"I have a great idea to solve this," Wade chimed in just as Peter finished speaking and the surrounding Avengers nodded in agreement. "You should hang out with me more. I guarantee that no one will be able to take over your body or suppress your consciousness. How about it?"
Robert had indeed kicked Wade away earlier, causing some damage. However, Wade's regenerative abilities made such injuries negligible. Robert's aim wasn't to seriously hurt Wade but to buy some temporary peace and quiet. He hadn't expected Wade to come back before his wounds had even fully healed, eager to pick up the conversation as if his mouth couldn't take a break.
Hearing Wade's offer, Peter glanced at him with a mix of reluctance and curiosity. Peter didn't particularly want to engage with Wade, but the memory of being controlled gnawed at him. If Wade could genuinely help him become immune to such control, maybe hanging out with Wade wasn't the worst idea.
Peter was visibly tempted. After all, enhancing his strength was worth a bit of sacrifice. And even though Wade wasn't officially an Avenger, like Harry Osborn, he was on the periphery of their circle. It shouldn't be too problematic, right?
Peter quickly rationalized the situation to himself. Harry Osborn, standing nearby, noticed Peter's internal conflict. He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated, unsure of what to say. Harry wasn't as brazen as Wade and couldn't just tell Peter to avoid Wade right in front of him—it felt too awkward.
"You recover quickly," Robert noted as Wade walked in, fully healed. "Now, care to explain why you call Superman 'godfather' and me 'dad'?"
Wade grinned, unabashed. "It's because you guys are so powerful. Who else should I align with if not you? Should I team up with the villains?"
Robert raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So, besides the heroes here, you know a lot about the villains too? What villains do you know of?"
Wade's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Oh, there are plenty. The most famous one is the Purple Potato. Though I can't be sure he exists, given how unpredictable the universe is, especially now that Superman is around..."
Robert and Clark exchanged a puzzled look. "Purple Potato?" Clark asked, curiosity piqued.
Wade nodded, scratching his chin through his soaked mask. "Yeah, he looks a bit like a purple potato. Although he started with a bluish hue, by the time he fully revealed himself, he looked like a sentient purple potato."
"He's an alien," Wade continued. "He might come to Earth, or he might not. But if he does, don't worry. With you two around, I'm sure you can take him down. That's why I'm sticking with you guys—no need to worry about villain troubles."
"A potential alien threat isn't too concerning. If there's such a cosmic crisis, Carol should get wind of it first," Robert thought, glancing at Clark. They communicated telepathically, acknowledging the possibility of a universal threat. Carol had returned to space, and it seemed she always managed to miss Earth's crises by dealing with galactic ones. Perhaps the universe's crises were somehow synchronized with Earth's.
While it was possible for dimensional entities to seek out other planets before targeting Earth, no one had succeeded in that route so far. It could be due to the presence of strong beings on those planets.
Considering a potential universal crisis, both Robert and Clark knew they had to remain vigilant. Any entity powerful enough to cause such a crisis could pose a significant threat to Earth.
"Of course, Superman isn't invincible. There's his cousin, who also shoots lasers from his eyes. The Purple Potato's big cousin is quite formidable too. Though most of them end up as background characters, if they ever come to the forefront, Earth would be in serious trouble..." Wade's excitement grew as he recalled more, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
"If Earth can't handle it, we could just move!" Wade suggested brightly. "Dad, you're great at blowing up planets. If things get bad, we can just blow up Earth and see who suffers more! No one's ever pulled off such a stunt. If people knew I suggested it, I'd be famous!"
The Avengers stared at Wade, baffled. The idea of destroying Earth seemed to lack any redeeming quality, making Wade's excitement puzzling.
"Wait, do you only know about alien villains? What about Earth's villains?" Robert asked, frowning. He was beginning to suspect Wade knew more than he let on, even possibly holding information that could rival Tony Stark and JARVIS's databases.
"Nope, I can't tell you about the Earth villains," Wade replied, shaking his head. "If you guys take out all the known villains, new and even more dangerous ones will appear that I don't know about. Then I'd lose my value."
Robert thought deeply about Wade's words, reminded of Trunks' experience. When Trunks first traveled through time, he only mentioned the Androids, not Cell, possibly due to similar reasoning.
"Dad, don't look at me like that," Wade said, mistaking Robert's intense gaze for something more sinister. "You're not thinking of reading my mind, are you? That's not very Saiyan-like! And let me warn you, a famous bald guy with mind-reading powers once went mad after scanning my mind. You don't want to end up like that and accidentally blow up Earth."
"A mind-reader? There's someone with that ability?" Tony Stark's eyes narrowed. He hadn't encountered such powers before, but the potential terror of mind-reading was immediately apparent. He quickly asked Wade, "Is he a villain? Where is he now? Did anyone discover his powers?"
Wade's expression grew somber. "He's dead. After going mad, he developed Alzheimer's and died in his comrades' hands… If only I'd been there, I might have given him a shot to bring him back. My poor wolfie, you died so tragically..." Wade's voice trailed off into a mournful sob as he crouched down, crying loudly.
The Avengers were bewildered. They couldn't understand Wade's ramblings about reviving someone. Even if Wade had been there, what could he have done without resurrection powers?
The Avengers couldn't keep up with Wade's thoughts. Or rather, no sane person could stay on the same wavelength as Wade for long. His mind was a chaotic mix of extraordinary knowledge and bizarre capabilities.
Seeing Wade suddenly break down, Robert suspected he might be trying to dodge further questions. However, Robert also sensed that Wade's sorrow seemed genuine, hinting that his "little wolfie" might indeed have been a dear friend or family member.
"Forget it," Robert decided. "He's right. Turning every opponent or enemy into a known quantity isn't the Saiyan way. It's more fun when unexpected foes appear!"
Robert believed Wade had a point. There was no need to pry further into Wade's secrets. For now, he would take Wade's attempt to forge closer ties with him and Clark as a genuine effort to find some protection.
"Tony, after such a long battle, do you have any food ready? I'm starving," Robert asked, turning away from Wade and looking at Tony Stark.
"JARVIS is already arranging it. We'll be ready to eat soon," Tony replied. He had prepared for Robert's return and had everything in place. However, Wade's mention of a mind-reader left Tony wary. He approached Robert, lowering his voice.
"Do you have any leads on the mind-reading ability Wade mentioned? If it's real, it's terrifying. There'd be no secrets safe from him."
"Mind-reading? I don't know about any bald guys, but I do know someone with similar powers…" Robert glanced at Clark. Their telepathic abilities weren't as potent as the mind-reader Wade mentioned, but they were significant nonetheless.
Robert and Clark weren't sure who this powerful bald individual was, but they both knew someone with mind-reading capabilities: the Martian Manhunter, who Robert thought looked a bit like Piccolo. The Martian was a master of mental abilities, and if not for Robert's strong fighting spirit and the techniques Clark learned to defend against telepathy, Clark might have struggled to win against him.
"I haven't tracked him down," Clark said telepathically. "He promised to stay out of your affairs. I didn't pursue his location further. His abilities allow him to hide well. Even if I monitored everyone on Earth, finding him would be difficult."
"Do you think we could bring him over to our side?" Robert mused, stroking his chin.
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