"Well, its... spacious."
Kara looked around the training room, a vast white space with no observable dimensions. Even she could not see the end of it. It felt endless and oppressing.
"This is my training room, it should be able to hand your growing powers," Zion spoke, his tone assuring. "So, don't worry about accidentally destroying my house."
Kara rolled her eyes, though she appreciated Zion's help. Ever since her powers started fluctuating, she felt embarrassed, like her own abilities had turned against her, it made her fell Vulnerable. Being out of control was not something she like. Being weak was not something she liked, not ever. Her strength was her confidence, her shield, without it she felt exposed.
"When do we start?" Kara asked, her determination burning.
"First, we'll have to break down those old habits of yours. Your power's like a dam that's about to burst. You learn to control the flood instead of letting it destroy everything in its path," Zion replied, his eyes serious.
"Barda will your trainer for the most of it," He added, gesturing to the towering figure that emerged through the Door—a woman with a presence of a warrior.
"Welcome to Mars, Kryptonian," Barda greeted, her tone flat but respectful. "I hope you can handle the training."
"Bring it on," Kara accepted the challenge.
"Good," Barda replied with a slight nod, "Let's see if you're as strong as they say."
Zion step back, giving the women ample space to continue. He would just stay back to keep record on Kara's progress.
Barda crossed her arm, her gaze scanning Kara from top to bottom. "I heard your powers have been running wild, Kryptonian," she said, her tone carrying a steely edge. "Today, we're going to push them to their limits. But more than that, we'll push you to your limits."
Kara nodded, "I can handle it."
Barda gave her a slight smirk. "I sure hope so. First lesson: don't rely on strength alone. I'll be targeting your speed, your reflexes—everything that's secondary to brute force."
With a signal, Zion activated the training field, and a low hum vibrated through the floor. Suddenly, holographic drones materialized around Kara, each one loaded with enough energy to stun her if it hit. They hovered, unblinking, weapons fixed on her.
Kara glanced over at Barda, then back at the drones, her muscles tense. "I thought I was here to learn control."
"You are," Zion replied, pressing a button on the tablet.
The drones fired in unison.
Kara's eyes widened, but her body reacted instinctively. She dodged the first barrage, the energy bolts sizzling past her. She dipped and spun, the drones recalibrating to her every move. Yet, despite her speed, the randomness of the attack drove her to a corner.
In midst of pressure, a bolt clipped her shoulder, and she winced, feeling the sting.
Barda watched, unimpressed. "You're holding back, relying on instinct alone. Your body is faster than your mind—focus, or these drones will bring you down."
Kara gritted her teeth, shifting her movements, focusing on the attacks. She was no longer simply dodging but anticipating, tracking the drones' erratic patterns and weaving between the blasts. Her vision blurred with red as she pushed harder, her heat vision activating instinctively to intercept a few of the bolts.
"Good," Barda nodded, her voice echoing through the chamber. "Now, let's turn it up."
With another press of a button, the drones began moving faster, and they didn't just fire randomly anymore. They started synchronizing, boxing Kara in from every angle. She broke into a full sprint, her fists connecting with two drones and sending them spiraling. But for every drone she destroyed, another took its place, faster than before.
"You're relying on offense when you should be evading," Barda called out. "You think because you're strong, you can smash your way out of anything. That mindset will get you killed."
Kara frowned but adjusted, forcing herself to shift tactics. She flowed from offense to defense, avoiding instead of confronting, feeling the rhythm of the drones' attacks and moving with it. Her breathing steadied, her moves grew controlled. She weaved between the blasts, maintaining control even as the intensity of the exercise pushed her closer to her limits.
"Better. Now, lesson two: managing power levels," Barda said as she gestured to Zion.
Zion happily obeyed.
Suddenly, Kara felt the environment shift. The bright white light that willed the room dimmed into a deep red, mimicking the red sun's radiation.
Kara's knees buckled slightly as her strength waned, the energy disruption taking effect almost instantly. She had never felt this weak, not at an instant. The radiation was extremely concentrated.
"Feel that?" Barda said, circling her. "This field will keep your powers fluctuating. You'll be strong one minute, nearly human the next. Let's see if you can adapt."
The drones recalibrated again, their movements becoming erratic as they shot towards her. Kara clenched her fists, powering through the drag on her strength. She lunged for one of the drones, but her movements were sluggish. A bolt struck her side, stumbling her.
"Adapt, Kara," Zion called from far away. "Or you'll be down before you even know it."
