Chapter Eight: To be the Best
…
A/N: I haven't had a must read OSTS for a while. But this chap, again I recommend them a lot still.
…
Robby Keene stopped working out his arm curling a dumbbell in his room.
He walked over to his closet to change into something else and moved all the clothes hangers aside not finding what he wanted.
Something caught his eye.
A blue Cobra Kai jacket made of leather. That hadn't aged a day in decades.
Robby placed his hand on it, looking at it.
…
Cobra Kai OST: Our Way is the Right Way
…
A recently turned fifteen year old Lucas Schwarber was speaking to Robby outside of Johnny's house one evening when they trained at Cobra Kai together an entire year before their friendship ended.
"What did you want to talk about man?" asked Robby.
"I needed to give you something. Something that was kept in storage for a while. Recently mailed to the dojo. Think it might've been one of your dad's old friends, I don't know."
Robby was handed the blue leather jacket. "What's this?"
"Bobby Brown's original Cobra Kai jacket for Riding. The others can go with us, but we'll have to order in specially made ones for them."
"What's with the leather?"
"We all have motorcycles, we all know how to use them. We're gonna bring back an old Cobra Kai tradition. We'll have to wear stuff like these. Your dad even gave me his old one last week."
"What's the tradition?"
Lucas smiled. "The Ride man. We'll tell the entire town with how loudly we can ride as a group. That our way. Is the right way. It's the only chance we have to do it outside of a tournament."
"My dad. Still doesn't trust Kreese in a way. I don't know about this."
"Hey. Don't you trust me?"
Robby frowned. "He's only at the dojo out of respect for you man. I just don't know if old Cobra Kai. Is what new Cobra Kai should be like. I don't know. I don't think I can accept this jacket or any old Cobra Kai traditions of any sort."
"But look, I can't do this without you!" hissed Lucas, eyes widening, almost sounding coldly furious, which surprised Robby for how rare it was.
Lucas fell silent for a moment. Robby frowned, surprised to see his friend so upset.
He looked at him calmly. "Robby. I can't. Do this without you. I need a wing. Not just for a Ride, but at the dojo. If anything happens to me, I need someone to help lead the dojo under the Senseis. I need a co-Captain. Without one, I have to help lead class all on my own, if I'm sick the dojo loses help."
"You. Will be more than just my wing if you put this on." Lucas offered the folded up blue jacket to Robby. "You'll be my brother. Cobra Kai is more than just karate. It's a way of life. Brotherhood is part of that way. That's what this jacket represents."
Robby looked incredibly hesitant but nodded still. "I'm in. I'm going all in, like we were taught."
"That's it." Lucas nodded slowly in return. "Robby. Cobra Kai are gonna be champions. I promise you. The dojo would sweep tournaments for years back in the eighties. We'll do this together. We'll become legends in the Valley, be on newspaper."
Robby smiled as Lucas went on. "You might get a nice girlfriend. We'll be the talk of the town. But without you. My wing. It won't work. It just won't. Say it. Come on. Say it brother."
"Cobra Kai never dies," promised Robby.
Robby and Lucas' hands met so loudly that a clap was heard across the entire hallway between Miguel's new apartment and Johnny's.
"Cobra Kai. Never. Will. Die." Lucas answered, as Robby and Lucas tried to squeeze each other's hands so strongly they were trying to break them almost.
Then they tried to hug the life out of each other, Robby holding the new blue jacket in his hands as he did so.
…
Robby frowned looking at the jacket still hang in his closet over a year after the memory.
Then. He decided to try it on again and see if it fit him.
…
Lucas Schwarber had changed so much since he was 15 that he wasn't unrecognizable but he had changed.
He was taller, not that much more muscular, but he gave off the strong impression he was calm. Calculated.
Powerful.
He was going to begin recruiting fighters from across the Valley to fill the remaining spots in Cobra Kai.
Lucas already knew who would be viable candidates, even the characters from another world who tried out without any words he knew of would be viable candidates.
…
OST: Change Your Heart or Die - The Midnight
…
In Northridge, a girl with all her curly hair made into a tight bun was flipping around mats in a gymnastics gym.
Piper Elswith was flying, strong, her technique perfect.
Parents and a few girls on the gymnastics team at Northridge High muttered to each other, a local celebrity was walking past.
Lucas was wearing his red leather Cobra Kai jacket and sunglasses indoors just because it was summer.
The girls near the edge of the mat stopped talking when Lucas approached.
Piper wiped the sweat off her brow. "Hey. I think I know you."
"Probably," Lucas said blankly looking in between the girls. "You ever get interested in karate?"
"Why. Do you want me to join your karate school or something?" asked Piper.
"It's called a dojo."
