Night long since fell in Treasure Lake, and in most parts of this sleepy little town, the title of sleepy town truly befit it. Lights were turned off in most homes, and no sounds came from the lively forests as the wildlife rested. The only thing to be heard were the faint hoots of owls as they swept across the starry skies, or raccoons as they fled from rummaging through people's opened garbage cans. The smell of cool, crisp air lingered through the winds as they rushed through the area and brushed against trees, shook leaves, and knocked against people's windows.

That included the single lit window that rested atop the Hatsukis' household, its faint golden light just barely visible between purple curtains. It was the sole beacon of light, and the indicator that not everything in this town was as sleepy as it seemed; in fact, this one particular room was full of life!

The soft flare of cyan light shone off in the bedroom window for mere moments, but the light faded as none other than Chihiro emerged from a finished warp! Her eyes narrowed as she clutched a cloth sack tight in her hands, and she upturned it as she dumped its contents onto her bed. Down from the sack came a small pile of warp starts; Tree Rex, who fell onto some invisible thing that suspended him over the bed; and the bag followed soon after as Chihiro tossed it on.

"Yep, seems like I've got everything," Chihiro remarked as she grabbed the thing that held Tree Rex and unfurled it. As she draped the object around her body, everything but her head turned invisible to the naked eye—and even that didn't last for long as she drew its hood over her head. "With everyone asleep right now, I don't think anyone would notice me running off…"

Chihiro slipped one of the warp starts from the pile, smiled and clasped it tight in her hands while it glowed a bright blue.

Are you sure this will work? Tree Rex asked. The other Elder Elementals could be anywhere by now! It would take us more than a night to search for them with how big this world is…

"Don't worry!" Chihiro beamed as she released the warp start and let it drop back onto her bed. "I thought about that, too!"

Chihiro waved her hands, summoned a crystal ball made of pure magic and waved a hand around its top. A few pulses of magic flashed around its surface, and a warble sounded off from it as its screen changed to a picture of the Elder Elementals, still frozen as toys and seated inside a trashcan! As it shone clear as day, Chihiro smiled and placed the crystal ball down to Tree Rex's eye level.

"This crystal ball is a tracking device, in essence. It can tell us right where they are at any moment of the day!" Chihiro explained as she lifted up the sack. "With this, finding 'em will be a breeze!"

A creak sounded off from the crystal ball, and Chihiro gasped as the image of a garbage truck slid into view!

"And good thing, 'cause unless we wanna go dumpster diving, we'll need to get them fast!"

Chihiro stuffed the crystal ball into the stack, yanked a handful of warp starts off the bed and tossed them inside. As the last of the warp starts landed inside her sack, Chihiro shut it tight and slung it across her chest, and it also disappeared underneath her cloak's fabric. She slipped the warp start she activated off her bed and onto the floor, and grabbed hold of Tree Rex.

"You might wanna hold on tight!" Chihiro cried as she hopped onto the warp start. "This might get a liiiiiiitle bumpy!"

How can I hold on? I can't move! Tree Rex retorted, but screamed as bright cyan light engulfed him and Chihiro!

The light completely drowned out all sights and sounds for a few moments with its bright sparkles and shrill shrieks, but finally, it vanished.

The lack of light unveiled that the two of them were in Chihiro's bedroom no more! Rather, they arrived at the same part of the city where the presentation was held hours earlier. In the night, it looked like a completely different place: the streets were lit only by the overhead lamps, and the bright windows and signs of stores that were still open. Meanwhile, most of the populace came from cars that drove up and down the street—outside of Chihiro herself, there were very few passerby.

"Now," Chihiro said as she stuffed Tree Rex into her sack for safekeeping, "they should be somewhere around here. Let me know if you hear them." Chihiro tucked her hood just a little further over her face until it was completely masked from view. "I'm going to keep an eye out for any unwelcome guests."

Chihiro frowned as she examined the ball, and strode over to a couple of trashcans near an open strip of green grass, the very place where the presentation was held moments prior. This should be the place, but oddly enough, she couldn't hear any sort of of voices other than her own and Tree Rex's!

