It was a pretty smooth trip, some of them even slept for a while, but, after spending over 10 hours on the plane, they finally reached their destination.
Chozen: Here we are, welcome to Okinawa.
They got off the plane, and as soon as everyone got off, they saw a Japanese woman who Daniel and Chozen immediately recognized, and Chozen immediately went to her, and she hugged him as soon as she saw him.
Chozen: It's good to see you again Kumiko.
Kumiko: I missed you.
Chozen: I felt missed you too, plus I brought some friends, you sure remember Daniel-San.
Daniel: It's great to see you again Kumiko, I'd like you to meet my family, that's my wife Amanda, and my children Samantha and Anthony.
Amanda: Nice to meet you.
Kumiko: Likewise, Daniel-San told me a lot about you last time, what brings you all here?
Daniel: It's a long story, but don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to talk, guys, you can go out there and have fun, tomorrow we'll continue with training as usual, this time in a new place, but we'll talk about this tomorrow.
The students nod, and after arriving at the hotel and packing their things, everyone heads out to have some fun.
That afternoon, Daniel, Amanda, Johnny, Carmen and Mike met up with Kumiko and started talking.
Kumiko: So you guys came here because of a karate tournament.
Johnny: It's not just any karate tournament, it's the biggest karate tournament in the world.
Daniel: Just like Chozen, Johnny and I had problems in the past, but we realized that we had to put this feud aside for the greater good, of course Chozen also helped us with that.
Amanda: Okay, but now I want to know something, why didn't you two (Daniel and Kumiko) work out?
Kumiko: After everything that happened, Daniel-San came back to America, I got a job that I couldn't refuse, so unfortunately we couldn't be together anymore.
Amanda: Well, then I guess I should thank you.
Kumiko: Speaking of which, have any of you seen Chozen? I wanted to talk to him about something.
Mike: I don't know, I haven't seen him since we got here.
As Daniel told the students before, starting tomorrow the training would be done at Chozen's dojo, what he didn't know is that one of the students decided to anticipate her training, exactly, Samantha was already at the dojo with Chozen to start the special training that he promised her.
Chozen: I see you're already here, you sure you want to do this?
Samantha: Yes sensei, that's exactly what I want.
Chozen: Great, then get ready, because this training will not be easy, but if you follow my instructions I assure you, there will be no Cobra Kai student who can beat you, prepare to know the roots of Miyagi-Do karate.
To begin the training, Chozen took a vase full of sand and placed it in front of his student.
Samantha: What do I have to do with this?
Chozen: Strike sand.
Samantha: What? But that...
Chozen: Strike sand, and don't try to put pillow in vase, because I will know.
Samantha: Okay then...
Samantha did as Chozen asked and started striking the sand.
Chozen: AGAIN!
She hits the sand again, and it was possible to see that it was painful for her, but Chozen's reaction was the same.
Chozen (while Samantha was hitting the sand): Your head must forget pain, to succeed you must overcome, first train mind, then train body.
She continues striking the sand for a while longer, at first it was as painful as the first few times, but after a while, it seemed that it was less and less painful, until at one point, she hit the sand and felt nothing, she thought it was strange so she stopped hitting, and Chozen went to her to see if she was okay.
Chozen: What happened? You're feeling too much pain?
Samantha: No, on the contrary, the last few times I struck the sand I didn't feel anything, what does that mean?
Chozen: It means that you are progressing, you are adapting and becoming more tolerant of pain, that is the objective of this part of training, the less pain you feel the harder it will be to defeat you.
Samantha: I get it, so, what's the next lesson?
Chozen: Next lesson is for tomorrow, I like your enthusiasm, but you must not overdo it, go back to the hotel now, tomorrow we'll continue.
While our heroes were in Japan, things went on normally in the Valley, during school, the Cobra Kai students looked for their opponents to try to bully them somehow, but they were surprised to see that they weren't at school, so, during training they started talking.
Kyler: Where are those assholes? I didn't see them anywhere at school today.
Piper: Look, some friends of mine told me they heard they went to Japan earlier.
Shawn: Wait, so they ran away to Japan instead of staying here and fighting us?
Kyler: Typical of them, they're a bunch of pussies.
Kim (listening to what the students were saying): If that's true they're a little smarter than I thought, does not matter, with them gone we can just focus on our training, which reminds me, Mr. Yoon, Ms. Min, come here, I need to talk to you in private.
