The Foundation

TWO

"I never expected to see you here, Jack."

"Same, your presence was disguised by whatever haircut that is." I replied, pointing at his disheveled hair.

We both got a laugh out of that.

"You know this guy?"

"Yeah. Our parents were friends."

"Heard you opened up a new dojo, Dad."

"Yeah, are you interested in joining?"

"Wait, your sensei's kid?"

"Yep."

We spent the next fifteen minutes catching up; turns out he goes to North Hills while I'm at West Valley.

"So, are you joining?"

"Nah, I'm not really a karate guy. I'm a skater."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

"Sure."

With that, Robby left.

***

"I don't need karate, you know. I have you guys." Demetri explains for the millionth time, at least to him. I noticed Kyler walking in our general direction, before turning around and walking away after seeing us.

"See? No one's gonna mess with you."

I could only laugh in response.

"What I'm excited for is this year's All-Valley tournament. Who knows who's taking home the win?"

"That tournament?"

"I don't know, but I sure as hell hope it's us."

"Me too honestly."

A few days later at the dojo, I noticed that the place has been stuffed to the brim. I figured they were here after seeing the fight go viral on the Internet.

"I can't believe you talked me into this. It's like more gym class."

"Come on, you saw the fight. Jack and Miguel kicked ass."

The room bursts with chatter. Five minutes go by.

"Quiet! When I look around this room, I don't see Cobra Kai material. I see losers, nerds, a fat kid with his tits popping out, and social rejects." Sensei Lawrence starts; "but as a short time as a sensei, I've also seen some miracles."

I know he's referring to us three, but I say nothing.

"If that's the after pictures of that surgery, it sucks. You should sue."

"My doctor says I could be on the spectrum so—"

"I don't know what that is but you better get off, pronto."

"Can you not make fun of someone's physical deformities?"

"What?"

"Yeah, don't call him lip."

"It's true though. If he doesn't want me to call him shitlip, he better flip the script."

"That's it." Eli says, before walking off the mat.

"Another quitter? Fine, go ahead!"

***

A few days pass by. It's not looking good for the dojo—three people had quit right after Eli left, so we were really struggling on students.

"Since you joined Cobra Kai, I have been hard on you. I've called you names, I've humiliated you—some of you, I've hit. And for that, I don't apologize. Cobra Kai is about strength. If you can't be strong on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside. And right now —you're all weak. And I know that because I was you. I used to have no friends, I used to be the weird kid. Well, maybe not that weird, I still hooked up with babes 'n all but the point is—I wasn't always the badass sensei that I am today. Just like a cobra, I had to shed my loser skin to find my true power. And you guys will too."

A few seconds pass by. Eli reenters the dojo with a new haircut.

"Welcome to Cobra Kai."

"Eli, what happened?"

"Simple. I'm flippin' the script."

"Wait, are you the kid with the bad lip? Nice cut, bro! You see that? It doesn't matter if you're a loser, or a nerd, or a freak. All that matters is that you become a badass! Hawk, fall in."

The rest of the students stare in awe as Eli takes his place on the mat.

"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No, sensei."

"Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No, sensei."

"Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No, sensei."

He turns to me for the last one; "Mercy does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No, sensei."

Sensei Lawrence turns to face the class; "are you ready to learn the way of the fist?"

"YES SENSEI!"