╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter fifty
I don't get a choice in the
matter — why would I? it's
only the death of me

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

IT WAS THE morning after the fight, and everyone — and by everyone, Alyssa meant everyone — were gathered in the lobby of the hotel. For some reason, the committee and team of the Sekai Taikai had said all teams needed to meet there for some sort of meeting. For what, they didn't say. They hadn't even arrived yet, so all of them were just milling around.

Alyssa crossed her arms, smiling gently as Eli walked up to her followed by the rest of the boys. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Eli greeted, leaning down and kissing her softly for a moment. "Morning."

"Good morning." Her eyes then flickered down to his shirt, which was a black sweater decorated with blue flames. "This sweater is adorable. Why have I never seen this before?"

"Because you'd steal it." Eli moved slightly behind her, wrapping both of her arms around her waist and pulling her into him, making her giggle slightly. "You've stolen enough from me already."

She sighed dramatically. "Fine. Keep the sweater." Alyssa slightly leaned back slightly into him, watching as Robby approached Tory. "I'm sad to see Tory go home. Does she even have a place to stay back in the Valley? And doesn't she have a little brother?"

"I'm not sure. But, hey Lys, I know you're worried about Tory, but I think it's time to worry about you." He tightened his grip around her for a second. "You've got a fight to win."

Alyssa paused for a second, going quiet. Winning this competition could do wonders for her — not to mention what it would mean for everyone else on her team. Yet again, she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. However, unlike before, it wasn't so dauntingly crushing. Maybe it was just Cobra Kai, but now, she felt like she could breathe a little better.

"Hey, bro," Miguel greeted to Robby as he approached him, Sam, Alyssa, and Eli. "How'd it go?"

Robby sighed. "Pretty much how you'd expect it to go."

"I'm sure once all the craziness dies down, you guys are gonna figure it out," Sam reassured him.

"Maybe. Not much I can do until then but give her room. So . . ." His eyes slid over to Alyssa. "In the meantime, we got a tournament to win."

Miguel grinned. "Yeah, we do. And look, I — I gotta say, all things being equal, it's pretty sweet knowing that Cobra Kai's not a threat anymore."

Finally, Gunther and his team finally arrived. The room went silent, and they all gathered around to listen. Alyssa settled into the first row of Miyagi-Do, but instantly reached her hand backwards behind her. Eli took the hint and grabbed onto her hand, interlocking their fingers together.

"My apologies for summoning you all like this," Gunther announced. "But under the circumstances, it was necessary. The Sekai Taikai has a long and honorable tradition. We fight hard, but we fight fair. That's why I'm saddened to announce that one of the dojos here has tarnished that tradition by cheating."

Alyssa raised her eyebrows. Cheating?

Gunther turned towards the Sensei of the Russian team. "Sensei Ivanov. Four of your students have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. You are hereby eliminated."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sensei Ivanov demanded.

"You're hereby removed from our finalists."

"Bullshit!" He took a step towards Gunther. "Why don't you come over here and remove me yourself?"

"Sensei Ivanov!" Gunther shouted. "Consider yourself fortunate that your dojo wasn't banned forever. Continue this behavior, and that could be arranged easily."

He looked like he wanted to argue. Nevertheless, Sensei Ivanov raised his hand, and him along with the rest of the Russian team walked off.

"Replacing Udar Tigra will be the dojo with the next highest point total."

"Wait . . ." Devon trailed off. "That means . . ."

Alyssa's eyes widened, suddenly understanding. "Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Cobra Kai," Gunther stated.

Alyssa shut her eyes for a moment, letting out a breath of frustration. After everything they had worked for yesterday, finally beating Cobra Kai . . . it wasn't enough. She should've known better. Cobra Kai wasn't just a snake, it was a fucking hydra. No matter how many times the head was cut off, more just kept growing.

"And on a more positive note, we'll know announce the draws for our semifinals." Gunther took some papers from the woman next to him. "In our girls' bracket, the first semifinal will be Maria Àlvarez versus Zara Malik. And in the second match, that will pit Tory Nichols against Alyssa Liu."