In the same skate park Lucas learned how to skateboard, he found a tall dark skinned boy with curly hair he knew was recruited personally alongside Kyler when Kreese ran the Reseda dojo instead in a different turn of events and stayed at Cobra Kai to the fifty first All Valley.
He was very strong, very fearless, with how fast he went through the half pipe, back and forth, perfectly, Lucas was impressed.
"Name's Rob." He bumped elbows with Lucas.
"Well, Rob. You have an idea who I am?"
"Yeah haven't seen you in months here. Talked to your buddy even the other day about you."
Lucas chuckled. "You ever try karate?"
"I already know how to fight. I learned how to fight here in this park man."
"Good."
In a basketball court halfway across Orange County, Lucas found his third and final person to be recruited and fill the sixteenth spot in Cobra Kai.
Sarah, a basketball player from his high school was throwing boys slightly larger than her aside from how well she could move with the ball. A person who Lucas knew would likely get her tooth chipped if she sparred against Tory.
Lucas smiled, liking what he saw.
Sarah could move so quickly that she nearly flew past her opposing team and knocked them into the ground, dunking.
"That's it, let's gooo!" she shouted when flicking her nose towards the girl she knocked over. "That's right!"
Piper scoffed at Lucas in her gymnastics gym. "Why would I join your dojo?"
"You get to express yourself freely. Violence, is not suppressed at Cobra Kai. Any anger. Anything people call is negative. It's yours. And you get to use it. And be proud of it."
"Isn't that bad?"
Lucas smirked at Piper. "Not if you like experimenting with certain things and expanding your horizons. Your base instincts to attack. To do." Lucas popped his bubblegum, taking his sunglasses off. "Other things. We don't shame you for it. You'll learn respect. But be powerful about who you are."
Piper and the other girls at her gymnastics club exchanged looks and mutters.
"Prove it. Prove what you got and I'll go."
Lucas smiled. Taking off his jacket he stepped onto the mat.
The girls watched as Lucas began to build up into a run.
"Karate?" Sarah scoffed. "Please."
"Look-"
"No way man," Sarah said. "I'm not going anywhere near that. It looks like a joke."
"Come on. We made the front page of the newspaper. For the second time in decades. Parents are scared now. Scared we'll be made weak. Karate gives strength. Strength of character everything."
"Oh, so you're strong." Sarah crossed her arms. "Let's see then. Let's see if you can jump."
Lucas now started playing basketball with her. "If only you did soccer…"
Rob watched as Lucas started to skateboard on a degree of speed and control he hadn't ever seen since Robby Keene skated.
"Whoo!" Rob whistled.
Lucas was flying through the half pipe controlling his skateboard perfectly he almost made sparks from how hard he scratched the bottom of the board against the edge of the pipe.
Lucas might as well have been doing flips in the air from how fast he was flying and how much control he had.
Rob was thoroughly impressed, smiling and nodding.
Piper watched as Lucas got a running start and began flying across the mat.
He did a cartwheel without hands. He spun instantly into two leg sweeps and used the burst of speed he got to fly into his triple flying kick.
The moment he landed he rolled into somersault, standing up instantly and perfectly into his front stance.
So loudly the walls of the entire gymnastics gym began to shake, Lucas threw a reverse punch to the body with a kiai.
Every muscle in his body seemed to flex at that moment and he hadn't broken a sweat.
Piper was shocked speechless.
Lucas walked over to her quietly and calmly.
"Corner of Magnolia and Lankershim. Tomorrow at four. Be there."
Piper couldn't even nod. She was blank and stunned.
Lucas popped his bubblegum, tucked his sunglasses into his shirt collar and walked away calmly with his jacket slung over his shoulder.
Rob laughed. "That was awesome!"
"You wanna see more?"
Rob nodded. "Yeah!"
"Lankershim and Magnolia. Hard to miss, it's got a giant snake on it. Tomorrow at four."
Rob bumped fists with him. "Fo' sho. See ya."
"Hey D up D up!"
Sarah was driving Lucas back with her shoulder.
As if he was so quick he could predict where she could move, Lucas swiped the ball from Sarah mid dribble, flew down the court dribbling the pall.
Passed behind his back to a teammate, and that person scored.
"Lucky," Sarah said.
"Okay then."
When Lucas had the ball, he schooled a veteran basketball player with how athletic he was.
Sarah couldn't get anywhere near him, he was physically much stronger than her and his reflexes from fighting allowed him to predict and counter whatever Sarah did.
He scored a basket by flying off his feet, passing the ball under and between his legs, and making the rim shake when he scored nothing but net.
Lucas hung off the rim and walked by a speechless Sarah. "You want more of that?"
Sarah nodded with a slightly dropped jaw.
