Lucas opened his eyes and stood to his feet, ready to take what he had come for. His eyes were now brighter than before. "I guess it's not that easy to kill me," Lucas said.
"What! You are strong, to make a comeback from that flawless victory," Marl said. "Now, on to the second round."
Lucas charged forward with a speed that made Marl flinch, as his speed was now equal to Marl's. "Wait, what! How did he get so strong and fast all of a sudden?" Marl thought. Marl spun his body to dodge Lucas's attack, but Lucas was fast. He caught Marl by the arm and slammed him into the ocean floor, creating a crater beneath him.
"How is this even possible? He's getting even faster," Marl thought, his eyes widening as he saw that Lucas was now upon him.
Lucas delivered a flurry of punches, one after another, that sent Marl deeper into the crater. The cheers of the ocean creatures quieted down, as they could see their king losing in the duel.
The soldiers present began to shoot at Lucas with their guns, their bullets about the size of a sheath knife.
Lucas looked around and saw that he was outnumbered by soldiers with their guns aimed at him. "I thought this was a duel," Lucas said.
"Yes, it is. But my kingdom, my rules, so face it," Marl replied as he gestured to the soldiers.
Immediately, they began firing at Lucas. Marl, on the other hand, swiped his sword a couple of times, sending sharp shockwaves toward Lucas, but Lucas was ready. He absorbed the energy from the shockwaves. The bullets from the soldiers' guns came to a halt as all the bullets floated in place.
Lucas used his telekinesis to send all the bullets back toward the soldiers, who tried to take cover and brace for impact. All the lights within the circle of doom turned off as Lucas absorbed all the energy. The boiling magma began to cool and solidify into rock.
Lucas's eyes grew even brighter. He stomped his feet on the ocean floor. Marl swung his hand, using water to create a giant clenched fist and sent it toward Lucas. Lucas charged forward and punched the fist, canceling it on impact.
"Charge!" Marl ordered as his soldiers readied their weapons to attack. But Lucas anticipated this, his muscles bulging. "Argh!" He let out a battle cry as he clapped his hands. The wind that emanated from his attack created a dome, clearing the area of water as all the water dried up within the dome.
The soldiers dropped their weapons, clutching their necks as they gasped for oxygen. "What have you done?!" Marl asked. "Do you want to kill all my people?!"
"I was expecting you to be among them, gasping for oxygen," Lucas replied with a smile on his face.
"You fool. I'm the king of Aquaria, ruler of the ocean. Of course, I have some special abilities. I can breathe underwater and on land," Marl replied.
"Now let's see how fast you are without water!" Lucas shouted as he was about to launch himself at Marl.
Marl tried to run, but his speed was now like that of a normal human. "Wow, I guess you're nothing without water," Lucas taunted. In an instant, Lucas was by Marl's side, delivering a deadly punch. The punch caught Marl on the jaw, sending him skidding across the ocean floor.
"Please, you win. I yield!" Marl said as he raised his hand. Lucas released his telekinesis, causing the dome to disappear and the water to cover the area again.
All the soldiers stood up on their feet, their eyes showing signs of life again.
"You are a true Kronian. Your power proves that you really have royal blood," Marl said as he picked up his sword and launched an attack intended as a surprise. But Lucas, having his back turned, did not let down his guard and caught Marl's sword. "I see you don't know when you've lost," Lucas said as he pulled the sword toward himself and punched Marl in the chest. Marl spat blood from his mouth.
"You're a true son of **Elvis**. I can see that," Marl said as he regained his stance.
"You know Elvis?" Lucas asked with an intimidating stare.
"Uhh... yes," Marl stammered. "He was the one who gave us life."
"But I thought you said it was Mother Nature?" Lucas asked.
"Well, I lied," Marl said with a smile.
"And I actually believed that Mother Nature crap," Lucas replied with a frown.
"You don't understand," Marl said. "Evolution stopped on land millions of years ago, but it never stopped in the ocean. We evolved from fishes to what we are today. We couldn't survive deep down in the ocean because our necessities for living were found above. We started going to the surface to find food, but we were spotted by humans. They saw us as monsters and started hunting us down.
"There was no hope for us. That was when Elvis came. Then, he was still a prince, but he was more than a king to us. He gave us life."
"You mean Alpha energy," Lucas interrupted.
"I told you not to degrade life in such a manner!" Marl continued. "The universe was made of life itself, and the remnant of it was stored in Kron. You have this life in you, but you misuse it for power. While I defend my people with it and save their lives. You are no different from King Lava."
"Who's King Lava?" Lucas asked.
"It's not important," Marl replied.
Lucas sighed. "I came here for the Alpha energy. I need it to liberate my people from **Trivia**, my brother. He currently rules Kron and is capable of destroying it if he pleases. I was supposed to ascend the throne when my father went into slumber, but I lost it to my brother in a battle. This is the only way to reclaim my throne," Lucas said.
"Like I said, you only need it for power," Marl replied. "Are you going to help me or not?" Lucas asked.
"Fine, I'll give it to you, but it's for the sake of your father," Marl said.
The ocean became hot, and Lucas could feel the temperature rising. "Am I the only one feeling this? What is it?" Lucas asked.
"It's King Lava. He's heading our way. Prepare for battle!" Marl orded.