Chapter Three: Old Ghosts

…

Every day about ten minutes after class for the bit of time I had to myself, I looked into the mirrors of the Cobra Kai dojo.

I did all six of the katas Daniel taught me.

Three were stationary, meaning I stood in horse stance and did swirling hands, or Teisho, and a few others. They were mainly breathing exercises with very strong direct strikes and applications in karate.

Multiple basic blocks, outside, inside, upward, and downward with both an open and closed hand. A few open handed strikes as well as closed ones with a fist or knife hand, or an elbow or two.

Then I did the moving katas, requiring me to move around the mat, using the mirrors to make sure I was doing the technique correctly. It only took me around ten to fifteen minutes at the most to finish them.

Near the end of them, the Sensei of the dojo spoke.

"What are you doing? Is that kata?"

I turned and bowed deeply. "Yes Sensei."

"Why are you doing it? It looks like a waste of time."

"Won me the tournament people can't stop talking about," I said politely and quietly.

Johnny bowed onto the mat. "Did it? How so?"

"I studied point style fighting everywhere I could online. Most counter attacks involve very simple movements in a chain. The fundamentals of all of them are found in kata."

"Explain."

"I respect strength." I sighed. "But kata has its place. It's what gave me the hand speed and reflexes I needed to counter attack properly."

"But when you attack you use Cobra Kai."

"I use both, always. Defense. Offense. Moving around the ring, practicing basics. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, I combine both styles."

Johnny scoffed. "How in the world did you do that?"

"You saw it already. At the All Valley, every day in class."

"Well here. You practice my karate okay? Leave that kata stuff outside of here."

I frowned. "Did I offend you Sensei?"

Johnny shook his head. "I just don't get the point of you dancing in front of any mirrors to help you except to warm up."

"Where do you think karate was born? No jokes. Just business. Where?"

Johnny shrugged. "What do I care? I just teach it."

I chuckled. "Alright. Fair enough. But karate was born on the island of Okinawa with influence from Chinese martial arts. Even our karate, the one we practice here was handed down multiple times from Okinawa, to mainland Japanese Shotokan, and then to Korea and Tang Soo Do where Sense-. Where Mr. Kreese learned it."

"Really."

"Yup." I said. "It wasn't learned by fishermen for the sake of it. It was learned by fishermen hoping to survive against Japanese invaders armed with nothing more than farming and fishing equipment. It was born in war, for how to fight, with just your empty hands. That's the literal meaning of what karate means. Kara means empty, and te means hand. Kara. Te."

Johnny shook his head. "So you know everything? You know more about karate than I do?"

"No. I just think there's more to karate than fighting. We both have to agree there." I said. "Cobra Kai is a way of life. You don't let some other guy steal a girl you want to talk to. You strike first, talk to her. You don't let someone get the first point in a tournament, take the best parking spot from you. You set your own limits in life."

Johnny stayed quiet for a moment. "I just have one problem with all of this. Our teacher, John Kreese. Claims you're the best Cobra Kai he's ever trained. And he's trained every single one that's ever lived."

There was no way he meant so much encouragement genuinely. That must be a test, pure and simple.

Except for Daniel LaRusso technically when he trained under Terry Silver.

"I'm honored that he thinks so."

"Except while you trained under him. The whole time you learned Miyagi-Do. How can that be? How can the best Cobra Kai of all time be some fourteen year old kid who did kata under Daniel LaRusso for a year?"

I nodded. "I can see how that's confusing. My philosophy is simple."

It's one your son would've shared actually under very different circumstances.

"It doesn't matter how you fight. Or what it's called. As long as you fight clean, and you win. That's what Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy means to me. That's how, besides it being a test, according to John Kreese I could possibly ever become the greatest Cobra Kai. And he knows something he should've mentioned."

"What?"

"I'm just a blue belt. I'm still in training. I have yet to become a Cobra, and that's what I'm sure he meant."

I bowed to Johnny and to the front of the dojo before I stepped off the mat.

Johnny spoke out. "If it doesn't matter how you fight. Why pick a dojo? Why choose me over LaRusso?"

