The sudden offer from the very people who Alex WANTED to fight in the first place was like a ray of sunshine through his cloudy, gloomy mood. Before he could reply, the older man basically insisted that he be brought along, and walked outside. Obviously something had gone down between the three fighters, but that was of little consequence to Alex.<br/><br/>"Really?" Alex said, suddenly brightening up. He stood quickly and, noticing the clothing of the rotund ronin, bowed respectfully. "I'm sorry for offending you, and would be honored to come with you and test my strength as well." Alex straitened himself and continued. "I have trained long and hard to be considered the strongest fighter in the United States, as far as I have been able to find."<br/><br/>But despite the respectful manner in which he replied, Alex was far from trusting them absolutely. Something about the rough honesty of the ronin made Alex think he was on the up and up at least, but this other man, the younger one, was pricking Alex's instincts. He couldn't read minds, but Alex had spent a lot of time around the most dangerous predators in the world, and he knew a killer when he saw one. The old man and the younger fighter were definitely in the same category as the human-hungry tiger Alex had dealt with a few days ago.