"Hey Tony, Leo's upstairs. We're having orange peel chicken rice tonight!" Pepper called out as she descended into the brilliant, highly-organized chaos of the basement. She paused, noticing Tony frantically trying to cover the massive, skeletal frame of a metal boot with a sheet.
"Hey, Pepper, why are you back so early?" Tony replied, sounding guilty, his hands still fumbling with the flimsy cover.
"Tony, I don't care what deeply irresponsible thing you're building down here, but you still need to eat a proper dinner," Pepper insisted, walking over. "I might be swamped for the next few days and might not be able to swing by, so you absolutely have to take good care of Leo. Don't leave him alone with a twenty-dollar bill and a satellite phone." She placed the takeout container on the edge of the workbench.
"That's rich, Pepper. You've never given me a curfew before. Now that Leo is here, suddenly I have to be a responsible caretaker?" Tony grumbled, folding his arms.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, okay? Besides, Leo is just a kid, he's only eleven. You can't even remember to pay the pizza guy!" Pepper retorted, turning to leave.
"Look at him! Aside from his size, he doesn't look eleven at all. He's practically an old, wise monster in a child's body!" Tony opened his lunchbox, sat down, and continued to complain to the air.
"Jarvis, if anyone—and I mean anyone—gets close to this section, initiate a Level One panic alarm. This is classified."
"Yes, sir. Access parameters updated."
Upstairs in the magnificent, softly lit hall, Pepper and Leo were sitting on a plush sofa, sharing a meal. The food—a modest container of chicken and rice—seemed completely out of place in the opulent mansion.
"So, this is it," Leo observed, finishing the last grain of rice. "The life of a billionaire is really this simple and... unpretentious?"
Pepper laughed, a light, genuine sound. "What did you expect? Gold leaf on the takeout? Tony hates having a chef to cook at home. Aside from occasionally going out to an expensive restaurant, he usually eats things that can be ordered and delivered in under ten minutes."
"It's nothing. Just reminiscing about the simple life," Leo chuckled, settling further into the impossibly soft sofa.
"Leo, you are truly something else," Pepper commented, wiping her mouth. "Tony has never let anyone stay here before, except for the parade of interchangeable dates, of course. You're the very first person he has willingly given a key to. What exactly did you do to convince him?"
Leo looked at Pepper, meeting her curious gaze. He finished the very last piece of orange peel chicken. "Sister Pepper, you might not believe me, but I have a special ability—superpowers. And I can help Mr. Stark do what he needs to do, so he let me stay."
"Superpowers?" Pepper covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "Okay, okay, Superboy. Are you full now?"
"No, not even close. Can I have ten more servings of that, please?" Leo said, licking his lips with serious intensity.
"Ah, really?" Pepper's disbelief was evident. She looked at his small stature and the empty container.
Leo glanced toward the kitchen. "If we have the ingredients, I can cook for myself. This single portion is far too small to fuel my... unique needs."
"Alright, I'll take you to the kitchen. I don't cook much, but I do ensure the fridge is regularly stocked," Pepper said, deciding to humor him.
When they opened the massive, industrial-grade refrigerator, Leo's eyes lit up. It was packed with fresh, high-grade ingredients: massive cuts of steak, fresh-caught fish, organic vegetables, exotic cheeses, and enough ingredients to feed a small army for a week.
Leo rubbed his hands together like a mad scientist presented with a new chemical set.
In less than forty minutes, the high-tech kitchen was a blur of activity. Leo, moving with incredible, focused speed, had utilized the large convection oven to perfectly sear twelve thick-cut ribeye steaks. He grilled three large fish, sautéed two enormous plates of mixed vegetables, and whipped up a truly enormous bowl of meat sauce pasta.
Finally, the elegant, minimalist kitchen island was completely covered. There were exactly twelve steaks alone.
"My God, Leo!" Pepper exclaimed, rushing down from her office on the second floor when she smelled the sudden, overwhelming aroma of cooked meat.
"Leo, wasting food is a truly dreadful thing to do. You shouldn't have cooked so much," Pepper said, her smile replaced by a look of stern disapproval.
Leo sat down at the feast. "Pepper, would you care to join me? If not, I'm afraid I'll have to eat it all myself."
"No, that's impossible! Did you cook the entire refrigerator contents?" Pepper couldn't believe the sheer volume.
Leo tore into the first steak, chewing rapidly before swallowing a large piece. "Don't worry, I promise you, I can finish it. Just watch."
Pepper stood frozen, watching Leo eat with terrifying, focused energy. In barely twenty minutes, he had devoured half the food. The speed and sheer quantity were unnatural.
Pepper's eyes widened. "Leo, don't force yourself. It's absolutely alright to stop!"
