"THE SEKAI TAIKAI BOASTS A RICH AND PROUD HISTORY. And if you are here, it's because you embody all the Sekai Taikai stands for. Welcome, competitors, senseis, sponsors, and esteemed guests to the San Fernando Valley for the conclusion of the world's greatest karate tournament, the Sekai Taikai!"

Maisie can feel her heart pounding in her chest. The last hour has felt like a complete blur. Ever since she stepped foot in the building, Maisie has felt like she can't breathe. She keeps telling herself that she's overreacting, that it's fine, that nothing is going to happen, and that she's being dramatic. But still, it feels like there is a pit in her stomach. She feels completely on edge, like at any moment, someone is going to pop out at her and scare her.

She keeps her eyes on Gunther as he talks, counting her breaths. In, 2, 3, 4... out, 2, 3, 4. She can't hold it for long, she can't count to 10. But the fact that she's breathing at all right now is a win.

"It's my honour to introduce our guest referee, local hero and former All-Valley champion, Darryl Vidal!"

Vidal walks forward with a large grin on his face, taking the mic from Gunther, "Thank you, Mr Braun!" He turns to the cheering crowd, one of his hands pointing to them, "Are you ready for the world's best karate?"

Maisie forces herself to take another deep breath. She hasn't looked anywhere but the mat in front of her and at Gunther and Vidal. She doesn't know what the crowd looks like, she doesn't know if her dad and Silver are standing across from her. The only thing she can say she knows for sure is that the mat is red— a bit of an eyesore— but red.

"The time has come." Gunther says, the mic having been handed back to him, "We have 2 more semi-finals to complete. Then, we move to the finals."

The girl fumbles with the material of her belt, not even thinking that Zara can see exactly what she's doing. She doesn't care. It's not like she's a genius if she figures out that Maisie's nervous. Anyone can see it.

"Out of the 16 best dojos, it all comes down to our final 4." Gunther says, looking towards each group as he says their name, "The Iron Dragons... Miyagi-Do Karate... Furia de Pantera... and— though they aren't represented today— Cobra Kai!"

The crowd breaks into applause, people chanting the names of their favourite teams. Maisie rubs the back of her neck, trying to push past the ringing in her ears. Why am I struggling so much?

"The rules are simple. Each dojo will retain the points they've earned in their Barcelona competitions. Our unfinished boys' semi-final will reset to zero-zero, and the remaining girls' semi-final will be taking place tomorrow."

Axel— who stands across the mat— knows he's supposed to be looking at Robby, trying to intimidate him. But he can't, not when Maisie stands beside him, looking as if she's on the edge of a panic attack.

From behind him, Wolf hisses, "Eyes on your opponent."

Axel doesn't look away from Maisie.

"Each match will consist of three 2 minute rounds with unlimited scoring. 1 point for a hit, 10 for a knockdown, and 20 for a knockout." Gunther continues to explain, "The finals will determine our individual champions, and the dojo with the most cumulative points will be crowned grand champion!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Maisie sees Robby turn his head to look at her. Carefully, she glances at him, nodding firmly in an attempt to reassure him. She doubts it really works, as he has more confidence in the tip of his pinky than she has in her entire body, but she knows he appreciates the attempt.

As Maisie's eyes drop back to the mat below her, Gunther speaks. "Now, will everyone please stand and join me in a moment of silence for our fallen competitor, Kwon Jae-Sung."

Everyone rises to their feet, dropping their heads in respect. As the arena delves into silence, Maisie clasps her hand onto her forearm, her scar stinging. She takes a deep breath before raising her head. Axel is already looking at her. She catches his eye, holding eye contact for the entire moment of silence. Towards the end, she nods firmly, mouthing 'it's okay'. Axel nods a few times, his untouchable mask slipping for a beat. She keeps her eyes solely on him until Gunther says thank you. She waits until his neutral expression returns before dropping her head down again.

"For our first match— or should I say, rematch? Axel Kovačević versus Robby Keene!"

The crowd starts cheering. Maisie turns, patting Robby's shoulder as she walks past. Now her back is to the Iron Dragons, she looks up, immediately being startled. Tory stands in between Sam and Miguel in her Miyagi-Do gi, looking at her with an unfamiliar expression on her face. Maisie feels like she's run face first into a brick wall. She looks away, sliding into the spot that Chozen makes for her in between himself and Daniel.

