Hey, everybody. I'm back with another update, which I'm sure you all have been waiting for eagerly.
I am so pleased with all the reviews and support I have gotten for this story. I hope that continues for the rest of the story.
Just a bit of warning. Since this story picks up about a third of the way through the Ragnarok movie, it may be a bit shorter story. We'll see.
Mr.E: I'm sure you'll like Barry and Oliver's reunion. And no, Barry is not older than Oliver. It hasn't been that long, and Oliver was already older than Barry by a number of years. I think Oliver is in his 30s by the time he met Barry, who is still in his mid 20s, if I'm remembering right.
marylopez0812: Oliver won't be interacting much with other aliens. It'll mostly be Oliver interacting with Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, Hulk/Bruce, and Grandmaster. And later, Hela.
Cep: The way i was raised, I consider that phrase as profranity. I just censored that word so I wouldn't be writing out the whole phrase. I'll probably just shorten it to its abbreviation from now on.
RhettTheWarrior: Oliver will be getting a weapon/suit upgrade at some point between now and the end of Infinity War. Won't give specifics or a time frame. Also, just for your information, he's still using the same suit that he was wearing when he came to Sakaar.
Let's get to the chapter.
Chapter 2- Contest of Champions
Oliver sighs to himself as he walks out of his bathroom, having just finished a nice shower. Grandmaster had released him from duties for a few hours, and he had taken the opportunity to wash up.
Oliver walks over to his dresser and quickly dresses in a grey T-shirt and dark green pants. He then walks over to the window and looks out over Sakaar.
The last 6 months have not been a pleasant ride for Oliver. Yes, life as one of the Grandmaster's chief guards would be considered by some a life of luxury. But, for Oliver, it was not so nice. The knowledge he was not allowed to leave Sakaar, and that even if he did, he may not have any way of getting home to Star City, weighed heavily on him, and prevented him from really enjoying life here on Sakaar. Plus, the Grandmaster was just weird, and insane.
Oliver crosses his arms behind him as he stares out the window. He's been plotting almost since his arrival how he could get off the planet. But, so far, he's had no luck.
But, the arrival of Thor may hold new promise for Oliver. He can't jeoparidze his position with the Grandmaster yet. But he'll definitely be keeping a close eye on Thor.
Oliver slowly walks over to his food cabinet to grab a bite to eat. He pulls out a large roll and tears a big chunk out of it with his teeth. He glances over at his bow, hanging in its place on the wall. Oh, if only he could be back in Star City, working as a protector of his city instead of a guard dog to the freak that is the Grandmaster.
As he stands there, his comm system starts buzzing. He raises it up and presses the button. A hologram of Topaz pops up.
"Mr. Queen. The Grandmaster requests your presence at the arena catacombs to oversee the contestants. The Lord of Thunder will be fighting tonight. Grandmaster wishes you to be there to keep an eye on him," Topaz says.
"Understood. I'll make my way there immediately," Oliver says. He immediately makes his way over to where his uniform is resting on a mannequin.
(An hour later, the catacombs under the arena. Thor POV)
Thor looks at Korg, having just gotten through explaining Mjolnir to him. He looks over the other side of the room, where scrappers and guards are all hanging out.
His eyes linger on the lady who brought him in, but he also quickly notices another man. The green-clad, hooded archer from before. His hood and mask hide his identity, but it's clear he's staring right at Thor.
Thor points to him. "Who's that?" Thor asks.
"Oh. The Grandmaster's chief guard. People say he's called the Green Arrow. Always wears that hood and mask, so nobody knows what he really looks like. All anyone knows is he showed up a while ago, and Grandmaster made him his chief guard. They say he never misses a shot, and is great at fighting. Some say he's the best fighter on Sakaar. After the Grandmaster's champion," Korg says.
Thor looks over at this "Green Arrow". The man is still intently staring at him. Wanting to know what his deal is, he walks over to one corner of the barrier between the contestants and the others, the corner where the Green Arrow is standing.
"What's your problem with me, archer?" Thor demands.
The Green Arrow stares at him silently for a moment. Then, he says in a deep voice, "You are dangerous. Grandmaster wants me to keep an eye on you."
