"Yeah! Why isn't Lynch here? Isn't Natasha his girlfriend?"
Only then did Thor realize that Lynch was missing from such an important occasion!
A trace of seriousness flashed across Banner's face as he spoke:
"I believe he should be here."
Fury, being questioned by three people, glanced at each of them with a blank expression, then coldly said:
"Your question is the reason."
He glared, his tone growing more agitated:
"Why do you all think Lynch has to be here?"
As he spoke, his voice grew louder, and he nearly shouted:
"I don't understand. A genius, a god, a scholar—why are you all placing your hopes on one person? If that person isn't here, are you going to run home crying to your moms when things go wrong?"
"You're overreacting. Lynch is also part of the Avengers, isn't he?" Tony frowned, fighting back.
"No! You are the Avengers! He's the final option! Do you really want to leave Earth's safety in one person's hands every single time?" Fury cut Tony off loudly.
The three fell into an awkward silence. Indeed, leaving the planet's safety to one person was risky. What if that person someday wanted to destroy the world? Who could stop him?
"Why not?"
Thor's voice broke the silence.
Facing their questioning looks, he said seriously:
"My father, Odin, ruler of Asgard and the Nine Realms, has borne the responsibility for the safety of Asgard and the realms alone for thousands of years. He has fought off countless enemies from beyond the Nine Realms and those invading Asgard."
The others exchanged confused glances, unsure of what to say.
But Thor continued, unfazed:
"Although Lynch isn't as powerful as my father, as a god of Midgard, isn't it natural for him to defend Earth?"
They all looked at each other for a long time before Tony couldn't hold back any longer:
"We don't need gods. Hammer guy, the age of gods is over. Earth is now ruled by humans. Lynch is human too!"
"He only looks human. In reality, he is a god!" Thor argued.
"You look more like a fanatic," Tony retorted sarcastically.
"You—!"
"Enough!"
A loud voice interrupted—it was Captain America, who had finally had enough.
"I think Fury is right."
He stepped into the center, taking on his leadership role:
"We should be fighting for Earth's safety. That's the reason we come together."
Looking around at everyone, his voice was solemn and commanding:
"One person's strength is limited. If we do nothing, no matter how strong Lynch is, he could still be defeated by enemies one day. I believe only by uniting can we overcome any threat."
Finally, the super-powered hotheads stopped arguing. Under Captain America's charisma, they reluctantly agreed with him.
"So, are we a team now?"
Captain America held out his hand, and one by one, the heroes placed their hands on his.
"Good."
Seeing the group united for the first time, Fury nodded in satisfaction, silently appreciating Captain America's leadership.
"Now, we can discuss the mission."
"What exactly do you want us to do?" Tony asked curiously.
"Rescue people? I doubt they'll sit down and chat with us peacefully—the fish guy already declared war!"
"I want you to gather information on them, understand their situation, and prepare us for what's to come," Fury said gravely.
"What kind of preparation? War?" Tony pressed.
"That depends on them," Fury replied expressionlessly.
"Of course, the methods you use are up to you."
The group exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.
"Let's teach that fish guy a lesson!"
...
On the Atlantic Ocean, a yacht was cutting through the waves, heading toward a distant destination.
They didn't use a large ship because the past two disastrous experiences made it clear—large vessels are easy targets, requiring many people to operate. If attacked, there would be heavy casualties.
After some discussion, they decided to take a large ship initially, then switch to a smaller yacht as they neared the target.
With a yacht, they were a smaller target, and it would be easier for the elite team to maneuver.
After a couple of hours of sailing, the group's initially tense nerves began to relax, and they started to do their own things.
Thor put on sunglasses and laid back on the deck, sunbathing.
It was a habit he'd picked up from hanging out with Lynch. Back then, to enhance his strength, he would imitate many of Lynch's activities. Eventually, he found sunbathing quite suitable for someone like him, with a long lifespan and nothing to do.
In his workshop, Tony was tinkering with a new Iron Man suit.
This suit was specially designed for underwater combat in deep seas, expected to perform in high-intensity operations at depths of 1,000 meters.
At the yacht's highest control room, Hawkeye had taken up his usual high-ground position, where he liked to oversee everything and make tactical decisions.
Captain America, unable to stay idle, was exercising in the modestly equipped training room.
Meanwhile, Banner stayed peacefully in his room, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed, as if nothing in the world concerned him.
The Atlantic sky was cloudless, and the sun was so strong that even Thor was feeling drowsy.
"It's been so long, still not there yet. Guess I wouldn't be overdoing it if I took a nap."
Thinking this, Thor's consciousness slowly drifted into sleep.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Thor groggily woke up, touched his face—
Was that seawater?
"Is it raining?"
