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Defeat Does Not Exist (Cobra Kai SI)
- Thread starter MiyazakiFan18
- Start date
Interlude - Lucas
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2024
- Messages
- 102
- Likes received
- 2,093
...
OST: Raindrops Keep Falling - B.J. Thomas
...
Lucas Schwarber had a very large and typically empty house, and a loyal Golden Retriever for pretty much his entire summer. As well as all the toys, hobbies, and workout equipment to keep him busy for the summer.
He wasn't training anymore to be in the best shape of his life, so he began to eat a bit more freely without trying to focus so much on a perfect diet and exercise regimen.
Without karate of any sort, he turned back to his basics: his interests, just trying to relax and enjoy his life the best he could.
In the morning, he woke up and cooked himself some breakfast. Tossing Donnie Junior some scraps as he panted quietly next to his bowl, eating some fried turkey bacon.
After a quick workout in his garage, he began to read. He read historical novels, medical books in his grandfather's study, and then napped outside in the sun on lawn chairs by the pool. Lucas didn't even practice kata on his own, nothing about his life other than his trophy resembled karate at all anymore.
He lived by following his hobbies.
Lucas got back into computer building, finishing a project that took several months of scrounging up what little money a fifteen year old could to build his own PC.
He followed all the steps in the manual that came with the motherboard he bought listed, and soon was able to run Windows inserted into the PC by a flash drive. The home computer didn't even have a tower or case, it was just connected by screws and wires in his family's garage on a large workbench next to all of his other projects onto a wooden stand and an old monitor his grandmother let him borrow.
All the other projects included the several interests Demetri and Eli shared with him.
Including Lego, model trains, Magic the Gathering, and all sorts of other things the Binary Brothers helped share with him since the summer from the year prior.
The next day, he didn't even bother washing down his grandfather's old cars on his own, just chuckling to himself at the cans of soap, wax, and some rags.
Lucas played video games on a Nintendo and Xbox he owned.
Just a few blocks away, Daniel LaRusso found his own son doing what he typically was:
Playing video games in his bedroom.
He was playing both Halo and Fifa. Anthony laughed into his mic, liking Lucas' jokes about its comparison to real world soccer.
Daniel shook his head, walking away from Anthony's bedroom having no idea who it was that Anthony was online with.
Lucas felt happy with his life now.
The lack of stress from all the karate and old history, the trophy in his bedroom was starting to collect dust. For all he knew, he was just another regular Encino kid in the Valley with far too much free time and fun than he knew what to do with.
As he sat in his gaming chair in the garage, something began to hit him, something he knew he missed dearly.
He texted his friend, wishing Anthony goodbye and then exiting the garage.
Lucas packed his skateboard into a backpack and rode off on his bicycle, so well accustomed to the streets of Los Angeles by this point it was second nature.
The sun was bright, the summer calm, and his life as actionless as possible.
...
Robby Keene didn't know what to think at first when he began speaking to Lucas again, things had been awkward since the tournament even though he cheered for him. Oddly, his father, Johnny Lawrence had been acting a bit strangely too.
He was too reserved as a person to inquire further in either regard, but eventually, was fine to meet with Lucas at the skatepark.
The first few dives into the cement basins of the skate park were a bit more aggressive.
Robby was far less cheerful and supportive of Lucas who was still learning a bit, clearly trying to show off. Lucas didn't mind Robby's slight grumpiness, knowing things hadn't been the best between them.
He responded by showing off too, going back to the one handed hand stand on the edge of the skate park ridge with a bright smile, showing his friend he really was there to have fun with him. Robby wasn't sure how to take this.
Other boys at the skatepark found Lucas' skills intriguing, and everyone just started skating and talking casually there.
Robby was able to scrape the bottom of his board with ease around the edges of the skate park basin, popping ollies with easy jumps like it was second nature. Robby turned back, surprised to see Lucas following him just as casually. It wasn't about competing, trying to show he was upset over a few weeks after not talking. It took a second, but Robby broke a smile.
...
Lucas was fine teaching Robby his own tricks because he was willing to impart with his own in regards to skateboarding.
"See? Not so hard is it?"
"Speak for yourself."
Robby was grunting in pain, damn near bursting a vein through his forehead in concentration while balancing his entire body upside down on one hand. Everyone else at the skate park had gotten so used to this, that they didn't even blink at this when they rode past.
"I can hold on for longer than you bro!"
"Damnit man, why does everything have to be a competition with you today?"
Eventually, seeing Robby was going to pop a blood vessel before admitting defeat, Lucas relented. Robby didn't gloat nor smile, merely just sitting on the edge of the basin next to Lucas.
"What made you want to start hanging out again? We didn't even talk during finals."
"Things were messed up between Charlotte and I, I didn't want to talk about it."
"You can talk to me about anything man. Same way I know I can count on you."
Lucas snorted. "I don't know, I just didn't want to bother you about anything. Or bother anyone until this morning."
"What made you change your mind?"
"I missed having friends." Lucas got a text. "Speaking of which. Wanna follow me back to my place?"
"Isn't that like an hour away by board?"
"Hour and a half. And what, are you saying you can't keep up?"
"Hey!"
Lucas packed his skateboard together and removed his bike lock from the rack in the blink of an eye.
"Dude wait!"
Robby chuckled, accelerating quickly on his skateboard to cruise after Lucas, only slightly slower but easily able to keep him in view.
...
"Hey guys, hadn't seen you all summer." Robby and Lucas entered through the side door, Donnie Junior ran up to his owner, smiling, panting, tail wagging.
Demetri and Eli were already in Lucas' backyard, playing Magic the Gathering and chatting already over a glass of lemonade.
"Sorry about that." said Demetri. "Eli and I were busy with coding classes. Computer camp is from home this year."
"Really?" Lucas was surprised.
"We won every competition there every year since the sixth grade, the counselors just didn't think it was fair if we kept going now that we're in high school," explained Eli. "In our last session, we already were ranked with college kids."
Lucas chuckled about this, Robby was more or less confused.
"So, what're you guys working on over here?" wondered Robby.
"Eli's trying out his new Red Aggro deck, his commander's solid but the rest of his draw state just hasn't been working."
Robby looked at Lucas, as if Demetri had talked to him in Chinese.
"We can teach you how to play." Lucas shrugged to him, leaning on the empty chair next to Eli while sipping some lemonade he poured for himself. "It's not for everyone."
"No kidding. So Demetri's winning?" Robby had no idea what he was looking at.
"Winning is an understatement by the looks of the board." muttered Lucas, Eli even acknowledged this painfully. "You mind?"
Eli let Lucas take a look at his hand, then Lucas circled around when Demetri showed him his cards too.
"Not sure this game is your style," Demetri said to Robby, putting all of his cards away the game was over one turn later. "I'm sure Luke has a deck you can borrow, but there's a lot of patience and strategy involved."
Robby was confused. "What made you think that's not for me?"
"Well, is it for you?" asked Demetri.
"I never said that but." Robby was looking at one of the cards in specialized sleeves that Eli had handed to him.
Lucas snorted, smiling a bit.
"I like patience and strategy I guess. Just all these spells and wizards are just not for me."
Lucas smiled. "Glad my nana let you guys in right before she left then. I have something that I know is right up your alley."
...
Demetri taught Lucas, Robby, and Eli chess using an old set made of carved wood he had in his attic. Lucas more or less already knew the basics, but there were small certain strategies he taught them that helped them play better.
Robby beat Eli, Eli beat Lucas, Lucas beat Robby, and it actually ended up being decent fun even if there wasn't any weed, stealing laptops, or video games considering what Robby, and Demetri, Lucas, and Eli were used to respectively when hanging out. Until he started high school, Robby had no real idea what it was like to make friends with people who weren't criminals.
"I feel like there's someone missing here." Eli said.
"Yeah, me too." said Lucas. "Someone who likes this sorta stuff too."
"Hm." Robby agreed.
"Aisha." Demetri admitted.
"Right." said Lucas. "It doesn't really make sense if we're not hanging out with her at school, or if Sam's not around."
"Yeah guess that's weird." admitted Robby.
"Oh well." Demetri shrugged.
All three other boys shrugged at this too.
"Everything okay with you and Sam?"
Eli shook his head at Lucas' question.
"What happened?" asked Lucas.
"I don't know. I only plan on having one group of friends for the next few years before we all go off to college." said Eli. "And they're all sitting at this table."
"So?" wondered Demetri. "What does Sam have to do with that?"
"I know she was into Luke." everyone looked a little more uncomfortable. Eli began to sip his lemonade. "Screw that nonsense, friends come first before girls."
"I believe the phrase you're looking for is b-"
"Completely uncharacteristic for Eli?" asked Demetri.
The subsequent air felt a whole less tense as the boys began to chuckle together quietly.
"Bros before hoes." Eli said proudly.
They laughed a bit louder.
"Glad we're starting to rub off on you." Lucas muttered.
"We?"
"Yeah fool," Lucas glanced at Robby. "You say it too."
"Not that I need to prove anything to any of you, but whatever. Eli's right."
"I'm not saying a thing." said Demetri. "Like I said before, I'd let Yasmine stab any of you if it meant she'd talk to me."
"That right there, that's probably why she wants nothing to do with you." admitted Robby.
"Checkmate." Eli proceeded to defeat Lucas for the third time in a row.
"Damn, think you're ready to take on the master." he admitted.
"Good luck." Robby chortled, as with a grin, Demetri set up the board between him and Eli.
...
Bob Marley's Three Little Birds played soulfully and lightly on a portable stereo he had borrowed from his old home in Denver, Lucas was sunbathing, eyes closed, sunglasses tucked into his dark hair, as Robby sat on a nearby lawn chair.
"So man, now that everyone's hanging out together again, got any plans for this summer?"
"You're looking at it." he mused.
Robby scoffed, putting his phone away. "But you're literally just doing nothing."
"No, I'm laying here."
"Yeah, that's nothing."
Lucas sighed.
He opened his eyes. "There's a difference between laying. And listening."
Robby was utterly confused.
"I can hear the Binary Bros argue about fan theories for Game of Thrones and stuff just over there. My dog's panting." he rubbed Donnie Junior's head, the Golden Retriever laying next to him. "Those birds tweeting in those trees." Robby could see the small orchard in the Mills Manor backyard. "The music. Your voice. Even with my eyes closed, I'm more connected than ever was than if I was trying to focus on a chore or even a game."
"How'd you learn how to do that?" Robby said, clearly sounding like he believed him.
"Fact of life. It all starts." Lucas lifted his arms behind his head, getting comfortable on the pool chair. "With the breath, always return to basics of life dude. No breath, no life."
"Yeah, but who taught you that? You look up some meditation guides online?"
"Nah man, you'd never believe me."
Robby actually envied the degree as to wish Lucas was able to switch instantly into relaxing. And to show his appreciation, he pranked him.
In a giant splash of water, he sprayed him with a nearby water hose.
Lucas actually thought it was funny, the two wrestling each other, and then into the pool.
Soon, all four friends were playing shoulder wars or chicken fights in Lucas' pool in his backyard, wrestling, laughing, racing each other across the pool.
It was shaping up to be the best summer any of them had ever had for a long time.
...
...
...
A/N:
I plan on making one or two more chaps like this, one probably about Kreese, then Johnny or Daniel or both. Not sure yet, anyways, thank you all so much for reading, have a great day everyone and stay safe. Peace!
OST: Raindrops Keep Falling - B.J. Thomas
...
Lucas Schwarber had a very large and typically empty house, and a loyal Golden Retriever for pretty much his entire summer. As well as all the toys, hobbies, and workout equipment to keep him busy for the summer.
He wasn't training anymore to be in the best shape of his life, so he began to eat a bit more freely without trying to focus so much on a perfect diet and exercise regimen.
Without karate of any sort, he turned back to his basics: his interests, just trying to relax and enjoy his life the best he could.
In the morning, he woke up and cooked himself some breakfast. Tossing Donnie Junior some scraps as he panted quietly next to his bowl, eating some fried turkey bacon.
After a quick workout in his garage, he began to read. He read historical novels, medical books in his grandfather's study, and then napped outside in the sun on lawn chairs by the pool. Lucas didn't even practice kata on his own, nothing about his life other than his trophy resembled karate at all anymore.
He lived by following his hobbies.
Lucas got back into computer building, finishing a project that took several months of scrounging up what little money a fifteen year old could to build his own PC.
He followed all the steps in the manual that came with the motherboard he bought listed, and soon was able to run Windows inserted into the PC by a flash drive. The home computer didn't even have a tower or case, it was just connected by screws and wires in his family's garage on a large workbench next to all of his other projects onto a wooden stand and an old monitor his grandmother let him borrow.
All the other projects included the several interests Demetri and Eli shared with him.
Including Lego, model trains, Magic the Gathering, and all sorts of other things the Binary Brothers helped share with him since the summer from the year prior.
The next day, he didn't even bother washing down his grandfather's old cars on his own, just chuckling to himself at the cans of soap, wax, and some rags.
Lucas played video games on a Nintendo and Xbox he owned.
Just a few blocks away, Daniel LaRusso found his own son doing what he typically was:
Playing video games in his bedroom.
He was playing both Halo and Fifa. Anthony laughed into his mic, liking Lucas' jokes about its comparison to real world soccer.
Daniel shook his head, walking away from Anthony's bedroom having no idea who it was that Anthony was online with.
Lucas felt happy with his life now.
The lack of stress from all the karate and old history, the trophy in his bedroom was starting to collect dust. For all he knew, he was just another regular Encino kid in the Valley with far too much free time and fun than he knew what to do with.
As he sat in his gaming chair in the garage, something began to hit him, something he knew he missed dearly.
He texted his friend, wishing Anthony goodbye and then exiting the garage.
Lucas packed his skateboard into a backpack and rode off on his bicycle, so well accustomed to the streets of Los Angeles by this point it was second nature.
The sun was bright, the summer calm, and his life as actionless as possible.
...
Robby Keene didn't know what to think at first when he began speaking to Lucas again, things had been awkward since the tournament even though he cheered for him. Oddly, his father, Johnny Lawrence had been acting a bit strangely too.
He was too reserved as a person to inquire further in either regard, but eventually, was fine to meet with Lucas at the skatepark.
The first few dives into the cement basins of the skate park were a bit more aggressive.
Robby was far less cheerful and supportive of Lucas who was still learning a bit, clearly trying to show off. Lucas didn't mind Robby's slight grumpiness, knowing things hadn't been the best between them.
He responded by showing off too, going back to the one handed hand stand on the edge of the skate park ridge with a bright smile, showing his friend he really was there to have fun with him. Robby wasn't sure how to take this.
Other boys at the skatepark found Lucas' skills intriguing, and everyone just started skating and talking casually there.
Robby was able to scrape the bottom of his board with ease around the edges of the skate park basin, popping ollies with easy jumps like it was second nature. Robby turned back, surprised to see Lucas following him just as casually. It wasn't about competing, trying to show he was upset over a few weeks after not talking. It took a second, but Robby broke a smile.
...
Lucas was fine teaching Robby his own tricks because he was willing to impart with his own in regards to skateboarding.
"See? Not so hard is it?"
"Speak for yourself."
Robby was grunting in pain, damn near bursting a vein through his forehead in concentration while balancing his entire body upside down on one hand. Everyone else at the skate park had gotten so used to this, that they didn't even blink at this when they rode past.
"I can hold on for longer than you bro!"
"Damnit man, why does everything have to be a competition with you today?"
Eventually, seeing Robby was going to pop a blood vessel before admitting defeat, Lucas relented. Robby didn't gloat nor smile, merely just sitting on the edge of the basin next to Lucas.
"What made you want to start hanging out again? We didn't even talk during finals."
"Things were messed up between Charlotte and I, I didn't want to talk about it."
"You can talk to me about anything man. Same way I know I can count on you."
Lucas snorted. "I don't know, I just didn't want to bother you about anything. Or bother anyone until this morning."
"What made you change your mind?"
"I missed having friends." Lucas got a text. "Speaking of which. Wanna follow me back to my place?"
"Isn't that like an hour away by board?"
"Hour and a half. And what, are you saying you can't keep up?"
"Hey!"
Lucas packed his skateboard together and removed his bike lock from the rack in the blink of an eye.
"Dude wait!"
Robby chuckled, accelerating quickly on his skateboard to cruise after Lucas, only slightly slower but easily able to keep him in view.
...
"Hey guys, hadn't seen you all summer." Robby and Lucas entered through the side door, Donnie Junior ran up to his owner, smiling, panting, tail wagging.
Demetri and Eli were already in Lucas' backyard, playing Magic the Gathering and chatting already over a glass of lemonade.
"Sorry about that." said Demetri. "Eli and I were busy with coding classes. Computer camp is from home this year."
"Really?" Lucas was surprised.
"We won every competition there every year since the sixth grade, the counselors just didn't think it was fair if we kept going now that we're in high school," explained Eli. "In our last session, we already were ranked with college kids."
Lucas chuckled about this, Robby was more or less confused.
"So, what're you guys working on over here?" wondered Robby.
"Eli's trying out his new Red Aggro deck, his commander's solid but the rest of his draw state just hasn't been working."
Robby looked at Lucas, as if Demetri had talked to him in Chinese.
"We can teach you how to play." Lucas shrugged to him, leaning on the empty chair next to Eli while sipping some lemonade he poured for himself. "It's not for everyone."
"No kidding. So Demetri's winning?" Robby had no idea what he was looking at.
"Winning is an understatement by the looks of the board." muttered Lucas, Eli even acknowledged this painfully. "You mind?"
Eli let Lucas take a look at his hand, then Lucas circled around when Demetri showed him his cards too.
"Not sure this game is your style," Demetri said to Robby, putting all of his cards away the game was over one turn later. "I'm sure Luke has a deck you can borrow, but there's a lot of patience and strategy involved."
Robby was confused. "What made you think that's not for me?"
"Well, is it for you?" asked Demetri.
"I never said that but." Robby was looking at one of the cards in specialized sleeves that Eli had handed to him.
Lucas snorted, smiling a bit.
"I like patience and strategy I guess. Just all these spells and wizards are just not for me."
Lucas smiled. "Glad my nana let you guys in right before she left then. I have something that I know is right up your alley."
...
Demetri taught Lucas, Robby, and Eli chess using an old set made of carved wood he had in his attic. Lucas more or less already knew the basics, but there were small certain strategies he taught them that helped them play better.
Robby beat Eli, Eli beat Lucas, Lucas beat Robby, and it actually ended up being decent fun even if there wasn't any weed, stealing laptops, or video games considering what Robby, and Demetri, Lucas, and Eli were used to respectively when hanging out. Until he started high school, Robby had no real idea what it was like to make friends with people who weren't criminals.
"I feel like there's someone missing here." Eli said.
"Yeah, me too." said Lucas. "Someone who likes this sorta stuff too."
"Hm." Robby agreed.
"Aisha." Demetri admitted.
"Right." said Lucas. "It doesn't really make sense if we're not hanging out with her at school, or if Sam's not around."
"Yeah guess that's weird." admitted Robby.
"Oh well." Demetri shrugged.
All three other boys shrugged at this too.
"Everything okay with you and Sam?"
Eli shook his head at Lucas' question.
"What happened?" asked Lucas.
"I don't know. I only plan on having one group of friends for the next few years before we all go off to college." said Eli. "And they're all sitting at this table."
"So?" wondered Demetri. "What does Sam have to do with that?"
"I know she was into Luke." everyone looked a little more uncomfortable. Eli began to sip his lemonade. "Screw that nonsense, friends come first before girls."
"I believe the phrase you're looking for is b-"
"Completely uncharacteristic for Eli?" asked Demetri.
The subsequent air felt a whole less tense as the boys began to chuckle together quietly.
"Bros before hoes." Eli said proudly.
They laughed a bit louder.
"Glad we're starting to rub off on you." Lucas muttered.
"We?"
"Yeah fool," Lucas glanced at Robby. "You say it too."
"Not that I need to prove anything to any of you, but whatever. Eli's right."
"I'm not saying a thing." said Demetri. "Like I said before, I'd let Yasmine stab any of you if it meant she'd talk to me."
"That right there, that's probably why she wants nothing to do with you." admitted Robby.
"Checkmate." Eli proceeded to defeat Lucas for the third time in a row.
"Damn, think you're ready to take on the master." he admitted.
"Good luck." Robby chortled, as with a grin, Demetri set up the board between him and Eli.
...
Bob Marley's Three Little Birds played soulfully and lightly on a portable stereo he had borrowed from his old home in Denver, Lucas was sunbathing, eyes closed, sunglasses tucked into his dark hair, as Robby sat on a nearby lawn chair.
"So man, now that everyone's hanging out together again, got any plans for this summer?"
"You're looking at it." he mused.
Robby scoffed, putting his phone away. "But you're literally just doing nothing."
"No, I'm laying here."
"Yeah, that's nothing."
Lucas sighed.
He opened his eyes. "There's a difference between laying. And listening."
Robby was utterly confused.
"I can hear the Binary Bros argue about fan theories for Game of Thrones and stuff just over there. My dog's panting." he rubbed Donnie Junior's head, the Golden Retriever laying next to him. "Those birds tweeting in those trees." Robby could see the small orchard in the Mills Manor backyard. "The music. Your voice. Even with my eyes closed, I'm more connected than ever was than if I was trying to focus on a chore or even a game."
"How'd you learn how to do that?" Robby said, clearly sounding like he believed him.
"Fact of life. It all starts." Lucas lifted his arms behind his head, getting comfortable on the pool chair. "With the breath, always return to basics of life dude. No breath, no life."
"Yeah, but who taught you that? You look up some meditation guides online?"
"Nah man, you'd never believe me."
Robby actually envied the degree as to wish Lucas was able to switch instantly into relaxing. And to show his appreciation, he pranked him.
In a giant splash of water, he sprayed him with a nearby water hose.
Lucas actually thought it was funny, the two wrestling each other, and then into the pool.
Soon, all four friends were playing shoulder wars or chicken fights in Lucas' pool in his backyard, wrestling, laughing, racing each other across the pool.
It was shaping up to be the best summer any of them had ever had for a long time.
...
...
...
A/N:
I plan on making one or two more chaps like this, one probably about Kreese, then Johnny or Daniel or both. Not sure yet, anyways, thank you all so much for reading, have a great day everyone and stay safe. Peace!
Papi Chulo
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2020
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- 574
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its good , glad to see the boys back together
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
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Thanks for the chapter
FTR2017
Well worn.
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- 94,919
Huh, makes me wonder what happened between Eli and Sam.
Aside from that fun bit of bonding, it was good to see Lucas relaxing and simply enjoying life after the stress of holding two masters' attention on him.
I do hope he returns to sharpening himself, 'lest he forgets his kata as he no longer has access to his two masters.
Gotta become the best
here ever was,
at kickin' ass~!
Aside from that fun bit of bonding, it was good to see Lucas relaxing and simply enjoying life after the stress of holding two masters' attention on him.
I do hope he returns to sharpening himself, 'lest he forgets his kata as he no longer has access to his two masters.
Gotta become the best
here ever was,
at kickin' ass~!
Interlude - John Kreese
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2024
- Messages
- 102
- Likes received
- 2,093
...
This chapter is dedicated to Pat E. Johnson, a man who was as vital to the success and brilliance of the original Karate Kid as Mr. Miyagi and the directors and writers of the films. May he rest in peace. He will make an appearance in this chapter, even a small cameo, because during this time period of the show's filming right around season 1 of Cobra Kai, he was still alive.
I hope I can portray his wisdom as a martial artist properly in this chapter.
...
John Kreese lived a life with no life.
He woke up, and got what passed for breakfast served at the homeless shelter. He hadn't shaved since the tournament, nor barely had a chance to shower. He ate what little he could find, and work was just as difficult for an aging man like himself as anything else.
Kreese had little to no skills beyond sparse karate instruction during the early 80s, while he was an incredible soldier, the war he fought in ended decades prior. He wasn't a stupid man, he could read and write, but possessed nothing someone with a college degree would have entering the job field in the late 2010s:
Computer skills, customer service, administrative support and technical support skills. Experience with Microsoft Office, nor any sort of background working in an office or formalized job setting of any kind.
Instead, he spent his time in what was called 'the yard.'
Near a Home Depot, men looking for some freelance construction stood around battered trucks with all sorts of equipment. As powerful as they were, Kreese's own two hands were all he could bring.
"Okay um," a man with a red pickup truck and a cap showed up with a neatly trimmed beard. "You two, you and you. And uh, you too old timer. Why not?" he added a smile.
He didn't grumble, why should he?
Kreese was lucky, someone actually drove by, and not only that, chose him for work.
The man in charge of the operation was named Benny, he obviously paid in cash and the work was equal parts straightforward and back breaking. He offered the worst neighborhoods of Los Angeles construction, maintenance, and general lawn and building work on the cheap. Kreese had dealt with men like Benny all his life, but had the street smarts and experience to know just by looking at him and how he interacted with his customers, that Kreese was in fact was going to actually get paid for his work: another luck factor.
Kreese had the muscle strength and experience in this sort of work, moving around old cinder blocks, worn out refrigerators and other such things, that he wasn't weak by any means. However, he strongly lacked the stamina and endurance of younger men who were just starting out in this field.
His lack of proper nutrition and rest in recent weeks only added to this. John Kreese was working himself practically to the point of blacking out in the June sun just for enough cash to last the rest of the week.
Benny dropped Kreese off on the corner of a small street near his shelter in Pacoima.
"Nice job today, you worked a lot better than I would've expected."
Not knowing how to respond, Kreese merely nodded.
As he walked away and the truck drove off, Kreese wondered how to feel. This had actually been the first bit of good news he'd had in months, actual work.
...
It didn't last long.
A week and a half later, Kreese's boss of sorts, Benny, had to shut down his entire business when his two partners had legal and financial troubles, and were forced to sell off all the trucks and equipment they used.
John Kreese quickly realized that there were little alternatives.
He walked into the Veteran Affairs office in Sherwood Forest.
"Military ID card please."
The clerk behind the desk with a glass pane was handed Kreese's card when it was his turn in line.
"Okay Mr. Kreese, how can I help you today?" the VA official didn't seem to mind that it was expired.
"My GI bill, I was wondering if there was any sort of veteran's benefits I was still eligible for?" he asked calmly.
"Well let's see. Your tours during the 1960s and early 70s already exhausted the benefits they set aside."
"And that special operative from the 1980s?"
"I'm afraid your local congressman didn't permit renewal for that specific program."
Kreese nodded quietly.
"I know your doctors have to do a screening first, but is it possible to re-enlist?"
"As dated as your records are, you're one of the top rated officers who served in your unit. However that can't change our rules," The clerk shook his head and spoke kindly. "You served almost twenty years under both Special Forces and the main branch of the Army. Your enlistment age is technically around fifty or so, you're well over the limit."
Kreese thanked the clerk. He held his anger in check.
"Don't you want your-"
"Keep it."
...
The Benny of next week was far less kind than the newer one.
Constantly on his Bluetooth, less likable overall and focused on his work and being fair, he also paid even less somehow and less frequently.
"Hey Branchosaurus!" the foreman said sitting on a box sipping some beer.
Kreese turned, making a face before he turned around and put his work away.
"Yes?"
"Yeah you, get over here. Don't break your last hip on the way over here."
Every step from Kreese was with pure calm.
"You can't work next week's shift for the last hour of every day."
Kreese was confused. "What're you talking about? I show up on time, I do all-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, ba ahabb bababa," the less friendly Benny said. "My higher ups tossed me some bullshit about possibly getting sued for hiring someone uh. Your age."
Kreese bought the story as much as someone with his experience in freelance worked tended to, but said nothing. He held his anger.
"Either way, you're on barrow duty. Hop to it, I see you slack and it's the whole week I cut instead."
Kreese turned around, picking up a wheelbarrow laden with bricks, and starting to ferry it up some supported walkways towards the rooftops where other workers were. In scorching early summer sun, for hours.
...
"Pronouns for the differently abled are misconstrued every day!"
Kreese was ignoring the speech a woman with dyed red hair was giving at the podium at a city council meeting.
"Councilperson Roberts, how dare the Great Bakers on Fifth Avenue deny my aunt her favorite loaves of spiced donuts because she's to quote them. Not able to walk right into their store?"
The woman city council member calmly replied. "We have precise legislation over how private companies can install the right measurements to their buildings to allow the disabled to enter them properly."
"But my aunt was insulted! Everyone on my Instagram is helping sign my petition right now." the girl showed them her phone. "All over this side of the valley, no one is using the right ways to respect or address minorities! My boyfriend got called a travesty for not conforming to gender norms at a restaurant. It's a micro and macroaggression of the lowest sort!"
Looking like she already lost her patience, Roberts looked aside. "I'm afraid that's all the time we've allowed for you today."
A security guard or official in charge of allowing everyone their turn was heeded aside. The young woman who was speaking didn't even flinch, just turned and threw her hands up, walking away.
"Next."
Kreese took the podium and spoke quietly. "My name is John Kreese, I'm a local veteran of the United States military. I did tours in Vietnam, as well as re-assignment in Korea."
"Thank you for your service, how can we help you today?" Roberts shifted some papers aside, looking at him.
"It's difficult for me to explain this. But there is no advocate for homeless veterans today at all."
"I can make sure you're given all the necessary avenues to contact Unemployment Insurance or Veterinary Affairs, as well as any other resources to contact who you may need."
Kreese gulped, blinking hard. "I've tried them."
There was some silence, Kreese was trying to explain.
"Everyone I met on the street who was released from the army runs into the same problems. Doctors refuse re-enlistment or any sort of benefit eligibility based on mental health screening, while there are no ways to counsel them. Nor find the right ways to get them work. Three of my last employers still have outstanding debts to me based on phony checkstubs, but because we can't report these things properly by the computers. We're left all alone, to our own devices."
Roberts was curious. "You say everyone you met. What do you mean?"
"I mean two of the men I served with. About a dozen others of all sorts, their addictions, their losses became too much for some. They either all disappeared or I've um. I've seen them pass."
"I'm confused though." Roberts fixed her glasses. "What exactly are you asking for?"
"A way for veterans like myself to find proper work, we can't prove discrimination nor contact anyone at the state or elsewhere. Without a heck of a lot of time, and most of the time, knowledge of technology."
"You could go into an American Job Center, they have people with the ability to teach you how to use a computer for what you're asking for."
Kreese nodded. "I'm afraid, when I can catch the right bus. Those offices tend to have long lines, and the nice folks there can only get help for state benefits by calling other phone numbers. And those of which, are also busy, and when I can reach someone. They can't help."
"Mr. Kreese-"
"I'm not tired of sleeping on benches for the last few decades. Maybe behind a nice empty store when I can find the time and place for it. I'm not tired of only manual labor positions, nor the difficulty of finding food or shelter of any kind. I promise you, as old as I am, I'm not tired. All I'm asking for is that the state do its part, to improve the services they've already had."
"We're doing our best."
"I'm sure you are. I'm not here for myself, but mainly for all the people I've met who the system failed after they left the military," said Kreese. "I don't think we're owed much. Just the right chance. Thank you for your time."
"And you as well."
Kreese left the podium, barely rubbing his chin to let the next person speak.
Outside, as Kreese was able to use a water fountain, a man offered him twenty dollars in cash.
"It was a nice speech, I think what you said was fair."
"You misunderstood. What I needed wasn't charity, just what I was owed."
