"Did you guys go the wrong way with this?"
"This Thanos isn't even important. Analyzing him is meaningless."
Iron Man spoke up bluntly, voicing his disagreement. His reasoning, however, was quite logical:"We don't need to care about Thanos himself. All we have to do is analyze the four options given—figure out who's the strongest, and pick that one! Simple."
Rhodes and Coulson exchanged a look, both shrugging slightly.
Though Tony's idea was crude and overly straightforward, in the face of this bizarre quiz, it was actually a direction worth trying.
"Tony, for once you're actually making sense," Rhodes said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Alright then, let's take a look at our options—Captain America, the Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor. Which of these four is the strongest?"
Following Iron Man's logic, Coulson began analyzing seriously.
"We all know Captain America is dead, but since he's included in the options, let's assume he's still alive."
"If it's Captain America, he's America's only super soldier—his body has reached the peak of human potential."
As an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson knew Captain America's data inside and out, easily reciting the facts.
"The peak of human ability… but still human," Tony scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Against a giant, a god, and me in steel armor? He's got no chance."
"So Captain America can be ruled out," Coulson continued. "That leaves three—Tony, no offense, but I think you can be ruled out too."
Rhodes said it earnestly.
As both Tony's friend and the military liaison to Stark Industries, Rhodes knew exactly how powerful the Iron Man suits were.
And the truth was—they were just flight-capable combat armors. Nothing more.
As for the Hulk, Rhodes didn't know every detail, but he knew enough.
Rumor had it that General Ross had accidentally created that creature—a being impervious to bullets and explosives, with strength beyond imagination.
Ross had led entire armies to capture it—every time, utterly crushed.
To Rhodes, Iron Man's armor didn't stand a chance against that kind of monster.
And Thor?That was literally a god.There was no way Tony's armor could compete.
"So the answer seems pretty clear," Coulson summarized. "Unless any of you think the Hulk is stronger than the God of Thunder himself."
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring the Hulk for years, studying his every move in secret. Coulson understood his power even better than Rhodes, and fully agreed.
"Wrong. Completely wrong!"
Just as the two seemed to reach consensus, Iron Man cut in sharply.
"Giant, god—who cares? The strongest is obviously me, Tony Stark!"
He raised his chin proudly. "Even if the opponent were the ruler of the universe, I could build a stronger suit and beat him! So…"
Before Coulson or Rhodes could interrupt, Tony spun toward the glowing holographic screen.
"I choose C—Iron Man!"
"Tony—" Rhodes began, trying to stop him.
This mysterious quiz felt far too strange to treat lightly.
But before he could even finish, Tony had already submitted his answer.
Both Rhodes and Coulson tensed immediately, eyes scanning the surroundings, ready for anything.
[Correct Answer!]
That familiar synthesized voice rang out.
Rhodes: "…"Coulson: "…"
The two stared blankly, dumbfounded.
You've got to be kidding me!
That arrogant maniac actually got it right?
Tony had answered without a second thought—while they had analyzed carefully and still lost.
"See that?" Tony tilted his head up proudly. "I told you—I'm the best!"
"Tony… don't tell me this whole thing was some prank you set up yourself?" Rhodes muttered, exasperated.
[Congratulations, contestant Tony Stark, for obtaining one Fragment of the AllSpark.][Reward has been issued—please check immediately.]
That same electronic voice sounded again.
And in the next moment, Tony felt his right hand grow heavy—something had appeared there.
At the same time, a flood of information surged into his mind—details about the AllSpark Fragment: what it was, how to use it, and how to bind it.
Tony processed the data rapidly, then looked down at the metallic shard in his palm, dazed.
"This is real. Rhodes—it's real!" he exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.
With this, Tony was finally convinced that the "quiz system" was genuine.
Teleporting objects out of thin air, implanting data directly into his brain—none of this was possible with current technology.
"So this is the AllSpark Fragment?"
Rhodes and Coulson leaned in, studying the small piece of metal curiously.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary alloy scrap—nothing special at all.
"What does it do, anyway? 'AllSpark'—what's that supposed to mean?" Rhodes muttered, frowning.
"Rhodey, take out your phone," Tony said suddenly.
"…Why?" Rhodes instinctively stepped back.
Whenever Tony asked for something random, it usually meant trouble.
"If you don't, you'll regret it. Trust me," Tony said mysteriously.
Rhodes stared at him suspiciously for a few seconds, then reluctantly handed over his phone.
Tony raised the AllSpark Fragment, focusing his thoughts as instructed by the information in his mind.
Swoosh!
A flash of light shot out from the fragment, striking Rhodes's phone.
The device immediately began trembling violently—like it was having a seizure.
Both Rhodes and Coulson jumped back in shock.
But what happened next stunned them even more.
The phone started splitting apart, its components shifting and reforming in a rapid, intricate sequence—until it transformed into a small robot!
A mini-Decepticon, standing on the table!
Tony, Coulson, and Rhodes all stood frozen, mouths hanging open.
(End of Chapter 2)