The other cobras stand around me as I sit on a bench in the room between the two locker rooms. It's mostly private, but it's not in the men's locker room so Amelia and Aisha can be there also.
"Blake, that was a truly awesome battle. I couldn't believe it," Hawk says very excitedly in awe.
"Thanks man. I'm sorry if I let you all down," I say scratching my head apologetically.
"Stop. We all know you did the best you could possibly do," Amelia says encouragingly.
"And that's what it's all about," Miguel responds.
"Right, plus Keene juuuust kept hanging in there," Aisha says confidently and pinching her fingers together when she says "just."
"Y'all are right. I wanna keep training and learn a whole lot more about karate and get a lot stronger. And that's just what we're all gonna do. Right guys," I say determined.
"Right," everyone agrees.
"For now though..." I say and look at Miguel with a determined expression.
"Someone's got an All Valley to win," I say smirking at Miguel.
"Don't worry. I'm gonna kick Keene's ass. Plus you weakened him a lot. He could barely walk off the mat after you guy's fight," Miguel says confidently.
"Your right about that, but do not underestimate him. It will come back to bite you if you do," I say to Miguel.
"Don't worry, I got this," Miguel says and leaves.
"You coming?" Hawk asks me.
"Yeah, gotta check my blood sugar and reinstall my pump. You know, diabetes shit," I say smiling.
A few minutes later
As I am sitting in the locker room to put my insulin pump back in. I had been relying on shots because I can't wear it while I fight so I needed a higher dose that would last me for longer. I prick my finger to check my blood sugar. My blood sugar is dangerously low as a result of my fight with Keene. I begin to panic as I go though my bag and find no Gatorade or anything. I feel mostly fine, but it still stresses me
I see Mr. LaRusso walk into the locker room. We make eye contact and he stops. I look away and move my hand around to fake fiddling around in my bag. I hope that if I just ignore him, he'll go away.
"Figured you would need this," he says after a sigh.
I look up and see him offering me a blue Gatorade.
"Thanks," I say and take the Gatorade.
How in the hell did he know I was diabetic. Sam probably told him or my dad did because they work together and have become friends.
"How did you know I was..?" I say but can't finish my sentence.
"Your dad and I work together, remember," he says jokingly while his lip is curled into a smile.
"Yeah, must have slipped my mind," I say and take a long swig of the Gatorade.
What is going on right now? I thought LaRusso hated everyone in Cobra Kai.
"So... are you mad at me?" I ask sounding like a total idiot.
"Well I've heard good and bad things and figured that we all have flaws. However, we'll deal with those another time. I was here to congratulate you on your tournament performance. You fought with honor. You shouldn't feel ashamed that you lost," Mr. LaRusso says sounding like a dad encouraging their kid after they strike out in little league.
"Would you say this to me if won?" I ask looking at him making a curious face.
He doesn't answer, but instead tries to change the subject. I decide not to dwell on it.
"What'd your Sensei say after the match?" LaRusso asks with some venom.
I give him a slightly smug look, but my tone sounds nothing but heartfelt.
"He told me he was really proud of me and that he was honored to train such strong students that were also good kids,"
LaRusso makes a face that rubs me the wrong way when I say "good kids," so I decide to leave and go see Miguel before his match.
"I'm gonna go cheer on Miguel," I say and leave.
He was really trying to slander Cobra Kai's name with one of its top students. Is he a dickhead or just stupid? And giving me a Gatorade to butter me up? Fuck you Daniel LaRusso.
Originally, I felt proud of myself for how well I did, but now I'm just pissed off that I lost to LaRusso and Robby fucking Keene. Deep down, I knew it wasn't Robby's fault, but not doubt he shares LaRusso's opinion of Cobra Kai. I was proud of how well I did, but losing to LaRusso and Robby left a sour taste.
I give Miguel some pointers and tell him about how Robby fights. I didn't really need to tell him much because as they both stand on corners of the mat, their senseis beside them, while the spotlights flash around to add epic suspense to the finals.
"This is it folks, this is the moment we've all been waiting for. The final match to decide who will be our new champion! Will it be Miguel Diaz, from Cobra Kai Karate?!" Daryl says into the mic and Miguel nods as the audience cheers.
"Will it be Robby Keene, from Miyagi Do Karate?!" Daryl yells and Robby, who looks worse for wear bows.
I cringe when I see Robby on the mat with Mr. LaRusso. Robby looks like he's in no condition to flight. He's trying to hide the fact that he's clutching his chest and rubbing his ribs. All bruises that I gave him. I look up at his eye which is very swollen and now discolored. Went from just puffy to puffy and reddish purple. I felt bad for doing that, but if he wanted to beat Miguel, then he'd have to fight through it.