Classic, really. Alyssa glanced over at Tory for a moment, sighing internally. It really was all coming down to this. Another thing she should've seen coming. She felt Eli squeeze her hand momentarily, and she squeezed back, trying to revel in the comfort for at least just a second.

"In our boys' bracket, our first semifinal match will be Diego Aguilar versus Kwon Jae-Sung. And our second semifinal match will pit Axel Kovačević against Robby Keene. Good luck to all our semifinalists, and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the venue."

Gunther then walked away, dismissing them. All of them started to disperse. Alyssa, however, stayed right where she was. It was like she couldn't move after that news. She couldn't believe this.

"Axel the Invincible, and Alyssa-Tory chapter two," Demetri said. "It's less than ideal."

Alyssa finally turned around, leaning her forehead directly on Eli's shoulder. "Kill me."

Eli laughed slightly, reaching up his free hand to rub her back gently. "Nah, I'm good. But Lys, you've got this. You've fought against Tory before."

"Yeah, and how'd that turn out?" Alyssa picked her head back up. "It ended with her telling me my mom killed her mom and then joining Cobra Kai. Not exactly ideal, E."

"That's not what I'm saying." He stared into her eyes seriously. "Before all that happened, you were holding your own. You can do it again. All of us will be cheering for you."

She gave him a tiny smile in response. They all moved over to the staircase, sitting on different steps. Alyssa sat at the very bottom next to Robby — captains, after all. This affected them more than anyone else. She watched as their three Sensei's approached them, all looking very miffed by the news.

"Screw this horseshit, man," Sensei Lawrence complained. "How many times do we have to kill that son of a bitch until he stays dead?"

"Kreese is like a cockroach," Sensei Toguchi replied. "But he is not one fighting on mat."

"Sensei Chozen's right," Robby agreed, looking over at Alyssa. "We have the rest of the day to tune up for tomorrow. What's the plan?"

"Knock Kreese's head off his neck, for starters," Sensei Lawrence answered.

"Count me in," Alyssa responded while shrugging. "He's old, I'm not. I'll knock him over in two seconds."

Sensei Lawrence raised his hand for a high-five. "This is why you're my favorite, Fairy Princess."

She slapped her hand against his. "Hell yeah."

Sam looked directly at Sensei LaRusso, who seemed very lost in thought. "Dad? Dad?"

Sensei LaRusso blinked, snapping himself out of whatever trance he was in. "What?"

"Training? For the final fights?"

"Oh, yeah, we'll run through the usual stuff."

Alyssa tilted her head slightly at him. The usual stuff? How was that supposed to help her in this fight?

"Sensei's need time to discuss," Sensei Toguchi voiced, glancing down at Alyssa and Robby. "Go get changed. Uh, meet me at gym, hmm."

She nodded, standing up from the staircase. Alyssa crossed her arms across her chest as she walked away from the staircase and her Sensei's, along with everyone else. She stared at the ground as she walked over to the elevator, getting lost in her mind. Last night, she had felt on top of the world, yet the universe always found a way to bring her right back down to Earth. This fight was everything, and Alyssa wasn't so sure how it was going to go. Tory was a good fighter, and if Alyssa lost, she knew the repercussions it would have on her team.

Alyssa had to win. Not just for everyone else, but for herself. This was her one chance to prove what she could really do. It was truly now or never.

After getting changed into some workout clothes and tying her hair up into a ponytail, she met up with Robby and Sensei Toguchi in the gym. He warmed them up with their usual stretches and conditioning, and they were about to start practicing when Sensei Lawrence, Sensei LaRusso, and Miguel for some reason burst through the door, looking a lot more awake and determined.

Sensei Lawrence nodded to them. "Come on, you two. Let's go see Barcelona."

Alyssa raised her hand. "We're going sight-seeing?"

Sensei LaRusso's eyes glinted. "Even better."

