Chapter One: After

A/N: I'm back. I don't usually have 'Must listen to OSTs' chapters in the first chap ever. But this is a one where if a song is listed, I can't stress more how crucial it is that you listen to it. Must listen to OSTs will only be in italics from now on when listed. Otherwise they will be bold.

There is no better fighter than time. It's undefeated, and takes out all kinds of fighters, boxers, kickboxers, MMA fighters.

And especially karatekas.

At the age of 27, an entire decade after his win at the 51st All Valley Karate dojo, Lucas Gregory Mills-Schwarber wore a wedding ring on his finger. He had a full, albeit cleanly trimmed and kept beard, and a nice suit.

He lived in a small but luxurious penthouse in the skyline of Los Angeles, and currently, an irate blonde woman had refused to listen at all to what he had to say in their kitchen.

"I'm not saying we have to go through with it, but-"

"Luke if we're having a baby, we're not having it have an appendectomy." she chopped carrots with a sharp glare and tone.

Lucas sighed. "It's called a vestigial organ Tory, removing it, is no different than cutting off the foreskin."

"So we have to circumcise our baby too if we have a son?"

"Well I mean, yeah."

"So we're raising our son to be Jewish then?" An equally far more mature Tory raised an eyebrow, scoffing.

"Look. It's also a medical thing, the only purpose an appendix serves at this point in evolution is to get infected and possibly kill you."

Tory rolled her eyes. "I forgot I'm married to a doctor now."

"Very funny Tory." Lucas said dryly.

"Every time our in-laws come in, I gotta hear the speech all over again. Luke, why haven't you taken your MCAT yet? Luke, why did you just graduate with a degree in Biochem? It's sickening. Just get it over with and quit your current job, as easy as that would be." Tory scoffed again.

Lucas squinted at his wife. "Are you going to be like this all night?"

"Are you going to agree that I'm right?"

Lucas took a deep breath. "Yes Tory, you're right."

Tory looked at Lucas for a second. "Sometimes you make me think we're still in high school when you say things that way."

Lucas rubbed his eyes. "I'll get dinner on my way to the office."

Tory quickly put her knife away. "Are you serious right now?"

"Apparently you're being serious, so so am I."

"Luke!"

He didn't say a word before exiting their small penthouse.

Lucas stood in a full suit and tie in a board room meeting.

"So in terms of our projections. Our best move forward is for you to um. Drop your coaching."

Lucas quickly shifted in the chair full of other suits.

"Excuse me?"

Out of all the people talking to him, the only woman piped up. "Our main customer base is children. They want the idea of training with you, not the actual. Toughness."

Lucas was appalled. "You want the main selling point of Cobra Kai? You know, Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy? To be some sort of fake gimmick to turn it into some sort of day care for old people and elementary schoolers?"

"Mr. Schwarber." one man fixed his glasses. "I'm afraid all of our remaining competitors have sought other projects or left the sport entirely. Profit wise, this is our only option before we have to start closing up locations."

"We still have Kenny."

The woman frowned. "Mr. Payne has yet to see any meaningful returns after the Paris Open last year."

"Vienna? Houston? Nationals? All of these were great marketing, and exposure, as well as some had some decent cash prizes."

The room was silent.

Lucas scoffed. "Sensei Silver left me this company with one intention. So that after we both retired, karate could still mean something in the Valley after we were both done. Excuse my language. But what you're suggesting is horseshit."

"Mr. Schwarber-"

"You're all fired. All of you."

"But-"

"Goodbye, don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

One by one, the employees there filed out of the room taking a few briefcases, water bottles, and blazers with them.

Lucas couldn't even look at them, simply sitting in an empty board room.

Lucas stood in front of a whiteboard filled with pictures and sticky notes in his office.

All of them were filled with potential athletes Lucas wanted to join the Cobra Kai team.

His assistant was a small Korean man with wide rimmed glasses, who smoked a cigarette near the window.

"What about Shawn? We always got along well."

"No one's heard from him since he was stationed in Prague. I'm afraid Ken's the only hold out in his family to not join the military."

"Eli?"

"Moskowitz's been MIA too. We both know we were lucky to see him at all after your college graduation."

Lucas shook his head. "Rickenberger? Edwin? Damnit, any of them?"

"The entire original team has moved on sir. They're quite done. Everyone else in USA karate has politely declined every attempt we've made to get them to join. At this point, I agree with the PR team you just canned. We need to scrap our ideas of making another team of star fighters, and call it quits. At this point, if we don't maintain our bottom line. We need to sell to Robinson's Taekwondo or maybe Kovar's."

Lucas clenched his fists.

"I did not." his voice almost shook, fixing his tie while looking at old pictures on his office wall. "Fight tooth and nail, compete for almost ten years. And grow and fight for this company with my bare hands to let it fall into decay. To let it become."

He muttered in silent horror. "A fucking McDojo. My Senseis might as well cut my throat in their sleep."

"Misters Kreese and Silver won't be able to threaten you at all from living in a. Assisted care facility."

"They're in a senior center Bob, don't beat around the bush with it." Lucas shook his head. "I'm gonna need you to make one final call for me."

"Excuse me?"

"Get Kenny on the phone, tell him to meet me at Jin's Tavern in an hour. The rest of this shit, pack it up." Lucas spun a circle in the air with his finger.

Lucas' assistant could've sworn he saw him sniffling and rubbing a tear away when he walked out of his office.

It would be the last time he'd stand in it. The last time Cobra Kai would be little more than a brand name.

Kenny Payne looked like an even taller and more muscular version of his brother Shawn, at twenty four years old.

He was the USA karate equivalent of Tom Brady, people had to be warded away from wanting his autograph as well as Lucas' when they walked through the door. Kenny might have not been profitable for the shareholders of the company Silver merged with Dynatox, but he still was recognizable.

"Funny how people both take and don't take us seriously at all anymore do they?" Kenny grinned.

Lucas sipped his iced scotch quietly, stirring it and musing the same way Kreese used to.

"I've got some bad news Ken."

"Yeah?"

"I'm putting you in touch with the people from Phoenix Shotokan of America. They've got some great athletes, and you'll pull the best titles you can within the next two years with them."

Kenny was shocked, putting his glass down slowly. "You're, throwing in the towel?"

"Life's gone down the shitter Ken. I can't stop arguing with my wife, I lost my job, and all my friends are gone. Except you I guess. Last thing I can do is be realistic, maybe apply to med school."

Kenny ignored the sad and weak smile on Lucas' face.

"You do know I joined karate because of you man? Right?"

"Ken-"

He smacked the hand off his shoulder. "You know this already. Luke, come down to the arena tonight."

"Look, I gotta-"

"Luke! Come to the arena. Please. I'm begging you, just one time. Come down to the arena."

He couldn't respond.

