"I'll be back this weekend; I wanted to do it earlier, but my flight got delayed."
Devon heard Dash's cheerful voice and nodded while smiling. She had told him about her victory just as he had done a few weeks ago, so after bidding farewell, she hung up the call.
When Devon returned, she found out that the winner was Miguel Diaz after a very evenly matched confrontation with Robby Keene, who had been taken by Daniel LaRusso as his disciple.
Many were already leaving, so after knowing that there was nothing more to do at this place, the students of Sakura Bushido passed by each Sensei and greeted them.
"Congratulations on your victory, Sensei Johnny. I hope we can see each other next year!" said Mr. Kim, who approached with his students where the Cobra Kai members were.
"Hello!" Devon shouted as she respectfully saluted Johnny, who was the Sensei of the boy who won this year.
"Now!"
All the students of Sakura Bushido who participated this year bowed slightly in a greeting, surprising all the Cobra Kai members. They had never encountered such a refined situation.
"You have an amazing girl. Do you know anything about your champion?" Johnny smiled uncomfortably as he leaned towards Mr. Kim's students; he had to better educate his students about respect.
Mr. Kim smiled modestly and said, "He'll be back in the next few days; he's returning from a competition in Japan, but I'm sure he'll be here for next year."
Johnny nodded stiffly, and before Mr. Kim turned around, he shouted, "Cobra Kai, salute!"
All the Cobra Kai students, who were startled by their Sensei, immediately knew what was happening. So they bowed to the students of Sakura Bushido, who were about to leave.
As Devon left, she briefly looked at Miguel and said, "Don't let that local title get to your head. You'll have to prove you're worthy of it when you face Dash, who has defended it for five consecutive years now."
"I can't wait for that moment." Miguel smiled slightly, still somewhat affected by Devon's words, as if she wanted to say that he was only a champion due to Dash's absence.
While everyone celebrated, Devon ran to the hospital to personally tell her mother that she had become the champion of the women's division.
...
San Gabriel Hospital
In a private room.
"Mom, I'm back!" Devon entered the room and looked at her mother lying and watching TV. She had lost a lot of weight due to the medications she had been receiving and the depression that came with her illness.
Zoé Lee looked at her daughter and said, "Come here, dear. Did you get hurt?"
"No one can hurt me, Mom. Look at the trophy I won." Devon proudly showed her mother the trophy from the karate tournament to prove that she had won even without being seen.
"You can't imagine how proud I am of you, my dear daughter. You are so strong and brave."
Devon, who felt a lump in her throat, looked away. She didn't want to see her mother cry, so she looked at the TV and said, "By the way, Mom, Dash is back and will arrive as soon as he takes the next flight."
Zoé smiled and nodded. "Are you going to pick him up at the airport?"
"Of course not. I heard that if a boyfriend is too clingy to the other, the relationship becomes a bit heavy." Devon confided in her mother about the new relationship she had with Dash. Now she needed her mother's advice.
Zoé smiled upon hearing those words and jokingly said, "But if you two have always been very clingy, I haven't seen a day when you're not together."
"But it feels different, Mom..." Devon whispered after realizing that she and Dash were now officially a couple.
"Don't be foolish and have a child at an early age; there are contraceptives..."
But before Zoé could continue with her jokes, Devon stopped her and said, "Enough of silly jokes. Do you want to see the photos I took at the tournament?"
"Why not? Come on, lie down next to your mother." Zoé set aside the jokes and caressed her daughter as she showed her the pictures she had taken throughout her day.
Mrs. Zoé knew it was wrong; well, the doctors had told her that even with all the resources in the world, the operation was guaranteed only half the success, which was all or nothing in the result.
She wanted to live, but she couldn't act with her daughter as if that could be fulfilled one hundred percent. Like everyone, someday death would have to come to her, but in this situation, she still believed she wasn't ready.
She still wanted to hug a grandchild, see her daughter get married, and die of old age with her husband. But in life, not everything is fulfilled, so now she would do everything possible to spend the time more comfortably with her daughter.
That's the only thing she can do...