After a short walk, Master Eon, Chihiro and Hugo had arrived in the portal room. There, most of the Skylanders crowded around the area and talked among themselves while they waited for missions to start. The air brewed with a kind of tranquil energy, like the calm before a big race's beginning or the moments before the start of a big sports game.

"Thank you for your patience, everyone!" Hugo announced as he cleared his throat and pulled a list out of his pocket while the room went silent. "Before I say anything else, Master Eon has a very important announcement for all of us."

Hugo drew back and let Master Eon take center stage.

"Thank you, Hugo," Master Eon said before he cleared his throat and shone bright. "Now, as for my announcement,"—Master Eon glanced back at Chihiro while she walked to his side —"as of now, I have formally taken Chihiro under my wing as an apprentice. During her stay here, she will study the ways of a true portal master under Hugo and I's watchful eyes."

Shouts of joy resonated from the crowd, and some even pumped their fists in the air! Their joy was infectious, and it warmed the room with glee.

Chihiro giggled, her cheeks flushed red from a mixture of embarrassment and sheepishness.

Man, I'd expect Master Eon to be super serious about this whole true portal master business, Chihiro thought as she looked away, but I didn't think everybody else would make such a big deal about it.

"Now, I trust that you will treat her with respect and aid her as necessary." Master Eon drew back as the crowd came to silence and allowed Hugo to take the stage once more. "Hugo, you may take over from here."

Hugo cleared his throat, looked over the piece of paper in his hands. "Okay, first things first—Stealth Elf, Stump Smash, you've been assigned to the Perilous Pastures," Hugo proclaimed before he visibly shuddered. "To deal with, ugh, an outbreak of evil magic-infested sheep."

"Understood, Hugo," Stealth Elf remarked as she and Stump Smash walked out from the crowd.

Stealth Elf was a skinny, pale green-skinned elven girl with long blue hair that laid tied into a braid and blank white eyes. She wore a crop top, fingerless gloves with golden buckles, a sash that was slung across her waist, trousers and boots all in shades of rich brown, and had twin curved blades clasped in her right hand. She had one hand on her waist while the other laid limp, and her head tilted slightly as she gave Hugo a cold look. Next to her was Stump Smash, a large, brown and green tree ent who had black and yellow eyes and large mallets for hands. He had a deep frown on his face, and both his arms were crossed.

"Chihiro." Hugo looked at Chihiro, "could you send them off?"

"Sure thing, Huges!" Chihiro chirped with a firm nod as she joined Stealth Elf and Stump Smash.

The three of them walked over to a nearby portal, with the sound of Hugo making his other announcements only a faint notion in the back of their brains.

"Congratulations, Chihiro!" Stump Smash said as he gently nudged Chihiro with one of his mallet hands, and his deep frown from earlier cracked into a small, playful smile like that of a parent congratulating their child.

"Oh, it's no big deal. Master Eon's just mentoring me until I'm good enough to go in the fields with you guys, nothing to get all excited about," Chihiro giggled as she scratched the back of her head.

"To you, maybe," Stealth Elf interjected as she pushed past Stump Smash, "but Master Eon's the greatest portal master of his generation—getting to be his apprentice is a huge honor."

Chihiro placed a hand to a gaping mouth. "Really?"

Stealth Elf nodded firmly and grunted softly, as if to affirm her statement. "Of course, you'll be working pretty hard. Master Eon took his work very seriously, and I imagine he'll expect you to as well." Stealth Elf cast a dark aside glance. "Especially with how things are with Kaos."

"Well, I'll be ready for it!" A fire burned in Chihiro's eyes as she stared directly at Stealth Elf and balled her hands into fists. "If I'm gonna protect this place, I've gotta be the best there is! I'm not gonna stop until I'm good enough to help you guys fight Kaos!"

"See, you're already starting to sound like a true portal master." Stealth Elf chuckled. "Keep that attitude up, and you'll be working with us in no time."

"Okay, all this chit chat is nice and all," Stump Smash moaned as he gave both Stealth Elf and Chihiro a glare. "But shouldn't we be going to Perilous Pastures instead of making small talk?"

