CHAPTER 21: VICTORY'S CONSEQUENCES
POV: Ivyn Mikaelson
The trophy sits in Cobra Kai's front window. Miguel's All Valley championship. Proof that Johnny Lawrence's return is legitimate.
Within days, the dojo is flooded with new applicants.
Teenagers who ignored us for months now want to be part of the winning team. Johnny's enrollment problem becomes a capacity problem.
"I need help," Johnny tells me, Miguel, and Hawk after class. "Can't teach forty students alone. You three—assistant instructors. Fifteen bucks an hour. Help me with the beginners."
Fifteen dollars an hour. Real money. Validation that we've actually learned something.
"Yes, Sensei."
Teaching reveals how much we've absorbed. Breaking down techniques for beginners forces me to understand them more deeply. Why the hip rotates in a cross. How weight distribution affects balance in kicks. The mechanics I've internalized through repetition.
But the new students bring problems.
Some want the Cobra Kai reputation without the work. Others are drawn to the aggressive philosophy for wrong reasons.
During sparring, a new kid—seventeen, cocky—deliberately injures his partner. Elbow to the nose after the point's been called. Blood flows. The kid laughs.
"What the hell was that?" I step between them.
"Cobra Kai, right? No mercy?"
"No mercy means you don't quit when things get hard. It doesn't mean you're a sadistic asshole." I point to the door. "You're out. Don't come back."
His face cycles through disbelief and anger. "You can't kick me out."
"I just did."
He looks to Johnny. Who nods confirmation.
"You heard him. Get out."
After the kid leaves, Johnny pulls me aside. "We need the enrollment money. Can't afford to be too picky."
"We can't afford to have students who think karate is an excuse to hurt people for fun."
Johnny considers. Nods slowly. "You're right. But we're walking a fine line here."
"I know."
[TEACHING SKILL DEVELOPING:]
[Instruction: 150/1000 XP]
[Income: $15/hour (significant for orphan background)]
[Dojo Reputation: 85/100]
During evening cleanup—just me and Miguel putting away mats—I notice someone watching from across the street.
Older man. Military bearing. Something predatory in his stillness.
[THREAT DETECTED:]
[Identity: Unknown]
[Assessment: High danger potential]
[Recommended Action: Investigate]
I drop the mat and head for the door.
"Where you going?"
"Be right back."
I cross the street at a jog. The man sees me coming. Turns. Disappears around the corner with fluid grace that belies his age.
By the time I reach the corner, he's gone.
"Kreese. That was Kreese. He's scouting. Preparing."
My skin crawls with the certainty.
Back inside, Johnny's on the phone. Ends the call as I enter.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Thought I saw someone watching."
Johnny's expression shifts. "That's the second time this week someone's asked about the dojo. Called wanting to know our history. What year we reopened. Whether 'the old ways' were still taught."
"What did you tell them?"
"Told them to fuck off." He pauses. "Probably just a reporter or something. Tournament got attention."
"Probably."
"It's not a reporter. It's your nightmare come back to life. And I can't warn you without explaining how I know."
[KREESE ARRIVAL: IMMINENT]
[Estimated timeline: 7-14 days]
[Preparation: Inadequate]
[Warning: Cannot reveal foreknowledge without exposing transmigration]
Sam starts hanging around the dojo. Not training. Just present. Curious about this world that consumes my life.
The Cobra Kai students are wary initially. She's Daniel LaRusso's daughter. Enemy territory.
But her genuine interest and lack of judgment win most people over. She asks questions about techniques. Brings water during breaks. Doesn't act superior.
Most people warm to her.
Tory is the exception.
She watches Sam with barely concealed hostility. Eyes tracking every movement. Every interaction.
During water break, Tory corners me. "Rich girl slumming it with the fighters. Cute."
"Sam's here to support me. Not everything's a class war."
"Easy to say when you're on the winning side." Her voice carries an edge sharp enough to cut. "Some of us don't get to choose our side. We're just born on it."
"Tory—"
"I'm not saying she's a bad person. I'm saying she doesn't understand what it's like to fight for everything. And pretending she does is insulting."
She walks away before I can respond.
Miguel finds me watching. "Tory's protective. Of herself, of people she considers 'hers.' Sam represents everything that's been unfair to her."
"I know. But I can't change who Sam's father is."
"Can't change who anyone's father is." He pauses. "Trust me on that."
The weight of his relationship with Johnny hangs unspoken.
[RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS:]
[Sam: Integrated into dojo (70% acceptance)]
[Tory: Growing hostility toward Sam (WARNING)]
[Miguel: Friendship restored and stronger]
[Potential conflict: Escalating]
Two weeks after All Valley, the dojo's success feels fragile.
Built on Johnny's redemption arc. Students' loyalty. The validation of victory.
But vulnerable to the wrong influence.
I train obsessively. Knowing the tournament was just the qualification round. Harder challenges coming.
The mysterious watcher appears twice more. Always at distance. Always vanishing before contact.
Johnny grows uneasy. "Something feels off. Like someone's circling. Waiting."
"Maybe increase security? Lock the doors during class?"
"This is a dojo, not a fortress." But he adds a deadbolt anyway.
I know exactly who's circling. What's coming.
The weight of foreknowledge suffocates me.
"How do I prepare him without explaining how I know? How do I warn him about Kreese without revealing I've seen this future before?"
The System offers no answers. Just the countdown ticking toward inevitable confrontation.
[KREESE ARRIVAL: 3-7 DAYS]
[DOJO STABILITY: 75/100 (declining)]
[RECOMMENDATION: Prepare for psychological warfare]
I complete my Daily Quest. Train past exhaustion. Fall asleep reviewing strategies for countering manipulation I've only seen on a screen.
And wake from nightmares of Johnny's face when Kreese walks through that door.
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