Humanity ascended to its position as the dominant species on this beautiful planet by defeating one challenger after another, thus forging the brilliant light of civilization and technology.
But now, a stronger challenger has appeared—Mutants!
In Batman's view, the conflict between mutants and humans is inevitable. Eventually, there will be a winner and a loser. Either humans will continue to reign supreme, securing their position as the masters of Earth, and mutants may be reduced to the status of protected species; or mutants will rise up and overthrow humanity from its throne. There is no third option.
However, few people think as far ahead as Batman. At this moment, most of the audience and players are still focused on the video in the light screen, curious about how things will unfold. Will Sebastian Shaw's mad plan succeed? And will the fledgling rebel group formed by Erik and Charles be able to stand against him and defeat him?
Returning to the video: While Sebastian Shaw was secretly perfecting his plan to reshape the world with nuclear power, Charles was busy training his companions and allies at his luxurious mansion. There's a saying: "There are no wrong nicknames, only wrongly chosen names." This couldn't be truer for Charles.
Professor X, aside from his formidable telepathic abilities, truly shines as a teacher. Even if he weren't a mutant, Charles would have made a name for himself in the education field.
The "students" he's training now are far from being well-behaved kids. They are all freaks with supernatural abilities. Even Raven, who grew up with him like a childhood friend, has her own quirks and temper. Not to mention Erik and Alex Summers, who are even more difficult to handle.
Teaching them and guiding them to better control their powers is no simple task. If anyone else tried, even someone as eloquent as Sebastian Shaw, they'd likely fail to turn this group of problem children into outstanding mutants.
Charles, however, has crafted individual training plans for each of them. He knows a lot and tailors his teaching to each student's needs. Not only does he help them better control their supernatural powers, but he also helps them untangle their emotional issues. For instance, he noticed Hank's deep-seated insecurity about his large feet. Charles recognized the hidden beast inside Hank and encouraged him not to suppress it entirely, but to embrace and use it effectively.
At this point, Erik raised an eyebrow at Logan, aka Wolverine, and remarked, "See that? He's a great psychological counselor. You really shouldn't have turned down his offer to join."
Logan and Hank had similar experiences. Their supernatural abilities had given them both human and animalistic traits, and both chose to suppress their inner beast. This was understandable—no one, after all, wanted to become a savage creature.
But while Logan repressed his beastly side because he was weary of killing, acting like a lone wolf breaking away from his pack, Hank's suppression came from his deep insecurity about his beast-like appearance. Despite their different motivations, both men struggled with the same inner conflict.
The results of Charles's training were evident. He helped Alex Summers, aka Havok, control his unstable energy blasts and had Hank design a device to contain them. This gave Alex a more stable means of attack. Charles also taught Sean Cassidy, aka Banshee, to use his sonic blasts to bounce off the ground, allowing him to glide through the air.
Raven, having grown up with Charles, didn't require much special instruction, as they were already quite familiar with each other. However, Erik took a particular interest in the blue-skinned girl and offered her some pointers one day.
At the time, Raven was lifting weights, clearly struggling. Erik noticed this and used his powers to make the barbell float. "You're using half your attention to maintain your human disguise, leaving you with only half your focus for everything else... I'm only saying this to save your life."
Like Hank, Raven was highly self-conscious and insecure about her appearance as a mutant. Most of the time, she disguised herself as a normal woman, but this obviously weakened her combat effectiveness. Though Erik's words were harsh, he was genuinely looking out for her. If she didn't heed his advice, Raven would undoubtedly face dire consequences in the future.
After Erik finished speaking, he released the heavy barbell. Caught off guard, Raven instinctively reverted to her natural blue form and effortlessly caught the barbell, proving Erik's point. When she maintained her human appearance, lifting the weights was a struggle, but in her true form, it was effortless.
Seeing this, Logan, let out a snort of laughter. "Honestly, you're not cut out to be a teacher. It just doesn't suit you—even if what you said was right."
Erik had only briefly played the role of teacher before quickly reverting to his usual self. After all, he too was a student undergoing training. Near the mansion, there was a large radar tower, and Charles assigned him the task of using his powers to move the radar.
Previously, Erik had only been able to manipulate smaller metal objects, with the heaviest one being a large ship's anchor, which he used during his assassination attempt on Sebastian Shaw. Erik drew power from pain and anger—the stronger his emotional turmoil, the greater the force he could unleash. Yet even when he was consumed by rage and pain, he still couldn't control the submarine that Shaw had been aboard.
While the radar wasn't as heavy as the submarine, it was still a massive object. Erik wasn't particularly worried about failing, and immediately set about trying. However, despite being drenched in sweat and using every ounce of strength, the radar didn't budge an inch. Feeling disheartened, Erik slumped in defeat.
Charles approached him, pressing his fingers to his temple and gazing into Erik's eyes. "Do you want me to read your mind?"
By now, they were comrades-in-arms, trusting each other completely. Erik didn't refuse. Charles then used his telepathic powers, and within moments, Erik's mind was filled with a distant, yet warm and cherished memory. It was a long-forgotten scene from his childhood—one of the few happy times he had spent with his mother.
This memory had been buried so deep that Erik had almost forgotten it entirely. As it surfaced, tears began to flowed from the corners of his eyes. Before this, Eric had acted like a tough guy. Only now did he reveal a bit of weakness. Charles told him that this was a fragment he found from his memory.