The Lizard—hulking, terrifying, and freakishly enormous—locked his reptilian eyes onto me. His massive tail swept behind him, knocking a nearby street sign clear out of the ground, metal screeching as it flew across the road.

"Uh, did he… grow?" I muttered to Ghost-Spider, who was crouched beside me, web-shooters aimed and ready.

"Yeah, definitely bigger than last time," she replied, barely audible. "I'll go for his legs. You… do your ice thing?"

I nodded, summoning a thin layer of ice over my fists and planting my feet. My mind was already reaching out, ready to invade his mind and shut him down, but then something, or rather, someone, caught my eye.

In the crowd, I noticed a woman transforming into a cop. It was chaos and no one noticed her transformation. It was Mystique.

Of course. Magneto's spies. No matter how many fuckers I kill, another one pops up. They just couldn't let me be. I took a deep breath, letting go of the mental power I'd been gathering. If Magneto's crew was watching, I couldn't risk using my full strength. Who knows, they might even have some more mutants hidden among the crowd. I don't want to reveal my full power and bring them to my doors just yet. I just wanted a few months of quiet, away from fights, enemies, and all the other madness.

"Alright, Aron," I muttered to myself. "Ice and telekinesis only. Keep it simple."

The Lizard roared, his jaws snapping as he lunged forward. Ghost-Spider shot out a web, snagging his leg and yanking hard, but it barely slowed him down. He slashed at her with claws like small swords, forcing her to leap out of the way and swing up onto a nearby lamppost. She glanced down at me. "Anytime you want to jump in, ice-mask!"

"On it!" I lifted my hands, and with a swift motion, sent a blast of ice shooting out, coating the street beneath the Lizard in a slick layer of frost. His footing faltered, claws scraping against the ice, but his sheer weight kept him balanced as he turned his yellow-eyed glare toward me.

"Nice try," he hissed, his voice a guttural snarl, before he charged again.

This time, I threw up a telekinetic barrier just in time. He slammed into it with a heavy thud, but the impact sent a painful tremor through my body. Holding the barrier and my power back against a creature this strong took far more focus than I liked.

"Hey, Lizard!" I called, hoping to distract him as I sent shards of ice spiraling toward his arms and legs, trying to pin him down. The ice shattered on impact, barely slowing him, but at least it kept him from lunging at Ghost-Spider as she swung back in, firing webs at his face.

But the Lizard just tore through the sticky webbing, snarling louder. "You two think you can stop me? I'm stronger than ever!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Mystique watching, her expression unreadable, though I could sense her interest in every move I made. I clenched my jaw, refocusing on the Lizard.

This time, I swept my hand up, pulling chunks of ice from the ground and forming them into massive boulders in mid-air. With a push, I sent them hurtling toward the Lizard. He managed to swipe at one, shattering it, but another hit him square in the chest, forcing him back a few steps.

Ghost-Spider zipped back down, darting close and using her agility to stay just out of his reach, slinging webs that tangled up his legs, slowing him down just enough. She looked at me, nodding. "We might actually pull this off."

"YOU BUGS!!" The Lizard roared, his tail whipping toward her, but I grabbed it mid-swing with my telekinesis, holding it just enough for Ghost-Spider to dodge. She threw a few punches at his side, each hit making a solid thud.

But the Lizard lunged forward, his jaws snapping inches from my face. He was too freaking fast for his size. I threw myself backward, summoning a thick wall of ice between us just in time. His claws scraped against it, leaving deep gouges, but I held firm, backing up to gain some distance.

"Careful there!" Ghost-Spider shouted. She swung down, landing beside me, breathing hard but still grinning. "Got any more tricks up your sleeve?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I kept my gaze locked on the Lizard, feeling the strain in my muscles from holding the ice wall. I could sense Mystique in the crowd, watching. Every instinct screamed to unleash my full power and end this quickly, but I couldn't afford to tip my hand, not with Magneto's eyes on me. Instead, I gritted my teeth and gave Ghost-Spider a quick nod. "Yeah. A simple one."

The Lizard snarled, smashing through the ice barrier with his fist. I staggered back, and Ghost-Spider darted in, webbing up his arms with rapid shots. The webbing slowed him, but I knew it wouldn't hold for long. His muscles bulged, and the fibers stretched to their breaking point.

