Capítulo 30: Savage Land
"Mmm…"
The soft-voiced Naruto relaxed as he sunk deeper into the water, leaving only half of his head above it. It was the weekend for the Boston-based hero and he took advantage of that every time. The ninja wasn't one to miss a break whenever there's one available and he certainly wouldn't want to miss time with his loved ones.
"MMM…."
Especially, his loved ones.
The water splashed when a head breached through it, revealing a wet Lara Croft in her birthday suit as Naruto fixed himself up in a sitting position. The Croft girl took her place atop his lap, yelping in pleasure as his member penetrated her insides, but that didn't stop the two from smiling at each other.
"Hey there, beautiful. Did you like it there?" Naruto asked cheekily.
Lara ignored his words, but responded by kissing him deeply. It was by chance she left for a bath in the backyard of the manor, but luck happened to find to be on her side as Naruto was already in the water when she arrived. Her attempt to sneak up behind failed, but Lara didn't care as this meant intimate time between them. Sure, she enjoyed spending time with the ladies and the twins, but it was not the same since Lara wanted to be with Naruto alone.
It was during this time she realized the competition for Naruto's affections and time alone amongst the women despite the fact he spends every moment with them after heroing. The most competitive was Kuroka, Saeko, and Rhea including herself. They yearned more from him.
Well, today she scored with him.
"You have a little something there," Lara said in a soft sultry voice before she licked Naruto's cheek slowly. "This land of yours… can't believe you own it."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders while his hands grabbed her waist firmly. "We got lucky," he responded before guiding Lara up and down his shaft. "The previous owner was… a good friend of mine." Lara bit her lips closed as pleasure began to engulf her body. "He was the descendant of an Assassin who owned this manor."
"From the Colonial times I suspect," Lara pointed out as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's shoulders. The rhythm increased and the water splashed more as evidence of their passion. "I don't think I'll ever see an environment such as this ever again."
Naruto kissed her deeply and the two didn't part until air was necessary. "Good thing you met me, huh?"
"My great fortune indeed," Lara responded greatly.
Their intimate time together was fortunate to have a barrier that cloaks and sound-proofed their actions from prying eyes like the residents of the Homestead. The only ones who can see through the barrier are those in the Uzumaki Clan including Lara. Both man and woman continued their affair in the clean water as the waterfall's rushing flow increased their mood for more.
Their climax reached and the two returned to the manor for breakfast as the smell of fresh eggs, bacon, and hash brown filled their sense of smell. And they were not the only ones.
"Gggs…Agggs." Ashla repeated as his tiny hands tapped on the table.
His sister was the same as him, but with a different meal. "Ashh… Ashh."
"Hold on, kids. Until everyone is here." Saeko told her children as they calmed down, but sighed when their antics reignited upon seeing their father and Lara enter the dining room. "And where have you two been?"
The two looked at each other and responded, "At the ship." They exchanged subtle surprised but pleased looks before taking their seats. "So, what's on today's schedule?" Naruto asked his Titaness wife.
It was long decided that the Homestead needed structure of sorts for the residents, especially the children. As such, Medusa, and Rhea now teach at the new school for all ages about the necessary skills they would need in their adulthood. For the adults, they would do their trade and occupations within the Homestead like farming would go the super market in Boston and other rural communities. The same was said for computer technicians, sewn clothing, and authenticators.
"Well, the school building is almost done with a few hiccups on Kuroka's part." Said Nekomata's ears drooped slightly with puffed cheeks, but Naruto sent a wink to reassure her of her efforts as Rhea continued to list off the schedule. "The farmers are almost ready with their produce. They'll await at the border for instructions from Medusa at 10:00 a.m. The same can be for the seamstress and the painters," Rhea continued as they eat their breakfast.
Naruto nodded as he processed everything so far. "Anything else?"
"The ship is in need of an upgrade," Medusa told Naruto, surprising the latter and Lara of her insight into naval matters. "We live in the modern world, and that ship won't last three seconds against a naval cruiser. We will need materials to strengthen it, but where I do not know."
Lara spoke next. "Could you ask the Avengers for that Adamantium steel you mentioned?" Naruto shook his head. "Why?"
"If I ask, they'll be suspicious about my intentions," Naruto answered. "We still have plenty of Adamantine here on the Homestead, but the problem lies in the equipment to reinforce the ship. Granted I can forge Hidden Blades and like, but fixing a ship… that won't end well."
Rhea hummed in thought while Medusa said, "So, who can we trust with our home and ship while possessing the technological know-how and engineering skills?"
"…"
The Uzumaki Clan had to think about whom they could trust from the stories Naruto told them about the various heroes he'd met as Patronus. Then it came to them as there was one team whom they could possibly trust due to their friend nature and technological expertise like their aircraft Naruto rode in before facing the Wendigo.
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Mountain, Near Vista Verde
New Mexico
The weather in the desert state was perfect for training as stated by the leader of the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. One of the items on the training menu was climbing one of the desert mountains shaped like a knife. One of the agents, however, did not like this at all as he struggled with the exercise.
"Don't rush, Rick," Hulk told him as he was ahead of his team. "Read the rock. Take a moment and plan your route."
An irritated A-Bomb sighed at his worry. "Yeah, would you hurry up? They're gaining on us."
"This is a training exercise, not a race," Hulk scolded his younger teammate before resuming climbing.
A-Bomb, still struggling to catch up with Hulk, was passed by Skarr who climbed over him. "Hey, I'm climbing here," He complained after the deed.
"Bye-Bye," Skarr responded as he climbed over Hulk as well.
Red chuckled as he did the same to A-Bomb, "Make a hole, people."
"Race you to the top." She-Hulk retorted excitedly at the apparent race.
"Ain't no race, remember," Hulk told his teammates.
Red 'humped' at the original's words. "Take it from a real soldier: you want to make a man, push him to the limit, then you push him more. If he didn't break, he's got a shot."