Chihiro frowned and hummed as she stowed away her crystal ball, opened the trashcan and magically sifted away some of the trash—but, no sign of the other Elder Elementals was to be found. So, Chihiro placed the lid back over the trashcan, and trudged over to the second one, her eyes watery and her nose pained from the scent. Right before she could open it, though, the sound of screaming pierced her mind! Chihiro winced and held her head, for all that noise was so, so overwhelming. More importantly, those voices sounded kind of familiar!

There they are! Tree Rex cried from within the safety of Chihiro's bag. I can sense them! They're over there!

Chihiro lifted her head, and fixed her gaze on a white and green garbage truck that stopped on the side of the road while a couple people in green suits emptied garbage cans into the truck's back. Between the splitting headache that overwhelmed her senses, and the sound of cars rushing to and fro, Chihiro could make out a trace of a voice from within the truck itself—but, it was so faint that she couldn't tell the owner.

"But, why would they be in there?" Chihiro asked as she lifted up her crystal ball once more. "The crystal ball said they were in—"

Right as Chihiro went to speak, the crystal ball's reflection warbled and shifted to a different picture, this time of the other seven Elder Elementals trapped inside a garbage truck amid mounds of assorted trash. Delayed updates, go figure. Chihiro scoffed, whisked away her crystal ball and tightened her cloak.

"Alright, change of plans!" Chihiro proclaimed as she dashed towards the garbage truck while it prepared to leave. "We're gonna have to do a little dumpster diving!"

With one last sprint, Chihiro jumped right towards the garbage truck; she went to latch on, but it drove out of reach just before she could! She could only tumble forward and plant face-first on the ground as the truck drove out of view.

"Alright, seems like I'm gonna have to go a little faster than I thought…" Chihiro pushed herself back to her feel and tapped her heels against the asphalt. "Luckily, I've got just the thing!"

With one last stomp, wings formed on the heels of her boots, and Chihiro's veins swelled with speed and energy, as if standing in the same spot any longer would make her burst! Chihiro leaped forward, and dashed off at such a speed that she was nothing but a blur to the naked eye. The few cars on the road honked their horns and screeched to a stop as she wove between them, but she didn't stop and wave. Rather, she just ran until she finally had the garbage truck's back in her sights!

Chihiro narrowed her eyes as she drew closer and closer to the truck, which laid completely oblivious to her tailing it; she leaped forward and clung to the rails on the side! The wind slapped her face with bitter cold breezes, and blew her hood off her head so that both it and her hair flapped in the wind's grasp. Not to mention, it made the railing icy-cold until it was painful to hang on, as if it would burn her fingers off if she held on any longer. But, Chihiro just grunted as she climbed higher up on the rails, finally hopped on top of the truck, and clung as tightly as she could to it.

Gloves and gauntlets made of magic formed on her arms and eased the pain of cold a little, but clinging so hard turned her hands a little sore and achy. Chihiro loosened her grip a bit, and beside her, the horns of a massive truck sounded in the air in a monstrous cry that turned her attention to the side of the road!

Chihiro squeaked as a huge truck with a lengthy trailer blazed passed her on the other lane and slammed a massive gust in her face; she went to shield herself from the breeze on instinct. In that moment, she threw her arms in front of her face and lost her grip on the truck! Chihiro squealed and latched onto the edge of the truck, but slipped off and went tumbling onto the road! Just before she could hit the pavement, a blue light surrounded her and she vanished from the outside world.

Inside the truck itself, a blue sphere of light illuminated the inside, and brought brief light to its inner stash of old, rotten garbage before it finally it popped and revealed Chihiro! A blue bubble formed a shield around her as she appeared inside the garbage truck, and she herself sighed as she grabbed her hood.

"That was close," Chihiro remarked as she fixed her hood back on her head. "I was almost roadkill for a secoonnnNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD!"

Chihiro grunted as the truck jolted to a stop and sent piles of garbage toppling over. She sifted around, sat back up and rubbed her head.

Jeez! cried a robotic voice from within the pile. That hurt!

Chihiro yanked her head up, whipped it around and gasped. "That voice, it sounded like…"

Bouncer! Tree Rex cried. It seemed like it was coming from right there, to the right!

