"Ha ha ha! Looks like I lost this one," Mustard chuckled, though there was no frustration on his face—only genuine delight. "But I sure got to see some fascinating things today!"
He stretched his arms, then suddenly called out in the direction of the dojo. "Alright, get over here!"
From the rooftop, a small, nimble figure leapt down with impressive agility, landing lightly before breaking into a full sprint toward the battlefield.
It took less than half a minute for the Pokémon to arrive. The little gray-furred cub immediately planted itself firmly on the ground, assuming a perfect martial stance. It took a deep breath, fists clenched, and launched a series of rapid punches into the air. Its eyes gleamed with admiration, still lost in the heat of the battle it had just witnessed.
But then—
It froze.
Noticing that all eyes were suddenly on it, the little bear's confidence crumbled in an instant. Hastily, it scrambled behind Mustard's back, peeking out cautiously with an embarrassed expression.
"This little guy is called Kubfu," Mustard said, patting its head. "It's got limitless potential! This is the dojo's 'Secret Armor'!"
"Oh… so the dojo's legendary 'Secret Armor' is actually a Pokémon?" The disciples' responses were surprisingly calm—not because the information wasn't shocking, but because they were still reeling from Summer's battle.
Mustard grinned. "What, getting cold feet now? You saw the fight, didn't you? No need to hide anymore, kiddo! You've been waiting for this moment!"
Kubfu flinched, then nodded firmly. Taking another deep breath, it stepped forward, leaping back into the battlefield.
It bowed low, arms folded, in a show of deep respect—the way warriors greet those they admire.
But before Summer could respond—
"Bonnneooo!"
Ogerpon had already hopped forward, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Wait, are you gonna be Ponpon's new little brother?!"
Kubfu blinked. Brother? It paused, brain working furiously to process the term through a martial artist's lens.
Was this… some kind of disciple ranking system?
Then it hit him. If this masked warrior was calling him brother, and she was already a trained fighter—then she must be his senior!
With renewed resolve, Kubfu puffed out its chest and replied, "Wuuueehh! (Yes, Senior Sister!)"
Ogerpon tilted its head.
Senior Sister?
It crossed its arms, tapping its chin in serious contemplation. Then, slowly, it shook its head.
"Ponpon isn't Senior Sister."
Kubfu froze. Had he messed up?
Ogerpon nodded solemnly. "You should be calling Ponpon Fifth Sister!"
The little bear's eyes widened in realization. "Ah! I see now!" It quickly bowed again in apology. "I assumed too quickly because you were so powerful, Fifth Sister! I won't make that mistake again!"
Ogerpon let out a pleased hum, patting Kubfu on the head. Who doesn't like a good compliment?
"Ponpon forgives you! We'll get along great, Little Bro!"
Summer watched the exchange with amusement, then knelt down, meeting Kubfu's eyes. "Kubfu… do you want to be my Pokémon?"
Kubfu's expression turned serious. He clenched his tiny fists, took another deep breath, then—
"Wueh!"
Of course!
Martial artists follow their heart. A true warrior never regrets his choices!
For a moment, Summer saw the image of another small Pokémon flash through his mind—Jangmo-o, training tirelessly, never backing down from a challenge.
Looks like you're about to get a new sparring partner, Jangmo-o.
Summer smiled. "I understand your resolve. Let's fight together, Kubfu!"
He raised a fist.
Kubfu's eyes lit up. It enthusiastically bumped his fist in return, grinning wide.
Mustard, now back in his usual relaxed outfit, approached and handed Summer a Poké Ball.
"Here ya go, Summer. This is Kubfu's Poké Ball. Since you've earned the dojo's 'Secret Armor,' it's time I told you about its trial."
Summer listened intently.
"The two Towers of Two Fists on the Isle of Armor were built specifically for Kubfu's evolution. If you want it to evolve, you must journey there together. You'll have to leave all your other Pokémon behind and climb to the top using only Kubfu."
Mustard gestured to the west, toward the distant coastline.
"The Tower of Waters stands on Challenge Beach. If you climb it, Kubfu will evolve into Rapid Strike Style Urshifu, a Fighting/Water-type."
Then, he turned eastward, toward a distant mountain peak.
"The Tower of Darkness lies on Challenge Road. There, Kubfu can evolve into Single Strike Style Urshifu, a Fighting/Dark-type."
