Iron Man, Your Flirting Skills Are Terrible

Meanwhile, Iron Man began drinking juice made from green vegetables every day. Pepper Potts and his bodyguard Happy did not know why and merely assumed he wanted to work out.

Apocalypse knew that toxins from the reactor in Iron Man's chest had accumulated and were already affecting his health.

Iron Man was still using relatively outdated palladium. While it could provide energy, it also produced radioactive toxins that continuously eroded the human body.

The only solution was to replace palladium with a clean, safe element.

But even a genius like Iron Man could not find a substitute right away.

Apocalypse gave Iron Man several Recovery Potions, but within two days, Iron Man discovered a problem.

"These Recovery Potions are strange. They can only precisely remove the toxins from yesterday, not even one percent more. They are completely useless against the toxins accumulated the day before yesterday. At this rate, unless you can provide thirty thousand Recovery Potions for me to drink until I'm eighty, this won't be a solution in the end."

Apocalypse said helplessly, "Thirty thousand? I only have a little over a hundred of these potions right now, and they can't be reproduced. We still haven't figured out what they're made of."

Iron Man smiled sheepishly. "Such precious potions could save a life with every vial. I was being greedy."

After a pause, Iron Man added, "Don't tell Pepper and Happy. I don't want them to worry."

On the surface, Pepper was Iron Man's assistant and Happy was his bodyguard, but the three trusted one another like family.

In the end, Iron Man even married Pepper and had a daughter, Morgan Stark.

As for Happy, according to the original plot, he would most likely get involved with Spider-Man's still-alluring Aunt May.

Iron Man tapped his watch and said, "Happy, come in and spar with me."

"Why not spar with me?" Apocalypse shrugged.

"Give me a break. I don't want to get beaten up by a monster like you. Even in my armor, I wouldn't be able to take a single punch from you."

Before long, Happy walked in wearing a suit.

He looked over curiously. He only knew that Apocalypse was Iron Man's honored guest and had helped Iron Man escape from the Ten Rings in the Middle East, but he knew nothing else about this guest's background.

On one hand, Apocalypse had instructed them not to reveal his identity or strength, and Iron Man and Pepper naturally kept that firmly in mind.

On the other hand, Happy was a blabbermouth. If he learned Apocalypse's identity and strength, who knew when he might brag about it while drinking and let it slip.

After all, as someone close to Iron Man, he was watched by countless intelligence agencies and gossip tabloids, all of them hoping to get firsthand information.

Happy changed into loose training clothes and sparred with Iron Man on the ring for a while. Before long, Tony was panting heavily from exhaustion.

Happy, on the other hand, looked overweight, but his breathing remained steady. Clearly, he had real skill.

"Tony," Happy said, "how about you take a break? I'll exchange a few moves with Tang."

Iron Man quickly said, "Don't you dare provoke him! I'm afraid he won't control his strength and will crush you to death with one finger."

Unexpectedly, those concerned words instantly stirred Happy's competitive spirit. Iron Man could not stop him no matter how hard he tried, and he insisted on trading a few moves.

Happy challenged Apocalypse, "Mr. Tang, you're not scared, are you?"

Apocalypse smiled. "Sure. I was just looking for someone weaker to practice with, so I can better control my strength and avoid accidentally beating someone to death in the future."

Iron Man nagged from the side, "Tang, you have to take it easy. Happy is my good friend. Don't let him get hurt too badly."

Happy's face immediately flushed red. He felt as though his self-esteem had taken ten thousand points of damage. Had he become this useless in his boss's eyes?

He secretly resolved to go all out later and teach this Eastern guest a lesson.

Apocalypse did not even change clothes. He casually jumped onto the ring and assumed the opening stance of Tai Chi.

Tai Chi used softness to overcome hardness, making it perfect if he did not want to actively hurt someone.

Although Apocalypse only knew the basics of this martial art, his tremendous strength made up for it. Using strength to command technique, he had forcibly worked through many of its intricacies.

Happy took up a standard Sanda stance, constantly bouncing on his feet and shifting his body so his opponent could not lock onto him. Then he suddenly lunged forward, throwing a punch at Apocalypse's face.

Unfortunately, in Apocalypse's eyes, Happy's movements were as slow as a snail and as weak as a breeze. With a simple Grasping Sparrow's Tail, a press and a pull, Happy was sent flying into the elastic guardrails at the edge of the ring. The bands creaked as they stretched nearly to their limit, then snapped back fiercely, launching the two-hundred-pound Happy into the guardrails on the opposite side.

After one final bounce, he crashed into the middle of the ring and could not get back up for a while.

