This time, Kaitou Kid found himself in a rather awkward situation. Surrounded by Iron Man's fan club, he found himself without any support, almost as if he were just an ordinary thief.
"Kaitou Kid, what exactly are you trying to steal?" Tony still hadn't figured out what Iron Man's future was supposed to be.
He kicked at the wooden model beneath his feet, the sound of it echoing with a crisp 'dong dong' sound. "It's this model, the model," he said.
... Stealing a model?
Silence.
Not only Iron Man and his team, but the audience too didn't know what to make of it. What could possibly be worth stealing about this old model?
"There's no need to steal it; if you like it, you can have it," Tony said, unsure of how to respond. He didn't think his future was tied to this model. After all, it was just an old model that would probably be discarded in a year. If Kaitou Kid wanted it, Tony didn't see why not: "As long as you can carry it."
"You don't understand anything, Tony Stark. You're truly disappointing," Kid said. "Well then, I'll take care of Iron Man's future."
"As long as you can carry it!" Tony said, eager to see how Kid would pull it off.
With a charming smile, Kaitou Kid snapped his fingers twice. The sharp, crisp sound rang through the central exhibition hall, drowning out everything else.
The crowd could hear what sounded like the flapping of wings, growing louder and louder. Suddenly, a huge flock of pigeons, black against the night sky, descended from the ceiling. Each pigeon was a white dove, flying in perfect formation, crisscrossing above the exhibition hall.
So many pigeons, their feathers like falling snow. It was clearly Kid's doing, but the question was why he would summon so many pigeons. Was he planning to use them as a diversion to escape?
Kid claimed he was going to steal the model, but the model was two meters long and wide, so how could he possibly carry it away?
But then, the miraculous moment arrived.
The pigeons surrounded Kid, flapping their wings, and, surprisingly, the model began to lift off the ground.
Natasha's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched the spectacle. She could see that transparent threads connected the model to the pigeons. This wasn't just a trick; Kid had somehow managed to use the pigeons to transport the model—along with himself. The model was now like a flying vessel, carried by the pigeons, soaring into the night sky.
"Ah?" The audience was stunned. This wasn't your average magic trick. No wonder Kaitou Kid had such a reputation—he truly had skill.
A pigeon-powered flying vessel! A once-in-a-lifetime sight. People quickly took out their phones to capture the moment, eager to upload it online and become famous.
Tony blinked, finding the scene somewhat exaggerated. After all, those were pigeons, not drones—how could they be so synchronized? Kaitou Kid certainly wasn't your average thief. This time, Tony had gained a new perspective, but it was still embarrassing to let the model be stolen like this. He was ready to suit up in the Iron Man armor and chase after him.
"Tony, don't wear the suit anymore," Pepper said, grabbing him.
Kid was almost out of the open skylight now. The pigeons flapped their wings with all their might, lifting both him and the model. That skylight, originally left by Iron Man for his dramatic entrances, was now being repurposed by Kid.
Kid, seeing that Pepper had stopped Tony as expected, knew that his envelope had done its job. Did he really think he had given the envelope to Pepper just to warn her? Of course not. He'd planned it this way so that Pepper could delay Tony.
Everything was going according to plan. Knowing that Tony was poisoned, Pepper had stopped him from wearing the Iron Man suit. Now, Kid had no concerns about being chased.
"I'm going!" Kid shouted, pulling out a card gun and shooting a card towards the stage. It landed right by Tony's feet.
Tony looked up, seeing Kid smiling at him. Kid slowly ascended from the skylight, eventually disappearing into the night. The crowd stood frozen, staring upwards. From the moment Kid appeared to when he vanished, barely a minute had passed. If not for the fluttering white feathers still in the air, everyone might have thought it was all just a dream.
It was unforgettable, a performance that rivaled Iron Man's grand entrance. It was exhilarating, thrilling!
"Sir, should we call the police?" Hogan, the driver, arrived a bit late. He had notified the guards earlier, but the guards couldn't get in—there were simply too many people.
Tony shook his head. It was just a model, so there was no need.
It was unprecedented. No one could have predicted that Kid would use pigeons to lift the stolen goods and fly off into the sky. It was so grand and surreal. It was something that could only be seen in cartoons before, but here it was in reality. Some of Iron Man's fans had now become Kaitou Kid's fans.
This was what "cool" really meant.
Tony picked up the card Kid had left behind. It had only a few simple words written on it: "The future is in my hands." But Tony truly couldn't understand why the model his father had made would represent the future. There was nothing hidden inside it.
The news quickly spread about Kaitou Kid's daring heist at the Stark Industrial Expo, where he had stolen the large model.
The scene of Kid stealing the model using pigeons became a viral sensation online. If Kid had a Facebook, it would definitely have millions of views. People were discussing the possibility of pigeon-powered flying ships.
Could dozens of pigeons really lift a person and a model? The estimated weight was at least 100 kilograms.
Opinions on the internet were varied. Some people believed the pigeons could carry that much weight, while others argued that the pigeons were just a distraction, and the actual lifting device was something else.
The opposing view was supported by many of Kaitou Kid's fans, because Kid wasn't a superhuman. He always completed impossible feats in the most clever ways, which was what made him the phantom thief, a master of stealing what others thought was impossible to steal.
And the truth was indeed just as Kid had made it seem.
Tony, Natasha, and Pepper gathered to analyze the footage from the expo cameras. Stark Technologies' cameras were top-of-the-line, and the footage was exceptionally clear and detailed.
"There!" Natasha pointed to an almost invisible reflection in the video. "This line is clearly not connected to the pigeons, but to the skylight outside."
"Balloons," Tony said suddenly. "The large hydrogen balloons outside the expo during the opening ceremony—the ones with ribbons and banners."
"I know what you mean, the decorative balloons," Natasha replied. "You're saying Kid used hydrogen balloons to lift the model?"
"If it were me, I'd do that," Tony said. "There were plenty of those large, round balloons everywhere that day. No one would think twice about them. Kid could easily tamper with them." Tony continued, "I never believed the pigeons could do the job from the start. It was so shocking, though, that I didn't think it through."
Natasha felt the same way. But now, analyzing the trick, the mystery of how it worked was clear—it didn't seem so magical anymore. Because, by then, Kid had already escaped.
Tony was right. The pigeons were just a decoy, the hydrogen balloons were the ones that actually moved everything.
It felt strange to discuss it now, like there was nothing extraordinary about it, but no one had thought of it at the time. Though they had figured it out now, it didn't matter much—it only increased the frustration. Natasha, a top-level spy, and Tony, Iron Man, had both failed to see through the trick at the time. It was a big failure.