/that awkward moment when it takes two years to update. But hey, I graduated from college and am busy job hunting, so that's good, right?

6tailedninja - actually, I've never read the manga. This is based off the outline by jerribrent and my knowledge of the anime (subbed and dubbed).

starkiss66 - Unfortunately no brotherhood till next chapter. And yeah, I do want some Loagn Kitty moments, but so far haven't found a good place for them.

It was still strange to Gohan that he actually had the time to hangout after school with his friends. Granted, most of them were from the institute, but all in all he rather enjoyed the fact that he didn't have to fly home immediately after class just to keep appearances. Fridays like this, where Dr. McCoy gave he and Jean the day off were quickly becoming his favorites.

The first time, two weeks ago, the kids from the institute dragged him into town. He was introduced to the concept of an arcade for the first time, and had to be forcibly removed by the other students after spending 45 minutes trying to beat a video game modeled after the cell games, determined to do so without using the character based on Hercule. They had then moved on to a miniature golf course, and he had been forced to accept that his idea of restraint was woefully inadequate as the small blue ball bounced off the back wall of each hole, narrowly missing his fellow students more than once.

For Gohan's second adventure into the world of American youth culture, the students had decided on something they thought was less addictive and dangerous: a trip to the Bayville Cinema to see some new science fiction movie that was all the rage. The night before, professor Xavier had given all those students who took classes at the institute permission to skip for the day, so he, Jean, Scott, and Marie waited patiently in the quad for the regular school day to end for the others. When it finally did, they were joined by Evan, Kitty, Kurt, and Jubilation before they began walking to the theater.

The walk there was entertaining, as Evan skateboarded ahead of the group, doing stunts for any girls they passed. Kurt was telling bad jokes, which made Kitty giggle and seemed to annoy Scott, who only seemed to relax after both Jean and Marie ragged on him to loosen up. It was only when they walked into a police barricade a block from the cinema that their fun stopped.

They were able to surmise that it was a bank robbery by eavesdropping on other bystanders. For some reason he couldn't identify, Gohan suddenly felt like an outsider with the institute kids, as Scott and Jean seemed to have a conversation without speaking. Jean nodded, and then Scott issued orders.

"Rogue, you stay here with Jubilee. Kurt, Evan, and Kitty, you're with me and Jean."

It was only after the rest of the group followed them that Gohan realized they had all forgotten him. He found it odd that the five had run off, dropping their book bags with Rogue and Jubilation, but ignored that. Instead he made a decision and dropped his bag with theirs, taking the opportunity to dart into an alley way and then jump to the roof tops. He had never allowed robberies to proceed in Japan and couldn't do so here with a clear conscience, though he wished he had his Saiyaman outfit. Instead he did the next best thing, and powered up to Super Saiyan before moving quickly and effortlessly to the bank.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. He appeared in front of the would be robber who seemed to be in charge, grabbing the submachine gun from his hands and folding it easily in half as the man's jaw dropped. He gave a smart tap to the side of the man's skull as the other two robbers opened fire on him, before phasing out and appearing behind each in turn, knocking them unconscious in similar fashion. He was gone from the scene before the police could begin to process what was happening in front of them, and had returned to stand near Marie in a powered down state, casually snagging his bag back before she could remember there was an eighth member of their group, let alone realize he was gone.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. The X-Men never had the time to change, instead watching in shock as what appeared to be a blond haired teen easily defeat the robbers, displaying a strength reminiscent of the Blob and either a speed like Quicksilver's or a teleporting ability similar to Nightcrawler's. The teen was gone as quickly as he appeared, leaving three unconscious criminals and a folded gun in his wake. It took Scott several minutes to recover from his shock, and it was only when he led the group back to Rogue and Jubilee and saw the Japanese student standing behind the pair that he remembered it wasn't just the X-Men on this outing.

The other four seemed to be thinking along the same lines, shooting him covert looks, but no one spoke. Rogue was frowning as they returned.

"What happened?" She drawled, obviously confused by their quick return.

"There vas this kid!" Kurt exclaimed. "He beat the robbers, like dat!" He snapped his fingers for emphasis. Rogue raised an eyebrow and Scott noticed Gohan peering over her shoulder at them, curiosity written on the boys face.

"Like that, huh?" She frowned some more, crossing her arms. "Do you think he was a mutant?"

"He had to be, man! He was faster than Quicksilver!" Scott could hear the glee in Evan's voice.

"Mutant?" Gohan asked, almost too quietly for Scott to hear.

