❛ You fight better when
you stop holding back. ❜

     After concluding her training with both Tory and Sam for the day, Ayane returned home to see what the boys were up to.

She made her way to Miyagi-Do, finding Demetri and Eli out there. They had a lot of technology equipment set up around them, Ayane quirking a brow.

"Hey guys," she said as she approached them, looking around the dojo. "Where's Miguel and Robby?"

Demetri sighed. "He had to take a break. We were trying this program to help him train but... he wasn't doing too hot."

Eli turned the computer in front of him around to face her, Ayane looking at the screen. According to their 'program', Robby only had a four percent chance of beating Axel in the Sekai Taikai.

Ayane chewed her lip, looking up at the two. "How much time did you guys spend on this?"

Demetri shrugged a little. "Couple hours. AI helps."

She simply shook her head. "Nerds," she muttered. "Anyway, where's the other two?"

"Inside," Eli nodded to the house. "I think Miguel went to give Robby a heart-to-heart."

Ayane wondered if that was a good thing or not, but nonetheless she turned and walked toward the house. She slid the door open, seeing the two boys inside.

"Hi," she greeted with a small smile. "How's training going?"

She then made a face as she noticed what Robby was wearing, some kind of weird gear that had clearly been Eli and Demetri's doing.

"What the hell is that?"

Miguel laughed a little, though Robby did not seem so enthused. He began to take the equipment off, feeling silly with it still on.

"Nothing helpful," Robby muttered, discarding the gear.

Ayane folded her arms, exchanging a look with Miguel. She could tell without him saying anything that he was having a hard time getting through to Robby.

"So I guess training isn't going very well, then," Ayane replied, Robby giving a sigh.

He ran a hand through his hair, placing a hand on his hip.

"Alright," Ayane clapped her hands together, gesturing with her head to the door. "Let's go spar."

Robby looked up at her, frowning. "No offense, Ayane, but I don't know if that's really gonna help–"

"Hey," she snapped her fingers. "I'm your captain right now. Get out there and get on the sparring deck."

Robby blinked, unsure of how to respond. Miguel was hiding a smirk, Robby finally walking forward and exiting the house. Miguel followed behind, stopping in front of Ayane.

"I think he still likes you."

"Shut up," Ayane rolled her eyes, walking outside.

She followed Robby up onto the sparring deck, dressed in her normal clothes while he was in his Miyagi-Do gi.

"What exactly is your plan here?" Robby asked dejectedly, clearly not wanting to do this.

Ayane stretched her arms. "To piss you off enough that you give it your all."

Before he could reply, Ayane threw a fast kick right at his face. Robby dodged it just in time, blinking with surprise.

"What the hell?"

Ayane smirked, her arms loose at her sides. Robby brought his fists up to his usual stance, his eyes becoming sharp and tracking her every move.

Miguel, Eli and Demetri gathered around, watching intently. This wasn't just a regular sparring match, and Ayane was trying to get that point across to Robby. It was preparation for the biggest tournament of their lives.

Ayane smirked, shaking out her hands. "You fight better when you stop holding back." She tilted her head, sizing him up. "And as your captain, I'm gonna help you stop holding back."

Robby arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? And how are you planning to do that?"

Ayane didn't answer. Instead, she darted forward, throwing a quick jab toward his face. Robby reacted smoothly, blocking with ease, but she followed up with a sharp front kick aimed at his ribs. He twisted, barely avoiding it, and countered with a side kick to her thigh.

She smiled as she stepped back. "Not bad. But I can tell you're still thinking too much."

Robby exhaled, resetting his stance. "I think before I act. You should try it sometime."

"Oh, I do think," Ayane teased, circling him. "Like right now, I'm thinking about how you're holding back because you're afraid of pissing me off."

The other three boys watched the exchange, Miguel ignoring his slight jealousy. He knew that Ayane was just saying all this to get under Robby's skin.

Robby's eyes flickered with annoyance, just for a second.

"I'm not afraid of that."

"Sure, sure," she said casually, throwing a feint with her left before snapping a roundhouse kick toward his ribs.

He blocked, but she used the momentum to spin into a backfist that just barely missed his jaw.

"You fight like you're trying not to break anything," she continued. "But against Axel, he's not gonna give a shit. He'll do whatever it takes."

Robby exhaled through his nose, eyes narrowing. "I know that."

"Do you?" Ayane pressed, darting in with a quick low kick to his shin. He stepped back, but she immediately launched a spinning back kick toward his stomach. This time, instead of blocking, Robby caught her leg and yanked her off balance, sending her stumbling.

She barely regained her footing before he was on her, firing a sharp one-two combo that forced her to block fast. His punches had more heat now–more intent. Ayane smirked. There it was.

Robby wasn't done. He swept low, trying to take her legs out from under her. She hopped over the kick, but as she landed, he shot forward with a powerful side kick that knocked her back a few steps.

Ayane wiped her mouth, grinning. "Now you're fighting."

Robby rolled his shoulders, stepping forward with a new sharpness in his eyes.

"And now you're gonna regret pissing me off."

Ayane broke into a laugh, bringing her fists back up.

"Whatever it takes, Keene."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ayane finally let Robby call it quits for training, wiping sweat from her brow as she hopped off the sparring deck.

She grabbed her water bottle and took a sip, Miguel approaching her at once.

"You're pretty serious about these finals, huh?" he remarked, Ayane looking over at him.

She set down her bottle, placing her hands on her hips as she caught her breath.

"Well yeah, aren't we supposed to be? It's the biggest karate tournament in the world."

Miguel smiled a little as Ayane took a seat on the sparring deck, walking over and sitting down beside her.

"I'm really proud of you, Ayane," he said at once, the girl looking over at him.

She smiled after a second. "Thanks. I feel like I'm doing a lot better."

