❝ this is an absolute shit show. ❞

―

DECHA WALKED INTO MIYAGI-DO.

He made eye contact with Demetri, smiles forming on their faces. Decha broke eye contact with him, turning his head to see if Hawk still stood behind him. Together, they stepped onto the platform where Demetri stood. Decha claimed the spot in between them. Their heads turned when Johnny stepped around the corner.

With Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang all together, they stared straight ahead at Daniel and Johnny, waiting to see what the next move would be. Decha stared down at the grass for a split second, wishing that he had Achara standing next to him.

He looked up as Johnny and Daniel bowed at bowed at their students. They bowed back before their senseis turned and bowed to each other.

"Ready?" Daniel asked.

"Let's begin!" Johnny shouted.

Decha glanced around, first looking at Demetri and Hawk to see if they were just as confused as he was. When he saw that they were, he looked at other students. They were all glancing around at one another. They really hadn't thought the entire process through.

Demetri raises his hand. "Uh, begin what exactly?"

Daniel and Johnny shared a glance as if they didn't know either before Daniel answered the question. "Begin a new era. Many of us used to be enemies."

Decha gulped, looking back and forth between Demetri and Hawk. They shared a look with each other before turning back to Daniel.

"But rivalries don't need to last forever," Daniel continued, turning to Johnny. "The All Valley Tournament is just a few months away, and this year, the stakes are higher than they've ever been. We know that Cobra Kai is gonna use every dirty trick in the book. There's only one way we're gonna be able to beat—"

"By kicking their asses so hard they shit themselves," Johnny cut him off. "We gotta take things to the next level. We're gonna teach you an aggression so stronger than anything Cobra Kai can throw at us. They strike first? We'll pre-strike."

"Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves," Daniel stepped in. "We are going to respond to what they do."

"Eagles do not respond," Johnny said in response. "They swoop down and take whatever they want and that's what we're gonna do. Take back the Valley."

"Take it back in a measured and organized approach," Daniel deflected.

"We bite first!" Johnny shouted, staying true to his own tactics.

Daniel sighed. "Okay, let's just warm up with some simple exercises."

"All right, line up!" Johnny yelled.

Decha jumped off the platform, following Demetri and the others as they lined up in front of their senseis.

"And just breathe and follow me," Daniel instructed, beginning to do breathing exercises.

Decha stared at him in confusion before turning to Demetri. His confusion grew even deeper as he watched Demetri copying Daniel's movements.

"Fighting positions!"

Decha turned at the sound of Johnny's voice. He tried his best to get into a fighting stance, but it proved to be more of a challenge than he thought it would be with a sling covering his arm.

"Right leg back! Front kick ready. Hi-yah!"

Decha kicked his leg forward as best as he could. Nate flew to the ground, falling onto the grass with a groan. Mitch quickly apologized to him. Decha closed his eyes and shook his head as he sighed. How did they ever think that combining their dojos would work out? They were fire and ice.

They moved on to sparring. Mitch and Bert fought first. Decha leaned up against the rock, watching them fight.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Daniel stepped between them. "You're just swinging at each other." He turned to Johnny. "Don't you teach any defense?"

"Best defense is more offense," Mitch answered for him.

Bert kicked him in the side before punching him in the chest. Mitch fell backwards into the rock, almost crashing into Decha. Hawk grabbed him by the fabric of his shirt, pulling him to the side before Mitch's back collided with the rock.

"Why do you have a rock in the middle of your dojo?" Johnny questioned Daniel.

It was decided that in front of the rock wasn't exactly the best place for sparring. They moved to a different location. Decha stood off to the side next to Hawk as Demetri and Sam circled around each other. He kept looking back and forth, waiting for one of them to strike, but the moment never came.

"All right, one of you do something," Johnny practically read Decha's mind. "What the hell is this?"

Demetri stopped, turning to face Johnny. "Yeah, that's not really how this works. One of us has to be provoked."

