Chapter 52: Jean's Decision

Once Jean finished doing whatever she was doing in the bathroom, we just waited in the room for Professor X while conversing, and a few minutes later, I saw Professor standing right outside our door. Standing up, I approached the door, and just when he was about to knock, I opened it, causing him to raise an eyebrow while retracting his hand.

"Must've heard me coming, Pharaoh." Said Professor lightly as he looked up at Pharaoh with a smile.

"Well, I saw you at the door, but yeah, I did hear you coming; your wheelchair is kinda loud and distinct, so kind of hard to miss." Replied Pharaoh with a nod as he moved out of the way, allowing Professor X to enter the room before he closed the door behind him.

"Good morning, Professor." Said Jean with a smile as she waved at Professor X, who nodded in return.

"Good morning to you too as well Jean. So, how was your first experience? Not terrible, I hope." Asked Professor X with a slight smile as he neared Jean while Pharaoh hopped on his bed, watching the two.

"Eh, no, it definitely wasn't terrible; it was actually quite fun; everyone was nice and unique; I even made a few friends as well." Remarked Jean enthusiastically with a smile, causing Professor X to also smile.

"I'm glad to hear such pleasant news, Jean, and now that you've gotten to experience the front of the school, I think it's about time you understand the more dangerous parts of the school, if you will call it as such." Said Professor X with a soft smile before turning slightly serious, which slightly confused Jean.

"Dangerous part? What do you mean by that; isn't this place supposed to be a safe haven for young Mutants to grow up without being ostracized by society?" Questioned Jean in confusion as she frowned and furrowed her brows while skeptically eyeing Professor.

"Yes, of course, Jean; this school is meant to provide Mutants like yourself a place to feel safe and at ease. However, not all students are as lucky as you, Jean; they don't have a powerful friend capable of protecting you from people who wish to harm you." Replied Professor X with a nod before gesturing to Pharaoh, who waved his hand.

"The world doesn't view us Mutants kindly, and some even wish to harm us for various reasons, whether it be to learn how us mutants operate or to simply inflict harm on us through their hatred for us. Sometimes, innocent and confused kids get caught up in the world's hatred for mutants, and they'll be forced to experience terrible things; that's why I built this school so I could find and save such children who were treated unjustly; however, such a thing isn't easy, and that's where the X-Men come in." Added Professor X lightly with a frown, while both Pharaoh and Jean scowled as well.

"Envy, greed, and fear can cause humans to do many terrible things." Said Pharaoh with an intense gaze as he looked at Jean, while Professor X nodded in agreement.

"Couldn't have worded it better myself, young Pharaoh." Said Professor X with a wry smile as he cleared his throat and shifted his focus back to Jean.

"The X-Men, who you've met before, is a group of specialized individuals picked after rigorous training to go and find young mutants in dire need of help. It's not an easy job, and it's very perilous as use mutants aren't invincible; over the years, a few of us X-Men have died, and some weren't so lucky to meet a quick end. However, even after knowing all of this and the dangers that come with being an X-Men-" Added Professor X solemnly, though he wasn't able to finish speaking as Jean had cut him off.

"Yes!" Said Jean with a determined expression as she stared at Professor X, who raised an eyebrow at her remark.

"Could you elaborate, please?" Asked Professor X curiously as he looked at Jean.

"Yes, I'll become an X-Men! W-When Lily died, I-I felt her every emotion, and I don't want anyone else to be forced to experience such terrible emotions!" Stated Jean determinedly as she looked down and clenched her fist, the mention of Lily causing Pharaoh to frown while Professor X looked slightly surprised.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Jean, but I wasn't going to ask you to be an X-Men; you're merely 12 and only awakened your mutant abilities two days ago, making you X-Men would be foolish on my part. Besides, I was going to ask if you'd like to see the underside of the school, not joining the X-Men." Remarked Professor with a slight smile while shaking his head, causing Jean to blush slightly, though she was still as determined as before.

"Oh, y-yes, please, Professor." Said Jean lightly with a nod, prompting Professor X to nod while turning around and exiting the room, followed by her and Tut.

