Hawk's vision lingered on the bench where the Miyagi-Dos had settled once they'd been eliminated. Mr. LaRusso had gotten a compress for Sam to put on her shoulder, but the look on her face bore her disappointment and pain in a way that was much worse than any sore muscle. She had lost to Robby. Worse, her loss had put Miyagi-Do out of the competition.
But whatever shame or embarrassment the Miyagi-Dos were feeling, Sam, Demetri, Chris, Nate, all of them were there now to cheer on Miguel with the Eagle Fangs. He was their last hope now against Cobra Kai. Everything was riding on him.
"Let's give it up for all our competitors!" said the announcer from the mats, drawing Hawk's attention to him when he gestured with his free hand to everyone who had made it to the semifinals. On his right side stood Sensei Lawrence and Miguel. On his left were Sensei Kreese, Kyler, Tory, and Robby.
The sight of so many Cobras made Hawk's blood boil. No matter what, Cobra Kai was making it to the finals. It was bullshit.
He frowned, and his eyes fell to the floor for a moment. His mind journeyed back to the previous year's All-Valley Tournament, when he'd ruined his chances to fight Miguel in the finals after he lost his temper on Robby, all because Robby had made fun of his hair.
He should've been fighting in the semifinals now. Kyler, Tory, Robby, Hawk itched at the chance to take any of them on, just so Miguel didn't have to do it alone. But a sharp pain in his knee catapulted Hawk back in the present, and he released the weight he'd put on his left leg without realizing he'd done it.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Hawk pushed his regret and self-pity aside. It wasn't helpful to waste his time wishing for things that would never happen. There weren't any do-overs. He needed to help Miguel keep his eyes on the prize. That, at least, he did have in his power to control.
Then there was Sensei Lawrence. It seemed like Sensei hadn't taken his eyes off Robby since the last match, when his son had shown everyone he was willing to fight like a true Cobra Kai. Had it finally sunken in for Sensei after watching Robby exploit Sam's weakness? Hawk guessed Robby dislocating his shoulder and cutting his hair hadn't been enough for Sensei to see his son wasn't a Miyagi-Do anymore. Maybe Sensei had to see it for himself.
But now Sensei Lawrence was so caught up in Robby, he wasn't even paying attention as the announcer trumpeted the names of the competitors who were moving forward to fight in the semifinals.
"…Or will the winner be last year's returning champion, Miguel Diaz, fighting for Eagle Fang Karate?"
Hawk heard the crowd applaud at the announcer's question. He could even make out the cheers from Miss Diaz and Miguel's grandmother from where they were sitting in the bleachers, not far from Miyagi-Do. If nothing else, Miguel was the audience's fave.
But Miguel wasn't smiling. And why would he? He must have felt completely stranded, even as he was standing there so close to his teammates. His brows were furrowed and his jaw was clenched in a serious frown. Miguel had that particular look on his face, and he was digging his knuckles into his other hand. Was he getting nervous, Hawk wondered?
Once the announcer finished his bit, Sensei Lawrence returned to join the rest of the team, giving Miguel another encouraging pat on his shoulder on his way. And while Miguel stood at the edge of the mats, waiting for the announcer to give the signal for his match to start, Hawk hobbled up to him.
"Just two more rounds, man," Hawk reminded him, a big, crooked smile curling up the side of his face, hoping to hype Miguel up. "Then we'll all head over to Applebee's to celebrate you becoming a two-time champ. Did you figure out where you're gonna display both your trophies yet?"
Miguel didn't answer. He was still staring blankly over at the Cobras, looking like he hadn't heard him at all. And following his eyes, Hawk noticed they were leveled at Robby, looking at him like a bird-of-prey that had zeroed in on its quarry.
"Miguel?" asked Hawk, pinching his brows together. "Yo, Miguel, are you there?"
