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Flashback
— December 19, 1984; Los Angeles, CA

"Hey Johnny, someone wants to see you." Tommy said as Missie stood beside him and Johnny smiled brightly.

Missie ran up to the blonde and embraced him tightly, after pulling away, she turned to her friends and spoke. "Hey guys, I'm so proud of all of you, but can you give us a few minutes?" Missie said

"Oh, sure. Johnny, you got condoms right?" Dutch said. "If not I got an extra in my bag."

"Shut the fuck up man." Johnny said. "I'll meet you guys outside."

After the guys left, Missie smiled as she turned back to her boyfriend, and rested her forehead against his, then ran her fingers through his hair, then placed a kiss on his lips. "I'm so proud of you." Missie smiled as she pressed a kiss against his lips

"Thanks princess." Johnny smiled as he gave her a look full of pure love and adoration. "It helps I have my favorite person cheering me on."

"I told you, I will always be on your side. Remember, it's about doing what you love, doing your best, whether you win or lose, that doesn't matter. Forget what Kreese says." Missie said. "I love you."

"I love you more." Johnny smiled as he pressed a kiss against her lips. "More than you'll ever know."

____

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐄 parked in front of the All Valley Tournament Arena. As she turned off the ignition, Brooke checked her eyemakeup, while Mason sent a text to his friends. Missie took a deep breath as she glanced across the parking lot, running a hand through her long, brunette hair. The memories from the night of 1984 had stayed with her, and even had reoccuring nightmares because of it. The image of her boyfriend getting strangled had haunted, and still haunts her to this day.

"Mom, are you okay?" Brooke asked, placing her lipgloss in her bag.

"I'm fine sweetheart." Missie said.

"I know it's hard for you, especially after what happened that night." Mason said. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine." Missie said. "I promised Johnny I would be here for him. Truth be told, it's probably hard for him too." Missie glanced next to her, and Kathy parked her Audi Q5 and got out, Beth, Lana, Whitney, Kaitlin, and Farrah next to her. "There's your aunts."

Missie and the twins got out of the audi, and Missie locked it behind her. As she placed her keys in her purse, her Kathy noticed her quiet demeanor.

"Missie, are you all right dear?" Kathy asked

"I'm good." Missie said. "Daniel's inside, are you guys ready?"

"To see a bunch of boys kill each other, no." Kaitlin said. "For the arena popcorn, yes."

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"We don't have to stay long, we'll check out a few matches, and we'll hit the road, all right." Daniel said as he, Amanda, Sam, Anthony, Missie, her children, Beth, Kathy, Lana, and the girls walked through the door

"There he is." One of the guys on the board said, making them smile and turn around. "Hey, everyone, it's the former champion in the flesh. Good to see you champ."

While the LaRussos walked to the arena to take their seats, the Missie and the twins, as well as Beth, Kathy, Lana, and the girls walked to the snack bar to purchase refreshments. Landon had arrived and ordered refreshments as well. After the cashier gave them their snacks and drinks, they walked into the arena where they found Daniel and Amanda had saved them seats.

"Hey this is great uncle Dan." Whitney said, eating her popcorn

"Front row seats, your uncle's still got some pull." Daniel said

"Doesn't get any better than this." Landon said

"Welcome, everyone, to the 50th annual All Valley Under 18 Karate Championship!" The announcer said. "You'll love the new mats. All right, let's start by welcoming all the local dojos competing today. From Granada Hills, All Star Karate. Fighting out of Topanga, we have Topanga Karate."

A lady wearing a dark blue gi and her face painted, stood up and began cheering. "Yeah! Whoo! Topanga! You kick some ass, Xander!"

"From Reseda, returning to the tournament, we have-" The announcer started, but was cut off by the sound of chanting.

"Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai!" The Cobra Kai's were jogging in, led by Miguel, chanting the dojo

Missie, Kathy, Lana, and Beth glanced at one another then at Daniel, then back at the Cobra Kais. Instead of wearing their white gis, they wore black ones with gold trim and a big cobra printed on the back in yellow, red, and black. They stopped in front of the LaRussos and the crowd cheered loudly.