"Be realistic here man. You're going to retire at twenty seven! Not a lot of people can do that."

"I mean I still got bills to pay-"

"You're rich as hell! You're gonna net enough money selling Cobra Kai to whoever will scratch each other's eyes out to get their hands on it, to send your grandkids to Harvard."

Lucas chuckled quietly, Kenny rubbed his back. "Forget the team, forget the company. Have some fun with me tonight."

"Tory'll be mad, we should talk some stuff out."

"When will she not be mad over something? You don't need to become a coach or a referee. Just go to the arena, catch a few matches. It'll be fun, remind you of better times."

Lucas' jaw shifted.

Kenny finished his drink. "Think about it. You know I'll be up there at the end anyway."

Lucas finished his own drink in silence after Kenny had tossed some cash on the table, and left the bar respectfully.

The All Valley Sports Arena had undergone some incredible renovations in a single year.

Before it was a high school gym that had been turned into a much larger place. And then it became a stadium, a stadium specifically for karate, but could be used for other sporting events.

While karate was exploding in popularity in India, Iran, and across Asia, in the United States and during Cobra Kai's rise and explosion into USA Karate, changes were made.

Lucas sat in the crowd like his old Sensei used to almost thirteen years prior.

Kreese would wear black sunglasses, dark and inconspicuous clothing, and a hat, to blend in perfectly to the crowd.

The mats were arrayed in a large square. The mats themselves were white and red. Judges sat in all four corners holding a red and blue flag in either hand.

Above the arena hung the banner of the year's event.

2029 Irvine Karate International Championships

While it was a USA karate event, competitors from Mexico and Canada were attending. The stands were packed, as kata, or forms had been completed the day prior.

Now, it was sparring.

Boys and girls between the ages of eight and twelve began to compete. Then those between thirteen and seventeen, and then eighteen and over would fight.

They all wore red, white, and blue gloves and foot protectors, and a mouthguard, and all had to wear the same white karate GI. Their coaches would all have boxes to give advice to from right next to the rings.

Lucas observed the matches closely, smiling as he remember his first time entering the ring to compete in USA karate.

He kept smiling in the crowd, he could tell one competitor had his first time competing too.

"Otakai-ni! Rei!" the competitors and referees faced one way and bowed. "Shomen-ni! Rei!" they bowed to the center judge.

The eleven year old boys competing in the Elite, or highest division, were both incredibly nervous, it didn't show on their faces at all but Lucas could still tell by the slight way they shifted before the match began they were.

A judge wearing a black suit and tie stepped forward onto the mat, yelling quietly to invite the competitors onto the mat. "Ait!"

The boys bowed.

The boy fighting for Aka, or red side with appropriate belts and gloves was a thin blonde boy who was tall for his age. The boy fighting for Ao, or blue, was white, had curly light brown hair, had goggle-type glasses to help with his eyesight, and bowed onto the ring.

Both boys bowed to their opponent, then bowed to the judge. And as a sign of respect, bumped gloves before the match began, walking back to their lines in ready stance.

"Shobu. Hai!"

Lucas looked near the ring, all their families were in the crowd cheering. The coaches gave advice as they bounced around each other, on the balls of their feet.

Aka faked a move, Ao leaped away.

Aka kept faking moves, trying to take advantage of Ao's nervousness to pin him near the edge of the ring before-

Pow!

"Yamei!"

The judge stopped the match. Ao had taken a roundhouse directly to the ribs, strong enough to rattle him but not hurt him.

Red flags had been raised at shoulder level to indicate a two point score for red. All four judges gave Aka the point.

Ao still looked shaky walking over to his line.

"Aka. Chudan geri, wazari!" The referee threw a right hand at shoulder level and the boy bowed to him. "Aka! Senshu!" the referee declared the first point advantage, giving him the win in the event of a tie.

Lucas sighed. "The hell am I doing?" he muttered under his breath.

Lucas walked down the stands slowly, and then he reached near the edge of the ring.

"Hey. Ao! Ao! Yeah you kid, the kid in the blue!"

His coach looked furious a spectator would interrupt the match and then Lucas took off his sunglasses, and the boy seemed to recognize him.

"Relax! You got it! Go to the body." Lucas indicated a reverse punch with his right hand. "You're fine okay?" he said before security personnel reluctantly backed off, realizing who was interrupting the match.

Lucas gave him a thumbs up before retreating back into the crowd.

Ao's coach was wide eyed and the boy was so shocked for a moment he forgot he was competing until the ref snapped him to resuming the match.

"Hai!"

Ao's head snapped forward and he got back into his stance, fighting closer to his opponent.

He ignored the jabs and fakes that were all meant to control the ring. And then the moment his opponent started to combo with attacks that all missed and then throw a roundhouse to the body he was sure would land.

Ao had punched Aka directly in the stomach, Ao knelt slightly to dip his head forward, yelling at the top of his lungs, throwing all of his weight behind the blow.

"Yamei!"

Lucas smiled and nodded within his disguise.

"Ao, chudan zuki! Yuko!" the judge waved a hand downward at hip level towards a bowing Ao.

Lucas crossed his arms. He still had it, raised the score for a random boy from two nothing, to two one.

The match went on for a bit.

Aka tried using his punches for a bit and failed. After some intense combos, the score was three two with Ao in the lead.

Aka managed to come back with some well timed attacks, and scored two more points with a controlled jab very near the head since under 18 year olds were not allowed to contact the face at all. As well as reverse punch of his own to the body.

Ao scored next with his legs and threw a combo of two kicks, the second of which landed squarely above Aka's hip bone and gave him the win of five to four within the last twenty seconds of the match, as the clock stopped every time the referee paused the match.

The boys were so overcome with nerves with the score so high that eventually they tossed each other almost out of the ring, and tripped around, but ultimately, the score was unchanged.

"Ao. Kachi!" the referee declared a winner by raising a hand towards blue.

Ao bowed and walked forward to shake hands with Aka after the match was over.

Lucas stayed hidden within the crowd for the rest of the day, until the big matches on the mat dead in the center of the arena was used.

All the lights were turned off except for the ones on the main mat.

The announcer spoke as the competitors walked out.

"Fighting Aka, 2024 and 2025 US National Champion, and 2024 UKF World Champion. Kennyyyy Paynneee!"

The crowd was off their feet applauding for Kenny.

His GI was a white karate uniform produced by Adidas. Kenny was allowed to wear a Cobra Kai logo felted in a small black patch on the left side of his chest. He had both the American and South Korean flags on his uniform as a sign of respect to both American and Tang Soo Do karate.

"And fighting for Ao, from Mexico. Welcome WKF star, Luuuuuis Rauuul!"

Lucas applauded too, as he walked right past security and near the coach's booth.

"Hey man. Take a hike."

"Who do you think you are buddy?- Whoa."

Lucas was out of his disguise, standing in the black track suit he was wearing beneath his trench coat all day.

