A confident and charismatic girl.
After a brief exchange with Gwen, Harry quickly formed his impression of her, and deep down, he felt pleased. Her performance had met his expectations, and from the way things looked, she was quite satisfied with him as well. There was a chance for this relationship to grow further.
"Harry, how did you even come up with the idea of a gene splicer? Technology that directly alters DNA… as far as I know, no one has done research like this yet."
Following a short round of polite words, the two, both young geniuses in their own right, shifted the conversation to a realm far beyond what ordinary people could join.
Harry answered with ease. Although Peter had provided him with a great deal of help while developing the gene splicer, he hadn't simply coasted along. He had a thorough understanding of his own creation.
"Actually, I had some help from a friend. The two of us have been researching genetics for a long time, so naturally we came up with this little invention."
Respecting Peter's wishes, he chose not to mention his name. On the other side, Gwen's appreciation for him only grew when she heard him openly admit that someone else had contributed to his work.
Most of the glory would naturally fall on Franklin, the champion. Still, second place was nothing to scoff at. And people willing to share even a portion of that honor were rare.
"I believe that even with help from others, you must have played an important role in the research, Harry."
That was what she said, though her thoughts wandered. Who exactly had been helping him in secret? From what she knew, aside from Peter, he didn't seem to have many friends.
Could it be that rich kid, Peter Parker?
Her eyes drifted toward him as he waited in line for inspection, but she eventually shook her head.
It wasn't that she judged by appearances, but Peter's behavior over the years hardly gave anyone reason to believe he was capable of something like that.
'More likely it's a friend outside of school, or maybe a research partner,' she thought. 'His mother works in the hero support industry, so knowing a few experts wouldn't be strange.'
It was just like how her own father's work as police commissioner had inspired her to create the police exoskeleton armor. If Harry's mother had recommended a few researchers to help her son, there was nothing unusual about it.
* * *
While the two enjoyed their conversation, the inspections pressed forward.
Just as Peter had guessed, the superheroes overseeing the process this time were none other than the wildly popular Flash, Barry Allen, and the dependable member of the Fantastic Four, the Thing, Ben Grimm.
Seven years had passed since Reid began gradually introducing the heroes he had once exchanged for, and by now, he had fully mastered their superpowers himself.
The Flash, Cyborg, the Atom, Captain Atom, Firestorm, Green Arrow; one by one they had appeared. Reid had placed them across major U.S. cities, using their influence as superheroes to further tighten his grip on the nation.
It was much like when Superman saved Los Angeles, prompting the city to be renamed Metropolis.
Now, the city where Flash operated was known as Central City. The one under Green Arrow's protection was called Star City. Captain Atom, just like in the comics, openly joined the military and now served as the personal bodyguard of the U.S. president. Whoever won the presidency, he would protect them.
Of course, not every hero had the kind of influence to rename an entire city. Cyborg had become a permanent member stationed in the Watchtower. The Atom lived in New York but often acted on a global scale. Firestorm operated in much the same way.
At this time, Flash's evaluation had just finished. He confidently put his clothes back on after the inspection, smiling as he waited for congratulations from the great Barry Allen himself.
What greeted him, however, was a furrowed brow.
Barry stared at the boy before him, at the hope burning in his eyes, and for a moment, didn't know what to say.
The Flash had always been like this. Readers in another life had joked that he was the heart of the Justice League, and not without reason. Compared to others, Barry was indeed more considerate and compassionate.
But for every heart guided by feeling, there had to be one that shouldered reason.
Noticing Barry's hesitation, Ben stepped forward. He glanced at the report, took it from his partner's hand, and walked over to stand in front of the boy.
"Ben…"
"Barry, you know as well as I do. The more serious the situation, the more honest we need to be." He cut him off and addressed the young man.
"Flash Thompson, you want to be a hero?"
Hearing that, the boy puffed out his chest. "That's my goal. I've worked hard all this time just for the chance to register as a hero today."
Ben gave a nod at his determination. He could recognize genuine resolve, but being a hero required far more than just good intentions.
"Then you'll need to keep working at it a while longer."
"What?"
The man hadn't said the words outright, but the meaning was clear enough. His application had been rejected.
"Don't be surprised, Thompson. Since you want to be a hero, then you should already know about Gotham's Batman."
"I know…" He nodded blankly.
"Based on the inspection, your physical ability is only about double Batman's. But remember this: Batman has no superpowers at all. He's mastered every martial art on Earth. With or without weapons, in hand-to-hand or with firearms, he's an expert. During joint operations, he can make the right call instantly. He is one of the greatest tacticians and field commanders in the world. And you? With nothing but enhanced strength, you're nowhere close."
In other words, he was still too weak.
Batman's physique represented the pinnacle of human capability. Flash, even after gaining superpowers, only managed to double that level. In today's world, that was far from enough.
The rise of hero society had created an explosion of costumed figures, but it had also driven criminals to grow stronger in turn.
In seven years, serums and weapons had leaked out into the world. Technology became more advanced. Those daring to break the law now possessed increasingly dangerous tools and abilities.
LexCorp and the government still held much stronger weapons and serums, but one fact was undeniable: the bar for becoming a hero kept rising.
The abilities and physique Thompson was so proud of were, in Ben's eyes, weren't even enough to keep the boy safe, let alone qualify him to stand as a hero.
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