Chapter 12

"Think you can escape that easily?" Hawking prepared himself and unleashed another Kamehameha, blasting another helicopter out of the sky.

Such valuable justice points were not to be missed.

However, after this attack, he could feel that his body was no longer capable of conjuring a second Kamehameha. He glanced around quickly and spotted a decorative stone pillar on the side of the school's castle.

He sprinted over, sliced the pillar cleanly with his hand, and rapidly removed it. Then, he aimed at the last helicopter, now a mere speck in the distance, and with a powerful shout, he hurled the pillar with all his might.

The four-meter-long, half-meter-thick pillar, propelled by Hawking's formidable strength, shot through the air like a missile, directly targeting the barely visible speck.

Boom!

The final helicopter burst into a beautiful explosion in the sky. At thirteen, Goku had climbed Korin Tower and defeated Mercenary Tao, using similar tactics of throwing pillars, a technique Hawking easily mimicked now that he had loaded Goku's template. If he wished, he could even pursue the pillar mid-flight, using it to travel great distances.

This was a strategy he could have employed in Sokovia to escape the city quickly, had he not been worried about becoming a prime target for missiles from both sides.

"Indeed, you are a qualified warrior!" As the helicopter exploded, Wolverine turned to Hawking and raised his rightmost claw in acknowledgment.

Hawking extended his hand in response. 

"What?" Wolverine was momentarily puzzled by the gesture.

"A cigar!"

Hawking pointed at the cigar in Wolverine's hand.

Wolverine hurriedly waved his hand, "No, that's not suitable for you. You need to wait a few more years."

However, with a quick movement, the cigar box and lighter from Wolverine's pocket were already in Hawking's hand.

When it came to speed, he was no match for Hawking in his current state.

Hawking lit a cigar and placed it in his mouth, not really to smoke but to tease Wolverine, who often teased him with nicknames.

"Oh God, if the Professor finds out, he'll kill me!"

Wolverine watched as Hawking puffed on the cigar, his expression a mix of amusement and concern.

Professor Xavier had already warned him about smoking in the cerebral enhancer room, threatening to turn his mind into that of a six-year-old girl's if he did it again.

"If he finds out I'm smoking or drinking, I'll just say it was you who taught me."

Hawking waved the lit cigar in front of Wolverine.

"Alright, I'll stop calling you 'kid,' but this needs to stay secret!"

Wolverine rubbed his forehead, exasperated but relieved to make a deal.

After their banter, Hawking shifted the conversation back to more serious matters. "Wolverine, where did the Professor go tonight?"

"Not entirely sure, I just got to the school this evening. Professor Xavier said he was visiting an old friend, and Jean and the others went to Boston, something about a mutant attacking the president."

Given Hawking's proven abilities and maturity, Wolverine no longer treated him as just a kid.

Hearing this, Hawking's pupils constricted. "Not good, Wolverine, do you know where the cerebral enhancer room is?"

"Of course," Wolverine nodded.

At the cerebral enhancer room, Hawking viewed the damaged entrance and the missing machine, confirming his suspicions about the orchestrator of the attack.

"It's that Colonel Stryker!"

Knowing the full extent of William Stryker's vendetta against mutants, Hawking sighed. Stryker had devised a plan to eradicate all mutants using the enhancer, driven by vengeance against his own mutant son whose uncontrollable abilities had accidentally killed his wife.

"I just wonder if they managed to take the cerebral enhancer machine."

Hawking recalled seeing a transport plane on the school's lawn earlier, which had since disappeared, indicating that Stryker might have already secured the enhancer.

"These guys are kidnapping students and stealing the cerebral enhancer; what exactly are they planning?"

Wolverine, who was less inclined toward strategic thinking, looked confused.

"Time's almost up!"

Just as Hawking was considering their next steps, his character template's loading time was running out, and he warned Wolverine, "Head to the hidden passage and find Colossus. Have him try to contact the Professor and all teachers using the school's communication system. My abilities have reached their limit; I need to rest."

Before he could finish, Hawking's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"Kid!"

Wolverine, shocked, caught Hawking before he hit the ground. After ensuring he was just unconscious, he sighed in relief.

"This is a truly bizarre ability."

Noting Hawking's transformation back to his normal clothes and appearance, Wolverine carried him to the recently used escape tunnel.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Hawking slowly opened his eyes to find Wanda and Pietro crying and hugging him, relieved to see him awake.

"Alright, no more crying. I'm okay."

Comforting his siblings, Hawking surveyed the luxurious safe house, presumably one of Professor Xavier's emergency shelters set outside the school.

"You were out for an hour. Seems like you're okay now."

Wolverine, holding a beer, approached the recovering Hawking, who realized, "Just an hour, good. Strengthening my body significantly reduces the side effects of using the character template."

(End of Chapter)