❛ Let's get this fight over with, shall we? ❜

Miguel's heart ached a little at Ayane's suggestion of being just friends, but he would take it in a heartbeat.

As long as it meant she was no longer ghosting him, shutting him out of her life completely, then he could live with that.

"You– you wanna come back to Miyagi-Do? Really?"

Ayane raised her shoulders a little. "Let's be real– Cobra Kai's not doing me any favors. I feel stupid that it took me this long to see it, but..."

Miguel began to smile, wishing he could go forward and hug her. He missed her touch like crazy.

"You have no idea how happy everyone's gonna be."

Ayane laughed a little, meeting Miguel's eyes for a prolonged moment. She glanced away, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Do you think so? I figured they might hate me."

Miguel made a face. "Are you kidding? You're an All-Valley champion. And you're the Ayane Cain."

Ayane halfway rolled her eyes, laughing Miguel off. Her face grew serious once more, looking back up at him.

"So do you... are you– okay with being just friends?" she asked, not having gotten a clear answer from him before.

Miguel swallowed back the hurt, giving Ayane a pained smile.

"I'm okay with that, Ayane. I just– I've missed talking to you."

Ayane's breath caught for a moment, her eyes brightening a bit. Hearing those words felt like a breath of fresh air.

"I-I missed talking to you too," she replied, a small smile on her face. "I'm sorry that I've been ignoring you."

Miguel dismissed it, acting as if it were no big deal. On the inside, it was crushing him.

"I'm gonna let you have the space that you need," Miguel responded, giving a curt nod. "Figure out what's best for you."

Ayane looked into his eyes, having to force herself to break away. She needed to be listening to her own advice.

"Alright, well– I think I'm gonna head back now," she said, Miguel nodding rather awkwardly at the tension breaking. "I'll leave you to your training."

"Right– uh, yeah. Yeah. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

Ayane looked up at him as she stepped toward the exit, offering another smile.

"See you tomorrow, Miguel."

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     The following day, Ayane felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She got dressed to go to Miyagi-Do, making her way downstairs to the kitchen where Daniel sat at the table.

"Good morning," he greeted, a cup of coffee in hand. "How you feeling, kiddo?"

Ayane smiled softly, holding her stomach. "Hungry."

Daniel laughed as she helped herself to the waffles he had made. Last night she returned from Miyagi-Do to inform him that she was going to be making a switch, and for good this time. Daniel was not sure what finally made her decide to come around, but he was not going to complain.

She sat down at the table across from Daniel, digging in to her breakfast.

"I know you haven't been able to train with us in a while, but I think you've already got the gist," he said, setting his coffee down. "Do you think you're prepared for the presentation with the Sekai Taikai board?"

Ayane gave a little shrug as she shoved waffles into her mouth, pouring more syrup on them.

"I'm gonna have to tone down the Cobra Kai style that I've been doing for a while, but that shouldn't be too hard," she replied casually. "You guys just tell me what to do, and I can do it."

Daniel knew that was very well true. Ayane was possibly the most crucial factor of them getting into the Sekai Taikai now, though she did not know it. Silver was at a huge loss without her there.

"Alright. Oh– do you still have your Miyagi-Do gi?" he then asked.

Ayane made a face. "Uh... it's at my parents' house. Sorry."

"No worries, I have extra. You just eat up and prepare yourself. We've got a long day ahead of us."

She gave a curt nod, finishing up her breakfast while Daniel went to retrieve her a new gi. Ayane liked the idea that this was kind of a fresh start for her, even if she had been a member of Miyagi-Do before.

She was making the right choice, and she knew that now.

Ayane pushed away the thought of what Jae was going to think when he realized she had left Cobra Kai for good, trying her best to keep that in the back of her mind.

Daniel returned with the gi, Ayane taking it upstairs to her bedroom. She would not be needing it until later in the future, but it was nice to know that it was there.

It was a reminder that she was making the right choice.

Ayane and Daniel left at the same time to go over to Miyagi-Do, the girl feeling a bit nervous. She was unsure of how everyone was going to welcome her back, anxious at the thought.

