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【Vision of an Alternate Future】

Arc 2: Return of the Crystal Guardians

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【VAF】Chapter║: 48 ─Ascended Protocol

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With the 183rd session of the Conference of Guardians fully underway the Ascended Protocol began with over 500 Ascended Guardians participating; 350 Clear Crystalans, 90 Gold Crystalans, 55 Red Crystalans, 4 Green Crystalans and 1 Blue Crystalan. The first round of fights saw Peo, Savan and Aurora advance with relative ease as expected, but when Naole’s turn to fight the Arena went silent as the audience contemplated the prospects of an ancient Guardian facing a modern Gold Guardian.

Naole steps forward to face his confident opponent; Jin Kanu.

Jin : “ So; let’s see what you can do old man!”

Naole : “ You know, in my day Guardians were better trained!”

As both Guardians power up there is an incredible release of energy.

Jin : “ I like my chances!”

Guardian Jin makes his move; choosing a direct attack against the indomitable Naole.

Naole : “ Lightning fist!”

In a spectacular display of speed and power Naole connects a Lightning fist with Jin’s chest cracking some of his skin Crystals and causing significant damage to Jin’s internal organs thus resulting in a catastrophic overload shutting down Jin’s body.

As medical personnel move in to revive the unconscious Jin the Audience goes silent and Naole leaves the Arena. The Guardians were completely unprepared for the sort of power displayed by Naole, but now the other Ascended Guardians knew the sort of power they would have to overcome to be declared Ascended Protocol Champion; Naole and his counterparts would be principal opponents.

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After the fight Naole walks over to Savan, Peo, Hilan and Aurora.

Hilan : “ That was quick!”

Aurora : “ You didn’t have to injure him you know?”

Naole : “ Why waist time doing something in 5 minutes when it can be accomplished in 5 seconds?”

Savan : “ Or maybe; you don’t want to reveal your techniques too soon.”

Naole : “ That’s for me to know.”

Peo : “ Oh! This is going to be an awesome contest!”

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As the tournament continued Naole, Savan, Peo and Aurora progressed; defeating their opponents at every encounter over 2 days until there was just the 4 left. The Ascended Protocol officials decided that after 4 hours rest Naole would fight Savan in the first match and Peo would fight Aurora in the second match. The Ascended Protocol final match would take place 5 hours after the semi-final matches.

Naole and Aurora powered down and rested while they absorbed energy, but Savan and Peo used the 4 hours to review strategies while also absorbing energy; never actually powered down. Not powered down meant that Savan and Peo could absorb more energy and they would not waist energy during transformation, however powering down rested the body and allowed the body to adapt.

Naole and Aurora possessing higher core energies powered down, and the energy they lose during transformations is dwarfed by total energy reserve. The 5 years in which Naole and Aurora had trained together were clearly self evident, even Peo was surprised by the extent of Aurora’s improvement; at her current level she was near at par with Peo’s power level.

Both Naole and Aurora demonstrated speeds that had previously been thought of as the preserve of Ascended Red Guardians. Naole and Aurora defeated highly skilled Ascended Red Guardians during the tournament and now they were poised to face another two Ascended Red Guardians in a bid for a spot in the final round. Naole was always going to be the wildcard, but the influence of his methods over Aurora had turned her into another wildcard.

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Naole steps into the Arena and walks over to the fully powered Savan, and as he walks he conducts what is known as a soft power-up; slowly raising his power and transforming while building up energy.

Savan : “ So; it’s Knora versus Knora?”

Naole : “ As it should be!”

Savan : “ You’ve had an impressive run, but I’m afraid it has to end here.”

Naole : “ But do you have the power?”

Then Naole raises his power level even higher; shocking the audience and some of the other competing Guardians.

Hilan : “ There’s no warm up with this guy is there?”

Aurora : “ He says that the enemy wouldn’t give you time to get up to speed.”

Peo : “ So this is what the 2 of you have been hiding. That’s an energy level higher than Savan’s maximum. But how long can he sustain it?”

Hilan : “ Naole isn’t known for making miscalculations!”

Aurora : “ Now we’ll see what a Blue Guardian can do.”

