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III

Chapter One: Same Story, New Kids

III

Ali Mills hadn't changed all that much in thirty years, her blonde hair had remained luscious and her features had aged slightly. She sighed, turning off the engine to her car, "Greg?"

The surgeon nodded, "Yes honey?"

"Can you help the kids unpack?"

"Sure thing." Her dark brown haired husband nodded, looking back at the two teens sitting behind him for a moment, "You two heard your mother, help unload the moving van." Greg ordered.

"One second." David was playing a game on his phone. He was approaching his seventeenth birthday and had short chocolate dark brown hair and impressive height like his father.

"Stop playing that stupid game you nitwit and help out." The girl a year younger than him shook her blonde head sitting at his side in the car, matching her mother's pretty features with her father's height like her brother.

Greg sighed, "How about you both help out? Yeah Hannah, you too."

David opened the car door with his sister, and they both walked across their new driveway to the moving van. Ali gasped as she stepped out of the driver's seat, admiring the new house they just bought in Encino, "Wow...Greg this place looks gorgeous!"

"Well, we're both doctors." Greg shrugged.

Across the street, Daniel LaRusso peered through his white blinds, seeing David and Hannah open the moving van, "Amanda!"

His wife appeared, "Yes?"

"Why don't we go say hi to our new neighbors?" Daniel put his glass of wine down on the table by the window side.

"Sure. Sam?!" Amanda called.

Samantha sighed at the top of the staircase, "What?"

"Wanna go meet our new neighbors?"

Samantha took her ear buds out of her ears, "All right." She rolled her eyes.

The LaRusso's walked across the street as Daniel extended his hand outwards as he approached Greg, "Hi! Daniel LaRusso!"

"Gregory Mills-Schwarber." The surgeon nodded and shook his hand, "Wait...I've heard about you..."

Amanda and Ali stopped shaking hands as Ali turned to Daniel and gasped, "Danny?"

"Ali?" Daniel's jaw dropped too. They both laughed and hugged on the Mills' new driveway, "It's been..."

"Thirty years?" Ali smiled pulled away from their hug.

"Y-Yeah, that seems right." Daniel nodded and laughed.

Ali and Daniel looked at each other for a moment and burst into some nervous laughter in front of their spouses.

Greg cleared his throat, "These are our kids. David and Hannah."

Hannah nodded while holding a box labeled: Hannah's stuff, "Hello!"

"Someone takes after her mother." Daniel noticed Hannah's blonde hair and pretty face similar to her mothers, tapping Amanda's shoulder and muttering to her.

"Daniel!" Amanda looked at him as he chuckled and looked at his feet.

"And my son, David." Greg added.

David waved and was holding a box of his own he drew from the moving truck, "Hey."

Daniel placed a hand on his daughters back and moved her forward slightly, "And this is my daughter Sam."

"Hello." Samantha waved and gave a pained smile, obviously showing she did not want to be here as she tapped away on her phone.

"So uh..." Daniel stopped smiling, "What brings you back here Ali?"

"Greg and I have a new position at this hospital that just opened not far from here. We both decided it would be a higher pay grade and we...just came here." Ali shrugged.

"Is Colorado..." Daniel looked at her and leaned forward, "Really cold?"

"Why yes it is Danny." Ali nodded on her new driveway.

Amanda spoke in Daniel's ear, "How do you know she lived in Colorado?"

"Unimportant." Her husband answered nervously.

"Kids," Ali looked to her children, "Why don't you take your stuff upstairs?" She turned her gaze to her old boyfriend, "Danny and I have so much to catch up on."

"Sure thing mom." Hannah carried her box with her brother upstairs.

As Samantha used her phone to avoid conversation, Daniel and Ali conversed, "So...how've you been?"

"Great great, I see you haven't aged a day." Ali smiled, much to Amanda's disgruntlement.

Daniel laughed and nodded to her, "Thanks you too!"

"What's new in your life Daniel?" Ali tucked a blonde lock behind her ear.

"Um..." Daniel's mind flashed back to the tournament where Miguel and Hawk singlehandedly cheated their way to victory, "You remember Johnny Lawrence?" Daniel gave a pained smile like his daughters.

Ali laughed next to her husband, "How could I forget him?"

"He sort of...opened up Cobra Kai again..."

"What?!" Ali's jaw dropped, "How could you let that happen?"

Daniel shrugged, "I tried my best to stop him but I guess I couldn't."

Greg rubbed his surgically precise hands together, "I'm just gonna go help the kids unpack okay?" He rested a hand on Ali's shoulder who nodded to her husband.

"S-So..." Ali looked at Daniel, "There are Cobra Kais...running around LA again?"

"I...don't know what to tell you Ali." He answered, "They're back."

"Hm..." Ali looked down at her feet and remembered what her late teens were like before looking up at him, "I think I'm gonna go pay Johnny a little visit."

"R-right now?" Daniel asked.

"Yup." Ali hollered after her husband who walked through their front door and pointed inwards, "Greg!"

Greg smiled and kept pointing inside their new house as he poked his head out of its front door, "Honey." He laughed to Ali, "This place is amazing. You've got to see it."

"Later. First I have some business to attend to." The blonde surgeon fixed the purse on her shoulder and walked to her red Range Rover she'd parked.

"B-But..." Greg laughed, "We just got here!"

After Ali drove off to the new Cobra Kai dojo after looking it up on her phone, Greg turned to Daniel, "Was she like this in the eighties?"

"Uh..." Daniel shrugged and laughed, "I don't know what to tell you she kind of was. She really did not like Johnny last I remember."

III

Ali parked her family car in front of Johnny's new dojo and gawked at it, "You've got to be kidding me..."

Inside of it, Johnny was walking up and down his rows of students yelling, "Hut!"

"Hiya!" Every student, from Miguel to even Demetri who decided to try out Cobra Kai yelled and lunged forward with a forward right kick.

"Hut!" Johnny yelled again, walking past Aisha who threw another trained strike.

"Hiya!" Aisha and her fellow Cobras yelled.

"Hu-"

"Johnny Lawrence, what do you think you're doing?" Ali interrupted him.

"Who do you think you are lady, I-" Johnny turned around speaking before pausing.

Johnny and Ali looked at each other in first time in thirty years.

"What is this Johnny?" Ali looked around the new Cobra Kai dojo.

Johnny approached Ali slowly before standing across from her in front of all his students. Silence filled the revived dojo.

"Wow." He blinked in awe of her, "You are still hot as hell..."

III

III

Chapter Two: A New Connection

III

"Well that's a perfectly reasonable reaction." The blonde surgeon said as she crossed her arms.

Johnny sighed and turned to his students, "This is an old girlfriend of mine class. Ali Mills." He rubbed his eyes, "Uh...Miguel, run drills as er Ali and I talk in my office."

"Yes Sensei." Miguel bowed to his Sensei and began to walk up and down the lines of Cobras yelling 'Huts' like he did, the students responding with 'Hiyas!" and strikes.

After they'd both walked inside his office, the very first thing Johnny did was open his mini fridge and plop a beer on his desk, "Want one?" He offered.

"No thank you." Ali fixed her purse after she closed the door behind her.

Johnny sipped his beer and put his feet up on his desk, "So, what brings you all the way to my little dojo?"

"I just started moving in here, and the first thing I hear is how Cobra Kai has come back."

"Ah." Johnny put his beer down, "Funny how old things come 'round eh? Could've sworn I saw a ghost from the past the other night after the tournament." He shrugged, "I was probably drunk as hell."

"Wouldn't doubt it." Ali noticed how much of his beer the blonde Karate instructor had consumed in less than a minute. She stood up straighter and fixed her purse on her shoulder again, "I'm here for a simple reason. Explain to me what exactly went through your head when you decided to open this...place back up."

"Well." Johnny leaned back in his chair, "I was out of money and options so I found this kid named Miguel."

"Who?" His old girlfriend asked.

"Look through those blinds." Johnny mumbled and pointed to the white plastic folds covering the windows to his office.

As Ali looked, Johnny explained, "That kid out there, leading drills, was my very first student. Kid's a natural, kicks are accurate, blocks are en pointe, the works. I found him getting his ass beat and next thing I knew I taught him how to kick their asses."

"So instead of sitting down with the boys you decided to teach him Karate?" Ali sounded very much like the mother she now was.

"Look Als, I'm sure you have your own bullshit method of dealing with assholes, but I have mine too." Johnny shrugged and leaned forward to sip more beer, "Now I have a lot of things going on. I'm seeing ghosts from my past I could've sworn were gone, LaRusso's probably doing everything he can to make sure this place disappears, and now." He threw his fingers upwards to indicate the blonde woman standing in front of him, "I have you come in out of nowhere. So please, get right to the point Als."

"Als?" She shook her head, "We're not dating anymore Johnny."

"Okay, Ali." He stopped calling her that, "What's your issue with me having a simple business?" Johnny rested his hands on his blonde head relaxingly.

"Business? Business?! Business?! Turning teenagers into...into...into you is a business?"

"These kids were tossed around like footballs, now those same assholes can't go near 'em. What's the problem with that?" Johnny stated.

"What's the problem with that?" Ali put her hands on her hips, "Where do I even begin? Those same three phrases are still up on that wall Johnny!"

Johnny scratched his cheek, "I mean...this place is different, it really is even though it looks like it isn't."

Ali crossed her arms and stood up straighter in front of his desk, "Really? The All Valley tournament was about a week ago, tell me, how did your little Cobra Kais play?" She squinted at him, "Fair?"

"Uh..." Johnny cleared his beer ridden throat, "Doesn't matter. Point is-"

"Ah..." Ali smiled, "See? This place is the same. Same words. Same actions and sportsmanship at the tournaments. Only the kids going here used to be bullied and now are doing the bullying, and you are Kreese this time around."

Johnny looked at her seriously, his composure going from drunkenly calm to tangibly angry, "Say what you want. But you can't say that."

"Why not? Afraid of the truth?"

"I'm not Kreese Ali." Johnny said quickly, "Don't ever say that."

"Yeah. Kreese at least had the decency to never pretend he wasn't what he was." Ali rested her hand on the doorknob to her old boyfriend's office before she whipped around with an angry finger, "If either of my children come here or are harassed by your little Cobra Kais, I am coming right here and smacking you across the face Johnny Lawrence...if you don't put an immediate end to it."

"Sure thing mom." Johnny murmured against the beer bottle in his mouth, "Really sucks that you came back from med school and lost all your cool. You used to be the hottest thing back in the day."

"And stop acting like such a kid Johnny, grow up for the love of God." Ali threw the door to his office open and stormed away in front of the training Cobras.

The surgeon got what she wanted, she established the fact with her ex that boundaries were boundaries. This couldn't go near her kids, and she was completely against it. Her knowledge only extended to the facts she knew and the experiences she had, and her motherly instincts had been kicked into overdrive.

"Damn." Johnny saw his old girlfriend storm away and bit his lip, "Who the hell knew that Ali Mills would've became such a mom after all this time?" He turned to his class of training Cobras, "Don't ever date blondes kiddos. They are bad news, like the one you just saw." The Sensei pointed to the door Ali had stormed out of. Johnny then looked upwards to the blond hair on his head that the class was now looking to and sighed, "Just keep running drills Miguel."

"Yes Sensei." Johnny's best student obeyed as his teacher retreated inside his office again for some more of his beloved beer.

III

Gregory Mills-Schwarber smiled as his wife walked through the door, "Hey honey! The kids and I just got done with all the fun unpacking we had to get through." He saw the look on Ali's face as she put her purse down on a table huffishly and walked into their kitchen with moving boxes strewn about, "What's wrong?" He asked with husbandly worry in his voice.

"Some people never change Greg." Ali sighed, "Are the kids up?" She saw the clock newly affixed in her kitchen by David flash 10:09.

"Yeah they're in their rooms." Greg rested his hands on Ali's shoulders, "Honey." He tried to comfort her as she looked aside in thought, "It's all gonna be fine trust me. We're the Mills, what's the worst that could happen?"

"My son or daughter becomes a Cobra Kai. Or they get harassed at school by one. Danny could walk across the street one afternoon...filled with all his boyish charm and confess his love to me." Ali smiled.

Greg chuckled and kissed his wife, "Not funny. Kids!" He called upstairs, "Dinner!"

"You cooked?" Ali raised a blonde eyebrow.

"Yeah I made chicken pot pie with our new oven. This is a great kitchen by the way." Greg admired the place they just bought.

"A husband who cooks and comforts." Ali held her blonde hair to release some tension, "I love you Greg." She let go of it.

"Love you too hun." Greg kissed Ali again and called upstairs, "Kids your pie'll get cold!"

Ali set the table quickly as David came downstairs and yawned, "Are we gonna eat dinner this late every night?"

"Depends on how long it takes your father to cook." Ali sat down and pushed her chair in.

"Ooh dad's cooking?" Hannah appeared in the dining room table wearing black short shorts and a white top, "He's great at it!"

"Thanks." Greg placed plates of pie in front of his children and his wife who he sat next to.

"Dad where's your pie?" The kids sat down at the table with their parents.

"I already ate when I took a quick break from packing with you guys." Greg shrugged and leaned back in his chair next to Ali.

"So you kids looking forward to starting school on Monday?" His blonde wife asked.

"How could we?" Hannah groaned.

"I'm excited." David shrugged, "Mom grew up here, so I'm sure the people could be nice." He turned to the blonde girl at his side.

"West Valley High can't be that bad right Hannah?" Ali used her sons initiative to encourage her daughter, "Dan told me his daughter goes there."

"Since when did he tell you this?" Greg put his phone down on the table.

Ali chewed her pie quietly, "A couple minutes ago when we were done catching up together."

David smiled with all the pie in his mouth, "Mom, is it true that he beat the legendary Cobra Kai twice?"

Ali sighed, "I've told you this a thousand times Dave. Yes, Daniel did beat them twice."

"Aha-awesome!" David laughed and swallowed the pie his father made him, "And we're living right across from the guy. But um..." David finished his pie with one scoop of his spoon, "I read online Cobra Kai came back outta nowhere and won the tournament with a bunch of one year recruits!" He used his knowledge of competitive Karate he learned on his computer to make a point, "Against an entire tournament of heavily experienced dojos! That's impressive."

Ali put her motherly foot down in seconds, "Cobra Kai is nothing but a pseudo-dictatorship made up of power punching robots who like to beat people up."

"Mom." David shrugged and used more knowledge he read online about to fuel his point, "I read online that most of those kids were actually beaten up themselves a little. It's been over thirty years, things gotta change over time."

"Well they don't." Ali finished her pie too, "I spoke to Johnny and he hasn't changed at all. He's still the Ace Degenerate I knew from High School. And from what Dan's told me he's been acting that way for the past year or so. And why are you defending Cobra Kai so much?"

"Because..." David fixed the blue hoodie he was wearing and shrugged, "I've been thinking about going there."

"I'm going up to my room." Hannah finished what remained of her pie and tried to sprint away.

"You stay right where you are young lady." Ali didn't move her gaze off her sons face, making Hannah stay rooted to her chair obediently, "David Anthony Mills-Schwarber. You are not joining Cobra Kai under any circumstance. Do you understand me?"

"Mom but-"

"Do you understand me?"

"I've wanted this ever since I heard we were moving here! Mom please!"

"No." Ali shook her head, Greg looked like he wanted to say something but the stern motherly look on his wife's face stopped him.

"I'm going to the skate park." David pushed his chair out angrily and ran upstairs to get his skateboard, when he came back down he ran right past his mother without even looking her in the eye and left.

"Honey..." The man frowned back in the dining room.

"Don't start Greg. Hannah." Ali turned to her daughter who sparked up obediently, "Get your bicycle and go after your brother, tell him to come back here right now or I'll ground him."

"Yes mom." Hannah nodded and donned a white sweater in her room. She opened the new garage her surgeon parents had bought and sped away on her bicycle after her brother.

III

At the Skate Park near Robby Keene's house.

III

David did tricks, doing a quick handstand with his board as he skated and practiced. Robby was sitting quietly on a bench nearby watching him the whole time.

Hannah pulled up with her bicycle and took her white helmet that matched her bike and sweater. Robby's eyes widened. Hannah Mills' blonde hair swung magnificently in the air like her mothers and Robby felt his eyes linger on her longer than they should've.

"Mom says if you don't come home you're grounded." Hannah spoke to David who was doing tricks with his skateboard.

"Don't care." He mumbled.

Meanwhile, Kyler and his chubby friend Brucks were leading their group of bullies across the street before Kyler saw Hannah, "Damn..." He slapped Brucks' arm and chuckled, "Check it out..."

The group of boys entered the skate park and Robby moved his gaze from Hannah to Kyler and his gang, "Hey girl..." He rubbed his hands together, "What's a fine thing like you doing in a place so not fine?"

"Did you memorize that one?" Hannah scoffed, "David let's go."

Her brother ignored her and Kyler's gang chuckled as he kept hitting on her, "What's your name blondie?"

"None of your business. David let's go!" She said louder this time.

"Well my name's Kyler...I'm thinking...you, me, and...the movies."

"Think again asshole." Hannah eyed Kyler up and down in disgust.

"Whoa whoa whoa why am I an asshole? I haven't done anything." Kyler claimed innocently.

"Yeah, but you can't take a hint. I'm not interested in you." Hannah crossed her arms as David noticed Kyler and his gang and stopped skating.

He held his skateboard as he stood next to his sister and flicked his head upwards at Kyler, "Who's this?"

"No one. Let's go." Hannah grabbed her brother by the hand and tried to leave before Kyler stopped her.

"Wait...are you sure you don't want to go out with me?"

"Yeah. Completely sure."

"Dude, take a hint man come on." David shook his head at Kyler.

"Who the hell are you?" Brucks, Kyler's chubby bullying sidekick asked and pointed to David as his gang nodded in agreement.

"David Mills."

"David Mills." Kyler turned to his friends, "Can we make fun of that?"

"Uh...no." Brucks shrugged stupidly and shook his head with his friends, "Pretty simple name I guess."

"Wow it's like..." Kyler looked in-between his cronies, "Ever since 'Rhea kicked our asses we've been off our game right?"

The gang nodded in agreement, "Definitely."

"Uh-huh."

Kyler whipped around from talking to his gang so quickly the edges of his jean jacket whipped, "All right." He smacked his fist onto his palm, "Well I'm getting back in the game!"

"Yeahhhh!" Brucks growled in agreement.

"Game? Whatever let's go." David tried to walk away.

"Uh uh." Kyler tripped David onto the ground before he could leave, "You ain't leaving until I get a yes outta your sister."

David brushed himself off as he stood up, "No one will ever say yes to you asshole."

Brucks pushed David back into the pavement of the skate park and earned high fives from the rest of Kyler's gang.

"Leave him alone!" Hannah pushed Kyler back and stood between him and her brother.

Kyler reacted impulsively and pushed Hannah aside onto the ground to gain access to try and punch David in the face. When Robby saw this, he took action immediately and sprinted across the skate park in a flash. Kyler's wrist was caught before he could launch a fist into David's eye.

Robby released Kyler's wrist and spoke darkly, "Leave him alone." The golden haired Miyagi-do student mumbled as he protected David on the ground who opened his eyes and stopped bracing himself for Kyler's punch.

"Who are you?" Kyler asked again.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Robby said.

"Huh." Kyler pointed to Robby, "Get him!"

The four boys attacked Robby but they might as well have been flies. Robby closed his eyes, focused instantly, and opened them with a balanced mind. Kyler fired a punch right at Robby's teeth, but the son of Johnny Lawrence stepped aside to avoid it and punched Kyler so hard in the gut the bully dropped to the floor defeated with one hit.

Brucks came swinging at him with all he had but Robby just blocked it with a knife hand chopping the chubby boys wrist so hard aside he groaned in pain. Brucks was kicked into the skating pit by Robby who did a hand stand out of there only weeks before.

The last two members of Kyler's gang tried to punch Robby at the same time but Robby got onto the ground and swept their legs out from under them in a single leg sweep. After they fell, Robby kicked them both quickly in the nose and knocked them out with his balanced and controlled strength.

Brucks crawled out of the skating pit and tackled Robby successfully. He then tried to punch him on the ground but Robby moved his head aside and Brucks broke his fist against the pavement of the skate park and screamed in pain.

As Brucks held his broken fist, Robby flew into a spinning tornado kick and knocked out the last bully standing in a single hit to his cheekbone before landing on his trained feet as if he'd practiced the move for ages.

The Mills siblings laying on the ground after the bullies had pushed both of them down there just watched their savior jaw dropped. Robby Keene had defeated four boys older, bigger and stronger than him in less than a minute using pure emotionally balanced skill.

Robby offered Hannah a hand up from the ground, "Need some help?" The blonde boy asked with a bright smile as he stood above her.

Hannah looked up at him and met his eyes, inherited kind light blue ones like Ali's meeting Robby's stabilized orbs like his father Johnny's.

"Y-Yes." She stood up and took Robby's hand smiling with him as well as he helped her up.

III

III

Chapter Three: A Cobra Hatches

III

David saw as Robby and Hannah got along quickly and muttered to his blonde sister, "Tonight's the night. I almost got my ass beat, and I'm never going to let myself get even close to that again."

"W-what do you mean?" Hannah asked her brother.

"I'm going to sign up at Cobra Kai, right now."

"David wait!" Hannah reached for him but he rode away on his skateboard.

Robby turned to Kyler and his gang defeated on the ground, "You assholes better take this as a learning experience."

"Got it." Kyler nodded on the ground.

"I can't believe my brother's gonna disobey my mom. He never does."

"Was he serious about joining Cobra Kai?" Robby asked Hannah who was turning out to be a girl he started to have a bit of a crush on.

"I-I think so." Hannah turned to the street leading out of the skate park David had left on.

III

Johnny sighed as he saw David pull up to his dojo on his skateboard, "Dojo's closed for the day kid, what do you want?" Johnny mumbled as he started to lock up the front of the Cobra Kai dojo.

"I want to be a Cobra Kai."

"Well great." Johnny shrugged, "Class starts at noon tomorrow kid." Johnny leaned forward and patted David on the blue sweater material on his shoulder.

"Right now. I want to be a Cobra right now." David nodded.

"It's late kid." Johnny frowned.

"I don't care. I won't take no for an answer and this place is the only thing that's not making me miss Denver."

"You won't take no for an answer?" Johnny nodded and pushed his bottom lip forwards, "I like that. All right." Johnny opened the dojo back up and flicked the lights back on, "Take off your shoes and socks and bow before you step on the mat."

"Cool." David smiled wickedly and took his blue sweater off along with his sneakers of the same color.

"So uh, what made you want to join?" Johnny looked at him as they both stood on the mat after bowing.

David sighed, "I almost got my ass beat but some blonde kid saved me."

"Did he have a skateboard?"

David nodded.

Robby. Johnny said in his mind before he spoke out loud, "It's good that you want to make sure that never happens again, I can feel a great amount of determination in you..."

"David. David Mills."

"Mills? As in...Ali Mills?"

"She's my mom." David nodded again.

"Your mom huh, you must be new in town..." Johnny rubbed his chin in thought. Crap Ali'll kill me if she knew I was training her kid. This gives me an idea. "Okay." Johnny looked David up and down, "You've got pretty long legs, arms, and you're pretty tall and lean. I see a lot of potential in you."

"Potential?" David sparked up.

"Potential...sensei."

"Sorry, potential Sensei?"

"Yes." Johnny saw how obedient David was and started liking his new student a little better, "You wouldn't mind keeping this little night training secret would you?"

David remembered his mother's words, "No Sensei I wouldn't."

"Perfect." Johnny waved towards himself and moved towards the rubber dummy at the corner of the mat as David followed him, "See this guy?" Johnny pointed to the dummies face and David nodded.

"Yes Sensei I do."

"This man is your enemy, the guy who almost kicked your ass. If you don't ever want him get close to kicking your ass ever again you're going to pretend he's right there, and you're going to pound the crap out of him."

"Yes Sensei." David tried his best not to smile that he was being trained in his favorite dojo.

"First your stance, let's see what you got." Johnny demanded.

David lowered himself slightly and raised his fists.

"Not bad." Johnny adjusted it for him, "Elbow here. Fist..." He raised it, "Here. Wider legs please, squat a bit more aaaand good. Perfect stance. How does it feel?"

"This is really uncomfortable Sensei." David admitted and winced.

"You'll get used to it after a while." Johnny nodded at David's now perfect stance, "All right look to that wall over there."

David Mills turned his head with brown hair on it to the three words inscribed on the wall.

"Say the first phrase David."

"Strike First. Sensei."

"We're going to spend the first couple nights teaching you how to strike first, then we'll go on to striking hard and later no mercy. So first I'll teach you the classic Cobra bite." Johnny stood next to David and explained. He raised his hand and showed him, "Roll your fingers into a ball and tighten your thumb over them."

David made a fist like Johnny told him to.

"Good. Now first visualize your opponent."

David imagined Kyler pushing him and his sister and almost punching him in the face only minutes earlier, and looked angrily into the rubber dummies face.

"And then release into his nose."

"YAH!" David yelled, his face scrounged up in rage as he released his right fist directly into the dummies nose. The blow was so strong that the dummies head whipped back before returning to its normal position.

Johnny's eyes widened in thought. Goddamn. I didn't even have to tell him to aim for the guy behind him, he straight up did it on his own. Wonder how strong this kid can be...

David returned back perfectly into his stance after stepping forwards and 'biting' the dummy in the face with a punch.

"That's pretty good Mills. Now it's getting pretty late..." Johnny noticed how David's feet had barely moved out of their position and wasn't screwing up his stance on the first try like most new students did, his right foot moving perfectly from a forward striking position and directly back into his stance, "But I'm getting the feeling you have a lot of natural talent for this."

"More than you'd think." Kreese said in the shadows before stepping out of them, "Lawrence this kid looks like a natural born Cobra."

"K-Kreese..." Johnny said under his breath as the man puffed on his cigar.

"I really love these things." Kreese kept puffing on his cigar after referencing it, "But not as much as I love strong fighters. Teach him the forward right kick. It's for beginners like him."

"Kreese I-"

"Sensei Kreese, Lawrence." Kreese commanded, "Teach him now."

"Yes Sensei." Johnny nodded obediently and turned to David, "Wait why didn't you ask who Sensei Kreese was?"

"I wasn't being spoken to Sensei so I didn't speak." David shrugged under his white tank top.

Kreese chuckled, "Told ya Lawrence, this kid is a natural. Now teach him the forward right kick."

"All right." Johnny raised his right knee and his right foot flew forwards and hit the dummy right in the gut, "That's what you have to do."

"Yes Sensei!" David shouted.

He got into his stance like Johnny taught him and lunged forwards. His right knee rose upwards and his foot sprung forwards in a kick. Striking like a true Cobra, the blow made the dummy whip backwards and then forwards before David recovered properly and he returned back into his stance, stabilized.

"Powerful stuff isn't it Lawrence? When I yell hut! I want you to do it again and yell do you understand me?!" Kreese walked over to David and yelled in his face.

"Yes Sensei!" David didn't even question this man but since Johnny didn't either he did it out of respect for his new Sensei.

"Hut!" Kreese roared.

"HIYA!" David let out a powerful war cry in his deep voice and blasted his right foot forwards, striking the dummy perfectly in the gut. His foot then recovered and went back to his stance.

"Hut!"

"Hiya!" David did it again.

"Hut!"

"Hiya!"

"Is your leg getting tired?"

"No Sensei!"

"Hut!"

"Hiya!" David let out the most powerful forward kick he could muster with his right foot, sending the dummy whipping backwards and then forwards.

Kreese chuckled and looked into David's brown eyes, "You've got the eye of the damned Cobra kid. What's your name?"

"David Mills Sensei!"

"Mills?" Kreese turned to Johnny, "Son of your old girlfriend eh Lawrence?"

"Yes Sensei."

Kreese laughed and held David's broadening shoulders, "You're a natural born Cobra. Are you proud of that Mills?"

"Yes Sensei!" David shouted instantly.

"Goood...Very Good." Kreese turned back to Johnny, "I wasn't kidding about what I said last week. Cobra Kai is back on top thanks to you. Superstars like Diaz and probably this kid will make sure we stay there Lawrence."

"Y-Yes Sensei."

"All right get some rest, I'll be back tomorrow night to see how this plays out. I want this kid to be trained harder than any Cobra before him Lawrence." Kreese walked off the mat puffing on his cigar.

Johnny turned back to David and sighed, "Look kid I know it's your first lesson. But you've got serious talent. I haven't met a single person who couldn't mess up their stance on a front right kick on the first try."

"Yes Sensei." David nodded obediently.

"I...feel like I've failed my son. I feel like I've failed Miguel who...turned into me. You're a special kid from what I've seen tonight, just like both of them. And I don't want to mess up on you now, I don't want you to be merciless."

"But the third phrase Sensei." David turned to the last line imprinted on the wall of the dojo, "No mercy."

"I know but, you don't have to fight dirty. You don't have to be cruel to be strong. I think you'll do well in the next few weeks."

"Wait so does that mean I'm a Cobra now?...Sensei?"

Johnny nodded, "Think of yourself as a secret Cobra, so you can't let your mom know or she'll tear my hair out. Every night at eight o'clock I want you here ready to dive into the fire, I'll make you tougher than anyone you know."

David tried his best not to laugh happily, "Thank you so much Sensei."

Johnny patted his shoulder, "You'll do great son."

"What do I owe ya Sensei Lawrence?"

"The pleasure of letting me teach you karate."

"Really Sensei?"

"Nah it's fifty bucks every eight weeks. Been the standard since the eighties."

"Oh, oh ok Sensei." David nodded and imagined himself trimming lawns to come up with the money.

As Johnny walked back to the Dodge Challenger Daniel gave him, David spoke out to him in front of the now locked Cobra Kai dojo doors, "Sensei!"