That got Miguel to blink back to reality. "Yeah, sorry," he apologized, finally stopping with digging his knuckles into his palm. Instead he shook out his hands and rolled his shoulders back, loosening them for the upcoming fight.
Hawk nudged him with his elbow. "Don't tell me you're letting Kyler psych you out."
Miguel shot him a look like he was nuts to suggest it. "What? God no, not Kyler, come on."
"Then get out there and kick his ass," said Hawk, flashing his smile again. Miguel was already thinking about the finals. He was fighting Robby in his head even before he had been given the chance to on the mats. But he had to take it one skirmish at a time. First Kyler. Then he could beat Robby. And Hawk would be there cheering him through both his wins.
Miguel nodded. And when the announcer called on the first competitors of the semifinals to take their places, he walked toward the center of the mats, strolling to the middle to meet Kyler. As he rejoined his teammates, Hawk watched the Cobra jut out his chin out and smirk down at Miguel, the malicious smile only highlighting the look of absolute hatred etched on his face.
"Got any last words, Rhea?" asked Kyler, clenching his fists by his sides.
Standing beside Hawk, Mitch shook his head. "Honestly, I kinda wish I had Kyler's confidence," he admitted. Seeing Hawk's eyes lock onto him, he shrugged. "I mean, think about it. Miguel's kicked his ass how many times now, and he still thinks he can beat him? Even after Operation: Assblast? The audacity, man. You almost gotta admire it."
Hawk rolled his eyes, although in the back of his mind he had to admit that Mitch had something of a point. Because what else was Kyler's choice? Finally admit Miguel was tougher than he would ever be? Admit that he'd wasted so much of his time and energy getting back at Miguel when he never would achieve his revenge? Admit he sold out his friendship with Brucks to do it? Kyler wasn't the type to admit that. And as long as he was in Cobra Kai, he never could.
When the referee gave the call to bow, Kyler didn't even bother to do more than clap his hands at his sides. Miguel at least managed a small bow, in a show of honorable sportsmanship. And the two of them locked their scowls on each other as they raised their fists, ready for all their previous antagonistic encounters to come down to this.
"Fight!"
Hawk watched Miguel duck faster than lightning to avoid Kyler's opening spin kick before it could strike his head and knock him out. Miguel then had to swing his arms up in time to shield himself from an ax-kick Kyler followed up with. And judging by the wince on his face, it had been a brutal hit, looking like it had knocked the wind out of him.
Kyler didn't let up, launching back-to-back side kicks, which had Miguel twisting around to avoid one and raising his knee to block the other. Miguel had to nimbly dodge the next two punches, left and right, that Kyler lodged at him. Kyler was running on pure aggression, that much was clear, and unless Miguel could find an opening to attack, he wouldn't be able to get off the defensive.
Gritting his teeth, Hawk gripped his crutches tighter, only able to spectate as Miguel missed being struck by a backhanded punch by a hair's width. "C'mon, c'mon," he muttered, waiting for Miguel to seize his chance to strike back.
Standing beside Hawk, Bert squinted his eyes, straining to watch the match without his glasses. "How's Miguel doing?" he asked.
Ignoring Bert for that moment, Hawk licked his bottom lip in anticipation, watching as Kyler aimed a high kick at Miguel's face. Miguel jumped back on the balls of his feet to dodge yet another hit. Spinning around, seizing his chance, he then swung a full windmill kick, striking Kyler's jaw just as his opponent had treaded toward him to attack, sending the Cobra staggering back and falling to the floor.
"One point, Diaz!" called the referee.
"Yes!" exclaimed Hawk, grinning at Mitch when the other boy clasped his shoulder in excitement.
Miguel and Kyler resumed their positions. Kyler's scowl had only deepened, barring all his teeth. But when the referee threw down his hand, Miguel must have decided he would not let Kyler take the lead this time. He went at his opponent with one, two, three punches, swinging around to deliver a back-handed punch when all three of those were blocked, but Kyler kept shielding himself to stop the point from landing.
