╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter forty-seven
miguel mvp

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THE REST OF the morning went just as bad.

After the group fighting portion, they moved onto individual fights. Alyssa would be going up against another captain from one of the dojos, this time with weapons. Considering she had been watching closely, especially at the girl from the Iron Dragons who just won her own fight with a bo staff, Alyssa had a large feeling that this fight wasn't going to be easy whatsoever. She gripped onto the bo staff, the wood feeling quite familiar in her hands.

"All right, Fairy Princess, let's go," Sensei Lawrence encouraged.

"Remember to stay focused," Sensei LaRusso added.

"Don't be afraid. Get in there, get in there. Be agressive."

"Just take it slow."

"No, not take it slow. We gotta go after them."

Alyssa stepped onto the mat, sighing internally as she did so. Their two different methods of teaching were clearly clashing, and none of this was helping her whatsoever. Nevertheless, she reminded herself to stick to her gut and do what she thought was right.

It wasn't enough. Especially with the Sensei's spewing different instructions at her, Alyssa wasn't on her best game. The girl she had been fighting against hit her in the stomach when she wasn't looking, making her win the fight . . . which meant Alyssa lost.

The others' individual fights didn't go so well either. They practically lost all of them. It was like all of them weren't focused, and their synergy was completely gone. It was a lot, honestly. All Alyssa really wanted to do now was curl up under her covers and not emerge for all of eternity, which wasn't really an option.

She stood in the lobby of the hotel with the others, leaned comfortably against Eli's side with her arms crossed as his arm held her waist. Even momentarily, she found comfort from him through all of the frustration. She just wished they were doing better — not just everyone else, but her, too. Alyssa knew she could do better than this, but she wasn't really showing it.

"Everyone, listen up," Sensei LaRusso stated. "All right, this morning's event was tough, but let's not get discouraged just yet. We have two more events today, and the eliminations don't begin till the second one."

"Woah, woah, woah," Demetri cut in. "If that wasn't the elimination round, then what is? Getting our heads cut off with swords?"

"We knew this wasn't gonna be easy. We're all up against the best dojos in the world, but don't forget you guys are one of them too."

"Yeah, you you better start fighting like it," Sensei Lawrence instructed.

Sensei LaRusso gave him a look. "Johnny, come on, man. The best thing you can do right now is just clear your minds, get some rest, you know, put this behind you. You got this, all right? I believe in you." He then clapped. "All right, come on, let's go."

Alyssa glanced up at Eli for a moment. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," Eli agreed. He leaned down and kissed her quickly. "I love you."

"I love you more." Alyssa detached herself from his side, walking up to Sam. "Wow, what a fucking morning."

Sam sighed. "Tell me about it. I just . . . I don't understand."

Alyssa shrugged, entering the elevator with Sam and Devon so they could go up to their room. "I could tell you a few things that are the reason why." She pressed the button for their floor, watching as the elevator doors closed. "I just hope the rest of the day doesn't end up like this morning."

"Well, I totally sucked out there," Devon admitted.

"We all did terribly," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, but I landed flat on my ass. God, I can't believe I'm making such an embarrassment of myself."

"It would help if our Sensei's got on the same page. Johnny needs to start working with my dad better."

Devon blinked. "Well, I mean, I don't think it was all Sensei Lawrence's fault."

The elevator then stopped, the doors opening with a ding. Alyssa tore her eyes away from Sam and Devon only to see that girl from Iron Dragons entering their elevator, her eyes glued to her phone. Zara, Alyssa recalled.

"What's up, everyone?" Zara said to her phone, completely acting like the three of them in the elevator didn't exist. "Just finished our second Sekai Taikai event, where the Dragons absolutely slayed. Although it was awesome to see other badass girls of karate fighting out there."

Zara finally turned back, her eyes locking with Alyssa. She didn't say anything, which made Alyssa get the feeling Zara was just putting on a girls' girl front when in reality she didn't fucking care. Alyssa raised an eyebrow in challenge, making Zara turn back around. She rolled her eyes. God, what a bitch.

"Anyways, let's see if any of these other dojos there try to dethrone us. And to all my fans, I'm here to win for you. So stay tuned. I'll post again after the next event. Zara out."

She blew a kiss at the camera and turned off her Instagram live. As she lowered her phone, the bright smile she had put on immediately slipped off her face.

Zara glanced at the three of them. "Sorry, I only do intros on my stories for fighters who win their events. It's a brand thing, so don't take it personally."

