Chapter Ninety Three
Primadonna

SYDNEY HAD A feeling Johnny and Daniel wouldn't have been able to make a decision together about the top eight fighters, but she didn't expect them to bring in a third party. She only knew the name Mike Barnes from her father when he told her about the night they fought Silver. What she didn't know was that he used to terrorize Mr. Larusso back when they were younger. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked him the next day at training. "I mean, you're telling me Silver hired him to almost kill you. Now you want him to help us?"

"I hear what you're saying, Syd," Daniel responded, "but trust me. Things are different now. Mike's a good friend of mine. He's a karate expert."

"You have an interesting way of picking friends, Danny." Sydney muttered and went to stand in line with the others.

The three Senseis stood on the sparing deck. "Please welcome our guest for the weekend, Sensei Barnes," Daniel announced to all of the students."

Most of them began to whisper. "Isn't that the guy at the Silver house fight?" Eli whispering to Miguel.

"Silence!" Mike yelled and they immediately went silent.

Johnny seemed impressed. "I like this guy."

"In order to keep things unbiased, we brought in Sensei Barnes to observe then select our top eight," Mr. Larusso continued.

"During my years as the Tournament Terror, all I wanted was to be in the Sekai Taikai," Sensei Barnes spoke more calm that time. He glanced at Daniel. "But I blew my chance. I am here to ensure that you maximize yours. Everyone I know who has participated in this has horror stories." He now stood in front of all of them. "This thing is intense. Unpredictable. People have died. Move!"

One of the boys in the back flinched.

Sydney's eyes widened and she looked at Mr. Larusso, saying really with her eyes. He responded with a look of reassurance.

"Who's ready for that?"

"Wait. Ready for the tournament or to do?" Demetri questioned.

"Hopefully not both." Charlie said back.

"I will do to you what the Sekai Taikai will do," Mike carried on, "I will surprise you with events. I will push you to your limits. And if any of you delicate flowers feel like going to your senseis and crying, don't. I've been given full authority for these eliminations."

At the statement, Charlie's eyes widened. "So he does want us to die?" He whispered to the person in front of him, whom happened to be Anthony.

"Selections. Let's keep this positive." Daniel corrected him.

Mike looked over his shoulder. "You came to me. The deal was my way or the highway."

The other Senseis shared a glance. Sydney raised her hand and Mike's eyes landed on her. "Yes?" He said.

"Just to be clear there's no restrictions on what we can to today, right?" She asked him.

"You're Alex's daughter, yeah?"

She nodded and put her hand down. "Yes."

"Then no. There's no restrictions." He said to all of them. "Perform any means necessary to show me why I should consider you into the top eight."

Sydney grew devious smirk and she looked over her shoulder and all of her teammates.

"Oh no." Miguel mumbled and closed his eyes, already knowing what was coming.

Sydney was a performer. Always had been since she was a little girl. Being a dancer taught her how to be tough, how to confident within herself and inner strength. She wanted a spot in the top eight so badly and she was determined to get it.

She yelled and punched through the wooden boards held up on both sides of her. Then, she walked forward and kicked through the board that Eli was holding in front of her, the boards breaking clean in half.

"Syd, behind you!" Chris said loudly.

They all backed up and Sydney grunted again. She did a small spin and leaned to the side on her right leg, bringing her leg foot up and kicking clean through the board that Bert was holding. She kicked it so hard that he flinched and fell back onto the ground. "Sorry, kid."

She saw Mike wrote something down in his notes and she smirked.

She didn't slow down. The adrenaline she was feeling made her feel numb in a way which she could do anything. She could lift a bundling if she wanted to. But holding a rock sounded like an easy thing. To most people it wasn't, but Sydney locked every muscle in her body while crouching against the fence.

She closed her eyes and took her mind somewhere else away from the situation she was in now. She thought of being in Barcelona with Miguel, winning the Sekai Taikai and then going wherever she wanted with him by her side. Her parents traveled the world together, holding hands in every part of the world. Sydney dreamed of doing the same. She wanted to dance on the best stages the world had, to have her name on billboards with lights. She wanted Miguel to be with her every step of the way. She wanted to be with him no matter what and it's what motivated her to want to win.