Thor narrows his eyes. "Keep an eye on me? You think you could stop me?" Thor demands.
The Green Arrow smirks under his hood. "Last I checked, I'm the one with weapons, and you're not. You don't know who you're dealing with," he says with a smirk. He then makes a shooing motion and says, "You need to prepare for your fight. So I would suggest you move along."
Thor glares at the Green Arrow, then he turns and walks back towards Korg, not noticing the Green Arrow's satisfied smile.
He walks back towards Korg. As he does, he looks back at the lady who brought him in. When he gets to Korg, he gestures to her. "That's the lady who brought me in, by the way."
"Ah, yeah. Scrapper 142. You gotta watch out for those Asgardians, mate. They are hard to perish," Korg says.
That captures Thor's attention. "Asgardian?" he asks for clarification. He quickly walks over to the barrier, trying to get her attention.
Scrapper 142 turns to him and raises the controller for the shock disk on his neck, and smiles as she mockingly says, "Hey."
Thor comes to an abrupt halt and says irritatedly, "Do not zap me with that thing. I just wanna talk."
Scrapper 142 turns back to her drink. Wondering if she's listening, Thor continues, "Asgard is in danger."
She seemingly ignores him and starts drinking from the bottle. As she does, a tattoo on her lower arm is exposed. A tattoo that Thor instantly recognizes.
"You're a Valkyrie," Thor says, stunned. He starts to smile before continuing, "You know, I used to wanna be a Valkyrie when I was younger, until I found out you all were women. There's nothing wrong with women, of course. I love women. Sometimes a little too much. Not in a creepy way, just more of a respectful appreciation. I think it's great that there is an elite force of women warriors. It's about time."
In his corner, the Green Arrow grins a bit under his hood, Thor's rambling reminding him a bit of someone.
Scrapper 142, or Valkyrie, turns to Thor, eyebrows raised, and asks sarcastically, "Are you done?"
"Lord of Thunder! You're up!" some guy bellows from the other side of the contestants' side.
"Please, help me. I need your help," Thor pleads with Valkyrie.
"Bye," she says as she starts walking away.
"Fine. Then you must be a traitor or a coward. Because the Valkyrie is sworn to protect the throne," Thor says angrily.
Valkyrie storms over to the barrier. "Listen closely, your majesty. This is Sakaar, not Asgard. And I'm a Scrapper, not a Valkyrie," she says.
Several guards walk up and try to pull Thor away. He tries to throw them off, until there's a twang and an arrow hits him in the leg, delivering a shock powerful enough to bring him to the ground.
Valkyrie smirks at him. "Best not to anger my friend over there," she says before turning and walking away as Thor is dragged off to begin preparation for the fight.
(Soon after, Arena, Oliver POV)
Oliver walks into the Grandmaster's pavilion, Loki following behind him. He has his hood down, and his mask off, but his bow still held tightly in his hand.
He walks over to the edge of the room, right by the glass and looks out into the arena. The massive hologram of the Grandmaster is up and speaking to the audience.
"Alright, it's main event time. Making his first appearance, though he looks quite promising, with a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I'll say no more. See what you think. Ladies and Gentleman. I give you...Lord of Thunder," Grandmaster announces.
Oliver looks down the arena floor, and sees Thor walking into the arena. He's carrying some kind of club in one hand, a shield in the other, and two swords on his back. His appearance is met by many "Boo"s from the crowd, making Oliver smirk slightly. Even so, his eyes are fixed on Thor, thinking that this is gonna be an interesting fight.
"Watch out for his fingers. They make sparks," Grandmaster says mockingly before speaking up louder and calling, "Okay. That's it. Let's get ready to welcome this guy. Here he comes."
Green fireworks start to shoot off, and the crowd cheers loudly. The stands start to rise up, revealing the other door leading into the arena.
"He is a creature. What can we say about him? Well he's unique. There's none like him. I feel a special connection with him," Grandmaster says to the audience. As he's saying this, Thor briefly puts down his club, pulls out a helmet, sets it on his head, then picks up his club again.
Grandmaster continues. "He's undefeated. He's the reigning. He's the defending. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you..."
With that, the other door into the arena begins to open. Grandmaster calls out, "Your Incrediiibbbllllllleeeeeee..."
