Growing Pains

It’s soccer season and Jean leads the Bayville Hawks to victory and a place in the semifinals as she scores the decisive goal in the last few minutes of the game. Scott, Kurt and Kitty who have turned up to support cheer on over excitedly as their school’s soccer team emerges triumphant. As Scott rushes down to congratulate Jean on her team’s win, he is beaten to it by Duncan, the school’s quarterback, and apparently Jean’s new boyfriend. Scott is jealous and enraged, even more so when Jean declines to ride back to the mansion with them, preferring Duncan’s company.

Scott is distracted from the roads with his thoughts. Kitty and Kurt argue over Scott’s choice of music when a loud blaring of a horn from behind catches Scott’s attention. As he swerves into the next lane, the car behind him speeds forth, being chased by a line of police cars. Some other cars swerve and crash into each other in order to avoid the speeding car. The car is chased onto the bridge above and crashes over the railing and almost onto a school bus when the roads are being barricaded by the police cars.

As the car falls over the rail, Kurt teleports the driver out of the car while Scott nudges the falling car out of the path of the school bus with his blasts. As the driver is arrested, Kitty seizes the commotion to make their escape through a wall.

The scene shifts to that of the mansion’s grounds where the new recruits are wrecking havoc on the grounds. Xavier and Logan watch on when Storm comes in and turns into the news broadcast of the incident on the highway which Scott, Kurt and Kitty were involved in saving the children in the school bus. The three instructors greet the three of them at the entrance just as they were deciding to keep mum about the incident.

Scott and the professor have a private conference about discussing the use of powers in public. Scott feels that they should not “hesitate” to use their powers to help people, and it’s nothing to be ashamed about. But Xavier is still weary about exposing themselves as mutants in public as majority of the people are not ready to accept the fact that “mutants walk the earth”. Xavier applauds their heroism, but advises them to try to keep their identity under wraps as much as they can.






Back in his room, Scott engages in an online chat with his brother. They talk from surfing to a suggestion that Alex come live in the mansion so he can be properly guided on his use of powers. But Alex isn’t sure about totally accepting the fact that he’s a mutant, and he finds that keeping his powers under wraps is quite hard a task as well.

It is school assembly at Bayville High to welcome their new principal. Scott waves to Jean, but it is Duncan who catches her eye. Scott sits back down next to Paul, dejected. Just to impress Kitty, Lance starts a tiny earth rumble. Kitty giggles, and Lance sees that as a sign, and causes a larger earthquake. This causes the scoreboard above Principal Kelly’s head to fall, but Jean deflects it with her telekinesis.

After school, Scott is waiting for Jean. He sees Kitty being confronted by Lance and when he refuses to let Kitty go, Scott steps in. Lance taunts Scott to use his powers against him, but Scott restraints himself.

At the pre-game rally in the night, the Brotherhood decide to reveal themselves as mutants, as well as expose the X-Men. The Brotherhood wreck havoc, causing a rift in the soccer field and tearing the stands apart. Part of the school building was also set on fire by the flaming mascot. The X-Men act quick to save the day, and Storm chips in with a downpour. Scott comforts Jean with his arm wrapped around her as the game is ruined for her and the team, as well as their identities. Xavier delivers the final touch by wiping the memory of all those present, but fatigue sets in when he attempts to mindwipe Principal Kelly. He is later told, upon regaining consciousness that a magnetic interference tampered with the broadcast signals. Scott is glad that everything is back to normal, but the professor isn’t sure that he finished the job.