"Okay, it's on." A-Bomb liked that sound of that and chose to run up the mountain, much to Hulk's chagrin. "Oh yeah! Don't want to rub it in your faces, but I kind of want to." His teammates took the challenge and increased their climbing speed, irritating Hulk as he continued his usual pace.
Sometime later, A-Bomb took a breather and jumped to an overhang. "Rick, watch it," Hulk told his overeager friend as A-Bomb finished the transition to the vertical mountain side before a portion fell downward, sending the younger agent in free-fall. "Rick!" He reached out and grabbed A-Bomb's hand before placing the latter back to the wall and next to him.
"I got it," A-Bomb said despite what just happened as Hulk growled at his actions.
Red smirked down at the duo, "You going to change his diaper too? Kid would have survived the fall… probably."
"That's not the point, Red," Hulk counter-argued with his former enemy.
"Yeah, the point is to show him how it's done," Red said before jumping ahead and over the leading Skarr. "Heads up!" Debris fell from his previous position onto the agents left behind.
Jen complained at the debris in her eyes and shouted, "Cheater!"
A happy Red landed at the summit and looked down at the losers. "Ooh-rah, King of the Mountain. Hope you were paying attention, Jones."
"What took you so long?"
"Huh?" Red turned around and saw Patronu sitting seiza with a tea set next to him as he drank his cup. "How long have you been here, pipsqueak?"
"Long enough, Red, long enough." Patronus answered before he finished his tea and put away the tea set inside his cloak's seals. "There's something I need to talk you guys about."
A small tremor struck the mountain for a moment before it grew intensely as the entire area was shaking perhaps by Red's unintentional boast of strength.
"Is this part of the test?" A-Bomb asked before molten lava erupted from the summit, burning one of the cameras as Patronus and Red backed away from sight.
"Uh oh," Red muttered.
Patronus nudged the red-skinned Hulk with his elbow. "What did you do?"
"Nothing I swear!"
"JUMP!" Hulk told everyone as they leaped off of the mountain along with Patronus and landed on ground level.
As A-Bomb landed after emerging from his ball form, he heard shuffling from above and grunted when an avalanche of rocks swept over him from the eruption. Hulk raced to action and quickly tossed aside the debris, revealing an unharmed and smirking A-Bomb, "Chillax bro. It's going to take more than an avalanche to hurt the Bomb," A smirking and smug A-Bomb said to a growling Hulk.
"What's up with Big Green?" Patronus asked the agents. "He seems a little… overprotective."
Jen shrugged her shoulders. "No idea except it can be annoying at times."
"Same thing during your childhood?" Patronus asked, earning a side-glare from the female Hulk, which proved his question. "I see. So, what's the deal here with the eruption?"
Jen shook her head. "I have no idea. The mountain is supposed to be dormant. It's not due to erupt for another million years."
"Something obviously caused it," Patronus said as molten lava slowly flowed down the mountain. "Where and how is the question." He noticed Hulk approaching him, "Hey, Big Green. How's it hanging?"
"Patronus. What's going on?"
"I have something important to ask you, but that can wait. Right now, we need to find the source of this eruption."
Skarr noticed someone was missing and voiced his thoughts, "Where's Shouty-Man?" He referred to Red.
"Oh, I saw Red at the summit before I jumped off," Patronus looked back at the top. "Think he's okay?"
The party of heroes noticed a flaming rock dashing across the sk. "That rock's heading for Vista Verde," Jen pointed out as Patronus levitated to go after it, but someone else beat him to it.
"I got it!" A leaping Red cried out as he smashed the rock into pieces before it could reach the city.
A-Bomb pointed at the airborne former general, "Found Red." The mountain erupted more molten lava and flaming rocks, increasing the severity of the situation.
"Skarr, go help him stop the fireballs," Hulk ordered the barbarian as the latter leaped mightily to aid Red. "Patronus, you go help them as well." Naruto nodded before he flew towards the city to aid the two Hulks.
"I'm going to help too," A-Bomb said as he was raring to go.
"No, you're with me and Jen. We got to stop the lava flow," Hulk answered before he and Jen left while an irritated A-Bomb growled in annoyance.
At the town of Vista Verde, Red grunted as he emerged from the hole and looked amongst the fleeing, scared citizens. "You're welcome!" He shouted to the citizens before focusing his sight on an approaching fireball. Said fireball was destroyed by a bellowing Skarr as he brandished his sword. "Good dog."
Naruto landed next to Skarr and noticed several more fireballs heading their way to the city as he unsheathed Kogitsunemaru before channeling wind chakra. Swirling winds coated the sword more prominently to the point of creating a strong breeze around the ninja who threw the weapon at the sky. "Uindo Reido."
The two S.M.A.S.H. agents watched with surprise as the sword directed itself to one fireball and sliced through it multiple times until debris remained. The weapon didn't lose its momentum to destroy the next fireball as it met the same fate like the previous one. The heroes watched the blade continue its current activity until the last fireball was disposed of.
"Tsk, glory hogger," Red muttered with crossed arms.
An annoyed Patronus ignored him as he raised his hand and recalled Kogitsunemaru back while dispelling the winds. "Good try for a first time. Perhaps I could add more into it next time." He muttered to himself before sheathing his katana. "Want to see the others fail?"
"Greenie failing?" Red asked before a devious smirk etched his lips. "Come on then." The three took leaps back to the others as they were smashing the ground to create a channel in order to redirect the lava flow away from the town.
Hulk was the vanguard, punching away the earth to make a route while A-Bomb and She-Hulk smashed the sides to make it wider. A lone boulder fell behind them and threatened to clog up the lava, which would lead to flooding. "I got it!" A-Bomb shouted in vigor as he approached the boulder.
The leader of the S.M.A.S.H. agents noticed the lava was about flow on top of A-Bomb. "Rick, look out!" Hulk shouted before he jumped behind the younger agent, grabbed him, and leaped out of the way as She-Hulk landed on the boulder and smashed it into pieces. She quickly rejoined her team and Patronus at a safe location.
