mind. "Till that day comes..." Akira Sensei put his hands into two proper fists. Making sure not to tuck the thumbs in. Then, in a fluid motion. He began punching the air. Lifting each arm up and thrusting them forward each time. Then bringing them back to his side each time he thrusted his arm. "Firstly. I want you to get into the Horse Riding stance as that will be more useful for offensive practices It is vital that you make a proper fist. That means no tucking your thumbs in! If you do that you will horribly injure your thumb upon impact." Flash did exactly that. Spreading his feet out and doing the same exaggerated squat. For the first time that whole class he wasn't told to correct anything. A kind of breath of fresh air for him. Then, reciprocating exactly what the teacher did. Well, almost. "No-No-No! You're doing it all wrong." He sighed. Sentry at this point was familiar with the whole thing. "What'd I do?" Akira Sensei walked up behind him. "Perform one punch." Flash did as told. Raising his arm up and thrusting it forward. However, mid way through thrusting his arm forward. Akira Sensei put it to halt by grabbing his forearm. "Your transition to flipping your fist right side up is too jagged. Make sure that it is a quick yet smooth movement. "So how do I do that?" "Don't be so quick on this one. For a while, I want you to practice punching with your right and left side. At least until I say you can stop." "Then what?" "Then we get to the bamboo and...you do me a Great Favour by sweeping the waiting area outside." Flash's eyes widened a little to that. Politely, he tried to object to the last part. "Well I mean, do I...have to?" He nodded. "Oh but of course. Without a clean waiting area, nobody will be willing to wait..." Flash's shoulders dropped and his eye lids lowered. "Man this guy has a thing for everything." "Shoulders O'Conner!" Flash's eyes widened again. Raising his shoulders up again, still keeping them relaxed "So what happened next?" Flash let out a very relaxed sigh. Sitting on his bed with a small wet towel wrapped around his index finger. "I practiced slowly punching for a very long time. To be honest I didn't count, I was half focused and well...half unfocused so to speak. Then we ran it back, going to the bamboo. I still didn't get it on the first few tries, but eventually. Out of sheer luck, I finally stopped it with my finger. I mean it hurts really bad though but still I stopped it and I'm happy about that." Firestar was jotting down a bunch of notes in her notepad. "Anything else?" "Well...I have to do the Bamboo thing everyday now and he showed me this thing called the Knifehand Strike. And gotta say, it is really scary..." Firestar looked away from the notepad. "Let me guess? He said that it's main purpose is to hit someone in the adams apple to scare them straight as they want to breath. Right?" "Yup..." Flash took the towel off. With the intent of re-wetting it later. "So anything new at Crime Alley?" "Well I did a quick check when I got up this morning but it seems to busy with locals right now." Firestar explained. "So no, not yet." Flash sighed again. Folding his arms. "Man, this might sound irresponsible. But maybe I should sneak out and do a little bit of investigative exploring. Y'know, just to get some more wider intel...so to speak that is." Firestar raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? That could be a little dangerous...unless you did it at midnight." Flash shook his head. "No way. I mean it's kinda bad enough that I don't even know an ounce of Japanese, but sneaking out alone at night? That just doesn't rub me the right way." "So let me guess...after dinner?" "After dinner." Firestar sighed. She knew Flash was capable of going out alone. But the cause was pretty risky. "Sounds like a plan." Meanwhile, outside Flash's door. Thunderstar stands there, mouth over hand in complete shock. ….. Author's Note So like referenced before. Flash was given cash against his will by his mom and her boyfriend while he was in Japan. If you read the original then you know that It was merely something that was just mentioned. But since I'm trying to literally make this story better. (Not trying to give off the quantity over quality thing) I've been trying to get Flash in this story to interact more with the new environment around him as that's something I did not do in the original. Albeit with him being really, really awkward about it. //-------------------------------------------------------// A City Experience //-------------------------------------------------------// A City Experience "Looks like I lost my ride..." "What do you mean?" Flash was talking to Sandalwood as they hadn't talked since the whole 'Kissy, Kissy Incident. However, the two basically looked past it. Not really caring as Flash and Sunset were an item again. "Well Mom has this thing with an old friend. I tried checking in with Micro Chips but one of the interns said he wouldn't be available for a lot of July." "Yeah he's kind familiarizing himself with his Dad's company. But still... that sucks. So what are you gonna do?" "I called you hoping that uh...well you could do me the favour of picking me up from the airport..." "Sorry bro, no can do. I don't have my license." "Right." Flash let out a heavy sigh. "Oh man I have no idea on what I'm gonna do....I'm pretty sure Sunset has something going on the 30th so I'm not trying to bother her about it. And I really want to give my Mom the chance to reconnect with her old time friend so I'm not ruining it for her. Man I hope Lyft or Uber isn't too expensive. Maybe Soarin could help or something." Sandalwood could hear that his friend was a little lost. Like in Sandalwood fashion, he had a light bulb turn on his head. Smirking. "Ay Bro...I got you bro." Flash raised an eyebrow. When he heard the five words 'Ay bro, I got you bro.' He could only imagine what that meant. "I'm not sure I like where this is gonna head....but shoot." "You know Timber Spruce, right?" "The Camp Counselor?" "No the carpenter." Flash shook his head to that. "Yup I definitely know that guy. What about him?" "Well he's a pretty nice guy. Sooo, I'll do you the favour and ask him for you." Flash's eyes widened a little. To be honest, he didn't really know the guy all that well. He just knew he was Twilight's Boyfriend and that he was a Camp Counselor for Camp Everfree. "Uhh...Sandalwood I appreciate the polite gesture but uh--" "Good!" Sandalwood interjected. "I'll go ask him right now!" "Wait--" But before Flash could continue. He heard Sandalwood drop his phone and run right out of the room. He let out an annoyed grunt. "Why does he put me in these situations!" Only a few minutes later. Sandalwood returned. "Dude, you got yourself a ride!" Flash's shoulders dropped. Not only did Sandalwood just throw him into another awkward situation. But now, he just hooked him up with a driver he barely knows. He facepalmed himself. "Greaaaat Just Great." "No need to thank me....well I mean you could if you--" "Buy you some food for the next week." Flash interjected bluntly. "Yeah I'll keep a note on that." "Glad you haven't forgotten my 'conditions'. Well, I gotta go. It's getting late and Fluttershy's at her place." Flash raised his eyebrow again. Not even understanding that. "What is that even supposed to mean?" "Nothing. Kay See ya!" The phone hung up. Flash let that whole cryptic message sit in his head. Trying to read between the lines. He eventually decoded it. However, much to his own dismay. "Oh...OH!....Ew! Who tells another man that." He sighed placing his phone aside. "And that is enough talking on the phone for today." It was roughly half past Eight. Thunderstar was doing the dishes. Flash and Firestar had retreated to their respective rooms. And Snowstorm was already in bed for the night. So it basically meant that more or less, they had the night to themselves. Thunderstar, had something on her mind. After walking past Flash's door earlier that morning. She felt that her suspicions had been confirmed. And she was not happy about it one bit. Spark on the other hand was practically nonchalant about the night so far. She had a pretty good meal above all else. And whatever she thought about Flash being vigilante before. Had left her mind as she'd kind of forgotten about it. She was sitting on the couch. Trying to find something good to watch for the night. Something that was 'cuddle' worthy for her and Thunderstar. She looked over the couch. Seeing that her wife was still manning the sink. "Hey what do you want to watch?" Thunderstar's eyes widened. Still being in consumed in thought. She forgot Spark was even in the living room. Not even remembering the question. So she turned around. "Hm?" "I said what do you want to watch?" "Oh! Um....Pfft I don't really know. Maybe the one about Taketsuru. We haven't really watched it as much." "Okay, Massan it is." She began navigating through the TV's User Interface. Still waiting on Thunderstar to join her. Which eventually she did. Putting away the last plate and joining Spark on the couch. She sat down awkwardly, slowly plopping down on the couch and sitting with both hands placed on her thighs. Spark smiled at that. Folding her arms. And raising an eyebrow. "Well?" Thunderstar glanced at her. Confused. "Well what?" Spark giggled. Rolling her eyes. "What do you mean what? Get over here." Thunderstar replied blankly. Finally getting it. "Oh." She crawled over to Spark. Getting snuggled up next to her. Spark's grin only grew even more. Running her hands through the Sentry Blue hair. "I think working so much is making you forget a thing or two. You need to relax once in a while." Thunderstar. Though she felt pretty disturbed by what she heard from earlier. She still found it in her to make a dorky comment. "Well it does take one to know one." "You are such a dork." Spark only hugged her a little tighter from that. "But you're my dork. And I wouldn't have it any other way." Thunderstar giggled a little. Blushing. However it sounded pretty half-hearted. It was at that moment Spark realized something was wrong. "Hey, what's wrong?" Thunderstar's eyes widened a little. She glanced up at Spark. "What?" "Well you don't seem like yourself." Spark explained. "You're being offly quiet. And you did that quiet giggle thing. I know when something's bothering you." Thunderstar let out a really heavy sigh. Getting as comfy as possible. "Well...I walked past Flash's room earlier and he was having a conversation with Fi." "That seems nice. Her, Snowstorm and Flash have been really getting along since he got here." "But here's the thing. When they were talking. I...." She trailed off a little. Trying to figure out the best way she should talk about it. "I don't know how to say it. But, when I walked by. I heard Flash say something along the lines of: What's new in Crime Alley." Spark's eyes widened. She immediately glanced at Thunderstar. "What?" She nodded in response. "He said: What's new in Crime Alley. Then he said something about sneaking out and getting more intel." Spark kind of sat up straight. Still holding onto to Thunderstar. "WHAT!? Why didn't you tell me earlier? " "I didn't how to bring it up!" Spark let out a heavy sigh at this news. Originally she remembered saying 'to just leave it'. But with all this, there wasn't denying anymore. "Well then we have to confront him on this." "WHAT?!" "We can't look the other way. Not anymore at least." Spark asserted. "It's-It's not even coincidence now. If we don't confront him on this...then something bad could happen!" Flash and Firestar were both prepping for what could be Flash's most riskiest thing yet That being Flash going into the city alone. "Okay so. It should be simple." She takes her small homemade drone apart. Then, taping the camera onto the bridge of his glasses. "I'll be able to see what you're seeing. And like before. We keep in touch with these walkie talkies." "Alright Sounds simple enough." "You downloaded the Shibuya Keio Bus station to your phone right." "Yeah." Firestar let out a relaxed sigh. "Good. The last thing we need is you getting lost out there." Flash puts the glasses on. He looked himself in the mirror. Obviously, he wasn't gonna dress up as Spider-Man as he was trying to minimize that. He smirked. A little self pride coming over him. "Man I look like a spy. I knew watching Agent Cody Banks would pay off." Firestar chuckled. Shaking her head. "No one, not even a single soul has ever said those words." "What do you mean? Agent Cody Banks bro. Dude that movie was lit I don't care what anyone says." Firestar let out a sigh. "Okay Millennial. Just get this over with. Be back by Nine Thirty..." "Whatever you say Boomer!" Flash put on his hat. Opening the window, he gave Firestar one more glance. "And FYI. I was born in 2001 so I'm definitely not a Millennial." He leapt out the window. With Firestar watching from the comfort of her room. Flash landed on the concrete without being noticed by anyone. He reached into his pocket. Making sure that his wallet was safe. He smirked. However, he was a little on edge. Quickly, he got his phone out. Knowing full well that Shibuya Time Square was a location he downloaded for offline use. Out of all the places. He chose that area. Not only because of it's aesthetic, but also because he knew there'd be a lot going on over there so there might've been a good chance that he could maybe catch some wind on Serpent's whereabouts. He wasted no time. Beginning to run down the street as fast as possible. Knowing full well that even if he wanted to web-sling. There wasn't any actual thing to fire a strand of webbing onto. So for a while until he reached the nearby suburb downtown. He had to run. *** Flash still though had managed to make it to a bus stop. He'd ran a decent amount into the Suburban Town nearby. He had enough money that would get him to a Bus Stop right in the downtown core of Tokyo. He turned on his earpiece. Finally communicating with Firestar. "So. How am I so far?" "Well for starters. You are really fast. Like, oh my god. You're like Usain Bolt, but hell maybe even faster than that." Flash chuckled at that. Feeling a little pride come over him. "Let's just say that speed is something the Sentry's are known for. That and well, y'know." "Right. But still, this is actually kinda cool. I feel like I'm in a spy movie or something." "See...Agent Cody Banks. I'm telling you girl, that movie is so lit! Like I don't care what people say. I don't care how bad and corny it is. That movie is so goddamn lit!" Firestar chuckled before letting out a sigh. "Okay, if it's on Netflix then I'm gonna see how really active it looks. If it's trash I'm blaming you for making me lose a good Hour or two. Got it." "You're scary." Flash took a seat. "I know. But this scary monster also has to babysit you so uh. Yeah." "Hey." Flash smirked. "You know, I once had to babysit you and Snowstorm when you came to Canterlot. Remember that?" "How could I not. We had to use our team work to change a Diaper." "Mostly me. But Yeah. Then I had to convince to you that there were no monsters hiding in my closet because you wouldn't go to sleep." Firestar let out a hearty laugh. "Oh my god. I remember that. Then didn't I ruin your night by making you watch a bunch of Barbie films with me because I refused to sleep." "Yeah. Because how could I forget.." He paused. He made his voice go high pitched. With a little bit of an English accent thrown in. 'Barbie and the Nutcracker!' Firestar again let out a laugh at Flash's impression. "Yo! See, that was my shit back then. Better then any Trash Cody Banks Films." "Yeah. And Back then. We had nice manners and we didn't have potty mouths." "I'm a rebel." "Thought so." Finally a Bus pulled up. Firestar saw it. "Well, looks like you're ride is here." "Yup." Flash got up. Taking a deep breath before going in. "Man I just hope I don't blow all my cash before the end of the night." "Don't worry about that. I'm sure you'll have plenty. I mean the Bus fare isn't so expensive. Besides, Downtown Tokyo is only a fifteen minute drive. Remember?" Flash sighed. "I'll hold you to that." The Bus door opened up. And Flash started for it. Timber and Sandalwood were out at a Bass Pro Shop. Looking for some fish catching materials. Well, it was Timber who was more or less looking. He just dragged Sandalwood along because they were in the whole Camping thing together. They were looking through an aisle. Looking at some Fishing lines. Timber Gawking at them. Not knowing which one to choose. "Man, decisions, decisions." Sandalwood let out a real heavy sigh. "At this rate were gonna be spending 24 hours here." Timber glared at Sandalwood. "Fishing is an Art! Everything must be exact and perfect." He immediately went back to examining each Fishing line. "I mean you wouldn't know now would you." "Touché." A few minutes of silence went by as Timber continuously looked at each fishing line. Eventually however, deciding to start a new conversation. "So...Uh Who's your friend you want me to chauffer?" "Hmm?" "Well you know. You kinda asked me to drive your friend from the Airport to Canterlot City. Remember?" Sandalwood then nodded in response. Finally getting it. "Oh, you mean Flash. Yeah the guy kinda didn't really have a ride back so I decided to be a bro and help him out." "Alright. So what's he exactly look like." "You mean you don't know?" "Look Sandalwood I've met a lot of people at Camp. Can you really expect me to remember a bunch of faces. No less make friends from a said group." Sandalwood pulled out his phone. Getting a recent picture of Flash, him and Micro Chips. Showing it to Timber. "He's the guy with the blue hair." Timber gave the pic a quick stare. Before nodding. "Oh. I'm pretty sure I've seen him around the Camp Grounds." He went back to looking at the fishing lines. "Text me his number. Let me at least get to know this guy." "Can do." Flash got off the bus he'd been on for almost fifteen minutes. He'd been talking to Firestar to keep him company. Making sure his ear piece was visible so he didn't sound like a crazy person. "And that's why I hate. With all my guts. Hate what Disney has done to Luke Skywalker." "Man you are the most stubborn Star Wars fan I've ever met. Come on Force Awakens and Last Jedi weren't that bad." Flash got up from his seat to walk over to the bus driver. "Maybe so. But after F-ing up Luke. I with all my heart hate the Sequel Trilogy." "Whatever you say." Flash went up to the bus driver. Knowing he had enough money to spare. Still hoping that he wouldn't blow all his cash.. "それは一九九六円になります。" Firestar immediately translated for Flash. "The Man wants at least 2000 Yen." Flash nodded. Going into his pocket and reaching out. He knew for a fact that he could easily pay it off with a 5000 Yen Bill. Which he did. Handing the man the paper bill. In return he was given his change and headed off the bus. To finally enter the City. The Bus Station was busy to say the least. With different buses arriving and departing. Hundreds of thousands of people waiting in line, getting onto buses. Normal Interaction. "Okay. So just head inside that building in there. Once you do. I'll navigate you onto the streets." "Got it." Flash headed for the Keio Bus Station Building. Somewhat gawking in amazement by how big the place was. Keeping in mind that Canterlot paled. He didn't want to be mean to his own home town. But, even he didn't think that Canterlot and Tokyo were in the same conversation. "Man this place is huge." "That's Tokyo for you." "Man I should've brought my Camera." Firestar chuckled at that. Knowing full well Flash was a photographer a few nights ago. "Why? To take a thousand more pictures of one place at a time?" "Hey you know what. This place is really goddamn stunning" He giggled a little. "Like I can't help myself." "I mean Tokyo's cool and all but uh...I mean I've been living here forlikeever so I guess I'm not as prone to taking pics as you are." Flash chuckled. "Well you know you're Step Mom and My Mom were no different when she came here. So I guess it's Hereditary." "A lot of things for the Sentry's are hereditary." "See! Now you're getting it." Flash eventually made his way onto the street. Walking through crowds and what not. Getting more closer and closer to the time square. In doing so. His eyes lit up a lot. It was just Beautiful!, Breath Taking!, Downright Majestic! Keeping in mind Flash had only been there once his whole time here. A second visit was just as great. In fact maybe even better. Firestar sensed this. Noticing how Flash was speechless and stood in place. Probably dumbfounded and gawking at everything. "Uh Hey? Earth To Flash." Flash responded. As dumbfounded as you'd expected that is. "Uh-Huh...." Firestar from the other side. Giggled. Shaking her head. "Uhh hey. More intel searching...and less sight seeing." That's when Flash snapped back into reality. "Uh-what? Oh! Yeah-Yeah. Pfft...Of course." His grin widened. He began walking around. Giddy out of his mind. "Man this place is so dope though! Oh my god bro! THIS IS SO HYPE!" "So what exactly should I look out for?" "I guess whatever you label suspicious activity. To be honest he associates with Yakuza guys. So maybe try and find a collective wearing formal wear. Like the same kind of formal wear. Well possible... Something that might give us a bit of information about this Serpent guy." "Alright that kind of helped and also kind of didn't help." "Your welcome." Flash was walking through the large. Huge crowd of people. Looking around. His eyes then caught a large bright billboard. Displaying an AD. For a moment, he put all his attention to the ad. The ad playing be for an upcoming romance flick. Since Firestar saw what Flash was seeing. She immediately critiqued the main guy character of the film in the trailer. "Man that guy looks like a pig. I wouldn't go for him." Flash shrugged. "Well I mean. You can't judge a book by it's cover right?" "Oh but I will. And I will enjoy it." Flash shook his head. "Kay that's enough movie trailers for you then." He walked forward. Still looking for something that could help him out. But there was too much going on. Especially since he was smack dab in the middle of a Time Square. "Hey you catch anything?" "Nope. But keep looking around." On her side. She looked at her phone. Checking the time. It was already 9:00. "If you don't find anything by 9:15. Then just go back to the Bus Station. And well. Go home. I suggest the long route. It'll save you some breath." "Got you." Flash kept walking around. Keeping keen observation in mind. But it was such a challenge. Because of his surroundings. He just wanted to drop everything and go complete ham. Cliché teenage girl if you get the narrator's drift. That's when he spotted something else. A crowd of people gathered around a specific area. He consulted Firestar. "I'm being farfetched but I think I might check over there." "Well to be honest anything is possible in Shibuya. So by all means. Go ahead." With her permission. He walked over to the crowd of people seeing what was going on. Making his way through the crowd. His eyes widened and his mouth hung wide open to form a smile. With that. Even Firestar was laughing. "Yo! HAHA! I'm weak." Of All people. Spider-Man was street performing. Ironically. Spider-Man watched as Spider-Man did that. Not one day. One single day in Canterlot did he ever see anything like this before. That being said he didn't go outside much during his final year if high school due to school work but still this was something else. The closest he'd seen was when Sugarcube Corner had made Spider-Man sugar cookies. But Flash didn't even care. This was too good. "Yo this Guy's costume is almost spot on. I mean the red is a darker shade and the blue is a little more paler but still his suit is cool!" "I'm pretty sure you of all people have the most merch worldwide." Flash raised his eyebrow to that. "What? Nooo. Come on now you're flattering me." "It's true if you think about it. I mean you're kind of, if not the most unexplainable phenomenon in recent times. And it's not like there's rare sightings of you either. I mean you're face is plastered on websites, newspapers, TV programs sometimes. You're kinda growing into this big thing." Flash spoke as he mused at the performance in front of him. "I guess I don't think about myself like that. I mean I guess I don't wanna become narcissistic and wallow in my fame." "I mean I wouldn't consider narcissistic to at least wallow a little in your own fame. Keeping in mind you don't become a douche." "Language!" "Okay Mom!" Flash let out a sigh. Shaking his head. Continuing to walk around after getting a quick glance at Spider-Man street performing. "Maybe being in the center of this place is too crowded. Maybe I need to find a place people would get away to." "There should be an Alleyway somewhere around these parks. But like, a food, club and bar type of alleyway." Flash narrowed his eyes at that. "Sounds like a place where crime could be a potential hotspot." He looked around. "And if I end up fighting any then I might want to fully disguise my face." "Well then just find a nearby Night Market Stand and buy a mask. There's like a bajillion amount of stands nearby. It shouldn't be too hard to find one." Flash dropped his shoulders to that. "Firestar of all the places. That would be the hardest thing to find. Especially in a Time Square like Center." "Well then start searching." Flash let out a sigh. Not wanting to start any argument. Beginning to walk around. Going deeper into Shibuya. Or so what he remembered from his last time here. Also, letting Firestar guide his way. Eventually after a while though. Luck came onto Flash's side and he found what Firestar was talking about. Even getting confirmation from her. "Looks like you've stumbled onto a Night Market. Keeping in mind there's multiple. But hey Maybe you might find a mask here." Flash stuffed his hands into his pocket. Walking towards the area. Looking at each stall. Marveling at each neat item he'd pass by. Looking at all the people walking around and haggling. "Man this place is cool." Firestar chuckled at the mere presentation of the specific Night Market Flash was in. "Pfftt. This place is nothing compared to Kyoto. Now that place. That's where real Japanese Night Markets are at!" "Whatever you say you city geek." Flash chuckled. Before further advancing through the Night Market. He was looking through a bunch of stalls where he saw a lot. Clothing, Food, Toys, Tech. It was literally the most coolest place he'd ever seen. But finally, he found what he was looking for. A stall which sold memorabilia from different franchises. And luckily, masks seem to have been pretty well displayed. "I think I found what I'm looking for." "Alrighty! Go up to the stall. Say good evening and just take out a random mask." He walked up towards the stall. There he saw met the store vendor. A balding man wearing a DC Superheroes T-Shirt. Sitting behind a display case. Flash nodded at the man. Using the little knowledge he had. "こんばんは。