❝ you were my first choice to win. ❞

―

JULIANA TOOK A DEEP BREATH.

She had won each of her matches, earning a spot in the semifinals alongside Miguel. It was time for Hawk's last quarterfinal match against Robby Keene. Juliana stood on the sidelines, watching nervously as the two boys bowed at each other. If Hawk won, that would mean that it would be her against him for a spot in the finals. Hawk was ruthless, Juliana knew it. She had watched each of his fights and had seen how he beat each of his opponents. She had no doubts that he was capable of winning against Robby.

Though Juliana knew that Hawk would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, she didn't want to fight against him. She didn't know if Hawk would go easy on her or if he would give it all he had.

Juliana bit on her fingernails, chewing nervously as Hawk and Robby's fight began. They both ran at each other, with Robby kicking his leg up first, but Hawk leaned back and dodged. Robby kept launching hits and kicks towards him, but Hawk managed to block every single shot. He grabbed Robby by the waist and tossed him to the ground before punching him in the abdomen.

"One point, Hawk!"

Robby got back up on his feet and walked to her mark, shaking his arms at his side.

"Remember what you learned, Robby!"

Juliana turned her head, looking at Daniel LaRusso. Robby inhaled a deep breath, trying to regain his focus. The fight began again, and the two boys went back and forth before Robby landed a hit to the side of Hawk's face. Hawk fell to the mat, and Robby earned a point.

"One point, Keene."

Hawk stood on his feet and walked in front of Robby. His back was turned, so all Juliana could see was Robby's face. His lips were moving as he talked to Hawk. Juliana tried to read his lips to get a sense of what they were talking about, but she couldn't see him clearly enough from behind Hawk.

Robby turned and started to walk away. An anger inside Hawk took over. With Robby's back turned to him, Hawk launched his leg forward and kicked Robby in the shoulder. Juliana's heart skipped a beat, and she gasped as she watched Robby fall to the mat.

"Robby!" Sensei Lawrence said from beside her before running up on the mat.

"Illegal contact, you're disqualified!" the referee shouted at Hawk.

Hawk pushed the referee away and turned as he started to walk towards the edge of the mat. Juliana stared at him, her heart racing.

"With that disqualification, Keene earns a trip to the semifinals," the announcer spoke. "We'll see him back here after a short break."

Juliana tilted her head, looking up at Hawk. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, what about?" Hawk asked.

Juliana grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the doors leading to the hallway. She dropped his hand and turned around, crossing her arms as she looked up at Hawk.

"What's wrong?" Hawk asked cluelessly.

Juliana scoffed, raising her eyebrows. "What's wrong? What do you mean, 'What's wrong?' You were completely out of line kicking Robby when his back was turned!"

Hawk furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you seriously mad at me for that?"

Juliana stared at him in disbelief. "Of course I am! There was no need for that. You could have won, but you threw it all away for what? What could he have possibly said that would make you attack him when his back was turned?"

Hawk stared at the ground, mumbling his words, "He said my hair was stupid."

"Speak up," Juliana retorted. "What did he say?"

Hawk sighed, looking up at her. "He said my hair was stupid."

Juliana couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head at him, her laughter continuing. Hawk gave her a puzzled look, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Oh, wow," Juliana said in between her laughter. "Please tell me you're joking. You kicked him in the shoulder and ruined your chances of winning because he made fun of your hair? You've got to be kidding me."

"It's not funny," Hawk said with a defeated look on his face.

Juliana continued laughing. "Oh, it totally is." Juliana punched him on the arm as hard as she could. "You're such an idiot!"

"Okay, fine! I'm an idiot," Hawk replied. "But you're in Cobra Kai, whatever happened to no mercy?"

"I'm glad you're willing to admit it," Julianna responded. "And this is a tournament, not some childhood playground brawl. The no mercy mantra totally still applies in an actual fight, not as some uncalled for and aggressive response to him calling your hair stupid."

Hawk sighed. "Okay, fine. You're right. I'm sorry. Are we good?"

Juliana punched his arm again. "Yeah, idiot. We're good. Just don't do that kind of thing again."