"Down Lankershim, hard to miss, huge Cobra on it. Four o'clock."
Sarah blinked as Lucas walked past her.
"Yo ain't that Luke Schwarber?" another basketball player asked Sarah.
"I think it was," Sarah said.
…
"Class. We have visitors," said Kreese.
Cobra Kai and its thirteen students watched, Lucas especially calm, as Sarah, Rob, and Piper entered the dojo.
"Joining the team means you have to work hard. But you have to have the right temperament. The right instincts." Kreese said. "Prepare for combat. Ais!"
Lucas and Hawk held flags as everyone else broke out around the square and knelt onto their shins, clapping their hands loudly onto their knees in unison with Lucas and Hawk's Junbi stance holding the flags.
"Take off your shoes. Bow onto the mat. Come over here."
Piper approached first with Rob and Sarah behind her.
Kreese spoke. "We're going to have you fight. Best way to test your instincts. Not against our best. But still, you'll fight. You, get in the square." Kreese nodded to Piper. "Nichols. Initiate her."
Piper noticed how Tory was twice her size when she stood up from the square in her GI.
Lucas gave her a slight nod when no one was looking to let her know she had no reason to be nervous.
Kreese waited until the girls lined up and then had them spar. "Ais!"
Tory struck first and was surprised the Piper was able to dodge her front kick.
They circled each other and Piper clearly had some degree of experience with grappling as she was able to hold Tory at close range when her punches missed.
Tory failed to sweep Piper off her legs on multiple occasions, something Kreese noticed as interesting and even tilted his head to the side slightly at.
Piper's center of balance was perfect when someone was trying to throw her around.
Tory eventually scored a very strong round kick to Piper's stomach, but instead of gasping loudly in pain or quitting, Piper fought the urge to wince and walked back to her line knowing the fight would be paused after Tory scored a point.
"Stop," Kreese said.
He nodded to Piper. "Your last name."
"Elswith."
"Okay Elswith. You're on the team."
Piper nodded to Tory with a very odd smile. "Maybe we could be sparring partners or something."
"Do not come near me," Tory said in disgust so strongly Lucas had to fight the urge to laugh from how amused he was. "Unless you want to get kicked again," she said as if the sight of how Piper looked at her was sickening.
Rob stepped forward next to Kreese next to the combat square. "I'm ready sir."
"Good to hear it," Kreese said. "Uh. Rickenberger." Doug bowed when he rose from the square.
The match was over pretty quickly. Rob had very fast hands, clearly developed from multiple street fights he possibly got into from being at the skate park for years. He had no idea how to kick but did a great job of countering some of Doug's attacks.
"Stop. Final score three two, winner Rickenberger."
Rob was confused that Kreese hadn't kicked him off the mat already. "I lost right?"
"You did. But no first timer should realistically take on Rickenberger. You're on the team take your spot over there. And you're up next." Kreese turned to Sarah. "White. Spar with her."
Mia, a girl with dreadlocks and a blue belt, walked over to the line and sparred against Sarah.
Mia lost three to two after a two minute fight.
"Not bad." Kreese said. "You're both alright. White, you can stay. And um."
"Sarah Goldstein."
"Goldstein. Take your spot."
…
I leaned on my motorcycle chatting with the guys well after class was done.
Near an old junkyard and a small sort of hill and course we used to practice racing our dirtbikes on, we threw a sort of informal get together for everyone from school.
Tory walked up to me. "Can we talk?"
Doug Rickenberger wolf whistled. "Let's go Schwarber." he called out.
Tory reached out with the back of her hand and clipped Rick on the chin.
He gasped and held his mouth as I walked forward to talk to her.
"Real subtle." Tory said crossing her arms.
"What's subtle?"
"The new recruits. One of them was a guy but the other people you chose were you know. Not."
"So I can't train with girls then. Did you forget the part where I went an entire year barely sharing a conversation with either Aisha or Mia?"
Tory looked at me up and down. "I know your game. You invite some new chicks over to the dojo pretty soon they're at your place for extra training."
"You are the one who asked me for such a thing after all first."
Tory walked away in a huff. I didn't even mean to make a sex joke but she took it the wrong way.
"Well that's the truth isn't it?" I called out after her.
Hawk chuckled when I walked back over to the squad. "She jealous that Piper and Sarah are low key pretty decent?"
She actually was that was surprising to me.
"Shut up man," I said as Shawn and Hawk laughed.
I was confused when I saw Miguel and everyone in Miyagi-Do walk into the parking lot near the junkyard and the long downhill course as part of the nearby canyon for racing sometimes.
"Who the hell invited Miyagi-Do?" asked Mitch.
"I did."
I turned, Robby and all of Steel Eagle Karate appeared.
