"Buddy, you've got to give me time."
Seeing Doctor Octopus restrain him with mechanical arms, Otto Parker looked at Charlie sincerely. "I want to be a good person."
Charlie pulled out his golden handgun, pointing it at Otto's forehead. "You like this?"
Otto Parker glanced at the gun. "I don't get what you mean, but I hear the invincible Spider-Man's got a sense of humor, so I'll play along."
"You're quick on the uptake."
Charlie holstered the gun, crossing his arms. "You seem pretty confident I won't do anything to you."
"You caught that."
Otto Parker glanced at the coffee Ruth brought. "We can talk."
"You can talk now," Doctor Octopus said coldly, handing Charlie a cup with a smile. "Even knowing you're Spider-Man, I'm still shocked. By the way, last time—"
Mid-sentence, Doctor Octopus's eyes clouded with confusion, then lit up with realization.
"Oh my gosh, that's a weird feeling."
As time briefly stabilized, Doctor Octopus regained all his memories.
Charlie seized the moment, his hands forming seals. An evolved spider totem emerged from his chest, glowing faintly as it merged into Otto Parker's own totem.
"There. If you lie, my little friend will devour your totem's power. You know what that means."
"What?"
Otto Parker's face was stunned. "No way… your totem power lives up to the invincible Spider-Man."
He sighed. "I don't have bad intentions. I just need time."
He continued, "Before I tailed those Time Agents out of my universe, I met the Supreme Sorcerer. He gave me something."
"Supreme Sorcerer? Ancient One?" Charlie asked, curious.
Otto Parker shook his head. "No."
"Strange?"
"Not him either."
Otto Parker said, "It was Peter's friend, Ned. He inherited Stephen's magic and became the new Supreme Sorcerer."
Charlie suddenly recalled this world's Butt-Web Spider-Man.
Since the "Web-Wave" ended, that guy, who could shoot webs from… unique places, hadn't shown up in ages.
With Ancient One still active, Ned's chances of becoming Supreme Sorcerer were slim.
Charlie shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
"What'd he give you?" he asked.
Otto Parker glanced at the mechanical arms binding him, then at Doctor Octopus.
Doctor Octopus released him.
After all, few could escape under the invincible Spider-Man's watch.
Otto Parker had no intention of running. He pulled a gem from his damaged wrist device.
"This. Ned said it's a treasure to help Spider-Man through tough times. Maybe it'll come in handy if I face danger."
He handed the gem to Charlie. "I don't know how it works. Maybe you do."
If Charlie spared him, this gem would be his lifeline.
If it helped the invincible Spider-Man, it'd serve its purpose for Charlie instead.
Either way, the Supreme Sorcerer didn't specify which Spider-Man.
They're all Spider-Men, so it's all the same.
That was his logic.
When Charlie took the gem, it glowed brightly, unlike in Otto's hands.
Buzz~
As the gem floated mid-air, Otto Parker realized.
"Damn it, I overthought it." He covered his face.
Did Ned predict all this?
This wasn't for him.
But, in a way, it still helped.
Meanwhile, Charlie saw a chubby sorcerer's figure in the light.
"Ned?"
"It's me."
In the glow, Ned, clad in sorcerer robes, smiled. His round face looked harmless, but his magical aura was overwhelmingly powerful.
His smile faded, turning serious.
"I foresaw a terrible crisis in the multiverse, so I made a prophecy to find a solution.
I found it, but my body's failing. I'm giving you what you need. Saving the universe is on you, invincible Spider-Man."
Ned's figure grew fainter. Charlie rubbed his temples, exasperated.
"This cheesy plot is so uncomfortable!"
The moment he gripped the floating gem, information flooded his mind.
The way to repair the Time Tablet!
"Hm?"
As the data poured in, Charlie's eyes gleamed.
Fixing the Time Tablet would stabilize this universe's spacetime, stopping Elios from devouring its power.
Then, Charlie could traverse the multiverse to find Elios and figure out what was wrong with it.
He looked at the night sky.
When the Time Tablet shattered, its fragments should still be at S.H.I.E.L.D.
After all the twists and turns, everything circled back to the start.
This must be the surprise Ancient One mentioned.
…
Three days later, Queens.
A quiet dive bar.
With few patrons, the place was calm.
With few patrons, the waitstaff were relaxed.
With relaxed waitstaff, they were watching a game.
With the waitstaff watching a game, the beautiful bartender could only boredly clean glasses.
"Pietro, stop watching and help me," teen Wanda snapped at her idle brother.
Pietro, engrossed in the game, ignored her, munching on chips with a large beer—his favorite combo.
Seeing no response, Wanda was about to lose it.
But then, a figure appeared at the door. She plastered on a standard smile to greet the customer.
Rent was due soon. No money, no staying.
"Hey, what can I get you?"
Under teen Wanda's odd stare, Charlie, in sunglasses, fumbled through the dim bar, occasionally knocking over chairs, before sitting at the counter.
"You blind?" Wanda asked, curious.
Charlie removed his sunglasses. "Nope."
"Then why the shades?"
"Because they're cool."
Wanda: "..."
Weirdo.
She turned, letting Charlie see the wall of liquors. "What do you want? I'll give you a discount."
Charlie frowned. "You remember me?"
"Duh."
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Invincible Spider-Man, you've been laying low lately."
Pietro finally noticed them.
"Hey, buddy, if you're hitting on my sister, you'd better spend a hundred—no, a thousand bucks!" Pietro raised a finger, acting aloof.
