The Training Master Read online

“Do take care, my dear,” said Mr. Beeba. “We’ll come back to see you again at the first opportunity.”

  “Great,” I said. “And, hey, tell King Froptoppit I said thanks for everything. It was the best three weeks of my life, and the worst three weeks too.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” said Mr. Beeba before the doors slid shut. Poog smiled at me through the window as the astroshuttle rose into the air, and Gax waved goodbye with a spindly mechanical arm.

  A moment later they rocketed into the sky and disappeared behind a bank of clouds. And that was the last time I saw them.

  Well, for a while, anyway. I knew they’d be back for another adventure soon enough. But at that moment I wanted nothing more adventurous than an ordinary Saturday afternoon at the mall, followed by a good home-cooked meal and a nice long bath before bed.

  And that, I’m pleased to say, is exactly what I got.

  Mark Crilley was raised in Detroit, where he never had to endure Humbling Week but found that every week in elementary school was at least a little bit humbling. After graduating from Kalamazoo College in 1988, he traveled to Taiwan and Japan, where he taught English to students of all ages for nearly five years. It was during his stay in Japan in 1992 that he created the story of Akiko and her journey to the planet Smoo. First published as a comic book in 1995, the Akiko series has since earned Crilley numerous award nominations, as well as a spot on Entertainment Weekly’s “It List” in 1998. Mark Crilley is also the author of the Billy Clikk series for young readers. He lives in Michigan with his wife, Miki, and son, Matthew.

  Visit the author at www.markcrilley.com.

  Read all of Akiko’s adventures!

  Akiko on the Planet Smoo

  When fourth grader Akiko finds a spacecraft hovering outside her window, she begins the adventure of a lifetime. She is whisked off to the planet Smoo to lead a team searching for the Smoovian king’s kidnapped son. Akiko, the head of a rescue mission? She’s afraid to be on the school’s safety patrol!

  So begin Akiko’s adventures on the planet Smoo. In this tale, she meets her team—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Poog—and sets off on a journey to find a prince and become a leader.

  Akiko in the Sprubly Islands

  Akiko and her extraterrestrial crew—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Poog—are back! Unfortunately, they’re also lost. If they’re to complete their mission to save the kidnapped Prince Froptoppit, their only hope is to find the mysterious Queen Pwip of the Sprubly Islands, who may be able to help them. First, however, Akiko and the gang will have to survive a skugbit storm, make their way out of the belly of a giant sea snake, and sail the Moonguzzit Sea to safety. Just another day in the life of our intergalactic heroes!

  Akiko and the Great Wall of Trudd

  Fourth-grade earthling Akiko and her extraterrestrial crew are nearing the end of their mission to save the kidnapped Prince Froptoppit from Alia Rellapor, and nothing can stop this band of intrepid rescuers. Or can it? Akiko, Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Poog have faced many obstacles along the way, but now they are confronted with the biggest yet: the Great Wall of Trudd.

  Akiko in the Castle of Alia Rellapor

  Join Akiko, Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Poog in this thrilling conclusion to their adventures on the Planet Smoo! Akiko and her loyal crew have finally reached Alia Rellapor’s castle, where Prince Froptoppit is being held prisoner. But in this final part of their mission, they must face their greatest challenges so far: giant robotic Torgs, fierce snow-lizard Vungers, the menacing Alia Rellapor, and Throck—half-man, half-machine, and all mean. Then Akiko discovers the one thing that could force her to abandon the rescue mission—and her friends—altogether.

  Akiko and the Intergalactic Zoo

  Akiko is off on a whole new adventure when she and her crew—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Poog—are given an all-expenses-paid vacation to the Intergalactic Zoo. But when the zookeeper takes a special interest in Akiko, she’s added to his personal collection! Will Akiko and her friends find a way to escape from this nightmare vacation?

  Akiko and the Alpha Centauri 5000

  When fourth grader Akiko isn’t doing ordinary things on Earth like building snowmen, she’s rocketing through space with her fearless alien friends—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Poog. On this adventure, Akiko and her crew compete in the Alpha Centauri 5000, the biggest race in the universe. Zooming from one end of the cosmos to the other is hard enough, but the crew must also navigate perilous obstacles like the deadly Jaws of McVluddapuck and outwit a treacherous rival named Bluggamin Streed.

  Winning is everything. Who will take home the celebrated Centauri Cup? After disaster strikes, it’s all up to Akiko.

  Akiko and the Journey to Toog

  “Poog’s in trouble.”

  Just three simple words, but they’re enough to launch fifth grader Akiko and the rest of her crew—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, and Gax—on their next mission. And it just might be their most important mission yet: to save the planet Toog, home of their good friend Poog. Someone’s out to destroy Toog, and every second counts. Will they win the race against time and save Poog’s home planet?

  Dare to meet monsters in the new series from the creator of Akiko.

  Billy Clikk: Creatch Battler

  Billy Clikk is just your ordinary twelve-year-old … hero? Life for Billy suddenly gets more interesting when he discovers that his insect-exterminating parents—supposedly the best in Piffling—have been living a double life. On the bright side, helping his parents with their real job could be Billy’s chance to fight some bad guys: the huge kind with teeth and a lot of hairy tentacles. And at the end of the day, Billy just might save the world—or go down trying.

  Available wherever books are sold

  Billy Clikk: Rogmasher Rampage

  After months of intensive training, Billy is finally ready to go on his first solo creatch op for AFMEC (the Allied Forces for the Management of Extraterritorial Creatches). And Billy is more than fired up. At first, the mission is pretty straightforward. But he just can’t shake the feeling that things in Hua Qing, China, are not what they appear. The villagers act strange. His equipment keeps breaking down, and he hasn’t been able to get in touch with AFMEC. It’s all beginning to creep Billy out. Is Billy being paranoid? Or is something really bad about to go down?

  Available everywhere September 2005

  Published by

  Delacorte Press

  an imprint of

  Random House Children’s Books

  a division of Random House, Inc.

  New York

  Text copyright © 2005 by Mark Crilley

  Akiko, Spuckler Boach, Poog, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and all other characters contained within, their likenesses, and other indicia are trademark Sirius Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

  The trademark Delacorte Press is registered in the U.S. Patent

  and Trademark Office and in other countries.

  Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools,

  visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Crilley, Mark.

  Akiko: the training master / written and illustrated by Mark Crilley.

  p. cm.

  Summary: Fifth-grader Akiko renews her acquaintance with her friends from the planet Smoo when they whisk her away to the Zarga Baffa Training Camp, where she must deal with mud, misery, and a training master who is out to get her.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-51087-7

  [I. Science fiction. 2. Military training camps—Fiction. 3. Adventure and adventurers—Fic
tion.

  4. Japanese Americans—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.C869275Ak 2005

  [Fic]—dc22

  2004001209

  v3.0