The heroes watched the lava flow into the makeshift earth bed with no sign of overflow at all. "Well, I'd say that was a success," Patronus said aloud.
"Why did you pull me out?" A-Bomb asked his team leader.
"I was saving your scally butt," Hulk responded back. "You were about to take a lava bath."
A-Bomb didn't like the answer and retorted, "So what? My armor's tougher than you think."
"Not a good time to test it."
A-Bomb scoffed at this, "It's never a good time, not with you." He walked away, peeved at the treatment from Hulk.
Red chuckled at the scene before him. "Kid's got a point. Someone's got to show him the ropes; let him make his own mistakes." He answered before leaving for the Gamma Base.
"That was… tense?" Naruto asked unsurely while Skarr and Jen shrugged their shoulders before all of them left for the secret base.
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Gamma Base
The team regrouped in the main conference room where the Hulks were searching for the cause of the eruptions. A spherical hologram of the globe was projected behind the computers as several red spots and lines interconnected to each other including the event that just happened.
"Looks like the barbeque in our own backyard wasn't an isolated incident," Jen pointed out to the audience behind her.
Hulk then said, "Lots of eruptions coming from here-" His finger tapped the spot where the eruptions originated. "—Antarctica."
"The South Pole?" A-Bomb asked, "Nothing down there, but a bunch of ice and penguins." He pouted in a peeved manner while crossing his arms. "All sorts of stuff that won't hurt me there." Hulk growled lowly at the indirect verbal blow.
"I'm confused. What's down there that could cause eruptions?" Patronus asked as he was off-guarded by the rather seriousness displayed by the Hulks except A-Bomb.
Red answered for the duo, "The South Pole is also home to… the Savage Land," He ended with a knowing smile.
"We better check it out before the planet turn itself inside-out," Hulk stated determinately before all left for the Jump Jet sans one.
Patronus slowly walked after them, still confused about the importance of the South Pole. "Seriously, guys, what's down there in this Savage Land?"
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Somewhere Above Antarctica
South Pole
"Guys, stop teasing and tell me already!" Patronus whined like a child, much to everyone's chagrin.
Jen glanced at the shaded Hulk with a glare, "Red, tell him already."
"Fine…" Red muttered lowly as his fun was over. "You listen too, Kid, 'cause I'm only going to say this once. Savage Land is an isolated tropical region hidden deep within Antarctica."
Hulk put in his two cents about the secret land, "And full of dinosaurs."
Both Patronus and A-Bomb's eyes dilated greatly when they heard the name of supposedly extinct creatures and smiled like children with huge teeth, "Dinosaurs!? Real dinosaurs?!" They screamed in delight while shaking each other in glee. "I love dinosaurs." A-Bomb said to the excited Patronus, "Scales, fangs, claws! They're my peeps." He retreated to his thoughts where imagery of himself imitating a dinosaur.
"You have an inside track with them already," Patronus said gleefully. The reason for his excitement was mainly because of fossils in Boston's Natural History Museum, particularly one dinosaur that caught his attention. "I wonder if that species is there."
"Which one?"
"I'll keep that to myself, thank you very much."
The Jump Jet breached through the clouds and the occupants found themselves flying over a tropical land rather than the blanket of snow anymore. They had reached the Savage Land and they were not alone. A-Bomb noticed out the window was a flying dinosaur with a great wingspan and a triangular-like face with a beak. "*Gasp* A flying dinosaur," The excited agent said as Patronus looked out his window and found another one of the same species as well, though there was one characteristic that bothered him.
"Um, are those lasers attached to them?" Naruto asked rhetorically before the aircraft was hit from behind by the creatures known as Pterodactyls. "Yep, definitely lasers!"
Red responded sternly, "Why do you think they call it the Savage Land, kid?" Naruto didn't answer as he prepared himself for battle.
"I can't shake them!" Jen told her co-pilot and cousin.
Hulk answered back, "Don't worry. We're packing too."
"Then let them have it already!" Jen retorted as Hulk activate the defense system via torrents in the aircraft's wings. She barrel-rolled and dived while her cousin pressed down the mechanism as lasers were fired upon the airborne dinosaurs. Naruto held on tight like the rest of the Hulks who are not fighting now as the pterodactyls were stunned by the lasers and fell out of the sky.
Jen, after another barrel-roll, noticed a humanoid and pterodactyl hybrid riding a particular large dinosaur staring at them. "And who is that?" Hulk saw the being too and sighed at this new development before explaining to everyone onboard.
"Sauron: half-man, half-dinosaur. He has some kind of mind control power and drain your energy by touch. *Sigh* He probably wants to blow the Earth."
Patronus turned his head away from the window to Hulk, "So, this would be the dinosaur making a comeback at the expense of humankind… Great."
"Come my brothers. Let us show why dinosaurs are meant to rule the Earth," Sauron declared as his brethren screeched in forced agreement.
His words were heard through the Jump Jet's external cameras as his visage was seen by the occupants inside. "Yep, what'd I tell you." Hulk stated rather than asking as he already knew of the hybrid's intentions due to previous battles between them. "Bet they want to eat us too."
"Well, they can choke on this," Red stated confidently as he pulled out one of his blasters. "Come on, A-Bomb. Someone's got to teach you how to take care of yourself, so Big Brother here won't have to keep wiping your nose."
A-Bomb liked the idea very much and left with him. "About time."
"Let him be, Hulk," Patronus said to the green leader, "He'll realize his mistake sooner or later." His words were loud enough for the departing members to hear, but A-Bomb scoffed at him.
"I thought you were on my side."
"Whoever said that? I know I didn't. Go on, take Red's lead, be your own man," Patronus answered as he put his feet up on the back of Hulk's seat. "I'll be here discussing with the Big Green about your training menu."
Before A-Bomb could make a retort about the menu, Red pushed him down the aircraft while Jen talked to her cousin. "You keep those things off my back and I'll land us in one piece." Hulk conceded to the plan and walked to the end of the Jet with Patronus following him as a pterodactyl slammed against the windshield and slid down slowly. "I hope this thing has wipers."