"Oh shit- Should I call my manager?"

"I'll take care of it in the morning."

Kenny's coach left and Lucas took over casually.

Cameras shifted over to the coach's booth and Ao's coach and Ao himself looked pale for a moment.

The crowd gasped, muttering and taking out their phones to record him.

Kenny chuckled walking past the ring. "Knew it would work."

"Shut up and focus on your match."

"Oss." Kenny smiled, bumping fists and bowing to Lucas.

The referees quickly did the bowing ceremony to start the match, and then the main event began.

Kenny patted his opponent's elbow, nodded, and the two prepared to fight, both standing in ready stance.

"Hachime!"

They were off bouncing, and immediately the fighter from Mexico threw a deadly sharp and fast round kick with his rear leg, his right, towards Kenny's ribs.

He deflected it, and returned fire with the exact same kick.

It was deflected in return, and then Kenny was forced to dodge a jab punch thrown instantly towards him.

"Clinch hard, clinch!" Lucas yelled.

Kenny made sure to grip his opponent with only one hand, his opponent did not, refusing to let go. Kenny was half a head taller than his opponent, but could still run the risk of being swept or struck at mid range.

"There you go!" Lucas applauded, nodding. "Good!"

"Yame!"

The judge made a gripping motion with both hands, raising a finger in Ao's direction. "Chukoku!" he gave him a Category 2 warning, only three more could be given before Ao was ejected from the match, the scoreboard noted this.

Kenny bounced around and Lucas yelled from ring side.

"Keep your left up! Stay close to him, control the distance. Perfect."

Kenny combo'd Ao in seconds. He rushed in with a reverse punch to the ribs obligating his opponent to lower his front hand to block, followed up instantly with a controlled reverse punch with his other hand right to his opponent's mouth, kiai'ing at the top of his lungs after he did so.

"Beautiful!" Lucas nodded. "There it is, keep it up!"

"Yame!"

"Aka jodan zuki yuko." the referee gave Kenny a single point. "Aka, Senshu! 'Ime!"

"Watch that kick Kenny, try to angle out more!" Lucas yelled. "Counter, counter, counter!"

Kenny continued to control the distance well, staying perfectly relaxed against his opponent.

His opponent was being too hesitant, but Kenny was having trouble coming up with a good way to counter his side kick and Ao's reverse punch.

Ao staggered Kenny's front leg with a tap from his foot and sent Kenny bouncing around the ring.

"Hey, you're losing control of the center! Hey, Kenny watch out he's gonna come after you now!"

Knowing this, he took the initiative.

Kenny used his feints to shorten the distance between him and his opponent, and as soon as he successfully baited his opponent to attack, he lifted his front leg upwards into the air and scored a perfect hook kick on his opponent's head.

Kenny kiai'd at the top of his lungs after his perfect three point score.

The tiny ball of endless energy who couldn't make it past the quarter finals at the All Valley, Kenny was no more.

"Yame!"

The crowd roared and Lucas just shrugged with a smile, the match was over.

Kenny was leading four points to zero with two minutes out of three still left in the match.

"Aka jodan geri, ippon. Hachime!" the referee continued the match.

Kenny was given the first place medal and a small certificate acting as a cash prize for paying the ante for competing in the highest division of the tournament's entire organization, and took pictures with Lucas.

They ignored the hordes of press at the event and went on to sneak out of the locker room together towards Kenny's car.

"What did I tell you?" Kenny chuckled, rubbing a smiling Lucas' shoulder. "What did I tell you? You still got it!"

"As a coach sure."

"Nah. Come on, you wanted to be on that mat didn't you?"

Lucas frowned. "In a different time, sure."

"Luke, you're only twenty seven."

"Fighters retire even younger sometimes."

"Not fighters like you." Kenny said. "It's not over till you say it's over."

Lucas frowned, looking away at the silent and dark sidewalk.

"Defeat." Kenny held Lucas' shoulder. "Does not exist."

Before he walked away, Kenny shoved the gold medal he was given for competing into Lucas' hand. He bowed to Lucas, and drove off.

Leaving his coach and friend with the last trophy Cobra Kai would ever really take.

Lucas entered his apartment quietly, watching Tory wash the last of the dishes from a dinner she ate alone.

He snuck up behind her, knowing she heard him enter, and rubbed his nose against Tory's neck, kissing it slightly. Lucas pressed his lips against the bare skin of her shoulder, lifting her skirt with his hands against her legs.

Tory muttered coldly. "We're not kids anymore Luke, that trick won't work on me."

"Tory, just listen." Lucas hissed against her skin.

"I'll listen when you act like we're not still seventeen," she said, ignoring what Lucas was doing.

Without a sigh, eye roll, or any reaction at all, Lucas' hands retreated from his wife, and he left her alone in the kitchen.

Lucas flicked a light on in a darkened room in the penthouse.

In it were framed newspaper clippings, trophies of all sorts in locked glass cases, and an entire wall filled with hanging medals.

A thick stack of bronze medals, a strong amount of silver medals, and a set of several dozen gold medals.

Lucas walked over to the gold medals and hung up the one Kenny gave to him that day. He doubted ever again in his life he'd visit the trophy room for anything more than old memories.

He was walking away from thirteen years of his life.

Lucas walked over to a picture taken in the summer before his sophomore year of highschool.

Robby Keene, Mikey Miller, Doug Rickenberger, Shawn Payne, Hawk, and Lucas were all standing on their dirt bikes how Johnny Lawrence's gang used to in the eighties.

Above the sand dunes near the beaches of Los Angeles. Dirt all on the tires of their bikes, laughing and grinning at the camera.

A twenty seven year old Lucas Schwarber, a grown man, was holding back tears looking at the framed picture. He rubbed the small bits of dust off the frame and sighed.

Lucas still had all the trophies Cobra Kai originally began to collect from back when the dojo first opened, when it opened again.

And now they'd never mean anything to anyone ever again.

Tory, still in the same blue dress with small yellow flowers on it she wore in the kitchen, leaned on the doorway. "So you sold the company."

"Yeah." Lucas said over his shoulder strongly. "You got what you wanted."

"Honey." Tory sighed, walking toward her husband. "That's not what I wanted."

"Then what did you want? Huh?" Lucas frowned, glaring at her. "What did you want?"

She held his hand. "For us to start a family together!"

Tory smiled as Lucas nodded, mixing her fingers with his.

"Those days?" Tory waved a hand towards a picture of their wedding. "I'm talking even just three years ago like from there?"

Lucas and Tory stood beneath a chuppah, broken glass under a cloth beneath Lucas' foot.

All their friends from Cobra Kai had made it out as bridesmaids and lined up in suits or dresses on either side of Lucas and Tory.

