Time After Time 🌹 Daniel LaRusso [1]

Chapter 46: Daniel VS. Mike

⚠TW: Mentions of racism- Kreese and Terry have displayed racism toward Mr. Miiyagi and Kreese does this toward Latinos in the Cobra Kai series, so I feel like they would definitely do the same to Rosalía.

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The day of the tournament is finally here, and the trio stands on the side of the ring watching Mike Barnes take on opponent after opponent. "Three points for Barnes!" the announcer declares. You've got to be shitting me, Rosalía thinks. "Point, winner!" the referee shouts, making Mike pump his fists in the air. "Face me. Bow. Shake hands," he adds. They do as he says before Mike goes off to the side. He turns to look at Daniel and threatens, "you're next, LaRusso. I own your ass!" His eyes shift to the girl. "And you... I hope to see you later," he flirts, winking at her. Rosalía groans in dismay. "You know, sometimes it's okay to give up, man... encouraged, even," she calls to him. Mike just scoffs and strides off.

"Man, he needs a good ass-whooping," she remarks to her boyfriend. He chuckles, nodding in agreement. "You okay? Are you nervous?" she asks him, gripping his shoulder. Daniel takes a deep breath. "Uh... yeah, yeah, I'd say I'm nervous," he admits. Rosalía grabs his other shoulder, making him turn his body to her. "You're gonna be fine. Just like I said last year, I'm here no matter what, okay?" she reassures him. The boy nods and takes another deep breath. "And hey... your cheering section's gotten a lot bigger this year," she adds, looking around. Daniel laughs at this. "That's true... but you're the only cheerleader I care about," he tells her.

Rosalía's entire face feels like it's on fire as she smiles. "...For the purchase and donation of the permanent home of the All Valley Karate Championships," the announcer's voice captures the couple's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, the president of Dyna-tox Industries, Mr. Terry Silver!" he announces. The girl rolls her eyes as the crowd cheers for Terry as he makes his way onto the ring. He takes the microphone and commences speaking, "thank you, John. Thank you very much. I've always lived my life by the rule: 'if you get, you give.' For the last 20 years, I've gotten from karate. I've gotten discipline, health, self-confidence, inner peace..."

The couple is frustrated by his lies, so they start talking smack to Mr. Miyagi about Silver during his speech. "Everything that makes me what I am today. And today, it's time for me to give back," Terry states, making the crowd go wild. "Oh, come on! How can they eat this shit up?!" Rosalía exclaims. "I know! It's ridiculous!" Daniel agrees. I'm so tired of people like him, the girl thinks. "It's my pleasure to announce my partnership with the greatest karate man I have ever known: Sensei John Kreese," Terry claims. A mixture of cheers and boos comes from the crowd. "BOO!" Rosalía yells, wanting to join the crowd. Mr. Miyagi sharply turns to her, giving her a scolding look.

"What?" she innocently questions. The man just shakes his head and Daniel suppresses a laugh. "Jeez, sorry, dad," Rosalía sarcastically apologizes. "Together... together, we are about to open a chain of Cobra Kai dojos where young people can come and learn the same values I've learned: honesty, compassion, and fair play," Terry continues, looking at the trio. This makes the couple furious. "Ooo, I swear, if I was wearing chanclas [flipflops]..." Rosalía trails off. "Thank you all for coming. Enjoy the final match," Terry concludes before giving the microphone back to the announcer, who thanks him. Terry waves at the crowd before walking back to his corner.

"And thank you again for your most generous contribution..." the announcer pipes up. Daniel's nerves are out of control. He wasn't this anxious when he had to face Johnny Lawrence, but this time the threat is a lot bigger. Johnny wanted to hurt him but this guy wants to do a lot worse. Across the ring from him, Terry reminds Mike of the plan to demolish Daniel. "Remember the game plan. First, you win a point, then you lose a point. Keep the score 0-0. Pulverize him for the full three minutes. Then in sudden death, you get the point, we win. I want him to experience pain. First, he suffers," he explains. "Then he suffers some more," Kreese jumps in. Mike and Terry fist bump, feeling confident that they're going to succeed.