Huntington Beach, California.
"Max! Max! Wake up!"
Max opened his eyes, pushing aside the martial arts magazine that had been covering his face. He squinted as the bright California sun hit his handsome features.
They were at these California beaches to escape the heavy emotions that had been suffocating him lately. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he borrowed his uncle's yacht to enjoy a good weekend while visiting a special place.
"What happened?" Max stretched, then grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the ice bucket, drinking half of it in one go as he looked at Miguel, who seemed nervous.
"Is it true you're interested in joining street fights again?" Miguel asked, pointing to a video playing on his phone.
They were currently on his uncle's yacht. Some of them were swimming, others were diving, and Ryan was racing jet skis while Max relaxed on the deck.
"I'll ask how you found out about those fights, but I think I already know the answer to my question." Max suspected Ryan had told Miguel about them. After all, it wasn't common for them to visit these places, especially with Max tagging along.
In the world of street fights, certain zones were controlled by specific groups. They had influence in the valley and surrounding areas, but here, other groups held sway.
Ryan had said he had something planned—a supposed party where the grand finale would be a series of fights. Participants could challenge each other until someone became the king of the night.
Since there were many foreigners, beautiful girls were plentiful. But Max, uninterested in anything other than the fights, had kept out of most of the activities his friends were enjoying.
However, Miguel had been hanging out with Ryan, who told him about the evening's party and hinted that Max might participate in the fights.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Miguel noticed that Max seemed to be suffering in silence or dealing with something too big to handle. Of course, Miguel wasn't there to pry into Max's life, but as a friend, he needed to make sure Max was okay.
"So, what kind of fights?"
"It could be boxing, mixed martial arts, or some other nonsense," Max said while gazing at the waves.
This area was a public beach with clear water, gentle waves, and large coral reefs nearby, making it a popular spot for diving. Tourists flocked here daily to rent diving equipment.
Miguel, with a calm expression, said, "I know you told me not to get involved with Samantha, but I think I'm falling hopelessly in love with her."
"Well, give it a shot. Life's about trying new things, and if it makes you happy, you should go for it." Max knew not everyone was ready for a romantic relationship. He certainly wasn't, especially not with anyone close to him.
The rule among friends was clear, he didn't want to ruin a friendship he valued. So he let Miguel do whatever he wanted.
In fact, Miguel didn't even need to tell him. Max didn't want to impose authority on anyone, so he would let Miguel approach Johnny's rival's daughter, who had watched Miguel fight Kyler.
"That guy came here trying to sell us the responsible adult spiel, but didn't he resolve his own problems with his fists? It's pretty ironic that now he wants to preach about change." Ryan joined them, recounting Daniel's visit to the others.
Devon, who was with Tory and some other girls, approached and said, "Ryan sent someone to draw a penis on the posters of the guy who stopped Miguel's fight."
"Oh, come on, is that true?" Max didn't think Ryan would go that far; it wasn't his style.
"Yeah, I think Johnny heard the story and came up with a plan for a little payback."
Max found it funny, at least a little, but, of course, Daniel didn't deserve it.
"At least he didn't notice, right?"
"How are we supposed to know that?" Devon looked at Eli, who had now transformed into Hawk after just one day at Cobra Kai.
Hawk, who had completely changed his attitude, scratched his head, unsure of what to say.
"Let's just stop causing more trouble for our martial arts school. The last thing we want is to get reported or something even worse." Max didn't want Cobra Kai to disappear, especially now that his uncle Terry had shown such interest in helping revive the dojo.