With the softest of 'Clicks', the now-fancy door closed behind Max, slowly fading from view and leaving him in a dark void, only his backpack, which he had dropped on the floor the moment he had seen Vespera earlier, was now sitting on the 'ground'.
"Man, this really does look like a loading screen or something, just like how I had imagined..."
Occasional flashes of randomly colored, mysterious energy would appear in the darkness before disappearing just as fast, asides from that, Max stood, somehow, in dark nothingness.
After a short period, his eyes adjusted slightly to limited visibility.
'Hmmm, I should try to bring up the options for Jumpchain documents, but first... Let's see what this body can do!'
Max suddenly burst forward after deciding to take his body for another, different kind of test spin, accelerating far faster than any normal human could.
"Whoa!"
He skidded to a halt, amazed at his own speed and how light, agile, and powerful he felt.
Max already knew he was now far, far, FAR stronger than he'd been in his original body after being with Vespera. She had been making jokes about adding more "oomph" to it, but he'd already been using enough force earlier to probably shatter cinderblocks with his pelvis!
While chuckling at the idea of smashing karate boards and bricks with his midsection while wearing a karate gi, his mind drifted to thoughts of fighting.
Max was feeling the same way one would after getting their hands on a sportscar with high horsepower... he couldn't wait to take it for a spin!
He performed the same boxing moves that he had the prior night, lighting fast combos that would down any boxer from the world he had just left, based on pure physical stats alone! His speed and strength were very superhuman already at this point.
With an extremely excited and satisfied grin on his face, Max concentrated on the idea of Jumpchain, he didn't wait long before a large wall of illusory text slowly manifested in front of him, becoming solid and looking like an interface that he could interact with like a touch screen, the text looked identical to the 'body mod' options that Vespera had pulled up on her floating screen
A finger was reached out and Max touched what looked like a magnifying glass in the corner of the screen, as soon as he did, a search bar similar to one on a web browser popped up.
Max looked at the search bar and after waiting for a virtual keyboard or something similar to pop up for a few seconds, he simply spoke one word:
"Marvel."
The moment the word left his mouth, a large list of Marvel based Jumps popped up on the screen.
Knowing exactly which one he wanted to pick, Max scrolled with a couple swipes of his finger until the Jumpchain 'document' he was looking for appeared.
'X-Men Evolution' was pressed firmly with his index finger.
-You have chosen X-Men Evolution... Continue? Y/N?-
Max excitedly said, "Hell Yea!" and the screen changed again, bringing up the title of the X-Men Evolution Jump in large letters across the wall of glowing floating text.
An introductory snippet to the Jump started moving into sight, words appearing as fast as Max could read them, which was actually quite fast with his new eyes!
...
-Welcome to Earth-11052!-
-Unlike most of the other Marvel universes this focuses focuses heavily on the familiar X-Men although there are some cameos here and there. There is a slight twist however as most of the team are in school and just now are learning to control their powers. But don't let the high school feel let you become complacent. Espionage, conspiracies, and hatred burn deep underneath the atmosphere and within a few months, the floodgates will open for the world to see.-
-As always, in this familiar story of struggle and acceptance, there will be those who seek to
oppose this change, those who want to make peace, and of course those to keep to
themselves. Whether you decide to join one of the groups here or carve your own path it will be
up to you in the end. You will begin on the day when a young Nightcrawler joins up with the
X-Men, along with a meddling toad thrown into the mix. Here's a little something to help smooth
out the transition to this world.-
+1000 God Points
-ORIGINS-
-All origins are free and along with getting the first 100 GP perk and item free of whatever your
origin is. You even get 50% off the rest of those perks and items in that same origin.-
"Ah that one's an easy choice..." Max quickly selected the origin he almost always took if available in a Jumpchain, the 'Drop-in'.
-Drop-In-
-There is no explanation needed for this one. You get dropped straight into the story in a location nearby some of the X-Men or the Brotherhood, randomly. Since you have no familiar ties
to anything you are completely free to do whatever you want here.-
...
After selecting the Drop-in origin, the first perk, 'Blending in', became free, and all the other options halved themselves as well, the GP cost changing in real time before Max's eyes.
...
