Chapter Text
"Kenny, protect the garden!" Anthony cried, as his peashooter was killed by a Foot Solider. "That Foot Soldier is so annoying dude!"
"I'm trying, but Super Brainz is getting on my nerves." Kenny replies as his Kernel Corn takes Super Brainz, but two Scientists begin to jump him shortly after. "So are these Scientists who keep reviving him."
While they were able to give him some trouble for a moment, he was able to dispatch them with Multi-Shuck.
"Let's go!" Kenny pounded his chest full of excitement after dispatching multiple foes at once. "There's still time to turn things around!"
"You guys still seemed pumped up after training Miguel and Tory." Devon commented, she turned her attention towards Kenny. "I'm impressed with your skills Kenny."
"Well, what can I say," Kenny replied, as his Kernel Corn takes down a Z-Mech. "When I said I've been a Plants vs Zombies fan since the old days, I mean it. I made sure Shawn got Garden Warfare 2 right when it came out."
There was only 30 seconds left, and the zombies are so close to claiming the garden, even with the Butter Barrage, the Zombies kept coming. The Plants were losing ground with the Foot Soldiers taking out all the healers.
Is this the end? Kenny thought as his Kernel Corn was on the brink of death.
Just when all hope seemed lost, a Chili Bean Bomb was thrown to the middle of the garden before exploding shortly after. The usage was perfect, as it took out all of the Zombies in the garden. They've actually did it, they actually pushed them back.
"LET'S GO!" Anthony sat up from the couch.
"That was a nice save Anthony." Kenny dapped him up. "Using that Chili Bean Bomb really saved us."
"Hey, I couldn't have done it without your Butter Barrage. That was a really wise move. Nothing can stop us when we work together."
"So we're going to act like you two failed to take down the Zombot?" Devon murmured rolling her eyes.
Anthony slouched down a little, "Come on, those Zombies were camping at the generator, there was no time to defeat it in like 4 minutes."
"Also Dev," Kenny countered. "We had it on insanity, so we were basically going against the hardest possible bots."
She rolled her eyes again, ignoring the her heart beating fast from Kenny calling her Dev. Sometimes she forgets how often her crush friend digs a hole for himself. "Kenny, if you two were unbeatable then you guys should've won that."
"But-"
"No buts Anthony," Lee interrupted LaRusso, "Zombopolis is the hardest map in Herbal Assault, so you two should've been able to conquer it if you two were unbeatable."
Ding!
The door bell rang, stopping their conversation.
"I wonder who it is?" Anthony placed down the controller. "You two stay here."
Kenny and Devon nodded. When Anthony left the scene, the loud explosive energy turned into awkward silence. If someone was there, they would point out how out of character it was for either to be reluctant to talk to one another. Some things have happened that caused them to distance themselves from each other.
"So," Devon attempts to break the awkward silence. "How was training Miguel?"
"It was pretty good actually," Kenny thought for a moment, "I even managed to practice sparring with him. The elbow strike to the chest didn't feel good though."
Devon chuckled, Kenny sparring with Miguel was something new. Oftentimes when training, Kenny would just spar with Robby as he was his mentor. But of course, there's no point in joining the dojo, if you aren't going to make stronger connections with your new friends.
"I wished I could've trained with Tory and Sam," Devon confessed. "But I had to go to work with my dad, because he needed some mental support. He had to perform a brain surgery."
Kenny's eyes widened. "Was it successful?"
Devon nodded her head. "It was gross, but at the same time pretty cool, I guess."
Now Kenny chuckled, even though it was still kind of awkward, they were able to enjoy each other's presence. The sounds of chuckle were consumed by silence, back to square one.
"YO LIA!"
Kenny's eyes widened upon hearing that name, someone he never thought he would see again. Lia?!
"Who's Lia?" Devon was confused with Kenny's reaction.
"A friend of ours back in middle school."
She quirked an eyebrow. "I'm guessing West Valley Middle School?"
He nodded. "She was the first friend I made when I moved here."
Her eyes widened with interest. She never expected Kenny to have friends before joining Cobra Kai, but then again, Kenny mentioned he doesn't like talking about the time he joined Cobra Kai. Kenny got up from the couch and headed for the door. Curiosity got the best of Devon, and she followed Kenny to the door.
