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⎯⎯ ୨ 𝐒𝐄𝐊𝐀𝐈 𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 ୧ ⎯⎯

𝟏. 𝐘𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨-𝐣𝐢𝐧

𝟐. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐮𝐧-𝐰𝐨𝐨

𝟑. 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐁𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠-𝐬𝐚𝐧

𝟒. 𝐊𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐞-𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠

...

𝟓. 𝐘/𝐧 𝐥/𝐧 

-ˏˋ 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ˊˎ

THE DOJANG BUZZED WITH QUIET ANTICIPATION, as the two senseis stood before the gathered students. Every face was alert, every stance upright. The announcement of the Sekai Taikai candidates had drawn the entire dojo into a tense silence.

Five names.

Yoon Do-jin.
Park Sun-woo.
Lee Byung-san.
Kwon Jae-sung.
Y/n l/n.

A smattering of cheers had erupted when the names were called, but they were subdued by a strange undercurrent of confusion. Something was wrong. There were supposed to be six candidates, yet only five names had been listed.

Before anyone could voice their concerns, Sensei Kim raised a hand, commanding silence with a single, effortless gesture. Her expression was unreadable—equal parts pride and disappointment, as though the very act of congratulating them was an exercise in restraint.

She stepped forward, the echo of her boots striking the floor slicing through the stillness.

"Thirty six students..." she began, her voice like a blade: sharp, deliberate, and unyielding. "yet less than 15% of you have proven worthy of this honor." She grimaced. "The Sekai Taikai is not a playground for the average, nor is it a stage for the weak. It is the ultimate battlefield for martial arts. And you, the chosen few, will represent this dojang on that battlefield."

Her words hung in the air, cutting deep. The other students, the ones who had been overlooked, shuffled uncomfortably but dared not speak.

"You should feel pride," Kim continued, her voice softening but losing none of its authority. "But do not mistake pride for complacency. The Sekai Taikai does not reward pride—it rewards dominance. Discipline. Sacrifice. Pain. These are the tools that will carry you to victory."

Her gaze swept over the chosen students. Lee and Park stood tall, their confidence almost smug. Yoon gave a small bow of acknowledgment. Kwon's expression was stoic, but his clenched fists betrayed his readiness to fight. And then there was y/n, standing at the end of the line, shoulders squared despite the nervous energy radiating from within.

Da-eun's eyes lingered on the girl for a fraction longer, her expression unreadable. Then she turned away, addressing the room with a chilling calm.

"To the rest of you—take this as a lesson. Greatness is earned, not given. You have not been selected because you are not ready. Prove to us that you can be."

She turned back to the chosen ones, her voice dropping lower, more intense.

"Your selection comes with rewards. Better equipment. Tailored diets. Access to personalized training regimens that the others will not receive. But make no mistake—these rewards are not gifts. They are tools. Tools to shape you into weapons. And weapons must be sharpened."

Her gaze shifted to Kwon. "You are strong, Kwon. But strength without discipline is nothing more than chaos. Control your power, or it will consume you."

Then, to y/n. "And you. The quiet one. The underestimated one. When Sensei Kreese first told me to about you, I was skeptical, unimpressed, disdained... yet here I stand corrected before you. Just like me, your opponents too won't see you coming, and that is your greatest weapon. Use it. Exploit it. Prove them wrong."

She stepped back, her presence still heavy in the room. "You have earned this moment, but it is fleeting. The real work begins now. You will train harder, faster, and more ruthlessly than anyone else in this dojo. From this moment on, you are no longer students. You are warriors. Prepare to act like it."

Kim nodded once, signaling the end of her speech. But before the students could relax, Kreese stepped forward.

The old man's approach was different. Where Kim Da-eun was sharp and precise, John Kreese was imposing and almost theatrical. He stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calculating.

"You've heard from Sensei Kim," he began, his voice low and deliberate. "Now hear from me..."

He paced slowly, each step measured, his eyes boring into the champs.

"You've been selected because you are the best. The strongest. The smartest. The most ruthless. But don't think for a second that means you can rest. This isn't a victory—it's a declaration of war. The Sekai Taikai is not a game. It's not a competition. It's a battlefield. And like any battlefield, there are only two outcomes: victory or defeat. Life or death."

His words were harsh, but they held a twisted kind of inspiration. Kreese had a way of making even the most brutal truths feel empowering.

"You've earned perks—yes," he continued. "Better training. Better food. Better gear. But those perks come with a price. The price is pain. Sacrifice. Discipline. You think you've trained hard so far?" He let out a dark chuckle. "That was nothing. From this moment on, your training will be relentless. Brutal. Merciless. Because that's what it takes to win."

He straightened, his voice rising to a commanding roar.

"All of you—remember this: mercy is for the weak. In the Sekai Taikai, weakness gets you eliminated. In life, weakness gets you killed. You are Cobra Kai. Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy."

The room was silent, every student hanging on his words. Then, without another word, Kreese turned and walked away, leaving the students to absorb the weight of what had just been said... The names echoed in the dojang, their significance hanging heavy in the air. Five names. Only five, when six were promised.

