What if someone with complete knowledge of the Cobra Kai and Karate Kid universe (up until the end of Season 4) was reincarnated in the Cobra Kai world? They affect. Well, just about everything in the Cobra Kai world. No character arc or dynamic is the same mostly. Slow paced generally and starts 1 year prior to Season 1 of Cobra Kai. Endgame Ship: Miguel/Sam. Note: This character has both the memories of their past selves and the new body in which they inhabit.
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Defeat Does Not Exist (Cobra Kai SI)
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fanfiction
MiyazakiFan18
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This fanfic was written over two years ago on an old account I have on fanfic.net. There were two series I wrote stemming from this one fanfic as it became one of the most popular (in terms of followers) on that site. One where the main character chooses Cobra Kai (the first) and the other where the main character chooses Miyagi-Do, the newer one.
I regret the way the first series turned out. The main character was honestly not the best person, and the conflict was contrived and also lacked tension and grit in some areas as a result. Therefore, the rewrite stemmed from wanting to fix flaws in the story, I will also be trying to add in smaller details here and there that explained Lucas (the main character) better in this version. Enjoy.
I regret the way the first series turned out. The main character was honestly not the best person, and the conflict was contrived and also lacked tension and grit in some areas as a result. Therefore, the rewrite stemmed from wanting to fix flaws in the story, I will also be trying to add in smaller details here and there that explained Lucas (the main character) better in this version. Enjoy.
Chapter One
MiyazakiFan18
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Chapter One: LA Not Denver
...
The first thing I realized was that this wasn't my room. Nor my house. Nor my body.
At first, I thought hey, this seems pretty cool. I wasn't poor by any means but I look really rich now. My room was huge, and probably gave a good indication of how wealthy the household was.
I started taking a quick walk around the room and quickly realized that my name. Was not my real name.
Apparently, there were a bunch of trophies around the room of all types. Should help me understand what in the world was going on here.
According to these trophies, someone named "Lucas G. Schwarber" had won medals and trophies in various soccer and writing competitions of all kinds.
Neat. Could I wake up from this very odd, very very weird dream now!? Please.
Why was that name familiar?
I pinched myself. No result.
I punched my arm a bit. No result either.
I walked over to the bathroom connected to my bedroom.
Cool. I didn't recognize my own face. I wasn't as pale in my past life, but I was still pretty pale though. Luckily, I wasn't blonde, just had dark enough brown hair that it was almost black. What a save, because I got a pretty strong "rich blonde" vibe from the entire room and the feeling my name gave me about where I was.
This was the part where I went through enough derealization and freaked out enough to wake up right?
After about two minutes of failing to wake up back in the body of my old self, my real self. I decided that the best course of action would be to test this world to its truest potential.
In a dream, meeting strange people, seeing strange things. That wasn't uncommon. But things like names, tangible immovable locations, and several other things that made it clear what was and wasn't a dream was clear.
So it was then when I decided to start looking at whatever I could for where the hell I was.
My room was completely bare for any pictures. I didn't even have any sort of school ID I could find.
I began to walk around the house until I found a very interesting picture framed in easily one of the richest looking living rooms I could find.
Below the picture was the label "The Mills Schwarbers."
There was me, or, this very strange version of myself I didn't recognize with this odd family in front of a giant lake. And a very small blonde girl, and a man with curly hair and a beard standing next to.
I squinted at the picture.
A strange version of Elisabeth Shue? It looked like her. But I got the very odd feeling it just wasn't her.
Was that supposed to be Ali Mills!?
Hold on a second.
I walked back upstairs to the bedroom and was able to find my phone.
Sure enough, the time zone was Denver, Colorado's local time.
I had been transported somehow into an off screen world in the Cobra Kai universe most likely.
...Why!? And how?
"Luuuke!? Luuke!?" I heard someone call downstairs.
I opened the door to my bedroom and walked downstairs.
The same little girl from the picture was standing there, wearing pigtails. She looked no older than ten.
"Have you seen my ballet slippers? I think mom said they'd come in a package or something by this afternoon."
Think man. Think. What was her name?
As a fan of the Cobra Kai series I had seen the show. Specifically the second season twice mostly, but I had to specifically remember what Ali said her daughter's name was.
A-Annie? Amy!? It started with an A!
"I. Don't know. A?"
"Why are you calling me A?" she asked strangely.
"Short for the rest of your name."
She shook her head. "That's just. Weird."
I heard a door slam from what must've been this house's garage. "Ah! Ms. Ava!" A housekeeper appeared with an extremely thick Belarussian or Lithuanian accent something of the type.
She handed 'Ava' a brown box. "Your dance shoes just arrived in mail."
"Thank you!" Ava got them and ran off.
"And Mr. Lucas," she said in the same incredibly thick accent. "Both Doctor Gregory and Doctor Ali are vurking in hospital until tomorrow six AM. They wanted to give you this. Come come."
The housekeeper led me over to a big refrigerator where a very elegant cake had a big 14 candle sticks and blue frosting.
"They promised to buy you big car for sixteenth birthday hm? Only two more years and you von't have to worry about riding bicycle."
I rode a bicycle? Parents this rich and they couldn't buy me an electric scooter or something?
"Your accent. Is it Russian or-"
"Silly boy. Always forget." she chuckled. "Latvian."
"O-Okay."
A part of me genuinely wanted to just run away and hide from how strange this all was. But even if it was just a very surreal and odd dream, I didn't want to wake up.
I was rich.
...
But I wasn't happy.
While I remembered what my old life was like, I remembered my new ones, ish.
Lucas, or, me. Was a kid who had everything, except for friends, and family. Ali wasn't a bad mother by any means, just very very busy, she ran an important pediatric wing with her husband, my father Gregory Schwarber.
Ava, my younger sister was into ballet. None of them were in the house.
I lived on my own basically, I had pretty much my entire life.
My family were also over-acheivers, and by over, I mean wow.
It led me to believe only one thing in this world would give me acclaim of any sort in this life. To build friends beyond this cold city of Denver:
Karate. And it just so happened I already did it for about two years right before I was dropped into this new life.
...
I enjoyed every amenity the house offered. I lost myself.
It was the 17th of May 2016 now. I didn't care, I was richer than I had ever been. According to my schedule I was already done with school, probably had finished a bit early.
I went swimming in a very large indoor lap pool. Ordered my housekeeper around for whatever I damn well pleased.
I could get used to this.
I didn't care about the implications of this world. About anything. I just wanted to forget. It wasn't really my fourteenth birthday, but you know what? Sure it was. Why not?
I found some old mixtapes and CD's in my parent's bedroom in an old box labeled 'Ali's 80s stuff' and blasted 80s music in the backyard on an old boombox I found.
It was summer already, it had come a bit early this year. It was great. I was a fourteen year old kid again in a very rich home now.
Whoo. This was fun.
I sipped a specially prepared vanilla milkshake, played video games in a huge special digital media room.
All summer just like this. This was awesome. I forgot how awful and strange this all felt.
Someone cut the music.
"How many times did I tell you to not go through my things honey?"
I turned around pausing my game of the Last of Us. Supposedly, this was my mother. Ali Mills from the original Karate Kid film.
"Hi." I said.
She frowned. "Hi." she crossed her arms.
I just realized what I was blasting the music on. The boombox that started it all.
"It's a um." I cleared my throat. "A great machine."
"It's. From before your time. Just please don't get it out again. It was stored for a reason." she said as if it gave her bad memories.
I looked at her. "Right. Uh, why are you here I thought you were still working?" She was a doctor, very nice catch man. Way to pay attention.
"I just had to get a few things before I was needed back in the clinic." she muttered. "Um. Luke. I get that you like your video games and your privacy. But I think it'd be best if you tried to make some friends this summer. Socializing is not really your thing. I get that. But spending a whole summer indoors or messing around out by the pool house. It's not best for you."
I looked at Ali again. I get she meant well, but this was literally not my life nor my body technically. I could do whatever I damn well wanted.
Yeah. Very mature dude.
I cleared my throat. "Look. I'm on a soccer team right. And some sort of writing club?"
"Of course but. Honey, you don't spend much time at all with your friends from there or really seem to have any. High school starts in just a few months for you. Take it from me, friends make everything better.
I had an idea. Mostly because there was only one real person I could interact with in any meaningful or interesting manner in all of Denver and I was currently talking to her.
"What if I went to LA to make more friends. And spent all of high school over there? Maybe I could have way better luck with friends?"
Ali was surprised. "What. What wi-. Why?"
I spoke much how this kid would instead of well, myself, not to draw suspicion. "Don't I have grandparents over there? What if I stayed with them?"
"I haven't talked to Mom or Dad in a few months. I don't know how they'd feel about me sending you over there to live with them out of the blue."
"We're rich. They're rich I'm sure. Think they could handle it."
"Luke they haven't talked to you since you were about. Eleven. Twelve? Where is this LA idea coming from?"
"Well you're from there right? What's so bad about LA?"
Ali sighed, placing her hand on the boombox. "Did I ever tell you the story about this radio?"
"No."
I'm pretty sure I knew the entire story. But I was still interested.
"An old boyfriend of mine from high school named Johnny broke another one I had. One night. As an apology. He bought another one for me."
"That sounds really sweet of him."
Bet dating Daniel at the time instead of Johnny probably hurt his chances of getting back into her good graces.
"There is a lot. A lot of really old, really messy history in Los Angeles honey. Just, talk to your friends more. Set something up."
The friends I'd make in LA are one million times more interesting I swear Ali. I mean. Mom? Weird to say.
"Let's make a deal alright? I spend one year in LA. From this summer to next. I come back with no friends or as many good friends as I have now. I stay here."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm your mother and I'm deciding for you."
I sighed. "Look. All you got me for my fourteenth birthday was a cake. And look at our house."
"Well what do you want?"
"The one thing money can't buy. Real, cool, fun, friends."
"Denver's fun honey. No different than LA."
"No. Plenty different. I promise. Just give me this one chance."
Ali pursed her lips. "I'm not saying it couldn't be healthy for you to give a new city a chance. But there's nothing in LA left for me but bad memories. And really old, stupid, history."
"There's family there."
"Mom and Dad are great people. They were great parents to me, and to you, good grandparents in the time you've known them. But I'm not sending you halfway across the country just to make some friends."
"I'll keep perfect grades. I'll make sure I'm ready for any med school or college or whatever. Just one. Single year. One year. I promise you won't regret it."
"No Luke. I. I have to go." Ali turned around. "My shift at the clinic starts in thirty minutes."
I spoke out, not knowing what else to say. "I know about Johnny Lawrence. And Daniel! And the tournament, and everything about them."
She stopped.
Should I have not said that? Probably.
Ali turned around and looked at me. "How do you know about all that? I never told you a thing."
"Um. A-Ava told me?"
"I never told Ava either. Start talking. Luke." she said coldly. "Do not. Lie to your mother. Again."
Shit. The box. Yes, the box of 80s junk, I think I saw a photo album or something. A yearbook!
"I pieced it together. Johnny was your boyfriend, then Daniel your next right? There's a picture of you and some old guy, and Dan at this tournament. You can see Johnny competing in the background in one of the pictures. Made too much sense."
"Pieced it together? That's an awful lot to piece together. I never even told Dan's name."
"You're a beautiful woman and you lived in the Hills. Plus, think he signed your old yearbook and his picture and name were there too. I'm sure back in the 80s guys probably started fistfights over you every three minutes."
Ali frowned. "You know what. Fine. Spend one summer. No. One month over there and you'll see it's no different than here at home at all. Or worse, you'll see how immature, nonsensical, and crazy everyone is. You'll be begging to come back home. Then we'll see what exactly you pieced together."
"So. That's it. I'm. Moving to LA?"
"I'll call Dad in a few hours. If he agrees, I'll have Elena pack your bags and you can say your goodbyes to Ava and I in the morning."
"Really?"
Ali did not look happy at all despite her giving me exactly what I asked for. "Greg and I spoil you far too much. It's time you learned that getting what you ask for might not be what you really wanted. I shouldn't allow a boy of fourteen to live hundreds of miles away from me. But you want to learn what LA's like so badly? What the people are like? I promise you, they are no different than here at all. Remember Luke. This is what you asked for."
...
Sure enough, Ali handed me the ticket for the plane to LAX the following morning.
Greg apparently was such a shitty father he couldn't be bothered to say goodbye to his own son despite probably not seeing him for months. Neat, probably why Ali divorced him.
My blonde little sister spoke up at the front door of our whole mansion. "When you're gone. Can I have your room? I need the space to practice."
"Ava, you already have a personal dance studio," Ali said crossly before turning to me. "I'll miss you sweetie."
We hugged, and still in her arms, Ali sighed. "I just want you to know that because you want this so badly I'll allow you to go. I'll write, text, email. Anything. I'll miss you so much, honey. This is an important lesson. I just sometimes spoil you too much."
I smiled, despite her not being my real mother, I appreciated this a great deal. "Thanks mom."
She kissed me on the forehead and I was off.
...
The flight from Denver to LAX wasn't too long. I was flown first class of course. I watched Road House, good film to get in the mood besides things like Iron Eagle, Rocky, or Bloodsport maybe.
I got off the plane, and a man in a blue suit and had as part of a uniform was waiting for me holding a sign with my new name on it.
"Ah. Mr. Schwarber. Right this way of course."
He helped me get my bag and drove me to yet another mansion.
Damn, it was nice to be this rich.
"Luke!"
My grandparents looked just how I expected them to. They were Ali's parents from the original Karate Kid film, just much older.
They showed me around for a bit, generally very nice and calm people. They were really old though, so they completely left me to myself as a house servant unpacked my clothes for me from my bags.
I flopped on the bed for my new bedroom.
Nice.
Now I was home. Finally, I was where I was meant to be.
Far away from that useless and boring city of Denver, to the best place to be right now.
It was no coincidence I was reborn into a character with basically no impact at all on the Cobra Kai series outside of a name drop. The universe was trying to tell me to do something. So I went for it.
I liked pretty much every character in the Cobra Kai series. Even really annoying characters like Anthony or Stingray were redeemed to some extent or at least written competently.
I could save Miguel from a decent bit of bullying by probably walking a few blocks around Encino and finding Kyler to punch him in the jaw or something at some point. Save him from a potential coma, that through the butterfly effect could be fatal.
The butterfly effect. Wow. For all I knew Miguel wasn't even born in this world nor ever moved from Riverside to Reseda. I think he was, but just this one flight from LA to Denver could change who knows how many things.
I had an entire year until Johnny Lawrence reopened Cobra Kai, which I did ultimately see as inevitable. Even if Miguel never got bullied, Johnny would need a source of income. And broke, alcoholic, and with no other marketable skills besides karate, a dojo of any kind would be his only way to make a living.
Eli Moskowitz, Demetri, Sam LaRusso. I by no means had to save them from any bullying. A decent bit they brought on themselves, only after Kyler though, all three of them to an extent made enemies by their own accord after getting involved karate.
My plan was simple. I had one year more or less, until Johnny reopened Cobra Kai or at least started looking for any sort of employment outside of being well, unemployed.
I had no desire to open Cobra Kai up early. That was both foolish of me as well as pretty dangerous considering both Johnny and Daniel were in town and would wonder what in the world was going on.
Besides, the only two people who could help me in that regard weren't. The best of people.
John Kreese and Terry Silver. I liked their characters, despite how psychotic they both were. But no one could use them, they used people. And to an extent at least, I wanted what they offered. Strength. Glory. Power.
They were cruel and very damaged men whose only therapy for them was turning teenagers into karate soldiers.
But they had a very fun 'old man' charm that I think the show nailed for me. I actually really wanted to meet them.
I started to write down a list on some paper I found in my room of where everyone was and what I wanted to do.
Johnny Lawrence. Deadbeat dad most likely or a drunk. Works as a handyman for a year and then probably gets fired. Mostly incompetent man, able to win a tournament. Good for much else? Don't know.
Daniel LaRusso. Possibly exploit to learn Miyagi-Do? Would make my karate pretty strong to do what Robby did by combining both for a year. Need time to consider.
Terry Silver. Let him rest dude. Let him enjoy his tofu parties and ad campaigns for mindfulness.
Kreese. Who knows!? Maybe a homeless shelter or an alleyway somewhere? Nowhere too different than where he was in canon.
Out of all of the 'Senseis' I could've had, Kreese was by far the most useful. He was far, far more broke than Johnny not to mention he was right about a decent portion of what he taught. He could be used most easily by me.
Why? Because sure I was rich now, but hell, I had no family. My new grandparents were the ones who raised Ali, the mother who had given me a life driven purely by merit and success, not really love I suppose even if she wasn't the worst mother.
If I was smart enough about it. I could really walk away unstoppable here, with friends I could earn of all sorts, and almost universal acclaim in karate.
Chozen Toguchi was probably the next Mr. Miyagi from all I knew. But Okinawa made him damn near unreachable. Plus he'd have no reason to train me unless I doused him with my family's really fat stacks of cash.
What I wanted was to spend the next three All Valley tournaments winning it. I'd be a legend. I'd hold an All Valley record for most personal championship wins. No one, not even Johnny won more than two.
At fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen, I'd basically be on par in the karate world above Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso. Having myself on the posters and banners down at the All Valley sports arena. Man. That was the most I could get from being placed in this world.
And man did I want it, I didn't see very many reasons not to do so right now.
As Robby Keene said, and he was right. It didn't matter how someone fought as long as it worked. And, it was clean.
I leaned off my bed and got onto the massive amount of space I had around my room, I had to try something.
In my previous life I spent a year and a half doing boxing, and a year and a half doing both sport and traditional Shotokan styles of Karate-do. I had to see if my memories translated over to my new body.
First form, Heian Shodan.
I did a low block with my fore arm and did a reverse punch to the body. Huh. At least I still remembered some of the basics.
I didn't remember any of the next. But that reflex, how to strike, my karate fighting stance. It was still there.
Let's go then.
Had to find a Sensei. The Sensei.
...
"Hi. Is there a uh. John Kreese here?"
The short lady at the front desk gave me a look.
"Hello?"
"Is he family or something? This is a homeless shelter honey."
"Please. Is he here?"
She gave a sigh and checked a clipboard, she turned a page over.
"No."
"Thanks."
I crossed the first off my list.
LA had about fifteen homeless shelters on the outskirts of Reseda, Sylmar, and Pacoima.
I was about to give up actually. On my ninth try, I finally struck gold. Or so I thought.
"Hm. John Kreese? Yeah."
I smiled. "Really? He's here?"
"No. He hasn't been seen in over a week."
"Well where can I find him?"
She gave me a 'Really' look.
"Boy, this look like the kinda place you can reliably find anybody? Go back home. This place. This place ain't for you."
I sighed. "What room is he assigned?"
"He was assigned room 5C. Second floor, left side corridor. Someone might already be in there. He usually kicks them out flat on they asses when he catches them. Take this."
She handed me a visitor sticker.
"Thank you." I said putting it on my shirt.
I walked upstairs.
Everyone gave me weird looks. Guess I really was too well dressed to be walking around homeless shelters.
I looked at Kreese's room from the outside. Yup. This was his alright. The proud and large American flag on the wall, the small little picture of who I knew to be Kim Sun Yung. Luckily no one was already there.
"You lost kid?"
I turned around. A grubby looking man with a thick beard was looking at me, eating an apple.
"No. No I'm just looking for someone." I said, inspecting the picture he kept of the 70s green beret from the original Cobra Kai dojo I know Martin Kove probably kept in real life.
"You look awful young to be shaking down po' men like John for cash."
I sighed. "Do you know him?"
He chuckled. "He's pricklier than a porcupine. Everyone knows him. No one likes him. What the hell could you want with him?"
I laughed. "None of your business."
"I see a kid snooping around a man's room. It's my business. Next thing I know you could be snooping around my stuff."
I sighed. Had to use one of the many, many perks of being rich.
"Here's ten bucks. Go get yourself some cigarettes or. Whatever. I was never here."
"Dang. A'ight son. For sure." he took it and walked away.
I spent an hour waiting for him. Then another one.
I started to do pushups in his room I started to get so bored. On my knuckles, my knuckles, yeah.
Then I started to do the first kata. Heian Shodan.
I decided to go back out into the hall.
...
"How are you- Oh. I forgot, they said I might have a visitor still here. Didn't mention it was a kid."
He must've noticed I probably looked like I turned fourteen yesterday.
"Well son." John Kreese said quietly. "You've got about four seconds before I slam the door in your face. Not in the mood at all for a conversation right now."
Just like Ali. He looked exactly like Martin Kove. But he just wasn't him. I couldn't explain it, it was so so surreal.
"I'm sorry. I um. I've been looking for you and I wanted to talk to you?"
"For the thirtieth time. I don't want to join the Jehovah's witnesses! Now get out of here!" he roared. Kreese raised a finger. "This may be a homeless shelter. But I don't like people who don't belong here at all. I won't repeat myself."
Why were all my clothes were like designer or so neat and rich looking? Had to get some different clothes now that I was in LA.
"Look um," I said. "Does the name Ali Mills ring any bells for you?"
"Of course it does. But I haven't heard that name in over thirty years. You might be wearing a visitor's pass. But right now you're not making yourself clear." Kreese approached me. He wasn't incredibly intimidating but still was a bit. "You better explain who you are. And what you want. Really fast son."
"I figured out my mom's past here in this city." A technical lie. Ali was my biological mother, but until yesterday I had never met her. "I know what you used to be. I figured it out."
"Figured what out?" asked Kreese.
"I know the Cobra Kai dojo was basically the coolest thing in this entire Valley. I know you made it what it was. And you lost what you deserved most in the world. What you built."
Kreese chuckled quietly, looking down at his feet for a second and then back at me. "Alright then. You should've led with that. Come in I guess." he said leading me in the room I already made sure to identify was his and not taken up by some other homeless person.
"Your mother. Is Ali Mills. And she told you all this?" he asked, in complete disbelief.
"She never did. I figured it out. I asked to come here. Kept a box full of 80s stuff in her room."
"Her family was always very wealthy. Maybe she's not. But I'm sure she has a nice living to some extent. Why in the world would you come to a place like this? Just to talk to some old man?"
"Because I think that old man can still be useful to the world. Turn regular teenagers into legendary karatekas. Cooler than anything anyone could think of." I said honestly.
"First of all," Kreese said. "Cobra Kai. Is not exactly cool," he said in a very disgusted but calm tone. "It is a way of life. It is an art. In the same way you don't consider biology, or science, or any other field of study strictly cool. And you must speak of it. With respect, always."
Wow, this man. Had. Presence. Despite the fact that he looked ancient, dressed, and looked like a homeless person still.
"Definitely."
"Second of all. I haven't taught a karate class in around. I don't know. Thirty, thirty one years? I don't know how much use I could be."
I had an idea. A special idea. A great idea.
"Aren't Cobras supposed to be strong and unyielding? Cobra Kai takes on a Cobra as its mascot right?"
"Somewhat." Kreese shrugged, surprisingly he indulged my conversation now. "The point of Cobra Kai is to assume the behavior of a King Cobra in the jungles of Vietnam. Striking enemies down mercilessly. Always keeping your guard up. Knowing when and how to attack and proceed in combat or anywhere else. It teaches more than just karate. It teaches-"
He remembered who he was talking to. A fourteen year old stranger.
"Who on earth are you kid?"
"Lucas Gregory Mills Schwarber." I still remembered my full name from my flight ticket and the papers Ali had given me to sign up at West Valley High this fall.
"Well. Lucas. Cobra Kai is dead. You're wasting your time son. But thanks for visiting me."
I smiled, walking towards the pictures next to Kreese's bed. "Who's this guy?" I asked, despite knowing who it was already.
"Grandmaster Kim Sun Yung. From well before your time. Founded the martial art that evolved into Cobra Kai. Trained an old Captain of mine from 'Nam in Tang Soo Do. After the war. I sought him out with another friend of mine. And he became our Sensei."
"So. His picture is next to your bed. You know his teachings. And you're still alive aren't you? And that other picture of you. You sure look like a Cobra Kai with that green beret and that rifle."
Kreese sighed. "I suppose."
"Then that means Cobra Kai is very alive."
"Its students all regret having studied under it. The dojo died twice in failure and the most bitter of defeats. A picture and a flag. I'm an old has been son. I have nothing that I could teach you."
"On the contrary. I think you can teach the entire world. I think you want to."
Kreese balled his fists for a moment, I could see the anger flare in his eyes. As if I was some ant that had crawled on his plate of food.
"Let's say for a moment I can teach you something," Kreese said calmly, hiding the annoyance I had given him. "Then let's say you somehow could go through my training. Why would I ever do that?"
I took out four one hundred dollar bills in cash from my wallet and threw them on his bed. "You need money. I need someone to help turn me into a karate champion. There is no better man in this world who can help me do that. But you."
I lied right to his face. Kreese could possibly never talk to me again if he learned how I was planning on combining both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai into the most balanced style of tournament sweeping karate. Chozen or Silver were easily better candidates than Kreese, I had no qualms about dropping Kreese like a rock the moment it suited me.
Kreese picked up the cash. It was probably more money than he had ever held in his hands in years.
Kreese decided to pocket it. "You have my attention, we'll see if you can keep it. But let me make one thing clear. You may have paid for my lessons, but that doesn't mean they'll be any fun for you. Cobra Kai Karate. Is not for the weak of mind nor body. You fail four straight lessons in a row, and I'll make it clear you are not cut out for Cobra Kai."
"I didn't expect it to."
"There's an old diner three blocks towards Seventh Street. Behind it is an abandoned parking lot they used to use to offload crates and boxes from when it was a supermarket. It's where I go whenever I need a workout every once in a while. Meet me there in thirty minutes."
...
For the past fifteen minutes, I ran through my head what exactly Kreese would do first.
The obvious. What Johnny did to Miguel too. He struck first.
Maybe a jab punch or a hip throw onto the hard concrete of the parking lot. He would just attack me to teach me a lesson about not letting people attack me first.
How to counter each. If he tried to grab me, the smartest thing to do would be to move away as quickly as I could. Worked in an old karate tournament of mine the few times I competed before.
"First and foremost. You will address me as Sensei. Or Sensei Kreese. Or sir on occasion. Is that clear?"
"Yes Sensei."
Finally, Kreese appeared, walking towards me.
He unzipped a jacket that looked like he'd been wearing it since 1995 and stretched his wrists with loud cracks after throwing it aside on the old loading dock of the abandoned supermarket. His arms were weathered and his skin clearly old, but I respected the fact that he still looked admittedly strong a bit.
Moreover, his arm tattoo of a snake being choked out looked like it hadn't aged a day.
Kreese approached me again, as if he was waiting for something.
I knew what it was. Just how I was taught in karate before a match or class, you never took your eyes off where you were meant to look.
I looked into Kreese's eyes the entire time as I bowed to him.
He smiled, surprised. "Good. Now. Lesson one."
I immediately used what I had practiced in the few minutes prior to Kreese's arrival.
He moved faster than any old man reasonably should be expected to, but I punched him directly in the floating ribs by his kidneys with a straight right hand as he tried to jab.
The perks of having watched the series and done a bit of karate and boxing too.
Kreese was surprised but satisfied, completely unfazed as if my blow had missed him. "Not bad. Do you know what the lesson is?"
"Don't wait to attack?" I again pretended I didn't know what it was.
"Close. The first lesson is strike first. The common belief is that karate is for self defense. But that's foolish, because for actual personal safety it's the opposite really."
I smiled, liking this.
"In an actual fight. Your opponent could have a knife or who knows what else. Or could actually be ready to fight you. Why wait and see what he can do? You always engage combat first. For all you know having broken someone's arm or nose on the street when he confronted you might've saved someone's life if he had a gun. Now, lesson two. Strike hard."
Kreese looked at me. "Make a strong stance. Time to teach you how exactly to strike."
I remembered my old karate stance. Feet shoulder width apart, move your right leg a bit back, turn your whole body sideways, and raised your left hand forward in a fist with your right by your chest pointed upwards too.
Of course someone who taught karate for decades spotted this. "Just move your back leg forward a little and crouch a bit more. How did you know all this so far?"
"Um. Just made sense to me."
Kreese just shrugged. "Alright. So, the first strike. Is the reverse punch. Go to any karate school on earth, it's the first strike they teach you. You threw yours pretty well. You lower yourself and twist your whole body into the blow, throwing it as much as you can forward, and you instantly snap your hand back to your chest to keep your guard tight and prevent further strikes from reaching you."
"Ready! Aits!"
The kiai was simple. It didn't have to special or a word, you just yelled deeply from the bottom of your stomach and roared the moment before the blow made contact, not before to announce you were attacking. Gave away the game.
"Not bad. Now throw it to the face instead of the body."
"Aits!"
We kept going for a few minutes. The second he got too close to me I turned to face him.
"Yes." he started chuckling. "Yes. You're getting it. Always keep your guard up, very nice." Kreese patted the side of my face with the back of his hand, making it clear he could've punched me in the jaw hard if he wanted to. "Applies to your actual guard too."
Wow. The term guard usually applied to boxing or kickboxing, it was how you held your hands up by your head to throw, block, and avoid punches. This was karate and he knew it well.
"Continue! Aits!"
We went on for a bit and eventually, he stopped me. I had started to sweat a bit.
"A reverse punch to the face is always a good strike in a fight. But it's better if you set it up with a jab punch. Throw your left out as far as you can, the moment it comes back snap that right punch forward." he moved on instantly. "Aits!"
"Aiii!" I roared as I struck the air.
Again. Kreese didn't care about the actual sound I made when striking. He just corrected and inspected my form.
"Okay. Now the front kick. You raise your knee up, and snap your foot out to hit your opponent with the bottom of your foot."
He roared loudly. "Ais!"
...
Turns out those were the four basic moves we worked on. And there was a lot to brush up on really. My karate and boxing fundamentals were solid, they had even translated from my old mind into a basically completely untrained body.
The trick was, just like in boxing, not to lean into your punches nor overextend or move your head off where it was when striking. Cobra Kai Karate might've been the best first choice for me to ever train in having been given a strange, but familiar new life.
The cardio I must've gotten from so much soccer helped. The class lasted a solid hour and a half and it was mostly me striking in place, striking while moving in a line. Knuckles pushups on hard concrete with Kreese balancing a few empty wooden crates he found on my back for a bit of added weight.
Kreese wasn't always rushing forward to attack me and test if I was paying attention to where he was or not. He turned out to be a very effective and simple, yet skilled karate teacher.
He was very stern, direct, and loud still. I forgot to keep my knee lowered when throwing the right hand to the body and he almost hit me in the nose with a backfist.
"Okay." he said quietly. "That concludes class."
We bowed to each other, again, he noted how I never took my eyes away from him.
Kreese sat down on the old loading dock. "I need to talk to you kid."
"Sure thing Sensei."
Kreese took a long sigh, scratching the stubble on his chin while chuckling quietly. "You were right. I did miss teaching. Why didn't you tell me you were already trained?"
"I just watched some Youtube videos on karate and boxing fundamentals."
"Youtube videos?" Kreese just gave a shrug at this. "Huh. I'll have to see what you're talking about sometime. Anyway. I have to ask you. Why would you ever want to train with an old man from a homeless shelter in a parking lot? Instead of just going to the dozens of dojos around this Valley. You have plenty of money, it's not like you can't afford it."
I shrugged back. "I don't know. Even if the training is a lot more low key. It's the teacher that matters. Not the environment."
Kreese seemed to absolutely love this. But he hid it behind a stern frown. "Your instincts and your striking form are strong. Your reflexes are good. I can tell you have good stamina from some sport of some kind you might've done. You already moderately understand strike first, and you can probably strike hard. All you're lacking is the third rule."
"Which is?"
"It's not one I teach so quickly to newcomers. Because it takes a lot of time to perfect. This." Kreese flicked his nose towards the abandoned supermarket loading dock we just used to train in. "Is no dojo. What Cobra Kai used to be. That's a dojo."
"What if it came back?"
"I don't think it will. The reason why. Is because of one thing."
I looked at him. "Which is?"
"There is no such thing as mercy in this entire world. People you love and trust with your life will vanish from this world in one way or another. Or betray you. Or leave you for dead. You can't rely on anyone, especially your enemies. To show mercy to you, even if it suits them."
Kreese shrugged again, putting his hands on the loading dock. "Until this evening. I thought Cobra Kai was dead. Then you showed up, convinced me I can still build fighters. But what in the world made you think Cobra Kai can come back?"
"Because. The world needs it."
Kreese nodded. "Explain."
"The entire Valley isn't filled with the kind of karate fighters my mom told me about. The Vidals. Most of the old dojos have either closed down or their old school Senseis have all retired. And the entire world has wiped plenty of important history in martial arts from existence. It's become weak, superficial, and all shiny and pretty. Like a snowflake. You get trophies just for showing up now. Making real champions less so."
Kreese chuckled loudly now. "You know kid. As true as all that is. You haven't made one thing clear to me."
"Which is?"
"Why would someone as rich as you. Don't deny it you show up wearing clothes this nice and walking around in parts of town you shouldn't be with hundreds of dollars in cash. Ever. Ever see the world as anything but merciful?"
I smiled. "Because when I found that box of 80s junk in my mom's room." Again, not technically my mom but still. "It felt more real than any other valuable or trophy I had already had. I knew you were at the center of all that."
Kreese looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke.
"This drive. This passion to push your limits. You'll be somebody kid. You'll be somebody someday. I know it doesn't mean much coming from a senior citizen who's homeless. But you see the world for what it is. Handouts, don't exist or are loans in disguise. You make your own path. And that is more than something extremely meaningful today."
Kreese pointed at me. "That is Cobra Kai incarnate. We've only just met. But from what I saw so far, I wish you were my student back in the day. I know someone who would've gotten along really well with you."
"Who is he?"
"Johnny Lawrence. But all that about Vidal and the tournaments. And karate and the world now. You um. You found out all that on your own. You went beyond just what your mother told you. Son, that takes the kind of drive and initiative Cobra Kai needs."
I smiled with a small shrug. "What do we do now?"
"Now. Well. As rich as you are, you probably can't fund an entire karate dojo from the ground up. Only another very wealthy friend of mine could've done that. There are something snakes and cold blooded animals do in the winter. They stay awake, hiding in the snow. Waiting for the right time to emerge."
I remembered. "Brumation."
"Yes. You and I. Are going to be like Cobras in brumation. The right time to emerge will be made clear soon."
"How long should it take?"
"As long as it needs," Kreese said simply. "I'd say. Maybe a year or so? Maybe more? Either way. I want you here every single day at five o'clock ready to train except for Sundays and Saturdays. Bring better clothes next time. We'll emerge from our, brumation of sorts, absolutely unstoppable. When that happens, Cobra Kai will be back."
What I asked next was crucial.
"I always wanted to ask. Who exactly did beat Cobra Kai twice in a row?"
Kreese sighed. "That's a long story kid."
"Sensei, I'd really appreciate it."
"Well. The short version is a weakling by the name of Daniel LaRusso. And an old man by the name of Miyagi were able to beat Cobra Kai at its best two years in a row in competition." Kreese said with scorn. "Looking back on it. It was my fault for having challenged them. The ruin of Cobra Kai, was my own, my fault. But I've been given a second chance it seems. To strike back at Miyagi-Do."
"What's so wrong with Miyagi-Do?" I wondered, still knowing the answer.
"Their style of karate is very simplistic. You wait, someone attacks you. You counter them."
"So their way is wrong?" I asked.
Kreese shrugged. "Essentially. Waiting for a problem to arrive on your doorstep. A challenge. A war. Anything. That's the same thing as allowing yourself to get shot in a war. Waving your hands up and down out of cover begging to get attacked."
Huh. Combining Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai might be trickier than I thought. Robby pulled it off, but he never was able to train under both styles at the same time, not even in secret.
"You. Have a lot left to learn. For now Mr. Schwarber, you are Cobra Kai's first student since 1985." Kreese said calmly.
"Thank you Sensei." I sat up off the loading bay and bowed to him.
He merely nodded in acknowledgment as he sat up. "The old rate back in the day was. Fifty bucks a month? Accounting for inflation. That's."
"One hundred and twenty five dollars I think. I can get my phone out and get you the actual number."
Kreese looked at me funny. "Your phone?"
I showed my iPhone taking it out from my pocket. "Yeah. It tells you everything."
Kreese squinted. "Huh. Alright, that seems, very useful."
Guess this made sense. The moment Kreese heard Cobra Kai returned to the All Valley tournament under Johnny he probably started doing everything he could, including learning how to use the internet to figure out what was going on exactly.
I just realized one of the first visitors to the Cobra Kai webpage Miguel Diaz had set up in the show could've very well been Kreese thinking he was seeing things.
"Well. Let's just say it's a hundred dollars a month for now. Until tomorrow Schwarber," he said before walking away.
"Until tomorrow Sensei."
Now to pay Daniel LaRusso a visit too and also be trained possibly in secret.
How long could I keep this up? Would it work? I guess technically I could walk away from this betraying both. I'd need more time to think about this before seeking out Daniel.
I had time. I had so much time.
...
...
...
A/N: So. For the very first official Self insert in Cobra Kai/Karate Kid history (yes, I know there have been OCs, but an SI is something else technically) I have chosen Kreese to be the Sensei, at least the first Sensei.
Also very important, this story starts and takes place one year before Johnny meets Miguel in the first season of Cobra Kai.
Some will wonder the obvious "but what're the pairings!?"
Uh...for Luke? I have no clue. Besides the pairings I have listed in the summary it can go any number of different ways. Luke/Moon or Luke/Yasmine, although for a long long time at least, I don't see him being paired with anyone. Mostly because at a stage this early in the story, the only people not superficial enough for Lucas would probably be either Aisha or Sam, neither of which I can see staying with him at all in the long run.
Also, if the mc seems manipulative, immature, and stupid, yes, he's supposed to be. He's young, also he's supposed to go through an arc.
That being said. I do plan on having Aisha stick around for a long time. I don't plan on just dropping her when this story gets to around Season 3 in canon. Speaking of which, canonically speaking this story takes place in a Cobra Kai Season 0 or Season One Half? It's an entire year before Johnny and Miguel meet, so there's plenty to build.
