It was Marvin that trailblazed the new Trainer program planted in Fan Town. The primary goal was to get a firsthand look at how a [Null] starter might change according to the myriad of factors as the Trainer ventured across the region. A brilliant plan, lauded by many. It was a long-term study design that had followed hundreds of Trainers so far. Raven was more than happy to settle down into a rooted life there to watch the young newbies venture off into the Wilds and send back their data as they grew into proper Trainers. Occasionally, some would tear through the rankings and arrive at the league where they would prove that the program was working. It was through this extensive research that Bonds and growth came to be understood much more intimately than ever before. It was after decades of this that Marvin had a thought experiment; one that would, eventually, tear his mind away from reality into the realm of absolute obsession.
It was a two-part obsession. First, he wanted to know the theoretical limit of how powerful a Trainer and Thaeon could go with their bond. At what point did they max out their potential and why? Was it really just genetics or something else? More importantly, was there something he could do to change it? Thousands upon thousands of technique files, data sets, essays from various professors poured in over the years. He read and reviewed them all with meticulous precision. With every path of progress there’s always a cap. Raven, he had mused, was a skilled Trainer–even having an Evo3–but what Marv began to notice was that, despite not having an official evolution beyond Evo3, there were still minor changes that happened at the level. Raven never did. Was it his mentality? His genetic potential? A flaw in the Thaeon?
That led to the second part of his obsession once he realized that the problem was that two separate beings, no matter how close, would always find minor, internal conflicts that made higher progression impossible. The strongest Trainers had the strongest bonds; but, since it was impossible to quantify the bond, Marv began to make broad assumptions that two could never quite fully reconcile their biological differences. So, then, why not take two out of the equation?
“Fusing with Thaeons is impossible,” Rom had commented. “If that’s what you’re thinking.”
It wasn’t. A fool’s errand indeed, that idea. Instead, Marv began gene sequencing to find commonalities between the species, eventually coming to the conclusion that humans were, as all starting Thaeons, [Null] in their own aspect. A strange discovery that no other scientist at Demiurge gave any attention to. Why did it matter? Trainers and Thaeons bonded and through that bond were able to both reach higher potentials that aided the entire region both in combat and everyday life. The main Demiurge lab even had their own Thaeons that assisted in experiments, carried letters off, helped in the field–why bother with humans and their [Null] nature? That’s when Marv, in a late-night review of genes and research papers, saw a flaw in human DNA that differed, on an almost inconsequential level, from Thaeons. That flaw had, somewhere along the evolutionary timeline, capped humans where they are now.
Indeed, why have two at all? Fix that flaw and humans could take on an aspect. And yet, still no one cared. Most thought him crazy, as most do with anyone who proposes new ideas that change the status quo. Undeterred, Marv altered existing machines that would, he hypothesized, fix that flaw and allow him to absorb an aspect through its crystallized form that the lab used for experiments.
“Send in another, Rom,” Marv yelled up to the control box.
“That’s all we have that are combat ready. Hang it up for today. I think you’ve proven the point, Marv.” Rom sighed and slouched in the rolling chair.
“Do we have any Evo2 Thaeons?”
Rom stood back up, weary, and hit the intercom button. “None that are combat ready. The one we have is currently is completely uncontrollable”
“All right. Let’s head back to the lab for review.”
It was apparent now that he could do it and had successfully defeated multiple Thaeons with a few basic techniques. Now would come the second leg of their research: taking on another. Through the decades of Trainer data and gene sequencing, they knew Thaeons could only take on two aspects. The reason? No one knew. The going theory was that a body could not handle it. Besides that it simply never happened. That was an experiment for later.
“What other aspects do we have on hand?”
Rom hesitated. He knew this was coming. While Marv was busy slapping around Thaeons, he was sending aspects into other labs in every corner of Specter. He wanted this to stop and now only one more remained in the lab. Sweat beaded on his forehead when he said, “Only [Water] left here.”
“One? We had most of them before. What happened?” The room was suddenly charged. Rom’s hair swayed slightly.
“I-I’m not sure. Other labs request them at times and–”
“Show me the requests. I need to know where they are.”
