Chapter 23: Payback

James's POV:

My next qualifying match is up. When I saw that it was a Cobra Kai student, I couldn't help but get a little anxious. However, I soon turn that anxiousness into anger. When the fight starts, I deliver two quick punches to the kid's chest. However, he blocks them both. I then quickly go for a leg sweep but the kid steps back, causing me to miss. The kid then kicks me in the shoulder and I fall on the ground. However, before he can punch me, I get up. I aim for a kick to the face but the kid moves to the side. He then punches me in the chest.

"Point! 1-0!"

Okay, it's not the end of the world. When the next round starts, I try to kick him as fast as possible. When he blocks it, I quickly aim a punch to the face. However, he blocks that as well. He then backs off and now nobody is attacking. I move in and release a flurry of punches and kicks, all of them are blocked. The kid then hook kicks me in the face.

"Point! 2-0!"

Okay, now it's time to worry. I look and see that Steve and Kyler are smiling.

"Time out. James, come over here." Mr. LaRusso says. I approach him. "James, you're not using any defense." Mr. LaRusso says.

"I don't need to. I need to show Cobra Kai that I'm not gonna be a pushover any more." I say.

"I get that, but fighting too aggressively will leave you vulnerable to weakness. That weakness is something Cobra Kai can exploit." Mr LaRusso says.

"I…I'll try using more defense." I say reluctantly. I can see Demetri smile out of the corner of my eye when I step back onto the mat. When the round starts, I wait for the kid to come to me. When he eventually strikes first, he tries punching me. I use the drum technique to move his arms out of the way. Then, when he's open, I use the same technique to hit him in the face.

"Point! 2-1"

Okay, maybe using Miyagi-Do to attack is a smart idea. For the next round, the kid tries using a variety of kicks to try and hit me. Instead of simply dodging them, I use Miyagi-Do to move his kicks out of the way. He gets frustrated, opening his upper body. The next time I block a kick, I quickly strike the open part of his body.

"Point! 2-2! Next point wins!"

The kid is getting really frustrated now. I think it's time to add Eagle Fang to the mix. When he starts attacking me, I use the Wax On Wax Off movements. Suddenly, I switch to offense, trying to punch him in multiple locations. He gets overwhelmed and I manage to kick him in the chest using a spinning back kick.

"Point! White side, winner!"

The kid is extremely angry and the look on Steve's face is priceless.

Third Person POV:

Chase's next match is about to begin and he stops dead in his tracks when he sees his opponent. It's Kyler. He's cracking his knuckles and seems ready.

"Okay, just calm down." Chase says to himself. When the round begins, Kyler strikes first by trying to kick Chase. Chase backs up and blocks the kick. Chase then goes to punch Kyler, but Kyler does the Wax On Wax Off movements and blocks Chase's punches. Chase quickly backs off. Kyler goes to punch Chase, but Chase protects his face with his arm. Chase then goes to kick Kyler, but Kyler just pushes his leg down. Kyler then punches Chase in the face.

"Point! 1-0!"

"Yeah, baby!" Kyler shouts. The other Cobra Kai members cheer as well. Before the next round begins, Chase remembers what James told him. Find a weakness. Chase only knows two Miyagi-Do moves, but he can still use them for defense. The round begins and Kyler goes up to kick Chase. Chase uses the drum technique to block all of Kyler's kicks. Kyler tries to kick Chase in the chest. Blocked. Kyler tries to kick Chase in the face. Blocked. While Chase is blocking these kicks, he starts analyzing Kyler. When Kyler kicks, he has a habit of keeping his arms closer to his face. His lower body was open. The next kick Chase blocks is followed with a punch to Kyler's stomach.

"Point! 1-1!"

"Agh!" Kyler screams in anger.

