[SEASON SIX: EPISODE THIRTEEN]

Johnny parked the Eagle Fang van in the lot outside the All Valley Sports Arena, now set up for the Sekai Taikai world tournament. Ethan and Robby hopped out, shutting the door behind them, then took a moment to glance at the building, the same place where they fought for the first time.

"Woah. This place brings back some memories, right?"

"Yeah, good ones for you. You won here."

"Hey, guys. Grab your mom and Laura, go sign in. I'll grab the bags."

The two boys nodded and stepped in to help Elizabeth with Laura, making sure they got into the entrance safely before heading over to the registration table to sign in.

As the blonde man moved to the back and lifted up the back door of the van, and reached for the bags, a familiar person appeared behind him.

"Need a hand?" A voice asked, making him freeze slightly. He slowly turned around, his eyes narrowing as he came face to face with the last person he expected to see again, Kreese.

"No.... No more of that. I.... I.... I just came by to thank you.... For what you did for me in Barcelona."

"Sliver just got what he had coming to him."

"But when push comes to shove, Johnny Lawrence always does the right thing."

"Well, now it's my turn."

"I don't want anything from you." Lawrence said, shaking his head in disbelief, already certain he was up to no good.

"I'm sorry that I ruined Cobra Kai. I was so proud of you for bringing it back. Sure, it was different. But that's what it needed. For the last few months, I've been thinking a lot about my failures. And my biggest failure happened right here in this parking lot." The old man explained, his voice usually sincere.

The weight of his words hung in the air as the memory of that night in nineteen eighty-five flashed through both their minds, a night that changed everything.

"I said I did my best."

"You're nothing. You lost. You're a loser."

"You're the loser."

"Yeah?"

"Now who's the loser, huh?"

"When you lost to LaRusso back in '84.... You handled it like a man. And what I did next was inexcusable. If it wasn't for me, you would've kept going. You could have ended up in the Sekai Taikai. Instead, I.... Left all that garbage from my life on your doorstep and made you carry it for 35 years."

"I gotta go watch my son fight."

Inside the arena, the entire Valley packed up the row of bleachers, eager to witness the epic conclusion of the Sekai Taikai tournament after the tragic events that had unfolded in Barcelona.

Gunther and his officials stood at the center of the red mat, while Miyagi-Do, the Iron Dragons, and even Cobra Kai, despite having only one member, took their respective spots.

"It's my honor to introduce our guest referee, local hero and former All Valley champion, Darryl Vidal!"

The crowd clapped in applause, as Darryl stepped up to the mat, took the microphone from him, and turned around to face the audience.

"Thank you, Mr. Braun."

"You're welcome."

"Are you ready for the world's best karate?"

Everyone began cheered while photographers snapped photos of the competitors. Shannon sat down next to Amanda and quickly noticed the outfit, with an elegant look she had going on.

"Oh, wow. You really went all out, huh?"

"Well, it's the Sekai Taikai. It's like the Super Bowl, the World Cup, and March Madness all under one roof." She explained.

"Yeah, Robby! Kick some ass! Yeah."

"Of the world's sixteen best dojos, it's all come down to our final three. The Iron Dragons.... Miyagi-Do Karate.... And Cobra Kai."

Chozen sighed, his eyes looking at the competitors until they landed on Cobra Kai's side, where only one lonely fighter stood. His brow furrowed in curiosity and confusion.

"No Cobra Kai Senseis."

"The rules are simple. Each dojo will retain the points they've earned in their Barcelona competitions. Our unfinished boys' semifinal will rest zero-zero, and the remaining girls' semifinal will be taking place tomorrow."

Axel's attention drifted towards Sam, but she quickly looked away, clearly avoiding his gaze. Wolf noticed the distraction and immediately stepped in, making sure his student's focus locked on Robby, the opponent standing across from him on the mat.

"Eyes on your opponent." He demanded.

"Each match will consist of three two-minute rounds with unlimited scoring. One point for a hit, ten for a knockdown, and twenty for a knockout. The finals will determine our individual champions, and the dojo with the most cumulative points will be crowned grand champion."

"Now. Will everyone please stand and join me in a moment of silence for our fallen competitor, Kwon Jae-Sung."

Everyone stood up and bowed their heads in respect for Kwon, observing a moment of silence, only for a few seconds. The arena was still under quiet until it was interrupted by someone loudly crunching their food. Ethan's eyes darted toward the crowd, scanning for the source of the noise, and then they landed on Mitch.

"Assface." Williams whispered, catching the boy's attention. He made subtle hand gesture, signaling him to knock it off.

"Thank you. For our first match, or should I say rematch, Axel Kovaceic versus Robby Keene."

Robby turned towards his three Senseis, hoping for some advice on his final match against his opponent.

"Robby. You can do this."

"Lock in. Trust your skills."

"It doesn't matter what happened last time, it doesn't matter how many people are watching, it's just you and him on the mat. You trained for this. You're ready."

He nodded in agreement before bowing to them, and they respectfully bowed back. After having a moment to himself, Sliver walked up behind Wolf, wanting to make sure they were ready for the fight.

