Flash Thompson lay sprawled across the floor of the school bus, writhing in agony.
He couldn't even decide which part of his body he should try to protect first.
The fingers of his left hand were twisted into a mangled mess, while an even more excruciating pain radiated from between his legs.
He couldn't understand what had happened.
He was the one who'd thrown a punch at Peter!
So why was he the one lying on the floor?!
The answer was simple.
With the extraordinary motor reflexes granted by the Lizard Serum, combined with Makoto Kyogoku's karate expertise, there was no way Peter would allow himself to be struck by an ordinary high school bully.
The moment Flash threw his punch, Peter had shifted sideways with superhuman speed.
The movement caused Flash's fist to slam directly into the hard plastic backrest of a bus seat.
The impact immediately fractured the bones in his hand.
Then, before anyone else could understand what was happening, Peter delivered a lightning-fast knee strike directly between Flash's legs.
He'd deliberately restrained himself, using less than one percent of his actual strength.
Otherwise, the damage would have extended far beyond that particular part of Flash's anatomy.
Silence.
The entire school bus fell deathly quiet.
Everyone looked at Peter.
Then they looked at Flash, who was curled up on the floor like a giant shrimp.
For a moment, the students wondered whether they were still dreaming.
'What just happened?'
'Why is Flash the one lying on the floor?'
While everyone was struggling to make sense of the situation, Peter suddenly raised both hands.
He wore an expression of complete innocence.
"Hey, you all saw that, right? I didn't even touch him! He just fell over on his own!"
The other students looked at Peter, who appeared genuinely confused by what had happened.
Several nodded automatically.
Then the whispers began.
"Peter didn't even touch Flash. So why's Flash acting like that?"
"Exactly! Look at Peter's skinny arms and legs. Even if he fought back, there's no way he could hurt Flash that badly. What's this guy trying to pull?"
As the discussions spread through the bus, Peter looked down at Flash.
Suddenly, he adopted an expression of horrified realization.
"Flash, bullying me all these years was bad enough, but are you seriously trying to frame me now?"
"Are you hoping to get me expelled from school? Maybe even sent to prison?"
His voice grew increasingly distressed.
"We're classmates! I've never done anything to deserve this. Why would you treat me like that?"
'Huh?'
The students exchanged startled glances.
'Wait a minute...'
'Is Flash trying to fake an injury and blame Peter?!'
Once that possibility occurred to them, several students suddenly looked as though they'd solved a complicated mystery.
"Oh! That explains everything!"
"Maybe he got embarrassed because his punch missed, so now he's pretending Peter attacked him!"
The theory quickly gained support.
After all, aside from Flash deliberately faking an injury to frame Peter, what other explanation could there be?
Were they supposed to believe that Peter Parker, the school's most famous science nerd, had somehow knocked out the enormous Flash Thompson with a single attack so fast that nobody could see it?
What a joke!
If Peter possessed that kind of strength, why would he have spent the past three years getting bullied?
Therefore, following the famous principle that once all impossible explanations had been eliminated, whatever remained must be the truth, no matter how improbable it appeared, the students reached their conclusion.
Flash was deliberately staging an injury.
He wanted to destroy Peter's future!
The more they considered the possibility, the more horrified they became.
Flash's parents were wealthy.
For someone from a family like his, framing an ordinary student like Peter would hardly be difficult.
His parents could simply pull a few strings, and Peter might find himself expelled from school before he even knew what was happening.
His entire future could be ruined!
'What the hell? How can someone be that cruel?!'
'Bullying Peter for three years wasn't enough? Now he wants to ruin the guy's life by pretending to be injured?'
'This isn't ordinary school bullying anymore! How is destroying someone's future any different from killing them?!'
People naturally tended to sympathize with the vulnerable.
In the past, everyone knew Flash bullied Peter, but his behavior hadn't appeared likely to threaten Peter's future or his life.
Given Flash's intimidating physique and wealthy family, most students had chosen to look the other way.
But now things were different.
If Flash was deliberately trying to ruin another student's future, even those who had previously remained silent could no longer tolerate it.
Several students with stronger senses of justice began openly expressing their disgust.
Sensing the change in everyone's attitude and hearing the whispered accusations surrounding him, Flash was stunned.
'No...'
'That's not what happened!'
'I'm the victim here!'
Unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to explain what had really occurred.
What was he supposed to say?
That Peter Parker had just delivered a devastating knee strike to his groin and might have permanently destroyed his ability to have children?
He'd rather die than admit something that humiliating!
Worse still, even if he told everyone the truth, nobody would believe him!
As that realization settled in, the pain between Flash's legs seemed to intensify.
He felt as though his entire lower body was about to split apart.
Flash had always prided himself on being tough and intimidating.
But now, overwhelmed by pain and humiliation, tears began streaming down his face.
'This is so unfair!'
He gasped repeatedly, his forehead covered in cold sweat, as he desperately tried to defend himself.
"No! That's not true! I wasn't trying to frame him!"
But nothing he said mattered anymore.
The more he protested, the louder the surrounding students expressed their contempt.
"Oh, come on! Listen to him! He's still making excuses!"
"My God, how can someone be so disgusting? Now he's even trying to make us feel sorry for him!"
Just as Flash was experiencing the bitter taste of being abandoned by everyone around him, a red-haired girl suddenly spoke.
Her words delivered another devastating blow to his already shattered pride.
"Flash, I never imagined you were this kind of person."
"I must've been blind to fall for you! I actually believed you when you said you were only joking around with Peter."
Her expression was filled with disappointment.
"You've really let me down. We're done!"
Having delivered her verdict, the red-haired girl didn't spare Flash another glance.
She stepped over his writhing body and walked directly toward Peter.
First, she carefully examined him, asking whether he was hurt.
Then she began gently comforting him, promising that she would testify on his behalf if the school tried to blame him for what had happened.
The girl was none other than Flash's current girlfriend.
Mary Jane!
In certain parallel universes, Mary Jane Watson was the woman Peter Parker dreamed of being with.
But in this particular universe, Peter had no interest in her whatsoever.
What was so appealing about a girl who'd agreed to date the school's notorious bully, only to immediately distance herself from him the moment he lost face?
In the original Spider-Man stories, Mary Jane had even become romantically involved with Peter's good friend Harry after having a falling-out with Peter.
As far as the current Peter was concerned, that hardly made her an ideal romantic partner.
How could she possibly compare to his own adorable, sweet, softhearted little Gwen?
Of course, Peter's lack of interest in Mary Jane didn't mean Flash felt the same way.
Watching the girlfriend he'd spent three years desperately pursuing completely ignore him and rush to Peter's side nearly broke Flash's heart.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw his head back and scream.
'NOOOOOOO!!!'
He could practically hear a mournful song playing in the background.
'Snowflakes drift... the north wind howls...'
But in the end, Flash didn't actually scream those words.
For one thing, he'd already humiliated himself enough.
Right now, all he wanted was to find a hospital and hide there.
More importantly...
He was genuinely afraid.
Other people might believe he'd been trying to frame Peter, but Flash knew perfectly well what had really happened.
Peter Parker had somehow acquired extraordinary physical strength.
And not only had he used that strength to injure Flash, he'd also deliberately manipulated everyone into believing Flash was the villain!
It was despicable.
And terrifying.
This wasn't the harmless little nerd Flash had bullied for years.
Peter Parker was a monster hiding in plain sight.
Someone like Flash, who was only brave enough to torment those weaker than himself, had no business provoking a dangerous opponent like that!