As she followed Daniel into the dojo, Ayane was greeted with heads turning to all look at her, just like the Cobra Kai students had done. Ayane gulped, looking up at all of them. She noticed Miguel first, who was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of her.

That made her feel better, Ayane returning his smile.

"No... fucking... way," Eli spoke up first, his jaw dropping. "Ayane?"

She looked over at Eli, giving a small wave. "What's up?"

"Are you joining Miyagi-Do again?" he asked.

"Or Eagle Fang?" Bert added, Ayane surprised to see him there.

Her mouth fell open a little, continuing to smile. "Miyagi-Do, yeah. If... that's okay with you guys."

"Are you kidding me?" Robby suddenly spoke up, approaching the girl with shocked laughter. "You're always welcome here, Ayane."

He went forward and hugged her, Ayane hugging him back at once. Miguel's smile began to fade, Eli looking over at him with a confused look. He knew that Ayane and Miguel had broken up, but Robby's friendliness was a bit surprising.

Miguel glanced over at Eli, then looked away.

Ayane pulled away from Robby, a little thrown off by the unexpected hug. She figured he was just trying to be supportive, after everything she had been going through lately.

"Everyone," Daniel announced, "before the Sekai Taikai committee gets here, I wanted to inform you all that we have a not-so-new student returning to Miyagi-Do."

He looked over to Ayane, the kids beginning to clap for her as she stood there and grinned. She folded her hands behind her, seeing all of her friends in one place again. Aside from Tory, but Ayane knew that she understood her reason for leaving.

"I'm glad to be back," Ayane said at once. "I've missed you guys."

"Alright, you got your welcome home celebration," Johnny cut in, stepping forward. "Now we gotta get ready to have a kickass presentation."

Ayane halfway rolled her eyes, knowing Johnny was also glad that she was back, but probably salty because she had chosen Miyagi-Do over Eagle Fang.

Just then, the Sekai Taikai committee entered the dojo.

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"Thank you for your presentation," Gunther Braun said to the students after a very long day of strenuous work.

"Your style is... quite unique," he remarked. "Having reviewed both dojos, it's clear that one could not be more different than the other. Yet, both are equally impressive."

Ayane wiped the sweat from her brow, wondering where Gunther was going with this. She had put in a lot of work today, more than she had done in a long while. The senseis were keeping her at the forefront, knowing her value to the team.

"...So the only way to determine which dojo can gain entry into the Sekai Taikai, is to see how your students fare in direct competition."

Ayane raised her head, realizing at once what this meant.

Fighting against Cobra Kai.

"Each dojo will select two fighters. One male, one female. Each will fight tomorrow afternoon in separate three-point matches," Gunther explained. "After those fights, the organizers will decide which dojo, if any, shall make the world stage."

Ayane felt admittedly a bit nervous about this. The Sekai Taikai was a huge deal, bigger than anything she had ever competed in.

"Good luck to all," Gunther gave a curt bow, leading the way out of the dojo.

Ayane turned to her three senseis at once, knowing what this meant. She was going to be fighting against Cobra Kai's best female fighter, and there was only one clear option: Tory.

Daniel, Johnny and Chozen all looked at her, Ayane returning their look.

"I'll go ahead and start training," she sighed.

Turning around, Ayane wondered which male fighter they were going to be choosing. There were three obvious options, from her own opinion.

Miguel, Robby, or Eli.

Ayane knew who she wanted it to be, but she could not say that out loud.

The very person she had been thinking about approached her at once, offering a small smile.

"So," Miguel said, "you ready to fight Tory again?"

Ayane glanced over at Sam, who was listening in on the conversation. Sam glanced away, pretending like she hadn't been. But Ayane could tell that she was relieved she didn't have to be the one fighting Tory.

Shrugging, Ayane replied, "I've only done it, what– five or six times now?"

Miguel snickered, shaking his head. "And won every single one," he added.

"Some were only by the skin of my teeth," she reminded Miguel, thinking back to her many brutal fights against Tory. The two girls were a lot alike.

"Do you think you're gonna be the male fighter?" Ayane questioned at once, Robby walking up just then.

