Speed

The next morning, I unlocked Pietro's latent potential and enhanced his mutation. Now, it's time to check what he can do.

I teleported Pietro to an open field, far away from civilization. He began to stretch his legs like a sprinter preparing for a race. His usual cocky smirk was plastered across his face, but I could sense his excitement bubbling beneath the surface.

"You ready for this?" I asked, crossing my arms as I stood a few feet away.

He gave me a thumbs-up. "Always. Question is, are you ready to see something you've never seen before?"

I smirked. "Impress me."

The moment I nodded, Pietro took off like a bullet. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he launched himself forward, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. The world slowed down as I too used my super speed. He was halfway across the field, moving faster than I'd ever seen him.

But that wasn't all.

As he ran, the air around him shimmered with a faint blue light, like static electricity crackling around his body. He was pushing beyond his previous limits, and the energy radiating off him was proof of his enhanced mutation.

In less than a second, he was back, skidding to a stop in front of me. The wind from his sudden halt sent a spray of dirt and grass into the air.

"That's insane," he said, breathing hard but grinning ear to ear. "I'm faster. Way faster. And it's not just speed. I feel... lighter, stronger, like my body isn't fighting against the limits anymore. And I think my energy burn while running decreased too. I won't have to worry about running out of calories anymore, huh? This is great."

 "Oh, we're just scratching the surface, Pietro. Try pushing yourself even further," I said as I looked around. With his new power, he should be able to do that.

He looked at me, intrigued. "What do you mean? Faster? I can already feel I'm close to breaking the sound barrier."

I shook my head. "Not just speed. There's more to your potential now. Your mutation's evolved. Let's test something new. Run directly at that tree over there." I pointed to a massive oak standing tall at the edge of the field.

Pietro's grin faltered, replaced by confusion. "You want me to run into a tree? That doesn't sound like one of your better ideas."

"Not into. Through it," I corrected, my tone serious. "Trust me."

He hesitated for a moment, studying my expression, before shrugging. "Alright, but if I splatter myself all over that trunk, you're explaining this to Wanda."

I chuckled. "Just focus, man. Let go of the limits in your mind. Don't try to hold back your speed. Your body can handle it."

With a deep breath, he turned toward the tree, setting his sights on it. I could see the faintest flicker of doubt in his eyes, but it quickly vanished as his cocky confidence took over again.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, taking off like a rocket.

The ground shook as he accelerated, the blue light around him intensifying. He was a blur, closing the distance to the tree in milliseconds. And then...

He didn't stop.

For a moment, I thought he'd hit the trunk and this would end with a Pietro-shaped dent in the wood. But instead, his body shimmered like a mirage in the desert and he phased straight through the tree as though it wasn't even there.

On the other side, he skidded to a halt, spinning around with wide eyes. "Holy freak! Did you see that?!"

I clapped slowly, "Told you there was more to it."

He jogged back toward me, visibly vibrating with excitement. "What just happened? I went through it... through it! It didn't even slow me down!"

"Molecular destabilization," I explained. "Your mutation now lets you adjust the frequency of your molecules to pass through solid objects. You essentially become intangible. With some practice, you'll be able to control it at will."

His eyes widened. "Wait, so... you're telling me I can run through walls now? No doors, no barriers? Like your girlfriend's mutation?"

"Exactly," I confirmed. "But there's more to it. You can destabilize objects too. Anything you touch while in that state can be affected... though I'd recommend holding off on that until we know what you're capable of. We don't need you turning the ground into quicksand by accident."

Pietro grinned like a kid in a candy store. "This is insane. What else can I do? What if I run through people? What if I run through energy shields or high-density metal doors like those prisons that hold superhumans?"

I raised a hand to stop him. "Let's not test that part just yet. There's a lot we need to explore, but for now, let's focus on control. You don't want to accidentally destabilize something you shouldn't."

He nodded, though his excitement was barely contained. "Fine, fine. But you've gotta admit, this is cool as hell. I feel unstoppable."

I chuckled. "Good. Now let's see just how unstoppable you really are."