(Good Evening.) The Man responded back. "こんにちは。どのように私はあなたを助けることができますか? (Hello there. How may I help you?)" Firestar fed Flash a response to the vendor's gesture. "Repeat after me: Masuku o sagashiteimasu. Tetsudatte itadakemasu ka?" Flash took a deep breath. The last time he spoke Japanese he sounded like a fool. But: 'second time's a charm'. "Masuku o sagashiteimasu. Tesudatte itadakemasu ka? (I'm looking for a mask. Can you help me?)" Right then and there. The vendor could clearly tell that Flash had never spoke Japanese a day in his life. However, he decided not to comment. To let Flash just speak the way he did. "マスク?もちろん。たくさんあります。(A mask? Of course. We have lot's.) He gestured at the collection of masks that were on display. They were hanging on a wall. Being held up by a hook on the wall. Flash walked into the stall. Inspecting each mask. His eyes then spotted a familiar looking mask. A Fox Mask from the Naruto Anime. Knowing the distinct design from anywhere. He smirked a little. Reaching for the mask to further inspect it. Along with that, to see the price. His eyes widened upon looking at the price tag. "9,652...?" "Well this is a memorabilia stand. Stuff here'd be pretty expensive." "I...Guess. But damn, that's like one hundred dollars....or at almost. Bus still." "Well are you just gonna stand there...or are you gonna actually buy it?" Flash let out a heavy sigh. He knew that he'd probably never wear this thing ever again. He also believed in the value of each cent. But he was on a time crunch. So being reckless with his cash just one last time wont exactly kill him. "Fine...I'll just take this." He walked over to the vendor. Placing the mask on the display case and reaching into his pocket for his wallet. He pulling out a 10,000 yen bill. Handing it to the vendor. In return, getting some change back. The Vendor nodded. Smiling. "それはかなり良い選択です。 素晴らしい品質!(That's a great pick. Great Quality!) "Just nod your head. He's bragging about how great his product is." Flash did so. Nodding Walking off. Feeling really bad for spending that much on a mask that he was only wearing for a one time thing. "So I guess I should make my way to this Alleyway. Right?" "Be Careful. Don't stay there too long." "Got you." Thunderstar and Spark marched over to Flash's room. After finally coming up with a good way to confront Flash about the certain coincidences recently. To finally put their suspicions to rest. Thunderstar knocked on the door. But there was no reply. She raised an eyebrow. Usually Flash would say something by now and open the door. So she knocked on it again. Still. Nothing. "There's no answer." Spark got suspicious. She got in front of Thunderstar. Twisting the door knob and opening the door. Only to find that Flash wasn't even there. Both their eyes widened to that. Because, that's not supposed to even be a scenario. Flash not being in his room. They walked inside. Thunderstar calling out his name. "Flash?" She walked around. He was not laying in his bed and there wasn't any place for him to exactly hide. She walked around. Folding her arms. Not paying attention to where she was walking. She accidentally knocked over his Duffle bag. She yelped from surprise. Not even noticing the bag there. And the bag was opened. So a bunch of clothing fell out. "Hey be careful." Spark went over to help her pick the bag up. Also helping her pick up the clothing. "Were trying to look for him, not mess with him." The two knelt down to pick up the clothing that fell out. Putting shirts, pants, jackets. All the pieces of clothing he had brought with him. Spark picked up Spider-Man's mask. Putting it back in the bag. That's where she froze. She looked back in the bag. Taking out Spider-Man's mask. Her eyes widened. And it wasn't like things were any different for Thunderstar. Because she ended up picking up the whole Body Suit. In all it's webbed pattern glory. The two slowly glanced at each other. Chilled at their discovery. They began to act simultaneous. At first shaking their heads and eventually speaking. "No, No, No, No, NO!" Before finally speaking individually again. "Oh my god." "He is Spider-Man!" Spark and Thunderstar glanced at each other. Looking panicked. "Oh No." Meanwhile. Flash. With his phone in one hand and his mask in the other. Summoned the power of Google Maps. Had navigated is way through the Shibuya area. Finally finding an Alleyway that fit the description of what Firestar had explained. "Okay. So now what?" "Do what you've been doing for the last ten minutes. Walk around and look for suspicious activity. It should be easier. Now that you've escaped the large crowds." "Well this place isn't exactly small either." "But it's a lot more narrower. So you got the advantage right?" Flash nodded. "I guess." He looked at his phone. He hadn't exactly charged it before going out. And his Battery was already at 25%. "I better wrap this up quick." He made his way through the alleyway. He'd been in a similar place already a few nights ago. It wasn't this exact Alleyway. But it was similar. A lot of people eating at food bars. People drinking at some other bars. Most casual interactions. And occasionally. A drunk sitting on the ground with their head craned. In their hand, a bottle of alcohol. Flash adjusted his sunglasses. Then stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked through the Alleyway. "Nothing. Absolutely Nothing." He let out a sigh. He knew that by this point he was just wasting time. "Hey I'm heading back to the Bus Station. I think this whole thing was useless." "Fine by me. But hey, at least you had a pretty fun adventure right?" Flash chuckled. "Yeah." He turned around ready to exit the alleyway and go back to the Bus Station. But. Upon turning his head. He spotted a confrontation in the distance. What appeared to be two Guys and a Lady in street clothing and one Butcher. The Butcher looked to be an elderly man. And he it looked as if he were being dragged by the two men violently into a another part of the alleyway. All whilst the Girl watched it go down. He narrowed his eyes. By that point Firestar also saw it. She spoke for a moment. "Flash..." "I'm gonna be a little late getting back." He took off his glasses. Stuffing them in his jacket pocket and put his fox mask over his head. Briefly taking his hat off only to put it back on. Then rushing over towards the scene. "Flash wait! Is this really a good idea?!" "Someone has to do something!" He took his earpiece off momentarily. Stuffing it in his pocket. The two men. Both pretty scrawny. Yet they were both street gangsters. Were bullying the butcher. Making sure he couldn't get up. Both trash talking the elder man. Meanwhile the female of the group was recording it. Taking some amusement in the whole thing. The two scoffed at the old man as he was crying for his life. "老人よ あなたは私たちを退屈にしています!(Come on Old man. You're boring us.)" "そうだ! 良い時間を見せてください!(Yeah come! Show us a good time yo!)" Flash pivoted to turn around. Catching the two guys in the act. Seeing the girl record it all while laughing at the whole situation. Behind his mask he narrowed his eyes. "Man this is just trash at it's finest!" He had a pretty clear mindset of what he should do first. That was to first at least put the accomplice under his arrest so she wouldn't try and escape. So she wouldn't get off Scott free Just until the police came by. So he did. Knowing full well that his identity was concealed at this point. He took the risk. Outstretching both arms. He fired out some webbing from out of his wrists. Letting the webbing collide onto the girls back. Which it did. Widening her eyes upon feeling it. She let out a yelp as the webbing had a bit of a knockback force and made her stumble face first onto the ground. Flash further solidified her arrest by shooting some webbing onto her feet and hands. Making sure she'd stay in place. It was there that the two gangsters saw 'The Spider-Fox' standing right there. With his arms folded. Letting go of the butcher. Looking utterly mortified at what the sight of their friend webbed down to the ground. Flash began approaching them. Walking menacingly towards them. Really wanting to teach these guys and their friend a lesson. They wanted none of that however. With one of the guys declaring that they were booking it. Sounding panicked out of his mind. A 180 to his expression before "くそ!ここから出ましょう! それが一体何なのか、私にはわかりません。でも知りたくない!(Fuck! Let's get out of here! I don't know what the hell that thing is. But I don't wanna find out!)" His friend nodded an the two began running away out of fear. It was kind of a first for Flash. Usually, most criminals try and square up on him. But this was just downright different. Maybe it was because he looked more menacing but still. This was a definite first. However just because it was. He wasn't gonna let those two off easy. He again outstretched both of his arms. Firing out two long glistening weblines. With his angle trajectory aimed right towards them. Catching the two. Only freaking them out even more. Flash snagged both weblines. Before executing a hard tug on each respective one. Pulling the two Gangsters who were feet away from him. With his keen reflexes. Flash caught both by their collars. Quickly. He intentionally made the two bump heads with each other. Purposely making the side of their heads collide. Instantly knocking them out. Letting both of them go and watching them fall gracefully face first into the concrete. He webbed up the two of them. Making sure they wouldn't be going anywhere. Flash now had one more thing to do. He turned around. Glancing at the female accomplice. Glaring at her behind his mask. He went over to her. She was startled by his mere glance. No less freaked after witnessing all of that go down. She screamed in fear. Begging to Flash. Shrieking as loud as possible to emphasize her fear. "どうぞ!私を殺さないで! (PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!)" Flash, tough didn't understand a single thing she just said. Took that as a plead call. But nonetheless, he wasn't even remotely do what she suggested. At least not to her. Her phone on the other hand.... He knelt down to pick it up. The camera was still on and recording. Flash did what he used to do. That being slamming it onto the ground and destroying it completely. Just to really teach her a lesson. However the destruction of her phone wasn't even in the least of her dismay. Flash ten glanced at the Butcher. The man who'd previously been beaten up. He stared at Flash in awe. Not knowing what he just saw. Flash decided to be mysterious. Merely saluting to him. Turning around, he got a running start to fire a webline. Swinging off into the night. Well...not really though. He found a place to land. The top of an apartment building which was in the alleyway. He took his mask off to pant. "I think I'll call it a night." He grabbed his earpiece again. Putting it back in. "Hey Firestar I'm coming back now. Alright." "Uhh..Yeah...." Flash raised an eyebrow. She was sounding quite...hesitant. He couldn't exactly find a word to describe her. He could immediately sense that something was wrong. "Uh hey. What's with the mumbles?" "Umm Flash....You need to come home quick." Flash kept his confused expression. "Uh yeah. I am. Why the sudden hastiness." There was a pause for a moment. Flash heard what sounded like shuffles. Now he was really confused to what was happening. But after a few seconds. A different voice spoke to Flash. "Trust me Flash. You better get home right now!" Flash's eyes widened. Recognizing the voice. He was Dead. "Shit.." //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 3 Flash sighed. Entering the Dojo for his third day of training. By then. Everything from last night was still deep in his mind. It was essentially like a nightmare come true. But was it really that bad? I mean His Aunts and Cousin accept him for the most part. Wait what was he thinking though. At this point he'd basically break his promise twice now. He wasn't responsible and now, now three of the most important people that are in his lives know something like this. He didn't intend for it. This was the one thing that he had intended to protect from everyone else. He didn't want anyone close to him to become exposed to something like this. No less his family. Walking inside. He held a paper bag from the Café. Knowing full well that Akira Sensei would probably take it from him. But at this point. He was just getting the guy Breakfast. Walking into the Dojo room itself. He saw Akira Sensei sitting. Just like on his fist day. Sitting in front of a small table. Sipping on Tea. It made him smirk a little. Greeting the Teacher. "I thought you'd might want a muffin with that." Akira Sensei took a small sip before chuckling. "Wise boy. You've already grown to know me too well." Flash approached the teacher. Handing him the paper bag. Upon doing that he let out a sigh. Asking away. "So what 'Great Favour' do I have to accomplish for you?" "The usual." He pointed at the broom. A clear gesture for Flash to get to work with the floor. Flash nodded, starting for the object. Now Akira Sensei was anything but a dumb old man. By know he knew for a fact that Flash would never even think about trying to do what essentially was a chore. He took another sip. Before placing his tea cup down. Stopping Flash with two words. "Sit down." Flash stopped. Glancing back at the teacher. Confused. "What?" "You heard me did you not? I said sit down." With that. Flash slowly plopped down onto the place mat floor. Akira Sensei had gotten up from where he was sitting at. Walking over to Flash. "Is there something that bothers you?" Flash's eyes widened to that. Not expecting that question to be asked. "What?" Akira Sensei retorted to the response immediately. "I may be old young O'Conner. But that does not mean I'm not intelligent. I can read a lot of my students like a book." He walked around Flash. Continuing. "So what is it that bothers you O'Conner." Flash frowned to that. Looking down. He let out a sigh. "Something...I...." He trailed off, trying to find the best way to put it in words. He glanced up at the Teacher speaking. "Have you ever just...had this feeling where you're always just attracting bad luck. Like as soon as you think something goes right, something else just buds in and everything just takes a downwards spiral." Akira Sensei earnestly titled his head up a little. Letting those words sink into his head. He eventually stopped. Electing to take a seat next to Flash. Giving him insight. "During your lifetime. You must learn to walk in front of the hardest trials. Trials that are so hard that it may seem like your life might finally be coming to a 'downward spiral' as you say. But, the Trials that you face will result in a better person after you've overcome them. Do you understand what I'm telling?" Flash nodded. That whole speech was enough to weaken his frown. That being said though, there was nothing that he could do to change the past. Akira Sensei slowly got up. Before instructing Flash. "When you are ready. When you have felt you're thoughts have cleared. Then, that will be the time I want you to pick up the broom and begin sweeping." He walked off. Attending to his breakfast. Leaving Flash there with his thoughts. Flash sat there with a blank expression. Thinking about everything that had happened all throughout the whole year. How he somehow managed to reach this point in his life. "I don't know what's happening to me. But I like it!" "Wrestling! Why didn't I think of that before. It'll be a perfect way to kickstart a professional acting career. Hell maybe I might be an Influencer." "I'm a publicity star. The only person I look out for is me." "Dad? DAD! What Happened?! "It was a carjacker. He's been shot." "What...have I done?! It's all my FAULT!" "WE'LL MEET AGAIN SPIDER-MAN "The Goblin. It's you?!" "FLASH SENTRY! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN! WERE THROUGH! "I'm Spider-Man no more." "Come on Sentry why so sour? Did your Mom not breastfeed you today or something?!" "You're gonna pay for that! "What's your problem Sentry?!" "YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO SEE RIGHT NOW SUNSET! SO LEAVE ME ALONE! "HOW COULD YOU KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM US!? HOW!? " Flash's frown grew to that. All's he could think about were the bad things that had happened to him. His Dad's death due to his own selfishness The Goblin turning out to be his Best Friend Electro's rise to power Giving up his responsibility But most importantly The Breakup wit Sunset Shimmer. How he had lost her the first time. But now. Now, nearly all his relatives with the exception of his Younger Cousin and Mother knew Spider-Man's identity. And he couldn't help but feel that all of that was entirely his fault. Each time he'd either break one part of his promise or the other part of the promise. "With Great Power. Comes Responsibility. That is my motto . That's supposed be the thing that I lived by. But yet I keep finding myself breaking both parts. First my Dad and Sunset. But now it's this! Now my Aunts and My Cousin." Flash clenched his fists to everything that has happened up until this point. All the bad things that had happen. Some of which he could never ever take back. But. The words that Akira Sensei had told him. That whole words of the wiser moment. He looked at all those moments. All those hardships. Everything he had faced. Everything he had to walk in front of and somehow overcome. In a way. A lot of those wounds had healed. He had gotten his powers back. His Relatives had accepted his identity for the most part. And Sunset Shimmer had gotten back with him. But that leaves it at one thing. Lucas SoftMax. His father. He still held himself responsible for his death. He let that crook get away. That was the one wound that was not able to be replenished. The only thing he had of his father was memories of him and the wise words he had shared with him. So that's where his mind went to next. The memories he had with him, his mother and of course his father. There was tons of ups and downs as he looked back on it. There was that time he broke a vase and his parents yelled their heads off. The time his Dad had burned dinner and both him and his mother laughed at his expense. There was that time they had all went to Equestria Land during the summer and had ended up with tons of prizes. Even riding a lot of rides along the way. Flash found his lips to curve. Forming a smile as he continued and continued to think about each memory. Even letting out a small chuckle. He could remember even more. Like his Dad introducing him to multiple film franchises no matter how nerdy they were. Like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. He could remember his Dad waking him up everyday for school as Flash was one of the laziest people on planet earth. Or so he put himself in that regard. But one. One memory had stuck out from them. And it wasn't what his father had told him upon seeing Mayor Fisk. It was something else. Something he had told to him a month prior to his Senior year. Flash walked downstairs. Starting straight for the exit. "Okay guys! Me, Micro and Sandalwood are going to the theater. I'll be back before dinner!" However. He was stopped. Stopped by his Dad. He'd been sitting at the couch. Watching television. But upon hearing his Son's voice. He knew that this would be a prefect time to tell him something. "Son." Lucas called out. "Take a seat with me will ya?" Flash walked onto the couch his father had been sitting on. Arching an eyebrow. "Uh Dad...I said I was about to--" "Yeah, Yeah." Lucas interjected. "Just...I just need to tell you something really quickly. You know just before me and your mother head off tomorrow for our Anniversary." Flash sighed. Plopping down onto a cushion next to his father. "Okay Dad. You got me. What is it?" Lucas SoftMax inhaled before speaking. "Son next month you'll be starting your Senior year of High School. Well at least I hope you are. God forbid your drop out one me now." To that Flash smirked before letting out a chuckle. Responding with the same dorkiness. "Don't count on it old man." His Father in-turn exchanged the chuckle. Before getting back to his point. "Ye-hah. No, no but seriously. I just wanted to tell you something my Dad did before I went into Senior year. You know just so you can be on the right path. Flash leaned back. Folding his arms. "And what would that be?" His father again chuckled. Before responding. "Son...when your reach the point in your life in which you're in your last year of High School. You're gonna be faced with decisions. Sacrifices and what not. Sometimes, you won't know what whether or not you should give up on doing something enjoyable because you got this huge important thing or-or you wont know what to wear on a date." Flash arched an eyebrow. Not really catching the drift. Letting out a confused sound. "Uh?" That's when Lucas justified the statement. "L-L-Look. The point is. When me and your Mother have to send you off to college and your faced with something like this. I want you to remember that as long as were around. You're always open to receive some sort of consultation." He giggled a little. "Free of Charge if you will." To that. Flash cracked a smile. Truth be told he hadn't even begin to think about College. But hearing that, hearing that made things a little more relaxing. A little more hopeful. He glanced at his Dad nodding. "Thanks Dad." His Father patted his son on the back. "Now what are you waitin' for? Planet of The Apes is not gonna watch itself!" Flash laughed. Getting up from his couch. Heading straight for the door." Flash began tearing up. Waterfalls streaming down his face. But he was smiling a lot. In fact, he let out tons of small chuckles. Despite the fact there were small quivers he found himself chuckling. That whole memory. That might've been the best memory he'd ever had with his Dad. "Even now. He still manages to make me laugh." Flash glanced down. His grin growing just wider as he thought about the whole memory. He was even beginning to realize that the movie wasn't the best part of that day. It was that small advice he'd been given. He slowly got up. Wiping the tears away and starting for the broom. Ready to accomplish the 'Great Favour' Akira-Sensei had expected from him. Akira Sense meanwhile glanced back to his breakfast. Having watched that whole thing. It brought a smile to his face. Thunderstar and Spark sat up in bed. It was 9:00. But the two hadn't gotten up to get ready for the day. Instead. They were talking about last night. Especially one aspect. "What are the odds that Flash and My Brother of all people!" By the tone of her voice. She was panicking out of her mind. Urgency clearly in her voice. Thunderstar thereafter replied. Spark frowned. Realizing that she may've blurted out of urgency. "Sorry...It's just I don't know what I'm supposed to make of this whole thing. I mean we told everyone that he had died of a disease." Thunderstar too frowned. Gently placing her hand onto Spark's shoulder. "We'll figure this out Spark. Maybe we should just talk things out. Y'know maybe he'll understand." Spark began tearing up. Shaking her head and sobbing. "I don't know what to do..." Thunderstar felt that lump in her throat. She reached for her. Embracing her. Trying to comfort her. "Hey, hey, hey now! Don't cry. Everything'll be fine." She held her pretty close. Kissing her on the forehead. "We'll all figure things out okay?" Firestar knocked on Flash's door. To that Flash responded. "Come in." After last night. Things were kind of awkward. Well for Firestar anyways. After that whole Moms vs Flash thing. Everything was pretty awkward. She opened the door. Peaking her head into the doorway. "Uh hey..." Flash however. He was in a pretty good mood. Smiling upon the arrival of Firestar. "Hey." Because of that. Firestar arched her eyebrow. A little confused by Flash's good mood. Especially after what had happened. She even chose to comment. "You seem to be in...a good mood today--why are you in such a good mood." Flash shrugged. Looking care-free. "Akira Sensei kinda helped me out today before class." Her eyes widened. "You didn't tell him your identity did you?" Flash shook his head. "No, No of course not. I just told him about....it's kinda complicated but I just told him about how I've felt over the past few months or so. Nothing too revealing if you catch my drift." With that. Firestar entered the room. Pulling up a chair at which where the desk was. Sitting down. Thereafter. A moment of silence ensued. Neither side saying anything to one and other. Mainly Firestar. After what'd happen last night. She felt really awkward about it. But she knew she couldn't keep the silent treatment up for long. So after a minute, she decided to speak up. "Look Flash. About what happened last--" "Uh-Uh-Uh." Flash stopped her right there. "Firestar what happened, happened. You