章 7: The Rise of Spider-Man

Peter woke up to the warm light of the morning sun streaming through the window. He glanced down to see Gwen still asleep, her arms wrapped tightly around him. A soft smile spread across his face as he gently caressed her hair.

Gwen stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. Their gazes met, and simultaneously, they murmured, "Good morning."

They burst into laughter at their perfectly synchronized greeting.

The moment was interrupted by the door swinging open. Gwen's mother, Helen, stepped in, her voice cheerful. "Gwen, you should wake up. You ar—"

Her words froze mid-sentence as her eyes fell on Gwen, who had sat up abruptly, clutching the blanket around her in a panic.

"I... I'll be down in a minute, Mom! And please knock next time!" Gwen stammered nervously.

Helen, still slightly puzzled, nodded and retreated. "Alright, breakfast will be ready soon."

Gwen sighed in relief, and from her shoulder, Peter emerged in his symbiote form and slowly turned to his human form, a grin plastered across his face. "That was close," he said, clearly amused.

"You think?" Gwen retorted, glaring at him. "Now get out! I need to get ready."

Peter smirked teasingly. "Why bother? I already know everything about your bod—"

He didn't get to finish. Gwen swung a punch at him, which he dodged effortlessly, laughing as he jumped to the window. Before slipping out, he gave her a mockingly dramatic flying kiss.

Gwen blushed furiously, she then got up and headed to the bathroom, "No peeping while I'm in the shower, got it, Mr. Parker?"

Peter's voice echoed in her mind with a resigned sigh. "Alright, alright… I'll try."

After freshening up, Gwen got dressed and headed downstairs. Meanwhile, Peter, at his own home, got ready quickly, he already knew that Aunt May had spent that night at her friend's house.

Peter walked to Gwen's house, and the two headed to the school bus together, laughing and chatting like any other pair of high school students.

**Midtown High School**

As they entered the bustling school, Peter couldn't help but feel a twinge of reluctance. Having already lived through high school once in his past life, he didn't exactly relish repeating the experience.

But what choice did he have?

In this world, Peter need some degree, but the good thing is Peter didn't have a large circle of friends. Harry, his childhood friend, had transferred to another school the previous year, leaving Gwen as his main companion. He hadn't gone out of his way to form new friendships.

Oh, and Flash Thompson was still here. The school bully occasionally picked on Peter, though Gwen often intervened.

'It seems in every reality it is a common point of being bullied by flash. But if he tries anything today, I'll show him what it means to be bullied,' Peter thought with a mischievous grin.

However, the day proceeded uneventfully. Flash seemed unusually quiet, the classes dragged on as usual, and Peter found his mind wandering.

He wasn't concerned with the lessons; with his enhanced intellect and the support of Great Sage, academics were a breeze. Instead, he mulled over Dr. Connors and his transformation into the Lizard.

Peter decided he'd need to tell Gwen the truth about Connors and his serum. Together, they could create a cure and put an end to the chaos. His plan was simple: break into Oscorp's lab that night, use his knowledge to reverse-engineer the serum, and put a stop to Connors' rampage.

His thoughts were interrupted by sudden chaos in the school.

Students screamed, teachers shouted, and a heavy, thudding noise echoed through the halls. Peter's spider-sense flared sharply, and a quick glance at Gwen told him hers had too.

They quickly got out of the classroom only to see a giant lizard stormed through the corridor, knocking over lockers and scattering students in every direction.

"You've got to be kidding me," Peter muttered under his breath, recognizing the towering figure of Dr. Connors in his monstrous form.

As the creature stomped closer, Gwen leaned toward Peter, whispering urgently. "What's he doing here? We didn't leave any clues to expose our identity!"

Peter's mind raced. Why had Connors tracked them to school?

The Lizard let out an ear-piercing roar, and their high school day quickly turned into a battlefield.

The school hallways were in chaos, most of the students are being evacuated by the teachers. The Lizard prowled, his reptilian eyes scanning the area until they locked onto Peter. A wide, menacing grin spread across his monstrous face.

Peter, instantly realizing he was the target, spoke to Gwen telepathically.

"He's after me. I'll lead him out of the school. You should get out of here."

But Gwen hesitated, her concern overriding Peter's logic. "I'm not leaving you to face him alone!" she hissed back in her mind.