"They may have picked the venue and the ref, but we have the most skilled fighters. We should win easily. If it gets any closer than that, you know what to do."

"You have nothing to worry about." The Iron Dragon Sensei replied, then leaned in behind Axel, whispering something into his ear.

"Look at them. They're scared of you because of what you done in Barcelona."

"Make him fear for his life."

"Yes, Sensei."

The two fighters immediately stepped onto the mat, taking their positions on their side of the referee.

"Fighters, face me. Bow. Each other. Bow. Fighting stance."

They turned toward Darryl, bowed respectfully, then faced each other and bowed again before slipping into a fighting stance, ready for the match to begin.

"Fight."

Kovacevic immediately struck first with a series of rapid kicks. Keene quickly ducked under them, barely escaping the sweep kick that followed. He flipped into a cartwheel, landing gracefully to regain his footing and put some distance between them.

They exchanged blows and blocks, moving swiftly across the mat. Suddenly a roundhouse was send Robby's way. But instead of dodging it, he countered it with his own roundhouse, landing a solid hit to his opponent's stomach.

"Point!"

The whole crowd erupted into cheers as the Miyagi-Do captain bounced lightly on his feet, his confidence steadily returning with every move.

"Yes!"

"That's it. That's it."

"Okay, yeah, maybe he can do this." Demetri pointed out.

"Robby! Robby! Robby! Robby!"

Axel growled in frustration, switching to a more aggressive fighting stance. He lunged forward, unleashing a furry of punches at his enemy. Though most of them were blocked, he managed to slip in a sharp jab his chest, making him stumble back slightly.

"Two points."

"Dude, he's using moves we've never seen before." Hawk stated.

Robby gritted his teeth and striked at Kovacevic's chin, but his attack was blocked. No matter how many times he tried to land a hit, his opponent countered or deflected each one. Suddenly, the momentum shifted, and the Iron Dragon captain scored three rapid points in succession.

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the first round. The two fighters stepped back and returned to their respective sides on the mat.

He stood before his three senseis, his breathing becoming heavy as he looked up at the men in front of him, hoping for some guidance on to win this fight.

"He's a machine. It's like he reprogrammed himself."

"He adapted. Now you adapt." Johnny stated.

"I don't know if I can."

"Robby Keene not knowing how to adapt?" Daniel questioned, causing the boy to glance over at him.

"That's a first. You've never had things easy, Robby. You've been knocked down every which way more times than anyone I've ever known. But you've also gotten back up more times too. You stood up to Kreese. To Sliver. Whenever you knew something was wrong, you stood up. Even when you had to do it alone. You turned your rival into your best friend. You patched things up with your dad." LaRusso explained, gesturing toward Ethan and Johnny.

"No one has adapted more than you. So tell me. Can you do it again?"

He nodded and bowed to his senseis, before making his way back to the mat.

"Fight!"

Axel launched a side kick, which Robby barely managed to block. His opponent grabbed his arms, attempting to break his stance, but the Miyagi-Do captain fought to keep his footing and forced him to let go. Kovacevic followed up a jab and a low kick, but his attacks were blocked.

A series of kicks came his way, but Keene dodged them and countered with a leg sweep, only to miss the opportunity. As he quickly got back on his feet, a roundhouse was sent toward him, which he blocked just in time.

The tall boy threw another jab punch and his enemy evaded it. Without hesitation, he snapped his elbow forward, slamming it against their nose.

"Point!"

He barely had any time to think, before a hook punch was thrown his way and he dodged it, only to block another incoming strike.

Robby went for a grab, but his opponent twisted his body and yanked him away, before landing a punch to his ribs.

Axel struck again with a high jab but missed as his enemy ducked underneath it and landed a palm strike to his chest.

"Point!"

The whole crowd began going insane, by clapping in applause.

The Iron Dragon captain lunged himself forward just as a kick came his way. He caught his opponent's leg, but they spun around with their other leg, landing a roundhouse kick straight to his face.

"Point!"

"Yes!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Let's go, bro." Ethan cheered for his brother, clapping his hands together.

"Come on."

Kovacevic feinted a fake kick, causing Keene to take the bait and block it, only to be met with a brutal hook punch across the face.

"Point!"

He lunged forward with a punch, but his enemy caught his arm and swiftly slammed an elbow at into his forehead.

"Point!"

The fight had gotten even more uglier, as Axel grabbed them by their shoulders and delivered three sharp elbow strikes to his stomach. Robby blocked what he could, before breaking free and quickly landed a flying side kick, forcing his opponent to stumble back.

"Point!"

The tall boy wasn't finished with his assault and executed a nasty roundhouse to their rib cage.

The Miyagi-Do captain whined in pain, his breathing growing heavier, but he wasn't going to back down from this fight not now, not ever.

They briefly steadied themselves in their fighting stances, locking eyes for a moment before launching into action once more. The two exchanged blows and blocks then Robby attempted a 360-degree kick, but missed.

