Chapter 181: Across the Spider-Verse (6)

 The convenience store was a chaotic mess. Shelves were toppled, cans and boxes scattered across the floor. The overhead fluorescent lights flickered, casting erratic shadows. The air was filled with the scent of spilled products and the faint hum of a malfunctioning freezer.

Spot stood in the middle of the destruction, his white form dotted with black, shifting portals. He tried to explain himself, his voice echoing slightly in the disarrayed space. "You see, Spider-Man... I'm from your past. One year ago..."

Miles Morales' phone rang, interrupting Spot's explanation. The ringtone was loud in the otherwise quiet store.

"Hold up." Miles said, lifting a hand to check his phone.

"Oh, come on." Spot groaned, exasperated.

Miles glanced at his phone, seeing missed calls from his dad and mom. "Uh-oh. This has been fun." he said, noting the urgency of the situation.

Spot, confused, asked, "Who you talking to?"

"But I really gotta wrap this up." Miles replied, aiming his web shooters at Spot.

Spot's eyes widened in surprise as the webs shot towards him, only to pass through the black portals on his skin. The webs reappeared behind Spot, shooting back at Miles and hitting him square in the face.

"Argh!" Miles grunted, struggling to peel the sticky webs off his mask. His movements sent products flying off the shelves, adding to the store's mess.

Lenny, the store owner, sighed heavily. "Maybe just pay me now." he muttered, leaning on the counter.

Miles managed to stumble outside, still wrestling with the webs. "This stupid web." he muttered, finally ripping it off. He glanced around frantically, spotting Spot trying to make his escape down the street.

"No way you're getting away that easy." Miles said, swinging into action.

Spot turned a corner into a narrow alley, his movements erratic as he stumbled through another portal. He glanced around, disoriented, before spotting a clear path and sprinting towards the alley's end.

"I just need to get far enough away." Spot panted, his voice echoing off the brick walls.

Spot grinned as Miles landed in front of him. The slick, rain-soaked ground caused Miles to slide, losing his balance momentarily.

Miles, frustrated, shot another web at Spot, but it passed through another portal and reappeared, sticking to a wall behind him. "Can't you act like a regular super villain so I can catch you?"

The chase resumed, with Spot stumbling through his own portals, trying to get a handle on his powers. Miles followed, dodging errant portals and trying to web Spot again. Every shot went awry, the webs either being swallowed by portals or bouncing back towards him.

Spot tripped over a trash can, a black portal swallowing his foot. He tried to pull it out, but his other foot stepped into another portal, causing him to fall face-first into a pile of garbage bags.

Miles landed next to him, attempting to punch Spot. His fist went through a portal and reappeared, hitting himself in the stomach. "Gah!" he groaned, doubling over.

Spot scrambled to his feet, trying to run again. He aimed a portal ahead of him but tripped on the edge, sprawling across the alley floor. Miles, still recovering, swung a web to catch Spot, only for it to be redirected by another portal, wrapping around a fire escape ladder instead.

"This is ridiculous." Miles muttered, yanking the webbing free.

Spot, equally frustrated, flailed his arms. "I don't even know how these things work!" he shouted, summoning a portal that swallowed a stray cat, which reappeared on a nearby rooftop, hissing indignantly.

Miles and Spot continued their absurd battle, each move more chaotic than the last. Miles tried to web Spot's legs, but the portals kept interfering. Spot's attempts to escape were equally clumsy, his lack of control over his powers turning the fight into a comical disaster.

Suddenly, Miles' phone buzzed again. Annoyed but curious, he pulled it out to check the message.

Spot, looking incredulous, said, "You're looking at texts? This is the fight of our lives."

Miles, quickly reading the text from his father, began to type a response. "Sorry. Just a second." he muttered.

The text from his father read, "We are at your school. We are having a meeting with Ms. Weber, the counselor at Brooklyn Visions Academy. We need you ASAP."

Miles quickly typed back, "I'll be right there" and hit send.

Spot, watching this ridiculous display, shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, fine, go ahead. Take the call." he said, throwing a punch.