"Yes?" Johnny almost left.

"My..." David sighed, "My mom showed me VHS tapes of you fighting Daniel LaRusso back in '84. And considering the skill I saw, you definitely won that fight, that crane kick was a cheap shot Sensei."

"Life gives you cheap shots Mills." Johnny started up the powerful V8 engine to his Dodge Challenger, "And I'll teach you how to block them all, and strike first." He said to his new student out of his car window.

"Thank you Sensei."

"Anytime." Johnny drove away.

David leaped into the air on the patio of the Cobra Kai dojo shouting with a fist in the air, "I'm finally going to be a Cobra Kai!" He clamped hands over his mouth and remembered how he had been specifically instructed to keep it a secret. David jumped on his skateboard and rode back to his new home in Encino.

Johnny sighed as he drove away thinking.

You've failed Miguel. You've failed Robby, and yourself. Don't mess this up this time Lawrence, don't mess this one up, you've been given a new chance. God! Why the hell does Kreese have to come back to the dojo? He pulled on his collar. Guy gets me so nervous. What does he even want? He just shows up, says some random shit and leaves. But he seemed to like Mills so I guess that's okay. He sighed again.

I just hope I can teach him how to fight clean so I don't mess this one up again. That's all I've ever wanted, another chance. He remembered David Mills' knack for Karate. And now I finally have one.

III

Hannah crossed her arms in David's room as he snuck in through the window to his own bedroom. Everything had already been unpacked that Saturday evening and his bed and clothes left David all ready to start school on Monday.

"Mom said you're grounded."

"Hannah, promise me you're not going to tell anyone that I've joined Cobra Kai. You and Sensei Kreese and Sensei Lawrence are the only ones who can know besides me okay?"

"Dave this is insane!" Hannah whisper-yelled as she tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear, "Why do you want to be a Cobra Kai so badly?"

"They're the strongest and fastest fighters ever!" David whispered back, "I can't let what happened tonight happen ever again!"

"You almost got beat up. So what? That doesn't mean you have to disobey mom!"

"Lucky thing your boyfriend saved us!" David kept whispering in an argument with his sister, "Did you get his name?"

"Robby Keene. I gave him mine too." Hannah shrugged, "He's cute and cool for saving us and I think we could be good friends. He told me he's going to school with us on Monday and he'll be a new kid just like us there!"

"Hannah, you know what he wants." David raised a brown eyebrow.

"Shut up!" Hannah was about to leave but David's hand shot out and caught her arm.

"Hannah. Promise me you won't tell anyone. Please."

Hannah sighed, "Yes Dave I promise."

"Thanks sis."

The siblings nodded to each other and went to their beds. Downstairs from the Mills siblings bedrooms, Ali was talking to her husband on their couch.

"Ali there's no need for you to be worried. You grew up here we'll be fine!"

Ali put her wine glass down on the living room table in front of her, "I don't know what this place is like now. I don't know what the people are like, I haven't been here in almost thirty years!"

"LaRusso's still the same from what you've told me." Greg shrugged and sipped his wine.

"Oh stop it Greg." Ali stood up off the couch, "Bed? It's late."

"Yup." Greg saw the clock in their new living room.

Every Mills family member slept differently that night. Hannah stopped day dreaming about Robby who she met earlier that night at the skate park who saved her and her brother from Kyler's gang and fell asleep. David dreamt of being handed a GI or karate uniform from Johnny who was actually smiling proudly in his dream.

Ali checked David's bedroom and was unsurprised to see him avoid her by snoring away quietly. Knowing he climbed up the tree in their new backyard to avoid conversation with her, Ali went to her bedroom in her nightgown.

Gregory and Ali slept next to each other, the blonde surgeon worried in her motherly ways about her children and the taller brown haired one completely calm in his own sleep.

III

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III

III

Chapter Four: Planting of the Bonsai Tree

III

At the All Valley City Hall where Johnny appealed for the lifting of Cobra Kai's ban.

III

Daniel and the other members of the All Valley Competitive Karate Official Board sat in complete silence in the room where Johnny was allowed to deliver his heartfelt speech to them.

Chairman Lozeman, the very same who advocated for the return of Cobra Kai to competitive Karate slowly cleared his throat, "I'm sure that none of us expected this."

"Of course we didn't!" Daniel scoffed as the other members of the board looked at him, "No one thought Cobra Kai would actually turn out to be just like they were years ago!"

"Chairman LaRusso-"

"No. No Jack wait, I've been on this board for over twenty years and not once have I doubted any of our decisions." Daniel pressed his finger to the white plastic table where the other board members sat, "None except this one. And wow did this decision, excuse my language, bite us in the ass. So we should ban Cob-"

"Chairman LaRusso!" Jack Lozeman nodded, "I know what you want us to do. I know why you reconvened us, but we have more pressing issues."

"Like what? Not banning the dojo that will probably hurt dozens of people in next years tournament?" Daniel scoffed.

"Indeed we do, that's why I approved of this meeting. The issue of...Cobra Kai." Lozeman spoke painfully almost as if the word was a weapon revealed from his sentence, "Will have to wait I'm afraid, now we have to talk about the biggest budget issue we've had in decades."

"No!" Daniel protested, "I didn't call us together to turn this into a budget meeting. We need to uphold the ban!"

"I'm sorry Chairman LaRusso." A female board member leaned forward onto the white table, "We have a more serious issue."

"Come on," Daniel chuckled for a second and leaned back in his chair, "This years turn out was the best we've seen in years."

"I know." Lozeman nodded again, "But the county's required us to expand the size of the All Valley Sports Center by just a small margin of about..." He shrugged, "Two hundred percent."

"Two hundred percent?!" Daniel gave a long groan before he stopped rubbing his eye, "Why in Gods name would they want that?"

"Ever since the return of Cobra Kai, public interest in Karate has soared." Lozeman fixed his glasses and opened his binder, "In 2014 we had applications to reserve spots for thirty six people and allocate space for about...seven dojos. Over the past week, four new dojos have opened after the reintroduction of Cobra Kai including yours, Miyagi-Do, and..." Lozeman sighed at his binder, "Three hundred and twenty seven people have requested reserved spots in next years Tourney. Point is, we have to strike while the iron is still hot and take as much advantage of this as we can. We simply don't have the space to hold these people and we want to have it."

The female board member who spoke earlier shook her head in disbelief, "It's everywhere! On social media, blog posts, everything! People are calling it the 're-hatching' of Karate!"

"Re-hatching." Daniel understood the pun instantly and felt like kicking the plastic table in front of him into the ground, "Clever." He raised two angry eyebrows.

"As much as I'd hate to discuss this on a Sunday before the week begins for all of us." Lozeman nodded with his fellow board members, "We need to set some things straight. Chairman LaRusso."

"Yes?" Daniel sighed.

"You will publicize fund raising for the construction project, in the meantime we need to find ways to reach out to the community for money. Whether it be asking for donations directly or other means of allocating funds, we need it." Lozeman earned nods from the rest of the board as he walked to an easel where a diagram was shown.

"This." Lozeman pointed to the diagram of the All Valley Sports Center, "Is the arena now, it hasn't changed size in over forty years since it was built."

The board gasped when Lozeman revealed the diagram under the old one, "And this...is how big the county wants to make it. This will take a lotta lotta money."

"B-But." Daniel shook his head, "Why is it so big?"

"Last weeks tournament seated about...two hundred people. We predict the tournament next year will at least host eight hundred people from current numbers and...probably more."

"But what if this all blows over?" Daniel insisted before the female board member who spoke from before shook her head again.

"We predict that as long as Cobra Kai remains active, our numbers will only go up." She answered.

"Now the county really, and I mean really likes this expansion project." Lozeman breathed in tightly, "Thinks it encourages small businesses to expand, more growth in labor etcetera, but the real thing they see when they see the new popularity of competitive Karate is simple: it's money. And it looks like a lot can be made."

"But Jack, that new project looks like it's going to make the arena look so much... bigger! But..." Daniel sighed, "It's a classic, it's where I won my first tournament, come on please."

"I know. Let me put this into perspective Chairman LaRusso." Lozeman was making eye contact with Daniel, "For fifteen years I've tried to put the under 18 All Valley Karate Tournament on live television. And guess what?"

"No." Daniel was shaking his head, "No way."

"It got approved for a spot." A chairman nodded.

"But...how?"

"Analysts say there's a big enough audience for a time slot. Next year on May 19th, timed 11am to 4pm." A chairwoman shrugged, "There'll be interviews with the competitors and everything."

Lozeman made a final statement, "Before we wrap up today's meeting, I'd just like to say this. The people. Love. And I mean love Cobra Kai's fighting style, they see it as a classic return to the eighties karate we all loved. If we were to ban it again, we'd lose sixty percent of next years take. And probably, a chance at ever letting this thing be big."

"This doesn't need to be big!" Daniel protested again, rising out of his seat, "It was always just a way to have fun with the community and for kids to have friendly competition! Why do we have to turn it into something so much bigger? Why can't we just ban Cobra Kai again? My student Robby Keene still has shoulder problems!"

"Chairman LaRusso, I hate this expansion and what we have to do as much as you do." The chairwoman nodded regretfully, "Truly I do. But the county's been lobbying us to expand the Arena ever since Cobra Kai won last week. We don't have a choice about this."

He protested again, "We do have a choice! We're the Board we make the decisions. Not them!"

"County makes the decisions." Lozeman corrected, "This expansion is happening Chairman LaRusso, Cobra Kai has to stay."

"Oh come on...Bob? Clarrise? Even you Joe?" The other board members couldn't meet Daniel's eyes before he scoffed prior to Lozeman's concluding statement.

"All in favor of guaranteeing the legitimacy of Cobra Kai in order to secure public interest in next year's tourney?"

Every board member except for Daniel raised their hands.

"The lift of the ban is sustained. The Sports Arena will be torn down as soon as funds permit and expanded with a much bigger and better building. Thank you. Meeting adjourned." Lozeman sat back down and hit his gavel on the white plastic table.

As the other board members left, Daniel spoke after them, "Guys? Guys?" They filed out the door muttering to each other while ignoring him, "Guys come on sit down, let's talk about this. Please?"

Lozeman turned around with an apologetic look on his face before he left with the other board members, "Sorry Dan. It's over."

"What?...Ah crap..." He sighed in the empty board room before yelling at the ceiling, "Why does everyone love Cobra Kai so much?! Why does the Arena have to be so much bigger?! Why?!"

III

"Hannah! Hannah!" Ali called upstairs before her daughter who looked very similar to her ran downstairs and nodded.

"Yes mom?" Hannah nodded at the entrance to her home and was surprised to see her mother with the same blonde hair as hers stand next to her old boyfriend Daniel LaRusso.

"Kid can I be honest with you?"

"Of course you can Mr. LaRusso."

"I want you to come with me. I want to show something special."

Hannah remained as obedient to her mother as ever and turned to Ali, "Mom, can I?"

"Of course you can." Ali nodded and knew where Daniel was taking her as he'd told her about it.

"Come along kiddo." Daniel beckoned for Hannah who followed him to his car.

As they drove along, Hannah turned respectfully to Daniel, "Hey Mr. LaRusso?"

"Mhm?" He kept driving calmly.

"Where are you taking me?"

"The same place I showed Robby and my kid Sam. A very special place I think you'll enjoy." Daniel nodded and spoke to the daughter of his old girlfriend, "Ali tells me you're starting school tomorrow with my daughter. You excited?"

"Not at all. I miss Denver."

Daniel chuckled, "I remember when I first moved in here from New Jersey. First, I hated it. Then, I loved it. You'll like your new home I'm sure."

III

"This is the house of an old friend of mine." The door to Daniel's van slammed shut as him and Hannah walked past all the cars with tan brown sheets over them.

"What was his name?"

"Same name as the dojo. Miyagi-Do." Hannah looked around Mr. Miyagi's old training grounds.

"Cool. That punching bag looks pretty old though." The blonde teenager admired the bag hanging from an equally old wooden post with her light blue eyes like her mothers.

Daniel smiled, "Age doesn't matter. The wisest man I ever knew taught me that."

Hannah stared at him in the dojo of Miyagi-do with a worried look on her face.

"I mean in regards to physical ability, in dating...age is very important. You. You get what I mean." Daniel nodded.

"Yes I do."

"I want you to come over here, you're gonna learn the very first move he ever taught me." As they walked through the old training grounds Daniel used when he was younger they spoke, "How old are you?"

"Only about a year younger than my brother. I'm fifteen."

"Hey I was that old when I started Karate!" Daniel pointed to her as they stood next to the old grey punching bag, "You ever get interested in Karate?"

"Dave's the Karate freak, not me." Hannah referenced her older brother.

"Hm. All right, here's the move." Daniel moved off leaning on the wooden pole holding up the punching bag walked over to the wooden fence around the Miyagi-Do dojo.

Hannah was confused, "Wait, I thought we were going to use the punching bag."

"Karate is not all about strikes." Daniel waved Hannah closer, "Come here."

The pretty blonde girl nodded and Daniel picked up a paintbrush that was marked with brown paint, "See this?" He was repainting the fence, which was clearly showing age. His hand was moving in a firm stroke, repainting the old wood with precision.

"That's just painting." Ali's daughter shrugged, "That's not Karate."

"Let's see how patient you are Miss Mills." Daniel handed Hannah the paintbrush, "Take strokes for about a half hour I'll tell you to switch hands."

"Uh...all right."

Hannah's calm and sharp mind filled with patience went to work. She knelt in front of the fence board and began to paint it from right to left with her right hand slowly and firmly just like she saw Daniel doing.

"Good...switch hands."

She did the same with her left.

"Good. I'll tell you when to switch again."

Daniel told her to switch hands again after a few minutes and now her left was stroking the paintbrush across the wooden board.

"All right Hannah very nice. You gotta lotta patience kiddo. Keep going with your left, I'll tell you when to stop. Are you right handed?"

Hannah nodded quietly.

"Good keep going."

For minutes on end, Hannah painted a small section of the fence just like she was before. She didn't complain once. Daniel crossed his arms and was amazed.

There isn't a single mistake she's making in the block. Damn, the old man was right, when there's real focus, there's real patience. And when there's real patience.

Hannah kept making perfect defensive strokes without even knowing it, completely focused and calm in her movements. Her blue eyes were not moving at all off her hand holding her brush, making sure to keep the brush perfectly steady like Daniel was in every movement.

There's real balance.

Daniel laughed, "I remember when Sam was five all she wanted to do was go around on her bicycle when I taught her this. I know you're fifteen but, wow you do have a lot of patience Hannah."

"Thank you Mr. LaRusso."

"Okay. I want to show you the first couple movements of Kata. It's a special sequence that's critical in balance. Watch closely."

Daniel crouched slightly and set his hands together so their sides were touching. They parted and he moved backwards so his right leg stood back, and he moved precisely and gracefully in his kata. Similar to how a bonsai tree waved in the wind, Daniel's hands moved about off his chest, his right hand flew forwards and then both his hands were moving around in trained positions around him.

His right hand was over his forehead and his left palm outwards by his left hip turned slightly, they switched gracefully and soon, his 'kata' sequence continued step by step. The whole time, Hannah was watching closely, not losing interest even for a second.

Daniel came the closest he ever came in years to blacking out in shock when it became Hannah's turn to try it, and she didn't make a single mistake in her own sequence. Her hands moved from her left being over her forehead with her right palm outward by her hip. Hannah appeared to be some sort of robot, copying Daniel exactly when she transitioned perfectly from having her right foot back behind her left to moving it so they were exactly parallel in the same line.

Then she stood mirror matched like she saw Daniel stand, slightly squatted with her knees just barely bent, with her fists extended downwards. Hannah's hands moved palm upwards like artwork and back down in lightly clenched fists. Then they both moved forwards with the sides of her hands extending forwards palm upwards, expecting an invisible man to hand her invisible food.

And her hands moved back downwards in fists, and back up palm upwards just as precise as she saw Daniel do it, Hannah's sharp and patient mind not missing a single detail in her attention she paid to what the car dealer was doing.

Both Bonsais waved together gracefully in the wind, their Kata sequence not releasing a single leaf from their branches.

Soon they were both standing next to each other and their palms were pressed together and moving upwards to the sky, and then forwards in exact movement. They repeated this for a couple minutes before Daniel stopped and turned to her, "Wow...er...Hannah. I don't know what that was or how you learned it so quickly but I loved it. Um, I don't want to put any pressure on you, but can I tell you this?"

"Sure." Hannah nodded.

"Look." Daniel's eyes darted around the Miyagi-Do dojo, "I haven't used this place in years. But when I remember Mr. Miyagi trained me, we would always be perfectly silent and focused in our Kata. What I saw made me proud, it was controlled, exact, and...balanced. And I know we just met yesterday but...I want you to join Miyagi-Do Karate. We only have two students, my daughter Sam and Johnny's kid Robby but-"

"I'll do it Mr. LaRusso." Hannah smiled and nodded, "If you think I have talent for it and if you want me to help you I'll do it."

He smiled, "Earlier today I was told how the Arena, a huge part of my past was going to be taken down with a wrecking ball and built back up. Your balance is inspiring Hannah, I can't wait to train you with Robby and Sam. You do have talent. A lot of it." Daniel nodded back, "And I do want you to join. Thank you. Thank you so much."

The new student and teacher, blonde and dark haired, hugged in the revived Miyagi-Do dojo.

III

David and Johnny trained that night together after the Cobra Kai dojo had closed for the day.

Johnny watched with proudly crossed arms as David's speed and skill increased by the strike. He was told to go 'freestyle' or unleash only moves taught to him onto the dummy without end.

David lunged forwards in an excellent Cobra bite, his right hand whipping forwards like a Cobra biting its prey, making the dummy whip backwards from the strike that hit its eye. Every strike was accompanied with a 'Yah!' from David, striking harder and faster and more accurately with every attack.

The dummy flew backwards and came forwards only for David to do a perfect front right kick, raising his right knee and striking the rubber figure in its stomach and making it whip back. Afterwards, David's knee lowered after his foot recovered from striking and relaxed, backing back down into his flawless stance like he learned the night before. Timed perfectly, the strikes didn't let up and David wasn't tired at all despite all the effort he was putting in the attacks.

Johnny was just astounded and was counting half believingly in his mind.

57.

David made the dummy whip back after kicking it in the stomach again. And the furious strikes brimming with energy, rage and precision continued on the corner of the mat, one after the other like a tightly knit string of attacks.

58.

He 'bit' it in the face with a powerful right hand.

59.

Another bite.

60.

A front right kick.

61. 62. 63. He's about to do it. 64. 65. 66! 67! 68! 69! 70!

David panted, finally exhausted from overexertion. He wasn't wearing a GI as it wasn't given to him yet, but rather basic workout clothes, blue gym shorts and his regular white tank top he used for training.

"Seventy." Johnny murmured calmly, "Do you know what that number means Mills?"

"No. No." David kept panting, "No Sensei I don't."

"Back in '81, Bobby dared me to take the newbie challenge as we called it. We had to use two basic moves, the Cobra bite, or forward right punch, and the front right kick: the same ones you've learned. The challenge was we had to use only those two moves and put everything we had behind them and never stop hitting the dummy. Tommy reached forty seven before getting tired. Dutch forty eight. Bobby fifty. Jimmy actually got to fifty two. And I made it to sixty five, one night by myself when I was really angry at my step dad. No one in Cobra Kai ever got higher than sixty five."

David blinked.

"No one except for you. You've reached seventy non stop consecutive hits on that dummy. But you weren't holding anything back on them, that means one hundred percent of your body's strength was behind them like a machine. Most people's bodies usually tires out after forty, but you've reached seventy."

David said nothing.

"Aren't you proud of that?" Johnny asked.

"Yes Sensei!" David shouted at the top of his lungs like a true Cobra.

"He beat your old record on the newbie challenge." Kreese was clapping slowly on the mat and wasn't smoking a cigar, "He's a strong fighter. Very strong. Very quick. Very accurate. A few more months of training and he'll be untouchable."

Kreese walked over to David slowly...before going for a fake out punch. Only David didn't flinch at all.

"DAMN!" Kreese chuckled loudly and pulled his fist from almost hitting David in the eye, "Mills you are one of the best damn Cobras I have ever met."

"Thank you Sensei." The dark brown haired sixteen year old murmured.

"But there's this kid I want you to beat up on for me."

"What?" Johnny interrupted.

"No mercy Lawrence." Kreese turned back to David, "He's a newbie here at Cobra Kai, name's Demetri Connors. Just started here. I want you to use all this...power you have and unleash onto him when you get the chance. He's weak, not just because he's only had one class but because he's weak of nature. Not like you at all Mills. Can you do that for me?"

"Uh...Sensei I..."

"I'll give you a GI." Kreese nodded.

"You're done for the night David. Go home to your mom." Johnny had had enough.

"Sensei-"

"Now." Johnny demanded, "And ignore everything Sensei Kreese has ever told you."

"Yes Sensei." David bowed and stepped off the mat and put his blue sneakers back on. After he rode back home in the night on his skateboard, Kreese turned to Johnny.

"What part of No Mercy do you not understand Lawrence? If Mills doesn't rough up Connors he'll never get tougher, I've seen Connors practice here yesterday for his first lesson. He's awful."

"David's first day at his new school with his sister is tomorrow, he told me when I asked him before you got here." Johnny shook his head at his old teacher, "Do you really want his first impression to be him beating a kid up?"

"It'll show strength Lawrence." Kreese blinked, "And if Connors' friends, your students, team up on him, so what? At least one of them will really learn."

Johnny was further disgusted as he heard this, "Is this training him harder? Sensei?"

Kreese nodded, "Yeah. Yeah it really is."

"I've lost Miguel, my best student. My own son Robby. And all the other Cobras. I-"

He was interrupted by Kreese's laugh, "You call those weaklings Cobras? The only Cobras are the ones we used to have back in the day when I ran this place. Fighters. Warriors. Not phone tappers. Not a single one of those kids who come here have what Mills or Diaz has. The eye of the Cobra."

"Sensei, I had my doubts at first about them but they-"

"Are nothing. They're weak! All of them!"

"They won the All Valley tournament Sensei!" Johnny and Kreese kept arguing on the mat, "You can't tell me that they're weak! They've come a really long way!"

"Why not?"

"You know what? Teach all this 'No Mercy' stuff to the kids I've failed to reach all right? My regular class! Not! Mills! Please."

His old teacher who enjoyed cigars and appreciated strong fighters cocked his head to the side, "Lawrence. What do mean by 'No Mercy' stuff ?"

"I mean that winning is fine and all, but cheating is something else." Johnny said the same words he said to David the night before, "You don't have to be cruel to be strong."

"Cruelty? Cruelty?" Kreese scoffed, "What they learn in here is nothing compared to what they'll learn out there." He pointed out the doors to the Cobra Kai dojo, "I don't care about those stick figures you're teaching during the day! I want your champion Diaz! And the new prodigy Mills!"

"You'll never get him. He's the only one who I haven't failed yet."

"What in the hell changed you Lawrence?" Kreese shook his head, "You're the Ace Degenerate. You took out LaRusso's leg in the tournament. You had the eye of the Cobra. You had no mercy. You were fierce. What changed!? AND WHY?" He roared angrily in Johnny's face.

"My own son is being tutored in Karate under LaRusso. I have failed my flesh and blood." He shook his head at his office full of alcohol, turning his head from Kreese's angry gaze, "Its why I drink so often. I'm done feeling like trash. I'm going to find Robby and tell him I'm sorry."

Before he could leave, Kreese grabbed him by the black material of his teachers uniform, "Then you're a fool. And if this Robby kid doesn't want to be trained under his own father then he's an even bigger fool. Strength makes Cobras real Cobras. I am taking Mills as my own and training him myself. You see all this?" Kreese raised his hands to the Cobra Kai dojo Johnny created, "I made this! So I'm going to have it for myself! I'll get rid of those weaklings you've trained and keep only the strong ones. Like Mills."

"No you're not!" Johnny actually got angry and yelled for the first time he remembered doing so in ages, "He's all I have left and you won't ruin him!"

"Did you just raise your voice on me?" Kreese asked, "I think you forgot to call me Sensei, Lawrence..."

"That's because you're no teacher. To anyone. Bobby was right, you're a sadist. You think beating kids and having kids beat each other means strength. Real strength means doing what's right."

"Well then do it." Kreese took off his black jacket to reveal his muscular upper body behind his black tank top, "If I'm so wrong and you're so right, strike me down and I'll leave."

Johnny squinted at him, "Just leave Kreese. Mills is special, and I'll never let you turn him into what you want. He's my second chance, and I'll fight you for him."

"If I win this, I'll take over this place. You'll hand over everything to me, the dojo, the kids, Diaz, everything. Especially Mills. If you win, I'll leave. And I'll never bother you again."

"Done." Johnny blinked and tightened his black piece of cloth wrapped around his blonde hair.

As he stretched quietly with Kreese, he thought.

This is for you and your kid Als. I'm wearing what you gave me because it's for your kid. I'm not letting David slip into Kreese's hands. Never. I'm not going to lose my second chance.

"Ready?" Kreese lowered into his stance and stood in the center of the mat in the Cobra Kai dojo after both men were done stretching.

Johnny nodded from his own stance.

"I'll break you." Kreese didn't smirk, but instead had a look of pure rage on his face that matched Johnny's. Both Johnny and Kreese were natural born fighters, their angry eyes filled with contempt burning into each other's looks.

He stole my dojo. The older Cobra thought. He's stealing strong fighters I need like Mills and Diaz.

He's stealing my second chance. The younger one spoke in his mind as well, meeting his old teachers angry eyes. He's choked me. He's hurt me. And he'll hurt my Cobras. I will never let that happen. I have to win.

The two Cobras lunged at each other in their nest, neither knowing for a split second who would strike first, or hardest.

III
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Chapter Five: Cobra Clash

III

Kreese's defense seemed impenetrable. The first to strike proved to be Johnny, coming out with the strongest and quickest kicks his trained body could muster. Every strike was deflected and summarily countered mercilessly. The older Cobra chuckled when Johnny was knocked into the mat, "Fallen outta practice eh Lawrence?"

Johnny yelled and came back as hard as he could. He threw out a perfect Cobra bite followed by a furious spinning hook kick right to Kreese's chin. Both attacks were blocked away and it seemed like Kreese was anticipating every single one of Johnny's attacks.

Kreese countered the second Johnny's attacks seemed to slow down so they'd stop interrupting a start of his own chain of blows. Johnny was knocked right back into the mat for a second time when Kreese's foot blasted through his gut in a front kick.

He chuckled again, "Ace Degenerate my ass. KIYAH!" He tried to reverse punch Johnny's nose on the ground but the blonde Sensei spun away and got back up to his feet.

The first strike Johnny landed on his old teacher that fight was earned quickly. Kreese lunged forward and tried to kick Johnny's cheek with a strong roundhouse kick but Johnny evaded it and got closer to him. He yelled loudly when he reverse punched Kreese's stomach and older man flew tumbling back.

Kreese somersaulted backwards onto his feet and tried to strike Johnny with everything he knew. A flying kick, two front right kicks and an endless series of punches. Every attack was dodged by Johnny but the last one, a sudden flying front kick landed on Johnny's nose.

Johnny kept getting up just to be knocked down and after three tries Kreese sighed, "Come on Lawrence you're making me look bad." Johnny was struck mercilessly by his old teacher, his gut and face hit again and again by strong strikes.

They kept fighting, moving backwards and forwards across the mat in the Cobra Kai dojo. The black edges of Johnny's headband whipped when he flew upwards into a jackknife kick and was momentarily untouchable by Kreese. Every strike released from the blonde tornado landed and sent Kreese staggering backwards.

After being beaten into the mat multiple times, Johnny brought the fight around and managed to break Kreese's iron defense, knocking him back with a perfect reverse punch to Kreese's nose and then a front kick to his old teacher's stomach not a second later.

Kreese was pounded into the mat after Johnny went for a perfect high roundhouse kick and knocked the man downwards. Johnny took the chance to punch Kreese's nose on the ground and then whip his foot out like a lunging Cobra to let the man see stars.

"Good Lawrence...goood..." Kreese laughed as some blood slipped out of his mouth, a heavily bruised Johnny holding his shirt and raising his fist to Kreese's eye panting, "I always knew you could beat m-"

"If you ever try to take my kids away from me again, I will punch you so hard you'll see your old buddies from 'nam. You're a disgrace to the good name of the American army, Cobra Kai, and especially Karate." Johnny had enough strength to pick up a ruthlessly beaten Kreese and throw him out onto the strip mall outside the Cobra Kai dojo.

He yelled another insult at the defeated brute outside his dojo, "How does second place feel now huh?"

"Screw you...Lawrence..." Kreese kept groaning in pain.

"Dick." Johnny insulted victoriously as Kreese groaned in pain outside. Johnny tightened the black headband around his blonde hair and smiled.

For you Dave. You'll be a great fighter. As well as all my Cobras.

III

May 28th, the following morning.

III

David and Hannah stood with Robby in front of West Valley High, students chattering and walking past them, streaming into the school by the dozens. It was May for them, the semester was winding down but they had all just begun.

"Ready?" David turned to the two blonde teens next to him.

Hannah and Robby smiled and nodded, gripping their backpacks and walking with him into their new school.

Students bumped fists and chatted at their lockers. The school year was almost over, summer was seconds away, all of them smiled with happy looks on their faces and held increasingly lighter and lighter backpacks.

"No way." Eli Moskowitz, or Hawk, tutted and tapped Miguel's shoulder as the Cobras gabbed at their lockers, "Check it. It's Dobby." He snickered and tapped Demetri's shoulder, pointing to Robby walking into school with Hannah and David at his sides.

