 ( chapter fifty six )
BIGGER THAN COBRA KAI.

"Welcome, competitors, Senseis, sponsors, and esteemed gusts to Barcelona, this year's home of the world's greatest karate tournament, the Sekai Taikai." Gunther spoke, all of the dojos and everyone else in the room clapping at the introduction.

Syd found herself looking toward Tory again, noticing the way it seemed the blonde was doing everything she could not to look over herself. And then her eyes moved slightly, once again making eye contact with Sensei Kreese.

She felt her stomach drop again, not understanding how the man was just smirking over her way instead of focusing on his team. It was making her nervous, but she guessed that was his plan.

Syd faced Gunther again, doing the best she could to ignore Cobra Kai. "The Sekai Taikai boasts a rich and proud history. And if you are here, it's because you embody all that the Sekai Taikai stands for. Leadership, respect, sportsmanship. Captains, step forward and tie on your headbands." Gunther instructed.

Syd sent Robby a small nod, the two taking a few steps forward before they both tied the headbands around their foreheads.

"Captains, you will have the honor and privilege to compete in our televised tournament of champions. But that is only if your dojo does well enough in our team competitions to make it to the final four. Once the tournament is over, we will then tally all the points your dojos have earned. The dojo with the most points wins the Sekai Taikai. Team events begin tomorrow. Each event counts. And they will all be a surprise. But today, it's about enjoying our host city and making new friends. Or enemies." Gunther explained, looking around the room.

Syd stared forward, feeling everything inside of her almost mute. She just felt like she was in a daze, watching her team from someone else's body. Except Cobra Kai wasn't her team anymore, and Kreese wasn't her Sensei.

"We have a field trip arranged for our competitors. And for our Senseis, a cocktail mixer with our distinguished sponsors, some of the world's finest martial arts brands. It's a beautiful day to make a first impression. And I suggest you enjoy it, because tomorrow, your lives change forever. Good luck, and welcome to the Sekai Taikai!" Gunther finished, everyone clapping and cheering in response.

Syd moved back to her spot in line, staring forward. "Hey, did you guys know?" Sam questioned, looking between Syd and Robby. It was obvious what she meant, Syds eyes only moving to catch Tory already looking her way again.

"No. I swear." Robby frowned, eyes moving Tory's direction as well. "Syd?" Sam wondered, a bit nervous. She didn't want to assume anything, but if Tory was going to tell anyone it would be the other girl.

"No." Syd replied, moving past the two to go stand beside Eli. "Do you think she's okay?" Sam questioned, looking at Miguel on her other side after a moment. Miguel looked Syds way, sighing. "I don't know, but seeing Kreese definitely isn't going to make this any easier."

"Okay, guys... let's go get changed and then head to the hotel, okay?" Mr. LaRusso spoke, clearly trying to redirect everyone's attention. They all nodded, the team heading to the locker rooms to change out of their gi's before they headed toward the hotel.

The ride had been pretty quiet, everyone only beginning to talk to certain people after they'd parked and headed into the hotel.

Syd stood beside Devon and Sam a few feet away from the boys as Robby walked up with the two possible room keys. With the way Eli and Demetri had been avoiding each other like the plague, Syd was just thankful she could avoid the hassle of figuring out where she'd sleep like the boys would.

"All right, which room do you guys want?" Robby wondered, holding out the two keycards. "Uh, I'll... I'll... I'll go with you." Demetri decided, grabbing one of the cards and nodding to Robby. "Really? I figured Robby and I would—" Miguel went to speak, Eli cutting him off as he moved to stand beside the boy. "No, no. I'll bunk with El Serpiente. Besides, you fart in your sleep." Eli shot, looking toward Demetri.

"Erroneous. And he who observed it served it, by the way." Demetri snapped back, frowning toward Eli. "Whoever said the rhyme did the crime." Eli spoke. "You just rhymed." Demetri noted.

"You said the rhyme first." Eli argued in response. "Okay, but you also rhymed." Demetri pointed. "Okay, but if you say it first and then you... that's— that's so hypocritical! What are you talking about?" Eli continued, Syd tuning the two out as she looked between Sam and Devon.

"Thank god we aren't boys." Devon laughed slightly, shaking her head. "Are you okay?" She then wondered, watching Sam look down slightly.

"You rhymed first." Syd caught Eli continuing loudly as she tried to listen to Sam. "How could Tory go back to Cobra Kai? I thought things had changed." Sam frowned. Devon looked toward Syd for a moment, catching the look that hadn't left the other girls face since they saw Cobra Kai.

