"Welcome to the P1 Grand Prix!" said the tournament manager, who was sitting at a desk with a Kadabra floating beside him.
"What's the Kadabra for?" Ash asked.
"Psychic translation," the manager informed. "Just in case Pokemon want to make their own submissions to be contestants, or withdraw their Trainers' submissions. Now, are you a contestant?"
"I am!" said Ash. "My name's Ash, and I'm entering Kubfu!"
The manager blinked. "Um…all right then? Where'd you get a Kubfu? Isn't that some sort of Legendary?"
"Yep!" said Ash. "I found him in the woods!"
"…right," said the manager. "Well, this should be interesting. All right, Ash, sign here."
As Ash started signing papers, Clay and Cyrus glanced around bemusedly. The P1 Grand Prix seemed to be a fairly sizable affair, with quite a few contestants lined up to enter. Clay's eyes in particular landed on a nearby man with a Hitmonchan who, by the looks of things, had already entered. A girl was standing near him, tears in her eyes. "Daddy, can't you just stay home and spend time with us? We're your family!"
"I know, Rebecca," said the man. "But I can't quit until I've become the P1 Grand Prix Champion. After that, I promise I'll spend more time with you, but please go away. I have a tournament to win." With that, the man turned and walked away, leaving the girl sobbing behind him.
Clay frowned. "Who's that guy?" he asked. "I'd like to have a few words with him…"
The manager heard. "Oh, that's Anthony," he said. "He runs an unofficial Fighting-type Gym nearby - not one you can get a badge from," he hastily amended as Ash's eyes began to shine. "He and Hitmonchan have been training for months for this tournament - they're the favorites to win it all!"
"Seems like he's prioritizing the tournament over his own daughter," Clay remarked with an unamused air.
"It is a shame," murmured Cyrus, "but it is not our place to intervene in such family drama. Let us simply concentrate on trying to help Ash win the tournament instead, and maybe with his loss, he will resume focusing on his family."
"Maybe," Clay muttered.
"He seems cool!" said Ash. "I hope I get to battle him!"
About ten minutes after Ash, Clay, and Cyrus entered the building, another contestant walked up to the front desk.
"Welcome to the P1 Grand Prix!" the manager cried. "Are you a contestant?"
"Of course I'm a contestant," said the contestant. "My name is Korrina, and I'm entering Lucario."
"Why are you using your real name?" Falkner whispered. "You're a member of Team Rocket, you're gonna get found out!"
"Shh!" Korrina hissed. "It's not like Korrina's an uncommon name. There are probably lots of people named Korrina!"
"…no, there aren't," Falkner murmured.
"All right, Miss Korrina," said the manager, "please sign here."
Korrina shot a smug glance at Falkner before signing the various entry papers, after which she and Falkner retreated to a nearby hallway.
"So why are we competing in this stupid tournament again?" Falkner asked.
"Well, first of all, for the prize money," said Korrina. "Second, to steal all the competitors' Pokemon once they're all too tired to fight back. And third, that twerp and his Gym Leader friends are here. So we get money, Pokemon, and revenge, all in one go!"
"Not a bad plan," Falkner admitted.
"Of course it's not a bad plan, I came up with it!" Korrina cried. "Now, we just need to-"
"Hey, what's a Vullaby doing signing up for the tournament?"
Falkner's question swiftly brought Korrina's attention to the front desk; indeed, a Trainer with a Vullaby was heading into the building, and another Trainer, this one holding a Togedemaru, was signing papers at the front desk. "That can't be right," Korrina growled; swiftly, she strode up to the line and cut in behind the Togedemaru's Trainer, eliciting annoyed groans from the rest of the line.
As the Togedemaru Trainer finished signing up, Korrina marched to the front desk. "Hey, what gives?" she asked irritably. "I thought this was a Fighting Pokemon Tournament! What are a Togedemaru and a Vullaby doing here?"
"They're fighting," said the manager.
"But they can't fight!" Korrina protested. "They're not Fighting-types!"
