Kubfu Number One really was a student plotting to overthrow his own teacher.
It had learned all of that just so it could put him under its feet.
Grey did not know whether to laugh or cry. Kubfu Number One was the type that spent every waking moment thinking about dragging him down with it.
"Bea." (Boss, why don't you change the promise you want me to keep? I really can't do this one. A bear can't go against its own heart, or its strength will stop growing.)
Kubfu righteously asked Grey to give it a different promise.
"Hey, you little punk. You're still thinking about turning against your teacher?"
Grey could not hold back and flicked Kubfu on the forehead again.
"Bea..." (Ow, ow, ow... Stop flicking my head!)
Kubfu rubbed its head, looking like it was about to cry.
"You're great in every other way, but you're a little too honest. If you were out there acting like this, you would have been beaten up several times already."
A Pokémon with that much of a rebellious streak was the kind almost anyone would want to deal with on sight.
Kubfu was still manageable. But if it evolved into Urshifu later and still had that much attitude, and Grey could not beat it anymore...
Well, the story would probably turn into a disaster.
"Bea." (Sigh, there's nothing I can do about it. Who told you to leave such a bad first impression on me? If my first impression of you had been a little better, I wouldn't keep thinking about turning against you.)
Kubfu planted its hands on its hips, feeling that its explanation was perfectly reasonable.
"Reasonable, my foot! How did this become my fault?!"
Grey's brow twitched. He subconsciously raised his finger, intending to flick Kubfu's forehead again.
But then...
"Bea!" (I knew you were going to flick me! Look how far I ran! Let's see how you catch me now!)
Kubfu turned its back to him, reached out, and patted its own butt. Then it turned its face sideways and made a face at Grey.
Grey was speechless.
The number one little rebel truly lived up to its name.
"Bea!" (Heeheehee, huh? You already can't hold back and want to make a move? From this distance... Hey, hey, hey, how are you so fast?!)
Kubfu was still wiggling its eyebrows and making faces when it suddenly saw Grey's body shift slightly. It hurriedly turned to run, but a large hand gently grabbed the scruff of its neck, making it freeze in place at once.
Grey lifted Kubfu by the back of its neck and brought it in front of him, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
If it had been anyone else, they would have thought Grey's smile looked bright and sunny.
But in Kubfu's eyes, that smile kept growing larger and larger, somehow making it think of a certain Haunter grinning with bad intentions in the outskirts of Saffron City at night.
"Well then, Kubfu. Tell me, what kind of punishment do you want?"
Grey leaned his face closer.
"Bea!" (I surrender! I won't be a traitor student anymore! Please let me go!)
Kubfu begged bitterly.
"Really? Then swear on your martial spirit that you will never turn against your teacher again. Otherwise, you will never evolve into Urshifu."
"Bea?!" (Huh?! Why?! Are you saying you don't believe the words of a soft, delicate little Kubfu like me?)
Kubfu put on a pitiful act.
"Yeah. I really don't."
If it had been Kubfu Number Two, Grey might have believed it.
But Kubfu Number One was a born rebel. He definitely could not trust it. He could probably believe other things it said, but when it came to not turning against him, unless Kubfu swore an oath, Grey absolutely would not believe it.
"Bea..." (Wow, I never thought that even after I was caught, my own Trainer still wouldn't trust me. My life is way too hard.)
Kubfu sat down on the ground, looking old and weary.
After all that talking, it still refused to swear on its martial arts.
"If you put that persistence into training, you would have evolved into Urshifu ages ago."
Grey had to admit that Kubfu really did have unwavering willpower in this area.
"Bea." (Hehe, thanks for the compliment.)
Kubfu scratched its head in embarrassment, taking Grey's words just now as praise.
"...Forget it. Since you're like this, let's both take a step back."
Grey could only choose to compromise.
"Bea." (All right. Tell me how you want me to step back.)
"How about this? Before you evolve into Urshifu, you're not allowed to turn against your teacher."
"Bea!" (Good. Deal!)
Kubfu thought that was completely fine.
Right now, it could not beat Grey, so it did not matter whether it turned against him or not.
Once it evolved and its strength increased, it could turn against him then. Maybe it would be able to defeat Grey directly!
Yes!
This was not giving up. This was laying the groundwork.
