The return to school is as sucky as one might expect. Homework, getting up early, teachers being extra perky because they're high on coffee and anti depressants, etc. However, I'm pleased to say my grades are much better. I have Demetri to help me with english, Miguel for algebra 2, Eli for anatomy, and Aisha for History. While school isn't my forte, I at least have smart friends to tutor me. Sure they screw with me about how much of a book dummy I am, but it's all in good fun. I've always been an A B student, more so on the B side, but my friends are helping with that.

Cobra Kai has gone well, everyone is training hard and the dojo is doing well. However, my main concern has been getting Miguel to finally grow a pair and ask out Sam.

"Dude, I swear she'll say yes. We're Cobra Kai," I say trying very hard to convince him.

"I dunno man," Miguel says.

"What did Sensei say? You told me you asked him," Miguel says.

"Never accept defeat, all the stuff we've learned from training," Miguel answers.

"See, never accept defeat. However, if things are getting handsy—" I begin to say.

"Dude, I know," Miguel interrupts.

"Ok here's her locker," I say.

"Cmon dude let's go. I'll do it tomorrow," Miguel says.

"Oh bullshit," I taunt and block his path.

"Dude," Miguel says smiling.

"Ask her out," I urge.

"What am I supposed to say?" Miguel says getting flustered.

"What do you mean? Just talk to her normally. We've hung out with her plenty and you guys' will they won't they thing is annoying," I say smiling.

"Ok. I'll do it. Tomorrow, I swear to God," Miguel says.

"Fine. Tomorrow," I say giving in.

I can't force him. He's gotta be ready. Plus if I force him, he will freeze. Happened to me many times when I tried to ask out a chick before I was ready.

We drop it for now and the rest of the day is normal until we get to the dojo. Miguel, Hawk, Aisha, and I are stretching together and chatting. Eventually, we'll all know it's time for training when Sensei walks out of his office.

"QUIET!" He bellows and we all stand straight up.

We all have gi's now and it's nice to look more professional as an official dojo.

"Everybody, fall in!" Sensei orders and we get into our spots.

Miguel, Aisha, Hawk and I take our places in the front of each line.

"Jumbi!" He yells and we all stand straight up with our arms to our sides.

"Bow," he orders calmly and bows himself. The rest of us follow suit.

"Fighting positions!" He orders and we all square up.

Sensei slowly walks over to Hawk. He lightly kicks Hawk's leg which causes him to lose balance and trip.

"Stabilize your base Hawk. Keep your balance full rotation when you strike," Sensei instructs then demonstrates.

"Yes Sensei!" Hawk yells in affirmation and throws a punch with a quiet "hiyah."

Sensei turns to Virgin who flinches.

"Did you just flinch Virgin?" Sensei asks in disbelief.

He walks over to Edwin who flinches also.

"Holy shit. We got a room full of flinchers!" Sensei yells in disbelief.

"Yes Sensei!" We all say and I feel dumb right after.

"That was not a question!" He yells in annoyance.

"Raise you hand if you've never been punched in the face!" Sensei orders.

Everyone except Hawk, Aisha, Miguel, and I raise their hands. I'm honestly surprised Amelia didn't raise her hand. She'll get in the ring with anyone. I bet she'd even take on that Shaw linebacker from the woods. I then come to the conclusion that she probably did the hitting.

"Put your hands down!" Sensei orders and the kids who raised their hands put them down.

"All you lives, you've been avoiding fights. So you don't break your nose or lose a tooth, this concussion nonsense," Sensei remarks.

We all decide to ignore his ignorance toward concussions.

"So there's only one solution, and that is before you leave this dojo, each and every one of you is gonna take a punch, very hard, to the face!" Sensei says.

"Mr. Murphy, line em up. Unflinch this group," Sensei orders.

Did he seriously have to pick me? Why me? I was the second best fighter, but I was by far the hardest hitter. I could really hurt one of these kids. I'm not thinking that with pride at all. Especially some of the younger guys like Bert and Virgin. However, I understand why because Sensei knows that if they can handle a punch from me, then they can handle one from many others.

I'm not gonna knock out anyone's teeth or break anyone's nose so I plan to aim for the cheek or forehead. Not really for head because that'l do more damage to my knuckles then their face.

"Yes Sensei," I answer then walk to the middle of the front.

Authors note: the lines are set up mostly the same, but Miguel is closest to the door, Blake is next to him, Aisha is on Blake's right, and hawk is at the end closest to Johnny's office. Unnecessary detail, but I thought I'd let y'all know.

"You heard him. Line up!" I order.

Virgin is first in line. I can tell he's shitting bricks, but he tries to look strong. I sigh then sling my arm and deck him right in the jaw. He goes down with a high pitched grunt. He gets up shaking slightly and holding his face. The line continues as I slug each kid.

