The steady hum of machines filled the small lab tucked away in the west wing of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Peter Parker sat cross-legged on a stool, goggles pushed up onto his forehead, grease smudges across his cheeks and fingers. The blueprints before him were a mess of red scribbles, electromagnetic equations, and notes about Adrian's unique physiology. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at a blinking display.
"Alright... attempt number twenty-two," Peter muttered.
He pressed a button on the device. A low-pitched hum vibrated through the air as the small, disc-shaped mechanism emitted a gentle pulse. The light flickered... then sputtered and fizzled out.
Peter groaned. "Okay, that was a bust."
Beast, who had been silently observing while preparing a protein shake in the corner, looked over with an amused smirk. "Frustration is often a sign of being on the verge of a breakthrough, Mr. Parker."
Peter rolled his eyes. "That sounds like something people say when they're not blowing up electromagnets."
"And yet, you persist. That's what matters."
Peter glanced at the table next to him, where a half-finished wearable prototype lay. This was his goal: a stabilizing module for Adrian's Warp Gate quirk. Ever since Adrian's form started dissipating into smoke when teleporting, Peter had dedicated his time to helping him. He wanted to fix it, just for Adrian's sake.
Meanwhile, across the facility, Adrian stood in the Danger Room, sweat dripping from his brow. Across from him stood Logan, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"You're not going to beat me by switching powers every five seconds, kid," Logan growled.
Adrian rolled his shoulders. "I'm trying to be efficient."
"That ain't efficient. It's lazy. I want you to use only one powers for each round. That's how you learn control. That's how you earn power."
Adrian hesitated. The advice made sense. With seven quirks already active High Spec, Float, Permeation, Smokescreen, Warp Gate, Hardening, and One For All—he'd gotten used to improvising with all of them at once.
Wolverine cracked his neck. "Round one. High Spec. Let's see what your brain can do."
The room shifted. Metal panels reconfigured, transforming into a simple dojo setting. Logan lunged forward, claws unsheathed—not aiming to kill, but to bruise and break.
Adrian dodged with grace and precision, the world slowing down as his High Spec perception kicked in. He saw muscle twitches, subtle foot pivots, and read Wolverine's next move like a playbook.
Still, Logan was faster.
Adrian barely ducked a swing, using his enhanced intellect and reaction speed to exploit every opening. But the challenge wasn't just about thinking fast—it was about thinking smart. And Logan didn't give him the luxury of time.
After a few close calls and one painful shoulder roll, Logan called the round. "Not bad. Round two—Permeation."
Adrian nodded. He took a breath and activated the next quirk.
This time, Wolverine rushed in head-on. Adrian phased through the first few strikes, passing harmlessly through claw and fist.
"You're not learning if you're not engaging," Logan barked.
Adrian gritted his teeth, re-solidifying in time to deliver a counter-punch to Logan's ribs.
The veteran mutant grunted in approval. "Now you're thinking."
Back in the lab, Peter fiddled with the interface again. This time, he adjusted the waveform emitters to a tighter frequency band. If his theory was right, the problem wasn't just Adrian's quirks—it was his nervous system, reacting to the dimensional strain caused by Warp Gate.
Beast wandered over. "You're adjusting the quantum feedback loop?"
Peter nodded. "I think Adrian's body is rejecting the spatial distortion because there's no stabilizing anchor. I'm building one into this."
He picked up the new prototype—a sleek bracelet with a circular module at its center. "If this works, it should prevent him from dispersing."
Beast raised a brow. "Have you tested it?"
Peter gave a sheepish grin. "Not on Adrian yet. But the simulations are promising."
Training continued into the late afternoon. Wolverine pushed Adrian hard, forcing him to rely on Float next. Adrian took to the air, hovering a few feet above the floor.
"Don't just fly to avoid hits! Use it tactically!"
Adrian began using vertical movement to launch dives and strikes, keeping his body in motion to limit exposure. Wolverine adapted, throwing improvised weights to knock him off balance.
"You float, I fight dirty," Logan muttered.
Eventually, Adrian landed, panting. His legs burned, but his instincts had sharpened.
Then came Smokescreen.
The Danger Room filled with Pink smoke as Adrian cloaked the space. He moved silently, trying to mimic Cassie's shadow tactics. But Logan's nose was too good.
"Smells like effort. Still ain't stealth."
Adrian dropped in behind him—but Logan was already there, elbowing him into the floor.
"Better. Not good enough."
Adrian exhaled, laughing despite himself. "You really don't hold back."
Logan offered a hand. "You want to survive out there, you train like your life depends on it. 'Cause someday it will."
That night, Adrian returned to the lab where Peter sat half-asleep next to a buzzing console.
"Hey," Peter said groggily. "I think I finally got it."
He handed over the new stabilizer bracelet.
"This is meant to regulate your body's reaction to Warp Gate. Keeps your atoms from stretching too far apart when you phase through space. It might feel a little tingly, but it should stop the smoke issue."
Adrian took it, nodding slowly. "You really did all this... for me?"
Peter smirked. "Well, I had help. Bees gave me some math pointers. But yeah, I figured you'd like not turning into fog."
Adrian chuckled. "Let's test it."
Back in the Danger Room, Wolverine stood with arms crossed as Adrian strapped on the device.
He activated Warp Gate. For the first time, his body shimmered—not into smoke, but through a smooth ripple of energy. A black-and-violet portal opened and closed behind him.
Adrian stepped out clean. No dissipation. No pain.
"It worked."
Peter jumped in the air from the booth above. "Yes! Yes! Science wins again!"
Wolverine grunted in approval. "You're stabilizing. Still gotta train like it's not perfect. 'Cause it isn't."
Adrian turned to Peter, a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks. Seriously."
Peter shrugged, though pride glowed in his eyes. "That's what teammates are for."
Later that evening, the two sat in the common room, nursing energy drinks and stretching sore limbs.
Peter looked thoughtful. "You ever think about how far we've come since we met?"
Adrian nodded. "Back then I didn't trust anyone. Still don't trust many. But you? You've earned it."
Peter smirked. "Took me long enough."
The scene faded with the two sitting side-by-side—one a superpowered warrior learning control, the other a genius in the making, building the future from the ground up.
Together, they weren't just survivors.
They were becoming something more.
A team.