For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence. Then, the whispers began.

"That's it?" a student muttered. "Where's the sixth?"

"Maybe it's a mistake?" someone else ventured, glancing nervously at Sensei Kreese and Kim, both of whom stood at the front with unreadable expressions.

Another student hesitated, their voice barely above a whisper. "But there's supposed to be six..."

Kreese stepped forward, his slow and deliberate movement silencing the growing murmur. His gaze swept over the crowd like a hawk scanning for prey, and when he spoke, his voice was calm but carried the unmistakable weight of finality.

"There is no mistake," Kreese said, his words cutting through the tension like a blade.

The room stilled, the students exchanging uneasy glances.

"Wait!" The voice came from the side, sharp and demanding. Hana. She stepped forward, her face flushed with a mix of confusion and growing anger. "Sensei Kreese, my name's not on the list. That has to be a mistake."

Kreese's eyes flicked to her, his expression unreadable but his smirk almost imperceptibly mocking. "There's no mistake," he repeated, his tone sharper now.

Hana's voice rose, cracking slightly. "I'm the reigning champion. I've earned this spot--"

"What you've earned," Kreese interrupted smoothly, "is the chance to reflect on why your name isn't there. Your rivalry with y/n is personal, petty, and a liability to this team. The Sekai Taikai doesn't have room for distractions."

The room erupted into a low murmur of shock, students exchanging looks as Hana's face turned red, her fists trembling at her sides.

"That's not fair!" she yelled, her voice breaking. "You can't just..."

"I can," Kreese said coldly, his eyes narrowing. "And I have."

"Sensei Kim!" Hana turned desperately to her other teacher, her voice pleading. "You can't agree with this—"

Kim's lips pressed into a thin line, her expression taut. She exchanged a brief, almost reluctant glance with Kreese before speaking. "This decision was made with the team's best interest in mind. If it were l/n who had lost, she'd be in your shoes now."

"B-but you need a sixth!"

"We have... someone else in mind."

The cryptic remark only added fuel to the fire.

"Someone else?" Hana's voice cracked with disbelief. "Who?!"

"That's not your concern," Kreese said flatly.

Hana's composure shattered. Tears spilled down her face as she shook her head violently, her voice rising in raw anguish. "You can't do this to me! I worked harder than anyone-"

"Clearly not hard enough," Kreese shot back without missing a beat.

The students collectively held their breath as Hana's sobs turned into an angry scream. She turned on her heel and bolted out of the dojang, her cries echoing in the woods.

The dojang was left in stunned silence, the remaining students too shocked to speak.

Sensei Kim stepped forward, her voice sharp and curt. "Dismissed. All of you."

The students slowly began to file out, their whispers and speculative glances lingering in the air.

Y/n remained seated by the fire long after the others had left. Her name being called had felt like a punch to the gut—not out of surprise, but the weight of responsibility it carried.

She had to tell her parents. Sooner or later, she'd have to explain everything. The Sekai Taikai submission deadline was only two weeks away, and her participation wasn't just inevitable—it was expected.

"Congratulations, champ."

She glanced up to see Kwon standing over her, his smirk illuminated by the flickering flames.

"Thanks," she said cautiously, unsure of his angle.

He dropped onto the log beside her, his posture relaxed and casual, as if the tension of the earlier scene had never happened. "Not bad for your first big win," he said with a smirk, tilting his head toward the fading flames of the bonfire.

Y/n shrugged, trying to appear modest. "Any idea where this thing even is?"

"The Sekai Taikai?" Kwon leaned back slightly, resting his hands on the log. "Hopefully far away from here. Like, the other side of the world or something."

She raised an eyebrow. "Running away from something?"

"Maybe," he admitted, his tone light, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something heavier. He glanced toward the stars, as if the vast sky could distract him from whatever was brewing in his mind. "Let's just say home's not exactly my favorite place to be."

Y/n hesitated, sensing the shift in his mood. "Like a fresh start kind of deal?"

"Something like that." He didn't elaborate, but the slight clench of his jaw as he looked away told her enough.

She decided not to press him further. Instead, she leaned back, following his gaze upward. The night sky stretched endlessly above them, stars twinkling brightly against the velvet backdrop.

"Maybe it's somewhere traditional/stereotypical," she said, a small smile forming as she tried to lighten the mood. "Like Japan or China."

Kwon snorted, the tension in his shoulders easing. "Or, knowing our luck, some tiny village in the middle of nowhere."

"Hey, don't knock tiny villages," she said with mock indignation. "They could have killer food. Plus, they're usually in the middle of beautiful scenery."

"Sure, because scenery is what we're going for," he teased, rolling his eyes. "We're fighters, not tourists."

"Speak for yourself," she shot back. "I can be both."

Their banter softened the lingering tension, their laughter mingling with the hush of the breeze. For a moment, it felt like they were just two kids under the moon, dreaming of faraway places and grand adventures.

"What about you?" Kwon asked suddenly, his voice quieter. "Anywhere you'd want it to be?"