The older kids take my punches better, but I'm dreading having to clock Amelia's beautiful mug. I was happy to spar with her, but I never actually thought about what I'd do in the position. Luckily, I never had to know. Until today. Miguel walks into Sensei's office when I'm about halfway through the line. Aisha doesn't seem to care and she even yelled at Bert and called him a pussy when he looked near tears.

When Edwin steps up, I punch him a little hard in the jaw and he goes down. Everyone in the class yells in cringe. Hawk laughs in awe. I give him a look of warning because I bet he doesn't want me telling people about how he cried when John was beating up on him in the woods. He shuts up instantly as he probably gets my message.

"I'm okay. It's just a tooth," Edwin says as I help him up and pat him on the shoulder as he grunts in pain.

"Your good. Alright who's next?" I announce in a serious tone.

I freeze when Amelia saunters up to me. She clearly notices my look of disapproval.

"What to afraid to hit a girl?" She taunts.

She knew that wasn't true because she's seen me spar with Aisha. However, Aisha is tough and dishes back. While she and Amelia were typically partners and Amelia's natural athleticism and toughness helped her stand a fighting chance, she'd never gone against me, Miguel, or someone like Hawk. Unlike Miguel and I, Hawk doesn't show any restraint on his opponents. Makes him an excellent fighter, but he is also at risk of actually hurting someone.

"What are you waiting for?" She says with no fear.

I look at Aisha and mentally beg for some solution. I put my hand up and give her a pleading look. She just shrugs not knowing what to say or do.

"I'm sorry," I say fast and pull my punch that smacks her right in the cheek.

She lets out a grunt and falls to the ground. I feel absolutely horrible. Now I know how Miguel felt when he kicked Aisha on her first day.

"Ames, are you okay. I'm sorry," I say bending down over her.

She sucker punches me right in the eye. I hold my face with a look of surprise and put my hand on my eye.

"Grew up with two younger brothers and an older one. I know how to take a punch," she says confidently with a smile.

I grin at her and Hawk burst out laughing. I look over at him and Aisha who is stifling a laugh. However, I can tell it phased her because she rubs her cheek, but tries to hide it. I rub my eye slowly. The younger guys stare at her in awe. Im not surprised she turned heads when she walked in the dojo. Virgin and Bert have been practically smitten since day one. I remember Virgin smiling in a daze when Amelia pounded him into the mat during a sparring session.

Once I finish off the line, Sensei dismisses us early. I check on Amelia just to make sure and she says she's completely fine. She warns me that if I pull another punch, she'll kick my ass and I laugh. However, she appreciates me checking on her.

"So, what'd you and Sensei talk about?" I ask Miguel on the ride home.

"Nothin much. Heard Amelia clocked you good," Miguel taunts and I smile while my face turns bright red.

The rest of the ride, he refuses to tell me what he and Sensei talked about. He then tells me that I'll find out tomorrow before shutting the door so I can't respond.

I shake my head with a smile and head home. The next day goes normally until the end of the day when Miguel comes sprinting up to me with a wide grin on his face.

"Holy shit, what's up?" I ask putting my hand up and protecting my insulin pump with the other before he can collide with me.

"Dude, she said yes!" Miguel says with pure joy as me smiles with a wide open mouth.

"Holy shit! You asked her out," I say grinning from ear to ear.

"Dude, I don't think she even cares that I have braces," Miguel says.

"Why would she? I mean your not trying to go down on her already right?" I ask in a teasing voice.

Miguel laughs and punches me in the shoulder.

"Only problem is, I don't have a car so she's driving me," Miguel says slightly ashamed.

"So what, you don't need wheels to be a kick ass date," I say.

"I guess," Miguel says as he gets in my car.

"You nervous?" I ask.

"A little. A lot," Miguel says his eyes going wide as he looks at me.

"I need advice bad," he says pleadingly.

I think for a second about what to say. I was nervous as hell for my date with Moon, but once she picked me up, it was just easy. That's probably why I like her so much because she's easy to be around and I just feel comfortable.

"Well don't talk to much because you tend to get nervous and just... talk. Uh, do not talk about other girls and if she wants to have sex with you in the BMW, I'd say just... think about it first," I say shrugging and looking at him.

"Dude, don't be gross, it's just us hanging out," Miguel says.

"Yeah, I know, I just like to get you going," I tease.

"This is serious, first impressions matter," Miguel says flustered.

"Well I was serious about everything else," I say.

"Okay don't talk to much, don't talk about other girls, got it," Miguel says taking mental notes and tapping his index finger on the center console.

"Should I try to kiss her?" Miguel asks after a bit of silence.

This question causes me to stop and think. Truth is, I have no idea.

"Depends," I say.

"Well you kissed Moon," Miguel argues.

"She kissed me. And I liked it. So it worked out," I say.

Miguel just sighs in frustration.