"That's all done Lu. Sensei Silver and Sensei Kreese are literally spending their time in a freaking senior center. They're technically not even Senseis anymore."

Lucas nodded as Tory held him by the back of the head and spoke strongly in return to him. "It's over Luke, and that's okay. I don't care how we raise a child, or where we live or what we do. As long as we do it, as long as we do it together. I'm in if you are."

"I've always been in."

"Then forget what's already happened. Forget Cobra Kai, forget the friends we used to have. Move on, start a family with me. With you retired, we'll both have all the time we need to focus on just that."

Lucas sighed. "So I should forget about med school?"

"I mean your parents won't be happy you ditched the family tradition but who cares? It's not like you're not going to have kids to pass on the inheritance to. Besides, I'm sure our kids will be plenty successful. More successful than us for sure."

Lucas nodded quietly.

"It's time, I agree." he muttered after a moment.

Tory smiled. "So if we're going to start a family. The first thing we need is a baby, we basically have all the money stuff necessary already."

"Absolutely."

"How about we get going on that?" Tory said still holding Lucas' hand.

"Medically speaking. You already have the breasts and hips to support a child."

"Okay doctor." Tory chuckled. "Start the procedure to begin a pregnancy."

Lucas was more than happy to oblige his wife.

After Tory was asleep, Lucas was reading a small note on a clipboard Tory had left on their nightstand.

Tory wanted everything in the trophy room to be moved with them to a new home after the next year and was doing what was necessary to prepare for that.

Lucas would start a family and raise a child with Tory completely separated from Cobra Kai. The dojo would become just like any other national martial arts dojo chain in the country.

There was a time when Lucas could be sure the direction of his life was exciting and still interesting.

When he still felt like a kid, when he still had fun.

And that time was when he still was a champion.

Lucas knew, looking at his reflection through the glass next to his bedroom window over the Los Angeles night skyline. Through his calm brown eyes, that he truly missed the time he had in highschool down to his very core.

Sunday May 19th, 2019. 6:45 AM.

An entire decade earlier on that very day, John Kreese was unusually happy.

He wasn't a very happy person at all. Like some veterans of war, he drowned his sorrows in a certain way to inebriate himself. Some chose many different paths, but the best way to manage the stresses of his past was to fully indulge himself in what defined him as a person.

Karate.

Dressed in a simple jacket and jeans, John Kreese drove a blue 1998 Toyota Corolla through the luxurious neighborhoods of the richest parts of Encino Hills.

He stopped outside a certain red brick manor he knew well already, and parked on the sidewalk by the ostentatious house.

There, he already knew it was a house full of about a dozen teenagers or so, several of whom were part of his dojo and who he already recognized.

Edwin and Big Red, two Cobra Kais of insignificant skill but a strong amount of loyalty were vomiting in the bushes on the Mills' front lawn.

Big Red wiped the throw up off his mouth as Edwin bowed his head, shocked to see Kreese there at all but still respectful.

"Sensei." the boys muttered.

Big Red bowed his head as John Kreese walked by without so much as a nod of acknowledgment as the door to the house was opened for him.

It was more than obvious what he was there for, he'd never bother taking time out of his day to speak to them.

Ali Mills' girlhood home was trashed from back to front inside and out.

Kreese ignored the effects of the victory party after the 51st All Valley Tournament and walked up the steps to the second floor of the Mills home.

He knew more than well enough to go knocking around random bedrooms to wake up hung over teens including possibly his own students, so Kreese instead was able to locate Lucas' room rather easily.

It was the only door which was locked in the entire hallway, Kreese knew Lucas just that well.

Kreese knocked on the bedroom door and spoke. "Schwarber!? Schwarber!?" he raised his voice. "Wake up!"

Within the bedroom, John Kreese's very best students, a seventeen year old Tory Nichols and Lucas Schwarber laid completely naked beneath his bedsheets mostly asleep.

"Schwarber, wake up now!" Kreese yelled through the door.

Lucas shot up awake, as if he was hearing things.

He blinked multiple times and looked at the door. "Yeah?"

"We gotta talk kid. Now." Kreese said as sternly as possible.

Lucas sighed, looking over at Tory to mutter to her. "I think Sensei Kreese just found out about the party. I don't know what he wants."

"Go deal with that." Tory mumbled before she rolled over, disappearing into a mess of blonde hair and the pillow next to Lucas'.

After changing into gym shorts and a grey t-shirt, Lucas opened his bedroom door.

Kreese had already moved off into the hallway, he had no interest in looking into whatever went on within Lucas' room.

"Sensei, is there any particular reason you've shown up at my house?" Lucas asked respectfully while rubbing his eye.

"There is," said Kreese. "Terry and I have a bit to discuss with you."

"You couldn't have left me a phone call?" Lucas asked weakly.

"Considering the urgency and importance of this. Truthfully, no." Kreese said respectfully.

Lucas muttered. "I gotta clean up my entire house before my mom comes home in a couple hours."

"Don't worry about Ali." Kreese said. "Nichols will have her assignment. And that's for her and everyone else here to help out before we leave. I'll explain everything to her too."

"Leave? Leave where?"

"I'll explain on the way."

Kreese drove Lucas to a small coffee house, and that's where Cobra Kai Sensei Terry Silver was waiting to speak to him.

"Morning." Silver checked his watch, it was only 7:15.

Lucas had showered and dressed to get coffee with his two Senseis.

"Morning Sensei."

"Sit."

Lucas did so and Silver explained quickly. "I understand this isn't how you expected to spend this morning."

"No, not really."

Kreese chuckled from across the booth. "Pack your bags kid. We're taking you to Tegucigalpa."

"As in, the capital of Honduras?"

"Yup." Silver was served his coffee and sipped it casually.

Lucas blinked multiple times. "What exactly is waiting for me in Honduras?"

"The sixtieth anniversary of the Pan American Youth and Karate championships, the first was in Honduras and it'll take place there to commemorate it." Silver said. "You're competing."

Lucas was utterly lost.

"How can I compete in a style and form of karate I've never competed in before? One I don't even know?"

"Technically you already know the Shotokan style, it's how you've outpaced everyone." Kreese shrugged. "It's what we taught you along with what you came up with."

"But Sensei-"

Silver cleared his throat. "Everything's been accommodated already. All the gear you'll need, the flight, where we'll be staying. And how you'll train for the next three days."

"Three days!?" Lucas was shocked. "One of the biggest karate competitions in the entire world. And you want me to compete in it in three days?"

"Yes." Kreese said simply.

"How can I possibly win?"

Silver chuckled. "No one's expecting you to win. This is just to get your feet wet, a few days after we'll take you to the next tournament. You'll do a little better for sure, and then we'll go from there."

"No one's expecting me to win? Who are you two and what have you done with Senseis Silver and John Kreese?"

Kreese sighed. "We're striking while the iron's hot. Ring a bell?"

