Patronus Maximus
Chapter XXXVI: Abomination
It was days after the Paititi adventure and the family was back home at their private corner in the world. A heavy atmosphere overcame the Homestead as the Uzumaki Manor became one of disappointment and utter disbelief.
"And that's how everything started," Lara finished her story. She began with her and Naruto's time together in Paititi, the end of Trinity, and the restoration of the temples through the Hidden City. She then ended it with her decision to take the Key out of its resting place, the decision that took the lives of innocents.
Sitting on the couch in front of her were the ladies as they had differing expressions: Saeko was stunned, Kuroka in shock, Rhea disappointed, and Medusa being blank. Naruto sat nearby on a soft chair, offering silent support to his downtrodden girlfriend.
"I am… I am so sorry," Lara apologized as she kneeled in front of them with her head touching the floor. "I know what I did was reckless. I can only hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."
Sadly, two of the women could not do so. "You put a lot of people in jeopardy, Lara," Saeko scolded the archeologist. "Some of them were children even." She left the room to be with the twins in their bedroom.
"I'm more of a playful type girl, but you… I don't know what to say really," Kuroka admitted as she left the room as well.
Medusa sighed deeply as she contemplated her feelings about this, but admired Lara's honesty. The former priestess stood up and patted the British girl's shoulder, giving her silent forgiveness somewhat. The pregnant Rhea hummed in thought as she held her growing abdomen and remembered that her goals to teach her new child numerous values. One of them was forgiveness.
"What you did was something, Lara, but my years of living have taught the power of forgiveness," Rhea leaned forward and gently lifted the mortal's face up, their eyes meeting each other. "And you need to forgive yourself as well." She even kissed Lara's forehead, showing her token of forgiveness. "Now I must go and rest upstairs—the little one is starting to kick."
An excited Naruto rose from his seat and placed a hand on Rhea's stomach. "It started kicking?" He asked as Rhea nodded with a smile. "That's great!" Lara hesitated but approached the couple as she placed her hand on the Titaness's stomach, laughing a little when a kick was felt.
"It's wonderful," Lara said under breath. She then looked at Naruto with a longing expression, but quickly removed the thoughts she had.
With that over, the members chose to eat lunch. As for Kuroka and Saeko, they soon joined them, but none of them spoke to Lara. For now, they want to enjoy their meals together as a family.
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(Three Weeks Later)
Time passed for the Uzumaki Clan after Naruto and Lara's adventure in Paititi. Said aspect fleeted for the ninja as he had yet to choose his title officially. The East Coast always became the first to experience the coming of snow as it blanketed the streets and buildings.
"Naruto, kami of Harmonious Nature…" The costumed ninja nodded vigorously. "I like it." He admitted his surprise about being a nature god when Pan told him back at the Amazon. "But I feel something more to it. I wonder what that is." He mused as the collection of snow sat atop his hood, signifying the amount of time he meditated atop the Fenway Park. "I should tell Tamae about this as soon as possible."
After Paititi, Naruto visited Amaterasu in Takamagahara, much to the queen's joy. He was happy to see her recover and spent three days with the sun goddess. Tamae was happy and acted like a young girl instead of the ruler to a pantheon of gods… something Naruto noticed each time he hung out with her. She had asked him if he and the clan would spend Christmas in Takamagahara this year, and he could not refuse, mainly because she pulled the 'cute puppy dog pout.'
"I knew I shouldn't have told her about that series," Naruto muttered, chastising himself for giving the information to the goddess. Though he is curious about the festivities like Halloween and Christmas are celebrated in the Shinto realm. It might be the last memory of this universe before they leave for the next one.
Blaring suddenly nearby was the indisputable sound of the police in high pursuit.
"Time to go to work," Naruto stood up and leaped off the roof as he fell towards the street before correcting himself to land on top of a squad car silently. He wasn't fazed when rain began to fall from the skies above, but that just meant the rainy season had arrived on the East Coast.
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Gamma Base
Outside of Vista Verde, New Mexico
Another day for the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. to enjoy their peaceful days without crime hinderance. This was bad for crime fighters as boredom would later consume them, or in the case of A-Bomb, the joy of pranking became too much to resist.
"Hey, Hulksters, A-Bomb here. Today I will show the base's secrets," An excited A-Bomb exclaimed to his fans via the floating cameras. He walked into a chamber where a missile stood vertically at the ready. "The first on our list is the Hulk Rocket! I didn't even know we had a rocket until last Tuesday. It's awesome sauce!" He approached his fellow agent who was working at the rocket. "Hey, Jen, what's up?"
Jen turned the ratchet on a specific part as she replied, "Red's been on me to get this firecracker ready to launch."
"Launch? Why?" A-Bomb asked before quickly saying, "Oh wait, let me guess. Red wouldn't tell you why because of the same old reason."
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"It's classified!" Red answered before knocking away a camera. He was rudely interrupted by A-Bomb's arrival and questioning before returning to his previous chore.
A-Bomb turned to one of the cameras, "This is where Red Hulk keeps his secrets and manlings."
"Lings?" Red asked while wiping his trophies to get rid of dust. "These are mementos of the times I had tomes of men who followed my every command." He sighed affectionately, "Those were the days."
A memento caught A-Bomb's attention as he pointed at it. "Hey, will you tell the folks at home what you got for this one?" He yelped when Red slapped it away.
"Classified!"
With Red kicking him out, and Jen busy working on the rocket, A-Bomb walked to the training room where Hulk was battling one of the combat robots. "One thing that's not classified here is my big green buddy likes to smash stuff," He informed to the cameras as Hulk remained unfazed by the robot's blows.
"We're a family. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other," Hulk answered. Apparently, he disapproved of secrets, "All secrets do is cause trouble. I hate secrets!" He threw a hard punch and easily tore apart the robot.
