Passion in front of Principle

by Vaporwave Fan01

If Miguel was in Miyagi-Do and Robby in Cobra Kai at the start of season 1 of Cobra Kai. Direct sequel to Defeat Does Not Exist. Pairings: Miguel/Sam, Robby/Tory.

8. No Shelter

Chapter Eight: No Shelter

…

In the weeks leading up to my date with Charlotte, I had to adjust living with a cast on my arm but a very strong need to stay in shape and keep up with being ready to defend my title at next year's All Valley tournament.

I only let people in the dojo sign it despite how many people wanted to. Yasmine wanted to but I think Charlotte only needed to look at her for about five seconds for that ask to disappear.

One morning after class I went into the library to return a book for English and I caught Hawk, Shawn and Doug talking to Miguel at a table by himself.

"Hey Rhea. Hey Rhea. Hey Rhea." Hawk repeated. "Check this out."

I started walking quickly in their direction.

"What are you-"

Miguel tried to reach for his backpack but Shawn and Doug merely needed to block him by standing in his way and Hawk dumped everything in Miguel's backpack over the ground of the library.

Then Hawk dumped Miguel's backpack in a trash can with a bit of unfinished soup and it splattered all over it.

The three of them laughed at Miguel.

"What do you dumbasses think you're doing?" I asked.

"Oh. Hey Luke. We were just reminding Rhea about the way of the fist." Hawk shrugged. "No mercy."

"Yeah well, I think he got the message the day you kicked him around like a tin can when you met at the beach party." I gripped Hawk by the ear and shoved him away. "Go on get outta here."

Shawn and Doug quickly followed in his direction. Even with my arm in a cast and a sling, they still respected me enough to not question anything I said.

I approached Miguel. "Sorry about your backpack."

"It's fine. I liked Chef Boyardee soup anyway."

He broke a smile and I laughed with him and liked seeing him laugh a bit too and lift his spirits.

"Listen I'm really sorry about your arm," said Miguel.

"Sorry about my friends. They're just really passionate about the dojo and protecting me."

Miguel scoffed. "You were never under any threat from me. What's there to protect you from?"

"Cobra Kai can make people a bit wary of threats that may not even look like them. My arm might not be your fault, but um. Cobra Kai doesn't take it that way."

"Do you take it that way?"

"No." I shook my head. "You mean well Miguel. You challenged us fairly and we lost. It's just Cobra Kai's way to never accept defeat. We hate losing more than anyone."

"So then why do we have to be enemies?"

"Dojo rivalries I guess. Your Sensei is a good person. But he has every reason to still mistrust me." I said. "I never meant to steal Miyagi-Do from anyone. I just wanted to win that trophy in a way no one ever did."

"If it makes you feel any better. I know how strict karate Senseis can be. And their paranoia of other styles."

I nodded. "That's Mr. LaRusso for you. See ya 'round Diaz."

"You too. Schwarber," he added awkwardly.

…

Charlotte was leaning on me rubbing her nose against mine in the hallway as I leaned on my closed locker behind me. "Wanna take a guess at the outfit I picked out for tonight?"

"Uh. Is it related to Cynthia Rothrock?"

"Nope. No way. Not yet anyway, maybe."

"Oh then. No clue."

" But you'll see I guess. What did you pick out?"

"That jacket I wore all summer is a part of it." I shrugged. "You'll see too."

Tory got a book out of her locker nearby. "So you guys are coming to eighties night?"

"We'll get a discount right cause you work there?" I asked.

Tory nodded.

"Then yeah," I said. "We'll be there."

…

I could hear the music the roller rink played from outside it.

"Take your baby by the hand. And make her do a high handstand!"

I walked into the Cascade roller rink where Tory worked. I decided to go with the exact outfit I knew Miguel picked during the second season of the show, which at this point was just my life as odd as I thought about it.

I wore the leather red Cobra Kai jacket with sunglasses and jeans. It must've been a pretty good interpretation of something Michael Jackson probably wore apparently because I got complimented on it for that, even though that wasn't my outfit a few times when I walked around.

A familiar blonde girl twirled on her skates in front of me. "What do you think?"