"Aah, Stumps has a point," Chihiro said as she walked over to the portal and stared down at it, "I'll go get the portal set up."

Chihiro breathed in and clasping her hands against the portal's stone rim. As she held it tighter, she focused on the thought of Perilous Pastures in her head, before she exhaled and let go. The portal shone bright, and Chihiro peered down to find the image of a field covered in rampaging sheep reflected on its surface.

"There's your ride, guys." Chihiro moved to the side and stretched her arms towards the portal.

Stump Smash and Stealth Elf both nodded in unison before they both immediately jumped onto the portal and vanished in a flash.

After she watched them disappear, Chihiro nodded firmly before turning around. "Alright, who's next?" Chihiro shouted with confidence.

Several voices shouted out from around the room. Phew, they had a lot today— better not wait around. Chihiro heaved a sigh and ran across the room. She then came towards the next group, which consisted of Gill Grunt, Terrafin and Eruptor. All three of them talked among each other with arms crossed, but as soon as they saw Chihiro, their eyes sparkled.

"Hey, there's the new apprentice on the block!" Terrafin shouted as he walked over to Chihiro and ruffled her hair. "How's it feel being Master Eon's understudy, kiddo?"

Chihiro giggled and lifted Terrafin's hand off of her head. "I don't know, not really that different, to be honest," Chihiro remarked with a playful shrug.

Terrafin drew his hand back and gave Chihiro a toothy grin. "Well, once Master Eon puts ya through the ringer, you'll be singin' a different tune."

"Anyways, where are you guys headed?"

"We were assigned to the Flaming Forest," Gill Grunt said as he walked up to Chihiro. "Kaos's trolls were making a ruckus over there, apparently."

"Apparently," Chihiro echoed as she cast an aside glance then smiled. "Well, stand back—I'll get the portal running."

And with that, Gill Grunt and Terrafin parted ways and allowed Chihiro to walk over towards the portal behind them. Chihiro skipped over to the portal, closed her eyes and clasped her hands against the stone rim of the portal. With a whoosh, it activated in moments, and its surface now reflected with the image of a forest of trees that burned with bright blue flames.

"Wait, are those trees supposed to be burning like that?" Chihiro asked, concern in her voice as her brow tensed.

Gill Grunt nodded before hopping on the portal. "Good luck, Chihiro!" Gill Grunt shouted as the portal flashed with bright light and he disappeared from view.

As Chihiro, Terrafin and Eruptor watched Gill Grunt disappear, Terrafin turned around and patted Chihiro on the back. Terrafin and Eruptor hopped on the portal and disappeared as well before the portal's lights dimmed and only faintly shone, now an echo of what they used to be.

Well, two down, a ton more to go. Chihiro skipped away towards the next group. Better not stand around here…

And with that, she bounced between the other Skylander groups and sent them away as well. Most of them greeted her with congratulations on her new position, or warnings about the lessons she'd have to learn or the big shoes she'd have to fill, or some tips on what to do. But of course, the main topic was all the same—her apprenticeship with Master Eon.

As she whisked away the last group of Skylanders, Chihiro bit her lip. Man, this apprenticeship is a lot more important than I thought it was, Chihiro pondered as her chest grew a little tighter than normal. Guess I'm just gonna have to do my best! I've got an important job now, and I can't let everyone down!

"Chihiro!" Hugo called from the back of the room.

Chihiro jolted out of her thoughts and whipped her head around to see Hugo! He stood at the front of the room while Master Eon hovered beside him.

"Coming!"

Chihiro ran across the portal room, with extra care taken so as to not to run into any of the portals in the process.

"Was that the last one?" Hugo asked, and then watched as Chihiro nodded.

"Good," Master Eon interrupted as he floated towards Chihiro. "Now, why don't we all go back to my citadel? We can begin your formal training there."

As all three of them walked out of the portal room and through the cold stone hallways, Chihiro frowned deeply as she looked at Master Eon and then back at herself.

"So, Master Eon, what're we gonna do first?" Chihiro asked.

"Well, first, we are going to return to my citadel," Master Eon replied with not a peek back taken.

"Yeah, I know that, but I mean like lesson-wise. What are we starting with first?"

