"Indeed, Shiller's thod was superb. From a psychological perspective, the retreat-as-advance approach essentially capitalized on others' guilt. They thought you would fight, but in reality, you didn't. For an individual in the throes of emotional outbursts, this was like striking a bell pole, deafening with each hit."
Natasha, with her arms folded, analyzed, "I believe this could effectively address the issues between Stark and Pepper. At the very least, it could unsettle Pepper and lead her to gradually accept Stark."
"Yet, there lies hidden pitfalls. Don't forget, Pepper might not be a superhero, but she has her own moral boundaries. She is not the kind of woman who allows herself to be blinded by love. Her temporary wavering will ultimately be fleeting. Once she regains her senses, she will still make the right judgnt."
"She emotionally accepts Stark, but her moral standards prohibit her from accepting the actions of the Evil Iron Man. Hence, the only solution is to supervise him and reform him, preventing him from committing wrongdoings."
"She believes that the love the Evil Iron Man gives her, besides requiring her to reciprocate equal love, also confers upon her the responsibility to steer him back on track."
"As a result, it is foreseeable that their reconciliation is only the first step. If Stark is even willing to suffer imprisonnt for Pepper, the obligatory supervision in the future will likely have an impact on him."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Pala asked, "A prodigal who returns is more precious than gold."
"But that doesn't an he won't suffer. A villain swayed by a mont's impulse may renounce evil and embrace good, but turning innate villains into superheroes is like caging them in a small box. Pepper will beco Stark's heaviest fetter."
"But even this isn't the most severe." Natasha turned her head to one side and said, "I'm sure Stark was incredibly confused before he ca here because he was facing too many troubles. Being interrogated, the uncertain future, Pepper's injury, the coalition of superheroes working against him."
"However, confronting Shiller here offered him solutions to all his problems. Shiller's invitation allowed him to escape temporarily from a universe full of troubles, and if he wanted, he could prepare himself on the outside until no one could restrict him."
"Most importantly, Shiller addressed his issue with Pepper and cleared his cluttered mind."
"Isn't that also a good thing?"
"Just as power never truly vacuums, the emotional storm in Tony Stark's affluent brain never ceases. Before, he pinned all his emotions on Pepper, but now he couldn't see or have contact with Pepper for a long ti, who do you think he would cast his copious feelings on?"
Pala gulped.
"And you, "Natasha sidelong glanced at Pala and said, "you're also..."
Before she could finish, a tall, dark figure erged from the porch, passing through the shrubbery. Natasha saw a pair of eyes interwoven with darkness and deep blue.
"Batman?" Natasha ventured, uncertain if this was her forr teammate Batman, but he appeared to be so.
"Madam, I didn't expect to et you here again," Batman erged from behind the bushes.
To Natasha's surprise, Batman wore a deep purple suit, adorned with black fritillaries, patterned handkerchiefs, appearing elegant and solemn; she thought she would see him in black.
Seemingly aware of Natasha's thoughts, he said, "To avoid clashing with the doctor, Alfred picked out this bold color for ."
"Actually, it's more likely to clash now," Pala mumbled.
"What brings you here? A garden tour?" Natasha asked.
"Is Dr. Shiller here? I would like to have a chat with him."
Natasha imdiately beca alert, but Batman seed unaffected by her response. His query was casual; his actual intention for coming here was to observe Dr. Shiller's bedroom window from the best angle.
It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He noticed Shiller's figure flash past the window, seemingly heading towards the corridor. Batman instantly turned around and hurried towards the second-floor corridor.
Natasha's effort to stop him and her words were too weak and quickly dissipated into the night's wind. She could only sigh, retract her hand, and console herself internally that Batman was a mature adult who knew his boundaries.
Half a minute after Batman left, another pair of deep blue eyes appeared behind the shrubs. Natasha massaged her temples with one hand and watched Pala, who was waving hello to the younger Batman in front of her, "Hi, Bruce, you finally made it. I heard you got sunburned?"
"A little, but it's not severe. Selina helped cover it up with foundation."
"Where is she?" Pala asked.
"She went to greet Cobblepot. Cobblepot helped her lease a new apartnt previously, and she wanted to ask Cobblepot when he would be free so that we could invite him for dinner."
Just as Pala was about to say sothing, Natasha interrupted her and looked at Bruce, "Don't tell you're also here to seek Shiller."
