Su Yi and Natasha returned to the secure laboratory section of the Helicarrier, where Yelena was waiting. Natasha had already communicated the immense responsibility and power associated with the Fire Spirit Orb—the control over fire and complete immunity to heat damage—and Yelena, ever the pragmatic survivor, had readily agreed to accept the enhancement. With greater strength, she reasoned, she could better protect the people around her, particularly Natasha.
Su Yi took out the Fire Spirit Orb, a marble-sized jewel of deep, swirling crimson that hummed with latent, furious energy. Yelena, her expression a mask of calm focus, gently reached out and took the orb.
Following Su Yi's quick instructions, she performed a simple, ancient ritual, drawing a single drop of blood onto the orb's surface. The moment the blood touched the jewel, the orb flared with a dazzling, violent crimson light, vibrating fiercely before instantly fusing into Yelena's chest.
The fusion was immediate and brutal. The Fire Spirit Orb instantly released a devastating torrent of raw, scorching energy, initiating a radical, destructive upgrade of Yelena's entire physical structure. The power of fire, being innately volatile and transformative, had to first destroy the limitations of her human physique before it could be reborn into something superior.
Yelena gasped, the air ripping from her lungs as the pain erupted from her core. It felt as if her bones were dissolving, her muscle fibers were being flash-fried, and her internal organs were briefly turning to ash. This was a pain far beyond the physical and psychological torture of the Red Room. This was a fundamental change at the cellular level.
The temperature in the small, contained space spiked violently, instantly making the room hotter than a foundry furnace. Yelena was drenched in sweat, but the moisture was instantly evaporated by the radiating heat, leaving her skin dry, flushed, and slick with a strange, oily residue that was quickly absorbed back into her body as fuel for the transformation.
Natasha, seeing her sister's face contort in genuine agony—a sight she had rarely witnessed—was consumed by frantic worry. She reached out, but hesitated, knowing the gravity of what was happening.
"Su, can we help Yelena? I can't just watch this," Natasha pleaded, her hand instinctively touching the Horse Talisman beneath her clothes.
Su Yi stepped forward, placing a steady hand on Natasha's shoulder, pulling her back from the center of the raging heat.
"You must hold back, Tasha. The Fire Spirit Orb is completely overwriting her biology. The pain, though immense, is necessary. The transformation must happen fully; it's the only way to gain the immunity. It's destruction before creation," Su Yi explained, his voice low and firm.
Natasha continued to press, her eyes wide with fear for her sister. "Can't I use the Horse Talisman to heal her? It can repair damage almost instantly, it might help alleviate the pain!"
"No. That would be catastrophic," Su Yi warned, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Your Horse Talisman purifies and restores balance. The power of the Fire Spirit Orb hasn't completely merged with Yelena yet; it is still a violent, foreign energy. The Horse Talisman would instantly register it as an 'abnormal' presence and try to cleanse it."
"If that happens," he continued, gesturing to the shimmering heat haze around Yelena, "the orb's power would violently retaliate against the purification process. The energy release would be even more brutal, doubling the pain, and it could very well tear her apart instead of strengthening her. This is a mountain she must climb alone."
Natasha chose to trust Su Yi, though it was the hardest choice she had ever made. She stood there, trembling, feeling utterly helpless, a feeling unfamiliar to the veteran spy.
"Yelena, you can do this! Endure the heat, little sister!" Natasha yelled, her own pain barely audible over Yelena's tortured gasps.
Yelena, despite the blinding agony, heard her sister's voice. She had been through the Red Room's chemical suppression and the emotional trauma of being a disposable asset. Though not iron-willed in the mythical sense, she possessed a fierce, practical resolve forged in fire and ice.
"I'm fine... I can still hold on!" she managed to choke out, her voice raw.
No sooner had Yelena finished speaking than a massive surge of power erupted. Yelena screamed—a sound of pure, unadulterated suffering. She felt as if her body was actively combusting, as if her every bone and nerve was being burned into red-hot steel within a pressure cooker.
"Ah! Aaaah!"
The scream lasted for what felt like an eternity, but gradually, as the minutes bled into half an hour, Yelena's painful cries subsided. Her body, having been pushed past the absolute brink, began to stabilize. The most violently destructive stage had passed.
The radiating heat also began to recede slightly, focusing inward as the Fire Spirit Orb's power transitioned from destruction to slow, meticulous repair. It was now rebuilding Yelena's body, piece by piece, into a vessel capable of wielding fire.
"It looks like Yelena has adapted," Su Yi observed, stepping closer to verify the change. The new energy signature emanating from Yelena was immense, controlled, and distinctly elemental.
Natasha rushed to her side, regardless of the residual heat. Yelena was unconscious now, but her breathing was deep, her color slowly returning from feverish red to normal, and her entire frame subtly stronger.
"Thank you, Su," Natasha whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she gently brushed Yelena's damp hair from her forehead.
"Are you still going to guard Yelena? She'll be out for several hours, recovering," Su Yi asked, knowing Natasha wouldn't leave her sister.
Natasha knew Su Yi had a vast, complicated life and likely had other matters to attend to, especially now that he had been gone for a month. "Of course. If you want to go see Pietro's training, I can have Antonia take you. She's overseeing the logistics."