"Well, normally we'd start with opening portals, but you seem to have already mastered that. Once we arrive at the citadel, I'll tell you what we shall start with first."

So much for prepping beforehand, Chihiro thought as she looked away from Master Eon and rolled her eyes, then gave Hugo a curious gaze.

"And I've been meaning to ask, why's Hugo tagging along?"

"Tagging along?" Hugo echoed before he shook his head. "I'm not just tagging along, Chihiro. As Master Eon's personal assistant, I aid him in all his endeavors—running errands, deciphering ancient texts, locating villains, grooming his impressive beard—"

Chihiro looked above Hugo and towards Master Eon, who was noticeably beard-free. "But… He doesn't have a beard."

Hugo went solemn and looked down at his feet.

"Well, back when he was alive, anyways."

Chihiro inhaled sharply and looked away. Eesh, must've touched a bad topic—she should shut up now. When she looked over, she found that they finally left the portal area and now stood inside, or rather, outside, in the heart of the island once more.

It was a quiet, short journey back to the citadel from the portal building. There weren't many people within the heart itself. It was just them, the few Skylanders that were slated to guard the island, and Cali, who messed with the Far-Viewer as she attempted to locate the next component of the Core of Light. The air was crisp and clean, and the only sounds one could hear were birds chirping and the few inhabitants of the island talking among themselves. Chihiro couldn't help but shudder from how peaceful it was. It was like something was waiting to go wrong at any moment!

Thankfully, everything stayed peaceful as she, Hugo and Master Eon arrived at the citadel once more. Hugo opened the doors, and they found themselves in the sitting room and took their seats. As they took their places, Master Eon hovered around the table, lifted up the indigo-spined book and showed it to Hugo and Chihiro once more.

"As I was saying before," Master Eon explained, "this book contains all the basics about being a portal master. Normally the curriculum is more extensive, but due to our dire circumstances, we've had to do some adjustments."

"What kinds of adjustments?" Chihiro asked as she leaned forward.

Hugo hopped out of his seat and joined Master Eon.

"Last night, while you were sleeping," Hugo explained, "Master Eon and I worked on condensing the material in this book! If all goes as planned, you should be able to complete your training within a few weeks!"

"A few weeks?" Chihiro repeated, a smile on her face as she leaned back and sighed with relief. "At least I won't be stuck training for months."

"Now, don't get the wrong idea." Hugo wagged a finger. "Just because it's shorter doesn't mean it's easier. You'll have to do a lot of training over the course of the week, and it will be very tedious."

"What Hugo says is correct," Master Eon added as he floated towards Chihiro. "There will be many tasks that will require all of your strength and willpower, questions that will require you to call upon everything you know, and tests that will exhaust every skill, power and bit of knowledge you own. If you want to pass, you must be willing to push yourself towards your limits, and maybe even past them if necessary."

Chihiro gulped and tugged on her jacket. Dang, this sounds pretty tough—what if she can't pass?

"But do not fear. Hugo and I will mentor you every step of the way. If you have any questions, come to either one of us."

Chihiro smiled and breathed a sigh before she bounced out of her chair. "So, now where do I start?" Chihiro beamed back at Master Eon, a bit of her worries taken away.

"I will show you." Master Eon hovered over to the upper half of the room, "Follow me.”

Chihiro nodded and diligently followed Master Eon up the stairs. When they both reached the top, she found herself in the library room once more, though its mess seemed much more noticeable than it did when she was first there. She turned to her side and watched Master Eon flip the book open.

"Hugo." Master Eon turned to Hugo.

"Ah, yes!" Hugo chirped as he turned to Chihiro. "Now, over the course of your training, you will face ten Portal Master Examinations to test your abilities and judge whether you will be able to learn more advanced subjects. For the first examination, you will be expected to successfully perform the Ten Basic Spells—"

"Wait, hold up," Chihiro said as she tilted her head and frowned with a finger pressed against her mouth, "Ten Basic Spells? You've lost me,"—Chihiro turned to Master Eon—"Master Eon, what's he talking about?"

"Well, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated to Chihiro's view, "the Ten Basic Spells are ten simple spells taught to every magic user as soon as they're old enough to cast a spell. Regardless of element, anyone who practices magic should know these spells, for they're the cornerstones of every spell you will ever come to learn. If you can master them, you can master even the toughest enchantments."

