A year passed, and after incessant prodding by young Tavor, Scott finally relented and allowed Tavor to accompany him to the danger room.
PTSSST!
The thick metal doors slid apart revealing a nearly featureless room of truly massive proportions.
Tavor and Scott walked side by side to the very heart of the room and stopped.
Scott reached up towards the side of his visor.
"Jean activate the room at the absolute lowest level, I'll show Tavor the ropes!"
Jean Grey, who was in the control room, began pressing a series of buttons before pulling a lever to its lowest level.
The danger room darkened for a moment before suddenly changing to daytime in an open field, with a group of slow-moving unmanned biplanes encircling them.
"Wanna see something cool?" Scott said before turning his visor to its most accurate but low-powered setting.
"Yes, yes, yes, let me see!" Tavor's eyes sparkled, as he had always wanted to see Scott use his mutant powers.
A deep blue biplane flew towards them, and Scott's visor began to glow with an intense red light.
BOOOOOSH...
A light of brilliant crimson shot out from Scott's visor and sliced through the right wing of the incoming biplane causing it to spin and fall to the ground before erupting into flames.
Tavor's eyes practically glowed as he observed this, his tail swaying with anticipation, and as Scott continued to unleash beams of crimson light, an intense feeling of battle lust built within him.
"Sooooo cool, I wanna shoot laser beams too!"
As he thought this, a feeling of pressure began to flow within his being, and as it did, a small but noticeable blue-white light began to form deep within his irises, and as the pressure increased, he was unable to hold it back.
"Aghh... Mr Scott... It... It feels AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!!"
Before he could finish his sentence the pressure overwhelmed him and he unleashed a wide fan of energy from his eyes that struck multiple biplanes, blasting them from the sky.
Tavor closed his eyes as the pressure subsided, but after opening them once more, the whites of his eyes appeared reddened and irritated.
Scott, who witnessed all of this from the beginning, was unable to stop himself from staring in awe. "Is his mutant ability similar to mine?" Scott was astonished by this, but he was not the only person whose jaw dropped.
Jean Grey, who was up in the control room, stood up so fast that her chair fell backwards, a look of absolute wonder and excitement adorning her lovely face.
Tavor looked up at Scott's expression and felt like he had done something wrong. "I... I'm sorry, Mr. Scott."
Scott shook his head and smiled. "You have nothing to apologize for, Tavor!" He ruffled Tavor's hair, which to this day has yet to grow beyond the spiky medium length it was when they discovered him.
"I wonder why his hair has not grown, how odd."
The biplanes that crashed faded away and new ones took their place in the sky.
Scott looked at Tavor. "Can you do that again, those blue energy beams."
Tavor turned towards the biplanes and attempted to use the same eye beams as before, but after several long seconds, nothing happened.
Scott watched Tavor stare at the sky for several more seconds, waiting for another blast of blue-white energy to emerge from the young Saiyan's eyes.
Nothing happened.
The biplanes continued circling lazily overhead.
Tavor's shoulders drooped.
"...It won't work."
The disappointment in his voice was immediate.
Scott crouched down and gently patted him on the shoulder.
"It's okay."
Tavor looked up.
Scott smiled.
"Sometimes powers don't cooperate the first time. Trust me, I have plenty of experience with that."
The young Saiyan seemed to brighten slightly.
Scott stood and adjusted his visor.
"Would you like to take a more physical test instead?"
Tavor tilted his head.
"A physical test?"
Scott nodded.
"Maybe a fight."
The words had barely left his mouth before Tavor's eyes lit up like stars.
"A fight?!"
His tail shot straight upward.
"Really?!"
Scott immediately regretted his choice of wording.
"...A controlled fight."
Tavor nodded so fast it looked like his head might detach from his neck.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
High above in the control room, Jean covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
"He is definitely a battle junkie!"
Scott glanced toward the observation window.
"I'm starting to suspect that too."
Tavor bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet.
"Who am I fighting?"
Scott pressed two fingers against the side of his visor.
"Jean."
"Yes?" her voice crackled through the communication system.
"Activate a copy simulation."
Jean blinked.
"You want me to make a clone?"
"Lowest settings."
Scott looked down at Tavor.
"Very lowest."
Her fingers danced across the control console.
