Pangaea: I'm glad that you find the Toa to be much better than what you had expected. (As far as other Toa go, the Toa Nuva are about as close as you're gonna get to what you had once expected Toa to be.) To answer your question on Cera not believing Kopaka was a Toa, she specifically said "Toa of Ice," and he had walked through fire, and we all know what happens when ice meets fire. She had assumed that no being of Ice, not even a Toa, could have done that.
Caustizer: Sorry that I've been using names without much descriptions. I guess that's something I'll need to work on.
I am very glad to finally have this chapter done. Yes, it is the longest chapter I have ever written (about four times longer than a typical chapter, and nearly twice as long as the previous record: chapter 34 of my previous story). The reason it's so long is that it basically bridges the gap between this story and the previous one, explaining everything that has happened in the Matoran universe since the end of the previous story. What makes me very glad to have this chapter done is that I will now be able to freely talk about the first five years of Bionicle without having to worry about giving away any possible spoilers. For a basic summary of those events, just read on.
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Chapter 9
Catching Up
When the group of Matoran, Toa, and young dinosaurs reached the Green Belt, Littlefoot didn't waste any time to start feasting on the various leaves and plants. There were no treestars at all on the island, as stated by the Matoran, but that didn't bother him at all. The rest of his friends weren't nearly as hungry as he was, but they also helped themselves to some food.
Meanwhile, the Matoran told the Toa Nuva about everything that had happened on the island ever since the Piraka arrived. The Toa listened carefully, hoping to hear something that could help them defeat the Piraka. By the time Littlefoot had finally finished eating, the Matoran had just finished telling their story to the Toa. Now it was time to decide on what they would do next.
“Okay, I'll admit it,” said Cera, finally. “I was wrong. You guys really are Toa. But one thing I'd like to know is what happened to your masks?”
“The Piraka must have stolen them after they defeated us,” replied Tahu.
“Wait, the Piraka actually defeated you!?” asked Littlefoot, surprised.
“Hard to believe, but yes,” replied Lewa. “And worse, the black one even snap-broke one of my Air Katana!” He held up his remaining weapon to prove his point.
Ruby sighed. “How can we hope to defeat the Piraka if the Piraka can defeat even the Toa Nuva?” she wondered, sadly.
“I don't know, but one thing is certain,” said Onua. “If we don't get our masks back, we might not stand any chance against the Piraka.”
“I think our only hope of succeeding is for all of us to work together,” said Garan. “We'll help you get your masks back, and you'll help us defeat the Piraka once and for all.”
“Then we have a deal,” said Tahu.
Garan nodded. “It seems we have no choice. How do you suggest we strike at the Piraka?”
“Simple,” replied Lewa. “They are out track-hunting for us. So while they are scattered and searching, we attack their base and take back our Toa masks.”
“That makes sense to me,” said Ruby. “They would certainly want to keep your masks in a place where they think you would never be able to get them, and that place can only be their stronghold.”
“What if they're leading us into a trap?” asked Dalu.
“I'm trusting you to make sure that doesn't happen,” replied Garan. “Let's go. The Piraka stronghold is a long journey from here, and there is no telling what we might face along the way.”
Not long after their journey began, Littlefoot decided to take the opportunity to find out what had happened to the Matoran of the island of Mata Nui since the events of one year ago. “Since this will be a long journey, maybe you Toa can tell us about everything that has happened since we last saw the Matoran,” suggested Littlefoot.
“That sounds like a great idea, Littlefoot,” said Pohatu. “Not to mention the Matoran with us right now might be interested as well. Now let's see... where do we begin?”
“The best place to start a story is at the beginning, so why don't you start at the beginning of your story?” suggested Ruby.
“I suppose that makes sense. Alright, our story begins with our arrival on the shores of Mata Nui. We arrived inside large canisters, which I guess you could say are long, round, metal containers that are made for Toa to ride inside. Anyway, we all landed separately, close to our respective villages. The strange thing was that, aside from our own names, none of us had any memories at all.”
“No memories at all?” asked Chomper. “You couldn't remember anything?”
“Not a thing,” replied Onua. “Fortunately, we all managed to find the Turaga of our villages, who explained everything to us. Our first task was for each of us to collect all six of the Great Kanohi masks. In other words, in addition to the mask of strength that I had, I had to find a mask of speed, shielding, levitation, x-ray vision, and water breathing.”
“So the masks you wore when you arrived were like your starting masks, and each of you had to find the rest of them?” asked Littlefoot.
“Exactly!” replied Pohatu.
“At first, none of us were interested in working together,” continued Gali, “but as the Rahi attacks got worse, we eventually decided that our best chance of finding all of our masks was to work together. Meanwhile, your old friend, Takua, went on some adventures of his own.”
“Really?” asked Littlefoot. “How much did he tell you about us?”
“Not much, actually,” replied Pohatu. “Though I have heard rumors that right after he gathered the Toa Stones that summoned us to the island, he got a bad case of amnesia and lost all of his memories.”