Jubilee rounded on the Japanese boy, looking at him oddly. "You know, people with the X Gene? Gives them crazy powers? I thought that Cell guy in Japan was one."

Still looking slightly confused, Gohan shook his head. "No, Cell was an Android. Though I suppose we have mutants. It's never really come up."

"Oh." Jubilee's face fell, looking like she didn't know what to think. Scott couldn't blame her. The government had told all Americans that Cell was just another mutant looking for power and while the mutant population didn't like it, they didn't really have a choice about believing it either. After all, what type of laser shooting green guy wasn't a mutant?

"Supposedly, there's a bunch of mutants living in and around Bayville." Kitty informed Gohan. "Some of them help people, others like to cause havoc."

Scott could see she was trying to get a reaction. He let her; it would be nice to know if they wouldn't always have to hide from him.

The Japanese boy shrugged as the group finally started walking towards the theater again. "So?"

"You mean your government isn't always arguing about how dangerous mutants are?" Evan asked.

"No."

"Well why not?"

Gohan shrugged again. "I don't know."

Jean was more tactful. "Well, what do you think about them?"

Gohan seemed to think for a minute before answering. "Some people are good and some people are bad. Humans and mutants. But they're still all people and should be treated by others based on who they are, not what they are."

And that was that.

When they returned to the mansion, Scott and Jean sought out Professor X, finding him waiting in his office with the other teachers.

"I guess you saw the news about the robbery then." Scott stated, knowing the answer by their faces.

"We did." Professor Xavier confirmed.

"Was it a mutant?" Ororo asked, curious as they all were about what looked to be multiple abilities.

"It had to be. He moved faster than Quicksilver and bent a gun in half like it was paper." In retrospect, Scott knew only Magneto could have bent metal that easily.

"Jean, were you able to get anything from his mind?" the Professor wondered redirecting his attention to his telepathic protégé.

"No." even she sounded surprised by that fact. "It was like his mind was shielded by pure energy. I couldn't get through it."

"It is as I expected." The Professor sighed. "Cerebro was unable to locate any new mutants in the area, as well. We have no way to track him or otherwise discover his identity."

"Do you think he's dangerous, Charles?" this question from Dr. McCoy.

"His powers suggest that he could be, though his actions speak otherwise. For now it would appear that he only wishes to keep others safe." Xavier surmised.

"I'll go by tomorrow. See if I can sniff anything out." Logan offered from the corner.

"Very well. In the meanwhile, Scott and Jean, stay on your toes. And tell the others to do the same." Xavier ordered.

"You got it professor." Scott agreed, as he and jean took their leave. He was nearly out the door when he remembered Gohan's words earlier. "Oh! Professor!"

The teachers, whom had begun a discussion as they turned to leave, fell silent at his exclamation. They waited patiently for him to explain.

"There's something Gohan said earlier that you should probably be aware of."

"What's that, kid?" Logan guessed it was related to mutants and possibly the Japanese boy's opinions of them. He knew mutants lived a lot more openly in Japan, if the World Martial Arts tournaments were anything to go by.

"He said that Cell was an android, not a mutant."

"The Cell Game's Cell?" McCoy asked for verification. Scott nodded.

"He also said 'Some people are good and some people are bad. Humans and mutants. But they're still all people and should be treated by others based on who they are, not what they are.'" Something to think about, I guess."

"Interesting." The professor stated as he rested his chin on interlaced fingers. "Very Interesting."

The teachers waited for the door to latch before continuing their conversation. Dr. McCoy was the first to speak.

"If cell was an android…that would change things." The scientist mused. "Clearly he was built to look like a mutant. Possibly be someone hoping to turn public opinion."

"Perhaps." Ororo agreed. "Of course, that doesn't answer any questions about whether or not Hercule Satan is a mutant, as previously thought."

"Hard to say." Logan grunted. "Before my memories go fuzzy, I saw a couple world martial arts tournaments. And the fighters… some were human. Some were mutant. Some I'm not even sure what. There was a kid that turned into a giant ape once, you know."

"I've never heard of such a mutation." McCoy observed.

"I don't think he was a mutant. Something about him smelled different. Can't remember now though. Too hazy."

"It's something that may be worth looking into." Xavier decided. "Ororo, see what you can find in various historical databases. Hank, do the same in the scientific ones. Logan, I understand Gohan has discussed martial arts with you in the past?"

"Try and find out what he knows in passing?"

"If you would."

"You got it, prof."