"You look pretty great. Very accurate."

Char was just wearing a very simple eighties get up for girls with how she wore her hair and skirt.

"What about you MJ? Gonna do the moonwalk?"

I laughed. "It's not Michael Jackson."

"Then what is it?"

I sighed. "It doesn't matter, can we go get some skates. Or, can I get some?"

"I'll go with you."

Charlotte avoided talking to me about the dojo because with my cast, I couldn't train and I still felt a bit bad.

…

Not far from where Charlotte and Lucas were talking, Sam and Miguel held hands as they walked into the roller rink together.

"I think you pulled off the best Duckie Dale of all time," Sam said.

"I like your outfit better," said Miguel looking at her pink dress and curled up hair. "I think Pretty in Pink was-"

Tory accidentally stumbled into Sam.

"Oh. Um. Sorry." Tory said kindly. "Can I get you guys some menus?"

"We're good. I never got your name," said Sam.

"I'm Tory. Think I already know yours." Tory replied cooly.

Sam looked at her strangely for a moment as Miguel talked calmly. "Think you and I have um. Third. Second?"

"Third period together. Algebra."

"Right," said Miguel with a nod.

Sam was looking more and more uncomfortable by the second.

Robby wore a white sports jacket and a blue button up shirt undone completely to almost his stomach. "Hey. Heard you were getting on your break soon. How about we grab some nachos and chat or something."

Robby turned and spoke. "Hey guys. Um. Nice outfits."

"I like your costume too," Miguel said.

"Thanks." Robby looked between Miguel and Sam. "How do you guys know each other?"

"Think you were there when we met," Miguel muttered quietly.

Sam, Miguel, and Robby remembered the fight at the beach part Miguel had with Hawk.

"No but. How'd you two get together?" asked Robby.

"We um. Sam's technically a part of Miyagi-Do. I'm the only student it has but um, that's how we met."

Robby spoke. "You two a thing or?"

Tory interrupted before either Sam or Miguel could respond. "Okay so. I have some more food to take care of so."

Tory leaned forward and kissed Robby strongly on the cheek before she rolled away on her skates.

Sam and Miguel stared blankly at Robby.

"She's in Cobra Kai so. And that's my dojo." Robby muttered. "She asked me to come here I guess."

…

With my skates on now, I rolled over with Charlotte next to me. "Hey everyone," I said.

"Lucas," said Miguel quietly with a nod.

"Everything cool over here?" I asked.

Robby muttered. "Everything's fine." in a tone that made it clear it wasn't before he went skating onto the rink itself on his own.

"Do you know what his deal is?" wondered Miguel.

"I think Robby's just like that?" I joked. "No but seriously. I have no idea."

I had a perfect idea of what it was.

"I'll see you all around. Gotta get some skates." Miguel muttered as he led Sam away.

Charlotte shrugged at me. "Guess even with your arm in a cast they still sure don't like us Cobra Kais huh?"

"I have no clue honestly. I'll meet you out on the rink. Gotta take of something."

I saw Mikey and Hawk talking on a nearby table.

Hawk was sulking, I didn't blame him.

"Miller. Head out for a sec okay?"

Mikey nodded and rolled off on roller skates to start to skate on the rink itself.

I sat down next to Hawk. "Everything okay dude?"

"She really had to go out with that loser? With Rhea man!?"

"Would you rather she'd have shown up with Robby? Would that make it better?"

Hawk sighed. "I'd rather she'd have not shown up with anyone."

"Hawk she liked you man," I said. "And you took the wrong path."

"How is Cobra Kai the wrong path?"

I sighed. "No man. I mean you didn't take her perspective. Her dad was tormented by Cobra Kai for nearly a year of his life. And you join Cobra Kai. You could've talked it out with either her or her dad. But you went on offense first and called her crazy for having a problem with that."

Hawk muttered. "But you have to strike first. You don't wait for the enemy to attack."

"You can strike first in other ways too. Sensei Lawrence always says that if you read the room first, you can apply strike first better. Sensei Kreese agrees too. You struck first the wrong way, and the enemy attacked anyway."

