Chapter 26

Kitty, Rogue, Bobby, Kurt, and Evans went to change. They wore the classic X-Men suits with the colors blue and yellow with an X symbol. They offered Ace if he wanted to wear one as well, but he refused. He didn't really like the uniform and it was going to be useless when he transformed into the Wolf Orphnoch. He also has the Hiden Metal suit underneath his clothes.

After they changed they then proceeded to the danger room. It was a large circular area with many panels and cameras on the walls. It uses advanced holographic technology to simulate any environment and enemies for training.

"So, how are we doing this?" Evan asked

"How about we see who could clear the obstacle course the fastest?" said Rogue

"Then that will be too one-sided for the others and they will just win." said Kitty

"How about this, we do three challenges. One will be defeating the enemies the fastest. Next would be an obstacle course and the last would be last man standing." said Bobby

"That sounds fair. It showcases everyone's strengths and weaknesses." said Kurt

"Then let's do it!" said Kitty raising her fist.

The danger room hummed to life and created an urban environment. It then created humanoid robots to serve as enemies. The goal was to defeat all 20 robots in the least time possible. Bobby was the first one to start the challenge. Bobby's X-Men codename is Iceman. True to his name, he can generate and manipulate ice. He can also turn his body into ice rendering him unaffected in sub-zero temperatures. He can also create different structures and projectiles by shaping his ice.

"This is going to be a breeze." said Bobby

The timer started and Bobby created ice bridges for him to travel and slide on. The robots start shooting at him, but he dodges them with ease. He shoots an ice blast disabling the robots. After 2 minutes, Bobby's run ended.

"Alright!"

"You make it look easy." said Ace

"Well, if you train with these buckets of bolts every day. It is pretty much smooth hailing."

"Ha, nice pun." said Evan, the rest only rolled their eyes.

"I guess now it's my turn."

Evan went next, his codename is Spyke. His power is Bone manipulation. He can grow his bones into spikes and use them as projectiles. He can also create bone armor around his body like an exoskeleton that can continuously regenerate.

Evan starts and he shoots his spikes at the robots piercing them. He creates an exoskeleton made of bones around himself to block the lasers of the robots. He continued to shoot more spikes and finished in 3.5 minutes. Evan doesn't have mobility like Bobby, so he is slower.

"Ah man, I couldn't beat your score." said Evan dejected

"Hahaha, better luck next time man." Bobby patted Evan's back

"Move aside boys it's my turn." said Kitty feeling confident

Kitty's codename is Shadow Cat. Her powers allow her to phase through any solid matter. She can also extend this ability to anything she touches or merges with when phasing.

The timer starts and Kitty sprints at the robots. The robots' lasers go through Kitty not harming her. She phases through the robots and they shut down. When she is phasing through an object with an electrical system, the process often disrupts the system's workings by interfering with the flow of power through the circuit.

She finished in 1.8 minutes, defeating Bobby's record.

"Ha! I win popsicle." said Kitty gloating about her victory to Bobby

"Dammit…" Bobby felt dejected and Kitty's gloating wasn't helping.

"My turn." Rogue's turn is next and she uses her powers to copy Bobby's powers.

"I going to power some of your powers Bobby." said Rogue as she touched Bobby's neck

"Hey, wai—" Bobby felt something leave him and he couldn't breathe for a second. Rogue stopped touching Bobby and her skin turned to ice. Bobby felt lethargic and had to sit down for a moment.

"Couldn't you give me a heads up?" said Bobby, still feeling tired.

"Sorry about that." Rogue replied

Rouge started and she created ice bridges the same as Bobby, but she was more precise with her control. She created sharp boomerangs made of ice and hurled them toward the robots. Bobby was shocked and felt dumb about why he couldn't think of that, instead of just blasting ice. Rogue finished in 1.6 minutes.

She nonchalantly walked over to Ace and asked him.

"What did you think, Ace?"

"Um, you did great. You were amazing." Ace nodded praising Rogue. She felt happy and stood beside him blushing.

"Well, now it's my turn. Let me show you how it's done."

Kurt's turn was next and he flipped, landing on the battlefield. His codename was Nightcrawler. The time started and Kurt kept teleporting near the robots. Kurt has superhuman agility and reflexes. He also can stick and climb walls due to his physiology.

Kurt uses his tail to throw a robot into another and teleports cars over a group of them. He is also doing acrobatics mid-air while fighting. Kurt is a natural showman and likes to show off his moves. He finished in 1.4 minutes. He returned back with a big grin on his face.

"And that is how it is done." Kurt bowed like a performer finishing his act.

"Impressive Kurt, teleporting is a great ability." said Ace

"Now it is your turn, my friend. With you being last. We expect something great." said Kurt

"Come to think of it. What is your power, Ace?" asked Kitty

"Then let me show you."