"Ah, I see the confusion," said the manager. "This isn't a Fighting Pokemon Tournament. It's a Fighting Pokemon Tournament."
"Oh, that clears it up," Falkner muttered.
"The title refers to Pokemon doing the fighting," the manager continued, "not the type of Pokemon that can participate. It's an easy mistake to make, and to be fair, a lot of people do enter Fighting-types. Next!"
Grumbling, Korrina stepped aside, allowing a man standing next to a very large, black-and-purple four-legged Pokemon to walk up. "Ah, hello, Mr…"
"Chito," said the man. "Kitanai Chito. I'm entering my…Rapidash."
The manager stared at the Pokemon for a few moments, then shrugged. "All right, Mr. Chito, sign here."
Korrina glanced at the nearby Falkner, who was staring after the weird Rapidash. "Well…um…look on the bright side," said Falkner. "Fighting-types have a type advantage against Lucario, so at the very least we'll face fewer type disadvantages!"
Korrina huffed. "Stop being smart. You're not supposed to be smart. I'm the smart one, you're the idiot sidekick."
Falkner's shoulders slumped. "Sorry…"
"This is your fault," said Dialga.
"How is this my fault?" Arceus asked. "I mean, sure, I did the whole shuffling reality thing and everything, but I don't think this is a result of that!"
"You're right," said Dialga. "It's a result of you kicking the console back when Ash caught Primeape. That console is representative of reality, and so you banging on it screwed things up a little. Garbled the code, if you will. This is the result."
"Oh." Arceus swallowed. "Well…is this the only garbled code?"
"I think so," said Dialga. "At least so far. So let that be a lesson to you. Don't kick reality."
"Ah," said Cyrus. "It seems we have trouble." He gestured to the pair of Trainers that had just entered the building with a Lucario beside them.
Clay looked. "Isn't that Falkner and Korrina?"
"It would seem so," Cyrus replied. "That could be a problem. Their Lucario has proven to be a proficient battler, and if Team Rocket gets their hands on that prize money, it could fund quite a few villainous plans."
Clay nodded. "Ash, you hear that?"
"Yeah," said Ash. "But that's okay. That just means we'll have to work even harder to win! Isn't that right, Kubfu!"
"Fu!" Kubfu dropped into a boxing stance to emphasize his commitment.
Soon enough, the tournament began. Ash and Kubfu were first up, facing off against a Bug Catcher and his…
"Is that a Weedle?" Clay asked incredulously. "How is a Weedle supposed to compete in a Fighting Pokemon Tournament?"
"I have a feeling we're about to find out the answer," said Cyrus.
"Kubfu vs. Weedle!" the announcer called. "Begin!"
Weedle at once broke into a full sprint, skittering across the arena towards Kubfu with glistening stinger at the ready, its eyes shining with determination to overcome the odds and win its Trainer glory and fame.
Kubfu kicked it away, sending it flying right out of the arena.
"And victory for Kubfu!"
"I believe we have found out the answer," Cyrus remarked. "Not well, apparently."
The remainder of the first-round matches went by at varying speeds. A few were just as swift as the first one; one poor Trainer with a Meowstic (and no, unfortunately, it wasn't Miette) found themselves matched up against a Scrafty who was immune to all its Psychic moves. Another had brought a Lumineon, only to learn too late that the arena didn't service any pools of water, allowing the Lumineon's opponent - a Braixen - to simply walk over and shove the flopping, gasping Water-type out of the arena.
Other fights were more interesting. A Tsareena and a Morelull fought a five-minute duel, the Morelull's healing keeping it healthy against the Tsareena's rapid-fire barrage of kicks, but the Tsareena ultimately managed to knock the Morelull out of the arena and win that way. A Tyrunt faced a Toucannon; the Rock/Dragon-type was on the back foot for most of the match, but a lucky hit opened the Toucannon up for a devastating Headbutt that launched it right out of the ring. And Anthony's Hitmonchan engaged in a surprisingly competitive duel with a Prinplup, flipper against fist, that had the crowd roaring.