Watching Kyler duck low to avoid Miguel's following windmill kick from hitting his head, Hawk might have appreciated his old bully's quick reflexes if he hadn't been hoping to see Miguel's foot strike his face instead. And his harsh grin spread as he observed Kyler continue to be on the defense, the prey now having to constantly protect himself from a barrage of attacks.
It reminded Hawk of that day in the cafeteria over a year ago, when Miguel had given Kyler his first beatdown. It almost made him nostalgic for a simpler time. Back when it was the most amazing thing he'd ever witnessed in his life. Back to a time when it had been inconceivable that he'd ever chosen to side with Kyler over Miguel, even for a short time.
Hawk was drawn out of the cafeteria back and to the current fight when an opportunity had come for the Cobra to strike, when Miguel's elbow-drive to the jaw missed its target. Kyler grabbed the lapels of Miguel's gi and yanked him down, ramming his knee up at the same time. Luckily, Miguel dropped his other elbow in time to guard his ribs, keeping Kyler from making contact.
From the sideline, Hawk drew a sharp breath, gazing at Miguel as he willingly slid down closer to Kyler to wrap an arm around his thigh. While his enemy still gripped his gi, Miguel rolled himself over, taking Kyler down to the mats with him. He was fortunate enough to land on top of his competitor, and while Kyler was pinned under him, Miguel slammed his elbow down hard on his chest.
The referee announced, "That's two points, Diaz!"
"That's it, Miguel! You're the best! Get him!" cheered Hawk.
"One more, point, dude!" exclaimed Mitch. "Just one more point!"
"Yeah! Go Miguel!" Bert had pulled his broken glasses out of his pocket and held the cracked lenses up to his eyes, which at least helped him make out what was happening.
Miguel actually had a smirk on his face when he met Kyler in the middle again. "You'll never learn, Kyler," he said, squaring his shoulders back. "Maybe you should've given up Kreese's lame-ass karate and stuck to being a wrestler. Or maybe you could've picked up a thing or two at Eagle Fang or Miyagi-Do and learned what real karate is all about."
Kyler opened his mouth, looking like he was going to make a vulgar retort, but the referee cut him off.
"Competitors, take your places."
Once the next round started, Kyler's leg flipped straight out, but Miguel deflected the kick easily enough with his arm. He stepped forward and threw a punch with his other hand to counter. Kyler stepped out of the way, pushing Miguel's arm out of its path with his own. His left fist shot forward to take a strike at Miguel's jaw.
Throwing himself back to avoid being sucker-punched, Miguel twisted around and aimed a spin kick at Kyler's torso. His opponent pivoted on his feet, letting Miguel's foot pass harmlessly by. Hawk saw both of them raise theirs fists back up and scowl at the other.
Both came at each other at once. It happened in the span of a second. Miguel and Kyler spun at the same time and swung their legs out in roundhouse kicks. Miguel grunted when Kyler's foot struck his chest, knocking him to the mats.
Hawk cursed under his breath. Kyler's height advantage had given him the extra few inches necessary for him to land the hit first. There went a clean sweep for Miguel when he heard the referee give Kyler the point, making it now two-to-one.
"How's that for lame-ass karate?" Kyler challenged, giving Miguel a sharp shove when he stood up on his feet, earning him a warning gesture from the ref.
Beside Hawk, Mitch shook his head. "Man, I was really hoping Miguel would beat him three-to-none."
"Same," agreed Hawk. "But as long as he wins, that's all that matters."
On the mats, the referee gave his signal again. "Fight!"
Going on the offense again, Kyler swung his left arm, but a swift rise of Miguel's right arm blocked the hit. Kyler brought up his knee to absorb Miguel's next attack when he tried punching him in the ribs. Pivoting, Kyler extended his leg out to kick Miguel in the chest, but Hawk watched as his boyfriend caught Kyler's leg and pulled it out.
