LXIV. Heartbreak Weather

Odessa's success at not breaking her egg gave Chozen the slightest bit of hope for them but apparently not enough. She stood with her teammates and they watched the Sensei fry an egg on the skillet pan. "You are not good Yanbaru Kuina," Chozen stated. He stood up straight. "With exception of
one—" he pointed at Odessa. "Snakes will take you down one by one. I have tried to tell you what you must do. But you not listen. You must learn to adapt. Or soon, you will be extinct. Take new eggs. Try again."

Odessa grabbed a couple eggs and handed one of them to Eli. She noticed his tight jaw. He only did it when he was frustrated. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked him.

Eli just shook his head. "Yeah. I'm okay. I'll tell you later." He responded dismissively.

"Sensei Toguchi's real crypt, like Mr. Larusso, but aggressive like Sensei Lawrence." Said Demetri while twirling his egg.

"He's like if Daniel and Johnny had a kid together," said Oliver. The comment earned him multiple strange looks. "Oh, I know I'm not the only one who's ever thought of that."

"Can't wait to get our asses kicked again." Mitch grumbled.

Hailey scoffed when he walked away. "He's such a pussy. Why is he here again?" She said to Odessa.

Odessa hit her arm.

Anthony quickly stopped everyone from walking away. "Uh, no. No, um. . . G-Guys, uh, wait." He stammered.

The teammates paused and looked at one another. Odessa came back and stood by Eli, her arm looped through his like it was a natural instinct to be by his side.

"He said that the snakes will take us down one by one. Right? Just like he took us down one by one, but. . . But what if we weren't a bunch of ones? Like, what if we were. . ." Anthony expressed his thought.

"Together." His sister finished.

"Yes, exactly!" He said with a smile. "Like, um, like a raiding party in Dungeon Lords."

Almost all the guys got hyped after that. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Even if you're a level 85, you can't mount an attack on the grand realm alone." Said Demetri.

"Exactly. You need a team. Everybody has a special role." Said Eli. His girlfriend raised her brows, not getting it.

Hailey groaned. "Not the nerd talk again." He dramatized and laid her head on Grayson's shoulder.

"The only way we win is if we work together.  As one." Anthony finished.

Oliver grinned and patted him on the back. "Nice plan, Shit Head."

Demetri's eyes went large. "Oliver!"

Robby accidentally snorted a laugh.

"Sorry. That slipped out."

"I remember when Terry Silver was just a skinny little kid loaded with fear. Sort of like you two were." Kreese stared at both Johnny and Christian.

The best friends looked at each other. Johnny seemed unfazed by his commentary while Christian squeezed his locked hands together, trying not to seem intimidated by him bringing up the past.

"Cobra Kai's given him a strength he didn't even know he had. He became obsessed. And he paid for a trip for us to go back East. To where the Way of the Fist first started," Kreese continued. "So we could learn from the source himself. Master Kim Sun-Yung."

They listened to him tell the story of how he and Silver learned Cobra Kai karate. Christian had heard the story before. Kreese told Johnny. Johnny told him. That's how he got interested in karate in the first place.

"Silver listened to me back then. So we didn't expand." Kreese looked at Johnny. "I wanted to focus on you."

"Don't make this about me." Johnny sneered.

"Alright, hold on. What are you saying?" Daniel interrupted. "Silver's gonna enter Cobra Kai in another tournament?"

"Not just another tournament," Kreese stated. "The biggest tournament in the world. And if he wins. . ."

"Cobra Kai goes global."

"Wonderful." Christian slipped our sarcastically.

"Silver has taken the Valley. Now he's putting together the pieces to take everything else. You may have found the will to fight, but you're outmatched and outnumbered. Silver is on the verge of getting what he's always wanted."

Johnny, Christian, and Daniel were silent. Stunned more like it. As Christian took in the conversation, all he could think about was the pain Cobra Kai put him through and the pain it put his daughter through. He didn't want Odessa to go through what he had to endure.

"Well, I think I've held up my end of the deal," said Kreese. "The lawyer's number?"

Silently, Daniel slid a folded piece of paper in his direction. They watched him take it and open it up. When his face fell, the men smirked.

"You actually think you're gonna be able to take him down without me? He's gonna make mincemeat out of you." Kreese looked at Christian. "You thought I was bad? You have no idea, Christian."

He glared. "Well, if he associated with you then I have a pretty good idea." He declared.

"Enjoy rotting in your cell." Said Johnny and the three of them left the room, leaving an angry John Kreese behind. "You okay?" He asked his friend once the door was closed.

Christian nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. I'm just ready for this to end. For Odessa's sake."

Johnny nodded and patted his clothed back. "And for yours, y'know? You deserve to come back and live in peace. Don't forget that."

He smiled.

After devising the plan, the teammates circled around the basket of eggs on the sparing deck. "So we're sure we want to put all our eggs in one basket? I mean, you're specifically not supposed to do that." Said Demetri.

"No time for proverbs in this situation, D." Oliver replied, shaking his head.

"Oliver's right. This is gonna work." Anthony proclaimed.

"And if it doesn't?" Hailey questioned with one of her eyebrows raised.

No one seemed to have an answer. Chozen whistled loudly and Mitch started to freak out. "Get it together, Penis Breath." Said Eli.

Seeing Chozen make his way towards them, running at full speed, Odessa raised her clenched fists. "Oh, shit." Miguel cursed.

Eli and Robby were the first ones to take action. Eli was able to remove the bō from him but Chozen kicked him away, sending him flying to Odessa and Hailey. "Get the bō. Get it, get it!" He shouted.

The boys ran forward and wrapped their hands around the bō staff. Unfortunately for them, Chozen ducked under it and front rolled to the empty side of the mat. Oliver threw the bō to the ground. Sam took action in trying to fight him and while she was doing good, Odessa quickly came in and kicked him in his side, making him let go of her. She blocked one of his punches with her forearm and ducked under his.

Chozen was able to push her away. Then Sam. Then Miguel. Together, Robby and Eli kicked at him and pushed him back. Grayson came in and leg sweeped him. Chozen quickly got back up and the all good around the basket of eggs.

Their Sensei paused and watched them all. He lunged forward again but their fists were raised and prepared to stop him. After a minute, Chozen dropped his arms to his side. "Snake concede."

"Dude, it worked!" Shouted Eli and all of them erupted in cheers.

Odessa hollered and she and Hailey embraced each other tightly. "That's what I'm taking about!" Grayson's loud voice echoed and he threw his arms up.

"This is what we have that Cobra Kai does not." Chozen started again and he was excited himself. "Their movement mile wide, but only inch deep. But our movement, inch wide, but mile deep."

His students smiled.

"Now that you have learned to work together, I will teach you how to master your defense." He shouted in Japanese and they bowed to each other.

The teammates went back to cheering and Odessa turned to Eli. They smiled happily at each other and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. She laughed when he lifted her up.