They had a friendly yet not-so-friendly conversation. In the end, Dash noticed that Devon and the Cobra Kai girls enjoyed having a somewhat healthier rivalry with Sakura Bushido, which he personally found perfect.
They weren't in this world to get along with everyone and be lifelong friends. Dash understood that while they competed on one side of their journey, there would be others doing the same. To maintain a healthier environment in this sport, it was necessary to compete fairly.
Although he found the renewed rivalry between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do amusing, it wasn't the right time to be rivals in a harmful way. Hatred begets more hatred, inevitably leading to an inconvenient situation that would affect karate in the entire Valley. While many might participate for fun, Dash, who now recognized this sport as a way of life, would intervene if things started spiraling out of control.
As he returned from the bathroom, Dash noticed a guy whom he identified as one of the finalists in this year's Karate tournament in the Valley, so he decided to approach him.
"You must be Robby. I watched your match in the Karate tournament finals, and I must say, you're impressive. For a moment, I thought you'd win, but it's a shame it didn't end that way."
Robby, who was walking from the bar with a soda, was surprised that someone knew his name. He didn't have many acquaintances, so it was unexpected. He immediately turned around to see a guy extending his hand with a slight smile.
"Don't be shy. I'm Dash Hale. I couldn't participate in the tournament because I traveled to Japan, and it happened to coincide with the Valley tournament. Truly unfortunate."
Dash was a bit more excited than usual to meet this guy in person. He couldn't stay still, meeting Daniel LaRusso's disciple, who was exactly like the Daniel from the old Karate era. However, now it seemed the story had taken a different turn, and Miguel won the tournament as Johnny's disciple in Cobra Kai.
Robby smiled awkwardly and, after gathering his thoughts, asked, "Aren't you the former tournament winner?"
"That's right."
"Sam mentioned you, and so did Mr. LaRusso. He said that if I wanted to be the best fighter in the Valley, I should first beat you, which is the biggest challenge because no one has defeated you."
Robby, now much calmer, shared all this thanks to Dash's ease in communicating with him.
"You had some good fights, considering you didn't have a Dojo under your guidance. In the end, you should've joined Miyagi-Do, but as an important competitor, I'd love to have you in Sakura Bushido."
Dash took the first step in this conversation, knowing he would refuse, but he still wanted things to be on good terms. Robby was surprised, just as he was about to say something, Dash interrupted and pointed out, "Besides, you won't have to pay anything. And before you give an answer, I want you to know that I'm not inviting you with any ill intentions. At Sakura Bushido, we're preparing for national competitions, so we're not concerned about something local."
"I appreciate the offer, but I promised Mr. LaRusso that I'd be his student as long as he taught me again."
Robby subtly declined, observing if there was any change in Dash's expression, but he found none.
Dash smiled indifferently and said, "It's a shame. I would have liked to have you in Sakura Bushido, but I guess it's too late. Would you have accepted if the invitation was at the tournament?"
"Maybe..." Robby didn't have a concrete answer. He wasn't particularly interested in Karate at first; he only did it to annoy his father and continues to do so to this day. Unlike Dash and many others, Robby didn't feel a deep love for martial arts. Therefore, he didn't have a definite response and didn't want to be ungrateful for Dash's kindness.
After running out of much else to say, Dash looked Robby in the eyes and told him, "So that's it. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I hope to see you in the upcoming tournaments. But I'd like to give you some advice: hatred brings consequences. You're a good kid; we could have been friends. Remember that you'll always have my help if you ever need it."
"That's a bit weird..." Robby muttered as he slowly walked away in search of Samantha.
"Was it worth it?" Devon asked Dash from a distance, knowing that Dash had failed to invite Robby to Sakura Bushido.
Dash smiled and said, "I already knew the answer..."
Looking again at Robby, he suddenly noticed a commotion in the distance. After seeing Robby running out of the pool, he frowned.
"What could be happening?"