He followed up with a roundhouse, only for Kovacevic to catch his leg and take them both down to the mat. A loud snap echoed through the arena, signaling a bone had been broken.

Keene screamed in pain, lying on his back, unable to move as if he was stuck in place.

"What happened?"

"Hey!" Johnny shouted in anger and rushed onto the mat, kneeling beside his son to check on him.

"What's wrong?"

"My knee!"

"Medic." Daniel called out, hoping a medic would come and assist.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Axel glanced over at the Miyagi-Do side and noticed a very angry Ethan stepping on the mat.

"You're dead meat, motherfucker!"

But before he could go any further, Chozen stopped him, placing his arm in front of the boy.

"You did it on purpose, you asshole!"

"Calm down, Ethan-san."

"Hell no." Williams shrugged them off, making his way over to the Iron Dragons captain, but suddenly was stopped again by Hawk and Demetri.

"Let me go!"

"Ethan, clam down."

"It's not worth it."

The two Binary Brothers tried their best to resuscitate him, but it just wasn't enough to stop him.

"I'll kill you and your whole fucking team!"

A hand was placed on his cheek, causing the boy to look up and notice it was Sam standing in front of him, wearing a calming expression on her face.

"Please clam down, for me?"

He nodded slowly as the two boys let go of him, and they all walked back to their side of the mat.

"Everyone, please remain calm." Gunther said as the medics rushed over to Robby's aid.

"Hey, shouldn't that be a disqualification?"

"From what I saw, they both got tangled up, and they both hit the mat."

"I mean, he...." LaRusso sighed in disbelief.

"Robby Keene has 15 minutes to return to the mat. If Keene is unable to return, Axel Kovacevic will be awarded the win."

The medics moved Robby into the locker room and gently laid him down on a bench, propping his leg up. Johnny and the others waited anxiously for an update on his condition. After examining his leg, one of the medics pulled a blanket over it.

"I'll let the judges know. You did well out there, young man." He said before he and the other paramedics walked out.

Ethan slammed his fist against the locker in anger, knowing that Sliver was going to win again through cheating.

"Fuck!"

"Just like that. Chozen, do you know how to...?" Daniel asked, rubbing his palms together as if he had a plan in mind.

"Heat massage not magic, Daniel-san. Broken bone needs time to heal."

"I just can't believe Sliver's gonna get away with this."

"Hey, you were awesome." Shannon said, cupping her son's face gently.

"I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, mom."

"Do you guys mind if I can have a minute to myself?"

"Take all the time you need, Robby-san." Chozen replied, patting him on his shoulder, and walked out. One by one followed, leaving only Robby, Johnny and Ethan in the room.

Keene sighed in disbelief as Lawrence walked up to him, wanting to make sure his son was okay.

"You gonna be all right?"

"I could have won. It just sucks the world will never know that. But I do."

"Robby, don't say that, you did your best, that's all that matters." Williams stated.

"Yeah, I did my best. I fought with honor. If that lands me in second place, there's worse places to be."

"You're taking this way better than I ever could."

"I guess instead of focusing on the things that I lost, I just...." The boy paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing.

"I wanna focus on the things I've won. Karate's given me all the best things in my life. I mean, it's given me my friends. It's given me my girlfriend. It's given a brother and my dad."

"I'd say that makes you a winner in anybody's eyes. Especially mine."

"He's right, bro."

He chuckled as the three of them shared a group hug, feeling the warmth of their support.

"I love you, man."

The boy laughed, realizing that was the first time his dad had ever said something like that to him.

"I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks."

The next day, back at the All Valley arena, Gunther and his officials stood in the center of the mat. On one side were Miyagi-Do, with Robby now using crutches due to his injured knee, and on the other side stood Sliver and the Iron Dragons.

"The Sekai Taikai has always been unpredictable, but this year has been like no other. Samantha LaRusso has elected not to fight, officially ending Miyagi-Do Karate's impressive underdog run. Let's give them a round of applause!"

The entire crowd in the bleachers erupted into cheers and applause, clapping their hands together.

"Do I still get to fight Nichols?" Zara whispered.

"Either way, we've still won."

"This now concludes our semifinal matches. Cobra Kai not naming a replacement for their fallen captain, means that Axel Kovacevic automatically becomes our new male champion."

"However, Cobra Kai has named a replacement. Joining Tory Nichols on Team Cobra Kai will be Ethan Williams! Coached by the two-time All Valley champion and their new Sensei, Johnny Lawrence!"

Ethan and Tory made their way out to the arena, both wearing their respective Cobra Kai gi's. Just a second later, Johnny followed behind them, nodding to Daniel as they all approached the mat.

"This is bullshit. How can they do that?" Wolf questioned in disbelief.

"They're former Cobra Kai." Terry answered.

Nichols glanced over to the side and noticed Kreese standing there in the crowd. He bowed to her as a small smile appeared on her face in response.

Lawrence turned his attention to the old man, and they both bowed to one another, signaling their newly formed respect.

Williams stared at the Iron Dragons, focusing mainly at Axel, who wore a confidence expression. However, the boy kept a stern look and turned away from him.

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