"Sounds about right.”

Master Eon floated away from Chihiro. "You will practice on all this debris that is scattered around my citadel. I will show you how to perform the spell, and you will then perform it yourself. Do you understand?"

Chihiro nodded firmly. "So, what do we start with?"

Master Eon hummed as he seemingly glazed around his library—it was kinda hard to tell, what with him having no eyes and all—before he seemingly stopped on a simple rock. His soft hums faded, and he cleared his throat.

"Size manipulation," Master Eon proclaimed as he floated over to a rock the size of a basketball. "In other words, making things shrink and grow."

Master Eon focused his attention on the rock, and it shuddered and glowed with a cyan light. In moments, the light expanded so that the rock burned with the light of a fresh lightbulb, and disappeared entirely when the light faded!

Chihiro and Hugo both gasped once, and again as a small cyan light lifted up from the ground and floated towards Chihiro! Chihiro snagged the light out of midair and looked into her palms to find that within its glow was that same rock, but now the size of a pebble.

"Now, you try, young Chihiro." Master Eon floated behind Chihiro and gently nudged her back, as if prompting her to go forwards. "Just focus on the object you want, and imagine it in a smaller state. The transformation should take place instantaneously!"

Chihiro chirped and nodded before she skipped up to another basketball-sized rock. Okay, you heard what Master Eon said, Chihiro thought as she cracked her knuckles. Just imagine that rock shrinking down to the size of an itty-bitty ladybug or something!

Chihiro breathed in, then focused her whole mind on the rock and her image of its tiny transformation.

After all, the universe is counting on you! You can't afford to screw up!

Chihiro remained ever-silent as she envisioned the tinier rock, and her heart skipped with excitement. Finally, she just couldn't take the anticipation anymore and popped open her eyes!

"Did I do it?" Chihiro asked with an eager smile… That quickly turned to a disappointed frown as she saw that the rock remained the same size as ever.

"Don't be downtrodded, young Chihiro," Master Eon encouraged. "Not everyone can get spells right on the first try! Just try again!"

Chihiro nodded as she closed her eyes and tried again, her mind a little shakier this time than before. She hadn't expected it to be this tough, but surely she could get it right this time, right? Nope—when she opened her eyes it was still the same.

"Well, third time's the charm, right?" Chihiro trilled as she went back to practice.

But as it turned out, third time wasn't the charm. Neither was the fourth, or fifth, or ninth…

"I'll be downstairs tidying things up if you need me," Hugo sighed as he walked down the stairs.

Chihiro flinched as she heard the sound of Hugo's footsteps. Great, she messed up so many times she got them bored! Surely she has to do something right now!

"ROCK, JUST CHANGE SIZES ALREADY DANG IT!" Chihiro screamed at last.

A harsh light burned against Chihiro’s face, so bright that she couldn’t help but wonder about its source and peeped her eyes open. Had it worked? Her mouth broke into an expectant grin as the light faded… And then fell as she realized that she hadn't made the rock shrink! In fact, it had grown at least two sizes!

"Well… You were able to perform it…" Master Eon trilled as he floated closer to a trembling Chihiro.

"DANG IT!" Chihiro screamed as she tugged on her hair. "Now what am I gonna do?!"

"Well, we could practice another spell to rid ourselves of this debris."

"Huh?" Chihiro let go of her hair and looked over at Master Eon.

"Levitation. Just focus on the thing you wish to levitate, and imagine it being lifted into the air."

Master Eon replied focused on a small rock that laid in front of them, right next to Chihiro's rock. Silence echoed throughout the room for mere moments before the rock floated in the air! Chihiro gasped in awe and clapped firmly, but stopped as Master Eon levitated the rock towards a side corner of the room and laid it down.

"Now it's your turn." Master Eon flew further from Chihiro. "Take that rock next to you and levitate it next to mine."

