Chuck mentioned that the Damaranch were the former champion of the Galar region and the current champion's mentor, Mustard.
Is it really him?
Roy recalled what Chuck had told him at the beginning about the important guest from the Galar region, and he had indeed considered Mustard at first.
But when he actually saw Mustard, he couldn't help but feel a little excited, and at the same time, he wondered how Damaranch had managed to provoke this guy.
As a character who only appears in anime Pokémon Adventures and games, Mustard's life is legendary, in no way inferior to the current Galar region champion, Leon.
Even Mustard is more terrifying than Leon, who has an undefeated record of 18 consecutive years.
The person who had been undefeated for eighteen years and stood at the pinnacle of the Galar Pokémon Trainer was now standing right in front of him.
"Young man?"
Seeing Roy standing there in a daze, Mustard assumed that Roy was startled by his sudden appearance, so he asked another question.
"Ah? Yes! I was sent by Guild Master Damaranch to pick you up. This is Cianwood City, and the Gym ahead is Cianwood City."
Sir, who are you...?
"Me? I'm just an ordinary old man who likes martial arts. I originally went to Alola for tourism, but that old Damaranch invited me to be a judge for some kind of Martial Arts Tournament."
An old man who likes martial arts?
I don't believe you for a second.
If Roy hadn't known Mustard's true identity, he might have actually been fooled by the man's lazy, playful old man appearance.
Recalling how Mustard appeared behind him without warning, even the Ancient Gengar hadn't noticed, his stealthy movement was truly impressive.
Roy had a clear understanding of Mustard's strength.
"Sir, you're only here as a judge, not to participate, right?"
"Of course not, why would I participate in such a competition?"
Mustard certainly wouldn't sign up for any Martial Arts Tournament; he wasn't even interested in the Galar Championship, let alone any Martial Arts Tournament.
The reason I accepted Damaranch's invitation to come here was simply to see how good the new generation of young Fighting type Pokémon Trainer really are.
Hearing that Mustard would indeed not be participating, Roy breathed a sigh of relief; if Mustard had participated, he would have been a shoo-in for the championship.
Then Roy said to Mustard:
"Then come with me, I'll take you to the Gym."
Roy took out Poké Ball and released his Dragapult.
Upon seeing Dragapult, Mustard muttered to himself:
"Dragapult? My unfortunate apprentice also has a Dragapult, but his isn't as big as yours."
Just as Roy was about to have Mustard sit on Dragapult so he could unleash the Golurk, Mustard waved his hand at him and said:
"No need, we can just walk. I also want to see the scenery of Cianwood City."
"Good."
After saying this, Roy retrieved Dragapult and turned to lead the way for Mustard.
Roy, who was walking ahead, was still somewhat confused and couldn't believe that Mustard had actually come, and that the other man was right next to him.
Mustard followed Roy's footsteps as they left the port and headed towards the Cianwood Gym.
Throughout the journey, Mustard's cloudy eyes remained fixed on Roy; one could say he had noticed Roy the moment he stepped off the ship.
As the former gym leader of the Galar region's Fighting Dojo, he could tell at a glance that Roy was different from the others, which is why he was able to find Roy as soon as he disembarked.
Roy gives off an impression of possessing immense explosive power, and he's extremely alert, as if he might burst out at any moment.
If it weren't for my exceptional agility, I might have actually been Frisk by the other party.
It's fair to say that Roy is one of the younger generation of Fighting type Pokémon Trainer he's met who he can tell is skilled just by looking at them.
He was confident that his judgment was sound, because the last person to give him this feeling was his unfortunate apprentice.
"Young man, I can tell you must be a trained martial artist, right?"
"Yes, I trained with Elite Four Bruno for a while."
"The disciple of that Fighting type Elite Four from the Kanto Region? I see..."
Suddenly, without warning, Mustard reached out a hand towards the point where Roy's shoulder and arm met. He was so fast that Roy didn't even see it clearly.
By the time Roy realized what was happening, Mustard's hand was already on the joint between his shoulder and arm.
Mustard's thin, withered left hand looked weak, but when it pressed down on Roy's shoulder, it felt like a small mountain.
Roy was struggling to breathe, as if the air around him had been compressed by Mustard.
Roy then realized that he had underestimated Mustard. As a Fighting type Gym Leader who had held the championship for 18 years, Mastedt's strength was beyond Roy's imagination.
When he first arrived at Bruno's dojo, Bruno had tested him in the same way. He didn't expect that this time it would be Mustard instead.
Roy tried to break free from Mustard's hand on his shoulder, but he suddenly felt that the more he struggled, the stronger Mustard became, as if he were trying to suppress him.
Unconvinced, Roy concentrated his explosive power into a single point. Mustard felt the power coming from his hand, and his cloudy eyes brightened as if Roy had seen some rare treasure.
"Good! You're putting in more effort!"
Roy concentrated all his strength into his right arm, causing his entire Fighting type to swell instantly, but no matter how hard he tried, it was useless against Mustard's withered left hand.
That withered hand seemed capable of draining a person of their strength.
"Abandoned!"
Annihilape ran straight out of its Poké Ball. Seeing that Mustard had easily overpowered Roy with one hand, it condensed Ghost type energy on its fist and was about to blast Mustard away.
"Annihilape, don't move."
Roy quickly stopped the Annihilape from attacking, knowing that Mustard was just testing him and wouldn't cause him any harm.
Upon seeing the Annihilape appear, Mustard was somewhat surprised, but as if remembering something, he lessened the pressure on his hand and asked:
"Is this Annihilape yours too?"
Roy nodded.
"I knew you looked familiar. So the surprise Damaranch told me about was you, Roy."
Mustard released Roy's shoulder and came to the side of the Annihilape, observing it with his cloudy eyes.
Roy felt a relief on his shoulders, and he was finally able to move again.
He was also shocked that Mustard's strength was in no way inferior to that of Bruno.
But where does his power come from?
Looking at Mustard's emaciated body, Roy was completely baffled.
The Annihilape felt very uncomfortable when Mustard stared straight at it, as if he were looking at some rare beauty. This infatuated gaze made the Annihilape very uncomfortable.
Mustard extended a palm, fingers spread, facing the Annihilape.
"Come on, hit me with all your might, like that punch you landed on the Edge Cup."
The Annihilape looked at Roy.
Roy also looked at Mustard with a completely bewildered expression.
"Sir, shall we go back to the Gym first? You can test yourself when we get Gym."
Hearing Roy's voice, Mustard realized they were still in the city, and that people around them had stopped and were watching them.
He could only nod regretfully and agree to return to the Gym in Cianwood City with Roy.
As he was leaving, Mustard suddenly asked another question.
"Kid, you really don't know who I am?"
Roy paused for a moment, then replied quite naturally:
"If I had known, I wouldn't have asked you."
Mustard nodded, but he still sensed something was off about Roy's gaze when he first saw him.
It was somewhat unexpected, yet it also seemed to be within the other party's expectations.
Was he mistaken?