Chapter One Hundred Three
Primadonna

THERE WAS TENSION after the outburst in the locker room. Nobody spoke to each other, almost like they were afraid to. Sydney had avoided eye contact with them, the frustration from her outburst still very much fresh. Maybe she was being harsh or a bitch, but they were here for a reason. They were chosen to compete for a reason and they were throwing it all away. But not her. Sydney wanted to win more than anything and she would do it even if it was alone.

She harshly punched at one of the dummies provided in the training room. She threw two punches at its chest and then did a side kick directly into its stomach. Each hit caused her blood to sizzle more. She needed to calm down. Sydney dropped her arms and shut her eyes, attempting to let out the fire but she couldn't. Ot was too big to be put out. Opening her eyes again, Sydney grunted and threw another punch at the dummy's face.

Feeling a presence, she looked over and saw Sam walk over and lean against the wall closest to her. They locked eyes, neither of them saying a word. Sydney inhaled and exhaled deep breaths while Sam stood there eyeing her, obviously trying to come up with something to say. There was an awkward cloud of guilt hanging over both of them.

They'd been through more shit in the last couple of years than they ever had before. Not when they were little girls and Sam threw her favorite Barbie doll in her pool, or when they were twelve and Sydney wouldn't share the last piece of cake with her at Aisha's birthday party. Not even when both of them friended Yasmine at she would pick and chose which one was her best friend, leaving the other to feel slightly jealous. They weren't just best friends, they were sisters. They grew up together. They were girls together. That kind of relationship was worth more than whatever karate could bring them.

Sydney walked away from the dummy. "Hey," she voiced quietly.

"Hey," Sam replied, matching her tone. She gulped. "How are you feeling after. . .y'know?"

"I didn't mean to be that harsh but all the fighting and constant blaming each other, I couldn't do it anymore," Sydney explained herself. "I'm sorry if I made you upset."

There was a small moment of silence. "You always do have a way of getting people's attention," said Sam, making the other brunette chuckle. "But you were right." She confirmed. "None of us have been on our game but we shouldn't be fighting about it. We're a team. We should be encouraging each other to do better. I just really wish my dad was here to help apart of it."

A subtle frown appeared on her lips. Sydney walked closer to her and leaned against the wall, their shoulders touching. "All I've ever thought about since I was a kid was winning," she began. "Dance hardwired my brain that way. And ever since I joined karate, that's all I can think about is winning. I guess that's why I got so mad because nobody's trying their best and I know exactly what we're all capable of. . .but winning doesn't matter if it ruins what we have."

Sam's brows furrowed together slightly.

"I'm passionate about this because I'm ready to see how it ends once we get to the finish line. Y'know, this could be last time we ever get to compete. We're going to college. We're not little girls anymore training in your backyard with your father—" Sam chuckled and felt her eyes water. "—but for me, it all started with you and your dad. There's nobody I want to win this with more than you, Sammy."

"I feel the same way," Sam said and the girls hugged each other. They were both crying now. "I love you, Sydney."

"I love you too, Sam." Sydney whispered and rubbed her hand up and down her back.

From the other side of the training gym, Charlie and Miguel watched their girlfriend's interaction. "Well, if they can make up after an awkward encounter, then. . ." Charlie trailed.

"I'm not mad at you, bro." Miguel said while shaking his head. "Not at you."

"You're mad at Robby," he confirmed, earning another nod. Charlie sighed. "You gotta understand where he's coming from, Mig."

"You don't think I've been trying? I get that he's upset over Tory but that shouldn't be the focus right now. Winning should be."

"I get it," Charlie said with a quick nod. "But think about it for a second, Mig. If the situation he's in was between you and Sydney, what would you do?"

Miguel went silent.

"Because I know for a fact that if I ever went back to Cobra Kai, Sam would be devastated," he continued. "We've been through so much, I could never hurt her like that. But Tory hurt Robby and he loves her. I know that you're a great fighter and that you're locked in, but, you're so in love with Sydney that if she betrayed you like that, you'd be devastated, too."

Miguel remained silent throughout his speech and his head turned slightly, watching Sydney turn around and meet his eyes. She smiled softly, her dark eyes red and teary, a beautiful sight. Charlie's words sunk deep inside him and he motioned his head to the corner of the room. She followed him. When they stood alone, Sydney sighed and stared at the neckline of his shirt. "Hi," she shakily muttered.

"How are you?" Miguel asked and leaned his side against the wall.

"I'm sorry we haven't spoke. I'm just frustrated," she told him and rubbed her hands along the sides of her black leggings.

"Don't be sorry. I'm sorry I've been acting like a jerk," Miguel said. "I've been frustrated, too. I guess maybe it's showing in my figuring."

Sydney frowned. She grabbed his hand. "Come on," she uttered and led him outside the room. Once they were out in the hall, Sydney leaned against the wall and titled her head. "Talk to me."

