I do not own Tokyo Ghoul or X-Men Evolution. They belong to their respective owners.
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"I'm going to die."
Eli didn't know the exact moment he came to that conclusion. But he figured it was after the blaster fire came within three inches of his face. He could still feel a stinging warmth in his chin.
It was that same cheek that he was rubbing after he hid behind a metal post on the field.
"You're not going to get a whole lot done from there Eli," Scott's voice came from the loudspeakers.
"Well, what do you expect me to get done out there. I told you I can't control these things. I haven't even gotten them out!"
"That's what training is for. You said they react to danger. So get in danger."
Eli was about to shout something back at Scott when the post retracted itself back to the floor. Leaving him exposed to the blasters again.
"Well, I always wanted to ask God why he made my hair curly."
Eli covered his chest and face as best he could as he tried to prepare himself for a very bad heat flash. Which never actually came.
He felt the same familiar sliding warmth on his back, and when he turned back around, the tendrils were out. And they had stabbed into one of the blasters.
"That's one way to do it."
But the tendrils weren't done yet. They ripped the same blaster from the foundation, tearing it from the wall and leaving loose wires. And when another blaster appeared from the ceiling, the tendrils used the same broken chunks to crush the new enemy to pieces.
"Are you even considering how much this will cost us?"
"I'm not doing anything. The tentacles are doing all the work," Eli yelled back. In truth all he was doing was standing in the room, watching as his new appendages ripped and tore through every machine that popped up. He honestly felt like he could just stand in place the rest of the afternoon and watch them do the work.
He felt that way until he saw them crush some metal chunks together into a ball. A ball that they were now aiming upwards.
"Scott, look out!"
They tossed the ball up.
Scott was able to back away just in time to see the trash ball smash against the glass. It didn't break through the window, but it caused a lot of cracks to form. It was impossible to see through it now. Scott used the window next to it to look down at Eli.
"How about a break? How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me."
Scott quickly went to work shutting down the danger room. The last thing he wanted was to take more money out of the professor's pocket. Once the weapons were down, the tendrils calmed down. But they didn't retract back into Eli's spine.
"Why are they still out? The drill is over."
"I don't know Scott. I told you, I don't know how these things work. I usually just wait for them to disappear."
"Can't you at least try to retract them? I don't really feel safe coming down there while those things are still out."
Given how the tendrils were shuffling like rattlesnakes ready to strike, that was a very legitimate concern.
"I can try. Let me see..."
Eli tried taking a deep breath to relax. He tried wiggling his back a bit, he managed to get the tendrils to stop rattling, but they didn't retract.
"This isn't working."
"If I might make a suggestion," the professor's voice suddenly said over the loudspeaker. "Perhaps the key isn't relaxation?"
"Then what would it be?"
"These tendrils appear when you are in danger. You explained that after their first appearance, they only dissipated after the threat to your safety was gone. Perhaps what you should do is convince them once again that you are not in danger."
Shrugging, Eli decided he might as well give it a shot. Instead of relaxing himself, Eli turned his attention directly to the tendrils themselves.
"I'm not in any danger. The room is shut down. The two of you can go away now."
The tendrils seemed reluctant to do so. They were shaking slightly now.
"It's all good. You can come back when I actually need you."
They started to dissipate once he said that. The same way they did before, resembling red ash flying towards the wind. Once they were gone, Eli looked back up.
"Looks like it worked."
"Very good Eli. You can go and wash up. We can try this again tomorrow."
As Eli walked away, the professor turned his attention to Scott.
"Any thoughts so far Scott?"
"His power is pretty cool, professor. I mean, having those things would probably feel gross to me, but they seem to work for him. We just need a way to teach him to control them."
"My thoughts were along those same lines. Do you have any ideas?"
Scott cupped his chin as he thought of some ideas.
"The tendrils react to danger. They pop out whenever they feel the need to protect him. We need a way to help him overcome that block. I'm just not sure how."
Charles held his hands together as he absorbed that input. "I'm not sure either of us would be able to help him in that regard. But I may know someone who could."
"Professor?"
Xavier waved his hand. "It's nothing to concern yourself over right now Scott. Just thought I had. I suggest you go and get some rest. Tomorrow will be Eli's first day at Bayville. He will need your and Jean's help to acclimate."
Scott nodded. "Don't worry professor. We got that."
"I have no doubt."
As Scott left to prepare himself for tomorrow, Xavier himself left to make a call. The parents he had been in communication with had already sent him by plane. Now Xavier and Ororo just had to pick him up by train.
The Institute was about to take in another student.
The Next Day...
Eli was never a fan of school. He didn't hate it, he just didn't see the point in being there, half of the time. He didn't exactly have friends, never felt the need to participate, and wasn't really a bastion of school spirit. Or spirit in general.
