After breakfast with the team, Tiger Claw began preparing for the next round which seemed to be a variety of sudden death fights. The mood between Kai and Rae was tense, but he knew if he gave her time she would come around.

Each fighter would be called to fight and for the chance to earn points for their team. The stakes were clear: lose and your dojo would tumble down the rankings or win, and survival for another day was assured.

For Miyagi-Do it was a rough start to their day. In all their matches they hadn't been able to score a single point. Kai watched from the distance and noticed not only tension between teammates but also tension between their Senseis - a combination that would not work out.

Cobra Kai's performance was steady, driven largely by Elijah's aggression and Tory's ruthless precision. In addition, Kwon's volatile nature and Yoon's discipline provided them a balanced match-up of fighters. Elijah's matches were a showcase of raw power, his strikes heavy and decisive. In a heated fight against the Spanish dojo, he landed a devastating spinning elbow, flooring his opponent.

"Come on!" Elijah roared, his eyes scanning the arena until he found his brother who watched in the stands. He noticed that Milo wasn't watching him, but instead his eyes were peeled on Devon who was currently in a fight.

Despite these good performances, a couple losses of focus from some of their teammates meant that Cobra Kai were in the middle of the pack - they weren't at risk for now though.

Kai and Takeshi were untouchable, they flawlessly dispatched another dojo in a 2v2. They moved like a synchronised machine, the opposition unable to deal with their teamwork. Tiger Claw's momentum was unstoppable. In his individual match, Masahiko delivered a stunning roundhouse kick that secured him the point. With Aramis, he secured a point after ruthlessly charging towards his opponent with a flurry of precise attacks.

Emiko thrived in the bo staff fight, she was the definition of focus as she gained yet another point for the Japanese dojo. Sam watched as Tiger Claw seemed an unstoppable force, she was happy for Kai yet she was disappointed and frustrated by the struggles her own team were going through.

However, Rae was struggling. Her own match against an Italian fighter was lacklustre. She hesitated on her attacks and was caught off guard by a sweeping kick that sent her to the mat.

"What happened?" her brother asked as she dejectedly stood by the rest of her team.

No answer as she stormed off to the locker room. Kai followed and waited outside for Rae to come out, he still cared for her as a friend.

"You okay?" he asked as she walked out.

Rae glared at him. "Do I look okay? I lost our only point today. Everyone's looking at me like I'm the weak link."

"No one thinks that. We all have off days. You've got to shake it off and come back stronger this afternoon.

Rae's eyes softened slightly. "I just...I don't want to let the team down."

"You won't," Kai said firmly, "I believe in you."

She let out a faint smile and so did Kai. He truly hoped that they could have the friendship they once had, with no awkwardness. He cared for her, but not in the way she hoped he did.

He stayed with her and they met up with the rest of their team for lunch before it was time for the afternoon round. It was the final round before the elimination stages.

"How is she?" Sensei Yazuko asked Kai as they gathered for the announcement of the next round.

"She's fine, she just needed to refocus."

"Is there anything I should know?"

Kai looked at his Sensei. "There was just some personal issues between us."

His Sensei nodded. "I understand, but remember Kai-san you are our captain. There is a level of responsibility that comes with that. I understand you will have your own personal life and personal relationships but do not forget the responsibility you signed up for."

Kai nodded. "Of course not Sensei. I'm here to win."

It was true, he was here to win. But he was also here for Sam. It was a fine line and he had to make sure he balanced it correctly.

The afternoon round consisted of fighters fighting on narrow platforms. The objective was simple: knock your opponent off.

Kai didn't feel nervous, they were in a good position at the moment. He glanced over at Miyagi-Do. Daniel was missing which meant it left only Johnny. Kai was nervous for them, they were not in the greatest position.

"All right, listen up!" Johnny yelled, catching their attention before the first match. "You see an opening? Take it. Knock 'em off before they can knock you off. That's the game plan."

Sam frowned. "My dad would want us to focus on balance." she murmured.

Johnny turned to her sharply. "Your dad's not here, LaRusso. It's time to toughen up. No more waiting around like scared little bitches."