Kreese nodded slightly out of respect to the man, before he left down the street.
...
The bus ride would take the entire day, he knew that, but Kreese went out towards Quartz Hill, he was that desperate.
From the 'old days' Kreese only knew one person who could help him.
He'd considered Terry Silver, even found his business address by borrowing someone's newspaper, but settled on someone else instead.
Kreese entered a karate dojo, its symbol was a triangle with the Korean and American flags tied beneath by a fist labeled 'American Tang Soo Do'. The dojo was large enough for two full size mats, a large waiting area, and mirrors all around. The class was mainly black belts, practicing forms in perfectly neat rows.
"Good kiai!"
The instructor was a bald man a few years older than Kreese himself. He was a bit short, but the respect he commanded was undeniable. However, he was kind to his students.
"Move your foot just a bit more to the left Tracey."
"Yes Sensei!" the girl said.
"Strike again."
She did so with a strong yell. "Aiya!" she roared.
"Nice job."
"Thank you Sensei."
When Pat E Johnson reached the end of the lines, he froze. As if he had seen a ghost, the man actually froze where he stood.
"Er, Assistant Sensei Brad."
"Yes Sensei?"
"Lead sparring, class ends early."
"Yes Sensei."
Everyone's hands snapped to their side, at Charyot. They bowed and Pat dismissed them.
Pat walked up to Kreese. "What can I do for you?"
"Well I was hoping for-"
"An apology." Pat crossed his hands together. "From you I mean, I have nothing to apologize for."
"How've you been Sensei Johnson? You hung up the referee uniform to go back to teaching?"
"Karate's students matter more than any competition. If only you'd known that, perhaps those boys would've made for fine Senseis of their own someday."
Kreese looked around the dojo. "I had no idea you were still involved."
"Retirement didn't suit me, I'll be letting Ronald and Bradley take over fulltime soon though. What're you here for?"
"To ask for help."
Pat raised an eyebrow. "Help? You want my help? After what you pulled?"
"What Terry and I put you through was-"
Kreese looked around.
"Perhaps we should speak in private."
Pat agreed. "We should."
...
Kreese listened to Pat carefully, the door closed, students wearing head, foot, and hand protectors sparring through the window in Pat's door behind him.
"The All Valley banned you for a reason. I made sure you were banned." Pat pointed to himself.
"I know, I'm here to apologize for that, I-"
"You tried sending bribes to my house. When that didn't work, thinly veiled threats." Pat then pointed to Kreese.
Kreese sighed. "That was Terry, I never would've allowed that to happen."
"Right. I disqualified Bobby Brown for what he did on your orders, jumping onto LaRusso's knee unprovoked. How is what you did any different."
Kreese shrugged. "Then why not disqualify Cobra Kai altogether? The final went on as planned."
"Because Johnny deserved a fair chance. Same as anyone else who competed at the All Valley, everyone deserved a fair shot." Pat leaned back, crossing his arms. "You ruined that fair shot with Bobby, with Johnny. And worse than any of them, Mike Barnes."
Kreese was silent, seeing the expression of sadness on Pat's face.
"That night haunted me for years John. I didn't care if LaRusso won or lost, same as with the year before. It was about the principle. I was forced to let Barnes do whatever he wanted, or myself and my students would have to pay the consequences. And for the first time in thirty years I get the chance to hear anything about it again, and you ask for help!?"
"I apologize for it." Kreese said calmly. "I've been trying to turn over a new leaf of sorts."
"Is that true?"
"You must've heard of Luke Schwarber."
Pat nodded. "Of course I did. Had to audit his record breaking with some papers I still have in my desk on the All Valleys before they started coming up with some sort of commemoration for him."
"The trophy wasn't enough?"
"Nah it was gonna be something small, I'm still not sure."
Kreese spoke. "He was my student."
"No kidding. Is he here to prove that? It'd be able to help your case."
Kreese frowned.
Pat chuckled. "Oh I don't blame him."
"Daniel LaRusso got involved, look I was just-"
"You you you. You stayed you." Pat shrugged, scoffing. "Even if he was your student, I'm not inclined to ask him how he taught under you. What the circumstances were, and so forth. And by the way, what sort of help could I even give you? I can't lift the ban on the All Valley."
"If the full story about the '85 All Valley came out, your name would be tarnished forever."
"Is that a threat?"
"Quite the opposite. Your debt would be paid."
Pat shook his head. "That's not how debts work. Regardless, again, what help do you need?"
"Your word carries a lot of weight. You can help me find a job."
"Doing what?"
"What I do best. Teaching."
Pat leaned forward slowly. "Get out John."
"Sensei Pat, listen, I-"
"Get. Out."
"Can you hear me out first?"
"Let's say, hypothetically, Schwarber was your student. So? It only proves you aimed to train him physically at the least. That he only understood karate's competition side better than anyone. I have no idea about the rest when it comes to him, the parts that matter just as much."
"You want to do a full evaluation of his karate, of who he is? He's no slouch in those areas either." Kreese said, as if he was still his student, proud of him.
"No, what I'm saying is your actions aren't matching up to your words. You come in, saying you've turned in a new leaf. New student, new champion, new you. But so far, what else have you done?"
Kreese was quiet, he didn't fully disagree with the point Pat was making.
Pat continued to explain, leaning on his desk on his elbows. "You've been doing nothing new John. Nothing for the past, almost thirty years. As far as I'm concerned, you're the exact same person I knew."
"How is that possible?"
"Because no student turns their back on the right Sensei, champion or otherwise. You must've turned your back on him too, or else I think he would be here."
"His situation is complicated, but we can-"
"You'll have to figure it out on your own." said Pat, putting his foot down. "I actually do believe that kid was your student. He fully understood a physical aspect to sparring that I hadn't seen since you were still around. But for that reason, I can never again help you in any sort of way John."
"Why's that?" Kreese squinted at him.
"You let your reputation proceed you, you let your teachings, likely push that kid away from you. When karate becomes your life, your life, takes away from the karate." said Pat. "It will always cost you. You have a new chance John, a way to make a difference in the lives of the children of the Valley for the better. If you had been the man you're telling me you are, wiser and kinder, and better, you would've kept his trust. Or at least, he'd be here."
Pat leaned back in his chair, raising a quick eyebrow. "Even for old times sake, if I could try to find a job teaching for you. Given your history, no one would let you near their students."
"Thanks." Kreese said bitterly, starting to leave.
With his hand on the doorknob, Kreese paused.
"I'm truly sorry. For what it's worth, you were always a great judge."
"I don't think I'll ever forgive you for getting in the way of that then. You were a disgrace to the karate community back in the day, and now, you still appear to be the same person."
And now, Kreese held his anger in check.
Kreese frowned, exiting the dojo office quietly.
...
John Kreese was facing week three of how New Benny was treating him.
The younger workers would just topple Kreese's wheelbarrows from time to time. Move his lunch and his things around, tease him like their boss.
Kreese knew he couldn't retaliate, the first time he'd ever asked for anything politely was when he spoke to Roberts at the city council meeting.
"Hey Gramps."
Kreese breathed in tightly, dropping the wheelbarrow lightly and turning around, walking towards New Benny.
The man grinned painfully, spreading his hands. "I'm afraid you're fired."
"What're you talking about?"
"Come on, you're twice the age of anyone here." he muttered, not even wearing a hard hat around the construction site, well out of any work zone in the shade with some lemonade. "Shows in your productivity."
"And I work twice as hard."
"True as that may be, I'm only facing a lawsuit and more scrutiny from my boss the longer you stay here. Afraid I'm gonna have to let you go."
Kreese sighed. "You still haven't paid me for last week."
"Yeah you left your walker at home most of those days. Didn't help us move the weight we needed, we fell short when the building owner came through. You earned less than we agreed." New Benny snorted at him. "Trust me, soon as you can figure out how an email works. How about you send your congress person a message?"
He started laughing at him, the other workers joined in too.
Kreese held in his anger...
....for about, twenty seconds.
John Kreese unleashed a beating on his previous boss the likes of which he hadn't dished out in decades. A bigger foreman in the construction yard, shocked, began to step forward, a single glare from Kreese was enough to get him to freeze. As New Benny spat out some blood, Kreese gripped his collar growling into his face.
"You made a mistake making a cash only paper trail to pay us all." he growled, hissing with anger. "Harder for the cops to follow."
John stopped beating him about an inch from his life. And then, he reached into New Benny's pocket, and withdrew all the cash he could find on him.
"Thanks for the advance."
He threw the empty wallet onto the man, and began to walk away, the entire construction yard having frozen in shock.
Kreese began to walk away, he didn't even smile.
...
He found himself at a park bench, having barely scraped together enough to purchase some bus tickets. His main goal for weeks, and it was finally accomplished.
His old boss' blood was still on his knuckles. The man's creed was No Mercy, and yet for a moment he appeared remorseful.
He was remembering what it was like training Lucas, they were sitting on a nearby park bench.
...
"Isn't that kind of cliche?"
"What do you mean?" asked Kreese.
"Feeding ducks with some bread. Isn't that like, exactly what older people are supposed to do when they go to a park?"
Kreese, normally a violent and merciless person, was actually amused by a younger Lucas' words almost a year prior.
"You show no fear with comments like that." Kreese watched all the ducks shrink back into the pond when the feeding stopped.
"Fear does not exist."
"True."
"I'm not supposed to fear you either."
Kreese turned, a bit curious, putting the paper bag filled with bread crumbs back in his lap. "Really? Why's that?"
"You told me how you lost the All Valley. Isn't that why your students lost? Because they feared you more than anything?"
Kreese was pensive.
"One day, after you've competed. I'll tell you why I really lost the All Valley against LaRusso."
"What's your biggest fear?"
Kreese looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"Your biggest fear. You tell me pain does not exist, mercy does not exist, defeat does not exist. All of it. How does that make sense? Aren't fears real? Everyone has to be afraid of something, even if they're super tough."
"You first," said Kreese. "What's your biggest fear?"
Lucas shrugged a bit. "My family I guess. They're literally I got, if I never get good at anything. I'll just be left out."
Kreese snorted. "Interesting. Then I suppose we have the same fear."
"And that is?"
"Being mediocre, mediocrity."
"So then, fear does exist."
"You're missing the lesson." explained Kreese, nodding when he leaned onto his knees, still sitting on the park bench. "Fear, is a human thing. The idea is supposed to be like a cobra, fearless. You turn your fears into your strength. All of your anger, your pain, your need to improve and prove yourself." he nodded quickly to Lucas. "That becomes your weapon, you strike in control of all those emotions. You strike with all your heart, but by being heartless."
"You told me to put my heart into everything."
Kreese looked around at the trees, then Lucas. "I did."
"If you were being heartless when all of your students competed at the All Valley. How did you lose?"
"I still needed to improve." explained Kreese. "As do you. That's why I'm here, teaching you. So you can improve, to pass on the lessons someday."
"Really? I wasn't aware we were still in class."
Kreese exhaled quickly, putting his hands together and glancing at him. "What you learn never ends. Cobra Kai never dies. That's not just a motto, that's a promise. You dedicate yourself to the way of the fist at all costs. A man confronts you, he is the enemy. Anywhere he confronts you in life, in the street, competition. But it doesn't just apply to fighting."
Lucas nodded quietly.
"You have to be solid as stone to be prepared for whatever life throws at you."
"Is that why you had me breaking those bricks?"
Kreese noticed the boy couldn't lean his elbows on any of the armrest on the metal park bench.
"The bruises will heal in time." he nodded, Lucas was doing whatever he could to hide his pain, that was the lesson. "But you, you will stay strong forever. The class, being physically inside the dojo, is temporary."
Lucas understood. "But the lesson is forever."
"Yes." Kreese nodded, barely smiling.
...
Kreese looked up from his fists, still bloody.
Now, he didn't appear empty anymore before he planned to leave the Valley forever.
He'd be doing it on a high note, from the smile on his face, the smug pride:
John Kreese was glad at least once, he'd been able to create another champion since Johnny Lawrence in the ways of Cobra Kai.
...
...
...
Author's Note:
Johnny and Daniel focused interlude before the story begins again? Either way, I tried to establish that Pat Johnson was likely threatened or blackmailed into the refereeing decisions he made at the end of the third Karate Kid. The judges in Cobra Kai Season 4 were, spoilers, paid off by Silver, so him trying during Karate Kid III wouldn't be that far fetched. Thank you all for reading, and stay safe everyone. Peace.
This chapter is dedicated to Pat E. Johnson, a man who was as vital to the success and brilliance of the original Karate Kid as Mr. Miyagi and the directors and writers of the films. May he rest in peace. He will make an appearance in this chapter, even a small cameo, because during this time period of the show's filming right around season 1 of Cobra Kai, he was still alive.
I hope I can portray his wisdom as a martial artist properly in this chapter.
...
John Kreese lived a life with no life.
He woke up, and got what passed for breakfast served at the homeless shelter. He hadn't shaved since the tournament, nor barely had a chance to shower. He ate what little he could find, and work was just as difficult for an aging man like himself as anything else.
Kreese had little to no skills beyond sparse karate instruction during the early 80s, while he was an incredible soldier, the war he fought in ended decades prior. He wasn't a stupid man, he could read and write, but possessed nothing someone with a college degree would have entering the job field in the late 2010s:
Computer skills, customer service, administrative support and technical support skills. Experience with Microsoft Office, nor any sort of background working in an office or formalized job setting of any kind.
Instead, he spent his time in what was called 'the yard.'
Near a Home Depot, men looking for some freelance construction stood around battered trucks with all sorts of equipment. As powerful as they were, Kreese's own two hands were all he could bring.
"Okay um," a man with a red pickup truck and a cap showed up with a neatly trimmed beard. "You two, you and you. And uh, you too old timer. Why not?" he added a smile.
He didn't grumble, why should he?
Kreese was lucky, someone actually drove by, and not only that, chose him for work.
The man in charge of the operation was named Benny, he obviously paid in cash and the work was equal parts straightforward and back breaking. He offered the worst neighborhoods of Los Angeles construction, maintenance, and general lawn and building work on the cheap. Kreese had dealt with men like Benny all his life, but had the street smarts and experience to know just by looking at him and how he interacted with his customers, that Kreese was in fact was going to actually get paid for his work: another luck factor.
Kreese had the muscle strength and experience in this sort of work, moving around old cinder blocks, worn out refrigerators and other such things, that he wasn't weak by any means. However, he strongly lacked the stamina and endurance of younger men who were just starting out in this field.
His lack of proper nutrition and rest in recent weeks only added to this. John Kreese was working himself practically to the point of blacking out in the June sun just for enough cash to last the rest of the week.
Benny dropped Kreese off on the corner of a small street near his shelter in Pacoima.
"Nice job today, you worked a lot better than I would've expected."
Not knowing how to respond, Kreese merely nodded.
As he walked away and the truck drove off, Kreese wondered how to feel. This had actually been the first bit of good news he'd had in months, actual work.
...
It didn't last long.
A week and a half later, Kreese's boss of sorts, Benny, had to shut down his entire business when his two partners had legal and financial troubles, and were forced to sell off all the trucks and equipment they used.
John Kreese quickly realized that there were little alternatives.
He walked into the Veteran Affairs office in Sherwood Forest.
"Military ID card please."
The clerk behind the desk with a glass pane was handed Kreese's card when it was his turn in line.
"Okay Mr. Kreese, how can I help you today?" the VA official didn't seem to mind that it was expired.
"My GI bill, I was wondering if there was any sort of veteran's benefits I was still eligible for?" he asked calmly.
"Well let's see. Your tours during the 1960s and early 70s already exhausted the benefits they set aside."
"And that special operative from the 1980s?"
"I'm afraid your local congressman didn't permit renewal for that specific program."
Kreese nodded quietly.
"I know your doctors have to do a screening first, but is it possible to re-enlist?"
"As dated as your records are, you're one of the top rated officers who served in your unit. However that can't change our rules," The clerk shook his head and spoke kindly. "You served almost twenty years under both Special Forces and the main branch of the Army. Your enlistment age is technically around fifty or so, you're well over the limit."
Kreese thanked the clerk. He held his anger in check.
"Don't you want your-"
"Keep it."
...
The Benny of next week was far less kind than the newer one.
Constantly on his Bluetooth, less likable overall and focused on his work and being fair, he also paid even less somehow and less frequently.
"Hey Branchosaurus!" the foreman said sitting on a box sipping some beer.
Kreese turned, making a face before he turned around and put his work away.
"Yes?"
"Yeah you, get over here. Don't break your last hip on the way over here."
Every step from Kreese was with pure calm.
"You can't work next week's shift for the last hour of every day."
Kreese was confused. "What're you talking about? I show up on time, I do all-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, ba ahabb bababa," the less friendly Benny said. "My higher ups tossed me some bullshit about possibly getting sued for hiring someone uh. Your age."
Kreese bought the story as much as someone with his experience in freelance worked tended to, but said nothing. He held his anger.
"Either way, you're on barrow duty. Hop to it, I see you slack and it's the whole week I cut instead."
Kreese turned around, picking up a wheelbarrow laden with bricks, and starting to ferry it up some supported walkways towards the rooftops where other workers were. In scorching early summer sun, for hours.
...
"Pronouns for the differently abled are misconstrued every day!"
Kreese was ignoring the speech a woman with dyed red hair was giving at the podium at a city council meeting.
"Councilperson Roberts, how dare the Great Bakers on Fifth Avenue deny my aunt her favorite loaves of spiced donuts because she's to quote them. Not able to walk right into their store?"
The woman city council member calmly replied. "We have precise legislation over how private companies can install the right measurements to their buildings to allow the disabled to enter them properly."
"But my aunt was insulted! Everyone on my Instagram is helping sign my petition right now." the girl showed them her phone. "All over this side of the valley, no one is using the right ways to respect or address minorities! My boyfriend got called a travesty for not conforming to gender norms at a restaurant. It's a micro and macroaggression of the lowest sort!"
Looking like she already lost her patience, Roberts looked aside. "I'm afraid that's all the time we've allowed for you today."
A security guard or official in charge of allowing everyone their turn was heeded aside. The young woman who was speaking didn't even flinch, just turned and threw her hands up, walking away.
"Next."
Kreese took the podium and spoke quietly. "My name is John Kreese, I'm a local veteran of the United States military. I did tours in Vietnam, as well as re-assignment in Korea."
"Thank you for your service, how can we help you today?" Roberts shifted some papers aside, looking at him.
"It's difficult for me to explain this. But there is no advocate for homeless veterans today at all."
"I can make sure you're given all the necessary avenues to contact Unemployment Insurance or Veterinary Affairs, as well as any other resources to contact who you may need."
Kreese gulped, blinking hard. "I've tried them."
There was some silence, Kreese was trying to explain.
"Everyone I met on the street who was released from the army runs into the same problems. Doctors refuse re-enlistment or any sort of benefit eligibility based on mental health screening, while there are no ways to counsel them. Nor find the right ways to get them work. Three of my last employers still have outstanding debts to me based on phony checkstubs, but because we can't report these things properly by the computers. We're left all alone, to our own devices."
Roberts was curious. "You say everyone you met. What do you mean?"
"I mean two of the men I served with. About a dozen others of all sorts, their addictions, their losses became too much for some. They either all disappeared or I've um. I've seen them pass."
"I'm confused though." Roberts fixed her glasses. "What exactly are you asking for?"
"A way for veterans like myself to find proper work, we can't prove discrimination nor contact anyone at the state or elsewhere. Without a heck of a lot of time, and most of the time, knowledge of technology."
"You could go into an American Job Center, they have people with the ability to teach you how to use a computer for what you're asking for."
Kreese nodded. "I'm afraid, when I can catch the right bus. Those offices tend to have long lines, and the nice folks there can only get help for state benefits by calling other phone numbers. And those of which, are also busy, and when I can reach someone. They can't help."
"Mr. Kreese-"
"I'm not tired of sleeping on benches for the last few decades. Maybe behind a nice empty store when I can find the time and place for it. I'm not tired of only manual labor positions, nor the difficulty of finding food or shelter of any kind. I promise you, as old as I am, I'm not tired. All I'm asking for is that the state do its part, to improve the services they've already had."
"We're doing our best."
"I'm sure you are. I'm not here for myself, but mainly for all the people I've met who the system failed after they left the military," said Kreese. "I don't think we're owed much. Just the right chance. Thank you for your time."
"And you as well."
Kreese left the podium, barely rubbing his chin to let the next person speak.
Outside, as Kreese was able to use a water fountain, a man offered him twenty dollars in cash.
"It was a nice speech, I think what you said was fair."
"You misunderstood. What I needed wasn't charity, just what I was owed."
Kreese nodded slightly out of respect to the man, before he left down the street.
...
The bus ride would take the entire day, he knew that, but Kreese went out towards Quartz Hill, he was that desperate.
From the 'old days' Kreese only knew one person who could help him.
He'd considered Terry Silver, even found his business address by borrowing someone's newspaper, but settled on someone else instead.
Kreese entered a karate dojo, its symbol was a triangle with the Korean and American flags tied beneath by a fist labeled 'American Tang Soo Do'. The dojo was large enough for two full size mats, a large waiting area, and mirrors all around. The class was mainly black belts, practicing forms in perfectly neat rows.
"Good kiai!"
The instructor was a bald man a few years older than Kreese himself. He was a bit short, but the respect he commanded was undeniable. However, he was kind to his students.
"Move your foot just a bit more to the left Tracey."
"Yes Sensei!" the girl said.
"Strike again."
She did so with a strong yell. "Aiya!" she roared.
"Nice job."
"Thank you Sensei."
When Pat E Johnson reached the end of the lines, he froze. As if he had seen a ghost, the man actually froze where he stood.
"Er, Assistant Sensei Brad."
"Yes Sensei?"
"Lead sparring, class ends early."
"Yes Sensei."
Everyone's hands snapped to their side, at Charyot. They bowed and Pat dismissed them.
Pat walked up to Kreese. "What can I do for you?"
"Well I was hoping for-"
"An apology." Pat crossed his hands together. "From you I mean, I have nothing to apologize for."
"How've you been Sensei Johnson? You hung up the referee uniform to go back to teaching?"
"Karate's students matter more than any competition. If only you'd known that, perhaps those boys would've made for fine Senseis of their own someday."
Kreese looked around the dojo. "I had no idea you were still involved."
"Retirement didn't suit me, I'll be letting Ronald and Bradley take over fulltime soon though. What're you here for?"
"To ask for help."
Pat raised an eyebrow. "Help? You want my help? After what you pulled?"
"What Terry and I put you through was-"
Kreese looked around.
"Perhaps we should speak in private."
Pat agreed. "We should."
...
Kreese listened to Pat carefully, the door closed, students wearing head, foot, and hand protectors sparring through the window in Pat's door behind him.
"The All Valley banned you for a reason. I made sure you were banned." Pat pointed to himself.
"I know, I'm here to apologize for that, I-"
"You tried sending bribes to my house. When that didn't work, thinly veiled threats." Pat then pointed to Kreese.
Kreese sighed. "That was Terry, I never would've allowed that to happen."
"Right. I disqualified Bobby Brown for what he did on your orders, jumping onto LaRusso's knee unprovoked. How is what you did any different."
Kreese shrugged. "Then why not disqualify Cobra Kai altogether? The final went on as planned."
"Because Johnny deserved a fair chance. Same as anyone else who competed at the All Valley, everyone deserved a fair shot." Pat leaned back, crossing his arms. "You ruined that fair shot with Bobby, with Johnny. And worse than any of them, Mike Barnes."
Kreese was silent, seeing the expression of sadness on Pat's face.
"That night haunted me for years John. I didn't care if LaRusso won or lost, same as with the year before. It was about the principle. I was forced to let Barnes do whatever he wanted, or myself and my students would have to pay the consequences. And for the first time in thirty years I get the chance to hear anything about it again, and you ask for help!?"
"I apologize for it." Kreese said calmly. "I've been trying to turn over a new leaf of sorts."
"Is that true?"
"You must've heard of Luke Schwarber."
Pat nodded. "Of course I did. Had to audit his record breaking with some papers I still have in my desk on the All Valleys before they started coming up with some sort of commemoration for him."
"The trophy wasn't enough?"
"Nah it was gonna be something small, I'm still not sure."
Kreese spoke. "He was my student."
"No kidding. Is he here to prove that? It'd be able to help your case."
Kreese frowned.
Pat chuckled. "Oh I don't blame him."
"Daniel LaRusso got involved, look I was just-"
"You you you. You stayed you." Pat shrugged, scoffing. "Even if he was your student, I'm not inclined to ask him how he taught under you. What the circumstances were, and so forth. And by the way, what sort of help could I even give you? I can't lift the ban on the All Valley."
"If the full story about the '85 All Valley came out, your name would be tarnished forever."
"Is that a threat?"
"Quite the opposite. Your debt would be paid."
Pat shook his head. "That's not how debts work. Regardless, again, what help do you need?"
"Your word carries a lot of weight. You can help me find a job."
"Doing what?"
"What I do best. Teaching."
Pat leaned forward slowly. "Get out John."
"Sensei Pat, listen, I-"
"Get. Out."
"Can you hear me out first?"
"Let's say, hypothetically, Schwarber was your student. So? It only proves you aimed to train him physically at the least. That he only understood karate's competition side better than anyone. I have no idea about the rest when it comes to him, the parts that matter just as much."
"You want to do a full evaluation of his karate, of who he is? He's no slouch in those areas either." Kreese said, as if he was still his student, proud of him.
"No, what I'm saying is your actions aren't matching up to your words. You come in, saying you've turned in a new leaf. New student, new champion, new you. But so far, what else have you done?"
Kreese was quiet, he didn't fully disagree with the point Pat was making.
Pat continued to explain, leaning on his desk on his elbows. "You've been doing nothing new John. Nothing for the past, almost thirty years. As far as I'm concerned, you're the exact same person I knew."
"How is that possible?"
"Because no student turns their back on the right Sensei, champion or otherwise. You must've turned your back on him too, or else I think he would be here."
"His situation is complicated, but we can-"
"You'll have to figure it out on your own." said Pat, putting his foot down. "I actually do believe that kid was your student. He fully understood a physical aspect to sparring that I hadn't seen since you were still around. But for that reason, I can never again help you in any sort of way John."
"Why's that?" Kreese squinted at him.
"You let your reputation proceed you, you let your teachings, likely push that kid away from you. When karate becomes your life, your life, takes away from the karate." said Pat. "It will always cost you. You have a new chance John, a way to make a difference in the lives of the children of the Valley for the better. If you had been the man you're telling me you are, wiser and kinder, and better, you would've kept his trust. Or at least, he'd be here."
Pat leaned back in his chair, raising a quick eyebrow. "Even for old times sake, if I could try to find a job teaching for you. Given your history, no one would let you near their students."
"Thanks." Kreese said bitterly, starting to leave.
With his hand on the doorknob, Kreese paused.
"I'm truly sorry. For what it's worth, you were always a great judge."
"I don't think I'll ever forgive you for getting in the way of that then. You were a disgrace to the karate community back in the day, and now, you still appear to be the same person."
And now, Kreese held his anger in check.
Kreese frowned, exiting the dojo office quietly.
...
John Kreese was facing week three of how New Benny was treating him.
The younger workers would just topple Kreese's wheelbarrows from time to time. Move his lunch and his things around, tease him like their boss.
Kreese knew he couldn't retaliate, the first time he'd ever asked for anything politely was when he spoke to Roberts at the city council meeting.
"Hey Gramps."
Kreese breathed in tightly, dropping the wheelbarrow lightly and turning around, walking towards New Benny.
The man grinned painfully, spreading his hands. "I'm afraid you're fired."
"What're you talking about?"
"Come on, you're twice the age of anyone here." he muttered, not even wearing a hard hat around the construction site, well out of any work zone in the shade with some lemonade. "Shows in your productivity."
"And I work twice as hard."
"True as that may be, I'm only facing a lawsuit and more scrutiny from my boss the longer you stay here. Afraid I'm gonna have to let you go."
Kreese sighed. "You still haven't paid me for last week."
"Yeah you left your walker at home most of those days. Didn't help us move the weight we needed, we fell short when the building owner came through. You earned less than we agreed." New Benny snorted at him. "Trust me, soon as you can figure out how an email works. How about you send your congress person a message?"
He started laughing at him, the other workers joined in too.
Kreese held in his anger...
....for about, twenty seconds.
John Kreese unleashed a beating on his previous boss the likes of which he hadn't dished out in decades. A bigger foreman in the construction yard, shocked, began to step forward, a single glare from Kreese was enough to get him to freeze. As New Benny spat out some blood, Kreese gripped his collar growling into his face.
"You made a mistake making a cash only paper trail to pay us all." he growled, hissing with anger. "Harder for the cops to follow."
John stopped beating him about an inch from his life. And then, he reached into New Benny's pocket, and withdrew all the cash he could find on him.
"Thanks for the advance."
He threw the empty wallet onto the man, and began to walk away, the entire construction yard having frozen in shock.
Kreese began to walk away, he didn't even smile.
...
He found himself at a park bench, having barely scraped together enough to purchase some bus tickets. His main goal for weeks, and it was finally accomplished.
His old boss' blood was still on his knuckles. The man's creed was No Mercy, and yet for a moment he appeared remorseful.
He was remembering what it was like training Lucas, they were sitting on a nearby park bench.
...
"Isn't that kind of cliche?"
"What do you mean?" asked Kreese.
"Feeding ducks with some bread. Isn't that like, exactly what older people are supposed to do when they go to a park?"
Kreese, normally a violent and merciless person, was actually amused by a younger Lucas' words almost a year prior.
"You show no fear with comments like that." Kreese watched all the ducks shrink back into the pond when the feeding stopped.
"Fear does not exist."
"True."
"I'm not supposed to fear you either."
Kreese turned, a bit curious, putting the paper bag filled with bread crumbs back in his lap. "Really? Why's that?"
"You told me how you lost the All Valley. Isn't that why your students lost? Because they feared you more than anything?"
Kreese was pensive.
"One day, after you've competed. I'll tell you why I really lost the All Valley against LaRusso."
"What's your biggest fear?"
Kreese looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"Your biggest fear. You tell me pain does not exist, mercy does not exist, defeat does not exist. All of it. How does that make sense? Aren't fears real? Everyone has to be afraid of something, even if they're super tough."
"You first," said Kreese. "What's your biggest fear?"
Lucas shrugged a bit. "My family I guess. They're literally I got, if I never get good at anything. I'll just be left out."
Kreese snorted. "Interesting. Then I suppose we have the same fear."
"And that is?"
"Being mediocre, mediocrity."
"So then, fear does exist."
"You're missing the lesson." explained Kreese, nodding when he leaned onto his knees, still sitting on the park bench. "Fear, is a human thing. The idea is supposed to be like a cobra, fearless. You turn your fears into your strength. All of your anger, your pain, your need to improve and prove yourself." he nodded quickly to Lucas. "That becomes your weapon, you strike in control of all those emotions. You strike with all your heart, but by being heartless."
"You told me to put my heart into everything."
Kreese looked around at the trees, then Lucas. "I did."
"If you were being heartless when all of your students competed at the All Valley. How did you lose?"
"I still needed to improve." explained Kreese. "As do you. That's why I'm here, teaching you. So you can improve, to pass on the lessons someday."
"Really? I wasn't aware we were still in class."
