"Point! Winner: Lucía from Cobra Kai!"
"Point! Winner: Miguel Díaz from Cobra Kai!"
"Point! Winner: Tory Nichols from Cobra Kai!"
"Point! Alex Gutiérrez from Topanga Karate!"
...
The matches advanced one by one without pause for a while.
"It's not going as well as we hoped..." Devon Lee reviewed the results of Cobra Kai's newest lineup and felt slightly disappointed to see that many hadn't made it past the preliminaries.
Tory approached her friend and said, "Well, I thought the fights would be more exciting, but so far, I've had no trouble advancing to the Round of 16."
"That doesn't matter much. The expected results are varying a lot in the men's competition..." Devon thought this was due to not everyone having Max's combat experience or the talent of Miguel or Hawk.
As the final matches for qualification concluded, the tournament pressed on. The sixteen finalists, evenly split between men and women, were all skilled fighters from the various dojos that had been participating in this tournament for years.
The majority of feedback had been positive, which caught the audience's interest. Additionally, the variety of dojo affiliations added to the spectacle, keeping the crowd engaged.
In just a few minutes, the last five preliminary rounds wrapped up. As expected, eight of the thirty-two male finalists were from Cobra Kai, two from Topanga Karate, two from other dojos, and one who was unaffiliated.
On the women's side, Cobra Kai had four finalists among the eight, with the others coming from more varied dojos.
As the finalists were announced, the atmosphere among the crowd became electrified. Everyone knew that the next matches would be the true highlights of the competition.
After the draw, all competitors were placed in the bracket for the Round of 16, and the venue was prepared for the feature matches. Devon's next opponent was Emma Miller from Topanga Karate.
Following Johnny's instructions, Devon knew that Emma excelled at kicks, just like her, and she eagerly anticipated the match.
The two fighters squared off, and the result was surprising. Emma's kicks couldn't withstand Devon's brutal counterattacks, leaving her injured, though fortunately without broken bones.
With this, Devon easily became one of the first to qualify. Among the other Cobra Kai women, only Tory remained, and she was set to face an opponent from a less prominent dojo.
In the men's division, only Miguel and Hawk from Cobra Kai advanced further to the Round of 16. The others were from various affiliations, except for one mysterious fighter with no known dojo.
Nothing extraordinary occurred during the duels. Eli, known as Hawk, put on a solid performance, securing a spot on the right side of the Round of 16 bracket, where he would face truly strong opponents from the many dojos present.
The next match drew the audience's attention, including Devon's, as it was the only male competitor from Topanga Karate facing Miguel Díaz from Cobra Kai.
On this final day of qualification, both were considered the best fighters due to their impressive performances so far.
"May the best fighter win, Cobra boy!" Liam smiled weakly as he watched Miguel step onto the mat.
Miguel didn't respond, his demeanor rubbing some the wrong way. But as Liam understood, there were all kinds of fighters in tournaments, and he speculated that Miguel played the "bad guy" role he aimed to defeat.
"Ready? Bow! Look at each other! Bow!"
"Fight!"
As soon as the referee's announcement ended, Miguel quickly initiated the match, showcasing his incredible speed.
"Careful, Liam!" A girl cheered on the lone Topanga Karate fighter, who, though not outstanding in offense, was very calculated and had advanced to the semifinals because of it.
As Miguel advanced, Liam's expression turned serious, and he let out a fierce yell, uncharacteristic of his calm exterior.
When Miguel launched a kick, Liam responded with a forward leap, landing a devastating kick to Miguel's shoulder and sending him backward.
"No clear point. Continue!"
"Go!"
After being repelled by Liam, Miguel gritted his teeth as Liam unleashed aggressive punches. Both fighters exchanged blows in a fierce display, neither giving an inch.
At one point, Liam, seeing his chances of scoring decrease, tightened his fists and threw a sudden punch amidst Miguel's relentless attacks. Miguel, caught off guard, tried to retreat, but the punch landed squarely on his shoulder again.
"Point!"
Liam, sweating from nervousness and exertion, stepped back and looked at Miguel. "Come on, Cobra boy, clear your head!"
"Ready? Fight!"
This time, Miguel took a more aggressive approach. It was the first time a point had been scored against him, and he knew he couldn't afford to lose focus.
On the mat, the two figures exchanged blows while energetically dodging each other's attempts to score. Liam's excellent defense allowed him to avoid many strikes, but his guard eventually slowed.
Bam!
A kick landed on his face, and Miguel, who seemed to regain his rhythm, stepped back and celebrated the clean hit.
"Point!"
"Damn it..." Liam stood up, embarrassed but silent, nodding at Miguel before resuming his stance.
"Devon, who do you think will win?" Tory asked her friend as she watched the fight unfold.
"It's more complex than it looks..." Devon hesitated before shaking her head. Liam had a chance but was too passive. In terms of skill, Miguel and Liam were equals. Both had their strengths, but what set them apart was their killer instinct.
While Liam was passive, Miguel was aggressive, giving him the edge in the long run. Miguel seemed hungrier for victory.
"Point!"
As Devon watched the fight, she shook her head again as Liam took another hit.
"Liam, rookie, get up, or we'll have to ramp up first-year training!"
"I didn't think the men's division would be this disappointing..."
"It wasn't that bad; remember, these aren't the top-tier fighters..." The Topanga Karate coach shook his head as Liam instinctively smiled and waved to the crowd.
"Focus on the damn fight, idiot! Victory is in your hands!"
Liam nodded but lost the match within a minute of resuming.
"Point! Winner: Miguel Díaz."