"Entry conditions? And what about the rules?" Yozora asked carefully before deciding whether or not to participate.
"One-on-one. No moves allowed. Only fists, palms, kicks, chokeholds, and other hand-to-hand combat techniques."Momiji could already sense Yozora had many more questions, so she paused and focused on answering him directly.
Yozora was stunned. "No restrictions on which Pokémon we use?"
He had assumed the competition required Fighting-type Pokémon only. If that had been the case, he wouldn't have even considered joining.
After all, the only Fighting-type he currently owned was Machop—and Machop had the No Guard Ability. How could he possibly compete in a fighting tournament like that? It would be nothing short of an insult to the competition.
The Fighting Tournament tested strength, defense, and especially evasive techniques.
And with No Guard, both sides' attacks always landed head-on. That wasn't martial arts anymore—it was just a street brawl.
That alone was bad enough.
The real problem was that No Guard relied too heavily on level and defensive stats. Machop was far too under-leveled and fragile. Entering the Fighting Tournament with it would just be cannon fodder.
"There's no restriction, but of course Fighting-types have the advantage. They're naturally better at learning martial arts."
Momiji grinned. "So, Yozora—will you sign up?"
Yozora nodded. "Yeah. I'll enter."
"You've got a whole month to prepare. You should visit Master Tyron at the Taige Gym. He used to be a Fighting Champion, and his strength is unfathomable!"
Her eyes sparkled with admiration. "Master Tyron is most famous for two secret techniques: Focus Energy and Mind's Eye. With Focus Energy, you can sharpen your concentration to unleash devastating critical blows. With Mind's Eye, you don't even need your eyes—you can sense your opponent's movements with your heart and perfectly evade their attacks…"
Momiji's gaze turned dreamy, practically glowing with worship.
"Focus Energy and Mind's Eye, huh?" Yozora murmured, nodding slightly.
Focus Energy was originally a Pokémon move, a technique to concentrate and heighten the chance of a critical hit.
Yet Tyron, a human, had mastered it.
No wonder he was once a Fighting Champion—clearly a man of true skill.
And judging from Momiji's description, his Focus Energy wasn't just about "increasing critical hit rate." It sounded more like guaranteed critical hits.
That was absurd.
If a Beedrill learned something like that, it could jab ten times in a second—and every strike would be a critical. Who could withstand that kind of damage?
As for Mind's Eye, it sounded like Observation Haki from One Piece—seeing without sight, sensing purely through awareness.
In truth, Yozora had a similar ability thanks to his Aura. He could sense attacks from behind and anticipate ambushes. Whether he could dodge them, however… that was another matter entirely.
Sensing was one thing. Evading required real skill. And Yozora's physical technique was still average.
His body was strong—comparable to a Senior-level Pokémon—but compared to true martial artists, his agility and combat discipline were lacking.
"Yozora, when in Rome, do as the Romans do! Come on, I'll take you to buy training gear!" Momiji clapped him on the shoulder and jogged ahead with her Poliwrath.
When Yozora stepped out of the shop, he was dressed in a crisp white gi, a black belt tied at his waist—the same outfit Momiji wore.
His tall, well-built frame made the uniform look striking on him.
To the untrained eye, he could easily pass for a martial arts master.
But in truth, Yozora was more like Sakuragi Hanamichi from Slam Dunk—a powerhouse body with raw strength, but utterly lacking refined technique.
Still, sheer power could overwhelm skill. If it came down to a real fight, Yozora wouldn't be weak by any means.
"Handsome!"
Momiji smacked his chest approvingly and grinned. "Yozora, I've got things to do, so I'll head off. Half a month from now—see you at the Fighting Tournament! This time, I'll finally defeat you and settle the score."
She winked playfully.
"Alright. See you in two weeks." Yozora waved her off, then made his way toward the Taige Gym.
The town was named after Taige, a legendary martial artist from centuries past.
It was said the townsfolk were all descended from him, producing countless fighters—including the great Master Tyron.
Rumor had it that although Tyron was a Fighting Champion, he had also achieved incredible accomplishments as a Pokémon Trainer.
In fact, Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four was once his disciple.
Of course, a student could surpass his master. But having Bruno as a pupil alone gave Tyron immense prestige.
The Taige Gym was an ancient, imposing structure, with massive training halls both inside and out.
At the moment, the outer arena was packed with people.
"Master Tyron only accepts one challenger a day. After the match, he even gives personal guidance!"
"Damn, that guy Takesan is too strong. Looks like today's chance is his for sure!"
Two trainers were locked in battle. One, named Takesan, commanded a Primeape that swiftly crushed its opponent.
Word was, Takesan had already won ten matches in a row.
"Anyone else? If no one steps up, then today, I'll be the one to challenge Master Tyron and take on the Taige Gym!" Takesan declared, arrogance dripping from his voice.
He had reason to be cocky. His Primeape was ferocious, defeating trainer after trainer.
Yozora waited for a few moments. When no one else volunteered, he stepped forward.
"Oh? A brat like you wants to challenge me? You must be a rookie trainer fresh out this year." Takesan, around twenty years old, had been active for years and leaned on his experience.
To him, Yozora was just a wet-behind-the-ears kid. Not worth mentioning.
"I may be a rookie, but if you underestimate me, you'll regret it." Yozora glanced at the Primeape, gauging it as peak Senior level. He couldn't help but smile.
"Arrogant fool. Enough talk—send out your Pokémon. One-on-one. My Primeape will crush you." Takesan's grin was cruel.
Yozora didn't waste words. He sent out Charmeleon.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Whoa! That Charmeleon is built like a tank! Almost like a Charizard already. How was it raised to be like that?"
The spectators were in awe.
Yozora's Charmeleon wasn't just muscular—it was incredibly strong. Its level had already reached peak Commander-tier.
Most Charizards didn't even reach that height.
In truth, Charmeleon's combat power already surpassed many Charizards.
…
…
(End of Chapter)