This year's birthday was the happiest one Tony had ever had.
There were no drinking buddies, no blasting music, no wild parties, not even a single one of the hot girls he used to surround himself with.
The only ones keeping Tony company were his parents, his girlfriend, and his friends—all gathered around the same table, enjoying a hearty dinner together.
"Hope you don't find it boring, Tony."
"Boring? Of course not. Honestly, it's nice to have a calm evening for once. But how did you two manage to come back? Did you finally deal with that stubborn old Hank?"
Sitting across from Tony were Galon and Hope.
"You know Hank's just sulking about me being 'led astray' by Galon. It's not like he was actually going to refuse. And besides, he doesn't get to decide what I do," Hope said, shrugging.
"Well, your family is weird," Tony teased.
"You have room to talk, Iron Man?"
"Ahem… maybe we should change the topic."
"Hey, what are you guys chatting about?" Pepper came over, holding a glass of wine, and sat down next to Tony.
It was a rare moment of peace. Stark Industries wasn't doing well these days, and she would have to return to the company early tomorrow morning to face the endless pressure from all sides.
"Nothing much. I was just wondering if tomorrow you could—"
"No, I can't. The man of the hour keeps burying his head in piles of metal, and my best assistant is still on vacation. Do you know how many problems I have to solve alone?" Pepper complained.
"Cough…"
That arrow hit both men square in the knees. Tony and Galon bowed their heads in silence.
"Don't worry, Pepper," Hope said quickly. "Galon coming back means our vacation's over. I'll go back to work with him tomorrow."
"That's good to hear… wait, with him?" Pepper asked, puzzled.
Hope had been at Stark Industries as an exchange liaison from Pym Technologies. The exchange was already over—she was supposed to return to Pym Tech. Why would she be working with Galon instead?
"Of course. I quit Pym Tech. Now I'm an unemployed wanderer. Would you like to hire me?" Hope smiled.
"Oh my God! The answer is absolutely yes! Having you around would make my work a lot easier! But…" Pepper was thrilled—after their brief collaboration, she already knew how exceptional Hope was. To be blunt, even Pepper herself couldn't compare. But there was still one serious issue: "What about Pym Technologies? That's your family's company…"
"Hank's decided to completely let go. He handed Pym Tech over to his student and plans to dedicate all his time to finding my mother. Since the founder himself doesn't care anymore, why should I? And besides, I don't like Darren," Hope said with a faint smirk toward Galon.
"Hmm… let me guess—he asked you out?" Tony asked with interest.
"He did. I turned him down."
"He's still alive!?"
"Of course."
Tony gave Galon a strange look. "You're seriously okay with that? Shouldn't you have blasted him to the afterlife with a Light-Speed Punch? Or maybe sent him diving off Mount Yomi?"
Galon rolled his eyes. "Hope's already mine. Why would I bother with a kid like him?"
"That confidence—I love it."
"Uh… can you two not feed me dog food right now?" Tony groaned, holding Pepper's hand.
"So… that means I'm the only single one here?" Rhodey asked, walking over with a bottle of liquor.
"No, there's also Happy. But he's smart enough not to come over here and suffer," Tony joked.
"Well, I was getting a bit hungry again, but now I'm full," Rhodey laughed at himself.
"Galon, Hope—this is Rhodey. Rhodey, meet Galon and Hope." Though they'd already met at the dinner table, this was their proper introduction.
"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes."
"Just call me Rhodey. No ranks here. But Galon… you're really a Saint?" Rhodey asked. Tonight, he wasn't the Air Force officer—just Tony's friend attending the party.
"Yes. Galon of the Silver Saint of Delphinus," Galon replied calmly. He had already seen through Rhodey's nature with his cosmos, and even if his identity was exposed, he didn't care.
Mu and the others hid their identities to avoid troubling Athena, but Galon had no such concerns.
"Silver Saint… I've heard Saints are ranked gold, silver, and bronze, right?"
"Don't underestimate Galon, Rhodey. His strength ranks near the top among all Saints. Even some Gold Saints might not beat him. And his twin brother is the Gemini Gold Saint," Tony explained.
"Wow, really?" Rhodey looked at Galon in awe.
"Heh, want to find out firsthand?" Galon teased.
"If I were you, I wouldn't risk my body for that," Tony said dryly. "You've had too much to drink if you think that's a good idea."
"Yeah, maybe not. But Galon, do you think I've got potential to be a Saint?" Rhodey asked half-jokingly.
