"Alex, are you sure it's okay for us to keep all this equipment?"
Inside the lab, Hank was practically trembling with excitement as he examined the TVA devices—
but he still couldn't hide a trace of hesitation.
Indeed—
For a top-tier scientist like Hank, tech that allowed time travel and interdimensional traversal was irresistible.
If he could work forty-eight hours a day, he would.
These weren't ordinary gadgets—
they touched the ultimate laws of the universe: time and space.
But Hank was not an idiot.
Now that he knew what the TVA was…
holding onto their things felt dangerously close to poking a cosmic hornet's nest.
"Alex really isn't afraid of offending people, huh…"
"Relax, Hank. Study whatever you want.
Leave the TVA to me."
Alex patted Hank's shoulder casually.
The TVA was terrifying—
to normal people.
But to him?
Not so much.
If they wanted to take their toys back—
Let them come try.
"…Alright, Alex. Since you say so, I'll trust you."
Hank nodded.
He knew Alex.
If Alex spoke with this level of certainty, it meant he really had nothing to fear.
And indeed—
As Alex predicted, half a year passed…
And nothing happened.
Not a single TVA agent came looking for trouble.
No threats.
No portals.
No warnings.
It was as if the entire incident had been erased from history.
Alex wasn't sure whether it was because Kang wanted to show goodwill…
Or because Kang simply didn't care about a couple of devices that were worthless to him.
Either way—
the TVA acted as if they had gifted everything willingly.
Unfortunately…
When Alex checked on Hank's research progress, the results were disappointing.
Those devices had heavy protection mechanisms.
Hank could use them, sure—
but disassembling or reverse-engineering them?
Almost impossible.
For months, Hank tried every trick he knew.
Nothing.
Any attempt to crack the system triggered self-destruction protocols.
Worse—
The devices required a very rare energy source.
Something Hank had no way of identifying.
And the remaining energy inside the devices?
According to his calculations:
Only enough for a handful of uses.
A few jumps—and the devices would be dead.
Meaning all of Alex's fantasies about mastering unlimited time-space travel through TVA tech…
Total delusion.
No wonder Kang didn't care.
Everything made sense now.
For Kang—
Alex already had the Infinity Stones,
could travel the multiverse,
and had America Chavez in Krakoa.
So what if Alex gained a few extra jumps?
It meant nothing.
"Useless chicken ribs… no wonder he was so generous," Alex sighed internally.
He didn't get played by the TVA.
He got played by Kang.
---
Just as he left the lab, Alex bumped into Raven.
"Alex, America's evaluation is about to start. Want to come watch?"
"That works. Let's go."
He had nothing else to do anyway.
Together, they headed to the X-Men base.
---
The moment they arrived, Alex saw:
White Queen.
Wolverine.
Cyclops.
Storm.
All the senior X-Men were present.
Charles and Erik, however, were absent.
Not surprising—
they had too many national-level responsibilities on Krakoa.
And everyone knew America Chavez joining the X-Men was already a certainty.
The evaluation was just a formality.
---
"Alex, you're here too."
"Principal!"
The X-Men greeted him one after another.
America Chavez, standing opposite them on the training ground, nearly bounced with excitement.
"Your Majesty—
you came personally to observe my exam?!
Oh man, I'm excited, but also super nervous!"
After nearly a year of training, she was finally eligible to join the X-Men.
Passing this test meant officially becoming one of them.
This was a milestone in her life.
She originally thought she'd be judged by the regular X-Men.
She hoped Alex would show up,
but never dared expect it.
Yet here he was.
Which meant—
He acknowledged her.
America almost exploded with energy on the spot.
"I'm just here to watch. The actual evaluation is up to everyone else."
Alex waved it off casually and took his seat.
"Alright, America. You may begin."
Wolverine cleared his throat.
"OK!"
America inhaled deeply and lifted her fist.
The most important part of the X-Men test was the demonstration of one's ability.
America's task:
open a stable star-shaped portal to a specific universe.
"I'll open a portal to a particular universe next."
"I don't know what to call it—but it's a world where there are X-Men but no Avengers."
"I'll place the exit over the ocean.
Less chance of being noticed."
"Or… if you want, you can give me more detailed parameters."
She declared confidently.
Given how casually she talked about targeting universes, clearly her mastery had grown tremendously.
White Queen smiled.
"Use the universe you just described. If you can pull that off, at least for me—your exam is already a pass."
The others gave small nods, silently agreeing.
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