"Oh no," Alyssa voiced sarcastically, her voice practically monotone. "How will I ever survive without a story?"

Zara turned to glare at her. Alyssa gave her a sweet smile, tilting her head ever-so slightly. The elevator stopped and dinged again, and Zara whipped herself back around, sauntering out into the hallway. Alyssa found satisfaction in the way she was able to get under her skin, though.

"Wow," Sam commented in response to Devon's scoff. "It's a brand thing."

"Don't worry about her," Alyssa told them. "I'll end her every day of the week."

Sam nodded and raised her hand for a high-five. "I knew I could count on you."

Alyssa slapped her hand against Sam's. "Hell yeah."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

ALYSSA HAD TAKEN a shower, mostly to try and relax and calm her nerves. It hadn't worked that much. She could still feel the ache in her muscles and the anxiety coursing through her veins. Practically everything was riding on this — eliminations started later, and if they were eliminated (which there place on their leaderboard wasn't looking too hot), then all their hard work and how they fought to get here meant nothing.

And, not to mention, Sensei LaRusso was nowhere to be found. It was like he fucking disappeared into thin air, and quite obviously, Sam was worried. Alyssa didn't want Sam to be alone when she was worried, so they told Devon to go on without them while they searched for Sensei LaRusso. They came up with nothing, which is how they found themselves showing up to the event fifteen minutes late, walking through the locker rooms.

Sam had her phone pressed to her ear. "Dad? Where are you? I'm getting worried. Please call me."

The sound of fighting got louder as they approached a training room. Alyssa paused and looked inside, only to see the Sensei from Iron Dragons training heir male captain — Axel, Alyssa recalled his name was.

"Stop," the Sensei demanded. "What are you doing wrong?"

Then, before, her very eyes, Alyssa watched as the Sensei completely hit Axel. It wasn't an accident, either — they had stopped sparring. This was on purpose. She looked down at Sam, the two of them sharing a disbelieving glance.

"Again."

Axel punched, but his Sensei looked completely frustrated at him. He threw down the bad that was on his hand before hitting Axel again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Alyssa watched it all in completely shock. Suddenly, Axel, bent over from pain, looked up, instantly seeing the two of them. Alyssa grabbed onto Sam's arm and pulled them away in the direction of their locker room.

"Ally," Sam said.

"I know," Alyssa replied.

Once they got to the locker room, they put down their things. Alyssa quickly tied her headband around her forehead and left the locker room. The two of them went into the main room, where all the dojos were gathering with each other to discuss. Alyssa quickly gained sight of Sensei Lawrence and headed in his direction.

"Liu, LaRusso, you two were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago," Sensei Lawrence scolded.

"I was looking for my dad," Sam insisted. "Have you seen him?"

Sensei Lawrence nodded to Alyssa. "And you?"

"Package deal," Alyssa reminded him. "Where she goes, I go."

He shrugged. "He stepped out. Guess he got caught up or something. It's probably for the best."

Alyssa slotted herself next to Eli. He looked down at her, questioning in his eyes. Alyssa shook her head, offering a very tiny smile. Just from being next to him, she felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders.

"In this final points round, competitors will try to knock their opponents off their platforms," one of the announcers explained. "Once you have fallen, you are out. Points are determined off of wins, losses, and time. Final rankings after this event will determine placement in tonight's elimination round. We will now call up the first group of fighters."

"All right, listen up," Sensei Lawrence called. "Looks like I'm taking charge on this one, so we're doing things differently. No more waiting around like scared little bitches, waiting for them to come to you. All right? You go at them. Aggressive. Knock them off first."

"Those platforms are pretty narrow," Sam responded. "My dad would want balance."

"Yeah, well, your dad's not here, all right? It's time for us to start scoring some points."

"Sora Haruto from Hirobukan on platform one," the announcer read. "Devon Lee from Miyagi-Do on platform two."

Hey, remember earlier when Alyssa said she hoped the rest of the day didn't end up like the morning? So, funny story. Hilarious story, actually — it did. Devon got kicked off of her platform in about ten seconds, and even though Sensei Lawrence said they needed to do better after that, it didn't happen. All of them got knocked off, including Alyssa. She had tried to hold her own, but her balance was off, and she fell. In fact, the only one of them that managed to stay on and win was Miguel — which, of course.

Feeling quite defeated, especially by their position on the leaderboard, all of them got up from their place on the bench. Alyssa let out a deep breath, rubbing her eyes tiredly. God, she wished this day would just end. Yet, again, that couldn't happen. They had one more event.