"You want Cobra Kai karate's first ever international karate tournament. To be a third place win at best?"

Silver shrugged. "Maybe you won't even place. But, you already have the moves and the karate. It's time for Tang Soo Do, for our karate. To make a stand on the world stage. We'll dominate the All Valley for the next decade and a half, it's time to move on."

"What about my mom? She'll want me traveling the world with two senior citizens competing in karate for the first few weeks of summer?"

Kreese sighed. "We'll take care of everything. Luke."

Kreese's tone changed, Lucas' surprised and shocked expression changed.

"You're ready for this. You're ready for the next step, you're ready I swear. Cobra Kai is back where it belongs, Cobra Kai is back where it used to be. Now it's time for you to become who you were made to be. A legend. Everyone in the Valley more than knows it, we should spread it around the world."

Lucas frowned.

"Yeah. Okay." he nodded slowly. "I'm in. Can I say goodbye to Tory though?"

"You'll say goodbye to the whole team." Silver said quietly. "All at the airport."

Lucas nodded again. "I'll get my stuff packed."

Kreese sighed in the backyard of the Mills Manor after Tory and almost the entire Cobra Kai dojo cleaned the house.

"Why aren't I going?"

"Nichols-"

"Sensei. Please don't lie to me. Is this because Lucas won and I didn't?"

Kreese frowned. "I trust you Nichols. I trust you the way a man would trust his own family."

Tory wasn't surprised at all by this. The man had been there for her since she joined karate nearly two years prior.

"But Lucas needs to be completely focused on these tournaments. He can't win right away, but he needs to win at least one of them or at least get on the podium. It has nothing to do with last night."

Tory nodded.

Kreese smiled. "What you two share is special, but for the next two weeks. He needs to do this alone with us. We haven't had an opportunity like this in over thirty five years Tory."

Then John Kreese said a pair of words he would otherwise never would.

"I'm sorry."

Tory then said a pair of words she wouldn't say otherwise either.

"It's okay." Tory said. "It's okay Sensei, I forgive you."

Kreese nodded again. "Thank you."

"Will he make it?"

"It'll be tough. But he'll do it."

Tory nodded without words.

Ava, Ali, and both of Ali Mills' parents stood next to her at the airport lobby.

The entire Cobra Kai dojo was in uniform. They wore matching black and red Cobra Kai track suits.

Lucas, Silver, and Kreese were packed and ready for their flight to Honduras.

"Do you have everything you need?"

Lucas nodded.

In full view of all his friends and family, Ali pressed her lips to Lucas' forehead and hugged her to him, brushing his hair back.

"Trust your instincts son, always. That's all I can say." Ali muttered.

Holding tears back, Rickenberger wrapped his arms around Lucas afterward. And Shawn and Hawk were emotional too but refused to show it.

The girls were actually tougher about Lucas' departure and two week journey into the make or break entrance of Cobra Kai into global competitive karate.

Tory crossed her arms. "Good luck."

"Thanks Tor." were the only words Lucas said to his girlfriend before Kreese placed an arm over him and took him towards their flight.

Tory couldn't take her eyes off watching Lucas depart.

OST: The Comeback Kid- The Midnight

Lucas went back to his roots ironically in more ways than one.

What initially started as a dream inspired by a single Italian kid doing kata on a boat on a shimmering ocean who became his teacher became reality.

Lucas had qualified to compete in the top karate leagues on the planet just from winning three near perfect championships like the All Valley on his own.

However, he still needed three days to get his bearings.

In his own personal hotel room in downtown Tegucigalpa, on his bed laid multiple things.

A mouthguard to be molded, a pair of blue and a pair of red hand and foot protectors, as well as a white GI.

The GI was licensed by a karate brand named Hayashi, and the only symbol on it Lucas recognized was the Cobra Kai logo stitched in black on his chest lapel.

Lucas' gloves and foot and shin protectors were all made by Hayashi as well, from what Lucas understood, Silver had managed to earn a partnership between the Cobra Kai dojo and Hayashi for Lucas' debut.

A man important in the WKF karate world explained the rules of the sparring competition to Lucas very carefully.

The strikes were all the same to what he knew, but the pace and intensity of the matches would be very different.

The hotel had a small gym that was perfect for the training Lucas needed to do.

Silver and Kreese set down cones and an agility ladder and had Lucas practice footwork and roundhouse kicks with his front and rear leg in just gym clothes.

When they were done with that they moved on to the jab punch, the reverse punch, and the hook kick.

They tied resistance bands to a wooden beam in the hotel gym and made Lucas practice strikes and footwork against resistance to build speed and strength.

Lucas had to practice with gloves on his hands and feet for the first time. He had to spar with a mouthguard, wearing the same uniform everyone at the tournament would for the first time as well.

He breathed in tightly, trained hard.

He ran on a treadmill, hit a heavy bag, and did plyometrics and footwork as well as striking and resistance band drills for three days straight.

After half a day of rest, he had to compete.

The arena in downtown Tegucigalpa was massive.

Every country from Argentina to Canada sent three to four of their best competitors to fight in the rings.

The formats for the brackets were similar to the All Valley after they cut all the competitors down to eight fighters for the quarter finals, the matches truly began.

Lucas could hardly feel his mouthguard sitting in his mouth he was so nervous.

He barely felt ready at all, but he ignored Kreese speaking in the coach's box next to the ring right before the match started.

He instead remembered what inspired him in the first place.

"First. Sand the floor. Sand the floor."

Mr. Miyagi had taught Daniel LaRusso patience, kata, and forms.

He was giving advice to him as he sat in a car.

"Lesson for whole life. Whole life."

Lucas had memories of Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel kata, and Daniel shifting Japanese sanders between his hands.

And he had his own memories.

Of tucking Kreese into bed while drunk, and finding out his own past of honor and bravery, and loss.

Of victories just like Daniel's at his tournament, just five days prior.

Now he was in his own arena, about to make his own name on the mat.

"Always look eye!" said Miyagi. "Always look eye!"

"Shomenei! Rei!" shouted the center judge. "Otakani! Rei!"

Lucas' first ever opponent in WKF globally ranked karate was against a fighter from Chile. Lucas was fighting for red or the center judge's right, and his opponent was Ao, or blue on the judge's left.

He bowed onto the mat and stood on his line in ready stance.

He bowed to the judge and his opponent who did the same.

"Shobu. Hachime!"

Lucas and the Chilean fighter bounced off into their stances, backward and forwards. The crowd was deafening, their coaches yelling.

They exchanged a few feints, a few jabs, and then Lucas ate a reverse punch directly to the liver.

"Yame!"

Within just a few seconds of the match, Lucas was down one point to zero.

Was this how Daniel LaRusso felt during his first match? Why did Lucas feel like a karate match of all places made him feel completely lost?

Lucas shook his head, getting focused.

