Chapter 26: Passion Over Principle

"James, where did you learn to do that kick?" Mr. LaRusso asks. Shit.

"Uh…um." I stutter.

"You've been training with Johnny." Mr. LaRusso says.

"Yeah, but it's not a bad thing right?" I ask.

"James, all that man teaches is how to be aggressive. You can't fight like that." Mr. LaRusso says.

"Well, it helped me beat Steve! If I hadn't done that kick, I may not have won." I say.

"I'd rather you lose with honor than win with none." Mr. LaRusso says.

"So you'd rather have the kid who's been bullying me win?" I say in anger.

"That's not what I meant." Mr. LaRusso says. However, it's too late. I storm off to the locker rooms to cool off.

Third Person POV:

"What's going on?" Sam asks.

"It's James. He's been secretly training with Johnny. I can't believe he would go behind my back to train with him." Daniel says.

"You don't know Steve like we do. You would understand why James would want extra training after everything Steve's done to him." Sam says.

"But why would he not tell me what he was doing?" Mr. LaRusso says.

"Because he knew you would react like this. Trust me, James needed some of the things Johnny taught him." Sam says.

"I trust James. I'm sure he had the best intentions." Eli says, joining the conversation. Mr. LaRusso looks between his top two students and sighs.

"I'm just not sure." Mr. LaRusso admits.

James's POV:

I lean up against some lockers and take a few deep breaths. My side feels slightly better but it still hurts a little. As I'm relaxing, I hear the doors open and someone else enters the locker room. Maybe it's Mr. LaRusso. I stop leaning on the lockers and get ready to leave when the person approaches me. Steve.

"What the hell do you want?" I say.

"Payback. You think this is over just because you beat me in a tournament?" Steve says. Right when Steve is about to punch me, another person runs into the locker rooms.

"Hey, don't do anything stupid." Chase says.

"Oh please. I saw how easily Kyler kicked your ass. I think I can take you. How's that leg by the way?" Steve asks. Chase glares at him.

"If you do anything, all the Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do students will be on you in seconds. Do you really want that?" Chase asks. Steve looks between Chase and I.

"Fine. Just don't forget which dojo is winning this whole thing. That pussy Eli can't do shit ever since we shaved his mohawk." Steve says. Steve turns his back to me and I'm filled with rage. I grab the side of Steve's head and slam it into a locker. Steve collapses to the ground on his back.

"James? What the hell are you doing?" Chase shouts. I don't respond. I turn Steve on his chest and put him in an arm lock.

"How does it feel? Huh? To feel so powerless. To feel like you can't defend yourself?" I shout. Everything that Steve had done to me begins to hit me all at once.

"I know you're too much of a pussy to do anything." Steve says with venom in his voice. I get even more angry. I'm about ready to break Steve's arm. Suddenly, I hear another person enter the room.

"James? What's going on?" Demetri asks in shock.

"I'm getting revenge." I say.

"Let him go. You don't want to go down that path." Demetri says.

"You want me to show mercy to the kid that's been bullying me since the first day of school? Think about everything he's done!" I shout.

"I know, but I don't want you to go down the same path that Eli went down. I don't want to lose another friend like that." Demetri says.

"You should listen to him. The things I did when I was angry…the things I did to you…they were horrible. I wish I could take it all back but I can't. Don't make the same mistakes I did. You'll be filled with regret." Chase says.

"There's smarter ways to beat Cobra Kai." Demetri says. It takes me a while to process what they are saying. Eventually, I let Steve go.

"Just because I showed mercy now, doesn't mean I'll show it again." I say as Steve gets up. He stares at me for a bit. Then, his stare turns into a glare. I walk past him and rejoin my friends as we leave the locker room.

Third Person POV:

Steve doesn't move. Even after James, Chase, and Demetri leave. Did they really think they were better than him? That just because James showed mercy, he is somehow better? Steve pulls out his phone and begins messaging the other Cobras.

"I don't care what we do, but we're gonna make James pay for beating me." Steve's message reads.

James's POV:

It feels so surreal to be standing here. There's no way, when I first joined Miyagi-Do, that I would make it to the Quarter Finals.

"All right, folks. We've witnessed some great fighting today. But you ain't seen nothing yet. Because we have arrived at the quarterfinals! Which means things are about to get intense. Of the eight boys and eight girls on this stage, one of each will be named All Valley champion. And then, we'll tally all the points to determine which dojo has earned the title of Grand Champion. And since the points get higher in each round...it's still any dojo's game! So you keep your eyes on this here blue mat, because we are just getting started!" The announcer says. After that, we finally get to see which people we were fighting. That's when I see it. I have to fight Demetri. Demetri and I look at each other.

"Hey, at least that means a Miyagi-Do member will be in the semifinals." Demetri says.

"It looks like whoever wins will have to fight Robby." I say. I continue to look at the machups. Miguel is fighting someone from a different dojo. Eli is fighting…Kyler! I turn to Eli.

"I hope you're ready to kick ass! You got this!" I say to Eli. Eli doesn't look too confident though.

Later…

Miguel won his match so he's moving up to the semifinals. The next boys match is me and Demetri. We both get on the mat. There are Miyagi-Do members on each side.

"May the best man win." Demetri says.

"Thanks for everything. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today." I say.

"Face me. Bow. Face each other. Bow. Ready? And…Fight!"

Author's Note: I would like to apologize for the lack of updates recently. I've been really busy with family and didn't have enough time to write. I also had lots of writers block so it took some time to write everything down. I would like to thank those of you who have stuck with this story and for leaving positive comments. I would also like to thank the guest who comments on every chapter. I always look forward to it and I love hearing your theories. I can't wait for you guys to see how the season 4 portion of the story ends. What will Steve do to get revenge?