Nowl-Ahn is walking back to his dorm room after a very long absence. All of his teachers had been keeping him both busy and away from his room, where he could have relaxed for a while. He spent most of his time with Barnuf, learning all he could about medicine and the man's knowledge of Smart Atoms. Surprisingly, it wasn't a lot. After all those millennia he had been alive, the Viltrumite still hadn't realised and mastered the manipulation and use of Smart Atoms, which was just abhorrent in Nowl-Ahn's eyes, but also an opportunity.
(Flashback)
"You see, I have a theory on why we Viltrumites are able to do most of the things that we are. I already told you about the Smart Atoms and why they are called that, as well as their effect on our muscles, giving us great strength and durability. But how are we able to fly, for example? Do you remember the first time you flew?" Barnuf asks.
"Yes. It was rather... messy at first, but then it got better after the first hour." Nowl-Ahn says.
"Right, and the next day, you didn't even think about it anymore. That's the problem. I asked myself, why and more importantly, why can we fly? It would be rather interesting if we took what we already know about smart atoms and applied that to flight. Smart Atoms are so incredible that they allow us to ignore the laws of inertia and move at incredible speeds through space." Barnuf explains.
(Flashback end)
Nowl-Ahn already knew that; in fact, he also understood how that worked. By remembering this bit of information, he had gotten a great idea for his training in the future. Because it wasn't just flight, that was interesting, but also the fact that Viltrumites could fly through space without air for so long and survive without food for a very long time. It was all thanks to Smart Atoms.
In the Universe, there exists something called 'background energy', also known as 'quantum background energy' or 'cosmic energy' or 'zero-point energy,' and it is the energy of so-called empty space. The Viltrumites' bodies have managed to 'code' their Smart Atoms in a way that allows them to absorb and harness background energy to augment natural abilities to an extreme degree, and allow them to go for very, very long times without food, sleep, water and oxygen.
But that's not all.
As Einstein proved, mass and energy are equivalent at the subatomic scale. The same technology that extracts energy can also extract mass and return it to the background when not needed. And this gave Nowl-Ahn an outrageous but potentially groundbreaking idea. And this idea led him back to the campus, where he is going to meet Gondor, the Chief Instructor for physical conditioning.
"So you're still alive." Nowl-Ahn hears a female voice behind him and turns around.
There, he sees Anissa leaning on the side of the wall, with her hands folded in front of her and looking at him with displeasure. He hasn't seen her in a long time, well, not that long, but... time had gotten strange for Nowl-Ahn. He was constantly doing something, but growing older wasn't something he was concerned with. At least less and less as time passed.
"Anissa, what are you doing here?" he asks as he enters his room, places some things back and then starts to pack his bags. He is leaving this dorm room forever, as he has gotten a private little house for himself.
"You haven't been in class for a year now, and you ask me what I'm doing here? What are you doing? Where were you?" she asks.
"I was busy. I got a job in the science division under Korthon, which kept me busy. I already completed school and passed all my tests. I'm working full time now. I'm just here to grab all of my things." Nowl-Ahn explains.
"Is that so? Why would someone like you waste his time in the science division, when he was at the top of his year and the strongest Viltrumite to come out of basic conditioning for centuries?" Anissa asks, annoyed.
"I like to learn as much as I can and not just settle for physical training. There are so many things to learn and discover, and I think-"
"Shut up! That's a lie, and you know it. You have some kind of goal, and you're not telling anyone. I know someone who has other things in mind when I see one, and you have more than just one thing in mind. I'd put you off as a dreamer, but you're still so strong."
Nowl-Ahn looks at Anissa, who looks at him in anger.
"What do you want?"
"Fight me! I want to see what it is that makes you so strong, and I want to grow stronger as well!" she shouts.
"Listen, I have no time. I need to-"
"What, are you unsure you could handle me anymore?!"
"No, I have to meet Instructor Gondor and-" Nowl-Ahn tries to explain.