Guardian Savan realises for the first time what he faces.

Savan : “ I might as well start it big; Super-flash!”

Guardian Savan produces an energy pulse followed by a massive energy Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Energy Ball directed at Naole forcing Naole to cross his arms and block the Energy Ball. As Naole struggles to disperse the energy of Savan’s attack Savan launches an Electrolaser Lightning Bolt Knocking Naole to the Ground. Savan tries to complete the assault with a physical attack but that attempt is halted by Naole standing and seemingly ready to fight.

Naole : “ Pretty good try!” spoke the strangely confident Naole “Impressive!”

The others are surprised by Naole’s demeanour.

Hilan : “ Strangely confident for someone who just got knocked on his ass.”

Peo : “ Indeed!”

Aurora : “ Savan’s gotten a lot stronger.”

Hilan : “ Looks like Savan might pose a challenge for Naole!”

Aurora : “ Maybe!”

Peo : “ Savan should know better; energy attacks won’t work on Naole. He dispersed the first attack and absorbed most of the second attack.”

Aurora : “ Naole has the upper hand then?”

Hilan : “ We’ll see how he does against Savan’s maximum speed.”

Peo : “ So that’s how he’s doing it!”

Hilan : “ What?”

Peo : “ He’s using his energy to increase his speed. The movement of every limb is augmented by a spatial energy push. It’s ingenious!”

Hilan : “ But the energy cost must be extraordinary! Can you also do this Aurora?”

Aurora : “ That is one of the major breakthroughs of the past 5 years!”

Peo : “ One of the major breakthroughs must be in energy reserves; you two must have found new ways to increase your energy reserves.”

Hilan : “ Astounding.”

The fight Continues.

Naole and Savan clash in an enormous physical confrontation; exchanging blow for blow and moving at such an incredible speed that most Un-Armoured Guardians couldn’t follow their movements. This was a clash of the Titans with Naole and Savan reaching deep into their cores and displaying the true power of Ascended Crystalans. The power of their blows compressed the air and created massive shockwaves.

At some point the battling of Naole and Savan gets close to the ground and Naole attacks Savan with a Lightning Fist but Savan manages to move out of the way resulting in Naole’s Lightning Fist connecting with the ground; Shuttering the 20 meter thick floor of the Arena. Naole’s Lightning Fist creates a crack in the Crystal that runs even deeper; sinking into the Crystal Covered surface of the planet. Fortunately the Spirit Stone can repair such a crack with relative ease.

The others are surprised by the extent of power in Naole’s attack.

Hilan : “ Did you feel that?”

Peo : “ Yeah!”

Hilan : “ That particular Blow could kill most Guardians; Only an Ascended Guardian could survive that.”

Peo : “ I’ve never seen anything like this! His power level approaches that of a senior Armoured Guardians.”

Aurora : “ I don’t think Savan can win this.”

Peo : “He may be out of his depth, but he has to rise to meet the challenge!”

Hilan : “ Looks like they’re starting again!”

The physical battle between Naole and Savan resumes.

As Naole and Savan continue their titanic Battle the temperature in the atmosphere around the Arena begins to drop, and as the temperature approaches freezing it becomes clear that both Naole and Savan are absorbing the ambient energy as they continue to fight. Crystalans had never seen Ascended Guardians simultaneously absorb energy while fighting, and that’s because Energy Absorption on a massive scale requires extraordinary concentration.

Even Aurora is surprised by the extent of Naole’s Capabilities.

Aurora : “ I didn’t know he could do that?”

Hilan : “ The question is why is he absorbing the ambient energy when he clearly has plenty of Reserves?”

Peo : “ Perhaps he wants to remove it as an option for Savan. This battle has been going on for an hour; how long can it go on?”

Hilan : “ I think it’s about to enter the final stretch!”

Their attention returns to the fight.

As the battle rages the intensity of the fight increases and it appears that Naole and Savan raise their speed even further, but Naole’s increase in speed is coupled with an increase in energy output.

Naole and Savan land on the ground as they prepare for the next phase of their contest.

Savan : “ At some point you’ll run out of power!”

Naole : “ This has been instructive, but it has to end. The question is; can you keep up?”