Johnny threw his water bottle at him. It hit Demetri in the arm near his shoulder before bouncing off and falling to the grass. He knew it was wrong to, but Decha had to bite his bottom lip as he tried not to laugh.

"Provoked yet?" Johnny asked.

Daniel told Sam and Demetri to continue before they moved into the next task. They stood in the front yard. The Miyagi-Do students were waxing the cars, while Johnny was having Eagle Fang clean out his van.

"That's right, clean it good," Johnny leaned against the car. "I want it to look brand spanking-new. Get all the cans out of there."

Decha froze in place as he looked down at the empty beer can in his hand. He breathed in and out as he confined to stare at the can. Decha jumped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned, seeing Hawk next to him.

"Are you okay, man?" Hawk asked him.

Decha nodded as he gulped, throwing the can into a black trash bag. "Uh, yeah. I'm good."

Decha took a deep breath before he continued to clean up the empty cans. He could feel Hawk's eyes on him for the remainder of the time spent cleaning the van. It was almost as if Hawk were trying to keep a watchful eye on him.

After they finished cleaning and waxing the cars, Johnny made a makeshift obstacle course. Broken glass. A stack of tires with a paddle between them. A baseball bat that they put their foreheads on as they spun around in circles. It ended when Chris threw up in one of Daniel's boats.

They decided that it was time to practice sparring again. Except this time, they stood inside the meditation room, gathered around as Hawk and Mitch fought each other. Decha's eyes widened as Hawk's foot tore through one of the panels that covered the door.

"You see, this is why we don't spar in here," Daniel said when Hawk removed his foot.

"All right, who's next?" Johnny asked, completely ignoring him.

If he got a dollar for every time he sighed during practice, then Decha would be a millionaire. The amount of times he had sighed in the past five minutes alone was enough to be rich.

This was never going to work.

────────────

Achara leaned against the wall of Cobra Kai with her arms crossed, watching Tory as she aggressively hit the training dummy. Kyler stood on the mat with the other Cobra Kai students, rambling on about college. Achara scoffed when she heard him mention Harvard.

"Harvard?" she asked, followed by a laugh. "You couldn't even get into clown college."

Kyler turned to her, an offended look on his face as he tried to come up with a witty comeback but fell short.

"You guys are pathetic," Tory said as she walked up to them. "If you'd handled your business, we would have won that fight."

"Okay, whatever," Kyler responded. "Hawk, he switched sides."

"Yeah, Miguel just got out of a wheelchair, and he still kicked your ass," Tory told him.

"You know what?" Kyler asked. "At least I'm still here. Half the squad quit."

The bell above the door rang. They turned their heads, seeing Robby walking into the dojo.

"Well, look who showed up," Tory spat at him.

Robby didn't respond as he walked out of the main dojo.

Kyler shook his head. "That fool doesn't even practice, but he gets to stay? I don't get it, man."

Achara rolled her eyes. "Lay off, Kyler."

Tory turned to her, anger in her eyes. "Don't think you're off the hook either. Helping Decha after he switched dojos? After he teamed up with Miyagi-Do? You could have won that fight against Sam."

Achara stopped leaning on the wall, stepping close to Tory. "He's my brother! He was hurt and I helped him. And what about you? You stood on the sidelines like a fly on the wall, buzzing in my ears to fight her. You could have done something!"

Tory scoffed. "Since when did Decha being your brother matter anymore? Aren't you the one that said that he betrayed you?"

Achara shook her head. "I never said that. We might not be talking or getting along right now, and I might hate him, but he will always be my brother."

"Whatever," Tory scoffed, walking away, and continuing to punch the training dummy.

Tory's words from before the fight, when she had begged Achara to give her a chance replayed in Achara's mind.

I promise, I'll be good to you. I'll treat you like you're the only girl in the world. I'll listen to everything you have to say.

