Chapter 1
"So, any exciting news nephew?" An old petite man with grey hair said as he started sipping on his tea.
"Same old, everybody leaves me alone," An Asian-American kid with black hair and yellow eyes said as he looked at his cup of tea "At least they don't make fun of my scar anymore, well at least to my face," The kid said, and the scar he was talking about well, he had a massive red scar on his left side of his face.
"Well teenagers can be mean," The old man said.
"You're right, I still feel aching pain after the last beating," The kid said rubbing his shoulder and pushing away the phantom pain
"That's not what I heard, you're principal said you beat those kids pretty good," The old man said.
"Let's just say it was a mutual beating, besides they still call me names and there's nothing I can do about it," The teenager said in an angry tone, he looked down and tightened his fist, how he hated how people were to him
"I'm not so sure about that," The teenager's uncle said taking a sip of his cup of tea with a mysterious aura on him
"What do you mean?" The teen asked back annoyed at his uncle, he always did that, the whole wise and mysterious act, it irritated the teen every time
"You know the little mall I always go to," The uncle said leaning forward with a mischievous smile
"Yeah, the one that has your favorite pack of cigars I know of it," The teen said "The one where you always flirt with the bank cashier," The teen said sarcastically making his uncle cough on his fist nervously
"Well anyway, I went there the other day and I saw the local, guess what a karate dojo is being open there," The uncle said smiling as that statement surprised the teen
"A karate dojo? Shouldn't you, I don't know, tell me I shouldn't get into fights and that shit," The teen said confused, what did a karate dojo have to do with anything anyway
"In normal circumstances yes I would," The uncle said "But these aren't, as much as you hate it, you are your father's son," The uncle said as the face of the teen went sour thinking about his dad
"And you're my nephew, fire courses in our blood, we are ambitious and emotional people, so I'm sure you're going to get in more fights in your future whether I like it or not," The uncle said leaning back to his seat letting the teen process his words for a moment
"Uncle, what about our agreement, what if those people find out where I am," The teen said with fear in his voice "You saw how the company bent over my father's words when he was in charge, sure it's better now that he's in jail, but I thought we agreed never to go back to that world," The teen said afraid of everything that belonged in the past his face showing exactly that
"Look Mitsuki," The uncle said using Mike's Japanese name and grabbing the hand of the teen "Those people will come knocking sooner or later, and you can keep running away or you can stand your ground and fight for what you believe," his uncle said tiredly "The company wants you as it's leader, to fight against the others, and there's so much you can run till your true self gets to you," The uncle said as the teen sighed and rubbed his face
He knew his uncle spoke true but that didn't mean that he had to like it, he was fine with running still
"And how does joining a dojo will help with that?" Mike asked confused "I mean I already know a thing or two about fighting," Mike said scratching his chin as he looked straight at his uncle
"Consider it a smoke screen, if you join a dojo, those people will think twice before attacking you, but if you don't is easier to strike someone who is easy to forget," His uncle said and then started coughing strongly
"How bad is it?" Mike asked in concern as his uncle regained his breathing
"Manageable, but I don't have a lot of time, that's why it is imperative for you to take hold of your life before destiny comes knocking at your door," Mike's uncle said making the teen sigh, he knew he needed to appease his uncle after all, he owed him a lot
"Fine, so what's the name of the dojo?" Mike asked in curiosity
Cobra Kai dojo
The teen from earlier was skating his way into the mall thanks to the directions his uncle had given him
He decided to wear some training clothes a simple black tank top a black hoodie some black sweatpants and a red pair of Jordan shoes
He arrived at the dojo grabbed the entrance door and pushed it forward as a bell rang out
There the teen saw two people standing in the middle looking at each other, the first one was a Latin American teen wearing a blue Dodgers jersey and red shorts
The other one was an old man with blond hair wearing a black Gi and a black bandana on his forehead
"May I help you?" The blond man asked the teen, and he felt their stares going to his scar and Mike mentally sighed, I mean he couldn't blame them, his scar was noticeable, but still he didn't like it when people stared
"Yes, this is Cobra Kai, right?" Mike asked in curiosity as he looked around the dojo, he was confused, this dojo didn't look well, but his uncle always liked eccentric places
"That's right, are you perhaps wishing to join us?" The blond man asked with hope in his voice
"Yeah, I actually practiced Karate when I was little and I kind of want to continue practicing," Mike said nervously "Besides it will help me whenever I get into fights," Mike said scratching his left arm nervously
"You get into fights?" The other teen asked in confusion
"Well, people make fun of my scar, I get mad about that, then we beat each other, and then the cycle repeats itself," The sacred teen said with irritation in his voice
"And do you win these fights?" The old man asked in curiosity
"Sometimes, those pussies always fight in groups, pretty unfair if you ask me," Mike said irritated as he rubbed his hair
"Huh, interesting, I'm Johnny Lawrence, sensei of this dojo," The old man said "So you are…? The old man asked wanting to know the name of the teen
"Mitsuki Takahashi sir, you can call me Mike if that's easier," The teen said as the blond man nodded
"Takashi? What is that Chinese?" The blond man asked in curiosity
"Japanese actually," Mike said with a raised eyebrow at the old man "Is this man racist or something?" Mike thought, he never could tell but this man just was clueless
