"World's Number One?"
At Blueberry Academy, a girl with fairy-like pinkish-purple hair flipped through the invitation she had just received, her tone filled with uncertainty.
Half an hour earlier, the Fairy-type Elite of Blueberry Academy had suddenly received an invitation from Galar.
It stated that she was invited to participate in the World's Strongest Tournament—to be held in Galar a month later. The letter also mentioned she could skip the preliminary rounds entirely and head straight into the main event.
The Fairy Elite—Lacey, of course—had heard of this tournament. It had been all over the internet lately.
But she never imagined she would get an invitation.
Officially, she was one of the Blueberry League's "Elite Four."
But let's be honest: not all Leagues are made equal. The Blueberry League isn't even on the same level as proper regional Leagues.
To put it bluntly, the Blueberry League is nothing more than a set of "school rules" Blueberry Academy made up for itself—a glorified student pastime.
Sure, their trainers aren't weak, but when it comes to recognition and prestige, they can't compare to actual regional Leagues.
Even in terms of strength, there's still a gap.
Within Blueberry Academy, Lacey might be known far and wide as the "Fairy Elite," but outside that bubble… she's a nobody.
Besides, even if the folks in Galar had heard of Blueberry Academy, shouldn't they be inviting Carmine, the current Blueberry Champion—or Drayton, the former one—instead?
Why would she be invited?
Could it be because of her father?
But even then, Drayton's dad isn't some nobody either. Is Clay's face worth less than his?
Completely stumped, Lacey went through the invitation again, only to find nothing unusual.
Hmm… maybe she should just contact someone from Galar directly?
No, wait—better not. Maybe it'd be safer to ask her dad first.
After all, he might know something. He is a Gym Leader, after all.
With that thought, the girl finally pulled out her Rotom Phone.
Lacey wasn't your average trainer—her father was none other than the Ground-type Gym Leader from Unova.
Funny enough, she'd even heard that her dad had also signed up for the same tournament.
But unlike her, he hadn't been invited—he'd entered through open registration.
The call connected quickly, and her father's deep, dependable voice came through.
"What's up, my darling daughter?"
The voice on the other end was calm and steady, the kind that immediately inspired confidence.
They say nicknames don't come from nowhere, and Clay's nickname "Boss Clay" fit him perfectly—gruff, straightforward, and reliable.
Yet, even with his hard-edged personality, he softened instantly when talking to his beloved daughter.
If he could have his way, Clay would've preferred his adorable girl to stay by his side forever rather than go off to Blueberry Academy to play "Elite."
But that was never going to happen. Lacey loved her dad, sure—but living under the same roof 24/7? She'd lose her mind.
Their personalities and interests couldn't be more different. Lacey had zero desire to become another stiff, stoic "Boss Clay."
Simply put, Lacey had her own life.
"Dad, I just got an invitation from Galar for that world tournament thing. Do you know what's going on?"
"Hm? You got invited?"
Clay paused, clearly surprised.
He adored his daughter—but he also knew her limits.
She was decent in doubles, sure. But when it came to singles—the bread and butter of the Pokémon world—she wasn't exactly top-tier.
And this tournament, though it banned active Champions, was said to have a lineup every bit as strong as an official League Championship.
Maybe even stronger.
After all, some regions' Elite Four members were already Champion-level—just overshadowed by absurdly strong Champions.
So the odds of Lacey placing well… were slim.
And if he didn't get invited, why was she getting special treatment?
Wait a sec… could this be some kind of setup?
Like, maybe Leon's trying to stage some father-daughter showdown for views?
A "World's Strongest Father-Daughter Battle" livestream?
He didn't seem like that kind of guy—but you never know.
"Dad, should I still go?"
Lacey prodded when her father stayed silent too long.
Clay frowned deeper, his concern growing.
"Hold on. I'll check with Galar. Give me five minutes."
And with that, he hung up in a hurry.
A few anxious minutes later, Lacey's phone rang again.
"Dad? Did you find out anything?"
She answered instantly, her voice full of tension.