"Merry Christmas." Red stated, handing a particular rifle to A-Bomb. "Time you learned how to handle a flying lizard."
An unsure A-Bomb accepted the weapon and asked, "The Gamma Taser? Are-Are you sure?"
"Let's make them extinct again!" Red declared excitedly as he climbed outside and stationed himself atop the Jet with Skaar and A-Bomb as he fired his dual cannons at any pterodactyl he could find. "Don't be shy, kid. It's not about quality shots. It's just the quantity."
"I can't believe I'm zapping dinosaurs!" A-Bomb exclaimed with glee as he fired the Gamma Taser. "Yeah, come get some!" Most of his shots missed the airborne dinosaurs, but one was lucky to hit Sauron from afar.
Sauron held his chest where the shot hit him moments ago. "Give me your strength, brother!" He gripped his steed's head as a light green aura engulfed them, indicating his absorbing the dinosaur's energy and his eyes glowed the same color like the aura. The weakened pterodactyl fell while Sauron flew with no sign of previous damage as his talons gripped the tech-saddle armed with lasers.
Meanwhile on the Jump Jet, Hulk climbed up the hatch, only to duck when A-Bomb fired the Gamma Taser a little too close. "Hey, watch it!" Hulk scolded the nervous A-Bomb.
"Sorry, my bad," A-Bomb apologized before the Taser was taken by Hulk.
"Red, you know Rick hasn't been trained to use this weapon!"
Red retorted just as hotly, "It's 'on the job' training! He's never going to learn from you, Nurse Nancy!" As Patronus climbed out of the hatch as well, Sauron took advantage of the argument and fired the saddle's lasers at one of the Jet's wings, causing sudden turbulence and A-Bomb falling off into the jungle below.
"Rick!" Hulk cried out before he held on to the Jet tightly and glared at Red. "This is all your fault!"
"My fault?!" Red asked indignantly. "He's the one who fell off!"
Patronus slapped the two's head in rapid succession. "How about we stop arguing and start holding on to dear life?!" He shouted despite his comfort of his chakra-channeled feet safely attaching him to the Jet. Hulk took this time to put on his Gamm Blasters from a compartment nearby the base of the Jet.
"It's about time you put on your blasters," Red commented sarcastically before a pterodactyl blasted the Jet once more through another run-by.
Jen, in the cockpit, struggled to keep the aircraft in balance. "What are those chuckleheads doing?" She asked in frustration.
A distracted Red fired at any passing pterodactyl with glee until he was blasted off the Jump Jet by Sauron and screamed in horror towards the dense jungle as the hybrid floated before Hulk and Patronus after he fired at the other rotor in the wings. "We survived extinction. You will not, beast and human. Man's time on this planet is at an end."
"Why do villains have to monologue? Is that a thing or do they have to do it?" Patronus wondered as he channeled wind chakra around his fist.
Hulk grunted at Sauron's declaration. "Not on my watch, Needlenose." He thrusted his fist forward, only for the Gamm Blast to short-circuit moments later. "Huh?"
"Technical difficulties?" Patronus asked before Hulk tossed the malfunctioned weapon at Sauron who was hit squarely in the face. "That works too." He ceased the chakra flow when Sauron and his brethren left them alone. "I'm guessing they're retreating for now." He, Hulk, and Skarr returned inside the cockpit.
"Jen, we lost Rick. Have you seen Red?" Hulk asked as Jen turned around.
"Can we discuss this later? Like after the crash?" The Jump Jet broke through the weaker trees and branches until it completely crashed against a strong bark as Jen faced her passengers. "And we're here."
Patronus raised his hand like a school kid. "Where exactly 'here' are we?"
That was a good question for everyone not lost in the region known as the Savage Land.
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Somewhere in Savage Land
Northwestern Region
After the chaos set by Sauron and his pterodactyls, A-Bomb managed to regroup with Red sometime later since their locations were not too far from each other. "Red, so…uh, how are we going to find the others?" The blue-skinned Hulk asked the oldest agent.
"Rendezvous at the objective," Red answered casually with a twig in his mouth like a farmer.
"Where's that?"
Red raised his right arm and pointed his finger at the direction of an active volcano. "Over there, Einstein."
"Oh, of course. A giant super volcano…" A-Bomb muttered before a horde of small dinosaurs walked over the hedge, staring at them. "Do you think we should go around?"
"Lesson 1: face front, always meet danger head-on," Red instructed before firing a blaster at the dinosaurs, scaring them away. "Stick with me, kid, and you'll be giving old Greenie lessons."
"You know Red isn't such a big jerk after all," A-Bomb thought to himself with a hidden smirk. Then Patronus's words reverberated in his mind. "Hey Red? What's the deal with Patronus?"
"How do you mean?"
"The way he spoke to me on the Jump Jet… he didn't sound condescending or judgmental. It felt he was trying to advise me about something."
"I got that impression from the moment we met him. He doesn't have the vibe of a normal do-gooder. That kid… he gives the presence of a warrior. I speak from experience as a soldier."
A-Bomb hummed in thought before the duo put the topic aside and began their trek to the active volcano, hoping to meet the others there or on the way.
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Southern Region
"That's, what, third Jump Jet we crashed this month?" Hulk asked his cousin as they inspected the downed aircraft.
"Good news is I think I can get it flying again," Jen answered while brushing aside a lock of her hair from her eyes. "Just need to realign the turbine thrust vectors. Give me an hour."
Hulk disagreed with her plan. "No, if we go airborne, Sauron will know we're coming. First order of business: A-Bomb and Red."
"Overprotective much?" Jen teased her cousin as Patronus joined the duo with his smile hidden under his hood. "They can care of themselves, even Rick."
"What are you talking about? I'm not overprotective," Hulk answered back.
"Not overprotective?" Jen asked teasingly. "Ha! You wouldn't even let me fight Back-Trog the Leaper when I first became a Hulk. I'm just saying I know what he's going through."
