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"Ms. Nichols shouldn't second-guess Terry. Doesn't she know how dangerous he is? What he'll do to her if she even thinks about betraying him!" thought John angrily as he watched the prison cafeteria server drop a lump of what was supposedly food down on his yellow plastic tray.

"What are you staring at?" questioned the server, her poorly wrapped bun of hair bouncing against the back of her head after each syllable she spoke.

"Nothing," responded John, expressionlessly as he walked to a distant table located towards the back of the germ-riddled eating area.

He'd certainly been to worse places throughout his life (most notably, his time as a prisoner during the Vietnam War), but that didn't change his general distaste for the environment around him.

Male inmates of varying age and ethnicity sat around circular tables, talking quietly to one another. Most would assume that their conversations were regarded around secrets of escape, but John knew better than to be so ignorant.

Most of these men have fully succumbed to the fact that freedom is helpless, though I am not most men.

The past month he'd spent in prison definitely had given John a long while to mull over his past decisions. Everything had been so simple back in the 80s when it was just one dojo run by the toughest men alive, Cobra Kais. John had hand-painted the walls white in order to enforce discipline upon his students' eyes when they first stepped through his doors, unbeknownst to the ways their lives would soon change after his teachings.

Various students ran their courses through his harsh (yet necessary) training of the way of the fist.

The weak ran out crying for the mothers while the strong persevered, moving closer towards their goals without much reassurance of real gain, though I could tell the winners from the losers.

But all of them paled in comparison to John Lawrence.

He was a skinny young kid with the ugliest shoulder-length dirty blonde hair that disgusted John just to look at. He was nerdy and shy, but worst of all, he had these tiny little black headphones connected to a small cassette player that he took everywhere he went.

With the way that kid bobbed his head, it's no mystery why he got picked on so much.

Against all his better judgment, John took a chance on young Lawrence.

He spent every waking hour molding the boy into a fighting machine who no one would ever dare to mess with again. He grew stronger, more confident, and most of all, learned to take what was his.

I can't take all the credit. The kid always had natural talent, even if he didn't notice it at first.

Later on, some of Lawrence's high school friends joined Cobra Kai. Tommy (the first of them to join) was a rambunctious rowdy kid who John could barely keep track of. Although, it became quite easy to recognize where he'd run off to due to his incessant need to talk constantly.

I swear, no consequence could shut that kid up.

Dutch was the second of the friends to join the dojo. Now, he was an immediate candidate for top cobra. With his strong muscle build and merciless nature, John had been sure Lawrence had finally chosen a winner. Dutch's main downfall was his reluctance to listen to authority which as most who knew him discovered, John did not take kindly to.

He'd learn the consequences of ignoring commands soon enough.

Lastly, there was Bobby. He was the least desirable in John's eyes, to say the least. Bobby was intelligent (especially intuitive for a teenage boy) and he had a sort of flare to him that allowed him to put on a decent performance. The audience especially liked his spectacle. All and all, he was a well-suited fighter for Cobra Kai's roster, except for his occasional tendencies of compassion.

Which were indeed, signs of weakness.

Though, John never decided to act on these suspicions because despite what one might have expected, he'd grown to care for all the boys he'd trained, especially young Lawrence.

After over two decades of hiding due to unjust crimes filed against him and Terry Silver, John emerged once again into the public eye and visited Lawrence at his new dojo.

He could not have possibly imagined how proud I was to know that he'd carried on Cobra Kai's legacy while I was away.

Their first interactions went as John had expected, consisting mostly of Lawrence claiming that he didn't need his abusive teacher back in his life because now, he had students of his own.

Of course, this lasted only a few days before he came crawling back to John's open arms, just as he had all those years ago.

For a time, they worked side by side teaching the next generation of Cobras. They showed them what real hardship looked like, both physically and mentally until the day came of the Coyote Creek challenge. The kids were divided into two groups, red and black, and were told to gather all the opposing side's headbands using any means necessary.

I still don't understand what the problem was with the activity. It was merely a way to show them to be merciless to the enemy, just as the enemy will be to them.