Hawk looked at me. "Maybe if I hadn't messed up with Sam your arm wouldn't be broken. But that's on Rhea. Not us."

"It might have been broken anyway, man." I patted Hawk's shoulder. "Think about that."

Then I got onto the wooden rink floor and Charlotte quickly caught up with her.

Even with my arm in a cast we still had a great time. We danced, we spun, we laughed.

…

Sam sat down trying on a new pair of skates after not liking how her previous pair felt.

Robby stood right behind her on his skates. "Hey."

Sam didn't say a word.

"Look about Tory-."

"What? I don't have a problem with her."

Robby sighed. "Doesn't seem like it."

"She acts like there's a problem with me even though we've never talked."

"Maybe she heard some things. I don't know."

Sam looked at Robby. "Things. What things?"

"I don't know. Things!"

"Well if you've been making up things! Then I guess-"

"Everything cool?" Tory appeared.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Yeah everything's cool." she brushed right past Tory.

Tory looked at her rolling away before looking back at Robby. "What's going on?"

"Sam's just being Sam." Robby muttered.

Tory shrugged. "I don't think I like her then."

Robby smiled. "Me neither."

…

Hawk finished skating for a bit and sat down next to Robby who was drinking a soda and was putting his phone away in his pocket.

"Great costume dude. Dig the Dan Johnson look."

"I still have no clue what that is."

Hawk chuckled before he spoke. "Saw you and Sam arguing."

"She didn't like how Tory looked at her or whatever."

"Jealous then." Hawk shrugged sitting at Robby's table.

"Doubt it."

"Did it really not bother you that Sensei Kreese told us to go after Miguel?"

"First off, his name is Rhea. The only reason I didn't call him that to Sensei was that it'd take too long to explain. Second. Why would it bother me? They broke Luke's arm. Miyagi-Do is the enemy now."

"So Sam's the enemy?"

Hawk looked surprised. "I didn't know she was a Miyagi-Do."

"Her dad is the Sensei of Miyagi-Do genius."

Hawk scoffed. "Well, maybe all your doubt of Cobra Kai is bad too. Genius." Hawk added before skating off. "See you at the dojo or school. And the dance too. Sensei Lawrence said he had a pretty badass idea for a group costume."

"What was it?"

Hawk didn't respond.

Robby looked at Hawk skating away in deep thought.

Nearby, Lucas stopped to fix his shoe lace on his roller skate by Sam and Miguel's table.

"So your dad has sort of agreed to let Sensei Bobby train me."

His eyes lit up, hearing this.

"Who's Sensei Bobby?"

"You can find out if you went back to Miyagi-Do. Both he and your dad are training me together."

Sam didn't respond to this.

But Lucas looked very calm but understanding of what this meant.

…

OST: Beat It - Michael Jackson

…

The night of the Halloween Dance at West Valley High School all five Cobra Kais in Lucas' group were working out.

Robby was in his room pumping iron using a weight set.

He was already muscular from months of training with his father and at the Cobra Kai dojo and always made sure to stay in shape.

Robby checked the time and started packing his costume in a duffel bag for when he got to the dance.

Shawn Payne was working out his legs and his arms using a machine in his garage. His little brother Kenny was upstairs playing Dungeon Lord on his computer as Shawn worked out non stop.

Until his phone went off and alerted him with an alarm that it was time.

Shawn wiped all the sweat off his face, washed off, and then stuffed his costume into a backpack and rode off on his motorcycle towards West Valley High school.

Doug Rickenberger and Hawk were taking turns hitting a punching bag in Doug's garage.

Then when their alarm on their phones went off they knew it was time.

Both of them put on their leather Cobra Kai jackets and got onto their motorcycles.

Lucas Schwarber had a cast, a cast that greatly limited his ability to work out. He did what he could for a few hours with a few dumbbells and a jumping rope and then got onto his motorcycle.

With a red leather Cobra Kai jacket and his black headband fluttering behind him from under his helmet, Lucas flew down the main avenue leading towards West Valley High school.

There were no lights on the street at that hour on a late October afternoon other than passing car headlights.

After passing a few intersections, Robby joined Lucas wearing his navy blue Cobra Kai jacket from a nearby street on his own motorcycle.

