CHAPTER 182

So close! Marcos had been so close to finishing his opponent right then and there. Just 10 more seconds at the end of the round and maybe, he would've had him. Maybe Robby would've tapped out. After all, Marcos had him in the lock, his arms as tight as a boa around Robby's. There was no way Robby was getting out of it if not for the bell.

But alas. It wasn't meant to be. Robby survived, and the fight continued for both of them. They were about to enter Round 3, approaching the halfway point of the encounter, before they could, they had a few moments to talk to their senseis.

There was nothing too meaningful that Kreese and Sarah could tell Marcos right now. He was dialed in, completely in the zone. He had regained his mojo back after his abysmal first round showing, following it up with a spectacular second round. If the fight was to come down to the judges' decision, it was likely that they were about equal at this point in the matchup, though there were still 3 whole rounds to come. A simple pat on the back and a "keep it up" was all Marcos got from his corner after his most recent display. Robby, however, was in need for more feedback than that from him. He was agitated as he stood in his corner, and the senseis noticed his frustration.

"Talk to us. What's going on, Robby?" Daniel asked, concerned. Robby scowled at him.

"In case you didn't notice, I just got my fucking ass kicked." Robby grumbled. Johnny nodded.

"You did. But it's a long fight ahead. You took 1 round. He took 1 round. So now things are equal. Make sure you win the next round." Johnny instructed. Robby turned to glare at him too.

"Thanks. I didn't even think to do that… win the next round." Robby snapped sarcastically, before turning to the rest of the senseis. "Please, senseis, help me out here. I don't know what to do. He's better than me."

"Wrong. He was better than you last round. Just like you were better than him the round before." Daniel said. "Do you realize what that means?"

Robby shrugged, shaking his head.

"It means that you're more than physically capable of beating him. The only thing that separates the two of you is your mental state. First round, he was struggling mentally, so you capitalized. Second round, he was full of confidence, and you got scared and shied away a little. This fight is completely within our grasp, as it solely depends on what's going on in your head. We know you have it in you to win. Everyone who has ever seen you fight knows that you have it in you. The only person who doesn't is you. Believe you can win - truly believe it - and you'll win. Simple as that." Daniel told him.

"It's all about momentum." Johnny explained further. "You guys are both such good fighters, both so equally matched. The only way that either of you is going to be able to gain an advantage over each other is by claiming control and momentum of the fight. And the way you do that, like Larusso is saying, is by fighting with confidence. By knowing and believing what we already know: that you have what it takes to win."

Unfortunately, things weren't so easy for the Miyagi-Do corner. Robby was filled with belief, genuine belief that he could win, although those thoughts were quickly run over by Marcos as soon as Round 3 began, the Cobra instantly springing forward and pushing him backwards with a brutal boxing combination that barely missed its target, Robby feeling one of the punches skim his hair.

Although Robby had been filled with confidence going into the 3rd round, that self-belief took a massive plummet as Marcos came charging out of the gate. It had been the one thing that Kreese had suggested for the 3rd round: attacking early to re-seize the control of the fight and continue where he left off in round 2. He was aware that just like Marcos had been after round 1, Robby was going to be hungry to bring the fight to his terms, and so he wanted to avoid that happening at all costs.

Robby desperately tried to get back into it throughout the round, throwing a few notable strikes and combinations, but nothing that managed to level his opponent in any way. Marcos meanwhile, didn't miss a beat as he got back into the rhythm that he had been in during round 2. He was toying with his opponent, a lion playing with its meat before a meal, and no matter what Robby tried, he simply couldn't wrestle this fight away from the Cobra.

And he really did try everything. Punches, kicks, takedowns… everything he did, Marcos had an answer for. The two boys were stuck in a pretty vicious cycle: Robby would be getting beaten and want to swing momentum; he would go on offense to try and do so; he would be left vulnerable defenseless; Marcos would capitalize and land devastating shots in retaliation; and then the cycle would repeat. Over and over again it repeated, the seconds ticking away in the 3rd round, moving past the halfway point in the round and in the fight, Marcos seemingly on his way to his maiden Sekai Taikai Championship, with Robby returning home empty-handed from the 3 straight tournament.

This theory was only made more likely as Marcos landed his biggest blow yet of the fight. Robby had been getting more and more desperate as he felt the fight slipping further out of his grasp, his mind all over the place, and it had led to him becoming a little bit sloppy. Just a very little bit, as Robby was still an incredibly intelligent fighter, but the miniscule margins were all it took in this fight. Robby swung at Marcos with a punch that lingered in the air a fraction too long. Marcos was able to parry the hand away and leave Robby's ear exposed for quite possibly the first time during the fight, and by God did Marcos take advantage of that.

THUD!

It was a strike that rang through the entire arena. Marcos' dominant hand, his left hand, had somehow been gifted the opportunity of a free hit to the side of Robby's head, and Marcos didn't need any more encouragement to do just that. It was a breathtakingly powerful blow, and one that struck immense fear in the hearts of all of the Miyagi-Dos as they watched Robby fall to the ground.

Robby almost blacked out. He very nearly blacked out and once again, Marcos had been mere inches from claiming victory. But once again, it was not enough to bring the trophy home to Brazil for the first time in 2 decades. Robby was often regarded as the smartest fighter in Miyagi-Do, and in that moment, even as he could barely think from the rattling and ringing going on inside his head, he showed his cleverness first-hand.

