"Sucy, you didn't do anything to Akko did you?" Lotte asked as she wiped her glasses.

"Not anything more than usual." Sucy responded. "Why?"

"Well…" Lotte put her glasses back on her face and looked at Akko.

The pair had been watching Akko since flying class started. On a typical day, Akko would be jumping around right now, yelling "Tia Freyre" at the top of her lungs.

"…"

Today was not an ordinary day. Akko had been standing still, grip tightened around her broom. She had her eyes closed and looked like she was in thought.

"Maybe she got tired of screaming?" Sucy offered.

"Sucy…"

"You're right, she'd never get tired of screaming."

"Let's just go see what she's up to." Lotte said. The two witches flew up next to Akko: Lotte to Akko's right and Sucy on her left. "Akko are you okay?"

Akko peeked open her right eye. "Oh hey Lotte. I'm fine, just trying to think."

"That doesn't sound good" Sucy teased.

"Oh shush" Akko said, looking peeking through her left eye now. "I'm just trying to imagine what it's like to fly in the air." Akko smiled as she thought back to the her last tutoring session. "I'm sure I'll be able to fly high in no time!"

Lotte breathed a sigh of relief. Akko might not have been as hyper as she usually was, but Lotte saw a glimmer of determination in Akko's eyes. Lotte could tell Akko was taking this more seriously than in the past. It was the same glimmer Akko had during the weeks leading up to the Samhain festival. The same determination that convinced the two of them to help her in the Samhain Festival.

"Okay then. If you need anything from us, just let us know." Lotte said.

"Thanks Lotte" Akko grinned before concentrating on the image of flight. Both Lotte and Sucy gave Akko some space to focus. Besides, they never knew when Akko would restart her usual routine.

"So what do you think Sucy?"

Sucy looked back at Lotte. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think Akko will get it any time soon?"

Sucy looked back at Akko, still standing quietly. "Probably not. But it's hard to tell, especially when she gets like that."

Lotte smiled at the thought. "I think she can do it."

"TIA FREYRE!" Akko yelled before jumping as high as she could.

And land.

Akko's friends looked back at her before chuckling.

"Just not this moment." The pair said, as they watched Akko jump.

That was definitely still Akko.

"I've gotta go meet up with someone right now. I'll see you two at dinner!" Akko said to her friends before dashing off to meet up with Diana to continue tutoring. She ran past trees and bushes before finally arriving at the meeting point. She saw that Diana had gotten there before her.

Diana was squatting down, her hand resting on her broom which was lying on the ground. She appeared to be deep in thought as she stared intently at her broom.

"Good afternoon Professor Diana!" Akko greeted as seriously as possible, as she saluted the blonde.

Diana stiffened at the unexpected greeting before relaxing herself and rolling her eyes. She got up and crossed her arms.

"Good afternoon Akko. Are you ready?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Akko answered, still insisting on the military-esque responses.

Diana sighed, seemingly annoyed. "Can you stop with that?"

Akko laughed at the response, much to Diana's annoyance. "Fine, fine. So what're we doing today?"

"Well, since someone here doesn't understand how to control their broom," 'Hey!'Akko yelled, prompting Diana to continue, "I tried to think of a way to help you understand how to channel magic to your broom and move it around..." Diana looked back at her broom that was lying on the ground. "Akko, come over here." Akko slowly walked toward the Diana.

Diana squat back down, rest her hand on the broom, closed her eyes, and took a breath.

Diana never thought she'd ever have to use such a roundabout method to teach someone how to fly.

"Okay Akko, pay attention. First I want you to rest your hand on your broom. Do not press down on it." Diana said as she turned her attention back to Akko.

Akko nodded in response.

"Then I want you to begin channeling magic through your hand into your broom, almost like you would a wand. Imagine your broom lifting itself on its own, so that it lifts your hand up. Then lastly…" Diana closed her eyes and exhaled quietly.

"Tia Freyre"

As Diana finished giving her instruction, her broom slowly began to rise, lifting her hand up with it. Diana turned her attention back to Akko.

"Understood?"

Akko looked at floating broom curiously for a moment before breaking into a large smile. Her eyes glimmered with excitement as she nodded. Akko carefully placed her broom on the ground and got into position, placing her right hand on the broom.

"Okay! Here I go!" Akko yelled out. "Tia Freyre!"