Kreese exhaled quickly, putting his hands together and glancing at him. "What you learn never ends. Cobra Kai never dies. That's not just a motto, that's a promise. You dedicate yourself to the way of the fist at all costs. A man confronts you, he is the enemy. Anywhere he confronts you in life, in the street, competition. But it doesn't just apply to fighting."
Lucas nodded quietly.
"You have to be solid as stone to be prepared for whatever life throws at you."
"Is that why you had me breaking those bricks?"
Kreese noticed the boy couldn't lean his elbows on any of the armrest on the metal park bench.
"The bruises will heal in time." he nodded, Lucas was doing whatever he could to hide his pain, that was the lesson. "But you, you will stay strong forever. The class, being physically inside the dojo, is temporary."
Lucas understood. "But the lesson is forever."
"Yes." Kreese nodded, barely smiling.
...
Kreese looked up from his fists, still bloody.
Now, he didn't appear empty anymore before he planned to leave the Valley forever.
He'd be doing it on a high note, from the smile on his face, the smug pride:
John Kreese was glad at least once, he'd been able to create another champion since Johnny Lawrence in the ways of Cobra Kai.
...
...
...
Author's Note:
Johnny and Daniel focused interlude before the story begins again? Either way, I tried to establish that Pat Johnson was likely threatened or blackmailed into the refereeing decisions he made at the end of the third Karate Kid. The judges in Cobra Kai Season 4 were, spoilers, paid off by Silver, so him trying during Karate Kid III wouldn't be that far fetched. Thank you all for reading, and stay safe everyone. Peace.
FTR2017
Well worn.
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The tragic thing is, had Kreese not turned his back on Luke in spite of his duplicity, he'd have indeed gone to bat for him.
That said, it was oh-so satisfying that he beat that asshole to within an inch of his life for trying to steal his food's money and promoting that harassment.
Truly tragic situation he's stuck in, and most likely not the only one in it.
That said, it was oh-so satisfying that he beat that asshole to within an inch of his life for trying to steal his food's money and promoting that harassment.
Truly tragic situation he's stuck in, and most likely not the only one in it.
Papi Chulo
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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man I really wish luke and kreese mended things but still at least he was a good sensei, excited to see where you'll take this next
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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Thanks for for chapter
Interlude - Daniel LaRusso
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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…
Daniel LaRusso was struggling to focus on his work at the car dealership.
For days since the tournament he wondered:
What had happened with Lucas? Was he okay?
His family seemed more or less unchanged. Sam was a little more upset with Lucas after everything, but not more than what she'd mentioned. Amanda hardly had changed either, and Anthony if anything was happy he'd made a friend.
But Daniel started to wonder. And everything over the past year began to make a whole lot more sense.
As he shifted some inventory forms around his desk for LaRusso auto, he began to realize.
Lucas was often bruised in odd places, he could come up with strange excuses that always seemed to make sense. He was sometimes late to class for Miyagi-Do, and he had developed better striking form for karate far faster than he would've normally otherwise.
He shuddered at the thought of it, remembering his own training when he was shortly a Cobra Kai. Being forced to strike boards.
Lucas was being forced to hide his pain, and then lie about it. Something Daniel related to heavily, and brought up memories he otherwise didn't have.
...
On the same lake where Daniel would take Sam when she was troubled, a fourteen year old Lucas Schwarber fished with Daniel on a wooden boat.
"So. You finally managed to figure out that two legged kick huh?"
Lucas chuckled, patiently waiting for a fish to nibble on his line. "Yeah. I pulled off part of it skateboarding with Robby."
"He's still learning that Cobra Kai stuff from his father though?"
Lucas nodded slightly.
Daniel frowned. "What's the matter?"
"You considered Mr. Miyagi to be a father to you right?"
"The real one I had died when I was only eight."
Lucas glanced at Daniel. "The one I had. Couldn't even say goodbye to me when I flew into LAX from Denver at the beginning of last summer. I would see him practically once a month, maybe. He lived working in a hospital."
"What was his name again?"
"Greg Schwarber."
"So what's your point?"
"Robby's father probably didn't have the best relationship with him. I found him trying to steal from my beach club. I told him off for it, and it got him back in touch with Johnny."
Lucas raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Daniel. "Miyagi-Do might give balance. But there's nothing more balancing than getting to know your father."
Daniel said nothing.
"It sounds like you're speaking from personal experience to know what it's like to miss out on that."
Lucas said nothing.
It was impossible for him to say anything. Just as impossible to tell his other father figure and mentor, John Kreese, that he learned karate and about life under Daniel.
"My history with Cobra Kai. Is long, and complicated. But I meant nothing by it."
"Yeah."
"Luke." Daniel smiled.
He looked at him slowly. "Yeah?"
"Get on the bow of the boat."
Lucas scoffed. "What? We're fishing."
"Mr. Miyagi always taught me this when we were fishing. Get on the bow of the boat. It'll help you perfect balance. Trust me."
Lucas put his fishing rod down and stood on the bow of the boat.
"First kata."
"Mr. LaRusso-"
"First. Kata. Close your eyes. Breathe. Focus. Just how I taught you."
Lucas did so.
"What do you hear?"
"Those geese over there. Nothing else really."
"Listen deeper."
Lucas nodded.
"The boat's rocking slightly. Even if the water's calm."
"Good. Now, start doing the kata."
Lucas began to swivel his hands around with his eyes closed, and then Daniel rocked the boat as hard as he could.
Lucas instantly fell off and went right into the water.
Daniel began laughing as loudly as he could.
Lucas swam to the side of the boat and Daniel quickly pulled him back in.
"Why'd you do that!?" asked Lucas.
"The secret to Miyagi-Do Karate. Is never knowing when you might lose your balance. Mr. Miyagi could spend hours up on that bow meditating. I couldn't move him off it with a forklift. It has to do with your stance, how you measure the rocking of the boat."
Daniel smiled, raising his hands. "You've been upset lately. But look around. The water's calm. The weather's perfect. It's a beautiful day out. You've really gotta reach inside you."
Daniel curled his hand into a fist and clasped his other hand over it. "Tighten what makes you calm. And focus."
Lucas shook himself dry like a dog and Daniel covered his face. "Okay! Okay. Okay. Back on the bow."
Lucas did so and closed his eyes again.
His face was scrunched up in concentration.
"Don't anticipate when the boat might rock. Just keep your balance."
Lucas breathed. He waited. He was calm.
When the boat suddenly rocked, he wasn't stiff. Nor loose. So he automatically readjusted his stance to stay steady.
"Good. Keep doing your kata."
Lucas had to focus on the kata. His stance. When the boat might rock.
But all he did was stay calm. He reacted. And soon, nothing Daniel could do would throw him off his spot.
Daniel chuckled. "You're a natural. Sit back down. Got something that might make this fishing trip of ours a little shorter."
Lucas smiled. "What is it?"
Daniel opened the old tackle box he had and pulled out a very old green fish hook. "Here."
"What's this?"
"The same hook Mr. Miyagi once gave me after I learned what you just did. I was nineteen, just started college. And he liked the way I kept learning that same lesson. I want you to have it. Whenever you see it. Or even take your son fishing one day. You can pass on Mr. Miyagi's wisdom too."
Lucas stared at it blankly in his palm.
"Mr. Miyagi's karate does have something almost magical to it. It's true. It's other worldly. And soothing. Strange. And I agree it works. But, does Johnny Lawrence's karate have no merit at all?"
Daniel nodded without hesitation. "Everyone who ever trained in Cobra Kai was led down the wrong path. They turned into angry, violent, and hateful people. It's done nothing but spread violence and fear for as long as I've known it. You know Mr. Miyagi told me there was no such thing as bad students. Just bad teachers. Cobra Kai's teachers."
"Were the worst there was you told me." sighed out Lucas.
"Johnny might mean well. I'm sure he does. And maybe Robby can benefit from that. Hell, at his age, I would've loved to learn any karate from my dad just like he is. But there is nothing worse about how karate can be taught than Cobra Kai. Winning, is not all there is to life. There's something more important. Always."
Lucas nodded, understanding. "Balance."
"That's the secret to Miyagi-Do. To life. To everything in balance. Think about this lake. That flock of geese." Daniel pointed towards them. "The river down the lake. Everything. It's all in some sort of harmony. Those geese, and us. Eat the fish that are swimming around in this lake. The slowest or most gullible fish might get caught."
"But people have evolved past this winner take all, survival of only the fittest, world for the fittest mentality. That's what Miyagi-Do helps you do. To grow past being a power hungry, vicious, monster. Do you get that?"
"The best way to find yourself again. To let everything just be. Is with balance."
"Couldn't have put it better myself." Daniel smiled. "There's nothing more crucial, than balance. It comes from finding the good stuff in your life, searching deeply inside yourself, and that gives you balance."
Lucas smiled slightly. "I think our training is part of the good stuff."
"I think so too." Daniel smiled back.
…
Sighing, Daniel stood up, walking towards his wife's office.
He was curious as to what was going on from her side of LaRusso auto.
...
A/N:
I decided to get back into writing this because I even made potential missteps when it came to making this rewrite.
After I post the new chapter, I'll be explaining a recent review that came to light on the newest chapter of my latest story for my rewrite of the original series I wrote, because technically I have a third shot to refine some things. I'll be able to share that perspective with you all soon, so this story can be the best version of Luke's journey that it can be.
Either way, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you all in Book 2 - Chapter 1 of this series. Thank you.
Daniel LaRusso was struggling to focus on his work at the car dealership.
For days since the tournament he wondered:
What had happened with Lucas? Was he okay?
His family seemed more or less unchanged. Sam was a little more upset with Lucas after everything, but not more than what she'd mentioned. Amanda hardly had changed either, and Anthony if anything was happy he'd made a friend.
But Daniel started to wonder. And everything over the past year began to make a whole lot more sense.
As he shifted some inventory forms around his desk for LaRusso auto, he began to realize.
Lucas was often bruised in odd places, he could come up with strange excuses that always seemed to make sense. He was sometimes late to class for Miyagi-Do, and he had developed better striking form for karate far faster than he would've normally otherwise.
He shuddered at the thought of it, remembering his own training when he was shortly a Cobra Kai. Being forced to strike boards.
Lucas was being forced to hide his pain, and then lie about it. Something Daniel related to heavily, and brought up memories he otherwise didn't have.
...
On the same lake where Daniel would take Sam when she was troubled, a fourteen year old Lucas Schwarber fished with Daniel on a wooden boat.
"So. You finally managed to figure out that two legged kick huh?"
Lucas chuckled, patiently waiting for a fish to nibble on his line. "Yeah. I pulled off part of it skateboarding with Robby."
"He's still learning that Cobra Kai stuff from his father though?"
Lucas nodded slightly.
Daniel frowned. "What's the matter?"
"You considered Mr. Miyagi to be a father to you right?"
"The real one I had died when I was only eight."
Lucas glanced at Daniel. "The one I had. Couldn't even say goodbye to me when I flew into LAX from Denver at the beginning of last summer. I would see him practically once a month, maybe. He lived working in a hospital."
"What was his name again?"
"Greg Schwarber."
"So what's your point?"
"Robby's father probably didn't have the best relationship with him. I found him trying to steal from my beach club. I told him off for it, and it got him back in touch with Johnny."
Lucas raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Daniel. "Miyagi-Do might give balance. But there's nothing more balancing than getting to know your father."
Daniel said nothing.
"It sounds like you're speaking from personal experience to know what it's like to miss out on that."
Lucas said nothing.
It was impossible for him to say anything. Just as impossible to tell his other father figure and mentor, John Kreese, that he learned karate and about life under Daniel.
"My history with Cobra Kai. Is long, and complicated. But I meant nothing by it."
"Yeah."
"Luke." Daniel smiled.
He looked at him slowly. "Yeah?"
"Get on the bow of the boat."
Lucas scoffed. "What? We're fishing."
"Mr. Miyagi always taught me this when we were fishing. Get on the bow of the boat. It'll help you perfect balance. Trust me."
Lucas put his fishing rod down and stood on the bow of the boat.
"First kata."
"Mr. LaRusso-"
"First. Kata. Close your eyes. Breathe. Focus. Just how I taught you."
Lucas did so.
"What do you hear?"
"Those geese over there. Nothing else really."
"Listen deeper."
Lucas nodded.
"The boat's rocking slightly. Even if the water's calm."
"Good. Now, start doing the kata."
Lucas began to swivel his hands around with his eyes closed, and then Daniel rocked the boat as hard as he could.
Lucas instantly fell off and went right into the water.
Daniel began laughing as loudly as he could.
Lucas swam to the side of the boat and Daniel quickly pulled him back in.
"Why'd you do that!?" asked Lucas.
"The secret to Miyagi-Do Karate. Is never knowing when you might lose your balance. Mr. Miyagi could spend hours up on that bow meditating. I couldn't move him off it with a forklift. It has to do with your stance, how you measure the rocking of the boat."
Daniel smiled, raising his hands. "You've been upset lately. But look around. The water's calm. The weather's perfect. It's a beautiful day out. You've really gotta reach inside you."
Daniel curled his hand into a fist and clasped his other hand over it. "Tighten what makes you calm. And focus."
Lucas shook himself dry like a dog and Daniel covered his face. "Okay! Okay. Okay. Back on the bow."
Lucas did so and closed his eyes again.
His face was scrunched up in concentration.
"Don't anticipate when the boat might rock. Just keep your balance."
Lucas breathed. He waited. He was calm.
When the boat suddenly rocked, he wasn't stiff. Nor loose. So he automatically readjusted his stance to stay steady.
"Good. Keep doing your kata."
Lucas had to focus on the kata. His stance. When the boat might rock.
But all he did was stay calm. He reacted. And soon, nothing Daniel could do would throw him off his spot.
Daniel chuckled. "You're a natural. Sit back down. Got something that might make this fishing trip of ours a little shorter."
Lucas smiled. "What is it?"
Daniel opened the old tackle box he had and pulled out a very old green fish hook. "Here."
"What's this?"
"The same hook Mr. Miyagi once gave me after I learned what you just did. I was nineteen, just started college. And he liked the way I kept learning that same lesson. I want you to have it. Whenever you see it. Or even take your son fishing one day. You can pass on Mr. Miyagi's wisdom too."
Lucas stared at it blankly in his palm.
"Mr. Miyagi's karate does have something almost magical to it. It's true. It's other worldly. And soothing. Strange. And I agree it works. But, does Johnny Lawrence's karate have no merit at all?"
Daniel nodded without hesitation. "Everyone who ever trained in Cobra Kai was led down the wrong path. They turned into angry, violent, and hateful people. It's done nothing but spread violence and fear for as long as I've known it. You know Mr. Miyagi told me there was no such thing as bad students. Just bad teachers. Cobra Kai's teachers."
"Were the worst there was you told me." sighed out Lucas.
"Johnny might mean well. I'm sure he does. And maybe Robby can benefit from that. Hell, at his age, I would've loved to learn any karate from my dad just like he is. But there is nothing worse about how karate can be taught than Cobra Kai. Winning, is not all there is to life. There's something more important. Always."
Lucas nodded, understanding. "Balance."
"That's the secret to Miyagi-Do. To life. To everything in balance. Think about this lake. That flock of geese." Daniel pointed towards them. "The river down the lake. Everything. It's all in some sort of harmony. Those geese, and us. Eat the fish that are swimming around in this lake. The slowest or most gullible fish might get caught."
"But people have evolved past this winner take all, survival of only the fittest, world for the fittest mentality. That's what Miyagi-Do helps you do. To grow past being a power hungry, vicious, monster. Do you get that?"
"The best way to find yourself again. To let everything just be. Is with balance."
"Couldn't have put it better myself." Daniel smiled. "There's nothing more crucial, than balance. It comes from finding the good stuff in your life, searching deeply inside yourself, and that gives you balance."
Lucas smiled slightly. "I think our training is part of the good stuff."
"I think so too." Daniel smiled back.
…
Sighing, Daniel stood up, walking towards his wife's office.
He was curious as to what was going on from her side of LaRusso auto.
...
A/N:
I decided to get back into writing this because I even made potential missteps when it came to making this rewrite.
After I post the new chapter, I'll be explaining a recent review that came to light on the newest chapter of my latest story for my rewrite of the original series I wrote, because technically I have a third shot to refine some things. I'll be able to share that perspective with you all soon, so this story can be the best version of Luke's journey that it can be.
Either way, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you all in Book 2 - Chapter 1 of this series. Thank you.
Last edited:
Book 2 - Chapter 1
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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Chapter One: Not the Sensei he Was
…
"Fear does not exist in this dojo. Does it!?"
"No Sensei!" the class roared in unison.
"Pain does not exist in this dojo. Does it!?"
"No Sensei!"
"Defeat does not exist in this dojo. Does it!?"
"No Sensei!"
John Kreese stumbled along the streets of North Hollywood, California, a broken, unshaven, and tired man.
The most painful part of the memories from just a year prior was that they still seemed so long ago.
The trophies. The glory.
The fighters, the Cobra Kais, the boys. The boys.
The crowd was cheering at the top of their lungs. Hundreds of people roaring as Daniel sparred Johnny for the title of All Valley Under 18 Champion.
With a tremendous crash Daniel clattered to the ground from a sneaky and rule violating jab to his jaw. Johnny Lawrence kiai'd like a lion and struck with the speed and power of a Cobra Kai.
They were killers. Kreese could still hear his class roar with every strike like it was yesterday.
"Ais!"
"Kiai!"
"Ais!"
"Kiai!"
"Ais!"
"Kiai!"
Every karate tournament in Southern California feared Cobra Kai with a terror unlike any other.
Cobra Kai karate taught young men between the ages of twelve and seventeen how to be ferocious, tough, and merciless.
Unfortunately for John Kreese, bad news and disappointment on an answering machine, and overduebills, awaited him inside his dilapidated karate dojo.
But at least it was still a dojo.
…
June 2018
…
Now Lankershim's Cobra Kai dojo was a candle shop that also sold flowers. A flower shop run by a smiling woman wearing Pride Month t-shirts.
Decades later, John Kreese was largely the same man.
But he was older, much older.
Kreese sighed.
A flower shop employee spoke to Kreese.
"Hey! We've got a four for one special ending just next week."
If only John Kreese had the money or use for flowers these days.
Kreese merely walked past him, and slipped away into the passing crowd, just another homeless man in Los Angeles.
Moments later, a big rock, almost as large as a well sized brick, was thrown quickly through the windows of the flower shop that replaced Lankershim Boulevard's old premier Cobra Kai karate dojo from the 1980s.
A smirking John Kreese walked away, others shocked, not knowing where the rock came from, at least he'd have one happy memory from a very terrible month.
…
John Kreese found a park bench to sleep on that night.
"Hey."
A police officer tapped his nightstick on Kreese's chest.
"You gonna move or do I have to book you tonight? The station's holding cell is even less fun than this bench I promise you bud."
Kreese quietly shook his head and even nodded in respect to the officer. He merely tipped his cap and watched Kreese trudge off into the night. He could try to apply for a room at his old homeless center. But he'd picked one fight too many.
He walked around a bit aimlessly, and remembered what tiny Johnny Lawrence was like as a child.
A crying and sniveling boy when he was a blue belt. He wasn't a champion yet, he wasn't tough.
And now?
Kreese sat quietly on a small trash can, watching a tram pass through downtown Los Angeles aimlessly.
How could he have loved karate so dearly? To have the sport pass by him so quickly?
Kreese took out his wallet, still holding an expired driver's license from 1988, and checked all the money he had.
Forty two dollars in cash. A client of his, the last and only real one he'd had in years, had hired him for a few hundreds bucks a month. And now he was gone. After freelance construction work, he had actually had to beat his old boss to bits just to collect his wages, and what little they were combined with what he could scrounge and save up amounted to a total of two hundred and sixty four dollars and fifty four cents.
His entire life, he barely had enough in cash to afford a night or two at a local motel and a couple meals.
He went to a nearby train station and found that all his money would only get him as far as Indiana. The Chicago bus ride specifically, it was the first thing in the morning, was the cheapest and fastest option, and was offered to seniors at around two hundred and twenty three dollars.
Just enough.
Kreese shrugged. Anywhere but Los Angeles.
He had no reason to stay in the city anymore. No reason but very painful memories, estranged friends, and one very unhappy client, the last person to possibly ever pay John Kreese a semi-decent wage in cash.
Kreese was escorted out of the train station though, he didn't have the nicest look to him and it was closing quickly.
At one A'M, Kreese was able to find a quiet, and luckily empty dumpster to sleep behind in an alleyway where no one was around, Kreese had gotten adept after years of this to avoid ones that smelled too badly. And then he rested.
The next day, he'd go out east and try to find work or something.
Cars drove past as he closed his eyes.
He wanted to go anywhere, do anything, but stay in the Valley.
…
Daniel LaRusso however, did not live a miserable life without any food, money, or shelter of any kind.
He woke up in a luxurious home in Encino, with a beautiful wife sleeping next to his side in his king size bed, two children, and an entire award winning car dealership to his name.
His karate trophies were tucked away in his home dojo, which was oddly not in storage anymore.
Daniel woke up, made some coffee listening to the morning news on his iPhone, and then went to work.
His wife, Amanda, was helping him in the office, typing on the computer while Daniel quietly watched his morning customers enter the dealership.
"Well, would you look at that."
Daniel turned around and gazed at his wife.
"Lucas reapplied to be an intern." Amanda clicked her mouse.
Daniel shrugged. "I'll deal with it later."
Amanda looked at Daniel somewhat reproachfully. "You're gonna reject a 15 year old over a karate tournament?" she asked, half believing her own words.
"There's." Daniel sighed. "A lot more to it than that."
"I don't think there is." Amanda shrugged. "So he picked a different karate teacher than you. He still won last week."
"I promise you, if it was that simple, I'd have Luke back here working again."
"Honey." Amanda cleared her throat. "He was one of the best employees we had here in a while. He was diligent, proactive, smart, great customer service, always kind. I wish some of the adult employees were as mature as him sometimes."
Daniel's cousin Louie and a fellow LaRusso auto employee Anoush both were laughing at a bawdy internet meme on Louie's screen.
Amanda grimaced for a second. "I miss him more and more by the day."
"It's not just a karate tournament."
"Then what is it?" asked Amanda. "Honestly you never told me nor the kids why suddenly we couldn't talk to him."
Daniel opened his mouth but Amanda interrupted calmly.
"The full details."
"It's honestly not something I'd be able to forgive."
"He's fifteen," Amanda repeated. "What did he do?"
"He um." Daniel sighed.
Daniel grumbled before he left the office. "I'll take care of it later I promise, just, don't accept the application."
"Sure thing honey," Amanda muttered quietly.
The rest of the day, Daniel LaRusso mostly used karate as a gimmick to sell more cars.
Louie told mostly fake stories about Daniel using karate to get him out of sticky situations at bars, and how he even went to the All Valley Karate tournament just the month prior.
It was starting to be a very hot summer day, and the floor was looking very dirty.
Daniel noted how the lobby floor of LaRusso auto wasn't as shiny as he wanted it to.
The employee on duty was looking at his phone more often than he should've been. Even absurdly wealthy teenagers worked harder.
Daniel sighed and continued with his day.
He needed to visit an old friend.
…
Mr. Miyagi was buried in a very large cemetery near Orange County.
Daniel LaRusso refreshed the flowers near Mr. Miyagi's grave.
"Hey there."
Daniel did not receive a response. Not even from the wind.
"You always told me once about forgiveness. But you also told me something else, about."
Daniel sighed.
"About John Kreese."
"Eeeeyaaughh!"
John Kreese was trying to punch Mr. Miyagi through the mouth. He instead shattered his fist against the glass pane of a car window.
Instead of even knocking Kreese out for trying to hurt him, Mr. Miyagi instead honked him on the nose, and tossed him over while he was on his knees. Then he winked at Daniel.
His All Valley trophy still in his hand, Daniel limped while speaking to Miyagi.
"You could've killed him couldn't you?"
"Hai." Miyagi responded calmly.
"Well why didn't you then?"
"Because Daniel-san, for person with no forgiveness in heart, living even worse punishment than death." Miyagi said with a nod.
Daniel frowned.
"I had my first karate student in years. Someone who seemed to really enjoy and appreciate your lessons."
Daniel sighed.
"And he betrayed my trust. He knew John Kreese was a terrible person, among the worst around. And he wanted me to forgive him, to trust he was doing the right thing."
Daniel sighed, rubbing his eye.
"And I just feel lost. What am I gonna do with this kid?"
He shook his head.
"I know, I wasn't the easiest growing up. But how could someone seek my forgiveness after they knew who Kreese was and then lied to me about it?"
Daniel bowed his head from his kneeling position in front of Miyagi's grave.
When he returned to his car. He felt something strange looking back at his tombstone.
Daniel remembered when Miyagi had rehealed his bonsai, Miyagi told Daniel to do karate.
"His own way."
…
Cobra Kai OST: Bonsai Lessons
…
Daniel remembered his mother coming to this exact same home decades prior.
His mom had a car so beat up that he and she had to push it to take him and Ali Mills on a date to Golf 'N Stuff back in the 1980s.
He knocked on the door of the Mills Manor, the same house he used to pick up Ali from when he just moved to LA from New Jersey. Daniel even remember what Ali was like, and the day at the country club when he spilled spaghetti all over himself.
A much older father of Ali Mills answered the door, fixing his glasses.
"Oh hey Daniel." the two men shook hands. "Good to see you again. It's been a while, how can I help you?"
"I was hoping to talk to Lucas?"
"Oh sure. He's up in his room!" he turned. "Luke!"
He called up again.
"Luuuuke!"
Lucas was not the spitting image of his mother, Ali Mills at all, but rather a fair skinned, dark haired teenager with light blue eyes and a very deep voice.
"Yeah?" he leaned on the doorway, his grandfather standing just behind him.
"Can we talk?" Daniel asked with a small smile.
Lucas clearly didn't want to, but his grandfather nodded.
"Yeah." he sighed.
Lucas and Daniel sat in the large backyard of the Mills' home, watching a golden retriever running around.
They sat largely in silence for a moment, just looking at Lucas' pool.
"I have to admit. I thought you'd be happier after winning the forty ninth All Valley."
"You sure weren't happy for me."
Daniel was going to respond but then he paused.
Lucas shook his head, fixing a grey t-shirt. "How could you shut me out like that?"
"You knew what John Kreese was."
"You never told me everything about him."
"Because you weren't supposed to know," Daniel muttered. "Mr. Miyagi could forgive just about anyone. But John Kreese was one person he never let out of his sight."
Lucas scoffed. "But none of that was my fault."
"I know," Daniel said. "Which is why it pained me more than anything to have to give you the cold shoulder."
Lucas rolled his eyes.
"I know you're not a cruel person. I've only known you for a year, but you never gave me the impression you genuinely wanted to harm someone else."
Daniel fixed his spot on the lawn chair next to Lucas.
"You've got Ali's heart. That's for sure."
Lucas nodded a bit.
"You're just a very competitive person, and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Sure felt there was something wrong with it when I trained with you. It's like nothing made sense, I understood the karate techniques. But there was always some hidden meaning, some metaphor." Lucas' face twisted into a bit of anger. "Like I was messed up for wanting to compete."
"Mr. Miyagi always was against competing for sport." Daniel raised a finger. "But what he was truly against. Was karate being taught the wrong way, John Kreese, taught karate the wrong way."
Lucas merely listened in silence.
"Someone used to bully me pretty hard in highschool. But he was never that bad of a person all said and done. But his Sensei? Was the worst there is."
Daniel explained. "Unpredictable."
John Kreese swept a student off his legs in class for not paying attention, faking a massive punch to the nose.
"Violent."
John Kreese taught a teenage Bobby Brown to finish his opponent by striking his shoulder blade.
"And, yes. Genuinely cruel."
He choked a teenage Johnny Lawrence in the parking lot next to the All Valley arena for losing to Daniel minutes prior.
Daniel looked at Lucas. "What I mean to say is that I'm sure he was a fine Sensei to you. But he was dangerous."
"He could've changed."
"People like him don't change Lucas. Mr. Miyagi would've wanted me to never let you near that man."
Daniel stood up. "I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. But I promise you I'll forgive you entirely, as soon as you promise to never go near him again."
Lucas frowned, thinking to himself for a second.
"I know you don't like Miyagi-Do's philosophy. I know you barely had the patience for anything but the actual karate. But until I have that promise, I can't begin to trust you again. Even if you're just a kid."
Daniel and Lucas exchanged a small nod, and then he left his house.
…
I had to hide how badly I wanted to see Mr. LaRusso.
I had come to conclusion that Kreese was evil, he made bad people worse, or he allowed them to use their karate for whatever they wanted. Be it bullying, harassment, or just regular law breaking.
People like Kyler and for a long time, Tory, were enabled to create violence against people they didn't like. To hurt them, to attack them or mess with them just because. Johnny Lawrence was guilty of this in 1980s, and it showed with Tory's behavior during the second and third seasons of the show.
That was Kreese at his most Kreese-ness. I had seen a man tormented by war, who unlike Mr. Miyagi, didn't just forgive himself and others for what happened:
He blamed them.
John Kreese made it clear that at much as his philosophy could make me incredible strong, mentally, physically, and agility wise, in a fight or elsewhere in life. He had no forgiveness in him, mercy and forgiveness was as alien to him as anything else. I wouldn't be his student, someone to cultivate and respect until they could be better than you one day.
Since the day I met him, Kreese had made it clear I was just his instrument of revenge against LaRusso, to serve as a fix for the mistakes he himself made.
It was evident, with the lies I told myself and Daniel LaRusso, the pain I was hiding from the bruises and blood striking bricks and old boards, doing knuckle pushups on concrete, and learning the Way of the Fist.
Luckily I had realized sooner rather than later that the lines Johnny gave to his old class in Season 3 were real.
"Wanna stick with Kreese? Go ahead." said Johnny to a class who believed they'd failed him in the hallways of his old highschool. "Don't say I didn't warn you when your life ends up in the shitter."
Until now, my knowledge of the show had only served for my own personal gain. For my own power, for taking advantage of others, even those like John Kreese. I was done with that.
I was ready to embrace my flaws, and let go of my hatred. Mostly towards myself, towards a perfectionist, the person who flew in from Denver last year to make the Valley my kingdom. Well no more.
Johnny's assessment of Kreese was more than fair. Eli's hatred towards Demetri, his best friend since middle school was manipulated by Kreese, he was using his anger to turn him into someone he wasn't deep down. Towards someone who had no forgiveness in his heart, not even a little.
Someone like Kreese himself.
I was done with Cobra Kai, I felt so much shame that I think the only way I could forgive myself, was by studying the martial art that focused on harmony with everything around you:
Miyagi-Do karate.
...
John Kreese was more than ready to leave LA.
But he had one last thing to do.
He used the last bit of money he had to buy a train ticket, but before that he'd use the tiny fraction of cash he had left over to smoke a nice cigar, and reminisce.
Kreese walked into a small strip mall in Reseda that night just a mere couple of hours before he boarded his train to depart LA for good.
He paid a tubby Latino man working at a liquor store the last few dollars Lucas Schwarber had given to him to buy a cigar, and a lighter.
When he walked out, he began to smoke it looking over the parking lot.
He remembered Johnny Lawrence losing decades prior.
"What did you say?" a young middle aged John Kreese asked.
