Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“Sorry, but you're gonna be stuck with the title of ‘sidekick’ until you get good enough to be entrusted with the important missions.”</span> you explained.
<span class="mu-r">“You're gonna make mistakes. Tons of them. Everyone has. And that's why you should listen to whatever Cindy tells you out in the field. Because out of the two of us, she's had the most formal training, and she's seen a lot of shit.”</span>
Cindy gave a solemn nod.
<span class="mu-s">“Like I said before, I’ll let you help out wherever possible, but if you want to get good enough to go out into the field, then I’m gonna need you to prove to me that you can handle it. And the only way you’ll do that is by working hard, and following my exact instructions.”</span> she demanded.
Wanda’s lips pressed into a thin line, and she gave a slow nod.
<span class="mu-r">“Got it. I’ll work hard, I promise.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Good. Now, what sort of training regimen did you prepare for today?”</span> you asked Cindy.
<span class="mu-s">“Well, Wanda’s already gotten her morning jog in, and she’s done her warm-up workout. She’s already in great shape, but I’ll need her to tone up a bit and build up her stamina, so we’re gonna focus on core exercises. After that, she’ll run some drills, go a few rounds with me in the ring, I’ll have her run through an obstacle course a couple of times, and then we can move onto the basics of movement and battlefield awareness.”</span>
You held up a hand.
<span class="mu-r">“Wait wait wait. Hold on. Did you say that she was going to go a couple of rounds with you in the ring?”</span>
Cindy shrugged.
<span class="mu-s">“Yeah. Why?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“No, nothing. It’s just that you’re…”</span>
You glanced at her cast, and then down to her boot. Cindy raised an eyebrow.
<span class="mu-s">“Why don’t we mix things up a bit?”</span> you suggested. <span class="mu-s">“Me and Wanda could go for a round in the ring. Just to see where she’s at in her training.”</span>
Cindy made a thoughtful noise and glanced at her friend. Wanda was practically vibrating from excitement.
<span class="mu-r">“I get to train with a legit superhero!? Agh, I could just die!”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“That’s exactly what we’re training to prevent.”</span> you said.
<span class="mu-s">“Sure. I suppose it can’t hurt.”</span> Cindy acquiesced.
<span class="mu-r">“Sweet.”</span>
You crouched down, and then leapt towards the ring, flipping end over end until you landed right in front of Wanda.
She jumped back and squealed in delight.
<span class="mu-r">“Hero landing! Oh, I love your new costume. Makes you look more approachable and less brooding.”</span> she said.
That caught you off-guard. You were surprised that she could even tell the difference between you and Spider-Man.
<span class="mu-r">“Thanks. I like your outfit too.”</span>
Wanda blushed a bit, giving you a bashful grin as she tugged at her workout clothes.
<span class="mu-r">“What, these old things~? They were just sitting at the bottom of my closet. Nothing special. And my hair’s a mess, and I didn’t have time to do my make-up the I wanted, and-”</span>
(Cont.)