"Right then Mr. Takashi take off your shoes and join Mr. Diaz on the mat," The blond man said as Mike nodded
Mike then proceeded to take off his shoes and his hoodie and place them on the side of the entrance as he stood next to the Latin teen
"Miguel Diaz, nice to meet you," The Latin teen said as Mike shook his hand and nodded, and then both teens looked back at the blond man
The teens stood there as the blond man kept moving his gaze between both teens making them uncomfortable
Then Miguel decided to break the silence "So, are we going to get those Karate pajamas to or?" The Latin teen said
"QUIET!" The old man shouted making both teens flinch as they stared again at the old man "Students will only speak when spoken to, is that understood?" The old man asked the two teens
"Yes/ yes sensei," Both teens said but only Mike, thanks to his upbringing used the word sensei, and the middle-aged man raised his eyebrow
"Uh, yes sir?" Miguel asked in confusion as he looked at Mike for help but he was just focusing on Johnny, his habits of his childhood kicking in
"You'll only address me as sensei, is that understood?" The blond man asked to Miguel
"Yes sensei," Miguel said as they straightened up and looked straight at the blond man
"These aren't pajamas, this is a Gi," The blond man said looking at his outfit "And you'll both get one when I decide to get you one," The blond man said as both teens nodded
"Mr. Takashi," The blond man said looking at the dark-haired teen
"Yes, sensei?" Mike asked looking at the blond man
"You did Karate a while ago right?" The blond man asked, and Mike nodded "OK stand aside for a bit, let me work on Mr. Diaz first, and then I'll get to you," The blond man said and Mike nodded as he walked to the edge of the mat and put his hands on his back
"Okay, Mr. Diaz ready to begin your training?" The blond man asked
"Yes sensei," Miguel answered, and as soon as those words left his mouth their sensei attacked punching Miguel's chest while grabbing his arm and flipping him over
Mike winced as he saw his sensei standing on top of Miguel "Lesson one, strike first, this goes for you as well Mr. Takashi," The blond man said and Mike nodded in understanding, "Never wait for your enemy to attack," The blond man said
"Well, you could've at least given me a warning," Miguel said while getting up and wincing from the pain
"QUIET!" Their sensei shouted as he started walking around Miguel "We do not train to be merciful here, mercy is for the weak," Their sensei said as Mike listened to every word his sensei was saying "Here, on the street or in competition, a man confronts you he's the enemy," The old man said as Mike's fists tighten as he remembers the people who were after him
"An enemy deserves no mercy, what is the problem, Mr. Diaz?" Their sensei asked as Mike saw Miguel using a respiratory device to fight against his Asma
"There's no problem sensei," Miguel wheezed out "You punched me, and I got Asma so," Miguel said as the blond man grabbed the device and threw it against the wall
Mike had to bite a chuckle down at the dumbfounded look of Miguel as their sensei stared back at Miguel "Not anymore," Johnny said
"We don't allow weakness in this dojo, so you can leave your asma and your peanut allergies and all that other made-up bullshit outside, understood?" Sensei Lawrence asked
"Yes, but those are real medical problems," Miguel said but stopped when he saw Johnny narrowing his eyes at him "Yes sensei, understood," Miguel said
"Good, Mr. Takahashi take Mr. Diaz's place," Johnny said as both teens looked at each other as they swapped places and the Asian teen stood in front of Johnny
"Okay, let me see what you got, remember lesson one," Johnny said as both men took a fighting stance
"Strike first," Mike said as he put his right foot forward and he twisted his body so that he could kick Johnny with his left foot
Johnny saw this coming and took a step back avoiding the kick, but that was what Mike wanted as he lounge forward and tried to sweep the leg of Johnny
The blond man lifted his right leg up avoiding the sweep and kicked forward trying to get the young man
Mike put his hands up blocking the kick and pushing it down and in the same motion he tried to punch the gut of his sensei
Johnny blocked the punch grabbed the arm of Mike and flipped him over but the dark-haired teen landed on his feet, he dragged Johnny's arm down as he jumped and put his legs around his sensei's neck while controlling the adult's arm
But as much as he tried Mike couldn't bring the man down, so Johnny decided to slam the kid down and throw a fist at the face of the teen
Mike saw the incoming fist but decided to maintain the hold and waited for the impact to come but raised an eyebrow when he saw Johnny stopping "Why didn't you let go?" Johnny asked in curiosity
"You break my nose I break your arm, fair trade am I right?" Mike said with a cheeky smile on his face as he let go of the hold he had, and Johnny helped him stand up
"You got skill, now the only thing left is for you to learn the way of the fist, Mr. Diaz fall in," Johnny said as both teens stood next to each other
"Gentlemen, Cobra Kai isn't just about Karate, it's about a way of life," Johnny said pointing to the wall behind him that had the words of the rules of Cobra Kai
"Take that first lesson, striking first is the first step towards victory," Johnny said and both teens nodded
"Ok? Like when you're at a party and you see a hot babe," Johnny said, and Miguel nodded while Mike just stared at his sensei in confusion
"You don't wait for some other guy to talk to her, do you?" Johnny asked
"I mean, I've never been to a party, so…" Miguel said
"A forty-year-old man or so is talking about parties and hot babes, America sure is weird," Mike thought as he looked at Johnny
"Yeah, big surprise," Johnny said sarcastically "Look, striking first is about being aggressive all, right?" Johnny said and the teens nodded "If you're not aggressive you're being a pussy and you don't want to be a pussy you want to have balls," Johnny said and Mike kind of understand his sensei's point in a twisted sort of way
"Don't you think you're doing a lot of genderizing?" Miguel asked in curiosity as both other people looked at him one in confusion and the other one in boredom
