CHAPTER 133
As the Miyagi-Dos entered the massive castle that they'd be staying in for the next two weeks, they were, not for the first time, rendered completely speechless. If the outside of the castle was gorgeous, the interior took it to another level. For the most part, the inside of the castle matched the outside: it had been designed with old architecture and had merely been restored since that time, not redone. However, it was clear that in certain areas, things had been completely modernized to keep up with the times and even get ahead of them. After all, only the best for the biggest karate tournament in the world.
The first place that they were taken to was the dorms where the students would be staying for the duration of their stay. As they entered the dorm with the word Miyagi-Do written on a plaque just outside, they found themselves standing in what looked like a living room. It contained a TV, some couches, some board games, a mini fridge, a kettle and a table with 6 chairs around it. It was bigger than most of their living rooms at home, which was why they automatically assumed this was a communal space, meant for more students than just the Miyagi-Dos.
"This is the accommodation where Miyagi-Do students will stay." The staff member informed them. "Right now, we're standing in this dorm's living room, one of many spaces where the students are able to relax, spend time together and unwind after what will surely be some stressful days ahead."
"Are we sharing it with other dojos?" Sam asked. The man shook his head.
"This room is just for you guys. The keycard that unlocked the door to this dorm can only be opened by the Miyagi-Do keycards that we'll give you, so nobody else can get in unless you invite them in yourselves. There are also other places in this facility, larger common rooms, where you can mix with other competitors. This is just a private space for you."
"This is all for us? Wow." Demetri murmured, shocked. The man chuckled at their surprise.
"I know this can all seem pretty shocking at first. But remember… you're at the Sekai Taikai. You're at the biggest under 18 combat sports tournament in the world. I guarantee that things here are going to be bigger and better than anywhere you've competed before."
"You can say that again." Miguel remarked. The man laughed.
"Anyway… so this is the Miyagi-Do living room. If you follow me, I'll show you what the bedrooms look like." The Taikai staff member said, leading them to one of the few doors that were attached to the side of the living room.
He opened it briefly and the Miyagi-Dos peered inside to see two single beds, as well as a wardrobe and other basics found in a typical hotel room.
"This is your standard room." The man told them. "Fits two people, as you can see. There are 3 of them in your dormitory. The other door leads to a bathroom."
"Hold up… there are only 3 rooms? So where are we sleeping?" Johnny asked.
"Well this dormitory is just for the students. It's customary in Taikai tradition that the students have their own space and the senseis have their own space, unless they explicitly want otherwise. The senseis' living space looks almost identical to this. I'll take you there a bit later in the tour."
Although Daniel looked a little bit concerned that the teenagers would be left unsupervised in this completely foreign and new location, he didn't say anything. Despite his protective fatherly instincts, he knew they'd be fine. The Taikai had taken every precaution to ensure safety, with only specific keys being able to unlock the doors to the dormitory. And the kids were all extremely competent fighters after all… how much safer could they get?
"Here are the 6 keys to unlock each of the three bedrooms." The staff member said, handing them all to Daniel. "I'll leave it to you to sort out which of your students in each room. But typically, the way it works is that the girls and boys are separated."
Daniel nodded and took them from the man, before turning to the rest of his students.
"Alright. You heard him. Sam, Tory, here are your keys. Miguel, Robby, here are yours. Eli, Demetri, here are yours."
Eli and Demetri took the keys from Daniel, but the other students merely looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Um… you realize the first thing we're going to do as soon as your back's turned, right?" Tory remarked. She had a point. It didn't take a genius to work out the fact that if you had Tory and Sam rooming together and then Miguel and Robby rooming together, chances were that the people they actually ended up falling asleep with would be different to the roommate assignments, especially given that the adults had little control over them as soon as they left the dormitory.
Daniel knew exactly what Tory was implying and he sighed, eventually switching the keys around so Robby and Tory had the same key, and then Miguel and Sam had the same key. He had little choice, as even if he tried to enforce the roommate assignments he had initially suggested, it wasn't going to take long for the couples to end up sharing a room.
"Fine. You 4 are adults. I'm trusting you to be responsible. But if I hear that you've been caught doing…"
"They won't, Mr. Larusso. Don't worry." Eli remarked. "Demetri and I share a wall with both rooms. And if we have to hear either side doing anything like that, there's not a fighter in this entire facility that can do anything to stop me from kicking their asses all the way back to L.A for subjecting me to those sounds."
Eager to end the awkward topic of conversation, Daniel walked back over to the Taikai staff member, who was waiting patiently on the other side of the room. He nodded as the Miyagi-Do students finished dropping their bags down in their dormitory.