"The choice of which path to take?" Mustard grinned knowingly. "That's up to you and Kubfu."
He clapped Summer on the shoulder. "Come back when you're strong enough to take on the trial. Old Mustard'll be waiting!"
Then, with a carefree wave, he strolled off.
Summer watched him go, then turned to Kubfu. A new partner… and a new journey ahead.
He pulled up Kubfu's potential list, scanning through it.
Kubfu – Fighting-type Pokémon
Ability: Inner Focus
Potential Traits:
[Exorcist] – Evil shall be purged. (Unlocks after evolving and mastering two moves that counter Ghost and Dark-types.)
[Warrior's Spirit] – The Way of the Fist resides in the heart. (Effect changes based on its chosen fighting style.)
[Raging Fist / Cleansing Flow] – (Unlocks upon evolving into Single Strike or Rapid Strike Urshifu.)
Summer's mind raced. Exorcist sounded terrifyingly effective against Ghost and Dark-types.
Then there was Warrior's Spirit—a unique potential that changed based on the path Kubfu took.
Before he could think further—
He suddenly found himself surrounded.
"Summer, that battle was insane!"
"How did you control the wind like that?!"
"Is that masked Pokémon really the same species as Ogerpon?!"
A flood of praise and endless questions crashed over him as the dojo disciples swarmed in.
For the first time, Summer truly experienced what it felt like to be famous.
Ogerpon, however, loved every second of it.
"Boneo! Boneo!" (Yes! Yes! Keep the compliments coming!)
If Corviknight were still here, it definitely would've been gloating like crazy.
Then—
"Ahem."
A familiar voice cut through the crowd.
The disciples turned to see Marnie standing there, arms crossed, a smug glint in her eyes.
"Summer just fought one hell of a battle," she pointed out. "Maybe y'all should let him rest first?"
Her words carried just the right amount of teasing.
Summer raised an eyebrow. Since when was she so proud of my win?
Then—
Another voice chimed in.
"She's got a point~"
Honey, Mustard's wife, smiled warmly. "Besides, aren't you all still in the middle of training?"
The dojo disciples stiffened.
Oh… right.
Honey was just as terrifying as Mustard when it came to training.
A moment of silence.
Then—
"YUP. TIME TO GO TRAIN!"
"Summer, rest up! We'll bug ya later!"
The disciples vanished like they had somewhere to be.
As the disciples surrounding Summer quickly ran back to the dojo, not daring to linger, Honey chuckled softly, covering her mouth. "Everyone sure is full of energy~"
Then, she turned to Summer and Marnie with a warm smile. "It's already quite late. Why don't you two stay the night at the dojo?"
Seeing their hesitation, she quickly added, "The beds here are very soft and comfortable, so don't be shy! Besides, it's been a while since I've seen my dear so happy—consider it my way of saying thanks, hmm?"
After exchanging a glance, Summer nodded. "We appreciate the offer, Honey. Thank you."
"That's more like it~" Honey clapped her hands cheerfully. "I'll go prepare the bedding then~"
In the dojo's guest quarters, Summer sat by the bed, gazing at the moon through the window. Honey's knowing smile lingered in his mind.
"Ah, my mistake! I completely forgot that Clara and Avery already took the last available single rooms… Looks like you and Marnie will have to share this double room. I'm so, so sorry~!"
And then there was Marnie, who had agreed to it so quickly.
Summer sighed. If Piers were here, he'd probably want to fight me over this…
"Seriously, Summer, why are you sitting there sighing all alone?"
Marnie walked over, now dressed in a comfortable Morpeko-themed pajama set—borrowed from another female disciple's room, of course.
Summer shook his head. "It's just… We're still opposite genders, you know?"
Marnie smirked, leaning in way too close. Her dark hair carried a faint, pleasant scent as her bright blue eyes locked onto his. "What, you planning to do something?"
"…No."
Summer's straightforward answer seemed to amuse her.
"Then there's no problem~ I trust your character, Summer~"
She straightened up, maintaining a casual composure. If not for the dim moonlight masking her face, Summer might have noticed the slight pink tint on her cheeks.
Trying to dispel the awkwardness, Marnie quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, Summer—that battle today was seriously incredible. And against Mustard, no less!"
