Ivy Clarke was ex-overachiever.
After years of trying multiple different school activities and sports, while getting nothing but disappointed looks from her parents, she eventually gave up trying to make her parents happy and focused on what made her happy. The only problem was that she spent so long trying to shine to her parents in anyway she could, she had no idea what made her happy.
Well, other than the friends she met when she was in her karate phase of her life.
Other than that, she always felt out of place with where she was supposed to be in her life. She constantly looked around at her classmates, and her friends, and they all had something going in their lives that made them excited for the next day. Meanwhile, the only thing that made Ivy look forward to the next day was getting out of her house.
But all of that changed when one normal day at school, she met the new kid in her class, Jack Brewer.
It all started during lunch, Ivy walked into lunch thinking about the algebra test had just took the hour before and how she probably did okay on it, despite not really studying for it much. She sat at her normal table, which was currently empty due to the other person that sat there, Kim Crawford, taking her time getting there.
However, the blonde quickly showed up with a little smile on her face.
"Guess who I just met," Kim greeted, sitting down next to the girl.
"Oh, okay," Ivy sat up straighter as her mind ready started to breakdown the little information her friend had given her. "So, you said 'met' which means someone you haven't met before. And you little smile and not mention slight blush tells me that it was a boy-"
"It was Jack," Kim interrupted, before Ivy said anything more about her now growing blush.
Ivy looked at the girl, trying to think of any Jack she knew about. "Who?"
"The new guy at our school," Kim explained, making Ivy's expression turn to confusion.
"There's a new guy at school?"
Before Kim could scold the girl with her obliviousness, a new voice interrupted there conversation. "Ivy!"
Both of the girls looked toward the table in front of them, which sat three more of her friends and another guy she had never seen before. Ivy raised her eyebrows at Jerry, her friend that called out her name. "What?"
Jerry pointed toward a table across the cafeteria angerly where some students from a rival dojo, the Black Dragon, sat. "Get 'em."
Ivy looked toward the Black Dragons only for them to turn around to avoid her icy stare. She turned back to Jerry, knowing that she won't be able to fight all her friends' battles for their entire lives. "Do it yourself."
"It's cool," the new kid, which she could only guess was Jack, stood up and pushed in his chair. "I got this."
"Why did we learn his name?" Milton asked as Ivy stood up, ready to help the new guy if he got into trouble. "Now I'm gonna miss him."
"Hey," Jack walked up to the Black Dragons with a smug smile. "I like your outfits. You guys cheerleaders?"
"No," Frank, the leader of the group, scolded before pointing at the guy that sat next to him. "Well, Brian used to be. So, you got a problem or something?"
As Frank showed off some karate moves, the entire cafeteria went quiet and Ivy started to prepare herself for a fight.
"I didn't come over here to fight, man," Jack held up his hands and started to turn around to walk away as Frank threw a punch his way. However, Jack was quick to stop the punch, making Ivy's eyes widen. "Okay, you probably shouldn't have done that."
A fight quickly broke out between Jack and the Black Dragons, and despite Ivy's belief that he wouldn't able to them, Jack was able to fight them all off really well.
After tripping one guy with a chair, Jack ran on top of the girls' table where Kim still sat watching the fight and Ivy stand close by with her arms crossed. One guy dived on the table, only to hit that floor with a loud smack and Jack gave a quick smile at the two girls before flipping of the table and sent another guy face first into a bowl of food.
"Enjoy your pudding," Jack laughed before using the guy as a human shield and weapon against Frank. He sent the guy into a nearby garbage can and faced Frank, who was now the last one standing. With a few kicks, Frank left the cafeteria with a face full of food and with jack stand in the middle of the room, smiling at his victory.
However it was short lived due to him realizing the mess he made and how much trouble he could be in. And with those thoughts in mind, he ran out of the room leaving all of his new classmates in awe.
"That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my life," Milton said, getting out of his hiding spot that was under the table, "and I've been to the ice capades."
