Chapter 37 - Output Control(Part 2)
Point-of-View: Inoka Fonseka
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"No, you're doing it all wrong, that's way too bright for an output of just 1 Aura, try again!" Snapped Tara impatiently.
Tch, it's not my fault that her explanation sucked. All she said was 'now, form a ball of light, the dimmest possible one that you can manage', before she switched the lights off, and that was it. I tried asking some questions to clarify my doubts, but that just made her angry. And naturally, she didn't answer any of the questions I had.
About half an hour had passed since we began, and I was getting nowhere with this. It definitely wasn't even close to as strenuous as Aura control training had been, but it was still a pain to try and get the hang of.
Thank goodness Kiyana explained the basics of what this training would entail, otherwise I'd be completely lost. But this 'minimum output' thing is tricky, I keep trying to put in as little Aura as possible, but either nothing happened at all, or it was too bright.
"At least give me a little bit of an explanation, or a demonstration, or something! If you don't tell me what to do and how to do it, this'll just take even longer," I pointed out, trying to keep my voice as non-confrontational as possible.
"Huh!? And why should I!? It's not my problem that you're so useless!" Came the immediate response.
Yeah, I should have figured. Alright, then, fine, I'll just do this my way...but, uh, what is that, exactly? Okay, calm down and think...what am I doing wrong so far?
Hm...I have no idea. Crap.
Alright, then, let's look at this from a different angle. Every time I form a light, it flickers a bunch, which means that my output is probably fluctuating. Alright, in that case, my first aim should be to stabilize my output...and then, bit by bit, lower it to the absolute minimum.
Oh, I almost forgot, Kiyana said something about visualization too...she said that comes later, but maybe it can help with this. I then sat down on the floor and crossed my legs, holding up my index finger, as I started to focus...
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, no breaks until you make some actual progress!" Snapped Tara, disrupting my concentration.
"I'm not taking a break, I'm just trying a different approach. I can concentrate better like this," I replied, struggling to keep from losing my temper.
"Hmph, whatever...," She muttered with a click of her tongue.
Tch, you could at least apologize, you goddamn bitch.
Alright, forget her, time to focus. I closed my eyes and pictured an unflickering orb of light in my head, while channeling a small amount of Aura into my fingertip. Oh, yeah, come to think of it, immediately after I got my powers, I healed a cut that I got by accident when I thought something along the lines of 'shouldn't have been so careless, wish I could undo this'.
And the following night, I woke up around 2 AM and was searching for my water bottle in the dark, and while wishing it was brighter, I suddenly produced a ball of light in my palm. Okay, I think I'm starting to understand how visualization affects output.
I then opened my eyes and focused on my Aura while continuing to picture the ball of light...alright, it's kinda stable...yeah, I can definitely get the hang of this, and once I do, I can start slowly decreasing the Aura output. Finally, time to make some progress...!
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Point-of-View: Alexis Tucker
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"Okay, so...like this?" I inquired, as I produced a tiny spark in my palm and maintained it.
"Oh, wow...um, yeah, that's it. You got the hang of it so quickly," Responded Kiyana in surprise.
It had taken me about fifteen minutes to be able to stably maintain the minimum output, this is definitely way easier than the Aura control training.
"Hehe, guess I'm pretty awesome...how long does it usually take?" I asked her.
"Um, some of the Category 0s did it in less than ten minutes, and the average for Category 1s is twenty-two minutes. I took a little over twenty minutes myself."
Okay, not bad, I guess.
"Alright, so what's next?" I inquired, staring at the spark.
"Next, we ramp it up...raise the output to 10 Aura, um, I'll do the same as a guide for you to follow," She instructed, forming a crackling bolt of lightning in her right hand.
"Sure, I'll give it a try," I replied, as I slowly increased the amount of Aura...okay, that feels like 2...let's double it to 4...crap, I think I added too much...
"Try to keep your body relaxed, you'll be able to channel your Aura with better precision that way," Kiyana advised me.
"Got it...," I responded, letting out a slow exhale as I relaxed my body, focusing on my Aura.
"You don't need to rush it, take your time. Concentrate on getting a feel for accurately determining the amount of Aura to the numerical value. The point of this training is to be able to instantly conjure the exact amount of Aura output that you want to, in order to keep track of precisely how much Aura you've used up and how much you have left," She explained as she continued to guide me.
Gotta say, I'm really glad she's the one training me instead of that bitch or the weirdo with the crappy jokes.
"You're so nice, Kiyana," I sighed gratefully.
"Huh? Oh, um...thank you?" She responded in bemusement, looking a bit taken aback.
I sorta just blurted that out without really meaning to, but it's fine. Alright, let's double down and get back to focusing on the task at hand...
...
