The training arena echoed with impact after impact.
The entire field was shrouded in thick white mist, making visibility almost zero.
Erika dodged another wind blast at the last second, moving with much sharper reflexes than before.
Just then, another Akira illusion emerged from the mist, and a wind blast shot through his body straight at Erika.
But Erika spun gracefully and evaded it too.
Selena's voice echoed from somewhere hidden in the mist.
"Not bad, Erika-chan. You've improved a lot since we began."
More Akira illusions materialized, surrounding her from every direction.
Selena called out teasingly,
"Let's see how far you can go."
Multiple wind blasts rushed toward her from all sides.
Erika's eyes sharpened.
She summoned her device with a flourish.
"Serve me, Églantine!"
Twin red ribbons bloomed from her hands.
She spun in place, her voice ringing out.
"Blood Breathing, Second Form—Crimson Rose Blooming Vortex!"
The ribbons exploded outward in a spiraling storm of crimson light.
Countless slashes tore through the mist, shredding every illusion and wind blast in a beautiful, deadly whirlwind.
When the attack ended, Erika stood in the center, breathing heavily but steady.
The mist began to clear.
But Selena didn't give her any rest.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," she said with a playful laugh. "But how will you face my new ultimate attack?"
Erika tensed.
"What…?"
The remaining mist coalesced into a single figure.
Akira appeared again—but this time something was different.
Fluffy white wolf ears sat atop his head.
A large, soft tail swished behind him.
He smiled gently.
"Erika… do you want to touch my ears?"
Erika froze completely, her face turning bright red.
Before she could recover, multiple wind blasts slammed into her from all directions, sending her flying back and crashing to the ground.
Selena stepped out of the mist, laughing loudly.
"HAHAHA! How is my new ultimate technique?"
Erika lay on the ground, groaning.
"…I hate this."
After laughing for a moment, Selena walked over and helped pull Erika up from the ground.
"Don't be so sad. You've improved a lot compared to before."
Erika stood up, still breathing heavily.
"It's still not enough, right?"
Selena smiled gently.
"Well, I didn't use any of the little-kid Akira versions or anything too powerful like his bath version. Other than that, you did really well."
Erika sighed.
"But I still lost to that final attack…"
Selena's smile turned a little mischievous.
"Wolf-boy Akira is way more dangerous than you think. Even I wanted to touch his ears… even though he looks so similar to me. Sigh."
Erika thought for a moment, her cheeks turning pink.
"…How much more training until we… you know… become closer?"
Selena considered it seriously for a second, then answered,
"When you can handle his bath version without freezing up, you'll be ready. For now, I don't think it's a bad idea to slowly get closer to him. If either of you gets carried away, I'll stop it."
Erika's face turned even redder, but she nodded.
"…Fine. I guess."
Selena checked the system clock and clapped her hands.
"Well, today's training is over. You can take a rest."
Erika wiped her sweat.
"Okay."
She hesitated, then asked,
"What is Akira doing right now?"
Selena replied,
"He's been holed up in the castle workshop since the test flight yesterday. Hasn't come out since."
Erika sighed, remembering how Akira had disappeared right after they returned, saying he "had work to do."
"I got busy with training too, so I couldn't check on him…"
Selena smiled.
"Go see him. And bring something to eat—who knows when or what he'll eat otherwise."
Erika nodded.
"Yeah. The Crab Pig I put in the oven should be ready by now."
She teleported back to her room in the mansion, took a quick bath, changed into comfortable clothes, and headed to the kitchen.
The large oven had done its job perfectly.
The Crab Pig—a massive ingredient from the Toriko world—smelled rich, sweet, and savory.
She had cooked it simply like normal pork, and it looked and smelled excellent.
Good thing the mansion's kitchen was big enough for something this size.
She carefully stored the finished dish in her inventory, thinking about how Akira would like it.
But before heading to Akira, Erika first went to check on the Pokémon eggs they had gotten yesterday.
She entered a cozy room on the ground floor of the mansion.
She and Selena had decided to use a normal, comfortable room instead of a lab.
The two large eggs were nestled together on a fluffy couch, covered gently with a soft blanket.
The Super Shiny Charm sat nearby, glowing faintly.
Erika walked over and lightly touched both shells, smiling softly.
