THE CHAMPION (COBRA KAI)

molting

"Dad, did you know about this lifelong ban on Cobra Kai? Well, there was one and now there's not. Johnny spoke to the board and I'll be able to compete like we wanted. I'm gonna win for you, Daddy. I'm gonna do this for you." I tell him and he smiles at me.

"Good for you. Hey, are you dating Eli Moskowitz again?" He asked me and I blushed.

"Yes, I am. How did you know?" I asked him and he shakes his head.

"A parent never reveals his secrets, Ari. Invite him over. You spend too many of your nights alone. I'm glad that you decided to stick with Cobra Kai. I'm really proud of you." He tells me and I nod my head as I text Eli.

"He'll be here in ten. He looks a lot different then he was when you met him the first time. He as a blue Mohawk and he has a hawk tattoo on his back." I tell my father as I slide my phone into my back pocket and he nods his head. A few minutes later, the doorbell chimes and I smile as I run over to the door.
My phone buzzes as I open the door and Hawk enters my house.

"Hey, babe, did you get a text from Miguel?" He asked me as I pulled out my phone and I opened my messages.

"Yeah, Sensei Lawrence needs us at the junkyard tomorrow morning. Why?" I ask him as I close the door and I sighed.

"Maybe he wants us to train there tomorrow?" He asked me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Come on, I'll show you to my room." I take his hand and I hear my father clearing his throat. "I totally forgot we weren't alone." I whisper to him and he snickers as we turn around to look at my father.

"If you're going to be in your room...Keep your door open. You know the rules. I like the hair, Hawk." My father tells him and I smile as I look over at Hawk.

"Come on. Let's go." I grab his hand and we walk down the long corridor to my bedroom.

"Nice bedroom, babe." He says to me as he wraps his fingers around the belt hoops of my Jean shorts and he leans down to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck and we kiss for a few seconds before I pull away from. "I'll never get tired of kissing you. I've missed you so much. I'm sorry about what happened between us and I'm glad that we're back together." He holds my face in his hands and he rubs his thumbs across my cheeks as I smile at me.

"Yeah, I am too. I really care about you, Hawk. I'm glad that we are together." I tell him and I rest my head on his chest as he wraps his arms around me.

"You've trained hard. You've gotten stronger, tougher, faster. You've done your best. You're ready for this tournament, am I right?" Sensei Lawrence asked us as I look at Hawk and Miguel. What is going on here?

"Yes, Sensei!" Everyone says and I look down at my black nail polish with red flames on them.

"Wrong! Your best ain't crap!" He says as he throws his beer can down on the ground and I rolled my eyes. "If you wanna win the All Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament, you gotta give me better than your best. Which is why from now on, you're gonna get my worst. Do you understand?" I text my father to tell him that Sensei Lawrence has officially lost his mind and I turn around to leave.

"Where are you going, Miss. Silver? I didn't tell you, you could leave yet." He says to me and everyone moves to look at me.

"I'm the only one who is gonna win that tournament, Sensei Lawrence. Whatever you have for us to do today, isn't gonna help me. I know what I have to do to win. You know what you have to do to win. But, I'm outta here. Bye." I tell him and Hawk looks at me before I walk away.

"What are you doing home so early?" My father asked me as I walked into our house and I sighed as I walked into our training room.

"Sensei Lawrence wanted us to meet at this junkyard and he said that he'll be giving us his worst. So, I left and I'm gonna go for a run. You know how I am before a big competition. I have to get into the right headspace. I think his way of training leading up to the All Valley isn't gonna help me get that trophy for you. Well, I'll be back later." I kiss his cheek before I walk into my bedroom and I get ready for my run. There was a knock on my door when I finished tying my shoes and I walked over to my door to open it.

"Hey, I thought I would go with you on your run. I feel like I don't see you very much anymore." I smile at my father and I nod my head.

"Yeah, let's go! It's gonna be six miles, are you sure you're up for it, old man?" I tease him and he punches me in the arm lightly.

"I'm not that old, Ariana. Come on. Let's go, after our run, we'll come back here and spar for awhile. I know you can win this karate tournament." My father tells me as we walk outside and we begin our run to Reseda.

"So, how's Hawk? Or Eil?" He asked me and I sighed.

"He's good. Sensei Lawrence thinks that Miguel Diaz is gonna win the tournament, but I think from here on out, I want to train with you." I say to him and we both stop walking.

"Really? You don't wanna train with your friends?" He asked me and I shook my head.

"Dad, for me to win, I need to be at my very best and you've taught me everything I know. I know training at Cobra Kai makes you happy, but I think you miss training me." I tell him with a small smile on my face and he nods his head.

"Yeah, I definitely miss it. I'll train you. I'll always train you. Come on, let's go back home." We go back home and we sparred for the rest of day before Hawk texted me.

Hawk:
Where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you since the junkyard.

Ariana:
I always go off the grid before a major karate tournament. My father is gonna train me until the tournament is over. I isolate myself and I have to get into right mindset. I have to win this tournament, Hawk. For my father and for Cobra Kai.

Hawk:
Can I come by and see you at least?

Ariana:
Yeah, you can come over. I'll let my father know.

Hawk:
I'll be right there.

When Hawk arrived at my house, we sat down on the training platform and my head was on his lap as he rubbed his thumb across my forehead. I closed my eyes at his touch and he bends down to kiss me.

"Okay, Spider-Man, my father is home." We both chuckle as I see my father out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't mind me. I'll be in my room if you need me, but please don't." He tells me and we both laugh as he walks away from us. Hawk turns me around and he kisses me again.

"Come on, let's go to bed." Hawk stands up and he brings me with him before I lead us to my bedroom to sleep for the night.