Johnny was standing at the end of the group, a small smile on his face. He glanced over at Missie and smiled at her, and gave Daniel a dirty look.

Miguel glanced over at Sam, and had a hint of a scowl on his face. She looked away, while Brooke, Whitney, Kaitlin, and Farrah gave him a reassuring smile. He gave them one back while turning his attention back to the announcer.

"Wait a second, I thought those two were together. Trouble in paradise?" Kathy asked as she sipped her diet coke

"You could say that." Brooke said, as she ate some of Landon's popcorn. "Aparently there was a big misunderstanding last night at a party, so he and Sam got into a fight and they broke up."

"Now that's what I call an entrance! And a badass name for a dojo!" The announcer said. "Let's hear it for Cobra Kai!" The crowd applauded and cheered making  Daniel shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Whoo! Go, Hawk!" Moon cheered from the crowd

"And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills, we have Mr. Robby Keene." The announcer said, as Robby jogged over to the mats

"I didn't know he was fighting." Amanda said

"Neither did I." Daniel said

"Robby Keene as in Johnny's son?" Beth asked

"That's him." Missie said

"All right folks, get ready. It's karate time." The announcer stated before walking off of the mats.

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"All right gentlemen, you know the rules. Three points win. Step on the mats." The referee instructed.

Miguel and a boy from All-Star karate were the first ones to fight. Johnny whispered something into his ear. His blue eyes locked with Missie's and gave her a reassuring smile, then glared at Daniel.

As Miguel stepped onto the mat to face his opponent, the referee said, "And face me. Bow. Face each other. Bow. Ready?"

Missie opponent got into his fighting stance, while Miguel balanced on one leg, holding the other one up and extending his arms. Just as the boy ran at him, Miguel brought his foot up, kicking him in the face, earning himself a point.

"That's one point Diaz." The referee announced as the crowd went wild.

"I can't believe he stole your move." Sam scoffed

Landon turned to his girlfriend and questioned, "His move?"

Brooke shook her head and replied, "Uncle Dan won the tournament back in the 80s with that move."

Daniel himself glanced at Johnny who just smirked, and Daniel smirked in return. Miguel won the rounds, and now it was Robby's turn. Every punch the boy threw, Robby blocked it using the skills he learned from Daniel. The boy went to punch Robby in the face but he ducked before striking him in the face, winning his fight.

Daniel cheered for him as he was awarded his next point. Aisha fought next, ducking and dodging as the boy she was fighting threw kicks and spins.

"Enough defense. Attack!" Johnny demanded

Just as the boy spun on his heel to kick her, she caught his foot and swept his leg making him fall, and she bent down and punched him in the face.

"Good job, Ms. Robinson. Good job!" Johnny cheered, as Hawk walked on to the mat

"What in the hell is up with his hair?" Kathy asked, sipping her diet coke

"Oh, that's Hawk." Whitney said, sipping her cola. "He has a tattoo of a Hawk on his back, which he said took 14 hours."

After Hawk won his fight, he took off his gi top to show the crowd his hawk tattoo, displayed on his back. It was Bert's turn to fight. Johnny and Miguel gave him the fist motion and an encouraging nod as the referee instructed them to get into their positions. "Fight!" The referee said. Bert's opponent who was taller than him, kicked him in the chest, making him fall.

"And this brings us to the quarterfinals." The announcer said

Miguel was first. He was fighting the boy Bert had fought. The boy flipped, but Miguel slid under the boy, trying to knock his legs out from under him. The boy wobbled a little bit but he stuck his landing. He went running at Miguel but he kicked him in the chest and then sent a spinning kick to his face, securing another win.

"Three points!" The referee said

"Over on mat two, Miguel Diaz makes the semis." The announcer said

Next, it was Robby's turn. The boy went to swing but Robby ducked and brought his leg up, kicking the boy in the stomach, winning the match, and advancing to the semis as well.