Achara walked back to the wall and leaned against it. Achara wanted to believe that she had meant it—that every word was true. But Tory yelling at her was planting a seed of doubt into her mind and her heart.

────────────

Achara sat on the couch across from Olivia. She had her foot propped up on the couch, drawing a skull on an empty white space on her shoe. She peered over her knee when she heard Olivia clear her throat.

"Achara..."

Achara put her leg down and placed the black marker back on the table. "You're extra determined to get me to talk today. Did my parents tell you that I had a mental breakdown or something?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, they didn't. Did you? Have a mental breakdown?"

Achara shrugged. "That depends."

"On what?" Olivia asked.

"Does yelling at your parents and confessing to that you've been pretending to be their perfect daughter for years and then going to your dojo and screaming at the top of your lungs in front of your ex-boyfriend, your enemy , and their senseis count as a mental breakdown?" Achara spoke quickly and all at once.

Olivia blinked a few times, trying to take all of that in. "Go back to the beginning. What happened that made you yell at your parents and scream at your dojo?"

Achara sighed. "Well, there was this fight at Sam LaRusso's house. We found out that Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do were teaming up and joining forces."

"Your brother teaming up with your enemy and your ex?" Olivia asked. "How's that make you feel?"

Achara tapped her foot on the ground. "Like shit, obviously. I was furious when we went to the LaRusso house. I wanted to make them pay. Tory was even angrier. When I asked her why we were doing this, she said it was to protect me again. From what, I'm not sure this time."

Achara didn't five Olivia the chance to speak before she continued. "You know, before the fight, Tory told me that she thought I was the prettiest girl she's ever seen." A smile appeared on her face. "She said that she'd listen to me and that she'd be good to me. She said she would listen to everything I had to say. She promised me."

"She broke that promise, didn't she?" Olivia asked.

Achara's smile faded as she nodded. "All it took was one fight, helping my brother, and then failing to win a fight against Sam before she was coming at my throat. She kissed me. The night of the fight right before we found out, when she told me all of that."

Achara breathed deeply through her nose and then exhaled. "She asked me to give her a chance and kissed me. I kissed her back."

"Are you still willing to give her a chance?" Olivia asked. "Even after she broke her promise?"

Achara shrugged. "I don't know. I want to, I really do. I'm just not sure if I should."

Olivia nodded. "That's a choice you have to make on your own. I can help you figure out your feelings, but I can't make the choice for you."

"Yeah, yeah," Achara responded. "Anyway, Decha got hurt during the fight. He broke his arm. When he got home from the hospital, he started yelling at me. My parents wanted me to quit Cobra Kai. They said that they don't like the girl I'm becoming because of it. I just snapped at them."

"Have you talked to them since?" Olivia asked. "Have you tried to work things out?"

Achara shook her head. "I can't even face them. I see the way they look at me. I've never seen my mother look so disappointed. I've never seen my father look at me with such disdain."

"They've never looked at you like that before?" Olivia asked.

Achaea shook her head. "No. They thought I was perfect and could do nothing wrong. Now they can't even look at me without staring at me like I'm a disgrace. And to make matters even worse, I'm sure Miguel thinks I'm crazy after I screamed in front of him."

"I'm sure he doesn't think you're crazy, Achara," Olivia reassured her. "You're just in pain. You're struggling to find your place and that's okay."

"Struggling is an understatement," Achara responded. "I'm at constant war with myself. My mind goes back and forth between what the right and wrong decisions are. It's like there's a devil and an angel in my head constantly arguing with each other and they won't shut up."

"What do they say?" Olivia asked.

"You probably think I'm crazy, don't you? That on top of being depressed, now I'm hearing voices," Achara said, talking her foot again. "Add that to my list of problems."

"I don't think you're crazy," Olivia shook her head. "A lot of people experience the same thing. It's a normal response to stressful situations and decisions. Now, tell me. What does your mind argue about?"

