"Welcome competitors, senseis, sponsors, and esteemed guests to Barcelona! This years home of the world's greatest karate tournament, the Sekai Takai!" The man Mackenzie remembered as Gunter announce on the stage, but she was hardly looking at him. Her eyes were glued on Tory, hoping that she'd stare at her long enough, Tory would start to feel it on the side of her head and finally turn to face her.

"The Sekai Taikai holds a rich and proud history and if you are here, it's because you embodied all that the Sekai Taikai stands for: leadership, respect, sportsmanship. Captains, step forward and tie on your headbands." Gunther instructed.

Mackenzie finally looked away from Tory to watch Robby and Sam step forward, pulling their headbands out of their pockets.

"Captains, you will have the honor and privilege to compete in our televised Tournament of Champions, but that is only if your dojo does well enough in our team competitions to make it to the final four. Once the tournament is over, we'll then tally all the points your dojos have earned. The dojo with the most points, wins the Sekai Taikai." Gunther explained as the captains tied their headbands around their heads.

Mackenzie looked around the arena at all of the other teams. Diagonal from the Miyagi-Do's, Mackenzie eyes found a boy in grey. He was already looking at her when she noticed him and even though his expression stayed hard, Mackenzie noticed a small twitch on the corner of his lips when her blue eyes landed on him.

Even though he didn't technically smile, Mackenzie did. She wasn't here to make more enemies than her team already had. She watched as the boys eyes widened when she smiled at him and he quickly turned back to Gunther, but Mackenzie could see the way his cheeks slowly started to turn pink even once he looked away.

"We have a field trip arranged for our competitors and for our senseis, a cocktail mixer with our distinguished sponsors: some of the worlds finest martial arts brands. It's a beautiful day to make a first impression and I suggest you enjoy it because tomorrow, your lives change forever." Gunther said, making Mackenzie look away from the mystery boy and back to him.

Gunther smiled at all of the teams around him, nodding his head proudly. "Good luck and welcome to the Sekai Taikai!"

...

After getting an introduction into the competition, all the teams were sent to their hotel to finally get settled in.

Between the seven students, there were four rooms and eight beds. Mackenzie and Devon watched the boys fight over who rooms with who since Demetri and Hawk still weren't talking and Devon laughed, making Mackenzie turn to her.

"Thank God we aren't boys." Devon breathed out and Mackenzie snickered under her breath as Sam came over with three room keys. She didn't hesitate to hand Mackenzie the single one.

"Here. You can have the single room." Sam offered softly, sending Mackenzie a small smile. Mackenzie looked back and forth between Sam and the key card in her hand with scrunched eyebrows before she shook her head, taking a step back.

"What? No. Sam, you're the captain." Mackenzie said and Sam shrugged casually, sticking her hand out farther to push the key card into the blondes chest. "And as captain, I think you should have the single."

Mackenzie raised a brow at Sam, a dry laugh leaving her mouth. "Why? So if I have a breakdown over Tory or my mom, I can have it in peace?" Mackenzie teased.

But Devon and Sam didn't laugh with her.

The two girl side eyed each other right in front of Mackenzie and the blonde quickly cleared her throat, feeling her face grow red.

"Don't answer that." She muttered before snatching the keycard out of Sam's hands. "Give me the key."

"Wow... so you're the famous Miyagi-Do. We've heard about you, but I do not know why."

The three girls turned at the voice and Mackenzies jaw clenched when her eyes landed on the Cobra Kai boys walking towards her team.

Immediately, Mackenzie ran toward her team, standing somewhat in the back with Demetri as the Cobra Kai boy in the front, who Mackenzie remembers seeing as the teams captain, looked over all seven Miyagi-Do's and scoffed. "You don't look like much."

Hawk was the one to take a step toward the rival team, glaring at the boy making comments.

"Yeah?" Hawk asked, getting right in his face. "You'll see it a lot better when you step on the mat tomorrow." He threatened and Robby's eyes widened. He took a step forward and pressed his hand against Hawks chest to push him back.

"Come on, guys. It's not worth it." Robby muttered and Miguel nodded in agreement, turning Hawk around to face him instead of the Cobra Kai's.

"Robby's right. Forget about them, okay? They're just any other dojo." Miguel said, shaking his head when a blur of blonde sped past the team. Mackenzie felt whatever air was left in her lungs squeeze out, recognizing the girl almost immediately.

"Tory." She breathed out, catching Robby's attention.

Tory had her head down with a deathly strong grip on her duffel bag as she made a beeline to the elevator.

Mackenzie was the first one to move and chase after her and Robby started to follow when he saw Mackenzie go first.

