Chapter 3

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Robby stood in his hotel room later that evening. He had just finished a training session with all three senseis. However, he wasn't quite ready to call it a day yet. The weight of the upcoming event pressed heavily on his shoulders, and he felt like he needed to blow off some steam. He grabbed a small duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder, determination still coursing through him.

As he made his way out the door, he saw Miguel coming his way.

"Hey, man," Miguel said, "Where're you off to?"

"To get back on track," said Robby, "I figured some time in the gym might help. You in?"

"No, I'm good."

There was a moment of silence between the boys. "I'm glad your mom and the baby are ok. It must've been a real scare."

"Yeah, it was. Even on the way there, it felt like we were on that plane forever. All the thoughts running through your mind…"

"Yeah, I can only imagine…"

"Your dad even called on the flight attendant to complain about the in-flight map. He wanted her to tell the captain to fly the plane straight and not slanted," Miguel said, shaking his head.

"What? You serious?" Robby chuckled.

"Dead serious," Miguel said, a small smile came on his face.

"Anyway, it's good to have you back."

"Listen, Robby," Miguel said, his voice now turned serious. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I was coming at you pretty hard before I left."

"Bro, listen. There's nothing you said that I didn't have coming. You were right…I am completely blowing my opportunity to be captain. But not anymore…I got the reality check I need and I'm going to do better for the Team. No more distractions."

"I guess you didn't get lucky with her while I was gone?" Miguel asked.

Robby frowned at the question. "What?"

"Tory," replied Miguel, "Did you get a chance to talk things over?"

"Oh…no, I didn't," Robby said, "Well, no that's a lie. Yes, I did, but I think she's just finding every opportunity she can to avoid coming to terms with what she's doing. But like I said, I'm not going to let it get in the way of doing what we need to do to win."

Miguel nodded and held up his fist. "I believe you."

Robby smiled and bumped his fist with his. "I'll see you later."

Robby pushed open the door to the hotel gym. It was only occupied with a few people, which he was thankful for. He started walking over to the weights, figuring that it'd be a good place to start. He then stopped as he heard a familiar "hyah" coming from the other end of the gym.

He turned to see Zara practicing on a freestanding bag. She was accompanied by two other teammates from her dojo. He couldn't help but become curious at what he saw her do next. He saw her take a plastic water bottle and place it on top of the bag. Robby folded his arms and watched on. With a deep breath, she focused her energy and concentration. With a swift motion, she kicked the bag just strong enough for the bottle to fall over the edge and with a fluid motion, she unleashed a quick and powerful roundhouse kick. Her foot connected perfectly with the bottle causing it to soar into the air. Zara whipped her hair around and grinned at her teammate who clapped for her. Even Robby had to admire her agility and precision.

He settled on the bench and adjusted his grip on the barbell, inhaling deeply to center himself. With each lift, the weight felt lighter, he was getting more in the zone, and the frustration of the past days slowly melted away with each rep. It didn't take him long to break out into sweats. He wanted to feel that burn, as it was like igniting the fire and fury that was once there.

Just as he was fully immersed in his workout and lost in the rhythm, he felt an unexpected shift beneath him. The bar grew heavier and when he opened his eyes, he saw Zara perched on his lap. With a clank, he placed the barbell on the rack to catch his breath. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You don't have to ignore me, you know…" was what she said, giving him a semi-amused look.

Robby shook his head and found his grip on the bar again. With another deep breath, he lifted. "I'm not ignoring. I'm just trying to stay focused."

"And how's that working out for you?"

"It wasn't before," he groaned as the bar landed back on the rack, "but I'll be ready." He sighed and sat up, gently pushing her off his lap. "Mr. Iron Man not training with you?"

"Axel? No, Sensei trains with him one-on-one sometimes," Zara said.

Robby nodded. "By the way, ease up on your training a bit. You're going to make me look bad."

