Later, within the corridors of Bayville High, Ben's eye caught Todd slipping into the school's main office, where Principal Raven Darkhölme held court.
Interested, he followed both Todd and Raven sneakily, and he couldn't help but admire Raven's ass; and caress his dragon, while murmuring, "If I get a chance, I will also pierce her ass with my Dragon."
Soon he noticed that Darkhölme metamorphosed into a large, alien-like monster, and seeing that, Todd became very fearful.
She also ordered Todd to infiltrate the Xavier Institute, which he fearfully nodded.
Seeing all of these, Ben understood that Darkhölme is also a mutant.
———
At the same time, inside the peaceful halls of the Xavier Institute, Professor Xavier and Ororo Munroe walked with Kurt Wagner, guiding him to his new space.
"Kurt, this is your room," Xavier said with a warm smile, pointing to the door.
Kurt blinked in surprise. "Wait… this is my own room?"
He couldn't hide his excitement. He had never had a room to himself before.
Xavier chuckled and added, "Not just the room. I have something else for you."
He handed Kurt a small device. "This is called an Image Inducer. It lets you appear human to others. Your real form—blue and furry—will still be there, but people will see you as a regular person."
Kurt stared at the device, amazed. "Thank you, Professor," he said gratefully.
Just then, his eyes landed on something else—his very own X-Men uniform, neatly laid out in the room.
His smile grew even wider.
———
Meanwhile, back at school, the resonating bell signaling the end of lunch prompted Ben to observe Todd's approach towards Scott.
Meanwhile, back at school, the lunch bell rang, and students started heading back to class. Ben stayed behind, watching as Todd walked up to Scott Summers.
Trying to show off, Todd jumped over the lockers and used his long tongue to snatch Scott's glasses. Grinning, he teased, "Come on, show me what you've got! Use your powers!"
Scott shook his head. He didn't want to. But Todd kept pushing—until suddenly, Scott's eyes flashed red and released a powerful optic blast.
Before the blast could hit anything, everything froze.
It happened because Ben had frozen the time.
Annoyed, Ben looked at Todd and snapped, "You idiot! If he doesn't want to use his powers, why keep provoking him?"
Though time was frozen, Scott and Todd were still aware of what was happening—stuck in place, but able to think and feel the moment.
Ben stepped forward calmly, took Scott's sunglasses from mid-air, and looked at Todd. Without hesitation, he punched Todd several times—quick and clean. Then, Ben put the glasses back on Scott and, with a small wave of his hand, resumed the time.
Everything moved again.
Todd stumbled back in shock, now with a sore face. Scott blinked, glasses back on, confused about what just happened. But deep down, both of them realized… someone else at school had mutant powers—and serious ones.
As time returned to normal, Todd and Scott turned to Ben, both shocked and unsure of what to say. The air felt heavy with tension. Scott broke the silence first, his voice serious.
"Ben, meet me later this evening. We need to talk in private," he said, before walking away.
Ben nodded and left as well, leaving Todd behind. Todd, always dramatic, didn't bother with the door—he leapt right out of a nearby window, making his own wild exit.
———
Later at the Xavier Institute, Professor Charles Xavier sat in his office, looking at a glowing alert on Cerebro. A new mutant had just been detected. At the same time, Scott called him, feeling the weight of the day's strange events.
"Professor," Scott began, "Ben used some kind of power. He froze my optic blast—right in the air. And that guy Todd… he was like a dead pig with frog powers. It was weird."
Xavier listened calmly, then gently reminded him, "Scott, remember—the X-Men never turn their backs on anyone. Everyone deserves a chance."
Still unsure, Scott asked, "Should we try inviting both Todd and Ben to the Institute?"
Xavier paused, thinking carefully. "No. Not both. Just Ben, for now," he said wisely. "Let's take this one step at a time."
———
Meanwhile, Nightcrawler walked into the room, curious about the machine in front of Professor Xavier.
"What does this do?" he asked.
Xavier smiled. "This is Cerebro. It helps me find mutants when their powers first appear. It's how I found you, Kurt."
———
Using his telepathic powers, Xavier reached out to Ororo Munroe.
"Ororo," he said in her mind, "someone new is coming to the academy tonight. Can you meet him and see what he can do?"