“You mean... Takua does not even remember us anymore?” asked Ducky with sadness. The rest of the gang was also just a sad to hear such a thing.
“For a while, yes, that was the case,” replied Tahu. “But once he got around to reading the part on the Wall of History about your legend, he wouldn't stop talking about you guys.”
The gang smiled at hearing that Takua had remembered them after all.
“Anyway, back to the story,” continued Pohatu. “While I and the other Toa searched for our masks, Takua traveled across the island and helped the villages with problems they had, many of them related to Rahi attacks. These heroic actions convinced the Turaga to name him Chronicler, a title which I think he already explained to you back when he was in your universe. Anyway, we had eventually collected all of our masks, which then granted us a golden Kanohi mask that had the powers of all the masks we had collected. Our next task was to enter Makuta's lair and defeat him. Takua had gathered Matoran from every village to defend the entrance, the Kini-Nui temple, so that the Rahi wouldn't trap us inside. After facing many challenges, we were successful.”
“You actually defeated Makuta?” asked Cera, uncertain if that was the whole story. “Then what are you doing here? And how are you now Toa Nuva or whatever it is you are?”
“Don't worry, that was only the beginning of the whole story,” replied Pohatu. “Not long after that, we were faced with a new threat to the Matoran: the Bohrok.”
Lewa shuddered at the mention of that word. “Bad memories,” he muttered.
“What's a Bohrok?” asked Chomper.
“They're insectoid machines with the sole purpose of destroying everything on the island,” explained Onua. “They're powered by a mask-like creature called a Krana, which grant Bohrok abilities much like our masks do. However, if a Matoran or Toa was to wear a Krana like a Kanohi, then he would end up behaving like a Bohrok, with the objective of destroying everything.”
“Please don't remind me,” said Lewa.
“What's wrong, Lewa?” asked Littlefoot. “Did something bad happen to you when you fought the Bohrok?”
“The worst that you could have imagined. I went to quick-check my village and when I got there, everyone ó including Turaga Matau ó had their masks replaced with Krana! They then replaced my mask with a Krana, too.”
“That sounds terrible!” exclaimed Ducky. “It does, it does.”
“How you get free from Krana?” asked Petrie.
“I rescued him,” replied Onua. “After that, the rest of Le-Koro was freed, thanks to Takua and Nuparu, who had invented a machine made out of parts of disabled Bohrok that allowed the Matoran to fight back against the Bohrok.”
“Wow, I guess Nuparu finally managed to build something that could help the Matoran, like he had always wanted to,” commented Chomper.
“Eventually, Kopaka discovered the nest of the Bohrok,” continued Pohatu. “We all decided that the only way to stop the Bohrok for good would be to attack them in their nest. It turned out the only way to do that was to defeat the Bahrag, the two leaders of the Bohrok. It wasn't easy, but by combining our powers, we successfully trapped them.”
“However, we had one more surprise in store for us,” said Onua. “As soon as we had trapped the Bahrag, the floor gave way and we ended up inside massive containers of Energized Protodermis, a very rare kind of Protodermis that will either transform you or destroy you. Fortunately for us, destiny was on our side and we were transformed into the Toa Nuva that we are to this day. Not only did we get new masks, weapons, and armor, but also our elemental powers were enhanced and our mask powers could now cover multiple people as opposed to just the user.”
“So that's what makes a Toa Nuva different from a regular Toa,” said Garan, now with a better understanding of what these Toa were like.
“With that much power, I'm even more surprised the Piraka managed to defeat you,” said Littlefoot.
“Believe me, this isn't the first time we've felt so powerless,” said Tahu. “The best example came shortly after we became Toa Nuva. You see, when we were transformed into Toa Nuva, a symbol for each of us appeared in our villages. None of us realized how important they were to us until they got stolen. When that happened, we lost our elemental powers.”
“You lost your elemental powers!?” asked Dalu in disbelief.
“Hard to believe, but yes, that's exactly what happened,” replied Lewa. “We eventually found out who it was that stole our symbols: the Bohrok-Kal.”
“More Bohrok?” asked Cera, skeptically. “I thought you had already stopped them.”
“We did,” explained Onua, “but the Bohrok-Kal were an elite squad of Bohrok with the goal of freeing the Bahrag so that the Bohrok swarms could finish their job.”
“When we found out, we tried to stop them,” continued Pohatu. “But without our elemental powers, we were obviously doomed to fall. But we didn't let that one defeat stop us. Since our mask powers still worked, we decided to collect the Kanohi Nuva, much like we had done when we had collected our original masks. Eventually, the Bohrok-Kal found the cave where we had trapped the Bahrag and attempted to use our symbols to free them.”
“By that point, we had run out of options,” continued Tahu. “I had no choice but to take a very big risk and use a mask that had just been given to me by Turaga Vakama: the Kanohi Vahi, the Legendary Mask of Time. Since time is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, I knew that it was a power that would be extremely difficult for me to control, but I had no choice. I struggled with its powers, but I managed to slow down time around the Bohrok-Kal, essentially freezing them in place.”