"What?" Johnny asked in confusion
"Oh sorry, don't you think you're doing a lot of genderizing sensei?" Miguel repeated
"No, what the hell you're talking about?" Johnny asked in confusion
"Oh, my guidance counselor says that certain words perpetuate the sexist worldview that can trigger…" Miguel started saying as Mike blinked at the Latin teen
"Huh, he's a dork, appearances can be deceiving," Mike thought as his thoughts were broken by Sensei Lawrence shouting again
"QUIET!" Johnny shouted ending the rambling of Miguel "From now on you won't listen to your guidance counselor, you're going to listen to me is that understood?" Johnny said
"Yes sensei," Miguel said nervously
"Good, same goes for you Takahashi, you'll only listen to me understood?" Johnny said and Mike nodded
"Yes sensei," Mike said calmly as Johnny nodded
"Good, now girls get on the floor and give me 50 push-ups on your knuckles," Johnny said as both teens dropped to the floor and started doing the push-ups
Well Mike did, as for Miguel, he was having a difficult time getting up "Looking good Mr. Takahashi," Johnny said as he saw Mike going for his tenth push-up then he glanced at Miguel and sighed
"Alright, just do crunches or something don't you have gym class or something?" Johnny asked as Miguel sat up and started doing some crunches
Both teens stopped as they heard the bell ringing signaling someone had come in, a man in formal attire came up and Johnny walked up to him
"What brings you here, ready to lose that bag and learn how to kick some ass?" Johnny said and Mike quietly chuckled at the boldness of his sensei
"No, I'm from the city health department," The man said, "These are the list of requirements needed to open an exercise studio," The man said as he looked around the place
"This isn't an exercise studio, this is a Karate Dojo," Johnny said as both teens kept doing the exercises
"Yeah, same deal," The man said "Wow, this place needs a lot of work, you're not open for business, right?" The man said as he directed his eyes to both teens
"You two, you aren't customers, right?" The man said as Miguel looked at him in confusion while Mike got annoyed
"Jesus, this guy doesn't shut up," Mike said in Japanese his maternal language, and the man looked at him oddly
"No, this is some illegal I picked up, he's helping me set up, and the other one is my nephew," Johnny said thinking quickly
"Sir, is impolite to stare," Mike said as he felt the man's eyes rest on his scar
"Right, sorry I don't need to know about that," The man said, "My job is just to keep this place up to code, you don't want a scabies outbreak like that hot yoga place over on Tujunga," The man said
"Wait, so I need to do all this crap before I even open?" Johnny asked in confusion
"No, you need to do all that to get the certificate that's required to get the insurance you need to open," The man said, "But you knew that when you signed you're lease right?" The man asked
"Right yeah," Johnny said nervously
"I'll drop by next week for another inspection," The man said walking to the entrance "Huh, cool rattlesnake," The man said
"It's a cobra," Johnny said annoyed
"Oh, right duh," The man said, "I'm such an idiot, Cobra kay," The man said as Mike watched him leave
"Bastard," Mike said under his breath calling the man a bastard as he watched him leave in his native tongue "Sensei," Mike said as he looked at Johnny
"Yes Mr. Takashi," Johnny said
"Don't let that man scare you, those requirements are easy to fix, I can help you if you want," Mike said
"Thanks, but I got it don't worry," Johnny said, and Mike nodded
"Roger that," Mike said
Next day Mike's house
"Where are you going?" Mike's uncle said as he saw Mike grabbing a backpack from his closet
"Larusso's house, she's throwing a party, and Yasmine and Moon invited me, Park is giving me a ride," Mike said calmly
"And are you sure about this, I mean, not long ago those you guys were beating the shit out of each other," Mike's uncle said and Mike almost chuckle when he heard his uncle swear
"Yeah, we don't like each other but we like the girls, and we have some silent agreement," Mike explained "I don't fuck with you, you don't fuck with me, simple but effective," Mike said and his uncle crossed his arms and sighed at his choice of words
"Besides maybe I'll meet a girl you're so desperate for me to find," Mike said grabbing the handle of the door and looking at his uncle with a smile on his face
"Fine but I want you here by ten, understood?" His uncle said and Mike chuckle
"Yes, sir," Mike mock saluted his uncle with a chuckle on his voice as his uncle smiled and sighed at his nephew's antics and then looked straight at Mike
"Nephew, the dojo, was it good?" Mike's uncle asked before Mike could leave the home, he stopped and pondered his uncle's words before responding
"Cobra Kai?" Mike asked turning around as his uncle nodded "It was run down, not even a proper dojo, the owner was missing a few government permits, but," Mike said as he played with his hands and fidgetted in his place "The dojo's code, the way of the fist, is pretty similar to our family's code, to the way of the fire," Mike said looking at his uncle with narrowed eyes "Is that why you wanted me to go there?" He asked in curiosity and his uncle nodded
"More or less, I felt like something familiar would do you some good," The uncle said with a cheek and Mike snorted
"Well it was very eccentric but they did make a good first impression, so I think I'll give it a try," Mike said putting his hands in his pockets his uncle noticed his nervousness
"Don't worry, I'll take care of the cost Mike, I still have the funds from my share of the company," Mike's uncle said and Mike nodded in thankfulness and then they heard a honking from the outside "Seems your ride is here, go on, have some fun Mike," The old man said and Mike smiled and nod his head down a little
"Thanks, I promise I will behave," Mike said with a smile walking out the door
"Yo, Takahashi let's go we're going to be late," Kyler said as Mike got to the car
"Jesus, Park, we're going to be fine," Mike said getting into Kyler's car and throwing his backpack on the back