Then Doug joined wearing another slightly lighter blue one. And then Shawn joined wearing a darker red one, and Hawk with the lightest blue one.

Without a word shared between them, they parked in the parking lot behind West Valley High's main auditorium and got off their motorcycles.

Lucas led the Cobra Kais towards the open locker room, each of them carrying their costumes inside a duffel bag or backpack.

With an extremely loud slam, Lucas kicked the doors to his bathroom stall open and walked inside. All four other Cobras followed suit.

Within a few minutes, all five Cobra Kais emerged from the bathroom stalls wearing skeleton onesie costumes.

Still not saying a single word, Lucas led his group towards the dance itself from the locker room bathroom.

Everyone in line turned and looked as Lucas and the Cobras rounded the corner. The way they fanned out behind him and looked, stone cold and quiet, no one objected when Lucas skipped the entire line and walked to the very front.

Lucas slammed the tickets to the dance down without a word, staring at Mr. Palmer quietly.

Mr. Palmer punched the tickets quickly and with shaky hands handed them back to Lucas

Lucas used the wristbands on each ticket to put them on his wrist as did his friends.

Then they all walked into the dance.

Daniel LaRusso was talking calmly to Counselor Blatt with a smile on his face. "Yeah so- What the."

He froze and his jaw dropped.

To him, Johnny, Bobby, Dutch, Jimmy, and Tommy stepped through the smoke machine.

The cackles of the Cobras. How fast he was running, and their words echoed in his mind.

"Oh, where you going sweetheart!?" Dutch kneed him in the ribs.

"How 'bout a front kick Johnny!?"

Daniel was hit so hard by a kick in the face he went flying backwards against the chain link fence and it rang loudly.

Decades later, Lucas, Robby, Hawk, Doug, and Shawn all stepped through the smoke machine proudly.

Lucas glanced at Daniel for a moment walking past him calmly into the dance to join his friends.

Other Cobra Kais and friends complimented the Cobras on how good their skeleton costumes looked. But Daniel was so terrified he had to leave the dance.

Sam looked on after her father in her Laker girl's outfit seeing him run out of the dance.

Confused, Sam looked back at Lucas who merely shrugged as Charlotte in a Cynthia Rothrock costume and hair wearing a police uniform danced with him.

Sam looked back confused as Daniel continued to panic quietly.

He felt like his head was spinning with bad memories of a night over thirty years prior.

"He ain't going nowhere! He ain't going nowhere!" shouted Johnny as he pulled Daniel down from the chain link fence.

"Now you're gonna pay!" yelled Johnny before punching Daniel as hard as he could in the stomach and his friends tossed him around in skeleton costumes just like his.

Daniel panted, gripping the stairwell one of the hallways in West Valley High had, sitting down slowly.

"Dad?" asked Sam.

Daniel blinked multiple times, gasping for air as the memory replayed itself.

Johnny kicking and punching him almost to the point where Daniel thought he was dying repeated itself in his head.

"Now you're gonna pay!" Johnny said.

…

Lucas danced with Charlotte slowly as some slow music played.

"Christopher Cross is the best," said Charlotte laughing slightly.

"I know. I requested it. Sailing was just my top pick."

Charlotte smiled as she kept dancing with the Cobra Kai skeleton. "You know me well."

"You like Cynthia Rothrock. Great tracks from the eighties. You're my kinda girl through and through." muttered Lucas.

Charlotte shrugged. "And Yasmine isn't?"

"You heard about that." He laughed in embarrassment and looked down before right at her. "She isn't."

"You didn't ask her to stop flirting with you."

"Well she's a cheerleader and she wasn't explicitly hitting on me-."

Charlotte looked away. "Okay," she said quietly.

"Well look. Didn't you have fun at the roller rink?"

"I did. I want to go out on more dates with you but um. I'd recommend Yas backs off. Or else."

Lucas nodded. "She will. You got it."

Charlotte kissed Lucas tightly on the lips and then rested her head onto his shoulder, continuing to dance with him.

…

The lyrics of Christopher Cross' Sailing played through the walls of West Valley High's bathroom.

