What?!
Gambit's eyes flew wide open, his face filled with disbelief.
That young man had taken his attack—head-on—with nothing but his bare body, and didn't even flinch?
He looked utterly relaxed, completely unbothered.
How is that possible?!
Didn't he just blow away that giant brute—Wolverine—like it was nothing?
Clearly, he had misjudged the kid.
This young man might look youthful, but he was anything but ordinary.
In that instant, Gambit dropped all thoughts of underestimating him.
Suddenly, he flipped the poker table in front of him with one swift motion and reached for the gentleman's cane resting by his feet.
To the untrained eye, it looked like an ordinary cane.
But it was actually Gambit's weapon of choice.
BOOM!
A loud rumble echoed as Wolverine shoved aside the debris that had buried him and stepped through the wreckage.
He stalked toward Gambit, fury in his eyes.
But before Logan could get close, Gambit's expression twisted into a sharp grin.
He twirled his cane with a flourish and slammed it into the ground.
WHOOOM!
A massive energy shockwave exploded outward, cracking the floor and sending rubble flying.
Tables flipped, poker chips scattered, and chaos erupted throughout the casino.
Screams filled the air as patrons ran for their lives.
"Mutant!"
"He's a mutant!"
Cries of panic rang out in all directions.
Poor Logan had only just gotten up before he was blasted back again, spinning through the air like a leaf in a storm.
But Alex?
Gambit's smile froze on his face like a glitching video frame.
That teenager was still sitting there—calm, unmoved, untouched.
Not a single hair out of place.
What the hell…
Gambit's heart skipped a beat. This time, he wasn't just surprised—he was terrified.
He hadn't held back just now. That had been a full-power strike.
And it hadn't even made Alex blink.
What kind of freak is this guy?!
"Time for Plan B: RUN."
Gambit made a snap decision. No way was he sticking around.
Like a rat seeing a cat, he turned and bolted.
"Hey!" Wolverine shouted, rising again from the rubble and charging after him.
WHIP-WHIP-CRACK!
Gambit spun, his cane flashing through the air and slamming Logan back down again.
Honestly, Logan's hand-to-hand skills were pretty bad—he mostly relied on his healing factor to muscle through fights.
Compared to Gambit, his technique was laughable.
Gambit grinned smugly, watching Logan tumble to the floor again.
As Logan came at him once more, Gambit launched into another rapid cane spin and drove it into the ground again.
BOOM!
Harnessing the explosion's recoil, he launched himself upward—soaring 20 to 30 meters into the air and landing cleanly on the rooftop above.
He allowed himself a small smirk, stashing the cane away, ready to make his escape.
But then he turned his head—
And froze.
That kid again.
Alex stood on the rooftop, arms folded, staring at him with a mocking grin.
"Sh*t."
Gambit's face turned pale.
How the hell did he get up here?!
What kind of monster was this guy?
"What do you want from me?" Gambit asked, sounding both irritated and resigned.
"I already told you," Alex said calmly.
WHOOSH!
Before Gambit could blink, Alex vanished from view—and reappeared right in front of him.
"WHAT?!"
Gambit gasped, nearly biting his tongue.
That speed… what even IS that speed?!
SMACK!
In the next instant, Alex grabbed him by the throat and lifted him clean off the ground.
"Did you really think," Alex said coldly, "that you still had a choice?"
"Let… go… of me!" Gambit struggled, pouring all his strength into breaking free.
But it was like trying to wrestle a grizzly bear. He couldn't move.
"YAAAHH!"
Desperate, Gambit charged his cane with energy and swung it toward Alex—
But Alex's other hand snapped up, and caught it effortlessly.
The immense energy Gambit had charged into it fizzled out like it was nothing.
Alex gave a slight tug—yank!
The cane flew out of Gambit's grasp, and Alex casually tossed it aside.
WHOOSH!
Without wasting another second, Alex flung Gambit off the roof.
"AHHHHH!"
Gambit's scream echoed as he tumbled through the air like a rag doll.
Normally, he could've cushioned his fall by charging his cane and launching a counter-blast to slow descent.
But now? He was unarmed.
And while he was stronger than an average human… from 30 meters up, even a mutant could die.
WHOOSH!
But just before he hit the ground, the world blurred again.
Alex appeared beneath him, caught him mid-fall like a sack of potatoes, and dropped him to the ground like a dead dog.
Logan blinked, stunned.
He just stared at Alex, speechless, mind racing to keep up.