"We're the others?" Mike asked in curiosity as he saw that it was only Kyler
"They'll catch up later, I volunteer us to help the girls set up everything," Kyler said and Mike looked at him in confusion
"Why the hell did you do that?" Mike asked and then he realized why "Jesus, you have it bad for Larusso, you're such a dork," Mike said as he leaned back on his seat
"Like you're the one to talk, what about you and Yasmine huh?" Kyler said "I see how you guys flirt all the time," Kyler said
"We don't flirt, I just like to tease the princess that's all," Mike said and Kyler just chuckled
"Kept telling yourself that Takashi," Kyler said as Mike started playing with the radio
The car descended into an uncomfortable silence, sure both teens could make a little small talk, but they weren't kidding themselves, they didn't like one another so they preferred to not say anything but the bruise on Kyler wasn't making it easy
"The hell happened to your eye
"Interesting story actually," Kyler said as he made a dramatic pause that made Mike roll his eyes in annoyance
"So, I and the boys were out, trying to buy a couple of drinks," Kyler said and Mike nodded "And then this guy blew our cover, so we decided to take matters into our own hands," Kyler said "We even called him rhea, because he was buying Bebto like he had diarrhea and then we pour it down on him," Kyler said
"So, you beat a random kid, real mature Kyler," Mike said with a chuckle "And seriously Rhea? That's got to be the worst nickname you have given to someone," Mike said while laughing
"Shut up, I was mad, and I needed an outlet," Kyler said "So, then after we roughen that kid a bit, we accidentally hit this dude's car, and then he step up and beat the shit out of us," Kyler said and Mike chuckle
"So, let me get this straight, you beat a stranger in a mall, and then you get your ass kicked by another stranger, man I got to hang with you more, so I don't miss that sort of shit," Mike said while chuckling
"Fuck you, Takahashi," Kyler said with a smile on his face as he stopped his car "We're here," Kyler said as Mike looked out and saw the beautiful Larusso's house
"One day, I'm going to have a house like this I'll tell you," Mike said, and Kyler laughed
"Keep dreaming Takahashi,. help me with the coolers," Kyler said as Mike grabbed his empty backpack and exited the car
"Let's see our poison," Mike said as Kyler opened the trunk of his car and two coolers were laying there Kyler and Mike opened the coolers, and in there were a lot of Ultra's and Coronas and some bottles of Vodka as well "Holy shit Kyler, you didn't hold nothing back huh?" Mike said sarcastically as they closed the coolers
"Shut up, come on let's go," Kyler said as both teens grabbed a cooler and walked to the entrance of the house
Kyler rang the doorbell and both teens waited a few seconds until a brunette girl opened the door and smiled at both teens
"Kyler hi," The brunette said with a smile on her face
"Hey Sam," Kyler answers and Mike's eyebrow twitched in annoyance
"Hey Mike, how are you? Jesus is like I don't exist," Mike said in annoyance and Sam laughed a little
"Hey Mike, you guys are early," Sam said and Mike looked at Kyler with a raised eyebrow and the teen just told him to shut up with his eyes
"We just wanted to help a little, that's all," Kyler said and Sam chuckle
"Well then follow me guys," Sam said as she directed them to the backyard where the pool was
"We just wanted to help a little that's all," Mike said in a cheeky voice and Kyler sent him a glare
They arrived at the backyard and there were two women in their bikinis, one was a blond, blue-eyed girl and the other was a brunette girl with brown eyes
"Princess," Mike said nodding his head at the blond girl who gave him a smile in return "Moonshine," Mike said cheekily as the brunette chuckled a little
"Hi Mike," Moon said walking forward and giving Mike a little hug "Did you do something to your hair?" Moon asked as Mike looked up
"Not really, why does it look bad?" Mike asked touching his hair but another hand swatted his hand away
"Don't touch it, for once it makes you look cute," Yasmine said and Mike blinked at her
"Um thanks, new tattoo?" Mike said looking at her hand as Yas gave him a slight chuckle
"Henna, just a little for the party," Yasmine said as Mike nodded "Why are you here so early Mike?" Yasmine asked and Mike chuckled and pointed at Kyler and Sam who were talking far away from them
"Aked the Lover boy over there, brought me here for the ride I guess," Mike said chuckling as both girls shook their heads
"Well, then pretty boy, I guess you're on duty now," Yasmine said, and Mike raised an eyebrow
"Pretty boy?" Mike asked with a smirk noticing the blush on Yasmine's face
"Shut up, just help us move everything around," Yasmine said as she pointed at the pool room with all the stuff from the party "Chop chop," Yasmine said and Mike sighed putting his beer on top of the cooler
"Got to say, this bossy nature of you is pretty hot," Mike said to her as he walked to the pool room missing the massive blush on Yasmine's face and the quiet chuckling of Moon
Sometime later Larusso's house
"Dude, I don't get it, why are you here staring at her when you could just go talk to her," Mike said munching on an empanada
"Dude is all about the eyes I tell you, let them know you want them without telling them nothing," Kyler said and Mike shook his head as he finished his empanada and started walking towards the girls "Where are you going?" Kyler asked
"To talk to them obviously duh," Mike said as he approached the girls "Strike first," He whispered under his breath as he swam next to Yasmine
"Ladies, why are you up here so lonely," Mike said with a smirk on his face as he exited the pool and took a seat next to Yasmine
"Maybe we just didn't want to be next to some people," Yasmine said with a smirk looking at Mike who just chuckle
"You wound me, princess," Mike said putting a hand on his chest sarcastically "I know you love me, deep down obviously," Mike said as Yasmine chuckled and placed herself next to Mike and ran her fingers through his neck
"You're a piece of work, Takahashi," Yasmine said as Mike placed his arm around her waist both missing the looks Moon and Samantha shared.