"Dobby?" Demetri shrugged, "A Harry Potter reference mixed into an insult? Gotta hand it to you, nice one...Hawk." He stopped calling him 'Eli.' earning an approving nod from the blue mohawked Cobra.

"Whoa." Hawk blanked as he stared at Hannah, "That chick is really hot." He admired her perfect blonde hair and pretty features like her mother Ali.

"Hey!" Moon slapped her boyfriend's shoulder.

Hannah Robby and David walked to their assigned lockers and left their backpacks there next to each other, the admiring Cobras muttering to each other the whole time from across the hallway as they looked at them.

"Miguel didn't you beat that guy at the final last week?" Aisha noted.

"That blonde girl is just..." Demetri nodded as he tried to take his eyes off Hannah.

Hawk squinted at David, "Dude's pretty tall, long arms. Looks strong." Hawk nodded approvingly again.

Aisha repeated the question to the All Valley champion, "Miguel. Didn't you beat him?" She kept pointing to Robby.

"Yeah so?" Miguel muttered through his braces, slamming his locker close and withdrawing his biology binder from it.

Hawk struck first and walked up to Robby confidently, "Hey Dobby. Just make sure y'know who's boss 'round here." He gripped his own black jacket and pumped it off his chest, fluttering the name of his dojo, "Cobra Kai. All Valley Champs."

"All Valley Chumps. Nice to see you still haven't fixed that stupid haircut. Still got that lip cleft by the way." Robby blinked calmly.

He was going to lunge forward and pop Robby in the face but Miguel appeared and interrupted, "Hawk, chill."

"Yeah whatever. This guy's still a loser." Hawk shrugged and walked off to his homeroom holding hands with Moon, his girlfriend.

Miguel sighed as he offered a hand to be shaken by Robby, "I'm sorry about how I acted at the tournament last week. It was cheap and I should've played fair. If we ever fight again, I won't be so unfair I promise."

"Your friend 'Hawk' gonna apologize?" Johnny's son scoffed and closed his locker, walking away shaking his head, "Whatever." Robby said over his shoulder to Miguel before he left, ignoring the hand offered to be shaken.

Miguel sighed when he walked back to Aisha and his other Cobras.

"What's wrong?" Aisha noticed this.

"It's just..." Miguel dug his hands into the pockets of his favorite grey jacket, "Sensei told me this story about how he lost his girl by losing in the tournament against the guy she was interested in. After hearing him...I couldn't let that happen to me, I didn't want to lose Sam. I had no problem fighting fair in the All Valley last week, the only problem I had was losing her, it's why I cheated." Miguel lit up happily when he saw Sam over Aisha's shoulder.

Samantha saw Miguel wave to her from his own locker and smile, just to walk off to her first period ignoring him.

"Look." Demetri pointed to Hannah organizing her locker across the hallway speaking to her brother David, "Sam's not gonna forgive you, she's ancient history buddy. Maybe you should look at some..." He intensified his finger pointing to Hannah, "Newer options?" He raised his right shoulder and hand confusedly.

"The new girl?" Miguel shook his head, "She seems cool I guess, but I gotta get Sam to forgive me."

"No mercy." Aisha nodded to the Karate champion...before shaking her head, "I mean...Good luck." She walked away from Miguel and Demetri to introduce herself to David, "Hey! See you're new here."

"David Mills-Schwarber." David offered a hand to the bespectacled girl who appeared at his locker.

"Aisha Robinson." She made sure to not make him feel her strong grip when she shook it.

David squinted, "Robinson? Like the football player?"

"He's my dad. Where's your first period?" Aisha placed her tongue between her teeth.

He checked his new schedule, "Er...3-A. Bio."

"That's mine too. Wanna walk there together?" Aisha offered and David nodded, the two setting off to their Biology class.

Hannah gripped the edge of her locker and looked up to see them walking up the stairs to the upper part of the school, laughing for a second and continuing to talk. Hannah dug her blonde head into her locker and prayed. Good Lord who art in heaven. Please. Please let this girl be the right one for my big brother. He hasn't had a girlfriend ever, and I'm praying he can finally find the right one. Thank you. Let this semester be gracious and-

The bell rung.

Hopefully be shorter than it already seems.

III

Hannah held her red lunch tray and looked around the cafeteria like every new kid always would, and searched for a place to sit during her first lunch. She smiled happily when Robby waved her over to the table he was sitting at by himself.

"Hey." Robby nodded as she sat down next to him smiling with him, "You look...very pretty today."

"Thanks."

He started stuttering, "N-n-not in a 'I like you' sorta way in a-"

"Robby." Hannah started eating, "It's fine."

Robby turned away to hide his red face, muttering in his head. God this girl's super hot and nice! And she's right here sitting next to me! But...Why? Who the hell cares Robby! Just enjoy it!

Yasmine appeared and waved to Hannah, "Those nails look great and that uh...dress is totally sweet. Mind sitting with us?" She turned to let Hannah see a black eyed Kyler and a broken fisted Brucks sit at the popular table behind her.

Hannah shook her head, "Sorry, Robby did something really nice for me the other night and I think I'd like to sit with him."

"Ugh." Yasmine cringed at the failed opportunity, "Your loss." She flicked her blonde hair back and walked back to her table.

"Hannah, wait." Robby turned to the girl eating next to her, "You'd fit in perfectly with those people. You're cool, you're rich..."

She shrugged, "I know. But she seemed shallow, and it would be shallow of me to just leave you here alone."

Robby smiled as the voice in his head screamed at the top of its lungs. She totally likes us! We did it! We actually did it! We got a hot kind rich girl to like us! She blew off the popular kids for you dude! You did it! High five yourself man! The other side of his mind spoke. No you idiot! She just saw how shallow that blonde chick seemed so she turned to her only option. Dork.

David pointed to the Cobra table as he stood in front of it, "Can I sit here?"

"No new kid." Hawk jumped out of his chair, "Cobras only."

"Sit down Hawk." Aisha rolled her eyes and turned to David, "Ignore him, he still acts like he's got ADHD or something." She pulled out a chair for him between her and Demetri.

"Nyeh-heh." Hawk made a mocking face at her and she just ignored it maturely.

"Hi I'm David Mills." He nodded to his new friends.

"Demetri Connors."

"Miguel." The champion said rather sadly with a weak wave.

"I'm Hawk, and this is my girlfriend Moon." The happy couple was holding hands.

David smiled as he held his tray, "It's nice to meet you all." He sat down and Miguel saw Sam come into the cafeteria...But so did David. A perfect ray of sunshine reflected across the cafeteria and illuminated her. Samantha LaRusso's brown hair whipped around and she looked at David for just a second, and David felt his heart sink into kind flames.

Ali's son dropped his spoon holding applesauce with a clatter and just stared at Samantha... My god...David said in his mind...That is just the most beautiful girl I have ever seen...

Demetri eyed David curiously and waved a hand in front of his frozen face, snapping in front of his brown eyes, "Uh...new kid? New kid wake up!"

Miguel pushed his chair out and spoke to Samantha in front of her, "Hey Sam look-"

"Don't." She tried to push past him as David kept staring off endlessly at Samantha's face.

"Sam I'm really sorry about how I acted. But I did it for you."

Samantha was surprised, "For me? You acted like a maniac just for me? Why?"

Miguel frowned, "I didn't want to lose you. Like Sensei did."

"Sensei? You listened to your Sensei and threatened to hurt a person you barely knew? Ugh, all you Cobra Kais are the same." She eyed Hawk making out with Moon disgustedly.

David's look of love at first sight at Samantha slid off his face the second he heard this, yelling in his mind. She doesn't like Cobra Kai? Nevermind then! It's only the best dojo IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! You could've had David Mills-Schwarber, son of medical prodigy Gregory Schwarber and all his super moves but you decided to RUIN it by dissing my favorite thing in the entire world! Cobra Kai Karate.

Samantha successfully brushed past the All Valley Champion and Miguel sighed in defeat and walked back to his table with the rest of his Cobras.

Ali's brown haired son David just ate his meal quietly as Demetri and Hawk argued back and forth over the Star Wars sequels. The argument ended when Moon had enough of hearing them bicker like children and threatened to go back to her original table with Yasmine. Both boys nodded and sunk back into their chairs.

The two conversed about Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, Harry Potter and anime. When David chimed in on how much he loved 'Attack on Titan' Hawk and Demetri smiled at each other.

"Guy's got good taste." Hawk admitted, "Mills, what else are you into?"

David chewed his salad quietly, "Memes, 80s movies, quality anime and comics."

"My god..." Demetri shook his head at Hawk, "If only he did Cobra Kai he'd be just like us."

David chuckled.

"What?" Demetri asked.

"Oh nothing." Ali's son kept smirking.

Aisha turned a page in the textbook she was reading at the Cobra Kai table. Meanwhile, the Miyagi-Do students Robby Hannah and Sam were at a table of their own. Aisha fixed her glasses and kept reading from her textbook, "Hey Dave, got any siblings?" She looked at the new student at West Valley High to her left from her textbook.

David pointed to Hannah and Robby have a cute little food fight tossing fries back and forth next to a bored Samantha, "Just the one. The most annoying little sister ever. Year younger than me, likes romance novels and all that other dumb trash..."

"No way." Demetri frowned, "That hot new girl is your sister?"

"Yes. My sister Connors. My sister."

"Oh." He nodded.

Hawk held Moon's hand, "Poor thing, she's sitting with Dobby."

"HP reference?" David noticed.

Hawk nodded.

"Gimme that." David leaned across the table and high fived Hawk, "But uh...why're you insulting him?" He sat back down between Aisha and Demetri.

Hawk laughed, "Why not? Guy's a loser, thought he could beat Cobra Kai all on his own."

"Didn't you cheap shot him and get disqualified?" Aisha looked up from her textbook.

"At least I didn't lose to Xander Stone." Hawk raised both his eyebrows.

Aisha sighed, "Got me there." She clapped her textbook shut when she heard the lunch bell rung, "Miguel. Come here." Aisha beckoned him over to her as the cafeteria filed out to their next class.

"Yeah?" Miguel was frowning sadly like he was since the tournament ended.

"I know you think Sam won't forgive you. It doesn't matter what Hawk says, it doesn't matter what you did or Hawk did or what anyone says or did. She's very kind, but she's a tough nut to crack. Keep asking for her forgiveness, and I promise you she'll forgive you eventually."

The champion with braces was confused, "How do you know this?"

"I grew up with her remember?" Aisha picked up her textbook, "Remember. Don't give up, you're a nice guy. Remember that Miguel."

"Yeah...thanks Aisha." Miguel nodded.

III

"I'll get it!" Daniel hollered as the LaRusso household heard the doorbell ring, "Probably just Hannah or Robby wanting another lesson...I already gave 'em one today but they always have questions..."

It wasn't his students, rather it was his rivals student.

Miguel gripped the bouquet of flowers he held in his hand, "Hey Mr. LaRusso, is Sam home?"

"Samantha." Daniel glared at Miguel darkly as he crossed his arms, "Is studying. Didn't you hit Robby's shoulder last week? When you knew it was weak?"

"I'm really sorry about that sir. It was for your daughter." Miguel stood up taller.

Daniel laughed in surprise, "My daughter? How in the world is that possible?!"

Miguel bit his lip, "I didn't want to lose her like how Sensei lost Ali to you."

"You think I 'won' Ali because I won the All Valley tournament?" Daniel shook his head and acted like how his old teacher would always act: respectful, "Kid put those flowers down." He walked out of his house and closed his front door behind him.

Daniel sat on his front porch and patted the spot next to him, "Sit down with me kid."

Miguel put his flowers down and nodded, sitting down next to him.

"Look across the street. What do you see?"

"Uh..." Miguel looked to where Daniel was pointing to, "It's just a house."

"Not just any house. Ali's house."

"Ali Mills?" Miguel was confused as he sat down next to Daniel on his front porch.

The car salesman nodded, "She just moved in last Saturday, you probably met both her kids at your school today on their first day. David and Hannah. How did it go for them?"

"From what I saw...all right I guess but what're you saying Mr. LaRusso?"

Daniel kept going, "She's married. She has kids that aren't mine. I didn't win Ali like a trophy, in fact she left me right after the tournament. Women don't choose whoever wins, they choose whoever they like."

"Really?" Miguel was slightly shocked.

"The point is I can see how Johnny telling you he lost Ali by thinking losing the All Valley caused it...might influence you to make sure you don't lose Sam to Robby the same way in the manner you think. But the thing is, you haven't seen the whole picture."

"What whole picture?" Miguel was confused again.

Daniel placed his elbows on his knees, "This afternoon, Sam, Robby and Hannah all came over to Miyagi-Do Karate and the three of them were trained by me for the very first time together. Son I can tell you, Hannah, Ali's daughter not mine, was flirting with Robby I swear. I saw them laughing together with my own eyes when she tripped him. Robby and Samantha were never together, I know this because it seems like Robby has an eye for Hannah. And I'll bet you they'll end up together."

"Wh-What?"

"Yeah. You misunderstood, you just quickly assumed that she and Robby were together because that's how Johnny trained you. To strike first, to show no mercy. Life doesn't work that way. Sometimes you gotta take a step back and understand and consider things before acting, otherwise you can get knocked down easily." Daniel looked up in surprise, "Wow."

Did I just speak like Mr. Miyagi? What if I start looking like him too? I don't have any grey hairs right? I better not start balding...

"Anyway, you gotta consider this son." Daniel stood up, "If you really did it for her. Give her the trophy as a symbol of your respect for her or something touching and heartfelt like that. It's getting late." Daniel checked his Rolex which showed 9:07, "You should apologize properly to her at your school tomorrow."

"Thank you Mr. LaRusso." Miguel looked up at him, "Thank you for everything."

"My pleasure." The car salesman went back inside his house.

As Miguel rode away on his bicycle, Amanda rubbed Daniel's shoulder blade as he crossed his arms and stared off after him through his window, "Did you just have a heart to heart with that boy who hurt your student?"

"It's what Mr. Miyagi would've done. It's what...should've been done..." Daniel kissed Amanda suddenly, "He also would've done this." Amanda yelped when Daniel picked her up and pinned her to their couch, "And this." He started kissing her neck.

Amanda gritted her teeth, "Wait. The kids are up. Dan the kids are still up-"

He cut her off by kissing her and the LaRusso's wrapped their arms around each other.

Amanda bit her lip, "That Ali woman has got me so nervous. She lives right across the street, she's gorgeous, she's a surgeon. She was your girlfriend she-" Amanda was cut off by a kiss again.

"Is not the woman I love." Daniel assured as he kissed her, "She's not the mother of my children. She's not you Amanda. I love you, and only you. Forever."

"Me too Dan."

They kissed again. And did more than just kiss.

Samantha yawned as she walked down the stairs when Amanda was...atop her husband on their couch.

She turned around and muttered to herself walking up the stairs, "I'm just gonna go...bleach my eyes."

III

Johnny was trying his best not to smile in pride as David was practicing his two basic moves every Cobra learned at the beginning of their growth as warriors. One after the other, David went for the reverse punch, striking accurately and precisely with a loud 'AIHEET!' He lunged forward with a perfect front kick, followed immediately by another loud reverse punch one after the other up and down the mat in the Cobra Kai dojo.

"Mills just hold on for a second." Johnny ordered.

"Yes Sensei!" David paused his mobile strikes across the mat and stood at attention stance, with his hands snapped to his legs.

David became worried when he heard Johnny groan loudly in pain as he was applying antiseptic to his own body in his office.

"Sensei?" David bowed off the mat and gasped when he saw Johnny's toned upper body covered in bruises in his office, "Sensei what happened to you?!"

"Got in a fight." He grunted as he cleaned his upper body on his desk.

"With who Sensei?" David asked in his exact workout clothes from the night before.

Johnny winced as he cleaned his wounds, "Kreese. We fought over the dojo last night after you left. He beat my ass as you can see but I managed to knock him almost unconscious."

"Thank god Sensei." David nodded.

"Thank god?" Johnny put the upper part of his teacher's uniform back on, "Why?"

David bowed, "You're my hero Sensei. My idol. When my mom showed me a VHS tape of LaRusso fighting you in the '84 tourney, I just...wanted to be just like you. Fierce, powerful, strong, fast...kickass Sensei! Ohp!" He covered his mouth, "I'm sorry for cursing in front of you Sensei."

"It's fine Mills...just...am I really your hero?" Johnny squinted at him in confusion.

His new prodigal student bowed again, "Of course Sensei. If it wasn't for that cheap crane kick you'd have kicked LaRusso's teeth out. It's just...your moves were the most badass things I've ever seen Sensei, and now you beat your teacher who's probably, no offense Sensei, better than you!"

"Stay right there." Johnny went into his desk and opened one of the drawers to his desk and revealed dozens of white Cobra Kai GIs. He pulled one out and handed the folded white cloth to David, "Here."

"S-S-Sens-"

"Don't ever stutter like a girl Mills."

"Yes Sensei. This is the greatest honor for me Sensei, but why would you do this?"

Johnny crossed his arms, "Because I fought my heart out for you Mills. To keep you here at this dojo, to make sure I wouldn't fail you like I did Robby and Miguel. I'm never going to let you leave and I know just how much this GI means to you. So you'll always be a Cobra and if this is what it takes then I'll do it."

Johnny was nodding, "I'll always give a GI to someone who deserves it, and I really think you deserve it. Someone who fights like a man, acts like a man, and in my opinion...is a man."

"But Sensei, you are a man. You fight for what's right Sensei."

"Not exactly." Johnny struck first, he grabbed all the alcohol he could find in his office and chucked it out of the window to his office.

"Why'd you do that Sensei?" David couldn't stop staring at the Cobra Kai GI in his hands.

"I've been a shitty father." Johnny sighed, "I'm going to sober up and apologize to my kid face to face. No more booze, shitty behavior or anything like that. If I just beat Kreese to make sure this place wouldn't go back to its old ways, then neither will I. No more Ace Degenerate. I will do everything I can now to be the best father I can to Robby."

David bowed, "You're very honorable Sensei."

"Yeah don't do that bowing shit kid. It's weird. Get back on the mat and do one hundred push ups on your knuckles."

"Yes Sensei!" David nodded and was about to sprint out of his office but Johnny said something.

"What're you doing Mills? Put on your GI first."

"O-Oh! Yes Sensei!" David nodded and sprinted to the bathroom as Miguel arrived at the Cobra Kai dojo leaving his bicycle next to David's skateboard.

Johnny looked around his Karate school as his blonde head whipped to the front entrance of the Cobra Kai dojo that opened.

"Hey Sensei I just came by to get the trophy from last week, because I wanted to give it to Sam because-"

"Uh...Miguel? This isn't a good time. Could you...leave?"

"Of course Sensei. But I need the trophy first please Sensei."

"Hey Sensei I'm ready to train!" David kicked the door to the bathroom open wearing his new white Cobra Kai GI and stopped before the mat as Miguel's confused look rooted him to the spot.

Miguel instantly recognized the new boy he met at school for the very first time earlier that day, "David? Sensei why is he wearing a Cobra Kai GI?"

Johnny sighed and looked down at his feet before muttering under his breath, "Shit." He yelled in his mind. The secret's out dammit!

III

Kyler, Brucks and all the bullies he knew were sitting at a table near the strip mall outside a fast food restaurant, eating cheeseburgers with sad looks on their faces.

"What the hell happened to us?" Kyler sighed, "I feel like I wanna just...find that kid that beat us up and kick his ass. And then 'Rhea too."

"Bastard broke my hand." Brucks, his chubby sidekick, shook his head, "If only there was a way to get better."

"There is." Kreese walked towards them all, bruised up from his fight with Johnny the night before, "There's a way you can kick everyone's ass as you so say it."

"Whoa." Yasmine put her burger down and frowned at Kreese, "Who are you and what happened to you?" She cringed in disgust as she stood up.

"Name's John Kreese, and my old student betrayed me that's what happened to me. I wanna put together a team of fighters that'll help me get revenge on him in next years tournament." He turned to Yasmine, "Has anyone you thought lower than you ever do something to you you didn't like before?"

Yasmine flashbacked.

"NO MERCY BITCH!" Aisha tossed her like a leaf into the sand after holding her up by her underwear.

She nodded out of her memory, "Yeah." She crossed her arms and nodded to Kreese, "Yeah totally."

Kreese smirked, "And how did that make you feel?"

"Scared..." Yasmine frowned down at her expensive shoes before she looked up with anger in her cold blue eyes, "At first. But then I wanted to punch her teeth out later."

Kreese chuckled and leaned forward, "That's the Cobra inside you sweetheart."

"Cobra? Like those Cobra Kai dweebs?" Kyler frowned.

"No actually." Kreese shook his head, "Been thinking of a new name for my dojo...called Tsuyoi Karate." He turned to the big car Kyler owned, "Pretty nice ride. Your parents rich?"

"Yeah." The bully nodded, "Why?"

"It won't matter for my services. For the low low price of a small payment every two months, I'll turn you all into ruthless unstoppable warriors. How does that sound?" Kreese offered.

Kyler nodded to himself, " 'Rhea beat my ass after I beat his. Our asses." He looked up at his friends, "We should kick his ass now. What do you all say?"

"I'm in." Brucks nodded holding his broken fist.

"Me too." The other populars were nodding together, the large group of teens murmuring in agreement. Yasmine kept remembering how Aisha tossed her around like she was nothing and murmured with them.

Kyler nodded to Kreese, "We're in. What does Tsuyoi mean by the way?"

"It means 'strong' in Japanese." Kreese nodded to the eager bullies around him.

Yasmine reached for her purse blooming with her parent's money, "How much do we have to pay you Mr. Kreese?"

"You'll call me Sensei from now on. Is that clear?"

"Yes..." Kyler was nodding slowly, "Yes Sensei."

"On the count of three, I want all of you to punch the air loudly and yell 'I'll be strong Sensei!' "

All the bullies nodded, dropping their fast food and standing up from the table. Kreese counted down like he said he would, "One...two...three!"

"I'll be strong Sensei!" The bullies shouted loudly as they punched the air.

Kreese smiled wider than he ever had in years.

III

III

III

Author's Note; I just noticed that Ali's husband's name is Gregory not Fred so I changed that. Also the tournament date from Cobra Kai was May 19th according to the poster Johnny had, this is all done to make it more canonical to one of my favorite tv shows of all time, Cobra Kai of course. Thanks for all the kind reviews and for following and supporting and all that you guys are truly awesome. Have a nice day and goodbye!

III

Chapter Six: Battle in the Sand

III

Samantha was having more and more trouble these days. With everything. But there was always one friend who was always there for her.

"Sam." Aisha fixed her glasses next to her on the bench, "Sam wake up you're daydreaming again." She poked her shoulder.

She shook her head out of her daze, "Sorry. What were we talking about again?"

"Nothing important." Aisha smiled at the sun from the same park she'd planned to throw a beach party at, "If there is one thing I love...it's summer...the sun is so hot, there's no school..." The childhood friends sighed happily.

"How'd you do on your finals?" Samantha looked to the football player's daughter.

"Good. Bio was a breeze, English...not so much. You scored pretty strong on last years so I think you should be fine right?" Aisha kept leaning back on the bench as she heard two children giggle and chase each other around the park.

Sam shrugged, "I dunno, probably. My head's been...out of it..."

"Miguel?"

She nodded, "Mhm."

"You know...the more you refuse to accept his apologies, the less he'll feel inclined to pursue you."

"Wh-what?" Sam made eye contact with Aisha again, "What do you mean?"

Aisha sighed, "I mean at some point Miguel'll give up if you keep showing you don't want to hear anything from him, and he might move on. I can totally see him and Robby fighting over Hannah...she's really pretty if you ask me."

"I like Hannah actually, it's good to finally have a girl at Miyagi-Do." Samantha shrugged, "Dad likes her almost as much as Robby." She giggled as she remembered something, "Wanna hear something funny?"

Aisha nodded and smiled back.

"Dad can't stop calling her 'Ali'. Because apparently they look alike."

Aisha laughed with her, "Yeah...Sensei's been out of it too lately, it's almost like ever since she got here from Denver the world's been turned upside down. For all of us."

"Training is less fun than I thought." Samantha frowned.

"Why?"

"Seeing Robby and Hannah making kissy faces at each other all day gets really old after a while."

Aisha smirked, "Jeaalousss?"

"No." Samantha planted her hands on the bench, "I just envy how well they get along. They don't fight, I'm sure they don't have to sneak each other around their parents. They go to the same dojo...I just wish I had that kind of relationship with Miguel."

"But Karate doesn't have to define who you are Sam. You're a hot smart chick who's amazing at Karate. And if you don't want to forgive Miguel, or do...then I'll support you either way." Aisha shrugged.

Samantha was slightly confused as she tucked a brown strand of hair behind her ear, "R-really?"

"Hell yeah girl you're hot as hell!" Aisha laughed.

Samantha looked at her with slightly squinted eyes.

"Sorry." Aisha frowned, "Lotta time 'round boys I guess."

"Aaanyway...I was wondering. In the '19 All Valley next year, we're going to compete against each other right?"

Aisha nodded, "Yup."

"You're okay with that?" Samantha was confused again as they sat next to each other on the park bench.

"Sure. If you beat me, or I beat you, or we don't even fight each other, who cares? I'll always be friends with you."

"Wow." Samantha blinked, "Aisha, you're the most emotionally mature person I've met." She sighed, "But I just don't want to forgive Miguel because I have no other choice like otherwise he'll give up on me. I want to do it because I feel ready to forgive him."

"Sam, you have every right to forgive him whenever you want to. If you want to." Aisha nodded.

The two girls kept chatting as Miguel and David were watching them from behind a tree.

"What do you think they're talking about? Does it look like they're talking about me?" The All Valley Karate champion hissed over his shoulder.

David sighed to his fellow Cobra in front of him, "Dude, I have no idea. I don't have super lip reading, I'm not deaf."

Miguel turned back to him, "Is it...weird that I'm spying on my ex?"

"Eh...sort of...but you're just waiting for Aisha to walk away from her to talk to her so...no?" David shrugged, "Either way, thanks for promising not to tell anyone I'm a Cobra now."

Miguel looked back at Ali's son, "Why can't you just tell your mom you go to Cobra Kai?"

"Because she'd have a heart attack if she found out. She's Ali Mills remember? She was there when Sensei was still the Ace Degenerate?"

"Right..." Miguel turned around and spoke to Johnny's new secret protege, "Wait, I saw Sensei sober for the first time since the All Valley lately. Do you know anything about that?"

David just smiled, "No more beer for him. Turns out he's going to try and make amends with his kid, whoever he is."

"Good for him." Miguel didn't really know how to feel about that after the taller boy told him this.

"Yeah..."

"Yuupppp. Anyway." Aisha stretched as she stood up, "I wanted to go practice a little at my house. See ya."

Sam waved her goodbye and Miguel approached, "Hey Sam." She picked up her purse, "Wait! Please...just listen."

"Yeah. I know you're sorry. And I don't want that stupid trophy again."

Miguel sat down next to her, "You have every right to feel angry. Every right."

Samantha nodded, "Yeah. I do. You looked me straight in the eyes and threatened to hurt someone you didn't even know. Like a crazy person."

"I get it, but I cheated at the All Valley for you Sam."

"For me? Again with that? Why?"

"Because I thought I'd lose you if I lost to Robby...I...I struck first and didn't think." Miguel kept wearing that same sad and self disappointed frown he had since the tournament ended, "If you're not going to forgive me for...everything...I get it, I wouldn't forgive myself either."

Samantha stayed silent and frowned down at the white skirt covering her lap with her hands in it.

"I'm sorry. I don't have anything else to say." Miguel walked out of the park.

Samantha sat there, blinking down at her lap before David approached from the tree he'd seen everything from, "And now you feel like you're the one who should be apologizing right?"

"Were you spying on me?!" Samantha blinked and her emotions slipped from sad to angry.

"Uh...not really...sort of...but not really." David bit his lip and felt his face go red.

Samantha sat back down and shrugged, "Whatever. It's not like I even care anymore."

And now David sat down next to her, "I wasn't here for the All Valley three weeks ago...but it sounds like something really bad happened there. What did he do that was so bad?"

"What did Miguel not do? I felt lied to, he pretended he was all nice and sweet and funny, but the second I turn around...he's all angry and violent. And I feel like I always had to keep him as a secret from my dad, do you ever feel like you have to keep secrets from your parents sometimes?"

David just smirked at her next to her on the park bench and shook his head sassily, "Sister you have no idea..."

Samantha giggled at David, "Quirky. Anyway I just felt like the same guy I liked and wanted to date...is gone."

"But he's still there Sam. I promise."

"Dave, you weren't here until three weeks ago. You have no idea what Miguel was like before you met him."

"But I do." David nodded, "He's loyal and kind...I know this because he's keeping a big secret secret for me. I can assure you he's a great guy."

"Maybe...but thanks for assuring me Dave."

"Hey Aisha's throwin' a pretty big party at the beach tonight at 8. If you wanna come that's fine."

"Why David Schwarber, are you asking me out?" Sam asked.

"No." David remained loyal to Miguel instantly and remembered how much he couldn't stand Samantha for hating Cobra Kai, "But just come anyway all right? Maybe you and Miguel can make up there y'know?"

"I'll try." Samantha nodded as David jumped on his skateboard and rode away thinking.

Jeeeezzz...I couldn't stand sitting next to her... COBRA HATER! All right Mig, I've tried my best to convince her just for you bro. Good luck talking to her on the beach tonight.

III

David stood on the beach by himself about an hour before anyone else arrived at Aisha's beach party. He breathed in and remembered everything Johnny had taught him over the past three weeks. He lunged forward, his left foot planted in the sand and jerked his right fist forward in a perfected reverse punch or 'Cobra Bite', drawing more power from his hips rather than his arms.

