Chapter Seventy Eight
Primadonna

SYDNEY DID NOT like to lose.  And when she did lose,  her mood changed for the worst.  She sat on the newly built sparring deck with her legs stretched out in front of her and her shoulders slumped over,  a pout on her lips as if she were a child.  One at a time,  the boys from the dojo who unsuccessfully protected their egg came and stood on the deck.  "Well,  this blows."

"I don't think I've seen you not sitting straight,"  said Demetri,  who stood behind her with his arms crossed over his chest with disappointment.

"You've also never seen me covered in egg yolk but there's a first time for everything."  She grumbled back,  the egg yolk still dripping from her clothes.  Miguel had went inside the Larusso house to get them towels.

Eli came walking sluggishly into the backyard,  joking the group on the sparring deck.  "How's he take you out?"  Robby asked him.

He threw him a dirty look.  "Shut up.  Don't talk to me."

Sydney blew air out her mouth.

"Dude,  I'd this is about the mohawk,  I'm sorry.  But if anyone knows how Cobra Kai can turn you into an asshole,  it's you,"  Robby pointed out,  his annoyance showing.

"Oh,  so I'm at asshole?"

"Yeah,  well,  let's see. . . Uh,  you attacked me and Sam at the mall—" he pointed at Demetri. "Y-You broke Demetri's arm—" he pointed a finger around the backyard. "Y-You trashed this entire dojo—"

Before he could continue, Demetri stepped in. "Guys! Enough! Enough! All right?"

Sydney stood from the spot she was sitting on the deck and stood next to Eli. She threw one of her arms around his shoulder. "How about we admit that we were all assholes? We all did shitty things to each other, but we learned from our mistakes. There's no sense in bringing up the past."

At her words, they faltered.

"Yes, exactly!" Demetri agreed with her. "Now, can we coco us on the issue at hand? There is a madman out there using weapons on us."

"Who's even left?" Chris spoke up, looking around them.

Miguel came walking into the backyard with two towels in his hands. "I think it's just Sam and Charlie," said Sydney, not seeing the couple around. "I could've predicted that. They're probably making out."

"Oh, they are. They're in the dojo." Miguel replied when he joined them.

They all looked at him strangely. "How do you know that?" Asked Eli.

"I accidentally walked in on them. Charlie made me promise not to say anything," he responded. He looked at Sydney and held out one of the towels, firing her a small smile.

The girl smiled back and took it from him, proceeding to wide away all the egg yolk on her. "This was a $60 top gone to waste." She said while rubbing the towel on her workout top.

Robby's eyes went wide. "$60?"

Demetri nodded firmly. "You should see her closet."

Sydney lifted her head and smiled. "I know all the good stores. Let me know if you ever want to go shopping."

Soon, Charlie and Sam came walking out of the dojo with droopy expressions, their hands covered in yolk, and an annoyed Chozen behind them. The karate students gathered around and watched Chozen crack one of the eggs on burner. "You are not good Yanbaru Kuina." He said to them. "Snakes will take you down one. by. one."

Sydney looked down at her shoes, frowning.

"I tried to tell you what you must do. But you not listen. You must learn to adapt. Or soon, you will be extinct." He pointed to a carton of eggs on the edge of the deck. "Take new eggs. Try again."

Sam went and grabbed the egg carton and opened it so everyone could take an egg. "Sensei Toguchi's real crypt, like Mr. Larusso, but agrees I've like Sensei Lawrence," said Demetri.

"Never thought I'd see that combination," Sydney muttered and twirled her egg between her fingers.

"It's like the harsh part of both styles." Chris agreed.

"Can't wait to get our asses kicked again," grumbled Mitch after taking an egg.

They began to walk away, feeling discouraged, when. Anthony stopped them. "Uh, no. No, um. . ." He stuttered. "G-Guys, uh, wait."

Sydney and Sam shared a quick look.

"He said that the snakes will take us down one by one. Right? Just like he took us down one by one, but. . ." He paused. "But what if we weren't a bunch of ones? Like, what if we were. . ."

"Together." Sam finished, realizing what he was trying to say.

He smiled. "Yeah, exactly! Like, um, like a raiding party in Dungeon Lords."

Demetri understood. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Even if you're a level 85, you can't mount an attack on the grand realm alone."

"Exactly. You need a real. Everybody as a special role," Eli joined in.

The British girl faltered and shook her head. "Okay, now you've complete lost me."

Sam nodded her way. "Yeah, me too."

Demetri sat his hand on the girl's shoulder. "We'll teach you to play, don't worry."

Charlie looked down at his girlfriend. "You watch me play Dungeon Lords all the time." He pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I pay attention."

