Chapter 2: Skye Allen
"Why are you just standing there? Tell me already." The girl's delicate hands shook in front of James's eyes, her expression dissatisfied. "My time is precious. Hurry up and tell me what happened to that guy earlier."
"What are you busy with?"
Snapped out of his reverie, James frowned at the girl. "Are you still investigating that matter, Skye? I've told you many times—it's dangerous. We can't look into it right now."
Skye Allen, the girl's name, is James's adopted sister, thanks to a serendipitous use of the 'Golden Evolution Technique'. She was instrumental in James successfully activating this ability for the first time.
After obtaining the 'Golden Evolution Technique', James, still a baby at the time, dedicated his days to studying the system alongside his basic needs. While the technique was incredibly powerful, he didn't dwell on it too much, knowing there were numerous other skills from different anime worlds to explore.
Figuring out how to use the technique again became his daily obsession. He closely monitored its progress in his mind, noticing slight changes over the course of a month, which only deepened his desire for a secondary extraction.
However, being just a young child, he couldn't even crawl properly, let alone solve such a complex issue in the near future.
And as luck would have it, when James turned about one year old, he began to notice discrepancies in this world.
Initially, he thought time travel technology seemed unusually advanced for the apparent age of the technology. Despite many electrical appliances at home, everything had an "old" look.
It wasn't until one day, after learning the language, he overheard on TV about the fifth anniversary of the death of wealthy man Howard Stark and his wife, and the accomplishments of their son Tony Stark, that James realized he was in an unfamiliar world.
At that moment, anxiety set in. All his plans for wealth and a comfortable life were suddenly meaningless.
Marvel—a word familiar to James from his previous life. He had enjoyed watching movies, but never imagined ending up in such a universe. Here, aliens were commonplace, superpowers abundant, and the universe divided into countless realms.
With Howard Stark's death, James began to grasp the broader world outside. Thankfully, his curiosity at this age wasn't entirely out of the ordinary.
From what he learned, mutants didn't exist in this world, which significantly reduced everyday risks. This revelation eased James's mind somewhat, confirming his presence in the Marvel universe, especially with places like the Captain America Museum around.
But the looming threat of a certain purple entity snapping its fingers and turning cities to ash kept James on edge. Could any city survive such disasters without a stroke of luck?
As James continued to study the 'Golden Evolution Technique', seven years had passed almost unnoticed. During those years, he attempted safer methods like low-voltage contact, diet changes, and other gentler approaches to stimulate experience slot growth—all to no avail.
Yet, perhaps due to his persistence, he successfully activated the 'Golden Evolution Technique' for the first time that year, in an unexpected situation.
Despite being reborn with memories of his past life, James managed to blend in, appearing as a smart and adorable child. He had to remain inconspicuous, especially with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra posing potential threats.
Nevertheless, his parents, having him later in life, showered him with affection.
Adjusting to this newfound attention was challenging for James. He resisted changes, explained himself repeatedly, yet still managed to cause mischief wherever he went.
So, on his seventh birthday, after enduring a day dragged around the mall by his parents and receiving countless childish gifts, James finally snapped.
That night, surrounded by a mound of stuffed animals in his room, he contemplated becoming the notorious "bad boy" of the house.
But in a sudden twist of fate, a thought crossed his mind: "If only I had a sister!"
This wish, born out of a desire to share his parents' love, specifically avoided an older or younger brother—too much trouble, he reasoned.
And so, purely on a whim, James experienced a piercing headache and nearly blacked out in the darkness before him. Despite not fainting, he felt as groggy as if recovering from a three-day hangover.
Simultaneously, a young girl darted into James's house, visibly distressed, and collapsed by the doorway.
While the headache left James stunned, the rush of success overwhelmed him. Seven long years! Did this malfunctioning skill understand how he'd spent those years?
After recovering, he checked the system in his mind and was delighted to find the energy gauge, slowly rising over the years, now fully charged—ready for another extraction!
However, just as James prepared to extract a new skill, his parents' voices echoed from downstairs, reminding him of recent events.
"Did it work that quickly?"
In the living room, a girl sat awkwardly on the sofa, her bright amber eyes, delicate features, and only a slight bulge on her otherwise flawless forehead, slightly tarnishing her image.
His parents sat beside her, flanked by a man and woman, both appearing somewhat helpless.
"James, this is Ma..."
"Skye!" The girl interjected firmly. "My name is Skye!"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. and Mrs. Allen, but we really must return to St. Agnes." The man opposite Skye stood apologetically.
"St. Agnes!?"
Despite feeling uneasy and unsure why the skill worked this way, James couldn't let this potential ally leave so abruptly.
"It's an orphanage," James's mother explained with reluctance, coming over to him and holding his hand. "James, your father and I want to adopt her. What do you think?"
"Of course!"
James nodded eagerly. His intention wasn't to acquire a sister merely to share his parents' affection, though it was clear they already adored Skye.
Upon hearing his parents' words, surprise flickered briefly in Skye's eyes, tinged more with loneliness and sadness than joy. Having been through three foster homes, she dreaded the prospect of yet another rejection.
Yet, her emotional turmoil couldn't overshadow the effects of the 'Golden Evolution Technique' or his parents' growing fondness for her.
The next day, James's parents, both lawyers, expedited the adoption process within two hours, officially welcoming Skye into their family.
Drawing Skye with the 'Golden Evolution Technique' gave James a rough understanding of the skill lottery system. He suspected the experience gauge's increase was linked to skill use, in addition to natural growth.
But it was the second skill he drew that truly confirmed James's suspicions.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone