Mary was biding her time in her cell, growing impatient. She hadn't heard from Sophist in just over two weeks. Then he appeared with no warning or explanation.
"It's time," he said.
"Time for what?"
"Your rematch, of course."
"It's about time," Mary declared, standing up.
"Take my hand."
She listened, and then she materialised in an empty football stadium, her cell nowhere to be seen.
"I'll bring She-Hulk here, and what happens after is entirely up to you," Sophist said, disappearing before Titania could reply.
Jen was at her desk reviewing case files, listening to some Joji, when Sophist appeared. She stood up immediately and transformed.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" she yelled.
"I did warn you in advance, didn't I?" Sophist said with a cheeky grin.
Before Jen could say anything, Sophist grabbed her arm, and her office was replaced with the empty stadium. Jen stumbled, disorientated, and looked around to check her new surroundings. In the middle of the empty stadium was Titania standing and waiting.
"What... What is this?" Jen turned to Sophist who was already stepping away.
"The big rematch."
Sophist teleported and was now seated in the stands with a pair of shades and a box of popcorn in one hand, watching them. Jen looked at Titania.
"You ready for this?" Titania called out.
Jen took a breath. "I'm ready," she said.
Titania charged with enough strength to leave a small crater from where she was standing, Jen meeting her.
The impact echoed through the empty stadium, and the shockwave boomed outwards with the turf between them exploding. They exchanged blows.
Jen was fighting differently than last time, more controlled and passive. Titania threw a haymaker, Jen ducking under it and grabbing her extended arm. Using her momentum, Jen threw her into a goalpost, the steel bending.
"What's this? Where's the anger? The fiery spirit?" Titania called out, standing back up while brushing off the debris.
"I'm not the monster who you believe me to be," Jen responded, her voice calm.
"Cute. Let's see how long this little act lasts," Titania replied, rushing at her again.
They crashed together, wrestling and grappling. Titania tried to overpower Jen with brute force, but she kept on redirecting her strength. Jen was winning exchanges and maintaining control over their fight.
"You think you're so smart. So much better than me, but you're just pretending, just like always. I can see it in your eyes. The monster," Titania said, landing a hit on Jen's ribs, the bones shuddering.
"You're right. It is. But that's just a small part of me, not all," Jen replied, countering with an uppercut.
"How long will you keep lying to yourself?" Titania responded, her voice rising.
Titania grabbed Jen and threw her into the stadium's seating, plastic chairs exploding and the concrete cracking. Jen got up and glared down towards Titania.
Titania leapt towards Jen, her fists held together, preparing to smash down. Jen turned and, as Titania fell, kicked her through the outer wall of the stadium. Jen followed her through the wall, Titania rising from a crumpled car in the parking lot. News helicopters started to circle.
Cameras were all around recording their rematch. Titania grabbed a nearby van and threw it towards Jen, who caught it and carefully set it down.
"Trying so hard for what? One day you'll go berserk. It's inevitable. Just let it happen already," Titania mocked.
Jen advanced, hitting Titania with body shots followed by a kick that sent her tumbling backwards.
"You think being a hero makes you better than everyone? Who were you before She-Hulk? A nobody," Titania laughed.
"No. I don't think I'm better than anybody. I simply got lucky and wanted to use that to make good in the world I could never have even conceived of doing before," Jen replied.
"Liar!"
Titania launched forward and tackled Jen through a concrete barrier. They rolled across the highway, traffic screeching and swerving out of the way. Jen got to her feet immediately, using her strength to make sure no serious crash occurred.
"Stop it! Fight me! Stop pretending you care!" Titania screamed, hitting Jen when her back was turned.
"I'm doing both."
Jen spun and grabbed Titania, throwing her away from civilians into a construction site. Titania crashed through, scaffolding and steel beams collapsing along with her.
"Why won't you break? Just let go and fight me," Titania yelled, frustrated and breathing hard.
Titania grabbed a steel beam and spun, throwing it towards an apartment building, people staring at the commotion from their windows visible. Jen's eyes widened. She jumped, catching it and throwing it back towards Titania. Titania deflected it with her hand, the steel beam piercing a nearby wall. Jen turned back to Titania.
"I thought you wanted to fight me?"
"I'll do whatever it takes to win."
Titania grabbed a pile of steel beams, throwing them in multiple directions. Jen was able to catch and deflect two. However, the third she missed, and it was going to crash into an apartment building. Jen's heart stopped.
Jen could have sworn she saw people still inside, but in a blur they were gone.
Jen turned to Titania. She could feel the rage building and the impulse and desire to just hit and hit until... She took a breath. Tried to control it.
"You're desperate. You're losing and you know it, so you bring in innocent people hoping it'll make me crack," Jen said.
"It's working, isn't it? I can see it. You're getting close. Close to losing control," Titania replied, circling.
"I don't know what you went through, but you need to stop projecting. Unlike you, I don't need other people to prove I exist," Jen replied.
Titania rushed in a rage, the two crashing into each other, the fight becoming vicious. Both were lightly bleeding and pushing each other's limits. The city was watching as they teared through downtown.
"You're just like me! Desperate for attention! Invisible! Using your power to prove you matter!" Titania screamed while raining down blows.
"I'm not... I'm not invisible," Jen replied, blocking and countering.
"You were nothing before She-Hulk! Nothing! Just another lawyer. Then suddenly you got all this power, and then people finally saw you. Suddenly you were real," Titania roared, her voice desperate.
She hit Jen so hard she went through a building. Jen stood in the rubble, bleeding from her nose and breathing hard. She recognised the truth in her words.
She was ordinary before. Just Jennifer Walters. Completely forgettable. Then she suddenly became She-Hulk and became an Avenger. Now she mattered. Was she right? Was power the only thing that made Jen real?
No. She'd always been real. The transfusion amplified her, but it didn't create her. She was always real, even before the powers. Jen walked through the debris.
"You're wrong. I was real before, and I'm real now. This power didn't create me. It just revealed parts of me I didn't know I had. I mattered. I was real," Jen said.
Titania roared and charged again. Jen caught her and threw her into the street, following up with a series of strikes, each one pushing Titania back tens of feet until she kneeled.
Titania rose, bloodied and desperate. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a remote. She pressed the button.
An array of holographic screens surrounded Jen, who looked around her as they appeared, one by one. Then a video started to play. Sophist waved at the camera and then left the frame, revealing Marcus tied up to a chair. Sophist pulled out a button and pressed it. Marcus screamed in pain as electricity jumped through his body.
Jen's blood ran cold. Jen's vision narrowed, her focus completely on Titania. Her hands clenched, her muscles tensing. She smiled. The savage expression emerging slowly. She was losing herself to rage.
"There it is! The real you! The monster! Prove me right! Let's turn this city into rubble and ash!" Titania yelled.
Jen stood there, smiling. Her rage building and her control slipping.