After the two sides reached an agreement, Grey began teaching Kubfu the essence of Single Strike Style.
He used his palm like a blade, demonstrating the technique for generating force and explaining how to gather the strength of the entire body into a single point before releasing it in one burst.
Once he finished, Grey lightly pressed his palm against Kubfu's back, guiding the power of Aura along its meridians.
"Carefully feel the path your power takes," he said in a low voice. "When you can freely gather your Aura at the tip of your fist, that will be when you understand the true essence of Single Strike Style."
"Bea?" (This power is stronger than anything I've ever felt before!)
Kubfu's eyes suddenly widened under Grey's Aura guidance, as if it had glimpsed a whole new world of martial arts.
At that moment, Grey slowly withdrew his palm and let it stand there alone to savor the sensation.
"Remember what you just felt," he said, standing with his hands behind his back. "Once I finish teaching you this breathing method, you'll start practicing on your own."
Grey gestured for Kubfu to adjust the rhythm of its breathing.
Grey knew many breathing methods. He had learned all of them himself while training his Aura, which meant they were basically self-taught. Since Grey could merge them all together, he could naturally teach them to Pokémon as well.
Speaking of which, the Kubfu were the second batch of Pokémon to learn breathing methods.
The first batch had been Lucario.
The new breathing method carried a scorching aura. Every inhale made the meridians faintly swell, and the power of Aura surged through the body like a raging current.
It was completely different from the gentle circulating method he had taught Number Two. This method was filled with unquestionable dominance.
"Although this breathing method takes effect quickly, it will damage the meridians," Grey warned with a serious expression. "Only someone with firm willpower can withstand its backlash. Think carefully."
After Kubfu completed one full circulation cycle and withdrew its stance, Grey looked at it and asked, "Can you still bear it? If you can't, I have another breathing method that is milder and still suitable for the Single Strike Style path."
"Bea!" (No problem at all!)
Kubfu could clearly feel the surging power inside its body and the faint pain in its meridians, but it nodded without hesitation and took up its training stance again.
Grey watched the whole time as Kubfu completed three full circulation cycles. After giving it a few pointers at key moments, he raised his hand and stopped it.
"That's enough for today. This breathing method can be practiced at most four times a day. Any more than that will damage your foundation instead."
"Bea!" (I got it! This breathing method really works! I can feel the bottleneck that's been stuck for so long starting to loosen! If it keeps going like this, I feel like I'll be able to evolve into Urshifu soon!)
Kubfu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and felt comfort spread through its entire body. Its once-sluggish meridians were now flowing smoothly, and even its gaze had become exceptionally clear.
"It's not that simple. Evolving into Urshifu is still difficult. Aura only helps you understand things more easily. It isn't a required condition for evolution."
Urshifu had nothing to do with Aura.
Grey's teaching method was an unconventional path, a method unique to an Aura user.
If it had been anyone else, they probably would not have been able to teach much.
Only a strong Urshifu master like Mustard could teach it properly.
"Bea!" (It's getting late. I need to go handle serious business too!)
After finishing four full circulation cycles in total, Kubfu stood up and walked into the distance as if it had something important to do.
Grey raised an eyebrow slightly and followed behind Kubfu without making a sound.
He wanted to see where Kubfu was rushing off to in such a hurry.
"Bea!" (Listen up, Pokémon inside! This Kubfu has come to bring you destruction! Surrender now, and I might go a little easier on you when the time comes!)
Kubfu ran up to a small wooden box and shouted repeatedly at the opening.
Its cries carried eager fighting spirit. It was clearly challenging the Pokémon inside.
Grey was confused.
So the moment your strength improves, you want to go out and cause trouble?
Grey covered his face, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Kubfu was way too good at picking fights.
"Kekekeke?" (Ohoho, let's see who came back. Isn't this our defeated little Kubfu? It's only been a few days, and you're already back looking for trouble again? Don't tell me we went too easy on you before and failed to beat some sense into you.)
As the voice spoke, a Pokémon made of gas, with a pointed head and a pair of ghostly claws in front of it, drifted over leisurely.
Pokémon: Haunter
Type: Ghost, Poison
Level: 30
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Omitted
The newcomer was Haunter.
That level made it even cuter.
Level 30. To be honest, Grey could hold down the Haunter in front of him and beat it with a single finger.