Tory must've heard or expected someone to chase her because he steps quickly sped up until she made it inside the elevator. Mackenzie and Robby skidded to stop, staring at the girl who wouldn't meet their eyes in front of them.

"Should we be worried about them?" Eli asked, walking up to stand beside Miguel. His eyes were focused on Mackenzie more than Robby, noticing the way her hands shook by her sides and her chest rose and fell sporadically.

"No, Robby's gonna be fine. So will Kenzie." Miguel reassured under his breath.

Demetri pursed his lips from behind him, shaking his head. "I wouldn't be fine."

...

After settling into their hotel rooms, all competitors had to go on the field trip to the aquarium. Mackenzie didn't mind, even though she sat next Demetri the entire car ride there, who made it very clear that he did mind.

He also made it very clear while everyone who wasn't a team captain watched all the captains take a group photo. Every few seconds, he would whine to himself or groan and Mackenzie, who was standing in between him and Devon, started to get sick of it.

"Really going out of their way to let us know how special the captains are." Hawk grumbled from the other side of Devon. Miguel scoffed from the end of the line, making Mackenzie look away from all the captains (Tory), to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm getting that." Miguel spat back.

Devon nervously looked around the room, watching as all of the other teams talked amongst themselves with big smiles. "It seems like everyone already knows each other..." She muttered and Mackenzie sighed, shoving her hands into her back pockets.

"Definitely feeling like I'm the new kid again." She muttered as she turned back to the captains still taking their group photo.

God, how long was this going to take?

Her eyes could've burned holes into Tory's face from how much Mackenzie was staring at her—waiting for her sister to just look at her.

After probably staring long enough to scare a few other kids, Mackenzie finally looked away from her sister as Demetri spoke.

"Maybe it's like prison. Just punch the toughest guy square in the jaw on day one." Demetri muttered. Mackenzie looked down the small line her team made, and when no one reacted to Demetri's words, she let out an exaggerated sigh.

She took a big step forward, her hands behind her back. "Well, if no one's gonna voluntee–" "No." Demetri immediately said, grabbing Mackenzie's shoulder and pulling her back to stand next to him again.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes, but smiled when she noticed her team trying to hide their own giggles.

She scanned her eyes over the captains, trying to find who would be "the toughest guy" and her eyes landed on the boy she noticed earlier in the day. Mackenzie hadn't stood next to him yet, but he looked at least a foot taller than her. If anyone was a tough guy, it'd probably be him.

The boy looked to Mackenzie as if he could feel her eyes on him. The forced smile he was giving the camera softened and he licked his lips looking at the girl.

"You there in the back! Smile!" The photographer screamed at the boy, forcing him out of his eye contact with Mackenzie. She watched as he turned back to the camera and put on his same forced smile as earlier and she groaned.

"I'm gonna go to the gift shop. See if I can get anything for Brandon." Mackenzie muttered to Devon, getting tired of just sitting watching the captains get all this special treatment.

Devon snapped her head to the blonde, her eyebrows raised as she took a step forward to follow Mackenzie to the gift shop. "You want me to come with?" Devon asked, not liking the idea of anybody splitting off on their own while in a country they've never been before.

But Mackenzie shook her head and waved off the girls worry.

"No, it's alright. Just keep your phone nearby incase I want to meet up with everyone." Mackenzie said and Devon pulled her phone out of her pocket and shined her home screen to the older girl. "On it."

The walk to the gift shop was longer than it should've been. Mackenzie kept getting distracted watching the fish in the tanks she passed by.

When she did make it to the gift shop, Mackenzie had to hold back audibly gasping.

It was huge.

Mackenzie visited the Aquarium of the Pacific when she was eleven and the gift shop was big then, but this... this was different. If Mackenzie was wanting to find something for Brandon, it would probably take a while.

And it did. Mackenzie circled the gift shop for at least twenty minutes and she still wasn't done. Mackenzie moved through the aquarium's gift shop, trailing her fingers across the racks of plush animals, keychains, and t-shirts.

She groaned, throwing her head back and shut her eyes in annoyance. "The things I do for this kid..." She muttered under her breath.

A small chuckle from her right made Mackenzie tense up. Her head snapped in the direction she heard the laugh and got the third time today, Mackenzie's eyes met the tall boys ones.

The smile on his face was wiped away in an instant and he stared at Mackenzie like a deer in headlights.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he quickly looked away from Mackenzie, turning to the keychain stand in front of him. Mackenzie shook her head, turning her attention completely to the boy.