"So, Hulk doesn't like secrets?" A-Bomb mused. "Who knew?"
"Apparently not me." The two Hulks looked to the ceiling where Patronus was found… standing upside down on the ceiling like a certain wall-crawler. "How goes it, guys?" He greeted the agents with a high five to A-Bomb and a wave to Hulk.
"How did you—Never mind," Hulk shook it out. "I assume you're here about the plans. Luckily, Reed was able to get started on the structure."
"Oh right, the ship's plans. Can't believe I forgot about that," Naruto thought before saying, "Cool, but I just wanted to visit my favorite team of smashing gamma powered heroes. Christmas will be arriving, but I wanted to get away from the snow in Boston too. Only so much a guy can take."
A-Bomb pouted at the mention of snow. "You're lucky to have cold weather to celebrate the Holidays. It's more exciting that way." Their conversation about the weather was interrupted by the arrival of Devil the Red Tyrannosaurus.
"Devil, what is it?" Hulk asked the base pet. The dinosaur placed a metallic boomerang that only belonged to one agent. "That's Skar's. Where did you find it?"
The heroes gathered outside of the base as they searched for the missing Skaar. "Skaar!"
"Skaar!"
"Skaar the Barbarian, come out!"
"Nice one, Patronus."
"Thanks, A-Bomb."
Hulk had a radio and attempted to contact Skaar. "Skaar, come in. Do you read me?" No response came but static.
"He probably ate his comms again," Jen remarked off-handedly.
"Again?" Patronus asked with surprise.
A-Bomb had his PDA out and searched for Skaar's signal. "Can't pick up any live stream from the cameras." The heroes' attention was drawn by Devil's growling as the latter found a damaged camera. "There's the answer: can't get images from a dead camera."
"Check its memory," Hulk suggested to the tech-oriented agent. The heroes were back inside the base as A-Bomb connected the camera to the servers.
The computer's screen showed Skaar casually throwing his boomerang outside either out of boredom or as a pastime. Then the images took on slightly static white and black lines since the memory chip was partially damaged. It wasn't enough as the heroes managed to get a look of Skaar's attacker: a green beast with goblin-like ears and hulking muscular physique.
"Who is that?" Jen asked, taken aback by the enemy's appearance.
Red was not pleased to see him as well. "Oh no."
"The only creature as strong as me: Abomination," Hulk answered grimly.
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Uzumaki Manor, Homestead Grounds
Forested Massachusetts
Rhea was walking around the grounds as she wanted to be with nature instead of being cooped up in the manor. She stopped when a thundering presence arrived in front of her, growling at the unwelcomed trespasser. "Hello there, Rexy. Enjoying the feast?" The unfazed Titaness asked as she waved her hand. A very large slab of smoking meat appeared in front of the dinosaur before the latter began eating viciously.
She continued her pace until her destination was reached and the person whom the Titaness wanted to talk for a while. Lara was sitting with knees tucked close to her chest with Makakoyumi nearby. "Lara."
"Rhea…"
"May I sit?"
"Of course."
The pregnant Titaness slowly took a seat next to her sister-wife even though Lara wasn't a wife to Naruto… yet. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Lara answered, but she caught Rhea's incredulous gaze. "No. I thought Saeko and Kuroka would forgive me by now, but my actions clearly upset them more than I thought."
"Well, both of them are mothers, so they are naturally more cautious and protective. And I speak from experience, of course."
Lara looked at the immortal woman, "You forgave me."
"I've learned to forgive after many, many centuries of living," Rhea answered simply. "As for Medusa, she's… you know her history."
"So, I should just wait and take in the cold shoulders from Kuroka and Saeko until they forgive me?"
"That is the only course of action for you right now."
Sighing heavily, Lara lightly leaned against Rhea's head like sisters would as they watched the sea waves approach the land, enjoying the site while wondering where their husband/boyfriend is with their donuts and scone.
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Gamma Base
Outside of Vista Verde, New Mexico
The heroes came running into the command room as they sought to activate their security measure. "Jen, activate the Gamma scanners. Find Skaar," Hulk ordered as he was typing command keys into the computer.
"I can't—we're locked out of the system," Jen answered her cousin. "We're locked out of our comms, defenses, everything!"
"That's not good," Patronus said aloud. "And I left Jocasta back at Horizon Labs in Boston."
Hulk said about something rebooting the system, but the computer and servers exploded moments later. When the smoke cleared, the mutual consensus was that the systems were booby-trapped. They then heard several 'slams' and 'thuds' throughout the base, signifying the blast doors were closed now.
"He's sealed the outside doors," Red observed, "That means he's inside with us."
A-Bomb was put off by the older Hulk's words. "Whoa-whoa-whoa, this clown just locked himself up with four get-madder-by-the-second Hulks and the Ghost of Boston."
"Yeah, what's this guy's deal?" Jen asked her cousin since he knows about this adversary.
Hulk answered as it was time for those in the dark to know. "Abomination was part of a top-secret government task force. His sole mission was to destroy the Hulk—me. It was a tough battle, but I beat him."
"I heard about that, but how did he know about the base?" A-Bomb asked his friend.
"He used to work here for Red."
Jen snorted in response, "Why am I not surprised?"
All eyes were on the deep red-skinned agent who crossed his arms and turned around from them. "Before you ask, it's classified." Red remarked sternly.
"Dude, we're locked in with someone who can fight Hulk equally," Patronus retorted blankly. "Now's the time to declassify everything about Abomination."
"Not this time."
"Yeah, spill it."
Grunting loudly at A-Bomb and She-Hulk's insistence, Red spilled the beans, "Hey, I only trained him… but it was in every anti-Hulk weapon and tactic known to man. He's a combat machine—never tires, never rest. He's a predator and we're the prey."