Then, the door is smashed to pieces, and the Hulk stomps out into the arena, wearing his battle armor, armed with a giant axe and a giant hammer, roaring loudly.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Thor breaks out in a massive smile, and shouts, "YEEESSSSS!"
Everyone goes quiet. Oliver looks down at the scene in front of him, confused. Hulk soon starts roaring, getting the crowed riled up. But, Thor waves at the pavilion, and shouts, "Hey! Hey! We know each other! He's a friend from work!"
Oliver raises an eyebrow. Thor knows the Hulk? And what is his "work"?
Hulk keeps roaring to get the crowd riled up, but Thor quickly gets his attention. They're not talking loud enough for Oliver to hear them, except for when Thor looks back up at the pavilion and shouts, "Loki! Look who it is!"
Oliver turns around to look at Loki. Loki looks legitimately scared, making Oliver wonder what the story is there, and what Hulk did to make Loki feel so scared of him.
Oliver watches Thor. Who is this guy? he thinks to himself, wondering just what his story is.
Thor tries to get Hulk's attention, but calling him "Banner". That confuses Oliver again.
Hulk apparently doesn't like that name. "No Banner. Only Hulk," Hulk says gruffly. And then, he charges at Thor, axe and hammer raised.
Thor somersaults out of the way, and the hammer and axe embed themselves in the stone. Thor gets back to his feet, but Hulk takes a swing at him with his hammer, shattering Thor's shield and sending him flying back. Thor drives his club into the ground to slow himself down, but ends up breaking the club in the process.
Thor gets back to his feet, pulling his two swords off his back and extending them. Hulk roars defiantly at him.
Oliver smiles, impressed. He's seen multiple competitors die from a blow like that from Hulk, but Thor hardly seems fazed.
Hulk smacks his hammer and axe together a few times, then lunges for Thor. Thor parries several blows with his swords, but Hulk forces Thor off balance then slams his hammer down into the swords, bending them badly. He then backhands Thor, who goes flying into the wall.
Hulk then throws his hammer. Thor dodges out of the way, and the hammer embeds itself into the wall. Hulk then charges at Thor, raising his axe.
Thor looks at Hulk briefly, then leaps up and starts trying to pull the hammer out of the wall. Oliver feels sorry for the guy, knowing that it's too heavy for someone that size.
Then, right as Hulk leaps the last few yards, axe raised to strike, Thor suddenly yanks the hammer out of the wall and swings it. The hammer strikes Hulk right on his side, knocking him flying into the wall. Hulk continues skidding through the wall for at least a hundred yard before coming to a stop.
Everyone has gone quiet, and behind him, Oliver hears the Grandmaster say simply, "What?"
Oliver stares down at Thor. He imagined Thor was a pretty strong guy. But to have the strength to not only pull the hammer out of the wall, and to hit Hulk with it that hard, is beyond what Oliver could've imagined he was capable of. Then, he remembers Barry's friend, Supergirl, and reminds himself that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Oliver starts to smile. Maybe Thor's arrival is a turning point for him.
Thor walks across the arena towards Hulk, who is trying to recompose himself. Then, as he nears Hulk, he reaches out a friendly hand, seemingly trying to calm Hulk down. Oliver stands up a little straighter, starign with greater intensity.
Then, without warning, the Hulk grabs Thor by his arm and proceeds to whip him around, slamming him into the ground multiple times before throwing him halfway across the arena. The crowd goes wild. Then, behind him, Loki shouts, "YES! That's how it feels!"
Oliver turns to look at Loki, confused. Loki looks at both him and Grandmaster and says, "I'm just a huge fan of the sport."
Grandmaster looks back at the arena and laughs, but Oliver continues to look at Loki inquisitively for a moment before returning his gaze to the arena, wondering what that was all about.
Hulk roars loudly, then charges at Thor. Thor lifts the hammer, ready for him. Hulk takes a swing with his axe, but Thor easily dodges out of the way and hits Hulk in the hip with the hammer, followed up by a blow the head. Hulk then tries a sideways swing with his axe, but Thor leaps above it and again strikes Hulk in the head with hammer. Hulk is dazed by the attack, and before he can recover, Thor brings his hammer down on the axe, breaking the blade off from the shaft.