When Sydney opened her eyes, she saw that she was the last person still holding the rock, everybody else had collapsed on the ground. "Holy shit, Syd. You never even moved." Sam said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, where the hell did you go?" Asked Robby.

Sydney glanced at Miguel, his breathing harsh, and she put the rock on the ground. "Somewhere perfect." She answered and smiled to herself. She watched Mile write in his notebook again.

She knew another important factor that dance brought into Martial Arts was team work. She was skilled at working in pairs from the many duets and group dances she performed in.

Sydney and Tory were fighting a group of the students that Mike selected on the sparring deck. She was blocking hits from Eli on one side and she managed to grab ahold of his wrist, holding him in place. Sydney stepped back on her leg and kicked him in the stomach, chasing him to stumble back.

Both stepping back into the middle of the deck, Tory and Sydney shared a look, and they nodded. The two girls grabbed each other's forearms and Tory spun around, lifting her legs and kicking anyone that was around them across the face, which happened to be Eli, Robby, and Devon. Then, when she landed on her feet, they switched and Sydney spun around, doing the exact same thing to Kenny, Miguel, and Demetri.

"Badass!" Johnny yelled and pumped his fist.

The girls high fived victoriously. Sydney walked over a groaning Miguel and she bent down, putting her hands on her knees. "Sorry, sweetheart." She smirked again and helped him up.

Tory went and held a hand out to Robby, also smirking. "Pulling my own move against me?" He said and she hoisted him up, rubbing his head in pain.

She chuckled. "Any means necessary, remember?"

Miguel huffed and rubbed his jaw. "You two are evil," he said and glanced over at Tory and Robby.

"That's how you win, love." Sydney boasted and kissed him swiftly on jaw.

Charlie felt strongly that he was on a higher level of fighting with Miguel and Robby. He'd been doing martial arts since he was a kid, he earned his black belt at age twelve, and he was one of the best fighters Cobra Kai had. He didn't want to sound cocky, but, he was pretty damn good. He was confident that he earned a spot in the top eight but he wanted to still prove himself.

He and Miguel sparred back and forth on the deck, both of their adrenaline levels high from fighting all day. Charlie moved forward and threw a side kick while swinging his fist at the same time but Miguel backed up quickly, avoiding them both. They both rocked back and forth with their fists raised.

Miguel nodded at him and Charlie nodded back. He stepped forward and immediately swung his fist. Charlie stepped back and blocked his hits as Miguel kept moving forward. When he had the opportunity, Charlie ducked under Miguel's raised arm and kicked his leg back, his foot colliding with his ribs.

"Good, boys, that's good." Daniel encouraged them.

They got back in their stances. Flickering his eyes to the right side of him, Charlie saw Sam watching and she gave him a kind, supportive smile. He sucked in a breath and yelled. He immediately jumped forward with a forward lunge and Miguel ducked down, his foot going over his head. Quickly, Miguel stayed down and leg sweeped him, causing Charlie to go down on the ground.

Mike wrote down in his notebook. Charlie huffed and hit his hand on the deck.

"Hey, you good?" Miguel asked and stood over him with his hand out.

"Yeah bro, I'm good." He answered with a small nod. When their hands clasped, Charlie grunted and pulled Miguel down, making him flip over and his back collided with the deck. Immediately, Charlie rolled over and got on one knee, hitting Miguel in the chest.

There was a collection of whoas from everyone. Charlie smirked at his friend. "You good, bro?" He mocked him.

Miguel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, nice one."

He helped him up and Charlie walked off the deck, accepting the atta boy compliment from Johnny. "Charlie, that was great." Sam praised and held out his water bottle.

"Thanks," he said back tiredly and took the bottle. He poured the cold water into his mouth, the sensation instantly cooling him off. "Do you think I have a good chance at making the top eight?"

"Are you kidding me? You have a great shot at making the top four." She declared with another smile. "You're, like, the greatest fighter here."