"You set up quite the party Larusso," Mike said with a smirk on his face
"Yeah, Yasmine was right, this is so much fun," Samantha said and Yasmine chuckled placing her hand on Mike's chest
"Told you," Yasmine said "Always better to be the one throwing the party," Yasmine said and Mike chuckled "And Kyler's been eye-banging you all day," Yasmine said as Samantha looked at Kyler and the guy smiled at her making Samantha blush and giggle
"She's not wrong, lover boy's been talking about you all day," Mike said and Sam's smile grew wider
"Way to throw your boy under the bus," Yasmine said chuckling and Mike looked at her
"If I don't say anything they'll just keep making googly eyes at each other for the rest of their lives, sides he aint my boy" Mike whispered, and Yasmine chuckled as she rested her head on his shoulder
"You still both don't like each other," Yasmine said looking up at him
"Hard to like someone that used to beat you up," Mike said as Yasmine blinked and then sighed
"Right I forgot sorry," Yasmine said as Mike tightened the hug and looked down at her eyes
"It's fine, say, has anyone told you that you have beautiful eyes?" Mike asked and Yasmine chuckled
"Does that really work for you?" Yasmine said and Mike smiled at her as both teens didn't notice how close they were to one another
"You tell me," Mike whispered cheekily as Yasmine looked into his eyes and smiled
"Hey Rory," Moon said bringing the attention of everyone to her "Make that flip again, I want to get it for my channel," she said as she started recording the flip, Mike look up intending to get a good look at the flip and then his eyes picked something interesting
"Hey Sam," Mike said gaining the attention of the brunette "Isn't that your dad?" Mike asked as Sam looked at where he was looking and her eyes winded
"Hey, hey, hey what the hell is going on here?" Daniel Larusso, Samantha's dad said as he entered the pool area and saw a bunch of kids playing around
"Busted," Yasmine said chuckling as Mike just shook his head as he helped Yasmine get out of the pool
"Is he wearing my bathing suit?" Daniel said pointing at Mike who looked down and chuckled nervously "Wait are all you guys wearing my bathing suits?" Daniel said pointing to all the guys
"I guess this is a bad time to tell him I'm a big fan huh?" Mike said to Yasmine who just chuckled and leaned in his embrace as he put his arm around her waist
"Guess the party's over huh?" Mike said as he approached the sulking Samantha
"Yeah sorry about that guys," Sam said, and Mike chuckle
"Don't be, a party that was busted is a great party," Mike said as the girls chuckled "Want some help cleaning up?" Mike said looking around
"No, I got it don't worry," Samantha said, and Mike nodded
"Hey Takahashi, let's go!" Kyler said and Mike nodded
"See you around girls," Mike said looking at Moon and Samantha "Princess," Mike said nodding at Yasmine who smiled at him, and her eyes trailed behind his retreating form
"Someone has a crush," Moon said teasingly, and Yasmine scoffed and rolled her eyes
"Shut up Moon," Yasmine said as the girls laughed
Next day All Valley High school
Mike was eating in the cafeteria while taking some notes in his notebook and listening to some rock music when he felt someone sitting next to him
"Moonshine, what a lovely surprise," Mike said taking off his earphones as he saw the brunette sitting next to him
"What are you doing?" Moon asked with a raised eyebrow
"Doing Mr. Jackson's homework, got a GPA I have to maintain you know," Mike said with a smirk and Moon chuckled
"Mike, actually, can you?" Moon started to say nervously, and Mike nodded
"You know you don't have to ask, what can I do to help?" Mike said as Moon brought out a notebook and placed it between the two of them
"It's chemistry, I just don't get it," Moon said as Mike looked at the notebook
"Nice handwriting, pretty neat," Mike noticed making Moon smile as he started explaining the problems to Moon
Over the other side of the cafeteria, Miguel was trying to figure out where to sit until he found a table with two people on it
"Is it cool if I sit here?" Miguel asked nervously
"Sorry," a black-haired skinny teen said "Table's really blowing up right now, I can put you on the wait list but it's probably going to be next semester at the earliest," The teen said and Miguel nodded
"Okay, then," Miguel said walking away
"No, I'm kidding," The teen said with a smile on his face "Sit," he said and Miguel took a seat next to a brown-haired boy
"Miguel," Miguel said introducing himself
"Dimitri," The sarcastic teen from earlier said "This is Eli," Dimitri said pointing to the brown-haired boy who just nodded "He's a man of few words," Dimitri said, and then their eyes looked back when they saw Yasmine, and Samantha walking by
"Dude don't torture yourself," Dimitri said as he saw Miguel looking at the girls "Those are the rich girls," Dimitri said
"Do you ever talk to them?" Miguel said
"Oh yeah, all the time!" Dimitri said sarcastically "We hang out after school, make out, and give each other hand jobs," Dimitri said sarcastically and Miguel rolled his eyes
"Eli here is the homecoming king," Dimitri said pointing at the brown-haired teen "Gets laid more than anyone, isn't that right Eli?" Dimitri said sarcastically.