“Marv, look, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
Marv reared on him, his purple eyes intensifying. Always these shortsighted, scared little baby scientists standing in his way and never understanding the scope of what he wanted. He was the head researcher for a reason! Did no one trust him?
“Load up the [Water] aspect. Send out orders to gather more Thaeons and find those request forms. We need those aspects back by the end of the week.
The machine whirred. Dark blue neon light lit up the dark room with screams of pain. Or laughter? It was impossible to tell through the sounds of machinery echoing inside the room. Like before, all went silent as fast as it all began. The doors opened with that same fog, this time dark blue, rolling out over the floor.
Marv walked out and flexed his fists, rolled his neck. For a split second, Rom saw a dark blue aura radiating from his body until it dissipated. He felt good. Better than good; he felt like a million bucks. He stepped over to the technique file cabinet and yanked out one from the [Water] section. The ideas made sense. Too much sense. His body was primed for use, his heart pumping the adrenaline through his veins which he noticed were bluer and more pronounced than usual along his arms. The file was a basic move many Evo1 [Water] aspect Thaeons used: Water Jet. As before he looked around for a target. A can, perhaps. That worked so well last time. Another thought hit him and he sneered at the image. He looked back at Rom who was by the computer typing. What exactly? Had he sent off the aspects out of fear? Did Rom think he could stand in the way of progress?
“Rom, bring a can and set it”–he looked around for a table out in the open–”there.”
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More hesitation. He grabbed a soda can and walked out to place it on a table in Rom’s direct line of sight. Marv could feel the pressure welling up inside him. Had his biology changed? More on that later. He locked eyes with Rom who was standing by looking defeated. Let’s see how this does.
“Rom,” Marv said with a distorted voice, “what’s this?”
When his assistant turned towards him, Marv stepped forward and opened his mouth. That pressure released in the form of a powerful jet of water that slammed into Rom’s chest and threw him back a few feet onto his back.
As he lay writhing on the ground with blood seeping from behind his white coat, Marv said, “Now, find me those requests. Mention this to no one else or we may have further issues. Understood?”
His lungs burning, his pained chest heaving, he wheezed, “Yes…sir.”
“Good. Now, get a medic Thaeon in here then let’s head back to the combat lab. You really should be more careful around the equipment.”
* * *
Nil yet again found himself on the ground looking up at the clear day had woken up to this morning. His wounds from yesterday had not fully healed: his back hurt, his feet hurt, his head was beginning to hurt. Phantom was currently punching and kicking a Thaeon with what looked more like a small tree save for its entire body was a dark green, and it had multiple eyes circling its trunk body. It walked on countless, slightering roots and had branches for arms. Phantom was aiming for the eyes that looked to be its weak spots, but they closed every time he swung. Today they had to avoid phasing lest he end up beside someone else’s campfire hours later. What a drag.
Okay, Phantom, next time it reaches out with its limbs, grab one and kick to the eyes.
Phantom did just that. The tree Thaeon swung out with its limb that was grappled by Phantom, pulled askew until some of its root legs raised up, then a solid kick–stronger than before. Nil could feel the power coming through it more than yesterday–to where the thing’s “face” was. It continued to topple all the way to the ground with leaves rustling and a groan.
Defeat. Maybe? It was impossible to tell. Earlier they had fought a slime that had appeared from a puddle that kept springing up every time Phantom knocked it down.
“Wow. Maybe I made the wrong choice in who’s going through the cave with me,” Lyn said. She was lounged back against a tree chewing on a long stalk of grass. “Those [Wood] aspects are some of the weaker enemies in the area. Wait until you see the behemoths in the cave.”
She stood and her Thaeon, Haven, walked up and touched Nil with its pointed limb. A flood of relief spread through his body over his wounds and aches–it couldn’t heal damaged pride, but that was something he would deal with later.
“You couldn’t have done that when we woke up?”
“Tch, you think being a Trainer is always waking up in top form, refreshed and ready to fight? Without a bit of suffering there’s no progress.”
“Yeah okay… Say, are there more Thaeons that can heal like that?”
She laughed at that and ran her hand along Haven’s neck. “Many aspects have healing properties. [Ether] has it naturally. It’s the essence of life and the fullness of being. Or so I’ve been told.”