"Actually, Miguel, I was wanting to see if I could talk to you about that," Robby interjected, Miguel looking over and nodding at once.

"Yeah, sure."

As they walked away, Ayane felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out, seeing a text from Tory, asking where she was. Ayane stared at the text, wondering how to respond. Silver was probably losing his shit right about now, with Ayane's absence.

Ayane sent Tory a text back, putting her phone back in her legging pocket.

"Ayane-san," she heard a voice, turning around. Sensei Chozen stood there, giving a small bow to her.

She bowed back. "Hi, Sensei Chozen. We haven't really formally met."

He waved a hand. "Do not worry, we will catch up. You are going to be practicing with me this afternoon."

Ayane quirked an eyebrow, nodding at once.

"O-Okay."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

     Today was the day.

Ayane was trying to stop thinking about what might happen when she entered the Cobra Kai dojo, the looks of betrayal on people's faces when they saw her in a white gi.

She and Eli had been chosen to represent the dojo, which disappointed Ayane a little but she was nonetheless okay with.

Ayane entered the dojo last, following behind the other students. Miguel looked back at her as she walked inside, offering a smile of encouragement.

The girl returned his smile, glancing away as her feet carried her through.

There were audible murmurs around the room as Ayane was revealed, and the utmost look of shock from Terry Silver. Seeing that look on his face caused Ayane to smirk, feeling good about this now.

Anything to bring that man down.

She chose to not even acknowledge the students, seeing their mixed reactions of anger and confusion. Ayane stretched her arms, stepping in line with her teammates.

"You ready for this, Cain?" she heard Johnny ask, the girl looking over at him.

She gave a curt nod. "Always. It's nothing I haven't done before."

Johnny clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Glad to have you back, Ayannie."

She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. Ayane looked over as the committee met with the senseis from each dojo, discussing with them.

"Time to begin," Gunther announced at once, everyone falling silent. "Eli Moskowitz and Kenny Payne, please take the mat."

Ayane raised an eyebrow, seeing Kenny come forward. That was an interesting choice for Silver to pick him. Kenny was good, but young.

She locked eyes with Vincent just then, the boy practically burning holes into her. He shook his head at her, Ayane looking away.

With Eli and Kenny on the mat, the referee stepped in.

"Face me, bow. Face each other, bow."

Ayane was curious as to how this would play out. She did not think the fight would last long, confident that Eli had it handled.

"Ready? Fight!"

Kenny immediately came forward, throwing a kick at Eli to which he dodged. After dodging multiple jabs and kicks, Kenny brought a leg up swiftly and struck Eli in the armpit.

"Point! One, zero."

Ayane tilted her head, not expecting this. Kenny had made serious improvements.

They got back into position, the referee signaling for them to begin again.

Kenny went forward once more without hesitation, the two boys sparring back and forth. Eli turned with a jump, landing a kick on Kenny.

"No point! Out of bounds," the referee said, Ayane's mouth falling open. That had been a clear point.

She watched as the referee turned his head to Silver just then, Silver giving him a subtle nod. Ayane felt her stomach lurch and her fists tightened, in disbelief.

Had Silver paid off the referee?

Eli and Kenny continued, the referee calling an illegal strike on Kenny and giving him a warning. Ayane could feel the rage boiling inside of her, clenching her jaw.

The two went back to their positions again, the referee calling 'fight' once more. Both Eli and Kenny went forward at the same time, Ayane noticing that Kenny's stance had changed. He parried a strike and jabbed Eli straight forward in the chest, two knuckles protruding from his hand. Ayane recognized that move, and it was very illegal to do, mostly because someone could get killed from it.

Eli collapsed, the breath knocked out of his body. Everyone stood there, coming to the realization that he was not getting back up.

Daniel and Johnny both rushed to Eli's side, Johnny saying, "Where the hell is the medic?"

The medic came in a second later, Eli's shallow breathing the only thing Ayane could hear.

"That's a forfeit. Winner, Payne."

The Cobra Kai students immediately cheered, Ayane glaring over at Silver. He was behind all of this, and she knew it.

They got Eli off of the floor, the boy being taken away. The Cobra Kai students still celebrated Kenny's win, but Gunther was ready to move on.