"I—" Devon tired to speak, stopping as Cobra Kai walked toward the team. "Whoa. So you're the famous Miyagi-Do. We have heard about you, but I do not know why. You do not look like much." One of the boys spoke, the one Syd had seen wearing the captains headband.

"Yeah? You'll see better when you step on the mat tomorrow." Eli spoke, walking toward the other boy with a glare. Robby quickly put his hand on Eli, stopping him from going any further. "Come on, guys. It's not worth it."

"Robby's right. Forget about them, okay? They're just any other dojo here." Miguel agreed, pushing Eli back lightly from the other side. Eli sighed, moving past the two and wrapping an arm around Syds shoulders. "You okay?" He wondered lowly, watching as the girls eyes travelled away as Tory sped past the group.

"Tory. Hey, wait." Robby tried, going after the blonde. "I don't know." Syd spoke honestly, making sure only Eli could hear. She knew she could tell him what was actually bothering her, much easier than she could tell anyone else.

The Cobra Kai boys quickly moved past the group, slamming into Eli's shoulder as they did. He just sighed, lightly squeezing Syds shoulder. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

Syd just nodded slightly, leaning into him. "Should we be worried about him?" Eli wondered to the group, looking toward Robby. He trusted that Syd could block it all out when needed, but he wasn't as sure about Robby.

"No. Robby's gonna be fine." Miguel replied, almost like he was trying to convince himself as well. "I wouldn't be fine." Demetri spoke up, looking between everyone as they all sent him a look. "What?" He frowned.

"Come on, let's just... go out our stuff in our rooms." Sam sighed, beginning the process of actually getting into their rooms.

———————

The field trip the competitors had been taken on brought them to an aquarium, captains immediately being pulled away from the rest of their teams to take one big photo together. "Now, everybody smile and say, "Barcelona." The photographer directed, everyone awkwardly and quietly saying what he asked.

"Louder. Barcelona!" He directed again, the whole group a bit louder than before. Syd sent Robby a small look, the two hiding the urge to laugh at the uncomfortable situation. She was trying not to look at Tory, not yet. Syd knew the time would come where she'd be able to talk to her friend, but it wasn't happening yet.

"Sexy. Everybody look as though you're mingling and making friends." The photographer decided, Syd and Robby only turning to each other as they lowly spoke. "How are you doing with all this?" Syd wondered, looking at the boy.

"I think right now I'm just more confused than anything, and I feel guilty. I just wish I had done things differently so maybe she'd still be on this side. What about you?" Robby replied, very aware that Syd would be the only person here that Tory could be closer with than him.

"It's less about her, I guess. I get why she's doing what she's doing, even if I hate how it's playing out. It's just the idea of Cobra Kai as a whole that's shaking me up a bit." Syd replied, keeping most of what she was really thinking to herself.

The transition to Miyagi-Do had been hard, even if she did everything she could to make it look like it wasn't. She hadn't been used to the way they ran things and had missed what she had, even if she knew it wasn't real. She was just having a hard time experiencing those thoughts again, like she was missing out on the experience with her real Sensei.

"Yeah... I just wish I could talk to her." Robby sighed. "You will... at some point." Syd replied, facing forward again to listen to the photographer. "One. Two. Three. Sexier." He demanded.

"And one more. You there in the back, smile. Show some emotion." The photographer spoke. Syd looked back, seeing an extremely tall guy awkwardly try to smile. She faced forward and quickly smiled, hoping that last one would be the end of it.

"Okay, let's get one more." The photographer spoke again, until Tory walked off. "Okay, never mind. We're done. Next grouping please." He spoke, allowing Syd to head back to her team as Robby followed after Tory, obviously deciding that some point was now.

"Hey, let's go look around." Eli spoke, placing his hand on Syds back. She nodded, lacing her fingers with his as he moved the two away from the rest of the group.

Once he found somewhere more private, Eli placed Syds other hand in his. "What's going on?" He questioned, bringing the girl back to the beginning of their conversation earlier. Syd sighed, biting her lip as she moved her eyes away from his. "I just... I guess seeing Kreese is psyching me out. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, Syd. You trusted him with a lot of really personal things, it's okay to not be okay seeing him again after everything that happened." Eli replied, smiling lightly when he caught her eye again.

Syd nodded, sending the boy a small smile in return. "Thanks. I think I just have a lot of unresolved feelings I didn't realize I had. I'll get my head on straight for tomorrow." Eli sighed, pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her. "This is important, but I care more about you being okay than anything else. You don't have to just push it all down so you can win the tournament."

