Miguel loosened the muscles in his shoulders as he stepped on the mats, meeting up with Chris in their designated spots. According to the bracket board, they had been selected to be the first match in the quarterfinals. Miguel had hoped he would get the chance to eliminate a Cobra Kai before he had to face someone from Miyagi-Do, but there was no helping it. They didn't get to choose who they fought.
"Good luck," said Miguel, jutting his chin out at Chris.
"Same," replied Chris.
The two bowed to the ref when instructed, then to each other, and got in formation. Miguel raised his fists up near his jaw, while Chris kept his flexed by his sides. The referee swung his hand down, giving the signal. "Fight!"
Normally Miguel would have attacked first in a scenario like the one he was in now. But he'd spent months observing the fighting styles of the other guys from both Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do. They'd trained together, he'd learned their preferences, the way they liked to battle. And he'd just gotten a refresher on Chris's in the qualifying matches. He would wait. Miguel knew he would have to be careful and work around someone who favored defense as heavily as Chris did.
The two of them circled one other, staring each other in the eyes, keeping their fists where they were, waiting for the other to strike first. Miguel tried to block out his teammates' cheers from the sideline, where they were urging him to attack. It was taking everything he had to be patient and wait for Chris to come to him, especially with everyone's eyes on him.
And feeling the sheer force of those gazes locked on his every footstep, Miguel started to second-guess himself. After all, they couldn't keep circling each other all day.
Going against his instincts, which told him to wait, Miguel finally went for it. Shuffling forward to close the gap, he pivoted hard on his hip and raised his leg, aiming his foot at his opponent's chest.
Chris lifted his knee to block Miguel's kick. Miguel followed up with a punch at his ribs, but Chris swept out his right hand to knock it out of the way and reached out with his left hand to grab Miguel's shoulder. Miguel found himself dragged in closer as Chris rammed his knee into his stomach, earning the first point.
Miguel cursed under his breath, feeling his face heat up while he and Chris resumed their places. Chancing a quick glance over at the Eagle Fangs, he saw Sensei Lawrence wince, even as he clapped and called out, "It's okay, Diaz, you'll recover."
Standing beside Sensei Lawrence, Hawk said, "Miguel, make him come to you!"
Clenching his jaw, Miguel nodded once and turned back around, getting in position. Hawk must have noticed his mistake, too. He wouldn't ignore his instincts again. Now he had a plan.
"Fight!"
Miguel took a stride forward as if he was about to attack, and Chris immediately raised his arms on reflex to counter him. Miguel faked him out, ducked back around to his left, bringing his fists down to his sides, exposing himself to attack.
And Chris took the bait, extended his arm out to punch him on his chest. Before Chris's fist could make contact, Miguel's left arm shot up to deflect it. He then flung his right hand across to deliver a solid punch to Chris's chest instead.
"One point, Diaz!" announced the referee.
A smirk curled around the corner of Miguel's mouth. And judging by Chris's expression, his opponent must have figured out his wait-and-attack strategy wasn't going to work on him as it did against the other competitors during the qualifying matches.
The next round started, and Miguel opened with a flying kick. Rather than duck, Chris threw his arms up to block it, and Miguel spun around to come at him with a windmill kick this time. Chris had to stumble back to avoid the attack, and Miguel continued with his onslaught with an ax-kick this time.
Chris managed to leap out of the way again to dodge the move. And now seeing what Miguel's ruthless strategy was going to be, Chris moved on the offense in an attempt to get Miguel to stop his barrage of attacks. They both hit each other's knees when trying to kick at the same time, and Chris recovered first to launch a fist at Miguel's chest.
Miguel ducked, grabbed Chris's extended arm, and flipped him over his shoulder. When Chris landed flat on his stomach, Miguel got his second point with a swift punch to Chris's back. Now it was two-to-one.
"Fight!"
At the referee's word, Chris took a step forward and Miguel shifted back, changing up his strategy again. Chris took another step, this time following it up with a straight kick. Miguel raised his left knee to block it and countered with a punch from his right arm. Chris knocked it out of the way with his left hand, exposing his shoulder.
