A/N: Jason's suspension is over and things are back to normal. But, there's a new face in the dojo. My original plan was for Eli to join Cobra Kai before the cafeteria fight, but I decided against it. So, say hello to Leonard Cole.
(I'm not sure if I've said it already, but the Faceclaim for Jason is Barrett Carnahan and the Faceclaim for Claire is Abigail Breslin. And, I don't really have an actor in mind to play Leonard.)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai or anything else that I might reference.
New Meat
Jason woke up feeling refreshed.
He'd done some shopping on Sunday and kind of just hung around the house all day after that. A lot of that time was spent texting Miguel, Claire, Aisha, Eli, Demetri and even Sam. Because Sam was kind of a part of their group now.
Jason got dressed and grabbed his wallet, phone and keys before walking downstairs.
His suspension was finally over and he was able to go back to school again.
Jason walks into the kitchen and grabs a bowl and a spoon before pouring cereal into the bowl.
He walks into the dining room and sits down at the table.
Jason eats his cereal in relative silence.
When he's finished, he washes the bowl and spoon in the sink before drying them and putting them away.
He hunts around for his backpack afterwards and manages to find it.
Jason puts his shoes on and walks to the front door of the house and opens it before stepping outside and closing it behind him.
He walks over to the Dodge Viper and unlocks it.
Jason opens the door of the car and gets into the driver's seat, putting his backpack on the passenger seat.
He turns on the radio and drives off.
Driving from his house to West Valley shouldn't take too long.
….
Miguel got off his bike and locked it.
He walks into West Valley High and sees Jason walking in as well.
"Hey Miguel!" Jason sounds cheerful.
Miguel looks at him. "Hi, Jason. It must feel pretty good to be back, right?"
"Hell yeah. Is everybody else here?" Jason asks.
Miguel nods. "I think so. They're probably waiting for you."
"Awesome." Jason grins.
They keep walking until they see Claire, Aisha, Demetri, Eli and Sam.
Claire almost runs into Jason's arms and he catches her.
They separate and Aisha gives Jason a hug before Demetri and Eli both give him high fives.
Sam gives Jason a pat on the back.
Everybody welcomes Jason back to West Valley High before they disperse.
Demetri, Eli and Aisha go to their respective homeroom classes while Jason and Claire walk to homeroom.
That just leaves Miguel and Sam.
Sam is about to walk to her homeroom class when Miguel stops her.
Miguel quickly says something. "Can I talk to you? I promise it'll be quick."
"Okay. Sure." Sam stops and turns around.
Miguel walks over to her. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime."
"Like a date?" Sam asks.
Miguel nods. "Yeah. I mean, if you want to. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"I'd like that." Sam answers.
Miguel looks relieved. "Great. What day would be the best for you? Friday or Saturday?"
"Saturday." Sam replies.
Miguel lets out a deep breath. "Great. I wasn't sure you'd agree. But I'm happy you did."
"Me too. Well, I'd better get going. See you at lunch." Sam says.
Miguel watches as Sam walks away.
He walks to his homeroom class and sees Jason and Claire standing outside the door along with Moon and other students from their homeroom class.
Jason turns to look at Miguel. "So, what were you talking to Sam about?"
"I asked her out, actually. And she said yes. We're going on a date on Saturday." Miguel replies.
Jason grins. "I knew you'd do it eventually. I didn't think you'd ask her out so soon, though."
"Well, I had to do it at some point. Mainly because I would have been a bundle of nerves if I left it any longer." Miguel answers.
Jason thinks about it. "Yeah. I'm happy for you. I really am."
"That means a lot." Miguel says.
They keep talking until Mrs Peterson arrives and lets them into their homeroom class.
Claire sits beside Moon and Jason sits beside Miguel.
"I forgot to ask you earlier, but have you thought of where you'd go for your date with Sam?" Jason asks.
Miguel shakes his head. "I'm not sure. I'll ask Aisha about stuff that Sam likes and then tell Sam where we're going closer to Saturday."
"That's a pretty good plan, actually." Jason sounds impressed.
Miguel smiles. "Thanks. You think I should tell Sensei that I'm going on a date with Sam?"
"If you want." Jason replies.
Miguel thinks about it. "I probably won't tell him. At least not until it's over."
"Good plan." Jason says.
Miguel is about to say something when Mrs Peterson interrupts. "Diaz, Kreese, do you two have something you want to share with the class?"
"Nope. We're good." Jason replies.
Miguel just nods.
The rest of the time in homeroom goes by pretty quickly.
Everybody just disperses to the classes that they have until lunch.
Miguel and Jason would talk more at lunch, for one thing.
….
Jason gets his lunch and walks over to the table that the group normally sits at.
Sam had been a part of the group for the last two weeks, and she was sitting next to Miguel.
Miguel, Aisha, Demetri and Eli were sitting around the table.
Jason sits down next to Claire.
The day was going pretty well so far.
All the teachers in his various classes were happy that he'd managed to catch up with everybody else over his suspension.
