It didn't take Jackson long to knock Brucks down, who was like a moving punching bag that only knew how to receive hits.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Brucks's nose bent like a badly used spatula, then he punched his stomach, and before he fell to the ground, he hit him on the jaw.
"I thought you'd put up more of a fight." Jackson pulled out a pair of brass knuckles to intimidate this bully and said: "You better not bother anyone else again, or next time I'll break a few ribs. And if for some reason you say I was the one who hit you, I won't mind doing it again."
"My friends will beat you up…"
Brucks's shrieks echoed in the alley, and Jackson, who was truly annoyed, began hitting him until he shut up.
"Stop it already, Jackson, you could really get into trouble if you keep doing this. Remember the juvenile facility, the food there must be worse than the school's." Devon said, looking at Jackson's bloody hands after punching Brucks in the face repeatedly.
Jackson, who had gotten a little too excited, stopped, released Brucks, and looked at Devon, who seemed calm at such an emotional, adrenaline-filled scene.
It was true that he had set out to stay away from fights; in the end, this was what they always brought into his life.
The bad decisions one can make escalate faster than one imagines, and in the end you don't know if you're doing something right or wrong.
"You don't have to pretend…" Jackson thought she would be scared. Mia wouldn't accept something like this; in fact, if he had done it in front of her, a whole scene would have erupted. He thought Devon was similar, and it would be a shame to lose her friendship because of this.
But against all odds, she smiled a little and said: "Did you cut yourself?"
Devon took Jackson's hand, which was bleeding from having punched Brucks in the mouth. "That idiot's teeth are sharp…"
"Let's get out of here." Devon took Jackson by the arm and pulled him out of the alley.
On the way to the parking lot, Jackson, who had beaten up a bully, looked at Devon, who didn't seem to have any prejudice against him, and asked: "What are you doing?"
"I guess preventing you from going to a juvenile detention center. They say that place is horrible and once again, the food must be the worst." Devon looked at Jackson, asking in turn which one was his car, with a calm expression.
Jackson pointed at a black four-door Jeep, and she got in as soon as he unlocked the doors.
Did this girl trust him that much?
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
Devon frowned and asked: "Why should I be? Let's go to that Dojo, I want to learn how to fight too. Knowing how to defend yourself must feel great."
"Alright…" Jackson smiled, and after treating his wounds, he drove to that Dojo following the instructions on the flyer Miguel had given him in the cafeteria.
…
Supermarket, Cobra Kai Dojo.
Jackson parked his vehicle outside this area where that first day the blond man had beaten up the students only to be arrested by the police afterward.
Upon getting out, he walked to the entrance where the same man was standing not far away, and who quickly approached. "It's you, Miguel told me about you. Are you interested in learning how to kick asses to prevent things like that from happening again? Instead of fists, you should use kicks—let your shoe take your rivals' teeth."
"Actually, I'd like to join, but I have to say I'm an experienced student and don't require your teachings. I have more than four years of experience, I've won numerous tournaments inside and outside the country, so I'll only be here if you promise not to force me to fight." Jackson wanted to be here because both Devon and Miguel were interested in martial arts, and they were the friends he had made here.
Johnny raised his eyebrows and asked: "Then, what are you doing here?"
"Spending time with my friends, training, and maintaining my level." Jackson thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to train whatever was necessary to maintain his physical condition since this wasn't related to fighting others.
"Fine, then you can help me train the new members." Johnny was of course enthusiastic; with an experienced boy, things would be lighter in the Dojo and he could optimize things more.
Devon, who was looking around the facilities, asked with a curious expression: "Aren't things here really old?"
"They robbed us a few days ago, but everything will be perfect once Miguel finishes cleaning." Johnny didn't pay attention to those unimportant details. To learn to fight, you don't need to train in luxury Dojos, and he would prove that with his teachings.
"I understand more or less the martial art you teach since my uncle taught it to me, so I won't have trouble being your assistant." Jackson took out his wallet, looked up, and asked: "How much is the annual fee?"
"What annual fee?" Johnny didn't understand what Jackson was asking, who was definitely a rich kid based on the clothes he wore and the vehicles he drove.