Miguel finished wrapping his black belt around his waist, winding it around once more before tying the knot. As he did so, he continued listening to the other guys chattering while they all finished getting dressed into their gis in the boys' locker room. He couldn't believe the day was finally here. His heart was pounding in his ribcage, thinking about how it was only a few minutes now before they would be stepping outside and starting the Tournament.

"You always looked great in the black gi," Hawk said, hobbling up beside him, a huge grin spread over his face and a suggestive eyebrow raised on his forehead. Balancing on his right crutch, he brought his left hand up to run it down Miguel's arm. "Shows off your muscles."

Miguel returned his smile, feeling the skin on his face warm up, and was about to make his own comment about how flattering the Eagle Fang gi looked on Hawk when someone else cut in first.

"Yo, take a look at the Bitch Brigade."

Hawk dropped his hand in a flash at the sound of that voice, and the whole group turned their heads to see Kyler approach them, along with Dieter, Big Red, Mikey, Edwin, and Doug trailing behind him. Miguel narrowed his eyes, clenching his jaw at the sight of Kyler standing there, fully dressed in the familiar black gi of Cobra Kai. The image looked so wrong to him.

Before Miguel could respond, Mitch jumped in, taking a step toward their adversaries. "Hey Kyler, just so you know, the toilets are over here," he chuckled, pointing to the other side of the locker room. "And if you need anymore Pepto, I got some in my gym bag."

Hawk and Nate joined Mitch in laughing at that, remembering their sweet victory when they'd dumped MiraLAX into Kyler's Powerade bottle that day in the school gym. And Miguel got a good laugh at the memory, too. It almost made him forget how uncanny it was to be facing his old rival now, seeing him wear the uniform of the dojo he'd worn at the previous year's Tournament.

But Kyler then joined in their merriment as well, snickering out loud with the rest of them, a big, insincere smile spread from ear to ear; and that got Miguel to remember where and when they were. "Pepto, that's cute." Kyler tilted his head to his left, and then to his right, as if to ascertain there were no adults present in the locker room with them.

Then Kyler's smile melted into a scowl. Then, as quick as a cobra strike, his arms shot out and he shoved Mitch hard, sending the other boy crashing into Bert and Nate behind him. All three stumbled backward into the lockers before colliding into a heap on the floor, and this time the uproarious laughter from the Cobras wasn't fake.

Miguel was about ready to leap straight at Kyler, but a new voice cut through the laughter before he could even finish raising his fists.

"Kyler, cut it out."

Robby Keene.

Miguel narrowed his eyes, watching Robby part between the quiver of Cobras to come stand next to Kyler. And for as bad it was seeing Kyler in that familiar uniform, the sight of Robby wearing the sleeveless black gi had Miguel's fists squeezing so tight by his sides it almost made his arms shake.

It only got worse when Robby locked his eyes on him. "Gotta save it for the Tournament, right?" he asked.

Miguel's jaw clenched, returning his glare. He had so much he wanted to unload on Robby then and there. He was half-tempted to punch him, just to get get it over with between them. Screw having it out in front of an audience like Kreese had been hoping for. Miguel wanted to scream at him now, to take out all his frustrations that had been building just short of a year by that point. He wanted to hit and yell at Robby for kicking him over the stairs, for attacking him the moment he got out of juvie, for joining Cobra Kai and taking his place in the dojo, for cutting Hawk's hair, for so, so many things.

But his fists stayed squeezed by his sides, and what came out of his mouth was, "You know you're making your dad miserable doing this, don't you? No matter what happens between us today, he won't be happy with the outcome."

Robby shrugged. Miguel watched his features harden, and at that moment, Robby looked so much like Sensei Lawrence did whenever he hid his emotions behind a stoic veneer. "Good."

Sam was standing outside with her father and Sensei Lawrence, waiting for her teammates as they came out of the locker room. She had already changed into her white gi, and even had her father's headband wrapped around her head. "You guys ready?" she asked.

"If I don't pass out from anxiety first," quipped Demetri. "I think I preferred the view from the benches last year."

While the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students began grouping up, Mr. LaRusso said, "Don't start getting neurotic again on me now, Demetri. All of you have been training a long time for this, and I don't want you to let Cobra Kai intimidate you."

