CHAPTER 132

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking." A loud voice filled the intercom system and rang through all of the headsets being worn by the passengers on the plane. It was a voice that startled them, as they had been flying for almost 12 hours now without a word from the pilot. But now, they were seemingly nearing their destination, hence the announcement. "We have officially crossed into Japanese airspace and we should be touching down in Narita International Airport in Tokyo in the next half an hour or so."

Large smiles spread across the faces of every single Miyagi-Do student. Although flying was a unique experience that all of them would remember forever, the novelty had worn off around 6 hours into the flight, which meant that the second half of their journey had been nothing but long and tedious. They were certainly looking forward to stepping onto Tokyo soil, see the setting where they'd be crowned world champions for the first time.

"As we begin our descent, I'd like to thank all of you for choosing to fly with us here on American Airlines. It's been a pleasure to have you all on board." The pilot said. "Before we land though, I'd like to draw attention to a few notable passengers on board. Flying with us today are the students of Los Angeles' own Miyagi-Do karate and Cobra Kai karate dojos, here to compete in the biggest global karate tournament in the world. Best of luck to all of you competing."

Applause rang around the cabin, applause that the Miyagi-Dos soaked up with massive beaming grins on their faces. It was officially starting. They knew that from the moment they touched down in Japan, they'd be thrust into the public eye and probably wouldn't leave it anytime soon. That was officially starting now, as they listened to their entire cabin clap for them, all of the Japanese people on board knowing exactly what the Sekai Takai was and how much it meant to be competing in it.

A short while later, the wheels of the plane finally connected to the runway in Tokyo and the plane finally slowed to a halt, the 12 hour journey finally coming to an end. Their legs all feeling like jelly, it took the teenagers a few attempts to be able to properly stand up and collect their luggage from the overhead bins.

After they stepped off the plane and found themselves in the terminal, they finally met up with Daniel, Johnny and the other senseis. Just in time too, as when they stepped further into the terminal, immediately they could sense something was different. This wasn't any normal kind of trip, and it didn't take them long to see why. As they followed the throng of passengers heading to passport control and baggage claim, the Miyagi-Dos spied a large screen overhead and read the words that were being displayed in block letters.

WELCOME ALL SEKAI TAIKAI COMPETITORS

The Miyagi-Dos were only beginning to see just how big a deal this competition was. This wasn't just like some teenage Karate tournament like the All-Valley. This wasn't even close. The people in Tokyo around them… they seemed to be treating this the way that back home, they would treat the Superbowl. Or at the very least, the NBA finals. It was almost a religion to some of the people around here, an annual event that fans had been counting down the days until for practically an entire year. These fans were dedicated enough to, although they weren't picking up any family or friends, still go to the airport and greet all of the competitors as they landed that day.

The Miyagi-Dos were still relatively anonymous as individuals thankfully, so they were able to make it through the airport without much fuss. After all, it was their first time in the Taikai and they hadn't yet gone through the photoshoots required to be included in all of the advertising promos and billboards, which meant that not many people knew who they were.

Shockingly, there were a few though. There were a few people in the airport who were invested enough to know exactly who they were. After all, all it would take to discover them was a quick google search, and they would uncover a lot of what happened in the Valley over the past few years. The Miyagi-Dos heard one or two crazed fans shouting their names, and that warmed the students' hearts as they stepped out of the airport and into the crowd of thousands of people who were gathered outside to watch the competitors arrive.

It was incredible. It took the students' breaths away. Just seeing the sheer number of people who were intently watching the Taikai, knowing that it was a mere fraction of the number of people watching the tournament altogether… they felt like they were floating on a cloud.

However, they weren't able to hang around to appreciate it for too long. They were met by a man dressed in a Sekai Taikai jumpsuit, presumably a staff member, and after introductions, were hurried into a massive, luxurious limo.

After the 6 students and 4 senseis clambered into the limo and felt it drive them away from the airport, they looked out of the window at the retreating view of all of the fans. When they were finally no larger than mere specks in the distance, the Miyagi-Dos all sat back on the long couch in the limo and looked at each other, amazed.

