Chapter Text
“Tonight” Sensei Kreese spoke up “You will prove yourselves once more”
Tory lightly massaged her shoulder, which had been aching since she had been kicked in that afternoon. Yoon, on her side, looked at her apologetically, and she smiled in response.
“Night practice is something all of you have been familiar with” He followed “And this will be no different”
Sensei Kim gave him a cold look, but no one questioned.
“We will divide you into two teams” He said and Kwon glanced at Tory, who glanced back.
A silent conversation, telling each other they will probably be on opposite teams, being the captains.
Challenging each other. He smirked and so did she.
It was weird, she once thought the only person she could have those kinds of conversations with was Robby, but since their first breakup, she had been noticing that's a talent for her.
Big Red and her talk like that sometimes, she and Devon too, and now she and Kwon.
“You can go first” He said to Sensei Kim.
“Do-Jin” She said and Tory saw how Kwon grimaced, Yoon walked to her side.
“Nichols” Sensei Kreese said and she went to his side.
“Hee”
“Kwon” Kreese said, Kwon got to his spot and looked at Tory again, another conversation.
“We'll destroy them” They smirked at each other once more.
It followed until both teams were complete.
Sensei Kim walked forward this time, while Sensei Kreese gave Tory a bunch of black headbands and Yoon a bunch of red ones.
“Coyote Creek?” She asked the man, who gave her a small smile but didn’t answer
“You will work as a team to retrieve this from the other team” Sensei Kim showed 2 white flags, one with a back mark and the other with a red one “Your headband is your life. If it is taken, you're out”
“Coyote Creek and Capture the Flag then” Tory bit her lip lightly
“guticeun muotipnikka? (What are the rules?)” Chung asked “maritirl gaziogariomion (to take the headbands)”
“gutic abseum (No rules)” Sensei Kim followed and glanced at Sensei Kreese “You can get it by any means necessary”
“Team black, you have that side of the woods, the huts, and the entrance” Sensei Kreese pointed “Team Red, the other side of the woods, the fires, and the whole training fields”
“You get 10 to hide your enemy's flag” She gave them out to Tory and Yoon “When you hear the bells it means it's on”
“If you get the flag” Tory started “You get immunity? Extra life? Anything?”
“No” Sensei Kim smirked at her “It will just make you the important target”
“All ready?” Sensei Kreese asked “Your ten minutes start…” He adjusted the chronometer “Now”
Kwon signaled for them to follow him to the huts. He glanced at her, and she immediately understood his plan: hide the flag in her hut.
When they got there he immediately got the flag from her hands and started to move to the small window there.
“Are we sure?” she asked, moving to tie the end of the flag to the window, trying to make it look like a curtain.
“Yes” Kwon said certain “Trust me, they would think we put it in one of the abandoned ones”
“Ok” She sighed
They heard the loud bells. It was on.
“6 mongi gyesock girladanimher gitbaleul jikigo issspnida (six of you stay walking around and protect the flag)” He said to the others around them “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be” She took a deep breath “Any tips on how not to get lost in those woods at night?”
“Stay in the trails, and the trees closer to the edges look a little more curved than normal”
“Thanks” She smiled at him, and so did he, well, smirked like always.
And she’s getting so used to it that it’s almost uncanny to her. She was always waiting for that now.
She adjusted her headband. They would win this game no matter what.
“Stay alive American” Kwon said, patting her hair and she just glared at him.
“You too” She nodded at him.
…
He knew his way around there. And knowing Do-Jin he definitely would tell the team to hide that flag somewhere tall.
He was facing up, looking for a lighter spot.
“dangxin (You)” He heard Do-Jin's voice.
“morl wonha? (What do you want?)” He rolled his eyes
“nanen sungangyi doeaya hassda (I was supposed to be the captain)”
“grum dangxineun ilhge malassaya (Then you shouldn't have lost)” He said cockily and Do-Jin shoved him.
“unyi joheun gihoeyeossa (That was a lucky shot)” Do-Jin spat “dangxineun giheurl ser issge anhspnida (You don't stand a chance)” He got into a fighting stance.
“graser dangxineun gruhge nolgo sipa (So you do wanna play like that)” Jae-Sung smirked “grum gaza… gosa awan dongmul (Let's go then… Teacher's pet)” He signaled for him to come closer.
In an instant, Do-Jin launched forward, aiming a precise front kick toward Jae-Sung's hip, he sidestepped effortlessly, his hand shooting out to block Do-Jin's next punch.
Jae-Sung countered with a precise roundhouse kick, but Do-Jin ducked under it, feeling the air as the kick pretty much missed his head by some centimeters. He seized the opportunity, sweeping low with his leg to try and destabilize Jae-Sung, but the boy was quick, jumping just in time to avoid the sweep.
Do-Jin pretended to go for a jab but spun into a backkick aimed at Jae-Sung's chest. This time, his foot actually hit him and he stepped back. Not giving him a moment to recover, Do-Jin followed up with a flurry of punches, each one precise and controlled. Jae-Sung tried to block some of them, but the kick left him out of breath, and Do-jin used that, landing a punch on his ribs. He stepped back again, but now he was enraged.
Jae-Sung lashed out with a kick, aiming for Do-Jin's ribs, but the boy caught the kick just in time, twisting his leg and sending him sprawling. The grass cushioned the fall, he was up in a heartbeat, with a glint of determination and lots of anger in his eyes.
In a burst of speed, he caught Do-Jin’s wrist and pulled him into a throw, sending the boy rolling across the grass. Do-Jin quickly got back on his feet, breathing heavily.