Chihiro snapped her fingers, and her bubble shield shrank and tightened around her until it formed into a veritable hazmat suit that tucked itself right under her cloak! Though it did well to shield her from anything toxic about this waste, it didn't shield her from the awful stench the garbage gave off. Chihiro moaned, snapped her fingers again and summoned a clothespin over her nose.

"Much better," Chihiro sighed, her voice slightly muffled by the clothespin on her nose.

With her nose safe from sensory overload for now, Chihiro trudged over to the pile where she swore she heard the voice and sifted through. As she pushed through rotted apple cores, banana peels, and old wrappers, a hint of shiny gold made its way out of the pile and glistened against the soft glow her magic suit gave off. Chihiro gently yanked the golden object out of the pile, and it took the figure of a tall gold and red robot with a wheel for a leg!

Finally, I'm out of that place! Bouncer cried. Now I can stretch my wheel… Wait a second, who are you?

Bouncer! Tree Rex called from within Chihiro's sack. Are you alright?

Tree Rex, is that you? Bouncer chuckled. Man, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice! I'd thought I lost track of you when we all got dumped into that can!

"Save the reunions for when everyone's back, guys," Chihiro said as she raised a brow on Bouncer and whipped out her sack once more. "Bouncer, right? Do you know where everyone else is?"

Er, I think I heard Thumpback and Crusher somewhere around here… Bouncer said. Hey, wait a second, aren't you that person from earlier?

"I'll explain later!" Chihiro dropped Bouncer in the sack and tightened it up once more. "For now, I need to get the rest of you all and get out of here!"

Chihiro frowned as she slung the sack back across her chest, but right as she got up, something stopped her in her tracks. She could've sworn she heard something like muffled voices from outside the truck, and nothing that sounded like the Elder Elementals! That couldn't have been the drivers, could it?

"Alright, Gary, I'm opening this baby up!" cried one of the voices from outside as the door creaked open!

"Crap!" Chihiro cried.

With another flash of light, Chihiro teleported back on top of the truck, gasped and slid down on top of the propped-up door! Chihiro quickly steadied herself just as her feet hit its top, tucked her cloak around her body, and peered over the side of the door. Down below, the truck dumped its waste into a massive chute, which in turn sent the rest of that garbage through a system of tubes. Finally, it dropped all across a massive junkyard full of old piles of junk and garbage. Looks like her job just got even harder…

Chihiro hopped back onto the top of the truck as the door came to a close, and raised a brow as she peered down below.

"You know, Claire," remarked one garbage worker to the other as he wiped his hands and walked off. "I could've sworn I saw someone climbing up the back of our truck when we were driving here."

"I doubt it. You must've just been seeing things!"

Chihiro just huffed and teleported away once more as the two workers walked off!

One more flash of light, and she was inside the junkyard! Piles of trash stretched to the heavens, and occasionally crumbled downwards onto old cars and trucks that were beyond repair; Chihiro herself had to jump away before one of them crashed over her! Though it was the middle of an autumn night, a soft, warm feeling mixed with smoke and the crackle of embers wafted on the air, along with… Ugh, the absolutely awful stench of rotten garbage, but ten times as strong as the one in the truck! Even from within the safety of her hazmat suit, Chihiro's eyes watered and her head swelled from how awful and overwhelming the smell was. She needed to find everyone soon, because she wasn't sure if she could take this awful stench any longer!

So, with her cloak as her shield, Chihiro trudged through the dump.

"Hello, Elder Elementals? Sound off if you hear me!" Chihiro cried as she cupped her hands around the mouth. "Olly olly oxen free!"

Hey, everyone! Tree Rex called. It's me, Tree Rex! Where are you all?

Bouncer here! Bouncer cried. What's the team formation?

For a moment, nothing sounded off by the sound of crackling flames, shredding noises in the distance and creaking metal. Finally, a cough hit the air! After that cough came the sound of somebody with a much more guttural voice clearing their throat!

Tree Rex, Bouncer, it's Crusher! cried a voice like gravel, rocky and rough. Thumpback and I are over here!

Chihiro gasped, sprinted over to a nearby pile of garbage where brown and blue lights shone, and yanked out the lights' sources from a pile of torn candy wrappers and other junk!