"Robby," Daniel says, beckoning the boy to look at them. "You can do this."

"Lock in. Trust your skills." Chozen nods.

Johnny looks at his son, speaking with confidence, "It doesn't matter what happened last time, how many people are watching. It's just you and him on the mat. You trained for this. You're ready."

Robby nods, bowing to his senseis before his eyes drift to Maisie. She offers him a fist bump which he accepts. She swallows before sending him a forced smirk, "Keep your shirt this time, yeah?"

He snorts, nodding. "I'll try."

With that, he walks onto the mat, stretching out his arms. Maisie decides to bite the bullet, wanting to be able to look at Axel. She lifts her head to look at the Iron Dragons. Axel is crouched at the edge of the mat. Fuck, he looks hot— focus! Wolf is muttering something to him that makes his face go cold. Maisie's heartbeat speeds up. As Wolf stands up to walk away, Axel raises his head, looking past Robby and towards her. Maisie crosses her arms across her chest to hide her shaking hands, sending him a look. She mouths 'focus' which makes a tiny smirk come across his face. He drops his head to hide it from everyone else.

Maisie looks past him, towards the rest of the Iron Dragons. Her dad and Silver stand at the end of the lineup, in freshly pressed suits. They're talking to Wolf who has a cocky smirk on his face. Maisie looks away, back to Robby.

"How are you feeling, Maisie-san?"

Maisie's head snaps to look at Chozen, nodding as firmly as she can. "I'm okay. Just— just nervous." And an hour ago Kreese implied that my mother's death isn't how it seemed.

Her mind flips a few ideas but nothing comes up. She literally watched her mother die. She was there the entire time. That doesn't leave much room for new details. And why would Silver have files on her mom? It's clearly leverage against her, or maybe her dad, but why? They never caught the van that crashed into them, maybe it's that? But that's closure, that's not answers. What does she need answers for? She feels it's all pretty straight forward. It was an accident. It fucking sucks. But it happens.

She knows she needs to see what's on that thumb drive. Now isn't the time or place, but later. She briefly leaves her spot to go down the line of Miyagi-Do fighters, stopping by Eli and Demetri. "Do either of you guys have a USB to USB-C adapter?"

Hawk looks to the ceiling like he's thinking about it while Demetri sends her a confused look. "What do you need that for?"

"I have a USB thumb drive that I need to connect to my laptop but I only have USB-C ports."

"Thumb drive?" Demetri mumbles.

"I've got one but it's at the dojo." Eli eventually says.

"The dojo?" She asks, "Why is it there?"

"We were running simulations with Robby yesterday." Hawk explains, "I brought a shoe box full of adapters and forgot it in the house. I was gonna swing by tomorrow to grab it."

Maisie nods, "I'll go get it tonight. I'll drop the box off at your house on our way here tomorrow."

Hawk hums before saying, "Thumb drive that urgent?"

She shrugs, briefly contemplating telling them that it's from Kreese before deciding against it. "I'm just— uh, impatient, I guess."

Before they can ask anything else, she nods goodbye before going to the spot between Sam and Chozen, keeping her head down to avoid looking at Tory or Johnny. It's not the time to be dealing with that.

As Robby and Axel walk towards each other on the mat, Maisie hand clamps Sam's, not taking her eyes off the 2 boys. Sam squeezes her hand, "You okay?"

Maisie shakes her head, mumbling, "This isn't going to end well."

"Why do you say that?"

She's quiet for a second, looking at Axel. Almost immediately, her eyes drift past him to Silver, Andrew and Wolf. They all look so comfortable, like no matter what happens, they know they're going to win. "This— this feels too simple. They've got to have something up their sleeves."

Sam sends her a confused look, "Like what? Like cheating?"

Maisie can only shrug, her tone going to a whisper so no one overhears, "Some kind of fallback plan. Silver would do anything to win this. I don't know if they've confirmed it yet, but... they're going to do something if Robby starts performing."

"You are too in your head, Maisie-san." Chozen says, nudging the girl with her elbow, "They promised fair fight. They say their fighters so good, they do not need to cheat."

Maisie tucks her hair behind her ear as Axel and Robby bow to each other.

"Would Axel do that?" Sam mumbles.

If Wolf told him to.

"I hope not." She whispers under her breath, "But if he does, I doubt he had much say in the matter."

