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Hakishi, Lee, Dom, and Aki finally encountered Jin Nightmare, who stood casually in the middle of a clearing, twirling a blade of grass between his fingers like he had all the time in the world.
"You must be Jin Nightmare," Hakishi growled, his fists clenched. "We've been looking for you!"
Jin yawned. "Oh, sorry. Let me write you a thank-you card. Wait here while I grab some crayons."
Hakishi's face turned red. "I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face!"
Without waiting for backup, Hakishi charged forward, his fist glowing with energy. "Take this!"
BOOOOOOOM!
Hakishi's punch hit a boulder as Jin casually sidestepped, causing the massive rock to explode into rubble. Hakishi, however, smacked his stomach against the jagged remains.
He froze for a moment, then collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach. "I'm fine!" he wheezed, blood dripping from his mouth. "Just… a little warm-up."
Lee facepalmed. "This is embarrassing."
Aki sighed. "We've got to save him before he dies of stupidity."
The two of them rushed forward. Aki went low for a leg sweep while Lee aimed a flying punch at Jin's face. Jin, smirking, jumped into the air, somersaulting over them. Aki's sweep hit Lee's ankles instead, and Lee's punch hit Aki square in the jaw.
THWACK!
The two crumpled to the ground, groaning.
"Why do you hit so hard?!" Aki snapped, rubbing his jaw.
"Why do you trip people so badly?!" Lee shot back, clutching his ankle.
Jin clapped slowly, mockingly. "Incredible teamwork. Really inspiring stuff."
Dom stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, it's my turn. Time to show you why they call me Dom the Dominator!"
"No one calls you that," Aki muttered.
Dom ignored him, sprinting toward Jin at full speed. He aimed a spinning kick at Jin's chest, but Jin leaned back, hands in his pockets, and watched Dom flail in slow motion.
Dom spun so hard he lost his balance and ended up kicking a tree instead. The tree shook violently, and a swarm of birds flew out, squawking angrily and dive-bombing Dom.
"AHHH! Why is this happening?!" Dom yelled, flailing his arms as the birds pecked at him.
Jin chuckled. "Nature's on my side, apparently."
Lee got up, dusting himself off. "Alright, new plan. We all attack him at once!"
The team regrouped, surrounding Jin.
Hakishi raised his fists. "We've got him now. Ready?"
"Ready!" everyone shouted.
"GO!"
The group charged simultaneously, each one attempting their most powerful move. Aki launched a fireball, Lee went for a spinning kick, Dom threw another punch, and Hakishi jumped into the air for a dramatic hammer-fist.
Jin, still smirking, bent down to tie his shoe.
WHOOSH!
Aki's fireball missed Jin and hit Dom square in the back, sending him flying face-first into a mud puddle. Lee's spinning kick hit Hakishi mid-air, knocking him off course and slamming him into a bush. Aki tripped over the stunned Lee and landed on his face.
The clearing was silent except for the groans of the defeated.
Jin stood up, looking around at the chaos. "Well, that was... something. Are you guys actually trying to fight me, or is this some kind of comedy routine? Because I'm genuinely entertained."
Hakishi crawled out of the bush, leaves stuck in his hair. "We're not done yet!"
Jin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please. Enlighten me. What's the next part of your master plan?"
Hakishi grinned weakly. "Plan B!"
"Which is?" Jin asked, crossing his arms.
Dom sat up in the mud, glaring. "We annoy you until you give up!"
Aki groaned, still lying face-down. "Worst. Plan. Ever."
Jin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You know what? I was supposed to stall you until Nightmare got here, but honestly? Watching you trip over yourselves is giving me second-hand embarrassment. I'm leaving."
He turned and walked away, leaving the group lying in a pile of failure.
Lee sat up, groaning. "Did we win?"
Hakishi rubbed his bruised forehead. "He left, didn't he? That's a tactical retreat. I'm calling it a win."
The group nodded weakly, too battered to argue.
From the distance, Jin's voice rang out. "By the way, your teamwork is garbage!"
Hakishi clenched his fists. "Next time, we're really gonna get him."
"Sure we are," Aki mumbled, still face-down in the dirt.