Miguel reacted, kicking his right leg out and aiming his foot at Chris's shoulder. His opponent raised his left arm to not only stop it but also catch and grab Miguel's ankle. Shuffling a couple of steps back his feet, Chris yanked hard on the leg and Miguel fell to the ground.
As soon as Chris released his ankle to attack him, Miguel rolled over on the mats before his competitor could land his hit. He had just enough time to get up on his knees and raise one arm to block Chris's hand-chop, and then swing his other fist around to nail Chris on his vulnerable side.
Miguel stood up, a tired grin plastered on his face, and the announcer grabbed his arm and raised it, declaring, "Winner, Miguel Diaz from Eagle Fang Karate!"
Once the announcer released him, Miguel, still smiling, extended his hand down to Chris, helping pull the Miyagi-Do student back on his feet. "Good match," he congratulated, giving Chris a quick pat on the shoulder. At least this had been a fun match, in a way a fight with any of the Cobras could never be. It was what the entire Tournament should have been like, in a better universe.
"Thanks, man," returned Chris, giving him a fist-bump. "I'll beat you next time."
And with that, they both made their way back to their respective sides to rejoin their teammates.
The next match according to the bracket board was between Bert and Kyler. To say the Eagle Fangs were frustrated that Bert was yet again matched against someone much taller than him would have been an understatement. Sensei Lawrence even muttered under his breath about it being Kreese's fault somehow, he was sure it had to be a conspiracy.
Nevertheless, Bert had no choice but to face his opponent. And while Miguel, Hawk, Mitch, and all of Eagle Fang clapped for him, he tried putting on his game face to show he wasn't intimidated. But Kyler just snickered, raising his fists when the ref told them to get in their assigned spots.
"Fight!"
Kyler leaped into action, spinning around and coming down on Bert with a flying ax-kick. Bert had to hop out of the way to avoid having Kyler's heel strike down on his head. He countered with his own high kick once Kyler had both feet back on the mats.
In a flash, Kyler deflected Bert's kick with a flick of his hand. He then leaned closer, grabbed his right arm, shifted his right leg against Bert's own to destabilize his balance, and then threw the Eagle to the ground. A quick foot stomp to Bert's chest landed him the first point of the match.
Bert's teammates all cringed from where they were watching it happen. "Shit," muttered Miguel under his breath, flexing his fists at his sides as he could only watch while Kyler laughed when Bert had to pick himself off the ground and rub a hand over where Kyler had struck him.
"Don't let him intimidate you, Bert," called out Hawk. "He's nothing, you got this!"
Kyler laughed again, unimpressed by the rally of support for Bert, telling him, "You don't got shit, loser."
The second round began. Kyler came at Bert with a front kick to his chest, which Bert threw out his hands to push back. Kyler then tried to grab him, but Bert moved nimbly on his feet, circling around the Cobra to avoid his grasp. Kyler retaliated by swinging a roundhouse kick around, nailing Bert faster than he could defend himself this time.
"One more point," said Kyler, sneering down at Bert when the boy picked himself off the ground. "I'm gonna sweep the floor with your ass and keep up my perfect score while doing it."
Bert responded by adjusting his glasses up to the bridge of his nose with his middle finger.
They started the third round, and Kyler didn't hesitate to come in strong. Wrapping his arms around Bert, Kyler picked him up and flipped him over like a rag doll. However, as he was being thrown down, Bert wrapped his left leg between Kyler's, and when his right foot landed on the mat he was able to drive himself up with enough momentum to throw Kyler off his balance, bringing him down with him. The two of them rolled on top of each other, and as they tried untangling themselves, Bert's glasses were knocked off in the process. But Bert was able to free himself first and slam his fist on Kyler's chest.
The Eagle Fangs all perked up and erupted in cheers. And Miguel wondered if this might not be the start of another miraculous, come-from-behind victory for their teammate.
