3rd POV - X-Mansion
"How much do you guys pay your landscapers? I've never seen a lawn this well cut before."
Vance was currently walking into the mansion that doubled as a school, looking around at the admittedly immaculately cared for property all the while. The drive to the mansion had been… well awkward. He made some small talk, but overall he was plotting mentally.
'If I remember anything about Professor X it's that he's big on everyone singing kumbaya and being friends. If I can work the conversation well enough I might be able to ask for a spar.'
Vance wasn't a fighting maniac, though he'd found fun in the fights he'd had so far, but there was an underlying purpose to his wish.
'If I can bait more than one of them into sparring me at once, I could be able to spam adaptations. I doubt they'll see through the technique during the time a spar would take, and I'm not gonna give that information out. I already hid infinity and was as vague as I could be. Sharing infinity with SHIELD was already a risk, but I downplayed it a bit and hid the adaption technique so should be safe-ish for the time being.'
He was hoping that by sparring a few of the different mutants here, he would be able to start making progress on the adaptation front. The technique was his main technique, and one that was truly overpowered so progress needed to happen sooner rather than later. Not to mention, you can only get so much out of beating up regular criminals and researching fighting techniques. Plus, there wasn't going to be another opportunity to fall in his lap like this one for a while. At least he hoped.
As they reached the front door, Storm replied to his earlier question.
"They are paid handsomely that I can assure you."
Nodding, Vance chose to stay silent. Upon entering, he noticed that the building itself wasn't as richly decorated as he assumed. It was fancy, sure, but mostly just because of the beautiful wood and what looked like marble littering the floors and walls. A couple kids waved in greeting while shooting him curious looks as he was a new face.
The escort didn't stop, with them taking the stairs up to the second floor and down a carpeted hallway. The door at the end was shut, with Storm knocking twice before stepping back.
'Well he already knows we're here but I get the formality I guess.'
While musing to himself the door was swung upon telekinetically, 'show off', as a very bald older man came into view seated behind a desk. A couple couches and a few standard chairs were sat throughout the office, and Vance sat in a chair along with Storm while the other three took seats on the couches to the side.
Charles Xavier smiled warmly in greeting,
"Welcome to our bit of sanctuary Mr. Vance, I'm very glad you chose to humor me and visit."
Vance smiled back, 'well here goes nothing',
"Of course, I'm happy to meet with you. I support mutants in their push for integration and understanding, and I'm curious about what you'd like to speak about. Oh, you can just call me Vance by the way."
If possible, his smile grew wider,
"I'm very happy to hear that Vance, and please just call me Charles. Your words are very kind, and I understand your curiousity so allow me to be up front."
He steepled his hands while adopting a more serious expression.
"My hope is fairly simple, and one I feel would be advantageous for both of us. It boils down to being allies. My students are the ones who go out for many of our missions, and while we do have more… experienced members that often go with them it's not something we can guarantee."
He paused briefly, taking a sip from his mug,
"Ideally if one of our teams needed assistance with a task they could reach out for help. Likewise, if you ever found yourself in trouble you can't handle, you would be able to reach out to us for support. I won't ask you to fight our battles for us, but having an extra option on hand is always helpful."
He fell silent at that, opting to wait patiently as Vance's expression became more serious while he processed the request. Charles had already been informed of the entirety of the initial meeting mentally, and briefly he thought back on what he'd been told.
'A sorcerer huh? I may have never met one, but someone that can keep myself out of his head makes for an interesting potential ally. He seems genuine, and it would explain the abilities as well. Though, I always figured a sorcerer for a ranged fighter but based on the articles he fights physically.'
He might not be putting much stock into the overall strength of Vance, but his abilities intrigued him. Also, his track record lended credence to his strength being at a level where he could support his students well.
Vance, at this time, was also thinking deeply,
'Doesn't sound like all that bad of an idea. If they call me I get a fight and if I need help I can get some pretty easily. Though I don't know how much I'd truly need their help, so it may be a bit lopsided. As long as I watch out for what I show when I see them I don't see too many negatives. Plus, this way I'll be able to convince him for a spar.'
Vance slowly nodded before voicing his thoughts,
"I'm alright with that arrangement… Charles. I would appreciate my information not being shared around though, so if I could get your contact I'll send mine over later."
Shifting his attention, he noticed that Storm seemed quite happy if her small smile was to be believed. He turned his head to the other three in the room then before Charles could respond,
"I do have a suggestion for a way to introduce us to each other if you are willing…"
A big smile grew on Bobby's face as Charles looked curiously on at the interaction.
