A thunderous boom echoed from the lofty trees. "You guys hear that?" Kiyoshi asked, peering around warily.

"We're right beside you, so yes," Lionel said dryly, pushing his glasses up his nose to banish the glare.

"I think we should investigate," Felix suggested, curiosity glinting in his eyes.

"No kidding!" Jax exclaimed. The four slid open the door to their quarters and crept eastward into the hazy forest. Billowing smoke coiled around the gnarled trunks like writhing serpents. They tied their karate headbands over their noses to ward off the oppressive smog.

"I can barely see through this pea soup fog," Kiyoshi complained, squinting into the gloom.

Jax yelped in pain, clutching his eye. He sank to one knee, wincing. "You okay?" Felix asked, concern furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jax muttered through gritted teeth. Two shadowy figures darted by, fleet as the wind, branches crackling under their steps.

"What was that?" Kiyoshi whispered.

"Fighters," Lionel declared confidently. "How can you possibly know that?" Kiyoshi challenged incredulously.

"Well, who else could move that fast out here?" Lionel countered.

"Good point," Kiyoshi conceded.

"I saw them both clearly. Two boys locked in mortal combat," Lionel revealed, pushing up his glasses.

"Why fight here and not the open field two miles north?" Felix wondered aloud, pointing in that direction.

"Maybe they wanted privacy," Jax suggested with a shrug.

They plunged deeper into the woods until a sheer rock wall barred their path. A massive boulder hurtled toward them like a meteor.

"Oh great," Felix grumbled. But at the last second, a mysterious fighter appeared and shattered the rock with one mighty chop. Everyone but Lionel shrieked in terror, throwing up their arms to shield their faces.

"You're all cowards. I knew he'd save us," Lionel scoffed.

"Sure you did," Kiyoshi said sourly.

"I did!" Lionel insisted.

"I ought to knock some sense into you," Kiyoshi threatened, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Go ahead and try, weakling. It'll be your funeral," Lionel taunted.

"That's enough, you two," Felix interjected wearily.

"Yeah, focus on why we're here," Jax added.

Kiyoshi and Lionel slowly relaxed their aggressive stances.

The fighter turned to them, his angular features creasing into a grin as he laughed at their bickering.

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"I'm Jose Clark, a fighter from the north. It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said warmly. Jose had a balloon-shaped head atop a corded neck, with chiseled cheekbones and a cleft chin. His almond-shaped brown eyes glinted below arched eyebrows. An aquiline nose perched above full, sensuous lips. Lustrous black curls tumbled past his shoulders, contrasting with his golden complexion. Pointed ears poked through the silky locks. His muscular physique was obvious even under his vivid red dragon-patterned gi. A gold belt with two stars cinched his waist, complementing his crimson headband which rippled behind him.

"Hey," Jax greeted him casually.

"Another boulder incoming!" Jose warned. They leapt clear as Jose snatched the rock in his bare hands and hurled it back the way it had come. Suddenly, a sphinx-like creature materialized behind Jose and kicked him sharply in the back. Jose crumpled to the ground with a grunt but swiftly sprang back up, rubbing his spine ruefully.

"Attacking when my guard was down? Hardly sporting of you," Jose chided. The sphinx let out a gravelly laugh.

"You left yourself open," it retorted in a rumbling baritone. They bowed curtly to commence the duel, immediately dropping into fighting stances.

"Life gauge activated," their watches intoned mechanically. The two warriors charged, meeting in a concussive shockwave that buffeted the onlookers. The sphinx grabbed at Jose, who nimbly backflipped away, only to catch a sledgehammer fist to the face. Jose smashed through countless trees before skidding to a stop.

"What an amateur mistake against a sphinx's unpredictability," Lionel criticized contemptuously. This sphinx had chestnut fur rather than golden, and light brown hair instead of blonde. Its simple brown gi and yellow belt contrasted oddly with the headband wound around its forearm.

"I remember reading about them once," Lionel went on loftily. Jose hauled himself up and shook his head to clear it.

"That was just luck," he insisted stubbornly.

"Was it?" the sphinx taunted as it prowled toward him. Jose unleashed a flurry of punches, but the sphinx dodged them with ease before burying a fist in Jose's stomach. Jose crumpled to his knees, gagging and coughing. The sphinx's uppercut snapped his head back viciously.

"This isn't looking good for Jose," Lionel narrated unnecessarily.

"He's taking a real beating," Jax agreed.

"Wait, I recognize that stance - it's an earth fighter!" Felix exclaimed.

"You're right! No wonder its hits are so crushing," Lionel said.

Jose unsteadily dragged himself upright on trembling legs.

"You're finished!" the sphinx thundered as an earthen aura flared around it. The watchers struggled not to be blown back by the burgeoning winds as the sphinx prepared its ultimate attack.

"Grab onto something sturdy!" Lionel yelled over the shrieking gale. Everyone but Jax managed to anchor themselves. Jax's eye seared with white-hot agony once more, and the tempest snatched him away like a leaf. The others could only watch helplessly as he disappeared into the trees.

"Jax!" they cried in dismay.

The sphinx's hands solidified into stone sledgehammers. "Ultimate attack - Stone Crush Movement!" it bellowed, barreling straight for Jose's unprotected face. But at the last instant, Jose rocketed skyward as a draconic aura engulfed him. An ear-splitting roar rent the air. Jose's eyes shifted into reptilian slits and his feet ignited.

"Ultimate counter - Half-Burning Dragon Tornado Kick!" The first scything kick shattered the sphinx's guard. The second blazing roundhouse caught it squarely on the jaw, hurtling the stunned creature into the cliffside. It slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Match over," the watches declared impassively. Jose's eyes reverted to normal as he sauntered back to the group.

"Phew, that was a close call," he remarked, mopping his brow. "Weren't there four of you before?"

"Yeah, Jax ran off holding his eye," Kiyoshi explained worriedly.

"Which way did he go?" Jose asked with a frown.

"We don't know," Felix admitted.

Jax careened into a tree, far from the others. His eye shifted once more into its Mitsukodorian form.

"Why now?" he cried in anguish. Four mysterious hooded figures materialized from the mists.

"Did my brother send you?" Jax demanded. In response, they lunged for him. Jax lashed out with a kick to repel their assault. Then a red-handed warrior dropped down, striking Jax's temple. He crumpled bonelessly.

The assailant pulled back his hood to reveal his face. "Cloven! Our first mission together will please the boss when we deliver this boy," he declared triumphantly.

One of the other masked figures nodded in agreement.