They nod and follow Kim into another room, while Kreese takes care of the other students, and inside they start talking in Korean.
Yoon (in Korean): Why you call us here Master Kim?
Kim (in Korean): We are about to destroy our enemies once and for all, and I know you have what it takes to take down any of them, but in any case, I wanted to show you something, you certainly remember Kenny Payne's Silver Bullet technique, correct?
They just nod.
Kim (in Korean): He learned this technique from Terry Silver, who learned it from my grandfather, and many consider this the most deadly technique of the way of the fist, however, the truth is that there is a technique, which is so deadly that my grandfather didn't teach anyone but his family members, currently I am the only person alive who knows of the existence of this technique, and now I'm about to share it with you, a technique known as the Deadly Fang.
Min (in Korean): I liked it.
Kim (in Korean): I figured you'd like it, now watch.
She faces a dummy, and then she makes a move similar to a one-inch punch, hitting the target in the neck, and blowing a hole in the dummy.
Kim (in Korean): Just like the Silver Bullet, this technique can also take the enemy's breath away, and as you can see, it is much more difficult to execute, however, it is also more powerful, and if it hits in the right place, it can cause severe damage to the enemy, or even death.
Both students were impressed, if they managed to use that, their opponents wouldn't stand a chance.
Min (in Korean): Show us again.
Far away, not knowing what was going on in the Cobra Kai dojo, Yasmine and Moon were in a restaurant, it was clear that Yasmine was not fine after the breakup with Demetri, and Moon realized that.
Moon: So, you and Demetri haven't spoken since... You know.
Yasmine: I don't know what to say, I feel like my breaking up with him was a mistake, but I worry that he isn't who I thought he was.
Moon: What are you talking about?
Yasmine: I chose Demetri because I thought he would be loyal and kind, unlike the other guys, I knew they weren't loyal because they cheated on their girlfriends with me!
Moon: And he is, I'm sure Demetri would never cheat on you.
Yasmine: It's not just that, you weren't there, so you won't understand, but seeing him that way, doing what he did... It didn't look like him at all, it looked like a completely different person, and if he gets mad like that again, I don't know if I can handle it...
Moon: Look, Eli and I have been together for a while, You think I'm not worried that something happens and he goes back to what he was in his Cobra Kai days?
Yasmine: Then why are you still together?
Moon: Because I love him, and he loves me too, and if something like that happens, we'll work things out, because we love each other, just like you and Demetri.
Yasmine: Actually we never said that...
It was true, Yasmine never told Demetri that she loved him, and neither did he (probably he never did because he was afraid the feeling wasn't mutual) thinking about it, she regretted never saying those words.
Moon: What? Girl, I've known you since we were kids and this is the first time I've seen you speechless over a guy.
Yasmine started to think, did she really love Demetri? Well, he sure was better than any other boyfriend she'd ever had, he treated her well and liked her as a person, rather than just the popular girl at school, and when they weren't together she missed him, when they broke up she felt a sadness that she had never felt before... Yeah, surely Moon was right.
Yasmine: Holy shit, I do love him.
Thanks to her friend's advice, Yasmine finally figured out how she felt about Demetri, but now she may have ruined their relationship, but it's not over yet, just as he fought, now it's her turn to fight to save their relationship, she would go to Japan and tell Demetri how she really feels.
The next day, all the students gathered to train at Chozen's dojo, and after training ended, everyone left, except for Samantha, she stayed there for Chozen to teach her something new.
Samantha: So, what's today's lesson?
Chozen: Today, you have a goal, hit me, think you can do it?
Samantha: Well, it's gonna be hard, but if I try my best I think I can do it.
Chozen: Great, but before you start, put this on.
Chozen then gives her a blindfold, it was then that Samantha realized what he wanted, she needed to hit Chozen, without seeing him.
Samantha: But... How am I supposed to fight if I can't see?
Chozen: You have five senses, not just one, don't just rely on what you see, are you ready? Hajime!
Now things got complicated, hitting Chozen knowing where he is would be difficult enough, how would she be able to fight if she couldn't see? That thought immediately disappeared from her mind, as Chozen approached her and kicked her, knocking Samantha to the ground.
Not knowing what to do, she just walked backwards, until she felt something on her side, she touched that object, and saw that it was a staff, Samantha then grabbed the staff, to try to use it against Chozen, she tried to hit Chozen several times, but he was always able to dodge it, it was then that Samantha heard a noise and felt the staff being taken from her hands.
