Felix asked Lionel if they had won. Lionel confirmed their victory and helped an injured Felix up. Felix wondered how they won this time, to which Lionel replied that Zebeon had lent a hand. Zebeon humorously interjected that he believed Lionel was talking about him. Lionel thanked Zebeon for his assistance, and Zebeon nonchalantly responded that the enemy was easy to read. This made Lionel laugh, but he couldn't help but ask how Zebeon suddenly got into his head. Zebeon revealed that he had always been inside of Lionel since birth, which angered Lionel as he realized Zebeon had been a silent observer for most of his life. He questioned why Zebeon didn't come out and help during their fight with the sand bandits in his family's dojo. Zebeon explained that Lionel wasn't powerful enough to control him at the time and if he had, it would have turned Lionel into a raging madman due to their shared powers. Realizing the potential danger, Lionel understood why Zebeon stayed hidden and dropped off Felix at the hospital wing before retreating to meditate in a corner. Elsewhere, Jax checked on Kiyoshi who was recovering from their recent match. The Toxic Ivy girls Natalia and Koizumi came by and expressed remorse for what happened in their previous match, suggesting Kiyoshi should forfeit to recover fully. Jax refused, prompting Natalia to punch Kiyoshi in the stomach. When Jax retaliated, Koizumi intervened and used her powers to injure Jax and mockingly taunt them for their upcoming match. Meanwhile, at the stage area, the announcer praised Howling Flash for making it to the finals and introduced their opponents Toxic Ivy who had advanced after defeating Zephyr Vulcan and easily escaping a Tornado trap. However, when it was announced that their opponents Tiger Wings were a no-show, confusion arose among the audience. “I knew we sent that team packing,” said Natalia, a fierce glint in her eye. Her partner Koizumi nodded in agreement, a confident grin on her face. But suddenly, one lone figure emerged from the shadows, holding his right arm and wincing in pain. “I am here,” shouted Jax, determination etched onto his features despite the visible scars marring his body. “What? How is he still standing? That energy ball should have taken him out completely!” exclaimed a shocked Koizumi. “He may be weakened, but I believe he can still fight,” said Natalia, assessing their opponent with a calculating gaze. “But where is his partner?” asked Koizumi. “I do not know,” replied Natalia with a shrug. The announcer was also confused as only one person walked out onto the arena floor. “It seems like only one member of Tiger Wings has shown up for this match,” announced the bewildered commentator. “I can take you both on by myself,” declared Jax confidently. "Let's see how they got this far," continued the announcer. They had fought through a grueling first-round match against the Firestorm Angels before defeating one of the tournament favorites, Team Excalibur, to make it to this point. Now they were facing Toxic Ivy for a chance at victory. “Is it even allowed to fight with just one person?” whispered Koizumi to Natalia. “Yes, it is legal. It simply means his partner will forfeit and the match will continue as planned,” responded Natalia with a smirk. "Well, let's show them what we're made of," she added, addressing Jax directly. The three opponents bowed to each other as a sign of respect before the battle began. Natalia and Koizumi exchanged a knowing look before charging at Jax – one aiming a punch at his face and the other preparing to deliver a swift kick. Natalia's fist connected with Jax's cheek, but as Koizumi went in for her attack, Jax countered by blocking her punch and swiftly flipping backwards to avoid her kick. He then retaliated with a powerful punch to Natalia's stomach, followed by a hurricane kick that sent Koizumi flying. But these two were not easily defeated. As Natalia got back up, she used her signature camouflage lick attack – her tongue morphing into tiles as she lashed out at Jax, leaving a scar on his face. But he managed to push through the pain and stand his ground. Thinking quickly, Tethyus offered advice from the sidelines. “You need to wrap her body around herself,” he suggested. “That's it!” exclaimed Jax, implementing the strategy. As Natalia's metal tongue darted towards him, he ran circles around her until she ran out of tongue to catch him. Then, with a swift punch to the face, he sent her flying backwards. But Koizumi wasn't about to let her teammate fight alone. She jumped onto Jax's back and started pummeling him with punches, but he shook her off with a spin and delivered a forceful kick to her side. Koizumi felt the impact knock the wind out of her as she hit the ground hard. Undeterred, Jax continued his assault. As Jax stood panting in the arena, Koizumi smirked and lunged at him with a flurry of punches. He managed to dodge a few, but one landed hard on his stomach, knocking him back several feet. As she caught her breath, Koizumi's body began to glow with a bright lime green light. Her hair grew longer, and eight tails sprouted from her back as her face morphed into that of a fox. Jax was taken aback by the sudden transformation and didn't have time to react before Koizumi charged at him again. He tried to keep up with her speed, but he wasn't fast enough. In a matter of seconds, he was on his knees, clutching his bleeding cheek. Jax felt the impact of Koizumi's punches in his stomach as well , doubling over in pain. But the fight was far from over as Koizumi began to transform into a Kitsune, her body surrounded by a glowing green aura. She grew eight tails and her face took on a fox-like appearance, while her eyes turned a piercing magenta color. Jax watched in disbelief as she fully transformed into a green fox creature with human features - Hisako, the female toxic Kitsune. "Let's expose Jax for the fighter he's supposed to be," Koizumi said confidently. Hisako agreed and together they charged at Jax. Despite his speed, Jax couldn't anticipate Koizumi's swift attack and before he knew it, he was on his knees, scratched and defeated. The two Kitsune laughed triumphantly as they saw Jax go down. But their victory was short-lived as Natalia, a half-human iguana, suddenly appeared and grabbed Jax by the neck, dragging him towards the edge of the stage. Natalia boasted about finally making a name for herself and becoming a tournament winner. Her lifelong dream of proving herself as the ultimate fighter was within reach now that she had taken down Jax. Natalia’s past. “Natalia, can you please come and play with