He had completely underestimated this kid. He never imagined someone so young could be this insanely powerful.
Gambit, panting and stunned, lay on the ground, glaring up at Alex.
He coughed and spat, then croaked, "What the hell are you?!"
Truth be told, Gambit had met plenty of mutants in his life—but never anyone like this.
"Okay! Okay!"
Seeing Alex's gaze lock onto him again, Gambit raised his hands in surrender.
"You want the location of that base? I'll tell you!"
"See? That wasn't so hard." Alex shrugged and stepped closer. "Talk."
Gambit groaned, got up slowly, dusted himself off, and grumbled, "Damn it… these clothes are new… Fine. You want to know where the place is? I've changed my mind."
"…You screwing with me?" Alex's eyes narrowed, and a sharp gleam flashed across them.
"Whoa, hey—don't get the wrong idea!" Gambit waved his hands quickly. "I mean, I'm not just gonna tell you where it is… I'm gonna take you there."
That was more like it.
Alex gave him a look and said half-smiling, "You sure? You barely escaped the first time."
"You're right," Gambit admitted with a shrug. "I do want that place destroyed. I am afraid of being caught again—but now?" He glanced at Alex.
"With a monster like you around? That island doesn't seem so scary anymore."
"Count me in too," said Logan, stepping forward with a firm look.
He glanced between Alex and Gambit. It was clear—Alex was calling the shots.
"I've got one condition," Alex said seriously, turning to Logan and echoing his earlier words.
"Don't get in my way."
Logan winced a little.
But facing someone this overwhelmingly powerful, he could only swallow his pride.
"…Fine."
"Heads up. We've got company," Gambit said suddenly, glancing toward the street.
Logan turned—and his face darkened.
A blockade of heavily armed police had closed in on their position.
Dozens of weapons were trained on them.
"Hands in the air! Where we can see them!" a SWAT commander shouted through a bullhorn.
Logan sighed. "This wasn't part of the plan."
SNIKT!
His adamantium claws sprang free.
BOOM!
But before he could even make a move, he felt a sudden gust of wind—and a low, thunderous sonic boom.
Alex vanished from his side, becoming a streak of motion that darted through the police barricade, then reappeared beside them just as quickly.
Behind him, the entire squad of officers collapsed with muffled groans.
Gambit: "…"
Wolverine: "…"
What… the hell…
They didn't even have time to react.
They just saw Alex blur for a moment, and it was done.
Every single cop had been KO'd.
This guy was seriously a monster.
But then again—both Gambit and Logan found themselves smirking.
Because this monster was headed straight for Stryker.
And honestly? That felt pretty damn good.
"Let's move."
Alex's voice rang out as he casually stepped over the unconscious officers and walked forward.
Logan and Gambit shook themselves out of their stupor and quickly followed.
The three of them disappeared down the dirty street like a storm front.
---
"Alright, Gambit—where are we going?" Logan asked eagerly once they were in the clear.
"Hold your horses," Gambit said with a mysterious grin.
"First, I want to show you boys something special—my 'big baby.'"
"…Big baby?"
Even Alex looked curious.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at an old farmhouse.
And there it was.
A wrecked, half-dead airplane, practically falling apart.
"Jealous, aren't you? This is my big baby—won her in a poker game!" Gambit said proudly.
Even though it looked like scrap metal, hey—it was still an airplane. Not everyone had one of those.
"You're flying that thing to a black ops mutant lab?" Logan looked both amused and horrified.
"Isn't that a bit... flashy?"
"Buddy, flashy is my style. Get used to it," Gambit winked.
Alex, meanwhile, looked completely unimpressed.
To him, the thing was so low-tech it was almost insulting.
He could fly faster than this junk pile.
Still, he didn't say anything.
It wasn't about the ride—it was about getting the job done.
And besides, they'd need this heap of metal to extract the other mutants later.
He couldn't exactly carry them all on his back.
"Alright boys, you ready?" Gambit clapped his hands excitedly.
"My baby's been dying for some action!"
He hopped into the cockpit and waved them in.
WHOOSH!
Moments later, the rickety plane took to the sky.
Alex stayed calm, of course.
But Logan?
The gruff, steel-nerved Wolverine?
He curled up in his seat like a terrified squirrel, barely breathing.
"First time flying?" Gambit couldn't resist laughing.
Plenty of people were nervous their first time.
But seeing Wolverine this freaked out?
That was a bonus Gambit didn't see coming.
"Just fly the damn plane," Logan grumbled.
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