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HAVING SPENT THE ENTIRE LUNCH BREAK DRAFTING NOTES WITH YOON, y/n felt a flicker of satisfaction at their work. Together, they'd carefully analyzed their enemies—their fighting styles, strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. The boy had his notes written neatly in Korean, destined for Sensei Kim, while y/n's English notes were prepared for Kreese. 

Her footsteps echoed softly down the hallway as she headed to the buffet, where she knew Kreese was most likely eating—or, rather, peeling yet another apple. She'd observed that peculiar habit of his and even spotted him with an orange earlier in the day. He was strangely meticulous when it came to fruit, as though that was his only indulgence.

But as y/n approached the lobby leading to the dining area, she froze.

Her breath hitched as she saw Devon Lee standing there, tears streaming down her face. Opposite her was Sensei Johnny Lawrence. The girl's voice was shaky, but y/n could make out the words clearly:

"I-I knew I couldn't beat Kenny so I had to cheat to make sure I got in!" Devon's head was bowed, her hands trembling at her sides. "And-and now I'm here and I'm getting demolished out there, not just by Cobra Kai, but by everybody!"

Y/n felt her chest tighten. Cheating? Devon cheated? Her first instinct was disbelief. Miyagi-do wasn't the kind of dojo that would encourage that. But the bigger shock came moments later, in the form of Johnny Lawrence's reaction.

The man's expression softened, his posture relaxed. His arms crossed over his chest as he let her speak, listening intently without a hint of anger or judgment.

"Hey, hey," he said, his voice calm, almost soothing. "It's okay. You messed up. It happens."

"But I don't deserve to be here!" Devon's voice cracked, her eyes filling with fresh tears.

Johnny tilted his head, his tone unwavering. "You made a mistake. That happens... If I had a dollar for every time I'd done something I regret, I'd be a gazillionaire."

Devon sniffled, looking up at him, clearly taken aback by his understanding.

Johnny chuckled, shaking his head. "One thing I'll never regret is all the work I put into students like you..."

His voice got lower, muffled by the background.

Devon hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and hugging him tightly. Johnny stiffened for a second, awkwardly patting her back, but he didn't pull away.

And y/n? She stood there, watching, her feet rooted to the ground.

Her chest felt heavy. Her throat tightened.

Devon cheated. She admitted it. And she got understanding, encouragement—even a hug.

Meanwhile, y/n felt the bitter sting of old memories surfacing. Memories of a time when Johnny Lawrence was her sensei.

It was always Miguel.

Miguel, the golden boy, the one who could do no wrong. The one Johnny poured all his time and energy into. y/n had tried not to care, tried to push down the feelings of inadequacy, but it had been impossible to ignore.

No matter how hard she worked, no matter how many hours she spent perfecting her moves, she was never Miguel. She was never the favorite.

Her fingers curled tighter around the edges of her notebook, her knuckles whitening.

Then came Kreese. For a fleeting moment, it felt like things were different. Kreese noticed her. He pushed her harder than anyone else, and she thrived under the pressure. For the first time, she felt seen. Important.

But it didn't last.

It never did.

Kreese moved on—first to Tory, then to Hawk, and now to Kwon. Kwon, the star fighter, the one who could do no wrong in Kreese's eyes. Tory, the fierce champion, who always got the benefit of the doubt.

And y/n? She was an afterthought. Always good, but never great. Always there, but never the one.

Her heart ached as she looked back at Johnny and Devon. Devon's tears had dried, her shoulders straighter now as Johnny said something that made her laugh weakly.

The girl's frown deepened. She told herself she didn't care, but the sting in her chest said otherwise.

Why didn't anyone ever look at her like that? Why didn't anyone ever tell her it was okay to make mistakes?

Why didn't she get second chances?

Y/n felt the lump in her throat growing, threatening to spill over into tears she refused to shed. She blinked rapidly, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

This wasn't the time for this.

She had notes to deliver. She had a fight to win.

But then came the thought of Sensei Kim.

The storm inside her quieted, the tumult of bitterness and doubt ebbing away.

Kim Da-Eun was strict, yes—unyielding and, at times, terrifying. But she was fair. Unlike the others before her, Kim didn't play favorites. She expected nothing less than excellence from all her students, and when they faltered, she didn't dismiss them or make them feel like second-class fighters. She was harsh when needed, but her actions spoke louder than her sharp words. She believed in them.

And for y/n, that belief wasn't just an abstract concept.

She mattered to Kim.

For the first time in her life, she wasn't second best. She wasn't someone's backup plan, wasn't the fighter they called only after someone else failed.

With Kim, she was wanted. Appreciated. Valued.

It struck her, then, like a wave crashing against a shore. The doubts she'd been harboring for weeks—her questions about whether she was truly in the right place, whether Cobra Kai was where she belonged—vanished as clarity set in. She was exactly where she was supposed to be.

For the first time, she wasn't running from her past, trying to prove herself to someone who refused to see her worth. For the first time, she was right at home, surrounded by a team that relied on her, that understood her struggles because they carried their own.

Miguel's words from what felt like a lifetime ago echoed in her mind.

"When you find your answer... when you finally figure out why you're fighting, come find me."

