Two hours later.
The venue for the P1 Fighting Competition.
It was a small gymnasium with a large banner hanging at the entrance.
[38th P1 Fighting Competition...]
There were quite a lot of people.
Trainers were coming and going with their respective Pokemon.
Spectators were also lining up to enter.
There were also vendors selling snacks, their shouts rising and falling.
"Takoyaki! Freshly made Takoyaki!"
"Fried noodles! Fried noodles!"
"Energy drinks! Replenish your stamina!"
It was very lively.
Roy and the other three walked into the venue.
Misty looked around: "Wow, there are so many people."
Delia also remarked: "I didn't expect such a small competition to be so popular."
"After all, Fighting-type Pokémon have many fans," Aimi introduced. "Besides, the P1 Tournament is a grassroots event with quite a bit of history."
As they were speaking, a familiar voice rang out.
"Aha! Pikachu Trainer, we meet again!"
Roy turned his head and saw Anthony.
He was wearing a tracksuit, with that Hitmonchan following beside him.
He looked energetic and was beaming with smiles.
"Mr. Anthony," Roy nodded.
Seeing her father, Aimi subconsciously took a step forward.
"Father..."
She wanted to say something, to persuade him not to be so obsessed, and to ask how he had been lately.
But Anthony only glanced at her.
Just that one look.
Then he completely ignored her and spoke directly to Roy.
"Pikachu Trainer, let's have a good match in the ring this time!"
He patted his chest, his voice loud.
"I'll definitely show you what real fighting techniques are!"
"I will definitely prove myself!"
As he spoke, he also glanced toward Aimi.
That look seemed to say: Just watch, none of you understand me; I'll prove you and your mother wrong.
Then he led Hitmonchan and strode into the arena.
Aimi stood frozen in place, her face turning slightly pale.
Misty couldn't stand it any longer.
"That old geezer!" she said indignantly. "Aimi called him, and he actually ignored her completely! Is that how a father should act?"
Delia also frowned: "It really is too much."
Aimi sighed and shook her head.
"Forget it, I'm used to it."
She watched her father's departing back with a complicated expression.
"I just hope that after this tournament, he can come to his senses. If Mr. Roy defeats him and makes him lose, maybe he'll return to a normal life."
Roy nodded: "Don't worry, leave it to me."
The four of them followed inside.
...
There were already many people in the venue.
The spectator stands were mostly full.
On the ring, the host was warming up the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Today is the first day of the preliminary rounds of our P1 Fighting Competition! Fighting Trainers from all over have gathered here to compete!"
"Now, let the matches begin!"
Applause and cheers erupted.
Delia and the other two found seats, while Roy prepared backstage.
The schedule for today's matches was already out.
Roy had only one match, which happened to be scheduled right after Anthony's.
Anthony's match was the third one.
His opponent was a Poliwag.
Not long after, the matches began.
The first two matches were nothing special.
Ordinary Fighting Pokémon, ordinary battles.
In the third match, Anthony took the stage.
He walked onto the ring with Hitmonchan, looking high-spirited.
"Hitmonchan, it's up to you!"
Hitmonchan stood on the ring, wearing boxing gloves, with a sharp gaze.
Opposite him was a Poliwag.
It looked quite agile, but it was at a disadvantage in terms of size.
The referee gave the order.
The match began.
Poliwag moved very fast, hopping and circling around Hitmonchan.
It occasionally spat out a Water Gun to harass him.
Hitmonchan fought steadily, blocking with punches.
The Water Gun hit the gloves, splashing water.
Anthony shouted from the sidelines: "Hitmonchan, get close! Use Comet Punch!"
Hitmonchan rushed forward.
Poliwag jumped away.
Hitmonchan pursued.
Poliwag kept jumping.
They stalled like this for a while.
The spectators were getting anxious.
"Fight! Don't just run!"
"Go Hitmonchan!"
Anthony also got impatient: "Hitmonchan, use Agility!"
Hitmonchan's speed increased instantly.
He rushed in front of Poliwag in a flash.
He threw a punch.
Poliwag couldn't dodge in time and was hit in the stomach.
"Good!" Anthony shouted: "Comet Punch!"
Hitmonchan unleashed a series of combination punches, forcing Poliwag back repeatedly.
With a final uppercut, Poliwag was sent flying and crashed to the ground.
The referee counted.
"One, two, three... ten! Poliwag is unable to battle! The winner is Anthony!"
The whole crowd applauded.
Anthony stood on the ring, raising both hands high.
Then, he made a move that surprised everyone.
He turned his head to look in a certain direction in the stands.
Exactly where Aimi and the others were sitting.
His expression was triumphant.
It was as if he were saying: Did you see that? I won! My persistence was right! You were all wrong!
Misty blinked awkwardly.
"Aimi... I'm not trying to badmouth your father, but isn't his excitement a bit abnormal? He's acting all high and mighty..."
Aimi also frowned.
Looking at her father on the stage, she felt something was off.
Her father used to be stubborn, but not like this...
Not this manic.
