Thomas felt something tighten in his chest.
“Daniel from Kentucky?”
Jordan nodded.
“You knew him?”
Thomas gave a small, astonished smile.
“He taught me almost everything worth knowing about this sport.”
Derek looked between them.
“What is this?”
Thomas ignored him.
“How is your father?”
Jordan hesitated.
“He passed away three years ago.”
The words struck Thomas unexpectedly.
He lowered his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Jordan nodded.
“He talked about you sometimes.”
Thomas looked up.
“He did?”
“He said you were stubborn.”
Thomas laughed quietly.
“That sounds like him.”
Jordan continued.
“He also said you eventually became a good teacher.”
For several seconds, Thomas couldn’t answer.
Then Derek interrupted.
“Can somebody explain why we’re having a family reunion in the middle of my class?”
Thomas turned toward him.
“Because you’re standing in front of the son of the man who taught me what martial arts should be.”
Derek shrugged.
“So what?”
“So maybe you should listen to what he’s saying.”
Derek glanced at Jordan.
“His father being a good fighter doesn’t make him one.”
Jordan answered calmly.
“I never said it did.”
But Derek wasn’t listening anymore.
He had become fixated on one thing.
A teenager had criticized him.
His coach had defended the teenager.
And now everyone was watching.
“Fine,” Derek announced.
He stepped onto the center mat.
“If you know so much, come show us.”
Jordan shook his head.
“No, thanks.”
Derek smiled.
“Afraid?”
“No.”
“Then prove it.”
Jordan looked at Thomas.
The older coach understood immediately.
The boy wasn’t looking for permission to fight.
He was asking Thomas to take control of his own academy.
Thomas stepped between them.
“There will be no match.”
Derek stared at him.
“You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
“He walks in here, insults me, and gets away with it?”
Thomas’s voice remained steady.
“He raised a concern about how you treated a child.”
Derek pointed toward the beginner.
“That kid needs to toughen up.”
The boy lowered his head.
Thomas noticed.
Then he looked back at Derek.
“Come into my office.”
“I’m teaching.”
“Not anymore.”
The room went silent.
Derek’s face reddened.
“Are you firing me because some random kid complained?”
“I’m removing you from this class because you’re behaving irresponsibly.”
Derek laughed bitterly.
“Unbelievable.”
Thomas didn’t move.
“Office. Now.”
For a moment, Derek looked ready to argue again.
Then he pulled off his protective gloves and walked toward the hallway.
The door closed behind them.
Jordan remained near the front desk.
Nia approached him.
“Are we in trouble?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Derek looked really angry.”
“He was.”
She glanced toward the office.
“Did you make him angry?”
Jordan considered the question.
“I disagreed with him.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“No.”
Nia looked confused.
Jordan crouched slightly.
“Someone getting angry doesn’t automatically mean you did something wrong.”
She thought about that.
Then she looked toward the twelve-year-old boy who had fallen.
“Can we check if he’s okay?”
Jordan smiled.
“Yeah.”
They walked over together.
The boy’s name was Lucas.
He was sitting near the edge of the mat, holding his shoulder.
Jordan kept a respectful distance.
“You doing okay?”
Lucas nodded quickly.
“I’m fine.”
But his voice suggested otherwise.
Nia sat beside him.
“That looked like it hurt.”
Lucas shrugged.
“Coach Derek said I need to stop being weak.”
Jordan felt his jaw tighten.
But he kept his tone gentle.
“Getting hurt doesn’t make you weak.”
Lucas looked up.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Jordan paused.
“And you shouldn’t have to pretend something doesn’t hurt just because somebody expects you to.”
Lucas studied him.
“Are you a black belt?”
Jordan smiled faintly.
“No.”
“What belt are you?”
“It’s been a while since I trained in a regular class.”
Lucas looked disappointed.
“Oh.”
Jordan continued.
“But I know enough to tell you that you did nothing wrong by falling.”
For the first time since the demonstration, Lucas relaxed.
Inside the office, Derek was furious.
“You embarrassed me in front of my students.”
Thomas closed the door.
“No, Derek. You embarrassed yourself.”
Derek paced.
“That kid challenged my authority.”
“He questioned your judgment.”
“Same thing.”
Thomas shook his head.
“That’s the problem.”
Derek stopped.
Thomas continued.
“You’ve started treating respect as something people owe you because of the belt around your waist.”
“I earned this belt.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Then why are you taking his side?”
“Because earning a black belt doesn’t give you permission to frighten children.”
Derek stared at him.
Thomas leaned forward.
“When you first started teaching here, you were patient. You helped students understand their mistakes. You cared whether they improved.”
“I still care.”
“Then why did you laugh when Lucas fell?”
Derek opened his mouth.
No answer came.
Thomas waited.
Finally, Derek looked away.
“He was being careless.”
“Then correct him.”
“I did.”
“No. You made him an example.”
Derek’s expression tightened.
Thomas spoke more quietly.
“There’s a difference between making a student stronger and making him afraid to disappoint you.”
Derek sank into the chair opposite the desk.
For the first time, he seemed uncertain.
Thomas continued.
“Jordan’s father taught me that lesson when I was seventeen.”
Derek looked up.
“He was really that good?”
Thomas smiled sadly.
“He was better than I deserved as a teacher.”
“Was he a champion?”
“He competed when he was younger. But that’s not why I remember him.”
“Then why?”
“Because he could’ve humiliated me when I challenged him. Instead, he gave me a reason to improve.”
Derek remained silent.
Thomas looked toward the closed door.
“And today, his son gave you the same opportunity.”
When Thomas returned to the training floor, Jordan and Nia were preparing to leave.
“Jordan,” he called.
The teenager turned.
“Could I speak with you for a minute?”
Jordan nodded.
Thomas approached.
“I owe you an apology.”
Jordan looked surprised.
“For what?”
“For allowing things to reach the point where you felt you had to speak up.”
Jordan glanced toward Lucas.
“I just didn’t like what happened.”
“Neither did I.”
Thomas paused.
“Your father would’ve said something too.”
Jordan smiled faintly.