can't feel sorry for yourself over something you had no control over. I snuck out after all. It was my decision. You were just trying to help me out. And besides, I talked to Aunt S n' T. I think cleared the ice between us. They more or less accepted the whole thing for what it was and well. Things seem pretty fine." To that Firestar smiled. From the display of earnestness her cousin was showing. It was quite the relief. Now they could move through the day without ever having to mention that again. So she changed the subject. Asking about Day 3 of training. "So speaking of Akira Sensei. How did class go?" Flash shrugged. "To be honest. Pretty smoothly. I think I've finally gotten the whole stance thing down because he didn't really critique me as usual. But more or less, we kinda focused on punches and kicks. I learned proper punching and other hand techniques. And well, he even showed me one new thing which was the High Kick. I mean I knew how to do that already. But I think now it's more polished." He got up to further prove his point. Using the space around. He stood so he was in profile view for Firestar. She watched, as Flash let out a grunt. Raising his leg up high and performing a proper High Kick. In-turn receiving an applause from her. "Impressive. Most Impressive." Flash went back onto the bed. Plopping down. "So you got the drone all fixed up?" "Yeah." Firestar nodded. "I'm gonna guess you're looking to go see crime alley again?" Flash nodded in response. "It's been quiet for the past few days. I'm still vigilant about this Serpent guy. But seeing how this is our only lead. Were gonna have to take a leap of faith on this one." "Understood." Firestar nodded. "Well till then. I'll see you at breakfast." She got up. Starting for the door. Exiting and closing it behind her. Author's Note Okay. So I haven't really done a legitimate Author's note in a while. Just because I'm trying to finish this whole thing off and well I'm betting a lot of people reading probably already know the story. So, in the orignial. I only wrote three days worth of Marital Arts training because I'd thought it get repetivtive to write. I implied that Flash had learned a lot and well the story kind of continued from there. This whole Martial Arts thing was pretty tricky to rewrite. I didn't want to do the same thing. I wanted to do something different. So I did, adding more uniqe things instead of a causal class. Because in all hoensty that was pretty boring. So I added a few comedic elements to each day while still maintaining some seriousness. Now this chapter is kind of like the end to the original whole 7,000 word chapter in the original. Just that this time, I decided to not focus on the whole training aspect. Instead I wanted to do a sort of reflection chapter for Flash Sentry. I'm postiive I've done it in Issue #6 but I feel like this was more appropriate as Flash was away from Canterlot. So he didn't have all the problems to deal with. I wanted Akira Sensei to have a sort of words of the wiser moment. As I'd think it be some good development for a Character who's only appearing for a short time. So as in improvision. I implied that the whole class had went well as there would be no need to write how perfect it was. Comment down below about what you think of this rewrite compared to the original. Or not, were all pretty free to do whateves and uh School is sucking the life outta me. //-------------------------------------------------------// Flare //-------------------------------------------------------// Flare "Flash, we need to talk." Flash turned around to seeing his Aunt Thunderstar leaning at the doorway. Arms folded. With somewhat of a stern look to her face. He arched his eyebrow. Especially from the same stern demeanor from her voice. "Uh, What happened?" "Me and Spark need to talk to you." Well that didn't give him anymore context. But he got up. Obeying her order. Though, still really confused by the sudden need to talk. The two walked over to Thunderstar's room. She opened it. There, seeing Spark sitting on their bed. With her arms folded as well. Flash could even see her pouting. That just made it even more confusing as he couldn't begin to decode what was going on. "Uh...What is it? I thought we cleared the ice from yesterday." "Well, think again." Spark retorted. To that. Flash's eyebrows furrowed. That definitely was a first. He'd never hear his Aunt be so blunt. Responding to that. "Hey. What's with the blunt attitude?" Thunderstar justified her wife's tone. Sounding a little more earnest. "Look she's kind of conflicted right now." Flash glanced at Thunderstar. Still unknown to the situation. "Why? You two left yesterday accepting me. Why the sudden, confliction?" Thunderstar responded. "It's because of your cause. Wanting to go after the Serpent." Flash. Now kind of understood the whole confliction. So he glanced back at Spark. Talking to her. "Look Aunt. S. Firestar felt the same way but I'm fine. I know what I'm in for. It's as easy as beating him and handing over to the police. I mean now that you two know, I wont have to leave this time." There was a moment silence thereafter. Flash, didn't even know where to begin with that. This whole thing was starting to get pretty confusing. He responded to the sudden awkward silence. Looking at the two of them. "What?" It took a little longer. But finally. Spark mustered enough courage to talk. "When I was young....Me and My brother were playing in the woods. One that was right behind our home. It was like an escape..." Flash to the whole thing arched an eyebrow. Seeing how the response he'd been given was weird. But likewise, Spark continued. "...We'd been there for at least five summers in a row. But, our fifth summer would be our last summer we'd ever spent there..." A younger looking Spark stood with her brother. A boy a lot more taller than her sister. They shared the same orangish hair. Just his was a lot more shorter. The two were in pretty causal clad for their age. They were in the woods. Like Spark had explained. Tall trees and everything. "We were playing a game of Hide and Seek. I was the hider while my brother was the seeker." The younger Spark spoke to her brother before hiding. "準備はできたか!(Are you ready!)" Her brother nodded. Showing the same enthusiasm. "私はいつも準備ができています!(I'm always ready!)" With that Spark nodded. "はい! しかし、二条に数えます (Okay. But count to twenty!)" She ran off. Knowing exactly where to hide. She didn't want to go too far. So she hid in close proximity of her brother. With it, hearing her brother count to twenty. "He was counting as usual. Everything seemed pretty normal." But. That's when the wheel of faith spun into action. A snake. But it looked very, unique so to speak. It was, gold. But not in the sense that it was solid gold. It was more like a pale gold. But that wasn't what was unique about it. What was is the fact that, it was glowing. Glowing a similar yellow. Radiating a small surface area of the ground around it. Slithering and hissing, though unbeknownst to the two children. Well, not for long.... Spark's brother was still counting. Keeping his eyes closed while he still counted. But unknown to him, the snake was slithering right near him. Also in close proximity. Eventually, as the serpentine kept at his slither. It spotted the older sibling. Upon seeing the child, it stuck it's tongue out and flicked it. Letting out a hiss. Seeing the child, he slithered right for him fast. In an almost impressive motion. "I still remember what had happened. I remember giggling as I was hiding. Due to how excited I was by the game. But all of that excitement practically disappeared because the next thing I knew. I heard my brother let out a scream." "A...scream?" "Yup. At the time I didn't know what had happened. But I remember running up to him. Only to see him lying on the ground, clutching at his right leg." Without any warning. The Golden Serpent struck! It thrusted itself from side to side faster and faster towards Spark's brother. By then, the boy stopped. Finally hearing the hissing. His eyes widened. In his head, he was hoping that the culprit wasn't what he thought it was. Slowly, he glanced downward. Slowly turning his head before lowering it to see what was causing the chilling ruckus. It was there, he saw the glowing serpent. His eyes widened and he gasped immediately. Having never actually encountered a snake before. But before he could react the snake did! Quickly, it lunged forwards at. Going right for his uncovered calf as he was wearing shorts. Sinking it's fangs into the poor boy. Prompting him to let out a loud shriek. Spark's eyes widened. Her excited expression turned startled. As far as she was concerned. Her and her brother were the only two people she knew that were in the forest. And that shriek was very close in proximity. "Flare?" Flare. The brother to Spark Flamewalker. Fell right to the ground. The Serpent? Well, it's glow was slowly disappearing as it pumped it's venom into Flare through his fangs. So much so that as soon as Flare fell, he let go. Slithering away. Leaving Flare on the ground, letting out cries. Tears swelling out of his eyes due to being startled and in pain. Spark found Flare like that. On the ground crying and screaming. Immediately, she ran for her older brother. Screaming out his name. "FLARE!" Running up to the kid. She knelt down quickly, seeing her brother in pain. Immediately asking what's wrong. "Flare どうしたの!? (What Happened)" Flare however, didn't answer. As he kept letting out loud heart wrenching screams. The Younger Spark was confused. She didn't know what was going on. That's when she noticed Flare clutching his right leg. Seeing blood right between his fingers. Seeing that as the culprit to what was causing all of it. Because of it. She let out a loud shriek as well. Moving back upon seeing that. "出血しているフレア (YOU'RE BLEEDING!)." Tears came out of the young child upon seeing that. Not knowing what to do." "I remember crying. I didn't know what was going on and...." Spark was tearing up. The memory not being quite a good one. The memory that forever defined the turning point in her families life. How everything had changed because of that. She began sobbing. Glancing away from Flash. Continuing. "He--Our parents were nearby. They were doing garden work in our home when they heard both of us scream. They had ran over toward us and found me crying while my brother was on the ground screaming and crying." Flash raised both his eyebrows upon hearing that. He hadn't seen his Aunt Spark cry before. "Aunt Spark..." But she continued. Still sobbing. "He was taken to the doctor...and it was determined to be a snake bite. But, the snake had given my brother something in his leg. An unknown sort of infection from the poison. It put him in immense pain. For a while, he had to stay at the hospital because Doctors didn't know what was going on with him. My Parents and I were always so worried about him. And as each day passed, his condition just kept get worser and worser." She wiped her tears away. Sniffling before speaking again. "But...then one day he had gotten better. It was like a miracle. Somehow one day, his leg had just stopped hurting and that infection within him had just disappeared. Like Magic or something." Flash then arched on eyebrow. Hearing that sounded good in theory. But even so, his Aunt still looked depressed. But, he commented otherwise. "Aunt Spark. I..." He trailed off. He never actually knew his Uncle Flare Flamewalker. He was just told that he had died way before Sabrina and Spark had met. "What does this actually have to do with The Serpent?" She again sniffled. Wiping another tear away. She looked at Flash. When she did, Flash's eyebrows furrowed. Frowning at the sight of her being sad. But she continued likewise. "Because Uncle Flare never Died...." Flash let that sink in. He let those words resonate for a slight second. Before widening his eyebrows. He glanced at Thunderstar. She had this look. A very guilty look. Flash glanced back at his Aunt. Shaking his head. Denying what her implication is. "Aunt Spark you're--you're....no! You're not saying what I think you're about to say." She continued. "After the whole thing. My Parents didn't want us to stay in Tokyo no longer. So we had packed our bags and left to America. So we could all have a change of scenery and leave Kyoto behind. We had gone to Canterlot, Equestria. We heard the place was safe and good for immigrants such as ourselves. It wasn't long before we got enrolled into school and start our new lives. But things were different. For Flare I mean." Flash arched an eyebrow. Replying quickly. With clear urgency in his voice. "How so?" Spark nor Thunderstar reacted to the urgency in the slightest bit. With Spark responding to Flash. "Flare had gotten these abilities. Fast Reflexes and speed. Like that snake bite had done something to him. But with that his behaviour changed. He had slowly began to grow more and more negative as the years passed by. It didn't help that he hung out with bad influences during school. Eventually it got so bad that he had cut off everyone in his life." There was no denying what she was saying. She was saying exactly what Flash had feared her to say. "You mean to tell me that Uncle Flare. The man you've insisted to have died at least over twenty years ago to be The Serpent?!" Spark nodded, confirming the statement. Now this--this was a new yet terrifying development. There was so many questions to be asked. But even so, what was Flash even supposed to begin with. Heck, his whole mind had just exploded to that. He didn't even know where he was supposed to begin. But that also meant. His Other Aunt knew just as well. He glanced at her. Folding his arms and asking with Urgency. "How long have you known?" She diverted her glance to the floor. Answering. "About Five Years now." Flash couldn't believe it. Never once in his life had he had ever heard something so, he couldn't put it in words. It went over the whole 'just' emotion he had felt a few days ago. "Guys how do you even know he's that he's the Serpent?" Again. Thunderstar responded. "Flash, the term Gold Serpent was something he went by back in High School. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together on that one." Flash's eyes narrowed to the ground. Right then and there he would've asked why they had kept this a secret from everyone. But...for the first time he could see why they'd want to keep it at that. He was somewhat in a situation like that. Where he had to hide something really big and quite possibly dangerous if it got into the hands of the wrong people. But still, that could be the least of his problem. "Spark he's--I...." He was lost out of his mind. He rubbed his temples. Electing to leave for a moment. "I need a moment to take all this in..." He started for the exit, heading straight for his room. Neither Aunt stopped him. The two just watched as he had left. Flash speed walked to his room. Closing the door. Before leaning back and sliding down into it. "Oh Man this whole thing could not have just gotten any worse!" Author's Note So, continuity change. Why? Because this felt more fitting. Now, this was a really tough chapter to wirte. But I took my chances (Criticizie me all you want.(Actually critics are pretty good though)) And winged it! //-------------------------------------------------------// Your Outlook? //-------------------------------------------------------// Your Outlook? "What am I supposed to do?" Flash rubbed his temples even more. Upon learning that whole truth, everything was completely compromised. His cause. His reason for taking Martial Arts Classes. In other words for Flash..... "EVERYTHING HAS BEEN COMPROMISED!" He could not think straight at all. It was like everything had gone inwards. If he got up to move right now, his movements would probably be perplexed. In other words. He was very lost. It was here that he wished his Dad could be here right now. I mean he would probably have an answer for it. Wouldn't he? Flash sighed. Thinking about his Dad triggered that exact same memory from earlier. The one about how one day he had to make the most toughest decisions in his life. That couldn't have been any more truer. He's made a lot of tough decisions over the span of a few months. But this, this was just on a new scale. There were two sides. One in which Flash believed that he should arrest him and get it over with. The other side was, is that really right. Should I get someone who's been close to my Aunt arrested. He couldn't decide anymore. The whole idea at one point was okay and he felt comfy with it. But now with the whole 'He is your Uncle!' Discovery. He wasn't sure if he even felt comfortable about it anymore. It's A no brainer Sentry. You have to do what's right no matter what! He's You're Uncle Man! Would it be considered betrayal if you purposely get a relative arrested. Is that really right at all!? Flash clutched his head with both hands. He was at a huge lost. Everything was just so lost for him at this point. It was clear that he couldn't think of anything on his own. And it wasn't like he could bring out ghosts from the past to maybe help him out or anything. He calmed himself down. Taking a few deep breaths. And well eventually, he had finally calmed himself down of his mini freak out. But even so, that didn't exactly make the whole dilemma go away as well. Serpent was still Uncle Flare nonetheless. Flash sighed. He was still lost. And he couldn't think of anything that could serve as his whole goal or what not. But that's when it hit him. Wasn't his Girlfriend Sunset Shimmer? Hasn't the Rainbooms dabbled in some sort of problem which always ended with a good ending. "Could she help?" Flash's eyes then widened to the over all thought. "Wait Sentry what are you thinking?! I can't just say: Hey? My Uncle turns out to be some sort of Hitman and oh yeah I'm Spider-Man!" That'd just make the whole situation worse." Once more. He let out another sigh. Making things harder on himself once again. But still, maybe her opinion could prove to be a good one. He could take the risk.... If he changed a few details..... Sunset was doing what most people would be doing in their rooms all alone. Watching movies. As for her whole night, she'd just been on a movie watching marathon. As it seemed pretty sensible. Leaning back in her computer chair. Fast Food bag in one hand, a plant based Burger in the other. She was watching Netflix off her Computer. As the monitor was pretty high quality. What she was watching? Well..... "Man what happened to Luke in this movie?! He's absolute trash!" She took a bite out of her meal. "Man no wonder Flash hated this movie. I mean Luke pulled a complete Obi-Wan--" Her phone suddenly vibrated. It diverted her attention away from the Computer monitor and onto the tiny screen. She sighed a little. Wanting to do some more trash-talk over the movie. Placing her burger in the bag. She set it aside, reaching for the phone. Tapping the screen twice, her notification bar displayed a text message from Flash. A simple 'Hey' sent to her. Well that made her smile. "At least it's worth the pause." Tapping the notification and unlocking her phone. She texted Flash back. Oh man am I glad you finally came around. You just made this night a million times better! For a moment there was a slight pause. What Sunset couldn't see was Flash blushing from the text. But more or less he came back with a response. Well I'm glad to hear that you're night's going well. Though to be honest knowing you, I have the feeling you're leaning back in a chair watching a movie and eating some vegetarian alternative to any meat product. Sunset giggled to that. Flash wasn't psychic or anything. He had practically always seen her doing that whenever he had come over to her place. And well being Sunset, she responded to that in her fashion. If u must know, it is a Beyond Meat Burger. And let me say it is the greatest thing of all time. She again texted. If u must know, it is a Beyond Meat Burger. And let me say it is the greatest thing of all time. But uh since u texted. What do u wanna talk about. She then ran that whole last text through her head. Thinking about it, it gave her an opportunity to be a dork. So he took it up. Smirking as typed in her follow up. But uh since u texted. What do u wanna talk about. Or text about in this case 🤔 A chuckle escaped Flash. Shaking his head to that. As for a minute, that brief moment of dorkiness on her part was pretty calming for him. He responded. You just had to throw that one didn't you? She quickly responded. But of course! Flash let out another sigh. His grin grew quite a lot. He was trying to have a serious conversation and she was being her usual self. Not that that was a bad thing or anything. He couldn't have it any other way. But time was running out. He knew Sunset probably didn't have all night and well he didn't have all day. He had no time to waste on the matter. After having thought things out. He had figured out a way to introduce his dilemma. In a way so he doesn't reveal too much. Especially personal stuff and what not. He sighed. Before texting again. K. This might sound really weird but it's for a debate over some character in a TV show me and my relatives were watching. Sunset responded. Not weirded out even in the slightest. K. This might sound really weird but it's for a debate over some character in a TV show me and my relatives were watching. Alright. Shoot That, made Flash smirk a little. But now came the real hard part. Explaining the whole thing. Again, Flash knew of how weird this would probably make him look in front of her. But he took his chances. K. So there's this character that's a Hitman. He's been killing people left and right for a good few years. Okay The there's this other character. He is kinda like the Hero of the story. He kinda ends up crossing paths with this guy and well. The hero kinda has this driving force to go take him down and get him arrested. Alright sounds pretty reasonable so far. Flash sighed. As the next part he was about to text would be the last part of the whole thing. But. Then this huge development kinda comes out of nowhere. That this guy is actually the heroes best friend from a real long time ago. There was a slight pause thereafter. As Sunset didn't respond as fast that time. As she was thinking the whole thing over. Letting all of that Information sink in. Before eventually. Responding. Ooookay. That, is a pretty big plot twist. Man the showrunners must have been hyping that for months. Flash responded. Playing the part and faking. Yup They really wanted to make a huge plot twist for this show. I think It payed off. But anyway, the whole debate between all of us is: If you were the hero person. Would you arrest him knowing full well that he's your friend. Or would you have a hard time doing it now knowing he's your best friend. There was even longer pause. That was a pretty hard question and it was pretty debatable. Sunset read the whole query. That was a pretty tough dilemma. So much so that it made her think. Of all the times I've actually ever dealt with my friends before. Well I also know what it's like to be on the other side of things. But then again, with all that messy Hitman stuff involved.... For a moment, she was actually at a loss for things. Would it be right or would it be wrong. It was something her mind couldn't grasp on. She'd dealt with things such as; Acceptance, Identity Theft, A Magical Movie Star Girl (Though Starlight had come in the clutch for that one), Wallflower Blush stealing erasing everyone's memory of the Goodness Sunset had achieved, A whole thing with Spring Break she didn't want to get involved with and much, much more. "I Guess there's no real answer for this one." With that. She prompted to respond to the whole thing. To be honest with you. I'm not sure there could be a right answer for it. I mean if the guy is like really close to the Hero. Which I'm gonna assume he was. Then I guess I wouldn't but at the same time If the guy was like crazy evil then it would be pretty hard for me to ignore it so I guess I'd arrest him. Flash read the texts Sunset had given him. He sighed, it was pretty clear that they were both just as lost with the whole situation. But Sunset wasn't done. As she had sent him one final text. But I guess at the end of the day. The Hero has to make the decision. U know. Like I guess u could say that. No matter how much the person would want somebody else's outlook on a tough situation that doesn't involve them. I feel like maybe they're the person to make the final decision. U catch my drift? Flash had read that entire last set of text Sunset had sent him. It wasn't the answer he was exactly looking for beforehand. As it wasn't the 'I'd probably do _____ in that situation.'. But, it was at least something. But at this point. Flash couldn't have thought of anything better. As his head was in a million places at the moment. He couldn't really think that straightly. And it wasn't like it was a waste of time to ask Sunset Shimmer. Flash knew that at best she had more experience in dilemma's and ethical decisions in her life. More then he had ever had. And to say the least. Flash was more then contempt with the answer. He knew that Sunset always knew what she was talking about. He let out a sigh. Before responding to the text. Thankful that he had gotten her outlook over anyone else's. Well. Thanks for the outlook. Sunset responded. With a hint of a little lovey dovey tone. No probs Lighting ⚡:heart: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/heart.png Love you! Flash smiled a lot to that. Responding in Flash fashion. Well actually I love you loving me more than me loving you more than you loving me. If you catch my drift Sunny ☀🔥:heart: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/heart.png Sunset broke out into a giggle because of that. A small blush crept up on her cheeks before she texting on that. Ur literally the dorkiest person I know. 