Jason looks up and sees a blonde teenager walking over to the table. The teenager has a flyer for Cobra Kai in one of his hands.
Sam and Aisha kind of recognise who this person is while Claire, Demetri and Eli look on in relative silence.
The teenager comes to a complete stop when he gets to the table.
"Are you the karate guys?" The teenager asks.
Jason nods. "Yeah. Well, some of us are."
"I'm Leonard. Leonard Cole. You might have heard of me, or you know who my dad is. Anyway, I want to join your dojo…" Leonard starts.
Jason looks up at him. "Well, you do have a flyer. And I don't know who your dad is."
"His dad is Tom Cole. Him and Mr LaRusso are both in the car business. And they've been competing for as long as I can remember." Aisha interjects.
Jason takes in this information. "Oh. Well."
"Is your dojo in some strip mall in Reseda?" Leonard asks.
Jason nods. "Yeah. Were you expecting it to be somewhere else?"
"No. It has the address on the flyer. So, I'll be able to find it." Leonard replies.
He takes the flyer and puts it on the table.
Jason takes the flyer. "So, these flyers were good for something?"
"Yeah. One of them got me to join. You're not going to regret this." Leonard says.
Jason shrugs. "Sure. But I'm not the Sensei. I'm just the team captain."
"You're not going to regret this, captain." Leonard remarks.
Jason rolls his eyes. "You already said that."
"Whatever. I'll see you guys later. Well, some of you." Leonard remarks as he walks off.
They eat lunch and talk until the lunch break ends and they head to the classes they have after lunch.
Hopefully Leonard would be the first of many new students in Cobra Kai. Even if his personality took some getting used to.
….
Jason parks the Dodge Viper outside the dojo and gets out of the car.
He notices Claire's Volkswagen Beetle parked in a spot next to where he parked.
Jason sees Miguel, Claire and Aisha waiting outside the dojo.
He walks up to them and leans against a wall near the dojo.
"So, has he showed up yet?" Jason asks.
Miguel shakes his head. "Leonard hasn't shown up yet. And Sensei hasn't arrived yet."
"Guess we'll just have to wait." Jason says.
Claire nods. "Yeah."
"Maybe that's his car?" Aisha points to a black Mercedes – Benz SLR pulling into the empty parking space that Sensei usually parked in.
Miguel looks at the car. "I think it might be."
They watch as Leonard gets out of the car and walks towards them.
"I could have sworn there were more of you. But LaRusso and those other guys you were hanging out with don't go here." Leonard remarks.
Jason leans against the wall. "You're right. They don't."
"So, when do I start breaking boards and all that shit?" Leonard asks.
Miguel answers. "Well, Sensei's going to see where you're at first."
"Like an initiation?" Leonard wonders aloud.
Miguel thinks about it. "I don't think it's going to be exactly like that. But we'll just have to wait and see."
"Cool." Leonard nods.
They stand around talking until they see Sensei's Firebird pull up to the dojo before Sensei circles around and finds a parking space.
Sensei gets out of the Pontiac Firebird and goes to unlock the door of the dojo.
He notices Leonard. "So, you're the new meat, huh? I was hoping there'd be more of you, but I'll just have to take what I can get. Especially if it's just one preppy kid."
Sensei unlocks the door of the dojo and opens it.
He walks into the dojo and closes the door behind him.
Jason opens the door and walks into the dojo followed closely by Miguel, Claire and Aisha.
Leonard enters the dojo a little bit behind them.
"I'm the new student. My name is Leonard Cole, but most people just call me by my first name…" Leonard starts.
Sensei interrupts him. "You will address me as Sensei, Cole. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sensei!" Leonard bows his head.
Sensei walks into his office. "Diaz, Kreese. My office."
Miguel and Jason both walk into Sensei's office.
Sensei sits down behind his desk and takes a Coors Banquet from the fridge.
"So, Cole is supposed to be the newest student in Cobra Kai? He just seems like a preppy kid to me." Sensei takes a drink of his beer.
Jason scratches his head. "He kind of is a preppy kid, Sensei. But his dad is pretty wealthy and you need the money."
"Yeah. But we probably need more students. I had to sublet the dojo to a yoga class just to cover the rent." Sensei finishes his beer.
Miguel speaks up. "So, you don't want us to tell Leonard to leave?"
"He can stay." Sensei replies.
Miguel nods. "Understood."
"Great." Sensei throws away the empty bottle and pushes the chair away from his desk.
Jason and Miguel watch as Sensei walks around before leaving his office.
They follow Sensei out of his office and stand around the main part of the dojo along with Claire, Aisha and Leonard.
Sensei looks around the room before focusing his attention on Leonard. "I've talked it over with my two best, or most senior, students and I've decided to let you stay. But you have to be prepared to be tested in ways you have never been tested before. Are you willing to rise to the challenge?"
"Yes, Sensei!" Leonard exclaims.
Sensei smiles. "Good. Let's get started, then."
