After defeating Machamp, the dark-skinned girl turned to the bulky martial artist beside her and said coldly, "If you can't even beat your own Pokémon, what kind of trainer are you?"
Korrina: "..."
Muscle guy: "..."
Caleb, just passing by: "..."
Onlookers: "..."
Every other trainer here who couldn't beat their own Pokémon: So... that's the new standard for trainers now? No one told us?!
Caleb squinted toward the voice that sounded oddly familiar, pushed through the crowd to look—
Yep. As expected, it was Bea from Galar, the karate prodigy.
The girl who could brawl with Machamp barehanded.
Right up there with Ash, who once lifted a 999-kg Cosmoem like it was nothing.
Honestly, Caleb wouldn't be surprised if some distant relative of hers was from Pallet Town.
He also noticed the muscle guy next to her — that was Box, and that Machamp used to be a Machoke.
But Caleb had zero intention of walking over and saying hi. Box being here could only mean he was nearby too.
After all, the old man used to be Sinnoh's Fighting-type Elite Four member. No way he'd miss an event like this.
Caleb sighed and shook his head. Every time that old man showed up, something went sideways. Best to steer clear of him and his grandson.
He started backing away... and promptly bumped into Maylene, who was standing with Korrina.
"Sorry about that…" Caleb began, then looked up to see who it was — and spotted the two gym leaders together.
Whoa. Three Fighting-type Gym Leaders all in one place?
"Caleb?" Maylene suddenly called out, recognizing him.
Make that four.
"This someone you know, Maylene?" Korrina asked excitedly. "Is he a Fighting-type Gym Leader too?"
Caleb did look a bit thin and wiry compared to the muscular dudes around them, but hey, looks could be deceiving — maybe he was a judo guy like her grandpa.
"Not quite," Maylene replied. "Caleb's a Poison-type Gym Leader. He helped me with battle strategy once."
"Ohh, so he's a Pois—wait, Poison-type?"
Something felt off. Korrina blinked.
A Poison-type Gym Leader coaching a Fighting-type one? That just didn't sound right...
She rubbed her head, confused.
Just then, Bea turned toward them, having overheard Maylene.
The moment she locked eyes with Caleb, she took off like a bullet.
Caleb braced for a suplex — but instead, Bea stopped, gave a ninety-degree bow, and said solemnly, "Gym Leader Caleb, I challenge you to a duel!"
A duel?
Me?
Caleb remained silent.
Bea paused, then clarified, "Not a human duel — a Pokémon battle. I've heard your Riolu is exceptional. I've long wanted to test myself against it."
She bowed again, just as sharply.
She had a strong obsession with challenging powerful opponents.
Not to mention, she was close friends with Nessa from Hulbury. Lately, Nessa's gym had skyrocketed in success, all thanks to Caleb's help — or so she'd said.
Bea hadn't seen it firsthand, but from Nessa's words, Caleb was a strategic genius with unfathomable strength.
Naturally, he was exactly the kind of opponent Bea loved to face.
But Caleb only shook his head. "The tournament starts this afternoon. We'll settle it on the battlefield then."
Bea blinked in surprise, then smiled. With another crisp bow, she replied, "Yes, sir!"
Korrina, seeing Bea's rare smile, whispered to Maylene, "Did you see that? Her smile's actually kinda cute."
She didn't say it loudly, but martial artists have sharp hearing. Bea caught it, word for word.
Her bronzed cheeks immediately flushed red.
Compliments from girls always hit harder than from guys.
Especially when it was the first time anyone had ever called her smile cute.
"Um… my friend's still at her booth, I should get going," Caleb said as he waved goodbye to the three Fighting-type girls.
At that moment, a wiry old man suddenly emerged from the crowd.
Box waved excitedly, shouting, "Grandpa! Over here!"
The old man turned toward the voice, saw his grandson, and smiled warmly. "Done with your warm-up? How's it feel? Did you win?"
"Nope. Got destroyed by some tanned girl," Box answered honestly.
"No worries! Happens to the best of us. I believe in you — you'll do great in the actual tournament," the old man said, patting him on the back. "After all, you're my grandson, aren't you? Ha ha!"
"Pfft. Narcissist," came a snarky mutter from within the crowd.
The old man didn't get angry. He kept smiling, his tone still calm and warm. "I was an Elite Four member once, you know. Of course my grandson wouldn't be weak."
Then another mocking voice floated out: "If you're the Elite Four's grandson, you must be strong, huh~"
"Who said that?! Come out if you've got the guts! Let's settle this face to face!" the old man roared, eyes blazing.
He couldn't hold it in any longer — his once-thin frame suddenly bulged with muscle, his body practically exploding with power.
Then, from the crowd, a voice rang out — teasing and a little smug:
"Oh wow, scary~ You think shouting louder makes you right? Go ahead and beat up everyone if you're so tough."
A path quickly cleared in the crowd, and a lone man stood in the center, wearing a wide grin and an annoying smirk.
But as he noticed everyone around him backing away, his expression froze.
The transition from smirk to grimace happened in one second flat.
Seeing the old man storming toward him, something clicked in his memory, and he blurted out, "Big bro?!"
"Little bro?!" the old man gasped, staring at the man's face. "It really is you!"
The two rushed toward each other and hugged tightly.
"All these years, where've you been?" the old man asked, emotional.
"It's a long story…" the man said, turning to Box. "This your grandson? He's all grown up!"
"Yep." The old man smiled proudly, then turned to Box. "This is Grandpa's sworn brother, Mario. Go ahead and call him Uncle."
"Whoa, whoa, no need for that. Just call me 'uncle,' not 'great-uncle.' Makes me sound ancient," Mario chuckled.
"Alright, alright — Uncle it is." The old man laughed heartily. "By the way, what brings you here, little bro?"
"Ah, I came to find my son," Mario replied. "He's competing in this tournament too. Told me not to come, actually... but I'm his dad — how could I not? Thought I'd surprise him. Kinda got lost, though."
"You have a son?" the old man asked, stunned. "Well, I guess it has been over twenty years since we last saw each other."
He grinned. "Come on, little bro. After all this time, you and I need a proper drink together."
"Lead the way, big bro."
"After you."