“Unfortunately, they had just created a barrier that prevented us from stopping them, despite the slowing of time,” continued Gali. “But the use of the Vahi had bought me enough time to figure out that there was a way we could stop them. We reached out to our symbols and forced our elemental energies into the Bohrok-Kal. They were quickly overloaded and destroyed by their own powers.”
“As a result of our victory, the Bahrag remain trapped, along with the rest of the Bohrok swarms,” continued Pohatu. “An era of peace followed our victory. During that time, the Turaga held a Naming Day celebration to honor the Matoran who helped in the defense against the Rahi and Bohrok.”
“What's a Naming Day?” asked Littlefoot. “Is it like a starday?”
The Matoran looked at each other in confusion at what Littlefoot had just mentioned. The Toa were also confused at first, but then remembered what the Matoran of Mata Nui had told them. “We don't celebrate stardays,” explained Onua, “mostly because nobody knows the exact day that any of us were even created. Naming Day is when one or a few Matoran are honored for their deeds by having their names changed. This particular Naming Day honored Jaller, Hewkii, and Macku. Their names still sound the same as their old ones, they're just spelled differently.”
“But that's not all that happened that day,” added Pohatu. “The Turaga also announced that they had discovered the secret that allowed them to rebuild the Matoran into slightly taller, stronger forms. It turns out that Makuta was responsible for giving them the smaller forms they had when you met them.”
“Stunning,” said Garan as he shook his head. “According to Littlefoot and his friends, none of those Matoran ever carried tools like these.” He held up his Pulse Bolt Generators. “I'm surprised those Matoran have been able to survive for so long without the kind of power we have. Personally, I'll take my Pulse Bolts over a little extra muscle any day.”
“Following those events,” continued Pohatu, “the Turaga decided to celebrate the time of peace by holding a Kolhii tournament, which is basically a series of Kolhii games with teams representing each of the villages. Matches were played in all the villages, with the top three teams competing in the final match, known as the championship match. The winner of that match would be declared the winner of the tournament. By the way, the way they played Kolhii in that tournament was different from what you kids are familiar with. It's a newer version that was inspired by Hewkii's actions during a Bohrok invasion. The rules are mostly the same, except players also use a staff that has a hammer on one end and a scoop on the other.”
“That sounds like fun!” commented Chomper.
“Who won the championship?” asked Ruby.
“The teams that made it to the championship match were Hewkii and Hafu of Po-Koro, Hahli and Macku of Ga-Koro, and Jaller and Takua of Ta-Koro,” replied Pohatu. “It was a close match between Po-Koro and Ga-Koro, but the winning point and the championship ultimately went to Ga-Koro. But just as the Kolhii match had finished, we all found out that Jaller and Takua had made an amazing discovery. Right before the match, they had found the Mask of Light, a mask that belonged to a seventh Toa; a Toa of Light.”
“A seventh Toa?” asked Cera, looking at all of the Toa that were in their group. “How come there's only six of you here?”
“We had asked him to stay behind to protect the Matoran while we're away,” replied Tahu. “Besides, the only way we could safely get here was to ride in more of those canisters that had taken us to Mata Nui in the first place, but there were only six of them.”
“Anyway, with the discovery of that mask, Jaller and Takua journeyed across the island to find the seventh Toa,” continued Pohatu. “You see, while we had simply arrived on the island, the seventh Toa had to be found. However, Makuta had returned and sent out his sons, the Rahkshi, to stop them. I and the other Toa did everything we could to stop the Rahkshi. They were very tough foes and they even destroyed some of the villages in the process, but we always managed to hold them back. That is, until we got to Kini-Nui.”
“What happen at Kini-Nui?” asked Petrie.
“We finally managed to defeat the Rahkshi, but one of them slipped by us and attacked Takua. That Rahkshi was about to finish him off when Jaller jumped in the way.”
“You mean Jaller is...?” asked Ducky.
“Yes, that was a fatal attack that Jaller took for Takua,” replied Pohatu, solemnly.
The gang hung their heads in sadness at hearing that one of their Matoran friends was dead.
“It was thanks to Jaller's sacrifice that Takua realized what had to be done. By placing the Mask of Light on his face, he transformed into the seventh Toa, and renamed himself Takanuva, the Toa of Light.”
“Wow, Takua is now a Toa,” said Littlefoot in awe, even though he was still saddened to hear that Jaller was dead ó or so he thought.
“Once he became a Toa, Takanuva assembled a vehicle that would allow him to quickly enter Makuta's lair,” continued Pohatu. “However, he insisted that he go alone, despite the fact that it was by working together that we defeated the Rahkshi. Despite our pleas, he left to face Makuta on his own, but he was followed by Hahli, who had decided to become the new Chronicler, now that Takanuva was a Toa. He sent her back to summon us to witness the battle that took place. Apparently, Makuta was so confident that he would win that he decided to not use any of his powers and instead play a rather deadly version of Kolhii, with the goal of trying to hit each other. After a long struggle, Takanuva finally managed to hit Makuta, but he didn't stay down for long. It seemed there would be no way to truly defeat Makuta, until Takanuva discovered a weakness and removed Makuta's mask, right before they both fell into a pool of Energized Protodermis.”