***
Though Ivy's karate phase of her life was long over with, she still hung out a lot at the Bobby Wasabi Dojo due to her friends, Jerry, Milton and Eddie still taking lessons there and the fact that she had no where else to go during the daytime.
Which was why she was there later that afternoon watching Eddie and the lunch lady, Marge, spar. Well, more like Eddie running at Marge only for him to get thrown on the ground as their friends watch from the ground, eating pizza.
"Love doing that," Marge laughed after she flipped Eddie for the second time that day.
"Dude!" Jerry laughed from the ground with pizza in hand. "Eddie just got dusted by Marge the lunch lady."
"Again," Ivy laughed, shaking her head and putting her phone away after recording it.
Their sensi, Rudy, watched as two men in business suits left the dojo. "Guys, what are you doing? They said if we don't win two belts at our next tournament, they're shutting us down."
"Yo, Rudy, you wanna win some belts," Jerry said, taking another bite of pizza. "You should get that new kid, Jack in here."
"He was awesome," Eddie smile at the memory. "At lunch he took out four black dragons all by himself."
"Yeah, he helped us out since Ivy refused to do it," Jerry said, giving her a pointed look.
"I'm not going to be there to fight all of your battles, you have to fight some yourself," Ivy shrugged.
"I don't care about some slap fight at school," Rudy said, gaining back their attention. "Martial arts isn't about beating kids up in the lunchroom. It's about getting better through hard work and discipline."
Jerry cut off his lecture with a burp, causing the people around him to look at him. "What? You should be happy it came out the right end."
"And I'm done," Ivy said, dropping her half eaten slice of pizza back into the box.
"Oh!" Jerry exclaimed happily, taking the pizza and eating it eat as well.
"Don't you guys have work to do?" Ivy asked, taking away the pizza box.
"Yes! Thank you, Ivy," Rudy pointed at her before getting his four student's to sit on the mat. "Now, everyone focus."
Ivy sat on the bench enjoy the silence she barely gets from the guys. A few second later, the silence was interrupted by a person breaking through the wall of the dojo. Ivy quickly stood up, not wanting to get hit as the person did a quick roll on the floor before standing up and removing his helmet.
"That boy just came right out the wall!" Marge yelled as Ivy finally got a good look at the kid.
"Okay, you guys have got to try that," Jack laughed in disbelief.
"What the..." Ivy said, getting Jack to look over at her.
He took a step closer to her with a cocky smile, "Hello."
Before Ivy could respond a mall cop stuck his head through the hole in the wall. "Come here, you."
"Gotta go," Jack said quickly before turning to Rudy. "Sorry about the wall."
Jack headed for the exit doing a cartwheel into a backflip, but wasn't even able to leave the dojo without stopped by mall security.
"Who was that kid?" Rudy asked in awe.
"Jack!" The three guys and Ivy answered.
"Oh!"
***
"You're in big trouble, Jack," Rudy said to the boy sitting on the bench. "But if you join my dojo and help me win two belts, I'll tear up this report and you won't have to go to juvie."
"Juvie?" Jack repeated, confused.
"That's jail for kids, fella," Rudy said as Ivy walked into the dojo.
"Sorry, I just forgot my book," she said, grabbing the book of the bench.
"I would join you dojo," Jack continued the conversation, giving a quick glance at the girl, "but I'm not a karate guy. I'm a skater."
"Um, wait a minute," Ivy spoke up after shoving her book in her bag. "You took out four Black Dragons all by yourself and did a perfect flying side-kick through the wall. You had to have done karate at some point in your life."
"Okay, the truth is my grandfather was a karate sensei," Jack admitted. "He even trained Bobby Wasabi for all of his movies."
"Oh, no," Ivy muttered.
Rudy's mouth fell open in shock. "Your grandfather trained Bobby Wasabi, the founder of this dojo and star of such classic movies as 'Samurai Beach Party', 'Kung Fu Cop', and 'Nana was a Ninja'?"
