[SEASON 5: EPISODE 8]

"LOOK, I know you must hate it, but I need to stay in Cobra Kai. That's what Sensei Kreese wants me to do." Tory explained to Isaiah as the two sat on the couch in his house.

"Sensei Kreese? Tory, you can't stay in Cobra Kai. Come on, you have to make the right decision." Isaiah sighed, looking at her with saddened eyes.

Tory looked away for a moment, not speaking. After a few seconds, she turned back to Isaiah with a stern look. Yet they both knew that that was just a look to mask all of the pain hidden beneath. "He wants me to keep an eye on Silver. He said he has a plan to get out of jail, I just have to stay in Cobra Kai until he does."

Isaiah stared at her for a few seconds before sitting up properly, grasping both of her hands in his gently. "Are you sure you want to do this? What if something bad happens? What if you get hurt?"

"I won't get hurt, Isaiah. I already told you that. I swear, I have it under control. You don't need to worry." She insisted, her eyes holding a pleading look. Though, she didn't know how exactly Kreese was going to get out of jail. She didn't know his plan. Every day, Tory didn't want to admit it, but she was getting worried.

She was getting scared even. She didn't want to stay in Cobra Kai any longer but she didn't know how to handle it. Thus the reason why she went to Kreese.

"I'm still gonna worry, Tory. I'm always gonna worry."

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"SO, what did you wanna talk about?" Lilah asked the boy who was sitting across from her. Noah picked at the burger he bought, hesitation clear in his brown orbs. The two went out for lunch, Noah claiming that he had needed to talk to her.

"Well?" Lilah insisted, arching a brow. Her brows then furrowed when she noticed the hesitation in his eyes. "Noah, what-"

"I want to quit Cobra Kai." He said, his voice lower than he intended. He had thought about this for a while now, and he's going with it.

"What?" She asked, shock flickering across her features. "Why?"

"Why? Lilah, we're basically getting lessons by a lunatic. I knew something was off about him when I found out he put Daniel LaRusso in the hospital. That place is dangerous, and I'm quitting." He finalized.

"But―you can't just leave." She stumbled over her words. "I mean, I-I get why you're doing it, but I just-"

"Lilah, I want you to quit with me. It's not safe there. Something bad could happen again. Another fight. I don't want you getting hurt, so please-" Lilah cut him off, "Noah, I can't leave either. Tory's still there."

"So, you're willing to stay there? Even if it means you might get hurt?" Noah asked, finally gathering the courage to look at her. Lilah nearly flinched but she didn't back down, "look, I don't know yet. All I know is that I can't just leave Tory there."

Noah sighed deeply, crumpling up the paper in which the burger was wrapped in. He took the crumpled ball and stood up, "I need to go." He said, throwing the crumpled paper in the garbage before walking out the door.

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"DUDE, did you catch that video I sent you of last year's Sekai Taikai?" Eli asked Miguel as they walked in the dojo.

"Who knew people could kick that high?" Miguel asked. "Or that hard?" Robby asked with a smile. "Dude, seriously." Eli sighed.

"I guess that's why it's the biggest competition in the world." Katherine and a few others walked up to them. Robby smiled at her, the two sharing a quick kiss. "I heard last year's winners did a big car commercial in Taiwan." Eli commented.

"Dude, imagine being in a commercial. What would you do with all that money?" Mitch asked. "Buy a yacht with a hot tub. Fill it up with Smarties and hotties." Chris replied.

They all laughed as Daniel came up to them, "all right, all right. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Remember, Cobra Kai is gonna do everything they can to get a spot. And if they win this time, kids all over the world are gonna have to deal with the same kind of crap you guys have gone through."

"But if we win, we can show the world how to stop them," Samantha said. "First, you must prove you can compete with best." Chozen said to the group of students. "But in order to do that, you have to be better than the best," Johnny continued, "which is why we're gonna kick your asses into high gear."

"Sensei Lawrence, Sensei Toguchi and I are gonna get you ready for the presentation tomorrow. Okay, so come on. Let's get warmed up." Daniel ordered.

"Go! Move those asses." Johnny said.

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AFTER the presentation, Daniel had told them that Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do needed to pick one female fighter and one male fighter to compete in order to make the decision on which dojo gets to go to the Sekai Taikai.

Daniel knocked on Katherine's door before slowly opening it and stepping inside, Johnny trailing behind.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked the two, sitting up on her bed and putting her book away. "We wanted to talk to you." Daniel declared, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, we made our decision on who we're picking for the female fight." Johnny said.

"Oh, so who is it?" Katherine furrowed her brows. She expected it to be Sam, but a part of her was hoping that it was her.

