Cristina stood to the side of her teammates with Miguel, holding her hands up for him to punch. After leaving the Canyon the night before, things between him and Sam had gone up in flames. Being under the influence of alcohol, Miguel wasn't in his right mind, and so, after spotting Sam holding hands with Robby, the two using each other as stability to make it don't the steep hillside, something within him snapped.

He started a fight with Robby by shoving him to to ground after he'd tried to intervene when Miguel raised his voice at Sam. And after brushing off his clothes, Robby shoved him right back. Horrified by their childish mannerisms, Sam pushed them apart angrily. And then Miguel, who had been trying to get to Robby, punched his girlfriend in the face, ending their relationship.

Ever since then, he'd been snapping at everyone, acting even more pissy than he had when Sam wasn't replying to his texts. Cristina pulled him away from the others when he began sending everyone around them harsh glares, allowing him to take his anger out on her palms instead.

She felt stupid. It hadn't clicked in her brain when Robby and Sam shoved up together that he was the guy Miguel had seen eating dinner at the LaRusso house. Even though she knew she wasn't at fault for their breaking up, she still felt unbelievably guilty. Had she just thought for a moment, she could've prevented it from happening.

Declan wasn't too interested in the ongoing conversation between Aisha, Hawk, and Bert. At least not until Hawk suggested that the reason Johnny was late could be because he drove his car off a cliff or bought a gun and blew his brains out. He furrowed his brows, thinking it sounded highly unlikely since he was always shouting about not being a pussy. Aisha seemed to agree and told him just that.

"No. Sensei would never kill himself. It's too pussy a move."

Hawk shook his head dismissively. "Whatever. I mean, we're here. We're just going to have to do it without him." he shrugged and Cristina smiled sympathetically at Miguel when his shoulders slacked and he ceased his punching.

"Do what without me?" Johnny appeared out of nowhere, carrying a black duffle bag over his shoulder. Miguel perked up instantly, letting out a breath of relief.

Raising his eyebrows, Hawk bluntly replied. "We didn't think you were going to show."

Declan piped up. "Who's we?" he queried, his brows knitted together. "You mean you doubted our Sensei?" Hawk glared while Declan 'tsked'. "Couldn't be me. I've always had the utmost faith in you, Sensei." he declared dramatically, waving his arms around accordingly. Catching sight of the slight smile on Cristina's face, Declan's grin widened.

Especially when Johnny shot him a look. "You're full of shit, Powell," he remarked, staring at the boy.

"That I am, Sensei."

ʚїɞ

Cristina wasn't all that surprised when Johnny spent about ten minutes holding a dramatic speech about the third rule of Cobra Kai before signing them up. They stood around in a circle listening to him talk with enough passion to rally them all up. He gave examples of how your life could go to shit in literal seconds, speaking about how life wasn't fair and never showed mercy, so why should they?

While she listened, Cristina wondered if he had rehearsed it beforehand. Some parts sounded scripted, or at least like he'd thought it over thoroughly.

At the end of it, Miguel shouted "Cobra Kai" loud enough for it to bounce off the walls in an echo. The others joined in soon after and laughter arose. Even Declan seemed encouraged as he bounced on the balls of his feet, hollering at the top of his lungs with his friend.

Johnny stopped them when they reached to dress in their gis. Smirking, he told them they weren't wearing the white ones they'd been training in for the past six months. And then, he grabbed his duffle bag and pulled out short-sleeved black ones with pale orange details. On the back was the Cobra Kai logo plastered for everyone to see.

Crisitna's eyes crinkled with excitement as she ran her fingers over the material.

"Sick." Declan breathed out, accepting his gi with more enthusiasm than he'd even shown before when it came to karate.

"I know, right." Johnny proudly said, slipping the now empty duffle bag back over his shoulder. He clapped his hands together, pulling the attention to him again. "I'm gonna go sign us up, make sure to be here dressed in five minutes!"

Following his directions, the teenagers scurried off to change, Aisha and Cristina giggling among themselves as they found the girls' locker room together. Bursting through the doors, it became evident that they were the only girls participating, something that bummed them out just a little. They didn't let it bring them down for long though, and cherished the quiet that came with being alone.

Without concern for others, they could pick and choose whichever cubby they wanted to get changed by and occupy the bathroom for however long they wished. Not that they had much time to get ready.

After three minutes they were changed into the gis. Cristina gushed to Aisha about how cool they looked. Another minute passed and Cristina brushed her hair, preparing it for Declan to braid while they waited, and applied a tiny amount of concealer beneath her eyes to cover up any unwanted darkness. And then they were rushing back to Johnny to get sorted before their grand entrance.

"Can you braid my hair, please?" Cristina asked Declan as she approached.

Wordlessly he walked behind her and gathered her hair in his hands to pull it all into two French braids for the tournament. He sectioned it, looking almost professional as he worked, and Aisha observed them curiously. Halfway through the first one, she spoke.

