SECOND BEST

028.

SCARLETT was training at the dojo. Nowadays it seemed as though it was all she did. She'd wake up, go to the dojo, get home and repeat. Silver was working them hard and though she enjoyed the relief from her chaotic life, the dojo only seemed to cause all the problems. 

Each day she wondered whether it was a good idea to join Cobra Kai. Each day she thought about her parents and what would be happening right now if she hadn't joined the dojo. But then she'd remember, she was in Sam's shadow, and this was beneficial for her. She had won the All-Valley, not Sam. She constantly reminded herself of the fact and yet she drove herself deeper and deeper into guilt as she was reminded of the fact she had cheated. 

She glanced up from the punching dummy as unknown people entered. Silver stood at the entrance to the dojo, dressed in an all-black suit. These people were clearly important as he slapped on a smile as he spoke with them. 

Scarlett dismissed them as they walked around. Silver was practically selling the dojo to these people to get Cobra Kai to attend this competition. She had overheard him and Kim talking about it. They said it was the best in the world, and only the exclusive fwe were able to attend. 

Scarlett's head snapped up as she heard a familiar voice speak, "That's not true."

Scarlett sighed in annoyance as she caught sight of her father, Johnny, her mother and the same man who was a sensei here not even two weeks ago. Her eyes narrowed as the entire room froze. 

"And who are you?" said one of the visitors. 

"I'm Sensei Daniel LaRusso. Two-time All Valley champion."

"Sensei Johnny Lawrence. Also two-time champion."

"Chozen Togchi. Master Sensei," the man gave a light bow and one of the visitors returned it. 

"Amanda LaRusso, karate adjacent." That had Scarlett rolling her eyes. Her mom had always hated karate and now she was 'adjacent'.

Daniel spoke up once more, "Cobra Kai isn't the only dojo in the Valley."

"So you represent another dojo?" The first man spoke. It looked as though he was the speaker of the group. He seemed curious by this new revelation whilst Silver stood to the side, his jaw ticking angrily. 

"Not just any dojo. We have champions from the past two All Valleys," Johnny spoke. 

The speaker looked at Silver, "You led us to believe that your dojo had all the titles."

As Silver looked perplexed, Daniel responded, "Honesty isn't exactly Cobra Kai's strong suit. Our dojo is truly unique. We've combined our different styles to train our students into the best fighters I've ever seen. They deserve a shot at your tournament just as much as Cobra Kai."

Silver looked stunned and Scarlett could see he was trying to find a way out of the hole he'd dug himself into. The speaker looked at one of the men and spoke in what Scarlett assumed was Japanese. He then glanced at the man to his right as they spoke. 

Silver suddenly chuckled, "My apologies for this inappropriate yet entertaining disruption. But may I remind our guests that they haven't travelled all this way to consider anyone but the very best."

"No we have not," said the speaker, "Now that we're here we'll determine that ourselves. We will see what your dojo has to offer." He then turned to the trespassers, "And yours. We expect a comprehensive exhibition of your training methods and your students' abilities. And then we will see if either dojo is worthy of the Sekai Taikai."

"Thank you," Daniel stated, "Very much. YOu won't be disappointed."

"Well as they say, the more the merrier. May the best dojo win."

"We will," Johnny replied, "And when we do, I'm gonna shove that ponytail up your ass. You can translate that."

"OKay. All right," Daniel pulled him back as they went to leave. 

"Hold on," Silver smirked causing the rivalling dojo leaders to halt. He turned to the Sekai Taikai men, "If I could take just a moment of your time to introduce my champion."

He turned and caught sight of Scarlett and motioned forward. Scarlett's heart hammered in her chest as she approached. She stopped and bowed lightly at the visitors. 

Silver smiled maliciously, "This, is Scarlett LaRusso. All-Valley female champion."

"LaRusso?" the speaker questioned in confusion as he pointed between the three with the same last name. 

"My daughter," Daniel spoke through gritted teeth. He didn't know what game Silver was playing with his child but he didn't like it. 

"Yes. And yet she trains here at Cobra Kai," Silver smiled, "Last year, Scarlett came to me, begging to be apart of my dojo because her own dojo, run by her father was squandering her abilities to perform."

"That's not true!" Daniel protested. 

"Sorry, I've misspoken. You didn't even allow her to practice karate. All while you taught the art to her sister without any problems. Have I got that right Daniel?" Silver asked. He fixed Daniel with a smug look. 

Scarlett felt incredibly uncomfortable as every eye in the room settled on her as the speaker questioned, "Is this true?"

Her jaw ticked as she clenched it, "Yes."

Silver smiled once more and turned back to the other dojo owners, "May the best dojo win."