Tony rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms, then turned to Smith Doyle with a grin.
"How do you feel?"
Smith's eyes gleamed as he replied in admiration,
"Man, that's awesome. Mecha is every guy's dream."
"Mark I was a bit rough around the edges," he added, "but Tony—this thing's so cool. Are you planning to sell it?"
"If you do," he said with a wink, "make sure I'm the first to know. I want one for my collection."
Tony didn't even hesitate.
"Nope. Not for sale. This is personal—doesn't belong to Stark Industries."
Smith wasn't surprised. He'd only asked out of curiosity. Besides, he figured Bulma could probably slap together a suit of armor herself if she felt like it.
"Fair enough. Honestly, it's probably for the best. This thing's got serious firepower. You start selling it, and suddenly you're back in the weapons trade."
Tony nodded,
"Exactly. That's why this baby is mine alone. No commercial use."
"Now then—time for a little demonstration. Let me show you what the Mark II can really do."
In the next instant, Tony launched into a dramatic, spiraling takeoff like a firework. Watching the flashy aerial maneuvers, Smith almost burst out laughing.
Soon, Tony zipped out of the garage. Smith didn't hesitate—he took off right after him, using his Flight Technique.
Soaring through the sky, Tony let out a euphoric shout.
"Whoooaaa!
Haha! This is what flying is supposed to feel like!"
Then JARVIS chimed in.
"Sir, Mr. Smith has followed. He's right beside you."
Tony called out mid-flight,
"Smith—let's see who flies faster and higher!"
Smith was immediately intrigued.
"Alright. I was thinking the same thing."
"One… two… three—GO!"
As soon as the word left his mouth, Tony punched it, blasting ahead at full power. Smith wasn't about to be left behind. With a flash of energy, he surged forward.
High in the sky, the two began a thrilling chase, weaving and darting through the clouds. Tony marveled aloud,
"This feels like something out of a dream."
But then JARVIS spoke again.
"Sir, Mr. Smith is still matching your speed."
Seeing that Smith could keep up, Tony smirked.
"Alright then. Let's see if he can handle what Mark II's really made of."
Without warning, Tony rocketed upward into the stratosphere.
"JARVIS, what's the flight altitude record for reconnaissance jets?"
"Fixed-wing recon aircraft top out at 85,000 feet, sir."
"Then let's break that record. Go!"
Smith saw Tony shoot up toward the heavens and followed close behind.
Whoosh!
As the altitude climbed, Smith began to manage his internal energy more carefully. After all, his combat power was barely at 200—still several divine tiers below Tony.
When Tony finally pulled ahead, he whooped with joy.
"Haha! Smith—I may not be able to fly like you, but this suit? It just beat you!"
Smith, however, noticed something troubling: frost was forming on Tony's suit. JARVIS issued a warning,
"Sir, ice accumulation is increasing rapidly. The suit may sustain damage."
Tony shrugged it off.
"Keep climbing."
Smith frowned. Clearly, Tony hadn't implemented any anti-ice measures for high-altitude conditions. He was going to pay for that mistake.
Still… it was another chance to save Tony. That was a win in his book.
"Little higher!"
Tony pushed harder. But then—fwoomp—his leg thrusters sputtered out. Moments later, the entire propulsion system failed, and he began plummeting toward the Earth.
He zipped right past Smith as he fell.
"JARVIS, I'm frozen up."
"...JARVIS?"
"Smith—save me!"
"Aaaah!"
Hearing Tony's distress, Smith didn't hesitate. Any longer and Tony might hit a safe altitude and auto-recover—but that was a big might.
He flipped around and dived after him.
Tony was falling fast, but Smith was faster. With a burst of energy, Smith shot down like a missile and caught Tony mid-fall.
BOOM!
The impact from Tony's weight and velocity nearly knocked them both out of the sky. But Smith gritted his teeth, powered up again, and steadied them with his Flight Technique.
Tony laughed breathlessly.
"Haha—Smith Doyle, you saved my life again."
Smith gave the Mark II a gentle punch, shattering the layer of ice on its surface. JARVIS rebooted instantly, and the suit powered back online.
"Smith, I'm good now."
Smith let go, hovering to the side as Tony's thrusters flared to life again.
Together, they flew back to the villa rooftop. As they landed, Tony called out,
"Cut the power."
CRASH!
Tony dropped like a rock, smashing right through the roof and pancaking a car in the garage below.
Smith floated down through the hole and burst out laughing as he saw Dum-E spraying Tony with dry ice.
"Tony—what was that supposed to be?"
Tony lay sprawled on the floor, totally deadpan. He'd just wanted to show off in front of Smith… and completely botched it. A little embarrassing, honestly.
With JARVIS's help, Tony wriggled out of the armor.
Smith walked up, clapped him on the shoulder, and said,
"Tony, once you fix the high-altitude icing issue, your suit will still be the best. Number one."
Seeing Smith give him a thumbs-up, Tony chuckled awkwardly.
Back in the lab, Tony picked up a cup of coffee from the table and sipped.
"Pepper Potts made this for me. You don't get any."
Smith glanced at the two gift boxes on the desk and teased,
"Not just coffee—looks like she left you presents too."
"Tony, is your secretary trying to woo you?"
Tony looked confused.
"Woo me?
No way. If anything, I'm the one wooing her."
He reached for one of the boxes, tore off the wrapping, and opened it. Inside was his old arc reactor, carefully encased in glass. A note was etched beside it:
"Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."