For some, it was evident who was going to make the team. Tiger Claw had their team set already but other dojos such as Miyagi-Do had to cut their large squad down to the final six who would travel to Barcelona.

Training had been intense for Kai and the others. Not only did Sensei Yazuko train their bodies physically, he also trained them mentally, to be able to prepare for any situation. He had also trained them to work cohesively as a team, stating that unity would make them even harder to defeat.

Kai had been keeping his distance from Rae still, although it proved more difficult now that he was training with her. He didn't want to tell her the truth, not yet. He thought it was a conversation best had after the tournament. He still still talking to Sam daily, it didn't beat seeing her in person but he enjoyed hearing the sound of her voice. This time, it felt like they weren't rushing anything.

Over at Miaygi-Do, things were much more complex as they began their trials to select a team. Sam was feeling confident, but she knew that anybody had a chance to get on the team.

The school bell rang as she walked with Miguel, Robby and Tory. " Y'all think there's any chance we don't make it in the top six?" Miguel said with a laugh.

"Maybe when hell freezes over." Tory chuckled.

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Let's hope there's not a tournament category for humility."

"Oh, come on. We got two All Valley champs and two runner-ups." Robby added.

Sam gave a wave to Hawk and Demetri who they walked past who were having a separate conversation of their own. Sam presumed it also had something to do with the selection for the Sekai Taikai squad. If her, Miguel, Robby and Tory took the four spots then Hawk would most likely get the fifth, it seemed like it was really only the sixth spot up for grabs.

There were lots of contenders for those spots. Demetri, Kenny, Devon and even Anthony who Sam had seen improve drastically now that he had put his mind to it. As she continued walking with the other three she shot Devon a small smile as she passed her standing by the lockers with Milo and Anthony.

"God, I hope I get to go to Barcelona." Devon sighed.

"I don't see how they could leave you home." Milo said with a smile, causing Devon to blush.

"You've got just as much of a shot as me." Devon added, looking at Anthony. "I saw you land that point on Robby."

"It was a lucky shot."

"Sure was." a voice said from behind, Kenny had approached them. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, LaRusso. No way you and I are both going. And I'm definitely going."

"Senseis said it was anyone's game." Anthony replied.

"All right. Let's see you bring it." Kenny said with a smile.

"What am I going to do when you're all in Barcelona?" Milo said.

"You can come with." Devon smiled. "That's if I get in, you can come with me!"

Milo felt a rush of pink creep up into his cheeks. "Yeah...maybe...that would be fun."

Later that day, Sam made her daily call to Kai smiling when his face popped up on her laptop. She could hear the faint noises behind him as Kai learnt against a wall outside his dojo, his hair sweaty.

"Hey." he said with a smile.

"Hey, am I interrupting?"

"Not at all, I could use a break. Sensei has been training us like crazy. We had to do a long run at sunrise this morning before we could even get into the dojo."

"Oh wow, that sounds intense."

"What about you? How is prep going?"

"Well Senseis couldn't decide together who to take so they brought in an impartial judge. Mike Barnes."

Kai was slightly confused. "Who is he?"

Sam explained. "Mike Barnes. You know, 'Karate's Bad Boy.' Apparently, he's reformed, but they've been keeping a close eye on him just in case."

Kai chuckled. "That's...unexpected. But I guess he's got the experience."

"Yeah," Sam replied, "and he's definitely not pulling punches. Literally. Today was all about speed. We had to catch chickens."

Kai blinked, then burst out laughing. "Chickens? Seriously?"

"Exactly! It was chaotic. You'd think it'd be simple, but those birds are fast. Miguel caught his pretty quickly, of course. Kenny too. Hawk and I took forever."

"Did you at least get one?"

"Eventually," Sam admitted with a hint of pride, "but my dad wouldn't let me hear the end of it. He was all 'remember your footwork!'"

Kai chuckled. "Sounds like Miyagi-Do in full swing. What else did you do?"