"Yep," Jack nodded proudly.
"You know this dojo was built on the principles of the Wasabi Code," Rudy said before holding his hand out for Jack to take.
"We swear by the light of the dragon's eye, to be loyal and honest and never say die," both of the boys said in unison. "Wasabi!"
"So do we have a deal?" Rudy asked.
Jack nodded and held out his hand. "Deal," as they broke off the handshake Jack turned to Ivy with a smug smile. "So, I don't think we've officially met."
"Oh! So, bursting through a wall isn't how you normally meet people?" Ivy asked jokingly. She held you her hand. "I'm Ivy."
Jack took her hand. "I'm Jack. And I would just like to say, I usually trying to make sure that after I meet someone that they won't forget me later."
"Well, you have done that," Ivy laughed, starting to walk toward the door but stopped a few feet short, turning back to the boy. "Hey, later the guys and I are planning on getting some food across the way, your welcome to join if you want."
Jack smiled and nodded. "Sure, I might stop by."
"Cool, see you then."
***
Jack, Ivy, Jerry, Milton and Eddie all sat at a table at Falafel Phil's talking about the tournament coming up, when Kim walked in.
"Hey, Jack," Kim smiled at the boy, getting all five of them to turn to her.
"Hello, Kim!" Jerry, Eddie and Milton responded trying to be flirty.
"You guys are ridiculous," Ivy shook her head, looking down at her empty plate.
"Um, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kim asked, getting all the guys to respond and Ivy to face-palm.
"Guys, can you give me a sec? Vamoose," Jack asked as Ivy got up but no one else followed.
"Though it's said wrong, that means go," Ivy said, after a few second of no movement.
"I know what it means," Jerry argued as the guys got up to leave, and started to rant in Spanish.
"Thank you," Kim whispered to her with Ivy giving her a thumbs up as she left behind the guys.
"No one cares, Jerry!" She yelled at the ranting boy as she left the restaurant.
***
"Hey, guys," Jack entered the dojo swinging a bo-staff in his hand. "Sorry I'm late."
"Sorry doesn't cut it, Jack," Rudy said, clearly annoyed. "Wait, where did you get that astronaut bo-staff?"
"Why do astronaut's need bo-staffs?" Ivy asked from her spot on the tower of mats she was sitting on.
"It was a gift from the Black Dragons?" Jack answered Rudy question. "See, we can all use it."
Jack tried to hand it to Rudy, but he quickly stepped away from it. "No, no. Students from this dojo are forbidden from even entering the Black Dragon."
"What? You can't forbid me from doing anything. Plus, from the sound of it Ivy goes there all the time."
"I go there for Kim, first off," Ivy defended herself as Rudy glared at her. "And second, I'm not a student here, I'm just here."
"Whatever," Rudy stopped the girl from arguing more, turning back to Jack. "My point is, how could you betray me like this? If it wasn't for me, you would have been banned from this mall for two weeks."
"Banned from the mall?" Jack repeated, looking angrier by the second. "Wait, you said I was going to juvie."
"Rudy, you didn't!" Ivy looked at him, disappointed.
"You know, I say a lot of things," Rudy tried to defend himself. "I'm what they call chatty."
"You lied to me," Jack pointed at him. "You broke the Wasabi Code."
"What?" Rudy's voice went high as he started to stammer, trying to figure out what to say next.
"Kim was right, this place is a joke. I'm out of here," Jack stormed out of the dojo, leaving the kids to look at Rudy to see what happens next.
"Fine! Go ahead!" Rudy yelled after him. "Who needs him?"
"We do," the boys said together.
"What have I done?" Rudy asked as reality set in. He turned to run after him but Ivy was quick to stop them.
"You've already done enough. I'll handle this," she said running out into the mall to catch up to him.
Luckily, the boy wasn't too far away and Ivy was able to catch up to him easily. "Jack, wait!"
Jack turned to her with an accusing look. "You knew, didn't you?"