“The same stuff that turned you into Toa Nuva?” asked Chomper.
“Yes,” replied Onua. “The being that emerged was neither Takanuva nor Makuta, but a fusion of the two. A being that was half light and half shadow. The being decided to open the massive gate to what we had believed would lead us to awakening the Great Spirit, Mata Nui. As we all passed through the gateway, the being stopped Hahli and used Jaller's mask to revive him.”
“You mean Jaller is not dead anymore and is now alive again?” asked Ruby, surprised.
“Indeed he is,” replied Lewa with a smile on his face, proving that he was being honest.
The gang cheered at hearing that Jaller wasn't dead after all.
“But reviving Jaller had weakened the being so much that he could no longer hold up the massive gate, causing it to crush him,” continued Pohatu. “When the dust cleared, only Takanuva stood before us. We still believe to this day that Makuta had been killed in that event. Anyway, at the end of the tunnel behind the gate, we rediscovered the original home of the Matoran: the island city of Metru Nui.”
“Metru Nui?” asked Littlefoot, curious. “Island city? What's a city?”
“You young ones are barely familiar with what a village is, so I'm not sure if you would be able to understand what a city is like,” admitted Gali.
“Still, it's worth a shot,” said Onua. He then turned to the young dinosaurs. “Try to think if as a village, but much bigger. The structures are much bigger, and made of much tougher materials. Also, there are so many of those massive buildings that the entire island is covered with them. I've heard that your home, the Great Valley, is just a little smaller than Metru Nui, so that should give you an idea of what our home is like.”
“That sounds like an interesting kind of place,” said Littlefoot. “Do you think you can take us there?”
“Maybe after we have finished our mission here,” replied Tahu.
“If there are so many of these ëbuildings’ on Metru Nui, does that mean there are not many places where plants grow?” asked Ruby.
“Remember, Matoran absorb their energy in a different way than what you dinosaurs do, so plant life is not as necessary to them as it is to you,” replied Onua.
“To continue our story,” said Pohatu, “after we made it back to the surface, the Matoran began building boats that would take us all back to Metru Nui, which was supposedly the first requirement to awaken the Great Spirit. Not long after we had rediscovered Metru Nui, Turaga Vakama revealed an incredible secret: a thousand years ago, he and the other Turaga were once Toa!”
“Them? Toa?” asked Cera in disbelief.
“Matoran may not age like dinosaurs do, but it seems their stages of life are rather similar,” said Onua. “A Matoran can transform into a Toa, much like kids grow into adults, and a Toa can transform into a Turaga, much like how an adult eventually grows elderly. Unlike dinosaurs, going from once stage of life to the next is not inevitable for a Matoran, but like dinosaurs, there is no going back to the previous stage.”
“So that means that every Turaga was once a Toa, and every Toa was once a Matoran?” asked Littlefoot.
“As far as I know, yes.”
“Vakama told us everything that had happened back when he and the other Turaga were Toa,” continued Pohatu. “Back when they were Matoran, Metru Nui had only one Toa: a Toa of Fire named Lhikan. One day, he sensed the city was in danger, so he transferred his Toa Energies into six Toa Stones and gave them to a Matoran from each district of the city: Nokama of Ga-Metru, Onewa of Po-Metru, Nuju of Ko-Metru, Whenua of Onu-Metru, Matau of Le-Metru, and Vakama of Ta-Metru. Soon after delivering that last Toa Stone to Vakama, Lhikan was captured by two Dark Hunters.”
“Who are the Dark Hunters?” asked Ruby. “I heard that the Piraka used to be among the Dark Hunters.”
“They are an organization of criminals and outcasts who will do any dirty task they are told to do, if they are offered a good amount of pay,” replied Tahu.
“In other words, they are bad people who have done bad things and will do more of them as long as it rewards them well,” explained Garan in a way that the young dinosaurs would understand.
“Despite this problem, the six Matoran did as they were told and went to the Great Temple in Ga-Metru with their Toa Stones,” continued Pohatu. “It was there that they were transformed into the Toa Metru. It was difficult for them to get used to the fact that they were now Toa, but they knew they had no choice but to accept it. Their first task was to save the city from the Morbuzakh, a system of massive vines that were able to quickly destroy anything they could grab onto. Nothing had been able to stop it so far, and the Toa Metru found out that the only way they could was to find and use the Great Disks.”
“What are the Great Disks?” asked Ducky.
“First of all, the disks used on Metru Nui, also known as Kanoka, are much different from the kind used on Mata Nui that you are probably familiar with,” explained Onua. “Like Kanohi, Kanoka also have special abilities, but they can only be used if they hit the target at a very fast speed, which is why the Matoran of Metru Nui used specially designed launchers to make sure their Kanoka always worked. Determining the exact powers of a Kanoka is rather complicated, so I'll save that explanation for another time, but the important thing is that all Kanohi are made out of one or more Kanoka, with a certain combination of disks creating a certain mask.” Realizing how complicated such an explanation was becoming, he asked, “Are you understanding any of this?”
