The legendary encounter with an old master

Galar Region, outside the dojo on the Isle of Armor.

"Ri!"

Thank you for the match.

Riolu cupped one fist in the other hand and looked at the Machoke lying motionless on the ground.

Another worthy opponent. Its attack speed was a little lacking, but...

That terrifying strength was truly impressive. Winning had been incredibly difficult.

A good opponent indeed.

Across from Riolu, a man dressed as a Martial Artist wiped the fine beads of cold sweat from his forehead.

Whose little monster was this...?

Before Machoke could even throw its iron fist, Riolu had turned its strength against it, knocking it straight out with a return punch.

Wasn't Counter supposed to work only after I hit you first?!!

"Another loss. That makes ten now, right?"

"This Riolu doesn't even need a Trainer to beat us like it's nothing. That's ridiculous!"

At some point, a circle of Fighting type Fighters of every style had gathered around Riolu, whispering among themselves.

"Ri!"

After Machoke's Trainer left, Riolu swept its gaze around and issued another challenge in a low voice.

My Trainer was right. This place really is my ideal training ground.

Not only are there countless powerful Fighting type Fighters to challenge, I can even learn techniques from all their different schools.

If I train here for half a year, I should be strong enough to evolve, right?

Catching up with the boss's Lucario will still be difficult, but I should be able to close the gap further.

One day, I'll beat my superior fair and square!

With that thought, Riolu's gaze grew sharper.

Yet every Trainer who met its eyes lowered their head, seemingly unwilling to battle it.

Are you kidding? We came to join the dojo on the Isle of Armor and learn Mustard's masterful techniques, maybe even get lucky and catch a glimpse of the legendary "Secret Armor."

We didn't come here to get utterly destroyed by a Riolu that hadn't even brought its Trainer!

With so many cautionary examples before them, none of the remaining Trainers wanted to embarrass themselves in public.

Time to get out of here.

"Ri..."

Riolu was a little disappointed.

People who won't challenge stronger opponents because they're afraid of losing are destined never to amount to much.

The crowd gradually dispersed, and Riolu thought its training for the day would have to end there.

"Roar-!"

Just then, however, a deep, commanding roar rang out.

Startled, Riolu instinctively looked toward the sound.

The closed doors of the nearby dojo had opened without its noticing. A muscular, dark-bodied Pokémon resembling a giant bear stood at the entrance.

The two Pokémon, one large and one small, met each other's eyes.

The Master Dojo.

A small, stooped old man in a baseball jacket came down the stairs, immediately drawing spirited greetings from the apprentices.

"Mustard!"

Their greeting made the little old man's identity clear.

Galar's reigning Champion for eighteen consecutive years, holder of the title "Battle Legend," the greatest towering peak and longest flowing river in the martial arts world: Mustard.

As the dojo's founder and public face, this legendary master's presence was precisely why the once-deserted Isle of Armor had been developed to its current extent.

Many martial artists even paid fortunes to study under him.

Passing through the training room, Mustard entered the gaming room. He took a sip of fragrant tea and exhaled, looking perfectly relaxed.

"Lovely weather today. Perfect for playing video games."

The formidable martial artist who had been so fiercely competitive in his youth had gradually taken up gaming after retirement, becoming an elderly homebody who preferred video games to going outside.

The recently released Pokémon Champions, in particular, was his current favorite.

At the thought of using his experience in top-level battles to teach the youngsters another lesson in-game, Mustard quickly broke into a hearty grin.

"But today is the day the dojo takes in new apprentices."

Just as Mustard was about to turn on his console, a green-clad figure suddenly appeared and pressed the power button to shut it down.

"My game!"

The little old man's eyes widened in outrage.

He was about to argue with the intruder, but the moment he looked up and saw her face, he fell silent.

"We could just let Urshifu handle it..."

Mustard's voice suddenly grew quieter, and his tone lost much of its confidence.

Naturally, the only person who could make Mustard back down was his wife, Honey.

"No, we can't. You're the face of the dojo on the Isle of Armor. Everyone came hoping to meet the legendary Mustard."

"..."

Mustard sighed and rose from the sofa.

She's right. Casually brushing off challengers out of laziness would be an insult to martial arts.

I might as well take the opportunity to stretch my legs. If I don't get some exercise, these old bones might fall apart...

Under Honey's encouraging gaze, Mustard left the room.

When he reached the main hall, his two old partners had already been waiting for some time.

His own formidable skill aside, the two Urshifu with their distinct styles had played a major role in his eighteen consecutive championship titles.

Having mastered Unseen Fist, the essence of Mustard's martial arts, they were unstoppable in battle.

But today, besides his two old partners, there was an unfamiliar little guest?

"Roar!"

Noticing his arrival, one of the Urshifu immediately let out a roar.

"You've already acknowledged this little one's strength?"

After so many years together, Mustard could roughly understand what his partners meant from the variations in their voices.

Mustard narrowed his eyes.

Noticing Riolu between the two Urshifu, he immediately began studying it from head to toe with his clouded eyes.

Soon, Mustard smiled.

"An interesting little one."

"But if you want to take the trial, remove all those extra weights first. Let me see your true strength!"

"Ri!"

Shock instantly crossed Riolu's face, and it instinctively touched the bracer around one of its joints.

He could see through my carefully concealed trump card on our very first meeting?

This old man is definitely no ordinary person!

[Riolu's outstanding performance attracted the attention of a powerful Pokémon!]

[Riolu encountered the Legendary Pokémon Urshifu!]

[Urshifu acknowledged Riolu!]

[Under Urshifu's guidance, Riolu began challenging the Master Dojo!]

"???"

The messages flashing before Qingyu's eyes over those few short minutes left him completely bewildered.

Mustard did indeed have those two Urshifu on the Isle of Armor, and Qingyu had indeed intended to have Riolu learn some martial arts there...

But was Riolu's luck really that absurd? It had caught Urshifu's attention on its very first visit?

Was this the legendary encounter with an old master?

So Coach Riolu was the true protagonist of this team all along...

Wait.

You're not actually going to come back with Unseen Fist, are you?!

Ten thousand question marks flooded Qingyu's mind as another line of text flashed before his eyes.

[Riolu began challenging Mustard, the dojo master!]

Diary of a flop, 5.4

While checking facts today, I learned that Mustard used to be a Fighting-type Gym Leader, and that he's at least in his seventies...

All I can say is that humans in the Pokémon world are ridiculously overpowered!