𝘛𝘙𝘖𝘜𝘉𝘓𝘌. Eli Moskowitz

two

MIGUEL and Violet stood in front of Johnny in the new space he rented out for the dojo.

"So, are we going to get the karate pajamas,
too, or . . . ?" Miguel tried asking, but Johnny cut him off with a loud "QUIET!" Both teens flinched.

"The student only speaks when spoken to," Johnny told them. "Is that understood?"

"Uh, yes," Miguel said. Violet only nodded her head.

Johnny stared them down. "Yes, sir?" Miguel questioned.

"You will always address me as 'Sensei', is that understood?"

"Yes, Sensei," both teens replied.

"These aren't pajamas. This is a gi," Johnny corrected Miguel's earlier error. "And you'll get one when you've earned it . . . Alright, are you ready to begin your training?"

"Yes, Sensei," they replied once again.

Within a second, Miguel was on the floor.

"What— OW!" Violet groaned as Johnny flipped her as well.

"Lesson one, strike first. Never wait for the enemy to attack."

"You could have gave me, like, a warning—" Miguel said, but Johnny cut him off.

"QUIET! We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here on the street, in competition, a man confronts you, he is the enemy," throughout Johnny's speech, Violet noticed Miguel wheezing and taking out an inhaler. "An enemy deserves no mercy. What is the problem, Mr. Diaz?"

"There's no problem, Sensei," Miguel rasped out. "You punched me, and I have asthma, so—" Violet gaped as Johnny threw Miguel's inhaler into the wall.

"Not anymore," Johnny said. "We do not allow weakness in this dojo. So you can leave your asthma and your peanut allergies and all that other made-up bullshit outside. Is that understood?"

"But those are actual things . . ." Violet trailed off at the look on Johnny's face. "Yes, Sensei. Understood."

"Cobra Kai isn't just about karate. It's about a way of life. Take that first lesson. Striking first is the initial step towards victory," he lectured the two. "Okay, like when you're at a party and you see a hot babe." he looked at Violet. "Or dude."

"Mhm," the teens hummed in acknowledgement.

"You don't wait for some other guy to go talk to her first, do you?"

"I mean, I've never been to a party, so . . ."

"Me neither."

"Big surprise," Johnny muttered. "Alright, look... striking first is about being aggressive, all right? If you're not aggressive, then you're being a pussy, and you don't want to be a pussy. You want to have balls."

Miguel butted in, "Don't you think you're doing a lot of genderizing?"

Johnny, though, had no clue what Miguel was talking about. "What?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. Don't you think you're doing a lot of genderizing, Sensei."

"No, what the hell are you talking about?"

Violet wasn't surprised that Johnny was clueless; he was very out of touch with things.

" Oh, uh, my guidance counselor says that certain words perpetuate the sexist world view that can trigger—"

"QUIET!" They flinched again. "From now on, you won't listen to your guidance counselor. You're going to listen to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Good. Now stop yapping like a little girl and give me 50 push-ups on your knuckles. You too, Violet."

Violet and Miguel exchanged a wary look. She wasn't even sure if she could do normal push-ups, let alone push-ups on her knuckles.

"Uh, okay."

Violet went halfway down before collapsing, while Miguel went slightly further before joining the girl on the ground. Johnny sighed.

"All right, just do some crunches. Don't you guys have gym class or something?"

Just then, a man walked into the dojo. "Howdy, there, Mr., uh, Lawrence?"

"It's Sensei," Miguel corrected. Violet nudged him to shut up.

"Miguel, shut up," Johnny turned back to the man. "What brings you in? Looking to lose that gut and learn how to kick some ass?"

The man looked down at his stomach and furrowed his eyebrows. "No. I'm from the city health department. This is a list of requirements needed to open up an exercise studio."

"This isn't an exercise studio. This is a karate dojo."

"Yeah, same deal," the man said, inspecting the place. "Wow, this place needs a lot of work. You're not open for business, are you?" he looked at the two kids on the floor doing crunches. "You two, you guys customers here?"

"No, they're just some illegals I picked up this morning. They're helping me set up." Violet gave her Sensei an incredulous look. Both her and her mom were very much legal, thank you very much.

The man shook his head. "I don't need to know about all that. My job is just to make sure this place is up to code. You don't want a scabies outbreak like that hot yoga place over on Tujunga."

"Wait, so I have to do all this crap before I even open?"

"No, you need to do all that to get the certificate that's required to get the insurance you need to open," the man informed Johnny. "But you knew that when you signed your lease, right?"

Johnny hesitated. "Right, yeah."

"I'll drop in next week for another inspection," the man said as he began to leave the dojo. "Huh, cool rattlesnake."

Violet rolled her eyes, "It's a cobra."

"Oh, right, duh. I'm such an idiot," got that right, Violet thought. "Cobra 'Kay'."