Following the noise, Dave found Tony sprawled out on the floor of his workshop, his hand clutching his chest, breathing heavily. The arc reactor in his chest was missing—it wasn't where it should be.
"Tony!" Dave rushed to his side, kneeling down. "What happened?"
Tony coughed weakly, looking up at him. "Obadiah... took the arc reactor... he..." Tony gasped, struggling for breath.
"Why didn't you use the armor?" Dave asked, already pulling out his phone to contact medical help or alert someone.
"Didn't... get the chance... he used an old pranking tech of mine," Tony managed to say. Dave nodded, understanding the situation.
"Do you have any spare reactors?" Dave asked as he scooped Tony up in a princess carry and began to head downstairs, where all of Tony's tech was usually spread out.
"Not... there... my room," Tony gasped as his condition continued to worsen, looking as though he might faint any moment.
Dave followed Jarvis' directions and rushed Tony to his room. As he entered, he found a hidden safe behind a painting, just like Jarvis had directed him. Opening it, Dave saw a bunch of spare arc reactors neatly stored inside, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
He quickly grabbed one and carefully placed it into Tony's chest.
"Ahhhh," Tony gasped loudly, breathing deeply as he sat up, clutching his chest. "You... saved me there."
"Well, you had a lot of spares," Dave said, noting there were about ten more arc reactors inside the safe.
"Yeah... after that little gift of yours swallowed up my armor, I got scared it might swallow my reactor too, so I made extra backups for emergencies," Tony explained with a faint grin, and Dave nodded.
"Where's Pepper?" Dave asked, now serious.
"Obadiah... took her. He found out I sent her after him... and now he's planning to kill her first," Tony said grimly as he stood up, his strength returning. He began moving toward his basement lab where his suits were stored.
"Why did he take her?" Dave asked, following closely.
"He figured out what I was up to... and Pepper was the one I sent to gather evidence against him. Now he's holding her to get back at me," Tony said as they reached the basement. Tony quickly suited up in his armor, grabbing two gauntlets, just he picked them, his body was covered in Ifrit Mark I, the Iron man armour.
"You coming with me?" Tony asked, looking at Dave.
"Of course," Dave nodded, shifting into his Dante form.
"...So it was you," Tony said, realizing now who had taken down the Abomination.
Dave nodded, knowing Tony had just connected the dots. Now it was time to save Pepper and put an end to Obadiah's scheme.
Tony, fully suited up in his armor, turned toward the exit of his workshop, determination evident on his face. The tension in the air was thick, and Dave, now in his Dante form, cracked his neck, ready for whatever was coming.
"Jarvis, locate Obadiah," Tony commanded.
"Sir, his last known position is near the Stark Industries warehouse district," Jarvis responded, his calm voice contrasting with the urgency of the situation.
"Let's move," Tony said, blasting off from the basement with his thrusters, while Dave followed, leaping through the air with ease, keeping up with the flying suit of armor.
As they approached the warehouse district, Dave spoke up. "What's the plan? Is he expecting you?"
"He probably is," Tony replied through his comms. "He's got my old arc reactor in his chest now, and he's using a version of my suit... probably thinking he can overpower me with brute strength."
"That overconfidence will be his downfall," Dave muttered. "I'll take care of any distractions, you focus on Pepper and getting that reactor back."
"Deal," Tony agreed as they closed in on the warehouse. From a distance, they could see the massive figure of Obadiah's armor—larger and bulkier than Tony's Iron Man suit, standing menacingly near a line of shipping containers. Next to him, Pepper was tied to a metal post, her face pale but her eyes sharp with determination.
Tony landed first, his suit hitting the ground with a metallic thud. Dave followed, his boots skidding across the gravel as he came to a stop beside Tony. Obadiah turned slowly, his massive suit creaking under the weight of its oversized frame.
"So, you finally showed up, Stark," Obadiah's voice boomed through his suit's speakers, dripping with malice. "And you brought a friend."
"I'm not here to talk, Obadiah," Tony said coldly, his visor lowering over his face. "You crossed the line when you went after Pepper."
Obadiah laughed, the sound rumbling through the air. "You never had the guts for this, Tony. Always hiding behind your technology. But me? I'll crush you with your own invention."
As Obadiah took a step forward, Dave shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing. "You're making a big mistake if you think brute force is going to win this."
Obadiah sneered. "And who are you, huh? Another of Stark's lackeys?"
Dave smirked, raising his hand as a glowing red energy gathered around it. "You'll find out soon enough."
Before Obadiah could react, Dave dashed forward, using his Air Trick ability to vanish and reappear behind Obadiah's massive armor. With a swift strike, he slashed at one of the armor's joints, causing sparks to fly. Obadiah roared in anger, spinning around to face Dave, but the smaller and faster man easily dodged his attacks, slipping through the air like a shadow.
While Dave kept Obadiah distracted, Tony made his move toward Pepper, his suit's scanners analyzing her restraints. "Hang tight, I'm getting you out of here," he said, his suit's gauntlet lighting up as he carefully sliced through the metal bindings.
Pepper, though shaken, nodded. "Be careful, Tony... Obadiah's gone mad."
"I know," Tony replied, his tone softening for a moment as he freed her hands. "But he hasn't gone mad, he is just showing his real face."
Suddenly, Obadiah let out a bellowing roar, swinging his massive arm toward Dave, who nimbly avoided it with a backflip. The attack missed, crashing into the ground and leaving a deep crater.
****
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'My Charity System Made me Too OP'
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