the queen cobra, cobra kai

𝟬𝟬𝟱

A FEW DAYS LATER, MARIA and Miguel were training at the dojo. Johnny had them stand in front of pitching machines, and try to avoid getting it by the baseballs.

With the help of Miguel and Maeve, they had managed to help get Maria out of the house. Of course, she wasn't her sarcastic, bubbly self, but it was a start. They knew that the longer Maria was cooped up in her room, the worse it would get.

"Ready?" Johnny asked them.

"Yes, Sensei." They replied.

He pressed the button on the remote and turned the pitching machine on. Maria first knocked the ball out of her way, and it hit the wall, creating a dent. He hit the remote again, and she did the same thing, but the ball hit Miguel in the side.

"What does a cobra do?" Johnny asked as he had Miguel in a choke hold. He kept tapping his arm.

"There's no tapping in karate."

Johnny was sparring with Miguel first. He was doing good, but then Johnny kicked him in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

Maria was up next. He tried to punch her in the face, but she ducked. He tried to kicked her in the gut, but she blocked that too. He then elbowed her in the face, sending her down to the ground.

"Watch your arms. Get your arms up." He said to her as he helped her up.

"My arms were up." She replied back.

Soon, they were back to the pitching machines. Maria was getting better by the day. She kept blocking the balls and sending them to the wall, creating dents. She had learned to use all of her grief and pain as motivation, as a weapon.

At one point, Johnny tapped the button on the remote, and one of the balls hit Miguel in the lower region, which made Maria laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. It was a chuckle, but it was a laugh, nonetheless.

"What does a cobra do?" This time, he had Maria in a chokehold. she got out of his hold successfully.

"Slither." She replied.

Johnny nodded in approval. "Not bad."

Maria and Miguel kept getting better and better. When they were at the pitching machines, they kept blocking the balls. When they were sparring with Johnny, they kept blocking his kicks and punches. Maria was proud of herself, and Miguel was proud of himself too.

When Maria and Johnny were sparring, she kept blocking his moves. She even slid her foot under his leg, sending him to the ground. She smirked. But, then he tapped the button on the remote, sending a ball to her ear. She groaned and fell to the ground, holding onto her ear.

"Ow! What the shit? That...that wasn't fair." She groaned in pain.

"You want a fair fight? Dream on." Johnny replied. "You can't always think you enemies are gonna play by the rules."

"Yeah, but...my ear."

"What if that baseball was your enemy's friend coming at you from behind? You have to be prepared for everything." He looked at her ear. "No, it's fine. Don't be a baby." He said.