"That's what all of you keep missing. I'm not in this to pick sides or start feuds. I respect what this dojo, right here on Lankershim meant over thirty years ago. The opportunities it wasn't given. That's what I respect."

I drew my gym bag up from the ground and spoke. "Not that any of that matters anyway. What Mr. Kreese said was a test. To test my awareness to be precise. I am not the greatest Cobra Kai who ever lived. Not by a longshot."

"Why's that?" Johnny asked.

"Because I haven't fought a real opponent yet who was any sort of challenge," I said opening the door to the dojo and leaving.

…

About an hour after class every day we all met up at the fifties themed diner just down the street from the corner of Lankershim and Magnolia where we trained.

The guys and I all wore our leather Cobra Kai jackets, almost like our uniform whenever we rode around on dirtbikes around town.

Hawk chuckled. "What does this fatass want?" he asked as Doug and Mikey laughed across the booth from Robby and I.

I recognized Mitch, a Cobra Kai who later became an Eagle Fang.

"Hey. I saw your jackets and your dirtbikes around town. You all are the Cobras right?" asked Mitch.

Hawk smiled. "Yeah really great observation Chubby Einstein."

"Was that really a good insult?" I said as Mikey, Hawk, and Doug stopped laughing almost instantly. "Can I help you?"

Mitch smiled at me. "Huge fan."

"Appreciate it. Now what I can do for you?"

"How do I try out for the team?"

"Like everyone else. You get on the mat and get ready for a fight. You show you have a proper fighting instinct. Meaning you don't just run off the mat or get beat completely. And you're in."

Mitch nodded. "Thank you."

"Remember. Walk in, getting ready for a fight." I said sipping my vanilla milkshake as Mitch left.

"You really tell people how our recruitment process works?" asked Hawk.

I laughed. "Oh my god, Hawk it can't be a secret. People literally get turned away or quit every day. Sensei has three full classes bursting with more people wanting to join."

"No thanks to you. Great work man."

I smiled for a second. "Thanks Robby."

He nodded.

Hawk cleared his throat. "We were gonna check out Golf 'N Stuff or the mall or something. Maybe cause some havoc."

That sounded great.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. Just need a second to myself that's all."

Robby smirked, looking over at the table of nearby Cobra girls.

Aisha, Mia, Charlotte, and Tory were all sitting in their own booth.

"Okay man. I see you." Robby smiled.

"Slay 'em bro." Hawk smiled as Doug put his jacket back on and left.

Mikey smiled. "Save some for the rest of us Luke, damn."

I laughed quietly and continued to drink my milkshake before the girl I actually was not trying to talk to appeared at my table soon after the guys left.

"Hey."

"Nichols," I said quietly.

She put her elbows up on the booth table and spoke. "You ditching your squad for a reason?"

"I'm not their nanny," I said folding the red Cobra Kai jacket into my lap that Johnny was kind enough to lend me after I broke a board with an axe kick.

"You might as well be. Put together, Mikey, Doug, and Hawk have about three brain cells."

I laughed quietly at this.

"Well, you and Keene haven't talked lately," I said.

Tory shrugged. "About what?"

"About the goo goo eyes you've been giving each other in class every day for the past three weeks. What do you think I'm talking about?"

Tory smiled in embarrassment. "We've barely shared a conversation. I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Look the summer got off to a bad start with the incident at the beach. We can throw another party and." I sipped my milkshake nonchalantly. "Break the ice," I added lightly.

"I never took you as a matchmaker Schwarber."

"Never said I was. I'm tired of all the nonsense. Sensei's up my ass about letting in girls to the dojo with all the awkwardness in the air. Might as well stop with all the dumb awkward middle school bullshit where the guys are on one side of the room and the chicks on the other."

Tory scoffed. "That was you who thought girls should be in Cobra Kai?"

"Of course it was. Did you really think the most old school Senseis in the entire Valley, would ever allow girls into Cobra Kai unless I asked?"

Tory nodded. "I get it now. Why you won that trophy after all."

"That's not why." I laughed quietly. "I'm a realist. I'm not arrogant enough to think Cobra Kai wouldn't be missing out on potentially great fighters unless girls were allowed to join."

Tory nodded again slowly. "So then why'd you do it?"