"Talk to them?" Dimitri scoffed "You realize what table you're sitting at right?" Dimitri asked rhetorically "You've pretty much signed away all hopes of losing your virginity before college," Dimitri said Miguel rolled his eyes and then he noticed a familiar scarred teen
"Do you guys know him?" Miguel asked pointing with his head at the scarred teen
"Oh that's Mike, he used to be bullied like us, because of his scar, until he snapped and beat the shit out of his bullies, and now they leave him alone," Dimitri said and Eli smiled
"He's a badass," Eli said with a smile on his face
While that conversation was happening Yasmine and Samantha took a sit where Moon and Mike were sitting, Yasmine took a seat next to Mike while Sam sat next to Yasmine
"What are you doing?" Yasmine said as she saw Mike and Moon talking to each other.
"I'm helping Moonshine with her chemistry work," Mike said "So, is all about balancing the elements, making sure that both sides have the same number of atoms and that's it," Mike said and Moon nodded
"Thank you so much, Mike, I just have a lot of problems understanding this," Moon said, and Mike chuckle
"It's alright Moon, just because we have problems with something that doesn't make us useless," Mike said and Moon smiled
"Hey Mike," Yasmine said gaining the attention of the scarred teen
"Yeah?" Mike said turning around
"Can you help me with my math homework?" Yasmine asked with a smile on her face and Mike chuckled
"Only if you ask nicely," Mike said putting his hand on the chair that Yasmine was seated on
"Hey, that kid sitting with the nerds, why is he staring at you?" Moon asked as Mike looked at her and saw where she was looking and saw Miguel sitting with Eli and Dimitri
"Oh, I know him, he goes to this new Karate dojo I joined," Mike said while looking at Miguel and then waved at him "He's a good kid, a bit of a dork if I'm being honest," Mike said with a chuckle
"You joined a Karate Dojo?" Samantha asked with curiosity in her voice
"Yeah, I practice Karate for a while and I felt I was getting rusty, figure I get back to it," Mike said and Yasmine looked at him with a smirk
"So, what do you do there?" Yasmine asked with curiosity
"I take names and kick ass," Mike said with a cheeky smile and putting his fist up as Yasmine rolled her eyes and shoved the face of Mike back
"You're such an idiot," Yasmine said and Mike laughed "Besides look at that kid, the one who looks like he went down a lawnmower?" Yasmine said as they looked at Eli who nervously put his hand on his scar
"He's wearing the ugliest sweater I've ever seen," Yasmine said and the group chuckled
"Be nice Yas," Mike said putting a hand on her neck
"Why do you always defend him?" Yasmine asked in curiosity
"Us scar heads need to stick together," Mike said with a smile but then sighed "Shame he just drop his head and take everyone's shit," Mike said with a frown on his face
"What do you mean?" Samantha asked in curiosity
"I mean, it's a bad scar but it's going to be there always no matter what he does, so you just have to push forward so they can't hurt you because of it," Mike said as he rubbed his scar while saying that "Took me a while to figure that out myself," Mike said and then he felt someone touching the back of his head
"If it's of any consolation, I think that scar makes you look like a badass," Yasmine said and Mike smiled fondly at her
"Speaking of which, check out Fug-Lisha," Yasmine said as they looked at Aisha "She looks like she ate a picnic table," Yasmine said and they chuckle
"Jesus, she really needs a makeover," Mike said and Yasmine chuckled "Maybe you should do that, like a She's all that type of shit," Mike said to Yasmine and she scoffed
"I won't touch that even if you offer me a million dollars," Yasmine said and Mike shook his head in exasperation
"You're so mean," Mike said chuckling "I love it," Mike said and Yasmine laughed and then he saw Miguel walking towards them while looking at Sam "Oh look at this, someone's looking at you Larusso," Mike said with a smirk as Sam looked back and saw Miguel walking towards them
"The kid has a death wish," Yasmine said while chuckling.
"The kid has balls, that's what it is," Mike said with a smile as he saw Miguel walking towards them.
Miguel kept walking towards the table but stopped when a big man slammed himself on the table and took a seat.
"Jesus Brook, what the hell is your problem," Mike said as he avoided his food spilling out.
