The next morning, sunlight bathed the campus.
Midtown High was, as always, buzzing with youthful noise and energy.
Students drifted down the corridors in twos and threes, chatting about last night's game or the coming exams.
No one sensed the huge crisis creeping closer.
BOOM—!!!
A deafening blast tore through the air above the school.
Green Goblin swooped down on his glider, hurling pumpkin bombs that left two craters in the quad.
Before the students could grasp what was happening, he cackled and charged into the main building.
He kept shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Peter Parker, good boy, where are you?"
At the same time, a Beast-like roar echoed from the restrooms; Dr. Lizard, who'd spent the night in the sewers, burst out of the toilets.
The two villains rampaged across campus, cornering lone students and demanding, "Where's Peter Parker?"
Inside the chemistry lab…
Peter stared at Green Goblin soaring past the window, his brain short-circuiting for a second.
What's that in the sky?
A bird? A cloud?
No—damn it, that's Green Goblin!
I've seen everything, right? (crossed out)
This—this I have NOT seen!
Dude, seriously!
We agreed the target was Dr. Lizard—where did Green Goblin pop from?
Green Goblin's entrance gave Peter a harsh lesson.
From today on, he'd never trust any so-called villain timeline again!
"…Shit!"
The instant Peter spotted both villains, Gwen realized something was wrong.
Glancing at the "clueless" Peter beside her and the chaos erupting in class, she made an instant call.
"Peter! Come with me—this place is too dangerous!"
"No."
Peter shook off Gwen's hand, dead serious.
"You heard him—he's after me. If I stay, everyone else stays safe."
"Gwen, go. Call the cops—fast enough and I'll be fine."
Gwen froze for a second, then saw the cold logic.
After a quick "Stay hidden," she sprinted out of the chem lab.
She had to suit up—only then could she save Peter.
"Aha! Good boy, found you!"
Less than a minute after Gwen left, Green Goblin on his flying skateboard smashed through the lab wall.
Before the dust settled, his mocking voice hit Peter's ears.
Peter answered by hurling a beaker of chemicals.
BOOM!
It burst against the wall beside Green Goblin; the shockwave nearly knocked him off his ride.
"So your chem grades are solid too~"
Green Goblin shrugged, unimpressed by the "parlor trick."
But as he lunged to grab Peter, a black-and-white blur swung in—Ghost-Spider.
She kicked Green Goblin off his glider, then turned to Peter.
"I've got this—run!"
Her cool lasted all of three seconds; a thick tail smashed through the opposite wall and batted her aside.
Dr. Lizard burst in, roaring, from the next classroom.
Back on his glider, Green Goblin chimed in with glee:
"Nasty little bug—time to die!"
Gwen hissed, feeling yesterday's claw wounds start to bleed again.
No time to care.
To give Peter a chance, she fired a web at a metal cabinet,
yanked it free, and swung the massive locker like a mace at the duo, sending both villains flying.
"FYI, bugs and spiders are different species~"
"Hmph—hope your moves match your mouth!"
Stung twice, Green Goblin hurled a flurry of blades.
Gwen's Spider-Sense let her twist and dodge every one.
Before she could breathe, Dr. Lizard charged.
The two-on-one beatdown spun the already-wounded Gwen like a top…
Neither villain noticed Peter slip into the boys' restroom instead of fleeing downstairs.
The instant the door shut, his "panic" vanished, replaced by cold composure.
"Unexpected curve, but still on script."
"Time to put things back on track."
Bam-bam-bam!
Rookie and injured, Gwen lasted only moments before the pair floored her.
She was flung by pumpkin-bomb shockwaves or smashed by Dr. Lizard's brute force again and again.
Each hit chipped at her resolve.
This is impossible!
Handling either one alone was tough enough.
Facing both? This is outright bullying!
As despair crept in, both villains felt a sudden chill.
A calm voice cut through:
"Rookie—looks like you need backup."
To Gwen it was heaven-sent; she turned and saw the familiar yet alien black-red suit.
The Punisher had arrived.
"Where'd this guy crawl from?" Green Goblin muttered to Dr. Lizard.
But the good doctor had lost the power of speech and simply roared at Peter.
Peter didn't flinch; he smiled at Gwen.
"Rookie, keep the clown busy—give me one minute, then I'll tag in."
The boast left Gwen, Green Goblin, and even Dr. Lizard blinking in disbelief.
Is he nuts?
Against a three-meter monster that can level a building, he claims he needs only sixty seconds?
ROAR!
Feeling mocked, Dr. Lizard slashed with his claws—
and the next second, jaws dropped all around.
One hand.
The Punisher caught the lizard's claw with a single hand.
Then—BOOM!
With a neat shoulder-throw he slammed the towering Beast to the floor!