"Ugh, I liked it better when it was classified," A-Bomb shuddered at Abomination's intimidation even though he had not seen him yet.
"If the Big Green can beat him, then so can we."
Red growled behind his throat at Patronus's enthusiasm. "If you want to get out of this alive, then leave Abomination to me." He took a few steps before Hulk stopped him.
"No chance," Hulk stated, "We're in this together."
The group of heroes then patrolled the base, looking for signs of Abomination or Skaar. Devil was behind the pack, guarding the rear as they entered the armory. "The base armory will have what we need. We're lucky to slow him down," Red said as his teammates armed themselves with weapons san Patronus who had his katana.
"Uh guys, are those tanks supposed to make sounds like that?" Patronus asked with a finger pointing at said weaponry.
Three tanks became operational as they fired upon the heroes while the weapons were destroyed in the process. Dodging the missiles, Patronus drew Kogitsunemaru and charged at the tanks, slicing through them with one stroke of its blade as he sheathed it. He walked back to his friends who regrouped nearby the door.
"He knows what we're going to do before we do it," Hulk said after seeing firsthand of Abomination's cunningness.
Red crossed his arms, "Just like I taught him," He answered between the midst of pride and bitterness.
"He only hit one arsenal. There's another in the Jump Jet," Jen stated otherwise before running towards the Jump Jet with her teammates. Only Patronus and Red didn't move from their spot.
"No, wait!" Red's warning came too late as the vehicle exploded, forcing the nearby Hulks away from the burning remains.
"Should've seen that coming," Jen muttered under breath.
Afterwards, a long taunting whistle echoed in the halls and throughout the base before the heroes stood ready for a possible attack. "You surprise me, Hulks. Now you need weapons—what happened to smashing?"
Hulk snarled at the taunt, "Get out here, Abomination. I'll show you smashing!"
"All in good time, Hulk, but soon we will have our fun including you Patronus."
"Huh?" The Hulks' eyes were on the hooded hero. "What's he talking about, Patronus?" A-Bomb asked his shorter friend.
"He didn't tell you, Hulks? Now, that's just offending to me. Well, your friend here managed to beat me in a bout some time ago."
Jen's facial features morphed into being impressed, "Really now? Nice, Patronus."
"You beat Abomination?" Hulk asked with an impressed expression. He offered a high-five to Patronus who returned with his own. "Guess I know someone else who is as strong as me other than Thor."
"Sure, I guess," Patronus muttered before he noticed Devil sniffing the air before walking down one of the tunnels. "Where's he going?"
A-Bomb smirked at this new development, "I think Devil's got his scent. Gruesome messed up—he didn't account on us having a bloodhound dinosaur. Come on!"
"Wait, he doesn't make mistakes!" Red warned after his running teammates. "I'll go the backway and cut him off."
Patronus ran after them too. "Guys, I'd listen to Grimace here since he was the teacher. Shock it!" He caught up with Hulk's group as they were behind Devil, but a gate suddenly sprang up in front of them and cut off their pursuit. "Uh oh."
"He's using our own defenses against us," Jen exclaimed. The quartet heard mechanical whirring from the ceiling before they were being blasted by turrets. She and her cousin leaped as they destroyed the machines while A-Bomb morphed into his ball form and charged through the gate.
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They eventually met up with Red while the sounds of punches thrown and body slams drew them to another set of closed doors. "They're inside!" Hulk stated to his friends. The doors opened and revealed an unconscious Devil on the ground, gaining concerns from the agents and ninja.
A-Bomb noticed an abnormality and pulled it off of Devil's hide, "A tranq dart. He'll be sleeping for hours," He remarked before tossing the dart away.
"All right, Red, time to open the secret files," Hulk stated firmly to the military man, "We need to know everything about him and I mean everything."
"What are you talking about?" Red asked indignantly, "You know as much as I know."
Jen spoke out her frustrations, "He's been two steps ahead of us. We need to get two steps of him."
"Then let's take away his advantage: the base," Hulk informed, "Knock out the power."
"I got a secret pile of firepower stashed away that Abomination can't possibly know about," Red stated. "I'll rendezvous with you."
Hulk raised his hand, showing his disapproval. "No, no one goes alone. A-Bomb, you're with Red. Jen and Patronus, with me." The assigned teams separated with Hulk leading his through the tunnels that would lead to one of the junction boxes.
"Utility tunnels, rocket silos—how many things are in this base that I don't know about?" Jen asked her cousin, apparently annoyed at the moment.
"You should ask Red, but he'll probably keep shut," Hulk answered before punching through the box. He was unfazed by the electrical jolt as the base lost power. "Man, I hate secrets."
Patronus blinked at the sudden confession, "Secrets, huh? What brought this on?"
"Red's always had secrets, but I believe they can change a person or people for that matter."
"Sometimes, there are reasons to keep secrets, not that I'm defending Red in any way," Patronus finished quickly with the last few words. "Crap, I am! What the hell?!"
"Jen, what do you think?" Hulk asked his cousin. When no response came from the female agent, the duo looked back, but she was not there as a hole was visible in above. "JEN?!"
"Hulk, help!"
"Crap, he's good," Patronus stated before he and Hulk ran down the tunnel to search for her and Abomination. The ninja was surprised by the monster's stealth capability that even his senses couldn't detect him though he was occupied in his thoughts about the family at that moment. On the other hand, he was talking to Hulk too.
Suddenly, a trap door opened in front of them and cast them down into broken metallic pieces surrounded by soot walls. "Where are we?" Hulk asked as he and Patronus stood up.
"That's what I want to know," Naruto stated as his cautious nature was alerted.
"Exactly where you belong, Hulk, although Patronus was to be under my foot, but this is fine."
