As the carriage—now equipped with tank-like treads on its wheels—advanced along the path, each of the kids was absorbed in their respective training sessions. Ron practiced with Chiki, the small but bossy chihuahua; Paltio tried to refine his technique under Toco-Toco's tutelage, who gracefully dodged his blows while making ironic comments, "Meow!" (You've still got a long way to go, boy). Meanwhile, Mok calmly enjoyed a cup of tea, observing them from his seat with a distinguished air.
Lukeandria, now wearing her restored Red Shadows armor, watched the others with a mix of admiration and envy. She wanted to train like them, to harness the energy of those magical creatures to become even stronger, but instead, she could only observe and follow their progress through their minds. It was frustrating to feel left out, especially when the fate of their journey depended so heavily on all of them.
At that moment, the carriage began to slow down. "But what's going on?" Mok asked, rising from his seat with curiosity as he watched the vehicle gradually come to a complete stop. Time had flown by: 24 hours had already passed since they set off, meaning they were now on the 12th day of their journey.
Mok reviewed the manual once more and frowned. "Ah, of course," he muttered to himself. "This mode of the vehicle requires a special mineral." He glanced at the kids, who were still focused on their training, and decided not to interrupt them. Instead, he took the locator they had found in one of the carriage's compartments and approached Lukeandria.
"Let's go," he said calmly, showing her the device. "The professor's book mentions that we need Irconium, a bright green stone that can be processed as fuel. According to this, it should be located at any high point, but underground."
They both nodded and began climbing a nearby mountain, guided by the locator. Once at the top, Mok pulled out his multi-functional knives and started digging with surgical precision. After a few minutes of meticulous work, something shimmered amidst the dirt. Without wasting time, Mok used his hands to brush away the remaining dust and uncovered a golden-green crystal that emitted a faint glow.
"Lukeandria! We've found the fuel!" he exclaimed, holding up the stone with a triumphant smile. Both were pleased, though they knew that if they wanted to reach the next kingdom in two days, they would need more minerals. Determined to help, Lukeandria used her shield as an improvised shovel and began digging alongside Mok.
Soon, they managed to gather a dozen bright green crystals. However, their luck didn't last long. Suddenly, something beneath the ground let out a deep, chilling howl. Before they could react, the terrain began to collapse under their feet, like quicksand pulling them downward.
Mok tried to save at least part of the material, but it was futile. As if swallowed by a giant whirlpool, both were pulled into the ground, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Alita focused alongside Nakia on mastering another element, having already successfully gained control over water. This achievement had greatly impressed the bird, who didn't hesitate to congratulate the girl for being such a diligent student. At the same time, Ron began his first training session with Chiki, the small but intimidating red chihuahua.
Ron couldn't help but laugh at first, mocking the idea that such a tiny dog could teach him anything useful. However, Chiki quickly silenced him by demonstrating how, with a simple swipe of his little paw, he could effortlessly shatter a dozen cement blocks.
"Alright, now it's your turn!" Chiki barked authoritatively, staring directly at Ron. "Come on, fork-haired boy."
Ron swallowed hard and, taking a deep breath, responded: "Alright… I'll do it."
The dog placed another stack of blocks in front of him. With determination, Ron threw a quick punch at the cement, but instead of breaking it, he felt an indescribable pain shoot through his arm. He groaned in frustration as he shook his aching hand.
"Pathetic!" Chiki exclaimed, letting out a mocking laugh. "What a fool I've got. Well, I'll have to make you strong no matter what. No excuses."
With that, Chiki ordered Ron to perform a thousand push-ups. But these weren't ordinary push-ups: every time Ron completed a set, the chihuahua added more weight to his back and strapped weights onto his arms and legs. By the time Ron had a couple of cement blocks on his back, he could barely move.
"Ouch! This is too much!" Ron protested, panting and sweating profusely.
"Nonsense," Chiki replied dismissively, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you tell me you wanted to get stronger? Isn't that what you asked my lord Silver for?"
"Yes, but…" Ron tried to argue, but Chiki cut him off before he could continue.
"Then don't complain," the chihuahua said in a playful tone, clearly enjoying his pupil's suffering. Meanwhile, in his mind, Ron worriedly thought: How are the others doing?
In another corner of the plane created by Golden, Paltio continued tirelessly chasing Toco-Toco, who seemed to be playing with him. Every time the cat slowed down, making Paltio believe he would finally catch him, he sped up again just before Paltio could touch him.
"Damn it!" Paltio muttered, nearly out of breath. Though they were in this mental space, he felt every movement as if it were real. It was no surprise: these planes channeled both the physical and the mental, turning any training into an experience as exhausting as if it were happening in the real world.
Toco-Toco, enjoying his advantage, teased sarcastically: "Meow! Are you tired already, boy? If you want to catch me, you'll have to try harder."
Paltio growled in response, determined not to give up. He knew this kind of training was crucial for improving his endurance and skills, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
At the same time, Alita continued her training with Nakia, facing an elemental battle. The bird used her fire-imbued feathers to attack Alita, who tried to counter them with jets of water. However, the sheer number of flaming feathers was overwhelming, and her small streams barely managed to stop a few.
"Put more power into it, girl!" Nakia shouted as she launched more feathers wrapped in intense blue flames. "I taught you the basics of water; with that, you should be able to defend against this attack."
Nakia's fire suddenly shifted to an electric blue hue, making it even harder to extinguish. Alita tried to shield herself by raising a wall of water, but the bird's attacks were relentless and unyielding. Finally, after one last failed effort, Alita collapsed to the ground, exhausted and defeated.
"Whoa! I think I overdid it," Nakia said, observing Alita with a mix of pride and concern. "Let's take a break."
But Alita, despite her obvious fatigue, shook her head. "No, I want to keep fighting," she insisted, though her labored breathing and pale face told a different story.
Nakia smiled tenderly and approached her. "Rest is also part of the training, little one. Regain your strength, because tomorrow will be even harder."
Alita nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting the pause. She knew Nakia was right, but her determination to improve wouldn't let her give up so easily.
"Take this, cat: Green Glove Strike!" Paltio shouted as he launched a direct attack toward Toco-Toco.
"That's new, prince," the feline replied with a mocking smile, dodging the blow effortlessly. "But that's nowhere near close to hitting me."
Golden observed from his position, noticing how Paltio still hadn't managed to land a single hit on the agile cat. He frowned slightly, assessing the situation. "Hmm," he murmured thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's time to use ten percent of my power, Paltio. I think you can handle it now." He paused before adding, "Besides, in this plane I created, there are no movement restrictions. So you'd better get used to it… can you handle it?"
Paltio, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, nodded with determination. He gave a thumbs-up to show confidence, though his labored breathing revealed how much effort it was taking just to stay on his feet. "Yes," he responded firmly, though his legs trembled slightly.
"Alright, let's begin," Golden said, crossing his arms as he began channeling part of his power into the training field.
Everyone was focused on their respective training sessions, each facing their own challenges. However, what none of them knew was what was happening to Mok and Lukeandria, who had been swallowed by the earth without a trace.