"We're choosing you, Katherine." Daniel smiled proudly. She raised her eyebrows in shock. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, you still made it to the finals in the tournament. You're a strong fighter. LaRusso and I feel confident. We're expecting Cobra Kai's fighter to be Tory, and you already fought against her so that gives you an advantage." Johnny offered.

"He's right. You and Tory have fought before, and this time, you'll be prepared." Daniel nodded along.

"What about Sam? Does she know?" Kat asked, looking between the two senseis. Daniel sighed, lightly shaking his head, "no, not yet. But I'm definitely planning on telling her."

"For now, let's get you prepared." Johnny declared.

♡♡♡♡

"GOOD. Looking unbeatable. All right, let's not overdo it. That's enough for tonight." Daniel said. "Are you sure? I can go again." Katherine suggested.

"Must rest. Save for tomorrow. Hm?" Chozen looked at her. Katherine looked back at Chozen then at Daniel before nodding, going to grab her water bottle.

"Kat. You're sharper than ever. Okay? The student is surpassing the teacher here. You got this. Tory won't know what hit her." Daniel advised.

She smiled slightly, looking down at the ground for a second before looking back up to meet her dad's eyes. "Thanks. But, uh," she crossed her arms, "that's not really the problem. You know, after the tournament, when you closed the dojo, I was angry. I was lost. A-And then I started to think that closing the dojo was a good thing. But being back here, training, it's great."

Katherine's eyes brimmed with tears and she sighed deeply to prevent them from spilling. She thought about her next words, slightly stumbling over them. "b-but, now I'm back in this winner-takes-all match. And it just..." she trailed off, thinking of the right words, "it feels like I'm right where I started. Me against Tory, just like in the tournament. And I just-" She cut herself off, unable to continue.

Katherine didn't know how to express her feelings, but she tried. What she really felt was scared. Scared that she was going to lose again. Scared that she'll fail. Kat was afraid of feeling lost again just like after the tournament. She felt like everything was always her fault. It felt like it was repeating again. She didn't want them to judge her about that, because deep down, she was also scared about what they might think.

She knows it sounds ridiculous, and that she shouldn't care, but no matter how much she says that to herself, there's always going to be a part of her that's going to care about what other people think about her.

She didn't like being vulnerable in front of people. Especially her parents, and especially Daniel. Katherine was mostly closer to Amanda, truth be told. And Sam was closer to Daniel. Growing up, Katherine felt like she had to bottle up her feelings most of the time. And it made her feel sad seeing how easy it was for Sam to talk about her feelings.

And to be honest, Katherine thought that it was quite silly to talk about feelings and whatnot. She wasn't one to open up so easily. She wasn't one to talk about her emotions or how she's feeling.

It was always like that. For Sam, it was always easier for her to open up whenever she wanted to or whenever she needed to. But for Kat, it wasn't always that straightforward.

"Katherine-san, fight not against opponent. Many years ago, your father and I had big fight," Chozen chuckled slightly, "you know story. I wanted to prove I was better. Better fighter. Better man."

"He was definitely one hell of a fighter." Daniel said. "But I was fighting against," Chozen continued, "your father was fighting for. Fighting for friends. For village. For..." he paused, "for Miyagi-san."

Daniel looked at her with a soft smile on his lips, "do it for you, Kat. For you." After a few seconds, he said, "go on. You're missing the pizza party. We'll see you at home."

Nodding, Katherine grabbed her bag and started walking out.

♡♡♡♡

THE next day, all of them arrived at Cobra Kai for the two fights. Katherine made her way beside Robby and Anthony as all of them lined up. Tory and Isaiah made eye contact. He smiled at her softly and she did the same thing before her Sensei Kim called out.

Robby was showing Anthony some moves before "Keene!" Kenny's voice shouted. Anthony walked away as Kenny strode over to Robby, "that's some messed up shit. You training the kid who bullied me."

"Heard you're the one doing the bullying now." Robby retorted. Katherine listened on the conversation and anger boiled in her at Kenny's next words. "Oh, he deserves everything that comes to him."

She stepped closer to Kenny, and the action made the two direct their attention to her. "Don't talk about my brother like that." She threatened.

Kenny nearly flinched at her threat before Robby slightly pushed her back, "I don't think you actually believe that. Look, I know how things can start out from nothing and get bigger and bigger until all you feel is hate. I've been there," he glanced at Miguel and then looked back at Kenny. "But I'm telling you, it is so much better to let that hate go. You and Anthony might actually get along if you got to know each other. You just gotta hash things out."

"Yeah, right," Kenny's gaze flickered over to Katherine before it settled back on Robby, "he made my life a living hell."

A scoff left Katherine's lips, "please. Putting milk in your locker doesn't make your life a living hell. Let me let you in on a little secret, Anthony was basically forced into bullying you by his stupid friends. Yes, he's still at fault but that doesn't mean you should repeat his actions."