😄 Flash shortly responded with the next text. One that would make Sunset burst out into laughter. U know it babe 👌 She should've known Flash would bestow ne levels of dorkness. She could tell he used that emoji for the sheer moment of just trying to cringe her out. But it came off a little more comedic then cringy. Not that it was a bad thing. She set her phone her down. She shook her head. Folding her arms. A thought thereafter generating in her head. "I should totally make videos with him." Flash walked back into his Aunt's room. Having been gone for about fifteen minutes. It had kind of caught the two by surprise. But Flash got straight to the point. His expression way more calm then it was before. Addressing why he had come back. "Okay. Let's talk this out." ….. //-------------------------------------------------------// Spider Strikes Back //-------------------------------------------------------// Spider Strikes Back "Step Forward..." Serpent narrowed his eyes. Stepping forward and kneeling down. Keeping his gaze on the shadowy Mr. X. Asking him why he had ordered him. "What is it, Mr. X?" "It's time. You are too return to Shinjuku at 6:00 straight. There, they will instruct you further about the task at hand." Serpent nodded. "Of course." He stood up. Ready to head for the elevator. That was until Mr. X had blurted out one last thing. "And one more thing." Serpent stopped in place. Glancing back to see the shadowy figure lean forward. Showing his eyes narrow. "This is your final opportunity. If you mess up. Then you will not see another day. Understood." Serpent replied. His face as cold as ever. "Of course. Mr. X." A rainy night fell onto tokyo. Flash sat on his bed. Lost in deep thought. He had had a conversation about the whole Serpent thing with his Aunts. Ultimately, the two sides had fully reconciled. Though, they were still lost at what to do with Serpent. As Spark and Thunderstar had never actually thought about anything remotely like this in their lives. Not only that. There also was Flash's private classes with Akira-Sensei. It hadn't dawned on him because he had somewhat grown affine to having the classes and learning. But if he were to finally put an end to the Serpent thing. Then, what use would taking the classes be. Should he continue it anyways as he was making some pretty good progress, or should he quit. I mean after Serpent is out of the picture, the classes would be nothing more than just summer school. And Flash, he wasn't exactly somebody who lusted for power and crazy fighting skills. He does the things he do because he wants to do things for the greater good. So, would continuing his classes just be him lusting for more skill? It was one of those he things he was thinking about. Along with that, things had been relatively quiet today for the most part. Everyone had kind of kept to themselves despite the fact that 4/5 of the house hold knew he was Spider-Man and he was after Serpent. After Yesterday, a little bit alone time for everyone wasn't exactly a bad thing. That was until..... *SLAM!* The door slammed open. Breaking Flash's train of though altogether. With Firestar panting heavily. "Flash! Flash! You gotta see this." Flash didn't ask further question. Jumping off the bed he followed Firestar to her room. Wanting to see what was up. Running out of the room. He entered Firestar's room. Finally asking the question that kept him suspense. "What is it?" Firestar didn't answer directly. She showed instead of tell if you get my drift. Showing her laptop monitor. It was of her spy drone. The live feed captured by the camera. It showed, something a little bit more interesting. A collective of people. About three dressed as drivers while the others were of men in black suits. Flash was hooked. Glancing at Firestar. "Okay what's this?" "It's of Yakuza Members!" She exclaimed. "From what the drone caught, I think they're plotting some sort of assassination." "By that I'm gonna assume they mentioned something." Firestar nodded to Flash's response. In-turn Flash narrowed his eyebrows. "Where?" "I don't know yet. I was kinda woken up to this." It was there that both Aunts rushed towards Firestar's room. With Thunderstar immediately scolding her. "Young Woman! May I remind you that Snowstorm is sleeping! Why would you slam somebodies door?!" Flash glanced back at the two. Forgetting the conversation they had. Addressing them of the situation. "Firestar says that Yakuza men are planning an assassination." That stopped them in their tracks. That wasn't exactly something they heard everyday. "An Assassination?" Spark asked with a stern tone. She tilted her head down a little, vigilant of what she was hearing. "Are you sure?" Firestar nodded in response. "Yes. I swear on my life I heard them talking about it." Both Aunts looked at Flash. They knew what was most likely going through Flash's mind. Seeing him narrowing his eyes on the floor. To that, Thunderstar spoke up. "Flash..." Flash glanced at both Aunts. "I can't stand by with information like that. I might have to step in." Both Aunts frowned. Flash was capable of taking this on. They knew that. But still, his safety was a top priority for them. Anything could happen out there. But was there really stopping him. Spark let out a sigh. "Flash if you're really gonna go through with this then be careful." Flash nodded to that. Ready to beeline right out the door to go grab his Spider-Man costume. That is, until.... "私たちはあなたを期待していた、蛇。(We've been expecting you. Serpent.)" All three with the exception of Flash gasped. However because of the said gasps. It caught Flash's attention right away. Prompting him to turn around and walk right back towards the laptop monitor. To see who had just spoken and why it had shocked his relatives. Walking past his Aunts to stand next to his Cousin. His eyes widened to see Serpent. Sitting right on a motorcycle. Nodding at the men. His teeth grit upon the scene. Clenching his fists. "Well what do you know! This can't be good." Firestar finally spoke up. Glancing at Flash. Quivering. She had never actually seen the Serpent before. Just known descriptions of him. And yet, she found herself shaking from it. The mysterious and frightening personality which was the Serpent freaked her out to her bones. "Th-Th-Th-Th-That's th-th-the..." "Serpent..." Flash narrowed his eyes. He patted Firestar's shoulder. Needing her to cooperate with him. "Firestar. I know it looks bad. But I'm gonna need you translate, okay?" She nodded. Very shaken from merely looking at the figure. But she agreed nonetheless. Displayed on the laptop screen. Serpent got off his bike. Merely bowing his head to the men. Looking around, he saw some of the men dressed up to pose as drivers. He chuckled. Casually putting his hands in his trench coat pockets. "ハロウィンですか?(So is this, Halloween?)" "What he say?" Firestar, very shaken. Replied instantly. "He just asked if it was Halloween." Flash's shoulders dropped. His eyelids lowered a bit to hearing that. "Of course he did..." Because of the remark made by Serpent. The Member who had greeted him immediately went for a jab of his own. Wanting Serpent to stay focused. "老人の言うことを聞きなさい。 これは冗談を言う時ではありません。 そのスタントの後、あなたは数夜前に引っ張りました、あなたの完全な協力が必要です!(Listen old man. This is not the time to make jokes. After that stunt you pulled a few nights ago we need your full cooperation!" They couldn't see it but Serpent's grin faded almost instantly under his scarf. He was not gonna tolerate this common member to call him an Old Man. Without any hesitation or warning for that matter. Serpent lunged forwards. In such a swift motion that it was abrupt to everyone else. He grabbed the Member entirely. Getting him on his knees and putting him in a grueling headlock. Making sure his arm was tightly wrapped around his head. The Yakuza member could not so much as move. Struggling as he tried to break free. Groaning in pain because of what Serpent was doing. Flash and the rest all widened their eyes. Watching that from the laptop monitor. Flash's tone quickly changed. He clenched his teeth harder. Clenching both fists at the sight as he felt almost powerless. Not being able to do anything in the position he was in. It was there that Serpent finally broke the silence. Opening his mouth behind his scarf. Asserting his dominance. "この老人はあなたをヘッドロックに入れたようです。(This old man seems to have put you in a headlock.)" He squinted his eyes on the Yakuza member. Giving him one sneer to further his point. "年長者を軽蔑するのは失礼だと知らないのですか?(Don't you think it's rude to disrespect your elders?)" Flash again glanced at Firestar to ask her to translate. But that's when Aunt Spark stepped in. Placing her hand on Flash's shoulder. Catching his attention. Making him glance back. Upon the action. Aunt Spark gave him more context. "He's just proving his point of who's the stronger person. It's not anything to important." Flash took a moment to absorb that information. Before nodding. Turning back around to look at the computer screen. Narrowing his eyes on Serpent and the Yakuza member. Eventually, the Yakuza member surrendered. Though he couldn't nod his head. He gave a response, with his voice a little clasped because of the headlock. "大丈夫です!ポイントテイク! (OKAY! POINT TAKEN!)" With that, Serpent let go of the member. Standing up whilst keep his gaze affixed on the Yakuza member. Watching as he gasped for air. Again, Flash's patience was running out. He didn't want to stand by and watch. But nonetheless, he needed more details on what was to happen tonight. He and the rest watched as the Yakuza member stood up once again. With all the tension out of the way he addressed the task at hand. Conveying the information from the initial plan. Somewhat panting as the headlock had done a number on him. Though nonetheless, still able to muster the energy to speak. だから。。。これは。。。。計画. (So...this is...the plan..." Spark and Thunderstar both leaned in closer. Wanting to listen and translate for Flash. "私たちは「私たちの友人を見晴らしの良い場所に誘い込みます。それがレインボーブリッジです。「カークラッシュ」を設定し、さらに2人のメンバーを警察部隊に装って調査しました。" "We are going to lure our "Friend" into the vantage point. That being the Rainbow Bridge" Said Spark. Catching both Flash's and Firestar's attention. "We've set up a 'Car Crash' and have sent two more of our members to pose as Police force and investigate." "そのため。 すべての真っ最中に「止める」必要があります。" Thunderstar placed her hand under her chin. "Because of it. We'll have to make a 'stop'" それがあなたの出番です。 あなたはバックタワーの一つにいるでしょう。 スナイパーをプレイ。 "That is where you come into play." said Spark. "You'll be right on one of the back tower. Playing Sniper." Flash's eyes widened to that. Hearing how all of this was intricately planned out ahead of time. "そしてまあ、かつてはその位置にいた。 どうしたらいいかわかると思います。" All three with the exception of Flash gasped at that. Hearing what the member had said. Flash took separate glances at all three. Arching an raising both eyebrows. "What he say?" Thunderstar responded to Flash. Sounding a little shaken from what the Yakuza member had said. "Serpent and himself alone has to shoot the target from the tower." Flash frowned before narrowing his eyes. He was practically set with all the information he needed. But now came the tough part. That being to get to the location itself. He could take a bus. However the bus was known for making multiple stops at a time, and that would merely slow him down. And he was not open to the idea of web slinging in a neighborhood. No less showing off any more of his powers. Especially three times in one week. But what other choice did he have? He might actually have to resort to using the trees and structures in the calm neighborhood in order to get around. But with that idea, prompted a question. "How far is this bridge from here?" The latter widened their eyes to the question. As it was now blatantly clear Flash wanted to end his vendetta with Serpent once and for all. "For us it would be nearly half an hour. And judging by the fact that their in Shinjuku . It would be a near twenty minute drive for them." Flash gritted his teeth. Looking down at the floor. "Shoot! I don't think I'll be able to make in time." He clenched his fists. His arm shaking a little due to the many struggles that showed themselves right now. "But I might have to take my chances." Spark pouted. Squinting her eyes, she glanced at her daughter. "Firestar, babysit Snowstorm for a while." The command caught the latter by surprise. All three widening their eyes as Spark continued. Glancing at her wife and nephew. "You two, get in the car!" Flash immediately questioned on what had just happened. Specifically, questioning his aunt. "Aunt Spark I--" She interjected him. "Flash if you're really deadest on this then you have to trust us me on this." Flash, right then and there would've opted to argue on that. But, due to the circumstances of the situation, he really had no other option. So just this once, he swallowed his own stubbornness. Nodding, prompting to leave for the door. Spark glanced right back at Firestar. Kneeling down so she could be at her daughters height level while she sat in computer chair. Placing both hands on her cheeks, she spoke to her. "Go and stay in Snowstorm's room for the time being. Me and your Mom are gonna get Flash at where he needs to be at." Firestar looked a little panicked from that. Furrowing her eyebrows and frowning. "Are you sure about this?" "Honey please." Spark's voice had gone soft. Wanting to sound reassuring. "You need to stay here, I don't want to drag you or Snowstorm into any of this. Okay?" Firestar nodded. Her frown still there, her mother's soft voice at least sounded warm and reassuring. Flash opened the door to his room. Running straight for his duffle bag, he dug his hand he found his mask. Pulling right out of the bag. He narrowed his eyes on the lenses. This what it all came down to now. This was his only other chance to him. He couldn't afford to mess things up. He clenched both fists. Giving the mask an intense stare for a moment. "Let's just do this one last time." A red headed bearded man. Complete with a green and white flannel long sleeve, glasses and khakis. Sat in the back of an ordinary taxi. He was pretty nonchalant. His whole first day in Tokyo wasn't going as bad as he thought. Or, his first day back in Tokyo. The man spoke to the driver. Casually starting the conversation "ええと。 ここに来て久しぶりです。 物事は少し変わっていないと言うべきです!(You know. It's been a long time since I've been here. Gotta say things haven't changed a bit!)" The Driver glanced at the rear view mirror whilst driving. Replying to the man. Showing him gratitude. "なぜ、ラターマンさん、ありがとうございます。 それはあなたが言うにはとても良いことです。(Why, thank you Mr. Latterman. That is a very nice thing for you to say.) Just at the same time. The same silver Kia Sedona that Spark drove pulled up near the docks. The one that the bridge overlooked. The Tokyo Bridge, the bridge that radiated a rainbow glow at night. Refracting on the water. Just in the nick of time. Spark had managed to drive herself, her wife and nephew to the docks. She let out a heavy sigh. As she turned off the ignition. Glancing at Flash. Who sat in the back seats. In Spider-Man costume. With exception of the mask which he held in his hands. "Were here." Flash nodded. "Okay..." The feeling was odd. There was only one other time he was ever dropped off at some place to go be Spider-Man. And it didn't end well at all. "This shouldn't take too long, just sit tight for a little bit alright?" He went to go open the door. But it was there that he was stopped by Spark. "Flash wait..." Flash, didn't have a shocked or surprised reaction. Whatever confrontation that she or Thunderstar had was practically expected. He let out a heavy sigh. Retracting his steps and sitting back down. It was there Spark continued. "Flash, my brother isn't exactly an easy target. But that doesn't mean you should brutally hurt him either...." She frowned. "Send him to Prison fine, I'll be contempt with that. But please, I beg of you. Don't do anything too bad to him." Flash glanced down at his shoes. Diverting eye contact for a moment. It was apparent that he didn't exactly have a game plan. All's he knew was that he just had to detain Serpent and hand him over to authorities. So with that reminder in mind he nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not ballistic or anything." He slid the door to the minivan open. Before letting out one last word. "If you guys move just text me. I've downloaded this whole area onto my phone." Turning around. Spider-Man slid his mask over his head. Running forward before leaping up and firing a webline. It somewhat caught The two Aunts by surprise. They had never actually seen Flash use his powers. At least not in person. So seeing him just fire out a webline without any sort of hesitation from the comfort of their car. Was just a little odd. But then again, that could be the least of their worries. Because right now, both of them were stressed out of their minds. It hadn't even been a full minute yet but they were stressed out of their minds. Their only nephew has just gone off to go fight off the most toxic and vicious criminal they've known. Anything could happen because Serpent was inevitable. Spark was especially stressed and worried. Flare didn't even know what he was up against, in terms of family. He might either be arrested for eternity and live in prison or he'll end up killing his only nephew. The two glanced at each other. They both had similar expressions. They both were thinking the same thing. And it was Spark that went for her wife's comfort first. Leaning her head on her shoulder. Thunderstar was the exact same too. Leaning her head on the top of Spark's. With Thunderstar whimpering. "Were probably the worst Aunts in the world for this! I don't want Sabrii to lose someone else" Thunderstar couldn't help herself. Some tears swelling out of her eyes. Spark moved herself. Reaching for Thunder. Holding her tighter. Resting her chin on the top of her head "Everything'll be okay. Everything'll be okay. Please honey, don't think about the worst!" Serpent kneeled on the left tower. Calibrating the scope of his Sniper. He was more or less nonchalant. His job, though boring was pretty clear. Just shoot the guy and scurry off. He hated the idea of using a gun. It was so boring to him. He was a person who did things in a 'hands on approach' type of manner. "くそ! 私はこれが嫌いです(Fuck! I hate this.)" He gritted his teeth behind his mask. "But of course he doesn't trust me at all! He thinks I'm gonna mess things up again. Who the hell does he think he is?!" He was pretty mad inside. However he masked it with his usual, typical tone. Just enough so he could just get this over with and not let his anger get in the way of his work. Right smack dab in the middle of the bridge was a 'Car collision'. With two vehicles ' within a gaggle being shared by two police cruisers. With one sedan crashing it's front right into the right side doors of the other suv. The Police cruisers were both parked and served as roadblocks. Blocking everyone behind them. Two' Officers' Pretended to inspect the scene as they had been for nearly fifteen minutes. The same Taxi was approaching the checkpoint. The driver and Mr. Latterman had been talking for quite a bit now. Just about anything casual really. Sports, Recent News, Housing. Practically of whatever two adults would usually get dabble in conversation about. But, upon reaching the checkpoint. They of course stopped, as now. Everything was to be put in place. Mr. Latterman arched his eyebrow. As by this point he hadn't paid attention to the windshield in front of him. But the Taxi Driver, well, his smirk grew quite a bit. As he knew that it was go time from here. "ええとああ(Uh-Oh)" Said the driver. "ロードブロッキングに達したようです。 悲劇的なことが起こったに違いない。(it has seemed we reached a roadblock. Something tragic must've happened.) Mr. Latterman let out a sigh. This was possibly the worst time for this. As he had really wanted to get to the hotel and unwind after his whole day. "冗談でしょう!(you gotta be kidding me!) The driver looked back. Staying in character, he offered him a genuine smile. "おい。(Hey now.)" He spoke with a pretty friendly tone. "心配する必要はありません。 それはすぐに片付けられると確信しています。(there's no need worry. I'm sure it'll be cleared up in no time.) Again. Mr. Latterman sighed. Shrugging. Offering him the same smile. "すみません、一日中忙しかったです。 ちょっと疲れたので一晩だけ呼んでみたいです。(Sorry I've been busy all day. I'm kinda really tired and just want to call it a night.) The driver shrugged earnestly. Understanding. "それは大丈夫だ。 ちょっと待ってみましょう。(That's alright. Let's just wait for a bit.)" With that being said. The driver pulled out his phone. Texting Serpent on his phone. すべてが設定されました。 準備はできたか。 (Everything is all set. Are you ready.) Serpent felt his phone vibrate. Taking it out of one of the many compartments in his trench coat. He tapped it the screen twice, turning it on and responding. うん。 これを乗り越えましょう (Yeah. Let's just get this over with) Serpent continued to calibrate the scope. Wanting to end the night on a bang! But Spider-Man was closely approaching the same vantage point. Outstretching his arm and firing another webline. He came from the other right tower of the bridge. The one opposite from where Serpent stood. He let go of his webline and clung onto the large beam of the tower. Peaking his head around to corner to get a glimpse of the road. With that, he spotted the 'Car wreckage'. Seeing all the cars lined up. Put to a stop because of it. His lenses narrowed on the scene. Before widening his eyes behind the mask. In-turn making the lenses widen. He was still somewhat getting used to the whole thing. "Man this is so weird...." He spotted the Police officers at the scene of the wreckage. Just those two, like the Yakuza member had mentioned. Spider-Man again narrowed his eyes, prompting his lenses to squint. Though, brushing it off as he had to keep his focus. "Come on Serpent. Where are you hiding at. He continued to survey the area. Doing his best to search for Serpent in the position he was at. He crawled a little more towards the corner to get a better look. His lenses squinted as he kept looking around. But eventually he found what he was looking for. Serpent knelt down, calibrating the scope to his rifle. It made his lenses widen for a moment. Now having his eyes on the prize so to speak. "Kay Sentry. This is it. Time to kick things into action. He glanced back at the car wreckage, as that's where he knew he would garner the most attention. Especially from Serpent. Crawling a little more forwards. He eventually let go of the surface he was clung onto and dove down. Towards the 'Wreckage.' Outstretching his arm out and firing a webline towards the nearest supporting beam or anything of some sort. Swinging downwards. "Well. Since I'm here, I might as well give the people a little show first Letting go of his webline he dove straight for the car that was 'collided' into the doors of the other. Serpent eventually finished the calibration of his scope. Finally getting it to his liking. He was finally gonna go through with the deed. Peeping one eye open while he closed the other. That was until he heard Spider-Man's distinctive voice. "Hey? Is this a private party or can anyone join?" His eyes widened taking his eye off the scope. To search for Spider-Man's figure. And found him he did. Spider-Man upon saying that caught the attention of the two 'officers'. Making them glance away from the cars and up in the air. They watched as Spider-Man dove in their direction. Upon seeing that, they scattered from the area. Only for Spider-Man to land on one of the vehicles. Arching his eyebrow behind his mask. In-turn, making the right lens of his mask squint. He proceeded to greet them. Doing a two finger salute. "Hiya Fellas! What happened over here." The two costumed mobsters widened their eyes at the scene. Knowing full well of who that was. Having heard his name all over the news in recent days. The driver himself also found himself widening his eyes. Clearly seeing from the windshield that Spider-Man had made an unexpected appearance right in front of him. Even Mr. Latterman had caught wind of the scene. Staring in, utter confusion believe it or not. "What in the world?!" The driver of course did not share the same confusion. As he was absolutely stunned to see the masked webslinger. Keeping his best to stay silent. His thoughts spoke a different story. "何だ! 彼! なぜ彼はここにいるのですか? なぜ彼は罠にかかっています!(What?! HIM! Why is he here?! Why is he on the trap!) They didn't know how to respond to the scene. As knowing full well that Spider-Man wasn't exactly an easy target so to speak. But at the same time, running away would probably cost them their jobs or even worse, make them viewed as chickens among their peers. And they both would not be contempt with that. So out of desperation, they pulled out handguns from their respective belts. Pointing right at Spider-Man. With one of them giving him a warning. "近づかないで!(Don't come any closer) " He bellowed. "必要以上に殺したくない!(We don't want to kill more than we have to!)" Spider-Man, clearly saw it as a desperation threat. He rolled his eyes behind his mask. Having seen this movie a thousand times and over. "Man why do people always pull guns on me?!" His lenses squinted. As his eyes had narrowed on the two 'Officers'. Outstretching his arms he fired out two decently thick strands of webbing out his wrists. With both strands catching both guns straight on. Upon that, Spider-Man snagged both weblines. Tugging on them and pulling the two firearms out of the grasp of the officers. Serpent's eyes narrowed on the masked arachnid vigilante from down below. Stroking his chin as he observed Spider-Man every movements. "面白い。