Angelica and Scott: Training

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Scott and Angelica make time for an unusual training session in the Danger Room.

Angel fidgeted a bit as she looked around, playing with the edges of her gloves. It still felt slightly odd, being back in the leathers. She was standing outside the Danger Room, waiting for Scott and wondering what he had in store for her. Not that she was nervous or anything - that would have just been silly. She wasn't nervous. Nope. Not even a little. Not. At. All.

Scott walked down the hall towards the Danger Room with a definite spring in his step, he was almost bouncing well as bouncing as Scott ever got. He got to try out a new program he'd been planning for a while today. He smiled at Angel as he saw her standing by the door, "Eager today are we?"

Angel jumped a bit, turning to look at Scott and putting on her best face. "Yes sir!" She said brightly, grinning. "Who wouldn't be eager about running their butt off in the Danger Room?" If that comment didn't get her blown up, nothing would.

"Well if you want to stand in one place I'm sure we could run the strength training program." Scott replied, "you jsut ned to stand under  weight platter, no running involved." As he spoke Scott reached over to the keypad entering a code and gestured to the now open door. "After you."

If Scott was being sarcastic, Angel couldn't tell. She made her way into the room, looking around a bit. "Uh…don't suppose you have anything else on the agenda? Not that that doesn't sound great or anything…"

Scott followed Angel into the room bringing the lights up on a...cube. A plain cube with a red lines drawn across the walls. "So, have you ever played squash before?" he asked the young woman. 

"Squash?" Angel replied, a bit bewildered. What did vegetables have to do with training? Oh, wait... "Is that the game with the rackets and the ball and the wall?"

"That's the one," Scott replied gesturing to the room. "I thought we could play a game." He picked a ball up off the floor, "You have to bounce the ball off the wall before it bounces twice," he told the redhead tossing her the ball. "to make it interesting try using your powers to hit it instead of a racquet. You can serve."

Oi. Angel took the ball, turning it over in her hands. "All right..." Well as far as training went, this wasn't too bad. She tossed the ball into the air, careful not to let off <i>too</i> much juice - the last thing she needed was to set the ball on fire. On the one hand, she managed not to light anything up. On the other hand, the ball bounced off the wall with a little more force than what was necessary.

Scott glanced at Angelica, she didn't seem to realize just how hard he was going to make this. He calmly unleashed an optical blast sending the ball careening back at the wall spinning on it's axis, it bounced off the wall and shot back towards the back corner of the court. "Did I mention the loser has to clean the blackbird?" he asked.

"WHAT?" Angel's mouth hit the floor as she hurriedly tried to recover from this shock. The ball slipped past her. "The...entire...Blackbird?"

"It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't now would it?" Scott replied as he walked over to pick up the ball for his service. 

 Angel's eyes almost fell out of her head. "But...but..." Ugh! She sucked in a breath, straightening up and forcing herself to look determined. Well fine.  Bring it on. "Fine. Whole Blackbird."

Scott nodded as he took up a serving position, now Angel was taking this seriously they could test her limits more precisely. He tossed the ball up into the air blasting it into the wall and sending it spinning off at an oblique angle.

Angel narrowed her eyes as she watched the ball's progression. It bounced off the wall, arcing up and heading off to her left. She moved quickly, managing to get herself in front of the ball and sending it spinning back to the wall.

Scott tracked the ball confidently as Angel shot the ball back towards the wall. He lined up a shot, banking it off the room to clip the ball as it bounced back out towards the room dropping it down just grazing the wall as it traveled. "Not bad movement," he commented, "but how's your fine control?"

Angel gritted her teeth together. her eyes still following the ball. It was requiring a bit more effort than she was proud to admit not to flat out set the ball on fire - using the physical force created by emitting microwaves wasn't something she'd really given much thought to trying. Emit microwaves, set things on fire. She didn't generally think much past that. "It might need work," she admitted unwillingly as she lined up with the ball again and sent it flying once more. She definitely couldn't pull off any of the fancy tricks Scott could do.

"That's what training is for," Scott noted as he bounced the ball back at the girl. He could see the effort she was having to put into moving the ball. "I can alter the program so the ball is fireproof if you want," he offered. "Might make it easier for you to work on controlling the direction and intensity of your powers before moving onto other uses of them."

 Momentary distraction sent the ball flying past Angel again. "Oh damn it. A fireproof ball would be great." She huffed a bit, running a hand through her hair. She could just make out vapors of smoke in the air around her.

Scott nodded and walked over to the wall, his fingers quickly flying over the keys to alter the program. The ball shimmered and reappeared in front of Angelica. "That should be a little easier for you," Scott said as he walked back to his position on the court.

Angel pressed her lips together as she took the ball. With a little less worry, she tossed the ball into the air, wholly satisfied with the burst of energy that slammed into the ball, sending it flying straight through the air.

Scott stepped back, slightly surprised by the amount of power Angel had used and the speed of the ball bouncing off the wall. He lined up a careful shot using only the bare minimum of power he needed to send the ball bouncing across the walls and back out towards Angel.

Easy, easy.... Angel's eyes followed the ball with rapt attention, and she reigned it significantly when she sent the ball back this time. Start off strong, but don't get be too crazy. She wasn't sure where she'd heard that, but it seemed to apply here.

Scott nodded in approval, Angel's control was visibly increasing as the match went on. He wasn't worried of course but it was good to see her regaining her old skill. He bounced an optical blast off to walls banking it to clip the ball, this was turning out to be a good practice for him too.

Was Angel going to win this? Probably not. Was she going to put up the best fight possible?...She bounced the ball off a microwave, sending it curving up and in an arc towards the wall.

Oh hell yes.