"…"
Patronus put in his two cents. "I get you want to protect your family and friends from danger. I really do, Big Green, but ultimately, we have to let them experience the world as it is. Let them grow to be their own person." He understood Hulk's intention perfectly as he was the same with his children when they were born and currently at the Homestead. Naruto didn't want his kids to go out of the Homestead grounds, but his wives, Kurama, and Ashura convinced that they needed to be out in the world. Still, that doesn't mean he can't watch over them from afar as they grow up in their childhood.
"… That's not the point, Patronus, Jen." Hulk said, clarifying his reason to him. "A-Bomb became a Hulk because of me. I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did." He finished before punching aside an anaconda that tried to pounce on him.
Jen understood and answered, "He won't. He'll make his own mistakes. That's how you learn."
"Ditto, sister," Patronus agreed as he and She-Hulk high-fived each other. "That's how I learned albeit sometimes painfully." He subconsciously rubbed his shoulders when memories of training with the Sage of the Six Paths resurfaced. "Very painful in fact."
Hulk grunted lowly as he conceded to their words since mistakes happen to everyone, but it is ultimately up to the individual who choose to learn from the experience. Their discussion ended when the ground shook like an earthquake as a horde of Brachiosaurus, large dinosaurs with a long serpentine-like neck and thick four limbs, stampeded past them.
"What scared them?" Jen asked aloud.
Patronus answered her question while looking at the assumed cause. "I'm going to go with that." The Hulks turned to the direction of Naruto's pointed finger and saw the active volcano.
"That must be the source of our problem," Hulk realized, "Jen, Skarr, go scout out that volcano and find out what Sauron's up to." He looked at Patronus. "You and I are going to find the others. There's no telling what kind of trouble Red will lead them to."
"And he says he's not overprotective," Patronus mused with a small shake of his head as he followed Hulk while Jen and Skarr headed for the volcano.
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(Sometime Later)
Volcano Region
Jen and Skarr had finally reached the summit as they found something weird inside the volcano. Situated on the dry, hard land next to the lava was a contraption of sorts being built humanoid lizards.
"What lizard people doing?" Skarr asked his comrade.
"Nothing good, that's for sure," She-Hulk responded as she readjusted her Gamma Gauntlets. "They actually built a Doomsday machine. Hello, Doomsday machine. Since when did dinosaurs get so smart? *Sigh* Well, might as well save the world." She shared a glance with her teammate. "Skarr, slash drill. Got it?"
Skaar unsheathed his barbarian sword and leaped at the drill. "Skarr slash!"
"And we're off," She-Hulk commented before following Skaar's lead and landed on the ground below. She and Skaar ran towards the approaching hordes of Ankylosaurs, which were working the drill. The Ankylosaurs were huge dinosaurs with spikes around their harden-shelled backs and club-like tails that even T-Rexes feared that made them thought twice to approach the herbivores.
She-Hulk channeled gamma energy through her gauntlets and formed dual circles before they expanded and imploded onto the approaching dinosaurs, casting them out of the area by the force of the explosion. Hearing noises from above, she sighed at the diving pterodactyls since it was revealing to be a long day for them.
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Northwestern Region
"Aweessooommmee~" A-Bomb stared in wonder at the sight that stands before him and Red: a huge light green Tyrannosaurus Rex equipped with lasers. This dinosaur was also different from Devil, their own T-Rex, it appeared older and had three distinct claw marks on the right side of its neck. The King of Dinosaurs bellowed tremendously at the two Hulks with its jaws drooling saliva from the two sets of teeth as it waited for them to make a move.
Red was not one to let an opportunity go as he pointed his weapons at the dinosaur. "Lesson #2: smash first, ask questions later." The T-Rex roared once more at his challenge, but the red-skinned Hulk noticed something attached to his back. "Well, I'll be a monkey's red butt."
It was Sauron as his eyes glowed bright green. "Obey me, you beast," Sauron commanded before the T-Rex's eyes glowed the same color, indication its mind taken over. "Destroy them!"
The T-Rex roared in affirmation before charging at the distressed Hulks as Red fired his weapons rapidly in an attempt to slow it down. "Come on then!" He met the T-Rex halfway, but the beast suddenly turned its body around, swinging its tail at him. Red flew across the jungle and became entangled in vines like a puppet.
A-Bomb faced the creature head-on and punched it aside as the force brought the knees down, but the T-Rex quickly recovered and kicked him to the side. The dinosaur's jaws reached for him and clamped down, but A-Bomb stopped it from eating his person with some struggle since he was not as strong as Hulk or Jen.
The older and bigger T-Rex roared as it gained momentum and pushed A-Bomb back with its jaws just waiting to sink the teeth into its latest prey. A-Bomb growled at the challenge and sunk his feet into the ground when he put more strength, entering a stalemate of power between the two beings.
Sauron would've enjoyed the scene had it not been the sound of the alarm blaring across the land. "My drill… in danger. Finish them!" The hybrid took flight and headed towards the volcano, leaving behind the two creatures.
The T-Rex stomped the ground with enough force to throw off A-Bomb's balance and bit the blue-skinned gamma mutant within his mouth. Although, his teeth couldn't penetrate A-Bomb's armor or bruise him, they kept him in check as the dinosaur shook his head side-to-side before throwing its meal up in the air and swallowing whole.
And Patronus and Hulk got first-row seating of the action as the T-Rex licked the side of its jaws with sights on them.
"Talk about eating without breathing," Patronus muttered with an audible gulp. Still, that didn't suppress his excitement at seeing an actual dinosaur, but not just any dinosaur. "I also can't believe I'm seeing a live T-Rex. This is amazing except for the A-Bomb being eaten part."
"This isn't just a T-Rex, Patronus."
"What do you mean? It looks like a T-Rex from the museum except… this one is a lot bigger."
Hulk growled as he assumed a fighting stance as did Patronus while circling around the wary T-Rex. "Exactly. Somehow, Sauron managed to get his hands on one of the most dangerous creatures in the Savage Land."
