Howard Stark and Tony Stark were locked in an intense fight, exchanging blows as Lucas watched with great amusement at this unique display of father-son bonding.
Meanwhile, the chat group was buzzing with excitement as its members offered their enthusiastic commentary and unsolicited advice to Howard Stark.
Sword God Ryuma: "Howard, you're fighting too stiffly. You're too rigid!"
Golden Lion Shiki: "Yeah, you have no technique at all. Come on, let me teach you! Turn around and strike him from behind!"
Howard Stark: "Tsk, what a load of nonsense. That's my son!"
Whitebeard: "And that's exactly why you're getting beaten up?"
Howard Stark: "I'm just letting him win!"
Gengetsu Hōzuki: "Oh, sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that. Face it—you just can't beat him. It's normal, really. You were already old and frail when you died. Even if Edo Tensei gave you an endless supply of stamina, your explosive power is lacking."
Howard Stark: "So what? I have infinite stamina and I'm immortal! This kid, Tony, is about to run out of gas. The moment he's exhausted, he's done for!"
Namikaze Minato: "Wow. Relying on the perks of Edo Tensei to win? That's kind of embarrassing, you know."
The chat group erupted into laughter, resembling the chaotic squawking of five hundred ducks.
Meanwhile, Howard Stark endured the playful ridicule, staying focused on his plan. Sure enough, when Tony Stark finally reached his limit, Howard seized the opportunity to pin him down and give him a proper beating.
Looking down at his son, Howard snorted. "So, are you feeling the pain now? Do you finally understand this isn't a dream?"
Despite taking a beating, Tony remained defiant. "I know this isn't a dream, but you still can't be my father! Who the hell are you?"
Howard Stark smacked him again and sneered. "I'm your father! Call me 'Dad'!"
Tony, ever the stubborn one, gritted his teeth. "No way! The great Tony Stark will never bow to violence!"
Howard's expression darkened as he increased the intensity of his blows. "Say it!"
Tony, after enduring several more hits, finally gave in to the pain. Calculating that a true genius knows when to retreat, he put on a reluctant but obedient expression. "...Dad."
Howard frowned, dissatisfied. "Ugh. That sounded so forced. It's disgusting."
Tony sighed. "What can I say? You're old and wise."
Howard rewarded him with another smack.
Regret filled Tony's heart. He should've just kept his mouth shut.
Once Howard had gotten his fill of teaching his son a lesson, he sat Tony down and began recounting stories from the past—secrets that no outsider could possibly know. Eventually, Tony had no choice but to accept the truth: the man in front of him was indeed his father.
Tony was stunned. "Dad... but you died. I saw your body with my own eyes. How are you even here?"
Howard looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Think for a second, Tony. Can't you figure it out?"
Tony hesitated, his gaze shifting toward Lucas, who had been watching the fight from a distance. His eyes widened in shock. "Wait... what he said was true? But this kind of thing is completely unscientific! How is it even possible?!"
Lucas chuckled. "Tony, look at the world you live in. Superheroes, supervillains, mutants... And you still believe in science?"
Tony crossed his arms. "Of course. Even superheroes and villains have scientific explanations for their powers. Mutants? I don't know the exact source of their abilities, but I'm sure science can explain them too."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So, do you know how to create mutants?"
Tony shook his head. "No. I have zero interest in biological modifications, so I never researched it. But there's a company that does—it's been studying mutants for years. They even built Sentinel robots to hunt them down."
Lucas's expression darkened slightly. Sentinel robots?
It seemed like the mutant crisis was already underway—before the events of Days of Future Past.
He turned back to Howard. "I'll leave Tony in your hands. I have things to take care of."
With that, Lucas prepared to leave, telling Howard to message him in the chat group if anything urgent came up.
Howard Stark: "No problem. This is my personal matter anyway."
In the Chat Group
Sebastian Shaw: "Group Leader, are you handling something related to mutants?"
Lucas: "Most likely. It looks like mutants are facing an existential crisis right now. I need to investigate before confirming anything."
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
Lucas arrived at the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Under the quiet night sky, the school seemed peaceful, as if there was nothing wrong.
Sebastian Shaw: "Where is this place?"
Uchiha Madara: "You don't recognize it? I thought the group leader brought you here to visit your former family and subordinates."
Sebastian Shaw: "No family—I only have subordinates. As for this 'School for Gifted Youngsters,' I've never heard of it. Group Leader, does this place have anything to do with me?"
Lucas: "Of course. Do you remember how you died?"
Sebastian Shaw: "Of course! That brat, Erik, pierced my skull with a coin. Such an ungrateful child. I had such high hopes for him."
Whitebeard: "Tch. Betrayed by your own subordinate? We might just have something in common."
