"Bang!" The White Queen emerged from the debris, her body shimmering in its diamond form. That little collision hadn't hurt her in the slightest.
"You're quite the energetic one, but not exactly charming, are you?" she remarked, dusting off her crystalline arms with an air of boredom.
Ethan scowled. "Great. Can people stop saying that? Do I just give off an unlikable vibe or something?"
The ground beneath him suddenly exploded as he launched himself forward, using the recoil to propel his fist straight toward Emma Frost.
But just as he was about to make contact, the corner of her mouth curled into a smirk.
With a graceful pivot, she sidestepped him entirely, letting him fly past her.
Ethan gritted his teeth and found his footing instantly, shifting his momentum mid-air.
Twisting at the last second, he struck again—but Emma effortlessly evaded once more.
At this point, it looked like a game of cat and mouse. Ethan lunged like a predator hunting its prey, but Emma was too agile, dodging every single one of his attacks with ease.
"Your power is impressive," she taunted, weaving around him, "but your fighting technique? It's like watching a schoolyard brawl. Sloppy and predictable."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah? Let's change that up."
With a sudden stomp, the ground beneath him shattered. A shockwave erupted outward, sending chunks of concrete flying in every direction.
Ethan harnessed the force, manipulating the debris with his ability.
Emma arched a brow, mildly impressed. "Now that's a surprise."
She attempted to leap away, but a massive chunk of cement clamped around her leg. Though it didn't hurt her in diamond form, it restricted her movement just enough.
Ethan smirked. "Looks like I caught you."
"Or maybe… I caught you." Emma's lips curled into a knowing grin.
Instead of struggling to free herself, she lunged forward, grabbing Ethan's arm with a sudden burst of force.
With expert precision, she twisted, using his own momentum against him in an attempt to slam him into the ground.
That was the plan, at least.
"Boom!" The impact hit, but it wasn't Ethan who landed—it was Emma. Her diamond-encrusted form crashed into the ground, leaving a crater beneath her.
For the first time in the battle, she looked genuinely surprised.
Ethan rolled his shoulder, unfazed. "You're right. My hand-to-hand combat sucks. Maybe I'll take lessons someday. But for now—"
He grabbed her by the leg.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
One after another, he swung Emma Frost like a sledgehammer, slamming her repeatedly into the shattered ground.
The force left deep cracks in the foundation of the building.
"You do realize my body is as hard as diamond, right? You're not hurting me," Emma growled, frustration lacing her voice.
Ethan let out a thoughtful hum. "Yeah, that's the problem."
Could he break her?
Absolutely. He knew he could control vectors with enough precision to shatter even the hardest materials.
But that wasn't the point.
Despite their ongoing war, mutants rarely resorted to killing each other.
It was an unspoken rule—a tacit understanding between groups like the X-Men and the Brotherhood.
Magneto could've leveled Xavier's school long ago if he wanted. Professor X could've wiped out the Brotherhood with a single focused mental attack. But they didn't.
Killing a fellow mutant, especially one as influential as Emma Frost, would be a foolish move.
And Ethan wasn't stupid.
"Alright, let's try this instead." Having made his decision, he dragged Emma toward a pile of rubble and yanked a thick steel bar from the debris.
Emma's eyes narrowed. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"Something you won't like. Don't resist—it's pointless anyway." Ethan grinned mischievously as he hauled her toward a support pillar.
"You little—let me go!" Emma thrashed, her usual composed demeanor cracking.
For someone used to being in control, this was clearly driving her crazy.
She was no weakling—her telepathic abilities were second only to Professor X, and her diamond form made her nearly indestructible.
But against Ethan? Her psychic powers were useless, and her physical strength, while impressive, wasn't enough to overpower his manipulation of kinetic energy.
She kicked and punched, but every ounce of force she exerted was redirected back into her, rendering her attacks completely ineffective.
With a final, exasperated glare, Emma Frost found herself tied up, bound by thick steel against the pillar.
Ethan dusted off his hands. "Done."
Tapping the communicator in his ear, he spoke up. "Hey, Storm. How's everything on your end?"
"First of all," Storm's voice crackled with irritation, "don't just call me Storm.' It's 'Professor' or 'Ma'am.' Unless you want your attendance points wiped next week."
Ethan chuckled. "Noted. Anyway, I wrapped up things here. Frost is tied up and—oh, come on!"
"What? What happened?" Storm asked, alarmed.
Ethan groaned. "My damn boots ripped."
There was a pause. Then, Storm's voice came back flat and unamused. "Are you serious?"
"Hey, these were expensive! And I barely wore them for an hour—"
"We are in the middle of a fight, and you're complaining about your shoes?!"
Storm snapped, clearly struggling to hold back her frustration. "I swear, Ethan—just get up here now!"
With the transmission cut, Ethan sighed and shook his head. "Man, no appreciation for fashion."
With renewed energy, he sprinted into the museum and scaled his way toward the top of the Statue of Liberty at lightning speed.
When he reached the upper level, he was met with an unexpected sight.
Storm was suspended midair, restrained by metallic cuffs around her neck, wrists, and ankles in a spread-eagle position.
Jean and Cyclops were bound together, face-to-face, their bodies immobilized. Wolverine—ever the fighter—was restrained with his claws crossed against his chest, looking like he was about to unleash hell the moment he got free.
Ethan blinked. "Uh... are you guys doing performance art or something?"