"What? No. None of us did," Ivy informed him. "Look, I know no matter what I say won't changed what happened back there or how you feel about Rudy. But this tournament is more than Rudy, Jack. It's Jerry and Milton and Eddie. It's about the dojo. This is the place those three guys in there can go to have a safe space. Away from bully's and loneliness and even parents. You walking out is putting all that on risk, they can't lose this place. So, do it for them."
Jack sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I can't."
***
Ivy sat on the floor of the dojo helping the guys and Marge pack up the place, telling them what items should go in which boxes and how it should be packed.
"Jack," Rudy said, getting Ivy to look up from her work to see Jack walking in with his bag, "you're back."
"I'm just here to get my stuff," Jack shrugged as Ivy went back to work. "What's going on?"
"We're closing."
"No Jack, no belts, no dojo," Jerry explained.
Jack looked at Ivy who just continued to work.
"Milton David Krupnick," Milton's dad walked into the dojo with a stern look on his face. "So, this is your french horn lesson, huh?"
"Dad, I'm sorry," Milton stepped up to his dad. "I was taking karate lessons because kids kept beating me up for taking french horn lessons."
"Let's go, Milton. You're lucky you didn't hurt yourself."
Milton looked at the ground saddened. "It's closing down anyway. This is the only place I felt I really belonged. I'll let my bully know I'm available."
"Now my mom's going to send me back to Mrs. King's dance academy," Eddie complained. "My body was not made to Mambo."
"Guess I'm a lone wolf again," Jerry tried to act tough, but tears quickly built up in his eyes. "And that's how I like it. Don't think for a second I'm gonna miss any of you meatbags."
"See you around, guys?" Milton waved, before turning to leave the dojo.
"Milton, hang on," Jack stopped him and grabbed a board out of a box. "Why don't you show your dad how you can break a board?"
Ivy cringed and looked at Rudy who had the same panic in his eye.
"Break a board?" Milton looked at Jack like he was crazy. "I can barely cut a well cooked piece of fish."
"Just believe in yourself and do it," Jack pushed.
"I can't. When I was born, my parents thought they had given birth to a baby bird. I mean, that-"
"Do it Krupnick!"
With a battle cry, Milton raised his hand and sent it crashing through the board, splitting it in half.
"Milton!" Ivy smiled, proud that he had finally broke a board.
"Holy Christmas nuts!" Milton looked at the board in disbelief.
He celebrated with a round of high-fives from his friends as Marge looked at his father.
"That ain't no baby bird right there, huh-uh."
"That was unbelievable, Jack," Rudy said. "These guys are your friends. They didn't break the Wasabi Code. I did."
Jack looked over at Ivy as she waited for what he was going to say. "I broke it too. You don't walk away from your friends when they need you."
Ivy gave him a small smile as their friends gathered in a group.
"Wasabi?" Rudy looked at him hopefully.
Jack nodded. "Wasabi."
With that, training began. There were a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs but Ivy thought they were making a little progress. Would it be enough progress to win two belts? Ivy could only hope.
***
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer spoke over the P.A. system as Ivy took her seat on the benches, waiting to cheer on the team, "please welcome the black dragons."
As the Black Dragons entered doing a bunch of tricks, Ivy clapped slowly as a way to show Kim that she was also their to support her, though not the rest of the team.
"And now for our visitors: the Wasabi Warriors!"
Ivy clapped as the boys entered trying their best to look cool but it only ended up horribly with Jack accidently hitting Jerry in the face.
"Really wish I could just unsee that," Ivy muttered to Marge as the guys took their seats.
"Let the competition begin!"
"Okay, guys, Eddie up first," Rudy told the team looking at the clipboard in his hands.
"Jack," Ivy pointed to Eddie who was down on his down praying. "What's happening here?"
"Oh, man," Jack sighed before he and Ivy ran over to him.
"Jack, Ivy, the guy I'm fighting is huge," Eddie said.
