CHAPTER 157

"So… how exactly do things look for us right now? Like what's the best and worst case we can hope for right now with this draw?" Tory asked as the Miyagi-Dos all stood huddled together on the stage, waiting for the final competitors to take to the stage and let the semi final draw commence.

Not many people were left in the tournament. Not many at all. The stage was looking more and more bare as competitors got eliminated after each day. Only Daniel, Johnny, Silver and rather surprisingly Kreese were left for the senseis. Only Sam, Tory, Sarah and one other girl were left for the girls. And then Miguel, Robby, Hawk and Marcos were the 4 boys who had qualified.

It had been historic domination from the dojos from the Valley. Not since the inaugural years of the Taikai, when most of the competing dojo had been from Tokyo, had so many competitors been from one city. Certainly not since the tournament had expanded internationally had that been the case. All but 1 of the remaining competitors were fighting out of L.A dojos, an even more shocking stat when you consider the fact that it was Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do's first time competing in the Taikai.

"Well we've got 2 fighters in the senseis' division, 2 in the girls', and then 3 in the boys." Miguel said. "Best case, our 2 fighters in the senseis' and girls' divisions aren't fighting each other."

"Maybe. But couldn't having 2 of our fighters up against each other in the semis also be useful, as it guarantees that there's going to be a Miyagi-Do in the finals for that division?" Hawk remarked. "Otherwise we could end up not having a single fighter in the finals."

Hawk had a point. This draw was definitely the most important one yet, as not only were there fewer competitors left than ever, but the draws that occurred tonight had a MASSIVE impact on who would end up winning the entire Taikai. Differing opinions amongst the Miyagi-Dos on what would be an ideal draw for the semis were discussed for a little while longer, until finally the last of the qualified competitors took to the stage.

It was Marcos and Sarah who were the last to walk on stage, and as soon as the crowd saw Marcos step into their eyeline once more, immediately they erupted, showering him with cheers and applause for his most recent conquest. Miyagi-Do were instantly on alert as they saw the seemingly unhinged maniac from the Quarter Finals, but weirdly it didn't seem like Marcos was all that keen on wreaking havoc on anything and everything in his path anymore. If anything, as the boy took to the stage, he looked ashamed at the applause and support he was receiving. He couldn't look up, couldn't afford to meet the audience's eye and accept praise for the barbaric acts he had committed. Instead, he kept his head firmly looking down at the floor, still holding onto Sarah's hand for warmth and support.

One interesting moment occurred, and Daniel noticed the brief encounter, when Cobra Kai stood together on the stage and Silver placed his hand on Marcos' shoulder. It was an innocent enough gesture by the sensei, but Marcos shrugged off the hand, recoiling as if it was poisonous. Because in a way, it was. Daniel knew that. And he was over the moon that it seemed like Marcos knew it too.

On the stage, only 3 dojos remained. There were 7 Miyagi-Dos. 4 Cobra Kais. And 1 girl from a dojo in France. Those were the competitors left, 4 in each of the 3 divisions, and they were all about to find out their fates for the semi finals…

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"Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen, let's get this party started!" The Taikai announcer exclaimed as he joined the competitors on stage. "The semi final draw! Only 4 competitors left in each division! Only the top 4 Karate fighters in the world! In 72 hours, 3 people are going to be lifting the Taikai trophy and will be crowned world champions, and those 3 people are standing here on this stage right now! But who will it be?!"

Immediately, the fans started chanting the name of their favorite competitors. The overwhelming majority of them were screaming Marcos' name, the boy having wooed the entire arena with his highly entertaining clash earlier that evening, but there were most certainly fans of every other fighter on the stage.

As the commentator spoke, a large tray containing three bowls was wheeled onto the stage, just like it had been last round. In each bowl, there were only 4 names now, names that would be selected sequentially to reveal the semi final matchups.

"So… before we get started, I think we need to acknowledge something." The announcer said into his microphone. "Miyagi-Do, Cobra Kai… wow! I thought you said this was your first global tournament! You guys have both been absolutely incredible! 11 out of 12 semi final spots all from your two dojos… simply superb!"

Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do chants echoed around the arena, seas of fans wearing the black of gold of Cobra Kai and the white and blue of Miyagi-Do were waving at their heroes who stood on the stage before them.

"But anyways, of course, at the end of the day, there can only be 2 finalists per division, and only 1 winner. But that process starts right here, right now with the semi final draw, so let's get it started! Starting off with the senseis' division…"

The announcer drew the first slip of paper out of the pot marked "Senseis" and he slowly opened it, before displaying the name for all to see.