Savan : “ Can you?”

Naole : “ I can do a hell of a lot more than that!”

The stage was set for their final contest.

The atmosphere becomes electric as Naole raises his energy output to levels not seen in an Ascended Protocol. Even Aurora seemed surprised by the hidden depths of Naole’s power, and from that moment onwards Savan would be on the defence. As the battle resumed the balance was clearly broken and Naole was clearly faster than Savan; with every exchange bringing things to their eventual conclusion.

Even when Savan managed to block Naole’s blows the difference in their power levels and energy meant that Savan received Damage. Those who could tell what was happening knew that it was only a matter of time before the fight was over; Savan had put up a good fight, but nothing he did could overcome the tremendous power of the legendary Blue Guardian.

There is a flash of light in the sky, followed by a spectacular release of energy, and then Savan crashes to the Ground.

Savan is motionless and his skin turns to normal. After about 30 seconds Savan regains consciousness’ and walks over to the waiting Naole.

Savan : “ I lost consciousness so I don’t have to say it. Still I would like to say; I concede!”

Guardian Naole powers down.

Naole : “ This was more challenging than I Expected!”

Both Savan and Naole walk off the Arena, and the Officials begin the arduous task of repairing the Arena before the next Battle.

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An hour later the Arena is deemed Reasonably repaired and Peo and Aurora step forward to begin their battle.

Aurora : “ And so it begins!”

Aurora Transforms and raises her power to her optimum fighting level. Peo also increases his power to his optimum fighting level.

Peo : “ So you’re going to use Naole’s method.”

Aurora : “ It worked fine for him Against Savan.”

Peo : “ Except; I’m not Savan. I think you’ll find me far more capable.”

Aurora : “ I know what you can do; I was after all your student.”

Peo : “ Then I guess it’s time for another lesson.”

Without delay Peo and Aurora begin an intense physical confrontation.

Most of the Audience had seen a full on confrontation between Peo and Aurora; master and student. However this particular confrontation seemed different, and many could not pinpoint the cause of the difference, but those who were skilled enough to discern the difference understood that it wasn’t that they were both a lot stronger that the last time they fought, but that Aurora was using a whole new range of techniques that were developed in consort with Naole.

Together Naole and Aurora had developed a new level of Ascended Guardian fighting that allowed them to match any speed, and that is largely reliant on the wells of energy at their disposal. Naole and Aurora had found a way to quadruple their internal energy reserves, and then use their energies to augment their speed and their fighting energy levels; thus whether blocked or not every blow delivers damage to the opponent.

Fortunately for Peo he was no slouch, and in the years since the previous Ascended Protocol he had extended his powers as an Ascended Red Guardian to new unprecedented level; He’d doubled his internal energy reserves, and increased his speed to unparalleled levels. With his new consolidated abilities Peo could prove to be more than a match for the new techniques developed by Naole and Aurora.

Peo and Aurora clash in an enormous physical confrontation; exchanging blow for blow and moving at incredible speeds. Peo and Aurora took the fighting to new levels reaching deep into their cores and they brought out the true power of Ascended Crystalans. The sheer force of their blows could kill the average Crystalan and even most of those who are not Ascended Crystalans.

From the observer’s perspective it seemed like the clash of the Crystalan Titans Peo and Aurora could go on forever, but keen observers knew that there was clear strategy on both sides; Peo was trying to make Aurora expend vast amounts of her energy reserves while Aurora sought to raise the intensity of the fighting thereby forcing Peo to reach his maximum which would result in him draining more of his reserves than he wanted to.

Naole observed through his Chest Crystal while in his rest mode; repairing his body and restoring his core energies. Most were surprised that Naole could be so relaxed while his wife was in perhaps the most intense Ascended Protocol Battle of her life, but those who understood the power of Naole knew that few things escaped his sight, and even though it didn’t seem like it Naole was observing every move made by Peo and Aurora.

The fast paced nature of the battle between Peo and Aurora meant that there was no moment of reprieve for either of the warriors, and the energy being expended was astounding. Because of what happened in the previous battle between Naole and Savan there was little ambient energy in the atmosphere whose absorption could affect the outcome of the battle between Peo and Aurora.