Sections of the room opened up and revealed small machines that had medium-sized flames. What worried Naruto wasn't just that, but the announcement saying something like…
"Incineration?! Oh hell, no!" Patronus quickly formed his signature technique and slammed into one of the walls, "Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere)!" The targeted wall burst from the force before he escaped in time along with Hulk. "Nice try, Abomination, but it's going to take a lot more than that to stop us!"
"I know that firsthand, but I'm only slowing you two down for now. Then I will make you suffer."
The two powerhouses exchanged glances before continuing their way to find Abomination and stop his nefarious plan, which ever that is.
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Red and A-Bomb reached the former's room as the doors opened, granting them entry. Then, A-Bomb was knocked to the ground by the older Hulk. "Watch it, Jones!" Red barked despite being at fault.
"You knocked me down, you clumsy red goof!" Jones retorted back. Moments later, the power returned and lighted the room, much to Red's delight. "You said you trained Abomination to fight Hulk. So, where's he been all this time? And don't tell me it's 'need to know.' I need to know!"
Red stared at him and sighed as he relented to the young one's demands. "Give me that." He took Jones' PDA and handed it back to him, "After he got his butt kicked by Big Green, Abomination grew out of control," He informed A-Bomb who was watching videos of the villain destroying everything in his path through the PDA. "As you can see, he became a bigger threat than the Hulk. So, the project was shut down and sealed Abomination in deep cryo-genic tube at the bottom of the ocean—to keep him trapped and out of reach from the surface." A somewhat solemn expression featured on his face, "Apparently, it wasn't enough."
"Why didn't you ever tell Hulk?" A-Bomb asked out of curiosity and indignantly.
"Can't tell everyone everything. Sometimes, what other people don't know won't hurt them." The former military general stepped towards the shelf and began pressing the necessary keys for the code. He suddenly stopped and turned his head to face A-Bomb, "Stop trying to peek and get those cameras out of here! This is—"
"-Classified, yeah, yeah," A-Bomb responded in an annoyed tone as he used his PDA to direct the cameras away. Red swiftly pressed the keys with incredible speed, but unbeknownst to him, it was discreetly recorded by one of the cameras before they left the room. "Hey, were you surprised when Abomination told us that Patronus beat him? I sure was."
"Small, but apparently he has a lot of power to head-to-head with someone like Abomination." This greatly concerned the former general as there were few in the world(s) with the physical power to rival or surpass the likes of Hulk and Abomination. "I must know more about him."
The shelf shifted to the left and revealed high tech weaponry like a double-barreled shotgun and rocket launcher. The shotgun was a netgun in design as a matter of fact, "Kevlar and Adamantium weaved… my own netgun."
"Sweet, which one's mine?" An excited A-Bomb asked before Red pulled the trigger and ensnared him in a net. "Hey, what's the big idea?"
"It's for your own good, kid." Red responded as he pulled off another weapon from the personal armory. "Leave the gamma-powered super soldiers to the big boys." He cocked the netgun and left A-Bomb in the room.
Incensed by the action, A-Bomb tried to break free from the net, but its Adamantium composition made it extremely difficult to do so. "Red! You crimson blockhead, don't go rogue!" He shouted before the room's doors closed on him. "Red!"
After several minutes passed, A-Bomb figured that might would get him out of the situation, so he used wit. And wit came in the form of his spikes as they protruded from his body and cut through the net until he was freed. "A-Bomb proof? No way!" He changed into his ball form and headed for the exit, only to bump into something hard. "Huh?" Jones was knocked out of his ball form and saw a snarling goblin staring at him. "Hi?"
A punch later and A-Bomb slammed against the shelf as he fell on the floor, dazed by Abomination's strength.
"You are small and weak," Abomination insulted nonchalantly.
A-Bomb promptly responded from the ground, "And you're big and ugly." He ended up being tossed again as his body crashed against Red's TV set. The smallest Hulk recovered with a determined look and lunged at the confident Abomination, landing a couple of blows that made him lose his footing as he fell on the floor. "It's not the bomb, it's the boom it makes!"
Abomination set to retaliate, but A-Bomb dodged his charge with his nimble agility belying the size of his mass and turned invisible as he returned fire with a few blows.
"Hey, check out little ol' A-Bomb here kicking your butt! Oh, how'd you like me now?" A cocky A-Bomb taunted his opponent. "Had enough, Major Ugly? Ready to call it a day?"
The experienced soldier was not fazed at all by A-Bomb's attacks at all as he put on a set of high-tech goggles for his size. It scanned for anomalies in the spectrum and detected a now-visible, smirking A-Bomb in front of him as Abomination smirked at his tech's success.
The invisible Jones leaped at Abomination who waited for the right time and easily punched him across the room, cracking one of the walls as a result. A-Bomb was knocked out of his invisibility as his goblin-looking enemy approached him. "Gamma-vision goggles. How do you like me now?" Blonsky taunted, using Jones's words against him before laying a world of hurt on A-Bomb who called out for help.
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(A Few Minutes Before)
"Ah, Hulk, how goes your game of hide-and-seek?" An obnoxious voice greeted the Strongest There Is and the Ghost of Boston. He was taller than Naruto, but short compared to Hulk. His attire was an elaborate dark green cloak with a high collar over a neat green clothing and shoes. The most distinguishing characteristic about him was his huge head.
"What do you know about it?" Hulk asked one of his oldest enemies, the Leader.
"I know enough about Abomination to be helpful… if you release me."
Not surprisingly, Hulk refused to do so, "Sorry. I don't trust you since you tried to destroy me and the world like ten times, but I think you want to tell me anything." He teased the prisoner by lightly tapping the glass, sending loud but controlled shockwaves as Leader covered his ears.
"I'll say only that I'm not the one you shouldn't be trusting."
"Hulk," Said being looked to his shorter friend, "Who's the pinhead?"
"Excuse me?!"
