The Visit to the Martial Arts School

As Max was leaving, he paid the bill and left Tory a generous tip, but she handed it back, saying, "Your money, here it is."

Max turned around and replied, "It's a tip."

"I'm sorry, but it's too much. I can't accept it," Tory insisted. She wasn't asking for charity; she worked hard to earn enough to live well with her mother.

Max, not understanding her hesitation, said, "Just take it. Why don't you want it?"

"It's not that..."

"In a few days, there'll be a Halloween party. You should come. Some friends and I are gathering at my place, and if you have time, it might be fun." Max handed her a slip of paper with his number. "Text me, and I'll give you the address—if you want, of course."

Tory looked at the paper with the number written on it and said, "Maybe that's a good idea."

Ryan, waiting by the restaurant door, called out, "Let's go; we're running late!"

"See you later, Tory." Max waved and walked away.

"What am I doing?" Tory muttered to herself, watching Max leave. He had been nothing but friendly, in his own way.

Unlike others who left large tips with ulterior motives, Max was genuine. However, after having a bad day, she felt she might have ruined the one genuine friendship she had.

"Over five hundred dollars as a tip?" another waitress asked, noticing Tory holding the tray with the cash.

"Yeah, a generous customer," Tory replied, shaking her head, resolving to send an apology message later.

...

Cobra Kai Martial Arts School

It was late at night, and Max had come to train—the only thing that could calm him when he felt off.

This time, it was another episode, a nightmare that had shaken him earlier in the day.

"Rough day?" Johnny approached Max to oversee his training.

Max glanced at him briefly and said, "Dreams are my torment, Sensei."

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The punches grew faster, harder, and filled with rage.

After a few minutes, Max stopped, breathing heavily to calm himself.

"When I was a kid, I prayed to God for strength, enough to protect my parents. But I couldn't even take the hit for them." Max dropped his gloves to the floor and wiped the sweat from his face.

Johnny, watching him, replied, "Yeah, life's a pile of crap full of pointless problems we can't always solve."

He didn't know exactly what had happened to Max, but he did know one thing: Max was an orphan. How his loved ones had died was a mystery, but Johnny now had a clearer picture from Max's confession.

"I'm going to shower. You should head home too, Sensei." Max gave a faint smile before disappearing into the gym's locker room.

Thanks to Cobra Kai and his friends, Max was improving, but there were still dark clouds in his mind.

Johnny, glancing around the gym, gave a faint smile. He had finally achieved something worthwhile—not just a stable income but a sense of purpose. He owed a lot of it to Max, who had elevated Cobra Kai's reputation from the start.

"Stop right there unless you can identify yourself!"

Johnny heard Otto, the security guard, shouting from the entrance and frowned.

Before Johnny could ask what was happening, a man walked in—a man who had taken much more than his happiness.

"Some things never change," Daniel muttered from the doorway.

Johnny raised a hand to stop the security guard and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I heard you roughed up some teenagers outside." Daniel pointed toward the entrance.

"Is that why you're here? No." Johnny didn't understand why Daniel was meddling, but he clarified, "I didn't hit teenagers. I gave a beating to some punks who deserved it."

"Johnny Lawrence is calling others punks. How ironic."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Realizing the situation was escalating, Daniel said, "Look, I'm not here to relive the past. Just stay away from my daughter's friends."

"Your daughter? That makes sense. Lovely friends she's got, by the way."

"What the hell does that mean?" Daniel retorted angrily.

"That those friends of hers were bullying a kid half their size. Maybe you don't know your daughter's friends as well as you think. Fix your own house first." Johnny wasn't in the mood for Daniel's misguided accusations.

Clearly irritated, Daniel shot back, "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

"Sensei, is some parent of a kid you beat up asking for explanations?"

Max's voice came from the hallway as he appeared in a chicken-themed bathrobe.

Daniel, surprised to see Max, asked, "You call this guy Sensei? Max, seriously? Kid, I don't know what he's told you, but I wouldn't take advice from someone like him."

"You know him?" Johnny asked, even more surprised.

Max, taken aback, muttered, "He's my neighbor. What are you doing here?"

"You and I... this isn't over."

"I'm right here, and I'll always be here. But next time you barge in without an invitation, Otto will greet you at the door, and trust me, he doesn't know karate." Johnny spread his arms provocatively, and Daniel, shaking his head, left.

Max, familiar with some of their history, muttered, "You should start telling me that story. Did you beat him up when you were kids?"

"That grinning idiot had it coming." Johnny turned to look at Max, now standing there in his Tweety Bird bathrobe, and asked, "What the hell is that?"

"Limited edition Tweety. Don't you recognize it?" Max pointed to the yellow bird on his robe.

"Take that off. You're embarrassing me."