The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon as Felix and Lionel roused themselves from their slumber, eager to take on their toughest opponent yet. Today was the day of the big tournament, and they were determined to come out victorious. Kiyoshi, who unfortunately did not make it into the top eight crew, sat in the stands with a slight pout on his face. Jax, however, couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of Kiyoshi's humiliating defeat at the hands of Ralph. "Looks like you'll have to settle for being a spectator today," Jax teased. Kiyoshi simply rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever." The two friends then turned their attention back to the main event - Felix and Lionel's sparring match. Felix went in for a punch towards Lionel, but Lionel quickly countered with a dazzling neon flash that left Felix momentarily blinded. In one fluid motion, Lionel followed up with a powerful roundhouse kick. But Felix was no pushover - thanks to his lightning-quick reflexes, he was able to evade the kick with ease and retaliate with a swift leg sweep. The two continued to exchange blows until Felix saw an opening and swiftly placed his palm against Lionel's chest, signifying the end of their bout. "Wow, you've really improved over this past year," Lionel remarked, panting slightly from exertion. A smug smile spread across Felix's face as he replied confidently, "Of course I have. "With training finished for the morning, the group decided it was time for breakfast. They made their way to a nearby café, fully prepared to refuel after their intense workout. As they sat down at a table together, Jax couldn't resist asking Kiyoshi his thoughts on who would win the tournament. "Well, in my honest and logical opinion..." Kiyoshi began before being interrupted by glares from his friends. He quickly backtracked and said with a shrug, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Lionel turned to Felix and confidently declared, "I believe you'll beat Jared this time. And if I beat him, it'll be us two in the final match." An intense fire burned in Felix's eyes as he responded determinedly, "You're on." Just then, their rival Jared walked into the café. Felix stood up to face him, their rivalry palpable in the air. "This time, I will beat you," Felix declared through gritted teeth. Jared simply laughed and replied, "Oh really? Last time I checked, you've never beaten me in a fight." As the tension between the two grew, Jared boasted about how he would donate the trophy to his grandfather's dojo for everyone to see how great he is at fighting. This only fueled Felix's anger further. "Whatever, I have pancakes to eat," Jared said smugly as he walked away. "I hate that rich spoiled boy," seethed Felix. Kiyoshi couldn't resist asking, "Have you ever beaten him before?" Felix shook his head dejectedly. "No, I've never even come close." Jax chimed in with a similar sentiment, "Well, look on the bright side - I've never beaten Tokido either. He always demolishes me without breaking a sweat." But Lionel refused to let their past defeats bring them down. "Today will be different. Today we defeat our rivals," he proclaimed as he raised his hands above his head in solidarity. The others followed suit and placed their hands on top of his. "1...2...3...Final Four!" they chanted in unison. Suddenly remembering Kiyoshi's absence from the competition, Jax couldn't help but tease him once more. "Wait, why are you saying 'Final Four'? You're already out." The group laughed and then made their way to the ring area, determined to give it their all in honor of Kiyoshi. Before they knew it, they were being called up for their first matches. "Good luck, guys. And don't forget to have fun," Hiroko said with a warm smile as they passed by him. Felix and Jared stood side by side, bowing to each other respectfully before the match began. They took their stances and circled each other, both waiting for an opening to strike. The tension was palpable as the crowd eagerly watched on. It was finally time for the top eight competitors to face off in the ultimate test of skill and strength. And Felix was ready to give it his all and finally defeat his long-time rival. Later, Felix made the first move with a fake kick, then attempted a karate chop from behind Jared. However, Jared anticipated his move, caught the chop, and pushed Felix back. Jared followed up with a straight kick to the chest, but Felix evaded it by rolling away. They both returned to their stances and charged at each other, exchanging punches and kicks. Jared landed two punches on Felix and finished with a kick to the side. Felix quickly got back up and complimented Jared's combo. Jared remained silent and continued attacking, but Felix started blocking the punches thrown at him. After about eight years (rather than "in about eight years"), he landed a punch on Jared and followed up with a hurricane kick. Felix then stepped on Jared's toes, rolled onto his back, and delivered a straight kick that brought Jared down. "His fighting techniques have improved since the last time I saw him," remarked Jared. As Felix gazed at the moon, his eyes turned a bluish color resembling the moon. "It seems the moon is out for us," stated Mudar. Excitedly, Felix dashed towards Jared, who became disoriented trying to locate him. Suddenly, Felix appeared in front of him and landed a punch on Jared's face, sending him flying into a brick wall but keeping him in the match as his feet never touched the ground. The wall crumbled. Hiroko commented on the impact of Felix's hit while Jared got back up and resumed attacking. Despite throwing multiple punches, they were all blocked by Felix's swift hand movements. Jared executed a thunder punch that sent Felix sliding on the ground in pain before following up with a thunder strike that surrounded Felix with a light blue aura. Identifying himself as Mudar the Moon Wolf, Felix anticipated that Jared would pass out from the attack as he walked away. However, to everyone's surprise, Felix rose in his spirit guardian form, indicating his determination not to give up easily. In response, Jared transformed into Erik, the thunder wyvern with a yellow aura enveloping him. Charging towards each other, they exchanged blows and power blasts before Jared lifted Felix into the air with his claws. As he tried to shake free during his descent, Felix prepared his special move: "Moon Typhoon," which he unleashed upon Jared. Although Jared blocked it easily and retaliated with a blast that struck Felix upon landing back in the ring, causing a massive explosion. Jared believed he had defeated Felix with his ultimate move: "Thunder Fire of the Wind." However, to his surprise, Felix emerged from the hole created by Jared’s attack with shining fists resembling the moon. Despite attempting to punch Jared, Felix was swiftly uppercut by him and fainted as his glowing fist disappeared. Hiroko marveled at their intense match while Kiyoshi applauded both fighters for their efforts. Upon waking up post-fight, Felix queried whether he had won but learned he had come close to defeating Jared. Disappointed yet determined to train harder for future matches, they bowed to each other and retired to the rest area. Reflecting on their match backstage with Lionel and Jax, Felix expressed confidence in winning next year as Jax reassured him of their support. Exiting for the stands where Kiyoshi awaited him, Felix bid farewell to Lionel and Jax before leaving for the seating area.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.