The bus rattled down the streets of New York City, students chattering around him, but Ethan barely paid attention. His focus was on the blonde girl sitting beside him, casually leaning against the window.
Ethan turned to her, offering an easygoing smile. "So, are you new?"
Paige glanced at him, arching an eyebrow. "You hittin' on me?"
Ethan smirked at the bluntness of the question. "Well, that depends. Are you invitin' me to?"
She let out a surprised laugh, shaking her head. "Smooth answer."
Ethan chuckled, enjoying the interaction despite himself. "No I'm not, but I do find you interesting."
Paige tilted her head slightly, studying him. Then she shrugged. "Yeah, I'm new. Only here for a semester, though."
Ethan's expression turned mildly disappointed. "That's a shame."
Paige smirked. "Don't sound too sad. You just met me."
Ethan grinned. "True. But it never hurts to have a friend in a new school. What do you say?"
Paige considered for a moment before smiling. "Alright. Friends it is."
They spent the rest of the bus ride chatting about nothing in particular.
Ethan wasn't interested in the conversation, but he played the part well and was engaging, responding, and occasionally throwing in a smirk or a comment that made Paige laugh.
Even if this relationship was temporary, creating a possible future ally or at least someone familiar could prove useful.
When the bus pulled up to Midtown High, Ethan stepped off, letting his eyes scan the crowds of students.
The school was exactly what he expected—a mix of cliques, gossiping teens, and the ever-present scent of cheap cafeteria food. All the things he hated the first time around and now he had to redo it.
Blending in should be easy. Except for one major problem. There were people here who knew him. People who recognized Ethan Kane, the teenager whose life he had taken over.
As he walked toward the school entrance, two students—one guy and one girl—approached him.
"Ethan!" the guy grinned, slapping him on the back. "Dude, where have you been? You just up and ghosted us. We thought you might be dead or something."
The girl crossed her arms, giving him a skeptical look. "You okay? You don't text, you don't call... We were seriously worried."
Ethan paused, keeping his expression carefully neutral.
'I have no idea who these people are.'
He could fake it, pretend to know them, but that risked complications. Instead, he went for something much simpler.
He let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah… about that. I suffered a head injury due to a battle near my house and got a major concussion. Got some amnesia from it. Can't remember much from before the hospital."
Their faces shifted from confusion to concern.
"Wait, seriously?" the girl asked. "You don't remember anything?"
Ethan shook his head. "Nope. Doctor says it might come back, but for now… nothing."
The guy hesitated. "Damn, man. That's rough."
Ethan offered a small, apologetic shrug. "Sorry, but… I don't even remember you guys. I don't really want to force memories, either. I'd rather just… move forward."
It wasn't excatly a clean break but it would allow him to make a start fresh. Now even if these two approached him they would do so with the knowledge that he remembered nothing.
The two students exchanged glances, clearly unsure how to react.
After an awkward pause, the girl sighed. "I get it… Well, if you ever need help remembering stuff, we're here. Okay well, we've gotta get to class we'll see you after school. My name is Amy and that's Chris by the way since you probably don't remember."
Ethan gave a polite nod. "Okay thanks, I appreciate it. I see you later then Amy, Chris."
Then, without another word, he walked away.
By the time Ethan made it to homeroom, the classroom was already half-full.
Students were still filing in, taking their seats, and chatting in small groups.
At the front of the room, a woman in her mid-20s leaned casually against the desk, flipping through some papers.
Platinum blonde hair. Striking green eyes. A white blouse tucked into fitted black slacks. She looked effortlessly confident, her presence exuding an energy that was almost predatory. In a sense, she looked like every teenage boy's fantasy of what teachers should look like.
The moment Ethan laid eyes on her, the system activated.
Ability Detected:
Tychokinesis – C-Rank
Ethan expected this as he instantly recognized the woman as Felicia Hardy also known as Black Cat. However, she wasn't supposed to be a substitute teacher. Which meant she was here for a reason.
Was it undercover work, investigating something, or stealing something?
Felicia glanced up from her papers, her eyes sweeping across the students before settling on each student for a brief second before moving on to the next.
Ethan held her gaze, offering a neutral expression before looking away as if she wasn't important. But he kept her in the corner of his eye the entire time.
Her C-Rank Tychokinesis was a form of bad luck manipulation that was nowhere near as potent as Domino's Probability Manipulation. Domino's ability not only caused bad luck for others but also gave him good luck.
Meaning that this was not an ability worth copying.
Ethan had no interest in second-rate powers when a more potent version existed out there.
He wasn't here for scraps but rather he was here to build the ultimate survival kit that could take on anything this universe threw at him.
The class was uneventful besides the fact that most of the male students were gawking at Black Cat. The female students were either disinterested or burning with petty jealousy at a woman more beautiful than them.
Felicia handed out a basic assignment, something that screamed "busywork" while she spent most of her time reading something on her phone.
Ethan played along, keeping his head down, blending in. But in the back of his mind, he was analyzing Felicia Hardy.
Why was she here?
Was she looking for something specific?
Could she be investigating someone at Midtown High?
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain, that she wasn't just a substitute teacher. This meant a major event would happen at this school soon enough and sadly Ethan was unprepared for such a thing. The fact that he had met two major characters meant that this would be bad.
Ethan made a mental note to keep an eye on her. After school, he should also hack into the school surveillance system. What he needed now more than anything was information. With that, he was sure he could figure out some way to stay safe and alive.
At lunch, Ethan found a quiet spot outside, away from the crowded cafeteria. As he ate, he thought about Paige Guthrie. Her Transitional Omni-Morph ability was unique and powerful.
But for the build that Ethan envisioned it was useless. Mystique's Shapeshifting was superior in every way. Copying Paige's ability would be a waste of a slot.
'Still… she might still be useful. As a friend or an ally especially since it seemed like something might be going down soon. Having a few pawns to move around might be enough. Paige and Felicia were readily available and he could manipulate them somewhat. As for backup, he could still call Peter Parker and have him join, same with Emma Frost.
Ethan leaned back, gazing up at the sky.
His first day at school had already presented a dangerous and interesting possibility.