"I want to welcome our guests from Cobra Kai, a dojo that has slightly jumped to fame in the valley and has secured the championship in the male division at the Karate tournament," said Dash as he walked towards the center of the training arena.
Everyone gave him mixed looks; some felt admiration, and others felt pride because the guy in front of them was someone many wanted to defeat. Dash stood in front of everyone and closed his eyes slightly as his voice became even clearer and louder.
"Learning a martial art is a personal desire of each one here today, but you must be clear about the qualities that unite us all as a family, even though we don't know each other."
"Honor, respect, loyalty, balance, courage... These are some of the qualities sought and appreciated in a person who, after years of training, claims to live for and through martial arts." After saying these words, Dash thought carefully about what he wanted to convey.
"These are not just words spoken for the sake of speaking, but an entire philosophy of life that can be applied and reflected in many ways in the daily lives of those who decide to live their lives in a special way and embark on a path in a very personal way."
"Their foundations can be found in Zen, Taoist, Confucian, Shinto, Bushido, or even ancient Christianity and all the teachings of warriors from ancient times, including pre-Hispanic ones, which were based on spiritual disciplines and teachings to access knowledge that leads to a balance between matter, mind, and spirit, which in turn leads to inner peace and harmony with oneself and all creation."
"Although the different philosophies have their rules, dogmas, and laws, in martial arts, their path is the control of the body and emotions through exercises that strengthen determination, body, and mind, which, in turn, awaken sensations, senses, and faculties unknown to the initiate in these disciplines."
At this moment, there was no person who was not deeply focused on Dash's words and who seemed like a leader completely determined to guide everyone. The Cobra Kai students felt ashamed; although they understood that their No Mercy philosophy prepared them for real life, what Dash was saying certainly made a lot of sense.
Anton showed no emotion on his face and said, "These same characteristics are some differences between a martial art and a sport, no matter how extreme it claims to be, since in the former, everything is a stage to acquire knowledge and improvement throughout life, while in the latter, everything focuses on competition until a certain age."
"In that sense, you will determine whether this is a sport or a way of life in which you will never stop training after a certain time. I made that decision personally a long time ago, and to be honest, I see all of this as an awakening; only after being defeated will I go a bit more calmly."
Dash turned his attention to the Cobra Kai students and said, "The martial arts we teach here at Sakura Bushido are full of values and principles that are very valuable for daily life, such as respect, discipline, perseverance, humility, and empathy. These principles apply not only to training. They make martial artists better individuals for society."
"Victor, share one of our mottos in this martial arts school." Dash suddenly shouted without even looking at his friend.
Victor felt incredibly excited and shouted, "The society that separates its intellectuals from its warriors will make cowards make decisions, and fools fight in wars."
"Martial means related to war; martial arts, therefore, are a moving manifestation of the fight. It is the only violent art, and this makes it exceptional. However, it is limiting to consider that the only basis of these arts is violence."
"Aggressiveness is only the tip of the iceberg; underneath, we find thousands of years of lives marked by a journey of self-knowledge and improvement, both physical and spiritual. Some examples: pancratium, a form of what would now be known as wrestling, which existed in the Olympic Games of Greece; Kalari Payat originated 2000 years ago in India; Cambodian Bokator has another two thousand years of life."
After saying this, Dash paused and pointed: "Today, many go to gyms to learn to defend themselves or get in shape, but they end up finding much more than they thought: community, friends, challenges, personal growth... Thanks to facing the difficulties that martial arts will necessarily expose them to, they may discover more hidden personal traits, such as discipline, commitment, or passion."
With everyone's attention, Dash looked at Devon, who was sitting next to him, and she stood up after understanding that the most crucial moment of the teachings they were sharing with the guests had arrived.
"But there's something important that everyone must keep in mind, and that is that in the real world, the last thing all of you should do is resort to violence." Dash walked backward, leaving Devon to step forward.
At that moment, everyone watched as Devon assumed a fighting stance, and it was then that Dash said, "This mentality is for everyone. Miss Lee, try to hit me."
"Now!" At that moment, Devon kicked, hitting Dash in the stomach, making him step back a few steps.
Everyone was confused; they watched this demonstration with many question marks in their heads, but no one said anything.
"When you fight with a stranger, you think you're above them just because you know martial arts and are good at it. But what many of you won't understand is that in this country, anyone can be armed, and that could take your life away." Dash said as he pulled out the replica gun hidden in his body.
While pointing it at Devon, who was a few meters away from him, she stopped moving and looked at Dash expressionlessly.
"This is real life; you will die if you encounter the wrong person. From being stabbed to being shot for seeking a fight that you could easily avoid by being smarter than others, Dash said as he lowered the gun.
Kresse, who was watching Dash's demonstration, looked at Chozen, who was beside him, and said, "You have a very peculiar way of conducting your classes—nothing in line with what they claim to teach in this place."
"I may understand who this class is directed to, and I want you to know that Sakura Bushido is aware of many of the misdeeds that Cobra Kai students are doing now that they know a lot about Karate, but they lack understanding and wisdom."
Chozen turned his head to the Cobra Kai kids and said, "I know they were all oppressed, beaten, and bullied before, but if they don't understand when to stop, any of them could lose their lives in the troubles that adults involve them in."
"So, if you know what my students have suffered, you'll understand that hitting back is the right thing to do to stop the harassment." Kresse said, smiling slightly, understanding the intentions of this sensei.
Chozen shook his head and said, "But the kids don't know when to stop; more hatred generates even more hatred. Hit first, hit harder—no mercy! That motto is made for killing, not for winning a fight. If you teach them that, they will die because they are not in a war, and I think you understand that."
"You teach whatever you want to your students, but I won't allow you to change the mentality of my students to one of weakness." Kresse said it seriously, making his point clear.
Chozen smiled weakly but was not intimidated by this old man, so he watched as Dash shared his words with all the students.
"In conclusion, karate is not for everyone, and even less so are the martial arts." Dash said, making it clear that if they couldn't behave, it would be better if they didn't continue training.