[SEASON SIX: EPISODE EIGHT]

After receiving concerning news from Amanda about Elizabeth being rushed to the hospital due to complications with the baby, Johnny and Ethan packed their luggage and caught the next flight back to California, hoping to reach her before it's too late.

He decided to call up Daniel's wife, hoping to get an update how Ms. Jones and the baby were doing.

"Hey, Johnny."

"Hey, how's she doing?"

"No updates yet. She's still unconscious. They're monitoring the bleeding." She explained. The blonde man glanced around, his mind racing, before an idea suddenly came to him.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Of course. Anything."

"With Ethan dropping out, Miyagi-Do is down a fighter. I need you to find Kenny Payne and put him on a flight to Barcelona."

"Of course, I'll go right now."

"Thanks, Amanda."

They ended the call, as Lawrence turned around, he noticed the worried expression on the boy's face.

"Your mom's gonna be fine. Don't worry."

"Okay."

A man in front of them was taking an unusual long time to store his luggage in the overhead compartment, fumbling as if he couldn't decide where to place it.

"Hey, man. Can you maybe do that later so the rest of us can get on?"

"Relax, buddy. Economy ain't going anywhere." The dude replied with a smirk, patting his shoulder before returning to struggle with his luggage. A flight attendant walked inside and handed him his drink.

"Hey, it's okay. Stay clam, alright? The last thing we need to do is get kicked off a plane before we get to see my mother. So please." Ethan reassured, his tone steady as he tried to diffuse the situation.

"Sir?"

"Oh. 'Neat' means 'no ice,' babe." The guy said, smirking and grabbed the drink from the lady and handing it back to her.

"I'm gonna let you try it again."

"I'll take that if he's not having it." Johnny suggested.

"Main cabin drinks will be for sale once we're in the air." She replied.

"Yeah, but this one's already made."

"Sir, are you gonna be a problem?"

"Honestly? Probably a little." The blonde man replied with a small nod, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Back in Barcelona, after getting the okay from Chozen to explore the city, Hawk and the other Miyagi-Do students found themselves in a local bar. Some of them sat down in a four-person booth, while the others took seats at nearby tables. Eli, Demetri, and Devon shared one booth, as Sam and Robby sat together at another table.

"What are we gonna do now Sensei Lawrence and Ethan are gone?"

"Well, I heard they're gonna fly in Kenny."

"Yeah, because the kid that shit his pants is totally gonna save the day. Whoo!" The tall boy said with a sarcastic voice.

"I hope Elizabeth's okay." Keene said, glancing at the girl sitting next to him.

"Did you get to talk to Ethan before he left?"

"For, like, sixty seconds." The brunette replied, sounding a little disappointed. She had been hoping to spend time with Ethan exploring the city.

"He was so excited about exploring Barcelona with me. And now.... How are you feeling?"

"Not great. Thinking about adding rum to this Coke."

"Yeah, right. You don't drink."

"Now might be a good time to start. I've been screwing everything up since Tory put us on a break. And you know what it makes it worse is it's not even affecting her. She's been fighting better than ever." He explained to her.

"Tory chose the other side. And I feel terrible for her. But we can't keep letting her get in our heads like this. It's time to accept she's against us."

A few seconds later, the front door opened, catching Robby's attention. He glanced over and saw Kwon, Tory, and Yoon entering.

"I'm gonna get some air." Sam said, before getting up from the table and walked out of the bar.

The boy moved over to the bar, as the bartender approached him.

"What can I get you?"

"Uh.... Can I get a rum and Coke? Double, please."

"Right away." The man nodded and began preparing his drink.

Finally settled in their seats on the plane returning to California, Johnny and Ethan sat together. The man sat quietly, while Williams was reading a book, hoping to pass the time. He grew impatient and pushed an emergency button, wanting to go home faster.

"Why did you do that?"

"Trying to get us home faster."

"That's not how it works." The boy stated. As the flight attendant from earlier, came to them, to see why the alarm sounded off.

"Excuse me, stewardess. Why is the plane doing this bendy thing?" Lawrence questioned, pointing his finger to a screen that showed where the plane was heading.

"You mean following the curvature of the Earth?"

"Map looks flat to me. Tell the pilot to fly straight. We're trying to get home."

She nodded, walking away from them. The blonde man glanced over at the person next to him, noticing the disappointed expression on his face.

"Hey, man. Listen, everything's gonna be all right. Don't worry."

"How the hell can you tell that when my mother might be dead?"

"I'm just trying to help." He reassured him.

"Well, you're not. Okay? You were shadowing me all tournament. And you're making things worse right now. You'll probably make things even worser when we get to the hospital too. Like the time you told me you were drinking in the parking lot when Robby was born. No wonder why my brother's so messed up."

"Hey, man, that's a low blow. Don't bring Robby into this. I know you're upset you didn't get captain, but he won that fair and square. It's not my fault you choked." Johnny snapped. The flight attendant from before appeared beside them, her expression filled with curiosity and slightly concerned.

