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"Lately, crime rates around the world have been going up fast. And ever since superheroes started showing up, it's gotten even worse," Tony Stark said, sipping a drink while looking at Jasper and Peter Parker.
Peter nodded. Back before he became a superhero, he'd rarely run into any crimes. But now? It's like every day he runs into three or four cases—just on the way to school. And that's not even counting the ones he goes out looking for. Altogether, it's probably more than ten cases a day.
No wonder he's always so wiped out. And some of these bad guys? They've got crazy weapons or powers. It's exhausting!
Tony walked up to Peter and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "If you ever feel like it's too much to handle alone, just call me. Or get your best bud to help out."
Jasper's eyelids drooped a little at that.
Peter nodded and said, "I will."
"Alright, then let's try out your new suit!" Tony waved a hand, and one of his robots brought over a new Spider-Man suit.
The colors looked pretty similar to Peter's old one, so it was obviously made just for him.
Peter put it on.
"Whoa! This feels amazing—way better than my last one," he said excitedly.
After trying out the suit, Peter mentioned he wanted to do an internship.
Tony was all for it—and even asked if Jasper wanted to join in too.
But Jasper shook his head. He wasn't dumb or anything, but he wasn't exactly a genius like Spider-Man or Iron Man either. No way was he on their level brain-wise.
Tony didn't push it. Then out of nowhere, he asked, "So, the holidays are coming up. Got any plans, Jasper?"
Was Tony about to ask for a favor or something tricky?Honestly, Jasper wasn't a fan of complicated stuff. But he'd gotten a suit from Tony for free… wouldn't it be rude to just turn him down?
As long as it wasn't anything too big, he could probably help out.
"I don't have any plans," Jasper said. "Need something?"
Tony looked at him for a second. He didn't actually need help, but it was clear Jasper thought he did. It was kind of sweet—like, he knew how to return a favor. Good kid.
"Nah, I was just asking. Anyway, you two can go check out my company today. Happy will show you around. That's it for now."
Right after he said that, Happy knocked on the door from outside to let them know he was there.
Jasper and Peter said goodbye to Tony and followed Happy for a tour of the company.
Happy looked pretty pumped. He grinned and asked, "Can both of you climb the Empire State Building bare-handed?"
Jasper and Peter both nodded. "Yeah, we can."
"That's awesome! So… your webs—do you make them yourselves or what?"
Peter answered, "We make them. After getting bitten by a spider, we developed some natural abilities—one of them helps us create webs."
Later that afternoon...
Jasper and Peter walked out of Tony Stark's company building.
Peter looked super hyped. He got to see all kinds of cool tech today, and just being in Stark's company was an experience in itself. Totally worth it.
Jasper thought it wasn't bad either—Tony had promised to make him a custom suit. And from what he heard, it was supposed to be next-level awesome.
Can't wait to see it!
"I'm thinking of heading straight home," Jasper said. He planned to use his shadow-jumping ability to get there quickly.
Peter shook his head. "Nah, I've still got to suit up as Spider-Man for a while."
"Alright then—see you tomorrow!" Jasper waved, found a quiet corner, and slipped into the shadows.
A moment later, he emerged from the shadows in his own room.
Right after he stepped out, the shadow behind him rippled—and Shadow Spider stepped out too.
She sat down in front of his desk and reached into the shadows like she was searching for something. A few seconds later, she pulled out a book.
Jasper blinked. "Where'd that book come from?"
Shadow Spider tilted her head and replied, "From the library."
From the library? Wait—did she borrow it or…?
"Did you check it out?" Jasper asked.
She shook her head. "Just took it."
Jasper: "..."
Great. Real shadow-army energy right there. Still, he said, "Just make sure you return it after you're done."
She nodded.
A few weeks later…
Jasper went to bed super early. Normally, there's no way he'd sleep this early—but tonight was different. He could finally travel between worlds again.
That's why he knocked out so early.
After lying down for a bit, he slipped into another world.
When he opened his eyes…
"You're here." A calm voice spoke. Jasper turned to look.
A purple-haired woman holding a wooden sword was calmly staring at him, like his sudden appearance didn't surprise her at all.
She had a beautiful face and long legs—definitely stunning. But this wasn't the first time he'd seen her.
That woman, known as Raiden Shogun, held her wooden sword and said, "Let's see if you've improved."
Jasper nodded and picked up a wooden sword from nearby.
Raiden Shogun's life was repetitive and unchanging, but she didn't mind—it actually brought her a sense of peace.
Sword in hand, she casually walked toward Jasper. He gripped his sword and sprang forward with a powerful leap.
His attacks were fast and wild.
But to Raiden Shogun, they were full of holes.
She raised her sword and swung it once—purple lightning crackled through the air, like it was about to tear space apart.
In an instant, Jasper was swallowed by the purple lightning.
No improvement!
"Hmm?" Raiden Shogun looked up—only to see Jasper diving at her from the shadows above.
She took it back. He had improved.
BAM!
Their wooden swords clashed hard.
As he stared at her face up close, Jasper couldn't help but admire her beauty.
With a small push, Raiden Shogun shoved him back. Then with her next swing, she knocked him flat.
"You need to keep your mind clear when you're fighting!" she scolded.
She'd noticed that he'd been distracted just now. That wasn't okay.
Suddenly, Jasper felt his body get slightly heavier. What was going on?
Sensing his confusion, Raiden Shogun said, "Your connection to this world is getting stronger.
That's why you're starting to feel gravity. Maybe after a few more visits, you'll be able to live here just like a normal person."
"....."