"Anthony!" Lia's voice was filled with joy. "How have you been!"
Anthony smiled. "Nothing much, how about you?"
"I'm fine," Lia gave Anthony a hug. "Summer has been somewhat boring as I had nothing to do."
"You should really try karate sometime," Anthony suggested, "you've got some skills which would combine well with Cobra Kai."
She held up her hand. "I think karate wouldn't be for me, I don't think I have the mental capacity to being involved with karate warfare."
Anthony laughed.
"Yo, what's going on Lia?" Kenny appeared from behind Anthony. "It's been a while."
Her eyes turned to Kenny, confusion filled her eyes. "Have we've met before?"
Anthony was taken back Lia didn't instantly recognized Kenny. But he can't lie, Kenny had a crazy growth spurt last August, more so than anyone else he knew. "Oh, that's Kenny."
"Kenny?!" Her yelling cut through the air. "As in Kenny Payne?!"
Kenny nodded.
"Wow, you must've had one hell of a growth spurt since the last time I saw you." Her eyes turned to the girl next to Kenny. "And what's your name?"
Devon stumped a little, before taking a deep breath. "I'm Devon Lee, but you can just call me Devon."
"Oh, you're that debate girl. I heard about you, joining a high school debate team as a middle schooler is impressive."
Anthony waved his hand. "Why don't you come in?"
"Thanks Ant," Lia stepped into the house. She turned to Kenny. "We should probably catch up, Anthony told me some stories are better to hear from your side."
Kenny was taken back before shrugging his shoulders. They really need to catch up on what happened since they last saw each other in June of last year.
"This may sound crazy," Anthony spat out of the blue, "but did I tell you that Lia was the reason why I bullied Kenny?"
"What do you mean Anthony?" Devon asked, not keeping her eyes off of Lia as she followed Kenny to the living room. "How did it start your rivalry with Kenny?"
"Well," Anthony thought for a moment. "Kenny and I had a crush on Lia. Because of that, I got jealous of him and after that, I began bullying Kenny just because I couldn't stand losing Lia over Kenny."
Devon turned her eyes away from the duo and towards Anthony. "Are you serious?"
Anthony nodded, regret began to fill his face. "If I could go back in time, I would try my hardest to prevent what happened between us."
"I see," Devon replied, "it is good to see you two on good terms though."
"Yeah."
Before Anthony could say anything else, a voice sliced through the air. "Hey Anthony!"
It was Miguel, he appeared from the backyard. "You don't mind playing UNO with us right?"
"I don't mind, why?"
"Sam told me you were pretty good at it. Shawn is pretty unbeatable, so we need all the help we can get."
"Shawn is good at UNO? Huh, that's new. I can give it a shot, but I'm not betting on a victory." Anthony turned to Devon. "You wanna join us?"
Devon held up her hand. "I'm fine, I'll just hang out with Kenny and Lia. It should be fun."
Anthony nodded his head before heading to the backyard with Miguel.
That was somewhat of a lie, Devon could only look at Lia and Kenny talking to each other on the couch. Watching them made something in her chest stab her heart. Why is she so close to Kenny like that?
"Wait," Lia paused for a moment. "So you two had a rivalry over me?!"
Kenny nodded. "Yea, and that's what led to Anthony bullying me."
"Oh," Lia looked down at her hands. "I had no idea you were going through it. I guess that explains the entire situation."
"its fine really," Kenny held up his hand, "we were able to make up for it at the end. That's all that matters."
Lia nodded in agreement.
...
"So what do you guys want to do now?" Devon asked, her eyes were glued to Lia.
Lia thought for a second. "We can try some chess."
"I'm not that great at chess."
"Me neither."
"Well, I guess we can just continue talking about life." Lia exhaled, she really wanted to play some chess. She turned to Devon, oblivious to the fact that the 2019 quarter finalist had a growing jealousy in her heart. "So Devon, how did you meet Kenny?"
Her eyes widened, never in a million years did she think that Lia would ask her that question. "Well, I first saw Kenny during the All Valley Tournament. At the time we were at separate dojos."
"He was in Cobra Kai, which dojo were you in?"
"Eagle Fang, basically a more tame version of Cobra Kai."
"Ah. What were your first impressions when you saw Kenny in the tournament?"