"Is this man bothering you?"

"No."

"Yes." Ethan replied quickly, placing a hand over his chest in a show of innocence. His expression was clam, though his tone carried a hint of annoyance.

"No."

"Come with me. I have a seat available for you up front." She offered. Without hesitation, Williams grabbed his belongings, stood up, followed her to the front of the plane.

"Ethan. Come on. Really? You're going up front?"

"Ethan. Ethan." He called out to him, trying to get the boy's attention but he kept walking, deliberately ignoring him.

"Come on."

Moments later, a dog was placed in his lap, its presence meant to calm him down. After a brief second, he gently handed the pet back to its original owner.

"Yeah, this isn't making me feel better. No offense."

The blonde man rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the plane. As he pulled back the curtains, the flight attendant immediately noticed him.

"Sir, you can't be here."

"Ethan."

"Leave me the fuck alone." Ethan mumbled, slipping on his headphones over his eyes in an attempt to block out the noises.

"Ethan!"

The dude from earlier removed his earphones and stood up from his seat, turning his attention to Johnny.

"Hey!"

"I'm trying to relax, and you.... You don't belong up here. So go. Go! Or do you want to have a problem?"

"You're about to have a problem."

"Try it, pal." The man scoffed, his tone dripping with annoyance as he squared up at him.

"I'd love to see you on the no-fly list."

"Both of you, please sit down." She interjected, her voice firm, trying to diffuse the escalating tension. He turned around to face her, with a hint of frustration on his face.

"Then get him to shut up for me. Better yet, why don't you get me another one of these?"

The flight attendant grabbed the empty glass from him and made her way up to Lawrence.

"I'm just trying to talk to my kid. All right? We had a family emergency. I just wanna make he's okay."

The lady nodded softly and walked over to where Williams was sitting, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Sir. Did you wanna speak to him?"

"Nope. No, please." He replied, shaking his head as she made her way back over to Johnny.

"He doesn't want to speak to you. Have a seat."

"No, that's impossible. Just ask—"

"I asked him already. Thank you." The flight attendant cut him off and quickly closed the curtains to the back of the plane.

A few hours later, in Barcelona, after leaving the bar to clear her head, Sam found herself on a quiet beach. The weight of the night seemed to lighten as she listened the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the shore.

As she turned her head to take in the breathtaking view of the star-studded sky and the shimmering sea, the brunette froze. Just a few feet away, she spotted a familiar figure.

Squinting for a closer look, she realized it was Axel Kovacevic, the male captain of the Iron Dragons. He stood on the sand, deeply focused, preforming what looks to be kata in the dim light.

His movements were fluid, his arms and legs slicing throughout the air with precision. He appeared completely self-centered, each punch and strike executed with practiced intent as he honed his technique.

She felt instinctively drawn to the impressive performance of skill, but hesitated, unsure of how to approach him. She didn't want to startle him or disrupt his concentration.

He paused mid-motion, sensing her presence nearby. Turning his head toward her, his eyes widened in shock as he realized someone was being watched.

"Oh, sorry, I.... I didn't mean to startle you." Sam apologized, with a small smile as she took a cautious step closer to him.

"I'm Sam, by the way."

"Axel." The boy replied, his voice sounding like he was keeping his guard up.

"That's a pretty cool kata. What's it called?"

She noticed the conflict in his expression as though he was weighing whether to answering her question might break some unspoken rule. His troubled look made her hesitate, unsure if she should press further.

"I.... I am not supposed to speak with opponent."

"We're not on the mat." The brunette reassured him, offering a causal shrug to ease the tension.

"It's pretty late to be training. Right?"

"Always time for training."

Axel grabbed his shirt from the ground revealing a network of red marks scattered across his back. The jagged dark lines crisscrossed his upper body, catching her attention. Her calmly expression shifted instantly to one of deep concern.

"Whoa, whoa!" She exclaimed, taking a few steps closer to get a better look.

"What happened to your back?"

Kovacevic quickly straightened his shirt, hastily covering the marks and avoiding her gaze.

"Uh, from bo staff competition."

"Nobody's been able to land a point on you yet."

"I saw what happened with your Sensei." Sam said, her voice softer and more hesitant.

"My Sensei wants me to be the best. It's because of him I never lose." He said slowly, trying to make sense of the situation. The boy shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the sand.

"There are other ways of teaching. I mean, I gotta admit, your dojo's pretty great."

"Thank you. You're pretty.... Your.... Your dojo's pretty great too."

"We try."

"Mind if I join?"

"You wanna switch dojos?"

"Your walk. I was going back to hotel." Axel corrected himself.

"Yeah, sure." She nodded and gestured him to walk with her. They walked together along the beach, the tension from the earlier encounter slowly fading away. Through the rest of the night was still heavy with thoughts and unspoken words, the soft glow of the city behind them.

