Logan stood beside Kid, watching her as she went through her drills. She laboriously corrected her mistakes in her stances and her blocking techniques. "Yer block ain't high enough, Kid." Logan walked over to her and threw a punch over her block, stopping less than an inch from her face. "Now get yer block up there, or next time I really will hit yeh."

"Yes, sensei. Thank you, sensei," Kid responded respectfully, if a little coldly, as she adjusted her block. Logan had to smile to himself as he watched Jasmine practicing her drills. Even if she hadn't noticed, he saw that she had improved a great deal. Her movements were cleaner, quicker and more precise. Her stances were almost perfect and her bony frame had acquired a small amount of muscle tone. The meditation was paying off, too. She was much more focused and calm now. It was all he could do to get a rise out of her. Even when he doubled her usual number of push-ups and crunches, she did them without complaint, settling for grimacing behind Logan's back as she did the exercises.

As Wolverine put Jasmine through her paces, Beast and Storm watched from a distance. "Don't you think he's being a little too hard on her? After all, she is still a little girl," Storm said, flashing a concerned look at Beast.

"As fond as I am of Jasmine, Ororo, she could do with a bit of discipline. She has quite the temper. However, you may be right. There may be better ways to deal with her behavioral problems," Dr. McCoy responded, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Storm turned to face Beast. "You think she has 'behavioral problems'?"

"She does have quite the nasty temper and she lacks self-control." Storm began to protest, but was silenced by Hank's raised hand. "It's quite understandable that she would have needed some aggression to survive in the streets, but she's at a school now and it won't do for her to go around getting into any more fist fights with the other students. I've had to treat three or four black eyes and a dislocation of the shoulder thanks to Miss Kydd's handiwork."

"And you think that proper punishment includes her spending most of her time cleaning the mansion, not to mention scrubbing every car and motorcycle in the garage every weekend? If anything, Logan is adding fuel to the fire." Storm's voice remained calm but her eyes flashed fire in Logan's general direction.

"As I've said, there may be better ways to deal with her lashing out at the other students. I'll talk with her once her lesson is over." They stood in silence for a moment. "I wonder, have you noticed that Jasmine has put on a bit of weight since she's arrived," Beast asked conversationally.

Storm paused, taking a closer look at Jasmine before answering. "Now that you mention it, she has put on a few pounds. And she seems to have grown a bit." Beast nodded. He watched as Jasmine continued her drills, working on her forms now. Though Logan had his back turned, she didn't try to strike him as she had at her first lesson. She simply continued her forms, her face tensed with concentration. "Hopefully her training with Wolverine will aid with her Danger Room sessions. She'll be starting them tomorrow and I really could do without fixing it again so soon." Storm laughed appreciatively despite herself.

Logan turned to watch Kid go through her forms again. "You're allowed t' relax a little. Last thing I need is fer you to over-extend and pull somethin'." Jasmine nodded respectfully and repeated the form, trying to shift her weight smoothly between stances to keep her movements fluid and continuous. "All right, that's enough fer today. Go change and meditate." Jasmine bowed respectfully and ran to the Mansion, up the front stairs and into the cool entrace hall.

As Logan walked towards the doors, Storm and Beast came down to meet him. "Logan, we have been talking, and we are in agreement: you're being far too tough on Jasmine," Storm began without preamble.

"Too tough on her?" Logan repeated, putting a fresh tooth pick into his mouth. He looked from Storm to Beast, who was trying his best not to look embarrassed at being there. "What makes you say that?" Logan's voice was quiet, almost icy.

Storm looked at Beast before answering. "She's been doing practically all of the chores in the mansion, as well as doing Scott's and your garage duties. You're putting a great deal of pressure on her and she's starting to lash out at other students." Logan sighed and scratched his head for a moment as he thought.

"All right, I'll handle it." He headed into the mansion, adjusting his black belt on his hips.

"Logan, I've seen the way you've been handling it so far and..." Storm began.

