The light-screen video ended right after Hank Pym's true identity was exposed.
But before the players could recover from the shock, a new question instantly popped up on the screen:
[Of the following options, who ultimately defeated Hank Pym?]
[A: Nick Fury
B: Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers
C: Loki
D: Captain America/Steve Rogers]
"This one's not exactly easy to answer," Tony muttered, shaking his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the Homelander, then turned to Natasha with a probing tone:
"So… who do you think it is?"
Natasha had noticed from the start how often Tony had been signaling toward the Homelander. She didn't yet know the man, but it was obvious Tony was wary of him.
She shrugged. "No idea. I'm totally in the dark. But if I had to guess, I'd say A looks pretty likely. Fury doesn't usually get his hands dirty, but don't forget—he's an ex-field agent. He can hold his own."
That was what she said out loud. In her head, though, A was the very first choice she ruled out.
Why? Simple. Based on the video just now and the wording of the question, it would seem obvious that Nick Fury was the one who beat Hank Pym. That's what any normal person would think.
And that's exactly why it probably wasn't true. If it really were that straightforward, the question would be pointless—no challenge at all.
Just like in those earlier clips where Natasha and Hawkeye appeared to kill Iron Man and Thor: if you didn't think about it, they seemed like the culprits, but the real answer turned out otherwise.
Even though this was the animated-universe Natasha's first time in the Quiz Game, she wasn't lacking in basic deduction skills.
So she eliminated A immediately, narrowing it down to B, C, or D. Personally, she leaned toward D.
The parallel world in the video seemed mostly the same as hers, except for Hank Pym's family. The timeline didn't look much different either.
That meant Steve could very well be the man to turn the tide.
Coincidentally, Tony Stark thought the same. Since the video hadn't shown Cap at all, that probably meant Steve was still frozen in ice—something Hank Pym wouldn't know. Which meant he'd overlooked a core Avenger entirely.
Tony could already picture it: the next clip showing Steve Rogers' big hero moment.
So when the countdown began, Tony immediately slammed the buzzer, hoping to score some points and turn things around.
But to his surprise, Natasha, Homelander, and Erik were just as quick to buzz in. Apparently, they were all confident in their answers.
Lady Luck smiled on Natasha again—she got the answering rights. She shot Tony a sidelong glance, then chose D: Captain America.
Tony clicked D as well.
Erik and the Homelander both went for B.
Bruce Banner, being the straightforward type, went with A.
When the timer hit zero, the correct answer was revealed:
[The correct answer is—C: Loki]
Total wipeout. Every player got it wrong.
[Player Natasha Romanoff: incorrect buzz-in, minus 4 points. Player Tony Stark, player Homelander, player Erik Lehnsherr, and Player Bruce Banner: incorrect answers, minus 1 point each!]
"Great. Should I be glad I didn't win the buzzer?" Tony muttered with a curse.
He was already at -3 points. If he'd gotten the buzzer and still answered wrong, he'd have dropped to -7 and earned himself another dose of the Quiz Game's lovely electric therapy.
The Homelander and Magneto didn't look too happy either. Both had buzzed in recklessly—
The Homelander because he had the biggest deficit and was desperate to claw back; Magneto, like Tony, was sitting at -3 points.
So far, the veteran players were doing worse than the newbies.
Erik consoled himself bitterly: Maybe this game has some sort of "newbie protection" mechanic. Kind of like how beginners in fishing sometimes catch something amazing… right before they spend money on rods and gear, and realize they've been scammed.
As per usual, once the question ended, the light-screen started playing the correct-answer video.
The footage showed Nick Fury and Hank Pym facing off in a graveyard. Hank no longer bothered to hide his identity; like any classic villain, he first explained why he was doing all this before the final fight.
He laid out his motives: both his wife and daughter had once joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and both had died in service.
Pym blamed Fury, believing it was his "save the world" ideology that had brainwashed them and gotten them killed.
So he sought revenge. Instead of killing Fury directly, he learned about the plan to form the Avengers and began assassinating the candidates, striking heavy blows at Fury's efforts.
Outside the video, Tony Stark shook his head.
"Yeah, he's completely lost it."
Natasha frowned. "In this world, Hope died during the 'Odessa' mission. But in my world, I was the one who took that mission. I ran into the Winter Soldier and barely survived…"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. You think Pym tried to kill the Winter Soldier too?"
Natasha shrugged. "Who knows?"
Back in the footage, Fury and Pym had already started trading blows.
Pym began the fight full of confidence—after all, he'd already taken out the rest of the Avengers. Against a Normal human like Fury, victory should have been guaranteed.
Reality quickly smacked him in the face.
Whenever Pym shrank to Ant-Man size, Fury still tracked him easily, swatting him aside like a fly.
No matter how Pym attacked—big or small, fast or sneaky—his fate never changed: getting sent flying by Fury's casual "fly swat."
_____
T/N:
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