"I said I did my best!" roared Johnny, waving his second place trophy upwards.
"You're nothing, you lost, you're a loser!" Kreese countered, yelling back at him.
Johnny shook his head. "No, you're the loser man!"
"Oh I'm the loser huh?"
"Yeah."
Kreese swiped and broke Johnny's trophy in the blink of an eye, wood and bronze and all with his bare hands, throwing it aside. "Now who's the loser?" he challenged.
"You know you're really sick man!" A seventeen year old Johnny Lawrence said loudly, having no idea how his Sensei could treat him this way.
After several protests, the boys from Cobra Kai couldn't stop their Sensei.
He was choking Johnny Lawrence out like he was some Vietcong in a jungle who tried to kill him, not a teenager who just lost a karate tournament.
"How does second place feel now huh?"
"You're gonna kill him!" Bobby Brown's desperate pleas repeated themselves in Kreese's mind decades later. "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
Kreese kept smoking his cigar in silence.
The memory didn't remotely shake him. He barely even seemed to regret it when a group of highschool boys walked past.
He had no idea Johnny was enjoying a nice meal at home at his apartment with his son instead of eating his dinner from a strip mall liquor store.
One of them blew their vape in Kreese's direction before they walked into the liquor store. The old man just found it amusing, almost nodding as he chuckled quietly.
The leader of the group of boys was trying to buy beer from the man Kreese had just bought a cigar from.
He was a Korean teen followed by a redhead, a frizzy fat boy, and another pal of his.
"Lemme get a packet or Marlboros too bro." the frizzy fat boy put a pack of beers on the counter.
"Damn Brucks, feeling confident today are we?" asked his redheaded friend.
"You know it."
The man at the register could tell how fake his ID was.
"Are you sure about this," he asked. "Kyler?"
"Yeah my dude, I'm sure." he smiled widely.
A skinny Latino boy walked over, speaking in Spanish to get help buying something for his grandmother.
"Me puedes ayudar con algo? Necesito un poco de Pepto Bismol para mi abuela."
"Claro hermano. Este torpe no entiende como comparse un ID propio. Pija chiquita." he glanced between Kyler and the boy he was chuckling with, putting a bottle of Pepto Bismol a smiling Miguel quickly paid for on the counter.
Kyler didn't seem to appreciate this at all, and started shoving him outside of the store. The man behind the register didn't blink an eye. Seeing how the man behind the counter didn't question Miguel's order for even half a second, and even appeared to be making fun of him for, he took out that frustration on Miguel in seconds.
A commotion started, one that resulted in Kyler dumping Pepto Bismol all over him outside the liquor store.
Kreese didn't care at all, he kept smoking his cigar as if he was watching some daytime TV boredly.
The boys laughed and kept shoving him around, until eventually he was punched right in the gut.
"That's brute Ky!" the fat one said.
Kreese kept watching the scene calmly, continuing to smoke his cigar in silence.
The Latino boy caught his breath. "Man what the hell?"
"Freaking idiot!" Kyler picked him up by his shoulders. "You blow up my spot. You get taught!"
"Nice Ky! Show him who's boss!" another one of his friends said.
Kreese found it entertaining, he didn't even feel bad for him for a second, and then watched him get to his feet.
Out of desperation or rage, he tried tackling Kyler to the ground. It failed completely and the beating that ensued was equally one sided, but it greatly amused Kreese. He even seemed to remember fighting bullies behind the old diner he used to work at, fighting with just his wits and a trash can lid.
Except unlike Kreese, Miguel wasn't winning.
Kreese sighed, having seen enough. If he'd go home, he'd at least try to dish out No Mercy one last time.
"Alright alright alright. That's more than enough."
Everyone froze, Kyler's redheaded friend looked around. "Man what?" he said stupidly.
Kreese picked up the kid quietly. "Way to show some guts. What's your name?"
"Miguel." he coughed, Pepto Bismol still in his hair. "Just trying to get some medicine for my grandma."
Appreciating how he treated the elderly, being an older man himself, Kreese didn't feel pity for Miguel. Rather respected the lengths he was willing to go just to help her. If anything, it at least showed courage to fight when completely outmatched.
"Yo man this ain't none of your business." Kyler raised his eyebrows.
"Word." the fat kid 'Brucks' took a hit off the redhead's vape.
Kreese raised his eyebrows, turning slightly. "Look I enjoy dishing out a beating as much as the next guy. It's getting late, I've got a bus to catch. Why don't you all leave?"
"Or what?" asked Kyler.
He had no idea what sort of tree he was barking up, Kreese had held his temper before with grown adults. Why not do the same with a pack of teenage boys?
The retired Special Forces captain chuckled to himself.
No Mercy, that's why.
Kreese just realized what he was doing.
He wanted to properly beat someone down before he could leave the Valley all but consequence free in just a couple of hours. He'd be on a bus across the entire country by this time tomorrow.
"Or else."
Kyler and his friends acted scared, laughing at him.
"Come on." Kyler laughed. "Hit me with your best shot old man."
"Knock him over with your walker gramps!" taunted another one of Kyler's friends.
Kreese nodded slowly, looking away.
…
Cobra Kai OST: Strike First
…
Without warning or mercy, Kreese put Kyler into a wrist lock.
He gasped in pain, and then Kreese loudly cracked every bone in Kyler's wrist with a POP.
"There's my best shot. Never start a fight you can't finish," he growled with a grin.
Then Kreese put out his still lit cigar right on the skin of Kyler's cheek right beneath his eye, he roared in pain.
Kreese tossed Kyler aside and his three friends didn't know how to react.
Kyler was all but crying in pain from the snapped wrist he had, and Kyler roared orders wincing.
"Get 'im Brucks please!" he screamed.
"I got you man!"
Brucks was kicked right in the knee, Miguel could not believe his eyes.
A senior citizen was moving like some sort of ninja.
Kreese had no flexibility and far less physical strength than all three boys he was fighting.
But he had lived on the streets for decades, and served in Special Forces in Vietnam.
He could back kick, back fist, punch, pull. He was merciless, cold, and always struck first.
The redhead in Kyler's group took a knee directly to the groin as soon as he tried grabbing Kreese, the last one was headbutted to the ground.
Brucks attempted to punch Kreese with his back turned only to receive a back kick to the sternum for his troubles.
The boys couldn't touch him, Kreese could win the fight with his eyes closed.
He used the environment to his advantage, dragged Brucks by his face across a cement wall with a knee directly to his liver to finish him off.
When Kyler, blind with rage at having his wrist broken and humiliated, ran at Kreese to punch or grab him. Anything. He was thrown over Kreese's knee.
Kreese employed a classic karate hip throw and slammed Kyler onto the pavement as hard as he could.
He used another throw to throw the last two boys so hard together their foreheads collided at full speed.
John Kreese fought dirty, but he was facing four younger and stronger opponents, he had to use his techniques, use his environment, and properly leave a last reminder to the Valley he was sick of it.
Kreese picked up his cigar, twisting his shoe on the snapped wrist of Kyler.
He yelled in pain at the top of his lungs and then Kreese spat in front of him.
"Let this be a lesson. For the rest of your life. You start a fight, make sure you finish it."
The other boys were all bruised and beaten, shocked, rolling around on the floor in agony or simply knocked clean out. There was No Mercy left in John Kreese, and he'd taught the Valley one last lesson because he could get away with it:
And because it pleased him to spread pain.
…
Kreese might as well have knocked Kyler out for good measure, but left the boys there groaning on the ground quietly.
He smiled at himself, not even acknowledging Miguel when he slipped away into the night. What shocked Miguel more than anything was just how much Kreese had seemed to teach Kyler a lesson.
Miguel was unsure if he was scared of the man, or actually impressed, not knowing what to think having never met someone like him his entire life. Miguel might as well have not even been there, it was clearly just an excuse to beat Kyler and his friends livid.
Kyler looked like he wouldn't be able to use his left hand for anything for a few solid weeks, and Kreese was probably at least seventy years old from the looks of him.
He had beaten four young men ruthlessly admittedly but Miguel was shocked.
How could his savior be so merciless? He only seemed to be interested in him to instigate the fight.
Miguel then rubbed the Pepto Bismol at the top of his head.
"Whoa." he muttered to himself.
He then ran off home too before he could stand around awkwardly amidst Kyler and his friends. Miguel still didn't know whether to be terrified or impressed when he bought another can of Pepto Bismol and ran back home.
…
The following morning at 9 AM sharp, before he could board his bus, Kreese was stopped by two police officers.
"What'd I do?"
"Assault and battery of four minors. Turn and around and put your hands behind your back please."
Looking like he already knew the drill, Kreese complied with his demands and was read his rights.
Within a few hours, he was put within a holding cell, and Kreese sighed.
He was sure he timed his attack better.
There was no way the kids he attacked had wealthy connections right?
Kreese looked around the holding cell. It almost looked like a second home to him, extremely familiar.
However, after a few more hours, an officer swung by holding a clipboard.
"John Kreese?"
He stood up off the bench next to others in the holding cell.
"Yes?"
"You made bail, congratulations. I'll be taking you out for some paperwork in about fifteen minutes."
"Who was it?"
"Someone who clearly doesn't value a whole lot of money." the officer eyed Kreese up and down with disgust.
…
Walking out into the early June Southern California sun with increasingly aged eyesight, Kreese chuckled.
"I see you lost the ponytail."
He looked a little closer, still squinting with his hand raised.
"Do I know you?"
"Ali took me to one of your karate classes back in the day. She was still with Johnny back then."
Oddly, Kreese recognized him.
"Frank Mills?"
They shook hands. "Pleasure."
"Why'd you. I mean why would you-"
They spoke calmly on the front steps of the police precinct.
Frank explained. "I can manage to bring this whole thing down to a misdemeanor and get you off with half a year of community service."
"Really?"
"You broke a sixteen year old kid's hand John, injured three others. The least you can do is say thank you."
"No I mean, I still don't get any of this."
"I honestly never liked any of this karate nonsense. In fact, I'd pay to see it out of the Valley for good."
Kreese and Frank made eye contact for almost four seconds.
"You'd hate your own grandson's passion that much?"
"Oh please. Don't act like you ever cared about what these kids wanted."
Kreese squinted again. "You don't know them."
"I knew my own daughter, and Ali never liked you."
Kreese opened his mouth to retort but Frank spoke. "Officer Lin Davis told me you were about to board a Greyhound due for the east coast or something before you were brought in. Is that correct?"
"Actually, it was Chicago, but how does Lucas feel about this?"
"You won't talk to him ever again."
Kreese turned his head slightly. "And LaRusso, will he get the same treatment?"
"Daniel LaRusso doesn't beat children in strip mall parking lots."
"No, he prefers to lie to them and cheat them instead."
"And you're better?"
Kreese bit his lip, balling his fists.
"I was a better grandfather or father to him than you were or Ali's husband Greg ever were. You don't want to admit that, so you bail me out. Want to make a deal, to save your pride, try to decide for myself how I get to go out."
Frank loomed over Kreese, strangely, the retired doctor was taller. While he wasn't physically intimidating to Kreese at all, the retired doctor was put in a financially and legally superior position in every single way.
"I don't know who else you can turn to for help. Either that, or you'll have to figure out a way to find a single job here in the Valley to pay off what you owe me. I want Lucas to become a respected doctor here in the Valley at some point, and the best way to do that, is to write you out of the picture for good."
"I'm confused I take out a loan?"
"No," Frank said. "But I'll talk to the county and a minute or two later, and you might. I'm doing this to make sure you never come back, or never bother me ever again."
Kreese understood perfectly again. "So I take it I can get on that bus now?"
"I suggest you do."
"Afraid I can't now, I owe you a whole lot of money first."
Frank turned to watch Kreese start to leave the precinct steps.
"Where are you going?"
Kreese answered calmly. "Like you said. To find a job so I can pay you back," he said bitterly.
No matter what it cost him or the Valley, he would pay back his debt to Frank Mills. No matter what it cost anyone, he'd show the Valley one last time:
Revenge would never stop Kreese until he was six feet under.
…
…
…
A/N:
Hey everyone, new fic here of course.
Like season 1 of the show, the focus was heavily and almost exclusively on the adult characters until the audience became comfortable with and cared about the teen characters.
Lucas Schwarber, like always, is portrayed by Dylan Minnette in my mind whenever I write him. I don't know why, but he seems to fit the role rather well whenever I'm writing him. I won't spoil the pairing for him for this fanfic.
As for Frank and Olivia Mills, Ali's parents from the first karate kid film, I don't have actors in mind when I'm writing them except Ed Begley Jr. for Frank, I suppose the same ones Cobra Kai and the karate kid series gave us work fine. Anyway, I'm going to post that review I said I'd post before:
"I don't get this version. The original had some issues, some conflict felt unnecessary but mostly was organic - one thing leading to another. The conflict here seems artificially manufactured. Forced.
Doesn't seem like Miyagi-do fits because of Daniel - the constant turning everything on Lucas and not really helping him… Freezing Lucas out makes less sense in this version, even worse for Robby to do so - still pretty Zen so out of character to shove everything onto Lucas and really talk to him, just blame him as if it's easier. The grandfather dictating Lucas life is also for the worse - though either version forcing him to be a doctor wasn't great but at least doing so to make ends meet before made sense. Lucas doesn't act like an SI anymore, nor do we see his POV/thoughts, all 3rd person.
Don't see the point where things are - he quits there's no story, and Daniel so far has been a terrible Sensei. He'd do better with Bobby but seeing seem like he'll be involved this time.
I'll stick with the cobra Kai version."
My aim is to improve the pacing a bit to explain these changes a bit better, even if I think the review is off base and wrong in regards to what I actually portrayed in the story. I still believe this review is wrong, but the claims it makes won't make much sense because around 100,000 words worth of story happen between now and the point where they can say this. Either way, I want to write the best story that would make sense within the Netflix Cobra Kai universe, which is why I tone down the SI ness of Lucas as time goes on, it becomes less relevant as the characters stray into territory that is generally different than canon.
The main issue the review overlooks is that "sticking with Cobra Kai version" as if its better and makes more sense is...wrong in my opinion. Original Luke Schwarber was basically an unstoppable chick magnet that embodied No Mercy, despite being a generally level headed guy. The review also claims Robby as OOC which I do not think I ever do so, this Robby is far different than canon is still acts like him in my opinion. Feel free to give me your thoughts below.
Canon only really had a few issues, the constant bickering with Johnny and Daniel for almost six seasons straight. The teen drama was pretty weak in most areas, and most of the karate chose style over substance, which during actual competition has issues as with combat sports like boxing and others. I aim to fix all of them, as well as my own mistakes from what this review said, still wrong in most areas but giving room for thoughts, and where I believe I went wrong with the 'cobra kai version.'
This is the Miyagi-Do version.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all soon.
…
"Fear does not exist in this dojo. Does it!?"
"No Sensei!" the class roared in unison.
"Pain does not exist in this dojo. Does it!?"
"No Sensei!"
"Defeat does not exist in this dojo. Does it!?"
"No Sensei!"
John Kreese stumbled along the streets of North Hollywood, California, a broken, unshaven, and tired man.
The most painful part of the memories from just a year prior was that they still seemed so long ago.
The trophies. The glory.
The fighters, the Cobra Kais, the boys. The boys.
The crowd was cheering at the top of their lungs. Hundreds of people roaring as Daniel sparred Johnny for the title of All Valley Under 18 Champion.
With a tremendous crash Daniel clattered to the ground from a sneaky and rule violating jab to his jaw. Johnny Lawrence kiai'd like a lion and struck with the speed and power of a Cobra Kai.
They were killers. Kreese could still hear his class roar with every strike like it was yesterday.
"Ais!"
"Kiai!"
"Ais!"
"Kiai!"
"Ais!"
"Kiai!"
Every karate tournament in Southern California feared Cobra Kai with a terror unlike any other.
Cobra Kai karate taught young men between the ages of twelve and seventeen how to be ferocious, tough, and merciless.
Unfortunately for John Kreese, bad news and disappointment on an answering machine, and overduebills, awaited him inside his dilapidated karate dojo.
But at least it was still a dojo.
…
June 2018
…
Now Lankershim's Cobra Kai dojo was a candle shop that also sold flowers. A flower shop run by a smiling woman wearing Pride Month t-shirts.
Decades later, John Kreese was largely the same man.
But he was older, much older.
Kreese sighed.
A flower shop employee spoke to Kreese.
"Hey! We've got a four for one special ending just next week."
If only John Kreese had the money or use for flowers these days.
Kreese merely walked past him, and slipped away into the passing crowd, just another homeless man in Los Angeles.
Moments later, a big rock, almost as large as a well sized brick, was thrown quickly through the windows of the flower shop that replaced Lankershim Boulevard's old premier Cobra Kai karate dojo from the 1980s.
A smirking John Kreese walked away, others shocked, not knowing where the rock came from, at least he'd have one happy memory from a very terrible month.
…
John Kreese found a park bench to sleep on that night.
"Hey."
A police officer tapped his nightstick on Kreese's chest.
"You gonna move or do I have to book you tonight? The station's holding cell is even less fun than this bench I promise you bud."
Kreese quietly shook his head and even nodded in respect to the officer. He merely tipped his cap and watched Kreese trudge off into the night. He could try to apply for a room at his old homeless center. But he'd picked one fight too many.
He walked around a bit aimlessly, and remembered what tiny Johnny Lawrence was like as a child.
A crying and sniveling boy when he was a blue belt. He wasn't a champion yet, he wasn't tough.
And now?
Kreese sat quietly on a small trash can, watching a tram pass through downtown Los Angeles aimlessly.
How could he have loved karate so dearly? To have the sport pass by him so quickly?
Kreese took out his wallet, still holding an expired driver's license from 1988, and checked all the money he had.
Forty two dollars in cash. A client of his, the last and only real one he'd had in years, had hired him for a few hundreds bucks a month. And now he was gone. After freelance construction work, he had actually had to beat his old boss to bits just to collect his wages, and what little they were combined with what he could scrounge and save up amounted to a total of two hundred and sixty four dollars and fifty four cents.
His entire life, he barely had enough in cash to afford a night or two at a local motel and a couple meals.
He went to a nearby train station and found that all his money would only get him as far as Indiana. The Chicago bus ride specifically, it was the first thing in the morning, was the cheapest and fastest option, and was offered to seniors at around two hundred and twenty three dollars.
Just enough.
Kreese shrugged. Anywhere but Los Angeles.
He had no reason to stay in the city anymore. No reason but very painful memories, estranged friends, and one very unhappy client, the last person to possibly ever pay John Kreese a semi-decent wage in cash.
Kreese was escorted out of the train station though, he didn't have the nicest look to him and it was closing quickly.
At one A'M, Kreese was able to find a quiet, and luckily empty dumpster to sleep behind in an alleyway where no one was around, Kreese had gotten adept after years of this to avoid ones that smelled too badly. And then he rested.
The next day, he'd go out east and try to find work or something.
Cars drove past as he closed his eyes.
He wanted to go anywhere, do anything, but stay in the Valley.
…
Daniel LaRusso however, did not live a miserable life without any food, money, or shelter of any kind.
He woke up in a luxurious home in Encino, with a beautiful wife sleeping next to his side in his king size bed, two children, and an entire award winning car dealership to his name.
His karate trophies were tucked away in his home dojo, which was oddly not in storage anymore.
Daniel woke up, made some coffee listening to the morning news on his iPhone, and then went to work.
His wife, Amanda, was helping him in the office, typing on the computer while Daniel quietly watched his morning customers enter the dealership.
"Well, would you look at that."
Daniel turned around and gazed at his wife.
"Lucas reapplied to be an intern." Amanda clicked her mouse.
Daniel shrugged. "I'll deal with it later."
Amanda looked at Daniel somewhat reproachfully. "You're gonna reject a 15 year old over a karate tournament?" she asked, half believing her own words.
"There's." Daniel sighed. "A lot more to it than that."
"I don't think there is." Amanda shrugged. "So he picked a different karate teacher than you. He still won last week."
"I promise you, if it was that simple, I'd have Luke back here working again."
"Honey." Amanda cleared her throat. "He was one of the best employees we had here in a while. He was diligent, proactive, smart, great customer service, always kind. I wish some of the adult employees were as mature as him sometimes."
Daniel's cousin Louie and a fellow LaRusso auto employee Anoush both were laughing at a bawdy internet meme on Louie's screen.
Amanda grimaced for a second. "I miss him more and more by the day."
"It's not just a karate tournament."
"Then what is it?" asked Amanda. "Honestly you never told me nor the kids why suddenly we couldn't talk to him."
Daniel opened his mouth but Amanda interrupted calmly.
"The full details."
"It's honestly not something I'd be able to forgive."
"He's fifteen," Amanda repeated. "What did he do?"
"He um." Daniel sighed.
Daniel grumbled before he left the office. "I'll take care of it later I promise, just, don't accept the application."
"Sure thing honey," Amanda muttered quietly.
The rest of the day, Daniel LaRusso mostly used karate as a gimmick to sell more cars.
Louie told mostly fake stories about Daniel using karate to get him out of sticky situations at bars, and how he even went to the All Valley Karate tournament just the month prior.
It was starting to be a very hot summer day, and the floor was looking very dirty.
Daniel noted how the lobby floor of LaRusso auto wasn't as shiny as he wanted it to.
The employee on duty was looking at his phone more often than he should've been. Even absurdly wealthy teenagers worked harder.
Daniel sighed and continued with his day.
He needed to visit an old friend.
…
Mr. Miyagi was buried in a very large cemetery near Orange County.
Daniel LaRusso refreshed the flowers near Mr. Miyagi's grave.
"Hey there."
Daniel did not receive a response. Not even from the wind.
"You always told me once about forgiveness. But you also told me something else, about."
Daniel sighed.
"About John Kreese."
"Eeeeyaaughh!"
John Kreese was trying to punch Mr. Miyagi through the mouth. He instead shattered his fist against the glass pane of a car window.
Instead of even knocking Kreese out for trying to hurt him, Mr. Miyagi instead honked him on the nose, and tossed him over while he was on his knees. Then he winked at Daniel.
His All Valley trophy still in his hand, Daniel limped while speaking to Miyagi.
"You could've killed him couldn't you?"
"Hai." Miyagi responded calmly.
"Well why didn't you then?"
"Because Daniel-san, for person with no forgiveness in heart, living even worse punishment than death." Miyagi said with a nod.
Daniel frowned.
"I had my first karate student in years. Someone who seemed to really enjoy and appreciate your lessons."
Daniel sighed.
"And he betrayed my trust. He knew John Kreese was a terrible person, among the worst around. And he wanted me to forgive him, to trust he was doing the right thing."
Daniel sighed, rubbing his eye.
"And I just feel lost. What am I gonna do with this kid?"
He shook his head.
"I know, I wasn't the easiest growing up. But how could someone seek my forgiveness after they knew who Kreese was and then lied to me about it?"
Daniel bowed his head from his kneeling position in front of Miyagi's grave.
When he returned to his car. He felt something strange looking back at his tombstone.
Daniel remembered when Miyagi had rehealed his bonsai, Miyagi told Daniel to do karate.
"His own way."
…
Cobra Kai OST: Bonsai Lessons
…
Daniel remembered his mother coming to this exact same home decades prior.
His mom had a car so beat up that he and she had to push it to take him and Ali Mills on a date to Golf 'N Stuff back in the 1980s.
He knocked on the door of the Mills Manor, the same house he used to pick up Ali from when he just moved to LA from New Jersey. Daniel even remember what Ali was like, and the day at the country club when he spilled spaghetti all over himself.
A much older father of Ali Mills answered the door, fixing his glasses.
"Oh hey Daniel." the two men shook hands. "Good to see you again. It's been a while, how can I help you?"
"I was hoping to talk to Lucas?"
"Oh sure. He's up in his room!" he turned. "Luke!"
He called up again.
"Luuuuke!"
Lucas was not the spitting image of his mother, Ali Mills at all, but rather a fair skinned, dark haired teenager with light blue eyes and a very deep voice.
"Yeah?" he leaned on the doorway, his grandfather standing just behind him.
"Can we talk?" Daniel asked with a small smile.
Lucas clearly didn't want to, but his grandfather nodded.
"Yeah." he sighed.
Lucas and Daniel sat in the large backyard of the Mills' home, watching a golden retriever running around.
They sat largely in silence for a moment, just looking at Lucas' pool.
"I have to admit. I thought you'd be happier after winning the forty ninth All Valley."
"You sure weren't happy for me."
Daniel was going to respond but then he paused.
Lucas shook his head, fixing a grey t-shirt. "How could you shut me out like that?"
"You knew what John Kreese was."
"You never told me everything about him."
"Because you weren't supposed to know," Daniel muttered. "Mr. Miyagi could forgive just about anyone. But John Kreese was one person he never let out of his sight."
Lucas scoffed. "But none of that was my fault."
"I know," Daniel said. "Which is why it pained me more than anything to have to give you the cold shoulder."
Lucas rolled his eyes.
"I know you're not a cruel person. I've only known you for a year, but you never gave me the impression you genuinely wanted to harm someone else."
Daniel fixed his spot on the lawn chair next to Lucas.
"You've got Ali's heart. That's for sure."
Lucas nodded a bit.
"You're just a very competitive person, and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Sure felt there was something wrong with it when I trained with you. It's like nothing made sense, I understood the karate techniques. But there was always some hidden meaning, some metaphor." Lucas' face twisted into a bit of anger. "Like I was messed up for wanting to compete."
"Mr. Miyagi always was against competing for sport." Daniel raised a finger. "But what he was truly against. Was karate being taught the wrong way, John Kreese, taught karate the wrong way."
Lucas merely listened in silence.
"Someone used to bully me pretty hard in highschool. But he was never that bad of a person all said and done. But his Sensei? Was the worst there is."
Daniel explained. "Unpredictable."
John Kreese swept a student off his legs in class for not paying attention, faking a massive punch to the nose.
"Violent."
John Kreese taught a teenage Bobby Brown to finish his opponent by striking his shoulder blade.
"And, yes. Genuinely cruel."
He choked a teenage Johnny Lawrence in the parking lot next to the All Valley arena for losing to Daniel minutes prior.
Daniel looked at Lucas. "What I mean to say is that I'm sure he was a fine Sensei to you. But he was dangerous."
"He could've changed."
"People like him don't change Lucas. Mr. Miyagi would've wanted me to never let you near that man."
Daniel stood up. "I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. But I promise you I'll forgive you entirely, as soon as you promise to never go near him again."
Lucas frowned, thinking to himself for a second.
"I know you don't like Miyagi-Do's philosophy. I know you barely had the patience for anything but the actual karate. But until I have that promise, I can't begin to trust you again. Even if you're just a kid."
Daniel and Lucas exchanged a small nod, and then he left his house.
…
I had to hide how badly I wanted to see Mr. LaRusso.
I had come to conclusion that Kreese was evil, he made bad people worse, or he allowed them to use their karate for whatever they wanted. Be it bullying, harassment, or just regular law breaking.
People like Kyler and for a long time, Tory, were enabled to create violence against people they didn't like. To hurt them, to attack them or mess with them just because. Johnny Lawrence was guilty of this in 1980s, and it showed with Tory's behavior during the second and third seasons of the show.
That was Kreese at his most Kreese-ness. I had seen a man tormented by war, who unlike Mr. Miyagi, didn't just forgive himself and others for what happened:
He blamed them.
John Kreese made it clear that at much as his philosophy could make me incredible strong, mentally, physically, and agility wise, in a fight or elsewhere in life. He had no forgiveness in him, mercy and forgiveness was as alien to him as anything else. I wouldn't be his student, someone to cultivate and respect until they could be better than you one day.
Since the day I met him, Kreese had made it clear I was just his instrument of revenge against LaRusso, to serve as a fix for the mistakes he himself made.
It was evident, with the lies I told myself and Daniel LaRusso, the pain I was hiding from the bruises and blood striking bricks and old boards, doing knuckle pushups on concrete, and learning the Way of the Fist.
Luckily I had realized sooner rather than later that the lines Johnny gave to his old class in Season 3 were real.
"Wanna stick with Kreese? Go ahead." said Johnny to a class who believed they'd failed him in the hallways of his old highschool. "Don't say I didn't warn you when your life ends up in the shitter."
Until now, my knowledge of the show had only served for my own personal gain. For my own power, for taking advantage of others, even those like John Kreese. I was done with that.
I was ready to embrace my flaws, and let go of my hatred. Mostly towards myself, towards a perfectionist, the person who flew in from Denver last year to make the Valley my kingdom. Well no more.
Johnny's assessment of Kreese was more than fair. Eli's hatred towards Demetri, his best friend since middle school was manipulated by Kreese, he was using his anger to turn him into someone he wasn't deep down. Towards someone who had no forgiveness in his heart, not even a little.
Someone like Kreese himself.
I was done with Cobra Kai, I felt so much shame that I think the only way I could forgive myself, was by studying the martial art that focused on harmony with everything around you:
Miyagi-Do karate.
...
John Kreese was more than ready to leave LA.
But he had one last thing to do.
He used the last bit of money he had to buy a train ticket, but before that he'd use the tiny fraction of cash he had left over to smoke a nice cigar, and reminisce.
Kreese walked into a small strip mall in Reseda that night just a mere couple of hours before he boarded his train to depart LA for good.
He paid a tubby Latino man working at a liquor store the last few dollars Lucas Schwarber had given to him to buy a cigar, and a lighter.
When he walked out, he began to smoke it looking over the parking lot.
He remembered Johnny Lawrence losing decades prior.
"What did you say?" a young middle aged John Kreese asked.
"I said I did my best!" roared Johnny, waving his second place trophy upwards.
"You're nothing, you lost, you're a loser!" Kreese countered, yelling back at him.
Johnny shook his head. "No, you're the loser man!"
"Oh I'm the loser huh?"
"Yeah."
Kreese swiped and broke Johnny's trophy in the blink of an eye, wood and bronze and all with his bare hands, throwing it aside. "Now who's the loser?" he challenged.
"You know you're really sick man!" A seventeen year old Johnny Lawrence said loudly, having no idea how his Sensei could treat him this way.
After several protests, the boys from Cobra Kai couldn't stop their Sensei.
He was choking Johnny Lawrence out like he was some Vietcong in a jungle who tried to kill him, not a teenager who just lost a karate tournament.
"How does second place feel now huh?"
"You're gonna kill him!" Bobby Brown's desperate pleas repeated themselves in Kreese's mind decades later. "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
Kreese kept smoking his cigar in silence.
The memory didn't remotely shake him. He barely even seemed to regret it when a group of highschool boys walked past.
He had no idea Johnny was enjoying a nice meal at home at his apartment with his son instead of eating his dinner from a strip mall liquor store.
One of them blew their vape in Kreese's direction before they walked into the liquor store. The old man just found it amusing, almost nodding as he chuckled quietly.
The leader of the group of boys was trying to buy beer from the man Kreese had just bought a cigar from.
He was a Korean teen followed by a redhead, a frizzy fat boy, and another pal of his.
"Lemme get a packet or Marlboros too bro." the frizzy fat boy put a pack of beers on the counter.
"Damn Brucks, feeling confident today are we?" asked his redheaded friend.
"You know it."
The man at the register could tell how fake his ID was.
"Are you sure about this," he asked. "Kyler?"
"Yeah my dude, I'm sure." he smiled widely.
