"Over that mountain ahead—the Moon Temple!" Thunder Blaze announced as their small convoy approached a towering peak that dominated the barren landscape.
"Finally! I can't wait to meet Vanguard!" Luo Luo's excitement was infectious, his voice carrying hope that had sustained him through the dangerous journey. "Once we convince him to return to the Time City, we'll have everything we need. Thunder Blaze and Vanguard's combination technique—Flowing Shadow Lightning Flash—will obliterate any obstacle the Golden Iron Beast can throw at us!"
The four accelerated toward their destination, mechanical engines humming with anticipation. But as they crested the mountain's ridge, their optimism crashed against harsh reality.
"This... this is supposed to be the Moon Temple?" Ye Xiu's voice carried disbelief as he surveyed the devastation spread below them.
Where ancient spires should have reached toward the sky, only twisted metal fragments remained. Collapsed structures littered the sacred grounds like scattered bones, their once-proud architecture reduced to rubble and scrap.
"How could this happen?" Luo Luo whispered, his dreams of easy alliance crumbling with each detail he absorbed.
"It's over, completely over," Hot Wheels moaned with characteristic pessimism. "Turns out the Moon Temple got slaughtered before we could even get here."
"Wait—I found something," Thunder Blaze called out, his warrior instincts cutting through the group's despair.
They gathered around him as he indicated a pile of distinctive black metal fragments scattered across the temple's entrance plaza.
"These markings belong to Black Panther Beasts," Thunder Blaze identified with grim recognition. "The Tiger King's elite forces swept through here. This wasn't random destruction—it was systematic extermination."
"Poor Moon Temple," Hot Wheels lamented with theatrical sorrow. "I never expected them to get wiped out faster than us!"
"Let's search the inner sanctum," Ye Xiu suggested with practical determination. "Maybe some warriors survived and are hiding in the ruins."
"Let's go!"
They picked their way through debris fields and collapsed archways, their footsteps echoing hollowly in spaces that had once hosted solemn ceremonies. The devastation was complete—not a single survivor emerged from the wreckage to greet them.
"We're truly finished now," Hot Wheels continued his doom-laden commentary. "If we can't find Vanguard, won't our Time City end up exactly like this?"
"Shut up, Hot Wheels! You're such a jinx!" Luo Luo snapped, his nerves frayed by the mechanical pessimist's constant negativity.
"Vanguard wouldn't fall easily," Thunder Blaze declared with unwavering confidence in his unseen partner. "As the Moon Temple's primary defender, he possesses both the skill and determination to survive this assault."
"But where would he go?" Ye Xiu activated the Robo-King suit's integrated mapping system, holographic displays materializing as he studied the Robo-Troopers World's geography with strategic intensity.
"Maybe he headed to the Time City for reinforcements," Thunder Blaze suggested, pointing toward their home base's location. "The Moon Temple is relatively close to our territory."
"Impossible," Ye Xiu countered immediately, his gaming-trained tactical mind rejecting the surface-level assumption. "Not only did you and Luo Luo fail to encounter Vanguard on your way here, but if I were the Tiger King, I'd definitely station forces along that exact route. Plus there's already a Black Iron Beast army besieging the Time City—Vanguard would never choose such an obviously monitored path."
His analysis carried the confident authority of someone accustomed to outthinking opponents across multiple dimensions of strategy.
"What about Fire Dragon Valley?" Ye Xiu asked suddenly, highlighting a different region on the tactical display. "Are there warriors stationed there?"
"Fire Dragon Valley? No permanent garrison, but Energy City personnel appear there occasionally," Thunder Blaze replied.
"Energy City?"
"Yeah."
"Then I know where Vanguard is now!" Ye Xiu declared with absolute certainty. "He's in Energy City!"
"Why would Vanguard go to Energy City?" Thunder Blaze asked with confusion. "That's the front-line battleground between Vehicle Tribe and Beast Tribe forces. Besides, the distance between Moon Temple and Energy City is enormous."