However, big however. In order for a few key plot points to work, either Sam and Robby or probably Sam and Eli will be a thing. They of course, are not the endgame pairing by any means so I don't mean to off put anyone. I mean come on, Sam and Kyler were a thing in canon and Kyler is just.
Okay, so, Lucas, as the story has stated until this point, is by no means a completely good person nor a bad person. So him being a complete goody two shoes or utter bully is boring, I'd expect something inbetween moving forward. I prefer gray characters over completely light or dark, that's how the Cobra Kai series tends to be written and that's awesome of it.
I'm sure some are wondering the obvious as well. Where is Miguel? Will he show up?
Answering those questions are technically spoilers, but as a pretty decent Miguel fan myself here it is.
He's currently in Riverside and about to start his freshman year of highschool. And yes, he will show up when he does in canon, I don't know about the same manner. To get to where I need his character to start, I need to set up. A shitton of character arcs and development.
Another thing I'm sure some are wondering is why I didn't have Luke or the main character just seek out Daniel or Johnny first? That's kinda obvious and boring, I didn't want to go with such an easy one.
Still, thank you all for reading. And I'll see you all around.
...
The first thing I realized was that this wasn't my room. Nor my house. Nor my body.
At first, I thought hey, this seems pretty cool. I wasn't poor by any means but I look really rich now. My room was huge, and probably gave a good indication of how wealthy the household was.
I started taking a quick walk around the room and quickly realized that my name. Was not my real name.
Apparently, there were a bunch of trophies around the room of all types. Should help me understand what in the world was going on here.
According to these trophies, someone named "Lucas G. Schwarber" had won medals and trophies in various soccer and writing competitions of all kinds.
Neat. Could I wake up from this very odd, very very weird dream now!? Please.
Why was that name familiar?
I pinched myself. No result.
I punched my arm a bit. No result either.
I walked over to the bathroom connected to my bedroom.
Cool. I didn't recognize my own face. I wasn't as pale in my past life, but I was still pretty pale though. Luckily, I wasn't blonde, just had dark enough brown hair that it was almost black. What a save, because I got a pretty strong "rich blonde" vibe from the entire room and the feeling my name gave me about where I was.
This was the part where I went through enough derealization and freaked out enough to wake up right?
After about two minutes of failing to wake up back in the body of my old self, my real self. I decided that the best course of action would be to test this world to its truest potential.
In a dream, meeting strange people, seeing strange things. That wasn't uncommon. But things like names, tangible immovable locations, and several other things that made it clear what was and wasn't a dream was clear.
So it was then when I decided to start looking at whatever I could for where the hell I was.
My room was completely bare for any pictures. I didn't even have any sort of school ID I could find.
I began to walk around the house until I found a very interesting picture framed in easily one of the richest looking living rooms I could find.
Below the picture was the label "The Mills Schwarbers."
There was me, or, this very strange version of myself I didn't recognize with this odd family in front of a giant lake. And a very small blonde girl, and a man with curly hair and a beard standing next to.
I squinted at the picture.
A strange version of Elisabeth Shue? It looked like her. But I got the very odd feeling it just wasn't her.
Was that supposed to be Ali Mills!?
Hold on a second.
I walked back upstairs to the bedroom and was able to find my phone.
Sure enough, the time zone was Denver, Colorado's local time.
I had been transported somehow into an off screen world in the Cobra Kai universe most likely.
...Why!? And how?
"Luuuke!? Luuke!?" I heard someone call downstairs.
I opened the door to my bedroom and walked downstairs.
The same little girl from the picture was standing there, wearing pigtails. She looked no older than ten.
"Have you seen my ballet slippers? I think mom said they'd come in a package or something by this afternoon."
Think man. Think. What was her name?
As a fan of the Cobra Kai series I had seen the show. Specifically the second season twice mostly, but I had to specifically remember what Ali said her daughter's name was.
A-Annie? Amy!? It started with an A!
"I. Don't know. A?"
"Why are you calling me A?" she asked strangely.
"Short for the rest of your name."
She shook her head. "That's just. Weird."
I heard a door slam from what must've been this house's garage. "Ah! Ms. Ava!" A housekeeper appeared with an extremely thick Belarussian or Lithuanian accent something of the type.
She handed 'Ava' a brown box. "Your dance shoes just arrived in mail."
"Thank you!" Ava got them and ran off.
"And Mr. Lucas," she said in the same incredibly thick accent. "Both Doctor Gregory and Doctor Ali are vurking in hospital until tomorrow six AM. They wanted to give you this. Come come."
The housekeeper led me over to a big refrigerator where a very elegant cake had a big 14 candle sticks and blue frosting.
"They promised to buy you big car for sixteenth birthday hm? Only two more years and you von't have to worry about riding bicycle."
I rode a bicycle? Parents this rich and they couldn't buy me an electric scooter or something?
"Your accent. Is it Russian or-"
"Silly boy. Always forget." she chuckled. "Latvian."
"O-Okay."
A part of me genuinely wanted to just run away and hide from how strange this all was. But even if it was just a very surreal and odd dream, I didn't want to wake up.
I was rich.
...
But I wasn't happy.
While I remembered what my old life was like, I remembered my new ones, ish.
Lucas, or, me. Was a kid who had everything, except for friends, and family. Ali wasn't a bad mother by any means, just very very busy, she ran an important pediatric wing with her husband, my father Gregory Schwarber.
Ava, my younger sister was into ballet. None of them were in the house.
I lived on my own basically, I had pretty much my entire life.
My family were also over-acheivers, and by over, I mean wow.
It led me to believe only one thing in this world would give me acclaim of any sort in this life. To build friends beyond this cold city of Denver:
Karate. And it just so happened I already did it for about two years right before I was dropped into this new life.
...
I enjoyed every amenity the house offered. I lost myself.
It was the 17th of May 2016 now. I didn't care, I was richer than I had ever been. According to my schedule I was already done with school, probably had finished a bit early.
I went swimming in a very large indoor lap pool. Ordered my housekeeper around for whatever I damn well pleased.
I could get used to this.
I didn't care about the implications of this world. About anything. I just wanted to forget. It wasn't really my fourteenth birthday, but you know what? Sure it was. Why not?
I found some old mixtapes and CD's in my parent's bedroom in an old box labeled 'Ali's 80s stuff' and blasted 80s music in the backyard on an old boombox I found.
It was summer already, it had come a bit early this year. It was great. I was a fourteen year old kid again in a very rich home now.
Whoo. This was fun.
I sipped a specially prepared vanilla milkshake, played video games in a huge special digital media room.
All summer just like this. This was awesome. I forgot how awful and strange this all felt.
Someone cut the music.
"How many times did I tell you to not go through my things honey?"
I turned around pausing my game of the Last of Us. Supposedly, this was my mother. Ali Mills from the original Karate Kid film.
"Hi." I said.
She frowned. "Hi." she crossed her arms.
I just realized what I was blasting the music on. The boombox that started it all.
"It's a um." I cleared my throat. "A great machine."
"It's. From before your time. Just please don't get it out again. It was stored for a reason." she said as if it gave her bad memories.
I looked at her. "Right. Uh, why are you here I thought you were still working?" She was a doctor, very nice catch man. Way to pay attention.
"I just had to get a few things before I was needed back in the clinic." she muttered. "Um. Luke. I get that you like your video games and your privacy. But I think it'd be best if you tried to make some friends this summer. Socializing is not really your thing. I get that. But spending a whole summer indoors or messing around out by the pool house. It's not best for you."
I looked at Ali again. I get she meant well, but this was literally not my life nor my body technically. I could do whatever I damn well wanted.
Yeah. Very mature dude.
I cleared my throat. "Look. I'm on a soccer team right. And some sort of writing club?"
"Of course but. Honey, you don't spend much time at all with your friends from there or really seem to have any. High school starts in just a few months for you. Take it from me, friends make everything better.
I had an idea. Mostly because there was only one real person I could interact with in any meaningful or interesting manner in all of Denver and I was currently talking to her.
"What if I went to LA to make more friends. And spent all of high school over there? Maybe I could have way better luck with friends?"
Ali was surprised. "What. What wi-. Why?"
I spoke much how this kid would instead of well, myself, not to draw suspicion. "Don't I have grandparents over there? What if I stayed with them?"
"I haven't talked to Mom or Dad in a few months. I don't know how they'd feel about me sending you over there to live with them out of the blue."
"We're rich. They're rich I'm sure. Think they could handle it."
"Luke they haven't talked to you since you were about. Eleven. Twelve? Where is this LA idea coming from?"
"Well you're from there right? What's so bad about LA?"
Ali sighed, placing her hand on the boombox. "Did I ever tell you the story about this radio?"
"No."
I'm pretty sure I knew the entire story. But I was still interested.
"An old boyfriend of mine from high school named Johnny broke another one I had. One night. As an apology. He bought another one for me."
"That sounds really sweet of him."
Bet dating Daniel at the time instead of Johnny probably hurt his chances of getting back into her good graces.
"There is a lot. A lot of really old, really messy history in Los Angeles honey. Just, talk to your friends more. Set something up."
The friends I'd make in LA are one million times more interesting I swear Ali. I mean. Mom? Weird to say.
"Let's make a deal alright? I spend one year in LA. From this summer to next. I come back with no friends or as many good friends as I have now. I stay here."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm your mother and I'm deciding for you."
I sighed. "Look. All you got me for my fourteenth birthday was a cake. And look at our house."
"Well what do you want?"
"The one thing money can't buy. Real, cool, fun, friends."
"Denver's fun honey. No different than LA."
"No. Plenty different. I promise. Just give me this one chance."
Ali pursed her lips. "I'm not saying it couldn't be healthy for you to give a new city a chance. But there's nothing in LA left for me but bad memories. And really old, stupid, history."
"There's family there."
"Mom and Dad are great people. They were great parents to me, and to you, good grandparents in the time you've known them. But I'm not sending you halfway across the country just to make some friends."
"I'll keep perfect grades. I'll make sure I'm ready for any med school or college or whatever. Just one. Single year. One year. I promise you won't regret it."
"No Luke. I. I have to go." Ali turned around. "My shift at the clinic starts in thirty minutes."
I spoke out, not knowing what else to say. "I know about Johnny Lawrence. And Daniel! And the tournament, and everything about them."
She stopped.
Should I have not said that? Probably.
Ali turned around and looked at me. "How do you know about all that? I never told you a thing."
"Um. A-Ava told me?"
"I never told Ava either. Start talking. Luke." she said coldly. "Do not. Lie to your mother. Again."
Shit. The box. Yes, the box of 80s junk, I think I saw a photo album or something. A yearbook!
"I pieced it together. Johnny was your boyfriend, then Daniel your next right? There's a picture of you and some old guy, and Dan at this tournament. You can see Johnny competing in the background in one of the pictures. Made too much sense."
"Pieced it together? That's an awful lot to piece together. I never even told Dan's name."
"You're a beautiful woman and you lived in the Hills. Plus, think he signed your old yearbook and his picture and name were there too. I'm sure back in the 80s guys probably started fistfights over you every three minutes."
Ali frowned. "You know what. Fine. Spend one summer. No. One month over there and you'll see it's no different than here at home at all. Or worse, you'll see how immature, nonsensical, and crazy everyone is. You'll be begging to come back home. Then we'll see what exactly you pieced together."
"So. That's it. I'm. Moving to LA?"
"I'll call Dad in a few hours. If he agrees, I'll have Elena pack your bags and you can say your goodbyes to Ava and I in the morning."
"Really?"
Ali did not look happy at all despite her giving me exactly what I asked for. "Greg and I spoil you far too much. It's time you learned that getting what you ask for might not be what you really wanted. I shouldn't allow a boy of fourteen to live hundreds of miles away from me. But you want to learn what LA's like so badly? What the people are like? I promise you, they are no different than here at all. Remember Luke. This is what you asked for."
...
Sure enough, Ali handed me the ticket for the plane to LAX the following morning.
Greg apparently was such a shitty father he couldn't be bothered to say goodbye to his own son despite probably not seeing him for months. Neat, probably why Ali divorced him.
My blonde little sister spoke up at the front door of our whole mansion. "When you're gone. Can I have your room? I need the space to practice."
"Ava, you already have a personal dance studio," Ali said crossly before turning to me. "I'll miss you sweetie."
We hugged, and still in her arms, Ali sighed. "I just want you to know that because you want this so badly I'll allow you to go. I'll write, text, email. Anything. I'll miss you so much, honey. This is an important lesson. I just sometimes spoil you too much."
I smiled, despite her not being my real mother, I appreciated this a great deal. "Thanks mom."
She kissed me on the forehead and I was off.
...
The flight from Denver to LAX wasn't too long. I was flown first class of course. I watched Road House, good film to get in the mood besides things like Iron Eagle, Rocky, or Bloodsport maybe.
I got off the plane, and a man in a blue suit and had as part of a uniform was waiting for me holding a sign with my new name on it.
"Ah. Mr. Schwarber. Right this way of course."
He helped me get my bag and drove me to yet another mansion.
Damn, it was nice to be this rich.
"Luke!"
My grandparents looked just how I expected them to. They were Ali's parents from the original Karate Kid film, just much older.
They showed me around for a bit, generally very nice and calm people. They were really old though, so they completely left me to myself as a house servant unpacked my clothes for me from my bags.
I flopped on the bed for my new bedroom.
Nice.
Now I was home. Finally, I was where I was meant to be.
Far away from that useless and boring city of Denver, to the best place to be right now.
It was no coincidence I was reborn into a character with basically no impact at all on the Cobra Kai series outside of a name drop. The universe was trying to tell me to do something. So I went for it.
I liked pretty much every character in the Cobra Kai series. Even really annoying characters like Anthony or Stingray were redeemed to some extent or at least written competently.
I could save Miguel from a decent bit of bullying by probably walking a few blocks around Encino and finding Kyler to punch him in the jaw or something at some point. Save him from a potential coma, that through the butterfly effect could be fatal.
The butterfly effect. Wow. For all I knew Miguel wasn't even born in this world nor ever moved from Riverside to Reseda. I think he was, but just this one flight from LA to Denver could change who knows how many things.
I had an entire year until Johnny Lawrence reopened Cobra Kai, which I did ultimately see as inevitable. Even if Miguel never got bullied, Johnny would need a source of income. And broke, alcoholic, and with no other marketable skills besides karate, a dojo of any kind would be his only way to make a living.
Eli Moskowitz, Demetri, Sam LaRusso. I by no means had to save them from any bullying. A decent bit they brought on themselves, only after Kyler though, all three of them to an extent made enemies by their own accord after getting involved karate.
My plan was simple. I had one year more or less, until Johnny reopened Cobra Kai or at least started looking for any sort of employment outside of being well, unemployed.
I had no desire to open Cobra Kai up early. That was both foolish of me as well as pretty dangerous considering both Johnny and Daniel were in town and would wonder what in the world was going on.
Besides, the only two people who could help me in that regard weren't. The best of people.
John Kreese and Terry Silver. I liked their characters, despite how psychotic they both were. But no one could use them, they used people. And to an extent at least, I wanted what they offered. Strength. Glory. Power.
They were cruel and very damaged men whose only therapy for them was turning teenagers into karate soldiers.
But they had a very fun 'old man' charm that I think the show nailed for me. I actually really wanted to meet them.
I started to write down a list on some paper I found in my room of where everyone was and what I wanted to do.
Johnny Lawrence. Deadbeat dad most likely or a drunk. Works as a handyman for a year and then probably gets fired. Mostly incompetent man, able to win a tournament. Good for much else? Don't know.
Daniel LaRusso. Possibly exploit to learn Miyagi-Do? Would make my karate pretty strong to do what Robby did by combining both for a year. Need time to consider.
Terry Silver. Let him rest dude. Let him enjoy his tofu parties and ad campaigns for mindfulness.
Kreese. Who knows!? Maybe a homeless shelter or an alleyway somewhere? Nowhere too different than where he was in canon.
Out of all of the 'Senseis' I could've had, Kreese was by far the most useful. He was far, far more broke than Johnny not to mention he was right about a decent portion of what he taught. He could be used most easily by me.
Why? Because sure I was rich now, but hell, I had no family. My new grandparents were the ones who raised Ali, the mother who had given me a life driven purely by merit and success, not really love I suppose even if she wasn't the worst mother.
If I was smart enough about it. I could really walk away unstoppable here, with friends I could earn of all sorts, and almost universal acclaim in karate.
Chozen Toguchi was probably the next Mr. Miyagi from all I knew. But Okinawa made him damn near unreachable. Plus he'd have no reason to train me unless I doused him with my family's really fat stacks of cash.
What I wanted was to spend the next three All Valley tournaments winning it. I'd be a legend. I'd hold an All Valley record for most personal championship wins. No one, not even Johnny won more than two.
At fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen, I'd basically be on par in the karate world above Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso. Having myself on the posters and banners down at the All Valley sports arena. Man. That was the most I could get from being placed in this world.
And man did I want it, I didn't see very many reasons not to do so right now.
As Robby Keene said, and he was right. It didn't matter how someone fought as long as it worked. And, it was clean.
I leaned off my bed and got onto the massive amount of space I had around my room, I had to try something.
In my previous life I spent a year and a half doing boxing, and a year and a half doing both sport and traditional Shotokan styles of Karate-do. I had to see if my memories translated over to my new body.
First form, Heian Shodan.
I did a low block with my fore arm and did a reverse punch to the body. Huh. At least I still remembered some of the basics.
I didn't remember any of the next. But that reflex, how to strike, my karate fighting stance. It was still there.
Let's go then.
Had to find a Sensei. The Sensei.
...
"Hi. Is there a uh. John Kreese here?"
The short lady at the front desk gave me a look.
"Hello?"
"Is he family or something? This is a homeless shelter honey."
"Please. Is he here?"
She gave a sigh and checked a clipboard, she turned a page over.
"No."
"Thanks."
I crossed the first off my list.
LA had about fifteen homeless shelters on the outskirts of Reseda, Sylmar, and Pacoima.
I was about to give up actually. On my ninth try, I finally struck gold. Or so I thought.
"Hm. John Kreese? Yeah."
I smiled. "Really? He's here?"
"No. He hasn't been seen in over a week."
"Well where can I find him?"
She gave me a 'Really' look.
"Boy, this look like the kinda place you can reliably find anybody? Go back home. This place. This place ain't for you."
I sighed. "What room is he assigned?"
"He was assigned room 5C. Second floor, left side corridor. Someone might already be in there. He usually kicks them out flat on they asses when he catches them. Take this."
She handed me a visitor sticker.
"Thank you." I said putting it on my shirt.
I walked upstairs.
Everyone gave me weird looks. Guess I really was too well dressed to be walking around homeless shelters.
I looked at Kreese's room from the outside. Yup. This was his alright. The proud and large American flag on the wall, the small little picture of who I knew to be Kim Sun Yung. Luckily no one was already there.
"You lost kid?"
I turned around. A grubby looking man with a thick beard was looking at me, eating an apple.
"No. No I'm just looking for someone." I said, inspecting the picture he kept of the 70s green beret from the original Cobra Kai dojo I know Martin Kove probably kept in real life.
"You look awful young to be shaking down po' men like John for cash."
I sighed. "Do you know him?"
He chuckled. "He's pricklier than a porcupine. Everyone knows him. No one likes him. What the hell could you want with him?"
I laughed. "None of your business."
"I see a kid snooping around a man's room. It's my business. Next thing I know you could be snooping around my stuff."
I sighed. Had to use one of the many, many perks of being rich.
"Here's ten bucks. Go get yourself some cigarettes or. Whatever. I was never here."
"Dang. A'ight son. For sure." he took it and walked away.
I spent an hour waiting for him. Then another one.
I started to do pushups in his room I started to get so bored. On my knuckles, my knuckles, yeah.
Then I started to do the first kata. Heian Shodan.
I decided to go back out into the hall.
...
"How are you- Oh. I forgot, they said I might have a visitor still here. Didn't mention it was a kid."
He must've noticed I probably looked like I turned fourteen yesterday.
"Well son." John Kreese said quietly. "You've got about four seconds before I slam the door in your face. Not in the mood at all for a conversation right now."
Just like Ali. He looked exactly like Martin Kove. But he just wasn't him. I couldn't explain it, it was so so surreal.
"I'm sorry. I um. I've been looking for you and I wanted to talk to you?"
"For the thirtieth time. I don't want to join the Jehovah's witnesses! Now get out of here!" he roared. Kreese raised a finger. "This may be a homeless shelter. But I don't like people who don't belong here at all. I won't repeat myself."
Why were all my clothes were like designer or so neat and rich looking? Had to get some different clothes now that I was in LA.
"Look um," I said. "Does the name Ali Mills ring any bells for you?"
"Of course it does. But I haven't heard that name in over thirty years. You might be wearing a visitor's pass. But right now you're not making yourself clear." Kreese approached me. He wasn't incredibly intimidating but still was a bit. "You better explain who you are. And what you want. Really fast son."
"I figured out my mom's past here in this city." A technical lie. Ali was my biological mother, but until yesterday I had never met her. "I know what you used to be. I figured it out."
"Figured what out?" asked Kreese.
"I know the Cobra Kai dojo was basically the coolest thing in this entire Valley. I know you made it what it was. And you lost what you deserved most in the world. What you built."
Kreese chuckled quietly, looking down at his feet for a second and then back at me. "Alright then. You should've led with that. Come in I guess." he said leading me in the room I already made sure to identify was his and not taken up by some other homeless person.
"Your mother. Is Ali Mills. And she told you all this?" he asked, in complete disbelief.
"She never did. I figured it out. I asked to come here. Kept a box full of 80s stuff in her room."
"Her family was always very wealthy. Maybe she's not. But I'm sure she has a nice living to some extent. Why in the world would you come to a place like this? Just to talk to some old man?"
"Because I think that old man can still be useful to the world. Turn regular teenagers into legendary karatekas. Cooler than anything anyone could think of." I said honestly.
"First of all," Kreese said. "Cobra Kai. Is not exactly cool," he said in a very disgusted but calm tone. "It is a way of life. It is an art. In the same way you don't consider biology, or science, or any other field of study strictly cool. And you must speak of it. With respect, always."
Wow, this man. Had. Presence. Despite the fact that he looked ancient, dressed, and looked like a homeless person still.
"Definitely."
"Second of all. I haven't taught a karate class in around. I don't know. Thirty, thirty one years? I don't know how much use I could be."
I had an idea. A special idea. A great idea.
"Aren't Cobras supposed to be strong and unyielding? Cobra Kai takes on a Cobra as its mascot right?"
"Somewhat." Kreese shrugged, surprisingly he indulged my conversation now. "The point of Cobra Kai is to assume the behavior of a King Cobra in the jungles of Vietnam. Striking enemies down mercilessly. Always keeping your guard up. Knowing when and how to attack and proceed in combat or anywhere else. It teaches more than just karate. It teaches-"
He remembered who he was talking to. A fourteen year old stranger.
"Who on earth are you kid?"
"Lucas Gregory Mills Schwarber." I still remembered my full name from my flight ticket and the papers Ali had given me to sign up at West Valley High this fall.
"Well. Lucas. Cobra Kai is dead. You're wasting your time son. But thanks for visiting me."
I smiled, walking towards the pictures next to Kreese's bed. "Who's this guy?" I asked, despite knowing who it was already.
"Grandmaster Kim Sun Yung. From well before your time. Founded the martial art that evolved into Cobra Kai. Trained an old Captain of mine from 'Nam in Tang Soo Do. After the war. I sought him out with another friend of mine. And he became our Sensei."
"So. His picture is next to your bed. You know his teachings. And you're still alive aren't you? And that other picture of you. You sure look like a Cobra Kai with that green beret and that rifle."
Kreese sighed. "I suppose."
"Then that means Cobra Kai is very alive."
"Its students all regret having studied under it. The dojo died twice in failure and the most bitter of defeats. A picture and a flag. I'm an old has been son. I have nothing that I could teach you."
"On the contrary. I think you can teach the entire world. I think you want to."
Kreese balled his fists for a moment, I could see the anger flare in his eyes. As if I was some ant that had crawled on his plate of food.
"Let's say for a moment I can teach you something," Kreese said calmly, hiding the annoyance I had given him. "Then let's say you somehow could go through my training. Why would I ever do that?"
I took out four one hundred dollar bills in cash from my wallet and threw them on his bed. "You need money. I need someone to help turn me into a karate champion. There is no better man in this world who can help me do that. But you."
I lied right to his face. Kreese could possibly never talk to me again if he learned how I was planning on combining both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai into the most balanced style of tournament sweeping karate. Chozen or Silver were easily better candidates than Kreese, I had no qualms about dropping Kreese like a rock the moment it suited me.
Kreese picked up the cash. It was probably more money than he had ever held in his hands in years.
Kreese decided to pocket it. "You have my attention, we'll see if you can keep it. But let me make one thing clear. You may have paid for my lessons, but that doesn't mean they'll be any fun for you. Cobra Kai Karate. Is not for the weak of mind nor body. You fail four straight lessons in a row, and I'll make it clear you are not cut out for Cobra Kai."
"I didn't expect it to."
"There's an old diner three blocks towards Seventh Street. Behind it is an abandoned parking lot they used to use to offload crates and boxes from when it was a supermarket. It's where I go whenever I need a workout every once in a while. Meet me there in thirty minutes."
...
For the past fifteen minutes, I ran through my head what exactly Kreese would do first.
The obvious. What Johnny did to Miguel too. He struck first.
Maybe a jab punch or a hip throw onto the hard concrete of the parking lot. He would just attack me to teach me a lesson about not letting people attack me first.
How to counter each. If he tried to grab me, the smartest thing to do would be to move away as quickly as I could. Worked in an old karate tournament of mine the few times I competed before.
"First and foremost. You will address me as Sensei. Or Sensei Kreese. Or sir on occasion. Is that clear?"
"Yes Sensei."
Finally, Kreese appeared, walking towards me.
He unzipped a jacket that looked like he'd been wearing it since 1995 and stretched his wrists with loud cracks after throwing it aside on the old loading dock of the abandoned supermarket. His arms were weathered and his skin clearly old, but I respected the fact that he still looked admittedly strong a bit.
Moreover, his arm tattoo of a snake being choked out looked like it hadn't aged a day.
Kreese approached me again, as if he was waiting for something.
I knew what it was. Just how I was taught in karate before a match or class, you never took your eyes off where you were meant to look.
I looked into Kreese's eyes the entire time as I bowed to him.
He smiled, surprised. "Good. Now. Lesson one."
I immediately used what I had practiced in the few minutes prior to Kreese's arrival.
He moved faster than any old man reasonably should be expected to, but I punched him directly in the floating ribs by his kidneys with a straight right hand as he tried to jab.
The perks of having watched the series and done a bit of karate and boxing too.
Kreese was surprised but satisfied, completely unfazed as if my blow had missed him. "Not bad. Do you know what the lesson is?"
"Don't wait to attack?" I again pretended I didn't know what it was.
"Close. The first lesson is strike first. The common belief is that karate is for self defense. But that's foolish, because for actual personal safety it's the opposite really."
I smiled, liking this.
"In an actual fight. Your opponent could have a knife or who knows what else. Or could actually be ready to fight you. Why wait and see what he can do? You always engage combat first. For all you know having broken someone's arm or nose on the street when he confronted you might've saved someone's life if he had a gun. Now, lesson two. Strike hard."
Kreese looked at me. "Make a strong stance. Time to teach you how exactly to strike."
I remembered my old karate stance. Feet shoulder width apart, move your right leg a bit back, turn your whole body sideways, and raised your left hand forward in a fist with your right by your chest pointed upwards too.
Of course someone who taught karate for decades spotted this. "Just move your back leg forward a little and crouch a bit more. How did you know all this so far?"
"Um. Just made sense to me."
Kreese just shrugged. "Alright. So, the first strike. Is the reverse punch. Go to any karate school on earth, it's the first strike they teach you. You threw yours pretty well. You lower yourself and twist your whole body into the blow, throwing it as much as you can forward, and you instantly snap your hand back to your chest to keep your guard tight and prevent further strikes from reaching you."
"Ready! Aits!"
The kiai was simple. It didn't have to special or a word, you just yelled deeply from the bottom of your stomach and roared the moment before the blow made contact, not before to announce you were attacking. Gave away the game.
"Not bad. Now throw it to the face instead of the body."
"Aits!"
We kept going for a few minutes. The second he got too close to me I turned to face him.
"Yes." he started chuckling. "Yes. You're getting it. Always keep your guard up, very nice." Kreese patted the side of my face with the back of his hand, making it clear he could've punched me in the jaw hard if he wanted to. "Applies to your actual guard too."
Wow. The term guard usually applied to boxing or kickboxing, it was how you held your hands up by your head to throw, block, and avoid punches. This was karate and he knew it well.
"Continue! Aits!"
We went on for a bit and eventually, he stopped me. I had started to sweat a bit.
"A reverse punch to the face is always a good strike in a fight. But it's better if you set it up with a jab punch. Throw your left out as far as you can, the moment it comes back snap that right punch forward." he moved on instantly. "Aits!"
"Aiii!" I roared as I struck the air.
Again. Kreese didn't care about the actual sound I made when striking. He just corrected and inspected my form.
"Okay. Now the front kick. You raise your knee up, and snap your foot out to hit your opponent with the bottom of your foot."
He roared loudly. "Ais!"
...
Turns out those were the four basic moves we worked on. And there was a lot to brush up on really. My karate and boxing fundamentals were solid, they had even translated from my old mind into a basically completely untrained body.
The trick was, just like in boxing, not to lean into your punches nor overextend or move your head off where it was when striking. Cobra Kai Karate might've been the best first choice for me to ever train in having been given a strange, but familiar new life.
The cardio I must've gotten from so much soccer helped. The class lasted a solid hour and a half and it was mostly me striking in place, striking while moving in a line. Knuckles pushups on hard concrete with Kreese balancing a few empty wooden crates he found on my back for a bit of added weight.
Kreese wasn't always rushing forward to attack me and test if I was paying attention to where he was or not. He turned out to be a very effective and simple, yet skilled karate teacher.
He was very stern, direct, and loud still. I forgot to keep my knee lowered when throwing the right hand to the body and he almost hit me in the nose with a backfist.
"Okay." he said quietly. "That concludes class."
We bowed to each other, again, he noted how I never took my eyes away from him.
Kreese sat down on the old loading dock. "I need to talk to you kid."
"Sure thing Sensei."
Kreese took a long sigh, scratching the stubble on his chin while chuckling quietly. "You were right. I did miss teaching. Why didn't you tell me you were already trained?"
"I just watched some Youtube videos on karate and boxing fundamentals."
"Youtube videos?" Kreese just gave a shrug at this. "Huh. I'll have to see what you're talking about sometime. Anyway. I have to ask you. Why would you ever want to train with an old man from a homeless shelter in a parking lot? Instead of just going to the dozens of dojos around this Valley. You have plenty of money, it's not like you can't afford it."
I shrugged back. "I don't know. Even if the training is a lot more low key. It's the teacher that matters. Not the environment."
Kreese seemed to absolutely love this. But he hid it behind a stern frown. "Your instincts and your striking form are strong. Your reflexes are good. I can tell you have good stamina from some sport of some kind you might've done. You already moderately understand strike first, and you can probably strike hard. All you're lacking is the third rule."
"Which is?"
"It's not one I teach so quickly to newcomers. Because it takes a lot of time to perfect. This." Kreese flicked his nose towards the abandoned supermarket loading dock we just used to train in. "Is no dojo. What Cobra Kai used to be. That's a dojo."
"What if it came back?"
"I don't think it will. The reason why. Is because of one thing."
I looked at him. "Which is?"
"There is no such thing as mercy in this entire world. People you love and trust with your life will vanish from this world in one way or another. Or betray you. Or leave you for dead. You can't rely on anyone, especially your enemies. To show mercy to you, even if it suits them."
Kreese shrugged again, putting his hands on the loading dock. "Until this evening. I thought Cobra Kai was dead. Then you showed up, convinced me I can still build fighters. But what in the world made you think Cobra Kai can come back?"
"Because. The world needs it."
Kreese nodded. "Explain."
"The entire Valley isn't filled with the kind of karate fighters my mom told me about. The Vidals. Most of the old dojos have either closed down or their old school Senseis have all retired. And the entire world has wiped plenty of important history in martial arts from existence. It's become weak, superficial, and all shiny and pretty. Like a snowflake. You get trophies just for showing up now. Making real champions less so."
Kreese chuckled loudly now. "You know kid. As true as all that is. You haven't made one thing clear to me."
"Which is?"
"Why would someone as rich as you. Don't deny it you show up wearing clothes this nice and walking around in parts of town you shouldn't be with hundreds of dollars in cash. Ever. Ever see the world as anything but merciful?"
I smiled. "Because when I found that box of 80s junk in my mom's room." Again, not technically my mom but still. "It felt more real than any other valuable or trophy I had already had. I knew you were at the center of all that."
Kreese looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke.
"This drive. This passion to push your limits. You'll be somebody kid. You'll be somebody someday. I know it doesn't mean much coming from a senior citizen who's homeless. But you see the world for what it is. Handouts, don't exist or are loans in disguise. You make your own path. And that is more than something extremely meaningful today."
Kreese pointed at me. "That is Cobra Kai incarnate. We've only just met. But from what I saw so far, I wish you were my student back in the day. I know someone who would've gotten along really well with you."
"Who is he?"
"Johnny Lawrence. But all that about Vidal and the tournaments. And karate and the world now. You um. You found out all that on your own. You went beyond just what your mother told you. Son, that takes the kind of drive and initiative Cobra Kai needs."
I smiled with a small shrug. "What do we do now?"
"Now. Well. As rich as you are, you probably can't fund an entire karate dojo from the ground up. Only another very wealthy friend of mine could've done that. There are something snakes and cold blooded animals do in the winter. They stay awake, hiding in the snow. Waiting for the right time to emerge."
I remembered. "Brumation."
"Yes. You and I. Are going to be like Cobras in brumation. The right time to emerge will be made clear soon."
"How long should it take?"
"As long as it needs," Kreese said simply. "I'd say. Maybe a year or so? Maybe more? Either way. I want you here every single day at five o'clock ready to train except for Sundays and Saturdays. Bring better clothes next time. We'll emerge from our, brumation of sorts, absolutely unstoppable. When that happens, Cobra Kai will be back."
What I asked next was crucial.
"I always wanted to ask. Who exactly did beat Cobra Kai twice in a row?"
Kreese sighed. "That's a long story kid."
"Sensei, I'd really appreciate it."
"Well. The short version is a weakling by the name of Daniel LaRusso. And an old man by the name of Miyagi were able to beat Cobra Kai at its best two years in a row in competition." Kreese said with scorn. "Looking back on it. It was my fault for having challenged them. The ruin of Cobra Kai, was my own, my fault. But I've been given a second chance it seems. To strike back at Miyagi-Do."
"What's so wrong with Miyagi-Do?" I wondered, still knowing the answer.
"Their style of karate is very simplistic. You wait, someone attacks you. You counter them."
"So their way is wrong?" I asked.
Kreese shrugged. "Essentially. Waiting for a problem to arrive on your doorstep. A challenge. A war. Anything. That's the same thing as allowing yourself to get shot in a war. Waving your hands up and down out of cover begging to get attacked."
Huh. Combining Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai might be trickier than I thought. Robby pulled it off, but he never was able to train under both styles at the same time, not even in secret.
"You. Have a lot left to learn. For now Mr. Schwarber, you are Cobra Kai's first student since 1985." Kreese said calmly.
"Thank you Sensei." I sat up off the loading bay and bowed to him.
He merely nodded in acknowledgment as he sat up. "The old rate back in the day was. Fifty bucks a month? Accounting for inflation. That's."
"One hundred and twenty five dollars I think. I can get my phone out and get you the actual number."
Kreese looked at me funny. "Your phone?"
I showed my iPhone taking it out from my pocket. "Yeah. It tells you everything."
Kreese squinted. "Huh. Alright, that seems, very useful."
Guess this made sense. The moment Kreese heard Cobra Kai returned to the All Valley tournament under Johnny he probably started doing everything he could, including learning how to use the internet to figure out what was going on exactly.
I just realized one of the first visitors to the Cobra Kai webpage Miguel Diaz had set up in the show could've very well been Kreese thinking he was seeing things.
"Well. Let's just say it's a hundred dollars a month for now. Until tomorrow Schwarber," he said before walking away.
"Until tomorrow Sensei."
Now to pay Daniel LaRusso a visit too and also be trained possibly in secret.
How long could I keep this up? Would it work? I guess technically I could walk away from this betraying both. I'd need more time to think about this before seeking out Daniel.
I had time. I had so much time.
...
...
...
A/N: So. For the very first official Self insert in Cobra Kai/Karate Kid history (yes, I know there have been OCs, but an SI is something else technically) I have chosen Kreese to be the Sensei, at least the first Sensei.
Also very important, this story starts and takes place one year before Johnny meets Miguel in the first season of Cobra Kai.
Some will wonder the obvious "but what're the pairings!?"
Uh...for Luke? I have no clue. Besides the pairings I have listed in the summary it can go any number of different ways. Luke/Moon or Luke/Yasmine, although for a long long time at least, I don't see him being paired with anyone. Mostly because at a stage this early in the story, the only people not superficial enough for Lucas would probably be either Aisha or Sam, neither of which I can see staying with him at all in the long run.
Also, if the mc seems manipulative, immature, and stupid, yes, he's supposed to be. He's young, also he's supposed to go through an arc.
That being said. I do plan on having Aisha stick around for a long time. I don't plan on just dropping her when this story gets to around Season 3 in canon. Speaking of which, canonically speaking this story takes place in a Cobra Kai Season 0 or Season One Half? It's an entire year before Johnny and Miguel meet, so there's plenty to build.
However, big however. In order for a few key plot points to work, either Sam and Robby or probably Sam and Eli will be a thing. They of course, are not the endgame pairing by any means so I don't mean to off put anyone. I mean come on, Sam and Kyler were a thing in canon and Kyler is just.