Kenny looked over at her, "he's the reason I came to Robby in the first place," he looked back at Robby and lightly shook his head, "you know what? You're lucky you're not on the mat today. Guess Hawk will have to do." That being said, he walked back to his spot.

Eli came up to the two, "don't worry. I'll shut him up."

"Don't go too hard on him. You remember what it's like to be in Cobra Kai. It's not Kenny talking. It's Silver." Robby looked at said guy.

"Yeah." Eli muttered before walking back. "And how are you feeling?" Robby asked the girl beside him. She sighed looking up at him, "why does everybody keep asking me that? Not that I'm complaining about it."

Robby chuckled, "I don't know. But I can practically see the nerves dripping off you."

"Yeah, I'm pretty nervous," she paused, scrunching her nose and furrowing her brows, "actually, I'm really nervous."

"I get it. But you'll do great. I'm sure of it." He smiled, lowering his head to press a quick kiss on her lips. "Time to begin." Gunther's voice declared. "Eli Moskowitz and Kenny Payne, please take the mat."

The two stepped on the mat at the same time the referee did as well. "Face me. Bow. Face each other. Bow. Ready?" The two got in their fighting positions, "fight!"

Immediately, Kenny lunged towards Eli with a kick though he moved away swiftly. Kenny sent punches, and he managed to send a kick to Eli's ribs. "Point! 1-0, Payne." The referee declared.

They both got back in their spot and in their fighting positions. "Ready? Fight!"

After a few seconds, Kenny made the first move and sent a kick but Eli blocked it. With a determined look on his face, Eli sent a kick as well to which Kenny managed to block. Eli sent even more punches, and he pushed away Kenny's leg that raised up to kick him. Kenny stumbled back and Eli took the opportunity to kick him across the face.

"Our of bounds. No point." The referee said. "What the hell?" Katherine frowned in disbelief. "What? What, are you serious?" Eli asked.

"Come on, ref. That's horseshit. He made contact in bounds." Johnny explained. "No point. Back on the line." The referee said sternly.

Both of them got back in their fighting positions, "ready? Fight!" Kenny sent kicks to which Eli dodged. The two sent kicks and punches but when Eli sent another kick to his ribs, Kenny grabbed his leg and elbowed his knee harshly, resulting in Eli groaning in pain as he fell to the mat. "Illegal strike. That's a warning."

"Warning? He should be disqualified." Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "It's fine. He just caught me off-guard." Eli said.

"Are you sure, Eli?" Daniel asked. "No more Eli. It's time to uncage the Hawk." He straightened his mohawk before making his way back to his spot on the mat. "Get back on the line." The referee said to Kenny.

Kenny stood up and the two went back to their fighting positions. "Ready? Fight!"

As Eli lunged forward to send a punch, Kenny had grabbed his arm and punched him below the arm. Eli fell to the ground, "point. 2-0, Payne."

Noticing Eli was struggling to breathe, Katherine immediately made her way over as did Johnny and Daniel. "Eli." She called out. "Hawk. What's wrong?" Johnny kneeled down. "I can't... Can't... Can't breathe." He sputtered out.

Katherine crouched down and helped him sit up, "can you continue?" The referee asked. "Where's the medic?" Johnny asked, looking around. "It's okay. It's okay. Try and take deep breaths." Katherine soothed to Eli. He listened to her, attempting to take deep breaths.

The medic came as the referee declared, "that's a forfeit. Winner, Payne." He raised Kenny's hand in the air. "What?" Miguel asked in disbelief. "Can you breathe?" The medic asked Eli, placing a hand on his chest. "I think he's okay. Just got the wind knocked out of him."

Eli let out staggered breaths but he was able to calm down. Kenny approached them, "looks like you got a new name. Faux-Hawk."

"Fuck off." Katherine grumbled to him, her eyes filled with anger. "Come on." Daniel said, helping Eli stand up. Eli put a hand over Johnny's shoulder to stabilize himself as Katherine walked back to her spot beside Robby.

"We begin our girls' fight. Katherine LaRusso and Tory Nichols, please take the mat." Gunther announced. "Kat. Hey. They're fighting dirty. This is dangerous. You don't have to do this." Daniel approached her.

"I know. But I can handle it. This is for all of us." Katherine sighed deeply before stepping on the mat. "Tory Nichols?" Gunther called out. Katherine frowned at the fact Tory was nowhere to be seen.

"Tory's not here. Something happened." Isaiah whispered over to Miguel. Katherine's eyes widened as her eyes settled on Lilah who stepped on the mat with a determined look. "Face me. Bow. Face each other. Bow." The referee ordered. "Ready?" The two girls got in their fighting positions, "fight!"