"Look at the tactical situation," Ye Xiu explained patiently, his finger tracing routes across the holographic map. "The direct path between Energy City and Moon Temple is completely blockaded. Even if Vanguard wanted to request assistance, he couldn't break through. You mentioned that the Sacred Forest is guarded by Shockwave and Off-Road tribe—the Tiger King definitely has those routes monitored as well."
His analysis gained momentum as the pieces fell into place. "Both nearest help-seeking routes are blocked, leaving only Fire Dragon Valley as a viable option. Since no vehicle warriors are permanently stationed there, the Tiger King wouldn't waste resources monitoring that direction."
"And you said Energy City personnel frequently appear in Fire Dragon Valley. Even if Vanguard wasn't directly rescued by Energy City forces, he'd certainly cross Fire Dragon Valley to request their assistance!"
"Brother Ye Xiu, you're brilliant!" Luo Luo exclaimed with renewed admiration for his gaming mentor's strategic capabilities.
"Although I dislike admitting it," Hot Wheels grudgingly conceded, "your intelligence is... second only to my own genius, naturally."
The casual arrogance of that statement was so perfectly Hot Wheels that all three companions simultaneously face-planted into the rubble.
"But even knowing Vanguard's probable location doesn't solve our core problem," Thunder Blaze pointed out as he recovered from Hot Wheels' latest bout of mechanical ego. "The Black Iron Beast army has withdrawn, but Golden Iron Beast declared he'll destroy the Time City within three days. Energy City is incredibly far from here—by the time we locate Vanguard, our home might already be a smoking crater."
"Ah..." The collective sigh that followed carried the weight of impossible timing and distant hopes.
Crack.
A subtle sound—barely audible above the wind whistling through broken architecture—immediately put all four on high alert. Their heads snapped toward a darkened structure that loomed ominously among the ruins.
"Luo Luo, you and Hot Wheels stay back," Ye Xiu commanded with tactical authority, drawing his Robo-King Token and initiating fusion with Thunder Blaze in one fluid motion.
The combined warrior advanced with careful precision, sword drawn and sensors active as they approached the sound's source. Luo Luo and Hot Wheels followed at a safe distance, ready to flee if the situation deteriorated rapidly.
"I am a warrior from the Time City," Thunder Blaze announced clearly, his voice carrying across the abandoned temple grounds. "I'm here seeking Vanguard!"
The declaration seemed to trigger something within the shadows. A tall, green-armored figure emerged from concealment—obviously a motorcycle warrior, but one transformed from excavation equipment rather than traditional vehicles.
"You're not Power Titan, are you?" Luo Luo called out immediately, recognizing similar but distinct design elements.
"No—Power Titan is my brother," the newcomer replied as he stepped fully into view. "I'm Shockwave. My brother and I were ambushed by Black Panther Beast forces. We sustained significant damage and had to take shelter here for repairs."
"Where is your brother Power Titan now?" Luo Luo asked urgently. Even if they couldn't locate Vanguard, finding Power Titan would be incredibly valuable—as a power-type specialist, he'd possess exactly the capabilities needed to counter Wild Ape's Black Iron Beast armies. Power Titan's involvement could resolve most of their immediate crisis.
"My brother? He's training not far from here," Shockwave indicated with a gesture toward the distant hills.
On a nearby peak, a massive yellow excavator-type warrior—even larger than Shockwave—was engaged in martial arts practice using a boulder the size of a small mountain. Each strike of his powerful limbs generated tremendous kinetic force, the entire hillside trembling with the impacts of his training regimen.
"That Power Titan is truly a formidable general!" Thunder Blaze observed with professional appreciation as Shockwave guided them toward the training site. "With his assistance, the Time City will definitely survive this crisis!"
"Thunder Blaze, just because we can't find Vanguard doesn't mean we should settle for some big, clumsy substitute!" Hot Wheels complained with his usual lack of diplomacy.
"Mountain Meteor Crash!"
Power Titan's thunderous battle cry cut through all conversation as he demonstrated why power-type warriors commanded such respect. He launched himself skyward with explosive force, then plummeted earthward like a falling star. The impact when he struck the ground created shockwaves that rippled across the entire mountain—so powerful that Hot Wheels was knocked flat by the tremors alone.
Now Hot Wheels finally understood exactly how much raw strength Power Titan commanded.