When Scott woke up again, he found himself in Hank's basement.
He sat up abruptly, scanning the room, and instantly spotted Arthur sitting nearby, sipping tea.
Arthur smiled faintly. "Morning."
"That was a sneak attack! A despicable sneak attack!" Scott's face darkened. The bastard had knocked him out with a single punch, not giving him a chance to react.
And what the hell was that bastard's fist made of? How could it be so damn hard?
He felt like his jaw was probably crooked. Shaking his head and rubbing his chin, he heard Arthur chuckle. "If you can't even stop a sneak attack, it proves one thing..."
"What thing?" Scott asked.
"You're not strong enough," Arthur said, standing up. "I'm not entirely sure when your plan will be implemented or the exact process involved. For me, the only mission so far is to train you. While your talent is limited and your potential is only average, meaning you'll only reach an average level, my training might allow you to unleash greater strength when wearing that suit."
"It's not that I don't trust you. Since Hank brought you here, he must have his reasons," Scott said after careful consideration. "But how do you plan to train me?"
"We'll fight," Arthur replied. "Special talents don't require my guidance. You have more specialized teachers for those. I'm just an amateur in that area. So, my training will focus on refining your combat style. I'll stay here for a few days for this. That's probably bad news for you, but the good news is I won't be staying overnight. So, something to celebrate, right?"
"There's nothing to celebrate, and you still haven't explained how you plan to train me."
Scott rolled his eyes.
Arthur smiled. "It's a simple training method. We'll break it down into two steps. First, you'll take the lead. From now on, try to ambush me in any way you can think of. Of course, given the weapon properties of the Ant-Man Suit, you can only use your fists. Whether you hide and set traps or try to ambush me under these limited conditions is up to you. Oh, and by the way, you can wear the suit for this part."
"Are you serious?" Scott's eyes widened.
He had witnessed the Ant-Man Suit's power firsthand. If he wore it, his combat capabilities would be incomparable to his current level.
"Haha." Arthur laughed heartily. "I'm very serious. So I hope you'll be too."
Scott grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be even more serious than you. Hmm, you mentioned two steps earlier? What's the second one?"
"Fair enough. You lead the first step, and I'll lead the second." Arthur said. "In simple terms... it's to beat you up!"
"...Beat me?" Scott blinked.
Arthur nodded. "Considering the importance of the Ant-Man Suit, we can't risk damaging it. So, you can't wear it during our training sessions. We'll train every day at 4:30 PM. The reason for this time is that I need to pick up my girlfriend from work after our sessions. Any missionions?"
"Yes, can I fight back when you beat me?" Scott asked.
Arthur nodded approvingly. "Of course. Not only can you fight back, but if you can hold out against me for three minutes without being defeated, it'll mean our training is working. You'll temporarily escape my grasp."
"That's the best news I've heard all day," Scott said, relieved.
Arthur looked at him and smiled. "You should be grateful. You have no idea what it means to be trained by me. While not guaranteed, every person I've trained so far has become a remarkable superhero. I hope you seize this opportunity."
"You're so full of yourself. Don't you even blush?" Scott asked.
Arthur touched his cheek and smiled slightly. "A little... Alright, we can start."
He checked his watch. "You have half an hour left before you can ambush me. Go get dressed now. In half an hour, it's time for me to beat you up."
Scott glanced at his watch and immediately ran out without a word.
Arthur hesitated for a moment before deciding not to tell him. To make it easier for him to get dressed, he had placed the Ant-Man Suit beside him...
About five minutes later, Scott rushed back, pulling on the Ant-Man Suit. "This will be the biggest mistake you've ever made!!!" he declared with absolute certainty.
Meanwhile, under the study's surveillance cameras, Hope sighed. "You should have told Scott who he is."
"That might hinder the effectiveness of the training," Hank replied with a smile.
Hope raised an eyebrow. "..."
...
Arthur stood there, his face impassive, waiting for Scott to finish dressing with the quiet patience of a battlefield veteran.
To be honest, if this were a real battle, he'd have died a hundred times over. Only during training could one witness such an amusing spectacle.
Then Arthur said, "If I were you, I'd practice putting on this suit a thousand times, until the entire process took less than five seconds. Otherwise, you might miss your chance to strike."
"Everyone has their own strengths," Scott said, finally finishing with his clothes and helmet, his finger already hovering over the activation button. "This is mine!"
In the next instant, Scott vanished before Arthur's eyes... or rather, he shrunk into nothingness.
"Very interesting," Arthur nodded in admiration, glancing at his own arm, where Scott was now struggling to climb upward.
Arthur chuckled. "Not bad."
With a flick of his finger, he launched Scott. The man tried to dodge, but found himself inexplicably frozen in place. The next moment, a massive finger loomed over him. Startled, he instantly expanded his body to full size.
For a fleeting instant, he thought he was safe... but the very next second, Arthur's fingertip struck him.
Scott... was sent flying!
Boom! He slammed into the wall.
(End of Chapter)
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