"Nobody even said anything, so why are you panicking?" Morbius patted Johnny Storm's shoulder to console him. "Not everyone can gain so-called divine power. Besides, your strength already surpasses most gods. What's the rush?"
"True," Johnny nodded, quickly finding an excuse. "Didn't the Saiyan say my power ranks me on par with a chief god in various pantheons? None of their fire gods could be my match anyway, so it's not like I need their power to improve." He deliberately avoided looking in Pietro's direction and dragged Morbius away to another part of the room.
"You know," Morbius added with a smirk, trying to steer the conversation away, "for a moment, I was worried that lightning might strike me dead. Good thing it didn't happen."
"As if it could. You're not weaker than those gods either. What's there to fear? Even if they showed up here in person, we could beat them down. Their power is just fragments anyway." Johnny, buoyed by Morbius' praise, threw a few pointed glances toward Pietro's direction.
Despite Pietro obtaining the so-called wind god's power, Johnny didn't consider him a threat. After all, even Frank, the original wielder of Shazam's power, wasn't stronger than Johnny. How could a derivative of that power pose a challenge?
"Enough bickering. Everyone, step up and give it a try. Let's see how many can gain power," Robert interrupted as he noticed Pietro preparing to retort to Johnny. Now that three people had obtained Shazam's power, Robert was curious to see how much it could bolster the Avengers' strength.
With Robert's instruction, the room fell into a brief silence. Pietro and Johnny settled down, while the remaining Avengers and even support staff began taking turns grasping the staff and shouting the name "Shazam!" Among those attempting were Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Ben Grimm.
None of the three managed to gain Shazam's power. Instead, two surprising candidates succeeded: Harry Osborn and Clarice. Their abilities, however, didn't manifest in any unusual way like Pietro's.
Aside from Steve, who reverted to his younger self, the others merely donned Shazam-style uniforms, with no significant changes to their appearance. It seemed Shazam's power fixed the wielder's physical state to a peak and mature form.
"It feels like this is the limit," Frank muttered, sensing something after Clarice gained her power. He looked at the remaining Avengers with an apologetic expression.
"No problem. You've already helped five of us gain Shazam's power. That's impressive," Robert said with a smile. "It seems the power has a selection mechanism. Perhaps it doesn't favor those already too strong, or the gods behind it aren't powerful enough themselves?"
Robert's observation wasn't baseless. Among those who gained Shazam's power, Steve, despite his super-soldier serum and Green Lantern ring, remained relatively weak without activating the ring. In the face of divine power, he was insignificant.
Similarly, Harry Osborn was a comparably enhanced individual without standout strength. Susan Storm and Clarice were both telekinetics, whose abilities had stagnated for a long time.
Unlike Johnny, who benefited from a near-perfect match with the Extremis Virus, Susan had no such advantage. Enhancing mental abilities was significantly more complex and dangerous than genetic enhancement, and the Avengers had no active research projects in this field.
Even Pietro, who had been strengthened before, was relatively weak. While his speed protected him from most foes, his offensive capabilities were limited, falling short of Tony Stark's armor in raw firepower.
After Barry Allen's latest upgrade, Pietro's speed had appeared even less impressive. However, with this new infusion of power from multiple speed gods and wind deities, he had managed to close the gap.
"But if strength was the deciding factor, why didn't Reed, Ben, or I gain the power?" Tony Stark asked, puzzled by Robert's analysis.
"Maybe because you're too ordinary to be worthy of their recognition," Pietro quipped, seizing the opportunity to mock Tony.
Pietro didn't mind being average himself but refused to be the weakest. Thankfully, Tony Stark and others served as convenient scapegoats.
"Oh, feeling cocky now, huh? Wind god, two speed gods, right? Fine. I'll build a suit of armor specifically to counter your powers. Let's see how well you fly or run after that," Tony replied calmly, his eyes narrowing as he addressed Pietro.
"Don't drag the rest of us into this!" Morbius interjected quickly. "Pietro, if Tony starts targeting speedsters, it's all on you!"
"Exactly. You're on your own for this one," Barry sighed, giving Pietro a pointed look. Without another word, the two speedsters—one a streak of lightning, the other a gust of wind—disappeared from the Avengers' base in a flash.
"Alright, I'll never call myself a speedster again," Morbius lamented as he watched them vanish, realizing he couldn't keep up. While Morbius believed he was more capable in combat, he had to admit that speed wasn't his strong suit.
"So, who's faster between them?" Johnny asked Robert, unable to track Barry and Pietro's movements himself.
"Barry's still faster, but Pietro's new flight capabilities give him an edge in versatility," Robert replied. While Pietro's newfound ability to harness wind for flight made him more dynamic, his absolute speed still lagged behind Barry's.
In terms of raw speed, Pietro couldn't unseat Barry as the fastest. However, Pietro's broader skill set made him more effective against strong enemies. With his powers now resembling those of a superhuman, Pietro could better balance speed and combat ability.
"Alright, enough about those two. You guys need to focus on exploring your new powers," Robert instructed Susan, Clarice, Harry, and Steve. "Your abilities are quite different now, and you'll need time to get familiar with them. Head to the training room together."
"And your teacher will be Frank," Robert added, turning to him. "Aside from Pietro's unique case, the others share your abilities. You're the perfect person to guide them."
"Me?" Frank looked startled. Though he had grown comfortable with his powers during his time in the hell dimension, the idea of teaching seasoned Avengers left him feeling unprepared.
"Why not?" Robert encouraged him. "You're to them what the old wizard was to you. Their powers come from you; it's only natural you train them."
"I guess I'll try," Frank said hesitantly, his voice tinged with uncertainty. Adjusting his mindset, he followed the group into the training room. The other Avengers, aside from researchers like Tony and Reed, eagerly headed to the observation room.
When Barry returned to the base, he was surprised to find the area empty. "I thought someone would be waiting at the finish line!" he muttered, his sense of accomplishment deflated.
"Good thing no one's here…" Pietro, arriving moments later, heaved a sigh of relief. "Fine. You won this time. But next time, I'll beat you for sure!" Despite his boast, Pietro knew that surpassing Barry would be nearly impossible. Still, he held on to hope for another chance to power up.
---
Meanwhile, in a secluded chamber, Robert, Kara, and Tony Stark were discussing the Celestials and Ego's avatars. As Robert recounted his findings, Tony's expression grew serious. The excitement of the Avengers' recent power boosts faded, replaced by a mounting sense of dread.
Having witnessed Ego's planetary-scale power, Tony understood its significance. Yet the Celestials dismissed Ego's might, and their theft of his planetary energy indicated a grander scheme.
"The Celestials are clearly preparing for something big," Robert concluded. "Even with my strength, I doubt I could take on their entire group. We need to prepare for a potential confrontation."
Tony nodded grimly. "Shazam's power alone won't cut it. Even the combined pantheons only managed to defeat a single Celestial, and they were ultimately driven off Earth. We'll need far greater strength to stand a chance."
After a moment of silence, Tony asked, "Robert, could the Hell Dimension rival the Celestials?"
Robert frowned. "What are you suggesting? The Celestials couldn't defeat the Hell Dimension outright, but the Hell Dimension is just as dangerous to us. I don't see how we could pit them against each other."
"But they both want Earth. Maybe we can use that to our advantage—push the Celestials into the Hell Dimension. Even if it doesn't eliminate them, it could buy us some time," Tony suggested, his mind spinning with potential contingency plans.
However, he seemed to overlook the logistical challenges: transporting beings as massive as the Celestials into the Hell Dimension would not be easy. Moreover, the Celestials might be capable of destroying or bypassing such portals altogether.
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