"Yeah, they should be intimidated by us," argued Mitch from where he stood between Hawk and Bert. "I mean, between our two dojos, we outnumber them. We got this."

"Don't be getting cocky," warned Sensei Lawrence. "But Mr. LaRusso is right. This is what you've all been training for, and you're not gonna let Cobra Kai ruin this Tournament for you guys. You're all gonna give it your best, you're gonna go out there and kick some ass, and no matter what happens, your Senseis are gonna be proud of you."

When his Sensei set his sight on him at the end of his little speech, Miguel knew that last part was for his ears specifically. And he wanted desperately to believe what he said was true.

"Do I make myself clear?" asked Sensei Lawrence.

All the students in Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do responded, "Yes, Sensei!"

With that, the two dojos broke up. Miyagi-Do went to go file behind Topanga, while Eagle Fang made their way to the end of the long line, which placed them behind Cobra Kai.

Through the doorway that led to the main gymnasium, they could all hear the announcer pumping up the audience, telling them, "Let's hear it for all the dojos who will be competing at this year's All-Valley Under-Eighteen Karate Championship! Fighting from Granada Hills, let's welcome All-Star Karate…."

The first group of students lined up at the door jogged out at the call of their team. Miguel, meanwhile, tried his best to avoid the glares of the Cobras while he and his friends passed by them. But he could feel their eyes on him: Kyler, Tory, Robby.

And when he turned around to start the new line, Sensei Kreese was there to greet them. Or, more specifically, Sensei Lawrence. "Here we are, at last, Johnny," he remarked with a grim smirk, gripping the lapels of his black gi as he was wont to do. "The way it was always meant to be."

"And from Topanga," came the announcer again, "give a round of applause for Topanga Karate!"

Miguel frowned, and from down the line, he could see Mr. LaRusso was having a similar talk with Mr. Silver. But he kept his attention on his own Sensei. The tension between him and Kreese was so charged, he was surprised it didn't ignite sparks of electricity.

"There's no way in hell I'm gonna let you leave here today a winner," said Sensei Lawrence, his jaw clenching.

That appeared to amuse Sensei Kreese. "Well, that depends on your students now, doesn't it?" he asked.

Miguel took that as his cue to stand up straight behind Sensei Lawrence. And, without hesitation, Robby appeared by Sensei Kreese, arms crossed, locking his eyes back on him. Miguel's blood began boiling again, and his hands twitched at his sides. He wanted this fight so badly.

He felt Sensei's calming hand on his shoulder, pulling his attention back. But when Miguel looked at him, he caught the way Sensei Lawrence was staring at Robby. He imagined his Sensei was feeling a very different set of emotions than he had seeing Robby wearing the Cobra Kai gi, especially as he stood there at Sensei Kreese's right-hand side.

The announcer's voice cut through the tension. "…being lead by none other than the '84 and '85 All-Valley two-time champion himself, Daniel LaRusso, let's hear it for Miyagi-Do Karate!"

While Miyagi-Do made their way into the gymnasium, Sensei Lawrence tore his eyes away from Robby to level them back at Sensei Kreese. "Just make sure you don't make your kids lower themselves to cheat. You already knocked Hawk out unfairly. Let's see if you can win even one fight with honor."

"My students will do what they need to do to win," stated Sensei Kreese, his eyes traveling from Hawk to Miguel. "Because that's all that matters in the end. And when it comes time for my champion to face yours…." He paused for a moment, laying a hand on Robby's shoulder like Sensei Lawrence had done for Miguel. "You'll finally learn your lesson."

Standing at Sensei Lawrence's other side, Hawk caught the way Tory had stared at Sensei Kreese as he said that. She looked almost caught off-guard, her eyes settling on her Sensei's hand where it rested on Robby's shoulder. But she recovered, and when she noticed Hawk watching her, she scowled back.

They were all cut off by the announcer again. "From Reseda, represented now by returning Senseis John Kreese and Terry Silver, we have Cobra Kai! Still a badass name, am I right?"

"See you on the mats, Johnny," said Sensei Kreese with a wink, his grim smirk hardening before he turned and joined Mr. Silver to lead his students out.

Miguel turned to look at his teacher. "Sensei…."

