Chapter 401: Chapter 401: Peter Parker and Old Friends
After Steve returned, he initially planned to deal with Hydra, but his attention shifted to the Superhero Alliance, causing him to lose track of Hydra. However, it didn't matter much. An organization like Hydra, no matter how well it hid, would eventually surface. Their ultimate goal wasn't to survive in hiding but to gain power and possibly rule the world.
Under the collaboration of Tony Stark and Steve, a new Superhero Alliance was formed. Interestingly, whether to annoy Nick Fury or not, they named this alliance the Avengers. Nick Fury had been struggling to gather powerful heroes like Robert, Clark, and Tony Stark, only managing to find a few super soldiers. He hadn't even dared to use the name "Avengers" for his team.
When Fury discovered that the name had been snatched away, he was furious.
"Investigate! Find out who exactly is in Steve and Tony's Avengers! Is the Saiyan among them?" Fury quickly ordered. The Avengers was originally his plan, and he couldn't just let this go. Especially since he had shared the idea with Tony Stark and Steve to bring them under his wing, only for them to exclude him and go solo.
Coulson, hearing Fury's words, sighed. Having worked with Fury for so many years, he knew Fury was somewhat losing control. The real issue was that Fury's plan to influence the entire USA with a Superhero Alliance was now preempted, reducing Fury's own influence.
Thus, S.H.I.E.L.D., already facing development bottlenecks, fell into further stagnation.
Unfortunately, Coulson also knew that with Steve and Tony Stark joining forces, obtaining any information was nearly impossible. After some investigation, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't even confirm if the Saiyan was in the Avengers, let alone any other members. Publicly, the Avengers consisted of just three people: Steve, Tony Stark, and Bucky.
As for other collaborators like Peter Parker, they had gone off to college. However, Tony Stark had equipped them with communication devices, making it easy to contact them if needed. Aside from Robert and Kara, the rest would find it challenging to respond quickly to emergencies.
"Peter! Long time no see!" At that moment, Peter Parker, now in college, encountered two old friends, Harry Osborn and Mary Jane. They were attending the same university.
"Harry! Mary..." Peter Parker was excited to see Harry but felt awkward with Mary Jane, having lost contact with her after transferring schools. Peter had kept in touch with Harry, who had even indirectly caused Peter's spider bite by sending him a spider in a letter.
Peter knew that without being bitten and gaining his powers, he wouldn't have caught the attention of Robert and Kara or joined the Z Warriors. Thus, he felt grateful to Harry, even if Harry wasn't aware of it. They had remained in touch, maintaining a relatively close friendship.
Mary Jane was different. Peter liked her a lot, and even after gaining his powers, he hadn't forgotten his feelings for her. However, they hadn't seen each other for a long time, and a certain distance had developed.
"Long time no see, Peter." Mary Jane smiled warmly, greeting Peter.
Peter keenly noticed that Mary Jane seemed different from before, and even the relationship between Harry and Mary Jane seemed to have changed. Mary Jane had always been Peter's crush, but she had issues with her family, making her hide her vulnerabilities. Peter had wanted to help but couldn't due to his own struggles and lack of courage. Now, Mary Jane appeared more confident and radiant, with no trace of her past gloom.
"You two?" Peter hesitated, sensing something different between Harry and Mary Jane, and asked tentatively.
"See? I told you Peter would notice. Even after all this time, he'd realize our relationship has changed!" Harry laughed, looking proudly at Mary Jane.
"Indeed, but it's probably because you're too proud," Mary Jane said, holding Harry's arm and smiling.
"You're really together?" Peter felt a pang in his heart. Despite his growth, he felt a bit unsettled by this revelation.
"Of course. After you left, it was just the two of us. I always liked Mary, so it just happened..." Harry shrugged, smiling at Peter.
"Congratulations. You owe us a meal then," Peter quickly smiled, joking with Harry to hide his feelings.
"Of course. Since you're back and we can reunite, I was planning to treat you..." Harry nodded, not minding at all.
Harry, although a low-key rich kid, could still afford to treat friends to a nice meal. It was clear from how he had helped Mary Jane with her problems that he had changed as much as Peter had.
"Peter? How about it, want to join us for a meal?" Just as Peter was about to agree, a familiar voice called out. It was Pietro, who had come over.
Pietro's grades were not as good as Peter's, so he didn't get into the same college, but they were in the same city, making it convenient to meet. Pietro and Barry Allen, as speedsters, couldn't easily use their powers in a big city without being noticed. Even though Tony Stark had JARVIS monitoring the surveillance systems, it was best not to risk exposure.
"Peter? Is this your friend?" Harry looked surprised, as Peter had been a loner in high school, only hanging out with Harry and Mary Jane and often being bullied.
"Yes, my friend, Pietro. We were in the same class, but he didn't get into our college..." Peter introduced Pietro, "These are my old high school friends, Harry Osborn and Mary Jane."
"Got plans? I'll go meet Lorna and the others," Pietro realized the situation and nodded to Harry and Mary Jane.
"How about joining us? The more, the merrier..." Harry invited Pietro.
"No need. We have a lot of people already. Peter, remember to contact us if you need anything!" Pietro waved off the invitation and reminded Peter.
"Is he here?" Peter hesitated, asking Pietro.
"Yes, he said he wanted to familiarize himself with the area," Pietro replied, knowing who Peter meant.
"Well..." Peter hesitated. This was the team's first gathering in the university town, and missing it felt wrong, especially if he was the only one absent.
"No worries, you do your thing. He said this will happen often, so get used to it." Pietro smiled, shook his head, and left before Peter could say more.
Yes, Robert had come over too, not with Peter but with Kara. They wanted to experience campus life together.
"Are your friends having a gathering? Should we reschedule?" Harry and Mary Jane were puzzled by the mysterious "he," who needed to "familiarize himself with the area" and "contact if needed." It seemed strange for just a meal.
"It's fine. There will be plenty of opportunities to introduce you to them later," Peter waved it off, not intending to truly introduce them unless Harry and Mary Jane somehow gained superpowers. Their friendship wouldn't extend to Robert and the others otherwise.
"Okay, let's find a place to eat," Harry said, leading Peter and Mary Jane away.
Meanwhile, after spending a few days with Kara and the others, Robert didn't return home. Clark had come back from the island, and Carol had returned to space. Robert decided to stay with Diana for a while.
Robert hadn't seen Diana for some time and didn't understand why she hadn't contacted him. Last time she had been upset after not seeing him for a while.
However, when Robert went to visit Diana, she wasn't home or at the Louvre. He checked the Athenian temple but couldn't find her there either.
"Back to Themyscira again? No wonder she hasn't contacted me..." Robert sighed. He had planned to spar with Diana, whose strength surpassed Kara's, offering him a better challenge.
Robert considered finding Themyscira but didn't know its location. He guessed it was similar to the island Clark had visited, hidden from outside view.
So, unable to find Themyscira, Robert returned to the Kent farm...
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