Chapter 39: Twelve V.S. One
James's POV:
I arrive at the LaRusso house and knock on the door. Mr. LaRusso opens it and he looks completely disheveled.
"Mr. LaRusso? What happened?" I ask.
"Oh, hey James." Mr. LaRusso says.
"Can we talk?" I ask.
"Yeah, come in." Mr. LaRusso says. I walk into the house and notice it's empty.
"Um, where are Sam and Anthony?" I ask.
"Amanda left and took them with her." Mr. LaRusso reveals.
"What? Are you serious?" I ask.
"Yeah." Mr. LaRusso says.
"I'm sorry. Maybe this isn't the best time to talk." I say before starting to walk away.
"No, you don't have to leave. Tell me what's wrong." Mr. LaRusso says. I walk back over to him.
"I…I'm becoming like Steve." I say.
"What?" Mr. LaRusso asks.
"I've been getting really aggressive with the Cobras and showing no mercy. I…I'm also bullying someone in Cobra Kai." I reveal. To my surprise, Mr. LaRusso remains calm.
"When did this aggression start?" Mr. LaRusso asks.
"It all started the day I beat up the kids who had broken my ribs. I ambushed them and managed to deafest all four of them. I felt powerful. Then, the day before the All Valley, I beat up a guy who was insulting me. Ever since I got my arm broken, I've been showing no mercy to everyone." I say.
"Why do you think you're doing this?" Mr. LaRusso asks.
"I…I think I'm scared of being bullied again. I also want to hurt the Cobras for everything Steve did to me." I say.
"I understand. Before I started training with Mr. Miyagi, I was so full of anger. I wanted to fight Cobra Kai, get revenge." Mr. LaRusso says.
"But now, I've become a bully. I've been harassing a kid who had nothing to do with Steve." I say.
"I think there's only one solution to this." Mr. LaRusso says.
"What is that?" I ask.
"Apologie." Mr. LaRusso says.
"That's it?" I ask.
"Yeah. It's clear that you feel guilty about everything you did, that shows you still have a heart. Why don't you talk to the kid you've been bullying and apologize." Mr. LaRusso says.
"You really think he'll listen to me?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'm sure if you're honest, everything will work out okay." Mr. LaRusso says.
Third Person POV:
Chase was sitting on his couch, recovering from his injuries. He just couldn't believe his former best friend blamed him for everything and joined Cobra Kai. Suddenly, a knock on the door forces Chase to get up. He picks up his crutches and moves to the front door. He manages to open it and sees Aaron, Kyler, Kenny, and a few other Cobras standing in front of him. Two Cobras grab Chase and pull him outside.
"You didn't think I was done with you already, huh?" Aaron asks as the Cobras begin dragging Chase to a new location.
"Let me go!" Chase shouts. The Cobras ignore him and drag him to the top of a hill.
"You wanna do the honors?" Kenny asks.
"Gladly." Aaron says. Aaron gets into a fighting stance and delivers a front kick into Chase's chest, sending him troubling down the hill.
"Down he goes!" Kyler shouts. Chase is rolling down the hill at a fast speed. He's getting cuts and scrapes all over his body. Finally, the rolling stops with Chase landing in a giant pool of mud. He is completely covered in the brown substance. What's worse is that he doesn't have his crutches. He's stuck in the mud until someone finds him.
"That cripple deserved worse." Aaron says. Suddenly, the Cobras receive a text in the Cobra Kai group chat. It was Brian.
"Hey, you guys want to get revenge on James?" Brian's text reads.
"Brian? Where have you been?" Kenny texts.
"Meet me in the alleyway." Brain text's back.
James's POV:
I was leaving the LaRusso house and was beginning the walk back to my house. The next time I saw Brian, I was going to apologize for what I did to him. I enter the infamous alleyway in which Steve and Kyler beat me up back when I first started taking karate. However, standing in the middle now, was Brian.
"Brian, is that you?" I ask.
"Yeah, it's me." Brian says. He's glaring at me.
"How did you know where I was?" I ask.
"As soon as I got out of the dumpster, I tracked you down. I saw you enter the LaRusso house." Brian says.
"You've been watching me? Why?" I ask.
"You'll know soon enough." Brian says.
"Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for everything I did to you." I say. Brian is taken aback.
"You're sorry?" Brian asks, confused.
"I'm sorry for attacking you in the bathroom, I'm sorry for attacking you in the parking lot and trying to break your arm, and I'm sorry for attacking you at the arcade and locking you in the dumpster." I say. I can tell that Brian did not expect this.
"You wouldn't know the pain I've gone through because of you." Brian says.
