…
However—
What Starlight had imagined did not happen.
Instead—
Leon scooped her up in a bridal carry, pushed open the window, and leapt down onto Arcee—already idling below in Motorcycle Mode.
Arcee gave what could only be described as a mechanical sigh and carried the two of them to a small wooded area not far from the motel.
The entire ride—
Realizing she had misunderstood his intentions, Starlight didn't dare open her eyes. Her fair cheeks were flushed red, like a ripe apple.
Only after Arcee's low engine hum faded and Leon set her back down on solid ground did she finally open her eyes again. She looked at him as if nothing had happened.
"Leon… what are we doing here?" she asked, though she clearly knew.
"Doing something you want to do."
Leon answered without hesitation.
"Ah?!"
Her face turned even redder.
"What are you thinking, Annie?"
Leon ruffled her hair with a laugh.
"You came to learn how to control your powers, didn't you? What else would we be doing—you?"
"N-No…"
Starlight lowered her head shyly.
Though compared to someone like Dr. Helen Cho, she clearly lacked the same physical confidence. Even trying to hide her embarrassment didn't quite succeed.
Leon could clearly see the mortified expression on her face—the kind where someone feels like they could dig out an entire Malibu Mansion with their toes.
He blinked.
Was she really this innocent?
Why did it feel like he was the one being baited?
The most skilled hunters often appear as prey?
'Whatever,' he thought.
'As long as there's something to do.'
He chuckled inwardly and got to work.
Don't misunderstand.
Power training.
"This place is secluded," Leon said lightly. "Practicing here won't disturb anyone. You don't seriously want to turn yourself into a thousand-degree lightbulb back at the motel, do you?"
"If you did that, Butcher might actually try to kill you."
"Good point…" Starlight muttered sheepishly.
"Alright. Let's begin."
Leon stepped behind her. One arm wrapped around her waist. The other covered the back of her hand, their fingers interlacing.
"T-This…"
"Relax," Leon said patiently. "Calm down and feel the energy flowing from my palm. It works best when our hands are pressed together like this."
"Oh… is that so…"
What she wanted to ask was—
Did the rest of their bodies need to be this close too?
But when she saw the seriousness on his face, she swallowed the question.
Night breeze drifted softly through the trees.
Standing like this… wasn't so bad.
The warmth of his body made focusing on the energy easier.
At least that's what she told herself.
In truth—
Leon wasn't thinking that far ahead.
"Do you feel it?" he asked quietly. "My energy?"
"Yes… but I can't seem to absorb it."
She frowned slightly, unsatisfied.
She tried harder—drawing it in—but couldn't find the rhythm.
"Of course you can't," Leon said calmly.
You'd have to be a miracle worker to absorb nuclear energy directly, he thought. It had taken him a long time to master converting and regulating his own reactor-level output.
"Try again now."
He subtly shifted the energy in his palm—converting it into an electrical output.
"Wait—!"
Her eyes widened.
"I can absorb it now!"
She turned eagerly to share her excitement—
Leon, however, had leaned just a little closer.
What happened next was brief.
Unexpected.
And better left unspoken.
"Sorry—I didn't mean to—"
They separated instantly. Starlight spun back around, flustered, pressing her hand against his mouth before he could finish.
"I know. It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention."
She lowered her head, blaming herself.
"That was just an accident, right?" Leon asked smoothly.
"Mhm."
She nodded rapidly.
At this point, she probably would've agreed to anything—just to steady her conscience.
"Then we're fine. Let's continue."
Leon licked his lips subtly. Tuition had been paid. He might as well teach something real.
"This time, put your hand over mine."
She obeyed.
"Okay."
BOOM—
Without warning, Leon fired a palm repulsor blast, instantly blasting apart a tree directly in front of them.
"So fast!"
"How did you do that?!" she asked, amazed.
This time, she resisted the urge to turn around immediately. Though part of her felt it was… a little regrettable.
After all—
Leon wasn't the only one with a curious appetite.
"Want me to go slower?"
"…Yes."
He began charging deliberately—two and a half minutes of steady energy buildup.
Starlight focused intensely this time, carefully observing the flow. It almost felt like solving a problem with the answer sheet right in front of her.
"Want to try?" Leon asked.
She nodded immediately and placed her hand beneath his again.
Leon released a measured current for her to draw from. Out here in the wilderness, there was no grid to siphon from—so he became the power source.
BOOM—
"Failed…"
Her blast scattered outward as a diffuse Photonic Shockwave, stripping leaves from the surrounding trees but lacking focus.
"The steps were the same. Why was the result completely different?"
"It's fine," Leon said softly, brushing her hair back.
"Annie. As long as you want to keep trying… I'll stay with you. However long it takes."
"Leon…"
Her voice softened, emotions blurring.
They continued practicing.
Then—
During one attempt—whether from miscalculation or Leon subtly increasing output—
Starlight suddenly began to float.
She rose slowly—
Then dropped.
"Ah! Leon—I'm falling!"
"It's okay. I've got you."
Leon slid forward just in time, cushioning her fall with his own body—much like when he once caught Tony during a crash.
Only this time—
It was less stable.
Leon, crafty as ever, "failed" to steady her properly.
And Starlight, forgetting her own enhanced durability, didn't resist much either.
Lightning struck twice.
And from there—
Well.
Human nature.
…
Three hours later—
"She has company."
Arcee's voice came through Leon's Bluetooth link, now in Sentinel Mode overwatch.
Leon's lips curved slightly.
Starlight, glowing faintly gold, had no idea what was about to happen.
From the edge of the woods—
Rustling footsteps approached.
"What are you doing?!"
Hughie, having woken up to use the bathroom and finding Starlight missing, followed the distant glow.
He stepped around a tree—
And saw her.
Eyes shining with golden light.
"?"
"—?!"
She froze.
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
A burst of gunfire erupted from the shadows.
Only after a final muffled impact did it stop.
Hughie clutched his chest—
And collapsed.
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