Everyone was stunned when they heard Alex's name and realized that he was the man who had fought in Baltimore just over a month ago. They all began to talk at once.
"He's the one who defeated Damon Walker!", exclaimed someone.
"He's younger than I imagined," said another. "He's very skilled."
Of course, no one was more shocked than Chris and Melissa. How could Alex still be alive?
Chris had been sure that Alex was dead, so he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"What's wrong? What happened?" came a voice from his phone. Chris had been speaking with his father, Art, keeping him informed, but he had fallen silent when he had seen Alex.
Everything had been going smoothly until now. Every time Lee had killed someone, Chris had been overjoyed.
"Alex is here," Chris told his father. "He's not dead!"
"What?" Art was shocked, and his heart thumped hard within his chest. A feeling of dread washed over him. "Didn't you say he was dead? Why is he still alive? Chris, what have you done?"
Chris trembled, scared of angering his father.
"Don't worry," Chris said, trying to appease him. "Lee will kill him now. You know he will."
"I hope so," Art said, sighing heavily.
Melissa covered her mouth as she stared at Alex. She hadn't killed him! She shook with relief, glad she wasn't a murderer after all.
"Alex isn't dead", she thought. "But what about Debbie? Surely, she's alive too."
Chelsea Wood was glad to see Alex alive. She had hoped he would be here.
"You're Alex?" Lee asked, excited. "The same Alex who beat my apprentice? You killed him?"
"Yes, I defeated him," Alex admitted. "But I didn't kill him—"
But Lee wasn't listening. He tipped back his head and laughed. "Damon," he called out to the sky. "I will avenge you today. The loser who killed you will be joining you shortly."
He looked at Alex, his eyes burning with hatred. "It's your fault that my apprentice is dead," he said, practically snarling. "Now you can apologize to him in the afterlife. But it won't be quick. I'll make sure you suffer before I finally put you out of your misery."
Lee let out a fierce roar and launched himself out of the water, straight at Alex, who was caught by surprise. He hadn't expected Lee to get out of the lake so quickly.
Alex leaped up, avoiding Lee's strike. Xavier's internal power was at work in Alex in combination with the power he had already inherited from Zora and Georgina, making him faster and more agile.
Lee was surprised by Alex's level of skill. No wonder he had been able to defeat Damon. But Lee would be careful not to underestimate him.
"You're very good," Lee conceded, looking him over. "It's a pity that you crossed me. Now you'll die, just like all the others I've disposed of today."
He struck out again, rushing at Alex with his teeth bared. He kicked out, trying to sweep Alex's legs out from under him.
Alex leaped out of the way, easily evading him.
Lee realized that sheer strength wasn't enough to deal with Alex. His opponent was too slippery and was managing to elude him.
Then Alex lashed out at Lee, who hurriedly raised his arms to block. But the contact stunned Lee, sending shock waves through his body. Alex's strike had been extremely powerful.
When he stepped back, Alex hit him in the chest. Lee managed to block Alex's next punch and quickly stepped aside.
"Why aren't you boasting now?" Alex called. "Why are you backing away?"
Alex didn't give Lee a chance to catch his breath. He chased him, landing blow after blow.
Lee tried to avoid him, too busy trying to defend himself to fight back.
Alex fought fiercely, confident in his abilities, and Lee was shocked that he couldn't land a single blow.
"Why is he so powerful?" Lee thought. "He can't be much older than twenty. There's no way he should have that much power or skill."
He began to fear Alex.
Alex's attack was impressive and overwhelming. The martial artists, who had been subdued for the last two hours as they watched their fellow practitioners fall, now felt able to cheer for Alex.
"Come on, Alex!", exclaimed one.
"Kill him!", yelled another few.
"Not so arrogant now, are you, Lee?", screamed another man.
Lee fell into the lake, creating a huge splash.
Alex went in after him, continuing to fight. Even in the water, his moves were powerful and graceful. He kept his balance, managing to remain upright.
Everyone was surprised. They hadn't expected Alex to be so skilled at fighting in the water. None of them were so good at it.
But Alex wasn't as experienced as Lee.
Lee sank under the water and disappeared.
"Lee, stop hiding from me!" Alex yelled, looking around at the lake. "Come out and face me! You've harmed my martial arts colleagues, and now you have to pay."
All of a sudden, the lake erupted around him, spraying water in all directions. Lee's nickname was "sea shark" due to his excellent underwater skills. He had hidden under the water to sneak up on Alex, and now he attacked from beneath him.
He grabbed Alex from behind, opened his mouth, and tried to take a bite out of Alex's neck.
Alex snapped his head back, breaking Lee's nose and loosening several teeth, forcing him to let go.
Alex turned. "Bastard!" he yelled, kicking Lee square in the chest.
Lee screamed and tried to avoid the blows.
"You've killed for the last time," Alex said, punching him over and over, hitting his stomach and chest. "You'll never attack the community again." He struck hard, feeling several of Lee's ribs break.
"Your gang has repeatedly come here to cause trouble, and you've declared war on us," Alex said, still hitting him. "You intended to overthrow the martial arts community, but none of your plans will come to anything." He threw out a kick, catching Lee on the chin and snapping his head back.
Crack! The sound of bones breaking was loud as Lee flew backward, hitting the water and sinking under it. He never resurfaced.