The hand that Sensei Lawrence had resting on his shoulder patted it. "Remember what I told you. Just do your best. Let me worry about everything else." With that said, he gestured to the door. "Alright, let's show everyone what our dojo's made of. Eagles, it's time to fly!"

The announcer called on their team to come out next, and they started their jog into the gymnasium.

"Also fighting from Reseda, Johnny Lawrence returns to the All-Valley Tournament this year with a new dojo. Everyone welcome Eagle Fa—" The announcer paused for a second, bringing the card in his hand closer to his eyes for a better examination. Furrowing his eyebrows, he shot Johnny a quick, bewildered look before trying again. "Uh, Eagle Fang Karate! A…unique name for a dojo!"

Miguel buried his frustration at that minor bit of shade - a far cry from the respect they'd received when they'd been Cobra kai - while he and his team made their entrance to the sound of applause from the audience. Taking their place at their assigned sideline, Miguel's eyes swept the crowd. Glancing up at the benches, he spotted his mother and Ya-Ya, who'd found seats for themselves since dropping him off in the parking lot. When they waved at him with encouraging smiles, Miguel flashed a small grin back, along with a chin-jut to acknowledge he'd seen them.

Standing there, eyes on his family, Miguel blocked out the rest of the announcer's words as he remembered what his mother had told him months prior, the night she'd taken them out for ice-cream.

You know that even if you don't win the championship this year, things will be okay.

Letting out a deep breath, Miguel came back to the present when the referee announced the first match of the qualifiers that would be held over on mat one: Miguel Diaz from Eagle Fang versus Doug Rickenberger from Cobra Kai.

"Go get him, man," said Hawk, steadying himself on one crutch to give Miguel a firm clap on his shoulder.

The two boys stepped on the mats, staring at one another with narrowed eyes and determined faces. It was time, Miguel told himself. The first fight. Sensei Lawrence and Mr. LaRusso were right. This was what he had been training for.

"You're aware of the rules," the ref reminded them. "Three points wins." Miguel turned and bowed to the ref when directed, then bowed to Doug when instructed to as well. Then the referee swung his hand down and declared, "Fight!"

Doug launched himself forward with a vicious elbow strike aimed at Miguel's collarbone, contact he avoided at the last second by pivoting hard to his left. Before Doug could recover, Miguel swung his right hand down and struck him with a hand-chop between his shoulder-blades, striking the Cobra logo on his back.

"That's one point, Diaz," declared the referee.

The next round started. Miguel threw a punch at Doug's chest, only to have it deflected. He had less than a second to bring his own arm down to block his opponent's follow-up punch. Miguel then wrapped his left leg around Doug's right, threw himself against the Cobra, tripping his competitor out from under him. He brought his knuckles down hard on Doug's stomach with a quick hit.

"Two points, Diaz!"

Doug's fists were raised and he bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet, scowling at Miguel in the time it took for the referee to give the call to fight. Miguel met his scowl with a determined game face of his own. And when Doug's fist came straight at him, he was ready.

Miguel rotated his hips, grabbed Doug's arm with both his hands, shifted his body in front of the Cobra, and flipped him over his shoulder. As soon as his opponent's back hit the floor, Miguel did an elbow-drop on his gut, driving a loud groan out of the Cobra and earning him his third point.

"Winner, Diaz from Eagle Fang!"

The Eagle Fangs erupted in hollers and cheers for Miguel, and Sensei Lawrence pumped his fist. Along with the applause from the audience, including from his mother and grandma, Miguel allowed himself to soak all of their the support and validation. It pumped him up, got the smile on his face to spread wider. He'd almost forgotten how fun a tournament could be.

Then he leveled his eyes over at the line of Cobras. Squaring his shoulders back as he walked over and resumed his place with his teammates, Miguel hoped his three-to-zero clean sweep victory sent a loud message to Sensei Kreese: the champion was back.

While other matches were going on across the gymnasium, the referee called the next competitor up to mat one. "Samantha LaRusso." And her opponent was Big Red from Cobra Kai.

She expected her adversary to attack first. If nothing else, Cobra Kai was predictive in that way. So she was prepared when he came at her with back-to-back punches, blocking both with switch movements from her arms. And after the second one, she reached her foot out, locked it behind his knee, and twisted it out from under him. Big Red hit the mats, and Sam took a knee fast to strike his chest with her fist, taking her first point.

