#ch 5

"Where did you go?" Devon groggly asks when Lena quietly entered their hotel room, but not before she with suspiciousness sees the older girl touch her lips in a daze, while she laid her head against the door in thought.

Which of course immediately set her friend off, who immediately stood straight at her interested gaze, who then looked towards Sam's still sleeping form on the other side of the room, before she turned her gaze back towards Devon's awaiting one.

"Just for my usual run," Lena then told her in a casual tone, which Devon was not buying in the slightest but she was too tired to ask her about it now, so she then turned back in her covers.

"Okay, get some sleep, we need to be at our best." The younger girl then told her in a serious tone, and something else, which made Lena then look towards her huddled body under the covers in concern.

"Devon, are you alright? ...You're only awake during the late hours when you-" Lena then softly asks the younger girl, which brought on an immediate reaction from her, Lena then softly headed over to her side of the bed, but not before she got out of her trainers.

Sitting on the end of the bed,

"Devon, you know that it's perfectly alright to be stressed before a match, especially a world tournament, right? You'll do fine, you got on this team by the merit of your own skill, don't forget. Don't feel intimidated by the other competitors, just believe in yourself and give it your all, you got this kid." she softly said to her, before she gently moved to caress the younger girl on her back.

"And you got us, me especially, for I got your back."

"...Thanks," Devon then softly whispered in return, her form now more relaxed, before she turned to look at Lena with a thankful look, which she smiled at, before she ruffled the younger girl's hair.

"No problem, now go to sleep kid."

"Speak for yourself, but take a shower first." Devon then sassily reiterated, which made Lena then let a chuckle out in amused disbelief.

"Are you saying that I smell?"

"No, but you're the one who just said that, so." Devon then said with a mischievous grin, before she once more rolled under the covers to.

"You brat!" Lena then told her in Korean, which the younger girl only giggles at.

"Well aren't you the early bird," Lena remarked in surprise when she saw that Sam was already up and in her training gear, which the girl nodded at with a smile in greeting.

"Well it's best that I do, I thought to have some training in- do you want to spar with me?" She then asked with a hopeful gaze, which Lena only nodded to with a soft smile.

"Of course, just give me a moment." She told her before she got up from her side of the bed, which Devon grumbled at, at being disturbed from her sleep that is.

"It's six, how are the both of you up and chipper, like you are crazy," They younger girl huffed while she tried to sleep in, but failed with a groan, which both of the older girls chuckled at.

"Just remember to not doubt yourselves out there, we got this." Lena told both girls after they were done with their morning training, and have refreshed themselves and put their Gi's on.

"And you did eat something, right? It's important that you have energy out there, I won't have you keeling over out there, you hear?" She then continued to the amusement of both Sam and Devon, who then shared a glance with one another.

"Yes, mom!" Devon then replied with rolled eyes, which Lena then huffed at, before she shook her head with a smile.

"I'm just saying," She said before they joined and greeted the rest of their Dojo.

"Ah good, you girls are finally here," Sensei Lawrence then grumbled while he left a despondent sensei Chozen's side, before his gaze then met Lena's, who quirker her brow at the other sensei's expression, which Johnny then shook his head at.

"The guy got his heart broken, don't ask."

"I wasn't going to, but damn, poor guy." Lena then said, which Johnny nodded his head to, before he huffed in annoyance at something, which Lena curiously watched, before he explained.

"That sensei gathering, party whatever- it was a dump man, " He told her before he then, without her asking about it, then told her all about it, which was the usual between them.

"That's him, the steak stealer, that asshole-" Sensei Lawrence heatedly hissed in her ear, while he put his hand on her shoulder and moved to gaze at the aformentioned person with a glare.

Who Lena had been looking at in quiet surprise, for she didn't expect to see him there in the slightest, especially as a sensei of a rival Dojo.

But maybe she should have seen this coming, oh god.

"Look at his dumb face, Aler, you better show him what's up, I'm betting on you, okay?" Sensei Lawrence then continued to whisper in her ear, while she then slowly nodded in response, all the while her gaze is locked on Wolf, or more like sensei Wolf now it seems, who held her gaze with no expression, which then for a moment turned to annoyance when he saw sensei Lawrence's hand on her shoulder.

The both of them shared a lot with just their gaze alone, before Lena turned her head to Mr. Brown, who is starting to announce the first challenge, after he walked in the center of the mat with a microphone in hand, dressed in his usual business attire.

"The time has come. Welcome to our first event, I hope you all are well rested and ready for a new, and unique competition. We call it 'the Captain's War' " He announced, before he continued with his explanation, at which throughout it all- Lena has been feeling his gaze burn into her face from the other side of the room, which she forced herself to ignore, for she wasn't going to let this get to her, not in the slightest.