In one hand, she now held a figurine of a rock golem who wore a helmet and sash embed with gems and clutched a rocky hammer in hand as he stood on a stand of earth and crystal; in the other, she held a large blue whale who wore trousers with a ship wheel-shaped buckle, had arms covered in barnacles, and held an anchor in both hands as he stood on a base of splashing water. No doubt about it, these had to be Crusher and Thumpback! So, Chihiro shimmied her sack open and stashed them away.

Right as she tied it back up, a scream pierced her mind! Chihiro turned her head up to where a large pile of trash toppled over like a crashing ocean wave, but amid the crashing trash, a bright silver light shone from the pile! Chihiro gasped, teleported over to the landing sight of the crash and flung out her hands. The trash froze in place while it shone with a bright blue light, and creaked backwards as Chihiro pushed it back in place with magic.

Right in that moment, though, the waft of awful garbage stench passed by Chihiro and overwhelmed her once more! Though she tried her best to keep her focus, it flooded her senses and strained her mind…

Finally, Chihiro completely lost focus and the magic faded! A shadow cast over her, and the moment she peered up, she screamed and teleported away—for the trash came in for her, and it came in fast! A massive crash sounded as the trash swept in across the area, but Chihiro reappeared in the heart of it all.

The screams, though muffled, still sounded off like before. Hopefully whoever was trapped inside didn't have any injuries! Chihiro fells to her knees and dug through the pile, trash tossed amuck in her wake. As she cleared past some old rusted metal, sparks of silver light shone against the tiny holes and cracks in the pile. Chihiro pushed its trashy covering aside until the light shone bright in her face, and lifted out…

Eye-Brawl! His winged eye head shone bright with silver light like a flashlight, and the gold and black armor suit that made up his body stayed tight in Chihiro's hand as it stuck to a buried skull.

"Look who eye found!" Chihiro chuckled as she poked Eye-Brawl's chest.

The light faded from Eye-Brawl's eye as he chuckled along with Chihiro's pun, and she smiled as she wrangled her sack open.

Eye see you also have a mind for eye puns! Eye-Brawl remarked!

"And not just that!" Chihiro winked as she showed Eye-Brawl the sack's insides. "I've got your buddies right here too!"

Eye-Brawl! the others all called at once as Chihiro dropped him inside.

Chihiro, meanwhile, paused and peered inside the sack while she raised a brow. Tree Rex, Bouncer, Thumpback, Crusher and Eye-Brawl… That was five out of the eight, so where were the other three?

Hey, that was Eye-Brawl, right? cried another kind of hoarse voice from nearby. Eye-Brawl, where are you?

Hot Head! Cried another voice, one with a notable Spanish accent. I don't know about Eye-Brawl, but Ninjini and I are over here! I don't know why, though, but it kind of feels like we're moving?

Well, that solved her problem! Chihiro jumped to her feet and got ready to run, but the sound of footsteps forced her to roll down behind a gathering of empty, rusted barrels! Chihiro winced, drew her cloak so that it completely covered her body once again, and tucked her hood a little further over her face. With herself perfectly shielded from view, Chihiro peeped over the barrels right as a security guard passed her by with a flashlight in hand.

I'd better hurry! Chihiro thought with a frown. Even if this cloak makes me invisible, I'm toast if they catch me using magic!

Mmmm, toast sounds good right about now, remarked that hoarse-sounding voice, and at a surprisingly close volume, too!

Chihiro turned around, and beside her, next to a small pile of torn, rotten junk, was none other than a golem made entirely of lava with flames pouring from his head and hands! He stood on a base of burning flames, and a soft, red light just barely emerged from his fires. That had to be Hot Head!

We can have some toast when we get back you back home! Chihiro remarked to Hot Head as she lifted him up and dropped him in the sack.

That was six of the eight found. All that was left now were Swarm and Ninjini!

So, Chihiro frowned and turned her gaze around the junkyard. Just where in this place were they? Shrill screams pierced her ears as a bright, warm red light flared up from across the area, but the sound of shredded filtered around Chihiro and blocked out everything else! Chihiro gasped, and dashed to the sound's source right as shredded metal fell down like confetti…

But while the sound died, the screams grew louder, and Chihiro could guess why!

