AVENGERS ISLAND

2 WEEKS AFTER EDUCATION

A loud thud had echoed through the small room within the construction site. Before the sounds of a body being dropped was heard

With a small groan Francis had dropped his bow before falling flat on his stomach being knocked unconscious

Being thrown into a metal wall James let out a painful and groggy groan as he tried to lift himself up but only fell flat laying back down again within the destruction of the brick wall

Cracking his knuckles Juggernaut just smirked at the sight of the beaten teens littered around the destroyed construction zone before him

"Ah come on kidos. That's all you got ? I was expecting more of a fight" he said

Before he could walk a step more a loud clunk sound like a chain broke rung above his head causing him to look up in confusion

Immediately when he looked up a giant wrecking ball had crashed down falling on top of him shattering him into millions of tiny cubic pieces

Right as the simulation had ended the construction zone stage began to wither away replacing the sight with a plain white and gray training room

Once the training room had returned the kids began to wake up letting out groans and moans as the pressure of their injures and hits had came at them at once

"So can anyone tell me what went wrong ?" a voice stated as they all began to raise to their feet

"We got our asses kicked" Pym groaned

"Yes but what else ?"

Sharing a look at one another a small shimmering light had flashed before it revealed to be Natasha dressed in her black widow suit

She was put in charge of training the team. They should've known she wouldn't hold back on them. Even if one of them was her son

Sharing a look at one another the teens gave each other confused looks before Natasha spoke again

"Each of you was doing your own thing. Your attacks weren't coordinated letting the enemy be able to pick you off one by one. It wasn't a 5v1 out there it was 5 1v1's"

"Torunn you charged in head first thinking your pure strength was enough to overpower Juggernaut. You were lead by action instead of thought causing you to be the first one to fall" she said only making Torunn grown a doubtful look as she gripped Mjolnir tightly letting her sword stay on her back

"Azari, you were too defensive. You rely too much on your lighting abilities because you are so known with them you don't let your other abilities blossom even if you have control with them. If you used your Earth manipulation to toss a single rock of concrete at Juggernaut you could've aided Torunn or any one of your teammates" Natasha said. Azari's hands ran with black electricity before be clenched them closed

"Pym, you are a genius. But you think too much. While your teammates were fighting for their lives you continued to fly around and fight from above instead of facing the opponent head on abusing your growing ability to the fullest. You scared to go big and instead you always go small" she said and Pym had only rubbed his arms while looking down at the floor

"Francis, you're too aggressive, opposite of Azari you are too offensive. Instead of using your reach and fight from afar you like to fight up close and they get you in more trouble than it does getting you out of it" she stated leaving the platinum blonde to only grumble and grip his bow tightly

"And James…"

Looking at the matching redhead who held his shield tightly he only spoke himself

"I know…I know… I was to heroic" he said making her nod her head

"Not everything has to come down to you. Sometimes you forget you are on a team. You don't need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time. And that also means you don't need to be the first one to run towards the Danger. And you definitely don't need to be the one that is taking most of the hits"

'God if I could only get Steve to listen as well' she thought

Looking at the team in front of her Natasha crossed her arms

"You guys are a good team. A well functioned one. Your strength is in how much you trust each other. And you have things figured out that most adult teams still argue over" she stated giving the teens a glimpse of hope

"But" she added fully killing it

"None of you know your roles yet. You're still figuring out what does what and who goes where and until you figure out what factions you. This team will not be mission ready" Natasha said

By the looks on their faces it was confirmed that they knew they could see no foreseeable mission in their future

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"Well that fully sucked" Francis stated as he laid on the lounge room's couch while watching TV

The lounge room was a two part connection of Lounge room and Kitchen so the Kitchen was at the other back end while the lounge room was in front

Mixing the better together Azari just titled his head

"True that"

Tapping upon his Tablet Pym held a celery stick within his mouth before biting into it

"Yeah and until we figure out what our roles are we won't be going on any missions either"

Torunn had raised an eyebrow as she looked back on the couch

"What do you mean ? We know who does what on the team. We've known ever since we've been kids ?"

"Well yeah, But like Ms Romanoff said. We need to figure out what exactly this team is"

Pym still saw the confusion on Torunn's face the same one the others were growing so he just brought forth his tablet showing it to everyone

"Look, I made a little chart" he said as on the tablet showed a graph chart titled Next Avengers

"Well obviously James is team leader" Pym said dragging his name over to the first chart labeling it leader and James had self agreed as he stood with his arms crossed

"And me. Well I'm the smart tech science guy" Pym said before dragging his name over and labeling it smart guy

"Besides the obvious ones we have no clue what chart Francis, Azai and Torunn fit with. I was thinking Torunn could be team power house"

Letting out a small laugh Torunn just looked at the label she was given

"Wow, what's Francis gonna be Archer ?"

