Truths are woven into lies, obviously, Dash was not far from the truth but with slight changes in his words. He couldn't tell Devon that he would fight for money, nor did he intend to worry her. If his father is now paying the hospital bills, it's because he himself would end up repaying the money. At this point, he wasn't sure if it was because he is his son or if Frederick had become very curious, but in any case, he always ended up helping him.
The lessons his father gave him were something he learned at every moment or situation where he needed someone else. This had led him to understand that life is tough, and money is everything; his father had made that very clear, and it made sense. Frederick didn't have the right to help Devon's family, just as Dash didn't have the obligation to do so. In life, things were like that, and only because Dash has a close relationship with the Lee family is he doing all this.
After saying goodbye to Devon with a long hug, Dash received his bank card back since his father was taking care of it, and as soon as he finished saying goodbye, he headed to the airport. Some assistants that his parents had put on him would take him to Japan and, in passing, be his intermediaries. They weren't necessary, but Dash didn't want any more problems on the way.
"Ladies and gentlemen, following international civil aviation rules, we will perform a demonstration on the use of the seatbelt, life jacket, oxygen masks, and the location of emergency exits. It is very important that you pay attention."
"The seatbelt must remain fastened whenever the seatbelt light is on. It is fastened and unfastened as we are showing you."
Dash watched this demonstration, and after traveling many times, the things he needed to know about a flight didn't need to be reminded, so he slept deeply since he hadn't done so.
During the trip, Dash had read that in rural villages or underdeveloped areas, fights were much more famous than in metropolitan cities. Here, many people from other countries with a lot of money gathered months before the end of the year to watch real master martial arts fights. In a few months, he would turn sixteen, Devon would enter high school, and in theory, the closest detour to being able to participate in the national martial arts and Karate tournament and thus represent the country in world competitions. But he was still far from that; the last time he almost lost in a competition in China, and in training, he had been very evenly matched with Cheng, who is a true warrior skilled in martial arts. As for Dre, he maintained strict Kung Fu teaching from Mr. Han, and together they had made Sakura Bushido a famous Kung Fu school throughout the country.
...
Japan, Okinawa.
In the shadows of Okinawa, heirs to fortunes and political leaders converge to witness clandestine martial arts fights. In this place, the law of the jungle exists, and that means that the largest privately held martial arts tournament is designed for those with more purchasing power to bet on skilled warriors, seeking the next figure to represent them in the selective fights they created, where martial skill becomes the criterion for choosing the champion. A dark theater of power and skill unfolds in the tropical shadows of Okinawa, and it is precisely to that place where Dash was heading without any fear.
As he descended from the plane, Dash breathed fresh air and murmured, "Death is certain, when, how, and where, uncertain. Death is always treacherous; it does not say the day or the hour..." Knowing how death feels, he didn't know when it would come to get him, so he wasn't afraid of many things in life. As long as he trusted his own skills, things that could end his life were small. Now, if anything, all his training was to accomplish whatever he set out to do.
"If my fists will give me the money to pay Mrs. Lee's hospital bills and, in passing, stop owing my father, I am willing to go to the ends of the earth." Dash thought as he walked towards the airport exit.
"Mr. Hale! Dash Hale!"
By the time Dash was moving along with his assistant assigned by his father, he could see in the distance an elderly woman holding a sign with the name of the person she was looking for.
"It seems that's our contact!" Said the boy accompanying Dash, helping him with his suitcase.
Dash nodded and approached the woman. "Is Santiago sending me?"
"Yes, come with me!"