Chapter 9

"Can he really eat that much?" Colossus stared in disbelief as Hawking got up to get food for the thirtieth time, his fork suspended in mid-air.

To him, each of Hawking's servings seemed enough for an adult man to be full, yet Hawking had devoured thirty such servings and claimed he was only half-full.

"Hawking is really strong, stronger than Dad even. I've always suspected his power is super eating, which is why he's so strong!" Pietro explained with a touch of pride to a dumbfounded Colossus.

Colossus chuckled and shook his head, "Alright, Chef Yurg is really going to be busy today."

Indeed, as Colossus predicted, Chef Yurg, upon seeing Hawking approaching for more food, couldn't help but hold his forehead in despair, "Kid, do you realize you're about to eat the school out of a whole day's worth of food?"

The school, home to only a few dozen people including many children, didn't usually consume much food in a day. Many of the adults, particularly women, tended to eat lightly to maintain their figures.

"Yes, but that's because your food is too delicious, sir. By the way, is your ability telekinesis?" Hawking asked, noting the automatic food preparation behind Yurg and the self-serving ladles in front.

Pleased by the compliment, Yurg's mood visibly improved, "Yes, it's telekinesis, but I can't compare to Professor Jean. My power at its limit can only handle a few pounds."

"Thank you, I'll probably need about thirty more servings to be full. Sorry for the trouble," Hawking mentioned casually as he took his loaded tray from Yurg, leaving the chef momentarily overwhelmed.

Hawking had come to the mutant school precisely because he could eat to his heart's content without seeming out of place. Mutant abilities varied widely, such as telepathy, which many mutants shared though few could reach Professor X's level of proficiency.

Similarly, telekinesis varied in strength. Yurg, a level one mutant, maximized his power in cooking aid. In contrast, Jean, a level five mutant, could effortlessly levitate cars even as a child.

"Looks like I'll need to do a big grocery run tomorrow!" Yurg calculated, realizing the remaining food supplies would barely suffice for Hawking's appetite.

Half an hour later, after everyone else had finished their meals and left the dining hall, Hawking finally felt full—for the first time since arriving in this world.

"Do the professors usually not eat with us?" Hawking asked as they headed to their rooms after dinner, noticing none of the school's staff had dined with the students.

During their meal, none of the figures like Professor X, Storm, or Cyclops were present, which added to Hawking's unease recalling Storm's somber expression when they entered the school.

"We usually all eat together, but I didn't see them tonight either," Colossus responded, equally puzzled.

Hawking paused, "I hope it's not trouble already on my first day of school."

He shook off the feeling, deciding he might be overthinking things. While he hadn't heard any news about Wolverine, another staple character in X-Men crises, he resolved to stay alert and postpone any intense training until he was more familiar with the school's dynamics.

Little did he know, just after they left the cafeteria, a burly man in a leather jacket, puffing on a cigar—Logan, known as Wolverine—strode in briskly.

"Hey, Yurg, hit me with some dinner."

"Logan, when did you get back? Is everything taken care of?" Yurg brightened up seeing Logan, one of his few fellow smokers at the school.

"Just got back less than three hours ago. Things didn't go as planned. The professor sent me on a wild goose chase with that address; turned up nothing. Now he's gone and left me to babysit for a few days," Logan grumbled as he tossed a cigar to Yurg.

Yurg lit the cigar, "That explains why we haven't seen the professors tonight. Oh, sorry, you're too late. A new kid who can eat a ton just cleared out my stock for the next two days."

"Guess I'll check the fridge on the second floor for some snacks then," Logan resigned himself to scavenging for food, though he wouldn't suffer physically from not eating—the discomfort of hunger was still unpleasant.

Meanwhile, after returning to his room and completing several hundred preparatory exercises for sleep, Hawking sat cross-legged on his bed, turning to concentrate on gathering his Qi.

Focusing intently, he extended his index finger and slowly gathered a small orb of white energy around it, which flickered and vanished.

Qi, a concept from the Dragon Ball series he remembered, was a life force present in all living things, even plants. The Kamehameha, a technique from the series, involved harnessing Qi for a powerful burst of energy.

While Hawking's current physical condition wasn't on par with Goku's at thirteen—who could already perform the Kamehameha—he remembered enough from Goku's memories to sense and begin training his Qi. He might not be ready for a Kamehameha wave, but he could start with smaller energy manipulations, like creating simple energy balls.

As he was finally maintaining a marble-sized energy ball on his finger, a knock came at his door. Opening it, he found his younger siblings, Pietro and Wanda, in their pajamas, clutching their pillows.

"Hawking, we can't sleep. Can we stay with you?" they asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Of course," Hawking smiled, ushering them in, knowing they just needed a little more time to adjust to their new home.

(End of Chapter)