For a moment, Hawk thought Miguel had him then and there, but Kyler drove his leg down with enough force that it broke Miguel's hold. And rather than try and grab it again, Miguel shifted back on his feet, avoiding Kyler's follow-up roundhouse kick in time before it could nail his collarbone.
Kyler closed the gap with a single stride, throwing an aggressive fist at his opponent's chest. Miguel caught Kyler's punch when it came at him, pushing his arm harmlessly out of the way with his left hand before swinging his right fist up from his side to strike Kyler firmly in his stomach, sending the Cobra stumbling backward, where he wrapped his arms around his gut and let out a painful groan.
Hawk's cheers were drowned out, along with the rest of Eagle Fang's, when the crowd erupted in applause, especially after the referee raised Miguel's arm to announce, "Miguel Diaz from Eagle Fang Karate will go on to fight in the finals!"
"Why are you coming back over here?" inquired Sensei Kreese, crossing his arms over his chest, when Kyler made his way back to his team.
Tory stared at Kyler's face as he furrowed his brows, looking confused. From where he was standing beside Sensei Kreese, she heard Mr. Silver snickering, which only seemed to baffle Kyler even more. "Uh, where else should I be going, Sensei?" he asked.
"Out the door, perhaps," answered Sensei Kreese with a dismissive shrug. Narrowing his eyes, he elaborated, "You've allowed Diaz to humiliate you three times now. In December, when he was practically an invalid. At school, when he made you a laughing stock to his dojo. And now, here, in front of the whole Valley. Cobra Kai doesn't need you embarrassing it further. Get out."
A soft, almost inaudible gasp parted Tory's lips. She couldn't say she was entirely surprised by her Sensei's verdict, but to exile Kyler right in the middle of the All-Valley Tournament was pretty harsh. Still, a loss was a loss, right? They all knew it. Kyler couldn't keep losing and still expect to have a place in their dojo.
So she said nothing in his defense when Kyler looked to her and the others to speak on his behalf. None of them dared speak up. Not even Robby, who looked the most troubled of all them.
Although when Kyler turned to leave, Mr. Silver did chuckle again. And calling out to Kyler's back, he quipped, "But we'll let you keep the gi, on the house."
"Man, screw all of you," mumbled Kyler, trudging off away from the group. Tory watched his walk of shame as Kyler passed in front of Miyagi-Do where they were sitting on the bleachers. Then he all but barged through Eagle Fang on their sideline, ignoring the bewildered stares from Miguel and Hawk before making his way to the exit, slamming the doors open to the hallway that led to the locker rooms.
Tory shared a look with Robby. And as their eyes lingered on each other, giving their own nonverbal reactions to Kyler's exile, the announcer declared, "And now, in our last round of the semifinals, both fighting for Cobra Kai, will be Robby Keene versus Tory Nichols!"
Sensei Kreese glared at them both, but Tory felt his stare lingering on her as the two of them broke from the group and stepped onto the mats. Intellectually, she knew something like this might happen. It was just the way tournaments worked sometimes, teammates having to fight teammates, especially the closer things moved toward the finals.
But Tory had hoped she would at least get the satisfaction of taking out a real enemy before she had to remove Robby from the game. She couldn't get the same satisfaction taking him down that she would have by beating Sam.
When they turned around to face each other and bow, Robby didn't look any more enthusiastic about this fight than she was. They didn't even have the option for this to be a fun, friendly match, like the type they shared with each other in the dojo. Too much was riding on the Tournament. Both of them needed this victory too much.
Winning is the only thing that matters….
"Hey, Tory?" She shook her head from its fog when Robby said her name. He nodded once at her. "Good luck."
She said nothing in return but nodded back before raising her fists.
"Fight!"
