Chapter 153: [152] : Give Me a Reason
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The mutants had decided to relocate, but it wasn't something that could be done overnight.
It wasn't because the migration was difficult; with the Soul Stone in Roger's possession, he could move freely between universes.
With the support of other stones, Roger could theoretically transport all the mutants in an instant.
The real problem lay in the mindset of the mutants.
They had just emerged victorious from wars against both humanity and the Sentinels. Strictly speaking, the mutants were the winners.
Now, as the victors, they were being asked to abandon their home and flee to another place. How could that possibly make sense?
The fiercest opposition came from the mutants led by Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr.
These mutants, former members of Magneto's Brotherhood, were among those who harbored the deepest hatred for humans.
When humanity began hunting mutants using Sentinels, these individuals became the main force in the resistance. Calling them the new generation of X-Men wouldn't be an exaggeration.
But now, under Magneto's leadership, these mutants stood at odds with their former "comrades" at the mutant academy, spreading their beliefs:
"The Earth should belong to us, not those humans!"
"Exactly! The humans should get out of here!"
"Aren't we the victors?!"
The Brotherhood members shouted passionately, advocating their ideals and gaining many supporters.
Meanwhile, the X-Men, who should have been stopping them, merely stood opposite the Brotherhood, silently watching. They didn't interfere, only ensuring that the situation didn't spiral out of control.
Perhaps, deep down, even the X-Men agreed with what these mutants were saying.
Yes, they were supposed to be the victors. So why were they the ones being forced to leave their home?
"Looks like things are getting out of hand."
Roger, sitting in his room, observed the arguing mutants outside and muttered to himself.
Jean, sitting nearby with a furrowed brow, was deeply troubled. Although the immediate crisis facing the mutants had been resolved, it seemed that a new crisis was brewing.
Perhaps this upcoming crisis could be called "Mutant Civil War."
Seeing mutants arguing amongst themselves, Jean felt disheartened but refrained from asking Roger to intervene.
Roger wasn't a mutant and had already done more than enough for them. He had no obligation to get involved in the internal affairs of mutants.
After much hesitation, Jean finally said to Roger, "…Now that things are settled here, shouldn't we leave?"
"Huh? You're not going to ask me to fix this mess?"
Roger looked at her in surprise.
He wasn't eager to handle mutant internal disputes, and he didn't want to waste his efforts on such thankless tasks. However, if Jean were to ask, while it might lower his opinion of her slightly, he wouldn't outright refuse to help.
To his surprise, Jean suggested leaving instead. That genuinely caught Roger off guard.
Jean shook her head and replied, "There's no need. This… isn't my home, after all."
Although she was also a mutant and had ties to the X-Mansion and its people, this wasn't her world. She felt no obligation to help the mutants here.
Instead, watching the petty disputes of these mutants only made Jean miss her own home. She wanted to return to her world and see how things had developed there, rather than staying here and witnessing meaningless bickering.
"Alright…"
Roger saw the weariness in Jean's expression. He withdrew his gaze from the window, told her to rest in the room, and headed to Charles Xavier's office to bid farewell.
Inside the office, Charles and Erik were in the middle of a heated argument. When Roger entered, they stopped simultaneously and turned their attention to him.
For some reason, neither of them resumed their argument in Roger's presence. Instead, they seamlessly changed the subject. Charles, acting as if nothing had happened, smiled at Roger and asked, "What brings you here? Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Did you two… finish your discussion?"
Roger gestured between them with his fingers.
Charles glanced at Erik and said, "More or less. Sorry, the relocation of the mutants might take a little longer. We have other matters to deal with."
"I understand. Do you need my help with this one?"
Roger asked again.
Charles shook his head. "No, you've already done plenty. You have your own matters to attend to. From here on out, I'll discuss things with Mr. Stark."
Roger had known from the moment he saw the infighting among the mutants that the relocation wouldn't be accomplished overnight.
It was going to be a long and drawn-out battle.
