In an instant, surging flames tore through the factory, thick smoke rising as a terrifying explosion ripped everything apart.
Buzz~
Nearby, Charlie emerged from a portal, dragging Butcher and Hughie. He tossed them to the ground, clapped his hands, and counted on his fingers.
"One, two, three—good enough."
As he spoke, another massive explosion echoed through the firelight. Amid flying debris, a stark-naked old man slowly appeared in the group's view.
"That's…"
Hughie and Butcher's eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the figure kneeling in the inferno.
Sizzle~
Terrifying thunder energy enveloped Old Steve as he rose, his muscles sharpening with every flex.
Soldier Boy's energy attack hadn't killed Old Steve.
Soldier Boy stood frozen, gaping at the unscathed old man, his eyes filled with shock.
"How is this possible?"
BOOM!!
A sudden airburst twisted the flames. Soldier Boy was blasted out of the fire by a surge of thunder, crashing into a nearby factory.
Rumble~~
His body smashed through walls, pinned by Old Steve's vice-like grip on his throat. Old Steve didn't stop, dragging Soldier Boy through buildings, landing punches whenever he felt like it.
Bang bang~
"No!"
Finally, the humiliated Soldier Boy roared and fought back, but his full-force punch was like a toy in Old Steve's hand.
"What?"
Crack!
Old Steve squeezed, and Soldier Boy's hand bone snapped, followed by a piercing scream.
"AH!!"
BOOM!!
The next moment, Old Steve's immense strength erupted, sending the battered Soldier Boy flying from the rubble. Kneeling, his right arm limp, sweat poured from his forehead.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, he looked up at the old man in disbelief.
"Who… who the hell are you? Are you on Compound V too?"
Before he could finish, Old Steve tore off Soldier Boy's clothes to cover himself.
"Hmm, a bit small, but it'll do—no, wait, it stinks."
Old Steve sniffed the sleeve, grimacing, and kicked Soldier Boy to Charlie's feet.
"Next time, give me a heads-up. I'm a refined old boy now. I need a shower and a trip to the salon before going out. That's the refined old boy lifestyle… Hey, I'm not done talking~~"
As Old Steve vanished into a portal, Charlie loomed over the defiant Soldier Boy.
"Tell me, who sent you?"
"I'm not telling you." Soldier Boy turned away, sneering. "Kid, you have no idea how terrifying that guy is. You can't win… Ow, ow, okay, I'll talk!"
Yanked by the ear, Soldier Boy caved. "It was an old white-haired guy. He told me to do it."
"He wears eyeliner, right?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, yeah, exactly!"
"Got it."
Charlie let go, turning to Hughie and Butcher. "And you two?"
Hughie glanced at Butcher, who took a deep breath. "We couldn't see his face clearly, just armor and a green cape."
"Alright, I got it."
Charlie clapped his hands, disappointed. "No surprises at all. Guess it's my fault."
The eyeliner-wearing old guy was probably Grandmaster.
And the one behind Butcher? Likely Doctor Doom.
So, they'd teamed up.
Tricky, but not impossible to handle—just a bit of a hassle.
In short: no thrill at all!
With that, he pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Hey, it's me, the invincible Spider-Man. Clark, I need your help. Two guys I can't handle. You gotta protect me."
As he spoke, Charlie stepped through a portal, vanishing from the trio's sight.
Hughie: "…"
Butcher: "…"
Soldier Boy: "…"
The invincible Spider-Man just called for backup?
…
In the apartment, Charlie explained Doctor Doom's abilities. Clark said it was serious.
"A perfect blend of magic and tech, plus personality-reversal magic. Tough to deal with, but don't worry, I'll do my best to beat them." He looked grave.
Charlie was reassured.
"Clark, I totally trust your skills. By the way, what's for dinner?"
"Pizza."
Clark pulled leftovers from the fridge, a bit embarrassed.
"I found a job, but I could only get a month's salary upfront. After renting this apartment, I don't have much left."
"Oh, poor Superman."
Charlie stood. "No worries, I know a place for a feast. Come with me to Seven Tower. My treat."
"Thanks so much."
"No biggie. We're friends."
At dinnertime, Charlie brought Clark to Seven Tower for Homelander's takeout feast.
"Sir, have we met before?"
At the table, Homelander was curious about Clark.
Clark kept his everyman persona, shaking his head. "You must be mistaken. I'm just an ordinary reporter."
Homelander smiled, not pressing further.
A reporter—makes sense why he seemed familiar.
Before facing Batman, Clark had ditched his mask for high-tech glasses that hid his identity.
With those glasses, no one could tell he was the all-powerful Superman.
Way better than a mask.
He wanted to share the tech with Spider-Man.
But sadly, the invincible Spider-Man preferred masks over glasses.
With little to talk about, the three ate quietly.
Soon, Old Steve arrived with another old guy.
"Hey, little Charlie, and Clark, you're here too."
Old Steve greeted Clark warmly, making Homelander quietly wary.
Charlie turned, noticing the man behind Old Steve looked familiar, and froze.
"Who's this?"
"Dr. Pym. You've heard of him, right?" Old Steve introduced.
"Dr. Pym?" Charlie was surprised.
"Yes, I'm Hank Pym. Pleasure to meet you."
The polite old man shook Charlie's hand with a smile. "I've heard about you but never got the chance to meet. Didn't expect it'd be here."
Clearly, this Hank Pym was from the main universe.
Thanos hadn't found Pym, who'd died long ago, or they wouldn't be meeting in the Resurrection Match.
Charlie grew thoughtful.
He turned to Homelander. "Homelander, go home and do laundry. I've got business."
Homelander: "???"
Asshole, making me do that? Unforgivable!!
His eyes burned with rage, ready to snap, but Old Steve's glare shut him down.
