When Dragon Balls Descend Upon Marvel

Hearing Nick Fury's attempt at persuasion, Tony didn't take a single word seriously. If he were stupid enough to go through S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy all over again, he'd be falling right into Fury's trap.

He replied,

"If you hand me the Director's position right now, I might actually consider it."

"And by the way, the palladium poisoning? I've already solved it. So don't think I owe you anything."

"These things were mine to begin with."

As he spoke, Tony pulled aside the collar of his shirt. Where the Arc Reactor once sat in his chest, there was now nothing — just skin.

Fury froze for a moment. He hadn't expected Tony to not only cure the palladium poisoning but also completely heal the wound and even remove the shrapnel — all without a single word reaching him.

"Looks like Smith Dole's medical skills are even better than I imagined."

Fury checked his watch.

"I've got another meeting to attend, so I'll be going."

"Natasha will find a proper excuse to resign from Stark Industries, and the other agents will pull out. Still, I hope your solution came from your father's work — because I believe what he said: that thing won't let you down."

With that, Fury stood, slipped into his coat, gave Tony one last look, and turned to leave.

As the agents began to depart, Tony eyed the case Fury had left behind.

"Agent Coulson, Agent Romanoff — give me a hand carrying this into my house. I want to see exactly what's inside."

Without waiting for a response, he headed toward the villa. Coulson could only sigh. His mission had been to monitor Tony, but clearly, the Director's plan had fallen through. Still, with Tony already walking away, Coulson and Natasha had no choice but to lug the case into the villa.

…

Meanwhile, in a laboratory elsewhere…

Following Tony's advice, Ivan Vanko had increased the Arc Reactor's rotation speed, boosting its output and upgrading his Whiplash armor. Working with Bulma and using Smith Dole's provided design — with the AI Daidai as the core — he had created Vanko Industries' new product: the Baymax family companion robot.

Looking at the newly built Baymax before him, Ivan asked,

"Boss, will this thing really make more money than War Machine?"

Smith Dole smiled.

"Don't compare weapons to this. Look at how much Stark Industries' stock skyrocketed after Tony shifted from weapons manufacturing to energy."

"Our goal for Baymax is to make it a household robot — to bring it into homes everywhere."

"How many units of War Machine can you sell? Now think about how many of these you could."

"Ivan Vanko, broaden your vision."

"I know you need money, and you even want to send your father to the medical chamber. I told you before — you can use it first, and we'll deduct the cost from your dividends."

Hearing this, Ivan lowered his head.

"Thank you, Boss."

Then he hesitated before adding,

"Should we consider developing companion-type robots? You know… catgirls, catboys…"

Smith coughed twice.

"Let's not be pioneers in that market."

"Baymax's form is already great — non-threatening, approachable."

"Build a few more units, get them ready for the expo, and make sure Vanko Industries' name is remembered."

Rejected, Ivan just shrugged. Truthfully, this chubby robot did have an appeal that would be easier for people to accept.

…

Back at the villa…

With all the agents gone, Tony opened the case. On the top layer was a newspaper article about Soviet scientist Anton Vanko's defection.

So, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been watching that family all along?

Setting the paper aside, Tony pulled out two videotapes. Finding a player, he let the footage run while continuing to dig through the contents.

He soon found an Arc Reactor blueprint with Anton Vanko listed as one of the designers, along with his father's notes.

Since he had already solved the new element problem, Tony's mindset while watching the videos was different — he focused more on his father's words.

In the footage, his father spoke directly to him, pointing toward the Expo model — a treasure he had left behind for Tony.

Seeing his father again made Tony think of the Dragon Balls' power, and Smith Dole's words about the possibility that his parents had already reincarnated.

Just then, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice sounded.

"Sir, the new-element Arc Reactor testing is complete. Maximum output is ten billion joules per second."

"Also, maximum full-power runtime has increased by a factor of ten compared to the previous model."

Tony's eyes lit up. His old Arc Reactor could output only three billion joules per second, and at full power, it lasted just fifteen minutes. This new model tripled the output and ran at full power for 150 minutes — and most importantly, it caused no palladium poisoning.

"Perfect. I can't wait to mount this on my new armor and spar with Smith Dole."

His anti–Smith Dole suit, built entirely from Adamantium and now powered by the new reactor, gave Tony confidence that he could face him — though he still hadn't figured out long-range support systems.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., any recent activity from Smith Dole?"

After a quick search, the AI replied,

"In three days, Mr. Smith Dole will attend Vanko Industries' product launch at the Expo."

Tony asked,

"And what are they launching?"

"A family companion robot."

Tony grinned.

"Didn't think they'd finish it so soon. Let's see if its AI is worth anything — hopefully it's smarter than my old Dum-E, or that'll be hilarious."

"Looks like I'll be attending."

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]

[Thank You For Your Support!]