Syd pulled away lightly, placing her hand on his cheek. "I appreciate that, but I do. This tournament isn't just about me... and I'm a captain. If we want to stand a chance at winning we all need to have our heads in the game. I just need to get mine back in it."

"Do what you need to do, just... don't forget I'm always in your corner." Eli spoke. He knew he couldn't change her mind on something like this, especially when the Sekai Taikai was as high stakes as it was. But that didn't mean he couldn't make sure to be looking out for her.

Syd nodded, quickly planting a kiss on the boys lips. Eli kissed back, still leaning toward her as she pulled away, clearly ready to continue. "Come on, let's go find everyone else." Syd smiled, pulling the boy behind her.

"Okay." Eli agreed, following without complaint.

The two made it back to the main area people were hanging out, Miguel, Demetri, and Devon immediately in front of them. "Glad you guys could find your way back." Demetri spoke, tone sarcastic as he sent Eli a look. Eli just rolled his eyes, squeezing Syds hand lightly.

"We were thinking of checking out what else this place has to offer, but we wanted to see if you guys wanted to join first." Miguel smiled, trying to ease the tension that was evident. "Sure." Eli nodded, looking toward Syd to see what she wanted to do.

"I think I may go check out the fish, but I'll meet up with you guys if someone just texts me where you end up." Syd decided, figuring she could take some time to herself while she still had the ability. "You okay?" Devon wondered. "Yeah." Syd replied, kissing Eli on the cheek before walking away from the group.

She made her way to the area where the fish swam all around, the only thing separating them from her was the arched glass all around. It was peaceful, a feeling she felt like she'd been lacking these past few days.

Syd just looked around for a bit, attention only taken when she heard someone lightly gasp. Syd turned her head, eyes meeting Torys as the blonde looked her way worriedly. "Hey." Syd spoke, a small smile on her face at the sight.

"Hey." Tory replied, nervously walking closer to the girl. "So, do you hate me now?" Tory wondered after a moment, eyes scanning Syds face trying to figure out what the other girl was thinking. "No, of course not. Honestly I get it." Syd replied, facing the girl with a small smile.

"What?" Tory questioned, assuming she heard wrong. "Tory, your mom just died. And I know you are doing everything you can to try and find some way to honor her. I also know that you didn't feel like it was a fair fight back at Miyagi-Do, I do. I just wish you'd talked to me over everything... I wish Kreese wasn't such a blindside. But, I know you and I understand the situation better than a lot of people could. So, I get it." Syd explained.

"I really thought I was going to lose you over this." Tory exposed, an awkward but grateful smile on her face. "I feel like at this point you should know you can never get rid of me." Syd smiled back, feeling a bit better.

She quickly moved toward Tory, pulling the girl into a hug. Tory hugged back, one of the biggest weights feeling like it was lifted off her shoulders.

"I didn't think I had any other options, you know. I— I thought this was it. But... I don't know what I think now." Tory admitted, pulling away from Syd and taking a seat against the glass. Syd sighed, moving to sit beside the girl. "I get what you mean." Syd spoke, getting Tory's interest as she looked at the girl beside her.

Syd just sighed. "I love my team and I love my Senseis, but... just seeing Sensei Kreese here is fucking with my brain in a way I wasn't ready for. It's just bringing so much back and my mind is racing with thoughts of how everything used to be. How good Cobra Kai used to feel. And... and I know that it's wrong and that I need to move on, but I just don't know if there ever won't be a part of me that belongs in Cobra Kai. A part of me made to be the bad guy."

Syd felt grateful she still had someone she could tell about this stuff, someone who'd get it. Not even Eli could be that for her when it came to Cobra Kai, but Tory clearly knew what she meant.

Tory frowned, listening to each word carefully. "Are you saying you want to switch sides?" Syd shook her head, rubbing her eyes with her palms. "No— I don't... I don't think so. I don't know, I guess. I know I'm where I should be, I just have too much unfinished business that I never got to even think about before we were suddenly thrown into the world of Miyagi-Do. It's just hard because Kreese's Cobra Kai was where I felt the most at home, and watching it from the outside feels like I'm betraying my team."

"I didn't know you were feeling like that. I mean... I thought I was the only one. You hid it really well." Tory spoke, eyes scanning the other girls face. "That's what I do, I guess. Hide important things from people who are important to me." Syd replied, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I wish we were fighting in this together." Tory spoke after a moment, eyes staring forward. "Me too. It's definitely easier to fight when I'm not staring my best friend in the face on the other end of it." Syd agreed. "You're still gonna give me everything you've got though, right?" Tory smiled lightly, facing the other girl.

