It was Sunday.
Mike had planned to take Gwen to the Oceanarium, but had to abandon this plan and stay home because of the news he had received from Nick Fury in the morning about the Black Queen's attack.
With the big battle between Eric and Charles and the Black Queen coming up, he had to be ready to back up at any time.
The Black Queen ...
This woman was not simple.
"Dad!"
Gwen sat in the corner with a book and looked at him, seeing Mike as if he was thinking about something, she called down, "Are you up to something today?"
Mike murmured and said, "Daddy will be out later, so I'll drop you off at Uncle John's first, okay?"
Gwen nodded obediently and suddenly said, "Daddy, are you going on a date?"
Mike pinched Gwen's nose and said, "No."
"Giggle."
Gwen laughed and rubbed her nose, then as if suddenly remembering something, she hastily covered her mouth and said, "Don't stare at my teeth."
With that, Gwen put her book down and trotted off to change her shoes.
As father and daughter changed and prepared to leave the house, Gwen suddenly remembered something and said, "Daddy, wait for me, I'll get something."
She ran into the kitchen, opened the fridge, took out some of the snacks Mike had made for her, put them on a plate and walked out.
Mike froze and laughed, "Little glutton."
Gwen hemmed and hawed, then quickly shut her mouth again.
Mike looked at Gwen dotingly and took the plate, "Let's go."
...
X-Academy.
Charles and Hank McCoy were ready for battle.
There was nothing surprising about the Black Queen guessing that he was in this part of New York, after all, his track of activity was so obvious that even this situation was something they had expected.
But his exact location was unknown to the Black Queen.
So, those Hellfire mutants should just be the bait to lure him into appearing, while the strongest Black Queen will hide in the shadows, and when he strikes, the Black Queen makes a sneak attack to finish off her target this time in one fell swoop.
But ...
A smile appeared at the corner of Charles' mouth.
He still had Eric.
When the Black Queen struck, Eric would stop her and start turning the rest of the Hellfire mutants against her with what the Black Queen had done.
With the dislike these mutants had for the Black Queen, what would the Hellfire's choose when they showed their strength against her?
Risk their lives to help the Black Queen, who ruled by fear and would turn them to dust at any moment, or choose to stop and withdraw under Eric's protection, leaving the Black Queen to die at their hands?
"Hank, let's go."
Charles rose, a confident glint in his eyes.
Hank McCoy nodded, coughed lightly and said with some excitement, "I've designed a team battle suit."
"Hmm?" Charles murmured and said, "that's good, it also shows that we are a team, just in time to impress everyone."
And after he said that and saw the so-called battle uniforms, he immediately regretted it.
Those battle uniforms were just.. crap.
The yellow and black colour scheme, the snug material ...
Charles turned his head stiffly, looked at Hank McCoy with a stiff smile and said, "I think we should play with our personalities and wear our own clothes just fine."
"Do you not like it?"
Hank McCoy's mood flew down the drain.
"No, I just don't think I deserve to wear such a battle suit, it'd definitely attract attention."
Hank McCoy was surprised, "You think it's going to cause a trend too?"
"Hank ..."
Charles lifted his battlesuit, his face stony.
"Hmm?"
"Promise me you'll never pick out anyone's clothes again."
With those words, he took the battlesuit in his hand and headed out the door, while at the door, he suddenly said, "This is something that everyone will wear, isn't it?"
"Of course!" Hank McCoy pointed to the book set of battlesuits behind him and said, "Battlesuits have elasticity and fit all body types."
"You're awesome."
Charles squeezed out a hard smile and walked away quickly.
"Professor!"
Just as Charles reached the door to his room, Jean and Ororo, who were waiting for him, approached.
Charles nodded to the two and said, "I'll leave the school in your hands while Hank and I go out."
Jean and Ororo looked at each other and said, "We're going to be in this fight too."
Charles was stunned and said, "It's too dangerous."
"That's why we're going!"
Ororo's gaze was firm as she said, "Jean and I are part of the school too, and since we have decided to fight for the school in the future, there will be no shortage of this kind of thing in the future, and we need to get used to it early."
Jean nodded back, giving a smile and said, "Ororo and I will be right on the edge of the battlefield and won't cause you any trouble."
Looking at the two who had a determined gaze, Charles let out a deep breath, smiled slightly and said, "I'll leave my safety in your hands then."
At those words, the two revealed a smile.
"Go on." Charles said softly, "Go and get two battle suits from Hank."
"Yes Professor!"
"Great!"
The two men went to Hank McCoy with gusto and lightness of foot.
Watching the backs of the two, Charles said with an odd face, "I hope they like the team battlesuits."
- - - -
A few moments later, one giddy, three expressionless men headed for the rendezvous.
Hank McCoy drove the car as Charles and Jean both whispered some points of caution for the battle.
Suddenly, Hank McCoy frowned and said, "Charles, I think we need a faster mode of transport."
Aurore and Jean immediately nodded their heads.
If something came up later, by the time they drove there in slow motion, it would be too late by then.
Charles said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has a very special fighter plane, maybe we can copy it and build a better one too."
"Good suggestion."
Hank McCoy said excitedly, "Leave it to me, Charles you provide the funding."
The research he had on hand had all been done recently and he had just about nothing to do.
The meeting place was not far from the X-Academy, and when the four arrived, they finally met their teammates.
Two of them, Charles knew, Logan and Remy LeBeau.
Aside from those two, He looked at the side and saw Scott Summers and a man dressed in a black combat suit with the stern eyes of a hawk.
"Charles!"
Logan looked at the few Charles who got out of the car and called out with an exclamation on his face.
Remy LeBeau smiled and gave Charles a hug, saying, "I knew you little guys were no ordinary people."
When they had been summoned by Nick Fury, he had spoken to them in advance about Charles and asked them to keep Charles' relationship with Mike a secret.
Just the fact that Charles wanted to set up a school, of course
Charles nodded to the two men and introduced the three to the crowd.
After a brief familiarisation of several people, Hank McCoy coughed lightly and said, "In order to make it easier for you to distinguish friend from foe in the battle later on, I have prepared uniform combat uniforms for you all."
Logan's four faces instantly turned ugly as they looked at the combat uniforms on Charles' four men.