"Je t'aime Beau..." BUCKYBARNESXOC

|- chapter twenty five -|

BANG!

Just another five wooden figures crumbled to the ground as I pounded them down with my magic. I dropped to the ground, kneeling. I needed to get my breath back after putting most of my energy into that one.

"You need to learn how to control the amount of power you allow to flow out of your body." Okoye instructed. "Just releasing all of your energy at once will not help you."
I stood up and pulsed down another wooden target with my new found trick for my magic, completely worn out.
"I'm trying Oko, you need to understand that I didn't know I could do any of this until a few months ago." I exhaled.
"You're right, but it'll only help you in the long run. One last round, then we stop for lunch." She ordered.

Just like that, another wave of wooden and clay targets came popping up out of nowhere, some were discs, some were in the shape of people. Okoye wanted me to be prepared for anything, therefore threw me in to doing any possible challenge.

At first, it was stamina, strength and flexibility. She got me doing things like obstacle courses and agility courses, alongside yoga, gymnastics and combat fights. But I got too fast for the courses and too strong and advanced for the simulations and started just using them as a warmups as she and the other soldiers of the Dora Milaje came up with new ones for me. Okoye then realised - by an accident from my part - that I was capable of producing physical magic instead of messing with people's heads. It then became her mission to get me to control it so I'm just not doing physical combat like what Tony was making me do before.

It started off by only getting an orb of my power on my palm, then letting it bounce out of my hand and into my other one. Then I got physical targets to hit. At first the orbs were pathetic, but then they got stronger and faster. I began to use two hands at once, and soon it was easy as pie. This was when Okoye stopped allowing Bucky to come to Wakanda as he could affect my training. I didn't find it fair but it was for the safety of myself and Wakanda.

Eventually, she got me gliding along the floor. At first it was immensely scary, but then I got the hang of it. I drifted side to side effortlessly, avoiding attacks and sometimes blocking them with an orb of magic I'd produce on my palm.

Now, it's a huge streak of power to attack a large enemy. I had to use a contained amount of power that was strong enough to attack, but not too much that I'd be knocked out for the rest of the fight. So far, I was doing terribly.

So now here I am, aimlessly shooting orbs at objects, too tired to care about where they're going. Okoye knew I was tired, but she kept me going and going. I finally let out a groan in despair and fell to the ground on my knees. Okoye took the message and helped me up.

"Okay, we'll stop for the day. Tomorrow we do the same, no excuses." She said, walking me back to the palace for lunch.

When we got there, I sat at the table and was once again, overwhelmed with choice. I was given so many choices that I felt bad only choosing one. Luckily I was famished so I took a huge spoonful of everything. I demolished it all in minutes and went back to my room, not bothering to make any conversation with anyone as I was too exhausted.

I trudged along the corridor to where my room was and opened the door. I threw off my shoes and flopped onto my bed. I didn't bother getting changed, I just tucked myself into my bed and shut my eyes, feeling so exhausted that I could sleep for weeks.
I was tired and was in a lack of communication from everyone. I had no clue what the status of my safety in the proper world and I had been banned from the internet. It was just me and the knowledge I had from the people around me.

Fortunately for me, that sleep lasted overnight and until about eight in the morning. I woke up refreshed and energised. I sprung out of bed and had a shower and did a full, thorough skin care routine for the first time in a few weeks. I brushed my teeth, put on a sports bra with matching shorts, and waltzed out of my bedroom.

I was feeling so happy this morning, I felt great too. There was a sense of happiness that I hadn't felt in a while, it was nice, like some match that miraculously reignited after being burnt to a crisp.
I entered the kitchen and checked in on the chefs. They always felt happy when I came in and were genuine in their answers, they were so lovely.
They made me French Toast for my breakfast with an array of fruits, cut up into fancy shapes, like the same fruit was better quality because it was in a perfect sphere or cube. I ate the tiny objects nonetheless and went back to the training grounds for a new day of training.

Okoye was standing in front of different sized platforms some were wide and tall, some were thin and short.
"Good morning." I greeted. The warrior nodded in acknowledgment and my training day began.

"Today you are learning how to fly properly with your magic. I understand that yesterday was difficult for you, so we are gonna change it today and only do it until lunch." She explained. "After... you have guests coming round." She added. I lifted my head in interest.
"Who?" I asked. She smiled and chuckled a little.
"Do your training and you'll find out."

After that I was completely motivated to get this trick done and dusted. I warmed up for an hour by doing a few rounds of the agility course and worked on my flexibility.
Once I did that, I went on to the tall platforms. I first went back to lifting myself off the ground again. It worked quite well actually. I then went along to lifting myself further up into the air.
Being quite impressed with myself, I pushed myself to go up to the first platform. It was high enough for myself to get up there safely, but too high to not drop without breaking my fucking knees if something went wrong. I was stuck.
"Shit." I muttered.
"Just pulse your magic to the floor before hitting the ground to take off the momentum of the land." Okoye explained.
"Just as simple as that." I said, slightly raising my eyebrows, unamused. "Well, here goes nothin'" I said to myself as I dropped to the ground. I floated in mid-air for a few seconds before I pulsed my power to the ground as I clenched my eyes shut in fear.
I felt no pain, no thud, nothing. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself on the ground, safe, without injury.
"See? I knew you could do it." She said. "Now do it again... but faster this time."
I sighed and did as she instructed. I pulsed myself up and did the same down. It became easy that we added movement before coming down - that was also very easy too.

Thankfully, midday came and my training had finished. Okoye, being the warrior she is, had decided to train for a little longer before she headed back so advised that I went without her. I nodded and walked back to the palace.

When I entered the palace, I was greeted by a familiar energy and voice. My ears listened out for a voice to recognise but I heard nothing. I decided to pass it off as a malfunction in my brain for thinking that T'Chala's energy was someone from back home and walk back into my room to change before eating.
I took the short cut there and felt the energy become stronger and more recognisable - it felt like Bucky's. Becoming hopeful, I walked briskly into my room and threw open the door.

But no one was there.