Ace went to the starting line and a blue aura covered him. He transforms into the Wolf Orphnoch, shocking the rest. Ace dashes and starts demolishing the robots. As a Wolf Orphnoch, Ace has enhanced speed and agility. He also has sharp claws, tearing through the robots. The robots shoot at him but they are unable to hit Ace. Ace reaches the last robot and bisects it from top to bottom.

He finishes in 1 minute and returns back to the rest of the group. He turned back into a human and the rest asked him questions.

"Ace what was that!? You were so cool!" said Kitty

"Are you a werewolf? Do you howl when it is a full moon?" asked Bobby

"How do your clothes disappear when you turn into that wolf?" asked Evan

They continued to ask questions and Ace tried to answer them. While all of this was happening many people were watching the danger room from the control room.

"What do you think?" asked Xavier

"Got to admit, the kids good." replied Logan

Xavier, Jean, Ororo, Scott, Logan, Hank, and Emma were watching the competition from the cameras in the control room. They all came to watch Ace's performance. Some were just curious, while others were analyzing how dangerous he was.

"The kid has been training, it is obvious from the way he moves." said Logan as he evaluated Ace's performance.

"The kid's got talent." said Scott

"Yes, young Ace has potential. It is a shame he doesn't want to join us." said Xavier

"The boy has gotten me curious. I have been trying to get into his mind, but I couldn't so much as read a thought. Have you two had any luck?" asked Emma

"No, it is as if he has immunity from telepaths." said Jean

"Yes, it seems even Ace himself is not aware of it." said Xavier as he watched Ace closely.

"By the way, what are you doing here? Don't you have other things to attend to?" said Jean to Emma

"Why couldn't I be here? I'm just curious about a potential new student, and from what I could see. He seems to be a splendid young man." replied Emma

Jean doesn't really like Emma. Emma had been trying to get closer to her for a long time now, but she felt something off from her. She doesn't outright reject her but her intuition is telling her not to get too close to her.

"Right…" said Jean watching Emma. The tension between the two gets intense and the men can do nothing but shut up. Even Scott, Jean's boyfriend, doesn't want to stick his head between the two.

"Okay you two, knock it off. Let us continue to watch the kids' performance." said Ororo

The two look away from each other with a "Hmph" and just focus on the monitors. The men breathed a sigh of relief. Two women fighting is not a good thing, especially if the two are exceptional telepaths.

…

The competition continued, next was an obstacle course. The danger room created multiple obstacles. There were laser mazes, pitfalls, closing walls, and other types of traps. They all stood next to each other in a line. The first one to complete the course was the winner. A bell sounded and everyone went their way.

Kurt uses his superhuman agility and reflexes while also teleporting. He is like a fish in water. He was about to reach the goal but suddenly something zoomed past him. It was Ace and with his speed, he was about to finish. Kurt panicked and immediately teleported to the finish line. Ace arrived shortly after.

"And here I thought I would win." said Ace

"I guess I shouldn't underestimate you, my friend. If I didn't quickly think you would have won." said Kurt

Rogue and Bobby soon followed. Rogue using Bobby's powers finished third place and Bobby was fourth. Bobby was frustrated because he lost to Rogue using his powers, but he could only blame himself for his inexperience. Kitty was next as she mostly phased through the obstacles and she was very athletic, but she was still at a human running speed. Evan was last as he had to go through the obstacles himself while getting distracted by the traps.

The last was a survival challenge. Everyone had to not be defeated while the danger room shot lasers or threw traps at them. The last one standing will be the winner. The challenge started and lasers and projectiles started flying everywhere. Everyone dodges like their life depends on it. Evan was the first to be eliminated. He can take hits but he is overwhelmed by the amount of projectiles coming at him. Rogue and Bobby were next. They could dodge using ice bridges and create walls of ice to block shots. They eventually ran out of stamina and were eliminated. Kitty hung in a bit longer but she relied on her powers too much, so she eventually lost her stamina.

Kurt and Ace were the only ones left. Kurt teleports all over the place and dodges projectiles with his agility. Ace uses his speed and senses to dodge. They were both nearing the end of their limit and they both got eliminated at the same time, making it a draw.

"It was a good match, Ace. You are a worthy opponent."

"You two Kurt." They both shook hands feeling respect for one another.

"Congrats you two. You were great." said Rogue

"Thank you," said Ace

The rest congratulated them and were also frustrated they lost. The people in the control room were also impressed. They have seen Ace's capabilities and felt proud to see their students improve.

"They have certainly improved. I'm proud of them." said Hank smiling at the students

"They could still use a bit more training." said Scott

"Come on Scott, don't be so strict with them." said Jean

Rogue suddenly kissed Ace on the lips and this was caught by Logan. He became infuriated and rushed out of the room, heading to the danger room. The rest noticed this and felt Logan might go too far.

"I hope he doesn't push him too far." said Xavier, and the rest of the X-Men began to get worried.

***

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