"Winner!" The referee said.

"Over on mat three, Robby Keene advances to the semifinals!" The announcer said

Next, was Aisha's next round. She was fighting a boy from Topanga karate, Xander Stone. He tried to kick, but Aisha caught his leg, making him fall, and earning a point.

"Point Robinson!" The announcer yelled.

"2-2. Fight!" The referee said

Aisha threw punches but Xander blocked every one. She went to kick, but he dropped to the ground, sweeping her legs from underneath her. He brought his foot down and kicked her in the stomach making his mom cheer crazily.

"And over on mat four, Xander Stone is our last semifinalist." The announcer said

Xander tried to help her up but Aisha ignored him and grabbed her bag, then stormed out of the arena. Sam looked to Daniel. "I'll be right back." she said

"Okay." Daniel said, as Sam got up, to go find Aisha go comfort her.

"Yes! Let's give it for all of our competitors. You're all winners. We have seen some great fighting today, haven't we? There can be only one true winner, and he is standing on this stage right now. Will it be Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai? Will it be Hawk from Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Robby Keene, unaffiliated? And last but certainly not least, last year's champion, fighting out of Topanga Karate, Xander Stone!" The announcer yelled, making everyone cheer crazily. Xander did a flip, landing in front of the announcer.

He took the microphone from him and turned to the crowd. "I just wanted to say, even though I love to fight, we all need to fight together against hatred," Xander said, his eyes darting around the crowd. "And as I look around this arena, I pray for every race, religion, and gender that we can all live together in peace. Please join me in a moment of silence as we strive to end intolerance in our time."

"Kick that pansy bitch in the face," Johnny muttered to Miguel

"Yes sensei." Miguel muttered back.

The announcer snatched the microphone out of Xander's hand and started talking again. "All right! First up, Stone versus Diaz! Let's go!"

The two boys threw punches and kicks, dodging each one. Xander flipped as August lunged, each one missing the other. Finally, Miguel was able to get Xander defenseless and he kicked him in the face, sending him down to the ground. Miguel yelled in triumph as Xander got up from the floor, caressing his irritated cheek.

"That's 2-1, Diaz." The referee said

"Stay on offense!" Johnny instructed

"Fighting positions, and fight!" The referee instructed.

The two boys circled each other, neither daring to strike. Miguel lunged forward, throwing punches with Xander blocking each one. Xander threw his own punches which Miguel blocked. Miguel went to throw another punch but Xander flipped backward, making Miguel miss. Xander stood up and went at Miguel, doing fancy dodges and flips to throw him off.

Miguel dove underneath him and jumped up. He spun on his heel and delivered a kick to Xander's chest making him fall to the ground.

"Winner!" The referee said holding up Miguel's arm.

"Miguel Diaz is headed to the finals." The announcer said. "Next up, Hawk versus Keene."

"Oh come on you're not gonna cheer for your own student?" Amanda asked as Robby stepped onto the mat.

"No, he's not my student. All right, I... Amanda, I can't. The kid lied to me." Daniel said

"So, he lied. So what? He's a kid who obviously wasn't in it with Johnny, or he wouldn't be fighting his students." Amanda said

"She's right Daniel, he may have lied about who he was related to, but he's fighting against Cobra Kai." Kathy said

"You always have been a hot head, Dan." Beth said as she ate popcorn from the bag

Daniel didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes were glued to the mat. Hawk walked up to Robby with a stone cold look on his face. He took the no mercy way too seriously. "Fighting positions. Ready? And fight!" The announcer said

The two boys ran at each other with Robby throwing kicks at Hawk. He blocked every single one, not even bothering to throw a punch. As Robby jumped to throw another kick, Hawk caught him and threw him down, punching him in the chest and winning a point.

"One point, Hawk." The referee said

Missie noticed his stance was off. "Daniel, his stance."

