30 The Karate Tournament Has Arrived

They say when you anticipate something, sleep eludes you, but for Dash, who had faced death, the last thing he had in this life was nervousness, fear, or that strange sensation of not being able to meet the expectations he set for himself.

That's why, a day before, Dash, along with Devon's family, celebrated a small meal where they ate grilled chicken, fish, pork, and bought numerous treats they usually didn't indulge in because both were highly focused on the tournament.

But before that, Dash, Devon, and her family traveled to many pleasant places to spend the morning. They had invited Mr. Kim, but he declined, as he wanted to spend time with his own family.

In the corner of a large tree, Dash stood, watching the sunset, feeling infinitely grateful for life giving him a second chance. He didn't know if there was a test, some purpose he had to fulfill, but he was definitely seizing every moment, regardless of what others might say.

Devon had felt that Dash had changed radically since he started mentioning Kung Fu. She couldn't quite notice it at first, but as they interacted with him, she knew something was different. Over these months, she discovered that Dash had been acting as he pleased. There was no one who could make him change his mind about things he had set for himself.

The Dash she knew was very indifferent to many things, didn't interact with anyone in class, and, due to losing a year of studies, was much more mature than others. Maybe that's what made her able to talk to him calmly. They were both interested in similar things, but there were differences that she liked.

The first time they argued for hours was when both were thinking about a brilliant scene involving argument scenes in movies. Dash had chosen "There Will be Blood," and she chose "Fargo." After a long time discussing why one should agree with the other, they ended up watching both movies and concluded that both scenes were brilliant.

"Isn't nature incredible? It's as subtle as a gentle breeze and as disastrous as a fire tornado... Have I told you why I put so much effort into physical training?" Dash looked at his friend and asked calmly.

"Other than seeing how far you can go, what else haven't you told me?" Devon sat next to Dash and was interested in what he wanted to tell her.

Dash looked at the flower in his hand and said, "That time when I couldn't breathe, I felt weak, so weak that every breath I took cost me much more than any training Mr. Kim has put us through so far... When I felt that weakness, I thought, what do I want most? Being weak like this beautiful flower, all I wanted was to know how strong I could become. After that, I became interested in learning some martial art that would take me a long time to master."

As Dash explained this story, altered to share a hidden part of himself with Devon, she smiled, feeling closer to him. She had discovered a new emotion when she got into a fight for the first time, so she thought, why not give it a try? And now, a night before participating in a tournament at the age of eleven, she believed she was in some kind of fantasy tale.

"Hey, it's not time to get sentimental... Tomorrow, we'll kick everyone's ass without exception, got it?" Devon felt that Dash's behavior was a bit melancholic and changed the subject.

Standing up, Dash nodded, looked at Devon, and said, "I'll get you that male championship trophy, I hope you dedicate the female one to me."

Devon smiled excitedly and said, "In victory and defeat, we'll always be together, like an inseparable team."

In the distance, Devon's parents watched their daughter's charming interaction, and they said nothing. They didn't want to tarnish this beautiful moment for their daughter and Dash, who made a beautiful team.

"Do you think they'll both win?" Zoe looked at Zac and asked while thinking about the tournament tomorrow.

"All I know is, pity the opponents of Devon for the next year, because if she's this good at Karate now, I can't imagine what she'd do with another year of training."

"It seems we'll have our first warrior in the family; tomorrow we must leave our throats supporting them."

"We'll definitely do that!"

...

California, San Fernando Valley

All Valley Sports Arena

At the entrance of the legendary place, there were banners everywhere for the 45nd annual championship tournament, attributed to the year in which it was being held.

After the All Valley committee gathered for the annual meeting and discussed how the competition would be held, Daniel LaRusso proposed a change that completely revolutionized the annual competitions, dividing the competition into two divisions, male and female.

When it was known that there could be two championships, many women who trained in Karate but never had the opportunity to enter a tournament signed up to experience the excitement of a tournament that had been held for more than fifty years.

And that inevitably drew the attention of many more people, as they had never before heard of a female competition. At least, the majority of the place was filled with male spectators.

In a high position, Daniel LaRusso looked at the filled stadium and said, "I could feel that was a good idea, thanks to Mr. Frederick's sponsorship and the proposal for two championships, it attracted much more attention."

"I heard your daughter will participate. Is she as good at Karate as her father?"

Daniel, upon hearing this question, smiled slightly and said, "I had let it go, but when she heard there would be a female championship, she wanted to try it, so I trained her last minute. I just hope she has fun, and I regret not being able to be here with you as I have a daughter to support."

"Don't worry about us; we wish you good luck and hope for the best."

Daniel nodded as he headed to the area where the dojos were gathering, and in the front row of the crowd, he saw Frederick. He wanted to go and greet him, but due to very little time, he didn't get the chance.

"I wonder where his son is; I suppose I'll know if he qualifies..." Daniel thought as he looked for his daughter, who should be with his wife right now.

As soon as Dash had changed, he saw a very familiar man and murmured, "Where have I seen him before?"

"That man? From what I heard, he's part of the tournament committee, and he was the first fighter to win twice consecutively in this same tournament a long time ago." Devon, who was eating an apple beside Dash, explained to him who Daniel LaRusso was.

Dash, knowing the identity of that man, thought, "What kind of messed-up simulation am I in? There's no doubt that those two worlds are really connected..."

...

Every 350 power stones 1 extra chapter.