With his spider-sense tingling, Miles easily evaded the punch while still typing on his phone.

Spot's frustration grew. "No, no, no. Go ahead. Take the call." he repeated, trying to land another punch.

Miles continued to effortlessly dodge each punch, his focus split between the fight and his phone.

 Spot, growing increasingly exasperated, exclaimed, "You turn off your phone in a theater, but not when you're fighting me?"

.....

Jefferson Morales glanced nervously at his phone, noticing Miles' text. His brow furrowed as he read the message: "I'll be right there." Jefferson's anxiety turned to mild amusement as he noted the typo where "I'll be right there" was written as one word.

Jefferson chuckled awkwardly, looking up at Ms. Weber, the school counselor. "Ah, 'In a minute.' Ah! He wrote it all as one word."

He forced a laugh, trying to mask his nervousness. "That's cute, right? The youth. Hahaha." He glanced over at his wife, Rio Morales, who was seated next to him, and then back at Ms. Weber.

Rio, with a reassuring smile, squeezed Jefferson's hand.

Ms. Weber, who was sitting behind her desk, observed the parents with a professional yet sympathetic demeanor.

Jefferson tried to steady himself, adjusting himself and looking around the room to distract himself from the growing tension. The walls were adorned with motivational posters and student artwork, creating a welcoming environment.

Rio Morales cleared her throat and attempted to steer the conversation back to the meeting. "So, Ms. Weber, about Miles's grades and college prospects—"

Ms. Weber nodded, her expression softening. "Yes, let's discuss that. Miles has been performing well academically, and we've been discussing potential paths for his future. But I think it's important to consider all aspects of his development, both in and out of the classroom."

The room was filled with the soft hum of the air conditioning, and the sunlight filtered in through the blinds, casting gentle shadows across the room. The quiet murmur of students in the hallways provided a faint background noise.

....

The alleyway, now littered with debris and the echoes of their earlier skirmish, witnessed the comical clash between Miles Morales and Spot reaching its peak.

Miles Morales, with his phone still in hand, glanced at the screen and texted rapidly. His fingers danced over the virtual keyboard, trying to keep up with the urgency of his situation.

Spot, feigning injury with an exaggerated groan, held his nose dramatically. "Oh, my nose!" he exclaimed, wincing as though he'd been seriously hurt. His theatrics seemed almost too over the top, given the absurdity of the situation.

Miles, distracted by the texting, glanced at Spot with a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I gotta be somewhere."

Spot, unable to resist the chance to turn the tables, smirked. "Psych." In a flash, he formed a black hole on the ground beneath Miles, creating a sudden and chaotic vortex.

Miles's eyes widened in surprise as the black hole pulled him downward. "Whoa!" he shouted, losing his grip on his phone. In a swift reaction, he webbed the phone to secure it before it could be swallowed by the vortex.

Spot grinned as Miles was pulled into a swirling black hole. But Spot's joy didn't last long. Trying to keep the chaos going, Spot created another black hole.

Unfortunately for Spot, this new black hole started pulling him in too. "Oh no, not again!" Spot exclaimed as he was drawn into the vortex, losing control over his own powers.

The alley seemed to dissolve into a whirlwind of shifting landscapes and distorted spaces. Miles and Spot found themselves tumbling through the air, their surroundings flickering from one place to another. Their fight continued as they were flung from one location to the next, each teleportation adding to the absurdity of their battle.

Spot, trying to stay ahead, created black holes that pulled him in and out of sight, making him appear as if he were popping in and out of existence. His movements were unpredictable, leading to a slapstick exchange of punches and web shots.

Miles, used his spider sense to dodge the erratic attacks. He fired webs to try and stabilize his position, but the shifting black holes made every move a gamble. Each time Miles attempted to land a punch or a kick, the black holes redirected his attack or caused him to collide with an unexpected object.

As they fought, the alleyway itself became a bizarre battleground. The buildings warped and distorted as the black holes caused localized anomalies. Trash cans and debris floated through the air, adding to the surreal spectacle.