Roger didn't have the time to waste here, so he had already passed the interdimensional transfer technology to Tony Stark.
This technology, fully documented in Athena's database, was handed over to Stark in its entirety. It wouldn't take long for Stark to figure it out.
Even if Roger didn't return in the future, Stark would be able to establish a portal between the two universes, enabling the mutants to relocate.
Additionally, with the combined efforts of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, finding a suitable habitable planet in the universe wouldn't be a difficult task. Everything had been prepared, so even if Roger left now, the mutants wouldn't be left helpless.
"If that's the case, then I'll be on my way."
Roger said to Charles.
Charles smiled, waved, and added, "Of course. Take care. Oh, and take Raven with you when you leave."
"…?"
Roger's eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
Charles explained, "Raven's abilities can be quite useful. If you take her with you, she'll be able to assist you when necessary."
"Can I refuse?"
Roger said coldly.
It wasn't that he disliked Mystique. If it were the Mystique from Jean's world, Roger might have hesitated before agreeing.
But the Mystique from this world… ever since she tried to flirt with Roger that day, he had known she wasn't the type of woman he could handle.
The worst part was that he couldn't just get rid of her, as his relationship with Charles and the mutants was still relatively positive.
Charles noticed Roger's reluctance and sighed. "I understand you're not fond of Raven, but—"
"No buts. If you want me to take Mystique, give me a reason I can't refuse."
"…"
"No reason? Then I'm leaving."
Seeing that Charles couldn't come up with anything, Roger didn't waste any more time. He bid them farewell and walked out without hesitation.
Charles sighed helplessly, while Erik no longer had the energy to argue with him. It was as if they had both forgotten what they were fighting about earlier. Erik remarked, "Does Raven really want to go with him?"
"You know Raven hasn't wanted to stay in this world for a long time…"
"But going with him might not be the best choice. It took Raven a lot of effort to recover from that incident."
"We should respect her choice."
"…"
Erik couldn't find any words to counter that. After a long pause, he finally said, "You've always been like this—thinking you're always right."
"I don't think I'm always right, but your choices are definitely wrong."
Charles responded firmly.
Erik asked, "So you think my current decision is wrong too? Letting the mutants leave Earth like exiles—is that the right thing to do?"
"Erik, don't make it sound so harsh…"
"I'm just stating facts!"
After Roger left, Erik and Charles resumed their argument. Naturally, their discussion shifted from Raven to the broader issue of the mutants.
Using his super hearing, Roger listened in for a while. Realizing there was nothing of value to gain, he retracted his focus and made his way back.
Raven's insistence on following him felt suspicious. Roger didn't believe she genuinely wanted to go with him to find Andrea.
He felt she had some ulterior motive, which was why he refused to take her.
But what Roger didn't expect was that when he returned to his room, Mystique, Raven Darkholme, was already sitting there, as if waiting for him.
"You're back?"
"What are you doing here? Where's Jean?"
"You're leaving soon, aren't you? I sent her to find that blue-skinned alien. Honestly, I think that alien would make an excellent professor at Xavier's school."
Mystique, in her original form, smirked as she spoke to Roger.
Roger remained expressionless and pointed at the door. "Out."
"Come on, don't be like that. Are you still mad about the joke I made that day?"
"Get. Out."
Roger's face darkened.
For reasons he couldn't explain, Roger found himself deeply annoyed by Mystique's presence in this moment. The fact that he hadn't outright told her to "get lost" was a testament to his patience.
Seeing that Roger seemed genuinely upset, Mystique dropped her playful demeanor. She shifted into her younger form, composed herself, and said seriously:
"Your name is Roger."
"…I know."
"You were born in a world without any extraordinary powers, with no particularly notable hobbies. Your favorite thing to do on weekends was to stay home, watching movies and anime.
"Your favorite food is KFC's unhealthy burgers. Your favorite drink is cola—any brand will do… Do you want me to continue?"
Mystique paused, her gaze fixed on Roger.
At this moment, Roger's expression had become incredibly complicated.
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