Lilah lunged at Katherine, immediately sending kicks and punches to which she dodged. Katherine sent kicks as well, and she was able to kick her underneath the shoulder. "No point. That's shoulder. No point." The referee denied.

"What? That was below." Katherine explained, "keep fighting." He said.

Katherine sent more and more punches. Lilah tried to kick her in the arm, yet Katherine had moved away. "Point. 1-0, Davis."

"There was no contact." Daniel protested. "Time out. Go to your sensei." The referee said. Katherine made her way over to the two senseis, "I blocked that. And I swear I just got her below the shoulder."

"All right, look. Not every point is gonna go our way." Daniel started. "Those calls put me down a point. I should be up one. If I lose the match because of it-" She got cut off by Robby, "Kat. You're the better fighter. Everyone knows it. The ref might not be doing you any favors, but you've got us in your corner. All of us."

"Referee is moron. Must not leave room for error." Chozen said helpfully. "He's right," Daniel pointed at him, "you make every point undeniable."

Katherine nodded before she turned around, walking back to her spot on the mat. The two got in their fighting positions, "ready? Fight!"

Lilah instantly kicked her, but Katherine blocked it and sweeped her legs, causing Lilah to fall to the ground. Once she hit the mat, Katherine crouched down and punched her stomach. "Point, LaRusso. 1-1." The referee declared rather hesitantly.

The two girls got back in their position, "ready? Fight!" Lilah lunged at her, kicking and punching to which Katherine blocked. She managed to kick Lilah's stomach, resulting in her stumbling back. "Point. 2-1, LaRusso."

Both of them got back in their spot, "ready? Fight!" Lilah came at her, punching. Katherine blocked all of them using the techniques she had learned and when she tried to sweep her legs, Lilah moved away quickly. Katherine immediately got up and the two circled each other.

Katherine lunged this time, ready to throw a kick. Lilah moved back just for Katherine to send another kick yet Lilah blocked it. Lilah attempted to kick her, but Kat grabbed her leg and pushed it away, blocking another one of Lilah's punches. Lilah tried to punch her again but Katherine grabbed that arm and kicked her in the stomach, making Lilah stumble back.

"Yes, Kat!" The Miyagi-Dos cheered. "Point. Winner, LaRusso." The referee held her hand up. Katherine smiled as she approached Daniel who gave her a warm hug. "I am so proud of you, Kat. That was incredible."

"Jersey tough." She smiled. "Jersey tough. It's all you." Daniel replied proudly.

"Katherine-san." Chozen started, "You did it." He said in Japanese before the two bowed to each other. Katherine smile once again and hugged Chozen. Once they pulled away, the Miyagi-Dos came rushing at her with open arms, all hugging her. Robby managed to approach her first, the two sharing a hug.

"We have reached an agreement." Gunther declared, "as expected, we were impressed with the skills, precision and discipline of the new Sekai Taikai qualifier," he paused, looking at the two dojos, "Cobra Kai," he gestured to them.

"Yeah!" They all cheered. "As for our other dojo," Gunther continued, "we admired your unusual mix of styles and underdog spirit, and we think you could be a unique addition to the competition. Therefore, we've decided that your dojo has also qualified."

They all looked at each other, cheering as they hugged one another. "Congratulations, everyone, and welcome to the Sekai Taikai."

"Maybe one day we'll both win," Eli looked over at Kat. She looked at him, smiling as she put a hand on his arm. "Hey, we've all earned this. Each and every one of you brought your A-game." Daniel said.

"Could not be more proud." Chozen nodded. "Now, with this tournament in our future, we've got a lot of work to do. But tonight... Tonight, go celebrate!" Daniel yelled cheerfully.

♡♡♡♡

THEY had organized a party at Miguel's apartment complex. The two sisters arrived at the party, stepping out of the car. "Hey, what's that?" Katherine asked as she looked at the necklace in Sam's hand. "It's a necklace. I think Miguel wanted to give it to me." She replied, smiling at the thought.

"Well, you should go talk to him." Katherine said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Sam laughed, nodding as she walked away.

"Hey." Robby walked over. Katherine smiled at the sight of him, "hey."

The two shared a kiss, and when they pulled away, Robby said, "let's get you a drink." He smiled at her. She nodded, but before the couple could walk away, Katherine caught sight of Sam crying. Frowning, she pulled away from Robby's arms and immediately walked over to her. "Sam? What happened?"

She wiped her tears away and opened her mouth to answer, yet Tory's voice entered. "LaRusso." The three turned their attention to her as Sam asked, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm not here to fight," Tory started, "I came to talk. To both of you." She looked at Katherine.

"About what?" Sam asked yet again. Tory's eyes flickered between the two girls before they settled on Kat. "You didn't lose the All Valley, Kat."

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A/N: pretty looonnnnnggggg chapter.