That hope cooled for Miguel when he watched Kyler loom threateningly over Bert and scowl at him. "You're gonna pay for that point, bitch," Kyler warned him, making it a point to crush Bert's glasses under the heel of his foot as he walked back to his spot.
"Screw you, Kyler!" yelled Hawk, and Miguel had to grab his shoulder when he hobbled a step towards with the mats with his crutches to calm him down.
"Boo! Pussy move!" Mitch jeered.
Over with the Miyagi-Dos, Nate groaned. "I told him he should've switched to contacts."
Miguel turned to Sensei Lawrence. "Sensei, you gotta do something."
Frowning in frustration, Sensei Lawrence gestured with his hands and yelled, "Time out!"
Bert returned to their side with his broken frames in his hands, holding them up to his face to show how the lenses had been cracked. And as Sensei Lawrence ran up to the referee, with Sensei Kreese stepping in to back his student up, Miguel and Hawk and all the Eagles could only watch helplessly as Kyler shrugged and defended himself by saying, "It was an accident, how was I supposed to know his glasses were there?"
Things weren't any more optimistic when, after a heated argument, Sensei Lawrence came back to them and delivered the referee's verdict. "They're saying if you don't got a backup pair, then you either gotta fight or forfeit."
"My spare pair's at home," said Bert. All the Eagles groaned, and Sensei Lawrence ran his hands down his face. But, pocketing his broken glasses, Bert declared, "It's okay, I'll still finish the fight. I'm not giving up like a pussy."
Hawk smirked, nudging Bert's shoulder with his elbow. "Hell yeah, man!"
"Go get him, Bert," encouraged Miguel. He and the others, as well as everyone from Miyagi-Do, clapped for Bert as their teammate stepped back on the mats to face his opponent, now at an even worse disadvantage than before.
Bert raised his fists and waited for the referee to give the signal. And once he received it, with nothing more to lose, he launched himself at Kyler. Squinting hard, he flung his fists with one punch after another, pushing Kyler farther and farther back on the mat, all the way to the edge of the boundary. Hawk and Miguel both watched in anticipation, realizing Bert was backing the Cobra into a corner.
But Kyler figured out his intention, as well. And like a snake that had been cornered, he bit back.
He took one more step backward to avoid Bert's straight kick. And when the Eagle threw another punch at him, Kyler grabbed Bert's wrist and pulled his arm out. He wrapped his other hand across the nape of Bert's neck and shoved the boy down, driving him to meet the knee he pulled up at the same time, ramming it firmly into Bert's stomach.
Once the referee announced the final win for Kyler, he let go, allowing Bert to drop to the mats. And for a minute, Bert laid there, arms wrapped around his gut and groaning. Miguel, Hawk, and Mitch watched helplessly from the sidelines, concerned, while Sensei Lawrence rushed out to check on their teammate. And they all let out a collective sigh of relief when Sensei helped Bert get back on his feet.
"You did great, man," Hawk reassured Bert once he'd limped back to the group
While everyone reassured Bert that he'd still acted like a total badass, especially with everything that had been stacked against him, Miguel narrowed his eyes at the Cobras where they stood across the mats on their side. Kyler already had him in his sight and flashed another rude gesture with his arms his way.
So, it would come down to a fight between them again, this time in the semifinals. But Miguel was glad about that. He would ten times rather have kicked Kyler's ass in front of an audience to earn his way to the finals than to fight his own teammate for the honor.
"I'll get him back for you, Bert," Miguel promised. "For all of us."
With two matches of the quarterfinals down, there were still two to go. And the referee announced the next fighters: Demetri from Miyagi-Do versus Tory from Cobra Kai.
Having watched while Kyler took care of Bert, Tory frowned at the bracket board. This wasn't the fight she had been hoping for after they announced everyone who'd made it to the quarterfinals. She'd hoped, more than anyone, to be paired against Sam, but whoever was in charge of picking the fights decided to give Robby that honor instead.