Robby brought his bike. This felt like a challenge.
I don't think it was official yet. But the entire Valley's karate had basically allied against us.
It made my blood boil. But I couldn't show it.
I walked towards Robby.
Despite there being well over seventy five people from our highschool chatting, drinking a few beers and relaxing in the parking lot at this sort of unofficial motorcycle meet, the air was dead silent.
No one could hear anything but the noise of my shoes as I walked towards Robby.
With a tiny glare from me at his friends, Robby stood alone against me as everyone stared at us.
"This is what it's come to. Full on betrayal."
"You betrayed yourself, Luke." I heard Sam say with the Miyagi-Dos on the other end of the parking lot.
I chuckled and looked at Robby and down.
"Almost two years after she rejected you. You're willing to stab me in the back for Sam. When will people realize fighting for girls gives karate a bad name?"
I heard several people, especially Rick and Rob laugh.
"Why are you here?"
"To show you no one's afraid of Cobra Kai."
"And why's that?"
Dozens of people waited for Robby's response.
"You like flexing on people. With your bikes. And bullying the Miyagi-Dos. That ends tonight. Not with a fight. But I'm here to tell you. You're done pushing people around Luke. Trying to embarrass me like you just did. That's done." he said.
Robby turned around and I knew I could beat his ass right now in front of basically everyone I knew.
"I'm right here dude. Literally. Right here."
Everyone began to mutter.
"Oh ho ho." chuckled Hawk.
Robby froze, his back turned towards me.
"Bert," Robby said suddenly.
His old blue leather Cobra Kai jacket was placed in his hands.
I snapped twice loudly.
Shawn threw me Robby's dad's old jacket to me and I put it on as Robby wore Bobby's old one.
"Let's go." I said loudly. "Right now."
Everyone thought we were about to fight or something until I gave orders to my friends, speaking to Hawk, Shawn, Rickenbeger, and the others.
"Post people up and down the hill and near each turn. Stopwatches, your phones, doesn't matter. Time the runs. There's gonna be three."
"Three?" Hawk was confused. "Three what?"
"Three races. Down the little mini mountain we have here."
Robby spoke to me. "You lose this. I don't wanna see you or your friends near any of us. You win. Do whatever you want."
"This ends tonight then," I said.
Robby nodded. "Yup. We're gonna settle up. And you're finally gonna see how wrong you are for sticking with Kreese."
"Let's go," I repeated.
…
OST: Make My Day -Derreck Simmons
…
Every single dojo was there. Steel Eagle, Cobra Kai, Miyagi-Do. Everyone in all three dojos and dozens of their friends.
The course was prepped for a downhill motorcycle race with almost no traffic at all.
Moon should've been worried, but oddly found the moment very passionate for Lucas to defend his dojo and his honor against Robby. She smiled with pride as Lucas put his helmet and solid black visor down as Robby did the same next to him.
"You know they might actually die doing this," Nate asked Bert. "A fight might actually be safer. Even on concrete."
Bert chuckled. "Yeah man. Honestly. Considering how regularly Lucas, Robby, and the rest of them have practiced riding their bikes at top speed. I doubt they'll get so much as a scratch."
"But they'll be fast still right?"
"You'll see."
On a group call with everyone from both Steel Eagle and Cobra Kai meant to officiate and time the three laps, Shawn spoke into his phone very loudly counting down.
"Five! Four!"
Lucas was looking over at Robby as they revved the engines in both their motorcycles.
"Three! Two! One! Go!" Shawn shouted into his phone as the stopwatch on every phone around the course began to count down.
The fronts of Lucas' and Robby's bikes lifted into the air and they went flying forward.
They flew past Shawn so fast his hair almost shook as did his clothes.
Everyone in the parking lot cheered and they roared off.
Throughout the darkness of the hill, two tiny pinpricks of light could be seen as Lucas and Robby raced.
Almost like professional motorcycle racers, when entering a tight turn with perfect control. They slightly slowed down, turned their entire motorcycle sideways, and their gloved hands lightly passed over the smooth part of the road between the highway itself and the hill next to it.
The moment the turn ended they accelerated at top speed now upright.
At the top of the hill, Lucas accelerated so hard that he jumped off it like a ramp. He landed right next to Robby and the instant grip returned to his tires he flew past him.
Hawk in the galleries with a few other Cobra Kais shouted.
"Luke's bike really kicks! He just hit a jump or something and took the lead!" he announced back to everyone in the parking lot.
Knowing what the stakes were, Lucas and Robby raced at their absolute fullest.
Sam, Piper, Mia, Tory, Aisha and Charlotte, female students from all three dojos watched as Robby and Lucas flew past.
"They're actually doing this?" Sam asked in shock as Piper was loving every moment of it.