"Why'd I do what?"

"What do you think? Made the cover of a newspaper, a magazine, and the morning news about twice in the past three weeks. Win that tournament and get as famous as you are."

I sighed. "I'm not that famous."

"You're pretty damn famous." Tory said blankly.

"Okay I am. But that's not why I did it."

"According to you. You didn't do it to get girls," said Tory, looking back at Charlotte. "Far as I can tell you're only interested in the only one who was interested in you prior to you winning the tournament."

Tory went on. "You couldn't have done it for money. You've rejected offers from every karate team and dojo or sponsorship in the entire Valley. Not to mention your family is, pretty rich. You couldn't have done it for clout, you post on your Instagram basically never."

"And?"

"There's no other reason you could've done it."

I scoffed. "Really?"

"Everyone saw your interview and still no one gets it. How can you have that level of respect for a form of karate that didn't even exist until you started talking about it? You lived in Denver for what? Your whole life almost? And a year later all of LA won't stop talking about karate like it's made some sort of giant comeback all because of you."

I nodded slightly. "What do you care?"

"I don't. I just think it's goddamn strange. You are, the strangest person I've ever met. None of what you did this past year makes any sense at all."

"I think karate really could've gone places if the right people just kept teaching. Instead, it just became another sport lost to time. So I tried to change that."

Tory again looked past at Charlotte who was now looking over at both of us. "Is that so?"

"If I explained it to you you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

I nodded. "My mother dated these two guys in highschool. I'm sick of having to repeat this story-"

"Char already told me. But why up and drop everything just to learn their kind of karate?"

"Maybe it would've been a bad idea. Maybe this whole year would've been a giant waste of time. People have been asking me exactly what you have for almost a month at this point. All I have to say is that you needed to have genuinely connected to Mr. Kreese like I have to follow Cobra Kai when it basically didn't exist."

I spoke just a bit more. "If you've shared the kind of conversations I have with Mr. Kreese. Then you'll know just why I tried so hard to bring back Cobra Kai. He's earned more of my respect than any man living."

Tory looked at me quietly. The music of the diner played quietly as I finished my milkshake.

"That is weird. But it does make sense."

"That's Lucas Schwarber one o' one for you." I joked before leaving as Tory chuckled. "I'll set up a party or something at the canyon soon so we can all stop being so goddamn awkward around each other."

"It's you who's awkward, we both know none of this makes any sense until you both just talk it out."

I looked back at Charlotte who conveniently happened to quickly look at the window at that moment. It was like the longer I waited to finally talk to her after the tournament the more we had to say and the harder it got, in turn snowballing.

"I know. Awkward's my specialty though don't worry about it."

I put on my jacket as I started to walk towards my dirtbike parked outside the diner as Kreese was standing nearby.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

"Does it have anything to do with me passing your humbleness test an hour ago?" I asked.

Honestly. Kreese would never compliment me that much. He enjoyed praise far less than Johnny did, which was saying a lot.

Kreese chuckled. "Indeed it does. Do you know where the LA National Cemetry is?"

"Of course I do." I said. "It's across the highway from the Jackie Robinson stadium."

"You're into college baseball?" wondered Kreese.

I'm into messing with scoreboards and stuff with the guys just to cause trouble sometimes and get away with it.

"Just know the area."

Kreese spoke calmly. "I need you to attend a service with me."

"Will you give a speech?"

Kreese nodded. "I have a suit and everything."

"No offense. But you have a suit?"

"Of course I do. I need you to wear your best and meet me there in about four hours. Can you do that for me?"

"I certainly can Sensei."

Kreese turned around. "I appreciate you calling me Sensei. But for as long as Johnny insists, you can't do that."

"Begging your pardon. I think you've earned that right until the day you die."

Kreese stopped walking. I bet the old man was smiling wider than he ever did.

"Just be there kid."

…

I was.

It was a very nice but admittedly sad affair. A Vietnam War Veteran had passed away, and when I realized who was there I was pretty shocked.

It was a pair of people who at one point in another turn of events, would all join, or be likely candidates for joining John Kreese's Cobra Kai dojo by the fourth season of the Cobra Kai series.