Meanwhile, she was stuck fighting the lanky nerd. Why was she wasting her skills by having to pick off the weaklings? Her talents were so much greater than this. She deserved a real opportunity to prove herself and a real chance to get even with the fighters who'd actually made her life miserable.
From the Eagle Fang sideline, she heard Hawk call out in encouragement, "Go kick ass, Demetri!"
Tory kept her sight set on her opponent while they stepped on the mats together and walked closer to each other to meet in the middle. Demetri's unsure expression hardened as he narrowed his eyes and frowned at her. And, squaring his shoulders back a little, he said, "You're gonna pay for busting Eli's kneecap."
Tory scoffed, although part of her wanted to laugh at Demetri's paltry attempts to sound like a badass. But even if she didn't laugh, she couldn't resist grabbing the knife he'd brought to the fight and twist it back in him. "I thought you were supposed to have his back?" she remarked, arching an eyebrow. "Some friend, I guess."
That hit its mark, judging by how Demetri's shoulders slumped and his frown twitched. And before Demetri could get another word in, the referee told them to take their spots, giving Tory the last word for now.
They did their quick bows, neither one of them putting in more than the bare minimum effort to make a small lean towards the other. It was unsportsmanlike conduct, for sure, but Tory didn't care. Demetri didn't like her, and she didn't respect him. They were at least on the same page in that department.
And then the referee told them, "Fight!"
Tory swung around in a quick spin kick, aiming to finish this fight as soon as possible. Demetri ducked fast and even managed to avoid her next roundhouse kick with some impressive reflexes. But that was all the credit Tory was prepared to give her opponent. Because after he blocked her next punch, she changed her tactic, giving him an open to attack. And he took the bait.
Tory intercepted Demetri's punch he'd been aiming at her ribs, like a snake snatching a mouse. Grabbing his arm with her left hand and passing it tuck under her own right arm, she exposed Demetri's back for an easy attack. She drove her left knee up and hit the bonsai tree stitched on his gi.
"That's one point, Nichols!"
While she resumed her spot, Tory saw both Sensei Kreese and Mr. Silver nod at her for getting the first point. She knew they expected her to win this match thoroughly and swiftly. This wasn't the fight they wanted to make a spectacle of. Demetri wasn't the symbol of Miyagi-Do like Sam was, nor was he the champion like Miguel. So her match meant nothing.
Meanwhile, she could hear Demetri's friends cheering him on, both from Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang. They had to know he was going to lose, so what was the point of the charade?
She clenched her fists by her sides, the sounds of their support tightening the muscles in her shoulders. They were annoying her, especially Hawk. She remembered how it wasn't so long ago that she and the other Cobras were cheering him on to finish his fight with Demetri and snap his arm. And he'd done it.
Now he was here, rooting for that same wimp while he fought against a much stronger opponent. It was unbelievable how far Hawk had fallen since he turned traitor. A complete joke. She would have to show him there was no point wasting his breath.
The next round started. Demetri still didn't attack first. Typical Miyagi-Do. So Tory came in, going after her opponent with a couple of token-effort punches. She expected him to block them. She wanted to lure him into attacking. Enough of that holier-than-thou defense-only bullshit from the Miyagi-Dos. If Demetri was actually serious about getting revenge for his friend, why didn't he act like it?
After he avoided a high kick, Demetri finally shot his arm out to punch her. Tory shifted her feet so she stepped behind him, avoiding Demetri's fist. She reached out lightning-fast to grab the back of his gi and gave a strong yank, dragging Demetri down backward. She chopped her hand down on Demetri's collarbone before letting him fall to his back on the mats.
The referee called out, "Two points, Nichols!"
Demetri picked himself back up, and Tory could tell by the reaction on his face that the predicament he'd found himself in was starting to really sink in. And a part of her almost hoped he would surprise her in the next few seconds by turning things around. To make things at least interesting.
Because this? This was boring. Where was she to get satisfaction beating someone like Demetri?
