Standing below the ring, Aaron looked at the skinny, small-eyed teenager on the stage with a strange expression.
From the first glance, he had felt that something about the boy was off.
On top of that, Aaron could actually sense energy fluctuations coming from him, which made things even stranger.
Curious, Aaron immediately used the system's scan function to check the teenager's information.
[Name: Ditto]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Nature: Gentle]
[Type: Normal]
[Ability: Imposter (Hidden Ability)]
[Base Stats Total: 288]
[Level: Intermediate (Stage Late)]
[Pokémon Potential: Advanced]
[Known Moves: Transform (Mastery)]
[Description: Ditto, the Transform Pokémon. It can transform into any living creature, perfectly copying its appearance. However, its eyes remain unchanged.]
...
Aaron: "..."
The corners of Aaron's mouth twitched.
No wonder those eyes looked so weird.
Now that he thought about it, Ditto always kept those blank, goofy eyes after transforming.
Damn...
This guy's running a scam.
He's making humans fight a Pokémon.
That's honestly impressive in the worst possible way.
Aaron looked speechlessly at Slick Rick, who was busily collecting entry fees, and cursed inwardly.
Ditto might be weak compared to other Pokémon, but that was only compared to Pokémon.
This Ditto had already reached late-stage Intermediate.
How was an ordinary human supposed to beat it?
What a crooked businessman.
"Ding~ Congratulations, you have triggered the quest: Real-Life PK."
"This Slick Rick is openly scamming people in broad daylight. Absolutely shameless."
"With the King of Showboating here, how could you possibly miss such a perfect chance to show off?"
"Participate in the Real-Life PK challenge, defeat Ditto, expose Slick Rick's scam, and successfully show off to complete the quest."
"Quest Reward: Key Stone ×1, Pokémon Candy (Elite) ×1."
Just then, the system's indignant voice rang in Aaron's ears.
Even the system seemed disgusted by Slick Rick's shamelessness.
Aaron's eyes instantly lit up.
He had just gotten Gyaradosite, but he still lacked a Key Stone.
And now the system was practically handing him one.
What an amazing system!
"Ding~ Host, stop sucking up."
"You sound incredibly fake."
"Do not think I do not know you secretly curse me all the time."
The system's disdainful voice echoed in Aaron's mind, making the corners of his mouth twitch slightly.
Alright then...
This thing was becoming more and more human.
Aaron also went over to the scammer and paid the entry fee, spending a full one thousand gold.
His heart hurt a little.
Still, thinking about the upcoming two hundred thousand gold prize made him feel much better.
...
At that moment, the fight in the ring had already begun.
The challenger was a burly man in mining clothes and a safety helmet, with a muscular build and dark, sunburned skin.
He looked like one of the miners who had come here to dig for ore.
The man flashed his white teeth and grinned at the skinny teenager.
"Hahaha..."
"Kid, don't say I didn't warn you."
"One punch from me might send you straight to the hospital."
The skinny teenager transformed by Ditto said nothing.
He simply stared blankly at the burly man.
The man immediately grew irritated.
He clenched his fist and threw a heavy punch toward the skinny teenager.
The skinny boy merely shifted his body slightly and dodged the attack with ease.
Then his thin, bony fist shot forward.
BANG!
The punch slammed directly into the burly man's stomach.
"Ughhhh...!"
The burly man instantly gagged, clutching his stomach as he rolled around the ring in agony.
The crowd below was completely dumbfounded.
"What the hell was that?"
"Holy shit... no way. That's impossible!"
"This is way too fake. They're acting, right?"
"Exactly! How could someone that skinny drop a big guy with one punch?"
"He has to be a plant, right?"
"Yeah, probably..."
...
The audience burst into discussion.
Most people simply refused to believe what they had just seen and assumed the whole thing was staged.
Slick Rick chuckled smugly and loudly announced into the microphone,
"This challenger has failed!"
"Please welcome the next challenger onto the stage!"
The burly man was carried away.
Soon, another challenger stepped into the ring.
This man wore a martial arts uniform somewhat similar to the fighters from Grit City.
However, Tidefall Town fell under Grit City's jurisdiction, so seeing martial artists here was not surprising.
The martial artist raised his fists into a fighting stance and stared at the skinny teenager with determination.
"Make your move."
At Slick Rick's signal, the match began.
Seeing that the martial artist was not attacking first, Ditto immediately walked toward him.
A strange look crossed the martial artist's face.
This teenager was full of openings.
Practically a walking weak point.
There was no technique in his movements at all.
The martial artist instantly threw a fast punch toward the skinny teenager.
He was certain the boy would not be able to dodge in time.
But in the next instant, under the martial artist's disbelieving gaze, the skinny teenager suddenly burst forward with astonishing speed and avoided the punch.
Then he countered with a punch of his own.
Just one punch.
BANG!
The martial artist immediately clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the ring, screaming in pain and unable to stand back up.
The second challenger was defeated.
Only then did the contestants who had already paid their entry fees finally realize that this skinny teenager might actually be the real deal.
Their expressions darkened.
But since they had already paid, none of them were willing to back out.
And so...
One challenger after another walked into the ring on their own two feet.
And had to be carried back down afterward.
Eventually, only Aaron remained.