"To judge our strength he had us break boards." Sam said. "It was...a lot. Different angles, different thicknesses. My knuckles are killing me."

"I don't know," Kai teased, "sounds like you could use some conditioning."

"Okay, Sensei," Sam shot back with mock sarcasm, "let's see how your hands feel after twelve boards in a row."

Kai laughed. "That's a warm up for me. I'm sure you crushed it though."

"Mostly," she admitted, "Tory and Miguel were machines, though. They broke through everything like it was nothing."

"What else did you have to do?"

"Weighted squat holds," Sam groaned into the phone, reminiscing on the tests, "who comes up with this stuff? We had to stay in position while holding these rocks. I thought my legs were going to give out."

Kai winced sympathetically. "Endurance training is no joke. How'd you do?"

"Pretty well, actually," Sam said, "Devon surprised everyone, though. She held her squat the longest out of all of us."

"She's got potential." Kai mused.

"Speaking of, I think there's something going on with her and Milo."

Kai's eyebrows raised. "Milo? As in psychotic Elijah's little brother."

Sam nodded. "Yep, apparently he's gone somewhere. Korea apparently."

"For what?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, Devon told me that Milo's living with her right now because Elijah's gone off to Korea."

"I doubt it's for recreational purposes..." Kai said, deep in thought.

"Maybe he enlisted in the army or something. I've heard his family have got history there."

"Enough about him, what else did you have to do?" Kai asked, changing the topic.

"Team sparring as well," Sam said, "Barnes had these crazy pairings and you faced off against a bunch of others."

Kai raised his eyebrows. "That sounds...chaotic."

"It was," Sam admitted, "but honestly, it went better than I expected. Tory and I actually worked together."

"Progress?" Kai asked, a grin in his voice.

"Maybe," Sam said thoughtfully, "we'll see. Then he announced the shortlist of twelve."

"Oh yeah?" Kai hummed. "You made it right?"

Sam smiled. "Yeah. It was me, Hawk, Robby, Miguel, Tory, Mitch, Kenny, Nate, Chris, Demetri, Devon, and Anthony."

"Anthony?" Kai asked, surprised.

"He's improved a lot," Sam said, "he's really trying."

"That's a strong group." Kai said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "but now it's about who makes the final six."

"You'll make it."

"I hope so. What about you? How's your team shaping up? Who's on it again?"

"Yeah," Kai agreed. "it's me and Takeshi obviously. Also Emiko-"

"-the girl who went missing? That Takeshi was in love with?"

"Yeah that's her, she was pretty good when we were younger and she still is now."

Kai didn't delve too much into Emiko's backstory thinking that it wasn't his story to share. He continued listing the Tiger Claw team members. "Masahiko, he's really good. Captain of the junior national team. I met him at this camp I went to."

He paused when he was about to mention Rae. "His younger sister too, well half-sister, she's training with us. Probably the weakest on the team but she's still not bad."

"Fair enough," Sam replied, her tone neutral, "you haven't mentioned her before."

Kai shrugged. "She's alright."

Sam didn't press further, and Kai felt a small pang of relief. The connection he'd shared with Rae felt distant, like a chapter that didn't quite belong in the same book.

"Then there's Aramis," Kai added, "he's from the Valley too. But he got kicked out and sent over to Japan to live with his grandparents. He's good, a bit reckless at times but a good fighter."

"Aramis?" Sam asked, "Aramis Parker?"

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"Everyone in the Valley knew him," Sam explained, "he was...a wild child for sure. I didn't realise he moved to Japan."

"Maybe he still remembers you." Kai said.

"Doubt it, it was a while ago."

Their call ended their as Sam began unwinding down for the night and Kai returned to training. The next day for Sam brought a new round of challenges, starting with a Battle Royale where the shortlisted twelve had flags clipped onto their belts and gis.

"Top twelve, get ready," Barnes began, his tone sharp and authoritative, "today's challenge is a Battle Royale. The rules are simple: protect your flags, steal the others. Lose your flags, and you're out. The ones with the most flags at the end go to Barcelona. The rest of you will be judged on performance. You have two minutes."