"Oh, come on, he's not that big," Jack shrugged but turned to an adult-looking kid that was ready to murder. "Wow! What do they feed you brother?"
"It was nice knowing you," Ivy turned back to Eddie and shook his hand.
Jack stopped her by stepping in between them. "Are you serious?"
"Have you ever seen him try to fight Marge? 'Cause she took him down 8 times this week."
"Wait, that's it!" Jack snapped his fingers, looking like he had an idea. "Eddie this is your day to change all of that. If losing to Marge gets you angry, then use it."
Jack and Ivy sat down as the match began. And as soon as it started Eddie turned angry yelled "Marge!" and quickly took the guy down.
"What just happened?" Ivy asked, thinking she missed something.
"He did it!" Rudy yelled in celebration. "We got our first belt."
"Okay, nunchucks are up next," Jack turned to Jerry. "Jerry, all you gotta do is-"
"Save it, Jack," Jerry stopped him from saying more with a cocky smile. "I got this."
"And that's my cue," Ivy smiled to herself, pulling out her phone and started to record.
"Are you kidding me?" Jack shook his head at her.
"I'm not going to share it with anyone. This is just for my own personal enjoyment whenever I get sad."
"He's gonna be fine."
"Wait," Ivy smiled as Jerry competitor finished his routine and Jerry started his.
It didn't take too long for his routine to take a turn for the worse when he swung both nunchucks right into his junk making all the guys grimace and Ivy to trying to keep her laughter quiet.
"Oh, I'm saving that one," Ivy stopped the recording and wiped her eyes.
"Hey, man, are you okay?" Jack asked a wide-eyed Jerry wo was laying on the floor.
"Everything is purple," Jerry responded, getting Ivy to laugh harder after she had just started to calm down.
"Everything is purple," she repeated to herself out of breath.
"Okay, Milton, you're up next," Rudy placed a hand on Milton's shoulder, looking at him with hope. "If you can break more boards than your opponent, we win our second belt."
"I'm ready, Rudy," Milton held up his hands that were covered with oven mitts.
"Would you please take off the oven mitts?" Jack asked, getting Ivy to smirk at how annoyed he was getting.
"By oven mitts do you mean weapon warmers?" Milton flung the mitts off his hands, hitting some people in the back as he walked onto the mat.
"I love you, Milton!" His father yelled from behind the group and drew a heart in the air.
"My God," Ivy said, looking back at the adult.
"I love you too, Dad!" Milton yelled back, copying his actions.
"Wasabi!" His father ripped open his shirt to reveal his green painted chest.
"I wish I didn't just see that," Ivy gagged causing Jack to laugh lightly.
The two turned back to the mat where Frank had just broken his one board. They watched as Milton turned to the ref and pointed at his board. "Double it."
"Yes!" Jack stood up in celebration. "My man's going for the win!"
Ivy grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to sit back down. "Okay, we get it. You're competitive. But, please, have some dignity."
"Oh, please," Jack sighed. "Like you've never been competitive."
"I was," Ivy nodded. "All my life, but now I'm tired."
With a battle cry, Milton broke both of his boards getting the Wasabi Warriors to start to celebrate their victory.
"He's got the belt!" Rudy smiled at the group. "We're saved! I get to keep the dojo!"
"Rudy, look!" Ivy stood up pointing to Milton who was currently acting Frank.
"No! No! He's doing a nipple twister, that's illegal!"
The ref managed to break apart the two and snatched Milton's belt, bringing the belt total back down to one.
"Milton, you lost the belt. It was in your hands," Rudy went up to the boy, looking upset. "You have any idea what that means?"
Milton nodded dreamily. "I means I just had the best moment of my life."
"Jack," Ivy looked at Jack as he started to get ready for his turn, "good luck."
"Thanks," Jack smiled before stepping out on the mat.
"I was hoping we'd be on the same team, Jack," Kim said as she and Jack faced each other. "But now I'm gonna have to take you down."
