Chapter XXIX: Chick Check
The next day at school, Johnny, Miguel, Katie, Aurora, and Izzy were looking for girls. "Okay. This is it. This is where most of the girls' teams practice. Ya sure you'll be able to convince 'em?" Miguel asked.
"Please. When I went to this school, the only thing I was better at than karate, and I was pretty good at karate, was talking to chicks. Watch and learn, Diaz. Watch and learn." Johnny was ready. He jogged with two girls. "Teen girls wanted. You gotta be under 18 or it's a no-go." The girls were creeped out at this. "No, not like that!" Johnny insisted. He then saw four girls on their phones. "Let me guess, posting photos on Facebook? You know what photos would look rad? A photo of you kicking someone in the face."
"We meet out at the old Webber Industrial warehouse. We're looking for badass chicks just like you. An abandoned factory smack dab between the pipe supply and the burned-down Chuck E. Cheese..."
"Trust me, the chicks are gonna love this." Johnny then poured oil on Miguel. "Hey, too much!"
"You gotta get it into every groove. It's about molding highlights to emphasize curvature." Johnny explained.
"Hey, ladies, wanna work up a real sweat? Where's your beach ball? Here's the beach ball. Try Eagle Fang Karate, the most bitchin' dojo in the... Valley." The girls ran off before Johnny could finish talking.
"And the best part is we have a whole stable of hot young dudes, like my man Miguel over here." Johnny told a girl about Miguel. "You like what you see? He's not even in the top five. We got babes and everything, whatever floats your boat."
"I'm asexual." The girl said.
"All right, he's a sеxual too. Check him out. Total stud." Johnny said as she looked at Miguel flexing his muscles. "So what do you say? You ready to become an Eagle?"
Johnny, Miguel, Katie, Aurora, and Izzy still couldn't find a girl. "I don't get it. I thought girls today were supposed to be tough. Why can't we find anyone for our team?"
"Maybe not everyone needs karate. Especially girls who are already on sports teams." Miguel said.
"Hey, Miguel. Hey, Katie. Hey, Aurora. Hey, Izzy." Moon saw the four of them.
"Hey, Moon, what's up?" Miguel asked.
"Some perv was creeping on the track team so we're gonna practice inside. What are you doing here?" Moon asked.
"Recruiting for our new dojo. Eagle Fang Karate." Katie answered.
"Yeah. You know, you should join, actually." Miguel suggested.
"Really? Okay. Yeah, that sounds like fun. Wait. Do... Do I have to hit anyone?" Moon asked.
"Hell yeah, you do." Izzy answered.
"Oh, no, then I-I'm out. I... I can't do the whole physical aggression thing. You should ask my ex." Moon suggested.
"Hawk?" Miguel asked.
"No, my... My other ex. She's the best athlete in school and she's not afraid to get into a fight. She also has a sister who's athletic." Moon explained.
"I've got a few classes with her actually." Aurora said.
"Sounds like the badass babes we've been looking for." Johnny said.
"Yeah, you might want to take a different approach with her. Want some pointers?" Moon asked.
"Absolutely." Miguel answered.
Meanwhile, Lonnie had given the Nichols sisters a ride to the LaRusso household. "Thanks for dropping us off, Lonnie." Emma thanked Lonnie after she and Tory got out of his car.
"No problem. I know that you need help now more than ever." Lonnie said before he drove off.
At the LaRusso house, Amanda heard the doorbell ring. "Hold on, I'm coming." Amanda opened the door, and noticed Tory and Emma. "Oh, so you're knocking this time."
"Mrs. LaRusso, I... need your help." Tory said.
"OK. C'mon in." Amanda invited them inside. "You, remember the way?"
"So the principal said he'd consider letting me back into school because of my situation at home, but your family would have to sign off." Tory explained.
"Well, I'm glad you wanna get your life back on track. Going back to school is a big step. But I need you to promise me something." Amanda reminded Tory.
"I'll stay away from Sam, and Emma will stay away from Anthony. I swear." Tory promised.
"That's great. But, um... I want you to get support. Talk to someone. You both have been dealing with a lot. You have been, for a while. You should... talk to a therapist, a guidance counselor, the Dalai Lama, it doesn't matter. Just someone who isn't karate related." Amanda suggested.
