Chapter 36 - Output Control(Part 1)

Point-of-View: Zoraiz Rafayet

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"Finally, no more Aura control training," Inoka let out a dramatic sigh of relief.

"You can say that again," Responded Alexis in agreement.

I definitely shared that sentiment. Aura control had been pretty easy for me, but the training dragged on for so long that it'd become really, really boring.

"Um, you guys, please pay attention," Requested Kiyana, trying to get us to listen.

She'd messaged us and asked us to come to one of the training rooms since she needed to talk to us, and after we arrived, she informed us that we'd be starting the next stage of our training today. But before she could continue, the other two couldn't help but express their relief at finally being done with Aura control training.

She'd been hanging out with us from time to time, and had gradually become less awkward and timid around us. Not completely, but definitely a lot less than before. Though I guess a similar notion applies to me too, I'm definitely conversing a lot better than I did when I first got here.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Continue," Replied Inoka sheepishly, as Alexis quietened down too.

"As I was saying, um, the second stage of basic training concerns output. Activating a Skill is really easy, but controlling the output at will is tough without practice, um, especially the higher the output," She informed us.

"So, like, what exactly do we do in this training?" Asked Alexis curiously.

"Oh, um, it's quite simple, actually. You start with minimum output, and then steadily increase that as the training progresses. Remember the numerical values assigned to Aura capacities? Well, the minimum output for all Metas is the exact same, 1 unit of Aura. In other words, if you fire out an attack using minimum output, your Aura will deplete by 1," Kiyana explained to us.

I see, so Aura output is uniform to all Meta-Humans, huh...

"Um, it's important to understand this, because then, during a fight, you'll be able to keep track of how much Aura you've used up and avoid running out of Aura before even realizing it. Oh, and, um, Aura generally replenishes at approximately 1 unit per minute. Which means that, for you three, if you fully use up your Aura capacities in a fight or something, it'll take seventeen to eighteen hours to replensih your full capacities," Continued Kiyana.

"Hey, uh, how much Aura were we using up before?" I inquired in response.

"Um, that's hard to say...see, when using your Skills without proper Aura control, a lot more Aura ends up getting used than necessary. There are three key elements to the proper utilization of Skills...Aura control, output control and visualization. The last one isn't that important with simple Skill powers, like shooting out a fireball with a Pyro Skill. But when it comes to more complex powers, a good imagination and strong visualization make a massive difference. Oh, but visualization comes later...output control is the focus now. Like I said, all Meta-Humans have the exact same minimum output, but some Skills require vastly different methods of training to master," She surmised as she concluded the explanation.

"Question, compared to Aura control, how difficult is this training going to be?" Asked Inoka warily.

"Actually, it's much easier. See, um, output control is impossible without first mastering Aura control. Those who fail to master it a hundred percent tend to struggle with the accuracy of their output. But since the three of you have fully mastered Aura control, this one should be really easy. Um, basically, Aura is the fuel used to power skills, and since you're all in total control of your Auras, it shouldn't take too long to get the hang of regulating how much Aura you channel into fueling your Skills."

"Cool, this sounds way more fun that Aura control. So, I guess that bitch will be the one training us again? Well, she only hung around for a couple of hours or so during Aura control training, so not sure if the word 'again' really applies," Mused Inoka wryly.

"Uh...if you mean Miss Tara, then, um, not quite. I mean, she will be helping with this training, but it won't just be her. I mentioned that some Skills require different approaches to mastering them, so the three of you will be training separately. Mike, Miss Tara and I will each train one of you. Mike is the only one of the three of us who possesses the Physical Skill, so he'll train you, Zoraiz. Um, and since I'm the only one with an Electro Skill, so I'll be training Alexis. And I'm, um...I'm sorry, Inoka," She remarked apologetically, as Inoka's eyes widened in horror, upon realizing that he'd drawn the short straw.

"H-huh? W-wait, hold on a sec...i-isn't there anyone else with the Light Skill!?" He pleaded in dismay.

"Actually, I do possess the Light Skill too, but since neither Mike nor Miss Tara have the Electro Skill, I'm the only one who can train Alexis," She responded sheepishly.

"Isn't there anyone else in this facility that can train me instead? Or can't Neo just bring someone else in?" He pressed further, refusing to accept it.

"Um, I don't think that's possible. We lost another Outlier to Eden, so the higher ups are mobilizing most of our upper ranked Metas around the world to focus on responding to and capturing the remaining Outliers as soon as they appear," She explained.

"Y-you're kidding me...," Muttered Inoka, as he finally succumbed to the despair, slumping down onto his knees with a look of horror in his eyes...pretty sure he's exaggerating that reaction to emphasize the impact, though.

"Huh, so that makes it three apiece for Eden and Harmony, right? Wonder which side is gonna end up capturing more...," Mumbled Alexis to herself.

"Sheesh, it's like we Outliers are Pokémon or something, the way both sides are so obsessed with capturing us," Sighed Inoka dryly.

"Hey, I've got a question...who exactly are these 'higher ups'?" I inquired curiously.

