CHAPTER FORTY ONE

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Jordyn tried forgetting about Silver paying the ref, but it was impossible. The guilt was suffocating her. She wanted to scream at Silver. To expose him. The only people who knew about it was Tory and Kreese, who was behind bars because of something he didn't even do.

Jordyn released a sigh as she turned the sink off, drying her hands with a hand towel. She walked down the hallway and entered her room, eyes immediately landing on the trophy sitting on her desk. Jordyn grabbed her duffel bag and car keys before leaving the room without sparing another look at the trophy. She locked the front door before walking to her car.

Jordyn picked up Tory before driving to the Cobra Kai dojo. She parked right outside and the two girls got out of the vehicle, heading inside. As soon they walked in, all heads turned to them. The first thing Jordyn noticed was seven other Senseis standing in a line.

Silver noticed Jordyn and gestured to her with his hand. "Let's all give it up. Champ is in the house."

Everyone began to clap as Jordyn set her duffel down and bowed. She didn't spare a glance at Silver as she joined the others, standing next to Kenny.

"She's allowed to be late. Today." Silver said, sharing a laugh with everyone else as Jordyn cracked a small smile.

"When are you going to bring your trophy in?" Kenny asked Jordyn.

"I don't know." She rudely replied, his face immediately dropping and he decided to leave her alone.

Soon enough, class begun. Jordyn stood there with a frown, watching as people grabbed a partner and started warming up. A Japanese older man approached her, looking her up and down and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, you are champion, eh?" He spoke.

Jordyn slowly nodded, a sigh leaving her lips. "I guess I am."

"Then I will not go easy on you."

Jordyn raised an eyebrow at him, following him to a dummy. He grabbed some sparring gloves, held his arms up and gestured her to start kicking. She kicked, her foot smacking against the sparring gloves. She thought she was doing just fine, but the man scoffed at the way she was kicking and lowered his arms.

"You are better than this."

"And how would you know?" She scoffed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You've never seen me fight."

"It is obvious. You are troubled." He said. "Maybe you don't wanna train anymore now that you are champion."

She almost rolled her eyes, voice coming out a bit harsh as she spoke, "I don't just fight for a trophy. I wanna be strong, to defend what's mine." She paused for a moment. "What about you? Why be a Sensei?"

"Honor." He answered.

She blinked. "That's it? Honor?"

"That is everything. I thought I had lost my honor. Eventually, I understood. No one can take honor from you. Only you can take honor for yourself." He told her, his words beginning to echo through her head.

"How's it going over here, Sensei..." They both turned to see Silver. Jordyn had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the sight of him.

The man fully turned to him, bowing as he introduced himself, "Jokichi Tatsuya. Everyone calls me Joe."

"Sensei Joe, what are you working on with our champion?" Silver asked, eyes flickering to where the teenage girl stood.

"First train mind. Then train body."

Silver stepped back. "Don't let me interrupt."

Bowing, Sensei Joe turned to Jordyn, slowly rising his arms up as he told her, "If you want to break free of troubles, you must face them directly. Now, focus."

Jordyn inhaled deeply, getting in form. Then, she began kicking at the sparring gloves, feeling Silver's stare on her.

When class ended, Jordyn decided to stay back while everyone else rushed home. She figured it was the time to confront Silver about the All Valley Tournament. About him paying the ref. Was she nervous? Absolutely, but she wasn't going to let nervousness stop her from biting his head off.

Hearing footsteps, Jordyn looked up and saw Silver, who didn't even notice her sitting at the counter.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." She said, startling him.

He turned to her, growing a wide smile. "Fox, what are you still doing here? Everyone left. Excited to take things to the next level?"

She crossed her arms as she scoffed. "What's the point? You'll just pay to make me champion again."

Silver froze. The look in his eyes confirmed that Jordyn got him.

"So you know about the ref." He spoke quietly, looking down at his feet before looking back up. "Have you told anyone else?"

"No." Jordyn lied. She didn't want to get Tory in trouble. "You don't deny it?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. I paid him off to make sure Cobra Kai won. It was an insurance policy. You still won the fight." He told her, making her scoff.

"Did I?"

He grinned a bit. "Of course you did. You're the champion. I know it. LasRusso knows it. The whole valley knows it. If you don't believe it, you're the only person who doesn't."

"What am I supposed to do?" She questioned, voice a little high, but she didn't care. "Just go back to normal? Pretend like nothing is wrong here?"

"I'm not Sensei Kreese." Silver said after a while of silence. "I don't have the connection you two had. I never had to scrape and claw my whole life, like you. But what I do know is how to use every advantage to ensure victory."

Jordyn raised an eyebrow. "You mean cheating?"

Silver closed his eyes in frustration. "The tournament was a matter of Cobra Kai's survival. If a person steals food to survive, are they cheating? Or are they doing what must be done? I want you here. And I want you to be you. If you choose to leave, I won't hold it against you. But if you come back tomorrow, I will make you the future of this dojo."

With that, he walked away, leaving Jordyn all alone in the middle of the dojo. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she went to the locker room to grab her bag before storming out of the dojo.

She arrived home, parking her car right outside the apartment complex. She wasn't paying any attention as she walked to her apartment. She didn't even notice the man standing right outside her front door until she looked up, taking a step back as soon she saw him.

"Can I help you?"

He turned around. And as soon Jordyn saw his face, she dropped her keys and bag.

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