CHAPTER 57

Robby didn't sleep that night, tossing and turning in his bed as he thought about his confrontation with Sam earlier. Now that his anger towards Sam had lessened a little, all of his anger had been redirected and channelled into his loathing of Miguel. He had absolutely no clue how him and Miguel would cope in Miyagi-Do together, so all Robby knew was that he needed to beat Miguel immediately in a fight and gain control over him.

The next day, Robby decided to go to Miyagi-Do training slightly early to try and be the first one there. Beginning to train before Miguel even arrived was bound to put him off his game, especially if Miguel didn't even know Robby was coming, right? However, when Robby arrived, he was the one taken aback. Because as he pulled up to the Miyagi-Do dojo on his skateboard, to his shock, Miguel was already there, punching and kicking a punching bag ferociously. Robby hadn't been able to see much of Miguel the night before as Miguel was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and was pretty far away from Robby, but as Robby got a closeup view of Miguel for the first time since the school fight, he couldn't help but swallow a small gulp in fear. Miguel looked like a completely different person to 4 months ago. Not only did he not seem to be showing any lasting effects from his injury, but Miguel had also bulked up heavily in his upper and lower body to the point that he had gone from being smaller than Robby to much, much larger. In addition, as Miguel had his shirt off as he trained on the target, Robby noticed menacing tattoos covering Miguel's chest, back and arms. Robby, though he had definitely gotten much stronger and had become a better fighter in juvie, couldn't event compare to the transformation Miguel had made.

However, Robby was forced to swallow his nerves. He knew that if he wanted to dethrone Miguel, he couldn't show an iota of fear or Miguel would capitalise it. So Robby gathered himself and walked into the dojo to face his mortal enemy for the first time in 4 months…

Miguel initially didn't notice Robby as he entered the dojo. He was so into his boxing practise that he didn't notice the front gate swing open. However, as Robby walked up the pathway in the backyard of the dojo, Miguel eventually turned his head and saw him. For a few moments, Miguel was speechless and immobile in shock. What the hell was Robby doing here?! How was he out of juvie?! But quickly, his hatred towards the other boy took over, and he found himself storming over to Robby.

"The hell are you doing here?" Miguel growled at him. Robby's look of loathing matched Miguel as the two boys stared down at each other, both cocked and ready for a fight at any moment, but just waiting for the other to throw the first punch.

"Out of juvie. Here to train again." Robby replied. "I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be with Cobra Kai?"

"I quit. I like looking my opponents in the eye when I beat them up. Cobra Kai became only about ambushing opponents when their back is turned. Not my style." Miguel said, before thinking back to the school fight and smirking at Robby. "You know, thinking about it, Cobra Kai would be perfect for you."

"You're really going to talk to me about fighting dirty?" Robby chuckled mirthlessly. "Really? You? After what you did at the All-Valley?"

Miguel shook his head.

"I didn't fight dirty at the All-Valley. I didn't injure you. I fought smart. You were just too weak to beat me. And that's why the trophy is sitting on my wall and not under the bridge where you and your other homeless friends live."

"Too weak?!" Robby shouted, his voice echoing through the empty dojo as him and Miguel edged even closer to each other, staring down daggers as they prepared for an inevitable fight. "You won't think I'm weak when I beat your ass right now!"

Miguel spread his arms wide, eagerly.

"Come on. Hit me. I dare you. Hit me. It'll be the last thing you ever do." Miguel snarled. Robby cocked back his fist, about to strike, when suddenly, Daniel's car pulled up to the dojo and Daniel and Johnny stepped out of the car. Robby and Miguel quickly took a couple of steps back from each other to conceal their bubbling confrontation from the two adults. Without saying anything, Robby and Miguel knew exactly what the other was thinking and for once, they agreed with each other: if they fought now, the fight would be separated immediately by the senseis. No, they needed to wait for a better opportunity, where the better man would stand tall and the loser lie motionless on the ground.

Daniel and Johnny obviously sensed a LOT of tension between Robby and Miguel as soon as they walked in, but they had to force themselves to ignore it for now as the two over-aggressive, impatient boys had not yet attacked each other, which was a good sign. They knew that today would probably be the toughest day in terms of keeping harmony within the dojo, but they also knew that eventually things would slowly begin to iron themselves out. It had worked with Miguel and George with Miyagi-Do. It had worked with Demetri and Sam with Eagle-Fang. Now it just needed to work between Miguel and Robby. Little did they know though that Miguel and Robby's feud was infinitely more destructive and powerful than any rivalry that had come before it between the dojos.

Daniel and Johnny then began the class, warming up with Miguel and Robby on opposite sides of the room and staring daggers at each other throughout, before they walked inside to the indoor dojo and Daniel instructed them to make a circle. Miguel stood shoulder to shoulder with George and the other Miyagi-Dos, and all that ran through Miguel's mind was how much he despised the boy on the other side of the circle. He was once again blinded by anger, just like he had been back in Cobra Kai.

