Kapitel 185: A Presentation and Knowledge

"Is that a gym?"

As everyone entered the martial arts school, often mistaken for a dojo even by its own students, the first thing they saw was a massive reception area where students were working on various tasks for the school. Most of the students at Sakura Bushido were diverse, ranging from university students to those in lower grades, even preschool, all learning various disciplines that shaped them into better individuals.

Observing the silence of everyone, Kresse, impressed by the place, approached a man who seemed to be a staff member and asked, "Are you aware that we'll be received today?"

"We've been expecting you. First of all, I'll take you to the changing rooms so you can change your clothes and be ready for the classes that are about to start." The worker professionally pointed to the locker rooms, and everyone, amazed by the place, walked through a hallway with numerous trophies on display.

"Are you seeing that black trophy? Damn, that's the one Dash won in Japan for not participating in the Valley tournament," Mitch said, looking at a trophy with a black glove on the shelf, along with the date and the name.

Miguel could see the five trophies from the Valley Karate Tournament and knew that the only missing one was the one he had won this year, which would probably be on the shelf if only Dash had participated.

Dash's talent in martial arts was well known. Even after training for only a few months and winning two tournaments, he continued training as if he had never won anything. No one knew of an official defeat for Dash, but only a few knew that he had lost to Cheng and Dre in less serious training sessions. Still, no one considered this a defeat because nothing was official.

All the boys entered the boys' locker rooms, while the only five women from Cobra Kai headed to the women's locker rooms.

Upon entering, Miguel was amazed at how incredible these locker rooms were. From what they could see, each locker room had an individual locker, and none of them were occupied because there was a key in the open door of each locker.

"Everyone can take a locker and lock it," said one of the workers, pointing to an individual locker.

Miguel looked at one of the lockers in this locker room, which was built in a circular fashion, and asked, "Aren't these lockers occupied?"

The worker smiled upon hearing this question and shook his head before responding, "Each of the lockers in this place is for guests or students who have not yet signed their first annual membership with us. After all, very few who come to Sakura Bushido end up staying. That's why these lockers were created; the students' personal ones are on the second floor."

Eli, who took off his shirt, said, "This place is amazing. There are even screens here broadcasting recent fights in different martial arts. This is insane."

"Someday Cobra Kai will be like this," said Miguel, still convinced that Cobra Kai could be better.

Mitch sighed on the side. "I don't want to be optimistic, but there are millions of dollars invested in this place. It would be impossible for Cobra Kai to surpass Sakura Bushido in a few years."

"That's true," another student nodded.

"At least there are two hundred students in this place. Do you think we can make a difference? But I still don't understand, why didn't the guys who beat us participate in the Valley tournament?"

At that moment, Kresse, who had changed into a black uniform, entered and said, "That's because Sakura Bushido aims for more demanding championships. Haven't you seen the trophies in the showcases? Most of them are from China and Japan; very few are from the United States, so you can imagine the level at which this dojo competes."

"That's true. Sakura Bushido sees the All Valley tournament as a training ground for its newer students," said Miguel as he put on soft footwear similar to slippers.

Eli looked a bit stunned as he furrowed his brows. This place was even more incredible than he imagined, and it's true what his Sensei Johnny said; they were just starting in Karate, and they couldn't consider themselves the best when they couldn't beat Sakura Bushido.

Kresse seemed to notice the overwhelm of his students and said, "Calm down, guys. You are a sprout compared to the old trees of Sakura Bushido. You are all very young and still learning. "Perhaps in a few years, you will be the next champions in the most important championships worldwide."

"But Cobra Kai only has a few championships. It would be unlikely for us to be accepted in other tournaments," said a guy who seemed to know more about the topic.

Kresse smiled and said, "You're mistaken if you think we only have a few championships. One of the old Cobra Kai students participated in the best karate tournament in the world and was one of the finalists."

"Didn't he win?"

"I heard from my friend that he lost due to an injury, but he left the name of Cobra Kai in great standing. It's a shame that everything ended in that last tournament." Kresse didn't want to say much more and shook his head. "Let's go; our hosts are waiting for us, so it would be a bad idea to keep them waiting."

"Yes, Sensei!"

Everyone followed Kresse, who was talking to one of the workers, who was guiding them to the official area where Karate was taught. Along the way, many could see students with different uniforms training in other techniques, and one asked, "Why do they have a different uniform?"

"Oh, that's an excellent question. Each and every one of them is a student with more than three years of experience. However, what sets them apart from the other Sakura Bushido students is that they are training in Kung Fu, and to wear that uniform, they must know more than three different martial arts."

Kresse looked at the guys who seemed to be learning jiujitsu techniques and asked, "I thought they only taught Karate; do they also teach Kung Fu?"

"Of course, once students have learned enough about Karate, if they wish, they delve into other disciplines, and that's when they start with Kung Fu."

Everyone was surprised; there was no doubt that they felt a little fearful seeing those students even being taught to handle weapons.

"We have arrived; everyone is waiting for you, so you can come in," said the worker, opening a double door.

When Kresse saw the inside of the enormous dojo, he knew that this was where karate was taught. So, after leaving their shoes on a special shelf, they all entered.

Once they stepped inside the dojo, Chozen, who noticed the arrival of the Cobra Kai students, shouted, "Rest position, to the sides, and wait."

"Now!"

Without saying a word, all the students roared, and each of them sat around the training area, turning their gaze to the Cobra Kai students, who felt even more intimidated by this behavior.

"You have them very well trained. Congratulations on achieving something like this," said Kresse as he approached Chozen to greet him.

After looking Kresse up and down, Chozen said with a slightly softer expression, "Discipline is always good when learning. Outside of this training room, they can behave however they like without any restrictions."

Wanting to make clear the teaching stance of the dojo, Chozen was straightforward with his words for everyone to hear. Once all the Cobra Kai students entered, he said, "Do you mind integrating yourselves?"

Kresse nodded and looked at his students. "Get comfortable; the class is about to start."

"Yes, Sensei!"

Everyone rigidly advanced to an empty part of the room and sat in the same way the Sakura Bushido students were seated. Tory, who was among the group of women, could see Devon sitting to the left of Dash and greeted her when they made eye contact.

As for Miguel, without his sensei Johnny, he felt a bit empty and couldn't deny that he was also intimidated.

Seeing how the students integrated into the class, Chozen asked Sensei Kresse at his side, "We have learned from your karate. Would you mind if we taught all the students a bit about the real world out there? Student Dash Hale will give a welcome practice; we do this with all new students."

"Of course." Kresse wasn't very clear on what Chozen meant, but he ended up accepting because it would be rude to refuse given the circumstances.

"Then, once it's done, it would help me a lot if you also shared your philosophy on combat," said Chozen, smiling and pointing to the place where the senseis were seated.

"That sounds good," said Kresse, walking towards where Chozen had pointed.

Once everyone was seated, a special class officially began.

AUTORENGEDANKEN
SrCuervo

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Kapitel 186: Karate is Not for Everyone

"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.