Months had passed since Dash had returned, and now it was time to go back to school. By then, he was already seventeen years old, and Devon was sixteen.
Mrs. Zoé's recovery was ongoing, but she was much better, and things at the martial arts school were flowing more smoothly after the changes that had been made.
Having overcome many past issues, Dash believed he was better than ever, now fighting not just for himself but also for those around him.
"Hey Dash, did you see Mr. LaRusso's video presenting his Miyagi-Do Dojo to the public?"
Perhaps due to being tired lately, Dash didn't hear that question, even though he was practically next to Devon, who was browsing some things online. Now that Mr. LaRusso had embraced the role of a hero in trying to stop Cobra Kai's advance, things were getting more interesting, but Dash wasn't very attached to those developments.
For now, their focus as a Dojo was on participating in the Senkai Tenkai tournament after winning the national Dojo tournament scheduled for later this year. These tournaments, along with the Olympics, were the only ones Dash hadn't participated in, and he really wanted to prepare for this competition.
"Are you listening to me?"
At that moment, Dash looked up to see Devon paying attention, and he said, "Do you really think Miyagi-Do will have students despite its results? Everyone who wanted to start with Karate has joined Sakura Bushido or gone to Cobra Kai. It's really tough for that Dojo to grow without the winning streak we had when we started."
At the same time Dash gave his response, the waiter from the restaurant where they were sitting approached with their food, and after seeing who was sitting there, he said, "Oh, you're Mrs. Devon, congratulations on your victory in the All Valley tournament!"
Devon was surprised that someone recognized her, as it wasn't a common occurrence. She nodded with a smile and said, "Thank you..."
"Haven't you participated in international tournaments? The last time I saw you compete was in Japan..."
Dash raised his head and looked at the waiter as if seeking an answer to who this guy was, but not finding anything, he asked, "Who are you?"
The waiter modestly smiled and said, "I have a cousin in a pretty important Dojo in their local area. He was close to winning an international tournament but lost because he disguised himself in a match. You should know the name of his dojo; I remember it was called Wasabi Warriors..."
Dash, who didn't remember that name, lowered his voice and asked Devon, "Do you remember a Dojo with that name?"
"Isn't that the one you defeated that year?" Devon asked, slightly surprised at Dash's amnesia, wondering if it was due to the blows from training.
Seeing Devon's fierce gaze fixed on him, Dash turned to the waiter and nodded. "Now I remember, Wasabi Warriors. Do you know if they will participate in the national Dojo tournament?"
"I'm not aware of that, but if you guys are there, my cousin would surely want to fight you again. Plus, now that he has a girlfriend, I'm sure he'll want to beat Mrs. Devon."
Devon was once again surprised; she didn't think of herself as someone to be defeated by other girls, which actually made her happy. Not that she wasn't a good fighter, but normally, apart from tournaments, she didn't engage in any other fights and had little interaction with other participants. This was a rule of Sakura Bushido; none of the members got involved in street fights, as it meant expulsion if not justifiable. Only in special cases did they engage in fights, but things were well controlled.
"Enjoy your meal, dessert is on the house." The waiter smiled slightly, and after bowing, he returned to work.
"Is that the guy with the abnormal strength from Wasabi Warriors?" Dash recalled a bit about that tournament and nodded, knowing he was a dangerous opponent if he took fights more seriously.
"Well, I remember something like that..."
During the meal, they talked about many things unrelated to martial arts. They didn't want to dedicate all their time to just one thing, so in their free time, they watched TV shows and movies.
After finishing their meal, Dash left a generous tip to indirectly pay for the dessert they were treated to, and after that, they both walked.
"Hey Dash, there's a beach party, want to come? It wouldn't be a party without your presence, buddy." Victor's voice came from the call, and Dash, who was about to return home with Devon, asked, "Do you want to go?"
"Sure, it's been a while since we've been out so freely, so it would be fun."
Lately, they had been away from rigorous training, not because they weren't interested or were slowly moving away from martial arts, but because there came a point where they didn't need to train much. According to Master Chozen, conditioning the body was good; surely, training too hard wouldn't bring good results other than damage at an early age, and they were still young.
Following this advice, Anton and Devon trained more leisurely to focus on other things besides martial arts.
As they headed to the beach, Dash looked at the passage through the car window for a few brief seconds before focusing his vision on the road. He had been through a lot, and his goals, which had now been fulfilled, had taken a back seat. He had locked himself into a training circle for five years, and now that he had proven he could be in the top for many years, there was nothing else he wanted to prove to the world.
"I've always had a very respectful feeling for the sea, haven't you?" Dash, who parked his car near the beach, looked at Devon, who was silently gazing at the ocean waves.
"It's beautiful, I just feel that..."
"Over here, Dash!"
Dash looked at the Dojo guys and smiled to see that he now unconsciously had many friends. It was never his intention, but he felt happy to have progressed.