"Terry Silver, Cobra Kai Karate!" He announced.

This didn't mean much, as they had no idea who Silver was fighting. It could be anyone from Johnny, to Daniel, to his Cobra Kai teammate in Kreese. That was why everyone waited with baited breath, both Daniel and Johnny secretly hoping to avoid the fight against the more skilled of the two Cobra Kai senseis. However, the announcer quickly pulled out the name of Silver's opponent and read it to the entire arena.

"Johnny Lawrence, Miyagi-Do Karate!"

Johnny vs. Silver. The first of the 6 semi final matchups. And as the matchup was confirmed and the two did their face off for the photographs and Silver smirked cockily at him, Johnny began to feel more and more thrilled that he had drawn Silver as his opponent. This was one of the monsters who had pulled Robby into Cobra Kai and entrapped him there until Robby finally managed to find the strength to leave. This was the asshole who ambushed him at the old Cobra Kai dojo. This was the piece of shit who had been terrorizing Johnny's entire dojo for too long, and unlike Daniel, Johnny was yet to have had the opportunity to settle the score with the Cobra Kai sensei.

The two senseis walked back to their respective sides after the face-off, and the commentator nodded at them.

"With this matchup confirmed, it also confirms who our second semi final matchup is. The names who haven't been selected from the pot yet: Daniel Larusso, Miyagi-Do Karate; and John Kreese, Cobra Kai Karate."

Daniel vs. Kreese. From the moment that Johnny and Silver's names had been pulled, they knew that they would also be fighting against one another. And although if anything, Johnny was the underdog going into his fight against Silver, in this matchup the Miyagi-Do was most definitely the favorite. Daniel had beaten Kreese before. He knew exactly who the man was and what he was capable of. All he needed to do now was to score 8 points past him and advance to the finals, where hopefully he'd be facing Johnny in an all Miyagi-Do final.

"Alright! So there we have it, folks! Johnny Lawrence vs. Terry Silver! Daniel Larusso vs. John Kreese! What incredible matchups those are!" The announcer said. "But…not to be outdone, next we're moving onto the girls' division! Who will our 4 remaining ladies find themselves against in the semi finals?"

The announcer walked over to the second point and began to draw the first name, as Sam, Tory, Sarah and the final female competitor watched on nervously. He took as much time as he possibly could to build anticipation, before eventually opening the slip of paper and revealing it to all.

"Samantha Larusso, Miyagi-Do Karate!"

Sam. The first name to be drawn from the pot. Sam had been having a relatively easy ride so far in the Taikai. Sure it was a million times harder than the All-Valley, but at the same time, she hadn't found herself on the brink of elimination at any point like some of her teammates had. She was definitely an established contender, but was not to be outdone by the next name that was drawn from the pot…

"Tory Nichols, Miyagi-Do Karate!"

Sam vs. Tory. That was the semi final matchup. It was an absolutely mammoth clash, and one that many expected to see in the Taikai final, not in the semis. But that was impossible now, as the two girls would be facing off in the semis, for quite possibly the millionth time. Sam had taken wins. Tory had taken wins. Many of their fights had concluded with no clear result either way. But now, it was time to settle it once and for all. It was time to prove which one of them was the better fighter, on no smaller of an occasion than on the world stage.

While Sam had quite possibly had the better Taikai so far of the two girls, Tory still had a lot to prove too. She had been visibly improving in confidence and performance in each round she fought, feeling more and more comfortable mixing between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do fighting styles. She was the last of all of them to defect from Cobra Kai to Miyagi-Do, and had been training with only 1 style for the longest time, so it had taken her quite a while to properly integrate both styles into her arsenal. However, she was starting to do just that, and now that she had, there was no telling how far she could get in the tournament.

Each Miyagi-Do saw this semi final matchup in a different way. Some were worried about the potential aftermath this fight could produce. Some were annoyed that their two fighters were facing one another, as that completely eliminated any chance of an all Miyagi-Do girls final. Some were even relieved, as although there was no longer the chance of a Sam vs. Tory final, one of them now were guaranteed to fight in the final. There would 100% be a Miyagi-Do in that final, which meant that they had an extremely large chance of winning the division.

"That leaves the last girls' semi final as Sarah Gledhill, Cobra Kai Karate vs. Elise Lavigne, Paris Karate Club!"

Sarah's route to the Sekai Taikai was undoubtedly an easier one than Sam or Tory's. She was fighting against a great competitor, but not one that had made a name herself as a genuine contender for the title in the same way that the other 3 girls had. However, if Sarah even wanted a sniff of a spot in the finals of the tournament, she still needed to score 8 points against her opponent, an almost impossible task at this point against the quality of opponents they were up against by this point of the Taikai.