The Payne Brothers, or more accurately, an eleven to twelve year old Kenny Payne, and a fifteen to sixteen year old Shawn Payne. Guess this was about the time before Shawn went to jail.

Where was Terry Silver? He was a very intimidating and admittedly frightening man, but he wasn't here. He should be here. Maybe he was here and Kreese wasn't unless I hadn't flown to LA. Terry Silver would definitely pay his respects to an old army unit comrade.

Unless his memories were that painful?

US Army soldiers stood in full dress uniform with rifles and standards. There was no family for the man, so no one gave eulogies.

Except for one person.

"To give the eulogy. Special Forces Captain, John Kreese." an officer said before leaving the podium.

Wearing a pretty old but well kept green beret uniform, John Kreese walked up to the podium and started the eulogy.

"Thank you all for coming."

Everyone nodded and listened quietly as Kreese stood at the podium and began to speak.

"We are here to commemorate the passing of Damien Pierce Roberts. A comrade and a father. And admittedly, nothing else." Kreese said with a cut hard honesty he never seemed to lose. "He served well, and I remember his service well. He was loyal, brave, strong, and a good soldier. After I returned from the war, I never saw nor heard anything of him for decades."

"But I did know his son Jerry. His mother begged me to train him in karate, to help him protect himself from bullies who made fun of him for acting goofy and looking goofy."

I realized who he was talking about. The Cobra Kai Bobby Brown was sparring with the day Daniel and Mr. Miyagi visited the dojo.

"Unlike his father. Jerry was weak, small. And wouldn't want a fight no matter how badly he needed to prepare for one. I trained Jerry for three years and like the rest of my students, rightfully abandoned me after the mistakes I had made. And I don't blame Jerry for not being here today. Because Damien was almost never part of his family after 1979. He was found on a park bench having died the way most veterans often do."

"Intoxicated in some ditch in a park. Dead and forgotten, with only his old dog tags left to identify him. There is only one other person left alive besides myself in the Sixth Battalion Thirty First Infantry of the Twenty Fifth Infantry Division."

Terry Silver.

"And he couldn't be here either. I respected Damien. He became my brother like the rest. I never learned of the man Damien had become. As a father or a member of his community. Because I never saw more of him than his son as a student. I never learned of the things he did."

The wind blew softly and the honorary guard posted next to Damien's tomb still stood tall.

"We never shared more than the war we fought together. And the men that died with us. There was no friendship, no compassion after Vietnam. Quite frankly." Kreese looked over at the tomb for a moment. "There was little more than a strong bit of respect left between us after we returned home."

"Because our compassion was taken from us. The respect and honor and pride we could have as soldiers was robbed from us. It's a horror, I never pray upon any of the good men and women standing in uniform here today."

"Like me. And others who survived in our unit and returned. We weren't allowed to be called protectors. But instead were called murderers. And war criminals. Butchers."

Kreese looked out over everyone. "Is that how Damien deserves to be remembered? As a failure as a father and countryman? As a war criminal, burning villages instead of protecting freedom? No."

Kreese shook his head and everything stayed quiet for a moment, the whole funeral service listening quietly.

"No matter how badly any of us may try. War cannot remove its scars. As a result, Damien couldn't deal with that pain better than the best men I knew could. He should not be faulted for the circumstances he was put through. But rather the consequences of his actions."

"His family may have not have forgiven him. And for that, they respectfully deserve that right. But regardless of the war a US soldier is placed in. From the battlefields of the Revolution, to the fields of the Marnes. To Korea, to Afghanistan, even to today. Like all soldiers, Damien's family became more than the one he shared by blood. It was one he lived and died in."

"The family fighting and dying defending that flag." Kreese pointed to the American flag upon his tomb. "What it stands for. And what was fought to create it."

Kreese sighed. "I knew Damien as honest. Kind. Strong. And brave. That is what he should be remembered for. And as the third to last surviving member of my unit. For that fact. He has my eternal respect. Until I am laid down to rest beside him he is still my comrade and my brother. And I thank you all for coming to honor him."

Kreese bowed his head and everyone put a rose in his casket, and it was lowered down.

The Sargeant stepped forward after the ceremony was almost finished. "Faaaace! Hut!"