Chihiro turned around and saw her rock, which was now about the size of an old-timey box computer monitor next to her feet, and turned so that her whole body faced it. She cracked her knuckles, screwed her eyes shut, and her mind painted a picture of the rock next to her floating in the air like a ballerina or a giant bird. As she breathed in, she kept her focus tight until a surge of magic flooded through her veins, and peeped an eye open…

To find that the rock hadn't moved an inch.

Chihiro heaved a sigh, sat down with legs crossed, and focused once more. C'mon rock, float! Chihiro thought, her eyes trained on her feet as she stewed in her mind and felt a glow.

She glanced up and saw that the rock floated just an inch above the floor! Chihiro jumped out and let a squeal of glee, but this momentary rush was her downfall. Her concentration slipped, and the rock fell back down. And it didn't just land on the floor, no—it landed straight THROUGH the floor and made a decently-sized hole in the process!

Chihiro gulped and giggled as she knelt down and looked inside the hole, and Master Eon immediately flew over and did the same thing.

There, the rock sat in a hollow room covered in dust, dirt and more rocks. However, despite its fall it seemed to be perfectly intact!

"Okay, just a little slip-up," Chihiro reassured herself more than anyone as she breathed, "I can do this, I can do this."

"WHAT HAPPENED?! DID KAOS ATTACK AGAIN?!" Hugo screamed as he raced upstairs with wide panicked eyes that soon trailed over to the decently-sized hole in the floor. "AND WHAT'S WITH THAT HOLE IN THE FLOOR?!"

"Young Chihiro just had a training mishap, Hugo," Master Eon explained as he floated over to Hugo. "It happens at times."

Hugo cringed as he looked at the hole and a very sheepish Chihiro, and sighed. "I'll just go get the broom in case we have any more 'mishaps.'" Hugo said as he walked back down the stairs and out of the citadel.

With a scoff, Chihiro shrugged Hugo off and continued to work. She focused until her head strained with stress as she tried to lift the rock up once more, and occasionally sneaked glances only to find that the rock either didn't move at all, or only budged an inch before it stood strong once more. As she heaved a loud groan, Chihiro focused her whole mind on the rock—but after several more attempts, she was no more successful than she was the first time.

"Young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated over to Chihiro's side and examined the motionless rock in the hole. "Maybe it's time for you to move onto something else?"

"NO!" Chihiro shouted as she stood up straight and looked Master Eon in his glowing face. "I can do it, I just need to try again!"

She then fell back down to the floor and focused once more, all her raw determination poured into her mind. C'mon rock, move! Float! Bounce, for all anyone cared! Just do something!

Chihiro's brow grew tugher and her determined expression turned to a stern frown as she summoned every bit of magic in her bones. She inhaled, exhaled, and finally shot up and broke her hands apart before she raised her arms in the sky. Then, with a heave of a sigh and a fall on her back, Chihiro looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

"Did… I… Do it?"

Chihiro sat up and saw that no, she had not. The rock was still rested on the floor. She let out the loudest groan known to mankind, and fell back onto her back.

"Okay… Maybe… I'll try something else…"

§

"So, Master Eon, what's next?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head. She finally recovered her exhausted energy, but her pride and confidence were of a different manner. Though surely, it was just a couple mistakes, right? This next one would probably go better.

"Channeling energy," Master Eon said before he breathed in, "I'd advise that you stand back for this one."

Chihiro nodded and jumped back as Master Eon summoned all his energy and created a sphere of bright, white, energy. She watched as he launched it at a large rock on top of the whole pile, and the sphere captured the rock and evaporated it into nothing.

"Now it's your turn, young Chihiro."

Chihiro nodded, hopped over to where Master Eon stood, and stared down the large pile of rocks and frowned. She placed her hands so that they faced each other and narrowed her eyes, and a powerful fire brewed in her heart.

Alright, all I've gotta do is create an energy sphere and shoot it, just like in the TV shows, Chihiro thought with a smirk as she summoned every bit of magic energy in her body. Come on, gimme an energy sphere, just like those ones in Hydra Sphere!

Just then, a sphere of bright aqua magic energy formed between her hands! Chihiro smiled as she thrust it in front of her and watched as it slammed right into the center of the pile and exploded! There was a flash so bright that Chihiro had to turn away, and small rocks flew everywhere—this whole place would surely be clean now!