Scene shift - Danger Room
Convincing the X-Men to spar was… much easier than anticipated. Vance was currently looking around at the metallic space while the younger X-Men group decided which few would join the fight.
The team had been surprised when he asked to fight more than one person, but he'd convinced them by nudging Scott's pride when he tried to get a 1v1 fight.
"Scared you'll lose with an advantage?"
'He's really gotta work on that temper or someone is bound to take advantage of that… Not counting me of course. I'm not evil.'
The room itself was quite large, it was about 75 feet high and 240 feet long and wide. Plenty of space to move around and work. Vance cast another glance at the group, recognizing some faces easily. A young looking Nightcrawler was practically vibrating with excitement, Scott was standing with his arms crossed staring over at him, and someone who looked like Rogue.
'Sad she won't be fighting. That would've been very interesting to adapt to.'
There were several more he had no idea about, and one ended up stepping out with Nightcrawler and Scott.
She was an white woman wearing an all purple spandex looking outfit with purplish hair as well. She carried a blade at her waist along with a few daggers. As she stepped out, Scott and Nightcrawler quickly followed.
The blue skinned ball of energy waved with a hand and his tail across the room while the rest of the group left barring Storm.
"It iz great to meet you! I'm Kurt! Try not to lose too quick yah?"
The woman simply gave a light bow before saying, "Psylocke" and returning to silence while staring Vance down. Scott didn't say a word, but he uncrossed his arms in preparation.
Storm stepped forward to set some ground rules while Vance simply smiled at the group.
"Like we discussed before this is just a spar. If anyone looks like they'll take too much damage I will be stepping in. The goal is not to kill or maim, but to learn. Please remember that."
Her gaze seemed focused on the two boys in the X-Men group which made Kurt shuffle awkwardly while Scott turned away.
Storm looked over at Vance with a questioning look to which he nodded briefly, before reaching up to his blindfold.
'Since I'm not using any of my Limitless abilities I'll use my Six Eyes. I haven't told anyone about my eyes so I can't imagine it'll be an issue.'
He smirked before speaking,
"Just a warning, I use the blindfold since my eyes are just so good looking the stares I get make me shy. I don't want to be disrespectful and fight you blindfolded though so please just remember I'm saving myself for marriage."
Scott scoffed while Psylocke rolled her eyes. Kurt just seemed excited to fight. Pulling down the blindfold his bright blue eyes were once again open to the world. The three didn't have crazy reactions much to his disappointment, though he did see their eyes lancing up at them which went ignored.
Storm began backing away and counting down from five.
5..
'If I really want to sell this I need to make it look like a spell, activate the technique right when I finish talking.'
4…
The three X-Men tensed. Kurt crouched low, tip of his tail extended, prepping himself for action right when he was given the word. Psylocke's hands gripped her sword, a tinge of pink/purple energy fluttering through her fingers. Scott relaxed his arms while slowly bringing a hand up to his visor.
3…
Vance already knew what fake phrase he'd use for his technique, his arms coming up and in front of him with fists closed, his left just higher than his right. Smiling widely he chanted,
"Sacred treasure"
2….
"Swing and ring"
1…
The golden dharmachakra materialized above his head, the light of the room causing the ceiling to gain some yellowish hues.
BAMF
Vance spun around, relying on the fluctuations of space he felt in the cursed energy behind him. He quickly swiped with his left hand, slapping away a tail that was whipping for his back. Kurt simply BAMF'D backwards, teleporting away after the failed sneak attack.
Vance barely registered the cut on his hand from the sharp end of the Nightcrawler's tail.
CLINK
The wheel spun once and the wound began to close, Vance still ignoring it as he instead pushed cursed energy into his fists before spinning again, his eyes rapidly moving and spotting three psychic daggers flying at him center mass. He punched twice before leaning, two daggers exploding on contact while the third he let clip his shoulder.
The light wound began closing quickly, but he had no rest.
BAMF
He jumped over a low kick before spinning and bringing a foot down at a rushing Psylocke, forcing her to raise her sword to block with the flat of her blade.
BAMF
Kurt was once again gone, Psylocke transitioning into a slash as Vance crouched in recovery from his kick. Scott finally took action, slowly moving around, trying to find an open shot.
Vance let the slash catch his arm, but was rewarded for it.
CLINK
'All that for a drop of blood' he mused before kicking out, the weight forcing her back several feet as Vance quickly crossed his arms as he saw a focused red beam headed his way quickly.
