Chapter 107 – A Rematch Promised

Tony clearly didn't buy that there were so many people in the world stronger than Smith.

His face practically said don't think you can fool me just because I'm not a superpowered guy. Smith chuckled at his expression and said,"You'll find out soon enough. This world is going to get more and more interesting."

Tony scoffed."So you're not all that, huh? Can't even rank yourself."

"But me? I'm still the world's number one scientist. Give me time — I'll build a better suit of armor. And then I'll outdo you, and all those so-called 'guys stronger than you,' one by one."

Smith grinned faintly at his confidence. Tony's faith in himself was kind of admirable. He already had a dozen new ideas for improvements just from their little sparring match. He might've lost today, but next time? He intended to win.

Hearing Tony's declaration, Smith couldn't help but think of all the insane versions of the Mark suits he'd seen in the comics. Some of them really could match or even surpass those powerhouses he mentioned… though, funny enough, whenever Tony built a "counter-Smith" suit, he himself would probably end up dismantling it anyway.

Smiling faintly, Smith said:"Alright. Once you've got your next suit ready, we'll have another round."

After all, while Tony could upgrade his armor, Smith could keep growing stronger too. Between his wish-granting system, his own training, and the latent Saiyan blood in his veins, his growth would surely outpace even Tony's wildest inventions.

Smith stood up and added:"That's enough sparring for today. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out with Bulma now."

Tony didn't try to stop him — he was already itching to get back to his lab and start working."Fine, we'll call it here. But next time, I'm taking you down."

"Bulma, I'll have Pepper order the rest of your equipment and have it delivered as soon as possible."

Smith waved."Looking forward to it."

Bulma smiled sweetly."Thanks, Tony. And who knows — next time maybe I'll be the one sparring with you."

Smith raised an eyebrow at that — clearly she was already plotting a battle suit of her own. He almost wanted to tell her: Forget suits, go invent androids instead.

Tony simply chuckled and waved them off without taking her words too seriously.

Once Smith and Bulma were gone, Tony returned to his lab. Looking at the wreckage of the Mark III, its twisted, dented, and fractured plating, he couldn't help but grimace. Smith was even stronger than he'd anticipated.

And he was sure… Smith hadn't even gone all out.

Sitting down in his chair, Tony stared at his screens and called out:"JARVIS, you recorded everything, right?"

"Yes, sir. The entire battle, from multiple angles."

Tony nodded."Analyze his strength and reaction speed."

"Sir, based on observed data, Smith's peak combat speed exceeded Mach 4 — and that doesn't appear to be his limit."

Tony frowned slightly."Faster than my current top speed…"

JARVIS continued:"More importantly, sir, his reaction speed was far beyond normal parameters. According to Mark II's sensors, every one of your attacks was effortlessly dodged — had he chosen to."

"And his striking power is capable of deforming and penetrating gold-titanium alloy plating with ease. Estimated output: over ten tons of force."

Tony leaned back with a dry laugh."Pfft. Compared to him, even Captain America is just a baby."

JARVIS added dryly:"Sir, relative to him, you're also just a baby."

"…You bastard."

Tony grumbled, but didn't refute it."Save all combat data to my private server and encrypt it. And start making notes — the next suit's going to need full seals, internal air circulation, water recycling, heating, everything. I'm not drowning in my own armor again."

"And JARVIS — start working on a new alloy. One that can stand up to his fists and doesn't have any fatal flaws like vibranium's ultrasonic resonance."

"Yes, sir. And weapons?"

"Oh, believe me," Tony said with a grin. "The Mark's going to need some new toys."

…

Meanwhile…

Across the ocean, Obadiah Stane had just arrived at a camp outside Gulmira, flanked by his own guards. There, waiting to receive him at the entrance, was Raza.

"Welcome," Raza said coldly.

Obadiah stepped forward with a polite smile, looking him up and down."You know… if you'd just killed him outright back then, you wouldn't have lost so many men."

"I hear you had another little… incident today?"

Raza's gaze hardened."That would've been letting him off easy," he sneered. "And you never told me our target was Tony Stark."

Obadiah didn't bother denying it. He simply got to the point."Show me what you've got."

"Not so fast," Raza said flatly. "Your bodyguards stay outside."

Obadiah gestured for his men to remain where they were, then followed Raza into the tent.

…

(End of Chapter)

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