Syd turned Tory's way, a small smile appearing as well. "Of course. I can't say I won the whole thing if I have you going easy on me." Tory laughed slightly, shaking her head. "Oh, okay, I didn't know you were the one winning it all."

"Well, duh." Syd smiled back, feeling a new fire light inside her. She may not know where she was meant to be, but at least she hadn't lost her best friend.

"If... If you think Cobra Kai is where you need to be, just let me know. I could talk to Sensei Kreese for you." Tory offered, part of her hoping Syd would want to just so she could have someone she actually liked on her team. But the other half of her wanted Syd to stay with Miyagi-Do, knowing it was better for her. She just wanted to let Syd know if she needed the option it would be hers.

"Thanks. I— I'll think about it." Syd decided, sending Tory a small smile.

Syd looked down when she felt her phone buzz, getting a text from Devon. Where'd you go? Your boyfriend's about to do something stupid.

"Shit. Uh, I should get going but, talk later?" Syd hoped, standing up. "Yeah, definitely." Tory nodded. She wasn't ready to keep talking with most people from Miyagi-Do, but Syd wasn't one of them. "See you later." Syd waved, walking off quick to find the location Eli had sent her to say where they'd be.

When she walked in she looked at Devon confused, not understanding why Eli was putting chalk on his shoe. "This isn't a good idea." Miguel spoke, looking at the shoe. "Hey, toughest guy in prison, right? You said that." Eli replied, patting Miguel on the chest.

"No. No, I didn't say that. I don't agree with that idea at all." Miguel replied. "What is going on?" Syd questioned, making her presence known to the boys. "Hey, babe. I'm about to show these punks how it's done." Eli smirked, eyeing the lines people had made. Syd realized he was competing in a kicking competition, but she wasn't fully sure why he was doing it.

"You know what? This is dumb." Devon decided, figuring that since Syd was there she didn't need to be. "Good luck with them." Devon spoke to the girl. "Wait, what? No, come back." Syd tried, reaching toward the other girl a bit dramatically. She did not want to get stuck with just the guys.

"I believe in you." Devon replied, laughing lightly toward the girl. "I cannot believe she tricked me into coming just so she could leave." Syd spoke, not actually upset. If anything she was impressed by the move, just annoyed she hadn't seen it coming.

"I said that." Demetri frowned, staring at Eli. "Whatever." Eli replied, rolling his eyes. "Yo. Are you really the best your dojo has to offer?" A boy from Cobra Kai asked, walking toward Eli. Syd really needed to learn their names.

"Please, you are not even captain. I'd think even she'd have better luck than you." The Cobra Kai captain spoke, looking toward Syd before smirking lightly. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as his eyes moved back toward Eli. "Where is he?"

"I'm right here." Robby spoke, walking in. "Come on, guys. We're leaving." Robby continued, looking at his friends. Eli gave the boy from Cobra Kai one last glare before grabbing Syds hand, making sure everyone around them knew what it meant.

Syd followed as well, totally fine for this to be one challenge they all walk away from. "You always walk away from challenge? Or is it because girlfriend is on our team?" The captain wondered, catching Robby's attention. "Ignore him, please." Syd spoke, sending Robby a look.

"Robby." Miguel spoke as well, obviously agreeing with Syd. "Hey. You got this. Show 'em what's up." Eli spoke up, moving behind Robby. Syd scoffed, smacking his arm lightly before sending him a look. "Stop it. This is not the time to be doing this."

Robby just took the chalk from Eli's hand, walking back toward Cobra Kai. "Jesus." Syd frowned, running her hands through her hair. This wasn't going to end well.

"What, I gotta kick above that line?" Robby questioned, looking at the lines already displayed. "What, too easy for you? Okay, let's make bet, then. You kick, then I kick. You win, you get my room. I win, I get your room." Cobra Kai's captain spoke up, inching closer and closer to Robby.

"This is so stupid." Syd frowned, shaking her head. "Agreed." Miguel nodded.

"You're on." Robby decided, holding his hand out for the other boy. "Robby." Miguel frowned, staring forward a bit shocked. Cobra Kai's captain just grabbed Robby's hand, shaking it. It seemed like they'd be doing this, whether it was a good idea or not.

Demetri frowned, stepping forward as Cobra Kai went off to their own corner to talk. "Dude, you're gambling our rooms away? Isn't that, like, a team decision?" Robby just moved toward the boy in return. "I'm not gambling. I'm getting us an extra room."

