Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

Piltover, Evolution Day, Exhibition Grounds.

"Looks like Evolution Day is going to be a lively one this year!"

"Absolutely. So many ingenious inventions and fresh ideas are making their debut!"

"But I think the real showstopper will be the Collin Workshop. Just look, they've secured a prime spot in the central district this year!"

"You jealous?"

"Come on, the Zaunite stray Collin took in from the streets a few years ago is now being courted by every major house, even the Council. Everyone's after him!"

"The moment his clockwork exoskeleton was unveiled, the entire field of mechanical power surged forward!"

"Speaking of Collin, we can't forget about that Talis brat."

"Yeah, what a pity."

"I heard his demo went haywire and blasted a hole right through the dome during the evaluation!"

"Hey, look at the sky, what's that?"

One craftsman pointed upward, surprised by the red-and-blue figure darting across the sky like a bird. The others followed his gaze.

"Whose flying machine is that?"

"No stable energy source? Then it's just theory on paper."

"But it really does look like a tech construct..."

"Telescope! Someone get me a telescope!"

In the ensuing scramble, people reached for binoculars, but by the time they got a good look, the red-and-blue figure had vanished.

"Ugh, I missed it!"

"Maybe it was a mirage, a big bird mistaken for a machine."

"No way. I swear that thing was man-made!"

...

Zaun, The Ravine.

Soaring through the ravine in his power suit, Duke felt the rush of air as it split around him. The floating and propulsion rune arrays functioned perfectly, freeing him from gravity and fulfilling one of humanity's greatest dreams:

To fly.

"Look, up there, what is that?!"

"My gods, is that a mech puppet?"

"No, it's someone in a suit of armor!"

"But how is that even possible?!"

Zaunites below gawked and pointed as children ran beneath, trying to follow the flying figure with wide-eyed wonder.

Duke ignored the chatter and murmured, "Wally, increase energy output. I'm going higher."

The suit's voice answered, "Understood, Father!"

"Call me Sir."

"Yes, Father-Sir!"

"You tin can blockhead."

Since awakening to his magic affinity, Duke's power suit had gained an emergent consciousness. He'd tried many times to correct its insistence on calling him "Father," but the stubborn thing refused to change.

So he just gave it a name, Wally. A little dumb, but kind of adorable.

"Does this count as building my own son?"

Smirking, Duke stabilized himself as the runes surged with magical energy, sending him rocketing into the sky until he landed atop a seaside cliff.

"Open up, Wally. I need some air."

The suit's chest split open, and Duke climbed out, stretching. Seeing Wally still idling with the panels open, he sighed, "Close up and enter standby."

"Yes, Father!"

"You..." Duke started to scold, but remembering Wally had existed for barely two hours, he let it go with a long sigh. "Fine. Call me whatever you want."

"Affirmative, Father!"

Duke turned his attention to his system interface, pulling up the Iron Man personal mission. A countdown of 45 days remained. He selected Wally as the evaluation subject and prepared to submit.

[Confirm Submission?]

[Trial submissions allowed: 3/3 remaining.]

He paused, rubbed his chin, then opted to use a trial instead of the final submission.

[Assessment in progress. Please wait...]

Duke watched the waves roll in, awaiting the system's judgment of his prototype.

Moments later, the report appeared. He opened it eagerly, then his face twisted with disappointment.

[Evaluation Result: B++ Grade. Mission requires minimum A Grade. Keep improving.]

[p.s. Kid, you've got potential, but your design's lacking originality. You totally ripped off my Mark I blueprint. The energy system and AI are mildly interesting, and the modular weapon ports are a nice touch. But still, B++. Be grateful.]

Duke's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding.

"You're saying I plagiarized?!"

"Damn you, Stark!"

"A hybrid of clockwork power and Hextech, supported by a rune matrix, this suit is decades ahead of current technology, and you give it a B++?!"

His roars echoed over the ocean as he slumped onto the rock, drained. He had poured nearly two months into Wally, his most advanced creation yet. Combining Piltover's clockwork genius with rune-based enchantments and Hextech power was no small feat.

It had weapon mounts, modular systems, everything.

"What did I do wrong...?"

Reading over Stark's critique, Duke frowned.

"Too derivative of Mark I..."

"Lacking innovation..."

He glanced at Wally, brows furrowed in thought. He had to complete this mission.

"If this isn't enough... what is?"

"Father, lifeform approaching from nine o'clock."

Wally's alert pulled Duke from his thoughts. He spotted figures approaching in the distance.

"Let's go. We're done here."

With heavy disappointment weighing him down, Duke suited up and flew off.

The figure approaching was none other than Jayce, whom Duke hadn't seen since their Bandle City trip.

"Weird... I could've sworn I saw Duke here. Where did he go?"

Jayce stood by the water, notebook in hand.

"I can't complete the Hextech framework alone. Heimerdinger was right, without magic affinity, it's too dangerous."

His eyes burned with frustration.

"But giving up now? No. I won't."

"I need a partner, someone who can help me bring this vision to life."

...

The Next Day.

Evolution Day. Exhibition Grounds.

"Happy Evolution Day!"

Cheers and excitement filled the air as men and women in elegant attire strolled through the exhibition park. Families, guilds, and inventors all gathered under colorful banners, while decorated stalls filled the narrow streets.

Messengers pushed through crowds, jostling vendors and innkeepers alike. Orphans from Zaun lurked at the edges, watching for easy pickings.

Everyone had gathered, locals, foreign dignitaries, the city's best minds. Piltover's brightest day had begun.

"Why wasn't it enough...?"

Inside the Collin Workshop's tent, Duke slumped over the table, turning a golden gear between his fingers. Orianna and Collin were gone, Orianna had taken Jinx to explore, while Collin went to network at other booths.

Duke sat alone. Despite occasional well-wishers stopping by, many left quickly after sensing his glum mood.

"Duke!"

Councilwoman Mel strode into the tent, dressed in an elegant gown, followed by a blonde girl and two young men.

"Hey, Mel."

His mind still fixated on his design and how to earn Iron Man's approval, the 20% synchronization rate, the Edith smart glasses. He needed them.

"You don't look happy at all."

Mel gestured to the three youths who began inspecting the booth's displays.

"Just wrestling with a design issue," Duke said, ruffling his hair.

Mel chuckled, "You should go out, see what others are showing. Inspiration strikes when ideas collide."

"Who are they?" Duke asked, eyeing the youths gathered around the copper hotpot.

"From Demacia. Want an introduction?"

"Wait, you're Noxian. How're you getting chummy with Demacians?"

Mel smiled. "I was born in Noxus, but Piltover is my home now. My loyalty lies here."

"Besides, it's not just friends who know you, your enemies do too."

She winked.

Duke snorted. "How devious."

Standing up, he approached the trio.

"Curious about this?"

"Sir, what's this odd-looking pot used for?"

"This is a Clockwork Copper Hotpot! Just add water and twist the dial, it self-heats, ready to cook anything. Comes with recipes. Buy ten, get a maintenance kit free!"

"How about a hundred?"

Mel sighed, facepalming as Duke laid on his worst sales pitch.

At that moment, a nervous youth carrying a strange contraption approached the booth.

"Excuse me... would you be interested in a new kind of alchemy device?"

...To be continued...