She had spent months training for the Tournament, and was this all she could expect from it? Because this felt as hollow as it had been taking out Hawk. And that wasn't fair. Her Senseis had told her she would redeem Cobra Kai by making Hawk pay for betraying them, and that she would get the contentment that came from being a winner by doing it.
But try as she might, she never got that satisfaction they said she would. Seeing Hawk on the ground, hugging his knee close, then crying like a baby when Robby cut his hair, none of it made her feel like a real winner. Nor was she feeling like one now, making a fool of Demetri.
How was this making her life better?
"Fight!"
Gritting her teeth, Tory attacked. Demetri dodged her opening kick with a quick duck, and raised his elbow in time to block her punch that followed. Demetri avoided a spin kick again, and this time tried going for an open, aiming his knuckles at her shoulder. Tory knocked his arm out of its path and with a quick, sharp twist of her hips, slammed her elbow against Demetri's jaw.
"Winner, Tory Nichols from Cobra Kai!" announced the referee.
While Cobra Kai's claps drowned out the disappointed groans coming from the students in Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang, Tory shook her head. She stared at Demetri, who had raised a hand to wipe the trickle of blood that was dripping from the split-lip she'd given him with her last hit.
So she'd beaten him. It was a given. So why didn't she feel the satisfaction of being a winner?
Because Demetri meant nothing to her. Beating him did nothing to get back at the universe for ruining her life. She wouldn't get her redemption until she faced either Sam or Miguel.
But Tory's brows furrowed, realizing the next round would have Robby fighting Sam. The universe had taken the satisfaction of beating her and given it to Robby, who Tory was sure would win. Which meant now her only shot at redeeming herself would be by facing Miguel. The boy who'd cheated on her.
And Demetri had been nothing more than a stepping stone on the path to facing the champion.
"So much for making me pay," she remarked to Demetri with another scoff before turning around and making her way over to rejoin her team. "Pathetic."
After they had first set up the brackets on the massive board, Sam had initially felt a weight fall off her shoulders when she saw she and Tory had not been matched up. But the tension piled right back on her muscles again when it showed she would instead be fighting Robby.
She and Miguel had shared a glance, and she could imagine what Miguel must have been feeling. It was within her power now to knock the top fighter out of Cobra Kai.
But then her gaze met Robby's from his side of the mats and that made her gut clench. She couldn't place the look on his face as he stared at her after the announcement had been made, no matter how hard she tried to read it. Conflicted? Upset? Resolved?
She had no trouble recognizing Tory's expression, however, when her eyes had fallen on her rival's face. It was written on it as clear as day. Tory was furious that Robby was getting to fight her, when no doubt she wanted that opportunity for herself.
And judging by how Tory looked like she was almost ready to argue with her Senseis over it, it meant she did not foresee a scenario where she and Sam would face each other in the semifinals. Narrowing her eyes, Sam wanted to yell out to Tory and tell her she would have her turn, but first that would mean beating Robby. And that was the only reason Tory was angry: she was already sure Robby was going to beat her.
"Sam, are you alright?" asked her father, staring at her with clear worry etched into his features.
Gathering her resolve, Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry, Dad, I'm ready."
That was a lie. She wasn't ready to face Robby. She didn't want to fight Robby. And as she stepped on the mats and met him in the middle, she kept hoping he would finally make the right choice and step away from Cobra Kai, before it was too late.
Standing at the center of the mats, Sam continued to study Robby's face. She noticed the slight furrow of his brow, the way he had trouble maintaining eye contact with her, how the corners of his mouth twitched. And, for a moment, Sam held a bit of hope.
"Tory tells me you and Miguel aren't seeing each other anymore," said Robby.
Sam blinked, trying to register what he was really trying to say. She guessed Tory must have found out that news somehow. "That's right," she replied. There wasn't enough time to go into things deeper than that.
Robby's eyebrows furrowed deeper, looking almost hurt, even as his mouth stretched into a firm, thin line. "Good to know we all ruined each other's lives for no reason then."
