Unova Region.
All Star Fitness Club.
"I wonder if Rex has broken through yet. Rocky, you did explain the key points of becoming a Martial Artist to him, right?"
The aged but still sharp-eyed Master Layton asked while watching Rocky—who was balancing upside down on one finger—train in silence.
"Master Layton, you've already asked me that so many times. If you're so worried, why not contact him yourself?"
Rocky sighed helplessly.
"What? I'm not allowed to ask questions as your master now?"
Layton snapped back without hesitation.
"No, that's not what I meant. I've told Rex everything I know about breaking through. The rest is up to him."
Rocky straightened up quickly, realizing Layton was getting annoyed.
"For Rex to attempt a Martial Artist breakthrough at his age... his talent is something else. Make sure he visits the club once he succeeds."
With a final reminder, Layton turned and walked off, hands behind his back, leaving Rocky to let out a sigh of relief.
"Rex, you better succeed... or Master's nagging is going to kill me."
Rocky muttered once Layton was out of earshot.
Though officially Rex's senior apprentice, Rocky was more like his teacher—he was the one who had passed down his knowledge of body training and the Martial Artist path.
In fact, Rocky owed his own breakthrough to the unique environment of Rex's greenhouse. It had provided the final spark he needed.
So naturally, he was highly invested in Rex's progress—no less than Layton himself.
In recent days, Rocky had already taught Rex all he could. From this point on, it was up to Rex. To avoid becoming a distraction, he chose not to contact him unless necessary.
The two had agreed: once Rex attempted the breakthrough—succeed or fail—he would reach out.
—
Meanwhile, far away in Hoenn, Rex had made all the preparations. It was time.
Inside the greenhouse, he'd already instructed his Pokémon not to disturb him. All they had to do was use Grassy Terrain whenever the life energy in the space began to drop.
Reaching the center of the greenhouse, Rex sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to begin his breathing and mental focus.
Unlike the world outside, the interior of the greenhouse was rich with vibrant life energy—it soaked the space in a thick, calming presence.
Once his mind was fully cleared, and both body and spirit felt perfectly aligned, Rex began to consciously draw that external energy into himself.
Thanks to his training in aura-based body refinement, he could vaguely sense the natural energy that flowed through the world.
As he released all internal restraints, energy from the surroundings surged into his body.
It was wild and violent. Almost immediately, his internal meridians began to tear under the force.
A grimace crossed Rex's face, but he calmed himself. This was nothing new—the All Star Fitness Body Training Technique had already taught him to endure extreme pain.
Soon, the life energy he had drawn in began automatically repairing the damage in his meridians. While not enough for full recovery, it prevented catastrophic rupture.
Rex felt a tingling numbness spreading through him—almost enough to make him squirm.
But he resisted. Moving now would disrupt everything and likely cause him to fail.
As the process of tearing and repairing continued, the influx of energy moved deeper into his body—gradually converging toward his dantian.
At that moment, Rex finally understood why becoming a Martial Artist was so difficult.
When external energy enters the body, it inevitably wreaks havoc on the internal channels. Only those with naturally thick, tough meridians could withstand it long enough to funnel that power into their dantian and achieve a breakthrough.
Those with weaker meridians had to rely on repeated attempts, each one damaging, each followed by a long recovery period before trying again.
Pushing aside all other thoughts, Rex focused solely on guiding the energy toward his core.
He knew full well that his meridians weren't especially strong. Without the aid of life energy healing him mid-process, he would've failed already.
Outside the greenhouse, the life energy level was visibly dropping—but that soon changed.
Beams of green light from Grassy Terrain began to flash across the greenhouse, replenishing what Rex had drawn in.
Even Jumpluff, who usually lounged by the pond pretending to be a plant, joined in and cast her Grassy Terrain with no hesitation.
Meanwhile, Yuli had set aside all her tasks and now paced nervously outside the greenhouse.
Though Rex had assured her nothing dangerous would happen even if the breakthrough failed, she couldn't shake her unease.
Still, she dared not disturb him—only walking back and forth as she waited for the outcome.
—
Inside the greenhouse.
Under Rex's guidance, the wild energy finally reached the edge of his dantian—and then burst through, flooding into his core.
His awareness followed the energy in. This was a moment he had long anticipated. His dantian naturally produced life energy every day, and now he had the chance to finally examine it up close.
The space within was filled with vibrant green energy. It overflowed with vitality.
Since he hadn't used any of his life energy that day, the reserves in his dantian were abundant.
But that very abundance made it hard to see clearly—the swirling life energy obscured the view of his dantian's true nature.
With a thought, Rex reduced the life energy in his dantian by a third.
Immediately, his damaged meridians began rapidly healing.
He could clearly feel that the energy stored within his dantian was far purer and more potent than the energy generated by Grassy Terrain.
In a flash, his body's torn channels were fully repaired, leaving them stronger than ever—capable of handling an even greater flood of external energy.
(End of Chapter)