[SEASON SIX: EPISODE NINE]

Back at the hotel room, the Miyagi-Do's gathered around in one room, their faces marked with disappointment with the recent events the past few days. A few minutes later, the door swung open, revealing Johnny and Ethan, who had returned from California after checking on Elizabeth. Kenny was with them, and three stepped inside, setting their luggage down by the door.

"We're back, bitches, eager to kick ass. Who's ready to win this thing?"

None of them answered, the heavy silence in the room thick with unspoken words. The tension was palpable, wrapping around everyone like a suffocating cloud, making it impossible to ignore.

"What crawled up everyone's butts?"

Daniel, Chozen, and Lawrence stepped into the hallway, discussing everything that happened while he and the boy were away. Inside the hotel room, the teens remained quiet, their disappointment still lingering. A few minutes later, Williams joined the adults, closing the door softly behind him. He stood beside them, his expression curious but yet concerned, wanting to understand why they had called him out as well.

"That ponytail prick is back? You gotta be kidding me. What good is prison if Kresee can escape and Sliver doesn't even go?"

"Wait, you're telling me that my grandfather's not in jail. How the hell is that even possible?"

"Sekai Taikai admission policy also suck." Toguchi muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"All right. For better or worse, the Sekai Taikai doesn't know what went down in the Valley. Sliver is here to make good on his promise. Becoming the number-one dojo worldwide."

"Sliver cannot win with Cobra Kai, so he buys another dojo."

"The Iron Dragons." The boy clarified simply.

"And we all know from experience he's not afraid to get his hands dirty."

"Look, screw Sliver. We took him down before. We'll do it again. Me and Ethan came back, left Elizabeth to win. Let's finish what we started."

"Yes." They all nodded in agreement before leaving one by one. However, Daniel stopped Johnny and Ethan from heading out.

"Hey, guys. I, um.... I just wanna tell you how relieved I am that Elizabeth and the baby are okay. And Johnny, I really appreciate that voicemail you left for me."

"Don't worry, LaRusso. It's all piss under the bridge. We good?"

"We're good." He answered, with a firm nod.

"Good."

"Now what?"

"Let's go win this thing."

A few hours later, at the Sekai Taikai arena, the top eight remaining dojos gathered as Gunther and his officials stood on stage, explaining the rules for the next group event. It was to be a tag team match, pitting teams against each other in a high-stakes showdown. Daniel glanced across the arena at Sliver, who responded with a subtle, smug smirk.

Standing just behind Sam, Williams reached out and gently grabbed her hand, offering her comfort. The two exchanged a reassuring smile, bolstering each other's confidence for the next challenge ahead.

"Top eight dojos, welcome to our final group event. Over the course of the tournament, you have each proven yourselves worthy of your place atop the leaderboard. And after today, only the best of the best will gain entry into our tournament of champions."

"Now, here are the rules for this round. Each team will face three opponents, determined by random draw, in an all-dojo tag team competition!" He announced his voice booming across the arena with the crowd erupting into cheers and applause, their excitement filling the air.

"Two fighters inside the ring. One from each dojo at a time. The other ten fighters remain outside, waiting to be tagged by their teammate. Fighting will be continuous. No stoppages, no timeouts. So use your teammates wisely. The first dojo to score three points wins the match. By the end of today, your captains will either be fighting in the tournament of champions or be eliminated, watching from the sidelines. May the best dojos win."

It was now leading into the second elimination round, with Miyagi-Do facing off against Furia De Pantera. Demetri squared up against Diego in the center of the mat, while their teammates formed a circle around them, eagerly waiting for their chance to be tagged in.

"Fight!"

The tall boy landed a swift quick front kick but his opponent countered it with ease, slamming his foot down to block the attack with precision. The rhythm of the match intensified as Alexopoulos  attempted another kick, followed by a leg sweep. However, the captain of the opposing dojo expertly dodged each move, not even breaking a sweat.

"Demetri. Hey, tag me in." Hawk offered, after seeing his friend trying his best to land a hit.

"No! I got it!"

Suddenly, a back kick was aimed at him, but she ducked in time. Diego followed up with a flurry of attacks like punches, kicks, and even sweeps. Although Demetri managed to block and dodge most of them, it was clear he was struggling to keep up.

"Demetri, tag me in."

"No!" He shouted, and out of nowhere, a brutal kick struck his face, causing him to stumble onto the mat, clutching his nose in pain.

"Point!"

He crawled across the ground, and reached out to tag Sam, hoping she'd preform better than he did. She stepped onto the mat with determination, immediately using her speed and momentum to catch him off guard. Then launched a spinning back kick, followed by a low sweep, forcing the opponent to retreat as he skillfully avoided the attack.

The crowd was on edge as the two fighters exchanged blows and blocks at a rapid pace. Her foot collided with her enemy's side with a sharp impact, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. Wincing, Diego quickly tagged in the other captain of Furia De Pantera to take his place.

Maria lunged onto the mat, aiming a swift kick at her opponent, but the brunette dodged it just in time. The two girls traded punches, skillfully counting each other's moves. LaRusso seized the moment, grabbing her enemy's arm and taking advantage of the opening to land solid hit to her ribs.

"Point! 1-1!" The referee called out. Sam quickly tagged in Hawk, who walked onto the mat with a determined expression.

"Alright, we got this, guys!"

Eli squared off against the next opponent, a towering boy with impressive strength. He striked first, attempting to land a powerful kick, but Ricky to blocked it with a clenched fist, slamming his leg down and making him to stagger in pain.

The Mohawk boy retaliated with a series of his punches, but the big Pantera fighter countered with a harsh strike to his opponent's stomach. He stumbled, struggling to maintain his balance. His enemy followed up with a relentless combo of kicks, forcing him to retreat in defense.

"Hawk, tag in me."

"Hawk, tag in Kenny." Sam called out.

"What are you doing? Tag Kenny."

Hawk ignored his friend's protest and glanced briefly at Sliver. Acting swiftly, he made his decision not to tag in Kenny as expected but to tag in Robby instead.

"What are you doing?!" Keene demanded, stepping onto the mat in confusion. He barely had any time to react before his legs were swept out from underneath him, sending him crashing to the ground with a groan of pain. Ricky executed a spinning back kick, immediately landing another kick to his stomach.

"Point!"

The boy rose to his feet as his opponent tagged in another male fighter. Mark wasted no time in launching a flurry of kicks and punches. He blocked them as the best he could, trying to hold him off.

"Tag in me, brother!" Ethan shouted, extending his hand, hoping to get tagged in.

Robby reached out to his brother, with their hands nearly touching but it was interrupted when his opponent kicked his hand away and slammed their fist against his chest, earning the final point.

"Point! Winner, Team Pantera!" The referee called out.

"With an impressive victory, Miyagi-Do's loss puts them on the verge of elimination after the first round."

The announcement struck the Miyagi-Do students like a blow to the ribs, leaving disappointment etched across their faces.

"Hawk, why didn't you tag in Kenny when you had the opportunity to?"

"He just got here. You expect us to trust him?" Hawk snapped his tone firm gesturing over toward Kenny.

"Trust me to what? Not get my ass kicked like you and Demetri?"

"Yeah, like you'd do any better against Spanish Hawk. You completely disappeared after the Shittening. And then you coincidentally come back the same time as Sliver." Demetri explained, glancing at the others.

"You really want to tag in a mole?"

"Are you serious? I fly all the way here to help us win, and you won't give me a chance? Everybody laughed at me in the woods, but somehow, I'm the bad guy?"

"He's still pissed. It makes sense he'd want revenge."

"Say something else, you—" Panye started, but his words were cut off as someone stepped in between the two boys, stopping him mid sentence.

"Hey! This isn't about Kenny. I'm the one who lost the match. Me." Robby declared, before turning around and walking away without another word.

"Robby."

Moments later, Keene was on the upper deck, away from the rest of the team, practicing his forms and strikes. His movements were sharp but carried an undercurrent of frustration, making it clear something was troubling him. Spotting him from a distance, Ethan decided to intervene and hopefully talk some sense into him. He approached with measured steps, his expression calm but determined.

"Hey." He greeted, his tone neutral. His brother glanced at him briefly before crossing his arms over his chest, his stance guarded and defensive.

"What's going on with you, bro?"

"You can see what's going on. I'm completely screwing it up out there."

"Don't blame yourself. It was a team loss. Alright? What's really going on? What happened while I and Johnny were away?"

"A lot. Tory ended things. She hooked up with Kwon."

"What?"

"Yeah, and then I got drunk and did something stupid. I'm just.... I'm blowing it on and off the mat. You were right. You should've been captain."

"That's not true. I'm not fit to be leader. Sure, I might act like it sometimes, but that's only because I have the same amount of experience as Sam does. But I'm not worthy. You earned that spot fair and square. You're just not thinking clearly right now, and I get it. Who wouldn't be in your shoes?" The boy asked, hoping the words would sink in.

"And the team is hanging on for dear life. And we desperately need a leader."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm not it." Robby said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"That's bullshit. Look. You led the charge for everyone to leave my grandfather's corrupted dojo. You even got Kenny to Miyagi-Do. You may like it or not, but you're a natural-born leader. Okay? You fight for what you believe in, and you don't give up."

"So this whole 'I'm not a leader' thing is.... Is..."

"Bullshit?"

"Yes. So lead us. And we'll follow. I'll follow you, brother. I've got your back. Even though I've been acting like a total dick to you about not being captain before I left. It was just.... It wasn't you."

"It's okay."

"And the moment is right, you're going to step up. Like you always do. Like the leader you truly are." Ethan said, placing a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder.

Before the next elimination round started, the Miyagi-Do team gathered around together as Daniel and Johnny stood before them, offering words of encouragement and emphasizing the importance of teamwork and fighting with strategy.

"So we need to win this one to stay in the tournament. We know it's hard with Sliver here, but we are not fighting his team now."

"We've heard all of this garbage going around about loyalty. Almost all of us trained somewhere else at some point. What matters is where our asses are now. We're Miyagi-Do. Got it?"

"Come on, y'all. Let's get it done!"

Williams faced off against a member of the Redentores, in the center of the mat. their teammates stood outside the circle, ready to be tagged in when needed.

"Fight!"

He launched a front kick followed by a flurry of punches, but his opponent blocked each one with precision. Zack countered by grabbing him by the waist, attempting to throw him off balance.

Reaching swiftly, Ethan slammed his elbow into his enemy's chest, then turned and drove his knee into their stomach, forcing him to release his grip. Then the opposing student of the other dojo stumbled back, the boy quickly tagged his brother into the match.

"It's your moment, bro. You got this. I believe in you."

The two boys exchanged a series of blocks and strikes, their movements swift and calculated. Keene then executed a side kick, landing it firmly on his opponent and earning a point.

"Point!"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go!"

Zack tagged in the captain of Redentores, who wasted no time unleashing a rapid combo of kicks. Robby dodged them and countered it with a kick of his own, as his enemy skillfully rolled to the ground to evade it. He then attempted a leg sweep, but David anticipated the move and effortlessly ducked underneath it.

"Robby, tag me."

"No. Over here. Tag me, tag me!"

"Tag in Kenny."

"Do not tag Kenny. Do not tag him!"

The boy hesitated, glancing around uncertainly as he struggled to decide on who to pick. Then, Ethan's words echoed in his mind, giving him clarity he needed.

"So lead us. And we'll follow."

A punch was sent his way, and he quickly ducked before backing up and rushing over to Kenny to tag him in.

"Finally."

"Come on, Kenny. Go!"

"No, no!" Demetri groaned, his voice filled with disbelief.

Payne stepped onto the mat, ready to prove his loyalty to his teammates. However, he paused, looking up at Sliver, as the man's words from earlier replayed in his head.

"What have they done for you? Did you come here to win?"

"You got this, you got this, you got this."

Letting out a yell, the two boys exchanged a series of blows and blocks. David attempted a spinning back kick, but his opponent ducked underneath it, leapt into the air and landed a powerful punch to his face, sending him to stumbling back onto the mat.

"Point!"

"Yes!"

"Miyagi-Do, two."

The young boy rolled across the mat and quickly sprang up, delivering a decisive uppercut to their face. The blow sent his enemy crashing to the ground, securing the final point.

"Another point! Miyagi-Do wins!"

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"

"That's badass!"

The other Miyagi-Do students rushed over to congratulate Kenny, their cheers echoing through the arena. Ethan and Robby hoisted him on their shoulders, celebrating his victory.

As they paraded him around, Payne glanced up at Sliver, smirking confidently. With a bold gesture, he flipped him off and stuck his tongue out, making the old man looked down in frustration.

"With the win, Miyagi-Do moves to 1-1. If they win their next match, they advance to the tournament of champions."

As they sat him back down, Williams went over to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. A proud smile across his face as he nodded in approval, clearly impressed by Keene's decision to tag him in.

"Good call, captain."

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