"Now… for the boys!" The announcer exclaimed, reaching into the boys' bowl. "The first name is… Marcos Olivera, Cobra Kai Karate!"

A familiar "O-LI-VEIRA!" chant began to ring around the arena once more as the audience heard this. Marcos had gained a lot of fans and a lot of attention that night, that much was for certain. The shallow fans saw the brutal performance the two gladiators had displayed and couldn't help but be in awe of the barbarism shown. Still though, Marcos wasn't convinced by all of the love he was receiving. They were adoring him for almost killing an innocent 20 year old. How was that morally right? Fact of the matter was that it wasn't. But the human appeal of violence and war had proven too much for most of the fans in the arena, and it had pushed them all into Marcos' corner.

The commentator listened to all of the people chanting the Brazilian's name and he chuckled, turning to Marcos.

"I think they like you." The announcer remarked lightheartedly to Marcos.

Marcos, however, didn't even crack a smile. How could he, after the tumultuous night he had just had? The most Marcos could do was bring himself to raise a hand and wave to all of those supporting him, a small show of gratitude to those in his corner. Even that small gesture caused the audience to erupt with louder cheers and shouts as he addressed them.

"Alright! Alright! Let's see who Mr. Oliveira's opponent is, shall we?" The announcer said, and the audience quietened down immediately, eager to see who their boy was fighting in the semis.

Miyagi-Do were just as eager to find out which name was going to be pulled out of the pot next. Because it was Marcos who had been selected first, that meant that next name to be removed was guaranteed to be a Miyagi-Do. The only question was who was it going to be: Robby, Miguel or Hawk. The first name to be selected would be fighting Marcos, the two others would be fighting each other. It was all about to be revealed, as the announcer reached his hand into the pot and pulled out another name, opening the tightly sealed slip of paper before reading it out to the entire audience.

"Eli 'Hawk' Moskowitz, Miyagi-Do Karate!"

Instantly, oohs and aahs from the audience rang around the arena. If the audience were looking for another highly entertaining fight, they had most definitely got one. Some of the most boring fights of the Taikai so far had been contested between fighters of two defense-centric dojos. This fight was the exact opposite. Neither Marcos or Hawk were afraid to press their opponents with a ruthless offense. Their speed, strength, agility and acrobatics was second to none, and it allowed for what could again be one of the most entertaining Taikai fights in recent memory.

As Marcos and Hawk both moved towards the center of the stage for their faceoff, Marcos did something that nobody in the crowd could have possibly expected. They all knew him right now as the boy who had mercilessly, ruthlessly obliterated Diego, who had wiped him off the face of the Taikai. However, what Marcos did as he stood face to face with Hawk was stick out a hand for Eli to shake.

It was a sign of respect between the two competitors. They had fought before, and it had been under very different circumstances. There hadn't been that same respect before, and Marcos took at least half of the responsibility for that, so he wanted to ensure that it was different this time around. He wanted to give Eli the respect he deserved, especially given that the boy was the reigning All-Valley champion, beating both Miguel and Robby on his way to the top.

Staring at Marcos suspiciously for a few moments, Hawk eventually shook Marcos' hand, cautious of what the Cobra might have up his sleeve. But Marcos didn't do anything but nod ever so slightly at his opponent, silently wishing him the best of luck, a gesture that Hawk emulated before both boys returned to their respective sides.

"And that officially leaves our last semi final matchup as Miguel Diaz, Miyagi-Do Karate vs. Robby Keene, Miyagi-Do Karate!"

Oh boy. Here we go again. One more. One last dance between these two, before they went their separate ways for the future, Robby going into the military and Miguel beginning the process of starting his own business. Two of the most closely matched fighters in the world, these two never seemed to be able to get clear-cut, uncontroversial wins against each other. In the 2 and a half year span that they'd been fighting, each of them had won twice, but none of those fights without controversy, and then they had had a whole bunch of no contest matchups along the way.

However, this time it was different between the two boys. For the first time ever, they weren't fighting against each other. They weren't fighting on opposing sides, or fighting to fuel their rivalry. Their minds and bodies weren't in shitty places, unbalanced. Things were the best they had ever been between the two teenagers. They would both be able to go into the fight with a clear mind, and only the better fighter of the two would advance to the finals. But who would it be?

The stage was set for the semi finals. 6 fights, one step closer to glory…

Johnny vs. Silver

Daniel vs. Kreese

Sam vs. Tory

Sarah vs. Elise

Marcos vs. Hawk

Miguel vs. Robby

May the best fighters win…