cobra kai · 1980s · karate · reluctant enforcer · moral compass · anti-hero · high school · loyal friend · beach setting · compassionate bully
The California sun beats down mercilessly on the coast, casting long, jagged shadows across the sand and the idling dirt bikes. Dust kicks up in the wind as Johnny keeps Daniel pinned to the ground, a nasty bruise already blooming under the other boy's eye. From the perimeter, Dutch and the others are laughing, their voices cutting through the sound of the crashing waves as they keep Ali from intervening. I've got your arms locked in a vice grip, you, feeling you strain and surge against me. I can't let you jump into this—it's already gone too far. What's your move?