The moment Shiraishi hit the party, the whole room forgot how to breathe.
One second it was neon chaos and bass drops. The next it was screaming, broken glass, and the smell of ozone crawling up your nose like a warning label. He hovered above the dancefloor, electricity crawling across his arms in frantic veins, eyes locked on the crowd like he could burn the truth out of them.
"WHERE IS THE SPIDER VIGILANTE?!"
People scattered, but not all of them.
Some of them... cheered.
Because of course they did. This was Screwball's circus. And every circus needs a lion.
Screwball stood near the front, visor gleaming, her one piece suit plastered with sponsorships that had absolutely no business being next to each other. One sleeve had Daily Bugle Energy Drink, the other had something that looked like a suspiciously official logo for a biker gang, and right across her chest in glittering letters was OSCORP FINANCIAL SERVICES with a little smiley face under it, as if Norman Osborn personally approved the font.
Her helmet tilted up toward Shiraishi, and she licked her lips like she was tasting the moment.
I could hear the tension in her voice even through the speaker system, like a smile stretched too thin.
"Ooooooh," Screwball purred into her mic, projecting her voice so it filled the shattered building. "We've got a new guest of honour!"
The crowd roared, half terrified, half delighted.
"But," Screwball continued, raising one hand theatrically, "considering Thunder Boy here isn't on the list... my boys won't be having that."
She flicked her fingers.
And like she'd pressed a button, the villains and superfans around the dancefloor tightened into a ring around Shiraishi, laughing and cackling. Some had quirks. Some had gear. Some just had that dead eyed, hungry look of people who'd paid money to feel powerful for a night.
Screwball's voice rose with manic excitement.
"Alright, chat," she announced, practically bouncing. "New game! Whoever takes down the Thunder Clap gets a one year sub!"
A wave of whoops and jeers rolled through the room like a tide.
Shiraishi's face twitched.
I was tucked up in the vent opening backstage, watching through the slits, my heart punching my ribs. In my ear, Peni whispered, "This is bad. This is so, so bad."
Shiraishi didn't even look at Screwball.
He looked at the ring forming around him.
Then he laughed.
Not a happy laugh. Not even a villain laugh.
It was the sound of something inside a person snapping clean in half.
"My name..." he said, voice low at first, crackling with static, "...is not Electric Man."
The lights overhead flickered hard, like the building itself flinched.
"It's not Shiraishi either."
The electricity crawling across him brightened, swelling, his whole body turning into a glowing silhouette. He lifted his head, eyes burning blue.
"It's Electro."
That name hit the room like a drumbeat. Like a curse.
The superfans laughed again, thinking it was a bit. A rebrand. A punchline.
YOU ARE READING
Ultra Responsibility (My Hero Academia X Spider-Man Reader)
FanfictionYou all know the origin story of radioactive bug bites; with great power comes great responsibility. But what if this time it was different? What if you were born with the powers of Spider-Man? After the tragic fate of your loved ones, take the mant...