He grunted on impact, the concussive force causing him to slide back several feet before he forced himself to a stop. He could feel his body's energy rushing like he'd never felt before, the sweetest sound his ears could hear ringing out.
CLINK CLINK CLINK
The wheel rapidly spun a few times before the pressure on his body began to fade, with a heave and louder grunt Vance pushed his arms up before rolling under the beam and speeding to the right and then quickly back towards Scott with a burst of blue cursed energy.
Scott stopped his shot, frowning briefly before backpedaling.
BAMF
This time Kurt was right in his path, one foot extended, aimed right for Vance's stomach.
'You're not getting away with it this time.'
Vance quickly grabbed the leg before rotating his hips and swinging Kurt overhead and back to the other side of his body to the ground. He didn't go down without a fight though. Realizing his situation, Kurt shot his tail out before it stabbed into Vance's shoulder with a spurt of blood shooting out.
Psylocke didn't let the opportunity pass either, rushing up in a split second and slashing across Vance's back.
CLINK
BOOM
CLINK
The slam forced the prehensile tail out of his body as Kurt gasped upon hitting the ground before passing out. Unconscious from hitting the metal floor with such force. The cut on his back didn't do any damage really, the rotation of the dharmachakra barely registering as he spun and sent a roundhouse kick that was parried before shooting out a straight left followed by a right hook.
With the hilt of her sword Psylocke blocked all three attacks, a gleaming purple short blade quickly materializing in her free hand before she snaked the arm forward in an attempt to stab him in the gut.
Vance caught her wrist much to her surprise, before sending back a gut punch before sidestepping the beam he could feel headed for his back. His punch forced Psylocke to bend over, the beam passing over her as Scott quickly stopped the attack. Frustrated, he once again went to move to find another position to attack before his breath caught.
Vance had began rushing towards him, moving faster than any human had any right to go. Scott once again fired, this time the beam larger than before, Vance chose to cross his arms as he stood in place fighting back the force of the attack one more time.
CLINK
The sound seemed to echo this time as Vance took a steady step forwards, and then another. He felt a pull on his body, toppling backwards unnaturally as the beam passed above him and hit the floor.
CLINK
Scott began recovering with deep breaths while his mind raced,
'How can he stop my blast so easily? '
Before his thoughts could run wild he was forced to sprint forwards as Vance had dashed to Psylocke before using a burst of cursed energy to quickly rush in with an elbow too fast for her to dodge. He quickly turned as Scott prepared another blast-
"Stop!"
Storm's authoritative voice rang out in the room, causing Vance to exhale and let the golden wheel dissipate into sparks. Scott began to open his mouth in protest, but Storm spoke before he could.
"Good spar all of you. Betsy, you are strong close range, but you need better ranger options than just throwing daggers. That was a good use of telekinesis to pull Vance down, but try to do it when you can capitalize. This time it caused you to get knocked out of the fight."
Psylocke, now identified as Betsy, nodded briefly while on one knee, her chest heaving as she forced down the bile Vance's elbow was causing to rise in her throat.
Storm then turned to the awakened Nightcrawler,
"You are still pretty new to all the teamwork Kurt, but you need to find more opportunities to teleport in. You did well to catch him off guard, and you worked well with Psylocke. However, when Scott was attacking you stayed back to avoid collateral damage. You either need to attack more rapidly when you can, or learn to pick your spots better."
The list for Kurt was longer, but it made sense. Kurt had only joined the X-Men several months ago. His mutant ability was strong, but it had awakened at the later stages of puberty. Having not used it much in combat apart from training he just didn't have the acumen for group fights as of yet.
Lastly, Storm turned to Scott.
"You performed well, Scott. You may not feel like it, but battles in enclosed spaces against one target aren't truly your specialty. You picked your spots well and got him off balance too. With Kurt you had to be careful, but in the future I would suggest shooting more often, his ability will let him escape should it be necessary."
Vance raised his hand when she was done prompting her to raise an eyebrow.
"Anything for me? I'm feeling left out over here."
He gave a pout to punctuate the sentence to which she simply smiled lightly,
"You performed very well. I have many questions, but I'll respect your privacy on that front. I can't give much advice as I can't begin to understand your abilities, but I'll suggest that you watch out for willingly taking attacks despite your healing. You never know when a weapon will be stronger than you thought or be coated in poison."
Vance simply nodded, giving the woman a thumbs up as he put back on his blindfold.