"Fuck that! Fight me now! Come on, or I'll do it here!" Anissa shouts and prepares for a fight.
Nowl-Ahn doesn't understand what has gotten into her. She seemed to be annoyed and frustrated about something. Maybe she was more competitive than he thought she was? But she loved to fight, though, and saw the Viltrum Empire as something to be revered. Despite liking her and her company, her views weren't really what Nowl-Ahn enjoyed that much.
"Sigh... very well. Let's do that."
.
The two young Viltrumites went at it in the sparring area. Nowl-Ahn dodged Anissa's attacks and delivered powerful and precise punches. He hadn't had time to do any weighted training for over a year now, but his fights and terrible beatdowns by Conquest showed as he grew stronger through each one. But Anissa wasn't the same person she was over a year ago, either. She had clearly spent a lot of time training in anticipation of seeing and fighting Nowl-Ahn again. Her speed had grown a lot, and she had the necessary bite to go along with it.
*BOOM BOOM*
Their fists clash, sending shockwaves across the area, as they shoot through the air and crash into the ground. Anissa was unwilling to give up, no matter what. She was frustrated and had been for a long time now. It was frustrating to her that Nowl-Ahn didn't bother with her at all. It was usual on Viltrum that Viltrumites didn't bond or form friendships. They were far too hard and focused for that. You mated to create offspring and chose the strongest partner you could find for it. But a relationship through affection, no, that was very, very rare. But it still bothered Anissa that Nowl-Ahn just did his thing and then left again to move forward, while she thought that she was left in the same spot.
Anissa clenches her jaw and fists as hard as she can, but it doesn't matter. She feels the true strength of Nowl-Ahn, as he decides to end the fight and smashes his left hook into the side of her stomach and then follows that up with a right hook, right to the face, shutting her lights and sending her to sleep.
*BAM*
Nowl-Ahn looks at the young woman on the ground. She was 14, almost 15, and was apparently what Viltrumite teenage years looked like. In a few years, she would surely be a savage beauty, but right now, she was still so young. He shakes his head, not bothering to think about it for now and takes her to the infirmary, where he drops her off and then finally makes his way to the training field, where he has asked Instructor Gondor to meet with him. He is late and will surely not hear the end of it, but he wouldn't mind another beatdown; he was used to them at this point.
"You're late! What in Viltrum's name could have made you decide to keep me waiting?!" Gondor yells across the field.
"I apologise, but someone wanted to test their strength against me. I had to take them to the infirmary." Nowl-Ahn says.
"Hah! Good. Alright, so what is this meeting about? Why did you ask to meet me here?" Gondor asks.
"As you know, I have been... training, under Conquest whenever he is back on Viltrum. But I haven't seen much progress as of yet, and wanted to ask whether it is possible to get a better mind-body connection." Nowl-Ahn asks.
"Mind-body connection, huh? How did you learn of that? I doubt Conquest would ever say that before beating you to a pulp. Was it Barnuf, that old goat?"
"No, Instructor. I have not heard that from anyone and just thought it would make sense to train that, to get a better feeling of my body and learn how to better control every aspect of it, for maximum efficiency." Nowl-Ahn makes up a story.
"I see that you're not in the science division for nothing. Quite impressive indeed, Nowl-Ahn. Yes, there is a way to train your mind-body connection. As a veteran of Viltrum, I have had to learn how to do that, and if you want to become someone in the army, you will have to learn how to function, even while bloody and broken. No matter if your guts are outside of your body, or your brain is exposed, you are missing an arm or another limb, you will have to continue and complete the mission. So, yes, I know about it." Barnuf says.
"That's great. Is there a chance I could learn this?" Nowl-Ahn asks.
"There is nothing stopping you from learning it. The question, however, is... are you ready for what the training brings?"
"I am no stranger to pain, Instructor. I can take it." Nowl-Ahn says strongly.