-DROP IN PERKS-
-Blending In (Free) - When the going gets tough the smart disappear. You have the uncanny
ability to act as if you belong someplace you definitely aren't a part of. One could hang out in the
slums one minute while chilling in a top secret organization while in the next. So long as you
don't want to be found out there is nowhere you can't go. Play it careful enough and you
can get within striking range of the most powerful and important people of any place with no one
the wiser as to your true goals. -
-I'm Out (100 GP) - Sometimes you just don't want to be a part of something any longer. This is
understandable but a lot of organizations won't allow you to leave. But now so long as you
declare you want nothing to do with a particular group they'll be done with you. They will not
interfere with you nor try to get you back in with the effect extending to groups you're not a part
of.-
-So long as you declare you want nothing to do with them they will not get you involved
directly in anything nor help. You are considered a true neutral who shall not be harmed with
direct and indirect involvement. Now this whole thing comes apart the moment that you get
back into things but then you'll probably have some sort of plan by then.-
-Instinct (400 GP) - It's a bother to train superpowers to make them stronger and figure out what
makes them tick. This isn't the case for you anymore as you can instantly master any power no
matter the complexity without need for training and can draw out the full potential of any ability
immediately.-
-The instinct isn't just limited to general powers but for anything else you may have
such as special skills, innate abilities/energies, biological powers, etc.-
-This instinct comes with having a perfect understanding of all your powers from every little quirk,
nuance, strength, and weakness that your powers possess. Due to this you have perfect control
over every single aspect of your powers and abilities that will not be affected by internal or
external forces. Powers will never go out of control or anything that you find even slightly
inconvenient.-
-This control allows you do crazy things such as throwing an insanely hot fireball that melts
through your enemies but bounces off surfaces and doesn't harm even a single blade of grass.
Collateral damage is now forever a thing of the past as you'll always know how to best utilize
any power for whatever situation and will know just how much power needed to put into things
like knocking someone out or going for more drastic measures.-
-Whether you're combining powers, coming up with new uses, or even something else entirely you may be able to use a power in a situation in just the right way that can mean the difference between life or death.-
...
Max felt really good about the selections he had made so far, especially 'Instinct'. That power alone would be important for his entire Jumpchain!
He had already used up 500 GP but wasn't concerned at all. He already knew that this was a Jumpchain that came with more than the standard 1000 God Points.
The next section of the document was what Max was truly excited for, the section showcasing mutant powers was up next.
...
-Mutations-
-It seems that through certain means you've managed to activate the X-Gene that is within
you. Whether or not this is a blessing or a curse to haunt you for the rest of your days is entirely
up to you.-
-You get an extra 600 GP free to spend on powers and items! Powers are an ever-evolving ability
that scale as you get stronger and better the more you use them in any situation. Start hitting
the gym if you wanna make them gains.-
-Due to fear of low-level Jumpers getting greedy, you may only choose up to three mutations, some of you that aren't prepared will eat till you burst otherwise!-
...
Max chuckled at the last part of the mutations introduction, not recognizing the limit of three from the original Jump document...Vespera must have made a couple of changes herself... and sure enough, her name was tacked on right after the original author of this particular Jump document.
"Well, the choices here are still easy..." Max quickly scrolled down the long list of mutant powers available and selected three. He had decided on three that he thought would be invaluable not just in general, but specifically when he eventually arrived in 'Galaxy' from 'The Legendary Mechanic'.
Max selected the mutant powersets he wanted with his finger and then looked at their descriptions.
...
-Luck/Probability Manipulation (300 GP) - You possess an innate, subconscious ability to influence the likelihood of events around you, tilting probability in your favor. Whether it's dodging bullets, finding the perfect opportunity, or causing unlikely coincidences to favor your plans, luck seems to flow effortlessly in your direction. While you don't control events with precise precision, your presence subtly skews the odds, making improbable outcomes align with your needs. This power manifests as an almost tangible aura of good fortune, turning the tide in your favor when danger or opportunity arises. Gambling and card games are your thing.-
-Electromagnetism (300 GP) - You generate and control electromagnetic fields and various magnetic forces. Metals can be manipulated to levitate or moved in a manner similar to telekinesis and even limited flight can be done by using your own magnetism. As a side effect you generate powerful, electromagnetic pulses capable of shutting down electrical systems around yourself. Things such as manipulating the terrain of a construction site from easily a mile away on the roof of a city skyscraper, levitating multiple military tanks and jeeps, and extending your reaches to the
outer edges of the atmosphere to grab hold of satellites are child's play.-
-Destiny-Telling (600 GP) - You can see into the future! You have the power of seeing events weeks, months, and even years before they happen. These visions aren't perfect however as they don't get every detail down but are an extremely accurate guideline for things to come.-
-These visions can be strengthened by reducing the time that you see into the future. The dial can be set forth from seeing months or years into the future to merely seconds. A few days is the average point where you will perfectly experience things as they will always happen if you don't do anything.-
...