"Let's goo!" Rickenberger, Mitch, and Chris shouted next to them, cheering them on standing on the grassy hill next to the almost completely empty highway.
Entering a long tunnel, the sounds of their bikes echoed.
The engines, their speed. They were tearing across the highway and through downhill facing turns at full speed.
Despite how fast they went, they didn't lose any control over their bikes at all.
They would tilt their bikes just the right way and their hands with specially made gloves would glide just over the concrete to stabilize it.
Robby and Lucas knew there was a pretty sharp drop behind the guardrail and striking the wall or each other carried a very heavy toll.
But there was no hesitation, just speed. They could control their bikes at top speed that well, they had done it regularly since the week Cobra Kai had re opened in its original location.
Lucas and Robby flew past one of the left facing turns so quickly that fellow West Valley High School students had their hair flying past them in their directions.
Lucas was gripping his motorcycle for dear life, seeing how Robby was getting closer turn after turn.
They entered a right turn, a left turn, a full looping right turn through a tunnel and when they came out the other side several other high schoolers cheered.
Robby had taken the lead from Lucas.
They went back and forth, one in front one the stretch, then the other.
Robby's bike was ahead, then Lucas'.
Lucas kept throttling so hard that he was sure his bike would give out. He pushed his bike hard on a regular basis but it was if racing Robby let him pick lines through and around each turn better than before.
With a strong burst of speed zipping around another turn, his hand gliding perfectly across the light asphalt next to the highway through the corner, Lucas tore out of the turn and regained the lead.
He was panting slightly and sweating beneath his helmet.
So was Robby.
They approached the finish line back at the parking lot now on the uphill and having much better traction in more power heavy parts of the course, Lucas had a clear advantage.
Despite being in second for almost the entire second half of the first lap, Lucas pulled slightly ahead and the first lap was his.
…
OST: Blackout - Overload
…
The second lap began and now it was Robby's turn to have Lucas chasing after him.
"Why would we settle karate beef with a motorcycle race?" wondered Rob to Shawn in the parking lot.
"Motorcycle riding has been Cobra Kai tradition since the 80s. A Ride is when you have fun as a group, pretty soon us here got bored of going at the same speed and we just tried seeing who was fastest," said Hawk. "It was always Robby and Lucas. They might be actually insane on the hill no one was as quick as them."
Lucas couldn't catch up to Robby for the life of him.
He couldn't get closer accelerating at full power on the stretch of the highway between the turns, or entering it.
"There's a nuance to it that's what's Cobra Kai's all about. The precision of the turn. The technique, even something as simple as how you put your hand on the track when you corner."
Lucas hadn't stabilized his bike properly as his hand glided across the light asphalt right on the border of the highway and the hill. He was slower than Robby both when entering and exiting the right hand turn.
Robby was starting to pull away completely.
"These laps only last about a minute and a half. But if you mess up even slightly and your technique is slightly off. You're slower, even by milliseconds. That's karate incarnate man. Tiny details making up the whole."
Lucas was desperate to catch up, but Robby's lead continued to widen.
Lucas hit his jump on the uphill exit of a particular turn and it wasn't enough to close the gap.
However despite losing for the first half of the lap, Lucas began to catch up little by little.
Robby wasn't looking into the sideview mirror of his bike, but even tearing through corners at almost sixty miles an hour if he would have, he would have seen Lucas get closer to him.
Now in the long stretch to the finish line with very sharp and fast turns inbetween, Lucas and Robby continued to give it their all.
Robby's eyes quickly flicked between his sideview mirrors and Lucas behind him from beneath his helmet.
Robby accelerated hard down the stretch, tapped the brakes slightly upon the entrance of the right-ward corner and then flew off hard.
While the gap momentarily widened, Lucas lost no speed in these turn sections now. He had brought the race around, running neck and neck with Robby.
Holding the inside of the turn for dear life, Robby forced Lucas to take the long way around and be slower ultimately.
He still didn't fall behind as much as he did before.
They flew past their friends from their dojos and school.
They didn't care how dangerous the race could've been.
They might as well have been back on the sand dunes with their motorbikes like the original Cobra Kais were.
Flying towards the finish line, Lucas was fast on his bike, but Robby was far faster.
The Eagles cheered especially loud when Robby was winning and he crossed the finish line first and won the second lap decisively.
…
OST: Lost Into the Night - Elisa
…
"This third lap," Hawk muttered as Shawn sent Robby and Lucas off. "Is gonna be absolute hell for them at this point."
Lucas felt like his head was about to fall off his shoulders.
Encased in a tight helmet soaked in sweat. His motorcycle's engine howling so loudly it might as well have been a jet engine, needing to keep up with someone as fast as Robby. Was exhausting even for a veteran motorcycle racer for a downhill.
