Chapter Fifty-Seven: Spider-Man Versus Quicksilver

After settling the people of Atlantis, Arthur left. There was little more he could do; if the Atlanteans wished for happiness, they would have to rely on themselves. Arthur gave old Saltu his address, telling him that if he needed anything, he could come to his seaside villa.

It took Arthur a day to return to New York. Wanda and Pietro were delighted to see him back so soon. Wanda had started learning to cook by watching gourmet videos online, and Arthur bought each of them an iPhone.

That evening, Arthur invited Peter Parker and Gwen over, introducing Wanda and Pietro to them.

“Arthur, you’re really busy. It’s almost impossible to see you,” Peter complained.

“I don’t want it to be this way, but I keep running into unexpected events,” Arthur replied.

“So, are you coming back to school? You’ve been on leave for a year and a half; if you don’t return soon, you’ll probably be expelled,” Peter said, and Gwen nodded in agreement.

“School? Arthur, are you still studying?” Wanda asked, puzzled.

“He and I are classmates at Midtown High School,” Gwen explained to Wanda.

“High school?” Wanda looked at Arthur, who didn’t resemble a high schooler at all.

Arthur covered his face, his age exposed...

“I don’t think I’ll be able to go back for now. Once you get into college, I’ll come back to be your classmate again,” Arthur said.

“How will you study with us if you don’t take the college entrance exam?” Peter asked, confused.

“You don’t know? A lot of problems in the world can be solved with money. Which school do you want to attend? Stark Industries can set up a scholarship fund for it—problem solved!” Such innocent children, unaware of the dangers in a capitalist society.

“Is that true?” Peter looked at Gwen blankly, and Gwen nodded.

“I want to get into college on my own—I won’t take shortcuts!” Peter said firmly.

“Alright, I support you! Did you know the Avengers base is already under construction? When it’s done, you’ll need to train there; it might become your workplace in the future,” Arthur said.

“Really? I didn’t know. Mr. Stark hasn’t mentioned it to me, but it sounds nice not having to look for a job later.” Peter was happy. Once he got to college, he could apply for an internship with the Avengers and get paid. For now, he and Aunt May were still living on government subsidies.

“You’re an Avenger too?” Pietro asked Peter.

“Forgot to introduce you—Peter Parker is Spider-Man. He’s joined the Avengers team, just like you,” Arthur said.

“Sounds impressive. Want to spar?” Pietro looked at Peter, eager for a challenge. He was still a bit unsatisfied after losing to Arthur.

“Um... maybe not,” Peter hesitated. Pietro was Arthur’s friend, and fighting right after meeting didn’t seem appropriate.

“It’s fine, let them have some fun. Just make sure you’re careful,” Arthur said.

“Don’t worry, they’re just sparring,” Wanda reassured Gwen. Wanda knew Pietro best; he wouldn’t do anything excessive.

The two stood in the yard while Arthur, Wanda, and Gwen watched from the side.

“Alright, I’m going to start. Watch out—I’m fast!” Pietro warned Peter.

“Go ahead!” Peter was unfazed; he’d fought aliens in New York. No matter how fast Pietro was, he couldn’t be faster than Arthur.

In a flash, Quicksilver vanished. Peter suddenly felt danger at his chest and bent backward, dodging Pietro’s punch with a bridge move.

“Not bad, you’re the second person who’s managed to dodge my attack!” Pietro appeared behind Peter.

Peter broke out in cold sweat. If not for his spider sense, he would have been hit. He hadn’t expected Pietro to be so quick, and now he took the match seriously.

Pietro vanished again. Peter dodged right, missing Pietro’s attack and counter-kicking, but didn’t land a hit.

Pietro continued to throw punches from behind, and Peter sidestepped again and again. But Pietro’s speed was overwhelming, and Peter still took a few hits.

The three spectators saw Pietro’s blur circling Peter as Peter dodged his attacks.

This kind of combat put Peter at a disadvantage; he wasn’t suited to close-quarter fighting. Realizing this, Peter shot webbing and swung up to the villa’s rooftop.

Pietro chased after him. Peter kept shooting webs, swinging around the rooftop, while Pietro followed, seizing moments to attack.

“Are you two planning to tear down my house?” Arthur called out as he saw them fighting atop the villa.

Peter tracked Pietro’s movements, predicting his position and shooting webs to bind him. Pietro didn’t expect to be caught and fell toward the ground.

Peter quickly shot a web to catch Pietro, lowering him gently to the ground.

“I lost!” Pietro said, dejected as he got up.

“No, your speed is amazing. I could only defend passively. If you were a bit faster, I wouldn’t be able to handle you,” Peter replied.

“Don’t feel bad. You haven’t had your powers long and your speed isn’t at its peak. Once you break the sound barrier, no one will be able to dodge your attacks,” Arthur said, patting Pietro’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll keep training. Next time, I’ll win!” Pietro said to Peter.

“Alright! Let’s spar again next time!” Peter replied cheerfully.

Through this friendly match, the two became friends. Pietro even shared stories of their childhood wandering days.

Peter and Gwen hadn’t expected Pietro and Wanda to be orphans who wandered as children, and later were tricked by Hydra into undergoing experiments. Hearing Wanda’s story, Gwen hugged her tightly.

Peter and Gwen felt great sympathy for the siblings. Gwen and Wanda quickly became close, planning to go shopping together.

The group prepared a sumptuous dinner at Arthur’s villa, happily chatting as they ate.

While enjoying his steak, Arthur received a call from Hill. He got up and went to the living room to answer.

“Hello? Beautiful Hill?” Arthur said.

“You said I’m not as pretty as Natasha,” Hill retorted.

“Ahem... so, why are you calling?” Arthur asked, embarrassed.

“Do you know about the Life Foundation?” Hill inquired.

“No, I don’t,” Arthur replied.

“Six months ago, NASA detected a crashed spacecraft in Texas, reportedly a Life Foundation rocket. The Life Foundation sent search teams, but all squads mysteriously disappeared.”

“Disappeared? What do you need me to do?” Arthur asked, puzzled.

“Our investigation suggests the Life Foundation is secretly researching alien life. They brought samples back from space and are conducting private experiments. We need you to look into it,” Hill said.

“Back to playing secret agent? Where’s Natasha?” Arthur asked.

“Natasha is handling Avengers Alliance relations with various governments. If you don’t want the job, you can deal with political leaders,” Hill replied.

“No, I’d rather stick to action. Leave the diplomacy to me. What about Barton? Haven’t seen him in ages,” Arthur asked.

“Barton is working with Stark on building the Avengers headquarters and sorting SHIELD’s archived files,” Hill said.

“Speaking of files, can you destroy the Atlantis Kingdom documents for me? Those files led to Hydra’s attack and the kingdom’s downfall,” Arthur explained.

“...Alright, I’ll take care of it. As for the alien samples, it’s your job,” Hill said.

“Great. Let’s have dinner together sometime. Goodbye!” Arthur said.

“Goodbye!” Hill replied, and Arthur hung up.

“Got a mission?” Peter asked.

“No worries, let’s keep eating!” Arthur returned to his seat and resumed eating his steak.

...

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