And nothing. Akko looked back her broom, frustration clearly on her face. "Tia Freyre!" Akko yelled as she shut her eyes, straining to get her broom off the ground.

Diana watched in disbelief. Was this still too big of a step? She slowly walked towards the struggling brunette and squat down in front of her. Was Akko even channeling magic into the broom?

Diana lightly placed her hand on the end of Akko's broom. She could feel it shaking slightly. She looked back at Akko to make sure the shaking wasn't coming from her. It wasn't.

Akko had been channeling magic into the broom… which means the problem was…

"Akko." Diana called out. No response.

"Akko" Diana said again, more authoritatively. Still no response. Diana sighed and took a deep breath.

"AKKO" Diana yelled out. Akko's eyes shot open in response, shocked by both the volume and closeness of the voice. Suddenly Akko's broom shot upwards, smacking her hand in the process.

"OW!" Akko yelped in pain. As she shook her hand to deal with the pain, she looked around. She noticed Diana was right in front of her. Diana was staring at the sky, dumbfounded. An expression she never thought she'd see on her classmate's face.

Akko followed Diana's gaze. Her eyes widened as she saw something quickly falling down towards her, aimed right for her face. Akko yelled as she hurriedly jump out of the way.

She looked back at the item that had threatened to turn her into an Akko-kebab and…

Wait was that her broom? Akko could swear she heard what sounded like a faint snicker before looking up to see Diana staring right back her in what could only be described as amused disbelief.

"Uh… I can explain?" was all Akko could say.

"Can you really?" Diana responded.

"Uh... no." Akko weakly replied.

"Honestly" Diana muttered. "Akko, let's take a break. Come over here."

Akko looked confused. After all, they had just started.

As she tried to get back up, Akko noticed a sharp pain in her right hand. She winced as she looked at it. It was pretty badly bruised.

Diana motioned for Akko to come over. When Akko got close, Diana suddenly took her right hand, surprising Akko.

"D-Diana? What're you doing?"

"I am going to fix your hand. Wait a moment." Diana responded as she placed light touches around Akko's hand, looking for any signs of fractures or sprains. Relieved that there were none, Diana let out a breath. She muttered something as she waved her wand. Light radiated from the tip before encircling Akko's hand.

Akko noted the swelling and the pain disappearing. Before she pulled her hand away, Diana tightened her grip.

"Diana?" Akko yelped in surprise. She saw Diana take out some sort of bandage.

"Wrap this around your hand, in case the swelling comes back." Diana said as she offered the tape. Akko grabbed it hesitantly before beginning to wrap it around her right hand. "How can you not get something so simple as lifting your broom upwards?"

"Hey! I got it off the ground!" Akko replied, almost offended.

"Considering the result, I would hardly consider that an accomplishment." Diana scolded. She looked back at Akko, who was sporting a frustrated pout. Diana sighed. "Can you tell me what you were thinking of when your broom refused to move? And also what you were thinking when your broom suddenly shot upwards."

"I was just thinking of how much I wanted my broom to fly." Akko huffed. "I don't remember what I was thinking when it jumped up because I got surprised…" Akko trailed off.

"Akko, a broom won't fly because you want it to. You have to create the image of you causing your broom to fly. It is not that you want your broom to fly. You have to trust that you, yourself, will make your broom fly." Diana lectured. "Break time is over. Time for you to try again."

Akko looked back to her broom and took a deep breath. She placed her bandaged hand on the broom.

"Okay broom, we're going to do this together. I'm going to lead. You're going to follow." Akko whispered. Akko closed her eyes.

Thoughts of Chariot's performance all those years ago flew into her head. Images of her idol riding her broom, zooming above the audience. She then saw images of Lotte and Sucy as they flew her into the sky to watch the Pappiliodya scatter across the sky. Finally she saw images from yesterday. Of her and Diana flying through the sky.

If I'm ever going to fly like that…

Akko channeled her magic into her broom.

Okay broom, let's do this. Move. "Tia Freyre" Eyes still closed, Akko slowly began to stand up.

Diana smiled as she watched the girl. While it was different than she had intended, Diana saw the broom rising as Akko moved. As things seemed, it appeared Akko's broom would stop level with the middle of Akko's thigh. Once Akko was fully upright, Diana's eyes widened as her smile grew just a little bit.

Akko's broom had started slowly moving upwards on its own, until it and her hand were just about waist level.

So how 'bout that episode 19.