However, his chances of beating Miguel weren't very high. Miguel would do anything to beat Robby after the whole Sam fiasco, Miguel had trained for much longer, and Miguel was fresh and energized while Robby seemed to have trouble walking.
Sensei Lawrence and Mr. LaRusso appear to have a heated conversation. I know they have beef, but can they just have the match in peace? They didn't have any problems during the last match where they went at it as senseis.
"Ready,.." the ref says.
Miguel let's out a determined yell as he readies up in his stance.
"And fight!" The ref says.
Miguel jumps forward and the two exchange blows, but each blow Robby blocks causes him to wince and grunt in pain. This only drives Miguel more as he grabs one of Robby's arms and punches it very hard twice. He then uses that arm and throws Robby to the ground and gets on top and punches Robby over and over in the ribs. Miguel grows angrier as he lands each punch screaming in rage while Robby is crying out in pain.
"That's enough! Enough!" The ref says and pulls Miguel off of him with a mighty struggle.
Miguel comes back to his senses and holds up his hands.
"Sorry, sorry, just got a bit aggressive," he says to the ref nonchalantly.
"Alright, warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. Next time, your disqualified," the he says accepting Miguel's fake apology.
Robby is clutching his chest as he hisses in pain. He's in no condition to fight. I did more damage than I thought. However, Robby shaking up gets up and limps back to the line.
"No point. Still 0-0. Ready, and fight!" The ref calls.
Miguel tries to knee Robby with both knees, but Robby blocks them both with difficultly.
Miguel goes for a spinning heel kick that catches Robby with in his black eye. I cringe in pain. I'm also a bit shocked because I know Miguel did that on purpose. This is very out of character for him, but I understand his pain. If I were in his shoes and Robby stole Moon, I'd put him in a coma.
"Ref! Come on!" LaRusso yells in annoyance as Robby lays on the ground clutching his black eye.
"Point Diaz, 1-0," the ref says ignoring LaRusso.
"Diaz and Cobra Kai get the first point!" Daryl says into the mic.
I smile wickedly at Mr. LaRusso, but he never sees me do it. Miguel's just trying to hurt Robby worse. I don't think he cares about winning the right way.
"Come on Miguel! Fight fairly. You want your dub to feel earned or not?! You got this man," I say and clap my hands in encouragement.
Miguel hears me and swivels his head around and gives me a look of bloodlust. I don't back down.
"What? Fight clean like a man. No pussy cheap shots! Just finish the match!" I yell.
"Come on Diaz, focus," Sensei Lawrence yells.
Miguel looks down to the ground. I think I might have actually gotten to him. He looks at me with determination and nods his head. Robby gets up when the ref helps him.
"Can you continue Keene?" The ref asks.
Robby nods and walks on shaky legs to the line. The ref signals and both Miguel and Robby go at it. If Robby was at full strength, this would be a close match. However, I think Miguel would beat Robby even at his strongest.
Authors note: I believe Miguel would've beaten Robby regardless if his shoulder was fully intact. Just my opinion.
Robby shoves Miguel hard which causes him to stumble and trip on his own feet. Robby tries to kick him, but Miguel sweeps his leg. Robby flies down and lands hard on the mat. Miguel leaps forward and deliver a vicious punch to Robby's ribs.
"Haaah! Point Diaz! 2-0!" The ref calls out.
"YEEEEAAAAAHHHH!" Hawk and i roar in unison.
I glance over at Sensei Lawrence who for some reason doesn't seem happy at all. Why though? Miguel's about to win the whole thing.
Robby struggles to his feet.
"It's crunch time for Keene! Can he pull himself back together and get back into the race?!" Daryl yells into the microphone.
"Time! Time," Mr. LaRusso calls out.
"Time?" Miguel yells in disgust.
He walks over to Sensei Lawrence.
"Sensei, I'm sorry I was being a bad sport. I just hate him. He stole my girl and-" Miguel begins to say.
"I don't care what he does. Beat him fist and square and you truly are a winner. Trust me, you win honorably, you will truly defeat him because he'll go home knowing you were the better fighter. Those two points you got after Murphy yelled at you to fight like a man. With honor. Keep it up Diaz. Finish the match on a high note," Sensei instructs.
"What about no mercy? Huh?" Miguel asks.
"Dude no mercy isn't as literal as it sounds stupid. Your up 2-0, just finish the match and walk out of here a champion. You've trained all year for this. Let's go man," I say.
