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𝑫𝒂𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒉'𝒔 𝑷𝑶𝑽: It was time.
Me and the rest of the Miyagi-Do students were lined up in pairs, ready for our big entrance.
Sam stood in front of me, shifting uncomfortably. I could tell she was nervous and I would be lying if I said I wasn't either. We haven't said a word to each other since prom night and I knew we'd have to eventually.
I fiddled with the ends of my two Dutch braids nervously as we awaited our introduction. I was anxious about my matches obviously, but I felt worse because I was severely disconnected to my team.
Some of them saw me as crippled, others saw me as a monster. Sam and Demetri were the only ones who considered me a friend, but there's no way to know what Sam thinks of me now.
I'm not like Miguel where he comes back from an injury and everybody believes in him because he's already an All-Valley champ. I now have to prove that I'm not made of glass and that I'm able to win.
The loud voice of the presenter boomed through to where we were waiting anxiously.
"Ladies and gentleman...you've been waiting a long time, but we're finally here." He starts off, the crowd cheering in anticipation.
Sensei Larusso looked back at us with a look of encouragement, sending Sam a special reassuring smile.
"Dojos from all across the Valley have been training for a year for their shot at glory. You ready to meat 'em?" He asked, the crowd responding with loud cheers.
He then went on to introduce us. "This sensei and dojo need to introduction. He took the All-Valley by storm in 1984 and '85 and quickly became one of the greatest underdogs in the history of the sport. Last year, this dojo came out of nowhere and made it to the finals. They've got some new fighters, and they're ready to show the world, that they're the best around." The presenter said, giving us a worthwhile introduction.
"Give it up for Miyagi-Do karate, led by 2 time All-Valley champion, Daniel Larusso!" He said, our cue to walk through the smoke and make our grand entrance.
We received a loud cheer from all audience members jogged single file and lined up for the rest of the introduction.
Demetri and I looked to each other, looks of nervousness and excitement mirrored on each other.
He gained more confidence when he saw Miles cheering for him, though. I nudged Demetri's arm and gave him a knowing look, making him roll his eyes briefly before blushing.
Tory and I had talked about what would happen if we had to fight one another. We both promised to give it our all, but it still sucked that we might have to hurt each other.
More dojos came out and I could see some familiar faces from last year, but obviously no familiar girls so Sam and I were practically going into this blind.