"Where'd you learn to braid hair like that?" she asked, baffled by how good it was turning out.

Declan shrugged, proud of the small amount of stray hairs sticking out from between each section. "I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials," he explained as though it had been obvious, gesturing to a beaming Cristina in front of him. "Cris loves having her hair done for special occasions, so I learned how to style and braid for her. It's cheaper, and - not to brag- but I'm hella good at it by now."

Nodding in agreement, Cristina winced slightly when Declan pulled at her roots to get her to stay still. "He's quick at it too," she added with a grin.

True to their words, Declan was finished with both braids within ten minutes. And they looked damned good too. Successfully, he'd managed to frame her face with a few pieces that were too short to include in the braids without having them fall into her eyes. Cristina inspected them in a small pocket mirror she'd brought with her and nodded happily.

"Happy to help." Declan declared and took a mock bow.

ʚїɞ

"Welcome, everyone, to the 50th annual All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship!" the announcer Daryl spoke through a microphone, as the applauding crowd quieted down to listen to him speak.

Hidden out in the back, the Cobra Kais spoke nervously among themselves. Cristina tried peeking out into the main room but was pulled back by Miguel before anyone could catch sight of her. She frowned, lips pulled into a slight pout as she crossed her arms.

"I just wanna see what's going on out there," she argued in a whisper, gesturing past the wall they were hidden behind.

Miguel gave her a playful glare. "Yeah, well, Sensei doesn't want anyone to see us before our grand entrance. Poking your big head out there will ruin the moment for him."

Cristina's jaw dropped agape and she sent a flurry of smacks to his arm. "I do not have a big head!" she said, her voice an octave too high as her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Oh, I don't know." Miguel tsked, staring at the top of her head with his eyebrows drawn together. "Looks pretty big from over here."

Before she could begin to chase him around the room, Johnny gestured for them to get in a line. Cristina narrowed her eyes and pointed at Miguel's chest.

"This is not over," she said, an amused smile playing on her lips as she slid into line behind him. Her shoulders tensed slightly when Hawk took the space after her.

She had yet to talk to him since the night before, and her heart ached upon thinking about what transpired. At her sides, her fingers nervously fiddled with the top part of her gi.

Declan, who was standing behind Hawk, snarkily spoke up. "Dude, watch it with that thing," he said, gesturing to his mohawk. "You almost took my eye out."

Giggling to herself, Cristina covered her mouth with her hand. She had noticed how Declan seemed to pick on anything Hawk, especially when she looked uncomfortable. And even though she felt slightly bad for the boy, she couldn't help but enjoy it just a little.

In a line, the Corba Kai students ran out into the arena, chanting their dojo's name in sync with each step they took. The audience roared with cheers and applause, and Cristina smiled when she caught sight of Theodore in the crowd, sitting just next to Miguel's mom Carmen, and Yaya Rose. He had painted a snake on his cheek that more or less looked like a smudged mess by now.

The Cobra Kais stopped once they reached their place on the floors, their chests heaving as they caught their breaths and turned simultaneously in the right direction. Miguel and Cristina exchanged a smile when they were finished while Declan and Aisha secretly fist-bumped behind their backs.

"Now that's what I call an entrance! And a badass name for a dojo!" Daryl screamed into the microphone, his voice booming through the many speakers. "Let's hear it for Cobra Kai!"

Sam and her family was sitting in the front row of the audience. Not wanting to be rude, Cristina smiled at the girl, something she was quick to return. Out of the corner of her eye, Cristina could see how Sam let out a breath of relief, thankful she wasn't rude to her even after the breakup.

Cristina usually avoided conflict. She never picked a side, especially in a breakup between two of her friends. Because who was she to judge who was in the right and wrong? Instead, she'd be there for both of them, helping them through it as much as she could.

"And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills, we have Mr. Robby Keene!"

With wide eyes, Cristina watched as Robby jogged out into the arena, dressed in a white gi with his relatively long hair tied up at the nape of his neck. He passed them by, exchanging a quick smile with Cristina before smirking almost challengingly when he reached Johnny.

She wasn't left much time to dwell on it though, as Daryl continued with the announcement.

"Alright, folks. Get ready." he paused for a theatrical effect and then grinned widely. "It's karate time!"

ʚїɞ

First up from Cobra Kai was Miguel. He was facing an opponent dressed in a bright red gi with sandy blonde hair. The guy smirked, overly cocky in his skill, and Cristina narrowed her eyes as she glared at him from the sidelines.

Before the fight could begin, Johnny pulled Miguel back and murmured in his ear. Determination glimmering in his eyes, Miguel nodded and walked to his place on the mat, standing several feet away from his opponent. The referee instructed them to bow to first him and then each other, before getting into fighting positions. Crisitna's eyes widened when Miguel readied himself for the crane kick Daniel LaRusso had scored a point with against Johnny back when they were teens.