(Interesting)" Spider-Man sighed. Before letting out his usual dorky remarks. "I think you two need to be put into time out." He fired a bunch of webbing rapidly towards them. The webbed projectiles hit their targets. The two fake officers. Trapping them in the sticky and tough substance which was Spidey's webbing. Thereafter, Spider-Man let out one last remark. "And guys, don't pretend to be cops. That's just a crime on it's own." It was there that the Fake Taxi Driving Yakuza member stepped out of his vehicle. Pointing an even more powerful, MP-38 at Spider-Man. With Spider-Man only noticing due to his Spider-Sense going off. Glancing in the Taxi Driver's Direction his lenses widened at the scene. "Oh yeah I forgot....There was a fake driver too...." The Driver stayed silent. His teeth was gritted and he was shaking just a little bit. Again, that prompted Spider-Man to let out a sigh as he'd seen this movie a thousand times and over. "You gotta be kidding me man!" But neither Spider-Man nor the Yakuza member acted. Rather, Mr. Latterman did. Stepping out of the vehicle. He lunged for the armed mobster. Pinning him to the ground. Making the mobster drop his weapon as Mr. Latterman had done that. Mr. Latterman held the mobster's forearm with a tight grip. Forcefully bending his elbow. Making the mobster groan a lot. Spider-Man's lenses again widened to that. That was definitely a first for him. "Wow, that was....unexpected." Latterman looked back at Spider-Man. "Yeah you know, a little help wouldn't be kill ya either." To that, Spider-Man's lenses squinted. As the remark prompted him to glare at the man. "Well I don't like you tone." But nonetheless, he went to help out anyways. Leaping over the two. He stood behind them. With that, he webbed up the struggling mobster's feet. Thereafter, he then gestured Latterman to get off of the the Mobster. "Uh, hey there pal. I'm gonna need you to stop piggybacking him now." Latterman did as asked though shooting Spider-Man a glare. Spider-Man did the rest of his job. Firing webbing all over the mobster to encase him in a webbed straight jacket. It was there that Serpent had seen enough. "Well everything's already been compromised. Might as well join in on this." He care-freely. Threw his Sniper Rifle away. Letting plummet into the waters below. It was there, he pulled out a mere hand-gun. Not with the intent of killing Spider-Man no, no, no. To him, this pistol was merely a flare gun for attention. Pointing it at the at a random point that was not too close to either Spider-Man or Latterman. He pulled the trigger. Releasing the bullet and letting it fire to the ground. Spider-Man's lenses widened for the third time in the row. His Spider-Senses had just gone off. Prompting him to jump off the area he was from to avoid the bullet. With that. It also prompted Mr. Latterman to let out a yelp before running a good distance away. While mid-air. Spider-Man prompted to turn around. Knowing full well who the culprit was. Turning himself towards the direction the bridge tower Serpent stood on. His lenses squinted at Serpent. As he shot him a glare behind his mask. Serpent smirked behind his mask. Gesturing Spider-Man to come at him. Merely raising his hand up, moving all four fingers back and fourth. Spider-Man accepted the gesture. Outstretching both arms firing two weblines towards the tower. Snagging both Weblines, he moved his left arm up to get a better swing. Swinging forward. He swung around the tower. Over and under. Before finally letting go of his weblines. To land on the ground and right at Serpent. Striking a pose unintentionally. Narrowing his lenses again. Serpent chuckled at Spider-Man. Making a comment. "Well, well we meet again....Spider-Man was it?" Spider-Man lunged forwards. Letting out a grunt. He clenched his right fist. Swinging his fist right at Serpent. Only for it to be caught by him. Again, Serpent chuckled. Making another a comment. "Aside from the rude greeting. Did you change your mask?" Serpent raised his leg to knee Spidey's gut. But Spider-Man stopped the ploy with his knee. Blocking Serpent's. With that then, pulling his hand away. To wince a little at the collision his knee had suffered. Though, still finding it himself to reply. "Well excuse my rude greeting. I was just so excited to fight you again." "Oh?" Serpent lunged towards Spider-Man. Before disappearing in thin air. Spider-Man's eyes widened to that. It was the same ploy he had used the first time. However, he had the advantage of his Spider-Sense. So quickly, he knew where to block. Turning around. Spider-Man raised his forearm up to block a knifehand that would've hit his throat. With that, Serpent kept talking. "You knew ahead of time that I'd be here. Well I'm just flattered." He leapt back. Landing on both feet. "I didn't know I had a fangirl." Spider-Man's lenses squinted. As Flash rolled his eyes behind his mask. "Very funny." Serpent stood back up. Inviting Spider-Man to come at him. Scoffing at him. "Your move, I insist." Spider-Man narrowed his eyes behind his mask. With that his lenses stayed squinted. "Just what I wanted to hear!" Spider-Man lunged forwards. Having one idea in mind. That was to jump off the tower and swing around towards Serpent. Spider-Man jumped off the tower. Diving towards the ground. But of course, he changed courses. Turning around and firing a webline. Spider-Man swung under the tower to try to attack Serpent from behind. Something that he was very confident in. He swung around the suspender cable of the bridge. Letting go when he was at the right angle. Firing two more strands out of his wrists. He used them to pull him towards Serpent. Doing it all in a swift motion. But to his surprise.... Serpent turned around. Glancing at him as if he were to expect that. And well, in all honestly. He did kind of make it a bit too obvious by jumping off the tower and not returning as quickly as he jumped. That put Spider-Man at a tough situation. So he improvised his ploy. With the to kick him right in the stomach. Outstretching his leg as he was heading for Serpent. To that, Serpent rolled his eyes. As soon as Spider-Man had gotten close enough for his grip. He grabbed Spider-Man's leg with relative ease. Making the teen widen his eyes behind his mask. In-turn making the lenses widen. Without a second thought. Serpent tossed Spider-Man to the other side of the tower Watching him collide into the surface hard. Scoffing. "Wow you sure showed me." Spider-Man regained his composure. Rising to his feet. Narrowing his eyes on Serpent. Making the lenses of his mask squint. Getting into an offensive stance. Separating his right leg from his left in shoulder distance. Relaxing his shoulders just a bit. Raising his elbows up calmly. Forming two proper fists. To that Serpent again found himself scoffing. Actually a little amused. "Oh? So someone's been hitting the gym." His eyes narrowed on Spider-Man. "Let's see if it did you any good." He charged at Spider-Man. Going at impressive speeds. Rivaling that of Spider-Man's. Leaping up and into the sky. As he was ready to perform a kick of his own. But Spider-Man found an opportunity to counter attack. Outstretching his arm. Spider-Man shot out a webline from his wrist. Right at Serpent's foot. Snagging it, Spider-Man pulled the figure of Serpent down. Making him slam his arm onto the sold surface of the Bridge tower. Not so much as breaking it, but still brining a decent jolt of pain to the Mercenary's arm. That's when those words from Spark. The ones that he had been told before he had left. Came back in his mind. Please, I beg of you. Don't do anything too bad to him. His lenses went wide as too did his eyes. His expression going from focused to shocked. Stunned. "Oh no!" But before he could respond any further. Serpent staggered to his feet. A glare had formed to his face. Quickly, he reached into two of the compartments of his trench coat. Pulling out the hidden dagger known as a shuriken. Holding three in both hands. Flash's eyes widened. "Oh no! Looks like I'm gonna meet The Razor Bat precursor." This did make it a bit difficult for The Serpent. This was the first time where he dealt with someone that was so difficult. His pupils shrunk. Making the figure of Serpent that more menacing. With that, throwing all the stars towards Spider-Man's direction. All flying towards him at different heights. Thereafter. Spider-Man Spider-Sense went off. Prompting him to act fast. Quickly jumping off the tower entirely. Doing the same thing he had done previously. Swing around a suspension cable to get back to where he stood. Minus the hostlie approach towards Serpent. Landing back to where he had stood. He had let out a sigh of relief. "My god if I stayed up there I would've ended up being swiss cheese!" Serpent stared down Spider-Man. Breaking the silence by opening his mouth behind his scarf. "Well I have to admit. This is the first workout I've had in a while. And let me make sure it's the last." The jacket weighed him down. So in-turn he took it off. Letting it fall onto the surface of the Bride tower. Making all his items make noise upon impact on the ground. In-turn. It revealed his black turtle neck he wore under. Revealing the cuts that were on it. Most likely were wounds had once resonated. Spider-Man's lenses squinted. As behind the mask his eyes had narrowed. As he was put into a tough situation. "I don't wanna let Aunt Spark down! I can't go overboard. Not on this one. But the only question that remains is how I'm gonna pull this off..." Serpent lunged towards Spider-Man. Going at even faster rate than before. Disappearing in thin air upon moving. But of course. Spider-Man was not that affected by the ploy. As of course, his Spider-Senses would handle everything for him. His lenses squinted again. With his Spider-Sense going off. Prompting him to turn around. Serpent attempted to do a roundhouse kick at Spider-Man. Raising his leg up and swinging it towards the masked vigilante. Only for Spider-Man to block it with his left forearm. Spider-Man took a step back. Using the small opportunity he had to use a hand strike he had learned. Going for a quick backhand fist to Serpent's jaw. Hitting him clean right there. Stunning him for a moment. Prompting Spider-Man to go forward. Raising his arm up. He resorted to a quick elbow to Serpent's stomach. Thrusting his elbow forward. Again hitting the mercenary and making him let out a grunt. Knocking Serpent back. Serpent's glare only grew from there. However, he did find himself giving Spider-Man a compliment. "Impressive, most impressive." However, he went back to scoffing at Spider-Man thereafter. "But you're gonna have to try harder than that." Spider-Man's lenses squinted as he clenched both fists. "I got him right where I want him. I might as well get this over with now and trap him." He lunged forwards. Leaping up to fire some webbing towards him. But that's when Serpent had pulled out something unexpected. A katana blade. Pulling right out of his back. He stunned Spider-Man mid air. Making his lenses widen as he had with his eyes behind the mask. Serpent twirled his blade in the air. Deflecting the webbing away from him and making it go into different directions. Spider-Man knew that he was about to fall right into a trap of Serpent's as where he was landing would be where he would be impaled. But of course. Spider-Man was known for being clutch in any moment. So he acted fast. Firing a webline right towards the katana blade. The webline caught the blade. Spidey snagged and tugged on the webline. Pulling the blade out of Serpent's grasp. Spider-Man, mid-air. Moved further to his right to avoid blade. Letting it fly past him. Going back to glancing right at Serpent. Landing on the ground. Immediately commenting on the unexpected revelation. "How many pockets and stuff do you have?!" Serpent shrugged. "You can never be too prepared." With those set of words leaving his mouth. He rushed for Spider-Man again. With the intent on using physical melee strikes. Knowing full well that he'd be losing more weapons if he kept pulling them out of the last few compartments he had. He went at Spider-Man. Going with a plethora of hand strikes, leg strikes. Using what he had in his arsenal so to speak. To his expectations. Spider-Man was matching the speeds he was going at him with. Blocking and dodging each attack Serpent was throwing at him. "Man at this rate I'm gonna be dancing all night! I gotta stun him somehow!" It was risky but he went for it. Turning the tables. He went to throw a high kick at Serpent. Only for it to be blocked. Using his reflexes to his advantage. He outstretched his arm and--- "GAH!" Serpent lunged forward quickly using his impressive speed. Grabbing Spider-Man's forearm. Using his tight and painful grip to stop from whatever he was doing. In-turn making Spider-Man yelp. Soon thereafter. He proceeded to put Flash into what will be a grueling headlock. Latching his left arm right around Spider-Man's neck. Holding him there painfully tight. Making Spider-Man continuously groan in pain. Before proceeding to punch Spider-Man repeatedly in the cheek with his gloved fist. Not really helping the teen's cause. But luckily for Spider-Man he had super strength. So the whole ploy didn't last for that long. He winged it. Using one of his free arms. Putting it in a fist and swinging it right towards Serpent's torso. He had hit something. It was definitely his stomach as he didn't feel any sort of bone or whatnot. Nonetheless. He freed himself because of the attempt. Making Serpent yelp as he fell back. Clutching for his gut. While Spider-Man took some time to regain his composure after that painful experience. Firestar walked into Snowstorm's room. The room lights were turned off. However, a lamp next to Snowstorm's bed provided a decent light source. Not too bright but good enough. Peaking her head from out the corner of the door. She saw her sister sleeping peacefully. Snuggled up with a teddy bear and beneath nice and warm covers. The scene made Firestar smile. It just made the ambiance of Snowstorm's room so much more peaceful and relaxing. She made her way inside. Closing the door behind her. There was a chair next to Snowstorm's bed so she elected herself to sit beside her little sister. She kept her eyes in Snowstorm. Her grin widening a little more. Upon plopping down. She gave Snowstorm a little pat on the forehead. Making the little girl squirm a little. However, she stayed in her slumbered state. Still though, making Firestar smile. But then she looked away slowly. Staring blankly at the ground. Reflecting on the week as a whole. Everything that had happened so far. "This isn't what it looks like." "Y-You're the Spider-Man?" "I'm not." "You were on the ceiling!" "I Basically created shutters on where the eyelids used to be. What I'm saying is you'll be able to express your emotion by either narrowing your eyes or widening them." "Alright it wont kill me to see this for myself." "Flash that description matches a criminal named....The Gold Serpent." "Firestar what, what are you talking about?" "Look, A few years ago there was this guy who'd been shot by a Mercenary who's linked to the Yakuza. He survived however and made it to the hospital. He was able to somewhat recover, enough for him to say a description of the person who shot him." "I have to stop this guy..." "Well, what if you learned a form of martial arts?" "A form of martial arts, Why?" "Think about it. You're practically raw talent. So, if you maybe practice a certain form. Maybe you could do more than a scratch on him." "Yeah. Why?--Wait why Taekwondo?" "Because you're pretty flexible. Sooo, high kicks could be a strength of yours. But anyway, you agreed to take a little Taekwondo right?" "You told them?!" "I had no choice! They came into my room and kind of saw me at the laptop..." That last one had made Firestar a little teary eyed. That was the night. That was the night when everything had gone completely down hill for both her and Flash. Her parents had found out and for a whole day. Everything had been so awkward. And now, now Flash was off fighting one the most dangerous criminals in Japan. She was very tense to say the least. No, no not tense. She was worried! She had faith in her big cousin. I mean he was always the older brother figure she and Snowstorm never had, But at the same time anything could happen on the streets. Anything catastrophic. She had already an Uncle by this point. One who was the most fun loving, father figure she could've ever had. More tears began to swell up from her eyes. She bawled her right hand into a fist. Bringing it up to her lips and biting her middle finger as she was doing her best to hold back her tears. "Guys...please come home fast! And Safely..." Thunderstar and Spark were mostly doing the same. Having just sat in the car in silence. Both reflecting on everything that has happened all throughout the first week of summer. How things had escalated so quickly. One such memory that subsided with both of them was when they had yelled their heads off at Flash after finding out he was Spider-Man. Neither of the two liked how they had handled the situation. Looking back at it, Spark felt she had overreacted a little too much. And Thunderstar had also felt that there could've been a more peaceful way they could've handled the situation. Something where they could've all shared a laugh together. Eventually. Spark broke the silence in the car. "I wish we didn't yell at Flash the way we did...." Thunderstar nodded with a similar frown to her face. "I know. I just wanted us to be the people he could talk to about his struggles. Not make them worse...." She glanced at Spark. "But what makes it worse is he forgave us for it as quickly as it happened." "Well....That's Lucas SoftMax's son for you." Thunderstar glanced at Spark. A small smile formed on her face because of that comment. She responded with a smile of her own. "Yeah...." Thunderstar leaned her head to the side and rested it on Spark's shoulder. Before letting out a sigh. "I--I just want all of this to be over. I just want this whole night to be over so we could all have a laugh and continue our fun vacation. Just like from before." "I Agree..." Serpent kneed Spider-Man in the stomach followed by roundhouse kick to his head. Spider-Man though, he kept his footing and managed to stay on the platform of the Bridge tower. Not stumbling back in the slightest. Serpent made a perfect 90 degree pivot. Attempting a back kick to Spider-Man. Raising his leg up in a swift motion. Outstretching it thereafter. But of course, Spidey being Spidey. Caught his foot before it could collide square into his face. Proceeding to half-heartedly toss Serpent away from him. Using the moment to catch a breath and think. Spider-Man had put up a lot of restraint during this whole fight. It was nothing like anything he'd ever ben in before. With Goblin and Electro, he had went all out no question. Electro had no relation to him and Flash didn't even know Goblin was Micro Chips until he had tailed him back to his home. What was at the forefront of his mind was how we was gonna end this whole thing. For Ten minutes it's just been the two sides going back and fourth at each other. "Come on Flash. Think! It can't drag on like this any longer." Upon watching Serpent get back to his feet. He let out a 'Spidey' remark. "Haven't you had enough bruises for one day. Come on man just give up and turn yourself in or something." Serpent smirked to that. Retaining his Sinister mocking tone. "Unlike last time I have to finish what I've started." Serpent got into an offensive posture looking to continue what they had already started. Spider-Man let out a sigh behind his mask. His lenses squinting upon letting out the sigh. That's when it hit him. That's when he realized that he had something on Serpent that he had no knowledge of. "Come on. We can just end this right now. Flare." Serpent's eyes widened. His smirk faded away from behind his scarf. "What did you say?" He stood up straight getting out of his stance. Spider-Man's lenses again squinted. As behind the mask his eyes narrowed onto the mercenary. Deciding to wing it completely. "Please. You don't think I'm dumb am I? I'm a crime fighter. I could get info on you that you thought was gone forever. Flamewalker!" That sentence was the breaking point of Serpent. His eyes widened even more. No one had dared call him Flare. No less his last name. He grit his teeth behind his scarf. Letting out a grim remark. "You should've just stayed quiet and talked with your fists!" Serpent lunged forwards. Going straight for Spider-Man with all his anger. Serpent threw a bunch of hand strikes, kicks and attempted to grapple Spider-Man but Spider-Man just either dodged his kicks, blocked his hand strikes or just jump over him entirely. Spider-Man knew he had finally struck a chord. His eyes widened behind his mask. "This could be my chance!" Serpent scoffed at Spider-Man. As all's he did was dodge him. "Running away like a coward wont get you this far!" Spider-Man's lenses squinted to that. Responding with a sharper bite. "So something you've been doing for years?" Serpent's eyes narrowed on Spider-Man. Finally, he had managed to land one strike on him. Or rather a push as that's what he had did. He was getting tired of this. So he was gonna end it one and for all. He had one more ploy in mind. A move he had never even put into action ever in his life. That being the Touch of Death. The attack was centered around the stomach . The attacker is to hit certain pressure points and end the attack with one push of a hand but it was only done as a deadly counter attack. Serpent knew how to reel Spidey in. By getting him to counter attack. So that's what he was gonna do. He went for it. Serpent ran at Spider-Man with everything he had and attempted to do a hand strike on him. However like his other attempts before. Spider-Man caught the fist. But it was that. It was that mere motion that Serpent had anticipated for. He wasted no time. Serpent headbutted Spider-Man making Spider-Man upon his fist getting caught. In-turn making Spider-Man yelp and release his grip on Serpent's clenched hand. With Spider-Man now stunned for a quick moment. Serpent went for his finishing move. He lunged forward. In-turn making Spider-Man's Spider-Sense tingle. However before he could react. Serpent thrusted his fist forward into Spidey's stomach a total of three times. Making him groan in pain. Clutching his stomach. Serpent then proceeded to move his right hand back. Straightening it as his next and final motion would be his palm thrusting into Spider-Man's stomach. "Nighty Night!" Spider-Man's lenses widened to that. His Spider-Sense again went off. He played it smart. He knew Serpent was focused purely on his next attack. Rather then be focused on what he himself would do. So pretty easily. He knew how to respond. "Oh I don't think so..." Spider-Man outstretched one of his arms quickly. Flicking his wrists and pressing both his middle and ring finger on his palm. Releasing a web bullet out of his wrist. It hit Serpent right in the face. Making the mercenary yelp and completely change course. "You little--" He stumbled back and off the bridge towers. Letting out a scream as he began plummeting towards the ground. Spider-Man cocked his head. Widening his lenses. Staggering to his feet quickly. He too leaped off the Bridge tower to go aid his Uncle. He spotted his Uncle who was plummeting. Getting closer and closer to the ground by the second. His lenses squinted as his eyes narrowed on his Uncle behind his mask. Outstretching his arm he fired a webline right towards his falling Uncle. Glistening through the night sky. The Web line caught Serpent quickly. Spider-Man snagged it and tugged the webline as hard as he could. Bringing Serpent up and away from the ground. Right before anything catastrophic could happen. Serpent was coming Spider-Man's way. So it gave Spider-Man the opportunity to catch him. Which he did. Catching him by the collar of his cut black turtle neck. Spider-Man however was not done with Serpent himself. But first he wanted to get out of plain open sight. So using his free hand he fired a another webline. Snagging it and swinging away with Serpent. The were near the docs in which Thunderstar and Spark were closely nearby. But Spider-Man wasn't going to them directly. First he had to have a one on one with Serpent himself. He landed on a small building. Getting done his first order of business. Throwing Serpent on the ground. He quickly webbed the mercenary up. Incasing his whole body with exception of his head in a webbed cocoon. Serpent. Didn't really put up a fight though. He felt humiliated. He had not only been beaten but, he was saved by his own enemy. It was just sick. He didn't even feel like fighting back. He didn't even know what to feel. In fact, he was feeling 'Just'. Finally. Spider-Man broke the silence. Opening his mouth to speak. "We need to talk..." Author's Note THIS FIGHT WAS LONG! //-------------------------------------------------------// Never Again //-------------------------------------------------------// Never Again "We need to talk?" Serpent's glared at Spider-Man. Speaking in his nonchalant tone. Though it was pretty clear through his words he hated Spider-Man right now. "What more could you possibly want besides humiliating me!" "Well a lot of things actually." Serpent rolled his eyes to that. Before scoffing at the teen. "Okay, Speak! Are you here to scold me? Or Are you here to tell me what I'm doing is bad or whatever generic shit you Superheroes say!" "First of all. I'm not a Superhero." Spider-Man retorted. "Second of all...." He trailed off. Reaching for his mask. Flash slowly pulled it off to reveal his face at Serpent. It was move that made Serpent widen his eyes as it was completely unexpected. Once he had taken his mask off. Flash nodded at Serpent. Giving him a smile. "I'm Flash Sentry....I'm you nephew." Serpent definitely did not expect that. Off all the twists. This was the most unexpected one if all. He was unspoken at this." Flash approached Serpent. Not to attack him or anything. Instead, to free him. Walking up to him. He used his sheer strength to rip the webbing off of Serpent. Before taking a step back. Serpent stared at the unmasked Spider-Man. His eyebrows furrowed at the scene. "You're....my nephew?" Flash again nodded. "Aunt Spark. She told me everything. From how you had been bitten by a snake, from your recovery and how you had changed forever." Serpent looked away upon hearing that. Looking to the ground in disappointment. Flash saw this and kept persisting. "Why? What happened between you and your Sister." Serpent frowned behind his scarf. In fact, he decided to follow in the gesture that Flash had. Taking his checkered scarf off. It revealed another scar on his face. A now pale huge scar to his left cheek. Flash's eyes widened. Before prompting to kneel down beside his Uncle Flare. Flare opened his mouth. Breaking the momentary silence. "When I had recovered. I felt like I was on the top of the world. I was stronger and faster. It....It resulted in me becoming more arrogant. I saw myself above everyone else. So much so that....that eventually. I ran away from it all..... Flare stood in front of his Father. An imprinted scowl on his face. His father was yelling at him. "どうやって? どうすれば学校から追放されますか!?