Well, they technically were sight-seeing, just . . . differently. In other words, Alyssa, Robby, and Miguel were getting trained on the streets of Barcelona

It involved Sensei Lawrence and Sensei LaRusso following them in a street year while yelling at them to make them run faster, practicing their kata on a monument overlooking the city, sparring in an old cathedral, fighting each other with bo staffs outside (Alyssa's specialty), training with fruit they got from carts in the city, and finally, literally running a lap through the entire city while the sun set.

Not only was it a good way for Alyssa to see the sights she wanted to, but it was also good for her training. She felt better than before, and even with the impending doom of what could happen tomorrow, she knew she would be fighting her best.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

DOOMSDAY.

OKAY, ALYSSA was being dramatic. Well, not really. This would be the day that decided everything. Alyssa walked out into the room, taking a deep breath. She absentmindedly moved one of her bubble braids off of her shoulder — matching with Sam, of course — and tightened her captain's headband again.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for," Gunther began. "The Sekai Taikai Tournament of Champions."

Alyssa bowed to the mat before turning to Robby. They locked eyes and nodded to each other before reaching out, knocking their fists together on top and below. A little pre-show ritual, just to get them ready and warmed up.

"Welcome, competitors, to the semifinal round of the Sekai Taikai. Each dojo will retain the points they have accumulated thus far. Each match will consist of three two minute rounds with unlimited scoring and no stoppages. One point for a hit, ten for a knockdown. And should anyone score a knockout, that's worth twenty. So, it's still anyone's tournament to win. Because at this stage of the tournament, no deficit is too large to overcome. Best of luck to you all, and may the best dojo win."

The first match was between Diego and Kwon. Alyssa, however, couldn't really find it in herself to watch. She stood off to the side, away from her team, and paced back and forth. Her mind was way too riddled with nerves. Alyssa let out a deep breath, shaking her hands out at her side as she sounds of fighting echoed in the background.

Sensei LaRusso then walked up to her, his smile warm and inviting. "Here we are. Moment of truth. Got a few butterflies?"

Alyssa let out a soft laugh. "More like a swarm."

"Embrace them. They're just there to remind you how much you want this. How are you doing with the Tory of it all?"

She sighed slightly, glancing over at Tory. "Struggling, I think. I just wish I could step onto the mat and have no drama follow me, but that's never really been an option, has it?" Alyssa looked back up at her Sensei. "Not to mention this fight is extremely personal, considering the whole thing with our moms."

He shook his head. "There's always gonna be some kind of drama. You can't control that. You can only control how you handle it." Sensei LaRusso then placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I don't think you should be too concerned with what Tory said about your mom. She was just really upset."

Alyssa shrugged. "Maybe, but maybe not. My mom's been my role model my entire life. I'm even going into nursing because of her. But . . . what if I'm making the wrong choice?"

"Ally, listen to me. I'm sure your mom did everything in her power to help Tory's mom. She's an amazing nurse — I mean, she oversaw Miguel, and look how he turned out." Sensei LaRusso squeezed her shoulder. "And you . . . you are going to make an amazing nurse. Don't let anybody or anything tell you otherwise."

She offered him a small grin, feeling a bit better after that. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

Sensei LaRusso then walked off, leaving Alyssa alone. She glanced back over to the mat, only to see that Kwon had won his fight against Diego with flying colors, gaining twenty points for a knockout. That also meant he was going to the finals. Alyssa, somehow, managed to catch his eye as he went back to his team. Kwon gave her that infuriating smirk of his, looking all smug. Alyssa's eyes narrowed at him, and she ran her hands down her gi, walking to join the rest of Miyagi-Do.

Robby looked over at her as she slid into the spot next to him. "You okay?"

"Fine," Alyssa answered. "Just . . . getting my head in the game."

"You ever gonna quit it with the High School Musical references?"

"Absolutely not."

