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The Hulk, who'd just been knocked flying, got back to his feet. Jasper and Peter Parker's combined attack had left him a bit dazed—but more than that, it had made him even angrier.
And the angrier Hulk got, the stronger he became.
He spat on the ground and glared at Jasper and Peter.
"ROAAAR!!" he bellowed.
Jasper got into a fighting stance and warned, "Be careful!"
Peter nodded. He'd already had a taste of the Hulk's power. If they wanted any chance of beating him, he and Jasper would have to work together, seriously this time.
Hulk lowered his body and charged at them like a mad bull, his heavy steps making the ground tremble.
Meanwhile, purple sparks of electricity started crackling faintly over Jasper's body.
"Zzzzt—!"
Then Jasper dashed forward.
Peter blinked in surprise. When did he get lightning powers?
No time to ask questions now—taking down the rampaging Hulk was top priority.
Jasper clenched his fist and swung at Hulk.
He figured the Hulk would dodge, considering how much force he'd put into that punch—but the Hulk didn't even flinch.
Instead, Hulk braced himself to tank the blow and counterattack.
Are you seriously underestimating me—someone with a Vision and spider powers?!
BOOM!!!
Jasper's punch smashed into Hulk's head with a deafening thud.
In an instant, the sheer force sent the Hulk flying, his huge body gouging a long trench through the ground.
"Yoink—!" Peter followed up by slamming a car onto Hulk using his web.
Jasper looked down at his fist, still crackling with purple lightning. That punch just now had basically been his full power.
"ROARRR—!" Hulk roared again, tossing the car off his body. He stared at Jasper and Spider-Man—but then suddenly collapsed onto the rubble.
And his body started shrinking.
"Whoa—what the heck just happened?" Peter blurted out, the whole thing reminding him of those old sci-fi mutation movies he used to watch as a kid.
Jasper ignored Peter's confusion and glanced up at the approaching helicopters. "We need to get out of here."
With that, he shot out a web and swung away at high speed. Peter quickly followed.
A few minutes later, a group of armed U.S. soldiers cautiously approached the now much smaller Hulk.
Up in the helicopter, a man silently observed the scene below.
He'd believed the Hulk was invincible—the military hadn't been able to contain him at all. But now, these two "bug men" had taken him down in a head-on fight.
Does that mean… they have even more potential than the Hulk?
That thought made Ross's heart race. If they could mass-produce superhumans like the bug men or the Hulk… he'd have unmatched power and status.
Without hesitation, Ross ordered his team to capture Jasper and Spider-Man.
But just a few seconds after he gave the order, Tony Stark—fully suited up in his Iron Man armor—flew right up to Ross's helicopter.
Ross scowled. He didn't like Stark—but he couldn't just ignore him either. If Stark ever sided with another general, Ross's position could be in real danger.
Tony opened his armor and stepped into the chopper. "Man, it's freezing in here. Do all generals work in such poverty? Want me to fund you a little?"
He didn't hold back his sarcasm.
Ross frowned even deeper. This is exactly why I can't stand him.
Tony didn't stop there. "Going after civilians out of greed for some vague 'power'? That kind of shady behavior isn't a good look for any general. Especially with how many people are eyeing your seat. You really wanna risk losing everything you've built over a lifetime for something so petty?"
Ross knew all too well—plenty of people were already unhappy with him. The Hulk had caused massive problems, and Ross had delivered nothing in return. All he handed out were empty promises. It was only natural the others were getting sick of him.
"You want to come with me?" Jasper asked.
If Peter said yes, Jasper could drop him home first before heading back himself.
Peter didn't refuse this time. After taking a punch from the Hulk, he was still feeling beat up. Definitely needed to get home and patch himself up.
Jasper nodded and used Shadow Step to teleport Peter home.
Then he used Shadow Step again and returned to his own place.
The moment he got back, Jasper looked down at his Vision. He was lucky to have it—if not, he probably couldn't have beaten the Hulk. Without it, things could've gone really bad.
He stored his Vision away and headed into the bathroom for a shower.
After that, he went straight to bed.
The Next Morning
Jasper got dressed, washed up, and went out for his morning run.
After about an hour, he returned home for another quick shower. Then he headed deep into the forest, with Spider-Shadow tagging along to help him train.
Raiden Shogun had once told him: If you train consistently, you'll grow even stronger.
Jasper fully believed in her words—so he was determined to go all out during his vacation.
He turned to Spider-Shadow. "Give it your all."
Spider-Shadow nodded and charged at Jasper.
BAM!!
Spider-Shadow's punch was caught in Jasper's open palm.
Compared to Jasper, Spider-Shadow's speed and strength were clearly lacking. Especially now that Jasper had the power of a Vision—Spider-Shadow didn't stand a chance.
Realizing this, Jasper said, "You can go do your own thing. I'll train alone."
Having Spider-Shadow around wasn't helping anymore. It'd be a waste of time for both of them. Better to let him do what he enjoys.
Spider-Shadow nodded and quickly left.
Jasper recalled Raiden Shogun's training methods.
A moment later, he took off running through the forest, purple lightning flickering over his body.
How fast can I get if I go all out?
The wind roared past his ears. Faster. I can go faster!
He pushed his speed even more.
One Hour Later
Jasper collapsed onto the forest floor, gasping for breath. Running full speed for over an hour had drained him. Right now, he didn't want to move at all.
After a long break, he jogged back home.
Back at home, he started thinking about how to use his Vision more effectively.
Now that he could control Electro energy, he could use it to boost his speed and strength. It gave more of a speed boost than a strength boost, though.
Still, this was just the basics of elemental control.
Jasper opened his hand. A purple lightning orb formed in his palm.
He tossed it.
In the blink of an eye, it exploded mid-air—crackling with lightning energy.
The power was pretty weak, honestly—barely stronger than a grenade.
He had a long way to go.
So, Jasper kept training, figuring out how to harness the power of Electro.
"....."