A little over an hour into the fight Aurora depleted all her available energy reserves, and so she lands in the middle of the Arena and powers down.

Peo Lands and waits for Aurora to officially concede defeat.

Aurora : “ I’m tapped out; I’m out of energy, and I therefore cannot continue! I Concede!”

Peo : “Clearly Naole has had an incredibly powerful influence on you; if this had gone on a little longer I would have been in trouble!”

Aurora : “ Really?”

Peo : “ Indeed!”

As they leave the Arena the Officials begin repairing the Arena in preparation for the Ascended Protocol’s Final Battle.

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30 minutes before the Ascended Protocol’s Final Battle is to begin Naole awakens from his rest mode and begins to power up; transforming to his Indigo Form. Naole then begins to Absorb even more energy; going far beyond his previous Absorption limitations.

Aurora realises what he’s doing and is concerned.

Aurora : “ That’s too much; even for you!”

Naole : “ This is what the conference is supposed to be about; exploring the limitations.”

Aurora : “ But this is dangerous!”

Naole : “ Is it? I know there are deeper levels to my power; I’ve used them in battle. The Guardian Conference is supposed to be a safe environment for Guardians to push against the limits of their power; I need to Honour Previous Guardians by pushing against my limits.”

Aurora : “ What if this causes you to loose the contest?”

Naole : “ This is exactly what is wrong with these Guardian Conferences of today. What used to be a sacred gathering of Crystal Guardians has been reduced to a sporting event! The Guardian Conference used to be about the coming together of Crystal Guardians so that they could learn from each others experiences, but now all anyone can think of is emerging victorious as Champion and the prospect of public admiration as a consequence of being a Conference Champion. Honour demands that I do everything I can to win, but whatever happens this next battle will be one for the history books, and it will change the public perception of the Ascended Protocol forever.”

Hilan : “ Naole is right; the Guardian Conference should return to being held in secret. When the Guardian Conference was opened to the public there were few active Crystalans, but since the majority of Crystalans are out of stasis it’s time for the Guardian Conference to return to its original format. There is a reason why we need secret Guardian Conferences, and that reason will remain unchanged.”

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The atmosphere is electric with anticipation as a Fully Powered Naole Stands across from a Fully Powered Peo. Billions of Crystalans across the planet are focused on this match through the Crystalorb Network.

Peo : “ If your Capabilities are anything like Aurora’s then this should be a good fight.”

Naole : “ I know people can’t help making the comparisons, but I think you’ll find that my abilities are in a lot of ways similar to yours; it’s just that they’re at the other end of the Crystalan Energy spectrum.”

Peo : “ Then this will be a good fight!”

Naole : “ Then let us begin; Dark Aura!”

Suddenly Naole generates an Aura that absorbs the light; blanketing the Arena in near complete darkness.

Peo : “ What?”

Naole : “ Since my Chest Crystal is Dark blue I have near full spectral Energy Absorption!”

Peo : “ Since most of the thermal energy has been absorbed, you’re going after the light?”

Naole : “ Not just the light!”

Peo : “ I see; all Electromagnetic Radiation!”

Naole : “ Even the Chest Crystals of most Ascended Guardians won’t be able to detect our movements!”

The Arena goes into a frenzy of chatter as the audience try to assess the situation, but the Ascended protocol officials go into a panic when they realize that they won’t be able broadcast the Ascended Protocol’s Final Battle to the rest of the Crystalan population.

Suddenly there is an incredible rumble in the Arena, and everyone understands that Peo and Naole have begun their battle. All most can see are brief flashes of light, but they could all feel the Shockwaves generated by the collision of the two enormous forces. From the Shockwaves it is clear that Peo and Naole are fighting at higher energy levels than they did in their previous battles.

Unable to detect the movements of Peo and Naole Omnala and Elnami approach the gathered Knoras and senior Guardians for a detailed analysis of the fight.

Elnami : “ Naole is something else isn’t he?”

Omnala: “ Dad; how’s it going?”

Hilan : “ Peo’s on the run; he’s completely defensive!”

Aurora : “ Makes sense; he can’t match Naole blow for blow at that energy level, so he’s making Naole burn off his energy by chasing him.”