Hulk stumbles away. Oliver grins, rather enjoying this fight. Yes, there was much more to Thor than appearances suggested.
Hulk turned back to Thor. But Thor ran to meet him and swung the hammer, hitting Hulk in the stomach and knocking him flying back. Hulk quickly recovers and charges back at Thor. Thor tries hit him with the hammer, but a punch from Hulk to the hammer's head knocks it out of his hands. Hulk tires to punch him again, but Thor dodges it and lands a punch of his own, again to Hulk's head.
"Guess he likes head-shots," Oliver whispers to himself.
Hulk takes a wild swing at Thor, who easily dodges and lands several blows of his own. He soon swings himself around, getting Hulk in a headlock from behind. Hulk quickly launches himself backwards, crushing Thor beneath him. But, Thor doesn't let go. He only lets go when Hulk tries to roll off of him. Thor in turn rolls over to where the hammer is. He grabs it and runs over to Hulk. He swings the hammer down, but Hulk catches the head of the hammer in his hand.
The arena quiets down again, everyone watching intently, including Oliver. The Hulk slowly moves the hammer out of the way, then lands an uppercut that sends Thor flying across the arena. Hulk covers the distance in a single leap and lands on Thor, then proceeds to slam multiple punches to the head. Thor's helmet is knocked off after the first few, but the Hulk continues punching.
Oliver really starts to feel bad for Thor. Then, all of a sudden, sparks start running along Thor's body, right before he delivers a punch straight at Hulk's chest. And simultaneously, a lightning bolt seemingly comes out of fist and knocks Hulk into the air.
Everyone goes rather quiet as Thor stands up, his eyes glowing white, and electricity sparking from his hands. Grandmaster actually gets to his feet, stunned. Oliver's eyes go a little wide as he looks down at Thor.
Hulk stares defiantly at Thor. Thor smiles, then rushes at the Hulk, who runs to meet him. They both meet in the middle of the arena, each throwing a punch. Their fists meet, and a shock wave of electricity bursts from the spot, throwing the Hulk back. Thor lands lightly on his feet.
The crowd are loving all of this, and now start chanting, "Thunder! Thunder! Thunder!" Oliver grins. Thor's power is beyond what he previously imagined.
In the arena, Hulk regains his feet. Thor is also on his feet, and starts marching towards the Hulk. Oliver grins, eager to see what's going to happen. But then, Thor suddenly goes rigid and falls to the ground.
Oliver whips around, and sees the Grandmaster holding out a remote, and grinning smugly. Anger rises in him. As he has felt before when Grandmaster has pulled such cheap tricks, he resists the urge to go punch the Grandmaster in the face.
The Hulk apparently decides he's had enough, and leaps into the air, sailing up and out of the arena. Then, he pitches over and starts falling right down at Thor, fist in front. But, right as he reaches the ground, Thor reaches up with his hand, right before the Hulk hits the ground and a wave of dust and pebbles goes flying out.
Oliver leans in closer to the window, wondering what happened. The dust quickly clears, revealing Hulk standing triumphantly over Thor.
Oliver sighs as several guards race out into the arena. One bends down and appears to check for Thor's pulse. A moment later, he turns and shouts loud enough to be heard, "He's still alive. He's just unconcious."
Grandmaster looks stunned. But, trying to compose himself for the spectators, he announces Hulk as the victor, though "the Lord of Thunder" is alive, and they will be seeing him in action again soon.
Oliver watches as the guards drag Thor off so they can try and patch him up. As he watches them go, he's grateful he's turned so that the Grandmaster can't see his face, because he can't contain the smile that crosses his face.
Yes. His time has come. Thor is gonna be his ticket out of here.
I'll end there. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.
Next chapter, we'll see a bit of interaction between Oliver and Valkyrie, and hopefully I'll get to Oliver formally introducing himself to Thor.
Also, let me know if you'd like to see what was the fight between Loki and Valkyrie become a fight between Oliver and Valkyrie, or Oliver and Loki. Or just keep it as Valkyrie vs. Loki.
Alright. I'll end here for now. Please review, let me know what you'd like to see me include, and stay tuned.