Chapter 5: Magic, Mayhem, and Motel Room Madness
Adam had never been more certain of one thing in his second life: Pietro Maximoff was going to be the death of him.
Not directly, of course. No, that would require coordination, timing, and the ability to slow down for five seconds to aim a punch. But Pietro's "friendly" laps around the facility were beginning to rattle Adam's brain like a shaken snow globe filled with regret.
And Adam, professional mischief artist, had had enough.
"Alright, Speedy Gonzalez," he muttered, pressing his back against the wall of the hallway outside Pietro's preferred practice circuit. "You want to play track star? Fine. Let's play."
He tapped his makeshift prank device—three soda cans, a ripped bedsheet, and at least one piece of stolen StarkTech someone had dropped in the wrong room. In other words: art.
The hallway shimmered faintly as Adam activated it.
And then… showtime.
Pietro whipped around the corner as usual, a blue-and-silver blur, only to hit the slick hallway Adam had rigged. The moment his foot hit the laced floor, the world's fastest man became Sokovia's most elegant flying dolphin.
Crash. Flip. Squeal.
"Oh! And he sticks the landing—face first into the wall," Adam cackled, peeking around the corner with the shit-eating grin of a man who had just invented the comedic version of the Large Hadron Collider.
Wanda, who was watching from down the hall, raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Was that necessary?"
Adam blinked at her, placing a hand on his chest. "Wanda, sweetheart. Everything I do is necessary. For science. For art. For... trauma therapy."
She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched at the edges.
🎯 Target Successfully Pranked: Pietro Maximoff
⚡ System Stat Boost: +1 SPEED
🌀 Skill upgrade: "Velocity Vortex" *6 speed burst instead of *5
Pietro groaned, legs still tangled in his own momentum as he peeled himself off the wall. "What... even was that?"
Adam strolled forward, hands in his pocket, like the smug bastard he was born to be. "That, my fast friend, was a lesson in humility. And physics. But mostly humility."
"You're insane," Pietro said.
"Not insane. Eccentric. Sexy. And now? Slightly faster," Adam replied, finger guns blazing.
That night, Adam leaned back in his cot, the hum of the Pranker System echoing softly in his head like a smug roommate.
"Let's see what else I've got... Oh-ho-ho, what's this?"
Mission Chain Completed: "Triple Threaded Trickery"
🎁 Rewards: +$3,000 Pranker Bucks
Back in the facility, Adam barely made it back through the door to the real world before he heard footsteps. Wanda again. Always watching him lately.
"You disappear for ten minutes and come" she said.
He grinned. "It's called the mains room for a reason .I will use the womens room from now on so you could check on me more"
Wanda shook her head, but there was laughter now. It danced in her voice, even as she rolled her eyes.
"You're completely ridiculous."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Adam replied with a wink.
Stats & Skill Summary – End of Chapter 5
🧠 Intelligence:10
💪 Strength: 6
⚡ Speed: 8 (+1 from pranking Pietro)
🏃♂️ Stamina: 6
🎓 MP: 1000 (Each point of Intelligence grants 100 MP)
🎴 Skill Cards:
Wit's Starter Spark – Basic low-level prank ability.Velocity Vortex – Temporary 5x speed for 60 seconds. (100 MP per use)
🎁 Inventory:
$3,000 Pranker Bucks
🛍️ System Store: Locked (Unlocks when all stats reach 15)