Devon was first and she lasted no longer than ten seconds before she was knocked off. She hit the ground with her hand in frustration. This was not the ideal start for them. Miguel scored the only win of the afternoon for Miyagi-Do, he turned to Johnny for praise only for his Sensei to be too fixated on the scoreboard.

They currently sat 12th in the standings, they were dangerously close to the bottom.

Cobra Kai's aggression worked in their favour. Elijah was a force to be reckoned with, bulldozing his opponents with relentless energy. In one match, he slammed his shoulder into a fighter from the West End Warriors, sending him flying off the platform.

He turned to Kreese who simply gave him a nod. Inside, he was proud of the St John kid. He was turning out exactly to be what Kreese wanted him to be.

Kai led by example for Tiger Claw, his performance was the perfect combination of balance and aggression. In his match, he used a feint to lure his opponent forward, then swept his legs out from under him.

Aramis was just as good, he was quick on his feet and his pace left his opponent unable to respond as he overpowered his opponent with a series of rapid kicks that left no room for counterattacks.

For Rae, she seemed to have found her focus again. Despite a couple close calls, in the end she was able to send her opponent to the floor.

Kai looked at the standings and saw that they were second. Iron Dragons were first but none of the Tiger Claw fighters had yet encountered a fighter from the Hong Kong dojo. Kai had seen their captain Zara around, and frankly found her annoying. She was always loud and talking to her phone and sometimes he wished for her to just shut up.

As the fighters dispersed for a brief intermission before the final round of the day, Devon sat alone near the canteen, staring at the floor. Milo approached, sitting beside her silently for a moment before speaking.

"You did your best." Milo said, his tone gentle.

Devon shook her head, her voice low and tense. "My best wasn't enough. I keep screwing up. I let the team down, and I don't even deserve to be here."

"That's not true-"

"It is," Devon interrupted, turning to face him, her expression pained, "you don't know everything."

Milo tilted his head. "Then tell me."

Devon hesitated, her hands clenched into fists. "I was the one who sabotaged Kenny during the selection. It was me. I took his chance because I wanted mine. I thought...I thought it was the only way to prove myself."

Milo's eyes widened, but his expression didn't shift to anger. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "That was wrong, yeah. But I get it. You felt like you didn't have a choice."

"You're not mad?" Devon asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"No," Milo said softly, "you forget about my brother sometimes. He's done a lot worse but he's still my brother. You can make it right. You can still tell him and you can move forward from it."

Devon's lip trembled as Milo leaned closer, his voice kind. "You're better than you think you are. Don't let one mistake define you."

Before she could stop herself, Devon leaned in and kissed him. Milo responded without hesitation, pulling her closer.

When they broke apart, Devon smiled. "Thanks."

Milo was bright red, he didn't know how to respond. Obviously he liked her and he liked their kiss, but he never expected someone like her to like someone like him.

"L-let's go find the others shall we." he stuttered and Devon giggled, linking her arms around his and dragging him along. As they walked to find the others, Milo noticed Elijah in the corner. He hadn't spoken to his brother yet, in all honesty he was scared to.

After everyone had rested up, all the fighters reconvened for the elimination round. The lights in the arena dimmed, and the announcer's voice echoed through the air, heightening the tension.

"We have now entered the elimination phase of the Sekai Taikai. The dojos who do not win tonight will be headed home. The previous rounds have determined your current rankings."  The number one team will face the number 16 team."

"What the fuck?" Kai muttered to Takeshi, "I thought we were guaranteed?"

Takeshi shook his head. "We just have the easier opponent."

Rae spoke. "We won't lose to number 15."

"Do not become cocky." Masahiko said to his younger sister. "We will treat them like any other team."

As the platform was brought down from the ceiling, Kai admired the grandness of it all. Two fighters were allowed at any time and once you fell off the platform, you were out. Once all the fighters were out the dojo was eliminated.

Iron Dragons, as number one, were up first against West End Warriors. Their tactic was to stick their two captains as the first two fighters and it worked. They didn't fall off and Iron Dragons won with ease.

