In the medical office, Camila treated Luz who laid on her back, clearly still in pain. Her mother felt the left leg, causing the girl to groan in discomfort. "Just relax, mija. It's going to be okay." She tended to her daughter's leg as Eda and Vee looked on with worry.
"I told you not to trust her!" Clara said as she paced angrily back and forth. "I told her. Didn't I tell her?"
"Not...now, Clara." Luz said in a pained voice.
"What? I told you not to trust Skara. She's Cobra Kai..." Before the girl could say anymore, Vee grabbed her by the arm and took her aside.
"Look, I know you're new to the whole, 'not being a jerk' thing, so I'm going to say this. Shut. Up." Vee's words caused the other girl's eyes to open wide with surprise. "If there's one thing Luz doesn't need right now it's an 'I told you so'. Understood?"
Clara sighed as she nodded in acceptance. "You're right. What should I do?"
"Just...give her some space right now and let them do their job." Vee said as the two girls headed out to the hall.
Camila gently rubbed her daughters head. "I can't believe that Skara girl would do something like that."
Luz remand silent as she tried to relax while her mother and Hettie looked her leg over. She didn't know why Skara did it but the girl seemed too sincere in their earlier interaction to pull something like that. Luz had already made bad judgment calls in the past and she wasn't about to make another one until she had the whole story. "That doesn't matter now. Can you fix my leg?"
"Luz, don't even think about it." Her mother scolded.
"Your mom is right, kid." Eda agreed. "Even I wouldn't recommend it. Besides, you kicked major butt out there and no one will ever forget that."
The girl breathed out a heavy sigh as she looked to the ceiling. "I know, but I still have more to do." She looked over to Hettie. "Ms. Cutburn, you did something to help Amity. Could you do the same for my leg?"
The woman looked to her before Camila interceded. "Luz, no." Camila said forcefully. "You're already hurt bad enough."
"Can you do it." Luz seemed to ignore her mother and asked the other medic again.
The taller woman looked down to Luz with a serious look. "I'll only do it with your mother's consent."
Luz turned back to her mother. "Mija, no. I can't let you go back out there."
"Please." Luz begged as she gripped her mother's hand. "I have to do this." She tried to get up with her mother holding her back.
The woman let out a groan of frustration and turned to Eda. "Will you talk some sense into her?"
Eda pursed her lips for a moment before leaning down to her student. "Kid. Look, why do you want to put yourself through this? You've already proven you hang with the best of them."
"Because if I give up now, they'll know they got to me. Every time I see them they'll know it and I'll know it. I need to show them, show Boscha that I'm not beaten." Luz said as she looked to her teacher and then over to her mother. "Please, just one more time."
Eda smiled as she patted the girl on the top of her head. "Camila, I got to agree with the kid on this one. She's got to fight this battle, win or lose. What do you say?"
Camila looked to her daughter before closing her eyes and turning away. "Okay. Hettie, do what you have to." Luz smiled and Eda looked surprised. "Eda, you've kept her safe so far, so I'm trusting you on this." The gray haired woman nodded in confirmation as Hettie looked to Luz and slapped her palms together before placing them on the girl's leg.
On the arena floor, an angry Boscha walked back to join her team. Without her signature headband, her forehead was exposed, revealing a large oval shaped scar that resembled an eye. The argument with Skara was still fresh in her mind as she felt a sharp pain travel through her forehead. It seemed to jolt something in her as she had a flash to a memory from years ago.
"Hey, are you okay?" A small girl with dark skin asked the redhead as she sat in the corner, her knees up to her face. The girl leaning over her wore a beige dress with black boots with a black scarf over her head.
The redhead looked up, her eyes red with tears running down her cheeks. "Leave me alone. You're just a bunch of meanies. You just want to laugh at me for this." The other girl looked as she saw what the redhead meant.
"I don't want to laugh at you. I want you to play with me." This caused the other girl to look up at her.
"Why would you want to play with a freak like me?" the redhead asked.
"Because people laugh at me too." She pulled off the black scarf to show her bushy silver hair. "My mommy says it just makes me special."
The other girl felt her forehead. "Well this doesn't. It just makes me ugly." She began to tear up again.
The girl looked down to the black scarf in her hand and then back to the redhead. "You know, my mommy gave me this because kids laughed at me, but I don't care anymore. But if you want, you can have it. It can make you feel better." She handed it to the other girl who accepted it, even letting the gray haired girl wrap it around her head. "There."
"Thanks. What's your name?" The redhead asked.
"I'm Skara." She introduced herself as she extended a hand.