"Actually, I do. I've been bullied, just like you. I've been assaulted, had my reputation destroyed, and got my arm broken. Believe me, I understand your pain." I say.
"Then why did you bully me? Why did you want to inflict that pain onto someone else?" Brian asks.
"I thought that by hurting Cobra Kai, I was getting revenge on Steve. I realize now that I was wrong. I didn't hurt Steve, I was hurting you. I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you." I say.
"I…I…" Brian stutters.
That's when multiple Cobras enter the Alleyway. I'm trapped on both sides. Among them are Kyler, Kenny, the basketball teammates, the Cobras from the arcade, one of the Cobras I attacked on the street, and one more Cobra I didn't recognize. Including Brian, that was twelve Cobras.
"So, you're the infamous James. Steve told me all about you in juvie." The unknown Cobra says.
"You were with Steve?" I ask.
"Yep. I promised Steve that I would show you and your friends no mercy. I already took care of Chase, now it's your turn." The Cobra says.
"You took care of Chase? What does that mean?" I ask. The Cobra just laughs.
"I don't think we can do this anymore, Aaron. He apologized for what he did to me." Brian says.
"So what? An apology means nothing! Did his apology make you forget everything he did to you?" Kenny asks.
"Um…uh…" Brian stutters.
"I'm showing the person who bullied me no mercy. You should do the same." Kenny says.
"Go ahead, throw the first punch." Aaron says.
"This isn't right." Brian says.
"Do it! Attack him!" Aaron shouts. Brian, reluctantly, gets in a fighting stance. He then begins throwing punches. I block all of Brian's punches, but that's when one of the arcade Cobras puts me in a headlock. Brian punches me a few times in the chest before I kick him away. I elbow the Cobra behind me and manage to escape the headlock. However, one of the basketball teammates hits me in the head with a rock, making me fall to the ground.
"How does that feel huh?" The teammate says. I get up and kick him in the chest but quickly get surrounded by four more Cobras. Among them, Kyler and Aaron. I try to punch Aaron, but he ducks and charges at me. He tackles me into the wall. I elbow him in the back, but he doesn't let me go. Kyler and the other Cobras use this time to punch me in the face and upper body repeatedly. Eventually, Aaron throws me to the ground. As I get up, I fail to notice the street Cobra behind me and he kicks me in the back of the leg. As I'm down on my knees, Kyler knees me in the face, making me collapse to the ground. Kenny quickly picks me up and punches me in the face. I hit the ground and I begin to have a panic attack. I flashback to when Cobra Kai first beat me up the day I moved here. I haven't had a flashback of that moment since the house fight. One of the arcade Cobras grabs my head and bashes it into the alleyway wall.
"How's the taste of your own medicine?" The Cobra asks before bashing my head into the wall again. I've completely lost the will to fight as my panic attack continues. One basketball teammate picks me up and headbutts me. I'm lying on the ground, completely bloody and bruised. It was just like how I was when Steve and Kyler beat me up the last time. Each Cobra takes their turn getting revenge on me. One of the basketball teammates stomps on my face until I begin crying. The street Cobra stomps on my broken arm and I scream in pain. Aaron kicks me in the crouch as Kyler punches my throat and face. Kenny picks me up and leans me against the wall. He delivers a flurry of punches aimed at my chest. The only person who hadn't gotten revenge yet, was Brian.
"Remember the plan? Do it! No mercy!" Kenny shouts.
"I…I can't do it." Brian says before backing away.
"Fine, I'll do it." Kenny says before delivering a front kick into my broken arm. I collapse to my knees and that's when Kenny delivers a roundhouse kick to my face, making me fall to the ground. The Cobras continue to punch and kick me while I'm on the ground until I'm unconscious.
Third Person POV:
James is unconscious on the ground. He's bleeding everywhere and is completely messed up.
"Ha! We showed him all right! Don't mess with Cobra Kai." Kyler says. Suddenly, Tory enters the Alleyway.
"Holy shit! What did you do?!" Tory shouts.
"Relax, we just taught him a lesson." Kenny says.
"You guys went way too far!" Tory shouts.
"Oh, please. He would've done the same to us if he got the chance." Kenny says.
"This was for Steve!" Kyler shouts.
"For Steve!" Aaron shouts.
"For Steve!" The rest of the Cobras shout.
"Come on, let's go." Kenny says as he and the rest of the Cobras walk away. Tory stares at James. She couldn't just leave him there. She pulls out her phone.
"Violet, Emma. I need your help." Tory says.
Author's Note: The Cobras are showing no mercy to James and Chase. Will they be able to stand up to them? How will Emma and Violet react to what the Cobras did to James and Chase? What will Brian do now?