“I think so,” replied Littlefoot.
“Well, put simply, the Great Disks were the most powerful Kanoka of all,” said Pohatu. “There was one in each of the six Metru, but they were hidden in places that only a Toa could reach. Also, there was a Matoran from each district who knew the locations of the Great Disks, but they had reasons to keep them for themselves, and one of them even planned to betray all the others. The Toa Metru knew they had to find these Matoran if they were to find the Great Disks, which turned out to be easier said than done.”
“So who was the traitor?” asked Cera.
“It was the Po-Matoran, Ahkmou,” replied Kopaka.
“Regardless, the Toa needed all of those Matoran to find the Great Disks,” continued Pohatu. “They split up into three teams so that they could quickly find the disks and still be able to fight off any threats. Eventually, they successfully retrieved all six of the Great Disks. Now they had to destroy the Morbuzakh by using the disks on the King Root. The Morbuzakh was not at all like any other plant, one example being that the King Root lived in one of the hottest places in Metru Nui, the Great Furnace in Ta-Metru, and was even capable of speaking. After a long battle, the Toa used the powers of the Great Disks together, which ultimately destroyed the King Root, taking the rest of the Morbuzakh vines with it. Having succeeded in their first great quest, the Toa Metru then headed for the Coliseum to show the Matoran that they were heroes.”
“What is the Coliseum?” asked Ruby.
“It's the tallest building in Metru Nui, can't miss it,” replied Lewa. “Like Kini-Nui on Mata Nui, the Coliseum is in the center of the city and is where all the Matoran gather for grand events.”
“Wow, I bet all of the Matoran were proud of the Toa!” exclaimed Chomper.
“Sadly, that was not the case,” said Pohatu. “The only Turaga of Metru Nui, Turaga Dume, had been acting strange lately, which was why he did not believe them to be Toa, even though they had the Great Disks. Instead, he asked them to prove themselves by crossing an area with constantly shifting ground. They tried their best, but they were still weak after their recent battles, and they still hadn't learned how to use their mask powers, so they inevitably failed. Due to the failure, Turaga Dume declared them impostors and even went as far as to blame them for the disappearance of Toa Lhikan.”
“What!?” exclaimed Petrie in disbelief. “How anyone not believe they Toa-heroes?”
“Back then, the Matoran had absolute trust in their Turaga, so they always agreed with anything he said,” replied Tahu. “Not even when the two Dark Hunters who had captured Lhikan showed themselves did anyone believe the Toa Metru.”
“To enforce his statement, Turaga Dume sent out Vahki, machines with the sole purpose of keeping order in the city, to capture the Toa,” continued Pohatu. “They captured Nuju, Onewa, and Whenua, but Vakama, Nokama, and Matau managed to get away. The three escaped Toa traveled practically all over Metru Nui until they decided that the only way to clear their names would be to find Lhikan. They eventually found out that they had to go to Po-Metru, and along the way, Nokama and Matau discovered their mask powers. Meanwhile, the three captured Toa were locked in a prison cell ó think of it like being trapped in a cave ó where they met a Turaga who helped them discover their mask powers, which they used to escape. The two groups eventually met up with each other, at which point the Turaga revealed himself to be Lhikan.”
“Wait a minute, I thought he was a Toa,” said Cera in confusion.
“He was,” explained Onua. “But he had to sacrifice his Toa Energy into the Toa Stones that the Toa Metru were given. When they were transformed into Toa, he was transformed into a Turaga, as it must happen when a Toa sacrifices his Toa Energy.”
“Although the Toa were glad to have found Lhikan,” continued Pohatu, “he was disappointed that they had not done what he had wanted them to do, and that was to save the Matoran.”
“Save them from what?” asked Ducky.
“Lhikan wasn't sure what it was, but knew something very bad would happen to the Matoran. However, he and the Toa soon discovered a large metal sphere, kind of like the canisters meant for Toa. They looked inside and found the real Turaga Dume, who was under an endless sleep due to being placed inside that sphere.”
“If that was the real Turaga Dume, then who was the fake Turaga Dume?” asked Ruby.
“Not even Lhikan knew who the impostor was, but he and the Toa now knew they had to stop the false Turaga Dume. By the time they made it to the Coliseum, they were too late. Every Matoran in Metru Nui had been placed in metal spheres, as ordered by the false Turaga Dume. Like the real Turaga Dume, the Matoran all fell into an endless sleep. When the Toa Metru encountered the false Turaga Dume, he revealed himself to be Makuta.”
“I should've known that it was him,” said Cera.
“His plan was to have the Matoran sleep in those spheres long enough to erase their memories,” said Tahu, “and once they reawakened, he would declare himself the Great Spirit instead of Mata Nui.”
“So that's what Makuta wanted all along,” said Littlefoot in realization. “I've been wondering why he has done all of these bad things.”