"Boscha." The redhead said as she accepted her hand and got to her feet.
She quickly brushed those thoughts away and refocused on what was important here and now, taking that moment and pushing it down, deep down into the recesses of her mind.
Lucy attempted to greet her as she approached. "Well, it seems that the Noceda girl will not fight. Shame to let all that preparation..."
"Did you tell her to do that?" Boscha asked as she looked out to the mat. "Did you tell Skara to take Luz out so I wouldn't have to fight her?"
Lucy was silent for a moment. "She told you? You have to understand, I saw what happened in your fight with Amity. She got inside your head and broke your focus. I could tell you were still shaken up by that."
Boscha's eye twitched when she heard this. "So you didn't believe in me?" Lucy remained silent. "You had so little faith in me that you resorted to fixing the match?"
"I knew you could beat her when you were at your best. Do you feel like you were there after you beat Amity?" Lucy explained as Boscha looked unsure of herself.
"I...I mean...I suppose not." Boscha responded, still feeling uneasy. "But now everyone will think I won by default, just like last year."
Lucy placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "No. They won't. You defeated Amity and she was the best fighter here. Noceda was a speed bump on your path to glory. I couldn't afford to let her get in your way." Boscha still didn't know what to say as she sighed and walked passed her sensei before getting onto the mat, standing by the announcer and referee.
At the commentators station Gus sat by with his father and Bria as the latter two were discussing what had happened to the viewing audience. As they talked, Gus' phone began to ring as he pulled it out. "Sorry. Gotta take this." He answered the phone. "Hello. Is she okay? What?! For real?!" Gus said excitedly as he jumped up and raced to the mat.
"What's gotten into him?" Bria asked as she and Perry watched Gus run up to the announcer.
"It seems Luz Noceda is unable to fight and with that we award the first place trophy for our female division to..." The announcer stopped as Gus ran up and whispered to him. "What?" The man said as Gus restated the message. "Luz Noceda is going to fight?" The boy nodded before leaving the mat. "Ladies and gentlemen, Luz Noceda is going to fight!" The crowd erupted in cheers, Luz's classmates both there and watching in the school auditorium's big screen being the most vocal. Edric, who was still in the audience, held up his phone as Amity and Odalia watched as they were in the back of the ambulance as it was headed for the hospital.
Luz came out with Eda and her friends by her side. She was still limping a bit but she was far better then when she left. The applause for her was again loud as Boscha turned to see her and watched as she got up on the mat and walked to the center to meet her opponent. Before Luz got any further, Eda called her back. "Remember kid, breath, be patient, let her come to you and those points will come. Keep calm and remember what you're fighting for, not who you're fighting against."
The girl smiled and gave a bow to her sensei before walking to the starting point. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Luz said with a sly smile.
"I'm glad you're okay." Boscha said, surprising Luz. It sounded genuine to boot. Maybe Skara was right and there was more to this girl than just a bully. "Winning wouldn't have been as sweet without stomping you into the dirt." And then she had to go and ruin it. Luz lost the smile and just stared at the girl across from her who had a wicked grin.
The referee walked forward. "Face me. Bow." The two girls did so. "Face each other. Bow." The two slowly bowed to one another, their eyes never faltering as they got into fighting positions. Boscha noticed that Luz was putting her weight on her rear leg which meant Luz's left was still hindering her. "Fight!" The redhead charged across the mat with a flurry of rights and lefts that Luz had to retreat from as she still hadn't found her balance with her injury yet. Luz slipped right as the other girl overstepped her attack before correcting herself and continuing the chase. Boscha eventually caught up to her target and threw a heavy roundhouse kick that scored to Luz's midsection. "Point. Hargreaves."
Luz reeled back from the shot as Boscha smirked and got back to her position with Luz doing the same soon after. "Score is 1-0 for Hargreaves." The fight was restarted as the redhead again launched the initial assault with a series of punches and kicks as Luz again raced back on her right leg. Boscha's attack seemed to keep her from mounting any type of defense and soon she was chased off the mat. "Out of bounds. Out of bounds. Back on your line." The ref instructed as Luz tried to put a plan together. Meanwhile her opponent confidently marched back to her line.
Luz walked back and took her position again. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly to relax herself. Boscha followed the same pattern and threw another flurry of punches. Luz again stepped back and away. This time however, she stopped mid-run and shifted right as Boscha overshot her. Boscha quickly spun only to be hit with a hard left punch to the face from Luz. She staggered back from the blow as Luz's hand was still held out. "Point. Noceda. Score is now 1-1." The redhead looked enraged as the Luz supporters cheered with the successful hit. She ran her thumb across her nose and found a small trickle of blood.
