Lionel sat on the ground, crossing his legs and looking at Felix with a stern expression. He began to float in the air, a bright pink glow outlining his body. "Lesson one is concentrate," he said firmly. Felix gazed up at him, feeling overwhelmed. "But how am I supposed to do that?" he asked. "It's easy," Lionel replied. "You just have to trust in yourself and enter the concentrating phase." Floating back down to the ground, Lionel instructed Felix to give it a try. "Remember, when you concentrate, your powers will come to you," he reminded him.
Felix got into position, determined to make this work. But despite his efforts, nothing happened. Frustrated, he exclaimed, "This is stupid! It's not working for me!" Lionel simply replied, "That's because you're not fully concentrating yet."
As the sun started to set, Lionel announced that they were running out of time and still had yet to start sparring. Felix sat back down in defeat and took a deep breath.
But then something unexpected happened. As Felix concentrated harder, a whitish-blue aura surrounded him and his body began to float up in the air, just like Lionel's. His eyes opened wide and glowed with a light blue color as he yelled in excitement, "I'm doing it!"
However, just as quickly as it came, the aura disappeared and Felix fell back down to the ground. Lionel couldn't help but facepalm at his Felix's progress. "Almost," he said with a small sigh. "You still have a lot to learn."
Determined to get it right, Felix went back into position and this time everything worked flawlessly. When he opened his eyes again, the glowing aura returned along with a sense of power coursing through his veins. And when he spoke, it was in two voices - one his own and the other a deeper, unfamiliar voice.
"You did it!" Lionel exclaimed in amazement. "But remember, don't get distracted next time."
Felix couldn't believe what he had just accomplished. He knew he still had a lot to learn, but for now, he was reveling in the exhilaration of finally harnessing his powers.
…
With a fierce yell, Jax lunges at Kiyoshi with a powerful punch. The impact sends Kiyoshi flying back, crashing to the ground with a loud thud. But he doesn't stay down for long. In a burst of determination, Kiyoshi springs back up and charges at Jax, unleashing a flurry of punches. But Jax is too quick, gracefully dodging each one and using his palm to push Kiyoshi back. Frustration fills Kiyoshi as he falls to the ground once again. And as he stumbles back up, Jax launches into a spinning kick that connects with Kiyoshi's body.
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"You're improving, but not enough to compete in the tournament," taunts Jax, smirking at Kiyoshi's efforts. "We only have four hours left to train," he adds, turning to Tethyus. "This tournament is unlike anything we've encountered before," muses Jax. "It doesn't seem sanctioned by the academy." Tethyus agrees, nodding in agreement.
Meanwhile, Kiyoshi takes out his frustration on a nearby tree, punching and kicking it with all his might. But Jax has had enough and heads back indoors. However, as he listens to Kiyoshi's grunts and the sound of the tree falling, he couldn't resist going back outside.
"You're doing it wrong, Kiyoshi," scolds Jax.
"Then you show me how it's done, Mr. Hotshot," retorts Kiyoshi bitterly.
Jax effortlessly jumps high into the air and slices the tree in half with just his hand.
"See?" says Jax nonchalantly before walking away.
Enraged by this display of superiority, Kiyoshi unleashes a furious punch at another nearby tree. The force of his blow causes the entire forest to shake.
"I still don't think he's ready," Jax remarks to Tethyus as he heads back inside.
"He just needs more patience," suggests Tethyus calmly.
"Well, I don't have time for that. And we're running out of it," snaps Jax.
Determined to push Kiyoshi even further, Jax surprises him by throwing a can from a distance. Kiyoshi quickly reacts, dodging the can with lightning-fast reflexes. Jax smirks and laughs at Kiyoshi's reaction.
Angered by this test, Kiyoshi lets out a guttural roar, revealing his corrupted inner tiger spirit. Realizing he may have gone too far, Jax starts backing away slowly. But before he can react, Kiyoshi charges and punches him with all his might. The impact sends Jax flying backwards, unable to defend against Kiyoshi's newly awakened power.
As Jax lies on the ground, barely conscious, Kiyoshi begins channeling his energy into a powerful ball of light between his hands. With one final roar, he unleashes it towards Jax. The force is immense, causing Jax to scream in agony as he struggles to block it. His eyes start to change shape and color as the energy overwhelms him.
But at the last second, Jax manages to divert the ball into the air, where it explodes into a massive plume of smoke.
Gasping for breath and on his knees, Jax realizes the true extent of Kiyoshi's power. But before he can process it fully, Kiyoshi delivers a powerful punch straight to his face with another deafening roar. The sheer strength knocks Jax unconscious.
As both fighters lay defeated on the ground, their surroundings begin to blur and fade as they both pass out from exhaustion. It was clear that neither of them was ready for what awaited them in the tournament.