"He's not focused." Daniel said. "Remember what you learned Robby!" he yelled as Robby got ready to get into his position.

Robby looked at his sensei and nodded. The boy closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly, remembering everything Daniel taught him. Then his eyes fluttered open. "Ready? And Fight!" The referee yelled

Hawk threw a kick and Robby sidestepped, making him miss. Hawk stumbled forward as Robby moved away, regaining his focus. Hawk went to go at him but Robby did a hook kick to his face, making him fall.

"There you go Robby!" Daniel cheered

"That was sick!" Anthony said excitedly

"That's great, huh?" Daniel said

"One point, Keene!" The referee said

The two boys got in each other's faces, throwing around insults, then the referee lightly shoved them apart. Robby turned around to walk back to his line, when Hawk ran at him, and kicked him in the shoulder, making Robby fall.

"Hey! What the hell is that?" Daniel yelled

"Robby!" Johnny said as he ran on to the mat

"That's enough! Illegal contact! You're disqualified!" The referee said to Hawk.

"Bullshit!" Hawk yelled

"Are you ok?" Johnny asked Robby

"Get the hell away from me." Robby spat bitterly.

Johnny turned to Hawk, and with a pissed off expression, the blonde asked, "What the hell were you thinking man?"

"You all right kid?" The referee asked as he helped Robby off the mat

"I'm fine." Robby said

"With that disqualification, Keene earns himself a trip to the finals. We'll see him back here after a short break." The announcer said.

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Missie got up to walk around and stretch her legs, when she saw Johnny walking down a long hallway, looking at photos of karate senseis past. Among them, was a photo of John Kreese.

"Johnny?" Missie said, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, and Johnny turned around and smiled at her. "I saw what happened with Robby. I'm so sorry."

"He didn't even want my help. He blames me. I know he does." Johnny said

"Hey, you can't think that way." Missie said as she took his hand in her's. "Give him some time. He'll come around."

"I don't know." Johnny said. "I'm glad you're here though."

"I wouldn't have missed this." Missie said. "I better get back, but I just wanted to let you know I believe in you."

"Thanks princess." Johnny said as he pulled her in for an embrace. 

Missie smiled as she retruned the embrace. "You're welcome. You know I've always got your back."

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"This it folks. The moment you've all been waiting for. The final match to determine who will be victor and champion. Will it be Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Robby Keene unaffil-" The announcer was cut off by someone running across the mat and whispering something in his ear.

"Daniel LaRusso's gonna coach?" The announcer asked, and the woman nodded her head. "Daniel LaRusso is gonna coach!" The announcer repeated, this time directing it to the crowd.

"I'm sorry folks there's been a change. Robby Keene will now be fighting for Miyagi-Do Karate with former champion Daniel LaRusso as his sensei!" The announcer yelled, making the crowd go wild. "How about that? Good luck gentlemen."

The announcer jogged off the mat, as Daniel and Johnny stalked towards each other, stopping centimeters away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" the blonde asked

"Coaching my student. Somebody needs to be there for him." Daniel said

"You think this is funny?" Johnny asked

"You see me laughing? Daniel asked

"You're gonna regret this when it's over." Johnny said

"Yeah right. Like this'll ever be over." Daniel said

Daniel walked back over to Robby and placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "Remember, no aggression. Just let him come to you. All right?" he instructed

"Ok." Robby nodded

Meanwhile, on the other side, Johnny was giving Miguel his own pep talk. "You know what to do. You've trained for this." Johnny stated.

"Don't worry, sensei. I won't let LaRusso or that kid go home a winner." Miguel spat, glaring at Robby

The two boys walked onto the mat and stopped in the spots, waiting for the referee to start the fight. On the sidelines, Missie watched as she saw the two boys step on the mat, and tension was felt.

"Face me. Bow. Face each other. Bow. Fighting positions. Ready and fight!" The referee said

Miguel ran forward, striking first as Johnny taught him. He threw punches and kicks, Robby dodging each one. Miguel threw a hook punch which Robby ducked under. Robby shoved Miguel back before leaving a hook kick to his chest, making him fall to the ground.

