[Third Person's PoV]
Location: The Arrow Cave
Date: March 1st
Time: 8:23 PM
Danny floated in the air, just a few feet above the training mat, and took a deep breath. The steady rhythm of inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth grounded him. He let all of Black Canary's guidance from the past hour sink in — the control, the breathing, the focus.
His eyes glowed a faint green as he looked at the row of flying drones zipping through the air, each moving in erratic patterns. Black Canary stood below, arms folded, watching with a keen eye.
"Remember," she called up, "precision, not pressure. Make your voice work for you."
Danny nodded, cupping his hands around his mouth and channeling the energy. This time, he didn't build it up like a tidal wave. Instead, he shaped it, aimed it, and released a clean, razor-sharp wail — just enough to clip the wing of one of the drones.
The drone sparked and spiraled to the ground. Two more zipped in from opposite sides. Danny twisted in the air and released two short bursts of sound, each angled and controlled. Both drones were knocked out mid-flight without disturbing the surrounding training equipment.
Black Canary smirked. "You're getting the hang of it. You've trimmed your energy use by more than half. You are strangely a very quick learner you have potential I'll tell you that"
Danny landed and grinned, a light mist of ghostly energy still trailing from his breath. "It feels like I'm… directing the attack now, instead of just letting it explode out of me."
"That's the point," she said, walking over. "A scream without control is just noise. But a focused cry? That's a weapon."
She picked up a remote and tapped a button. New targets rose from the floor — moving dummies on tracks, metal panels rotating and changing angles. Danny's brows raised slightly, but he took to the air again.
"Now I want you to knock down the tall targets, disable the ones with red lights, and avoid the ones with blue. Let's see how sharp that aim really is."
Danny's body glowed as he phased slightly into his ghost form, then took a deep breath. A sonic burst knocked down two tall dummies, but a blue-light target passed through his field of vision. He sucked in the next blast and redirected it just in time — only the red-light target took the hit.
Black Canary raised an eyebrow. "Nice save."
Danny panted slightly but nodded. "That… took more thought than I expected."
"Good. You're building instinct now. One more round."
This time, Danny incorporated movement — flying in circles, weaving between obstacles while launching wails in mid-air. With each pass, his aim sharpened, his bursts tighter, more refined. A final twisting spin launched a cone-shaped wail that toppled the last moving target without touching the blue ones.
He landed with a heavy exhale, knees bent, catching his breath, all that ectoplasmic energy he was releasing was taking a toll on his stamina.
Black Canary handed him a towel. "You've got raw power, Danny. But now you're starting to turn it into a skill. Still, you're not even close to being done."
Danny wiped his forehead. "Didn't think so."
She stepped in front of him and adjusted his stance slightly. "If you want to hit targets at different ranges, you'll need to learn modulation. Lower frequencies for shockwaves, higher for piercing through material. Same technique, just adjust the depth of your breath and the shape of your mouth."
Danny blinked. "Wait, I can change what the wail does?"
"You can do more than just scream things into dust," she said, smirking. "Watch."
She took a breath and released a precise, high-frequency Canary Cry at one of the walls. The frequency didn't destroy it — it resonated through it. The lights on the other side flickered.
"You control what you want the sound to do," she said. "Wreck, disrupt, shatter — it's all about intent and control."
Danny took another breath and tried again — this time narrowing his lips and shifting the pitch of his wail. The blast rang out, higher and sharper, and a hanging drone above him vibrated violently before shorting out and falling.
Black Canary gave an approving nod but also a weird look. "There it is." 'Seriously, where did Batman find this kid?'
Danny let out a low laugh, still catching his breath. "You really know your stuff."
"I've had years to master it," she said. "And now, what you need is some real-world experience."
He blinked. "Wait, now? Seriously? No offense but isn't that a bit too earlier, it hasn't even really been hour since I started"
She pointed toward the exit. "The storm's calmed down. Just a light rain now. You're ready for fieldwork — nothing dangerous. Just patrol and application. And don't worry about I'll be there to cover for you if you mess up. What you need more than anything is experience"
Danny blinked and began to question himself, 'Why is it going so easy for me? I had trouble with my flames and my manipulation of ectoplasma before–Ah'
Danny slowly came to a dawning realization, 'My effectiveness of my ability to manipulate ectoplasmic energy has improved… That's why it seems to have gotten easier. Compared to two months ago the difference between skill level is as clear as night and day. Especially when I've been under someone like Batman.'
After reveling on the thought for a few seconds, Danny followed after Black Canary out of the Arrow Cave. A quick trip soon took them to a rooftop in Star City. The rain came down gently, painting the pavement with a glossy sheen. Streetlights reflected softly in the puddles.
The wind was cool, the air crisp.
"Alright," she said, straightening her jacket. "Your job? Use what you've learned. Listen, observe, and act. No big shows, no overkill."
Danny nodded as he floated in place, his ghost tail dancing beneath him. "Got it."
They leapt off the rooftop, gliding from building to building. Danny flew just above the ground at one point, using subtle ghost wails to disorient a group of carjackers before they even realized he was there. Black Canary took down another with a swift kick, nodding at Danny as they regrouped.
They passed by a flooded alley where a kid was stuck behind debris. Danny hovered above the blockage, let out a small, focused wail that dislodged it without harming anything else. The kid scrambled free.
They continued the exercise for a while and by the time they circled back to the rooftops, the rain had slowed to a mist.
Black Canary looked over at him. "Well?"
Danny exhaled, the faint mist from his breath mixing with the rain. "I don't feel like passing out, so that's good."
She chuckled. "You did good. We'll keep refining. But you've already taken a big step forward tonight."
Danny smiled. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."
She nodded, serious again. "Don't thank me yet. Tomorrow we start working on mid-cry Tuning."
Danny groaned. "There's more?"
"Kid, you're just getting started." Black Canary scoffed, "Did you seriously expect to become an expert overnight?"
"Would it be bad if I said kinda?" Danny questioned warily.
"Yes" Black Canary said mid-chuckle, "Don't be growing arrogant just because I threw you a few compliments here and there"
"Too late" He said with a mock cocky grin, floating around her.
Black Canary shook her head and checked her watch, "Should we call It a night?"
Danny nodded in agreement, "It is getting pretty late, should I come at the same time and place tomorrow? You know, at the Arrow Cave" Danny gave a little shudder before holding himself, "Ughhh, The Quiver is still way better" Danny said with a cringe.
Black Canary just gave him a wry chuckle before Danny turned invisible and disappeared from her very eyes, "Tell Mr. GA and his sidekick I said bye. And thanks for the assistance Ms. Canary~ See you tomorrow!"
Although Black Canary couldn't see him she could tell he was growing further and further away. A smile grew along her lips before she leapt away from where she stood.
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