MARVEL : STARTING WITH GOKU TEMPLATE

Inside the mind of the Great Ape, a revolution was taking place. The screaming, red ocean of rage was still there, but Ethan was no longer drowning in it. He was at the helm of a battleship, and he was learning how to steer.

What if wizard's blood isn't about power, but about the soul? The thought was a flash of insight in the midst of the mental storm. He thought of the wizards from the stories. They rarely ran out of "magic power." They got tired, mentally exhausted, but the wellspring never seemed to run dry. It was as if their spirit was a tap, opening a valve to the infinite energy of the universe itself and shaping it into spells. It would explain Obscurials—a child's spirit, crushed and suppressed, causing that infinite energy to leak out in a cancerous, destructive form. It would explain ghosts, and Voldemort's soul clinging to life.

The Saiyan rage comes from the blood, he reasoned, but the mind, the spirit, is what's supposed to control it. His own human spirit had been just enough to keep a tiny flicker of sanity alive. But now, superimposed with the blood of a wizard—a lineage defined by spiritual strength and willpower—he could do more than just survive the storm. He could command it.

It was just a theory, a wild hypothesis cobbled together in the heat of the moment. But as he looked out through the monster's eyes and felt his own calm, calculating thoughts returning, he knew it was true. And it changed everything.

On the bridge of the Quinjet, Nick Fury's one good eye was wide with horror. The monster had reappeared. His gambit had failed. He snatched the commlink.

"Professor Xavier," he began, his voice a smooth, hurried backtrack that was the furthest thing from his earlier triumphant command. "Now, let's not be hasty. I believe your proposal has… significant merit. Perhaps we can discuss the terms." He sounded like a man trying to talk a bomb into not exploding.

Across the battlefield, Captain Marvel tensed, her body crackling with golden energy, ready to re-engage. But she hesitated. Something was different. The monster stood amidst the craters and flattened trees, but it wasn't roaring at the moon. It was watching her. The mindless red glow in its eyes was gone, replaced by a keen, unnerving, and almost… cunning intelligence. This was no longer a wild animal. This was a thinking opponent.

Just then, Fury's voice crackled in her earpiece. "Maria, stand down. I repeat, stand down. We're talking to them."

At the same time, Professor X's voice echoed in Ethan's mind, a calm island in his sea of rage. "Ethan? My boy, are you in there? Can you control it?"

The psychic connection felt different now. Before, the panel had blocked the Professor's probing. But a simple, open communication link like this was allowed.

"I'm here, Professor," Ethan sent back, his mental voice steady. "I can control it now."

"Thank God," Charles replied, relief washing through his mental tone. "Listen to me. Director Fury is willing to negotiate…" He quickly relayed the contents of their brief, aborted conversation.

Ethan considered it for a moment, the Great Ape's massive head tilting in thought. "Professor, we can't trust him," he sent back. "He's a spymaster. He only bends when he's forced to. The second he thinks he has the advantage again, he'll break any promise he makes. We need more leverage. We need to take full control of the situation. I have a plan. Just play along and buy me some time."

A moment of silence, then: "Very well, Ethan. Do what you must. I will draw his attention."

With a new strategy in place, Ethan made his move. To show "good faith," he looked at Captain Marvel, gave a deliberate, almost theatrical shrug of his massive shoulders, and willed the transformation to end.

The rage receded. The monstrous form collapsed, compressing like a dying star, and in a few seconds, a small, completely naked boy stood calmly in the center of the devastation.

Captain Marvel landed softly a few yards away, her golden aura dimming. She looked at the boy, then at the path of destruction, then back at the boy. A slow, amused smile spread across her face. "Okay," she said, her voice full of disbelief. "First rule of the superhero club, kid: we try to keep our pants on."

Ethan felt a hot flush of embarrassment and quickly snatched a large, torn piece of his black wizard's robe from the ground, wrapping it around his waist like a makeshift kilt.

Just then, the X-Jet and the Quinjet landed on opposite sides of the clearing. The ramps lowered. Professor X emerged with his team. Nick Fury strode out with his. The two groups faced each other across the snowy, cratered ground.

"I'm just gonna… find something to wear," Ethan announced to the tense crowd. He gestured toward the X-Jet. "Of course, if these talks go south, I don't have to. I'm ready to… you know… anytime."

Fury's one eye narrowed, trying to look friendly and failing miserably. He had now classified this boy as a threat on par with the Hulk, but with a strategic mind. A terrifying combination. "Of course, son," he said, forcing a smile. "I'm sure our relationship going forward will be… harmonious."

"I think this is all just a misunderstanding that can be cleared up," Professor X added, playing his part perfectly. "Go on, Ethan. Get changed."

"Great," Ethan said with a nod. He turned and walked up the ramp into the X-Jet.

The moment he was inside, he pulled the holly wand from where he'd tucked it into his makeshift kilt. Pointing it at the shredded black robe, he whispered, "Reparo!" The fabric magically stitched itself back together. He quickly pulled it on, grabbed his Firebolt and the Invisibility Cloak, and slipped the silky, weightless garment over his head. He vanished. Changing clothes had just been an excuse.

Riding the silent Firebolt, he soared out of the jet, completely invisible, and carefully circled around the tense negotiation. He zipped towards the still-open ramp of the Quinjet. Inside, he found what he was looking for: Magneto and Mystique, still unconscious from Hawkeye's tranquilizer and Carter's shield bash, guarded by two tense SHIELD agents.

Ethan raised his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

A jet of red light shot from the wand's tip, striking the first agent. He instantly went rigid and toppled over like a toy soldier. Before the second agent could even turn, another jet of light hit him, and he too was frozen solid.

Ethan floated over to his erstwhile allies. He pointed his wand at them. "Enervate!"

With a gasp, Magneto's eyes shot open. He saw a disembodied, smiling child's face floating in the air in front of him and, for a moment, thought he was having a very strange hallucination.

"Good evening," Ethan said cheerfully, pulling the cloak away from his face. "We meet again."

After a quick, whispered explanation of the events outside, a look of dawning comprehension and grudging respect appeared on Magneto's face. He looked at the boy who had just outmaneuvered Nick Fury, neutralized his guards, and single-handedly rescued him from captivity.

"Boy," Magneto said, his voice a low rumble. "I owe you a debt."