Deep within the walls of the Danger Room, machinery awakened.
Lights flickered.
Hidden projectors activated.
A low mechanical hum filled the chamber.
The open field around them shimmered slightly.
Then, several feet away from Tavor, countless glowing pixels suddenly appeared.
Tiny squares of blue light swirled together.
Thousands, then millions.
They gathered into a humanoid outline.
Tavor's excitement surged, and his eyes widened.
The glowing figure rapidly gained detail.
Arms.
Legs.
A tail.
Spiky black hair.
Dark eyes.
Saiyan armor.
Within moments a perfect duplicate stood before him.
The clone looked exactly like Tavor.
Every strand of hair, every piece of armor.
Even the tiny scratches and scuffs upon the chestplate had been recreated.
The clone blinked.
Tavor blinked.
The clone blinked back.
"..."
"..."
The two stared at one another.
Jean leaned forward in her chair.
Scott folded his arms.
Several monitoring screens began displaying combat statistics.
Tavor slowly pointed.
The clone slowly pointed.
Tavor tilted his head.
The clone tilted its head.
The resemblance was so absurdly perfect that even Scott found it unsettling.
"Okay..." Scott admitted.
"That's a little creepy."
Then Tavor grinned.
A wide, eager grin filled with excitement.
Across from him, the clone grinned as well.
The exact same grin.
The exact same excitement.
The exact same battle hunger.
Scott's smile slowly disappeared.
"Jean."
"Yes?"
"Tell me that thing doesn't have his personality."
Jean glanced down at the readings.
Her expression froze.
"..."
"Jean?"
"...It has his behavioral profile."
Scott immediately took a step backward.
"Oh no."
Tavor and his clone slowly lowered themselves into identical fighting stances.
Two tails swayed behind them.
Two sets of dark eyes locked onto one another.
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Even at the lowest setting, even with a child, even with a simulation.
Something about the scene made the hairs on Scott's neck stand up.
Then both Tavors shouted simultaneously.
"LET'S GOOOOOO!"
BOOM!
The simulated ground beneath their feet cracked as both Tavors launched forward simultaneously.
Neither hesitated.
Neither flinched.
Neither even considered dodging.
Their fists pulled back.
Two identical grins stretched across two identical faces.
Then...
POW!
Their punches collided directly with each other's cheeks.
A shockwave burst outward.
Dust exploded from beneath their feet.
The surrounding grass simulation flattened in a wide circle.
Scott blinked.
Jean leaned closer to her monitors.
Both Tavors skidded backward several feet.
Then stopped.
Slowly...
The two children turned their heads back toward one another.
Grins spread wider across their faces.
"Wooooah!"
"That was awesome!"
The two shouted simultaneously.
Scott's eye twitched.
"Why are they enjoying this?"
Jean didn't answer.
Mostly because she was wondering the same thing.
BOOM!
The pair charged again.
This time fists flew immediately.
POW!
WHAM!
BAM!
Their tiny bodies blurred across the field as punches and kicks landed in rapid succession.
Neither seemed interested in defending.
Neither cared about avoiding damage.
Every successful hit only seemed to make them more excited.
A punch landed on Tavor's shoulder.
He laughed.
The clone drove a knee into his stomach.
Tavor laughed harder.
The clone received a fist to the jaw.
It laughed too.
Scott slowly rubbed his temples.
"This is deeply concerning."
Up in the control room, Jean was frantically checking the simulation settings.
"No, no, everything's normal..."
She paused.
"...I think."
The fight intensified.
The playful sparring quickly transformed into an outright brawl.
Every strike became heavier.
Faster, sharper, and more decisive.
The sound of impacts echoed throughout the Danger Room.
BOOM!
POW!
CRACK!
Tavor ducked beneath a punch.
The clone mirrored the maneuver almost perfectly.
Both spun.
Both kicked.
Their feet collided midair with enough force to send them flying apart.
They landed, skidding along the cold ground.
Immediately launched back toward one another.
Neither possessed refined technique.
Neither possessed formal martial arts training.
What they did possess was instinct.
Raw, natural combat instinct.
The kind that seemed woven into the very bones of their species.
Scott's smile had vanished entirely.
The force behind the strikes was steadily increasing.
