[Third Person's PoV]
Location: Green Arrow's Hideout
Date: March 1st
Time: 7: 34 PM
"Welcome to the Arrow Cave!" Green Arrow announced with a wide grin, spinning around dramatically with his arms stretched open.
The hideout was divided into several sections, each tailored for a specific purpose. One corner housed multiple computers and monitors displaying a detailed map of Star City. Nearby was a workstation with various arrowheads and spare bows, neatly arranged and safely secured—clearly serving as both a workshop for crafting new gear and a storage space. Another section was filled with training equipment and targets, designed to keep skills sharp and bodies in shape.
Danny looked around, taking it all in. His eyes lingered on the large green arrow logo that dominated the ceiling. It wasn't bad at all—actually, it was pretty awesome. It had everything a proper superhero hideout should have.
But then, he placed his hands on his hips, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a deep, disappointed sigh.
"What?" Green Arrow froze, confused by Danny's expression. "You don't like the place?"
Speedy narrowed his eyes into slits, frowning at Danny's reaction. He didn't appreciate someone walking into their base and looking disappointed.
"No, no, don't get me wrong. The place is great—fantastic, even," Danny said quickly, his expression serious. "But… 'The Arrow Cave'? Are you serious?"
Now Speedy looked just as confused as he did annoyed. That wasn't the critique he expected.
"What's wrong with the Arrow Cave?" Green Arrow frowned. "I think it's a solid name."
"Yeah—if you're unoriginal," Danny scoffed, briefly glancing toward Black Canary, who let out a small snicker.
"Oh yeah?" Green Arrow challenged. "What would you have named it, then?"
Danny exhaled sharply, shaking his head like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Your name is Green ARROW," he emphasized dramatically with his hands. "And where do you store arrows? Where do you secure them? In a QUIVER!"
He placed his hands on his waist again, shaking his head in disappointment. "Total wasted opportunity. Seriously."
Green Arrow opened his mouth to argue but came up empty. After a few seconds, he sighed and muttered, "Damn… 'The Quiver' does sound better..."
Speedy blinked, looking from Danny to Robin in disbelief. Robin only offered a wry smile.
"Let's just say Danny has his quirks."
"Anyways…" Danny said, suddenly levitating off the ground and floating over to Green Arrow with a pen and notepad in hand. "Can I get your autograph, please?"
Green Arrow blinked, caught off guard, then smiled charmingly. "A fan, are you? Ho ho ho, if it's an autograph you want, who am I to say no?"
"Thank you, Mr. GA!" Danny beamed, clutching the signed notepad. Then he zipped over to Black Canary, his cheeks flushing a little. "Yours too… pretty please?"
Black Canary raised an eyebrow at him but smiled, and Danny just swayed slightly in place, totally starstruck.
'Just... wow,' he thought.
Batman stood silently, mentally noting to have a serious talk with Danny about proper behavior later.
Once Danny had Black Canary's signature, he turned to Speedy. The two locked eyes silently. And then… Danny calmly tucked away his notepad and completely ignored him.
A flicker of irritation crossed Speedy's face.
'What the hell is this kid's problem?!'
Before he could voice that thought, Batman cut in, "On to important matters. Robin and I won't be able to stay long—we still have Gotham to protect. I trust you'll look after him during the week."
"Eh?" Danny blinked in surprise. "I'm being left behind?" His voice softened, and everyone could practically see the sad puppy eyes forming.
"I don't stand to gain anything from staying here to babysit you—" Batman began.
"Ouch," Danny muttered, clutching his chest theatrically. "You could've worded that better."
"Gotham can't go unprotected. You need to remain here and train. Afterwards, you know where to go. Listen to your mentors. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Father," Danny replied sarcastically.
Robin stifled a laugh. Green Arrow let out a loud one.
Batman remained unamused. He turned to Black Canary. "Report to me on his progress."
She nodded.
With that, Batman turned on his heel, cape flaring behind him. "Let's go, Robin."
Robin gave quick farewells to Speedy and Danny before following.
"I feel like a little kid getting dropped off at daycare…" Danny muttered.
Black Canary heard him and walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Shall we get started with your training?"
"Sure," Danny nodded, ready to begin.
"While you guys do that, Speedy and I are heading out for city surveillance," Green Arrow said, patting Speedy on the shoulder.
…
Danny and Black Canary stood in the training section of the 'Arrow Cave'.
"I see, so you named your attack 'Ghostly Wail' Can I see it?" Black Canary asked.
Danny took a deep breath, his eyes glowing green for a second as he focused. The energy built up in his chest, then surged upward. He opened his mouth and released a powerful Ghostly Wail — a reverberating sonic blast that cracked the walls, shattered the target into splinters, and sent a gust of wind whipping through the room.
Black Canary didn't flinch, though her eyes widened slightly at the raw force of it. Once the echoes died down, she gave an approving nod.
"Impressive," she said, walking forward. "But also extremely unrefined. You're pouring everything into volume and force. That'll drain your energy fast."
Danny winced, holding his chest. "Yeah… it does kinda knock the wind out of me."
Canary circled him thoughtfully. "We're going to work on that. Control, not just power. Think of it like a blade — sharp and focused, not a bomb. I've trained with my Canary Cry for years. If you're willing to listen, I can help you refine yours into something precise and devastating — without you getting winded with every attack."
Danny grinned, despite himself. "Sounds good to me. Where do we start?"
Black Canary smirked. "With breathing. Always with breathing."
Black Canary moved to the center of the training mat and motioned for Danny to follow.
"Alright, first things first," she said, taking a stance. "Your voice is your weapon, but your core is your power source. Without proper control over your breath and posture, you're just shouting into the wind."
Danny mimicked her stance—feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms relaxed at his sides.
"Now, inhale through your nose—deep into your diaphragm. Hold it… then slowly release through your mouth. No sound. Just feel the control."
Danny followed her lead, focusing on his breath. After a few cycles, he nodded. "Okay, got it."
"Good. Now when you charge up the Ghostly Wail, don't just blast it all out. Visualize your voice like a wave, not an explosion. You want to push it out in controlled bursts."
Danny gave her a skeptical look. "You make it sound easy."
Canary smirked. "It's not. But that's what training is for."
She stepped back and pointed at a row of reinforced dummies. "Try again. This time, give me a short burst, focused on a single target. Don't empty the tank."
Danny nodded. Green mist gathered in his chest and throat, but instead of unleashing the full wail, he tightened his stance, narrowed his focus, and released a quick, controlled sonic blast. It hit one dummy dead center, sending it flying across the room while the others remained untouched.
Black Canary smiled. "That's what I'm talking about. Controlled. Efficient."
Danny blinked, impressed. "That felt… way easier. I'm not even winded!"
"Exactly. Now, again—same power, but angle it downward. I want to see if you can knock something off balance without demolishing it."
Danny took aim at a stacked pillar of crates. This time, he focused the energy toward the lower half. A sharp, compressed wail fired off, knocking out the bottom crates and causing the rest to collapse without breaking apart.
Canary gave a low, impressed, whistle. "You've got talent, kid. With enough practice, you might even learn to bend the direction mid-cry. But that's advanced."
Danny laughed. "Let's work our way there. This already feels like a game-changer."
Black Canary gave him a firm nod. "Good. Keep practicing precision. Once you master that, we'll move on to frequency modulation."
Danny blinked. "Wait… you can change the frequency?"
Canary raised a brow. "Oh, we're just getting started."
He grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Bring it on."
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