A skinny Latino boy walked over, speaking in Spanish to get help buying something for his grandmother.
"Me puedes ayudar con algo? Necesito un poco de Pepto Bismol para mi abuela."
"Claro hermano. Este torpe no entiende como comparse un ID propio. Pija chiquita." he glanced between Kyler and the boy he was chuckling with, putting a bottle of Pepto Bismol a smiling Miguel quickly paid for on the counter.
Kyler didn't seem to appreciate this at all, and started shoving him outside of the store. The man behind the register didn't blink an eye. Seeing how the man behind the counter didn't question Miguel's order for even half a second, and even appeared to be making fun of him for, he took out that frustration on Miguel in seconds.
A commotion started, one that resulted in Kyler dumping Pepto Bismol all over him outside the liquor store.
Kreese didn't care at all, he kept smoking his cigar as if he was watching some daytime TV boredly.
The boys laughed and kept shoving him around, until eventually he was punched right in the gut.
"That's brute Ky!" the fat one said.
Kreese kept watching the scene calmly, continuing to smoke his cigar in silence.
The Latino boy caught his breath. "Man what the hell?"
"Freaking idiot!" Kyler picked him up by his shoulders. "You blow up my spot. You get taught!"
"Nice Ky! Show him who's boss!" another one of his friends said.
Kreese found it entertaining, he didn't even feel bad for him for a second, and then watched him get to his feet.
Out of desperation or rage, he tried tackling Kyler to the ground. It failed completely and the beating that ensued was equally one sided, but it greatly amused Kreese. He even seemed to remember fighting bullies behind the old diner he used to work at, fighting with just his wits and a trash can lid.
Except unlike Kreese, Miguel wasn't winning.
Kreese sighed, having seen enough. If he'd go home, he'd at least try to dish out No Mercy one last time.
"Alright alright alright. That's more than enough."
Everyone froze, Kyler's redheaded friend looked around. "Man what?" he said stupidly.
Kreese picked up the kid quietly. "Way to show some guts. What's your name?"
"Miguel." he coughed, Pepto Bismol still in his hair. "Just trying to get some medicine for my grandma."
Appreciating how he treated the elderly, being an older man himself, Kreese didn't feel pity for Miguel. Rather respected the lengths he was willing to go just to help her. If anything, it at least showed courage to fight when completely outmatched.
"Yo man this ain't none of your business." Kyler raised his eyebrows.
"Word." the fat kid 'Brucks' took a hit off the redhead's vape.
Kreese raised his eyebrows, turning slightly. "Look I enjoy dishing out a beating as much as the next guy. It's getting late, I've got a bus to catch. Why don't you all leave?"
"Or what?" asked Kyler.
He had no idea what sort of tree he was barking up, Kreese had held his temper before with grown adults. Why not do the same with a pack of teenage boys?
The retired Special Forces captain chuckled to himself.
No Mercy, that's why.
Kreese just realized what he was doing.
He wanted to properly beat someone down before he could leave the Valley all but consequence free in just a couple of hours. He'd be on a bus across the entire country by this time tomorrow.
"Or else."
Kyler and his friends acted scared, laughing at him.
"Come on." Kyler laughed. "Hit me with your best shot old man."
"Knock him over with your walker gramps!" taunted another one of Kyler's friends.
Kreese nodded slowly, looking away.
…
Cobra Kai OST: Strike First
…
Without warning or mercy, Kreese put Kyler into a wrist lock.
He gasped in pain, and then Kreese loudly cracked every bone in Kyler's wrist with a POP.
"There's my best shot. Never start a fight you can't finish," he growled with a grin.
Then Kreese put out his still lit cigar right on the skin of Kyler's cheek right beneath his eye, he roared in pain.
Kreese tossed Kyler aside and his three friends didn't know how to react.
Kyler was all but crying in pain from the snapped wrist he had, and Kyler roared orders wincing.
"Get 'im Brucks please!" he screamed.
"I got you man!"
Brucks was kicked right in the knee, Miguel could not believe his eyes.
A senior citizen was moving like some sort of ninja.
Kreese had no flexibility and far less physical strength than all three boys he was fighting.
But he had lived on the streets for decades, and served in Special Forces in Vietnam.
He could back kick, back fist, punch, pull. He was merciless, cold, and always struck first.
The redhead in Kyler's group took a knee directly to the groin as soon as he tried grabbing Kreese, the last one was headbutted to the ground.
Brucks attempted to punch Kreese with his back turned only to receive a back kick to the sternum for his troubles.
The boys couldn't touch him, Kreese could win the fight with his eyes closed.
He used the environment to his advantage, dragged Brucks by his face across a cement wall with a knee directly to his liver to finish him off.
When Kyler, blind with rage at having his wrist broken and humiliated, ran at Kreese to punch or grab him. Anything. He was thrown over Kreese's knee.
Kreese employed a classic karate hip throw and slammed Kyler onto the pavement as hard as he could.
He used another throw to throw the last two boys so hard together their foreheads collided at full speed.
John Kreese fought dirty, but he was facing four younger and stronger opponents, he had to use his techniques, use his environment, and properly leave a last reminder to the Valley he was sick of it.
Kreese picked up his cigar, twisting his shoe on the snapped wrist of Kyler.
He yelled in pain at the top of his lungs and then Kreese spat in front of him.
"Let this be a lesson. For the rest of your life. You start a fight, make sure you finish it."
The other boys were all bruised and beaten, shocked, rolling around on the floor in agony or simply knocked clean out. There was No Mercy left in John Kreese, and he'd taught the Valley one last lesson because he could get away with it:
And because it pleased him to spread pain.
…
Kreese might as well have knocked Kyler out for good measure, but left the boys there groaning on the ground quietly.
He smiled at himself, not even acknowledging Miguel when he slipped away into the night. What shocked Miguel more than anything was just how much Kreese had seemed to teach Kyler a lesson.
Miguel was unsure if he was scared of the man, or actually impressed, not knowing what to think having never met someone like him his entire life. Miguel might as well have not even been there, it was clearly just an excuse to beat Kyler and his friends livid.
Kyler looked like he wouldn't be able to use his left hand for anything for a few solid weeks, and Kreese was probably at least seventy years old from the looks of him.
He had beaten four young men ruthlessly admittedly but Miguel was shocked.
How could his savior be so merciless? He only seemed to be interested in him to instigate the fight.
Miguel then rubbed the Pepto Bismol at the top of his head.
"Whoa." he muttered to himself.
He then ran off home too before he could stand around awkwardly amidst Kyler and his friends. Miguel still didn't know whether to be terrified or impressed when he bought another can of Pepto Bismol and ran back home.
…
The following morning at 9 AM sharp, before he could board his bus, Kreese was stopped by two police officers.
"What'd I do?"
"Assault and battery of four minors. Turn and around and put your hands behind your back please."
Looking like he already knew the drill, Kreese complied with his demands and was read his rights.
Within a few hours, he was put within a holding cell, and Kreese sighed.
He was sure he timed his attack better.
There was no way the kids he attacked had wealthy connections right?
Kreese looked around the holding cell. It almost looked like a second home to him, extremely familiar.
However, after a few more hours, an officer swung by holding a clipboard.
"John Kreese?"
He stood up off the bench next to others in the holding cell.
"Yes?"
"You made bail, congratulations. I'll be taking you out for some paperwork in about fifteen minutes."
"Who was it?"
"Someone who clearly doesn't value a whole lot of money." the officer eyed Kreese up and down with disgust.
…
Walking out into the early June Southern California sun with increasingly aged eyesight, Kreese chuckled.
"I see you lost the ponytail."
He looked a little closer, still squinting with his hand raised.
"Do I know you?"
"Ali took me to one of your karate classes back in the day. She was still with Johnny back then."
Oddly, Kreese recognized him.
"Frank Mills?"
They shook hands. "Pleasure."
"Why'd you. I mean why would you-"
They spoke calmly on the front steps of the police precinct.
Frank explained. "I can manage to bring this whole thing down to a misdemeanor and get you off with half a year of community service."
"Really?"
"You broke a sixteen year old kid's hand John, injured three others. The least you can do is say thank you."
"No I mean, I still don't get any of this."
"I honestly never liked any of this karate nonsense. In fact, I'd pay to see it out of the Valley for good."
Kreese and Frank made eye contact for almost four seconds.
"You'd hate your own grandson's passion that much?"
"Oh please. Don't act like you ever cared about what these kids wanted."
Kreese squinted again. "You don't know them."
"I knew my own daughter, and Ali never liked you."
Kreese opened his mouth to retort but Frank spoke. "Officer Lin Davis told me you were about to board a Greyhound due for the east coast or something before you were brought in. Is that correct?"
"Actually, it was Chicago, but how does Lucas feel about this?"
"You won't talk to him ever again."
Kreese turned his head slightly. "And LaRusso, will he get the same treatment?"
"Daniel LaRusso doesn't beat children in strip mall parking lots."
"No, he prefers to lie to them and cheat them instead."
"And you're better?"
Kreese bit his lip, balling his fists.
"I was a better grandfather or father to him than you were or Ali's husband Greg ever were. You don't want to admit that, so you bail me out. Want to make a deal, to save your pride, try to decide for myself how I get to go out."
Frank loomed over Kreese, strangely, the retired doctor was taller. While he wasn't physically intimidating to Kreese at all, the retired doctor was put in a financially and legally superior position in every single way.
"I don't know who else you can turn to for help. Either that, or you'll have to figure out a way to find a single job here in the Valley to pay off what you owe me. I want Lucas to become a respected doctor here in the Valley at some point, and the best way to do that, is to write you out of the picture for good."
"I'm confused I take out a loan?"
"No," Frank said. "But I'll talk to the county and a minute or two later, and you might. I'm doing this to make sure you never come back, or never bother me ever again."
Kreese understood perfectly again. "So I take it I can get on that bus now?"
"I suggest you do."
"Afraid I can't now, I owe you a whole lot of money first."
Frank turned to watch Kreese start to leave the precinct steps.
"Where are you going?"
Kreese answered calmly. "Like you said. To find a job so I can pay you back," he said bitterly.
No matter what it cost him or the Valley, he would pay back his debt to Frank Mills. No matter what it cost anyone, he'd show the Valley one last time:
Revenge would never stop Kreese until he was six feet under.
…
…
…
A/N:
Hey everyone, new fic here of course.
Like season 1 of the show, the focus was heavily and almost exclusively on the adult characters until the audience became comfortable with and cared about the teen characters.
Lucas Schwarber, like always, is portrayed by Dylan Minnette in my mind whenever I write him. I don't know why, but he seems to fit the role rather well whenever I'm writing him. I won't spoil the pairing for him for this fanfic.
As for Frank and Olivia Mills, Ali's parents from the first karate kid film, I don't have actors in mind when I'm writing them except Ed Begley Jr. for Frank, I suppose the same ones Cobra Kai and the karate kid series gave us work fine. Anyway, I'm going to post that review I said I'd post before:
"I don't get this version. The original had some issues, some conflict felt unnecessary but mostly was organic - one thing leading to another. The conflict here seems artificially manufactured. Forced.
Doesn't seem like Miyagi-do fits because of Daniel - the constant turning everything on Lucas and not really helping him… Freezing Lucas out makes less sense in this version, even worse for Robby to do so - still pretty Zen so out of character to shove everything onto Lucas and really talk to him, just blame him as if it's easier. The grandfather dictating Lucas life is also for the worse - though either version forcing him to be a doctor wasn't great but at least doing so to make ends meet before made sense. Lucas doesn't act like an SI anymore, nor do we see his POV/thoughts, all 3rd person.
Don't see the point where things are - he quits there's no story, and Daniel so far has been a terrible Sensei. He'd do better with Bobby but seeing seem like he'll be involved this time.
I'll stick with the cobra Kai version."
My aim is to improve the pacing a bit to explain these changes a bit better, even if I think the review is off base and wrong in regards to what I actually portrayed in the story. I still believe this review is wrong, but the claims it makes won't make much sense because around 100,000 words worth of story happen between now and the point where they can say this. Either way, I want to write the best story that would make sense within the Netflix Cobra Kai universe, which is why I tone down the SI ness of Lucas as time goes on, it becomes less relevant as the characters stray into territory that is generally different than canon.
The main issue the review overlooks is that "sticking with Cobra Kai version" as if its better and makes more sense is...wrong in my opinion. Original Luke Schwarber was basically an unstoppable chick magnet that embodied No Mercy, despite being a generally level headed guy. The review also claims Robby as OOC which I do not think I ever do so, this Robby is far different than canon is still acts like him in my opinion. Feel free to give me your thoughts below.
Canon only really had a few issues, the constant bickering with Johnny and Daniel for almost six seasons straight. The teen drama was pretty weak in most areas, and most of the karate chose style over substance, which during actual competition has issues as with combat sports like boxing and others. I aim to fix all of them, as well as my own mistakes from what this review said, still wrong in most areas but giving room for thoughts, and where I believe I went wrong with the 'cobra kai version.'
This is the Miyagi-Do version.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all soon.
MiyazakiFan18
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I don't want to spoil the surprise, I also agree Luke treated Tory quite badly during the first series.
MiyazakiFan18
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Actually real quick, could you see the ship happening again if he treated her far better?
iGreyOtak
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He actually clicked with her, their both Smart his grandparents doesn't have a problem with her unlike moon. If he actually tried to get to know her and not just fool around while she was a away they could have been endgamem
MiyazakiFan18
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I meant Tory, but I do agree Yasmine could've worked.
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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thanks for the chapter
Papi Chulo
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I'm kinda confused, did Lucas decide to drop everything he learned from the cobra kai version and stick to myagi do or what ??
FTR2017
Well worn.
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Why does it feel as if Kreese is going on a downward spiral after separating himself from Luke when confronting Daniel?
He got his vengeance with Luke's victory, so what's the deal? He knew that Luke was playing them both and still was a good master all things told.
Though considering how shit his life turned out after he tried to strangle his star student? I can see how he'd start embracing his school's philosophy by breaking his enemies.
After all, his art was influenced by war--and in war, Cobra Kai's tenets are king.
He got his vengeance with Luke's victory, so what's the deal? He knew that Luke was playing them both and still was a good master all things told.
Though considering how shit his life turned out after he tried to strangle his star student? I can see how he'd start embracing his school's philosophy by breaking his enemies.
After all, his art was influenced by war--and in war, Cobra Kai's tenets are king.
MiyazakiFan18
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I don't want to spoil who Lucas becomes, but he will never stop being the All Valley champ from the 49th edition of it with the moves and style he created. However, as I made it clear during the chapter, he has chosen Miyagi-Do over Cobra Kai. The original series had Luke choose Cobra Kai over Miyagi-Do, and that series is on fanfic.net. However, the AU where he chose Miyagi-Do instead and I wrote it all the way up to a third into Season 2 of Cobra Kai is the storyline I chose here. I more or less have a chance to redo both series.
Papi Chulo
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Ooooh nice, can I get the link to the fanfic.net version, I wanna see what a more agressive lucas would look like, still the miyagi-do version is interesting so I can't wait to see what u do with it
MiyazakiFan18
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I don't know about aggressive, but according to a reader, Luke was "a condescending narcissist who never had any karma for his actions." There is also way too many references in a scene to scene comparison to the original Karate Kid films to the point that the fic is less creative/original for it. That improves as time goes on. I aim to fix that in this new series, but here's the older one. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14066179/1/Passion-in-front-of-Principle
Book 2 - Chapter 2
MiyazakiFan18
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Chapter Two: The Sensei He Was
…
John Kreese found Terry Silver's home to be as luxurious as he remembered, but was surprised when a woman answered the door.
"Um. Hello?"
"Yes." Kreese said quietly. "I'm looking for Terry Silver, I'm an old friend of his."
"Really? Terrance never mentioned you."
Kreese smiled lightly at the woman with curly hair and a slight accent. "Well I promise you, he'll remember me."
The woman shook Kreese's hand. "Well I'm Cheyenne, Terry's partner. And your name?"
"John."
"Honey I think Jinko's is actually too busy this time of, even I can't get a reservat-"
Silver froze, seeing Kreese stand on his front porch.
"Tion."
Cheyenne kept smiling. "So it seems he does remember you."
"Can we talk?" Kreese nodded. "Terrance?"
Silver slowly nodded.
…
The two shared some iced cognac on Silver's back porch.
"I don't see you in over thirty years, and the first thing you ask me for is help?"
Kreese sighed. "Quite frankly I'm in deep. You remember my old champion, Johnny Lawrence?"
"Hard to forget." Silver smiled slightly before sipping from his glass.
"He had an old girlfriend, Ali Mills-"
"Yes, the blonde girl. Hard to forget her too, caused all that trouble."
Kreese did not appreciate how Silver cut him off, judging by Silver's tone, he blamed Kreese for what he just described. Kreese nodded and spoke lightly. "Her father wants me out of the Valley for good, bailed me out of prison yesterday."
"What did you get in prison for?" asked Silver.
Kreese shrugged. "A small disagreement."
Silver smiled at this quietly. "Doesn't sound so small."
"Anyways. I owe him well over a hundred thousand all said and done." Kreese muttered.
Silver nodded. "And you want me to cover you?"
"I want to repay the debt I've always owed you, Terry," Kreese said. "I can and will do it on my own this time."
Silver grinned widely. "Make a superstar karate team, like we were supposed to."
"We had a chance, back in the 80s. Those boys, if you'd only met them-"
"Don't, guilt trip me." Silver threatened quietly. "You said you handled the training, and I handled the bills. That was all, so don't act like you had everything under control."
Kreese frowned, leaning on the railing of Silver's back porch. "I wasn't."
"So, you want me back in the game or some nonsense?"
Kreese shook his head. "I want your support in opening a new Cobra Kai dojo. I get our name back on its feet, and I promise you, you'll get your money back."
"You want a loan? When you're already massively in debt?"
Kreese was silent for about twenty seconds, as if he had something very deep he needed to admit to who previously was his best friend.
His only real friend.
Kreese glanced down at this glass quietly. "I've been ready to die for some time now Terry," he muttered calmly. "There's nothing more painful than having an old dream die twice. But I'll give anything for a third try, just one more chance."
Silver seemed deeply pensive over this, and after a quick moment he spoke.
"What do you mean a third try?"
"Recent events have drawn me into conflict with Ali Mills' family, I had a chance to train a student beyond Johnny's original two All Valley title limit. This kid of hers was-" Kreese scoffed. "Unlike anyone I've ever trained, he was on the same level of Johnny Lawrence, except already used to competitive sports and used to martial arts when I met him. The kid took the All Valley Golden trophy with a year of training consisting of loading dock sparring and conditioning. No real mats, no real training partners, nothing like that."
"Yeah I think I read a small article in the paper about someone breaking almost every All Valley record in their first attempt. And you feel you have a debt to settle with them? Even after everything that happened?"
Kreese spoke in a low, furious, but oddly calm voice. "With every cell in my body."
"What happened between you two? Why'd he leave your tutelage?"
"He walked away from being a Cobra Kai without even blinking after we had a disagreement."
"And why not reach out to him again, try clear things up?" Silver put his hands in his expensive sports jacket trousers and shrugged a bit. "You know, figure things out with a good old fashioned heart to heart?"
"I had nothing to apologize for. And even if I did." Kreese mumbled. "Mercy is for the weak."
"Oh...." Silver chuckled, rubbing his face. He clapped his hands together slightly and muttered. "Damnit Johnny, it's a little too late for us to be doing this again but. Screw it, I'm too curious to see how it goes if you try again."
Kreese raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. I'll set you up at the cheapest location I can find. Probably someplace in Reseda, getting it licensed and operational. All told, probably seventy-five grand or maybe even twice that much depending on how things roll out given that the city has so many barriers on new and small businesses." Silver nodded to himself. "I'm not doing this for old time's sake, this is the last favor I'll ever give you John so you can be out of my hair for good. Don't expect another one, unlike last time, this is a loan. So it damn well better work out, because the last time we spoke like this. It failed."
"I won't fail."
"You better not. I'm in this solely as a businessman this time, I expect to hear nothing at all from you. No more favors, no more bailouts or loans. I set up this dojo, you win, make back some money. And then we'll never hear from each other again."
Kreese gave a ponytail-less Silver a slight nod, finished his cognac, and began to leave.
What truly impressed Silver was that Kreese was so obsessed with this idea of revenge, that he didn't even question or doubt Silver's decision to treat this like a simple business transaction. During the 1980s when Kreese wanted revenge again, he seemed grateful that Silver was willing to go so far for him.
And now? Kreese didn't even mutter his thank you.
Silver turned around, looking at Kreese over his shoulder. "What the hell made you want to come back to this mess? Hatred? Spite? Revenge?"
Kreese needed about a few seconds to think.
"A kid."
"The kid you mentioned?"
"He taught me the kids of the Valley aren't as soft as I once thought."
"If he's that special? Why go this far for revenge?"
Silver didn't really care that Kreese didn't respond.
…
After two more days living on the streets, Kreese was contacted by Silver and was given a home and a place to work, which were the same location.
In the very same Reseda strip mall where Kreese beat Kyler and his friends, John Kreese reopened the Cobra Kai dojo without a single student to its name.
There were no exposed wires, the mirrors were clean, John Kreese was seventy one years old and owed almost three hundred thousand dollars to two much wealthier and respected men, Terry Silver and Frank Mills.
Now all he had to do was pay it all back. Even if he run the most successful karate school in the world, he would never be able to pay it all back.
Frank had made it clear that for bailing him out of jail, he wanted him to have nothing to do with Lucas' life. A bit tricky given that the dojo was meant to serve as a way to find students to make a go for the same title he already took, but he could figure that out later. Terry's loan was a cold reminder that even his old war buddy, the last person in the world who'd want to help him out unconditionally:
Terry Silver wanted nothing to do with him after all that happened.
And Kyler Park's parents had already reached out through mail after the Cobra Kai dojo opened.
John Kreese began to staple fliers and papers promoting his dojo all over Reseda, eventually, he began to staple them to telephone poles near a particular apartment complex.
"Hey!"
Kreese turned, recognizing Miguel who hopped off his bicycle.
"Hey you're, you're that guy!"
Kreese didn't even grimace. "Yes. I'm that guy," he said dryly.
"You're opening up a karate school?" Miguel checked the paper.
"It's called a dojo," Kreese said.
"I never really did karate, my mom was always against contact sports."
Kreese could tell.
Miguel smiled widely, showing his braces. "I wanted to thank you for the other day. It was pretty brutal but-"
"Life is brutal son." Kreese stapled the last paper to the telephone pole and kept walking, completely ignoring Miguel. "There's no need for thanks."
Miguel caught up to him. "Wait up I mean. I think what you did is pretty cool all things considered."
"I appreciate it." Kreese did not sound at all like he did so, barely blinking an eye.
Miguel held the flyer out to Kreese. "Think you can give me a shot? I see you need new students."
"And why would I do that?" Kreese said.
The first impression he got from Miguel was that as scrappy as he was, he had no real idea how to fight. He could barely land anything solid on Kyler, even without any training, his courage alone lacked some merit.
"Because I can pay?" Miguel shrugged. "Because it might be fun, and I need it. Don't you need students too?"
Kreese looked around the mostly empty street next to Miguel's apartment complex.
"So you really want to try?" Kreese gathered he had no idea what actual Cobra Kai training under him entailed.
"Yeah!" said Miguel.
"Fine then."
Kreese smiled maliciously and Miguel smiled widely too, Kreese patted Miguel's shoulder and began to walk off in the direction of the dojo.
Johnny Lawrence was taking the trash out when he saw this, and almost was going to do something when he hesitated, shaking his head.
…
Kreese stood in front of Miguel in a sleeveless black GI, Miguel was silent and wearing gym shorts and an old and baggy Naruto t-shirt.
Miguel didn't know what to do until Kreese finally spoke.
"You ready to begin?"
"Yes."
"You have to say. Yes Sensei."
"Er." Miguel felt awkward. "Yes Sensei?"
"Great," Kreese said.
Kreese hit Miguel directly in the solar plexus with his elbow and then swept him off his feet with a one handed hip throw. Even as a senior, Kreese was that strong and quick, this had all taken about two seconds.
Miguel groaned on the mat, wincing, his air knocked completely out of him twice.
"First lesson!" barked Kreese. "You have to strike first!"
Miguel could barely nod, barely able to get up.
Kreese pointed down to Miguel. "Mental toughness is one thing. But you have to be smart. Aware! Vigilant. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sensei." Miguel groaned painfully, wheezing.
Miguel slowly stood up after catching his breath and Kreese spoke.
"You do not wait for the enemy to attack," Kreese said. "You hit him first, always. Is that understood?"
Miguel leaned over, nodding. "Yes, Sensei."
Miguel tried to remove something stashed in his shorts.
"Weakness does not e-"
When he pulled out his inhaler from his pocket, Kreese froze, saying nothing.
"What is that?"
Miguel used his inhaler, speaking quickly. "I have asthma, and I need this to-"
"Asthma? Like a disability?"
"Er. Yeah. Have you never heard of asthma?"
Kreese tilted his head slightly.
"Sorry, have you never heard of asthma, Sensei?"
"No. In my day you were just called what you were. Weak."
Miguel was shocked when Kreese smacked his inhaler right out of his hand and against the wall.
"Uh, Sensei, what're you-"
"You see those trophies over there?"
Miguel nodded, and assumed correctly they were from decades ago when Kreese started running Cobra Kai.
"People misunderstand champion hood all the time." Kreese said calmly, squinting at Miguel. "You don't just get into physical shape. You get into mental shape. To become a Cobra, you have to think like a fighter, and stop being a civilian."
"Civilian?"
"Regular thinking is that having an inhaler is acceptable. You think like a soldier? In war, there is no chance for weakness, you can lose your life."
Miguel was confused, looking around at the dojo a bit and then at Kreese. "My life? But this is just karate training, not-
"This training is about more than just karate!" Kreese pointed back to the black words on the wall. "Again, the first lesson of Cobra Kai is to strike first. It's about life, not just fighting. Your enemies are everywhere and in everything, so you have to be ready for anything. There is no time or place for you to draw an inhaler, in the middle of a real fight."
Kreese flicked his nose towards the broken inhaler Miguel had next to the wall. "A champion never won a thing breathing from a tiny plastic cup. And at Cobra Kai, you train to be a champion. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sensei but, I have a condition. A doctor prescribed me that inhaler-"
"I said. Is that understood?"
Miguel nearly took a step back.
Kreese spoke slowly. "I don't care if it takes you a day. Or a week, or a month, or a year. Or the rest of your life. But unless you no longer have lungs, you will train and fight like a normal person. So you're either a Cobra Kai, and a winner." Kreese glanced at the door. "Or you need an inhaler, and a loser, and I'll be happy to escort you out. Is that understood?"
Miguel felt more fear than he ever did in his life knowing what Kreese did to four boys much larger and stronger than him just on his own.
However, he kept his composure and nodded.
"Yes Sensei."
"Good. Knuckle pushups, go."
"Until when?"
"Until you feel like you're gonna puke. Bathroom's in the back."
Miguel's first reaction was fear, but according to Kreese's lesson, he was supposed to overcome his limits.
Even if it hurt. A lot.
…
For almost two hours, John Kreese exclusively trained Miguel's cardio.
He made him do pushups on his knuckles and Kreese did actually have to stand next to the door when Miguel nearly threw up.
Then, he really did.
Proud of him without showing it for not giving up, Kreese nodded and gestured back to the mat.
After Miguel caught his breath, he started to run laps around the mat until parts of it were splattered with his sweat.
Panting and leaning over, wincing, feeling like he was passing out, Miguel groaned.
"What's the next drill?"
"We're done for the day."
Miguel watched Kreese retreat into his office with a nod.
Miguel caught his breath and walked over, soaked in sweat to Kreese's office.
"But you never taught me any actual karate Sensei." he panted out.
Kreese sat in his desk chair, slicing open the end of a cigar.
"Do you not trust what I'm doing kid?"
"Sort of Sensei?" asked Miguel. "I get stamina is important, but that can't be the only part of karate."
Kreese nodded slightly, lighting his cigar and leaning on his office desk on his elbows. "So you want a karate lesson?"
"Yes, of course, that's why I'm here!"
Kreese nodded a bit. He looked at Miguel plainly. "Stop talking so much and listen to what I say. And I guarantee, I promise, you'll learn Cobra Kai karate. Technically, you already did."
"What do you mean?"
"In Cobra Kai, you have to let go of fear. Embrace your strength, you will never be able to do that until you stop needing a little cup to keep breathing. Today we're focusing on removing that weakness, you overcome that. And you'll be ready to strike."
Miguel understood this a bit, not enough to nod in agreement, but enough to not question Kreese. Until he wondered just who all those trophies belonged to.
"Don't take this the wrong way Sensei but, who have you trained?"
"Two All Valley Under 18 Karate champions."
Miguel's eyes widened, knowing that title had to be important. "Really? What were they like?"
Kreese looked around the dojo. "It's getting late kid, you should get home."
"Shouldn't you too?"
Kreese slightly widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "What did I say about talking too much?"
"Er. Sorry Sensei."
Miguel bowed quickly and Kreese nodded his head back slightly.
Miguel left the dojo on his bicycle, and Kreese smoked his cigar in silence.
…
John Kreese remembered the days when Johnny Lawrence was sixteen years old.
Shortly after winning his first All Valley trophy, Kreese took the team to every karate tournament he could find in southern California.
Bobby, Jimmy, Tommy, Dutch, and the rest of the dojo went in black and sleeveless gold rimmed karategis to compete.
There were several tournaments, hosted by local karate dojos either in highschool gyms or actually in their own dojos, but none were as large as the All Valley, nor were they ever in a place as large as the All Valley Sports Arena.
Eventually, Johnny actually lost one tournament, and was given a second place trophy.
John Kreese was curious as to how Johnny would respond since it was the first time since he sparred with Darryl Vidal two years prior that he had lost.
Johnny was looking at his trophy sadly when he refused to place it in on the entrance glass cases by the Cobra Kai karate dojo on Lankershim and Magnolia.
"Not feeling too great son?"
Johnny shook his head. "Why should I? I lost."
Kreese explained quietly. "Even I couldn't have won that match."
"What're you talking about?"
"Whether intentionally or not, the judging was terrible." Kreese shrugged. "It just happens in karate."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because like I said, it happens in karate."
Johnny was confused. "So, you let me lose?"
"No."
Kreese put a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "I will only ever be upset, when I know you could've won the match and you didn't try your best. Defeat, does not exist in this dojo, but some victories are just out of grasp."
"But, winning is what Cobra Kai is all about. We're champions."
"Champions don't lose, and you didn't lose today." Kreese tapped a finger on the center of Johnny's chest. "When you lose for real, and you shouldn't have. I'll let you know. Is that understood, Mr. Lawrence?"
"Yes Sensei." he handed the trophy to Kreese.
Kreese gave a nod and Johnny left the dojo to go talk to his friends outside the Lankershim dojo about their Sensei.
Who for once, actually let someone accept second place. But Kreese didn't, not deep down.
He didn't put it in front entrance, but instead, in his office, as a constant reminder of Johnny's desire to improve.
Kreese walked past the picture of Kim Sun-Yung and all his trophies Cobra Kai had collected, and shook his head in disappointment at what he had told his student.
It would have to be put up to him, to never let his students fail.