Okay, so, Lucas, as the story has stated until this point, is by no means a completely good person nor a bad person. So him being a complete goody two shoes or utter bully is boring, I'd expect something inbetween moving forward. I prefer gray characters over completely light or dark, that's how the Cobra Kai series tends to be written and that's awesome of it.
I'm sure some are wondering the obvious as well. Where is Miguel? Will he show up?
Answering those questions are technically spoilers, but as a pretty decent Miguel fan myself here it is.
He's currently in Riverside and about to start his freshman year of highschool. And yes, he will show up when he does in canon, I don't know about the same manner. To get to where I need his character to start, I need to set up. A shitton of character arcs and development.
Another thing I'm sure some are wondering is why I didn't have Luke or the main character just seek out Daniel or Johnny first? That's kinda obvious and boring, I didn't want to go with such an easy one.
Still, thank you all for reading. And I'll see you all around.
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MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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I didn't even know that exited until now. What is that?
MiyazakiFan18
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Okay I just saw it, it's pretty badass. This SI is in the modern era of the Netflix series, not the original trilogy as well.
iceknight90
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This looks promising.
Lillie Jones
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Watched
PepeTheFrog
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If I had a nickel for every Cobra Kai story I found on QQ I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that they both popped up on the first page of creative and NSFW writing when I looked. Personally, I like this one better than Cherico's because their short chapter format bugs me. Lucas could also look for Mike Barnes, he's running a furniture store, is relatively level headed and skilled and was trained in Cobra Kai as well I think.
MiyazakiFan18
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Yes. Remember though, this character has only seen Cobra Kai up until Season 4. He has no idea where Mike Barnes is otherwise, or even if he's still in Los Angeles/The Valley.
Chapter Two
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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- Jul 10, 2024
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- Likes received
- 2,146
Chapter Two: The First Week of Summer
…
The first thing I realized about LA is that my grandparents were some of the most boring people on the planet.
Frank Mills and Olivia Mills were exactly what I expected from Ali's parents to be like if they ever showed up in the Cobra Kai series.
Super old, super rich, and of course, despite how nice they were. Incredibly boring.
Frank, or. Grandpa technically. Tried playing chess with me claiming it'd be a "fun lesson", but he of course didn't know that in previous life I had competed on both a chess team for a year and was in my school's chess club for years.
My grandmother mostly kept to herself. Our entire house had servants, as two retired doctors, my new grandparents were kind, humble, yet very bland people.
Luckily for me, they couldn't care less about where I was or how I spent my time. They were family, but they weren't my parents.
More than anything. What I wanted to do was still combine Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai. It was taking the two extremes of karate, hyper aggression and defense and basically turning it into the most overpowered sort of fighting style one could imagine.
The afternoon I was going to go to the LaRussos for the first time was the day I realized something.
It was the 2016 All Valley Tournament today. May 20th.
Wondered if my new teacher wanted to take me.
…
"No. No no no. No!"
For an old man, Kreese really still knew how to fight. He also really packed a punch.
I groaned on the ground standing up. "What did I do wrong?"
"Stop telegraphing that front kick. In a real fight you'd be toast."
"How?"
Kreese sighed. "Well. In actual combat. The front kick has to be one movement. You raise your leg and go for your opponent's torso with your foot instantly. You keep your guard tight the entire time."
"Yes Sensei."
"Forty pushups on your knuckles. I'll get a few extra crates this time."
It was grueling work. The knuckle pushups had to be constant, and done on the hard concrete of the old loading dock that became our unofficial 'Cobra Kai dojo.'
My arms got tired and my knuckles felt like the choppy asphalt were cutting them down to the bone.
I pushed through it and stood up, the wooden crates Kreese added for weight on my back falling right off.
"Alright. Forward strikes."
I got into my stance, panting quietly after wiping some sweat away.
"Jab punch! Ais!"
"Aiiya!"
"Ais!"
"Aiiya!"
"Ais!"
"Aiiiii!"
"Stay lower to the ground."
"Yes Sensei!"
"Ais!"
He was exactly like my old karate teacher when I trained in traditional Shotokan. He made me strike in place, he made me strike in lines. He watched calmly and inspected and corrected my form from every angle he could.
Guess this made sense as I was his only student.
If I overextended my right hand and exposed my chin or ribs, he slammed me into the concrete as hard as he could.
If during some sparring I exposed any part of my guard too or was too defensive or misread my openings improperly, I'd get caught with a backfist or a kick or something.
For such an old man I was really impressed by the shape he was in and how well he could strike. I guess it was something that never really left a trained black belt and veteran Cobra Kai Sensei.
In both the series and my old karate classes, old men could make younger, stronger, and bigger men fall over or stagger back even holding light pads to withstand the blows from how well they twisted their bodies into the strikes.
It wasn't based on muscle strength. It was simply how good the technique and form behind the strike was. It was what laid at the heart of Shotokan Karate, all your energy, controlled into a single precise blow. Kick, knife hand, punch, elbow, anything.
Oddly enough, despite Tang Soo Do being Cobra Kai's founding style, Kreese seemed to base his entire style of attacking and combat around Shotokan Karate fundamentals I had already learned.
Never would've guessed that.
"Okay. First counter attack. You already used it pretty well earlier this week during your first class. I jab. And what do you do?"
"Instantly punch to the body."
He attacked without announcing, testing my reflexes.
"Aii!"
As the jab punch with his left hand sailed harmlessly over my head, I was putting my whole body into the reverse punch to the kidney.
It didn't so much as stagger Kreese. Why was it that he had so much of that weird old man strength?
He seemed to accept the power and speed I put into the blow. "Good. You've got the gist of it down. Which is anticipating landing your attack no matter what's coming in. Not thinking about it, just. Going in to attack. It's an old technique my Sensei Kim Sun Yung taught me. You attack first, you land first. Nicely done Schwarber."
"Thank you Sensei."
Another hour and a half of more cardio, muscle strength training and practicing strikes and counters and we were done.
Kreese checked his very old looking watch by rolling up the sleeve of his jacket. "That concludes class for today. Even for your first week you're improving the basics better. But I'd like to test it properly."
"How do you want to do that?"
"Sparring between you and I is gonna be more of the same for. I'd say at least a year? What I want to do is see what your instincts are like. Rather, what I'm looking for is how you analyze a fight without my instruction. Do you know what begins in about two hours today?"
"This year's All Valley Karate tournament. I was wondering if we should go together."
Kreese nodded with a tiny shrug. "That's correct. I guess as the saying goes great minds think alike. I go to them on occasion every few years. I stopped at the last one. Let's see if you can figure out why that was."
"I don't have a car and I ride a bicycle everywhere. How do we get to the arena?"
"The same way I get around everywhere. The bus."
…
On the bus ride over to the arena, I decided to make conversation with the world's most useful old man to me right now.
"So. I wanted to talk to you about something."
Kreese looked over at me from the window. "About?"
"My mother. I was hoping you could elaborate more on her relationship with Johnny Lawrence."
Kreese scowled. "Kid, I know it's not your fault that you were born to Ali. But if I met your mother today, I don't think I'd be very patient with her."
"Why's that?"
"As a girl. Your mother was part of the reason why Cobra Kai fell. She started the rivalry between LaRusso and Johnny that led to the dojo's fall from grace. But if you must know. They were madly in love at one point."
I smiled a bit. "I knew that already. What more could you tell me about her?"
"She was the reason why Johnny Lawrence lost that day. He brought around his title fight with LaRusso on a dime. He tied up the score two to two." Kreese seemed to wince at the memory. "And then," he sighed quietly.
He smacked his fist into his palm loudly. "He walked right into the most telegraphed kick in karate history. It was my fault mostly. Instead of just telling him to relax and know he'd get the last point, I egged him on. Told him to finish LaRusso instead of taking a deep breath."
"Breathing and stepping back instead of forward doesn't sound like Cobra Kai."
"I've had about thirty years to consider the mistakes I've made with Johnny Lawrence kid." Kreese frowned. "Regardless of LaRusso. Miyagi. And your mother. The day I lost the dojo was the day I let Johnny fall for Ali Mills. He thought he was in love."
I remembered him referring to the crane kick as 'crap' and explaining to Robby in a deleted scene that was the reason why Johnny Lawrence lost. Funny how much he repeated that wisdom to me, Ali's son instead of Johnny's.
"There wasn't a single attack on this earth that could've stopped Johnny. He plastered the likes of Darryl Vidal and the entire Vidal family three to the nothing to the floor. Stuck their faces to the mat as if they were glued to it. And he couldn't beat a skinny Italian kid who only knew kata in his first few months of karate." Kreese sighed. "That was no bad student kid. That's a bad teacher."
I was surprised at how humble and wise to an extent decades out of the game had made Kreese. "So how do you plan to fix those mistakes?"
"How do you think? With you kid." Kreese put his hands on his knees. "I never in my life would've imagined the words Cobra Kai would be uttered to me by another person again after '85. And you convinced me this was worth a shot again."
The All Valley arena came into sight from the bus stop we pulled up to.
"It's time to test what I've taught you this week. You may not be ready to compete just yet. But I want to see how you analyze and watch a fight."
…
I almost laughed at what I saw.
"Sunglasses and a hat. Why the disguise?"
Kreese frowned. "Why do you think? If there's one place in this city I'll get recognized, it's here. I spent the better part of a decade and a half winning tournaments here or having my students do the same. Of course I need a disguise."
It technically only made him more conspicuous. But it still did a good enough job of hiding any attention or recognition for his appearance.
"Right."
It was already our turn in line. Wow, the crowd looked light. This almost looked like what it was supposed to be. A high school karate tournament instead of a state wide martial arts sporting event.
"Hi. Welcome to the All Valley Tournament 2016!" the girl at the plastic desk said. "Two tickets?"
"Yeah hi." Kreese said. "I'm a senior citizen. And a vet. Can I have a discount of some kind?"
"Of course. Do you have your military ID with you?"
Kreese took his wallet out and showed her his ID.
The girl looked at it with a frown. "This expired a few months ago. I'm sorry."
"Look. The VA office and I don't get along the best. I still promise I'm a vet." Kreese insisted.
"Still. I don't think it would be best to give you the discount." she said dryly.
She looked what. Nineteen. Twenty? I bet she just didn't care enough to possibly make an issue with her manager to ask.
Clearly used to this. Kreese just nodded slowly as I spoke up. "Hold on. You don't want to lose like five or ten bucks cause his ID was a few months out of date? Way to try to take advantage of a senior citizen."
"Well look-"
"Wow. Very nice." I scoffed.
She shifted in her chair. "A senior ticket and, how old are you?"
"I'm fourteen." I said.
"That'll be twenty two dollars and seventy five cents."
She handed me back my change and spoke quietly. "Enjoy the tournament this year."
"Thanks." I looked right back into her eye.
As we walked inside to find good seats Kreese muttered to me. "You know you didn't have to do that. We might've risked being kicked out of line or something."
"Doubt it. It's like you said Sensei. There's no such thing as mercy. She saw you as old and weak, had no trouble taking away a few extra bucks from you. Not caring if that was your bus fare or not."
I saw for a second Kreese shifted inside the small trench coat he was using to hide most of his appearance. I'd bet anything that he was smiling right now.
After a quick national anthem the arena of two hundred or three hundred or so people at the very most stood. The majority of the stands were empty.
Daryl, the announcer I remembered from hosting the All Valley tournament twice, walked out onto the mat.
"Welcome! To the 48th All Valley Under 18 Karate tournament." he said as everyone applauded. Even Kreese and I applauded, despite it looking like Kreese was stern and stoic enough to not even applaud Queen during Live Aid.
Hell, I only made him smile because I knew his weaknesses from the show so well. Star students with loyalty and honesty.
"The matches are about to begin. But first, our competitors!"
"Fighting out of Granada Hills. All Star Karate. From Glendale California, Xtreme Martial Arts."
Kreese seemed to look extremely bored, not even applauding once in his seat. I could tell he didn't respect any of the dojos one bit as Daryl went on and on.
"And from Topanga! Topanga Karate!"
I saw Patricia Stone roar a few seats away. "Yeah! Go get 'em Xander!"
"That's all of the dojos competing! And now! It's karate time!"
…
The first match we caught a glimpse of was someone I was pretty sure was going to win the entire tournament but I didn't want to say anything.
A guy named Phineas Morrison from All Star Karate was scoring an easy point on a seemingly fifteen year old Xander Stone.
"That's all right baby!" I heard Patricia yell nearby. "Just use your hands! Use the ring!"
Kreese sighed. "Think we should go tell her to tone it down?"
"No need." I said. "Her kid's about to lose."
Kreese said nothing as we kept watching the match.
Stone jabbed, moving away to set up a quick step up round kick with his front leg that allowed Morrison to easily sweep his leg and score a punch on the head with.
"Stop!" I saw the referee point towards Morrison. "That's two nothing, Morrison!"
"Sure Stone won't be able to score a point?"
I shook my head quietly without a word.
Unsurprisingly, Stone walked into another basic counter and was hit with a strong kick to the stomach, caught just as he began to move forward to attack.
"Three points to nothing! Winner!" the referee raised Morrison's hand before he bowed to Stone and they shook hands.
"What gave it away?" asked Kreese, as if he was quizzing me.
"It wasn't even Morrison's reach or speed advantage. Stone was telegraphing just about everything he did. After the second point he got too nervous, stayed too much on defense and was. How to put it best. Twitchy?"
Kreese hid how on the money I had analyzed the three stock Morrison had on Stone. "Hm."
For the rest of the tournament it was pretty easy to see who had actual chances to reach the quarter finals.
Morrison seemed to be on a fast track right to the quarters the moment he took Cutting Edge Karate's top fighter out in a three to one match.
Garcia from the Locust Valley Karate Club seemed to be doing well, as well as Gardener and Hernandez from Xtreme Martial Arts and Topanga Karate respectively.
All four were generally mediocre at best, except for Morrison, he was genuinely pretty okay. I could see him having a tough match with Garcia in the finals maybe, but ultimately Morrison would win three to two.
The whole time, I made comments on what I saw to Kreese.
"He telegraphed that front kick. Just like you told me today."
"Awful jab. Has no idea how to move around the ring."
"Looks like his Sensei pretended it was time for him to have a black belt just so he could compete. No combos or attacks of any kind."
One Locust Valley Karate Club fighter was so terrible he just stood there waiting to get hit, throwing really weak, random, and slow kicks occasionally.
I just looked at Kreese as if to say. 'Do I really need to explain that?'
Finally, the quarter finals were all basically three nothing matches. And the semi-finals began. This was where I really began to pay attention, because they'd tell me everything about who won the tournament.
…
"Last year's runner up champion Frederick Garcia has Gardener on the backfoot! Let's see if he can turn it around."
I shook my head towards Kreese knowing how quickly it would end.
Gardener began to attack but Garcia had already moved away.
Garcia jabbed, feinted to make Gardener move back and then landed a reverse punch to the head.
"Stop. Point!" The referee raised a hand towards Garcia. "Winner!"
"They really don't make Locust Valley fighters like they used to." Kreese sighed. "I remember Darryl Vidal and all his brothers and cousins. They used to be the only real competition Cobra Kai would have at all back in the day." Kreese muttered to me.
After Morrison shut out Hernandez three to nothing in one of the most blatant mismatches I'd ever seen in a fight that lasted under fifty seconds, I knew what was going to happen.
I had seen enough.
"All Star is taking the title this year." I said.
Kreese raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are they?"
"Morrison will score the first point against Garcia. He'll nearly score the next, then the round will be inconclusive. Maybe one will go off the mat or will be unable to continue combat or something."
"The next point is almost definitely Garcia's. Morrison will score the next, easy jab or back kick or something. And then Garcia is going to score one of the best points of the tournament. Either All Star or Locust Valley will call for time, then Morrison scores the last point in around ten to twenty seconds."
Kreese merely rubbed his chin. "We'll see."
I turned out to be pretty right.
The first to score was Morrison. However Garcia instantly tied it up. Morrison scored a strong punch to the body near the edge of the ring. Garcia then did score one of the best points of the tournament, caught Morrison during a combo with a very well timed counter as a back kick to the body disguised as a wheel kick to the head by making Morrison momentarily raise his hands to block to let him score.
The crowd probably missed it. But from the way he turned, it was a smart trap. Had to learn it.
The score was two to two, just as I predicted, one of the two dojos, Locust Valley Karate, called for time and seemed to give some advice I knew would fail Garcia.
Morrison landed a perfect head kick just going for it like I learned earlier today. He stepped in with a slicing and very fast front kick instantly catching Garcia on the side of the head.
"Point!" the ref lifted Morrison's hand and All Star Karate won the tournament. "Winner!"
Kreese chuckled as the entire arena roared and applauded Morrison. Except for both of us.
"Well." Kreese muttered as I was sitting close enough to him to hear him. "I'd say you'd have earned your white belt if I still had uniforms to give out. Nice job Schwarber."
…
On the bus ride back towards the homeless shelter where Kreese lived, I explained to Kreese everything I learned today.
"The lesson wasn't the karatekas themselves. They were all really mediocre despite having so many years of experience under their belts."
Kreese listened quietly.
"The lesson was what karate has become. Morrison wouldn't last ten seconds against even the lower skilled fighters of the 80s wouldn't he? And he became the champion. That was the lesson, that was why you don't even bother coming to tournaments anymore even to just pass the time."
Kreese looked at me. "Do you get what I mean now. When I say that you have the most necessary instincts of a Cobra Kai? For a fourteen year old kid you sure do know how to see things. What was the second lesson?"
It took me about two minutes. But I got it.
"You wanted me to see my competition. For next year when I compete."
"Yes but. Do you get why it's so important?"
"Yeah." I said, fixing the material of my flexible and somewhat loose fitting jeans that would allow me to practice kicks with Kreese. "I'd be basically the youngest person to become the All Valley Under 18 Champ in history if I won."
Kreese shook his head. "Not basically the youngest. The youngest. You'd be winning the tournament the week of your fifteenth birthday. In your very first All Valley. Son. Johnny Lawrence had a shot at the same title."
"He couldn't win it for two reasons. One. He was shorter with shorter limbs when he was your age. You are much taller, that's very important. The second is that the fighters that stood in his path before. The Vidals, much better dojos in general. They're all gone."
"I know." I said quietly.
"The time to emerge from the brumation we came up with. Is at next year's All Valley. I can't take on the All Valley board myself to lift the ban on Cobra Kai."
I knew why. "Daniel LaRusso's on it. Isn't he?"
"You're very smart for your age. You know that?" Kreese muttered. "You're getting it. The only way Cobra Kai wins. No. The only way you win. Is to compete unaffiliated with any dojo in the Valley. That would break enough ground to make national karate history."
Like Robby did when Daniel hung him out to dry.
"Okay."
"You did. Extremely well today, I can't lie. In your training. In how you're learning to observe and think. And process things. I really think Cobra Kai would have been very very lucky to have you back in the day." Kreese said. "But for now. I have to leave with you another lesson."
I nodded. "Okay."
"There's a man responsible for the reason you saw the All Valley turn out as mediocre and disappointing as you saw today. And that man's name, is one you already know. Daniel LaRusso."
I listened quietly as the bus kept driving towards Pacoima.
"You're living with your grandparents right?"
I nodded.
Kreese sighed. "You're neighbors with the LaRussos most likely. I found out he runs car dealerships all over the Valley. I'd imagine you can pay him a visit."
"Is he my enemy Sensei?"
"He has no reason to be. For now however, at least. You're the son of his old girlfriend from high school. The one that got away I'm sure. We can use that."
I smiled. "Really?"
"Never trust Daniel LaRusso though," Kreese said. "He's weak. And his karate is responsible for the complete decline into mediocrity and obscurity as you saw today. The way you can use LaRusso's history with your mother to your advantage is simple."
"How?"
"There's an old black belt lesson I used to use back in the day. It was simple. I brought in a living cobra. And the person tested had to strangle it with their bare hands. The trick to pass the test was simple too. You had to pet its head, make it calm. Show no fear. And then strike." explained Kreese. "The lesson still holds up today. The only way to beat a cobra. Is to make him your friend."
"How can I be friends with someone like LaRusso?" I asked. "From what you've told me. He's awful."
"Because the pain he will feel when he trusts you. When his family trusts you. And you reveal yourself to be my student all along. For months and months, maybe even more than this year we're planning. Will absolutely destroy him."
I began to nod. "Okay."
"Kid, there was no time in my life I saw LaRusso more scared than the moment he realized my old friend, Terry Silver, was his enemy the whole time he pretended to be his friend. I popped out from behind an old cardboard cutout of me. And he nearly seemed to wet his pants." said Kreese, chuckling at the memory. "But I want you to realize something too."
"Alright."
"I wouldn't trust most Cobra Kai students with something like this. I wouldn't even mention Terry to them unless I trusted them with the entire dojo the way I am to you."
"I understand Sensei."
"Don't let me down." calmly said Kreese. "Strike first against LaRusso. Introduce yourself. Don't be afraid to tell him what he needs to hear."
I came up with a mostly true script. "I'm Ali Mills' son. And I've come to LA to make friends and start high school off right. Friends. Including him."
Kreese chuckled, seeming to smile. "This was turning out yet another long and terrible year for me. Essentially the thirty first in a row. And then you showed up."
Kreese offered a hand for me to shake. "You might just be my student. But even just knowing you for a week. You've been the first person in decades who's earned my trust."
"And you've earned mine." I smiled back genuinely too, at least I pretended to as I shook his hand.
The look on his face when he found out I was just going to use both him and LaRusso to make karate history.
The ramifications of all this were going to be. Massive.
The bus reached its stop and I actually needed to use it as its next stop was near Encino where I lived.
"I never would've thought another clever person from the Hills would ever bail me out and restore my faith in Cobra Kai when I needed it most." Kreese said. "I look forward to seeing you in class next week."
In the doorway of the bus, I bowed to Kreese. And he bowed back. "Thank you Sensei."
…
As I rode my bike to the LaRusso home that night, I considered the consequences my double cross on both Daniel and Kreese might have.
I would have one tournament win under my belt most likely. Sure. Why not, it didn't seem too hard.
But I'd basically annihilate any chance I would have for actually good karate Senseis to train me.
Who knows how Kreese would react even if I won without him coaching me at the tournament? And Daniel would take me having sided with Kreese all along so badly that he might as well never talk to me again.
I can see him forgiving Robby Keene after all that he pulled in Season 5 of the Cobra Kai Netflix show. But me?
I would've lied to him for an entire year. Stealing Miyagi-Do karate from the very beginning for the explicit purpose of just winning.
Even if I would only be barely fifteen by that point. That is some truly out there level of manipulative I doubt he'd forgive.
I mean, at some point he would've found out. I felt a bit bad though. From what I saw today and from what I was beginning to understand. Daniel probably wouldn't find out I had trained under Kreese first and was playing him since the moment he met until well after I had won next year's All Valley.
He wouldn't even coach Robby at his tournament for nearly the entire thing until the final match. And that was in an argument he had with Johnny and Robby, he'd go ballistic if he found out about Kreese and I.
Well. I was already here.
I took a deep breath and rang the LaRusso home's doorbell, holding the bottle of expensive champagne my grandmother had given me.
I really hoped this worked in the long term. I had to be smart about it. I had to be really really smart about how I went about this entire thing.
...
...
...
…
The first thing I realized about LA is that my grandparents were some of the most boring people on the planet.
Frank Mills and Olivia Mills were exactly what I expected from Ali's parents to be like if they ever showed up in the Cobra Kai series.
Super old, super rich, and of course, despite how nice they were. Incredibly boring.
Frank, or. Grandpa technically. Tried playing chess with me claiming it'd be a "fun lesson", but he of course didn't know that in previous life I had competed on both a chess team for a year and was in my school's chess club for years.
My grandmother mostly kept to herself. Our entire house had servants, as two retired doctors, my new grandparents were kind, humble, yet very bland people.
Luckily for me, they couldn't care less about where I was or how I spent my time. They were family, but they weren't my parents.
More than anything. What I wanted to do was still combine Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai. It was taking the two extremes of karate, hyper aggression and defense and basically turning it into the most overpowered sort of fighting style one could imagine.
The afternoon I was going to go to the LaRussos for the first time was the day I realized something.
It was the 2016 All Valley Tournament today. May 20th.
Wondered if my new teacher wanted to take me.
…
"No. No no no. No!"
For an old man, Kreese really still knew how to fight. He also really packed a punch.
I groaned on the ground standing up. "What did I do wrong?"
"Stop telegraphing that front kick. In a real fight you'd be toast."
"How?"
Kreese sighed. "Well. In actual combat. The front kick has to be one movement. You raise your leg and go for your opponent's torso with your foot instantly. You keep your guard tight the entire time."
"Yes Sensei."
"Forty pushups on your knuckles. I'll get a few extra crates this time."
It was grueling work. The knuckle pushups had to be constant, and done on the hard concrete of the old loading dock that became our unofficial 'Cobra Kai dojo.'
My arms got tired and my knuckles felt like the choppy asphalt were cutting them down to the bone.
I pushed through it and stood up, the wooden crates Kreese added for weight on my back falling right off.
"Alright. Forward strikes."
I got into my stance, panting quietly after wiping some sweat away.
"Jab punch! Ais!"
"Aiiya!"
"Ais!"
"Aiiya!"
"Ais!"
"Aiiiii!"
"Stay lower to the ground."
"Yes Sensei!"
"Ais!"
He was exactly like my old karate teacher when I trained in traditional Shotokan. He made me strike in place, he made me strike in lines. He watched calmly and inspected and corrected my form from every angle he could.
Guess this made sense as I was his only student.
If I overextended my right hand and exposed my chin or ribs, he slammed me into the concrete as hard as he could.
If during some sparring I exposed any part of my guard too or was too defensive or misread my openings improperly, I'd get caught with a backfist or a kick or something.
For such an old man I was really impressed by the shape he was in and how well he could strike. I guess it was something that never really left a trained black belt and veteran Cobra Kai Sensei.
In both the series and my old karate classes, old men could make younger, stronger, and bigger men fall over or stagger back even holding light pads to withstand the blows from how well they twisted their bodies into the strikes.
It wasn't based on muscle strength. It was simply how good the technique and form behind the strike was. It was what laid at the heart of Shotokan Karate, all your energy, controlled into a single precise blow. Kick, knife hand, punch, elbow, anything.
Oddly enough, despite Tang Soo Do being Cobra Kai's founding style, Kreese seemed to base his entire style of attacking and combat around Shotokan Karate fundamentals I had already learned.
Never would've guessed that.
"Okay. First counter attack. You already used it pretty well earlier this week during your first class. I jab. And what do you do?"
"Instantly punch to the body."
He attacked without announcing, testing my reflexes.
"Aii!"
As the jab punch with his left hand sailed harmlessly over my head, I was putting my whole body into the reverse punch to the kidney.
It didn't so much as stagger Kreese. Why was it that he had so much of that weird old man strength?
He seemed to accept the power and speed I put into the blow. "Good. You've got the gist of it down. Which is anticipating landing your attack no matter what's coming in. Not thinking about it, just. Going in to attack. It's an old technique my Sensei Kim Sun Yung taught me. You attack first, you land first. Nicely done Schwarber."
"Thank you Sensei."
Another hour and a half of more cardio, muscle strength training and practicing strikes and counters and we were done.
Kreese checked his very old looking watch by rolling up the sleeve of his jacket. "That concludes class for today. Even for your first week you're improving the basics better. But I'd like to test it properly."
"How do you want to do that?"
"Sparring between you and I is gonna be more of the same for. I'd say at least a year? What I want to do is see what your instincts are like. Rather, what I'm looking for is how you analyze a fight without my instruction. Do you know what begins in about two hours today?"
"This year's All Valley Karate tournament. I was wondering if we should go together."
Kreese nodded with a tiny shrug. "That's correct. I guess as the saying goes great minds think alike. I go to them on occasion every few years. I stopped at the last one. Let's see if you can figure out why that was."
"I don't have a car and I ride a bicycle everywhere. How do we get to the arena?"
"The same way I get around everywhere. The bus."
…
On the bus ride over to the arena, I decided to make conversation with the world's most useful old man to me right now.
"So. I wanted to talk to you about something."
Kreese looked over at me from the window. "About?"
"My mother. I was hoping you could elaborate more on her relationship with Johnny Lawrence."
Kreese scowled. "Kid, I know it's not your fault that you were born to Ali. But if I met your mother today, I don't think I'd be very patient with her."
"Why's that?"
"As a girl. Your mother was part of the reason why Cobra Kai fell. She started the rivalry between LaRusso and Johnny that led to the dojo's fall from grace. But if you must know. They were madly in love at one point."
I smiled a bit. "I knew that already. What more could you tell me about her?"
"She was the reason why Johnny Lawrence lost that day. He brought around his title fight with LaRusso on a dime. He tied up the score two to two." Kreese seemed to wince at the memory. "And then," he sighed quietly.
He smacked his fist into his palm loudly. "He walked right into the most telegraphed kick in karate history. It was my fault mostly. Instead of just telling him to relax and know he'd get the last point, I egged him on. Told him to finish LaRusso instead of taking a deep breath."
"Breathing and stepping back instead of forward doesn't sound like Cobra Kai."
"I've had about thirty years to consider the mistakes I've made with Johnny Lawrence kid." Kreese frowned. "Regardless of LaRusso. Miyagi. And your mother. The day I lost the dojo was the day I let Johnny fall for Ali Mills. He thought he was in love."
I remembered him referring to the crane kick as 'crap' and explaining to Robby in a deleted scene that was the reason why Johnny Lawrence lost. Funny how much he repeated that wisdom to me, Ali's son instead of Johnny's.
"There wasn't a single attack on this earth that could've stopped Johnny. He plastered the likes of Darryl Vidal and the entire Vidal family three to the nothing to the floor. Stuck their faces to the mat as if they were glued to it. And he couldn't beat a skinny Italian kid who only knew kata in his first few months of karate." Kreese sighed. "That was no bad student kid. That's a bad teacher."
I was surprised at how humble and wise to an extent decades out of the game had made Kreese. "So how do you plan to fix those mistakes?"
"How do you think? With you kid." Kreese put his hands on his knees. "I never in my life would've imagined the words Cobra Kai would be uttered to me by another person again after '85. And you convinced me this was worth a shot again."
The All Valley arena came into sight from the bus stop we pulled up to.
"It's time to test what I've taught you this week. You may not be ready to compete just yet. But I want to see how you analyze and watch a fight."
…
I almost laughed at what I saw.
"Sunglasses and a hat. Why the disguise?"
Kreese frowned. "Why do you think? If there's one place in this city I'll get recognized, it's here. I spent the better part of a decade and a half winning tournaments here or having my students do the same. Of course I need a disguise."
It technically only made him more conspicuous. But it still did a good enough job of hiding any attention or recognition for his appearance.
"Right."
It was already our turn in line. Wow, the crowd looked light. This almost looked like what it was supposed to be. A high school karate tournament instead of a state wide martial arts sporting event.
"Hi. Welcome to the All Valley Tournament 2016!" the girl at the plastic desk said. "Two tickets?"
"Yeah hi." Kreese said. "I'm a senior citizen. And a vet. Can I have a discount of some kind?"
"Of course. Do you have your military ID with you?"
Kreese took his wallet out and showed her his ID.
The girl looked at it with a frown. "This expired a few months ago. I'm sorry."
"Look. The VA office and I don't get along the best. I still promise I'm a vet." Kreese insisted.
"Still. I don't think it would be best to give you the discount." she said dryly.
She looked what. Nineteen. Twenty? I bet she just didn't care enough to possibly make an issue with her manager to ask.
Clearly used to this. Kreese just nodded slowly as I spoke up. "Hold on. You don't want to lose like five or ten bucks cause his ID was a few months out of date? Way to try to take advantage of a senior citizen."
"Well look-"
"Wow. Very nice." I scoffed.
She shifted in her chair. "A senior ticket and, how old are you?"
"I'm fourteen." I said.
"That'll be twenty two dollars and seventy five cents."
She handed me back my change and spoke quietly. "Enjoy the tournament this year."
"Thanks." I looked right back into her eye.
As we walked inside to find good seats Kreese muttered to me. "You know you didn't have to do that. We might've risked being kicked out of line or something."
"Doubt it. It's like you said Sensei. There's no such thing as mercy. She saw you as old and weak, had no trouble taking away a few extra bucks from you. Not caring if that was your bus fare or not."
I saw for a second Kreese shifted inside the small trench coat he was using to hide most of his appearance. I'd bet anything that he was smiling right now.
After a quick national anthem the arena of two hundred or three hundred or so people at the very most stood. The majority of the stands were empty.
Daryl, the announcer I remembered from hosting the All Valley tournament twice, walked out onto the mat.
"Welcome! To the 48th All Valley Under 18 Karate tournament." he said as everyone applauded. Even Kreese and I applauded, despite it looking like Kreese was stern and stoic enough to not even applaud Queen during Live Aid.
Hell, I only made him smile because I knew his weaknesses from the show so well. Star students with loyalty and honesty.
"The matches are about to begin. But first, our competitors!"
"Fighting out of Granada Hills. All Star Karate. From Glendale California, Xtreme Martial Arts."
Kreese seemed to look extremely bored, not even applauding once in his seat. I could tell he didn't respect any of the dojos one bit as Daryl went on and on.
"And from Topanga! Topanga Karate!"
I saw Patricia Stone roar a few seats away. "Yeah! Go get 'em Xander!"
"That's all of the dojos competing! And now! It's karate time!"
…
The first match we caught a glimpse of was someone I was pretty sure was going to win the entire tournament but I didn't want to say anything.
A guy named Phineas Morrison from All Star Karate was scoring an easy point on a seemingly fifteen year old Xander Stone.
"That's all right baby!" I heard Patricia yell nearby. "Just use your hands! Use the ring!"
Kreese sighed. "Think we should go tell her to tone it down?"
"No need." I said. "Her kid's about to lose."
Kreese said nothing as we kept watching the match.
Stone jabbed, moving away to set up a quick step up round kick with his front leg that allowed Morrison to easily sweep his leg and score a punch on the head with.
"Stop!" I saw the referee point towards Morrison. "That's two nothing, Morrison!"
"Sure Stone won't be able to score a point?"
I shook my head quietly without a word.
Unsurprisingly, Stone walked into another basic counter and was hit with a strong kick to the stomach, caught just as he began to move forward to attack.
"Three points to nothing! Winner!" the referee raised Morrison's hand before he bowed to Stone and they shook hands.
"What gave it away?" asked Kreese, as if he was quizzing me.
"It wasn't even Morrison's reach or speed advantage. Stone was telegraphing just about everything he did. After the second point he got too nervous, stayed too much on defense and was. How to put it best. Twitchy?"
Kreese hid how on the money I had analyzed the three stock Morrison had on Stone. "Hm."
For the rest of the tournament it was pretty easy to see who had actual chances to reach the quarter finals.
Morrison seemed to be on a fast track right to the quarters the moment he took Cutting Edge Karate's top fighter out in a three to one match.
Garcia from the Locust Valley Karate Club seemed to be doing well, as well as Gardener and Hernandez from Xtreme Martial Arts and Topanga Karate respectively.
All four were generally mediocre at best, except for Morrison, he was genuinely pretty okay. I could see him having a tough match with Garcia in the finals maybe, but ultimately Morrison would win three to two.
The whole time, I made comments on what I saw to Kreese.
"He telegraphed that front kick. Just like you told me today."
"Awful jab. Has no idea how to move around the ring."
"Looks like his Sensei pretended it was time for him to have a black belt just so he could compete. No combos or attacks of any kind."
One Locust Valley Karate Club fighter was so terrible he just stood there waiting to get hit, throwing really weak, random, and slow kicks occasionally.
I just looked at Kreese as if to say. 'Do I really need to explain that?'
Finally, the quarter finals were all basically three nothing matches. And the semi-finals began. This was where I really began to pay attention, because they'd tell me everything about who won the tournament.
…
"Last year's runner up champion Frederick Garcia has Gardener on the backfoot! Let's see if he can turn it around."
I shook my head towards Kreese knowing how quickly it would end.
Gardener began to attack but Garcia had already moved away.
Garcia jabbed, feinted to make Gardener move back and then landed a reverse punch to the head.
"Stop. Point!" The referee raised a hand towards Garcia. "Winner!"
"They really don't make Locust Valley fighters like they used to." Kreese sighed. "I remember Darryl Vidal and all his brothers and cousins. They used to be the only real competition Cobra Kai would have at all back in the day." Kreese muttered to me.
After Morrison shut out Hernandez three to nothing in one of the most blatant mismatches I'd ever seen in a fight that lasted under fifty seconds, I knew what was going to happen.
I had seen enough.
"All Star is taking the title this year." I said.
Kreese raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are they?"
"Morrison will score the first point against Garcia. He'll nearly score the next, then the round will be inconclusive. Maybe one will go off the mat or will be unable to continue combat or something."
"The next point is almost definitely Garcia's. Morrison will score the next, easy jab or back kick or something. And then Garcia is going to score one of the best points of the tournament. Either All Star or Locust Valley will call for time, then Morrison scores the last point in around ten to twenty seconds."
Kreese merely rubbed his chin. "We'll see."
I turned out to be pretty right.
The first to score was Morrison. However Garcia instantly tied it up. Morrison scored a strong punch to the body near the edge of the ring. Garcia then did score one of the best points of the tournament, caught Morrison during a combo with a very well timed counter as a back kick to the body disguised as a wheel kick to the head by making Morrison momentarily raise his hands to block to let him score.
The crowd probably missed it. But from the way he turned, it was a smart trap. Had to learn it.
The score was two to two, just as I predicted, one of the two dojos, Locust Valley Karate, called for time and seemed to give some advice I knew would fail Garcia.
Morrison landed a perfect head kick just going for it like I learned earlier today. He stepped in with a slicing and very fast front kick instantly catching Garcia on the side of the head.
"Point!" the ref lifted Morrison's hand and All Star Karate won the tournament. "Winner!"
