December 21st, Monday.
It was a cold day, but the Fighting Tournament burned with fiery energy.
Outside the venue, in addition to the shouts of booth vendors, you could hear the cheers echoing from inside.

“We have a winner! The prodigy from Galar, contestant Bea!”

Bea closed her eyes in concentration, showing no trace of pride. Instead, she took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, her gaze was filled with steely determination.

Master, I will prove myself to you—just wait and see!

Meanwhile, in another arena...

“I won!”

The blonde Korrina broke into a bright smile.
But as she lifted her head and glanced at the big screen, she froze.

“Why doesn’t that girl look even the slightest bit excited?”

She wasn’t savoring the thrill of battle—
She looked more like she was fulfilling some solemn duty as a warrior.

Korrina shook her head slightly and murmured,
“A Trainer has to enjoy battling for their Pokémon to truly connect with them.”

I need to battle her… to show her what I believe.
Clenching her fist, Korrina smiled and quietly set her goal.

…

“Mr. Brock, you're done already?”

Outside the arena, Lu Ye walked over with Sirfetch’d, surprised to see Brock coming out of the contestant tunnel.

“Ah, yeah, I’m done…”
Brock scratched his head awkwardly. “Making it into the Top 32 with just a Geodude... I guess that was pushing it.”

“I’m almost done too,” Lu Ye said, half-sighing.
“Give me a few more matches. Once I lose, we’ll head back together.”

“Sounds good. I’ll wait for you,” Brock nodded.

According to the bracket, Lu Ye would be facing a professional boxer from Alola.
Based on the intel gathered by James and the gang, the boxer’s character card was rated R.

“His representative Pokémon is a Hakamo-o,” James reported over the phone, flipping through a physical Pokédex.

“If it had evolved fully, it’d be at least SR... But since it’s a pseudo-legendary, even this form rates as an R+.”

“What about my Sirfetch’d? What's its rating?” Lu Ye asked curiously.

“UR!” James replied without hesitation.

Lu Ye blinked.
Well, damn.

“To someone who doesn’t know better, they’d think you’re that strong,” he muttered to Sirfetch’d.

“Quack!” Sirfetch’d gave a nonchalant pose, holding his Leek like a lance.

My strength speaks for itself. No need to explain.

But when Lu Ye stepped onto the battlefield—
And sent out Sirfetch’d to face the Hakamo-o…

“Quack… (⊙ˍ⊙)” Sirfetch’d looked a little dazed.

The bipedal, bone-armored Hakamo-o with metallic scales on its head smashed its fists together with a loud bam.

The Alolan boxer’s face was tense, taking the battle very seriously.

The crowd outside the arena buzzed with commentary.

“That’s a UR-rated card!”
“It’s Teacher Lu’s Pokémon, after all.”
“But that’s a pseudo-legendary! One punch and that duck’s a pancake!”

In the stands, the steadfast Brock watched with arms crossed.
Bea, with her gray hair, also arrived and found a good spot to watch.

“I remember you,” Brock frowned. “You’re… one of Teacher Lu’s…”

“I’m striving to become Teacher Lu’s personal disciple,” Bea replied politely, clasping her fists in greeting.
“I’ve heard of your name, Gym Leader Brock.”

Brock gave a slight nod, not too fazed, and turned back to the match.
“Let’s watch the battle.”

With the ref’s whistle, the boxer acted instantly:

“Hakamo-o, Swords Dance!”

Hakamo-o roared, its metal-scaled arms glinting sharper as it powered up.

“So greedy right off the bat?” Lu Ye blinked—then snapped a command.

“Brick Break!”

Sirfetch’d charged in, Leek glowing with sharp white light like a jousting lance, heading straight for Hakamo-o.

Faced with the unfamiliar long weapon, Hakamo-o looked confused.

What the heck is that? They don’t have stuff like that in a boxing ring!

“Dodge it!” the trainer barked.

Thankfully, the call came in time—Hakamo-o narrowly pulled back.

The Leek-lance scraped across its armor, drawing cold sweat from the boxer.

