"Hehe."
"Brock… are you okay?"
Ash looked at Brock, who had been chuckling to himself the entire way. Just because he received Vulpix as a token of affection didn't mean he had to keep smiling like this nonstop.
"You've been smiling ever since we left Suzie's place," Misty said. "If you can't bear to leave, you could just go back."
"It's fine. You two single dogs wouldn't understand," Brock waved dismissively, still grinning.
Misty froze in surprise.
Did their relationship develop that fast?
Ash suddenly felt a bit regretful for helping Brock earlier. Maybe he shouldn't have praised him so much in front of Suzie.
After training and battling along the way to gain experience, the group eventually arrived at a remote town.
By the roadside, they saw a Hitmonchan sparring with a human in a boxing match. Its thin limbs didn't look particularly suited for boxing at first glance.
Standing beside it was a muscular middle-aged man wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a red towel around his neck.
"Carelessness and overconfidence—even a one-second mistake—can cause a lifetime of regret. Remember that. Don't make that mistake again!"
The man spoke sternly.
Hitmonchan's eyes immediately sharpened with determination.
"Hey, you trainers over there! Want to have a boxing match with my Hitmonchan?" the man called out cheerfully when he noticed Ash and the others.
Hitmonchan… boxing… muscular man…
Ash suddenly frowned.
Could this guy be the same man who took Primeape to compete in boxing in the original story?
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Anthony, and this is Hitmonchan. We're competitors in the Pokémon Grand Prix, also known as the P1 Tournament. Our goal is the championship!"
The muscular man spoke confidently.
"You sure you want to fight?" Ash glanced at the eager Hitmonchan.
"Wait!"
A girl with a gentle appearance suddenly appeared.
"Please stop obsessing over battles and come home," the girl in a white tracksuit pleaded, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry.
"No! Until I win the P1 Grand Championship Trophy, I will never go home!"
Anthony left with Hitmonchan.
The girl looked dejected and apologized, "I'm sorry… my father caused you trouble."
"It's fine. We just arrived here—we haven't even battled yet," Misty said gently, trying to comfort her.
After talking with the girl, Ash and the others learned that her name was Emily.
Her father Anthony had become obsessed with the P1 Tournament and abandoned his family to train alone.
He constantly challenged passing trainers, pouring all his energy into the competition.
Emily begged Ash and the others to defeat Hitmonchan so her father would finally wake up and realize what he had been doing.
Ash immediately agreed.
For someone who selfishly abandoned his family like that, Ash also wanted to give him a harsh lesson and make him face reality.
But helping Emily wasn't the only reason.
When Anthony introduced himself earlier, the system had already triggered a mission.
[Mission Description]
Win the P1 Tournament using Primeape, teach Anthony a lesson for abandoning his family, and make him recognize the reality of his own strength.
[Mission Reward]
High-Quality Moon Stone ×1
If he didn't encounter Anthony's Hitmonchan in the arena, there wouldn't be much chance to teach him properly.
In the original story, Hitmonchan was defeated by a Hitmonlee that Team Rocket tricked into entering the tournament. Ash's Primeape ended up winning the championship before even facing Hitmonchan.
But honestly, Anthony's Hitmonchan had only just reached Elite-level strength, and it wasn't particularly outstanding.
Could it really make it to the semifinals?
Even the Hitmonlee that Team Rocket had stolen was stronger than this Hitmonchan that had trained for so long.
In the end, Anthony had even shamelessly tried to take Ash's Primeape.
But this time, Ash definitely wouldn't give him that chance.
If Anthony ended up on the opposite side of the ring, Ash would make sure to crush him thoroughly, showing him the true gap in strength and shattering his illusion of becoming champion.
"Thank you so much," Emily said gratefully, her eyes shimmering.
"No need to thank us," Brock said in a deep voice.
"I've had similar experiences myself. That's why I want to participate—to help your father let go of his obsession with this tournament and return to his family."
"Ash has Primeape, but do you have any Fighting-type Pokémon?" Misty asked.
As far as she remembered, Brock didn't own any Fighting-types.
Was he planning to enter Geodude instead?
That would be insane!
"Geodude, of course. Two arms—perfect for boxing," Brock said with a grin, holding up Geodude's Poké Ball.
Ash felt like the Poké Ball was trembling slightly.
A Rock-type Geodude entering a Fighting tournament…
Wasn't that basically sending it to get beaten up?
Geodude: Please don't do this to me!
"You sure Geodude can handle that?" Ash asked.
For this tournament, Ash planned to use Primeape.
After the previous Gym battles and all the training during their journey, Primeape had already reached Lv. 34.
"Trust me," Brock said with a confident smile.
"Even though Geodude is at a type disadvantage, it still has a trick up its sleeve."
"If that's the case, then let's not waste time. Let's go sign up," Ash said, nodding seriously.
The P1 Tournament Arena
Although the town was small and remote, the P1 Tournament was incredibly lively.
Crowds surrounded the battlefield, which was built on a large open field rather than indoors.
The tournament was extremely popular here—there were even cameras set up for recording.
Emily brought Ash and the others to the registration booth.
Ash soon noticed a powerful Hitmonlee standing beside a cloaked trainer.
That guy was probably the biggest threat in the tournament.
Pokémon: Hitmonlee – Lv. 35
Anthony's Hitmonchan was only Lv. 30.
No wonder it lost so easily to the Hitmonlee that Team Rocket had casually commanded in the original story.
"Bro… you're joking, right?"
"Geodude entering a Fighting tournament?!"
The registration staff were stunned.
This trainer was seriously entering a Geodude in a hand-to-hand combat tournament?
Was he out of his mind?
The P1 Tournament rules allowed only punches and kicks—no special moves.
Geodude was a Rock-type.
If it stepped into the ring, wouldn't it just become a punching bag?
"Don't worry about it. Just register me," Brock said calmly, ignoring the strange looks around him.
"Well… at least this one is normal," the staff muttered as Ash stepped forward.
"Registering a Fighting-type Pokémon for the tournament."
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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