[Third Person's PoV]
The next day…
"Today," Tony announced, with the self-satisfaction of a trillionaire about to indulge, "I feel like wasting a ridiculous amount of money."
He strode confidently toward the mall entrance, his long black coat flaring dramatically behind him with every step. The sun blazed down overhead, but Tony was undeterred. He wore a crisp white high-neck long-sleeve shirt tucked into tailored dress pants, exuding class like he'd just walked out of a fashion magazine shoot.
Melissa walked beside him, raising an eyebrow as she eyed his outfit. She was dressed for the season in tight black shorts that ended mid-thigh and a loose white blouse with frilly sleeves that danced around her arms as she moved.
She gave Tony a sideways look, incredulous. "The fact that you're not literally toasting your butt off in that coat blows my mind more than any quirk ever could. It's summer, Tony. Just looking at you is giving me a heatstroke."
Tony tilted his head back dramatically, raising a hand to his forehead like a theater actor mid-monologue. "I know... I'm as hot as the sun. You don't have to keep reminding me."
Melissa groaned and rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She laced her fingers with his. "You've been in an unusually good mood since yesterday. Let me guess—getting paid put that extra pep in your step?"
Tony puffed out his chest with theatrical pride. "Yes. But more importantly… tormenting Principal Nezu was the true highlight of my week."
Melissa snorted. "Tony, you're a sadist. You showed that poor mouse a fake ten-triillion yen expense report, and he actually started crying."
"Come on!" Tony said with a huge grin. "Even you have to admit that was solid. The tears in his little eyes? Priceless."
Laughing despite herself, Melissa shook her head as they stepped into the bright, air-conditioned interior of Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. The others were already gathered near a decorative palm tree planted in the center of the atrium, waving as they spotted the pair.
"Sup, you guys," Melissa greeted, leading the way over.
"Hey!" Mina called out cheerfully, as the group clustered together. They all carried a booklet in their hands—the training camp manual that had everyone buzzing with preparation talk.
"You know, this checklist is huge," Mina said as she flipped through the pages. "We need hiking boots, multiple outfits, sleeping gear, water filters…"
"I'm gonna need a suitcase the size of a small car," Jirou muttered, already dreading the shopping.
"I'll join you," Kaminari said, holding up his own list. "My current duffel bag's barely holding together."
"I wonder if they sell lock-picking kits," Mineta mused aloud, scanning the shelves like he expected spy gear to pop out.
Melissa didn't even look at him. "What you need is a long timeout and some therapy."
As they walked through the main hall, the chatter of nearby shoppers suddenly shifted.
"Hey, look!" someone whispered loudly. "Aren't they from the Sports Festival?"
"They are!" another person said, gasping. "They were incredible!"
"Do you think we could get a picture with them?!"
People started pointing and murmuring excitedly. Phones came out, some subtle, others not at all.
"Whoa…" Kirishima said, clearly taken aback. "People actually recognize us from that? Feels like it was forever ago."
"Right? I still get stopped on the way to school sometimes," Mina said, practically glowing. "It's kind of cool."
She turned to Tony and Melissa. "What about you guys? You two getting mobbed or—wait, where's Tony?"
Melissa, who had been walking beside her a second ago, sighed and lifted her hand, gesturing behind her with a thumb without even glancing back.
The group leaned to look—and sure enough, Tony had already been swept up by a small crowd. He stood with two girls posing beside him, all of them mid-photo as camera shutters clicked rapidly.
"Peace signs, girls," Tony said, raising his hands. "Wait—no, actually, don't. People might think we're representating a gang or something."
The girls instantly panicked, lowering their hands. "Oh, sorry!"
Tony chuckled. "I'm kidding. Peace signs are good. I love peace. I thrive on it." He threw both his hands up again in exaggerated double peace-signs, grinning wide.
The girls laughed and brought theirs back up as the camera flashed again. "Thank you so much!" they said in unison, bowing slightly.
"Anytime," Tony said, waving them off like a celebrity exiting the red carpet. He casually strolled back toward the group like nothing had happened.