"Don't worry, I got this. No mercy," Miguel says looking between me and Sensei Lawrence.
Miguel's eyes flare when he says this. He's brutalized Robby so far. Although, his moves have been legal since his warning, he's just trying to hurt Robby as much as possible. There's a part of me that enjoys seeing Keene in pain, but the rest of me wants Miguel to win honorably.
"Alright, Diaz 2 Keene nothing ready, fight!" The ref shouts.
Miguel and Robby begin scrapping again. Miguel is punching and kicking his arms as much as possible and Robby is grunting in pain each time. Robby goes to kick Miguel and he catches his leg. He then lifts up his leg and kicks Robby hard in the shoulder, but doesn't let go. He swings Robby around by the leg and slams him down on the mat.
Robby rolls back and my eyes widen as he gets on an arm and tries to go for the two legged kick. However, Robby cries out and falls down on his back. His arm is just too beaten up to pull off another two legged kick. Miguel then jumps up and sends a flying elbow to his gut. Robby let's out an ear piercing, but also quiet scream as the wind is knocked out of him from Miguel's elbow.
"Haaaah! Point! Winner!" The ref shouts holding up Miguel's arm.
"With a CLEEEAAN SWEEEP, Miguel Diaz pulls of an astounding 3-0 victory to take home the All Valley crown!" Daryl yells.
Hawk and I are going utterly nuts as we jump up and down. I have Hawk in a playful headlock as we scream in pure joy like wild animals. We charge the mat and Hawk lifts Miguel up and hugs him. I glance over at Robby who is still on the floor. His face is contorted for a second. What happens next makes my jaw drop.
He rolls onto his side and his body lurches forward as he gags.
"Oh shit," I say dreading whats about to happen.
Robby gags one more time, then vomits all over the edge of the mat. Now I feel utterly horrible because not only did Miguel utterly curb stomp him when he was already softened up by me, but also publicly humiliated him by beating him so badly, he threw up his entire stomach in front of everyone.
"Robby!" Sensei Lawrence calls.
How does he know his name? Probably learned it from Daryl announcing it. I think nothing of it. If I were a Sensei and my student's opponent was vomiting, I'd wanna help also. I look at Miguel who's celebrating with everyone else. He sees Robby and cringes slightly, but then goes right back to what he was doing before. He looks at me and grabs my arm.
"We did it man! We did it!" He yells in excitement.
"You got your revenge," I say angrily then shove him slightly and stand off to the side.
I'm conflicted because I'm so happy Miguel won, I wanted him to beat Robby, but like this? Something just feels wrong.
Some of the janitors are already working on the pile of puke. I'm confused when I see Robby trying in vain to punch Sensei Lawrence and bat him away with his fists like a child as Sensei tries to help him off the ground. Mr. LaRusso is screaming something I can't understand at Sensei Lawrence. I then see Robby's, face pinch up and his eyes water in sheer embarrassment as he looks around at the concerned faces from the crowd. I see tears well up as his lip quivers. He puts his head down as Mr. LaRusso coaxes him to his feet and they walk off and grab his second place trophy before leaving.
Daryl hands Miguel the first place trophy. Then he taps me on the shoulder and hands me a plaque. For 3rd place. I wonder why they didn't have a third place match. Maybe they just base it off of performance. I performed better than Xander Stone in the semi's so I was crowned 3rd place. I smile and he congratulates me. This improves my mood greatly. I was gonna offer it to Sensei to put in the dojo if he wanted it. I don't know if he'd want a third place plaque. I didn't even know they made those. I thought if you did worse than first or second then that's it. You lose and nothing else. Maybe because Karate is also an Olympic sport? Olympic sports have bronze medals. I don't know no reason to overthink it.
"Who saw that coming?! I know I didn't! Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Daryl asks Miguel and he takes the mic.
"I just wanted to say that if it wasn't for my Sensei then I wouldn't be here. So this is for Sensei Johnny Lawrence and Cobra Kai!" Miguel says into the mic.
The audience cheers and we all yell in celebration.
Without further a-dew, let's hear for this years new champion, Miguel Diaz and the COBRA KAI DOJO!" Daryl announces excitedly.
I bet this was already supposed to happen, but I believe Daryl is also doing it to distract people from Robby. I decide to say fuck it and celebrate with my dojo. Despite the fiasco at the end, we won, and we fucking earned it. Miguel raises the trophy and yells in triumph. Hawk and I yell also while holding one of his arms.
"Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai!" We all chant and my mood slowly improves with each time.
Eventually, we walk off the mat. Miguel and I walk over and I see Miguel's mom and grandma.