They start by doing warmups while Sensei observes.
Or, rather, they do warmups while Sensei observes and shouts words of encouragement at them.
Warmups go by fairly quickly.
Sensei brings out punching bags from the storage area in the dojo.
He looks around the room. "Okay, we've got enough punching bags for the five of you. So, get to it. Especially you, Cole. I want to see if you can actually throw punches and kicks."
Sensei watches as everybody practices their punches and kicks.
It shocks Sensei to learn that Leonard can actually throw punches and kicks.
Everybody practices their punches and kicks until Sensei tells them to stop.
The punching bags get put away and Sensei has the flags used for keeping score in sparring matches.
"I want to see where Cole is at in terms of actually getting into a fight. Which is why it would be a good idea for Kreese to fight him." Sensei says.
Jason and Leonard walk to the centre of the room, while Claire and Aisha stand where they are.
Miguel takes the flags used to score points in sparring matches and stands back a bit.
Sensei and Miguel exchange a glance before Sensei explains things. "Kreese is one of my top students. Which is why I picked him to spar with you, Cole. The rules are fairly straightforward. The first person who gets three points wins. Now, face me and bow. Then face each other and bow. And then you can begin. Obviously."
Jason and Leonard face Sensei and bow before they face each other and bow.
They each get into a fighting stance.
"Are you the Bolo Yeung of Cobra Kai or something?" Leonard asks.
Jason shakes his head. "I wouldn't go that far. But I think I do alright."
"We'll see about that." Leonard taunts.
Jason lets Leonard make the first move. Which is kind of uncharacteristic of him.
Leonard goes to punch Jason, but the punch is blocked.
Jason throws a punch that Leonard manages to block. "Not bad. But there's more to karate than just punching!"
He sweeps Leonard's legs and lands an elbow on his chest.
"Point! Kreese! 1 – 0!" Miguel exclaims, raising the red flag.
Jason helps Leonard up to his feet. "Are you okay? I hope I didn't hit you too hard."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Leonard replies.
Jason gets back into a fighting stance. "Cool."
This time, it's Jason who makes the first move.
He aims a kick at Leonard only for the teenager to block it.
Jason blocks a punch from Leonard and counters.
Leonard blocks the counter and they start circling around each other looking for an opening.
Jason steps forward and aims a punch at Leonard's stomach.
Leonard blocks the punch and tries to land a kick on Jason.
Jason grabs Leonard's leg and manages to pull him forward before kicking him in the stomach.
"Point! Kreese! 2 – 0!" Miguel raises the red flag again.
Leonard gets back into a fighting stance.
Jason slowly gets back into a fighting stance. "Do you still want to keep going? Even though I'm probably going to win?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to give up just because I might lose. That's not Cobra Kai." Leonard answers.
Jason shakes his head. "Fine. Just don't cry when I win."
"I'm not going to cry." Leonard sounded defiant.
Sensei interrupts them. "Are you two going to just stand there talking or are you going to fight?"
Jason and Leonard both nod.
They circle around each other looking for an opening.
Leonard makes the first move by throwing a punch at Jason.
Jason blocks the punch and hits him in the stomach.
"Point! Kreese! 3 – 0! Kreese wins!" Miguel exclaims.
Jason and Leonard watch as Miguel raises the red flag again.
There's a brief pause before Jason extends a hand to Leonard. "You didn't do too badly for a first attempt. But there's always room for improvement."
"Thanks." Leonard shakes Jason's hand.
They face each other and bow before walking back to where they were standing earlier.
Sensei looks at them. "Good work, Kreese. Cole, you did okay but you've got a long way to go. Brown! Robinson! You're up next!"
Claire and Aisha walk to the centre of the room and bow to Sensei before facing each other and bowing.
They watch as Claire and Aisha spar.
It's a closer fight than the one that Jason and Leonard had, which makes it more interesting.
When Claire and Aisha are done sparring, Miguel and Jason spar while Claire holds the two flags.
Training ends soon after that.
Sensei watches the students leaving the dojo before walking back into his office and closing the door behind him.
….
Leonard exchanged phone numbers with Jason, Miguel, Claire and Aisha before leaving.
Claire and Aisha left shortly afterwards.
Miguel looked on as Claire gave Jason a kiss goodbye before she left.
He was looking forward to his date with Sam on Saturday, but he was still feeling kind of nervous about it. At least internally.
"So, what did you think of Leonard? Seeing as you sparred with him?" Miguel asks.
Jason shrugs. "He's got potential. But he's not there yet."
"Yeah. I think he did better than expected." Miguel agrees.
Jason nods. "I think you're right. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you." Miguel says.
Jason watches as Miguel walks to where he locked his bike and unlocks it before cycling away.
He walks over to the Dodge Viper and unlocks it before getting in the driver's seat and turning on the radio.
Jason drives off with the sound of music in his ears.
He wondered if Cobra Kai were going to get new students besides Leonard soon or if Leonard was going to be the only new student for a while.