Smirking at Leader's reaction, Hulk decided it was time for them to meet, "Patronus, meet Leader: a gamma-powered maniacal villain who tried to destroy me while attempting to prove that he's smarter than yours truly."
"So, it's a 'brains vs brawn' type thing?" Patronus asked. "Well, that's easy." Leader blinked as he arrogantly thought this low life would recognize his genius. "Hulk, you're the winner since you have both while Bowling Pin here only has that head of his… Do you think I'll get a strike?"
Leader snarled but maintained visible composure. This was great opportunity for him as now he was obtaining data about the hooded hero by just his body language. "Another poorly joke from a simpleton like Hulk, you must be proud. So, the infamous Ghost of Boston has graced me with his presence."
"Well, since you say it like that—"
"I do wonder about your being here is safe."
An inquisitive brow rose on Hulk's face. "How do you mean?"
"Two years ago, before one of our infamous bouts, my machines detected an anomaly within our dimensional barrier," Leader obnoxiously stated to the heroes. "Before I could analyze, you arrived and destroyed my equipment, but not all was lost. I managed to get a glimpse of the anomaly's breach, and it is such a coincidence that a couple months later, your new playmate debuted his act in Boston. Now tell me, are I and Abomination should be the only ones for you to be worried about?"
Hulk somewhat pondered Leader's words and glanced at the unusually nonresponsive Patronus until a snort came his way. "He fell asleep."
"What?" Leader remarked with his left eye twitching. Hulk gently nudged Patronus by the shoulder, which woke him up.
"…I'm sorry, did you just say something?" Naruto responded after feigning black silence and ignorance. Hulk chuckled when Leader unusually get riled up by the ninja's responses, but then again, he was not like the others. "So, I'm curious: if Leader is supposed be smart, like beyond Einstein smart, then shouldn't he have broken out of here long ago? Unless he already figured out his plan, but is waiting for the right moment like Abomination-type moment."
Both Hulk and, grudgingly, Leader were impressed by Patronus's observations and deductive reasoning. There had been a few people who was able to figure out the rogue's plans before he enacts on them. Now Leader had two heroes to really worry about since they had power beyond his own, but not mind.
Their conversation ended when they heard A-Bomb's voice echoed in the halls for help as he could not hold Abomination for long. Both heroes left the villain behind for the other as they made it to Red's room. It was trashed with clear signs of trouble, but none about either their teammate or enemy.
"For a big guy, Abomination is disturbingly good in stealth," Patronus commented as he was impressed by the enemy's affinity. "Any ideas where he would take the others?"
"No idea, but your clones might be able to track him down if not narrow the search grid."
Noting Hulk's idea, Patronus created five clones and gave a nonverbal command to search for Abomination or the other Smashers. As for the Green Behemoth, he noticed A-Bomb's PDA and picked it up before said device picked up a transmission showing a solo Red. "Red, where are you? I ordered you to stay with A-Bomb," Hulk remarked, slightly incensed by Red's disregard of his order.
'I hunt better alone, but don't worry. I put Jones somewhere safe.'
"If you're talking about your destroyed room and no A-Bomb, then it's no longer safe," Patronus pointed out before he and Hulk saw the screen change to their mutual enemy's face.
'And I found him. That's three down, four if you include the overgrown lizard.'
Growling at Abomination's actions, Hulk responded promptly as usual, "Leave my friends out of this. This is between you and me."
"Me too if you're looking for a rematch," Patronus quickly put in as he stood next to Hulk.
The screen split in half as it now showed both Red and Abomination. "You don't get it, Hulk— I'm not after you. I want revenge against the man who made me a monster: General Ross, the Red Hulk." Both heroes noticed Red's "Oh crap" look afterwards.
"Say what now/come again?" The confused Hulk and Patronus responded respectively.
'Big mouth! Am I the only one who can keep a secret around here?'
Ignoring Ross's outburst, Abomination explained his reason for coming after Red. 'Ross never told you of his faithful soldier, Emil Blonsky. My combat skills weren't enough—he wanted Hulk's strength to match.'
"You didn't just train him, Red. You tried to recreate me!" Hulk realized in anger. He himself knows that his power was far too dangerous to wield, but nothing else peeves him than someone else trying to replicate the Hulk.
'I was ordered to do whatever it took to stop you. Blonsky as the Hulk was my best choice.'
'And here you are, General, with the Hulk.'
"That's right and you can't beat the three of us, monster."
'I'll take that bet.'
Patronus and Hulk were on their way to Abomination's location while they talked to the military soldier. The path in front of them was suddenly closed off by blast doors along with their way back. Gas was released from the walls as both heroes began to cough from its effects despite their high resilience as a deity and powerhouse.
Instead of Naruto, Hulk broke down one of the blast doors with three punches and they escaped the gas as fresh air entered their lungs before continuing to Abomination's last location.
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Red opened the doors that led to the reactor room, hoping his worries was nothing. "Please tell me it can't be the reactor room." His worries were warranted as he found his unconscious teammates including Skaar. "Of course. Wake up, Smashers." He removed a dart in Jen's leg, allowing her to wake up.
"Red, what happened?" Jen asked.
"Tranq darts," Red answered before working on the cuffs. "I'll get you out." He stopped upon noticing the reactor active with a timer attached to it. "Oh no." Red stood up as Abomination made himself known through the doors.
"Oh yes, a gamma bomb. Kept it all these years, General. Too soft, too afraid to dismantle it in case the Hulk went rogue."
Red snarled in disapproval, "You're insane, Blonsky. If you set that thing off in here, do you realize what'll happen?"
"*Chuckles* Half the continent vanishes in a cloud of green vapor. And best of all, you and your Agents of S.M.A.S.H. will be blamed," Abomination finished with a smirk.
