─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

the next day, miyagi-do and eagle fang arrived at cobra kai's new dojo for their qualifying match against cobra kai. "time to begin." gunther braun announced from the judge's table. "eli moskowitz and kenny payne, please take the mat."

immediately, theo began to applaud for his friend, watching eli trek onto the mat. when the referee yelled out for them to begin, kenny lunged first, aggressively attacking eli. he landed the first point by kicking him in the stomach.

"point! one-zero, payne." the referee announced. the two moved back into their fight positions and the referee gave them a curt nod. "ready? fight!"

kenny attacked again, but eli quickly gained the upper hand and landed a flying spin kick onto kenny's face. after being hit, the boy stepped back at the impact, out of bounds.

"yes!" sam cheered out her friends, giving theo a quick high five as a celebration. but theo's smile was immediately wiped off when the referee shook his head.

"out of bounds." the referee announced. "no point." he yelled. everyone began to yell out in protest, confused about how the referee came to this conclusion.

"what? what, are you serious?!" eli yelled in frustration. johnny stepped forward, "come on, ref. that's horseshit. he made contact in bounds!" he exclaimed.

"no point! back on the line." the referee demanded. the two boys sprung into action, kenny throwing a flurry of kicks in eli's direction. eli managed to counter each one of his hits, until kenny snatched the boy's leg and elbowed the back of his knee.

eli yelled in agony, dropping to his knees. "illegal strike! that's a warning. turn and kneel." the referee instructed the younger boy. a smirk curled on kenny's face as he watched eli push himself onto his feet and stumble over to his team.

"warning? he should be disqualified." daniel spoke up in disbelief. eli shook his head, limping to his senseis. "no, it's fine. he just caught me off guard." he said.

"are you sure, eli?" sensei larusso questioned, clearly concerned for the boy. eli shook his head, "no more eli. it's time to uncage the hawk." he said, using his hands to straighten out his mini-mohawk.

theo nodded in acceptance, lightly applauding the boy. "come on hawk, you've got this!" he exclaimed.

eli limped back into the centre of the mat, and kenny was permitted to return to the fight. "ready? and fight!" he demanded.

eli stepped forward to deliver a punch, but kenny pushed eli's arm to the side and sent his fist straight into the boy's ribs. they all screamed out, taken aback by the ruthlessness of cobra kai's strike.

"point! two-zero, payne!"

eli, now down on his knees and gasping for breath, was unable to move from his spot. the two sensei's rushed over to him, trying to find the problem. theo watched from the sidelines, his hands on his hips with anxiety.

he wasn't sure how kenny's move was legal, especially as it had such damaging consequences. the referee stepped over to them, "can you continue?" he questioned.

eli pressed his knuckles against the mat and attempted to push himself onto his feet. but his body was so feeble, he sank back to the ground.

"where's the medic?!" johnny exclaimed, and the man immediately rushed over. the referee shrugged his shoulders, "that's a forfiet." he declared. "winner, payne!" he exclaimed.

as cobra kai celebrated their victory, theo shook his head with disappointment. how could his grandfather teach kenny a move so brutal? and how could the team celebrate eli's injury?

"this is such bullshit." theo scoffed with irritation. sam glanced over to her boyfriend, nodding in agreement. she was surprised by his use of profanity, but completely understood where he was cling from.

"looks like you got a new name." kenny called out to the boy on the ground. "faux hawk!" he exclaimed. his team burst out in laughter, kyler's voice the loudest as they taunted the injured boy.

∙ ~εïз~ ∙

"we begin our girls' fight." gunther announced as he stood up from his seat. "samantha larusso and—"

tabitha pushed the front door of cobra kai's flagship dojo open, her heart pounding in her chest. she had been hiding in her car, waiting for sam to text her and say that the boy's match was over.

they all turned to look at her, the first thing noticeable was the white gi she was sporting. immediately, sam rushed over to her and gave her a supportive smile. she turned to face the judges, "she's taking my place." she announced.

the students of cobra kai began murmuring to each other, looking at tabitha with anger, repulsion, and shock. kenny payne's glare was hard, this was the same girl who had told him she wasn't in miyagi-do.

but the expression on her grandfather's face was something that tabby couldn't even describe, it made her heart drop. she was so focused on her grandfather's face, that tabby didn't even realise her father was present too.

she turned to her brother, her eyes widening. but theo hadn't noticed the man sneaking into the room, too focused on eli's wellbeing.