Demetri, wearing a Necromancer costume, and Chris, wearing a Gandalf costume were using the restroom in the locker room with Miguel with them.

Miguel fixed his helmet which was part of his football player's costume. "I'm telling you guys you got nothing to worry about."

"Those Cobras are crazy. They already beat your ass once," said Chris.

"Over the summer when I didn't have any training." Miguel said. "Miyagi-Do has technically two teachers now. A two time All Valley champ Daniel LaRusso, and Bobby Brown. They're both really badass man."

Demetri scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm still gonna pass."

They could hear the Cobra Kais laughing nearby in the back of the locker room.

Curious, Chris, Demetri, and Miguel all approached.

Hawk chuckled. "That must've been the best."

"Oh it was man." Doug chuckled, making downward pressing motions towards his crotch.

"Bullshit!"

"I'm tellin' you I swear. All the chicks from East Valley are easy." assured Doug.

Shawn nodded. "They are, yeah."

"How do you know?"

"Oh. I know, I know." Shawn and Doug laughed and gripped hands, clapping each other on the shoulder as all the Cobras laughed.

Robby heard a pair of basketballs bounce away as Chris accidentally nudged a grey can full of them.

Caught eavesdropping, Chris and Demetri ran. Miguel stayed.

He took his fake football helmet off and threw it away, unafraid.

"Well." Hawk chuckled, throwing his legs off the wooden locker room bench to approach Miguel. "If it isn't Rhea."

"My name's Miguel."

"Still only know you as Rhea," admitted Hawk as Doug and Shawn chuckled.

Robby looked at them reproachfully. "Let's cool it with that kinda talk guys."

"Why?" asked Hawk. "Look at this skinny ass motherfucker."

The Cobras laughed as Hawk scoffed. "You think you're tough 'n shit? Breaking Luke's arm and standing here like you're not scared?"

"Tougher than you."

"Oh." the Cobras all laughed tauntingly as Hawk nodded. "Look at the big man! Grr. He's tough guys!"

Instead of Daniel's lessons, one of his two Senseis' words floated in Miguel's mind.

'Now John Kreese and his so called way of the fist disgust me. But you gotta show your toughness if you want to stand up to those bullies of yours at his dojo.'

Hawk stopped laughing when he got front kicked so hard by Miguel he went flying backward and toppled over with Doug and Shawn stumbled slightly too.

Then, Miguel stood there, not knowing how to react.

"You're dead I swear man!" hissed Shawn as the Cobras got back up.

…

Cobra Kai OST: No Shelter - Broken Edge

…

Miguel did the only logical thing he knew when facing four bigger and much stronger karate fighters than him all at once in an enclosed space like the tiny locker room area he stood in.

He ran.

Robby didn't know how to react but Doug waved to himself when chasing after Miguel. "Come on!"

Sighing, Robby followed his friends.

Miguel ran as fast as his legs could carry him out of the locker room.

He threw off the fake football armor he was wearing knowing it would only slow him down.

Hawk led his friends after Miguel.

"This bitch's been asking for it all semester. Since this summer man, it's been months of this shit! Let's get him!" roared Hawk.

He front kicked the doors to West Valley wide open. "Let's get him!" he roared much louder this time.

Doug and Shawn cackled, running with Hawk as Robby kept up.

As they ran across the side of the school's main building, Robby yelled. "I think he got the message man!"

"No one asked what you thought bro!" Hawk yelled as Shawn nodded.

"Yeah dude let's get this bitch." said Shawn as he smiled as ran and Doug nodded.

They kept running as Miguel kept running across the soccer field panting loudly.

He began to climb over a wooden fence. He slipped a bit and fell back down onto his rear.

Hawk saw Miguel and laughed. "There he is! Get him! Get hiiim!"

Shawn was jumping up and down with anticipation, hitting Hawk in the shoulder as he laughed. Doug laughed with him too, only Robby seemed to confused at all with what they were doing.

Miguel began to struggle up the fence board before Hawk grabbed him.

"Oh where do you think you're going!?"

He threw him down as hard as he could onto the ground.

