The forest outside Mutant Town lay shrouded in heavy morning mist. Dew dripped from gnarled branches, the air thick with the smell of wet earth. Birds startled and fled as a blur of motion crashed through the underbrush.
Bobby rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the vicious swipe of Wolverine's claws. His boots skidded over roots and moss as he regained his footing, only to be forced back by a fierce kick. He ducked under Wolverine's follow-up strike, shadows of claw marks tearing through a nearby tree trunk.
"Keep your feet moving!" Wolverine barked, voice low and gravelly, eyes glinting with ruthless focus. "Don't let me corner you!"
Bobby gritted his teeth, breath coming in ragged gasps. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he sidestepped another slash, the scent of torn bark and churned soil thick around him.
He lashed out with a spatial cut, a thin ripple of distorted air arcing toward Wolverine. But the older mutant twisted with inhuman speed, narrowly avoiding the strike before lunging forward, claws gleaming.
Bobby barely managed to phase sideways, a Spatial Jump warping him a few feet back. He staggered as the power left him momentarily dizzy.
"Better!" Wolverine growled, circling him like a predator. "But you hesitate. Again!"
They clashed—Bobby ducking and weaving, trying to find an opening. His limbs felt heavy, each breath burning in his lungs. Wolverine's claws whistled through the air, missing by inches but forcing him to keep moving.
Finally, after a fierce exchange, Wolverine stepped back, claws retracting with a metallic snikt. His sharp eyes narrowed as he studied Bobby, whose chest heaved with exhaustion.
"Okay, kid," Wolverine said, voice softer but still gruff. "Take a rest. You look close to death."
Bobby shook his head, nearly losing his balance. "No," he gasped. "I… need to get stronger. I have to get stronger."
Wolverine crossed his arms, gaze steady. "Kid, if you push yourself too far, you'll break. Why are you driving yourself like this?"
Bobby's hands clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. His voice cracked as he spoke. "I… can't be a burden anymore. The first time we fought the Warden, I was useless—one punch, and I was down. I couldn't do anything to help Adrian and Cassie escape. And during the Brotherhood fight, I couldn't even take one of them down. I… I won't be dead weight for my team ever again."
His eyes blazed with fierce determination, a fire that burned away the exhaustion, if only for a moment.
Wolverine's expression shifted, a flicker of respect crossing his face. He stepped closer, laying a heavy hand on Bobby's shoulder. "Good," he rumbled. "Hold onto that. But remember—strength isn't just about hitting harder. It's about surviving longer. Learning when to hit. When to wait."
Bobby nodded, eyes locked on Wolverine's. "Teach me."
Meanwhile, across the clearing, storm clouds gathered overhead, darkening the sky to an ominous steel gray. Lightning crackled, dancing between the clouds like electric serpents.
Cassie stood at the edge of the clearing, shadows writhing at her feet, eyes narrowed at her opponent—Storm, regal and commanding even as the air churned with charged winds.
"Again!" Storm's voice rang out, crisp and unyielding.
A bolt of lightning lanced toward Cassie. She flung herself sideways, diving into a pool of darkness beneath a boulder. The shadows swallowed her whole, and she emerged a moment later from the shade of a distant tree, rolling to her feet.
Another flash of lightning streaked down—Cassie tumbled away, shadows trailing like black smoke, but the blast singed the ground where she'd stood seconds before.
"Your reflexes are impressive," Storm called, silver hair whipping around her face as winds gusted. "But you're relying on instinct alone. Precision, Cassie. Control."
Cassie panted, her heart thundering like the storm above. She raised her hands, letting shadows gather around her wrists like hungry vipers. "Then show me," she shouted, voice fierce.
Storm smiled faintly, eyes crackling with blue light. "Very well."
The skies opened, rain lashing down in sheets. Lightning split the sky over and over, forcing Cassie to slip between shadows with desperate speed. Each time she emerged, she tried to lash out—her shadowy blades slicing empty air as Storm glided gracefully above the ground.
Finally, the storm eased as Storm lowered herself, boots touching the soaked earth with a soft squelch. Cassie stumbled forward, soaked to the bone, her breathing ragged.
"You're improving," Storm said, voice softer now as she approached. "You've learned to blend into your environment. But your greatest weakness is daylight. Shadows are thinner, shorter—you have fewer places to hide."
Cassie swallowed, frustration flickering in her dark eyes. "So how do I fight when the sun's up? When there's nowhere to run?"