Kara clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay focused. She couldn't rely on brute force, not with her strength fluctuating. Her body ached from the hits she had taken, and she could feel the strain growing. But as her powers weakened, she began to shift tactics. She went to fully defensive, avoiding the blasts by a hair's breath.
While the bolts still struck her from occasion. Each time she felt her strength return, she pushed forward with short bursts of offense, delivering devastating blows that shattered the drones into pieces. But as soon as she felt her power waning, she withdrew, dodging and deflecting attacks with precision.
Minutes passed quickly, and though her energy was flagging, her focus had sharpened to a fine edge. She moved with purpose, every strike and dodge calculated, her mind in sync with her body.
Finally, the last drone fell, shattering into fragments.
Kara stood in the center of the room, breathing heavily, her body bruised and battered but still standing. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked over at Barda, who was watching with a nod of approval.
"Not bad, Kryptonian," Barda said. "Not bad at all."
Zion stood up, clapping slowly. "That's what I call progress. But this is only the beginning."
Kara managed a small smile, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "I can take whatever you throw at me."
"Good," Zion replied, a hint of a challenge in his voice. "Because next time, the stakes will be much higher.
You have managed to gain control of your body quite faster than I calculate, but don't get all high. Its just a momentary progress. You will need to continue training to keep your skills sharp.
But we can move to the next part, Energy channeling."
Zion projected a hologram showing her energy path.
"You need to control the energy you're using without letting it take over. Instead of using all your energy and controlling your strength, you need to control your energy while maximizing your strength.
Let the energy rise just enough to glow, but not so much that you're blazing like a sun."
"You have already been using the energy, now you just need to control it. Just like flying," Barda added words of advice.
Kara closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She focused her senses inwards, feeling familiar power circulation in her body, retrained it to just below surface, steady and contained. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see the hologram indicating her oscillating stability.
Zion gave a nod of approval, "Good enough, now let's turn it up."
He adjusted the controls, and the hum intensified. The area around Kara took a blue hint as energy flood into her body. Her body instinctively responded, eagerly absorbing the energy. Her muscles tensed as she let more energy flow, this time allowing it to radiate through her entire frame.
The indicator shook violently as she struggled to contain her rising power. But her body was joyous, absorbing more energy with each passing second. Kara's hands began to tremble slightly as the pressure built withing her, threatening to surge out of control. She felt like a balloon that about to burst.
"Stay focused," Zion called out, his voice grounding her. "Increase the output, but keep it in control. The power is yours, it listens to you. Focus and keep it even."
With a determined grit, Kara steadied herself, holding the power at the edge, maintaining it just under breaking point. Her eyes shone with a steady glow, as her cell slowly began their metamorphosis.
"Perfect," Zion said, clearly impress. "Now, Let's see how you handle moving while in control. This will push your limits, but you'll come out of it stronger."
He signaled Barda, who stood to the side watching, her arms crossed with a hint of approval in her sharp eyes. Barda stepped forward, her stance challenging.
"Barda will test your stability," Zion explained. "You're going to need to fight with this energy circulating—no bursts, no going over the edge. Just keep it steady."
Barda nodded, cracking her knuckles as she circled Kara. "Show me what you've got, Kryptonian."
Kara shifted her stance, keeping the power in check as she faced Barda. Barda summoned her mace and lunged forwarded. Kara dodged the attack, feeling the energy amplify her movements, but she kept the force steady, resisting the urge to unleash everything at once.
Barda came at her again, faster and harder, her blows calculated and precise. She pushed Kara around, always keeping her on toe while giving her room to breath. She was just warming her up for a beating.
Kara focused on control while dodging and deflecting the blows without letting her power spike. She could feel the strain, but she kept her composure, her focus sharper than ever. She was finally using her Kryptonian brain to the full.
Zion stayed to the side while monitoring the fight. He could see Kara's energy spike past stability as Barda's attacks intensified. Kara still needed more training to reign in her power. Added with the blue sun radiation, it would only get harder.
"You can do more than this," Barda said, landing a solid kick, sending Kara tumbling. "Don't just rely on speed and strength. Predict your opponent, counter it. Always be one step ahead."
Barda stopped her attack, reaching her hand to help Kara up.
Kara allowed herself a brief smile. Barda mirrored her smile. "I will turn you into the finest warrior Earth has seen."
""The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 9:10" Zion quoted from the side.
"But you guys continue beating each other, got to pick up the girls from Martian School."
Zion ditched,