Hawk laughed as Miguel got up slowly and got into his stance. "Okay then. Let's see what you got."

With the wind knocked completely out of him from being thrown off the top of the fence onto the grass of the soccer field's edge, Miguel was completely unable to put up a fight and just struggled for a bit.

Instead, Hawk kneed him in the stomach and shoved him between Doug and Shawn who started tossing him around.

Hawk kiai'd before elbowing Miguel in the cheek as hard as he could.

He hit Miguel with a round kick to the chest and shoved him away, making him fall over onto the fence board with a loud groan.

"Get him up! Get him up now!" barked Hawk as he paced in front of Miguel.

Shawn picked up Miguel from the ground propping him up easily as Robby protested. "What the hell are you doing!?" he asked in surprise.

"Getting payback on the piece of diarrhea who thought it was okay to insult Cobra Kai and get away with it. Luke will thank us for this!" said Shawn.

"No he won't!" yelled Robby. "You know he won't!

Hawk smirked. "Then it's his problem!" he grinned widely.

"Hawk, you gotta leave him alone he looks messed up man!"

"It's up to me when he's messed up enough!" yelled Hawk.

"You're crazy man! Crazy!" Robby yelled back in his face.

Before Hawk could hit Miguel again, someone redirected his kick away and pulled Miguel away from Shawn easily.

All four Cobras looked at Daniel in confusion, surrounding him from all sides.

"Who's this dude?" asked Doug in surprise.

"Isn't this Sam's dad?" Robby asked slowly.

"Oh shit, you're right man. It's the Miyagi-Do Sensei. Where's your crane kick? Let me see that, let me see it!" Hawk taunted and the Cobras except for Robby all laughed.

"Hey! Walk away and I might not tell your teachers about this." threatened Daniel. He muttered beneath his breath. "I still got it. I still got it." he said quietly to himself.

"Still got what? Let go of Rhea man we're not done with him-"

Hawk was interrupted when his round kick was caught easily.

"Back off!" Daniel yelled pushing Hawk's foot away.

"Fine. Rickenberger, Shawn, get 'im!" yelled Hawk.

Doug and Shawn were defeated so easily and quickly Daniel might as well have been drinking coffee with one hand to knock them down and block, dodge, or counter each of their attacks.

With a reverse punch and a side kick Doug and Shawn were sent reeling into the grass clutching their stomachs and heads, groaning and wincing.

Hawk bounced in place, still not realizing or caring that Daniel could probably defeat him with barely any effort at all.

"Aiya-Aiya! Ai!"

Hawk was flipped over onto his back by Daniel and chopped directly onto his solar plexus.

Seeing a grown man beating up his friends so easily, Robby still had enough loyalty to Cobra Kai to intervene.

Daniel blocked Robby's reverse punch to the chin and sent him spinning away with a quick throw.

Robby hit the back of an old chain link backstop so hard he was almost knocked out and fell over onto the ground with a bruise on his eye.

Daniel sighed. "I didn't want to do that."

Miguel, through the very blurry vision of being hit so far saw Daniel moving around in a front stance with a knife hand outstretched looking over several Cobra Kais in skeleton costumes laying about defeated.

Then Daniel scooped up Miguel and took him home to his mother.

…

The following day in Cobra Kai dojo, John Kreese and Johnny Lawrence couldn't be any angrier.

Their top five best students were all out of commission or injured in one way or another.

Lucas Schwarber had his arm broken and needed to wear a cast on his right arm for over four months.

Robby Keene had suffered a mild but ultimately undamaged and completely minor dislocation in his shoulder from barreling directly into a chain-link backstop from how fast and hard he was thrown into it.

Hawk, Doug, and Shawn, were also bruised and hurt but they were trained harder than ever by their very irate Senseis.

Kreese and Johnny yelled, circling the Cobras as they yelled.

"Ait!"

"Kiya!" they all struck, throwing the one two jab punch reverse punch straight punch combination.

"Ait!"

"Kiya!"

"Ait!"

"Kiya!"

As they walked past it, Daniel and Miguel looked up at a nearby poster. The Fiftieth All Valley Tournament was on a classic red poster in the same spot where Daniel and Miyagi looked up to it once over thirty years prior when entering the very same Cobra Kai dojo.

