Chapter 94 - [93] : A Conversation with Charles

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The laser vision ability of Cyclops (Scott Summers), which shoots energy from his eyes, was quite similar to Roger's powers. 

However, there was a fundamental difference between the two. Roger's heat vision originally worked by converting body energy, but after some enhancements during his dimensional travels, it evolved into a power fueled by sunlight, converting it into heat and shooting it out as beams.

Roger wasn't entirely sure of the nature of Cyclops' power, but he vaguely recalled a conversation with a friend while watching X-Men. His friend had mentioned that Cyclops' energy seemed to be limitless, and how long he could maintain his beams depended on his mental strength. 

But the friend also noted that this was the comic book version of Cyclops, and the movies might differ. Even then, they speculated that movie Cyclops probably had limitless energy too; otherwise, there wouldn't be any reason for his inability to control the on-and-off function of his optic blasts.

In short, based on what his comic-loving friend had told him, Roger was convinced that Cyclops' ability and his own heat vision were two completely different powers, despite their similar manifestations.

So, when Cyclops came to Roger for advice on how to control his optic blasts, Roger regretfully had to admit he couldn't help.

"Are you sure?" 

When Roger explained his reasoning to Cyclops, Scott's disappointment was clear.

Becoming a mutant wasn't something Cyclops had ever wanted. He had never chosen to wear red-lensed glasses for the rest of his life either. Even though he'd made friends at the mutant academy and grown somewhat accustomed to his new life, he still longed for his old one. 

At the very least... he didn't want to see the world constantly bathed in red.

Cyclops had been somewhat content with his life before Roger showed up. Had Roger never appeared, Scott might have gradually accepted his situation and grown into a capable X-Man. 

But now, standing before someone who could freely control their heat vision, Cyclops' long-buried desire resurfaced. He wanted to return to that vibrant world and, more importantly, see Jean Grey, the Phoenix, with his own eyes.

Unfortunately, Roger had no solution for Scott's problem, at least not at the moment. 

So, he said, "Sorry, kid. I don't want to discourage you, but I really don't know how to help you control your optic blasts."

"I see…" 

Scott lowered his head in disappointment.

Roger couldn't see Scott's expression, as his eyes were hidden behind those red lenses. And Roger wasn't in the habit of using his X-ray vision to look through them. 

But he could sense that Scott's mood was down. His gaze must have been filled with disillusionment and sadness.

"Scott! There you are…"

Just as Roger and Cyclops exchanged a few words, a group of mutant students ran up behind them.

There were two girls and a boy. One of the girls was Jean Grey, known to all as the Phoenix, though still young and far from meeting Wolverine at this point. 

The other girl wore a yellow jacket. She was a Asian-American who appeared a few times in the movies, but her name was never mentioned. 

If it weren't for Roger's comic-enthusiast friend pointing her out, he might have never remembered her. Her name was Jubilation Lee, or Jubilee, and her ability was to emit energy that resembled fireworks. In the future, she'd become a member of the X-Men. 

As for the boy, his skin was blue, and a long tail trailed behind him. He was Kurt Wagner, better known as Nightcrawler, with the power to teleport.

In the original comics, Nightcrawler was the son of Mystique and Azazel. But in the movies, he was portrayed as a tragic mutant rescued by Mystique. 

These three were Scott's friends. They had gone out to watch a movie together earlier, and when Cyclops learned about Roger from Professor Xavier and ran off, they followed out of concern for him and curiosity about this "Superman" from a parallel world.

It was Jean who had called out to Scott. 

She initially intended to remind him to be polite, but when she saw Roger, her voice became softer. Compared to her future self, Jean at this stage was a bit shy. Due to her frequent nightmares and occasional loss of control over her powers, some students at the academy avoided her, leaving her introverted.

When she saw Roger, she instantly turned into a quiet and reserved young girl, no longer scolding Scott. 

Luckily, Scott noticed his friends. 