Tied up one lap each, Robby and Lucas, despite having raced at their fullest capacity for the entire night continued to give it their all.
The almost fifty people in all three dojos were incredibly excited despite how nervous they were. They yelled, they cheered, they were all roaring as Lucas and Robby flew past.
Robby was racing to end the entire feud for Steel Eagle and Miyagi-Do and Lucas raced for Cobra Kai.
Neither was winning through the first few turns.
Lucas was cornering with a speed so similar to Robby's that their bikes almost made contact through a tight right turn.
Every detail necessary for the ideal speed through a corner was there.
The exact angle Robby and Lucas tilted their bikes. When they braked, when they accelerated. When they turned.
Lucas was tilting his bike better, he didn't have to use his special glove anymore to corner properly.
He was flying now. And Robby was only ahead by the skin of his teeth.
However, Robby was still driving his bike at a speed that most from their dojos and school watching had no clue how he could control at all, least of all in a turn.
And that he was able to keep up with such a speed.
Robby remained ahead, but just barely.
However, Lucas' bike shook just barely on the exit of a right turn.
Robby didn't notice but Lucas certainly did.
Nothing was holding him back, not even his bike acting strangely was enough to stop him from zipping around the turns at full speed.
Lucas was now able to close the tiny gap every tiny bit with each passing turn.
He and Robby were inches off from the guardrail being the only thing separating them from a quick collapse down the hill, and inches away from the wall to get the best speed which would certainly send them flying off their bikes if they barely touched it.
Lucas' right leg almost collided with the guardrail as he began to brake later in the turn to get the best speed.
The highway was curving left and right, and Lucas and Robby continued their duel downhill.
When they passed the halfway point that marked the slight upward incline back to the parking lot and the finish line, Rickenberger spoke into his phone to announce to everyone there.
"Lucas and Robby are neck and neck. I think this is the fastest lap ever recorded on the hill by well over six seconds!"
Through the last turns, that were much quicker due to being less sharp and relying more on their bike's power, Lucas almost started to pull ahead.
However, his tires oddly lost grip despite Lucas not doing anything erratic or strange with his bike and Robby remained ahead.
Robby had clear road directly to the finish line with Lucas just slightly behind by the tiniest margin right on his left. And it was over.
…
The parking lot exploded into cheers.
Charlotte leaped directly into Robby's arms before he could even get his helmet off.
The air should've been cheerful but Robby wasn't happy at all when he took his helmet off and revealed his frown.
"What?" Charlotte asked with her arms around him.
Robby ignored all of Steel Eagle and even a few Miyagi-Dos around him and walked directly towards Lucas.
"There something wrong with your bike?"
Rob moved aside to let Robby speak directly to Lucas.
He frowned, shaking his head.
Robby moved forward and took off his glove. He pressed his hand around Lucas' tires, and inside his main tire assembly.
"Wow. Impressive." Robby sighed.
"What happened?" asked Lucas.
"You know what happened." Robby turned around.
Hawk was confused. "Wait you lost but. It sounds like you didn't."
Lucas frowned. "My brakes were shot and so was my front tire. I was losing time on the last several turns. There was nothing I could've done to stop Robby from winning."
Robby frowned, taking his blue Cobra Kai jacket off and throwing it on the ground in frustration.
Miguel was confused. "What happened?"
"Let's just go home."
"Robby you won you-"
"Defeat doesn't exist to Cobra Kai. What would a bike race change? What does it matter? Luke's bike malfunctioned." said Robby. "I had a feeling he should've been faster in the last section."
"So then let him fix it and we can race again," suggested Miguel as the other Miyagi-Dos nodded.
"It's over," Robby said. "Just forget about it."
"Sounds like you're giving up then." Miguel said.
"You know what? Maybe next time you can race him. Oh that's right. You don't even own a bike." said Robby as the Eagles laughed quietly.
Miguel sighed. "This was a mistake."
"Agreed. Fix your own problems next time." said Robby.
Sam sighed. "Guys. This can still work, guys!"
…
I had lost at anything for the first time in a while. In ever.
Robby had beat me in sparring before in class but that was when I had just gotten my cast off.
That was probably the last time we'd race. I was just surprised I got someone who avoided doing things as dangerous and reckless like the home invasion of the LaRussos he reprimanded Tory for.
Robby hadn't been raised for two years from the age of fourteen by his father at this point, as well as even met me.
This all told me I couldn't lose to Miyagi-Do or Steel Eagle again.
I wasn't ready to declare an outright dojo war on them yet, this was still in the preliminary stages where we all figured out how we felt.
Moon was moving by in the crowd of girls and guys from our school. She had looked at me for a faint second.
