𝖫𝗈𝗏౿ᑲ𝗈ოᑲ -𝖤ᥣꪱᜒ 𝖬𝗈ડƙ𝗈⍵ꪱᜒ𝗍ʑ

2.9

The day Hazel decided to skip karate class was the day everything went wrong. Without any explanation, she told her brother she wasn't coming with him. Her makeup was smeared all over her face, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Miguel sensed something had happened with Eli, but he decided it was best to talk later.

At the dojo, Miguel didn't ask Eli anything because he wanted to talk to his sister first. When Mr. LaRusso mentioned that someone had trashed Miyagi-Do, Johnny instructed them to call Hazel and tell her to come immediately.

"Why didn't you come today? Do you have something to say?" Johnny interrogated Hazel as soon as she walked through the door.

"No, Sensei, I just didn't feel well," Hazel replied, avoiding eye contact with Eli, whose gaze felt like it was burning her skin.

"Good. Fall in," Johnny commanded, nodding at the crowd of students.

All the Cobra Kai students were doing squat thrusts, breathing heavily. "This would all be over in an instant. The decision is yours," Johnny yelled as he walked alongside them. "Who trashed Miyagi-Do?" Silence met his question. "You all know I'm not a fan of LaRusso's, but that kind of bullshit we don't teach here, at least not anymore." He glanced at Kreese, who stared right back. "So I'm going to ask you one more time, who trashed Miyagi-Do?"

"It wasn't me, Sensei," Raymond said, panting. "I would never disrespect another man's dojo." Johnny looked over at him. "Shut your cake hole, Chubs," he said sternly. "I'm not looking for excuses; I'm looking for answers."

Miguel stepped forward, breathing heavily. "Sensei, we really don't know who did it," he said. "Someone knows something," Kreese interjected, scanning the crowd. "The question is, who's gonna break?" He looked directly at Eli when he said that. Fortunately, no one else noticed, but Hazel did.

The phone rang, drawing Johnny away from the students.

Hazel approached Kreese. "Sensei, we need a water break," she said, panting. Kreese glanced at all the students. "Two-minute break," he announced loudly.

As they moved to the side for water, Hazel locked eyes with Kreese. He knew something, and so did Eli. "Get your bearings," he told them.

She was about to ask Eli when Aisha interrupted her. "Hazel! I heard you broke up with Eli."

Hazel didn't want to talk right now, especially with Aisha. She needed to talk to Eli first, to ask him what had happened.

"Yeah, I... I really need to talk to him right now. I'll explain later!" Hazel cut her off, determined to confront her ex-boyfriend.

Approaching Eli, she stood in front of him. "I know you did it. You have to confess." It pained her that she couldn't touch him, that she couldn't smile at him, but every time she looked at him, she saw the anger he had displayed while talking to Demetri.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, avoiding her gaze as he tried to brush past her. She stopped him with a firm hand on his chest.

"Listen, I don't care if you're mad because we broke up. You need to do the right thing," she insisted, forcing him to meet her eyes. "At least I'll know you have some humanity," she murmured before walking away.

Meanwhile, the Cobra Kai students were engaged in various exercises. "Keep going, I have all day," Kreese barked as he walked among them. Some were on the ropes, others lifting weights, and some doing push-ups.

"Do you think it's okay if I puke in here?" Raymond asked Aisha between heavy breaths.

"No," Aisha and Hazel replied in unison, clearly disgusted.

"Navy SEALs puke all the time," Raymond argued.

"Don't puke," Hazel's voice was stern, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. "He's not going to let up; we need to figure out who did it," Miguel said to Tory, his words punctuated by pants.

"I bet it was shit-breath," Tory said, inciting Mitch to react.

"Screw you," Mitch retorted, ready to escalate the situation. Tory advanced towards him, her voice rough with anger.

"What did you say? Want to go right now?" Mitch challenged, but Miguel intervened before things could escalate further.

"This is not gonna solve anything," Hazel interjected angrily, glaring at Kreese, who simply grinned in response.

Then Kreese dropped the bombshell: "Would you really like to know who it was? It was Hawk." Eli looked up, the attention of everyone turning to him. Hazel felt a pang of disappointment that it wasn't Eli who had confessed.

"And it was Mr. and Miss Diaz and Robinson. It was Nicholas, Chubs, Red. When one of you moves, all of you move. You live and you die. With the consequences and the spoils, because you are all Cobra Kai," Kreese declared, setting the tone for their future training.

As they were dismissed to the main dojo, Hazel looked at Eli with disappointment. It was evident that he was truly turning into a different person.

Tension filled the air of the Cobra Kai dojo, Kreese's voice cut through the silence. "Miss Diaz, step forward," he commanded, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. Hazel hesitated, her stomach twisting with apprehension, but she knew she had no other choice but to obey.

Reluctantly, she stepped forward, her gaze meeting Eli's for a brief moment before diverting to the floor. She didn't want to fight him, not like this. But as the tension mounted, there was no turning back.

The two squared off, circling each other cautiously. Eli's fists were clenched, his jaw set with determination. Hazel's heart pounded in her chest as she raised her fists in a defensive stance.

The fight was short but intense. Each blow landed with a resounding thud, the sound echoing through the silent dojo. After a few tense moments, Eli stumbled, his balance faltering, and he fell to the ground.

Hazel stood over him, her chest heaving with exertion. She had won, but her victory felt hollow. Before she could catch her breath, Kreese's voice cut through the air once more.

"It's not over," he declared, his voice chillingly calm. "You should have no mercy."

Hazel's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't bring herself to finish someone off, not even Eli. Not like this. "I won't do it," she said firmly, her voice trembling with emotion.

Kreese's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing into a menacing glare. "Show the enemy no mercy," he growled, his voice dripping with malice.

But Hazel stood her ground, refusing to back down. Before Kreese could issue another command, Miguel stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

"That's not what Sensei Lawrence teaches us," he interjected, his tone firm and unwavering. "There's no honor in being merciless."

Kreese's anger flared, but Miguel held his ground, his gaze steady and unyielding. "In the real world, it's not about scoring points," he continued. "It's about being the better person, the true winner."

Hazel felt a surge of gratitude towards Miguel, his words echoing in her mind. She may have won the fight, but it was Miguel who reminded her of what truly mattered: integrity, honor, and compassion. And as she stood there, her fists unclenched and her heart heavy with emotion, she knew that she had made the right choice.

The next day Miguel said to Kreese that he's sorry for being disrespectful. Hazel tried to talk him out of it but he seemed so convinced that what he did was wrong. Hazel started contemplating her opinion. Maybe Kreese was in the right.

"Cobra kai is not a hobby, it's not a club." Kreese said, walking among the students. "Cobra kai is your brothers and your sisters. You are all Cobra kai for life, because Cobra Kai never dies."