As Hitmonchan finally knocked Prinplup out with a well-placed Thunder Punch, Korrina turned to Falkner. "All right, we're up next, and we're facing that weird Rapidash."
"What is up with that Rapidash?" Falkner asked. "It looks…ghostly. And what's with all those purple ribbons streaming off its body?"
Korrina shrugged. "Probably shiny or something. Maybe after the tournament, we can steal it!"
"Will Lucario and…um…Rapidash please report to the ring?" the announcer announced.
"All right, Lucario, get in there!" Korrina cried. Lucario swiftly hopped into the ring as, on the other side, Chito sent in his Rapidash. The black-and-purple Pokemon stomped its hooves and snorted in Lucario's direction; the Fighting/Steel-type dropped into a combat stance in response.
"Lucario vs. Rapidash!" the announcer called. "Begin!"
"Lucario!" Korrina called from the sidelines. "Get ready! Use Aura Sphere, and-"
"Astral Barrage!" Chito ordered.
The weird-looking Rapidash reared up, summoned a massive torrent of ghostly energies, and flung it downwards at Lucario.
Given that the Astral Barrage was the size of the entire arena, there was no way for Lucario to dodge.
"And victory for Rapidash!" the announcer cried as Lucario's smoking body went flying out of the arena.
"Heh," Chito chuckled, grinning. "Too easy."
"Hang on," Kubfu murmured, unheard by anyone else. "That Rapidash looks familiar…where do I know it from?"
"Well, that problem solved itself," Clay remarked as the two Team Rocket members started screaming at the nearest manager, not even bothering to recall the downed Lucario. "That's a powerful Rapidash, though. And what even is that move?"
"I do not know," Cyrus replied. "But if it was able to defeat Lucario that easily, that Rapidash could very conceivably win this whole tournament."
"So let that be a lesson to you," Clay said, turning to Ash. "Don't get too cocky just because you drew an easy first-round opponent. Always keep your guard up. Your next opponent will likely be far stronger."
"Kubfu vs. Tyrunt! Begin!"
"Or not," Clay muttered as Kubfu shattered Tyrunt's attempted Rock Throw with a Rock Smash and charged the Rock/Dragon-type.
"Ah, it seems the managers have finally had enough of our eliminated competitors." Cyrus pointed to where the screaming Korrina and Falkner were being forcibly escorted out by a pair of burly men and their equally burly Machoke.
"Couldn't happen to a nicer pair," Clay grunted. "Oh, look, Kubfu won."
Indeed, Kubfu had just sent Tyrunt crumpling to the floor with a well-placed Rock Smash to the head.
"And another swift victory for Kubfu!"
The rest of the second round passed by quickly. Tsareena beat Scrafty, Anthony's Hitmonchan pounded a Togedemaru, and the Braixen that had beaten the Lumineon, well…
"Astral Barrage!"
After that swiftly-ended match, it was down to the final four. As the match list came on, Clay and Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief. Kubfu would be matched up against the Tsareena, while Anthony's Hitmonchan was matched up against the weird Rapidash, which apparently was owned by a Trainer named Kitanai Chito.
"Hello! Ash, is it?"
Ash, Clay, and Cyrus all turned to see a boy about Ash's age standing behind him. "Hi, I'm Kuba," said the boy. "Kiyohasa Kuba. I'm Tsareena's Trainer - seems we're going to be facing each other in the next round."
"Ash Ketchum!" Ash shook Kuba's hand. "Nice to meet you! Your Tsareena's pretty strong!"
"So's your Kubfu, it seems," Kuba replied. "That said, don't expect an easy victory like your first two."
"You bet!" said Ash. "It'd be a boring tournament if it was all easy wins!"
"That's the spirit." Kuba smiled. "Good luck, Ketchum."
"You too, Kuba!"
"Kubfu and Tsareena, please enter the ring!"
"You've got this, Kubfu!" said Ash. "Be ready!"
"Just one more until the final, Tsareena," Kuba urged from across the arena.