Closing the door behind me, I caught up to Jean and looked at her as we walked through the school, though she seemed too preoccupied with her own thoughts even to notice me.

"Were you serious about earlier, Jean?" Asked Tut, eyeing Jean's expression as she looked at him while nodding.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Tut, but I don't want anyone to experience those same emotions that I felt, especially not children like you or me." Replied Jean with an apologetic yet determined expression as she looked up at Tut, who gave her a skeptical look.

"No need to apologize, Jean, but you should know if you do decide to become an X-Men, you'll be putting your own life in danger for a bunch of people you don't even know; do you think you could do that?" Asked Pharaoh with a shake of his head as he looked at Jean with a frown, who stayed silent at his words.

"I-I don't know; I'm just a child; I don't even know what it really feels like to have my life in danger." Said Jean in confusion as she looked at Pharaoh before looking back towards the ground.

"All I know is I want to help those people, just like you, Tut." Added Jean with a small smile, though her words confused Tut.

"Like me? I don't think I've ever helped anyone in need. I mean, I helped your sister one time, but that's about it." Remarked Pharaoh with a thoughtful expression as he looked at Jean, who shook her head.

"What about all those times you stopped the bullies at school? Or all the times you help Ms. Rand after hours?" Questioned Jean with a slight smile, causing Pharaoh to look away awkwardly.

"Eh, I'm mainly stopping those bullies since they like to gang up on smaller kids, and that's weak. Ms. Rand, well, I just helped her 'cause she was hot, and things went from there." Replied Pharaoh, causing Jean's smile to deepen, only for it to disappear instantly as she glared at him.

"Haa, nonetheless, Tut, you're still helping people, even outside the school. What about when you helped that cat from down the tree, when a kid's kite almost got blown away, or when you helped that old couple a few houses down to move? They wouldn't have been able to do that by themselves." Stated Jean as she leaned closer to Tut every time she brought up his past accomplishments, causing him to lean backward.

"I didn't even know that cat was initially in the tree when I climbed it; besides, it was a cat; it could've gotten down on its own. I was trying to stop the kite from getting tangled in powerlines, and I was merely assisting my Dad, who started helping first." Said Pharaoh, though Jean didn't seem to believe him; however, before she could press one, the slowly suddenly changed.

'Eh, it's the silver hallway from before.' Mused Pharaoh as he looked around, nearly able to see his reflection in the wall.

"Yo, Professor, where exactly are we going?" Asked Pharaoh curiously as he looked at Professor X, who had been silently leading the way.

"I shall show you two a few of the most important facilities in the compound: Cerebo, Danger Room, Holding Cells, War Room, and the Medical and Research labs. First will be Cerebo, as it's the closest." Replied Professor X as he took a left down a long hallway, Jean and Pharaoh closely following behind him.

"Well, I can already see all five of them, along with another room you didn't bother to mention." Remarked Pharaoh as he eyed the five rooms before suspiciously eyeing Professor X, who sighed in response.

"That sixth room is something I'd prefer to keep secret." Said Professor X lightly, earning him a nod from Pharaoh after a few moments.

"What's Cerebro, Professor?" Asked Jean curiously as the group stopped before a large, reinforced silver door.

"Cerebro is the place where I locate mutant children in need of rescue or help." Replied Professor X with a slight smile as he stood before the door, which opened suddenly, revealing a long walkway that led to the middle of a large spherical room.

"Woah, so big." Muttered Jean in surprise as she and Tut walked out onto the long walkway while observing the spherical room.

"That's what she said." Said Pharaoh quietly as he also looked around, noticing a control panel and a helmet with various wires attached to it at the end of the walkway.

"Wild guess, but does this place enhance your telepathic powers or something?" Added Pharaoh curiously once the three arrived at the end of the walkway, his words surprising Professor X.

"Why yes, it is, you're very intelligent, Pharaoh." Remarked Professor X with a raised eyebrow as he stopped before the control panel and pressed a button, causing the room to make a vibrating sound.

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So, what room could Professor X possibly be keeping secret from Pharaoh and Jean? Don't ask me, cause I forget.