The ground trembled and shook as Saburo's "Clear Flame Wave: Final Inferno" converged with Kagawa's "Bujustu, Tidal Surge, Heavenly Reckoning" in a clash of fury.
Jaggy, his breath ragged and his eyes wide, darted around the battlefield, desperately searching for an opening to help his teammates. "I have to do something!" he muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Saburo, caught up in the heat of battle, growled with a fierce determination, his flames dancing around him like an infernal halo.
"Jaggy, do something!" Koko yelled from her icy prison, her desperation adding to the chaos of the battle.
BAM!! SHRRK!!
The clash between Kagawa and Saburo raged on, the heat and fury of the battle threatening to consume the entire forest.
"I'm not just as strong enough like you guy's, I'm such a weakling," Jaggy berated himself internally, watching helplessly as the battle unfolded around him. "I'm not strong enough, not like Saburo, or even Kaguya. I'm letting my team down, just like last time."
Memories of his last mission flashed through his mind, Si-Fu Kaede's being beaten to a pulp. "No, I can't let that happen again," he whispered, his jaw clenched in determination.
Jaggy, his fists clenched and his eyes wild, searched for an opening to help his teammates, his desperation palpable. "I can't just stand by and watch my teammates go down," he muttered, his mind racing for a solution.
Closing his eyes, Jaggy took a deep breath, letting the rush of battle fade into the background. "Bujutsu," he whispered, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "Bujutsu Water Strike!."
He could almost feel the power surging within him, ancient and untapped, ready to burst forth. "Torrential Downpour," he repeated, the syllables rolling off his tongue like a mantra.
"Bujutsu... Water Strike! Torrential Downpour!" he cried, his eyes snapping open as the power of his unique water ability surged through him, raw and primal and filled with the rage of a thousand storms.
Kaguya glanced over at jaggy, "Hey, what are you unto there?"
With a mighty roar, Jaggy unleashed his Bujutsu, the torrential water element surging out from the luminari river in a tremendous wave of power.
"Bujutsu Water Strike! Torrential Downpour!" he bellowed, his voice drowning out the chaos of the battle.
In a stunning twist of fate, Jaggy's Bujutsu crashed into Saburo's, a titanic clash of water and fire that shook the forest to its core.
Kaguya, her eyes widening in disbelief, took a step back as the raw power of Jaggy's technique rippled through the forest. "Jaggy, you can do bujustu now... ?" she gasped, the fear in her voice betrayed by the awe in her eyes.
Saburo, his hair still ablaze with the fury of his Bujutsu, looked to Jaggy with a mixture of anger and surprise. "I didn't know you had it in you, Jaggy," he grunted, his tone edged with a begrudging admiration.
Kaguya, her icy demeanour cracking under the weight of Jaggy's newly discovered power, let out a low hiss. "Impressive, Jaggy. But it won't be enough to stop me."
"Oh, you think so?" Jaggy retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Good one, jaggy." Kagawa yelled out,"Ughhh, what's happening?" he groaned, stumbling forward as the shock of the power wore off.
*Gwapwapwap* (Kagawa's Bujutsu - Tidal Surge, Heavenly Reckoning, his body shrinking back down to normal size as the technique ran out of steam.)
Kaguya, seizing the opportunity, leaped into the fray with a piercing scream of Kyaa! Her icy blade, no longer held back by Kagawa's mass, sliced through the air like a razor, aimed straight for Kagawa's heart.
CLANG!
Jaggy's blade clashed against Kaguya's, deflecting her attack just in time.
"Nice try, Kaguya, but you're not getting to Kagawa," Jaggy growled, his eyes flashing with determination.
Kaguya, her rage fueling her strength, lunged forward in a flurry of attacks as her icy blade struck against Jaggy's.
SHTIK! SHTIK! SHTIK
"That all you've got, Jaggy?", Kaguya taunted.
"Kagawa, save Koko!" Jaggy bellowed, parrying Kaguya's blade! As he desperately tried to buy Kagawa time.
CLINK!
Kaguya, sensing Jaggy's distraction, spun around with a powerful SWOOSH of her icy blade, aiming for Jaggy's exposed side.