I don't know why.
But I valued her opinion of what I just did more than anything right now.
When a few years back, the only opinion I cared about was the fame my trophy would bring.
The Cobra Kais mostly were disappointed I sort of lost. But Defeat Did Not Exist, and technically Robby forfeited the win as nul for several reasons.
Mostly that Cobra Kai would never quit even if I asked them to call off.
A year ago I would've. But now, I didn't know what to do.
These weren't monsters. These were my friends.
…
I got a strange text on the ride back towards my house.
You need to come over. Right now Luke. It's urgent.
She never texted so strangely. I was worried.
I rushed over to Moon's house and knocked on the door.
She opened the door and I spoke. "Are you alright? I got your text are you okay-"
Moon had jumped on me wearing her short shorts again and a t-shirt.
She wrapped her arms and bare legs around me and kissed me.
"Inside. Right now."
"Wh. Wh-What?" I had no idea what was going on.
"Bedroom Lucas. Bedroom. Please. Bedroom, now." Moon muttered between kisses.
She would hear no argument from me.
…
After easily the fastest bit of sex we'd ever had I laid in her bed beneath the covers.
Moon smiled, brushing my hair back with her hand as we cuddled.
"Never done it like that. Never. You know." I said.
Moon laughed. "Tonight was. Tonight was so you."
"I thought you said all the bike racing was dumb."
"Well, I never saw it with my own eyes. I thought it was just macho and ridiculous at first. But no. It was. It was just you expressing yourself." Moon said.
"And that got you wanting to fuck silly."
Moon shrugged, still panting quietly. "Yeah." she laughed out.
I smiled resting my hand on her hip. "It was great yeah."
We shared a tight kiss.
Moon drew herself out of her bed and redressed herself. She held her chest slipping her bra back on, it was light blue and lace now. Not her at all, but I liked it.
"Where'd you get that?" I asked.
"Oh, I already owned it."
When she put her panties on I kept looking at her and shrugged. "I never imagined you'd wear stuff like that."
"You like it?" she turned around smiling at me over her shoulder, I almost jumped out of her bed, unable to be any nuder right now.
I gripped her by her hips and leaned forward, kissed her directly above her hip bone by her underwear and lightly but properly smacked her beautiful bare ass. "Course I do. Driving me crazy."
"Well how about we -Mf." I stood up to kiss Moon. "Do just that? All night. And really, I mean really live tonight. You could've died."
"Yes ma'am." I scooped her up in my arms and we stayed on the couch.
Spent the night together kissing as passionately as we could.
"Why put this on if we're gonna take it off like six minutes later?" I laughed in between kisses on Moon's mouth and chin.
"Doesn't it look good though?"
I nodded, leaning over her on the couch. "Yeah." I looked at her. "Yeah it does."
Moon muttered. "You could've died. Someone could've died."
"But I didn't." I said. "I knew what I was doing."
Moon circled her hand around my shoulders and head and we kissed.
"Luke. That was kinda terrifying but you really expressed yourself. I still am trying to figure out why I want this- Why I want us so badly right now."
I nodded. "Same. Totally. Same here."
"Then like you said. You knew what you were doing. So. Let's live a little yeah."
I made it my mission to accomplish what she was talking about. If she wanted us like this right now so badly, I'd do it.
Until she wasn't back in her bed or on her couch right now asleep in my arms from the lovemaking, I wasn't finished until she told me to take a break.
…
We actually stayed mostly on the couch, until we eventually returned to her bedroom.
Two hours later, I was successful. No one knew I was here but her. My bike was safely back in my garage, and I took my bicycle back to Moon's. My grandparents, in the rare event they asked, had been told by me that I was either at Hawk's or Shawn's house.
Moon was nearly and slowly falling asleep in my arms, wearing nothing by this point as I had as well for hours.
Moon groaned quietly and lazily kissed me when we were in bed together.
"I mean." Moon said tiredly. "I mean I mean."
"I mean I mean too." I smiled.
Moon laughed quietly, our arms tied around each other.
"That get you what you wanted?" I asked.
Moon muttered almost against my lips. "Definitely."
These had been some of the best two hours I had ever spent with her. Which meant a lot to me.
"I think I got it." Moon muttered. "What takes up a decent part of your center."
"Yeah?"
"You're compassionate about your dojo. But the people in it too." said Moon. "You care about them. You raced for them tonight to settle the whole. Fiasco you guys had."
I nodded. "Thanks."
"It's good for me to be like this," Moon whispered. "Just us."
I nodded again. "It is."
"Luke. I'm worried about something."
"Tell me."
"When summer's done. And you said we could never think about this again. Can you at least think about what I taught you? About your energy. Keeping yourself healthy emotionally."
