Bionicle G2: New Legends, New Heroes

Chapter 17: Training Days

To untrained eyes, the lonesome lightning bolt fell quickly from the sky. In a split-second, it cut through snowflakes and burned the cold air. Within the same width of time, it would either strike the rocky cliff or the Toa of Time standing on it. Voriki, watching each tiny spark ionize the air, hoped it would be the former.

The split second passed. Charred rocks flew off Okoto's Great Divide, either flinging to more rocks or to the Regions of Ice and Water lying right next to each other. "Woah!" Rhem shouted after barely dodging the bolt.

Voriki frowned. "Again!" he called and raised his spear to summon another bolt.

For the umpteenth time today, Rhem dodged the bolt a second quicker. It had been faster than previous days, when Voriki had to make sure his attacks didn't hit the younger Toa. Still, Rhem rarely used his power to slow or freeze time. Not once did he even warp away, like how he did when fighting the Stone Guardian. Voriki hoped to see something like that soon enough... if he could get Rhem to control the basics first.

"Can... we... stop?!" Rhem asked, dodging Voriki's attacks once, twice, and thrice.

"You tell me! You can control time!" Voriki called back with more bolts.

Rhem rolled to the side, letting more bits of rock fall on him instead of lightning. His spear crackling, Voriki twirled it and aimed. Rhem barely sat up when another bolt lanced towards him again. In the briefest of seconds, Voriki saw the fear and surprise in Rhem's eyes. There was something else; Voriki swore Rhem's very being blurred to match the incoming bolt.

It wasn't a trick of the eye. The lightning was Rhem's sole focus. And with nothing else around to distract him, Rhem could try to match the lightning's speed, if not surpass it. He just had to move a little more and...

ZAP!

A green arrow intercepted the attack. Electricity scattered all over, forcing Rhem back. "Yeow!" he cried under the shower of sparks.

Standing at a safe distance, Voriki looked up to Kaze swooping in. "Nice of you to join us," Voriki said to the Toa of Air who landed in the space between him and Rhem. "Mind explaining why you interrupted our training."

"Your lightning was getting everywhere," Kaze almost growled. "I could barely fly when you were causing a storm."

"Point taken, but what were you doing?"

"Hunting."

"Out here?" Rhem said and received another red-eyed glare. "Um, never mind... By the way you have some ice on-"

"Yeah, he knows," Voriki told Rhem, as Kaze brushed the flaky remnants of an ice blast off his shoulder. "I guess you had some trouble with the locals."

While Kaze gave a soft "hrm," Rhem stood up to speak again. "Well, they're kinda on edge since Kaze attacked their home and-"

"That wasn't me," Kaze snapped to a sudden swirl of cold air.

Holding in a sigh, Voriki told Rhem, "Can you give us a second?"

Unsure and hesitant, Rhem slowly agreed and shifted his feet further and further down the Great Divide. After making sure Rhem was out of earshot, Voriki quietly told Kaze, "I thought you would've gone after Keela and make sure her piece was secure."

"That's not the problem," Kaze said. "Finding this mastermind is."

"You're sure this isn't for personal reasons?" Kaze glared, and Voriki frowned back. "I guess not. Probably doesn't matter anyway."

"Uh, you done yet?!" Rhem called from far away.

Voriki responded by slamming the butt-end of his spear down and calling down another bolt. Rhem jumped away, and more of the cliff cracked instead of him. "Still not there," Voriki sighed, then he called back, "Keep training!"