Tory came at Robby with a straight punch, but Robby's left hand swept her arm out of the way. Then he attacked next, moving to drive his right elbow against her collarbone. She raised both hands to block, then threw her fist at Robby's right shoulder, which he swept out of the way with his right hand. He knocked Tory's left punch away as well, and grabbed her leg when she raised it to kick his side. A swift kick from Robby's right leg had his shin nailing her ribs, knocking the air out of Tory.
The referee said, "That's one point, Keene!"
Cursing under her breath, avoiding the impulse to run a hand over her ribs where Robby's knee had hit her so she wouldn't expose any weakness, Tory resumed her position at the center of the mats.
For a moment, she had almost forgotten this wasn't like fighting those second-rate fighters from Miyagi-Do. Robby was a real challenge. And he knew her ribs still hadn't completely healed from her fight with Hawk. Of course he would take advantage of that. She couldn't blame him.
And yet, what was that look of regret on his face for?
The next round started, and Robby came at her with another forward right punch. She took a step back, raising her left arm to block. She did the same with her opposite arm when he advanced with a left punch. Her mind raced with the knowledge that he was going to attempt to back her into a corner, at the boundaries of the mat, if she let him.
Tory shifted on her hips, aiming a high kick at Robby's chest. He knocked it down with his right hand and then took a step forward to grab her right elbow. Tory had only a second to raise her left arm in time to block his attempt to punch her collarbone. Releasing her arm, Robby rotated around, attempting to nail Tory with a back kick, but she hit his heel out of the way with one hand, while her other fist flew straight out to punch his exposed back.
"One point, Nichols!"
While she and Robby resumed their positions, Tory spared a glance at the Eagle Fangs. She imagined they must have been enjoying watching two Cobras fight each other in the pit. And any previous pity she might have felt for Kyler being kicked off the team disappeared when she caught Miguel's eyes.
She glared at him. Fury heated her blood. Miguel shouldn't have been allowed to make it to the finals. If Tory had been in Kyler's place, he wouldn't have been standing there right now, watching while she and Robby went at each other.
"Fight!"
Fired up, Tory lunged forward, shifting her right leg behind Robby while coming down on him with an elbow-drive at his collarbone. When her teammate pulled back to avoid the hit, the backs of his thighs hit Tory's leg, so when she pushed her arm against Robby's front, he tripped over. And as soon as he fell, Tory dropped down to her knee fast to strike Robby on his shoulder.
"That makes two points, Nichols!" declared the referee.
Pushing back some loose hair that had fallen over her headband, Tory smirked in Miguel's direction, noting his knitted eyebrows and deep frown. She wondered if he even considered the possibility that he might have to fight her in the finals.
Taking her place again, Tory then glanced past Robby at Sensei Kreese. She expected a smile, a nod, anything to indicate she was showing the strength of a Cobra to the audience and that Kreese was proud of her for it. But her Sensei's expression remained neutral. Unreadable. Hard. Beside him, Mr. Silver whispered something in his ear.
Doubt stirred inside Tory, but she pushed it down. She didn't have the luxury for it at the moment. Right now she just needed to focus on her match, on beating Robby.
Robby was staring past her, too, only at Sensei Lawrence. And that doubt churned inside her again. She knew he wanted to stick it to his father. That was the whole reason he was here, to prove a point. It was the reason he chose to fight at the All-Valley Tournament, the whole reason he'd pushed aside his own misgivings about things at Cobra Kai, misgivings he'd disclosed no one else but her. All to get back at a father who had never shown him the love he desperately wanted, but had given it to Miguel instead.
Tory could sympathize with him for that. She had plenty of compassion for him. But she wanted to win as much as he did.
"Fight!"
Tory opened with a front kick, and when Robby blocked it, she threw her other leg down with a brutal ax-swing movement aimed at his shoulder. Robby turned on his feet fast, letting her foot drop down and miss the mark, and followed up with a knee-drive at her ribs.
She smacked it down with her hands. Then Tory struck her leg out again, only for Robby to block her foot with his shin. She pivoted around and kicked with her other knee, but Robby raised his in time to block that hit as well.