"I hope you two hatch faster… otherwise who knows what that idiot will do."
After making sure they were warm and stable, she teleported to the castle training arena to check on Raven and Rose.
What she saw was… different.
Raven and Rose were indeed training with Za-kun, but they weren't alone.
Ten seven-foot-tall humanoid robots, each with six arms wielding six katanas, were sparring fiercely.
Erika recognized them immediately—the Yoriichi Type Null units Akira had created in the Demon Slayer world.
But they looked upgraded.
Erika muttered,
"Do they look… different?"
Selena teleported beside her.
"Well, they are the upgraded version."
Erika asked,
"Upgraded?"
Selena nodded.
"Yeah. My brother improved them with better metal alloys and internal systems so they could help out in this world too, not just against demons. He's putting them through combat training with Za-kun to make them even stronger."
Erika watched as Raven cawed loudly.
"Caw! Come everyone, let's attack together!"
All ten Type Null units, Raven, and Rose charged at once.
But the massive black Zaku-type robot—Za-kun—easily pushed them all back by itself.
It truly was the commander of Akira's army for a reason.
Erika sighed with a small smile.
"I'll go check on Akira then."
Selena waved her off.
"Sure. I'll take care of things here."
Erika teleported to the castle's lab section and entered the main workshop.
"Akira?"
What she saw made her freeze.
The brand-new YT-2400 light freighter was completely dismantled.
Parts were spread across the room in organized clusters—armor plating, engines, hull panels, wiring, even the hyperdrive core.
All carefully scattered like a giant mechanical puzzle.
And right in the middle of it all, buried halfway under the massive hyperdrive engine… was Akira, fast asleep, tools still in his hands.
Erika's shock quickly melted into familiar exasperation.
She couldn't tell whether he had passed out or simply fallen asleep, but after knowing him this long, this wasn't the first time she had found him like this.
When they were kids, he used to sleep in the strangest places after tinkering for too long.
She rushed over and gently shook him.
"Akira… Akira, wake up."
Akira slowly opened his eyes, still half-asleep.
"Oh… Erika… five more minutes…"
Erika didn't let him.
She pinched his cheek.
"Wake up."
Finally, Akira woke fully.
He levitated the heavy hyperdrive engine off himself with magic and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"What time is it?"
Erika stared at him, not sure what to say first.
"So… did you pass out or just fall asleep?"
Akira stretched casually.
"Well, I was getting tired, so I wanted to take a quick nap."
Erika pointed at the dismantled ship surrounding them.
"Then why are you buried under this?"
Akira shrugged with a small smile.
"Because it felt cozy that way."
Erika just stared at him in disbelief.
She didn't know what to say anymore.
She looked around at the completely disassembled YT-2400.
"Wait—before that, what did you do to the ship? You just got it yesterday."
Akira's eyes lit up with a spark.
"Well, I wanted to know how it works so I can make better ones in the future."
Erika asked, a bit shocked,
"You didn't know how it works? I thought you knew everything."
Akira laughed lightly.
"I'm not an all-knowing god, you know. Even I need to learn new things. This Star Wars tech, especially the hyperdrive system, is beyond what I already understand. So I'm studying it."
Erika asked,
"So… did you figure it out?"
Akira nodded proudly.
"Yeah, I already figured out most of it. This hyperdrive engine is—"
His stomach let out a loud, dramatic grumble.
He placed a hand on his belly.
"Oh… I'm hungry. And I didn't have time to make more energy bars or alphas."
Erika sighed, but her expression softened.
"Don't worry. I made you something to eat."
She walked over to the lab's dining table in the distance and took out the roasted Crab Pig from her inventory.
The rich, savory aroma filled the workshop.
Akira's eyes sparkled as he reached out.
"Oh! Crab Pig! This looks tasty."
Erika stopped him immediately.
"Wash your hands first."
Akira quickly cleaned his hands with magic.
They sat down together, and Akira practically devoured the massive Crab Pig while Erika ate at a more normal pace.
As they ate, Akira spoke between bites.
"There are lots of tough parts, but it's so tasty—sweet and savory at the same time."
Erika took a small piece and nodded.
"Yeah… it's sweet like crab, but richer."
She thought for a moment, then asked,
"Oh yeah… did you figure out what happened to Erina?"