Then his right knee rose upwards and his foot snapped backwards and forwards in a front kick or 'Mae Geri'. Johnny had taught him the basics of blocking and attacking, and David could confidently say that three weeks of nightly training had left him steadfast physically and mentally. Every single basic white belt move that was taught to him was practiced. And all of it had been perfected completely over three weeks of nightly training with Johnny.

"Mom would be proud wouldn't she?" Hannah crossed her arms behind him wearing her blonde hair in a blue hairband and an old white sweater her mother Ali gave her.

Her brother sighed, "Mom doesn't understand Cobra Kai. But what do you think about it Hannah? What do you think about Cobra Kai?" David squinted at her.

She stayed silent but David approached, "Sensei's taught me how to kick serious ass since I got here. I can feel like I can take anyone on in a fight, anyone. Sensei's my idol, he thinks PC culture is for pussies, that when life knocks you down you kick it back in the face. And then..." He kept stepping towards her in the sand, "There's you, my pretty and perfect little sister who always does what mom says."

"Dave. Stop it."

"Or what?" David smirked, "I've seen you around LaRusso's place. Did all that hand waving bullshit teach you how to hit?" He chuckled, "Don't ever judge me for anything I choose to do Hannah."

"I'll tell mom you go to Cobra Kai if you keep this tough guy act up." Hannah uncrossed her arms and balled her fists defiantly.

David glared angrily at his sister but all their friends arrived and the tense air between the Mills-Schwarber siblings was relieved momentarily. Everyone begun to have fun in the sand, dancing and drinking. Miguel withdrew his phone from his pocket and considered texting Sam to ask if she was going to come to it, but then remembered David had promised him it would be more likely she'd arrive if he asked her.

In the corner of the party stood Robby and Hannah, the two blonde Miyagi-Do students just held their arms shyly and didn't talk to each other for a few minutes.

"Do you...Oh..." They said over each other with reddened faces, "Sure."

Hannah and Robby began to dance together slowly, smiling and laughing together as Aisha played music on her phone that was amplified to the whole beach party.

"The hell?" Hawk grunted angrily as he showed up to the party holding Moon's hand, speaking to Miguel, "Who invited Dobby?" He wrung his nose up in disgust at seeing Robby dance with Hannah.

"Dave insisted." Miguel shrugged and sipped some grape juice, knowing the last time he drank resulted in one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.

"Pah. New kid." Hawk scoffed before shrugging, "Whatever. Guy's been looking stronger and I dig that I guess." He took Moon's hand and danced slowly with his girlfriend, letting her lean back on him and letting their hips sway together.

Miguel saw a strange sight, Samantha had arrived to the party but was dancing slowly by herself. He wanted to talk to her, because something told him she came just to apologize for not accepting his own apologies. Before he could even move, Kyler's large car pulled up to the beach filled with Kreese's Tsuyoi Karate students.

"Oh...what is this?" Hannah rolled her blue eyes when she saw this, as a small group of teens piled out of Kyler's car.

"Sup." Kyler smirked at Sam as he walked towards her, "Sweet party you got going here." He approached with his posse, including a Brucks with a healed fist and a more confident looking Yasmine.

"Kyler?" Sam squinted at him.

"I just want to talk." Kyler said innocently as Cobras around them watched quietly.

"Is that why you brought your posse with you?" Sam eyed the group who'd came with Kyler.

Kyler shrugged, "They're my friends. Problem?"

"Yeah!" Sam nodded, "With you being here."

Miguel walked over, "You got some nerve coming down to a beach filled with people who hate you."

Kyler just ignored him and Miguel squinted at him as he spoke to Samantha. What the hell? Why is he so confident now? Is he just drunk or something? No...something's changed in him...

David cleared his throat when he walked over and interrupted Kyler and Sam's conversation, "I never got an apology."

Kyler blinked, "Excuse me?"

"An apology for pushing me and my sister. And almost hitting me in the face."

Kyler ignored him and looked around the party before spotting Robby, "That guy. I hate that guy."

"Right...he kicked the shit outta you." David smirked, "The night I got here from Denver."

Kyler's gaze whipped to him, "Okay dude...you're gonna take that back."

David kept making calm eye contact with him, "I don't think so."

Kyler raised his hand to keep his posse at bay, "Uh-uh. This is between me and Mills. Just you and me."

"Deal." David unzipped his blue jacket and the party cheered.

Hawk walked over next to Miguel's side, "Should I kick his ass?"

"Kyler's? I can't believe I'm saying this but it seems like a pretty fair scenario. A one on one seems like something that's Dave's problem not mine. It's interesting though..." Miguel squinted at the circle that formed around David and Kyler, "Why the hell is Kyler playing fair when he could've set his goons on Dave?"

David and Kyler squatted slightly into trained stances and circled each other as the party cheered them on. "No mercy!" Aisha screamed, "No mercy David come on!"

Kyler looked like he was going to go for a punch but David just moved back and showed he was going to anticipate it with a block. David did the same but with a kick and the two seemed to have been anticipating each other's attacks. Kyler flew through the sand and flew into two separate attacks, a front kick with his right foot followed by a reverse punch with his left fist.

David saw the kick coming and avoided it by sweeping it aside with a downwards block with his left hand, and then his right hand turned outward from his cheek and struck Kyler's elbow and successfully countered the reverse punch with a chopping block. Then it seemed like neither of them had superior skills, going back and forth from David attacking to Kyler attacking, both without end.

After about two minutes of non stop blocked attacks from both of them, Kyler and David were both drenched with sweat and the crowd was still cheering them on.

Aisha just clenched her jaw in thought. It's clear as day...someone's been teaching them both Karate. But who?

Kyler lunged forward with a roundhouse kick and tried to snap his right foot into David's gut but he actually managed to catch his foot and hold his leg. David struck downwards with his elbow and marked Kyler's calf and the crowd burst into cheers for his victory when Kyler fell into the sand holding his leg.

He grunted in pain and his posse helped him up from the ground, "Let's go guys."

"But-" Brucks said.

"Let's go." Kyler ordered giving David a death stare as he was surrounded by cheery and happy teens.

Hannah just watched her brother with crossed arms. David ignored all his admirers for a second to make eye contact with his sister before talking to all of them.

Hawk nodded in agreement as he saw how David forced Kyler to walk off with his tail between his legs talking to Miguel, "Did you see how the new kid moved? How they both moved? That was Cobra Kai through and through."

"Yup." Miguel nodded back, "Wonder where David learned it..." He shrugged absentmindedly. Miguel walked up to Sam sitting on a rock by herself and offered his hand.

"Miguel I'm really sorry for not forgiving you-"

He shook his head and smiled, "One dance. That's all I want."

Aisha played slow music on her phone and the group surrounding and complimenting David for his victory dispersed to dance slowly with each other.

Robby and Hannah were swaying slowly together and Hannah smirked as Robby was hesitant to put his hands on her, "Don't be a scaredy cat Robbs."

"O-Okay." Robby was actually nervous in their slow dance.

"Hey Robby?"

He nodded as they danced, looking into each other's eyes.

Hannah smiled, "I've wanted to ask you this ever since we started going to Miyagi-Do together. Will you...be my boyfriend?"

"Yes!" Robby almost shouted before clearing his throat, "Yeah...sure thing."

"Sweeeet..." Hannah kept dancing with him as she sung in her head. Nailed it! You are on fire Hannah Schwarber! Wait... "Hey Robby. How're we gonna start dating if we haven't even gone on our first date yet?"

"Uh...where do you wanna go?" Robby asked.

Hannah shrugged, "How 'bout Golf n' Stuff?"

Robby smiled, "Sounds great."

Samantha and Miguel just danced in silence a few paces off from Hawk and Moon.

"So I'm forgiven?" Miguel asked.

Sam breathed in tightly through her nose, "Only if I am. But we're going to have to take it slow all right? And I mean slow..."

Miguel raised his hands off Samantha's shoulders defensively, "Whatever it takes."

"Good." Samantha reached out and held Miguel by the back of the head and surprised him by placing it on her shoulder.

"Ohp!" Miguel gasped when he felt Samantha start to run her fingers through the top of his head and rest her chin on his shoulder too, "Uh...Sam?"

She nodded as they danced together, "Mhm?"

"You go to Miyagi-Do with Hannah and Robby right?"

Samantha closed her eyes and kept cuddling and dancing with him slowly, "Yeah?"

"That means we'll both be competing at next years tourney right?"

"Yeah." Samantha smiled and petted the back of Miguel's head.

Miguel hugged her back, "I'll play fair I promise."

"Not if I knock you off the mat first Miguel."

They both laughed and David was away from everyone else practicing his Karate determinedly to get stronger by the second. The full moon hovered above the darkness of the Pacific Ocean and that small bonfire provided light for the whole party which was dancing in each other's arms.

Through all of it, David became angry after reading a text from Ali.

Mom: I found your GI. We're going to have a talk when you get home.

He shrugged after reading this on his phone. Looks like I'm grounded again, oh well. David wouldn't stop practicing Karate, moving away from the beach party with every strike. His right knee rose upwards in a front kick, and the second it landed he went for a reverse punch with his left against his invisible opponent. He kept practicing all the basic moves Johnny taught him and David Anthony Mills-Schwarber felt pride in that he was proving to everyone he only needed one thing in his life to make him happy: Karate.

David's obsession with becoming his idol, Johnny Lawrence seemed to grow stronger along with his body. Even though he wore the Cobra Kai GI, he felt like he needed one more thing. Which was to wear his Sensei's black headband his mother gave to him, and become the All Valley champion.

Miguel smiled as he danced slowly with Samantha, Hawk with Moon, and Hannah with Robby. David of course, did a dance of his own, feeling his body grow stronger and faster with every hit against his invisible opponent. Eventually, Aisha bid her party guests goodnight and they all left her with a mess to clean up.

Samantha waved goodbye to Miguel and David walked up to him covered in sweat from practicing, "Hey...did she forgive you yet?"

"Sort of...she said we're taking it slow but Sam's crazy y'know..." Miguel shrugged and eyed David's arm, "Lemme feel that grip, come on dude."

The Cobra Kai boys gripped each others fists and Miguel smiled, "Getting stronger huh? I wonder when you'll tell everyone you go to Cobra Kai now."

"Yeah...my mom found out."

"What?" Miguel's eyes widened, "Oh shit dude...good luck."

"Thanks..." David sighed as they helped Aisha clean up the aftermath of the beach party, "I don't think she'll just ground me. I think she could ban me from ever stepping foot inside Sensei's dojo ever again dude, she sorta hates Cobra Kai more than anyone else so..."

Miguel smiled, "I think you're a special guy Dave. And if you stop going to Cobra Kai, I think I'll be pretty sad man."

David shrugged, "Glad to hear Sam forgave you. Just no PDA at school 'kay? Gets annoying after a while."

"School doesn't start for another nine weeks but okay dude." As David waved Aisha goodbye, Miguel tapped his shoulder, "Hey, when're you gonna get a girlfriend of your own?"

"I already have a girlfriend." David shrugged as he walked away with his sister Hannah.

"Who!?" Miguel yelled after him as David turned around and smirked, walking up the dunes out of the beach Aisha threw her party out.

David chuckled, "Karate! She's the best girlfriend in the world!"

Miguel rolled his eyes. Crazy. That's the best way to describe Dave Mills...strong grip though.

"I wonder if they know Sensei dated their mom." Aisha walked up to Miguel and crossed her arms.

Miguel turned to her, "It doesn't matter, they're both great people. Hey Robby wait!" He ran up to him and sighed, "I just made up with Sam, and I saw how well you were getting along with Hannah and-"

"It's okay. I forgive you." Robby shrugged and smiled, walking back up the sandune after the Mills siblings.

"But why?" Miguel asked after him, "Is it just because Hannah likes you and you're all happy? Or because you actually forgive me?"

"Whatever Diaz!" Robby chuckled as he walked up the sandune towards his home.

When he got there, he dropped the keys to his house in shock.

"Hey." Johnny stood up off his porch and gave an apologetic smile, "We should talk kid."

"About what? Where you've been for the past fifteen years?" Robby scoffed, "Get outta the way dad, I'm tired."

"Where were you?" Johnny wondered worriedly.

"What do you care?" He scoffed again, "Whatever. I was at this party with Hannah." Robby blurted out without thinking.

"Who's Hannah. She hot?"

Robby bit his lip, "Not funny dad. Why're you even here?"

"Kid..." Johnny sighed, "I've been an alcoholic ever since I got outta high school. So for a while I felt like I didn't have a purpose. But Robby, I've found a new purpose. Being a better dad to you. Rob, speak honestly to me. Did you join Miyagi-Do just to piss me off?"

"Dad-"

"Did you?" Johnny cut him off.

Robby paused for a second before nodding, "Yeah."

"Why? Why couldn't you just talk to me?"

"Because you're never there! Because you never listen! Because I'm pretty sure I never even had a dad my whole life." Robby sniffled, "You've missed every birthday! Every moment of my life...I stopped being like you Dad, a screw up! For two seconds! I decide to get a job, focus on school and Karate, and you magically show up! Well guess what, I don't need you! I got myself a nice girl who cares about me, who I care a lot about too! I came as close as you did to winning the All Valley and I've raised my GPA higher than ever before...all of it by myself!"

Johnny frowned down at his shoes as Robby kept speaking, "It's a little convenient that I barely avoided juvy, but the moment I turn my life around for once and I don't need you, you show up. Why? Why the hell are you here?"

"Because I need you Robby." Johnny refused to show the tear that formed next to his eye by looking down at his feet, "I-I need my son back." He choked out.

"What son?" Robby wiped a tear off his eye, "Is this all I am to you? Some sort of rehab technique for how much you drink all the time?!"

"No!" Johnny actually yelled back at him and looked up, "I love you Robby! You're my kid and I love you! And I'm really sorry I wasn't there for you before but I promise I'll be there now!"

Robby shook his head, "How can I trust that? How can I trust you?"

"Because I'm your dad! Rob, I know you think you shouldn't, but you gotta trust me."

"Why should I? Because it finally hit you that you need to be there for me? Why now? It's just...my whole life I've been pretty calm about stuff... but whenever I see you...I get angry!" Robby kicked a potted plant outside of his mother's front door so hard that it shattered, "Because it's not fair!"

"I know what it's like. And I can't believe I was gonna let the same thing happen to you." Johnny frowned sadly.

Robby squinted at him, "What? What're you talking about?"

"I never met my dad. And my stepdad was shittier to me than I am to you."

"Wow." Robby let silence fall between them.

Johnny and Robby didn't say a word to each other for about a minute before Robby broke the silence, "How to throw a punch. How to shave, how to play catch...you never taught me that dad. Mr. LaRusso taught me that. Is that why you hate him?"

"No. I don't hate him...I guess I sort of respect him even though I hate to admit it. I just hate the fact that I messed up Rob. But if you want to have your girlfriend, your own dojo to go to, your school and a life of your own...away from me. Then that's okay Rob...that's okay."

Johnny walked back to his Dodge Challenger but Robby broke into tears and ran after him, wrapping his arms around his father's chest and sobbing into his back. Johnny turned around and held the back of his son's head, and actually kissed the top of it, "I gotcha kiddo. I gotcha."

Robby cried his eyes out into Johnny's chest and Johnny would be lying if he said he wasn't shedding a tear with him.

"Please...can I live at your place now?" Robby whispered through his tears.

"You got it Rob." Johnny smiled down at him.

III

David tried to sneak into his room but Ali was waiting for him there with arms crossed, "Where have you been?"

"Went to a party."

"I heard." Ali kept crossing her arms, "Hannah asked for permission. You didn't."

"She always does, she's the good kid remember?" David mumbled.

Ali frowned at her son, "Like how she actually asked for my permission to start Karate and you didn't. Is that what you're referring to?"

"Mom I knew you were gonna say no, so what would've been the point of asking?" David shrugged.

Ali sighed, "Three weeks Dave. Three weeks of lying to me, three weeks of being grounded. No TV, video games, and because I know you love this more than anything I'll do it to show you that you must respect your mother. No Karate David Anthony Mills-Schwarber. Forever."

"Forever? No Cobra Kai forever? No, I'm going to go 'cause I love it."

Ali shook her head, "You're going to turn in your GI. I'm gonna go have a little chat with your Sensei now. You sir, are grounded."

David groaned as he flopped on his bed and Ali left towards her car in the garage.

III

SMACK!

Johnny blinked from Ali's hand striking across his face, "Ow." He muttered slowly.

"Johnny, when I said, 'I'm gonna smack you if you train my child' what did you hear?"

"Uh..." Johnny rubbed the back of his neck on his front porch of his apartment with Robby sleeping on his couch inside it, "Not much I guess I-"

Ali scoffed, "Dave's a good kid. Good grades, good behavior and good morals. I'm not gonna let you ruin that."

Johnny made eye contact with his old girlfriend, "I know he's a good kid! He's great. So just...Ali I swear old Cobra Kai is just that. Old."

"Really?" The blonde surgeon crossed her arms, "And why should I trust you?"

"I've been sober for three weeks, I just got Robby back. I'm turning my life around, look I know I was a real piece of shit back in the day, but that's not me now."

Ali thought about this and could tell Johnny wasn't lying, staying quiet for a moment before looking up into his eyes, "Do you promise he won't be like you?"

Johnny nodded, "I swear it. Cross my heart Als, I won't mess up your kid."

"Fine..." Ali sighed, "I trust you. But if you lie to me, I'll pull David out of Cobra Kai without second thought."

"Gotcha. So..." Johnny smirked, "We cool?" He offered a fist to bump.

"No." Ali shook her blonde head, "I love Dave, he's my son. I know this makes him happy so I'm letting him do this, I have no other motives." She turned around and walked away with clicking heels.

Johnny spoke after her, "Yeah I know I'm still awesome! Thanks! Still super hot..." Johnny bit his lip as he watched Ali walk away. He looked to Miguel's house which was only across the hall from him and walked up to it and knocked on his front door.

Carmen Diaz, Miguel's mother answered the door, "Uh...hello?"

"Yeah...hi...I've been...trying to put my life back together y'know with glue...y'know how that works you put stuff together with glue it helps stick and-"

Carmen was confused at her blonde neighbor standing on her front porch, "I'm sorry, what're you talking about?"

Johnny sighed, "I guess what I'm trying to say is..." He looked up at her, "Would you go out on a date with me Carmen?"

"A-a date?" Carmen stood up straighter with widening eyes, "Dios mio it's been ages since I've been on a date...but um...yeah sure why not?" She nodded to him.

"Great." Johnny nodded, "Okay then...this Friday at seven then? I'll come here and pick you up and we can go out or...something?"

"Sure." Carmen smiled.

"Awesome thanks, see ya round." Johnny nodded and they waved goodbye to each other.

Johnny pulled his fist towards himself as he walked back towards his house, "Yes!"

Carmen saw how her son was out of his bedroom and saw this, "Uh...Miggy?" The boy retreated back slowly into his room as she closed the door behind him.

As she tucked Miguel into bed, her son asked her a question, "Ma?...is Sensei gonna be my new dad?"

"I don't think so M'hijo." Carmen kissed Miguel's forehead and flicked off the lights to his bedroom.

Miguel closed his eyes and tried to sleep but he heard a rock flick off his window. He stood up and walked over to his window barefooted and rolled aside the glass, "Uh...Hannah? What're you doing here?"

"My mom drove me here because she had some business to attend to or something. She just got on the phone with some woman she knew from med school...got some time to kill." She leaned on his windowsill, "You're the champ right? All the girls must throw themselves at you huh?"

"Um...sort of...before Sam and I got back together tonight, I was getting a lotta looks I guess."

The blonde girl shrugged, "Well, I can't say I can blame them."

Miguel forced his eyes to jump up back to Hannah's as she was leaning over on his windowsill and he wished he didn't have to look at that part of her, "Yeah...thanks. H-How're things with you and Robby going?"

"Good actually, we're going out on our first date."

"Awesome! You have a boyfriend, I have a girlfriend, we're both equally happy." The All Valley champion was blabbering nervously with his hands waving about and a jittery expression on his face complete with braces. For being the All Valley champion, Miguel was more nervous than he should've been around a girl.

"I wouldn't say so." Hannah shrugged, "He's cute and I like him and all, but you're really hot Miguel."

Miguel laughed nervously, "Yeah Sam'd kill you if she heard that."

Hannah shrugged, "She'd kill me if she knew I did this too." Hannah leaned forward and pecked Miguel on the cheek, "How about we get to know each other a little better these next few weeks, like hangin' out and stuff? I wouldn't tell anyone if we go out."

"Uh...Hannah...I can't." Miguel sighed, "I just got back together with Sam and I couldn't do that to her. And I'm flattered you're into me and all that, but I just started earning her trust back."

"D-Did I say something wrong?" Hannah frowned.

"No!" Miguel's eyes widened, "No you're beautiful and funny, the hottest girl I know in fact..." He muttered under his breath, "But it would just complicate things for...everyone."

"Oh...oh ok then." Hannah shrugged and skipped off from the bushes outside Miguel's bedroom waving him goodnight. She returned to her mom's car, and Ali drove off back towards the Schwarber household after she got off the phone with another surgeon like her.

Miguel fell back from his windowsill holding his chest and felt his heart hammer beneath his ribs. The reason for this was because it took sheer willpower to fight off a girl like Hannah Mills, and Miguel felt a strange sensation almost as if he was tempted to grab Hannah and place her in his bedroom.

He flopped back on his bed and saw his phone light up next to him on his nightstand, filled with texts from his three close friends. Two of them were his buddies from Cobra Kai, and the other his newly reacquainted girlfriend. His phone screen was held up in front of his face.

Sam: Hey Miguel, I'm super thrilled we're back together! Wanna go to Golf n' Stuff again this weekend?

Hawk: Feelin' like seeing Moon's nudes? Jk bro, I'm bored af and feeling like texting you man. You up?

Dave: My mom just hit me up saying I've got her permission to go to Cobra Kai now! Schweeet!

Miguel responded appropriately to all his friends.

To Sam: Sure thing, I'm really tired right now so let's work out the details tomorrow okay? Good night tho, gotta snooze.

To Hawk: No. Let me sleep please. Gn.

To Dave: Your sister just showed up at my bedroom window and said she has a secret crush on me while she's with Robby. Can you like, tell her that I'm not into her at all? I'd do it myself but I feel kinda bad just brushin' her off, she's really nice to me. Anyway, glad to hear you're allowed to go to Cobra Kai now.

Miguel edited that last text to David and took out all mention of Hannah. He couldn't deny the fact that there was a tiny part of him that felt like wrapping his arms around Hannah and pinning her to his bed, and Miguel didn't know if it was just hormones, but he felt like crushing it and just holding hands with Sam.

He kept thinking about this as he stared at his All Valley trophy Sam refused to take as an apology.

Samantha is really nice. I feel happy that we're back together now and we can rebuild each others trust back up, but ergh! Hannah, why? You're so...and I...ugh!...Sam wants to take things pretty slow now and you seem like you're faster than her-what am I even saying? I sound like Hawk!

The champion sighed but the voice in his head kept whispering. I gotta sleep. But what would Hawk say? He'd probably tell you to bang both of them, what else would he say? Dave? Hands off my sister bro, he's a natural born Cobra...Demetri already told me I should go out with her...What would I say? What do I want?...to be Champ again?...a smile from Sensei?...no...Sam...just her I guess.

Miguel eventually fell asleep.

III

III

III

III

Chapter Seven: Strength of a Bonsai Tree

III

"Fighting positions!" Johnny barked at the front of the class.

Every Cobra training in the dojo lowered into their stances and raised their fists. Hawk, David, Miguel, Aisha and Bert along with Demetri all prepared to do as their Sensei ordered in their white GIs.

"Reverse punch! Left leg forward on my count!"

All of Johnny's students stood ready as he asked.

"Aiheet!"

"Hiya!" Miguel struck the air and twisted his hips into the right punch so quickly the ends of his black belt twitched in the air.

"Aiheet!"

The students kept responding to Johnny's yells with strikes as he walked up and down the lines yelling. Without warning, he went for a random takedown against David. However, he was a natural born Cobra and knew that Johnny would try such things from time to time, seeing him approach yet stop suddenly. David avoided the takedown by turning to his left to face Johnny and blocking his hands.

Johnny nodded and tightened the black headband David's mother gave him, "Good instincts Mills. Aiheet!" He returned to yelling.

"Hiya!" David faced back towards the front of the class and went for another reverse punch with his right fist so quickly his arm blurred.

There was a small sound when Kreese and his new best pupil Kyler entered the dojo, and Johnny stopped yelling to train his students.

Johnny barked another order, "Attention stance!"

Every Cobra Kai student stood straight up with their hands snapped to their sides from the reverse punch position.

"I thought you said you weren't going to come here anymore." Johnny turned to his old Sensei.

Kreese looked around Johnny's class and didn't step onto the mat and instead stood in the entrance with Kyler, "One of your students injured my best one." Kyler muttered in Kreese's ear after he spotted David. Kreese nodded and pointed to him, "Mills."

"Mills? What is he talking about?" Johnny turned to David.

David spoke to his Sensei from his attention stance wearing a yellow belt proudly, "We fought at a beach party earlier this week Sensei!"

"You cheated." Kyler snarled, "You cheated and hit my calf."

"Quiet Lee." Kreese ordered to his student who hushed instantly.

Johnny blinked, "Show me."

Kyler rolled up his jeans and Johnny's eyes widened at the bruise David had left there, "Dang Mills you did this? You're even stronger than I thought somehow..." He shook his head, "Yeah I get it. What do you want?"

Kreese shrugged, "For you to assure me this won't happen again. You've got a whole class in here with a year's more worth of experience than mine. Make it even and shake my hand." Kreese extended one to Johnny, "And promise me you'll tell your students not to go near any of mine."

"Sure." Johnny shrugged, "But they've got to settle this somehow."

"Where?" Kreese squinted at him.

"Where else?" Johnny turned to the poster he'd recently plastered in the Cobra Kai dojo, "The All Valley tournament in the new stadium next year on May 19th. That's where they'll settle this."

Kreese nodded, "Fair. What're your conditions?"

"Promise me you won't let any of your students mess with mine. And I promise you mine won't mess with yours. Deal?"

"All right." Kreese shook Johnny's hand before tugging on it and making him lean forward to growl in his face, "If mine win next year, I'll make sure to tell them to pound yours into the dust afterwards."

Johnny just forced Kreese's hand off him and turned to his Cobras, "No one touches any Tsuyoi students before the tournament! Any more of the behavior I saw at last months will result in expulsion from Cobra Kai! Clean fighting only at the tourney! Understood?"

"Yes Sensei!" Everyone yelled.

"Great." Johnny pointed to the dojos doors, "Now get out."

Kreese chuckled and tapped Kyler's shoulder as they walked out, "You gotta lot of free time this summer. Make sure to come to the dojo as much as you can, I'll make you stronger kid."

"Don't worry Sensei." Kyler nodded after they left Johnny's dojo, "There's no way I'm letting those losers win next year." The two promptly went back to Kreese's new Karate school to train with Brucks, Yasmine and all of Kyler's other friends.

Johnny walked to the front of the class and barked again, "LaRusso and Kreese are my greatest rivals! Will you let them win next year?"

"No Sensei!" The class shouted.

"That's what I like to hear! Knuckle pushups! Aiheet!"

"Yuss!" The class got down on their knuckles and their backs began to rise up and down on Johnny's count.

Johnny crossed his arms and started yelling, "Aiheet!"

"Yuss!" The class grunted and did a knuckle pushup and the summer of intense training began for the class.

After training ended for that day, Miguel stayed after class with David and sparred till after the sun went down. Sparring and practicing attacks against each other along with blocks for the whole night, both boys increased in strength and skill at Karate under Johnny's eye. Especially David, who was picking up quickly on everything Johnny taught him. By the time Johnny returned home, he was exhausted and in dire need of a Coors Banquet. However, he still had to make dinner for his son and remembered he had to attend an AA meeting and a date later that night.

"Boom." Johnny dropped the bag of fast food on the table in front of Robby in his apartment in Reseda across from Miguel's.

Robby sighed at the table, "Dad we've been having this for over a week now. Can we please get something new to eat?"

"You don't like cheeseburgers?" Johnny tapped the bag, "Eat up if you wanna be buff enough to impress that girlfriend of yours. Did you make fun of her yet?"

"Hannah's awesome. I'd never make fun of her." Robby frowned but his father shook his head as he took off his teacher's uniform.

Johnny blinked at him, "Kid, you gotta treat babes like trash sometimes. Alpha move, take a note from Dutch."

"Dutch? You mean one of your old buddies from Cobra Kai? Whatever happened to them?" Robby asked.

"They got jobs, wives and all that. They didn't end up losers like me living in this shit hole." Johnny eyed his messy apartment, "But I hear Bobby still practices his moves every once in a while. Here." He went into a drawer and took out an envelope and tossed it on the table in front of Robby's food, "Read this and eat while I go shave and stuff."

Robby became completely blown away with widening eyes, "Shave?! What's the special occasion?"

"Got a date."

"Won't Diaz be pissy you're going out with his mom?" Robby opened the envelope and began to read the letter inside.

Johnny shrugged as he walked to his bathroom, "The kid's got balls of steel, natural born Cobra like Mills. Took a direct kick to the nose from him this afternoon and didn't even wince."

Robby raised an eyebrow and spoke after his father walking down the hall, "I thought Diaz beats his ass when they spar?!"