"That's, like, exactly how gambling works, actually." Syd voiced, rolling her eyes. "That's gambling. He's gambling." Demetri agreed, pointing toward Syd to show he wasn't the only one who saw it that way.

There was no going back now, so all they could do was make a game plan. "Okay, just give it a good running start." Demetri coached. "Okay, that Russian guy that went before you, he jumped way too early. The physics behind—" Eli spoke.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm telling him. I know the physics. I'm going to a school world-renowned for it. Maybe you've heard of it." Demetri snapped, cutting Eli off as he glared at the boy. Syd just rolled her eyes, truly not understanding why the two of them going to different schools was worth this much drama.

"Oh God. Oh, sure. "I'm going to MIT." I get it." Eli mocked, glaring right back at Demetri. Syd smirked lightly, probably being the only one finding the boy entertaining in his comeback.

"Hey, guys, please. Will you quit it?" Miguel almost begged, looking between the two. "Come on. I got this." Robby spoke, turning around to stare where he was hoping to kick. Syd leaned into Eli nervously, the boy instantly wrapping an arm around her as they all watched Robby sprint forward, jumping up with a spin before kicking his leg toward the board.

Syd smiled as the crowd gasped, Robby's chalk mark ending up far higher than the Cobra Kai captains had. "Oh shit!" Eli laughed, squeezing Syd excitedly as Robby walked back over, fist bumping Eli.

Syd just stared forward, watching as the captain took his Cobra Kai jacket off. He looked back toward the group with a smirk, eyes sticking on Syd longer than she'd like. She felt Eli's fist tighten from beside her, grabbing it with her own hand as the Cobra Kai captain faced forward again.

"Ha!" He yelled out, suddenly jumping up and flipping before his new kick landed. And it was farther up than Robby's.

"No way." Demetri frowned, obviously upset by the loss. "Woah." Syd spoke softly, Eli sending a look her way, not enjoying the fact that she sounded a bit impressed. Syd just turned her head toward him, quickly kissing his cheek to let him know he didn't need to worry.

The captain walked toward Robby with a smirk, holding his hand out as Robby dug around for his key, putting his hand out to Demetri when he realized he didn't have it. Demetri put it in his hand, Robby handing it over.

"Don't worry. I leave your bags in the hall." The captain spoke, people all around laughing. "Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai!" The room chanted and Syd felt her mind move back to every moment she'd had when she used to be able to chant for her team's victories.

"I can't breathe." Syd gasped, moving out of Eli's grasp and walking out of the room. "Syd!" Eli frowned, ready to run after her. "Let her breathe, man. She'll be okay." Miguel spoke, stopping him with a hand.

Eli just sighed, listening. He didn't want to crowd or overwhelm her, so he'd just wait for her to come to him.

Syd leaned up against a wall after getting out, shutting her eyes tight as she just breathed. She felt weak, like she was fragile. She hated that feeling more than anything else in the world.

"Get it together." Syd spat quietly to herself, finally opening her eyes after a moment and seeing Devon walking toward her concerned. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just... you were right. The guys did something stupid." Syd spoke, deciding to keep her real thoughts a secret. "Of course they did." Devon sighed, rolling her eyes before she pulled Syd back with her toward the boys.

Syd could guess how annoyed they all were to now have to share a room.

———————

"Well, this sucks." Miguel frowned, watching Demetri and Robby move their luggage into the room. Syd sat beside Eli on the boys bed, curled into his side as she watched. It would definitely be a whole lot harder to find any alone time.

Eli had been keeping her close since she walked out, worried about her more than he already was.

"Not a very smart gamble, boys." Sam spoke, eyeing the guys as she sat on the table in the room. "Yeah. Somebody said it wasn't gonna be a gamble." Demetri spat, giving Robby a look.

"I didn't wanna get involved, remember? I told you to stay away from Cobra Kai. It's so simple." Robby frowned, throwing his stuff down. "Well, if it's so simple, why don't you follow your own advice?" Eli spat back, sending Robby a glare.

Syd shifted uncomfortably, keeping all her thoughts to herself. "What are you talking about?" Robby questioned, looking at the boy. "We all saw you talking to Tory." Eli replied, throwing his hands out.

Syd frowned, keeping in mind to now not bring up how she'd done the same to any of them. "Come on. I mean, she's his girlfriend. You'd do the same if it was Syd." Devon spoke, trying to defend Robby in a way she knew Eli would actually understand.

Eli just sent a small glance Syds way, frowning as she didn't meet his eye. "Yeah, he's dealing with her decision. Same as the rest of us." Miguel agreed.