Savan : “ The problem is Naole can match his optimal speed, so Peo is having to burn off his own reserve energy to go beyond his optimal speed, but Naole can match even that speed.”

Hilan : “ This fight could end surprisingly quickly!”

Omnala: “ Could Naole win?”

Savan : “ It’s anybody’s guess! The way Naole fights pushes you to the extremes, and that’s because he pushes himself to the extremes; his fighting methods in this Protocol will change the way Guardians Fight.”

Elnami : “ How does he do it?”

Hilan : “ He fights like someone who’s been in actual combat; this is the lessons he’s brought to this Guardian Conference. Naole does not match his optimal against his opponent’s optimal; he takes it to the limit!”

Aurora : “ His mild demeanour belies an incredible power!”

Savan : “ Indeed!”

The battle between Naole and Peo rages on amidst the darkness, but nearly all of Crystalorb remains clueless about its details. A lot of Crystalans were very unhappy and openly voiced their displeasure at not being able to actively witness the Ascended Protocol’s Final Battle.

Naole’s strategy was obvious; Try as hard as he can to win the fight as quickly as possible. Peo on the other hand had a strategy that called for him to keep out of Naole’s reach in the hope that Naole will use up the bulk of his energy reserve and thus be weakened. However even though Peo’s strategy seemed less risky than Naole’s strategy it was being thwarted by Naole’s willingness to use even more energy to shut down Peo’s attempts to get away.

Peo could not Block Naole’s blows, and each blow had to be carefully deflected, but even deflection was risky given the speed and intensity of the fighting. Peo was taking major hits and given Naole’s energy level Peo could barely hurt Naole, but Naole was using far more energy than Peo, and Peo hoped that Naole’s energy loss would eventually turn the tide in his favour.

An Hour into the fight the intensity was not decreasing as most had expected, but it was actually increasing, and that’s when it became clear that Naole was fighting as if he was fighting an actual enemy; raising the intensity at every turn in an all out attempt to overpower and crush his enemy. Peo had no choice but to use more and more of his energy just to stay in the fight.

Suddenly Naole’s rise in speed and power catches Peo off guard and a Lightning fist sends him crushing to the ground. Everyone in the Arena feels the crush.

Omnala: “ What happened?”

Hilan : “ Peo’s down!”

Aurora : “ Naole raised his intensity to an unexpected level.”

Omnala: “ How long can Naole keep this up?”

Aurora : “ Naole hasn’t reached the halfway mark of his known Reserves.”

Savan : “ By the Source! His reserves must be Enormous!”

Elnami : “ Why is Naole taking such huge risks with his energy?”

Hilan : “ Naole doesn’t care about being Conference Champion or Protocol Champion; To him this fight is about exploring the limits of his power. If Peo hopes to be victorious against Naole he has to stop running and take the fight to Naole. The Blue Guardian is far too powerful to be worn down by simple attacks; Peo has to take it to the limit.”

In the midst of the Darkness.

Naole : “ No; that won’t do!” Naole approaches as Peo tries to ready himself “That won’t do at all!”

Peo : “ How long do you think you can keep this up?”

Naole : “ You’re not getting it; I’m not some junior Guardian that can be outmanoeuvred by careful planning. You have to put a lot more power in your fists or just call it quits and go home! I’ve been pushing you this entire time, you have to push back! If you think you can outlast me then you’re sadly mistaken; because unless you raise your power you won’t last long enough to find out my limits.”

Peo : “ So your going to keep raising the intensity until you reach you limit!”

Naole : “ Absolutely! What you must remember is that this is preparation for when I face Migon warriors, and they won’t hold anything back! No Crystal Guardian fights alone Peo; we have to give it everything we’ve got so that if it’s not enough it depletes the enemy to such a point that a Vanguard can finish the job.”

Peo : “ I see; to the limit then!”

Naole : “ That’s the way!”

The fight resumes with new zest.

In the next faze of the fighting both Peo and Naole continuously raised their speed and energy in an attempt to outdo each other, and this resulted in the intensity of their fighting reaching even greater heights. Amidst the darkness there were flashes of red and blue thunder as Lightning Fist collided with Lightning Fist generating massive shockwaves that reverberated throughout the Arena.

