Seeing Hal fully suited up in green with his eye mask, Tony Stark and the others stared in silence, wanting to comment but holding back. It was clear Hal's costume was not something he could control or alter at will. Unlike other Avengers who tailored their suits to their personal style and used them to conceal their identities, Hal had no choice. His Green Lantern outfit was a direct projection of his ring, functioning more like a transformative armor that he couldn't modify.
Hal could theoretically add small, decorative changes to his green suit through sheer willpower, but these would still be green and likely wouldn't improve the look. Plus, maintaining these additions would drain his ring's power—a disadvantage for someone whose energy supply was already limited.
"Uh, before we proceed, could I ask a quick favor?" Hal asked, noting Tony and the others' mixed reactions to his outfit.
"Oh? What is it?" Tony looked at him curiously.
"Since I'm the only Green Lantern on Earth, I'd really like my superhero name to be 'Green Lantern.' I don't want to end up being called 'Green Guy' or 'Green Light Hero' or anything like that," Hal said earnestly. This was one of the main reasons he'd rushed to the Avengers: to establish his official superhero title.
Tony nodded in understanding. "Got it. Jarvis, make sure to update the records. From now on, he's 'Green Lantern,' our Avenger-in-training." Turning back to Hal, he added, "Let's continue testing your abilities. Looks like the ring is advanced alien tech, but probably not something just anyone could use."
Hal didn't question the "trainee" label; with his current skills, he wasn't fully up to Avengers standards. This trial period seemed fair to him.
Soon after, Hal demonstrated his powers to the Avengers, confirming Jarvis' assessment. His abilities resembled materialized telekinesis—he could shape objects with his mind, but unlike pure telekinesis, he had to visualize a specific form to interact with his surroundings.
For instance, if Susan Storm wanted to levitate a nearby cup, she could do it with a mere thought. But Hal would have to create a green hand or some other tool to lift it. In terms of speed and strength, his powers were on par with telekinesis, though his constructs made them more visually dynamic and dependent on his imagination. However, these constructs also presented visible weak points for an enemy to exploit.
For example, when Kilowog trained Hal, he bombarded him with rocks. Hal attempted to shield himself by conjuring a metal plate supported by four pillars. Kilowog immediately targeted the pillars, nearly burying Hal under the falling debris. If it had been Susan's telekinetic barrier, Kilowog wouldn't have seen its structural weak points so easily.
"Wow, that was exhausting!" Hal finally returned home, barely able to keep his eyes open. Having trained with the Green Lantern Corps, saved Carol, and undergone Avengers testing, he was completely drained. He'd recharged his ring several times during the testing, which showed how much energy he'd expended.
Though the Avengers knew less about his ring than the Green Lantern Corps, their guidance helped him better control his abilities. Despite some of the Avengers breaking his preconceived notions about them, they'd treated him fairly, with no signs of bullying or unnecessary roughness during training.
The biggest difference between the Avengers and the Green Lantern Corps was that the Corps required each Lantern to be strong enough to defend their sector. The Avengers, however, didn't impose a strict power threshold. Since each Avenger's abilities varied, they were more about individual efforts and contributions to extraordinary situations.
"Move over!" Hal had barely stretched out on his bed when Wade climbed in beside him.
"Why are you here? You were just watching; why are you taking up my bed space?" Hal asked, thoroughly annoyed.
"It's nighttime—shouldn't we sleep? I didn't get any sleep last night either!" Wade replied with an air of justification.
"In that uniform? I can smell a faint stench of blood and sweat from it!" Hal said, turning away, but then he realized something. "Wait! You haven't taken a mission in years… You didn't wash that thing, did you?"
"What? Of course I did! Otherwise, it'd smell way worse!" Wade retorted, adding, "I just don't have a second uniform, and some smells are hard to wash out."
"Dude, why don't you just make a new one? You're not broke; how much could it cost?" Hal asked, bewildered.
"Not everyone has a ring that can conjure suits like yours," Wade shot back. "Getting an identical suit made isn't that easy, and I put a lot of work into mine…"
"So what if it's not identical? You think people will impersonate you?" Hal rolled his eyes, turning his back to Wade.
"You have no idea how many fans I have, Hal. I'm way more popular than a newbie like you—measured against the entire Green Lantern Corps even," Wade bragged, but Hal ignored him, sleep already tugging at his consciousness.
Just as Hal was drifting off, he felt something rough and warm brush against his arm, snapping him awake.
"Wade! Are you serious?" Hal jumped out of bed, horrified. "Why are you undressed?!"
"You were complaining about the smell. Relax, I'm not interested in you, and you're still fully dressed!" Wade's scarred face broke into a wide grin.
"Get out!" Hal kicked him off the bed, feeling fully awake now. As he did, his phone buzzed.
"Hal, how did you recover so quickly after such a close brush with death?" The message was from Carol, his girlfriend. Despite nearly being killed by the crashing helicopter, she hadn't sought any comfort from him right after the incident. They'd known each other for so long that she'd learned to be self-reliant, but now, memories of the crash kept creeping into her mind.
"I'm heading out!" Hal ignored Wade, who was sprawled on the floor, and transformed back into Green Lantern, flying out the window. Though he'd decided not to pull Carol into the world of superpowers or reveal his identity as Green Lantern, he figured a little reassurance wouldn't hurt. After all, Green Lantern had just saved her, and offering her comfort seemed like the heroic thing to do.
Moments later, Carol, who was still contemplating her brush with death, noticed a faint green glow outside. She looked up and remembered the Green Lantern who'd saved her.
"Good evening, ma'am. I didn't get the chance to properly say goodbye last time," Green Lantern said, landing on her balcony. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… It's good to have the chance to thank you, Green Lantern," Carol replied, taken aback but not showing vulnerability. She felt deeply grateful but wasn't about to reveal her inner turmoil.
"There's no need to thank me; it's my duty," Green Lantern said sincerely.
"No, I have to. You saved my life and everyone else's," Carol said, stepping closer, but as she did, a sense of familiarity hit her. She scrutinized Green Lantern's face, causing him to shift uncomfortably.
"Hal?" she said, the name slipping out. Green Lantern froze.
"Uh… ma'am?" Hal stammered, trying to deny it. How had she figured it out so quickly? Other Avengers concealed their identities effectively, yet he was already exposed before even starting his work as an Avenger. He briefly wondered if the ring had run out of power, revealing his face.
"Oh my God, Hal! How is this possible?" Carol exclaimed, astonished. "How did you get superpowers? Was it because of the crash?"
"No! Wait… How did you recognize me?" Hal asked, baffled.
"What do you mean? I've known you since birth. Do you think a mask would fool me? By the way, what's with the mask? Don't Avengers usually wear full-face masks?" Carol shot him a look of disdain.
"The mask comes with the suit," Hal explained, exasperated. "It's not my design; it's a projection from the ring. Without it, my identity would be completely exposed…"
Since Carol already knew, Hal felt compelled to explain the Green Lantern Corps and the Avengers, fearing she might be unsettled by his new role. After all, she'd seemed a bit disturbed by his appearance just moments ago.
Meanwhile, across town, Hector was found after losing consciousness from overusing his powers. Upon seeing Hector's swollen, abnormal head, Hammond felt a surge of excitement rather than concern. He immediately recalled Hector's work on Abin's body and guessed that Hector might have been "infected" by it.
"Quick! Take him to the lab! We need to find out how he was affected and whether he's developed any new powers!" Hammond ordered, now viewing his own son as a test subject.
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