Marvel's New Magneto

In the underground search room of the academy, Professor Xavier removed the device from his head and exited his enhanced telepathic state.

"It's over. They've boarded the plane and are on their way back," he said.

Standing behind him, Beast—Hank McCoy—had been anxiously waiting for news. Upon hearing this, he finally relaxed.

"Stryker didn't give them any trouble?" Hank asked.

"You should be asking the opposite. Erik… he performed beyond my expectations." The professor's expression was a mix of pride and subtle concern.

"Don't overthink it. For someone his age, what he's accomplished is already remarkable. You can't expect him to be like you." Hank, having been Charles' close friend for decades, immediately understood his unspoken worries.

"I just think he's a little too good," Charles admitted with a small chuckle at his own hesitation. "Stryker is incredibly persuasive, yet in front of Erik, he was like a child being played with. We've chosen an extraordinary successor."

"What could possibly be worse than the way things were before he came along?" Hank spread his hands. "At least now, we have hope. Charles—"

He called the professor's name and said, "Charles, don't stress over the choices young people make. Each generation has its own perspective. We can't live their lives for them. If you think his ideas have merit, then let him follow his own path."

Charles nodded. "You're right. I used to think I could do anything, that I had to control everything. In the end, even Raven, who grew up with me, left. I understand now—it wasn't Erik who influenced her. It was her own choice. She grew up and naturally wanted to leave home, but I never tried to understand her thoughts. Instead, I pushed her away… I won't make that mistake again."

The Erik they were referring to was none other than the real Magneto. In their younger days, he and Charles had worked together before ideological differences drove them apart. Mystique—Raven—had chosen to leave. Talking about the past made Charles a little melancholic, and Hank quickly offered words of comfort. The two old friends encouraged each other as they slowly walked out of the empty room.

"Oh, I need Ororo to prepare a room—we'll have a new member joining us soon. Erik rescued a fellow mutant from Stryker. Hopefully, she'll like it here," Charles recalled the last image he had seen in the search room and quickly spoke up. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake before Hank could even remind him. "Oh, right. Ororo went out with Erik. I'll have to ask Jean to handle it."

Hank shook his head. His old friend was really starting to show his age. The thought saddened him, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he simply walked with Charles as they left the underground facility.

---

Meanwhile, Ororo piloted the jet back toward Westchester. Unlike their confident departure, the young mutants on board were now silent and dejected. They had just suffered the biggest defeat of their lives—during their one-on-one battles against Stryker's forces, they had been utterly crushed.

The impact of this failure was enormous. As mutants, they had always believed their evolution made them superior to ordinary humans. Yet, they had just been defeated in a fair fight by a group of well-trained soldiers. It was an unbelievable outcome, but reality had proven them wrong.

John, the Firestarter, was knocked down by a single punch before he could even flick open his lighter.

Bobby, the Iceman, managed to land a hit on his opponent after learning from John's mistake, but his carelessness cost him. His adversary endured the pain of freezing and turned the tables on him.

Piotr, the Colossus, should have been the least likely to lose. His steel-like body gave him an advantage in close combat, making him nearly unbeatable. But he had grown overconfident—his opponent, skilled in grappling, managed to lock his joints and bring him down.

As for the girls, they each had their own weaknesses. Their lack of determination made it hard for them to hold their ground against opponents who specialized in fighting mutants. The only one who managed to win was Rogue. By sheer willpower, she seized a fleeting opportunity to use her ability and take down her opponent. Her unexpected success earned newfound respect from her peers.

Their defeat was no surprise to Erik. Young mutants always overestimated themselves, believing their powers made them untouchable. Only after being knocked down would they realize how naïve that thinking was. Their overwhelming potential had blinded them, making them mistake their future growth for their current strength. If this had been a real fight for survival, they would all be dead.

For now, Erik let them wallow in their failure. The deeper their frustration, the stronger the lesson. Only by experiencing such crushing defeat would they learn to see reality, acknowledge their weaknesses, and strive to improve.

"How is she?" Erik ignored the students and turned his attention to the woman he had rescued from Stryker's base. She was a mutant—black-haired, yellow-skinned, and quite beautiful. But it was clear that she had been subjected to experimentation. Her abilities allowed her to extend her fingernails into razor-sharp metal claws, much like Logan's adamantium blades. Stryker had planned to control her through Jason's illusions, but once the attack on the academy failed, he lost his means of keeping her under his influence. In desperation, he had drugged her with heavy sedatives and locked her in a cage—until Erik found her.

"She's fine, just a little weak," Selene responded. She had proven her worth today—not only had she flawlessly carried out Erik's orders and protected the students, but she had also easily subdued the soldiers who tried to take advantage of the situation. This had shocked both Ororo and the students. They had assumed Selene was just a pretty face Erik had picked up from the outside world. Now, they knew better.

Even in hand-to-hand combat, Ororo was no match for her. This realization would undoubtedly earn Selene the respect she deserved.

As for the rescued mutant, Erik remembered that she, too, possessed formidable combat skills. Once recovered, she would become another powerful member of the academy.

Under Ororo's control, the jet soon landed back at the school. The students, ashamed of their failure, remained silent. The more sensitive ones, like Kitty, even started to cry. Just yesterday, they had been heroes, saving innocent people. Today, they were humiliated losers. The contrast was too much to bear.

Erik clapped his hands, drawing their attention. He needed to say something before their self-pity turned into self-doubt.

"Your performance today was disappointing. But that's exactly what I expected. In fact, I brought you to Stryker precisely because I knew this would happen—I wanted you to learn that you are not invincible."

"For too long, you've seen the world as a hostile place, full of enemies out to get you. At the same time, you've placed yourselves above humanity, believing that your powers make you superior. But you're wrong. This mindset has blinded you. You don't understand humans, and you don't understand yourselves. You've confused your potential with your current abilities. Today's defeat should be a wake-up call—you've now seen firsthand that even ordinary humans, with the right training and strategy, can take down powerful mutants."

"Losing to humans isn't the real humiliation. The real humiliation is refusing to acknowledge your shortcomings. And I don't believe any of my students are cowards. So, I'm giving you an assignment—go back and think about why you lost. Then bring me your answers. We'll discuss them together."

Hearing this, the students felt a little better. Kitty wiped her tears as her friends comforted her. Slowly, they stood up and left the jet.

"Will we get another chance to go out?" John asked as he passed by Erik.

"Of course. Otherwise, what's the point of this lesson? If I wanted you to stay safe at school, I wouldn't have taken you there in the first place."

John grumbled, "I just underestimated them. If I had been more careful, I would have burned them to a crisp."

"There are no 'ifs' in battle," Piotr muttered, still ashamed of his own failure.

Selene exchanged a glance with Erik before leaving to help settle the rescued mutant. Ororo then approached him, her gaze complicated.

"They've definitely learned their lesson. Was this your plan all along?" she asked.

"This is just the first step," Erik replied. "They'll rise from this defeat and become stronger. There's still a long road ahead, but I have no doubt—the future of mutantkind lies with them."

"Well then," Ororo hesitated before smiling slightly, "before they embark on that journey, would you care to join me for dinner?"

Erik smirked. "I'd be delighted."

---

Be a patron (The Ultimate Magnet) for advanced chapters & faster updates: patreon.com/KZ478

Exclusive Discount code: 5061B