Malrick glanced at the swarm of Deadpools, and in the next instant, his speed surged.
The world around him slowed.
Every grain of dust in the air became visible, every twisted grin behind those red masks etched itself into his sight.
He walked casually toward them, unaffected by the chaos.
One by one, he grabbed the Deadpools—frozen in their grotesque poses—and tossed them into a portal.
The female Deadpool had just pried open Holland-Spider's mouth, despair painted across his face as though he were acting in a tragic play. Malrick chuckled, and with a flick, threw her through the portal as well.
Each Deadpool had their own bizarre way of misbehaving, their postures grotesque and absurd. Together, they looked less like villains and more like a pile of trash waiting to be burned.
As they stacked on the other side of the portal like a heap of garbage, the scene carried a strange sort of fitting harmony.
Finally, Malrick closed the portal with a flick of his wrist, ending the torment in one clean motion.
When he returned to normal speed, the three Spider-Men—Holland, Garfield, and Toby—were still screaming in panic, flailing like drowning men. They crashed to the ground, rolling, clutching themselves, too shaken to process what had happened.
Slowly, they realized the Deadpools were gone.
Malrick explained he had sent them away, and the three collapsed, spread-eagle on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. Their trauma was written all over them.
"How can the Multiverse be this terrifying?" Holland-Spiderman muttered.
"I never want to leave my own universe again," Garfield-Spiderman agreed.
"But we're already with the TVA," Toby-Spiderman reminded, his voice heavy.
The three fell into a quiet silence.
A few moments later, they looked at B-15.
Before they could ask, he shook his head. "Gentlemen, once you're with us, there's no quitting. What just happened was an accident. There aren't that many Deadpools in the Multiverse."
The three Spiders groaned in unison, collapsing again in despair.
Meanwhile, another argument broke out.
"Such a cute little fellow deserves the right to choose its owner. She should decide for herself!" Deadpool said, unusually serious.
"But this darling is mine," Wolverine replied with a dazzling smile. "And she's a girl, so please don't call her 'it.'"
Earlier, when the Deadpool Corps swarmed the Spiders, the original Deadpool had tried to snatch Deadpool Dog. Wolverine intercepted him, determined to reclaim her.
Malrick had deliberately left these two out of the portal, knowing their fight wasn't finished.
The two argued back and forth—Deadpool insisting Deadpool Dog was meant for him, and Wolverine firmly refusing.
Deadpool's persistence was unusual. Normally, rejection would've ended things. But this time, Deadpool Dog's resemblance to him when he had once been transformed into a dog was uncanny. Fate itself, he thought.
"What kind of monster are you, smiling like that while denying me?" Deadpool snapped. "Look at her! She's basically me in dog form. She should choose!"
Deadpool held Deadpool Dog close, her tongue still slobbering on his scarred cheek.
Wolverine just shook his head again. "Sorry. She's my dog."
"Damn it!" Deadpool cursed. "I hate Deadpools. Especially this one without a mask!"
He shot a glare at Wolverine, his mind already scheming. Then his eyes fell on Malrick.
"Wait—Malrick, Malrick!" Deadpool called, unusually desperate. "Quick! Use that Hogwarts spell—the one that turned me into a dog. Vera Verto! Like when Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret!"
"Are you sure about this?" Malrick raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, this is the most important request of my life!" Deadpool begged.
"All right… Vera Verto!"
In an instant, Deadpool shrank into a dog—ugly, scarred, and grotesque, almost a mirror of Deadpool Dog.
Dog Deadpool wagged his tail furiously, bounding over to her. She barked happily, licking his face as the two ran side by side, impossible to tell apart.
Malrick muttered dryly, "Great. Now it's 'When two dogs walk together, how do you tell which is Deadpool?'"
The pups eventually stopped. One of them trotted to Wolverine, barked mockingly, and wiggled its rear as if saying, Can you still tell us apart? If not, then she's mine.
Though the smug expression was unmistakably Deadpool, Wolverine froze, his smile cracking.
A moment later, he walked to Malrick, forced a smile, and said, "Can you turn me into a puppy too?"
Malrick smirked, amused. "Vera Verto."
Wolverine transformed, but unlike the other two, he became a majestic golden puppy, fluffy, radiant, with intelligent eyes that seemed to shine. He was, without question, the most handsome pup imaginable.
He bounded toward the others, eager to prove he belonged. But now the contrast was striking—the golden, regal pup against two mangy, scarred dogs. They didn't even look like they belonged in the same world.
Deadpool Dog dodged him, hiding behind Dog Deadpool.
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