me?” pleaded Natalia’s younger sister. The sound of rain tapping against the windows echoed through their small house in the middle of the dense rainforest. “No, I am training. I will play tomorrow,” replied Natalia, her voice firm and unwavering. She was determined to become a fierce warrior like her father, who had taught her everything he knew about combat and discipline .Disappointed, Natalia’s sister wandered outside into the rainforest, the leaves rustling beneath her feet as she disappeared into the lush greenery. "Now, do a hundred strikes at the dummy, and when I am back, I better see a dummy head off," commanded Natalia's father sternly as he left for his own training session. All night long into the next day, Natalia punched and kicked the wooden dummy relentlessly. Sweat dripped down her face in rivulets as she pushed herself harder and harder. But despite her efforts, when her father returned the following day to check on her progress, he found the dummy still intact and his daughter fast asleep on the floor. Enraged, he woke up the entire dojo with his furious shouts. "You will never get strong if you do not train!" he bellowed. "Are you kidding me? I have been training and working hard for years now under you," retorted Natalia with equal anger in her voice. "You are a disgrace to this family and this dojo. Leave at once," said her father coldly before turning away from her in disappointment. Hurt and angry, Natalia packed her belongings and fled past her sister without saying a word. She ran deep into the woods, not looking back until she had reached a safe distance from home. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she collapsed onto the soft grass beneath a tall tree and let out deep sobs of frustration and sadness. Four days passed in the jungle, and Natalia had barely eaten or slept. Her stomach growled with hunger as she stumbled upon a small village in the distance. Desperate for food and shelter, she ran towards it with all her might. As she approached the village, Natalia's sharp eyes caught sight of a commotion in an alleyway nearby. A group of boys were surrounding a girl, their faces twisted with anger and greed. "I'm tired of chasing you around this village. Hand it over," growled one of the boys with his fist raised menacingly. "Hand over what?" questioned Natalia as she stepped into view, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "Please go away and mind your own business," spat the leader, his eyes narrowing at Natalia's interference. "If you lay a finger on her, this will be your last mistake," threatened Natalia, her tone fierce and unyielding. "Boys, can you please shut her up?" sneered the leader. Two boys lunged towards Natalia, but she was ready for them. With a flick of her tongue, a holographic purple tongue appeared over it and lashed out at the two boys, injecting them with a potent poison that quickly rendered them weak and helpless. With a swift roundhouse kick to their heads, both boys fell to the ground unconscious. "Oh great, do I have to do everything around here?" complained the leader before charging at Natalia with clenched fists. But Natalia was skilled and agile, easily dodging his attacks and countering with powerful strikes of her own. She swiftly brought him down to the ground with a well-executed palm strike to his chest. "Are you okay?" asked Natalia as she offered her hand to help up the girl who had been in danger moments ago. Natalia's kindness surprised the girl named Koizumi, who smiled gratefully as she accepted her hand. "Yes, thank you. My name is Koizumi," she introduced herself. Koizumi's stomach grumbled loudly, reminding them both that they were hungry. "It looks like someone is hungry," laughed Natalia as she and Koizumi made their way to a nearby restaurant for a well-deserved meal. As they sat down to eat, Natalia couldn't help but feel grateful for this chance encounter and the unexpected friendship that had formed between her and Koizumi. Little did she know that this was just the beginning of their adventures together in the village. In the present day, Jax's sole focus was getting Natalia out of the ring. As they reached the edge of the stage, he saw an opportunity and lifted her over his head before kicking her out of the ring. The announcer was in disbelief as a shocked crowd watched Natalia get eliminated from the fight. She looked at her hands, realizing what she had become. Koizumi rushed over to check on her, asking if she was okay. "I'm fine," Natalia replied, "just win this for us. Like the day I saved you from those thugs." And with that, Koizumi charged up her aura even more, determined to avenge her partner's elimination. "I'll never forgive you for taking out my partner!" she yelled as she unleashed her special move - Mystic Toxic Claw Crush - which Jax easily dodged thanks to his Mitsukodorian blue lightning abilities. Despite Koizumi's continuous attacks, Jax effortlessly evaded them all. Frustrated, she demanded to know why he wouldn't let himself get hit by even one of her strikes. But Jax remained silent until Koizumi's special move suddenly faded away. "Not now!" she exclaimed while trying to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, but it's over for you now," said Jax, summoning his own special move - Lighting Pulse - which formed a medium-sized sphere of static electricity in his palm. He jumped into the air as clouds began to form and thunder rang out. A bolt of blue lightning struck his hand, charging up his attack even more before he flew back down towards Koizumi and connected with a powerful explosion that sent her flying off the platform and onto the ground next to Natalia. "I did my best," Koizumi whispered before falling unconscious next to her teammate. The announcer declared Jax the victor as the crowd erupted in cheers and applause, impressed by his one-man show. Jax lay exhausted on the platform, his eyes flickering in and out of consciousness. He had given everything he had in that fight against Koizumi, and it had taken a toll on his body. But he was content with the fact that he had emerged victorious. On the other side of the island, Tokido sat atop a tall rock, his eyes closed as he meditated. He could feel the energy from Jax's fight coursing through the island, but he remained focused on his own task. Suddenly, Tokido's eyes snapped open and both of them were now completely white - an indication that he too possessed the Mitsukodorian blue lightning abilities like Jax. "I finally found you, brother," Tokido said with a sense of determination.

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