Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Hulk and Banner
Oaks's invincible fur was in a messy state, with purple circles around his eyes, but his bear face didn't show it. Even his naturally enhanced powerful front paws were trembling slightly.
In terms of attack power, he was clearly inferior, and Hulk's attack power, fueled by his anger, could almost infinitely increase. If they continued fighting for another morning, Oaks would probably have to escape.
After all, in his bear form, his ability to utilize healing magic was limited. And switching forms... would result in losing his strong defense, making him vulnerable to Hulk's punches.
As for the hit-and-run strategy, he was here to test his strength, not to defeat Hulk.
On the other hand, Hulk, whose skin couldn't be pierced even by tank shells, had suffered numerous cuts from Oaks's sharp claws. However, thanks to Hulk's powerful regenerative abilities, the wounds had already stopped bleeding.
This greatly limited Oaks's attacking style, which mainly relied on tearing and causing bleeding.
"Hey, big guy, this is fun!"
Oaks gasped for breath. While his stamina remained abundant thanks to the effects of the recovery magic, he was starting to feel overwhelmed after fighting for so long. After all, he had never been so unrestrained in his two lifetimes combined!
"Hulk, win!"
"...Alright, alright, you win, you're impressive."
Shaking his head helplessly, Oaks was surprised to see Hulk let out a roar of joy and then reveal a big smile on his wild green face.
"Hulk, like, big bear!"
"Hulk, big bear, friend!"
Hulk, with the mentality of a child, keenly felt Oaks's goodwill towards him. The previous battle had allowed Hulk to unleash his wild nature like never before—a worthy opponent!
Since his birth, Banner's suppression, the pursuit of the U.S. military, the terrified screams of people who saw him, the vehicles and buildings he destroyed... everything Hulk had encountered was rooted in fear, anger, rejection, and malice.
The big bear in front of him was the first opponent he had encountered who allowed him to unleash his nature without any concerns. Most importantly, the bear seemed to be one with this environment—pure, natural...
It made him feel incredibly at ease.
Unprecedentedly, Hulk uttered the word "friend" for the first time. He didn't care and didn't even think about why a bear could speak.
"Friend, huh..."
Oaks laughed heartily and returned to his human form. "Sure, we're friends now!"
"Hulk, friend, big bear?"
Seeing Oaks transform from a bear into a human, Hulk widened his eyes and scratched his head.
Although the appearance had changed, Hulk could feel that the person in front of him was the same big bear from earlier. If he didn't sense any difference, then that settled it.
Hulk hesitated for a moment but stopped thinking about it. The fact that the other person agreed to be his friend was great news. He finally had a friend.
"Hahaha... I can transform into a bear. At first, when we met, wasn't I a cheetah?" Oaks laughed and approached, patting Hulk's massive arm.
"I'm Oaks, a druid. Nice to meet you, Hulk..."
The verdant power of nature gathered in Oaks's hand, and in the next moment, Hulk found himself enveloped in a green sphere of light. The fresh scent of vegetation permeated the air as the wounds on his body, big and small, rapidly healed before his eyes.
"Hulk, all better!"
Hulk patted his chest in astonishment, and even the largest wound there had healed.
"Ah... Oaks, impressive!"
"Haha... You've never seen this move before, right?"
Oaks was a bit proud. Although Marvel heroes excelled in destruction, such a level of healing ability was rare.
"Hulk... tired!"
As Hulk, now completely healed, calmed down, he let out a big yawn and sat down with a thump:
"Hulk, sleep..."
"Creak..."
Oaks looked at the gradually shrinking Hulk in front of him that turned into a disheveled man—Bruce Banner. He couldn't help but exclaim:
"These big pants are truly a top-tier Marvel artifact..."
After a while.
Dr. Bruce Banner, possessing the top-tier Marvel artifact, looked at the red-haired young man in front of him with a strange expression.
Wearing casual clothes in the tropical rainforest, is he serious?
"Um... if I may ask, are the injuries on your face alright?"
Dr. Banner considered himself to have a sense of humor. The previous incidents with Hulk and the pursuit by the military had made him anxious. He had tried various methods to control his emotions, but it seemed that he was constantly failing.
However, after waking up this time, his feelings seemed somewhat different—how long had it been since he spoke to someone in such a relaxed tone?
Well, for fear of hurting others, he chose to live in seclusion, and he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time.
And strangely enough, he didn't have any recollection of what Hulk experienced during the transformation this time.
"Hiss..."
Oaks subconsciously touched his dark circles, almost forgetting that when he transformed back from animal form, the injuries on his body didn't disappear.
After using a healing spell, Oaks was surrounded by green light, and the visible dark circles on his face faded away. This startled the bare-chested Dr. Banner.
He subconsciously tightened his big pants and had a blank expression on his face:
"Fortunately, I'm not disfigured."
"Did I do that to you?"
"Uh, Hulk did it."
"..."
Banner covered his face in pain, realizing that this guy in front of him knew about Hulk, so he must know about him too.
Wait, something seems off...
"Bruce Banner, it's nice to meet you. I'm Oaks Woods, a biologist."
After Oaks introduced himself, he saw the horrified look in Banner's eyes:
"Wait, you were only lightly injured by Hulk? And that green light earlier... Was it some type of energy radiation? And it had healing effects?!"
Before Oaks could say anything, Banner started thinking hard:
"Oaks? Cornell? Dr. Woods?"
"It's me, Dr. Banner. Your information seems quite up-to-date."
Oaks stroked his chin, wondering why he seemed to be known by everyone he met recently.
"As a scientist, I'm always keeping up with the scientific community."
Banner's explanation was flawless.
"Well, Dr. Banner..."
Oaks took off his hoodie and handed it to him.
"Although you have a lot of hair, it's better not to showcase art performance in the rainforest."
"...Usually, I wouldn't consider that a compliment."
Banner blushed as he took the hoodie and put it on.
"It's a bit tight."
Oaks then handed him a vine.
"Free up your hands."
"Ah, thanks."
Banner took the vine and fastened his pants, sighing in relief.
"It's really not easy. Since two years ago, all I've come into contact with are violent individuals and people who I have difficulty communicating with. I never thought I'd meet a scientist."
Sighing, Banner looked at Oaks and smiled wryly.
"Has Ross gone to the extent of using a young genius like you to hunt me down? How far is the military going to go?"
"... I'm just here to investigate plants, for academic research."
"..."
Banner rolled his eyes—only a fool would believe that!
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