“At the moment of that revelation, a massive earthquake shook the entire Matoran universe,” continued Pohatu. “The Toa Metru had no choice but to flee Metru Nui. They grabbed a few of the spheres and loaded them onto a vehicle in hopes of getting at least a few Matoran out to safety. Fortunately, their vehicle was able to float on the water, allowing them to make their escape. Along the way, Vakama had managed to fuse all six of the Great Disks together and, using his skills as an excellent mask maker, forged it into the Vahi.”
“So that's where that mask came from,” said Chomper in realization.
“Oh, I forgot to mention something about Metru Nui's location that you kids might have trouble understanding,” interjected Onua. “I suppose a good way of explaining it to you is to think of it as being located inside a very massive cavern. One that is so huge that the walls and ceiling are too far away to see, so huge that it has its own day and night cycle like what you see on the surface. The reason why I bring this up is because the only way the Toa Metru could escape was to find a way through the wall of that massive cavern.”
“Exactly,” said Pohatu. “Eventually, they did find a way through, but Makuta stood in their way. Vakama decided to use the Vahi against Makuta, but he failed to control it properly, causing him to slow down time for both Makuta and himself. There was nothing Vakama could do to stop an attack from Makuta, so Lhikan took the lethal blow.”
None of the gang needed to ask to know what had happened to Lhikan.
“Worry not, for Lhikan's spirit lives on,” said Lewa. “You see, before he finally passed, he gave his mask to Vakama, who later gave it to Jaller. So the mask you have seen Jaller wear is the same one that was worn by Lhikan.”
The gang was amazed to hear that what they had once thought was just another mask turned out to be a very special mask, one that was once worn by a great Toa.
“After Lhikan's passing, Vakama finally discovered his mask power, and used it to defeat Makuta,” continued Gali. “The rest of the Toa showed up and, together, they combined their powers to trap Makuta, much like we had done with the Bahrag.”
“So if they trapped Makuta, how did he get free from that trap?” asked Ruby.
“I'll get to that part eventually,” replied Pohatu. “Anyway, the Toa Metru traveled through a long tunnel until they reached the surface and discovered the island of Mata Nui. There, they searched the island for excellent locations for the villages they would later build for the Matoran. They also decided to prepare a backup plan by transferring some of each of their Toa Energy into a Toa Stone and hiding them throughout the island.”
“And those are the same Toa Stones that Takua collected to bring you and the other Toa Nuva to Mata Nui,” finished Littlefoot.
Pohatu chuckled and said, “You never cease to amaze me. After getting familiar with what would be their new home for a thousand years, the Toa Metru knew they had to go back to Metru Nui to rescue the rest of the Matoran. After another long journey, they returned to the city and realized for the first time how much damage the massive earthquake had done to it. Not only was the city in ruin, but it had also been overrun by nasty creatures called Visorak.”
“What's a Visorak?” asked Chomper.
“They are large spider-like creatures, I think you call them many-legged crawlers, or something like that,” explained Onua. “They can make webs, like ordinary spiders, just much larger ones. What makes them very nasty is their venom, which has ability to mutate creatures into things comparable to monsters. Definitely not the kind of creature you would want to run into.”
“Did the Toa Metru run into some of them?” asked Littlefoot.
“Unfortunately, yes,” replied Pohatu. “They were on their way to the Coliseum to rescue the Matoran when they were attacked and captured by some Visorak. As a result, they were stuck onto some webs high above the city and were injected with the venom of the Visorak, mutating them into Toa Hordika.”
“Think of it like... think of it like being turned into sharpteeth,” clarified Lewa for the young dinosaurs. “That's how bad-horrible it was for them to become Toa Hordika.”
“In that case, I hope we never get to see one of those Visorak things,” said Cera, definitely not liking the idea of becoming a sharptooth.
“What's so bad about becoming a sharptooth?” wondered Chomper. When Cera glared at him, he shrugged and said, “What? I'm just saying. I don't think being a sharptooth is all that bad.”
“Anyway, as soon as they became Toa Hordika,” continued Pohatu, “the webs holding them up broke, sending them falling down to the streets far below. Before they hit the ground, they were rescued by the Rahaga, strange beings who were the size of a Turaga and resembled Rahkshi, most likely the result of being mutated. It was the Rahaga who explained to the Toa everything about what they had become. Their weapons had changed, but they were no longer able to use their mask powers. Most importantly, if they did not get rid of the venom within their bodies quickly enough, they would stay as Hordika forever.”
“Forever?” asked Ruby. “How could they get rid of that venom before it was too late for them to get rid of it?”
“Their only hope was a legendary being known as Keetongu, but even some of the Rahaga doubted his existence,” replied Gali.
“I know I don't believe crazy stories like those most of the time, but if that happened to me, even I would want to believe in him if it meant changing me back to normal,” commented Cera.