Max figured that Magneto's, Domino's and Destiny's powersets would be incredibly potent when stacked together eventually in Galaxy later on, or anywhere he ended up for that matter.
...
-Items-
-Car (Free) - A simple luxury car with not that much special about it besides the excellent
craftsmanship and can go on for decades without breaking down. It comes with unlimited gas
and is modifiable should you choose to upgrade it. If you already have a car it can be imported
to get the same benefits.-
-This vehicle has one more special point, if you haven't found a way to shrink it down, store it etc, it will appear, in brand new condition near you in a safe place at the start of every new Jump - Selected: Custom Porsche 993-
-Anti-Telepathy Helmet (Free - if Electromagnetism is chosen.): This copy of Magneto's infamous helmet comes in a look of your choice. It also serves a very important function besides looking like a cool ornament btw. Thanks to the technology wired into the helmet, it is capable of blocking out all forms of telepathy. Not even the strongest telepathic attacks will ever get through the helmet and your own psionic abilities are not restricted but enhanced as well due to the tech.-
-This helmet also has the convenient, uncanny ability to shrink down to the size of a marble if you choose to not wear it, but want to keep it around!-
-Costume (100 GP) - A stylish yet light set of clothing that is made with the latest in body armor
technology. It can take a beating or two in addition to stopping low caliber firepower and allows
the wearer to not freeze to death in cold weather. It complements any of your powers ie
expands if you grow, doesn't freeze etc. Final specs are based on mutations chosen.-
...
"The Porsche is an easy choice, not the same model as Dad's, but it's always been on of my favorites... The last of the air cooled Porsches..."
Max had always carried a deep admiration and love for the German car brand. Every weekend while he was a kid, his father taught him the art of wrenching, starting with rebuilding the car together in the garage over a couple of years. Once the project was complete, they shifted to simple maintenance, a routine they kept up until just a week or two before Max moved out of his parents' place.
The only item he spent GP on was the special costume option, thinking it would be nice to have a cool look if he was going to be mixing it up with the X-Men and their rogue gallery.
Max finally turned his attention to the final section of the Jump document, this was common to find at the tail end of most Jumps and was a way for the 'Jumpers' to gain more GP, but at a cost...
...
-DRAWBACKS-
-Do you want more GP? Well, nothing ever comes free but feel free to pick however many
drawbacks you want for that extra challenge. They lose effect after the jump is over, unless you want to keep them?-
-The Ugly (+100 GP) - Maybe it's something about your appearance but people will always deem
you at a first glance hideous and to some even downright monstrous. Expect any friendships to
have effort put into them for people to look beyond your hideous façade.-
-Emotional Control (+200 GP) - Your powers are now directly tied to your emotional state. Anger
will cause your power to flare in power but spiral out of control. Depression and
general sadness will cause you to lose your powers until you pick yourself back up and so on.-
-(+300GP)-
...
-Begin with these options selected? Y/N?-
Max hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should have taken the 'Ugly' drawback. It was a habit of his when he played Jumpchain to take a few extra drawbacks just to 'bank' the CP, now GP, for following Jumps or to compensated for extra powers and items in his current Jump.
After mulling over the fact that it was only a temporary situation, and realizing that possessing a face capable of delivering a top-tier jump scare might prove unexpectedly useful, he decided to fully embrace it.
In Max's mind, the potential for comedic chaos outweighed any fleeting embarrassment, and so, with the confidence of someone about to photobomb a family portrait, he went for it.
There were many more drawbacks available that Max could have picked to gather more GP, but he didn't want to burden himself before experiencing the real deal.
Max checked over his selections one more time.
"Yes."
-Entering Jump with (100 GP) banked. Generating door.-