[[Prompt from musing_way. Gonna crosspost everything here just for my own peace of mind.]]

Hot Rod’s no slouch at combat, but since his downgrade - Optimus says he shouldn’t call it that, but what does he know, he hasn’t been Orion Pax in eons - he’s de-emphasized melee in his own training regimen. The things that worked for Rodimus Prime are liable to get Hot Rod scrapped, and while ultimately he knows the only remedy for that is to re-train in a style that suits him, he just… doesn’t feel ready for that. Not yet.

( Instead he’s spending a lot of time at the artillery range. )