"Thanks, Marnie. But Mustard didn't actually use his strongest team."
The Pokémon he sent out weren't the same as in the games. His real ace lineup should have included Mienshao, Kommo-o, and Urshifu.
Marnie huffed, folding her arms. "So what? I didn't see Mustard holding back one bit. You won fair and square, so enjoy it!"
"Besides," she continued, "it's not like you sent out Milotic or Hatterene either. I've seen how ridiculously strong they are myself."
Summer chuckled. "You're right. I'm overthinking it—sorry, Marnie."
He had to admit—someone like Mustard, a legendary veteran, wouldn't truly go all out against a younger trainer like himself. It wouldn't be very master-like of him.
But… that only made Summer want to fight him at full power even more.
He needed to know. Was he strong enough? Strong enough to stop what was coming—to face whatever Eternatus would bring in the future.
Marnie studied him for a moment before smirking. "Oh, I get it now. You're just not satisfied yet, huh?"
She grinned, eyes full of confidence. "You've got that kind of relentless drive. If you keep pushing forward like this, you're gonna make one hell of a trainer, Summer."
Yeah… She was sure of it. Summer was exactly where he was meant to be. And she was glad she got to be part of that journey.
"By the way," Summer suddenly asked, "why do you want to get stronger, Marnie?"
She blinked, caught off guard by the question.
"At first," she admitted, "I thought it was just about becoming Champion—about reviving Spikemuth."
"But after challenging the Gyms, I realized it's more than that. It's about living up to everyone's expectations. My own desire to win. The efforts of my Pokémon."
Marnie's voice grew firmer. "I wanna respond to all of that. I don't wanna let anyone down."
Her blue eyes shone under the moonlight. "So I have to keep getting stronger—to win and prove that all our hard work means something!"
Summer listened carefully, then nodded. "I get it. For me, the reason is simple—I just want to protect the people I care about. Make sure everyone stays safe and gets to be happy."
Marnie smiled softly.
"I already knew that, Summer."
She leaned back, stretching her arms behind her head. "I mean—Team Rocket, Pokémon Hunters, Peony's guys… Maybe there's even more I don't know about."
"But every single time," she glanced at him, "you've always protected everyone, haven't you?"
Her smirk turned playful. "Including me."
Summer was about to respond when—
"Summer," she asked, "do I count as one of those 'people you care about'?"
Summer blinked.
"Of course you do," he answered immediately. "You, the folks in the Sunset Forest, everyone in Spikemuth—all of you matter to me."
Marnie laughed softly, satisfied with his response.
"Good," she said. "That's all I wanted to hear~"
Then, suddenly—her eyes lit up again.
"Oh, right—what about Kubfu?" she asked excitedly. "Have you decided which style to evolve it into yet?"
Summer nodded. "Yeah, we talked it over and made a decision."
"Wait—you already decided?! When?! Which one?!"
Raising a finger, Summer revealed, "Single Strike Style. Kubfu couldn't stop thinking about Ogerpon's Z-Move beating Galarian Moltres. That moment really stuck with him—so he chose to evolve into Single Strike Urshifu."
"YES!" Marnie fist-pumped. "Single Strike is the coolest one! 'One Strike'—it's got that bold, dominant feel to it!"
She suddenly turned away, crossing her arms smugly. This was her moment.
"Well, well," she cleared her throat dramatically, "since this is the path you and Kubfu chose, I guess I'll just have to teach you all about how to train a Dark-type."
She struck a proud pose, as if expecting praise.
Summer grinned, playing along. "Then I'll be sure to learn from you, Professor Marnie."
Hearing that, Marnie quickly pulled out an old, slightly worn-out notebook from her bag.
"Alright, listen up," she said seriously, flipping through the pages. "The first rule of being a Dark-type trainer is—"
The next morning.
Mustard sipped his tea, watching the two trainers yawn sleepily as they joined him for breakfast.
"Morning, you two," he greeted with a grin. "You both look pretty exhausted. Did you even get any sleep?"
The dojo disciples perked up instantly, eager to hear the answer.
Then—
Summer stretched his arms, yawning again.
"Yeah, we're fine. We just… talked about Pokémon the entire night."
The room fell into silence.
The disciples exchanged glances—
Then turned back to their breakfast.
"...Yeah, that checks out."