Storm's gaze was kind but unwavering. "You must learn to bend what shadows remain. Every object casts some darkness, no matter how small. And you must learn to create your own—force your power outward to twist light itself."
Cassie's eyes widened, the idea sinking in like a hook. She nodded once, determination igniting inside her. "Then teach me. I'll find a way."
Across the forest floor, Peter moved to a clearer stretch—where a hulking blue figure waited, arms crossed over his broad chest.
Beast stepped forward, eyes sharp behind his glasses, every bit the scholar and predator. He circled Peter like a lion sizing up prey. "Your strength is remarkable," he began, voice calm but edged with steel. "But raw power without precision is wasteful. Let's refine it."
Peter swallowed, shifting into a balanced stance. "I'm ready."
Beast's hand snapped forward—faster than Peter expected—and Peter barely twisted aside, his footwork sloppy. "Again!" Beast commanded, swiping low this time, forcing Peter to leap backward. His enhanced muscles carried him high into the mist, but he landed heavily, stumbling.
"Strength and agility must flow together," Beast said, lunging with a speed that belied his massive frame. Peter blocked, bones rattling with the impact, but he stayed upright this time. "Your reflexes are impressive—now sharpen them."
They fell into a brutal rhythm—Beast attacking with swift, deliberate strikes and Peter deflecting, dodging, and countering. Peter's breaths came ragged, sweat streaming down his face, but his movements grew more fluid with each exchange.
Between attacks, Beast barked instructions: "Anticipate. Don't just react!"—"Use your environment. A strong opponent ignores terrain at their peril!"—"Intelligence wins battles, Peter, not just strength."
At one point, Peter vaulted off a tree trunk, twisting midair to kick at Beast's side. The blow landed with a thud, and Beast staggered back a step, nodding with approval even as he reset his stance.
"You learn quickly," Beast said, panting lightly. His eyes gleamed with pride. "You have the potential to match Adrian—not just in power, but in cunning."
Peter's eyes widened, his resolve hardening like steel. "Then let's keep going."
A swirl of blue smoke and a faint BAMF snapped through the misty forest, carrying the sharp scent of brimstone. Nightcrawler appeared among the trees, crouched low, one arm wrapped protectively around Elio as they landed. The boy's eyes darted around, but this time there was no wild panic—only a tense determination in his small frame.
"You're back with your friends," Nightcrawler said softly, nodding toward the clearing beyond the treeline where Cassie's shadow tendrils flickered, Peter practiced acrobatic strikes, and Bobby adjusted his stance under Wolverine's watchful glare. "Remember what the professor taught you."
Elio clenched his fists, nodding shakily. "I won't lose control."
Nightcrawler offered a small, encouraging smile before disappearing with another quiet BAMF, leaving Elio to step hesitantly out into the training ground.
Cassie was the first to notice him, shadows flickering as she vaulted over a mossy boulder. She landed with a soft thud and straightened, a flicker of surprise and relief crossing her face. "Elio," she called, waving him over. "How do you feel?"
Elio's lips trembled into a tiny smile. "Better. Professor Xavier helped me… I can feel my power now. It's not scary anymore."
A gust of wind rippled through the clearing as Storm descended onto a thick tree branch overhead, lightning crackling faintly along her arms. "Then join them," she said, her voice like distant thunder. "Control is nothing without practice."
As Elio stepped forward, Sage emerged from the fog at the clearing's edge. Her eyes swept over him, lingering on the faint shimmer of energy that pulsed calmly across his skin. "You really are getting stronger," she murmured, barely loud enough for him to hear. She hesitated, then added more firmly, "Don't let that go to waste."
Bobby, still panting from his last spar with Wolverine, glanced over and cracked a tired grin. "Welcome back, little man."
Peter dropped into a low stance beside him, eyes gleaming with focus. "About time," he teased, offering Elio a fist bump. "Let's see what you've got."
Together, they formed a loose circle in the misty clearing—Bobby shifting through short-range warps with Spatial Apex cuts, Cassie weaving between shadows that reached out like blades, Peter moving in blinding bursts of strength and agility, and Elio practicing short, stable pulses of his volatile aura. Sage moved among them like a ghost, stepping in to heal scrapes or guide a hand into better form.
Lightning flashed as Storm watched from above, while Wolverine barked corrections from a nearby stump, his eyes never missing a mistake. Each crack of thunder and snarl of claws set the pace, each flicker of shadow and warp of space driving them faster.
For hours, they trained in the shifting mist—no longer separate students but a team moving in messy, determined unison. Every dodge, strike, and shout carried the same promise:
This time, none of them would fight alone.