Kreese chuckled as the entire arena roared and applauded Morrison. Except for both of us.
"Well." Kreese muttered as I was sitting close enough to him to hear him. "I'd say you'd have earned your white belt if I still had uniforms to give out. Nice job Schwarber."
…
On the bus ride back towards the homeless shelter where Kreese lived, I explained to Kreese everything I learned today.
"The lesson wasn't the karatekas themselves. They were all really mediocre despite having so many years of experience under their belts."
Kreese listened quietly.
"The lesson was what karate has become. Morrison wouldn't last ten seconds against even the lower skilled fighters of the 80s wouldn't he? And he became the champion. That was the lesson, that was why you don't even bother coming to tournaments anymore even to just pass the time."
Kreese looked at me. "Do you get what I mean now. When I say that you have the most necessary instincts of a Cobra Kai? For a fourteen year old kid you sure do know how to see things. What was the second lesson?"
It took me about two minutes. But I got it.
"You wanted me to see my competition. For next year when I compete."
"Yes but. Do you get why it's so important?"
"Yeah." I said, fixing the material of my flexible and somewhat loose fitting jeans that would allow me to practice kicks with Kreese. "I'd be basically the youngest person to become the All Valley Under 18 Champ in history if I won."
Kreese shook his head. "Not basically the youngest. The youngest. You'd be winning the tournament the week of your fifteenth birthday. In your very first All Valley. Son. Johnny Lawrence had a shot at the same title."
"He couldn't win it for two reasons. One. He was shorter with shorter limbs when he was your age. You are much taller, that's very important. The second is that the fighters that stood in his path before. The Vidals, much better dojos in general. They're all gone."
"I know." I said quietly.
"The time to emerge from the brumation we came up with. Is at next year's All Valley. I can't take on the All Valley board myself to lift the ban on Cobra Kai."
I knew why. "Daniel LaRusso's on it. Isn't he?"
"You're very smart for your age. You know that?" Kreese muttered. "You're getting it. The only way Cobra Kai wins. No. The only way you win. Is to compete unaffiliated with any dojo in the Valley. That would break enough ground to make national karate history."
Like Robby did when Daniel hung him out to dry.
"Okay."
"You did. Extremely well today, I can't lie. In your training. In how you're learning to observe and think. And process things. I really think Cobra Kai would have been very very lucky to have you back in the day." Kreese said. "But for now. I have to leave with you another lesson."
I nodded. "Okay."
"There's a man responsible for the reason you saw the All Valley turn out as mediocre and disappointing as you saw today. And that man's name, is one you already know. Daniel LaRusso."
I listened quietly as the bus kept driving towards Pacoima.
"You're living with your grandparents right?"
I nodded.
Kreese sighed. "You're neighbors with the LaRussos most likely. I found out he runs car dealerships all over the Valley. I'd imagine you can pay him a visit."
"Is he my enemy Sensei?"
"He has no reason to be. For now however, at least. You're the son of his old girlfriend from high school. The one that got away I'm sure. We can use that."
I smiled. "Really?"
"Never trust Daniel LaRusso though," Kreese said. "He's weak. And his karate is responsible for the complete decline into mediocrity and obscurity as you saw today. The way you can use LaRusso's history with your mother to your advantage is simple."
"How?"
"There's an old black belt lesson I used to use back in the day. It was simple. I brought in a living cobra. And the person tested had to strangle it with their bare hands. The trick to pass the test was simple too. You had to pet its head, make it calm. Show no fear. And then strike." explained Kreese. "The lesson still holds up today. The only way to beat a cobra. Is to make him your friend."
"How can I be friends with someone like LaRusso?" I asked. "From what you've told me. He's awful."
"Because the pain he will feel when he trusts you. When his family trusts you. And you reveal yourself to be my student all along. For months and months, maybe even more than this year we're planning. Will absolutely destroy him."
I began to nod. "Okay."
"Kid, there was no time in my life I saw LaRusso more scared than the moment he realized my old friend, Terry Silver, was his enemy the whole time he pretended to be his friend. I popped out from behind an old cardboard cutout of me. And he nearly seemed to wet his pants." said Kreese, chuckling at the memory. "But I want you to realize something too."
"Alright."
"I wouldn't trust most Cobra Kai students with something like this. I wouldn't even mention Terry to them unless I trusted them with the entire dojo the way I am to you."
"I understand Sensei."
"Don't let me down." calmly said Kreese. "Strike first against LaRusso. Introduce yourself. Don't be afraid to tell him what he needs to hear."
I came up with a mostly true script. "I'm Ali Mills' son. And I've come to LA to make friends and start high school off right. Friends. Including him."
Kreese chuckled, seeming to smile. "This was turning out yet another long and terrible year for me. Essentially the thirty first in a row. And then you showed up."
Kreese offered a hand for me to shake. "You might just be my student. But even just knowing you for a week. You've been the first person in decades who's earned my trust."
"And you've earned mine." I smiled back genuinely too, at least I pretended to as I shook his hand.
The look on his face when he found out I was just going to use both him and LaRusso to make karate history.
The ramifications of all this were going to be. Massive.
The bus reached its stop and I actually needed to use it as its next stop was near Encino where I lived.
"I never would've thought another clever person from the Hills would ever bail me out and restore my faith in Cobra Kai when I needed it most." Kreese said. "I look forward to seeing you in class next week."
In the doorway of the bus, I bowed to Kreese. And he bowed back. "Thank you Sensei."
…
As I rode my bike to the LaRusso home that night, I considered the consequences my double cross on both Daniel and Kreese might have.
I would have one tournament win under my belt most likely. Sure. Why not, it didn't seem too hard.
But I'd basically annihilate any chance I would have for actually good karate Senseis to train me.
Who knows how Kreese would react even if I won without him coaching me at the tournament? And Daniel would take me having sided with Kreese all along so badly that he might as well never talk to me again.
I can see him forgiving Robby Keene after all that he pulled in Season 5 of the Cobra Kai Netflix show. But me?
I would've lied to him for an entire year. Stealing Miyagi-Do karate from the very beginning for the explicit purpose of just winning.
Even if I would only be barely fifteen by that point. That is some truly out there level of manipulative I doubt he'd forgive.
I mean, at some point he would've found out. I felt a bit bad though. From what I saw today and from what I was beginning to understand. Daniel probably wouldn't find out I had trained under Kreese first and was playing him since the moment he met until well after I had won next year's All Valley.
He wouldn't even coach Robby at his tournament for nearly the entire thing until the final match. And that was in an argument he had with Johnny and Robby, he'd go ballistic if he found out about Kreese and I.
Well. I was already here.
I took a deep breath and rang the LaRusso home's doorbell, holding the bottle of expensive champagne my grandmother had given me.
I really hoped this worked in the long term. I had to be smart about it. I had to be really really smart about how I went about this entire thing.
...
...
...
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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Impressive
MC is really going to be smart about this long term goal of this year's Valley Champion with the Larousso side of things coming up with some surprising family interactions between MC and daughter Sam and Daniel. Even though the potential consequences for the mc is complete alienation from the Larousso family, but the rewards are higher expectations with a complete balanced style of Miyagi style and his own Cobra style for the MC finest reveal for being John Reese's student at the Valley tournament.
Continue on
Cheers!
MC is really going to be smart about this long term goal of this year's Valley Champion with the Larousso side of things coming up with some surprising family interactions between MC and daughter Sam and Daniel. Even though the potential consequences for the mc is complete alienation from the Larousso family, but the rewards are higher expectations with a complete balanced style of Miyagi style and his own Cobra style for the MC finest reveal for being John Reese's student at the Valley tournament.
Continue on
Cheers!
MudkipSage
Versed in the lewd.
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- Aug 4, 2016
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On one hand its a shit move all around.
On the other hand it really feels in line with Kobra Kai's philosophy to do.
"You can't trust anyone" is right fucking there in it's Dao.
Combine the serpents strike with the turtles defense, and the Dragon shall have both its claws and scales!
or something.
On the other hand it really feels in line with Kobra Kai's philosophy to do.
"You can't trust anyone" is right fucking there in it's Dao.
Combine the serpents strike with the turtles defense, and the Dragon shall have both its claws and scales!
or something.
Chapter Three
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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Chapter Three: Week Two, the LaRussos
…
The person to answer the door, was Daniel.
He smiled lightly. "Hi there. Can I help you?"
"Sure." I said. "I just moved in a few blocks away."
"Welcome to Encino." said Daniel.
I offered Daniel the champagne I had been given. "Here."
Daniel read the card aloud. "It's been ages Dan since you went out with our Ali. And we never got the chance to talk since. Sincerely." Daniel squinted for a second. "Frank and Olivia Mills?"
"They're my grandparents."
Daniel laughed in surprise. "I had no idea they lived so close to us. I thought they moved away in the nineties or something. Uh. Come in, come in!"
Daniel closed the front door to his house and it was a bit surreal.
In that interior walkway between two parts of the LaRusso home well over a year from now, Hawk ran down it to throw Doug Rickenberger into a table to save Demetri.
"So. What's your name?"
"Lucas."
We shook hands.
Daniel sat down across the table from me. "Do you go by Luke or Lucas?"
"Either one works." I said calmly.
"This is. Crazy. Absolutely crazy to think about after all these years I'd meet Ali's kid. I had no idea Ali even had a son. When did you move in with your grandparents?"
I explained. "Last week. I wanted to come over and introduce myself when I moved in."
"So do you know my name and that your mom and I were good friends?" asked Daniel.
I shrugged a bit. "Somewhat. You're Dan."
Daniel smiled. "Daniel."
"Honey I think you forgot some invoices by the-" the woman I knew to be Amanda walked into view, fixing her earring. "Oh hi. Who's this?" Amanda looked with a blank smile over to Daniel.
"Do you remember Ali Mills. From my highschool?" asked Daniel.
Amanda frowned for a second. "Yeah."
My technical mom or not. The truth was there. The beautiful, blonde, fun, intelligent, and rich doctor Daniel and Johnny literally started a karate war over. I didn't blame her for that reaction.
"This is. Her son. Lucas."
Amanda shook my hand. "Nice to meet you. We've got a meeting in forty five minutes hun. We gotta go."
"Oh um." Daniel looked between me and Amanda. "Think he could meet the kids too sometime?"
"So your mother knew Daniel when they were in highschool?" Amanda asked me.
I shrugged, pretending I didn't know a thing. "Apparently they were great friends."
"Okay. So this random kid shows up on our doorstep and a minute later you think the kids should get to know him. Is everyone from your highschool or involved in this karate stuff already like family to you?"
I wasn't offended. She had a point.
"Any family of Ali's is family of mine. I'm sure if we sent Sam or Anthony over to Denver they'd be treated the same way."
Amanda sighed. "I guess we'll talk about it later, no time right now."
Daniel seemed to defend himself even as he stood up to follow her out the door. "Look, he even brought a house warming gift!" He looked back at me. "It was so nice to meet you. Summer break just started a few days ago for Sam, she's in the backyard. Anthony's upstairs, gotta go! We'll talk later." he said hurriedly before he practically ran out the door with his wife.
I looked around the interior of Daniel's home.
Huh. Kreese wasn't kidding. His old soft spot for Ali or Miyagi was basically an ultimate weakness.
I actually felt really bad. But, I was looking forward to talking to him later.
In the backyard, I saw Sam sitting down the same way Robby did when he met her. Eyes closed, laying in the sun listening to music next to her pool.
I was not impressed unlike him.
She took her headphones off, looking confused. "Hi?"
"Hi." I said quietly.
Despite me not being interested in her, I didn't blame Miguel nor Robby for taking an interest in her. Her blue eyes, very pretty hair and she was admittedly gorgeous even at my age of fourteen.
"Who might you be?"
"A family friend of your dad's. Simplest way to explain it."
"Are you Italian?"
I shook my head.
"Then you must be involved in his old karate stuff." Sam said, making me chuckle for a second. "I'm Sam." she offered a hand to shake.
I shook her hand. "Lucas. I'm new in town. I moved a few blocks down from where you live. On my bike, it's like. A ten, fifteen minute ride."
"So. We're practically neighbors." said Sam.
"I'd say so."
"What kinda things are you into?" asked Sam.
Bringing back 80s karate villains from the dead to make national martial arts championship history and possibly planning to steal your dad's karate for a year maybe. The more I thought about it. The more strange it seemed to feel sometimes.
"Uh." I cleared my throat. "Soccer. Writing."
"What do you write?"
Lucas Mills Schwarber. Dive into your memories. Your memories, not your past memories. Are they there? Come on.
It took a second but luckily I did manage to inherit his soccer and writing abilities I knew the show canonically did give him.
"I write mostly poems. A few essays. Okay, mainly formal essays."
"You write essays. For fun?"
Wow was I glad I had such fine memories of memories I technically never had of over thirteen years.
"They're essays on historical events and scientific discovery. The sequencing of the human genome, the first World War. Stuff like that mostly."
Sam frowned. "Sounds. Spectacularly boring."
"Oh it is. The fun part is how nice it looks on transcripts and how consistently I win writing competitions."
Sam chuckled. "You do things for fun you don't even like just so you can enjoy beating other people at stuff?"
"No. I do things I sort of like because my parents took all the fun out of it by making me compete in writing. Soccer though. That's where it's at."
"My little brother tried to get into soccer."
I could imagine why he didn't want to.
"Would it be out of place for me to try to get him back into it?"
Sam brushed her hair back, shrugging. "Probably. He's really annoying and a total brat. I would just ignore him if I were you."
"I think I'll give him a chance."
"He's upstairs. Actually. If you do end up convincing him to play some soccer. I'd like to tag along. Haven't tried it in a while either myself."
…
Sam opened the door to Anthony's bedroom and spoke. "Hey dingus. This is Lucas. Friend of Dad's. Or, his mom's an old friend of Dad's. You know how weird he is about his old karate people."
Sam gave an apologetic smile to me and I accepted it with a shrug.
"Cool. Shut the door please?"
I chuckled seeing the game he was playing. "Halo Reach? Didn't know people still played it."
"Course they do."
"Teabagging? Really dude?" I asked as Anthony gave a shrug. "Amateur."
"Excuse me?"
I bet he wasn't even scoring that well.
I smiled. "Let's see your KD." Anthony did as soon as he died and then I snorted. "Yeah. You're trash."
"And you could do better." Anthony said.
"I know I could." I said. "How about this? I score twice as well as you in one round. We go play some soccer. It's a nice day outside."
"Why would I do that?"
"You're like what. Ten?"
"Eleven." corrected Anthony.
"Girls your age love guys that are fast and athletic. It's all they really care about and will care about for a while."
"Okay, sure. What could you teach me about soccer?"
I chuckled. "I promise I can teach you something."
"Whatever dude."
Ten minutes and about three quarters of the way through the first try I had, Anthony gave in. "Fine. You win. Let's go."
Sam smiled at me. "You're making me spend time with my brother and I'm not hating it. Great job."
"Thanks." I said.
…
"So." Anthony said, wearing a jacket as he followed Sam and I to a nearby soccer field. "What tricks can I learn?"
"Plenty." I said.
We stood in the center of the field and I put a ball the LaRussos had down. "Try to take the ball from me."
"You're way bigger than me. And you're a really experienced soccer player. How am I supposed to do that?"
"Be aggressive. Use your feints."
"Feints?"
I explained. "Here. I'll pass the ball to your sister. You have to intercept it."
Sam seemed to enjoy messing with her brother. Anthony couldn't get anywhere near the ball.
"Come on." he started to pant after about ten minutes of it. "I don't get it."
"Allow me to show you. Now you and Sam pass it to each other. Here. I'll even make it easy for you, you can give each other plenty of space to make it harder for me to intercept the ball."
Anthony nodded. "Okay."
I let Sam and Anthony pass the soccer ball back and forth and then I instantly made Sam think I was going one direction suddenly going another.
She ended up passing the ball right to me regardless of where Anthony was.
"Alright. How'd you do that?" asked Anthony.
"The trick is simple." I said. "You don't have to pay attention to the ball itself. You look to where it's about to be moved."
"And how do I do that?" Anthony wondered.
"I think I'll give it a try." Sam said.
"Go ahead."
I found out the hard way if she really wanted to, the reflexes Miyagi-Do gave her from a very young age helped.
I was almost flat on my back the moment she tackled the ball away from me. It wasn't even like I let her, she just understood the feint really quickly.
Anthony scoffed. "That's cheating. You're not allowed to throw people on their backs in a soccer match."
I stood up. "You can as long as it's not too obvious or violent. Then it's a foul. A ref can reasonably consider it an error on the fouled person's side if they can't control where they're running or dribbling the ball."
"Your turn Anthony." Sam challenged.
It took about twenty minutes and it actually ended up being pretty fun.
We started a hacky sack contest. I beat both LaRusso siblings by a lot.
Anthony ended up running towards the goal after I had managed to convince him into trying it.
"Whoo!" Anthony said as Sam missed catching the ball.
Sam stood up from the ground. "Huh. Thought this would be boring."
"And why isn't it?" I asked her.
"Because I don't like watching my little brother win at this."
I smiled. It was the same the other way around for Anthony too I was sure.
Eventually we were done an hour later.
Reasonably sweaty, Anthony walked back with Sam and I towards the LaRusso home. "Huh. I actually didn't think I would enjoy that." he admitted.
"Me neither honestly." Sam said.
"Do you think you could coach me my whole season if I got back into it?"
I shrugged. "Most of the basics are pretty easy to nail down. Then it's a matter of how seriously you take training."
"I'm getting the feeling you really know your stuff." Anthony said.
"I mean I was I was top of my league and at my school. I started playing when I was about six or so. Haven't stopped for about eight years."
Sam looked at me. "So you're starting high school in the fall right?"
"Of course."
"Where are you going?"
"West Valley High." I said.
"I'm going there too." said Sam. "Their soccer team would be really lucky to have you."
I shook my head with a slight smile. "I don't know if I'll get back into it. I might have my plate filled with other stuff."
"What do you plan on doing then besides school?" wondered Sam.
Karate, and lots of it. Two kinds of karate that have been at war for over thirty years.
"Maybe chess or writing club. Or the chess team too. That could be cool."
…
Sam sort of left Anthony and I alone after the soccer game. I didn't mind. She respectfully let me play some very fun video games with Anthony waiting for her dad to get home.
Besides, Anthony was actually asking me to play Halo Reach and all sorts of games on the Xbox in his room with him.
I could tell I had made a good first impression on all the LaRussos though except for maybe Amanda. But that was more no one's fault than mine and it wasn't so bad that it was impossible to fix.
I heard Daniel muttering before he opened the door to Anthony's room.
"Anth did you really spend another whole day just playing video games?"
"Nope. Lucas took Sam and I to the nearby park to play some soccer. He's really good at it. Maybe if I keep practicing with him this summer I'll be good enough to try out."
Daniel was surprised. "Really?"
"I enjoyed today." Anthony said. "Not gonna lie. I thought I wouldn't. But I did."
"I enjoyed today as well." I admitted.
"Um. Can we talk?" Daniel asked me.
I nodded.
…
Downstairs, Daniel handed me a soda can as he drank from a glass of water. "So. I heard Sam enjoyed her time with you at the soccer field too."
"She learns pretty fast. Just like Anthony."
"Soccer huh." Daniel looked thoughtful for a second. "I met your mom at a game of beach soccer. I tried to teach her some moves just like you taught Anthony and Sam today."
"I wasn't making any moves on her though. I promise."
"That's not what I was thinking about." Daniel sat down across the table from me. "I was wondering why Ali would ever send her son halfway across the country to stay with her parents."
"It's kind of personal."
"I can imagine. You came across as a nice person. But I haven't spoken to Ali in years. We're not even friends on Facebook."
"Could you see yourself being friends with people you knew like her from back in the day though?"
Daniel sighed. "Maybe. I didn't get along with most of them. I'm happy to see both my kids and you want to spend some time together this summer. I think you should know that the history between your mother and I. Not all of it is good."
"Really?"
"A few weeks after I won my first All Valley. Ali ditched me for some UC football player."
I chuckled.
"What?"
"You were a karate champ after your first tournament. And my mom ditched you for a football player?"
Daniel nodded. "My point is that the history of everything Ali left behind. I still don't understand why she would send you in the middle of all of it."
"You can ask her yourself. She'd be fine talking to you over Facebook."
Daniel looked upstairs towards where Amanda probably was waiting to have a long conversation with him. "When you get married. Any ex that shows up out of the blue like your mother. Creates a small bit of tension."
"So. You dated my mom?" I acted incredulously.
"For a time, yes, I did. I think Amanda knows that she was my first girlfriend. And. That she was part of." Daniel winced.
"What?"
"People know me as the karate guy who chops prices on TV. Basically all of them think it's a gimmick to sell more cars." Daniel said. "But the truth is. That your mother was a huge part of why I even learned karate in the first place. It ended up being a massive part of my life."
"Can it be part of mine?"
Daniel was surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Did you and my mom end things on unforgivable terms?"
"Not really," said Daniel. "But it was really complicated back then."
"Let me repay that debt." I shrugged. "My mom was a part of karate in the past for you. Now let me be part of karate now. Teach me what you know."
Daniel chuckled. "You've been nice to my family and I today. Very nice. I'll give you that, I think you led very well today. But the day I teach karate to Ali's son is the day she'll soon slap me across the face for it."
"Why's that?"
"Karate can be helpful. But here in the Valley. Trust me Lucas. It can end up very very messy."
I looked at him. "I'm the first person to ask you to do it. Aren't I?"
"Look I-" Daniel froze. "How do you know that?"
"Makes sense doesn't it? You're a father of two. You run a car dealership with your wife. No one would ever think you actually knew karate. And not only karate. But championship winning karate. Please. Teach me."
Daniel sighed. "Maybe, maybe I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because we met today. And all I know is that Ali let you fly here for some. Unexplained reason I don't know yet. And I don't know why you would use the knowledge of my karate in the first conversation we ever have."
"Isn't it obvious? I'm fourteen, it's a good age as any to start a martial art. I might have a girlfriend one day and someone might try to rob us. There also might be a ton of jerks who push me around for my four years of high school."
Daniel looked at me. "I'll think about it. Honestly."
Bullshit. That look in his eye. Probably the same when he realized he could step into Mr. Miyagi's shoes and make teenagers do chores and pass wisdom.
It made him feel important like he could reconnect with an old part of him.
He was as easy to read and understand as Kreese.
"It's getting dark quick." Daniel checked his watch. "I'll let you know tomorrow. Know that in the future though, regardless of what I decided. My decision could change."
I bet it probably would.
"Thank you Mr. LaRusso."
…
I sparred daily with Kreese in the old abandoned supermarket loading dock we used every weekday from five to six thirty to practice near the end of every class.
I get why he put it near the end. My muscles were already tired from an entire hour and a half or so of constant conditioning and training.
Still though, despite him not pulling his punches I typically lost an exchange but wasn't knocked down or hit very hard unless Kreese really wanted to and I was making a general mistake.
My Cobra Kai fighting stance wasn't too different from what I saw in show canon and what I imagined as well.
It combined both kickboxing and boxing with actual karate and Tang Soo Do. You didn't leave your hands too low nor your chin too untucked, but you still stayed light on your feet and moved around.
Kreese jabbed and began to attack, I countered moving to a different angle with a round kick and avoided his forward strike.
It glanced off Kreese's forearm and I began to move back as he turned to face me and then I went right in with a lunging reverse punch committing completely to the blow.
Kreese blocked and nearly caught me with a back fist after missing his thrusting side kick.
I barely dodged the next attacks, and damn near landed my own counter attack too before I realized how impressive it was that such an old man could again fight so well for so long.
I decided to use a lesson that I had learned from Kreese himself from watching the episode in the second season where Johnny decides to let Kreese be his Co Sensei.
I pretended like I was retreating and that was where I hit him at my hardest.
Strangely, it worked. Probably because despite the fact he came up with that trap, Kreese likely didn't expect someone who he thought never learned it to use it from instinct.
I used a back kick I had mostly improvised from the few times Kreese had taught me it and caught him square in the chest.
Kreese barely staggered back, unfazed he pushed forward as I re-engaged the fight and about a minute later was flipped flat on my back onto the concrete of the loading bay and copped a knife hand to the chest Kreese fell onto the floor next to me to put his full weight behind the blow.
It hurt like hell and Kreese stood back up, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "Your jab and your counters have gotten better. But for crying out loud, stop walking right into attacks."
"Yes Sensei."
He offered a hand to help me up but I ignored it. Despite him being my Sensei, I knew he could easily just toss me back onto the ground again to teach me a lesson on awareness and mercy.
Kreese nodded at this. "Still. Credit where it's due. You have in fact gotten very aware of the way I teach you. That's class."
I bowed to him and he bowed back.
"You hungry?" I asked. "I saw a diner not too far from here. 50s themed. Looks nice."
"Why not," said Kreese.
…
Kreese seemed to like the diner I chose.
If only he knew he'd be pretending he trained SEALs in Afghanistan and fought Noriega in Panama in this very restaraunt to Johnny Lawrence.
Kreese sipped his coffee without a sound, eyeing a waitress that walked by at her skirt line. "Well. You sure knew what hit the spot after a fair bit of training kid."
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"How can you stay in such great fighting shape despite living on the streets for the last thirty years?"
Kreese shrugged. "Well like I said I still got some training on my own done in that old parking lot every now and again. Plus I've been in my fair share of fights almost on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis."
Kreese rested his arms onto the booth's table, putting his coffee cup down. "So. You went to the LaRussos yesterday."
"I did."
"Your report." Kreese muttered as if I was a soldier in a war having scouted enemy positions.
I smiled. "What could I tell you that could be so crucial?"
"I need to know what he's been up to. I know Miyagi-Do Karate isn't a dojo anymore. I know he himself hasn't competed in anything anywhere for decades, nor has he trained anyone to do so either. What's crucial is knowing how he's trying to pass on Miyagi's karate."
I sighed. "Well. He has a wife and two kids. Sam's his daughter, she's my age."
"Hm." Kreese looked at me calmly for this, seeming to measure me.
"Anthony, his son. About eleven or so. And Amanda's his wife. I can't lie to you. They're nice people, very respectful, very nice people."
Kreese put his hands together and looked at me. "What about his students?"
"He doesn't have any."
"He never taught either of his children anything? None of his karate?"
I had two choices here. Lie. Or say that Sam was trained.
"I did catch a glimpse of a home dojo the LaRussos had in their backyard. My guess is, it's more than just a shrine to Miyagi. One of his kids was trained there at one point."
"Which one of them do you expect it is?"
"Samantha." I said. "She's not lazy nor whiny. Anthony is a brat who I had to motivate through humiliation to get him to move off his bed and stop playing video games to go outside. And he's only eleven."
Kreese nodded. "So the first friends your age you made here in the Valley. Are the son and daughter of Cobra Kai's greatest enemy of all time?"
"I wouldn't say they're my friends. More like. Friendly neighbors. Do you not approve Sensei?"
"I approve of you determining what LaRusso can call upon if needed."
I chuckled. "His two kids are not Miyagi-Do trained soldiers. Maybe they have some training, some, at most."
"You don't know that. He has a home dojo right?"
I exhaled quietly. "What do you want me to do? Throw Sam onto the grass the next time I play soccer with her and her brother hoping to see if she knows any karate?"
"I want you to remember to earn their trust. But to never give them yours." said Kreese cautiously. "They might be your neighbors. But try to see if you can make actual friends with others."
"I can do that." I said. "I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"Last week when we went to the All Valley. You mentioned having regretted challenging Miyagi to the All Valley Johnny Lawrence lost to Daniel right?"
Kreese nodded quietly.
"Why regret it? I thought enemies deserved no mercy."
"You're right. Miyagi attacked my top students. He humiliated the greatest student I had trained in Cobra Kai. And I stand by making it the right decision. At the time." Kreese raised a finger slightly. "Key phrase there. At the time. Given the choice again, I wouldn't risk the dojo's glory and honor, as well as my standing with the students over such a bet."
"Isn't that what we're doing?"
Kreese stopped sipping from his coffee cup, putting it down. "Excuse me?"
"This entire plan is for me to win unaffiliated. And then reveal to the entire Valley I was your student all along. Aren't we putting LaRusso right in the middle of that by me earning so much trust and getting to know him and his family so well?"
"We need to put LaRusso in the middle of it. There will be no greater pain for him to know that such a close ally was Cobra Kai the whole time. We're not risking anything."
"But we're doing all this to bring Cobra Kai back. Isn't it risky with LaRusso knowing who I was an entire year in advance? He's on the All Valley committee. He has tons and tons of money, and he knows Miyagi-Do karate."
Kreese shifted in his seat at the booth. "The moment you win that championship next year. Even if LaRusso does absolutely everything in his power to stop us. He'll be completely unable to."
"Well why's that?"
"He has nothing. At most he has a single son or daughter who knows Miyagi-Do at all. Cobra Kai will have a record breaking champion. You'll have won unaffiliated. At barely fifteen. And all in your first tournament. That's three records in one. It would take LaRusso having allies of all kinds to do anything to stop us."
I nodded.
"Do you trust that Schwarber? Otherwise, all we've done until now is pointless."
"I trust that Sensei. I trust you. It's been two weeks of training under you. And I can safely say I already have the essentials to defend myself against any random attacker in the street. That's more than what anybody but my parents have done for me."
Kreese looked at the table and then at me. "You remain the most unique person I've talked to in over thirty years. You owe me nothing. I owe you nothing either. And yet I remain in your debt solely based on the fact of how much trust we've shared until now."
"All we've done is plan to make Cobra Kai number one again."
"No, we've done far more than that. I've told you about people like Terry who I didn't even tell my own students about back when I actually ran Cobra Kai. I've come out of retirement, to teach a complete stranger out of the blue. A fourteen year old boy no less, with no connection to me besides a name at all, my very livelihood. Cobra Kai Karate."
"What are you trying to say, Sensei?"
"You will be the very first of Cobra Kai's third generation of students. That's not a title you should take lightly. And you surprisingly have done well with the little I've had you do until now."
Kreese rarely gave out compliments unless I really was doing extremely well.
It almost sounded like he saw me as his successor or the most key part in his revenge plan on Daniel. He trusted me a great deal. This bitter, brutal, and cruel old man almost seemed to admit how necessary I was in his admittedly very simple and dry life of being homeless.
It was actually. A tiny bit touching.
"Thank you Sensei."
"Don't mention it. Because it leads me to my next point. We have to make you stronger, faster, and more ferocious as a fighter. In order to make you Cobra Kai. The basics will become your foundation, and then it's off to making you the most complete fighter I can make you. Working on your technique from the ground up."
"I like the sound of that."
"I can almost see it. You against those sorry excuses for karatekas in the All Valley Arena next year." Kreese snorted. "It's going to be quite the show to watch."
Assuming Daniel answered the way I was expecting him to tomorrow. Yeah. It would be a wipeout.
I looked around the diner. "Sensei. If we're supposed to make this a secret. Won't the chances of people discovering the fact that you and I know each other increase the more and more people I talk to and the more friends I make?"
"They would. Especially because I plan on training you so regularly. Which is why we'll keep an eye out for people you know. Won't we?"
I nodded. "Yes Sensei."
Our food arrived and we had a rather nice meal together, talked about what school could be like and what I was looking forward to doing spending my next four years of highschool at West Valley High.
For as cruel and evil as he seemed in the films. He really seemed patient with me for being a fourteen year old kid, we were just talking and getting to know each other like he was my grandfather or something on a regular summer Wednesday afternoon.
I'd given Daniel an entire day to think through my request to be trained in his karate. But I didn't really care if he said no or not.
Despite everything I knew Kreese did in the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai series.
He hadn't yet seemed to be violent, cruel, or harmful to me in any way. I knew he choked out Johnny at the end of the third season, his most recent bit of violent intent towards a good person, but in his slight defense. Johnny did start attacking him with punches and kicks and was nearly going to knife him with a Sai blade.
I didn't see a monster in this man. The same way he didn't see some stupid, spoiled rich kid in me.
We were both just people and I liked that as we talked over our early dinner together.
He was supposed to be the big bad of the original Karate Kid film. But surprisingly, he wasn't all that bad.
Was it because we were useful to each other? I didn't know yet really.
…
I knocked on the door of LaRusso's home the next day at 10 AM and Daniel answered it wearing a suit and tie.
"Are you planning on heading to work?"
Daniel nodded. "I am. I was expecting you later today honestly. But now that you're here I'll give you my answer. I've given it a lot of thought. Thought about the bit I've seen of you yesterday. How much your mother was there for me when I first learned karate and competed."
"And?"
"And." Daniel took a sigh. "My answer. Is yes."
Holy shit Schwarber you did it! Just keep this up for a year. One year of juggling Kreese and Daniel somehow and you will have done it.
"What?" I asked him. "Just like that."
"Trust me it won't be as flashy as you're thinking. I'll train you the same way I was trained. It's not fun, but it's not impossible. Which is why you're coming with me."
I rightfully should've asked him how him taking me to his car dealership would teach me any karate. But I knew how Miyagi-Do worked. Instead, I smiled.
"Okay," I said. "I'm ready to be trained."
…
The person to answer the door, was Daniel.
He smiled lightly. "Hi there. Can I help you?"
"Sure." I said. "I just moved in a few blocks away."
"Welcome to Encino." said Daniel.
I offered Daniel the champagne I had been given. "Here."
Daniel read the card aloud. "It's been ages Dan since you went out with our Ali. And we never got the chance to talk since. Sincerely." Daniel squinted for a second. "Frank and Olivia Mills?"
"They're my grandparents."
Daniel laughed in surprise. "I had no idea they lived so close to us. I thought they moved away in the nineties or something. Uh. Come in, come in!"
Daniel closed the front door to his house and it was a bit surreal.
In that interior walkway between two parts of the LaRusso home well over a year from now, Hawk ran down it to throw Doug Rickenberger into a table to save Demetri.
"So. What's your name?"
"Lucas."
We shook hands.
Daniel sat down across the table from me. "Do you go by Luke or Lucas?"
"Either one works." I said calmly.
"This is. Crazy. Absolutely crazy to think about after all these years I'd meet Ali's kid. I had no idea Ali even had a son. When did you move in with your grandparents?"
I explained. "Last week. I wanted to come over and introduce myself when I moved in."
"So do you know my name and that your mom and I were good friends?" asked Daniel.
I shrugged a bit. "Somewhat. You're Dan."
Daniel smiled. "Daniel."
"Honey I think you forgot some invoices by the-" the woman I knew to be Amanda walked into view, fixing her earring. "Oh hi. Who's this?" Amanda looked with a blank smile over to Daniel.
"Do you remember Ali Mills. From my highschool?" asked Daniel.
Amanda frowned for a second. "Yeah."
My technical mom or not. The truth was there. The beautiful, blonde, fun, intelligent, and rich doctor Daniel and Johnny literally started a karate war over. I didn't blame her for that reaction.
"This is. Her son. Lucas."
Amanda shook my hand. "Nice to meet you. We've got a meeting in forty five minutes hun. We gotta go."
"Oh um." Daniel looked between me and Amanda. "Think he could meet the kids too sometime?"
"So your mother knew Daniel when they were in highschool?" Amanda asked me.
I shrugged, pretending I didn't know a thing. "Apparently they were great friends."
"Okay. So this random kid shows up on our doorstep and a minute later you think the kids should get to know him. Is everyone from your highschool or involved in this karate stuff already like family to you?"
I wasn't offended. She had a point.
"Any family of Ali's is family of mine. I'm sure if we sent Sam or Anthony over to Denver they'd be treated the same way."
Amanda sighed. "I guess we'll talk about it later, no time right now."
Daniel seemed to defend himself even as he stood up to follow her out the door. "Look, he even brought a house warming gift!" He looked back at me. "It was so nice to meet you. Summer break just started a few days ago for Sam, she's in the backyard. Anthony's upstairs, gotta go! We'll talk later." he said hurriedly before he practically ran out the door with his wife.
I looked around the interior of Daniel's home.
Huh. Kreese wasn't kidding. His old soft spot for Ali or Miyagi was basically an ultimate weakness.
I actually felt really bad. But, I was looking forward to talking to him later.
In the backyard, I saw Sam sitting down the same way Robby did when he met her. Eyes closed, laying in the sun listening to music next to her pool.
I was not impressed unlike him.
She took her headphones off, looking confused. "Hi?"
"Hi." I said quietly.
Despite me not being interested in her, I didn't blame Miguel nor Robby for taking an interest in her. Her blue eyes, very pretty hair and she was admittedly gorgeous even at my age of fourteen.
"Who might you be?"
"A family friend of your dad's. Simplest way to explain it."
"Are you Italian?"
I shook my head.
"Then you must be involved in his old karate stuff." Sam said, making me chuckle for a second. "I'm Sam." she offered a hand to shake.
I shook her hand. "Lucas. I'm new in town. I moved a few blocks down from where you live. On my bike, it's like. A ten, fifteen minute ride."
"So. We're practically neighbors." said Sam.
"I'd say so."
"What kinda things are you into?" asked Sam.
Bringing back 80s karate villains from the dead to make national martial arts championship history and possibly planning to steal your dad's karate for a year maybe. The more I thought about it. The more strange it seemed to feel sometimes.
"Uh." I cleared my throat. "Soccer. Writing."
"What do you write?"
Lucas Mills Schwarber. Dive into your memories. Your memories, not your past memories. Are they there? Come on.
It took a second but luckily I did manage to inherit his soccer and writing abilities I knew the show canonically did give him.
"I write mostly poems. A few essays. Okay, mainly formal essays."
"You write essays. For fun?"
Wow was I glad I had such fine memories of memories I technically never had of over thirteen years.
"They're essays on historical events and scientific discovery. The sequencing of the human genome, the first World War. Stuff like that mostly."
Sam frowned. "Sounds. Spectacularly boring."
"Oh it is. The fun part is how nice it looks on transcripts and how consistently I win writing competitions."
Sam chuckled. "You do things for fun you don't even like just so you can enjoy beating other people at stuff?"