"And stop! Point!" The referee announced.

"Keene and Miyagi-Do get the first point." The announcer yelled.

"Remember the pitching machine." Johnny instructed. "Don't get hit."

The two boys got into their positions again until the referee told them to fight. Miguel struck first again, trying to land a spinning kick onto Robby, Robby blocked it and advanced at August, trying to land his own kick. Miguel blocked all of Robby's moves. Robby went to punch But August ducked before bringing his heel down onto Miguel's shoulder then punching him in the stomach, making him fall.

"Diaz and Cobra Kai win the point. Now it's 1-1." The announcer said. 

The boys got back into position. "Ready, and fight!" The announcer said.

Miguel rushed forward, throwing punches. Robby blocked each one, being cautious of his shoulder. Miguel, noticing this, threw a punch to Robby's shoulder, making him drop his guard.

"What the hell?" Missie said

Miguel went down and swept Robby's legs from underneath him, making Robby fall before he delivered a final blow to his shoulder.

"Point!" The referee said

"That makes it two points for Diaz!" The announcer said, as Robby was laying on the mat in pain.

Daniel stood up from his seat. "Time! Time." Walking over to Robby, he placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder, and then spoke again. "Are you alright?" Robby shook his head no as he panted in pain. "All right, listen to me. Look at me. Just remember to breathe and focus. All right? You hear me? Just find your balance." he instructed. Robby nodded as the referee came over to the two.

"All right Keene are you ready? Can you continue?" The man asked and Robby nodded.

"Yeah." Robby said, and Daniel walked off the mat.

"All right, Diaz. Let's go." The referee said. "Fighting positions."

Robby took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, and again remembering what Daniel taught him.

"And fight!" The referee yelled

Robby stood still, with his bad arm cradled against his chest, and his eyes closed. Miguel lunged forward before throwing a punch that Robby blocked. Miguel went to strike again, and he blocked everyone, using his uninjured arm. Miguel went to lunge forward but Robby moved out of the way, lightly shoving him out of bounds.

"Out of bounds! Out of bounds!" The referee said. "No point, out of bounds."

"All right, let's go Robby. Stay focused." Daniel instructed.

Miguel shoved Robby to the ground, making him land on his injured arm. Miguel sent a kick to Robby's chest, making him roll over, panting. Miguel went to stomp on him when Robby moved away. He pushed himself up onto his uninjured arm, and delivered a two-legged kick straight to Miguel's chest.

"How 'bout that? A two legged kick?" The announcer said 

Robby walked over to Miguel to help him up. Miguel angrily glared at him and grabbed his hand and jerked his injured arm, most likely popping his arm back out of socket.

"Watch it Diaz." The referee said

Missie stood up and walked over to the mat. "Teaching them to show mercy? Yeah right."

"Missie, wait." Johnny said

"No, Johnny. We'll talk later." Missie said

"That's one warning for unsportsmanlike contact." The referee said

Missie rushed to help Robby. "Hi Robby. I'm Missie Pearson."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Pearson. Mr. LaRusso mentioned you were trained as well?" Robby said

"Yes I was." Missie smiled, then turned to Daniel, as she confortingly stroked Robby's back. "Daniel, he can't go on like this."

"All right. I'm gonna tell them to end it." Daniel stated.

Robby shook his head frantically. "No, no, no. Let me finish." he pleaded

"Robby, with your shoulder-" Missie said

"Please, Mrs. Pearson. I'll be okay." Robby reassured

"Ok, just be careful." Daniel said

"Remember everything you've been taught, sweetheart." Missie smiled, as Robby gave her a kind smile

As Missie took her seat next to Daniel, Miguel was speaking with Johnny. "I found his weakness sensei. It's his shoulder."