"Hey!" Sensei Lawrence shouted. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Back to the hotel to wash off this disgrace," Demetri answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're not getting off that easy. Locker room, now."

They all turned in the opposite direction. Alyssa walked, her feet feeling like lead. She was absolutely dreading whatever he hell he was going to say. Nevertheless, she trudged inside, leaning against the lockers with her arms crossed by Eli's place on the bench. She untied the headband from around her head, staring down at the Sekai Taikai symbol. Now, she was certain she didn't deserve to wear it.

Sensei Lawrence stood in front of them, pacing back and forth. "What I saw from you just now, it wasn't karate. It was weakness. You fought like little lambs waiting for slaughter. If we keep going like this, we get eliminated tonight. And some of you will put this behind you, but some of you are gonna carry this for the rest of your lives. Knowing you had this chance to actually make something of yourselves. But instead, you crumbled under pressure. And you're going to go on to live shit lives in shitty apartments with shit jobs. And always have to live with this failure. So if you wanna save some humiliation, why don't we just skip the next round and catch the next flight home?" He looked around at them. "What is wrong with you guys? Where's your fight? Aren't you gonna stand up for yourselves?"

"You keep blaming us like this isn't on you too," Sam argued. "If my dad would've been there today, we never would've lost like that."

"Yeah, well, he didn't show up."

"Probably because of you. You keep disrespecting him, trying to prove that your way is better, when it's so clear that we should've been using Miyagi-Do. You shouldn't even be wearing that gi."

Devon instantly stood up, rounding on Sam. "Hey! Don't talk to my Sensei like that."

"Your Sensei got you knocked off the board in ten seconds, so I would sit down if I were you. You're not helping us. I don't even know how you made this team."

"Samantha, please," Alyssa said softly, finally looking up from her captain. "Devon's a good fighter — don't cut her short."

"Well, I, for one, will be putting all of this behind me when I'm off to MI—" Demetri started to say.

Alyssa wanted to slam her fucking head against the metal lockers. Maybe, if she was lucky, it would knock her out.

"Just shut the fuck up about MIT," Eli burst out, making Alyssa blink in shock. "Some of us actually care about winning the tournament. It'd be nice if you did too."

"Guys, can we just cool it?" Robby interjected, raising his voice. "This isn't helping. We need to focus up."

Miguel shook his head. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice."

Robby looked over at him. "You got something to say?"

"I already did," Miguel responded while meeting his gaze before picking up his bag and heading towards the exit.

"Hey, I'm not finished," Sensei Lawrence protested.

"No offense, Sensei, but I'm pretty sure we've heard enough from you."

One by one, all of them picked up their things and left the locker room. Alyssa picked up her own bag, trailing after her friends.

"Guys, come on," Sensei Lawrence said, but all of them ignored him.

Leaving that locker room felt like a breath of fresh air, even though the tension was still lingering between them. Alyssa slowed to a stop, leaning against the wall again while the rest of them moved on. She looked back down at her headband, running the fabric between her fingers. Honestly, she had never felt so undeserving of a title in her life. How was she supposed to be captain when all she was doing was lose? How was she supposed to be captain when she couldn't even keep her team from breaking apart?

"Hey," Eli's voice stated, and she looked up to see him standing right in front of her. "You're not going back to the hotel?"

"No, I am," Alyssa replied. "I just . . . needed a second. Especially after that."

He nodded in understanding. "You did good out there today."

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. Please don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying. You did all that you could do."

"And it still wasn't enough." Alyssa stared into his blue eyes, feeling all of the walls she had built around herself start to crumble. He always had that kind of effect. "I was made captain, but I don't deserve it. I feel like I'm letting everyone down."

"Hey, no way," Eli responded, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You're not letting anyone down. Lys, you were made captain for a reason. And that's because we all believe in you." He looked at her seriously. "I believe in you."

She wished she found the strength in her to believe him, or at least respond. Yet, she didn't. So, she did the next best thing. Alyssa reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. Eli didn't hesitate before putting his arms around her waist to hug her back just as tight, bringing her in closer as he did so. He then turned his head slightly, pressing a lingering kiss to her head over her hair. Alyssa sighed in content, the familiarity of it all feeling like home.

Her saving grace — as always.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

IT CAME TIME for the final event of the day, and the most important one — the elimination round.