"Alright look, if she wants to, go for it. However, do not, I repeat, do not force it," I say seriously.

Miguel looks at me as if I offended him.

No no no, that's not what I meant. What I'm saying is don't do it too early or at the wrong time. Wait for the moment. In the end, just make her feel comfortable and make sure she's having fun. If she has fun, she'll wanna hang out with you again. So when it comes to smooching, don't rush it. Things are worth waiting for," I say.

Miguel ponders what I said.

"Okay," he says sounding a lot more calm.

"Where should we go?" Miguel asks.

"Dude, I don't have all the answers. It depends on what she likes to do. Every time we hung out with her, you two get cozy. I'm sure she's told you some stuff about her right," I say.

"Yeah, well she likes karate," Miguel says.

"Okay, I don't think a candle lit dinner at the dojo is an ideal date with someone like LaRusso," I say.

"Well how did you decide?" Miguel asks.

"Moon planned our first date. After that, it was honestly whatever we were in the mood to do. Whether it was going to the movies, hanging out at one of our houses, going to the beach when it was warmer outside, or just getting dinner," I say.

"Well," Miguel says sounding defeated.

"Dude, your Cobra Kai's top student. Your not afraid to got toe to toe with someone like me, but your afraid to hang with Sam. Dude just don't overthink it. It will work out, just be confident, be yourself and go with the flow. If you do all that and she decides she doesn't wanna pursue it, then it's her loss. Not yours. However, based on the way you two interact, I wouldn't worry about that," I say.

"Maybe ask Sensei for some advice. He's good at the whole girl thing," I follow up.

Before Miguel can respond, Hawk gets in the car.

"Hey guys. What's up?" He asks.

"Not much man," I say and we high five and Miguel and Hawk do the same.

"What took you so long?" Miguel asks.

"That nerd Mr. Palmer stopped me in the hall after class to ask about the properties of my manic panic hair dye," Hawk says making quotes with his fingers when he says "properties."

I pull out of the parking lot and we drive to the dojo. Miguel asks Hawk, Aisha, and I for potential date locations. We try to help and Hawk shows us his new back tattoo. It's a hawk with the wings spread out across his upper back and to his shoulder blades. The Hawk has a small blue mohawk on the top of his head. It looks awesome, but he goes into Eli mode when Aisha asks him about his parents. Training goes well and we finally do full on combat for the first time. My knees are getting tired from sitting on the end of the matt watching the duels take place.

"Ms. Jones, Ms. Robinson," Sensei says and Amelia and Aisha stand up and walk to the center of the mat.

"Face me bow. Face each other bow," Sensei orders and they do as he says.

"Ready. Fight!" He says.

They immediately go at it. Amelia uses her athletic body and speed to overwhelm Aisha, but Aisha uses her technique and greater experience to counter Amelia's attacks. Amelia kicks Aisha in the chest and she stumbles back.

"Point!" Miguel says and raises the white flag.

"Good job Ms. Jones. Bow, go again," Sensei orders and they fight again.

This time Aisha gets the upper hand and delivers a vicious punch to Amelia's chest. She falls with a grunt.

"Point!" Miguel says and holds up the red flag this time.

"Good work both of you," Sensei says.

I hope it's my turn next. I haven't gotten to go yet. I bet I'll go against Miguel, but to my surprise Sensei has me fight someone else.

"Murphy, Hawk," Sensei yells.

Hawk and I walk over to the center of the matt. I've only done light sparring with Hawk so I'm not entirely sure what he's capable of. I know for a fact that I'm not fighting Eli. This is someone new. He has the subtle lip curl of a half smile as he saunters up to stand across from me.

We face Sensei and each other and bow the ready up. When Sensei signals, Hawk goes full offensive. He throws punches and kicks like a madman. He's very strong despite being skinny and my arms are gonna be bruised tomorrow from blocking his onslaught.

He's really good... but not good enough. I catch his punch and twist him around and knee him twice in the ribs. He yells in anger and a little bit of pain. I shove him away and go on offense. Unfortunately for him, Hawk relies completely on offense and has to rely on dodges. My kicks and punches hurt and every other student knows. He tries to block a round house kick, but it hurts his arm as he grabs it after my leg collides with it. He screams as he throws more punches, but I block them. I grab his arm again and punch him square in the gut.

"Point!" Miguel says raising the red flag.

"Nice work. Bow go again. First to three wins," Sensei says.

"Full match huh," I say smiling while breathing hard as sweat rolls down my forehead.

We square up again and I strike first. I do a front kick, then follow it up with a roundhouse. Hawk barely dodges them. Then I do a wheel kick and catch him right in the face.

"Point!" Miguel says.

"Murphy two, Hawk nothing. Ready..." Sensei says, but then looks at me.

I'm starting to feel dizzy and overly tired. Then I realize what's happening, low blood sugar. I'm starting to have an attack.