Sam exchanged a glance with Miguel, determination flashing in her eyes. Across the circle, Tory adjusted her stance, already assessing her first move. Robby stood calm and focused, while Kenny's eyes darted to his opponents, eager to prove himself.

"Go!" Barnes barked.

Chaos erupted as the competitors scattered. Sam and Tory, in an unspoken truce, quickly moved to opposite sides of the training yard, defending their flags with precision strikes against anyone who approached.

Miguel launched into action, using his agility to outmanoeuvre Nate and Chris and snag a flag from Mitch's belt. Robby, meanwhile, engaged in a heated clash with Kenny, their strikes fast and fluid. Kenny managed to evade Robby long enough to steal a flag from Devon, but in his focus on offense, he left himself open. Robby countered with a spinning kick, snatching one of Kenny's flags in the process.

Hawk and Demetri were locked in a defensive strategy, guarding their own flags while keeping an eye on the chaos around them.

"Time!" Barnes called out, the whistle cutting through the noise.

As the competitors regrouped, the results were tallied. Sam, Tory, Robby, and Miguel had the most flags, securing their spots for Barcelona. The remaining competitors - Devon, Kenny, Hawk, and Demetri - stood tied with one flag each.

Sam was filled with pride when it was announced that she was going to Barcelona. Not only was she excited to prove herself on a world stage, she was excited to see Kai again.

Barnes raised his hand for silence. "The first four have qualified. As for the rest of you, I'll review your performances tonight. Tomorrow, we'll decide the final two spots."

The next morning, Barnes gathered the remaining four competitors - Devon, Kenny, Hawk, and Demetri as well as everyone else.

"Gather round," he instructed, "last night, I reviewed my notes and made sure the remaining four got a fair shake. But it's too close to call. So, you're all gonna get another opportunity to prove yourselves."

The competitors exchanged wary glances as Barnes continued. "Two flags wait deep in the forest. Whoever brings them back wins."

Devon raised an eyebrow. "Wait. That's it? What if two of us find a flag at the same time?"

"You fight for it." Barnes replied simply, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Are there refs out there?" Demetri asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"No," Barnes said flatly, "you're on your own. Winning is everything, plain and simple."

When Mike Barnes gave the signal the competitors sprinted into the dense forest, each with their own strategy. Devon broke ahead early, her speed giving her an advantage as she weaved through the trees. Kenny followed close behind but began to slow, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

Unbeknownst to him, he'd been sabotaged. Devon had spiked his water bottle with laxatives right before, anticipating this exact moment. Kenny tried to push through the discomfort but was eventually forced to turn back, clutching his stomach in frustration.

Devon seized the opportunity, locating the first flag and sprinting back to the starting point. She returned triumphant, the flag clutched tightly in her hand.

Meanwhile, Hawk and Demetri had both spotted the second flag, reaching it at the same time.

"It's mine." Hawk said, grabbing for the flag.

"Not without a fight." Demetri shot back. There was animosity between the two as Hawk told Demetri he hadn't applied for MIT, crushing a dream that Demetri had for the two of them.

The two friends squared off, trading blows in a fierce clash. Hawk managed to knock Demetri down and grab the flag, but as he extended a hand to help Demetri up, Demetri countered with a quick move, snatching the flag from Hawk's grip.

"Demetri..." Hawk breathed out from the ground as he watched Demetri run back.

As Devon and Demetri stood with their flags, Barnes declared them the final two qualifiers, Hawk trailed behind, frustrated. Sam noticed this and knew it wasn't right - Hawk should've been going to Barcelona.

In the aftermatch, Devon went up to Kenny making sure that he was ok. She was filled with a lot of guilt but she did what she had to do to get her spot in the Sekai Taikai - she was too threatened by Kenny.

As everyone else celebrated the final line-up for the Sekai Taikai, excluding Hawk and Kenny, Mike Barnes watched from the side with Daniel.

"Now let's see how they do on the world stage."