Pepper blinked groggily, still half-asleep, and mumbled,
"...Can we eat that?"
Ryuuto blinked back. "Eat what?"
"Roast chicken," she murmured before suddenly straightening, realizing what she'd said. She wiped a bit of drool off her cheek, flustered. "Ah—! Sorry, sorry! I just... dreamed my mom was making roast chicken for me."
Ryuuto grinned. "Heh, figured as much. If you're craving it that bad, tell Jean later. She's got kitchen privileges at the school — she can probably whip up anything you want."
Pepper could only give an awkward laugh.
"Alright, let's move," Arlo said, his voice calm but authoritative. "I'm running diagnostics on the ship. You four, off you go."
The group disembarked one by one.
As soon as her boots touched the ground, Pepper spotted Tony walking toward them. Relief flickered in her eyes — she waved and called out, "Boss!"
"Pepper." Tony gave a small nod, hands shoved into his pockets. "Glad to see you alive. And thanks to Ryuuto here for the rescue. But you should stay inside for a few more days. We've got some work to handle before bringing you back in."
Pepper's smile dropped instantly. "Boss, if you really think that, maybe go ahead and order me a tombstone." Her voice cracked with anger. "If Ryuuto and the others hadn't shown up, I'd be lying in some prison corner right now, humiliated by some slob. You're my boss, Tony. And you didn't even try to save me."
Tony winced, scratching his cheek. "That's... rough. But hey, you're out now. That's what counts."
Pepper's glare could've melted steel.
Tony quickly turned toward Ryuuto. "By the way, the Defense Ministry just held a press conference. You're trending again. Apparently, releasing those female inmates made you 'public enemy number one.' They're calling on the world to stand united against the X-Men."
Ryuuto smirked. "I figured they'd pin that one on me. Can we do another global broadcast?"
Tony grinned. "You really love chaos, huh? Sure, no problem."
They headed into Charles' office, where Tony had left his broadcasting rig. After a few keystrokes and some quick hacking, the screens of every major TV network in America flickered—switching to a live feed of Ryuuto.
He faced the camera, posture relaxed, expression sharp. "Yeah. I did raid Rowell Women's Prison today," he began, voice echoing across millions of screens. "Two reasons. First—to rescue the current CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts. Second—to free the female prisoners held there."
He leaned forward slightly, tone hardening. "The Defense Ministry says I'm a demon. That I caused chaos. That Mutants are a threat to society. But let's talk facts. That prison's been a hellhole for years. The women there were treated like livestock. Forced to... entertain guards just to get a decent meal. The system turned them into victims long before I broke the walls."
He looked straight into the lens. "Over two thousand women are free now. If even one of them tells her story, the truth will spread faster than their propaganda. That's all I wanted to say. Don't waste your time listening to lies. Next time, we'll talk again."
The broadcast cut. Tony exhaled. "Short, fiery, and straight to the point. For once."
"Talking too much is pointless," Ryuuto said, stretching his arms lazily. "Anyway, we've got a new problem brewing."
Tony's grin turned sly. "Good. I was getting bored."
Later that evening, Ryuuto gathered everyone at the Axville school auditorium — part strategy meeting, part morale check.
He already had the data, the resources, the power. But he wanted something deeper — trust. Bonds. If they were going to war, he'd rather not fight alone.
Still, one question nagged at the back of his mind. Why the hell did Ant-Man hand the Scepter to Abomination?
He didn't know that the Defense Minister had manipulated everything from behind the scenes — or that Ant-Man, trying to blow the whistle, had been caught and imprisoned by none other than Deadpool himself.
Now, somewhere deep within the Minister's estate…
Ant-Man was dying.
Trapped inside a sealed glass bottle, he'd gone days without food or water. His special earpiece communicator, designed to summon ant colonies through electromagnetic signals, had been jammed by the very bottle he was trapped in.
Even his laser cutter couldn't scratch the reinforced glass. His last hope was slipping away.
"Please... just one miracle," he whispered, eyes dim. "Let me make up for this mess before it's too late..."
Then—
The door creaked open.
Two children entered quietly — a boy and a girl, siblings. The Defense Minister's own kids.
"Daddy said we're not supposed to come in here," the little girl whispered. "He said there's a demon inside that eats bad kids."
The boy puffed up his chest. "That's why I stole the key! I wanna see the demon! They say if you find one, it'll grant your wish." His grin widened. "If we ask right, maybe Superman will come play with us!"
They rummaged through the room until the girl spotted a strange glass bottle. "Big brother, look! There's a cockroach inside!"
The boy ran over — and froze. "That's not a cockroach! That's the demon!"
He grabbed the bottle and shook it.
Inside, the weakened Ant-Man gasped as the world spun violently. He slammed his hands against the glass, desperate to get their attention.
"Devil, devil!" the boy said, eyes wide with excitement. "If we let you out, will you grant our wish?"
Ant-Man nodded weakly.
"You won't hurt us, right?"
Another frantic shake of the head.
"Good! Then let's pinky swear!"
Ant-Man hesitated... then pressed his tiny hand against the glass, mimicking the motion.
The boy laughed and popped the cork open—
—and the story of the dying Ant-Man took a new, chaotic turn.