With a soft hiss, Felix opens the sliding door to his room. The warm rays of the sun pour in, revealing a cozy room with wooden walls and a rug patterned with geometric designs. Stretching and yawning, Felix's eyes wander to the sight of Lionel practicing against a towering tree outside. "What are you doing exactly?" he asks curiously. "Practicing," replies Lionel, throwing a stone at Felix with lightning speed. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Felix manages to dodge it just in time. "What was that for?" he demands, slightly annoyed. "You're a fighter, you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times," chides Lionel as he turns back to focus on the tree. "You're still not worthy of my time," he adds dismissively. "What a grouch," mutters Felix under his breath.
A few minutes later, Felix and Lionel make their way towards Sensei Nakao's dojo. As they enter, they are met with the sight of an old and worn-down training hall, sparsely decorated with pillows scattered on the floor. "This dojo has been through some rough times," comments Felix. "I've seen worse," retorts Lionel. "Are you sure?" questions Felix skeptically. "Believe me," replies Lionel confidently.
The class begins as Sensei Nakao enters with a long white box in hand. He sets it down before addressing the students in his enthusiastic manner. With some hair remaining on his head, thick round glasses perched on his nose, and yellow Gi with black polka dots and a shark emblem on the back, Sensei Nakao is quite a character. He completes his eccentric appearance by wearing socks with his Chinese sandals.
"Today's lesson will focus on blocking/avoiding special moves," announces Sensei Nakao energetically. "May I have a volunteer come to the front?" A boy stands up and speaks up. "I'll do it," says the boy confidently. "Come on up, Aleksey," invites Sensei Nakao. Aleksey steps forward and faces the sensei. With his pale round face and emerald-colored eyes, he looks like a beginner, still wearing his white Gi just like Felix and Lionel. After exchanging bows with Sensei Nakao, Aleksey stands ready for instructions.
"To block a special move, you must have a strong defensive tactic; otherwise, you could get hit hard," explains Sensei Nakao. "There are two standard ways you can guard," he demonstrates by crossing his arms in an x formation across his chest. "And this is another way," he continues, placing one arm in front of his face and closing his hand into a fist. "Of course, there are multiple other ways you could defend yourself, but these are just the basics." Turning to Aleksey, Sensei Nakao asks him to demonstrate these two blocking methods.
"Of course, sensei," responds Aleksey respectfully as he assumes the x-guard stance. "This is a waste of my time," mutters Lionel to Felix, folding his arms and closing his eyes in disinterest. "Well, I find it helpful," retorts Felix. But Lionel silences him by placing one finger on his lips.
"Alright Aleksey, get ready," announces Sensei Nakao. "Special Move: Paragon Tsunami!" he shouts dramatically. Four massive waves shoot out from Sensei Nakao's fingertips towards Aleksey, powerful enough to break through his guard and wash him away. "See? If the special move or attack is more powerful than your guard, it will break just like that," explains Sensei Nakao as Aleksey gets back on his feet with the help of the sensei. The two bow to each other before Aleksey takes his place back on the pillow.
"Now, I'm sure you're all curious about what's inside this box," says Sensei Nakao, opening the white box to reveal a collection of colorful watches. "These are your stat tracker watches," he reveals with a smile.Sensei Nakao explains to the students that the watches in the box are their stat tracker watches. "These watches are not just regular watches," he continues. "They can track your stats and give you information on your opponent." The students are intrigued and eagerly take their watches from the box."Ohhh, cool," Said Felix excitedly. "Whatever," said Lionel as he rolled his eyes. One by one, the fighters walk up to grab their watches. Felix picks up a light blueish watch, and Lionel picks up a hot pink watch. "Alright fighters, remember the techniques I taught you," commanded Sensei Nakao. Each fighter in the room bows down respectfully to their instructor. "Hey man, do you want to spar with me for practice?" asked Felix eagerly, flashing a smile. "No, I don't think you're ready yet," replied Lionel dismissively as he walked away. Felix's smile faded as he watched Lionel leave. "Well, that didn't go as planned," he muttered to himself. Lionel began his search for a worthy partner to train with. Meanwhile, Felix weaved through the crowd of people, trying to find someone to spar with. "Excuse me! Excuse me!" he said, trying to get through. Suddenly, Felix bumped into a fighter wearing a black karate Gi. "Oh, sorry about that," apologized Felix. "Watch where you're going next time, buddy," retorted the fighter with a cocky smirk. As he turned around, Felix noticed a logo on his back. "Wait a minute, isn't that the Loch Ness Monster?" asked Felix curiously. "Maybe," responded the fighter nonchalantly. Lionel caught up to Felix and chimed in. "Yep, that's definitely the Loch Ness Monster logo; it's a mysterious creature." "I want to challenge him to a fight," declared Felix confidently. "That guy is way too strong for you to handle," warned Lionel with an angry expression on his face before turning and walking away from Felix. Ignoring his friend's warning, Felix got up and ran towards the fighter with the Loch Ness Monster logo on his back. "Do you accept my challenge, Mr. Loch Ness Monster?" he called out confidently. Watching from a distance, Lionel shook his head and facepalmed at his friend's reckless behavior. "Are you insane?" exclaimed Lionel as he approached Felix. "What? I have a training partner," replied Felix defensively. "I have no choice but to help him now," sighed Lionel, realizing he couldn't let his friend fight alone against someone so powerful. As the fighter with the Loch Ness Monster logo, named Lucas, walked away, he laughed and handed Felix a card. "Meet me at Thorn Crystal Forest tonight with a partner; you'll need one," he declared before introducing himself in a thick Scottish accent. Lionel shook his head and gave up on trying to dissuade Felix from this reckless decision. "You're crazy," he muttered under his breath as they walked away together. "What?" asked Felix innocently. "Nothing, let's just go train for this fight," responded Lionel, feeling resigned to their fate. Jax and Kiyoshi moved to the medical bed, with Jax settling in comfortably. "Do you know what day it is?" Jax asked, stretching out his limbs. "I believe it's Thursday," Kiyoshi replied uncertainly. "No school for us today," Jax remarked. Kiyoshi then asked about Jax's dream, but Jax quickly changed the subject and suggested they get something to eat. When Tethyus joined them, Jax mentioned his missing brother and Tethyus offered to help find him since their brothers shared similar spirit guardians. They went to a café on the western side of the island and enjoyed their favorite dishes - scallop teriyaki with extra sauce for Kiyoshi and Jax's usual after a strange week in the woods. As they finished their dinner, a fighter with a Lochness Monster logo on his back approached them. Kiyoshi eagerly asked if he was an experienced fighter, but Lucas laughed at him and said yes. Kiyoshi got defensive, but Jax intervened and warned him not to get expelled from the island. Lucas taunted them, calling Jax Kiyoshi's boyfriend, before revealing that he needed fighters for an upcoming tournament in Thorn Crystal Forest that night. Jax and Tethyus suspected it could be a trap but also saw it as an opportunity for Kiyoshi to train and prove himself. Jax was unsure about training someone in just a few hours, but Tethyus encouraged him to believe in Kiyoshi's abilities.
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