As soon as the referee signaled the next round, Big Red barreled at her, locked his hands around her back, and attempted to throw her down. But Sam reached around and grabbed a handful of his gi, pulling him down with her, rolling over the Cobra. While he was disoriented, Sam kicked the ball of her foot out and made contact with his back with it.

"Two points, LaRusso!"

Emboldened now, this time Sam made the first move, launching a front kick at Big Red's chest, which he deflected with a prompt block from his hands. Then, in the time it took Sam to breathe in, he did a backflip to close the space between them, kicking Sam on the shoulder on his way back to landing on his feet. She hissed, walking back to her spot as the ref gave Big Red the point, rubbing the sore muscle.

"You okay, Sam?" asked her father, taking a step toward the mats.

Sam nodded, gesturing for him to remain where he was. "I'm okay," she called out. She then caught the looks from both Tory and Robby over on the Cobra Kai sideline. Their eyes made her shiver, feeling like a mouse with a broken paw in front of a couple of snakes.

But she wasn't going to let any of them intimidate her. Taking a deep, calming breath, Sam balled her fists by her waist. And after the referee gave the signal, she rose her arm to block a punch from her opponent when he attacked, and shifted on her feet to avoid a backhanded punch from his other hand. Bid Red spun around and aimed a kick at her front, and she ducked low at the last second, letting his leg fly over her head. She then launched forward, her arm springing from her side, and striking Big Red in his ribs.

The referee exclaimed, "Winner, LaRusso from Miyagi-Do!"

And so the qualifying matches commenced. Each team cheered for their friends when they were called up to fight. And all of them kept a careful watch on their rival dojos as each win brought them closer and closer to facing off against one another.

Everyone watched when the referee called Kyler to face off against a student from Topanga. It could barely be called a match. Miguel's eyes remained fixed on Kyler the whole time, watching him practically hop on his feet in anticipation until the referee told them, "Fight!"

Then the Cobra struck his prey without hesitation. Kyler swept in, wrapped his arms around his opponent, and body-slammed him to the ground; Miguel noted Kyler still preferred to fight like a wrestler. And a quick elbow pile-drive into the Topanga student's gut ended the match, leaving him groaning on the mats. An on-purpose mimicry of Miguel's final win against Doug.

Kyler earned his next two points without any more of a hassle, that first hit had knocked the wind out of his opponent so bad. A complete sweep, just like Miguel had shown during his first fight. And seeing Miguel glaring at him after he earned his way to the next match, Kyler grinned and made a flicking gesture with his hand under his chin, taunting him.

Tory stepped up to the mats when they called her name. Watching as she secured a black headband around her head to keep her hair back, Miguel held his breath as he waited the next few seconds until they announced who her opponent would be. And his eyes widened at hearing them say it would be Nathaniel.

"Goddammit," Nate muttered, shaking his head. Even encouraging shoulder pats from Chris and Demetri didn't give him a boost of confidence.

It probably didn't help much, either, when Sam told him, "Be careful." She glared at Tory, who met her stare with a smirk of her own.

Mr. LaRusso tried to be more reassuring, clapping his hands. "You can do this, Nate. Just remember to concentrate."

From where Miguel, Hawk, Sam, and the others from their dojos were watching, Nate certainly seemed to try. He had his fists up and ready to go when the referee gave the call to fight. And when Tory charged at him, he tucked his elbows in to guard his chest. But Tory soared right past him, and before Nate could even begin to guess what she was doing, she spun around and kicked him on the back, sending him face-down on the mats.

"One point, Nichols!" the referee announced.

Nate didn't fare well during the next round, either. While he blocked Tory's punch aimed at his shoulder, he wasn't fast enough to defend himself from her grabbing his gi with her other hand and driving her knee up into his chest, landing her the second point.

"C'mon, Nate," Bert encouraged from the Eagle Fang sideline, looking genuinely troubled by his rival's lack of good luck. "This next point is yours!"

His optimism didn't translate into reality, however. Because even as Nate ducked and dodged back-to-back kicks with fast and nimble movements, when he tried landing a punch of his own, Tory hit his arm out of the way with her own and struck her leg out again, nailing him in the ribs with her shin.

