Richard's dismissive response left Mystique frowning. Though she'd never met him personally—only his father—she had assumed that a young man his age would be easily manipulated, incapable of resisting her charm.
Her current form represented a meticulously crafted composite of several Hollywood A-list actresses, combining their most appealing features. This appearance could seduce not only inexperienced youth but also worldly middle-aged men. After all, the actresses she'd chosen ranked among America's most desirable women.
Yet surprisingly, her carefully designed appearance failed to impress Richard in the slightest. A man's interest in a woman revealed itself in his eyes, before anything else—and Richard's betrayed absolutely no fascination with her.
Could he prefer men? The thought materialized unbidden in Mystique's mind.
Same-sex attraction wasn't uncommon in America. The country even legalized same-sex marriage. As this possibility occurred to her, something shifted in her gaze.
Though she could transform into a handsome man just as easily, she had no intention of doing so. Regardless of her appearance, her sexual orientation remained constant. She excelled at seducing men while disguised as beautiful women, but transforming into a man to seduce another man crossed a personal boundary.
Seducing a woman while disguised as another woman, however—that remained within her comfort zone.
After studying Richard for several seconds, she continued:
"Erik sent me here to inquire whether you'd be interested in joining the Brotherhood of Mutants." She skipped the pleasantries, delivering Magneto's offer directly. "He also instructed me to inform you that should you join the Brotherhood, he'll personally ensure the Wesley family assets are returned to you with interest."
Richard smiled and shook his head. "I have no plans to join any mutant organization at present—neither the Brotherhood nor the X-Men. Furthermore, I don't require anyone's assistance reclaiming the Wesley family holdings. What was taken from me, I'll recover with my own hands."
Confidence radiated from him as he met Mystique's gaze. While he didn't yet possess the strength to challenge the U.S. government and Department of Mutant Affairs directly, given sufficient time to develop his abilities, he felt absolutely certain he could someday contend not merely with the countries powers but with the three great cosmic empires simultaneously: Shi'ar, Kree, and Skrull.
"I acknowledge your impressive capabilities," Mystique conceded. "Single-handedly eliminating all mutant agents in the Los Angeles branch demonstrates considerable power. However, you must realize the Los Angeles branch represents just one of dozens within the Department of Mutant Affairs network."
She leaned forward slightly. "Your ability to handle one branch doesn't equate to challenging the entire Department of Mutant Affairs. More critically, the X-Men won't remain passive. According to my intelligence, they arrived in Los Angeles last night and are actively searching for you."
Mystique wasn't surprised by Richard's reluctance. In fact, immediate acceptance would have raised her suspicions. Generally, young mutants possessing extraordinary powers developed an instinctive arrogance.
St. John Allardyce—"Pyro"—provided a perfect example. While attending Xavier's School, he'd demonstrated mere rebelliousness. After joining the Brotherhood, however, this evolved into genuine superiority complex, reinforcing the belief that humans represented inferior creatures. He'd even modified his name, inserting "Saint" before John Allardyce.
"I'm not so arrogant as to believe I can challenge the Department of Mutant Affairs in my current state," Richard replied. "Nevertheless, I remain disinclined to join the Brotherhood—at least for now. I appreciate Magneto's generosity."
While joining the Brotherhood would certainly secure Magneto's assistance, Richard preferred avoiding such obligations. More importantly, Magneto appeared unaware of his own children's whereabouts.
Specifically, "Scarlet Witch" Wanda and "Polaris" Lorna weren't currently affiliated with the Brotherhood. Had they been present, Richard might have considered Magneto's offer more seriously. Unfortunately, neither was available, and Richard had no knowledge of their locations.
This universe differed significantly from both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and X-Men film continuity he recognized, substantially diminishing the advantage his transmigrator knowledge typically provided.
Seeing Richard's resolute expression, Mystique sighed. "I've delivered my message. Since you decline Brotherhood membership at present, our business concludes."
She stood to leave with her three companions. After several steps, however, she paused and turned back. Deliberately leaning forward to emphasize her generous décolletage, she addressed him in a seductively honeyed tone.
"I'll remain in Los Angeles until tomorrow. Should you reconsider—or simply find yourself bored tonight—you're welcome to visit my hotel."
As she spoke, Mystique extracted a hotel room card from her jacket pocket and extended it toward Richard.
Though diplomatically phrased, her subtext couldn't have been clearer. Richard ignored the proffered card.
"No need," he responded evenly. "I'm not interested in old w... women significantly older than myself."
He'd initially intended to say "old woman" but opted for a marginally more tactful phrasing. Even with this moderation, Mystique's expression instantly frosted over.
Though far from ordinary, she shared with most women a particular sensitivity regarding age references.
"You..." Considering the power disparity between them, Mystique suppressed her indignation, settling for a venomous glare before departing with her associates.
After they left, Richard paid his bill and exited the restaurant, seeking an isolated location to practice his abilities. He hoped to advance all his current skills to level three as quickly as possible.
Shortly after leaving, however, his Mental Shielding ability triggered a powerful warning: someone was using telepathy to pinpoint his location!
Several names immediately flashed through his mind. Professor X? Jean Grey? Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club? While numerous mutants possessed telepathic abilities, these three represented the most formidable within this timeline.
Mental Shielding could shield him from mental intrusion to a degree but couldn't identify the telepath targeting him.
Without hesitation, Richard activated Blinkstep—consecutively. Though Blinkstep wasn't a psychic ability, constantly changing positions effectively prevented telepaths from maintaining their lock.
Soon, he arrived in a forest dozens of kilometers from Los Angeles. Despite the distance, the unknown telepath quickly reacquired his position.
Persistent, aren't you? Richard inwardly cursed.
Though still uncertain who tracked him, one thing remained clear—he deeply resented this invasion. Without Mental Shielding's partial protection against telepathic intrusion, he wouldn't have detected the surveillance. Worse, without this defense, a telepath could potentially read his memories or alter his subconscious without his awareness.
This vulnerability—whether location tracking, memory scanning, or subconscious manipulation—deeply disturbed him. It violated his fundamental sense of privacy and security.
After brief deliberation, Richard abandoned evasion. Instead, he settled on a nearby boulder, withdrew the Masamune from his system space, and methodically began polishing the blade while awaiting his pursuer's arrival.
Time ticked forward.
Within ten minutes, a sleek black aircraft with distinctly advanced technology appeared on the horizon.
The Blackbird!
Upon recognizing the X-Men's iconic jet, Richard immediately identified his telepathic tracker.
The Phoenix Force host.
Jean Grey.
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