He kicked again, this time hitting Jae-Sung’s face and he felt the blood coming from his lip. He got up again, not waiting to start punching Do-Jin again and again, not giving him time to react.
With each punch he unleashed all of his anger, even if he was the better fighter, Do-Jin still was Sensei’s Kim favorite, and not that he wanted to be the favorite, he had Sensei Kreese, but he wanted to be acknowledged as such.
He was supposed to be the favorite, not Do-Jin.
Do-Jin seemed to get over himself and was able to trip Jae-Sung in while he was lost in his thoughts.
He muttered something that Jae-Sung couldn't make out. But he blocked the punches and shoved Do-Jin away.
He got a bit of distance, kicking Do-Jin in the chest, and he lost his breath. Before either could attack again, a voice came from the woods.
“mwhanen guya? (What are you doing?)” Sensei Kim said almost horrified
“gnen shizak (He started)” Jae-Sung said immediately and Do-jin looked down as if in shame.
“nuga ggerteul shizakhassnenjinen zhongyohazi anhspnida (It doesn't matter who started)” She shook her head “dangxineun tim dongroipnida. sero jukiji malgo serorl bohohaya ha (You're teammates. You're supposed to protect each other not kill each other)”
“urinen darn time issspnida (We're in different teams)” Jae-Sung bit his tongue looking away.
“naga musn tetinji ihaehazi mothanen chekhazi mashipsio (Don't pretend you didn't understand what I mean)” She said and put her hands on their backs, they heard the bells “gaza,suupeun kketnassa. (let's go. Lesson is over)”
…
She was radiant. For the first time in weeks, she was smiling almost brightly. She got the flag.
She ran with it tied to her belt. She could hear the others chasing her, it only made her run faster.
She needed to focus on winning. Was she running away from a fight after stealthily getting the flag? Yes.
And that would probably cause one of two conversations with Kreese, but she didn't care now.
But she learned her lesson in the last Coyote Creek
Silver and Sensei Kreese had decided to remake Coyote Creek a bit before the tournament.
She was leading team red this time, and Robby was leading team black.
The ones remaining were her and Big Red in team red, and team black Robby and surprisingly Kyler.
She had lost that day, for not listening to Red when he said they should backtrack instead of attacking them by surprise like she planned. That they should let them come after them.
She didn't listen and they lost.
She wasn't mad she lost. She was too stubborn not to listen. It didn't help that Robby and Kyler were gloating over their win over them for a week.
She couldn't blame them, she would be doing the same… That's not to say she and Red didn't completely annihilate Kyler during a sparring session and beat Robby in another.
She wasn't going to be stubborn this time. She went with Red's original plan, backtracked on the fight, and this time she had a great excuse, getting the flag was more important.
She speeded up, almost seeing the reflection pool where they started. She needed to get there and show Kreese she did it.
She jumped something like a log and got into the reflection pool area, Kreese saw her first, smiling at her.
“Here,” She said breathlessly, the same as the people chasing her when they got there “Team Black won”
“Indeed” He smiled and rang the bells again “Well done Miss Nichols”
“Thanks, Sensei” She smiled at him “Master Kim” She bowed seeing the man, she didn't know he was around.
“You ran” He said staring at her disapprovingly.
“I wanted to win” She defended herself “I had the best chance if I was faster, and I was”
He didn't answer, just gave her a glance she couldn't make out if it was a good or bad thing, but Kreese put his hand on her shoulder
“Well done, Queen Cobra”
She smiled. She missed that title.
At that moment Kim showed up with the two boys, Tory's eyes widened, while Kreese sighed.
“musn jiteul han guya? (What did you do?)” Chung, who was around after the chase, asked Kwon
“What happened?” Tory said at the same time
“Hee and Tory” Sensei Kim said and threw something like a first aid kit in their direction, and Chung caught it “gdleul dowa (Help them)”
Tory faced the woman confused, she was still picking up on some more specific terms of training.
“Help them” Chung translated and she nodded.
“Thanks”
“You get Jae-Sung”
“Ok” He gave her some stuff and they made their way to the boys.
“Wanna tell me what happened?” She said when she sat down
“He's still mad I'm the best around” She raised an eyebrow.
“I don't know you two so well… But he doesn't seem the type to start useless fights”
“Oh, and I am the type?” He smirked, but he was a bit offended
“I didn't say that” She chuckled and got the small cotton piece, cleaning the small scratch on his forehead he didn't even notice he had “Just that you're more… Quick to anger”
“Not wrong” He nodded “But he's mad I'm the best one… And the captain”
“Can you blame him?” She gave him a small smile and he shook his head
It was weird for a moment, she was being so gentle as if she was scared of hurting him more, he couldn't remember the last time someone was like that with him.
He liked that a lot, he realized. That she was like that with him.
She put the tape in his scratch as delicately as before. She grabbed another cotton piece and started cleaning the cut in his lip. With the same care from before, the same gentleness.
She was so close, and he could feel her light breath in his skin, that was not something he was used to, but he liked it.
“So… Did we win?” He asked looking back at her eyes, who smiled a bit
“I got the flag… Didn't get any lives though”
“Well done… American”
“Thanks” She shrugged “I would put ice if it hurts, it will numb it”
“I will” He nodded and Tory gave him a sympathetic smile, which he reciprocated.
He glanced at Yoon and Chung over her shoulder, he wouldn’t let Yoon take his captaincy away, not in a thousand years. He was the best around, he would always be the best around, no matter how that angered Do-Jin, no matter how the other students saw him… And no matter how Sensei Kim pretended not to see it.