Marius approached Felix and Lionel in the locker room with confidence. "You guys ready to lose? I heard we're up against you in the first match of round 2," he taunted. "Piece of cake," Marius laughed. But Felix was getting angry. He could see it in his face. Marius then turned to Lionel, who met his gaze with a fierce expression. Marius tried to throw a punch, but Lionel quickly grabbed his fist and glared back at him. Marius backed off, chuckling, and walked away. "What was that about?" asked Kiyoshi. "Some fighters like to start fights before the match," explained Felix. "But don't worry, you guys will beat them easily," said Kiyoshi confidently. "Thanks for the support," replied Felix gratefully. As they made their way towards the arena, Jax and the others cheered them on. "We'll be rooting for you guys during the match!" they exclaimed. "You guys are too kind," replied Felix with a smile. Finally, they reached the stage and stood side by side with their opponents: Marius, Gavriel, Lionel, and Felix. The announcer called out some new rules before they began to fight: if one opponent gets knocked out of the ring, the match continues as a two vs. one or ends if both opponents get knocked out; whoever is left standing wins for their team. After bowing to each other, they prepared themselves for battle. Marius wasted no time in powering up, his aura turning purple as he transformed into a half-snake, half-human form and charged at Lionel with a powerful punch. Lionel blocked it effortlessly and retaliated with a kick to knock Marius's fist away. "I can tell you're weak," taunted Lionel. "How dare you insult me!" hissed Marius angrily. Lionel got into his penguin stance, signaling for Marius to come at him. Without hesitation, Marius charged again, but this time Lionel was able to dodge all of his punches. He then performed an uppercut to Marius's chin, followed by a punch to the stomach and a slide under him as he fell and finished with a kick to the back. "Ahhh, no way!" cried Marius in frustration. On the other side of the arena, Felix was facing off against Gavriel. He attempted a double kick, but Gavriel blocked the second one with a leg punch. However, Felix quickly grabbed onto Gavriel's leg and used his momentum to perform a flip and land on top of Gavriel's foot. But before Felix could do anything else, Gavriel clotheslined him with incredible speed. Felix flew through the air and landed hard on the ground, sliding across the stage. As he slowly got up, Felix knew he needed a different strategy if he wanted to beat Gavriel. Meanwhile, Lionel and Marius were still going at it in an intense battle of strength and force. They continued to connect knuckles in an attempt to create a massive impact and send the other flying. Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted between them, creating a strong gust that even affected the fighters in the sidelines. Taking advantage of the distraction, Marius slithered under Lionel's attempted roundhouse kick and chopped at his pant leg, causing him to lose balance and fall over. Marius then punched Lionel with all his might, sending him flying dangerously close to being knocked out of the ring. "You're finished!" gloated Marius as he prepared to use his signature move: Chaos Fang. His fist glowed with a purple aura as he charged towards Lionel with ferocity in his eyes. Connecting his punch with Lionel's stomach, Marius sent him flying further until he was almost out of the ring. "You're going down!" screamed Marius triumphantly.

Lionel's body spins through the air as he jumps over Marius, his movements fluid and precise like a well-trained dancer. In one swift motion, he brings his hand down in a sharp karate chop to the back of Marius, who lets out a blood-curdling scream before crumbling to the ground. Lionel stands tall, his chest heaving with adrenaline-fueled excitement. Meanwhile, Felix is engaged in a fierce battle with Gavriel, their fists and feet flying in a chaotic dance as they exchange blows. Felix's eyes are determined and focused as he tries to dodge each punch and kick from Gavriel with lightning-fast reflexes. But Gavriel's superior skill begins to wear him down. "I see you can't keep up with me," Gavriel taunts, his voice dripping with smugness. Felix falls to the ground but quickly gets back on his feet, only for Gavriel to charge at him again. As Gavriel goes in for another attack, Felix's hand begins to glow with a luminous blue light that seems almost otherworldly. "What is this?" Felix mutters in shock before using his glowing hand to slash at Gavriel's arm. The move catches Gavriel off guard and sends him crashing to the ground in pain. "Ouch! Damn you!" Gavriel cries out as he clutches his injured arm. But instead of giving up, Gavriel's true power is unleashed as his body transforms into an owl-like creature, complete with wings and razor-sharp claws. Felix watches in awe and fear as Gavriel unleashes a powerful blast of dark wind towards him. Felix uses all his strength to create an X-shaped shield in front of him to protect himself from the windblast. And when the dust settles, Felix realizes he has not only successfully blocked the attack but also managed to cut it in half with his glowing hand. Emboldened by this small victory, Felix charges at Gavriel with renewed determination. But Gavriel scoffs at him and boasts about his experience and training as the best owl fighter on the island. However, Felix refuses to back down and unleashes his own special move, a moon slash that lands a direct hit on Gavriel. The impact sends both of them flying, but while Gavriel is left panting and injured on the ground, Felix rises up once again with an unbreakable will. "How...how are you still standing?" Gavriel stammers in shock. Felix's eyes glow with intensity as he speaks in a low, two-tone voice. "Because I have a mission to become the best on this island." Gavriel lunges at Felix with all his might, determined to defeat him once and for all. But Felix summons all his strength