Jerry wolf-whistled. "Whooo! What it do, girl?"
She ignored him, scrutinizing each of their faces.
"Well?" The stranger demanded.
"Would ya mind explaining why you dragged our friend here in the first place?" Jack questioned, before flinching at her sudden movement. "You know, if it won't be any trouble."
Kim attempted to rouse Milton from his daze.
"Milton? MILTON. Milton, snap out of it!" Impatient, she slapped him across the face, causing him to fall against a table.
"OW!" He gasped. "What was that for?!"
Jerry moved to his opposite side. "Here man I'll help!"
His "help" was smacking Milton once more, and this time the intellectual spun and fell.
"Ow…"
"Jerry!" Kim admonished.
"What?! I thought we were all slapping him!"
The pair sat Milton down in a chair as Jack's conversation with the newcomer continued.
"Like I said, the nerd owes me money," she scowled. "At least a hundred bucks."
"I DO NOT!" Milton suddenly vocalized.
The stranger surged forward threateningly, but Rudy stood in her way.
"That twig ruined my art piece, and it'll take at least that much to undo his mistake!" She clarified bluntly. "Happy now?"
Rudy gulped but held his ground. "How about we act like civilized people, okay? What's your name?"
She scoffed, remaining silent.
"I'm Jack," Jack took the initiative.
The stranger paused for a moment. "Ella. Ella Wong."
Rudy grinned nervously. "Hi Ella, I'm Rudy. Now is there a way we can assess the damage, or…?"
She sighed, her anger simmering down.
"Follow me," Ella instructed coldly. "It'll be best to show you."

Ella Wong led them into the forest as the evening grew longer. Instead of taking the main trail, she guided the others down an overgrown footpath that snaked through the trees.
"How come your art piece is in the middle of the woods?" Jack tripped. "Isn't that a little…I don't know, weird?"
Kim flung a branch back into Jerry's face. "Yeah. Especially if it's so expensive."
Milton was silent, refusing to talk about either his date or the incident that had led Ella to them.
"It's a concept," Ella skipped nimbly along before zipping through a tiny gap in the bushes.
The gang followed and found a clearing surrounded by lush greenery. It was almost totally bare except for a few large rocks and logs.
"Is the concept called Invisibility? 'Cause…" Rudy's snark trailed off as a crowd in hoodies sprinted into the open.
Scarves hid their faces and they vastly outnumbered the karate club. It was obvious from their stance and movements they were fighters.
Ella smirked as she sat atop a large boulder. "The concept is simple. It's called 'It's a Trap!'"
The strangers spread in a thin circle around the Wasabi Warriors, equally menacing.
Jerry shook his head. "Nah man that's a terrible name."
She glared at him before motioning to a couple gangsters.
"Deal's a deal," she stated as a blindfolded Julie was dragged towards them. "Here's your girlfriend back."
They thrust Julie into Milton's arms and he gently removed the cloth.
"Milton?" Julie put on her glasses.
"Dude, you betrayed us!" Jack hissed.
"What else was I supposed to do, she had Julie!" Milton retorted.
Kim threw her hands in the air. "You could've, I don't know, ask your karate expert friends to help save your kidnapped girlfriend?!"
Jerry laughed. "Yeah that would've totally been better."
"You'd think for a genius he'd actually have more common sense," Jack muttered.
Julie glared at them. "Hey! I thought you guys were Milton's friends!"
"We are, but let's focus on the problem at hand, okay?!" Rudy commanded. "We can take 'em! There's only about…fifteen…"
Ella clapped her hands and roughly twenty more appeared through the trees.
"You were saying?" She was sardonically evil.
"Ya had to tempt fate, didn't ya Rudy?" Kim snapped.
"Wait!" Jerry held up his finger, catching everyone's attention.
He took a deep breath.
"Where's the art piece?"
Everyone groaned, even the goons.
"Honestly, dude, how do you pass school?" Jack wondered in disbelief.
"You should know by now the teachers just pass him because they don't want to see him again," Milton responded.
Jerry snickered. "We have an understanding."
Ella coughed loudly, cutting through their aside. "Ahem…hate to interrupt, but you do realize your current situation?"
It was bad odds. There were almost thirty-five gangsters vs. one sensei and five teens. "Did the Black Dragons put you up to this?" Kim challenged.
The girl laughed. "You don't seem to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. These aren't amateurish bullies. They're professionals," Ella emphasized.
"That still doesn't explain…anything," Kim admitted. "It's total overkill. And last I checked, you don't have a reason for actually messing with us."
Ella raised an eyebrow, scanning their group. "I see…Eddie isn't here."
The name hung in midair.
"Wait, you know Eddie?!" Milton was bewildered.
She jumped down from her rock and approached him. "Yes…I do. You could say we're old acquaintances."
Milton shuddered. Ella brushed by him, pickpocketing his phone.
"Hey!" he protested.
"Quiet," she commanded as she stared at the device. "Gangsters, do your thing."