(How? How could you get expelled from school!?) The troublemaker merely rolled his eyes to that. Shrugging."まあ学校は私に感謝していないと思います(Well I guess school doesn't appreciate me)" His Father was growing increasingly frustrated by his son by the second. Meanwhile, both his Sister and Mother watched from the doorway. As the two clashed heads on a weekly basis. "Me and my Father had began to fight a lot more as the years had gone by. I was growing a lot more cockier and arrogant and he didn't like it one bit." "学校は戦いの場ではありません! 知識を得たり、新しい人と出会ったりする場所です。 フレアはなぜそれを理解するのが難しいのですか?(School isn't a place for fighting! It's a place where you go to get knowledge and meet new people. Flare why is that so hard for you to understand.)" To that. Flare retorted. Keeping his nonchalant tone. "いいえ。学校は私の時間の浪費であり、どこにも行きません。(No. School is just a waste of my time and will get me nowhere.) Flare's father took a step closer. Continuing to scold him. "なぜあなたはいつもこのように行動するのですか? 私が覚えていることから、あなたは良い家族に育てられました! あなたには良い兄弟がいて、良い街に住んでいます! なぜ反抗的な行動をとるのですか?(Why do you always act like this! From what I remember you were raised into a good family! You have a good sibling and you live in a good city! Why do you want to act rebellious?!) "My father had then brought up a point. About how I had everything good going for me. But I hated it in Canterlot. I didn't like anything about the city at all. I used to get bullied when I was a kid due to my ethnicity. Because of that, I became more and more of a hothead. Anytime someone would bully me, I'd act up and punch them back. It was a turning point in my life. Once people had realized that I wasn't to be messed with because of how strong I was. They eventually tried to get on my good side. And that's what ultimately changed me. Seeing people submit to me rather than bully me was nice for a change. So much so that it got to my head. So when he had mentioned the fact that I lived in a good city. I snapped" "いい街? いい街!? (Good city? GOOD CITY?) His voice had gotten louder. Stunning his father a bit as he began to go off. "私はこの街が嫌いです!ここで私に何も良いことは起こっていません!?私もここにいたくない、私は日本に滞在したかった!しかし、いいえ、代わりに私たちはここに来ます! (I HATE THIS CITY! NOTHING GOOD HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME HERE!? I DON'T EVEN WANNA BE HERE, I WANTED TO STAY IN JAPAN! BUT NO, INSTEAD WE COME HERE!)" His Father widened his eyes. Before taking another step forward. Reaching out his hand for his son. "息子...(Son...)" However, Flare did the unthinkable. Shoving his Dad away. "触らないで!(Don't touch me!) "I shoved him. Making him stumble and fall into a table. As soon as I did that he shot me a look. A surprised one." Flare widened his eyes at what he had just done. Looking at his hand as he had just hit his father. The man who had raised him. He looked back at his father. Who gave him a look of complete shock. He then glanced behind to look at his sister and mother who gave him the exact same look as well. "Everybody gave me the exact the same face. It was like my worst fear come true. I didn't know what to do in the moment. I didn't know whether I should talk or not. So I acted on instinct." Flare began slowly backing up. Hyperventilating. Before turning around and running away from the scene. Running past his mom and sister. Tears began to swell out of his eyes as he kept running. Running out the door. Flare himself had tears in his eyes. "I....I heard my Mother screaming my name as I ran. But I didn't turn back. I just kept going and going. After what I did I knew I had sealed my fate. I didn't want my family to suffer because of me. SO I ran away from it all." He looked Flash in the eyes. "There are days. I wish I had never done that. That I could take it all back and apologize to him. But It's too late for that now...." Flash listened. Hearing that whole thing. He could kind of connect to that. He could really connect to that. He let out a heavy sigh. "I know what you mean...." He fully plopped down to take a seat next to his Uncle. "When I had gotten these Spider-Powers I felt like I was at the top of the world. I wanted to become something famous. Like an Icon. To show people that I wasn't just some dork. There was this wrestling thing that was being advertised and I wanted to be a part of it. So I made my own suit and everything. I ended up winning. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was at the top of the world. For a moment I had actually envisioned what my life could become. But....I ended up paying the biggest price for it. And that was my Father's death." Flare titled his head up a little. "What had happened?" "Right before I was about to leave. There was this robber who had robbed the guy who had just payed me. I saw him run out of the guy's office. And I watched as he ran past me, I didn't even put up a fight. To be honest I didn't really care about that. I just wanted to go home and finally tell my parents everything. But as soon as I left. I found my Father's corpse laying in a pool of his own blood. I was devastated, everything in my world came crashing down. The officer at the scene had told me a carjacker had shot him. And that's what changed me. I was on a blood lust. I wanted to make the guy who killed my Dad pay! I had chased his down to a warehouse and confronted him myself. That's when I found out the identity of the man....." Flash let out another sigh. "I still regret every decision I had that day. And I wished I could take it all back and start over." He then got up. "But that doesn't mean it's still too late to make a change." He gave out his hand to Flare. "Uncle. You can still apologize. You're not defined by your powers or the clothes you wear. You're defined by who you are as a person." Flare right then and there. Would've gotten up. Take his Nephew's hand and take up the offer of starting over. However, he declined. He frowned. "I-I can't!" Flash's eyes widened to that. He kept his hand in the air. But even so, he questioned his Uncle. Speaking with an earnest tone. "Why not?" "It's because I've already done too many terrible things. The person I am is someone dangerous and blood thirsty." Flash again persisted. "There's goodness in everyone's heart Uncle Flare. Anybody is allowed to switch sides!" Uncle Flare let out a sigh. He stood up on his own. He was gonna walk away. But not as the same man. "I appreciate your willingness to forgive me. But, I must walk the road I already stand on. Alone." "But--" "I've done things. Things that....I regret greatly." He handed Flash his checkered scarf. "Give this to Spark. As a way of telling her I've given up as Serpent." Flash took the scarf. Looking at Flare. "Wait....Just wait for one moment." Flare let out a sigh. However he elected to stay silent. With that, Flash pulled out his phone. "I know you refuse to see your sister again. But please Apologize to her. I don't want you to regret not doing so." Flare again sighed. Frowning. "Do you really think she'd ever forgive me?" Flash nodded very earnestly. "Uncle Flare. She cares greatly about you. I believe she would. So please, take responsibility for your actions. And apologize" Flare glanced at the ground. For his whole life, he did his best to stay away from his family. He didn't want to make them suffer for anything he did. But he was coming to a slow realization. The fact that that whole chapter in his life was over. Meeting Flash and talking to him. It opened him up to the bigger picture. That he had to his best to go forward. Just as his nephew had. He again glanced at Flash. Nodding. "Okay Kid....let's do this." Spider-Man landed on another building. One that overlooked the Kia Sedona that he had ridden in. He smiled behind his mask. He couldn't wait to tell his Aunts that all of this was over. That they could just have a normal family vacation. Well, normal was more or less relative. But still. He jumped off the building. Turning his dive into a smooth somersault. He landed on the ground. In one hand holding the scarf that his Uncle Flare had left him. He ran up to the car. Taking off his mask. Running up to the driver's seat on the right side of the mini-van. He saw that both his Aunts were snuggled up together. And well, Flash was about to somewhat ruin. Knocking on the door. He watched as both Aunt's got startled. With Thunderstar getting off her wife. Both turning around to See Flash standing with the biggest grin on his face. Their eyes widened to that. Immediately, the two opened the doors of the vehicle. Lunging straight for Flash. Both screaming his name out simultaneously. "FLASH!" First it was Spark. But Thunderstar soon followed as the embraced him in a hug. This is what the two wanted. To see that their nephew was okay. That all this was over now. That they could go back to Firestar and tell her that everything was all over and that they could resume the exciting vacation they planned. "Oh Flash you're okay!" Thunderstar held onto him tighter. "You don't know how happy we are to see you!" "Well....you two looked pretty comfortable when I got back." The two Aunts chuckled to that. But it was kind of an emotional chuckle. Because that's what they were overwhelmed with. Spark then spotted something in Flash's hand. The checkered scarf. She widened her eyes. Looking up at Flash. "But, where's Serpent? How did everything go?" Flash gave her a smile. Holding the scarf in his hands. He proceeded to hand it to her. "He's Serpent no more." Her eyes again widened. "What?" Flash chuckled. Looking down with an earnest demeanor. "I talked to him. We both took off our masks and we both talked to each other one on one." The two both widened their eyes to that. With Thunderstar commenting. "Flash? You revealed your identity to him?" Flash nodded. Before continuing. "You were right Aunt Spark. He wasn't bad at all. He didn't want to take the path he did. But he had remorse for what he did....I think he's really changed...." Spark opened her mouth to say something. But before she could. Flash proceeded to glance towards the building that he had stood at. Calling on Flare to reveal himself from the shadows. "Uncle Flare could tell you." To that. Spark and Thunderstar's eyes widened. Looking in the same direction Flash. They saw the silhouette of Flare standing at the top of the building. Before watching the same silhouette leap down onto the ground. Flare's figure became more and more visible as he approached the group. He went for straight to his sister. Stopping in front of her. A sigh escaping out of his mouth thereafter. Before speaking. "ちょっとスパーク。(Hey Spark.)" Spark's eyebrows furrowed. This was something that she hadn't done in a while. She and her brother hadn't had a confrontation in a very long time. She didn't speak at all. Instead, she did what she had wanted to do for a long time. Lunging forward. She went in to hug her brother. Giving him the most biggest and tightest hug she could ever give. One that she had wanted to give since he had ran away. She began tearing up. Finally opening her mouth. "Flare!" Flare widened his eyes a little to that gesture. However he continued. "遅いのはわかりますが、申し訳ありません。 すべてについて。(I know this is late, but I am so sorry. About everything.) 私はあなたを傷つけるつもりはありませんでした。 ママとパパ。(I never meant to hurt you. Mom and Dad.) 自分がした道を進みたくなかった。 私は自分の傲慢さによって堕落し、謝罪しました。(I never wanted to take the road I did. I became corrupted by my own arrogance and I apologize.) お母さんとお父さんに謝罪しなかったことは嫌いです。 私は彼らとの機会を逃し、私はそれを嫌っています。 しかし、私はあなたと同じ過ちを犯したくありませんでした。(I hate myself for never apologizing to Mom and Dad. I missed my opportunity with them and I hate myself for it. But I didn't want to make the same mistake with you.) 犯罪の人生に戻ることは決してないだろうと約束します。 私は自分を警察に連れて行くつもりです。 皆の最善の利益のために。(I promise you I will never, ever go back into a life of crime. I have the intentions of turning myself in to the police. For the best interests of everyone.) 私はあなたとあなたの家族のために最高のものを求めています。(I want the best for you and your family.) 最も重要な。 私はあなたをとても愛しています。(And most importantly. I love you, so, so much.)" Spark's eyes swelled more and more tears. Hearing all of that, she wished her parents were hear to see this. She looked up at her brother. Giving him a smile. "フレア。 私たちの誰もあなたが私たちを離れることを望んでいませんでした。 私たちは皆あなたを愛していて、あなたはまだ心の底が良かったことを皆知っていました。 お母さんもお父さんも知っていました。 彼はその場であなたを許したでしょう。 私たちは皆、あなたが家に帰って一緒にやり直すことができるようにしたかったのです。 会いたかったです。(Flare. None of us wanted you to leave us. We all loved you and we all knew you were still good at heart. I knew, Mom knew and Dad knew. He would have forgiven you right then and there. We all wanted you to come home so we could start over together. We all missed you.) To that. Flare began tearing up for the second time this whole night. Hearing that only made him more guiltier than he already was. He closed his eyes. Sobbing as he kept hugging his sister. "ごめんなさい。(I'm so sorry.) Flash and Thunderstar both watched the emotional scene. Both with smiles on their faces. Eventually. The two broke off the hug that had been long awaited. Serpent glanced at the other two standing. First going to her Sister's wife. "サンダースター。 それはあなたの名前ではなかったのですか?(Thunderstar. Wasn't that your name?) Thunderstar gave him a standing bow. Before responding. "以前カンタロットで会った。(We saw each other in Canterlot before. ) Flare nodded understandably. "はいはい。 両親はいつもあなたを好きだったようです。(yes, yes. My parents always seemed to have liked you.)" He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "姉をここ数年も幸せにしてくれてありがとう(Thank you very much for keeping my sister happy for all these years)" Thunderstar again nodded. Thereafter, the two went in for a hug. Displaying their mutual respect. After they had broken it off. Flare finally glanced at his nephew. Walking up to him. Placing his hand on his shoulder. "You're an interesting person to say the least." Flash nodded. Exchanging a smile. "You're something of a work of art yourself." Flare chuckled at that. Before giving Flash a piece of advice. "If you're gonna keep doing the things you're doing. Then I want you to remember something...." "And what would that be?" "This crime business is very complicated. Be careful of who you go after. Because in the end, punching one person could be like punching 1000 people." Flash again nodded to that. The two slowly began to hug each other as well. Letting their bygones be bygones. With Flare speaking his gratitude to Flash. "And I just want to say thank you for all that you've done." "It was a pleasure, Uncle." Once the two broke off their Hug. Flare slowly began walking back. Giving them one final wave. And one bidding Farewell. "All of you take care." Turning around. He outstretched his arm, revealing his wrist grappling hooks. Looking at the building he had leapt off of. He fired the rope. The Hook caught onto the lip of the building. In-turn sending him away flying. Going his separate road. The three watched with smiles on their faces. As Flare retreated away into the night sky as a different, more better person. Watching his figure slowly turn back into a silhouette. That silhouette getting smaller and smaller the further he went. The shadowy silhouette of Mr. X sat at his desk. He had heard of everything that had happened. So in-turn. He was awaiting Serpent's return. So he could go through with the termination of his mercenary. But Serpent wouldn't be the one he'd be met with. Flare would. "CRASH!" The window shattered. But that was as usual. As most of the times. Flare would go out the window of the tall vacant building. In fact there were multiple holes that was left by the former mercenary. Flare did a roll across the floor. The two both were shadowy silhouettes as the room they were in had no light source whatsoever. The night sky barley made their figures visible. Mr. X chuckled upon the entrance of Flare. Speaking to him. "Ahh My favorite Mercenary! I didn't expect you to be so giddy about being terminated." Flare stood to his feet. Though his face could not be seen. He arched his eyebrow. Sounding confused. "Terminated?" Mr. X leaned forward in his chair. Revealing his eyes as they were narrowed right on the silhouette figure of Flare. "I had anticipated that my trust in you would be reinstated. However, after learning the target had gotten away and you directly disobeyed my orders. I've come to the solid decision that your services are no longer required." From the shadowy corners of each room two shadowy men came out. From their posture, it appeared they were holding two machine guns of some sort. But Flare wasn't underprepared. In fact he was never overly prepared. He held both his hands behind his back. Hiding them, but in his hand was a trademark gold desert eagle he'd usually carry on him. Flare chuckled before shrugging. "Well I guess this easier than me quitting." *BANG* He wasted no time at all. In one fast motion. He revealed the gun that he had held. Only to shoot one of the men in the stomach. In turn prompting the other one to immediately fire. But of course. His ploy had failed rather quickly. Serpent's enhanced speed really payed off for him in the situation. As he began to move around the room. Evading the bullets from the firearm trying to shoot him. Taking one final step he jumped up in the air. Using the split second of grace. He again pulled the trigger and fired the other man. Firing it right over the ducked head of Mr. X. Hitting the man right in the dome. Flare landed on another roll. He saw that the first man he shot was still very much alive. He chuckled to that. He decided to attend to him first. Kneeling down and lifting him up by the cloth of his shirt. Before proceeding to lay a hard punch right to the man's jaw. Getting a grunt to escape from him. Mr. X widened his eyes. But he realized that there was free firearm to the left of him. So he took his chances. Getting off the chair. He ran straight for the gun. Nearly slipping on the smooth polished floor of his office. But of course. Flare acted first. His eyes didn't leave the figure of the man he had just socked a punch on. Merely raising his arm. He pulled the trigger once more. *BANG* Mr. X was hit in the back. He again slipped. This time falling onto the floor hard. Letting out a grueling scream. To that Flare rolled his eyes. Rising to his feet, he turned around to go attend to Mr. X. Mr. X saw this. Widening his eyes in fear. He began to back up the best that he could. His back was in grueling pain though. So it made it really hard for him to move. Seeing Flare approach him menacingly. He squealed. Usually he was the on the other side of things. He didn't really know how to defend himself. And that would be his ultimate downfall. "What-What are you gonna do to me!" Flare giggled to that. "Don't worry Mr. X. It wont be short and sweet. You're death is gonna be long and painful. I think you need to learn a lesson for everything you've done. Wouldn't you agree?" His eyes widened even more. But before he could even react. Flare lifted him off the ground. Only to thrust his fist forward into his face thereafter. The Police Station had been relatively. Quiet for the most part. A few calls tonight but nothing too serious. Well that was until right now at this very moment. There were a few officers inside. Mostly conversating with one and other as the night seemed casual. That was, until Flare walked in. Blood all over his turtle neck. Having a duffle bag slinked over his shoulder. Upon his arrival. Every officer widened their eyes at the sight of him. Not knowing who he was and what had happened. An officer approached him immediately. Ready to ask the many questions that had already formulated themselves in his head. But before he could. Flare dropped all duffle bag entirely. Everything from heavy weaponry such as firearms and knives to money, drugs and multiple papers all fell out and onto the floor. There after Flare punched the officer in front of him. Knowing full well of the events that would follow. Because after that. the few officers who were inside the lobby of the station all rushed Flare. One of them pinning him onto the ground. All of them swarming him with hands. One eventually got handcuffs onto him. Declaring his arrest. But All's Flare could do, was smirk. Chuckle actually. ..... Author's Note Oh my god that took a lot out of me. So uh.... I wanted to give Flare/Serpent a better ending with his relatives cuz why dafuq not? Uh yeah that's kinda it for me //-------------------------------------------------------// Goodbye Flash Sentry! //-------------------------------------------------------// Goodbye Flash Sentry! A rainy night had passed onto Tokyo and it's suburbs. Everything was right again for Flash. He'd manage to get a foe to come to his senses and feel remorseful about his actions. His Aunts and him had fully made up. And him and Firestar could finally put a rest to all of the crime fighting business. But. He had one final place to visit. The Dojo of Akira Sensei. In his hand, he held the usual. A chocolate chip muffin in a paper bag. Smiling he entered the doors to the dojo room itself. Seeing Akira Sensei sitting at his usual spot. A small table in front of him with a cup of tea placed on the table top. Flash chuckled. Before tossing the paper bag to the teacher. Akira Sensei chuckled. "See you're getting the hang of these Great favors now." He then gestured for Flash to go pick up the broom and get to sweeping. "Now if you would do the honors." Flash smiled. Before glancing down at the ground for a moment. "Actually Akira-Sensei. I'm not here for another day of learning." He arched his eyebrow. His smirk had faded away to become a very confused look. Making one sound upon hearing that. "Hm?" Flash shrugged. "I've been doing some thinking. And well....I'm not sure I'm ready to handle the responsibility." Akira Sensei proceeded to get up to his feet. Walking past the tabletop. He made his way over to Flash. To stand right in front of him. "You, quit?" Flash nodded earnestly. "Yes Akira-Sensei. I quit." Akira Sensei titled his head up a little. Letting out one sigh. He placed his hand on Flash's shoulder. "Take a walk with me for a moment." The two began to pace around the place matted floor of the dojo. With Akria Sensei furthering the conversation. "You have made, a mature choice young O'Conner. It's very hard for students to come to the realization of whether they can handle the responsibility of using the tools I teach them for self defense. But that being said...." They stopped. Right near a lone locker. Akira Sensei stepped right in front of Flash. Keeping his hand on his shoulder. "I have given you tools that if used incorrectly, could harm others. Can I trust you to be responsible with them?" Flash again nodded. Giving him a reassuring smile. "Yes, Akira-Sensei." Akira-Sensei exchanged a smile as well. Before giving Flash a pat on his shoulder. Then.... Asking him to do a Great Favor. "Now. With that all said and done. Would you do the honors." Flash raised one eyebrow. Still retaining his smirk. "But I just quit?" "That's no excuse for not getting on wit the sweeping." He clapped his hands twice. "Now, chop-chop! I think dust bunnies are slowly making a habitat in my dojo." Flash's shoulders dropped. His mouth hung open as it was made pretty clear to him that there was no escaping Akira-Sensei's Great Favors. He let out a heavy sigh. Before rolling his eyes and obeying. "Yes Akira-Sensei...." Walking over to the broom. He began sweeping. With Akira-Sensei criticizing thereafter. Upon seeing his lazy strokes. "I want full sweeps! Not Half heartedness!" Again Flash groaned in annoyance. However, picking up the pace as usual. And just with a blink of an eye. Time had passed so quickly. July was on it's last day. And well, with that. So was Flash's time in Japan as a whole. The Summer was nice to him for the most part. His first week aside. He had had so much fun here. He went to see so many new places with his relatives and grew a lot closer to them again. He had stocked up on gifts for his family and friends. He was practically all set to be sent off. And of course. He had grown to actually like his new haircut. Though his hair was getting longer by the day, it was nowhere near the tall standing head of hair he had once rocked before. He wore the exact same clad as when he had arrived. ESU Cap, Red cuffed Black bomber jacket. Black pants and shoes. He had a little more luggage then what he had. That, and his Aunt Thunderstar was a mess of tears. Clung onto Flash as she was sobbing. "And-And-And make sure to call us as soon as you land! And-And..." She lost it. Hugging Flash as tight as she could. Making the teen let out strangled laugh. As he could somewhat not breathe. "I-I don't want you to go Flash! Why?! Why do you have to go!" Flash did his best to scratch the back of his head. Chuckling. "Come on Aunty T. We'll se each other again on Christmas." She sniffed. "Yeah. But that's way too far from now!" Flash wrapped his arms around his Aunt and gave her a hug. "I'll miss you too Aunty. T" When Flash and his overly emotional Aunt broke off the hug. Spark went in for a hug. "Flash. I just want you too know that we'll always be there for you if you're