Red leaped at him with belying agility, dodging his former protégé's punches as he bounced off a wall and landed away from Abomination. "You want revenge, Blonsky? Take it—I'm right here. Just leave the others out of it."
"It's not that easy, General," Abomination retorted. "I sacrificed my body for the mission and you betrayed that mission when you joined the enemy!" He caught the nimble, smaller Hulk and delivered a one-two combo punch that knocked Red down, but the latter recovered quickly.
"I was wrong about them."
"And I was wrong about you, traitor," Abomination finished spitefully. Red charged once again and threw punches that missed their mark before he went for a leap attack, but the goblin-like opponent saw it coming as he grabbed the vulnerable leg and tossed him against the wall. He casually walked over to the former general and stomped his foot on his head, sending him to sleep as a result. "You lack the one thing every great leader need, General: subtlety."
He nonchalantly fired another dart from his gun and put Jen to sleep before dragging Red to the agents' spot, tying him with the cuffs made to stop Hulk. Abomination soon left to commence the next part of his plan and it was not long until the last two heroes arrived in the reactor room.
"Where are you, Abomination?" Hulk cried out, looking for his arch-enemy. He switched his mood upon seeing his friends and took out the darts that sedated them. "You okay?" He asked out of concern.
Skaar groaned as he finally woke up, "Skaar feel… fuzzy."
Patronus grabbed hold of one of the cuffs and tried to pry them off, but they wouldn't even budge from his strength. "They were made to hold a Hulk. We're going to have to help you." Hulk informed his friend while trying to break the cuffs.
"Never mind that, we got bigger problems," Red gestured his head upwards as Patronus and Hulk's attention were at the reactor core.
Gulping audibly, Naruto asked in a hopeful manner despite otherwise, "Please tell me that's not a timer."
"Bomb's on a three-minute timer. When it blows, we don't want to be on the same planet," Red dreaded as a worried Hulk exchanged glances with Patronus. "This is my fault. Abomination was right about me; I was too soft to do what needed to be done to him." The hooded hero drew Kogitsunemaru and sliced through the cuffs, freeing Jen and A-Bomb while Hulk broke Red and Skaar's.
Hulk sighed, "Save it, Red. We have work to do. Where's Big Ugly?" He asked while the timer was counting down.
"And what do we do about the bomb?" Naruto asked nervously. He read a lot about radiation and was absolutely horrified that humans founded a truly devastating weapon that threatened all life on Earth. Hope in him wishes that his home would never discover or use such a weapon.
Jones noticed something odd about the timer and voiced it out, "With such a short countdown, he must have a speedy way to get out of here."
"The rocket!" Jen realized aloud since she just made it operational. "That's the only thing around here that he didn't blow up."
With this information, Red was about to head off for another match with Abomination, "I'll make sure he misses his ride."
"No, Red. You help the others disarm your bomb, Patronus and I will take on Abomination," Hulk said as he and Patronus left to find Abomination while the agents remained to disarm the bomb.
TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM
The archenemy of Hulk was kneeling in front of the rocket, putting the finishing touches for his escape. That is until a finger incessantly tapped his shoulder multiple times, causing him to turn his head around in time for Hulk's fist to make contact.
Abomination grunted loudly after landing on ground level, only to meet Patronus's punch in the face once more. He looked at the smaller hero before Hulk joined them as they stared own at each other.
"Gas doesn't affect you," Blonsky said, perplexed about his enemy's apparent resilience.
Hulk smirked triumphantly. "Gas does, but blast doors do not. Plus, my friend knows a trick or two."
"Like this!" The clones Patronus created earlier emerged from the walls, deactivating their invisibility technique as they latched onto Abomination and restricted his joints.
"I'm not going to let you hurt innocent people just to get to me."
Casually breaking free, Abomination tossed aside the clones that held him before he charged at Hulk who met him in the middle. Their contest of strength was evident as their feet dug deep into the ground, cracking it in the process. Then it started to split apart from the exerted strength of the two power-houses, but the contest ended when Patronus Shunshined next to Abomination's head as he roundhouse-kicked him.
Hulk let go at that same moment as his enemy was flung out of the room and crashed through several walls. Despite Naruto's Sage Mode, his leg still stung from the impact as Abomination's scaled body was as tough as Hulk's. Shunshining to Abomination's location, Patronus connected another punch just as the former turned his head to look at him.
"Hello, ugly."
Snarling, Abomination threw a straight punch, which Patronus wrapped with both hand as he used the former's momentum to flip him to the ground. The gamma soldier jumped to his feet before swinging a low kick that Naruto flipped over sideways as Hulk leaped at Abomination with a double hammer strike, buckling the latter's knees for a moment. Patronus slipped under Hulk's legs and thrust a sharp leg attack straight against Abomination's stomach. "Senpo: Korui Nuki (Sage Technique: Isolated Stronghold Strike)!"
Blonsky had seen the slip and put up a cross-arm guard, but he was shocked when the leg broke through his defense. He grimaced, but pushed through before Hulk clotheslined him to the wall. Abomination kneed the inside of Hulk's leg and elbow-struck him across the face before he heel-kicked away Patronus who tried for another sneak attack.
The ninja was embedded in the wall while Hulk had been kept in Abomination's grip before the latter punched him to the ground. The gamma-powered soldier walked away to escape, but Patronus freed himself and tackled Abomination through several walls until they were outside in the hot desert.
Abomination dug his feet into the ground, stopping Patronus's momentum as he grabbed the smaller hero's before suplexing him hard. Huge cracks emerged before the earth upturned from the power. Another punch came his way, but Patronus Shunshined as he left a Bunshin while the crater deepened greatly from the power. Naruto retaliated with a massive orangish-red flaming sphere from his mouth. "Senpo: Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu (Sage Technique: Fire Release Great Fireball Technique)!"