"is this confirmed?" gunther asked, his question directed at the two senseis. they shared a look before nodding in agreement. "okay. name?" he inquired.

"tabitha brooks." tabby told him, stretching out her arms in preparation for the match. her gaze was focused on the judges table as she tried to ignore the infuriated stares from her grandfather and her father.

"okay. tabitha brooks and tory nichols, please take the mat." gunther instructed.

tabby nodded, accepting the pats of encouragement on the back from her teammates. she stepped forward, her head held high as she disregarded the scowls and glares she was earning from the other team.

a few moments passed and tory's absence was now evident. tabby crossed her arms over her chest, gazing around the room for the blonde girl. they all began to look around for tory, who seemed to have slipped away the moment she saw tabitha enter the dojo.

"where is she?" sensei kim demanded.

"dude, she was here like—" kyler muttered in confusion. devon shrugged, glancing around. "i don't know. i mean, she was just here." devon spoke.

"what do you mean you don't know? what happened to nichols?" silver asked his team, but no one had a clue. he quickly departed the room, hoping to locate her.

he wasn't going to let his traitorous granddaughter ruin his plan, he couldn't. silver needed to find tory nichols— she was the only person who had the skill to beat tabby. that was if they put their friendship aside.

"tory nichols?" gunther repeated, growing impatient at the no-show. eventually silver came back, alone. "she's not out there. we need a female fighter." he said to sensei kim.

"we have one." sensei kim nodded. devon smiled, glad this would be an opportunity for her to prove her skill to everyone.

"i'll let him know." silver said as terry silver walked over to talk to the judges, sensei kim turned to face charlotte. she sighed, "miss reyes, i need you to step in." she said.

devon's face fell. why would sensei kim pick charlotte? devon had been training far longer than charlotte had been— she made it to quarterfinals in the all valley, not charlotte.

"are you ready?" sensei kim questioned, earning a nod in response. "yes, sensei." charlotte nodded, stepping onto the mat.

a bitter laugh left tabby's lips as her ex-girlfriend moved closer to her. "are you serious? you're the best they've got?" tabby questioned.

charlotte rolled her eyes, "i wouldn't be so arrogant if i were you." she said, folding her arms over her chest.

it was true, charlotte wasn't as experienced in martial arts as the rest of her team. but she liked to believe that her training was focused on quality, not quantity. she had many tricks up her sleeve.

"face me, bow." the referee ordered. tabby sighed, turning to face the referee and following his instruction. she didn't know why, but there was a burn in her chest telling her something wasn't right.

"face each other, bow." he instructed. the two girls obeyed his orders, bowing to one another. while the motion of a bow was intended to be a sign of respect between two people, it was clear that the pair of girls had no respect for one another.

"ready? fight!"

tabby had to remind herself that she was in a white gi, not a black one. she had to embody miyagi-do teachings if she wanted to represent them. so, she allowed charlotte to strike first.

as expected, her kick lacked technique, precision and power. tabby raised her arm, effortlessly blocking the blow. but as charlotte planted her foot back onto the ground, she stomped on tabby's foot— hard.

"no point, that's a block." the referee said as tabby winced in pain, retracting her foot from under charlie's. she took a few steps back, bouncing back and forth on her feet in an attempt to get familiar with the pain.

this time around, she chose to attack first. she threw a rapid amount of punches towards her opponent, aware that with charlie's lack of experience, she wouldn't be able to block them all. tabby was correct, and her third punch struck charlie in the chest.

"point! one-zero. brooks."

charlie groaned with vexation, taking a few steps backwards. the girl began to frustratingly shake her hands as if she were trying to build her adrenaline. the referee ordered them to begin the next round and charlie moved fast.

she crouched down and front-swept tabby off her feet. as the brooks girl fell back onto the mat, charlie sent her fist straight to face. tabby quickly caught her fist mid-strike, yanking her arm, so her body was on the mat beside her own.

charlotte dragged her arm out of tabby's grip, shifting her position so she was able to elbow tabby in the chest. despite earning that point, charlie raised her elbow a little higher and pushed it back into tabby's left eye.

aas the girl had been wearing a short-sleeved gi, the impact from her elbow to tabby's eye was harsh. "point! one-one!" the referee called out over tabby's pained gasp. charlie stood to her feet as tabby cradled her eye in agony.

