Aftermath

<Jean's POV>

I sat in the med bay, nursing a throbbing headache and feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. This whole mess was my fault. I had pushed too hard, tried to read Alice's mind without her consent, and it had backfired spectacularly. Scott and Kurt were still unconscious, but I stayed behind, knowing I needed to take responsibility for what happened.

Scott was the first to wake up. As soon as he regained consciousness, he started cursing Alice, clearly furious about how quickly we were defeated. 

"That damn girl! She caught us off guard, Jean! We should have taken her down easily!"

I tried to calm him down, knowing his anger was misplaced. "Scott, it was our mistake. We underestimated her and invaded her privacy. We need to own up to that."

He glared at me but eventually quieted down, simmering in his frustration. I knew he hated losing, especially so decisively. After ensuring everyone was stable, we made our way back to the X-Mansion to report to Professor Xavier.

Later, in Charles' office, I recounted the events, detailing how we had tracked Alice due to minor fluctuations in energy that had suggested an omega-level mutant. However, Alice had revealed her ability to analyse other mutants' powers, throwing us off.

Charles listened intently, his fingers steepled under his chin. "So, Alice's ability is to analyse others' mutant powers," he mused. "Interesting. That could be incredibly useful for identifying mutants and understanding their capabilities."

"But," I interjected, "her ability only works within a certain range. It's not as powerful as we initially thought. It's more of a passive detection ability than something that can be used offensively."

Charles's interest seemed to wane slightly. "I see. So her ability has significant limitations. Still, it could be valuable in certain contexts. What concerns me more is how you were all defeated so swiftly."

I felt my face flush with embarrassment. "She's incredibly skilled in close combat. Her movements are fluid, and her reactions are almost instantaneous. We were simply outmatched in terms of hand-to-hand combat."

Charles sighed, a look of disappointment crossing his face. "You all underestimated her. This should serve as a lesson. Never assume your opponent is less capable than you. With proper training, each of you should be able to handle such a confrontation."

Scott, still simmering with anger, interjected, "We just need to be more prepared next time. She won't get the jump on us again."

Charles nodded. "Precisely. This defeat should motivate you to train harder and become more aware of your surroundings and your opponents' potential. Underestimating anyone, especially someone who could be a valuable ally or a significant threat, is a mistake we cannot afford."

I nodded, taking his words to heart. We had made a grave error in underestimating Alice, and it had cost us. But from this defeat, we could learn and grow stronger. As I left Charles's office, I resolved to train harder to ensure that next time we wouldn't be caught off guard. This was a lesson in humility and preparation, one I won't soon forget.

<Alice POV>

I and Felicia had been hanging out together more often lately, partly because Felicia was still fascinated by the so-called "bad luck" ability I had revealed to her. Today was no different as we strolled through the park, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

Felicia kept pressing me with questions about her newfound ability. "So, are you sure my bad luck power only works in my line of sight?" she asked for the tenth time.

I sighed, realising I had to clarify things once again. "Yes, Felicia. From what I can tell, your ability only affects things you can see. How it manifests and how you can control it is something you'll have to figure out on your own."

Just as I finished speaking, a pancake came flying out of nowhere, aimed straight at my head. I skillfully dodged it, but in the process, I tripped and fell right onto Felicia. We landed in a tangled heap on the grass, her laughter bubbling up immediately.

"Felicia, you idiot!" I growled, glaring at her. "Was it necessary to test your ability on me?"

Felicia managed to control her laughter long enough to respond. "I thought you were making it up, but seeing that pancake fly towards you and you skillfully avoiding it, I believe you now."

As we untangled ourselves and sat up, a silence fell between us. Felicia's expression shifted from amusement to something more serious. "Alice, did you make friends with me because of my ability?" she asked, her tone unusually earnest.

I looked at her, taken aback by the question. It was the first time I'd seen her so serious. "Like hell, I would," I replied with a stoic tone. "You were the one always dragging me along with you. Do you think I would go out of my way to make friends with someone with black magic?"

Felicia glared at me with resentment, and before I could say anything, a flower pot from a nearby window almost fell on me. I dodged it easily, but the dirt from the pot splattered all over my dress, leaving me covered in mud.

Felicia's expression changed to one of regret. "I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't know my bad luck could affect things to this degree."

I shook my head, trying to brush off as much dirt as I could. "Don't worry, Felicia. I'm fine. Just, please, next time, don't stare at someone with resentment. I think that's the key to activating your ability."

Felicia sighed and nodded. "Alright, I understand. But I owe you for this. How about I buy you a new dress to make up for it?"

I looked at her skeptically. "You don't have to—"

She cut me off. "I insist. Your clothes are ruined. Come on, let's go to the mall. My treat."

Before I could protest further, Felicia had already started dragging me towards the nearest mall. We entered, and I immediately felt out of place. This was one of the most expensive malls in the city.

"Felicia, this place is too expensive. I can't let you—"

She interrupted me again, a determined look in her eyes. "I said I'd take care of it. Come on, it'll be fun."

Inside the mall, Felicia headed straight for a boutique and began rifling through the racks. She pulled out a stunning one-piece dress and held it up for me to see. "Try this on."

I shook my head. "No way. It's too fancy."

She rolled her eyes. "Just try it on, Alice. Trust me."

I sighed, realising there was no winning this argument. I took the dress and headed to the fitting room. As I slipped it on, I had to admit that it looked pretty good. It was a simple yet elegant dress, hugging my figure in all the right places.

I stepped out of the fitting room, and Felicia's eyes lit up. "See? You look amazing!"

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Alright, fine. It does look good."

Felicia grinned and grabbed my hand, leading me to the cashier. "Let's get this then."

After the dress was paid for, we left the mall, and I felt a bit lighter. Despite the chaos and the unexpected revelations, it was nice to have a friend like Felicia, someone who could make me laugh and also stand by me during the craziness of my life.

As we walked back to my apartment, Felicia glanced at me. "You know, I really am sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to cause all that trouble."

I shrugged. "It's okay. We both learned something new today. Just be careful with that ability of yours."

Felicia nodded with a thoughtful look on her face. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Alice."

We reached my apartment, and I turned to her. "Do you want to come in for a bit?"

She shook her head. "I should get going. But I'll see you tomorrow?"

I smiled. "Definitely. Thanks for the dress, Felicia."

She waved as she walked away, and I watched her go, feeling grateful for her friendship. As I headed inside, I couldn't help but think about the future.

"Such misfortune!" I sighed.

Just as I was going to leave, I felt something in a certain direction calling my name, but I shrugged it off because I felt I was hallucinating.

I dialed a certain number and called.

"Alice, it is so rare to call me at this time, you need something."

"Yeah, Old man. Do you know Charles Xavier?"

"Are you talking about that bald with Ph.Ds. in Genetics, and founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

"Yeah, that one. I am now on his radar being suspected as Omega mutant..." I told him about my encounter with mutant with all detail except Felicia thing.

"I will contact him about it. Good thing is that you have fabricated your ability."

"Thanks old man."

"Can't call your elder in polite manner? It was a bad choice to let Hope and you befriend each other."

"Say hello Hope for me. And goodbye, I have many thing going on. Take care old man."

"Take care, you brat."