"Alright guys, listen up!" Daniel called to them. "So, we have done a lot of drills over the past little while, which has helped increase your strength, speed, agility and a lot more. However, all the drills in the world won't help you deal with the pressure of being in an actual fight. Only experience helps with that. We need to train you guys to fight, and to do that, you are going to..."

"Kick the crap out of each other." Johnny finished. Daniel shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"No, we're going to be doing some light sparring, not kicking the crap out of each other." Daniel snapped, emphasising the word light. "So, what we're going to do is that we're going to start with one person, and that person can choose anyone in the group to challenge to a fight. It's basically a winner-stays-on sparring drill."

"How many points are we doing it to?" Demetri asked.

"To the death." Johnny grinned in reply. Daniel glared at his fellow sensei.

"What? No! Johnny, shut up!" Daniel exclaimed. "We'll do it first to 3 points wins. Okay, who wants to start?"

"I will." Robby stated immediately, walking onto the mat. Daniel nodded.

"Okay, Robby, who do you challenge? Bear in mind that if you win the fight, you can't challenge them again until you have challenged everyone else."

"I challenge Miguel." Robby said, instantly. A collective gasp ran through the group as they all turned to look at Miguel. Johnny and Daniel looked extremely uneasy.

"Um… I don't know if that's a great idea." Daniel murmured.

"I accept the challenge." Miguel interrupted, instantly stepping onto the mat. However, Johnny and Daniel immediately stood in between the two teenagers, both of whom were exchanging death glares at each other.

"I don't know, guys. No offense but I don't trust either of you not to lose your cool mid-fight and stop watching control. This is just a drill after all. I don't want either of you getting hurt." Daniel stated. Miguel raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to 'no drills in the world won't help you deal with the pressure?' We need experience, right? Well, what better way to learn about dealing with high pressure fight scenarios than a rematch of last year's All-Valley tournament?"

Robby smirked and nodded.

"Miguel's right. Let us fight. Come on. There are two adults here. What's the worse that could happen?"

Johnny and Daniel looked at each other uneasily, but eventually they reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, fine." Daniel eventually agreed. Oohs and aahs ran through the dojo as the two adults stepped back and rejoined the circle, leaving just Miguel and Robby in the middle. "Okay guys. Remember. THIS IS A TRAINING EXERCISE. If we see either of you taking things too far, we will separate you. IS THAT CLEAR?"

Miguel and Robby both nodded, but they barely heard Daniel's words, for they were both so in the zone, like missiles locked on their targets. A nuclear bomb outside the dojo couldn't have thrown off their focus. Both Miguel and Robby were at the very peak of their fighting game and both were blood-thirsty as ever and desperate to get that win over the other, revenge for what the other had put them through.

"Alright, you guys ready? Go…"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The fight started rather anticlimactically. The two circled each other for several moments like lions readying to battle to the death. However, not wasting much time, Robby then decided to lunge at Miguel. Miguel didn't lose his calmness, so he managed to block Robby's punches and sidestep. He, unlike Robby, was clearheaded enough to use his Miyagi-Do defensive training, so he decided to go for a strategy where he would tire Robby out and merely defend for a while, before waiting for a mistake from Robby and capitalising on it.

As he blocked combination after combination with relative ease, he smirked cockily at Robby, who he could see starting to pant.

"That all you got?" Miguel grinned triumphantly at him. Robby scowled at him, fury coursing through his veins and desperation to beat that smug son of a bitch no matter what and charged at him. This time, Robby wasn't taking chances. As Miguel moved sideways to block the strikes, Robby lifted his left leg and send an illegal kick crashing into Miguel's right knee. Miguel stifled a cry of pain as he went down, but that wasn't even the end of it. As Miguel was going down, Robby sent a perfectly placed throat punch to Miguel's neck. Miguel crashed onto the ground, groaning in pain. It was Robby's turn then to stand triumphantly over Miguel. Johnny and Daniel's eyes widened and they rushed between Miguel and Robby.

"Robby! What the hell?!" Johnny shouted. Miguel quickly stumbled to his feet and glared at Robby.

"It's fine, Johnny. Robby must have just… misplaced his strikes." Miguel muttered, slowly shifting his weight onto the banged up leg and wincing. "I can continue."

"Are you… are you sure?" Daniel stammered. Miguel bit back another groan of pain and nodded. Daniel and Johnny knew they should've just stopped the fight there, but for some reason, they decided to continue it. They instead stepped back and let Miguel and Robby face each other again. As the two boys circled each other once again, Robby clearly with the upper hand now, Miguel looked into the ruthless eyes of the brunette. As he did, Miguel was suddenly taken back to the day of the school fight. This whole fight so far, he had been holding back. Watching control. Showing mercy. But he thought back to the school fight, to the last time Miguel had shown mercy to Robby, and he remembered how that one had ended. Robby had put him in a coma, and if he wasn't careful, he was leading down the same path yet again.