'All in all I'd say that was fruitful. How are we looking, system?'
Name - Vance Gojo
Age - 16
Race - Cursed Human
Cursed Energy Usage - Grade 1 sorcerer
Cursed Techniques -
Adaptation and ??? - The ability to adapt to any and all phenomena and to ???? - Basic
Adaptations - Space, ???, Mental Strain (4 turns), Bludgeoning (3 turns), Concussive Force (3 turns), Heat (1 turn), Slashing (3 turns), Piercing (1 turn), Telekinesis (1 turn)
Limitless - Bring the concept of infinity into reality and control space at will - Moderate
Other techniques/abilities - Rikugan
Infinity - Moderate
Cursed technique lapse, Blue - Moderate
Progress made in several key areas. Suggestion, split time between fighting research and testing adaptations for the next several days.
Vance couldn't help but smile to himself, barely suppressing the laughter bubbling is his chest.
'It worked perfectly. Now the only question is, did Charles catch on?'
Scene shift - Danger Room Observafion - Fight start
Charles sat at the front of the room, his old friend Logan standing in his right while a group of the teenage generation of the X-Men sat or stood behind chattering excitedly.
"You think the kid's got a shot?"
Logan asked the question gruffly, his eyes analyzing Vance as Storm laid out the rules of engagement.
Charles chuckled at that,
"He seemed rather confident when making the challenge, but we will shortly see."
Correct he was, with the fight kicking off shortly thereafter. Charles looked at the wheel closely, identifying it as a dharmachakra, but otherwise unsure of the purpose of the object.
The young one's voices grew louder as the combat continued, but Logan and Charles remained silent.
'Great reflexes. Add onto that his energy that looks to be empowering his body and you have a close range weapon of a human. The wheel seems to turn when he's healing so potentially a spell for recovery?'
Charles watched curiously, his thoughts flying by as he watched the short but eventful fight.
Logan watched much more critically, his eyes narrowed and arms crossed.
'Kid is really strong. Scott's not blasting him full power, but those blasts are tough for me to shrug off and he's acting like it's barely there.'
Logan winced at Kurt being body slammed,
'Me and him are gonna get working on diversifying his style.'
As the fight wound down the two glanced at each other amidst the excited whispering of their students.
'A shot he has indeed' Charles projected to Logan making the grizzled man snort before he turned away. Charles' eyes remained fixed on the Danger Room, his mind projecting just how much of an impact an ally like this could have.
Scene shift - Outside NYC - A few hours later
Vance could be seen leisurely walking down a back road, his mind preoccupied with his thoughts. He'd been dropped off here upon request so he could clear his head a bit before going back to his apartment.
'Hopefully I won't be called in by them often, but even if I am it's most likely for a mutant which means some random ability to adapt to. Speaking of adaptations…'
His mind wandered again to the adaptation progress he'd gained in today's spar. He'd been hoping Bobby, the future Iceman, would've fought but Psylocke was a welcome surprise.
'Scott was about what I expected. Those blasts are strong, sure, but adapting let me push against them pretty well. Plus…'
His train of thought trailed off as he tilted his head while looking through the woods to his right. Since he'd adjusted so much to the strain of the Six Eyes he could now keep his blindfold off basically indefinitely. He'd probably still use it for his nigh time escapades, but at least during the day he could show off his admittedly beautiful eyes.
'Men weep, for my gorgeous self is finally being unleashed.'
Using the insane vision the eyes granted, he looked past the trees, other vegetation, and animals while focusing about a mile ahead. There stood two men, one easily recognizable. An enormous muscle bound man with what looked like a red metal helmet and spandex. The second was a scarred man with black hair and a goatee that just screamed 'look at me, im evil!' He was also holding a shillelagh while looking in Vance's general direction.
'Well it seems either someone spilled the beans, or I'm just an extremely unlucky guy' Vance mused to himself. 'Juggernaut and someone I don't know at all. I did want more progress with bludgeoning soooo…'
He tapped his chin at that thought, briefly considering what the best way to go about attacking the duo was.
Like a lightbulb went off, Vance grinned while extending one hand.
'This'll get the party started… just hope they don't die.'
"Cursed technique lapse:"
A blue orb shimmered into life in his palms, growing from droplet sized to around the size of a baseball before he decided to stop inputting energy.
Vance's smile threatened to split his face as Juggernaut's head shot up in alarm as blue light and odd shadows began being cast around the woods.
Before he could warn his partner Vance finished his chant with a whisper,
"Blue"