having any Spider-Man problems." Flash smiled. Nodding to that. "Thanks Aunt Spark. I appreciate that." When they had broke off their hug. Flash glanced at his two cousins. First speaking too Firestar. "So you're gonna be in High School soon. Uh don't get mixed into the wrong crowd. Do your Homework and uh be careful about getting a boyfire--" "Okay, Okay!" She interjected. Making Flash chuckle. "Just---" She went in for a hug as well. Flash letting out a small laugh to that. Patting her head. "I'll miss you alright." When the hug had broke off. Flash went to Snowstorm. Kneeling down and giving her a friendly smile. "Snowstorm? I have to go now." She nodded. Though a clear frown was on her face. Her eyes were teary as she looked up at Flash. To that. Flash proceeded to pick her up. Speaking softly. "Snowstorm it's okay." He brought her into a hug. He could hear her sniffle as soon as her face sunk into his chest. Chuckling a little. He gave her reassurance. "We'll see each other again. I promise! Okay?" Seeing her nod made him smile even more. He gave her a pat on the back. Before setting her down onto her feet. With that. Flash proceeded to his boarding gate. Turning around whilst walking backwards. "Thanks for everything you guys!" They all waived Flash a farewell screaming their goodbyes to him. Flash put his duffle bag in one of the compartments above his seat. Before plopping down onto his seat. Bracing for the long flight he was gonna have getting home. It was evening by the time he had gotten onto the Airplane. So it gave him enough time to look out the window and into the outside sky of Tokyo. He felt a lump in his throat. His eyes were getting a little watery the more and more he thought about the vacation he had had. He smirked. Looking down to his shoes. He used his thumb to wipe a tear off. "Goodbye Tokyo..." //-------------------------------------------------------// Reconnected //-------------------------------------------------------// Reconnected "Hey...." ..... "HEY!" Flash's eyelids jumped open immediately. Letting out a gasp, he was startled by the kid he was sitting next to. Glancing at the tyke. Shrugging. The boy had orange hair and brown skin. Wearing a very distinctive multi color helicopter cap. gave him an innocent smile. "Were here." Flash let out a sigh. Thanking him. "Thanks Button Mash. Uh....how about the next time you do that you don't yell at the person." "Well I said 'Hey' once. But you didn't wake up the first time." Flash's eyelids lowered in a blunt manner. "Well he's more effective than my alarm clock I'll give him that." Sitting up he adjusted his own Equestria State Cap. Letting out another relaxed sigh. "But it's good to be home." To that. Button Mash arched an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?" "Don't worry about it..." Flash, not only had his duffle bag slinked on his shoulder. But he also had another suitcase he was rolling around. In his other hand was a phone. As he had just got done talking to his Aunt Thunderstar. "Yes Aunty T.....Yeah the ride home went smoothly....yes.....Yeah I'll get it to Mom don't worry.....kay. I miss you and Aunty S already....Alright take care." Ending the call. He let out another sigh. Prior to this, Sandalwood arranged for him to have Timber pick him up from the Airport. And now, he had to make the phone call to him. He had been given his number days in advance. So it wasn't like he was in any sort of problem. Tapping on the highlighted bar of his number. He moved the phone to his ear. Hearing it ring. Until Timber Spruce finally picked up. "Hello?" "Heyyy....Camp counselor Timber Spruce. It's uh Flash...You know the guy Sandalwood was talkin' about." "Oh! So judging by right now I'm gonna take it you've landed?" "Yup!" He heard Timber chuckle to that. "Well that's pretty wizard. But uh, hey which Exit are you coming out of? I'm kinda just driving past a line of cars right now." "I'll be at Exit 23..." "Alright 23 got it!" With that the call ended. Flash smirked to that. "Well that wasn't so bad." Letting out one final sigh. He made his way through the crowd. So he could go meet up with Timber Spruce. Upon walking out the exit. Flash went on his phone. Waiting for Timber Spruce. However he wouldn't be waiting long. "Hye, Uh Flash right!" Upon hearing that. Flash's eyes widened. He cocked his head up to see a blue Chevy four-door pickup truck. Seeing Timber Spruce in the driver seat. Leaning on the passenger window. Wearing a furry denim jacket. Nodding at Flash. Flash nodded back. Raising his hand to wave. "Uh....Yeah it's me." He walked over to the pickup truck. Furthering the conversation. "So uh I'll take it you're Camp Counselor Timber Spruce." "Just call me Timber thanks." Flash shrugged. "Well you're Sister kinda asked us to call her Camp Counselor Gloriosa. So y'know, just natural instinct." Timber chuckled to that. Shaking his head. "Well as long as I'm not at Camp, than it's just Timber Spruce." Flash nodded to that, shrugging again. "Alright then, Timber. So uh...Where exactly do I put--" "Throw in in the back seat." "Back seat, got it!" With that. Timber unlocked the back doors to his Pickup truck. Letting Flash open it and throw all his stuff in there. With that said and done. Flash opened the passenger door and got into the pick up truck. After closing it. Timber slowly began to back up and maneuver his truck to the left. Before Steering again to drive properly on the road. "So Where exactly did you go, uh Flash." Flash glanced at Timber. Responding. "Japan. I went to go visit some relatives for a little bit." "Oh, that's nice." Timber nodded. "So uh how was it?" "Pretty great. For a moment I kinda forgot I lived here." Timber chuckled to that. Responding. "Well I guess staying somewhere for a long period of time tends to make you more accustomed there." "You got that right." "So uh....Hey I heard you got back with your Ex? Or so Sandalwood has told me." Flash again nodded to that. "Yeah, Sunset Shimmer." "Oh Sunset!" Timber couldn't help but be a dork himself. Giving Flash a pat on the back. "You must be a pretty lucky guy if you scored her." Flash let out chuckle to that. "Well I like to think so myself. Right now I'm kinda thinking about how I should surprise her....Well I mean not exactly surprise her. She kinda knows that at some point today I'd be back in the city. Now I just gotta think...." "Well you're in luck!" Timber beamed. "You know what day it is right? Flash arched an eyebrow and responded. "August 1st?" "And what Amusement Park is gonna have it's opening day?...." "Uhh....All of them?" Flash shrugged. Not getting the jist of what Timber was trying to establish. But Timber kept persisting. "Yeah...But what Amusement Park that's continently located downtown and is free on opening day?....." Flash stroked his chin. Doing his best to formulate the answer. "August 1st + Amusement Park Opening Day + Free for all......Oh! I got it!" "Oh I got it!" Flash beamed. "I totally know what are you're talking about." Timber nodded to that. "Well it's about time. Because I'm about to take you too.... Equestria Land!" "Six Flags Equestria!" Flash widened his eyes upon hearing Timber's answer. And Timber arched an eyebrow upon hearing Flash's answer. So he glanced at Flash. Looking at teen baffled. "Did you just say Six Flags Equestria?" Flash shook his head and denied that claim. "Nope-Nope! I-I totally said Equestria Land. Uh--Y-You're ears are lying to you Timber. They're flat out lying!" There was a silence for a moment. Flash let the whole conversation that had just taken place playback in his head. Before widening his eyes. "Wait right now?" "Well yeah! When else would we go? There gonna be there all day." Flash's eyes only grew bigger to that. "Oh....well you see this was kinda unexpected on what I had originally planned out....But uh.....Yeah fine screw it let's just go!" "That's the spirit!" Equestria Land! The one and only , greatest amusement park in Canterlot City! (Six Flags Equestria isn't even in Canterlot City it's in a whole different city) But nonetheless it was packed. The parking lot, though like most days might I add. Was filled to the brim with every consumer car imaginable. Some news channels had even sent their crew to report on opening day. Flash and Timber were no different to the many citizens who had shown up for opening day. As Timber drove through the parking lot trying to find a spot to park at. "Dammit I hate parking!" "You and me both pal." Flash responded. "Literally I hated doing parallel parking. My driving teacher always got on me for that!" Timber kept on driving around. Trying to look for a parking spot. But it proved to be a challenge as most Canterlotonians always took advantage of opening day. "Man I might have to park outside the grounds at this rate." It was there that his phone began to ring. The Computer interface of his truck displaying the screen in which he was getting an incoming call. With two options. Accept or Decline. "Uh Flash, could ya help me out here?" Flash nodded. Tapping the Accept icon on the Touch Screen Interface. Twilight's voice thereafter speaking. "Hey you comin' or what?" Timber chuckled as he responded. Keeping his eyes on the road. "Uh sorry Twi....I'm uh stuck in Airport Traffic right now trying to pick up Sandalwood's friend....I'll need another hour or two...." Flash arched his eyebrow to that. Ready to open his mouth. Timber put his hand up. Glancing at him and winking. Twilight thereafter responded to that. "Whaaaaattt!? Aw that's kind of lame...." Twilight ended up actually chuckling at her own dorky demeanor. Before following it up. "Alright, well were just practicing for our thing right now anyway. When you do show up. Call me alright!" With that the call ended. That was when finally. Flash spoke up. "Why did you say that we were at the airport?" "Because while we were camping Twilight kinda scared me as a part of a prank. So now, I gotta get her back and make it even..." "Well that...I don't really know how to respond to that but uh. You do you I guess...." The Main Seven were casually conversating. They were also getting ready for their show. After what had happened last year with a, very, very Deranged fellow (https://www.fimfiction.net/story/450830/flash-sentry-the-spectacular-spider-man-issue-1-the-green-goblin). They had opted to completely change their approach and perform on opening day. When there was the most people They had had multiple rehearsals ahead of time for this. So for the being they opted to just relax for a bit. Just before Vignette or somebody else would instruct them otherwise. "So I tell Soarin. 'You're not ready for this! I've done this a million times.' But he does it anyway. He attempts to roller-skate across the court, jump on the trampoline and dunk the ball." "How'd it go?" Sunset asked. "Well he did it....but then he kinda fell off and landed on his back pretty hard." Hearing that made the group wince a little. Just by the shear thought of what Soarin attempted. "Did he injure himself in anyway?" Rarity asked. "Nah he was fine. But I went off on him. Like I was literally batshit angry with him." Twilight thereafter commented on that. "Reminds of the time I played a prank on Timber while me and Fluttershy went camping." Upon hearing that Fluttershy prompted to giggle. As the memory was probably the most memorable of the whole trip. Rainbow Dash smugly smirked to hearing that. Gesturing Twilight to continue. "What'd you do?" "Well you see..." Twilight took a moment to giggle..... "We told Timber to go get firewood while we set up our tent and whatnot and well he agreed. So while we were setting up camp. Me, Fluttershy and Sandalwood thought it would be a good idea to play a little practical joke on Timber and scare him. So we dropped everything we were doing and went to go hide. Timber eventually came back with some lumber, but upon seeing all of us gone. He became completely confused. He was like: "Guys? Guys? Where'd you go?!" And keep in mind we all hid in the same spot. So we could hear everything he said and we had to do our best to shut up. We decided to stay hidden for a little bit longer. We watched Timber stand there in utter confusion. That's when we uped the ante a little. We found a twig nearby. So Fluttershy grabbed it and snapped it in half. That was enough to scare Timber. Cause the next thing we knew, his tone had completely changed from confused to frightened. The next thing he literally said was: "G-Guys! I don't what's going on but this isn't funny! We knew we had got him. But we stayed hidden just a little longer. So much so that I swear to you on my life we heard him whimper a little. So like we decided it was time! So we decided to just jump out spontaneously and go-- "BOO!" The group shrieked upon hearing Timber scream. Especially Twilight. As she was closer in proximity to Timber. She jumped in the air for a moment. Before turning around, nearly stumbling to the ground. Timber laughed upon seeing that. Before Twilight barked at her boyfriend. "Timber you ASSHAT! Why would you do that!" She gave him a shove. However Timber kept his ground. Before responding. Timber gave her his trademark smile. Responding. "See I had to lie to make this work. But anyways, how's it feel to be on the other side?" Twilight pouted. Folding her arms. "You suck...and.....I'm totally gonna get you back." Timber let out a laugh "No you're not! We are even! EEEVVEEEN!" Flash chuckled to the scene. Standing right behind Timber watching the whole scene. That was until he spotted Sunset. And Sunset spotted him. Sunset's eyes widened at the sight. He hadn't even called, texted or anything for that matter. He had just shown up from out of the blue. Flash on the other hand. Well, he shot her a genuine smile. Slowly making his way towards her. Taking his hat off to let his hair out. In all its.....undercut glory..... Sunset stood there frozen. Like her bones had become weights and refused to move whatsoever. A blush grew to her face as he got closer. Her mouth slowly opening. Though nothing coming out of her mouth. As that point the whole group knew what was about to come up. So doing what they did best..... They pulled out their phones and raced to turn on their cameras. Flash walked up to Sunset. Being completely unspoken in the moment. He reached for her and put her into a hug. Wrapping his arms around her back and shoulders. Embracing her in the moment. Sunset's eyes only got wider to that. She again was completely frozen as she didn't even know what to say to the warm embrace she was brought into with open arms. It was different from the Summer heat. It was more relaxing and welcoming. Flash leaned back thereafter. Finally breaking the silence. Speaking to her softly. Keeping his smile imprinted on his face. "Hey you." That was it. That's what did it for Sunset. Her eyes went misty but she found it in her to curve her lips in smile. Lunging forward. She went in for even tighter hug. Flash kept his balance and prevented what could've been a stumble. Sunset meanwhile sunk her head in his chest and completely lost it. Letting out all her tear onto it. Flash couldn't help but smile. Running his hand through her hair. Letting out a dorky remark. "So uh....did ya miss me?" Sunset, usually would probably match his dorkiness and make a remark similar to his. And well, she didn't do that. "MISS YOU?!" Flash let out a laugh. With Sunset giving him that angry smile so to speak. As she continued. "YOU!--I--Hrrmmmmmmm!" She headbutted his chest before letting rest their. Thereafter nodding. Once Flash's laugh had subsided. He eventually responded. Keeping his dorky tone. "When we had last saw each other we were at an amusement park at 11 in the morning and you looked pretty shocked to see me." Sunset, slowly regaining her composure. Nodded her head for the second time. Looking up at him and responding. "Yeah....I guess we were." There was a short moment of silence between the two. They knew they were already in the right position and posture. So they wasted no time. Leaning closer to one and other the last open gap between their lips. It was long awaited by this moment. The two had practically teased each other through phone class and texting. But now, they could actually act upon the feelings they felt for each other. When they slowly broke it off. Sunset rested her head on his chest. Speaking in a soft tone. "I missed you so, so much Lightning. You don't know how long I've wanted this back." "Yeah?" "Yeah. I love you." "I love you too." The two embraced each other even tighter. For a moment they felt like they were the only two people in the world. Emphasis on moment. "Oh you two are so cute!" Rarity squeaked. Upon hearing that their eyes widened as they had practically been pulled back into reality. Both simultaneously turning their heads towards them. The two blushed the same red seeing all of them record the moment that had just ensued. Flash raised both eyebrows. Before responding. "Uhh....How long have you guys been..." "Every moment." Pinkie Pie stated. "Every word from every angle from whatever video quality our phones let us work with." The two both blushed even more. With Flash continuing. "Even the--" "Smooch!" Rainbow Dash interjected. "Yeah, we all saw it coming." The two both glanced back at one another. Exchanging flustered smiles with one and other. It was there that Rarity again spoke up. "Well, you two probably want to have some time to yourselves and Reconnect. So, we'll just be getting out of your hair now!" Pinkie however protested to that. "Aw come on! It was getting interesting!" Rarity proceeded to glare at Pinkie Pie. Improvising. She walked over to the couple. Proceeding to shove them away. "Well then. You two go run along now! Sunset your curfew is at 1. Must I remind you we have a show to attend to tonight. So mae use of your time you two do you hear me!" With that, she turned around. Leaving the two teens from a further distance then where they had been previously been standing. The two exchanged their sentimental smiles. Before their hands met and held onto one and other. "Sooo...that just happened..." "Yeah..." The two slowly began to walk forward and more into the crowd. "So typically. How much do your friends record uh....'those' moments." Sunset kind of chuckled to that. Responding. "Well ya see, we kinda have a knack for teasing each other and our love lives. So y'know. It's pretty common for us to do this kinda stuff. Is it weird, maybe. Does that make us unlike any other friend group ever...." "Also maybe." Sunset giggled to the immediate pick up. Repeating what Flash had said. "Also maybe." Again, the two exchanged nervous grins with one and other. Blushing a lot. By this point. Flash started to poke fun at the fact. "Man we cannot talk without being red can we?" "Nope....But does that make us unlike any other couple...." "Oh my god." Flash let out a laugh to that. Shaking his head. "I should've known." "Well you know me." She let go of his hand to jump in front of him and strike a pose. Arching her back and folding her arms. "One I'm a roll I.....Well I don't stop that's for sure." Flash again laughed. Before commenting on that. "You need to come up with a better line." "Shut up! I will, yer just jealous." Sunset spoke in a silly tone. "Well, I guess no one can have your swagger." The two now sat on a bench. Both licking on separate Ice Cream cones. With Sunset licking on a chocolate one while Flash had a strawberry one. By now, things had simmered down and the couple slowly readjusted to speaking with one and other physically. "Man, I can't believe were on a date...." "Yeah...." Flash frowned. The last time they had a physical encounter, he yelled at her really angrily. He glanced at her. Wanting to finally shed some light on that. "Hey, remember....y'know that time I kinda...well seriously beat up Curly Winds?" Sunset stopped licking her Ice Cream. Glancing at Flash with a slight frown but understanding nod. "Yeah, that was....that was something." Flash let out a sigh. "I didn't mean to do what I did. It was just....okay this is a little bit of a long story but I wanted to tell you this when we had actually genuinely talked on the phone....y'know before that power outage thing?" She again nodded. Gesturing Flash to continue. "At-at the time. My mother had suffered a Heart Attack...." Sunset's eyes widened to that. Hearing that shred of info practically answered everything for that day. Why Flash was so disgruntled at everyone and everything. "Flash that's awful!" Flash nodded. "Yeah, she got surgery just last month though. I was so, so stressed that day. But she pushed through and got back onto her feet." Sunset smiled. To that. "I'm really glad to hear that." Flash then continued. Following up on where he had left off. "But anyways. Curly Winds and I kinda bumped into each other and well, he and I kinda clashed heads with each other. He made this comment about my Mom and well. Hearing that kinda broke me. A lot. That I lost it and just let out all my Anger on him. I-....Well I guess you know how that day ended for the both of us...." "Yeah...." She proceeded to cup Flash's cheek in her hand. Responding. "I--You know...I never actually got to tell you what had happened right before our breakup. Y'know Curly Winds I mean...." "It's...cool. I mean everybody has their fights. Right?" "Yeah but.....I think you should know." Flash arched an eyebrow to that. Leaning a little closer to her. He questioned her. "What do you mean?" She inhaled through her nose before exhaling out her mouth. Conversating further. "Flash....the reason me and him got into a fight was because, I caught him kissing another guy." Flash widened his eyes to that. He didn't even need to play that whole sentence back. Furrowing both eyebrows he requested Sunset repeat that. "Sunset you're gonna have to run that by me one last time. He was caught kissing another--" "Guy?" Flash straightend his back as his mouth began to slowly open. He didn't Sunset to go any further then she already had. Because it became SUPER clear to him on what their fight was about. "Sunset are you telling me that Curly is--" "Gay." "All this time he's--" "Been hiding in the closet." "And-And the only reason he was so mad all the time was because---" "He was confused about what he identified as." Flash couldn't believe his ears. All this time, all this time he had to endure all of that bullying. All of Curly Winds's BS. Because he was having personal troubles. This, well it didn't really change Curly Winds as a person to Flash. He was still a quarterback who cut him no slack. But it made him see his acquaintance in a new light. "All this time he's been gay. So-So wait doesnt that mean he.