"He does all the time, it was a lucky hit!" Johnny yelled back over his shoulder and entered his bathroom as his son read his old friend's letter eating his burger:

Dear Johnny,

I heard you opened up Cobra Kai again and I gotta say I'm a little surprised. I mean, I thought Kreese choked you out after the tournament. This is pretty weird considering that I was thinking about sending you an email, but apparently, you're living in the stone age or something and you only write letters. What's up with that by the way, not being into the internet and all? Anyway everything's fine here at home, Jess has got twins in her belly and I'm still stuck as a goddamn stay at home dad while she teaches. I know right, the almighty Bobby Brown a stay at home dad? Gives me a lot of time to practice my kicks though. What've you been up to? If you ever get the chance to swing by Portland, let's snag a beer okay man?

Cobra Kai never dies I guess, your friend Bobby Brown

Robby smiled after he read this, wondering if Cobra Kai, his rival dojo, would ever cease to exist anymore. Johnny emerged from the bathroom shaven, showered and wearing the same brown suit he took to the appeal for the lifting of Cobra Kai's ban.

"How do I look?"

Robby shrugged as he finished the fries Johnny bought him, "Okay I guess. Are you-Are you wearing hair gell?"

He nodded slowly, "Yeah...so?"

"Okay it's just...weird seeing you clean... anyway your friend here raises a good point." Robby tapped the letter, "I'm gonna need a computer here when school starts again." He looked around Johnny's apartment, "Do we even have wi-fi here?"

Johnny bit his tongue as he knew he was always low on money, "Don't you get paid to work at LaRusso's dealership? And isn't your girlfriend rich?"

"Okay, A. I do, but I'm saving up for college. And B. I'm not asking Hannah for cash."

The Sensei sighed, "We'll see about that computer kiddo." He checked his old watch, "Crap I'm gonna be late. Gotta go."

"Enjoy the date."

"Thanks." Johnny pulled his gelled blonde hair back and left his apartment as Robby put the letter back in his father's drawer and watched television.

Johnny walked across the hall and knocked on Miguel's door.

"Carmen you look..." Johnny Lawrence was completely speechless at the sight.

"You look nice too." Carmen smiled and closed the door behind her with her plain green dress.

Miguel saw Johnny and his mother walk off together and was confused. Did sensei shave?! Wow! He must really like mom! His thought was interrupted by a message from a friend. Miguel took his phone out of his pocket and checked it to start texting.

Hawk: Me and the boyz are coming over to your place to hang whether you like it or not rn.

Miguel: Right now? And what boys?

Hawk: You know everyone from Cobra Kai. Bert, Demetri, Dave. See ya in a bit!

Miguel started to tidy up his own apartment for his guests and spoke to his grandmother Rosa, "Eh...abuela? Tenemos comida para cuatro mas personas ahora?"

"Obvio mi cielo." The woman nodded from the steamy kitchen.

Miguel smiled up from his phone, "Gracias abuela."

After Miguel finished confirming there was enough food for all of them in Spanish, Miguel's friends came over to hang out at his apartment. Robby was texting Hannah and looked up from his phone to look across the hall, only to see David and all the other Cobra Kai boys show up at Miguel's place.

"Ahaha wassup!" Hawk chuckled and gripped Miguel's fist after the door opened to see the inside of Miguel's apartment. Every Cobra Kai boy greeted each other so in a classic manly grip, even the younger glasses wearing Cobra Bert.

Robby shrugged after seeing this because he didn't feel lonely like he thought he would, seeing the four boys go inside Miguel's house, continuing to text Hannah. He still wondered how awkward it would be living across the hall from his big Karate rival who'd injured his shoulder worse only a month before.

As they both walked to Johnny's Dodge Challenger from Miguel's house, Johnny asked Carmen a question, "Hey you mind that we swing by my AA meeting real quick?"

"Uh...sure but did you already make dinner reservations?"

"Yup." He nodded as he opened the car door for Carmen, "There you go m'lady."

Miguel's mother smirked, "Why thank you Mr. Lawrence."

III

Johnny cleared his throat as he stood up in the ring of seated strangers, "Hi I'm Johnny and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi Johnny." The other members of Reseda's Alcoholics Anonymous club murmured.

Carmen watched from afar as Johnny started speaking, "I used to be an alcoholic I guess. I reached the lowest point of my life after high school. I was living off my shitty step dads handouts, worked a dead end job...was a deadbeat dad to my kid...and all my friends moved on to college without me." He remembered Tommy and the blonde gang, "Plus I lived in the same shit hole I still live in now." Johnny smiled as he stared off into the circle of recovering alcoholics sitting in chairs in a community center, "...But I didn't have Robby. I didn't have my students." He turned his smile at an admiring Carmen, "I didn't have someone I was interested in...I used to be a really heavy drinker, I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about."

"Hear hear." An AA member nodded slowly with his fellows.

Johnny kept speaking, "But ever since I turned my life around I haven't felt like I've had a need to drink anymore...In fact I haven't touched a drop in over a month." The AA members applauded along with Carmen before he started speaking again, "I got my son who I've been awful to for years, back in my life again. Cobra Kai's gotten a student with more natural talent in him, than any other kid I've met except for perhaps Miguel." Carmen heard her date reference David and mention her son and kept smiling, "So I've turned my life around. I was at my lowest, and I've brought myself up to my highest. And I'm proud to say I'm planning to stay sober for as long as I can."

The other AA members applauded him again and when the meeting ended, Johnny and Carmen resumed their date.

III

Johnny cleared his throat awkwardly to clear the silence that fell between them at the dinner table. Carmen looked like she was going to say something but repented. The air between them held nothing but silence, and the dinner date had gotten off to an incredibly awkward start.

"Would you like some wine?" Carmen broke the silence.

He shook his head across the dinner table, "Can't. Recovering alcoholic remember?"

"Ah." Carmen nodded as she sipped some.

"Are you two ready to order?" A waiter appeared and cut the awkward air in half.

"Um yes, can I have the clam chowder?" Carmen asked.

The waiter nodded and smiled at their table, "Of course, it is exquisite. And you sir?"

Johnny forgot that he was at a fancy type of restaurant, "Do you guys have like...a burger or something?"

The waiter offered an alternative, "We have sirloin steak."

"Guess I'll have that." The Karate instructor shrugged.

"Excellent." The waiter put his notepad back in his pocket, "It should be out shortly." He nodded again and left.

Carmen sighed as she put her wine glass back on the white cloth covered table, "I haven't been on a date like this in years. Have you?"

Johnny shook his head, "Me neither. Where are you from?"

"Ecuador."

"And...h-how is Miguel doing?"

She covered her small laugh, "You see him every day at your Karate Dojo."

"R-right." Johnny started nodding.

Carmen looked at him confused again, "Are you just trying to make conversation?"

"Yes...it's just...I don't want to make this date anymore awkward than it already is, plus I-"

"Stop." Carmen smiled at him and made eye contact with her kind brown eyes, "Here. Let me ask you something, what are the things you like?"

Johnny leaned back in his chair across from Carmen's, "Uh...Karate...teaching Karate...cars...bikes...that's it I guess. You?"

"Not much I suppose. I work as a sales assistant, and I read novels occasionally. I already know what you work as, Miguel won't stop talking about you at home."

"R-really?" The dinner date picked up speed and stopped being so awkward a little.

Carmen nodded, "Yes. He won't stop telling me...what a strong and skilled man teaches him Karate. He sees you as a bit as a father figure I guess...I'm glad Miguel looks up to a man as good as you."

"Thank you Carmen." Johnny actually smiled at the compliment.

The date continued more naturally and Johnny didn't even glance at the bottle of wine that Carmen occasionally poured into her glass from. Johnny actually made a joke and Carmen snorted as she put her wine glass down, and before they knew it, the date was going along perfectly.

III

Carmen and Johnny said goodnight across the hall from each other at the doors of their apartments, "Good night." Johnny nodded.

Miguel's mother nodded back and smiled, "Good night Johnny."

Carmen entered her home and was surprised, "I didn't know you'd have friends over." She looked arund her house.

Hawk, Demetri and David were playing 'Halo Reach' on Miguel's Xbox in the Diaz household's living room as Bert was practicing his Spanish with Miguel and Rosa, sitting together at a messy dinner table complete with plates of eaten food.

"Oh, sorry Mom. Mom, this is David Schwarber and Hawk...Moskowitz?..." Miguel bit his lip.

"Meh," The Cobra shrugged as David rifled his character on screen, "Hawk works."

"Ya comiste?" Rosa asked her daughter who sat down next to Bert.

Carmen nodded and affirmed that she'd already eaten, "Don't stay up too late boys." She put her purse down in her chair and walked off to collapse on her bed in her bedroom.

David sighed as he checked his phone bright with a text from his sister, "Hannah says she's thinking about getting a cat. Why does she think I give a shit?"

Demetri shrugged next to him as his Spartan was shot by Hawk's, "I think I'd care about everything that she says."

"Yeah, girl's hotter than a ghost pepper. She's like Yasmine crossed with Sam's personality." Hawk chuckled and bro-fisted Demetri who'd gained a lot more confidence since starting Cobra Kai.

As Demetri met Hawk's fist with his own, he smirked, "Don't let Moon hear you say that."

David frowned at them both, "That's my sister you're talking about."

Miguel cleared his throat on that note, "Dave? Can I talk to you outside man?" He stood up from sitting next to his grandmother.

"Sure." The tallest and oldest out of the group of Cobra Kai boys set his Xbox controller down and walked between Hawk's and Demetri's field of vision on their Halo game. David saw Miguel close the door behind him, "So wassup?"

Miguel looked around the empty hallway, "I haven't told anyone about this...but Hannah came over to my house the same night you kicked Kyler's ass. And...she leaned over on my windowsill and-"

"Wait. You looked at my sister's boobs?" David was pressing his lips together.

Miguel cleared his throat loudly, "Not really. Anyway, I think she likes me while she's with Robby. She straight up offered to go on secret dates with me. Can you break the news to her that I'm not into her?"

David squinted at him, "Why should I do that?"

"Because she's super kind, I don't have the guts to do it." Miguel rested his hands in his blue jean pockets.

"You have the balls to be All Valley Champ but not tell my sister you don't like her?"

Miguel sighed, "Yes."

David raised a clenched right fist, "Bro code, you got it. Okay but, Hannah is...not so good at dealing with rejection but I feel pretty bad for Robby. I mean she basically just forgot the fact that she had a boyfriend. Plus, I've been suspecting her of something for a while."

"What?"

"I think she told my mom about where I hid my GI." The 'secret' conversation in the hallway continued.

"Wow...I know she's your sister but...she is just the worst isn't she?" Miguel scratched the top of his head.

Hawk spoke through the black mesh between the open window to Miguel's house and the hallway, "Bitches will be bitches."

"Hawk! This was a private conversation!" Miguel complained.

He took on the same innocent look when he almost got caught throwing M&Ms at a man in a movie theatre, "Oh. Whoops."

"Don't call my sister a bitch or we'll throw down Hawk." David picked up his skateboard outside Miguel's front door, "I'm gonna go home and talk to her. Hope things won't be awkward now between us."

"They won't...even though I kick your ass every night at Sensei's for sparring."

"Shut up Diaz. Bros to the end?"

Miguel accepted the offered fist and the equally strong boys had another man grip, "Bros to the end man."

David exchanged a smirk with the champion who was smiling widely with braces before riding back home to the Schwarber household on his skateboard.

Hawk wasn't the only one who heard that conversation, as Robby had his window opened slightly to the hallway because it was summer already. But the moment he heard his girlfriend's name he listened closer and frowned.

III

In Daniel's dojo where he would practice his Katas, Samantha and Hannah were sparring together wearing their white Miyagi-Do GIs with bonsai trees on their backs. The blonde threw out a kick which was avoided and countered instantly. Samantha simply moved aside and tripped Hannah into the ground.

The brunette girl helped her up from the ground and resumed sparring again.

Samantha anticipated another attack from Hannah as she hesitated slightly before going for a reverse punch, and moved forward in a slide. Hannah's fist missed and Sam swept her opponent off her feet onto the ground quickly.

"Nice one LaRusso." David stood in the doorway of the dojo admiring Daniel's 1984 and 1986 All Valley trophies.

"D-David?" Hannah stood up from the ground slowly with help from Samantha.

He smiled at Sam, "Your boyfriend kicks my ass like you kick my sisters every night for practice, so don't feel bad about knockin' 'er around."

"What do you want Dave? And why're you wearing your Cobra Kai GI?"

David smirked as he patted the white material, "Oh this thing? The thing you told mom about?" He approached slowly.

Sam started to slink out of her father's dojo slowly, "Think I'm gonna go now..."

"You do that." David muttered to Sam without looking at her, and balled his fists and squinted at his blond sister. Hannah saw Sam leave as her brother approached, "Do you like her boyfriend?" He asked when she was out of earshot.

"What?"

David clenched his jaw and enunciated clearly and slowly, "Do you like. Miguel Diaz?"

Hannah breathed in tightly, "Yes."

She looked down when her brother asked the next question, "Did you tell mom where I hid my GI?"

"Yes."

David shook his head and kept squinting, "Thanks Hannah. You're just the best. By the way, he's not into you. At all, so just leave him alone okay?" He went from angry to smug, "Besides, it's not like any guy'll date you after Robby finds out and dumps you." David chuckled as he walked away.

He started to leave but Hannah spoke out as she stepped forward, "You and me. Right now. Right here."

David stopped and spoke over his shoulder, "Okay then...AIIIIYEEET!" David struck first just like Johnny trained him to do so and came out with surprisingly quick and accurate attacks. His strength had grown substantially with his 100% effort in Cobra Kai and attacked his sister with everything he knew. Launching punches, kicks, chops in rapid succession.

Hannah saw her brother's right fist coming towards her stomach and swept her left hand downwards in a down block and evaded all the other attacks in a balanced fashion.

Amanda and Daniel's son Anthony heard David's yells and arrived to keep seeing his attacks blocked.

"What is this?"

"Awesome!" Anthony clenched his fist and laughed at the sight of the dueling siblings as his mother crossed her arms.

The older sibling was doing nothing but attacks, and the younger one simply avoided all of them by twitching her body at the right moment and blocking.

Amanda gasped when Hannah successfully blocked and then countered her brother's front kick or 'Mae Geri' and spun her right leg upwards in a circular motion or 'Mawashi Geri'. Hannah's right foot struck right across David's chin, and the poor boy saw stars when he was knocked into the mat.

Amanda was surprised, "You two are siblings! Why would you want to hurt each other?"

"B-Because..." David chuckled with blurry eyes as he looked up from the mat at his sister, "Hannah's got a crush on two guys who don't like her. Painful isn't it?"

"Robby likes me you jerk!" Hannah snapped.

"Not when he finds out you want Miguel's dick." David chuckled on the ground as Amanda covered Anthony's ears.

Daniel's wife snapped as Anthony wanted to hear more curse words from David and tried to pull her hands off his ears, "My son is here!" Amanda noted angrily.

David stood up off the ground and rubbed his bruised chin, "Mom'd be ashamed if she heard about how you're toying with Robby."

"I'm not toying with anyone, I just happen to like two guys!"

Amanda blinked as she saw David chuckle again, "They say Cobra Kai is worse than Miyagi-Do. But then here you go, trying to cheat on Robby with Miguel. I get my ass whooped by Miguel every night after practice when we spar, but we're still bros. You just kicked mine, but I don't feel like being friends with you, my own sister. I'll see you at home." He tried to leave but Amanda spoke.

"If you were my kids, I'd lock you in a room together until you made up." Amanda frowned but an idea popped into her head, "I'm taking you to your mother. Come on." She walked across the street from Daniel's home to Ali's and rang the doorbell with her children behind her.

Ali answered the door, "Uh...hello."

"Yeah hi. I caught Hannah and David here..." Amanda smiled on Ali's doorstep, "Fighting."

"Fighting?" Ali was appalled, "Over what?"

David was angry, "She told you where my GI was! And she tried to cheat on Robby."

"That's none of your business." Hannah gritted her teeth, "David."

"It is when you're trying to do it with Miguel, my best friend."

Ali watched as her children bickered, her daughter turning to her brother and growling at him, "He's not your best friend. You wish he was your best friend!"

"Okay enough!" Ali shook her head and smiled to Amanda, "Thank you." She dragged her children into her home and Amanda left back to her husbands home.

Ali forced David and Hannah to sit down at the table next to each other and spoke to them, "I don't know why you two are fighting. But you both need to stop it. Right now."

"Hannah needs to back off my best friend! We're the best students at Cobra Kai and I don't want you jackin' that up!" David turned from Ali to Hannah.

His sister glared at him sitting to his right, "Again. You just wish he was your best friend."

They started speaking over each other but Ali snapped, "Enough! You two will make up! And you!" Ali pointed to her daughter, "Will remain loyal to your boyfriend! I can't believe I have to say this to my own daughter, but I guess it's necessary I taught you responsibility. I expected better from you Hannah, being the more mature one." She turned her head slightly to her son who leaned back in his chair.

"Ha ha." David crossed his arms and smirked at his sister just to earn a shoulder punch from her.

Ali spoke to Hannah, "Robby is very kind from what I've seen of him, why would you ever want something more than that?"

David muttered under his breath, "She wants that Ecuadorian Cobra Kai schlong that's why." He caught a punch from his sister skilfully that was aimed at his shoulder.

"Mom did you hear that?" Hannah asked Ali.

"Answer the question Hannah."

Hannah sighed, "I just...Miguel's really cute and I wanted to date him too. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes!" David answered before Ali could speak, "Goddamnit, I don't your paws on my Karate bro!"

The doorbell rang and Hannah rose up out of her chair before Ali could move, "I'll get it mom."

Hannah frowned when she saw Robby at her doorstep holding his skateboard. Silence fell between the blonde couple.

"Did you hear?"

Robby nodded quietly and made eye contact with her.

"Are we breaking up?"

"You really should." David cleared his throat behind Hannah wearing the bruise on his strong chin she gave him, "I mean, she stabbed you in the back dude."

Hannah spun around and made her brother crumple to the ground when she roundhouse kicked him in the stomach.

Robby frowned as he made eye contact with his girlfriend, "Dad said I had to think very carefull about this. And I think that you. Hannah Mills…are the smartest nicest and prettiest girl I've met…what we have is special. So please, promise me you won't ever hurt my trust again and we can move forward together." He spoke kindly with a warm smile.

Hannah leaped forwards into Robby's arms and hugged him, "I promise I won't do that again. Ever."

"Awesome." Robby hugged her back.

"You're totally pussy whipped Robbs." David still acted like the Cobra Kai he was through and through.

Hannah broke off from Robby's hug and stomp kicked her brother right in his shoulder, forcing him back into the hardwood floor of his mother's house.

III

III

III

Author's note:

Okay so we've got all the temporary teen angst and drama out of the way so now I can focus completely on the KARATE! I'm pretty sure I can split the 2019 Under 18 All Valley Tournament into two parts. Cobra Kai had ten episodes and I can have ten chapters if I pace myself I think, this is essentially Season 2 kind of sort of... Here's what the next three chapters can be:

8- Training and Romance Montage (Probably going to be a Really Long Chapter. I mean I'm going to be describing all the relationships and training and the like from June 2018 to May 2019 which is a lot.)

9- All Valley Part 1 mixed with drama maybe?

10- Finale (All Valley Part 2 and Ending)

I have the opening eliminatory round of the tournament right here:

1. Samantha LaRusso (Miyagi-Do) vs Aisha Robinson (Cobra Kai)

2. Robby Keene (Miyagi-Do) vs Brucks McClaughlin (Tsuyoi Karate)

3. Miguel Diaz (Cobra Kai) vs Hannah Mills (Miyagi-Do)

4. Bert Mitchell (Cobra Kai) vs OC (Topanga Karate)

5. OC (Topanga Karate) vs OC (Tsuyoi Karate)

6. Hawk (Cobra Kai) vs Kyler Lee (Tsuyoi Karate)

7. Yasmine Mitchell (Tsuyoi Karate) vs Demetri Connors (Cobra Kai)

8. Xander Stone (Topanga Karate) vs David Mills (Cobra Kai)

There are 8 starting groups which start with sixteen competitors (There are actually sixteen starting groups before this but 1-8 are the only ones that I will focus on I think. The very first thing that happens in the tourney is that the eliminatory round is decided by having randomized fighters face off and whoever doesn't lose is chosen). The first eliminatory round goes in backward order from groups 8 to 1. Each round eliminates half of the competitors. So it goes (32) 16-8-4-2. The winners of each group will face off like so.

Winner of group 1 is decided in Round One, then he/she will face off against the winner of group 2 in the second round and then face off against the winner of groups 3 and 4 in the semis. Winner of 5 against the winner of 6 and then against the winner of both 7 and 8 in the semis and so on. Whoever wins the semis moves on to the final.

And whoever wins the final...is the All Valley Under 18 Karate Champion!

If you think I'm cutting it too short with just ten chapters, feel free to tell me. Also, do any of you have any suggestions or things you would like to see? Again feel free to let me know and I might incorporate it into the story.

Until next time, have an awesome day readers!

III

Chapter Eight: Strike First

III

Johnny hadn't cleaned his Dodge Challenger in a while. As it was washed down, he played 'Kyrie' by Mr. Mister on his old boom box and soaked in the summer sun. He put on his sunglasses and watched as his Cobras washed his car.

"Is this really necessary Sensei?" Hawk grunted as he passed a sponge over his Sensei's car's hood. Aisha and all the other Cobra Kais were cleaning it as well.

"Yes it is Hawk." Johnny sipped some lemonade and blinked behind his sunglasses.

III

Kreese stood in his new dojo on the other side of Reseda and began barking to his class including Kyler, Brucks, Yasmine and all their friends, "If you want to get back at all those losers who beat you up, you're going to focus on your power and speed and destroy them next year at the tournament! Is that clear?"

"Yes Sensei!"

"Fighting stances! Round kick! Aiheet!"

The class full of bullies began to train and Kreese smiled wearing his old teachers uniform, glad to exact his revenge on his old student in the coming tournament.

III

Robby, Samantha and Hannah were standing on one foot on wooden stumps in Mr. Miyagi's garden as Daniel spoke to them, "Focus! Ignore everything in your head, don't let it confuse you. Control your fears, find balance..."

The three teens were on their wooden stumps, Robby and Sam with black belts and Hannah with her white one, but all three were practicing balancing on their left foot.

"All right...now try a right kick."

They all stopped standing on a single foot and tried a balanced kick with their right one. Their left was used to supporting their balance that it was executed swiftly, and balance was found.

Daniel smiled, "Good. Go back to standing on one foot again."

Sam, Robby and Hannah went back to practicing balance by standing on their right feet. They all felt themselves sweat under the summer sun standing on those wooden stumps, becoming strong like bonsai trees. Eventually, they got so used to standing on their left feet that they naturally became rigid and strong, balanced completely.

"Switch feet!" Daniel chewed on a sandwich wearing his old white lotus headband and Karate uniform.

III

III

All three teachers, Daniel, Johnny and Kreese trained their students that summer harder than they'd ever been trained before. David and Miguel sparred during the night after training during the day, and David was consistently pounded into the mat under the fury and speed of the Champions attacks. Regardless, he still went home to Ali's garage and practiced strikes on his new punching bag his mother had bought him.

What made Johnny truly proud was David's determination as he sparred with Miguel, getting up with a bruised...yet smiling face...just to be knocked back into the mat again by Miguel.

Daniel's students all practiced balancing and defensive techniques, training their blocks against each other again and again in Mr. Miyagi's garden. Hannah saw Samantha's foot coming towards her gut and she swept it aside, and Robby blocked Daniel's attack summarily as well.

Kreese trained Kyler and his gang hard too in the ways of Cobra Kai, teaching them to strike without the smallest shred of weakness or mercy, earning enough money from their rich parents to support his dojo. Kyler knocked Brucks into the mat of the seedy looking Tsuyoi dojo as Yasmine grabbed one of Kyler's shorter bullies by the extended fist and blasted his gut with a kick.

"Great job you all!" Kreese chuckled, "Strike harder!"

Kyler yelled in a war cry and swept Brucks feet off the ground. When he landed, Kyler pounced on his chubby sidekick and punched him in the shoulder. Yasmine blocked an attack from her shorter opponent like Kreese trained her and punched the boy into the ground.

Kreese saw how Kyler swept Bruck's leg and smiled. These kids are gonna destroy Lawrence's next year.

Another night in Cobra Kai while David and Miguel sparred in front of Johnny, Miguel left his stomach exposed for an attack when he tried to kick David's gut. But the boy moved aside to evade it and kicked Miguel's abdomen in a quick counter as Miguel's strong fist missed. Everyone in the dojo was surprised, that was the first hit David had ever landed on Miguel for weeks.

Still, Miguel got back up and confidently knocked aside David's slower strikes just to blast his fist into the center of David's chest when he came forward with an anticipated roundhouse.

Johnny rubbed his chin in thought. David's getting better. But Miguel's gotta year of experience over him, I'm surprised he's not completely wrecking him. Progress is progress though.

The two Cobras dueled back and forth and as the months went by they attacked faster and faster, the Cobras becoming faster yet in their dance. David started to master how to see attacks coming his way better and how to counter them. Without warning, Johnny blew his whistle on the mat and Miguel flew forwards with a number of powerful strikes.

David blocked Miguel's right fist with a quick knife hand block or 'Shuto Uke' with his left and punched Miguel in the solar plexus in a reverse punch. Miguel was sent careening back from it into the mat and when he got up again to spin around and kick David in the face, his foot missed when David simply drew himself forward and swept Miguel's foot that his whole body was now supporting itself on.

No one could believe it: David had swept Miguel's leg after a few months of training.

Miguel and David both looked to Johnny in surprise, but he nodded in approval. That's an entire summer of pure training right there. I'm proud of you two.

III

When school started, training didn't slow down, it only intensified for young David. He would listen to Johnny's workout music from a cassette tape he lent him labeled '80s mix' as he trained in his garage. David's right foot spun upwards in a high circular right kick and it was so strong the bag jumped in the air of his garage. His mawashi geris were becoming stronger and faster along with all his strikes.

His schedule became like a routine. He'd have an hour to finish his homework after school ended and then he'd have to rush to the Cobra Kai dojo on his skateboard and train from 4:15 to 5:45. Afterwards, he sparred with Miguel every night from six to seven o'clock, just to go back home and train more on his punching bag after finishing what remained of his homework.

David's body became like a machine after training so much. His mind and muscles became sharper after sparring every night for about an hour with Miguel and training at the regular class. If he wasn't eating, sleeping or studying, he was training.

He installed a weight set in his garage close to his punching bag and worked out, pushing iron off his chest or pulling dumbells, feeling his already strong muscles get even stronger. After four months he was an orange belt, and was proud to be Johnny's star student alongside Miguel.

III

Samantha was glad to get back into Karate. She practiced her katas with Hannah and her boyfriend Robby Keene every day at Miyagi-Do. For 'Heian Shodan' they stepped to their left in a down block followed by a straight punch. Their kata sequence continued and the mobile strikes were observed by a proud Daniel.

Sammy-chan's Karate is still as amazing as ever...Wow I even THINK like Mr. Miyagi now!

III

Miguel and Samantha were making a pizza together in Daniel's kitchen. Some flour got on Samantha's nose and Miguel decided to kiss it. The next thing they knew they were having a flour fight, throwing it to each other back and forth without end. Sure enough outside, Hawk and David were sparring next to Daniel's pool as Demetri and Bert watched.

Both Cobra Kai boys were strong and fast as hell, the fight becoming a blurry mess of strikes and blocks. Hawk went on the offensive and tried to punch David's solar plexus or the center of his chest but David just shifted to the outside and the fist didn't connect. Not a second later, David popped his right foot outwards in a round kick and countered Hawk in his belly, the clean strike knocking him down but not out.

Hawk came back stronger and went for his signature 'Hawk strike' by flying through the air with his right fist extended forwards, but logically, David saw it coming from a mile away and kicked Hawk out of the air with a faster step up kick. Hawk chuckled on the ground and smiled as David helped him back up, and the two Cobras were gripping each other's fists like the true friends they were.

David was strong enough to pick up Sam and Miguel covered in flour from their tiny duel and chuckled as he carried them outside, "You two need some cleaning huh!?"

Miguel was yelling as he was held up with his girlfriend, "Dave wait! Waiiiit!"

Both teens were flung into the pool and the Cobras laughed at them as all the flour on their bodies was released into Daniel's pool. Sam shrugged and pecked Miguel on the lips as the Cobras looked away in disgust.

"Ugh! Gross!" David cringed but turned to Demetri, "Come on Connors. You and me let's go!" He lowered into his stance.

Demetri raised his hands in a defensive 'No way' manner and David went inside Daniel's home to fetch some towels for the couple he'd thrown in Samantha's pool.

III

Sam and David trained by themselves more often than not. Sam would just repeat her memorized katas in her father's dojo as David did cardio and other muscle work. David enjoyed running to increase the power in his legs, streaming past all the happy couples as he worked out and released punches into the air. He already practiced strikes and blocks at home for hours so this would suffice for him.

Hannah and Robby were in an ice cream shop sharing a milkshake as David ran past the window punching the air.

Miguel and Sam were back at Golf N' Stuff putting against each other. Sam putted as Miguel's hands covered her eyes and she laughed when she actually managed to line up the shot well. David of course ran past the golf course running as fast as his legs could carry him releasing strong punches into the air in front of him.

Hawk and Moon waved to David from inside a restaurant with plates of food on the table in front of them, and the training Cobra waved back to them as he ran.

After David went back to his house running, he went inside his luxurious room and began to do sit ups resting his feet under the small space between his bed frame and the carpet of his bedroom. As he rose up and down to increase his upper body strength, occasionally doing knuckle pushups, months seemed to pass by.

His white, yellow, and orange belts that laid on his spinny desk chair had new friends every few months. Johnny would reward David's full effort and quick learning at Cobra Kai with belts whenever he saw the necessary improvement and ability. A green belt was added. And months seemed to go by with training exercises.