Charlie grinned and brushed his sweaty hair out of his face. "You're just saying that." He said, slightly shy.

Sam shook her head. "No, I'm not. You're great, Charlie. I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know, I know." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I can say the same to you, Miss Bonsai Badass."

She giggled. "One of them, anyway."

"Well, you're my Bonsai Badass. That's your new contact name in my phone."

Sam laughed again and patted him on the back. "Thanks, Charlie."

At the end of the training day, all of the Miyagi Do students gathered around again, sweaty and tired. Sydney had pulled all of her hair into a high ponytail because she was sweating so terribly.

"Congratulations, you didn't die," Mike said to them, "still, half of you wouldn't last one match at the Sekai Taikai. To the fifteen who might, join me up here when I call your name."

Sydney stood up straight and sucked in a deep breath.

"Hawk."

She instantly smiled and looked to her left, Hawk's face lighting up at his name being the first. He smiled her way excitedly and fist bumped Miguel on his way to the deck.

"Robby," Mike called next. Robby stepped forward and stood by Eli's side. "Miguel."

Gasping, Sydney clasped her hands together and smiled widely, it taking up her whole face. Miguel looked back and her and winked before he went and stood on the deck.

"Charlie."

Charlie released a breath he didn't realize he wasn't holding. He grasped his chest and smiled at his friends as they clapped. He walked up the steps and stood by Miguel's side, the two of them fist bumping.

"Sydney."

"Yes." Johnny cheered under his breath and Daniel smiled proudly.

She expected it but Sydney's eyes still went wide when she heard her name. Keeping her composure, she smiled and high fived both Demetri and Tory on her way to stand on the other side of Mike. She sent Miguel a winked.

"Sam."

When Sam went and stood by her, they both squealed under their breath and grasped each other's hands.

"Tory. . . Muscles."

There was a pause and everyone looked around, confused.

"Does he mean Chris?" Sydney whispered to the girls.

"Yeah, you." He pointed at Mitch, shocking them even more.

Mitch pointed to himself. "I have a new nickname?"

"Get up here."

"I have a new nickname!" He cheered and ran to stand on the dock. He stood by Tory's side. "What's up, ladies? Name's Muscles. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand.

The three of them sent him the same blank stares.

Mike moved on. "Kenny." He looked at the young boy.

Looking relieved, Kenny nodded and made his way to the deck.

"Kenny, good job. No one ever catches the chicken." Sensei Barnes praised him. He kept going. "Nate. . . Chris. . . Demetri."

Sydney gasped loudly and covered her mouth. Demetri stood there in shock when he heard his name. When they started clapping, he came and stood on the deck with them. "Yay!" She cheered and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I told you that you could do it."

"Yeah, you're about the only one." He said back, still in shock, but he patted her arm as to say thanks.

"Oh, right. Devon." Mike called out the next name.

Sighing in relief, Devon came and stood with all of them. Sydney clapped and gave the girl a smile, winking as a sign of congratulations.

"And the last name. Anthony."

Sam broke out into a smile and her brother came running to stand in the last spot, Anthony looking shocked that his name was called.

"Congratulations, top fifteen," Mike announced, "meet me back here tomorrow for round two. To the rest of you, you're out. Better luck next time." Before they walked off, the Sensei looked at the three girls standing by his side. "You three. Fierce. Keep it up."

Sydney looked at her friends and smirked. "And people say trios don't work." She said and they high fived.

"Yeah, now there's no way we don't have a chance at winning the Sekai Taikai." Sam declared.

She passed by Anthony and ruffled his hair. "Good job, mate." She praised.

He smiled back, pleased. "Thanks, Syd."

Sydney ran to Hawk and Demetri and pulled them both into a hug. "Look at us go! I knew we'd all make it!"

Demetri slowly patted her back. "Uhh, Syd, I hate to ruin your happiness but there's still another round," he said, ruining the moment in classic Demetri style.

Groaning, Sydney pulled away but kept her arm remaining around Hawk's shoulder. "D, for once will you be chuffed about something!" She begged him. "You gotta start believing in yourself more, love."