Miguel sighed. "I don't want to say anything that'll make me sound jealous. . ." Her eyebrows raised. "I feel like I've been getting the short end of the stick since we've been here. And it's not because of you or Charlie, or anybody else for that matter, it's cause I've been working so hard and Sensei doesn't appreciate it."

"Mig, of course he does—"

"Please don't lie to me," he interrupted her with another disappointed sigh. "It's like the All Valley all over again. Johnny cares more about how many points we get and how to take down our rivals. He's so focused on everything else that he can't see that I'm winning. I'm doing exactly what he's asking of me and it's still not enough! It's exhausting!" Miguel expressed himself, his voice gradually growing louder and he stopped abruptly to take a breath.

Sydney blinked, staying silent to let him continue, and her faced contorted to a sympathetic stare.

"I just want to make him proud, y'know? That's all I've ever wanted."

His vulnerability started to show. Sydney stepped forward and hugged his neck, pulling him close to her in a a comforting manner. She felt his arms circle tightly around her frame. Sydney rubbed his back, the two of them standing there in silence as Miguel collected his thoughts. "Well, if you plan on running away again, can you at least take me with you this time?"

Miguel scoffed a laugh, making her smile. "You're funny."

"I just wanted to make you laugh." Sydney said and smiled bigger.

"Mission accomplished."

Sydney stood in the middle of her team with her hands behind her back. The multiple teams stood in front of the officiator, the woman standing in the middle of a large platform. "We have now entered the elimination phase of the Sekai Taikai. The dojos who do not win tonight will be headed home."

Her nerves were all over the place. Her stomach was twisted in painful notes but Sydney kept her composure even though her hands were wrapped in fists behind her back.

"The previous rounds have determined your current rankings. The number one team will face the number 16 team. The number two team will face the number 15 team, and so on and so on. . ."

Sydney turned her head and studied the leader board. They were ranked number twelve, meaning they would be competing against Dublin Thunder.

"Okay, that means at number 13, we're facing number five, Dublin Thunder," Devon spelled it out.

"Oh great. I heard they started a fight with some locals at the beach. They're always looking for a brawl." said Hawk.

"Nice, so we got the scrappers." Charlie commented sarcastically.

"Now, for the rules of the event. Fighters will again face off on a platform," the officiator continued. "This platform."

Behind her, the platform lowered from the ceiling and Sydney's stomach dropped. "Oh, you've got to be joking," she said out loud.

"But this time, two fighters from each dojo are allowed at one time. If one of your fighters falls. . .they are out. But another teammate can climb up to take their place."

"Holy shit," Eli exhaled and shared a look with Sydney. "How the hell are we supposed to win this?"

"Speed and agility, darling." She answered with confidence even though she was panicking on the inside.

Sydney watched the fights happen one by one, getting whiplash as she watched a fighter be knocked off the platform and another fighter climb the platform to continue the fight. It was fast, it was tiring, something Sydney was used to but now she was nervous.

Tory was becoming popular amongst all, something that made her angry. Hearing her name be cheered by everyone caused her chest and stomach to twist painfully. Watching her fight Cobra Kai's style made her nauseous. It only fueled the fire in her more and she was desperate to get on the platform.

Their team was called up next to the platform.

"Alright, let's bring it in," Johnny announced and they grouped together. "I got something to say. It's been a tough day. Probably shouldn't have been such a duck 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."

Sydney half smiled and shared the same look with Sam.

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

She brushed her hand against Miguel's back. From across her, Demetri and her caught each other's eyes. They hadn't spoken since the intense outburst in the locker room and Sydney hated it. She loved the boy. But she was frustrated with him. She fought so hard for him to be apart of the team and he wasn't using his full strength. She just wanted to get through to him but maybe she was too harsh.

"Let's do this."

They bowed together. Sydney turned to Sam and grabbed her hand. "You and me?"

Sam smiled. "You and me."

Together, the two girls made their way to the platform.

"You got this, girls!" Charlie yelled at them and clapped.

"Good luck, Syd. Good luck, Sam!" The rest of the boys cheered.

The four team members stood on the platform. Sydney was grateful for the mats below them because she was sure somebody would die without them. She turned her head and eyed all of the teams watching. Cobra Kai, the Iron Dragons, and her own team. Miguel nodded at her, a sign that he was confident in her ability to win, and she nodded back.

She turned her game face and mentality on.

Sydney and Sam had been training together for years. Even when the two of them stopped doing karate, what they weee taught still stuck with them, making them in sync. When the fighters from Dublin Thunder sprinted toward them, the girls instinctively threw the same forward punch.

