Chapter 2: A Failed Pickup Attempt

Beside him, Loki watched as Thor's expressions changed rapidly, like he was cycling through emoji reactions. He was about to make a sarcastic comment when a soldier entered with a report.

"Your Majesty, Lord Heimdall has detected an unidentified individual entering Midgard. It appears to be related to the Kree and Skrulls, and he instructed me to inform you."

"Oh?" Odin seemed indifferent. "The Kree and Skrulls are of little concern. Their squabbles have nothing to do with Asgard."

As the King of the Gods, Odin knew many things others didn't. Midgard, which technically fell under Asgard's domain, wasn't as ordinary as it appeared. As long as Kamar-Taj stood strong, even if Ronan the Accuser showed up, he wouldn't pose a real threat.

The plot begins! Thor thought. He knew there weren't many direct benefits from this particular storyline. The Tesseract would eventually end up in Asgard, and while Kree technology was advanced by Earth's standards, it was no match for Asgard, which, despite its medieval aesthetic, had some of the most sophisticated tech in the universe.

But Thor had his reasons for wanting to go to Earth. For one, Earth would become the epicenter of major events in the future. And two, it would be easier to get close to Carol Danvers—Captain Marvel—before she reached her full potential. Building a rapport with her now would be wise, especially since he planned on relying on her as a backup during Ragnarök. Plus, he had another plan in mind.

"Father, let me go to Midgard. As a realm under our protection, it's only right that we address any outside interference," Thor said, putting on a serious face.

On Earth, a mountain road in the western United States...

A woman in a leather jacket stood by the roadside, glaring at her broken-down motorcycle.

"Hey, beautiful, need a hand?"

A sleek sports car pulled up beside her, and the young man behind the wheel gave a playful whistle. He couldn't help but admire her.

Thor had been following Carol Danvers ever since she left the subway station, even secretly causing the motorcycle breakdown to get closer to her.

Carol eyed him for a moment but eventually got into the car.

"Not bad," she remarked, as they sped down the road at over 200 miles per hour. With the wind whipping through her hair, the frustrations she'd felt on this backward planet began to fade.

"Yeah, it's—" Thor began, but suddenly, he sensed danger. He leapt out of the car just as a fiery energy blast struck the car door.

"Who are you?" Carol demanded, her hands glowing with power. She was clearly on alert. The agility Thor had shown was definitely not something a typical human—or playboy—could pull off.

Thor called for Mjolnir, which flew into his hand. He asked, intrigued, "How did you figure it out? Was it something I said?"

"Your stalking was obvious. I noticed you a while back. Plus, your pickup lines are outdated," Carol shot back, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts. Thor swung Mjolnir to block the attacks.

"Boom—boom—boom—" They clashed multiple times in just a few moments. Thor's lightning met Carol's energy blasts, and neither could land a decisive blow.

"Hey, I'm not your enemy!" Thor called out while fending off her attacks.

Carol didn't seem to hear him, unleashing yet another barrage.

"Look, I control the power of thunder. Skrulls don't have the ability to do that, right?"

Whether or not she believed him, she kept pressing her attack.

"Wait, I have something to say—"

"Tell me when you're on the ground!" she retorted, charging up another blast.

Damn it! Thor thought. This woman was relentless. What had started as a back-and-forth fight had now dragged on for half an hour...

"Hey, don't you want to know about Dr. Lawson? And your lost memories?" Thor finally blurted out, desperate for a way to end the conflict.

Carol paused, narrowing her eyes. "What do you know about Dr. Lawson? Do you know about my past?"

Thor let out a sigh of relief; his arms were starting to go numb. "I know some of the basics, but you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you outright. If you want to understand the whole story, you'll need to come with me. There's someone we need to find."

"And where is that?"

"Pancho's Bar."