"Yeah, bro, you're never going to make it anywhere if you keep doubting yourself." Eli agreed with her.

"Easy for the two of you to say, tournament winners!" Demetri argued and threw his hands up. "Unlike you guys, I'vs learned to accept my status at the bottom of the karate food chain. Frankly, I'm okay with it."

Sydney frowned. "Demetri, you seriously have no idea how great you are and it hurts me." She removed her arm from Eli's shoulder and took a step closer to him. "I used to think you were a loser." He opened his mouth. "I said used to!" She quickly said while holding up a finger. "But that's changed now. I'm your best friend and I love you." Sydney motioned between her and Hawk. "We're your best friends. We believe in you, mate. So suck it up and hike up your trousers because you're going to Barcelona with us." She declared and patted his arm.

Hawk's eyes were wide. "Damn, Sydie. You'd be a great Ted Talker."

She turned to him and smiled. "Thanks. My speeches have been getting good lately." She boasted.

Johnny was really retracting his beliefs that living in the Benoist house until he couldn't find another home would be a good thing. The kids were all friends, Caroline and Alex loved Carmen and Rosa, and they were loving there for free. They also had a pool and a basketball and tennis court. Johnny also thought having Sydney around more would get him use to living with another female for when the baby arrived.

He also knew that Sydney was 100% a girly girl, but he didn't expect her to be this girly.

Sydney was in the kitchen mixing a shit ton of things into a bowl for what she liked to call a face mask. "Frenchy, exactly what is this shit?" Johnny asked her.

"It's avocados, honey, oats, and an egg yolk." She explained and sent him a smile.

He looked grossed out. "Why?"

"It's my weekly face mask regimen," Sydney said and continued to mix everything in the bowl, "the avocados are good for your skin barrier, egg yolks are good for dry skin, honey is antibacterial which is good for if you have acne, and oats absorb any excess oil." She explained further. "It works wonders for me. You wanna try it?"

"Absolutely not." He immediately denied.

"Why?"

"Cause that's girl shit."

Sydney gave him a look. "You don't want to look like Mr. Larusso?"

Now he somewhat looked offended. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Johnny, no offense, but you look your age. Mr. L looks about ten years younger." She leaned closer to him. "Don't tell him I told you this but I got him to start doing face masks when I was ten." She smiled. "It's always great to want to look younger."

"I don't want to look younger. I'm fine the way I am." Johnny said bluntly.

"Sure," she said sarcastically. When she was done mixing, Sydney put the spoon down. "Johnny, you're about to be a girl dad. You and Carmen are going to have a beautiful baby girl and I'm going to teach that little girl everything I know about beauty." She motioned to herself. "So while you're living here and while I'm in your life because let's face it, you're basically Miguel's father and I'm not going anywhere, you outta learn that this is what the majority of girls love to do." She grabbed the bowl and walked around the counter. "Just think about it. Mum, the mask is ready!"

"Ooh, yay!" Caroline cheered and sat criss crossed on the couch. She then saw Carmen walk down the stairs. "Carmen, love, do you want to do face masks with us?"

Carmen gasped. "Really?" The mother and daughter nodded. "Of course I do!"

Johnny leaned against the wall frame and watched the three of them rub the disgusting green slob on their faces. Alex appeared and patted him on the back. "You get used to," he said and smiled at his wife and daughter, "maybe even after a while, it becomes fun."

"This is fun to you?" Johnny questioned, looking at him strangely.

"We do things we aren't fans of to see those smiles that we love so much, Johnny," Alex recited and watched the girls laugh and smile in the living room, "if letting them turn me into a doll to do masks and hair on makes them happy then I've got no problem with it."

Johnny didn't say anything to that but he chewed the inside of his cheek, the statement putting him in deep thought.

"But hey, the other TV room has the x-box hooked up." Alex brought up. "Boys night in?"

"Ah hell yeah. Let's go get the boys." He agreed and they both went up the stairs to grab Robby and Miguel.