"Brian, you said you would deal with the White Queen yourself," Professor X said, looking at Brian with a serious expression.
"Absolutely. My abilities are perfectly suited for dealing with Emma," Brian replied, his words carrying a double meaning. He then prepared to leave the Cerebro chamber.
"Brian, are you sure you don't want Kayla, to join the X-Men?" Professor X asked, pausing for a moment before speaking again. His tone was reflective, almost hesitant.
This wasn't the first time he had asked Brian this question.
In fact, over the past month, Professor X had repeatedly tried to persuade Brian to let Kayla, join the X-Men.
But Brian consistently refused.
"Professor, Kayla's ability isn't suited for combat. You should give up on this idea," Brian said firmly, turning back to look at Professor X. "Besides, Kayla has finally become cheerful again. Are you really going to push her into another abyss?"
Brian's words carried a resolute tone.
During the past month, with Brian by her side, Kayla had managed to shed the shadows of her painful past. Her personality had become bright and cheerful once more.
Kayla had, in many ways, molded herself around Brian's presence. To him, the thought of her joining the X-Men and risking herself in battles was unthinkable.
After all Kayla's ability was genuinely not suited for fighting.
"All right, Brian. I understand," Professor X said with a sigh of resignation as he watched Brian leave the Cerebro chamber.
Still, he couldn't help but murmur to himself, "I just hope Brian can handle Emma Frost. Otherwise, the X-Men won't stand a chance against the Hellfire Club."
Leaving the Cerebro chamber, Brian returned to his room.
While Professor X was anxious about the looming confrontation, Brian, on the other hand, was completely at ease.
With the rapport he had built with Emma, Brian was confident that not only could he handle her—he could even invite her into a room to do those naughty things again.
The confrontation between the X-Men and the Hellfire Club was fast approaching, and it would soon lead to a decisive moment.
Before that, however, Brian knew he needed to find a way to have Professor X identify more powerful mutant abilities for him.
The next day, Brian bid farewell to the X-Men and left Xavier Manor with Kayla Silverfox.
Boom.
After leaving the manor, Brian didn't head straight to Siberia as expected. Instead, he spread his four wings and flew toward Las Vegas.
"Brian, aren't we going to Siberia?" Kayla, asked, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion.
"There's no rush to head to Siberia just yet," Brian replied, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I want to collect some interest in Las Vegas first."
Over the past month, while Brian had been indulging himself, he hadn't abandoned his quest to amass abilities. Far from it.
During this time, Brian had secretly been in contact with the Red Devil, gathering intel on a mutant with super-hearing who was part of the Hellfire Club.
The mutant, named Julie, was typically at Sebastian Shaw's side, making it nearly impossible for Brian to act.
But now, Julie had been forced to return to her home in Las Vegas due to family matters—a rare opportunity Brian intended to exploit.
That's why Brian had set his sights on Las Vegas.
He intended to claim Julie's super-hearing ability.
Though it was an auxiliary power, Julie's super-hearing was incredibly formidable. She could listen to the sounds of an entire city, pinpoint specific individuals based on their unique sound patterns, and even discern conversations from miles away.
Her ability had earned her the nickname "Superman's Ear" among mutants, and for good reason.
With Brian's rapid flight, it took only two hours to travel from New York to Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, in an ordinary apartment building in Las Vegas, a middle-aged woman was busy cooking. Suddenly, her ears twitched slightly as ripples of sound spread from them.
"Damn it. The X-Men's 'Homelander' is here, and he's targeting me," the woman muttered to herself, her expression growing tense.
This seemingly unremarkable woman was none other than Julie, the Hellfire Club mutant with super-hearing.
Her extraordinary ability allowed her to hear the sound of Brian's wings flapping long before he arrived. She also overheard his conversation with Silverfox confirming her suspicions.
Julie's face turned pale as panic set in. She quickly turned off the stove and bolted from the apartment without hesitation.
When Brian arrived at Julie's home, he found the place empty.
For now, his efforts had come up short.
"Super hearing really is something.."
Brian muttered, surveying the empty room. He touched his chin thoughtfully before turning to Kayla.
"Cover your ears," he instructed.
Kayla, immediately complied, covering her ears tightly. Brian then ascended into the air, hovering above the city.
Opening his mouth, he emitted a low-frequency sound wave, powerful and resonant like the voice of a deity.
"Julie," he called out, his voice amplified by the sound wave.
The booming sound reverberated across the city, deafening and thunderous. Pedestrians on the street instinctively covered their ears, wincing in discomfort.
"Acccck!!"
Approximately 0.8 miles away from Brian's position, a woman wrapped in heavy clothing collapsed to the ground, clutching her head in pain.
"Got you," Brian said with a smirk as he spotted her. He raised his right hand, and with a surge of psychokinesis, Julie was pulled toward him, struggling helplessly.
Brian's soundwave ability was a perfect counter to Julie's super-hearing, making it impossible for her to escape undetected.
"Homelander, you can't kill me! I'm with the Hellfire Club!" Julie shouted desperately, her voice tinged with panic.
Held tightly in Brian's telekinetic grip, she thrashed wildly, but her ability was no match for Brian's psychokinesis.
Julie had super-hearing, not super-strength, leaving her powerless against him.
Brian remained silent as he looked at the struggling Julie. Without a word, he descended with her in tow, flying back to her apartment.
Bang.
Brian threw Julie onto the floor with a thud.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" Julie cried, her voice trembling as she looked up into Brian's cold, unfeeling eyes.
Seeing her fear and desperation, Brian remained completely unmoved. Without a word, he reached down and pulled Julie to her feet.
"I surrender! I surrender!" Julie shouted, panic overwhelming her.
But in Brian's world, the word "surrender" didn't exist. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he ignored her entirely.
Initially, Brian had considered mimicking Homelander's infamous "double wind ear" punishment, but as he looked at the terrified Julie, he quickly lost interest.
"Too much effort," Brian muttered to himself. "I should just do what I came hee for."
Raising his right index finger, Brian focused his psychokinesis. A sharp wave of energy sliced cleanly through Julie's skull, precisely opening her brain.
In a matter of moments, Brian had taken what he came for—Julie's super-hearing ability.
_____________
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