"You really love the attention, don't you?" Toru teased, half-laughing.
Tony gave a carefree shrug. "What can I say? The camera loves me. And honestly—who am I to deny the public what it wants?"
They continued walking through the mall, exchanging lighthearted banter and stopping occasionally to admire items displayed in the store windows. Laughter echoed between them, the kind that only came from shared comfort and a carefree day. Eventually, the group realized they'd cover more ground if they split up.
Tony found himself accompanied only by Melissa and Momo.
"Heh," Melissa said with a teasing smile, glancing at the two walking beside her, "This kinda feels like a date, doesn't it?"
Momo chuckled softly behind her hand. "I understand what you mean… especially now that it's just the three of us."
Tony, ever the gentleman, extended both arms to his sides without a word. Melissa, without missing a beat, slipped her arm around his and leaned on his shoulder, beaming. Her joy was bright and unabashed.
Momo hesitated, but after a moment, she quietly looped her arm through Tony's as well. It was a subtle gesture, light and polite, it was a simple gesture that couldn't be misinterpreted.
They entered several shops, occasionally leaving with shopping bags in hand and satisfied smiles on their faces. The mall was alive with light and activity, the scent of coffee and perfume blending in the air, and background music drifting from hidden speakers.
But then, as they strolled along the third floor of the shopping complex, Tony suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
Melissa and Momo turned to look at him, their smiles fading as they saw the shift in his demeanor. The cheerful glow in Tony's eyes dimmed, replaced by a piercing, brilliant blue light that pulsed unnaturally beneath his pupils.
"What's wrong?" Momo asked, a note of worry creeping into her voice.
Tony didn't respond immediately. His focus narrowed as glowing red warning icons flashed in his HUD. "That's what I'm trying to figure out…"
"Friday," he said sharply, "Talk to me. What am I looking at?"
Friday's voice responded in his earpiece, calm but urgent. "Detecting two unidentified aerial objects rapidly approaching your location. Trajectory is hostile. Speed: extreme. Displaying live satellite feed now."
Tony raised a finger to silence the girls for a moment as a translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes. He saw a map—two large figures streaking across it toward their position. Another overlay showed grainy but clear visuals of the objects: giant, humanoid figures in the sky—armor tech not unlike his own, but bulkier and with distinct designs. One was painted a deep, ominous green, the other a vivid crimson red.
A digital timer ticked on another screen:
E.A.T. — 00:01:01
Then:
00:01:00… 00:00:59…
Tony's face tightened. "Damn it," he muttered. Then he turned to the girls, voice low and urgent. "We've got a serious problem. In less than a minute, we're going to be under attack."
Melissa's eyes widened, and a second later, they shimmered with a soft blue glow, activating her own interface. "What!?" she gasped, now seeing the same incoming threat.
Without hesitation, Momo stepped forward and grabbed the shopping bags from both of them. "Go," she said, with surprising firmness. "You're the only two here who can act right now without needing a hero's license. Move!"
Suddenly, Friday's voice shouted in Tony's ear:
"They've accelerated!"
A split second later, a sharp popping sound cracked across the sky—then the sunroof of the mall above them exploded inward with a deafening crash. Shards of glass rained down like glittering knives.
But before the debris could hit the crowd below, Tony raised his hand. A glowing pink repulsor formed in his palm, and with a pulse of energy, a ring of zero-gravity blasted outward, suspending the glass in midair. Civilians screamed and ducked, shielding their heads, only to realize nothing was falling.
The two massive armored figures descended through the opening. Their flight systems roared like thunder, kicking up wind that rippled through the mall banners and rattled the storefronts.
The crimson one, its armor gleaming like blood in the sunlight, pointed a massive metallic finger toward Tony and bellowed through a modulated speaker: "Anthony Stark! Your end approaches—delivered by the hand of the Crimson Dynamo!"
The green one landed beside him with a heavy metallic clang, his voice booming next: "And by the will of the Titanium Man!"
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