"Hachime!"

Lucas shot off his line striking.

His opponent blocked, Lucas' kick flying right off the blue material of his glove.

Lucas moved in a circle against his opponent, setting up fakes, angles, and then in a split second his feints set up a perfect attack.

Lucas right foot went flying into his opponent's chest a split second before he tried to counter, dodge, or block. The sound of the impact could be heard all the way in the stands, the only reason why all the wind wasn't knocked out of Ao was because he barely raised his arm in time to absorb the impact but not enough to avoid the point.

"Yame!"

Lucas panted, he didn't realize it but he had been trading blows and fake attacks, and footwork with a professional karateka his age for almost a minute and this was the first blow he landed.

Red flags were raised at chest level by three out of the four judges.

"Aka. Chudan geri, wazari!"

Lucas bowed to accept his first ever point.

They bounced around each other in their stances for about fifteen seconds after that and then both boys were stopped as time ran out.

Lucas looked over at the scoreboard and had too much adrenaline pumping through his system to realize what had happened.

The score read two points for him, and one for his opponent.

He had won his first ever WKF ranked karate match in the highest level tournament possible at only seventeen.

"Aka. Kach!" the referee raised a hand towards Lucas and made the boys shake hands and bow out of the ring.

Kreese nodded, smiling as Lucas stepped off the mat.

The next rounds got progressively harder.

Lucas had several fights ahead of him before he even qualified for the semi finals.

A fighter from Brazil had incredibly fast hook kicks and a lightning fast jab punch. Lucas was kept on his toes for the entire match but managed to pull out a controlled but fast roundhouse kick to the jaw at the last second to win the match five to three.

"Nokach!" the referee raised a hand towards Lucas' line as he was wearing Ao or blue gloves.

"Nice fight, respect." the Brazilian fighter said with a thick accent.

"Oss. Thanks." Lucas panted, wiping the sweat off his forehead while shaking his hand.

In the next round, Chile's sixteen year old champion was going to face Lucas wearing blue.

Lucas was wearing red and he got onto his line. This would be the match that would let him qualify for the quarter finals and possibly go for at least a bronze medal or third place in his very first tournament.

Lucas bowed onto the mat, walked up to his line, bowed to the referee and then his opponent.

Lucas was surprised when the Chilean fighter in blue gloves walked forward and offered to touch gloves with him out of respect. The Chilean fighter was one of the highest ranked boys in Lucas' entire division.

Lucas instantly bowed and bumped gloves back with the Chilean fighter and then the referee spoke.

"Shobu, aii!"

The crowd began to roar, the Chilean fighter had dozens of people in the stands meanwhile Lucas only had Silver in his coach's box and Kreese watching from the sidelines.

Lucas kept his left up, switching stances randomly.

The Chilean boy's dark hair flicked in the air when he started to throw round kicks, not meant as scores just to get Lucas to dodge and switch angles.

Lucas quickly realized how outmatched he was. In the first exchange, he was hit with a reverse punch to the jaw in seconds after Lucas attempted a completely missed combo.

The judge gave the Chilean fighter the first point and a first point advantage. "Yame! Ao, jodan zuki! Yuko! Ao, senshu! Tsugite hachime!"

Lucas was down two to nothing after he was forced near the edge of the ring and took a punch directly to the ribs. He barely pulled it around but none of the judges considered his round kick score worthy when it was way too close to his opponents elbow and not his ribs.

Silver's challenge was denied and soon Lucas was down four point to nothing with twenty seconds left on the clock.

Lucas faked a jab, and then he committed to a one two punch combination.

Lucas threw two crosses, or straight punches with his rear hand first and then his left.

The left landed flush as Lucas had successfully managed to make his opponent cover up and fail to counter properly from how good his technique was.

Red flags were lowered at waist level from two judges sitting in the four corners of the ring and the center ref stopped the match. "Yame!"

The Chilean fighter's coach was angry and yelling at his athlete as Lucas was awarded a point.

"Aka, yuko! Tsugite, hai!"

Lucas bounced back into action but failed to turn it around in time.

He attempted a few punches, and even managed to land a successful back kick when he saw his opponent rushing forward to strike.

However, Lucas still lost by two points instead of just one when near the end of the match he was timed with a perfect jab.

He had lost his match by five points to three.

"Ao, no kachi!"

The crowd applauded as Lucas shook hands with the Chilean fighter and the boys left the mat.

Word spread quickly. Lucas had scored any points at all against the gold medalist of the entire tournament despite it being his first ever tournament. He had placed twenty seventh out of forty nine competitors in the highest possible division in North and South America.

The next tournament was in Dubai, and Lucas made it to the quarter finals against fighters from across Europe and Asia.

He again made it through the early rounds easily and barely scratched a win in the quarter finals against a top tier fighter by a single point.

Lucas lost by three entire points in the semi finals, by five to two, and was able to place third.

In his second ever tournament.

Just a few days later in the last tournament he'd compete in before returning to Los Angeles, Lucas competed in the Youth WKF League Global Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

He had spent two whole weeks training, competing, learning, and growing.

And before he knew it, Lucas had made it to the finals.

The entire arena was full of thousands of people, there were cameras from every angle, he knew everyone back home would be watching the match.

After bowing in and bumping gloves with his opponent, the match began.

His opponent wearing red for Aka on the judge's right was from Germany, a dark haired boy slightly taller than Lucas who was the champion in almost every highly ranked tournament in the entire world.

Every competitor, every coach, despite all of their fighters having lost by this point stayed around to watch the match.

Lucas lost the first point, Aka landed a one two punch combination over the top right on his cheek.

Then Lucas managed to score wazari, a roundhouse kick directly to the ribs with proper footwork. Making the score two to one.

The German fighter landed the same score in return in an eerily similar fashion, and Lucas tied it up with a strong jab to the jaw.

With the scoreboard three to three, the match continued.

The German fighter managed to counter Lucas' attacks just in time with perfect timing and Lucas, wearing blue gloves for Ao was hit with a reverse punch with his opponent's rear hand right in the stomach.

Lucas was down by one point and the first point tie breaker advantage with little more than fifteen seconds on the clock.

Lucas landed ippon on the world champion in his third ever tournament.

The crowd was off their feet.

Lucas knew his front leg kicks would be countered as every competitor knew it was his favorite leg to score with, so all he did was step in after exchanging a few missed blows and threw a roundhouse kick with his rear leg right to his opponent's head.

It landed directly on the side of his opponent's head making his head shake for a split second, not hard enough to violate contact but still making it clear Lucas had landed his kick cleanly.

"Yame!"

Blue flags were raised from every single corner referee.

"Ao. Jodan geri, ippon!"

Lucas led the match six to four against the world champion.

He danced around his opponent for the last fifteen seconds, faked, moved, dodged, blocked. He even got a penalty, or three rather, if he got another he'd be disqualified, for running right out of the ring.

