Ethan Young retracted the flames from his hand and glanced helplessly at the shocked mutants.
As expected, when you're out in the world, your identity is what you make of it.
The words he casually said to provoke the fragile heart of Pyro had actually fooled everyone.
He probably could have said he created something out of nothing, and these people would have believed him.
"That was just something I said casually; you all are just as 'simple' as John."
"Oh, Ethan, we just met for the first time, you don't have to praise us like that."
Kitty fidgeted, casting a shy smile at him.
Bobby and the other mutants were also like Kitty, with shy expressions from being praised.
"Wow, Ethan, I thought you were hard to get along with because your power is too strong."
"I didn't expect you to be so easygoing; we'll definitely be good roommates and good friends."
Bobby spoke animatedly, but Ethan only responded with a smile.
These young mutants were too well-protected by the Professor, making them slow to perceive malice.
He still had to rely on himself to eliminate those in the military who were researching Sentinels.
Kitty became even more active after his "praise," standing directly beside him and asking,
"Ethan, where are you from? Were you rescued from China?"
"No, I was rescued from a military laboratory in the U.S. As for before that, I only have memories of wandering the streets."
"Military laboratory? Then you must have suffered a lot!"
Kitty's eyes immediately welled up, and her shaking head indicated her fear.
It seemed even the citizens knew about the government's great depravity.
Bobby and the other mutants also looked a bit scared, indicating they knew the outside world wasn't simple.
Ethan, however, remained calm internally, slowly recounting his feelings.
"Only I escaped from dozens of mutants; they are gone forever, but that's all in the past."
"Those who survived live for those who left, and there are always people accompanying you on your journey forward."
Silence fell in the room for a moment.
Seeing the young mutants in low spirits, Ethan spoke in a relaxed tone.
"We can talk about powers now, my 'lighters.' I want to experience your abilities."
"Of course! Copy mine first; I had a lot of fun in the forest with my freezing ability when I was a kid!"
Bobby immediately used his ability, transforming his entire body into ice, like an ice sculpture by a modern artist.
The room immediately dropped a few degrees, and cold white mist rushed towards everyone's faces.
He put his hands on his hips and proudly shouted,
"How about it, Ethan? Isn't my ability better than John's?"
In Ethan's eyes, Bobby was like a little boy showing off his beloved toy.
He could perform such a feat of entropy reduction, yet he only used it to show off to others.
An Omega-level ability certainly looked enticing.
"You now look like a work of art, perhaps from Michelangelo's chisel."
"Michelangelo? Who is he? Is he a street graffiti artist?"
"Uh… they're both artists, more or less. Don't dwell on it."
Kitty grabbed his arm, first making a face at Iceman, then looking up and smiling as she said,
"Bobby's ability will freeze his brain; his IQ is now close to absolute zero."
"And my ability allows me and anyone I touch to atomize, easily passing through any object."
As she spoke, Ethan was pulled by her and ran towards the wall.
Although he knew the characteristics of Kitty's ability, he instinctively closed his eyes when they were about to hit the wall.
The moment they passed through the wall, his thoughts became incredibly chaotic.
Images from his past and present lives flashed interchangeably, and even emotions from before he recovered his memories impacted his brain.
Only after passing through the wall did his mind calm down.
"Kitty, your ability is really interesting. I even remembered where I hid my money on the street three years ago."
"That's a side effect of my ability. During the moment of phasing, the mind is interfered with by other atoms."
Ethan opened his eyes and found that the room they were in seemed to be a girls' dormitory.
Cosmetics, bras, thongs, and other items used by girls were scattered everywhere.
There was also a blonde girl wrapped in a bath towel, staring at him and Kitty in horror.
"Ah!! Kitty, why is it you again?!"
The blonde girl yelled excitedly, so excited that her bath towel slipped off.
Ethan quickly averted his eyes, feeling a mix of embarrassment and amusement.
"Sorry! We'll leave immediately."
Kitty quickly pulled him back through, and after returning, she clutched her heart and let out a long sigh of relief.
"That was an accident. I forgot that Bobby asked to live between two girls' dorms to be closer to girls."
"Kitty, why do you have to say these things? I have my pride too, and besides, I've never succeeded!"
Bobby protested Kitty's act of selling out a friend, but Ethan was amused and started to laugh.
There's no concept of puppy love in the U.S., but trying to get a girlfriend by forcing himself between girls' rooms is pretty pathetic.
After some commotion, Ethan became more familiar with Kitty, Bobby, and the other mutants.
But just as the other mutants were about to demonstrate their abilities, a white-haired, dark-skinned woman walked into the room.
Kitty and Bobby immediately became well-behaved and shrunk to the side, their heads slightly bowed.
Their gazes towards the woman, however, held admiration and respect.
In Ethan's memory, there were images of the white-haired woman manipulating lightning and strong winds in battle.
Storm, Ororo, an Omega-level mutant, a veteran X-Men, whose ability is weather manipulation.
Ororo now had a capable aura, and the light in her eyes was like a vast ocean, gentle yet sharp.
She surveyed the mutants in the room and said calmly,
"I heard someone used their ability to break into a girl's room and spied on them. That's not good behavior."
Kitty quickly lowered her head, her messy, shoulder-length hair unable to hide her blushing face.
Bobby and the other mutants chose to look away, indicating that spying on girls had nothing to do with them.
Ethan stepped forward voluntarily.
"Teacher Ororo, that was an accident just now. I was curious about Kitty's and Bobby's abilities."
"They generously demonstrated them for me, but we didn't know that the room next door was a girl's room. That was not gentlemanly behavior."
Kitty immediately looked up, gazing at Ethan with gratitude.
After all, she was the one who led Ethan into the girls' room, where they saw a lively scene.
Yet Ethan dared to explain to Ororo; he was truly courageous!
Bobby also opened his mouth in surprise.
He found that Ethan was still smiling, and that was Ororo, whose temper was the hardest to gauge!
He didn't show any fear at all, just like the Professor, calm and full of power.
He was determined to be friends with Ethan!
Ororo was also stunned. She remembered that when she first rescued this young man, he only knew how to cry.
Now, however, he seemed like a different person, every action filled with an inexplicable aura.
"How do you know my name? We've only met once."
**End of Chapter Four**