He was someone who liked being alone, and not having to exhaust too much effort. He knew himself well enough to understand that. And his problem with the school was that they tried to make him act in a way he wasn't. Something he didn't appreciate.
And right now, a Westchester High School did not seem too different from the Chicago high school Eli had left only a few days ago. Same cliques, same sorts of teachers, and even similar curriculums based on the textbooks Eli had to buy. Actually, the chemistry book was the exact same one.
The only difference was that now Eli was walking alongside other people. Willingly.
"I talked with my homeroom teacher. I can show you where you should go before I head to class."
Eli raised a brow. "You tight with a teacher?"
"Don't make it weird. Come on."
Eli held back his comments while Scott showed him parts of the school that Eli would need to remember. That included the cafeteria, the gym, the lunch grounds, and the auditorium.
"You got that?"
"Yup."
"Cool. You know where your classes are, so I'll see you at lunch."
"Later Scott."
Waving goodbye, Eli stood before the room that he would be seeing earliest in the morning for the foreseeable future.
"Might as well get this over with."
Eli walked inside.
"There is literally no difference between high schools anywhere in America."
That was the first thing Eli said when he sat down next to Scott. He had already gone past five periods of classes, and none of them impressed him.
Scott raised a brow past his shades. "It was the same in Chicago?"
"Yeah. Same cliques, same whisperers, and even the teachers got the same attitude. The only difference is that more people here are surprised I can speak Spanish."
"Why's that?"
Now it was Eli's turn to raise a brow.
"Take a look around Scott. See anybody else with my complexion?"
"Fair point."
"Exactly. I swear if one more girl asks me "Do you know Antonio Banderas?" I might actually cuss them out."
Scott almost choked on his drink. "Someone actually asked you that?"
"I know, it surprised me too," Eli said as he took a bite out of his sandwich. "I said I did."
Scott frowned at Eli. "Why?"
"She was cute."
Scott was about to make a comment on that when Jean showed up and sat with them.
"How's your first day going, Eli?"
"Not too bad. Turns out people can't tell the difference between Spain and Mexico. Might just get a date out of it."
Jean frowned before turning to Scott.
"Weird story."
"I'm not going to ask," Jean decided. "Well, if things are going well for you today, would you two like to stop by tonight?"
"What's happening tonight?" Eli asked.
"We have a football game happening tonight. They asked me to take pictures."
"Pictures? Are you like a journalism student?"
"Not necessarily journalism. But I am a part of the photography club. And we work with the school newspaper. "
"Ok. That makes sense," Eli quickly said. "I'm not really a sports fan, but I guess I could stop by. I don't really have anything else to do."
"Thanks. It would be nice to have other people I know there. What about you Scott?"
"Why do even ask Jean? You already know I'll be there."
Eli raised a brow at the way Scott said that. He remembered a cousin of his that talked to girls that way a lot.
"Great. I'll see you guys later."
As she walked away, Scott noticed Eli staring at him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
If Scott wasn't going to acknowledge it, then Eli wasn't in charge of pointing it out. So he ate his sandwich and waited for the night to come.
That night...
"Touchdown! Touchdown!"
"The other guys aren't very good, are they?"
"The team has fought against better teams."
Eli nodded at Scott's explanation as he continued chewing on some jerky he had bought earlier. If there was one good thing about sports games, it was the snacks they sold were pretty good.
The game itself was hit or miss. Eli couldn't claim to be very knowledgeable about sports. Aside from a few soccer games with distant cousins when they visited and the mandatory gym class stuff, he wasn't really the athletic type. He was always more the watch from the sidelines and make sarcastic comments type.
And since he was sitting on the bench next to Scott, that was exactly what he was doing.
"Is the quarterback a stereotype?"
Scott and the guy next to him both turned to Eli. "What do you mean?"
"Star player, blonde hair, flashy smile. He kinda looks like some guy you'd see in an 80's teen movie," Eli explained. "What's his name?"
"Duncan."
"Oh my god, he is a stereotype."
Scott chuckled at Eli's observation while he continued playing with the coin in his hand. A coin that slipped out and fells through the bench cracks.
"Ah man, my cash. Huh?"
Both Eli and the other guy saw what Scott was looking at. A hand slipping through the benches and grabbing people's wallets.
"Looks like someone is starting up a collection."
"You want me to call the cops?"
"Keep that option open."
"You're not leaving me here."
Scott turned back to Eli.
"You don't have to come."
"I know I don't. But the game is starting to bore me, and this sounds more interesting. I'm going with you. Besides, two going against one sounds like better odds."
Scott had to concede that point.
"Just stay behind me. We don't want to cause a fight. We just want to see what's going on."
"Wasn't going to fight."
The two of them walked off the bench and walked behind them. When they made it behind the seats. They were met with the sight of a lanky teen being pined by the quarterback and his friends.