The next fight was between Maria and Zara. Alyssa watched the entire fight, and it was quite evidence that Zara was going in hard. She gained two points with ease at the very beginning — in it to win it. Alyssa, although she acknowledged that Zara was good, couldn't help but want Zara to lose. Especially after what she did to Robby. That girl was downright disgusting, in every sense of the word. However, Zara was ruthless, and she won without letting Maria get any points.

Since that fight was over, the next boys' fight was up, which was between Robby and Axel. Alyssa patted Robby's back in encouragement as they all huddled up in a circle.

"All right, this is everything you've been working for," Sensei Lawrence told him. "You earned it."

"Breathe, focus, stay centered," Sensei LaRusso instructed. "Give him everything you got."

"And then you give him more," Sensei Toguchi added.

He then yelled out a word in Japanese, making them all yell out in encouragement as well. Robby bowed to their Sensei's before walking back out onto the mat. Alyssa turned her body back to the mat, locking her hands behind her back. Her stomach bubbled with nerves — not just because that meant her fight was next, but for Robby. Axel was an incredibly good fighter . . . but so was Robby. He had a chance.

Robby and Axel bowed to the ref, and then to each other, before the ref announced that they could fight. He advanced first with a jump kick and a punch, which Axel dodged with little to no movement. Robby punched again, and Axel blocked as well. Axel continued to block and dodge all of Robby's advances with ease. As someone whose dojo practically specialized in defense, Alyssa could tell that Axel's defense was impeccable. He wasn't letting Robby get through at all.

Axel's Sensei, the one who Alyssa knew the truth about him, yelled out a word in Chinese. Now, Alyssa knew little to no Chinese, but she recognized that word — attack. And so, Axel did. He turned on his offense, and even managed to get a punch on Robby's chest, scoring him a point. Axel then punched, his fist making contact with Robby's mouth, scoring him another point. Alyssa's hand flew to her mouth in shock as she watched blood splatter from his mouth and onto the mat.

"Defense, Robby!" Sensei LaRusso called.

Robby kept his defense up as the fight continued, blocking all of Axel's punches and jabs. However, Axel managed to grab both of Robby's arms, keeping him in a tight hold.

"Are you going to keep defending, or are you going to fight?" Axel taunted.

He threw Robby backwards. Robby landed right against the Cobra Kai's, who caught him. However, Kwon — that motherfucker — elbowed Robby in the side, even if it wasn't his fight. Just to be a bitch, really. Alyssa lowered her hand, anger starting to surge through her veins.

"Hey!" Miguel yelled, walking out onto the mat.

"Is bullshit!" Sensei Toguchi protested from the sidelines.

Axel, however, blocked his path and pushed Miguel down onto the mat in anger. Alyssa's eyes widened, and she shared a look with Sam as they all walked out onto the mat. Not good, really not good.

Miguel stood back up and got in Axel's face. "What the hell is your problem, huh?"

Robby got in Kwon's face as well. "Cheap shot, bitch. Wanna try it again? Try it again."

Kwon pushed his hand away. "Hit me."

"Stop," Gunther voiced, getting up from his table. "Stop this! Get ahold of yourselves."

Miguel pushed Axel back. "Bring it, Romeo."

"Everybody off the mat, now! Or this tournament—"

Gunther was completely interrupted by a fist making contact with his face. Alyssa gasped in shock as she watched Gunther fall, knocked unconscious by Sensei Ivanov. Clearly, him and his team weren't too happy about getting disqualified, and were now here to make a statement. Sensei Ivanov then turned to the crowd, raising his fist in the air and shouting something in Russian.

And . . . pandemonium. Alyssa watched with wide eyes as everybody ran at each other, causing a full on brawl to start. She just kind of stood in the middle of it for a moment, wondering how the hell she got there. Alyssa was only supposed to be fighting Tory today, not everyone else.

"Anybody else lost?" Sam shouted over all the fighting.

"Extremely," Demetri replied.

Alyssa grabbed onto Eli's shoulder. "This is like the school fight, but ten times worse."