Charlie's frown deepened. "You don't know me?"
"Should I?" Pietro scoffed. "Kid, where's that confidence coming from?"
Now Wanda was stunned.
"Pietro, you itching for a fight?" she asked.
Pietro scratched his head, confused. "What're you talking about?"
"He's Charlie. Charlie Parker."
"So?"
"He's Spider-Man."
"What! Spider-Man?"
Pietro freaked. "Oh my gosh, run—"
"No need. We're cool now," Charlie cut in.
"Cool?"
"Yup."
Charlie brushed it off, and Pietro, half-convinced, went back to his game.
Wanda's face darkened. "What's going on?" she asked Charlie.
Charlie gave a quick rundown, and Wanda nodded.
"Spacetime aftereffects?"
She mused, "If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have noticed."
She stared at Charlie. "You still haven't said what you want to drink!"
She needed to make money.
Charlie thought. "Two juices, thanks."
"Got it."
Wanda soon brought two glasses of juice.
She asked, "Why aren't I affected?"
Charlie sipped his juice. "Maybe your chaos magic."
Wanda raised an eyebrow, scarlet energy dancing at her fingertips.
"Is this magic that strong?"
She remembered another Wanda's magic being terrifying.
Charlie set a briefcase on the counter. "Either way, fixing the Time Tablet needs your power. Can you help?"
Wanda nodded. "Sure, as long as you pay."
Charlie rubbed his chin. "Anything for money?"
"Of course—"
Wanda stopped, realizing something was off.
Scarlet energy surged around her.
"Charlie Parker, you're the worst!!"
Her roar echoed through the bar.
…
Half an hour later, X-Mansion.
"Oh my God, Charlie, what happened to you?"
In the office, Charles gaped at Charlie's red-slapped face.
Charlie, nursing the mark, grumbled, "Nothing. Just the worst."
"Wait, you… you remember me too?"
"I didn't at first."
Charles touched his bald head, smiling. "I get my info differently."
Charlie nodded, unbothered, and got to the point. "I need Jean's Phoenix Force."
"No problem, as long as she's willing," Charles said, glancing out the window with a cryptic smile.
"That shouldn't be hard for you."
Charlie went quiet, then asked, "She's got the Phoenix Force. She should remember me, right?"
"Yes," Charles nodded.
Charlie added, "Her emotions are stable, yeah?"
Charles nodded again. "Of course."
Charlie thought more. "She's not the type to force people into things they don't want, right?"
Charles paused, then gave a sympathetic look.
"Don't worry, she's not like that."
Every superhero knew what the invincible Spider-Man sacrificed to save the world.
Even now, the evil Ophidia was the biggest winner.
She'd be Spider-Man's nightmare, forever haunting the poor bug.
Watching Charlie leave, Charles sighed.
"Poor Spider-Man, too righteous."
…
Soon, Charlie reached the training field.
On the green lawn, red-haired Jean was teaching kids to control their powers, while Cyclops, Summers, stood by quietly.
Seeing a stranger, Summers said coldly, "Leave. This place is off-limits—"
"I'm here for Jean."
Ignoring Summers, Charlie breezed past, patting a kid's head.
"Long time no see. Can we talk?" he smiled.
Jean blinked, then smiled back.
"Of course." Her cold face softened.
"You know him?" Summers frowned, sensing trouble.
Jean's attitude toward this kid was odd.
It bugged him.
Charlie and Jean ignored him.
As they walked off, Summers clenched his fists.
He couldn't stand Jean being overly friendly with anyone.
"Kid, hold it!"
He growled, his visor firing a scorching beam.
Boom!!
The lawn glowed red. Jean stayed calm, knowing Summers couldn't hurt the invincible Spider-Man.
Sadly, the invincible Spider-Man was currently just a regular one, with no power to resist the heat blast.
Buzz~
Charlie tilted his head, dodging the beam, which hit a building, causing an explosion.
Boom!!
Amid flying debris, Storm, nearly caught in the blast, cursed.
"Jerk, what's your problem?"
Her eyes glowed white, summoning thunder and lightning, overwhelming Summers.
"Wait, I didn't mean—"
"Go to hell!"
Storm's ferocity made Summers regret everything.
Their fight drew Logan and others to watch.
Charlie and Jean left the chaos behind.
Soon, they returned to Wanda's bar.
Inside, Pietro played the piano.
Melodic notes filled the air. Jean scanned the quiet surroundings.
Seeing no one else, she tensed.
"Is this a date for two?" she asked.
Before Charlie could answer, teen Wanda shot up from the counter, sliding over two whiskeys.
"Nope, a date for three."
Wanda glared at a disappointed Jean, snapping at Charlie, "I thought you only needed me."
Charlie shrugged. "Two's better."
He set the briefcase on the counter, opening it to reveal shattered stones.
"This is the broken Time Tablet. It needs two primal cosmic forces to fix."
"What're we waiting for?" Wanda moved to start, but Charlie stopped her.
"We need a medium."
Jean composed herself. "What kind?"
Charlie said, "Something with time energy."
"Time energy?"
Wanda and Jean exchanged confused looks, unsure where to find it.
Charlie tapped his wrist device, projecting a holographic image of ancient, ornate rings.
"These are Kang the Conqueror's time rings, a type of time machine with temporal energy.
Based on their design, I suspect the legendary Ten Rings might be tied to Kang."
"Ten Rings?"
Wanda looked puzzled, while Jean grew thoughtful.