Sydney kicked the girl she was fighting in the stomach, making her stumble back. When she recovered, she threw a punch and Sydney grabbed her arm, twisting it harshly so that her back was against her. The girl struggled in her hold and Sydney turned them to the right. She let the girl go and she quickly turned and faced her. She swung her fist and Sydney ducked down, turning her upper body so that her hands were pressed flat on the mat and she brought her back leg up, kicking her opponent in the stomach so that she stumbled. As she was close to the edge of the platform, Sydney came back up and ran forward, jumping up and doing a spin kick, kicking her across the face and the girl tumbled off the platform.

Quickly, she turned her attention to Sam and the other girl from Dublin Thunder. "Sam!" She yelled.

Hearing her voice, Sam didn't look away from her opponent but she went in with a side kick, pushing the girl backwards and Sydney came in from the side, jumping in the air and kicking the girl in the ribs, making her stumble to the edge of the platform and together, they girls kicked her in the stomach and she fell off the platform.

"Holy shit, badass!" Johnny shouted ecstatically from below.

"Yes!" Sydney cheered and her and Sam grabbed each other's hands, squeezing them.

It wasn't over yet. Two more teammates from Dublin Thunder, a boy and a girl this time, came running onto the platform, ready to strike. The girls nodded at each other again. Sydney eyed the boy and raised her fists. He came in hot, yelling like a mad man and he did a very sharp side kick. Sydney backed up, avoiding his kick, and then stepped back in with punches. His blocks were clean but she quick, catching his arm mid punch and she yanked him forward, swiftly moving past him and she did another backwards kick.

Her eyes widened when she saw Sam being tackled off the platform. "Sam!" She yelled, becoming distracted.

The boy she was fighting run up and kicked her in the stomach, making her stumble. Sydney retained her focus and blocked his punches that he threw at her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Robby come in. Grunting loudly, she forcefully kicked the boy she was fighting in the stomach, the force so strong it knocked him backwards and Sydney did a front aerial, coming back up and becoming face to face with him. As he lifted his arms again, she did a single spin and high kicked him in the face, chasing him to fall off the platform.

"Another great fight by Sydney Benoist of Miyagi-Do!" Said the announcer.

As another Dublin Thunder opponent came running onto the platform, Sydney watched Robby's focus unravel. "Robby!" She yelled just as the female he was fighting kicked his shoulder and then his face, knocking him off the platform. "Jesus Christ, do I gotta do everything?"

"It's okay, Robby! Howard, go." Johnny instructed.

Charlie quickly ran off to go to the platform.

"You're doing good, Syd!" Miguel yelled to his girlfriend, both happy that she was doing so well and annoyed that the others weren't doing well at all, leaving her there to do all the heavy lifting.

Sydney pretended that she was in the dance studio alone, practically for her performance that was coming up in just a short few months. She closed her eyes and envisioned herself spinning around the room, her feet pointed and her legs straight and sharp. Reopening her eyes, she was met by a girl from Dublin Thunder. Taking a breath, Sydney raised her fists and immediately moved to the side when a punch was thrown her way. She stepped back on her left foot and kicked the girl in the shoulder while her arm was extended. Then, she ducked under the arm when it came back to her. When the two girls were faced with each other, Sydney blocked her punch with her forearm and the girl did a front kick to her ribs. The opponent went in for yet another punch and Sydney grabbed a hold of her arm, twisting her upper body around and back kicking her in the stomach. She released the girls arm and turned back around, bending backwards when a punch came her way and Sydney did a backbend, bringing her legs up and kicking the girl in the jaw, causing a scream of pain and blood shed.

"Holy fuck," Hawk exhaled exchanged a wide eyed look with the person closest to him, which was Robby.

Sydney's adrenaline was pumping like crazy. Fighting the girl off, she did a tornado kick and her foot landed against her shoulder, knocking her off the platform. At that point, her name was being cheered from the people in the room. "Sydney! Sydney! Sydney! Sydney!"

From below, Tory watched her fight with a tight jaw. She turned her head, watching the Miyagi-Do team watch her and Charlie fight with impressed looks on their faces, and she felt envious. Tory watched Sydney help Charlie fight the boy opponent from Dublin Thunder who unfortunately, took Charlie down with him.

"Jesus Christ," Johnny exhaled. "Alright, Lee, you're up." He told Devon.

Sydney watched Devon join her on the platform. "You got it?" She voiced with a heavy breath.

The younger girl nodded quickly. "Yeah, I got it."

Two more teammates from Dublin Thunder ran onto the platform. Wasting no time, Sydney threw the first punch at the girl. The female opponent avoided her punch and went in for a kick. Sydney ducked under her leg and at the same time, she swung her leg and did a back hook kick to the girl's chest.

"Ya got moves, don't ya bitch?" The girl spoke, her Irish accent obnoxious.

"Sorry, I don't speak leprechaun," Sydney said back and threw another punch at her.

