"Hand him over. We'll take responsibility. Better with us than wasting oxygen in your cage."
Ross slammed his glass down. "Not happening! That thing's staying buried. Forever."
"Really? Even after I bought this bar?" Tony pulled out a check and waved it around. "Yeah. This place? Mine now. Thursday I'm blowing it up. It's ugly anyway."
James leaned back, arms crossed, grinning from the antics.
'Typical Stark.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony Stark eventually got kicked out of the bar—General Ross had drawn his gun, and that pretty much confirmed Abomination wasn't going anywhere. James didn't need to say a word. The mission was an easy success.
Phil Coulson called the next day, sounding pleased. Ross had refused to release Abomination, and—better yet—didn't try to blame Hulk for the Harlem incident.
"James, you think that big green guy's a superhero material?" Tony asked on the flight back to California.
"Not yet," James replied. "Banner's a good guy, but he can't control the Hulk. That thing doesn't follow commands—it acts on instinct. That kind of randomness doesn't qualify as a superhero."
"Fair point. Then I'm the only superhero in the country, right? Unless you decide to go public."
"I'm not interested. You do the whole public idol thing. Captain America's still in cryo-recovery, but once he's back, you won't be so lonely."
"You mean the guy in tights from the museum archives? I read the SHIELD file. The first official superhero, huh? But let's be honest—he's a relic. Probably won't be able to keep up with modern tech. Anyway… you going back to test your armor?"
"Nah, I need to check on the company," James said. "If the capital chain is stable, we won't need to take loans for the HQ build. Plus, the first League of Legends tournament is starting soon. Just the North American division for now. A bunch of companies from around the world are also lining up to talk about agency rights for League and Samira. Huge opportunities for global expansion."
"Really? I'm coming with then. Iron Man mains only," Tony said with a grin.
James smirked. He based the in-game Iron Man off the Quinn archetype, with a flight-based ultimate, and Viktor type hextech style. Tony never touched any other champions. Typical narcissist. James had plans to evolve the build—top, mid, and ADC—he was going to make Iron Man viable in every lane.
After they returned to California, they took a day to rest before flying out to Silicon Valley. The headquarters foundation was finished, and construction was moving floor by floor. Three years to completion, minimum. Still, software and game development were ahead of schedule.
CEO Kyle Robert greeted them. "We've hit 35 million users. With momentum like this, it's just a matter of time before we dominate the U.S. market. The budget membership model is working. Samira is flying, and our media player and video platform are gaining ground. We project 60 million users by year's end. Large-scale promotion is already in motion."
"Good. What about cash flow?" James asked. "Can we cover HQ construction without debt?"
League Games had secured $1.3 billion in capital. On top of that, the $300 million E-Sports Museum and the $2.5 billion HQ build had already been greenlit. James wasn't worried about the money. He just didn't want to split the pie with investors. Nouveau riche instincts.
"We should bring in investors," Kyle offered. "I was surprised you've kept out all the Venture Capital's. If we lock up the U.S. market, we're pushing close to antitrust territory."
"Not the time yet. What about the companies asking for regional agency rights?"
"All of them want exclusive deals. Are you planning to speak with them directly?"
"No. You're the CEO. It's your show. But here's the guideline: we don't sell rights separately. Any regional proxy has to give us 30% equity. No licensing fees—just shares."
Kyle hesitated. "That'll be a hard sell."
"Then we move to the next tier. Our tech and games are strong enough to turn any mid-tier firm into a market leader. But remember: 30% equity. No more. No less. They don't want it? They can leave."
Kyle nodded slowly. "Understood." He left the office, and Tony leaned over.
"You're starting to go global. Why not start your own satellite companies in each region? If you need capital, I can float you—zero interest."
James shook his head. He knew Tony meant it, but that wasn't the strategy.
"It's better to partner locally. If we try to control everything ourselves, governments and competitors will block us. But with regional partners holding stakes, they'll protect our interests. And if someone tries to clone our model, we let our partners handle the legal side. If we go solo everywhere, we'll be strangled by red tape."
"Then why not open it up in the U.S. now?"
"I kept 20% of the shares untouched. That's the slice for American VCs—eventually. The pie's not big enough yet. But give it a year. When our valuation hits a certain point, that 20% will be enough to list and feed every venture capitalist on the East Coast. And I'll have plenty of cash when it's over."
Tony nodded. "Makes sense. With 20% going to VC's, your personal shares won't hit 51%. But with me and your dad, we will still control the company."
"Exactly. You keep your shares. Once the HQ's built, you'll be sitting on even more wealth."
The first annual League of Legends tournament was just around the corner. Five million dollars in prize money. Teams were forming across North America, and James had already ordered Kyle to launch the North American division immediately. It would be the only active region this year—but next year, they'd start adding more.
For a global e-sports franchise, the organizer needed weight. James used his patents and game IP to empower allies. The vision was already working—and when they added superhero characters like Hextech powered Iron Man, it became unstoppable.
Soon, he'd bring in versions of Captain America, Thor, maybe even Hulk. The licensing was free. None of the heroes cared about royalties.
Superheroes were globally beloved. Adding them would supercharge the League's popularity.
Compared to the universe James came from, this one had better tools, better allies—and way more potential. He was building something bigger.
And it was only just beginning.