Chapter 40: The Advancement Trial part 1

(Aden's P.O.V)

The next morning I woke up as usual and left for the training room. Last night's events had left me itching for some action so the first thing I did was go through the obstacle course several times. Each time increasing my speed until I had worked up a little sweat.

I then went on to lift weights. The Kobra-venom had not really given me that much of an increase. Only adding 10 tonnes to my previous limit. Making it so that I could now lift 80 tons. The speed increase was even less noticeable. I was clocking at an impressive 105 mph. Which wasn't much but at least my reflexes seemed to have been heightened slightly more.

For a bender like me, that was much more welcome than a direct increase in movement speed. Mid way through my workout, Connor entered the room. He stopped at the entrance looking unsure but then came forward and stopped before me, silent.

I finished my set and sat up, using the towel to soak up the slight sheen of sweat covering my forehead.
"I want to apologize."
He finally said, breaking the silence. I stared up at him and nodded. I wasn't one to hold a grudge anyway.
"It's fine. Let's just leave it in the past."

With that we dropped the matter and I finished up with the workout. Then I left for my favorite spot after nodding to Connor. Things weren't completely okay with us but the subject of our brief but heated argument was hopefully behind us. M'gann must have talked some sense into him. Which meant she would try the same with me. Oh boy.

I stepped into the beach and breathed in the morning air. I crossed my legs and meditated first. It was an art that airbenders used to feel more in tune with the world and I found that it helped calm my mind whenever I was feeling weighed on by situations.

My breath fogged as I breathed in and out, slowly emptying my mind of all thoughts and focusing on the rhythm. I continued the cycle for half an hour or so and then reached out into the world. My touch was tentative. I was asking permission from the air to wield it. With my current level, such a thing was not a must anymore. Just like how the bending moves had become redundant but I always felt the need to humble myself before this force of nature.

Forcing the connection would result in domineering power but for finesse and better control, understanding the movements, the essence and the core of the element was the way to go. And this time I felt it…an urge to stop forcing it. To simply let go and trust…trust in that something would hold me afloat even without my I let…
"Morning Aden!"

M'gann's chipper voice completely broke my concentration and made me lose it. My heart instantly sunk. I had been so close to…I frowned. I had been so close to- something.
"Hope I didn't interrupt anything."
Too late for that. I closed my eyes and breathed out before plastering a smile and turning to the ever excitable girl.
"No, it's good. How was your night?"

"Great. Sooo Connor told me what happened last night."
She begun softly, unsure of how I would react. This again?

I connected with the air once more and started creating wind constructs.
"Mmmh"
I hummed.
"He didn't really tell me the specifics but he felt sorry for anything bad he might have said."
"Mmmh."
She flew closer to me while I struggled to maintain a twisting Pole arm in the air.
"And you guys are really close friends so I didn't like that you were fighting."
The Pole arm shot off towards the ocean and unravelled upon contact with the water. A blast of air exploded up, sending the water splashing up in a wave.
"And I told him to come to you and apologize."
"And lemme guess you promised him you would talk to me too if he did it, huh?"

"What?..no..it's not like that!"
The Martian instantly flushed red and started denying.
"Look Megan, it's not your job to try and make us reconcile. I appreciate it though and don't worry, Connor and I are good."

The Martian bit her lip.

"Trust me. We're good."

I assured her.
"Great. Hello Megan! I know exactly what you guys need to put this whole thing behind you. Cookies!"
My eyes followed her as she flew quickly back into the cave.

I shook my head and sighed.
"Let's see if I can get that feeling again. Something tells me it's very important."
I tried to fall back into meditation which was easy. But the trance from before… where my whole spirit had been on the verge of freedom wasn't accessible. M'gann's interruption had thrown me completely off my game.

So for the rest of the morning I decided to focus on my sonic abilities. The fight with Klarion had shown me that Black Canary could be devastating if she wanted to. A fully powered Sonic blast from her could even take down Superman if he was caught off guard. I wanted to reach that level or barring that at least expert level to unlock the next element which was fire.