"It's alright." Mackenzie waved him off and just as she was about to turn back to the hats she was looking at, she turned back to the boy. "Actually, could you help me? I'm trying to pick something out for my little brother." She asked.

Instead of answering, the boy opened and closed his mouth in shock. He blinked and abruptly turned away. "I'm not supposed to speak with opponents." He spoke and Mackenzie was finally able to recognize his Coation accent.

She took a small step toward him, licking her teeth before she smirked. "Good thing the competition doesn't start till tomorrow. Because technically, we're not opponents." She hummed.

Mackenzie watched as the boy froze, as if going over her words in his head. Mackenzie had about five seconds to stare at the boys side profile before he finally turned back to her and smiled.

"Does your brother have a favorite kind of animal?" He asked as he slowly walked toward her. Mackenzie bit back a smile and shrugged. "Sharks." She said, glancing back at the shelves as the boy took a step closer, scanning the items in front of them.

Mackenzie tilted her head as she thought about it more. She turned back to the boy beside her and noticed him watching her instead of the store items.

"He also like octopi, but he said he only like that they can change color. Besides that, he's terrified of them."

She started to walk to the new area of the store she hadn't check out yet, the boy trailing behind her. The boy let out a soft chuckle as he trailed behind her. He jogged a couple of steps to catch up, bumping his shoulder against hers as he did. The casual touch sent a flicker of warmth through her, which she wasn't expecting.

"So sharks it is." He said, pushing his fists into the pockets of his jacket. He turned to face Mackenzie, not even paying attention to who or what was in front of him as he walked. "How old?"

"Eleven." Mackenzie answered after thinking about it for a couple seconds.

The boy suddenly stopped, causing her to pause as well. She watched as he reached above her, pulling something off the shelf. He was close—close enough that she caught the faint scent of his cologne, something fresh and clean.

Mackenzie swallowed, heat creeping up her neck. She wasn't used to people getting in her space, especially people she barely knew.

The boy pulled back and held up a hammerhead shark plush. "Is he too old for this?"

Mackenzie took the stuffed animal from him, running her fingers over its soft fabric. "He'd claim he is, but I saw him sleeping with his stuffed elephant last week." A small smirk tugged at her lips as she kept the plush tucked under her arm. "I think something else would be better."

He squinted at that. As the corners of his lips moved into a smile, he raised his hand to point at the stuffed animal now tucked under Mackenzie's arm.

"But you're still grabbing one."

Mackenzie looked down at the shark before she turned back to the boy, laughing. "Oh, this is for me. He may have shame in having stuffed animals, but I don't." She said, waving off the boys comment as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The boy only smiled. He studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering, and for some reason, she let him. When he finally looked away, his eyes lit up when he saw the perfect thing for Mackenzie to buy

"How about this?" He grabbed a dark blue hoodie with the aquarium's name printed across the chest, a hammerhead shark stitched beside it. H he pointed to the stuffed animal in mackenzies arms and chuckled. "It matches your stuffed animal."

Mackenzie stepped closer, invading his space this time. The boy didn't move away. Instead, his smile widened as he watched her admire the sweatshirt. After a few seconds, she let out a happy laugh, looking up at him.

"You are a genius!" She laughed out in a small cheer before her smile softened. "Thanks..."

The boy was staring at her again, eyes locked on hers. He was too busy staring at Mackenzie and freaking out over their closeness, he didn't process the question for about five seconds. Finally realizing he hadn't answered her, he blinked.

"Axel."

Mackenzie smiled. "Mackenzie."

Axel hesitated, almost like he didn't want to leave, but then he handed her the hoodie. "I should get back to my team. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, taking a step back and away from Mackenzie when she took the hoodie from him.

Mackenzie nodded, still smiling. "See ya."

She watched him disappear through the exit and once he was gone, Mackenzie headed toward the cashier to buy the stuffed animal and the hoodie.

Walking back the way she came was a struggle. Trying to find her way back to her team, Mackenzie found herself in hallway surrounded by glass, letting you see the animals swimming by.

Mackenzie walked through it slowly, her eyes practically sparkling as she watched a massive whale swim above her, its shadow casting shifting shapes on the floor.

She was so focused on the whale above her, she hadn't even noticed Tory sitting against the glass wall until she spoke.

"I get why Brandon loves this stuff now... It's so cool."

Mackenzie froze at the familiar voice, the one she'd been waiting to hear all day.

Slowly, as if any sudden movement might startle her sister and make her run away, Mackenzie tore her gaze away from the whale and looked down.

Tory sat slumped against the glass, looking off at the fish in front of her with a small smile before she turned back to Mackenzie.