The two got back on the line as the ref signaled for the fight to continue. Boscha threw a long high kick as Luz leaped back. This put her in position for another attack as the Cobra Kai girl launched herself through the air with a flying kick. Luz broke left to evade it. Boscha missed completely, but immediately came back and threw a backhand right that Luz leaned back from as the other girl launched another furious barrage of kicks and punches. Luz decided to stand her ground this time and blocked or evaded the angered girls blows. Eventually the moment came that Luz had been waiting for as she ducked under a right hand. She spun her body until she and Boscha were facing the same direction and gripped her foe by the still extended arm. With all the strength she could muster, she flipped the girl over her shoulder and slammed her against the mat. Before Luz could deliver a shot aimed at the midsection, Boscha took a page from Amity's playbook.
In a near identical move to the one pulled on Sasha, the Hargreaves girl kicked her legs up, wrapped them around Luz's neck and flipped her over in kind. She jumped up to stomp on Luz, only for the girl to roll away and get to one knee just as Boscha launched a forward kick. Luz blocked the attack and shoved the other girl back as she got to her feet. Boscha again came in with a flurry of punches once again only for Luz to slip outside to her left and deliver a chop to the side of Boscha's neck. The move caused the redhead to stagger forward and hit the canvas. "Point. Noceda." The ref called as Luz now found herself in the lead.
Boscha angrily grunted as she slammed a fist into the cushioned surface beneath her. "This shouldn't be happening! I'm a winner!" She screamed in her head as she could feel the heat burning inside of her. She could see the fire burning wildly as she turned her head to see Luz limp back to her line. The redhead got up and began to march back, casting a hateful glance at Luz as she passed her. "Score is 2-1 for Noceda. And fight!"
Knowing she needed to draw out her prey, Boscha stepped back and looked to throw a telegraphed kick. Luz quickly attempted to preempt this attack and launched her left leg into a kick which was just in range to score to Boscha's head. This was all the Cobra Kai student needed to see. Her feint having succeeded, she caught the kick with her left hand and quickly brought her right elbow down hard on Luz's knee. The blow caused Luz to scream out and crash to the canvas as the pain returned, seemingly tenfold as she reached down to hold it.
Everyone in the audience gasped in shock. Camila had her hands held over her mouth as did Vee, while others like Clara and Eda shook their heads in disappointment at the dirty tactic.
In the ambulance, Amity and surprisingly Odalia too, had worried looks. "Be strong, Luz." The violet haired girl said as they watched through the phone.
"Are you alright, Noceda?" The ref asked as he knelt down.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Luz told him as she struggled to get to her feet. He then immediately turned to Boscha.
The referee called time and gave Luz a minute to recover as she headed back to her side. "That's one point for illegal contact to the knee." He told the culprit who was angered by the decision.
"Looks like that illegal shot just cost Boscha her only point." Perry said.
"Yep and she does not look happy about it." Bria added.
"That's bull!" Boscha shouted and shoved the ref from behind as he was walking back.
He immediately spun around and pointed a finger in her face. "Do that again and you're disqualified!"
The girl angrily stomped back to her side as the crowd erupted in boos and jeers. "You suck, Boscha!" Willow shouted causing Boscha to turn to her in anger. It wasn't long before others joined in.
"Hey Boscha, you're a chump!"
"Loser!"
She turned to face each person who called out to her but soon found it was coming from every side all at once as it became to much to take. Boscha soon knelt down as she covered her ears and began to hum to tune out all of the mockery. "Hey, 'three eyes', you're done for." This was the one that broke her as the memories began to flood back through her mind. The laughter, the pointing, the ridicule that had followed her for years because of her surgical scar, something she had no control over. The teen fell forward on her hands as she stared down, tears running down her face and muttering to herself.
Her fellow Cobra Kai students looked concern with her current state but no one would approach her out of fear of their sensei, who got down to the girls level and shouted instructions which seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"I'm not...I'm not a loser." Boscha muttered as the boos and mockery from the crowd continued to affect her.
Lucy rolled her eyes at the girl's muttering. She finally slammed her hand onto the mat in front of her. "Hey!" This seemed to snap Boscha back to reality at the moment. "Focus, Ms. Hargreaves. Remember why you're fighting. The fire is still inside you. Use it!"