Anthony quickly continued. "The only way we win is if we work together. As one."

Everyone looked at one another, his words sinking in. Pushing her confusion to the side, Sydney smiled at the younger boy. "That's a great idea, Anthony. Good thinking."

He blinked his eyes and smiled widely.

"So, we're sure we want to put all of our eggs in one basket? I mean, you're specifically not supposed to do that."

"Like my dance teacher says, give your all or leave with nothing," said Sydney, standing squished between Anthony and Robby.

"This is gonna work." Anthony proclaimed, bouncing up and down slightly.

There was piercing whistle in the distance and everyone tensed up. Mitch started to freak out. "Get it together, penis breath." Eli said in a monotone voice.

Sydney raised her fist and her dark eyes darted all around her. She planted her feet on the wooden deck below her. She looked around the backyard until she heard Miguel curse and then she saw Chozen come out from the sun rays. He came charging at them.

"Ready!" Shouted Miguel.

Eli and Robby took the first charge at Chozen like they had planned.  Chozen swung his bo at them,  making everyone back up,  but Eli caught it swiftly while Robby tried to kick it away.  Eli kept a grip on it until Chozen was able to kick him away.  The boy quickly yelled for everyone else to grab onto it. 

Unfortunately,  Chozen was smarter and more experienced than them,  and he managed to swiftly sneak under the bo and away from them.  With the basket of eggs on display,  the sensei reached forward to grab them but Sydney stepped in and bend down on one leg,  spinning around on her foot and kicking him across the face with her other,  making him drop the eggs and Anthony took them.

Working together,  Robby and Eli simultaneously kicked Chozen and pushed him back.  The group of students got in front of Anthony to protect him and the eggs.  Sydney stared darkly at Chozen with her hands raised as she watched the man try to figure out what to do.  Soon,  after seeing that they indeed learned how to work together,  he stood straight.  "Snake concede."

"Dude,  it worked!"  Eli cheered and they all gathered around Anthony.

"Yes!"  Sydney exclaimed and threw her arms around Sam,  the two girls rocking side to side while laughing in victory.

"This is what we have that Cobra Kai does not,"  Chozen continued.  "Their movement mile wide,  but only inch deep.  But our movement,  inch wide,  but mile deep.  Now that you have learned to work together,  I will teach you how to master your defense."  He chanted in Japanese and the students stood straight with their hands by their sides.  "Ai."

They bowed.

Sydney broke out into a smile and she turned to Anthony.  "I'm so proud of you!"  She squealed and pulled him into a tight hug.  Everyone gathered around him again and cheered.

Sydney didn't know how to feel.  She had been back in karate for one day,  a very hard day,  but she was slowly learning to adapt again.  But the Sekai Taikai was one of the biggest karate tournaments in the world.  It was world wide.  She felt overwhelmed just thinking about it.  The emotion was clear to Sam.  "You're freaking out too much,"  the girl said while they two of them were in her room.

Sydney laid on the her bed,  staring at the ceiling.  "I think I came back too early.  Or too late.  I don't know.  I'm not ready,  Sam."

"You are ready,"  Sam insisted and sat at the end of the bed by her feet.  "You're just over thinker and you're sinking yourself out.  Besides,  you want to be a professional dancer.  Isn't this basically the same thing?"

Sydney leaned up.  "Dancing doesn't send me into extreme panic mode."

"Okay,  one,  that's wrong because I've seen you backstage at your competitions.  Two—"  the blue eyed girl grinned.  "I know you,  Sydney.  You love karate.  You're just nervous.  But you have all us.  We're not going to let you fail."

"Don't you remember?  I let myself fail.  I'm the one that had a panic attack at the All Valley and that's why I lost."

Sam frowned slightly.  "You can't control how you feel,  Syd.  That wasn't your fault.  It's just karate.  It's not the rest of of your life."

The British girl sighed and started picking at the stitching of Sam's bedding.  "How are you not nervous?  We have to compete against the biggest assholes in the Valley.  You're acting way too calm."

Sam shrugged.  "I'm scared,  too.  I just try to remember that I'm fighting for me.  I know that I'm good enough."

Sydney smiled softly.  "Look how mature you've gotten."  She gently hit her arm.  "Is it Charlie?"

She giggled.  "No,  not completely.  It was my dad.  He always knows best.  I learned how to accept that."

"I love your father."  She sighed and dramatically fell forward until her head hit the side of Sam's leg,  making her laugh.  "Now,  on to a different subject."

Sam raised an eyebrow,  looking down at her.

Sydney smirked.  "You and Charlie making out in the dojo."

There was loud groan.  "I knew Miguel told you."

Sydney and Tory fight part 2???