A knuckle pushup was done.

A blue belt was added on his chair.

Another pushup.

A purple belt.

Another pushup.

A red belt.

Another pushup.

A brown belt.

Another pushup.

A black belt.

When David Anthony Mills-Schwarber stood up, his body had appeared to evolve. He had grown taller, his muscles were vastly more defined, and he looked much more confident. He no longer admired Johnny's ability. He'd tried his best to be at that ability after an entire year of nothing but hard work and routine determination.

III

Miguel and David looked to Johnny as if they did indeed become actual Cobras. David wasn't being knocked down every few seconds like he was when he first started sparring with Miguel, the two were actually equal in strength and speed.

The older Cobra feinted a front kick and made Miguel back up to anticipate it, before striking properly and knocking Miguel clean into the mat of the Cobra Kai dojo. Miguel got back up and unleashed the most furious strikes. He spun around in a back kick but David down blocked it.

Johnny's star students were equally tired when Miguel came forward and tried to reverse punch David's gut. David saw it coming and used his favorite counter he'd trained most with. He shifted to the left quickly and spun off his left heel, successfully kicking Miguel in the stomach.

What seemed impossible a year before had become crystal clear now. Miguel had been knocked into the mat two times in a row, and was nodding in agreement with Johnny on the mat with the same thought in their head about David.

He's ready for the tournament.

They both kept sparring, and Johnny watched as they flew backwards and forwards, one blocking one attacking. Without a doubt, both were ferocious and agile, but equally skilled with each passing moment.

III

David put on his workout clothes and descended back into the same garage he'd trained for a year in.

As he hit the bag, he noticed his strikes had improved tenfold since he trained for the first time on it. His punches and kicks were not only a lot quicker but more controlled, nuanced and stronger overall. That and he'd learned loads of new strikes since becoming a black belt. He flew forwards in a jackknife kick and became a brown haired blur as he struck the bag with everything he had.

Daniel nodded as he stood in the open garage, "Hm...seems like you've got the striking part of it down. You're a black belt right?"

"Hm? Mr. LaRusso?" David turned to him covered in sweat.

"Your sister's at that level too now. She tells me you don't fight as often with her."

"Don't have time to fight." David wiped sweat off his face, "Tournaments next week, gotta train."

David became surprised when his fist was caught by Daniel before it could reach the punching bag, "Kid. You've trained your ass off for the past year from what Hannah's told me. You can relax. Besides, you haven't mastered all of Karate."

"My black belt says otherwise." David scoffed at Daniel's comment when he wrenched his fist off from Mr. Miyagi's old student.

Daniel smiled, "You know what's tonight right?"

"Yes. The stupid end of the year dance. Kreese's students and your students have been training for the past year just like me, and I'm thinking if I can get a one day advantage over them maybe it can help?"

Daniel chuckled at his obsession with Karate, "David...why do you want to win so much?"

"So I can be like Sensei. A badass. King Cobra y'know?"

The car dealer slash Karate instructor nodded, "Let's go on a little road trip."

"Where?" David started following Daniel to his car.

"You'll see."

III

Peter Cetera's Glory of Love played in the MP room of West Valley High and there were various students dancing together.

Yasmine and Kyler had grown to the rank of black belt just like David and were dancing slowly in each other's arms. Their fellow student of Kreese's, Brucks, unfortunately hadn't found a date for the dance.

Hawk took Moon by the hand and swayed gently with her to the soft beat of the music.

As Hannah and Robby danced just a pace away, Miguel and Sam rested their heads on each other shoulders and whispered.

"Tournaments next week."

Sam scoffed on his shoulder, "I don't care who wins. There's only one thing I want."

"What's that?"

"To be with you Miguel." Sam brushed her lips against his in a short kiss, "You."

"I...I want that too." They hugged in their slow dance.

They kept swaying, and Miguel felt like he could do nothing but slow dance with her until the end of time.

"Sam? You know how last year I accidentally punched you in the face?"

She nodded as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I won't ever do that again. You're special to me. Very special."

Sam just smiled and pecked him on the lips, "Yeah...I'll get my revenge soon enough."

She smirked on his chest as they swayed together and Miguel's eyes went wide in fear of that comment.

Many miles away, the music of Peter Cetera's voice echoed to the same beach where Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel the crane kick. Daniel parked his car close to that beach and made a small trail of sandy footsteps to the shore.

"You've got what we would call 'kumite' in Karate...down. But not kata. Not balance." Daniel took off his shoes on the beach and became barefoot with David.

"Balance? I do stretching and balancing all the time Mr. LaRusso."

Daniel shook his head and tapped David's defined and muscular arm, "Not here." He tapped David's forehead, "Here. Balance lets you focus. Your sister knows this. Listen to the waves, isn't it calming?"

David listened to the small crashes of the waves against the beach, "Yeah...it's calming."

"I'm going to teach you a kata. It's the soul of Karate, and if you want to win next week, you have to have balance. You have to be...focused." Daniel stared off into the horizon of the Pacific Ocean.

His old girlfriend's son nodded and they began.

Feeling the calming and serene bliss of the beach the two started practicing their kata against the setting sun. The horizon was painted a beautiful shade of orange and the two set their hands about their body in a swirling motion. As the sequence continued, David no longer felt the same powerful rage of Cobra Kai, but rather something that relaxed his muscles and made them sharper.

This sensation... David kept doing his kata with Daniel as he thought. It's so calming, I don't ever want it to end.

Daniel and David faced each other and threw shots at each other just like Mr. Miyagi and Daniel used to train on Okinawa. Daniel would punch lightly and David would block it. There were two shadows outlined against the sunset of the sea, a taller younger one and an older shorter one.

The taller one soon matched the shorter one in control and the strikes became sharp yet controlled instead of bombastically powerful. David never sent out a kick, and Daniel and David kept blocking each other's fists continually on the beach.

Daniel nodded, "You're ready. Come here."

Before they both knew it, they were on those same beach stumps Daniel had originally learned his crane kick on, and a small flock of seagulls flew overhead as they practiced kicks on one foot. David never could've imagined that his neighbor from across the street ever could know so much about Karate.

David and Daniel did their kata until the sun went down, their hands moving about their bodies to block invisible strikes standing on one foot on wooden stumps. Balance was reached inside David's mind and he felt more calm than he'd ever been. However, he didn't lose any of the strength Johnny ingrained into his iron like muscles, but his mind was sharp now too. He didn't lose his strength, he only gained focus.

The two males sat cross legged in the sand as the sun kept going down. Their eyes closed, and they felt so calm that it was if they became transported to another world. David never objected and Daniel's thoughts filled his mind. I've been teaching Sam and Hannah these focusing techniques for a while. I'm glad I've taught one of Johnny's students this too.

Both of them were never more focused in their entire lives than that single moment.

They stood up and practiced the swirling hands kata until the sun went down completely. And as the sun went down, both Daniel and David had no care in the world except focusing on their kata, with balance found and calmer minds.

Both of them smiled and bowed respectfully after training.

As they drove back, more soft eighties slow dance music played in the car.

The brown haired teen murmured as he rested against the window, "I feel more energetic somehow. I feel more focused...sharper, fresher mentally and all that...what...what was that Mr. LaRusso?"

Daniel smirked as he looked down the road, "Balance David. Balance." He sighed, "When I met your mom, she supported me at my first tournament back in '84. Now, I never would've guessed that she would've lived in Denver as a surgeon and come out here. But...why do you want to be like Johnny?"

"When I was twelve, mom showed me a VHS tape of you fighting Sensei in that tournament. I don't know why, but I found Sensei's moves so much cooler...and from then onwards I wanted to be just like him. But this focusing technique, I think I'll use it next week. Thanks Mr. LaRusso."

"You're a lot like Johnny." Daniel kept smiling, "You're very physical and deliberate...but in a likable way. He's taught you well, very well."

"Thank you for teaching me this and all...but why would you help me? I'm competing against you next week you know."

Daniel shrugged as he drove back towards his house, "You never met Mr. Miyagi. But helping people and doing the right thing is what he was all about." He chuckled, "After the tournament, Kreese tried to choke Johnny to death. And even though Johnny and all his buddies bullied the hell outta me...he still helped him."

"You deserve a Cobra Kai GI." David nodded, "You're a real man."

"Yeah..." Daniel sighed, "I tried that. Didn't work."

"Really?"

Daniel chuckled, "That's a story for another time David. I think you're really missin' out kiddo."

"Huh? On what?"

"I mean on everything. You practically live doing Karate."

David nodded, "Yeah. So what?"

"So get your head outta the clouds, you worked full time on training since you came here and you've never even talked to a girl I'm guessing."

"I talk to Aisha at the dojo."

"No not talk. Talk. Like get to know better, engage in deep conversation."

David looked down at his lap with a seatbelt across it, "Karate is my livelihood, it's why I use all my free time on it. I turned seventeen last week, I'll never get another shot at being champion again. I have to win."

"That's true." Daniel turned to the boy to his right as he drove down the highway from the beach, "But you'll never get another shot at being a kid again. Besides, if you don't win next week, I'm on the Karate board. Might pull a couple strings for you to get in next year."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah. I would." Daniel smiled at him.

David shook his head, "I'm still gonna win. I'm not gonna let Sensei down."

"Considering how good your Karate is, I don't think you can ever let Johnny down."

David smiled widely.

III

David waved Daniel goodnight as he walked across the street back to his house. Daniel turned around to his front porch just to see two familiar blonde males.

"Guess who came into town to see me kick your ass next week?"

Daniel squinted, "B-Bobby Brown?"

"Sup Danielle." He was wearing a red shirt that read: Number One Dad.

"He's the nice one remember?" Johnny cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah...you tripped me when I tried out for the soccer team."

"You socked me in the face."

Johnny cleared his throat, "Anyway, I'm breaking my sobriety tonight for a special occasion." He put his hand on Bobby's shoulder, "Bobby here's having another kid."

"What?" Daniel looked at his old bullies, "What're you talking about?"

Johnny started walking back to the Dodge Challenger as he drew his keys from his pocket, "Come on Danielle, we'll tell you all about it when he hit the bar."

"The bar? Who said I'm coming with you guys?"

"We did." Bobby and Johnny said in unison.

Daniel muttered under his breath on his front porch, "These guys are still assholes..."

As Johnny drove towards the same bar where him and Daniel saw Ali's facebook page, Johnny was playing music on his radio and the Dodge Challenger rolled down the road.

Daniel checked his expensive watch with gritted teeth. Amanda!...Shit, she'll tear my head off!

"How long is this gonna take?" Daniel looked at the two blonde men.

"Got somewhere to be?" Bobby opened his phone and chose 'Photos'.

He nodded, "Yeah! An anniversary dinner, got reservations in an hour and a half."

"Ah we'll be back before you know it." Johnny waved a hand as Bobby passed Daniel his phone.

"Okay see the lady next to me?"

Daniel nodded as he looked at the picture of Bobby's family.

"Okay that's Jessica, my wife. The two kids in my arms, Thomas and Kimberly. I call him Tommy, Jess had 'em both last year. Then the two other twins by our feet are Brianna and Alicia. And now, Jess is pregnant. Again."

"You're gonna have five kids? Wow..." Daniel leaned back in the backseat of the Dodge Challenger he gave to Johnny, "Bobby Brown having five kids...that just blows my mind."

"Time flies huh? So I brought them all down here to see the All Valley next week, lookin' forward to seeing Cobra Kai in action again after thirty or so years."

Daniel looked at him, "Hey Bobby? Where do you live?"

"Portland." Bobby turned back around in his seat to make eye contact with Daniel, "Did you know they took down the sports arena and made a whole new one?"

"Yeah! I voted against that!" Daniel nodded.

"I know, total bullshit." Johnny shook his head as the car approached the bar, "Oh shit, Bobby this is our song." He tapped his old friend's shoulder after turning up the radio, and the two started to sing along to 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'.

Daniel was confused at the two blonde men, "Your song?"

"The year before you came, Ali said I had to dance with Bobby before she'd dance with me. Instead we sung along to it really loudly to annoy her so she'd dance with me."

Soon, Daniel was being tortured in the backseat of a car he used to own. He was constantly checking his watch and remembering his anniversary dinner with Amanda as Johnny and Bobby sung along to their favorite tune.

"Let the world around us...just fall apart! Baby we can make it if we're heart to heaaaart... And we can build this dream together!... Standing strong forever!... Nothing's gonna stop us now!"

Daniel covered his ears in pain as the two blondes kept singing, looking down the road and nodding their heads along to the music, "And if this world runs out of lovers! We'll still have each other! Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us nowww! Oh-whoa!" They both saw how much this bugged Daniel and bumped fists, "Aaand we're here!" Johnny parked the Dodge Challenger inside the bar's parking lot.

"Thank god." Daniel muttered under his breath as Johnny and Bobby's horrid singing stopped, and all three men left the car.

"To Bobby's kid." Johnny raised his beer before clinking it with Daniel and Bobby.

"To Bobby's kid." Daniel couldn't believe he was saying those words.

As they had drinks, Johnny sipped a Coors Banquet for the first time in months, "Shiiiiit that hit the spot." He put the beer down as Bobby sat between him and Daniel.

"Hey Dan, I never got to apologize for what an ass I was to you back in the day." Bobby sipped his beer.

"Thanks. You were actually pretty nice if you don't count the tournament." Daniel smiled playfully at him and Johnny, as if to imply he had to do the same thing.

Johnny just turned to Bobby sitting on the barstool next to him, "Man you are not gonna regret coming here, I'll put on a helluva show next week."

"Yeah, shame about the arena. But I hear it's gonna be way bigger though." Bobby shrugged.

Daniel drank some of his beer that Johnny ordered for him and Johnny shook his head, "Don't drink that much, we still gotta settle it the old way on the mat."

"Yeah rematch!" Bobby gave a classic Cobra growl.

"Oh...I never said yes." Daniel put his beer down on the bar's counter.

"One time! Come on one time!" Bobby and Johnny were egging him on.

Daniel turned to his left on the bar stool, "I would not be surprised if you invited Bobby here just so he could help pressure me into fighting you."

"Oh hey." Johnny tapped Bobby's arm, "Ali came back from Denver and I've got her kid at Cobra Kai."

"What's his name?" Bobby asked.

"David." Daniel sipped his beer as he'd trained him only about an hour before in the ways of focusing, "Younger sister's named Hannah, I've got her at Miyagi-Do."

Bobby's eyes widened, "You re-opened Miyagi-Do?"

"Yeah, I'm still gonna whoop you next week though."

"Johnny..." Daniel sighed, "We'll have to wait and see. I've been teaching Samantha since she was six."

"Natural talent though. Diaz and Mills are beasts. They've been training really hard and they're prodigies."

Bobby sat between them and watched as they threw arguments back and forth before he chuckled, "Wow. Thirty years and you're still fightin' huh?"

"Yeah...we're gonna settle this though. Tonight." Johnny smirked.

Daniel still pushed for not fighting, "I have an anniversary dinner to get to. Amanda will have my head if I miss this."

"The missus huh? We all got gals eh?" Bobby finished his beer.

"Kinda." Johnny was resting his hands on the cold bottle of his beer, "Carmen is my sort of girlfriend. I really like her."

Daniel smiled at Bobby, "He's dating his student's mom."

"You used to date your student's mom." Johnny retorted.

"So did you." Daniel said.

"You teach Ali's kid huh?" Bobby turned right to Daniel.

"Yeah."

Bobby turned to his left, "She still hot?"

"Smokin'." Johnny smirked back.

"You two...do not change." Daniel paid for all their drinks by tossing some cash on the counter, "I'm calling an Uber."

"Nah I'll drive you man." Johnny shook his head.

Daniel stopped him in his tracks, "No. No Johnny, no. You're gonna drive me to my place, and want to use my mat to fight. I have a dinner to get to."

Johnny tutted, "One time!"

Daniel nodded to the bartender and waved goodbye to the two blonde men at the counter, "Ciao!"

Johnny turned to Bobby, "You still in touch with Dutch and all them?"

"Nah, you're the only one. I guess after Kreese closed Cobra Kai we just..."

"Fell apart after senior year?"

Bobby sighed, "Yup. We all grow up man, one way or another. Even LaRusso, never would've guessed he'd be running a damned car dealership. I'm looking forward to seeing you win at the All Valley next week."

"Me too Bobs. Want me to take you back to your hotel?"

"Sure."

III

David was wearing his sleeveless orange and black All Valley Cobra Kai GI Johnny had recently got for him. It was even marked with his name over the circular orange and black fist logo on his chest, being labeled: DAVID. He turned around in the mirror he installed to improve his strikes in his garage and saw the Cobra Kai logo imprinted on his back.

His black belt was tied tightly around his waist and he was admiring himself in the mirror.

"My son...my son the Cobra." Ali wiped aside proud tears as she saw how much David had changed since they first moved in across from her old boyfriend's home.

David turned around, "Mom?"

"It's just...I'm not sad it's just." Ali smiled, "I'm so proud. I'm proud you've found something you love, something that motivates you. I'm happy you're happy."

"Mr. LaRusso thinks I shouldn't be so focused on Karate. I mean, he said he'll pull strings to get me in the tournament next year even though I'll be eighteen. But I don't believe that for a second... Because I have to win this year...I can't be like Sensei in the tape you showed me mom, I can't lose."

Ali shook her head and embraced David in a hug, "I couldn't be more proud of you. Getting a black belt while maintaining a perfect grade point average. No mother could be prouder. I'll tell you the same thing I told Hannah." Her teary blue eyes met the same brown ones her husband Gregory had, "I don't care if you win. I just want you to have fun. Go out there on that mat...and do all those spinning flying kicks and have. Fun. Okay? That's all I want."

"Okay mom." The boy with brown hair murmured.

Ali kissed David's forehead, "I'm so proud Dave. So proud."

David smiled and hugged his mother who was about half a head shorter than him, as his father Gregory watched on as he leaned on the doorway of his garage. The doctor nodded in the same pride his wife felt.

Upstairs, Hannah was petting her kitten in her bedroom and wasn't worried about the tournament the next week in the slightest. She wasn't obsessed with Karate like her brother was.

It was all just fun for her.

III

III

III

Author's Note:

Part one of two of the tournament coming soon. Don't know when but it should be soon I think? Have a great day though readers!

III

Chapter Nine: Strike Hard

III

Starship's song We Built This City echoed across the brand new and improved All Valley sports arena so the workers would have something to listen to while they prepared it. It was enormous, being three times as large as the first one, with stands to fill almost nine hundred karate enthusiasts that afternoon on May 19th, 2019. Surrounding the largest mat in the very center with a giant gold fist were other smaller ones for the preliminaries.

Every mat was red like they were exactly thirty five years before in the 1984 tournament.

The floor was brushed down. Referees put on their red shirts. Churro stands were filled. Trophies were brushed down. Especially the largest one labeled with gold lettering: Under 18 All Valley Karate Champion.

A huge black sheet covering the brackets were thrown off.

After all the mats were lain, multiple different competitors from different dojos across All Valley tightened their black belts. Jumping up and down and practicing kicks, stretching, they all watched as a horde of spectators approached from the parking lot.

Only a few blocks away, a news van had a reporter with a camera trained on her face holding a microphone in front of it, "Yes Bob it's true. The public is coming down in droves to see the All Valley Karate tournament this year after City Council approved a massive loan for the Arena's reconstruction. This year, it's gonna be a big one, to say the least."

The reporter turned to let the camera focused on her face turn to the huge line of Karate fans behind her, "As you can see behind me, there's a line of spectators stretching all the way from the Arena two blocks down, to right here. It looks like there's about to be a huge crowd, to fill that huge new arena."

III

Samantha Hannah and Robby were all wearing their white Miyagi-Do GIs with bonsais on their backs. They all piled out of Daniel's car and were walking towards the Arena together, "Whoo! Lotsa people eh?"

Sam, his daughter, nodded and eyed Miguel standing with all his Cobras in front of the Arena together. They made eye contact for a quick second before Daniel led them all into the locker rooms.

Bobby was helping his extremely pregnant wife Jessica with brown hair out of the car, "There you go Jess come on."

"Get the kids." She grunted quietly when Bobby helped her out of the car in the already stuffed parking lot outside the Arena.

Her husband nodded and the two sets of twins giggled when their father had the strength to carry all four of them towards the Arena.

"You're gonna see the same mat I used to kick butt on Tommy." One of the children in Bobby's arms giggled.

"That's a funny word Daddy." The little boy giggled with his sisters as they approached the Arena.

Jessica was still waddling towards the Arena when she spoke to her husband, "Hey Bobs? As much as I love you…I still don't wanna have kids again…at least for a while."

"Sure thing." Bobby nodded.

III

"Hey my mom wants to go take photos with me and Robby, I'll be back okay?" Hannah smiled as Sam nodded back in one of the changing rooms. Hannah left with Robby and left Sam alone.

Samantha was tying together her black belt around her white GI when Hawk, Demetri and David showed up wearing their sleeveless black and orange All Valley Cobra Kai GIs and black belts. Each of their names were printed on their circular fist emblems on the left side of their GIs.

"Look who we have here guys." Hawk chuckled with his Cobras as Sam turned slightly pale, "If it isn't Sammy." Sam turned away and tried to ignore them when Hawk approached her and taunted her, "Gotta problem? Your daddy not here to dress you and stuff? Need help with your belt?"

She kept ignoring him before Hawk got angry and pushed her, "Hey, I'm talking to you girlie!"

Sam whipped around and the other Cobras cheered. Demetri laughed loudly and David just crossed his arms calmly and watched the scene unfold without a word, occasionally fixing his brown hair while not intervening in the slightest.

"Come on! Make a move! Come on make a move!" Hawk yelled when it looked like him and Sam were about to fight.

"Hey hey hey!" A referee appeared with his red shirt and broke it up, "Save it for the mat you!"

Hawk ignored him and shook his head at Sam, "You're finished. Either way…you're dead meat. I'll knock you off the mat…" He turned to David, who was rather tall and had defined muscles underneath his GI, "Or he will." The boy with the blue mohawk stood up out of his slightly crouching stance and approached Sam, "I've seen Dave break open bricks…" Sam gulped when Hawk nodded to her, "What do you think he'll do…to you?"

"Hey that's enough!" The referee got Hawk by the arm and pulled him out of the locker room with Demetri following closely behind.

Demetri chuckled again and followed Hawk, "Hey did you see her? I thought she was gonna cry!"

David stayed behind and just blinked at Sam. It became very clear to her how much training had changed him since they had their conversation about Miguel on that park bench a year before. He was a lot taller than her and looked like he did knuckle pushups and practice strikes all day instead of go out on dates like she did.

Johnny's star pupil and the son of his ex-girlfriend didn't say a word, he just stared at Samantha quietly as he left the locker room.

Sam sat back down on the wooden bench the locker room had and kept hearing Demetri's chuckles as he walked away, sighing deeply, the girl rubbed her knees covered by her white GI.

III

Johnny stood in the locker room surrounded by his Cobras in their tournament GIs saying a few simple words, "I was gonna make a huge speech this year…" The Cobra Kais kept looking at him, "But I'll just let Mills take over…"

David nodded and stood up on the wooden bench above Miguel, Bert, Hawk, Demetri and all the others, "Who….are…we?"

"Cobra Kai." Aisha nodded with her comrades.

"Who. Are. We?" David asked again.

"Cobra Kai." Miguel started smiling.

"Who…are…we!?" David looked up at the roof of the locker room roared at the top of his lungs so loudly all the other dojos heard him.

"Cobra Kaiiii!" Miguel shouted back like he did the year before.

"Who!? Are!? We!?" David roared as loud as he could in his bellowing deep and masculine voice.

"Cobra Kai!" Everyone shouted as David kept repeating the question and they were all bouncing up and down yelling.

"Who are we?"

"Cobra Kai!"

"Who are we?"

"Cobra Kai!"

The Cobras kept jumping up and down yelling and shouting as loud as they could answering David's call. "Who are we!?" "Cobra Kai!" "Who are!?... We!?" "Cobra Kaiiii!" The Cobras shouted as loud as they could again.

"Let's go kick ass! Let's go!" David roared and the Cobras cheered and followed him onto the mat.

The same man who introduced them the year before watched as without warning, about a dozen or so teenagers wearing matching black GIs trotted out onto the mat chanting, "Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai!"

Johnny tightened his black headband and stood behind them.

"They're still back!" The man smiled when the crowd cheered for them and they all turned and gave a loud hoot, "And they've still got that bad ass name! Let's not forget Miyagi-Do!" He let the crowd applaud lightly for Daniel who raised his hand, smiled while nodding as Robby Sam and Hannah bowed.

"And the newcomers, Tsuyoi Karate!"

Kreese watched as a tiny portion of the crowd applauded him and all his students in matching sleeveless red GIs marked with the Japanese symbol for strength or Tsuyoi (強)on their backs, instead of a Cobra like Johnny's.

"All right then…" Almost nine hundred people started cheering, "It's time for what you've all been waiting for…it's Karate time!"

The different dojos all got off the mats and the preliminary round for the first eliminatory one began.

It went by rather uneventfully, Xander Stone kicked a Tsuyoi student in the gut quickly and won his match, Aisha punched a boy in the stomach when she swept him into the mat and the preliminary round ended.

"Mills! Stone!" A referee called them onto the mat to fight in the first eliminatory round and the crowd applauded lightly.

Johnny held David by the arm lightly and spoke to him before he got onto the mat, "This kid is all about PC culture and 'fighting for peace' and all that. Use the anger you have for that bullshit…" Johnny turned to Xander, "On him."

"Yes Sensei." David nodded and Johnny sent him off to fight Xander.

"Face me." The referee said and waved two hands towards himself, "Bow."

Both Xander and David bowed to the red shirted man.

"Face each other." The referee said.

Xander and David turned to each other.

"Bow."

They did so.

"Ready…" The man raised his hand and David and Xander got into their fighting stances on the mat, "And fight!"

Xander Stone had no idea what just hit him. David sprinted forwards and knocked aside Xander's fist with a knife hand block before spinning around and upwards, sending a furious spinning hook right to Xander's chin with his right foot.

Hawk and everyone else in Cobra Kai growled and howled in agreement when Xander was sent tumbling into the mat. The crowd was equally pleased and loved how strong, fast and accurate David's strikes were.

"Point! Mills!" The referee announced.

Xander got back up again and the referee raised his hand, "Ready…and fight!"

The blue GI'd fighter didn't stand a chance. He tried to do a high crescent kick to David's head but he slid forwards closer to Xander and the kick didn't connect. David then swept Xander's leg easily as that was the only thing supporting him and punched him in the stomach when he hit the mat.

"Point Mills! Reverse punch!"

Xander got up one more time and was just astounded at how fast David was moving.

"Ready…and fight!"

Xander flew forwards with a straight right punch to David's chin, but David moved to the left and kicked him right in the gut in a counter, "Hiyah!" David roared. Xander hit the mat again, groaning and holding his stomach in intense pain when the referee cheered, "Point!" He raised David's hand, "Winner!"

"Bullshit!" Xander's face painted mother shouted, "That's bullshit!"

Another mother of the competitors was cheering even louder.

"That's it David! You're the best kid! You're the best!" Ali cheered for her son with her husband Gregory from the stands.

David turned to Johnny who was smiling and nodding in approval.

The rest of the tournament progressed quickly.

Demetri was pounded into the mat by Yasmine without mercy just like Kreese taught her. He went for a reverse punch but it was blocked and countered with a high round kick. Demetri hit the mat and the referee raised Yasmine's hand, "Point! Winner!"

The crowd cheered lightly and Kreese patted Yasmine's shoulder when she stepped off the mat. Johnny shook his head when he saw how well Kreese trained his students and nodded to Demetri when he smiled apologetically.

Hawk and Kyler dueled with equal fury. Tied at 2-2, Hawk wanted to land his signature flying Hawk strike on Kyler's chin, but the boy in the sleeveless red GI knocked it aside and reverse punched Hawk's stomach, knocking him out of the air into the mat.

"Point! Winner!"

Kyler smirked arrogantly as he bowed to Hawk and nodded respectfully when he stepped off the mat to be congratulated by his teacher, Kreese.

The fight between Miguel and Hannah was completely one sided, Hannah tried her best to defend but Miguel's attacks proved overwhelming. She countered Miguel's front kick but her own strike was blocked too. Miguel moved her fist aside and knocked her down when Hannah's stomach was hit in a quick reverse punch.

She got up again…

"Ready?...Fight!"

Just to be knocked down. Miguel swept Hannah off her feet and punched her shoulder in a split second.

"Point Diaz! Winner!"

Carmen and Rosa cheered alongside Bobby and his family when Miguel bowed to Hannah and shook her hand even though he won without one point lost.

Brucks cheated and beat Robby with leg sweeps and limb strikes. Robby's right elbow was weak when Brucks grabbed his wrist and chopped it. He chuckled when the warning came, but the chubby Tsuyoi student still knocked Robby into the mat with a right kick to his stomach after grabbing his wrist again cheaply, preventing further strikes.

"Point! Winner!"

The crowd booed but Brucks still chuckled as he got his revenge on the boy who broke his fist and bowed to Kreese who smiled and nodded, still not caring his student cheated and fought cheaply to win.

Sam and Aisha had a rather straight forward fight. Every single one of Aisha's strikes were blocked before Sam flew into a brown haired tornado and knocked the only female Cobra off her feet. Miguel hissed in pain for his friend but when Aisha got back up again, her kicks were countered and Sam knocked Aisha into the mat again by striking her stomach.

"Point!" Sam's hand was raised by the referee, "Winner!"

Sam turned to Daniel, and she had a shocked open mouthed smile when she pointed to her raised hand. Daniel chuckled and gave her daughter a thumbs up.