"Give it up, Rhodey. Even if you had the talent, it's too late," Tony waved him off.
"How do you know? Don't tell me you—" Rhodey squinted at him suspiciously.
"Saints begin training from childhood. It's brutal, with fierce competition. You wouldn't make it." Tony didn't take the bait, answering straightforwardly.
"Brutal? How brutal? I'm a soldier—I can take it."
"Steve trained under Galon. The entry test was smashing a boulder barehanded. You want to try that?"
"Uh…" Rhodey was stunned, glancing at Galon.
Galon just smiled and nodded slightly. With his cosmos, he already knew Rhodey was a good man, but he lacked the potential to awaken the sixth sense. And at his age, it was far too late to begin. Unless a miracle happened, he'd never reach the Saint's level—and given his current status, it was impossible anyway.
"Well… guess it's not meant to be," Rhodey said, shrugging without much disappointment.
"You've already set the wedding date, right?" Pepper asked Galon and Hope.
"Yeah. The 18th of next month. His Holiness the Pope picked it out as an auspicious day," Galon said.
"Oh! Congratulations! Just don't forget to make me your best man," Tony said, raising his glass.
"Mind if I join in?" Rhodey lifted his glass too.
"Then I'll be Hope's bridesmaid," Pepper added with a grin.
Galon and Hope exchanged smiles, lifted their glasses, and clinked them with the others'.
"Just don't turn us down when the time comes."
"Hahaha…"
…
At Melin's home, Hank planned to return to Pym Technologies tomorrow to settle the remaining business. His daughter was getting married, her fiancé was dependable, and she'd be well cared for. That meant his only remaining wish was to find Janet.
But before that, there was one thing he had to deal with.
His student, Darren Cross, had been pestering him for the formula of the Pym Particle. Hank knew Darren intended to mass-produce it for profit, so he'd refused to teach him. That refusal had created an irreparable rift between them.
Still, Darren was a genius—otherwise Hank would never have taken him on as his only student. From what he'd gathered, Darren had been trying to recreate the Pym Particle formula using what he'd learned, and he was making good progress.
As someone who had once served S.H.I.E.L.D., Hank knew all too well the catastrophe that would follow if Darren succeeded.
But Hank was old now—he couldn't fight like he once had. So he needed a successor, a new Ant-Man who could stop Darren Cross's plans.
He sifted through piles of personnel files he'd gathered from various sources, but none of the candidates seemed right.
At that moment, Melin handed him a cup of tea to calm him down.
"You're looking for a new successor?"
"Yes. I made a mistake back then—I never thought he'd turn out like this," Hank sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
That was the problem with ordinary people—they lacked the sixth sense and couldn't use the cosmos to perceive others. You could know someone's face but never their heart. Even the best disguise would eventually be exposed, but by then, it might already be too late.
Melin casually picked up a few files, glanced at them, and smiled wryly. Hank really was trying to pick the tallest dwarf among them. Bank clerks, waiters, insurance agents, real estate agents… all completely ordinary people.
"You're basically searching for a needle in a haystack," Melin said, setting the papers down.
"The candidate's background needs to be clean—I don't trust anyone in government. They can't be too comfortable in life, or they won't take the bait. They need solid physical skills and a good education—I don't want to start from scratch. And they must be brave—this job is dangerous and could even lead to betrayal."
"Why not ask Galon? He's your son-in-law."
"That would defeat the purpose. He can't inherit the Ant-Man suit. And besides, aren't you people forbidden from interfering in worldly affairs? Wouldn't that compromise your stance?"
"Our stance is that we don't initiate involvement in human conflicts—but that doesn't mean we stand idle when family is at risk. Saints are still human."
"…Forget it." Hank thought it over but ultimately gave up on asking Galon for help. The successor he needed wasn't just to stop Darren Cross—he had to inherit the mantle of Ant-Man itself.
"But you can help me choose one."
"Me?"
"Yes. Your judgment is never wrong, right?" Hank teased.
"Well… all right." Melin nodded, casually pulling a random file from the pile and handing it to him.
"That's it? So careless?" Hank looked at him strangely—Melin hadn't even checked the files. It looked completely random. But when he opened it, his face darkened. "You're joking, right?"
"But you said you trusted my judgment."
Hank had mixed feelings. To be honest, the person Melin picked did have good qualifications—educated, physically capable—but there was one problem. He'd have to wait a few years… because the man was still in prison.