Hawk nodded her head as the announcer told all of the semifinalists to come to the stage.

"It looks like that's my cue," Juliana said.

"Yeah." Hawk nodded. "Come on, let's get back out there. You've got a fight to win."

Together, they walked back into the arena. Juliana stood next to Sensei Lawrence, with Hawk by her side. When they were asked to get on the stage, Juliana and Miguel stood on either side of Sensei Lawrence. Robby and Xander Stone stood on the other side of the stage.

"Yes! Let's give it up for all our competitors," the announcer said, speaking into the mic. "You're all winners. We have seen some great fighting today, haven't we?"

The audience continued to clap and cheer.

"There can only be one true winner," the announcer continued. "And they are standing on this stage right now. Will it be Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Juliana Morales from Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Robby Keene, unaffiliated? And last, but certainly not least, last year's champion, fighting out of Topanga Karate, Xander Stone!"

The audience cheered as Xander did a flip on the stage. Juliana furrowed her eyebrows together before rolling her eyes.

Xander walked up to the announcer and grabbed the microphone. "I just wanted to say, even though I love to fight, we all need to fight together against hatred..."

Juliana stared at him, blinking her eyes repeatedly.

"And as I look around this arena, I pray for every race, religion, and gender that we can all live together in peace," Xander continued. "Please join me in a moment of silence as we strive to end intolerance in our time."

Juliana glanced around the arena in confusion, slowly bowing her head. She didn't close her eyes as she gave Xander the side-eye. She was all for equality and agreed with what he said, but she didn't understand why he decided to make an entire speech during the tournament.

"Kick that pansy bitch in the face," Sensei Lawrence said to Miguel.

Miguel nodded his head. "Yes, Sensei."

"All right!" the announcer grabbed the microphone back. "First up, Stone versus Diaz! Let's go!"

They all stepped off the stage, except for Miguel and Xander. Juliana watched with her hands folded behind her back. The crowd was cheering wildly as the two boys fought. Juliana's eyes kept moving back and forth as she tried to keep up.

Both boys had already scored a point, making the fight all the more anticipatory. They were both more determined than ever to claim victory.

"Focus, Diaz!" Sensei Lawrence shouted.

Miguel kicked Xander in the face, causing him to flip onto the mat.

"That's 2-1, Diaz!"

Juliana clapped her hands along with the rest of the arena as the boys assumed their fighting positions once more. After back-and-forth punches and kicks that ended up getting blocked, Miguel kicked Xander in the side of his ribcage. He fell to the mat with a thud.

"Point!" the referee said as he lifted Miguel's arm in the air. "And winner!"

The crowd erupted into loud applause and cheers. Juliana clapped her hands as she jumped up and down, cheering for Miguel.

"Miguel Diaz is headed to the finals," the announcer said. "Next up, Morales versus Keene."

Juliana took a deep breath and turned to look at Sensei Lawrence. He nodded his head at her, and patted her on the back.

"You've got this," he told her.

Juliana nodded back at him before she faced forward and stepped onto the stage. She stopped in front of Robby, giving him a head nod of acknowledgment. They bowed at the referee before bowing at each other. Juliana got into a fighting position, inhaling another deep breath as she tried to calm herself.

"And fight!"

Juliana surged her fist forward, but Robby was quick to block her hand by pushing her wrist to the side. She continued to send a series of jabs and strikes his way, but Robby's defense made it seem like he was always one step ahead of her. Juliana swung her fist around, and Robby raised his hand to block it. Juliana crouched down and landed a quick jab at Robby's ribcage.

"Point, Morales!"

Juliana could hear Hawk and Miguel cheering her on from the sidelines. She could hear her mother cheering for her all the way from across the arena.

Juliana returned to her mark, taking a deep breath before getting into a fighting position. She watched Robby as he did the same, waiting for the referee to tell them to fight. Juliana struck first immediately, not giving Robby the chance to even take a moment to breathe before she was sending a kick flying his way. He quickly blocked her leg and pushed it to the side.

Juliana didn't give up, as she continued to send punches at him. Juliana swung her fist, but Robby dove down and dodged it before pushing her forward. Juliana stumbled back, giving Robby the chance to kick her in the chest. Juliana fell backward onto the mat.