He placed a hand on the small of her back. "At least we're not fighting each other this time."

"Thank God. Hated that."

"Me too."

It was clear that they either had to get out of the way or get absolutely trampled. Alyssa stumbled slightly from getting knocked into, separating herself from a lot of her team — basically everyone except Sam. She pushed two people away from each other while Sam got in between another. However, just as Alyssa raised her arm to stop somebody else, a foot made contact with her arm. Alyssa turned around, only to see it was the girl captain from the Irish team — the very same team Miyagi-Do had beat in the platform challenge.

"Pathetic," the girl said. "You think you belong in the finals?"

Alyssa raised her fists, her eyes narrowing. "I made it and you didn't, so that has to count for something, right?"

The girl ran at her, but Alyssa blocked her kick with ease. She punched twice, which the girl blocked. The girl turned herself around, and Alyssa blocked an elbow, and another elbow, and then a punch. Alyssa caught onto her arm and punched her in the side. The girl took a hold of her gi and spun her around while simultaneously pushing her back. Alyssa turned herself around, making the girl let go of her gi. She then spun herself around in the air

At the same time, Alyssa saw Sam get lost in the sea of people, taking up another fight while another member of the Irish team walked up. She breathed heavily for a moment — she was alone. A one versus two against skilled fighters. Alyssa had a moment of panic, but then two voices rang throughout her head.

Hey, no way. You're not letting anyone down. Lys, you were made captain for a reason. And that's because we all believe in you. I believe in you. Eli.

Go show them why you were made captain. Atta girl. Go get 'em, Lys. Eli.

Ally, you're a natural born leader. I mean, you're the girl that got us here in the first place. None of us would be in Barcelona right now if it wasn't for you. You were made captain for a reason. Don't sell yourself short. Sam.

I know that when it comes down to it, you'll lead us with excellence and grace. Sam.

She had so much to fight for.

Alyssa grounded herself, her eyes narrowing even further. Alyssa reached out and grabbed the girl's shoulders, kicking her side and making her fall to the ground. The guy, her teammate, then ran up and kicked her shoulder. Alyssa slightly stumbled back from the blow, and while she was distracted, the girl got in a kick from her place on the ground. She regained her senses and pushed down the guy's leg when he tried to kick her again. Alyssa blocked both of his punches before grabbing his arm, and with all of her body strength, she flipped him over completely. The girl got back up, and Alyssa dodged her punch. Alyssa spun herself around and kicked, her foot landing on the girl's chest and sending her right back down to the ground.

"God, my life is so strange," Alyssa muttered.

The boy was down permanently, probably from how hard his head hit the ground. On the other hand, the girl wasn't finished. She pushed herself off of the ground and swung, which Alyssa dodged. Alyssa grabbed her shoulders and hooked her leg around her hips. She let herself fall backwards onto the mat, bringing the girl down with her. Alyssa rolled nicely, but the girl got completely flipped over, landing right on her stomach. She tried to get up, but Alyssa pushed herself up onto her hands, kicking the girl right in the face. The girl, clearly dazed, got back onto her feet. Alyssa did so as well, kicking her in the face yet again. She then launched herself into a side aerial, an honest-to-God flip in the air, and her foot made contact with the girl's face again, who was now down for good.

Alyssa looked down at her, trying to catch her breath. "Think I belong in the finals now?"

Her fight was finished, but the others weren't. Alyssa looked up, only to see Tory and Robby fighting the members of Iron Dragons. Tory was fighting Zara, meanwhile Robby was being held by one guy while another punched at him. As Robby kicked the guy who was punching him away and then caught onto the other one, Alyssa ran up. She launched herself in the air, wrapping an arm around the guy's neck (who thankfully caught her) and used both of her legs to kick the other one away. While he went down, she tightened her grip on the other one and knelt down, completely flipping him over and sending him crumpling to the mat. Alyssa stood back up and sent a nod to Robby as he briefly touched her shoulder in thanks.

