The answer caused him to perk up, leaning in closer and focusing intently on Trucy. However, the rest of what she had to say dampened his enthusiasm somewhat. His eager expression slowly fell, his mouth turning down in a frown and his eyes narrowing. Finally, he averted his gaze and sat silently for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

When he spoke again, his tone was subdued. "A lot of mutants, like most of my friends, don't develop their powers until they're teenagers. It's not exactly an easy transition at that age, you know? It's hard enough to be a normal teen, let alone one who could accidentally blow the roof off the gym if things went wrong in just the right way." He was well aware that this was the first time he had implicitly referenced the darker, potentially dangerous side of their powers. He glanced up at her, almost guiltily, gauging her reaction to that little bombshell for a moment before he continued.

"Mutants like me, who know what they are from such a young age, are a lot rarer. The challenges then are different. There's basically no period of your life where you're allowed to think you might be...normal. On top of that, your powers require the kind of control that a little kid or even a baby just isn't capable of. I have no trouble believing it was very difficult for her."