"Four Dojo's will take the mat, only one will remain standing. If you hit the mat, you're out. If one of your captains hit the mat, then your entire team is out." Brown then explained, at which Lena exchanged a glance with Miguel at before the both of them looked over to a determined looking Sam, and Robby- who's mind seemed to be elsewhere, and looking at the participant of his gaze, Lena should have known.

Tory.

This wasn't going be good, she thought before she shared a nod with Miguel, who then turned his gaze firmly in front of him.

Which Lena did as well, but not before she shared a nod with both Tory and Yoon in greeting, the latter grinning at her and mouthing at her that he'll win, which she shakes her head at with a grin of her own.

Not noticing that a certain sensei had noticed it all with a frown.

"Group A, you're up!" Mr. brown then said, showing them the board of the participating groups, which upon their Dojo stood at.

Their, Cobra Kai's, Falchi Della Notte's, and Wolf's, the Iron Dragons.

She then heard sensei Larusso scoff at this,

"Cobra Kai, of course." before they all readied themselves for the challenge, but not before Lena met Wolf's awaiting gaze once more, who then after a moment nodded to her with a blank gaze.

"- and let them come to us. Protect the egg and make sure Sam and Robby are safe." Which they all nodded to, except for Robby who shook his head at this.

"I can be on the frontline,"

"No, Robby, Miguel's right- it's best that we don't take any chances. Just stay back, and stay focused." Lena then told him in seriousness. He then turned his gaze to hers in confusion.

"Why wouldn't I be focused?"

At which then Miguel spilled the beans on what had taken place last night, which made Robby close his mouth in answer and Lena look at him in concern, before she shook her head.

Now wasn't the time, they had to win this.

She'll make sure of it. She thought before her gaze turned to the Cobra Kai Dojo, but specifically a frustrated looking Tory who was in a heated conversation with her sensei's which Lena looked upon in interest, and then in realisation.

She then smiled.

Game on.

"I know it hasn't been always pretty lately but no one could ever count us out. " Sensei Larusso then told them with a smile while he looked upon them all.

"You hear me. Do it for each other," He then told them, which they all nodded to.

"And wipe the smirks off their ugly faces." Sensei Lawrence then told them with a nod to them, and especially Eli and her, which she nodded to.

"Ready?" Mr. Brown then asked, which made all the competing students then turn to one another in response.

And then, as expected- Tory immediately ran over to them, which Lena softly smiled at.

"I'll get her," She then without further ado announced before she easily met her head on.

Moving away from her spinning kick, Lena then immediately kicked her against her side, which made the girl then fly towards the mat, and look at her in disbelief, but moreso- in anger.

"I'm sorry, Tory, but a challenge is a challenge." She simply told her after she was counted out, and the rest of the Dojos jumped to fight one another, with Cobra Kai's watching the fall of one of their captains in angered disbelief, especially Kwon, who then gazed at her for a second, but not before immediately setting his sights on Demetri.

Her attention was then upon Yoon who already set his sights on her, which she smirked at.

"You ready to kiss the mat?"

"You wish, you only got us by surprise, just wait." He then countered, before he attacked first, which she fluidly and easily ascaped to his annoyance.

And she then quickly jumped and kicked her leg at him, taking him by surprise at the quickness of it all, but before he could counter, she had already punched him afterwards, making him sprawl on the mat in pain then.

"Sorry friend," She told him, before she moved to another member of Cobra Kai, who had stopped to stare at Yoon's fallen body in disbelief before meeting her arched brow, but she didn't let him react, before she kicked him as well.

Her eyes were then set upon Sam then when she heard sensie Larusso shout over to them to protect her.

"On it," She answered before she moved in between them all, with a determined gaze.

"Good one," She then complimented Sam on her win, which Sam quickly said a thanks to, and at her taking down Tory, before both of them then perjured the mat, and saw that it then only left the Kwon of Cobra Kai, who was fighting Robby now, and Falchi Della Notte's quickly shrinking Dojo, where she then realised that the Iron Dragons hadn't even lost one of their members, which she gazed upon in interest, her gaze then met a smirking Wolf's.

"Lena?" She then heard Sam say, which made her move her attention back to the task at hand- to protect Sam.

Which she would do with flying colours.

And seeing Robby get kicked to the mat, she then watched as Kwon then set his sights upon them with a smirk, which she raised her brow at.

"He's mine," She then heard Miguel shout from behind them, after he finsihed his fight, he wore a determined expression, which Lena then nodded at, before she heard the announcement that Falchi Della Notte's captains were out, which made her then move her gaze towards the Iron Dragons.

"Sam, stay behind me at all costs, and if they do get through me- don't let them get to you, stay focused." She then told a confused Sam, who then after a moment nodded to her, making her finally stand at ready for the other Dojo's next move.

But then another buzzer went off, which made her immediately turn her head behind her in disbelief.