"I'll handle it, Ororo," Logan answered firmly. "Don't worry. If her 'tude don't improve in a week, she's all yours." He headed up the stairs and disappeared in the corridor.

Storm turned on Beast. "Thanks for the support, Hank. I really could have used it." She glared at him. Clouds began to race angrily across the sky, throwing wild shadows across the grounds.

Beast looked slightly apologetic but defiant. "Unfortunately, Ms. Munroe, Logan doesn't respond very well to my preferred form of persuasion. I told you I'll speak with Jasmine, and so I shall. In the mean time, we can only wait and hope there is some improvement in Miss Kydd's attitude." He headed into the Mansion as well, following Wolverine's path up to the second floor. Storm got her emotions under control and went to seek refuge in her garden for a while.

Dr. McCoy walked down the corridor towards Jasmine's room. As he turned the corner, he saw Logan knocking at her door. After a moment, he was let in. When Logan disappeared into Jasmine's room, Beast crept silently up to the door to listen.

"Logan-sensei, I did all my chores and my lesson is over. Why did you need to see me?" Kid said, facing Logan as he took a seat on the chair by her desk.

"Have a seat, Kid. We need to talk," he said, chewing on his toothpick slowly. Jasmine sat on the end of her bed, an eyebrow raised as she waited for Logan to say his piece. "I've been hearin' some funny stories flyin' around here 'bout ya, Pint-Size." When Jasmine didn't ask him to elaborate, he continued. "Hearin' about a lot of fights?" He raised an eyebrow and looked directly into her eyes.

Jasmine dropped her eyes. "Yeah, I been in a few scraps." She suddenly looked up at Logan, her eyes blazing heatedly. "But they started it. The other kids've been teasing me since I got here, pickin' on me 'cause I'm shorter'n them. So what if I popped a couple of 'em? They deserved it!"

Logan sighed and examined his hands for a moment. "Listen, Kid, there's somethin' we need t' get straight right now: no matter what the other kids do, if they don't put their filthy paws on ya, you don't hit 'em. Rules of the establishment." Jasmine opened her mouth to protest. "Not a word outta you till I'm done, hear?"

Logan let out a heavy sigh and looked Jasmine over briefly. She had changed a bit since coming to the school, that much was clear. However, she hadn't changed nearly enough. "Look, Kid," he said, softening his voice a bit. "I may come across as a hard-ass, but there's somethin' I'm tryna teach ya. I'm tryna teach ya four things in particular: strength, discipline, pride and humility. Yer gonna need strength t' overcome some serious obstacles life's gonna throw atcha. Yer gonna have t' fight for a lot of reasons: to protect yourself, to protect people weaker'n you, to protect th' people ya care about.

"You need pride to find the confidence and courage to stand your ground, fight fer what ya believe in, even when th' odds are against ya. Ya need humility so you don't forget yer limitations and let yer abilities go to yer head." Logan stopped and looked at Jasmine.

"And discipline?" she asked quietly, realizing what he was getting at.

"Ya need discipline ta control that temper of yours. Don't get me wrong, I could use a little more myself, but I'm puttin' in th' effort, get where I'm goin' with this?"

"Yes, sir," Jasmine said, lowering her head in shame. Logan kicked the sole of her foot gently to get her to look up at him.

"Y'know, you remind me a lot of m'self." Jasmine looked bemused at the statement. "Nah, really, ya do. We're a lot alike. We're both scrappers, got a lot of temper and attitude that gets us into more than our share of trouble. And we're survivors. Hell, in a sane world, neither of us would be alive right now. But we find a way t' hang on." Jasmine nodded and smiled a little. It was true, every word.

"Why are you telling me this, sensei?" Jasmine asked after a few beats.

"My reason fer comin' up here was to make a deal wit' ya. If you promise not t' get into any more scraps over what those mealy-mouthed punks say about ya, I'll cut back yer chores."

"I've been meaning to ask about that, sir. Why all the chores in the first place?" Jasmine tilted her head slightly as Logan stood up.

