A warm breeze blew through the open air stadium as Herbert and Amanda conversed. The audience was buzzing with excitement, eagerly waiting for their favorite fighters to make their grand entrance onto the stage. Herbert couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing his fans again. "I can't wait to see my adoring fans," he said with a grin. "Please get over yourself," retorted Amanda with an eye-roll. Herbert looked confused. "Why are you saying that?" he asked her. Amanda let out a sigh. "Because no one respects you as a fighter, everyone only cares about your beautiful face," she stated bluntly. Herbert's smile faltered slightly. "Looks like someone is jealous of me because I have fans," he replied, trying to brush off her comment. As they continued their conversation, Lucas and Vincent walked by, both looking intimidating and serious. "I advise you two forfeit the match, and I will spare your lives," warned Lucas in a deep voice. "No way," rebutted Amanda immediately. "Why not? We said we would spare your life or...wait, do you want more gold?" questioned Vincent slyly. Herbert considered the offer for a moment, but before he could say anything, Amanda pulled him away by his ears. "Ouch, why did you do that?" Herbert complained. "We are not taking the gold," growled Amanda fiercely. "But think about it, we could become rich and famous together," argued Herbert persuasively. Before Amanda could respond, Herbert inadvertently called her his "sidekick," causing her to fly into a rage and hit him on the head with a firepan, leaving a large bump in its wake. "Maybe I shouldn't call you that anymore," muttered Herbert sheepishly as stars danced in his vision from the blow. After recovering from the incident, Herbert confidently told Lucas and Vincent that they would not be accepting their offer and would instead face them in battle. "Oh well, we tried to spare your life and give you gold, but I guess you'll have to suffer the consequences," laughed Lucas smugly as he walked away with Vincent. Amanda seethed at the sound of their laughter and declared that they were going to war against them. The crowd erupted into cheers as the announcer introduced the fighters for the upcoming match. Herbert and Amanda made their way onto the stage, basking in the adoration of their fans. But amidst all the excitement, one particular group stood out - a group of girls with heart-shaped eyes fixated on Herbert as he stepped onto the stage. "Herbert is such a dreamy fighter," gushed one girl in the crowd. "Yeah, but he will be my husband, not yours," claimed another girl possessively. "Are you sure about that?" teased the first girl playfully. With a confident smirk, Herbert took his place on the stage, ready to prove himself as not just a pretty face but a formidable fighter. As the announcer called out their team name, the Wild Jackets, the crowd's cheers grew even louder, drowning out any doubts or concerns Amanda may have had about their upcoming fight against Lucas and Vincent. "Let's show them that we mean business," declared Lucas to Vincent with determination in his voice. "Yeah, it's going to be their loss for not working with us," agreed Vincent confidently. "Now let's hear it for our opponents tonight, the Wild Jackets!" announced the announcer, prompting an even louder cheer from the already hyped-up audience. The stage was set for an epic battle between two fierce competitors, and Herbert couldn't wait to emerge victorious. "I'm absolutely certain; I've already planned to spend the next five years with him," said the girl confidently. The two girls glared at each other before they locked arms and began to descend the concrete steps in a heated argument. Meanwhile, Herbert flashed his trademark double snap and grin at the crowd. "See? These people love me," he declared. "What are you talking about? I never said people didn't like you; they just like you because you're famous," retorted Amanda. But Herbert ignored her, too focused on impressing the crowd. "That guy's such a showoff; I'd love to knock his perfect teeth down his throat," muttered Vincent. "That's the spirit," agreed Lucas. Lionel emerged from the locker room and stood at the edge of the stage, ready to spectate the match about to begin. "This should be an interesting fight," remarked Lionel as he watched. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our fighters and prepare for an epic battle!" announced the host. All four fighters took a bow and assumed their stances, ready to fight."Let's get this party started," Herbert growled as he transformed into his Phantom Jaguar form in a flash. He lunged at Vincent with a devastating roundhouse kick, but Vincent expertly ducked and delivered a powerful punch. Herbert dodged it by somersaulting between Vincent's legs, then swiftly followed up with a twisted arm lock and a fierce kick to the face. Vincent slid back on the ground, but quickly rose to his feet, determined to unleash his true power. "This is my ultimate form!" he roared, as an eerie purple aura burst forth from his body. His arms began to transform into sleek wings like that of a raptor bird, while his feet morphed into sharp claws. His human head contorted and elongated into a fearsome raptor-like visage. With a triumphant yell, he unleashed his newly acquired strength upon Herbert, sending him flying with a gust of wind. "Ichante, what can