"Wow." Miguel was the first to break the silence. That was all he could say really. They were speechless, blown away by the sheer incredibleness of the scene that had just occurred. This sure as hell wasn't an All-Valley tournament, taking place at a rec center, an audience of maybe 100 people. There were probably 10 times as many people waiting at the airport alone, let alone when the tournament actually began.

This was the moment that all of them were able to sit back and officially say to themselves, 'I've made it.' They hadn't won. Hell, they hadn't even competed yet. But simply being here… it put everything in perspective. They had made it to Tokyo, to the big leagues, to a place where none of them could have possibly imagined they'd be a year ago.

As the limo continued to drive, the Miyagi-Dos' faces were practically plastered to the window, eagerly taking in every inch of Tokyo that they could as they weaved through the urban metropolis, a unique city that felt like it was from another planet. Even somewhere like L.A, which was as densely populated as you could get, felt different to this place. Tokyo felt like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie or something, a snapshot of what the future would be like decades from now. That, however, went out the window as the limo finally pulled up to a halt 20 minutes later and Miyagi-Do got out, taking in their new surroundings.

This place definitely didn't fit the whole futuristic vibe Tokyo seemed to possess. It seemed to be a relic of the past, somewhere sacred, left untouched yet able to stand the test of time. It was a castle. That was the only way to describe it. It was bigger than an apartment complex. MUCH bigger than a mansion. This place was a stand-alone building, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, sticking out like a sore thumb given its more traditional architecture. The castle was absolutely gorgeous though. Maybe it was partly because everything in the vicinity was so modern. Seeing the ancient yet still very well-kept castle was a little bit more reminiscent of the 'oldness' of home.

The Miyagi-Dos already had an inkling as to what they were doing here, and sure enough it was confirmed when another Sekai Taikai staff member approached them, a clipboard in her hands.

"Miyagi-Do?" The staff member asked. When they nodded, a large smile graced the staff member's face. "Welcome! It's amazing to have you here competing for the first time. Hopefully the first year of many!"

"We hope so too. Thank you so much for everything so far. It's just been… incredible." Daniel said. The staff member chuckled.

"Well the fun's not quite over yet." He said. "Right now, we are at the compound where all of the teams will be spending the bulk of their time for the next two weeks. Here, you'll sleep, train, partake in media responsibilities… basically everything except fighting, which'll be in a different arena that you'll travel to do on the day of events."

"This place… wow." Daniel murmured, staring up at the castle that was towering over him, stunned by the sheer beauty of the facility. And to think that it also possessed everything they'd need for the tournament too.

"Here, we like to call this place Hogwarts." The staff member remarked. "You know, like the castle in Harry Potter? Because when all of the teams arrive, it's always humming with activity, bringing together cultures from all over the world in a way that can only be described as magical."

They hadn't even walked inside yet, and the Miyagi-Dos could already believe that statement. This facility just exuded a magical aura to it.

"Anyways… why don't you follow me inside? I'll show you to your rooms and then I can give you a full tour of the compound." The staff member suggested. The Miyagi-Dos nodded and followed the man into the compound. A large gate separated the compound from general society, and making their way through proved harder than one might have initially thought.

There were even more crazed fans here than there had been at the airport. After all, this was the place where every single competitor would be for the next few weeks, so all of the fighters that the fans were supporting would all be there. Not only that, but in addition to fans being there, there also appeared to be the presence of press and paparazzi, eagerly snapping photos of them as they were led inside the compound. The flash from the nearly hundred cameras on them blinded the Miyagi-Dos as they moved past and the staff member noticed, chuckling sympathetically.

"You'll learn to ignore them soon enough." He reassured them. "All of the authorized press will have the opportunity to interview you inside the compound at various points, during press conferences, promos and others. Anyone outside the compound gates is simply a fan or a paper trying to get a story. You don't have to pay much attention to them unless you really want to say something to them."

As the Miyagi-Dos listened to this, slightly overwhelmed by all of the information being dumped on them at once, the staff member noticed this too.

"Don't worry. I know it seems like a lot right now. But just bear with us. This afternoon, you'll have a full briefing where you'll go over rules, schedules and absolutely everything you'll need to know. There, you'll receive a welcome package which contains your entire schedule and everything you need to know in written form so you don't forget. That's when staff members will finally leave you to get settled, as I'm sure you'll want to after such a long flight." The staff member said. "Anyways, let's get the tour started…"