For the next hour, I put Pietro through a series of tests, pushing him to phase through different materials—trees, boulders, even a solid steel wall I conjured using my powers. With each success, his confidence grew, but so did his control. He learned to activate and deactivate his intangibility at will, the shimmering blue light around him acting as a visual cue. His healing speed also increased and he can even generate shockwaves by vibrating his fingers.

Now, I wonder which one is faster, this Pietro or that Quicksilver Pietro at Xavier's school.

By the time we were done, Pietro was grinning from ear to ear, his cocky smirk back in full force. "So, when do I get to show off? You think Wanda's gonna freak out when she sees this? You think Jean will notice if I steal her chips at this speed?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. It was good to see him back in a better mood.

"Yeah, do whatever you want, but don't steal from Jean unless you want to get turned into a pretzel. She'll turn you into a human pin cushion."

"Fair point. You're a lucky bastard. You have so many girls fawning over you."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Not fawning, buddy. They're all my girlfriends. I'm the lucky bastard."

"Arg! Last time I tried to talk to a girl, she tried to drug me and sell my kidneys to some mob boss. Sigh! I was lucky my enhanced metabolism made it impossible for the drug to work. And the fact that she didn't know my powers, so the whole plan backfired. It was quite funny seeing the mobsters' faces after I busted their nuts, though," He stretched his arms.

"Yeah, that's funny and sad." I patted his back, feeling his frustration. "Don't worry. One day, you'll find your match."

"I hope so. Anyway, wanna race?" He asked as he looked at his watch.

"You want to race me? You do know you can't beat me, right?" I asked, smiling.

"Try me. If you're too chicken to do it, fine."

"Ha! Alright. A circle around the world. We'll start here," I said as I pointed to a nearby clearing. "Let's do this."

Pietro didn't waste any time. Before I'd finished my sentence, he was gone, a trail of dust the only evidence he'd been there.

With a laugh, I shot after him, the world blurring around me as I accelerated. Within seconds, I'd caught up to Pietro. He noticed me approaching, but instead of slowing down, he grinned and sped up.

The world became a dizzying blur of colors as we raced at speeds that defied comprehension. Oceans, continents, mountains, and cities zipped past beneath us in mere heartbeats. I could feel the air grow thin and cold as we ascended into the upper atmosphere to avoid obstacles like mountains and buildings.

Pietro glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Still think I can't beat you?"

I chuckled. "Don't get cocky, kid. I'm just warming up."

I amped it up a bit, effortlessly matching his speed. Pietro responded by pushing himself harder, the blue energy crackling around him intensifying. For a moment, he pulled ahead, his confidence clearly skyrocketing.

"Not bad!" I called out, amplifying my voice so he could hear me over the roar of the wind. "But let's see how you handle this."

I pushed past Pietro like a comet, leaving a streak of light in my wake. I glanced back, catching his wide-eyed expression before he gritted his teeth and accelerated even further.

"Oh, hell no!" He also picked up his speed. I could tell that he was struggling a bit with his new speed, but he was adapting fast.

Suddenly, the race took a new turn. Pietro's blue energy flared, and he began to phase through the very air itself, leaving shimmering afterimages behind him. Each step he took seemed to defy the laws of physics, and I realized he was using his intangibility to reduce air resistance. Smart move.

We were now approaching the final stretch, the original clearing in sight. Pietro gritted his teeth, giving everything he had. His energy flared so brightly it was almost blinding, and I could see him pushing past his limits.

I decided to let him have his moment.

As we neared the finish line, I slowed down just enough for him to cross first. Pietro skidded to a stop, panting but triumphant, his cocky grin back in full force.

"I… told you… I could win," he wheezed between breaths.

I clapped him on the back, laughing. "Sure you did. Let's call it beginner's luck."

Pietro collapsed onto the grass, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. "That… was insane. I've never felt anything like it."

...

[Later that night...] [3rd person POV]

Pietro kept bragging about how he beat Aron in their race. But when he noticed everyone was laughing at him, his eyes twitched, "Why are you all laughing?"

"Told you he doesn't know," Wanda said, giggling. "Look at his face!"

"What? What don't I know?" Pietro asked, looking at everyone.

"Nothing... Good job defeating that arrogant guy," Psylocke said sarcastically, and everyone laughed again.

"I swear I won fair and square."

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