Loki's Pain

Chapter Thirty-Two- Moving Forwards

From that moment on, Ash's life seemed to move in fast forward. He was quickly given a near grueling schedule of physical combat training, weight training, and regular visits to the counselor to keep up with his mental recovery.

His mutant ability training had been delayed a bit due to difficulties in getting ahold of Professor Xavier, but Loki made sure that Ash still got a start on learning basic Asgardian mystical concepts in preparation for his magic training. Those basic concepts actually helped Ash by giving him a mild understanding of what he was seeing, visually, when he looked inside himself. Though it still seemed far more vast and intricate to him than the concepts indicated, Ash simply thought that was due to the lessons being simplified for beginners.

His daily lessons with the Avengers left him wrung out for the first few weeks, but eventually his body seemed to begin catching up. He had more energy left at the end of the day, and he noticed that he had finally shed the last of his baby fat. His muscles had grown thicker, and were more well defined than before. Soon enough he would be able to keep up with Cap himself, and he was waiting eagerly for the day he would be able to quip back Cap's infamous words, "I can do this all day." Those words had begun to gall him as he trained with the man, and despite knowing how petty it would be, the thought of throwing those words back into his goody-two-shoes face left Ash with a vicious smirk on his face as they sparred.

One of the biggest surprises for Ash, however, was in learning just how important his tail was to his balance and center of gravity. He swiftly learned that he did far better in a fight when it was allowed to move freely. Once Ash had began to release it for his sparring sessions however, he had swiftly learned the folly of allowing it within his opponents reach when Bucky had grabbed it within his metal fist and yeeted him across the room with it.

Still, despite the benefits of his mutant status, his swift improvement in his lessons had left his teachers impressed. Loki's own improvement with them was slower, but just as steady. He had slowly increased his food intake, and had begun putting weight back on at a fast pace. Combined with a carefully crafted exercise routine and combat training, his body eventually returned to it's previously lean but muscular shape.

After a few weeks of steady improvement from them both, the Avengers called Ash and Loki to a meeting in the main conference room. Ash and Loki walked in side by side, holding hands due to nerves, uncertain what to expect. When the group suddenly suggested that they be included in some of their easier missions, so that Ash could get some real world combat experience, they were both left utterly stunned. Ash looked at Loki with an almost desperate expression, as he was leary to accept the offer. He did not truly trust himself or his skills yet, and was afraid he might hurt someone if things went wrong. The last thing he wanted on his conscience right then was the death of a friend.

"No!" Ash practically shouted, that last thought in the forefront of his mind as visions of each of them dead at his feet flickered thru his head. His gaze began to skip over the gathered heros like a rabbit looking for the closest escape route, his breathing picking up as they stared back at him with mild disapproval. "You are more than strong enough already..." Cap began to argue, and Natasha nodded her head in agreement. "You are a skilled enough fighter now too." She added, her hair swinging gently in its short bob cut as she nodded her head. Its strawberry red hue shining in the bright sunlight streaming thru the nearby windows.
Bucky stood farther back, silently watching with his arms crossed, his expression the only neutral one that Ash could see. Tony and Bruce had yet to arrive.

"No!" Ash refused, shaking his head in denial of the request itself, "I'm not ready! I'm dangerous! Only my body has been trained!"

Loki himself had been quiet until then, having been tempted by the thought of going into a decent fight. It had been far too long for the chaotic trickster, and he had begun to itch for a decent conflict to ease the tension. But Ash's words finally brought him to his senses. "He's right. He's not ready. You throw him into a battle right now and you will be the ones put at risk. Not your enemies." Loki said gently, supporting Ash's position, "His abilities are completely untested, untrained, and raw. I have only just begun teaching him the very basic aspects of Asgardian magic, and that is only one, small part of his powers. We don't even yet know what else he is capable of beyond teleportation..."