INeedAUsername8: I'm not an expert on comedy, so the banter won't be great. And do what you can; I'm not begging you to read the other story. It's just, when it crosses over to the Ultimate Spider-Man universe, I don't want you informed and confused about everything that's happened before then.

Chapter 13: Current Skills

(Wakandan Royal Palace, yesterday morning)

Ava awoke to a new morning. Today marked the first day of her training with King T'Challa. He had informed her that she was not to wear her suit or amulet. She found this odd, but didn't want to disobey his orders. On her door were a note and a set of clothing. Ava walked over and read the note: This is what you're wearing. It might seem strange, but it's part of the tests you'll be put through. The clothing is basically two wraps of black silk which were going to be held in place by vibranium braces. The note also gave her directions to the training spot.

(10 minutes later)

Ava had arrived in a room that looked like a gymnasium. T'Challa stood with his back to her. His suit wasn't with him. He just wore what looked like shorts with a vibranium brace locking it in place.

"Ms. Ayala, you failed your first test." The king said, not turning to look at her. "Uh…what test?...I just got here…" She grunted. "Don't not worry, your father and I failed our first tests as well. You were supposed to arrive in here without me hearing you as quickly as possible." He said. "I can't do that like this! I'd need my amulet to do that." Ava barked.

Ava blinked for a moment and T'Challa had vanished. She gasped and turned around to find him before her. His arms were crossed and his eyes were staring directly into her's. She almost jumped back in surprise.

"H-How'd you do that?" She stammered. "Stealth is one of the greatest weapons a jungle cat has. They learn you utilize it with practice. The panther is the symbol of stealth. While the tiger is the symbol of strength, it is still gifted with stealth few predators can match. One of your many tasks will to be as swift as the wind but silent as the fog..." He replied, his voice completely calm.

They bowed to one another, then stood up.

"For now, let's see your current skills." The king said as he got into a fighting posture.

Ava was unsure of this. She had overheard the king and Director Fury talking about how T'Challa had beaten every Avenger. IT had been in the dead of night, the panther's element. Even Cap, a veteran in hand to hand combat had been defeated within just a few minutes by the king.

"You hesitate…why?...the tiger is one of nature's most ferocious predators…Yet you hesitate to face on that is considered to be weaker…" T'Challa said.

It was sort of like a taunt, but also not. What he spoke is mostly true. In the wilds, the tiger is a physically more powerful cat than the leopard in a straight on fight. Also, the roar of the tiger is one of the fiercest sounds the jungle has ever held.

"But…we're not…" She grunted. "We are…you just don't recognize it…now...show me what you can do…if not the tiger…show me what Ava Ayala can do." He replied.

The girl sighed and took a fighting posture as well. They both glared at one another. Both were still, studying each other's body motions. Their hearts pounded in their chests. Then it began. T'Challa initiated the attack. He leapt at her, one foot aimed at her stomach. Ava tried to duck, but the king swiftly planted his feet on the ground and grabbed the girl's hand. He tossed her to one side of the room. The girl rolled on the ground, but got to her feet. She rushed forward.

'Good, come on.' He thought to himself.

Ava leapt at him; she aimed a swipe kick at his head. The king ducked quickly. Then Ava followed up with several chops, jabs, and punches. T'Challa dodged each one with little effort. Ava growled as she her strikes were thrown faster, each one closer than the last.

'Not bad.' The king mused in his mind as he continued dodging.

The girl took a moment to catch her breath. She could feel the sweat streaming down her exposed skin. She hadn't ever lost her energy this quickly. But the king is calm; it looked like he had broken a sweat once.

"Are you ok?" He asked. "Fine…Hiyah!" She yelled as she leapt once again.

She aimed her foot at his chest, but the king caught it in midair. He pushed it back, and the girl rolled on the ground as a result. Ava growled in annoyance. She got back on her feet and back into a fighting posture. The sweat raced across her flawless dark skin. She somersaulted towards the king. He stood as still as a statue, watching her motion with sharp eyes. This is what Ava wanted, concentrated hat her acceleration of motion. She hoped to distract him for what was coming. Then like a shot, she stopped the movement and lunged. Her fist flew directly for his face. A strong hand grabbed it faster than she had thrown it forward. Her eyes widened in shock.

'WHAT! THAT WORKED WITH NO PROBLEM ON SPIDEY AND HE'S THE FASTEST GUY I KNOW!' She screamed in her mind.

She stood there, breathing hard.

"Are you done yet?" He grunted. "Not...huh...even...huh...close…ha!" She grunted, before launching a flurry of new attacks.

She aimed punches at his torso. With effortless speed, T'Challa caught each punch with either hand back to back. Ava growled and leapt up, aiming a roundhouse kick at her. T'Challa ducked and brought forth his right hand in a shape similar to a panther's paw. The blow hit Ava in her stomach, and took the breath from her lungs. She fell back on the mat, letting out a fit of coughing.

"Yeah…you're done…" T'Challa sighed as he put both arms behind his back, clutching either hand.

Ava had been defeated. She felt defeated as well. Her energy had been drained without her amulet. Sweat raced down her skin thickly, and her hair also dripped with sweat. Her heart pounded more heavy than ever before. As she coughed, her breath is ragged. She looked up at the king with weary eyes. He stood tall, and his skin is dry. There were no signs of any stress at all.

"I failed again." She grunted with a defeated voice. "Not true." The king replied. "W-What?..." She gasped. "The test was for you to try your hardest without the powers and tools you're used to having. You did just that. Yes you didn't win the fight, but you proved your drive to keep fighting. You've done well. We're done for the day." He said, before starting to walk away. "W-What?" She coughed.

He turned his head to look at her.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

She looked over at a clock on a wall. Ava' eyes widened in shock at the time.

"It's…It's only been five minutes!" She gasped. "Indeed it has…but it's your choice whether to not to stop training yourself. Tomorrow we'll see what you've designed for yourself, then get into more exercises. I look forward to what you can accomplish within that time before tomorrow morning. I'll have a few guards alert you to when lunch is ready." He said, then walked away and out the door.

Ava's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected this. But she honestly didn't know what he'd make her do.

'Ugh…well…time to get to work..' She grunted in her mind.

Ava slowly got on her feet. Then she got into a fighting posture. She then began her self-assessment of training.

To be continued…