The horde surged forward.
Jack flipped past one fighter, kicking him in the process. Kim blocked a punch to her head and swept the attacker's legs, while Jerry ducked and swerved, throwing wild punches.
Rudy dodged an ambush at the last moment to dispose of one villain (whose speed led him headfirst into a tree) before launching himself into the thick of the fray. Milton and Julie tag teamed to knock over some of their opponents with a rolling log.
"Physics in action you galoots!" Milton yelled triumphantly.
Suddenly, one goon latched onto Julie's arm. Before her boyfriend could react she rammed her stiffened fingers into the gangster's stomach. As he released her, Julie smashed her fist into his face.
"Julie!" Milton threw a different thug past her. "How did you—?"
"I'm Ty's niece, remember?" Julie reminded him wryly. "Even if I never formally learned karate I picked up a few things."

Despite the gang's heroics they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Jerry was thrown into the air and now dangled dangerously from a branch. Jack got pinned to the ground while Milton and Julie were tied to a tree trunk. Rudy and Kim were still fighting, but they'd been isolated and surrounded.
Meanwhile, Ella was playing on Milton's phone.
"Nice apps," she commented. "By the way, you might want to change your password."
"Hey!" He protested.
Ella found what she was looking for and smirked, bringing the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" She spoke clearly. "If you want your friends to remain unharmed, come to the clearing in the forest ASAP. Otherwise I'm not responsible for their wellbeing."
She held out the phone to record the brawl.
"Let us go you crazy bird!" Kim screeched, using a stick as a bo staff to keep the attackers at bay.
"Then I'd lose the game, Kim," Ella ended the call. "And I hate to lose."
Jack glared at her, despite being forced to his knees. "How do you know who we are?"
"I always do my research," She informed him. "Eddie Jones has quite the loyal circle of friends. I'm impressed. I must thank all of you: Jack Brewer, Kim Crawford, Milton Krupnick, Jerry Martinez, and of course, sensei Rudy Gillespie," She bent in a mocking bow. "Without your help it would've been much more difficult to coax him out of hiding."
Rudy had been doing well until he fell headfirst into a prickly bush.
"This really hurts my pride," he declared morosely. He'd escaped the thorns with minor wounds, but they caught his pants.
"Oh snap," He tried to cover up, but it was too late.
Everyone saw his cartoon underpants.
"I doubt you have anything left to be proud of!" Jerry's laughter didn't stop, despite being upside down. "Your legs are skinnier than Kim's!"
"Hey!" she protested, momentarily distracted. In a flash someone wrenched her weapon from her grasp and she was pulled into the crowd.
"DON'T HURT THEM!" Eddie stumbled into the area, tripping over the undergrowth. He was caught by Ella's thugs and set upright. They then handed his bag to her.
"That was fast," Milton commended him. "Only about a minute and three point two seconds."
Julie cocked her hand. "Uh, I calculated a minute and three point three seconds."
Eddie stood his ground, his sharp gaze meeting Ella's.
"So Eddie," She swaggered forward, his pack dangling from her fingers. "These are your players? It seems I've underestimated your judgment."
Eddie's expression was terrifying. "Let them go. None of us are playing your games."
"Oh no, Mr. Jones, you don't have a choice," Ella chastised, her expression darkening. "Neither of us do. It's her game now, not mine. And if we don't, you know the consequences."
With another clap, Ella's henchmen retreated, leaving the gang warily surprised.
Ella tossed Milton's phone at Eddie, as well as his pack.
"We're on a time limit, and there's no extra lives," Ella warned. "You better win…I'm not your real opponent."