When Johnny had gone outside, he had no clue if his call would work. After all, he had only met David once. It was only thanks to Miguel helping him figure out his phone that he was able to find which dojo was the other man's. It had an animal in the name too. Maybe it was destiny.

"Hey, it's the guy you just met. Can you cover for my dojo tonight?" Johnny thought, trying out different ways to go about the conversation. He sighed. None sounded good. By the time the phone was answered, he almost went blank.

"Manta Martial Arts." sounded David's voice. It was just as calm as last time.

"David, it's Johnny."

The tone became slightly lighter. "Johnny, I did not expect a call. Is Kaldur alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine." Johnny said, deciding just to jump in. "It's about my son. Something came up unexpectedly and I won't be able to get to the dojo tonight. I know this is pretty out there, but…"

From the hesitation, David answered. "I can teach the students tonight."

The other sensei felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. After profusely thanking David, the needed information was exchanged. This let Johnny get back to the waiting room without worrying about what the others would be doing. He and Robby stayed there for most of the night until one of the doctors finally came to them.

"Are you Ms. Keene's husband?" she asked, glancing at the older man.

Johnny scratched his head. "No, but this is our son. How's she doing?"

The doctor gave an assuring smile to them both. "She is doing much better. Her system has been flushed and she is awake. She asked us to see if her son was still here. She wants to talk with you."

Robby looked slightly surprised at the information and followed the doctor back where they saw Shannon. She still looked bad, but it was a major improvement to how she had been earlier that day. Her face lit up when she saw Robby, then her eyes welled up with tears. Robby tried to comfort her, but it was to little effect.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed. With uneven breaths, she spoke again. "I'm going to rehab. I really am this time. I can't let you see me like this a second time."

"Is this really happening?" Robby asked himself. It felt like a nightmare that had transformed into a fantasy. Was she serious or was this another lie? Looking into her eyes, eyes that were full of equal parts regret, shame, and determination, he knew she was telling the truth. He never thought the day would come.

"I just don't want you to be on your own." His mother said, realizing what her leaving would entail.

"I don't think that'll be an issue." Robby said, quietly. "Dad's here. He's been for hours too. Arrived just a bit after we did."

Shannon's glossed over eyes cleared a bit at hearing that. Robby almost laughed at her shocked expression he assumed mirrored his own when he saw Johnny enter the hospital.

"Ask to make sure he won't mind." She told him, doubt still audible in her voice.

She must have still been high. None of this was making any sense. Robby did as she asked and returned to the waiting room. Johnny stood back up from his seat.

"What did she say? Is she doing okay?"

"Yeah." Robby told, smiling, "She said she's going to therapy for real this time."

"That's great!" Johnny grinned. Even though they were separated, he still wanted the best for Shannon, especially as it pertained to their son. If her going to rehab meant Robby would never go through this again, he was all for it. He started to think about something else. "You'll need a place to stay." His eyes twinkled hopefully. "You can come live with me…if you're cool with it. I could drive you to work in the mornings too before heading to the dojo."

Robby could not keep his smile from showing as he accepted the offer. They stayed a little bit longer before saying good night to Shannon. All in all, it was quite the day. As this was going on, the students at Cobra Kai were mostly intrigued by the new sensei. He did not seem as energetic as Johnny, but there was a coldness present.

"Why are you teaching us?" Hawk finally asked. "I've never heard Sensei mention you."

David smirked. "We spoke recently and he needed some help today. Dojos should have amicable communities between them. Wouldn't you agree?"

Hawk just frowned and got quiet. The sensei's eyes scanned the room, taking it all in like a computer processed new data. It was an interesting group. Even the weakest link could potentially do well, given the right training.

"Show me what you have learned, so I know which improvements need to be made." He pointed at one student. "Come here. We're going to spar."

Kaldur tensed and shot David a look. Noticing the expression, the man said to the student, "I will not hurt you. I just need to see what you can do, and I can judge better if it is against me."

This did not make Kaldur feel better. Words meant little and especially regarding something as subjective as pain. David might break everyone's fingers and consider that mildly inconveniencing at worst. The teenager readied himself to step in to help the selected victim. He watched David's movements for any that would become too extreme, but they did not. The student attacked first and David kept his counters solely defensive. Any time when a move was an attack, it was stopped to just show where a real opponent could and would end the fight. The student panted when they were done and Kaldur did not miss the "See?" look David gave him. The spars were not long, but they were thorough. Kaldur could see David analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. He just prayed the sensei's goal was to help, but he had more than a few doubts. Finally, he got to the original recruits. Their spars, though longer, were also short and there were many times in each when David could have taken them out. Several instances, he glanced at Kaldur to see if he caught that. He wanted him to know he could take every one of them down if he wanted to, but he did not right now.

The longest spar was against Miguel, as expected. When it was over, the student went by Kaldur and took some breaths, hands on his knees.

"Can't say Sensei Hyde doesn't give us a workout." He sucked in some more air. "It was sorta nice to have the compliments here and there too, though."

Kaldur just gave a nod, not really hearing what he was saying. David came up to him last, their eyes locked. The sensei stood at full height, letting the difference add another layer of intimidation. Then, he went back in front of the class.

"How come Kaldur doesn't have to spar?" Hawk wheezed, still exhausted.

"Because I already know his strengths and weaknesses." The sensei told. "After more training, we will spar again so that I can learn how he changed. Is that fine with you, Son?"