"Kekekeke." (Ohohoho. I was wondering why you came back after only a few days. So you found yourself a human Trainer to help you?)
Haunter had also noticed Grey.
It gave Grey a slight nod, then looked back at Kubfu.
"Kekekeke." (The matter between us can't involve outsiders. Or do you think you can't beat me anymore, so you have to rely on an outside Trainer to defeat me?)
Haunter stabbed straight into Kubfu's heart.
It had actually guessed correctly.
Kubfu had called Grey over because Plan A was to have Grey command it in battle so it could defeat Haunter and avenge itself.
That had originally been the best possible plan.
But who would have thought Haunter would immediately start mocking it?
Just like that, the best plan became the worst plan.
"Bea!" (I... I didn't! But I do think there should be a witness between us!)
Kubfu righteously pushed Grey forward.
"Bea." (This is the strongest Gym Leader in Saffron City right now. I think having him serve as the referee would be fair to everyone.)
"Kekekeke." (Is that so? Then I was wrong to assume the worst. I thought you really would be shameless enough to call a Trainer over to cheer you on and back you up. Since that isn't the case, the misunderstanding is cleared up.)
Haunter covered its mouth and snickered.
A cross-shaped vein popped on Kubfu's forehead, but when it met Haunter's eyes, it had no choice but to force out a smile.
"Bea." (Hehe. You were overthinking it.)
Kubfu whistled innocently.
Once both sides had nothing more to say, Grey finally pulled Kubfu over.
"So, tell me what happened between you two. You're at each other's throats. Did you secretly come over and do something to them?"
"Bea?!" (What kind of question is that?! What kind of Trainer distrusts his own Pokémon this much?! In your eyes, am I the kind of Pokémon that causes trouble every day and never does anything serious?)
Kubfu flew into a rage.
Grey was silent.
"Bea." (Ahem. Well, actually, this matter started on the second day after you left.)
Kubfu's thoughts returned to that day.
As the saying went, when Grey was away, Kubfu became king.
As the elder of the Kubfu, Kubfu Number One strutted around Saffron City with its chest out and its head held high.
On the first day, under Cobalion's guidance, it toured the entire city. At the same time, it found a "prime spot."
That was this small alley.
Of course, the prime spot was not the alley itself.
This alley was the only passage connected to the outside world that led to the prime spot.
Through the alley, one could reach a place where wild Berries were growing.
That was right. They were not Berries cultivated by humans, nor Berries raised by Pokémon.
They were completely natural wild Berries.
When Kubfu saw no Pokémon guarding them, it thought it had stumbled upon a lucky find.
So, naturally, it swept through them like a storm and ate three on the spot.
After patting its belly, it leaned against a tree and fell asleep.
When night arrived, Kubfu was woken up by someone tapping it.
Only then did it discover that this place was actually territory Haunter had discovered first.
And so, they fought.
Kubfu was completely defeated and returned to the Gym in disgrace.
The next day, it continued.
It got beaten up again.
On the third day, the same thing happened.
So Kubfu chose to bide its time.
Until today, when Grey returned and gave it guidance.
That made Kubfu get a little carried away.
"So, you learned all this partly so you could turn against your teacher after evolving, and partly so you could take revenge on Haunter?"
Grey raised an eyebrow.
How did this little guy make enemies so easily?
It had not even been caught for two weeks, yet it had already met a sworn enemy.
No wonder Mustard entrusted Kubfu Number One to him.
Maybe it had no place left to stand on the Isle of Armor, so Mustard could only let Grey train it.
"Bea!" (It's not the same! Coming to find Haunter was just something I did along the way. I came here today so you could see how much I've been biding my time!)
Kubfu patted its chest.
It was using that to tell Grey that it was not a brute.
This was called being sharp beneath a rough exterior.
"Bea!" (Haunter, eat my punch!)
A burst of blue light appeared around Kubfu.
Sky-blue air currents gathered around its body, even making its steps become much lighter.
The Flying-type move, Aerial Ace!
"Kekekeke." (You're opening with that move again? I'm already tired of your little tricks.)
Haunter felt bored. Its ghostly claws condensed a Shadow Ball and threw it straight out.
"Bea!" (I'm not the same as I was before! Take this!)
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.