Along the journey, Rebecca and Kazuki's group took turns introducing themselves. After Rebecca recounted how her father had become obsessed with martial arts over the years, Misty and Suzie were instantly furious. They both agreed that Anthony abandoning his wife and daughter for the sake of martial arts was inexcusable. Still, considering Rebecca was his daughter, they softened their harsh judgments before voicing them.
Eventually, Rebecca led the group to her home. Beside it stood a small, abandoned gym.
"Fighting Spirit Gym?" Misty read the name on the worn-out sign.
"This used to be the gym my father ran!" Rebecca explained. "But before he could earn official recognition from the Pokémon League, he became completely obsessed with martial arts and retreated into the mountains for training!"
"Now that the P1 Grand Prix is coming up, he's gotten even worse!"
"He's started challenging passing Trainers without their consent!"
"He's already injured several of them. My mom and I have paid a lot in medical expenses."
"If this keeps up, our family's finances…"
At this point, Rebecca let out a heavy sigh.
"Kazuki…"
Her hands were nervously folded in front of her skirt. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke the words she'd been preparing all along.
"Could I ask you to defeat my father in the P1 Grand Prix?"
"When you saved me from Hitmonchan earlier, I saw just how strong you are across all disciplines!"
"Please, I'm begging you!"
"If you help me, I'll give you our family's heirloom martial arts manual!"
"If you're interested in learning martial arts, this guide will be of great help to you!"
Rebecca bowed deeply as she made her heartfelt plea.
Kazuki already had a mission related to this, and now that Rebecca had offered the martial arts manual as a reward, he was even more motivated. Even though his physical abilities had increased by 50%, most of his fights still relied on brute force. He lacked refined martial techniques—this manual would be extremely useful.
On top of that, both girls at his side were giving him looks, clearly hoping he'd teach Anthony a lesson.
Helping Rebecca, gaining a useful skill, and earning more admiration—this was a win-win-win situation. Kazuki didn't hesitate.
Still, he thought to himself, That old bastard Anthony doesn't deserve a daughter as good as Rebecca. If he gets away with this, it'll be too easy. He was determined to teach the man a real lesson.
The moment Kazuki agreed, Rebecca straightened up in excitement. Because she moved too quickly, the tight white T-shirt clinging to her chest bounced visibly with the motion.
Only then did Kazuki truly notice her figure.
The snug little blue skirt ended high on her thighs, showing off just the right amount of plumpness to form an enticing silhouette. Her waist wasn't excessively slim, but it was easily encircled by two hands. Altogether, she had the body of a full-figured beauty.
That was as far as he looked—after all, Rebecca's clothing wasn't particularly revealing. Her request had been sincere rather than flirtatious, so Kazuki didn't overthink it and turned his focus back to preparing for the P1 Grand Prix.
After expressing her gratitude again, Rebecca led the three of them inside, preparing to treat them to a proper meal.
When Suzie saw the kitchen, she couldn't resist offering to help, and soon she and Rebecca were busy cooking. Misty, meanwhile, followed Kazuki into the yard to train Pokémon.
"Suzie and Rebecca are busy in the kitchen. Weren't you the one who said you'd help them out?" Kazuki teased as Misty leaned against the wall.
"Heeheehee…" Misty giggled sheepishly. "I was afraid I might burn down their kitchen!"
"I'd rather watch you train!"
"At least you know your limits," Kazuki chuckled, then sent out his Primeape.
The moment Misty saw Primeape, she took a few cautious steps back.
"What are you scared of? I only picked him because of how fired up he gets—it won't cost you anything!"
"Come on, bring out your Starmie! Let's get some practice in!"
"Oh, fine! But keep an eye on your Primeape! Don't let him go berserk and wreck Rebecca's house!" Misty warned as she tossed out her Poké Ball.
"Starmie, come out and train with Primeape!"
Gaaah!
A red flash revealed… Psyduck.
"You again?! What, you wanna fight Primeape, Psyduck?"