Everyone sat and watched as the Army soldiers turned their rifles towards a designated part of the cemetery.

The army Sargeant yelled out something, I could barely hear it and the rifles sang. Three blasts commemorated the service and life of Damien Roberts.

…

After the ceremony, I approached the Payne family.

"Your karate teacher gave a nice speech." Kenny and Shawn's mother smiled.

"He's a Sensei. It's called a Sensei." I said respectfully as she nodded at this, shaking her hand. "Can I have your name?"

"I'm Maria Payne. This is my husband Julius and our sons, our youngest Kenneth and our oldest Shawn."

I shook their hands. "It's very nice to meet you all. I'd introduce myself but."

"Yes, we. We do know your name from the news. I run part of the main VA office in Irvine." Shawn's mother said.

"Is it too much to ask why exactly Mr. Kreese was denied services as simple as renewing his ID card?"

Maria cleared her throat. "He has a history of being. Unstable."

"That was the man he was. Not the one you saw today."

"What are you, his lawyer man?" Shawn joked as his father shot him a stern look.

"Still we take those matters very very seriously," Maria said. "He was contacted only as the last possible person to deliver any sort of eulogy for Damien today."

"I understand."

I turned around and Shawn spoke out. "Are you. Are you questioning how my mom does her job?"

"Shawn!" His father said. "You'll have to excuse him. He um."

I laughed. "It's fine. Can we talk alone for a bit? Just Shawn and I?"

His parents nodded and Shawn reluctantly agreed.

…

"So you're supposed to be some huge karate star. And that gives you the right to question my mom in front of my whole family?"

"I didn't mean any offense by it. When you respect a man as much as I respect John Kreese. You'd think he deserved better too."

Shawn scoffed as we stood in a more isolated part of the ceremony. "Look I may not know him. But apparently, he was just like the guy who just got buried. Some homeless vet who was known to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat."

"Do you trust your friends Shawn?"

Cause you gotta watch your back. One of them might try to rob you and you'll go to jail for rightfully defending your little brother.

"That's none of your business, man," said Shawn, clearly bothered.

"Well, John Kreese is more than a friend to me. He's a mentor. He's as responsible for my fame, and everything I've accomplished in karate as much as I am. Did your dad ever get deployed? Your mom busy with work?"

"Now you're taking pity on me or something? You know what?" Shawn waved a hand and started to walk away. "Forget this."

"Did you think it was a good eulogy?"

Shawn sighed.

"Sure." Shawn stopped and scoffed again.

"Well, there's a way all of us can avoid the same path of self destruction Damien Roberts went down. Ironically, Sensei Kreese told us of it during his speech. It's called Cobra Kai."

"Yeah, I heard of it. It's a dumb karate school. Karate's a joke."

I chuckled.

"Okay." I smiled. "Do you think you and your friends are tough?"

"Hell of a lot tougher than you for sure."

"Alright." I kept smiling. "How about this. I beat you and your friends in a fight, just on my own. Anywhere, anytime. Anyhow so long as it's only without weapons involved. Just a fair fist fight I guess. And you ditch your friends, and join mine?"

"You want to throw hands. With me? And all my friends? To get me to join your karate gang?"

I was so sure of my abilities at this point that yeah. I was ready.

"If you doubt it that much."

"Bruh." Shawn laughed, rubbing his chin just how he did when threatening Robby in Juvie. "I already sorta wanna join from the kinda guts you got. But I'll take you up on the offer. You insult my moms and patronize me. Now you're gonna get taught."

"Fine."

"Bet." Shawn nodded. "You know what? No. Just you and me. Lynwood Park at nine o'clock tomorrow night between the main bleachers and the smallest basketball courts. Perfect spot. Bring whoever or whatever you want, cause you're gonna get embarassed."

I nodded back. "See ya then."

"Can't wait to prove how useless karate is against people who've been used to real fights."

I couldn't wait either. I was going to do him a favor. He made friends with those in Cobra Kai instead of one of the people who would rob him and get him sent to jail.

And I got a great addition to the dojo, and he avoided Juvie.