But Lucas pushed forward, moving, running, and-

The buzzer sounded, time had run out. The two minute match was over.

"Ao. No kachi!"

Lucas had won gold, he got first place.

He was the world karate champion at 17 in the highest division of sixteen to seventeen year olds, in his third ever competition.

The plane back home was a solemn reminder of just how famous I now was.

We were on Sensei Silver's private jet, and I considered the weight of what I just did. Of everything.

And the fact that I truly now regretted what it had cost Daniel LaRusso and Miyagi-Do. Because despite me picking a different path from it, the opposite one really, it had helped me start my journey at all in the first place.

Sensei Silver's personal chauffeur drove me home, and I reached my bedroom exhausted.

I flopped onto my bed and groaned. There truly was no place like home.

After two and a half weeks of constant training, competition, fighting, and all of it, I just wanted three minutes of silence.

Three minutes, without another plane trip on Sensei Silver's private jet, another tournament. Anything. Just wanted to rest.

"Hey."

I turned over on my bed to see Tory slipping through my window with a smile.

I smiled too.

She moved onto my bed on her shins and pecked me on the lips. "Mm." she smiled when I shoved the gold medal from Cairo into her hands. "For me?"

"Basically. Yeah."

Tory wrapped her arms around my neck, speaking inches from my face. "So I get to fuck a world champ then?"

"I'm so tired."

Tory simply flopped forward and I was too tired to just lay there with her.

Tory kissed me and began to grope me.

"Tory, I'm exhausted."

"Don't guys get horny when they're tired? Come on."

I muttered quietly. "Tory I've literally flown all the way here from New York. Any more jet lagged and I'm still in Egypt."

She smiled, kissing my neck as she groped me through my shorts. "Luke get your clothes off or we're gonna grapple. Let's go."

"Can we talk at least? Haven't seen you in two weeks."

Tory kissed me tightly on the mouth. "Me neither, missed you a lot."

"Me too, Tory-"

She cut me off with another kiss, pecking me around the chin. "After."

"Tory please-"

"After."

I normally would've just accepted earlier anyway, I always wanted to mess around with Tory. But I barely had the energy to do anything but nap right now.

You won the world championships Luke, you can more than make love to the girl that you love.

I smiled, stripping Tory's red shirt off.

"Missed 'em?"

"Missed being with you in general I suppose? I mean-"

Tory shoved my face directly into her bra covered breasts.

"You're talking wayyy too much Lu."

I still had no idea how she got them this large, and yet still perfectly proportional to the rest of her.

Considering how exhausted I was, after the end of it, I had more than fallen asleep.

Tory Nichols traced her boyfriend's head softly.

Lucas was sleeping soundly on top of her chest.

They had slept together before on a few occasions, but even it being three in the afternoon, Tory knew Lucas' circadian rhythm had been thrown completely out of wack sleeping in three different time zones in as many weeks.

She was more than happy to rest with him.

Tory hugged Lucas tighter to her, kissing the top of his head as she ran her fingers through his hair.

After working for several hours using the freedom summer gave her for overtime shifts, Tory was tired enough too to nap with Lucas. Her long clean blonde hair was flowing outwards on the pillow behind her, eyes closed, and the two merely slept.

Its not often I used my girlfriend's bosom for pillows.

I blinked myself awake, looking over at the door.

I heard Ava's voice. "Luke? You in there?"

I was very glad the door was locked so I wouldn't be bothered.

I slipped out of bed and walked to the door.

"Yeah I'm here."

"Mom and I just got back from the mall. Everything okay?"

I cleared my throat, glad Tory was such a heavy sleeper.

"Sure Ave, sure. Everything's great."

"Can we talk?"

I threw on some gym shorts and stepped out shirtless into the hall.

"You sure you're okay?" Ava looked at me funny. "You smell weird."

"Just woke up from a nap that's all."

"How was Egypt?"

I smiled. "Just fine."

"Everyone and their dog talked about that tournament. It's not every day your brother becomes a world karate champ in just a few weeks."

I shrugged. "It's just the junior division. Seniors are a lot more competitive, next year will be a whole lot tougher."

"Riiight." Ava smiled. "Anyway, glad to hear everything's cool."

"Can I get back to napping please? Long flights."

"I was going to meet with Kenny at the water park tomorrow. I think your whole dojo's coming to welcome you back."

"Awesome." I said tiredly. "Thanks Ava."

I nodded to my younger sister before going back into my room.

There, I saw Tory stirring as I slipped back into bed.

She smiled, opening her eyes as I snuggled closer to her. "Just woke up huh?"

"Yup." Tory yawned. "I was going to tell you. We got a discount on a water park-"

"Ava just told me."

"Think Payne has a shot with her?'

"Hope not. Little shit has quite the ego."

Tory smiled, wrapping an arm around me to chuckle into my neck. "Careful. Your family's one of the most famous in the Valley now. Everyone wants a piece."

She bit into my shoulder lightly. "I got mine." she whispered strongly.

"I love you Tory."

"Love you too." she pecked me on the lips.

The kissing changed the pace of things but as things were getting underway again I heard my mom knock on my door and speak.

"Luke? Can we talk honey?"

I sighed. "It's like every old person on Earth doesn't want us to enjoy each other." I whispered to Tory.

"I already enjoyed plenty." Tory smiled, running her hand across my shoulder. "I'll see you at the water park? The dojo's closed until Monday next week."

"Sure thing."

As I put a shirt on, a nude Tory slipped out of my bed and wrapped an arm around my waist from behind me. "I got a killer outfit to show you tomorrow."

"Why would it be killer if I've seen you naked this week already?"

"Eh." Tory muttered quietly with a shrug. "It'll make you want to take it off. Love ya."

"Love you."

She kissed me goodbye on the lips, got dressed, and snuck out through my window.

I stepped out into the hallway to greet my mother.

She hugged me. "I'm so proud honey."

"It was no big deal."

"You made the front page of the sports section of more newspapers than I can count. I'd hardly call that no big deal."

I smiled. "Thanks ma."

Mom smiled back. "Can you come downstairs honey?"

"Sure."

I was surprised to see Johnny Lawrence sitting in my living room.

Mom sat down next to him.

"Honey, I have something to discuss with you." she said simply. "I know these last few weeks have been crazy with the All Valley tournament. And your karate tour around the globe but-"

I looked blandly at the man sitting next to her. "You're dating him?" I asked boredly.

Mom and Johnny looked at each other.

"Y-Yeah." Johnny said.

I smiled. "Good for you two."

"Well honey with all the-"

"It's fine." I shrugged. "My Senseis put Johnny out of a job. I helped put him there, he has every right to strike back."

Mom spoke. "Whoa. Luke this isn't to get back at you, Johnny and I like each other."

