Chapter 8: Spiderman

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With a flick of his wrist, his body shifted into its spot mode, his skin turning stark white as swirling black circles reappeared across his form. Ethan took a step forward and opened a portal beneath him, vanishing from sight. He reappeared a moment later on the roof of a nearby building, then again in another part of the city. He teleported around casually, enjoying the thrill of his newfound freedom.

As he continued bouncing around Manhattan, something unusual caught his eye. Down below, in a back alley, two figures were engaged in a heated battle. The bright, red-and-blue costume of Spider-Man was unmistakable as the young hero swung through the air, dodging bolts of electricity that crackled with dangerous intensity.

The other figure, a man in his early thirties, was dressed in a slick, black-and-yellow suit with electrical coils running along the arms and legs. Sparks of electricity danced around him as he hurled bolts of lightning toward Spider-Man. He looked rough around the edges, his face weathered and lined with a grimace of determination. His wild, crackling energy and the bags full of cash nearby gave Ethan a pretty good idea of what was going on.

"Looks like a bank heist gone wrong," Ethan muttered, watching with interest. "And who's that guy? He's about the early twenties of age. And the older guy... definitely around thirty."

The scene below was pure chaos. Spider-Man was doing his best to evade the electric attacks, swinging from building to building while firing webs at the villain. But the man in the black-and-yellow suit wasn't making it easy for him. He was fast and relentless.

Ethan smirked, an idea forming in his mind. He had been looking for a way to stir things up, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Why not?" Ethan chuckled to himself. "Let's cause some chaos."

Without hesitation, Ethan opened a portal and dropped down into the alley. His appearance was anything but subtle, and the people nearby who were filming and capturing photos turned their attention to the strange, new figure entering the fray. As he stepped out of the portal, his stark white skin and swirling black circles caught the attention of both fighters.

Spider-Man landed on a nearby rooftop, his mask tilting slightly as he sized up the new arrival. "Uh... Who the heck are you?" Peter asked, his voice tinged with confusion as he glanced between Ethan and the electric villain.

The man in the yellow suit grinned when he saw Ethan's entrance, clearly pleased with the distraction. He didn't care who the newcomer was, as long as it gave him an advantage over Spider-Man.

Ethan's lips curled into a smirk as he stood between the two combatants. He spread his left hand while the right one covered his face that was looking at the sky, a strange voice was clearly heard by everyone: "The name's Spot," he said casually, his voice carrying through the alley. "And it looks like you could use a hand, Sparky."

With that, Ethan opened a portal midair, his fist disappearing into the black void. A split second later, his hand reappeared from a portal behind Spider-Man, delivering a powerful punch to Peter's back. The force of the blow sent him crashing into the side of a nearby building, leaving a small crater in the brick.

Spider-Man groaned as he staggered to his feet. "Great... Just what I needed, another villain with a weird power."

Ethan chuckled. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

He and Electro, whom Ethan deduced to be a lightning-based villain, began their assault on Spider-Man. Peter, despite being outnumbered and clearly struggling, used his quick reflexes and impressive battle IQ to hold his own. He swung through the air with grace, dodging blasts of electricity from Electro while evading Ethan's portals. Every time Ethan tried to hit him, Spider-Man's agility allowed him to narrowly escape.

"Come on, Webhead!" Electro taunted, hurling another bolt of electricity at Peter. "You can't keep dodging forever!"

Peter flipped through the air, firing webs at both villains in an attempt to slow them down. "I don't know, man. I've been dodging responsibility for years, so I think I'll be fine."

Ethan grinned as he watched Spider-Man's acrobatics. "You're quick, I'll give you that. But you're still outmatched."

Just as Spider-Man was starting to show signs of fatigue, a familiar sound echoed through the alley, the unmistakable roar of repulsor thrusters. A flash of red and gold streaked through the air, followed closely by a black-and-silver figure.

Iron Man and War Machine had arrived.

Tony hovered in the air, his faceplate retracting as he looked down at the chaotic scene below. "You've got quite the party going on down here, don't you?" he called out.

War Machine landed beside Tony, his heavy suit clanking as he eyed Ethan and Electro. "Looks like Spidey could use some backup."

Spider-Man flipped onto a nearby rooftop, breathing heavily. "Took you guys long enough."

Ethan raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the two armored heroes. "Well, well. Looks like the party's getting even bigger."

Tony's helmet snapped back into place as he charged up his repulsors. "I don't know who you are, 'Spot,' but you made a mistake stepping into my city."

Ethan's smirk widened. "Oh, I don't make mistakes, Stark. I just like to have fun."

With that, the battle began in earnest.

Ethan, with his countless portals, proved to be a difficult target for the three heroes. He moved with impossible speed, teleporting around the battlefield while delivering blows from unexpected angles. His 360-degree vision allowed him to see every attack coming, and his ability to open portals made him almost untouchable. Electro, meanwhile, blasted the area with bolts of electricity, forcing Spider-Man, Iron Man, and War Machine to stay on the defensive.

Iron Man fired off a series of repulsor blasts at Ethan, but each one was swallowed by a portal and redirected back toward Tony. War Machine attempted to flank Electro, unleashing a barrage of missiles, but the villain's lightning-fast reflexes kept him one step ahead.

Spider-Man, though outnumbered, used his agility and intelligence to adapt to the chaos. He dodged blasts from Electro and attacks from Ethan, webbing up streetlights and walls to swing in unpredictable patterns. His spider-sense helped him avoid the worst of the damage, but he was clearly struggling against the two villains.

"You guys are really starting to annoy me," Peter muttered, firing a web at Electro's face to temporarily blind him.

The battle raged on, with Ethan and Electro proving to be a dangerous combination. But with Iron Man's advanced tech, War Machine's heavy firepower, and Spider-Man's unrelenting determination, the heroes fought back with equal intensity.

But..

For the first time in his new life, Ethan felt alive.