The Next Day
Right now, I was back at school with everyone. It was lunchtime, and we were all sitting in the cafeteria, talking over the usual chaos of trays and chatter.
"Dude, I still can't believe you're not excited about learning magic," Ned said, grinning ear to ear.
"Who said I'm not excited?" I asked, giving him a look.
He'd been smiling since morning, I was honestly starting to think his face was stuck that way.
"I've just gotten used to all the crazy stuff," I said with a shrug. "I am excited, but I'm not gonna be smiling all day like you."
"How can I not be smiling? I'm going to learn magic today!" Ned practically shouted.
MJ2 smirked. "Say that a little louder, I think the whole cafeteria missed it."
Ned scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I'm just really excited."
"You know what I'm excited about?" Kamala said. "Testing out my powers with Ted and Hector."
I frowned. "Yeah, and I feel like that's not exactly a conversation we should be having out in the open."
Kamala ignored me. "Before, they were kicking my butt, but now, I'm totally going to kick theirs."
Betty raised an eyebrow. "You just got your powers. They've been fighting superpowered people for decades. Don't hold your breath on 'kicking theirs.'"
I crossed my arms. "Seriously, are we really talking about this in the middle of a cafeteria full of people? Maybe we should not have this conversation here."
Courtney leaned forward, practically glowing. "Well, I'm excited too. I finally finished my patrol training! Me and Cindy B are officially certified, so Stargirl and Shiv are hitting the streets at night. Taking down bad guys in New York!"
I sighed. "So we're just ignoring me and the whole logic of what I just said, huh?"
Peter chuckled. "Speaking of Cindy B, how's she doing? Feeling better?"
Courtney blinked for a moment like she'd just remembered. Then she smiled. "Oh, yeah, she's fine! Actually, she's coming back to school next Monday."
All of us smiled at the news, though I couldn't help but notice that the girls had skeptical looks on their faces. I wasn't sure why.
Courtney's POV
After lunch, I was heading to my last class when Yolanda suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Whoa, what's up?" I started, but she didn't answer. Instead, she pulled me into an empty classroom.
Inside, all the girls from our friend group were already there, Ava, Betty, MJ2, Beth, Cindy M everyone.
"Hey, guys… what's going on?" I asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
Ava folded her arms. "Courtney, what's really going on with Cindy M?"
"What?" I blinked.
"Don't 'what' us," Betty said, stepping forward. "You probably forgot, but during that slumber party, we talked about how annoying periods are, and you told us you and Cindy usually have them at the same time. But now, suddenly, she does and you don't? You said she was sick, but Franklin pointed out she has a healing factor, so that excuse doesn't work. Then you said it was her period, which makes no sense. So… what's actually going on?"
I sighed and rubbed my temples. "I really hate that you're super smart now."
"Courtney," Beth said gently but firmly, "what's going on? Is Cindy okay? Because if you're not going to tell us, we can just go to your house and ask her ourselves."
My eyes widened. "No, no, no, don't do that!" I said quickly, waving my hands.
They all stared at me, waiting.
I sighed again. "Fine. She's… getting over a heartbreak, okay? The guy she liked already had a girlfriend. She was gonna try to steal him away, but I talked her out of it. Told her that's wrong. So now she's just… been at home, sulking in bed."
If she's not in the gym punching the hell out of the punching bag, speaking of which, we're definitely going to need a new one.
The girls all had complicated looks on their faces.
"I don't even know how to feel," Ava said finally. "I mean, I feel bad for Cindy B heartbreak sucks, but she was trying to take someone's boyfriend."
"Yeah, but Courtney talked her out of it," Yolanda pointed out. "She knew it was wrong, and it couldn't have been easy convincing her otherwise, right?"
"It wasn't," I admitted. "She was really hurt… but I got through to her."
"So she knew it was wrong but needed a friend to tell her that," Ava said, her tone softening. "I mean… that's what real friends are for, right? Calling you out when you mess up."
"Okay," MJ2 said, stepping in before the mood got too heavy. "We can save the moral debate for later. What's important is that Cindy b didn't go through with it. She's dealing with heartbreak, and she just needs a little time. When she's ready, she'll talk to us, and when she does, then we can all get on her about how crazy the idea was."
That made everyone smile, the tension easing out of the room.
Franklin's POV
Later that day
We were all hanging out at the base, basically just waiting around. I still had no idea how to contact the Ancient One, and randomly showing up at the New York Sanctum sounded like a great way to get thrown into another dimension. So, yeah, waiting seemed like the safest bet.
Kamala was in the training room with Hector and Ted, probably getting her butt kicked again. Courtney, Yolanda, Ava, and Cindy M were in the lab doing… something. I had no clue what, but considering who was in there, it was either a science project or the start of an apocalypse.
Peter was on patrol testing out the new suit I designed for him, and before you ask, yes, it's made of vibranium. Come on, you really think I wouldn't do that? Everyone's suit is getting the vibranium treatment.
Right now, it was just me, Ned, Betty, and MJ2 hanging around the main room.
"This is so boring," MJ2 groaned. "Can't you make some kind of device to track her? Like, I don't know, a magic signature scanner or something?"
Betty and I both turned to look at her like she'd just asked if Wi-Fi worked in the Quantum Realm.
"That's… kind of impossible," Betty said flatly. "We don't even know what magical energy looks like. Without that data, building a sensor for it is literally guesswork."
"Seriously?" MJ2 raised an eyebrow. "Even with your super genius brain, you can't figure something out?"
"Even if I turn into Gray Matter and go Ultimate," I said, leaning back in my chair, "I might be able to find her or her secret hideout. But without actual data on how magic works, it could take me a month, maybe longer."
MJ2 frowned. "Okay, you said 'Ultimate' again. What does that actually mean?"