"I think you are," he agreed, giving a nod. "I definitely think you're ready for the tournament."

Eli and Demetri had already packed up their stuff and left, and now Robby was getting ready to leave too. Ayane smiled at Miguel's words, hanging her head.

"You think so?"

Miguel had a look as if it were obvious. "Ayane, you could win without a point being scored on you if you wanted."

Her smile slowly grew, raised her head to Miguel. Placing her hands on either side of her, Ayane pushed herself to her feet on the deck.

Miguel looked up at her, Ayane holding out a hand to him.

"Let's find out."

He raised an eyebrow, taking her hand and allowing her to pull him up. Ayane released his hand and pushed him back slightly, saying, "Me and you haven't sparred in a while."

Miguel continued to raise his eyebrows as she assumed her fighting stance, shuffling to the other end of the deck.

"How are you not tired? You've done nothing but spar today."

Ayane gave a small shrug, bouncing on her feet. "Adrenaline, I guess."

The soft rustling of trees and the distant chirping of birds filled the Miyagi-Do dojo, the warm afternoon sun casting long shadows across the deck.

Ayane stood in her stance, feet grounded, hands raised in anticipation. Across from her, Miguel gave her a lopsided grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Alright," he raised his fists, "One point, and I win."

She smirked. "Good luck."

Miguel laughed softly, then lunged forward, testing her reflexes with a quick feint to her left. She didn't bite. Instead, she pivoted smoothly, slipping just out of range, her eyes locked on his every move.

"You're gonna have to do better than just dodging me if you want to survive the semifinals," he teased, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.

Ayane smirked, rolling her shoulders. "And you're gonna have to try harder if you want to score a point on me."

In a blur, he spun into a roundhouse kick aimed at her ribs. Ayane barely had time to react, twisting her body to let the strike graze past her. Miguel's foot landed, and he immediately shot forward with a follow-up punch. Ayane ducked, feeling the air shift just above her head as his knuckles barely missed.

She grinned. "Close, but still no point."

Miguel exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You're really making me work for this, huh?"

"Wouldn't be fun otherwise," she winked, stepping back to reassume her fighting stance.

He took a step forward, his movements slower, more calculated. "Maybe you're just too distracted by my good looks."

Ayane laughed. "You wish."

"Don't have to wish when it's true," he bantered.

Miguel shot forward again, feinting right before sweeping low. Ayane hopped over his leg, but as she landed, Miguel surged up, aiming a quick jab toward her midsection. She twisted at the last second, his fist grazing her gi, but she managed to evade once more.

"Still nothing," she taunted.

Miguel huffed, clearly enjoying the challenge. "Alright, I was trying to be nice, but now? No mercy."

Ayane raised an eyebrow, halfway rolling her eyes. "Oh, so you've been going easy on me? How kind."

Before he could reply, she struck first, a lightning fast backfist toward his shoulder. Miguel barely dodged, his breath hitching as he felt the force of the air pass by.

"Damn, okay–"

Seizing the moment, Ayane spun into a kick aimed at his chest. Miguel reacted just in time, blocking with both arms, but the impact sent him sliding back a few inches.

He looked up at her, impressed. "That was hot."

Ayane rolled her eyes, but the slight curve of her lips betrayed her amusement.

"You're supposed to be focused on the match, Diaz."

Miguel stepped in again, but this time, he didn't attack immediately. Instead, he held her gaze, his expression shifting from playful to something more intense.

"I am focused."

That moment of distraction was all he needed. Miguel suddenly hooked his foot behind her ankle and swept her leg out from under her. Ayane gasped as she stumbled backwards– but before she could hit the ground, Miguel caught her wrist and pulled her forward, steadying her.

She blinked up at him, their faces mere inches apart. His grip on her wrist was firm, his touch warm.

"Point," he murmured, smirking.

Ayane exhaled, torn between frustration and reluctant admiration.

"Cheap move."

Miguel shrugged. "You were the one who got distracted this time."

She tilted her head, challengingly replying, "I could say the same for you."

His smirk softened into something more genuine. "Yeah... maybe."

Ayane pulled her lips in as her eyes traveled from Miguel's, down to his lips. He caught on in an instant, drawing closer to the girl until Ayane closed the gap between them with her lips on his.

Miguel let go of her wrist as his arms crept around her waist, pulling her in even closer. Ayane wrapped her arms around his neck, their kiss deepening. Her tongue brushed his in his mouth, Miguel pulling away at once and catching his breath.

"This isn't really the best spot for this," he remarked, Ayane laughing under her breath.

"I have a bedroom that's only a two minute walk from here," she replied, a rather innocent smile displayed on her face.

Miguel narrowed his eyes, but smiled back nonetheless.

"Ayane, was this sparring session just a ploy to get me to have sex with you?"

She tilted her head back, tapping her chin in thought as she clung onto him.

"You know, I can see where you might've gotten that idea."

He chuckled softly, bringing a hand under chin to kiss her again. Ayane's knees buckled slightly as she kissed him back, Miguel growing a bit more needy as they kissed.

Ayane drew back this time, meeting Miguel's eyes. "I mean, if you're that desperate, the Miyagi-Do house is right there."

Miguel paused, only for a couple seconds before he grabbed Ayane's hand and pulled her toward the house.

She laughed as he hopped down, having no choice but to follow.

Notes.
horndogs (yeah i'm talking about y'all too)

the way i'm lowkey not even following the episodes rn, i'm just writing whatever i can to avoid actually having to end it 🥲 but i know y'all are excited to read ayane rocking zara's shit so

i <3 throwing in ayane and robby interactions that can be perceived as slightly flirty just to mess with you guys, it's my favorite hobby

what move do you think ayane will use to end her fight against zara? 🤭