As Kubfu stepped into the arena, he found himself staring upwards at the much taller form of Tsareena. He realized with a jolt of nervousness that the Grass-type's legs were about as long as he was tall. This is definitely going to be a tough match, he thought.
Tsareena stared down at Kubfu. "Please provide me with a challenge," she requested.
Unsure whether that was a genuine request or a taunt, Kubfu swallowed his nervousness. "I intend to."
"Kubfu vs. Tsareena!" the announcer cried. "Begin!"
"Focus Energy, and go in with Rock Smash!" Ash called.
"Tsareena, use Trop Kick!" Kuba ordered.
Kubfu rushed Tsareena, fist drawn back. Tsareena twisted and lashed out with a rapid side kick, meeting Kubfu's punch with the swift blow. The two's strikes impacted against one another with equal force, neither combatant giving an inch of ground.
"Rapid Spin!" Kuba cried.
In the blink of an eye, Tsareena spun and slammed a roundhouse kick into Kubfu's side. Kubfu was sent flying, bouncing off the side of the arena and tumbling to the ground.
"Dodge to the left!" Ash called as Tsareena rushed the downed Kubfu. Kubfu rolled to the left, barely avoiding an axe kick from Tsareena, and managed to get back to his feet.
"Razor Leaf!" Kuba yelled. Tsareena twisted and fired off a barrage of razor-sharp leaves, forcing Kubfu to continue evading. A few of the leaves hit home, leaving cuts across Kubfu's sides and left cheek. Kubfu gritted his teeth. This isn't working…I'm taking too many hits!
"Kubfu!" Ash called. "Get in close! Use your small size to evade her attacks!"
Kubfu obediently charged again. Once more Tsareena lashed out, attempting to meet him with a Trop Kick; this time, though, Kubfu followed Ash's instructions, ducking under Tsareena's swinging foot.
"Aerial Ace!" Ash yelled.
Kuba's eyes widened. "Back, Tsareena!" he cried, but Kubfu was too fast. Even as Tsareena's kick whiffed, Kubfu crouched and leaped into the air, drawing back his fist. With a shout of effort, he plunged the Aerial Ace straight into Tsareena's chest.
Tsareena cried out in pain as she reeled from the super-effective attack. Kubfu landed back on the ground, readying himself for the next exchange. The crowd was roaring, excited about what was clearly shaping up to be a good fight.
"You've got this, Tsareena!" Kuba called. "He's not the only one who can use super-effective moves! Acrobatics!"
"Acrobatics?" It was Ash's turn to look alarmed. "Kubfu, dodge!"
Tsareena sprang forwards, her body wreathed in the same energy that Kubfu used for his Aerial Aces. She did a flip in midair and came down with another axe kick upon Kubfu, who barely managed to dive out of the way in time. Tsareena landed, but instead of flinging out another Razor Leaf, she flipped again, coming after Kubfu with a barrage of rapid-fire kicks.
Kubfu was instantly hard-pressed to even defend against the flurry of attacks. Tsareena was flipping and twisting all over the place, striking from angles Kubfu didn't even know it was possible to strike from. He dodged a few attacks and blocked a couple with more Aerial Aces, but even with Focus Energy he simply couldn't keep up with Tsareena's speed; at length a kick managed to break through his guard and slam into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards.
"Rapid Spin!"
Once more Kubfu wasn't fast enough to evade Tsareena's spinning roundhouse. Pain exploded across his body as he was flung away like a ragdoll; he was almost thrown right out of the arena, but thankfully his body bounced off the very top of the arena's wall and landed back inside. Still, though, as Kubfu struggled to his feet, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.
"Razor Leaf!" Kuba called. "And while he's off-balance, finish with a Trop Kick!"
Kubfu dove through the barrage of sharp leaves and rolled to his feet as Tsareena charged. She was even faster than before, and there was no doubt she'd be prepared for another surprise Aerial Ace. "Counter it with Rock Smash!" Ash cried.
