"Is this… Is this a test?" Lorna stared at the pile of bank notes on the counter, her eyes wide with suspicion. She stepped back, as if the money were a venomous snake. Rex's actions had left her confused, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
Lorna didn't realize Rex was terrified of her Ki. He'd retreated to his room to hide his shock.
Rex was even more shocked when he considered Lorna's potential. Her Ki, 50 times stronger than his, was just a fraction of what it could become. She was still a teenager, with little control over her powers. If she was anything like the Polaris he knew, her abilities would grow exponentially.
Rex chuckled to himself. 'I thought I was something, and here I am, scared of an 18-year-old girl!' He got up and left his bedroom, heading to the other two rooms in the flat. He decided to make them a staff dorm, so he cleared out his personal belongings.
Rex led Lorna upstairs and let her choose a bedroom. He handed her a white sheet of paper and a marker pen. 'Alright, write your name on the paper and stick it on your door.'
Lorna followed Rex's instructions, carefully writing her name on the paper and sticking it to the door. She stood back, gazing at the door. Her name, on a door, for the first time. It felt strange, almost unreal.
Lorna whispered, 'My own room…' She bit her lip, fighting back a surge of hope. 'You're a mutant,' she reminded herself, her voice a mere whisper. 'There's no place for you.'
Lorna asked, 'Boss, is there anything else? I haven't finished washing the dishes yet.' Rex shook his head. 'Nothing else.' He watched her hurry down the stairs, his frown deepening. He'd sensed her Ki fluctuating wildly just a moment ago.
Mutants often lost control when they were excited or agitated. Rex knew this. Could he really have Polaris here? At her peak, she was as powerful as Magneto. If she lost control, she could destroy his restaurant in a heartbeat.
Rex shook his head, dismissing his worries. 'Too much thinking! I need to practice.' He had to stop worrying about others and focus on getting stronger. If he was powerful enough, he could handle any problem.
Rex sighed, frustrated with his slow progress. 'Too slow!' He decided that the next time he gathered the Dragon Balls, he'd ask Shenron for the physique of a Saiyan. He might not evolve as quickly as Goku, but even doubling his speed would be a huge improvement.
He absentmindedly glanced at the back of his hand. He gasped. One-third of the pattern on his hand had turned from gray to red! It had only been 10 days since he'd made his last wish!
Rex's eyes widened. 'Does this mean the Dragon Balls will be restored in 20 days?' He couldn't sense the other Dragon Balls until his 5-star Dragon Ball was fully charged. 'How could this be so fast? Could one of the Dragon Balls have fallen near a powerful energy source? Like one of the Infinity Stones?'
Rex knew of two Infinity Stones on Earth. The Time Stone, in the Eye of Agamotto, was guarded by the Masters of the Mystic Arts in Kamar-Taj. The Space Stone, in the Tesseract, was with Captain America, frozen in the Arctic Ocean. 'That wouldn't do!' Rex thought. How could he dig a Dragon Ball out of ice? And Kamar-Taj was protected by magic, so it was unlikely a Dragon Ball would fall there.
Rex shook his head. 'It's useless to think about it now. I'll just have to wait.' A sudden unease settled over him. He went downstairs to the restaurant and found everything perfectly clean and tidy. Both doors were locked.
Lorna was gone. She must have gone back to her abandoned building. Rex yawned. He'd been busy all day and was tired. It was time to rest.
Rex woke up early the next morning, bought new ingredients for the restaurant, and then went back to his room to practice until 11 am. The alarm clock rang, and he went downstairs to open the restaurant.
Rex still had some time before opening, but as he turned around, he heard the door chime. A skinny 15-year-old boy walked in.
'Sorry, we're not open yet,' Rex said.
'Hey, I'm not here to eat,' the boy replied.
He looked at Rex, who was only two years older. 'Excuse me, are you the owner?'
Rex nodded. 'Yes, what is it?'
'Hello! My name is Peter Parker, and I want to apply for a job as an assistant!'
Rex stared at him, speechless. 'What's your name again?'
'Peter Parker, sir.'