As a fellow martial artist, Marshal recognized Rex's identity at first glance—the young man was indeed a real, bona fide fighter.
This surprised him greatly. The path of the martial artist wasn't easy, and this was the first time he'd seen someone so young break into that realm. Even for him, it had taken years of intense training, only becoming a true martial artist in his twenties.
His mentor, Alder, had once called him a prodigy of the path. Marshal had always accepted that label… until today. Standing before Rex, he realized he had little reason for pride.
Though startled, Marshal concealed it well, maintaining his usual composed and steady demeanor.
"Elesa, I saw the replay of your fashion show from a few days ago. It was excellent. Shame I couldn't make it in person," Caitlin said regretfully once everyone was seated.
Elesa smiled. "Don't worry. I'll let you know in advance for the next one."
"Rex, did you come all the way from Hoenn just to attend this event?" Cynthia asked curiously.
"Oh, not exactly," Rex replied. "I was already in Unova for some business, and Miss Caitlin extended the invitation while I was here."
He then briefly recounted his recent travels for Cynthia.
"You know Brycen is your senior, right? He's not just a skilled Gym Leader but also a surprisingly good actor. We worked on a project together once, had a lot of fun," Diantha chimed in after hearing Brycen's name.
As a mega-star in Kalos and beyond, Diantha was familiar even in Unova. She often traveled between regions to attend events and film movies.
"So Master Layton is your teacher? No wonder you've advanced to martial artist at such a young age," Marshal finally spoke.
Cynthia and Diantha both had a general idea of what being a "martial artist" meant—but not in the same way Marshal or Caitlin did. Their professional paths—archaeology and acting—were far removed from such disciplines.
To most people, martial artists were simply a subset of trainers who liked Fighting-types. Few knew that true martial artists could fight alongside Pokémon—sometimes even go toe to toe with them physically.
Only Marshal and Caitlin in this room truly understood what it meant.
Caitlin, born with overwhelming psychic power, had spent much of her youth wrestling with emotional volatility and power surges. During that difficult period, it had been Marshal—sent by Alder—who helped her manage her abilities.
He would let her vent her psychic outbursts in battle, bearing her power with his sheer physical resilience. He'd been her anchor in turbulent times—one of the reasons Caitlin had grown up stable and composed, unlike Sabrina of Kanto, whose childhood had left her emotionally unbalanced.
These days, Caitlin had enough control that not even Marshal could reliably defeat her anymore. With her mastery of teleportation, she was nearly impossible to pin down.
So it wasn't surprising that she didn't react much to Rex being a martial artist—her standards for "extraordinary powers" were rather high.
"You know Master Layton?" Rex asked, surprised. "He never mentioned it."
They didn't seem like they'd have much in common. Layton was a traditionalist, focused on self-discipline and personal combat. Marshal, on the other hand, was an Elite Four member—a top-tier trainer who had to divide his attention between battling and raising Pokémon.
"Years ago, when I was training under Alder, we visited Master Layton. His guidance left a lasting impression on me," Marshal explained.
"I see," Rex nodded, the pieces fitting together. Whether one pursued martial arts or the life of a trainer, all roads required experience and mentors.
"Rex," Marshal said with a glint in his eye, "how about a match between martial artists?"
His tone was eager.
Caitlin had long since outgrown the need for his help in managing her power, which meant Marshal rarely had opportunities to fight seriously anymore. Sure, he could battle his own Pokémon—but it wasn't the same.
He wasn't expecting Rex to be a worthy rival just yet. He merely wanted to gauge the boy's abilities—and perhaps offer guidance. It had been a long time since he'd met someone with such promising potential.
Rex didn't hesitate. "I'd be honored to learn from you, Marshal."
After all, his only real fight since becoming a martial artist had been against Rocky. He didn't truly know how he measured up—and Marshal was perhaps the best person to help him find out.
"This sounds fun!" Caitlin beamed. "You can use my private training arena."
(End of Chapter)