Chp. 16 Planning a Party

Paul was left here standing silently as he watched the green woman or Gaia as she calls herself slumber in the small world he has. Thinking about it deeply, he felt that there was a deep connection between them which can be explained that maybe his world or planet has a spirit called Gaia.

Mostly known as the Mother Earth, though very different from Marvel's Gaia, this one might just be his home's version. What else could explain the innate connection he felt as well as the concern that appeared as soon as he saw her.

He did not feel any of attraction a man usually has for a female but more like a child caring for his/her parent kind of feeling. He can't know for sure until she wakes up and explains to him what really happened.

Sitting down on the cave he thought that maybe he should personally guard her in case something goes wrong. So he thought hard on what to do until his mind remembered a particular set of books he found when he was sorting his large collection.

"Heaven technique: Mortal Avatar Creation Formula." Paul read the name and remembered this was the lowest he has of skill related in making permanent clones unlike the cloning jutsus ninjas normally knows.

For his Golden Core cultivation this was the easiest he could technique he could use as it could be done by anyone with at least Golden Core cultivation while the others needed above Nascent Stage which he is very far from the moment.

The only drawback of this technique for cultivators is that a steep price must be paid which was half of your life span as well as a small amount of you potential. Which was not a problem for Paul at all, only thing that stopped him from doing this is that you must be awake during the whole duration of the technique, so pain is something that cannot be avoided.

"Ughh… it seems I have to suffer a little bit." Paul looked at the sleeping woman and felt that he needed something to watch over her so this was the best choice within Paul's collection.

Taking out the tome he reread it to make sure he does everything right, he then proceeded to make a formation circle as he readied the materials he could use in his collection. So he also used the best flesh to make the avatar, it was a body of a strong opponent he has which made him struggle a bit in killing.

Due to his abnormally high defense he made Paul use the Evening Elephant for the first time even if he only survived the first punch while he died in the second. This includes the fact that Paul's base strength is higher that Might Guy's because he has a body similar to Zombieman's thus that guy was a really strong foe.

Paul took out the body and placed it in between the formation as he took out another pile of materials. Slowly and surely he followed the process within the tome and until the final moments, Paul took a small metallic tube since the process needed his 'life blood' but with his regeneration it would just cover the wound instantly.

So he pierced his heart and made the tube trickle the blood on the corpse as it started to shine. Now for the finisher, Paul concentrated and took a small part of his soul to insert to the body that was now glowing in its veins. As soon as he inserted his piece of soul on the corpse it slowly morphed as it took Paul's appearance.

For the next ten hours Paul looked at the former corpse that now has a beating heart and working nerves made of special metal. If it could be described as anything it would be a hybrid between and android and a zombie since it was formerly dead yet made with few parts that are metal.

Soon Paul was able to feel the connection strengthen as time goes by and the sacrifices made were not even noticeable to him since even his soul healed.

"Maybe I could build a 'me' army, but that would be counterproductive." Paul really thought about it but he remembered that the tome said the avatar only worked if the user itself would consciously use it so it was like driving two different cars at the same time.

After another day Paul felt the connection finalize itself as the avatar looked exactly like him in every way. Soon another perspective filed Paul's mind but he adapted pretty quickly like it was a natural thing to do. Most cultivators that tried this needed at least years to familiarize controlling two bodies.

"Nice"

"Nice"

Paul said in both bodies as he looked at his naked self in approval as he admired his looks. Testing his motor functions Paul controlled his Avatar in moving around the cave, Paul got the hook of things so he tested how much of his abilities did the Avatar get.

Going outside he tried to use the skills of Might guy but all he got were the martial arts experience, but the body still retained the very though defense from the last owner so that's a plus. He could still use this telekinesis well in this new body and have a regeneration rate similar to wolverine's.

Not as fast as Zombieman's but fast enough to keep fighting for days, all in all he could say the Avatar is about 15% as strong as his original body. Since the build inside is different from a normal human it could not use the Eight Gates, but at least it has an innate physical strength that could reach 500 tons.

Paul felt like he had a Hulk level body for the moment and just needed a few more minutes to fine tune his senses to the new body. After feeling everything is right he teleported the clone which it did by itself as it got a watered down version. It could not travel to another Reality or different Universe, just the one it is in so at least that's okay.

Giving his former home one last look Paul took in a deep breath and exhaled. And with that exhale he felt he had given his last farewell to his former home. Opening a portal to the Marvelverse, Paul stepped towards where he left his marker.

[Man-cave]

Paul appeared in the large open area of his personal man-cave and felt it had been years since he last been here but he looked at the large clock in the ceiling and realized it has been indeed almost seven days.

"Man, I could really go for dozens of Chicken buckets today." Paul then looked at the other clocks and found that New York is currently 06:00 PM so it was indeed dinner time. Going to a nearby desk he looked for his two phones and brought it with him.