"And that would be…"
"This is the Alpha Rex and it certainly won't go down without a fight," Hulk cited seriously. "Rick, just hang on! We'll get you out of there."
A muffled Red responded through the vines, "Fat chance." The Alpha Rex charged at Hulk and Patronus—who entered Sage Mode just now—before Red broke free of his restraints, leapt at the dinosaur, and punched it away to the ground. "That's how you do it!" He shouted egotistical.
"I leave you alone for two seconds and you get Rick swallowed up by a dinosaur?!" Hulk chastised his agent.
Red wasn't bothered by his words and pulled out his weapons once more. "Then let's perform an A-Bombectomy," he retorted before the Alpha Rex swung its mighty tail and slammed Red into the ground once more.
"Okay then, Plan B?" Patronus asked his friend.
"Plan B."
Both heroes jumped on the Alpha Rex's neck and ran to its head as they held on tightly when the dinosaur thrashed around like a mad bull. Naruto covered its right eye while Hulk did the same with the other, forcing the Rex to thrash more violently as the trees were knocked down by its tail and the ground were imprinted with its massive foot indentations.
"I don't know if this is bad or cool!" Naruto shouted, voicing his thoughts. Hulk was about to punch the Rex into submission when said creature slammed him against a boulder, leaving Patronus alone. "Talk about bull-riding!" He shouted as the Alpha surprisingly jumped to incredible heights, though not as high as himself or Hulk. "Got to cover both eyes… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
A clone formed next to him and reached the other eye before covering it as the original Naruto began the next phase of Hulk's plan.
"Easy, big guy. Easy, calm down." Naruto soothed loudly as the Rex continued to thrash around until slowly ceased to a standstill. He and his clone removed their hands from the eyes when the glow flickered briefly before it disappeared, indicating the Rex's freedom. Dispersing the clone, Naruto petted the Alpha to let it know that he had no intentions of harm as Hulk and Red walked in front of the beast. "Take a look, guys; I tamed an Alpha Rex!"
The dinosaur suddenly looked sick before it opened its jaws at the surprised Hulk and Red…
*BBLLLLEEEEGGGRRRRRHHHHH*
"Oh, that's just not right," Patronus commented before taking out his Smartphone and took pictures of the drooled Hulk, Red, and an upchucked A-Bomb. "But this will be rich on the Internet. That's a good dinosaur."
The disgusted and upset A-Bomb grumbled as he stood up. "Lesson #3: No more lessons from Red."
"Hey!"
"See there, Big Greenie? Told you he would realize it," Patronus said confidently as he situated himself on the saddle. "Huh, wonder where they get the tech for this? Quite comfy but a little big for me." He then yelped when the Rex suddenly lurched forward, throwing Patronus off his back and onto the ground. As he recuperated, the ninja found himself staring at the teeth-equipped jaws of the Alpha. "Uh, hey?"
The Alpha Rex sniffed the hooded hero deeply as it contemplated his unusual scent from the Hulks and the creatures of Savage Land. One thing was for sure, that this being was clearly powerful and it would not accept anything less. Naruto groaned when the Rex licked his head before he stood up and petted the creature.
"I guess he's free from Sauron's control." A-Bomb assumed while shaking off the drool.
Hulk nodded. "Yeah, he's our friend now though I'm surprised an Alpha Rex would accept someone like Patronus here. Guess he sees something that we don't yet."
"Reminds of Devil back home," A-Bomb mentioned casually, catching Patronus's attention.
"Who's Devil?"
Hulk answered him this time, "Our own T-Rex back at the Gamma Base."
"You have a pet T-Rex?!" An indignant Patronus cried in surprise before realization set in quickly and calmed him down. "You know what? That actually makes sense. How come I haven't met him?"
"He went out for a walk today before you came," Hulk answered off-handedly. "Come on, we need to focus on the objective here. Going to give him a name, Patronus?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders before the active volcano shook violently, indicating its approaching climax. "We'll worry about that later."
"Right, enough playing around. We need to move!" Hulk commanded before the group left the volcano with Patronus riding the Alpha Rex.
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Volcano Region
It was a good day for Skarr as multitudes of pterodactyls flew over him, blasting the wooden support beams and forcing the barbarian Hulk to jump to the next level. He dodged a sword strike from a lizard-man and kicked him off the wooden platform before noticing a panel of sorts nearby.
"Which is off switch?" Skarr wondered to himself before he felt the floor shake from behind him.
"Obey me, savage." Sauron demanded with his glowing eyes. Skarr's own flickered momentarily before they assumed the same color.
She-Hulk landed nearby Skarr after seeing lack of motion from him. "Skaar, you okay?" She asked, only to be back-handed by the controlled Skaar.
This didn't last long as Sauron touched both Hulks and drained their strength, indicated by the glowing gamma energy being absorbed into his body as they screamed in agony. The hybrid growled as his body grew in size, becoming more muscular like a Hulk, and the wings resembled a flared-out cape.
"Man's time is almost at hand! The dinosaur-"
"—Are history! And so are you," Hulk sternly declared after landing before Sauron with Red, A-Bomb, and the Alpha Rex sans Patronus. Sauron flew to the skies before he was tackled by the hooded hero and punched repeatedly in the head. "Patronus and I will take Sauron, you guys get the drill."
Red still didn't like being given orders by Hulk. "Oh no, I'll take the drill, you take Sauron," He said before leaving to do the job at hand, leaving behind a somewhat irritated Hulk behind.
"I'm on it, Green," A-Bomb said confidently as he rolled up into his ball form and left to help his fellow agents.
The Alpha Rex had chosen its next meal and ate some nearby lizardmen before heavy footsteps equal to its own drew attention to the side as well as Hulk. The Strongest There Is noticed the creature was similar to the Alpha Rex in size except it had dark grey scaled-skin, a huge dorsal sail on the back, an elongated snout, with equally large arms and claws to give a quadrupedal stance as it approached the Alpha Rex, snarling at its apparent rival.