There at the end was a large machine with some kind of shredder at the very end. It tore and munched away the garbage fed to it by a simple conveyor belt that collected piles of garbage, and dumped them in a never-ending cycle. Judging by the volume of those screams, and the faint sky blue and purple lights that flashed and died like car headlights in the night, Swarm and Ninjini had to be in one of those piles!

Chihiro gasped, dashed forward and leaped on the conveyor belt, right between two piles of garbage! Chihiro dug through the one to her left, but found no sort of light in its midst (just garbage and rot), so she tried the one on the right. It didn't have them, either! The sound of shredding garbage tickled Chihiro's face as sweat fell down her face, so she leaped to the pile ahead and dug through that one, but found nothing! While the trash she tossed off fell into the machine and was tore to bits, Chihiro only winced. That shredder drew closer and closer with every second she waited; just where were they?

"Hey, I think I saw something over here!" cried a voice from behind Chihiro!

The faint beams of a flashlight trickled down the way, and Chihiro gritted her teeth so hard that she was sure they'd snap!

"Swarm, Ninjini!" Chihiro cried as she jumped from pile to pile and tossed the trash away. "Where are you?" Chihiro whimpered and leaped to the next pile as the disrupted trash fell into the shredding machine with no sight of them found. "Answer me, quickly!"

Chihiro, what's wrong? Tree Rex shouted. Things are getting really loud in here!

Another loud screech sounded behind Chihiro, and shot shredded metal up behind her back. She grimaced as another pile of trash grew dangerously close to the shredder—and not just that, but her as well! The conveyor belt trailed faster and faster, and it wouldn't be long before they all met a sharp end! The sound of footsteps drew in closer, too. If that shredding machine didn't get her, the guards definitely would!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Chihiro screamed as she dug her hands into her hood. "I NEED MORE TIME!"

Chihiro clapped her hands together, and a string of bright cyan pulse of light spread around her! As the pulses spread across the junkyard, the entire world around slowed while its dull colors drained into grays and blacks and whites. Finally, everything drew to a complete stop!

"Phew," Chihiro sighed as she stood up and wiped her hazmat suit's panel, "thank goodness for time-stopping spells."

Chihiro turned back around and eyed the next pile en-route for the shredding machine's mouth, which stopped in mid-air just before it could meet its demise! Amid the old, broken plastic, wrappers and other junk, Chihiro could vaguely spy the heads of a large bee, and a person's ponytailed hair and sleek body. So, she yanked them out and grinned, for there in her hands now were Ninjini and Swarm!

"Close one," Chihiro remarked as she stowed them away. "If I had been a second later, you'd be shredded plastic!"

Chihiro smiled as she adjusted her sack's position, and trekked up the conveyor belt. Right as she did, the colors bled back into the world and time started once more. Chihiro yelped and jolted back as the conveyor belt started to move once more, but tripped over her own feet! Pieces of broken metal and plastic tickled her feet as the belt crept forward, yet Chihiro peered down and screamed as the wide-open mouth of the machine below her threatened to eat her alive!

She clawed back up the belt, but right as she did, a pile of trash crept across the belt and pushed her back down! Chihiro swerved around and clung to the side of the conveyor belt as the trash fell into the mouth and came out a shower of metal and plastic confetti. She climbed back up the belt, and panted as she rested her chest on its rubbery surface.

"Okay, I think I've had enough excitement for one night," Chihiro groaned as she climbed back on top of the belt. "It's high time I got out of" — Chihiro grunted as something tugged her back — "here?"

Chihiro pushed forward a few more times, but every time she tried to move on, something pulled her back to the machine. Just what was keeping her? Chihiro turned around, and winced as she realized just what it was—her cloak! Its cape was stuck to the belt! Chihiro gasped and tugged a little faster, a little more, in some hopes of getting unstuck, but the belt still clung to her cage. Worse yet, the machine's sharp mouth came in fast, and something told her that cape wasn't strong enough to keep her hanging!

Chihiro clenched her teeth as she trudged forward; she blasted a trash pile out of her way, but the conveyor belt still kept her held firm! The sounds of shredded metal crept up her back as she drew just inches away from the machine's mouth. Just as she got ready to slip, she planted her feet on the belt the best she could and burst forward! The stuck part of her cape fluttered in the wind as it tore off her body, but Chihiro paid no mind to it as she teleported away!