"Let's crush him Dunc."
"Let's not 'Dunc"."
The players all looked back to see Scott watching them. Eli was behind him, using his black clothes to stay out of their sight.
"The wallets are still there. How about we just have him give back the cash? No harm is done."
"Yeah. Yeah, I can do that," the lanky kid agreed. "See? Here's the money."
Duncan only frowned. "What do you care about this scum Summers? And why are you dragging the new kid here for? Made him your sidekick already?"
"I'm not his friend. I'm just not a fan of three against one."
Eli shrugged. "And I'm just here cause I was bored. You guys could go back to the game and make it more interesting."
Now Duncan was mad. "What I and my pals are going to do is beat up this froggy creep. You can take your sunglasses at night, and your new friend, and bail."
Duncan drew back his arm to punch Tolansky. That's when Scott reacted.
"I said enough."
While Scott tried to push Duncan down, Tolansky took the opportunity to escape. He did so by hopping away.
"You guys get the creep. I'll deal with Summers."
The other two tried to run after the pale thief, but they were stopped as Eli stood in front of them.
"Could you two try to think without the adrenaline? You're not going to win anything running after him. Just go back to your game."
They weren't having it.
"Out of the way."
"We're not afraid to fight you too."
"I don't doubt that," Eli said with his hands raised. "But he's already gone. There isn't a purpose for this."
But of them realized that Eli was right. Tolansky had long since jumped away. And they were mad now.
"Guess we'll settle for you then."
"Shouldn't have held us back, newbie."
The two of them were getting closer to Eli now. And he was nervous.
For them.
If they pushed him too far, the tendrils would react. They would pop out of his spine and attack them. Eli didn't want to be hurt, and the tendrils would recognize that. Unfortunately, Eli also didn't want his secret tentacles to be known to the world. But as Eli was backing away from the two players, it was clear he could have to make choice.
Either take a beating and keep a secret, or he could beat them both and expose the truth.
Before any of that could happen, Scott exploded.
Duncan had gotten the glasses off of Scott's face. And with his eyes unprotected, they emitted an optic blast that both hit Duncan and shot outward. They hit a stand that was nearby and collided with a propane tank.
The result was a fiery explosion that caused the game to stop.
Everyone under the benches got knocked back. While Eli was able to stay conscious, Duncan and the other two players were knocked out cold by the impact. Eli was simply knocked on his back, laying on the muddy ground.
"Scott? Eli?"
Tilting his head up, Eli saw Jean walking towards all of them. She stopped just above Eli.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just taking a mudbath. I hear it's great for the skin."
Jean frowned. "Are you ever not being sarcastic?"
"Occasionally."
Shaking her head, Jean ignored Eli as she turned her attention to Scott. She found his glasses and placed them back on his face.
"Jean? Aw man, I messed up."
"It's fine Scott. I'm sure the professor will understand that this was an accident. But you and Eli should probably go."
"Seconded," Eli said as he lifted himself up. "I need to wash this mud off. Scott, I don't think either of us is built for jail. So we should go."
"Yeah. Yeah, let's go."
Nodding to Jean one last time, Eli and Scott made their way back to the mansion. The two of them were silent as they walked. Until Eli made a realization.
"So that's your power? Eye beams?"
Scott's body stiffened for a moment before he relaxed again. "Yeah. It is."
The two of them were silent again. Both of them had enough that day.
As his two students made their way to the mansion, Xavier was busy clearing the minds of the police and students who were leaving the stadium. He didn't need any of them to gain suspicions that could lead back to the mansion.
And with that matter being cleared, he could focus on other ones.
Charles often prided himself on being able to work with different personalities. With how varied the children of the atom tended to be, it was a valuable skill to have.
One part of this skill was the ability to notice similar personalities.
His newest student was an interesting addition. Compared to his other more energized students, Alcazar possessed a more muted and calm demeanor. He was unlikely to speak unless spoken to, and he carried less of a presence than either Scott or Jean. And that seemed to be by choice.
Xavier had one friend with a similar disposition. One who was currently on leave. But he could also be persuaded to come back to the mansion with a well-worded phone call. Which Charles was working on doing right now. He would have to make the call a quick one.
He still had a train station to visit that night.
This is where I will stop for now. The next chapter will properly be the start of the season one canon. By that, I mean the better parts of the first episode. Including the Nightcrawler and Toad stuff. After that, the story will mostly follow the series canon, with a few changes and shake-ups to keep things interesting.
All the chapters written so far have been set up, and I'm excited to finally work Eli into the main story.
Also, based on the poll, it looks like Laura is the most popular choice for Eli's love interest. I'll see if I can introduce her earlier than the show did. Since I will be taking a lot of inspiration from her comic storylines, I will probably introduce her earlier. Just for fun.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!