"No. I do things I sort of like because my parents took all the fun out of it by making me compete in writing. Soccer though. That's where it's at."
"My little brother tried to get into soccer."
I could imagine why he didn't want to.
"Would it be out of place for me to try to get him back into it?"
Sam brushed her hair back, shrugging. "Probably. He's really annoying and a total brat. I would just ignore him if I were you."
"I think I'll give him a chance."
"He's upstairs. Actually. If you do end up convincing him to play some soccer. I'd like to tag along. Haven't tried it in a while either myself."
…
Sam opened the door to Anthony's bedroom and spoke. "Hey dingus. This is Lucas. Friend of Dad's. Or, his mom's an old friend of Dad's. You know how weird he is about his old karate people."
Sam gave an apologetic smile to me and I accepted it with a shrug.
"Cool. Shut the door please?"
I chuckled seeing the game he was playing. "Halo Reach? Didn't know people still played it."
"Course they do."
"Teabagging? Really dude?" I asked as Anthony gave a shrug. "Amateur."
"Excuse me?"
I bet he wasn't even scoring that well.
I smiled. "Let's see your KD." Anthony did as soon as he died and then I snorted. "Yeah. You're trash."
"And you could do better." Anthony said.
"I know I could." I said. "How about this? I score twice as well as you in one round. We go play some soccer. It's a nice day outside."
"Why would I do that?"
"You're like what. Ten?"
"Eleven." corrected Anthony.
"Girls your age love guys that are fast and athletic. It's all they really care about and will care about for a while."
"Okay, sure. What could you teach me about soccer?"
I chuckled. "I promise I can teach you something."
"Whatever dude."
Ten minutes and about three quarters of the way through the first try I had, Anthony gave in. "Fine. You win. Let's go."
Sam smiled at me. "You're making me spend time with my brother and I'm not hating it. Great job."
"Thanks." I said.
…
"So." Anthony said, wearing a jacket as he followed Sam and I to a nearby soccer field. "What tricks can I learn?"
"Plenty." I said.
We stood in the center of the field and I put a ball the LaRussos had down. "Try to take the ball from me."
"You're way bigger than me. And you're a really experienced soccer player. How am I supposed to do that?"
"Be aggressive. Use your feints."
"Feints?"
I explained. "Here. I'll pass the ball to your sister. You have to intercept it."
Sam seemed to enjoy messing with her brother. Anthony couldn't get anywhere near the ball.
"Come on." he started to pant after about ten minutes of it. "I don't get it."
"Allow me to show you. Now you and Sam pass it to each other. Here. I'll even make it easy for you, you can give each other plenty of space to make it harder for me to intercept the ball."
Anthony nodded. "Okay."
I let Sam and Anthony pass the soccer ball back and forth and then I instantly made Sam think I was going one direction suddenly going another.
She ended up passing the ball right to me regardless of where Anthony was.
"Alright. How'd you do that?" asked Anthony.
"The trick is simple." I said. "You don't have to pay attention to the ball itself. You look to where it's about to be moved."
"And how do I do that?" Anthony wondered.
"I think I'll give it a try." Sam said.
"Go ahead."
I found out the hard way if she really wanted to, the reflexes Miyagi-Do gave her from a very young age helped.
I was almost flat on my back the moment she tackled the ball away from me. It wasn't even like I let her, she just understood the feint really quickly.
Anthony scoffed. "That's cheating. You're not allowed to throw people on their backs in a soccer match."
I stood up. "You can as long as it's not too obvious or violent. Then it's a foul. A ref can reasonably consider it an error on the fouled person's side if they can't control where they're running or dribbling the ball."
"Your turn Anthony." Sam challenged.
It took about twenty minutes and it actually ended up being pretty fun.
We started a hacky sack contest. I beat both LaRusso siblings by a lot.
Anthony ended up running towards the goal after I had managed to convince him into trying it.
"Whoo!" Anthony said as Sam missed catching the ball.
Sam stood up from the ground. "Huh. Thought this would be boring."
"And why isn't it?" I asked her.
"Because I don't like watching my little brother win at this."
I smiled. It was the same the other way around for Anthony too I was sure.
Eventually we were done an hour later.
Reasonably sweaty, Anthony walked back with Sam and I towards the LaRusso home. "Huh. I actually didn't think I would enjoy that." he admitted.
"Me neither honestly." Sam said.
"Do you think you could coach me my whole season if I got back into it?"
I shrugged. "Most of the basics are pretty easy to nail down. Then it's a matter of how seriously you take training."
"I'm getting the feeling you really know your stuff." Anthony said.
"I mean I was I was top of my league and at my school. I started playing when I was about six or so. Haven't stopped for about eight years."
Sam looked at me. "So you're starting high school in the fall right?"
"Of course."
"Where are you going?"
"West Valley High." I said.
"I'm going there too." said Sam. "Their soccer team would be really lucky to have you."
I shook my head with a slight smile. "I don't know if I'll get back into it. I might have my plate filled with other stuff."
"What do you plan on doing then besides school?" wondered Sam.
Karate, and lots of it. Two kinds of karate that have been at war for over thirty years.
"Maybe chess or writing club. Or the chess team too. That could be cool."
…
Sam sort of left Anthony and I alone after the soccer game. I didn't mind. She respectfully let me play some very fun video games with Anthony waiting for her dad to get home.
Besides, Anthony was actually asking me to play Halo Reach and all sorts of games on the Xbox in his room with him.
I could tell I had made a good first impression on all the LaRussos though except for maybe Amanda. But that was more no one's fault than mine and it wasn't so bad that it was impossible to fix.
I heard Daniel muttering before he opened the door to Anthony's room.
"Anth did you really spend another whole day just playing video games?"
"Nope. Lucas took Sam and I to the nearby park to play some soccer. He's really good at it. Maybe if I keep practicing with him this summer I'll be good enough to try out."
Daniel was surprised. "Really?"
"I enjoyed today." Anthony said. "Not gonna lie. I thought I wouldn't. But I did."
"I enjoyed today as well." I admitted.
"Um. Can we talk?" Daniel asked me.
I nodded.
…
Downstairs, Daniel handed me a soda can as he drank from a glass of water. "So. I heard Sam enjoyed her time with you at the soccer field too."
"She learns pretty fast. Just like Anthony."
"Soccer huh." Daniel looked thoughtful for a second. "I met your mom at a game of beach soccer. I tried to teach her some moves just like you taught Anthony and Sam today."
"I wasn't making any moves on her though. I promise."
"That's not what I was thinking about." Daniel sat down across the table from me. "I was wondering why Ali would ever send her son halfway across the country to stay with her parents."
"It's kind of personal."
"I can imagine. You came across as a nice person. But I haven't spoken to Ali in years. We're not even friends on Facebook."
"Could you see yourself being friends with people you knew like her from back in the day though?"
Daniel sighed. "Maybe. I didn't get along with most of them. I'm happy to see both my kids and you want to spend some time together this summer. I think you should know that the history between your mother and I. Not all of it is good."
"Really?"
"A few weeks after I won my first All Valley. Ali ditched me for some UC football player."
I chuckled.
"What?"
"You were a karate champ after your first tournament. And my mom ditched you for a football player?"
Daniel nodded. "My point is that the history of everything Ali left behind. I still don't understand why she would send you in the middle of all of it."
"You can ask her yourself. She'd be fine talking to you over Facebook."
Daniel looked upstairs towards where Amanda probably was waiting to have a long conversation with him. "When you get married. Any ex that shows up out of the blue like your mother. Creates a small bit of tension."
"So. You dated my mom?" I acted incredulously.
"For a time, yes, I did. I think Amanda knows that she was my first girlfriend. And. That she was part of." Daniel winced.
"What?"
"People know me as the karate guy who chops prices on TV. Basically all of them think it's a gimmick to sell more cars." Daniel said. "But the truth is. That your mother was a huge part of why I even learned karate in the first place. It ended up being a massive part of my life."
"Can it be part of mine?"
Daniel was surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Did you and my mom end things on unforgivable terms?"
"Not really," said Daniel. "But it was really complicated back then."
"Let me repay that debt." I shrugged. "My mom was a part of karate in the past for you. Now let me be part of karate now. Teach me what you know."
Daniel chuckled. "You've been nice to my family and I today. Very nice. I'll give you that, I think you led very well today. But the day I teach karate to Ali's son is the day she'll soon slap me across the face for it."
"Why's that?"
"Karate can be helpful. But here in the Valley. Trust me Lucas. It can end up very very messy."
I looked at him. "I'm the first person to ask you to do it. Aren't I?"
"Look I-" Daniel froze. "How do you know that?"
"Makes sense doesn't it? You're a father of two. You run a car dealership with your wife. No one would ever think you actually knew karate. And not only karate. But championship winning karate. Please. Teach me."
Daniel sighed. "Maybe, maybe I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because we met today. And all I know is that Ali let you fly here for some. Unexplained reason I don't know yet. And I don't know why you would use the knowledge of my karate in the first conversation we ever have."
"Isn't it obvious? I'm fourteen, it's a good age as any to start a martial art. I might have a girlfriend one day and someone might try to rob us. There also might be a ton of jerks who push me around for my four years of high school."
Daniel looked at me. "I'll think about it. Honestly."
Bullshit. That look in his eye. Probably the same when he realized he could step into Mr. Miyagi's shoes and make teenagers do chores and pass wisdom.
It made him feel important like he could reconnect with an old part of him.
He was as easy to read and understand as Kreese.
"It's getting dark quick." Daniel checked his watch. "I'll let you know tomorrow. Know that in the future though, regardless of what I decided. My decision could change."
I bet it probably would.
"Thank you Mr. LaRusso."
…
I sparred daily with Kreese in the old abandoned supermarket loading dock we used every weekday from five to six thirty to practice near the end of every class.
I get why he put it near the end. My muscles were already tired from an entire hour and a half or so of constant conditioning and training.
Still though, despite him not pulling his punches I typically lost an exchange but wasn't knocked down or hit very hard unless Kreese really wanted to and I was making a general mistake.
My Cobra Kai fighting stance wasn't too different from what I saw in show canon and what I imagined as well.
It combined both kickboxing and boxing with actual karate and Tang Soo Do. You didn't leave your hands too low nor your chin too untucked, but you still stayed light on your feet and moved around.
Kreese jabbed and began to attack, I countered moving to a different angle with a round kick and avoided his forward strike.
It glanced off Kreese's forearm and I began to move back as he turned to face me and then I went right in with a lunging reverse punch committing completely to the blow.
Kreese blocked and nearly caught me with a back fist after missing his thrusting side kick.
I barely dodged the next attacks, and damn near landed my own counter attack too before I realized how impressive it was that such an old man could again fight so well for so long.
I decided to use a lesson that I had learned from Kreese himself from watching the episode in the second season where Johnny decides to let Kreese be his Co Sensei.
I pretended like I was retreating and that was where I hit him at my hardest.
Strangely, it worked. Probably because despite the fact he came up with that trap, Kreese likely didn't expect someone who he thought never learned it to use it from instinct.
I used a back kick I had mostly improvised from the few times Kreese had taught me it and caught him square in the chest.
Kreese barely staggered back, unfazed he pushed forward as I re-engaged the fight and about a minute later was flipped flat on my back onto the concrete of the loading bay and copped a knife hand to the chest Kreese fell onto the floor next to me to put his full weight behind the blow.
It hurt like hell and Kreese stood back up, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "Your jab and your counters have gotten better. But for crying out loud, stop walking right into attacks."
"Yes Sensei."
He offered a hand to help me up but I ignored it. Despite him being my Sensei, I knew he could easily just toss me back onto the ground again to teach me a lesson on awareness and mercy.
Kreese nodded at this. "Still. Credit where it's due. You have in fact gotten very aware of the way I teach you. That's class."
I bowed to him and he bowed back.
"You hungry?" I asked. "I saw a diner not too far from here. 50s themed. Looks nice."
"Why not," said Kreese.
…
Kreese seemed to like the diner I chose.
If only he knew he'd be pretending he trained SEALs in Afghanistan and fought Noriega in Panama in this very restaraunt to Johnny Lawrence.
Kreese sipped his coffee without a sound, eyeing a waitress that walked by at her skirt line. "Well. You sure knew what hit the spot after a fair bit of training kid."
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"How can you stay in such great fighting shape despite living on the streets for the last thirty years?"
Kreese shrugged. "Well like I said I still got some training on my own done in that old parking lot every now and again. Plus I've been in my fair share of fights almost on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis."
Kreese rested his arms onto the booth's table, putting his coffee cup down. "So. You went to the LaRussos yesterday."
"I did."
"Your report." Kreese muttered as if I was a soldier in a war having scouted enemy positions.
I smiled. "What could I tell you that could be so crucial?"
"I need to know what he's been up to. I know Miyagi-Do Karate isn't a dojo anymore. I know he himself hasn't competed in anything anywhere for decades, nor has he trained anyone to do so either. What's crucial is knowing how he's trying to pass on Miyagi's karate."
I sighed. "Well. He has a wife and two kids. Sam's his daughter, she's my age."
"Hm." Kreese looked at me calmly for this, seeming to measure me.
"Anthony, his son. About eleven or so. And Amanda's his wife. I can't lie to you. They're nice people, very respectful, very nice people."
Kreese put his hands together and looked at me. "What about his students?"
"He doesn't have any."
"He never taught either of his children anything? None of his karate?"
I had two choices here. Lie. Or say that Sam was trained.
"I did catch a glimpse of a home dojo the LaRussos had in their backyard. My guess is, it's more than just a shrine to Miyagi. One of his kids was trained there at one point."
"Which one of them do you expect it is?"
"Samantha." I said. "She's not lazy nor whiny. Anthony is a brat who I had to motivate through humiliation to get him to move off his bed and stop playing video games to go outside. And he's only eleven."
Kreese nodded. "So the first friends your age you made here in the Valley. Are the son and daughter of Cobra Kai's greatest enemy of all time?"
"I wouldn't say they're my friends. More like. Friendly neighbors. Do you not approve Sensei?"
"I approve of you determining what LaRusso can call upon if needed."
I chuckled. "His two kids are not Miyagi-Do trained soldiers. Maybe they have some training, some, at most."
"You don't know that. He has a home dojo right?"
I exhaled quietly. "What do you want me to do? Throw Sam onto the grass the next time I play soccer with her and her brother hoping to see if she knows any karate?"
"I want you to remember to earn their trust. But to never give them yours." said Kreese cautiously. "They might be your neighbors. But try to see if you can make actual friends with others."
"I can do that." I said. "I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"Last week when we went to the All Valley. You mentioned having regretted challenging Miyagi to the All Valley Johnny Lawrence lost to Daniel right?"
Kreese nodded quietly.
"Why regret it? I thought enemies deserved no mercy."
"You're right. Miyagi attacked my top students. He humiliated the greatest student I had trained in Cobra Kai. And I stand by making it the right decision. At the time." Kreese raised a finger slightly. "Key phrase there. At the time. Given the choice again, I wouldn't risk the dojo's glory and honor, as well as my standing with the students over such a bet."
"Isn't that what we're doing?"
Kreese stopped sipping from his coffee cup, putting it down. "Excuse me?"
"This entire plan is for me to win unaffiliated. And then reveal to the entire Valley I was your student all along. Aren't we putting LaRusso right in the middle of that by me earning so much trust and getting to know him and his family so well?"
"We need to put LaRusso in the middle of it. There will be no greater pain for him to know that such a close ally was Cobra Kai the whole time. We're not risking anything."
"But we're doing all this to bring Cobra Kai back. Isn't it risky with LaRusso knowing who I was an entire year in advance? He's on the All Valley committee. He has tons and tons of money, and he knows Miyagi-Do karate."
Kreese shifted in his seat at the booth. "The moment you win that championship next year. Even if LaRusso does absolutely everything in his power to stop us. He'll be completely unable to."
"Well why's that?"
"He has nothing. At most he has a single son or daughter who knows Miyagi-Do at all. Cobra Kai will have a record breaking champion. You'll have won unaffiliated. At barely fifteen. And all in your first tournament. That's three records in one. It would take LaRusso having allies of all kinds to do anything to stop us."
I nodded.
"Do you trust that Schwarber? Otherwise, all we've done until now is pointless."
"I trust that Sensei. I trust you. It's been two weeks of training under you. And I can safely say I already have the essentials to defend myself against any random attacker in the street. That's more than what anybody but my parents have done for me."
Kreese looked at the table and then at me. "You remain the most unique person I've talked to in over thirty years. You owe me nothing. I owe you nothing either. And yet I remain in your debt solely based on the fact of how much trust we've shared until now."
"All we've done is plan to make Cobra Kai number one again."
"No, we've done far more than that. I've told you about people like Terry who I didn't even tell my own students about back when I actually ran Cobra Kai. I've come out of retirement, to teach a complete stranger out of the blue. A fourteen year old boy no less, with no connection to me besides a name at all, my very livelihood. Cobra Kai Karate."
"What are you trying to say, Sensei?"
"You will be the very first of Cobra Kai's third generation of students. That's not a title you should take lightly. And you surprisingly have done well with the little I've had you do until now."
Kreese rarely gave out compliments unless I really was doing extremely well.
It almost sounded like he saw me as his successor or the most key part in his revenge plan on Daniel. He trusted me a great deal. This bitter, brutal, and cruel old man almost seemed to admit how necessary I was in his admittedly very simple and dry life of being homeless.
It was actually. A tiny bit touching.
"Thank you Sensei."
"Don't mention it. Because it leads me to my next point. We have to make you stronger, faster, and more ferocious as a fighter. In order to make you Cobra Kai. The basics will become your foundation, and then it's off to making you the most complete fighter I can make you. Working on your technique from the ground up."
"I like the sound of that."
"I can almost see it. You against those sorry excuses for karatekas in the All Valley Arena next year." Kreese snorted. "It's going to be quite the show to watch."
Assuming Daniel answered the way I was expecting him to tomorrow. Yeah. It would be a wipeout.
I looked around the diner. "Sensei. If we're supposed to make this a secret. Won't the chances of people discovering the fact that you and I know each other increase the more and more people I talk to and the more friends I make?"
"They would. Especially because I plan on training you so regularly. Which is why we'll keep an eye out for people you know. Won't we?"
I nodded. "Yes Sensei."
Our food arrived and we had a rather nice meal together, talked about what school could be like and what I was looking forward to doing spending my next four years of highschool at West Valley High.
For as cruel and evil as he seemed in the films. He really seemed patient with me for being a fourteen year old kid, we were just talking and getting to know each other like he was my grandfather or something on a regular summer Wednesday afternoon.
I'd given Daniel an entire day to think through my request to be trained in his karate. But I didn't really care if he said no or not.
Despite everything I knew Kreese did in the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai series.
He hadn't yet seemed to be violent, cruel, or harmful to me in any way. I knew he choked out Johnny at the end of the third season, his most recent bit of violent intent towards a good person, but in his slight defense. Johnny did start attacking him with punches and kicks and was nearly going to knife him with a Sai blade.
I didn't see a monster in this man. The same way he didn't see some stupid, spoiled rich kid in me.
We were both just people and I liked that as we talked over our early dinner together.
He was supposed to be the big bad of the original Karate Kid film. But surprisingly, he wasn't all that bad.
Was it because we were useful to each other? I didn't know yet really.
…
I knocked on the door of LaRusso's home the next day at 10 AM and Daniel answered it wearing a suit and tie.
"Are you planning on heading to work?"
Daniel nodded. "I am. I was expecting you later today honestly. But now that you're here I'll give you my answer. I've given it a lot of thought. Thought about the bit I've seen of you yesterday. How much your mother was there for me when I first learned karate and competed."
"And?"
"And." Daniel took a sigh. "My answer. Is yes."
Holy shit Schwarber you did it! Just keep this up for a year. One year of juggling Kreese and Daniel somehow and you will have done it.
"What?" I asked him. "Just like that."
"Trust me it won't be as flashy as you're thinking. I'll train you the same way I was trained. It's not fun, but it's not impossible. Which is why you're coming with me."
I rightfully should've asked him how him taking me to his car dealership would teach me any karate. But I knew how Miyagi-Do worked. Instead, I smiled.
"Okay," I said. "I'm ready to be trained."
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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Lucas makes an excellent impression on the Larousso siblings of Tony and Samantha, which Lucas thinks that Sam is only real potential karate threat in the family unlik gamer bro Anthony, but luckily enough for Lucas she's too lazy to care or realize the danger that humble ,unassuming Lucas presents at the moment until the tournament starts and really lites a fire under Daniel and Samantha in the upcoming revelations at Valley Champion tournament.
Meantime, Lucas and John Kresse share some very rare Sensei and student bonding moment parallels to Miyagi and Daniel ( I say that loosely since it's been a while for John Kresse to learn some wisdom ftom the film but still a hard core Cobra kai master. Beyond their usual stereotypes of rich kid and homeless man.
Later, Lucas finally gets an answer from Daniel Larousso and he surprised by the quick response ,since Lucas thinking he'd have to work harder or was getting a hard no from the former karate Champion businessman ,but now Lucas has to juggle a year between Kresse and Daniel till the day of the tournament and luckily for Lucas his first day of Miyagi Do begins today.
While Lucas future betrayal of Daniel Larousso and family will definitely hurt the most will definitely get the Daniel to go get own dojo started after the tournament finals. As Kresse pointed out Daniel has no allies and it's technically a legal win in the public eye for Kresse and Lucas in the future.
Continue on
Cheers!
Meantime, Lucas and John Kresse share some very rare Sensei and student bonding moment parallels to Miyagi and Daniel ( I say that loosely since it's been a while for John Kresse to learn some wisdom ftom the film but still a hard core Cobra kai master. Beyond their usual stereotypes of rich kid and homeless man.
Later, Lucas finally gets an answer from Daniel Larousso and he surprised by the quick response ,since Lucas thinking he'd have to work harder or was getting a hard no from the former karate Champion businessman ,but now Lucas has to juggle a year between Kresse and Daniel till the day of the tournament and luckily for Lucas his first day of Miyagi Do begins today.
While Lucas future betrayal of Daniel Larousso and family will definitely hurt the most will definitely get the Daniel to go get own dojo started after the tournament finals. As Kresse pointed out Daniel has no allies and it's technically a legal win in the public eye for Kresse and Lucas in the future.
Continue on
Cheers!
paloswag
Know what you're doing yet?
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This is fun. I'm still not 100% sure what his motivations are, but things don't need to make sense in this universe. And he's building such a house of cards. If these people ever talk to each other, he could end up looking like the most manipulative piece of shit ever. But I suppose it's no different than how batshit illogical the tv show gets.
And I hope this doesn't end up as a harem. That would make zero sense in the Cobra Kai universe. Tory Nichols is best girl.
And I hope this doesn't end up as a harem. That would make zero sense in the Cobra Kai universe. Tory Nichols is best girl.
Last edited:
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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But is she best girl for Lucas though? That is the question.
Chapter Four
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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…
A/N: This being the first scene where I have to write in third person (action scene or training montage), I always visualize Dylan Minnette as Lucas. That being said, any scenes outside of third person will be the rest I mentioned to avoid confusion.
...
Learning Miyagi-Do Karate was the exact opposite of Cobra Kai.
Go figure.
Under the late May sun in searing heat, I waxed cars.
I mopped floors, turning and moving in the direction Daniel instructed.
I washed windows, I stapled papers together.
Daniel was teaching me how to incorporate karate into regular chores around his dealership.
About two hours into my first lesson I realized that at least Robby was being given a paycheck for this. I was fourteen, I'm sure a few eyebrows were raised around the workplace.
As I washed windows, swiping the cleaning blade side to side, always side to side, strongly, calm, a man walked up to me.
"Hey kid. I think the coffee filter needs a change or something. And I need some fresh bagels and donuts at the snack table."
I ignored him.
"Hello? I'm talking to you here."
I looked at him. It was Louie LaRusso. Complete dick, I might've hated him more than several characters on the show. Got Johnny's car burnt down and like a decent part of Daniel's family, rubbed me the wrong way.
"What?" I asked. "What do you want?"
Louie raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
"I'm not here to help you frankly. You can go ask someone else."
"Alright, you work here. You do have to help, like it or not."
Daniel saw this, stepping away from shaking a client's hand. "Hey. Hey hey, what's going on?"
"This new intern thinks it's okay to mouth off on me."
I snorted. "Like you need a few extra pounds from all those donuts buddy."
"Where do you find these kids?" scoffed Louie.
Daniel sighed. "Okay. Lucas here is not an intern. He's. A friend of mine, a son of a friend of mine really."
"How come I've never heard of him?" Louie crossed his arms.
"I'll explain later. I-"
I smiled. "There's no need Mr. LaRusso. I'm Ali Mills' son. I'm here as a friend of Mr. LaRusso's."
"Ah." Louie smirked at Daniel. "The hot blonde from back in the day huh? The one who might've gotten away a little?" he nudged his cousin with an elbow. "I see ya. I see ya. No harm done kid, see ya round."
Daniel looked at me as I continued to wash windows for him. "Okay. Why'd you feel the need to do that?"
"No point in lying. All your employees were gonna find out eventually or wonder why a random fourteen year old is interning at a car dealership out of the blue. You don't come across as a liar Mr. LaRusso."
Daniel looked at me up and down. "You've taken all these chores I've given you rather well."
"They're not chores. They're karate." I muttered. "You wanted me to be trained. That's what I'm doing. Like I said. You're not a liar Mr. LaRusso."
Daniel chuckled. "Wow. You have a surprising bit of patience for a teenager."
No. I've just seen the show and watched the movies.
"That's what karate is supposed to build right? Patience, virtue. Honor and tact. I got nothing else better to do with my time but play video games at my house. This is a far better use of my summer."
Daniel looked at me. "It's been ages since this happened. I honestly thought it never would happen to begin with."
I chuckled. "Since what would happen?"
"Since I would believe anyone outside of my family could learn any Miyagi-Do karate. I'll train you every day you can be trained."
I smiled. "I'm available every single day of this entire summer."
"Then from twelve to three O'clock, I'll drive you from my house to here at the dealership. And when you're ready. We'll train in a forest."
"Sounds great."
…
Cobra Kai OST: Slither
…
From the 21st of May 2016 to the 21st of June 2016, Lucas Schwarber only did two things besides occasionally spending some time hanging out with the LaRusso siblings.
He trained in Cobra Kai Karate under John Kreese, and in Miyagi-Do Karate under Daniel LaRusso. Counting down the entire year by checking off red x marks on his calendar every day.
The moment he woke up in the same bedroom his mother, Ali Mills once slept in decades prior, he got dressed and went out for a run.
A golden retriever named Donnie Junior, the pup of Ali's old male golden retriever pup when she was a girl, ran with Lucas for his daily jog. He whistled him up, put a leash around him and they went jogging around Encino Hills.
Lucas jogged and jogged as Donnie Jr. followed him and he threw uppercuts and hook punches as he ran, making light 'tss' noises with his mouth.
When he returned home, Lucas jumped rope and hit a punching bag his grandfather had bought for him.
He practiced his boxing form, doing punches on the bag. Doing shadow boxing, using dumbells, a few pushups, but above all, mainly cardio for the entire afternoon of karate he'd start from twelve to three with Daniel to five to six thirty with Kreese.
At the LaRusso dealership, Lucas did kata disguised as chores for several hours, Daniel showing him the correct form and then eventually application after the first week of training.
After several days of practicing blocks by washing windows and waxing cars and doing all sorts of chores, Daniel took Lucas out into the forests where Lucas knew he likely trained Robby.
Daniel taught Lucas how to do kata on a pier out by a lake, kicking and punching the air.
Daniel insisted Lucas punch with all of his power into a single point on his knuckles while wearing a catcher's armor and mask.
And he taught him how to walk along a tree for hours throwing round kicks and even hook kicks to build balance. He even started to teach him the fundamentals for the two legged kick by balancing his whole body on one arm, which Lucas found was very helpful for building arm strength at times when he could pull it off.
Everything Daniel knew was at the cornerstone of Miyagi-Do karate, the kata, a few of the strikes, and especially the focus and balance, he taught to Lucas just how he at one point had seen on a screen in a different life.
While Daniel built Lucas' defense, blocks, and reactivity from the ground up, Kreese made him more aggressive, built his offense and attacks in the abandoned supermarket loading dock they trained in.
Lucas would throw forward strikes in place, kiai'ing loudly as Kreese inspected his form for fifteen minutes as the first part of his class to warm him up.
Lucas couldn't leave his guard open, or overextend nor move his head off line nor throw his body into it too much nor lean into it.
The strike itself was analyzed by Kreese for several minutes for weeks.
Kreese inspected, corrected, and improved the essential strikes every Cobra Kai karate student had to learn when he taught back on Lankershim Boulevard in the eighties.
The jab punch, consisting of a jab followed instantly by a right cross when the jab returned. Lucas couldn't move his head from where it was, starting from his foot leading all the way into his fist, Lucas had to throw his right hand twisting his back heel up and fully committing to it without leaning his head forward either and then returning it.
The reverse punch, to the head Lucas had to either rush right in and throw a cross to the face or quickly lower his opponent's lead hand protecting their face while throwing it. To the body, Lucas just had to commit and throw it as hard and fast as he could crouching down to land from a level change.
The front snap kick to the body and head, and then eventually the round kick to the body and head too.
Kreese used plenty of empty wooden crates the abandoned loading dock had for Lucas to smash apart and grow his striking speed, power, and ferocity like boards. And he'd break them apart easily just how Miguel used to as Johnny trained him to defeat Kyler and his group of bullies.
Nearing the final days of Lucas' first month of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do training, Kreese and Daniel started to see just how much Lucas had improved.
He was more focused and precise, faster, and stronger. He was combining both of their styles into becoming a more complete fighter, one who could handle any sort of training they threw at him.
Daniel gave Lucas plenty of kata and precision, as well as balance, defense, and focus. And Kreese gave Lucas lots of raw muscle strength and physical conditioning, striking speed, aggression, and even plenty of ring control for how to move around the mat in a fight.
Standing in front of a mirror in his bedroom, even for a fourteen year old, Lucas could see how much muscle he had begun to pack onto his legs, and his bare chest, shoulders, back, and arms. Within an entire summer, he knew he would probably still be on a quick road to becoming the youngest All Valley karate champion in history.
He had spent a month straight just training and eating well. Lucas was getting more and more prepared by the day.
…
I was practicing with Daniel in his home Miyagi-Dojo.
"Show me wax on, wax off."
I blocked two face punches easily.
"Now paint the fence."
I had to use blocks with my palm and then the back of my hand, instead of just with the edge of each hand.
"And sand the floor."
I did so easily again like the other blocks.
"All together now."
Yelling loudly Daniel began to attack, I had to combine six separate blocks into a chain of strikes.
"Very nice." Daniel nodded.
We bowed to each other.
Daniel sighed. "You've got it all. You've got a solid, balanced, centered fighting stance. You don't break eye contact when you bow. Or, whenever you're practicing. You're strong, starting to build plenty of muscle surprisingly, and the bit of striking I taught you works out great whenever we practice it."
"I didn't know that last part was so important."
Daniel shrugged. "I was skinny as a stick when I first competed. Sure it would've helped against, the people I competed against back in the day. But it never hurts to have that extra bit of strength. Just always remember your center of balance, your focus. That, is far more important."
I was surprised by both my Senseis until now. I thought Daniel would be a goody two shoes and incredibly straitlaced with complete disregard for the physical side of training and Kreese honest to god hated any sort of encouragement. He was still as stern and stoic as an angry buffalo who happened to be a green beret and drill Sargeant, but still, he wasn't such an evil bastard to me.
"Remember. Karate is never here." Daniel tapped my bicep. "Karate is always." he tapped my forehead. "Here."
"Mental. Not physical?"
"Exactly," said Daniel. "I used to be the skinniest kid in school. These local guys, called Cobra Kais. Full of money and muscle, motorbikes and male bravado. All blondes and such, rich Valley kids. They would beat me up every week. A bit of Miyagi-Do training, and I took them all down at my first tournament."
"You ever wonder what happened to them?"
Daniel shrugged. "Never cared. They made my life hell for almost all of senior year. Glad to never see them again."
I frowned. Johnny, Bobby, Jimmy, Tommy, and even Dutch if prison reformed him would probably surprise Daniel if they met him again after what I knew from the show.
"What if they changed?" I asked.
Daniel snorted. "People don't change Lucas, trust me. I've seen it."
"Yes they do. Especially after decades I'd imagine they'd change."
Daniel sighed, sitting down on a nearby bench in the Miyagi-Dojo. "I think I should let you know something."
"Okay." I sat down next to him.
"What is the first rule of the karate I taught you?"
"Wax on wax off?" I joked.
Daniel shook his head, smiling. "No. You know what it is."
I muttered quietly. "Karate is for defense only."
"Cobra Kai made violent and brutal psychopaths, they lived by using karate to intimidate and do whatever they wanted. These guys, they hunted me down and tried to kill me once."
That was messed up. But.
It wasn't as black and white as I remembered. Nothing in life tended to be, Cobra Kai taught me that.
"Is there something you want to say to me?" Daniel asked kindly and quietly.
"My mom. She dated the top Cobra Kai at one point right? Johnny Lawrence."
Daniel nodded a bit. "She tell you that?"
"I pieced it together like I did everything else. Do you really think Johnny would've targeted you if you and him never went after the same girl?"
"What do I care? I never deserved that. You never met this guy and he was a total bully and a violent maniac. Why defend him?"
I frowned. "Speaking first hand. I don't think bullying is ever so black and white Mr. LaRusso. I don't think it's justified, but. To hold onto it for decades later. It can end badly I think."
I stood up off the bench. "We're done for today."
"Luke. Luke wait.-"
I had already left the home dojo.
…
I was draining a water bottle in the LaRusso's kitchen when I saw Sam walk into view.
"Hey Luke!"
"Sam." I said quietly.
"So. My dad's teaching you his karate. Surprised you lasted the first week without getting bored of it."
I shrugged. "It's not a bad skill to have. Building patience and a clear mind. An open mind too, be willing to go out of my comfort zone and see not everything is what it seems. I like Miyagi-Do karate."
"Yeah…" Sam cleared her throat. "About that."
"Yeah?"
"You've only really spent time with me and my family for karate related stuff lately. I made some friends with a few people around here. A guy named Kyler, Rory, Brucks. And a few others, Moon and Yasmine. Think it'd be cool if you went with me to meet them. We're hanging out for the first time next week if you want to join. I'd really appreciate going with someone I already knew."
I looked at Sam up and down quickly and with a bit of a frown.
She noticed this. "What?"
Poor Aisha Robinson. She was really awesome, I wish she had punched Yasmine in the mouth too instead of just giving her a front wedgie. I had half a mind to spend time with her or anyone else instead of Sam. She didn't know better but yeah.
"Don't you already have friends from your middle school?"
"They either moved away or we don't really. Gel. Anymore."
Right.
"Yeah. I'm good Sam." I said quietly, throwing a water bottle away.
"Um. Alright."
She was clearly a little bit upset by this.
I watched her walk off with a small wave.
Yeah. Have fun with them.
I clicked my bike helmet under my chin on their front porch realizing something.
This was the year Kyler spent warming up to Sam and her family to eventually start dating her next summer. That relationship ended very badly for Sam and she had no clue how it would all end up.
I scowled.
I might be self interested enough to seek both Daniel and Kreese out to become an All Valley champ. But I don't know why I felt weird about this.
Then it hit me.
A girl your age gets to know you for a month. You spend time with her dad. You get stronger and more confident.
Yeah Schwarber. Keep your distance. This is like using the ring in a fight. The world's throwing jabs at you. You might upset the LaRussos. Your plan gets outed a year early cause you didn't pay attention.
You get hit. Never lose focus.
I didn't have to watch her back. At least for now. But that didn't mean I had to get involved in something I had no business in either.
Sam was trouble. Couldn't tell Kreese about it.
I had a two months left before school started. I had to find friends I knew were worth my time and surprisingly far more mature than Sam despite being the same age, people I know would go to school with her in the fall.
Demetri and Eli. The Binary brothers. Aisha too would be great, all three of them were awesome. They'd be the best friend group in the world for the remainder of the summer while training.
…
A/N: This being the first scene where I have to write in third person (action scene or training montage), I always visualize Dylan Minnette as Lucas. That being said, any scenes outside of third person will be the rest I mentioned to avoid confusion.
...
Learning Miyagi-Do Karate was the exact opposite of Cobra Kai.
Go figure.
Under the late May sun in searing heat, I waxed cars.
I mopped floors, turning and moving in the direction Daniel instructed.
I washed windows, I stapled papers together.
Daniel was teaching me how to incorporate karate into regular chores around his dealership.
About two hours into my first lesson I realized that at least Robby was being given a paycheck for this. I was fourteen, I'm sure a few eyebrows were raised around the workplace.
As I washed windows, swiping the cleaning blade side to side, always side to side, strongly, calm, a man walked up to me.
"Hey kid. I think the coffee filter needs a change or something. And I need some fresh bagels and donuts at the snack table."
I ignored him.
"Hello? I'm talking to you here."
I looked at him. It was Louie LaRusso. Complete dick, I might've hated him more than several characters on the show. Got Johnny's car burnt down and like a decent part of Daniel's family, rubbed me the wrong way.
"What?" I asked. "What do you want?"
Louie raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
"I'm not here to help you frankly. You can go ask someone else."
"Alright, you work here. You do have to help, like it or not."
Daniel saw this, stepping away from shaking a client's hand. "Hey. Hey hey, what's going on?"
"This new intern thinks it's okay to mouth off on me."
I snorted. "Like you need a few extra pounds from all those donuts buddy."
"Where do you find these kids?" scoffed Louie.
Daniel sighed. "Okay. Lucas here is not an intern. He's. A friend of mine, a son of a friend of mine really."
"How come I've never heard of him?" Louie crossed his arms.
"I'll explain later. I-"
I smiled. "There's no need Mr. LaRusso. I'm Ali Mills' son. I'm here as a friend of Mr. LaRusso's."