He actually stood a pretty decent chance in a street fight. But if I could handle Kyler and his three friends as well as the entire All Valley without losing a point. I think I stood a better chance.

I walked up to Kreese.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Just about how I got two recruits for the dojo. This guy walked into the diner, looked chubby but maybe he could be good with the right training." Mitch. "And Shawn Payne. Just met him."

"Alright." Kreese nodded slowly.

…

Two old students of Kreese's were chatting at a bar not far from where the funeral service he went to was held.

"How bad is it?" wondered Bobby Brown, sipping his beer quietly.

"Bad."

"Tommy. How bad?"

He looked at him seriously. "Real bad."

Bobby looked grave, understanding his tone.

He hugged Tommy tightly and Tommy laughed like always. "I'm not dead yet come on man-"

"No, I just. I need this." Bobby patted Tommy's shoulder. "I need it." he pulled away.

"Miracles can happen you know. Maybe Dutch makes parole and Johnny and Jimmy can get their head out of their asses and grab a drink with us one day too."

Bobby looked at him. "Well maybe if you told them what's going on they'd get it and that could, maybe, all happen."

"I haven't told anyone yet," Tommy admitted.

"And why's that?"

"Come on you know why," Tommy said. "They got bigger things going on than me."

"Yeah. I saw." Bobby scowled and sighed. "I can believe some starry eyed fifteen year old kid can fall for the same thing we did at his age. But Johnny!? Come on. I knew he always was, nothing but a man child…"

Tommy burst out laughing at this and Bobby laughed a bit too.

"We all saw the news segment no need to act like it's all that. It's. Just a karate dojo."

"Just a dojo. Just a dojo!? Are you listening to yourself-" Bobby stopped, and pointed to the beer Tommy was sipping from. "Should you be drinking that?"

"Have you ever known me to put a beer down for a damned minute?"

"Yeah, beers honestly were your thing," Bobby admitted before he laughed quietly for a bit. "Handing them out every time we went out."

Bobby remembered Tommy offering beers on their motorbikes on the top of the sand dunes above the beach.

"Brew time man! Who's for a warm one!? Hey Bobby!" he said, offering him the can of beer.

Bobby shook his head out of the memory. "Still though. Back on topic. Opening up Cobra Kai again. What is he, insane?"

"I actually respect Johnny for that. He wants to make things right. He's giving that kid the chance we deserved. He's giving all those kids the same."

Bobby shrugged. "Guess he is, I trust Johnny just not. Him. So long as that joke of a man isn't involved I guess. I trust the idea. But the fact is that he still is! And Johnny is actually falling for it. Come on."

"Doctor said I've got a year or a year and a half at most. You don't have that man." Tommy smiled and pointed to Bobby. "You've got much much more than that. I don't have time, but you've got plenty to make things right."

Bobby nodded. "What are you saying?"

"That if you really believe Johnny's not making the right decision. Use the time you have left that I honestly don't. And make the right decision for him."

Bobby was still confused. "What are you saying? Smack Johnny's head in place until he realizes his mistake?"

"As much as I would love to see that." Tommy showed Bobby his classic mischievous grin. "No. If you think Johnny's training impulsive, violent, and stupid kids like we used to be. Find the victims of it if you think there are any. And train them to be better than them."

"You mean like a Sensei?"

"Yes."

"I'm a pastor, I lead a church. I don't do that anymore. It's a waste of time, as Kreese proved, to teach that nonsense."

Tommy chuckled. "You used to sweep legs better than any of us. You were a very very close second behind Johnny. Remember '83's All Valley? You lost three to two against Johnny in the finals. We all knew you could've wiped the mat with LaRusso the next year in the semis, you had the skill for it, the style. And you could've had the proper rematch you deserved with Johnny."

"That's a closed book man. One that needs to stay closed." Bobby insisted, finishing his beer.

"Is it?" asked Tommy. "Because the same way Johnny was robbed of a fair fight that year. So were you."

Bobby remembered jumping right onto Daniel's leg and injuring him, only to apologize for doing so as loudly as he could seconds later.

"Daniel! Daniel! I'm sorry!"

"Give yourself that chance to redeem that mistake," said Tommy. "You deserve that second chance just as much as Johnny does by opening that dojo again."