Marcos was already on him to finish the fight. Like a shark smelling blood, he could tell that the end was near. And he may well be right, as Robby had fallen hard to the ground, not yet back on his feet at all. The referee was preparing to call the fight right there, but didn't when he saw Robby still moving.

However, Robby wasn't moving to clamber to his feet. He knew that he didn't have time for that before Marcos converged on him. There was only one thing he could do, an extremely crafty move that was bound to lose him a few points in the eyes of the judges if the fight came down to it. But right now, Robby's priority was survival. He'd cross the bridge of trying to win by decision when and if it came to it. So Robby, just as Marcos was reaching him, rolled sideways…

"STOP!" The referee shouted. "Keene out of bounds! Back to your sides!"

Instantly, there was an uproar. Every Marcos fan in the arena, which meant nearly 100,000 people, were FUMING at what had occurred before their very eyes. Marcos had been seconds away from ending the fight, and yet he had been prevented from doing so by Robby rolling out of bounds and forcing the fight to come to a halt. It had been a somewhat cunning move by the Miyagi-Do, who wouldn't have relied on it unless he absolutely had to, and the audience LOATHED what they had just seen. Obscenities were thrown at the referee by everyone supporting Cobra Kai. Well, everyone except their actual fighter.

Marcos hadn't said a word as Robby had pulled off the sly move. He merely shook his head and chuckled.

"Sorry." Robby murmured, quietly enough for only Marcos to hear him, as the two boys were rising to their feet.

"Nah, fair play. I probably would've done the same there." Marcos murmured back. "Don't sweat it."

Marcos wasn't too fussed about the move that had just occurred. Not only was he in a much better headspace than he had been in previous rounds of the competition, where if this happened he might not have been so pleased. But also… Marcos was a competitor. Just like Robby. He knew what needed to be done to win, and knew that Robby had done exactly that. This wasn't a dirty move in any way; he wasn't physically harming his opponent. He was merely trying to stay in the fight, and had definitely sacrificed some points to do so. It was a wise move, and Marcos respected that, even if he was disappointed not to achieve the 3rd round knockout.

As Robby was walking back to his side himself, internally shaking his head and kicking himself for what he had had to do, he looked up and stopped in his tracks as he saw what was right in front of him. He was facing his corner and had been trying to will himself back into the fight but was struggling to do so, especially with Marcos' latest knockdown that had very nearly granted him the victory. Robby was thinking about all of this, until he looked up and saw who was standing in his corner.

Everyone. That's who. Daniel, Johnny, Barnes and Chozen were there trying to shout to him some advice and feedback. Tory, his incredible girlfriend was beside them, yelling some encouragement of her own. Beside her was his stepbrother, Miguel, who was also supporting him wildly, despite the fact that Robby had knocked him out himself in the semi finals. Beside them were the rest of the Miyagi-Dos, some of his closest friends: Demetri, Sam and Hawk. And if that wasn't enough, behind them, Robby spotted so many of his loved ones watching in the stands, having flown out all the way from L.A to support him: his mom and stepmom were sitting together with a large banner they had made; Amanda and Anthony, whom he had lived with for a summer back in the day, were also trying to shout for him to rally and believe; and so many more people that Robby instantly recognized.

Just seeing them, seeing all of their wincing, nervous faces after the knockdown, was enough to rejuvenate Robby and put some new life into the bones of the Miyagi-Do teenager. He could tell that they were getting worried, starting to lose a bit of belief that Robby could pull off the win against such a formidable opponent. During the build-up to this fight and during all of his inter-round pep talks, Robby had listened long and hard to them praising him and saying amazing things about him. But right here, looking deep and hard at the almost doubtful looks on their faces… This was more powerful than any word he had heard before the fight.

He wouldn't let them down. He wouldn't let them astray. After everything that every single person in his corner and supporting him from the crowd had done for him, he couldn't. He owed them everything. He remembered life before he met all of them: robbery, scamming and deceit. He was not only headed down a dark path and lost sight of who he was, but more than that… he had no idea who he even was in the first place. He had absolutely 0 sense of identity, nothing to truly care about in the world. He had spent 16 years not thriving, but merely surviving, watching each day eek by. He remembered lying in his bed so many nights, staring at the ceiling, both wanting desperately for the day of misery to end, but also dreading the next day, knowing that he had nothing in store for him but the same shit from the day before.

That pattern looked unrelenting, unyielding, something that he wasn't strong enough to fight his way out of. Until he had met all of them. They had all completely changed his life. It had taken so long, so many sleepless nights, days where he felt like living was more painful than the alternative, simply curling up in bed and praying that someday, there would be a better tomorrow. And sure enough, today there was. He had a future. He was surrounded by loved ones. He had a life that he could actually be proud of, and only had them to thank for it.

For that reason, Robby knew that he needed to win for them. As a token of the immense gratitude he felt every time he so much as looked at them. None of them had been present for much of the turmoil he had felt throughout his life, so none of them could possibly imagine how much they had changed his life, how much they had saved him from. Robby had gone into the tournament, gone into the fight, wanting to win for his dojo. A dojo full of Karate students and 4 senseis. But now… it was different. Now he wanted to win for the people underneath the gis that they were all adorning. The people who had changed his entire life.