The chaotic fight between Miles Morales and Spot had transported them to yet another surreal environment. This new location was a realm of floating bubbles that shimmered and drifted lazily through the air. The bubbles varied in size, from tiny specks to enormous orbs, creating a dazzling, otherworldly landscape.

Miles Morales, in his Spider-Man suit, slid through the bubbles with a mix of frustration and determination. His phone buzzed again, but he kept his focus on the fight. He quickly typed a message to his parents, trying to juggle the ongoing battle with the urgency of his family's request.

Spot, with his characteristic grin, appeared and disappeared sporadically as he created black holes. The bubbles around them distorted and twisted with each new black hole, making the environment increasingly unstable and disorienting.

As Miles slid past a cluster of bubbles, a pair of young children in Spider-Man costumes watched in awe. The boy, dressed as Spider-Man with a black suit, looked disappointed as he saw Miles sliding through the bubbles. He turned to his sister, who was also dressed in a Spider-Man costume but in a different design.

Boy said "I don't want to wear this costume anymore." He pulled off his mask, revealing his frustrated expression.

Girl said with confuse look "Why not? It's so cool!"

Boy said, with disappointment look on his face "It's lame just like this." He gestured at the bizarre scene around them, clearly unimpressed with the reality of being in a superhero suit.

Miles, mid-slide, glanced at the kids with a brief, amused smile before refocusing on Spot. He pulled out his phone again and typed, "Almost there, Mami. Papi. " and hit send before shoving the phone back into his pocket.

The fight continued with Miles trying to pin down Spot, but the black holes kept shifting their location. They were abruptly pulled to another place—this time a swirling vortex of colors and patterns that changed with every second.

Spot, still struggling with his powers, attempted to use the black holes to disorient Miles. "What the hell are we doing here!"

Miles, trying to keep his balance amidst the shifting colors and patterns, shot webs to stabilize himself. "Yeah, well, it's a bit chaotic right now!" He evaded another black hole that appeared beneath him, almost losing his footing.

The boy, dressed as Spider-Man, watched with a mix of disappointment and awe as Miles, still sliding, tried to pin down Spot. His sister, wearing a different Spider-Man costume, remained fascinated by the strange fight happening before her eyes.

Miles attempted to pin Spot down, but Spot's black holes continued to distort reality, causing both of them to be dragged into a new places again.

Their chaotic fight spanned multiple areas: first in the alley, then through the black hole into a park where they tumbled over playground equipment, and finally to a rooftop where they skidded across the gravel, the fight taking on an almost slapstick quality.

Spot, visibly frustrated and disoriented, stumbled as he tried to control the black hole's chaotic effects. "Come on, come on! This should work!" he grumbled, trying to stabilize his powers.

Miles, on the other hand, was more agile and adapted quickly. Using the black hole's unpredictability to his advantage, he dodged Spot's erratic attacks and delivered precise counter-punches. "You're not doing so hot with those powers, huh?" Miles taunted, landing another solid punch.

Spot, in a final attempt to gain control, tried to form a black hole directly in front of Miles. But this backfired as the black hole sucked him in instead. "Wait, no—" Spot's protest was cut off as he was pulled into the vortex.

Miles quickly reacted, webbing the edges of the black hole Spot was in and narrowing it down. He managed to trap Spot inside, effectively neutralizing him. The black hole constricted until Spot was immobilized, his body suspended in a strange, swirling space.

Miles, catching his breath and adjusting his mask, looked at the struggling Spot with a mix of satisfaction and sympathy. "Looks like you've been bested by your own powers." Miles said, shaking his head.

Spot, trapped and frustrated, could only grumble and try to wriggle free. "This isn't over, Spider-Man!"

Miles chuckled and pulled out his phone, now properly secured in his pocket. "I hope not. But for now, I've got to get to my folks."

With that, Miles swung away from the rooftop, he left Spot trapped in the black hole. The city below carried on as usual, paying no mind to the bizarre events happening high above.

To be continue

Still Recovering Fighting ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