"What do you think you're doing?" Old Steve's eyes threatened.
Homelander thought, then forced a harmless smile.
"I'm going home to do laundry."
"Then hurry up."
"Got it."
Homelander left. Old Steve turned to Charlie. "I just found out from Dr. Pym that Doctor Doom killed him. Meeting him in the Resurrection Match means he can help us."
Charlie grinned. "Yeah, but not you—me."
He pulled the confused Dr. Pym over, telling Old Steve, "While you're playing villain, Dr. Pym's on my side."
Old Steve: "???"
"No way, Spider-Man, how could you? I found him first!" Old Steve protested.
Charlie kept smiling. "Why not?"
He turned to Dr. Pym. "From your eyes, I can tell you haven't been hit by personality-reversal magic. We're a team."
Dr. Pym was quiet for a moment.
Then he asked, "What's personality-reversal magic?"
"See? I was right." Charlie looked at Old Steve. "Thanks for finding my teammate. You can go now."
Old Steve's face fell. "Spider-Man, you can't do this to me."
"Scram, evil villain!"
"You, you, you—I hate you!!"
Old Steve stormed off, tears streaming.
Charlie relaxed.
He sat Dr. Pym down. "Doc, I've got a problem. Doctor Doom's in this world. Any way to take him out?"
Dr. Pym was still processing what just happened.
He answered instinctively, "Use force to take him out. Would that count as malicious competition?"
Charlie wagged a finger. "No, no, no. If they strike first, it's just self-defense."
"Oh, I get it."
Dr. Pym smiled. "No wonder you're Spider-Man."
He thought, then shared his idea.
"I've seen that guy. His dark magic is terrifying, and he's skilled with tech. Finding him the usual way won't be easy.
But I'm sure he can't make Pym Particles. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stolen mine after killing me."
At this, Dr. Pym glanced subtly at Clark.
Charlie caught it and grinned. "He's one of us."
"Got it."
Dr. Pym nodded. "As long as he has my Pym Particles, I can track them precisely. Finding him won't be hard."
"Great. What are we waiting for?"
Charlie turned to Clark. "Ready?"
Clark frowned. "Now?"
"Why not?"
"I just ate. Intense exercise isn't good for my health."
"No problem, Clark. I can pay you."
"Actually, Kryptonians don't need self-care. I'm ready."
Charlie was pleased with Clark's response.
He looked at Dr. Pym. "How long will it take?"
"Ten minutes."
"That fast?"
"I'm always fast."
"Impressive."
…
A hidden underground arcade.
Beep beep~
Click click click
At the gaming console, Grandmaster worked the joystick, brutally slaying in-game monsters.
Behind him, Doctor Doom spoke from the shadows. "Spider-Man's onto us."
"I know."
Grandmaster didn't turn. "It's normal. Don't panic. He can't beat you yet."
Doctor Doom shook his head. "But he's not alone."
"True, he's not alone. He's Spider-Man."
"I'm not joking."
"Neither am I."
Grandmaster set down the joystick, facing Doctor Doom.
"As long as you don't strike first, they can't touch you."
"But I already did."
Doctor Doom's figure flickered in the dark.
Grandmaster said, "Sure, you gave them the dark puppet, but what they do with it isn't our problem. You just made a fun piece of art. That doesn't break the match rules. I've got final say on that."
"No, you don't."
Suddenly, a portal bloomed in the arcade. The invincible Spider-Man arrived with his crew.
"Doctor Doom, Grandmaster, good to see you again." Charlie waved.
Behind him, a red-and-blue steel figure, built like a bodybuilder, made Doctor Doom tense instantly.
He glanced at Dr. Pym, then fixed on Charlie.
"You trying to break the match rules?"
"Nope, not at all."
Charlie pulled an official arrest warrant from his pants. "Doctor Doom, I suspect you of using a dark puppet for terrorist attacks. I'm arresting you. You don't have to speak, but anything you say will be used as evidence."
Doctor Doom: "…"
Grandmaster froze, then laughed.
"Classic Spider-Man, finding a loophole like that."
He clapped. "If it's arresting a criminal, it's not malicious competition."
Charlie glanced at him. "Laugh it up. I've got a warrant for you too."
He pulled out a second warrant. Grandmaster's smile froze.
In that moment, he realized something.
"I get it. Your plan is…"
Before he could finish, Superman Clark moved.
BOOM!!
A deafening blast, and the arcade was torn apart by a terrifying punch.
In a city corner under the night sky, the underground arcade exploded. Two figures shot into the air.
Dark energy surged, magic circles spread, and endless tendrils lashed at the red-and-blue figure.
But amid this terrifying onslaught, Superman barreled through with his steel body, shattering the darkness. No matter how Doctor Doom wielded his dark magic, he couldn't stop Clark's advance.
"Damn you."
Doctor Doom seemed prepared, vanishing into the dark. With Dr. Pym's help, Clark locked onto him, chasing at lightspeed, interrupting Doom's teleports and trapping him in New York.
At the arcade ruins, Charlie faced a calm Grandmaster.
He pulled out handcuffs. "You gonna do it, or do I?"
"Of course, I'll do it."
Grandmaster extended his hands, letting Charlie cuff him.
He smiled. "First time being arrested. Nice experience. But your evidence won't hold me in jail. I'll still be your rival."
"Stalling you for a bit is enough," Charlie grinned.
Grandmaster shook his head. "You didn't join The Seven because you're planning to use this trick on your former teammates, right?"
"They're villains," Charlie said, sidestepping the question.
Because that was exactly his plan.
If Vought's Compound V experiments were exposed, The Seven would collapse, giving Charlie a legitimate reason to take out his rivals.
No violence, just power.
That was his takedown plan.
But plans don't always keep up with changes.
If nothing goes wrong…