"Oh, an Alpha Spinosaurus… hopefully the Alpha can beat it."
The Alpha Rex bellowed in retaliation, sparking another response by the Spinosaurus before the Rex clamped down on the neck and pushed it to the ground. The sailed beast quickly recovered and roared in pain, but persevered as it managed to break free from the Rex's jaws until the latter tackled it away from the drilling site.
Hulk would've watched more if it wasn't for Sauron and Patronus crashing into him as their scuffle moved to another site of the volcano. Recovering quickly, Patronus and Hulk punched Sauron away before they charged at the hybrid who countered with a glowing fist that detonated upon impact.
Naruto shook his head as Hulk stood up while Sauron readied for another bout when the volcano quaked even more violent than before as molten lava.
"The final plate is about to fracture," Sauron exclaimed, pleased with his plan so far. "The end of your world is at hand!" The hybrid cackled before expelling a fire stream at the heroes who dodged to separate sides, but he was quick and flew to the distracted Hulk as his hand touched the gamma-powered agent's chest. "Such power. I have never felt its equal…"
"Hulk!" Patronus cried out in worry as he watched the light spectacle while Hulk struggled to fight back against Sauron's power-drain.
The thoughts of the world ending by Sauron's hands did nothing, but fuel Hulk's rage as he broke free from Sauron's grip and stomped the ground. Spikes and upturned chunks raced towards Sauron, which flicked him towards Patronus as the latter clotheslined the hybrid hard into a crater.
Meanwhile, A-Bomb helped the weakened Skarr and Jen to their feet. "Red, you going to stop this thing or what?" Rick asked before punching a lizardman away.
"Working on it!" Red responded as he pondered with his hand against his chin. There were three levers that operated the machine in the console, but if he chose the wrong one, the drill would destroy the plate faster than its current pace. "Let's see… if I was a reverse lever, which one would I be? Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!" Red pulled the level he chose and, as luck would have it, the drill reversed its polarity and increased its speed. "Oh, I'm good."
"Stop them!"
A second later, Red screamed in pain after being blasted by green lasers, courtesy of the lizardmen as he fell near the drill bit. And A-Bomb saw this as he fell to his location and shook him, trying to wake the unconscious Hulk up. "Come on, Red, get up!" He pleaded before noticing the drill bit ahead. "Hang on there, buddy. It's time to put my armor to the test!" A-Bomb assumed his ball form and rolled against the machine as he struggled to halt it, but eventually did moments later.
"My drill!" Sauron cried out in exasperation after seeing his machine exploding.
Patronus took advantage of his distracted fore and tripped him by sweeping the legs. Sauron halted himself by flapping his wings and breathed a fire stream at the hooded ninja who was seemingly engulfed moments later. When the smoke cleared and revealed a hole in the ground, Sauron looked for him except Naruto emerged from behind and thrust his fist as a massive gust of wind pummeled him away. "Eaken!"
Sauron groaned upon crashing against a boulder, but quickly recovered as he lifted said object and chucked it at the approaching Patronus. The ninja slid on his knees and leaned backwards as the thrown boulder flew over him before Shunshining behind the hybrid dinosaur. However, he was ready for the action and quickly grabbed his head inside the hood before beginning to drain his power.
"Aaahhh!" Patronus grunted as he tried to break free from Sauron's grip.
"Power! Such incredible power inside of a human!? You and the Hulk are the only creatures of mankind I respect for giving me the objects to… Wait? What's happening?!"
And he was not the only one bewildered as Hulk watched the spectacle in front of him. Sauron's glowing hands are being shut by an increasing gray rash from Patronu's hood. "He's turning to stone?" Hulk wondered in shock as Patronus managed to free himself by breaking off the hybrid's arms.
"Thing about Sage Mode is its massive drawback of proper control," Naruto commented as he flicked his finger at Sauron's forehead and sent him into the lava pit. "For those who don't know how to control nature energy."
"How did you—Never mind that," Hulk said since it was pointless to ask Patronus about his abilities. He's just glad that the Bostonian hero is on their side and a friend.
Both heroes watched the lava until Sauron emerged from the molten environment and floated in the air, though he reverted back to his normal form thereby weakened. "My power... burned away."
"You're done," Hulk said as it was a real fact. "Well done."
Patronus chuckled at the pun. "Good one, Big Green."
Sauron growled at his predicament and felt his power waned when his eyes ceased glowing. A symphony of angry chirps and deep growls reached his enhanced hearing, forcing him to look at the west and seeing a horde of approaching pterodactyls. "My brothers! I've lost control of them! They've come for me!" With several flaps of his wings, Sauron fled the area while surrounding by his angry brethren. "You'll pay for this, Hulk and Hooded Man!"
"That's Patronus to you!" Naruto corrected with a shaky fist aimed at the sky.
Hulk 'hmphed' at the fleeing villain, "That's one pterodactyl turning chicken."
The moment of relief was destroyed by the drill machine that reached critical level as the lava began to overflow and destroy it at the same time. The heroes watched the object of their mission burn before it sank into the hole made by its progress with no sign of two Hulks.
"Rick? Rick!" Hulk called out in concern.
The ground behind the heroes cracked open as a solemn Red emerged from the dirt. "He… didn't make it," He said lowly.
"No."
"Nah! I'm just messing with ya!" A-Bomb said as he emerged from the ground as well, only to be dragged into a head hold and a victim.
Hulk chuckled as he noogied A-Bomb's head, "I figured, you little punk." He ceased the noogie and had his arm around the younger agent's shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here."
Another crash drew their attention as the battle between the dinosaurs continued with the Alpha Rex as the dominating force. The scarred dinosaur had its jaws attached tightly on the bleeding Spinosaurus and drove it against a wall before dragging his enemy through the field. The Alpha Spinosaurus broke free, but the Rex pressed its body to tackle the enemy through a boulder near the lava. The dorsal-sailed dinosaur snapped its jaws at the small arms of its hated enemy, but the Rex swung its tail across the snout.
