But what Pyro didn't expect was this.
Robert seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He swiftly turned around, reached out, and effortlessly crushed the fireball in his hand. The flames didn't even leave a mark on his skin.
Pyro's eyes widened in disbelief.
Was this guy even human?
Even Wolverine would have been burned by that attack. But Robert didn't flinch, let alone get hurt. Robert naturally didn't care what Pyro was thinking. He glanced at Pyro, lowered his eyelids slightly, and said calmly:
"Get lost. Don't disturb my fishing."
After saying that, he sat back down on the small stool, continuing to fish under the warm sunlight.
However, Pyro wasn't ready to back off.
Two more fireballs appeared in his hands, and he hurled them directly at Robert.
Robert turned his head slowly, his eyes still calm.
He hadn't wanted to bother with these two brats, but now they were getting bold—testing their limits.
Looks like they needed a little lesson.
Whoosh!
Robert's figure flashed. The two fireballs flying toward him were instantly crushed in midair.
"I'll educate you on behalf of your teachers," he said coldly.
"Some people are not meant to be messed with."
"If you've got the guts, come at me!"
Pyro didn't flinch. His arrogance only seemed to grow. He reached for his lighter, and the moment he sparked it—
Boom!
A thick column of flame, wide as a bucket, shot out toward Robert.
Robert's eyelid twitched slightly.
Whoosh!
Opening his mouth, a chilling white aura blasted out. Ice crystals shimmered in the air as they fell gently from the distorted space.
Pfft!
The flame collided with the icy breath. A burst of steam exploded into the surroundings. But soon, the cold aura began to dominate, suppressing the flames entirely.
It didn't stop there.
The frost wave surged forward toward Pyro, who couldn't resist it at all.
Boom! The freezing blast hit Pyro square in the face. His eyebrows and hair turned white, covered in ice crystals.
Pyro had never experienced such bone-chilling cold before. His body began to tremble violently.
The arrogance in his eyes was quickly replaced by fear.
Standing next to him, Iceman—Bobby—also wore a look of shock.
So fast!
He didn't even have time to react before Pyro was frozen solid.
Was Pyro that weak?
No. It wasn't that Pyro was weak—it was that Robert was ridiculously strong.
Back at the Mutant Academy, many mutants trained together. Among them, Iceman and Pyro shared a strong bond.
Though Iceman appeared to be a carefree playboy, it was all an act. In truth, he wasn't into girls. His closeness with Pyro had deeper reasons.
Under these circumstances, despite being shocked by the scene, he quickly gathered himself. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Pyro's shoulder.
A soft glow appeared, and the frost covering Pyro's body began to dissipate. It was like watching ice purify itself and melt away.
Robert raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
As expected of a potential Omega-level mutant. Among all the students, Iceman probably had the highest ceiling.
That level of delicate frost manipulation wasn't something ordinary mutants could pull off.
Interesting.
Robert watched Bobby's process with interest, mentally noting the fine control involved. Maybe there was something to learn here.
But it was over quickly.
Once Pyro was stabilized, Bobby looked up and met Robert's gaze.
"Don't you think you went too far?" he asked.
"Is that really how you deal with your classmates?"
Robert chuckled.
So now they were playing the victim?
"When Pyro attacked me just now, where were you?" he asked, his tone light but sharp.
"If I wasn't strong, I'd be lying in a hospital bed right now."
"And now, just because you're the one on the losing end, you suddenly want to talk about morals?"
"After all your time with the X-Men, this is what you've learned?"
His voice was filled with mockery.
Bobby couldn't respond.
He knew they had been in the wrong. But concern muddled judgment. He cared about Pyro, so naturally, he sided with him.
Being called out like that by Robert left him speechless.
Unlike Pyro, Bobby wasn't impulsive or reckless. He was one of the more rational members of the X-Men. So he didn't try to argue.
Looking at Pyro, who was still trembling, Bobby took a deep breath.
"I apologize for what John did," he said. "But I still want to challenge you."
Robert looked at him with a slightly amused expression.
Compared to Pyro, Bobby was much more likable.
If Pyro hadn't started throwing around Ancient One's techniques, Bobby probably wouldn't even be here.
Still, a lesson was in order.
Young people needed to be tempered. If they didn't experience a good thrashing once in a while, they'd never understand the weight of the world.
"Fine. Let's get this over with. I still need to fish afterward," Robert said, shaking his head casually.
"Don't have all day to waste with you kids."
That tone—it was maddening.
Bobby felt the anger rise inside him.
This guy was just too arrogant.
They were all students of Mutant Academy—what gave Robert the right to act so superior?
Bobby snorted, told the still-shivering Pyro to move aside, and stepped forward.
Unlike Pyro, who needed a lighter to use his fire powers, Bobby's control over frost was raw and powerful.
At his peak, he could freeze molecules—some even said atoms—and distort space itself. Although he wasn't at that level yet, the frost he could summon now dropped temperatures by hundreds of degrees below zero.
Under those conditions, steel would shatter. A human would freeze in an instant.
He raised his hand, and a stream of white frost burst forth like a flamethrower in reverse.
The white aura surged through the air.
Massive ice blocks formed midair, visible to the naked eye.
Compared to Robert's cold aura, Bobby's power felt like creation out of nothing—he could freeze the air regardless of its moisture content.
It was completely illogical—but that's what made him so terrifying.