And then, when the referee yelled at them to begin fighting, Miguel instantly kicked his opponent in the face, sending him to the floor in a flash, clutching his throbbing nose. Cristina cheered, shouting her best friend's name as loudly as she could along with the rest of their team.

Safe to say, Miguel won the fight with a score of 3-0 and the boy retreated to his team in both embarrassment and disappointment.

ʚїɞ

One by one, the students of Cobra Kai fought, either winning or losing their way along. Fuelled by anger, Miguel's opponents didn't stand a chance. He took them down each time, never allowing them to get more than a point in despite their hardest efforts. Cristina was his biggest cheerleader, jumping around and screaming with joy on the sidelines every time he scored and then ultimately won. It wouldn't surprise her if her voice was completely gone the next day.

Hawk won a fight by jumping and punching him hard enough in the face to finish it before it could even really get started. With her unbelievable strength and fast movement, Aisha easily kicked her opponent to the ground and then punched him in the forehead.

Sadly enough, Bert's first fight was widely unfair. He faced a guy who was double his size and lost when he did a flip over him and then kicked him square in the chest. When he was moping on the floor by the other students, Cristina rubbed his shoulder and offered him a Twizzler from the packet she'd asked Demetri to buy for her.

Bouncing on the heels of her feet, Cristina could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she prepared herself for her upcoming fight against a fairly tall guy from Topanga karate. Johnny pulled her to the side to give her his last words of encouragement, lasting only for a brief moment.

"Kick his ass and show no mercy, Ms. Kang. You've got this in the bag." was all he said before patting her shoulder.

Cristina grinned and nodded her head in determination. "Yes, Sensei!"

The fight commenced, and Cristina's smile fell, exchanged instead for a slight glare. She rolled her shoulders, standing face to face with her opponent who offered her a smirk, seemingly not thinking she would be much of a fight. They bowed to the referee and then each other before getting into their starting positions. Cristina never broke eye contact as she raised her arms and straightened her back, her feet planted firmly to the floor with half an arm of space between them.

When the referee yelled at them to fight, Cristina hung back, waiting for him to make the first move to try and make sense of his fighting style. He pounced, attacks quick and precise as he punched at her rapidly. Cristina dodged and blocked each and every one of them without much effort, clenching her jaw when her forearms began hurting from the hits.

Pausing for only a moment with his attacks left Cristina an opening. She spun on her heel, leg raised and foot aimed at his face. He groaned when her foot collided with his face and he collapsed to the floor, holding his red cheek as he glared up at her.

"Point!" the referee yelled out, making Cristina let out an exhilarated laugh.

She faced her team with a beaming smile on her face, grinning impossibly wider when Declan sent her two enthusiastic thumbs-up.

They readied themselves in the middle of the mat, and then the fight continued. This time, Cristina attacked, punching hard and calculated as she approached, stepping with the uttermost precision. He dodged and blocked, laughing almost mockingly when she attempted to kick him in the stomach. Grabbing her leg, he smirked, only for his expression to fall moments later when she smirked right back and punched him in the stomach hard enough for all air to leave his lungs.

"Point!"

When the fight began again, the guy, seemingly more determined than before, jump-kicked her square in the stomach before she could even move. Cristina groaned, clutching her stomach as she staggered away, glaring when the referee announced he'd gained a point.

"Finish the fight, Kang!" Johnny yelled from the sidelines, her teammates shouting along with him.

Cristina nodded and adjusted her stance, readying herself. And then the fight continued.

Prepared for his kicks this time around, Cristina sidestepped his every attempt, her braids moving along with her. When the guy tried to jump-kick her again, Cristina dropped to the floor and slid under him. His eyes widened, and before he could even land, she was up on her feet and kicking him in the back, making him face plant to the floor, ultimately losing the fight.

Laughing happily, Cristina bounced on her feet when the referee grabbed her arm and raised it above her head, announcing her the winner.

ʚїɞ

Declan had fought hard throughout the tournament. He won a couple of matches, but ultimately lost in the fight for a place in the semi-finals against Miguel. Not all that mad about it, Declan accepted Miguel's helping hand with a grin on his face and patted his shoulder as he passed him to head to the sidelines.

Cristina enveloped him in a tight hug when he reached her. "You did so great, Dee! Almost had him there at the end!" she said encouragingly, excitement evident in her voice.

With a scoff, Declan shook his head. "Don't even, Cris. We both know it wasn't even close." he chuckled and left the arena briefly to grab something to drink.

Having lost her fight against last year's champion Xander Stone, Aisha stormed off to the locker room, yelling at him to eat shit over her shoulder. Cristina wanted to follow after her but knew she couldn't as her fight with Robby was coming up in a matter of minutes. She smiled slightly when she noticed Sam jogging after her instead.