Chihiro reappeared in the heart of the dump in a flash of cyan light. As it exploded and sent sparkles raining down everywhere, she took a peek in her sack. One, two, four, six… Yep, she had all eight of them, and judging by the soft chatter she heard, they were all alright!

"Thank goodness, that was close!" Chihiro panted as she tied up the back, wrinkled her nose and gagged as the infamous junkyard scent passed by. "That being said, I'm definitely taking a nice, long bath once I get home, and I'd better get you all wiped down too."

Chihiro hummed and gently patted the sack, but the sound of something hitting the ground turned her around…

And via the faint light of a dropped flashlight and the overhead lights, Chihiro found herself face-to-face with a trembling security guard! His face was white as a sheet, and his trembling legs furiously knocked together as he looked Chihiro in the eye. Chihiro instinctively drew her cloak over her body.

"A, a, a, a… A GHOST!" the guard cried as he jabbed a finger at Chihiro. "THERE'S A GHOST IN MY JUNKYARD!"

"And that's my cue to leave!" Chihiro cried as she slammed her foot against the ground!

A blue circle formed around the ground below Chihiro's feet, and it completely erupted and captured her in its light. The soft blue enveloped the world around her, evaporated and dropped her off just outside of the junkyard on a hill next to a tree. Chihiro sighed as she slunk down against the tree trunk.

With a snap of her fingers, Chihiro's cloak leaped from her shoulders, and spun around before it sparkled like it just came out from the wash! It landed back on her person in an instant, but her hazmat suit disappeared in a puff of sparkles. Well, that was that taken care of, but she was sure the Elder Elementals needed to get clean too!

So, she opened her sack, levitated them out, and manifested a soft, wet cloth as she grabbed Bouncer. A soft grunt came from him as she gently washed his figurine form off with the cloth, but otherwise, the night was still and silent as she cleaned him of gunk and dirt.

So, who are you, anyways? Bouncer asked between grunts and chuckles from his cleaning session. 'Cause whoever you are, you're no ordinary human, that's for sure! Bouncer giggled as Chihiro rubbed his head. Hey, that tickles!

Huh, Chihiro never knew robots could be ticklish.

You'd be surprised! Bouncer replied with a chuckle of his own.

Are you some kind of wizard? Ninjini asked as Chihiro picked her up and cleaned her off next. Or perhaps… No, you aren't wearing one of those, you couldn't be…

But she is, Ninjini! Tree Rex chimed in as Chihiro moved on to Swarm in silence. Chihiro here is a free magician! Well, they call themselves "Portal Masters" now…

A free magician—er, portal master? I didn't know they were here too! Swarm cried. But, what do you mean, now?

Do you have a portal, too? Thumpback asked.

And for that matter, what is this place? grumbled Hot Head. This isn't anything like Skylands! Just looking at it gets me hot under the collar!

But you're always hot under the collar, Hot Head! Crusher retorted. It's in your name and everything!

Ah, that's true.

Questions bubbled to the surface as the Elder Elementals floated around Chihiro, but she just chuckled as she rubbed Eye-Brawl's eye with her cloth.

"Calm down, everyone, I'll answer your questions later!" Chihiro cried. "For now, I need to get you guys back to my place. You need to get somewhere safer" — Chihiro frowned as she magically whisked away her cloth — "and I have some unfinished business I need to take care!"

WE CAN GO BACK TO SKYLANDS? they all cried at once.

Cheers sounded all around Chihiro, and her heart bubbled with warmth as she slipped a warp start from her bag and levitated everyone inside!

"Hold on, everyone!" Chihiro cried as she charged the warp start with magic, and tossed it onto the ground. "I've got something I need to do, but once I get back, you're going home!"

The warp start flared with magic as it transformed into a functional teleporter, and Chihiro smiled just a bit as its light caressed her face. She grabbed her bag, tossed it onto the warp start and nodded as it vanished within its light. The bag vanished in an instant as the warp start's light faded, and Chihiro turned her gaze to the moon as she clutched her cloak.

"Once I find you, Kaos, you're gonna be in big trouble!"