you tell me about his spirit guardian?" Herbert demanded, trying to gather any information he could for an advantage. "I'm sorry, Herbert, I have never seen anything like this before," Ichante replied apologetically. "Damn," Herbert cursed under his breath as Vincent continued his assault. The Raptor Guardian flapped his mighty wings, creating a powerful gust that knocked Herbert off balance and nearly sent him over the edge of the stage. "How am I supposed to defeat this giant bird?" Herbert thought frantically. But before he could come up with a plan, Vincent swooped down in a deadly torpedo attack towards him. Somehow, Herbert managed to recover and move out of harm's way just in time. But as Vincent flew back up into the air, preparing for another attack, Herbert's eyes narrowed with determination. "Bring it on," he snarled. Meanwhile, Vincent was also struggling to find a way to defeat Herbert and move on in the tournament. He charged forward, aiming to ram his head into Herbert's chest with all his might. But Herbert was too fast, leaping high into the air to avoid the collision. Vincent's head slammed hard into the unforgiving stone wall behind him. "Phantom stomp!" Herbert yelled as he landed back on the platform. His feet glowed with a gray light as he stomped down hard on Vincent, sending him flying and out of the ring. "Ring out for Vincent Tufano," the announcer declared. As Vincent transformed back into his human form and stormed off in anger, Lucas made his appearance on the stage. "So, it seems both of you are still in this tournament," he smirked, his eyes changing to a sinister purple. "No matter what you do, we won't let you win," Herbert growled, charging at Lucas with Amanda by his side. But Lucas effortlessly dodged and blocked their blows, clearly enjoying the fight. "Impressive," he chuckled. Suddenly, his fist connected with Herbert's jaw, sending him reeling backward. At the same time, he delivered a swift kick to Amanda's stomach, sending her flying through the air. "Special Move: Phantom Claw!" Herbert roared, his claws glowing with a gray aura as he charged at Lucas. But Lucas simply sidestepped the attack and countered with a powerful kick to Herbert's chin followed by a straight punch to his stomach. Amanda, who had transformed into an Ice Fenrir mid-air, landed a fierce hit when she came back down towards Lucas. But he effortlessly caught her punch and sneered at her. "You're not strong enough," he taunted. "Let me train you properly." "I'll never let you control me," Amanda spat back defiantly. "Strike two," Lucas laughed cruelly. "It seems you still want to be a weakling like that goof Herbert." Enraged, Herbert's aura expanded and grew even more powerful. "How dare you," he seethed. "I simply put her to sleep, nothing more," Lucas replied coolly, as if it was no big deal. "Perhaps I should do the same to you." "You'll regret crossing me," Herbert growled, his rage fueling him to reach a new level of strength. The stage shook with the force of their power colliding. Herbert's gi is starting to rip. "This is going to be very ashamed when I K.O. you like I did Amanda when you keep powering up like that," Lucas said while laughing. "Oh, yeah!. screams Herbert. "Well, take this Super Move: Phantom Claw Force." yells Herbert, "Super move?" confuse announcer. "Super move?" said Lionel with a confused look. "Super move?" said the crowd. "Hmmm, a super move," said Lucas with a smirk. "I think I know what a super move is," said Lionel. A super move is an upgraded special move. "Only a person with high training and practice can achieve this most upgraded move," said Herbert. "How cute you fight with a Jaguar heart; too bad you are going to die with that heart," said Lucas. "Herbert charges at him with the more powerful claw attack at Lucas. "Here it goes," said Herbert. Hebert went for the slash. With Lucas's speed, he out dodges the phantom claw force. "How?" asked Herbert. "I am just faster than you; it is my turn," said Lucas. "Super Dark MOVE: Eclipse Pulse Barrage." shouts Lucas. "This will be the last time you will ever see the light ever again," Lucas added. "Lionel was taken aback by Lucas' mention of a "super dark move," something he had never heard of before. He knew there were more powerful special moves out there, but this one seemed to be on another level. As Lucas formed a dark purple ball in his hand, it grew larger than his previous move, the eclipse pulse. He charged at Herbert with the new super move, and though Herbert attempted to block it, the force was too much and broke through his guard. Lucas mocked Herbert as he evaporated into thin air, leaving behind shocked onlookers and tearful girl fighters who had been rooting for Herbert. In the aftermath, the Loch Raptors team advanced to the semi-finals to face Howling Flash. Lionel had been looking forward to sparring with Herbert, but now that opportunity was gone in an instant. Amanda woke up from her trance and saw what had happened. She immediately became angry and tried to punch Lucas from behind, but Vincent stopped her and scolded her for dishonorable behavior. As they walked away, Lucas taunted Lionel with the thought of facing him in the next round and potentially suffering the same fate as Herbert. Lionel was determined to take down Lucas and wipe that smirk off his face.

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