IMUC Chapter 556 The Return of Professor X and Logan

I have finished translating this fanfic, IMUC (I Am In Marvel With Unlimited Cards) and have posted all the advanced chapters on Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/c/marvel6395). You can read all the advanced chapters there.

Inside the main building of the Xavier Academy.

"I brought this down from upstairs. It might be useful."

A burst of vivid crimson flames appeared in the hallway on the third floor, revealing Azazel. He placed a specially designed wheelchair steadily on the floor.

Charles was sitting weakly on the ground, his pale face covered in sweat. He looked at the wheelchair before him with a nostalgic expression on his face. After all this time, he hadn't expected he'd need to sit in it again.

"Come on, Professor, slowly now." Hank, in his blue, beast-like form, reached out his strong arms to help Charles and carefully lowered him into the wheelchair.

"I'll go get you some water."

Hank turned to head toward the lobby, but Charles stopped him with a calm voice, "No need."

"Professor… you…"

Azazel's eyes were fixed on him, and his beast-like instincts allowed him to sense that something about Charles had fundamentally changed.

Charles placed his hands on the wheelchair's armrests, gazing toward the end of the hallway. In the next moment, a glass of water floated toward him, gently landing in his open left hand.

"Professor, your powers…" Hank's eyes reddened with emotion. In this moment, it felt as though the Academy had regained its foundation, its core soul.

"Yes. My powers have returned."

Charles' magnetic voice resonated calmly in the minds of everyone within the Academy. There was no excitement in his tone— just the calm, composed demeanor of the professor.

Garfield, the cat, jumped onto Charles' lap, and Charles gazed at it, a sudden understanding dawning on his face. "So, you're Logan, from the future."

Future Logan rolled around excitedly. He had been trapped in this cat's body for some time, helplessly watching events spiral downward. Finally, his frustration could end.

"No way, he's Logan from the future?" Hank and Azazel exchanged glances, both struggling to process the drastic contrast.

"There's no mistake. From his memories, I've seen glimpses of the apocalyptic future and even of myself," Charles said, nodding. 

After a brief pause, he added, "Logan, given your situation, it's just a case of your consciousness being transferred improperly. With the help of Cerebro, I might be able to temporarily merge your consciousness in the cat's body with your original body from this timeline."

Garfield's eyes lit up. He had had enough of this useless form.

"Hank."

Charles' voice echoed in Hank's mind, and Hank smiled. "Professor, it's going to take me a while to get used to you having your powers back. Don't worry, I've been maintaining that place all along— it'll be ready for use."

In the Academy's underground facility.

The space below was vast, much larger than the Academy building above. The surface campus was just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it was an advanced hangar for stealth jets, a battle simulation room with specialized materials, and deep within was a critical room marked with a large "X."

Hank led the group to this room, turning to Charles. "Professor, this was built specifically for you. Only you have access to this room."

Charles moved forward in his wheelchair, placing his hand on the door's scanner. After a fingerprint and laser scan, the reinforced door slid open.

Inside was a long hallway, leading to a helmet connected to a vast array of machinery. The circular room's walls were seamless liquid crystal displays.

"I always feel a bit excited coming here," Hank remarked.

Few understood the extent of Charles' psychic abilities when amplified by Cerebro. If Hank had to describe it, he would say it brought Charles just one step away from being a god-like being.

Charles wheeled himself forward, picked up the helmet, and dusted it off before placing it on his head with care.

It's been a long time...

Under everyone's watchful gaze, the room seemed to come alive with its essential component in place. The screens displayed an infinite starry sky, with countless faint shadows and a few radiant lights scattered among them.

"The glowing ones represent mutants, while the dim ones are regular people. With Cerebro, Professor can control ordinary humans' bodies, rewrite their memories, or even kill them with a thought," Hank explained in a low voice. "Professor, let's try locating Logan from this timeline."

Without a word, Charles focused his psychic senses, navigating the vast expanse of stars. He quickly found a bright light. "Got him. Logan, you're currently being held at a military research facility in the U.S. You're in pain… it's as though something has been injected into your body…"

Garfield's eyes widened, as though realizing something, and he urgently meowed at Charles.

"I understand." Charles reached down, gently stroking Garfield's head, and transferred Logan's consciousness from the cat's body to his original self.

Garfield shuddered, then looked around in surprise before darting out of the room.

"Logan… he…" Hank watched as the cat scurried away.

"He's gone where he needs to be. We'll see him soon enough. Now, let's locate Erik."

The Sentinel issue still wasn't resolved.

At a train station in a town in the U.S.

Passengers bustled around the station. Erik, wearing a hat and mask, was carrying his luggage and heading out. 

Suddenly, an elderly woman blocked his path, her expression blank as she spoke in a robotic voice, "Erik, running away won't solve anything."

Erik's pupils contracted violently, and he blurted, "Charles?"

"Yes," The woman nodded.

"You've always been the one running. I've never run," Erik snorted coldly, sidestepping the woman. "Since you've regained your powers, we can deal with the Sentinels in our own ways."

The woman's eyes cleared, and she frowned, unsure why she had been standing still for a while.

A young man passed by Erik, murmuring, "Erik, your path won't work."

"It's still better than standing still!" Erik retorted, continuing toward the exit.

A man bumped into Erik, apologizing as he did, then added to the conversation, "I've seen a glimpse of that apocalyptic future. Mutants must coexist with humans."

"That's because you saw a future of failure!"

Erik pushed past the man, using a fake ID to exit the station.

Back in the underground facility.

Charles sighed. "He won't listen."

But he had expected that. Erik was the type to walk his path, even if it meant defying the whole world.

Azazel asked curiously, "Professor, can you find Master?"

After a brief pause, Charles replied, "In theory, yes. His mind is too radiant to miss, even if I'm not looking for him. But right now, I can't see him. There's an unknown, chaotic psychic field around him that blocks my telepathy."

Hank understood. "It must be the little girl he's with. She can even interfere with you in this state?"

"Yes."

Charles nodded.

Suddenly, he saw something extraordinary, his face turning pale. "Wait a second, what is that? I see someone, a mysterious mutant whose aura rivals even Caesar's!"

(End of chapter)