Thor groggily looked up, instantly snapping awake.
What had been a clear, sunny sky now featured a colossal wave, towering and rushing toward them at breakneck speed, making their yacht look like a tiny leaf caught in a storm.
"What are you doing? There's a tsunami coming! Get out here!"
Just as he shouted, Iron Man shot out of the yacht with a burst of fire.
"What's going on?" Tony asked, staring at the massive wave in confusion.
JARVIS had been monitoring everything, and any threat within a kilometer should've triggered an alert. How had this tsunami appeared out of nowhere?
"The tsunami appeared 30 seconds ago, sir," JARVIS explained.
"What? 30 seconds? You're telling me someone's carrying a giant wave machine and following us?"
But there was no time for Tony to dwell on it—by now, the wave was crashing toward the yacht, ready to swallow it whole.
On deck, Banner, Captain America, and Hawkeye were already wearing life vests, ready to jump into the sea at any moment.
"Do something! Aren't you the god of thunder? You should be able to control storms or something, right?" Captain America shouted to Thor, who stood firmly on the deck.
"I know!" Thor yelled back, his eyes starting to spark with electricity.
In an instant, arcs of lightning crackled and danced across his body. He raised his hammer high—
Boom!
Lightning struck him like a waterfall, causing the ocean winds to howl and dark clouds to swirl. A storm was brewing, and Thor rose into the sky, Mjolnir drawing more and more lightning into him, glowing brilliantly amidst the raging storm.
With a steely gaze, Thor aimed his hammer at the massive wave and pointed it forward!
Countless bolts of lightning shot from his hammer, crashing into the towering wave with violent force!
The lightning gathered and collided at the wave's forefront, triggering an explosion that sent shockwaves rippling across the ocean, scattering the massive wave!
Thor knew that water conducts electricity, so he used an explosive burst of lightning to break the wave apart.
At the same time, the winds intensified, swirling in sync with the lightning-charged clouds Thor had summoned, pushing back the wave.
With wind and lightning working together, the once fearsome wave began to lose momentum, as if it had struck an invisible barrier.
Seeing the wave start to dissipate, Thor allowed a small grin to spread across his face.
"Well done, thunder guy!" Tony quipped.
He had seen many bizarre things, so witnessing Thor's display of power didn't faze him. The most Tony would do now was switch from calling him "hammer guy" to "lightning guy."
"Nice work, Thor! Your name's Thor, right?" Captain America smiled and praised him.
Thor laughed heartily:
"I am the god of thunder! The ocean is my domain too!"
But, just as the wave was about to fully retreat, it suddenly surged back, more powerful than before!
"Oh no!" Tony's eyes widened, and he shouted:
"Run! Thor, can you hit it again?"
"Go, go, go!" Captain America yelled, diving into the water with the others.
"Even if I can't, I have to!" Thor roared, his body crackling with lightning again as he raised his hammer and flew higher into the sky.
Seeing Thor get ready, Tony shouted to him:
"I'll count to three... 1, 2, 3!"
The moment the count ended, an avalanche of lightning bolts and mini missiles launched at the wave simultaneously.
Boom!!
The combined attack struck the wave with a deafening explosion, but it didn't fully disperse the wall of water. The remnants of the wave immediately crashed down, swallowing the stunned duo, their yacht, and the three who had jumped into the water moments earlier.
"Roar!"
A monstrous growl echoed through the deep blue waters as a flash of green surged upwards.
Sensing the danger, Hulk burst out of the ocean, swimming toward the surface with all his might. Captain America, dragging Hawkeye along, followed closely behind.
But Thor and Tony weren't so lucky. Hit head-on by the massive wave, Tony's suit suffered damage, and Thor nearly lost consciousness.
"Locate them! Take me to—"
Just as Tony stabilized himself and tried to rescue his comrades, he felt a tremendous force slam into his back.
The next second, Iron Man was sent tumbling through the water, spinning dozens of meters away.
"What the heck was that?" Tony asked in shock.
"Sir, it was the Atlantean—Namor," JARVIS replied, pulling up a visual.
The figure that had just ambushed Tony from behind was none other than Namor, trident in hand, clad in black.
"That kind of power..." Tony glanced at the damage to his suit and grimaced. He decided it was time to retreat.
"JARVIS—"
Boom!
Another brutal force struck him!
"Now! Get us out of here!" Tony shouted.
His suit roared to life, jets firing at full power as he shot into the air.
"Thor!" Tony grabbed Thor and quickly located Banner, Captain America, and Hawkeye before rapidly ascending!
But behind them, an even larger wave than before was chasing at an impossible speed!
Atop the towering wave stood Namor, trident raised high, his expression cold and merciless.
"A bunch of ragtag mortals dare challenge me?"