"Shut up Takashi," Brook said and Mike glared at him
"What was that?" Mike said glaring at the jock and Brook gulped in fear "Yeah, that's what I thought," Mike said under his breath "Fucking retard," Mike grumbled in his native tongue as he saw Kyler seating next to Sam
"What's up beautiful?" Kyler said to Samantha as he then noticed Miguel standing in front of their table and he looked at him in confusion and then smirked and waved at him, Miguel looked at Mike and the Japanese teen tilted his head in curiosity, waiting to see what he would do
Miguel dropped his head and went back from where he came from as Mike sighed "What a shame," Mike said as he looked at the retrieved form of Miguel
"Bye, Rhea!" Brook said and raised an eyebrow at Nate as he looked at Kyler
"Wait a minute, Rhea?" Mike said pointing at Miguel and Kyler nodded "Holy shit what a small world," Mike said while chuckling
"You know him?" Kyler asked with a raised eyebrow
"Maybe," Mike said with a smile on his face "Let's just say I'm looking forward to what that kid would do," Mike said with a wide smirk on his face and Kyler looked at him in confusion
"You're so weird Takahashi," Yasmine said and Mike's smirk dropped
"Yas, don't ruin my fun," Mike whined, and the blond girl laughed as the group kept chatting with each other
Cobra Kai Dojo sometime later
"In my defense, when I met you, I didn't know those guys beat your ass," Mike said as he kept stretching on the mat
"I just can't believe you're friends with those guys," Miguel said in irritation
"Hell no, I can't stand those fuckers," Mike said while chuckling "I'm friends with the girls, not the guys, we just have a cease-and-desist agreement with one another," Mike said with a chuckle.
"Okay fall in," Johnny said entering the dojo and standing in front of and then he noticed the frown on Miguel's face "What's the problem, Mr. Diaz?" Johnny asked in curiosity
"Nothing sensei," Miguel said and Mike scoffed
"Yeah right," Mike said "He's mad that I know the guys who kick his ass," Mike said and Miguel glared at him
"You know those punks?" Johnny asked in curiosity
"Yeah, they use to make fun of me, I beat their asses, now they don't," Mike said "Simple as that," he said in full seriousness
"At least you could have my back on the cafeteria," Miguel grumbled
"Look man, some battles we need to fight them by ourselves, if I help you sure we could beat those guys," Mike said "But then you'll always depend on me, so until you make the first move, you know strike first, I'll do nothing," Mike said and Johnny smiled at him
"Mr. Takahashi is right Miguel, we push forward so nothing pushes us down," Johnny said "Mr. Takahashi follow me, Mr. Diaz 25 crunches, 15 push-ups, and 10 Squats in a series of 3, understood?" Johnny said and Miguel gulped but nodded and started doing the exercises
Johnny walked to his office followed closely by Mike, they entered his office and Johnny took something out of his locker and placed it on the table
Johnny placed a black Gi with a golden symbol of Cobra Kai on its back
"Sensei what's this?" Mike asked in curiosity
"This is your Gi, I've seen your moves, if I give you anything below first dan it would be wrong," Johnny said
"Are you sure, shouldn't be a test or something for this?" Mike asked in curiosity
"Yeah there is, but I can also make that decision based on my judgment, so long as I don't skip any belt we're good to go," Johnny said and Mike smirked
"Well then sensei I don't know what to say," Mike said grabbing the Gi
"Just put it on and meet me on the mat," Johnny said as Mike nodded and went into the bathroom to change
He put his Gi on and tied it with a black belt as he made his way down to the mat but looked at the mirror and sensed that something was missing
He went out and saw Johnny and Miguel standing by a punching dummy and Johnny giving some advice on how to punch
"Hey sensei, think I could get a cool bandana or something?" Mike asked walking into the mat and Johnny chuckled
"Maybe later," Johnny said and then looked at Miguel "Keep practicing," He told Miguel and then he walked to stand in front of Mike
"Now like I told you, you have skill it's only a matter of learning the way of the fist," Johnny said and Mike nodded
"For now, follow my lead," Johnny said as he stood next to Mike and started teaching him some movements
Mike mimicked the kicks and strikes as best he could until a phone rang out and Johnny grabbed something from his pockets
"Keep going, I need to take care of this," Johnny said and Mike nodded
Mike planted his feet on the mat and started bouncing up and down, he then did a roundhouse kick in the air and landed back on his feet as he grumbled in annoyance and kept doing it over and over again
He saw Johnny finishing the call with an annoyed expression on his face and then turned back to look at Miguel "No, you're doing it all wrong!" Johnny exclaimed as he walked to where Miguel was
"Do you want those assholes to keep dumping shit in your head?" Johnny asked sarcastically and Mike stopped what he was doing and looked at the scene with a raised eyebrow
"Though call sensei?" Mike asked cheekily and Johnny glared at him "Right bad joke," Mike said chuckling nervously as he stopped what he was doing and moved closer to Miguel to watch his training
"Do you want all the girls to think you're a wingless dork?" Johnny said seriously and Mike turned to look at Miguel "So you can't stop your training right now and walk outside and let the whole world you're a loser," Johnny said looking at Miguel in the eye