Sam turns to her in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Maisie doesn't have time to respond because Vidal raises his hand, Axel sends a kick, Robby throws a block, and all of a sudden it's too late to turn back.

As they go back and forth, Maisie watches as Robby moves faster than she's ever seen him move before. He uses Miyagi-Do expertly, redirecting Axel's attacks with ease. Axel spins, going for a low roundhouse kick, but Robby moves faster, jumping and kicking him directly in the side. "Point, Keene!"

Miyagi-Do and the crowd break into cheers as Maisie forces herself to take a deep breath. That's the first point someone has scored on Axel in forever. She doesn't know if there's something up with him, or if it is because Robby is on his A-game. Probably a mix of both.

It's a weird feeling watching them start up again. She feels horrible for praying that Axel refocuses solely because she knows what's going to happen if he doesn't. If it was just a fight— nothing more— she could watch from a neutral perspective. She cares for them both, one will win, one will lose. That's how it works. But if Robby loses, he gets to walk back to his supportive team and senseis who will clap him on the back and tell him he did a great job. If Axel walks away from a semi-final match as a loser, the battle he'll face will be 10 times worse than whatever just happened on the mat.

She just feels completely and utterly horrible about the entire situation. Her opinion on it, the way she feels and just how unfair this all is.

Maisie watches as Axel drops into a different stance, and suddenly a whole new part of her memory is unlocked. The archive.

Axel learned it from Ervin when they were all still in London. Ervin had this select style used only as a secondary plan. The kind of moves that only appear every once and a while, and cannot be studied or put into an algorithm by opponents. Maisie remembers sitting in the corner of Axel's old dojo, doing homework while Ervin taught him the complicated moves. She hadn't been paying attention. She didn't understand yet that the moves he was mastering then, were somehow different to the whole array of other styles he already had in his locker.

Axel charges at Robby, his moves sharp and forceful. He's angry. He catches Robby's arms, using his defence against him to punch him once in the gut, then once in the chest. "Point— point! 2 points, Kovačević."

Axel and Robby start circling each other on the mat, Axel getting another 2 points in quick succession. He moves with the grace that he's had since 8 years old, only there's something deeper underneath it. The need to win. Not for the trophy, but for the promise of safety.

As Axel throws Robby around the mat, landing 2 more points on his face and chest, Demetri hisses Maisie's name. She doesn't look away from the fight, but lets go of Sam's hand, moving behind the line up and into the spot between them.

Demetri looks at her in disbelief, "What the hell is that? We watched 1000 videos of this guy's fights and we've never seen that!"

"It's his dad's moves." She mumbles, "He normally doesn't have to use them in competition."

Eli glances at her out of the corner of his eye, understanding what she's saying. "When's the last time someone scored a point on Axel?"

Maisie shakes her head slowly, answering truthfully, "I don't know."

As the horn blows, signifying the end of the round, Maisie finds herself desperate to catch Axel's eye, only he returns to Wolf with his head down. What is going on in your head?

Everyone gathers around the senseis as Robby walks towards them, looking discouraged. Maisie stands at the outskirts of the group, her body turned towards them, but her eyes on Axel. She watches as he stops in front of Wolf, the sensei muttering something angrily before slapping Axel across the face. Maisie flinches, her hands instinctively curling into fists, consciously stopping herself from going over there and beating up Wolf herself.

"He's a machine." Robby says, "It's like he reprogrammed himself."

Maisie forces herself back into the conversation with Robby— with her team.

Johnny nods, "He adapted. Now you adapt."

He shakes his head slowly, "I don't know if I can."

"Robby Keene not knowing how to adapt?" Daniel scoffs, "That's a first. You've never had things easy, Robby. You've been knocked down every which way more times than anyone I've ever known. But you've also gotten back up more times too. You stood up to Kreese. To Silver. Whenever you knew something was wrong, you stood up. Even when you had to do it alone."

Maisie has to take a side step away from the conversation. She feels like a horrible person, and a horrible teammate. Guilt is practically eating her alive as she pulls her captain's headband from her head, slinging the material around her neck. She shouldn't be the one that's supposed to be standing by Robby right now. It should be his girlfriend, who looks at him with confidence, or Sam who can do Miyagi-Do in her sleep. Why the fuck did she agree to this?