"Ah, so you were watching me," Zara said, with a smile.

"It was kind of hard not to," Robby said, "You made that bottle fly high."

"Why, thank you," said Zara, shuffling her feet. "By the way, I should probably tell you…" she fiddled with the strap of her black alo sports bra.

"What?"

"Nichols, your girlfriend if that's what you're calling her, saw us together. When you were leaving my room."

Robby looked at her for a moment, and then said, "Yeah, I know. She told me. We're not together. Not anymore…"

Zara turned and looked more intently at him. Genuine curiosity was on her face. "Because of—

"—No, no," Robby held up his hand, "Not because of that. It's a lot of stuff…I don't want to get into it."

"Well," Zara started again, "If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

Robby scoffed, "Are you sure that's not fraternizing with the enemy?"

"You weren't asking that the other night, were you?" Zara countered. "Besides, I'm not your enemy. I'm just someone you won't be able to beat. There's a difference…don't you think?"

Before Robby could answer, someone else answered for him.

"—Oh, I don't think so," both his and Zara's face turned to the doorway to see Silver standing there. "Anyone who is against you is always the enemy, Miss Malik. Isn't that right, Mr. Keene? I thought I heard your voice in here."

"What do you want? What are you doing here?" Robby sternly asked. Silver's aura was always a mixture of confidence and danger that would send a shiver up anyone's spine, but Robby never had any problems standing up to him.

"Well, like I was telling Mr. LaRusso," Silver said, coming closer to the pair. "It wouldn't be life without a few surprises. I'm here to support the best."

"Yeah. Sure you are," Robby said with his shoulders straight, "You couldn't beat Miyagi-Do, you couldn't succeed with Cobra Kai, now you're trying to sink your claws into another dojo. Your games are getting old."

"Games?" Silver chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, my dear boy, this is no game. This is about potential. Something that you once had before you decided to waste your time with the wrong crowd." Silver opened his arms, "Come on, we both know what it means to be part of something bigger." He now turned his attention to Zara, who could do nothing, but look on intently.

"Mr. Keene is letting his emotions cloud his judgement," Silver said, his voice smooth like silk but laced with an edge. "The Iron Dragons have some powerful fighters. Under my guidance your true strength could be unlocked. You'll be more than just a fighter. You could be a leader."

Robby's fist clenched, without thinking, he stepped in front of Zara. "Don't," he warned Silver. "You know nothing about true leadership. You manipulate, and you lie, just to get what you want."

Silver chuckled, taking a step back, creating some distance. "You've got the same hot attitude as your father. You always did. But remember, every choice has consequences."

"Is that a threat?" Robby asked with no change in tone.

"No," Silver grinned, "It's a fact." With that, he turned around and headed towards the door. Before exiting, he turned around and said, "Looking forward to working with you, Miss Malik."

Robby ran a hand through his hair, irritation creeping up. Zara stared at the doorway, before turning back to look at Robby.

"Are you alright?" she asked, as he now headed towards the boxing bag. "You really don't like that guy, do you?"

Robby balled up his fists and started going at the bag. "Do yourself a favour and keep your distance from him. At first, he acts all charming and acts like he has your best interests at heart. Who he's really out for at the end is himself."

Zara got behind the bag and held it steady for him. "Almost sounds like a cult following."

"You could say that," Robby said, throwing his fists faster and faster.

"I will say one thing," replied Zara, "I don't need anyone to unlock my 'true strength.'" I do that on my own."

Robby stopped hitting the bag, he stood up straight to catch his breath. "Well, make sure Silver knows that."

Zara now let go of the bag and took a step closer to him. A cute smile crept on her face. "Thank you for the warning." With that, she tiptoed and kissed his cheek. Robby didn't react, he was still serious after his interaction with Silver. Zara gave him her little wave, as she did with people when she was on the mat and walked away.

Little did Robby know, Devon was stood at the side of the door looking on in some shock and confusion.