"You good man?" Hawk asks concerned.

"Yeah," I whisper as I start panting.

I get in a half assed stance and squint my eyes. I was gonna finish this. I was so close.

"Sensei," Hawk says not sure what to do.

"You alright?" Sensei asks.

I'm not a little pussy. I can do this. Nor am I some cripple who can't handle some physical exercise. I was gonna finish this match if it killed me. I grit my teeth and ready up. For some reason, this rage just took over and my mind is racing as my heart pounds against my chest.

"Ready, fight!" Sensei says.

I throw sloppy punches at Hawk and he dodges them. He hits me with a telegraphed roundhouse in the upper abdomen. Right where my dead pancreas is. The pain hits me like a train.

"Ack!" I say and go down.

"Poi- oh shit," Miguel says.

"Murphy?" Hawk says.

"Hey kid your alright come on," Sensei says kneeling over me.

His face is blurry and I can't really breathe. Hawk looks guilt ridden and scared.

"Sensei, I think he might be going through insulin shock," Aisha says scared.

"Blake?" Amelia says horrified.

How could I be going through insulin shock? I gave myself a shot with the pen when I walked into the dojo like I do every day. My blood sugar and glucose levels were completely normal. Then I realize that I was dehydrated.

"Low... blood... sugar," I say through hyperventilations.

"Gatorade,. My bag" I follow up.

Miguel runs over and grabs the Gatorade out of my bag. I take greedy sips and down half the bottle in one gulp. My senses are starting to return to normal. I look around at the uncomfortable faces of my friends in the dojo. I felt humiliated. Here I was, one of the top students they all looked up to. Looking pathetic and beaten down. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. Miguel was the top fighter, but they viewed me as more of a leader. I was basically, the team captain for lack of better terms. We don't technically have one, but if we did. Now I just feel like a vain asshole.

"Alright thats enough for today. Class dismissed," Sensei says and bows.

The rest of the class follows suit.

"No," I say.

Everyone stops.

"I'm not done with you yet," I say to Hawk.

"Okay," he agrees and cracks his knuckles.

"Look, everyone already knows what your capable of. You have nothing to prove. No need to be a dipshit and get hurt," Sensei says.

"No, I'm finishing this," I say getting up.

I'm still winded and doctors would be dragging me by the hair off the mat, but there were no doctors here.

"Plus I thought safety was for pussies," I say to Sensei.

"Alright, you want to keep going you got it. If you end up in one of those insol comas, I'm not getting sued," Sensei says putting his hands up.

"Deal," I say.

"You wanna finish this?" I say to Hawk.

"Yeah," he says excitedly and steps across from me.

I'm still a bit lightheaded, but I have all night to rest. I give it everything I have during this last round. Both of us punch, kick, but I wasn't gonna lose. I sweep Hawk's and leap into the air. The next move might as well be in slow motion. As Hawk falls closer and closer to the mat, I'm falling above him with my elbow aimed at his chest. My flying elbow collides with Hawk's chest at the exact moment he smacks the ground. He grunts in pain as I land unharmed next to him on my back with my elbow still on his rapidly rising chest.

"Point!" Miguel says holding up the red flag.

"Nice work Murphy! 3-1 winner," Sensei yells with emphasis pointing to me.

"Bow. Shake hands. Great work both of you," Sensei says.

I help Hawk up and we stand on the line. We bow and shake hands.

"Holy shit man," Hawk says laughing out of breath.

"Dude, you've improved so much. You'll be up there in no time," I say with pride.

One thing is for sure, Hawk just secured his place as Cobra Kai's third best fighter. However, it was arguable because Aisha had landed points on me when I was at full strength, but Hawk was catching up fast and I honestly believe that he just might be a little better, but I'm not gonna say that.

On the drive home. Miguel, Hawk, I blare music and have a blast. We're hyping Miguel up for his big date with Sam. When I get home, I take a glance over at the LaRusso house. I wonder how tonight will go. Also, Miguel told me that Sensei said Cobra Kai was banned from the All Valley for shit that went down in the 80's and Sensei was going to an appeal tonight to fix it. Miguel and Sensei would be put to the rest tonight for sure. However, I have hope because we're Cobra Kai after all. And Cobra Kais are winners.

Authors note: since I've been busy and you guys have hopefully been anticipating the new chapter. I made this one longer. As we know, Johnny and Miguel take dubs with their nights and things are looking great for Cobra Kai. Next chapter will be the aftermath of everything and the next steps. Also if you haven't checked it out yet. Go give the story Snakebitten by Golden Black Dragon a read. It's a great story and has a lot of potential. Other Cobra Kai stories I recommend are FinnHudsonGlee's Season 4 story and Robby the Cobra by spiderduck1985. As well as Tourney of Victory by Costal Records and Cobra Kai Season 4 by toryskeene. Happy reading