"Mostly about Cobra Kai. About if I should quit or not," Achara admitted. "One voice tells me to stay, that Cobra Kai is where I belong. The other tells me to quit and that Cobra Kai is destroying me."

Olivia nodded her head as Achara continued to speak. "But I can't just leave. My sensei says I'm the best shot Cobra Kai has at winning the tournament."

"Is that what you want?" Olivia asked her. "To win the tournament?"

Achara nodded her head. "More than anything. But destroying myself in order to do it? Is it really worth it?"

"Why can't you leave?" Olivia asked. "What's holding you back? What's keeping you there?"

Achara thought for a moment, sighing. "Well, there's Tory, but after the fight, I'm not sure where we stand. And there's also Robby. He might be joining Cobra Kai, and I don't want to jeopardize my friendship with him again."

"You shouldn't let other people keep you trapped somewhere you're unhappy," Olivia told her.

"Sam said she wanted to forget everything and start over," Achara told her. "But I just don't know if I can. I've ruined my entire life and for what? Everyone I care about hates me. I hate me."

"That's not true, Achara," Olivia told her. "They don't hate you. They just care about you and your wellbeing. It's not too late to mend the broken bridges, you know."

"Do you think I can?" Achara asked.

"Of course you can," Olivia nodded. "You just have to be willing to put in the effort. It might take some time, but you make it right."

"You really think they'd forgive me?" Achara asked.

"You never know until you try," Olivia responded.

Achara sighed. "That's not a straightforward answer."

────────────

Once again, Decha stood in the back of Miyagi-Do, wedged between Demetri and Hawk. Johnny and Daniel stood in front of them. After yesterday's practice, Decha was curious to find out what would happen this time. It had been—in the simplest of terms—an absolute shit show. He was curious to see if it could get any worse.

"Sensei Lawrence and I have the same goal of preparing you for the tournament," Daniel addressed the group.

"But we have different ways of getting you there," Johnny continued.

"We realize that teaching you opposing viewpoints at the same time can be a little confusing," Daniel spoke.

"So we've discussed it and come up with a solution," Johnny said. We're gonna divide and conquer."

A confused look spread across Decha face as he exchanged a glance with Demetri. Wasn't the whole point of the two dojos joining forces so that they could learn how to be stronger together?

"Eagle Fang trains out front," Johnny announced.

"And I'll be back here with the Miyagi-Dos," Daniel told them.

"But I thought we were stronger working together," Miguel spoke up for the group.

"We're still working together," Daniel replied.

"Just separately. On opposite ends of the dojo," Johnny added. "All right, Eagles, follow me."

"Miyagi-Dos, come on over here."

Decha watched as the group started to separate, bidding their goodbyes to their friends. Decha turned to Demetri.

"See you after class?" Decha asked.

Demetri nodded. "I guess so."

Decha gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he walked towards the front of the dojo to join the other Eagles. Decha stood next to Miguel with Hawk standing to his right.

"Fall in!" Johnny instructed them. "Hawk, since you're new to Eagle Fang, come on up."

"Yes, Sensei," Hawk bowed before standing in front of Sensei Lawrence.

Not even a second later, Hawk's legs were swept out from under him, and he was falling to the dirt with a thud.

"What the heck?" Hawk asked.

"Today we're gonna practice our first sweeps," Sensei Lawrence told them. "On Hawk."

"All right. I know I was a dick, but I'm sorry," Hawk tried to apologize.

"Talk is cheap," Sensei Lawrence replied. "Who's next? Penis Breath, you're up."

Hawk stood between Sensei Lawrence and his fellow Eagle Fang members. Mitch stepped out of line and swept Hawk's legs. He fell with another thud, only slightly less aggressive.

"Who's next?" Sensei Lawrence asked when Hawk had stood back up. "Boyband, wanna take a crack at your boyfriend?"

Hawk and Decha both stared at him. "What?" They asked at the same time.