"Not so fast, Jaggy," she hissed, her voice cold as ice.
"No way, Kaguya," Jaggy growled, leaping back as he narrowly avoided the blade. "I'll fight you to the end, if that's what it takes."
THUMP!
As they fought, Kagawa sprinted towards Koko's icy prison, his footfalls echoing through the forest. "Hold on, Koko! I'm coming!" he cried, the fierce heat of Saburo's flames still licking at his heels.
"Don't think I'll let you have your way," Saburo shot at Kagawa.
"Uh-oh",Frantically trying to escape Saburo's relentless flame attacks, Kagawa sprinted towards Koko's icy prison, his heart pounding as he realized his reserves of Bujutsu and Chi were completely depleted.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH
His footsteps echoed through the forest as Saburo's fiery attacks drew ever closer, the heat singeing the air around him.
"I have to get to Koko," he murmured, his panic rising as Saburo's flames threatened to engulf him. "I can't fail."
"You can't run from me, Kagawa!" Saburo bellowed, his fiery form lunging towards Kagawa with blistering speed. "Give up the relics you have now, or feel the wrath of my flames! I know you have them!"
"No way, I don't have anything!" Kagawa yelled, as rushed and cut up to Koko.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
The flames continued to chase Kagawa, their heat radiating like a physical presence on his back as Saburo's enraged form drew closer.
"Liar!" Saburo snarled, his hands clenched into tight fists, ready to strike Kagawa down. "I know you have it, you must have taken it fromm.... Give them to me now!"
"N... no, I... I can't," Kagawa panted, his legs starting to give way as he stumbled towards Koko's icy prison. "Hey, don't you ever run out of energy...with all this flames your making!"
Jaggy, still facing off against Kaguya noticed how dire the situation was becoming then thought of a something that could get him and his teammates to escape.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Jaggy's Bujutsu Water Strike! Torrential Downpour collided with Saburo's fiery aura with a deafening hiss, forcing Saburo to redirect his attention towards Jaggy.
"What?!" Saburo cried, the fire in his eyes blazing as he was momentarily taken aback by the sudden attack.
Taking advantage of Saburo's distraction, Jaggy leaped towards Kagawa and Koko, unleashing a powerful another Water Strike! Torrential Downpour
TSSH!
The torrential downpour mixed with Saburo's flames, this time creating a thick, swirling cloud of steam that engulfed the entire battlefield.
The cloud was dense, almost impenetrable, as the steam rose from the ground like a blanket, obscuring everything in its path.
Seeing their chance, Jaggy seized the opportunity. "This way! Let's get outta here" he yelled, grabbing Kagawa and Koko's in his hand as they stumbled through the thick mist. "We have to move quickly while they can't see us!"
With Jaggy leading the way, the trio sprinted through the forest, their footsteps masked by the hissing of the steam cloud.
"Hurry, they're right behind us," Jaggy panted, glancing back to see Saburo and Kaguya hot on their trail, their forms barely visible through the thick fog.
SWISH! A blade of ice sliced through the steam, missing Jaggy's head by mere inches.
"They're throwing projectiles blindly," Kagawa cried, his voice strained with fear. "Jaggy, we need to get out of here!"
In the chaos of their escape, Saburo and Kaguya's relentless pursuit seemed to be closing in, their fiery and icy forms barely visible through the dense mist and smoke. But, in a stroke of luck, the forest appeared to shift around them, concealing Jaggy and his teammates in the tangled web of trees and underbrush.
"Did... did we lose them?" Kagawa panted, his voice ragged with exhaustion as he peered around the nearest tree.
"I think so," Jaggy replied, his own breath coming in short gasps.
The eerie quiet of the forest settled around Jaggy, Kagawa, and Koko as they caught their breath, their minds now becoming at ease.
"Hey Kagawa, how were you able to take care of Asami so fast," Koko whispered, her eyes glowed . "She is an earth elemental type, so it's pretty shocking to do so quickly."
Jaggy nodded in agreement, his thoughts turning to the Kagawa. "It must have been that awesome Bujutsu he used. It was scary seeing him that sized though!"