This time, Clay's tone was lighter—but there was an odd mix of emotions in it, too. "Yeah, I found out what's going on."
"So? What is it?"
"The invitation was from Galar—but not because of your Blueberry League. And not because of me either."
"You got invited purely because of… your relationship with Haru."
At that, Clay's tone became strangely complex.
In that one sentence, Lacey could hear irritation, resignation, a hint of pride, and even sorrow—like a painter mixing too many colors at once.
But she had no time to unpack it. Her brain was stuck on that one phrase.
"...?"
"My relationship with Haru? What do you mean?"
"Basically…" Clay sighed. "It seems every woman who's been involved with Haru got an invitation."
"I heard it was Blue's idea. The Galar committee's trying to spice things up a bit. Supposedly, they didn't even tell Haru himself."
"Gotta admit, that rascal's tangled with a lot of women—but they're all high-caliber."
"I even heard one of them has control over a Legendary Pokémon."
"And since you're my daughter, you'd better not lose to any of them."
"Also, about that Haru kid…" Clay's voice grew gruffer. "Much as I wanna punch him in the face, since you've come this far, I won't interfere."
"If he wins first place in the tournament, I'll give my blessing for you to marry him."
He sighed again, like a man making the hardest decision of his life.
"???"
"Wait—Dad! What are you even talking about?! I don't have any relationship with Haru!"
"I've never even met him! How did this become marriage talk all of a sudden?!"
Lacey's voice rose in disbelief.
What the hell was going on with Galar?!
For Arceus' sake, just because her name sounded a little like his didn't mean anything!
Why was she suddenly being forcefully shipped with him?!
And her father—what kind of dad just throws his daughter into marriage rumors like this?!
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to cry.
This was too much. It all started as a dumb joke from that jerk Carmine, and now everyone actually believed she was "Mrs. Haru."
"Ah, my daughter," Clay chuckled, utterly unfazed. "You've got to be honest about your feelings."
"If you're not proactive, other bad women will snatch your man away."
"I'm telling you—it's not what you think!!"
Lacey nearly shouted, her voice cracking from frustration. Her reputation was on the line!
But Clay only replied dismissively, "I understand. I get it."
"Anyway, do your best in the tournament."
"Remember—even when chasing a man, you've gotta have grit, my girl."
And with that fatherly "wisdom," he hung up again.
In truth, Clay did believe Lacey when she said there was nothing between her and Haru.
After all, Haru had been active in Kanto recently, and Lacey hadn't left Blueberry Academy.
So he'd never paid much attention to her love life.
But now? Things didn't seem so simple anymore…
Other people might get things wrong—but the Galar League? No way.
If they were inviting Lacey, that said a lot.
Sigh. Maybe his daughter was just too shy to admit it.
If this kept up, she'd lose out to those other girls for sure.
He didn't want his precious little cabbage eaten by some pig—but deep down, he knew this day would come eventually.
Might as well encourage her to start the race early.
Better that than ending up like a certain blonde idiot who runs the wrong way.
And honestly, that Haru kid might be a flirt, but he's strong—word is, he's about to reveal his second Legendary on his channel. Impressive stuff.
Clay rubbed his hands together and absentmindedly opened a certain Paldean streamer's channel.
"Heh heh heh… Lady Iono, my dear Lady Iono, here I come."
"I wonder what you'll be streaming today~"
His eyes sparkled as he clicked the link—only to see his beloved Iono proudly holding up… an invitation to the same tournament.
"Ehehe~! Iono got invited by Galar too! Weird though, the other Paldean Gym Leaders didn't get one!"
She waved the letter gleefully at the camera, bantering with her chat.
The stream chat instantly exploded with praise, envy, and teasing comments.
Some viewers even asked, "Hey streamer, your Bellibolt's cool and all, but do you have recommendations for less rare Pokémon?"
"…"
Clay's smile froze.
And in that moment, he realized the eternal truth:
Knowledge is a burden. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.
The middle-aged Ground-type Gym Leader sighed heavily.
Meanwhile, things weren't going much better for Lacey.