“Despite the urgency, the Toa decided that their most important task was to save the Matoran,” continued Pohatu, “so they went all over Metru Nui to gather the parts they would need to build vehicles that could carry all of the Matoran to Mata Nui. Along the way, they rescued Turaga Dume, and also found the Mask of Light, which had been hidden in the city by the Rahaga, who had taken it back from Makuta, who had stolen it from an unknown location.”
“Wow, that mask sure went through a lot before Takua finally found it,” commented Littlefoot.
“After a while, Vakama began distancing himself from the other Toa, convinced that he was not a good leader. While wandering alone he got captured by some Visorak and taken to Roodaka, the second-in-command of the Visorak horde. While the king of the Visorak, Sidorak, wanted to simply conquer Metru Nui, Roodaka had other plans, including freeing Makuta, so she saw an opportunity when she heard of Vakama's capture. She managed to convince him to abandon the other Toa and lead the Visorak.”
“You mean Vakama betrayed his friends!?” exclaimed Cera in shock.
“Shocking, but yes,” replied Lewa. “He even proved himself to Sidorak by quick-capturing all but one of the Rahaga!”
“Despite the treachery,” continued Pohatu, “the other Toa ó along with Norik, the remaining Rahaga ó eventually found Keetongu. Although he agreed to help them save their friend, he refused to cure them until after they had proven themselves of being able to control their Hordika abilities.”
“That doesn't make any sense at all,” said Cera in confusion. “Why would he not change them back until after they fought as Hordika?”
“Matau reacted the same way when he first heard it,” commented Lewa.
“Knowing what had to be done, the Toa entered the Coliseum and fought against the Visorak,” continued Pohatu. “Matau, on the other hand, decided to confront Vakama and try to bring him back to the Toa's side. Meanwhile, Keetongu fought against Sidorak and Roodaka. However, Roodaka simply walked away, leaving Sidorak to be easily defeated. Matau eventually succeeded in convincing Vakama of what his true duty was and they rejoined the other Toa. Roodaka told them that they couldn't defeat the Visorak, but she forgot that she had placed them under Vakama's command. As a result, he disbanded the Visorak ó in other words, he told them all to leave because they were free.”
“So that explains why there was a lone Visorak here on Voya Nui,” muttered Garan. When he noticed some of the young dinosaurs looking at him in slight fear, he added, “Don't worry, Thok killed it as soon as he found it.”
“With Roodaka being the only enemy left, the Toa combined their elemental powers and struck at her. However, they realized too late that she was carrying a piece of the seal that had entrapped Makuta, and by hitting that piece with their elemental powers, the seal was broken and Makuta was freed.”
“So that's how Makuta got free from being trapped,” said Ruby.
“Although Roodaka got away, the Toa had won the battle. Keetongu then fulfilled his promise and cured the Toa Hordika, changing them back into Toa Metru. They collected all of the spheres that contained the Matoran and loaded them into the vehicles they had built, and then they headed for Mata Nui. Once they arrived on the shores of Mata Nui, they had to sacrifice their Toa Energy to awaken the Matoran, causing them to transform into the Turaga we all know to this day. And that is the end of Turaga Vakama's stories of everything that happened when they were Toa.”
“Wow, that's quite a story,” commented Littlefoot.
“But you still haven't told us why you are here,” added Cera. “Why would you come to a place that we've never heard of before?”
“Turaga Nuju has been observing the stars ever since we returned to Metru Nui,” said Kopaka. “It didn't take him long to discover a terrible truth: Mata Nui is not just sleeping, he is dying.”
“Mata Nui is... dying!?” asked Ruby in shock.
“I know he is really important to everyone in this universe, but how bad can that be?” asked Cera, unaware of the true scale of the situation.
“More than you can imagine,” replied Gali. “If he dies, so does the rest of this universe.”
“That sounds terrible!” exclaimed Ducky. “It does, it does!”
“I think I speak for all of my friends when I say that saving Mata Nui's life is more important than freeing our home,” declared Garan. “Without Mata Nui, all are doomed. I do not want the situation here to go from bad to worse.”
“How we quick-save him?” asked Petrie. He was certainly not the only one who was hoping that there was a way to save Mata Nui's life.
“There is only one thing that can save him: the Mask of Life, hidden somewhere here on Voya Nui,” replied Tahu.
“The Mask of Life?” asked Chomper. “Isn't that what the Piraka said they were here to find?”
“Yes, they said they wanted to steal it,” replied Garan. “It is because of that mask that they have done so many horrible things to us.”
“Then why are they trying to steal it?” asked Balta. “Do they not realize how much the universe needs that mask right now?”
“I guess this means we'll get to save the universe and free our home at the same time,” said Dalu. “I like that.”
“All right, let's show those Piraka why they shouldn't mess with us!” declared Cera.
“I don't think it would be a good idea to have you come with us,” said Tahu.
“What!?”
“I am sorry, but I fear that taking you kids into battle with us against the Piraka would do more harm than good,” said Gali.
“I agree,” added Onua. “We are the only Toa on this island right now, and these Matoran here have proven to us they can hold their own against the Piraka. You, on the other hand, are defenseless against such powerful enemies.”