"Point, Keene! 1-1."

Juliana got back on her feet. As she walked back to her spot and got into a fighting position, she glanced over her shoulder. The eyes of all her fellow Cobra Kai students were fixated on her. Juliana turned her gaze towards Hawk, who was clapping her hands and saying, "You've got this, Juli!"

Juliana turned her head, staring at Robby as she tried to regain her focus. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. She exhaled and opened her eyes in just enough time for the referee to tell them to fight. Juliana didn't immediately strike first this time; instead, she waited for Robby to make the first move.

They went back and forth between trying to strike only to get blocked. Robby swung his fist through the air, but Juliana quickly ducked, causing his arm to soar above her head. Juliana extended her leg forward, kicking Robby in the ankle and sweeping his balance.

"Point, Morales!" the referee announced. "2-1. Morales."

"Yeah, come on, Juliana!" Miguel shouted.

"That's it, Juli!" Hawk cheered.

Juliana returned to her mark, getting into a fighting position. With only one more point left to score, Juliana was more determined than ever. She tried her hardest to tune out the cheers and the claps, focusing solely on Robby and Robby only.

"And fight!"

There was not a single ounce of hesitation in Juliana's body as she launched her first forward, nearly landing a strike on Robby's chest. She stepped back and started sending a series of punches his way. When that didn't work, she kicked her legs one after the other. Robby wasn't willing to give up, just as determined as she was.

Juliana shifted her body eight to one side, and swung her leg through the air to kick Robby from the side. He grabbed her ankle and pushed her forward. Juliana stumbled, but managed to regain her balance. She got back into fighting position, trying to block the hits that Robby sent her way.

Robby managed to land a punch to Juliana's shoulder, scoring himself another point. Juliana huffed as she turned around, smoothing out her gi. They were tied, meaning that whoever scored the next point would be the one who advanced to the finals.

"Ready?"

Juliana and Robby both got into fighting position.

"And fight!"

Juliana stepped closer to him, and they circled around each other before Robby made the first move. He surged his fist forward, but Juliana was quick to block. Juliana felt like she was fighting for her life as she tried to land a hit or a kick, but all her efforts were instantly blocked.

She could hear the shouting from her teammates as they screamed, "No mercy!" followed by a series of other phrases of encouragement.

"You can do it, Juli!" Hawk yelled, clapping his hands.

Juliana jumped to the side as Robby tried to kick her, narrowly avoiding the path. He tried again, shifting his weight onto the other leg.

Robby jumped up, and before Julianna had the chance to move, he kicked her in the abdomen.

"And there you have it, folks!" the announcer's voice boomed through the arena. "Robby Keene is headed to the finals, where he will face Miguel Diaz of Cobra Kai!"

Juliana punched the mat out of frustration before she got up on her feet. Robby walked up to her, extending his hand forward.

"You put up a good fight," Robby told her. "By far my most formidable opponent."

Juliana stared down at his hand for a moment, deciding if she should shake it or not. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Hawk waiting for her. He didn't look too happy to see her talking to Robby. Juliana turned back around, facing Robby. She quickly grabbed his hand and gave it a quick shake, not caring what Hawk thought.

"You too," Juliana responded.

She dropped his hand and turned on her heels. Juliana walked off the mat, claiming a spot next to Hawk.

"What was that?" Hawk asked.

Juliana looked up at him. "Not even a hello? Or 'sorry you lost, but you were great out there?' Is all that hair dye starting to seep into your brain and impacting your ability to act like a normal person?"

Hawk gave her a defeated look. "No. I mean, you were amazing out there. I just..."

"You're just wondering why I shook his hand?" Juliana questioned, crossing her arms. "Because it was the polite thing to do."

Juliana didn't say another word as she turned, facing the front as she waited for the finals to begin. Hawk stared down at the floor, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"This is it, folks," the announcer said, getting everyone's attention. "The moment we've all been waiting for. The final match to determine who will be victor and who will be champion. Will it be Miguel Diaz of Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Robby Keene, unaffili—"

A woman walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. Confusion spread through the arena.

