Out of Place [Cobra Kai OC x Robby Keene]

72 - A New Era

"Ready?"

"Let's begin!"

None of us say anything as we look around, confused.

"Uh, begin what exactly?" Demetri asks, voicing the question on all of our minds. Our senseis look at each other before turning back to face us.

"Begin a new era," Mr LaRusso says, "many of us used to be enemies... but rivalries.. don't need to last forever. The All Valley Tournament is just a few months away, and this year, the stakes are higher than they've ever been. We know that Cobra Kai is gonna use every dirty trick in the book. There only one way we're gonna be able to beat-"

"By kicking their asses so hard they shit themselves," Mr Lawrence cuts in, "we gotta take things to the next level. Gonna teach you an aggression stronger than anything Cobra Kai can throw at us. They strike first? We'll pre-strike!"

¿Qué..? Pre-strike? How does one pre-strike? I get being fast and anticipating, but I'm just a little... confused? Okay, maybe a lot confused.

"Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves. We are going to respond to what they do,"

"Eagles do not respond. They swoop down and take whatever they want. That's what we're gonna do. Take back the Valley,"

"Take it back in a measured and organized approach,"

"We bite first!"

Mr LaRusso sighs. I agree. This is chaos. Ay Dios mío, we're never gonna get anything done. Cobra Kai is gonna overtake the Valley because this is never gonna work. No, I can't think like that. It's gonna work. It has to.

"Okay, let's just warm up with some simple exercises," Mr LaRusso says. Now we're getting somewhere. I could use something effective, but gentle for today, because I'm still trying to be careful with my hands and my ankle, though both are much better, especially after Mr LaRusso let me use the 'smell bad, heal good' stuff on my hands again when he got here.

"Alright, line up!" Mr Lawrence says. The Miyagi-Dos move in a line towards the front, the Eagle Fangs behind us.

"Just breathe and follow me," Mr LaRusso says, starting a slow and controlled kata. I missed kata. I've been benched since the fight. I'm essentially on lockdown except for work, except half of my work is at a martial arts school, where they monitor my actions very carefully for my own good or whatever. I follow his lead, the motions coming back to me easily.

"Fighting positions!" Mr Lawrence commands to his students as we keep doing our kata.

"Right leg back. Front kick, ready... hiyah!"

Next thing I know, something has collided with my back. I stumble forwards, barely managing to not fall. ¡Hijo de- por el amor de Dios.

"Shit, I'm sorry Parker," the boy who kicked me says. I purse my lips tightly to mask pain. The bruises from the fight are about a week old by now, but some of them are still there, especially the ones from when those four guys were beating up on me. Having them kicked again does not feel particularly pleasant.