“Don't take it personally, kids,” said Tahu. “We only want what's best for all of us.”
“That's okay, we understand,” said Littlefoot, hiding his disappointment at not being able to help the Toa Nuva and the Matoran.
“So what do you want us to do while you fight the Piraka?” asked Cera.
“Try to stay hidden,” replied Garan. “If we fall, you might be Mata Nui's last hope, though I pray it won't have to come to that.”
“Me neither,” said Ruby. “If a powerful evil can stop you, what hope do we have of stopping that powerful evil?”
Cera sighed in defeat and said, “All right, we'll stay out of the way. Just make sure you don't fail.”
“Believe me, we have no intentions of letting that happen,” said Tahu.
“We're here,” said Garan, stopping. The group of Toa, Matoran, and young dinosaurs peeked from behind some rocks to see the stronghold the Piraka had built for themselves.
Before the Toa could make a move, Piruk said, “We should use the back door. There are too many defenses on the front for us to safely enter without being seen.”
“Since he is the only Matoran to have gone in and out of that stronghold alive, I strongly advise we do what he says,” said Garan.
The Toa nodded in agreement and began to follow the Matoran. Pohatu turned to the gang and said, “Don't worry. If all goes well, we should have our masks back and be out of there in no time.”
As the Toa and Matoran left, the gang decided to get away from the stronghold to avoid getting caught by the Piraka. As they walked, they all thought about the stories the Toa Nuva had just told them. Littlefoot was impressed by all the things Takua had done since they had last seen him, especially the fact that he was now a Toa. He was also intrigued by the description of Metru Nui and was curious to see the city for himself, someday. Cera found many of the stories hard to believe ó especially the idea that the Turaga had once been Toa ó but the Toa Nuva had already proven they would never bluff, so she decided to ignore her issues with them for now. Ducky was amazed by the heroic things the Toa Nuva had done, but also terrified by the horrible things the Toa Metru had gone through. In her mind, it was no wonder the Matoran had to leave Metru Nui. Petrie couldn't stop thinking about the fact that a Matoran could become a Toa and that a Toa could become a Turaga. He was amazed to think that the Turaga of Mata Nui had once been Toa, and he also couldn't help but speculate what it might be like if some of the Matoran they knew were to become Toa. Spike was pleased to hear about the Toa Nuva saving the island of Mata Nui from destructive threats like the Bohrok, yet he couldn't bring himself to appreciate the image of a place like Metru Nui. Chomper was amazed by all the stories of the Toa Nuva and the Toa Metru. He did get quite a scare when he heard that Jaller had died, but was relieved that he had been brought back soon afterward. Ruby was intrigued by all of the stories, especially the fact that the real home of the Matoran was Metru Nui instead of Mata Nui. Although she wouldn't admit it, all she really wanted was to see her Ko-Matoran friend, Matoro, again. After quickly walking a good distance away from the stronghold, the gang stopped and thought about what to do next.
“What now?” asked Petrie.
“Well, I can see why the Toa didn't want us to come with them, but I don't want to just sit here and do nothing,” said Cera.
“Yeah, we've already told Garan and the other Matoran that we would help them, no matter what.” added Littlefoot. “It looks like we will now have to help them save their entire universe.”
“But what can we do?” asked Chomper, shrugging. “We all know how powerful the Piraka are, so fighting them is clearly a bad idea. We could try to find the Mask of Life, but we don't know where it is.”
“We may not know where the Mask of Life is, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't look for it,” commented Ruby. “After all, Garan did say that if he, his friends, and the Toa are to fall, we might be Mata Nui's last hope.”
“Ruby's right,” said Littlefoot. “I think that while the Toa and the Piraka are busy fighting, we should try to find the Mask of Life, ourselves. At least the Piraka still see us as a pest instead of a threat.”
“That sounds like a good idea, but isn't that mask at the bottom of a lava pool or something like that?” pointed out Cera.
Littlefoot shook his head. “I think that's where the Piraka think they will find it. Nobody ever actually said where we might find the Mask of Life, so it might be hidden somewhere else on this island. The Piraka are all looking in just one place, so if we spread out and look in a lot of different places, we actually stand a better chance of finding that mask than the Piraka do.”
“That great idea sounds like a great idea, Littlefoot!” praised Ruby.
“It is a great idea! It is, it is!” added Ducky.
“Why didn't I think of that?” asked Cera, rhetorically. “It actually makes sense, and will make the task a whole lot easier for us.”
“All right, guys, let's go find the Mask of Life!” declared Littlefoot.
The gang all cheered at this. They were now very confident that they would be successful.
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Read and review, as always. Hopefully, this chapter gave you at least a basic idea of what has happened in the Matoran universe between this story and the previous one. Also, I'm not sure if I should, but I could offer links to the first three Bionicle movies (if I can find them uploaded somewhere online), which take place during the events described in this chapter. But I'm not sure if any of you would be interested. Also, there is a fourth Bionicle movie, but the events of that movie will take place later on in this story. I'll try to avoid spoilers, but I won't stop any of you from finding out on your own.