"Defeat, does not exist." he muttered.
…
Blowing smoke decades later in his newer office instead of his older one, as he puffed on his cigar, John Kreese wondered how he'd react knowing what he knew now back then.
Cobra Kai had lost so many times by now that he wondered how to treat Miguel, how to teach the dojo moving forward. Even Lucas' victory lacked what Kreese wanted, because he wanted nothing to do with Kreese anymore.
He could try to change that, but he knew him. When his mind was made up, there was very little Kreese could do to change that. He was as stubborn as Ali used to be sometimes, from what he gathered from Johnny.
Stuck up to eyebrows deep in debt, and with only one asthmatic student to his name, Kreese bared his knuckles and looked at them quietly.
After some thought, Kreese chose the determining factor to teach his karate. How he'd have to grow his name.
"No mercy." he muttered to himself.
…
…
…
A/N:
In Season 4, Terry Silver eventually does help out John Kreese the best he can. I wish I wasn't spoiling the show so much but the latest season, Season 6, came out a month and a half ago.
Anyway, Silver does his damndest to make sure Cobra Kai is successful. Both teaching and bankrolling the dojo with high tech equipment and gear. But the circumstances during that season were far different. Kreese already had a dojo with fighters with the likes of Tory and Robby and Eli, not to mention Miguel had won the All Valley and joined Cobra Kai recently before then. My point is, Kreese has nothing but empty promises and bad memories to give Silver, unlike during Season 4 when he genuinely just needed a partner to teach.
I do believe he'd react different when seeing Kreese even if he could pull the 'I saved your life in Vietnam' card. As shown by the end of Season 4, Silver can only let him play the guilt card for so long before he doesn't view Kreese's friendship as favorable to him. He's just that sort of person.
Anyway, you won't be seeing Terry Silver at all for like, another two season's worth of fanfiction in equivalency to the show? Thank you all for reading, and stay safe.
…
John Kreese found Terry Silver's home to be as luxurious as he remembered, but was surprised when a woman answered the door.
"Um. Hello?"
"Yes." Kreese said quietly. "I'm looking for Terry Silver, I'm an old friend of his."
"Really? Terrance never mentioned you."
Kreese smiled lightly at the woman with curly hair and a slight accent. "Well I promise you, he'll remember me."
The woman shook Kreese's hand. "Well I'm Cheyenne, Terry's partner. And your name?"
"John."
"Honey I think Jinko's is actually too busy this time of, even I can't get a reservat-"
Silver froze, seeing Kreese stand on his front porch.
"Tion."
Cheyenne kept smiling. "So it seems he does remember you."
"Can we talk?" Kreese nodded. "Terrance?"
Silver slowly nodded.
…
The two shared some iced cognac on Silver's back porch.
"I don't see you in over thirty years, and the first thing you ask me for is help?"
Kreese sighed. "Quite frankly I'm in deep. You remember my old champion, Johnny Lawrence?"
"Hard to forget." Silver smiled slightly before sipping from his glass.
"He had an old girlfriend, Ali Mills-"
"Yes, the blonde girl. Hard to forget her too, caused all that trouble."
Kreese did not appreciate how Silver cut him off, judging by Silver's tone, he blamed Kreese for what he just described. Kreese nodded and spoke lightly. "Her father wants me out of the Valley for good, bailed me out of prison yesterday."
"What did you get in prison for?" asked Silver.
Kreese shrugged. "A small disagreement."
Silver smiled at this quietly. "Doesn't sound so small."
"Anyways. I owe him well over a hundred thousand all said and done." Kreese muttered.
Silver nodded. "And you want me to cover you?"
"I want to repay the debt I've always owed you, Terry," Kreese said. "I can and will do it on my own this time."
Silver grinned widely. "Make a superstar karate team, like we were supposed to."
"We had a chance, back in the 80s. Those boys, if you'd only met them-"
"Don't, guilt trip me." Silver threatened quietly. "You said you handled the training, and I handled the bills. That was all, so don't act like you had everything under control."
Kreese frowned, leaning on the railing of Silver's back porch. "I wasn't."
"So, you want me back in the game or some nonsense?"
Kreese shook his head. "I want your support in opening a new Cobra Kai dojo. I get our name back on its feet, and I promise you, you'll get your money back."
"You want a loan? When you're already massively in debt?"
Kreese was silent for about twenty seconds, as if he had something very deep he needed to admit to who previously was his best friend.
His only real friend.
Kreese glanced down at this glass quietly. "I've been ready to die for some time now Terry," he muttered calmly. "There's nothing more painful than having an old dream die twice. But I'll give anything for a third try, just one more chance."
Silver seemed deeply pensive over this, and after a quick moment he spoke.
"What do you mean a third try?"
"Recent events have drawn me into conflict with Ali Mills' family, I had a chance to train a student beyond Johnny's original two All Valley title limit. This kid of hers was-" Kreese scoffed. "Unlike anyone I've ever trained, he was on the same level of Johnny Lawrence, except already used to competitive sports and used to martial arts when I met him. The kid took the All Valley Golden trophy with a year of training consisting of loading dock sparring and conditioning. No real mats, no real training partners, nothing like that."
"Yeah I think I read a small article in the paper about someone breaking almost every All Valley record in their first attempt. And you feel you have a debt to settle with them? Even after everything that happened?"
Kreese spoke in a low, furious, but oddly calm voice. "With every cell in my body."
"What happened between you two? Why'd he leave your tutelage?"
"He walked away from being a Cobra Kai without even blinking after we had a disagreement."
"And why not reach out to him again, try clear things up?" Silver put his hands in his expensive sports jacket trousers and shrugged a bit. "You know, figure things out with a good old fashioned heart to heart?"
"I had nothing to apologize for. And even if I did." Kreese mumbled. "Mercy is for the weak."
"Oh...." Silver chuckled, rubbing his face. He clapped his hands together slightly and muttered. "Damnit Johnny, it's a little too late for us to be doing this again but. Screw it, I'm too curious to see how it goes if you try again."
Kreese raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. I'll set you up at the cheapest location I can find. Probably someplace in Reseda, getting it licensed and operational. All told, probably seventy-five grand or maybe even twice that much depending on how things roll out given that the city has so many barriers on new and small businesses." Silver nodded to himself. "I'm not doing this for old time's sake, this is the last favor I'll ever give you John so you can be out of my hair for good. Don't expect another one, unlike last time, this is a loan. So it damn well better work out, because the last time we spoke like this. It failed."
"I won't fail."
"You better not. I'm in this solely as a businessman this time, I expect to hear nothing at all from you. No more favors, no more bailouts or loans. I set up this dojo, you win, make back some money. And then we'll never hear from each other again."
Kreese gave a ponytail-less Silver a slight nod, finished his cognac, and began to leave.
What truly impressed Silver was that Kreese was so obsessed with this idea of revenge, that he didn't even question or doubt Silver's decision to treat this like a simple business transaction. During the 1980s when Kreese wanted revenge again, he seemed grateful that Silver was willing to go so far for him.
And now? Kreese didn't even mutter his thank you.
Silver turned around, looking at Kreese over his shoulder. "What the hell made you want to come back to this mess? Hatred? Spite? Revenge?"
Kreese needed about a few seconds to think.
"A kid."
"The kid you mentioned?"
"He taught me the kids of the Valley aren't as soft as I once thought."
"If he's that special? Why go this far for revenge?"
Silver didn't really care that Kreese didn't respond.
…
After two more days living on the streets, Kreese was contacted by Silver and was given a home and a place to work, which were the same location.
In the very same Reseda strip mall where Kreese beat Kyler and his friends, John Kreese reopened the Cobra Kai dojo without a single student to its name.
There were no exposed wires, the mirrors were clean, John Kreese was seventy one years old and owed almost three hundred thousand dollars to two much wealthier and respected men, Terry Silver and Frank Mills.
Now all he had to do was pay it all back. Even if he run the most successful karate school in the world, he would never be able to pay it all back.
Frank had made it clear that for bailing him out of jail, he wanted him to have nothing to do with Lucas' life. A bit tricky given that the dojo was meant to serve as a way to find students to make a go for the same title he already took, but he could figure that out later. Terry's loan was a cold reminder that even his old war buddy, the last person in the world who'd want to help him out unconditionally:
Terry Silver wanted nothing to do with him after all that happened.
And Kyler Park's parents had already reached out through mail after the Cobra Kai dojo opened.
John Kreese began to staple fliers and papers promoting his dojo all over Reseda, eventually, he began to staple them to telephone poles near a particular apartment complex.
"Hey!"
Kreese turned, recognizing Miguel who hopped off his bicycle.
"Hey you're, you're that guy!"
Kreese didn't even grimace. "Yes. I'm that guy," he said dryly.
"You're opening up a karate school?" Miguel checked the paper.
"It's called a dojo," Kreese said.
"I never really did karate, my mom was always against contact sports."
Kreese could tell.
Miguel smiled widely, showing his braces. "I wanted to thank you for the other day. It was pretty brutal but-"
"Life is brutal son." Kreese stapled the last paper to the telephone pole and kept walking, completely ignoring Miguel. "There's no need for thanks."
Miguel caught up to him. "Wait up I mean. I think what you did is pretty cool all things considered."
"I appreciate it." Kreese did not sound at all like he did so, barely blinking an eye.
Miguel held the flyer out to Kreese. "Think you can give me a shot? I see you need new students."
"And why would I do that?" Kreese said.
The first impression he got from Miguel was that as scrappy as he was, he had no real idea how to fight. He could barely land anything solid on Kyler, even without any training, his courage alone lacked some merit.
"Because I can pay?" Miguel shrugged. "Because it might be fun, and I need it. Don't you need students too?"
Kreese looked around the mostly empty street next to Miguel's apartment complex.
"So you really want to try?" Kreese gathered he had no idea what actual Cobra Kai training under him entailed.
"Yeah!" said Miguel.
"Fine then."
Kreese smiled maliciously and Miguel smiled widely too, Kreese patted Miguel's shoulder and began to walk off in the direction of the dojo.
Johnny Lawrence was taking the trash out when he saw this, and almost was going to do something when he hesitated, shaking his head.
…
Kreese stood in front of Miguel in a sleeveless black GI, Miguel was silent and wearing gym shorts and an old and baggy Naruto t-shirt.
Miguel didn't know what to do until Kreese finally spoke.
"You ready to begin?"
"Yes."
"You have to say. Yes Sensei."
"Er." Miguel felt awkward. "Yes Sensei?"
"Great," Kreese said.
Kreese hit Miguel directly in the solar plexus with his elbow and then swept him off his feet with a one handed hip throw. Even as a senior, Kreese was that strong and quick, this had all taken about two seconds.
Miguel groaned on the mat, wincing, his air knocked completely out of him twice.
"First lesson!" barked Kreese. "You have to strike first!"
Miguel could barely nod, barely able to get up.
Kreese pointed down to Miguel. "Mental toughness is one thing. But you have to be smart. Aware! Vigilant. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sensei." Miguel groaned painfully, wheezing.
Miguel slowly stood up after catching his breath and Kreese spoke.
"You do not wait for the enemy to attack," Kreese said. "You hit him first, always. Is that understood?"
Miguel leaned over, nodding. "Yes, Sensei."
Miguel tried to remove something stashed in his shorts.
"Weakness does not e-"
When he pulled out his inhaler from his pocket, Kreese froze, saying nothing.
"What is that?"
Miguel used his inhaler, speaking quickly. "I have asthma, and I need this to-"
"Asthma? Like a disability?"
"Er. Yeah. Have you never heard of asthma?"
Kreese tilted his head slightly.
"Sorry, have you never heard of asthma, Sensei?"
"No. In my day you were just called what you were. Weak."
Miguel was shocked when Kreese smacked his inhaler right out of his hand and against the wall.
"Uh, Sensei, what're you-"
"You see those trophies over there?"
Miguel nodded, and assumed correctly they were from decades ago when Kreese started running Cobra Kai.
"People misunderstand champion hood all the time." Kreese said calmly, squinting at Miguel. "You don't just get into physical shape. You get into mental shape. To become a Cobra, you have to think like a fighter, and stop being a civilian."
"Civilian?"
"Regular thinking is that having an inhaler is acceptable. You think like a soldier? In war, there is no chance for weakness, you can lose your life."
Miguel was confused, looking around at the dojo a bit and then at Kreese. "My life? But this is just karate training, not-
"This training is about more than just karate!" Kreese pointed back to the black words on the wall. "Again, the first lesson of Cobra Kai is to strike first. It's about life, not just fighting. Your enemies are everywhere and in everything, so you have to be ready for anything. There is no time or place for you to draw an inhaler, in the middle of a real fight."
Kreese flicked his nose towards the broken inhaler Miguel had next to the wall. "A champion never won a thing breathing from a tiny plastic cup. And at Cobra Kai, you train to be a champion. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sensei but, I have a condition. A doctor prescribed me that inhaler-"
"I said. Is that understood?"
Miguel nearly took a step back.
Kreese spoke slowly. "I don't care if it takes you a day. Or a week, or a month, or a year. Or the rest of your life. But unless you no longer have lungs, you will train and fight like a normal person. So you're either a Cobra Kai, and a winner." Kreese glanced at the door. "Or you need an inhaler, and a loser, and I'll be happy to escort you out. Is that understood?"
Miguel felt more fear than he ever did in his life knowing what Kreese did to four boys much larger and stronger than him just on his own.
However, he kept his composure and nodded.
"Yes Sensei."
"Good. Knuckle pushups, go."
"Until when?"
"Until you feel like you're gonna puke. Bathroom's in the back."
Miguel's first reaction was fear, but according to Kreese's lesson, he was supposed to overcome his limits.
Even if it hurt. A lot.
…
For almost two hours, John Kreese exclusively trained Miguel's cardio.
He made him do pushups on his knuckles and Kreese did actually have to stand next to the door when Miguel nearly threw up.
Then, he really did.
Proud of him without showing it for not giving up, Kreese nodded and gestured back to the mat.
After Miguel caught his breath, he started to run laps around the mat until parts of it were splattered with his sweat.
Panting and leaning over, wincing, feeling like he was passing out, Miguel groaned.
"What's the next drill?"
"We're done for the day."
Miguel watched Kreese retreat into his office with a nod.
Miguel caught his breath and walked over, soaked in sweat to Kreese's office.
"But you never taught me any actual karate Sensei." he panted out.
Kreese sat in his desk chair, slicing open the end of a cigar.
"Do you not trust what I'm doing kid?"
"Sort of Sensei?" asked Miguel. "I get stamina is important, but that can't be the only part of karate."
Kreese nodded slightly, lighting his cigar and leaning on his office desk on his elbows. "So you want a karate lesson?"
"Yes, of course, that's why I'm here!"
Kreese nodded a bit. He looked at Miguel plainly. "Stop talking so much and listen to what I say. And I guarantee, I promise, you'll learn Cobra Kai karate. Technically, you already did."
"What do you mean?"
"In Cobra Kai, you have to let go of fear. Embrace your strength, you will never be able to do that until you stop needing a little cup to keep breathing. Today we're focusing on removing that weakness, you overcome that. And you'll be ready to strike."
Miguel understood this a bit, not enough to nod in agreement, but enough to not question Kreese. Until he wondered just who all those trophies belonged to.
"Don't take this the wrong way Sensei but, who have you trained?"
"Two All Valley Under 18 Karate champions."
Miguel's eyes widened, knowing that title had to be important. "Really? What were they like?"
Kreese looked around the dojo. "It's getting late kid, you should get home."
"Shouldn't you too?"
Kreese slightly widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "What did I say about talking too much?"
"Er. Sorry Sensei."
Miguel bowed quickly and Kreese nodded his head back slightly.
Miguel left the dojo on his bicycle, and Kreese smoked his cigar in silence.
…
John Kreese remembered the days when Johnny Lawrence was sixteen years old.
Shortly after winning his first All Valley trophy, Kreese took the team to every karate tournament he could find in southern California.
Bobby, Jimmy, Tommy, Dutch, and the rest of the dojo went in black and sleeveless gold rimmed karategis to compete.
There were several tournaments, hosted by local karate dojos either in highschool gyms or actually in their own dojos, but none were as large as the All Valley, nor were they ever in a place as large as the All Valley Sports Arena.
Eventually, Johnny actually lost one tournament, and was given a second place trophy.
John Kreese was curious as to how Johnny would respond since it was the first time since he sparred with Darryl Vidal two years prior that he had lost.
Johnny was looking at his trophy sadly when he refused to place it in on the entrance glass cases by the Cobra Kai karate dojo on Lankershim and Magnolia.
"Not feeling too great son?"
Johnny shook his head. "Why should I? I lost."
Kreese explained quietly. "Even I couldn't have won that match."
"What're you talking about?"
"Whether intentionally or not, the judging was terrible." Kreese shrugged. "It just happens in karate."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because like I said, it happens in karate."
Johnny was confused. "So, you let me lose?"
"No."
Kreese put a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "I will only ever be upset, when I know you could've won the match and you didn't try your best. Defeat, does not exist in this dojo, but some victories are just out of grasp."
"But, winning is what Cobra Kai is all about. We're champions."
"Champions don't lose, and you didn't lose today." Kreese tapped a finger on the center of Johnny's chest. "When you lose for real, and you shouldn't have. I'll let you know. Is that understood, Mr. Lawrence?"
"Yes Sensei." he handed the trophy to Kreese.
Kreese gave a nod and Johnny left the dojo to go talk to his friends outside the Lankershim dojo about their Sensei.
Who for once, actually let someone accept second place. But Kreese didn't, not deep down.
He didn't put it in front entrance, but instead, in his office, as a constant reminder of Johnny's desire to improve.
Kreese walked past the picture of Kim Sun-Yung and all his trophies Cobra Kai had collected, and shook his head in disappointment at what he had told his student.
It would have to be put up to him, to never let his students fail.
"Defeat, does not exist." he muttered.
…
Blowing smoke decades later in his newer office instead of his older one, as he puffed on his cigar, John Kreese wondered how he'd react knowing what he knew now back then.
Cobra Kai had lost so many times by now that he wondered how to treat Miguel, how to teach the dojo moving forward. Even Lucas' victory lacked what Kreese wanted, because he wanted nothing to do with Kreese anymore.
He could try to change that, but he knew him. When his mind was made up, there was very little Kreese could do to change that. He was as stubborn as Ali used to be sometimes, from what he gathered from Johnny.
Stuck up to eyebrows deep in debt, and with only one asthmatic student to his name, Kreese bared his knuckles and looked at them quietly.
After some thought, Kreese chose the determining factor to teach his karate. How he'd have to grow his name.
"No mercy." he muttered to himself.
…
…
…
A/N:
In Season 4, Terry Silver eventually does help out John Kreese the best he can. I wish I wasn't spoiling the show so much but the latest season, Season 6, came out a month and a half ago.
Anyway, Silver does his damndest to make sure Cobra Kai is successful. Both teaching and bankrolling the dojo with high tech equipment and gear. But the circumstances during that season were far different. Kreese already had a dojo with fighters with the likes of Tory and Robby and Eli, not to mention Miguel had won the All Valley and joined Cobra Kai recently before then. My point is, Kreese has nothing but empty promises and bad memories to give Silver, unlike during Season 4 when he genuinely just needed a partner to teach.
I do believe he'd react different when seeing Kreese even if he could pull the 'I saved your life in Vietnam' card. As shown by the end of Season 4, Silver can only let him play the guilt card for so long before he doesn't view Kreese's friendship as favorable to him. He's just that sort of person.
Anyway, you won't be seeing Terry Silver at all for like, another two season's worth of fanfiction in equivalency to the show? Thank you all for reading, and stay safe.
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
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Thanks for the chapter
Book 2 - Chapter 3
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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Chapter Three: Miyagi-Dojo
…
Cobra Kai OST: Miyagi-Do
…
Lucas Schwarber opened the front door to the Mills Manor.
"You here to lecture me again?" he asked tiredly.
Daniel shook his head slightly. "Come with me."
Daniel drove Lucas for a bit in his ostentatious car to an abandoned home.
The entire property was a dilapidated mess, no one had lived there in decades. All the old cars had covers on them, and there wasn't one part of the property that wasn't run down.
"Wait a minute, is this?" Lucas closed the passenger side to the car after Daniel parked on the front yard's gravel. "Is this where I think it is?"
"Yup. Welcome to Miyagi-Do," said Daniel.
"Why am I here?"
Daniel smiled at him, walking closer to him. "You wanted an internship? Well, here's your internship."
"A karate internship?"
Daniel shook his head. "No."
Lucas looked around the property as Daniel spoke. "This was Mr. Miyagi's home at one point, and it will be yours too now. You will spend every single day of the rest of your summer if necessary bringing this property back to life. To what it once looked like."
Lucas squinted, looking at the cans of paint and soap everywhere. "Wait. You want me doing basic kata again?"
"Among other things."
"I'm an All Valley champion." chuckled Lucas. "I know every form, every move in Miyagi-Do. The spinning hands, the fly catching counter, everything. Why am I doing fundamentals again?"
"Because you broke your own fundamentals. Miyagi-Do's fundamentals."
Daniel nodded to Lucas slightly.
"Trust."
Lucas looked away.
"I know you and your parents have a, complicated relationship. And you have an even more complicated one with John Kreese."
He was looking down at his shoes.
"But the most essential part of Miyagi-Do, is the promise. The promise that you'll trust my teachings, you'll trust what you can learn. Without that, none of the karate matters. None of what you do, or practice here, matters."
Lucas met Daniel's eyes.
"I promise I'll leave Cobra Kai behind. You-"
"I can't trust that. Trust takes time to build." Daniel looked around Mr. Miyagi's house. "And you've got a long road ahead of you, you better get started."
Lucas nodded and walked to the front porch, about to open the traditional sliding wooden door.
"Oh no." Daniel chuckled. "You won't be going in there for a long time."
"Until when?"
"Until you've made it clear you've properly appreciated what I can teach you. You're an incredible fighter Lucas, you know the physical side of karate in and out." Daniel winced for a moment. "But I'm here to properly give you morals, teach you about life. That was Miyagi-Do's essence, it was never about fighting."
Lucas was confused. "But you said no one could do it like I could."
"Yup, no one could win an All Valley as young or as well as you did. But there's something you have to know."
A teenage Daniel was walking along the beach in an orange towel, speaking to Miyagi about the crane kick. "Could you teach me?"
"First learn stand. Then learn fly, nature rule Daniel-san, not mine."
Daniel echoed his old mentor to Ali's son. "First learn stand, then learn fly."
"What in the world does that mean?"
"You gotta be patient and observant. Then, everything will make sense."
Daniel turned around and began to drive back to LaRusso Auto. "If you go inside that house before I tell you, I won't ever let you near Miyagi-Do again Luke."
Lucas froze, but still picked up the paint can and paint brush as Daniel drove back.
When Daniel returned, he found Lucas wearing a tank top with his jacket tied around his waist, he was kneeling, practicing Paint the Fence.
Daniel smiled as he parked the car and remembered his own teenage years as Mr. Miyagi taught him to Paint the Fence as well.
Lucas' hand went up, and down, breathing in, and out.
The June sun was sweltering and hot, Lucas spent hours painting the entire fence line just the Miyagi-Do way.
Daniel reminisced, of the Pact he made with Mr. Miyagi, of his first months learning karate.
Lucas was a completely different teenager entirely, and Daniel knew this, but he watched Lucas closely as he painted and painted.
The brush strokes were careful and long and thick. Lucas knew the kata extremely well, the trick was to keep the hand steady and to be calm and precise.
It took two days almost, but Lucas painted both sides of Mr. Miyagi's fence line, and he was only a fraction of the way through reviving the entire property back to its former glory.
…
Lucas put the finishing touches on the last fence board and then sat back down.
Daniel would always pop in every few hours to check in on his progress, occasionally bringing snacks and food.
"Good job."
Lucas sat on the front porch of Mr. Miyagi's home, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
He took the half sandwich and water bottle Daniel handed to him, and then offered a piece back.
Daniel didn't accept it.
Instead, he spoke. "You went into the house didn't you?"
"No."
"You did."
"No I didn't, I swear."
Daniel watched Lucas closely again, he didn't flinch or get angry or scared, he merely raised his hands and shook his head.
Lucas watched as Daniel stood up and went inside his old mentor's house.
After a moment, he returned and spoke, sitting back down to him.
There was silence between the two for a moment.
"You listened to me."
Lucas nodded a bit, hiding how shocked he was that Daniel could just tell. "Maybe."
"If you were inside the house, what would you want to see?"
"Pictures. Just, of what it was like for you to be with Mr. Miyagi when you were a kid."
Daniel shifted where he sat on the front porch next to Lucas.
"I'm curious though. I know you're so defensive about it because of what happened between us, but still, how come I can never go in?"
Daniel spoke calmly. "I technically never brought anyone here."
"Really?"
"Mr. Miyagi trained Sam a little bit when she was very young at the home dojo. But this place, this place was special."
Lucas and Daniel then silently sat together as Lucas finished his sandwich.
Daniel spoke. "You absorb the techniques of Miyagi-Do better than I've ever seen them. But I aim to teach you to trust, to trust me, to trust the way life can just be sometimes."
Lucas listened.
"What Mr. Miyagi taught me ironically helped me deal with his passing more than anything else."
"Life can happen, but that's alright."
Daniel glanced at Lucas.
"Yes. Life can happen."
A bird twittered above, when it fluttered from branch to branch above Mr. Miyagi's home.
"You lying to me about Kreese hurt." admitted Daniel. "But not as much as you lying to me to begin with."
Daniel frowned. "I know Cobra Kai can have its, attraction. Believe me, everyone wanted to be a Cobra Kai when I was in high school."
Daniel squinted at Lucas, who nodded. "But you have to sacrifice a part of yourself for power. Always. Especially that kind, don't lose who you are Luke, because I thought you did, I almost lost trust in you for good."
He said nothing.
"I still don't know if you're ready to join Miyagi-Do again yet. But I'll give you this, I do recognize how much you truly seem to care these days."
"Thank you Mr. LaRusso."
"I'll let you spend some time again with Anthony and Sam. Besides, you've earned it."
Lucas then smiled.
…
Daniel and Lucas walked inside the LaRusso home where Amanda was fixing her earring.
"Hey honey, we gotta go now. The Robinsons are already there." Amanda smiled quickly. "Hey, Lucas. Long time no see."
"Hey Mrs. L." Lucas smiled back slightly. "Already, where?"
"The annual summer party at the country club. I think your grandparents are coming, I'll let them know you're not going." said Daniel.
Amanda looked at Daniel. "It almost sounds like you forgot."
"Uh. Something came up, can we get going?"
Already playing a game on his iPad, Anthony waddled past. "Hey Luke."
He nodded to him and Amanda spoke to Lucas. "It was nice seeing you again, Sam's up in her room."
"She's not coming with us?"
"Her friends are coming over." said Amanda.
As Anthony walked to the car Amanda and Daniel had a hurried discussion in the hallway of their front yard.
"Are you sure it's a good idea leaving two teenagers alone together?" asked Daniel.
Amanda scoffed. "Oh please, I don't think anything will happen considering what's happened."
…
Lucas walked up to Sam's room, where she was wrapping up a video call with her friends.
She looked up with a frown to see Lucas in her bedroom door frame.
"Hey."
Sam nodded a bit. "Hey. What have you been up to lately?"
"Your dad gave me an internship again."
"Nice," Sam said flatly. "What's it like?"
"Plenty of yardwork."
Sam was confused. "Yardwork?"
"Oh um." Lucas sighed quickly. "How have you been? Haven't seen you since the start of summer."
"Just been hanging out with Moon and Yas, they're coming over in a second."
Sam tutted.
"Speaking of which, can you help me with something?"
"Sure."
…
Sam and Lucas were setting up snacks and drinks in the LaRusso's backyard pool area.
"So you're having company?"
"Yup." Sam kept her back turned to Lucas, wearing a pink swimsuit beneath a long white t-shirt.
Lucas took a beer out of the ice cooler Sam had. "Ah. Bold I see."
"Don't give me that look, I'm not the only one lying to my dad."
Lucas tossed the beer back inside the ice cooler. "Gotta get some more chips," he mumbled, walking back towards the kitchen.
"Sorry I mean."
Lucas frowned. "I know what you meant Sam, it's all good."
Sam let Lucas come back with more chips in a large plastic bowl and then spoke to him. "So, we're good?"
He ignored the question with his own. "Trying to impress someone?" Lucas tapped the ice cooler with his bare foot. "A guy maybe?"
Sam looked away, holding her arms. "Kyler?" asked Lucas.
"It's none of your business."
"It's cool if you are, he's great at wrestling. He's funny too."
"Stop it."
Lucas chuckled. "I'm just messing with you, the beers don't bother me."
Sam checked her phone. "Moon just pulled up."
Four members of West Valley High school's cheer squad entered the LaRusso's backyard all in bikinis.
Yasmine, Moon, and two other girls, Mackenzie and Lindsay all walked in, clearly good friends with Sam already.
Lucas sat there awkwardly checking his phone while sitting on a couch by the pool.
"Oh my gosh Luke, where have you been all summer?"
Surprised Moon was acting like they were friends, Lucas smiled. "Um. Doing, stuff, for. An internship, it's with Sam's dad."
"Sounds awesome."
Lucas and Moon talked and Lucas noted out of the corner of his eye that Sam was still wearing her white top.
Was Sam shy over her body? He didn't truly mind, but he noted it fast.
Lucas took off his tank top quickly. "I'm gonna just, hop in the pool really quick." he said wearing swim trunks he brought with him from home.
Before Moon could react, Lucas jumped into the LaRusso's pool using a trampoline.
"Guess he got nervous." Yasmine sat down next to Moon on the couch laughing. "Nice abs though."
The two girls giggled and chatted, and Sam awkwardly joined, sitting next to them.
Eventually, Rory, Kyler, Brucks, and a few other of his friends joined the party.
Kyler's face had a burn mark on it and his wrist was in a very tight cast. His other friends were injured too.
Lucas was still running laps like crazy in Sam's pool until eventually, he stopped.
He got out of the pool and Sam walked over, holding a towel.
"Hey. Getting tired yet?"
Lucas laughed. "A little bit."
"Hope you don't mind that Kyler came over."
"Not at all," he said instantly, wrapping the towel around his shoulders.
Brucks burped loudly, sitting in a pool floatie with a black eye. "Yo Schwarber, catch man!"
Lucas barely missed an ice cold beer can to the face.
Brucks and Rory laughed with each other and Lucas nodded. "Thanks dude."
He cracked open the beer can and took a sip.
"Mackenzie had something she wanted to show you on her phone Sam." Moon appeared with a kind smile, and Sam left the side of the pool to join her other friends.
"So." Moon slipped her bare legs into the pool next to Lucas. "Anything else going on this summer besides your internship?"
"It might sound kinda nerdy. But Eli and Demetri and I have been working on a few Lego sets as well as coding a few video games."
Moon laughed, holding a plastic red cup she sipped from. "That sounds awesome actually!"
"Really?"
"Yeah." Lucas gulped, struggling to take his eyes off Moon's perfectly tanned body in a purple bikini. "Can you do me a favor?" Moon smiled, then holding her phone.
"Sure."
"Can you do a flip into the pool for me?"
Lucas nodded and put his beer down.
He then did a back flip off the trampoline into a flying kick that made the whole party cheer.
