"Ouchh... My head..."
I opened my eyes and found myself stuck in a chair.
"What the?!"
I tried to move, even using all my strength, but it was no use.
Then I noticed Bruce, Moon, and Gwen were next to me.
"What is this?"
"Oh, you're awake?"
A familiar voice rang out. I looked toward it and saw the one who knocked me out.
Namor.
"...What are you planning to do?"
"Ehh, I don't feel like sharing my plans with you. Humans like you are pretty cunning, so I have to be careful."
"If I told you there's a beautiful woman who's married to someone else, would you spill it then?"
"For real?! Where?!"
Ugh, damn it! He's no different from the Namor in the other universe! I knew I couldn't trust this guy!
"Calm down, my king. This guy might not be wrong, but he only mentioned one married woman, not multiple married women."
Someone approached. He had green skin like the Hulk, but his head was disproportionately large compared to his body.
"Who are you?"
"The Leader."
"...Wow, creative name."
"I know you're mocking me, but I don't think any name suits me better than this one."
Wow, arrogant much?
"And... Heh, I can't believe the day has come when Bruce Wayne would end up here. Truly the luckiest day of my life."
"Oh? He's the one you've always hated?" Namor asked, surprised.
"Yes, my king. He's a genius scientist, good at everything except physical strength. No wonder he never took someone like me seriously. And now, he's in our hands. How ironic!" he said, clenching his fist.
Honestly, I don't know anything about The Leader. I'm not exactly living Bruce Banner's life, so how would I know?
Judging by how he talks about Bruce, it seems like it mostly stems from jealousy.
"Wait, why don't I remember you telling me about this?" Namor scratched his head.
"...You forgot?"
"Yeah."
"...My lord, I used to work as a guard for him, and he's the one who accidentally ruined the machine, causing gamma radiation to leak everywhere. He and I were the most affected. My brain grew larger, and he... well, he became an idiot!"
"Oh, thanks for the unnecessary info dump."
"You—! Ugh, whatever."
"So, what do you guys want with us? Are we just gonna keep talking?" I asked.
The two of them looked at each other and smirked.
"Haha! Kid, if you think I'd reveal my plans like some third-rate villain, you're wrong! I'm way above that!" The Leader boasted arrogantly.
"Above? Above like Bruce Banner?"
"I'm far better than him!"
"Really? Prove it with words."
"Guhhh! Fine, you insolent kid! I'll control your minds with this hypnotic chair. It'll trap you in an inescapable dream, and you'll forever be puppets in my hands!"
"...Dude, you actually told him?" Namor looked at The Leader.
Dealing with overly confident guys is too easy.
Just poke at their ego, and they'll keep scratching until they're satisfied. In this case, it's his massive ego.
"And then what? What are you going to do with us?"
"Scared already? Don't worry, we'll use you all to help our king Namor conquer the surface world, especially America!"
"...Huh?"
Seriously? So they want to take over America? That's it?
"And once you've conquered America, what laws will you enforce, and how will you treat the people?" I asked, making The Leader freeze for a moment.
"Wait, I haven't thought about that..."
...No wonder Bruce looks down on you. Gamma might've made your brain bigger, but it didn't make you think any deeper.
"Any tax cuts or anything? The American people are struggling with that. If you don't address it, they won't support you," I said.
"Hmm, true. To conquer America, we'd need the people's support."
"Dude, you're still listening to this kid?" Namor looked at The Leader, confused.
"What about the protests over immigration? The toxicity around LGBT issues? Karens? School shootings?"
"Uhh... That's tough, but I'd have to solve those to make my empire last!"
"By force or peace?"
"Force!"
"Then how's that any different from the Hulk?"
"Agh! Fine, peace then!"
"Dude, we haven't even started the plan, and you're already overthinking because of this kid's words?"
'This Leader guy... If I play him right, he might actually end up making America better,' I thought to myself, continuing to speak.
"Alright, enough, human! Stop distracting him!" Namor said, stepping forward and glaring at me warningly.
"Leader! Activate the machine! I want to conquer America as soon as possible!"
"Yes, my king!"
He scurried off somewhere. I looked at my three teammates, then at Namor.
"Hey, serious question: what's so special about America that you have to conquer it?"
"Kid, America is just the first target. I'll conquer the entire world to wipe out humanity, leaving only merpeople to live in peace—except for those married women, of course."
"Why?"
"Why? Why don't you ask what you humans have done to our kind? Hunting, killing in massive numbers, causing extinctions—humans are the vile creatures harming us!"
It sounds reasonable... but...
"Um, buddy, sharks hunt other fish. Orcas hunt whales. Whales swallow thousands of fish. So maybe you should take a look at your ocean first?"
"What do you mean?" he said, narrowing his eyes.
"Dude, the ocean is the scariest place for us humans. It's full of mysteries. And yeah, we hunt a lot of fish, but we know which ones aren't at risk of extinction. How do you guys hunt?"
"..."
"Look, I'll be honest. Humans have done a lot of bad stuff—polluting, dumping waste, blah blah bleh bleh—but we're trying to fix it. Don't you see there are still people who treat dolphins, whales, and all that stuff well? If you don't give us a chance to make things right, what are we supposed to do? Just leave the mess we made unaddressed?"
"You..."
Namor stared at me.
"Nerdddddd."
...Trying to reason with this guy is pointless. Why did I let him knock me out, or better yet, why did I even bother?
I glanced at my teammates, including Gwen.
'Huh? Is she awake?'
One of her eyes was open, staring intensely at Namor.
...Still mad at him, huh?
"It's done, my king!"
"Do it!"
A metal helmet was placed on my head, making me sweat a bit.
Since I have the outer god's help, I figured I'd be fine. The problem is the others.
So, I need to let them use the machine on me. Once they're done and release us, I'll save everyone.
...The plan's a bit clunky, but I'm out of options.
Right after that, an electric current surged through my brain, and I lost consciousness again.
'Hope I can stay sharp!'
Praying silently, my eyes closed.