"I know that you are used to pain after what Conquest told me. But what I will teach you is unlike what you experienced. I just explained what it means to have a good mind-body connection and control. You will fight me with your guts hanging out, broken bones and dislocated joints. Do you think you can handle that?" Gondor asks seriously.
"Yes!" Nowl-Ahn nods his head.
"Haha, you ARE crazy. Just like Conquest. Very well, then let's start." Gondor says.
"Right no-"
*CRACKCK*
"ARH...." Nowl-Ahn shouts out in pain and then controls himself.
Gondor just appeared in front of him and dislocated his left shoulder joint.
"This is your first lesson, Nowl-Ahn. There is no better time to learn than the present. Your left shoulder is dislocated, and you are on the battlefield. What do you do?" Gondor asks, silently impressed that Nowl-Ahn managed to keep his pain inside.
"Put... it back... in place..."
"Do it."
"Huh?"
"Do it!"
Nowl-Ahn reaches to the side with his right hand and grabs his left arm. But Gondor stops him.
"What are you doing?" he asks.
"Putting it... back."
"Is that so? Then how are you going to defend yourself?" the instructor asks, then moves forward at shocking speed, punching Nowl-Ahn in the face.
*BOOOM*
"Urgh..."
"I said this was on the battlefield. If this were not, then you could go to the infirmary and get yourself patched up. There would be no meaning to this. Come on, use your muscles in your left shoulder and back region to put your joint back into place. Otherwise, you'll get pummeled."
*BOOOM BOOM*
Gondor continues to punch Nowl-Ahn and keeps him from using his other hand to pull his shoulder joint back. Nowl-Ahn doesn't hate what he is going through right now, on the contrary. If he were human, he would worry about lasting damages, but as a Viltrumite... he'll heal and grow stronger.
He tries to split his mind to focus on both defending and flexing his muscles and getting his shoulder back in. But the instructor is not a nice man. He's a savage and brutal Viltrumite who takes pleasure in seeing the young Nowl-Ahn struggle and push himself beyond his limits. To add insult to injury, Gondor suddenly dislocates Nowl-Ahn's other shoulder as well, forcing him to truly use his muscles and defend using his legs.
...
...
Years have passed like this. Something that started out as an idea, moved to painful training and then slowly began to take shape. Nowl-Ahn had understood something marvellous. Smart Atoms in Viltrumite's used quantum background energy to enhance their abilities and keep them from starving and suffocating for a long time. That process was automatic and unconscious. But what if Nowl-Ahn could do it consciously?
Well, not only could he use the quantum background energy to enhance himself during a fight, but as Einstein said, mass and energy are equivalent at the subatomic scale. So by consciously using his Smart Atoms to absorb the quantum background energy, he would increase his mass tremendously. And if we asked Newton, then the gravitational force on him would increase proportionally to his mass; F = g*m.
Nowl-Ahn had invented the reverse gravity chamber training. By adding mass to himself, he would make it harder to move and force his own Smart Atoms to adapt to this state, by remembering how he usually moved, and so grow stronger and more durable and far faster as well. And all that, thanks to the ridiculously broken properties of Smart Atoms.
.
Nowl-Ahn is meditating at home in his small garden. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for weeks now, and has been holding his breath for weeks as well. He was almost passing out at this point, but he had found out that by meditating and starving himself, he would force his Smart Atoms to absorb the quantum background energy and could learn how to do it far faster.
He has been doing this for over a decade and finally... finally he has got it. He narrows down on the feeling and feels what he believes to be the quantum background energy entering his body and his cells, absorbed by his Smart Atoms, and then he increases the effect and speed of the absorption.
However...
*CRRRRUUNCHHHHH*
*SPLLAAATTTTT*
_________________________
I really tried to make this understandable and interesting. If there are mistakes because it makes no sense, then I apologise; this is as good as I could make it.
I did some research and thought of this method, as the reverse gravity chamber training. I hope you like it.