Tory rotated and shot her leg out to kick Robby on his shoulder this time, but he swept his arm up to wrap it around her knee, catching her leg before her hit could land. He reached his other hand out to push her shoulder to destabilize her, and all it took was for Robby to kick her standing leg out from under her to send Tory crashing to the mats. Robby delivered a quick punch to her gut to gain another point, evening the score again.
The ref called out, "Two points, Keene!"
So, thought Tory, at two-to-two it was going to come down to the last point.
For a moment, the shadow of a slight smile curled around the corner of her mouth. It wasn't unlike the spars she and Robby had shared over the previous several months. They'd trained together more than anyone. Befriended each other over it, over their shared history as rejects. And, for a fleeting second, she was reminded how much fun they'd had with each other. This was almost entertaining again. It made her wish the whole Tournament could have been like this.
But just when that light feeling threatened to lift her spirits, she heard Sensei Kreese's voice from behind her. "Time out!"
A quick glance at Robby's face showed he was about as confused by the call as she was. But Tory followed him over to the sideline where Sensei Kreese was standing, hands wrapped over the lapels of his gi, brows furrowed deep to the bridge of his nose.
He leveled his harsh gaze at Tory when she reached him and stated simply, "Throw the fight."
Tory's eyes widened and her jaw hung agape. Had she heard that order right? "W-What?"
Beside her, Robby's expression was pinched, too. He shook his head. "Sensei, that's not necessary—"
But Sensei Kreese ignored Robby's interjection. Cutting him off, he kept his eyes locked on Tory and asked, "Are you questioning my order?"
How was she supposed to respond to that? A good soldier, of course, would obey the command they'd been given without question. And it wasn't like she was trying to be insubordinate. But that order was absurd. Throw the fight? After everything she had done for Cobra Kai? After she'd fought harder than any of them to get to this point?
No, this wasn't fair. Didn't she have every right to show what a strong fighter she was? Hadn't she earned this chance to destroy Eagle Fang and put Cobra Kai on top as much as Robby?
"Sensei, I thought all that mattered was winning," argued Tory. "As long as Cobra Kai wins the Tournament, does it really matter if it's me or Robby? The champion should be whoever's the strongest fighter."
Sensei Kreese narrowed his eyes even more, until they were mere slits. "This is bigger than you. It's bigger than this Tournament. It's about sending a message, and there's only one of you who can deliver it."
And that person was Robby. Because the message was being sent to Sensei Lawrence and Mr. LaRusso. Sensei Kreese wanted to shove not a Cobra Kai victory but a Robby victory in their faces, to show what he had shaped the son and student they had discarded into. To show them he had made Robby into a champion.
What did Tory mean to either Sensei Lawrence or Mr. LaRusso? This had always been about Robby.
But even as that realization sunk in, Tory's exasperation flew out in her words. "But Sensei, I want to win! You can't ask me to do this!"
Sensei Kreese's jaw clenched, and his voice dipped to a low timbre when he retorted, "Can't I? Wasn't I the one who brought you back to Cobra Kai after the entire world turned on you? And who was it that told Mr. Silver about the troubles your mother has been having?"
Tory felt like someone had reached inside her chest and squeezed her heart. Was Sensei seriously going to leverage that against her? No other student had shown more loyalty to Cobra Kai than her. Not Miguel. Not even fucking Hawk. And this was how that loyalty was going to be repaid?
She never should have accepted the money. Deep down, she knew people only gave assistance like that when they expected something in return. And she guessed this was that repayment.
She and Robby stared at each other. She could tell this command wasn't sitting well with him, either. In fact, he looked angry, judging by the way his nostrils were flaring and how tight his frown was drawn. And why wouldn't he be? Was Sensei Kreese saying he had no trust in Robby to win this match on his own, especially after all the training? Shouldn't they both be insulted by this?