The gamma-powered soldier caught the miniature sun in his hands. Although he did not move, his feet dug into the destroyed area while the sphere burned the palms. Abomination grunted as he redirected the fireball to the sky, leaving him vulnerable to Hulk's arm when the latter clotheslined behind the former.
Abomination recovered again, but he was caught off-balance as Hulk punched him, followed by Patronus. The duo took turns against the staggering enemy as their subsequent attacks forced the latter backwards until Hulk kicked out the legs, leaving Abomination exposed to Patronus's massive blue sphere.
"Senpo: Oodama Rasengan (Sage Technique: Big Ball Spiralling Sphere)!"
Gritting his teeth by the shredding contact, Abomination pushed back the attack. Now they were in a struggle between might and power. The soldier 'grabbed' the sphere's surface and began to actually squeeze the Rasengan, but it halted when Hulk threw a boulder at his back and disrupted his concentration.
Naruto altered the attack's trajectory at that moment before releasing as the Rasengan propelled Abomination to the skies… specifically to the airborne rocket that had launched couple minutes ago. "Shit! He's going to get away!" Hulk saw the energy sphere burst and flung his archenemy inside the airborne craft. "Hulk, Fastball Special!"
"Right," Hulk responded before his friends' voices blared out of the base and told them to stay away. "Why?"
Patronus blinked owlishly on his friend's palm and landed on the ground before the other regrouped with them. "What's the deal? Did you guys defuse the bomb and why aren't we going after Abomination?"
"3…2…1." The agents chorused with their fingers pointed at the rocket just before it blew up in green vapor.
Hulk hummed in thought and asked Red, "The rocket exploded beyond the atmosphere, right?"
"Yep."
"And Abomination?"
"We'll see him again, but not any time soon," Red answered before glancing at Patronus and throwing a punch.
Naruto swiftly sidestepped and annoyingly glared at him, "What's up with you?"
"After watching you and Greenie take on Abomination, I want to see exactly how you are, Patronus." Red answered while cracking his knuckles. "Unless you're too chicken."
Patronus scoffed at the weak insult. "That's the best you got? Please, it's going to take a lot, lot more to get a rise out of me."
"Ramen is disgusting."
The remaining Hulks cringed at the loud impact and watched a screaming Red crash into faraway distance from their location. They looked back at a fuming Patronus with his right fist steaming from the impact. "Anyone else want to disrespect ramen?" Naruto asked, hoping they choose the opposite answer, but also punch the next person who says the same.
"No/we're good/Ramen's delicious," said the agents as they walked back inside the base. Patronus exited Sage Mode and helped the Hulks with the cleanup.
After the incredibly fast sweep in the base, thanks to Patronus's clones, the heroes were in the main room and began to enjoy fresh pizza delivered from Vista Verde. "Hey, Hulksters! A-Bomb here to tell you about the day we just had with the highlight, 'Ghost of Boston in Town'."
Patronus ignored the cameras as he ate the cheese pizza while the others were playing with Devil except Hulk. When the cameras left them, the Strongest There Is broke the bread. "So, Patronus, what's the reason for the ship? And I think it had something to do with what Leader said in his cage."
"An upgrade is for the reason and as for Leader… not a clue."
"Come on, Patronus, I think I deserve an explanation from you after everything we've been through."
"Which is not a lot."
"Still."
Naruto pondered about the next course of action, which is either truth or lie to his friend. Out of all the heroes trust, Hulk is at the top with Spider-Man, All Might, and even Captain America below him. That's probably because he had spent more time with them than the others. And there's the fact that the Shinju's agents are coming after him and plans to dominate the preceding dimensions that he crossed over. This world needs to be prepared for any rogue or malevolent beings from his world.
"All right, Hulk, I'll tell you, but this stays between us. And if you feel your team needs to know, I have no problem with that."
Hulk noted the absence of joking in his friend's tone and knew that it must be serious. "You have my word, Patronus."
"I hail from a place far, far, far away from here." Naruto started, "It's called Konohagakure, or in English, the Hidden Leaf Village."
END OF CHAPTER
So, Thanksgiving is over, and Christmas season is here. Dragonball Super: Broly was released in Japan last Friday, which sucks for us as we wait for the English dub next month, but what a way to start the new year of 2019. I have finally finished Fall semester and I am officially on vacation. I will try do as many chapters as I can for the story during the Winter Break. I will try to do the holiday-themed chapters before New Year. As for this response, I will answer the three chapters' reviews in this chapter whether they're the same or different author.
As for more movies, Aquaman comes out this week and I heard from early reviews that it is surprisingly good given what past DCEU films san Wonder Woman was like (Batman v. Superman was horrible). Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse accomplished above 90% in Rotten Tomatoes, and as far as I know, that is something in this day and age. Also, Reign of the Superman (sequel of the Death of Superman) will be released in theaters for a limited time on January 13, 2019. You know, the animated movies do a great job and I hope they show Catwoman, Supergirl, and Power Girl at some point. Also, more Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash films as well.
Lastly, Kingdom Hearts III will be released next month, and I will legitimately play the game and complete it since Kingdom Hearts II. One more thing: I will spend more time in the Marvel Universe so it will not end in December story-wise.
Chapter XXXV Q&A's:
Major Simi (Nov.23): Thank you. I assume you enjoyed my story. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me know.
Perseus12 (Nov.23): I'm glad to be back as well. School is what happened, man, but the semester is over. I know, right since they're now two years old and very close with Kurama. Did the Amatersau/Tamae surprise you or did you figure it out before the reveal? Be honest please. Yep, Paititi is the Hidden City in Inca civilization and now Trinity is done. Naruto already met Black Panther when they fought against Kang the Conqueror in Chapter 16 or 17.