"I... whatever it takes, I'll do it." Tory promised. "Thanks Mrs. LaRusso. We could definitely use a lot of help right now." Emma thanked Amanda. Suddenly, Daniel and Sam showed up, and Sam noticed them.
"What? What the hell are they doing here?" Sam asked in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Eli was at his house playing Dungeon Lord on his laptop with his younger brother Ethan sitting next to him when the Alexopoulos brothers showed up.
"Where the hell have you been?" Demetri asked.
"Demetri? Bradon? How'd you even get in here?" Eli asked.
"Uh, your mom's left the key under the gnome since kindergarten. You should think about increasing the security given, you know, the karate war." Demetri explained.
"But that ain't important now." Bradon said.
"What's so important?" Eli asked.
"Didn't you hear? The All Valley has separate gender divisions. I mean, do I look like Miyagi-Do's best hope at defeating Robby Keene? I mean, Mr. LaRusso says that anyone can be the hero, but I'm not Batman. I'm more like Alfred. You're Batman. Oh right, I forgot, you're not a DC guy. Whatever. Forget Batman, you're the Hawk." Demetri explained.
"Yeah, not anymore. So..." Eli sighed as he took off his hood and cap, revealing a head without any remains of a mohawk.
"Hey, at least it ain't as bad as the last time I saw it." Bradon assured Eli.
"Everyone at school knows what happened. Angelique and Lonnie even took a picture of me after the haircut and posted it on Instagram. It's embarrassing." Eli sighed.
"Who cares what they think? Besides, it'll grow back." Demetri assured Eli.
"It doesn't matter. I ruined my reputation, talked a big game, and just proved I was an asshоlе. To Moon, to Miguel, and especially you. I got what I deserved." Eli sighed.
"Hey, I forgave you, remember? And I don't care if you have a Mohawk, or a mullet, or pigtails, Miyagi-Do needs you." Demetri said.
"I'm not going back to Miyagi-Do." Eli said.
"That's great. You're choosing Eagle Fang over your best friend." Demetri sighed.
"I'm not going back to Eagle Fang either! I-I'm done with karate, man. I quit." Eli lost all hope.
Meanwhile, Johnny, Miguel, Katie, and Izzy were at a gymnasium where the Elswith sisters, Piper and Stella were practicing gymnastics. "I mean, they're fast, they're strong..." Miguel explained to Johnny, who said, "Both girl are natural Eagles."
"Oh, which ones are yours?" A man standing next to them asked.
"Well, those ones look good to me. Haven't talked to them yet though. I'm still working on my approach. Got any advice?" Johnny asked.
"OK, remember what Moon told you?" Miguel reminded Johnny, who said, "Yes, I will be awake."
"Uh, no. No, no, no. Be woke." Katie reminded Johnny.
"Hey, Piper. Hey, Stella. I wanted to introduce you. This is..." Miguel said.
"Sensei John Lawrence of Eagle Fang Karate. Let me tell you why my dojo is perfect for modern young women like yourselves. We live in a world where you gotta be an alpha to survive. You're either a killer or you're dead meat. You gotta be a man. At Eagle Fang we confront that phrase and make it empowering for all. We teach anyone who identifies as female to embrace their queenly strength and tear down the neo-masculine hierarchy to confront internalized sexism." Johnny explained.
"Sounds inclusive. But what about non-binary and gender fluid?" Piper asked.
"Yes, fluids are crucial. If you don't hydrate, it affects performance." Johnny explained as the Elswith sisters laughed.
"And he's funny." Izzy laughed.
"Well, actually, my sister and I have been meaning to join a dojo." Stella explained.
"We don't wanna be the last people who don't know karate." Piper said.
"Then today is your lucky day." Johnny said. "Hey, Piper. Hey, Stella. Come check this out." A girl called out.
"Okay, cool. We'll be there." Piper said.
"All right." Johnny was finally happy that he found at least one girl for Eagle Fang.
"Sensei, I can't believe you pulled that off. Did you know what any of those terms meant?" Miguel said and asked Johnny, who countered, "Do I look like I pee sitting down?"
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