Kreese spotted Daniel, and so did Johnny.

Johnny looked so mad he looked like he wanted to throw Daniel through something but Kreese held him back.

Kreese spoke. "Class, we have visitors. Fall in behind me. Aits!"

Every single Cobra Kai got into four different rows and got into 'Junbi' stance with a loud snap of their GIs.

"Well well well," said Kreese. "The gang's all back together aren't they?"

Daniel looked at Kreese up and down. "You know why I'm here."

"I do. But we're the ones who should be mad," Kreese said. "You attacked my students."

"Four of them ganged up on an innocent kid." Daniel threw his head towards Miguel, who stood bruised and quiet next to him next to the edge of the mat.

"Doesn't sound like he was innocent. He apparently kicked Hawk directly in the stomach." said Kreese.

"After what you did to my son. I should tear your head off and-"

Kreese again restrained Johnny with a slight raising of his hand.

"What do you want?" asked Kreese.

"For us to settle this the old-fashioned way. Just like last time. Just like thirty years ago."

Kreese chuckled scratching his chin. "A tournament. Why do that when we can settle it right here?

"Settle what? These kids are in no shape to fight."

"Oh I'm not talking about any kids," said Kreese. "You denied what I offered the first time before. Now accept it. Get on the mat. And fight Mr. Lawrence."

Johnny looked more ready than ever to fight.

"Look-"

"Prepare for combat! Ait!" yelled Kreese.

Every Cobra Kai there except for Johnny knelt around the combat square and knelt onto their shins. They clapped their hands loudly onto their knees and Robby and Lucas retrieved a white and red flag from nearby and stood on each corner of the square across from each other.

"There's too much advantage here against me. If a point is too close you can give a point to Johnny. I can lose because of bias." said Daniel.

Kreese shrugged. "Sounds like you're scared of a fair fight. Just like your student here." Kreese glanced toward Miguel.

"I'm not scared of anything in here."

Kreese nodded. "So then prove it. How about this? You win. We do things your way. You lose…" Kreese pointed directly at Daniel. "We do things. My way." then he pointed at Miguel.

Robby looked completely reproachful of the way Kreese said this while he saw that Lucas looked the tiniest bit uneasy but still completely loyal to Kreese.

"What is your way?" wondered Daniel.

"The way of the fist. Strike first, strike hard. No mercy. I've said this before and like before. I mean it. You don't come in here and drop a challenge and leave. Get on the mat. Or you and I will have a major problem."

Lucas' shred of uneasiness was erased when he saw the look of completely controlled rage on Johnny's face at Daniel for having accidentally injured Robby in an attempt to protect Miguel.

He seemed to sympathize completely with him there. To him and everyone in the dojo including Robby now, there was no reason why Kreese was in the wrong for wanting to settle this in a fight with Daniel over everything that happened.

Daniel sighed and began to take off his shoes. Seeing this, Johnny smiled and began to walk over to his line on the combat square.

"Wait. You're actually going to fight him?" asked Miguel.

Daniel shrugged. "It's just a point match. Even in here, you don't get hurt unless you let it happen."

"But if you lose we're done for! Miyagi-Do's done for! No one will ever join if Cobra Kai lays it on this thick."

"That's why I won't lose," assured Daniel quietly with a nod when he walked out onto the mat.

Johnny and Daniel faced off in the middle of the combat square.

They took their stances.

"Ready!"

They stared at each other calmly.

"Ait!"

Johnny struck right off his line and tried to hit Daniel with a front kick, Daniel blocked easily.

They circled the mat and then Johnny let loose a flurry of attacks that Daniel barely got away from in time without being scored on.

As Daniel began to counter Johnny's jab with a reverse punch to the kidney, Johnny grabbed his fist in time and round kicked Daniel in the face.

Lucas and Robby raised the white flag for Johnny.

Miguel groaned quietly, Hawk smirked at him from his calm spot where he knelt on the mat.

"Point Lawrence. En garde. Fight!"

Daniel blocked the next set of attacks expertly, and managed to trip Johnny as he came in with a roundhouse and chopped him on the shoulder.