Everything went smoothly until the end of the challenge when Miguel Diaz (Lawrence's prized student. Kid's a bit too naive, in my opinion) kicked Hawk into a nearby tree in order to win.

This led Lawrence to come to the conclusion that John was the bad guy and that he was poisoning his students' heads. So, he was forced to leave the very place he'd created, the Cobra Kai dojo.

Though, I clearly remember him standing right next to me as we made the decisions on how to train the students.

Sadly, soon afterwards, Diaz got severely wounded in a confrontation with Lawrence's son, Robby Keene, and John decided it was best to take back Cobra Kai.

I'd always hoped he would be the right candidate to take over my job one day, but it wasn't his time quite yet. I still had a part to play first, taking down Daniel LaRusso.

John spent the next several months training and caring for his students. He started to take a particular liking to Tory Nichols after watching her go through some of the same life struggles as he had as a kid.

More than anything, I would've wished to have someone to keep me on track, despite the unpleasant conditions.

When he noticed that Johnny, nor Daniel, were offering Robby the help he needed (what could be better advice than inserting your dominance?), he visited him in juvie and offered to take care of the kid.

"I don't need to be anybody else's charity case," Robby had stated, firmly.

So, John accepted his refusal and resumed his mission of training the kids. Once Robby was released from juvie, he visited the old man and asked if he could still take him up on his offer of help.

He's so much like his father.

Robby was a natural cobra who took to John's lessons with ease.

On the night of December 19th, while John was training Robby, Lawrence kicked down the Cobra Kai dojo's doors. He was angrier than John had ever seen him before, smashing him through all their surrounding objects with his forceful kicks and punches. He even threw Robby into a filing cabinet in his fit of rage towards his old Sensei.

But how could he stand there and blame me for hurting the kids when he'd been the one brainwashing them with wishes of mercy?!

John was faced with the unthinkable choice, to either abandon his honor or kill the man he'd thought of as his son. It was a hard choice, but when faced with the decision, he forced Lawrence into a head-lock and started to choke him. It took every bit of his will not to just let him run. Until Daniel LaRusso came to his rescue (Desperation was not a good look on LaRusso). The two men together overpowered John and were about to kill him when the kids came racing to their Senseis' sides. A slightly cut-up Samantha LaRusso ran to her dad's side with a look of urgency. A battered Miguel Diaz stood strongly next to Lawrence's side. But most surprisingly of all (even for John), was how Robby instinctively took the side of the Cobra.

Just the look on their faces was enough to satisfy my pain.

In that moment, a crucial deal between the Senseis was struck that would alter the very structure of their lives. Lawrence and LaRusso bet that if they could win the All-Valley tournament, then Cobra Kai would close, forever. But if Cobra Kai won, both Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang would shut down.

Of course, I accepted. A cobra never backs down from a challenge, regardless of the consequences.

John knew that he would need help if he wanted to beat Miyagi-Fang. Luckily, he already had an idea in mind. So, he decided to visit his old friend, Terry Silver, leaving Robby in charge of his students while he was away.

It was a risky move doing so, but I knew Mr. Keene was up for the task.

When he arrived at Silver's house, he realized how lost his friend had truly become.

The fierce fighter he'd known from the war had stooped to the level of an entitled party-goer. And worst of all, he was content with his so-called "life."

John slowly began to break the barrier he'd so cautiously put up all those years ago, reminding his friend of the glory days in which they tortured young LaRusso.

He deserved every bit of what we did to him. Destroying Lawrence's confidence like he did the day of the tournament with his illegal crane mobo-jumbo.

Like all the rest, Terry refused at first to acknowledge his flaws in judgment, though he soon found himself lost amongst the world he'd created within his own ignorance.

One can only bury that killer instinct for so long.

Soon, John and Terry were working side by side to defeat the opposing dojos, taking front row seats to the trainwreck known as Lawrence and LaRusso's partnership.

John wanted to strike the enemy while they were weak (to teach the kids to face their problems head-on), but Terry advised him against it and for good reason. By staying in the background, they let both Lawrence and LaRusso think each other were the enemy, leading their evitable split to come weeks before the tournament even took place. And when it was finally the day of the tournament, John knew Cobra Kai was going to win.