"Well, couple of reasons. I wanted to teach you t' be proud o' this dump ya call home, I wanted ya to realize that bad behavior has negative consequences, it was part of yer trainin'..." He paused for a moment. "And I'm lazier than I should be. So, now I'm cuttin' back on yer chores, you only have ta do yardwork, windows and scrub the floors in the hallways, bathrooms and kitchen."

Jasmine looked extremely crestfallen. It still seemed like great deal of work. She didn't complain though. She merely nodded and studied the area rug on her floor. Logan scratched his head for a moment. "You'll do yardwork on Sundays after yer afternoon nap, windows on Fridays, and the floors on Wednesdays and Saturdays." Jasmine suddenly brightened. It was a lot less work than she was doing now. She would be doing less each week than she was currently doing in a day. "Later, Kid. Keep yer end of the deal, and I might cut your chores some more." He left the room, showing no surprise at seeing Hank outside the door. He merely waved at him and headed for his own room.

Hank knocked politely on Jasmine's open door. "Do you mind if I come in?" Jasmine nodded from her seat at the desk. She appeared to be working on her math homework.

"Hey, Dr. McCoy. What can I do for you?" she asked brightly, looking up as soon as she finished the problem she was working on.

"Well, Jasmine, Storm and the Professor felt I should talk with you about your behavior..." he began.

"Oh, Logan-sensei just talked to me about it. He said hitting the other students here is a huge no-no."

"Yes, I heard. And he's absolutely right, Jasmine. Unfortunately, I have to punish you for hitting young Corey." Jasmine sighed. "In lieu of having more chores, or being grounded, you will be having Danger Room sessions with Gambit, Cyclops and Wolverine." Jasmine stared at him blankly. "It may not seem like much of a punishment, but you may think differently after tomorrow. Those three gentlemen are our more aggressive combatants. I, of course, will monitor the sessions to be sure they don't get out of hand. I sincerely wish you luck. I hope those magnificent powers of yours don't cause quite as much devastation this time." Jasmine finally smiled.

"Thanks, Dr. McCoy. See you at dinner." Hank took his leave, hoping that Gambit and Cyclops wouldn't be too hard on Jasmine. He hoped even more that she didn't do too much damage to them.

The next day, not long after Jasmine finished her lunch, Beast led her back down to the Danger Room. When the doors opened, she found herself alone in the metal walled room. "Dr. McCoy, I thought you said Gambit and the others would be here too?" she called up to the control room.

"They'll be watching from up here as you warm up," he answered. "We'll start off with something simple." Beast initiated the program she had done the first time she was in the Danger Room.

"We're from the Friends of Humanity. You're comin' with us, mutie!" A man in a SWAT-like uniform grabbed her arm. This time, instead of panic, Jasmine felt raw anger. She extended a hand towards him, letting out an electrical charge strong enough to knock him unconscious. Before she had time to reflect on her victory, a number of other FOH members surrounded her. Barely keeping her powers in check this time, she electrocuted all of them, knocking them back as she did. All of the men were sprawled on the ground, barely breathing. None of them stirred as she walked among them. Finally, the simulation ended.

"Incredible," Gambit muttered over the intercom. "Petit, I believe yah did trash de Danger Room las' time."

"Yes. Unfortunately, she still has almost no control over her abilities," Cyclops said in his authoritative voice.

"That's why she's got us t' teach 'er, Cyke." Wolverine headed for the door to the Danger Room, with Cyclops and Gambit right behind him. As the door hissed closed behind them, Jasmine whipped around to look at them, astonished by their costumes.

"Whoa, where do I get one of those?" she asked, totally in awe.

"You can have one when you're older," Cyclops answered flatly.

"All right, everyone. I'm starting the program. I only ask that you don't get too enthusiastic, gentlemen." As Beast spoke, the room took on the appearance of the grounds outside. Jasmine had very little time to look around before the ground exploded beside her.

"Oh man," Jasmine said, turning around to see Gambit calmly pulling out another playing card. As she watched, the card began to glow.