Both Rory and Brucks high fived him. "Nice man!"
Moon chuckled, handing Lucas his towel when he left.
"That was great, perfect for my Insta. How come you don't follow me?"
Sam began to take notice from nearby, chatting with a few of the other girls.
"Uh. I don't really use Instagram except to promote my stuff for karate."
"You should try it, put yourself out there more." Moon giggled and then pushed Lucas' shoulder slightly, and the two laughed together.
Sam tried laughing with Kyler and pushing his shoulder too when he came by to make gross pool related humor, and he just found it odd.
Sam took a deep breath and then spoke. "Hey Luke, want to race in my pool?"
"Heck yeah I do!" Moon seemed perfectly enthusiastic about the idea too.
Sam looked ready to take her shirt off and race Lucas in her bikini. His eyes even seemed to widen in anticipation.
Before they could though, Daniel LaRusso appeared.
"Alright. Party's over."
He saw Rory exiting the pool. "Is that my swimsuit? Are you all, wearing my swimsuits?"
Lucas was quietly exiting the pool area as quietly as he could.
As Sam and Daniel began to speak, Daniel raised his voice over the leaving teenagers. "Lucas, Mills, Schwarber!" he enunciated each word perfectly.
He turned around slowly.
"Don't think I didn't see you, we'll talk later." Daniel slightly raised an eyebrow.
Lucas winced, turning back around and leaving awkwardly.
"Who are all these people?" asked Daniel.
"My friends." Sam crossed her arms. "I thought you and Mom would be out until later tonight."
"I mean-" Daniel sighed. "Just, clean this all up."
Sam nodded and began to do so before he and Amanda spoke in their kitchen.
…
Daniel frowned. "So I guess something did happen."
"It's not like he and Sam were in the pool together-"
"Don't! Even put that image in my head." Daniel shook his head, rubbing his temples.
Amanda sighed. "Look Sam wants to abandon her old look from middle school. All her friends are cheerleaders, I know how vicious teen girls can be. I think it's healthy for her to fit into that crowd."
"Maybe that old look would be great. Science, karate. Just like Luke, and he gets along perfectly with those kids."
"He doesn't, he used to beat them all up." Amanda deadpanned as Daniel winced painfully at the memory. "And so now Luke does karate again?" Amanda leaned on her kitchen island marble.
Daniel looked away with a slight groan.
"Is that where you were today?"
"Is that wrong?"
"No," said Amanda. "Just that the last time you did karate with him you ended up yelling swear words during a tournament. Never seen you like that before."
"I just want Sam to be safe, teen boys aren't much better than teen girls sometimes."
Amanda laughed. "Don't need to remind me about that either. Just, accept the changes our daughter is going through. You went through the same ones."
Amanda began to put a dish away from the sink. "Maybe spending so much time with Lucas will make you appreciate what it was like to be young once."
Daniel nodded, looking away.
…
Daniel entered Sam's room when she was done video chatting with Moon and Yas and spoke.
"I'm sorry about earlier."
"Don't be," Sam said. "I shouldn't have thrown a party without telling you first."
"Is there a reason why beer was involved?"
Sam frowned. "Not really. It's just." she passed her hand through her hair, brushing it back behind her ear. "Kyler's been having a rough time lately. He got jumped by some homeless guy at a strip mall and-"
"Wait, what the hell happened?"
"I have no idea. All I know is that it took place in Reseda, and now his parents are having some kind of legal trouble with a place called Cobra Kai."
Daniel's eyes widened, as if he was having very violent flashbacks.
"Dad, are you okay?" asked Sam.
Daniel blinked rapidly. "I got to, I got to go."
Sam then watched her father almost run out of her room, she hadn't ever seen him like this.
…
John Kreese nodded with pride at Miguel Diaz, doing knuckle pushups on the mat.
"And up!"
Miguel exploded upwards off his knuckles, sweat dripping off his head.
"Good. And up!"
He bounced upwards again, even managing to land with both feet and both knuckles on the mat once more.
"Perfect that makes fifty five. Aaand, time."
Miguel panted.
"You're improving, good work Diaz."
"Thank you Sensei." he exasperated.
Miguel answered a call from his mother.
They chatted in Spanish for a moment and then Kreese spoke.
"Who was that?"
"My mom, wants me to pick up some groceries on my way back home."
Kreese raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't your father help?" he asked, turning around to start stacking mats away.
"I actually um." Miguel cleared his throat. "Never met him so."
Kreese froze with his back turned to Miguel.
"Did you ever um, meet yours or." Miguel tutted. "Sorry I shouldn't ask."
Kreese mumbled. "You did well tonight son. Go home and get some rest."
"Yes Sensei."
The bell to Reseda's strip mall Cobra Kai karate dojo rang.
"I see old habits die hard."
Kreese turned to look at Daniel.
Miguel stood there awkwardly.
"Old habits include working for a living LaRusso," Kreese muttered. "Not all of us can enjoy lofty car dealerships floating on a silver cloud."
"Didn't know old habits included beating up kids out there." Daniel nodded over his shoulder towards the liquor store nearby.
Kreese nodded towards Miguel. "They were beating up a helpless Mr. Diaz here, now I have to teach him the way of the fist to protect himself."
Miguel smiled awkwardly. "Hi." he waved.
Daniel turned towards Kreese.
"Didn't know you ever protected kids from bullies. Being one yourself."
"You never knew me very well anyway kid." Kreese smirked at Daniel, Miguel added to the sentiment.
Daniel turned towards Miguel now. "Look I'm sorry you got mixed up in this. But if you want to know what an absolute monster this person is, ask someone named Johnny Lawrence what he'd do to his students."
Daniel took a deep breath. "If you want to learn true karate, you can always learn for free at Miyagi-Do."
"Miyagi-what?" Miguel was confused, balling his fists and nearing Daniel.
His Sensei stuck a hand out, stopping Miguel. Kreese inched towards Daniel.
Neither man batted an eye.
"You made a mistake coming here. I opened this place so I can make enough money for legal counsel against the Parks in the assault of their son. But I assure you, I won't have Johnny fighting my battles for me anymore."
Daniel nodded a bit. "You're in for a rude awakening, I promise."
"Anytime LaRusso, anywhere." he chuckled. "Any challenge you have, I'll match it."
Daniel shook his head and left.
Miguel turned to Kreese. "What was that about a Johnny Lawrence?"
"You can find out on your own, I don't really care." Kreese glanced at Miguel before he began to walk to the backroom of the dojo.
Miguel raised an eyebrow and Kreese began to finish speaking. "Again, go home kid. It's been a long day."
Miguel picked up his bicycle outside the Cobra Kai strip mall dojo and began to ride home. "Who in the world is Johnny Lawrence?" he mumbled to himself.
…
…
…
…
Cobra Kai OST: Miyagi-Do
…
Lucas Schwarber opened the front door to the Mills Manor.
"You here to lecture me again?" he asked tiredly.
Daniel shook his head slightly. "Come with me."
Daniel drove Lucas for a bit in his ostentatious car to an abandoned home.
The entire property was a dilapidated mess, no one had lived there in decades. All the old cars had covers on them, and there wasn't one part of the property that wasn't run down.
"Wait a minute, is this?" Lucas closed the passenger side to the car after Daniel parked on the front yard's gravel. "Is this where I think it is?"
"Yup. Welcome to Miyagi-Do," said Daniel.
"Why am I here?"
Daniel smiled at him, walking closer to him. "You wanted an internship? Well, here's your internship."
"A karate internship?"
Daniel shook his head. "No."
Lucas looked around the property as Daniel spoke. "This was Mr. Miyagi's home at one point, and it will be yours too now. You will spend every single day of the rest of your summer if necessary bringing this property back to life. To what it once looked like."
Lucas squinted, looking at the cans of paint and soap everywhere. "Wait. You want me doing basic kata again?"
"Among other things."
"I'm an All Valley champion." chuckled Lucas. "I know every form, every move in Miyagi-Do. The spinning hands, the fly catching counter, everything. Why am I doing fundamentals again?"
"Because you broke your own fundamentals. Miyagi-Do's fundamentals."
Daniel nodded to Lucas slightly.
"Trust."
Lucas looked away.
"I know you and your parents have a, complicated relationship. And you have an even more complicated one with John Kreese."
He was looking down at his shoes.
"But the most essential part of Miyagi-Do, is the promise. The promise that you'll trust my teachings, you'll trust what you can learn. Without that, none of the karate matters. None of what you do, or practice here, matters."
Lucas met Daniel's eyes.
"I promise I'll leave Cobra Kai behind. You-"
"I can't trust that. Trust takes time to build." Daniel looked around Mr. Miyagi's house. "And you've got a long road ahead of you, you better get started."
Lucas nodded and walked to the front porch, about to open the traditional sliding wooden door.
"Oh no." Daniel chuckled. "You won't be going in there for a long time."
"Until when?"
"Until you've made it clear you've properly appreciated what I can teach you. You're an incredible fighter Lucas, you know the physical side of karate in and out." Daniel winced for a moment. "But I'm here to properly give you morals, teach you about life. That was Miyagi-Do's essence, it was never about fighting."
Lucas was confused. "But you said no one could do it like I could."
"Yup, no one could win an All Valley as young or as well as you did. But there's something you have to know."
A teenage Daniel was walking along the beach in an orange towel, speaking to Miyagi about the crane kick. "Could you teach me?"
"First learn stand. Then learn fly, nature rule Daniel-san, not mine."
Daniel echoed his old mentor to Ali's son. "First learn stand, then learn fly."
"What in the world does that mean?"
"You gotta be patient and observant. Then, everything will make sense."
Daniel turned around and began to drive back to LaRusso Auto. "If you go inside that house before I tell you, I won't ever let you near Miyagi-Do again Luke."
Lucas froze, but still picked up the paint can and paint brush as Daniel drove back.
When Daniel returned, he found Lucas wearing a tank top with his jacket tied around his waist, he was kneeling, practicing Paint the Fence.
Daniel smiled as he parked the car and remembered his own teenage years as Mr. Miyagi taught him to Paint the Fence as well.
Lucas' hand went up, and down, breathing in, and out.
The June sun was sweltering and hot, Lucas spent hours painting the entire fence line just the Miyagi-Do way.
Daniel reminisced, of the Pact he made with Mr. Miyagi, of his first months learning karate.
Lucas was a completely different teenager entirely, and Daniel knew this, but he watched Lucas closely as he painted and painted.
The brush strokes were careful and long and thick. Lucas knew the kata extremely well, the trick was to keep the hand steady and to be calm and precise.
It took two days almost, but Lucas painted both sides of Mr. Miyagi's fence line, and he was only a fraction of the way through reviving the entire property back to its former glory.
…
Lucas put the finishing touches on the last fence board and then sat back down.
Daniel would always pop in every few hours to check in on his progress, occasionally bringing snacks and food.
"Good job."
Lucas sat on the front porch of Mr. Miyagi's home, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
He took the half sandwich and water bottle Daniel handed to him, and then offered a piece back.
Daniel didn't accept it.
Instead, he spoke. "You went into the house didn't you?"
"No."
"You did."
"No I didn't, I swear."
Daniel watched Lucas closely again, he didn't flinch or get angry or scared, he merely raised his hands and shook his head.
Lucas watched as Daniel stood up and went inside his old mentor's house.
After a moment, he returned and spoke, sitting back down to him.
There was silence between the two for a moment.
"You listened to me."
Lucas nodded a bit, hiding how shocked he was that Daniel could just tell. "Maybe."
"If you were inside the house, what would you want to see?"
"Pictures. Just, of what it was like for you to be with Mr. Miyagi when you were a kid."
Daniel shifted where he sat on the front porch next to Lucas.
"I'm curious though. I know you're so defensive about it because of what happened between us, but still, how come I can never go in?"
Daniel spoke calmly. "I technically never brought anyone here."
"Really?"
"Mr. Miyagi trained Sam a little bit when she was very young at the home dojo. But this place, this place was special."
Lucas and Daniel then silently sat together as Lucas finished his sandwich.
Daniel spoke. "You absorb the techniques of Miyagi-Do better than I've ever seen them. But I aim to teach you to trust, to trust me, to trust the way life can just be sometimes."
Lucas listened.
"What Mr. Miyagi taught me ironically helped me deal with his passing more than anything else."
"Life can happen, but that's alright."
Daniel glanced at Lucas.
"Yes. Life can happen."
A bird twittered above, when it fluttered from branch to branch above Mr. Miyagi's home.
"You lying to me about Kreese hurt." admitted Daniel. "But not as much as you lying to me to begin with."
Daniel frowned. "I know Cobra Kai can have its, attraction. Believe me, everyone wanted to be a Cobra Kai when I was in high school."
Daniel squinted at Lucas, who nodded. "But you have to sacrifice a part of yourself for power. Always. Especially that kind, don't lose who you are Luke, because I thought you did, I almost lost trust in you for good."
He said nothing.
"I still don't know if you're ready to join Miyagi-Do again yet. But I'll give you this, I do recognize how much you truly seem to care these days."
"Thank you Mr. LaRusso."
"I'll let you spend some time again with Anthony and Sam. Besides, you've earned it."
Lucas then smiled.
…
Daniel and Lucas walked inside the LaRusso home where Amanda was fixing her earring.
"Hey honey, we gotta go now. The Robinsons are already there." Amanda smiled quickly. "Hey, Lucas. Long time no see."
"Hey Mrs. L." Lucas smiled back slightly. "Already, where?"
"The annual summer party at the country club. I think your grandparents are coming, I'll let them know you're not going." said Daniel.
Amanda looked at Daniel. "It almost sounds like you forgot."
"Uh. Something came up, can we get going?"
Already playing a game on his iPad, Anthony waddled past. "Hey Luke."
He nodded to him and Amanda spoke to Lucas. "It was nice seeing you again, Sam's up in her room."
"She's not coming with us?"
"Her friends are coming over." said Amanda.
As Anthony walked to the car Amanda and Daniel had a hurried discussion in the hallway of their front yard.
"Are you sure it's a good idea leaving two teenagers alone together?" asked Daniel.
Amanda scoffed. "Oh please, I don't think anything will happen considering what's happened."
…
Lucas walked up to Sam's room, where she was wrapping up a video call with her friends.
She looked up with a frown to see Lucas in her bedroom door frame.
"Hey."
Sam nodded a bit. "Hey. What have you been up to lately?"
"Your dad gave me an internship again."
"Nice," Sam said flatly. "What's it like?"
"Plenty of yardwork."
Sam was confused. "Yardwork?"
"Oh um." Lucas sighed quickly. "How have you been? Haven't seen you since the start of summer."
"Just been hanging out with Moon and Yas, they're coming over in a second."
Sam tutted.
"Speaking of which, can you help me with something?"
"Sure."
…
Sam and Lucas were setting up snacks and drinks in the LaRusso's backyard pool area.
"So you're having company?"
"Yup." Sam kept her back turned to Lucas, wearing a pink swimsuit beneath a long white t-shirt.
Lucas took a beer out of the ice cooler Sam had. "Ah. Bold I see."
"Don't give me that look, I'm not the only one lying to my dad."
Lucas tossed the beer back inside the ice cooler. "Gotta get some more chips," he mumbled, walking back towards the kitchen.
"Sorry I mean."
Lucas frowned. "I know what you meant Sam, it's all good."
Sam let Lucas come back with more chips in a large plastic bowl and then spoke to him. "So, we're good?"
He ignored the question with his own. "Trying to impress someone?" Lucas tapped the ice cooler with his bare foot. "A guy maybe?"
Sam looked away, holding her arms. "Kyler?" asked Lucas.
"It's none of your business."
"It's cool if you are, he's great at wrestling. He's funny too."
"Stop it."
Lucas chuckled. "I'm just messing with you, the beers don't bother me."
Sam checked her phone. "Moon just pulled up."
Four members of West Valley High school's cheer squad entered the LaRusso's backyard all in bikinis.
Yasmine, Moon, and two other girls, Mackenzie and Lindsay all walked in, clearly good friends with Sam already.
Lucas sat there awkwardly checking his phone while sitting on a couch by the pool.
"Oh my gosh Luke, where have you been all summer?"
Surprised Moon was acting like they were friends, Lucas smiled. "Um. Doing, stuff, for. An internship, it's with Sam's dad."
"Sounds awesome."
Lucas and Moon talked and Lucas noted out of the corner of his eye that Sam was still wearing her white top.
Was Sam shy over her body? He didn't truly mind, but he noted it fast.
Lucas took off his tank top quickly. "I'm gonna just, hop in the pool really quick." he said wearing swim trunks he brought with him from home.
Before Moon could react, Lucas jumped into the LaRusso's pool using a trampoline.
"Guess he got nervous." Yasmine sat down next to Moon on the couch laughing. "Nice abs though."
The two girls giggled and chatted, and Sam awkwardly joined, sitting next to them.
Eventually, Rory, Kyler, Brucks, and a few other of his friends joined the party.
Kyler's face had a burn mark on it and his wrist was in a very tight cast. His other friends were injured too.
Lucas was still running laps like crazy in Sam's pool until eventually, he stopped.
He got out of the pool and Sam walked over, holding a towel.
"Hey. Getting tired yet?"
Lucas laughed. "A little bit."
"Hope you don't mind that Kyler came over."
"Not at all," he said instantly, wrapping the towel around his shoulders.
Brucks burped loudly, sitting in a pool floatie with a black eye. "Yo Schwarber, catch man!"
Lucas barely missed an ice cold beer can to the face.
Brucks and Rory laughed with each other and Lucas nodded. "Thanks dude."
He cracked open the beer can and took a sip.
"Mackenzie had something she wanted to show you on her phone Sam." Moon appeared with a kind smile, and Sam left the side of the pool to join her other friends.
"So." Moon slipped her bare legs into the pool next to Lucas. "Anything else going on this summer besides your internship?"
"It might sound kinda nerdy. But Eli and Demetri and I have been working on a few Lego sets as well as coding a few video games."
Moon laughed, holding a plastic red cup she sipped from. "That sounds awesome actually!"
"Really?"
"Yeah." Lucas gulped, struggling to take his eyes off Moon's perfectly tanned body in a purple bikini. "Can you do me a favor?" Moon smiled, then holding her phone.
"Sure."
"Can you do a flip into the pool for me?"
Lucas nodded and put his beer down.
He then did a back flip off the trampoline into a flying kick that made the whole party cheer.
Both Rory and Brucks high fived him. "Nice man!"
Moon chuckled, handing Lucas his towel when he left.
"That was great, perfect for my Insta. How come you don't follow me?"
Sam began to take notice from nearby, chatting with a few of the other girls.
"Uh. I don't really use Instagram except to promote my stuff for karate."
"You should try it, put yourself out there more." Moon giggled and then pushed Lucas' shoulder slightly, and the two laughed together.
Sam tried laughing with Kyler and pushing his shoulder too when he came by to make gross pool related humor, and he just found it odd.
Sam took a deep breath and then spoke. "Hey Luke, want to race in my pool?"
"Heck yeah I do!" Moon seemed perfectly enthusiastic about the idea too.
Sam looked ready to take her shirt off and race Lucas in her bikini. His eyes even seemed to widen in anticipation.
Before they could though, Daniel LaRusso appeared.
"Alright. Party's over."
He saw Rory exiting the pool. "Is that my swimsuit? Are you all, wearing my swimsuits?"
Lucas was quietly exiting the pool area as quietly as he could.
As Sam and Daniel began to speak, Daniel raised his voice over the leaving teenagers. "Lucas, Mills, Schwarber!" he enunciated each word perfectly.
He turned around slowly.
"Don't think I didn't see you, we'll talk later." Daniel slightly raised an eyebrow.
Lucas winced, turning back around and leaving awkwardly.
"Who are all these people?" asked Daniel.
"My friends." Sam crossed her arms. "I thought you and Mom would be out until later tonight."
"I mean-" Daniel sighed. "Just, clean this all up."
Sam nodded and began to do so before he and Amanda spoke in their kitchen.
…
Daniel frowned. "So I guess something did happen."
"It's not like he and Sam were in the pool together-"
"Don't! Even put that image in my head." Daniel shook his head, rubbing his temples.
Amanda sighed. "Look Sam wants to abandon her old look from middle school. All her friends are cheerleaders, I know how vicious teen girls can be. I think it's healthy for her to fit into that crowd."
"Maybe that old look would be great. Science, karate. Just like Luke, and he gets along perfectly with those kids."
"He doesn't, he used to beat them all up." Amanda deadpanned as Daniel winced painfully at the memory. "And so now Luke does karate again?" Amanda leaned on her kitchen island marble.
Daniel looked away with a slight groan.
"Is that where you were today?"
"Is that wrong?"
"No," said Amanda. "Just that the last time you did karate with him you ended up yelling swear words during a tournament. Never seen you like that before."
"I just want Sam to be safe, teen boys aren't much better than teen girls sometimes."
Amanda laughed. "Don't need to remind me about that either. Just, accept the changes our daughter is going through. You went through the same ones."
Amanda began to put a dish away from the sink. "Maybe spending so much time with Lucas will make you appreciate what it was like to be young once."
Daniel nodded, looking away.
…
Daniel entered Sam's room when she was done video chatting with Moon and Yas and spoke.
"I'm sorry about earlier."
"Don't be," Sam said. "I shouldn't have thrown a party without telling you first."
"Is there a reason why beer was involved?"
Sam frowned. "Not really. It's just." she passed her hand through her hair, brushing it back behind her ear. "Kyler's been having a rough time lately. He got jumped by some homeless guy at a strip mall and-"
"Wait, what the hell happened?"
"I have no idea. All I know is that it took place in Reseda, and now his parents are having some kind of legal trouble with a place called Cobra Kai."
Daniel's eyes widened, as if he was having very violent flashbacks.
"Dad, are you okay?" asked Sam.
Daniel blinked rapidly. "I got to, I got to go."
Sam then watched her father almost run out of her room, she hadn't ever seen him like this.
…
John Kreese nodded with pride at Miguel Diaz, doing knuckle pushups on the mat.
"And up!"
Miguel exploded upwards off his knuckles, sweat dripping off his head.
"Good. And up!"
He bounced upwards again, even managing to land with both feet and both knuckles on the mat once more.
"Perfect that makes fifty five. Aaand, time."
Miguel panted.
"You're improving, good work Diaz."
"Thank you Sensei." he exasperated.
Miguel answered a call from his mother.
They chatted in Spanish for a moment and then Kreese spoke.
"Who was that?"
"My mom, wants me to pick up some groceries on my way back home."
Kreese raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't your father help?" he asked, turning around to start stacking mats away.
"I actually um." Miguel cleared his throat. "Never met him so."
Kreese froze with his back turned to Miguel.
"Did you ever um, meet yours or." Miguel tutted. "Sorry I shouldn't ask."
Kreese mumbled. "You did well tonight son. Go home and get some rest."
"Yes Sensei."
The bell to Reseda's strip mall Cobra Kai karate dojo rang.
"I see old habits die hard."
Kreese turned to look at Daniel.
Miguel stood there awkwardly.
"Old habits include working for a living LaRusso," Kreese muttered. "Not all of us can enjoy lofty car dealerships floating on a silver cloud."
"Didn't know old habits included beating up kids out there." Daniel nodded over his shoulder towards the liquor store nearby.
Kreese nodded towards Miguel. "They were beating up a helpless Mr. Diaz here, now I have to teach him the way of the fist to protect himself."
Miguel smiled awkwardly. "Hi." he waved.
Daniel turned towards Kreese.
"Didn't know you ever protected kids from bullies. Being one yourself."
"You never knew me very well anyway kid." Kreese smirked at Daniel, Miguel added to the sentiment.
Daniel turned towards Miguel now. "Look I'm sorry you got mixed up in this. But if you want to know what an absolute monster this person is, ask someone named Johnny Lawrence what he'd do to his students."
Daniel took a deep breath. "If you want to learn true karate, you can always learn for free at Miyagi-Do."
"Miyagi-what?" Miguel was confused, balling his fists and nearing Daniel.
His Sensei stuck a hand out, stopping Miguel. Kreese inched towards Daniel.
Neither man batted an eye.
"You made a mistake coming here. I opened this place so I can make enough money for legal counsel against the Parks in the assault of their son. But I assure you, I won't have Johnny fighting my battles for me anymore."
Daniel nodded a bit. "You're in for a rude awakening, I promise."
"Anytime LaRusso, anywhere." he chuckled. "Any challenge you have, I'll match it."
Daniel shook his head and left.
Miguel turned to Kreese. "What was that about a Johnny Lawrence?"
"You can find out on your own, I don't really care." Kreese glanced at Miguel before he began to walk to the backroom of the dojo.
Miguel raised an eyebrow and Kreese began to finish speaking. "Again, go home kid. It's been a long day."
Miguel picked up his bicycle outside the Cobra Kai strip mall dojo and began to ride home. "Who in the world is Johnny Lawrence?" he mumbled to himself.
…
…
…
Lillie Jones
Experienced.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
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Miguel Diaz is currently caught up between the karate drama between Larousso and Kresse John, but Sammy Larousso and Luke suddenly becoming a thing after Daniel caught his daughter Samantha and Luke after they just recently reconnected with each other.
Guessing we're going find soon enough with Cobra Kai beginning anew at the meantime. As Luke ripple effects affect the season 1 storyline Miyagi version.
Continue on
Cheers!
Guessing we're going find soon enough with Cobra Kai beginning anew at the meantime. As Luke ripple effects affect the season 1 storyline Miyagi version.
Continue on
Cheers!
Book 2- Chapter 4
MiyazakiFan18
Know what you're doing yet?
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Chapter Four: A Very Specific Reason
…
Cobra Kai OST: Lay it Down - Ratt
…
Miguel Diaz grew an appreciation for hard rock and working out after a few weeks of Cobra Kai karate training with John Kreese.
"Again!"
Miguel had to pushups as slowly as he could on his knuckles inside the dojo.
"Again!"
"Up! Down! Up!" Miguel winced. "Down!"
"Up. And down, up, and down," said Daniel LaRusso quietly.
Lucas was painting the outside of Mr. Miyagi's house with blue paint with up and down brush strokes.
"Can I practice some actual kata now?" he asked.
"No." Daniel sipped his coffee as Lucas almost fell off his ladder.
"Whoa! Whoa. I'm okay." he said, stabilizing it quickly.
For the last weeks of summer, Lucas trained the basics of Miyagi-Do karate specifically, and it was all chores.
He had to clean all the bird droppings off Miyagi's old cars, he had to sand and pain his old fishing boat, and paint his house top to bottom.
And only then, was he finally allowed to give the entire fence line a new paint job.
He had to replace the old punching bag, sand the decks, wash the windows.
Lucas did not feel like a karateka.
Miguel felt like he was in the best shape of his life.
He'd work out so much that even in his own room, his grandmother Rosa thought he was up to other physical activities.
But he had grown stronger. Much stronger.
Almost threatening to pull his dentist's teeth out when he accompanied him to his office, Kreese helped Miguel and had his braces removed a bit early but without actual orthodontic harm.
Miguel's cardio finally got into shape, and his muscles began to grow, noticeably so.
Within time, his mother Carmen just suspected he began to work out in his own enough, but John Kreese was proud of him.
The clock was ticking on his bills, even with Miguel learning the first punches and kicks of Cobra Kai karate, as he went to school for his first day.
…
After a month and a half of strength and cardio training with John Kreese, Miguel went to West Valley High School.
A rather wealthy public high school in the San Fernando Valley.
He locked up his bicycle, and went to the locker he was assigned for orientation across the hall from several girls.
"New kid alert." Yasmine, a blonde, shared a locker with Moon and Sam, said before smiling to them.
"Dang he's cute." another cheerleader said before closing her locker.
Miguel put his books away and went to his first period class.
Not even seeing him, Lucas went to his own locker where three boys were chatting.
A tall and skinny teen named Demetri, a shy boy with a cut on his lip named Eli, and a brown haired teenager with a long sort of bowl cut named Robby.
"Sup champ?"
Robby and Lucas bumped shoulders.
"You're still on about that karate stuff?" Demetri and Lucas nodded to each other.
Robby squinted a little. "It's pretty badass, you should try it."
"No thank you."
Eli spoke in a small voice. "I think it could be worth a shot."
"Leave the face punching to the tough guys," Demetri opened his locker with a slight sigh. "Which we are not. They are. We should just stick to Dungeon Lord and Lego sets where we belong."
"Don't forget," Lucas spoke. "Demetri and Eli! Binary brothers!"
Robby chuckled with him, and it did a good job of cheering up Eli and Demetri a bit.
The four walked off, and Miguel started his day going to his first classes for freshman year.
…
During lunch, Sam sat with Yasmine, Moon, and other cheerleaders.
Lucas sat with Demetri, Robby, and Eli, and Miguel didn't know where to sit.
Kyler, Brucks, Rory and their friends sat together.
Eventually, Miguel found a spot.
"Can I sit here?"
"No man!" the curly haired kid then chuckled. "It's cool. I'm Mitch, this is Bert and Aisha."
"Sup."
Miguel sat down with a smile. "Hey I'm Miguel, I moved in from Riverside a little bit ago."
He took his jacket off and Mitch's eyes widened. "Dang dude! What gym do you go to?"
"Oh, it's called Cobra Kai. It's a karate dojo."
Mitch scoffed. "You do karate?"
"It can help with confidence and stuff." Miguel gave a braces free smile. "Sensei Kreese is tough but he makes me tough, he's awesome."
He handed Mitch a flyer.
"You know what?" Mitch nodded. "Alright man. I'll check it out."
Bert was a tiny freshman with glasses. "Does it really work?"
"You won't know until you try it."
Even Aisha seemed interested, a girl with short curly hair and glasses was very curious to try the class.
A few cafeteria tables away, Lucas chatted with his friends.
The boys chuckled.
"You're spending your afternoons doing unpaid gardening work just to get close to Sam's dad?" asked Robby, sipping some water from a plastic bottle. "That's a lot of work just to go for a chick."
Lucas sighed. "Keep forgetting who your dad is bro."
"No, but seriously," Demetri said. "I honestly respect it. She might treat Eli like hell, but man, Yasmine could walk on my spine in her high heels any day of the week."
Lucas smiled. "You're such a cuck it's actually funny 'metri."
The boys all laughed again, except Demetri, even Eli cracked a smile.
…
Later that day, Lucas was done waxing a yellow De Luxe for what seemed like the millionth time.
Daniel exited his car. "Hey Luke. How's it going?"
"Hey Mr. LaRusso. Just putting the finishing touches on the Banana mobile."
"Yeah. This car had some great memories, one time, I took your mother out for a ride with it."
Lucas winced. "Yeah, I'd rather not hear about that one."
"Trust me, it was a very PG experience."
"I um, still don't care."
Daniel chuckled. "I can respect that. Now look, I wanted to show you this new balancing technique you might like, it's part of the third kata."
Lucas' eyes lit up hopefully. "Can we practice it inside the house?"
"Mm. Not yet."
The can of wax Lucas was holding dropped to the gravel beneath him.
Daniel watched as Lucas was walking to his bicycle.
"Where are you going?"
"Look at this place. Look at it."
Daniel sighed. "Luke you-"
"Look at it!"
He did.
Mr. Miyagi's home was perfectly maintained.
The grass, the fence boards, the porch, the paint and wax of every car and inch of Mr. Miyagi's house looked like it wasn't one day old.