Why would you ask someone you just met this question? Devon sighed. "I never really thought much about him, as I was focused on winning the tournament. The closest I've ever paid attention to him was his match against Robby, everyone was shaken to their core when he delivered that kick to Kenny's face."
Kenny cringed from the memory. Back then he was proud of that moment, because it showed him how to be unbreakable. But now, he saw it nothing more than a path of darkness. The moment Kenny became what Robby feared, a bully, one that showed no mercy to his victim.
"Hey Kenny you alright?" Devon noticed Kenny's hands twitching a little.
Kenny shook his head and regained his senses, a smile was present on his face. "Yeah, I'm fine."
The girls weren't too convinced especially after Kenny explained what Lia missed. But Kenny probably wouldn't open up about that specific moment, so there was no point in pressuring him. Lia turned her attention back to Devon, her face was filled with curiosity. "So you first saw Kenny during the All Valley Tournament. When did you actually meet him face to face?"
Devon sighed again, starting to get annoyed by her curiosity. "I first met Kenny when I joined Cobra Kai, back in the summer. We quickly became good friends after his performance against one of the senseis. I forgot his name."
She turned to Kenny, who was already deep into his thoughts. "Kenny, do you remember his name?"
"I believe it was Sensei Odell."
"Oh yeah, Kenny kicked him in the face. Something the boys wouldn't stop shutting up about. About two days later, Kenny and I hung out with each other whenever training was over."
"And I'm guessing the same for you Kenny?"
"Yea pretty much, she really never gave up against Sensei Kim was something everyone was impressed by. I can see why everyone saw the champion in her."
Devon blushed a little from Kenny's compliment.
"How about Anthony? When did you first meet him?"
Devon thought for a moment. "Probably at the Water Park. But that was only a quick glance. I really only started talking to him when I joined Miyagi-Do, since Kenny was still processing what happened with Cobra Kai, he was the only person around my age there."
Lia tilted her head to the side a little. "Interesting, have you tried reaching out to Kenny?"
Devon nodded. "Yea, pretty much everyone did as well. But it was to no avail, even Tory and Robby weren't able to successfully convince him. I met him in person during the first day of school, convincing him to join Miyagi-Do. But he..."
She looked at Kenny for a moment, during that time it was probably an emotional moment for Kenny. He gave a nod of approval to continue.
"He was just uncertain of what he wanted to do, but he didn't want to join the dojo. It wasn't until Robby and Miguel's fight with Kenny and Shawn that Shawn was able to find out what Kenny was going through. Turns out, the no mercy mentality was still in his mind and he couldn't trust anyone anymore, not even his best friends."
Kenny nodded, he still felt guilty about pushing everyone away, especially Devon. Before his conversation with Shawn, Devon came close to breaking down the barriers. However, that was before the "Way of the Fist" mentality kicked in. He still remembered the time Devon grabbed his hand to provide some comfort, shortly after he yanked it away. When he finally joined Miyagi-Do, the first thing he did was make it up to Devon, which was to watch some films together like they used to.
"Kenny?" Lia broke Kenny from his state of mind. "You've been zoning out a little too much while discussing the past."
"Yea, I'm fine really. Those were just the darkest times of my life. Probably even darker than the Shittening."
Devon's heart ached from the incident, but Kenny's face assured her that he has forgiven her from that incident. Each time her heart pumps excitingly upon the glances from Kenny, it aches with jealousy given how close Lia was to Kenny.
"Uh, what's the Shittening?" Lia asked obliviously what he was referring to.
Kenny and Devon went stiff, this is the first time a high school student outside of their dojo asked about the background of the incident.
"Uh," Kenny began, "Back in December, Devon, Demetri, Hawk, and I were all competing for the last two spots for the Sekai Taikai as we were all tied."
Lia nodded her head, she was following along.
"The challenge was to basically find two flags, whoever brings them back was the winner. During the warm up, I took a drink of water before heading to the bathroom. During that time, I think, Devon places Mitch's laxatives in my water," Kenny paused for a moment, "It didn't start having an effect until the middle of race. After that I tried to go to the bathroom, but... I ended up shitting myself in front of everyone."
Lia's eyes widened, before turning her eyes towards Devon. It didn't take an expert to find the look within her eyes were filled with disapproval and perhaps even hatred. But Devon can't blame her, spiking someone's water to win a competition is low.