It was only then that she realized what her sensei meant, she had to use all her senses, at this moment she knew that Chozen was nearby, so she immediately dropped her staff, and hit him with a sweep, while Chozen was on the ground she tried to hit him with a punch, but Chozen rolls to the side, dodging the attack at the last second.
Chozen gets up, and tries to get the staff, but Samantha manages to get it first, she then goes back to trying to hit Chozen with the staff, but he dodged the attack, he then went back and got another staff.
This time, both were trying to hit each other with the staffs, but without success, Chozen goes towards Samantha, and all she manages to do is defend herself, but then he manages to corner her, without having many options, Samantha drops the staff, and goes under Chozen, dodging the attack, Chozen gets up and tries to hit her again, but what he didn't realize is that she was behind him, so as soon as he turned around, Samantha hit him with a kick, it was over, she had completed that part of the lesson.
Chozen: Excellent! You learn fast, I guess it's in your blood, here, we believe in fighting with honor, but some people do not follow that rule, so they will try to take your vision away so you can't fight, that's why you have to use all your senses.
Samantha: Got it, so I guess I have to go now, see you tomorrow, by the way, thanks for helping me out.
Chozen: It's my pleasure.
The extra training she was having with Chozen was definitely the hardest training Samantha had ever had to go through, it wasn't as deadly as Johnny's training, but it was certainly something much harder, despite that, she enjoyed training with Chozen, it was almost as if she went back to training with Mr. Miyagi.
Later that day, Demetri was at the hotel when Daniel arrived to talk to him.
Daniel: I heard Mike taught you to strike first...
Before Daniel could say anything else, Demetri cut him off, he knew what Daniel was going to say, something along the lines of "that was a mistake, karate is for defense only" or something like that, but Demetri didn't need anyone else telling him that was a mistake, he already knew.
Demetri: Look, Mr. Larusso, I know what you're gonna say, and don't waste your time, I already know this was a mistake...
Demetri was surprised to hear Daniel's answer, it was certainly the last thing he expected to hear from him.
Daniel: No, it wasn't.
Demetri: What are you talking about? All I got striking first was getting my ass kicked and losing the girl I love, I should have listened to you and remembered karate is for defense only.
Daniel: And you're not wrong, but the fact is that defense comes in many forms, and, I don't believe I'm saying this, but, sometimes the best defense is offense, but you always have to stay focused, you know how I was able to beat Johnny, Chozen and Barnes when I was young?
Demetri: Because you were more skilled than them?
Mike (arriving at that moment): Oh, please, my granny had more skill than that guy.
Daniel: Look, even though the bad boy exaggerated a little, he's not all wrong, take Chozen for example, he had been training for over 10 years when I met him, and I didn't even have one year of experience, even then I defeated him in a fight to the death, the real reason I won, was because I was emotionally balanced, unlike him who was blinded by rage, as for Johnny we can say the same thing, he was emotionally unstable, and Mike...
Mike: I only lost because I followed that asshole Silver's plan... And also because I left anger control me.
Daniel: You understand what we mean Demetri? It's okay to strike first, but never forget balance, balance isn't just physical, mental balance is just as important.
Demetri: I understand, and I feel a lot better now, thanks...
Demetri really felt better, but he was still sad about Yasmine, he thought about talking to her, but he was afraid that she would interpret this as him not giving her space to think, however, after talking to Hawk, he found out that Yasmine would come to Japan with Moon, knowing that, Demetri became more optimistic, he had one more chance, and he would not waste it.
Another day passed, and as usual, Samantha stayed longer at the dojo to continue training with Chozen.
Chozen: Samantha-San, I must say I'm impressed, you've evolved so much in such a short time, for today's lesson, I would like you to answer me a question, what does it take to deal the most damage to the opponent?
Samantha (after thinking a bit): Strength?!
Chozen: That's your answer, very well, there is one more place we have to go.
They leave the dojo, and go to a bar, but not just any bar, a bar that Chozen and Daniel knew very well.
Chozen: It's been a while since I've been here, but this place never changes.
Samantha (still a little confused): Okay, that's great, but what are we doing here? Is the training over?
Chozen: I never said that, take a look at that guy.
They see another guy at the bar, it was a really big strong man, and he was trying to break six boards of ice with one strike.
Chozen: Watch how he will fail, he only breaks two at most.