It was laughable how unprepared their students were.

Cobra Kai dominated the skills division, most notably with Robby's impressive flips and Tory's calculated katana skills. But as the competition progressed, John started to notice the slow decrease of their dojo's points. In fact, Miyagi-Do even won the male championship.

That was the second most disappointing moment in my life, seeing a second Lawrence fail to achieve what was owed to them.

In the end, Cobra Kai still won the grand trophy (and the bet) due to Tory's win against Samantha LaRusso. As the crowd cheered the dojo's name, John's pride became insurmountable. Passing a careful look over all the students who had helped him to accomplish his life's goal, beating Daniel LaRusso and his weak dojo.

Ms. Nichols became the warrior I always knew she was.

But now that he knew Terry had bribed the judge that day, could he call it a real win?

Later that night, John and Terry went back to the latter's home to celebrate, toasting proudly to their dedication of the art. John even admitted that maybe he could use someone's help, Terry's help, every once and awhile.

Which I'd only ever said to one other person before.

But the good times quickly ended, as most things in life do.

Terry slowly revealed his masterful plan to John over the course of a long (yet vague) speech about weakness. At first, John figured that he was just boasting about his success (he was always more into the show than I ever was), but Terry had much bigger plans than simply gloating to an old friend.

"You're right, John. I do have a weakness," Terry had admitted, sighing as he placed his fragile champagne glass on the outdoor coffee table.

"And what's that?" asked John, leaning back in his seat, comfortably.

"You," stated Terry, plainly.

Police sirens immediately started to blare as two cop cars pulled up to Silver's house.

"John Kreese, you are under arrest for aggravated assault and attempted murder," announced one of the officers as they walked up to John with a pair of shining handcuffs in their hands.

John fought as hard as he possibly could, punching one of the officers in the face and elbowing the other onto the ground. But his attempts were futile as more cops pulled up and cuffed him, pushing him into the back of one of their cars.

Just thinking about the wide smile that had covered Terry's face as he watched John get driven off for the crime he committed made him want to strangle someone.

I didn't know it then, but I know the mistakes I made now. Trusting Terry Silver with my dojo. Giving him enough power to think he could ever override my authority. Manipulating me out of the dojo I made, that is his mistake.

"Hey, are you just going to sit there, man?" asked one of his fellow inmates, moaning as he looked at him.

The younger man's food tray slid dangerously to the left in his idle hand as shifted from side to side.

This generation gets weaker with every new addition added to this world.

"Yes, and I think that would be all the better for you if I did," growled John, his voice sharp.

"Ok, I'm not lookin for any trouble. I just wanna have some place to rest these bad boys," joked the man, wiggling his left foot's toes.

John nodded, returning his attention to his so-called dinner.

Some people don't understand what boundaries are.

"So, is that a yes or..." Asked the man, impatiently tapping his foot.

John clenched his fists, his knuckles touching the metal bench's corner. The guards were milling about, distracted by their cell phones.

Karma must be dealt when it is due.

John lunged forward, clocking the unexpecting inmate in the face.

He felt the warm sensation of blood against his hand, energy sparking fire throughout his veins.

It's been too long since I felt this way.

The inmate stumbled backwards, blood dripping from his fractured nose.

"Hey, break it up!" called one of the guards as they rushed over to the scene.

John stood up, knowing the pain the other man felt was worth any consequence he'd receive.

"You went three weeks without starting a fight. That must be some record," scoffed another guard as they cuffed John's hands behind his back.

He spent the rest of the day in his cell, Terry Silver occupying his thoughts.

He will get what he deserves, just like that man did.

Though John had little allies, he was not alone in his fight.

"Rise and shine, Kreese. Looks like you have another visitor," stated the guard from the day prior, unlocking the cell's barred door.

John nodded, taking extra caution to hide his feelings of pride.

It was only a matter of time before Mr. Lawrence came back to me. Most likely because of Ms. Nichols' warning.

But his eyes were met with a surprising sight.

"Hey, Sensei. Thought we could talk a bit more about the whole dojo incident," smiled Raymond Porter, nervously.