SHIT! Kenny continued off, "But when I reunited with Devon and the others, we made amends over what happened."
Lia turned her attention back to Kenny, she calmed down. "I see, sorry about that Devon."
"It's fine really," Devon waved her hand a little, "it was such a low moment."
Devon could only watch as Lia and Kenny continued to talk to each other. Whatever they were talking about was lost to her as she could only focus on their body language. Ever since Kenny explained the Shittening, she couldn't help but notice that Lia has been scooting closer to Kenny, with the boy being oblivious to it. She wanted to say something in an attempt to get Lia away from Kenny, but she hesitated. What's the point, starting drama would cause chaos. I need to cool myself.
"I forgot to ask you this." Kenny began, his tone spoke of innocence, hoping to break the intention about the very darkest moment of his life. "Anthony told me you had a crush on someone. Is that true?"
Devon felt it was the best time to get her attention away from Lia. "I'll be using the bathroom."
Lia acknowledged her departure, her expression was indifferent. "Oh okay."
"I'll tell you what she said when you come back Devon," Kenny replied.
She quickly ran into the bathroom, before closing the door. Thankfully, she didn't encounter anyone on her way to the bathroom by some miracle. It brings her back to Barcelona, when she went to the bathroom to cool her head. Much like last time, it revolved around Kenny. Déjà vu is such a pain.
With hesitation, Devon came face to face with her reflection, her eyes seemed water. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she wanted to cry right then and there. But considering there's an evening event going on, she had to suck it up.
"Lia clearly isn't interested in Kenny," Devon denied as she wiped her eyes, "I'm just overthinking. Yeah, yeah I'm just overthinking."
But her thoughts went back to the time Lia was scouting closer to Kenny as he exchanged glances with her. The time Lia asked her what she thought of Kenny. No, she wasn't overthinking it, Lia definitely liked Kenny. Not to mention, Anthony and Kenny liked her at one point, she was at a disadvantage. But, at the same time, she doesn't know if Kenny is still interested in her. Kenny mentioned he had a crush on someone in middle school, but he claimed he moved on from her as he was mainly focused on karate. But that can all change when you see them again in person after a year.
Kenny seemed to be oblivious to her flirting, he likely wouldn't say his feelings unless Lia directly told him-
She stopped herself, because Kenny mentioned she had a crush on someone. There's no point... they probably just started dating each other when I left.
Before she could do anything else, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Wasting no time, she opened her phone to see a text from her father.
Dad:
Hey Devon, I'm here. I know you have a party going on, but I need to pick up you early. I have a busy night shift until 4 AM.
Devon's face became gloomy, this clearly wasn't her night. During the days he has night shifts, he is very strict when Devon should come home, even Johnny respects his strictness. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked into the hallway.
Her next task was to not look at Lia, she didn't want anything to do with her, doing that without being caught would be almost impossible.
"Devon?" A voice rode through the air in the hallway. Immediately she recognized it, it was Johnny. "You okay?"
Devon turned towards her mentor and nodded quickly. "I'm alright, just had to cool my head a little."
"What happened?"
"Nothing really," Devon lied, passing by her sensei. Fortunately, her dad arrived just in time. "I gotta go. My dad is here, he has a busy night shift tonight."
Johnny quirked an eyebrow, but considering Devon doesn't like leaving early, he shrugged his shoulders before returning to the backyard.
Devon sped walk into the living room and found her bag behind the couch. As she packed her bag, she heard Lia shout, "This is my favorite part of the movie!"
Her voice irritated her and she was so glad that would probably be the last time she would hear her voice, at least for a while. She didn't even care which movie they were watching, probably Avengers: Endgame judging from the dialogue. With the challenging task complete, her last mission was to make it to the front door without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, she encountered Miguel, Tory, and Sam near the front door.
"Hey." Miguel greeted, a smile was present on his face, with that face she had to stop. "Having a good time?"
Devon's face grimaced a little, but she still put up her best smile, not even a second later it turned into a frown. "Yeah, I was having fun, but I have to go, my dad's here."
"Without saying goodbye to Kenny?" Tory asked, she started to feel something was off. "Usually you would say goodbye to him first, not bolt for the door."
