At Vanko Industries, Ivan Vanko stood in his laboratory when the notification about the Dragon Balls reached him through the company's intelligence network.
He glanced at the report, smiled faintly, and set it aside.
His father Anton sat at a nearby workstation, looking healthier than he had in decades. The Medical Pod treatment at Fraternity headquarters had cured all his illnesses, reversed the aging damage, and extended his lifespan considerably. Anton looked middle-aged now instead of elderly.
With his father healthy, Ivan had no desire to chase after Dragon Ball wishes. His focus had shifted to something more personal—proving himself superior to Tony Stark through pure ability.
Smith had told him the challenge: a new element existed that Howard Stark had discovered but lacked the technology to synthesize. Tony hadn't found it through his own efforts. If Ivan could locate and create it independently, he'd prove the Vanko family's superiority once and for all.
If the Vankos truly couldn't find the new element themselves, Smith would eventually tell them. But that would mean losing to Tony Stark and his son.
Father and son had thrown themselves into the research immediately. Howard had found it but couldn't extract it. Tony hadn't even discovered it existed. The Vankos would succeed where both Starks had failed.
Ivan barely left the laboratory anymore. Even his Blue Dynamo superhero activities had decreased to occasional outings when he needed to clear his head. The Dragon Ball tournament was irrelevant compared to this intellectual competition.
In New Mexico, Darcy Lewis burst into Jane Foster's workspace with characteristic energy.
"Jane! The Dragon Balls are back!"
Jane looked up from her equipment calibrations. "What? How do you know?"
Darcy tapped her temple. "Information just downloaded into my brain. Dragon Balls reactivated. Second tournament starting soon."
Jane shook her head. "Darcy, that's not something we can get involved with. Do you really think you'll get lucky enough to find another Dragon Ball?"
"Obviously not." Darcy flopped into a chair. "The current price is to one hundred million dollars per ball. The buyer even said the price is negotiable."
Jane's eyes widened. "One hundred million? I could fund my research for decades with that kind of money."
Before she could continue, wind whipped through the room. Papers flew. Equipment rattled.
Thor materialized in the center of the workspace, Mjolnir in one hand and a glowing orange sphere in the other.
Jane launched herself at him immediately, their kiss passionate enough to make Darcy look away with exaggerated interest in the ceiling.
When they finally separated, Jane punched Thor's chest. "You asshole. Six months without a word. I thought you weren't coming back."
Thor's expression turned apologetic. "I had to destroy the Bifrost to stop Loki. I couldn't return until now. My father used dark energy to send me here."
Darcy cleared her throat. "That's a Dragon Ball you're holding, isn't it? The 3-Star Ball?"
Thor nodded. "Yes. I came to Earth on my father's orders to collect Dragon Balls and make a wish."
Jane stared at the artifact in his hand. "You're participating in the tournament? Thor, you're already a god. What could you possibly need to wish for?"
"To resurrect my brother." Thor's voice carried quiet grief. "Loki fell into the cosmic void during our last battle. I want to bring him home."
Jane and Darcy exchanged surprised looks. They remembered Loki had sent the Destroyer to attack Thor.
Thor saw their expressions and smiled slightly. "I've already obtained one Dragon Ball. Now I just wait for the organizer's notification. Until then..." He pulled Jane close. "I can spend time with you."
Jane's irritation melted into happiness. Darcy covered her face with both hands, already resigned to being the third wheel for however long Thor stayed.
But she was curious about the mysterious organizer running these cosmic tournaments. Maybe she'd finally get some answers.
Smith returned to his office at Fraternity headquarters. He settled into his chair, but his mind was already extending outward, consciousness reaching through his connection to the Dragon Balls to observe their locations.
Five holders confirmed. Two remaining.
His awareness touched the sixth Dragon Ball—submerged somewhere in water, exact location unclear through the murky depths. He'd deal with that later.
Then he shifted focus to locate the seventh Ball.
Instead, his consciousness brushed against something unexpected. An energy signature he recognized immediately.
The Ancient One. The Sorcerer Supreme.
Smith's astral awareness followed the connection and found himself observing Kamar-Taj. There, in a meditation chamber, the Ancient One sat before a yellow cushion. Resting on that cushion was a Dragon Ball—the 4-Star Ball.
The moment Smith saw her, he felt his entire consciousness go still.
This was the encounter he'd avoided for twenty years. The Ancient One held the Time Stone. She could see through deceptions with a glance. Every transmigrator story he'd read before his reincarnation had portrayed her as impossibly perceptive.
He'd built his power carefully, stayed below her notice, avoided anything that might draw her attention.
And now she had a Dragon Ball.
Smith watched as the Ancient One sat in meditation, the Dragon Ball floating gently before her. She'd already received the embedded information—he could sense that much. The tournament rules, the wish mechanism, everything.
Was she going to participate?
The thought made Smith's astral form tense with concern. If the Ancient One entered the tournament, there would be no competition. She'd win effortlessly. The Time Stone alone made her nearly unbeatable, not to mention centuries of mystic mastery.
Even his current power—2,000 base, 20,000 as a Great Ape—wouldn't be enough against her. She could trap him in the Mirror Dimension. Loop time until he exhausted himself. Freeze him in temporal stasis.
Smith's consciousness hovered at the edge of her awareness, trying to remain undetected while observing.
The Ancient One opened her eyes.
For a moment, Smith thought she was looking directly at him. But her gaze was unfocused, contemplative. She was looking at the Dragon Ball, not at his astral presence.
The second Dragon Ball battle, the Ancient One thought to herself. She shook her head slightly.
Smith watched as her expression showed no desire to participate. No intention of throwing the Dragon Ball away either. She simply sat with it, considering.
The Ancient One had been guarding Earth for too long. What she wanted was retirement. She'd already selected her future successor through the Time Stone. She had ways to deal with her followers and the borrowed magic power that sustained her, but the time hadn't come yet.
Smith saw her expression shift as she thought of something.
Then the Ancient One's decision crystallized. She would give this opportunity to another apprentice. Karl Mordo.
She hoped the Dragon Ball battle would allow Karl Mordo to realize the vastness of the world. That even if he lost his position as Supreme Sorcerer in the future, he would still be willing to devote himself to protecting Earth.