"Pin him down!" I shouted, lunging forward. I conjured thick ice tendrils from the ground, snaking them around his legs and anchoring him to the spot. With a swift twist of my hand, I reinforced the ice with telekinetic force, locking him in place. The Lizard roared, thrashing against the restraints, but they held—barely.

"Go! Punch him with full power," I yelled. But I know she won't use her full power because Lizard's head will split open if she uses her full power and she isn't a killer.

Ghost-Spider swung in, kicking off a nearby building to land a punch squarely on his jaw. I knew it. She held back. He flinched but didn't go down. Instead, his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. He let out a guttural laugh, the sound vibrating through the air. "I WILL BREAK YOUR BONES AND TURN YOU TWO INTO LIZARDS."

The Lizard broke free from the ice and webbing, shattering them like glass. He rushed forward, claws swiping. I barely had time to react, throwing up a telekinetic shield as his claws crashed against it. The force sent me skidding back, boots scraping against the pavement.

"Aron!" Ghost-Spider's voice cut through the chaos. I glanced over, seeing her webbing up a chemical canister that had been knocked loose in the fight. The Lizard's eyes followed her movements. He was eyeing the chemical canisters scattered across the street.

"He's going for the chemicals! We can't let him get near them!" I focused my power, sending a wave of icy spikes shooting up from the ground, creating a barrier between the Lizard and the canisters. He snarled, slamming his fists against the ice, cracking it but not breaking through.

Ghost-Spider swung over to me, landing lightly on her feet. "He just won't stay down."

"Yeah, noticed that," I said as I froze him again. "I think I need to get serious."

"Wait! Serious?" She gave me a shocked look. "You were holding back?"

I nodded. "Yes. Look around. Too many people. It's like they are watching a show. These clueless insane people are even recording without a care of their lives. If I use my real strength, someone might get hurt."

"Sooo..." She pointed at the Lizard, who was trying to break free from the ice. "What do we do?"

"Sigh!" I sighed and took a deep breath. "Not we. I'll finish it. You stay back."

The Lizard broke free and ran toward the chemical canisters. I extended my arm toward him and used telekinesis once again but on a larger scale this time. This time I wasn't holding back. I raised my other hand and lifted the Lizard into the air. He roared, thrashing against the telekinetic grip, but it held strong. I clenched my fist, crushing his limbs with telekinetic force. His bones cracked and blood sprayed. I felt no remorse. A monster like him deserved to die.

I ripped apart his limbs and tail. Green blood splattered everywhere. The Lizard screamed in pain.

"Don't kill him!" Ghost Spider yelled.

"Why? He's a fucking monster. I am just killing a monster," I said. "No one will care if I kill this monster."

"It's not right."

"It's very right," I muttered.

I crushed the Lizard's head and internal organs with my telekinesis. He stopped moving and his green blood started leaking. I dropped his body on the ground.

"Phew, finally."

Ghost Spider's eyes were wide as she stared at me. "You didn't have to kill him."

I shrugged. "He's a monster. What do you expect me to do?"

She shook her head. "I don't know but... this is too much. With your power, you could have knocked him out or something."

"Then what? The cops or Shield will put him in a cell and what's the guarantee that he won't escape? What if he escapes and creates more chaos? Next time someone might die. This is the easiest way to handle the situation." I said as I looked around. There were too many cops. Gotta get out of here.

"I know you are right but... this is..." She trailed off.

"Sometimes we have to make hard decisions. Even if that goes against our moral code. Every choice people like us make has consequences. There is no correct choice, only the one that is best for everyone at that moment. No one has the time to debate every possible outcome. That's why we have to choose the choice that seems right. How many times have you captured the villains only for them to escape and cause more havoc?"

"...A lot of times," she said.

"Yeah, exactly." I took a deep breath. "I'm not telling you to kill every bad person, just be ready to make the hardest decision when the time comes. You can't save everyone. Sometimes, we have to make the hardest choices so that others can live."

I could tell from her expression that she didn't like it, but at the same time, she understood what I was saying.

The cops were already surrounding us. So, I grabbed her and teleported out of that area and appeared on top of a building, far away from there.

"Well, next time, try not to hold back too much. We could have defeated him, had you used your full strength," With that, I teleported back into the car.