Sam stepped in noticing Devon's facial expression. "Devon, what's really going on?"
"Nothing at all, I'm fine. Just bumped out because my father came early, he has a busy night shift, so he becomes really strict when that happens." Devon replied rushing towards the door, all that could cloud her mind was Kenny and Lia.
"Yo Devon." A voice called, stopping Devon in her tracks. It was Kenny. "You forgot something, your bracelet."
"Oh... thanks," Devon couldn't help but blush a little from Kenny returning the bracelet, "I had a feeling I forgot something.
Kenny saw Devon's face for a mere moment, it was far different from earlier, it seemed gloomy. The sparkle in her eyes were gone. "Are you okay Devon?"
Devon nodded, denying the growing pain in her heart. "Yeah, I'm fine, my dad has a busy night shift so I have to leave early."
"I was going to tell you-" Kenny wanted to keep his promise for her to catch up on what happened, but he was interrupted.
"Don't need to know, I'm in a hurry. It was nice seeing you." Devon smiled. She murmured the last part, which went unnoticed by everyone, as she walked towards the door. "Enjoy the evening with your girlfriend."
"Hey Devon," Mr. Lee called, not keeping his eyes off the road, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine Dad," Devon continued looking out the window. "Just a little exhausted."
Mr. Lee quirked an eyebrow, as he pulled up to their house. "Are you sure?"
Devon nodded grabbed her stuff and got out of the car. "Yes I'm sure dad. Just focus on your night shift."
"What's going on Devon," Mr. Lee stands in front of his daughter. Sometimes Devon forgets her dad was once a track runner. Even in his early 50s, he still got that small energy to move quickly. "I know we had to leave early, but you seem a lot different than usual."
"Its nothing dad," Devon sighed, "I promise."
Mr. Lee sighed, even he knows he can't convince his daughter to spill out what happened. He learned this after multiple times after the death of Mrs. Lee. "How about I make some dinner, rice and beef bulgogi."
Devon smiled slightly at the mention of her favorite dish, that was enough for Mr. Lee to head into the house and begin cooking.
She laid down on her bed after getting ready for bed. At this time, she would usually be texting Kenny, talking to him about whatever comes to mind. But now, all she could think about was the possibility of their connection being severed perhaps permanently. If they really were together, Lia would most definitely tell Devon to stay away from Kenny if she ever encounters her again. Considering their history, it wouldn't be much of a shock if Lia develops some jealousy towards Devon if she started dating Kenny.
Devon thought dinner could help calm her down a little. However, she set the bar too high, she barely even talked to her father while eating. But can anyone blame her? Kenny was able to occupy most of her mind while training for and during the Sekai Taikai, something no other student did. She didn't perform at all initially because all she could think about was how much her hurt Kenny. The only ones who would understand her would be Demetri, Tory, and Robby.
Her mind instantly went back to Barcelona back in April.
Devon watched as Miguel walked up to Hawk after their terrible match against the Furia de Pantera. Judging from his facial expression, he was clearly unhappy.
"Eli, why didn't you tag Kenny when you had the chance?" Miguel called out Hawk.
Hawk was shocked that Miguel would be defending Kenny. "He just got here, you expect us to trust him already?"
Kenny did not like the way Hawk spoke about him in front of everyone. "Trust me to what? Not get my ass kicked like you and Demetri?"
"Well yea like you'd do any better against Spanish Hawk," Demetri interjected. "You completely disappear after the Shittening and then you coincidentally come back the same time as Silver. You really wanna tag in a mole."
Devon's heart ached at that moment, while she apologize to Kenny, it was her fault this entire situation brew. Kenny on the other hand was offended, she never seen him this offended in a while.
"Hey," Johnny called to Devon, "check on Kenny. He has been on edge since the flight."
"Really?"
"Yes, he has been nervous about competing in the Sekai Taikai. We must get everyone on the same page, that is your duty."
When both of them turned their attention towards Kenny. It seemed like the wall shattered as Kenny began walking up to Hawk. "Say something you-"
Before a potential rematch between Kenny and Hawk could erupt, which would probably result in Miyagi-Do being kicked out of the tournament, Robby pushes the two apart to deescalate the situation.
"Hey! This isn't about Kenny. I'm the one who lost the match. Me!"