Y/n tilted her head thoughtfully. "I don't know. Somewhere interesting, I guess? Like Uganda or French Polynesia... basically somewhere far away."

"Aren't they like polar opposites-" He chuckle softly, his gaze flickering back to the fire. "But I get that."

Y/n chuckled as well. The silence that followed wasn't awkward but reflective, each lost in their own thoughts.

The girl's watch buzzed faintly, reminding her of the time. It was only 8 PM—still two hours before her curfew—but the pull of responsibility gnawed at her. Her parents weren't home until Wednesday, but she knew she couldn't keep avoiding everything forever.

Movement near the hut caught her eye, and she noticed Kreese and Kim stepping outside. Their expressions were serious, their earlier discussion clearly unresolved.

"I'll be right back," Y/n said, standing and brushing the dirt off her pants.

Kwon glanced at her curiously. "Where are you off to?"

"Senseis," she replied, nodding toward the hut.

"Good luck with that," he said dryly, leaning back against the log.

Her phone buzzed again as she started walking away.

"Your phone's ringing!" Kwon called after her.

She waved him off. "Answer it. Tell them I'll call back."

"Your wish is my command, champ," he muttered with a grin, picking up her phone as she disappeared into the shadows toward Kreese and Kim.

Kwon glanced at the girl's phone as it buzzed in his hand. The screen lit up with an incoming video call, and he sighed, leaning back on the log. His thumb hovered over the decline button, tempted, but he decided to answer it anyway like y/n had requested.

He answered the call, angling the phone deliberately toward the sky so the screen showed nothing but dark silhouettes of trees. "Y/n's not here," he said flatly, his thick Korean accent evident in his tone.

"Y/n?" The voice on the other end was feminine and slightly confused.

Kwon barely registered it as he continued, deadpan, "She's been kidnapped. If you want to talk to her, you'll have to pay ransom. We accept human organs and food. Money is overrated unless it's robux."

There was a long pause before the girl responded. "Wait... uh, Korn?"

The sheer audacity of her mispronunciation made Kwon's head snap back, his brow furrowing in disbelief. "Corn?" he repeated, the offense dripping from his tone. He tilted the phone so the camera finally caught his face, glaring into it. "I'm not Mexican, okay? It's Kwon. K-W-O-N."

The girl— "mommy kween loml 💖💞💘 (Aishaaa)", as he gathered from the caller ID—stifled a laugh on the other end. "Right, sorry. My bad. Kwon."

He narrowed his eyes, still suspicious. "Yeah, you better remember it. How did you even get that name? Do I look like a fucking tortilla chip to you?"

Aisha couldn't hold back her laugh this time, the sound loud and unapologetic. "Alright, alright, chill, Mr. Kwon. Noted. So, uh... where's y/n?"

"Senseis have her," he said dismissively, his tone implying it wasn't a big deal. "She's talking to them about whatever boring stuff she talks about."

"Senseis?" Aisha repeated, her confusion creeping in. "Wait, senseis? As in karate?"

Kwon raised an eyebrow at the screen, catching the skepticism in her voice. "Yeah, senseis. Teachers of karate."

"Yeah yeah, I know what a sensei is... she just forgot to mention it, I guess." Aisha replied, the sarcasm seeping in. "How long as she been training?"

"A month... I think? But she definitely has some fighting experience, I can tell." He scoffed. "Even if she's still figuring out which end of the fist to punch with."

"Riiight," Aisha said, her tone dripping with mock seriousness. "Meanwhile, she's out there beating the crap out of people possibly while you're babysitting her phone."

"Babysitting?" Kwon scoffed, leaning closer to the screen. "Do you want me to hang up? Because I can."

"Relax, Korn," Aisha teased, clearly enjoying how easy it was to get under his skin.

"I just told you it's Kwon!" He pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something in Korean under his breath before sighing heavily. "Whatever. Look, she's busy. She told me to answer the phone and tell you that she's busy. My job is done as far as I'm concerned. Now can I hang up?"

"Not so fast," Aisha said, her playful tone softening slightly. "Just let her know I want her to call me back ASAP. And listen, you—"

"What now?"

"Don't give her too much trouble, alright?" Aisha warned, her voice carrying a sharp edge. "I've got my eye on you, Kwon. If I hear you're making her life harder once more, I'll find you."

Kwon snorted, unimpressed. "You think you're scary? You're a pixel on a phone."

"Try me," The brunette challenged, her tone light but with an underlying seriousness. "I've dealt with worse than you."

Kwon stared at the screen, a reluctant smirk tugging at his lips. "Alright, fine. I'll play nice. But only because I feel bad for her having a friend like you."

"Wow, there's the charm I've heard so much about," Aisha shot back, rolling her eyes. "Just tell her to call me back, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kwon replied, leaning back on the log again. "Later, Corn Girl."

"Corn Girl? Oh, you're hilarious," She deadpanned, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The call ended with Kwon shaking his head, a faint smile lingering on his face as he placed the phone back where y/n had left it, completely oblivious about the fact that he had just unintentionally added on to the drama in her life by revealing the only secret she'd kept from everyone she knew.

The cobra effect was back in motion...

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