Lucas might as well have taken a picture of it in it's prime and replicated it with his own hands.
"What more, do you want?"
"You know what it is."
"You want me to grow patient? It's the middle of August, and I've been taking care of every inch of this place like it was my own! How much more patient do I have to be to gain your trust? I've had enough of this."
Lucas clicked his bicycle helmet under his chin.
"Hold on now-"
"I made the wrong choice."
Daniel was surprised. "You'd rather train with Kreese?"
"I'd rather train with no one!" said Lucas. "Both you and him are messed up man! All this karate stuff is pointless, and just stupid. You're both just interested in it to get back at each other, to resolve old history. If you cared about teaching me, you'd trust me by now. It's been over two months of this and I haven't said a word!"
"Lucas, listen to me."
He began to ride off on his bicycle.
"Luke wait!"
Daniel shook his head, watching him leave out of Mr. Miyagi's front yard.
…
At Cobra Kai, Bert, Mitch, and Aisha entered, watching Miguel practice the round kick and the jab punch on a Bob dummy on the mat.
"Whoa." Bert was impressed by the Cobra on the wall and all the trophies.
Kreese turned with his arms crossed. "These must be the new recruits you mentioned, Mr. Diaz. Welcome in, take your shoes off, step onto the mat."
He looked at Aisha strangely. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Um. To try the class?"
"I don't train girls," he said calmly.
Miguel was surprised.
Aisha was too. "Well. Why not?"
"Same reason there weren't any women when I was in the army. They're not meant to fight, pure and simple."
"You do know women do karate right?" asked Aisha.
"Not at Cobra Kai," Kreese said simply. "Thanks for coming."
"Sensei can I talk to you in your office?"
Kreese obliged Miguel.
…
"Look at her Diaz. Any plumper and she'd be a pumpkin." scoffed Kreese.
"Sensei she needs our help. And she'll pay and train hard, what's the problem?"
"The problem is there's a reason I never bothered to train girls. Girls bring problems, as a matter of fact, they were the reason for the dojo's downfall to begin with."
Miguel's expression changed. "Hold up, what?"
"My point is," Kreese looked aside, waving a hand to avoid the old history. "I'd be wasting my time."
Miguel sighed. "Just give her one chance, if not, let her go."
Kreese nodded repeatedly, after some thought.
…
He bowed back onto the mat with Miguel.
"Because I like to spoil my top student." Kreese grumbled, looking aside at Miguel. "I've decided to give you a shot, whether or not it seems like a waste of time. But I'll test you."
Mitch, chubby and curly haired, chuckled at this while Bert nudged him.
Aisha frowned. "So what's the test?"
"To strike first, you have to learn how to strike. And you won't learn how to strike until you learn how to take a strike. To condition his lack of mercy, and your strength. Mr. Diaz will kick you."
Both Miguel and Aisha were surprised.
"Hard. Directly in the rib cage."
"Do I have to?" asked Miguel.
"You're barely learning the first two lessons, so it's a little early to move on to the third." Kreese nodded towards the words in black ink on the white wall of his dojo of 'No Mercy'. "But it's still necessary. Fighting stance, ais!"
Miguel kiai'd quickly, getting into his front stance in front of Aisha.
Aisha's eyes widened. "Uh, wait-"
"Round kick, aii!"
Miguel roared and his entire foot slammed at full power near Aisha's liver.
Mitch and Bert winced and gasped for Aisha, she collapsed to the mat trying to collect her air.
"See?" Kreese shrugged. "Waste of my time."
Miguel seemed to feel a little bad for her, until Aisha got back up and hit Miguel with a shoulder tackle.
It was intentionally meant to hurt as well, and it slammed Miguel to the mat, clearly knocking the wind right out of him.
Still standing and smirking, Aisha brushed herself off, still panting quietly.
Chuckling, John Kreese nodded.
"You passed." he said to her.
Miguel shook his head, standing up and speaking. "Good job Aisha," he grunted quietly.
Kreese then moved back as if he wanted to observe. "Alright then. Mr. Diaz, warm them up."
"Yes Sensei."
…
Kreese looked at the four sweat soaked teenagers quietly. "Nice work. Payment's due by the end of the month. Hundred bucks flat, preferably cash."
He then went to his office silently.
"Was that it?" Mitch winced, his face covered in sweat. "Just cardio?"
"Trust me, he'll teach you the actual karate after your stamina is good." assured Miguel. "I only moved on to learning strikes after my first few classes."
"Why don't I just go to a regular karate place where they teach me the moves right away?" asked Mitch.
"Cause he trains champions. Sensei Kreese trains winners, and winners only."
Aisha leaned up, panting quietly. "Are you sure?"
Miguel smiled, looking at the door of Kreese's office with pride.
"More sure than anything else in my life."
…
After Aisha, Bert, and Mitch were done chatting with Miguel, they left the dojo.
"Perfect, you did perfect with Robinson today."
Miguel turned to see John Kreese standing there.
He shook his head. "I let my guard down, let her tackle me to the mat, Cobras don't do that."
"No," Kreese admitted. "But that was my fault really. In a real situation, you would've busted her rib cage. Bone and all."
"Isn't that a bit extreme?"
"Cobra Kai, is always ready for the extreme."
Miguel liked that, nodding with a slight smile.
Kreese beckoned Miguel closer to him, approaching the Bob dummy.
"Demonstrate the Cobra strike."
"Yes Sensei."
Miguel made his approach, the lunge with his fist prepared, and the bite, the actual strike itself that made contact.
"Good. But it lacks something else, something that makes the strike matter."
Miguel listened.
Kreese spoke. "To tap into your full potential. You can't exclude any emotions in your body when you attack. You're not fighting to tap your opponent and run away, no. You're here, to strike through your opponent. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sensei."
"Demonstrate."
Miguel took a deep breath and tried hitting the dummy in the face with anger.
Whatever it was, it wasn't working.
Kreese explained. "Look. You have to reach the very root of all of your anger, all of your frustrations. Everything you've ever doubted about yourself to become a Cobra Kai. Demonstrate."
"I just, I can't."
"Aren't there things that make you angry? That Park kid I taught a lesson to this summer. Doesn't he make you angry?"
"I've seen him at school but he didn't bother me."
Kreese sighed. "Inside every person lives a Cobra. I promise you, yours is there."
Miguel nodded, thinking as he looked at the dummy.
Kreese walked behind Miguel, speaking quietly. "Think of your father. He never met you right?"
"No."
"How does that make you feel?"
"I don't know. Confused?"
"No. It should make you angry."
Miguel nodded, exhaling widely.
"You deserve to be mad Mr. Diaz." Kreese looked at Miguel. "Those friends of yours you brought in have potential. But if you want to truly reach your fullest, to be their leader, to be everything you wanted. A champion and more, be angry. You deserve it."
"Aiiii!"
Kreese was surprised at how well Miguel absorbed the lesson.
In one blow, Miguel launched off his back foot, his right and onto his left in a karate lunge.
He placed his hand on the dummy's shoulder and then transferred all of his weight and momentum into a reverse punch to the face.
Miguel had hit the dummy so hard he dented its rubber chin.
Kreese fixed it in seconds but spoke, pointing to the mark Miguel left.
"That." Kreese kept pointing to the dummy's face. "Is the cornerstone of traditional karate. None of this bouncy screeching ballet nonsense, karate is bone smashing, nose crunching, knuckle dusting strikes and sweeps. Keep up the good work Mr. Diaz."
Miguel bowed his head and Kreese nodded back. "Thank you Sensei."
"Remember. One technique, one knockout."
"Yes, Sensei."
…
Lucas answered the door to his house already knowing it was Daniel.
"I'm not changing my mind, I've quit karate."
"I refuse to believe you'd make a decision like that so fast."
"Well believe it."
Daniel frowned. "Let me just show you one thing. One thing then I'll stop trying."
"I doubt it's nothing I haven't seen before."
"Just, please, listen to me. Let me show you."
Lucas agreed reluctantly.
…
They returned to Miyagi-Do, Lucas was not surprised.
"Not that way."
Lucas was however surprised when they didn't go into the front entrance.
"This way."
Daniel led Lucas past a formal tatami mat and Kanji calligraphy.
Then, he opened a door, and showed Lucas the room in Miyagi-Do where Mr. Miyagi lived.
It had pictures of his old wife, old war medals, everything.
Daniel considered himself lucky Lucas had his back turned to him, because he had shed a small and silent tear at the sight.
"I don't go in here." Daniel broke the silence between them.
A part of Daniel's soul resided in the room, Lucas could feel it by just how much of Mr. Miyagi's presence he felt. He could see old notes he had written to Daniel during his first weeks of training, and other pamphlets, books, pictures and other things he clearly owned.
"Ever."
Lucas turned, silent, and pale, setting down a small Okinawan drum.
Daniel frowned. "I was testing your patience the same way Mr. Miyagi trained mine. I didn't realize I was going too far."
"You weren't. You didn't have to do this. This is clearly super personal and I-"
"Lucas you are one of a kind. Not just as a karateka," said Daniel. "You are a one of a kind person. You helped make a difference in my life, helped me reconnect to the time when I just met your mother and Mr. Miyagi."
Lucas looked away.
"Your mother helped me through one of the toughest times of my life. I was missing New Jersey, I was getting beaten up, bullied, and thrown off cliffs on my bike. And Ali was there for me." Daniel smiled. "I want you to know, that I will always be there for you too. Not just to teach you karate, for anything."
Lucas smiled back. "Thank you."
"Well don't thank me yet."
Daniel walked over to an old cabinet and pulled out a lotus headband, Lucas could tell this was once his.
"This thing is a little too old to wear consistently. But, it is part of a promise."
Just like Mr. Miyagi did to him, he wrapped it around Lucas' head. "Swear, to always obey my teachings. First listen, and then do."
"First listen. Then do. I swear."
"Excellent."
They bowed to one another.
"Why do all this?"
Daniel smiled, shrugging a bit. "Why not? You've earned my trust again, so long as you swear to always learn. I'll always teach. The same promise I made to my teacher once, you can make to me. And now," he looked around the room a bit. "I feel like you're really getting what this all means."
"I swear it Mr. LaRusso. I swear I'll uphold everything you've taught me."
And then Daniel and Lucas hugged.
…
It was pretty clear to Samantha LaRusso that her suspicions the past few months were correct when she saw her father returning home late again.
Lucas was once more her father's student.
"Are you training Lucas in Miyagi-Do again?" she asked that evening in the LaRusso's kitchen when Amanda and Anthony were in their bedrooms.
Daniel froze.
"Uh. Um yes, I am."
Sam asked calmly. "Why?"
"Because he's-"
"A liar." Sam crossed her arms. "He lied to you, he went behind your back, and then you forgave him."
"You don't know the full story." Daniel was confused. "W-Wait, are you mad at him?"
"No, I'm mad at you!" said Sam. "You need to tell me right now how you could trust him again."
"Don't you trust him now all of a sudden?"
"Maybe as friends," Sam answered. "But with Miyagi-Do? That's a bad idea."
"And why's that? Mr. Miyagi was all about forgiveness."
Sam neared Daniel around the kitchen island. "Dad he was your only student for over a year, he- He made us think he wanted to be our friends. When the whole time he was using you to win the All Valley. I mean if he was only training with just Kreese all along at least he was being honest about it."
"Did I ever tell you the full story about John Kreese?"
"You told me enough, Lucas knew how bad Cobra Kai was, that much I do know."
Daniel thought for a moment, and then put away a few dishes and then turned to face his daughter.
"Sam, I'm only going to tell you this once. But there's a very specific reason why I've forgiven Lucas."
She listened.
"I've never told anyone this. But Lucas grew up without a father." Sam was surprised but Daniel explained. "Yes, Greg Schwarber is alive, but he wasn't really there for him. And neither was Ali sort of. What he's shown me in these past few weeks, is that as wrong as he was for what he did. He proved to me he needed me to be there for him."
He admitted something quietly with complete lack of shame. "Maybe in the same way I still need him, he's that unique of a student."
Sam nodded quietly, blinking slowly.
"Mr. Miyagi was more than a karate teacher to me, he taught me about life. To even think for a second that Lucas would seek him for guidance on anything. That really pains me." Daniel looked around his kitchen. "When I came back from Okinawa with Mr. Miyagi I started to have a really rough time. And, even after I knew what Cobra Kai was, I became its student."
Sam was speechless.
"I was only a few years older than Luke is now when that happened." Daniel shook his head slowly. "Sam, I can't fault Lucas for making the same mistake, not when he spent the last two months doing exactly as I said. He lost his temper a little recently but, so did I at his age."
Sam looked aside and then at her father. "So, why did you never tell me this?"
"Because I wasn't proud of it, no one should be. But I can tell you this now, because you need to realize why I did what I did with Luke."
"Thanks for telling me, dad."
"You're welcome."
Sam said goodnight to her father, and it made her think.
And think a lot.
…
…
…
…
Cobra Kai OST: Lay it Down - Ratt
…
Miguel Diaz grew an appreciation for hard rock and working out after a few weeks of Cobra Kai karate training with John Kreese.
"Again!"
Miguel had to pushups as slowly as he could on his knuckles inside the dojo.
"Again!"
"Up! Down! Up!" Miguel winced. "Down!"
"Up. And down, up, and down," said Daniel LaRusso quietly.
Lucas was painting the outside of Mr. Miyagi's house with blue paint with up and down brush strokes.
"Can I practice some actual kata now?" he asked.
"No." Daniel sipped his coffee as Lucas almost fell off his ladder.
"Whoa! Whoa. I'm okay." he said, stabilizing it quickly.
For the last weeks of summer, Lucas trained the basics of Miyagi-Do karate specifically, and it was all chores.
He had to clean all the bird droppings off Miyagi's old cars, he had to sand and pain his old fishing boat, and paint his house top to bottom.
And only then, was he finally allowed to give the entire fence line a new paint job.
He had to replace the old punching bag, sand the decks, wash the windows.
Lucas did not feel like a karateka.
Miguel felt like he was in the best shape of his life.
He'd work out so much that even in his own room, his grandmother Rosa thought he was up to other physical activities.
But he had grown stronger. Much stronger.
Almost threatening to pull his dentist's teeth out when he accompanied him to his office, Kreese helped Miguel and had his braces removed a bit early but without actual orthodontic harm.
Miguel's cardio finally got into shape, and his muscles began to grow, noticeably so.
Within time, his mother Carmen just suspected he began to work out in his own enough, but John Kreese was proud of him.
The clock was ticking on his bills, even with Miguel learning the first punches and kicks of Cobra Kai karate, as he went to school for his first day.
…
After a month and a half of strength and cardio training with John Kreese, Miguel went to West Valley High School.
A rather wealthy public high school in the San Fernando Valley.
He locked up his bicycle, and went to the locker he was assigned for orientation across the hall from several girls.
"New kid alert." Yasmine, a blonde, shared a locker with Moon and Sam, said before smiling to them.
"Dang he's cute." another cheerleader said before closing her locker.
Miguel put his books away and went to his first period class.
Not even seeing him, Lucas went to his own locker where three boys were chatting.
A tall and skinny teen named Demetri, a shy boy with a cut on his lip named Eli, and a brown haired teenager with a long sort of bowl cut named Robby.
"Sup champ?"
Robby and Lucas bumped shoulders.
"You're still on about that karate stuff?" Demetri and Lucas nodded to each other.
Robby squinted a little. "It's pretty badass, you should try it."
"No thank you."
Eli spoke in a small voice. "I think it could be worth a shot."
"Leave the face punching to the tough guys," Demetri opened his locker with a slight sigh. "Which we are not. They are. We should just stick to Dungeon Lord and Lego sets where we belong."
"Don't forget," Lucas spoke. "Demetri and Eli! Binary brothers!"
Robby chuckled with him, and it did a good job of cheering up Eli and Demetri a bit.
The four walked off, and Miguel started his day going to his first classes for freshman year.
…
During lunch, Sam sat with Yasmine, Moon, and other cheerleaders.
Lucas sat with Demetri, Robby, and Eli, and Miguel didn't know where to sit.
Kyler, Brucks, Rory and their friends sat together.
Eventually, Miguel found a spot.
"Can I sit here?"
"No man!" the curly haired kid then chuckled. "It's cool. I'm Mitch, this is Bert and Aisha."
"Sup."
Miguel sat down with a smile. "Hey I'm Miguel, I moved in from Riverside a little bit ago."
He took his jacket off and Mitch's eyes widened. "Dang dude! What gym do you go to?"
"Oh, it's called Cobra Kai. It's a karate dojo."
Mitch scoffed. "You do karate?"
"It can help with confidence and stuff." Miguel gave a braces free smile. "Sensei Kreese is tough but he makes me tough, he's awesome."
He handed Mitch a flyer.
"You know what?" Mitch nodded. "Alright man. I'll check it out."
Bert was a tiny freshman with glasses. "Does it really work?"
"You won't know until you try it."
Even Aisha seemed interested, a girl with short curly hair and glasses was very curious to try the class.
A few cafeteria tables away, Lucas chatted with his friends.
The boys chuckled.
"You're spending your afternoons doing unpaid gardening work just to get close to Sam's dad?" asked Robby, sipping some water from a plastic bottle. "That's a lot of work just to go for a chick."
Lucas sighed. "Keep forgetting who your dad is bro."
"No, but seriously," Demetri said. "I honestly respect it. She might treat Eli like hell, but man, Yasmine could walk on my spine in her high heels any day of the week."
Lucas smiled. "You're such a cuck it's actually funny 'metri."
The boys all laughed again, except Demetri, even Eli cracked a smile.
…
Later that day, Lucas was done waxing a yellow De Luxe for what seemed like the millionth time.
Daniel exited his car. "Hey Luke. How's it going?"
"Hey Mr. LaRusso. Just putting the finishing touches on the Banana mobile."
"Yeah. This car had some great memories, one time, I took your mother out for a ride with it."
Lucas winced. "Yeah, I'd rather not hear about that one."
"Trust me, it was a very PG experience."
"I um, still don't care."
Daniel chuckled. "I can respect that. Now look, I wanted to show you this new balancing technique you might like, it's part of the third kata."
Lucas' eyes lit up hopefully. "Can we practice it inside the house?"
"Mm. Not yet."
The can of wax Lucas was holding dropped to the gravel beneath him.
Daniel watched as Lucas was walking to his bicycle.
"Where are you going?"
"Look at this place. Look at it."
Daniel sighed. "Luke you-"
"Look at it!"
He did.
Mr. Miyagi's home was perfectly maintained.
The grass, the fence boards, the porch, the paint and wax of every car and inch of Mr. Miyagi's house looked like it wasn't one day old.
Lucas might as well have taken a picture of it in it's prime and replicated it with his own hands.
"What more, do you want?"
"You know what it is."
"You want me to grow patient? It's the middle of August, and I've been taking care of every inch of this place like it was my own! How much more patient do I have to be to gain your trust? I've had enough of this."
Lucas clicked his bicycle helmet under his chin.
"Hold on now-"
"I made the wrong choice."
Daniel was surprised. "You'd rather train with Kreese?"
"I'd rather train with no one!" said Lucas. "Both you and him are messed up man! All this karate stuff is pointless, and just stupid. You're both just interested in it to get back at each other, to resolve old history. If you cared about teaching me, you'd trust me by now. It's been over two months of this and I haven't said a word!"
"Lucas, listen to me."
He began to ride off on his bicycle.
"Luke wait!"
Daniel shook his head, watching him leave out of Mr. Miyagi's front yard.
…
At Cobra Kai, Bert, Mitch, and Aisha entered, watching Miguel practice the round kick and the jab punch on a Bob dummy on the mat.
"Whoa." Bert was impressed by the Cobra on the wall and all the trophies.
Kreese turned with his arms crossed. "These must be the new recruits you mentioned, Mr. Diaz. Welcome in, take your shoes off, step onto the mat."
He looked at Aisha strangely. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Um. To try the class?"
"I don't train girls," he said calmly.
Miguel was surprised.
Aisha was too. "Well. Why not?"
"Same reason there weren't any women when I was in the army. They're not meant to fight, pure and simple."
"You do know women do karate right?" asked Aisha.
"Not at Cobra Kai," Kreese said simply. "Thanks for coming."
"Sensei can I talk to you in your office?"
Kreese obliged Miguel.
…
"Look at her Diaz. Any plumper and she'd be a pumpkin." scoffed Kreese.
"Sensei she needs our help. And she'll pay and train hard, what's the problem?"
"The problem is there's a reason I never bothered to train girls. Girls bring problems, as a matter of fact, they were the reason for the dojo's downfall to begin with."
Miguel's expression changed. "Hold up, what?"
"My point is," Kreese looked aside, waving a hand to avoid the old history. "I'd be wasting my time."
Miguel sighed. "Just give her one chance, if not, let her go."
Kreese nodded repeatedly, after some thought.
…
He bowed back onto the mat with Miguel.
"Because I like to spoil my top student." Kreese grumbled, looking aside at Miguel. "I've decided to give you a shot, whether or not it seems like a waste of time. But I'll test you."
Mitch, chubby and curly haired, chuckled at this while Bert nudged him.
Aisha frowned. "So what's the test?"
"To strike first, you have to learn how to strike. And you won't learn how to strike until you learn how to take a strike. To condition his lack of mercy, and your strength. Mr. Diaz will kick you."
Both Miguel and Aisha were surprised.
"Hard. Directly in the rib cage."
"Do I have to?" asked Miguel.
"You're barely learning the first two lessons, so it's a little early to move on to the third." Kreese nodded towards the words in black ink on the white wall of his dojo of 'No Mercy'. "But it's still necessary. Fighting stance, ais!"
Miguel kiai'd quickly, getting into his front stance in front of Aisha.
Aisha's eyes widened. "Uh, wait-"
"Round kick, aii!"
Miguel roared and his entire foot slammed at full power near Aisha's liver.
Mitch and Bert winced and gasped for Aisha, she collapsed to the mat trying to collect her air.
"See?" Kreese shrugged. "Waste of my time."
Miguel seemed to feel a little bad for her, until Aisha got back up and hit Miguel with a shoulder tackle.
It was intentionally meant to hurt as well, and it slammed Miguel to the mat, clearly knocking the wind right out of him.
Still standing and smirking, Aisha brushed herself off, still panting quietly.
Chuckling, John Kreese nodded.
"You passed." he said to her.
Miguel shook his head, standing up and speaking. "Good job Aisha," he grunted quietly.
Kreese then moved back as if he wanted to observe. "Alright then. Mr. Diaz, warm them up."
"Yes Sensei."
…
Kreese looked at the four sweat soaked teenagers quietly. "Nice work. Payment's due by the end of the month. Hundred bucks flat, preferably cash."
He then went to his office silently.
"Was that it?" Mitch winced, his face covered in sweat. "Just cardio?"
"Trust me, he'll teach you the actual karate after your stamina is good." assured Miguel. "I only moved on to learning strikes after my first few classes."
"Why don't I just go to a regular karate place where they teach me the moves right away?" asked Mitch.
"Cause he trains champions. Sensei Kreese trains winners, and winners only."
Aisha leaned up, panting quietly. "Are you sure?"
Miguel smiled, looking at the door of Kreese's office with pride.
"More sure than anything else in my life."
…
After Aisha, Bert, and Mitch were done chatting with Miguel, they left the dojo.
"Perfect, you did perfect with Robinson today."
Miguel turned to see John Kreese standing there.
He shook his head. "I let my guard down, let her tackle me to the mat, Cobras don't do that."
"No," Kreese admitted. "But that was my fault really. In a real situation, you would've busted her rib cage. Bone and all."
"Isn't that a bit extreme?"
"Cobra Kai, is always ready for the extreme."
Miguel liked that, nodding with a slight smile.
Kreese beckoned Miguel closer to him, approaching the Bob dummy.
"Demonstrate the Cobra strike."
"Yes Sensei."
Miguel made his approach, the lunge with his fist prepared, and the bite, the actual strike itself that made contact.
"Good. But it lacks something else, something that makes the strike matter."
Miguel listened.
Kreese spoke. "To tap into your full potential. You can't exclude any emotions in your body when you attack. You're not fighting to tap your opponent and run away, no. You're here, to strike through your opponent. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sensei."
"Demonstrate."
Miguel took a deep breath and tried hitting the dummy in the face with anger.
Whatever it was, it wasn't working.
Kreese explained. "Look. You have to reach the very root of all of your anger, all of your frustrations. Everything you've ever doubted about yourself to become a Cobra Kai. Demonstrate."
"I just, I can't."
"Aren't there things that make you angry? That Park kid I taught a lesson to this summer. Doesn't he make you angry?"
"I've seen him at school but he didn't bother me."
Kreese sighed. "Inside every person lives a Cobra. I promise you, yours is there."
Miguel nodded, thinking as he looked at the dummy.
Kreese walked behind Miguel, speaking quietly. "Think of your father. He never met you right?"
"No."
"How does that make you feel?"
"I don't know. Confused?"
"No. It should make you angry."
Miguel nodded, exhaling widely.
"You deserve to be mad Mr. Diaz." Kreese looked at Miguel. "Those friends of yours you brought in have potential. But if you want to truly reach your fullest, to be their leader, to be everything you wanted. A champion and more, be angry. You deserve it."
"Aiiii!"
Kreese was surprised at how well Miguel absorbed the lesson.
In one blow, Miguel launched off his back foot, his right and onto his left in a karate lunge.
He placed his hand on the dummy's shoulder and then transferred all of his weight and momentum into a reverse punch to the face.
Miguel had hit the dummy so hard he dented its rubber chin.
Kreese fixed it in seconds but spoke, pointing to the mark Miguel left.
"That." Kreese kept pointing to the dummy's face. "Is the cornerstone of traditional karate. None of this bouncy screeching ballet nonsense, karate is bone smashing, nose crunching, knuckle dusting strikes and sweeps. Keep up the good work Mr. Diaz."
Miguel bowed his head and Kreese nodded back. "Thank you Sensei."
"Remember. One technique, one knockout."
"Yes, Sensei."
…
Lucas answered the door to his house already knowing it was Daniel.
"I'm not changing my mind, I've quit karate."
"I refuse to believe you'd make a decision like that so fast."
"Well believe it."
Daniel frowned. "Let me just show you one thing. One thing then I'll stop trying."
"I doubt it's nothing I haven't seen before."
"Just, please, listen to me. Let me show you."
Lucas agreed reluctantly.
…
They returned to Miyagi-Do, Lucas was not surprised.
"Not that way."
Lucas was however surprised when they didn't go into the front entrance.
"This way."
Daniel led Lucas past a formal tatami mat and Kanji calligraphy.
Then, he opened a door, and showed Lucas the room in Miyagi-Do where Mr. Miyagi lived.
It had pictures of his old wife, old war medals, everything.
Daniel considered himself lucky Lucas had his back turned to him, because he had shed a small and silent tear at the sight.
"I don't go in here." Daniel broke the silence between them.
A part of Daniel's soul resided in the room, Lucas could feel it by just how much of Mr. Miyagi's presence he felt. He could see old notes he had written to Daniel during his first weeks of training, and other pamphlets, books, pictures and other things he clearly owned.
"Ever."
Lucas turned, silent, and pale, setting down a small Okinawan drum.
Daniel frowned. "I was testing your patience the same way Mr. Miyagi trained mine. I didn't realize I was going too far."
"You weren't. You didn't have to do this. This is clearly super personal and I-"
"Lucas you are one of a kind. Not just as a karateka," said Daniel. "You are a one of a kind person. You helped make a difference in my life, helped me reconnect to the time when I just met your mother and Mr. Miyagi."
Lucas looked away.
"Your mother helped me through one of the toughest times of my life. I was missing New Jersey, I was getting beaten up, bullied, and thrown off cliffs on my bike. And Ali was there for me." Daniel smiled. "I want you to know, that I will always be there for you too. Not just to teach you karate, for anything."
Lucas smiled back. "Thank you."
"Well don't thank me yet."
Daniel walked over to an old cabinet and pulled out a lotus headband, Lucas could tell this was once his.
"This thing is a little too old to wear consistently. But, it is part of a promise."
Just like Mr. Miyagi did to him, he wrapped it around Lucas' head. "Swear, to always obey my teachings. First listen, and then do."
"First listen. Then do. I swear."
"Excellent."
They bowed to one another.
"Why do all this?"
Daniel smiled, shrugging a bit. "Why not? You've earned my trust again, so long as you swear to always learn. I'll always teach. The same promise I made to my teacher once, you can make to me. And now," he looked around the room a bit. "I feel like you're really getting what this all means."
"I swear it Mr. LaRusso. I swear I'll uphold everything you've taught me."
And then Daniel and Lucas hugged.
…
It was pretty clear to Samantha LaRusso that her suspicions the past few months were correct when she saw her father returning home late again.
Lucas was once more her father's student.
"Are you training Lucas in Miyagi-Do again?" she asked that evening in the LaRusso's kitchen when Amanda and Anthony were in their bedrooms.
Daniel froze.
"Uh. Um yes, I am."
Sam asked calmly. "Why?"
"Because he's-"
"A liar." Sam crossed her arms. "He lied to you, he went behind your back, and then you forgave him."
"You don't know the full story." Daniel was confused. "W-Wait, are you mad at him?"
"No, I'm mad at you!" said Sam. "You need to tell me right now how you could trust him again."
"Don't you trust him now all of a sudden?"
"Maybe as friends," Sam answered. "But with Miyagi-Do? That's a bad idea."
"And why's that? Mr. Miyagi was all about forgiveness."
Sam neared Daniel around the kitchen island. "Dad he was your only student for over a year, he- He made us think he wanted to be our friends. When the whole time he was using you to win the All Valley. I mean if he was only training with just Kreese all along at least he was being honest about it."
"Did I ever tell you the full story about John Kreese?"
"You told me enough, Lucas knew how bad Cobra Kai was, that much I do know."
Daniel thought for a moment, and then put away a few dishes and then turned to face his daughter.
"Sam, I'm only going to tell you this once. But there's a very specific reason why I've forgiven Lucas."
She listened.
"I've never told anyone this. But Lucas grew up without a father." Sam was surprised but Daniel explained. "Yes, Greg Schwarber is alive, but he wasn't really there for him. And neither was Ali sort of. What he's shown me in these past few weeks, is that as wrong as he was for what he did. He proved to me he needed me to be there for him."
He admitted something quietly with complete lack of shame. "Maybe in the same way I still need him, he's that unique of a student."
Sam nodded quietly, blinking slowly.
"Mr. Miyagi was more than a karate teacher to me, he taught me about life. To even think for a second that Lucas would seek him for guidance on anything. That really pains me." Daniel looked around his kitchen. "When I came back from Okinawa with Mr. Miyagi I started to have a really rough time. And, even after I knew what Cobra Kai was, I became its student."
Sam was speechless.
"I was only a few years older than Luke is now when that happened." Daniel shook his head slowly. "Sam, I can't fault Lucas for making the same mistake, not when he spent the last two months doing exactly as I said. He lost his temper a little recently but, so did I at his age."
Sam looked aside and then at her father. "So, why did you never tell me this?"
"Because I wasn't proud of it, no one should be. But I can tell you this now, because you need to realize why I did what I did with Luke."
"Thanks for telling me, dad."
"You're welcome."
Sam said goodnight to her father, and it made her think.
And think a lot.
…
…
…