It didn't take much to read between the lines of what he was saying now. And at that moment, Sam pitied Robby. Because she knew if she and Miguel hadn't kissed each other at Moon's party, the school fight never would have happened, and Robby never would have been sent to juvie. And they wouldn't be ready to fight each other now for the future of the Valley.
But no matter how much she hadn't intended to hurt Robby by that kiss, it had happened, as had everything that followed. And Sam knew that action must have played some part in Robby joining Cobra Kai. And now here Robby was, having to face the fact that she wasn't even seeing the boy she had cheated on him for.
Sam wanted to say something, to go into the reasons why things between her and Miguel hadn't lasted. She wanted to explain that they weren't able to make things work because of their unresolved feelings for how they'd hurt Robby…and Tory…in the process of trying to rekindle what they'd had before. There had been too much guilt over their respective ex and too much animosity towards the other's.
If nothing else, wouldn't Robby at least get some satisfaction from that?
Sam wanted to tell him these things, but the referee ordered them to bow to him and then to each other. And the time for talking was over.
"Fight!"
Robby launched a high kick at her, swinging it down on Sam's left side. She pushed it out of the way with a raise of her arm, and shifted her hips to bring her knee up. Robby blocked it from hitting his gut with his hands. Sam followed up with a round kick from her opposite leg, which Robby ducked to avoid, too.
He tried to punch her with his left fist, which her arm flew up to block. She also blocked his attempt to lean in with his right elbow and try to hit her collarbone. Sam then countered, spinning around to deliver an elbow-jab herself. Robby's hand shot out and grabbed Sam's right elbow and twisted her around so he could deliver a firm punch to her back.
"One point, Keene!"
Sam hissed under her breath, discreetly rolling her right shoulder. It was still sore from Big Red's kick from the qualifying matches, and when Robby twisted her arm, it had probably inflamed the muscles there more. But she kept her expression as neutral as she could. Robby was a Cobra now. She couldn't reveal any more weakness to him than she already had.
She knew Cobra Kai's style by now. If she let him, Robby would take control of the fight and relentlessly attack. So when the referee started the next round, she opened with an aggressive windmill kick. Robby only narrowly avoided it by stumbling backward on his feet. He brought his arms up in time to safeguard his chest from Sam's foot when she spun around and kicked him again.
Gritting his teeth, her opponent went on the offensive, coming at her with first a high punch and then a low, both of which Sam deflected. And when Robby tried punching her side, Sam moved her right arm out to hit Robby's harmlessly out of the way, and at the same time hooked her right foot around his left knee as he moved in, tripping him. She struck her fist against the Cobra on his his back, gaining a point, and evening the score.
"One point, LaRusso!"
Her friends in Miyagi-Do clapped for her, of course. So did Eagle Fang. And while Sam flashed a small smile at Miguel as he cheered her on, she was surprised to see even Hawk was rooting for her. Whether that was simply because he hated Robby or because they'd gotten civil enough with each other that he wouldn't wish for her to lose, Sam wasn't sure. And she guessed it didn't really matter his motivation. He still wanted to see her win, which was something she'd never thought she'd see.
"Fight!"
Sam aimed for a high punch at Robby's shoulder. His left arm made a rolling motion down that she had just enough time to recognize as the wax-off move her father had taught him. It allowed him to push her arm out of the way so he could shift his right leg in the gap between her feet, wrap his right arm across her collarbone, and push her to the mats. She tried bringing her arms up to defend herself but wasn't fast enough to block his ax-kick.
"Two points, Keene!"
Taking in a deep, calming breath, Sam tried to keep focus. Was Robby trying to psyche her out back there by fighting Miyagi-Do style, she wondered? If so, that wasn't going to work. She knew Mr. Miyagi's style better than any of them.
They started the next round. Robby aimed a left kick high at her, landing his foot back on the mat and lunging forward toward Sam when she backed up to avoid being hit. He struck out his right arm, and she flung up her left one to block it, countering with a right punch herself.