Bobby looked like he agreed with every fiber of his being for a moment. Still, he protested with the logical questions.

"But. With karate? With violence? Where would I even start?"

Tommy explained kindly and respectfully. "Same way Kreese did and Johnny now are figuring it out. From scratch. Decide the Sensei you want to be. And then become him. And do it, if they're doing things the wrong way to you. You have to do them the right way instead."

Bobby laughed. "All this in case some kid. Somewhere, might be being bullied by Cobra Kai."

"Yes!" hissed Tommy, patting Bobby's elbow. "Exactly, do exactly that. Otherwise don't do anything and just shut up about it. Do something to fix the problem. Or just drop it, cause I can't have you badmouthing our friend but not trying to fix the problem."

Bobby nodded. "Still man. About your um. Your sickness. I'll pray for you. Truly I will." he put a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

Tommy turned around slowly towards Bobby. "Wow Bob. I feel better already."

…

That night Bobby checked a photograph he had in his bedroom at his home.

It was a picture of him, Jimmy, Tommy, Dutch and Johnny all at seventeen competing at the 1984 All Valley in their Cobra Kai uniform. They all had their arms around each others shoulders and smiled at the camera.

Bobby picked up his iPhone and called Tommy.

"Hey man. Look. This is, ridiculous. Absolutely crazy. But, I'm in."

"Awesome. Good luck!"

"What? I thought were doing it together."

"I'm not wasting my time teaching karate to some dumbass teenagers. Have fun man."

"Tommy wait. I thought we were."

He had hung up.

"Tommy. Tommy. Ach."

Bobby muttered to himself. "Where in the world am I gonna find anyone being bullied by Cobra Kai?"

Bobby dialed another number on his phone.

"Hey."

Johnny talked excitedly over the phone.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah I heard man."

Johnny sounded proud and happy.

"Look. I'm beyond happy for you. But can we. Can we get together man? Snag a beer? I'll see if Tommy's available. Jimmy too if you wanna make it a thing."

Johnny spoke over the line. "A thing? What thing?"

"We get our jackets on. Bikes maybe if we got them around. And ride around like we're kids again. And uh. Maybe."

Bobby sighed. "Maybe Tommy and I can share some news with you too."

"Sure! I got five of my kids at the dojo doing that every day of the week for us. But still. That sounds awesome man."

Bobby smiled. "Thanks man. See you tomorrow night."

Johnny hung up.

Bobby threw his phone away onto his bed and put both of his hands on his bald head. "What an idiot. What. An. Idiot."

…

…

A/N:

In the second chapter of the fic I had this comment appear from a guest, "Didn't Ask G"

"What is it with you and this Lucas character? Every story of yours has this guy. I know Ali has a son named Lucas but we've never even seen the guy on the show so why should we care about him? I'm sorry if I come off as rude, you're a talented writer but as a reader I have no reason to be remotely interested in a character I've never even seen."

Alright. As an author I promise I will extend the same level of courtesy and professionalism this comment has shown. So here goes.

Here's something insane. "But as a reader I have no reason to be remotely interested in a character I've never even seen." then why are you reading this? You can read other fics?

If you don't care about this character. Why read a fic where one of them is one of the two main characters? Miguel Diaz, and one you don't like reading?

"What is it with you and this Lucas character?" Well what is it with you and reading a fic including a character you apparently don't care about? There are two main characters in this fanfic, a Miguel Diaz who sought Daniel LaRusso as a Sensei and mentor instead of Johnny Lawrence, and Ali's son.

It's my business what characters I do and don't write.

And I'm sorry if I come off as rude, and no offense. But feel free to go read other fics that include characters if "you're remotely interested in them". Respectfully, the same freedom I enjoy to write whatever characters I want how I want, you enjoy the same freedom to read whatever fics you want to read.

Don't like? Don't read. Simple as that. Was going to say more, but don't want to pad the word count.

Needless to say folks, I will continue writing the fic regardless of reminders that I could reach a wider audience by catering to now what I want to write but not what others do.

It'll make sense in a few chapters why Bobby and Johnny are both getting focus now.

Thank you all, and I'll see you next time.