But when Chihiro finally opened her eyes, she saw that the room she was in was even more of a mess than before! Gravel and small pebbles laid scattered all over the floor, the rocks that weren't blown up were tossed all across the room, with some even lodged in the wall, and the place looked like a landslide had hit it! Chihiro shuddered as she looked over her handiwork, and a frown formed on her face as she realized how long cleanup would take.

"Well, I, I," Chihiro put her hands together and pressed them against her lips as a frown deepened across her face. "I think I might have made it worse. Whoops. Maybe I should have drawn inspiration from a different TV show."

"What's a TV?" Master Eon asked as he floated next to her.

Chihiro's frown turned to a blank expression as her shoulders slumped. "I'll explain to you later."

"Well, regardless," Master Eon floated away from her and examined the mess before them, "this does give me an opportunity to teach you your next spell—animation."

"Animation? Like a cartoon?"

"Whatever a cartoon is, that's not quite it," Master Eon corrected. "Animation as in bringing things to life, like this."

Master Eon breathed in (could a ghost even breathe?) and focused his energy towards a nearby rock, then watched as the rock started glowing and seemingly came to life! The rock rolled around the room, found another rock and went back to laying down lifeless as it sat down next to the rock.

"Now, Chihiro—" Master Eon was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open.

"MASTER EON!" Hugo shouted as he jogged up the stairs with a tall broom that had a dustpan attached to it in his furry paw. "It took me quite a while, but I found the—"—Hugo looked over the mess before them—"… Broom."

"Thank you, Hugo," Master Eon said with no mind paid to Hugo's gaping mouth as he took the broom out of Hugo's hand and levitated it towards Chihiro. "Now, young Chihiro, do as I just did and bring this broom to life."

"Okay," Chihiro said as she grabbed the broom from Master Eon and stared it down.

Let's see, how to make this broom come to life? Chihiro thought as she frowned deeply and stared the broom down, Broom, clean up this mess for me!

Nothing. Chihiro's shoulders slumped as she looked over the broom. That certainly didn't work. Was she forgetting something?…

"Oh, right!" Chihiro exclaimed as she closed her eyes and held the broom tightly in her grasp. Magic flowed through her whole body as she focused on the image of the broom coming to life and cleaning the room up for her. "Okay." Chihiro raised her voice and grinned, "BROOM, TIME TO DO SOME CLEANING!"

The broom glowed a bright aqua before it bounded out of Chihiro's hand… And promptly fell on the ground. Chihiro only buried her face in her hands with a loud groan, then walked over to the broom, pointed her finger at it and gritted her teeth.

"Broom! Get off the floor and clean!"

But the broom didn't respond. It merely continued to sit on the ground. Its presence almost mocked Chihiro, with its inability to clean a reminder of her continued failure to perform any sort of magic.

"C'mon, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Chihiro's eyes started to water from frustration as she fell to her knees. "Two cherries? Three with lots of whipped cream and sprinkles too?"

Master Eon and Hugo only sighed.

"Abra cadabra alakazam!" Chihiro pointed at the broom. "Animus broomicus? Presto change-o? C'MON, GIVE ME SOMETHING, PLEASE!"

Master Eon floated to Chihiro and gently rested his ghostly self on her shoulder.

"You seem awfully frustrated, young Chihiro," Master Eon remarked. "Perhaps you should rest for now?"

Chihiro sniffed and rubbed her eyes as her brow tightened. "I can get it," Chihiro insisted as she balled her hand into a fist. "I just need to try again!"

"Actually, Chihiro," Hugo interrupted. "We do need to change out patrols for the afternoon…"

As she heard Hugo's words, Chihiro sighed and trudged away. A feeling of doom and gloom emanated around her. She had failed practically everything she had tried—how was that even possible?

Hugo only frowned as he trailed after Chihiro, but his expression perked up a tiny bit as he looked back at Master Eon. "We'll be back soon, Master Eon!" Hugo shouted as he went back to following Chihiro.

Master Eon only sighed as they walked of his view, and though she was sure he probably thought she couldn’t hear him, Chihiro absolutely did. Surely, he was just as exhausted as she was—and she didn’t blame him. How could she be such a failure?