The man heard what Chozen said, and he looked furious, who he think he is to say that, now he is more determined to break the six boards, just to shut up Chozen, so he hits the ice boards, and, as Chozen said, he only broke two, but the guy was still angry, so he went to Chozen and said:
Man: What's up? You think you do better, then give it a try.
Chozen: I won't... She will!
Everyone in the bar was shocked to hear this, especially Samantha.
Man: Are you her uncle or something?
Chozen: Or something.
Man: Well I'll bet you 100 bucks she can't do it, anyone else?
Several other guys at the bar bet too, with amounts between 50 and 200 bucks, but they were all betting that she wouldn't do it, Chozen on the other hand was pretty confident.
Chozen: 800 bucks she breaks all six.
Samantha: Can I talk to you for a second?
Chozen nods and they start talking.
Samantha: Are you crazy? I won't be able to break this.
Chozen: Your father did it.
Samantha: Yeah, I know, I know the story, but just because he did it doesn't mean I can, what do you expect me to do?
Chozen: Focus.
Samantha (sarcastically): Oh great, and what are you gonna do?
Chozen took his cell phone out of his pocket and prepared to film.
Chozen: You'll want a record of this when you're older, and be thankful we're not 1985 anymore, otherwise they would break your neck if you don't break the ice.
Without many options, Samantha did what Chozen said, she started to breathe and focus, the same way Daniel did when he was young, and like father like daughter, she was able to break all the ice.
Everyone in the bar is shocked to see that, the strongest guys there can only break two, how could a little girl be able to break all six?
Chozen (taking the bet money): I think this is ours.
They leave the bar, and head back to the dojo.
Samantha: I still can't believe I did it.
Chozen: I never had doubts, after this lesson, answer me again the question I asked you before, what does it take to deal the most damage to the opponent?
Samantha thought a little about what they saw at the bar, even the weakest of those guys was physically stronger than her, yet he wasn't able to break the six ice boards, she thought a little more, and this time her answer was different.
Samantha: Accuracy?!
Chozen: Correct! Those guys were much stronger, but their strength spread across the entire ice board when they hit it, but you focused all your strength on a single point, and that's why you managed to break all of them, in fight it's the same thing, sometimes several hits are less effective than one hit in the right spot, and that leads me to the next technique that I'm going to teach you, pay close attention, because if enemy insists on war you take away their ability to wage it.
I don't think I need to say what technique Chozen taught her, do I?
During the weekend, both the Karate Kids and Cobra Kai students continued to train hard, because next Monday would be the big day, the day that Sekai Taikai would start.
However, a little before that, right after Samantha returned home, Chozen also returned and found Kumiko in front of his house.
Chozen: Kumiko, what are you doing here?
Kumiko: I really wanted to talk to you, as you were busy training your students I decided to wait, but I can't wait any longer, I need to talk to you about something.
Chozen: No problem... About what?
Kumiko: When you were in America helping Daniel-San, you sent me a message, I didn't understand what you meant.
She shows him a message he sent her, that day they were at the bar.
Chozen (on cell phone): Hai-sai, this is Chozen, I'm calling because I'd really like to see you when I get home, Kumiko, everything's fine here with Daniel-San, I'm glad I came but I made big mistake, I should have taken you with me.
Kumiko: Chozen, we've been friends for a long time, please explain to me what you mean by that?
Chozen was quiet for a few seconds, that was a subject he wanted to avoid, but that was clearly impossible, so he decided to follow his friends' advice, he would tell her how he felt.
Chozen: I have to be honest with you, Kumiko, I... I love you, since we were kids, after my defeat I thought I was lost, but you found me again, you gave me strength to get back on my feet and become who I am, I never said anything because...
Kumiko just made a sign for Chozen to be quiet, so she approached him and said:
Kumiko: Chozen, I forgave you already, what you did in the past doesn't define who you are, and honestly... I love you too.
She hugs him, and then the two kiss for the first time, and Chozen has never been happier.
Yes, I know these chapters have gotten pretty long, but we're getting closer to the final, so I think it's understandable, anyway, as we can see, Chozen finally revealed his feelings for Kumiko, and found out that she feels the same for him, moreover, Chozen fulfilled the promise he made to Samantha and taught her new techniques, but the students of Cobra Kai also learned something new, and now, it's time to find out who the best are, place your bets because the Sekai Taikai is about to start, who do you think will be the winners in the male, female and sensei divisions? What do you think will happen? Find out IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.