"Ah." Louie smirked at Daniel. "The hot blonde from back in the day huh? The one who might've gotten away a little?" he nudged his cousin with an elbow. "I see ya. I see ya. No harm done kid, see ya round."
Daniel looked at me as I continued to wash windows for him. "Okay. Why'd you feel the need to do that?"
"No point in lying. All your employees were gonna find out eventually or wonder why a random fourteen year old is interning at a car dealership out of the blue. You don't come across as a liar Mr. LaRusso."
Daniel looked at me up and down. "You've taken all these chores I've given you rather well."
"They're not chores. They're karate." I muttered. "You wanted me to be trained. That's what I'm doing. Like I said. You're not a liar Mr. LaRusso."
Daniel chuckled. "Wow. You have a surprising bit of patience for a teenager."
No. I've just seen the show and watched the movies.
"That's what karate is supposed to build right? Patience, virtue. Honor and tact. I got nothing else better to do with my time but play video games at my house. This is a far better use of my summer."
Daniel looked at me. "It's been ages since this happened. I honestly thought it never would happen to begin with."
I chuckled. "Since what would happen?"
"Since I would believe anyone outside of my family could learn any Miyagi-Do karate. I'll train you every day you can be trained."
I smiled. "I'm available every single day of this entire summer."
"Then from twelve to three O'clock, I'll drive you from my house to here at the dealership. And when you're ready. We'll train in a forest."
"Sounds great."
…
Cobra Kai OST: Slither
…
From the 21st of May 2016 to the 21st of June 2016, Lucas Schwarber only did two things besides occasionally spending some time hanging out with the LaRusso siblings.
He trained in Cobra Kai Karate under John Kreese, and in Miyagi-Do Karate under Daniel LaRusso. Counting down the entire year by checking off red x marks on his calendar every day.
The moment he woke up in the same bedroom his mother, Ali Mills once slept in decades prior, he got dressed and went out for a run.
A golden retriever named Donnie Junior, the pup of Ali's old male golden retriever pup when she was a girl, ran with Lucas for his daily jog. He whistled him up, put a leash around him and they went jogging around Encino Hills.
Lucas jogged and jogged as Donnie Jr. followed him and he threw uppercuts and hook punches as he ran, making light 'tss' noises with his mouth.
When he returned home, Lucas jumped rope and hit a punching bag his grandfather had bought for him.
He practiced his boxing form, doing punches on the bag. Doing shadow boxing, using dumbells, a few pushups, but above all, mainly cardio for the entire afternoon of karate he'd start from twelve to three with Daniel to five to six thirty with Kreese.
At the LaRusso dealership, Lucas did kata disguised as chores for several hours, Daniel showing him the correct form and then eventually application after the first week of training.
After several days of practicing blocks by washing windows and waxing cars and doing all sorts of chores, Daniel took Lucas out into the forests where Lucas knew he likely trained Robby.
Daniel taught Lucas how to do kata on a pier out by a lake, kicking and punching the air.
Daniel insisted Lucas punch with all of his power into a single point on his knuckles while wearing a catcher's armor and mask.
And he taught him how to walk along a tree for hours throwing round kicks and even hook kicks to build balance. He even started to teach him the fundamentals for the two legged kick by balancing his whole body on one arm, which Lucas found was very helpful for building arm strength at times when he could pull it off.
Everything Daniel knew was at the cornerstone of Miyagi-Do karate, the kata, a few of the strikes, and especially the focus and balance, he taught to Lucas just how he at one point had seen on a screen in a different life.
While Daniel built Lucas' defense, blocks, and reactivity from the ground up, Kreese made him more aggressive, built his offense and attacks in the abandoned supermarket loading dock they trained in.
Lucas would throw forward strikes in place, kiai'ing loudly as Kreese inspected his form for fifteen minutes as the first part of his class to warm him up.
Lucas couldn't leave his guard open, or overextend nor move his head off line nor throw his body into it too much nor lean into it.
The strike itself was analyzed by Kreese for several minutes for weeks.
Kreese inspected, corrected, and improved the essential strikes every Cobra Kai karate student had to learn when he taught back on Lankershim Boulevard in the eighties.
The jab punch, consisting of a jab followed instantly by a right cross when the jab returned. Lucas couldn't move his head from where it was, starting from his foot leading all the way into his fist, Lucas had to throw his right hand twisting his back heel up and fully committing to it without leaning his head forward either and then returning it.
The reverse punch, to the head Lucas had to either rush right in and throw a cross to the face or quickly lower his opponent's lead hand protecting their face while throwing it. To the body, Lucas just had to commit and throw it as hard and fast as he could crouching down to land from a level change.
The front snap kick to the body and head, and then eventually the round kick to the body and head too.
Kreese used plenty of empty wooden crates the abandoned loading dock had for Lucas to smash apart and grow his striking speed, power, and ferocity like boards. And he'd break them apart easily just how Miguel used to as Johnny trained him to defeat Kyler and his group of bullies.
Nearing the final days of Lucas' first month of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do training, Kreese and Daniel started to see just how much Lucas had improved.
He was more focused and precise, faster, and stronger. He was combining both of their styles into becoming a more complete fighter, one who could handle any sort of training they threw at him.
Daniel gave Lucas plenty of kata and precision, as well as balance, defense, and focus. And Kreese gave Lucas lots of raw muscle strength and physical conditioning, striking speed, aggression, and even plenty of ring control for how to move around the mat in a fight.
Standing in front of a mirror in his bedroom, even for a fourteen year old, Lucas could see how much muscle he had begun to pack onto his legs, and his bare chest, shoulders, back, and arms. Within an entire summer, he knew he would probably still be on a quick road to becoming the youngest All Valley karate champion in history.
He had spent a month straight just training and eating well. Lucas was getting more and more prepared by the day.
…
I was practicing with Daniel in his home Miyagi-Dojo.
"Show me wax on, wax off."
I blocked two face punches easily.
"Now paint the fence."
I had to use blocks with my palm and then the back of my hand, instead of just with the edge of each hand.
"And sand the floor."
I did so easily again like the other blocks.
"All together now."
Yelling loudly Daniel began to attack, I had to combine six separate blocks into a chain of strikes.
"Very nice." Daniel nodded.
We bowed to each other.
Daniel sighed. "You've got it all. You've got a solid, balanced, centered fighting stance. You don't break eye contact when you bow. Or, whenever you're practicing. You're strong, starting to build plenty of muscle surprisingly, and the bit of striking I taught you works out great whenever we practice it."
"I didn't know that last part was so important."
Daniel shrugged. "I was skinny as a stick when I first competed. Sure it would've helped against, the people I competed against back in the day. But it never hurts to have that extra bit of strength. Just always remember your center of balance, your focus. That, is far more important."
I was surprised by both my Senseis until now. I thought Daniel would be a goody two shoes and incredibly straitlaced with complete disregard for the physical side of training and Kreese honest to god hated any sort of encouragement. He was still as stern and stoic as an angry buffalo who happened to be a green beret and drill Sargeant, but still, he wasn't such an evil bastard to me.
"Remember. Karate is never here." Daniel tapped my bicep. "Karate is always." he tapped my forehead. "Here."
"Mental. Not physical?"
"Exactly," said Daniel. "I used to be the skinniest kid in school. These local guys, called Cobra Kais. Full of money and muscle, motorbikes and male bravado. All blondes and such, rich Valley kids. They would beat me up every week. A bit of Miyagi-Do training, and I took them all down at my first tournament."
"You ever wonder what happened to them?"
Daniel shrugged. "Never cared. They made my life hell for almost all of senior year. Glad to never see them again."
I frowned. Johnny, Bobby, Jimmy, Tommy, and even Dutch if prison reformed him would probably surprise Daniel if they met him again after what I knew from the show.
"What if they changed?" I asked.
Daniel snorted. "People don't change Lucas, trust me. I've seen it."
"Yes they do. Especially after decades I'd imagine they'd change."
Daniel sighed, sitting down on a nearby bench in the Miyagi-Dojo. "I think I should let you know something."
"Okay." I sat down next to him.
"What is the first rule of the karate I taught you?"
"Wax on wax off?" I joked.
Daniel shook his head, smiling. "No. You know what it is."
I muttered quietly. "Karate is for defense only."
"Cobra Kai made violent and brutal psychopaths, they lived by using karate to intimidate and do whatever they wanted. These guys, they hunted me down and tried to kill me once."
That was messed up. But.
It wasn't as black and white as I remembered. Nothing in life tended to be, Cobra Kai taught me that.
"Is there something you want to say to me?" Daniel asked kindly and quietly.
"My mom. She dated the top Cobra Kai at one point right? Johnny Lawrence."
Daniel nodded a bit. "She tell you that?"
"I pieced it together like I did everything else. Do you really think Johnny would've targeted you if you and him never went after the same girl?"
"What do I care? I never deserved that. You never met this guy and he was a total bully and a violent maniac. Why defend him?"
I frowned. "Speaking first hand. I don't think bullying is ever so black and white Mr. LaRusso. I don't think it's justified, but. To hold onto it for decades later. It can end badly I think."
I stood up off the bench. "We're done for today."
"Luke. Luke wait.-"
I had already left the home dojo.
…
I was draining a water bottle in the LaRusso's kitchen when I saw Sam walk into view.
"Hey Luke!"
"Sam." I said quietly.
"So. My dad's teaching you his karate. Surprised you lasted the first week without getting bored of it."
I shrugged. "It's not a bad skill to have. Building patience and a clear mind. An open mind too, be willing to go out of my comfort zone and see not everything is what it seems. I like Miyagi-Do karate."
"Yeah…" Sam cleared her throat. "About that."
"Yeah?"
"You've only really spent time with me and my family for karate related stuff lately. I made some friends with a few people around here. A guy named Kyler, Rory, Brucks. And a few others, Moon and Yasmine. Think it'd be cool if you went with me to meet them. We're hanging out for the first time next week if you want to join. I'd really appreciate going with someone I already knew."
I looked at Sam up and down quickly and with a bit of a frown.
She noticed this. "What?"
Poor Aisha Robinson. She was really awesome, I wish she had punched Yasmine in the mouth too instead of just giving her a front wedgie. I had half a mind to spend time with her or anyone else instead of Sam. She didn't know better but yeah.
"Don't you already have friends from your middle school?"
"They either moved away or we don't really. Gel. Anymore."
Right.
"Yeah. I'm good Sam." I said quietly, throwing a water bottle away.
"Um. Alright."
She was clearly a little bit upset by this.
I watched her walk off with a small wave.
Yeah. Have fun with them.
I clicked my bike helmet under my chin on their front porch realizing something.
This was the year Kyler spent warming up to Sam and her family to eventually start dating her next summer. That relationship ended very badly for Sam and she had no clue how it would all end up.
I scowled.
I might be self interested enough to seek both Daniel and Kreese out to become an All Valley champ. But I don't know why I felt weird about this.
Then it hit me.
A girl your age gets to know you for a month. You spend time with her dad. You get stronger and more confident.
Yeah Schwarber. Keep your distance. This is like using the ring in a fight. The world's throwing jabs at you. You might upset the LaRussos. Your plan gets outed a year early cause you didn't pay attention.
You get hit. Never lose focus.
I didn't have to watch her back. At least for now. But that didn't mean I had to get involved in something I had no business in either.
Sam was trouble. Couldn't tell Kreese about it.
I had a two months left before school started. I had to find friends I knew were worth my time and surprisingly far more mature than Sam despite being the same age, people I know would go to school with her in the fall.
Demetri and Eli. The Binary brothers. Aisha too would be great, all three of them were awesome. They'd be the best friend group in the world for the remainder of the summer while training.
…
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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- Jan 31, 2020
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- 11,416
Lucas thrives from the intense training of both Cobra and Miagyi dojo , but Lucas and Daniel have a difference of opinion on if old enemies change or not as everything Isn't black or white.
Looks like Lucas can teach old Daniel a few things, despite his Cobra kai infiltration in the Larousso siblings and family.
While Lucas was surprised by Samantha Larousso asking for a friendly night out , but Lucas was waiting for the bratty Samantha to shed her mean girls ways to more humble nice Samantha post Cobra kai season.
Including meeting Asha ,Demetrius and Binary brothers.
Continue on
Cheers!
Looks like Lucas can teach old Daniel a few things, despite his Cobra kai infiltration in the Larousso siblings and family.
While Lucas was surprised by Samantha Larousso asking for a friendly night out , but Lucas was waiting for the bratty Samantha to shed her mean girls ways to more humble nice Samantha post Cobra kai season.
Including meeting Asha ,Demetrius and Binary brothers.
Continue on
Cheers!
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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- 2,146
But she was such a nice person to her, they were friends for ages according to the first season of the show.
zephyrbarnes
Know what you're doing yet?
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- Dec 2, 2018
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- 787
Yeah, you dont drop childhood friends like that because of their bodies, which they don't control the growth of.
Chapter Five
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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- Likes received
- 2,146
…
Trimming the bonsais Daniel had around his home ended up being a pretty fun way to spend my time.
It was currently June 22nd, 2016. I had about a month and a half before I began high school at West Valley High for the first time.
And I was enjoying my time here in the Valley a great deal.
So was my Miyagi-Do Sensei.
"Another day. Some more kata huh?"
I nodded quietly.
"Look um."
I was surprised by how humble and apologetic he looked.
Daniel frowned. "You were right. I was holding on to the past a great deal."
"Thank you. But what exactly is in your past that makes Cobra Kai so wrong?"
Daniel sighed. "I can't tell you everything. At least not yet."
The third Karate Kid film. I could imagine.
I looked at him. "Don't you think it's best that I know everything about Cobra Kai in order to avoid it?"
"And why's that?"
"Because they're violent and cruel right? Shouldn't I avoid it?"
Daniel smiled. "Well the good news is Lucas. Cobra Kai will never come back. Not in a million years. There's no reason I should pass this all down to you."
I smiled. "Alright Mr. LaRusso. If Cobra Kai won't come back. Why dwell on the past?"
"Right." Daniel nodded. "Now. Kibadachi stance."
We stood in horse stance and began to practice our kata.
…
I decided to start looking for Demetri, Eli, or Aisha around town. They were the only friends I think I wanted to make right now here in the Valley.
After about twenty minutes of trying, eventually I stumbled across them at a nearby park.
I locked up my bicycle at a nearby rack and walked towards them, taking my helmet off. "You guys really should watch out. Who knows how many people like stealing vintage EDH commanders."
I smiled.
The person I knew to be Demetri Alexopolous nodded, smoothing out a few of his Magic the Gathering cards over the table. "So far so good."
I stuck my hand out. "My name's Lucas."
"Demetri." he shook it and continued to cycle his cards in his hand. "This is Eli."
He smiled at me weakly. Still looked horribly shy.
The Hawk unborn.
I was going to ask where Aisha was. But I don't think she actually met these two or were friends until high school.
I sat down next to them on the park bench. "So um. You guys always just play EDH out in the open?"
"Only sometimes. The comic book store was closed today."
"So you guys go to the mall and stuff?"
Demetri nodded.
"Cool. I'm uh, new in town. Could use someone to show me around and stuff."
Demetri shrugged. "Don't see why not. What kind of things are you into?"
I technically was reincarnated into six years in the past so I had to remember what did and didn't exist yet.
"Uh. Mostly a few old games on Xbox. I'd like to build a computer someday, I know my folks have the money for it."
"You like to build computers?" asked Demetri, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. It's not too hard after you've built your first. All you need is a screwdriver, a tower, all the parts and the manual that comes with a motherboard. That's mostly it."
Demetri looked at Eli for a second. "What else?"
"The original Star Wars trilogy. Love it to death. Huge fan, huge huge fan. Martial arts and boxing."
Demetri smiled at me for a second. "Lost me a bit with those last two, other than that, think you'd fit in perfectly with us."
Eli smiled and nodded too.
I chuckled, in thought.
That was what I was hoping for.
We started to talk about a few anime I knew were still popular and that I liked in 2016. Apparently Attack on Titan was still really popular.
I smiled as Demetri rambled on and on about his theories.
"See I want to read the manga to find out what happens later on? But honestly between coding camp in a few weeks and the Academic Decathlon. No time, no time at all to get into yet another manga."
"I feel that." I said.
Demetri nodded as Eli beat him almost 31 to nothing and they cleaned up their EDH game. "So. What kinda stuff do you do in your free time?"
"Karate."
Two warring kinds of karate actually by men who would train both of you at one point too.
"Karate?" scoffed Demetri. "What could you need karate for?"
Conveniently, those who I knew to be Season 1's 'popular kids' approached.
"Hey Luke!" Sam said as the people I knew to be Kyler's gang and Yasmine's were walking by at the park.
This did not feel like a coincidence that Sam happened to be walking around in the same park. I don't think it was stalking by any means, but it was likely she saw me from a nearby sidewalk or something.
"Hey Sam. This is Demetri and Eli."
Two fellow Miyagi-Dos you'll have despite you not knowing it, so cut out any ideas of bullying them.
She nodded to them. "Hi."
Demetri waved as Sam looked back towards me. "This is Kyler and Yasmine."
"Sup." he said.
"Glad to meet everyone." I said quietly. "Guess we're all going to West Valley in a few months huh?"
Everyone there nodded more or less.
"Cool. Guess we'll see each other around then."
Without me having to teach Yasmine and Kyler a lesson about being pieces of absolute shit.
Sam cleared her throat. "So. We were going to head to the mall or catch a movie or something. Wanna come with?"
I already said no. It was official now, she had a crush on me. Guess it made sense, besides all the differences in personality and such, I was basically Robby to her but Ali's son instead of Johnny's.
It was pretty clear that Eli and Demetri would never fit in with these guys, I belonged with them in some sense.
"I'll take a rain check." I shrugged and leaned my back on the park bench table.
The guy I think was named Rory laughed. "Look at how cool this guy thinks he is. Like he's passing on Princeton or something."
Damn this guy sounded stupid. Sam was friends with all these people for over a year in the show apparently?
Brucks and Kyler laughed and then I ignored them just staring calmly at Sam.
"Yeah. I'm not going."
I could see Yasmine muttering to the girl I knew was Moon. They laughed and I turned around to see Eli shrink and cover his upper lip.
"You got something you wanna say?" I asked, loud enough for them all to notice.
Yasmine froze. "Uh."
"No?"
Yasmine frowned.
"Thought so."
Sam looked at me. "What's the matter?"
"Look. Why don't take your little friends and get outta here. You're clearly making Eli uncomfortable."
Sam glanced at me up and down. "Luke I-"
"You what?"
Kyler raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem dude?"
"Maybe." I looked towards Sam. "Do you want me to tell your dad your new friends are making fun of a kid's lip?"
Kyler scoffed. "Oh shit. Your dad? You know her dad?"
I sighed. "Sam. I really don't care who you're friends with. But um. For now. You and I. We aren't friends. So. Sorry."
Sam had her arms crossed. She did not appreciate being threatened.
The Sam I knew could ruin my entire summer right now if I wasn't quick enough.
If Kyler wanted to act tough in front of Sam, things would get ugly. A mess would break out, I would have to strike first, hurt most of them or at least Kyler, maybe not win per say but definitely cause some damage.
Then, Mr. LaRusso figures out that I at least don't mind using Miyagi-Do aggressively and my whole plan has been blown.
"Let's just go." Moon suggested.
Sam nodded. "Fine then." she said to me.
"Fine."
They all walked off and this was probably not the best first impression. I had no choice. Either watch them act like spoiled bullies around this whole Valley by hanging out with them or making who I was clear.
I knew Sam was a good person deep down. But I hated her character during the first season of the show, which was much worse now that she was a year younger and far more immature probably.
It took her until basically the last episode of the first season to finally realize she had wronged Aisha and earned her forgiveness.
Demetri was jaw dropped. "I cannot believe you just did that."
"Did what?"
"You stood up to bullies. Maybe not bullies, but they made fun of Eli and you made them walk off."
"That's what karate teaches you. You have to either walk away or stand your ground instantly getting ready for anything."
Demetri scoffed. "Well. I wish I had your confidence."
Wait until you meet Miguel. He kicked all their asses in a school cafeteria on his own.
While Sam just watched, having done karate for nearly her whole life.
"But a girl that hot? You said no to hanging out with her?"
"Said no to hanging out with the people she was around." I said.
Demetri looked off after Yasmine, nodding towards her. "I wouldn't turn her down on that offer. No sir."
"Into rich blondes eh?"
"At least whoever she was. She was smoking."
"Eh." I muttered. "Can we get back to EDH?"
"Actually we wanted to finish building Eli's Lego Death Star first. It's at his place."
I looked to Eli. "Can we go?"
Needless to say after what I just did, I had more than earned Eli's trust and interest in becoming friends.
I had to trade two good first impressions for several bad ones just now.
…
After practicing some forward strikes, Kreese spoke. "Okay. Here's a good counter. It's called the catch and sweep, one of the first I learned over in 'Nam."
He got into his fighting stance across me as I stood in mine.
"As your opponent comes in with shots over the top towards the nose or chin. Straight or hook punches. You lower yourself and draw yourself forward. The second you catch them, spin in the same direction they are coming in with to use that momentum and throw them to the ground."
I nodded. "Okay."
"Allow me to demonstrate. Ais!"
I fired a quick jab punch and a reverse punch to the body. Despite me using my range properly enough to not get countered, Kreese was still skilled enough to catch me at close range and send me into the ground, hard.
"Aii!" he roared as the strike meant to finish me missed, just as he trained me.
I twisted my body using an improvised version of an escape from full or half mount Kreese had taught me. We didn't practice grappling more than twice or maybe thrice a week, but he did actually know plenty from years and years of karate and competition.
As his fist came towards my nose to strike me, I caught his arm and twisted away off the ground, spinning Kreese away from me and using the twist to stand back up, facing him and ready to strike.
Kreese nodded as the drill was finished. "You're learning the lesson Mr. Schwarber. That's a good hip throw off the ground, proper improvisation."
"Thank you Sensei."
"Now. You have to use that same movement but on your feet instead of on your back. Almost the same application."
Again Kreese struck without warning almost catching me off guard, made for having great reflexes honestly.
Despite me being a fifth of his age, the size difference wasn't staggering enough and I was able to use the hip throw perfectly as I caught him at close range and spun him onto the ground.
It wasn't a move based that much on strength, technically you could overcome a decent size difference so long as you had the right body movement down to toss a person to the ground using full range of motion.
I made sure to time my punch to the chest as Kreese fell to not give him time to react on the ground.
"Aiya!"
Kreese brushed himself off, it was if the blow didn't touch him. Always weird like that.
"That's it." Kreese nodded. "That would've been a perfect point in a tournament. More importantly, you could've really finished a fight with that one move."
I nodded back quietly.
"Now. Again!"
…
I wiped the sweat off my brow, I sat down and sipped water from a bottle I had brought with me after I was done for the day with Kreese.
"That was good work. But I need better next time." Kreese said sternly.
"Yes Sensei."
"You're not afraid to hit an old man. That's good, means you understand no mercy."
I nodded a bit. "It's what you taught me."
"It is. I need to know now how you're applying it outside of the classroom."
And what a classroom we trained in. An old abandoned supermarket loading dock that still had debris and old wooden pallets and loading crates from decades ago.
"How're things going with the LaRusso girl?"
"Not too well. Her friends are all vain, spoiled, and entitled bullies. Besides the bullies part. They're just like her."
Kreese chuckled quietly, crossing his arms. "I thought you wanted to leave a good impression on LaRusso."
"I think she's probably jealous of me. Spending more time with her dad than her or something."
"What do you think of her?"
I frowned, putting my water bottle down. "Why does it matter to you Sensei?"
"Well. After a year of getting to know her. I'd imagine betraying her father by using his karate to win the All Valley the whole time is the kind of thing to ruin a friendship for the rest of your lives."
"And?"
"And I'm curious if you have any guilt as to what you're doing to this family after getting to know them for an entire summer so far."
I shook my head. "Cobras don't feel guilt."
"You have the instincts and have started to have the skills of a Cobra Kai. But you're not a Cobra Kai just yet. You haven't had a real fight yet outside of class. You haven't competed in any tournaments or anywhere, nor tested yourself beyond daily practice and training. I just need to know what this family is like, and what they mean to you."
I frowned. "You don't trust me. Do you?"
"Lucas. I trust you a great deal. You're still a fourteen year old kid spending an entire summer plotting to betray your neighbors you only just met. It's only natural you might have some qualms about doing all this."
This was a test hidden in plain sight. He often did this. He called them 'land mines' meant to 'increase awareness.'
I stood up off the loading bay dock area from the building itself and looked at Kreese calmly in the eyes. "Mercy does not exist. Guilt, is mercy."
Bullseye.
Kreese muttered quietly. "In under a month you've learned almost every lesson I've taught you to the letter. Both physical, and mental. This um, plan we've built to put LaRusso in his place. It's making things a bit difficult."
"How so Sensei?"
"LaRusso, and his family by extension. Are the enemy so long as you're Cobra Kai. And I can't test you or your loyalty properly without risking the entire plan. I'm starting to wonder just how much you actually need LaRusso's trust in order to make this work."
Would I have only gotten just a full month of Miyagi-Do in to make my plan work?
I watched Kreese sigh quietly to himself. "We'll figure it out. Class is already over today. But I want to leave you with a lesson. I have no doubt you actually believe this Samantha girl is as vain or worthless to you as you say she is."
"But." Kreese approached me. "In a fight. And always in your life. The most important thing you must protect."
He tapped the center of my chest. "Is right here."
"My heart?"
It sometimes shocked me how much he trained me like I was Robby, deleted scenes or not. To him I bet we were very similar although not so similar in many ways.
"In a way. What you must protect is what you care about. There is only one thing a Cobra Kai must care about. In the street. In competition. In life. And that thing, is victory."
I smiled, I could tell Kreese liked how much I enjoyed and appreciated the lesson.
"Life has distractions. Most of them are easy to spot. Movies. Parties. Dates."
I was nodding, getting it.
"Girls. This LaRusso girl, like any other. Will make you weak if you get too attached. Friend or not."
He never met Tory Nichols yet, she basically became like a daughter to him. I highly doubted she'd make Cobra Kai weak if she became it's very first female champion.
"What if women started to compete in karate?"
Kreese laughed a decent bit, surprising as he never laughed at anything unless it was a low chuckle over how much I reminded him of an old student he had or something.
Kreese looked at me again. "Wait, you're serious?"
"I'm not saying it has to happen. I'm saying it could."
"Son, even if that did happen. Which it, probably won't. I still highly doubt it would change my lesson."
"I understand Sensei."
"The whole world has gotten weak. We must adapt to it. But it is weak to its very core. Words, awards, and titles have far less meaning now. Everything has become digitized and instantly accessible. Except for the truth."
I nodded again, he was pretty right.
Kreese went on. "And that's a truth you're going to humiliate that joke of an All Valley champion with. That All Star Karate ponce, Morrison. Show him, this Valley, and the man who has wronged me the most in my life, Daniel LaRusso. The real truth this pathetic snowflake generation desperately needs to know, which is."
It shocked me sometimes how much Johnny and Kreese sounded so similar sometimes.
"There is no such thing as mercy." Kreese said like he did before. It was basically his motto besides Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy. "The only truth we must seek. Is victory."
"I'll seek it Sensei."
"Good."
Trimming the bonsais Daniel had around his home ended up being a pretty fun way to spend my time.
It was currently June 22nd, 2016. I had about a month and a half before I began high school at West Valley High for the first time.
And I was enjoying my time here in the Valley a great deal.
So was my Miyagi-Do Sensei.
"Another day. Some more kata huh?"
I nodded quietly.
"Look um."
I was surprised by how humble and apologetic he looked.
Daniel frowned. "You were right. I was holding on to the past a great deal."
"Thank you. But what exactly is in your past that makes Cobra Kai so wrong?"
Daniel sighed. "I can't tell you everything. At least not yet."
The third Karate Kid film. I could imagine.
I looked at him. "Don't you think it's best that I know everything about Cobra Kai in order to avoid it?"
"And why's that?"
"Because they're violent and cruel right? Shouldn't I avoid it?"
Daniel smiled. "Well the good news is Lucas. Cobra Kai will never come back. Not in a million years. There's no reason I should pass this all down to you."
I smiled. "Alright Mr. LaRusso. If Cobra Kai won't come back. Why dwell on the past?"
"Right." Daniel nodded. "Now. Kibadachi stance."
We stood in horse stance and began to practice our kata.
…
I decided to start looking for Demetri, Eli, or Aisha around town. They were the only friends I think I wanted to make right now here in the Valley.
After about twenty minutes of trying, eventually I stumbled across them at a nearby park.
I locked up my bicycle at a nearby rack and walked towards them, taking my helmet off. "You guys really should watch out. Who knows how many people like stealing vintage EDH commanders."
I smiled.
The person I knew to be Demetri Alexopolous nodded, smoothing out a few of his Magic the Gathering cards over the table. "So far so good."
I stuck my hand out. "My name's Lucas."
"Demetri." he shook it and continued to cycle his cards in his hand. "This is Eli."
He smiled at me weakly. Still looked horribly shy.
The Hawk unborn.
I was going to ask where Aisha was. But I don't think she actually met these two or were friends until high school.
I sat down next to them on the park bench. "So um. You guys always just play EDH out in the open?"
"Only sometimes. The comic book store was closed today."
"So you guys go to the mall and stuff?"
Demetri nodded.
"Cool. I'm uh, new in town. Could use someone to show me around and stuff."
Demetri shrugged. "Don't see why not. What kind of things are you into?"
I technically was reincarnated into six years in the past so I had to remember what did and didn't exist yet.
"Uh. Mostly a few old games on Xbox. I'd like to build a computer someday, I know my folks have the money for it."
"You like to build computers?" asked Demetri, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. It's not too hard after you've built your first. All you need is a screwdriver, a tower, all the parts and the manual that comes with a motherboard. That's mostly it."
Demetri looked at Eli for a second. "What else?"
"The original Star Wars trilogy. Love it to death. Huge fan, huge huge fan. Martial arts and boxing."
Demetri smiled at me for a second. "Lost me a bit with those last two, other than that, think you'd fit in perfectly with us."
Eli smiled and nodded too.
I chuckled, in thought.
That was what I was hoping for.
We started to talk about a few anime I knew were still popular and that I liked in 2016. Apparently Attack on Titan was still really popular.
I smiled as Demetri rambled on and on about his theories.
"See I want to read the manga to find out what happens later on? But honestly between coding camp in a few weeks and the Academic Decathlon. No time, no time at all to get into yet another manga."
"I feel that." I said.
Demetri nodded as Eli beat him almost 31 to nothing and they cleaned up their EDH game. "So. What kinda stuff do you do in your free time?"
"Karate."
Two warring kinds of karate actually by men who would train both of you at one point too.
"Karate?" scoffed Demetri. "What could you need karate for?"
Conveniently, those who I knew to be Season 1's 'popular kids' approached.
"Hey Luke!" Sam said as the people I knew to be Kyler's gang and Yasmine's were walking by at the park.
This did not feel like a coincidence that Sam happened to be walking around in the same park. I don't think it was stalking by any means, but it was likely she saw me from a nearby sidewalk or something.
"Hey Sam. This is Demetri and Eli."
Two fellow Miyagi-Dos you'll have despite you not knowing it, so cut out any ideas of bullying them.
She nodded to them. "Hi."
Demetri waved as Sam looked back towards me. "This is Kyler and Yasmine."
"Sup." he said.
"Glad to meet everyone." I said quietly. "Guess we're all going to West Valley in a few months huh?"
Everyone there nodded more or less.
"Cool. Guess we'll see each other around then."
Without me having to teach Yasmine and Kyler a lesson about being pieces of absolute shit.
Sam cleared her throat. "So. We were going to head to the mall or catch a movie or something. Wanna come with?"
I already said no. It was official now, she had a crush on me. Guess it made sense, besides all the differences in personality and such, I was basically Robby to her but Ali's son instead of Johnny's.
It was pretty clear that Eli and Demetri would never fit in with these guys, I belonged with them in some sense.
"I'll take a rain check." I shrugged and leaned my back on the park bench table.
The guy I think was named Rory laughed. "Look at how cool this guy thinks he is. Like he's passing on Princeton or something."
Damn this guy sounded stupid. Sam was friends with all these people for over a year in the show apparently?
Brucks and Kyler laughed and then I ignored them just staring calmly at Sam.
"Yeah. I'm not going."
I could see Yasmine muttering to the girl I knew was Moon. They laughed and I turned around to see Eli shrink and cover his upper lip.
"You got something you wanna say?" I asked, loud enough for them all to notice.
Yasmine froze. "Uh."
"No?"
Yasmine frowned.
"Thought so."
Sam looked at me. "What's the matter?"
"Look. Why don't take your little friends and get outta here. You're clearly making Eli uncomfortable."
Sam glanced at me up and down. "Luke I-"
"You what?"
Kyler raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem dude?"
"Maybe." I looked towards Sam. "Do you want me to tell your dad your new friends are making fun of a kid's lip?"
Kyler scoffed. "Oh shit. Your dad? You know her dad?"
I sighed. "Sam. I really don't care who you're friends with. But um. For now. You and I. We aren't friends. So. Sorry."
Sam had her arms crossed. She did not appreciate being threatened.
The Sam I knew could ruin my entire summer right now if I wasn't quick enough.
If Kyler wanted to act tough in front of Sam, things would get ugly. A mess would break out, I would have to strike first, hurt most of them or at least Kyler, maybe not win per say but definitely cause some damage.
Then, Mr. LaRusso figures out that I at least don't mind using Miyagi-Do aggressively and my whole plan has been blown.
"Let's just go." Moon suggested.
Sam nodded. "Fine then." she said to me.
"Fine."
They all walked off and this was probably not the best first impression. I had no choice. Either watch them act like spoiled bullies around this whole Valley by hanging out with them or making who I was clear.
I knew Sam was a good person deep down. But I hated her character during the first season of the show, which was much worse now that she was a year younger and far more immature probably.
It took her until basically the last episode of the first season to finally realize she had wronged Aisha and earned her forgiveness.
Demetri was jaw dropped. "I cannot believe you just did that."
"Did what?"
"You stood up to bullies. Maybe not bullies, but they made fun of Eli and you made them walk off."
"That's what karate teaches you. You have to either walk away or stand your ground instantly getting ready for anything."
Demetri scoffed. "Well. I wish I had your confidence."
Wait until you meet Miguel. He kicked all their asses in a school cafeteria on his own.
While Sam just watched, having done karate for nearly her whole life.
"But a girl that hot? You said no to hanging out with her?"
"Said no to hanging out with the people she was around." I said.
Demetri looked off after Yasmine, nodding towards her. "I wouldn't turn her down on that offer. No sir."
"Into rich blondes eh?"
"At least whoever she was. She was smoking."
"Eh." I muttered. "Can we get back to EDH?"
"Actually we wanted to finish building Eli's Lego Death Star first. It's at his place."
I looked to Eli. "Can we go?"
Needless to say after what I just did, I had more than earned Eli's trust and interest in becoming friends.
I had to trade two good first impressions for several bad ones just now.
…
After practicing some forward strikes, Kreese spoke. "Okay. Here's a good counter. It's called the catch and sweep, one of the first I learned over in 'Nam."
He got into his fighting stance across me as I stood in mine.
"As your opponent comes in with shots over the top towards the nose or chin. Straight or hook punches. You lower yourself and draw yourself forward. The second you catch them, spin in the same direction they are coming in with to use that momentum and throw them to the ground."
I nodded. "Okay."
"Allow me to demonstrate. Ais!"
I fired a quick jab punch and a reverse punch to the body. Despite me using my range properly enough to not get countered, Kreese was still skilled enough to catch me at close range and send me into the ground, hard.
"Aii!" he roared as the strike meant to finish me missed, just as he trained me.
I twisted my body using an improvised version of an escape from full or half mount Kreese had taught me. We didn't practice grappling more than twice or maybe thrice a week, but he did actually know plenty from years and years of karate and competition.
As his fist came towards my nose to strike me, I caught his arm and twisted away off the ground, spinning Kreese away from me and using the twist to stand back up, facing him and ready to strike.
Kreese nodded as the drill was finished. "You're learning the lesson Mr. Schwarber. That's a good hip throw off the ground, proper improvisation."
"Thank you Sensei."
"Now. You have to use that same movement but on your feet instead of on your back. Almost the same application."
Again Kreese struck without warning almost catching me off guard, made for having great reflexes honestly.
Despite me being a fifth of his age, the size difference wasn't staggering enough and I was able to use the hip throw perfectly as I caught him at close range and spun him onto the ground.
It wasn't a move based that much on strength, technically you could overcome a decent size difference so long as you had the right body movement down to toss a person to the ground using full range of motion.
I made sure to time my punch to the chest as Kreese fell to not give him time to react on the ground.
"Aiya!"
Kreese brushed himself off, it was if the blow didn't touch him. Always weird like that.
"That's it." Kreese nodded. "That would've been a perfect point in a tournament. More importantly, you could've really finished a fight with that one move."
I nodded back quietly.
"Now. Again!"
…
I wiped the sweat off my brow, I sat down and sipped water from a bottle I had brought with me after I was done for the day with Kreese.
"That was good work. But I need better next time." Kreese said sternly.
"Yes Sensei."
"You're not afraid to hit an old man. That's good, means you understand no mercy."
I nodded a bit. "It's what you taught me."
"It is. I need to know now how you're applying it outside of the classroom."
And what a classroom we trained in. An old abandoned supermarket loading dock that still had debris and old wooden pallets and loading crates from decades ago.
"How're things going with the LaRusso girl?"
"Not too well. Her friends are all vain, spoiled, and entitled bullies. Besides the bullies part. They're just like her."
Kreese chuckled quietly, crossing his arms. "I thought you wanted to leave a good impression on LaRusso."
"I think she's probably jealous of me. Spending more time with her dad than her or something."
"What do you think of her?"
I frowned, putting my water bottle down. "Why does it matter to you Sensei?"
"Well. After a year of getting to know her. I'd imagine betraying her father by using his karate to win the All Valley the whole time is the kind of thing to ruin a friendship for the rest of your lives."
"And?"