The referee calls the boys back to the mat, Maisie's feet staying planted. Miyagi-Do moves around her mindlessly, settling into their spots. She ends up between Devon and Kenny, as if her first 2 location switches weren't enough. She guesses the universe wants her to kill everyone's vibe.

"I'm a horrible teammate." She whispers under her breath like she's reminding herself, her words not loud enough to be heard over the crowd that cheers as the boys drop into their stances.

"What did you say?" Devon asks in confusion, leaning into her.

Maisie shakes her head quickly, "Nothing. Don't worry."

"You deadass look like you're about to faint." Kenny says from her other side.

Out of habit, the girl pushes her shoulders back, glancing between them with a strained smile. I'm being dramatic. I'm being dramatic. I'm being dramatic. "I'm all good."

She can practically sense the look that Devon and Kenny exchange. Maisie thinks they're probably upset, seeing the way her eyes stay trained on Axel's every movement instead of Robby's. They probably think she's a traitor, picking some guy over her fellow captain. But at this point, she doesn't care. All she's thinking about is that night in Barcelona, after the tag-in fights.

Oh, the look in Axel's eyes. If she hadn't been so upset with him, she would've stayed glued to his side for the entire night. He tried to tell her that it was okay, that he was okay. His entire shoulder was a bruise, he had scrapes up his arm and ribs, tiny cuts slicing the skin of his neck. And he wasn't going to ask for help. If Maisie hadn't been out in the hallway with Sam when he passed, he would've been alone, tending to his wounds while already feeling the guilt of his prior actions against her.

How many times had he cleaned his blood off his body? Were his hands always steady like how they were when they cleaned her wounds as kids, or was he trembling? Did he cry? Did he get angry? Did he ever feel completely and utterly defeated? The thought makes Maisie's heart twist in her chest. How many beatings had he taken for things that weren't his fault? For things that shouldn't matter as much as they do to Wolf?

Maisie was a clumsy kid, always getting scratched up. There was only one time where her wounds weren't accidental and she couldn't fix it herself. Normally, she would. She didn't like to go to Axel when it was her dad who did that to her. She could imagine the upset look on his face. But that time, it hurt so bad. There was blood everywhere. She couldn't move. She called, and he came running. Her dad left, her mom wasn't home. She felt alone.

He cleaned her wounds with the gentleness Maisie would usually refuse to spare herself. He spoke to her quietly, teaching her new Croatian words as he went. That was always her favourite thing to do to take her mind off it. Then he brought her to her bed, sat with her until she fell asleep, held her hand until she was unconscious.

When Maisie woke up the next morning, she stepped over his sleeping body on her bedroom floor, going downstairs, preparing to clean up her blood before her mom got home. But it was all gone. Axel had taken care of it. She almost immediately broke into tears. Axel— who had gone after her upon hearing her waking up— managed to coax her back to her bed. She slept for most of the day. For the first time, she actually felt her wounds heal.

To think that Axel has felt that empty feeling at some point, alone in his Hong Kong home, makes her feel sick. She could've helped him. She could have healed his wounds the way he healed hers.

"Fight!"

Maisie flinches at Vidal's voice. She runs a hand down her face, suddenly aware of the amount of cameras on her. Snap out of it.

She watches as Robby blocks Axel's first kick, only for the Iron Dragon to grab him by the gi and throw him, sending him stumbling. Though for a few moments, Robby holds his own, blocking or dodging Axel's attacks, Axel manages to twist, elbowing Robby in the face. "Point!"

Robby is back on Axel immediately, forearms clashing, elbows knocking. Maisie has trouble following the fight, both boys moving at such intense speed that her out-of-it brain has no chance at keeping up. Just then, as she squints to focus, Robby slams his fist into Axel's chest. "Point!"

She looks up at the scoreboard. 7-2 Axel. As her eyes flick to the team standings, the numbers appearing blurry, she hears, "Point!"

8-2.

Oh, this is much easier to watch.

8-3.

Maisie turns her head back to the fight, seeing Axel's hand on his jaw from where— presumably— Robby kicked him. He shouts in anger before delivering a right hook directly onto Robby's face. "Point!"

He doesn't let up, but his aggressiveness gives Robby the advantage, meaning he catches Axel's arm before turning his back to him, landing an elbow to his nose.

9-4.

Axel ducks from Robby's next punch, instead catching him by the back of the neck. Robby twists free— Maisie recognizing the technique from something Kreese taught them long ago. He then twists, delivering a side-kick directly into Axel's gut. "Point, Keene!"