"point? that should be a deduction for the blow to the eye!" johnny exclaimed. the referee shook his head, "just a warning." he told the man.

tabby's face was now buried in between her legs as charlie returned to talk to her team. miguel rushed over to her on the mat, crouching in front of her body. "are you okay?" he questioned.

she groaned, lifting her head so he could have a clear view of her face. the area around her left eye was red, and she was in clear pain. he sighed, "okay. you're not fighting anymore. come on." he demanded, putting his hand out for her.

tabby shook her head. "no. no. i'm fighting." she said, shaking her head. "i only need two more points." she said.

"they're playing dirty." miguel said, a warning tone in his voice. the girl just sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "i can handle it." she reassured him.

but her words didn't convince miguel to support her decision. "i don't like this." he muttered. tabby forced a smile, a sign that she was fine. "it's okay. i'm going to get you guys a spot in the tekai saikai." she reassured him.

not wanting to correct her mistake, miguel just sighed. he realised there was nothing he could say or do to change her mind. "you're getting us a spot. you're one of us now." he told her.

she pushed herself onto her feet and miguel took that as a cue to step back over to their team. "what did she say?" daniel questioned, concerned for the girl's wellbeing.

miguel turned to face him. "she's okay... and she's not giving up." he announced. daniel sighed, he forgot how persistent and determined the girl was. he just hoped that she would be cautious.

when charlie returned to the mat, she was aware of how weak tabby's left eye now was. it was twitching, barely able to remain open. so once the referee yelled for them to begin, charlie twisted to tabby's left side and sent a kick to her hip.

"point! two-one, reyes!"

"come on, tabby-cat!" johnny exclaimed from the sidelines. "you've got this!"

she nodded, not wasting any time to attack when the referee called out the instruction. tabby leapt into a double kick, that was countered by charlie's arms. charlie staggered slightly but regained her balance quickly, smirking as she attempted another strike towards tabby's blinded left side.

tabby saw right through the plan and twisted her body just in time, planting her good foot firmly and delivering a spinning back kick to charlie's ribs.

"point! two-two, brooks!" the referee announced. tabby's hits were undeniable, he had been searching for a way to restrict her point intake, but he failed to find any.

the crowd erupted into cheers, with johnny and daniel yelling their encouragement. from the cobra kai side, silver and kim exchanged a knowing glance, gesturing for charlie to remain assertive.

tabby took a moment to steady her breathing. her foot throbbed with every step, and the blurred vision in her left eye made it harder to track charlie's movements. but she reminded herself of what daniel larusso had told her during their brief training last night: "use their overconfidence against them."

charlie, now visibly frustrated, charged forward with an aggressive punch. tabby stayed light on her feet, deflecting each strike even as her injured foot screamed in protest.

"come on, reyes! finish it!" silver barked from the sidelines.

charlie, gritting her teeth, lunged forward with a wild right hook, aiming straight for tabby's injured eye.

tabby reacted on instinct. she ducked at the last second, twisting around charlie's extended arm. before charlie could recover, tabby struck— her palm slamming into charlie's ribs, forcing the air from her lungs.

sensei silver was completely disapproving of tabitha being on the rival team and disappointed that charlotte was unable to best her. but... there was a twinge of pride in his chest at tabitha's finishing move.

it wasn't as brutal or damaging as his silver bullet, but it definitely was not a move she had learned in her time at miyagi-do.

charlie stumbled back, gasping, her face contorted in distress. but just as tabby retracted her hand, her fingers dragged across charlie's exposed shoulder, nails raking through the skin.

there was a moment of hesitation but the referee sighed. "point! winner!" he declared, raising tabby's hand.

the crowd erupted, a mixture of cheers and frustrated groans from both sides. johnny practically jumped out of his seat, pumping his fists in the air. "that's my girl!" he yelled, beaming with pride.

but tabby wasn't listening.