Seeing their concerned expressions, he forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. Mr. Roger doesn't seem to know how to help me control my powers. It looks like I'm stuck with these glasses for the rest of my life."

"Scott…" Jean tried to comfort him, but he cut her off.

"Alright, let's go back. Mr. Roger is a guest, and we shouldn't bother him any longer. Let's return to our party!" 

With that, Scott bid farewell to Roger and led Jean and the others away.

Roger, though tempted to remark that having a party at this time of night seemed a bit noisy, said nothing when he saw how happy the kids were.

"They're good kids, aren't they?" 

Just as Roger was about to head back to his room, he heard the voice of Professor Charles Xavier.

Turning around, he saw Charles maneuvering his wheelchair over. Roger sighed and closed his door, saying, "What's going on? Why do you all keep coming to me one after another?"

Roger had just wanted to rest, but first Storm, then Cyclops, and now the Professor himself had come. It felt like they were determined not to let him relax.

Charles smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you. If you want to rest, we can talk inside your room as well."

"No, thanks. Chatting with another guy in a room feels a bit weird."

"Then how about we go for a walk? The evening breeze should be quite nice," Charles suggested.

It was clear he had something on his mind to discuss with Roger.

Roger didn't refuse, and he helped push Charles' wheelchair out of the academy and onto the lawn.

The Professor was right, the evening breeze was pleasant. Although, for Roger, it wasn't much different from a light blast from Havok's energy waves.

If it weren't for the looming threat of Apocalypse, today would have been an ordinary, peaceful day at Xavier's Academy.

And, in a way, it still was. Only Charles and the others knew that Apocalypse could show up at any time.

"What do you want to talk about?" Roger asked, standing by the lake, watching the reflection of the academy's lights and the moon on the water.

"Just a casual conversation." 

Charles sounded relaxed as he asked, "What do you think of the Mutant Academy?"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean the school's philosophy, the students, their future... Everything, really. I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Charles spoke calmly.

Roger sensed something deeper in his words but didn't disrupt the atmosphere. Instead, he answered, "Honestly, I think you're doing a pretty good job so far. I can't judge the philosophy, but the students seem to be doing well, and their future doesn't look too bad."

"So far?" Charles inquired.

"Well, I'm not from this world, so I can't predict the future. Based on what I've seen, though, things seem fine," Roger replied cautiously.

He was only a visitor in this world. Once Apocalypse was dealt with, he would wait for the dimensional portal to recharge and move on to the next world.

Therefore, he had no real stake in the future of the Mutant Academy, nor did he feel inclined to offer Charles any useful advice.

But Charles wasn't so quick to give up. He pressed on, "And what do you think the future holds for us?"

"That's not really for me to say, is it?" 

"Don't worry. Just share your thoughts. You seem to know quite a bit about us." 

Charles spoke kindly, clearly wanting to hear Roger's perspective.

Seeing the Professor's persistence, Roger sighed and said bluntly, "Alright then, in my opinion... the conflict between mutants and humans is irreconcilable. So, the academy's future might not be all that bright."

Roger didn't know how things would unfold in this new X-Men series timeline, but judging by the old trilogy's conclusion, things probably wouldn't end well for mutants.

Humans feared mutants, their abilities, and the potential threat they posed. 

On the other hand, many mutants hated humans because they were often ostracized, ridiculed, and discriminated against for their abnormal appearances. This drove them to despise humans and sink into darkness.

At the core, the problem between humans and mutants was their fundamental difference as species. Some humans and mutants didn't even consider each other part of the same race. 

As time went on, conflict between the two groups was inevitable.

Unless an external threat forced them to unite, the mutants' future was bleak. 

Of course, it could also be said that humanity's future wasn't guaranteed either.

Roger expected that his blunt honesty might anger Charles, especially since the Professor's dream was for humans and mutants to coexist peacefully. His words essentially denied Charles' entire philosophy.

Yet, to Roger's surprise, Charles didn't get upset. Instead, he appeared deep in thought, as if he was genuinely considering Roger's words.

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