To say that Captain Steve Grant Rogers has been through a lot would be the understatement of multiple centuries. He never would've imagined that joining the good fight would somehow put him in the realm of gods and monsters. Yet here he was, a man now doubly out of time, in a world not his own.
For "days" now, the super-soldier had been on a quest throughout the known universe to deliver the all-powerful Infinity Stones to their proper place. However, during one of his many voyages, his quantum suit received a powerful glitch, forcing him to take a harsh landing on the hostile planet of Sakaar.
Cap tried fighting back the eccentric "locals," but once those fiendish obedience disks got on his person, it was all over. Impressed by his fighting skills, the Grandmaster decided to "reward" him with the honor of fighting his greatest champion. This brings us to now, as Cap finds himself in the center of a large arena filled with alien bystanders frothing at the mouth for his downfall.
However, the super-soldier didn't dare pay them any mind; instead, he did what he's always done and focused on the mission ahead. Every second that he wasted here was another second that could put this timeline in danger. Because during his infamous capture, the good captain, unfortunately, lost both Mjolnir and the Stones.
This champion was the least of his worries if the latter was somehow in the Grandmaster's possession. Nevertheless, the Avenger didn't dare let fear cloud his judgment. He had already fought too hard, gave up too much to dare turn back now. So he will deliver the stones, and he will return to Peggy or die trying.
So as Steve steadied his mighty shield, he gave his alien captor one last look of defiance. One that sent shivers down his spine while he called for his mighty champion. Muscles tighter than a steel cable tensed at every oncoming stomp. The crowd's energy soon became ecstatic, roaring out of their seats while waving green flags and smoke flares.
That small hint was all Steve needed to put the pieces together and dread what was to come. In one of Thor's drunken rants over the years, he talked about this a lot. While most of the speech was incomprehensible, the main message was still evident. The champion he was facing was the Immortal, Indestructible, the Incredible.
"HHHHHUUUUULLLLKKKKK!" said the Green Goliath as he burst through the metal doors clad in gladiator attire and war paint.
Like clockwork, he basked in the adulation of the crowd, finally obtaining the respect he desperately craved. Picking up on this, Steve lowered his guard, walking towards the beast and trying to reason with him.
"Hulk, it's me, Steve. Do you remember me? If so, please, I don't want to fight you. We can get out of here together."
For once, Cap's speech fell on death ears, only angering Hulk as he leveled his large hammer and axe. Realizing that words would do nothing, Steve gave out an exhausted sigh before readying his shield. The two former allies shared a brief moment of tension, the only peace that was ever going to happen in this fight.
Hulk opened up first, nearly reaching the ceiling off a single jump. He didn't stay there long, though, as he immediately dropped down with a thunderous slam. Monstrous strength meets vibranium in a clash that sends waves of dust flying. Reflexively Cap braced his knees, letting the shield redirect most of the impact and shifting his weight just enough to slide off the shock.
Immediately his brain went into overdrive. Analyzing Hulk's massive frame, he instantly pointed out his weak points and made a strategy. His "ace in the hole" was the only way he was going to survive, meaning he had to stall as best he could. So, in quick succession, Cap threw his freedom frisbee twice in Hulk's face, stunning him long enough to strike his right ankle at full force.
No matter how strong he was, his pressure points were still weak points. Banner fell on one knee, letting Cap circle around and jump on top! Steve piled on the pressure like a jackhammer, striking Hulk's helmet, so many sparks flew! In anger, Hulk tried to fall on his back to smush Steve, but he immediately backflipped away to gain some distance.
However, in an unexpected move of sheer flexibility, Hulk's roll turned into a roll and then a wide swing that entirely made contact. The captain took a nasty hit even with the blocked shield, nearly losing consciousness upon colliding with the opposite wall. Bones creaked, and saliva flew out as Cap instantly slumped down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Grandmaster applauding his sacred champion.
That smarmy face was all Cap needed to get back up while keeping his concentration, knowing his ace was still approaching. After soaking up another round of applause, Hulk looked at the beaten Captain America and geared himself for another fight, running at him with primal energy.
However, this was exactly what the Captain wanted, as before he could strike a killing blow, the arena once again shook. Off in the distance, the sounds of crumbled stone and wrenched metal could be heard getting closer. Finally, however, our combatants heard something far greater than all those, the piercing cry of a storm.