The teen clenched her fists tightly as she retreated into herself. The fire continued to burn in her mind as she stared into it. The faces of Willow, Amity, Luz and many others hung over and around it. The flames began to grow and climb, consuming them all one by one. The inferno grew before it stopped as the final image hung over it, an image of Skara. She took one last look at the girl before the fire grew and burned it to ash, the blaze turning into a raging inferno from devouring it.
Luz couldn't help but look over her shoulder at the girl. She was a jerk and made her life miserable over the last few months, but Boscha was still a person. And judging by what Luz was seeing, someone with vulnerabilities as Skara said. This was a completely different side to the girl who seemed to exude confidence and menace. She soon turned her head back to focus. Luz eventual had gotten her rest and was preparing to get back up. "You okay kid?" Eda asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay, Ms. Eda." Luz said as she got up.
"Well you got this in the bag. That punk is pretty much done."
Luz looked over and saw Boscha get up and turned around much to the surprise of Sensei Mechant. Luz could see something very different in her eyes this time. It was far more intense as her red eyes were now narrowed with some new found determination and rage. "I don't think she's finished just yet."
After taking her breather, Luz headed back to the line as all of her supporters cheered her on. Boscha, having regained her composure came back as well and got into her fighting stance as her opponent did the same. The referee came between them and then signaled for the fight to continue. The two circled each other for a time before Boscha feinted a punch which caused Luz to jump back and allowed the former to leap in with a series of punches.
Luz blocked and parried the shots before coming back with a flurry of her own. Boscha was surprised by the speed of this attack and quickly retreated. "No mercy!" One of the Cobra Kai students shouted from the sidelines. The fighter acknowledge this as the redhead seemed to abandon her old style and took on a more balanced stance. She raised a hand and gestured for Luz to come forward. The other girl complied, knowing she just needed to score one point to win and came in with a series of punches. The attacks were block or outright redirected by Boscha, whose new stance seemed to throw off Luz who looked shocked that her attacks were so easily parried.
A right hand from Luz was knocked away as Boscha found her opening and scored a left hand punch just under Luz's ribs. The Noceda girl staggered back, holding the spot as the other girl's eyes were more focused and stayed trained on her for a moment. "Point. Hargreaves." The ref called.
"Well, Perry, Gus, it looks like Boscha may not be done just yet." Bria noted.
"Doesn't look like it, Bria. Though she still needs two more points and avoid getting scored on one more time." Perry added.
"Score is 2-1 for Noceda. And fight!"
Boscha opened with a right high kick that her opponent blocked but staggered from, not being able to use her left leg for much support. Luz was shocked when Boscha came in with a flurry of center line focused punches that she evaded and came back with an assault of her own. It wasn't long before both were standing toe to toe, each throwing punches but able to parry and block the other's strikes.
"This is a furious exchange between both contestants!" Gus said excitedly. "Anything to add, Bria."
The girl seemed to be in a trance, looking out at the two fighters. They both had an aura around them that was impossible to describe to the untrained eye. "Nothing that I could articulate for you to understand. This is just...beautiful." She watched the two move in an almost synchronized harmony. Every strike, every parry, every counter, all had purpose and passion behind them. Only a fellow warrior could see and understand the majesty in this encounter.
Luz blocked yet another strike from Boscha only for the other girl to take a half step back and struck at the Dominican girl with another high left kick that was blocked. The redhead spun to her right and came back with an aerial roundhouse kick to Luz's right that was blocked as well. As her target staggered back, Boscha leaped forward and landed a heavy kick to Luz's midsection. The attack was blocked by Luz however, as she crossed her arms as she staggered back. "Blocked. No point." The ref said and gestured for the fight to continue.
Luz had to admit that the strike still did damage despite it not scoring to its intended target. She didn't have time to address it before coming back and throwing a series of fast punches. None hit the target as Boscha tightened her guard and blocked each blow with right and left elbow blocks. The girl backed away and flexed her fingers as her knuckles were a bit sore from that failed attack. The redhead meanwhile was ready for her. If nothing else, Skara was right, some of what the gray haired girl taught was valuable.
Boscha took Luz's hesitation as a sign that she had no answer for her attacks. With that she lunged forward and attacked with several kicks that the Dominican girl evaded, going away from. Luz stopped and caught her opponent's left leg with her right arm. With Boscha caught, the girl launched a left jab to her body. She was surprised when the Cobra Kai girl caught the punch in her right hand. The two were locked in this awkward position, each fighting to find some advantage over the other.
Trading intense glances, the two struggled before both broke off the interlocking inside contest. Boscha spun around and leaped forward with a left flying kick. The Clawthorne student again successfully blocked it but the force was enough to throw her onto her back. Boscha rushed forward, leaping into the air in a sideways spinning motion and dropped a heavy kick down onto Luz's midsection.