"Yes! You got this!" Miguel shouts. The next round begins and Chase tries to kick Kyler in the face while it's still open. However, Kyler catches the leg. This happens to be the leg that Chase hurt earlier so there's a bit of pain. However, Chase remembers what James said about counterattacks so Chase is able to block the kick that Kyler tries to do. Chase then kicks Kyler in the leg, forcing him to drop Chase. Chase falls to the ground and gets up.

"No point!"

"Time out!" Kreese shouts. Kyler goes up to the rest of Cobra Kai.

"Steve says he has some important information he would like to share." Kreese says. Kyler turns his attention to Steve.

"Chase's weakness is his leg. Remember how he hurt it during the skills competition? It's still injured. That's where you need to strike." Steve says.

"Is that allowed?" Kyler asks.

"You won't get penalized for it." Terry says. Kyler smiles and nods before going back to the middle of the mat. Kreese seems conflicted with this. The round begins and Chase strikes first, delivering a series of punches and kicks. Kyler is forced to back up and block all of them.

"Out of bounds!"

The next round starts and it's now Kyler's turn to go on the offensive. Kyler runs up to Chase and attempts to punch him in the face. Chase uses both his arms to shield his face. Kyler sees an opening in Chase's chest and aims a punch there. However, Chase quickly moves one of his arms down and blocks it. When Kyler's face is exposed, Chase aims a kick there. However, Kyler grabs Chase's leg. This was the injured leg. Kyler quickly knees the leg as hard as possible and then elbows Chase in the face, causing him to fall down in immense pain.

"Warning! Unsportsmanlike contact!"

"Only a warning? What the hell is this?" Johnny shouts.

"Come on Chase, get up!" Miguel shouts. Chase struggles to stand but eventually gets up. However, he's hobbling on one leg. When the round begins, Kyler tries to kick Chase, which is blocked. He then sweeps Chase's legs, making sure to hit his injured leg with full force. Chase falls to the ground and yelps in pain. Kyler is then easily able to punch Chase in the face.

"Point! 2-1!"

The next round begins and Chase goes all out. He tries to punch and kick Kyler despite the pain he's in. However, once Chase tries to kick Kyler with his injured leg, Kyler purposely uses the drum technique to hit Chase's leg. Chase stumbles back and Kyler is able to kick Chase in the chest.

"Point! Red side winner!"

"You betray Cobra Kai, and you will feel pain for the rest of your life." Kyler says while smirking. Chase gets angry and walks over to the locker rooms.

"Chase! Wait!" Miguel shouts. That does nothing to stop Chase. When he gets there, he leans against a locker and sits down. Kyler won. He actually won. Before he can think anything else, Chase sees someone sit down next to him.

"I saw all your matches. You did really well." Emma says.

"But I didn't do good enough. I talked a big game and I thought I could back it up. Turns out, Cobra Kai's stronger than me." Chase says.

"Don't say that. You beat a Cobra Kai kid during your first match." Emma points out.

"Yeah, but Kyler was the one who's been a dick to me. I just thought by beating him, I could show him and Steve not to mess with Eagle Fang. But I just made a fool out of myself." Chase says.

"Kyler exploited your injury. You couldn't give it your all." Emma says.

"Yeah, I guess." Chase says. There's a pause before Chase speaks again. "I hope James can beat Steve." Chase says with worry in his voice.

"Don't worry, he will." Emma says. The two look at each other before Emma speaks again.

"It seems that Eagle Fang has made you a better person." Emma says.

"Yeah. You would think that learning how to fight would turn you into an asshole, but Eagle Fang does the opposite of that. It teaches you how to be a badass without being a bully. Can't say the same for Cobra Kai." Chase says.

"Could…could I join?" Emma asks. Chase smiles.

"Of course. We need more female fighters. I just hope Eagle Fang stays open." Chase says.

"What do you mean?" Emma asks.

"If Cobra Kai wins overall, then both Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do will shut down." Chase says.

Author's Note: And Chase has been eliminated from the tournament. However, I have more planned for Chase and Emma. But that will have to wait until season 5 of Cobra Kai comes out.