"Daniel LaRusso's gonna coach?" he asked quietly and then repeated it louder. "Daniel LaRusso is gonna coach!"

The woman quickly ran off the stage.

"I'm sorry, folks, there's been a change," the announcer said. "Robby Keene will now be fighting for Miyagi-Do Karate with former champion Daniel LaRusso as his sensei!"

With that, the final match began. Miguel and Robby were both quick to react, fighting back and forth before Robby managed to kick Miguel to the mat.

"Keene and Miyagi-Do get the first point!"

The second round began, and Miguel ended up scoring the next point. They were tied, one to one. Round three began, and after hitting Robby in the shoulder and then sweeping him to the mat, Miguel scored the second point.

"Time! Time!" Daniel LaRusso called out.

The fight came to a brief pause as Robby talked to Daniel and then proceeded with Robby and Miguel sending punches flying at one another.

"Stop! Out of bounds!" the referee said. "No point. Out of bounds. Ready? And fight!"

Miguel pushed Robby, causing him to fall. Miguel kicked him before he had the chance to get up and then tried to stomp kick him. Miguel tried again, but before he could land a shot, Robby lifted himself up on one hand and extended his legs forward. He kicked Miguel in the chest.

Robby tried to help Miguel up by extending his hand out to him. Miguel pulled his arm, earning a warning for unsportsmanlike contact. The audience began to boo, but all Juliana could focus on was the fact that Hawk was cheering Miguel on.

"Whoever wins the next point will be our new champion!"

"It's 2-2," the referee said. "Next point wins!"

Miguel and Robby got into a fighting position, going back and forth. Robby tried to kick Miguel, but he grabbed his leg. Miguel pushed him back and kicked him in the shoulder, giving him no time to recuperate before kicking him in the chest.

"Point!" the referee held up Miguel's arm. "Winner!"

The audience erupted into cheers and applause as the rest of Cobra Kai ran on stage to congratulate Miguel. Juliana remained on the sidelines, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Without further ado, let me present the trophy to this year's new champion, Miguel Diaz, and the Cobra Kai dojo!"

Juliana walked off as the audience began to clear out. She made a beeline for the locker room to grab her backpack before marching down the hallway. Juliana's heart nearly stopped when she accidentally bumped into someone.

She looked up from the ground. Her heart began to pick back up, pounding, when she realized that it was Demetri.

"Woah, slow down there," Demetri said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Is everything alright?"

Juliana nodded. "Everything's fine. I'm fine."

Demetri raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure? Because you don't look fine."

Juliana gave him a fake smile. "Trust me, Dem. Everything is fine."

Demetri didn't believe her, but he didn't want to press her any further. Instead, he nodded his head and left the matter alone.

"I need to go find my parents," Juliana told him.

"Oh, right," Demetri nodded his head, removing his hands from Juliana's shoulders.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Juliana asked.

Demetri nodded again. "Right. Yeah. See you later."

Juliana gave him a small smile before she continued to walk down the hall.

"Hey, Juliana!"

Juliana turned around at the sound of Demetri calling out to her. Demetri walked closer to her so that he wouldn't have to yell.

"I just wanted to say that you absolutely killed it out there," Demetri told her. "You were my first choice to win."

Juliana grinned. "Thanks, Dem. I appreciate it."

Demetri smiled back. "No problem."

They continued to look at each other for a few seconds before Juliana cleared her throat. They both looked down at the ground.

"Um, anyway, I'll see you," Juliana said. "Bye, Demetri."

"Bye, Juliana," Demetri replied.

Juliana turned back around and started to walk down the hallway. She paused when she reached the double doors to the arena. She slowly turned her head, looking over her shoulder. Her gaze was met with Demetri's eyes staring back at her.

Juliana inhaled a sharp breath before she faced forward and began to search for her parents.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

and that my friends, concludes act one of weird science. this chapter took me forever to finish because tournament chapters stress me out.

and yes i did make robby & hawk fight in the quarterfinals instead of the semis so that i could make juliana go further. bc why not?

but the mystery will continue in act two. i hope you stay tuned!

also the little look back at the end was 100% inspired by the andi mack look back. if you know you know :)