David and Yasmine's fight was one sided as well. Yasmine just barely avoided getting hit by his flying and spinning strikes, only to be kicked into the mat to avenge Demetri's loss to her. Yasmine got back up but David knocked her back down by moving around her strikes and throwing her into the mat like Hawk did to Robby the year before.

"Hiyahh!" David yelled triumphantly when he struck Yasmine's stomach.

"That's three points Mills! Winner!" The referee raised David's hand and Ali cheered for her son.

Kyler defeated a student from Topanga Karate with ease, throwing him into the mat Judo-style and chopping his temple.

Miguel was fighting his own Topanga student and it wasn't very difficult either, sending an axe kick down into the blue GI'd fighter's shoulder and knocking him into the mat.

Sam and Brucks had a similar fight as well. Brucks came forward with a punch only for Sam to avenge her fellow Miyagi-Do student Robby by kicking the chubby boy's rotund belly. He got back up again but Samantha blocked away the Tsuyoi students strikes and landed a point on Bruck's shoulder. Brucks yelled in frustration on the ground and Sam smiled.

"Point!" Sam's hand was raised, "Winner!"

Kreese couldn't even watch and turned away in disgust when he saw how Sam struck Brucks into the mat again and again after his sluggish strikes were countered.

"With that win LaRusso advances to the semis!" The announcer from the year before shouted to the crowd.

The crowd cheered and brackets now displayed the semi finals.

|LARUSSO|-|DIAZ|

|LEE|-|MILLS|

The announcer chuckled and raised his microphone free hand, "Did you all enjoy that?" The crowd cheered. "I said did you like that?" They cheered even louder. He chuckled again.

Miguel and David were standing in their matching sleeveless black GIs with Johnny behind them. Kyler was in his sleeveless red Tsuyoi GI with the Japanese symbol for strength on his back, with his own teacher Kreese behind him.

Samantha stood at the very right of the semifinalists, in her simple white Miyagi-Do GI with her father and teacher Daniel behind her.

"There was lot of great fighting today! But there can only be one winner!" The bald announcer from the year before spoke into his microphone, "And that winner is standing on this mat right now! Will it be?... Last year's champion? Miguel Diaz!? From Cobra Kai?"

Carmen and Rosa tried to cheer above nine hundred other Karate fans but it just didn't work as Miguel bowed.

"Or David Mills? From Cobra Kai!?"

David bowed and a huge number of fans cheered from the filled stands, "Let's go Mills!"

"Mills! Mills! Mills!" A huge number of males from the crowd felt something glisten inside themselves when they saw how powerful he struck and how quick Ali's son moved, pounding their chests in agreement.

David rose up from his bow and turned back around to his Sensei, but Johnny just had a look on his face that spelled 'I approve.'

"Will it be?... Kyler Lee, from Tsuyoi Karate?"

There was a mix of boos and cheers from the gigantic crowd as Kyler bowed.

"Or Samantha LaRusso from Miyagi-Do Karate!?" The announcer asked.

Sam bowed and the crowd cheered loudly in unison for her.

"First up…" The announcer in the suit with the bald head kept speaking into his microphone, "Mills versus Lee! Let's go!"

Miguel and David turned to each other and bumped fists like Hawk and Miguel did the year before, stacking them together quickly twice, bumping them, and going for a classic man grip.

"You got this." Miguel nodded to his fellow star pupil of Johnny's and stepped off the mat.

Johnny muttered in David's ear as he saw Kyler bow to his teacher who was Kreese, "This guy's gonna play dirty. Stay on your toes, stay sharp, and don't lose."

"Yes Sensei." David nodded and turned around to face Kyler.

The referee got on the mat and nodded, "Good luck to you two. Face me. Bow. Face each other."

Kyler was smirking as David had a look of calm fury on his face.

"Bow…Ready…And fight!"

The two boys lunged at each other. The crowd was off its feet cheering, Ali and Gregory were cheering as loud as they could for their son.

David saw Kyler's attacks coming and blocked them properly. He stopped his fist with a swiping side block, or Soto Uke, stepped back, blocked a kick to his gut with a down block and a final jab at his eye was blocked with an upwards block.

David spun upwards in a round kick but Kyler evaded it and reverse punched David into the mat.

Hawk groaned with his Cobras as the referee announced, "That's one point! Lee! Ready…"

David got back up and summoned the anger he held in his body, getting ready to attack with what he had learned.

"And fight!"

Kyler flew forward and David roared in rage. His body was brimming with determination when he stopped a kick to his hip with a knife hand.

Kreese's star pupil yelled back when he came forwards with three non stop high kicks to David's face. David moved back and blocked each one before trying to sweep Kyler's leg. He jumped to avoid it and went for a reverse punch to David's eye. David's mind was sharp from so much sparring and he knocked aside each of Kyler's strikes no matter how sharp and quick they were.

Ali cheered for her son again, "Come on Dave!"

"You got this David!" Hawk yelled with Demetri who hooted.

David stopped Kyler's fist with a knife hand and drew himself close to his opponent. He threw him off his legs in a throw that Johnny taught him, gripping Kyler's red sleeveless GI and tossing him into the mat with a combination of his immense skill and strength. When he landed David threw an axe kick right into Kyler's stomach.

The crowd roared and the referee called out, "One point Mills! It's tied 1-1!"

Kyler got back up but Kreese waved him over to his side of the mat and muttered in his ear, "Sweep the leg. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No Sensei." Kyler shook his head and tightened his black belt.

He got into his stance with David and remembered how he struck his calf on the beach almost a year before.

"Ready…and fight!"

Kyler stopped David's attacks by driving him back with attacks of his own, before sending David right off his legs in a sweep. Miguel groaned when the strike came, and Kyler reverse punched David's shoulder.

"Two points! Lee!"

"Lee and Tsuyoi Karate with the point!" The announcer said.

The crowd applauded mildly and the fight continued.

David's speed became fueled by his anger and he knocked Kyler back with a perfect side up kick or Yoko-Geri to Kyler's nose. His knee rose up high and David's foot whipped out and smacked Kyler's nose with its sole, sending him staggering back.

Taking the initiative, and knowing Kyler was still staggering, David did a simple front kick or Mae Geri and knocked Kyler into the mat with the incredible power in his leg. Those two kicks were done practically one after the other, yet they were still shattering in their strength.

"It's tied up! Two points Mills!"

"Yeah!" Hawk and Aisha growled as Ali cheered in the stands behind them. Kyler and David just made eye contact.

Both of them knew the next point would decide the match, and David remembered just how much he wanted to win. He needed to win. He had to win.

"And fight!"

Blocked from attacking by David's lightning offense, Kyler found himself on the defensive, trying to stop the sheer speed and power of David's strikes before one perfectly sharp high round kick or Mawashi Geri knocked him clean into the mat as if a car door smacked him in the side of the head.

David yelled triumphantly and as loud as he could after spinning around and knocking Kyler directly into the mat with the flat part of his foot, "Aihyaaaah!"

"Point!" The referee raised David's hand, "Winner!"

Ali hugged Gregory after cheering and the crowd was roaring again. Miguel laughed in surprise at how such a formidable and well trained opponent like Kyler was outmaneuvered by excellent speed and instincts. But the crowd was still beside themselves. "Mills! Mills! Mills!" They chanted.

"David Mills just earned his spot in the finals!" The announcer said, "Next up! LaRusso versus Diaz."

David turned to Johnny with the happiest glow on his face, and Johnny smiled back and nodded in pride at his prodigal and heavily trained skill as Kreese dragged Kyler off the mat by his ear. David was congratulated on his victory, chattering with Demetri, Bert, and Aisha on his win after stepping off the mat.

Daniel held his daughter by the shoulder, "He's your boyfriend, but I think you know that I know that I want you to win. Go get him."

Sam nodded and stepped onto the mat.

Miguel looked to a distant Johnny who was watching Kreese spit in Kyler's face as he yelled at him, "Sensei?"

"It doesn't matter if she's your girlfriend." Johnny blinked and turned to Miguel, "Don't let her beat you."

"Yes Sensei." Miguel was patted on the back onto the mat by David and the other Cobras and given enthusiastic hoots to encourage him to win.

Miguel and Sam looked at each other calmly as the referee spoke, "Bow to me. Bow to each other…"

He raised his hand.

"Ready!"

They lowered into their stances.

"And fight!"

They both just stood there, not striking for a quick second as the crowd cheered. Carmen turned to Rosa, "(Isn't that his girlfriend?)" She asked in Spanish.

Johnny balled his fists and yelled, "Go for the point!"

The crowd cheered and Miguel flew off the front part of his foot towards his girlfriend.

To say he was holding back was a lie for a quick second, he threw everything he had at Sam. He jumped into a tornado kick and launched three consecutive punches to her chest. Sam blocked all four strikes and hesitated in fear of being struck before punching, allowing for Miguel to strike first and almost land a hit that should have sent her staggering back...

Had Miguel not allowed Sam to easily block his intentionally slow straight punch to her stomach he'd have easily scored a point.

"What the hell are you doing!?" A man yelled from the crowd.

"Fight!"

Miguel bit his lip and tried to his best to somehow find a way through Sam's impeccable defense. He flew right up to her and went for four direct punches to her chin, but all were blocked. Sam then swept her boyfriend's fist aside with her own left one in a side block and reverse punched Miguel's chest.

It landed and he went staggering back before Sam landed an axe kick on his shoulder and slammed him into the mat with her foot.

"That's my girl!" Daniel cheered and applauded along with his students Robby and Hannah at his side.

"Point LaRusso! Ready…"

Miguel was bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"And fight!"

Giving a loud war cry, Miguel sent his girlfriend back under the speed of his strikes, forcing her to step backwards and block them to avoid being knocked away from their strength. She gave a yell when she feinted a reverse punch on Miguel's chin, or made it look like she was about to but not going for it instead. But this just angered him and he launched as many strikes as fast as he could at Sam.

Sam grunted when Miguel knocked her back as she couldn't match Miguel's speed and his foot sent her spinning into the mat from its strength.

"That's it!" Johnny chuckled.

David hooted and started a chest pounding drum line with all the other Cobras by their side of the mat. They were all hooting loudly and pounding their chests to encourage last year's champion.

"One point! Diaz! Ready…And fight!"

Sam moved forward and knocked aside Miguel's fist and hit him in the stomach with a front kick. He staggered back from the incredible control she had over her body and Sam flew around in a spinning tornado kick and earned another point. And Miguel hit the mat from her speed, the flat front part of Sam's foot had smacked across his temple.

"It's two-one! LaRusso!"

"Come on Miguel!" Aisha cheered.

"You're the Champ Miguel come on!" David grunted in frustration.

The second the referee let them fight again, Miguel sent a downwards axe kick to Sam's shoulder but she blocked it with a re-enforced up block or Age Uke. Miguel almost staggered from lack of balance when his heel was pushed off his girlfriend's forearm and Sam counterattacked instantly to take advantage of this.

Attempting to stop her counterattack, Miguel went for a fast round kick to interrupt it but Sam's reflexes and defense had years of practice and discipline. She knocked aside her boyfriend's leg and scored the match point by reverse punching his stomach and turning off her back heel and twitching her hips forward into the strike.

He crashed into the mat with a groan and every Cobra Kai there that night gave mixed reactions of anger, disappointment and frustration.

But of course, the crowd cheered as loud as they could for Sam.

"Point!" The referee raised Sam's hand, "Winner!"

The crowd gave its cheer and Miguel and Sam shook each other's hands and bowed to each other. When David saw how Miguel smiled at her, he balled his fists thinking that Miguel had given up the match.

"Well there you have it folks!" The announcer from the year before spoke into his microphone as Johnny stood behind David on the mat and Daniel stood behind his daughter Sam on the mat, "Who will be the All Valley Champion? Samantha LaRusso from Miyagi-Do Karate? Or David Mills, from Cobra Kai? We'll find out, after a short break."

In the locker rooms, Cobra Kai and all of its students watched as their best ones had a yelling match.

"What the hell was that bullshit!?" David yelled at Miguel, "You let your pretty little girlfriend beat you so you could have something to fool around with!?"

"I tried my best!" Miguel yelled back.

"Like hell you did!" David pushed his sparring partner against a closed locker, "Sacrificing the match!"

Aisha sighed, "Dave you saw him, he tried his best."

Daniel saw the argument take place from afar as he talked to Sam, listening in closely from across the aisle of lockers.

"I can't believe it." David shook his head at Miguel, "You chose your girl over the dojo."

"I wanted to win! Just ask Sam!" Miguel motioned to his girlfriend.

"Hey!" David flicked his nose upwards at his soon to be opponent, "Did Miguel let you win!?" David chuckled and fist bumped Hawk.

"You're such a competitive ass Dave. Why does everything have to be about winning with you?" Miguel scoffed, "Why do you have to win!?"

"You'd rather let them win?" David pointed to the Miyagi-Do area of the locker rooms, "Instead of us!? The champs of the Valley!? There's no defeat at Cobra Kai! Sensei won't accept that!"

"I think you're forgetting that I'm part of Cobra Kai too…" Miguel muttered under his breath before David scoffed.

Ali's son straightened his Cobra Kai GI, "I'm going to win. I know I will."

He showed off this by punching one of the lockers. His fist was so strong that the metal tweaked and a large and frighteningly deep dent was shown on it. David blinked calmly as the Cobras around him muttered nervously, "Whatever happens on that mat happens."

"You gonna cheat?" Miguel asked.

"I won't have to. Kyler used to kick you around, and I just whooped him. Means I got skill. Hey!" David hollered to Sam, "You don't have to walk out on that mat just to lose. You can give up."

As he walked away Miguel spoke after him, "Don't make the same mistake I made last year man."

"Oh you mean trying to beat Robby because you thought he was with Sam? Well, that wasn't a mistake in my opinion. You had every right to feel that way dude. It was what you should've done, it's what I would've done."

"So that makes it right!?" Miguel was confused, "What the hell happened to you Dave? What's your problem with Sam?"

"She's the enemy." David drew himself closer to Miguel, "No mercy remember?" He looked to the Cobras around him, "Sensei turned us all into badasses, do you think we should just let him down and lose like he did?" David shot his hand in a flick to indicate Miguel, "We're winners! We're Cobra Kai! I'm a Cobra Kai! I'm not gonna lose. I've trained as hard as I could for a year, harder than anyone...See you on the mat." He muttered to Sam as he walked past her.

As David walked down the row of lockers Johnny was standing in an empty row of them with a mirror. David walked up to him and saw his teacher staring at himself in it, "Something wrong Sensei?"

Johnny turned to David, "You're a better fighter than anyone here. We both know this. But that fight against LaRusso's kid isn't gonna be easy. In fact it'll be the hardest of your life probably."

"I know Sensei. Girl can block." He admitted.

"But, you can beat her. Your head isn't screwed on tight though. Not tight enough."

"Sensei?"

Johnny took off his black headband and offered it to David, "Your mom gave this to me when we were your age. You should wear it when you go out there and win."

"Sensei…Thank you." David wrapped the black headband around his brown hair and tied it tightly, "I promise to win Sensei. For you, for the dojo."

David turned to the mirror and Johnny stood behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders, "Fear does not exist in my dojo does it?" He murmured.

"No Sensei!"

Johnny kept resting his hands on David's shoulders to give him confidence, "Pain! Does not exist in my dojo does it?"

"No Sensei!" David shouted wearing Johnny's headband.

"Defeat. Does not exist in my dojo. Does it?"

"No Sensei!" David yelled as loud as he could staring into the mirror.

A couple paces away Daniel was speaking to Sam in the same changing room where Dutch confronted him thirty five years before where Miyagi-Do and her three students were occupied.

"You don't have to fight you know." Daniel sighed as he looked at his daughter sitting on a wooden bench.

"And give up?" Sam shook her head and looked up at him, "No way."

"There's no shame in losing." Daniel kept looking at her, "None."

"Dad. I want to do this."

He sighed again, "Okay…but if you'll fight…I want you to wear this." Daniel withdrew his lotus headband he had in his back pocket, "Mr. Miyagi gave me this a while ago, and I want you to wear it when you fight him."

"Thanks Dad." Sam smiled and wrapped the white headband around her head.

"Whatever happens…I'll be proud." Daniel nodded and left the locker room with Hannah and Robby, "Whenever you're ready, they'll be waiting for you on that mat."

Sam watched as Miguel passed Daniel and entered the changing room, "Hey."

"Hey." Sam smiled back as Miguel sat down next to her.

"So you're about to fight David…any thoughts?" Miguel muttered.

"He's fast. Faster than anyone here. Stronger than anyone here."

"Sam," Miguel blinked and looked at her, "I've seen him kick through bricks. You saw what he did to that locker, and the only points anyone got on him today was Kyler, and he still beat him. He will hurt if you fight him, and he won't even have to cheat."

Sam frowned at her lap, "He didn't hurt Kyler."

"That's because he was holding back, I could tell." Miguel was trying to make eye contact but she wasn't accepting, "He wasn't at the final. I've seen what he can do when someone gets in the way of him winning. And…Sam, I can't let you get hurt. Don't fight him. Please. Just let him win, it's what he wants. Don't risk it."

"When we fought…did you hold back?"

Miguel shook his head, "At first. Then you beat me for real."

"Well then I have nothing to worry about." Sam stood up and started heading for the mat before Miguel's hand whipped out and caught her wrist.

"Please." He begged, "Don't…I can't…I can't stand by and let him hurt you."

Sam kissed Miguel in that changing room before releasing his hands from hers and walking away. She almost left the changing room before Miguel asked her a question, "Are you afraid of him?"

His girlfriend stopped walking, pausing at the entrance to the changing room.

Sam responded simply before she left, "Who isn't?"

III

David was on the side of the mat showing off his vast flexibility by doing the splits on the ground and rotating his torso around. His black headband Johnny gave him that Ali gave him originally was worn proudly, and David could feel the typical burning sensation in his muscles that accompanied stretching.

Daniel approached and knelt in front of him, "Match starts soon."

"I know…gotta have these muscles loose or else they'll cramp." David grunted as he stretched his arm muscles still doing the splits.

"Kid…you don't have to be so competitive…you don't have to be like Johnny."

"I'm wearing his headband, I've got the moves like he did." David shrugged, "Might as well play the part."

Daniel rubbed his eyes, "Listen…I remember how Johnny moved and yeah…you're a lot like him. But…all that anger…you don't have to be like that, you can be different…you don't always have to be so aggressive! Always!"

"No Mr. LaRusso, you listen. There's no need to worry 'cause… I won't hurt your daughter…" David chuckled as he turned around and walked away doing windmills with his arms, "I asked her if she'd concede anyway. It's her choice if she wants to fight me or not."

"You don't have to fight her either." Daniel noted.

David whipped around, "And give up? After doing nothing but train for a year? Am I the kinda guy to give up easily Mr. LaRusso? Am I? Am I a loser?"

"No but-"

David cut him off before being cut off himself, "Then why're you talking to me? Why do you care if-"

The announcer gripped his microphone, "All right folks! This is it, the final match of the night! Mills! LaRusso! To the mat!"

Johnny approached David as Daniel shook his head walking off to Sam, passing Johnny without making a shred of eye contact. Johnny did something simple, he showed David a fist of strength to inspire him and David nodded.

Hawk and Demetri approached David from behind Johnny, "No Mercy." Hawk nodded and offered his hand to grip.

David's hand met Hawk's in a classic Cobra Kai style man grip before going for the stack bump Hawk invented with Miguel, "No Mercy." David nodded back and turned to the mat.

Miguel just watched David reproachfully with Aisha and Bert.

"Who are you rooting for?" Aisha muttered to Miguel eyeing Sam and David as the crowd applauded respectfully for them, "Sam or David?"

Miguel didn't answer.

Daniel gave a few words of advice to Sam before she left, "You know he's gonna come at you with everything he's got. And that's a lot. I mean a lot a lot you've seen what he can do. But remember what you learned, stay focused, and you'll do fine."

"I got it Dad." Sam nodded stepped onto the mat.

David turned to the mat and gave himself a bit of space to run. He sprinted as fast as he could and flew into the air in a high gymnastics style front flip onto the same ground where Sam and the red shirted referee were waiting for him.

"David Mills has leaped onto the mat!" The announcer chuckled in surprise into his microphone as the crowd cheered loudly for him.

After landing on the mat, David rose up slowly glaring at Sam with a look of cold rage that almost turned her to stone. Sam gulped quietly seeing how David looked taller, stronger and faster than her in every way. He stood up completely and heard the referee speak and wave two hands towards himself.

"Face me! Bow." The referee nodded when Sam and David bowed to him, "Face each other! Bow."

Sam and David turned towards each other and David was still wearing a look of utter fury on his face as he made eye contact with her and bowed. A camera from a news station transmitting it live was trained on the two of them.

Almost nine hundred people were cheering as loud as they could in the massive new Arena when the referee raised his hand, "Ready…"

David and Sam crouched slightly into their perfect stances with so much anticipation and energy in their hearts that they could swear they were about to pop.

The referee's hand lowered, "And fight!"

III

III

III

Author's Note:

So the final chapter is coming up next. Who would you like to see win? David or Sam? Who do you think will win?

But anyway, I've had a lot of fun writing this for you all, and I hope you had fun reading it too! Have a great day!

III

Chapter Ten: No Mercy

III

It became very clear early on just how outmatched Sam was in terms of physical ability. Nine hundred Karate fans were off their feet when the Cobra and Bonsai clashed in full.

Each of David's strikes proved to be representative of his advantages over Samantha. His arms and legs were longer, he was faster, and stronger, and each of his strikes demonstrated this and because of this massive disadvantage Sam had, she was barely allowed to attack back well if at all.

Sam was driven back from the full fury of David's superior strikes. He came out first with a high kick followed by a quick number of sharp angry strikes to Sam's torso.

However, Sam's blocking was superior and she avoided being hit into the mat in the blink of an eye like all of David's other opponents who faced his strikes.

Most teens Sam's age would've been knocked right off their feet from their sheer power and speed even if they were blocked, but she had been blocking since she was six.

Ali was shocked at how her son's attacks were all somehow blocked despite their air shattering strength and speed.

Sam became like a Returning Wave, she'd step back, David's strike would miss and she'd jump forward with a strike of her own.

David saw it coming from a mile away and countered with a round kick to Sam's belly. She came back faster with a block to stop the blurring strike and a kick of her own.

Her opponent nearly took it square to the face but he dodged it and shot a jab at the center of Sam's chest. She moved backward and the strike missed, and was about to come back with her own attack before David unleashed as much of his anger as he could.

"Aiyaaaaah!"

Kicks and punches began to fly about in a storm of blurring, iron like and merciless strikes from an enraged David. For about ten seconds, David was doing nothing but attacking, and his blows were so fast that Sam wasn't given a chance to strike back, only defend.

She was barely left standing from the chain of attacks that she almost didn't block properly enough. One penetrated her iron defense, and David's foot almost thrusted right through Sam's chest…

If Sam hadn't caught it and held it before her opponent landed a point, she would've taken a strike right to her body. Instead, both teens had their right legs raised at the same time for a split second and Sam slapped David's face with her foot in a Mawashi Geri.

Johnny's face wound up in frustration while Hawk grunted right next to him in anger. Daniel and Robby applauded her along with the crowd, "Nice going Sam!" Daniel cheered for his daughter.

"You're fine Dave come on be strong! Be strong!" Ali applauded for her son.

He got back up from the mat and breathed in tightly, hearing the referee announce, "That's one point LaRusso!"

"LaRusso and Miyagi-Do get the first point!" The announcer said.

"Ready!" The referee watched as David and Sam got ready to fight again from their stances, "And fight!"

They jumped right into the fray again, throwing strikes one after the other. David would attack only to be blocked, and so would Sam.

David's reverse punch was countered with a kick to his side but that attack was countered and blocked as well. A series of blocked attacks followed from Sam only for David to come back with blocked attacks of his own.

They went back and forth, blocked at every turn, David and Sam released the fastest attacks they had but they were both stopped.

The crowd roared louder and watched David jump into a quick flurry of spinning and flying strikes, trying to knock Sam clean off the mat from his energetic rage.

He flew around in the air in a spin and released his right foot to try and hit Sam with it but she evaded it before David landed back on his feet facing her before going right back to attacking her. David's energy proved endless, flying towards Sam with spinning heel kicks and punches that blurred from their speed.

Sam caught all strikes moments before they hit her in her skillful blocks, her balance was so strong that she withstood a shattering roundhouse kick or Mawashi Geri directly to her arm when she gave a reinforced outer block, that would've knocked most people over regardless.

David wiped sweat off his brow and flew forward to try and punch Sam's stomach and kick her face with the sole of his foot but each attack was summarily blocked and evaded by moving back to avoid them.

Suddenly, Sam somehow managed to counter David's well timed and bone trembling strikes with one of her own, and it was so quick that David barely dodged it and took Sam's foot right in his nose.

The crowd roared and David smacked onto the mat when Sam returned to her stance over him.

"That's two points LaRusso!"

Johnny motioned to the referee that he wanted to speak to his student and the red shirted man nodded. David walked over to his side of the mat and Johnny checked his bloody nose.

"David you're a creampuff!" A man heckled from the crowd only for Ali and Gregory to eye him slightly angrily for insulting their son.

Johnny almost touched the black headband he gave David when he put his hands on David's head and gave some advice, "You're holding back. Use more of your anger, all of it, and drive it through her. And I promise you you'll win. You gonna do that?"

"Of course Sensei." David got back onto the mat after nodding and closed his eyes when the referee raised his hand.

David felt the soft whistle of a bamboo flute in his ears when he remembered the calming waves of the beach he trained on with Daniel. Meanwhile, Samantha saw this and breathed in tightly, focusing as well.

"What the hell is he doing?" Johnny squinted at his student.

"They're both focusing!?" Robby asked in shock next to a nail biting Daniel.

"Ready…and fight!"

David's eyes flew open and he began attacking. His attacks were sharper and more controlled, being less likely to be countered from how fast they became.

Sam struggled to withstand the barrage of strikes sent her way, and soon became completely overwhelmed, just barely blocking David's strikes and nearly taking them all head on.

"Holy shit he's got this!" Johnny chuckled in surprise as Sam was being chased across the mat.

"Go for it David!" Hawk roared with the crowd.

Sam counterattacked but David struck her so hard she swore she saw her ancestors centuries ago in Italy. Her opponent, right then and there remembered how Ali had to buy him a new punching bag in her garage because he struck his old one so hard that sand poured out of it and focused on repeating the same strike.

David knocked aside Sam's left fist as strongly as he could and threw everything he had into his roundhouse kick, mercilessly honing all of his monstrous strength into Sam's left side in the space above her hip with the flat part of his foot.

She slammed into the mat so quickly that it appeared to shake, and Sam's vision became blurry from how powerful the hit was seeing multiple versions of the Arena around her.

Miguel became tempted to run onto the mat and hit his teammate when he saw Sam struggle to restrict her pain erupting from her side.

His other fellow Cobras became ravenously enthusiastic as the crowd cheered.

"All right David!" Demetri roared as Hawk and the others except for Miguel and Aisha cheered, "All right! All right David!" He raised his fist and roared as Johnny nodded and smiled to David next to him, satisfied with his star student's performance on the mat.

The announcer spoke into his microphone above the roaring crowd as the referee helped an almost broken Samantha up from the ground, "One point! Mills! It's two one LaRusso!"

"Ready…"

David had a look of pure rage on his face, as Sam was wincing in pain as it felt like a train just hit her.

"And fight!"

David flew forwards and sent as many furious high kicks to Sam's head as he could, driving her back across the mat. She blocked all of them as she moved back but David caught Sam's counterattack and had her off balance as he held her leg.

All he had to do was push her quickly and Sam fell into the mat.

David huffed in a huge breath of air and funneled as much anger as he could into Sam's side where he had just struck her not a second after pushing her down when he exhaled.

"HIYAH!"

Which made her scream in pain when stomp kicking her stomach in a perfectly executed Fumikomi Geri.

"That's two points Mills! Stomp kick!"

"Yeahhh!" Hawk growled and roared with Demetri as the Cobras started chanting.

"No Mercy! No Mercy! No Mercy!"

Hawk started a chest pounding drum line and every Cobra Kai and crowd member except for Aisha and Miguel was roaring for David.

Daniel motioned to the referee that he wanted to pause the match, and the red shirted man nodded and tapped his fingers on his hand, stopping the fighting momentarily.

Still wearing a stone cold look of fury, David returned to his side of the mat and knelt facing Johnny, who was extremely proud of how David managed to overcome Sam's outstanding defense without cheating in the slightest and with incredible speed and strength.

Daniel spoke to his daughter when she limped over to him, "You okay?"

"I feel like he just stabbed me in the side dad." Sam winced and was struggling to stay standing.

"Well then give up!" Daniel hissed, "I'd rather you lose than get hurt!"

Miguel rushed over in a flash and appeared at his side, "Sam I don't care if he beats you! Just stop fighting him!"

Sam shook her head, "I…I can do this."

"If he hits you again like that you'll be feeling it for ages!" Daniel said.

"I don't care." Sam grunted and held her side when the referee came over to her.

"Can you continue?" He asked.

She nodded and Sam limped to her spot on the white fist on the red mat across from David.

Demetri saw how Sam looked like she had just been seriously injured and was barely able to stand, "Get her a body bag! Yeah!" He hollered and laughed with Hawk before roaring to encourage David.

David whipped up from kneeling on both his black GI covered knees from facing Johnny and turned around to face his opponent.

"Win David come on! No Mercy! No Mercy!" Demetri yelled.

"Come on! No Mercy David!" Hawk yelled.

"Win!" Johnny roared between the two of them.

