Her eyes tracked me—but her vision couldn't keep up. My phantom steps left nothing but afterimages, and by the time she reacted, it was already too late.
Still, Natasha Romanoff wasn't the kind of woman who panicked. Without hesitation, she snapped her elbow back in a brutal counter.
Not bad. But too slow.
I slid aside, smirking, and my leg whipped up.
[Taijutsu · Leaf Hurricane!]
KRAK!
My kicks struck clean, sending the infamous Black Widow sprawling across the ground. She rolled, sat up, and brushed dead leaves from her suit, not even flinching at the ache that had to be burning in her ribs.
"Tell me," I said lazily, hands in my pockets. "If I let you have two hands and two feet, do you think you could beat me?"
Her lips twitched. Then she raised her arms in surrender. "Fine. I give up. Lightning speed like that… even with all my limbs, I'd still lose. So instead of wasting both our time—" she tilted her head, eyes gleaming—"lend me to Professor X for a while."
"…Lend you?"
"Not me. You." She folded her arms. "We've got a Hulk problem."
And she laid it out. Banner's temper had snapped in Los Angeles, dragging out the beast inside him. Now the Hulk was rampaging in the rainforests of northern Australia. Iron Man had tried to reason with him—got swatted like a mosquito. Thor could've matched him, but Thor was busy partying in Asgard. So Natasha came crawling to Xavier, hunting for someone—anyone—who could go toe-to-toe with the Green Giant.
The Hulk. Humanity's synonym for invincible.
I chuckled. "You think I can do that?"
Her gaze didn't waver. "You just proved it. Against me, you weren't even breaking a sweat. Against Hulk? You're the only one who stands a chance."
[Ding! New Task Issued!][Remove Bruce Banner's Rage State!][Reward: New Hokage Data Pack!]
…Shion, you sneaky little fox. I'd been ready to tell Natasha to shove off. But a new data pack? Yeah, that flipped the board.
I leaned closer, grinning. "Alright, Widow-san. I'll help you. But there's a price."
Her eyebrow arched. "Name it."
"Not now. That's boring. Just know this: if I help you, you owe me a favor. One request, unconditional. No matter what."
Natasha narrowed her eyes. "What if you ask for my death?"
"Relax. I'm not that cruel. At worst, I'll tell you to walk out of the Avengers."
Her lips curved into that dangerous smile of hers. "Then what are you scheming?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I turned away, hands behind my head. "If you don't want the deal, pretend we never met. Saves me the trouble."
"Wait." Her voice cut sharp. "…I accept."
I stopped. Slowly turned back.
We shook hands. Firm. Sealed.
"The transaction's established," I said. "Go report to the professor. We'll handle your Hulk problem."
One Day Later — Northern Australia
"Banner's lost it again. Honestly, can't the guy just have a normal conversation without flipping tables?" Tony Stark sprawled on a folding chair, sunglasses glinting.
A massive CRASH echoed through the rainforest. Another tree toppled, roots splintering.
Tony winced. "…That's number ninety-eight. Two more and he gets a perfect score."
Steve Rogers frowned. "You're not helping, Stark. You're the one who provoked him yesterday. Calling him lonely, saying he couldn't find a girlfriend? What did you expect?"
Tony lifted his shades. "Hey, I only said the truth. You think any woman wants to risk… ahem… getting skewered if Hulk gets excited?"
Steve's jaw tightened. "We're supposed to be a team. Use your brain. You're the smartest guy in the League—try acting like it."
"Oh my god, here we go again," Tony groaned, flopping back. "Captain Boy Scout's lecture number 372." He spread his arms. "Honestly, if it weren't for Banner threatening to smash through camp, I'd have flown in some hot girls to dance around, lighten the mood."
Steve snorted. "Then you'd be collecting their corpses."
Whup-whup-whup.
Both men froze. Helicopter rotors.
"Military?" Tony sat up, adjusting his glasses.
The chopper descended, and the first to leap out was Natasha.
"Where's Barton?" she demanded.
"Left early. Said call if needed," Steve replied.
"Doesn't matter. I brought a different kind of backup."
Three pairs of eyes turned as someone else dropped down from the chopper.
Me.
Tony's jaw nearly hit the dirt. "You brought a teenager? What is this, Xavier's internship program? That body's tough, sure, but Banner'll swat him in one punch!"
I cracked my knuckles, smirking. "Try not to blink, Stark. You might miss the part where I prove you dead wrong."