"Alright. I can't neglect my brother-in-law," Su Yi agreed.
Since his sister-in-law, Yelena, was stable, Su Yi decided to go check on his other 'family' member, Pietro Maximoff.
He met Antonia Dreykov outside the control room. She was entirely different from when he first met her—no longer the scarred, emotionless Taskmaster under a mind-control chip. After treatment with the Water of Life provided by Su Yi, Antonia had fully recovered her original appearance: a deceptively young woman, a highly trained fighter, now free from her father's control.
Her emotions towards Natasha were incredibly complex: Natasha had injured her, but also saved her and killed her father, Dreykov—a villain who, in the end, deserved justice. Antonia had stayed on the Helicarrier, gradually adapting to her new freedom, finding a place within this 'big family' of former Black Widows.
"Antonia, you look to be in good spirits. The operational efficiency of this Helicarrier is impressive," Su Yi greeted her, maintaining a respectful but playful demeanor.
Antonia returned his gaze without emotion. She felt a debt to Su Yi for the Water of Life—a priceless artifact that healed her completely—and she respected his immense, almost incomprehensible power.
"The assets are optimized. Pietro is in Training Room Gamma. His physical conditioning progress is fast, but his discipline is still lacking. He relies too much on his ability," Antonia replied coldly, cutting straight to the point.
Speaking of Pietro immediately reminded Su Yi of Wanda. He had been so busy with Asgardian politics and the Infinity Stones that his progress with the powerful young sorceress had stalled. As a primary target that must be recruited and romanced, this lack of progress was unacceptable.
Su Yi even began to doubt his initial strategy: sending her off to learn magic after a brief flirtation. Perhaps keeping Wanda closer and cultivating her affection before she mastered her vast power would have been wiser. Now, she was an increasingly powerful entity, and that certainly increased the difficulty of 'conquest.'
However, Su Yi wasn't flustered. He still had one surefire way to handle Wanda: Pietro.
Su Yi arrived outside the viewing area of Training Room Gamma and immediately saw Pietro in action. The young speedster was running circuits, but the Black Widows were using high-tech countermeasures, forcing him to adapt.
Antonia was right. Pietro's recent training had certainly had an effect, but he still relied on raw, blinding speed rather than refined combat instinct or strategy, a critical flaw against highly disciplined, motivated agents.
"Pietro, guess who's here?" Su Yi's voice, amplified by the intercom, echoed in the room.
The training session was abruptly interrupted, and the instructor, a tough Russian woman named Kelly, looked up, annoyed. Seeing Su Yi and Antonia, the instructor quickly suppressed her anger.
Pietro skidded to a halt, his face tight with barely suppressed anger. Since Su Yi had openly, flirtatiously targeted Wanda, Pietro was naturally extremely wary and hostile towards the man who clearly had dishonorable designs on his sister.
"What are you doing here, Su Yi?" Pietro demanded, wiping sweat from his brow.
"I just happened to have some time, so I dropped by to see my potential future brother-in-law. I heard your training is going well. Getting faster, are we?" Su Yi said with a friendly, mocking smile.
"Now, you can leave. I still need to continue training," Pietro retorted, ignoring the provocation.
Su Yi leaned closer to the mic, his tone becoming suddenly serious, dropping the friendly facade.
"Don't you want to go see your sister, Wanda? I miss her very much and plan to go visit her at her magical boarding school. It's been too long."
Pietro instantly became alert, his hostility momentarily replaced by desperation. "I want to go see Wanda. You know I haven't seen her in weeks!"
"Perhaps you should adjust your etiquette," Su Yi instructed smoothly, the power dynamic entirely in his favor. "Try saying 'please,' and then remember to add a 'thank you.'"
Pietro gritted his teeth, visibly struggling to swallow his pride. "Please take me to see Wanda. Thank you," he forced out, the words tasting like ash.
Su Yi was completely satisfied with Pietro's submission. "No problem, I agree. We'll leave shortly."
He then turned to the instructor, Kelly, who was waiting for orders. "Kelly, I'm taking Pietro away for a day. When he returns, I want you to increase his training load by fifty percent. Do you understand?"
"What?!" Pietro exclaimed, horrified by the sudden escalation.
Su Yi turned back to Pietro, his eyes challenging the speedster. "Are you unable to endure it? I certainly don't want you dragging Wanda down when she needs you to protect her. She's a powerful sorceress now, Pietro. She needs a protector who is just as formidable."
"But honestly," Su Yi continued, twisting the knife with calculated cruelty, "if something were to happen to you, say, you died on a mission because you were too slow or too weak, Wanda would be absolutely heartbroken. At that time, I could take the opportunity to comfort her, and the chances of success would be very high, wouldn't they?"
Pietro's eyes flashed with pure hatred and fear. The thought of Su Yi comforting a grieving Wanda was a fate worse than death. He suppressed his rage, understanding that he had no leverage. He needed to be stronger, faster, and more disciplined.
"I agree to increase the training load," Pietro ground out, his jaw muscles twitching.
"Good boy," Su Yi said, a victorious smile playing on his face. "Now, let's go see your sister."