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Faced with Norin's questioning, Scott was speechless.
In past missions, they'd seen children captured and experimented on.
But Scott had always believed the school, protected by the X-Men, was safe.
He never imagined that over a decade later, mutants would face devastation, with even powerhouses like Professor X and Magneto falling in battle.
They couldn't guarantee the school would remain untouched.
Yet, having students participate in combat training felt wrong.
This was the United States, deeply rooted in its culture. Such measures seemed extreme and contrary to freedom.
—
"How about this: Junior high students and above will have one practical training session per week. High school students will train daily."
"Those with combat abilities can join simulated combat training after three months."
Charles finally agreed to Norin's proposal.
He no longer had the confidence to protect all his students. The future had proven that.
If they couldn't rely on him, they needed the power to protect themselves.
Perhaps they could even contribute in the future.
Starting training now meant they'd be self-reliant in a decade.
Though a saint, Charles wasn't stubborn. Knowing the future, he had to adapt.
—
Once Charles agreed, the others stopped objecting.
Tasks were assigned.
Charles put Norin in charge of selecting the Super Seven. (TN: I know it is The Seven, but it will change to Super Seven in the Marvel world.)
Since Norin didn't want to lead, he'd handle recruiting, given his familiarity with the darker side of the world.
Norin didn't object. He was even eager.
Truthfully, he was the most suitable candidate for the Super Seven.
Homelander was called a mini-Superman.
Norin, however, was the real deal—a genuine superhuman with abilities like Superman's, including his bioelectric field. In the future, he'd gain even more powers, like freeze breath.
Before Norin's dimension travel, he'd considered trying the Homelander experience. Of course, he wasn't interested in the darker aspects—he wasn't that twisted.
But he'd given up.
The world was too complicated. Acting like Homelander would only get him beaten.
To do as he pleased, he'd need at least planetary-level strength.
And even then, it'd only last a few years before he'd burn out.
Homelander only dares to cause trouble in the world of *The Boys*. In Marvel, he'd be put in his place in minutes.
While Norin couldn't act like Homelander in Marvel—at least not yet—he could try it in *The Boys*. The competition there was weaker, giving him room to make a splash.
---
"Seven people... who should I choose?"
Originally, Norin thought the Super Seven should consist of the seven strongest mutants.
Otherwise, they wouldn't convince the public.
That would require Charles and Erik.
But one was in a wheelchair, and the other was a global fugitive. Neither was exactly marketable.
In this society, who wanted to see an old man in a wheelchair? Fans cared about looks. If you were old and disabled, who'd idolize you?
Erik might attract some fans—terrorists, anti-human groups, or violent maniacs who admired strength.
But these people were useless at best and harmful at worst.
Norin also considered recruiting based on the original Seven's lineup. Mutants had no shortage of abilities, so assembling a full team wouldn't be hard.
But their strength? That was another story.
If the team kept failing missions, the Super Seven would become a joke.
---
"What about Wolverine?"
Norin thought to himself. Regardless of other factors, Wolverine was a survivor. He wouldn't die easily.
Plus, he had a good image, appealing to young people.
Logan's occasional melancholy gave him a mysterious, story-filled vibe. He'd make a great star.
But considering Logan's stubborn personality, he'd likely refuse to join.
In the end, Norin decided to pick from the school's students.
He'd choose the best from what was available.
As he walked, Norin's thoughts drifted.
However, his feet carried him to Kitty's dorm.
He'd fed a wildcat yesterday, so today it was time to feed the housecat. He couldn't neglect either.
Plus, Kitty was on the verge of a secondary mutation. She needed extra attention.
Arriving at Kitty's dorm, Norin phased through the wall.
No words were spoken that night.
---
"Norin! I've gotten stronger!"
Early the next morning, Norin was woken by Kitty's excited shout.
He quickly covered her mouth. She was loud enough to wake the neighbors.
Kitty realized her mistake but couldn't contain her excitement. She whispered, "Just now, I phased through the wall and instinctively tried to breathe. Before, I'd get pushed back, but this time, I didn't need to breathe at all!"
Norin congratulated her. "Not bad. Anything else? I'm sure there's more."
Kitty nodded. "Let me try."
She prepared to demonstrate her molecular phasing, but Norin stopped her.
"Maybe we should do some morning exercises first."
An hour later,
Norin left the dorm in high spirits and returned to his office.
Yes, he now had his own office.
At yesterday's meeting, Norin had graduated on the spot, becoming an official X-Men member with the codename Dawn.
The name fit. As a Kryptonian, his power was tied to the sun.
Dawn was perfect.
At the school, official X-Men members had their own offices and two-bedroom staff dorms.
Since they were responsible for protecting students, their dorms were close to the student housing.
Norin's dorm was on the second floor, near Jean's and the girls' dorms.
The office, however, was rarely used. Most X-Men activities happened in the conference room or the underground base.
The office was mainly for lesson planning.
But Norin, despite being an official member, didn't take on teaching duties.
He was fine with that. Who wanted to teach when they could relax?
It was too much brainwork.
---
Back in the office, Norin first arranged for Kitty to take the day off, then tested her secondary mutation.
First, her improved phasing no longer required holding her breath. It seemed she was fully integrated with her surroundings, making breathing unnecessary.
Norin speculated that with this ability, Kitty could phase through the Earth's core and see the sleeping god Tiamut.
To prevent Tiamut from waking prematurely, he warned Kitty not to phase too deep.
At this stage, there was no solution for an early Tiamut awakening.
Second, while phasing, Kitty could now float. This was useful for her but meaningless for Norin.
He could already fly out of Earth's atmosphere if he wanted.
Kitty, however, could now experience flight.
Third, she could disrupt electronic devices while phasing and absorb energy attacks, making her immune to physical and most energy damage.
This ability was powerful.
As long as she was phasing, she was nearly invincible.
Additionally, with the breathing issue resolved, she could potentially phase indefinitely.
If Kitty had awakened to this level in *Days of Future Past*, the Sentinels couldn't have touched her.
The only concern was whether long-term phasing would have unforeseen side effects.
Norin also theorized that phasing might grant telepathic immunity.
Finally, there was the ability only the future Kitty had shown: consciousness time travel.
This ability seemed to touch on conceptual levels, allowing her consciousness to briefly return to the past and possess her past self, altering history and changing the future.
During the experiment, Kitty traveled back three days.
She even considered controlling her past self to find Norin.
Fortunately, Norin had warned her not to alter the past. After confirming the ability worked, she returned.
This power was incredible. While it didn't allow direct time travel, it hinted at the fundamental forces of the universe.
With further development, true time travel might be possible.
But Norin wasn't excited.
Time travel sounded fancy, but in Marvel, it was practically useless.
Many characters could time travel—Kang being the prime example.
But what was the point?
Time in Marvel was non-linear.
Changing the past only created a new timeline, branching into a parallel universe.
The original timeline remained unchanged, and its tragedies persisted.
Traveling to the past was easy; returning to the original timeline was the hard part.
With countless multiverses, who knew which one you came from? Your original world might be destroyed after you left.
Take Days of the Future Past. Did it really reverse the future?
Wolverine, Professor X, and Kitty still died.
Nothing changed.
Only Wolverine's consciousness survived.
---
While this ability seemed useless, it had its perks.
It offered a form of immortality.
If the world ended or your body aged, you could return to the past and live another life.
But Norin didn't think he'd ever fall to that level.
Kitty's power boost was a game-changer for both her and Norin.