A Shattering sacrifice.

V.L: So, you’ve leveled up—let’s see… (Suddenly, Theo was right in front of him and punched him, forcing him back.)

V.L: So much raw power… this is the type of battle I want, the type I need! (He raised his aura even higher, and the two began fighting in midair, moving so fast that all anyone could see was a swirling ball of yellow and black light clashing.)

Meanwhile, behind a junk pile

A sonic ripple appeared, and Decibolt and Kira climbed out.

Decibolt: Good thing I used my ripple portal—otherwise, we’d be toast.

Molecular Girl: What the heck is that? (She stared at the two glowing orbs in the sky.)

Decibolt: Is that… Theo and the V.L.?

V.L: Evil Cannon! (He flew back and fired, but Theo transformed his right hand into a sword and sliced the blast in two.)

V.L: So much power! (He dashed at extreme speed, but Theo effortlessly dodged. The V.L tried attacking from every angle, yet Theo evaded each strike before diving down to punch him hard into the ground, creating a massive crater.)

Cartoon Kid: Feel that—that’s the weight of all the crimes you’ve committed!

V.L: Don’t you dare lecture me! (He formed two aura claws and uppercut Theo into the sky before chasing after him.)

V.L: goblinic Puppet! (A massive portal opened beneath them, and an enormous goblin emerged. The V.L threw a punch from a distance—the goblin’s movements were perfectly synced, and it punched Theo, knocking him to the ground.)

Cartoon Kid: As if I’m scared of some goblin! (He suddenly appeared behind it. The goblin split in two and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.)

V.L: Ugh—Dark Blast! (He unleashed a barrage of dark energy blasts, but Theo countered with golden-yellow aura blasts, intercepting them midair. The V.L charged forward with a massive punch—Theo met it with his own aura-infused fist, the clash triggering a massive shockwave. They erupted into a furious exchange of blows, each collision sending waves of explosive force rippling through the battlefield.)

V.L: Underworld Thunder Flame! (He flew back, launched the attack, and sent Theo crashing down. He dove after him with a punch, but Theo rolled away.)

V.L: Urgh! (He swung his scepter, but Theo leapt back and blasted six golden energy shots.)

V.L: Dark Void! (A portal sucked them in. He reappeared above Theo, launching corrupted blasts, but Theo blocked with his arm. The two resumed fighting as high-speed blurs in the sky.)

Molecular Girl: Since when can the kid transform like that?

Decibolt: I’ve never seen—or heard—anything like this.

Molecular Girl: They’re on a whole other level… I can barely track their movements.

V.L: Okay, I’ve had my fun—time to end this! (He intensified his aura and dove, punching Theo into the ground.)

Cartoon Kid: You think I’m still a kid you can hold back on? I’ll show you how wrong you are! (Sparks flared around him as he powered up. They clashed again, trading rapid blows before Theo’s sword-hand slashed the V.L to the ground.)

Cartoon Kid: Eat this! (He fired multiple blasts, but the V.L dodged. Theo fired three more toward his last position—but when the smoke cleared, all that remained was a gaping hole.)

Cartoon Kid: Where did he—? (A sudden Evil Cannon burst from the ground, launching Theo upward.)

V.L: Didn’t see that coming, did you? (He flew above Theo and kicked him down.)

V.L: We’re not done yet! (He dove, striking multiple times before blasting Theo into the ground.)

V.L: You’re starting to disappoint me. How about a proposal? Surrender, become my right-hand man—something Radiax could never be—and I’ll spare your life.

Cartoon Kid: You must be joking.

V.L: Don’t be shy. The darkness is your friend. You only have two choices: join me… or die by my hands.

Cartoon Kid: I’d rather die a thousand times than pledge allegiance to you!

V.L: You fool. I’ve taken everything from you—you’re just like me. We can be unknown together.