Red flags rose for Daniel.

"Point red. Readyyy! And fight!"

Daniel and Johnny moved around the ring again, not throwing anything at all. Before Daniel anticipated Johnny's reverse punch in time and was able to counter perfectly with a round kick over the top and score on Johnny's chin.

He stumbled slightly as red flags rose again.

"Two one LaRusso," said Kreese quietly as Daniel and Johnny walked back onto their lines.

"Ready! And fight!"

The Cobras and Miguel all watched as Daniel and Johnny exchanged very skillful attacks, but nothing landed.

Daniel faked a jab twice, and then walked directly into a back kick when he actually committed to the punch.

The blow to the chest hit Daniel so hard he staggered back, white flags rose instantly from the decisiveness of the blow.

"Two two. Ready!" Kreese moved away raising his hand from between Daniel and Johnny. "Ait!"

Daniel parried Johnny's front kick, reverse punch, and round kick, the blows glancing off his hand.

Johnny and Daniel committed to the same strike at the exact same time, a reverse punch to the body, but it was decisively clear Daniel was quicker and got there first.

They both yelled and kiai'd thinking they had scored before Robby and Lucas exchanged glances.

They both raised a red flag.

Kreese sighed quickly. "Three points, winner LaRusso."

Johnny nodded slightly. "Good match man."

Kreese looked away in quiet fury and then spoke after he looked away quickly.

Johnny and Daniel shook hands and bowed to each other.

"Sorry about what happened with Robby we just-"

"I suggest you leave rather quickly LaRusso," Kreese said slowly and quietly. "Look around."

Daniel looked around at all sixteen Cobra Kais.

"You've just defeated one of their two Senseis in combat," said Kreese as Daniel looked over at each of the Cobras. "Defeat does not exist in this dojo. For that reason. We will repay this debt on the mat at the upcoming tournament. But you better believe it'll be repaid."

Daniel looked at Johnny for this and he gave a slight nod to Kreese that he did in fact want their students to settle this on the mat at the All Valley.

"You've challenged this dojo. We win. And this is all over. For good. You win, and that'll be the same." assured Kreese.

Daniel understood, never taking his eyes off Kreese as he back away and put his shoes back on before leaving with Miguel.

Daniel spoke to Kreese right before he left. "There's a ban on Cobra Kai on the barbarity you pulled. I'll make sure to get it lifted. Even though I'm a Sensei now, I'll support the appeal. Because I'll see you on the mat next May."

Kreese barely nodded in acknowledgment of this.

"One more thing. I hope you can tell your students to, for once, leave mine alone to focus on the tournament." Daniel requested politely.

"Alright. Prepare! Fall in behind me! Aits!"

Everyone jumped up from their spots on the mat in a collective motion so fast their GIs made a single cloth slipping sound. Everyone quickly got back into perfect rows and turned to face Daniel and Miguel again and stood in 'Junbi' the ready stance as Kreese yelled his order.

"No one touches this fragile little thing until the tournament. Is that understood!?"

All sixteen Cobra Kais barked together so loudly the walls almost seemed to shake.

"Yes Sensei!"

Daniel and Miguel walked out slowly, still facing Kreese and the Cobras the whole time as they left.

Miguel spoke out to Lucas before Daniel left the dojo with him. "Hey. I'm sorry about your arm."

Knowing his two Senseis, and his entire class of fellow Cobra Kais were listening, Lucas didn't say a single word and kept staring blankly ahead. He barely blinked an eye in acknowledgment that Miguel was even there.

He did however realize the larger amount of stakes placed on his next title defense after Miguel and Daniel left the dojo. Lucas looked over at the poster of the 50th All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, wanting more than ever to start training and get his hated cast off his arm to do so in months.

…

...

...

A/N:

That's basically the setup for the plot of the book. I know it only took half the book's length but those are the pairings and plot.

Tory/Robby, Miguel/Sam, Lucas/Charlotte. And Kreese and Daniel have agreed to settle everything at the fiftieth All Valley Tournament that takes place at the end of the first season of Cobra Kai. Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you all next time in the next chapter.