"And I'm curious if you have any guilt as to what you're doing to this family after getting to know them for an entire summer so far."
I shook my head. "Cobras don't feel guilt."
"You have the instincts and have started to have the skills of a Cobra Kai. But you're not a Cobra Kai just yet. You haven't had a real fight yet outside of class. You haven't competed in any tournaments or anywhere, nor tested yourself beyond daily practice and training. I just need to know what this family is like, and what they mean to you."
I frowned. "You don't trust me. Do you?"
"Lucas. I trust you a great deal. You're still a fourteen year old kid spending an entire summer plotting to betray your neighbors you only just met. It's only natural you might have some qualms about doing all this."
This was a test hidden in plain sight. He often did this. He called them 'land mines' meant to 'increase awareness.'
I stood up off the loading bay dock area from the building itself and looked at Kreese calmly in the eyes. "Mercy does not exist. Guilt, is mercy."
Bullseye.
Kreese muttered quietly. "In under a month you've learned almost every lesson I've taught you to the letter. Both physical, and mental. This um, plan we've built to put LaRusso in his place. It's making things a bit difficult."
"How so Sensei?"
"LaRusso, and his family by extension. Are the enemy so long as you're Cobra Kai. And I can't test you or your loyalty properly without risking the entire plan. I'm starting to wonder just how much you actually need LaRusso's trust in order to make this work."
Would I have only gotten just a full month of Miyagi-Do in to make my plan work?
I watched Kreese sigh quietly to himself. "We'll figure it out. Class is already over today. But I want to leave you with a lesson. I have no doubt you actually believe this Samantha girl is as vain or worthless to you as you say she is."
"But." Kreese approached me. "In a fight. And always in your life. The most important thing you must protect."
He tapped the center of my chest. "Is right here."
"My heart?"
It sometimes shocked me how much he trained me like I was Robby, deleted scenes or not. To him I bet we were very similar although not so similar in many ways.
"In a way. What you must protect is what you care about. There is only one thing a Cobra Kai must care about. In the street. In competition. In life. And that thing, is victory."
I smiled, I could tell Kreese liked how much I enjoyed and appreciated the lesson.
"Life has distractions. Most of them are easy to spot. Movies. Parties. Dates."
I was nodding, getting it.
"Girls. This LaRusso girl, like any other. Will make you weak if you get too attached. Friend or not."
He never met Tory Nichols yet, she basically became like a daughter to him. I highly doubted she'd make Cobra Kai weak if she became it's very first female champion.
"What if women started to compete in karate?"
Kreese laughed a decent bit, surprising as he never laughed at anything unless it was a low chuckle over how much I reminded him of an old student he had or something.
Kreese looked at me again. "Wait, you're serious?"
"I'm not saying it has to happen. I'm saying it could."
"Son, even if that did happen. Which it, probably won't. I still highly doubt it would change my lesson."
"I understand Sensei."
"The whole world has gotten weak. We must adapt to it. But it is weak to its very core. Words, awards, and titles have far less meaning now. Everything has become digitized and instantly accessible. Except for the truth."
I nodded again, he was pretty right.
Kreese went on. "And that's a truth you're going to humiliate that joke of an All Valley champion with. That All Star Karate ponce, Morrison. Show him, this Valley, and the man who has wronged me the most in my life, Daniel LaRusso. The real truth this pathetic snowflake generation desperately needs to know, which is."
It shocked me sometimes how much Johnny and Kreese sounded so similar sometimes.
"There is no such thing as mercy." Kreese said like he did before. It was basically his motto besides Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy. "The only truth we must seek. Is victory."
"I'll seek it Sensei."
"Good."
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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- Jan 31, 2020
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- 4,470
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- 11,416
Well now if Lucas is like the son Jonh Kresse never had, then Tori Nicole's is the daughter he didn't know he needed yet. Although that's story for another time as John Kresse questions his students resolve about doing what's needed to be done with the subterfuge with the Larousso siblings and Family and potential consequences he has to deal with in the upcoming Valley Champion tournament .
Alternatively, Lucas encounter the Binary Brothers Damon and Eli with a surprising appearance by Sam and her mean girl friends that almost turned into a fight that was respectful avoided but cool point with Sam's friends. As Aisha wasn't found by Lucas and new friends as of yet in the future.
Continue on
Cheers!
Alternatively, Lucas encounter the Binary Brothers Damon and Eli with a surprising appearance by Sam and her mean girl friends that almost turned into a fight that was respectful avoided but cool point with Sam's friends. As Aisha wasn't found by Lucas and new friends as of yet in the future.
Continue on
Cheers!
Chapter Six
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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- 2,146
…
During the little bit of June I had left and as July progressed, I had developed a pretty decent routine for myself.
On top of the regular training schedule I had developed, I had begun to spend time hanging out with Demetri and Eli. We built Lego sets, we built computers, they taught me some coding, and we spent dozens of hours doing things like playing Magic the Gathering or watching and discussing video games.
We needed a fourth person for sure, three was a tough way to play board games or card games sometimes, and I'm sure Aisha would be happy to oblige, but I had no idea how to find her because Sam and I weren't on good terms at all.
Luckily, Sam had decided to not say anything to Daniel about the confrontation I had had with Yasmine and Kyler when she talked to me in the park.
It was a week and a half after Sam and I argued at the park that I began to realize the biggest advantages I had over anyone here.
What I knew. And the choices I could make.
My choices could shape the livelihoods of loads of people. While I already knew from the choices I had already made that nothing would be too similar to the show, but the show could easily offer life altering consequences to anyone if I meddled too much, too little, or in the wrong way.
After getting to know Daniel, Kreese, Sam, Demetri, and Eli properly over this summer well, I realized that none of them hated me or were violent.
Kreese was a very tough, brutal, and stern man, but he was fair and reasonable basically the entire time we trained or talked together. Daniel likewise was much kinder, but despite being occasionally petty and close minded, he too felt like a fine person.
Sam was pretty superficial and could be a bit temperamental, but also wasn't a truly evil or cruel person to me. And becoming friends with Demetri and Eli, had turned out to be one of if not the best decision I had really made so far.
The problem was what to do.
The plan until now had seemed clear, but the speed bumps could have catastrophic consequences if I wasn't careful.
It was inevitable that I would have to make a very huge choice later down the line. To side with either Kreese or Daniel at one point.
While I had told Kreese after I compete and most likely win the 2017 All Valley I'd help him bring Cobra Kai back properly, I wasn't too sure I wanted that yet one hundred percent. Because that meant possibly huge consequences later from what I knew happened in the second, third, and especially fourth seasons of the Cobra Kai show.
Technically the safest option to become a three time All Valley Champion was to sign up at All Star Karate or Topanga or even the Locust Valley Karate Club. But one way or another, from the choices I'd already made or the strange world this was, something could get in the way.
I could safely live a very simple and happy life free of any dangerous karate rivalries if I chose the neutral and safe, yet still skilled dojos I knew were around.
The problem wasn't the Locust Valley Karate Club or dojos like it, it was the Senseis. I found out Darryl Vidal had retired about three years ago and he had trained great fighters for decades.
Technically the safest option for me would've been to track down him and train into a champion. But again, it was a bit boring and a huge missed opportunity.
Topanga, All Star, and plenty others, these used to be amazing dojos that were just a few steps behind Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai back in the day according to Daniel, but still great. The problem was again all the old school teachers had either retired, left the dojos, or had been fired or had a dispute with the owners.
Balancing missed opportunities with peoples safety was a big issue however.
In the Cobra Kai show, the degree of power and danger Cobra Kai posed to the Valley slowly grew, and I knew that I easily could've just lit a match to a whole truckload worth of dynamite just from what I've done.
In Season 1, I had no idea what could happen. Miguel appeared to be going down a dark path, but ultimately, Cobra Kai was just a single championship winning dojo that operated out of a strip mall that happened to include the name of Johnny's old dojo and teaching styles.
Season 2 ended gravely. Miguel had almost died, Sam, Tory, Eli, Demetri and everyone who was in the school fight easily could've been suspended for weeks and had their records tarnished for the rest of their lives probably from the massive fight at the school. And Cobra Kai was now run by my current Sensei, the mysterious and standoffish green beret John Kreese.
Seasons 3 ended with a house break in and nearly three repeated cases of attempted murder between Johnny, Kreese, and Daniel. And Season 4 ended with literally everyone on the show losing except for Terry Silver, who had turned Cobra Kai into an empire spanning across the entire Valley with no one able to stop him.
Terry Silver beat everyone, manipulated everything, and used the struggles of everyone in the show by that point to just win completely and all he had to do was mostly let Kreese, Tory, and Robby do all the work and spend loads of money. There was no stopping him if he came back for real.
I didn't want to cause harmful and dangerous conflict with anyone. But there were steps I could take to damage control things.
And it mostly started with how I treated people and how I moved forward.
Kreese and Silver could almost do whatever they wanted to their enemies as soon as they gained power. However, Kreese especially was vulnerable. He had a soft spot for his star student always, and punished them severely when they betrayed him. A soft spot so strong that it completely undermined his 'No Mercy' mentality.
The only weakness in Kreese anyone had ever spotted, and it was done by Silver of all people.
The relationship I was building with Kreese could easily be what saved me or whoever I needed a great deal of trouble when and if I brought back Cobra Kai with him.
Daniel was safer ultimately, but unfortunately, I did agree with Kreese's philosophy from a martial arts standpoint greatly.
Point fighting was a good way to have a safe, and controlled fight. But in a real fight, nothing was safe at all. A real street fight, even between trained people, resulted in broken noses, blood, massive scratches and bruises, and sometimes massive injury.
An opponent in a tournament could score a point, or controlled yet realistic technique on you. But an opponent in a street fight can do who knows what to you, and could have a friend hidden behind you waiting to stab you or hit you in the back of the head.
Cobra Kai was the most effective martial art the Karate Kid universe introduced because it was in essence hand to hand close combat infantry training from wars like Vietnam. You struck hard, your opponent went down, the fight was over.
That was the self defense application of the most effective styles of full contact martial arts and combat sports I had trained in like boxing. You hit and were prepared to get hit and avoided being hit, to win, to end the fight, to finish your opponent so combat and a threat was over.
I had nothing to fear really for my own personal safety so long as I chose the winning side and never betrayed it. And from everything I knew, that side was Cobra Kai.
Sure, there were alternatives. But the consequences could be massive too for whoever ended up paying for me leaving Kreese's side.
I could be Cobra Kai's star student for its entire run these next four years I was in high school just like Johnny Lawrence. So long as I was careful and acted when necessary knowing what I knew.
…
On the computer in my room I was practicing some Java code Demetri had taught me the day before yesterday. It was somewhat tedious when you started to learn how to code, even if you knew what you were doing.
I sighed.
This was just not a fun hobby.
I walked downstairs and whistled up Donnie Junior.
"Come here boy!"
My favorite part of living in the Mills Mansion Ali once did when Daniel took her out for dates during the original Karate Kid date barked and walked up to me.
"Hi boy. Hii." I scratched Donnie Junior's head. "Who's a good boy?"
The golden retriever pup barked again. Donnie panted quietly.
"Are you heading out Luke?"
I turned around. It was Gramps, Frank Geoffrey Mills. He was. Old. I knew he would be, it made sense. He was well into his forties in the Karate Kid films as Ali's father, Mr. Mills, and that was over thirty years ago.
"Hey pops." I said. "Yeah I was just about to head over to the LaRussos."
"Are you training in some of the karate he teaches? Or are you just looking to be an intern at that dealership of his?"
I chuckled. "How did you know he knew karate?"
"Ali talked about a tournament of his she went to back in '84. Your mother might not have been the most open about her relationships with us, lord knows she stopped caring what we thought after she decided to to pursue her own career in medicine in Denver instead of here in LA." Gramps sighed. "I'm trying to say that I think it'd be best if one of these summer nights we have a proper family dinner over at the LaRusso household."
"Yeah I think they'd be down." I said. "Sounds fine."
"They have a um. Daughter right. Samantha? She's your age?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
Gramps smiled. "How are you two getting along?"
I sighed. Wow. Old habits died hard for the one thing the Karate Kid films made known for him. Classism.
"I'm not interested in her grandpa."
"Well now I'm not saying you have to be interested in her. She's just. You know. Of our class, and the daughter of an old friend of the family. She'd be perfect for you to get to know."
I nodded a bit. "Yeah well. There are plenty of other better candidates I think. Besides, until I start school, I won't know who'd be best in this regard and stuff."
"Ah. I ever tell you about Donnie Junior?"
"He's the family dog. Not much to tell right?" I said as said golden retriever kept panting and smiling quietly, now sitting by my feet.
"Well your mother had a golden retriever just like him. Name was Donnie too. Before he died he had a son, named him Hubert. And Hubert had a son we named Donnie too, called him Junior. These are purebred dogs Luke. Trained professionally."
"Okay." I got the feeling he was trying to tell me something.
"Your mother ever tell you either that the Mills used to be dog breeders back in Scotland over almost two centuries ago?"
I laughed in surprise. "Really?"
"True story. Migrated to America, about fifty years later started the family tradition of medicine. And my father, your mother's grandfather, decided to start breeding personal golden retrievers for our family."
"Never would've guessed."
Grandpa seemed to start getting to his point. "Karate is um. It can be a violent sport."
"No it's not. All tournaments are no contact. You're punished for hitting too hard or dangerously at all."
"You must've never met the teacher of your mother's old boyfriend. John Kreese."
I could imagine the reaction Gramps must've had if I spent more time with Kreese instead of him. So far this month and a half of summer, Kreese had been more of a grandfather to me than my actual one had been.
"But I thought he hasn't taught in years."
"Either way. Karate is not for a Mills. You wear that name with pride, with honor. Like a gentleman."
"I'm not a Mills. I'm a Schwarber."
"You're both." he said, which was technically true.
I just realized the point of this dinner he had requested Gramps wanted to talk Daniel out of training me. I didn't care if it worked or not, I still had another Sensei anyway no one could possibly know about.
I scoffed. "So you never approved of mom's boyfriends then?"
"Ali dated two boys when she was living under our roof. First Johnny Lawrence. And then Daniel LaRusso, who has managed to move out of Reseda to nearby. When they were a little bit older than you but still your age, I knew how many fights they'd get in. Not just with each other, but Johnny was known as the town troublemaker since he was old enough to ride a dirtbike."
I nodded. "I get what you're saying. But karate is about avoiding and finishing fights. Not starting them."
"We'll see."
"Guess we will. Come here boy. Come here Don."
The one year old golden retriever pup barked as he followed me as I put a leash on his collar and we left.
…
I was jogging on the sidewalk towards the LaRussos this time around instead of using my bike and I saw Sam walking around me.
"Hey." she said quietly.
"Hey. You always just walk around alone around here?"
"It's a perfectly safe neighborhood. You know that." Sam said.
"I don't know. Those power walking old ladies and those girl scouts going door to door selling cookies look pretty dangerous."
We laughed before quietly looking down at our feet. There was a decent bit that had to be said between us.
Sam smiled when she looked at my dog. "Who's this little guy? He looks adorable."
"This is Donnie. Donnie Junior technically. My mom's dog's grandson."
Sam laughed, rubbing his head. "Wow. Your mom was a blonde right? Don't know why it makes so much sense she'd have a dog like this."
She had no idea how right she was about this.
"Tell me about it." I said.
We started to walk together towards her house. "So. You just decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood looking for me?"
"No. I know you always clock in for your internship at dad's dealership at around midday. You always get home for a chat and some midday snacks or whatever at around eleven thirty. Made sense you'd be around here."
I get she lived in the same house as Daniel, but yeah I could tell she was having some trouble hiding the fact that she liked me.
I nodded. "Cool. Thanks for wanting to reach out to me."
"So. Our parents used to date." Sam muttered.
"It was more than that. They were huge together. Them being together started everything that led to that tournament. The big tournament."
"Karate can be cool."
"You know any?" I lied. I knew she knew Miyagi-Do.
Sam cleared her throat. "My dad might've trained me a little."
"Really? Did Anthony get any training?"
"My dad tried for years. But he never had any luck."
He never would've needed any karate if he never decided to pick on Kenny Payne. It was strange sometimes to know how much I knew that.
"Look um. Lucas. I know we got off on the wrong foot this summer."
"Not really. We were all cool until you didn't get the message that I didn't want to hang out with you."
"And why is that?"
I laughed. "Because your dad is my Sensei. And your dad and my mom have like the weirdest history. And I actually enjoy the pseudo internship I have at the dealership. No need to complicate that."
"Complicate that how?"
No point beating around the bush.
"You think I'm an idiot LaRusso?" I said quietly. "You have a troop of guys like Kyler and Rory around you all week. They'll probably be dumb jocks like that at our school. And you decide to take a casual stroll through the neighborhood to catch me on my way to your dads?"
Sam shrugged with her hands in her jacket pockets. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Really. About the crush you have on me."
Sam froze.
"What?" I asked calmly. "Like I said. I'm not stupid. I just don't get why that is."
Sam couldn't say anything.
"Sit boy."
Donnie quietly sat down on the corner of the sidewalk. He scratched his head with his back paw and started to pant quietly as he smiled blankly.
"Well."
"I don't know. You're the first guy I met and started talking to a lot who didn't ask me out or show any interest in me."
I smiled. "Ah. Instant crush."
"Are you mad at me or something?"
"You're just different. I don't know. I don't know why I like that."
"Well. Still doesn't make sense to me. We don't know each other that well at all."
There are guys who really would deserve the crushes they'd have on you Sam. Like Miguel Diaz, wherever he was now.
"It's just. Over the weeks and weeks of training I had under your dad in karate. You and I didn't talk all that much."
"Aisha recommended I give you some space." Sam said casually.
My first instinct was to say. Wow. Really!? She was talking to Aisha?
Instead I went with the rational question. "Who's Aisha?"
"A friend of mine from middle school. We started to grow apart this summer. I didn't know what to say to her really, so you came up."
"Well. How about I help you two reconnect? I want to meet as many people as I can. I'm new in town remember?"
Sam nodded. "That sounds fine. I was going to hang out with her at the beach club today. You can come with my dad and I."
"Alright."
…
Daniel pushed his watch up. "The beach club? Wasn't your mom going to take you?"
"She has to take Anthony to soccer practice from two to three thirty." Sam said in the LaRusso kitchen.
Daniel gave me a quick look.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault. Well. It sort of was but I think it's good for him." I said.
Sam nodded a bit in agreement with this while Daniel sighed.
"Fine. I'll take you. Lucas, did you pack your hiking gear? I found a nice waterfall for some meditation, and a new kata for you." Daniel said hurriedly stuffing food into a brown paper bag.
I spoke quietly. "Actually. I was going to go to the beach club with Sam."
"Oh. Oh!" Daniel had the same look Gramps did. "Oh definitely. I'll take you then, we gotta make it fast. I can't miss this meeting."
"It's not like that." I said quietly. "I want to get to know a friend of hers. Maybe get some laps in."
"Fine. I'll guess we can train tomorrow."
Sam smiled. "I can teach him some kata by the beach."
"Sounds good to me." Daniel said.
…
Daniel spoke to us as we got out of his car after a pretty awkward car ride. "Hey. Have fun you two. Amanda will pick you up at three thirty with Anthony."
"Cool." I said. He drove off and Sam and I walked into the lobby together. "He seemed in a hurry."
"Besides our family. My dad takes karate and the dealership more seriously than anything." said Sam.
"He's awesome. He's a really good teacher."
"Taught me everything I know too."
I frowned for a second but she didn't see.
He didn't teach me everything I knew though.
The receptionist smiled as did Sam. "Hi! He's my guest." she passed him an ID card.
"Ah. Ms. LaRusso. What is your name so I can sign you in as a guest today?" asked the beach club employee.
"Uh Lucas. Lucas Mills Schwarber?"
She typed for a second. And she looked to looking through something on her computer before she looked at me.
"Okay." she said passing me an ID card that looked just like Sam's. "You're a legacy member of the club apparently."
I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Your grandparents and a woman named Ali Mills apparently have been legacy members of our club since 1981. The club considers you a full member as well from our records."
"Yeah that's my mom. Wow. I had, I had no idea."
"Then it's our pleasure Mr. Mills." The employee bowed her head slightly. "Anything you need. Just ask us."
We walked towards the pool area together. "Damn." I said. "No idea."
"Guess it makes sense." Sam looked around. "Looks like Aisha isn't here yet. I'm thinking we catch up for a bit and then we can do some kata together later?"
"Why not? I think-"
Wow. That was quite the lap pool. The biggest I'd ever seen in my life and barely anyone was using it.
We had a nice pool back home that I used almost every day for muscle work and cardio, but this one was very very large and far nicer.
"What?"
"I think I'm gonna swim for a long time."
…
Butterfly, freestyle, even some backstroke. I forgot how much I liked swimming at full speed as hard and as much as I could for several minutes.
When I was done, I used a towel and dried myself and walked over to a table where two girls were waiting for me.
"Luke. This is Aisha."
I shook her hand, finally. One of the greatest friends I could make here.
"Nice to meet you."
Aisha smiled. "We got bored for a bit and decided to time your laps. Not bad. I did swimming for a bit too. Know what I'm talking about."
"Ah I try my best. Anyway, Sam tells me you have known each other since middle school." I said sitting with them with a towel over my shoulders.
"Yeah." Aisha said. "It's been tough finding time to hang out this summer. Today was a rare opportunity."
"What kind of stuff are you into?" I asked Aisha.
"I'm big into molecular chemistry. I hope to be a chem major someday. Maybe applied physics."
"That's awesome. I made two friends this summer who are big into biotech and applied mathematics. Well. They like 3-d modeling, coding, and computing. They make models of all sorts of stuff."
"They sound cool."
I nodded. "You going to West Valley High this fall?"
Aisha nodded as well. "Yeah."
"You'll get to know them then. Their names are Demetri and Eli." I spoke calmly. "Sam already met them."
Sam frowned. "That's kinda what I wanted to talk about. I was hoping we could clear the air."
"Aisha. In middle school were you ever made fun of. Or called names?"
"Not really."
I explained. "Sam's friends are the type to do that to people just because they can."
"You barely met them Luke. Give them a chance."
I scoffed. "Keep a close eye on it. You'll see what I mean."
Aisha changed the topic quickly. "Sam's told me her dad trains you in karate. Must be nice right?"
"I give up." Sam said. "All summer you've been super weird about my friends. I'm here to talk this out. And you're still accusing them."
I raised my hands defensively. "Sam. I am not trying to argue with you on anything."
"I have to use the bathroom." Sam quickly left the table.
I looked over at Aisha. "This has been her. For about two weeks now or something."
"She's right though. What happened with her friends? It sounds like you already have your mind made up about them or something."
"Once you get to know them. I promise you. It'll sink in that I'm right."
Aisha smiled lightly. "It wouldn't hurt you know. To get to actually know them."
"Do you feel like Sam has changed since middle school ended?"
"You mean two months ago? Yeah. A bit. But why do you ask?"
"Nevermind."
Aisha laughed a bit, looking at me up and down for a second. "Sam does have a crush on you. And I can see why."
"So I've noticed."
"Sam's cute you know."
"Look yeah. I take care of myself. Since the moment I moved here from Denver halfway through May I've done nothing but work out and swim." And train in both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai karate. "Just don't get why Sam is acting so weird about everything though."
"I think you're basically the first crush she's ever had on a guy who wasn't from a movie or something. I've known her for a while. That's the impression I got."
I sighed. "Makes perfect sense then."
"And why are you trying to stay in shape like. This? Is it just to stay healthy or is it something else?"
I couldn't tell her it was to become the youngest karate champion in All Valley history and break every single record I can at my first All Valley.
"Yeah. To stay healthy. But I promise you, I didn't do it to pick up chicks."
"Her dad hasn't trained anyone in karate since Sam was a little girl. Think that says a lot about the trust he put in you. And what it must be like between you and her family."
I sighed. Aisha had a point. But it was mostly out of a debt he felt he had to pay to my mom. Ali Mills, his old high school girlfriend.
"Thanks." I said as Aisha smiled a bit and nodded.
"Sam's had a group of guys trailing her and her new friends around all summer though."
I glanced at Aisha. "You jealous of them?"
"Sorta. They're hot and I'm. Not."
"You know what guys really like?"
"Hot girls?"
I laughed. "Some aren't as superficial as Sam's new friends. The average guy isn't super shallow and egotistical. Some. Like personality, and confidence."
"But I'm not confident."
"Then you make your own confidence." I said to Aisha. "That's how confidence works."
She needed Johnny before she even met him.
"What do I have to be confident about?"
"Well that's the thing. Find something you're proud of in yourself. Something you think makes you feel strong. Use that." I nodded to her and she seemed to agree. "And then you'll really know what to be confident about."
"Never thought of it like that. Are you really fourteen?"
"Yeah." I laughed with her. "Just different than what you'd expect is all. Just like Sam said."
Damn. Guess she was right.
I looked over and saw someone familiar. Someone who appeared to be a regular employee at first glance but was really someone with a weak mustache clearly in his very late teens.
He was very carefully sneaking in towels into his arms like a regular employee, but had a second hand somewhere when no one was looking.
It was actually impressive how he angled himself and how he could walk past a table and a wallet or phone would disappear.
I knew who this was.
Aisha spoke. "I'm gonna go check where Sam's gone off to."
"Cool." I said waiting until she was well out of eyesight of me to go follow Trey around.
I should've called the police or told one of the managers of the beach club. I knew where he was probably stashing the wallets and phones that conveniently would go missing.
It was the oddest coincidence today of all days to pull this. But then again, Robby was banned from pulling scams here with Cruz and Trey before the second season so this made sense.
I took my phone out walking a bit away from the beach club towards the pier, I needed to record this to show Sensei.
Then I heard a familiar voice for the first time.
"Damn! What a haul!" I recognized Robby Keene's voice.
"Let's see that shit. Mm." I saw Cruz and Trey all cycling through everything they had stolen from the beach club.
A three man job, I wouldn't be whacked over the back of the head with a wooden boat paddle.
It was time to make Sensei Kreese proud and for once have a good fight on my terms. Two to one from what I expected.
I struck first, I ran as fast as I could through the sand and threw everything I had, using every inch of my body to hurl a fully powered reverse punch starting from my feet and ending at my knuckles directly on Trey's nose.
Always go for the biggest one first my instincts told me.
Trey raised his fists, although he was confused as he began to attack.
"What the-" I heard Robby say.
I never gave my back to him despite the fact I knew he probably wouldn't attack me, even though I hit Cruz as hard as I could in the stomach as he came running at me with a front kick.
Trey and Cruz were both rising up from the sand slowly, then I didn't make a mistake I know Miguel made in his fight against Kyler and his group of bullies in the cafeteria of Cobra Kai's first season.
When you dazed your opponent, never stop striking until they're down.
I quickly rushed forward again with multiple forward strikes as I made Cruz miss and probably knocked Trey's jaw a bit loose with two quick punches.
As Trey went crashing directly into the sand, Cruz turned me around and was about to punch me but I moved his wild haymaker away with a Miyagi-Do block creating an opening for a counter and snapped a front kick directly to his face.
Cruz dropped as well, down and out, I didn't realize how much flexibility and strength years of soccer and nearly two months of two different kinds of karate had given me.
Robby looked confused out of his mind, didn't blame him. I had taken down two older and bigger opponents by striking first, fast really speed was crucial, hard, and without mercy, and specifically using very refined karate fundamentals.
"Alright." I said quietly. "The wallets and the phones you stole. Where are they?"
Robby took one look at his two friends sporting broken and bloodied noses in the sand barely able to move off the ground and was about to make a run for it.
I grabbed him. "Look man-"
"Stay away from me!"
Robby suddenly tried to push me back but this was a specific drill Mr. LaRusso taught me when someone tried to grab or push you from in front of you.
Move aside and grab their arm, and shove them away instead.
I now moved Robby aside where he was under the pier having to either run through plenty of broken glass and debris or past me.
"Listen."
"Okay!" Robby struggled to speak. "I. What!"
"I just want the wallets and the phones you guys stole. And to make sure you get home safe."
Robby was utterly shocked. "What!?" he repeated.
I didn't blame him at all still. It wouldn't make any sense to me either, I had ruthlessly knocked out his two friends but randomly decided to show him any mercy at all.
"Where's the stuff you stole?"
Robby handed me the cloth he had with all the stolen wallets and phones to me. I didn't mean to threaten him because I knew his situation, but I knew he was afraid I could break his nose or hurt his jaw like I did to Cruz and Trey.
"Alright. So here's what's going to happen. This." I looked over at a completely out of commission Cruz and Trey. "Never happened. These items, are going to be returned to the beach club's lost and found so no eyebrows are raised. And you and I. Are gonna keep in touch."
"You know. But still. Why!?"
"Just. Let me have your phone number or something man. Douchebags like these." I again nodded towards Trey and Cruz. "Absolute trash. You don't belong with them."
"Okay but. To you I must seem just like them. What are you doing?"
"You're younger and smaller than them. Sometimes in these scams you need a third. A clown, a dummy, someone to take bigger risks while they just collect some money and stuff and you might take the fall for them sometimes. I know how it is but in a different way, trust me."
Robby seemed to understand. "Fine. Just." he said a bit sadly. "Here's my number or whatever."
I wrote it down on a notepad on my phone after I retrieved it from where it was perched to record my fight with Trey and Cruz, who were still there, awkwardly knocked out while I talked to Robby.
"None of this makes any sense to me at all."
"It's just to protect you. I know that sounds weird since we're the same age. But I think you can definitely find better mentors than these two. Just let me help, I've been where you were."
"How did you do that by the way? Learn how to handle yourself like that?"
"You move fast and decisively in a fight. Know some fundamentals and are in decent shape. You'd be surprised how well you can do with training in any combat sport even with just a few months. But if you have to know. It was karate with a tiny bit of boxing."
Robby scoffed. "Karate?"
I smiled. "Yeah."
Robby shrugged. "Thanks for not calling the cops on me or. Kicking my ass I guess."
One day. I'm sure Robby could possibly even kick my ass. He was the top three male teen fighters on the show, among Eli and Miguel.
"I'm Robby."
"Lucas. Or Luke. You can call me either."
…
After quickly returning all the phones and wallets Trey and Cruz stole from the beach club back to the lost and found, Sam spoke to me. "Where did you go off to?"
"Just went on a walk by the pier. By myself."
"Well my mom's picking us up soon."
Guess I spent more time fighting Cruz and Trey and swimming than I thought I did. I had about a half hour to get back home and start taking the bus ride over from the main Encino Hills bus station over to Pacoima near the homeless shelter and abandoned loading dock I used to train with Kreese.
"Look Lucas I-"
"Stop. You're right. I was totally, totally out of line to keep judging you. I just can't return any sort of crush you have on me."
Sam smiled. "I get that. Thanks."
"It's no problem. There's a right guy out there for you. I promise."
Sam nodded. "Thanks." she repeated.
It was Miguel. Miguel Sam, just wait for a bit.
"It's just. Not Kyler. I promise that too."
Amanda pulled up to the front entrance of the beach club with Anthony in the back seat.
"Hey Luke!" he said, holding what I knew was a soccer trophy in the air, poking it out of the window. "We won our first match! I scored the winning goal!"
"That's my maaan!"
…
After a very solid hour and a half of cardio, strike practicing and working on counters and sparring, I showed Kreese my fight on my phone.
I had edited it on the bus ride over to Pacoima to remove the part where I talked to Robby. That would raise some pointless questions.
He missed the classic Miyagi-Do wax off block and counter in the video, I checked it to make sure it wasn't completely apparent. Not that it was Kreese's fault, he probably only really saw Miyagi-Do up close about three times in his entire life and from how the video was shot it looked like I had dodged the incoming haymaker and struck Cruz while striking to land first against his own attack.
Kreese nodded slightly. "Two bigger and older opponents. Nice job." he said casually and quietly.
"Really? I had my first fight, isn't that what you said I need to do?"
"Johnny Lawrence beat up guys like that every other weekend at football games and stuff like that with his buddies on his own when he was just about a year older than you. You did do what I told you to, and you admittedly did it how I asked. You've studied Cobra Kai dutifully, and skillfully for over two months now."
Kreese continued talking. "The training I've given you consists of mostly the same lessons I taught back in the day. You're showing me your progress and your skill."
"Then what's next for me?"
"You still have a long way to go before you're ever ready to face the entire All Valley on your own with just what I've taught you. However, you're right. There is a next step."
"Which is?"
Kreese glanced at my phone. "You noticed you dazed your opponents and you took advantage of it. But I have to ask. How did this whole fight happen?"
"These guys were stealing from my beach club. I had to teach them a lesson."
"Hm." Kreese said. "There was a third opponent you had in the video. Do you know why he didn't fight you?"
Robby.
"He looked scared. He ran off." I lied calmly.
"And did you chase him down?"
"No. The fight was over, he was long gone."
Kreese shook his head. "You're learning how to strike first properly. You didn't give your opponents a chance to think. You struck them hard, with all of your strength with proper technique. But you let one of them get away. That. Is mercy."
"I understand Sensei."
"But, that's not your fault. It takes more time than you could imagine to remove your mercy. Back in the day I just had the class spar and then they would finish their opponents. Maybe a punch to the face, chop to the shoulder, a strong kick to the ribs and such. You don't have that luxury. You have to learn almost all of this on your own." Kreese looked around at the abandoned supermarket loading dock that was our unofficial Cobra Kai dojo for months. "In unfortunately a place like this to train."
"Do you think Cobra Kai will ever return to what it was? To what people once remembered it as?"
"Even with your help. And possibly Terry's if I can convince him when the time comes."
Maybe two years from now probably.
Kreese sighed. "It would take a very long while. I haven't gone back to the original Cobra Kai dojo for decades. The place where I used to teach."
"It needs you. You made champions right? Tell me, what was it like?"
"For anyone to even consider us what we were. We'd need several championships to return to Cobra Kai's roots. And that place basically no longer exists. I opened the dojo in spring of 1975." said Kreese. "Terry and I had returned from 'Nam about a few months prior."
I listened. "Our tours had ended in about '72 after I won my first tournament in the army. We trained under Grandmaster Kim Sun Yung for three years in South Korea under a special transfer order to go there as we had more than completed our time on the front lines and could serve elsewhere. We returned, called murderers instead of defenders of our country."
Kreese spoke calmly. "It was time to make a name for what we knew, for what we could teach the world. We had to create Cobra Kai."
I continued to listen. "Terry." Kreese slightly frowned. "Terry's father had to pass on his business to him. I had to run the dojo on my own, the most he could do was buy the location where I taught and give me a bit of money to start out. For the first two years I was basically just figuring everything out."
I nodded a bit. "Paperwork and insurance and all that. How to pass on the techniques I had learned properly to the class. How to start competing. How to at all create the environment I had learned my own karate in. Most of the students were mediocre at best for the first two years. Then, my first real Cobra Kais walked in during '77."
I smiled a bit, started to get interested.
"The Lankershim dojo class. Now." Kreese chuckled quietly. "Those were fighters. For seven years straight, Cobra Kai became the ultimate competitive dojo in the entire Valley. Any tournament, and we were there."
Kreese continued to explain. "We won our first tournament in 1978. And then the trophies just started to pile up and filled the dojo entrance. I still have all of them stored in a few old boxes. The oldest of the Vidals, Robert Vidal, basically the son of the founder of the Locust Valley Karate Club at the time, lost to my top student back then three to two in the All Valley finals."
"What happened to him?"
"Compared to Johnny he was insignificant, but if you have to know he had to move away for work. I lost one champion in '79, for my next. Johnny Lawrence, he helped me make that dojo what it was."
I nodded again. "So you won trophies on your own while in the army and competing in Korea and abroad. And then the dojo became unstoppable from 1978 onwards."
"Just about. We only lost one championship before the dojo closed, it was to the Vidals in '81. Other than that, any tournament we competed in, All Valley or not. We won."
I smiled. "You said you still have those trophies right?"
"Yeah."
"Can I see them?"
…
For about two hours, Kreese took out two old cardboard boxes he had stored under his bed in his room at the homeless shelter and took the dusty old trophies out one by one. Lined them all up on a nearby desk and told me the stories behind each tournament.
What the competition was like, the scoring, the rules, the dojos and competitors. Every detail he remembered like it was yesterday. For such an old man, he really never seemed to forget much, made sense for Kreese.
Every trophy or medal he had had a story behind it, and Kreese explained it very well.
The earliest one was one labeled 1970 US Army Karate Championships - First Place, and the latest was, incredibly, 1984 Under 18 All Valley Karate Championships - Second Place.
I didn't say a word about it but I knew it the second I saw it.
Kreese had managed to actually fix the original second place trophy he had broken when Johnny lost to Daniel back in 1984. He didn't just make that up when approaching Johnny in Season 2 of the show, no, apparently this was the actual trophy. He had really kept it stored for over thirty years in honor of the relationship he had developed with Johnny.
That. Was shockingly touching for a man this cruel, vengeful, and cold. But it made perfect sense to me. It almost didn't feel real, like it was out of his character to not just fake that he did that.
Cobra Kai was literally all he ever had after Vietnam or in his life at all really. And he kept as much as he could from those memories. Even the bad memories. Johnny was his weakness through and through, Silver was completely right. And that second place trophy proved it.
As Kreese kept explaining all this, going on and on, I realized something. And like what just happened, it completely shocked me.
This was a side of Kreese that was apparently always there but never was allowed to be shown in the show or films.
He wasn't trying to impress me with made up stories of leading soldiers in wars that never happened overseas. He wasn't telling me how many Vietcongs he killed with his bare hands. Or how he trained himself, or if Captain Turner and Kim Sun Yung never existed, Kreese hadn't lied to me from the moment we had met.
Kreese had told me nothing but the complete truth. He was still a very stern, merciless, and loud Vietnam War Army captain. But he was honest and clear.
I knew it now. I knew what I wanted to do. I would have to work tirelessly to make sure no one got hurt from it, but I knew what I wanted to do now.
