Misty walked out rubbing her eyes, her hair a messy bird's nest, looking like she hadn't fully woken up yet.
She was wearing pajamas—a pink camisole dress with thin straps hanging off her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of her collarbones and chest.
The hem of the dress was very short, barely reaching above her knees, leaving her two fair, tender legs exposed.
"Morning..." She yawned, glancing at the two of them dizzily.
Then, she suddenly froze, her gaze darting back and forth between Roy and Delia.
"You two..." She blinked. "Showered together?"
Roy's expression remained unchanged. "Yeah, to save water."
Delia's face flushed slightly as she lowered her head.
"You big pervert, bullying Sister Delia again, aren't you!" Misty saw through them but didn't explicitly call them out.
Afterward, the three of them went downstairs together for breakfast.
The hotel's buffet breakfast had quite a variety, including both Chinese and Western styles.
Misty held her plate, piling food onto it while muttering, "I want this... this... and this..."
Soon, her plate was piled up like a small mountain.
Roy took a look. "Are you feeding a pig?"
"You're the pig!" Misty shot him a glare. "I'm replenishing my energy! We have to travel today!"
The three found a place to sit and began eating breakfast.
Misty ate quickly, saying as she chewed, "By the way, which way are we heading today?"
"North," Roy said. "Once we leave the city area, we'll start grinding levels."
"Oh, then I need to eat more. Grinding levels consumes a lot of stamina." Misty began eating like a gluttonous Taotie.
After finishing breakfast, the three returned to their rooms to pack and then checked out.
Leaving the hotel, they headed north. After walking for about an hour, the buildings became fewer and the greenery increased.
Finally, they completely left the urban area and entered the wilderness.
...
For the next few days, the three continued to grind levels in the wild.
They farmed wild Pokemon during the day and found a place to camp at night.
Roy farmed experience points frantically, leveling up the Pokémon in his team one by one.
After a few days, the results were significant.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level: lv50 → lv51]
[Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Level: lv40 → lv41]
[Pokémon: Pidgeot, Level: lv36 → lv38]
[Pokémon: Wartortle, Level: lv20 → lv24]
[Pokémon: Charmeleon, Level: lv24 → lv30]
[Pokémon: Primeape, Level: lv30 → lv34]
[Pokémon: Gastly, Level: lv14 → lv19]
As Pikachu and Bulbasaur reached higher levels, their experience bars grew longer. Their leveling speed noticeably slowed down while fighting these low-level wild Pokémon.
Pidgeot gained two levels, which was a decent pace.
Wartortle went from level 20 to 24, a significant improvement.
Charmeleon was the fiercest, soaring from level 24 to 30, taking another step closer to evolving into Charizard.
This was mainly because it had the bonus from the Legendary Trial, making its experience gain much faster than the other Pokémon.
Primeape also gained 4 levels, nearing level 35 where it would learn Rage Fist.
Roy remembered that Primeape had an evolutionary form called Annihilape.
However, the evolution conditions had always been a mystery.
Many said it required using Rage Fist 20 times.
But the problem was, had none of the previous Primeape Trainers ever used Rage Fist 20 times?
Surely some had.
But why didn't their Primeape evolve?
Therefore, there must be other conditions.
Roy pondered that he would research this issue once Primeape learned Rage Fist at level 35.
Gastly also rose from level 14 to 19 and would soon be able to evolve into Haunter.
...
At noon that day.
The sun hung overhead, its heat making people feel dizzy.
Roy found some shade under a tree and sat down to rest.
Misty walked over, holding two bags of Pokémon food, and handed one to him.
"Here."
Roy took it and began feeding his Pokémon.
Pikachu lay nearby, holding its food bag and eating with great relish.
Misty once again voiced the doubt in her heart: "Roy, do you think this Psyduck is really useful?"
Roy, who was feeding Wartortle, looked up at her. "What's wrong?"
"I was training it yesterday and released it for battle," Misty said with a complex expression. "Result? A Rattata charged at it, and it actually got scared back."
She spread her hands. "It ran back into its poké ball on its own! Do you know? A Rattata scared it back!"
Roy couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still laughing!" Misty glared at him. "I'm worried to death! If word gets out, where will I, Misty, hide my face? The combat power of a future Water-type Master was scared off by a Rattata!"
Roy smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, it will definitely show powerful abilities in the future."
Misty pouted. "I hope so."
Just as the two were talking, the sound of punching suddenly came from the intersection ahead.
Misty heard the noise and looked up. "Hmm? Is someone fighting?"
"Let's go see." Roy stood up and patted the dust off his pants.
The three rounded a few large trees and walked dozens of meters forward. They saw a Pokémon throwing punches at the air in an open space at the intersection.