But before going out, he did a quick wash and change of clothes as he found that his hair grew a bit longer than before. Too long for a week to grow but he did not mind, he just wore a hat as he teleported near the KFC branch he always frequents.

"Ayy, look who it is! It's been a week my brotha from anotha motha! Thought you got yourself lost them past days cause we boys got worried a bit for ya'll man." A large black college student called out as he saw Paul walk in the place.

"Don't worry Biggie, I was just handling some business personally because it needed my direct attention. Ey Santos, got some chicken left there at the fryer man?" Paul just walked in like the place was his house which almost is as he liked it here.

"Must be serious dem business of yours man, I see you busting those dummies at the gym dude and you more deadly than cobra kai man. So where'd ya go this past week?" the big guy slid to the side as he made room for Paul to sit in.

"Something really interesting, might get me good publicity too if I play my cards right." Paul smiled as he thought of ways to make huge gains from the unneeded materials in his large collection.

"Whoa, really. Damn man congratulations, does this mean we can get more AC in the gym? Hahaha just messing with ya bra." The guy laughed as he ate his own food.

"Oh, that's mine!" Paul saw that his order was ready so he went and took it back in the table while leaving a hundred in the cashier.

"You know, I could really use some help for this though. If it's okay with you all in helping me rearrange the gym next weekend then I'll be glad to pay you guys a lot. You've been a great help in the neighborhood too recently." Paul munched as he talked to the guy.

"Nah, that's okay man. This neighborhood is ours too so we finna be doing our part here, or else them karate moves you taught us is for nothing… I'll holler the boys up, I'm sure they'll be glad to help you out a bit." Biggie smiled as he looked at Paul.

"Great, I'll prepare for it then. Also if none of you have proper suits I'll cover it myself, just have your coach or team captain give you your measurements so I could find proper suits to have you all wear." Paul smiled as he appreciated teens like these who still got their life ahead of them and did the right thing.

"Whoa, suits. Do you plan on hosting dem fancy balls or something? Cause we don't got no idea how to act in times like that man." Biggie said as he realized Paul might be hosting some high profile party.

"Don't be, I just need you there to make sure no trouble comes from other guest. Other than that you can go party like how you want, I'll be having a bar over with lots of beer." Paul said as he knew one thing to tempt testosterone fueled teens is a party with free drinks.

"Shiiizz you coulda said that from the start, I'll be fancy as much as you want me to be there hahaha…" Biggie finished his meal and hurried to spred the word to his friends.

"Okay, make sure they all get the word Biggie." Paul then took his last bucket out as he walked the streets while eating chicken. He did give some out to the homeless people nearby, taking out his phone he realized there were lots of Messages from Shanna since yesterday so he called her immediately.

"Hey Shanna, are you okay? I saw your messages just now so I called as soon as I could." Paul did not hear much but he noticed how Shanna seemed to be crying.

"Hey where are you? Are you at your apartment? Okay, I'll come by…" Paul put his phone down and found an empty alley then teleported to his apartment. His appearance did not scare anyone but it did confuse the concierge who looked at him weirdly since he's been gone for a week and he did not see Paul go up from the entrance.

Paul did not care as he went to his car and drove to Shanna's place which took him about ten minutes. Standing by the door he knocked and waited as he heard Shanna's footsteps. Soon the door opened and Shanna gave Paul a hug as she still cried a bit on his chest.

"What's the matter? Did something happen?" Paul patted the blonde's back, for the past few weeks they have been dating slowly but frequently which got him already at third base.

"*sniff* It's Julani…sh-she died…*sniffle*" Shanna sobbed as she hugged Paul, she had been distraught since yesterday the incident happened and even if she knew that Paul would be gone since he said so but she still called and hoped. But she still left messages instead as she did not know how else to contact him

"What? Why?" Paul asked as he did not know much of the origin story of Shanna.

"Some stupid guard shot her *sniffle*" said Shanna.

"I'm sorry, that must have been really tough on you. What about Ina and Biri?" Paul asked about the two new born cubs of the Leopard making Shanna hug him a bit closer.

"That's what I'm worried about Paul, I want them to live in safety like they were supposed to but I am not sure what to do because if they stay in the zoo they might be hurt like how their mom did." Shanna pulled Paul inside as they sat on the sofa in the living room while she still hugged him for comfort.

"I'm sure you know what to do, just follow what you feel is right and I'll support you." Paul felt that he should let her do what she wants because he learned how she abhors guns and firearms because her father accidentally killed her mother when she was a child. Talk about childhood traumas, so Paul hugged her back as he patted her at the back of her head.

"Really?" Shanna looked up at Paul.

"Yeah, I'll support you." Paul nodded as he went to give a small peck of Shanna's nose.

"Thank you… this means a lot to me." Shanna rubbed her eyes which already looked puffy and then leaned of Paul's chest as she closed her eyes relaxing.

