Miyagi Babysitting

	Just as Julie was finishing the newspaper, the doorbell rang. It was Mr. Miyagi.

	"Mrs. Wescott call me. Say phone off the hook."

	"It figures," said Julie.

	"Parents come home in half an hour."

	That was the best news Julie had had all day! "What's wrong? Boys throw Nerf balls at you?"

	"All afternoon," said Julie.

	"Throw flying saucer? Try hit you with plastic bat?"

	Julie was getting suspicious. How did Mr. Miyagi know what the boys would do?

	"What's going on here?" she asked.

	Mr. Miyagi raised his hand and moved it slowly toward her. "Defend yourself. Here come Nerf ball."

	She put her hand up as if she were catching it.

	He swung his other hand at her, at shoulder level, and swung it toward her. "Now flying saucer! Defend!"

	Julie swatted at his hand just the way she had at the flying saucers.

	Then Mr. Miyagi punched at her slowly with a punch that came downward, aimed at her legs. She blocked the punch.

	He did the same moves faster. Julie blocked his attacks, faster. Then they did it again, faster still.

	"Nerf ball! Saucer! Bat!" he called out each time.

	By then, Julie understood. She hadn't just been baby-sitting. She'd been learning karate! The boys had attacked, she had defended. And she'd done a good job of it, too!

	Half an hour later, the Wescotts came home. Julie and Mr. Miyagi returned to Grandma's house.

	"You planned that whole thing," Julie said.

	"Hai. Baby-sitting good practice for karate student."

- The Next Karate Kid (1994) Chapter 6