"We begin our girl's fight," he announced as he stood. "Ayane Cain and Tory Nichols, please take the mat."

Ayane stepped forward without hesitation, her hair pulled back into her usual two braids that she wore when fighting. Looking up, Ayane did not see Tory anywhere, frowning.

The Cobra Kai senseis seemed equally as confused, looking at each other. After conversing for a moment, Silver disappeared to go look for Tory.

Ayane looked back at her own senseis, shrugging. They did not know, either.

When Silver returned, he whispered something to Kim. She was fuming, but turned to her students.

"Miss Lee."

Devon looked at her, pointing to herself. "What– me?"

Kim crossed her arms, eyeing the girl up and down.

"You want me to fight Ayane Cain?" Devon asked, her eyes wide with fear.

Ayane stood on the mat, arms behind her back, returning Kim's look with a smirk as she glared at  Ayane. Their only hope had been Tory, and now she was nowhere to be found.

"No," Kim looked back to Devon, "I want you to destroy her."

Ayane was unmoved by this, remaining still as she waited.

"Let's get this fight over with, shall we?" she piped up, her smirk still on her face.

Devon turned abruptly and stepped onto the mat,  averting Ayane's gaze as she bore into the girl.

"Face me, bow," the ref said, both girls doing so. "Face each other, bow."

Ayane did just that, then assumed her fighting stance. She had already fought Devon at the All-Valley tournament, and it did not take very long.

"Ready?" The referee stuck his hand between them, Ayane staring Devon down. "Fight?"

Ayane let Devon come to her, knowing she was going to strike first. She blocked the girl's kicks, bringing her leg up and kicking Devon from the side.

"Point! One, zero."

Circling the mat, Ayane continued to smile as she watched Devon like a hawk. The girl was clearly fearful, but Ayane didn't care in that moment. This was about proving a point to Terry Silver, that even with his cheating he would never win.

Ayane struck first this time, Devon barely blinking before she was blocking Ayane's strikes. The Cain girl was holding back a significant amount, but not enough to let Devon score on her.

Turning on her heel, Ayane spun and kicked out a leg, landing it straight to Devon's stomach. She groaned, clutching her abdomen, but eventually climbed to her feet again.

"Point! Two, zero," the referee said once more, giving Silver another look.

Ayane also gave him a look, a very smug one at that. She had never been so thrilled.

The two girls got back into their fighting positions, Devon trying to hang in there. Ayane was almost done with her.

"Ready? Fight!"

Ayane went forward as Devon did the same, grabbing the girl by her arm as one of her arms went over her neck and forced her backwards onto the ground. Ayane kneeled and struck Devon in the side, standing up at once.

She looked at the referee, who was hesitant to call a point.

"Point, winner!" He pointed at Ayane reluctantly, all of the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students beginning to cheer.

Someone picked her up from behind, Ayane almost expecting it to be Miguel. But as she was set down, she turned and saw Robby, a hand on her shoulder as he grinned. She smiled back after a moment, looking over at Miguel who was nearly scowling. That was not good.

Ayane watched the organizers discussing intensely, then all standing up after a moment.

"We have reached an agreement," Gunther announced. "As expected, we were impressed with the skills, precision and discipline of the new Sekai Taikai qualifier..."

He looked between both dojos. "Cobra Kai."

Ayane's heart dropped, confused. She had won their fight fair and square, whereas Kenny cheated to win. This was not fair at all.

The Cobra Kais cheered, Ayane's own teammates consoling her. This wasn't right.

But then, Gunther continued, "As for our other dojo, we admired your unusual mix of styles and underdog spirit... and we think you could be a unique addition to our competition."

Ayane's eyes widened slowly with realization.

"Therefore, we've decided that your dojo has also qualified."

Notes.
extra long chapter for u guys 🙏 the next one is gonna be... i won't say

i'm anticipating two or three more chapters until the end of season 5?? and then season 6 😜 i'm SO excited to write season 6 guys you have no idea

so now that tensions are rising between ayane, miguel and robby, what do you think's gonna happen? 😈 stay tuned...