Hawk unsurprisingly won a place in the semi-finals too, leaving only one spot left for either Cristina or Robby to fill. No matter the outcome, Cristina knew she would be proud of herself, but there was still that small voice in the back of her head that told her that if she lost, it meant she simply wasn't good enough to get farther. She urged it away the best she could as she gathered herself, tightening the belt around her waist as she stepped up to take her place on the mat.

Grinning when she approached, Robby raised an eyebrow. "No hard feelings when I win, right?" he teased, stopping in his respective place just a few feet away.

Cristina tilted her head, appearing to be deep in thought. "Oh, I think you mixed your words up. No hard feelings when I beat your ass, you mean?"

Robby chuckled and got into his stance. Cristina mirrored his actions with a playful smirk on her lips.

"Ready? Fight!" the referee called out, starting the fight up.

It became evident immediately that Robby wouldn't be the one to attack, leaving Cristina to make the first move. She sucked in a breath and then approached him, both kicking and punching at the same time to hopefully win a point. But while Cobra Kai prided themselves in their offense, Robby was damn good at defense and managed to block her every attack.

He tried to kick her in the side, but she was quick to jump away, her chest heaving as the stray hairs from her braids stuck to her sweaty forehead. Cristina attacked again, using mainly her legs to kick at him. Side-stepping each and every one of them, Robby spun and managed to land a sharp kick in her side.

Cristina hissed in pain and stepped back, rolling her shoulders when the referee announced Robby's point. Wiping a hand across her forehead, Cristina got into her fighting stance once more, figuring out what moves to use in her head while she waited for the fight to continue.

When the referee called out for them to start again, Cristina ran at him, punching mainly at his torso as she approached. His forearms blocked her every hit, and he used his legs to fight back. Cristina dropped to the ground when she thought he would least expect it and swept him off his feet. He collided with the floor with a thud, and Cristina lowered herself to punch him in the stomach.

"Point!"

Smiling, Cristina extended her hand for him to grab. Robby grinned and allowed her to pull him from the floor, adjusting his gi as he walked back to his place in the middle of the mat.

"You've got one hell of a punch," Robby said, narrowing his eyes playfully. "Knocked the wind straight out of me there."

Cristina chuckled. "Oh, yeah? Trying being kicked by yourself. Not too easy to recover from either."

This time around, it was Robby who attacked first, startling Cristina who hadn't been prepared for it. She dodged his punch and jumped over his kick, scrambling to switch places with him so she wouldn't accidentally step out of bounds. Sweeping his legs again, Robby managed to roll out of the way before she could kick him in the chest. He jumped to his feet and circled her with a grin on his face.

When Robby began kicking at her, Cristina's eyes widened. She sidestepped a multitude of attacks, blocking some of them with her forearms. Trying to land a punch at him, Cristina twirled and threw her arm out, missing his face narrowly. He stepped back and kicked his leg out, hitting her straight in the face.

Cristina tumbled to the floor with a groan, the metallic taste of blood infiltrating her taste buds. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, coloring her skin crimson. Jumping to her feet, she licked her lip, realizing it had split from the harsh impact, and grimaced when more blood came into her mouth.

Appearing apologetic, Robby approached her with wide eyes. "Shit, Tina, are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

With a grin Cristina nodded, liking her teeth to rid them of the red coloring them. "All good," she assured him, ignoring how her cheeks tinted pink at the new nickname. "Just a split lip. Nothing I haven't dealt with before."

The referee called for them to get back to their places and Cristina complied in an instant. She readied herself, ignoring how her lip throbbed and raised her arms in front of her.

Cristina ran at Robby when the fight continued, throwing her arms out rapidly. He dodged and blocked, just as before, stepping back the closer she got. When she kicked at him, he dropped to the floor and slid away. Cristina spun around and tried to punch him when he stood, only for him to grab her fist in his hand. She twirled, ignoring how her arm ached when it bent weirdly and swept his legs yet again.

Colliding with the floor, Robby was ready for her incoming kick. He rolled away but remained on the floor. When Cristina approached, he swept her legs too, and so she landed beside him with a thud and a groan. He reached over and punched her in the stomach, finishing their fight.

Cristina's chest heaved as she caught her breath, sending Robby a grin as she calmly got up to her feet. She extended her hand, and he took it with a smile.

"No hard feelings?" he asked, allowing her to haul him to his feet.

Grinning widely, Cristina shook her head. "No hard feelings." she parroted him, shaking his hand once before stepping back. "Good luck, Robby," she said sweetly before retreating back to her teammates.

And Robby looked after her with a smile.

»»-———𝓑𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽———-««

A/N

CRISTINA AND ROBBY >>>

One more chapter and then we're onto season 2! I'm so excited!

-Jazz <3