"Yeah," Ned added. "You mentioned needing 'Ultimate Humungousaur' to beat those Ultron bots. What's that about?"
"Well, the Omnitrix has this thing called Evolution Mode," I explained. "Basically, it simulates a worst-case scenario for each alien species, like dropping their DNA into a million years of nonstop survival hell. It forces them to evolve into their ultimate form. That's what my 'Ultimate Transformations' are, evolved versions of my regular aliens for when things get too tough."
"Can you show us?" MJ2 asked, leaning forward.
"Sure," I said with a grin.
I stood up and activated the Omnitrix. The dial glowed bright green, energy pulsing around me. I slammed it down.
"Val-Or!" I shouted.
In a flash of emerald light, I transformed into my Kryptonian form, though this time, it looked a little different. My face was covered by a sleek half-mask, and my suit had gloves and new armor plating that pulsed faintly with solar energy.
But I wasn't done. I pressed the Omnitrix symbol on my chest, it rotated and flared with green energy.
The light exploded outward, and I changed again. My outfit vanished, replaced by gray-toned skin with a faint metallic sheen. The Omnitrix symbol now sat embedded on my belt, glowing steadily.
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The others just stared.
"Whoa," they all breathed at once.
"What can you do like that?" Ned asked, wide-eyed.
I smirked. "Everything I could before, and then some. I still have all the standard Kryptonian powers, but now I'm completely immune to Kryptonite. I've got ice vision, fire breath, and I can absorb all types of solar energy, not just yellow suns. Oh, and I'm about a thousand times stronger than Superman and Supergirl combined."
Betty blinked. "A thousand?"
"Yep," I said casually. "Give or take a few Supermen."
"Dude, that is so cool," Ned said.
A golden portal swirled open in the middle of the room. The Ancient One stepped through, calm as ever.
"Yes, that form is impressive, though you haven't unlocked all of its power yet," she observed.
"What?" I asked.
"Never mind that for now. Are the three of you ready to begin your magical training?" the Ancient One asked.
"Three?" MJ2 echoed, confused.
"How did you know I was going to ask to learn magic as well?" Betty asked.
The Ancient One smiled. "I have my ways. Now, let's go." She turned toward the portal as Ned and Betty exchanged excited looks and followed her through.
"Wait" MJ2 blurted.
The Ancient One paused, then turned back to MJ2.
"Can I learn magic too?" MJ2 asked hopefully.
The Ancient One's expression softened into quiet pity. "I'm truly sorry, my dear, but you do not have the gift for the Mystic Arts. It would be a waste of your time to train in that discipline."
"Oh. Okay. I was just asking." MJ2's face fell for a second, but she recovered quickly with her usual nonchalant, lunchroom shrug.
"You are meant for greater things than magic, anyway. You'll see, in time," the Ancient One told her, then stepped through the portal. Ned and Betty vanished after her.
I walked over to MJ2 and shifted back into my regular form. I put a hand on her shoulder.
"If you want to be a hero and stand by Peter, all you have to do is ask," I said.
MJ2 blinked. "What?"
"Look, now that I finally figured out that both Yolanda and Ava like me, I'm paying more attention. I'm not as dense as I used to be," I said.
"Debatable," she teased. "I heard Yolanda had to kiss you for you to get it."
"Not the point," I said. "The point is, I know you have a crush on Peter and you want to fight by his side. Ask me and I'll make you a super-soldier serum and a crazy suit of armor."
MJ2's smile came back, real this time. "Thank you, Franklin."
"Of course, that's what friends are for. Oh, and by the way, if your parents ever figure out our secret identities, and it turns into this big dramatic thing, don't throw me under the bus like Kamala did," I said.
MJ2 laughed. "Haha, deal."
I stepped through, the golden portal and instantly, the world shifted.
I found myself standing in an ancient-looking courtyard surrounded by stone arches and glowing lanterns. Dozens of people in robes were training, some meditating, others struggling to form golden portals of their own. Judging by the frustration on their faces, I guessed they were students.
A man in green robes approached, calm and composed.
"Master Mordo," the Ancient One said beside me, "these are Ned and Betty. They will be two of your new students."
"Yes, Ancient One," Mordo replied with a respectful bow. He turned to them. "Come with me."
Ned and Betty followed him eagerly, practically vibrating with excitement.
The Ancient One started walking down a corridor lined with candles, and I followed.
"You, Franklin," she said, "will be my personal student. I alone will teach you the Mystic Arts, and other things you'll need."
"Cool," I said, grinning. "So… are we talking big, crazy spells? Like, dragon summoning, black-hole creation, maybe even making my own dimension?"
She chuckled softly. "You're getting ahead of yourself. But yes, in time, I will teach you those things."
We reached her private chamber, large, serene, with ancient scrolls on the walls and a low desk surrounded by floor cushions. She gestured for me to sit, and as I did, the door closed behind us with a quiet whoosh.
She snapped her fingers. Two books appeared on the desk in front of me.
I blinked. "Uh… these are just math and English books."
"Yes," she said calmly. "Specifically, the same ones you use at school."
"Okay, I know what they are. but why did you summon them here?" I asked, completely confused.
"Because you must understand the mathematical principles behind spellcraft, how to measure energy flow, calculate magical output, and construct circles accurately. And you must master English to properly interpret and articulate spell incantations before you move on to other languages." She smiled faintly, and it wasn't exactly comforting. "Also, I happen to know you're failing both subjects."
I groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
Her expression didn't change. "Magic requires discipline, Franklin. Consider this… your first lesson."
I sighed, leaning back. I can already tell this is going to be tough. But I wasn't about to quit.
"Alright then," I said, cracking open the first book. "Whatever you've got, Ancient One, bring it on."
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AN: Sorry for not posting yesterday my brother had a football game and I wanted to go.