"I don't know," she shook her head. "He's often training in the wild, so I rarely see him. I don't know what's been going on lately..."
Delia looked at Anthony thoughtfully.
This person's state was indeed not quite normal.
He was overly hyper.
At that moment, the announcement rang out.
[Next match: Roy and Primeape...]
Hearing the announcement, Aimi, Delia, and Misty stopped discussing Anthony and shifted their attention to Roy, who was about to appear.
Roy brought Primeape into the arena.
Primeape jumped onto the ring, fists clenched, his gaze sharp.
Opposite him was a Geodude.
It had a brownish-gray body, short and thick limbs, and was as round as a large boulder. It stood there with an expression that said, "Come and get some."
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Geodude moved first.
It came thumping and rolling over, raising its fist to strike!
It was a typical wild fighting style—no order, no technique, relying entirely on brute force and the hardness of its stone body.
A week ago, Primeape might have gone head-to-head with it.
But now?
Primeape sidestepped, easily dodging Geodude's fist.
Geodude missed its punch and was stunned for a moment.
Before it could react, Primeape's fist had already arrived.
Bang!
A punch slammed into Geodude's stomach.
Geodude stumbled back two steps.
Before it could steady itself, Primeape's second punch arrived.
Bang!
Third punch!
Bang!
Three consecutive punches, each one hitting home.
And every punch was not thrown randomly; the power came from the feet, the waist twisted, the shoulder was thrust forward, and the force traveled all the way from the ground to the fist.
This was the power-delivery technique of the Explosive Fist.
Geodude was beaten back repeatedly, unable to even counterattack.
A wave of exclamations rose from the spectator stands.
"Holy crap! This Primeape is so fierce!"
"Those three punches were beautiful!"
"Geodude has no power to fight back at all!"
On the stage, Primeape's fighting became smoother and smoother.
He remembered the movements Aimi had taught him.
Sinking the waist, rotating the shoulders, delivering power.
Punch after punch, his movements were as smooth as flowing water.
Geodude finally found an opportunity and tried to curl up and roll over for a counterattack.
But Primeape was faster.
He sidestepped with a sliding move, dodging Geodude's Rollout, and then slammed a punch into Geodude's back.
Bang!
Geodude fell flat on the ground.
The referee began to count.
"One, two, three... six, seven..."
When he reached eight, Geodude struggled to get back up.
But after a couple of struggles, it fell back down.
"Ten! Geodude is unable to battle! The winner is Roy!"
The whole crowd applauded.
Primeape stood on the ring and looked down at his fists.
He didn't seem to expect that he could fight so smoothly now.
Then he grinned.
He raised his fist and waved it in Roy's direction.
His expression was very smug.
Roy also smiled.
He walked onto the ring and patted Primeape's head.
"Good job."
Primeape became even more smug, his tail almost curling up to the sky.
At that moment, a system prompt popped up in front of Roy.
[Pokémon: Primeape]
[Level: LV34 -> LV35]
Roy nodded.
One victory, one level up, and he had consolidated his boxing techniques.
He withdrew Primeape and walked off the stage.
Just as he came down, a figure rushed over.
"Roy, Roy, Roy!!!"
Misty threw herself directly into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging onto him.
"So great, so great, so great! You won!"
Her eyes were sparkling, and she was incredibly excited.
Roy was a bit dizzy from her shaking: "Alright, alright, get down."
Misty didn't get down; instead, she held on tighter.
"I won't! My boyfriend won the match, so I'm going to hold him!"
As she spoke, she also winked at Delia nearby.
"Sister Delia, you come too!"
Delia walked over with a smile. She wasn't as wild as Misty and just gently took Roy's arm.
"Good work."
she said softly, her eyes full of smiles.
Roy felt a warmth in his heart.
Misty's love was the passionate, unconcealed kind, like a fire that made one's heart feel warm and cozy.
Delia's was the gentle, steady companionship, like a glass of warm water, nourishing things silently.
Two different kinds of goodness, both given to him.
At that moment, Aimi also walked over.
She stood to the side, watching Misty hanging on Roy and Delia holding his arm, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.
She couldn't emulate Misty's carefree liveliness.
Since she was a child, she had been the quiet one, working and enduring in silence.
She couldn't express her affection so wantonly.
But she still summoned her courage and smiled at Roy.
"Mr. Roy, congratulations."
Roy nodded: "Thanks, you taught him well."
Aimi's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head.
"I... I just read from the booklet..."
Misty jumped off Roy and grabbed Aimi's hand.
"Sister Aimi! You come and give him a hug too!"
Aimi was startled and waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I won't..."
"Oh, don't be so polite!" Without letting her argue, Misty pushed her forward.
Aimi was pushed into a stumble, nearly crashing into Roy's arms.
She quickly steadied herself, her face already completely red.
Pikachu and Eevee were hopping around nearby, chirping as if they were cheering them on.
This scene was witnessed by a pair of eyes in the corner.
Anthony stood at the entrance of the tunnel, his brow furrowed.
He stared at Roy's back, then looked in the direction where Primeape had left the stage.