"I wouldn't say that exactly. You knew Kreese came to Tory." Sam exposed. Syds frown deepened, feeling even worse about the situation.

"What? You did?" Miguel frowned, looking to Robby sadly. "Yeah. I... I mean, I knew that Kreese went to Tory, yeah, but it was before her mom died. And he was trashing Miyagi-Do, saying she wasn't gonna have a fair shot. She told him to get lost. Come on. I didn't know she was gonna do this." Robby explained.

Syd sighed, messing with her fingers by her waist anxiously. "Really? This is what Kreese does. He played her. And he played you. And you lied to us about it." Sam replied.

Syd watched as Robby looked around, everyone avoiding his eye. He then made eye contact with the girl, almost begging her to understand. She just looked down, feeling Eli begin to lightly rub circles on her arm.

"Come on, guys. That's not fair. I didn't lie." Robby spoke, eyes moving to Miguel. "Miguel?" Miguel just scoffed, shaking his head a bit before he looked away.

Robby sighed, this wasn't how he wanted this night to end.

"We should all try and get some sleep. We have a busy day in the morning." Syd decided after a few moments of awkward silence, nodding to Devon and Sam who both nodded back. "Yeah, good idea." Sam spoke, moving to say goodnight to Miguel.

Syd smiled lightly Eli's way, giving him a quick kiss before getting out of the bed. Eli squeezed her hand quickly, smiling when she looked back at him with a small smile. "Night."

"Goodnight." Syd replied, heading toward the door with the other two girls. "You boys have fun in here." Devon spoke, not at all jealous of the situation the boys put themselves in.

Syd and Sam had decided they could sleep in one bed, giving Devon the other. She'd been a bit surprised, but with how many times the other two had slept over together before it made the most sense.

Once they were all in bed, Syd stared up at the ceiling, feeling Sam moving around from beside her. She could hear Devon tossing around as well, obviously none of them truly being able to sleep with the way their minds raced.

Syd considered her options, thinking back to her conversation with Tory. She knew in her heart that she couldn't betray her friends, it just wasn't who she was or ever wanted to be. But she was also nervous, she was nervous Kreese would try and talk to her, only throwing her off more and getting into her head the way he knew how.

Last time he'd left it wasn't exactly his choice, making it easier for her to move on when he was locked away. But now he was out and could appear whenever he wanted, complicating things.

Syd sighed, turning to look at the clock. 1:06. She frowned, realizing just how much her head was spinning as she thought about every possible option. Syd slowly sat up, doing her best to be quiet as she put her slippers on, quietly leaving the room.

She made her way to a common space in the hotel, opening the sliding door to head out to the balcony and sit for a bit. She took in a breath, feeling the light breeze on her face.

It was nice, and quiet. Syd felt like she wasn't getting much of that right now.

"McKinley. Long time no see." Syd whipped her head around at the sound of Kreese's voice, suddenly feeling very trapped on the balcony as he stood in front of the door. "What do you want?" Syd spoke, trying not to sound scared.

"You know, the whole time I was in prison I waited for my best student to come and visit me. I waited, and waited, but you never came." Kreese spoke, looking around before his eyes landed back on Syd. "I— I..." Syd tried to speak, only feeling a pain in her throat as she held back everything that wanted to spill out.

"And then I find out you turned your back on Cobra Kai, joining the enemy." He continued, gaze only sharpening. "They— they're not my enemy, they're my friends." Syd replied.

Kreese just nodded, a smirk falling on his face. "And that's why they ignore you so often, right? That's why they don't listen to their own captain? Even a simple kicking competition ends in defeat because they didn't listen to you." He watched with a smirk as her gaze fell, ready to push harder. "Cobra Kai would have listened to you when you knew the right choice."

Syd just shook her head, trying to get his words out of her mind. "You don't know what you're talking about. The only reason Robby went through with it was because of your captain."

"Kwon? Oh, well... he was just having a little healthy competition. It's important to see just what your competitors can do." Kreese replied, finally giving a name to one of the captains of his team. 

"I should go, it's late." Syd decided, standing up cautiously. "I'm disappointed, Sydney. I truly thought you had what it took to win. To be a champion. My champion." Kreese sighed, shaking his head lightly.

"I do have what it takes." Syd replied, though it sounded far less sure than she'd meant it to. "You're stuck in the Miyagi-Do cycle. Do you really think when push comes to shove that LaRusso or Lawrence will choose you and your needs over the needs of their children? Do you really think LaRusso believes you should be the captain over his own daughter?" Kreese wondered, instantly planting thoughts in the young girls mind.