Miguel felt a flare of anger burn through him, lighting an inferno inside him that completely numbed any pain he was feeling in his knee and throat. He thought back to all of his fights in the underground club, where he would have to be fighting for his life. Using every ounce of power he had to obliterate his opponent. It was time to do the same thing now.

Robby charged at Miguel, arms slightly downwards in overconfidence that the fight was his to win. How wrong he was. Miguel ducked his punches, before smashing a vicious knee against Robby's ribs. It was the hardest hit of the fight so far by a long shot and it lead out a sickening THUD as it made contact. Robby went down like a sack of bricks but Miguel wasn't done. Far from it. His better judgement to abandon the fight there as Robby was only semi-conscious had completely worn away. He felt an icy chill in his bones now, a deathly calmness taking him over. He was a soldier with one job, one mission: finish Robby Keene. As Robby lay on the ground, Miguel grabbed him by the belt and yanked him to his feet. Miguel turned into an Olympic hammer thrower in that moment, gathering all of his strength to hurl Robby as hard as he could, sending him over the group of stunned students and sending him SMASHING into the Miyagi-Do dojo back wall. Robby slid to the ground and merely lay there, completely winded and struggling to get back to his feet.

Johnny and Daniel were in shock for several moments, like the rest of the students were, but luckily they snapped into action before Miguel could do any more damage. Johnny lunged at Miguel, grabbing him and pulling him away from Robby, while Daniel helped Robby to his feet.

"WHAT THE HELL GUYS?!" Daniel bellowed at them.

"Guys? That was just fucking Miguel." Robby spluttered as he started to regain consciousness and his fury towards Miguel quickly returned.

"ME?! What about your dirty-ass, ILLEGAL kicks and punches? You started it, motherfucker!" Miguel growled back.

"Yeah, that was Robby's fault. Bitch-ass had to fight dirty and is now crying because he still lost." George commented, standing beside Miguel. Robby slowly turned to him and sneered.

"Who the fuck asked for your opinion, bitch boy?" Robby snarled at him. George flared in anger and started towards Robby, but was quickly stopped by Johnny.

"Hey, hey, calm down Robby!" Daniel exclaimed.

"CALM DOWN, ROBBY?! Calm down, ROBBY?! ME?! You're not going to say anything to them?!" Robby shouted.

"I'm going to speak to them in a second, but right now, you need to calm down." Daniel stated calmly.

"NO! I'M NOT GOING TO FUCKING CALM DOWN!" Robby yelled at the top of his lungs. He realised that Kreese was exactly right. Miyagi-Do was truly wrapped around Miguel's finger now. He was the golden child, and Daniel and Johnny wouldn't do anything to upset him whatsoever. "This is insane! You're only going to yell at me for what happened and not Miguel?"

"Well, you did kinda throw some illegal moves first. What did you expect? You kinda deserved it." Johnny's words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and he wished he could take them back but it was too late. Robby heard them and when he did, new rage towards Johnny, Daniel, Miguel and just Miyagi-Do in general bubbled up inside him.

"Right, of course it's my fault! Blame Robby! Because you guys can't say anything else, can you? Not while you're still sucking on Miguel's dick at least."

"Hey! Woah! Hey! The hell is that supposed to mean?" Johnny snapped.

"Well, in case you haven't realised yet, let me spell it out for you. You both are treating Miguel like God, just because he's the only person who actually stands a small chance of winning the All-Valley. You're not going against him at anything…"

"BECAUSE THAT WASN'T MY FAULT, BITCH!" Miguel shouted, again trying to lunge at Robby but being stopped by Johnny.

"And that's why I'm fucking done with this place." Robby finished, storming out the dojo. Daniel ran after him and the rest of the dojo watched, intrigued, as the events unfolded. Daniel ran after him down the backyard trying to catch up with him.

"Woah, Robby, stop. Let's slow down and talk about this, okay?" Daniel said, reaching him and putting a hand on Robby's shoulder. However, what happened next none of them could've predicted. Robby grabbed the arm that Daniel had on his shoulder and quick as a flash, he had Daniel judo-flipped up and over and crashing onto the pavement. Eyes wide in alarm, Sam and Johnny rushed over to help Daniel and as they did, they both stared at Robby, flabbergasted.

"Stay away from me. Both of you." Robby growled at Johnny and Daniel, before walking out of the dojo. He knew exactly where he wanted to go and it took him about 15 minutes on his skateboard to make it to the location on the other end of the Valley. Walking over to the stripmall in Reseda, Robby took a deep breath. No stopping now, he told himself. 6 months ago, he never in a million years could have imagined himself doing this but how the times had changed. He knew that this was the best next move, both in terms of finding the best dojo in the Valley, as well as helping him conquer Miyagi-Do once and for all. Robby stepped inside the snake-branded dojo, where he immediately say about 10 kids all facing Kreese in the front of the room. As the only one facing the door, Kreese saw him first and when he did, he grinned widely.

"Class… we have a new student…"