With only one move, Happy had lost all dignity, like a deflated balloon.

Happy refused to accept it. Lying on the ground, he said, "I let my guard down. I wasn't standing properly just now. Let me rest a little, then we'll fight again."

Just then, Pepper walked in on high heels, followed by a woman with a shapely figure dressed in professional attire: a white shirt and black suit pants.

"Tony, this is Natasha Rushman, an assistant from the legal department. There are some documents that need your signature."

The newcomer was none other than Black Widow!

Looking at Natasha in her professional outfit, sexy yet seventy percent serious, Iron Man's eyes immediately lit up.

Compared to the women he usually picked up, Black Widow's temperament was in an entirely different league.

The moment Black Widow entered, she saw Apocalypse, and a flicker of panic flashed through her eyes.

She never imagined that she would run into the "husband" she had been avoiding everywhere under such circumstances.

In the original plot, after Nick Fury saw Tony announce himself as Iron Man, he sent Black Widow to gather intelligence, confirm whether Iron Man posed a threat to Earth's security, and assess whether he could join the Avengers.

Now, besides gathering intelligence, there was another purpose.

With Nick Fury's intelligence network, there was no way he did not know Apocalypse was staying here. Sending Black Widow over was clearly meant to create an opportunity for the two of them.

Seeing Black Widow pretend not to know him, Apocalypse was in no hurry. He wanted to see how long she could keep up the act.

Tony's playboy mode swiftly activated. He stepped forward and said, "A new assistant from the legal department? How come I didn't know? Come by often when you have time. You're welcome here."

In the past, Black Widow would not have minded using her beauty to obtain information. But her bargain-bin "husband" was right beside her, and Nick Fury had also warned her against using that particular skill. Naturally, she did not dare go too far.

Black Widow said seriously, "Mr. Stark, these are agreements concerning the acquisition of several subsidiaries. They involve equity restructuring and require your signature for confirmation."

"No rush. Why don't we sit down first and have a glass of champagne while we talk? Legal documents take a long time to review, and standing all this time must be tiring."

Black Widow said, "I'm not afraid of hard work. Besides, drinking during work hours is not allowed."

The more she refused, the more Iron Man's heart itched. With his looks, wealth, and fame, there had never been a woman he wanted whom he could not win over. Pepper, watching from the side, grew secretly angry.

At this point, she and Iron Man were not yet in a relationship. She only held the title of assistant and had no grounds to say anything.

Every time she saw Iron Man bring women back, she became extremely upset.

Seeing Apocalypse standing to the side with a smile and saying nothing, Black Widow felt somewhat flustered and became even less willing to respond to Iron Man.

She hurriedly handed the documents to Iron Man and stepped aside.

But in Iron Man's eyes, that behavior made her seem like a shy little rabbit, a uniquely charming trait among Western women.

"Huh? What happened to the person on the ring?" Black Widow changed the subject. "Is he hurt?"

The moment Happy saw that a beautiful woman was paying attention to him, he sprang to his feet and said, "No, no. How could I be hurt? I just got tired from sparring and rested for a moment."

As he spoke, he flashily threw a few punches with his gloves. "Um... your name is Natasha, right? Want me to teach you a few self-defense moves?"

"O-okay."

To escape Iron Man's pestering, Black Widow hurried onto the ring, though her eyes secretly glanced at Apocalypse.

"Hehe, beautiful lady, first lesson: when facing an opponent, you need to focus. Keep your eyes on them at all times. Don't look around..."

Happy wanted to draw Black Widow's attention back to himself, so he tapped her through his gloves. Unexpectedly, it triggered Black Widow's instinctive reaction.

With a Brazilian jiu-jitsu move, she used his momentum to pull him, nimbly locked her legs around Happy's neck, and hung from his body. Using her weight to press down, she instantly knocked Happy to the ground.

Aside from Apocalypse, Iron Man and Pepper were both startled.

Happy struggled for a moment and discovered that he could not break free. He could only slap the mat and surrender, though he still stubbornly said, "That one doesn't count. I wasn't ready yet."

Beautiful, sexy, conservative, shy, and so capable in a fight—Tony did not even look at the legal documents anymore. He said to Pepper, "She's exactly the person I want. Transfer her to my side."

Pepper pursed her lips. "NO!"

How could Pepper possibly fail to see through Iron Man's intentions? She firmly refused.

At that moment, Apocalypse moved. If he did not declare his claim now, Iron Man would keep pestering her. When it came to beautiful women, he had never understood the meaning of giving up.

"Tony, your flirting skills are way too terrible. Watch me." Apocalypse gave a wicked smile.