"Champ," Miguel's grandma says after squealing in excitement and hugs him.
"You were amazing," Miguel's mom says and gives him a hug.
I clap him on the shoulder.
"You were too Blake," Mrs. Diaz says smiling at me.
"Thank you so much Mrs. Diaz," I say and hug her.
Miguel's grandma says something to me in spanish that I don't really understand, but I see her act out hand motions. She imitates me throwing Robby Keene over my shoulder by his legs and twirls her finger around to talk about my flying kicks.
I laugh jovially
"Gracias," I respond despite not understanding what she said, but I knew it was friendly.
I turn my head and see Moon smiling at me.
"Hey I'll be right back," I say and nudge Miguel.
I walk over to Moon who grins brightly. I return the grin and wrap my arms around her when we get close enough. I pick her up and twirl her around while she laughs. When I put her down, we kiss.
"Blake, you were awesome. You should be proud," she says sincerely.
"Thank you babe. It's because I had the hottest cheerleader in my corner," I say.
She chuckles then pulls me in for a kiss that I return.
"I need a shower," I say.
"Yeah, just a little bit," she teases and I laugh.
"Just know that you'll always be my champion," Moon says affectionately as her finger trails down my arm.
"I love you baby," I say and cup her cheeks as I kiss her.
"I love you to babe," Moon responds when I break the kiss.
I walk past Hawk and Melody who are talking closely and smiling.
After we all shower up, we're all outside in normal street clothes. I had a little bit of trouble slipping on my red and blue plad flannel due to soreness. We decide to do something tomorrow night to celebrate our big win because we're all tired and just wanna go home and rest. We'll throw a big rager when summer comes along in a week.
I give Hawk and Miguel rides home. We blare music and both seem happy. Miguel is still bummed that Sam left before the finals. My parents texted me saying how great I did, but they had to leave because they had something urgent to take care of.
I asked what it was and they said I'd find out when I got home. I was filled with dread, but also excitement. Maybe they got me something cool because I did so well in the tournament. After I drop Hawk off, Miguel and I drop by the dojo to leave his trophy and my plaque. Sensei Lawrence wasn't around, but he has a habit of leaving the dojo unlocked.
After I drop Miguel off, I sit in my car and scroll through my camera role. So many pictures of all of us.
A montage plays through my head of all the memories from the past year. Starting with that first day at the beach club, Miguel and I sitting in my dad's car after my first date with Moon, pictures of Moon and i on various dates before we broke up the first time, the Halloween dance (before the disaster hit), various pictures of Miguel and I training before we had a full dojo, a picture of all eight of us at the woods all bruised and beaten up after McCarthy and them ambushed us and we beat them, pictures of The Gang doing various things while we all hung out, pictures that show the transformation from Eli to Hawk, goofy selfies of Moon and I on more dates after we got back together, pictures from my Christmas party of all eight of us from the woods, plus Sam, Aisha, and even McCarthy and some of his friends, pictures of our full dojo hard at work, the selfie we took to let everyone know about the canyon party, and last, but certainly not least, a picture of Miguel and i holding our rewards and one of Miguel, Hawk, and I with our arms wrapped around each other's shoulders smiling in our tournament gi's. I smile one last time and turn off my phone to drive home.
I drive in silence for the first time since I was diagnosed with diabetes, but this time, I'm really happy.
"Finally, I'm starting to have a normal life. Finally, everything's coming together," I say as I smile to myself.
I get home and walk inside in an absolutely great mood.
"Mom, dad, Jim, we did it. We won. We..." I begin to say in excitement before my blood runs cold and my breath lurches in my throat. I stand completely still, unable to move, unable to talk, unable to breathe.
My parents look at me concerned because sitting at the kitchen table with a sullen face is the source of every nightmare I've ever had, the cause of everything that ever went wrong in my life, the reason my life was ruined.
At the kitchen table, sits none other, than my cousin. Noah Murphy. I stare into his eyes lock jawed and holding my breath. His eyes wander to the ground.
"Hey Blake," he says sounding somber after a deep sigh.
END OF SEASON 1
Authors note: and that's a wrap! Until season 2 at least. Season 2 will be coming soon. Noah Murphy has made a Kreese like return. The past has come back to haunt Blake. The details as to why he is here will be coming in season 2. Is Noah Murphy the same monster that tormented Blake's nightmares, or has he changed? Remember Blake and Noah were practically twin brothers growing up. Season 2 will be called "Two Dojos One Family." This has been so much fun to write and I sincerely appreciate all the support and feedback y'all have left me. Please feel free to leave comments, questions, and concerns if you have any sort of questions.