Alyssa peered up at the stage, her hands locked behind her back. She would be lying if she said she felt better, because she didn't. Alyssa had spent most of her time with Eli back at the hotel, and while she reveled in the comfort, it didn't help with the anxiety that was still rising up inside of her. Everything was riding on this next event, and if they fucked up, they were out.

"We have now entered the elimination phase of the Sekai Taikai," the announcer told them. "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 sixteen team. The number two team will face the number fifteen team, and so on and so on."

"Okay, that means at number twelve, we're facing number five, Dublin Thunder," Devon announced.

"Oh, great," Eli commented. "I heard they started a fight last night with some locals at the beach. They're always looking for a brawl."

"Now, for the rules of the event," the announcer continued. "Fighters will again face off on a platform." Behind her, a platform started to lower, staying suspended in the air. "This platform. 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. However, the fight never stops. So get up there quick to not leave your teammate alone two-on-one. When all the fighters of a dojo have been knocked off, the team is out."

Zara and Axel completely dominated a whole team by themselves. Alyssa raised her eyebrows as Zara kicked the last member off of the platform, letting them fall to the mats below. She might've not liked her, but she couldn't deny that Zara was incredibly good at karate.

"What, was this dude made in a lab?" Eli asked.

"He's like a mix between the Winter Soldier and Frankenstein's monster," Demetri added.

"Don't call him a monster," Sam said, making momentary eye contact with Alyssa. "You don't know him or what he deals with."

Eli looked over at Alyssa. "What was that all about?"

"The truth," Alyssa replied simply, which didn't exactly answer the question, but she couldn't exactly be talking about abuse to the masses when she knew it would probably get a lot worse for Axel if she did. "Just . . . have an open mind."

Cobra Kai also won their fight with ease. Tory and Yoon — which was one of their top fighters — took out another team by themselves as well, and Tory even managed to knock out a tooth from one of them. Alyssa stared up at the platform, her stomach churning with nerves. Since Cobra Kai won, that meant Miyagi-Do was next.

"All right, let's bring it in," Sensei Lawrence demanded, and they formed a little circle. "I got something to say. All right, 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."

Miguel nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

"All right, now, I'm thinking is how we should start with our captains. Ally. Robby. Devon, you'll go next. Hawk, Demetri, then Sam. And Miguel's our anchor."

Sensei Lawrence bowed to them, and they all bowed back. Alyssa lifted herself back up and shook out her hands, taking a deep breath. She could do this. All she had to do was keep balance.

"Hey," Eli stated, putting a hand on her shoulder and staring right into her eyes. "Go show them why you were made captain."

Alyssa's eyes trailed across his face, and a look of determination settled onto her features. She gave him a curt nod. Eli smirked back at her, one that made her face feel warm and her insides feel all tingly.

"Atta girl." Eli patted her back. "Go get 'em, Lys."

Well, if that wasn't a confidence booster, she didn't know what was. Alyssa walked up to the stage and got up onto the platform. She faced Robby and held out her fists to him. Robby instantly bumped her fists with him.

"Come on, Liu," Sensei Lawrence called from down below. "Let's go, Robby. You guys got this."

After a nod of understanding was shared between Alyssa and Robby, the fight began. Both Dublin fighters ran at them right away, and Alyssa raised her arms, dodging a block. She kicked the boy away from her and continued dodging her blocks while managing to get a couple good hits in. However, Robby suddenly froze at something that Alyssa couldn't see, and he was kicked off the platform. Alyssa could've sworn she felt her heart stop as she watched his body hit the mat. She was alone — for now, at least. Alyssa knew Devon was coming, but it was still only her versus two.

"Come on, Lys!" Eli shouted from down below.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed, and she raised her fists again. She spun herself around and kicked, her foot landing on the stomach of the boy. While he stumbled back from the blow, she turned to the girl and punched her in the stomach, which was just enough time and a good enough of a stall to let Devon get up. Devon kicked the girl, resulting in her flying off the platform. The two of them focused on the one boy that was left, but Alyssa didn't notice the other fighter that came onto the platform until he kicked her in her side. She yelped in pain, doubling over and stumbling way too close to the edge.

"Liu!" Sensei Lawrence yelled, and she met his eyes in the crowd. "Miyagi-Do!"

She knew Miyagi-Do. This is what she had trained for the entire time ever since she started karate. The boy swung, and Alyssa ducked underneath it. She blocked every advancement he made and punched him in the stomach. While he was distracted, she grabbed his body and threw him off the platform. Their next fighter climbed up, and Alyssa made eye contact with the girl, rolling her shoulders back.