With the score three-to-zero, the referee called it. "Winner, Nichols from Cobra Kai!"

Miguel watched while Mr. LaRusso gave Nate a reassuring pat on the back when he returned to his teammates. "It's okay, Nate." The other Miyagi-Dos joined in helping their friend feel better. Meanwhile, Tory rejoined her own team, leveling glares between Sam, Hawk, and Miguel on her way to them.

The qualifying rounds continued one after the other on the various mats. Members from Miyagi-Do, Eagle Fang, and Cobra Kai each fought and most of them kept winning against the members from the other dojos in the Valley, narrowing down the numbers more and more on the path to the quarterfinals. But it was only when someone from Cobra Kai was eliminated that Mr. LaRusso and Sensei Lawrence seemed especially relieved.

The referee called up Chris from their group next. His opponent came from All-Star Karate.

"Good luck, Chris!" called out Sam, and the rest of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang cheered him on as he and the other competitor took their places and did their customary bows.

His opponent opened with a low kick, which Chris lifted his own leg to block. Shifting around, his fists up in a defensive posture, Chris waited for his competitor to come at him again. And when he did, Chris swung around and delivered a high roundhouse kick to the other boy's collarbone, earning his point.

Chris embodied the strategy of wait-and-attack more than any of the other students in Miyagi-Do, Miguel had noticed. He watched Chris shuffle on his feet, he and his opponent circling each other, and when the student from All-Star at last aimed a kick at his side, Chris grabbed his leg, backflipped him over on the ground, and punched his shoulder, getting the second point.

The student from All-Star thought he could pull a similar move when he caught Chris's leg in the next round. Chris remained sturdy on his other leg long enough to bring his right hand down with a knife-hand punch on his competitor's exposed shoulder, gaining his victory and Miyagi-Do's first three-to-zero sweep.

The referee announced the next competitor. "Robby Keene."

While Robby stepped up to the mats, Mitch's head darted up when the ref called his name next to fight him. Miguel and Hawk both stared at their teammate, noting his uncertain eyes and slightly slackened jaw. All the previous enthusiasm Mitch had shown to have a go at Cobra Kai seemed to vanish. But this was Eagle Fang's first chance to knock Robby out of the Tournament. He knew what that meant.

Before he took a step forward, Mitch looked at Sensei Lawrence. "Sensei…?"

Sensei Lawrence continued to stare at Robby for another moment before telling Mitch, "Give it your best shot. Don't hold back."

"Kick his ass, Mitch!" Hawk cheered on, and the rest of Eagle Fang clapped in agreement.

When the referee gave the signal, Robby attacked first. Miguel's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Robby come at Mitch with a wild windmill kick. Mitch managed to raise his arms in time to block the hit, only for Robby to spin around, drop low and hook his foot around Mitch's leg. He swept it out from under him, and the second Mitch hit the floor, Robby punched him in his stomach, earning the first point.

The second round started, and this time Mitch made the first move. He barreled forward and tried to make a simple grab of Robby to throw him to the ground. Robby shifted fast on his feet, avoiding Mitch's arms. With quick reflexes, he threw a backhanded punch on the back of Mitch's shoulder.

"Two points, Keene!"

On the sidelines, all the Eagle Fangs were cringing in sympathy, even as they still cheered Mitch on. But Miguel already had a sinking suspicion about what was going to happen next.

In a last-ditch effort to start evening the score, Mitch struck aggressively, coming at Robby with a right punch, and then a left, both of which Robby expertly blocked with his arms. He put Mitch back on the defensive with a straight kick, which Mitch took two great leaps back to avoid.

While Mitch raised his fists back up near his face, Robby lowered his guard. Fully prepared to take advantage of this opening, Mitch took his first step to closing the gap. Miguel and Hawk both watched what happened next with worried expressions.

Flipping forward, dropping the flat of his right palm to the floor, Robby pushed his entire weight off it, launching his whole body up. He shot his legs out just as Mitch approached him, kicking him straight in the chest, sending the other boy careening backward and falling on his back. The same move Robby had performed during the finals of the previous year.

"Winner, Keene from Cobra Kai!" declared the ref.