And then another memory rang in her head like an alarm bell. Tory heard Hawk's voice reminding her what he'd warned her about during their fight.
The only traitor around here is Kreese…Kreese is gonna do the same thing to you that he did to Miguel once you're not useful to him anymore.
Tory shook her head to rid it of that voice. And she even narrowed her eyes and scowled at Hawk from where he was standing among the Eagle Fangs, wondering if he had any inkling about what Kreese had just told her to do….
Over on the Eagle Fangs' side, Miguel watched while Sensei Kreese called a timeout and pulled Robby and Tory over to him for a few minutes. He turned to Sensei Lawrence and asked, "Sensei? What's going on?"
The corners of Sensei Lawrence's mouth twitched. "I don't know," he answered. Miguel noticed his Sensei's unease, how he looked like he wanted nothing more than to run over to the Cobra Kai side and figure out himself what was happening. And to pull Robby away from Kreese, once and for all.
"Dude, did you see Tory just now?" Mitch asked Hawk when they saw Tory scowl in his direction. "What was that look for?"
"What look?" asked Bert, holding his cracked lenses up closer to his face. "What's happening?"
Hawk furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the quiver of Cobras as he muttered back, "Search me." His eyes turned to Miguel, but all he could offer back was a shrug.
Miguel turned his attention back to Sensei Lawrence. His teacher's sight was glued to the scene. He hadn't taken his eyes off Robby during his whole fight, and he was unwilling to remove them from his son now. And Miguel knew Sensei must have been holding his breath, too. He must have been watching in agonizing suspension for Robby to score the third point, the point that would send his son to the finals to fight him. This time out was only prolonging the inevitable.
Robby and Tory returned to the mats. Both their faces had lost their previous determination. If Miguel had to guess, they looked almost disturbed by whatever Kreese had told them. But they resumed their spots and raised their fists, waiting for those last, tense few seconds for the referee to give the final signal.
Then the referee gave it. "Fight!"
What happened next had Miguel's face pinching in confusion. Rather than immediately go for the attack, Robby and Tory circled each other for a long moment, like he and Chris had back during their match. But that had been because Chris was Miyagi-Do, and Miyagi-Do favored waiting for the enemy to strike before responding in self-defense.
That wasn't Cobra Kai's style at all. And it became clear to Miguel that something was wrong.
Finally, Robby struck with his left fist at Tory's shoulder, which her right arm swept high to block. And when Robby's right fist went for her chest, Tory kicked her right leg high, knocking his arm out of the way, and only by stumbling back on his feet ungracefully did Robby avoid her heel hitting his shoulder.
Miguel's breath had picked up now. Beside him, Hawk's eyes went back and forth from the fight to studying his face. He wondered if Hawk knew his palms were sweaty, if he could see his fingers fidgeting wildly by his sides while he watched Tory block Robby's back-to-back punches.
The end was coming soon. Miguel knew it. Just a few seconds away. The final hit that would end the semifinals and finally bring him to the last match of the Tournament. His closure was just over the horizon. One more hit.
Tory grunted when Robby blocked her knee kick, and she had to duck fast to avoid Robby's sweeping backhand punch. No sooner did she come back up than did Robby throw another punch at her shoulder. Miguel's breath caught in his throat as he heard the audience gasp and cheer when Tory swiped her arm over and around Robby's, grasping his wrist.
A painful scowl of distress and determination marred Tory's face as she jerked Robby's arm along with her while she twisted herself around, slamming her back into Robby's torso. And with a yell, she tugged hard, flipping her opponent over her shoulder.
Robby hit the mats. And then Tory's heel slammed down on his gut.
Miguel's jaw dropped. His face went ice-cold, like all the blood had suddenly drained from it, while he watched the referee grab Tory's arm and held it up to declare, "Winner, Tory Nichols from Cobra Kai! She will be joining Miguel Diaz in the finals for the All-Valley Tournament championship!"