Robby storms off, disappointment was visible on his face. Concern filled the faces of her teammates, the entire team is doomed if Robby's behavior continues.
Devon's eyes stayed glued to Kenny, the prodigy could only scoff at Binary Brothers behavior. Sam tried to talk to him, but he held up his hand. It seems like he is telling the captain that he needs some privacy.
Devon walked up to Sam as Kenny walked away. "Hey, I'll talk to Kenny."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? It seems like he's going through the fact that Demetri and Hawk don't trust him, plus the possibility of being eliminated is also on his mind."
"Yes, I'm sure. I wasn't there to support Kenny when he stopped coming to Miyagi-Do after the Shittening. I'll meet up with you guys later."
Sam nodded her head. "Okay, I believe he's heading to the locker room."
Devon leaves the arena in an attempt to find Kenny. It felt like hours as each step she took while looking for Kenny, her heart pounded faster and faster. Her journey finally came to an end when she approached the locker room assigned to Miyagi-Do. The door was open, which isn't too surprising. Whenever she went to visit his house during the summer and fall of last year, he would often leave the door to his room open. She remembered the exact reason why he does it, to be more open to everyone. As she stepped into the doorway, she saw Kenny practicing kata. Compared to earlier... he looks very calm.
"Kenny?" Her voice called.
Kenny jumped a little from her voice, he wasn't expecting Devon to look for him after that match, at least not immediately. "Devon?"
"Look," Devon walked into the locker room, "I'm so sorry for causing all of this, I had no idea it was going to cause people to think you're a mole."
"Devon, it isn't your fault-"
"Yes it is Kenny." Devon interrupted Kenny, she walked closer to Kenny, easily within distance to hug him, but she had to refrain herself. "I was the reason why everyone laughed at you. If you took the sixth spot back in December, you wouldn't be going through this."
"Devon," Kenny placed his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know if it was a great idea, but he couldn't bear to see Devon being close to crying from all the pressure she's been going through. "That doesn't matter. You apologized, what happened can be thrown under the bridge. What I need to know is what is going on with Hawk and Demetri, I have never seen them acting like this."
Devon felt some of the pressure leave her shoulders. She took a deep breath, her cheeks flushed a little as that was the same night Demetri claimed she liked Kenny. "Demetri and Yasmine... broke up."
Kenny's eyes widened, they seemed like a lovely couple. He would hear stories of how Yasmine used to despise him, but after he broke his arm, she fell in love with him. "What happened?"
"He was dancing with another girl, Hawk was FaceTiming Moon at the time and accidentally recorded them dancing together. After that, the Binary Brothers despised each other because of the incident."
"So that explains why Demetri didn't want to tag Hawk. I hope Demetri finds a way to apologize to Yasmine."
Devon nodded. "Before then, Demetri was pissed Hawk didn't apply for MIT. Combine that with his tournament performance that nearly got us eliminated, they were already on shaking grounds. That night made Demetri develop trust issues with Hawk. Then Daniel told us Silver came back, and because you came back around the same time-"
"He thought I was a spy for Silver." Kenny finished Devon's thoughts. "But what about Hawk?"
"Hawk's in a weird place. I don't know what's up with him."
Kenny sighed, the team really was falling apart. "I just want to prove to the others that I'm not a mole."
"You will," Devon held Kenny's hand quickly. "It all depends on if Robby locks in."
Kenny nodded, the fate of this team was on Robby's shoulders. He wanted to say his thoughts, but Devon holding his hand caught him off guard, all he could do was stare at Devon.
"Oh uh," Devon realized the awkward situation they were in. She releases Kenny's hand. "I didn't mean to-"
Kenny chuckled a little. "It's fine Devon, you were just trying to provide some comfort."
There was another moment of silence.
"So," Kenny's voice sliced through the silent air, "wanna train a little? I know you aren't competing anymore, but it wouldn't help to prepare for the next Sekai Taikai."
Devon's eyes were filled with excitement, just like last year, the two would train together, without a care in the world.
Kenny, was all of our bonding for nothing compared to Lia? I thought we had something. For the first time that day, she let out her tears that she had been desperately holding in multiple times. At this point, Devon didn't care if her dad came in and saw her crying, she had to let it out. Just like the nights after the brawl, she cried herself to sleep.