"Oh, um, they're almost entirely made up of former Category 0s and 1s, with a handful of 2s. See, um, a Meta's Aura starts to diminish around the age of sixty, gradually and slowly, but surely. And typically, by the age of eighty to eighty-five, they're completely out of Aura, no longer able to use their Skills. Metas tend to have longer lifespans than normal humans though, the average age for natural deaths is about a hundred and twenty years old," She informed us.

"Woah, for real? That's awesome, hope that applies to us too," Remarked Alexis optimistically.

"Huh...here's a thought, uh, what if an eighty-plus year old comes across one of the remaining Meta-Orbs?" I suddenly asked as the thought occurred to me.

"Oh...I'm not sure what would happen in that case, actually," She responded with a look of fascination.

"I'm still surprised that six Meta-Orbs have already been found...I'd have thought that at least a couple would have ended up at the bottom of the ocean or in some other uninhabited area," Chimed in Inoka, seeming to have recovered.

"Yeah, that does make sense, but there's the fact that six have already been found in less than two weeks since they were scattered," Added Alexis in response.

"Well, um...," Began Kiyana, looking uncertain as to how to respond, before the door to the training room opened...and Tara and Mike walked in.

"You, come with me! You better not take too long to get this, got it?" Warned Tara, as she gestured to Inoka.

"Yeah, okay...," He sighed in resignation, as he went with her.

"Feel for him, that's probably gonna be pretty rough...just like a sandpaper dildo, am I right?" Grinned Mike, holding his hand up towards me for a high five, "Get it? Because a sandpaper dildo is bound to be rough!"

...then just say sandpaper, you goddamn clown! Does he...does he really think that he's actually funny?

"Huh? What? I don't-...no, I'm not going to high five that," I responded dryly.

"Aw, man, as always, you're no fun. Hm, you do seem a bit less rigid in the way you talk though, way to go. Speaking of go, let's go train!" He declared cheerfully.

This fucking guy, the stuff he says really shouldn't make any sense, and yet, it absolutely does. I think I have a headache.

"Let's train right here, then. Is that okay with you?" Kiyana asked Alexis, as I headed out of the room with Mike.

He led me to one of the other vacant training rooms and shut the door behind us as we entered. I may complain about his dumb jokes, but I don't really mind him as a trainer...I mean, I'd definitely much rather work with him than with that bitch Tara, that much I can say for sure.

"Okay, kid, now pay attention. I'm gonna explain exactly how this is gonna work, and once I'm done, you'll begin putting it into practice. Got it?" He stated, as we stepped onto the middle of the room.

"Yeah, yeah, just tell me already."

"Sheesh, relax, no need to be so impatient," He chuckled, before his expression turned serious and he began explaining, "Okay, so, output control training is pretty easy when it comes to the Elemental-type Skills, as well as the Light and Dark Skills to lesser extents...but the output of the Space and Physical Skills can be really tricky to control initially. See, with those other Skills, once you can stably conjure up an output of a single Aura unit, the rest is basically just grinding till you reach your maximum output. But the Physical Skill works differently...as you know, the Physical Skill involves powers that manipulate or enhance your body. But as for the quantity of Aura to use, that's a bit tricky."

"Uh...not sure I understand," I responded uncertainly.

"Fair enough...let me elaborate. For Physical Skill output control training, we usually start at a x2 boost of whichever power the user is most comfortable with, or what comes most naturally to them...for you, that'd probably be a speed boost. A x2 boost requires 20 Aura, a x3 boost requires 30 Aura, and so on. But, when it comes to less than 20 Aura, things get tricky. A x2 boost can also be called a hundred percent boost, and that's more relevant when it comes to using less than 20 Aura to activate a Physical Skill power. For instance, 15 Aura will result in a seventy-five percent boost, 10 Aura a fifty percent boost and so on. That's why we start with 20 Aura as a base during output control training for Physical Skill users. Are you following my explanation so far?" He asked me.

"Hm, I think so. At 20 Aura and above, the multiplier is linear, while at 20 Aura and below, the multiplier is proportionate. Is that right?" I responded, after processing his explanation.

"Yup, you got it. No offense, but that was pretty smart for someone who lived his whole life in a trailer park," He remarked with an apologetic grin.

Yeah, well, my mom insisted on educating me as much as possible. She'd always say that she didn't want me to end up like her, and wanted me to learn as much as possible. It was pretty easy to find learning material online, and I'd say that I got upto around a semi-highschool level of knowledge.

"It probably just sounded smart because I used big words...honestly, I'm not even sure if I used them right, but I am fairly sure that I got what you meant. Anyway, I have a question...the way you explained how Aura works with Physical Skills, does that really apply to all Physical Skill users?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it does. That's why we were able to assign numerical values to Aura capacities, because regardless of the capacity, Aura works the same for everyone...that said, it comes more naturally to some than to others."

"Okay, so, uh...how do I know exactly how much 20 Aura is?" I inquired, deciding to get started.

"About that...usually, when it comes to Physical Skill users, they use their other Skills to get the hang of Aura control, since the majority Meta-Humans tend to have multiple Skills, it's actually pretty rare for a Meta-Human to generate only one Skill type. But your case is different, since you're not a natural Meta-Human...and so, we're gonna rely on some good old-fashioned trial and error!" He grinned sheepishly, averting his gaze.

...you're kidding me, right?

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