Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

A piercing, maniacal laugh echoed through the darkness as a spherical object hurtled toward Ned.

"Hmph!"

Ned snorted coldly. Although he'd prepared to retreat, there was no way he'd flee without even seeing his opponent's face.

With a swift motion, Ned extended one hand, tracing a half-circle in the air. Instantly, a massive magical shield materialized in front of him, held firmly in place by his single hand.

As the shield shimmered into existence, Ned's sharp eyes locked onto the sphere emerging from the shadows. When it drew closer, revealing its true form, he let out a breath of relief. So, it was none other than the iconic Pumpkin Bomb, a signature weapon of Spider-Man's nemesis, the Green Goblin!

BOOM!

The bomb exploded with a deafening roar, sending up a cloud of dust and smoke. But the impact didn't even make Ned flinch behind his magical shield.

"Technology should be met with technology. Only the clash of armored suits can truly get the adrenaline pumping."

As Ned spoke, he pulled out his vibranium phone—a gift from Tony Stark.

"Time to shine, Little AI!"

With a forceful toss, Ned hurled the vibranium phone forward.

The moment it left his hand, the phone transformed mid-air, rapidly morphing into the Mark 85 nanotech suit before landing heavily on the ground.

"Always at your service, sir," came the familiar voice of Little AI, the AI system controlling the suit.

"See that ugly, green freak in the shadows? Wreck his armor for me," Ned ordered, pointing toward the direction of the earlier laughter.

At the same time, Ned slipped on a high-tech pair of glasses—his personal upgrade hacked from Oscorp's systems. These glasses allowed him to experience the thrill of battle from a first-person perspective, as if he were inside the suit himself. To top it off, he wore a specialized tech bodysuit that enabled seamless remote control of the armor. Not that he used it often—being one-handed had its limitations, after all.

"Understood, sir," Little AI responded crisply.

The suit's thrusters roared to life, propelling it into the sky toward the Green Goblin's hidden position. While Ned's own eyes couldn't locate the Goblin, the armor's advanced radar had already locked onto its target.

"What is that thing?"

The Green Goblin squinted through his night-vision-equipped armor, spotting the glowing magical shield that had blocked his bomb and now the humanoid figure speeding toward him.

"Hmph!"

Confident in his own tech, the Green Goblin surged forward on his glider, ready to engage the suit head-on.

BAM!

Just as the Goblin prepared for close combat, expecting a test of strength, the Iron Man suit's repulsor blasted him squarely in the chest, sending him reeling mid-air.

"Curse you!"

The Green Goblin roared in rage, retaliating with a barrage of missiles from his glider. He followed closely behind, aiming to unleash a devastating combo the moment the suit got caught in the explosions.

"Wow, Greenie," the suit's speakers suddenly blared with Tony Stark's snarky voice—programmed into Little AI by Ned. "Your ride looks like Rhodey's ex-wife. Seriously, does it come with airbags?"

The Iron Man suit veered unpredictably, zigzagging up, down, left, and right to evade the missiles. Despite its best efforts, the homing missiles stayed locked on. With no other choice, the suit turned and fired several repulsor blasts to detonate the projectiles mid-air.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Smoke filled the sky as fiery explosions lit it up. Out of the black haze, a green figure emerged, lunging toward the armor.

"Wow!"

The suit exclaimed as the Goblin's punch was narrowly blocked. Without hesitation, the suit countered with a powerful kick to the Goblin's face, sending him hurtling backward.

"Impressive effort, but let me remind you," the suit quipped in Tony's voice. "My combat skills are leagues ahead of both Captain Rogers and his bromantic buddy combined."

Though the Green Goblin had incredible strength, the suit was piloted by Little AI, a cutting-edge AI with a vast database of combat techniques and reaction speeds unmatched by any human. The Goblin's attacks were effortlessly neutralized.

"AHHH!"

Unhinged as always, the Green Goblin's frustration boiled over. "Who the hell are you?!" he bellowed.

"Me?" The suit's speakers blared again with that familiar smugness. "I'm none other than the one and only Tony Stark! Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tech consultant, the heart of the Avengers, the greatest hero alive, and, oh yeah—Iron Man!"

"SHUT UP!"

The Goblin, already mentally unstable, clutched his head in agony as the suit's long-winded self-introduction pushed him over the edge. Screaming in frustration, he turned his glider around and fled into the night.

"Hey, Greenie! Are you ignoring Tony Stark? That's just rude!"

The suit prepared to pursue but received a ceasefire command from Ned. Little AI obediently flew back, landing before its master.

"Why didn't you follow the intro script I gave you?" Ned asked, his expression unimpressed.

"According to Stark Industries' programming, any attempt to undermine the genius of Tony Stark will automatically be corrected," Little AI replied matter-of-factly.

"…"

Ned was speechless.

"Forget it. Stand down. Let's leave the Green Goblin alone for now. He's an essential part of Spider-Man's growth. As long as he doesn't cross me, we'll keep our interference minimal."

"Understood, sir."

With that, the armor reverted to phone form, zipping back into Ned's pocket.

Once Ned disappeared through a portal, a few gang members cautiously approached the scene. The earlier explosions had shaken the entire neighborhood, waking up residents and prompting Stacy, the beloved police captain, to rush to the site.

After looking around and finding nothing but the crater left by the Pumpkin Bomb, the gangsters sighed, bracing themselves for a scolding from their boss. They slinked away, frustration etched on their faces.

--------------

T/N:

Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my 

P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals