"Mei, where are you?" At this moment, a man's voice interrupted Aunt Mei and Derick.
"Oh, sorry, it's my husband, Ben! I'm here." Aunt Mei turned back and beckoned to Ben.
Uncle Ben came over and asked anxiously, "Mei, where have you been? You haven't come back in such a long time—ah... this is... Oh, I recognize you! Which Flame Knight are you? A very brave and handsome young man. Our nephew Peter is your big fan, hahaha!"
"You are... that's too much praise."
Aunt Mei said to Uncle Ben, "Ben, I originally invited Watson to taste Swiss meat rolls."
"What? Ah, no, I mean... did you agree?" The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily after hearing this, and then he looked at Watson.
"I... actually have something else to do? But I think I can come next time?" Watson suddenly remembered Aunt Mei's Swiss meat roll... wasn't it considered a kind of dark cuisine?
After hearing this, Uncle Ben seemed relieved and didn't give Aunt Mei a chance to speak. "Oh, of course! You can... Come on Saturday night, how about that? Because our little nephew Peter will also be home after school. He's your idol. And we will prepare some more hearty dishes to entertain you. Our house is in the third row of the fourth building."
"Well... of course. I must come back. Oh yes, Uncle Ben, I'll give you my contact information. If you need anything, you can call me."
"No problem, child," Uncle Ben said, walking back to Aunt Mei. Halfway back, he blinked at Watson.
Derick smiled when he saw the adorable Uncle Ben. When he had watched the movie where Uncle Ben died, he couldn't hold back his tears.
Shaking his head, he walked home with his braised egg.
Going home was an option, or he could stop by Tony's place. First Wade, then Spider-Man... was he just going door to door now?
Watson suddenly smiled. Should he go knocking on another door?
Thinking about this, Watson quickened his pace to go home, planning to grab his car first and leave the braised egg with Aunt Liya. They should have woken up by now.
········
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester, New York.
Professor Charles, who was speaking with Jean, suddenly paused and said, "A friend is here, Jean. Come with me to greet him."
Bang! ~ The door closed as Watson walked up to the entrance, raising his hand just to knock.
Creak ~
The door opened, and a bald man in a wheelchair and a tall woman appeared before Watson.
Lowering his guard, Watson flashed his signature sunny smile. "Hello... I am Watson. I'm here, uh, to make friends."
Hearing this, Charles smiled and said, "I can feel your sincerity, child. I am Charles, the principal here. This is Jean, a mentor at our school. We welcome all friends, especially those with a strong sense of justice. Come in, friend."
Jean also gave Watson a kind smile and followed Professor Charles inside.
Watson followed them, taking in the school—a sacred place for mutants.
As they walked into the central courtyard, Watson observed the students. Their abilities were truly unique. If properly developed, many of them could achieve great things.
For instance, the boy playing basketball with glasses that emitted white light—was he capable of short-distance teleportation or super speed? Then there was the kid stepping on water. Hmm... oh, and the two most classic ones—the Iceman and the Pyro. Two proper elemental types. He wondered if the rules of this world allowed full elemental transformation.
Hmm... Was Kull here? He wasn't sure what timeline he had landed in.
At that moment, Charles spoke. "How do you feel? I see you've been observing everything closely. What do you think of this place?"
Watson smiled and replied, "Well... it's very nice. Beautiful environment, fresh air, and a great school with powerful teachers and a morally strong principal. Perfect."
Charles shook his head. "I want to know your true thoughts. Although I can't enter your mind, I can sense that this isn't what you're really thinking."
But Watson didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to look at the teenagers. "Is their future to join you when they grow up?"
"No, we don't force anyone to do anything. If they choose to join the X-Men, we gladly accept them."
"Who is responsible for teaching them to fight? Or at least defend themselves?" Watson suddenly asked.
Jean answered, "It used to be Scott, one of our mentors, and now Logan is also responsible. They're both in charge of training."
Just as Jean finished speaking, two men walked over from a distance.
A handsome man wearing ruby-quartz glasses and a burly man with wild hair.
Scott was a bit too by-the-book—sometimes clueless—but overall, a good guy.
As for the other one, Watson felt a surge of excitement.
Kull! He looked just as amazing in real life as he did in the movies!
Logan stepped forward. "Hey, I'm Logan. The guy with the glasses next to me is Scott."
"Nice to meet you, Logan. Those claws are cool. And you, Scott—I know your glasses are because of your powers, right? They help prevent accidental injuries?"
Hearing this, Scott actually smiled and stepped forward to shake Watson's hand.
Logan muttered in disbelief, "I must be seeing things—he actually smiled."
At that moment, Charles spoke again. "Watson, may I ask you a question? Are you one of us? I've sensed something before, but I'm uncertain."
"I'm not," Watson answered. Jean seemed about to say something, but he continued, "Don't get me wrong, I don't hate mutants. Mutants are mutants because of the X-gene in their bodies, right? But I don't have the X-gene. My abilities are more like superpowers? It's just that my energy fluctuations might feel similar to the X-gene's energy. I think you can sense that, Professor Charles."
Charles nodded. "Yes, I can feel it. Thank you for answering my question. You're always welcome to visit. Perhaps today's lunch should be special? We'd love to welcome our new friend."
"Be careful