Author's Note: Bit of a shorter. chapter but. the next three will be pretty long.

Chapter 4: Challenge Accepted

Jin has disappeared.

It's been weeks since I've last heard from him. I've sent several messages daily to check on him. I've mostly been left on read with the occasional thumbs up emoji or one word response. Rumors are flying around the school. Some kids are saying he got into an accident. Others think he transferred to a boarding school overseas. All gossip, so far.

I checked my phone to see if there was a response from the last message I sent the other day. Still nothing. He hasn't even read the message yet. I know he can be kind of aloof but this feels very out of character for him.

The lunch bell rings, and I decided to take a walk through the hallways to take my mind off of things. Summer vacation is about to start next week. A lot of my classmates are talking about the lavish vacations they plan to take but I can't afford any of that. The only reason I'm even able to afford to come to this school is through a scholarship from the Mishima Zaibatsu. I was hoping to spend at least part of the summer break with my friends. But Miharu still isn't really talking to me and Jin for some reason is nowhere to be found.

I approached the vending machine at the end of the hall, faced with my usual dilemma–iced tea or lemonade creating further frustrations for me today. "Yo pigtails." a voice called from behind me making me forget about my impossible drink choice.

The tall red-haired guy came up beside me to the second vending machine to buy an energy drink. What was his name again?

"Jin's friend right? From back at the lounge? Hwa?"

"The name's Hwoarang. And don't you forget it. Xiaoyu."

"I'm surprised you remember me."

"Of course, I'd never forget the name of a strong fighter. Besides I've seen you and Jin hanging around each other. Getting awfully close huh?"

"Not that close apparently, I haven't heard or seen him in weeks."

I put my 120 zen into the vending machine to get my usual lemonade. Hwoarang took a swig of his energy drink before following up with that statement, "So you haven't heard from him either huh?"

My heart dropped a little at the question, and the idea that Jin might really be missing. I shook my head waiting to hear if Hworang had any info.

"Well no doubt about it. His grandfather kidnapped him."

"What are you talking about? Why would he kidnap his own grandson?"

Hwoarang laughed at the question, " I don't know if you know this but the Mishima's are kind of intense, especially Heihachi. He expects nothing less than strength and perfection from everyone. And that includes Jin. Jin used to come to school battered and bruised after going through Heihachi's intense training. My guess is we probably won't see him until after the tournament, if he makes it."

"Don't joke like that."

"I'm not joking. The Iron Fist Tournament is serious and there are no rules on who or even what can enter the tournament. It brings in fighters from all over the world who are trained in the deadliest fighting styles. Once the match starts your only objective is to win by any means necessary."

"Why would anyone want to do something like this? All this for money and fame?

"We all have our reasons for joining. Sure for some people it's about the money, 500 million zen can change anyone's life in an instant. Others it might be about power, proving you're the best in the world. But for a lot of people it's personal. They're searching for answers only the tournament can bring. I don't know what exactly Jin's fighting for, but that reason is what gets him up in the morning everyday."

"So this is it then? I already spent my last moments with Jin and we didn't even say proper goodbyes to each other. Idiot. If I had known that I would've told him…" my voice trailed off as my feelings started to overwhelm me.

"Tell him at the preliminaries next month."

"What preliminaries?"

Hwoarang brought out his phone to airdrop me a flyer with some details written on it. "The time and location are all there, and I think it's only 10,000 zen to compete. I'm sure Jin's definitely gonna be there. I feel like Heihachi would still force him to qualify in the preliminaries. But I'm serious Xiaoyu, it's not gonna be easy though."

The 5 minute lunch bell chimed and students started rushing through the hallway. "No one's gonna go easy on you in there pigtails. So if you're gonna join, you better be ready."

To my grandpa's reluctance I started training extensively pushing myself to the limit everyday. I'd train in the early mornings before school, then train till late in the evening perfecting my form and preparing myself for what's to come.

"Alright, Xiaoyu ready?" Grandpa and Panda entered their fighting stance. They came at me with their best moves. Panda came first on all fours as she tried to charge at my feet. I did a large jump over and attempted to land a kick on my grandpa who easily blocked me. "You're going to have to do better than that."

Panda came up and grabbed me from behind giving grandpa the opportunity to get some punches in before I kicked him off and elbowed Panda in the gut. The sparring continued on until I was able to beat both of them.

"You've bested your old man again." Grandpa stood up, dusted himself off and gave me a proper bow to show his approval. "You've improved greatly over these past couple of weeks, and I think it'll be enough to help you hold your own in the tournament."

I bowed at my grandpa to show my respect and appreciation, but I was still frustrated at his comment. "Just enough to hold my own, not beat my opponents? You don't sound too confident in me."

Grandpa sat on the floor and invited Panda and myself to join him. "You're a strong fighter Xiaoyu and I think if this was just a tournament about skill then I'd be more than confident in you. But it's not about skill, Iron Fist is about strength and winning against all odds. Even for the preliminaries you could be up against trained killers, masters of dark art forms, mercenaries for hire. I joined the first and second tournament not just for the money, but to help avenge one of my dearest friends. My friend was kind, but his soul became corrupt because of corporate greed and it cost him his life. Those are the type of people who join the tournament. Those are type of people you'll have to fight."

I bent my head down out of fear and frustration. But I wasn't about to let either of those two things stop me. I have to go, I need to go because if I don't, I don't think I'll ever forgive myself.

"Remember this Xiaoyu. Don't let fear and greed corrupt you. You're going to be tempted and tested. But remember who you are and what you're fighting for."