Y/n's breath hitched as her fingers relaxed their grip on the notebook. Miguel. He was her answer, wasn't he? Or maybe it wasn't him exactly, but what he represented—the life she'd left behind, the people she'd abandoned in the chaos. She hadn't run because she was a coward; she'd run because she was lost.

Not anymore.

Without hesitation, she turned on her heel and walked toward the elevator. The notes she'd written for Kreese didn't matter anymore. She could hand them off later—or not. What mattered was what lay ahead.

She had to find Miguel.

Her steps were steady, her heart racing not with fear or guilt, but with determination. For the first time, she didn't cower when she passed familiar faces from her past. She didn't avert her gaze or shrink into the shadows, hoping they wouldn't see her.

She held her head high, proud of herself and the person she was becoming.

Proud of her team.

Proud of her dojang.

Cobra Kai could be misjudged all it wanted. People could sneer at their methods, call them ruthless or heartless, but those people didn't know the truth. They didn't know the battles her team fought in silence—the burdens they carried.

They didn't know about Kwon, who pushed himself to his physical and emotional limits, even as his grandmother lay dying back home. Or Tory, whose fire and fury masked the pain of losing her mother. Or y/n herself, who still bore the scars of the fight that had resulted in her expulsion, staining her record.

They didn't know.

But y/n knew.

And as long as she knew who they truly were—what they fought for, what they'd endured, and the sacrifices they'd made—she didn't need anyone else's approval.

On the other side of the hotel, however, despite their last-minute victory, tension simmered among the Miyagi-do team.

"Miguel--" Robby called out, his tone uncertain as he followed him into the hallway. "Miguel, hey, wait. Can we talk, please?"

Reluctantly, the latino stopped, his shoulders tense as he turned to face Robby. His voice was sharp. "Look, if you've got something to say, just say it. Get it off your chest."

Miguel sighed heavily. 

Though Robby had hoped for a calmer conversation, the storm in Miguel's eyes told him that wasn't going to happen.

"Fine." Miguel scoffed, stepping closer, his frustration spilling over. "You know what? Since no one else is going to tell you, I will. You've got the opportunity of a lifetime—to be a captain—and you're completely blowing it!"

Robby blinked, taken aback by the bluntness of the accusation. "I'm doing the best I can," he muttered defensively, his brow furrowing.

Miguel shook his head, his voice rising. "No, you're not. You've lost every single match, Robby! Every. Single. One. It's like you don't even care! Do you even want this?"

"It hasn't exactly been the easiest for me!" Robby shot back, his tone sharpening.

"It was never meant to be easy!" Miguel snapped, his voice echoing in the nearly empty hallway.

Miguel took a step back, running a hand through his hair before looking Robby dead in the eyes. "Look, I know seeing Tory here, fighting on the other side, is messing with your head. I get that. I do. But guess what? It's not just you dealing with this crap!" His voice cracked slightly, but his anger carried through.

He jabbed a finger at Robby. "Do you have any idea what it's like seeing y/n here? My best friend? Eli's best friend? The only girl who didn't bully Demetri's nerdy ass? After two years of nothing? Two years, Robby. I didn't hear a single word from her after the school fight. I thought she was dead to me. And now? Now, I find out she's been training with Cobra Kai all this time?"

Miguel's chest heaved as he pointed toward the doors leading back to the arena. "But you don't see me falling apart in the middle of a match, do you? You don't see me letting that mess with my head."

Robby opened his mouth to speak, but Miguel cut him off.

"You think this is just about you? It's not, Robby! You're the captain! That means it's not about how hard it is for you. It's about the team. Every time you screw up, you're not just letting yourself down; you're letting all of us down!"

Miguel's voice grew colder, quieter, but the intensity in his words hit like a punch. "Do you think this is easy for me? y/n isn't just some random opponent to me. She's family. She used to have dinner with Yaya and my mom every time her parents were gone. She was there for me, like a sister." His voice faltered, but he steadied himself. "She still is. But I didn't let that cloud my judgment in a fight. And you can't either."

Robby's jaw tightened, his frustration bubbling over. "You think I don't know what's at stake? You think I don't want this?"

"You knew this would change your life," Miguel fired back.

"Well, it's not all about you, dude!" Robby snapped, his voice rising. "Maybe this could change my life too! You think I don't deserve this? Hold a grudge all you want, but I won this spot fair and square back home."

Miguel hesitated, his frustration mingling with a flicker of grudging acknowledgment. "Sure," he said at last, his voice low. "You won. But right now? You're going to be the reason we go home with nothing."

The words landed like a slap, and Robby stiffened.

Miguel reached his hand to grab a hold of Robby's captain headband which rested on his shoulder. "So either man up, or admit that I'm fighting better than you and hand it over." He let the headband slip from his fingers, letting it fall back to it's original position.

Robby didn't move.

Miguel stepped back, shaking his head in bitter disappointment. "And don't follow me."

Robby blinked, caught off guard.

Miguel added sharply, "If y/n sees the two of us together again, she's going to freak out and most likely run away again. She doesn't know. She has no idea what happened after the she left... So until I manage to update her about it all, just stay out of my way."

With that, Miguel turned and walked away, leaving Robby frozen in place, his fists clenched.

Unbeknownst to Miguel, y/n was already there, standing in the shadows of the hall, her heart pounding. 

And she had heard everything...

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