After her father's… "misunderstanding," she vented to her classmates—only to confirm none of them had gotten an invitation from Galar.
In fact, it seemed she was the only one in the entire academy.
Normally, that would've been that. Whether she chose to attend or not should've been her call.
But the next morning, the academy's daily bulletin hit the stands—with two headlines that made her blood boil.
"Only the Strongest Can Stand Beside Haru—The Secret Behind Her Entry in the World's Tournament"
"What Trials Must She Overcome for His Sake?"
The article didn't name names—but anyone in Blueberry Academy could tell who it was hinting at.
As Lacey read the paper, her face grew redder and redder—not from embarrassment, but pure rage.
"Drayton, you bastard!!!"
Her furious shout echoed through her pink, fairy-themed dorm room.
No doubt about it—that smug troll was behind this.
He probably hadn't gotten an invitation himself, so he decided to take petty revenge by turning her life into a tabloid scandal.
Meanwhile, Haru and his team were still exploring Dr. Namba's abandoned lab.
The fluorescent lights crackled overhead, casting jagged white reflections across the glass tanks.
Murky green liquid churned within, bubbles carrying strands of floating matter that rose slowly upward, breaking droplets clinging to the glass like amber shards.
A robotic arm hung motionless in the air, its joints clicking every twelve seconds—like the twitching limbs of a beheaded mantis.
The temperature gauge flickered between 17.3°C and static, blue light dancing across its cracked LCD screen.
The ventilation system hissed cold air through the corridors, fluttering scattered lab notes open to page 43—where a cell culture diagram had been stabbed through three times with a steel pen.
And in front of all this, Haru gazed at the man hanging before him—like a corpse dangling from a rope, swaying gently in the sterile air.
If Haru wasn't mistaken, the man before him was indeed… Dr. Namba.
But the problem now was that his current state was… bizarre. So bizarre that even Haru couldn't help but shiver.
The man was still alive, but someone had stuffed a spherical object into his mouth, and then strapped it tightly around his head with a belt.
If Haru wasn't mistaken… the proper term for that thing was a "gag ball."
Aside from that, what really shocked Haru was the man's outfit — and the strange marks all over his body.
First of all, the guy was definitely a man. Yet he was dressed so pink and frilly he looked like some kind of tassel ornament.
If that outfit had been worn by Cynthia, Lillie, Lusamine, it would've been quite the sight to behold.
But on Dr. Namba… it could only be described as an assault on the eyes.
Haru really wished he hadn't seen a middle-aged man in a maid outfit.
And apart from the clothes, the traces of abuse scattered all over the doctor's body inevitably made Haru imagine… unpleasant possibilities.
There wasn't any conclusive proof, but Haru couldn't shake the feeling that this man had suffered the ultimate humiliation.
Of course, that had to have happened quite some time ago.
By the time Haru and the others arrived, Namba had already been tied up — ropes binding both hands and feet.
But now, he had somehow managed to loosen the ropes around his legs, and his hands were only a few twists away from breaking free.
Unfortunately for him, he ran into Haru before that could happen.
Perhaps he hadn't expected to see anyone in this deep-sea laboratory; his pupils shrank sharply before he hastily yanked himself free.
Yet, even after regaining his freedom, the first thing the doctor did wasn't removing the gag ball — instead, he pulled out a Poké Ball from… somewhere.
Seeing that Haru and the others hadn't immediately attacked, he finally and cautiously reached behind his head, undid the clasp, and ripped the gag free. Then, as if venting his frustration, he hurled it hard at the metal floor.
The result… was unexpectedly comical. The ball was springy — it bounced off the ground and shot straight up, striking him squarely in the butt.
Since the doctor was still wearing that frilly maid dress, there was almost no resistance when the ball made contact.
What followed was chaos — a flurry of undignified hopping and shouting — until Dr. Namba finally escaped the "domination" of the gag ball.
After that ridiculous scene, the doctor finally turned toward Haru and shouted:
"Who are you people?! What are you doing here?!"
He tried his best to look menacing, but given his current appearance, all he managed was a pitiful show of bluster.
"What are we doing here?"