Nil rolled his shoulders. The pain from before was a fading ache. He also felt Phantom’s relief from the situation and also more eagerness to keep fighting–they had been fighting wild Thaeons all morning already with no end in sight.
“How far is this cave exactly?” he asked Lyn. She was rooting around in tall grass looking for other Thaeons to fight
“About a two days’ walk from here. In a hurry? You don’t seriously think you’ll make it through without an Evo1, do you?” She scoffed and shook her head. She was good for that.
“So you want me to stay out here until Phantom evolves? That could take forever.”
“Did Demiurge teach you nothing? The length of time between evolutions is totally dependent on the Trainer and their Bond. Once a Thaeon and Trainer hit a groove, an aspect begins to form and then they reach Evo1. It’s not like it’s a huge jump, Nil: all of these out here are Evo1. Do you think it took them ten years to get there? No. Think for a second.”
He did think. He already had an aspect; where did that put him?
“Incoming!” she yelled and jumped back to where Haven was standing.
From the grass sprang a huge rodent Thaeon bouncing on a curled tail with metallic fangs glinting in the sunlight. Nil checked his watch for a quick scan to see that it was a [Beast] aspect Evo1. It was large with a fat body, its limbs looked powerful, tipped with claws; it stood at least a foot over Phantom and did not hesitate to use its tail to fly it towards both of them, its fangs out ready to tear something open.
“Phantom is a humanoid shape, yeah?” Lyn commented from the sidelines. “Use that to your advantage.”
“How–Phantom, watch out!”
The wild Thaeon had leapt into the air and was plummeting down with its claws out towards him. Phantom waited until the last second, slid the side to let the fat [Beast] hit the ground, then twisted at the hip to deliver a punch that threw the thing’s head back with a crunch. Their Bond was resonating, teeming with understanding now. Phantom then grabbed his opponent’s curled tail and started pulling it around in a circle. Nil knew his partner wasn’t strong enough to heft it into the air; instead, once dazed after the spin, he urged Phantom to kick it square in the side of the head one last time.
Another defeat.
“As I was saying,” Lyn said calmly, “having a humanoid shape has major advantages in terms of ranges of motion and utility. I’m sure you already know this. Haven, even with all her glory, could never fight like that.”
Then it dawned on Nil why she had picked him to stick around.
“Whatever’s in the cave counters Haven and you need someone like Phantom to expose its weakness. You fought Max and Rose, but their Thaeons wouldn’t work.” He walked over to her with a smile on his face. “You’ve been camped outside Fan Town waiting for someone to escort you through. You aren’t looking to help ‘newbie’ Trainers at all.”
Her face turned a shade of red and she puffed the bangs from her right eye. “Escort? Hah! Two are always better than one. I don’t need an escort!” Haven stepped over and put its pointed face on Lyn’s shoulder. “Look, Nil, I–we–just want to better our odds at making it through.”
“Uh-huh. You can drop the tough-girl act, Lyn. It’s fine to need help. Just ask and we can work together.”
She wanted to respond. Actually, she wanted to punch his nose in. Even with Haven’s calming presence it took a measure of self-control to keep her from attacking. That, and someone calling to her from behind. Both she and Nil turned to see, to his relief, Pic and Poc bounding over a small hill with their round Thaeons rolling beside them
“Nil! There you are. Good to see you’re still alive,” Pic chuckled.
“And who’s this? What a strange Thaeon,” Poc followed up.
They greeted with smiles, but Lyn, feeling the need to vent some of her anger, said, “Two, huh?” She looked over at Nil. “Let’s do a two-versus-two battle. Twenty percent stake from both.”
Pic and Poc, surprised, cocked their heads at Nil who just shrugged.
“This is Lyn. She helped me yesterday after I, um, passed out.”
Their eyes back to Lyn.
Pic said, “Awesome! We have some new tactics we want to try.”
Poc: “Yup! There’s something we want to show you anyway, Nil.”
Lyn pulled him to the side, the red in her face ebbing away some. “This will be a perfect chance to work together. Are you up to it?”
Nil looked back and forth, then to Phantom who responded with a joyous response through their bond. He turned to the twins.
“Ready up. Twenty percent it is.”