"I— I need to go." Syd spoke, only hoping he'd let her go by. "Of course. You're going to need your rest if you want to try and compete with Cobra Kai." Kreese nodded, moving out of the way.

Syd moved past him quickly, trying to get away as fast as possible. "McKinley." Kreese spoke, stopping the girl in her tracks. "Just remember, you always have a home at Cobra Kai. When you finally see where your Senseis priorities lie, you'll understand who truly wants to see you win."

Syd just frowned, turning around and walking away as quickly as she could. She had a lot to think about.

———————

Syd stood with her team as they waited for the instructions on the first competition. She hadn't been able to fall asleep until 3am, finding that she only fell asleep when her body physically shut down.

After her talk with Kreese Syd felt worse than before, having no idea what to do or if she could even talk to anyone about it. She'd seen the way everyone went against Robby for even knowing Kreese had spoken to Tory, she didn't want to be next.

They all stood silently as they watched Gunther in the middle of the mat, looking around at all the teams, "The time has come. Welcome to our first event. I hope you're all well rested and ready for a new and unique competition. We call it the "Captain's War." We told you how important your captains will be. So let's see how well you protect them." Gunther explained.

Eli looked at Syd worriedly, noticing the daze in her eyes. "Did you sleep last night?" He wondered quietly, ignoring the rest of the team as they all gave each other looks. "I— yeah. Of course." Syd nodded, ignoring every impulse to shut her eyes. She truly was exhausted, but it wasn't the time for that.

Eli was getting increasingly nervous, not knowing what was happening with the girl. He knew Kreese was throwing her off, but this felt like so much more.

"Four dojos will take the mat. Only one will be left standing. If you hit the mat, you're out. If one of your captains hit the mat, your entire team is out for this round. Check the boards to see your group, decided by random draw. Group A, you're up." Gunther announced.

Syd looked up, anxiety only rising as she saw who Miyagi-Do was against. Cobra Kai.

"Cobra Kai, of course." Mr. LaRusso scoffed before the whole team turned toward each other in a huddle as they figured out their plan. "Let's get our plan, guys. We need to start off strong." Sam spoke, looking around the group.

Syd caught the way Mr. LaRusso nodded his head with a smile a little ways away, frowning lightly. Her mind repeated what Kreese had said to her, only seeing the evidence more and more.

"Let them come to us. Protect the egg. We need to make sure that Syd and Robby are safe." Miguel added. "I can be on the front line." Robby replied, facing the boy. "No, no, no. You just stay back and stay focused." Miguel replied, putting a hand up.

"Why wouldn't I be focused?" Robby replied, looking toward Miguel a bit annoyed. "Well you did leave the hotel room last night." Miguel countered, all eyes moving toward Robby.

Syd then made eye contact with Sam, looking at the girl confused by the sudden change. "Both of you need to just stay back and stay safe. Robby wasn't the only one who left their room last night." Sam spoke, eyes still glued on Syd.

"What? Why?" Eli spoke up, looking toward the girl. She felt like hurling, sending Sam a look, one the other girl only returned. Sam didn't want the team to lose, and to do that they all needed to have their heads on straight. No one could be doing anything secretive.

"This doesn't matter right now. We need to focus." Devon spoke, looking between everyone. "Guys, come on over." Mr. LaRusso spoke, everyone moving toward him. Syd crossed her arms over her chest, sending Sam a look. She was pissed the other girl had just aired out her business like that, especially when it wasn't needed.

She went out to get some air, everything that followed just happened.

"I know it hasn't always been pretty lately but no one could ever count us out. You hear me? You do it for each other." Mr. LaRusso spoke, looking between the group. Syd nodded, pushing all of her emotions into a box as she held onto them until it was time to strike. "And wipe the smirks off their ugly faces." Sensei Lawrence added, nodding to the team.

Syd took in a breath, turning back toward the mat.

"Ready? Begin!" Gunther yelled, Syds eyes immediately shooting forward as Tory already came straight at the group. Syd frowned, wishing they hadn't been Tory's first targets.

"Protect the egg!" Demetri yelled, Tory doing an ariel as she came to attack the group, setting the other two off to attack each other as well.

Syd watched Kwon jump up, immediately kicking Demetri straight in the chest. "Demetri's out!" Miguel called out, Syd frowning. "Shit."

She quickly dodged as one of the boys from Cobra Kai came her way, squatting down and sticking her leg out, tripping him. She moved to punch down, only for him to throw her to the side. Syd caught herself with her hand, not ready to go down just yet. "Someone protect Syd!" Eli yelled, watching the girl stand back up and get into position.