and focuses it into a special move: the moon typhoon. As the energy builds in his hands, Gavriel swoops down towards him in a last-ditch effort to stop him. But it's too late. The moon typhoon explodes, enveloping them both in blinding light and scattering debris everywhere. When the dust settles, only one figure remains standing: Felix, panting and victorious. "I cannot let myself lose," he declares triumphantly as he looks out at the devastation around him. He may be bruised and battered, but he has proven himself as a formidable warrior, determined to rise to the top no matter what challenges may come his way.As the smoke cleared, it was clear that both fighters were knocked out and lying outside of the ring. “Whoa! What an explosion,” exclaimed the announcer. Lionel quickly ran over to Felix, concerned about his well-being. “Are you alright?” Lionel asked with worry in his voice. "Yeah, I'm fine," replied Felix, though it was obvious he was in pain. "Just make sure you win this one for us," he added before wincing again. "Don't worry, just focus on resting," reassured Lionel. Marius sneered at them from across the ring. "It looks like my worthless partner managed to take out yours," he said mockingly. "Why would you say that about your own teammate? They helped you get this far in the tournament," questioned Lionel with a hint of anger in his expression. "Because I knew they were getting weaker," sneered Marius. "I have another question for you: why do you feel the need to come at us so brutally?" Lionel asked, frustration evident in his voice. "This tournament isn't even real; it's just a way for us veterans to have fun by beating the weaklings like you and your white Gi wearing partner," spat Marius. Kiyoshi and Jax exchanged glances, now understanding the true nature of the tournament. "That all makes sense now," muttered Lionel to himself. "So, that's why Lucas has his own office and is only watching the first year's fighters on the island," he continued aloud. Marius looked at him curiously. "What makes sense?" he hissed. Lionel lifted his head to meet Marius' gaze. "You need to let me win," he stated firmly. "And why would I want to do that?" questioned Marius with a sneer. "Because there is someone I need to stop, and I know I will face them in the next fight," Lionel answered. "Or what?" challenged Marius. Lionel stared him down with determination. "You know what? I'll just jump off for you," declared Marius as he walked towards the edge of the stage. But at the last second, he turned around and launched a punch towards Lionel. "I will never let you win, rookie," hissed Marius. "Your loss," replied Lionel as he effortlessly dodged the punch. Then, in one swift move, he delivered a powerful karate chop to Marius' back. But Marius was quick to react; he grabbed onto Lionel's arm and threw him to the ground before delivering a soccer kick to his ribs. "Chaos Wrapup!" hissed Marius triumphantly as he wrapped his body around Lionel's tightly, squeezing the air out of him. "You should give up, rookie; you are no match for my fighting skills," taunted Marius. Despite feeling drowsy from being squeezed so tightly, Lionel refused to give up. His eyes opened and closed repeatedly as he struggled against Marius' hold. "I am going to win," hissed Marius confidently, unaware that his own strength was gradually diminishing due to this move. Lucas chuckled from his spot on the sidelines. "The funny thing is, Marius is actually losing strength by using that move," he remarked with amusement. Suddenly, a bright pink aura burst forth from Lionel's body, catching everyone off guard. "Wait...what?" stammered Marius in confusion. Taking advantage of this moment of distraction, Lionel used all his might to throw Marius off of him by his tail. "You will pay for that," growled Marius as he got back on his feet and prepared for another attack. "Sssspecial Move: Chaos Fang Ssssstrike!" yelled Marius as his fist turned purple and glowing fangs appeared on his hands. He launched it towards Lionel's face, but Lionel stood firm and took the punch without flinching. "He didn't even flinch," Marius exclaimed in disbelief. He tried again, but nothing happened. Desperate to defeat Lionel, Marius continued to use this move until he was out of breath and had to catch his breath. "This is impossible; I am stronger than him...how is he able to withstand all of my punches like they're nothing?" Marius muttered to himself in shock. "Are you done yet?" asked Lionel calmly. Marius didn't respond, too shocked by Lionel's resilience. Nevertheless, he attempted the move one more time, only to be met with a blinding pink light as Lionel yelled, "Special Move: Neon Flash!" The bright light temporarily blinded Marius and hindered his vision, giving Lionel the perfect opportunity to finish the fight. “Neon flash kick.” Lionel’s light shifts to his leg and feet turn into a hot pink glow color, and he did multiple kick horizontal/ vertical kicks and ended kicking Marius’s face twice and did a straight punch to the gut of Marius when he went out of bounds. “He beat me fair and square,” said Marius, as he was going out of bounds out of the platform.The Howling Flash emerges victorious and advances to the semi-finals, announced the loudspeaker. The crowd erupts in cheers, shouting Lionel's name as he walks off the stage with Gavriel and Marius. Felix approaches with a pat on the back. "You saved us this time, amazing performance," he compliments. "I wasn't at my best, still not strong enough," admits Lionel. But Felix reassures him that he did a great job. Meanwhile, Lucas is frustrated and pacing around his office while staring out the window. "I knew he was going to lose," he yells, pounding his desk in frustration. "I might as well handle it myself since no one else seems capable of defeating those first years. Vincent, make sure you bring your A-game," orders Lucas. "No need to worry, I'll come prepared," replies Vincent confidently.

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