"Did they just eliminate the Sakura Bushido boys before the final? That has never happened in the last five years..."
Daniel LaRusso looked at the crowd's comments and said, "From what I heard, they are only competing with boys who have been training for less than a year; this result is normal."
Samantha looked at her father and said, "I heard Dash is out. It's not to discriminate against Sakura Bushido fighters, but without their star fighters, this should be expected."
"Why aren't the more experienced ones participating?"
"They are preparing for more important tournaments; that's what they said..." Daniel knew it was understandable, considering the previous years and observing the last fights, all of which were won by Sakura Bushido. But now, when he needed them the most, they weren't participating, causing some discomfort.
The next fight was Sophia's, who lost due to the difference in strength against Aisha from Cobra Kai. Unable to do much to harm her opponent, Sophia returned dejectedly to her Sakura Bushido teammates.
"She's really strong. How was I supposed to do anything when she knocked me off the mat with just one punch?" Sophia complained to Devon, who smiled ironically.
Devon, seeing that the next fight was about to start, said, "You should have focused on your speed. You wanted to hurt her and show your strength, so you left yourself exposed."
"Should I increase my muscle mass this year?" Sophia looked at her slender arms and asked Devon, who seemed to be in better physical condition than her.
Devon turned her head and said, "If you become muscular, only a select group of men will approach you to ask you out. Improve your strength and technique; that would be enough."
"Is your blue knight coming back today?"
"Dash?" Devon asked this unconsciously.
Sophia smiled curiously and said, "Ah, how sweet, you consider Dash as your blue prince. I never thought the toughest girl in Sakura Bushido would be deeply in love with her boyfriend. What envy."
Devon sighed slightly. It wasn't a secret that she and Dash were a couple, so she usually ignored the silly jokes that Sophia frequently made.
"Point, winner Robby Keene!" The referee shouted, pointing to the winner of the match, which was challenging to determine.
Sophia looked at Robby and said, "That guy is handsome. Should I invite him to Sakura Bushido?"
"Do whatever you want, but don't bother me. Now it's time for the presentation of the finalists." Devon, as a finalist, walked alongside Mr. Kim, who was talking to the organizers.
...
At that moment, there was a pause, and the presenter walked to the center of the mat and said, "Yes, applause for all the competitors. Everyone deserves a big round of applause for these incredible fights."
"We've had great fights today, but we've reached the finals, and I want to introduce them to you up close."
"In the men's division, we have Miguel Díaz from Cobra Kai, a dojo that rises from the ashes like a phoenix, positioning itself in the final alongside Aisha Robinson from the women's division."
The audience applauded, seeing two finalists from the same dojo, recalling the beginnings of Devon and Dash, who were in the same situation before becoming winners.
"As a finalist in the men's division, we have Robby Keene, who without any predictions, has emerged from the darkness to be in the final, climbing step by step to glory."
Daniel looked at Robby with many complicated feelings; after all, the fact that he had used him to harm his father was something hard to overlook.
"Defending the title of the women's division this year, we have Devon Lee from Sakura Bushido, who has been a three-time champion and has so far won numerous foreign tournaments."
"Go, Devon, win!"
"We have our hopes in you!"
The presenter also applauded amid the crowd's cheers and asked privately, "Do you want to say a few words?"
Devon hesitated for a moment, but after hearing the encouragement from her teammates, she approached and took the microphone: "I'm very happy that there is more competition in this tournament today, on its 50th anniversary. Although many expected Dash to participate in this tournament, I want to highlight the great work that everyone has done to reach the final."
"And don't forget, martial arts are a unique discipline that can be learned in life and should only be used for special competitions. I hope everyone keeps that in mind when learning or knowing a contact sport!"
With these words, Devon wanted to reach many people and prevent them from staining Karate in the Valley with foolish fights, but she knew that her good advice would likely be of little use.
"There she is, the three-time winner Devon Lee from Sakura Bushido!" The presenter shouted, pointing to Devon, who smiled faintly.
"Alright, let's start with the final of the women's division. Let's give a round of applause to the competitors."