I stayed quiet.
"At first I thought what we'd learn from each other would be just physical."
Moon chuckled. "It still is in just a way. You're a stud baby. You got me almost passing out right now. You just get better and better at it."
I smiled and laughed for a tiny moment. "Thanks but um. What do you mean by energy?"
"Just you. Just what's in you. Your vibe. Your everything. I want you to be happy after we're done."
"Yeah things are honestly crazy right now."
"As amazing, and admittedly hot as it was to see you express everything in you. Just. This will sound ridiculous. You know when you see deers lock horns in the wilderness. You and Robby tonight. The macho-ness battle. Same thing in a way. I thought it was dumb at first but yeah. You really were expressing yourself. Fighting for your friends and the dojos. Nothing else."
Moon nodded and continued. "Yeah it is crazy. You just risked your life in a motorcycle race just to settle a karate feud started over thirty years ago. I think it would be crazy."
"I wasn't in any danger. If my bike failed I just would've spun out. Robby and I have been doing this for over a year and. Mostly on hills just like that one."
"You are the expert. But, I wasn't expecting this to happen either," said Moon.
"Expecting what?"
"I wouldn't have. Mostly minded. I thought you just wanted me. To just, you know. Release. And leave to come back some other time. And instead, every time, you stay." Moon snuggled closer to me.
"I'll always stay. Regardless of what's going on I have to." I said.
"Why?"
I nodded. "Because I respect your wisdom. I respect a lot of stuff. Strength. And people who are wise. I'm not just saying this in a you're wise because we're like this. You taught me to focus better, how to be wiser. Even though I'm a bit more reckless now. I'm finding out what I want to be."
"And what's that?"
"Passionate." I kissed Moon, she drew in a sharp bit of air as we did so. "I sort of knew it all along but now I know how and why."
"When did you start to know?"
"The biggest decision of my life so far," I said. "I chose Cobra Kai over Miyagi-Do. A decision I plan on sticking by for the rest of my life, sort of a promise to myself. At least as long as I'm here in the Valley. They don't value passion at Miyagi-Do. Cobra Kai is all about it."
Moon smiled. "I'm passionate about this." Moon shrugged and looked at me up and down quickly. "Not your body. You, what we share."
Not calling it anything helped make it work. Truly it did.
"I am really tired. From us basically-"
"Having sex like wild animals," I said blankly.
Moon laughed quietly. Moon's laugh, I just loved listening to it.
"From us passionately indulging in each other's bodies," Moon said, I always found her lack of desire to be vulgar under almost any circumstance so pure. "But I have one last question."
"Yeah?"
"I shared my first everything with you. What about yours?"
I frowned.
"What?"
"When Charlotte and I went out, we kissed I guess at Golf 'N Stuff for our first date. There was a day where we. Suggested trying. Out. Sex. It was, horribly awkward and my grandparents interrupted when they got home. But yeah."
"Did you?"
"Sort of. Just barely, almost didn't."
I sighed.
"I'm actually sort of ashamed of this next part."
Moon listened.
"The night I won the tournament all I could think about was Robby leaving the dojo."
"That's what tonight was about. He was like a brother to you."
I wanted to tell her I was the only person who remember to pick up and keep Bobby Brown's jacket that he threw on the ground.
"I was in a bad spot, emotionally, open to basically any comfort you know. Yasmine and Tory both. Had sex with me that night. I can barely remember any details, because I was drunk for all of it."
Moon shrugged. "Again. You're passionate. That's just part of it."
"You're not feeling weird. That I was with both of them and now you?"
"Why would I be?" she said in a very Moon way. "We're us. Right now. And for the rest of this amazing summer. For almost two months. Plus. I'm glad actually. That you're honest. I'm always honest with you, and you are with me so."
I don't think Moon had the physical capacity to lie. While I had an entire freshman year of high school hatching a conspiracy to mainly lie to get to my goal.
I had come a long way I think, from the kid who my Sensei thought was a Jehovah's Witness.
We kissed for a bit and very soon after, I fell asleep with Moon in my arms beneath the covers.
...
...
...
A/N: The fluff has been cute to write and I'm sure to read, but I'll be moving more into the actual plot. Tommy dies in Make a Right, which is Ep 6 of 10. And I'm currently almost at the half way point.
Tommy's chapter will actually be the next. And it won't be anything like it was in Make a Right. The dojo conflict will also be more fleshed out and especially how the lessons and karate work.
"Rob" is another named extra I found on an official Youtube channel. He's played by Chance Dollard and I didn't know how else to describe him this chapter.
If you have any thoughts leave them below, otherwise. I'll see you all next time.
As well as returning the focus to the characters. Thank you all for reading and see you soon.