Pym just cringed as he wiped off the chart area that was supposed to be his slot

"Alright look you know what we need" Francis stated as he hopped up from the couch with a smirk

Sticking his hands within the confinement of his purple jacket a grin was on Francis's face

"Let's go for a walk around the city"

Everyone had just looked at him like he was crazy

"Uhh dude, if any of the adults spot us in NYC were dead. This whole operation will be over"

"And that's why my lightning manipulative friend we will be going to the one place every New Yorker is afraid of" Francis exclaimed with his hands before he shouted

"STATEN ISLAND !"

Immediately the whole group had just cringed and shivered before they all said

"Ewwwww"

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The group had begun to walk through a small town fair in Staten Island that Francis had found

Even though it was Staten Island and as hardcore New Yorkers as they were, they could still find the joy in the small town festival.

It was quiet and not too extravagant. They could do their own activities as such and like Francis said stretch their legs and get off the none stop training they've been doing for 3 weeks

"Ok besides the literal fact that were on Staten Island I gotta admit this place is pretty cool" Pym said as the group continued to walk the fair as he held his little stuffed animal he won

With a smile upon his face Azari was in full agreement nodding his head with his pink fluffy cotton candy in hand

"Alright I don't say this often but I think I have too this once. Francis you had a good idea"

With a smile upon his face Francis just chuckled

"Don't I always" he responded in a hint of a joke but everyone else just resigned in a simple no making his smile disappear into a frown making the rest of the group laugh once again

But all things considered this was fun nothing but pure fun

And like anything a superhero finds with Joy something bad has to happen crashing their plans as a loud crashing sound along with screams for help caught the team's attention

Letting out a groaning whine Francis dropped his head in a sigh as immediately James, Torunn, Pym and Azari wasted no time running towards the seemed fallen debris

"Why can't we ever just have a normal day" he sighed soon following his friends towards the danger

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Entering the scene the team was instantly met the sight of people scrambling all around, Destroyed carnival games and prizes and broken concrete and ground everywhere like the Hulk had destroyed everything in a small tantrum

"AW MAN ! THEY DESTROYED THE FERRIS WHEEL !" Francis stated as he pointed to the now large broken wheel laying upon the ground

"WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING !"

Another crash was now felt making the ground rumble this time sending a shiver down Azari's spine before making his eyes go wide as he hastily jumped towards his friends pushing them out of the way as a deep crack had sprouted from the ground before imploding before them causing the ground to break

Reacting to the attack the group of heroes only had a surprised reaction as Pym looked at the ground in pure shock

"THE HELL WAS THAT !" he yelled before a laugh erupted grabbing their attention

Walking through the smoke and debris of the festival a shirtless man wearing grayish purplish pants whilst holding a metal ball and chain had smirked as his body radiated what seemed to be cracks of concrete from his lower half

Immediately the kid's eyes went wide as they all gasped

"Absorbing Man"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. level 5 threat. Guy was a big deal back in the databooks" James stated as the team had quickly gotten to their feet

Grabbing his belt Azari had quickly pulled it off and snapped it into his metal rod as black electricity erupted around it

Torunn herself took quick action in bringing forth her weapons as sticking her hands out both Mjolnir and her sword flew to her hand as thunder erupted from her eyes

"Now that were in the past we have to face past foes" Pym groaned

"Great"

"Please, this guys all bark and no bite" Francis smirked before calling over to the man

"HEY BALDY !" he shouted making Absorbing Man turn his head quickly to face the team only making Francis smirk

"YEAH THAT'S RIGHT ! I'M TALKING TO YOU !"

"Ehh ? you talking to me ! Look, kid, get out of here. Unless you want to paint the pavement" the villain threatened only bringing up his ball in chain to prove a point

Francis didn't take weary of it though as he only chuckled making the villain raise an eyebrow

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY !"

Covering his mouth in a historical manner Francis continued to laugh not even trying to hold in his feelings anymore

"I'm sorry it's just…..ABSORBING MAN ! LIKE HOW ON THE NOISE IS THAT ! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA !"

Francis only found himself laughing more leaving James, Azari, Torunn and Pym to only hide their smirks and giggles behind sealed lips

The Absorbing villain however didn't find joy in the arches jokes as Immediately with a groan Carl Creel had touched the nearby concrete ground as suddenly his body had adapted changing it's form into solid concrete

"You think I'm funny" he huffed before raising his foot

"Ok, let's see how funny I am AFTER YOU END UP SWALLOWED IN THE GROUND !" he chanted before stomping the ground below

A large crack and immediately filed it's way towards the team Immediately forcing them to jump out the way and split as hastily Torunn was the first to charge pouncing in the air raising her sword up high as she came crashing down upon the man

Bringing his hand up Immediately he blocked her attack with nothing but his palms before soon enough smirking as he gripped her sword tightly around the blade only making Torunn's eyes go wide as his smirk only grew

A chilling silver was sent up his spine as he noticed the material of the blade

"Uru" he smirked as Torunn only watched his body coat in the Cosmic Steel

Trying to pull her sword back from his grasp Absorbing Man's body only coated more in the steel as he noticed the Bifrost emblem on chest of her sword giving the villain the last piece of the puzzle as he looked up at her floating figure