She felt like screaming, knowing that she could handle herself. She understood why they all wanted to protect her and Robby, but it was only making her feel worse. She'd won the captain spot, so they needed to trust that she could protect herself.

"Robby, stay back." Miguel called out, blocking attacks and throwing his own. Syd just jumped up, kicking out at the boy from Cobra Kai and forcing him backwards. She jumped up again, spinning around before landing a kick across his face. "Yes!" Syd smiled, ducking as a fist flew straight toward her face.

"Guys, protect Sydney. We can't have her go down." Mr. LaRusso called out to the team. "Sensei, I got my hands full. Someone do something!" Eli yelled out, Syd trying to block him out for the moment.

"I got Tory." Devon called, only moments later yelling out again, "Need some help!"

Syd groaned, pretending to go up before dropping low and planting a punch right in the guy she was fighting's stomach, moving to help Devon. She watched Tory kick the girl down, the blonde turning Syds way right after.

"Lee's out. Hawk, protect the captains." Sensei Lawrence shouted, prompting Eli to run toward a fighter from Cobra Kai, immediately being kicked in the stomach before he was kicked across the face.

Syd frowned, throwing her leg out toward Tory as the other girl blocked, both girls matching the other's moves.

"Shit!" Syd heard Sam curse, watching the girl walk off to the side. She just focused her gaze on Tory again, running at the blonde before she had a change to react, kicking her legs towards the girl over and over again.

She kept Tory on defense, ready for her to get tired far before Syd would. She threw her leg at Tory, the other girl just catching it before Syd flipped herself out of Tory's grasp and landed on her feet, sending a spinning kick her way.

Tory did the same, Syd jumping back from it before she ran toward the blonde again and started sending punch after punch her way. Tory blocked them, eyes widening as she once again found herself stuck on defense.

Syd swung again, quickly dodging the counter that Tory sent her way. She ran at the blonde, jumping up and spinning around ready to land a kick before a buzzer sound went off, Syd landing back on her feet confused.

"Miyagi-Do Captain down. Miyagi-Do is out!" The announcer spoke, Syds head snapping toward Robby as the boy punched the ground. "Fucking hell." Syd spoke quietly, turning her head toward Tory as she moved to walk away.

But instead she just met the eyes of Kreese, the man smirking lightly. Syd moved her eyes away fast, knowing exactly what he was saying to her.

She wouldn't have lost if she'd been with Cobra Kai.

Syd found her spot on the side between Devon and Eli, staring forward silently. "Hey, you did great out there." Devon spoke quietly, sending a small smile Syds way. "Guess it doesn't really matter though, does it?" Syd replied, eyes glued forward.

"Hey, you did the best you could, but the captain fell." Eli spoke to Miguel, raising his brows annoyed as he talked about Robby. Syd just watched the fight, hoping they could all just get it together, fast.

"Falchi Della Notte captain down. They are out. Only Cobra Kai and the Iron Dragons remain alive." The announcer spoke. Syd looked toward the Iron Dragons team, surprised to see every member still standing.

She noticed the awkward tall boy from the captains photos, standing beside a much smaller girl. They had to be insanely good to still have every member standing, something Syd was having a hard time saying about her team at the moment.

Syd watched as Tory, Kwon, and one other member of Cobra Kai ran at the Iron Dragons, everyone in the front only taking a knee at the same time, confusing Cobra Kai into stopping in their tracks completely.

Slowly they all got up, each walking off the mat so only their captains remained. "What the hell?" Syd wondered quietly, watching intently.

Cobra Kai attacked, the two members of the Iron Dragons defending with ease before the boy took down one of the Cobra Kai's, almost like it was nothing.

The only ones left were Tory and Kwon, though that didn't matter as they both immediately went down, the buzzer sounding for the last time this round.

"Both Cobra Kai captains go down. The Iron Dragons win." The announcer spoke, the boy doing some motion to the crowd before the girl blew a kiss and waved.

At this point, they had bigger things to worry about now than Cobra Kai.

AUTHORS NOTE!
YAY SYD AND ELI ARE BACK!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

I'm so so excited for this part of the season, I have so many ideas. be ready for so much angst, drama, fighting, betrayal, and more!!!

I hope you're as excited as I am

I ended up not splitting the chapter because of what people said on my mb so here is the VERY LONG chapter!

ALSOOOO please don't be a ghost reader!!! I love love LOVE all the comments and they make writing so much more fun