The two girls went back and forth, both quick on their feet, and Sydney threw a direct punch to her shoulder. The girl quickly grabbed her wrist and attempted to flip her but Sydney grabbed a hold of her wrist as well, turning her body and yanking the girl over her shoulder directly onto the mat.

She collected herself and rushed over to help Devon. The young girl threw repetitive kicks at the boy she was fighting. Sydney got in the middle of them and grabbed ahold of his arm as he was about to punch Devon. Like she did was the form she was fighting, Sydney threw him over her body, the boy landing with a hard thud.

Devon watched with wide eyes as the female opponent stood from the mat and went to lunge at Sydney. Quickly, Devon rammed into her and grabbed her by the torso, crying out and taking them both off of the platform.

Sydney didn't have the time to feel guilty for her act of bravery. Steering her breaths, she blocked the low and high punches the boy threw at her and she grunted when his foot collided with her chest. Sydney stumbled back and held her chest. At that point, she was feeling tired which she got angry at herself for. She pushed through the feeling of exhaustion. When the boy came running at her again, Sydney performed another front aerial and her foot collided with his nose, causing him to stumble in pain and she ran up on him, dropping down and swiping his legs out from under him.

"She's getting tired," Miguel voiced as he watched, studying her jagged breaths and slow movements.

"She'll push through. She always does," Johnny confirmed. He clapped. "You got this, Frenchy! Don't give up yet!"

"What the hell is she? A robot?" Kwan uttered in disbelief.

Tory hinted a tiny smirk. "No, she just good," she spoke honestly, ignoring the way he looked at her.

"Syd!" Eli yelled her name when he ran onto the platform. "Are you good?"

"I'm tired," she answered truthfully, visibly exhausted.

"I got you. Don't worry," Hawk declared and saw two more Dublin Thunder teammates join them.

It was two boys this time. Sydney raised her arms, sucking in the exhaustion and she focused on what was important. One of the boys came in got, swinging both of his fists at her. Sydney dodged them all while walking backwards. Finding an open spot, she ducked under his raised arm and did another back hook kick to his lower back. Spinning around to face him, the boy raised his leg to kick her and Sydney leaned to the side and kicked her leg under his, hitting him across the face with the heel of her foot. He stumbled to the side and Sydney threw two punches to his stomach and ribs.

The boy recovered and came back in with a wide swing of his arm. Sydney bent her upper body backwards, avoiding it, then she raised herself back up and hooked her arm around his neck. She hooked her ankle around his leg and took out his left leg from under him. Letting go of his neck, the boy tumbled downward and Sydney used her foot to kick him in the ribs, sending him flying off the platform.

"Yes!" Charlie practically jumped up and down and he and Sam high fived one another.

There was only two people left to compete with her. Demetri was next. The two locked eyes when he appeared on the mat. Sydney's breathing was rigid but she managed to utter, "are you with me?"

Hesitant, Demetri nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you."

She smiled. That small interaction was enough for the exhaustion she felt to weaken. Sydney raised her fists and the opposing female came running at her. She swung first and the girl ducked, avoiding her hit and she brought her knee up into Sydney's ribs twice. The Brit grabbed her by the shoulders and kicked her swore in the stomach, making her stumble and Sydney did another signature front aerial. Though the girl backed up, she still came in hot with pristine punches. The two girls went back and forth, neither missing a beat, until the female opponent threw another punch.

Sydney grabbed ahold of her arm and held it tightly. She lifted her legs and swung herself over the girl's back, using her arm to wrap around her neck and pull down onto the mat. Looking up, she saw Demetri block his opponent's kicks with his legs. She jumped over the girl and slid across the mat, taking the boy's legs out from under him when his back was facing her.

Demetri's eyes widened and they quickly high fived. "Behind you!" He yelled when he saw the other girl get back up.

The two of them faced away from each other, their backs pressed together and their fists raised. Both of them opposing teammates came at them. Sydney ran forward and jumped, kicking the girl across the face and she stumbled backward. Grunting loudly, she shuffled forward did a one handed cartwheel, the heel of her foot collided with the girl's jaw. She fell off the platform.

"Syd!" She heard Demetri yell and she spun around, seeing him almost at the edge of the platform.

Sydney sprinted forward and grabbed the boy by his shoulders, kneeing him in the ribs. She let him go and the boy turned around, swinging at her and Sydney quickly ducked. Demetri wrapped his arms around the boy's torso and almost twirled his around, unfortunately sending the two of them off the platform.

Her eyes widened. It was just her on the platform now, everyone in the room in shock but still chanting her name. The lights were on her, nearly blinding her, but she somehow found Miguel's eyes in the crowd. It dawned on her that he was the only one left, the anchor, and the last fight came down to them.

Sydney and Charlie 🤝🏼 giving their friends inspiration speeches