Far faster than he had anticipated.
Even the Danger Room's sensors were beginning to register rising output levels.
"Tavor's getting stronger."
Jean frowned.
"No."
Scott looked up.
Jean pointed toward the monitor.
"They both are."
The clone was adapting.
Learning.
Evolving alongside its opponent.
The realization made Scott suddenly very uncomfortable.
Meanwhile...
The two combatants were having the time of their lives.
Tavor darted forward.
The clone threw a right hook.
Tavor slipped beneath it.
For the first time during the fight, something clicked.
A moment of clarity.
A moment of instinct.
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
His legs twisted, his hips rotated, and his fist shot upward like a missile.
WHOOOOOM!
The uppercut buried itself deep into the clone's abdomen.
The force of the impact visibly lifted the duplicate off the ground.
The clone's eyes widened.
All the air exploded from its simulated lungs.
"GAAAHHHK!"
Its body folded around the punch.
For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze.
The clone's body folded around Tavor's uppercut before hurtling backwards across the simulated field.
BOOOOM!
It struck the ground, bounced once, twice, and finally skidded to a stop, carving a long trench through the artificial grass.
For several seconds neither combatant moved.
Scott released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
"Okay... maybe that's enough."
Then the clone rolled over.
At the exact same moment, Tavor staggered backward and nearly fell onto his rear.
Both children climbed shakily to their feet.
Their armor was scuffed.
Their cheeks were bruised.
Their breathing had become ragged.
Yet despite their exhaustion...
Both were grinning.
"That was fun..." Tavor panted.
The clone nodded.
"Really fun..."
Scott's eyebrow twitched.
Jean pinched the bridge of her nose.
The pair stood motionless for a moment as they struggled to catch their breath.
Neither seemed capable of continuing the relentless exchange from before.
Their arms felt heavy.
Their legs felt like lead.
Every muscle in their bodies ached.
Then something interesting happened.
Tavor looked at the clone.
The clone looked at Tavor.
A moment of understanding passed between them.
Neither needed to speak.
They had been fighting each other for nearly half an hour.
Their thought processes were practically identical.
Then both opened their mouths simultaneously.
"Let's end this with one last blow."
Scott immediately straightened.
"Wait..."
Both Tavors ignored him completely.
The pair slowly separated.
Ten feet.
Twenty feet.
Thirty feet.
They stopped.
The simulated wind swept across the battlefield.
Two identical Saiyans lowered themselves into fighting stances.
Their tails swayed behind them.
Their eyes locked onto one another.
Everything became still.
Even Jean unconsciously held her breath.
Tavor clenched his fists.
The clone did the same.
Then...
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath their feet.
Both launched forward like cannonballs.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Neither slowed.
Neither attempted to dodge.
Neither intended to hold back.
This would decide everything.
Tavor's body twisted.
His right arm pulled back.
The clone's knees bent.
Its fist dropped low.
Both attacks prepared simultaneously.
Then they met.
WHOOOOOOM!
Tavor's hook slammed into the side of the clone's face with enough force to visibly distort its features.
At the exact same instant, the clone's uppercut crashed directly into Tavor's chin.
The shockwave erupted outward in a violent ring.
The surrounding grass flattened.
Dust exploded skyward.
For a brief moment both fighters remained frozen.
Their fists buried deep into their target.
Then...
CRACK!
Both bodies were launched in opposite directions.
Tavor spun through the air.
The clone did the same.
They crashed into the ground nearly fifty feet apart.
THUD!
THUD!
Silence followed.
Scott stared.
Jean stared.
The monitoring screens flickered.
Neither combatant moved.
Several seconds passed.
Then more.
Finally, Scott cautiously approached.
"Tavor?"
No response.
The young Saiyan lay spread-eagle on the ground.
A goofy smile still rested on his unconscious face.
Scott couldn't help laughing.
"He actually knocked himself out."
Above them, the clone suddenly began to flicker.
Its body destabilized.
Tiny blue pixels peeled away from its form.
The simulation had registered the outcome.
No victor.
No loser.
A perfect draw.
The clone's unconscious body slowly dissolved.
Pixels drifted upward like glowing fireflies.
Thousands.
Millions.
Until nothing remained, and only Tavor was left behind.