Chapter 83: Smith, Save Me!

Tony flexed his limbs and asked Smith Doyle:

"How do I look?"

Smith nodded in admiration.

"Very cool. Armor is a man's romance."

"The Mark I was a bit too crude… but Tony, this armor is so slick — planning to sell it?"

"If you do, let me know first. I want to collect one."

Hearing that, Tony immediately shook his head.

"No, I won't sell it. This is my personal property — it doesn't belong to Stark Industries."

Smith wasn't surprised by the flat refusal; he had only asked out of curiosity. He figured that if Bulma really wanted to, she could probably handcraft her own suit anyway.

"OK, not selling is good too. This thing's destructive power isn't low. Selling it would just make you another arms dealer."

Tony nodded.

"Exactly. This stays mine alone — no sales."

"Alright then, let me show you what the Mark II can really do."

The next second, Tony shot up into the air with a spray of sparks, doing a dramatic aerial maneuver. Smith almost laughed out loud at the sight.

Tony soared out of the garage, and Smith didn't stay behind — he used Bukūjutsu to follow.

Feeling the wind on his face, Tony let out an excited yell:

"Woohoo!"

"Ha ha, now this is flying!"

Jarvis's voice chimed in:

"Sir, Mr. Smith is right beside you."

Tony grinned mid-flight.

"Smith, let's see who can fly faster — and higher!"

Smith was instantly game.

"OK, I was thinking the same."

"I'll count. One, two, three — go!"

With that, Tony gunned his thrusters and rocketed ahead. Smith wasn't about to lose; he flared his ki and shot forward like a bullet.

High above, the two weaved and darted through the sky. Tony couldn't help but exclaim:

"This feels like a dream!"

But then Jarvis spoke again:

"Sir, you are not pulling away from Mr. Smith."

Realizing that Smith was keeping pace even without armor, Tony smirked.

"Fine then. Let's show Smith what the Mark II can really do."

He shot straight upward, breaking through the clouds.

"Jarvis, what's the record for a reconnaissance plane?"

"Fixed-wing reconnaissance record: eighty-five thousand feet, sir."

"Records are made to be broken. Let's go!"

Smith watched Tony punch higher and kept pace.

But he began to carefully control his ki — his battle power was still below 200, a few divine ranks behind Tony's tech.

As Tony started to pull ahead, he called out gleefully:

"Ha ha! Smith, I might not fly like you do, but my suit finally outpaces you!"

But then Smith noticed frost forming on the Mark II. Jarvis warned:

"Sir, ice buildup increasing rapidly. The suit may sustain damage."

Tony ignored it.

"Keep climbing!"

Smith sighed inwardly. Clearly Tony hadn't accounted for high-altitude icing — which meant Smith would probably have to save him again.

Higher and higher they went. Suddenly Tony's thrusters sputtered out. His legs froze, and the suit lost all power, sending him tumbling earthward.

Smith shot past him, then heard Tony's panicked voice:

"Jarvis, I'm frozen!"

"Jarvis?"

"Smith! Save me!"

"Ahhhh!"

Smith didn't hesitate. If he waited too long, Tony might regain control — but if not, he'd hit the ground hard.

He turned, diving after the plummeting suit.

Though Tony fell fast, Smith's ki-charged dive was faster.

He caught up and grabbed the armored man midair.

Boom!

The impact was tremendous — the weight of the Mark II plus momentum almost dragged Smith down with him. But with another burst of ki and Bukūjutsu, he stabilized them both.

"Ha ha! Smith Doyle, you've saved me again!"

Smith smirked and tapped the frozen suit. The ice shattered instantly, and Jarvis rebooted the systems.

"Smith, I'm back online!"

Smith let go, and Tony's thrusters reignited.

They flew back to Tony's rooftop, and Tony called:

"Power down!"

Crash!

The Mark II smashed straight through the roof into the garage below, flattening a car.

Smith floated down after him, chuckling as he saw Dum-E spraying Tony with CO2.

"Tony, what act was that supposed to be?"

Tony lay on the floor in resignation. He'd wanted to show off, but it had backfired, leaving him embarrassed.

With Jarvis's help, Tony finally climbed out of the armor.

Smith clapped him on the shoulder.

"Tony, once you fix the icing problem, your suit will still be number one."

Seeing Smith's thumbs-up, Tony managed a sheepish smile.

Back in the lab, Tony grabbed a cup of coffee from the table.

"Pepper brewed this for me. Not for you."

Hearing Tony's smug tone, Smith glanced at the two wrapped gifts on the table and teased:

"Not just coffee — you've got presents too?"

"Tony, is your secretary trying to seduce you?"

Tony blinked.

"Seduce me?"

"No way. If anything, I'd be the one seducing her."

Curious, Smith watched Tony unwrap one of the boxes. Inside was his old arc reactor, mounted in a glass case with an inscription: Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

(End of Chapter)

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