"Jesus Christ," Hawk said, "this dude's a monster."

Sam shook her head. "Don't call him a monster, you don't know what he's been through."

Unbeknownst to her teammates, earlier she had walked past a room and seen Axel being beaten by his Sensei for a tiniest of mistakes. Sam was shocked to say the least, he was one of the best fighters she had seen but at what cost?

Then it was time for Tiger Claw. They gathered to talk order when Kai spoke out.

"Let me and Takeshi go first, we work the best as a team together."

The team had no complaints. It was decided that Kai and Takeshi would go first, then Emiko, then Aramis, then Rae, and Masahiko would be the anchor in case it got to that point.

Kai made his way up to the platform and from the top he saw Miyagi Do and Sam, he smiled but immediately focused back onto the task ahead.

Kai opened the round with a calm intensity. His opponent rushed forward with a series of heavy punches, but Kai dodged each one with precision. After sidestepping a wild swing, Kai countered with a quick combination of kicks, forcing him to the edge before landing a clean strike to his chest. The fighter stumbled and fell off the platform.

Takeshi easily sent his opponent off the platform edge too with a simple spinning quick. As the next pair made their way up, Kai and Takeshi would communicate in Japanese and work well as a team. With a swift kick, Kai sent his next opponent stumbling towards Takeshi who easily knocked him off with a punch.

Sam watched with pride as she saw how dominant Kai was as a fighter. This was his element, this was his passion. Kai and Takeshi easily dispatched the dojo, neither of them ever looking at risk of falling off.

As they were announced the winners and the arena burst into cheers, the two boys did not make any scene. Instead, they made their way to the edge of the platform and turned towards their Sensei and team, bowing in sync as their team bowed back. Before turning around to exit the platform, Kai made eye contact with Sam and the two shared a short but sweet smile, with no words needing to be said.

Next it was Cobra Kai who faced off against Sweden's Polarslaget. It was similar to both Tiger Claw's and Iron Dragons' performance. Tory and Elijah were the first two fighters on the platform and they were also the last. It was an impressive spinning kick that left her opponent bloody and at the bottom of the platform and Elijah's brutal jab to the rib that sent Cobra Kai into the next round.

The two stood at the edge, with Elijah cheering loudly fuelled by passion as the crowd began chanting Tory's name - she had slowly made herself to be a fan favourite.

Finally it was time for Miyagi Do's match-up against Dublin Thunder. Sam was feeling on edge as her father had yet shown up, which was severely unlike him.

"All right, let's bring it in." Johnny said to his team. "I got something to say. It's been a tough day. Probably shouldn't have been such a dick to all of you, but I want you to know that I believe with every bone in my body that you can do this. You guys know a lot more about balance than me, so remember everything Sensei LaRusso said and use all your Miyagi-Do skills to stay up there."

"Let's go." Miguel encouraged.

Johnny continued. "I'm thinking we should start strong with our captains. Sam. Robby. Devon, you'll go next. Hawk, Demetri. And Miguel's our anchor."

Kai watched intensely as Sam and Robby were the first to take the platform. They were the underdogs but Kai knew that they had it in them to overcome the odds.

Sam was performing well but yet again Robby was distracted and let the team down. Within a minute he had been knocked off and left Sam on her own. Devon quickly rushed up as Sam tried to fend off a 2v1. Kai admired how the LaRusso was fighting, she was blending both Miyagi Do and Eagle Fang perfectly and managed to knock someone off. Kai clapped as Sam engaged in a new battle with the Dublin Thunder captain - unfortunately she was knocked off.

It all came down to Miguel at the end and with an impressive solo performance he singlehandedly kept Miyagi Do in contention. As he knocked the last fighter off the platform and they announced Miyagi Do's win, he let out a roar filled with passion and emotion.

"An impressive performance from Miguel Diaz of Miyagi Do, his performance send Miyagi Do into the next round."

"Shit, they actually did it." Takeshi mused from beside Kai.

He nodded. "I didn't doubt it for one second."

He couldn't help but smile because the survival of Miyagi Do meant that Sam would be in Barcelona for just a bit longer.