9-5.

Axel starts to twist, his form looking more and more like his dad's. Using the built momentum, he sends a roundhouse kick into Robby's stomach, making the boy hiss as he backs up.

10-5.

Axel runs at him again, Robby blocking all 3 of his punches, redirecting his effort, only to get caught again by Axel's fist. "Point!"

They both exchange kicks, Robby's being faster, but Axel's being stronger. Robby uses Axel's size against him, rolling over his back before jumping into a 540 roundhouse kick that hits Axel's jaw. "Point, Keene!"

The crowd roars. Maisie barely hears the buzzer over the noise. Only when both Axel and Robby leave their stances does she feel air rush into her lungs.

11-6 Axel. 2 minutes to go.

Fuck.

Maisie finds herself in a similar position as before, standing with her team, but her mind elsewhere. She briefly glances at Robby as he approaches, but she looks away immediately, feeling like an imposter. She wants them both to win. If it was just a normal fight, she'd be able to say that aloud. But as her eyes flick to Axel who is getting told off by Wolf, an ache shoots through her chest. She wants the win to go to Robby, but she needs it to go to Axel. Maybe then, he'll be safe. Maybe then, he'll be able to go home with her instead of back to the hotel with Wolf.

A change in Axel's body language makes Maisie look over at him, and the shake of his hands makes her entire body run cold. Wolf mutters something into his ear, Axel's entire body freezing at the words. Slowly, he shakes his head. Wolf's face twists in anger but before he can do anything, Silver grabs him by the collar of his gi. The man says something aggressively to him, his hand briefly pointing across the mat towards Miyagi-Do before motioning to Zara who stands next to him. Somehow, Axel tenses more, his hands curling into fists. Very slowly, he turns his head towards Miyagi-Do, an expression on his face that she's only seen once before— right after Kwon threw her onto the mat during the brawl.

"Fighters!" Vidal shouts, "Positions."

Maisie's stomach twists. No.

She tries to catch his eyes, but his entire face has turned to stone. She wants to jump up and down, wave her arms, warn him the way she failed to do in Barcelona. Whatever you're thinking, it's not worth it. She wants to beg him to think about it with his head, not his heart. But deep down, she knows it doesn't matter. Because right now, Wolf, Andrew and Silver are the ones on his side of the mat— not her.

Axel is nothing but protective. If Silver put her name on the table, he'd do whatever they asked. She thinks back to that same night in Barcelona, how she begged him to keep himself out of it and he responded by saying that he wouldn't make that promise. She wishes with all her heart that he did. If he lets Maisie deal with it, he could be safe. But she's never known him as someone to leave well enough alone.

"This is it, gentlemen." Vidal says, "Final round."

As Vidal drops his arm, Maisie inhales sharply. What is he going to do?

Axel attacks first, 2 kicks that Robby blocks. She watches as Robby attempts a tornado kick, Axel stepping back before it can land. 2 more punches, 2 more blocks. Then, Robby kicks Axel's side, the Iron Dragon catching his leg, getting twisted up as they both fall to the mat. Just as they crash onto the ground, a sickening crack silences the arena. Robby screams in pain as Axel stands up, backing away.

Maisie feels her heart shatter. Her mouth opens in shock as Johnny shouts something, sprinting towards his son who lays on the mat, groaning loudly. Daniel follows closely behind with Tory, the man waving down the medic. Maisie feels stares on her, most of Miyagi-Do turning to her in shock. Slowly, she steps up onto the mat, unable to take her eyes off Robby who writhes in pain.

She gets snapped out of her thoughts as Miguel pushes past her, running at Axel, "You did it on purpose!"

Before he can get anywhere, Chozen catches him, holding him back. The crowd keeps murmuring as Gunther starts speaking into the mic, trying to keep the crowd calm. Maisie feels like she can't breathe. With shaking hands and huge eyes, she forces her gaze onto Axel.

She sees it immediately. The way his eyes are looking directly at her, begging her to understand. She reads him like a book— the apology, sorrow and fear on his face clear as day to her. She can only imagine the look on her face that's probably making this worse for him. The heartbreak, the shock, the disappointment. She can hear her heart pounding in her ears, feel the blood running through her body as she shakes her head gently, her eyes twisting into pure confusion and agony.