[The Next day]

Paul woke up in Shanna's apartment in the couch as he did not make any moves on her since she is currently vulnerable and he didn't want their first together be done on such a way. Shanna was grateful for that so she woke up early and cooked breakfast for Paul.

"Hey, isn't it supposed to be sex then cook breakfast. We seem to be doing this thing wrong…" Paul quipped as he sat down on the table looking at Shanna cooking bacon and pancake.

"Yeah, it seems we did do things wrong. So wanna have sex?"

"*cough!!* *Cough!*" Paul suddenly choked at Shanna's words as he did not expect she'll take his words as a challenge. Taking a glass of water quickly he cleansed his throat as he looked at the smirking blonde.

"Not sure which is first, me choking of your sudden remarks or us sleeping together." Paul tapped his chest to let the food slide down further.

"So you want to me choke you while we do it?" Shanna smiled at Paul as she saw him almost choking again at her words.

"Nope, not my thing."

"So what is your thing then?" Shanna gave Paul a victorious smile as she saw him giving up making more quips while eating.

"So about the two cubs, what do you plan for them in the near future?" Paul was curious about this as he felt that Shanna is better off away from Central Park Zoo for the moment due to the incident. Better yet away from New York as it would just remind her in many ways of traumatic events again.

"I'm not yet sure but I did find a possible place for the two cubs which is in Africa…" Shanna looked at Paul unsurely as she was saying that she would be away if she does find a place for the cubs.

"Really? Where?" Paul did not show anything at all as he ate.

"..It's in Dahomey Reserve in Africa, I'll be gone for a few months at least if I have to make sure they get to adapt at the new environment." Shanna frowned a bit as she felt unease because her relationship with Paul is going great and he is not showing much reaction to her going far away.

"Really? That's great, maybe I could get an RV for us on the road. I would love to see the sights in Africa." Paul smiled as he thought what might be the difference of the current Africa to what he had seen on one of the realities he went through.

"Wait? You're coming with? Are you sure? Don't you have a thing going on here in New York?" Shanna was surprised as she did not think Paul would want to go with her.

"Yeah I do, but I still would love to spend time with my girlfriend." Paul smiled as he saw Shanna show a bright smile but also a bit bashful since she was shy in admitting they were dating already. In their dates she always acted like one of the boys since she was very athletic and she rarely shows weakness to others, yesterday was an exception because it was more of a traumatic experience.

"But how will you keep the gym operating then, though it is already running well your presence might be needed." Shanna felt that maybe Paul was throwing away a great job if he went with her to Africa. But Paul already understood her worries so he wiped his face and stood in front of her.

"Shanna, do you trust me?" Shanna looked confused at Paul's words but she still nodded.

"Okay, close your eyes." And she did. She then felt a slight breeze and the brightness seemed to have changed.

"Okay open them." As she opened she noticed Paul's smiling face which made her smile but it stopped midway as she looked behind him as the sceneries changed.

"Aah!!" Shanna screamed as she realized she was not in her apartment anymore.

"Whoa whoa calm down… This is a secret I have which I wanted to show you." Paul held Shanna still as she looked around and realized they were in his apartment.

"Whu-what, this is your apartment…wh-how?" Shanna looked at Paul who just held her arms and teleported back in her apartment.

"Aarghh!!" She screamed again as she saw the scenery changed and now she was back in her apartment.

"Hey hey don't panic, this is just my powers Shanna. I really care about you so I want you to know more about me." Paul could see Shanna looking around and rubbing her eyes.

"B-but we…we were in your apartment then…then…then were back to my apa-apartment..." Shanna was spooked as she looked at Paul weirdly.

"Don't panic please, I can explain." Paul then dragged the confused blonde to the couch and gave her a simple explanation about the existence of mutants, super power community and many more including his powers. He told her about his teleportation powers which could get him anywhere in the globe, a small telekinesis and regenerative powers.

He did not speak of the others like reading minds and his chakra as well as martial arts. Because he just mostly showed his support in her decisions and he'll be there to help her if she wants.

"So you're telling me that when I save you in the park during the mutant attack you did not need help? So how did you get hit by the large man then?" Shanna still has a recollection but her version was more of running away immediately after dragging Paul out of the water.

"Well I just got my powers then and how would you react when you turn around a large buttcrack is flying towards your face?" Paul's words made Shanna chuckle as she did see the face of Paul and remembered his horrified face.

"So, does this mean you don't need passports?" Shanna asked as she realized Paul's powers were cheating immigration laws.

"Not unless I get caught… but I rather travel more normally cause teleporting every time takes away the novelty of travelling." Paul smiled as he was glad Shanna was able to accept him albeit a bit surprised at how the world is more than what she thought it would have been.

"Thank you…" Shanna then gave a kiss at Paul's lips. "…for being honest with me."

"Thank you as well…" Paul kissed back which made the two hug each other in the couch. "…for accepting me." Then they started to make out in the couch as they felt that they are closer than ever.