"Oh that Bujutsu, Kagawa," Koko murmured, her gaze shifting between the two warriors. "I didn't even know you were capable of something like that."
"It's... it's a new technique my dad taught me," Kagawa replied, a hint of pride entering his voice. "I just wasn't sure if it would work."
"Well, it did," Jaggy said, his gaze drifting back to the smoke-filled forest. "It worked perfectly."
"Well now we've have to regroup," Koko said, her voice growing more resolute. "We need to figure out a new step to getting the other relics. Saburo and Kaguya won't give up easily too."
"You're right," Jaggy agreed, pushing himself up from the tree.
Kagawa, glancing unusually like he has something mischievous to say. "But y'know guys, we don't need to do that anymore!"
"Huh, do you have something you wanna tell us?" Koko asked, her curiosity piqued as she peered at Kagawa with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"
Jaggy, sensing Koko's eagerness, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Koko," he said, his eyes fixing on Kagawa. "What's this about, Kagawa? What have you got that can help us?"
Kagawa, his expression bordering on a mischievous grin, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, golden scroll and a jade Amulet.
These," Kagawa said, his grin growing wider as he brandished the golden scroll and a glistening jade amulet. "I managed to retrieve these from Asami."
"Kagawa, I can't believe you managed to get these!" Koko exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and elation. "We've got three of the relics now! We're one step closer to becoming tiger warriors!"
"That's right," Jaggy agreed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "With these relics in our possession, we're at a significant advantage. No team would be able to stop us now."
Kagawa, beaming with pride, nodded.
"So, the question now is how do we protect these relics until the tournament round is finished?" Jaggy asked, his gaze scanning the forest for any signs of danger.
"Oh, I have any idea!" Kagawa said.
Saburo and Kaguya stood in the middle of the forest, their fiery and icy auras gradually fading as they realized Jaggy and his team had disappeared into the misty haze.
"Where did they go?" Kaguya growled, her hands clenching into tight fists as she searched the forest for any sign of their escape.
Saburo's eyes narrowed, his fiery gaze sweeping the forest with an intensity that could burn a hole through metal. "They couldn't have just vanished," he snarled, his voice seething with rage.
The silence of the forest was broken only by the crackle of fallen twigs underfoot and the muffled howls of the wild beasts lurking in the shadows.
Saburo, his eyes flashing with a wild ferocity, turned to Kaguya. "We need to find them," he hissed. "They can't get away with the relics. They're ours."
Kaguya's expression hardened, a wicked grin spreading across her lips. "They won't get far," she murmured, the ice in her eyes seeming to glint with an icy determination.
Meanwhile at Zirkyu's hideout, Zirkyu, with Lian cradled in his arms, approached the dimly lit layer, his footsteps echoing across the rocky terrain.
"At last, your return! I was starting to think the something must had swallowed you whole. A day's absence stretched into an eternity - what tales do you bring back with you? And more pressing still, did you cross paths with a worthy adversary, one who tested your mettle and pushed you to the brink?"
"I encountered no formidable foes, My Lord," Zirkyu replied, his gaze fixed on the shadows within the cave. "But I did come have some company on the way."
A dark figure emerged from the shadows, he happened to be Xaphan. "So, you've brought what I asked," he said, his voice a low growl. "What's wrong with her? Hope she's not dead!"
Zirkyu, his head lowered in a show of respect, placed Lian's body gently on the ground. "I put her to sleep so she doesn't cause any trouble or harm herself," he said, his voice grave. "Her power is incredible, even in this state. But she doesn't know it yet!"
"Indeed," Xaphan replied, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Xaphan, his eyes fixed on Lian's sleeping form, nodded in approval. "You've done well, Zirkyu," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "But now we must prepare for the next phase of our plan."
"What's the next phase, my Lord?" Zirkyu asked, his voice eager and respectful.
"We need to lure Kai out of the Iron Fist Academy's clutches and into our web, it's a different case compared to Lian. We need to agree to join us." Xaphan replied, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "And I know exactly how to do it."