I massaged my throat softly. The shout I had blasted Klarion with had done a number on my voice but luckily it seemed like the serums had given me enhanced healing. My voice was a bit rough for the time being though. And not to mention, currently I couldn't create a sufficiently powered Sonic blast. However, I didn't need to.

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I focused on maintaining a low but still debilitating sonic wave aimed towards the water. There were slight ripples in the air and an irritating sound produced. Just enough to cause some pain to a normal human being though. I alternated from making the sonic attacks wide and narrow and then tried to practice shooting them out in quick succession.

At 10, M'gann arrived with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, that she left on a beach chair and left without a word. I was grateful that she was considerate enough to not disrupt me seeing as I was making some progress. I took a quick break, devoured the freshly baked goodies and then it was back to training again.

My intense focus saw me shirtless at noon with the sun beating down on my dark skin and a light sheen of sweat covering it. The sonic attacks had become easier and easier to the point where all I had to do was to keep up with the practice to make the skill a part of my fighting style.

And just before 2, a text box appeared in my vision. I sat down while breathing a bit heavily. Gulping the water M'gann had thoughtfully brought me, I ran a hand through my hair. Despite my Stamina being incredible, non stop power practice under the hot rays of the sun was enough to leave me feeling tired. Especially when you consider that although I didn't run out of the energy to bend, my endurance was still drained as my body did it's best to channel that energy into controlling the elements.

But it was not all for nothing. I looked at the panel and after making sure I was all alone, clicked on it.

Air Element ( Master)
-Flight. (Unlocked)
-Sound. (Unlocked)

Both of the sub skills were unlocked. My proficiency level had not changed though, which made me frown. As if sensing my confusion, another panel replaced the one showing my Air-bending skills.

(Congratulations! You are now at the precipice of attaining Grandmaster level in the Air Element. To complete the process you must go through an... Advancement trial! Yes. No one said that things would be easy for you. As an ambassador it is your job to be powerful. That is non-negotiable. And for that to happen, you must be tested fully. But don't say we are completely merciless. If you succeed in passing the trial, A New System function will be unlocked. )

P.S: Whenever you're ready, tap on the minimized system display at the corner of your vision for you to be transported to the trial ground.

P.P.S: The trial will happen only once for every Element. So don't fail this attempt or else your Air bending will be stuck at Master Level.

P.P.P.S: This goes without saying but the trial will be taken alone with no outside help or weapons. To that end, your other abilities will be restrained for you to showcase pure Air-bending mastery.

P.P.P.P.S: Success will be determined through submission, knockout or death.

I sucked in a deep breath. This...this was unexpected. It just went to show that although the Avatar System was based from the Animated series, it wasn't an accurate copy. This seemed more like a power progression, where I would be rewarded as long as I hit checkpoints or completed certain objectives. I smiled. That meant the issue of an Avatar's low fire power when compared to people like Superman or wonder woman didn't apply to me.

Though even that was debatable seeing that some Avatar's like Avatar Szeto were fucking scary. Szeto could induce the eruption of four Volcanoes which was a feat that at estimate would require around 40 megatons of TNT. For perspective the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated by the human race, the Tsar Bomba, is around 50–58 megatons of TNT. So Szeto was able to scale up to nuclear weapons.

Then there's Avatar Kyoshi, who created the island named after her by separating a land mass from the continent and pushing it out into the ocean. At the upper levels, an Avatar was easily continental level. The problem was that this was the DC verse. Superman at the lowest was Planetary. Not to mention the sheer number of people close to his level like Shazam, Manhunter, Wonder woman, Captain Atom, The Lanterns and in my opinion the scariest of them all, The Flash.

Sooner or later in the future, The Justice League and I will collide due to my ideals and when that day comes, I need to be powerful enough not to lose. I spared a look at the icon at the edge of my sight.

And that is how I would do it.

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