Logan let out an exasperated sigh. "If your brain is still working, you should've figured out that Magneto's behind this."
"Just kidding, I'll let you down right away." Ethan grinned as he walked over.
"Move aside! Watch your back!" Storm's warning came just as Ethan felt a presence behind him.
He turned instinctively, coming face-to-face with a towering figure—nearly two meters tall, golden-haired, and staring at him with predatory eyes. The aggression in his gaze was unmistakable.
"Uh, you're Sabretooth, right? How about we focus on peace? If you back off, I might even get you a cat toy." Ethan waved a hand dismissively, his tone dry.
Sabretooth responded with an enraged roar, lunging forward to grab his shoulder, aiming to toss him like a ragdoll.
But no matter how much force he applied, Ethan didn't budge. Instead, he grabbed his arm in return. Sabretooth's expression twisted in shock.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan channeled his strength and mimicked a classic judo throw, sending the hulking mutant crashing down.
"Boom!"
A massive crater formed on impact as Sabretooth plummeted through the floor, disappearing into the depths below.
'A dignified mutant like Sabretooth, and yet he fell for something so simple.' Ethan mused as he sighed before turning to free Cyclops and the others.
Logan, freshly released, rolled his shoulders and stretched, but his eyes couldn't help but drift to the crater. His expression was complicated.
"You held back when sparring with the kids at the school, didn't you?" Wolverine asked, while shaking his head,
He instinctively raised a hand to pat Ethan's shoulder but hesitated at the last moment, withdrawing it awkwardly.
Ethan simply smiled, choosing not to comment further.
"Where's Magneto?" Ethan asked, his expression sharpening.
"At the top of the Statue of Liberty, on the torch. He's about to activate the device," Cyclops answered grimly.
As if to confirm his words, an explosion erupted from the top of the torch, revealing a machine.
Seated within it was a young girl—Rogue.
Magneto stood beside her, gripping her hand firmly.
The moment his skin made contact with Rogue's, her mutation kicked in, draining his life energy while temporarily transferring his abilities to her.
Magneto's face was gaunt, drained by Rogue's power, yet the old mutant refused to release her, forcing himself to activate the machine.
A set of metallic rings spun rapidly around them, emitting an eerie white glow—almost liquid in its movement.
The energy field expanded slowly at first but accelerated as its power grew.
Inside the light, Rogue screamed in pain. A single strand of hair at her forehead turned white at an alarming rate.
"Damn it, Magneto's already started it! That thing will kill Rogue! Cyclops, we need to destroy it!" Logan barked.
"I can't! The rotation of the machine is interfering with my aim. If I fire recklessly, I might hit Rogue!" Cyclops gritted his teeth.
Jean added urgently, "No one but Magneto knows exactly how the machine is linked to Rogue. Destroying it outright might kill her!"
"Then I'll drag the answer out of him." Logan snarled and rushed into the energy field, his adamantium claws digging into the structure as he climbed towards the top of the torch.
"By the time he gets an answer, half of New York will be hit by that energy wave." Ethan muttered to himself before crouching slightly, then launching himself into the air, soaring towards the top.
"Show-off," Logan grumbled as he continued his slow ascent.
Magneto's eyes widened in alarm as Ethan landed near him. "Who are you?"
"Just the guy here to save the girl." Ethan smirked, stepping forward.
"I warn you—" Magneto's voice was weak, yet firm. "She's the core of this machine now. If you damage it, she'll suffer the consequences."
"Great. More complications." Ethan frowned.
"I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a shot." With that, he placed a hand on the machine, right beside Magneto and Rogue's hands.
"Vector Control: Reflection!"
The moment he spoke, the expanding energy field halted, as if frozen in time.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it began to retract—white energy surging back into the machine at an unnatural speed.
The overwhelming power that had built up moments ago was gone, as if it had never been there.
Rogue's screams ceased, though the single white streak in her hair remained—a permanent mark of what had happened.
"You okay?" Ethan asked tentatively.
Rogue gasped for air before suddenly realizing—he was still holding her hand.
Her eyes widened in shock. "Y-you're touching me! Let go!"
Ethan tilted his head. "What's wrong?"
Rogue's voice trembled. "You're... you're not affected? You're not scared of my power?"
Ethan gave her an easy smile. "Seems like it."
With that, he casually undid her restraints.
Of course, her ability had no effect on him.
His control over vectors made it impossible for her mutation to absorb his energy.
In fact, if he didn't suppress his ability, the energy in her body would've rebounded back into her, possibly harming her instead.
Rogue stared at him, stunned. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I... I can touch you."
"Uh, you okay?" Ethan asked, looking uncertain. "You're not hurt or anything, right?"
"I'm fine," she whispered, wiping her eyes. "Just... happy."
In that moment, she wondered if she was dreaming. Someone in the world could touch her without fear. Was there anything more incredible than that?
She stared at Ethan, committing his face to memory.
'What was his name? Who was this boy that had come to save her?' A strange feeling stirred within her.
Meanwhile, Ethan turned his attention to Magneto. The older mutant had collapsed onto the ground, looking oddly flushed.
Initially pale and drained, he now looked as though he had just downed an entire box of energy pills.
"Mr. Magneto, you alright?" Ethan asked.
As Professor X's old friend, it wouldn't be good if something serious happened to him.
Magneto's eyes flicked up to meet his, his expression twitching. Finally, he squeezed out three words between clenched teeth:
"I feel...full!"
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Word count: 1983
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