“Hakamo-o, Dragon Claw!”

Hakamo-o sidestepped and lunged with a roar, launching a greenish claw strike forward.

Shhk!
Thanks to Detect, Sirfetch’d raised his shield just in time, the leafy structure absorbing the brunt of the blow.

The boxer made a face.

“A weapon AND a shield?!
Ref, I’m a boxer—how the h*** am I supposed to fight this?!”

After the clean block, Sirfetch’d’s V-shaped eyebrows furrowed, eyes sparkling.

Now it’s my turn.

“Fury Cutter!”

He launched into wide Leek sweeps, striking low and hard at Hakamo-o’s midsection.

WHAM!
Hakamo-o stumbled back several meters from the blow.

“Huh? That’s a Dark-type move. Shouldn’t have done much…” Bea murmured in confusion.

“It shouldn’t,” Brock agreed.
“But I think Teacher Lu chose it for the wide coverage and accuracy.”

“Also…” he continued,
“That last strike probably landed a critical hit.”

Bea glanced at the Scope Lens mounted near Sirfetch’d’s right eye, thoughtful.

Some fighters seek sheer power—a crushing mountain-like force.
Some rely on combos—swift and stormy like a raging gale.

But Teacher Lu...
He was all about clean, precise criticals, elegant and deadly.

“That’s what I need to learn…” Bea said quietly.

Back on the field, another Brick Break came crashing down, making Lu Ye wince.

For a moment, it was like a red “-999” HP bar flashed before his eyes.

Back-to-back crits?!

Nope, keep that up and Sirfetch’d was going to age him ten years!

“Sirfetch’d, Brick Break!”

Luckily, this final blow wasn’t a crit.
But it still packed enough power to send Hakamo-o flying, crashing hard onto the ground.

“Winner: Lu Ye!” the ref called.

The crowd erupted into well-timed cheers.

“Classic Teacher Lu—always out for blood!”
“Anyone who pulls his card, better hang onto it!”
“With crit rates like that, are you sure you’re Lu Ye?!”

Having secured a spot in the Top 32, Teacher Lu returned to the stands and found Brock.

“Felt like forever waiting for you to finish,” Brock sighed.

“Almost done—just gotta make it to Top 8,” Lu Ye smiled, then turned to Bea.

Before she could speak, Lu Ye said,

“Win your next match, and I’ll seriously consider taking you as a disciple.”

“Go for it, kid.” He patted her stiff shoulder with a smile.

To persist with one goal takes real heart—and that alone was rare.
Besides, Teacher Lu had already figured out what to teach her.

The Substitute + Focus Punch combo would work great with her female Machamp.
All he had to do was teach her some battle-tested tricks to pull it off.

No-Guard + Dynamic Punch could be a fun one too…

Bea, after struggling with words, gave a sharp nod.

According to tradition back home...
She secretly glanced at Lu Ye, her cheeks puffed like a bun.

I’ll need to prepare a proper gift for my teacher!

“Only another elite fighter’s disciple would be worthy of Teacher Lu’s standards.” Bea vowed silently.

But first—she had to win her next match.

“Who’s my next opponent?” Lu Ye asked his trusty sidekick and human notepad—Brock.

Seriously, Brock was always reliable!

Lu Ye was starting to understand why they said:
“The female lead may change, but Brock is forever.”

Maybe it was just some innate sense of duty in him?

“It’s Ali from Sinnoh,” Brock replied.
“Her father used to be a Fighting-type Gym Leader there.”

“Huh. Really?” Lu Ye thought for a moment. That name did sound familiar.

In the Sinnoh arc of the TV show, that girl had only just become a Gym Leader.
Right now, Ash was still traveling through Hoenn, so Ali being out here training wasn’t too surprising.

“I remember... she came from a really humble background,” Lu Ye muttered.

Ali had to pay off her internet-addicted dad’s debts—how could he not feel for her?

“As for Miss Bea…”

Brock turned toward the thoughtful-looking Bea.

“Your next match is against Korrina, a fighter from Kalos.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read