Robby deflected with a gesture Sam identified as sand-the-floor right off the bat. She countered his next hit with the same move. They were practically in sync with their attacks, blocks, and counters; for a brief moment, Sam recounted how they had trained together on the balance wheel, how well they'd come to fight together. With flicks of her wrist, she blocked Robby's subsequent two punches, and then threw him off with a swift kick from her left leg, hitting Robby in his right side with her shin.
"Two points, LaRusso!"
Whoops and hollers were coming from all three sides now, Cobra Kai, Miyagi-Do, and Eagle Fang, everyone cheering on their respective teammate. But at that moment, Sam could only concentrate on her own breathing, on the blood pounding in her ears, on the reality that it was two-to-two now. The next round would decide the winner.
"Finish her!" shouted Sensei Kreese. "Destroy Miyagi-Do!"
Sam watched Robby give a quick glance at his Sensei from over his shoulder, before turning back around. He stared past Sam, at the Miyagi-Do sideline, where Sam imagined he was making eye contact with her father. Then he turned his sight on his own dad, where Sensei Lawrence was standing beside Miguel and the Eagle Fangs.
Narrowing his eyes again, Sam caught Robby's green eyes when they looked back at her. They both kept their gazes on each other while they raised their fists and got back on position.
The referee gave the final signal. "Fight!"
Both of them circled each other for a few seconds, fists raised and poised, ready to strike, staring at one another like they dared their opponent to make the first move.
And it was Robby who broke eye contact first, shooting his left arm out to try and nail Sam's right shoulder. She raised her right arm to deflect it, then hastily lowered it down to block Robby's next attack from his right fist. Grabbing Robby's wrist, Sam twisted it around and over her shoulder, flipping Robby over. His back hit the mats and Sam dropped to her knees to deliver the final blow.
Only to have Robby block her with his own knee, pushing her off. While Sam scrambled to stand up, Robby rolled over back on his knees. With him so exposed, Sam swung her right hand down with a chopping motion, aiming for his collarbone.
But Robby jumped back on his feet in time to dodge. He hit her next two punches out of the way, back to back. Then, he reached out and grabbed Sam's right shoulder. Robby yanked hard, tossing her over his own shoulder, throwing her to the mats. A sharp pain tore through her muscles there, and Sam cried out, unable to even think of defending herself before Robby punched her in the side.
While Robby stood up to the sound of erupting cheers from his fellow Cobras, Sam stayed crouched on the ground, cradling her right shoulder close, whimpering in pain.
"Sam…."
She thought she heard Robby say her name. She squinted her eyes shut. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to face the possibility that this was his payback for hurting him, for cheating on him, for getting back with Miguel, for not putting in enough effort to maintain contact during his stint at juvie. Worse, she didn't want to admit that, from the sound of his voice, maybe, just maybe, he regretted what he'd just done.
"Sam!" That time it was her father yelling, and in a hot second he was kneeling beside her on the mats, even as the ref raised Robby's arm high in the air.
The referee yelled, "Winner, Robby Keene from Cobra Kai!"
Sam hissed when her father laid his hand on her hurt shoulder. The sting brought tears to her eyes. Not only the pain from the inflamed muscles, but also the bitter sting of defeat. "I'm sorry, Dad," she apologized as he gently helped her to her feet.
"Oh honey, no, don't apologize," he told her. "Let's get you to the first-aid station, come on."
Hunching her right shoulder, Sam allowed her father to lead her off the mats and towards the station where her injury could be checked out. She did everything in her power to avoid looking at Robby. Instead, as she passed by the Eagle Fangs, she stared at Miguel.
"I'm sorry, Miguel," she told him, ignoring her dad's insistence that she didn't need to apologize. Because she was sorry. She was sorry for playing her part in this whole thing spiraling as out of control as it had. And she was sorry now because, with her defeat, Miyagi-Do was out of the All-Valley Tournament. Miguel was the only person standing between Kreese's Cobra Kai and a victory. Everything, including the future of Miyagi-Do, rested squarely on his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."