--
Sure enough, just as Kai had predicted, Pietro didn't take his words seriously at all. Ever since his power awakened, he had spent the whole day running—fast. Whether he was walking down a hall or going to grab a snack, he used his speed force for everything.
Kai simply watched him without intervening.
And then, as expected, when Pietro emerged from yet another speed run and turned to speak to Wanda, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
"Pietro!"
Wanda panicked. She didn't have time to run over, so she quickly used her chaos magic to soften Pietro's fall and prevent a hard landing.
Even with the cushioning, Pietro still hit the ground hard enough to feel it in his head, back, and butt.
Wanda ran to him immediately and helped him onto the sofa, asking him over and over how he felt.
Seeing her worried expression, Kai said calmly, "Wanda, don't worry. It's just a fall. He'll be fine after a couple of days of rest."
Wanda checked Pietro carefully and confirmed what Kai said—he'd be fine soon.
Originally, when Pietro collapsed, Wanda thought something serious had happened and wanted Kai to heal him. But after hearing Kai's diagnosis, she felt embarrassed for jumping to conclusions.
Then she asked, "What happened to him?"
"What happened?" Kai chuckled. "He's exhausted!"
"Exhausted?" Wanda blinked in disbelief. She thought there was something physically wrong—some deeper issue.
"Yep. I said this earlier. He just awakened his powers today, and he's been using them nonstop. There's a limit, Wanda."
Kai rolled his eyes at Pietro. "He's been speed-running every little task all day long. That kind of constant output is bound to wear him out."
Wanda considered it and realized Kai was right. Pietro had overused his power.
She turned toward her brother, and Pietro, sensing what was coming, lowered his head in shame, avoiding her eyes.
Wanda was both annoyed and concerned. It was only day one, and he'd already overdone it. So she decided to lay down some rules before things got worse.
"Pietro," she said sternly, "from now on, no more using the speed force for anything—unless we say so."
"What?" Pietro wailed. "Why?!"
"You dare to ask?" Wanda grabbed him by the ear and tugged. "Look at you! Kai warned you, and you ignored him. You used your power all day and now you're out cold."
Pietro opened his mouth to argue but couldn't find a single excuse.
Kai, seeing Pietro's deflated look, stepped in to clarify. "What Wanda means is—no using your power casually. You'll have set times to train, like Wanda does."
Pietro finally understood. He thought Wanda was going to ban his power completely—but this was just scheduled practice. That was a relief.
But Kai wasn't done yet. He decided to scare Pietro a little more, to keep him from relapsing later.
"Oh, and one more thing," Kai said. "You know, if you keep using your powers recklessly like this, always running until you're completely spent, your abilities might start to fade."
"What?!"
Pietro was stunned. The thought that his powers could disappear had never occurred to him.
Kai's words shook him. Pietro loved his new speed—he didn't want to lose it.
So from that moment on, he resolved to stick to Wanda and Kai's training plan. If using it too much could really make it go away, he'd rather play it safe.
Kai noticed the change in Pietro's expression and smiled slightly.
But Wanda had caught that subtle grin.
Once Pietro had gone upstairs to rest, Wanda stayed behind.
Looking at Kai, she asked, "Will using powers too much really make them disappear?"
Kai chuckled. He'd expected this question. "Of course not."
"Then why—"
"I lied," Kai said, grinning. "To scare him. Otherwise he'd keep using it until he burned out. It's bad for his body—especially at this age."
Wanda stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. She didn't expect Kai to pull that trick, but it was effective.
And really, it wasn't a bad thing. Now Pietro would be more cautious and wouldn't run himself into the ground.
Feeling reassured, Wanda headed upstairs to her room.
Kai, now alone in the living room, finally had a moment to think.
There was still the Winter Soldier to deal with.
Kai knew that once Tony learned the truth, he would never let the Winter Soldier go.
Even though Tony liked to act detached about his parents, Kai had seen through that front.
Thinking about the confrontation that was sure to come, Kai couldn't help but sigh.
---