Devon, seated near the lower areas, observed all the competitors and murmured, "There are many more participants than in the Karate tournament; this will take some time before moving on to the main matchups..."
Mr. Zac, standing beside his daughter, held a flag with the Sakura Bushido logo and shouted in support of Dash, who was only a few meters away from them.
"Your father seems more excited than his daughter; the love for these sports has definitely awakened from within him," Mrs. Zoé remarked, glancing at her husband and smiling slightly as she turned her attention to the front, where the matches were about to unfold.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this event! We will have a sensational show. What do you think? Is everyone eager for it to begin?"
A presenter stood in front of the crowd and shouted with a booming voice, "Let the Kung Fu tournament begin!"
Mr. Kim surveyed the different mats in the venue and, after communicating with the staff, directed Dash to a nearby corner, saying, "Your match will take place here. Remember to hit the areas I mentioned to score points. Stop when the flags are raised, and don't lose focus."
"I got it!" Dash nodded with conviction and advanced towards the designated mat. Across from him stood an eleven-year-old boy who seemed a bit fearful of facing someone older, but this didn't stop him from taking his fighting stance.
As Dash looked at his opponent, a serious expression settled on his young face, and he murmured, "I'll finish you before you feel any pain!"
"Introduce yourselves. Ready? Fight!"
As the preliminary match for Dash, marking the beginning of his tournament, commenced, he took a deep breath and started moving towards his opponent, who was a few meters away. This time, utilizing his Kung Fu in every move, he launched an impactful kick to the face of his unsuspecting opponent.
Hsss!
Many weren't watching Dash's fight as around ten matches were happening simultaneously. Still, those who witnessed his kick were left astounded by the sudden and powerful attack that quickly brought down his opponent.
"Point!"
Observing his rival writhing on the ground with intense pain etched on his face, Dash gazed at him for a brief moment before returning to his starting position, waiting for his opponent to get up.
The boy, who had shed a few tears, got back on his feet, glared at Dash angrily, and assumed a fighting stance. Now angered, he seemed intent on starting the fight as soon as the referee signaled.
Faced with this, Dash raised his arms patiently. This time, he wasn't as aggressive in the second round, waiting to see what his opponent intended to do before making his move.
"Ready? Fight!"
The moment the referee raised his hand, Dash's opponent rushed towards him with clenched fists. In response, Dash leaned back, evading the kick, and through a swift takedown, gained an immediate advantage, finishing the match with an elbow to the stomach as his opponent got back up.
"Point!"
Dash nodded slightly to his fallen opponent and walked back to Mr. Kim, who looked at him with seriousness.
"Well done, Dash. That was incredible!" Devon exclaimed, thrilled that Dash had easily won his first match.
One by one, astonished looks fell upon Dash, whose kicks had been both brutal and flawless. Just by looking at his opponent's reddened cheek and holding stomach, it was clear that the blows received were far from weak.
The previously scattered attention focused on Dash and Cheng, who was also a remarkable fighter known for his fierce battles.
"Strong and decisive!" Zac shouted, proudly waving the flag from side to side.
Some Kung Fu masters evaluated students from other schools who might pose a threat to their chances of winning this tournament, and all eyes were on Dash, the foreign student.
Dre, who had witnessed Dash's brutal fight, was amazed that he could resolve the match so quickly, demonstrating that his combat experience was sufficient to advance without difficulty.
"Do you have your match now?" Dash, still overwhelmed by the emotions of the fight, looked at Dre seriously and asked discreetly.
Dre nodded nervously, saying, "Right after this one ends..."
"I wish you luck, then. Never forget to hold your ground!" Dash's response was simple, as his teachings might not mean much to a guy who had also won this tournament in the history he knew.
While walking around, observing the ongoing matches, Dash nodded as he realized there was a higher level of skill than he had expected. Not everyone might be adept at combat since this was their first tournament, but there were fighters with significant experience who knew how to concentrate.
Mr. Kim glanced at Dash for a brief moment and thought, "You may believe your chances of winning aren't high, but only someone who has trained for years will know how talented you are... Dash, you're the only one unaware of how good you are at Kung Fu."
As Dash analyzed some competitors he might face, the time for his next match arrived.