"Holy shit," Tory commented. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Alyssa responded.

The three of them faced their three opponents. Alyssa raised her fists, and this time, she put herself on offense. She ran forwards first and punched, kicked, doing whatever really. It seemed to work well, because even the Iron Dragons guy couldn't predict her next move. Almost like she was a hurricane, swirling around him. In the end, a kick brought him down to the ground. Alyssa stared down at him for a moment, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

"Robby!" Sam screamed, gaining Alyssa's attention.

Alyssa looked up. Sam, out of seemingly nowhere, emerged from the crowd to help Robby against Kwon. Kwon then kicked her in the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards. Alyssa's gaze turned slightly red at that, but someone else had other plans with Kwon. Axel. He threw Miguel to the side and ran at Kwon, grabbing him and starting to fight him. Alyssa's eyes widened, and she snuck past a lot of the fighters, going to Sam's side, who was just as shocked as she was.

"Um," Alyssa voiced. "What's going on?"

Sam gripped her arm. "Is he — is he fighting for me?"

"Oh, Sammy." Alyssa glanced over at her. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Kwon then screamed out, making Alyssa look back up. He looked quite insane with his messed up hair and blood dripping from his nose, and his movements were even crazier. Kwon flew through the air, which Axel blocked. Then, both Kwon and Axel spun themselves around in the air to kick. Axel's kick made contact with Kwon's leg, causing him to lose balance and momentum.

Something was wrong, though. As Kwon fell to the mat, there was the sound of metal, followed by a cry of pain — pain that shouldn't happen just because somebody landed on the mat. At once, every single person in that room stopped their fighting. There was nothing but silence, complete silence, stunned silence, as they all turned to look at Kwon.

Alyssa slowly walked up to join the other members of Miyagi-Do, her eyes trained on Kwon, who was laying on the mat, unmoving. Her eyes only widened once she saw a pool of red liquid — an unfortunately familiar red liquid — form around Kwon on the mat and staining his gi.

Holy fuck. It was blood. Alyssa absentmindedly put a hand on Eli's shoulder, who in turn put a hand on the small of her back. There was no way. This could not be happening.

Sensei LaRusso knelt down next to him. "Kwon?"

He grabbed onto Kwon's shoulders and rolled him over, Kwon's immobile hand smearing the pool of blood across the mat as he did so. That wasn't the worst part, though. It got entirely worse. A knife was sticking out of his abdomen, the entire blade buried to the hilt. Kwon's body was limp, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling and blood tricking out of his mouth — and everywhere, really.

Kwon was dead.

"Oh my God," Alyssa let out, her stomach churning at the sight.

As horrible as it was, it reminded her a lot of the aftermath of the school fight, seeing Miguel's bruised and bloody body just lay there on the stairs and believing he was dead. And just like then, she could not get herself to look away from Kwon. Time was completely frozen, and all Alyssa felt was horror. She didn't want to believe that this had just happened.

"Cut the feed," Gunther ordered. He then raised his voice. "Cut the feed!"

Vaguely, she felt Eli grab her waist in his hands and turn her around, tucking her securely into him. Eli, still in his own state of shock, put one arm around her waist and a hand on the back of her head, placing her face into his neck so she couldn't look anymore. Alyssa let out a shaky breath, clutching onto the back of his gi in her hands. She willed herself to try and calm down, but it wasn't working out too well. Not after that.

Her life was going to change from the Sekai Taikai — that was what everybody had told her, and what she had told herself. She just never thought it would be like this.

•─•°•❀•°•─•

. . . and mamma mia here we go again because it's time for ANOTHER break! thank you netflix I greatly appreciate you for this ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ no really it's so awesome ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

anyways. thanks for coming back, thanks for sticking around, and I'll see you in february (allegedly) . . . for the last time ?!?!?!

no I actually refuse to believe that there's absolutely no way

see ya then I guess peace out from me & ally (jodi looks so fucking good in this that's my faceclaim!!!!!)