Ororo answered with a calm voice, "Of course, Professor. I'd be happy to."
———
That night, Todd put on a battle suit and quietly approached the Xavier Mansion. Storm clouds rumbled above, and lightning lit up the sky. Rain poured down, but Todd didn't slow down—he flipped and dodged through the storm with ease.
With a loud yell, Todd broke through the door—only to crash right into Nightcrawler.
Todd couldn't help himself and murmured. "Whoa! What are you, some kind of ratty plush toy?"
Nightcrawler raised an eyebrow and replied coolly, "Ugh. The name's Nightcrawler. And at least I don't smell like dirty socks."
Annoyed, Todd snapped, "You blue-furred freak!" and lunged at him.
The fight began fast and wild. Todd jumped and lashed out with his tongue, but Nightcrawler kept teleporting out of reach, dodging every hit.
In the middle of the fight, Professor Xavier's voice echoed through the mansion. He announced, "Todd has passed the test." It was a surprise, showing that Todd could join the X-Men—if he wanted to.
But Todd refused. Standing firm, he shouted, "No way I'm joining the X-Men! I'm gonna rip that tail off, you fuzzy lizard!" He kept attacking Nightcrawler, still angry and wild.
Trying to stop the fight, Nightcrawler teleported them both into the Danger Room, a special training area full of traps and machines. Right away, the room activated, and they were forced to dodge lasers, walls, and metal tentacles.
Seeing how dangerous it was getting, Professor Xavier quickly called Jean Grey and Cyclops. He told them to save Todd and Nightcrawler fast.
When the two arrived, Cyclops blasted the cannons, destroying them one by one. Jean used her telekinesis to push away the tentacles, saving Nightcrawler just in time.
Watching Jean use her powers so perfectly, Nightcrawler smiled and said, "You're like an angel!"
Jean laughed and teased, "Sometimes. What about you? Are you a demon?"
After being rescued, Todd ran off quickly. Cyclops tried to stop him, but he was hurt and couldn't catch up. Todd got away.
Watching everything, Xavier quietly said, "He's not ready to be an X-Man yet."
As Todd got ready to leave the X-Men's mansion, with a mix of anger and confusion on his face, he suddenly ran into Wolverine. But instead of fighting or stopping him, Logan just let Todd walk past, saying nothing.
Wolverine turned to Professor Xavier and said, "I came back because I thought I smelled trouble." He glanced toward Todd and added with a smirk, "Or maybe it was just stink-boy over there…"
Xavier chuckled and replied, "I wish that were all. Welcome home, old friend. We've missed you." Their short talk showed how close they were, and how long they'd known each other.
Meanwhile, Cyclops was thinking about Ben Tennyson. He walked up to Professor Xavier and asked seriously, "Sir, what about Ben Tennyson? Should we invite him?"
Xavier thought for a moment and then nodded. "I didn't sense any mutant powers from him, but go ahead—you can try to recruit him."
It was clear that even if Ben wasn't a typical mutant, Xavier believed in giving people a chance.
The next day at Bayville High School, in Principal Darkhölme's office, the mood was tense. Todd had just returned from his wild encounter at the X-Mansion and his narrow escape from the X-Men.
Todd gave a weak excuse for what happened, but Principal Darkhölme wasn't buying it. She guessed that Xavier might've erased Todd's memory, something that made her even more upset. With a cold voice, she told him to get out of her office.
What neither of them knew was that Ben Tennyson was hiding in the shadows, quietly watching everything.
Then, right in front of Ben, Principal Darkhölme shifted shape, her body transforming into the blue-skinned form of Mystique. She looked angry as she let her frustration out. From his hiding spot, Ben whispered with a curious smile, "So she's Mystique… and she can change into non-human forms in this universe? Interesting." It made him chuckle—after all, in Universe 421, Mystique couldn't do that.
As the air grew heavy with tension, a deep, mysterious voice echoed, warning Mystique not to be too hard on Todd. "We need everyone we can get," it said.
Mystique nodded, calming herself. "I'll be careful," she replied.
Suddenly, the metal objects in the room floated, spinning slowly in the air. The voice became clearer—it was Magneto.
"This is only the beginning," he said, his voice dark and powerful.