After finishing a quick shower to rid his body of sweat, Dash walked through the corridors in the backyard of the martial arts school and sat down in front of a Sakura tree.
"Everything seems to be fine."
By inviting Cobra Kai, he thought that by showing them his way of approaching martial arts, they might understand a safer way to train and express themselves. What everyone wanted least was gang fights breaking out now that everyone knew karate; if that escalated, tournaments would be canceled throughout the Valley.
That's why he sought something Daniel achieved in his early days in Karate—establishing a rivalry where they didn't fight outside the tournament. If he could achieve that, he wouldn't mind Cobra Kai existing and being an enemy to Daniel. On the contrary, that would make things much more interesting than participating in tournaments where he felt he only needed to win to prove he was the best.
"Does the best talent of Sakura Bushido open their minds in this place?" A deep voice echoed behind Dash, and when he turned to see who it was, he smiled slightly.
"Sensei Kreese, what brings you to such a tranquil place?"
"Clearing the mind, just like you're doing, And I think it's a good place for a conversation," Kreese said as he approached Dash and sat down beside him.
Dash knew that this old man didn't want to clear his mind. In fact, he doubted what the old man's motivations really were. But he knew it was a potential issue he needed to be careful with, so he said, "This Sakura tree always reminds me of one of my worst situations. I was dying, and the last thing I remember seeing was those Sakura flowers falling from the withering tree."
Kreese was surprised. He never thought a kid could express such hard-to-digest words so clearly. It was obvious he wasn't lying; he knew when people lied, and Dash wasn't lying.
"It must have been a tough moment."
Dash smiled and said, "I felt so weak that from that moment, I vowed to train every day, and it's something I've fulfilled to this day. If I hadn't created this martial arts school, I would have loved to belong to Cobra Kai."
"That's good to hear. It means that, in your eyes, Cobra Kai is not inferior to Sakura Bushido," Kreese said with a slight smile of arrogance.
In a real battle, there are no fancy facilities or amazing machines for training. You make do with what you have, so that's the definition of Cobra Kai right now. But Dash, hearing this, smiled slightly and said, "If you go down that path, all Cobra Kai students will slowly leave your dojo." The aggressiveness you're teaching them might lead them further away from their real goal."
"You're just like that, Sensei. You both think that Cobra Kai is on the wrong path, and that's something you shouldn't concern yourselves with. Let me give you advice—do not interfere with Cobra Kai's development, or you and your Dojo will be our number one enemies to eliminate," Kreese said as he stood up.
Dash looked at him intently and said, "You're still living in your fantasies. Let me also give you a warning. If you try to bring back the old Cobra Kai, then I have the tools to destroy you. I prefer to settle everything in the arena; outside is too boring."
"Arrogant kid, you'll realize you can't change anything, no matter how hard you try, and those you consider your friends will be the ones who come looking for you," Kreese said in a very ambiguous manner.
Dash, knowing the kind of man Kreese was, understood that this man hadn't changed at all, and he was the enemy he needed to face if he wanted Johnny to have a chance to change. With that in mind, he knew what he had to do.
...
In the car, Dash lazily leaned on Devon's car window and rhythmically tapped the armrest. Suddenly, his phone rang, and he took his time to pull it out of his bag. Devon noticed Dash's behavior and asked, "Now what's bothering you?"
Dash pressed the button to answer the call, only to receive a promotional call for a phone contract. "Wrong number..."
Beep-beep!
"I'm not interested, thanks."
Devon looked at Dash while driving and asked again, "Who the hell is calling you?"
"Promotions..." Dash muttered a little confusedly about how Devon had exploded while driving, so unconsciously, he adjusted the seatbelt.
Devon noticed this and ordered, "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"That, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Devon said, obviously sealing the little trust Dash was placing in her driving.
Dash smiled slightly and whispered, "You know I have confidence that you won't make the same mistake twice in a row. Just drive properly, and if you crash, that means you won't crash again in your life."
"Dash Hale!" Devon shouted, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"Hey, listen, I just had a very extensive conversation with old Kreese, who seems to live in a war where Karate is everyone's cold weapon," Dash said as he explained his points.
"So you're saying you had a conversation with the old Cobra Kai Sensei, and he's a damn idiot," Devon said, nodding as she parked at a restaurant.
Dash subtly unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "I wouldn't call him an idiot. Maybe I'd call him an old man with war disorders and a very altered view of the current world."
"I feel like we need some fresh air—a lot of fresh air. So, we'll study all night about the debate we'll have with the rival school," Devon said as she entered the restaurant.
Dash smiled and said, "During the night, we could also do other things."
Crack!
"Ouch!"
Dash, who was just joking, approached the display to order food and go to Devon's place, where they would have a long night of work. "Haha, work, surely..."