"Miguel Diaz is out! Kwon Jae-Sung, captain of the Cobra Kai, Samantha Larusso, captain of Miyagi-Do, and Lena Aler of Miyagi-Do, and last but not least- Dojo of the Iron Dragons remain alive."

Fuck. Lena then cursed in her head, at the way Kwon then made his way over to them with a smirk from one side, and the whole of the Iron Dragons stood on the other, leaving the two of them in the middle of any attack.

She had to protect Sam.

She then heard Sam make a startled noise in realisation at the situation at hand, before Lena then heard her breathing hitch.

Which made her quickly move her gaze to her friend in concern, before she moved in front of her, so her gaze and focus was solely on her.

"Sam, focus, don't let this get to you! I'm here with you, stay focused!" She told the the wide-eyed girl with a frown, who then after a while nodded her head at this, before she moved her gaze to Kwon in determination, which Lena then nodded to.

"I'll be with you every step of the way, just stay close to me, and don't let anyone get a hold of you." She then firmly told her.

"A-Alright." Sam then mumbled.

"You got lucky, " Kwon then announced when he walked over to them with a smirk, his gaze firmly on Lena's undeterred one, before he glanced at Sam's tilted gaze with a wider smirk.

"This will be too easy, " He said before he moved to kick at Sam with his leg, which Lena immediately interupted with a kick of her own, forcing him away from Sam, who stood behind her, with the both of them moving so that they could have their sights on Kwon and the Iron Dragons both, who Lena with a frown noticed was not moving to join them in the fight, for they will be awaiting the winner of them, which made this easier for her then. She decided, all the while she ignored the lingering gaze of their sensei's upon her person.

"What kind of a captain are you, letting her fight your fights! " Kwon then shouted in ridicule at Sam, before he turned to smirk at her.

"You let her be captain, you are going to lose because of her, you know"

But Lena didn't answer him, for she immediately pushed herself to meet him head on, after she made sure that Sam was at a safe distance, which made him laugh in surprise at this, before he moved to meet each one of her kicks and punches.

"END HIM," She then heard Sensei Lawrence and Miguel shout at the same time, which she nodded to before she moved to do exactly that, while she ignored the crowd's murmering of excitement, with the sole focus being upon her opponent.

She stood firm, her stance poised in the face of Kwon's violent one.

Kwon smirked at her while her rolled his shoulders, and looked her up and down.

"This is going to be fun, but I'll end this quickly." He told her while he then flexed his hands, Lena only raised her brow at his arrogance.

"You talk too much, I don't like talkers," She told him moved her body to give him a sharp kick towards his ribs, which he twisted from in time. But she didn't let him time to show her his next move, for she immediately countered with another.

Not once using her full potential, for this wasn't the place- nor would she lose control, not again.

Not that she needed to use brute force against Kwon, for his arrogance made it all too easy for her.

She simply let it do the work for her.

Kwon growled in frustration at her, his eyes blazing with anger at her, he then cut his foot towards her, which she moved away from before she noticed that he seemed off-balanced.

She then struck a fist quickly in his ribs, which he with a groan then staggered from in shock.

But she then quickly followed the punch with a strike with her elbow to his shoulder before she pivoted around him and used the momentum from when he stumbled against him.

He then quickly turned to her with raised fist and a roar, but she caught his wrist mid-motion and met his enraged gaze coldly.

And then she twisted, and with a fluid movement pulled him off-balance, before she swept his leg from under him, and punched him making him hit the mat with a hard thud.

The whole arena was silent then before it was announced that Cobra Kai is out, and that the final match would be between Miyagi-Do and the Iron Dragons.

"Heck yeah!" "Yes!" They then heard their Dojo cheer from the crowd, sensei Lawrence and Eli being the loudest of them.

She then moved gaze away from Kwon's shocked and enraged face to Sam's surprised one, before she then moved away from Kwon's fallen body to meet the Iron Dragons head-on, specifically, their sensei, who looked at her with a tilted head.

She then moved her gaze over to his captains, while Sam and her stood a bit ways in front of them.

But they surprised them by moving out of their way to only let their captains meet the both of them in the fight.

"I'll take the big guy, will you be alright with her?" She asked Sam, while her gaze then steadfastly met the focused one of the male captain's, who looked at her in interest after he moved his gaze from Sam, which Lena quirked her brow at.

"I got this," Sam answered, which she then nodded to.

"Good," She then said, before she waited on the guy to make his move.

I am so sorry for leaving this on a cliffhanger, but I had to!

Now what did you think of this chapter, where you surprised by this twist?! And will Miyagi-Do win against the Iron Dragons?!

And dayum, not Wolf and Lena seeing each other immediately at the tournament after their little mo' the night before

Do let me know what you think and thought the chapter and just story in general, m'kay! Like your comments give me life <3