He had seen those few punches clearly just now.
That way of delivering power, those technical details...
Why did they look a bit familiar?
He thought back carefully.
Sinking the waist, rotating the shoulders, the power coming up from the soles of the feet...
Wasn't that the set the old man taught back then?
Anthony's face darkened.
He suddenly turned his head and looked at the spectator stands.
Aimi was standing next to Roy, her face red, smiling quite happily.
Anthony understood.
It was this girl.
She had given the old man's secret manual to that kid.
And he had learned it quite well.
But Anthony soon curled his lip in disdain.
The old man's fighting techniques?
Not fast enough.
And definitely not hard enough.
He thought of his years of training outside, of those street fights, and of the life-and-death struggles with wild Fighting-type Pokémon.
That kind of real, brutal combat was true fighting.
The set the old man taught in the Gym was too disciplined.
Disciplined things couldn't win tough battles.
Anthony gave a cold snort and turned to leave.
As he walked out of the venue, he took one last look back.
Kid, when you meet me, you'll know what real fighting is.
He would prove it.
Prove it to everyone.
That his persistence was right.
Inside the venue, Roy was already leading the three women outside.
Misty looked back as she walked: "Eh, did that Anthony leave?"
Delia nodded: "I saw him heading that way just now."
Aimi was silent for a moment and didn't speak.
Misty patted her shoulder: "Sister Aimi, don't think about it. Once Roy defeats him, he'll understand."
Aimi gave a forced smile: "Yeah."
The four of them walked out of the venue.
It was still early outside, and the sun was just beginning to move west.
The venue entrance was still lively, with snack vendors still shouting.
"Takoyaki! Freshly made Takoyaki!"
"Fried noodles! Fried noodles! Last few portions!"
"Ice cream! Strawberry flavor, chocolate flavor!"
Misty's eyes lit up immediately.
"Roy! I want to eat Takoyaki!"
Roy glanced at her: "Didn't you eat a bunch of snacks during the match?"
Misty said confidently: "That was then! I'm hungry again now!"
Delia laughed beside them: "Let her eat, we're happy today."
Roy chuckled and ruffled Misty's hair.
Misty cheered and pulled Delia toward the Takoyaki stall.
Aimi stood there, a bit at a loss.
Roy looked at her: "Aren't you going?"
Aimi shook her head: "I... I don't really eat these things..."
Roy nodded and didn't say more, following them toward the stall.
Aimi hesitated for a moment, then followed as well.
There were seven or eight people in line at the Takoyaki stall.
Misty stood on her tiptoes to look ahead, muttering: "Hurry up, hurry up..."
Delia laughed and pulled her back: "Don't be in such a hurry, we're in line."
After waiting for a while, it was finally their turn.
"Boss, four portions of Takoyaki!" Misty held up four fingers.
The owner was a smiling middle-aged man who was very agile.
"Coming right up! Four portions of Takoyaki!"
On the iron plate, round batter balls were rolling in the molds, filled with fresh octopus pieces. The owner skillfully flipped them with iron picks, and in a moment, they were grilled to a golden crisp.
They were brushed with sauce and sprinkled with seaweed powder and bonito flakes.
The steaming Takoyaki were handed over.
Misty took them and couldn't wait to take a bite.
"Mmm! Hot, hot, hot!"
She opened her mouth to huff, but she couldn't bear to spit it out, saying indistinctly: "Delicious! So delicious!"
Delia was amused by her and handed her a tissue.
"Eat slowly,Nobody's going to steal it from you.."
Misty chewed while huffing, finally swallowed, and let out a long breath.
"Whew... delicious! Roy, try it!"
She held her portion to Roy's mouth.
Roy took a bite.
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the octopus pieces were very fresh, and the sauce was a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
It was indeed quite good.
Aimi stood to the side, watching the three of them share a portion of Takoyaki, feeling a bit envious.
That kind of natural intimacy couldn't be faked.
Delia noticed her and handed over another portion.
"Aimi, you should try some too."
Aimi was stunned for a moment and waved her hand: "No, no, I..."
"Just try it," Delia said with a smile. "It's really delicious."
Aimi hesitated for a moment, took the Takoyaki, and took a small bite.
The sweetness of the sauce melted in her mouth, the bonito flakes had a faint smoky flavor, and the octopus pieces were springy and chewy.
Her eyes lit up slightly.
"Good, right?" Misty leaned over. "I told you!"
Aimi nodded, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.
It had been a long time since she had eaten this kind of street food.
Usually, she was busy working and taking care of her mother, so she didn't have the heart for such things.
Now, taking a bite of the warm Takoyaki, she suddenly felt that life might not be so bitter after all.
The four of them stood by the roadside, each holding a portion of Takoyaki, their mouths covered in sauce.
The sun was setting, and the golden sunlight bathed them, feeling warm.
After finishing the Takoyaki, Misty dragged everyone to buy Ice cream.
Then they browsed the nearby shops.
Afterward, the four of them returned to the hotel provided by the organizers for the contestants and their families.
***********************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