"Reed, it's been a while. I still remember you showing up at my science and tech expo years ago," Tony said as his armor retracted piece by piece, revealing that signature smirk.
After landing, the billionaire playboy strutted toward Reed Richards, hand extended.
Reed accepted it with a mild smile. "If you hadn't thrown me out back then, maybe we'd already be partners."
Tony raised a brow. "Hey, it's never too late to team up. You want a warm Stark Industries hug?"
Reed sighed. "I'll pass, thanks. Appreciate you helping us resolve this mess, but… I've got a bad feeling it'll happen again. Stark, be honest — can your Avengers actually do something about it? Or are you just here for the PR?"
"I'm here as Ryuuto's friend," Tony replied smoothly, "not as an Avenger. Even a super-patriot like me thinks the Defense Ministry's crossed a few lines this time. Look, I know you want to treat me to dinner as thanks—"
"I wasn't planning to," Reed cut in dryly, "but maybe next time."
"Deal."
With a casual wave, Tony called, "Jarvis — suit up."
The armor parts zipped across the sky, locking into place with magnetic precision. Within seconds, the Iron Man armor gleamed in full form.
Tony lifted his hand, flipped Ben the bird with a grin, and blasted off toward Axville Mutant Academy.
Ben Grimm grumbled, folding his arms. "Still don't like that guy."
"He's got a sharp tongue, but a decent heart," Reed replied, turning back toward the lab. "Come on, you two. Let's upgrade the anti-missile grid. We'll need better tracking software if we ever want to intercept those warheads. I should've asked Tony for his thermal missile code, damn it."
As the three walked down the metallic corridor, Rogue appeared from the opposite direction.
"Dr. Richards, when can we go back to school?" she asked, impatience written all over her face.
"That's not up to me," Reed said gently. "Once the situation stabilizes, the Academy will contact us. Either we'll send you back, or they'll pick you up. Until then—stay put and cooperate, understood?"
"But I want to go back!"
"It's safer here," Reed insisted.
"If it's so safe, why are we hiding in an underground bunker?" Rogue snapped. "At first I thought this was just a drill, but it's not, is it? Tell me the truth!"
Reed sighed, the exhaustion in his eyes evident. "Just… get some rest, Rogue."
He walked past her with Johnny and Ben, leaving the girl standing there in the cold, sterile hallway.
She hated it here. The metallic walls—silver and gold—made everything feel lifeless. Too polished, too empty. Axville, at least, had noise, laughter… and Ryuuto. She liked hearing his sarcastic rants about how the world's out to get him.
After a long pause, Rogue made up her mind.
She was leaving.
"I have legs, I can walk," she muttered to herself, stuffing her things into a small bag. "How hard can it be to get back to school?"
She slipped past the base's outer corridors unnoticed. Normally, the defense system would've triggered an alarm — but Reed had temporarily shut down the invisible barrier while testing the new missile tracking code.
By the time she stepped into the city streets, Ryuuto was on the other side of town — deep in the ruins of the Axville Mutant Academy, searching for the last humanoid assault mech.
Destroy that, and the mission would be complete.
The reward? Ten bottles of Life Potion.
Not bad — but not the real goal.
What mattered was protecting the school, and the people inside.
Then he heard it — a deep, guttural roar from the northwest wing of the campus.
Ryuuto froze mid-step. That voice… he knew it.
No way.
"Wolverine?"
Without another thought, Ryuuto sprinted across the shattered courtyard. The air reeked of ozone and burned metal.
There — in the smoking crater — stood Logan, claws out, tearing through a humanoid armor unit like it was paper. The mech screeched and collapsed as its pilot screamed.
Wolverine's abdomen was punctured, blood seeping out. But he didn't even flinch. His fury only grew hotter.
"Think you can take on mutants, punk?!" he roared.
He slammed his claws straight through the soldier's chest, shattering armor and bone in one brutal thrust. The man spat in his face, snarling, "You freaks should've been wiped out long ago!"
Logan's eyes went red with rage.
A single, savage motion — and the soldier went silent forever.
[Ding! Mission Complete!]
[Reward: 10x Life Potions acquired!]
Ryuuto jogged into view just in time to see Wolverine pull his claws free.
"Long time no see, Logan," Ryuuto said with a grin.
Wolverine turned, a rare smirk breaking through the battle haze. "Ryuuto. Damn, kid — you've changed."
They clasped hands, then pulled into a rough hug.
"I saw your name on TV. 'Red Mirage,' huh? Didn't think you'd level up this fast," Logan chuckled.
Ryuuto shrugged. "Well, life's full of trouble. I just learned to punch back harder."
His eyes flicked to the wound on Logan's side — still closing slowly. "You sure you're okay?"
"Please. I heal faster than I drink," Logan said, baring his teeth in a grin. "Even if they blow a hole through my heart, I'll walk it off. Just… takes longer, that's all."
"Typical Wolverine," Ryuuto said. "Come on, everyone's been wondering where you've been."
"Then let's go set the record straight."
As they headed back toward the Academy's main grounds, Ryuuto couldn't shake a smirk.
It felt good to have an old ally back — especially one who could tank a missile and still complain about beer prices.