"You know, I think you have a little crush on me," Jack said as the bowed.
"What?" Kim laughed as they started to circle each other. "No."
Ivy coughed out a "yep" loud enough for Kim to hear her.
Kim turned to glare at her as Jack continued. "Yeah, I think you do."
Jack backed into one of the corners of the mat but was quickly distracted by Frank yelling before sending a kick into his leg, making Jack fall to the floor.
"Jack!" Ivy ran over to him with the others close behind.
"Frank, that is so wrong," Ty yelled, acting terribly. "You are banished from this dojo! Banished, I say!"
"Are you kidding me?" Ivy raised her voice at Ty as the other's stayed with Jack. "Hurting another athlete just because you're afraid of having some company competition, what's wrong with you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ty said dismissing her.
Ivy turned to Kim who was watching the group help Jack up from the ground. "Kim, are you sure that you want a bully and a cheater for a sensei? You are much better than that."
Kim sighed and nodded. "I know. I'll take care of it. Promise. Just go help Jack."
Ivy nodded joining the group once again. Seeing that Jack was going to still try to win the belt, Ivy walked up to him with a worried look.
"Are you going to be able to do this?"
"I don't know," he shrugged looking at the peg.
"The whole dojo's counting on you, but we also believe in you."
"We?" he repeated.
Ivy gave him a small smile. "Yeah, all of us. Even me. Good luck, Jack."
Ivy sat down and was soon joined by Kim. "So?"
"I quit," Kim informed the girl.
"Good for you," Ivy smiled at her friend. "And if you need a new dojo, there's always a spot at Bobby Wasabi's for you."
"Thanks," Kim pulled the girl into a side hug as they watched Jack get ready.
"Wait, he's not launching off his foot," Eddie said as jack raised his hands above his head. "He's launching off his hands."
"That's only been done once before," Rudy informed the group. "By a man named Bobby Wasabi."
"Whoa," the group responded.
Jack looked at the group and gave them a hopeful smile for doing a cartwheel into a backflip, kicking the peg off into the crowd in the process. Hitting Milton's dad.
The group stood up in celebration and joined Jack, helping him stand up.
"We got our belts!" Rudy showed the second yellow belt off to the group. "Come on, guys. We're going home."
***
"Okay, guys," Jack looked at his friends, who were all laying on the mats. "Come on, let's get to work, all right?"
The three guys got up ready to begin their practice as Ivy noticed a familiar blonde walk through the door.
"Kim!" Ivy greeted, getting the guys' attention to go to her friend.
As Ivy hugged Kim, Jack's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"I quit the Black Dragon," Kim explained, letting go of her friend. "You guys were all right in the tournament, but the way I see it, you need all the help you can get."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jerry held out his hand to stop the girl from saying more. "You're gonna just walk in here and assume you're gonna be a part of our dojo?"
"Well, I invited her here," Ivy looked at Jerry with a daring look.
"Well.. I-I just mean," Jerry started to stammer before finally finding his words. "She gonna have to take a test."
"Okay," Kim shrugged , walking over to the dummies standing in a line. In just a few seconds, all three of the dummies were on the ground.
"What you think guys?" Jerry asked, looking back at the boys.
"She's in."
"Got my vote."
"A+"
"Nice!" Ivy patted the girl on the back before pointing her to the direction of Rudy's office, leaving the kids alone once again.
"Awesome! We got another teammate," Jack smiled at the guys, before turning to Ivy. "Now we just have to get one more blonde on the team."
Ivy looked quickly behind her, seeing that he was talking about her she pointed to herself. "Me?"
"Yeah," Jack answered like it was obvious. "Imagine how much fun you can have when you're not just watching, but when you are in the fight."
"Yeah, no," Ivy shook her head. "Been there, done that."
"You did karate?"
"Yeah, for a while actually. But I quit about a year ago."
Jack thought for a second and nodded. "Well, guess I'll just have to convince you to join again."
Ivy laughed. "Good luck with that, Brewer."