"what the fuck?!" charlie hissed., clutching her shoulder. her face twisted with outrage as she examined the thin red marks streaking across her skin. "you scratched me!"

tabby's stomach dropped. she hadn't meant to.

she hadn't meant to.

her fingers twitched at her sides as the realisation sank in. that wasn't a miyagi-do move. that was her. that was cobra kai buried so deep in her muscle memory that, even after everything, it still found a way out.

charlie's eyes narrowed. "typical." she sneered. "cobra kai may have kicked you out, but it looks like we left our mark."

tabby's jaw clenched. a flicker of shame twisted in her chest— but only for a moment.

because then she remembered the stomp to her foot. the cheap elbow strike to her eye. the fact that charlie had fought dirty first—and now she wanted to play the victim?

tabby let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "you stomped on my foot. you gave me a black eye. but your crying over a scratch?" her voice laced with disbelief as she took a step closer, eyes glaring. "you'll fucking live."

charlie's opened her mouth to retort, but the referee stepped between them, shutting it down.

the tension in the air was thick as charlie turned away, walking towards her team. tabby watched her leave, unable to move as her heart pounded, but not from victory. not from pride.

because deep down, she knew. that wasn't just an accident. it was instinct. and if she still hadn't shaken cobra kai's grip, then what did that say about her?

as the noise of the cheering crowd faded into the background, tabby barely had time to catch her breath before tobias silver stormed towards her in a fury. his face was flushed, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"leaving during the tournament was one thing, but this? this is a whole other level." tobias seethed, his voiced laced with venom. "you're a disappointment, tabby. you're a disgrace to me, a disgrace to the family—"

the girl straightened up, ignoring the pain radiating from her injuries. "to the family?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side with confusion. "didn't you hear me before? i said my name was tabitha brooks, not silver. you're not part of my family, not anymore."

with that, tabby stumbled over to her team. immediately, they gathered around her, high-fiving her, congratulating and praising her. tabby smiled— she was finally getting the team's approval.

"we have reached an agreement." gunther spoke, putting an end to their celebration. the rest of his team rising to their feet with him. "as expected, we were impressed with the skills, precision and discipline of the new sekai taikai qualifier... cobra kai."

tabby groaned with annoyance. all of that pain she had endured in the hands of charlotte, just for them not to win a place at the sekai taikai?

she felt a pair of hands clutch onto her shoulders, gently squeezing them, an attempt to keep her calm. tabby didn't even need to glance over her shoulder to know that it was theodore.

"as for our other dojo, we admired your unusual mix of styles and underdog spirit..." gunther trailed off, now facing the currently disappointed group. "and we think you could be a unique addition to the competition. therefore, we've decided that your dojo has also qualified."

"what?!" theo exclaimed.

unexpectedly, tabitha squealed out with excitement, a noise that caught her boyfriend off guard. he chuckled, pulling her into a celebratory embrace.

"hey, we've all earned this." sensei larusso reassured his students. "each and every one of you brought your a-game."

"could not be more proud." sensei chozen chimed in.

"with this tournament in our future, we've got a lot of work to do. but tonight? tonight, go celebrate!" daniel grinned, making them all cheer.

"hey, listen." johnny moved over to miguel and robby. "i told your mom i'd take her, rosita and yaya to a movie, so you guys are on your own if you wanna host that celebration."

"party at miguel's apartment complex?!" tabby exclaimed. to her surprise, they all cheered in acceptance, making her smile. maybe this is where she truly belonged. with her friends, her boyfriend and her brother... in miyagi-do.

but deep in her mind, she knew something wasn't right. she thought she could flip a switch and just be different, that miyagi-do would scrub away everything cobra kai had drilled into her.

but it wasn't that easy.

she wasn't fixed.

and maybe... maybe she never would be.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
i'm literally speed racing my way through season 5, i just have the last episode to write. who's proud?

this glitch will not stop me from updating unfortunately, it's like a weight lifted off my shoulders when i publish a chapter x

also i love having my ocs dramatically enter cobra kai (gioia barbusca im looking at you)