I wanted to bring Cobra Kai back to its former glory. Back to its original location and prestige on Lankershim Boulevard on its corner with Magnolia Drive.
Daniel might've been honest with me too. But his legacy was just different. It didn't speak to me in the same way.
I noticed something else too. The reason why he had shared this much with me and why I possibly never saw it in the films or show was because we almost never saw his relationship as a teacher back in the day with Johnny.
To Kreese, I was the new Johnny Lawrence from how much he was sharing with me here.
How was this possible? How could a man clearly portrayed to be so evil be. To be just a person. Just like everyone I'd seen in the Karate Kid films and the Cobra Kai show. John Kreese was just a man. He was human, just like me.
Kreese had noticed how lost in his stories behind each and every single trophy I was.
"Everything okay Mr. Schwarber?"
"Everything's fine Sensei."
During the little bit of June I had left and as July progressed, I had developed a pretty decent routine for myself.
On top of the regular training schedule I had developed, I had begun to spend time hanging out with Demetri and Eli. We built Lego sets, we built computers, they taught me some coding, and we spent dozens of hours doing things like playing Magic the Gathering or watching and discussing video games.
We needed a fourth person for sure, three was a tough way to play board games or card games sometimes, and I'm sure Aisha would be happy to oblige, but I had no idea how to find her because Sam and I weren't on good terms at all.
Luckily, Sam had decided to not say anything to Daniel about the confrontation I had had with Yasmine and Kyler when she talked to me in the park.
It was a week and a half after Sam and I argued at the park that I began to realize the biggest advantages I had over anyone here.
What I knew. And the choices I could make.
My choices could shape the livelihoods of loads of people. While I already knew from the choices I had already made that nothing would be too similar to the show, but the show could easily offer life altering consequences to anyone if I meddled too much, too little, or in the wrong way.
After getting to know Daniel, Kreese, Sam, Demetri, and Eli properly over this summer well, I realized that none of them hated me or were violent.
Kreese was a very tough, brutal, and stern man, but he was fair and reasonable basically the entire time we trained or talked together. Daniel likewise was much kinder, but despite being occasionally petty and close minded, he too felt like a fine person.
Sam was pretty superficial and could be a bit temperamental, but also wasn't a truly evil or cruel person to me. And becoming friends with Demetri and Eli, had turned out to be one of if not the best decision I had really made so far.
The problem was what to do.
The plan until now had seemed clear, but the speed bumps could have catastrophic consequences if I wasn't careful.
It was inevitable that I would have to make a very huge choice later down the line. To side with either Kreese or Daniel at one point.
While I had told Kreese after I compete and most likely win the 2017 All Valley I'd help him bring Cobra Kai back properly, I wasn't too sure I wanted that yet one hundred percent. Because that meant possibly huge consequences later from what I knew happened in the second, third, and especially fourth seasons of the Cobra Kai show.
Technically the safest option to become a three time All Valley Champion was to sign up at All Star Karate or Topanga or even the Locust Valley Karate Club. But one way or another, from the choices I'd already made or the strange world this was, something could get in the way.
I could safely live a very simple and happy life free of any dangerous karate rivalries if I chose the neutral and safe, yet still skilled dojos I knew were around.
The problem wasn't the Locust Valley Karate Club or dojos like it, it was the Senseis. I found out Darryl Vidal had retired about three years ago and he had trained great fighters for decades.
Technically the safest option for me would've been to track down him and train into a champion. But again, it was a bit boring and a huge missed opportunity.
Topanga, All Star, and plenty others, these used to be amazing dojos that were just a few steps behind Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai back in the day according to Daniel, but still great. The problem was again all the old school teachers had either retired, left the dojos, or had been fired or had a dispute with the owners.
Balancing missed opportunities with peoples safety was a big issue however.
In the Cobra Kai show, the degree of power and danger Cobra Kai posed to the Valley slowly grew, and I knew that I easily could've just lit a match to a whole truckload worth of dynamite just from what I've done.
In Season 1, I had no idea what could happen. Miguel appeared to be going down a dark path, but ultimately, Cobra Kai was just a single championship winning dojo that operated out of a strip mall that happened to include the name of Johnny's old dojo and teaching styles.
Season 2 ended gravely. Miguel had almost died, Sam, Tory, Eli, Demetri and everyone who was in the school fight easily could've been suspended for weeks and had their records tarnished for the rest of their lives probably from the massive fight at the school. And Cobra Kai was now run by my current Sensei, the mysterious and standoffish green beret John Kreese.
Seasons 3 ended with a house break in and nearly three repeated cases of attempted murder between Johnny, Kreese, and Daniel. And Season 4 ended with literally everyone on the show losing except for Terry Silver, who had turned Cobra Kai into an empire spanning across the entire Valley with no one able to stop him.
Terry Silver beat everyone, manipulated everything, and used the struggles of everyone in the show by that point to just win completely and all he had to do was mostly let Kreese, Tory, and Robby do all the work and spend loads of money. There was no stopping him if he came back for real.
I didn't want to cause harmful and dangerous conflict with anyone. But there were steps I could take to damage control things.
And it mostly started with how I treated people and how I moved forward.
Kreese and Silver could almost do whatever they wanted to their enemies as soon as they gained power. However, Kreese especially was vulnerable. He had a soft spot for his star student always, and punished them severely when they betrayed him. A soft spot so strong that it completely undermined his 'No Mercy' mentality.
The only weakness in Kreese anyone had ever spotted, and it was done by Silver of all people.
The relationship I was building with Kreese could easily be what saved me or whoever I needed a great deal of trouble when and if I brought back Cobra Kai with him.
Daniel was safer ultimately, but unfortunately, I did agree with Kreese's philosophy from a martial arts standpoint greatly.
Point fighting was a good way to have a safe, and controlled fight. But in a real fight, nothing was safe at all. A real street fight, even between trained people, resulted in broken noses, blood, massive scratches and bruises, and sometimes massive injury.
An opponent in a tournament could score a point, or controlled yet realistic technique on you. But an opponent in a street fight can do who knows what to you, and could have a friend hidden behind you waiting to stab you or hit you in the back of the head.
Cobra Kai was the most effective martial art the Karate Kid universe introduced because it was in essence hand to hand close combat infantry training from wars like Vietnam. You struck hard, your opponent went down, the fight was over.
That was the self defense application of the most effective styles of full contact martial arts and combat sports I had trained in like boxing. You hit and were prepared to get hit and avoided being hit, to win, to end the fight, to finish your opponent so combat and a threat was over.
I had nothing to fear really for my own personal safety so long as I chose the winning side and never betrayed it. And from everything I knew, that side was Cobra Kai.
Sure, there were alternatives. But the consequences could be massive too for whoever ended up paying for me leaving Kreese's side.
I could be Cobra Kai's star student for its entire run these next four years I was in high school just like Johnny Lawrence. So long as I was careful and acted when necessary knowing what I knew.
…
On the computer in my room I was practicing some Java code Demetri had taught me the day before yesterday. It was somewhat tedious when you started to learn how to code, even if you knew what you were doing.
I sighed.
This was just not a fun hobby.
I walked downstairs and whistled up Donnie Junior.
"Come here boy!"
My favorite part of living in the Mills Mansion Ali once did when Daniel took her out for dates during the original Karate Kid date barked and walked up to me.
"Hi boy. Hii." I scratched Donnie Junior's head. "Who's a good boy?"
The golden retriever pup barked again. Donnie panted quietly.
"Are you heading out Luke?"
I turned around. It was Gramps, Frank Geoffrey Mills. He was. Old. I knew he would be, it made sense. He was well into his forties in the Karate Kid films as Ali's father, Mr. Mills, and that was over thirty years ago.
"Hey pops." I said. "Yeah I was just about to head over to the LaRussos."
"Are you training in some of the karate he teaches? Or are you just looking to be an intern at that dealership of his?"
I chuckled. "How did you know he knew karate?"
"Ali talked about a tournament of his she went to back in '84. Your mother might not have been the most open about her relationships with us, lord knows she stopped caring what we thought after she decided to to pursue her own career in medicine in Denver instead of here in LA." Gramps sighed. "I'm trying to say that I think it'd be best if one of these summer nights we have a proper family dinner over at the LaRusso household."
"Yeah I think they'd be down." I said. "Sounds fine."
"They have a um. Daughter right. Samantha? She's your age?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
Gramps smiled. "How are you two getting along?"
I sighed. Wow. Old habits died hard for the one thing the Karate Kid films made known for him. Classism.
"I'm not interested in her grandpa."
"Well now I'm not saying you have to be interested in her. She's just. You know. Of our class, and the daughter of an old friend of the family. She'd be perfect for you to get to know."
I nodded a bit. "Yeah well. There are plenty of other better candidates I think. Besides, until I start school, I won't know who'd be best in this regard and stuff."
"Ah. I ever tell you about Donnie Junior?"
"He's the family dog. Not much to tell right?" I said as said golden retriever kept panting and smiling quietly, now sitting by my feet.
"Well your mother had a golden retriever just like him. Name was Donnie too. Before he died he had a son, named him Hubert. And Hubert had a son we named Donnie too, called him Junior. These are purebred dogs Luke. Trained professionally."
"Okay." I got the feeling he was trying to tell me something.
"Your mother ever tell you either that the Mills used to be dog breeders back in Scotland over almost two centuries ago?"
I laughed in surprise. "Really?"
"True story. Migrated to America, about fifty years later started the family tradition of medicine. And my father, your mother's grandfather, decided to start breeding personal golden retrievers for our family."
"Never would've guessed."
Grandpa seemed to start getting to his point. "Karate is um. It can be a violent sport."
"No it's not. All tournaments are no contact. You're punished for hitting too hard or dangerously at all."
"You must've never met the teacher of your mother's old boyfriend. John Kreese."
I could imagine the reaction Gramps must've had if I spent more time with Kreese instead of him. So far this month and a half of summer, Kreese had been more of a grandfather to me than my actual one had been.
"But I thought he hasn't taught in years."
"Either way. Karate is not for a Mills. You wear that name with pride, with honor. Like a gentleman."
"I'm not a Mills. I'm a Schwarber."
"You're both." he said, which was technically true.
I just realized the point of this dinner he had requested Gramps wanted to talk Daniel out of training me. I didn't care if it worked or not, I still had another Sensei anyway no one could possibly know about.
I scoffed. "So you never approved of mom's boyfriends then?"
"Ali dated two boys when she was living under our roof. First Johnny Lawrence. And then Daniel LaRusso, who has managed to move out of Reseda to nearby. When they were a little bit older than you but still your age, I knew how many fights they'd get in. Not just with each other, but Johnny was known as the town troublemaker since he was old enough to ride a dirtbike."
I nodded. "I get what you're saying. But karate is about avoiding and finishing fights. Not starting them."
"We'll see."
"Guess we will. Come here boy. Come here Don."
The one year old golden retriever pup barked as he followed me as I put a leash on his collar and we left.
…
I was jogging on the sidewalk towards the LaRussos this time around instead of using my bike and I saw Sam walking around me.
"Hey." she said quietly.
"Hey. You always just walk around alone around here?"
"It's a perfectly safe neighborhood. You know that." Sam said.
"I don't know. Those power walking old ladies and those girl scouts going door to door selling cookies look pretty dangerous."
We laughed before quietly looking down at our feet. There was a decent bit that had to be said between us.
Sam smiled when she looked at my dog. "Who's this little guy? He looks adorable."
"This is Donnie. Donnie Junior technically. My mom's dog's grandson."
Sam laughed, rubbing his head. "Wow. Your mom was a blonde right? Don't know why it makes so much sense she'd have a dog like this."
She had no idea how right she was about this.
"Tell me about it." I said.
We started to walk together towards her house. "So. You just decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood looking for me?"
"No. I know you always clock in for your internship at dad's dealership at around midday. You always get home for a chat and some midday snacks or whatever at around eleven thirty. Made sense you'd be around here."
I get she lived in the same house as Daniel, but yeah I could tell she was having some trouble hiding the fact that she liked me.
I nodded. "Cool. Thanks for wanting to reach out to me."
"So. Our parents used to date." Sam muttered.
"It was more than that. They were huge together. Them being together started everything that led to that tournament. The big tournament."
"Karate can be cool."
"You know any?" I lied. I knew she knew Miyagi-Do.
Sam cleared her throat. "My dad might've trained me a little."
"Really? Did Anthony get any training?"
"My dad tried for years. But he never had any luck."
He never would've needed any karate if he never decided to pick on Kenny Payne. It was strange sometimes to know how much I knew that.
"Look um. Lucas. I know we got off on the wrong foot this summer."
"Not really. We were all cool until you didn't get the message that I didn't want to hang out with you."
"And why is that?"
I laughed. "Because your dad is my Sensei. And your dad and my mom have like the weirdest history. And I actually enjoy the pseudo internship I have at the dealership. No need to complicate that."
"Complicate that how?"
No point beating around the bush.
"You think I'm an idiot LaRusso?" I said quietly. "You have a troop of guys like Kyler and Rory around you all week. They'll probably be dumb jocks like that at our school. And you decide to take a casual stroll through the neighborhood to catch me on my way to your dads?"
Sam shrugged with her hands in her jacket pockets. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Really. About the crush you have on me."
Sam froze.
"What?" I asked calmly. "Like I said. I'm not stupid. I just don't get why that is."
Sam couldn't say anything.
"Sit boy."
Donnie quietly sat down on the corner of the sidewalk. He scratched his head with his back paw and started to pant quietly as he smiled blankly.
"Well."
"I don't know. You're the first guy I met and started talking to a lot who didn't ask me out or show any interest in me."
I smiled. "Ah. Instant crush."
"Are you mad at me or something?"
"You're just different. I don't know. I don't know why I like that."
"Well. Still doesn't make sense to me. We don't know each other that well at all."
There are guys who really would deserve the crushes they'd have on you Sam. Like Miguel Diaz, wherever he was now.
"It's just. Over the weeks and weeks of training I had under your dad in karate. You and I didn't talk all that much."
"Aisha recommended I give you some space." Sam said casually.
My first instinct was to say. Wow. Really!? She was talking to Aisha?
Instead I went with the rational question. "Who's Aisha?"
"A friend of mine from middle school. We started to grow apart this summer. I didn't know what to say to her really, so you came up."
"Well. How about I help you two reconnect? I want to meet as many people as I can. I'm new in town remember?"
Sam nodded. "That sounds fine. I was going to hang out with her at the beach club today. You can come with my dad and I."
"Alright."
…
Daniel pushed his watch up. "The beach club? Wasn't your mom going to take you?"
"She has to take Anthony to soccer practice from two to three thirty." Sam said in the LaRusso kitchen.
Daniel gave me a quick look.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault. Well. It sort of was but I think it's good for him." I said.
Sam nodded a bit in agreement with this while Daniel sighed.
"Fine. I'll take you. Lucas, did you pack your hiking gear? I found a nice waterfall for some meditation, and a new kata for you." Daniel said hurriedly stuffing food into a brown paper bag.
I spoke quietly. "Actually. I was going to go to the beach club with Sam."
"Oh. Oh!" Daniel had the same look Gramps did. "Oh definitely. I'll take you then, we gotta make it fast. I can't miss this meeting."
"It's not like that." I said quietly. "I want to get to know a friend of hers. Maybe get some laps in."
"Fine. I'll guess we can train tomorrow."
Sam smiled. "I can teach him some kata by the beach."
"Sounds good to me." Daniel said.
…
Daniel spoke to us as we got out of his car after a pretty awkward car ride. "Hey. Have fun you two. Amanda will pick you up at three thirty with Anthony."
"Cool." I said. He drove off and Sam and I walked into the lobby together. "He seemed in a hurry."
"Besides our family. My dad takes karate and the dealership more seriously than anything." said Sam.
"He's awesome. He's a really good teacher."
"Taught me everything I know too."
I frowned for a second but she didn't see.
He didn't teach me everything I knew though.
The receptionist smiled as did Sam. "Hi! He's my guest." she passed him an ID card.
"Ah. Ms. LaRusso. What is your name so I can sign you in as a guest today?" asked the beach club employee.
"Uh Lucas. Lucas Mills Schwarber?"
She typed for a second. And she looked to looking through something on her computer before she looked at me.
"Okay." she said passing me an ID card that looked just like Sam's. "You're a legacy member of the club apparently."
I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Your grandparents and a woman named Ali Mills apparently have been legacy members of our club since 1981. The club considers you a full member as well from our records."
"Yeah that's my mom. Wow. I had, I had no idea."
"Then it's our pleasure Mr. Mills." The employee bowed her head slightly. "Anything you need. Just ask us."
We walked towards the pool area together. "Damn." I said. "No idea."
"Guess it makes sense." Sam looked around. "Looks like Aisha isn't here yet. I'm thinking we catch up for a bit and then we can do some kata together later?"
"Why not? I think-"
Wow. That was quite the lap pool. The biggest I'd ever seen in my life and barely anyone was using it.
We had a nice pool back home that I used almost every day for muscle work and cardio, but this one was very very large and far nicer.
"What?"
"I think I'm gonna swim for a long time."
…
Butterfly, freestyle, even some backstroke. I forgot how much I liked swimming at full speed as hard and as much as I could for several minutes.
When I was done, I used a towel and dried myself and walked over to a table where two girls were waiting for me.
"Luke. This is Aisha."
I shook her hand, finally. One of the greatest friends I could make here.
"Nice to meet you."
Aisha smiled. "We got bored for a bit and decided to time your laps. Not bad. I did swimming for a bit too. Know what I'm talking about."
"Ah I try my best. Anyway, Sam tells me you have known each other since middle school." I said sitting with them with a towel over my shoulders.
"Yeah." Aisha said. "It's been tough finding time to hang out this summer. Today was a rare opportunity."
"What kind of stuff are you into?" I asked Aisha.
"I'm big into molecular chemistry. I hope to be a chem major someday. Maybe applied physics."
"That's awesome. I made two friends this summer who are big into biotech and applied mathematics. Well. They like 3-d modeling, coding, and computing. They make models of all sorts of stuff."
"They sound cool."
I nodded. "You going to West Valley High this fall?"
Aisha nodded as well. "Yeah."
"You'll get to know them then. Their names are Demetri and Eli." I spoke calmly. "Sam already met them."
Sam frowned. "That's kinda what I wanted to talk about. I was hoping we could clear the air."
"Aisha. In middle school were you ever made fun of. Or called names?"
"Not really."
I explained. "Sam's friends are the type to do that to people just because they can."
"You barely met them Luke. Give them a chance."
I scoffed. "Keep a close eye on it. You'll see what I mean."
Aisha changed the topic quickly. "Sam's told me her dad trains you in karate. Must be nice right?"
"I give up." Sam said. "All summer you've been super weird about my friends. I'm here to talk this out. And you're still accusing them."
I raised my hands defensively. "Sam. I am not trying to argue with you on anything."
"I have to use the bathroom." Sam quickly left the table.
I looked over at Aisha. "This has been her. For about two weeks now or something."
"She's right though. What happened with her friends? It sounds like you already have your mind made up about them or something."
"Once you get to know them. I promise you. It'll sink in that I'm right."
Aisha smiled lightly. "It wouldn't hurt you know. To get to actually know them."
"Do you feel like Sam has changed since middle school ended?"
"You mean two months ago? Yeah. A bit. But why do you ask?"
"Nevermind."
Aisha laughed a bit, looking at me up and down for a second. "Sam does have a crush on you. And I can see why."
"So I've noticed."
"Sam's cute you know."
"Look yeah. I take care of myself. Since the moment I moved here from Denver halfway through May I've done nothing but work out and swim." And train in both Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai karate. "Just don't get why Sam is acting so weird about everything though."
"I think you're basically the first crush she's ever had on a guy who wasn't from a movie or something. I've known her for a while. That's the impression I got."
I sighed. "Makes perfect sense then."
"And why are you trying to stay in shape like. This? Is it just to stay healthy or is it something else?"
I couldn't tell her it was to become the youngest karate champion in All Valley history and break every single record I can at my first All Valley.
"Yeah. To stay healthy. But I promise you, I didn't do it to pick up chicks."
"Her dad hasn't trained anyone in karate since Sam was a little girl. Think that says a lot about the trust he put in you. And what it must be like between you and her family."
I sighed. Aisha had a point. But it was mostly out of a debt he felt he had to pay to my mom. Ali Mills, his old high school girlfriend.
"Thanks." I said as Aisha smiled a bit and nodded.
"Sam's had a group of guys trailing her and her new friends around all summer though."
I glanced at Aisha. "You jealous of them?"
"Sorta. They're hot and I'm. Not."
"You know what guys really like?"
"Hot girls?"
I laughed. "Some aren't as superficial as Sam's new friends. The average guy isn't super shallow and egotistical. Some. Like personality, and confidence."
"But I'm not confident."
"Then you make your own confidence." I said to Aisha. "That's how confidence works."
She needed Johnny before she even met him.
"What do I have to be confident about?"
"Well that's the thing. Find something you're proud of in yourself. Something you think makes you feel strong. Use that." I nodded to her and she seemed to agree. "And then you'll really know what to be confident about."
"Never thought of it like that. Are you really fourteen?"
"Yeah." I laughed with her. "Just different than what you'd expect is all. Just like Sam said."
Damn. Guess she was right.
I looked over and saw someone familiar. Someone who appeared to be a regular employee at first glance but was really someone with a weak mustache clearly in his very late teens.
He was very carefully sneaking in towels into his arms like a regular employee, but had a second hand somewhere when no one was looking.
It was actually impressive how he angled himself and how he could walk past a table and a wallet or phone would disappear.
I knew who this was.
Aisha spoke. "I'm gonna go check where Sam's gone off to."
"Cool." I said waiting until she was well out of eyesight of me to go follow Trey around.
I should've called the police or told one of the managers of the beach club. I knew where he was probably stashing the wallets and phones that conveniently would go missing.
It was the oddest coincidence today of all days to pull this. But then again, Robby was banned from pulling scams here with Cruz and Trey before the second season so this made sense.
I took my phone out walking a bit away from the beach club towards the pier, I needed to record this to show Sensei.
Then I heard a familiar voice for the first time.
"Damn! What a haul!" I recognized Robby Keene's voice.
"Let's see that shit. Mm." I saw Cruz and Trey all cycling through everything they had stolen from the beach club.
A three man job, I wouldn't be whacked over the back of the head with a wooden boat paddle.
It was time to make Sensei Kreese proud and for once have a good fight on my terms. Two to one from what I expected.
I struck first, I ran as fast as I could through the sand and threw everything I had, using every inch of my body to hurl a fully powered reverse punch starting from my feet and ending at my knuckles directly on Trey's nose.
Always go for the biggest one first my instincts told me.
Trey raised his fists, although he was confused as he began to attack.
"What the-" I heard Robby say.
I never gave my back to him despite the fact I knew he probably wouldn't attack me, even though I hit Cruz as hard as I could in the stomach as he came running at me with a front kick.
Trey and Cruz were both rising up from the sand slowly, then I didn't make a mistake I know Miguel made in his fight against Kyler and his group of bullies in the cafeteria of Cobra Kai's first season.
When you dazed your opponent, never stop striking until they're down.
I quickly rushed forward again with multiple forward strikes as I made Cruz miss and probably knocked Trey's jaw a bit loose with two quick punches.
As Trey went crashing directly into the sand, Cruz turned me around and was about to punch me but I moved his wild haymaker away with a Miyagi-Do block creating an opening for a counter and snapped a front kick directly to his face.
Cruz dropped as well, down and out, I didn't realize how much flexibility and strength years of soccer and nearly two months of two different kinds of karate had given me.
Robby looked confused out of his mind, didn't blame him. I had taken down two older and bigger opponents by striking first, fast really speed was crucial, hard, and without mercy, and specifically using very refined karate fundamentals.
"Alright." I said quietly. "The wallets and the phones you stole. Where are they?"
Robby took one look at his two friends sporting broken and bloodied noses in the sand barely able to move off the ground and was about to make a run for it.
I grabbed him. "Look man-"
"Stay away from me!"
Robby suddenly tried to push me back but this was a specific drill Mr. LaRusso taught me when someone tried to grab or push you from in front of you.
Move aside and grab their arm, and shove them away instead.
I now moved Robby aside where he was under the pier having to either run through plenty of broken glass and debris or past me.
"Listen."
"Okay!" Robby struggled to speak. "I. What!"
"I just want the wallets and the phones you guys stole. And to make sure you get home safe."
Robby was utterly shocked. "What!?" he repeated.
I didn't blame him at all still. It wouldn't make any sense to me either, I had ruthlessly knocked out his two friends but randomly decided to show him any mercy at all.
"Where's the stuff you stole?"
Robby handed me the cloth he had with all the stolen wallets and phones to me. I didn't mean to threaten him because I knew his situation, but I knew he was afraid I could break his nose or hurt his jaw like I did to Cruz and Trey.
"Alright. So here's what's going to happen. This." I looked over at a completely out of commission Cruz and Trey. "Never happened. These items, are going to be returned to the beach club's lost and found so no eyebrows are raised. And you and I. Are gonna keep in touch."
"You know. But still. Why!?"
"Just. Let me have your phone number or something man. Douchebags like these." I again nodded towards Trey and Cruz. "Absolute trash. You don't belong with them."
"Okay but. To you I must seem just like them. What are you doing?"
"You're younger and smaller than them. Sometimes in these scams you need a third. A clown, a dummy, someone to take bigger risks while they just collect some money and stuff and you might take the fall for them sometimes. I know how it is but in a different way, trust me."
Robby seemed to understand. "Fine. Just." he said a bit sadly. "Here's my number or whatever."
I wrote it down on a notepad on my phone after I retrieved it from where it was perched to record my fight with Trey and Cruz, who were still there, awkwardly knocked out while I talked to Robby.
"None of this makes any sense to me at all."
"It's just to protect you. I know that sounds weird since we're the same age. But I think you can definitely find better mentors than these two. Just let me help, I've been where you were."
"How did you do that by the way? Learn how to handle yourself like that?"
"You move fast and decisively in a fight. Know some fundamentals and are in decent shape. You'd be surprised how well you can do with training in any combat sport even with just a few months. But if you have to know. It was karate with a tiny bit of boxing."
Robby scoffed. "Karate?"
I smiled. "Yeah."
Robby shrugged. "Thanks for not calling the cops on me or. Kicking my ass I guess."
One day. I'm sure Robby could possibly even kick my ass. He was the top three male teen fighters on the show, among Eli and Miguel.
"I'm Robby."
"Lucas. Or Luke. You can call me either."
…
After quickly returning all the phones and wallets Trey and Cruz stole from the beach club back to the lost and found, Sam spoke to me. "Where did you go off to?"
"Just went on a walk by the pier. By myself."
"Well my mom's picking us up soon."
Guess I spent more time fighting Cruz and Trey and swimming than I thought I did. I had about a half hour to get back home and start taking the bus ride over from the main Encino Hills bus station over to Pacoima near the homeless shelter and abandoned loading dock I used to train with Kreese.
"Look Lucas I-"
"Stop. You're right. I was totally, totally out of line to keep judging you. I just can't return any sort of crush you have on me."
Sam smiled. "I get that. Thanks."
"It's no problem. There's a right guy out there for you. I promise."
Sam nodded. "Thanks." she repeated.
It was Miguel. Miguel Sam, just wait for a bit.
"It's just. Not Kyler. I promise that too."
Amanda pulled up to the front entrance of the beach club with Anthony in the back seat.
"Hey Luke!" he said, holding what I knew was a soccer trophy in the air, poking it out of the window. "We won our first match! I scored the winning goal!"
"That's my maaan!"
…
After a very solid hour and a half of cardio, strike practicing and working on counters and sparring, I showed Kreese my fight on my phone.
I had edited it on the bus ride over to Pacoima to remove the part where I talked to Robby. That would raise some pointless questions.
He missed the classic Miyagi-Do wax off block and counter in the video, I checked it to make sure it wasn't completely apparent. Not that it was Kreese's fault, he probably only really saw Miyagi-Do up close about three times in his entire life and from how the video was shot it looked like I had dodged the incoming haymaker and struck Cruz while striking to land first against his own attack.
Kreese nodded slightly. "Two bigger and older opponents. Nice job." he said casually and quietly.
"Really? I had my first fight, isn't that what you said I need to do?"
"Johnny Lawrence beat up guys like that every other weekend at football games and stuff like that with his buddies on his own when he was just about a year older than you. You did do what I told you to, and you admittedly did it how I asked. You've studied Cobra Kai dutifully, and skillfully for over two months now."
Kreese continued talking. "The training I've given you consists of mostly the same lessons I taught back in the day. You're showing me your progress and your skill."
"Then what's next for me?"
"You still have a long way to go before you're ever ready to face the entire All Valley on your own with just what I've taught you. However, you're right. There is a next step."
"Which is?"
Kreese glanced at my phone. "You noticed you dazed your opponents and you took advantage of it. But I have to ask. How did this whole fight happen?"
"These guys were stealing from my beach club. I had to teach them a lesson."
"Hm." Kreese said. "There was a third opponent you had in the video. Do you know why he didn't fight you?"
Robby.
"He looked scared. He ran off." I lied calmly.
"And did you chase him down?"
"No. The fight was over, he was long gone."
Kreese shook his head. "You're learning how to strike first properly. You didn't give your opponents a chance to think. You struck them hard, with all of your strength with proper technique. But you let one of them get away. That. Is mercy."
"I understand Sensei."
"But, that's not your fault. It takes more time than you could imagine to remove your mercy. Back in the day I just had the class spar and then they would finish their opponents. Maybe a punch to the face, chop to the shoulder, a strong kick to the ribs and such. You don't have that luxury. You have to learn almost all of this on your own." Kreese looked around at the abandoned supermarket loading dock that was our unofficial Cobra Kai dojo for months. "In unfortunately a place like this to train."
"Do you think Cobra Kai will ever return to what it was? To what people once remembered it as?"
"Even with your help. And possibly Terry's if I can convince him when the time comes."
Maybe two years from now probably.
Kreese sighed. "It would take a very long while. I haven't gone back to the original Cobra Kai dojo for decades. The place where I used to teach."
"It needs you. You made champions right? Tell me, what was it like?"
"For anyone to even consider us what we were. We'd need several championships to return to Cobra Kai's roots. And that place basically no longer exists. I opened the dojo in spring of 1975." said Kreese. "Terry and I had returned from 'Nam about a few months prior."
I listened. "Our tours had ended in about '72 after I won my first tournament in the army. We trained under Grandmaster Kim Sun Yung for three years in South Korea under a special transfer order to go there as we had more than completed our time on the front lines and could serve elsewhere. We returned, called murderers instead of defenders of our country."
Kreese spoke calmly. "It was time to make a name for what we knew, for what we could teach the world. We had to create Cobra Kai."
I continued to listen. "Terry." Kreese slightly frowned. "Terry's father had to pass on his business to him. I had to run the dojo on my own, the most he could do was buy the location where I taught and give me a bit of money to start out. For the first two years I was basically just figuring everything out."
I nodded a bit. "Paperwork and insurance and all that. How to pass on the techniques I had learned properly to the class. How to start competing. How to at all create the environment I had learned my own karate in. Most of the students were mediocre at best for the first two years. Then, my first real Cobra Kais walked in during '77."
I smiled a bit, started to get interested.
"The Lankershim dojo class. Now." Kreese chuckled quietly. "Those were fighters. For seven years straight, Cobra Kai became the ultimate competitive dojo in the entire Valley. Any tournament, and we were there."
Kreese continued to explain. "We won our first tournament in 1978. And then the trophies just started to pile up and filled the dojo entrance. I still have all of them stored in a few old boxes. The oldest of the Vidals, Robert Vidal, basically the son of the founder of the Locust Valley Karate Club at the time, lost to my top student back then three to two in the All Valley finals."
"What happened to him?"
"Compared to Johnny he was insignificant, but if you have to know he had to move away for work. I lost one champion in '79, for my next. Johnny Lawrence, he helped me make that dojo what it was."
I nodded again. "So you won trophies on your own while in the army and competing in Korea and abroad. And then the dojo became unstoppable from 1978 onwards."
"Just about. We only lost one championship before the dojo closed, it was to the Vidals in '81. Other than that, any tournament we competed in, All Valley or not. We won."
I smiled. "You said you still have those trophies right?"
"Yeah."
"Can I see them?"
…
For about two hours, Kreese took out two old cardboard boxes he had stored under his bed in his room at the homeless shelter and took the dusty old trophies out one by one. Lined them all up on a nearby desk and told me the stories behind each tournament.
What the competition was like, the scoring, the rules, the dojos and competitors. Every detail he remembered like it was yesterday. For such an old man, he really never seemed to forget much, made sense for Kreese.
Every trophy or medal he had had a story behind it, and Kreese explained it very well.
The earliest one was one labeled 1970 US Army Karate Championships - First Place, and the latest was, incredibly, 1984 Under 18 All Valley Karate Championships - Second Place.
I didn't say a word about it but I knew it the second I saw it.
Kreese had managed to actually fix the original second place trophy he had broken when Johnny lost to Daniel back in 1984. He didn't just make that up when approaching Johnny in Season 2 of the show, no, apparently this was the actual trophy. He had really kept it stored for over thirty years in honor of the relationship he had developed with Johnny.
That. Was shockingly touching for a man this cruel, vengeful, and cold. But it made perfect sense to me. It almost didn't feel real, like it was out of his character to not just fake that he did that.
Cobra Kai was literally all he ever had after Vietnam or in his life at all really. And he kept as much as he could from those memories. Even the bad memories. Johnny was his weakness through and through, Silver was completely right. And that second place trophy proved it.
As Kreese kept explaining all this, going on and on, I realized something. And like what just happened, it completely shocked me.
This was a side of Kreese that was apparently always there but never was allowed to be shown in the show or films.
He wasn't trying to impress me with made up stories of leading soldiers in wars that never happened overseas. He wasn't telling me how many Vietcongs he killed with his bare hands. Or how he trained himself, or if Captain Turner and Kim Sun Yung never existed, Kreese hadn't lied to me from the moment we had met.
Kreese had told me nothing but the complete truth. He was still a very stern, merciless, and loud Vietnam War Army captain. But he was honest and clear.
I knew it now. I knew what I wanted to do. I would have to work tirelessly to make sure no one got hurt from it, but I knew what I wanted to do now.
I wanted to bring Cobra Kai back to its former glory. Back to its original location and prestige on Lankershim Boulevard on its corner with Magnolia Drive.
Daniel might've been honest with me too. But his legacy was just different. It didn't speak to me in the same way.
I noticed something else too. The reason why he had shared this much with me and why I possibly never saw it in the films or show was because we almost never saw his relationship as a teacher back in the day with Johnny.
To Kreese, I was the new Johnny Lawrence from how much he was sharing with me here.
How was this possible? How could a man clearly portrayed to be so evil be. To be just a person. Just like everyone I'd seen in the Karate Kid films and the Cobra Kai show. John Kreese was just a man. He was human, just like me.
Kreese had noticed how lost in his stories behind each and every single trophy I was.
"Everything okay Mr. Schwarber?"
"Everything's fine Sensei."
Lillie Jones
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Lucas mends fences with Samantha Larousso, but he's not going to be boyfriend at all, which he's leaving in Miguel capable hands ( I wonder if Tory Nicole's more Lucas's speed before people start questioning his own orientation with the female gender, Hehe!
Anyway, Lucas finally meets with Aisha at the beach club after Lucas and Sam previous spat brought Aisha bcck in the fold at the moment.
Unexpectedly, Lucas stopes Trey, Cruz and Robby Keane and gives them at beating but spared Robby Keane from making another fatal mistake with these troubl makers at the beach club.
Meantime, John Kresse watched his edited video and questions his quality of mercy in the Cobra Kai way, but Kresse says give it time for his student. As John Kresse considers Lucas him The second coming of Johnny Lawrence 2.0 in bringing bsck Cobra Kai and the upcoming Valley Champion tournament.
Unfortunately, Lucas doesn't know wether or not how to stop potentially Terry Silver in his tracks from his mastermind manipulation in the Valley town. But Lucas will probably deal with it one step at a time.
Continue on
Cheers!
Anyway, Lucas finally meets with Aisha at the beach club after Lucas and Sam previous spat brought Aisha bcck in the fold at the moment.
Unexpectedly, Lucas stopes Trey, Cruz and Robby Keane and gives them at beating but spared Robby Keane from making another fatal mistake with these troubl makers at the beach club.
Meantime, John Kresse watched his edited video and questions his quality of mercy in the Cobra Kai way, but Kresse says give it time for his student. As John Kresse considers Lucas him The second coming of Johnny Lawrence 2.0 in bringing bsck Cobra Kai and the upcoming Valley Champion tournament.
Unfortunately, Lucas doesn't know wether or not how to stop potentially Terry Silver in his tracks from his mastermind manipulation in the Valley town. But Lucas will probably deal with it one step at a time.
Continue on
Cheers!
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paloswag
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Good chapter. The one line that made me pause was the one about the grandpa saying Sam is in their "class". This is just my opinion, but I'm not sure that's how someone would approach that idea. From my experience, people talk around it, "he's not one of us" or "I don't think she's right for you". Bringing it up directly is a bit of a faux pas. And I say that as someone who was brought up in a household in a weird gray area between old money and new money.
And I'm not sure the LaRussos would be considered part of their group anyways. They didn't inherit their wealth, they own a used car business. Ali always took me as someone who came from generational wealth, but after that a look at their wikipedia article, their background is vague.
And I'm not sure the LaRussos would be considered part of their group anyways. They didn't inherit their wealth, they own a used car business. Ali always took me as someone who came from generational wealth, but after that a look at their wikipedia article, their background is vague.
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MiyazakiFan18
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Yeah I checked their wikis too, the Mills have very vague backgrounds. Other than not approving of Daniel for basically being poor in the first film, we know nothing about them.
I included that line from Luke's pops saying Sam got a pass was because his opinion on Daniel likely flipped after I discovered enough about their character to approve of Johnny in the first film just because his family was rich. The wiki implied their opinions might change on Daniel too in my opinion, even if in the past they didn't approve of him for Ali.
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