"Malrick, how do we decide our order of appearance?" Tony asked from inside the lounge, pacing as the team gathered around the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Because this is Asgard's home match, they will choose which of their champions opens," Malrick answered evenly. "We will respond once their choice is clear. The contest is best of five. The side that reaches three victories first wins."
"And their first choice?" Banner asked.
"Thor will lead for Asgard," Malrick said, a faint nod in his voice. "The Thunder Prince tends to go first in important matches. He has presence, not yet fully unleashed as a thunder-wielder, but with Mjolnir in hand he is a major threat."
At the name Thor the atmosphere tightened. Even without showing his full power, Thor's reputation carried weight. The team fell silent, mentally mapping strategies.
"If Thor opens," Tony observed, "they're trying to secure a morale win right away. Sending him out first says they want momentum on their side."
"That means if we defeat Thor early," Banner said, "we could shake Asgard's confidence. The rest of the contest gets easier."
"Then who do we send?" Pietro asked.
Many eyes drifted toward Wanda. She met them calmly.
"I can do it," Wanda said.
"No," Tony cut in before anyone could reply. He folded his arms and paced, eyes bright with that old showman calculation. "Sending our strongest first is reckless. We do not know how Asgard measures power. Wanda should only enter when we're sure of victory."
Wanda opened her mouth to argue, because she was confident, but a roar rolled through the arena outside and swallowed her words.
The crowd's chant thundered through the palace corridors, thousands of voices calling for Thor. The sound vibrated in their bones. They moved to the door, peering through the narrow gap in the heavy wood and seeing the arena from the shadowed corridor.
Thor strode into the colosseum carrying Mjolnir. He raised his hammer and smiled sun-bright at the cheering crowd. As the stadium erupted, Tony gave a low, impressed whistle.
"He's more popular than any of my press events," Tony muttered.
"Your press events do not grant you subjects," Pietro said.
Tony and Pietro began their usual banter about money and attention, but Malrick held up a hand to stop it. He watched Thor's procession with a sorcerer's calm.
"I should go first," Tony said suddenly, eyes narrowing, as if he had fixed on a new plan.
The statement stunned the room into a brief silence.
"Why you, Tony?" Banner asked, incredulous. "I thought the usual tactic was to send the weakest when the opponent's strongest opens, to preserve our best for later."
Tony grinned and clapped Banner's shoulder. "Smart thinking, Banner. You're exactly right."
"I should go. I'm the weakest," Banner insisted.
"No, I am," Tony argued. They bickered, both insisting on being the sacrificial lamb, and for a moment the tension became almost comic. Pietro and Mordo exchanged helpless looks. If both of them considered themselves the weakest, perhaps the team's assumptions about strength were all wrong.
Mordo stepped forward. "If you insist on excitement I will not stop you, Malrick. But I would rather keep Wanda available."
Malrick's decision was quiet and final. "Tony goes first."
Tony's face lit up like a kid called to center stage. "Of course," he said, stepping toward the door. He set his arc reactor glowing beneath his robe and reached for the heavy latch.
"Asgard's thunder is concentrated in Mjolnir," Malrick explained to Banner once Tony was readying himself, "and Tony's offensive capability is tied to his suit. Their clash will reveal much about Thor's fighting style and limits."
Banner watched Tony leave with worry etched across his face. Before Tony pushed out, Pepper emerged from the family section and walked toward him. She smoothed his sorcerer's robe and leaned in close.
"Don't get hurt, Tony," she whispered, voice both warning and affectionate.
Tony's grin faltered. For a second his bravado gave way to something more vulnerable. Pepper's hand on his shoulder steadied him, but it also seemed to summon a chilly memory. He laughed a little too loudly.
"You worried, or just trying to scare me?" he said, trying to shift the tone.
"Worried," Pepper said plainly, then surprised him by closing the space with a brief, genuine embrace. Warm energy glinted and seemed to pulse as she held him, a private exchange amid the roar of the crowd.
Tony stepped out into the sunlight of the arena, the cheers pouring down on him like a tide. He walked toward the stage, head held high, every eye fixed on him as he ascended.
Back in the lounge, Banner turned to Malrick. "Why would Tony volunteer to face Thor? He knows he's not the smallest fighter on our roster."
Malrick folded his hands behind his back and regarded Banner with that composed teacher's patience he wore well. "Because Tony knows himself. He understands that sending our strongest first risks losing our decisive advantage. Sending the weakest first gives away the chance to assess their fighters. Tony will go first to probe, to force Thor to show his hand and reveal the limits of his weapon."
"And," Malrick added with a wry tilt, "Tony cannot stand being upstaged. He likes being the center of attention."
Banner blinked, then managed a small smile. The reasoning made sense in its own way.
Tony moved across the arena floor with the practiced showmanship of a man who had spent a lifetime turning spectacle into strategy. His entrance set the crowd buzzing. From where they watched, everyone could see how the Asgardian audience hung on Thor's every movement, and how that same reverence would test their resolve.
Malrick watched from the wings, keeping a mental ledger of energies and possible reactions. The match would teach them more than a simple victory or defeat could, and Malrick intended to learn everything it could offer.
If, after all this, they still lost, he thought dryly, he would find a way to keep Tony out of Pepper's bed for a week, tie him down and make him drink a bitter restorative tonic. But he did not say that aloud. He only allowed himself a small private smile as the crowd rose to its feet.
The first match would begin in moments, and the outcome would set the tone for the rest of the contest. Each of them readied themselves, not only for battle but for the lessons the fight would bring.
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