Johnny gave them a confused look. "Are you not dating? Is he not the one dude you were talking about when you were still drunk off your ass?"

Decha's eyes widened. "No, well, I mean, yes, but we aren't dating. We were, but we aren't anymore. How'd you even know that?"

"You think I'm blind?" Johnny asked. "Christ, kid, you weren't exactly subtle when you were flirting in the middle of the dojo."

"I thought you were dating Demetri?" Bert asked.

Decha nodded. "I am."

"The annoying, scrawny nerd?" Johnny asked.

Decha rolled his eyes. "You know, you gave me shitty advice by the way."

Johnny shrugged. "I thought it was pretty solid advice. Now, are you gonna sweep his legs or not?"

Decha huffed as he stepped out of line and extended his leg forward, sweeping Hawk's legs without giving him any warning. Hawk groaned when he hit the ground.

"Next!"

The rest of Eagle Fang had a turn at sweeping Hawk to the dirt.

"Now, I want everybody to practice their punches!" Sensei Lawrence announced.

"Let me guess," Decha said. "On Hawk?"

Sensei Lawrence pointed at him. "Correct. You're up first, Boyband."

Decha stepped in front of Hawk. He stared at him for a few seconds. Decha looked down at his arm. He was left handed. He usually punched with his left hand.

"What's the hold up?" Sensei Lawrence asked.

Decha turned to him, using his right hand to motion to his arm.

"Okay?" Sensei Lawrence asked. "Hit 'em with the other hand then."

Decha sighed and rolled his eyes. He balled up his right hand into a fist. He swung his arm, landing a right hook straight into Hawk's shoulder before punching him again in the stomach. Hawk stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet. Hawk groaned in pain as he clutched his stomach.

"Stop whining like a little bitch," Sensei Lawrence said to him. "Get up."

Decha glared at his sensei. "Satisfied?"

Johnny shook his head. "Don't be a pussy. Punch him in the face."

Decha turned his attention back to Hawk. He looked at his face, balling his hand into a fist. He had every intention of punching him in the face, but that's not what happened.

Decha changed the trajectory of his fist at she last second, sending a punch straight to Hawks groin. He grunted in pain, hunching over.

"You punched him in the balls? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Decha turned his head to him. "You want me to punch him in the face? Fine. I'll punch him in the goddamn face."

Decha wasted no time swinging his fist, thrusting it towards Hawk's face. He landed a right hook straight into his jaw. Hawk groaned as his head was pushed to the side from the force of the punch.

"Nice shot, Boyband!"

"Now, make someone else beat the shit out of him, would you?" Decha asked, walking back to his spot next to Miguel.

"Sensei Lawrence," Daniel stepped out of the meditation room. "May I have a word with you?"

Sensei Lawrence sighed. "All right, guys, everybody take five." He patted Hawk on the shoulder. "Walk it off. Looking good, looking good!"

Hawk started to walk off towards the meditation room.

Decha stayed back a few seconds before following him inside. "Hey."

Hawk took a sip of water and then swallowed. "Hey."

"I wish I could say I'm sorry for punching you in the balls, but you kind of deserved it," Decha told him.

Hawk nodded as he chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I did. Look, I'm sorry for everything. You know, the whole constantly calling you a traitor thing."

Decha shrugged. "It's in the past. Let's not dwell on it too much, okay?"

Hawk nodded, his face faltering. "Do you forgive me?"

"I don't think I can right now, but I'll get there," Decha responded.

Hawk nodded his head understandingly. He walked over to a picture on the wall. Decha turned around, looking at it with him.

"What's that?" Hawk asked.

"Don't know," Decha responded.

The two boys turned their heads at the sound of Demetri's voice. "That's the sparring we do where Mr. Miyagi's great-grandfather taught karate on the Okinawan waterfront."

Hawk's fingertips lightly grazed the picture frame.