Hawk saw Sensei Lawrence glare over at where Sensei Kreese stood at the end of the Cobra Kai line while Mitch made his way back to his team, head down. The old man simply shrugged and called out to Sensei Lawrence, "He never was Cobra Kai material."

Like Nate, Mitch had been utterly humiliated. That was the whole point. It was the exact sort of public embarrassment and total disgrace Sensei Kreese wanted to put them through in front of the whole Valley. He wanted to show off his Cobra Kai destroying their enemies and making a mockery of their skills while doing it.

"Good try, Mitch," assured Hawk. And Miguel gave him a couple of comforting claps on his shoulder as he took his place in their line again, before leveling his own glare back at the Cobra Kai group, back on Robby, who was getting his own shoulder patted by Sensei Kreese in praise.

The fights went on. More and more competitors were eliminated from the qualifying matches as the remaining members of Miyagi-Do, Cobra Kai, and Eagle Fang kept advancing. The three dojos combined eliminated the majority of the fighters from All-Star and Topanga. It became more and more clear this had come down to the war between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang. Just as Kreese had wanted.

And even as Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do advanced, it didn't escape any of their notice how Kyler, Tory, and Robby all kept scoring perfect three-pointers in their matches. Even Miguel had been unlucky a couple of times, but Cobra Kai was unstoppable.

Demetri's mouth twisted when the referee announced he would fight next and that he would be facing Mikey from Cobra Kai. He'd lucked out so far, fighting only students from Topanga and All-Star. No doubt after watching Mitch's defeat, he wasn't enthusiastic about it finally being his turn to fight someone from that dojo.

"Heh, easy pickings," chuckled Mikey when they met on the mats.

Demetri narrowed his eyes, but when the referee gave the signal to fight, he quickly scuttled backward on his feet as Mikey came at him, managing to avoid back-to-back punches by moving faster. But anxiety set in, and he stumbled back one step too far.

The ref blew his whistle, crossing his arms. "Out of bounds!"

"Don't just run away from him, Demetri!" yelled Hawk. The stress of performing in a high-stakes tournament aside, he couldn't watch his friend revert back to bad habits. Not now of all places and all times. Demetri was stronger than that now.

On Miyagi-Do's side, Mr. LaRusso added, "Don't let him keep you on the defensive. Focus on his attacks, he'll give you an opening."

Mikey struck first again at the call of the next round. But rather than shuffling back this time when the Cobra came at him with a forward punch, Demetri pivoted around, swinging his right arm out as he did so to nail Mikey's exposed shoulder. His teammates cheered when the referee announced he'd gained the point.

Their cheers were short-lived when Mikey hit Demetri with a windmill kick the next round, evening the score out one-to-one. Demetri was able to recover, however, landing a solid hit on Mikey's back when he overshot his following attack. Demetri couldn't hold back his smug smile at being in the lead now, two-to-one.

"Remember the right arm," Sensei Kreese called out to his student.

Over on the Eagle Fang side, Hawk's skin went cold at hearing him point that out. Of course Kreese would exploit any weakness. Of course he would. And Hawk watched Demetri's left hand hover over his right arm while he and Mikey resumed their positions. His friend had heard Kreese, too.

At the signal, Mikey attacked, going after Demetri with a roundhouse kick. Demetri backed up to let it miss him. And when Mikey followed that up with a straight punch, Demetri's right arm flew up to block it on reflex.

Without hesitation, Mikey grabbed Demetri's wrist with his left hand and pivoted around, trying to lock Demetri's arm behind him. And from where he was watching, Hawk's breath became caught in his throat, worried Demetri would freeze long enough for Mikey to land a hit on his defenseless back.

Instead, Demetri moved fast on his feet, twisting himself around to dislodge Mikey's hold on his arm, throwing his left fist forward as he spun around, knocking the wind from his opponent when he slammed it into Mikey's stomach.

"Hell yes! Go, Demetri!" Hawk exclaimed over the loud shouts and whoops from Miyagi-Do as the referee called Demetri's third point, advancing his friend to the next level of the Tournament.

And so the matches continued on, fight after fight, until they narrowed it down to seven who would be proceeding to the quarterfinals: Robby, Tory, and Kyler from Cobra Kai; Sam, Demetri, and Chris from Miyagi-Do; and Miguel from Eagle Fang.