Alaxbird (Nov.23): No, it is the outfit Lara wears in the final game when she initially starts at the jungle, but wore it early. Alternatively, it is spelled Inka, but you are correct about Inca. Anyway, did you enjoy the story? Yeah, Kraven the Hunter, Taskmaster, and the Rhino appeared to face Patronus, though he did own them. I did, huh… I'll look back to this chapter and use it as a new template for future battles; thanks for letting me know. They will appear in the story as I have mentioned above about the story's progress not ending in December story-wise.
Calderoneric758 (Nov.23): From what series is that from? Shotgun gauntlets or legs? Weird but I'll check them out.
Kamikage86 (Nov.23): I thought you would, but I was hesitant when I first wrote it; I thought I didn't present it well. That fight was so cool, but swift at the same time. Naruto will have more time with his godly powers as they began to emerge during the final Tomb Raider game such as the headaches connected to the earthquakes was a sign of Naruto's other powers. There'll be more development in the mutants, Yamatai, and All Might's Hero Association.
Jebest4781 (Nov.23): I'm glad you enjoyed all the chapters. When is your next chapter coming out?
xXwolfsterXx644 (Nov.23): It won't take too long.
(Nov.23): The Uzumaki Clan will stay a bit more in the Marvel Universe, but DC won't be the next universe; it'll be after the next one.
R-king 93 (Nov.23): Thanks. How are you doing?
James C. (Nov.23): Do not worry about that since I have a trick in my sleeve. However, if this irritates you, then you could stop reading it.
Guest (Nov.23): You hit it right on the spot, but it is just on the surface. More will be revealed in the future.
ShadowBloodedge9396 (Nov.23): You pretty much summarized the last three chapters and I'm glad you enjoyed the three chapters. More is to come in the foreseeable future.
Dragon and Sword Master (Nov.27): Yeah, when I heard Stan died on November 12, I wanted to write the chapters as tribute for his accomplishments that influenced generations in the world. Not only Lara, but the rest of the women as well since they need to be prepared to help their husband in future battles. Hear, hear…
Ruberforumfree (Nov.28): You're right about that and I intend to remedy that in future chapters as the women will have their adventures and develop their skills alongside Naruto.
Story Artist (Nov.28): Yeah, I think so. They're good, but I think I'll wait until Silver Lining comes out this Friday.
The Question (Nov.28): After giving a lot of thought and you pointing it out, I decided to push the departure back, so we can have time for all the events to happen.
Writing Warrior (Nov.28): Nope, I'm not anymore. There'll be more adventures with the women included this time.
Arkham Inmate (Nov.28): Me too. Thanks, man. She will most likely tag along with Naruto on some of his adventures like the other ladies in the clan. They will take retaliatory action soon against the Assassin.
Dinosaur Samurai (Nov.28): Both for sure.
Titanzilla (Nov.28): That is great to hear, and I thought it would be better if she talked to her parents in that moment. Kind of wish the game had that, but I changed it for the story.
Action Hero (Nov.28): Yes, she will.
Romancer (Nov.28): That's great to hear from a reader. Not really, but it might be for the couple in another setting. You'll just have to wait and see.
Erebor (Nov.28): I thought so too, but I want to finish the three chapters in time for Thanksgiving and focus on the main story.
Match Maker (Nov.28): Who knows, but I guess we will have to wait.
Inspiration (Nov.28): Yes, that will show in the future chapters within Takamagahara.
Monster Planet (Nov.28): The video game really depicted him and the other characters well.
Gojira Rex (Nov.28): They are great and City at War will be implemented since the departure had been pushed back.
Rexy (Nov.28): There will be more development between them, since there's more time for the clan in the Marvel Universe.
Dracopedia (Nov.28): Most likely, but when is the question here.
Genesis (Nov.28): Or in the chapter after this one (Ch.36). There will be holiday-themed chapters from different series or movies if I can find ones that fit in with the Marvel Universe.
Frank West (Nov.28): I'll look into those children and see what I can do about them.
Critic (Nov.28): White Fox, huh? I'll check her out and think about it. Thanks for the heads-up.
Idea Guy (Nov.28): That will happen in the future, but time will tell in the end.
MARVEL MAYHEM (Nov.28): I looked into it and his design was really cool. I might give Naruto an upgrade in the future. Never will I forget Stan Lee… EXCELSIOR!
Mutant Kind (Nov.28): So do I. Eventually in the future.
Adventure Craze (Nov.28): Wait no more as school is over and I will focus my time on stories and games during Winter Break.
Smaug (Nov.28): I thought to throw you guys for a loop, but Esdeath will appear in the future.
G-Fest (Nov.28): Okay then, and Merry Christmas to you and your family too.
Mind Blown (Nov.28): They will be good with new character debuts from the Marvel Universe. Can you think of Halloween-related characters or episodes?
Sci-Fi Freak (Nov.28): The Predator-Killer armor did look cool, but I'm kind of hoping that they make it more human-looking in the sequel. I'll read the Batman vs Predator comics when I have the chance to do so.
The Creed (Nov.28): I will do that in the upcoming chapters with Lara and the rest of the women.
Battle Craze (Nov.28): Yep, we'll see in the future with all the creatures at his disposal.
Crazy Face (Nov.28): From the films, she was the perfect mix of intelligence and ferocity.
Iron Bat (Nov.28): Now that there's more time for the clan, Naruto will leave a mark in the Marvel Universe.
Batthan the Dark Knight (Nov.29): Oh, he'll get it when the actual match is to be held in the near future.
Big News (Dec.13): Yeah, I heard from the Game Awards show online. Sucks that it won't be on the PS4, so I guess I will have to watch walkthroughs on Youtube.
HiddenTreasureBX (Dec.15): I'm glad to know that you enjoy my story and hope that I would continue to bring great chapters for you to read. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for the story?
55narutoboy (Dec.17): He does have complete mastery of Fuijutsu, but space-time manipulation is set for something else.