Psyduck glanced at Primeape's furious face and then at those massive fists.
Gaaah! Gaaah-gah!
Terrified, Psyduck ran straight back to Misty, tapped the Poké Ball himself, and vanished in a flash of light.
Misty smacked her forehead. "This guy again! Kazuki, are you sure it really has legendary potential?"
"Hahaha…" Kazuki couldn't help but laugh at Psyduck's blank expression. "Don't worry. Someday, you'll see what it's capable of."
"Let's hope so! Alright, come out, Starmie!" This time, she finally released the correct Pokémon.
Misty's Starmie had reached Level 33 and was currently her strongest partner. Kazuki had chosen it for training because of its Ability: Natural Cure. After battle, it could recover from non-severe conditions without needing the Pokémon Center.
"Let's go! Kazuki, Starmie, use Tackle!"
"Primeape, dodge!"
Roar!
Since this was a fighting tournament, Kazuki focused on training Primeape's dodging and striking techniques.
Inside the kitchen, Rebecca peeked through the window and watched Kazuki and Misty command their Pokémon so skillfully, finally feeling reassured about his participation in the P1 Grand Prix.
"They're both… such amazing Trainers."
"Yeah!" Suzie said, watching with admiration. It was her first time seeing Kazuki in a real PvP-style battle.
"Misty's the daughter of the Cerulean Gym Leader, and Kazuki's already won five Gym Badges!"
"They really are amazing!"
"Really?" Rebecca's gaze softened slightly at Suzie's words.
"But Suzie, you must be an excellent Trainer too!"
"Me? Oh, I wouldn't say that!" Suzie blushed modestly.
"I only have a Vulpix! My dream is to become a world-famous Pokémon Breeder! Right now, I'm just decent at cooking. Try this!"
Suzie held up a freshly fried meatball.
Rebecca took a bite—and her eyes widened in surprise. She nodded quickly. "Delicious! Suzie, you're amazing! Your seasoning is on par with professional chefs!"
"Mmm, that smells amazing!" Misty had finished her training and followed the scent into the kitchen, drooling at the mouth.
"Just a little longer!" Suzie said as she began the final steps of the meal.
"I'll make you all some milk tea!" Rebecca untied her apron and stepped out to prepare drinks for Kazuki and Misty.
Ten minutes later, thanks to Suzie and Rebecca's teamwork, a delicious dinner was served to Kazuki and Misty.
After another round of thanks from Rebecca, the group sat down and began enjoying the feast.
With Rebecca's help, Kazuki and Primeape trained for two days straight, sharpening their fighting techniques before registering for the P1 Grand Prix.
[Welcome to the P1 Grand Prix!]
[We've got a huge number of participants this year!]
[Who will walk away with the championship belt?]
[First up—newcomer Trainer Kazuki and his Primeape!]
[Their opponent—Machop!]
Ding!
With the ringing of the match bell, Primeape leapt onto the stage.
"Wow, his aura really has changed…"
"Rebecca, your coaching really paid off!" Misty was stunned. She'd been helping Suzie prepare Pokémon food these past two days and hadn't seen much of Kazuki's training. Seeing Primeape now left her in awe.
"That's all thanks to Kazuki and Primeape's talent. I just followed the instructions from the martial arts manual."
Rebecca pressed her hands over her chest, silently cheering Kazuki on. After spending these past two days training alone with him, she'd started developing feelings for him as well.
[And they're off! Machop lunges forward with a Karate Chop! He's fast!]
[Can Primeape—Oh! Primeape dodges it!]
[Primeape counters with a Mega Kick and sends Machop flying out of the ring!]
[First victory! Kazuki and his Priiiimeape!!]
With the announcer's excited commentary, Kazuki claimed his first win in the P1 Grand Prix.
The crowd was completely blown away by Primeape's moves, and the arena erupted in cheers for Kazuki.
The three girls weren't particularly into fighting type tournaments. They had only come to watch Kazuki, so once his match ended, they headed backstage together to meet him.