Sensei Lawrance could have worded it better in Mike's opinion but in the end, the sentiment was there, Miguel wasn't trying hard enough
"Or you can plant your feet, look your enemy in the eye, and punch him in the face!" Johnny said screaming the last part
Mike took a step forward, staring at Miguel seriously, waiting to see what he would do
"Picture your enemy," Johnny said as Miguel stared right through the dummy "Alright you have a picture in your mind?" Johnny asked as Miguel nodded
"What are you going to do?" Johnny asked sarcastically as Miguel shouted and struck the dummy in front of him
Mike turned away with a small smile on his face as he listened to Miguel's exercise, he decided to continue with his own, knowing the other kid was on the right path right now
"So this is what sensei has you doing all day?" Mike asked chuckling as he was sitting on top of the mats drinking some energy drink as he saw Miguel cleaning the windows
"Yeah, shut up," Miguel said tired and Mike snorted "Say why aren't you helping?" Miguel asked and the answer didn't come from Mike
"Because he's a First Dan, not a rookie, stop complaining," Johnny said and Mike looked at Miguel with a smirk
"Fine, hey sensei is there a particular way you'd like me to clean these windows?" Miguel asked
"No, I don't a shit, whatever is easiest," Johnny said and Miguel nodded "You know what? Just go clean the toilet and we'll call it a night," Johnny said and Mike chuckled when he saw Miguel groaning
"And do that on your hands and knees," Johnny said as both he and Mike saw Miguel walking to the bathroom
Mike shook his head in amusement and then he heard someone entering the dojo, a familiar person at that
"Uh, sensei, we have company," Mike said as Johnny stepped out of his desk
"Yeah, I heard," Johnny said walking out of his office "Welcome to Cobra Kai," Johnny said but stopped when he saw Daniel standing there
Mike glanced at both adults noticing the tension between them, and suddenly an urge for popcorn invaded his stomach
"Huh, some things never change," Daniel said and Johnny blinked in confusion
"What are you talking about?" Johnny asked in confusion
"I heard that you beat some teenagers down the block," Daniel said as Mike and Johnny's eyes widen
"Ah that, nope I didn't beat any teenagers," Johnny said as Daniel looked at him in confusion "I kick the shit out a bunch of assholes who deserve it," Johnny said and Mike stood up from the mats
He could see that Mr. Larusso clearly didn't like Sensei Lawrance and he prepared himself to intervene if needed
"Oh wow, Johnny Lawrence calling others an asshole, that's rich," Larusso said and Johnny narrowed his eyes at him
But Mike knew now that he better say something before things got words, so he cleared his throat and gained the attention of both adults "Hi sorry for meddling in, but I think there seems to be a bit of miscommunication here," Mike said and Daniel narrowed his eyes at him
"You were at my house, you are friends with my daughter aren't you?" Daniel asked in curiosity and Mike nodded
"Yeah, we're not that close but yeah," Mike said as Johnny narrowed his eyes at him "Anyway, this teen, the one who told you, did he have a bruise on his left eye? An Asian teen perhaps?" Mike asked rhetorically
"Yes," Daniel said simply as Mike nodded and looked at Johnny
"Sensei, I think is best if we bring Miguel out here," Mike said as Johnny looked at him then sighed and walked away
"So, um, there was always something I wanted to ask you, Mr. Larusso," Mike said as Daniel blinked at him "Your commercial, when you mention the Japanese terms, where did you get all those terms?" Mike asked in curiosity
"My sensei, Mr. Miyagi, he taught me Karate a while ago, to fight against this dojo," Daniel said and Mike tilted his head "He was from Okinawa," Daniel said feeling the need to explain himself further
"Ah Okinawa, beautiful place, my mom was from there, no wonder the name Miyagi sounds familiar," Mike said offhand as Daniel's eyes winded "I will be careful though Mr. Larusso, there's a rise of Asian lineage here in L.A, and one could say that what you're doing is cultural appropriation," Mike said as Daniel blinked in confusion but he couldn't dig further as Johnny came back with Miguel in tow
"So, Miguel this is Daniel Larusso, you know from the auto dealership," Mike said cheekily as Miguel nodded confused "Mr. Larusso this is Miguel, he moved here recently, and Kyler and his friends beat the shit out of him right outside because he ratted them out as they were trying to buy some beer," Mike explained as Daneil's eyes widen
"You're kidding right?" Daniel asked in shock and Mike just looked at Miguel
"I don't know Miguel, am I kidding?" Mike asked rhetorically and a little cheekily as Johnny looked at him and Daniel in amusement
"No, that's about right," Miguel asked looking at Johnny for an answer and the blond adult just told him to play along
"There you have it, mister," Mike said as Daniel was out of words "You seem like a good soul, so I'll give you this, Kyler, your daughter's boyfriend, is a bully, sir," Mike said staring at Daniel's eyes
Larusso looked down thinking some things over and then he just walked away from the dojo going through some things in his mind
"You know, you didn't have to tell him all those things, he probably didn't believe you," Johnny said and Mike nodded
"Yeah, I know," Mike said looking at the front door of the dojo "But where I come from, you just don't barge in and disrespect another man's dojo like that," Mike said with a frown on his face
He got attached to this simple new dojo, and now it was his job to protect it, from whoever was against it
End of Chapter 1