Chapter 9: Training Vanya

[Third Person's PoV] 

Vanya clenched her fists, her eyes tightly shut. Small grunts escaped her as a white aura flickered around her body. With each flicker, her brown hair would lift slightly before settling back down. After failing to activate her powers, she looked down, her expression filled with sadness.

"I can't do it… I can't activate my abilities. Do I need to lose control to use them? I don't want power if it means hurting people," she murmured, staring down at her hands.

When she looked up at Nathan for support, she was shocked to see her father standing in front of her instead, his gaze filled with disappointment. "You truly are worthless, Number 7."

She gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter. "SHUT UP!" she shouted as the white aura flared around her once more. 

"I'M NOT WORTHLESS ANYMORE! I CAN BE SO MUCH MORE!!!" She screamed, unleashing a wave of energy.

She was left huffing and puffing, slowly opening her eyes to find Nathan scratching his ear nonchalantly. "Did you have to scream? I'm standing right in front of you."

"Eh? But I thought I just saw our dad…"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I used my abilities to make you believe you were seeing him."

Vanya looked at him with a mix of confusion and realization. "Now, do you remember the feeling of using your power?"

"A bit… but I still feel like something's missing," she admitted.

"That's because there is. I said your power was sound manipulation, not energy manipulation. You absorb the sound of your shouting into yourself and convert it into pure energy, which you then unleash. So it's not just your emotions fueling your power—it's also sound, which is why our dear old dad locked you up in a soundproof vault."

"Ah, okay… I think I understand," Vanya nodded.

"Try to draw all the sound you hear around you into yourself—the sound of the wind, the grass rustling as it brushes against itself, and the sound of my v—" Nathan's voice suddenly went silent, though his mouth continued to move.

Vanya's complexion turned pale as she felt her hair begin to rise from the energy she was absorbing. Nathan smirked, *"Don't unleash it all at once. Learn to control the energy inside you."*

"That's easier said than done! I'm doing everything I can to control it… I can't hold on for much longer!"

Nathan moved aside, *"Then unleash it. We have more time to practice. You don't have to force it."*

Vanya nodded and released a beam of compressed sound, obliterating the ground in front of her. Dirt and debris flew everywhere, but they suddenly froze in mid-air before gently settling back down, guided by Nathan's telekinesis.

"I'm exhausted… and hungry…" Vanya muttered, hands on her knees.

Nathan nodded, "Let's go home then. Like I said, we've got time."

Using his telekinesis, Nathan lifted them both into the air, flying them back toward their home. Vanya looked around with a sense of wonder. "Is this what flying feels like?"

"Yup, pretty sick, right? It's even better when you can do it on your own."

"Do you think I'll be able to fly on my own someday?" Vanya asked, her awe apparent.

"It should be possible. The power to manipulate sound is incredibly versatile."

As they approached their plane, Vanya suddenly asked, "When do you think I'll be able to go on a proper mission?"

"You know the answer to that, Vanya. When you can show our dear old man that you can effectively control your powers and abilities. Once he's convinced, I'm sure he'll proudly show you off to the world."

Vanya smiled contentedly and nodded. "And how do you think the others will react to me suddenly gaining powers?"

"Luther will be cautious, keeping an eye on you in case you put the others in danger with your new abilities. Diego will be jealous and worried, fearing you might take Luther's place as Number 1, which would bump him to Number 3. Allison will be angry and envious, as she'll no longer be the only girl on the team with powers. Klaus will be overjoyed, glad that Dad will have another sibling to focus on, which means less attention on him. And Ben… Ben would be genuinely happy for you."

Vanya stared at Nathan in shock before shaking her head. As they neared the plane, she turned to him again. "How do you think Five would have reacted to me gaining powers?"

"Believe it or not, he would've been happy for you. Five wasn't the best at showing his emotions, but he cared deeply for all of us."

Vanya grinned slightly as they landed in front of Pogo, their butler chimpanzee. Her expression quickly shifted to anger as she approached him. "Did you know as well?" she asked, her voice filled with betrayal, remembering the pills he had given her to suppress her abilities.

Pogo's expression was one of deep regret as he nodded. "I'm truly sorry, Miss Vanya, but I was following orders."

"I trusted you… I thought you were someone I could call a friend," Vanya said, her voice laced with hurt.

"If it makes you feel any better, he hated giving you those drugs. But it was something our father ordered him to do—he didn't have a choice," Nathan interjected.

Vanya bit her lip before scoffing and stepping onto the plane. Pogo's shoulders slumped as he followed her inside.

Nathan placed a reassuring hand on Pogo's shoulder. "Give her some time. The betrayal is still fresh. Once she calms down, I'm sure she'll forgive you. Vanya's very forgiving."

"I suppose you're right, but it doesn't change what I've done," Pogo replied, shaking his head as he boarded the plane.

Nathan sighed and shook his head, then went to sit next to Vanya as they all headed back home.

When they arrived, they found Reginald Hargreeves waiting for them. As soon as he saw Nathan and Vanya exit the plane, Reginald let out a regretful sigh. "I see you're okay. I take it you were able to control her abilities?"

Vanya scoffed angrily as she walked past him, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Yeah, it all worked out," Nathan said with a smirk. "I can see why you were scared of her. You'd have had no way to stop her if she went out of control. She's pretty powerful. Now comes the hard part... for you."

Reginald tilted his head in confusion. "What could you possibly be referring to?"

"Being a dad," Nathan replied, his smirk widening. "She's feeling pretty resentful about being lied to and drugged for most of her life. It's time you start working on earning her forgiveness, or else she might just murder you in your sleep. I might, perhaps, be sleeping when that happens—and I'm a heavy sleeper."

Reginald's eyebrows twitched as he took in Nathan's smug expression. "Are you threatening me, Number 8?"

"Pfft, of course not," Nathan scoffed. "Vanya's the one threatening you. I'm just telling you I'm going to ignore it." With that, he followed Vanya inside.

Reginald watched them go, then glanced up at the faintly visible moon as dusk settled in. "For the first time, I think I understand why human parents say they regret having children..." he murmured to himself.