"Come on, petit. Show ol' Gambit what you got," he said, smirking as he threw another card at her. She barely dodged this one, seeing it destroy a tree nearby from the corner of her eye. Cyclops followed up Gambit's attack with an optic blast, circling Jasmine as he fired a succession of them at her. Jasmine dodged all of them, feeling the veins in her neck begin to throb. Jasmine aimed a charge at him, trying to stun him, but he blocked it as Gambit hit her in the back with a charged playing card.

"I know you can do better than that," Cyclops said, aiming a blast at her.

"Come on, Kid. Remember your training," Logan said, hitting Jasmine overhand as she dodged Cyclops. Jasmine began to growl softly, glaring daggers at Cyclops. She would have to take him down first. His aim was too good and he didn't have to attack from within her striking range. As Logan watched, Kid's blue eyes began to glow an even truer blue, sparks forming around them. Despite her injuries, she stood up, her eyes shifting quickly from one to the other, watching all three of them closely. While Gambit and Cyclops prepared their next attack, Wolverine watched Jasmine with growing fascination. Jasmine's hands began to glow with wriggling wormlike lights that could only be electrical charges.

"Ready or not, cher, here I come," Gambit said, spraying a number of charged cards at her. Jasmine dodged most of them, but two or three hit her in the back and shoulder. As she dodged, she moved closer to Cyclops, rolling out of the way as he aimed an optic blast at her. Jasmine used the instant he attacked to strike back, punching him with an electrified fist. Cyclops was knocked back at least five feet before landing on the floor, stunned as much from the landing as the attack.

"Who else wants some?" Jasmine asked, wheeling around to face Gambit and Wolverine. She looked calm but defiant as she eyed each of them.

"I think that's enough for today, Beast," Cyclops said from the floor. Gambit went over and pulled him to his feet.

"I agree. We'll pick this up tomorrow," Beast said, shutting down the simulation.

"That was pretty good, Kid," Wolverine said, looking at Jasmine with a grudging sort of respect. "I didn't know you could focus electricity like that."

"Me either," Jasmine said. "Not until I did it." There was a pause before Gambit, Wolverine and Jasmine all burst out laughing. "Man, I wonder what else I can do," she said, looking at her own hands.

"Gambit tink wit' a bit more trainin', we gonna find out."

Cyclops limped over to them. "Yeah, well don't get complacent. You still have a long way to go. Don't get cocky just because you learned a new trick. Experienced fighters like us have dozens of them."

"C'mon, Cyke. Give the kid a break. You hafta admit, she did a lot better this time than she did last time," Wolverine said. "In a few months, she'll be a pretty decent fighter." Cyclops nodded grudgingly. Jasmine had improved. While there was still room for improvement, they had gotten over one of the majors hurdles: learning how to activate mutant powers at will. Next they would teach her how to maintain control over them.

"Gambit tink that to celebrate, we should pick a codename for Jasmine."

"A codename? Awesome. How about 'Charge'?" Jasmine said excitedly.

"That's not very creative. Besides, it's taken," Cyclops said, getting drawn in in spite of himself. "You have to have a name to fit your personality as well as your abilities."

"My personality?"

"Well, you're spunky," Cyclops began.

"Yeah, and she got one mean temper," Gambit said.

"Tell me about it. She's really hard. There's something in her like biting on tin foil." Cyclops gave her a look she could feel even through his visor. A stern but not too disapproving look.

"Yeah, you two kick out sparks like flint on steel," Logan laughed.

"That it. That a perfect name for her. 'Sparks'. She still a little girl, spunky, quick-tempered and she cause a lot of friction, yeah?"

"You know, Cajun, that's perfect. Go on, Kid, try it out. How ya like it?"

"Sparks... feels right. At least for right now." She smiled. "Sparks. I like it."

"Now, to make it your own. You have to love it if you're going to keep it." Cyclops looked at her, a small smile on his face.

"Sparxx, with two X's instead of 'K-S'. How's that?" Jasmine asked, looking around at them.

"Sparxx it is then," Logan said. "Really fits ya, Kid. It's you all over."