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"Hello, dear audience!" the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
"This is the annual P1 Grand Prix, and the competition is about to begin! Please welcome all contestants to enter the arena!"
Although this Fighting Championship wasn't the most famous tournament in the region, it still held considerable reputation among Fighting-type trainers. The scale of the event was impressive—the entire hall was packed with enthusiastic spectators.
The host addressed the crowd with infectious enthusiasm.
"First! Please welcome Hitmonchan, known as the fighting machine, and its trainer Anthony to the stage!"
"I'm sure many of you are familiar with him. He has participated in the Fighting Championship for three consecutive years. This time, he's brought his Hitmonchan, which radiates elite-level energy, to compete once again!"
"We believe he's one of the top candidates for this tournament's championship!"
The host had seen Anthony compete multiple times before, so there was no hesitation when introducing him this time. The audience responded with respectful applause. Even though Anthony was still considered somewhat of a newcomer, his determination and persistence had earned everyone's recognition over the years. Besides, his Hitmonchan had now reached Peak level, and as an Peak-level trainer himself, Anthony deserved proper respect.
"Three years of training? What a shame. Although he's persistent, his natural talent is too limited. That Hitmonchan's potential isn't very impressive either," a voice muttered from a dark corner of the arena.
"Even if I personally trained alongside him, someone like that would only remain an Peak-level trainer for his entire life. He lacks the necessary qualifications. Let's see who's next."
While everyone applauded Anthony, a powerfully built man with sharp, penetrating eyes made these observations from his shadowy position. His intense gaze continuously studied each contestant, as if searching for someone who met his specific criteria.
The host continued introducing contestants one after another, but the mysterious man simply shook his head repeatedly, apparently unable to find the right person he was looking for.
"Next up, we have Hitmonlee, known as the kicking fiend, and its trainer Giant!"
At this moment, Jessie and James made their appearance. Since the passerby they had replaced was quite tall, both of them had to work together to impersonate that single person. Otherwise, the stolen Pokémon probably wouldn't obey their commands.
"What in the world is this supposed to be? Is the announcer completely blind? Those are obviously two people pretending to be one person. How can they not see something so obvious?" The muscular man saw through Jessie and James's ridiculous disguise immediately. Even he was exasperated by their amateur performance and couldn't help but complain.
Of course, he could also tell that these two individuals were completely incompetent. Now he could only sigh in disappointment and prepare to leave. Once again, he had failed to find the promising candidate he was searching for.
"Oh! Originally, the Giant was supposed to be our final participant, but I've just discovered that we have one more trainer who registered at the last minute!"
"So let's welcome our newest contestant! Coming to us from Pallet Town, please welcome rookie trainer Morning Sun!"
The host announced Eddie's registered name, and the muscular man stopped in his tracks just before leaving the arena.
"Morning Sun? That name sounds familiar somehow," the man thought to himself. He felt like he had heard this name mentioned somewhere before, but since he didn't interact with many people regularly, he wondered if perhaps one of his colleagues had mentioned it.
"Lance hasn't been around for a while. Lorelei mentioned recently that there had been some changes with Team Rocket, but I don't recall her mentioning this particular name," he mused.
"Then it must have been Agatha. Yes, that's right! I remember now! When she returned from the Pokémon Tower, she mentioned meeting an interesting young trainer. That person's name was Morning Sun!"
The man—who was actually Bruno, the Fighting-type Elite Four member—finally remembered hearing this name from Agatha during one of their conversations.
He immediately turned around and focused his attention on the arena. He wanted to see for himself what kind of person Agatha had described as such an "interesting young talent."
Then he saw Eddie, recognizing the same figure he had encountered at Mt. Moon.
"Wait a minute. Isn't this the rookie trainer I saw at Mt. Moon?" Bruno said to himself, suddenly recalling their previous encounter.
"He was only an intermediate-level trainer back then, but he's become an Peak-level trainer in less than two weeks? This kid really is as interesting as Agatha claimed."
Bruno immediately showed a look of genuine interest, watching Eddie with clear admiration in his eyes.
"And that Lucario of his has tremendous potential," Bruno observed. As a champion-level trainer himself, he could instantly recognize that Lucario's potential was no less impressive than his own Pokémon. Since his own Pokémon were naturally champion-level, any Pokémon with comparable potential must also possess champion-level capabilities.
"Perhaps this young man is the promising prospect I've been searching for—a future rival worth training," Bruno thought, his expression now filled with fighting spirit as he studied Eddie like he was examining a precious treasure.
In truth, Bruno was simply bored. His strength was so overwhelming, and his position so elevated, that he constantly sought interesting challenges to occupy his time. He had only one real hobby: engaging in intense battles with powerful rivals.
Unfortunately, his colleagues around him didn't seem particularly interested in fighting with him on a regular basis. Lorelei was naturally out of the question—she looked down on any opponent weaker than herself. More importantly, Bruno preferred direct, head-on confrontations, while Lorelei's tactical fighting style was completely different from what he enjoyed, making their battles uninteresting.
As for Agatha, regardless of whether she could actually defeat him in battle, her fighting style was even more cunning and indirect than Lorelei's, which definitely wasn't the type of battle Bruno craved.
Lance would have been perfect for his requirements, but the Dragon trainer was always acting like he was still in his dramatic teenage phase, constantly traveling around or pursuing his own idealistic goals, never having time for casual battles.
So Bruno could only venture out alone to search for worthy opponents. However, champion-level strongmen weren't exactly common—how could Bruno simply find one whenever he felt like it?
Then he had come up with what he thought was a brilliant idea. Since he couldn't find an existing champion-level opponent, he would train one himself! He would personally develop a powerful trainer, and then battle against his own protégé. That would definitely be incredibly exciting and fulfilling.
With this concept in mind, Bruno had begun traveling around to observe promising young trainers. Unfortunately, after extensive searching, he hadn't found anyone who met his high expectations.
Until now, when he encountered Eddie again.
"You have excellent natural ability, and your Pokémon shows tremendous potential. Now it all depends on your battle strategy and fighting style," Bruno thought to himself.
"Morning Sun, let me see how you battle!"