It was this voice that spoke into the mind of the already flustered Xerxes Vale.
"Dear Host, it appears that you are having difficulty finding your own symbiont. With your permission, the system would like to run a diagnostic to identify and isolate the problem. Permission to proceed?"
"I Xerxes Vale hereby consent to the Infinite Symbiotic Evolution Systems diagnosis."
The system wasted no time and immediately went to work. The buzzing and whirring filled the air as its algorithms focused on the host which was Xerxes Vale.
"Oh this is going to be great!"
He thought excitedly.
"I finally get to be one those with my very own spiritual beast!"
He thought about his peers and the looks on their faces when he eventually succeeded in finding his perfect symbiont.
After running billions of simulations and calculations, the system's diagnostics came back with a very interesting twist;
"Dear Host…"
He gulped excitedly as he anticipated the results.
"… your assessment has been completed. And the results are as follows…"
Xerxes rubbed his palms together eagerly as he listened attentively to what came next.
"… the algorithm has identified the perfect symbiont for you dear Host. It is a spore with an astounding compatibility score of 200%."
Xerxes was petrified by the system's result. His shoulders dropped almost immediately as he struggled to wrap his head around the report. It was for many reasons but chiefly because there was nothing exceptional or glorious about spores. He had least hoped for a magnificent high level spiritual beast that would complement his own weakness with its own terrifying and impressive form. To be paired with a mere spore was nothing short of humiliating for Xerxes. And heaven knew that the poor guy had already had enough of that. This was a bitter pill to swallow.
As though the system sensed his misgivings about the result, it spoke again in his mind with its generic and emotionless voice;
"Spores have been generally thought of as weak by many, but their potential in battle and in real life situations is limitless. Given the right nurturing, they can develop to their fullest potential and astound even the most cynical minds."
But Xerxes stopped listening after the first eight words. To him, this additional piece of information was pointless! His mind was racing as he tried to figure out how to get the best out of this situation.
"An ordinary spore?! C'mon Xerxes! You deserve better!"
He noticed that the system hadn't produced any compatibility score with any spiritual beast. Some glimmer of hope burned within him as he thought maybe there was still a chance to get ahead of his 'spore situation.' So he summoned the courage to ask the system:
"I.S.E.S?"
The system replied him instantly.
"Yes host?"
"Run me a diagnostics on all compatibility scores with top grade spiritual beasts. Including stats and data that highlights strengths and possible weaknesses."
The system purred; "Affirmative. Running diagnostics and collating data. Please standby."
Xerxes crossed his fingers and waited for favorable results as the systems went to work on his request. He hoped against hope that he wouldn't be saddled with a low level spore for the rest of his time. His entire dream of glory had been centered on securing a formidable symbiont that would be terrific for the exploits and adventures he had in mind. So the young man waited patiently as the A.I system did its thing.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the results came back. Xerxes literally acted like this was a life or death situation for him. Actually, for most trainees, the fusion process was more or less the determining factor that would set the tone for the rest of their lives. For Xerxes, this was everything.
"Dear Host, please be advised, the diagnostics report has been completed;
Xerxes Vale;
Height – 5'10
Weight- 120 pounds
Blood group – AB
Race – Caucasian
Strengths – Perseverance
Weakness – Physical strength.
Compatibility with spiritual beasts – ZERO."
To further worsen the situation, the system added one final nail to the coffin with its concluding assessment:
"For the host Xerxes Vale, the end diagnostics states that there is absolutely ZERO CHANCE of being compatible with any high level spiritual beast."
Xerxes was horrified. He couldn't believe it. It was almost as if the system was trying to rub in his inability to form a cohesive and lasting bond with a spiritual beast of a higher level. He protested vehemently;
"NO!" Xerxes Vale cried out in disbelief; "I reject this result!"
"I hereby order you to run another diagnostic report on Xerxes Vale! Find me a higher level spiritual beast this instant!"
Xerxes threw a tantrum because he knew deep down that this was his fate. He couldn't understand why, but he was determined to make sure that he got what was rightfully his. Unfortunately, in this case, the spore was rightfully his. He just had a really hard time accepting this for a fact. Dejected, and feeling increasingly pathetic by the moment, Xerxes Vale collapsed on his knees. He had hoped that maybe fate would look on all his best efforts and reward him with a higher level spiritual beast, or at the very least, a more impressive symbiont. But it was beginning to feel like this was going to be his primary assigned symbiont. The poor Xerxes was anything but pleased about it. He got up and shrugged his shoulders as he thought to himself;
"Well, if I am going to have a mere spore as a symbiont, then it's going to be the very best that has ever existed!"