Tohka Yatogami's: Marvel Journey

"Hello, welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." The moment she stepped in, Tohka saw the school nestled in the outskirts of New York City. She immediately sensed the presence of a power far beyond that of ordinary humans.

"Hello, please follow me. The professor is waiting for you inside, hmm?" As Tohka got out of the car, an elegant female voice greeted her. However, the woman's expression noticeably shifted upon seeing Tohka.

"This person…" Just like the woman, Tohka almost lost control of her power and nearly manifested her entire Spirit armor upon seeing her.

"Hello, I'm Jean Grey. It's a pleasure to meet you." After a brief pause, Jean Grey's expression quickly returned to normal, and she greeted Tohka warmly.

"Hello, I'm Tohka Yatogami Stark." No matter how reluctant she felt, that was her official name, and she had to introduce herself accordingly.

"Follow me. The professor is waiting for you inside. As for your driver, he can take a break for now." With that, Jean Grey led Tohka into the school.

"The Phoenix Force…" Hearing her name, Tohka immediately recognized who she was. What concerned her, however, was the slight agitation of her own power moments ago—not out of hostility, but as if it wanted to compete with the Phoenix Force.

"It seems the power of the Spirits isn't low-tier, but it's clear that Jean Grey doesn't have the complete Phoenix Force. Otherwise, my scattered power would have been directly suppressed."

Tohka wasn't wrong. At its peak, a Phoenix Force wielder could rival the creators of the universe. How much power those creators could exert back then, however, remained unclear.

(Personal commentary: I did some research, but Marvel hasn't clearly explained the full strength of the Phoenix Force in the comics. It's said to be capable of going toe-to-toe with Galactus at full power. Marvel's settings are just ridiculous sometimes.)

Regardless of what she thought, Tohka followed through the school's courtyard and entered the main building. Along the way, she saw all sorts of mutants.

Unfortunately, most of them didn't seem very strong and had various flaws—some even had grotesque appearances.

Seeing this, Tohka began to understand why so many people disliked mutants. Their strange abilities made them unpredictable, and some looked so distinct that they stood out in a crowd instantly.

Furthermore, there were those who used their abilities for wrongdoing. Add to that… well, there were plenty of reasons for the prejudice, and she decided not to dwell on them.

"Hello, Miss Tohka. A pleasure to meet you." It was here that Tohka finally met Professor X. To her surprise, he looked unusually young. Although seated in a wheelchair, he wasn't bald. Seeing him, Tohka suddenly remembered a news story she'd seen by chance in the past.

Around ten years ago, Magneto and his group had caused a major incident during the announcement of the president's latest weapon.

Alright, Tohka was feeling a bit confused. She wasn't very clear on Marvel's timeline, so she couldn't pinpoint when the event had happened. However, she was certain this timeline had been rebooted. At least the Sentinel program had been shut down, sparing her from dealing with those troubling machines in the future.

"Hello, extraordinary young lady." Even though this wasn't the bald Professor X she expected, Charles's warmth and charisma were undiminished. Smiling, he greeted Tohka.

"Hello. What do you need from me?" Standing before Professor X, Tohka didn't dare to let her guard down. He was the strongest telepath on Earth. She could sense the terrifying mental pressure emanating from him—a force she had never encountered before.

Even though she knew of the professor's good character, anyone would tread cautiously around someone who could delve into their mind. Besides, Tohka harbored some secrets she couldn't afford to reveal.

"Don't worry. Amusingly enough, I can't access your mind at all." Seeing Tohka's wary expression, the professor wasn't surprised. Given his abilities, this was something he was accustomed to, so he wasn't offended.

"I noticed you because your presence is so overwhelming that I couldn't ignore you."

"Overwhelming presence?" Tohka paused, confused by what Charles meant.

"Earlier, outside, you must have sensed each other's power. Like Jean Grey, you also possess immense energy within you. I imagine you both noticed it when you met—your energies are on an equal footing in terms of magnitude," Charles explained, seeing Tohka's confusion.

"There are differences, though. Your energy is relatively tranquil, and you've already mastered its use, while Jean Grey still fears using hers. Additionally, because of this power, you possess extraordinary strength, and its protective nature is why I can't access your mind."

"Whew." Tohka breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If Charles had been able to enter her mind… well, she might have ended up as a sworn enemy of the X-Men, Magneto, and the rest.

After all, when the professor once entered Deadpool's mind and discovered he was a comic book character, the shock caused his mind to implode. But then she remembered something—so far, she hadn't seen Magneto stirring up any trouble.

"Professor, what about your friend Magneto? Such a powerful mutant has been quiet for so long—what's he up to?"

"Him? Oh, he's married now and living in seclusion."

"Hmm, I think you should still keep an eye on him. If his identity gets exposed, it could cause quite a stir."

As she said this, Tohka recalled the tragic death of Magneto's wife and daughter in X-Men: Apocalypse. Honestly, she admired him. With the professor's help, such a tragedy could have been avoided.

"Is that so? I'll keep it in mind. But if my friend chooses to live this way, I won't disturb him."

"By the way, I need to warn you about something…" The professor nodded thoughtfully at Tohka's words, but then his expression turned serious. "I can't place safeguards on you like I did for Jean Grey. You give off an aura of purity—so pure that it's almost untouchable."

"But everyone has a dark side, even me. Your purity means there must be something that carries your darkness. This is what I want to caution you about."

"Never let your power control you. If you're not careful, you could be devoured by your own strength."

"....."