Ororo Munroe looked at Arthur, and the subtle, inherent power in his presence stole her breath.
She didn't see the famous Dungeon Climber; she felt as if she were standing in front of an uncontrollable storm, a perfect, raw force of nature that made her own mastery of the elements feel like a child's parlor trick.
'He is so powerful!'
She realized the magnitude of the threat—and the offer—sinking in.
Charles Xavier nodded faintly, confirming Ororo's unspoken fear.
He had made the right choice to stand down.
"Hummm, she is really having fun,"
Arthur drawled, watching the phantom scene of the chase with a dry expression.
He didn't move a muscle, but his will was absolute.
Arthur snapped his finger. It wasn't loud, yet it tore a hole in the space and instantly pulled Yuffie, Kitty, and Kurt from their various hiding spots and chase routes, materializing them directly into the observation room.
They were stopped dead in their tracks, frozen mid-motion.
Even Kurt, who was moving between dimensions with his teleportation, couldn't escape the conceptual grasp of Arthur's arrival.
"Ehe, Arthur. Why are you here this early in the morning?"
Yuffie squeaked, immediately dropping her chaotic ninja demeanor for a hyper-cute persona, batting her eyelashes.
Arthur shook his head. She really knew how to counter his anger.
"You have messed around enough, Yuffie. Let's go back home. You can't just dump all of your work on Sephira like that. Aren't you the one who wanted the dojo?"
Arthur's voice was firm, laced with familial annoyance.
Yuffie immediately crossed her arms in defense.
"Yes, I want the dojo, but Sephira also didn't have anything to do! She is better at teaching than I am!"
Arthur sighed internally; he knew she simply envied Sephira's growing popularity and had escaped out of pride.
He then looked at Kitty and Kurt.
Both of them stared back, trying their best to mimic Yuffie's 'innocent, pleading' expression.
"Yuffie, what did you teach them…"
Arthur shook his head in resignation.
He knew she must have coached them on exactly how to act cute when asking him for a favor.
"Ummm, Mister Arthur, can you really register us without us having to wait in the long line?"
Kitty asked him directly, her youthful hope overriding her caution.
Charles and Ororo opened their mouths to object, but Arthur silenced them with a casual wave of his hand.
"Mister? Please don't call me that. Just call me Arthur. I am not that old, and yes, I can,"
He confirmed, his gaze locking onto Kitty.
"I can also feel that you felt like you didn't belong here. You didn't want to be an X-Man, did you? And why do you want to be a Dungeon Climber?"
Kitty had been seen through instantly.
Ororo was surprised to see her star student nod slowly.
Kitty had never told anyone, not even Jean Grey, that she felt the X-Men's fight wasn't her fight.
"That's because I want to see new worlds! I want to see it all!"
Kitty burst out, her true motivation—the yearning for adventure—finally revealed.
Hearing her answer, Arthur understood completely.
"Oh, you like adventure. You are like Yuffie…"
The girl was a kindred spirit in her desire for the boundless unknown.
"I can register you and everyone here who wants to be a Dungeon Climber. You don't even have to ask them for permission. It's free, you know,"
Arthur offered his words designed to sound tempting and entirely circumvent Charles's authority.
He knew that the danger of the first and second floors had been significantly reduced, thanks to Tony Stark's security upgrades.
And with his partners, Emilia and Azula watching the lower levels, Kitty and Kurt could venture there with relative ease.
He looked squarely at Yuffie.
"Yuffie, you have to take care of them. They are your responsibilities. You promised them."
It was Yuffie who promised them the shortcut, so she must see it through to the end.
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