Johnny knew he had to win the right way. "Look, I know we wanna win, but it's gotta be the right way. We don't have to fight dirty." he said

"Dirty?" Miguel questioned. "There's nothing dirty about winning Sensei. You taught me that. Don't worry. I got this. No mercy."

"Whoever wins the next point, will be our new champion!" The announcer said

"It's 2-2. Next point wins." The referee said, as the two boys got in their fighting positions. "Ok, good luck, both of you! Ready? And fight!

Miguel rushed forward and tried to punch but Robby blocked. Miguel threw a kick to Robby's jeg making him double over but he soon recovered, sending a kick to Miguel's back, making him stumble. The two circled around each other before Robby moved forward.

He threw a high kick, which Miguel caught. Miguel brought his leg up and kicked Robby in the shoulder, making Robby rear back in pain. Before Robby could even react, Miguel threw a kick to his chest, making him fall. It was over, Miguel had won. The Cobra Kais rushed the stage and Robby stumbled over to Daniel and Missie

"You did wonderful sweetheart." Missie smiled, as she gently embraced the teen. "It's like I always tell my twins and my nieces, give it your all. It's not about winning."

"Thanks Mrs. Pearson." Robby smiled kindly

"Please, call me Missie." Missie smiled

"Without further ado, let me present the trophy to this year's new champion, Miguel Diaz, and the Cobra Kai dojo!" The announcer yelled, handing August his trophy. Miguel let out a yell of victory raising the trophy. "Anything you would like to say to the people son?"

"I just wanna say that if it wasn't for my sensei, I wouldn't be here. So this is for Sensei Johnny Lawrence and Cobra Kai!" Miguel yelled, making the crowd cheer. 

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After the tournament, Missie and the twins drove over to the dojo, where they found Johnny sitting in the office drinking a glass of whiskey while looking at the 1st place trophy. "Hey." Missie smiled as she placed her hand on his shoulder, while Brooke and Mason served themselves a glass of whiskey 

"I fucked up." Johnny said. "Thanks for checking on Robby for me."

"Of course, but John, when are you going to tell them?" Missie asked

"It's none of their buisness." Johnny said

"Really? You don't think they'll want to know why the hell you got so upset when Miguel pulled Robby's arm out of socket?" Missie said. Johnny was silent. He knew he needed to tell them, but it would be on his own terms. "Well, congratulations. Yet, you're still somber."

"I just didn't like what I saw in the last match is all." Johnny said

"I know your heart was in the right place, but it was like watching you in '84." Missie said. "You might have taken the no mercy thing a little too far."

As the four of them continued to drink, they heard the shop bell ring. Johnny then stood up, hoping it was Miguel. While Missie watched from the office window, she felt her stomach tie up into knots. As she heard the shadowy figure talk, she remembered that voice. John Kreese.

"Congratulations. You did what I always thought you could do. You won. Cobra Kai is back where it belongs. Back on top. Everyone closed the book on us. They thought we were done. But now they see...that the real story's only just begun." Kreese said

"You okay mom?" Mason said, as he and Brooke stood next to their mother

"I have a really bad feeling." Missie said, as she and her children stood at the door way of the dojo office. "Johnny, what's-"

Johnny held his hand up to Missie and the twins to stay where they were. "I thought you were dead."

"You ain't the only one kid." Kreese said as they both came face to face on the mat. "I've been away a long, long time. It's good to see you." he said as he extended his hand out for a handshake, only for Johnny to slap it away.

"Johnny?" Missie said, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, and held her children close to her

"Still got that hot temper huh?" Kreese smirked. "But I like that. I like that. I bet that's why your student is now the champion. You trained him well. Just like I trained you."

Missie, Brooke, and Mason stepped out of the office to stand beside Johnny, but never taking his eyes off his former sensei, he said, "Missie, take the twins and leave. You don't need to see what happens next."

"John, we're not leaving you here with-"

"Just take the twins and leave." Johnny said

Missie nodded as she and her children left the dojo, getting in her audi and driving back to her Encino residence, not seeing the fight break out between Johnny and his former sensei.