Everyone in the audience was shocked as Luz reeled in pain from the scoring attack. She looked up in shock as the referee jumped in. "Point. Hargreaves." Boscha got to her feet and went back to her position.
"Hey Boscha, get her a body bag!" One of her teammates yelled as the Hargreaves girl waited for her opponent to rise.
"You can do it, mija!" Camila shouted in support.
"Get up, Luz!" Clara called out. "Don't let her beat you."
Vee was hesitant to say anything, fiddling with her fingers and her gaze cast to the ground. She then remembered everything in the past few months, the good and the bad and decided there and then what to do. "Come on, Luz! We're all here for you no matter what!"
Luz slowly rose to her feet as the crowd cheered her on. "Are you alright, Noceda? Can you continue?" The ref asked as Luz nodded in confirmation.
"The score is 2-2." The announcer said. "Whoever scores the next point will be our new champion."
Luz got back on her line and prepared. She remember the last few months and all the training she had put in to prepare herself for this moment. Taking a quick breath she raised her left leg as high off of the ground as she could, balancing completely on the right and raising her arms out and above her head, reminiscent of a bird in flight. Boscha gave her an odd look at first but got back into her fighting position. Eda of course knew exactly what this was as the fight was called back on.
"And fight!" The ref jumped back and out of the way as Luz held her ground in this position, her opponent looking for any opening.
Boscha was ready to finish this, an intense stare on her face. "Finish her!" Lucy shouted coldly as the tension was thick in the air as everyone watching waited with baited breath. The redhead made the call and lunged in preparing to score. At the moment she was in range and was pulling her right arm back to strike, Luz suddenly sprung to life, quickly launching her right leg into a forward kick that connected to the charging girls face and landing on her bad left leg. The pain was worth it as the attack scored and Boscha crashed to the canvas, her hands thrown over her face as she painfully crawled across the mat. Luz herself almost hit the mat as well but managed to get her balance back just as the crowd in the arena, the body of students at the school and the Blight mother and daughter who were joined by the paramedics in the back of the ambulance, all erupted in cheers.
"Point winner." The ref held up Luz's hand, the girl in sheer disbelief at what happened as her family and friends all raced onto the mat to congratulate her. Even Gus hopped out of his seat and rushed out, much to the surprise of Bria and his father.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the new champion of our female division, Luz Noceda!" The announcer called as Camila rushed over and kissed her daughter on the cheek as the girl blushed. "Aw mom, not in front of the cameras." Luz said sheepishly.
"I'm so proud of you, baby. That was amazing." Camila said before. The large golden trophy was handed to her as Vee and Clara picked her up on their shoulders.
"Hey, Luz!" She turned her head as Edric Blight raced up, phone in hand. He turned it to her as Amity was on the screen. "That was incredible! The greatest thing I've ever seen!" The girl said, still I the back of the ambulance.
"Thanks." Luz said simply before Odalia appeared on the screen.
"Edric." The woman called simply as the young man handed Luz the woman's business card. "I think we can do business." Just as quickly as she appeared on the screen, Odalia vanished.
"That's about as much of a 'good job' as you can get from her." Amity said cheerfully before moaning a bit from the pain. "Come visit when you get the chance." Luz nodded as the call ended.
Luz stopped for a moment as she could see Boscha in the distance simply staring at her for a moment, blood running out of her nose and a look of defeat and disbelief on her face. The redhead soon backed away and disappeared into the crowd of people as Luz watched for a brief time before continuing to celebrate.
On the other side of the mat, the Cobra Kai students couldn't believe it either. Among them, Marvin held his third place trophy and looked over to Luz and then the defeated looks of his team. He thought for a moment before setting the item down and getting the others attention.
The cheers stopped slowly from the outside of the group in as Clara and Vee slowly set Luz down as the crowd parted to reveal the Cobra Kai team, though a few notables were missing. Marvin led the team and stood front and center. Everyone expected the worst but they were surprised when the blond haired boy bowed in respect and the rest of the team joined him. Unsure of this at first, Luz stepped forward and did the same before being joined by Clara and Vee. Marvin soon turned and the entire team began to file out of the arena with a none too pleased Lucy watching them. From the sidelines, Skara looked on for a brief time in the crowd before leaving the main floor.
Luz then turned her attention to her sensei. "Ms. Eda! Ms. Eda, we did it! Woo!" She cheered raising the trophy high over her head as the gray haired woman stood off in the distance with a smile of pride, giving the girl the spotlight she deserved.