But Mackenzie wasn't smiling back. Her arms folded over her chest, not as a defense but as a way to hold herself together. She didn't comment on Tory's words. Instead, she shrugged.

"So we're just not gonna talk about it?"

The second the words left her mouth, she regretted how harsh they sounded. Tory flinched, just slightly, but it was enough to make Mackenzie drop her arms and take a step forward.

Immediately, Tory was on her feet.

"Were you ever planning on telling me?" Mackenzie asked quietly. The words tumbled out too fast, and she looked away as she started to stumble over the words coming out of her mouth. "What if I didn't come to Barcelona? You would've just left me at home to take care of Brandon and— and everything with Mom—"

"I asked Kreese for a flight after Miyagi-Do," Tory interrupted, stepping forward and shaking her head. "So I knew for sure you were going too."

Mackenzie's breath stilled. Her gaze dropped to the ground and her fists curled at her sides.

Kreese.

Mackenzie shut her eyes and slowly shook her head, the motion slow. It was the same way she'd shake her head at Tory or Brandon when they were kids, back when their mother worked late shifts and Mackenzie was the one in charge. Back then, it scared Tory and seeing it again years later, that feeling was still there.

"When Kreese came up to us after we left Mom's doctor, I didn't know you were actually considering his offer," Mackenzie said quietly, keeping her eyes on Tory's shoes instead of her face.

Tory opened her mouth, but Mackenzie wasn't finished. She stepped closer, her eyes finally locking on hers as tears started to well in her eyes. "I know you're under a lot of pressure— we both are. But I can't believe you're on his team again. And Kim's. After everything they did." Mackenzie breathed out.

"Kreese helped us with rent." Tory defended without even having to think about it and when Mackenzie nodded, she relaxed a little."And I'm always going to be thankful for that." Her voice softened for half a second before hardening again. "But he also manipulated us. And used you."

Tory's gaze shifted to the fish swimming past them and she shook her head as a small scoff passed her lips. "I knew you would've talked me out of it if I told you I was going back to Cobra Kai." She grumbled under her breath.

Mackenzie didn't know if she was meant to hear tory's words or not, but she did and she scoffed. "Yeah, no shit."

"I didn't have any other choice!" Tory snapped, her voice a little harsher now—desperate as she snapped her head back to her sister.

"But you did, Tory!" Mackenzie yelled. The sound of her voice echoed off the glass walls, filling the entire hallway. Luckily, no one else was around.

Tory swallowed hard as Mackenzie continued. "You could've stayed in Miyagi-Do! You could've stayed with me!" Mackenzie's voice wavered, but her eyes never left Tory's. Her voice a little quieter than before but still loud as she pointed to herself.

Tory shook her head, forcing her voice to stay on the quieter side so she didn't upset Mackenzie more. "Like we would've gotten a fair shake." She breathed out as Mackenzie tried to catch her breath. "You know that no matter what, Sam was always going to win that spo—"

"I don't care about some captain spot! Mom is dead!" Mackenzie screamed just as Miyagi-Do got the entrance of the hallway the sisters were in.

Tears burned behind Mackenzie's eyes as her chest rose and fell too quickly. She didn't even know if she was breathing properly anymore. Her whole body ached with the need to scream, to sob, to do something.

"I care about her and I care about you." Mackenzie's voice broke, her bottom lip trembling. She pointed at Tory, her shoulders shaking now, her other hand curled into fists at her side.

"And you weren't there."

The words hit Tory harder than a punch. Her mouth opened, then closed. She didn't even think about going to Mackenzie. Didn't consider it. As selfish as it sounded, but she was allowed to be selfish. They both were.

Her throat tightened as she tried to force out a response.

"Mack—"

"Kenzie!"

Both sisters jumped at the voice cutting through the tension.

Mackenzie turned, blinking rapidly as she saw Eli standing at the entrance of the hallway with the rest of Miyagi-Do. He gave her a small nod, tilting his head toward the exit.

"We need to go."

Mackenzie's fingers twitched at her sides. Slowly, she nodded. Just barely, but Eli saw it. She turned back to Tory, her body pulling away even though every part of her felt like it was caving in. That one step of distance felt like a mile.

"Good luck tomorrow." Mackenzie muttered as her gaze dropped to the floor, her voice barely above a whisper.

She didn't wait for a response. Mackenzie turned and walked away, leaving Tory alone in the hall.

emily speaks...
axel falling at mackenzie's feet IMMEDIATELY im loving it (guy falls first and harder trope, congratulations you have met your match: me writing these two😼)