It was a Hitmonchan.
With red boxing gloves and purple hair, its gaze was sharp, and every punch it threw carried the sound of breaking air.
"Wow, it's a Hitmonchan!" Misty's eyes lit up. She stared at the Hitmonchan for a few seconds. "It looks like... it wants to challenge us?"
Roy didn't speak, his gaze scanning over the Hitmonchan.
Its entire body showed signs of overtraining.
Its knees were wrapped in bandages, the edges of its gloves were severely worn, and its chest heaved heavily with every breath. It was clearly in a state of physical exhaustion.
He took a quick look at its level.
It didn't exceed level thirty.
Roy couldn't help but shake his head.
To only reach this level with such excessive training... this Hitmonchan's owner was really not that good.
Pokémon training isn't the harsher the better.
Overtraining only overdraws potential and leaves hidden injuries in the Pokémon's body, making it difficult to progress further in the future.
Just as he was thinking, a poké ball on Misty's person suddenly opened on its own.
With a 'bang,' Psyduck hopped out.
"Quack?"
Psyduck tilted its head, looked at the Hitmonchan in the distance, then at Misty, and let out a cry.
Misty was stunned. "Eh? Why did you come out on your own again?"
Psyduck ignored her and continued to tilt its head while looking at Hitmonchan.
Misty followed its gaze and was suddenly amused. "What? You want to box with that Hitmonchan?"
"Quack?"
Psyduck looked at Hitmonchan again.
Just then, Hitmonchan threw a straight punch with full momentum, the wind from the punch even blowing away several fallen leaves on the ground.
Psyduck's eyes instantly widened.
The next second, it gave a "Quack!" shriek, turned around, and ran, hiding directly behind Misty's legs, clutching her calves while shivering uncontrollably.
"..."
Misty slapped her forehead, her expression quite a sight to behold.
"Oh my god, hiding behind your Trainer as soon as the fight starts—you really are a legend!"
She looked down at the duck huddled into a ball of cowardice behind her legs, speechless and choking with frustration.
Psyduck didn't care about any of that; it just wouldn't let go of Misty's legs, burying its head behind her knees, leaving only its shivering butt exposed.
Delia couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Psyduck is so cute."
"What's cute about it? It's a total coward!" Misty rolled her eyes. "A Rattata can scare it back into its ball, and a Hitmonchan can scare it into hugging my legs. I've never seen such a cowardly duck in my life!"
Psyduck seemed to understand, as it hugged Misty's legs even tighter.
Roy looked at Psyduck, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
At that moment, Hitmonchan drew closer and closer.
It walked forward while throwing punches, its gaze fixed on Roy and the others. It looked like it really wanted a fight.
Pikachu jumped down from Roy's shoulder and stood in front of everyone.
Pika!
It cried out, a white light glowing on its tail.
Hitmonchan continued forward, its fists whistling through the air.
"Smack!"
Pikachu whipped its tail across.
Hitmonchan didn't even have a chance to react before it was whipped away, rolling several times on the ground for four or five meters.
Psyduck poked half its head out from behind Misty's leg. Seeing the miserable state of the sent-flying Hitmonchan, it let out a "Quack" and pulled its head back in.
"Pika~" Pikachu flicked its tail and hopped lightly back onto Roy's shoulder.
Hitmonchan scrambled up from the ground, shook its head, and wanted to fight again.
Just then, a girl's voice came from the distance.
"Please stop! Please don't fight!"
The voice was urgent and a bit breathless.
Everyone turned to look. A girl was running toward them.
Her red hair was tied in a braid that swayed as she ran.
She wore a white knit sweater, a slim-fitting style that perfectly outlined the curves of her upper body.
Her chest was full and plump, bouncing significantly with every step she took.
Below was a blue pencil skirt that ended just above her knees, tightly wrapping her hips. As she walked, her waist swayed, and the calves beneath the skirt were white and straight.
Her face was also beautiful.
She had delicate features and fair skin. Because she had run so fast, there were two patches of rosy flush on her cheeks.
Misty looked at the girl running over, then at Roy. Seeing his gaze scanning the newcomer, she immediately curled her lip.
"Is she pretty?"
"She's alright," Roy said, his expression unchanged.
"Big pervert! Bad Roy!"
The girl ran up to them, resting her hands on her knees as she panted for breath. Her chest heaved, those two soft mounds almost threatening to jump out of her sweater.
After catching her breath, she looked up, first at Hitmonchan and then at Roy and the others, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, a fight didn't break out..."
Misty blinked. "Big sister, is this your Pokémon?"
The girl nodded and was about to speak.
