Always Mine (An MCU Fanfiction)

40. The Arena

The next evening was Thor's fight with the champion. I found myself feeling extremely anxious about having to watch Thor fight, although I knew he could handle it. However, since Mjolnir was destroyed, he would need a different weapon.

There were a lot of spectators in attendance, which reminded me of the Super Bowl, though trying to watch a football game made me bored. This one was like the Roman Colosseum, but with an intergalactic twist. I had to suspect that people had died battling the Grandmaster's champion. And demented people find it thrilling. I was beginning to wish I was home, relaxing on the couch and playing an RPG game on the Xbox, or watching a favorite series or movie with my friends.

The Grandmaster made an introductory speech via hologram. Mostly to get everyone riled up with excitement. I didn't see the point of it, knowing that one of my allies was forced to fight and I could only watch and not get involved at all.

"And now, without further ado, it's main event time," the Grandmaster announced just as Loki and I had arrived in a suite where the Grandmaster and his associates had a better view of the arena. 

Loki helped himself to a drink, while I skipped any refreshments and waited for Thor to make an appearance. 

"Making his first appearance, though he looks quite promising, got a couple of tricks up his sleeve," The Grandmaster continued. "I'll say no more; see what you think. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...Lord of Thunder."

A door rose open, and Thor walked in. I noticed his hair was cut short, and he had two swords sheathed behind him. He carried a helmet, a mace, and a shield that was thicker than Steve's shield. The whole crowd booed and shouted as if they weren't Thor's biggest fans. 

"Watch out for his fingers. They make sparks," The Grandmaster added. "Okay, this is it. Let's get ready to welcome this guy. Here he comes."

Fireworks shot off, revealing a green color, and the spectators started cheering wildly. There was a rumble, as if something enormous was approaching.

"He is the creature. What can we say about him? Well, he's unique. There's none like him," The Grandmaster continued. "I feel a special connection with him. He's undefeated. He's the reigning. He's the defending. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you..."

Another door started to open. I started getting anxious.

"Your Incredible..." The Grandmaster added when suddenly a familiar green guy burst through. "Hulk!"

"Bruce?!" I gasped softly so that no one heard me. I saw that the Hulk was armored and carried both a mallet and battle axe. He was ten times different than the Hulk I was familiar with.

"Yes!" Thor shouted joyfully as if reuniting with an old friend. The spectators went quiet at that second.

"I have to get off this planet," Loki said anxiously, grabbing my hand and leading me back the way we came in.

I knew the Hulk freaked him out since he got tossed by the green guy during the attack on New York. On the other hand, I was beginning to wonder how Bruce ended up on Sakaar.

"Hey, hey, hey. Where you two going?" The Grandmaster wondered, stopping us, and gestured for us to take our seats.

The Hulk let out a roar that got the spectators cheering. That told me they were his biggest fans.

"Hey! Hey!" Thor hollered at the suite window, getting the Grandmaster's attention. "We know each other. He's a friend from work."

The Grandmaster turned to Loki and me with a confused and questioning expression. Loki cleared his throat while I twiddled my thumbs. Thor started a conversation with the Hulk.

"Loki! Casey! Look who it is!" Thor called out to us.

Loki had a dreaded expression, as if reliving the moment he got tossed around like a dummy. I had a feeling Bruce was dormant, and the Hulk was taking charge.

The fireworks went off once again, and spectators started cheering for the Hulk, wanting the fight to start.

"Banner! Hey, Banner!" Thor called.

"No, Banner. Only Hulk," the Hulk stated and charged at Thor and jumped.

 Thor dodged the attack but got smacked, regained his balance, and unsheathed his swords. The Hulk roared once again. The Grandmaster applauded lightly and chuckled, as if enjoying the scene. 

Like before, Thor tried to talk to the Hulk, but his words fell on deaf ears. The Hulk smashed the swords with the mallet and kicked Thor, sending the latter smashing into a wall.

"Here we go," The Grandmaster grinned as if stoked to watch a favorite part in a movie. "Here we go."

The mallet landed in the wall as Thor climbed out of the hole. He managed to grab the mallet and whack the oncoming Hulk, causing the rest of the arena walls to crumble.

"What?" The Grandmaster was shocked to see the Hulk knocked off his feet.

Loki winced while I kept on watching as Thor carefully walked towards the Hulk, who was on top of a pile of debris. I could tell Thor was trying to reach out to Bruce once again.  The Hulk extended his hand, and Thor gently placed his on his palm.

"That's not gonna work," I shook my head. 

I hate being right about certain things. The Hulk grabbed Thor and slammed him to the ground,  over and over before throwing him across the arena, just as the spectators cheered. 

"Yes! That's how it feels!" Loki shouted as he shot to his feet, while everyone else turned to him in confusion. "I'm just a huge fan of the sport." 

The Grandmaster appeared to accept the answer and began laughing.

The Hulk charged at Thor once again and swung his axe. Thor dodged and lashed the mallet, hitting the Hulk's leg. As the Hulk fell on one knee, he was whacked in the face and nearly fell backwards. Thor brought the mallet down and smashed the axe by the handle.

"I know you're in there, Banner. I'll get you out." Thor swung the mallet once again, hitting the Hulk's hip, sending the green guy to the ground, displeasing the spectators. That got the Hulk extremely pissed as he ran at Thor and punched the mallet out of the latter's grip. Thor sucker-punched the Hulk in the jaw. "What's the matter with you? You're embarrassing me! I told them we were friends."

There was too much rage at that point. I found myself looking down at my feet the second Thor attempted to put the Hulk in a chokehold. Suddenly, the crowd went silent. I glanced up and saw the Hulk gripping the end of the mallet as it seemed Thor was about to hit him again. The tables turned as the Hulk punched Thor right in the kisser, sending the latter across the arena. The Hulk leaped, landing on top and punching Thor over and over.

Loki cringed at the sight while the Grandmaster chuckled. I shut my eyes, as I couldn't bear to watch my friends and fellow Avengers beat each other up. All of a sudden, there was the sound of electricity crackling. I opened my eyes and saw Thor covered in electric sparks, punch the Hulk, sending the latter flying in a flash of lightning. The spectators gasped as the Hulk landed on his back.

The Grandmaster rose to his feet in shock. Loki and I held surprised expressions. The Spectators started murmuring in surprise as Thor got back on his feet, as the electric sparks flowed and he prepped for another brawl. The Hulk got up once again and charged at him. Thor also ran at the green guy, and both of them jumped into midair. Thor punched the Hulk, and an energy pulse took out a chunk of the arena ground and displaced it. The second the Hulk fell, the spectators' chant changed to 'Thunder.'

The Hulk stood up as Thor walked towards him. I noticed the Grandmaster held a device that had a blue light as he leaned forward and pressed something. The second that occurred, Thor suddenly convulsed, as if being tased, and fell to the ground. I didn't like where it was all going. The Hulk jumped high above the arena and made a final blow at Thor as he landed.