"Robby Keene has 15 minutes to return to the mat. If Keene is unable to return, Axel Kovačević will be awarded the win."

This shouldn't be happening. None of it. She shouldn't be here. Why is this happening to them? To her, to Axel, to Robby, to Johnny and Tory and all of Miyagi-Do who have been through hell over and over because of this stupid sport.

"Maisie!"

Time starts again, Maisie's head whipping around to see Shannon— Robby's mom— running towards her. The crowd is shouting loudly. Miyagi-Do is still frozen in shock. Maisie looks at the mat. Robby's being walked off towards the locker room. Axel's head is hanging low as he returns to Wolf.

"I need you to take me back there!"

Maisie forces herself to snap out of it, nodding, "Come with me."

She leads Shannon out of the gym, through the doors and towards the locker room where the medics set up their stuff. Her breathing feels heavy as she opens the door, allowing the woman to rush in. After a moment of hesitation, Maisie slips in the room too, standing by the door with her arms crossed.

Robby lays on the bed, Tory holding his hand as Chozen, Daniel and Johnny speak in harsh whispers behind them. The medic probes at Robby's knee, but it doesn't take an expert to see that he's not returning to the mat. Maisie immediately regrets entering the room. She feels overly aware of her presence, knowing that she shouldn't be in here. She represents Axel. She represents that guy who just destroyed Robby's chance at a world championship.

The medic and Robby murmur back and forth for a few minutes but Maisie knows all hope is lost. Even if he can return, they all know he shouldn't. Broken bones can heal but if he strains it more, he'll risk permanent damage.

The medic eventually sighs, raising his head to address the senseis. "Would you like me to notify the judges, or will you send someone?"

Before Daniel or Chozen can say anything, Johnny speaks in an overly calm tone. "Maisie will do it."

She raises her head, forcing herself to keep a straight face. She feels awkward, and uncomfortable, and annoying and she doesn't blame Johnny for wanting her out.

Daniel opens his mouth, his hand extended in front of Johnny to stop him, "We'll send someone else."

"No," Johnny says firmly, "She's going to go tell her boy what he's done."

Maisie feels tears burn at her eyes but she refuses to let them fall. This isn't about her. Daniel goes to protest again but Maisie just shakes her head, speaking quietly, "It's okay. I'll go."

"Maisie—" Robby's voice stops her before she can leave. If it was anyone else, she would've walked out and ignored it. But she can't ignore him. She stops, but doesn't say anything as Robby lifts his head to look at her. "You're okay."

Of course he knows exactly what she's thinking. He knows exactly how the thought process that Silver installed in her head runs. It's always my fault. Always.

Maisie shakes her head slowly, her mask slipping in a way that only Tory can decipher. Before anyone can say anything else, she slips out of the room with her head down. She walks down the hallway, her arms folded over her chest like she wants to take up the least amount of space possible. She turns the final corner before the gym, halting to a stop immediately.

Axel paces just inside the doors, his hands running through his hair harshly. He stops pacing when he sees Maisie, his face twisting into a morbid mix of emotions while he waits for her to lose it, to yell at him, to be so beyond angry at what he just did. Only she doesn't do that. She just stares.

Maisie is frustrated. She's frustrated that he won't do what's right for him. But she can't be angry with him because she knows exactly what it feels like to have people like that speaking directly into your ear— trading threats in hushed whispers that feel like screams. She knows exactly what it feels like to be backed into a corner, to be forced to do something you know is bad, to feel like you have no choice. So she doesn't shout or yell. She just shakes her head slowly, her voice coming out in a cracked whisper, "Why?"

"You." He replies quietly, "Zara would have hurt you."

She shakes her head again, "Ax, I can handle Zara—"

"No." Axel cuts her off, taking a small step forward. "I have seen what she can do. Wolf— he taught us how to do that. And I know he's taught her to do worse. She could paralyze you, Maze, she could give you permanent brain damage—"

"She could do it anyway! Not just because Wolf or— or Silver told her to."

"They are businessmen. I keep up my end of the agreement, and they keep their side of our deal. What they personally want, and what they professionally want is different. Professionally, they want to win." He pauses for a second, "They wouldn't personally gain anything from seeing you be hurt."

Maisie's lips part as she understands his thought process, "They would only want to do it themselves."