Bruce paused, instinctively replied, "Of course not. I heard from Lex that two beautiful ladies were in the backyard...wait, who else ca looking for Shiller?"
"There's a lot," Natasha replied irritatedly, "So you guys only ca here for the banquet; here I thought you ca to have Shiller resolve all your future troubles."
Bruce widened his eyes slightly, "Is Professor Shiller providing psychological counseling?"
"First, it's not 'Professor Shiller.' Second, it's not just 'providing.' Finally, I don't think it's 'counseling' but 'illegal manipulation.'"
"Who did he manipulate?"
"A lot of people, those you don't know, and those you do. Most recently, it was Stark, oh, no - it might have been Batman."
"Other Batmans are coming?"
"You didn't know?" Natasha looked up at the increasingly crowded banquet hall, saying, "Just from where I'm standing, I've seen at least two more. They were both on my team during the ga."
"Who's the one going to find Shiller?"
"I can't tell you apart, but he's older than you and much stronger. If I had to say, he's the most attractive and sexy Batman."
Halfway through Natasha's words, Bruce was already quickly heading towards the porch. He turned around, gave Natasha an OK gesture, and said, "If Clark or Diana co looking for later, tell them I've gone to the lounge with Selina."
"Great, another teenager has been sent in." Natasha rubbed her temple, then quickly reacted and asked, "Why is he hiding from his two friends?"
"It's hard for to explain," Pala said. "It's too complicated to delve into. If you really need to know, go ask them."
The opportunity ca quickly. Clark showed up soon after. Natasha examined him up and down with a knife-like gaze. Other than confirming he was handso, she also confird he was a regular person.
"Where's Bruce? Have you seen him? I heard he got a sunburn? Is he alright? Where is he now?"
"His sunburn isn't serious, uh... he and Selina have gone to the lounge."
Clark narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, co on, you can't read my mind!" Pala said, her hands dropping sowhat helplessly. "You know I have no reason to lie."
"Did he tell you where he really went?"
"To find Shiller."
Thereupon, Natasha watched as the remarkably handso man's expression cracked.
Clark turned to leave, but Natasha quickly grabbed him and said, "Where are you going? Are you also going to find Shiller? Don't you think too many people are trying to find him right now?"
"Excuse , ma'am, let go of , I must hurry. I'm afraid they'll stir up sothing big again. I need to be there to stop them."
Fearing he might hurt Natasha, Clark didn't attempt to pull her arm. Instead, he trudged onward while Natasha quickened her pace to stay beside him, saying, "What big stir? Have they ever caused a big scene?"
Clark abruptly stopped, but Natasha couldn't brake quickly enough; she crashed her shoulder into his and emitted a cry of pain.
"Oh, God." Clark quickly turned to support Natasha, saying, "Sorry, I just rembered so pretty awful things, horrible mories. Are you okay, ma'am? Let take you to the lounge."
"Good Lord, is your shoulder made of a city wall? Why is it so sturdy?"
Of course, Natasha knew the answer already. She needed to keep this youth, a normal person but still a teenager. Although similar to Pala, he was manageable for now. However, uncontrollable teenagers can cause catastrophic disasters.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm indeed... a bit strong. Let help you to the lounge first, but my friend's situation seems urgent. I fear I need to hurry over."
"Urgent situation? I'm sorry, I just don't understand. If a party guest and the party host are close, it's normal to et up before the party starts, right?"
"Uh, they aren't..."
"They aren't close?"
"No, they're quite close, but... the way they're close is a bit ahead of the curve."
Natasha squinted. Of course, she wasn't injured, just using the incident to get information. Judging by Clark's expression, there must be a long story.
"I'm sorry, but didn't I hear that Bruce Wayne has a girlfriend? So, you and him..."
"What? You suspect that we..."
"Why else are you so attached to him?"
"It's not that I'm attached to him; it's that the situation might get urgent." Clark was at a loss for words, "You don't know what they've done before, God, you might not believe if I told you."
"What's not to believe? Go on."
Clark took a deep breath, his superhuman mind began working quickly, and in the most concise and accurate language, he summarized for Natasha the mutual tornt caused by Bruce and Shiller over the past four years.
Natasha's mouth widened as she listened, and by the end, she was completely flabbergasted.
Then, without waiting for Clark to guide her, she shot up the stairs, turning back to roar, "What are you waiting for!! Go stop him now!!!!"
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