Chapter 12: New Type of Training
James's POV:
What happened in the cafeteria that day has been stuck in my head. I can still hear the chanting. I just felt like I'm alone. I heard that Hawk got suspended after trying to fight Cobra Kai. I hope it isn't for too long. At Miyagi-Do, the sparing deck has finally been built, but it proves to be useless for me. I feel like my punches and kicks have been getting weaker. To be honest, I've been feeling less and less motivated. Today, Sensei Lawrence has control of all the Myagi-Dos. We entered a building and have been walking up flights of stairs for ages.
"Where is he taking us?" Nate asks.
"Nowhere good. I heard he drowned a kid in a pool trying to teach him how to kick, and that was before he sicced a rabid dog on Eli. This does not bode well." Demetri says. Now I'm nervous.
"Let's go, Miyagis. Move your asses!" Sensei Lawrence shouts. We eventually make it to the roof of the building. We are guided to the edge of it. Below, on the ground, we see three dirty mattresses.
"Oh God. I'm tired of being right." Demetri says.
"What are we doing here?" Sam asks.
"When an eagle's hungry, it doesn't hesitate. It'll dive down at one hundred miles an hour to snatch its prey. Doesn't wait around for a fish to jump in its feet." Sensei Lawrence explains.
"Talons." Demetri corrects.
"It's not talent. It's instinct. An eagle knows it has to make the first move. If you want to beat Cobra Kai in the All Valley, you gotta break yourself of this wait-and-see crap." Sensei Lawrence explains.
"And, How exactly are we gonna do that?" Sam asks.
"You're gonna jump from this roof to that one." Sensei Lawrence says. What…the…hell.
"What? Are you crazy?" Sam says.
"That building is, like, five Nates away and we're at least fourteen Nates high." Demetri says.
"Please don't use me as a system of measurement." Nate asks.
"Quiet! If you wanna be an eagle, first you gotta learn how to fly. You can't do that unless you jump." Sensei Lawrence says.
"What if we fall?" A kid named Abe asks.
"That's what the mattresses are for." Sensei Lawrence responds.
"And if we miss the mattresses?" Demetri asks.
"Try not too. All right, who's first?" Sensei Lawrence asks. We all just stand there, not knowing what to think. We all look at each other.
"We're not leaving 'til someone jumps. Let's go. I'll wait." Sensei Lawrence says.
"Then I guess you'll be waiting a long time. 'Cause we're not jumping." Sam says. She begins to walk away, so the rest of us do the same. We all spread out and sit in various places around the building. I sit with Demetri and Nate. Abe is standing behind us.
"So…who's gonna make the first move?" I ask.
"You're delusional if you believe that anyone is going to jump." Demetri explains.
"I prefer to have both my legs in working order." Nate adds on.
"Well…I'm kinda considering it." I say.
"No! You can't be serious." Demetri says.
"You could die if you miss those mattresses." Abe says. This discourages me.
"It's just…after what happened with Steve, I don't feel too confident. I was hoping this training could change that." I say.
"Hey, it's okay. We won't let Steve win, okay?" Demetri says. I still don't feel too sure. I see Sensei Lawrence and Sam are talking. I wonder if anything will happen.
Later…
Lots of time has passed and nobody has attempted to jump.
"So no one wants to fly? You all just want to stay in the nest. Pathetic! Fine, you win. You can bore Cobra Kai into submission. You all failed. Grab your crap and let's go." Sensei Lawrence says. Before we can leave however, Sam drops her bag on the ground. Wait…is she gonna jump?! We all realize what's about to happen. Sam starts running towards the edge of the building. She then leaps off…and successfully lands on the other side.
"Lets go!" I shout.
"Nice move, LaRusso!" Sensei Lawrence shouts.
Later…
We're all back on the ground and ready to leave. I go over to Sam.
"Hey…so how did you feel like you could do it?" I ask her.
"Well, I guess I just wanted to try something different." She says. I pause a bit before speaking again.
"Do you think Sensei Lawrence's teaching is gonna truly help us?" I ask.
"Maybe. We should all give it a chance." Sam says. I consider this. I've been fighting defensively a lot. The reason Steve is getting the upper hand all the time, is because he attacks first. Maybe Sensei Lawrence's teaching can help me do the same.
Later…
When I get home, I make sure to get in through my bedroom window. Then, I exit the room and go to talk to my parents.
"Hey, is it okay if I start working out at the gym?" I ask. My parents are slightly surprised.
"What's brought this on?" My mom asks.
"I just feel like I haven't gotten a lot of exercise lately. Plus, I wanna build some muscle." I say.
"Heh, that's not a bad idea." My dad says.
"Why not? It could be good for you." My mom says.
"Yes! Thank you! You won't regret it." I say. As I walk back to my room, I can't help but be thankful that my parents are kinda naive.