"Wolf wants you hurt," Axel says, "You're a threat to Zara. But Wolf is on their leash. And Silver— professionally— isn't there yet. He thinks you are going to destroy yourself before they need to step in."

A tear slips from Maisie's eye, fear coursing through her body. She hates that what he's saying makes so much sense. Her dad and Silver only want her hurt through their hands, not on the mat.

"I will take any precaution to keep you safe." Axel starts walking closer to her slowly in case she wants to back away. She doesn't. She just raises her head to look at him. He reaches out to cradle her face with his shaking hands, his touch so delicate it's impossible to think of the damage they committed 5 minutes earlier.

"I wish you wouldn't." She whispers.

Axel nods, "I know."

Maisie bites the inside of her cheek as she looks up at him. Axel uses his thumb to wipe away the tears that she didn't even know were falling. She's upset, and frustrated, and confused, and scared and so desperately, irrevocably in love. She doesn't know what to do.

"I have to go talk to the judges." Maisie mumbles, her tone so quiet that he can barely hear it.

He nods again, letting go slowly, his fingers lingering against her jaw.

Maisie doesn't back up just yet. "Are you coming home with me later?" She asks, silently begging him to say yes, to imply that he needs her in his time of need as much as she needed him in her time of grief.

Axel shrugs, attempting to feign nonchalance in case she doesn't want him near her. "If you let me. I don't have to."

"Do you want to?"

He's still for a beat before nodding, a sudden flash of misery crossing his face. His voice is impossibly quiet, "I need to."

The relief on her face is noticeable for both of them as she nods, whispering 'okay'. Only once she has the reassurance that he'll be with her that evening, she takes a step back, heading for the doors.

Just as she's about to open it, Axel speaks, slight confusion seeping into his tone. "Maze, what did Kreese want earlier?"

Maisie takes a breath, brutally reminded of the thumb drive safely stored in her bag. "He gave me a flash drive. Says it's some of Silver's files. Apparently it has to do with my mom."

His lips part in confusion, "What?"

"I don't know." She replies, "But, we can figure it out later."

Axel nods. Maisie spares him one more comforting glance before walking back into the gym. Almost immediately, she's met with the sound of the impatient crowd. She keeps her head down, walking towards Vidal and the panel of judges. She hears Axel pass behind her, heading back to his team as she arrives at the table.

They all raise their heads expectantly. Maisie takes a deep breath. "He can't fight. Injury is too severe."

The judges nod, murmuring between each other as Vidal thanks her. She only nods before heading back to her team, seeing that Daniel and Chozen have returned as well. Chozen puts his hand on her shoulder as she approaches them, subtly placing her into the spot between him and Daniel. Daniel looks at her with a look of pity. It makes her feel sick.

"Are you okay, Maisie?"

She can't even audibly respond to him. It's a futile question. No, I'm not okay. But still, she nods. She doesn't miss the look the 2 men exchange.

"Can I have your attention?" Gunther says, dropping everyone into silence, "As Robby Keene cannot continue, Axel Kovačević moves on to the finals. And if Cobra Kai does not name a replacement for Kwon Jae-Sung, Axel Kovačević will be named the boys' champion following the conclusion of tomorrow's girls' semifinal round."

The crowd claps. Maisie watches as Silver and Andrew shake Wolf's hand, Axel watching them with a visibly look of disgust on his face.

"I hate to be the bearer of math news, but that fight set us way back." Demetri says, drawing Maisie's attention to the rest of Miyagi-Do who stands behind her. "Maria would have to knock out Zara in one hit and Maisie would have to score multiple knockdowns in the finals for us to have a chance."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Hawk scoffs, unaware of how Maisie is listening into their conversation, "Zara is going to wipe the floor with Maria tomorrow. We gotta face the facts. We've lost!"

Maisie just silently sighs and walks away. Maybe he's right.

———

AUTHOR'S NOTE—

i know a lot of people are gonna feel that maisie should've been angry at axel but that's not the person she is. she knows the abuse he's gone through (seen it first hand), she knows that he isn't in control anymore, and she knows axel is being manipulated in the same way she was so i just feel there's no way she would leave him alone after that

writing cannon fight scenes are so difficult cause i only know the names of moves. i CANNOT identify them so bare w me please

also all the karate tiktok fans are 100% editing that moment between axel and maisie during the moment of silence before breaking into a 10/10 edit to t-swizzle