Peter sighed but his tone is firm. "Gwen, we can't risk exposing your identity. Don't forget that I have the same powers as you. So, trust me on this."

When Gwen still didn't budge, Peter made a decision. He used his connection with her to momentarily take control of her body, making her blend into the fleeing crowd.

"Peter, you jerk!" Gwen's voice echoed furiously in his mind as she realized what he'd done.

"Sorry, Gwen. You'll thank me later," he replied but his tone tinged with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Peter bolted in the opposite direction, deliberately drawing the Lizard's attention. The creature followed him.

As the hallways emptied, Peter stopped in a secluded corridor, turning to face the Lizard.

The creature skidded to a halt, snarling.

"What do you want?" Peter asked with a steady voice.

The Lizard's growl morphed into a guttural, distorted voice. "Peter… it's me, Dr. Connors. The serum worked perfectly. I've become stronger, better. And now I want you to join me. Together, we can transform humanity into something superior."

Peter's brow furrowed. "Transform humanity? Why?"

Connors grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "Humans are weak, selfish creatures. But I've created a higher form of life—a better race. You've been working toward the same goal, haven't you? Your strength, your enhancements… let's complete your evolution."

He thinks he heard something eerily similar in his past life.

"Thanks for the offer, Doc," Peter said but a grin is forming on his face, "but I'm gonna have to pass."

The Lizard's smile vanished, replaced by a furious snarl. "I'm not asking, Peter. I'm telling you!"

He lunged forward, his clawed hand wrapping around Peter's torso. But Peter didn't flinch. Instead, he swung his fist with all his strength, landing a blow that sent the Lizard hurtling into a nearby wall.

Connors staggered to his feet, his eyes wide with shock. "What… are you?"

Peter stepped forward, his pace deliberate. "I already have power, Doc. And it's better than your serum."

With that, black goo began to envelop Peter's body, forming the familiar black suit with the white spider symbol across his chest.

"Let me introduce you to Spider-Man," he said as he extended his hands and with a smile behind his mask.

The Lizard roared and charged again, but this time, black tentacles emerged from Peter's back, intercepting his attack. The tentacles wrapped around Connors' limbs, and Peter activated Predator but on low scale.

Instead of fully devouring the Lizard, Peter focused on his arms, legs, and tail, absorbing them piece by piece. Connors screamed in pain, his regenerative abilities struggling to keep up as his body continuously rebuilt itself.

Peter's goal wasn't to kill him but to test a theory. If he could weaken the serum's effects through this method, perhaps he could reverse Connors' transformation altogether.

In his mind, Great Sage's voice rang out:

> Enhanced Strength and Enhanced Agility have been upgraded to Superhuman Strength and Superhuman Agility.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "So, I can absorb powers without killing? That's new."

> Affirmative. By combining the symbiote's life-sustaining abilities using hosts with Predator which is used on low levels, you can extract abilities and life force from the targets. But some flesh or DNA of the target is required for gaining abilites. But for life force direct contact with the target is necessary. By obtaining life force you can increase your base strength.

Peter grinned. "Good to know."

Noticing that Connors was significantly weakened, Peter webbed him tightly, pinning him to the floor. Though the Lizard still struggled, his strength had diminished drastically.

With a decisive move, Peter grabbed the Lizard and hurled him through a nearby window.

The creature crashed onto the school's front lawn, right in front of a crowd of students, parents, and police officers who just got here.

Peter leaped down, landing on the Lizard's chest with enough force to create a small crater in the ground. The crowd gasped, their fear shifting to awe as they saw a man in black suit and with familiar symbol on his chest.

The officers got to the front and pointed thier guns at him.

"Don't worry, folks," Peter announced, trying to keep them calm, "I've got everything under control."

The Lizard roared again, but Peter silenced him with a web to the mouth.

In the crowd, Gwen stared at him, utterly speechless. She felt her body relax as Peter relinquished his control over her.

Flash Thompson pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his curiosity outweighing his fear. "Hey, who are you?"

Peter grinned beneath his mask. "Me? I'm Spider-Man."

Before anyone could react further, Peter shot a web to a nearby building and swung away, but not before grabbing the Lizard with him to deal with it permanently.

As he disappeared into the city skyline, the police scrambled to report to their higher ups, while the crowd erupted in murmurs about the mysterious new hero.

In the throng of people, Gwen's lips curled into a soft smile. 'Spider-Man, huh?'

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