"Well… why indeed? I'm looking for that answer myself."
Haru rested his chin on one hand, watching him with interest.
Originally, Haru's plan was simple — capture the target in this lab, take him back to the surface, and interrogate him later.
But now, he was reconsidering.
Honestly, bringing such a pervert back up would just be a hassle.
Maybe it'd be better to settle things right here in the lab.
Then again… would dumping a body in the ocean count as environmental pollution?
Seeing Haru's calm arrogance, Dr. Namba burst out laughing in anger.
"Hmph! No matter — since you've seen me in such a state, you've already signed your death warrant!"
"Go to hell, and repent for your foolishness there, idiot!"
If Shirona had been beside Haru, Namba would never have dared to act so high-and-mighty.
Even he knew he was no match for a Champion.
But now things were different — he didn't even recognize Haru.
Though Haru's name had begun to circulate lately, Namba had been too busy with his Lugia research to pay attention to gossip.
He had never even heard of Haru.
So, in Namba's mind, Haru was just some nobody who'd stumbled into his lab by dumb luck.
And nobodies could be toyed with however he pleased.
Even if he'd just been thoroughly humiliated not long ago, he wasn't about to let some random fool provoke him.
And this fool before him had just succeeded in doing exactly that.
"Oh? You want to send me to hell?"
Haru's curiosity was piqued again.
It had been a while since anyone had said something like that to him — the kind of line that used to be so common but now was almost nostalgic.
As Haru drifted off in thought, Namba grew even more enraged.
"Don't ignore me! Who do you think you are — that insufferable woman Sabrina?!"
"Sabrina? You've met her?"
That name caught Haru's attention immediately.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Sabrina in quite a while. He wondered where she'd gone. He even felt a little nostalgic.
At the mention of her name, Namba's face turned red with fury.
"Of course I've met her! If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"Damn it — she said something about getting revenge on some guy named Haru. What the hell does that have to do with me?! She beat me senseless and then ordered the idiots in my lab to—"
"Wait, why am I even telling you this?!"
"Forget it — I'm Dr. Nanba, and you're going to die right here, kid!"
"Go! Electivire!"
He sneered as he threw out a Poké Ball.
"I don't know what your relationship with Sabrina is, but since you mentioned her, you must be her friend — or worse."
"I might not be able to beat that wretched woman… but I can certainly beat you!"
"Electivire, attack the trainer directly!"
Electivire — the evolved form of Electabuzz — was a powerful Pokémon with a total base stat of 540, slightly above average.
Unfortunately, that cumbersome trade-evolution method meant that in the games, players without friends could never actually use one.
Still, it wasn't a bad Pokémon. Not the best in competitive play, perhaps, but formidable in reality.
And Namba's Electivire even wore a self-made voltage amplifier, so its attacks packed quite a punch.
Seeing the lightning beast charge toward Haru, Lugia — though still somewhat displeased with him — immediately stepped forward, ready to intercept the attack.
But Haru raised a hand to stop her.
"No need. I'll handle this one myself."
He pressed a hand to his chest.
A moment later, a long-absent Pokémon floated lazily out.
With her moss-green skin, petite form, and tiny exposed fangs — who else could it be but Flutter Mane?
Since there weren't many people around, Flutter Mane was bolder than usual.
Her big eyes flashed with anger as she glared at the oncoming Electivire.
And before Haru could even give an order, she hurled a Shadow Ball straight at it — blasting the creature off its feet.
"...Huh?"
"A Misdreavus? And one that big?"
Namba's voice quivered between surprise and suspicion.
For all his misdeeds, he was still a Rocket scientist — not a complete idiot.
Of course he knew about Misdreavus.
But he had never seen one that large before.
This one was easily one and a half times the normal size.
Could this be… a "veteran specimen"?
That thought flashed through Nanba's mind.
"Whatever — even if it's special, it's still just a Misdreavus. Such a fragile Pokémon can't do anything."
"Come back when you've evolved into a Mismagius before acting tough!"
"Electivire, use Thunder Wave!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Haru smiled faintly as he watched the little ghost in front of him.