Cartoon Kid: No matter what I go through, I will never—ever—be like you! (His aura skyrocketed. He grabbed the V. L’s face, smashing him into the ground and dragging him along.)

V.L: Let go of me! (Theo hurled him upward, headbutting him repeatedly to push him higher before firing multiple blasts. The V.L barely dodged.)

V.L: W-where is this power coming from?

Cartoon Kid: You wanted a legendary battle—you got yourself a battle to the death! Now… feel the wrath of my summons! (He summoned Peb, Reptilian, and Bulbe, their eyes glowing pure white.)

Reptilian:(Flying forward in a yellow blur)Slash! (He struck multiple times before tail-whipping the V.L down.)

Peb: Pebble Blitz!

Bulbe: Electro Shock! (They combined attacks, slamming him downward.)

Cartoon Kid: I release you—Diamond Maiden, Vamplina, Zaps! (Zaps launched a Death Ball, Vamplina unleashed a Sonic Screech, and Diamond Maiden fired a crystallizing shard attack, driving the V.L further down.)

Cartoon Kid: I release you—Mystic Squad!

Mystic Squad: Mystic Storm! (Their merged power sucked the V.L in before hurling him to the ground.)

Cartoon kid: Your reign of terror is over! (Theo grabbed him by the neck and flung him skyward.)

Cartoon Kid: Cartoon Kid… Cannon!!! (He charged all his aura into one massive blast, striking the V.L. His body disintegrated, leaving only the scepter, which split into five pieces and scattered.)

Decibolt: Theo! (They ran to him.)

Decibolt: What have you become?

Cartoon Kid: I did what I had to do… to defeat the V.L.

Decibolt: But with great power comes great sacrifice.

Cartoon Kid: You always were good with words. (A crack appeared across his face.)

Molecular Girl: What’s happening to you?!

Cartoon Kid: Guess I’m paying the price for that power. (More cracks spread across his body.)

Cartoon Kid: It’s time for me to go. (He began to float upward.)

Molecular Girl: Theo!

Cartoon Kid: You actually called me by name for once… (He smiled faintly as more cracks formed.)

Cartoon Kid: Take care of this world for me. I’ll never forget the time we spent kicking butt. (He shattered into glowing shards. One shard landed in Kira’s hand.)

Molecular Girl: Ugh… why did the image of Camo Cloak just pop into my head?

Decibolt: We’d better tell the Guardian what happened. (He opened a portal, and they stepped through.)

In the Guardian’s Chamber

They found the Guardian with the Council of Crystals.

Decibolt: What are you all doing here?

Council Leader: There was a surge in the crystal realm’s power balance—we came to investigate.

Molecular Girl: It’s… Theo. He used some kind of transformation for incredible power, but… he shattered into bits. (She held out the shard.)

Council Leader: Let me see. (He examined it.)

Council Leader: What your Chosen One did was a forbidden transformation called Berserk. It merges the user with their C.O.—but the consequence is shattering like crystal.

Molecular Girl: So… Theo’s gone forever?

Council Leader: Not necessarily. Since it was his first time using Berserk, he can be revived by merging all the C.O shards back into their original form, using a NaCl solution.

Molecular Girl: Then let’s—

Council Leader: But be warned—each shard contains a fragment of his power that can be accessed by anyone who finds it. Each shard can summon a hero. I can sense this one is connected to a hero named Camo Cloak.

Molecular Girl: So that’s why I saw him in my head when I touched it…

Decibolt: Wait, I saw thousands of shards. Does that mean Theo created thousands of heroes?

Council Leader: Many heroes’ essences are split among multiple shards, but yes—the number is significant. Decibolt, you will stay in the mortal realm and revive your Chosen One. (He handed them a tracker.)

Council Leader: Use this to detect C.O energy and locate the shards.

Guardian: Looks like you have your new mission.

Molecular Girl: And we definitely will not fail!

Council Leader: I know you won’t. Good luck, Crystal Force E-M. (They stepped through a crystal portal.)