"Alright. Let's keep going with the tour…"
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The next half hour or so consisted of the staff member taking them all around the facility. It truly was a magical place; the nickname of 'Hogwarts' was definitely well-chosen. The next place they went was the adults' dormitory. There wasn't much to see; it looked almost identical to the teenagers' one, even if it was a little bit more sophisticated. After the adults had also dropped their bags, they continued to walk through the castle.
The next place they visited was the gym. And as they did… good, God! They had never seen anything like this place! Not only did it contain all of the equipment that you'd see at all of the best-equipped gyms in L.A, but extra additions had been made given that after all, they were competing in a karate tournament. As well as 4 competition regulation mats to spar on, the gym was also filled with almost every kind of punching and kicking target known to man, everything they could possibly need during the little time they'd be able to train before and during the Taikai.
After the gym, the Miyagi-Dos were once again left stunned when the staff member took them to all of the places within the facility that were unique to the Taikai. They were taken to the vast press conferences rooms where the competitors would face a plethora of questions from various sports magazines in the region, starting from later that afternoon itself. They were also taken to the media facilities where there would be countless photoshoots, media promos, interviews and other things that none of them would probably ever experience again after this tournament.
They went to a few more places. The Great Hall, named aptly after the dining hall in Harry Potter, where they'd be eating all of their meals. The lush, spacious grounds in the compound garden. The 3 larger common rooms, consisting of table tennis tables, playstations, foosball tables, pool tables and other games that could bond the competitors from all over the world. The library, where those students who were still in school could study (thank God all of the Miyagi-Dos had already graduated, they thought, as having to study would have been probably the last thing on their minds if they were still in school right now!).
Finally, the tour concluded with arguably the most important location in the entire facility: the medical wing. It was an entire mini hospital, a variety of multi-purpose rooms bustling with busy nurses and doctors. They had been taken to the medical wing last for a reason. Now that they had arrived, it was time to do their necessary medical checks to be confirmed as competitors in the tournament."
"It's a pretty basic medical check for everyone." The staff member said. "We take height, weight, wingspan, as well as a general check up to make sure you're all medically cleared to fight. Heart Rate, blood pressure, concussion testing, all of that. We'll need it as a baseline as after the tournament starts, you'll all be receiving a check up after each round to make sure you're physically able to keep fighting without getting hurt. Because your safety is our top priority."
The Miyagi-Dos nodded and before long, their individual medical checks began. The fighters quickly found out that they were having a lot more tested than simply heart rate. Along with everything the staff member had said, they also had all of their joints tested, their eyesight checked, their blood sampled to test for any major deficiencies, as well as a standard drug test to make sure they weren't doping, a test they'd have to take after each round of fighting.
By the end of it all, the Miyagi-Dos no longer felt like just Karate students. They felt like Olympic athletes. With the tour they'd been given and the medical checkup that followed, this simply felt like more than a Karate tournament. There was no other way to describe it. Although the tournament hadn't even started yet, there was not a shred of doubt in any of their minds that this was something none of them were going to ever experience again. They needed to savor every moment of the incredibleness as before long, they'd be back in L.A with only memories to remind them of the great times.
Their joy only increased when they were taken back to the media facilities and had preliminary photoshoots done. It wasn't much, as they hadn't made it to the knockout rounds yet, but still enough to be included on billboards and other advertising material for the tournament. They had dressed up in their gis and had been made up by the hair and make-up people, much to Johnny's shock and horror, but by the end they had photos that honestly looked spectacular. They looked fierce but kind. Determined to win but also just happy to be there. They had been captured perfectly by the professional photographers.
Unfortunately, their joy was soon due to come to an end. After they had finished with the photoshoots at around 4:30 pm, they were due for their first press conference in the main press conference room. They were all extremely excited about that. Talking to the press and media about the events to come would only further solidify the thought in their minds that they were competing in the most extravagant competition in the world.
However, their jovialness was quickly dashed as they were taken to the press conference room and saw that not only the press had all arrived, but the dojo that they'd be sharing the stage with for the press conference were also there. The press conference room was large enough to fit 2 dojos on the stage, and the way that press conferences worked was that 2 dojos at a time would be up there together. So Miyagi-Do were there, set to do their press conference with the other newest addition to the Sekai Taikai, a certain other Karate dojo from the Valley.
As the Miyagi-Dos walked into the room and saw the Cobra Kais all already seated there, staring at them expectantly as they arrived, the tension in the room skyrocketed from the moment they first laid eyes on each other. With the agitation between the sides tangible enough that you could taste it in the air, and every eye of the press and media opposite them all eagerly waiting to capture their every word, there was no doubt that this was not going to be a fun half hour. Not fun at all…