Leo felt a surge of warmth—the food's energy being converted by his system.
He ate even faster, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me, Pepper. I'm perfectly fine. Just... getting my energy."
Watching the almost ferocious, desperate manner in which Leo consumed the massive quantities of protein and carbs, Pepper couldn't help but smile wryly, a little bit of true fear creeping in. "Okay, Leo. Now I really believe you have superpowers."
When Leo finally finished, he calmly stacked all the empty plates and loaded the industrial dishwasher. Pepper, bewildered, retreated back to her office to digest what she had just seen, leaving Leo alone in the silent, immaculate hall.
Tony was still locked away in the brightly lit basement. Leo desperately wanted to go down and check on the Mark II's progress, but it was the first day, and outright disobedience would sour the entire arrangement. I'll sneak down tomorrow, he decided.
Leo returned to his enormous guest room. The twenty-seven high-grade steel plates were neatly stacked on the floor. He extended his hand and beckoned, and the topmost, nearly 300-pound metal plate silently flew across the room and hovered around him.
The lights in the room immediately dimmed, and a soft golden aura began to emanate from Leo. Countless specks of incandescent golden light seemed to draw themselves out of the metal plate, flowing like a mist directly into the small figure at the center.
This energy combined with the pure mental power in his mind, transforming into a gentler golden light band that merged into his body's energy meridians. The metal softened, becoming malleable, and the golden light grew brighter, enveloping him in a cocoon of raw, potent power.
Leo's smile was one of pure, absolute ecstasy. This is why I needed the high-quality metal. Pure, concentrated training is far more efficient.
The next morning, at six o'clock sharp, Leo opened his eyes. With a sharp push of his hands, the now dull, depleted metal plate beside him shattered into several perfectly cubic pieces.
With a few gentle flicks of his fingers, the scattered cubes of metal seamlessly zipped back together, forming a dense, unremarkable square block that he carefully piled in a corner of the room. He had already processed the first plate.
A quick mental check brought up his current status:
Control Points: 79 (+1)
Strength: 16
Defense: 19
Speed: 9
Spirit: 19
Skill: D-Rank Metal Control, D-Rank Body
Enhancement: Golden Eyes (100%), Copper Skin (100%), Steel Bars (43% -> 48%), Iron Bones (0%)
Derivative Skill: Golden Eyes of Truth (Unaffected by any abilities, sees through all illusions, enhances visual observation, and can metallize objects), Immovable Golden Body (Greatly enhances defensive power; feet firmly planted on the ground; possesses unlimited stamina; body regeneration speed is increased; cannot be moved by external forces)
"Very good, the Control Points increased by one, and the reinforcement of the Steel Bars enhancement jumped by 5%. That's easily equivalent to a full four days of training without the quality materials," Leo thought. He clenched his fist, feeling the slight but noticeable increase in physical power due to the improved spiritual absorption.
Stepping out of the room, the sky outside the glass wall was still dim with the early morning light. However, the basement was clearly visible through the glass floor, shining with the intense, focused illumination of Tony's work zone.
Leo quietly padded to the top of the stairs, preparing to sneak down.
"Mr. Leo, please note that Mr. Stark explicitly prohibits unauthorized entry into the basement studio," Jarvis's voice resonated clearly from the ceiling speakers right in front of the stairwell.
Leo tilted his head, speaking directly to the air. "Jarvis, I can genuinely help Mr. Stark. I just need to take a quick look."
Before Jarvis could issue a second warning, Leo lightly pushed off. Instead of running down, he performed a perfect, soundless leap, clearing the entire flight of stairs and landing directly on the floor below, right outside the transparent, pressurized glass wall of the lab.
The immediate alarm—a soft, persistent electronic chime—sounded instantly. Though not loud, it was enough to startle both men.
"Jarvis, turn it off! Just use your voice next time!" Tony growled, spinning around from his workbench. He glared at Leo standing outside the door, his frustration evident.
"Mr. Stark, I know you are working on the Mark II. You don't need to hide it from me, right? I can help you!" Leo called out clearly through the glass.
Tony sighed, then looked at the complex, latch-style security lock on the door. It was electro-magnetically sealed, yet Leo could easily manipulate the internal components. He hadn't used his powers. He's trying to play by the rules, for now.
"Jarvis, open the door," Tony finally conceded.
Leo walked in, immediately surveying the workspace. His golden eyes locked onto Tony, who was standing beside a complex rig. He was already wearing the partially assembled, silver leg pieces of the new suit, complete with the arc reactor propulsion units embedded in the soles.
"Hey, Mr. Stark, are you preparing to test your foot-based flight stabilization and maneuvering devices right now?" Leo asked innocently, his expression confirming that he knew exactly what Tony was about to attempt.