Seeing it stunned, the Alpha Rex sank its jaws into the Alpha Spinosaurus and pushed it towards the lava before it disengaged briefly to tackle the weakened dinosaur with its head. The opposing animal snarled in pain while rising to its feet as its eyes stared into the Rex's own before the Spinosaurus roared in defiance, prompting the King of the Dinosaurs to bellowed back.
Suddenly, the ground fissured underneath the Spinosaurus's feet before the cracks became prominent and separated from the main platform. The weight of the dinosaur rapidly grew too much for the separated plate as they cracked into smaller pieces until the feet met lava.
The heroes and Alpha Rex were met with the howls of the Spinosaurus as it thrashed around in the lava, sinking by the second until nothing remained of the creature. The dinosaur inhaled before bellowing in victory over its territorial enemy throughout the land known for savagery.
"Man, this is better than in the comics!" A-Bomb exclaimed before he commanded his cameras to take pictures of the dinosaur.
Patronus hummed in thought while the Alpha Rex changed its direction at him with neither of the Smashers thinking about what's going to happen.
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(Three Days Later)
Gamma Base, Vista Verde
New Mexico
"So, what do you think, Hulk?"
"A project, huh? What for exactly, Patronus?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he pointed at the plans he and Medusa made according to the Clan's wishes. "Well, the ship's been around since the Colonial era, and I thought it deserves an upgrade. And why not go to the team I'm more familiar with?"
"You trust us enough with this. I'm touched," Hulk teased as he wiped away an imaginary tear from his tear.
Patronus scoffed at him jokingly. "Don't flatter yourself, Big Green. Do you think you and your team can do it?"
"I'm not a billionaire inventor, but we do all right. Consider it done," Hulk agreed as he shook hands with Patronus to affirm their decision. "Though I'm a little wary about this metal you wrote here."
"It's Adamantine, so it's no big deal."
"Where did you get that?"
"I have my ways albeit legal reasons," Patronus answered honestly. The metal was located in a mine on his land, so technically it belongs to him. "How long will it take you guys to finish the upgrades?"
"Honestly, I don't know, but if I had to guess, probably a month."
"Okay, then." Patronus answered calmly, but inwardly he cried as he and Kuroka would be deprived of their favorite hook-up spot. He was brought out of his thoughts when something had licked him from back to head. "Ah, Devil!"
The chuckling ninja turned around and met the happy face of the Hulks' pet dinosaur. It was a crimson red Tyrannosaurus Rex, though a lot smaller than the Alpha Rex at the Savage Land, with yellow eyes, a collar around its neck, and slicked horns on the back of his head and back hence his name.
"How are you doing there, big guy?" Naruto asked before being licked by the dinosaur again. "I'll take that as being 'good'. So, I'll bring the ship here tomorrow then."
"Not a problem. We'll be careful with the ship, though."
Patronus nodded as he playfully nudged Hulk's arm. "Thanks, man. Well, see you tomorrow."
"You don't want to stay for burgers?"
"As much as I want to, I have another job to do back home."
Hulk chuckled as he knew what that job entailed and waved the hooded hero 'bye' when the latter disappeared in a flash of yellow light akin to a lightning bolt. Devil, on the other hand, whimpered as he sniffed for Patronus's scent after seeing him mysteriously vanished before his very eyes. "Don't worry, boy. He's fine," Hulk soothed the dinosaur before walking with him. "Want some treat?"
Devil snarled happily as he chased after the laughing Hulk towards the kitchen.
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"May 10, 2006…
What comes across as overprotectiveness? What is it about our drive to protect those we care about? Is it inherent or taught? I come across as one who will stop at nothing to protect family, friends, the people from danger. There comes a time when we all need to learn the world on our own without coddling from our elders or superiors. The Master Assassins and Mentors before me certainly made mistakes, but they like me learned from them and became better beings as a result. That doesn't mean we stop learning though as every day is a new time for learning.
And what better place to learn than the Savage Land?
The Savage Land is an isolated region within the Antarctica filled with ancient creatures from millennia ago such as dinosaurs. I know, dinosaurs! I saw Pterodactyls, Triceratops, a Spinosaurus, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex at that land, which became something more to me. Luckily, I left a marker for easy travel before we left for home.
A-Bomb of the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. led by the Hulk made mistakes in our trip to the Savage Land. At first, Hulk thought A-Bomb wasn't ready for many things, but throughout our time in the land, he realized that the blue-skinned goofball needed to learn on his own. Getting swallowed up by an Alpha Rex seemed to do the trick since he didn't listen to Red no longer. Then again, Red got his ass kicked by the Rex.
Naruto continued writing about his and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'s encounters with Sauron, his plan with the drill to his eventual loss, both literally and figuratively, the battle between the two Alphas, until the end of his current predicament.
Regarding the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Hulk had told me that the proper name was Tyrannosaurus dominum, but it became popularly known as T-Rex. The same T-Rex was an Alpha, which stood about 70 feet high and had green skin with three distinct claw marks on the right side of its neck. Its battle with the Spinosaurus left him weakened, but he healed just fine. Then came the hard part—
"Naruto!"
The ninja looked up from the Codex as he was situated atop the cliff where his eyes caught Rhea waving her arms, then pointing a direction. Naruto followed until he sighed after seeing what caused distress with his wife: Alpha Rex sleeping atop a bunch of wood and the new stable meant to house more cows and goats for the Homestead supply.
"Got it!"
Then he resumed writing to finish his entry.
It is not easy having a domesticated Alpha Rex at your house, but I'm positive it'll be worthwhile for my family and the Brotherhood. I learned there is more to this world than meets the eye and I'm constantly learning, which makes me a better fighter, Mentor, and father."
With a snap of his fingers, the Codex flew back into the study room at the manor before Naruto ran down the cliff to move the sleeping Alpha back to its territory where it won't frighten the Homesteaders until they were ready and he them.
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