"Next point wins!" The referee nodded to the white and black GI wearing fighters in front of him.

David turned to his Sensei who just told him to win and nodded to him before turning around and making eye contact with Sam, showing pure anger on his face. Their eyes whipped to each other's headbands for a quick moment, Sam looked at David's simple black one and David looked at her white lotus one before meeting each other's eyes again.

At that moment, the cheers of over nine hundred people were drowned out over the sound of blood rushing in their ears. Adrenaline coursed through their bodies like rushing river rapids, and their hearts were about to pound out of their chests.

A crueler version of Gregory's brown eyes met a younger version of Daniel's.

They both saw the referee's hand raise in their peripheral vision and couldn't hear him say 'Ready' from all the blood rushing through their ears.

Sam saw Miguel over David's shoulder for a second, and saw how nervous he looked if she was going to get hurt. This just made her blood pump faster, but it filled her heart and mind with even more determination.

The referee's hand lowered and David flew forward with the fastest strikes he could muster, wanting to win more than anyone else in the world.

Except for his opponent.

All of his strikes, the same punches and kicks Johnny used to launch were blocked completely and with refined skill.

A side up kick. Three straight punches. And three continuous roundhouse kicks to Sam's temple.

Sam smacked each attack aside and their strikes were being met with blocks.

The crowd was off their feet cheering as loud as they could when David and Sam held nothing back, trying their best to land a hit on each other with the fastest strikes they'd ever sent, but each one was deflected off a defensive movement.

David saw an opening to attack and roared in rage, forcing Sam back from the fury of his strikes. His foot soared through the air in attacks towards Sam again and again before punching left and right with all he had.

Her hands moved about precisely and each of them were deflected somehow…Before she spun around and ironically defeated David with his favorite strike he and she both perfected, the spinning hook kick.

His head smacked upwards when her foot struck the side of his head and he fell crashing into the mat holding his temple.

"Point! Winner!" The referee raised Sam's hand.

"No way…" Johnny muttered before Miguel and Aisha rushed past him onto the mat and everyone watching jumped off their feet and cheered.

Ali flew down from the stands and hugged her son who was flat on the mat before a crowd formed around Sam to support her.

Daniel smiled and nodded to Sam when she raised the trophy the announcer passed to her, "Folks! Your new 2019 All Valley Champion! Samantha LaRusso!"

"Dad! Dad we did it! We did it!" Sam was laughing in surprise when she was lifted into the air by Aisha, Miguel, Hannah and Robby along with a collection of students from other dojos, "We…we…we did it…"

She felt the adrenaline wear off from the fight with David, and the dozens of students lifting her and her trophy into the air became worried when she shrieked in pain, feeling as if someone was driving a spear through her side where David had struck her mercilessly.

"Sam!?" Miguel clutched her hand wrapped around the golden pole in her new trophy.

"I…" Sam felt one more stabbing sensation in her side before blacking out from overloading pain completely.

What happened next on the mat was complete mayhem. Miguel and David were held back from fighting each other by Johnny and the other Cobra Kais, Ali and her husband Gregory were tending to a passed out Samantha when all of a sudden Jessica shot up from next to Bobby.

"Bob! I think the baby's coming!" She screamed over all the yelling in the Arena.

"What!?" Bobby turned from the chaos unfolding on the mat where Samantha just became All Valley Karate Champion to his wife, "You're not due for another week!"

"Well this is happening! I'm pretty sure my water just broke!" Jessica keeled over and grunted, when her husband noticed the tiny puddle at Jessica's feet.

"Okay honey let's get you outta here." Bobby said quickly before he held his wife by the hand and their four children followed them out of the Arena.

III

Encino Medical Hospital. About twelve hours later.

III

Sam awoke to the sight of a small hospital room, lying in a typical bed that would be in one. There were no nurses, only an IV needle in her wrist and a boyfriend sleeping with her right hand in his, who had passed out from tiredness.

Miguel felt Sam's hand twitch in his and he sprang awake.

"Sam!"

He laughed in surprise and jumped out of his chair and hugged her before she hissed.

"Ow! Side! Side!" Sam winced.

"Oh!" Miguel backed away, "Oh! Sorry!"

Sam looked around the room, "Where are my parents?"

"They're outside." Miguel turned to the door which led into Sam's ward, "They're waiting for your lab results to come back."

"Was I out for a while?"

He shook his head, "No, you just got here. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"No." Miguel sighed, "I thought Dave cracked your ribs or something. It's why I tried to kick his ass."

"How'd that go?"

"Sensei and his mom stopped us before we could really do anything. But I sparred with him the night before the tournament, and…"

"What?"

Miguel couldn't meet her eyes, "Sam, he creamed me. Completely, like I had no chance, I didn't want to say anything to you because…I…I was embarrassed."

"You can't even touch David?" Sam looked at him sitting by her hospital bed.

"Not anymore no." Miguel frowned down at his bare feet. He was still wearing his Cobra Kai GI from the tournament only hours before, "It's why I was so worried for you. And…when you kept fighting him…I…I just didn't want anything to…you…"

He actually sniffled and gripped Sam's hand harder, "I don't what I would've done if that bastard put you in a coma or something. I don't what I would've done if I had just stood by and let you get hurt…How the hell did you beat him? I couldn't beat him, Kyler couldn't, no one could. How'd you do that?"

Sam smiled, "I saw how worried you were. And something just came over me, I couldn't let him hurt me and I felt a lot more determined. So I wanted to win, for you."

"Well." Miguel smiled and picked up Sam's shiny new All Valley Champion trophy, "I guess this is mine now…I mean, I fought to win for you last year, you fought to win for me this year, how about we switch trophies huh?"

She smiled back, "Sounds awesome."

Miguel leaned in and kissed her before backing out from it and saying something suddenly, "Sam…I…"

"What?" She saw the look on his face.

"I love you." He started crying suddenly before stuttering nervously, "A-a-and I don't know if it's because I wanted to kick the shit outta David after he put you here but I just feel that way. And I don't care if it's too early 'cause I just-"

"Love me? Two years isn't early. It's pretty darn late if you ask me." Sam raised her hospital wristband wearing hand to Miguel's cheek, cupping it, she smiled, "I love you too. I wouldn't just fight to win Miguel, I'd fight for you."

Miguel chuckled, "I…I would too."

They held hands and laughed in surprise.

"I love you." Miguel said again.

"Eh, lost its shock value after the first time you said it." Sam shrugged and laughed with him at her own joke.

"You love me too right?"

"Duh." Sam rolled her eyes and sighed, "So…We're both champs."

"Yup."

"And we're in love."

Miguel laughed, "Yup."

"I didn't care about winning either that much." Sam shrugged, "I guess what I wanted more than anything was…you."

"Me too." Miguel smiled and rubbed the back of Sam's hand with his thumb.

In the row of chairs outside Samantha's ward was a large array of people. Every participant from the All Valley tournament only hours earlier were still wearing their tournament GIs, that were either black and sleeveless or white and sleeved.

Usual doctors at Encino Hospital, Emergency Surgeon Ali Mills-Schwarber and Director of Oncological Medicine Gregory Mills-Schwarber weren't wearing their typical white lab coats and had fallen asleep on either side of their son who was still wearing the black headband and GI his Sensei gave him, who was asleep as well.

The rest of Cobra Kai was asleep in their black chairs, Sam's best friend since childhood Aisha Robinson was sleeping right outside the door to her ward and Demetri, Hawk and Bert and everyone else was asleep in the chairs to their right.

Robby Keene and Hannah Mills, being fellow Miyagi-Do students like Sam, were outside her door asleep as well, still holding hands as they sat next to Bert.

Anthony, Daniel and Amanda were Sam's family had their son sitting between them and were still awake, nervously awaiting the doctor and her news.

She came bearing a clip board and Daniel and Amanda rose up out of theirs chairs and Daniel asked his question, "Will she be alright?"

"She'll be fine, she just needs to stay here for another day and she'll be all right." The doctor checked her clipboard, "She's suffered a major contusion to her lower left abdomen, and if it had been any stronger of a hit…she'd be facing major organ damage or perhaps even a ruptured spleen. Luckily, all she's looking at is a couple weeks with a pretty ugly bruise and a huge need to rest."

Amanda and Daniel sighed in relief and Amanda nodded to her, "Thank you."

David heard the muttered conversation in the hospital's hallway and woke up.

She nodded back and went into Sam's ward with a flick of the white coat. Before she left however, she felt a little confused seeing Gregory and Ali out of their usual work clothes like hers at the hospital and in their casual attire.

The doctor gave a smile and approached Sam's bed who looked up from her conversation with a hand holding boyfriend, "Hey…" The doctor kept smiling, "How're you feeling? How's your side?"

"All right." Sam shrugged, "But it hurts if I hug someone or touch it at all."

"Yeah…" The female doctor nodded, "That part of you will be pretty tender for a few weeks so I wouldn't recommend any extraneous exercise or anything like that, at least until the bruise goes away. If you were wondering, the IV needle is giving you a light painkiller, the bruise'll ache a little from time to time."

"Uh." David entered the ward and muttered to the doctor, "Hey can I talk to her?"

"Just for a few minutes she needs her rest. The same goes for you." The doctor nodded respectfully to Miguel and left the ward.

Miguel stood up out of his chair and released Sam's hand, "Got some balls coming in here."

"Miguel! Sit down!" Sam hissed.

David just blinked calmly, "I don't have a need to fight you man."

"Yeah well maybe I do." Miguel started to approach him.

Sam tugged on Miguel's hand before he could move closer to David.

"Miguel can I talk to her? Alone please?"

"I dunno." Miguel raised an eyebrow, "You gonna give her another giant bruise?"

"Miguel!" Sam hissed before nodding to him, "It's okay."

Miguel walked past David and resisted the urge to give him a good shoulder nudge wearing the same black GI as him.

David took Miguel's seat next to Sam's hospital bed, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sam blinked.

David sighed, "I didn't want to put you in that bed. I…I couldn't control myself, I didn't want to…"

"But you did want to hurt me. Didn't you?" Sam asked.

He looked down at his bare feet, "It wasn't out of malice. You were my opponent it's just-"

"How you were trained. To say it wasn't your fault is a lie, there's no way Miguel would do this to me. And neither would Hawk even."

"Miguel gave Robby Keene shoulder problems for two months." David shrugged.

"Did he give him this?" Sam moved part of her hospital gown aside and showed the huge bruise in the space between her left hip and her rib, "If I touch it it feels like someone stabbed me Dave. Do you know how that feels?"

"I do but, I won't try to justify it that was wrong of me. It was also wrong of me…to be an ass. To you, to Miguel, to everyone." David stood up out of his chair and looked Samantha in those same eyes he remembered staring angrily into before being defeated for the first time in months, "Samantha. I am very, very sorry for doing this to you."

"It's okay. Just don't do it to anyone else alright?"

David nodded before Sam asked him something before he left, "David?"

He turned around, "Yeah?"

"What did you mean when you said you knew what it was like to be stabbed?"

"Ah. It was in a metaphoric sense, I've been…" David shook his head as he reached into his GI and wrapped his fist around a scrap of paper, "Nevermind. How're things going between you and Miguel?"

"Great actually, we just told each other we loved each other."

David gave an actual smile which seemed to be something he did less of these days, "Glad to hear that. You two…you two deserve to be happy. See ya 'round Sam."

After he left, Sam fell into a much needed deep sleep on her hospital bed.

Outside her ward, David closed to the door behind him to it only to see that Miguel had woken up every single Cobra Kai there and was having a muttered conversation with them all in the hospital hallway.

They all turned to him and David asked a question, "You guys okay? You all look pretty sad." The Cobras stood silent before David asked another question, "Where's Sensei?"

"He's on the rooftop." Aisha rubbed her eye from under her glasses, "Been there for a couple hours, pretty sure he's drinking again."

"I probably caused that…" David sighed.

Miguel turned to him and the Cobras stood tall behind him, "We've all been talking Dave."

"About what?" He asked.

"About you." Miguel muttered, "And what you've done."

"So?"

"You need to answer for what you did to Sam Dave." Aisha looked at him right in the eyes.

"I apologized. I'm sorry, I told her that I was sorry, I'll try harder next year."

Miguel shook his head, "There won't be a next year. We've voted, you're out."

David was confused, "Out? Out of what?"

"Cobra Kai." Miguel blinked, "Forever."

He laughed, "You're kidding! No…this is a prank!" He pointed to Miguel and chuckled.

The Cobras couldn't meet David's eyes and David realized the single fact being emitted from the looks on their faces, "You're serious!? Are you shitting me right now?"

"Cobra Kai isn't just about winning. It's about strength. Putting someone in the hospital, isn't strength. It's wrong. You went way too far David, you need to control yourself, and after what you did to Sam, you can't come back." Miguel crossed his arms.

"Are you serious right now dude? You're taking this way too personally. I get that she's your girlfriend, but I won't hurt anyone again, I promise."

"Empty words David." Miguel blinked, "I know you. You'll go right back to your old self at the drop of a hat."

"No I won't! I've changed, I saw what I did to Sam and I won't do it to anyone again! I'm sorry!" He hissed in the hospital hallway.

"Sorry won't change what you did." Miguel shook his head and extended his hand forward, "Turn in your GI."

"Miguel-"

"Turn in. Your GI." Miguel blinked calmly again.

David shook his head, "No. No you can't do this. I've been a part of Cobra Kai since I was twelve, I've watched Sensei fight when I was little and knew about him and what he could teach before any of you even knew what Cobra Kai was! I…" David bit his lip, "I love Cobra Kai! I love it! You all know this!"

"That's where you went wrong Dave." Aisha sighed, "You're supposed to love people. Not dojos. You cared so much about winning that you hurt someone pretty badly."

"So did Miguel!" David balled his lightning fast fists, "And he was welcomed back into the dojo with open arms!"

Aisha answered quickly, "There's a difference between him and you. You're violent and dangerous. It wouldn't matter if it was Sam or Miguel, or even me on that mat Dave." Aisha kept making eye contact with David through her glasses, "You need to know when to hold back, that same attitude I saw with Yasmine and her people, I see in you."

"Are you calling me a bully?"

Aisha shook her head, "No. But you're not someone I want at Cobra Kai."

"Does she speak for everyone here?" David looked around at the large group of Cobras.

They all muttered in agreement except for Demetri and Hawk who just tried to avoid David's eyes.

"Cobra Kai is about brotherhood. It's about family. And counting on that family when it needs you. When have I not been there for you guys? You're my boys! My bros!" David said, "And what? Y-You're gonna take away what I love most in the whole world because what? I hurt Miguel's girlfriend a little?"

"You hospitalized her." Miguel crossed his arms.

"For a day!" David said, "I love Cobra Kai! I love you guys! Come on!"

"No you don't." Miguel shook his head, "You saw a tape of Sensei fighting when he was little. And the second you got here you've done nothing but try to be like him. So much so that you've ignored what we wanted, what was right and being a good person. You were so obsessed with being Sensei, that you forgot to be a decent person."

"Plus…" Aisha breathed in tightly through her nose, "You could've easily gotten Cobra Kai banned from the All Valley putting Sam in that ward."

"You're done." Miguel blinked.

David used his vast supply of manliness to hold his tears back, "Fine!" He took off his black belt and the upper part of his GI before throwing it on the floor, "If that's how it's gonna be then! Fine! I never even wanted to be a Cobra Kai anyway!" David put on a blue jacket a sleeping Gregory had by his side.

He turned around and started to storm off before muttering, "Hawk. Demetri, let's go."

They stood still.

"Hawk?"

Hawk pushed his way to the front of Cobra Kai and made eye contact with David, "I'm sorry dude. I was outvoted. Miguel's still right about one thing, Cobra Kai isn't about hurting people, it makes you…a bully to hurt people…but…it's been fun." Hawk extended his hand forwards to offer to David for him to grasp in a man grip, "Bros to the end?"

"We made this pact." David looked up from Hawk's hand, "I remember the names. Aisha Robinson. Bert Mitchell. Demetri Connors. Hawk. Miguel Diaz. We'd all be bros to the end no matter what." David looked at everyone in Cobra Kai with a disappointed look on his face, "I guess you've all forgotten that."

David turned away from them and left with his nose held high, walking towards the exit of the hospital towards the rooftop to speak to Johnny.

Miguel sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, seeing how everyone around him had gloomy looks on their faces, "Don't worry guys, we'll feel bad now. But we won't regret it later."

They all walked towards the exit of the hospital in a sad way.

"Guys?" Miguel turned towards them, "Guys?"

No one in Cobra Kai answered.

Daniel walked up to a saddened David holding his iPhone to deliver some more bad news, "Um…you're not gonna wanna hear this but…Lozeman and everyone else from the board just texted me…You're banned from the All Valley for-"

"Use of excessive force? Yeah, I'm just glad I didn't get Cobra Kai banned." David turned away sadly and walked up the stairs to the rooftop.

"David wait!...David, hey!" Daniel wanted to walk after him but he just sighed instead.

III

Johnny had the second place All Valley trophy he stripped away from David when he broke up the fight between him and Miguel in the ensuing madness following Samantha's blackout.

Still wearing his black teacher's uniform, Johnny sipped his beloved Coors Banquet when he heard the door to the rooftop of Encino Hospital creak behind him.

"I'm…" David started to cry when Johnny turned to him, "I'm so sorry Sensei…I trained my ass off for a year…" David sobbed his eyes out in front of his Sensei, "I…I let everyone down! You! Mom! Miguel! I lost. I wasn't strong enough. Everyone's banned me from Cobra Kai, and now I can't even fight in the All Valley again."

Johnny put his beer down as David hugged him and cried on his shoulder, "I was too weak Sensei!" David used his crushing strength to hug Johnny, "I-I wasn't…I couldn't!" He cried and cried and his tears collected on Johnny's shoulder, "I couldn't win! I was too much of a loser!"

"Kid…" Johnny shook his head and smiled, "You didn't let me down. Don't ever think for a single second that you let anyone down. You're the best. The best of the best. LaRusso won, but she didn't beat you. No one can ever beat you, not life, not grades, nothing. You're the toughest son of a bitch I've ever met, tougher than Dutch or anyone, and don't you dare think I'm bullshitting."

"Sensei I'm a loser!" David sniffled, "No one at school will ever talk to me when they hear how I put Sam here. I'm not a Cobra Kai anymore! I lost the All Valley, I lost everyone at the dojo…I'm not a Cobra Kai, I'm not a winner, I'm just nothing…I lost."

Johnny smiled, "You know what kid? It doesn't matter. You don't give a shit like me. You kick ass like me. You're badass. You are me, otherwise I wouldn't have given that thing." Johnny flicked his nose upwards to David's black headband, "Sometimes, I even think that you're my kid, not Greg's."

"Really?" David sniffled as he cried.

"No, you'd be a blonde." Johnny smiled as he made David laugh at his joke.

"Sensei…" David sighed as he took out a piece of paper from his GI, "There's a reason why I wanted to be like you so much. It wasn't just because how badass your moves were, but because…"

Johnny read the piece of paper aloud, "You're a fag. Your dick is tiny. I bet you wish your dick was bigger. Fag. Fruitcake. Fairy. Fag. Tiny dick. Fag. What is this?"

David could barely meet Johnny's eyes, "I was bullied a lot in Denver. Hannah would come home and find me crying basically every day. No one talked to me, I had like…zero friends, a lot of people would make fun of me. Before I left Denver to come here, a whole bunch of people got together and put this note in my locker, and it basically summarized how they felt about me. When I saw that tape of you fighting, I wanted to be as strong as you so they'd never make fun of me again. I could never let myself…be bullied again. I carry this around with me wherever I go, as a reminder I guess."

Johnny tore up the piece of paper, "Forget 'em. You're strong enough now."

"Were you ever bullied in school?"

"In school no." Johnny shook his head, "But my step dad would make fun of me all the time. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that bullies are cowards."

David nodded, "Bullies are cowards…" He frowned, "Sensei, everyone voted. I'm not a Cobra Kai anymore and I never will be again."

Johnny sighed, "That's their decision and I have to roll with it I guess…A while ago, after I lost to some wimpy hand waving turd wearing white like you did…My Sensei tried to kill me. But I won't do that, I'll just say this: David, you were so focused on trying to be me, and trying to impress everyone, that you ended up forgetting about who you were supposed to be and impress. Yourself."

David smiled through his tears when Johnny nodded, "Miguel can say Cobra Kai is about this, and it's about that, but after everything I've learned…it's about self-improvement."

"Self-improvement huh?" David pointed to the beer bottle Johnny put down.

"Ah forget that shit." Johnny hurled it off the rooftop, "Point is that you'll never lose in a fight. Ever. Against anyone. You didn't cheat, but you still put Diaz's girl in a hospital bed. At school for you on Monday, odds are, no one will ever talk to you, you'll have no dojo to train at after it ends for the day, but you can always train alone with me after hours. Like how you started out, you and me, a dummy, and a night of secret training. I'll always be proud Dave, and so will your parents, never forget that."

David smiled widely, "Thank you Sensei."

"After I lost the All Valley, my life went to shit. Cobra Kai was done, I was a nobody doing repair jobs and I drunk all the time. But you…you have so much going for you. Your grades are perfect, your Karate is…well kid let's say it's amazing and put it at that. You have two loving parents, you're rich, and you're strong as hell. Your life won't fall to shit because of one bad decision, you still have so much ahead of you…I guess what I'm saying is, losing won't make you a loser like it did for me."

David frowned at the ground but Johnny put a hand on his shoulder and David looked up when Johnny said, "Hey. Chin up kiddo, you got so much to do before you can totally be me. You'll need a super hot babe to call a girlfriend, some bikes and a gang of bros to roll with. If you have that, you'll be the Ace Degenerate."

"You know what Sensei? I think I'm done trying to be you, I'll try being…me from now on."

"Actually David…that sounds a lot better."

"But there's this one girl who caught my eye when I beat her in the tournament…Yasmine Mitchell, she's the blonde who goes to Kreese's dojo. She's kind of a bitch but she's still-"

"Hot?" Johnny chuckled, "Don't worry, if that's the only thing you care about, you're still me through and through."

David began to walk away before Johnny called out to him, "Keep that headband on kid, if life threw you a cheap shot you'd kick it in the face to strike first."

"Thanks Sensei. See ya 'round." David walked down the stairs and met Daniel on the way down, "H-Hey Mr. LaRusso, sorry about hurting your daughter I-"

"It's fine. I saw how everyone threw you out of Cobra Kai."

"Yup." David sighed, "I messed up. Big time."

"You know…" Daniel smiled at him, "I live right across the street from you, I've got a tiny dojo I use for katas from time to time. If you ever feel like learning Tensho again or a new one, my door's always open."

David nodded, "I'll think about it. But why're you helping me? I just put Sam in a hospital bed."

"A man living with no forgiveness in his heart is living a fate worse than death."

David squinted at Daniel, "Who said that?"

"Someone wise." Daniel kept giving his sparkling boyish smile, "Great job fighting today. Just try not to hurt people okay?"

David nodded and left.

Daniel walked up the hospital's stairs and found Johnny drinking by himself, "Gotta beer?"

"Always." Johnny drew one from the small ice cooler he carried with him and offered it to Daniel.

"To kicking ass." Daniel chuckled and shrugged when he held it.

"To kicking ass." Johnny nodded and clinked his Coors Banquet with him.

They both sipped it and Daniel smiled, "Did you really give David your headband before he went onto the mat?"

"Did you really give your kid yours too?" Johnny asked back.

"Yeah. You know what Johnny?" Daniel put his beer down and looked around the empty rooftop of the hospital, "There's no one here. We haven't drunk that much, and I'm tired of letting a buncha kids decide who wins between us."

"Are you serious?" Johnny's eyes widened and he put his beer down, "I've been waiting to do this for thirty years man so don't hold back."

Daniel chuckled and stretched his calf muscles, "Don't worry, I won't."

As Daniel and Johnny prepared to have a fight, Ali decided to visit an old friend in the labor wing of the same hospital she worked in.

"A-Ali Mills?" Bobby turned from his conversation with his wife to her.

She smiled and offered her arms to hug, "C'mere Bobby."

Bobby and Ali hugged each other and her son David walked into the room where Jessica was holding a newborn in her arms.

"Bobby I…" Ali was at a loss for words and Bobby turned to David.

"Hey kid, you moved like Johnny did." He smirked.

"Thanks…I guess that's why I lost." David shrugged and turned to Jessica, "You're Bobby's wife?"

She nodded and David walked over to her sitting exhausted in her hospital bed, "My name's Jessica."

"David." The boy said his own name and smiled before feeling tears swell up in his eyes when the baby in Jessica's arms stirred.

Jessica saw this as her newborn son moved in her arms, "What's wrong?"

"I've been going through a really tough time lately." David wiped aside his tears, "But seeing something as precious as your baby…gives me hope."

"Hope for what?" Jessica asked as her son in her arms cooed.

"Hope that…that I can be a better person." David smiled.

Jessica beckoned David closer to her hospital bed and smiled back, "Here, would you like to hold him?"

He nodded and took Jessica's newborn child in his muscular arms.

Before he knew it, David Anthony Mills-Schwarber was crying his eyes out as the newborn cooed and played with his finger, "It's so…precious." David looked up from staring at the newborns tiny face and nodded to Bobby, "I want something like this someday. It doesn't matter what I'll have to be, I'll do it if I need to accomplish this."

Bobby raised a blonde eyebrow, "You want to be a father?"

"No. I'm done being something I'm not…I want to be…like you maybe. Kind…yet strong." David handed Jessica her child.

Bobby shrugged, "That's not me kid. It's the way people should be."

"Well then I guess I'll be myself." David tightened the black headband around his head Johnny gave him.

III

Johnny sighed in the Cobra Kai dojo, setting David's new second place All Valley trophy next to the first place version of it Miguel won the year before.

Instead of drinking and looking at David's trophy sadly, he just smiled in pride at it.

"Not as bad as yours eh Lawrence?"

"Kreese?" Johnny turned around, "What're you doing here?"

"Just here to apologize..." Kreese mumbled.

Johnny was confused, "Wait what? Why?"

"Found out a good friend of mine from 'nam just died."

Johnny asked him something, "Who?"

"Terry Silver." Kreese shook his head, "I…uh…I just came here to apologize."

"Apologize?" Johnny was even further confused, "Why?"

Kreese approached Johnny, and Johnny actually didn't feel threatened, "I've gone through a bit of what you might call an epiphany after Terry died last night."

"How'd he die?"

"Heart attack. I never even got to say goodbye to him." Kreese sighed, "I just…I never win don't I? Never."

Johnny looked at him, "That kid you were yelling at who lost, what was his name er…"

"Kyler."

"Yeah him…did you try to choke him after the tournament?"

Kreese shook his head and smiled, "Nah."

"What changed in you?... How?"

"I've realized that…no matter how hard I try…I'll never win. You lost, Barnes lost, and now Lee lost…My way, just whatever it is, will never work. I've ended Tsuyoi Karate, I've told Lee and all the others to go home."

"So what're you gonna do now?" Johnny watched as his old teacher crossed his arms.

Kreese shrugged, "Visit Terry's grave again. See a few national monuments maybe…and then retire."

"I…I'm happy to hear that." Johnny admitted.

"You know…" Images of his students began to flash in Johnny's mind as Kreese spoke to him, "Win or lose…whatever happens on the mat…really doesn't matter."

Sam watched as Miguel and everyone else from Cobra Kai entered her ward holding flowers. She laughed in surprise and everyone was wearing smiles including Daniel and Amanda.

"What really matters is what happens off the mat. Real winners gotta take life head on first, then opponents. My life went to shit when I forgot how to be decent to people, not when I started losing."

David and Daniel were in Daniel's small dojo in his house, wearing white GIs and practicing their katas with hand waving motions. Behind them, Hannah and Robby held hands as they watched the newest addition to Miyagi-Do train.

"What we learn in any dojo is important, but here, in Cobra Kai, when I saw you, and Brown, and all the others come in here every day and become brothers, and get stronger…that was the biggest reward for me than any trophy…"

Miguel and Hawk were sparring on the mat in Cobra Kai and when Hawk was knocked into the mat, he was helped up by the hand and with a smile.

"Brotherhood. Friendship, this is the true part of Cobra Kai. The part that really mattered, the part that I should've cared about." Kreese chuckled to Johnny, "Seeing Mills throw everything he had at that girl just to lose made something click in me. I knew whatever it was I taught…wasn't going to work. So I'm sorry. For...everything."

"Well it's fine…Sensei." Johnny smiled.

"Life's short. If it kicks you down, you gotta get back up and fight…But that's no reason to forget about what matters most. I'm glad you've learned that…Johnny." Kreese turned around and almost walked out of the dojo before noticing something, "You've got a bruise on your eye you didn't have at the tournament."

"Yeah, I fought with LaRusso again on the rooftop of a hospital."

"Who won?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Johnny." Johnny was surprised when Kreese addressed him by his first name again, "Who won?"

He shook his head, "I'll never tell."

Kreese smiled, "Okay then…bye Lawrence." He left the Cobra Kai dojo.

"Goodbye...Sensei."

Johnny turned around and admired his creation. He usually couldn't believe that his old life had become his new one.

His blonde head turned to the two trophies Miguel and David brought in and smiled at them, "Good job Diaz. Good job Mills."

Before he turned off the lights to the dojo and went home for the night, he glowed in pride. For the first time in years he could say he had more pride than failure.

Pride for his students. Pride for the dojo. Pride for himself.

As he flicked off the lights to the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny felt like the trophies Miguel and David brought to him didn't really matter, just like Kreese had said. He learned what was important, so did David, and even Kreese. And that was a greater victory for him than any other win. On the mat or off it.

Johnny flicked off the lights to Cobra Kai and gave his dojo a smile before he left it.

III

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The End

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