On the plane heading back to California, Johnny sat back down in his seat, having struggled to get through to Ethan. As the flight attendant walked past him on her way to the back, he stood up quickly and made his way to the front, sitting down next to the boy.

"Just hear me out." He began, his voice softer than usual.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more in Barcelona. All right, I saw you killing it out there. I didn't think you needed my support as much as Robby. He doesn't have what you have. He's not going to college next year. The Sekai Taikai is the biggest thing he's got going for him. But I see how that made you feel." The blonde man paused, with his tone think with emotion. A few tears glistened in his eyes as he continued.

"You're my son too."

"As for your mom, I'm really scared. I love her so much. I've tried my best to get myself together, be a good guy. The truth is, I don't know if she's gonna be okay. But I can't think of the alternative. Alright?"

"Look, you may not be my real father, but you're doing a pretty good damn job compared to my actual dad, who's still up in Canada doing who knows what." Williams said. Just as he finished, the man from before walked out of the bathroom, appearing at the curtains.

"Jesus Christ, man. This.... This ain't hard, okay?" The drunken man slurred, stumbling down the rows of seats toward them.

"I sit up here in the big boy seats, and you, you go all the way in the back with the lazy losers."

"Hey, man, I'm just trying to talk to my kid."

"I didn't ask you for your life story. I asked you to go back where you belong." The dude snapped.

Johnny stood up from his seat, positioning himself in front of him. Before things could escalate, the flight attendant quickly approached, trying to diffuse the tension between the two.

"Stop it. If there's any violence, I'll have to call the captain."

"So call him, sweetheart."

"Hey, man, just relax, all right?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna relax, big boss man." He sneered, attempting to land a punch.

Lawrence easily stepped back, dodging the swing, and before the situation could get worse, Ethan jumped in, delivering a swift upper cut that knocked the man to the floor.

"Don't talk to my father like that."

"Did you call me, dad?"

"I think you've earned that title by now." The boy replied with a soft smile, pulling him into a heartfelt embrace.

"That was a great shot. Good back knuckle."

"Thanks, everyone. We got him."

The next day, in the parking lot of West Valley General Hospital, a police car pulled up to the entrance. The cop got out and quickly opened the back door. Johnny and Williams hurried out and rushed inside the building with hesitation.

"Hope everything goes well with your mom."

"Thank you for the assistance, sir."

The two of them entered the building and approached the front desk, where a nurse sat attentively in her chair.

"Excuse us. We're here to see Elizabeth Jones."

"Uh, room 54." She answered, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.

"Four...."

"Fifty-four."

"Uh, wait!"

They rushed down the hallway, hoping to get the room before anything else happened. However, when they arrived, all they found was an empty hospital room. The bed had bloodstains on it, and a nurse was busy cleaning it up, pulling the sheets off and releasing them.

"What?"

"Where's.... Where's the woman whose room this is?" Johnny questioned, his tone breaking as tears welled up in his eyes. The lady paused for a moment but said nothing, quietly gathering her things before walking out of the room without answering.

"Was she in this room?"

"I don't know."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"You told me she was gonna be okay, Dad. You said that!" Ethan cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks. Lawrence immediately pulled him into a tight, comforting hug as the boy broken down, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey, all right, all right."

"Ethan? Johnny?"

The two turned around and froze in shock as they saw Elizabeth, alive and well, sitting in a wheelchair. Beside her stood her mother, Lois, along with kind-looking nurse.

"Hey, hey."

"What are you two doing here?"

"Mom, you're okay!" Williams exclaimed, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace.

"Oh, honey."

"We had to do an emergency cerclage. And we were worried for a few hours, but she's a fighter. And the baby too. She just needs to stay in bed rest for the next few weeks as she recovers. I'll give you all moment."

"Thanks, doc."

The nurse nodded before walking out of the room. They all gently helped Elizabeth onto the hospital bed, then gathered around her with relieved expressions.

"I can't believe you guys actually flew all the way back here to see me."

"But you're the awesomeness mom on this planet. Of course we would trade for anything to see if you were okay."

"We're never leaving you again." The blonde man said softly. She reached out, taking his hand in one of hers and her son's hand in the other, holding them both tightly.

"She's gonna be so lucky to have you as a dad. And plus, no one's going to mess with her because her older brother won the Sekai Taikai."

"Wait. What do you mean?"

"You heard the nurse. I'm fine now, really. And I just need to rest. My mother's here. There'll be nothing for you to do. So you and Ethan need to go ahead back to Barcelona."

"But Mom, we just got here."

"Karate.... Is what's brought our families together. And this is your big moment, Ethan. The moment you've been waiting for. Go back there and finish what you started. Both of you." Elizabeth explained, with a determined smile on her face.

"Just promise me this one thing."

"Of course. Anything."

"Win." She said, glancing over at her son, and giving him a resolute nod.

"Win."

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