Most of the people in the Arena could not detect the movements of Peo and Naole, but they could feel the power of their blows through the Shockwaves Generated. Both Peo and Naole had raised their energy levels to an unprecedented level and moved at such speeds that even the senior Guardians had difficulty following their movements, but the elite Guardians could still follow.

Knora Hilan is pleased by the turn of events.

Hilan : “ Looks like Naole’s pep-talk worked; Peo is fighting back!”

Omnala: “ Why would he help his opponent fight better?”

Aurora : “ Naole could’ve ended the fight when Peo crashed to the ground, but that’s not why his in this tournament; he wants to fight the most powerful warrior at his best!”

Savan : “ Looks like he might be getting what he came for!”

Elnami : “ Does Naole still have the advantage?”

Aurora : “ It looks about even now! Naole must be enjoying the Challenge!”

Omnala: “ Really? So Peo could still win?”

Hilan : “ Who ever emerges victorious this moment will go down as the turning point in History; from this moment onwards Guardians will be changed forever!”

Savan : “ Indeed; we will all learn the lessons of this fight, learn to fight as they do, as Naole fights!”

Elnami : “ You think Naole will be healed enough to make his demonstration later on today?”

Hilan : “ The one thing I’ve learned from today’s events is Naole cannot be underestimated; he came into this fight as the underdog, but somehow managed to at times overpower the most powerful active Crystalan warrior! I suspect that he finds fighting under Ascended Protocol conditions incredibly limiting; given that Naole’s body requires and uses an enormous amount of energy, his methods are energy intensive, and the techniques are defined by the energy intensive nature of his body.”

Then there is a massive explosion in the sky and for a brief moment Naole and Peo are visible fighting in the sky.

The fight between Peo and Naole rages on in the skies above the Arena, and their battle was now entering its final phase since both Peo and Naole had expended the bulk of their energies. However despite Peo and Naole having used up most of their energies the intensity of their fighting was increasing and because of the increased intensity the fight was being driven to its eventual conclusion.

Nearly 2 hours of fighting was coming to an end, and both Peo and Naole were keenly aware that their fight was coming to an end, thus every move they made was that much more important. Both Peo and Naole knew that a mistake at this point could cost them the fight, and so they were very careful with the use of their energy, but that did not stop them from intensifying the fight even further.

A combination of attacks from Naole sends Peo hurtling to the ground. Naole sees an opportunity to end it.

Naole : “ Thunder Coil!”

Somehow Naole Energized his body then generated a Vortex of Lightning Energy rapped around himself while propelling himself towards the dazed Peo at incredible speed while simultaneously Attacking Peo with an Electrolaser Lightning Bolt.

Peo : “ Lightning Wave!”

Draining what remains of his energy Peo used the Lightning Wave to partially deflect Naole’s Thunder Coil, but the Thunder Coil carried far too much energy to be deflected, and Peo was partially hit and was caught up in the tremendous explosion that occurred when Naole’s astounding Thunder Coil hit the ground.

The explosion and resulting shockwaves virtually destroy the Arena, and send debris in every direction. As the dust begins to settle the darkness lifts and there is a 170m deep crater in the middle of the destroyed Arena.

Omnala: “ Is it over?”

Hilan : “ Yes!”

Elnami : “Who won?”

Aurora : “ I can’t tell; can anyone?”

Savan : “ I can’t tell either!”

As visibility improves the Audience begins to regroup around where the Arena used to be, and it becomes clear that both Naole and Peo are down, but then Peo begins to struggle to his feet, and as he stumbles towards the centre of the crater it becomes clear that a still transformed Naole lies motionless at the centre of the crater. An Ascended protocol official follows Peo towards Naole.

Peo : “ Should we continue?”

Naole : “ Continue?” Naole laughs “I can’t Move!”

Peo : “ You can’t move?”

Naole : “ I’m way too heavy to move without substantial amounts of energy! I’m out of energy; Therefore I concede!”

Official : “ Naole is unable to continue; Peo is the Victor!”

