The previous day went by faster than Ethan expected.
He talked to the X-men about some things about the institute, met some of his future colleagues, avoided meeting Kurt and spent most of the time simply relaxing.
Essentially, he hadn't done anything.
Today was Tuesday, his classes would only start next week, so he had the rest of the week to relax and get along better with the environment.
Or so it would be if you didn't have a constant doubt in your mind.
5.76%
His fusion rate kept increasing, and he still didn't know what was causing it. And it also didn't help the fact that he was being very paranoid about this, courtesy of the new characteristics he had acquired from Enerjak.
He didn't know what was happening and it bothered him a lot. More than anything in his life had already bothered.
He needed to investigate and find out what was happening. The problem is that in a place full of people with powers, when something strange happens, everyone is suspicious. So who should he investigate? Or how could he investigate something without drawing attention to himself and end up indicating that something was wrong?
There were so many things to do that Ethan was even getting headaches.
"Any problem, Ethan? "A soft voice coming from behind caught his attention.
Recognizing the voice almost immediately, Ethan turned around and behind him was Hank McCoy, the Beast.
Hank was... a nice guy. A kind and simple man who, despite his annoying habit of wanting to talk about science at all times, genuinely liked to teach and see the youngest learning something.
Of course, these were conclusions that Ethan created after knowing the man for a mere 2 days, there is still always a chance that he is not as good as he seems. But until proven otherwise, Hank was practically a kind and reliable giant.
The two were standing in the corridors of the institute. And judging by the clothes and the notebook he had gotten, Hank was probably going to start his class.
"I see there's something bothering you" Said the blue giant fixing his glasses. It was strange to see someone like him needing glasses.
Ethan was momentarily surprised because he hadn't realized that his behavior was giving away that something was bothering him.
Either that, or Hank was incredibly good at reading others.
"It's nothing. I'm just... thinking about some things "Ethan didn't want to expose his real annoyances to Hank or anyone because they were things that no one should know.
Like the fact that theirs came from an entity from another universe. No one could know that, ever.
"If it was just 'nothing' then you wouldn't be with this thoughtful expression" The blue giant said with a smile.
"You can tell me what's going on. I myself was once a young mutant just like you, so I understand how some things can be... complicated during this phase of life " The blue man said while keeping a smile.
Ethan didn't know how to react. The blue man in front of him was genuinely worried, and trying to change the subject or run away from the conversation would only make him more worried, and Ethan wanted to avoid that.
But as said before, his problems were things that only he could solve, because they involved subjects that only he should be aware of. Still, he couldn't just leave without giving an answer or Hank could end up telling the other X-men that there was something wrong with him.
It was a complicated situation. What could he do?
...
Got it!
"Well, it has to do with my powers" Ethan was doing his best at that moment to pretend concern and shame "They've been kind of... out of control these days "
"I understand. Adolescence is the period when our skills develop the most, so it is normal for them to become more unstable at certain times " Hank explained " Now that I think about it, what is your power Ethan? "
"Ah" Ethan thought for a few seconds until he created the perfect lie "My power involves manipulating and producing energy"
"Please explain to me more"
"Well, with my powers I am able to generate a kind of energy that I am able to manipulate to do various things. But this energy that I generate is also present in all parts of the environment, so if necessary I can absorb that from the environment " Ethan gave a summarized version of his powers.
"Interesting" Hank said, his eyes shining with curiosity "How does this energy work for sure? And what are its properties? "
"I don't know. I really don't. I just know that I can convert this energy into other forms of energy and use it to do many things " Ethan replied but Hank's words left a doubt in his mind.
He knew that chaos was one of the fundamental forces of the Sonic universe, and also knew (or rather, learned) that chaos in the marvel world was very similar to that of the Sonic franchise, because both were fundamental forces of the universe. But he looked beyond that.
What were the true properties of chaos? Ethan now questioned himself.
He knew that characters like Shadow manipulated time and space using Chaos Control, that Sonic in his Super and Hyper forms was described as invincible and unstoppable, and that monsters like Perfect Chaos were strong enough to destroy the planet by being strengthened by the emeralds of chaos.
But apart from that, which was just the basic information that every fan would know, what were the true limits of chaos? How far could someone go if he knew how to use this power well?
It was an infinite range of possibilities that Ethan would have time to explore later. Now he had other things to solve.
"Okay... and you said that your powers are out of control? In which sense? " Hank asked.
"Well, I can usually have a good control of how much energy I generate and absorb, but recently mine simply... started to increase a lot without me doing anything. There are days when I wake up and feel like I'm going to explode "
Hank's eyes widened.
"Not literally" Ethan corrected.
"Oh. I'm relieved to know that "
"The point is, I don't know what it's doing this and it's bothering me" Ethan finished. He also kept looking discreetly at Hank to see if he had believed the lie, and when he saw the teacher's thoughtful and worried expression, Ethan smiled mentally at himself.
You can give me an Oscar now.
"I'm afraid I can't help you, young Ethan," Hank said with a sad sigh.
"No? " Ethan did his best to pretend disappointment.
" Unfortunately. My specialty is physical mutations, skills that involves our exterior more than our interior. Your problem seems to be something more internal, and then, it's out of my field of action " Hank explained disappointed with himself.
"I understand..." Ethan was already getting ready to leave.
"But I think you can find your answers in the library," Hank said, and Ethan turned his attention to him once again.
"In the library? "Ethan knew where the library was and knew that inside it there was a large selection of books, but he thought that most of them were history books or about some subject of the institute.
Apparently there was more than that.
"In the library, in addition to the common disciplinary books found in normal schools, there is also a large selection of books and studies on mutants made at several different times, which are available to students who want to learn more about their mutations " Hank explained now with a smile. You could see that he liked this kind of book.
"Books... about mutants, right? " Ethan asked, and received a positive nod from Hank "And what would there be in these books that could help me solve my... problem? "
Ethan was now genuinely curious.
"Well, in addition to several theories and studies on physiognomy and the mutant gene, you can also find information about various powers and abilities of different mutants around the world. Even though some of these are dated and very superstitious, I believe you will find something useful in them " Hank said checking his watch.
"It was a very productive conversation, but I'm afraid I'll have to go now. I'm already 10 minutes late for my class, and I don't want to keep my students waiting " Said Hank passing by Ethan and resuming his way.
"And if the books I recommended don't help, then consider talking to Cyclops or Storm, because despite the fundamental differences, their powers are very similar to yours," Hank said before turning the corridor and disappearing from Ethan's vision.
Ethan just stood still thinking about the conversation he had with Hank. And amazingly, it was an incredibly productive conversation, as the teacher described.
Despite having a fake problem that didn't need a solution, Hank still provided Ethan with information that even he didn't know he needed.
Now he could solve one of the biggest problems: control over his powers. Even though it had been some time since he started practicing and even though he improved a little over time, Ethan's powers were still unstable and unpredictable because he still didn't know how to control.
But if the books Hank recommended had the information he said they would have, then Ethan would not only receive information about many of the powers he had (such as telekinesis, elemental manipulation, telepathy, energy manipulation) but also the way to control these powers and how to maximize them through the theories he would find.
Besides, now he also had two people he could turn to if he needed help: Cyclops and Storm. Despite not knowing what their powers were, Ethan would trust that Hank did not lie when he said that they had powers similar to his.
So, if he needed help with his powers, he just needs go to them.
And to think that all this was right under his nose all this time.
Ethan just smiled as he started his way towards the library.
Today was being a good day.