Just then, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared nearby.
He was wearing a faded white undershirt, large shorts, and flip-flops. His hair was messy, and he had an impatient expression on his face.
"Hey, Aimi, why are you causing trouble again?"
He walked over and looked at the girl, his tone very displeased. "How am I supposed to win this year's P1 Fighting Tournament Championship if you keep this up?"
The girl named Aimi frowned. "Dad, stop being so stubborn! Just come home!"
"I'll go back naturally once I've won the P1 Fighting Championship." Anthony pursed his lips and turned his gaze toward Roy.
Seeing the Pikachu on Roy's shoulder, his eyes lit up.
"Hey, young man, since you're carrying a Pikachu, you must be a Trainer, right?"
He grew excited, walking up to Roy and sizing him up.
"Not bad, not bad. You've got great spirit. You look like a vigorous young man!"
He rubbed his hands together and turned to Hitmonchan. "Hitmonchan, come here!"
Hitmonchan ran over and stood beside him.
Anthony patted Hitmonchan's shoulder and then issued an invitation to Roy:
"Come on, let's have a Pokémon boxing match between men!"
Roy looked at him and didn't speak.
Aimi grew anxious and stepped forward to grab Anthony's arm. "Dad! Don't be like this! Look at Hitmonchan—look at what you've trained it into! If you keep this up, it won't be able to hold on!"
"What do you know!" Anthony shook off her hand. "I'm training it! How can one become a Champion without putting in the effort?"
"But..."
"Enough, enough!" Anthony impatiently interrupted her. "I finally met such a spirited young man and wanted to have a good fight, but you've gone and ruined it again!"
He gave his head a twitch, a movement that was slightly abnormal, like some kind of habitual tic.
Then he turned to leave.
"Let's go, Hitmonchan. Back to training!"
Hitmonchan followed behind him, and the man and beast soon ran far away.
"Hey, Dad..." Aimi tried to call out to him, but Anthony didn't look back and vanished in a flash.
Aimi stood there, looking in the direction her father had left, her eyes turning a bit red.
Delia, being soft-hearted, stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.
"Miss Aimi, don't be too sad... Didn't your father say he'd come back after winning that fighting tournament?"
Aimi shook her head, her voice a bit choked up.
"It's impossible..."
She lowered her head, her hands clenching into fists.
"My father has already fallen into a state of obsession... He wasn't like this before. Ever since he became obsessed with the P1 Fighting Tournament, he's become more and more paranoid. He forces Hitmonchan to train every day, from morning till night, without a moment's rest..."
She looked up at Roy and the others.
"You saw Hitmonchan's state, didn't you? Its body is covered in injuries, and it's so tired every day that it can barely stand... I've tried to persuade my dad many times, but he simply won't listen..."
As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had remembered something.
She stared at Roy with a burning gaze.
"Can I ask a favor of you?"
Misty was startled. "What favor?"
Aimi took a deep breath and looked seriously at Roy. "Please... defeat that Hitmonchan!"
"Eh?" Misty blinked.
"Defeat your father's Hitmonchan?" Delia was also stunned.
Aimi nodded, clenching her fists. "My dad won't listen to anyone right now; he only believes in strength... If Hitmonchan loses, maybe he'll wake up and realize his training methods are wrong!"
As she spoke, her eyes grew red again.
"I don't want to see my dad continue to be so stubborn, and I don't want to see Hitmonchan being tortured like that... I beg of you!"
She gave a deep bow.
Misty and Delia looked at each other and then both looked at Roy.
When it came to fighting... the two of them really weren't up to it.
But Roy was!
Just now, Pikachu had sent Hitmonchan flying with a single tail whip; the difference in strength was obvious.
Aimi had also seen that scene, which was why she was making such a sincere request.
She looked up at Roy, her eyes full of anticipation.
"If you can... I will definitely repay you in the future!"
When she said this, her chest heaved slightly, and the curves beneath her knit sweater trembled along with her.
Roy glanced at her. He had intended to find Anthony anyway.
Educating Anthony and winning the P1 Championship were things he already planned to do.
Now that there was an additional request for repayment from a top-tier beauty, why not?
Roy nodded. "I can agree to your request. I happen to need to train my Pokémon as well."
Aimi's eyes lit up, and a surprised smile appeared on her face.
"Really? Thank you so much!"
She bowed again, this time even deeper. The collar of her sweater opened slightly, revealing a small patch of fair skin.
Roy took a look and withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.
"It's a small matter."
Aimi straightened up and said happily, "Then... why don't you come home with me first? My house is just ahead. I'll cook for you, and then we can discuss how to defeat my father!"
As she spoke, she excitedly turned around to lead the way.