CHAPTER 136
"Good afternoon all." A different Sekai Taikai staff member said, standing at the front of what seemed like a lecture theater, one that Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do had both just been led into.
After the press conference, they had been taken straight to the lecture theater for a full briefing on the rules, and upon arrival, they had been met by the staff member in charge of this part of the day. This staff member, dressed in a collared shirt and trousers, seemed more official than the person who had been leading them through the facility.
"I hear that the press conference went… interestingly." The staff member commented, noting the way that Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do had separated to opposite corners of the room and were now actively shooting each other furious scowls. "I'm guessing that this briefing on rules and etiquette is more important than ever then."
He had a point there. The staff member stood with a powerpoint presentation projected directly behind him and he clicked a button to illustrate the first slide: the overview of the presentation.
"As you can see here, this presentation consists of two main parts: rules both on and off the mat; and the schedule for the duration of your time here. We'll then fill you in on anything else you need to know, and then leave some time for any questions you might have." He informed them. "Anyways, we're running a bit behind so let's begin! We're going to go through it all, and briefly outline what you can expect, both in terms of fighting rules and in terms of events planned."
With that, he moved onto the next slide…
GENERAL INFORMATION
Meals:
- Breakfast: 6-10 am
- Lunch: 12-4 pm
- Dinner: 6-10 pm
- All meals are served buffet style in the Great Hall, and so people can go whenever and leave whenever they want to
- This continues every day of the tournament
Scheduling:
- Each student/sensei has been given a personalized schedule detailing all responsibilities, requirements and locations on any given day.
- If there are any inquiries about any of it, feel free to ask
The staff member gave them a bit of time to read everything that was written on the presentation board, and he also went through it all, step by step, until they all understood everything. He then moved on to the next section…
PRELIMINARY FIGHTS
Schedule:
- Split into 2 days
- Every fighter will fight 5 fights a day, 10 fights in total across the two days
Rules:
- Fights are scored using traditional point sparring rules
- Winner is the first person to score 5 points on their opponent
- Disqualifications and forfeits are considered 0-5 losses and are recorded as such
- Each fight's winner and score is recorded as it will determine opponents for the round of 16
"Is everyone clear on this?" The staff member asked. They all nodded. It was hardly the first time they had fought a traditional point spar, especially with all of the All-Valley experience under all of their belts. The only difference was that while the All-Valley was first to 3 points, this was first to 5 points. It also seemed like an extremely tough task to be told to fight 5 of those fights a day, against opponents who were undoubtedly going to be better than anything they'd faced in the All-Valley.
The presenter then moved on…
ROUND OF 16
Matchups:
- Matchups for the round of 16 are determined after the second day of prelims
- After the prelims end, the top 16 fighters in each division are announced
- There is no random draw for round of 16 opponents. Instead, seeding is based on position ranked in the prelims: 1st vs. 16th, 2nd vs. 15th, 3rd vs. 14th, etc.
Schedule:
- There is a day break between prelims and knockout rounds for rest, media appearances, etc
- On the morning of the round of 16, there is a mandatory press conference for all fighters
- Competitors will be taken to the arena in the early afternoon, and will compete until the end of the night
Rules:
- Same traditional point sparring rules as the prelims apply
- However, fights are scored up to 8 points rather than 5
- First to 8 points wins and advances to the quarter finals
Things certainly were getting interesting now. These were the knockout rounds, the big leagues within the biggest league in the world. This was where the media would begin to pay even more attention. This was where the world would be watching. But things didn't end during the round of 16. There were still several other rounds to go…
QUARTER FINALS
Matchups:
- Matchups are decided the night before after the round of 16
- These are decided by random draw. A televised draw where all remaining competitors' names are selected at random will determine who will fight whom
Schedule/Rules:
- Same schedule applies (adhere to personalized schedules given to all participants)
- Same rules apply as the quarter finals (8 point spar)
- The final 4 in each division advance to the semis
The final 4. So close to the end. In theory, all 4 Miyagi-Do boys - Miguel, Robby, Hawk and Demetri - could lock out the entire semi final in their division. But not if Cobra Kai had anything to say about it. At this point, they'd be so close to the trophy they'd almost be touching it
SEMI FINALS
Same rules, schedule and random draw for matchups apply as the quarter finals
Right. That made sense. At least there would be some kind of pattern to it, some kind of structure and schedule to the wild 2 weeks they were in for. However, it wasn't over yet. There was still the biggest event of them all…
GRAND FINAL
Matchups:
- Remaining two fighters in each division will face off
Schedule:
- Day off between the semi finals and finals for all media events and for preparation
- On the day of the finals, there will be no other media responsibilities
Location:
- Finals, unlike previous rounds, take place in the Japan National Stadium
- Competing students and senseis will be transported there at time indicated on schedules
Rules:
- RULES ARE DIFFERENT TO PRIOR ROUNDS
"Alright, please if everyone can pay full attention, as this is extremely important: the rules for the grand finals." The staff member said.
Immediately, everyone went silent, eager to listen to what he had to say. They already knew the gist of what they were in for, but they wanted to hear the specifics now.
"The rules, as I'm sure you already know, are different in the finals in comparison to previous rounds. Rather than the traditional points system, in the finals, there will be full-contact, continuous sparring. 5 rounds; 5 minutes per round. There is no headgear, gloves or footgear worn. The ways to obtain a win are as follows…"
Knockout - Simplest way to win. Manage to knock out your opponent and render them unresponsive and you automatically win. Furthermore, even if you aren't out cold, if the referee renders you unfit to continue fighting, the fight ends there too
Submission - Similar to the method above. Lock your opponent in a submission hold and as soon as they tap or the referee determines that you can't carry on, the fight automatically ends
Decision - In the situation where nobody knocks out or submits their opponents in the 5 rounds, the contest will go to the judges' decisions. Decisions are made based on strikes landed, knockdowns landed, etc.
Forfeit - All competitors retain the right to forfeit at any moment. If them or their team feels like they can't carry on, we implore them to forfeit to prevent permanent, severe physical damage
Disqualification - Any competitor who breaks rules or disobeys the referee risks disqualification. In the case that both competitors do this, the situation is a double disqualification and neither fighter wins
"These are the ways to win." The staff member told them. "Same rules as previous rounds regarding where on the boy you can hit or get hit apply. Does everyone understand?"
Nods and murmurs of acknowledgement rang around the room as they all processed this information. Of the two sides, they weren't quite sure which dojo these rules benefited more. There was an argument to be made for both sides, so all they knew was that whoever it would benefit, it was bound to be a bloody, brutal fight.
Now that the rules had been established, shortly after, the two dojos left the rules briefing. For the first time since they had arrived, they weren't flanked by staff members. They had completed the entire orientation package. They were officially registered, checked in and had toured the facility. They were now on their own, ready to spend the next 2 weeks making this castle into their fortress, the setting where they'd be living for the days leading up to them becoming world champions…