Finally, it was down to the final match of the qualifying rounds, the one that would determine who would be the eighth competitor: Bert from Eagle Fang versus Dieter from Cobra Kai.

"Bullshit!" objected Hawk, slamming the tip of his left crutch down on the ground in exasperation.

Sensei Lawrence didn't look happy about it, either. The height difference between the two put Bert at an even greater disadvantage than his previous year's competition. Miguel watched his Sensei glare over at Sensei Kreese and Mr. Silver again, who were laughing at the situation. But, being unable to do anything about it, Sensei Lawrence gave Bert an encouraging slap on the back. "Alright, show him what you're made of."

"You'd really think they'd have a height and weight division in a tournament like this," observed Demetri from where he stood at the end of the Miyagi-Do line.

Once Bert and Dieter did their bows and got into position, the referee gave the call. "Fight!"

Bert kept his fists raised and elbows tucked in when Dieter attacked. The Cobra launched his leg up, sweeping it right over Bert's head, with him having barely ducked out of the way. For a hopeful second, his teammates wondered if he might not end up with some advantage after all. Only for Dieter to drive his foot back between Bert's shoulder-blades, sending the boy face-first to the mats.

Miguel, Hawk, and Mitch all cringed, and Sensei Lawrence ran his hands down his face in aggravation while Bert picked himself up and took his position again. "It's okay, Bert, you got this!" Sensei called out.

It turned out, in fact, he did not. Bert managed to raise his arms to block a hand-chop Dieter threw down at his head, but that left his stomach exposed. The Cobra drove his knee up into it, getting an easy second point.

From the sidelines, the Eagles groaned. "C'mon, Bert!" yelled Hawk, seeing the dejection on Bert's face. "What happened to all that training? When your opponent kicks your ass, get up and dish it back!"

Adjusting his glasses, Bert knitted his eyebrows together, and he gave a firm nod in Hawk's direction. Putting on his game face, he resumed his fighting position.

Raising his fists and leveling his harsh glower at Dieter, Bert warned him, "Prepare to feel what it's like to be bitten by an Eagle, shitbreath."

When the next round began, all the Eagles tensed when Dieter came at Bert with a low punch. But, like a flip had been switched, Bert's hands flew up to catch his opponent's arm. And with a quick, firm movement, he jerked Dieter's arm down, pulling him closer, and kicked his shin into the Cobra's ribs.

When the referee gave the point to Bert, the looks on the faces of those on the Cobra Kai sideline said it all. Sensei Kreese in particular had an expression Hawk wished he could have framed. None of them had expected that.

Having lost his chance at a perfect win, Dieter opened the next round with an aggressive front kick. Bert scuttled backward to avoid it and held his hands out to block the next one. On the third try, Bert successfully grabbed Dieter's ankle and then pulled his leg out. The Cobra hobbled, trying to maintain his balance, but Bert tugged as hard as he could back, bringing his opponent down. And before Dieter could sit back up, Bert slammed his foot down on his chest.

"Alright!" Sensei Lawrence pumped his fist harder, and Eagle Fangs cheered louder than ever to encourage their teammate. Mitch even grabbed Miguel in an anxious hug. The tension was now at its peak. It was two-to-two. The next point would decide the winner.

"Fight!"

As soon as Dieter twisted around, lifting his leg for a roundhouse kick, Bert pivoted at the same time. And all of Eagle Fang watched wide-eyed as Dieter's foot flew harmlessly over Bert's body, while his high kick landed on Dieter's collarbone.

"Yes! Yes! That's how you do it!" Hawk screamed in celebration.

When the referee raised Bert's arm and declared him the winner of his match, the Eagle Fangs lost their minds at their friend's come-from-behind victory. Miguel wouldn't be going into the next phase alone, he was going to have one of his teammates with him.

While Sensei Kreese and Mr. Silver looked upon Dieter in disgust as he trudged back to their side, the Eagles crowded around Bert, each clapping him on the back, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, or ruffling his hair to congratulate him on making it to the quarterfinals.

Sensei Lawrence met Sensei Kreese's cold stare as he reminded his students, "Good work, you guys. Now let's show Cobra Kai why Eagles are the only animal that can kill a snake."