"Alright, I'm doing it! At least, I think I am...am I doing it right?" I asked her, about half an hour later.
It took longer than I thought it would, but only because I was being methodical and took my time, instead of rushing it...I'm starting to get it, how to determine the numerical value of the output in relation to the amount of Aura.
"Yeah, I think so...," She replied, as she glanced at her own bolt of lightning and compared it to mine, "It seems to be the same amount of lightning."
"By the way, can this amount actually hurt someone?" I inquired curiously, staring at the dancing, electric streak in my palm.
"Um, yes, with most Meta-Humans, you would probably heavily stun them if you landed a direct hit with this, maybe some would get knocked out. It's definitely enough to knock out, and possibly even kill, a normal human though. Oh, but um, it won't have much of an effect on another Electro Skill user. Metas usually have resistances to attacks from Skills that they possess, the level of the resistance is directly proportional to their Aura capacity. Which means that any Electro Skill attacks should have close to no effect on you, in theory," She informed me.
"Seriously? That's awesome! So, then, if someone has all nine Skill types, they'd have resistances to all of them?" I asked her in fascination.
"Well, um, in theory...but historically, no one has ever developed more than five Skill types. Oh, and the Physical and Space Skills don't really lend their users any resistances, since they work a bit differently to the Elemental and Light & Dark Skills," She explained in response.
"Huh...what if someone created weaker versions of the Meta-Orbs?" I inquired curiously.
"Based on what I understand about the Meta-Orbs, they can take upto several years to create, and that's regardless of how much Aura is put into them. But, um, the research is highly classified, so I don't actually know any of the details regarding the creation procress. That said, if it were possible to create Meta-Orbs so easily, we would have probably created a lot more than just the nine," She pointed out.
Interesting...I wonder, how exactly were they created? However it was, I'm pretty sure it's impossible for me to be able to figure that out just by thinking about it and guessing. After all, I barely even have a basic level of knowledge when it comes to Meta-Humans and the other supernatural elements in this world.
"Anyway, getting back to the training...what's next?" I asked Kiyana, as I stably maintained the lightning bolt in my palm.
"Um, in order to get the hang of the exact numerical value of the amount of Aura, we use a simple exercise...increase by 3, and then reduce by 2, keep doing that till you reach your maximum output," She instructed me.
"Okay, got it...uh, wait a sec, how will I know when I reach my maximum limit?" I inquired uncertainly.
"You'll be able to feel it...when you start getting close to your maximum, say, after you're about sixty percent there, it'll start getting harder and harder to increase the output. And once you reach your maximum output, you'll be able to tell. Um, it's hard to put into words," She responded sheepishly, looking a bit unsure.
"It's fine, no worries, I'll just have to go for it, I guess...for now, I'll focus on the plus 3, minus 2 exercise, and I'll worry about the max output once I get within distance of it. By the way, what comes after this? I'd like to know the entire process," I requested, as I slowly increased and then decreased my Aura...okay, I think that was accurate, let's keep going...
"Oh, um, sure. First off, you'll keep going with this exercise until you're able to output the exact numerical amount that you want in an instant. After that, comes visualization training, you'll focus on giving shape to your output, such as forming a perfectly round ball of lightning or one shaped like an arrow, for instance. And then, we'll give you a book of existing Electro Skill powers, which you can use to learn new techniques and applications for your Skill."
A book of techniques, huh? That definitely piques my interest...
"Um, and after that, you're on your own, for the most part, when it comes to working on your Skill...basic training is over, and you need to decide for yourself how to use your powers and abilities. Physical training is very important too, you can't always rely on your powers, so we'll train you in hand to hand combat while you continue to work on your Skill," She advised me, as she concluded the outline of basic training.
"Oh, so then Aura control and output control make up the entirety of basic training?" I surmised.
"Yes, that's right. But, um, while output control starts off much easier than Aura control, it gradually becomes more and more difficult until you complete it," She informed me, before continuing, "People with poor concentration tend to fail to fully master it, which not only means that they can't accurately regulate their output, but also that they'll struggle to unleash high output attacks, let alone their maximum output."
"So, uh, how long does it usually take to fully master output control?" I inquired warily.
"Um, the fastest ever recorded was four days, or more accurately, thirty-five hours spread out across four days. Unlike Aura control, there's a lot less strain with output control, both physically and psychologically, but even so, you should avoid going at it for more than ten hours per day. Of all the current active Harmony Metas, the fastest to get through this training was Neo, he took forty-seven hours, spread out across six days. Miss Tara took forty-nine hours, though that was spread across five days."
I see, so it's inevitable that this training will take some time to complete. Well, it'd be unreasonable to expect it to be over and done with within a few hours, I can tell that I'm quite a long way off from being fully in control of my output.
In that case, there's no time to waste, so let's keep going...
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