"You think you're so tough?" the girl taunted, raising her fists. "Well, I'll show you tough, bitch."

The girl launched herself in the air, spinning herself around and kicking. Alyssa was so momentarily stunned by how impressive it was that she missed all her blocks. The girl's foot made contact with her stomach, and Alyssa fell over the edge. She grunted as she landed on the mats below, staring up at the platform. Alyssa pushed herself up onto her feet, shaking it off. Sure, it might've been a loss, but she fought the best she did today. It was still something.

Eli passed her on the way up. They shared a quick high-five as Alyssa got off the stage. She tried to catch her breath, her hand clutching her stomach where she was kicked. It hurt like a bitch, and she was definitely sure it was going to bruise.

Sensei Lawrence nodded to her, patting her shoulder. "That was good, Fairy Princess. I liked what I saw."

"Thanks, Sensei," Alyssa responded. "Especially for the motivation."

She then turned her attention up to the platform. Devon was still fighting the same boy while Eli took up fighting the girl. Eli flipped her over before helping Devon. While he was distracted, the girl got back up and started to run at Eli. Devon instantly ran at the girl and caught her waist in her arms, launching them both off the platform — a sacrifice of sorts.

Demetri then ran up, joining Eli on top of the platform. Alyssa slightly winced as they bumped backs and turned to each other accusingly. Usually, they were so in sync — they were the Binary Brothers, after all. Yet after the whole MIT situation, it was so obvious they had fallen out of that rhythm. She had a feeling it wasn't going to be good.

And it wasn't. They started off good, but when Demetri kicked the guy Eli was fighting, it also sent Eli off the ledge since the boy didn't let him go. When Demetri stared down at Eli, probably to apologize, the boy kicked him off the platform as well. That meant it was up to Sam and Miguel now.

Sam and Miguel ran up to the platform while another member from Dublin did as well. They each took one. Sam, as usual, used all of her Miyagi-Do defense and fought off all advancements. And when the time was right, she attacked, and she managed to kick the boy down. Alyssa cheered loudly, watching as the final member left from Dublin got up. This time, Sam wasn't so lucky, and she got knocked off . . . leaving just Miguel, in a two versus one.

The first boy advanced on him with quick speed, which Miguel dodged. He blocked a kick from the other guy as well. As the two of them continued to attack Miguel, he blocked all punches and kicks. He kneed one of them, causing him to fall to the floor. Miguel focused on punching the other one, sending him down to the floor as well. The guy who originally fell got up, only to be put right back down on the ground. Miguel ducked under a kick and locked his leg around the other boy, bringing him back down. Still on the ground, Miguel swung his body around and kicked, kicking the one guy who had gotten up. While he was distracted, he kicked the other guy, causing him to fall off the platform.

Alyssa gasped, her hand reaching up to her mouth in shock. It was no secret Miguel was one of the greatest fighters she knew — after all, this whole thing practically started with him. He was completely dominating, even to the point where it was a one-on-one fight now. And, sure enough, Miguel managed to finish it out by launching himself in the air and kicking the final guy, causing him to fly off the platform and land on the mats below.

He did it. They won — which meant they were staying.

"Yes!" Alyssa screamed, jumping up and down. "Let's fucking go, Miguel!"

Sam was the first one to run, and Alyssa was quick to follow with the rest of them. They all climbed up onto the platform, where all of them launched Miguel into hugs. Alyssa bounced on her toes, waiting patiently for her turn, until he was free.

Alyssa threw her arms around Miguel, laughing slightly as he spun her around. "Oh my God, Miguel, honey, that was insane." She pulled back a bit, placing her hands on either side of his face. "Thank God for you."

They all lined up on the platform and bowed, and Sensei Lawrence bowed back to them down below. Alyssa giggled and turned to Eli, who put his arms around her waist and picked her up off the ground. She slung her arms around his neck, allowing her to practically carry her down the steps.

"See?" Eli questioned. "I told you. You were amazing."

Alyssa looked at him, her smile brighter than all the stars in the sky. "Thank you."

He chuckled a little. "I didn't do anything."

Her smile turned into something softer. "You did more than you know."

Alyssa then leaned forwards, connecting their lips in a kiss. Eli immediately kissed her back, his grip tightening on her waist. Now, because of him, she was able to believe that maybe she did deserve the role as captain.

•─•°•❀•°•─•

I hate writing fight scenes and that's all this part is oh SPARE ME I'm getting so incredibly lazy