Kaldur hated his tone. It was so lackadaisical. So matter-of-fact. No one would consider the idea outlandish if they heard him say it the way he did. It was the taunt of a German Shepherd in a garden to a rabbit, surrounded by ground netting. The environment was unsuitable for any retaliation and even if it were not, retaliation would be futile. Kaldur said it was fine. It was all he could say. He saw some of the other students, mainly his friends, appear surprised at the information they had just learned.

The rest of the class was spent working on the weak points each student had. If he did not know better, Kaldur would have thought David was doing a good job. Things ended and the group started to leave. Miguel stayed behind to lock up the dojo since he knew where Johnny kept another key. Before he went to the back, he stopped Kaldur.

"How come you didn't mention he was your dad?" he asked. It seemed like everybody's dad was getting involved except his.

"I did not think it was needed." Kaldur told him, eyes glued to the sensei who had just exited the building.

Miguel noticed the split attention and went to get the keys, wishing his friend a good night. Kaldur returned the farewell before leaving. The next day, Robby spent collecting things he would bring to Johnny's house. After the lesson that evening, they had planned on him moving in. He was in a good mood at work and wasted little time in sharing.

"Got some great news about my mom going into rehab." Robby said, beaming. "I'll even be staying with my dad while she's there."

"Wonderful!" Kaldur was immensely happy for the three of them.

"Who taught in place of him yesterday?"

Kaldur fought hard to not let his smile fall. "He will find out anyway." He mused. "My father, bizarrely enough."

Robby had to pause, wondering if he had heard him correctly. Kaldur never seemed to talk about his family or much regarding him for that matter. The other teenager could not decipher what tone he was using.

"Is he surprised or upset?" Robby wondered.

Robby kept his thoughts to himself and when it was time for them to go to the dojo, Johnny could clearly see the difference in the students.

"Whatever he did, it worked. Maybe having some additional input isn't a terrible idea." Johnny thought. He almost hated himself for thinking it, but maybe Kreese had been right. If the students had improved that much from David, what could they learn from his old sensei? As long as he was supervised, it should be fine. Cobra Kai was Johnny's now. It would be his call how the students were treated. If Kreese gave instructions, he would not hurt any of them. He would have to listen to Johnny. After the lesson, he kept looking at the number Kreese had left. If he had truly never planned on using it, he would have torn it up or burned it, but there it was, plain as day. He must have known even then. Johnny picked up the phone.

"Hey, David." He said, hearing the other sensei answer. "I wanted to thank you for last night."

"No thanks are required. I enjoyed it. It was the first time in quite a while that Kaldur and I spent civil time together."

Johnny's ears perked up at that. "Unfortunately, I can relate to that. Karate does seem to help." He paused. "If you ever want to come and teach some more so that you can see him, just let me know. The students were doing great today. Maybe we could even go to each other's dojos to offer the students a new perspective. Heard recently that it can be good."

"I appreciate that. Let us make last night a more regular occurrence then." David agreed.

When they hung up, Johnny frowned as he dialed the other number.

"If he doesn't pick up, I'm not calling ba-"

"Johnny, good to hear from you."

The younger sensei sighed. "I thought about what you said, and you can come mention some stuff to the students, but I'm in charge. None of them are getting choked out."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Johnny was not sure if he believed him, but he would be there to make sure it did not happen. Also, if they learned from all three senseis, they would be able to defend themselves very soon. The call was not long and he did not want it to be. After locking things up, Johnny went to Robby's home. Excitedly, they packed the car with clothes and other items. The father did not want to seem so happy that it smothered the young man, but he found containing it to be feat harder than he could manage. Robby was glad he struggled with it. It was nice to see how glad Johnny was to have him in his life again. Miguel even was there to help them since he would be going the same way to get home. It was fast packing and soon the trio were heading back. What ensued was more of that banter Robby loved and this time, it did not have to end so abruptly.

They said bye to Miguel then went in and just talked. It felt like they had not spoken in years, yet also like conversation was so easy. Robby wondered if any of this would have been the case if he had refused to go to the dojo. He likely would have if he had not started trusting Kaldur.

"Kaldur told me his father did the teaching yesterday." He said.

"Yeah, and he did a good job. We spoke today and he plans on coming some more every now and then."

"That could be good." Robby replied. "If something's going on between them, karate seems like the way to fix it."

The rest of the evening was fun, and Johnny did not pick up one Coors. He kept his word for giving Robby a ride to work the following morning. For the dojo that night, Kreese kept his word too. He was there, but he did not go after any of the students. He calmly gave his suggestions and corrections under Johnny's watchful gaze. A new schedule continued for a couple of days: Johnny would drive the boys to work or school, Kreese would give his ideas, and all seemed to be going smoothly. This was until David returned. When he stepped into the dojo, he and Kreese sized up each other. Johnny welcomed the visitor and when he came back to the students, Kaldur went up to him.

"Sensei, could we talk for a moment?" he asked.

The concern in his voice made Johnny refrain from using any sarcasm. They went to the back and Kaldur closed the door.

"Is he going to be coming more frequently?"

"Yeah, we were talking about maybe once a week or more."

Kaldur got quiet and nodded. "Okay, thank you for letting me know."

He rejoined the others, leaving Johnny unsure of his decision. The sensei went to the others and asked if David would mind speaking outside. Once they were there, David began.

"I am assuming Kaldur said something?"

"He just seems worried." Johnny said. "Or like he's dreading your very presence. Either one."

David's expression turned troubled. "I think that might be my fault." He sighed. "I have been pressuring him into challenging an opponent from this one dojo."

"Why?" Johnny asked.

"Because the sensei killed my father."