Gengetsu Hōzuki: "Wait, wait, wait. You were killed by your own apprentice?"
Sebastian Shaw: "I wouldn't exactly call him my apprentice. But yes, he was someone I saw great potential in. I forgave his many attempts on my life because we were both mutants. I gave him chances... I even wanted him to follow me."
Fire Fist Ace: "Hah, sounds kinda like my old self. I tried to take Whitebeard's head a few times too... but I got my ass handed to me every single time."
Pirate King Roger: "So, let me get this straight—you wanted to take in a son, just like Whitebeard, but instead, the son you wanted to recruit ended up killing you? That's on you. If your strength wasn't superior to his, what made you think you had the right to take him in as a subordinate?"
Sword God Ryuma: "If you died simply because you tried to recruit someone stronger than yourself, then honestly... you kind of deserved it."
Sebastian Shaw: sighed in exasperation. "Come on! If I weren't stronger than Erik, how could I have even considered recruiting him? It's common sense—the strong take in the weak!"
Sword God Ryuma: "Not necessarily. I've seen plenty of daimyos with egos bigger than their skills, yet somehow they've managed to recruit warriors far stronger than themselves. If you were really stronger than Erik, then how did he manage to kill you?"
Sebastian Shaw: "Because that brat got help. Otherwise, he would never have stood a chance against me. My ability is nearly invincible—the only real weakness is against psychic attacks. At that time, he had a telepathic mutant control my mind."
Uchiha Madara: scoffed. "Wait a second. Did you just say your ability is 'nearly invincible'? Sorry, but I can't just let that slide."
Lucas: "From a certain perspective, Sebastian Shaw's ability really is close to invincible. Except for psychic abilities, most attacks are completely ineffective against him. Unless the opponent is significantly stronger, there's almost no way to beat him in a fair fight. At an equal level, he's practically untouchable."
Senju Hashirama: grew curious. "What exactly is his ability? I don't think I've ever heard him explain it before."
Sebastian Shaw: smirked proudly. "My mutant ability is energy absorption. I can absorb kinetic energy, heat, electricity, even nuclear energy. Not only does this make me stronger, but I can also release the stored energy offensively in battle."
Uchiha Madara: "Hmph. Energy absorption? Sounds similar to the Rinnegan's chakra absorption. But what about Taijutsu? Wouldn't physical attacks work?"
Lucas: "He literally just said he absorbs kinetic energy. And what is Taijutsu if not kinetic energy? Not only that, but all physical and energy-based attacks are useless against him. That's why his ability is considered 'almost' invincible."
Howard Stark: "So let me get this straight—he can absorb kinetic energy, heat, and even nuclear energy? Yeah, that's a ridiculously broken ability. If there weren't any psychic mutants, wouldn't humanity be completely powerless against him?"
Lucas: "Not necessarily. As long as the energy is strong enough, it can still blow him up."
Howard Stark: "Ah, so we just have to keep increasing the power output? That makes him sound less threatening."
Sebastian Shaw : "Are you underestimating me? My ability makes me strong enough to take on an entire army by myself!"
Lucas: "Sure, in a one-on-one fight, your ability is top-tier. But against a modern army? Not so much. Compared to you, Erik's control over magnetic fields is much better suited for large-scale battles."
Sebastian Shaw: "Exactly! That's why I was so tolerant of him. I knew how useful he could be. If it weren't for his constant assassination attempts, I would've kept him under my wing. But that cunning brat... In the end, he played me."
Golden Lion Shiki : "Oh? Now that sounds interesting. What did he do?"
Sebastian Shaw: "I was well aware of my psychic vulnerability, so I had a helmet designed to block mental attacks. That little bastard faked his surrender just so he could steal my helmet. Once he took it off me, I was immediately controlled by a telepath and lost all ability to fight back."
Whitebeard : "My condolences... By the way, why did Erik want to kill you so badly?"
Sebastian Shaw: "Nothing major. When he was a child, I killed his mother to help him awaken his mutant abilities."
Whitebeard: "..."
Fire Fist Ace: "..."
Other: "..."
Golden Lion Shiki : "Shihahahaha…..No wonder that kid wanted you dead. You murdered his mother! And after doing something like that, you actually thought he'd become your subordinate?"
Sebastian Shaw: "Strength settles all disputes. Once he realized he could never defeat me, I figured he'd eventually let go of his hatred. After all, we're both mutants—we should stand together, not fight each other."
Whitebeard : "Alright, enough of your tragic villain backstory. I'm not particularly interested in it. Let's get back to the real topic—the school. Group Leader, is this place related to mutants, or does it have something to do with the Shaw?"
Lucas: "Both. This school was established specifically for mutants. And as for its principal... well, he's the very mutant who controlled the Shaw's mind, rendering his abilities useless and leading to his death."
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