The crowed erupts in cheers as the Official declares Peo the winner of the Ascended Protocol.

Peo : “ To tell the truth I’m nearly Depleted; I thought you said that I would hold the advantage? And how can you maintain your transformed state?”

Naole : “ Well you won didn’t you?”

Peo : “ Just barely!”

Naole : “ The longer a Crystalan fights the stronger the Crystal becomes!”

Guardian Aurora approaches.

Aurora : “ In fact we all get stronger! It’s just that this effect is multiplied by a factor of 2 in Naole as compared to a Red Crystalan; by a factor of 1.5 as compared to a Green Crystalan, by a factor of 3 as compared to a Gold Crystalan, and by a factor of 5 as compared to a Clear Crystalan” She looks at Naole “So; was it all what you hoped it would be?”

Naole : “ Very rewarding!”

Aurora : “ I’ve brought your Reserve Energy Sphere; here!” She throws it towards Naole, but it hovers above him “Recharge!”

Naole : “ The Normal way will take way too long!” The Reserve Energy Sphere shoots into the sky and dark clouds begin to form “Since the arena is already destroyed I think I’ll do a Fast Rebuild!”

Peo : “ What’s he doing?”

Aurora : “ Everyone; get back!”

Savan : “ Where is all that energy coming from?”

Hilan : “ It’s coming from the Spirit Stone!”

Omnala: “ How is he doing this?”

Hilan : “ The Spirit Stone is feeding energy into the Atmosphere to restore all the energy consumed by Naole, but somehow Naole’s Body and Reserve Energy Sphere are re-channelling the energy through the forming storm system.”

Elnami : “ I didn’t know Crystalans could do such a thing!”

Omnala: “ Does he make it up as he goes along?”

Savan : “ Probably!”

Peo : “ He really is a power like no other!”

Aurora : “ Absolutely!”

Lightning begins to form in the clouds.

Elnami : “ Does he plan to absorb all that?”

Hilan : “ I think so!”

Then suddenly all the Lightning Energy coalesce into a single Lightning strike that vector’s Through Naole’s Reserve Energy Sphere and strikes Naole. The intensity of the energy destroys what remains of the ruined Arena and produces a tremendous explosion.

Omnala: “ Here he comes!”

Naole walks out of the crater seemingly fully charged.

Elnami : “ Incredible!”

Naole : “ That feels better!”

Hilan : “ You’re all better I take it?”

Naole : “ Much better!”

Savan : “ How did you do that?”

Naole walks over to Peo, then by touching Peo’s Chest Crystal Naole instantly restores 7% of Peo’s energy.

Peo : “ Thanks!”

Naole : “ Savan; An Ascended Crystalan shouldn’t run out of energy on Crystalorb! Every Crystal on this planet can be used as an energy conduit; I built it that way!”

Aurora : “ How long will it take you to fully heal?”

Naole : “ About two hours!”

Peo : “ Two hours? It will take me days to completely recover!”

Hilan : “ But Peo was healing faster than you during the final stages of you fight?”

Naole : “ Red Crystalans need less energy Than Blue, Green and Gold Crystalans to heal, but Green Crystalans heal twice as fast as Red Crystalans and I heal 2 times faster than Green Crystalans!”

Omnala: “ You are ridiculously powerful! Is there anything you can’t do better than anyone else?”

Aurora : “ Omnala; stop it!”

Omnala’s utterances solicit a stern look from his sister. Elnami looks at Naole and continues where Omnala left off.

Elnami: “ You’re stronger than every other Crystalan, you heal faster than every other Crystalan, you absorb energy faster than every other Crystalan and now you’re as fast as the fastest Crystalan; so how is it that you’re so much more than everyone else?”

Naole : “ The truth is a power like mine can not be born; it has to be made!”

Savan : “ In this case made by your father; Nalen!”

Naole : “ Yes; in part made by my father! However the gift I was born with was created by a series of unfortunate circumstances, but it was not until my death that I gained full use of some of my early capabilities. I was born the weakest of all Crystalans, and now I’m considered amongst the most capable, but the true message of my life is that Every Crystalan can add Value to the Whole!”

Naole left the Arena to complete his healing and prepare for his demonstration.

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