"AND THAT'S ANOTHER KO FOR OUR REIGNING CHAMPIOOOONNNNN!!!! DAMIEN 'THE COBRA' KREEEEEESSSEEEEE!!!"
The crowd goes wild cheering on a young teenager standing in the middle of a blood-soaked octagon, his arm raised signifying his victory.
His opponent lay sprawled on the floor, bleeding profusely from a deep cut above his cheek, eyes shut, unconscious. A testament to the brutal end of the fight.
The teen struts out of the octagon, eyes brimming with confidence, not a scratch on him. He didn't seem to break a sweat, as though the fight had been little more than the warm-up, and to him this fight was exactly that, a warm-up.
Damien walks over to an old man. The old man's face is fierce, eyebrows thick, skin tight from age and riddled with wrinkles. His eyes gleaming with pride as he looks at the approaching Damien. He claps slowly, a small smirk of recognition on his lips.
"Well done my boy. I couldn't have done it better myself." His voice gravelly and low, yet filled with unmistakable pride.
Damien walks up to his grandfather and bows deeply before him. "Thank you for the praise grandfather." He replies respectfully, unable to hide the joy in his eyes at his grandfather's praise. Praise from his grandfather was rare, so how could he not feel good after getting it. Besides he deserved it after throughly destroying his opponent.
"How much did we make today grandfather?" Damien wondered.
His grandfather offered him a sly smirk in return. "Enough that we can pay an...old friend of mine a visit."
Damien looks down at his grandfather in confusion. His grandfather had never mentioned having any friends. "Who exactly is this old friend grandfather? And why would need to pay them a visit?"
His grandfather crosses his arms, still smirking though this time it's laced with confidence. "It's one of my old and my best students Johnny Lawrence." Jealousy seeps into Damien's chest hearing the hint of nostalgia and pride in his grandfather's tone as he talks about Johnny Lawrence. He was his grandfather's best student, not some nobody he's never heard of.
"As for why we're visting him. The fighters here are too weak to bring out the best of you, only by stepping into the world of Karate, will we see the true you... the best you." This time his grandfather flashes him a smile, and from Damien's perspective it looks razor sharp, almost as though he was looking at a shark ready to tear into it's prey, not an old man.
Damien scoffs. "Karate is filled with nothing but a bunch of show-offs and weaklings." His speaks his voice filled with disdain and disbelief.
However before he had a chance to react, his grandfather lashed out at him, as quick as lightning and sharp as a sword, wrapping his hand around his throat and squeezing hard enough that Damien could barely breath. He struggled, grasping at his grandfather's hand trying to pry it off but it was useless, his grandfather had an iron grip on his throat.
How grandfather's eyes narrowed, his expression stern, simmering with anger.
Damien didn't fear much, but at the moment seeing that terrifying expression on his grandfather's face, he felt fear. In fact he was terrified.
Damien was on the verge of blacking out before his grandfather spoke. "Karate... is what got you here, is what made you champion. Dont ever forget that."
His grandfather released him as soon as he finished. Damien dropped to his knees grasping for air. "A...A...apologies grandfather. You're right, I seemed to forget my roots." Damien stammers out, trying to push aside the fear.
A hand pats his back. "Good, good. Never forget where you came from, and never...forget who it was that raised you up to where you are now."
Damien nods swiftly up and down. "I... I understand grandfather."
"See that you do son. Now come, we have some packing to do."
His grandfather turns around and walks off without looking back.
Damien gets up off his knee and hurries after his grandfather his eyes still lingering with a hint of fear. "Come on, shake it off pussy." He scolds himself, ashamed at allowing fear to take ahold of him.
That was the first lesson his grandfather had taught him. Fear does not exist and yet here it was clawing at him, trying to drill it's why into his mind. He wouldn't let it though, but sometimes that wasn't an option.
_____________
About a month later, Damien and his grandfather moved into a seedy but much improved apartment complex in the San Fernando Valley. The place wasn't much but at the very least it wasn't filled with roaches, mold and rats bigger then a cat. And it had two bedrooms not just the one room that was used as a bedroom, living room and dining room all in one.
Once they were all settled in, his grandfather dragged him over to watch the All Valley tournament. He wanted Damien to get acquainted with the tournament and his new teammates.
The fights were boring, lacking a healthy dosage of blood and spectacular violence he was accustomed to. Though he did enjoy how Miguel Diaz targeted the injured arm of that Robbie Keane kid. As an underground fighter, finding a weakness like that was like striking gold. Miguel like a lion sensing weakness pounced on his injured prey and finished him off decisively.
"So what did you think?" His grandfather questioned as the two watched Cobra Kai celebrate their victory.,
Damien took a few seconds to think of a response.
Damien scoffed. "They're all weak, but that Miguel kid and that Hawk kid have potential."
Those were his genuine thoughts. While they weren't that great, the two at least had the agression and the right attitude to become great.
His grandfather nods in approaval. "That's a great answer son. Today's generation of kids are soft, they're weak but with me back in the valley I'll turn them into real warriors. Just as I did with you."
Damien nearly shudders as memories of his grandfather's harsh lessons flashed through his mind. He can still vividly remember the intense, hellish training he endured as a kid. He still sometimes wakes up in the middle of the haunted by nightmares of these memories. It was a weakness, one he could not shed.
"An excellent Idea grandfather. The valley could use you to whip it into shape." Damien agrees.
His grandfather laughs whole heartedly pleased with Damien's agreement.
"Now I just have to make Johnny see things the same way you do."
Damien shrugs. "That shouldn't be too hard for you grandfather, you've always been good at getting others to do what you want."
His grandfather's eyes lock onto Johnny Lawrence with a fiery determination. "Right you are son. Right you are."
A few seconds past before his grandfather's eyes shift onto him. "Get yourself home, I'm going to pay Johnny a visit."
He gets up and leaves, not looking back to see if Damien agreed.
"Yes grandfather."