A split second later, a blue streak of pure lightning collided with Hulk's helmet so hard it fragmented. The force alone was so great he dropped his ace as he got embedded in the wall. The screams of thousands instantly fell quiet under the sound of thunder as the streak revealed it's true form.
Forged in the heart of a dying star, enchanted by the gods and coated in an alloy that can hold off the Infinity Stones themselves, this legendary weapon is power incarnate. And Steve Rogers was more than worthy of it. So with a simple gesture, Cap called forth the mighty mallet Mjonir, imbuing himself with the power of Thor. Now rejuvenated, Cap also picked up Hulk's fallen axe, applying it on his shield hand. Now armed with the hammer, shield, and axe in hand he assumed a battle position, saying to the fellow super-soldier.
"I can do this all day."
The quote alone was so infuriating that Hulk burst out of his metallic coffin, freshly pissed off as he removed his crumpled helmet. For the first time in months, the crowd had no idea who would win, forcing them to a lulled silence at the second clash between Avengers. Now properly angered, Hulk unleashed a massive jump; however, Cap met him for a mid-air battle this time.
Magic and Gamma radiation clashed in a barrage of CQC blows that lit up the arena like fireworks. Unfortunately, the two were evenly matched in power, making this a bitter struggle. Eventually, Hulk grabbed Cap's chest, slamming him back to the earth hard enough to create a cloud of thick dust. Following that, the beast immediately threw Cap aside like a ragdoll.
Using this newfound distance to an advantage, Steve immediately threw Mjolnir and his shield together while using the axe to steady himself. Hulk paid them no mind, thinking that he simply missed his shot. However, that quickly shifted when a small flick of the wrist forced the hammer to hit the shield right into Hulk's right leg. With him correctly tripped up, Cap instantly disarmed Hulk's hammer with the axe!
Before he could recover properly, Hulk got smacked in the head upon Mljonir's return. From there, a will of iron mixed with a god's might overwhelmed Earth's mightiest hero as Cap used both the axe and hammer to launch his shield repeatedly. Each hit was stronger and more brutal than the last, forcing him back upon every swing.
Unfortunately, Jade Jaws adapted, countering back with a heavenly thunderclap. Every eardrum in the arena rang violently while the shield's momentum completely stopped dead. Waves of dirt completely discombobulated the Star-Spangled Man meaning he barely blocked a punch that broke his axe completely from force alone.
The hammer's enhancement was the only thing that saved Rogers from an early grave. However, both had become a near unstoppable force at that point, standing his ground while hitting him dead-on with a Mlojnir equipped right hook to the face. This left him wide open for Cap to ingeniously pin the hammer on Hulk's body.
From there, Steve still latched on to the now immobilized monster, reequipping his shield and maintaining his grip on the hammer to unleash his final attack. Cap poured every single ounce of power and will into his final blast, so much that his body started to spark with unkempt power. He had seen Thor do this a thousand times but experiencing it was a whole another matter entirely.
For a full-on minute, the two Avengers kept their grappling match up while the various machines of the arena started to spark and sputter at the thundercloud overhead. The audience now started to get scared, worried over the tremendous power about to take place. Cap finally let it loose once he couldn't contain the mighty storm anymore.
A humongous, concentrated blast of pure lightning aimed itself right at the two heroes. Cap ducked behind his shield at the last second as soon enough. He got launched from the massive explosion. An all-consuming light bathed the stadium as the blast tore through the ground and ravaged the Hulk with millions of concentrated volts.
When the dust settled, a bruised, bloody dirt-filled Cap came out of the smoke, gazing upon a giant searing crater with a defeated Hulk in the center. Shock and awe completely overtook the crowd, speechless that their champion had fallen. Then, however, the crowd started to cheer Steve Rogers' name one by one.
"Cap-tian, Cap-tian, Cap-tian," the crowd said with increasing hype.
However, like before, the Captain paid them no mind instead looking at the Grandmaster who was moments away from activating an alien device; realizing this, Steve threw his shield a final time while calling on Mjolnir. Unfortunately, the collision of the two weapons gave the shield more than enough momentum to break into Grandmaster's private seat and shred the device in half.
The tyrannical Skaaran looked at the feat in disbelief, realizing he had finally claimed the wrong individual. However, all he could do was marvel at the man who's faced titans and gods while utterly dreading what's to come. Because the super-soldier quickly took hold of his hammer once again, ready to fight his way through the entire planet. After all, if it were for Peggy, he could do this all day.