𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐘. axel kovacevic

S I X

I panted heavily on the ground as the room was filled with heavy breathing and grunts. Everyone was warming up before Sensei arrives and I so happened to finish combinations and kata early so I was just doing some exercises in the meantime.

As I laid flat on the ground after doing 50 attempted sit-ups, I see Mariah above me with a raised eyebrow.

"You aren't thinking about the guy from yesterday still right?"

Her words flew me up from my position and I scoffed, tightening the belt around my waist and adjusting my gi.

"Of course not. If anyone is on anyone's mind, it's him. He's the one clearly interested in us."

I began to watch myself in the mirror, practicing my punches while watching my stance. It was hard to believe yesterdays event happened but considering we all went to the hotel flamed and pissed, there was no denying that we have a potential enemy watching us.

I just didn't understand what was the deal with the unnecessary drama they created? All because they thought we were bribing.. fuck that.

Mariah intently watched me puff a few grunts, sighing slowly before eventually walking away.

Sooner later sensei walks in and so does sensei Gomez. I can tell because I saw them walk in from the mirror. They looked they like they saw a ghost.

Everyone stops what they were doing and reverts their attention to the two.

"Okay, listen up everyone."

I listened carefully.

"Sensei Gomez and I wanted to let you know we have further things to discuss, it'll get in the way of today's training so we won't be here to train you ourselves. For now, go at your own pace today and we'll get back starting tomorrow."

Everyone slightly shrugged or groaned.

"Sensei, no offense but it feels like you're kinda ditching us. Both of you." Alex says, rubbing the back of his head with a slight frown.

Sensei Marco and sensei Gomez looks at each other with a wary expression before eventually, one of them sighs and looks back at us with a sentence waiting to be spoken.

"Silver is back."

Everyone froze.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What do you mean he's back? I thought he was in prison?" I jump in, walking closer to everyone while my arms were crossed together in front of my chest.

Silver, a former sensei of another dojo, was infamous for his crimes and the severe shit he did during tournaments. He cheated his way in the system and has even gotten his students to hurt every single opponent they went against, in a life threatening way.

I don't know what Silver had under his sleeve this time or the methods he teaches his students for situations to result in severity but it was dangerous.

And I know so.

Because it happened to me.

Sensei Marco sighs and shakes his head, as if he was just as in disbelief as everyone else.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. We don't want you guys swooped under this mess like last time but we found out last night. We saw him, in a bathtub to be exact, his intentions weren't obviously stated but I think we all know what he's here for."

Mariah chuckles a scoff.

"Bathtub? I'm lost."

Sensei Gomez rolls his eyes.

"Okay look that's not the point, we looked through the roster last night and he was there under as Cobra Kai's sensei. I don't know how the hell he got out of prison or manage to get back in the tournaments so we're trying to figure out how to get him to leave."

"Leave?" I jump in, processing in my head the amount of information thrown at me while I was terrified of the idea of potentially going against one of his students again.

Everyone looks at me.

"Silver is not that type of guy to just leave, he got out of prison for a reason and came back. You have to find a way to get him off the roster, prove to the directors that he's not what they think." Was I nervous? Maybe.

He had connections and wealth, wealth that can dangerously screw with any man's brain enough to wire them into cheating with the competition. This is Sekai Taikai we're speaking of, he knows that this is the last fight and he wants to have the last word. The last victory.

"Vera's right. Silver is not anyone you can just persuade. Why don't you guys try talking with the sponsors and staff to see if you can ban him or something." Kove adds, the air suddenly becoming thick and serious.

Sensei Marco sighs and nods his head. He turns to sensei Gomez and flaps his hands in front of him as a gesture.

"The kids are right. Silver won't leave and Kreese is definitely not someone we can talk to either. This whole shit is a mess."

I eye everyone while observing our sensei's carefully, finding the familiar nerves and tension rising back to my feet.

I gulp.

The only thing that that raced through my mind was our previous performance. How each and everyone of us was so sore at the end of the day and how my team had to meet me at the hospital. It was fucking wild.

But something clicked, a lightbulb hovering over my head.

"We know what he does, we know what he's capable of. He cheats, he hurts.. if we can't find a way to get him out of the tournament then we'll play with fire."

Everyone looks at me instead, their focus on me so heavy and alluring.

If Silver wanted to play that game, then let us play that game.

I continued.

"Look, he knows our weaknesses. They are a strike first type of dojo, we aren't. What if we just reverse the roles? We leave them with only defense, something that they lack of."

The two sensei's nods at my words, appearing to like my idea. So does everyone else, a smirk slowly forming on their face.

"Yeah, give them something we didn't show last time. They'll expect hesitation and our level from before, if we stand on that mat and go against every opponent with more confidence, it'll throw him off." Ivan adds, everyone nodding slowly but surely.

"Right, intimidate him. Intimidate your opponents. You guys are fucking champions, show them who Silver Snakes are." Sensei Gomez's words excited me, I slightly laughed a bit and everyone roared into fits of laughter and excitement.

"Fuck yeah!" Emir roars, grabbing everyone's attention to grin widely.

I slowly glanced at myself in the mirror.

My eyes darkened.