"You're Asgardian" he admitted making Torunn's whole body tense as she kicked his chest fully prying herself from his grasp

Not worrying about the grasp he lost Absorbing Man only laughed as he began to swing his now cosmic steel ball and chain around

Immediately throwing the weapons towards Torunn the ball was quickly moved out the way like a gust of wind had hit it greatly confusing the man

But not more when suddenly he felt his legs begin to sink down to the ground and right as he looked down he noticed the ground being manipulated before him

Immediately he raised an eyebrow in built confusion on what was happening trying to pry and force himself free but Torunn only looked off in the distance to see Azari touching the ground in a hidden location controlling it beneath him

Absorbing man only groaned in annoyance and anger before he began punching and slamming the ground beneath him beginning to break free from the trap

His skin and body quickly changed from Urur back to concrete the more he continued to wail at the ground carelessly and right when the switch occurred a series of small explosive pellets struck him in the face

"ARGH !" he groaned, reeling back within the concrete hole he was stuck within as the explosives and smoke hit him pure in the fast but when the dust cleared James came punching in.

Cracking his fist against his concreted face Absorbing Man let out a small groan as a cut had expelled on his face

"ALRIGHT ENOUGH OF THIS !" the man chanted before soon enough ripping himself out of the small hole

James had begun to Backspring away from the destruction as Carl Creel lifted himself out from the small hole he was placed in. His skin had reverted back to normal and when he felt a small sting upon his face he surfaced his hand across his face lightly flinching when he felt blood

"Just who are you kids ?" Absorbing Man asked as the team had quickly regrouped among one another

"Alright this guy's tougher to take down" James stated in which everyone agreed

"He can absorb any form of a physical entity or Some forms of energy and duplicate it to his will so the last thing you want to do is show off your tools towards him" Pym said more directly towards Torunn who pouted before putting her sword and Mjolnir away

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage ? force him to absorb a property that will give us an advantage ?" Francis said

Before the conversation could continue a metal ball had cracked between their circle causing them all to split and look towards the direction of the absorbing villain who had a royally pissed off expression

Twirling to his feet James was immediately the first one up dodging the man's ball and chain attack with a quick roll before scooping up a nearby rock and throwing it towards him as a diversion

The man simply let the rock hit hip turning his face a little not noticing the incoming punch James gave him causing him to stumble back

Dodging his incoming swipe James hooked himself around the man getting them both into a chokehold position

Immediately Absorbing Man had gripped his ball and chain tighter letting the metal of his body coat around him but Pym was quick to come to James's aid as from up above he began firing his plasma hitting him straight in the chest making Carl groan

Feeling the plasma heat rupture his stomach the man quickly grabbed James's with both of his hands forcing him to drop his weapons before launching James away towards Pym stopping the pixie's upper attack to catch the super soldier

Absorbing man wasn't able to celebrate his small victory as much as almost soon after a bolt of lighting stuck him in the back making him grunt

Turning back to see Azari the man said no words only smirking before picking up his ball and chain

That was until he felt his body coat in solid metal only raising his eyebrows eruptedly when he saw Francis holding a solid piece of metal touching his fingertips

The platinum blonde had only laughed before speaking

"Told you your names a little on the noise" he chuckled

The villain let out an angered yell before raising his hands ready to attack Francis

But Immediately a hard splash of water struck him down to the ground as Azari had began controlling a nearby water hydrant's water system

Keeping him bolted to the ground due to the intense amount of water Pym had quickly thought of a way this fight could end as Immediately he jumped to his feet and began to fly

Firing his Plasma beam into the splurge of water pressure Pym quickly came down to his feet and joined the mix

"AZARI KEEP THE PRESSURE COMING !"

"GOT IT !"

Trying to push and scrape through the intense amounts of now moisted water surrounding him Absorbing Man's hands began to rust followed by his legs before soon enough his entire body followed the decay

"AZARI NOW !" Pym called

Slamming his hands down the Water had flushed away leaving Pym and Azari to stop the combined attack

Small groans and whimpers had escaped the villain's mouth as the group had begun to circle around him all looking at his rusted body. The once silver coated metal that surrounded his body was now replaced with a brown rust that covered him from head to toe leaving him unable to move

"How did you know the metal would make him rust ?" James asked Pym as the police sirens began to blare closer to them and Pym just shrugged his shoulders

"Science"

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"You know I think James's Mom was right" Torunn began as the group had begun walking away from the festival

"What do you mean ?" James asked

"We make a great team. We all have ever since we were kids. But more important we all know what we do"

"Which is ?" Azari said

Francis just smirked as he began to pick up what Torunn was saying

"We're the Next Avengers, That's what our faction is"

"A leader" he said making James smile

"A God" he said making Torunn smirk

"A Science Guy" He said making Pym smile

"A prince" he said making Azari snort and laugh

"And an Archer" he said making himself grin

"Sounds like a damn good team to me" James stated and that everyone agreed in