They need to focus on their training, not on threats they cannot control. " That afternoon, Thelma made her way to a part of town she had avoided for years. A warehouse district that had been revitalized with fighting gyms and training centers catering to MMA enthusiasts. Outside one such facility, a sleek building with tinted windows and the words Kojima Elite Combat emblazoned across the entrance, she paused. Through the glass, she could see Hiroshi leading a class of advanced students. His teaching style was precise, demanding, much like his father's had been.
For a moment, Thelma simply observed, noting how the young man had incorporated elements of modern fighting systems while maintaining the core of traditional karate. As if sensing her presence, Hiroshi looked up. Their eyes met through the glass, and after a moment's hesitation, he excused himself from his class and stepped outside. "You should not be here," he said without preamble. "Yet here I am," Thelma replied calmly.
"And here you are carrying on your father's legacy. " Hiroshi's jaw tightened. "My father's legacy was stolen from him by you. " "Is that what he told you? " Thelma asked. "That I betrayed him? That I caused his downfall? " "You were his student. He trusted you.
And you exposed his business to the authorities. " Thelma shook her head slowly. "I was never Kojiro's student. I trained under the Tanaka family. Your father was a promoter who tried to fix my championship match. When I refused to lose, his gambling syndicate collapsed.
Lies. Hiroshi hissed, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes. You fled Japan in disgrace. I fled Japan in fear, Thelma corrected. After your father's men attacked me and killed my training partner.
The scar across my abdomen, that was your father's parting gift. Hiroshi's composure faltered momentarily before he reasserted control. You left a world in chaos. The traditional ways died. The honor of true karate faded.
Now it's all sport and spectacle. And you believe revenge will restore what was lost? Thelma asked gently. I believe in setting right a historical wrong, Hiroshi replied. His tone softened slightly.
You could have ended me in the dojo that day. Why didn't you? Because violence only perpetuates itself, Thelma said. Your father never understood that. Hiroshi considered her words for a long moment.
The tournament approaches. I will face whoever you send against me. After that, he left the sentence unfinished, turning back toward his gym. Hiroshi, Thelma called after him. You are not your father.