--" "Dated me because he wanted to suppress his own suspicions. Yeah, I was super mad at him because he practically used me. But, I did some reflecting on our whole relationship and came to the realization that maybe he needed someone neutral to talk to. So I called him up and we talked about things. I've forgiven for the most part." "So...uh....." "I caught him with Wiz. Y'know uh....?" "Yeah we've met a few times. The guy's pretty chill." "Yeah well while you were off in Japan they kinda announced they were dating. And got to say, I'm really happy for them. In fact. Curly is a lot nicer now believe it or not." Flash, tried imagining Curly Winds being nice. And well through all the years of being pushed around him. He couldn't imagine that reality. But it was a reality. "That--I gotta pay this guy a visit at some point. We have a lot to talk about now." Sunset smiled. Before changing a subject. "But since I mentioned Japan....You wanna stop keeping me in suspense?" Flash chuckled Putting his arm around her and proceeding to speak about his vacation. "Okay so in a country far, far away....." Author's Note Kay it's done now. //-------------------------------------------------------// Awkward at it's finest. //-------------------------------------------------------// Awkward at it's finest. "Flash." Flash slowly blinked his eyes opened. Confused of what's going on. "Huh?" He sat up and looked to his right to see his Aunt Thunderstar standing right beside his bed while giggling a little, shooting her a confused look." "You know just because your on vacation doesn't mean were gonna let you sleep in all day." Thunderstar chuckled, "Now come on, breakfast is ready." She walked out of the room. Leaving Flash sitting on his bed. He rubbed his head, still dazed. "D-Did I fall asleep?" He looked at the clock hanging on the wall, the hour hand on the nine and the minute hand on 3 while the second clock kept rotating. In other words it was nine-thirty. Flash looked at himself. To his relief he was wearing ordinary clothes, a white air Jordan shirt and black shorts. But that's when the less, more unsettling realization came to him. He had just dressed up as a Canterlot Vigilante in Tokyo, stopping a robbery which has probably already been named the news of the whole day. Flash facepalmed himself, "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. That is me right now." He got off his bed and started for the door, "Let's just hope that never happens again." He walked down the stairs. Making it to the living room. The television was on, and what was being played on it caught Flash by surprise. A news anchor commentating about that exact robbery with Spider-Man's picture in the top left. His eyes widened. "CRAP!" No one was sitting around so he acted quickly. Swiftly walking over to the couch, he grabbed the remote and quickly pushed three number buttons. He let out a sigh of relief. The channel now playing was a show about a blue earless robotic cat from the future. Or at least, how Flash remembered it to be. He arched an eyebrow, watching what was going on in front of him. "Man, this is even more bad ass than I remembered it to be!" He walked away and into the kitchen. Walking inside, his jaw dropped to see the meal bestowed upon him. Everyone at the table noticed and coukdn't help but chuckle and giggle. "You like it?" Asked Thunderstar, "It's Steamed Rice with Natto , Miso Soup and some fried pork." Flash pulled up a chair and sat right in front if his meal, dumbfounded for a moment. "When did you find the time to do all of this? How did you find time to do all of this?" Thunderstar gave him smug look, "Flash, me and your Mother have skills that require years of practice, precision and.....some stress here and there but mostly just practice!" Flash scratched the back of his head and simply chuckled, "Gosh, some cereal could've cut it. You didn't have to go all out." Spark swallowed some soup and turned her head at Flash, "Flash, you may have forgotten this about your Aunt, but cereal doesn't cut it for her." Flash shrugged "If you say so." He began to dig in and eat the first Japanese breakfast he'd have in a long time. "So. Today I thought we could spend the whole day in the city." Said Thunderstar. "I mean Flash has been here for ages and I think it would be an even great way to help him get comfy here. What do you think Flash?" Flash stopped eating for a moment. His eyes widened almost immediately after hearing her plan. He was on edge after the whole Bank incident. But if he said no then and there, he might come off as rude. Along with that half of him wanted to go to the city again and check it out. So he hesitantly agreed. "Uhhh.....Yeah? Sure!" Meanwhile in his head, "OH MY GOD FLASH! WHAT HAVE YOU JUST AGREED TOO! MAN I JUST HAD TO BE SPIDER-MAN THIS MORNING DIDN'T I?" "When do you want to go?" Asked Spark. "Half Past Ten. I got a few placed in mind." As the adults were talking, Snowstorm approached Flash. Tugging on his shirt a little and catching his attention. "What is it Snowstorm?" She smiled and giggled, "Do you think we can play tea time?" Flash smirked and found himself chuckling. He shrugged, "Sure. But let me finish breakfast okay?" Flash had done many things in his life. Fight a 'deranged Goblin', an even more mentally messed up 'Electric Man', heck he's even been through a breakup with the girl of his dreams. But this, this was a new level of adversity! Snowstorm pretended to pour some tea into a cup, "Would you like some more tea Princess?" Flash meanwhile had a less than enthusiastic face and held a tea cup and had a tiara on his head and a tutu on his waist. He sat criss crossed, he replied to Snowstorm with forced enthusiasm "Oh I'd looove more tea Queen Snowstorm. That'd be absolutely pleasant of you." Meanwhile, Firestar who had been forced to play was having the time of her life. Also wearing a tiara and laughing at Flash's expense. "HAHAHAHAHA! I-I-I Can't right now!" That's right, the newest level of adversity he faced was pretending to be a princess while drinking 'air tea'. "How did I end up in this situation!" The laughing from Firestar got louder and louder. So loud, Flash eventually had to budge in, glaring at Firestar "Oh whatever! At least I'm taking this like a man! Alright I--" He was interrupted, not by Firestar or Snowstorm. But his phone. He got an incoming call from Sandalwood. So he answered, "Ey What's Good Sandalwood?" "Not Much Dude, Not Du--Why are you wearing a Tiara?" Flash shrugged, "Uhh...I'm kinda stuck in an intense game of Tea Time." "Oh. That's....well I can't say I haven't done that in my life. Anyway, how's Tokyo been for you?" "I don't know man. This place is kinda cool. I think I might overstay my visit and never return." Sandalwood chuckled and rolled his eyes, sensing dorky sarcasm. "How long did it take you to come up with that one?" Flash chuckled, "I'm here all week. Well all month" Then he noticed something, he noticed some a kitchen in the background. It was a place Flash had never seen before, "Uh hey. I might be having Jet Lag or something but are you at someone's place or something?" Sandalwood smirked, "Ohhhh. You must be talking about the new crib. Yeah, see Fluttershy's friend Rarity bought this huge condo in uptown for all of us to live in. It's sick, I mean I gotta pay rent and all that to Rarity but this place is awesome!" Flash's eyes widened, he remembered having a conversation with Sunset Shimmer about Rarity looking for a place in the city. "Uh, say Sandalwood if you don't mind me asking, who else lives there?" "Well.... There's Me, Soarin, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight and uh, oh...well you know who." Flash let out a dry laugh, "Yeah how could I forgot. "Sorry man. I didn't mean to bring it up." "It's fine. I mean we at least somewhat talked before I left." Sandalwood stroked his chin for a moment, he knew that it'd been really awkward between Flash and Sunset over the few months. But then an idea popped up in his head, "Wait, I got something!" Flash arched an eyebrow, "What?" Without any hesitation, Sandalwood turned his head from the camera and screamed for Sunset Shimmer's name, "YO SUNSET! CAN YOU COME OVER HERE?" Flash's eyes widened, "Wait WHAT!? SANDALWOOD NO!" But it was too late, he heard a very familiar female voice say, 'what is it?' and that was when he realized, he was f***ed. Flash facepalmed as this was not good, "Oh no." The Phone was handed over to Flash's ex Sunset Shimmer of all people. Hearing Sandalwood say, 'Can you keep him some company, I gotta go do something real quick.' As soon as Sunset turned to look at who Sandalwood was video chatting her eyes also widened as she was staring at her ex. Heck even though Firestar and Snowstorm weren't even a part of the conversation, they could sense the awkwardness in the air. "Uh...Sunset." Flash nodded. She nodded back, "Flash." What made things even more awkward was the fact that the last time they'd even speak to each other, Sunset was crying over another breakup and she called Flash of all people for comfort. But after that call got cut short due to some, 'shocking circumstances' the two just kept their distance from each other. "Sooo uhhh, what's with the Tiara?" "Well uh, I'm in a game of Tea time." The sounds of snickering began to come out of Sunset. Flash's eyebrows furrowed and he quickly responded, "Alright well if that's all you gotta say I might as well end this call--" "Flash, Flash, Flash wait, wait! Come on, I'm not gonna do you like that." "Well, that's more like it." He took the tiara off. "So Sandalwood tells me that y'all live in a packed place now." "Well I wouldn't call it packed. It's kinda really spacious. Anyway, So Sandalwood tells me you're in Tokyo." "Yeah, I mean I'm pretty sure I have Jet Lag or something. Other than that I'm kinda tempted to stay here forever." Sunset chuckled, "So what you're just gonna abandon ESU?" Flash, "Maybe." There was another wave of silence again. At this point Firestar wanted some popcorn because this was kind of interesting to watch. Meanwhile, Snowstorm wanted to continue there very intense game of tea time. So without hesitation, she approached Flash and tugged on his shoulder. "Cousin Flash!" She pouted, "Tea Time." Flash looked back at Snowstorm and patted her head and smiled, "In a minute Snowstorm." Sunset arched an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused "Who's Snowstorm?" Flash's eyes widened for a moment, he almost forgot he was talking to Sunset. But then realizing that he could possibly get a hilarious reaction out of Sunset. He looked back at Snowstorm and gestured for her to come closer. He moved the camera so it show her face and not his. "Sunset....this is my four year old cousin, Snowstorm." There was another wave of silence in the room for a moment. But it wasn't out of awkwardness. Sunset's eyes lit up and a big smile began to form across her face. Meanwhile, Flash was counting down in his head, waiting for 'the reaction' "3,2,1" "Awwwwoohhh! She's SO CUTE! Hi there you! My Name's Sunset Shimmer, uhh you're cousin's friend. Can you tell me a little a bit about yourself" Though she couldn't see it, Flash found himself smirking and blushing a little from hearing Sunset's coos. Meanwhile, Snowstorm looked up at Flash and noticed his 'lovestruck' like look. Putting two and two together, she looked back at Sunset and asked her one of the most personal questions ever with the biggest most innocent smile ever, "Are you Flash's kissy, kissy friend?" Both Flash's and Sunset's eyes widened as big as they'd ever been before. There faces both became completely red, crimson in fact. Flash quickly lifted the phone back to his face, still more flustered than ever. "UhH! So Sunset, uh I actually have to go if you uh don't mind." Sunset almost matched Flash's embarrassment, "WELI uh that's okay yeah. I, pfft, I have to-to go do some stuff anyway. Uhh see ya!" Both simultaneously ended the call. Flash immediately let out one of the most heaviest sighs ever. Meanwhile, Firestar broke out into laughter and began teasing Flash on what she just witnessed. "Pfffft, HAHAHAHAHAA! Oh Man. I've never seen something so GOD DAMN FUNNY!" Flash's eyes narrowed on Firestar, "Hey! I---You! Have you ever even had to talk to an ex before?" Firestar wiped a tear off her eye, but still continuously laughing, "No, because I've never dated anyone before." Flash was about to reply, when he realized that was kind of a good point. He crossed his arms and pouted, "You know what. Touché Firestar, Touché." Sunset placed Sandalwood's phone on the coffee table right in front of her. As soon as she got that over with, she let out a deep sigh herself and got onto her knees. Completely sunk her head into the cushion of the couch. Letting out all her annoyance in one muffled scream. "DAAAMMIT!" Twilight unlocked the entrance of the home. Walking inside and closing the door, locking it. As soon as she walked in, she noticed Sunset almost immediately. Looking as if she was crying or something. She took her jacket off and walked over to Sunset, "Sunset? What happened?" Sunset had a muffled reply, "I just went through the most awkward experience in my life." Twilight let out a relieved sigh. She didn't sound like she was crying but sounded more blunt. But still, she continued, "And that would be?" Sunset turned her head and looked at Twi, "Talking to Flash Sentry." Twilight's eyes widened behind her glasses, "Oh. Wait, didn't Sandalwood say Flash was overseas? How did you get into contact with him?" "Well there's your answer." said Sunset, "Sandalwood was talking to him in a video chat. Then for some reason, 'sticks for brains' decided to have me keep him company while he 'had to do something real quick.'" "Sunset, come on. That's Fluttershy's boyfriend." Sunset stood up straight and massaged the bridges of her nose, "Yeah. You're right and all. But when your Ex's best friend decides to have you talk to said Ex sooner than you expected. I think it's fair to be a bit agitated." Both Twilight and Sunset sat down on the couch. "Well....did you make any progress with Flash. You know like, talking the way you two used to?" "Well a little bit. It was going a little well, but then Flash introduced me to his little cousin or something. That's when she asked me in the most innocent voice, 'Are you Flash's Kissy, Kissy Friend?'" Twilight snickered almost immediately. A smirk basically slapped itself onto Twilights face, as she was trying to hold back her laughter. Sunset saw this and narrowed her eyes on Twilight, "Oh why don't you just laugh it up will ya?" And Twilight did just that, bursting out in laughter. Falling back, her head hit the arm of the couch but she was too busy laughing to almost recognize it. Sunset got even more mad, yelling at Twilight, "I WAS KIDDING DAMMIT!" Twilight's laughter went on for a few more seconds. She got back up, rubbing her head a little. She put her hand on Sunset's shoulder, "Okay. Okay, it's not something to be ashamed of. Kids can be oblivious but they don't mean any harm do they?" "WEL-- No. But it killed both are moods. I mean I felt like steam was blowing out of my ears. And don't even get me started on Flash, he was the most redest I've ever seen." "Well, that makes two of you then." Twilight giggled, "But...….you do want to be Flash's 'kissy, kissy' friend again though, don't you?" Sunset felt herself reaching her boiling point. "TWILIGHT! I SWEAR TO GOD!" That's when Rarity and Applejack walked into the living room. "What's all the commotion about y'all?" asked Applejack. Sunset's eyes widened. More people coming into the situation wasn't exactly what she'd ordered. But Twilight meanwhile, found her smugly looking at Sunset before turning to Rarity and Applejack. She got off the couch and walked over to them. "You guys will never believe what Sunset was doing." Sunset clench her teeth, "She....Wouldn't!" ………. Both Rarity and Applejack burst into laughter after hearing what Twilight had to say about the ongoing Flash-Sunset incident. Sunset had already been growing inside by that point. So without a second thought, she let it all out. "TWILGIHT!" "FIRESTAR!" Meanwhile, Flash was just as livid. They were all about to leave to go into the city, that's when Firestar just had to tell her parents about what happened and much to no one's surprise. They were laughing at Flash's expense, heck even Snowstorm was laughing at Flash's expense. "HOW COULD YOU TELL THEM THIS!" Between all their laughs, Firestar tried to form a sentence, "I-I-I'm Sorry Flash but I--" She lost it however, not being able to go less than ten seconds without laughing. Flash felt his blood boiling. He hadn't been this mad since the Green Goblin incident. But another side of him was completely embarrassed. Spark got a hold of herself. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him, "Flash come on. Lighten up just a bit." "Have you ever been in this type of situation?!" Flash scowled. Spark chuckled, "No. Not really." An angered grunt escaped Flash's mouth as his teeth were gritted. Spark chuckled even more, "Flash. Family are aloud to pull on each other's legs sometimes. As long as it stays with the family." Flash's angered look let up, instead it turned skeptical. In-turn, he also crossed his arms. "Flash it's not something you should be ashamed of." said Thunderstar, "Look if it makes you feel any better, I wasn't so good at dating either when I started out. Neither was Sabrina. But hey, if it runs in our genes then surely you'll find that someone. Right?" Flash's skeptical face became more of a confused one. He thought about it for a moment, shrugging he nodded. "Uhh, I mean I gues--" "Good!" Thunderstar smiled, "Now that we've resolved that. Firestar dear cut your cousin a little slack. And Snowstorm dear, try and not to embarrass the young adults. They're sensitive." Flash was a bit taken back by that claim, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Thunderstar quickly interjected, "Now come on everyone, let's get a move on! Were all already a few minutes behind." Thunderstar picked up Snowstorm and rushed everyone else out the door. Slamming the entrance behind her and locking it. ……. //-------------------------------------------------------// "Oh No..." Said Flash....Again! //-------------------------------------------------------// "Oh No..." Said Flash....Again! The Masked Flash had decided to screw the bus. Deciding web-slinging would get him home the fastest. And it did. He'd managed to leave Downtown Tokyo, enter the Suburb town and eventually. Making his way back to his Aunt's House. He quickly skittered up the wall of the home. Freaking out. Only getting worse. After glancing inside the window. It was his all his nightmares in one. It was terrifying. Unbelievable. Anything to describe his shock. His Aunts holding both pieces of his Spider-Man costume. With Spark holding the mask and Thunderstar holding the Body Suit. With it were imprinted scowls on their faces. Quite the chilling scene for Flash Sentry. Widening his eyes behind his mask. He quickly opened the window and crawled through. Closing it behind him. Taking off his mask. Speaking immediately. "Uhh...Hey Aunts! Um.." They slowly began approaching him. As Flash was trying to find words. "Well you guys look great ton--" *Slap!* *Slap!* He was slapped twice. One slap on each cheek. Delivered by each Aunt. It was there Thunderstar shrieked at Flash. With tears in her eyes "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED SICK WE WERE!" "Umm--" *Slap!* Spark delivered another hard slap onto Flash. Before screaming at him. With the same intensity as Thunderstar. With even more tears in her eyes. "WE WENT TO YOUR ROOM TO FIND THAT YOU WEREN'T EVEN IN THERE! THEN WE FIND THIS!" The two shoved the Spider-Man costume into Flash's chest. His shoulders raised on instinct. He caught the costume. His eyes widened. "CRAP! BUSTED!" He opened his mouth. Ready to speak again. But like the first time he tried. He was interjected. With a Thunderstar Slap. *Slap!* Thunderstar continued to boom at Flash. "HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM US! SOMETHING SO SERIOUS AND INTENSE!" "I--" *Slap!* "THEN YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO TELL FIRESTAR! BUT NOT US!?" Spark's voice boomed. Flash glanced at Firestar. In fact, his glanced turned into a little bit of a glare. "You told them?!" Firestar shrugged. Looking at Flash. Completely lost. "I had no choice! They came into my room and kind of saw me at the laptop..." Spark grabbed Flash's attention back to her and her wife. Still yelling at him. "How could you? HOW COULD YOU'VE HIDDEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM US!" Flash looked over at Firestar. His glare diminished. He knew it wasn't her fault that they were in this situation. But still, what he was about to say was something really heavy. So he elected to continue their conversation in his room. "Firestar, you can go ahead and call it a night. I kind of have some explaining to do." She nodded. Not really wanting to argue back. Especially since her parents were mad out of their minds. Flash started for the door. That being a gesture for his Aunts to follow. Which, they did. The roles were reversed. The two Aunts were sitting on the bed while Flash sat on a chair in front of the bed. He made sure to close the door. Finally letting out a sigh and speaking. "So I suppose you two want answers. Right?" Thunderstar replied as if that were a no brainer. "YOU'RE DARN RIGHT WE DO!" Spark placed her hand on Thunderstar's shoulder to calm her down. Still though. Glaring at Flash and responding. "But yes. We really think we deserve answers." He decided to try and play it safe. Doing what he did with Firestar and letting them ask the questions. "Okay. What exactly do you want to know--" Immediately Thunderstar Interjected. "How is being Spider-Man even possible for you?" Flash caught her drift and clarified what she just said. "You mean how I have my powers?" She responded with a glare. Not really too happy with Flash right now if you haven't figured that out. Still though, she nodded. Prompting Flash to continue. "Okay, I guess were really doing this....." "Again Might I add."…….Flash let out a sigh. "Alright then let's do this one last time. It was a typical Friday Morning in September. We went on a field trip to the CTU Laboratory so we could watch a science demonstration. This one thing happened with a collective of Super Spiders which caused this protocol alert to go off because one of them escaped. And well...it seemed that the escaped spider was hungry because the next thing I knew I was bit by a random Spider that'd come out of nowhere. Then I get sick. A day goes by and then I wake up with a bunch of powers." The two looked at Flash. Not even sure if they could believe that story. Flash, being the observant fellow he was could easily see the doubt in their eyes. But nonetheless, he let them continue. Spark folded her arms and tilted her head before responding. "So you're meaning to tell me that some...Super Spider gave you powers." "Well...Genetically Modified Spider's really." Flash corrected. "Yeah you see Super Spiders just sounded a lot more cooler to say than that mouth full. The two glanced at each other. Though Flash was acting quite nonchalant. He didn't seem to crack any jokes of any kind. Not even cracking a smile. He looked genuine about the whole thing. As his blank yet calm and collective expression kind if spoke for itself. The two glanced back at Flash. Who still maintained his calm composure. Deciding to ask him the biggest question of all. With Thunderstar asking him. "Okay then. I guess what really should be asked is Why?" Flash narrowed his eyes to that. Knowing full well what she just asked. The hard part to tell. He Leaned forward. Clasping his hands together and resting them on his nose. Trying to collect his thoughts. He knew that the silence treatment wouldn't work on them for more than a few seconds. "What I'm about to say isn't exactly easy for me to do. But the reason I do the things I do. The reason I became a crimefighter is because I don't want people to die like my Dad did. Especially if I'm capable of stopping it." Flash cocked his head up. He could see that their expressions had completely changed. To more of a shocked and unexpected look. It only made him narrow his eyes more. As he continued. "After my Dad died...something in me had just. Triggered. Originally I didn't even want to be a crime fighter. But after what happened to him, my whole perception of life flipped itself upside down. I knew that if I didn't use the powers I had for good, then the bad stuff would happen to other people. Suddenly I found myself making huge sacrifices. Like missing dates to stop an armed robbery. Or bail out on studying and finishing assignments because somebody had just gotten kidnapped and was being held for ransom. I do the things I do because I have a responsibility to uphold." There was a long moment of silence. The two frowned to hearing that. Looking at Flash. They could clearly see that he looked kind of upset. Realizing that they'd just brought up a really touchy subject for him. After that moment passed. Spark asked another question. Albeit in a very sad and guilty tone. "Does anyone else know?" Flash let out a heavy sigh. "No. Besides Firestar it's now just you two." Thunderstar looked a little astonished. "Not even Sabrina?" "No....If my secret got out to the whole world. Then everyone I know would be in constant danger because they affiliate with me." Again another moment of silence went by. With both sides avoiding any glances at one another. Finally though after the moment had passed. Thunderstar asked the last question. "I guess the final thing to ask is why you've been sneaking out to go fight crime here?" Flash exhaled softly. Not being quite particularly proud that Spider-Man had even made an appearance in Japan at all. "To be honest it was unintentional. In fact the suit wasn't even supposed to come with me. The only reason it did was because I had accidentally packed it. I didn't realize until they were doing a search in my bag and they had found it in there. But I had managed to convince them it was just for a convention I was attending here. And well....to explain why I've suited up was because I was in some individual predicaments. First a Bank Robbery. And now....a new ongoing case that I've thrown myself into." The tow both arched their eyebrows. Looking a little intrigued. Wanting more background. "What type of case?" asked Spark. "There's this thing...this guy who started a car chase downtown. I went after him a few nights ago. But....I kinda had to book it because my tension was up about you guys finding out I had left." He glanced away slowly. "Though I guess doesn't really matter now..." "Do you know anything about him?" Thunderstar asked. "Well I know his name is The Gold Serpent. And he's some sort of Hitman or Mercenary." Immediately. Immediately after hearing those two words. Their eyes went wide to hearing that name. They both looked at each other with panicked expressions. Flash arched an eyebrow to that. But like before, he remembered Firestar getting panicked like that. So he was under the same impression. "I'm gonna assume you guys are familiar with him as well." They both looked at Flash. Spark commenting on his last two words. "As well?" "Yeah. You see Firestar as you know kinda also caught me sneaking in and out of here. And well, after she found out I was Spider-Man she asked me the same question you guys did. When I mentioned the description of the Serpent she went all wide eyed and told me stories about this guy and how he was terrifying." For the third time, the tone of both Aunt's changed. Speaking with some urgency. Thunderstar going first. "But why then? Why are you pursuing a person like that?" "Because someone has to." Flash stated. "Judging by what Firestar told me. The police aren't having any luck with this guy. So I'm taking it upon myself to do it." Spark then responded. With the same panicked expression from before, "Flash! Do you even know what you're going up against?! This guy isn't your everyday criminal." Flash's eyes narrowed again. That statement was a little ironic to him for obvious reasons. But still he knew what he was up against this time. Not a super powered villain. Just some guy who moved a little faster than normal. He nodded to Spark. Replying. "I have a pretty good idea." With that, a final moment of silence went by. With both Spark and Thunderstar looking at each other with panicked expressions. Finally before they got up and started for the door. Just before they exited though. Thunderstar gave Flash one last glance. "Look Flash. Were sorry for how we acted earlier. It's just that we got worried about you. We didn't mean to get violent and yell." Flash gave them reassurance however. "It's fine. I left without saying and you two just acted on instinct. I understand." The four exchanged small smiles with each other. Finally reconciling after all of what happened earlier. When they left however. Spark and Thunderstar's expressions had reverted back to being panicked. Looking at each other with worried faces. Chilled because of the mention of the Gold Serpent.