After the intense and nerve-wracking battle with Jeanne d'Arc Alter, Ash was hoping for a break—just a quiet moment where he could finally sit down and relax with Pikachu and Lucario. His living room still carried the scent of smoke and battle from Jeanne's fiery assault, and Ash was exhausted.

"Man, when does this end?" Ash muttered, slumping down onto the couch. "I just wanted to celebrate being the Monarch for a bit, not fight every person from every universe…"

Pikachu nodded in agreement, his small body resting on Ash's lap. "Pikaaa..."

Lucario stood nearby, always ready and alert, but even he seemed to appreciate the brief reprieve from the chaos.

Then, without warning, the door flew open. Ash didn't even have time to react before a loud, boisterous voice filled the room.

"Haha! Ash Ketchum, I've finally found you! The Monarch, huh? Let's see what all the fuss is about!"

Standing in the doorway was a tall, muscular man with spiked brown hair and an obnoxiously wide grin plastered across his face. He was dressed in Muay Thai shorts and bandages wrapped around his fists and feet. His aura wasn't intimidating, but his sheer confidence (bordering on arrogance) filled the room.

Ash blinked, already feeling a headache coming on. "And you are?"

The man puffed out his chest proudly. "The name's Joe Higashi! The Young Champ of Muay Thai and the greatest fighter to come out of South Town!" He flexed his biceps dramatically, winking at Ash as if expecting applause.

"Muay Thai?" Ash asked, confused. "I thought you were gonna come here for a Pokémon battle…"

Joe waved his hand dismissively. "Pokémon, shmokémon! Why waste time when we can go fist-to-fist like real warriors? But before that, let me tell ya about my love life!"

Ash's confusion deepened. "Uh… what?"

Without skipping a beat, Joe launched into a long, passionate rant. "See, there's this girl, Lilly Kane. She's smart, she's beautiful, she's the total package! But her brother, Billy, hates my guts! He thinks I'm a bad influence or something. But I'm just trying to show Lilly that I'm the man she deserves! I'm a champion, after all! But no, her brother keeps getting in the way, and now she's—"

Ash's eyes glazed over as Joe kept talking about his romantic troubles, barely even pausing for breath. Pikachu and Lucario exchanged confused looks, while Ash was just trying to keep up with the barrage of information.

"…and then Billy was like, 'Stay away from my sister, Joe!' And I was like, 'Man, let her decide! I'm the Young Champ of Muay Thai, for crying out loud!'"

Ash finally raised a hand, trying to cut in. "Wait, Joe—are you here to fight me or talk about your love life?"

Joe blinked as if he'd just remembered why he was there in the first place. "Oh! Right! The fight! Well, I figured I'd let you know about my personal struggles before we exchanged punches." He struck a pose, flexing again. "So, what do you say? You, me, a little sparring match? I'll go easy on ya since you're the Monarch and all!"

Ash scratched the back of his head, glancing at Lucario. "I mean… if you really want to fight, Lucario's right here, and—"

But before Ash could finish his sentence, Joe had already gotten into his Muay Thai stance, bouncing on his feet like a professional fighter. "Alright, Lucario! Let's see what you've got! I'll show you the true power of Muay Thai!"

Lucario, ever the calm and focused one, stepped forward, nodding in acknowledgment. "Lucar."

Ash sighed, rubbing his temples. "Just don't hurt him too bad, Lucario. He seems… distracted."

Joe charged forward with a loud battle cry. "Here I come! Hurricane Upper!"

His fist swirled with wind as he launched a massive uppercut, aiming straight for Lucario. But Lucario was too fast. With a swift sidestep, he dodged the blow, causing Joe to stumble forward, off balance.

"Wha—? Where'd ya go?" Joe yelped, turning around to look for Lucario.

Lucario was already behind him, calm and composed, waiting for his next move. Joe tried to recover, bouncing back into his fighting stance.

"Heh, not bad! But I've got more tricks up my sleeve! Let's see if you can handle this! Slash Kick!"

Joe spun around, throwing a wide, sweeping kick toward Lucario. Again, Lucario effortlessly dodged the attack, his movement so fluid and fast that Joe couldn't keep up.

Joe skidded to a stop, breathing heavily. "Man, you're quick! But I'm just getting started!"

Before Joe could launch another attack, Lucario calmly raised one hand and unleashed a Force Palm. The energy blast hit Joe squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward. He crashed into the wall with a loud thud, leaving a Joe-shaped dent.

Ash winced. "Uh… maybe that was a bit too much, Lucario."

Joe groaned, peeling himself out of the wall and stumbling forward. His face was covered in dust, but he still had that ridiculous grin plastered on his face. "Haha… not bad… not bad at all… Looks like I'm gonna need more training if I wanna stand a chance against the Monarch's Pokémon, huh?"

Ash couldn't help but chuckle. "I warned you, Joe. Lucario doesn't mess around."

Joe shook off the dust, giving Lucario a thumbs-up. "You're one tough customer, Lucario! I'll admit it—you got the better of me this time! But next time, I'm coming back with even stronger moves, and I won't let my love life distract me!"

Lucario gave a polite nod, clearly amused by the goofball's antics.

As Joe prepared to leave, he stopped at the door and turned to give Ash a wink. "Oh, and if you ever need any advice on the ladies, kid, you know who to call! The Young Champ's always ready to help!"

Ash blushed, waving him off. "Uh… thanks, Joe. I'll keep that in mind."

With that, Joe strutted out of the house, still muttering about Lilly Kane and Muay Thai techniques under his breath.

Ash collapsed back onto the couch, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Well, that was… something."

Pikachu jumped up beside him, tilting his head. "Pika pika?"

"Yeah, Pikachu," Ash said, shaking his head. "Let's just be glad Lucario handled it. I don't think I could've taken that guy seriously for more than five minutes."

Lucario crossed his arms, standing guard once again, though his faint smile betrayed his amusement at Joe's antics.

"Maybe now we can finally get some rest," Ash muttered, closing his eyes for what felt like the first time in days.

But deep down, he knew it was only a matter of time before the next strange challenger appeared at his door.

After all, being the Monarch came with more than just the title—it came with endless interruptions.