Queens, New York.
At an old circus, Brian and Magneto made their way through the crowd to a small magic booth.
On the stage, a man in a magician's costume was performing a trick.
He tossed an apple into the air, and it appeared to freeze, suspended in midair. The levitation trick drew applause from the crowd and piqued the interest of Brian and Magneto.
The two exchanged a glance and continued to watch the magician's impressive levitation act.
Under their watchful eyes, the magician pulled a deck of playing cards from his pocket.
With a quick twist of his hand, the cards floated into the air, circling around him like tiny enchanted figures.
"Fantastic, Jonathan!"
"This is truly an amazing magic show!"
"Mr. Jonathan, your levitation trick is astounding!"
After ten minutes of captivating the audience, the magic show came to an end.
The onlookers began placing tips in the cash box beside the stage, each offering their compliments to the magician.
"Thank you," Jonathan, the magician, said, bowing gracefully in appreciation. His gaze then fell upon Brian and Magneto, the only two in the audience who hadn't tipped.
"Gentlemen, if my magic impressed you, perhaps you could spare a little change?" Jonathan said, approaching Brian and holding out his magic hat.
Brian glanced at the hat, then smiled at Magneto.
"Magneto, why don't we perform a little magic of our own for Mr. Jonathan?"
"Right Homelander, I just hope our magic doesn't frighten you, Mr. Jonathan," Magneto added with a nod before tapping the armrest of his wheelchair.
To Jonathan's astonishment, Magneto's wheelchair slowly rose into the air.
"What in the world...?" Jonathan's face filled with shock as he took in the scene.
And before Jonathan could fully process what he was seeing, Magneto raised his hand, causing all the metal in the circus—including the towering Ferris wheel—to float into the air.
The crowd erupted in astonished cries as they watched the unbelievable display.
The audience broke into applause, clearly thinking this was just another part of the circus show.
Meanwhile, the circus staff looked on, visibly pale and shaken by the unexpected spectacle.
Jonathan, however, stared at Magneto with excitement. "Are you... also like me?"
He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Jonathan had awakened his own mutant ability, which he called Psychokinesis, when he was just 12 years old. Initially, he could only move small objects, but as he grew older and practiced diligently, his psychokinetic power increased significantly.
Now, he could move objects up to 100 kilograms.
Using his psychokinesis, Jonathan had become a skilled magician, impressing audiences with his levitation tricks and earning applause from many.
For years, he had secretly hoped to find other mutants like himself.
But his search yielded nothing.
Gradually, Jonathan abandoned the idea of finding others like himself.
However, just when he had given up hope, Homelander and Magneto appeared before him.
"Mr. Jonathan, allow me to introduce ourselves. We are members of the mutant organization known as the X-Men," Brian said, stepping forward with a solemn tone.
"Our organization is dedicated to uniting mutants and creating a world where mutants can live freely, without discrimination or persecution from humans."
"X-Men? Committed to creating an ideal world for m-mutants?" Jonathan repeated, clearly moved.
For years, he had been extremely cautious, showing his abilities only during his magic performances. He feared being labeled an outsider by society, afraid he might be captured and dissected in a lab if the world discovered his abilities.
Hearing Brian's words, Jonathan felt an immediate desire to join the X-Men and contribute to this vision of a safe world for mutants.
"Jonathan, this isn't the best place for this conversation," Brian noted, glancing around the busy circus tent.
"Let's go to my room," Jonathan replied, nodding as he led Brian and Magneto to his living quarters.
"Homelander, can I join the X-Men?" Jonathan asked eagerly as soon as they arrived at his residence.
"Of course," Brian replied with a sunny smile. "As long as you're a mutant and have justice in your heart, you're welcome to join the X-Men family and become part of our mission."
He paused, then added, "However, before officially joining the X-Men, Jonathan, we'd like to see everything about your ability."
Jonathan nodded eagerly in response. He extended his right hand, and with his invisible psychokinesis, he enveloped Brian. Brian's body was pushed against the wall, held there by Jonathan's psychokinetic force.
With another gesture, Jonathan's psychokinesis pulled Brian to the opposite side of the room as if he were a kite on a string.
"As you can see, my ability is psychokinesis. I can control objects up to 100 kilograms," Jonathan explained.
He raised his hand once more, causing a coffee cup in the living room to fill itself with coffee and float over, landing gently in front of Brian and Erik.
"Psychokinesis control."
Hearing that Jonathan's mutant ability was psychokinesis control, Brian's eyes sparkled with interest, looking at Jonathan almost as if he were a prized asset.
Brian knew he lacked a precise means of attack.
While the tornado ability he had gained was powerful, it was too overwhelming for close combat situations. Jonathan's psychokinesis control could perfectly fill this gap.
Moreover, psychokinesis was a versatile ability, adaptable to countless situations.
Brian was determined to acquire it for himself!
"Jonathan, do you have a restroom here?" Brian asked after finishing his coffee.
Jonathan casually pointed to the restroom nearby.
Brian nodded, then walked to the restroom and closed the door behind him.
As soon as the door shut, Brian let out a low, sharp whistle.
Although Magneto and Jonathan heard the faint whistle from outside the restroom, they paid it no mind.
Bang.
Inside the restroom, Brian waited patiently. Three seconds later, a cloud of red mist appeared, and from within it, the Red Devil emerged.
"Azazel, I need you to help me capture someone," Brian said directly.
"Who?" the Red Devil asked with a frown.
"Jonathan," Brian replied, describing Jonathan's appearance.
The Red Devil gave Brian a brief glance before vanishing in a swirl of red mist.
Back in Jonathan's living room, Magneto was deep in conversation with Jonathan. To be precise, Jonathan was eagerly asking Magneto questions about the X-Men and the world of mutants.
"So.. Magneto, who exactly are the X-Men?"
"What other mutant organizations are out there?"
"What are your abilities?"
Jonathan's stream of questions began to annoy Magneto, who frowned in frustration.
"Quiet, Jonathan," Magneto snapped, and Jonathan immediately fell silent.
Bang.
Just as Magneto was enjoying the rare moment of quiet, a cloud of red mist appeared between him and Jonathan.
"Red Devil?"
The moment he saw the red mist, Magneto recognized it as the teleportation signature of the Hellfire Club's Red Devil. Instantly, Magneto prepared himself for a confrontation.
Bang.
As soon as the Red Devil materialized, Magneto reacted, quickly using his power to manipulate the surrounding metal to attack.
But the Red Devil paid no attention to Magneto's assault.
His tail wrapped swiftly around the stunned Jonathan, and in an instant, he teleported out of the room with Jonathan in tow.
"Oh, fuck my life! Brian, get out here—Jonathan was taken by the Red Devil!" Magneto shouted, using his power to fling open the restroom door and alert Brian.
"What? Jonathan was captured by the Red Devil?" Brian feigned shock, then shot an accusing look at Magneto. "Fuck, Magneto, why didn't you stop him?"
Magneto was speechless. "It was teleportation—how was I supposed to stop that?"
"It seems our mission has failed. Magneto, go inform Professor X. I'll check to see if the Red Devil is still around," Brian replied hurriedly, heading out of the room.
He had no time for further discussion; he was going to plunder Jonathan's ability after all