The man who sent Magneto flying wasn't some hidden assassin — it was Hank McCoy, better known as Beast.
Towering and covered in blue fur, Hank looked like a heavyweight boxer wrapped in muscle and fury.
Before Magneto could even hit the ground, Quicksilver blurred into motion, catching his father mid-air like it was nothing.
"You bastard!" Hank roared, voice echoing through the ballroom. "If you hadn't gone around slaughtering innocent people, things wouldn't be like this!"
Before anyone could stop him, Hank charged again — claws flashing.
Magneto's eyes narrowed. With a flick of his hand, the iron window frames behind him groaned and twisted.
The metal mesh flew off its hinges and wrapped around Hank like a net of living snakes, lifting him off the floor as he struggled.
Charles' voice cut through the tension.
"Max. He's my guest."
"Then your guest is quite rude," Magneto replied coldly.
He was about to crush the net tighter when suddenly, he felt the weight shift — as if the net had grown several tons heavier.
Magneto's brow furrowed. That wasn't Hank's doing.
His gaze flicked to Ryuuto, who gave a faint smile.
"Tch. This kid again…"
Realizing he'd have to burn too much energy to maintain control, Magneto released the magnetic field. Hank dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
Ryuuto lowered his hand, deactivating the Augmented Rock Technique.
"Calm down, and I'll let you go."
"Calm my ass!" Hank snapped, fury uncharacteristic of the normally composed scientist. "All I ever wanted was for mutants to live as equals! My bill was this close to passing the Senate—until you started your damn massacre! Now no one trusts mutants! Not the people, not the government, no one! You ruined everything!"
"Hank," Magneto said with his usual smug calm, "there will always be discrimination. Even in a so-called modern society, there are still people treated as less than human because of the color of their skin. You can't legislate away fear. If I hadn't taken action, someone else eventually would have."
"Don't justify your bloodlust, you monster!"
Charles raised a hand sharply.
"Enough. Both of you. This is a dance, not a battlefield. Put aside your grudges and enjoy the night."
He smiled faintly at Hank. "And Hank—look. I can walk again."
Hank blinked.
"Professor? How—?"
"Thanks to Ryuuto."
"Ryuuto? That's the guy I've been meaning to meet!"
Ryuuto stepped forward, hand extended.
"Pleasure to meet you. Let's get along."
As Magneto dispersed the iron net, Hank regained his freedom. He shook Ryuuto's hand, smiling awkwardly.
"Charles spoke highly of you. Said you saved everyone. Huh—wait a second... you're that guy! The one who summoned that snake and—ate the cops?!"
His grip tightened. Ryuuto didn't even flinch.
"If you were in my position," Ryuuto said evenly, "you'd have done the same. Those armed cops attacked our school. They fired first. If I hadn't acted, dozens of students would be dead. Watch the footage closely — I only struck back. I don't care if you side with mutants or humans, Hank, but if you can't tell right from wrong, you've got no business calling yourself Charles' student."
"Even so… feeding them to snakes? That's too much."
"If they hadn't pulled the trigger, I would've spared them."
Hank's jaw clenched, but no words came out. He exhaled deeply and stepped back, tension still radiating from him.
To break the awkward silence, Jean Grey clapped her hands together.
"The professor's right. It's a party. Let's try to enjoy it, okay?"
She gave Ororo a knowing look. The two exchanged a small nod and slipped away toward the wine cellar.
"Jean, why'd you call me out here?" Ororo asked once they were alone.
"We need wine. Lots of it. The air's getting too thick in there."
"I still don't get why the professor invited both Magneto and Hank. They're polar opposites! Magneto literally killed hundreds, and Hank's been trying to restore mutant-human trust. It's… insane."
"He must have a reason. He always does," Jean sighed, quickening her pace.
Back in the hall, the music picked up again.
Magneto and Hank avoided each other, their glares sharp enough to crack glass. Ryuuto didn't bother trying to mediate — he didn't see it as a misunderstanding in the first place.
If they invade our school and open fire, they deserve worse than death, he thought coldly.
Getting eaten alive by a million snakes was just poetic justice.
A familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Ryuuto, are you gonna stand there all night, or are we finally dancing?"
It was Natasha Romanoff, waiting with a smirk. Earlier, Ryuuto had ditched her mid-step because of Hank's interruption.
Now that things had settled, he wasn't about to keep the Black Widow waiting again.
As they danced, Susan Storm watched from the side, lips pursed in disappointment. She'd hoped he'd ask her instead.
"Care to dance, beautiful?"
Quicksilver appeared beside her with his trademark grin.
Susan simply pointed at Cyclops, who stood across the hall looking painfully serious.
Quicksilver sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Guess not."
Having failed to find a partner, he drifted over to Magneto.
"Dad," he muttered, "I'm done here. Tell cue-ball whatever you came to say so we can get out of this creepy prom already."