"Finally back."
Early in the morning, Artoria completed her discharge paperwork and returned to her little castle with a somewhat exhausted spirit. After a massive feast that left two chefs fainting from exhaustion, Artoria's mental state finally returned to normal. Now that she had energy, she began to study her newly acquired ability. Everything in the room began to float in mid-air, looking like a haunted house.
"Whimper Whimper"
"Don't be afraid, Little Nine-Tails, I'm just playing around."
Nine-Tails, who had been planning to jump into its owner's arms, was suddenly lifted by an unknown force. It floated helplessly in mid-air, its paws flailing unsteadily in the air, but it was soon caught by a pair of fair hands. Artoria gently held it in her arms and smoothed its orange-red fur, finally making Little Nine-Tails feel secure.
"You Little guys, don't even think about wrecking the house again!"
After Little Nine-Tails appeared, Second Fatty and Dongfang both ran in. Remembering how the once-beautiful garden had been turned into a messy, pitted ruin, Artoria couldn't help but tap the three little heads, giving them a warning. Although she wasn't afraid of spending money, it didn't feel good to have her things destroyed; after all, such good scenery was hard to find.
"Meow~ Awoo!"
Hiss~!
The three of them looked at each other, their beastly pupils gleaming with mutual disdain. It seemed Artoria's warning had no effect at all; on the contrary, the flames of war were about to be ignited among the little ones again. It was a pity these three hadn't grown up yet, otherwise they wouldn't have destroyed so little—Artoria's house would probably have been leveled.
"telekinesis really is a versatile ability. It's great, very suitable for being lazy."
When she wanted to drink water, the glass immediately flew into Artoria's hand. This ability was perfect for being lazy and putting on weight. After playing with the novelty for a bit, Artoria decided to continue training her physical abilities. Having been thoroughly drilled by Scáthach, Artoria felt her current power wasn't much; she was a jack of all trades but Master of none. During her fight with Scáthach, her Noble Phantasm release had even been interrupted by Scáthach's eerie speed.
This served as a wake-up call for Artoria. She had indeed used her Heroic Spirit powers very little lately, even though they were powers she liked. Whether it was the Heroic Spirit or Naruto powers, they were all excellent. But as a saying from One Piece goes, there are no useless fruits, only useless users. Madara proved that as long as one is strong enough, even ordinary Fire Release can be turned into a massive wall of fire.
"Artoria, Reed said he's throwing a recovery party. Why don't we go have a drink together!"
Just as she was about to enter the training room, Artoria received another invitation from Susan, asking her to attend the recovery party Reed was hosting. From the looks of it, he probably wanted to apologize to everyone. After all, he had completed the design and assembly of the spacecraft, and since it resulted in such a life-threatening failure, how could he not do something to apologize?
"Alright! Seeing those guys discover their mutations might be quite refreshing."
Thinking of Susan's lingerie show, Artoria felt a bit eager to try. How could she not watch a free benefit? Benefits delivered to her doorstep didn't feel very surprising; that sense of shyness from having to release benefits was what really got people excited—it was the classic feeling that 'wildflowers are more fragrant than domestic ones.'
"Has it been a bit too peaceful lately? Is something about to happen?"
Wondering if there would be a good show tonight, Artoria thought about how things had been too quiet recently. This didn't quite fit the 'Marvel Universe' worldview where things were usually chaotic; it was a bit too comfortable, like the dawn before a storm.
"Forget it, as long as it's not a six-star Thanos coming over with a fully loaded Infinity Gauntlet, anything is manageable."
Thinking carefully, the bosses on Earth could likely be resolved with a single Noble Phantasm release. Even if a particularly powerful boss couldn't be handled by one, then a second one would do.
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
With anticipation in her heart, Artoria headed toward the bathhouse. She wanted to take a good bath and prepare to have some fun tonight.
"Oh! This can't be real."
Stephen looked bitterly at his hands, which were filled with steel pins. As a highly skilled Doctor, he knew exactly what this meant. It meant his career as a Doctor was over; he could no longer perform surgery. To him, this was an absolute catastrophe.
"You've just had surgery, please don't get emotional."
As his assistant and lover, she could understand her boyfriend's feelings, but this was his own doing. Who told him to drink so much and then drive, flipping off the road? Now, even the insurance wouldn't pay out. Saving his life was already a stroke of luck.
"Get some rest now!"
Looking at the despondent Stephen, she had nothing left to say. She could only let him have some peace and quiet. She planned to take a few days off to accompany him. At this thought, she turned and left, leaving behind a dazed Stephen, who was staring at his hands in disbelief.
"Spider-Woman, is this what a superhero does?"
Brian looked on with a bit of disappointment as Spider-Man helped an old lady cross the street. This was a bit different from the superhero profession he admired! He had been so happy to get in touch with a superhero, but he didn't expect to see a scene like this. Do superheroes usually just do volunteer work?
"Buddy, I know it must be hard to believe, but I have to tell you, heroes aren't gods, they're people too. A hero is called a hero because they appear when people need them. If power is only used for destruction, then how is that superhero any different from those criminals?"
Regarding Brian's confusion, Spider-Man spoke with a tone of pride. He didn't think these small matters belittled his status as a superhero. He had learned a saying from the Confucius Institute established here by China: 'Do not fail to do good because it is small, and do not commit evil because it is small.' When his friends from China explained this phrase, he felt it was very similar to what Uncle Ben had said. He was very grateful to Miss Artoria for stepping up to save an ordinary elderly person instead of choosing to stand by and watch coldly.
Although he wanted to thank Miss Artoria afterward, he was rejected by her. Miss Artoria said it was just a small matter within her power, which moved him deeply. Later, during the Battle of New York, Miss Artoria and Mr. Tony, despite being billionaires, were willing to act for the lives of ordinary people. It was clear their power matched their character.
"I'm sorry, I was disrespectful. You are a true hero."
Washed by Spider-Man's 'Talk-no-Jutsu,' Brian reached out and touched the talisman in his pocket. A look of determination appeared in his eyes; he also wanted to become a superhero like Spider-Woman.
"Excuse me, buddy, something's happening over here."
Seeing thick smoke rising in the distance, it was obvious there was a fire. Spider-Man patted Brian on the shoulder and swung away from the ground. His busy figure grew even taller in Brian's eyes.
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