"Yo, be careful with that," Chris walked up to him, tapping his arm.

"Why? You think I'm gonna break it?" Hawk asked.

"You already broke a door," Chris answered. "And you stole Mr. Miyagi's medal."

"And you beat shit out of me," Nate said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Hey, look, I'm really sorry about all that," Hawk apologized.

"Go back with your little Eagle gang," Chris replied. "You're not wanted here."

Hawk glanced around the room before walking out. Decha sighed as he looked at Chris and shook his head.

"You want me to leave too?" Decha asked him.

Chris shook his head. "Nah, you're cool, man. You've always been on our side."

"Yeah? Well, he's on our side now too whether you like it or not," Decha responded. "I get it. He's done bad things, but we all have. You're a hypocrite if you say you haven't."

Decha walked towards the sliding doors. As he stepped out of the meditation room, Daniel and Johnny were arguing with each other as all of the students began to gather around. He noticed Hawk storming off, away from
the argument.

"What the hell did you do?" Johnny asked.

Daniel turned to him. "What did I do? I'm not the one who's been kicking his ass all day."

"We're training for the All Valley, not some yoga competition," Johnny fired back.

Daniel pointed his finger at him. "Don't disrespect my dojo in front of your students."

"Don't tell me how to run my class," Johnny replied. "I'll do whatever I want."

Johnny walked off with Daniel trailing behind him. They continued to argue. Decha turned to look at Miguel.

"This is an absolute shit show," Decha said, receiving a nod in agreement from Miguel and Sam.

...

The next day, Decha was expecting for practice to go the same as the day before. He sat with Demetri on one of the platform decks. Demetri's tablet sat on his lap as he scrolled through the blueprints Hawk had sent him last night of the new sparring deck he had the idea for.

"It looks good," Decha nodded, handing Demetri his table back. "You think Mr. LaRusso's gonna be okay with it?"

Demetri nodded his head. "I'm sure he will. I spoke with Sam last night and asked her if she thought it was a good idea. She was on board. Hopefully, her dad will be too."

Hawk came waltzing through the dojo, a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder. He stopped in front of Decha and Demetri. "You ready to get started?"

Demetri nodded. "Yup. I've already got the rest of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang up to speed. We've started pulling some of the overgrown weeds and picking up the branches."

"You really came up with this idea on your own?" Decha asked Hawk.

He nodded. "I spent practically all day and night working on it."

Decha patted him on the shoulder. "It's a good idea and an even greater idea to help everybody see how serious you are about making amends."

Hawk smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks. I hope so."

Hawk walked away and stepped in front of the gate that blocked off the area where the deck was going to go. "All right, stand back, it's coming down!" he warned the students in front of the gate.

He swung the sledgehammer, barely giving them enough time to move out of the way before he swung at the gate, knocking it to the ground.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Daniel yelled, walking into the backyard with Johnny behind him.

"You were both right," Hawk told him. "Talk is cheap. So, I'm building a bridge."

Decha and Demetri approached, standing on either side of Hawk.

"Uh, more specifically, an Okinawan sparring deck," Demetri informed them, showing them the blueprints. "Eli's a design whiz. I looked it over and the physics check out."

"Mr. Miyagi just used this area for extra storage," Sam pitched in. "But a new deck would mean a lot more room for training."

"And we're all gonna help build it," Miguel told them. "Assuming our senseis approve?"

Daniel glanced over at Johnny. "Sounds good to me."

"Yeah," Johnny responded, nodding his head. "Sounds awesome."

A proud smile spread over Hawk's face. Decha gave him a pat on the back. "You're a genius, Hawk."

The two boys shared a smile before they began to help the others clear a space for the deck.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

i was worried that this chapter wouldn't be very long, but it turned out way longer than i thought it would.

i'm so excited to start season four. i have a lot planned for this season and i can't wait for y'all to read it.

alternative chapter title: decha punching hawk as he should.