"How could this be..." Flash's face twisted in disbelief as he tried to defend himself. "My ability is already the strongest in LexTech High. Other people's powers don't even enhance their physical strength to the same extent as mine!"
"Which means you should also understand that very few students actually pass the superpower evaluation in high school." Ben's reply was blunt, even cruel, but it was necessary.
In this age of heroes, new ones had to keep emerging, ready to take the place of those who fell. Not every hero could last for years in constant battle like the ones with fame and public support. Most street-level heroes were forced to retire after just four years, their bodies worn down by accumulated injuries.
This wasn't a game, nor was it one of those light novels where a school produced heroes. Here, being a hero meant risking your life every time you stepped onto the battlefield.
"I'm not completely rejecting you," Ben's tone softened when he saw the vacant look on the boy's face. He didn't want to crush him. He only wanted to protect him.
After a moment of hesitation, he added, "What I mean is, I'm telling you where your weaknesses are. At LexTech High, there should be classes on tactics and command. I know for a fact that Nightwing occasionally teaches there. From what I can see, you haven't participated in those courses."
Flash's expression turned downcast. He admitted Ben's words were true, though he also carried reasons he couldn't say aloud.
"This time, you won't make it through the high school selection. But when you get to college, you'll have another chance. Courses on tactics and strategy are available both in high school and university. If you apply yourself, maybe you'll shine in the college hero selection."
Ben finished with words of encouragement, though judging by the boy's face, it didn't seem to help much.
Flash left the line with the same dejected look, shoulders heavy with disappointment.
Seeing this, Ben shook his head. He didn't say anything more. If the boy lost confidence here, then even if he passed his evaluation, the Hero Association's director, that hard-eyed man, would never grant him a hero license.
"This is exactly why I never liked this job," Ben muttered.
Beside him, Barry, the heart of the Justice League, let out a sigh as he watched Flash leave.
"But whether it's you or me, sugarcoating the truth doesn't change the outcome. Even you, with the Speed Force, have been injured more than once fighting Hydra. Someone like him wouldn't even last a single battle. He'd probably die in one of their smaller money-making schemes."
Barry Allen, the best man in the world, could not change his curse even after coming to a new world.
He could move faster than light, traverse time and space, yet he had still been caught off guard multiple times by Hydra's magical ambushes. On several occasions during large-scale operations, Barry had been forced out of action because of it. Those moments had tilted battles into Hydra's favor in Central City, until Superman swooped in at the last possible moment to turn the tide.
"Do you really have to say it that bluntly?" Barry said awkwardly, forcing a smile, then quickly shifted the subject. He turned his gaze to the next student in line for testing.
"Oh? I've heard of you. You're Peter Parker, right?"
That's right. The next student after Flash to undergo the superpower evaluation was Peter.
Due to the commotion the other boy had caused, everyone's eyes turned toward him when Barry addressed him warmly.
Flash, who had been leaving, paused in his tracks too. "Peter... knows the Flash?"
For a brief moment, he stood stunned. Then a bitter smile crossed his lips. "Of course. The guy who holds five percent of LexCorp shares. Who wouldn't know him?"
But right after, anger surged inside him.
Why? Why was it that he had given his all and still been rejected, while this coward, Peter, was getting attention and recognition?
'Fine. I'll see for myself what kind of ability this coward has, and whether he deserves that spotlight.' Grinding his teeth, Flash stayed where he was.
Meanwhile, Peter, who was being stared at by everyone, felt a strong sense of discomfort. He really couldn't handle being the center of attention.
"Um... thank you, Flash. But I'm just an ordinary student here to register my powers. Could we... begin the test now?"
Barry raised his eyebrows at that. He exchanged a glance with Ben, and a decision formed in his mind.
Though he now possessed his own consciousness, he had originally been created as part of Reid, and he still understood that man's plans.
Peter wanted a normal life? That wasn't going to happen. He was destined to become a hero, to become Spider-Man.
Still, an invitation needed justification. And the boy's results would provide that.
Barry nodded. "Go ahead. Use the same testing equipment Thomson just did, and complete the full evaluation."
Peter gave a slight nod and looked toward the machines that measured strength, speed, body density, and other metrics.
He didn't want to show off or become a hero. All he wanted was to grow up normally, to live a simple life; this was his heart's true desire.
'Flash's results... what were they again?'
He recalled the data. Doing his best to hold back, Peter adjusted his output carefully. He couldn't fully hide his body's strength, as it was inevitably higher than Flash's, but he made sure not to go too far.
He set his results just a bit above Flash's and then finished the test.
When the results came back, the students around him gasped in shock.
None of them had anticipated the timid, bullied Peter to display physical stats that completely outclassed Flash's.
Even Gwen, standing next to Harry, opened her mouth in surprise. "I didn't expect that... But if he has this kind of strength, why doesn't he ever fight back against Flash? He could easily defend himself."
Harry bit back the urge to explain Peter's secret. Deep down, he didn't want his friend to be dragged into the hero's path either.
After all, the road he intended to walk would eventually put him at odds with this group of heroes. He didn't want to face Peter as an enemy one day.
Among the students, thoughts began to stir. Some now planned to get closer to Peter, while others burned with jealousy, determined to target him even more.
But Barry and Ben, the evaluators, found themselves caught in a dilemma.
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