"Sure. That's why you never talked again after high school. That's why until I moved here you didn't start dating. I get it."

"Luke you know how much your mom means to me."

I nodded slowly. "I'm truly sorry that your arrangement with Senseis Kreese and Silver put you out of a job. With one Instagram post, I can whip up a dojo for you at the snap of my fingers."

Johnny looked aside for a moment as Mom tightened the grip on his hand on the other side of the adjacent couch.

"But I am truly sorry about everything."

Johnny looked confused. "Why's that?"

"I got what I wanted. And more, and I'm happy now. The next step won't be fun for anyone, but it'll be necessary."

"Thanks kid."

"I hope you two make each other happy. It sounds like you really did back in the eighties so." I shrugged.

"I've started working full time here in LA for months at dad's old practice. Ava settled in well here she's friends with your friends at your karate dojo." said Mom. "Glad you see this is part of our move from Denver too."

I stood up out of the chair in the living room. "I have a bit more sleep to catch up on. Nice seeing you again Johnny."

He barely nodded as I left and then walked upstairs.

"Son."

Mom stood at the foot of the stairs and I turned back to face her.

"If you're going to secretly keep your girlfriend over. Make sure to wear deodorant."

I sighed. "Thanks ma."

A few moments later, Johnny walked down the hallway next to my bedroom to talk to me too.

"Congrats on the championships. Not just the All Valley. You know, the one on the news and stuff."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"I hope everything with your mom doesn't make things weird between us. When you got here, I should've been part of your family. Not just, with your mom but, I needed to have been there for you like. Like I was for Robby, and Miguel now."

I took my hand off the doorknob and spoke to Johnny quietly and calmly.

"I have one man who's part of my family but isn't related to me. One man. And his name is John Kreese."

"At one point I felt the same way you did with him. If I had been there at the beginning instead of him or LaRusso, things would be different kid. I swear."

"Yeah." I opened the door to my bedroom. "They'd be worse."

"I remember us at that age." Johnny sighed, sitting back down on the couch. "Except I wasn't that rude." Johnny looked upstairs towards the general direction of Lucas' bedroom.

"No you were worse and you know it." Ali chuckled from the kitchen, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Things were crazy."

"Still are in a way. I have a seventeen year old girl climbing through my son's window around midnight a few afternoons on the weekends. And they pretend I can't see her." Ali rolled her eyes.

Johnny frowned. "Glad Luke's with that Tory girl and not Robby. They almost were together back when we were at the dojo and she looked like a really bad influence."

"I felt the same way too then I realized something."

"What?"

"When I got back here a few months ago. While all this Cobra Kai nonsense seems to have fully affected Luke. I can't deny the vibe Daniel gave me, is still in him somehow."

Johnny snorted. "What?"

"No I'm serious. Maybe in some strange way, he still is Miyagi-Do. I don't know anything about karate. But Lucas has some remorse left over what happened, he's like you Johnny. Too proud to admit what he can admit and then do it."

"Is there any way we can get him away from those two old creeps?"

Ali shook her head. "They've showered him in enough money, trophies, fame, and gold medals to ever get him to change his mind. I can't even do it and I'm his mother. The only person he ever listens to is the only person you used to back in the day."

"I used to listen to you."

"No. You didn't."

"I did."

Ali made Johnny chuckle. "No. You just didn't."

That night, I went to the LaRusso's house and rang the doorbell.

Luckily, it wasn't Amanda or Daniel who answered.

Anthony smiled when he saw me. "Congrats dude!"

"Thanks. You're happy your dad's dojo lost?"

"No! But you were amazing in Cairo! Amazing in Dubai! Amazing in Honduras. And amazing just a few weeks ago at the All Valley."

"Thanks Anth. Can I talk to your sister?"

"Sure. I'll go get her."

"Tell her." Anthony stopped in his tracks. "Tell her it's a friend."

He nodded.

A few minutes later, Samantha LaRusso stepped out into her front patio.

Things were so quiet I could hear crickets sing nearby in the large grass lawn next to the LaRusso house.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly and crossed her arms.

"To apologize."

"Fun time to do it."

"Sam I. Sam I get you and Miguel won't be able to forgive me until we're all old enough to have grandkids. But I promise you, it's over now."

Sam shrugged. "Is it?"

She had no idea how bad things could've gotten.

"You and your girlfriend gave a pair of psychos damn near complete autonomy over the entire Valley. In a single pair of weeks, Cobra Kai is the ultimate karate dojo in basically the world. And none of it could've happened without you."

"Sam I'm sorry about the violence. But until you forgive me, I can't promise it's over."

"Lucas-"

"Sam you have to hear me out."

"No," she said flatly. "I don't doubt your intentions were to prevent violence. Truly I don't. You and Miguel proved that when you wanted to settle things on your own, it was everyone else who followed you two and intervened. But that's not what bothers me."

I listened to her.

"Maybe you see something in Kreese no one else can for some reason. Maybe you can find Cobra Kai to be healthy. Maybe. Somehow. But what I can never forgive is that you knew exactly how special Mr. Miyagi was to my dad. To my entire family, and you not only walked away from his dojo, but used it to destroy any chance his legacy had to survive."

"Miyagi's legacy was a few dusty old trophies in your dad's garage. And some newspaper front pages from the eighties. I wanted to prove that he was wrong, that it does matter whether you win or lose."

"Well you won. But you proved him right." said Sam. "No matter if you win or don't, what it can cost can't be recovered. After senior year you probably won't see Miguel and I ever again. Heck, anyone from our school maybe. But we won't ever forget that you tortured Miguel just for fame, you let your friends walk all over him and you did nothing."

I sighed to explain but she spoke. "The saddest part is that you think it wasn't preventable. Miguel was bullied sure, but what is truly unforgivable is the abuse my dad and Mr. Miyagi suffered directly by Kreese's hands and the fact that you help him. That you trust him like family, that on its own, and the fact that you knew who he was and that my dad told you the truth should be enough."

I frowned. "I'm sorry for apologizing."

"You really should be. For an entire year now, Miguel and everyone else in our dojo are gonna look at you and all your friends and only remember what you all did. We'll never forget."

Sam scoffed and shook her head. "Even Mr. Miyagi wouldn't be able to forgive you."

I frankly didn't blame her for leaving me alone on her front porch.

Author's Note:

Just one thing to say really.

About the guest reviews and all that, thank you all but yes, my plan changed because I didn't know how it would play out.

I had no endgame pairing set for the main character, Luke, so it was split between Moon, Tory, or maybe someone else. Now that it's changed, it's different so yeah, it's the case, sorry about that.

Also with Season 5 dropping soon I decided I'd upload this, a sort of epilogue that also includes the events of canonical season 5 but in my series. In terms of crucial story beats there's only a few more things to cover like how this summer and senior year itself played out. Thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you all soon.