Clenching his fist, Kubfu drew back. Last time this didn't work…she just met me with equal force and maneuvered it into a Rapid Spin. I'm not sure I can counter that roundhouse with her speed boosted by those Rapid Spins…which means I'm going to have to throw everything I've got into this Rock Smash and hope it's enough to overpower her.
If this doesn't work, I lose.
Kubfu poured all the energy he could muster into his fist as Tsareena lunged, Trop Kick extending outwards. Another shout left his mouth as he threw his punch, slamming it as hard as he possibly could into Tsareena's foot.
As it connected, though, the punch felt…different. And a nasty crack split the air as Tsareena's thin leg gave way, bending at an angle it probably should never have bent at.
Tsareena screamed.
"Tsareena!" Kuba cried in shock as the Grass-type fell, grasping her broken leg. Kubfu stared at his hand, pulsing with power. Was that some sort of new move?
"Kubfu!" Ash's voice snapped Kubfu out of his reverie. "Finish it with Aerial Ace!"
Before Kubfu could follow Ash's command, though, Kuba leaped over the arena wall and into the arena, clutching Tsareena's Pokeball. "I forfeit!"
Kubfu at once relaxed, dropping to the floor as the adrenaline faded and pain took its place. "Kuba has forfeited Tsareena!" he heard the announcer call dimly. "As such, the winner is Kubfu!"
"I think that was Brick Break," Kuba remarked, five minutes later.
"Oh, wow!" Ash cried. "You learned a new move! That's amazing, Kubfu!"
Clay let out a cough.
"Oh, right." Ash reached out his hand. "Good match, Kuba. Sorry about your Tsareena."
"It's all right," said Kuba. "These things happen. And it's my fault just as much as yours - I should've just kept going with Acrobatics instead of trying to get fancy. So I presume you're going through the Gym Challenge?"
Ash nodded. "You are, too?"
"Yep," said Kuba. "I've got five badges so far!"
"I've…only got four," Ash admitted, sounding embarrassed.
"Hey, there's still plenty of time," Kuba said comfortingly. "Anyway, hopefully I'll see you in the Pokemon League! Tsareena will definitely be wanting a rematch."
"Yeah!" Ash replied. "I'd love a proper rematch!"
"Oh, hey, the next round's starting." Kuba pointed. "Let's see which one of those two you're going to be fighting."
Indeed, Anthony's Hitmonchan was clambering into the arena, where Chito's weird Rapidash was already standing. "Be ready, Hitmonchan!" Anthony was saying. "Strike him down before he can launch his attack!"
Chito said nothing, merely waiting for the announcer to speak up.
"Hitmonchan vs. Rapidash!" the announcer obligingly called. "Be-"
"Astral Barrage!" Chito ordered, not even waiting for the announcer to finish.
"Wha-Hitmonchan, go!" Anthony barked.
Hitmonchan wasn't fast enough. Astral Barrage came down, a loud thwoom sounded, and Hitmonchan was flung out of the arena, his body smoking.
"And another quick victory for Rapidash!"
"Another easy win," Chito murmured, just loud enough for the audience to pick it up. "Wow, this tournament is pathetic. Looks like that prize money is already mine."
Kuba winced. "Ouch," he muttered. "Good luck, Ketchum…I think you're gonna need it."
Kubfu frowned. Sure, learning Brick Break was cool and all, but his mind was focused on that strange Rapidash. He could have sworn he knew it from somewhere, but where? It was gnawing at the back of his mind, and-
Oh.
Oh, crap.
Kubfu turned and dashed off.
"Kubfu!" Ash cried. "Where are you going?"
"And, in the interest of expediency," said the announcer, "and because it doesn't seem like Rapidash is hurt or exhausted at all, we're going to start the final match right now! Kubfu and Rapidash, please report to the arena!"
Kubfu kept running, heading straight for the front desk manager, the one with the Kadabra. "Kadabra!" he cried as he ran. "Kadabra!"
The Kadabra and the manager both turned; the Kadabra glared down at Kubfu. "Now is really not the best time to get cold feet," the Psychic-type said disappointedly. "Get in there and-"
"No, this isn't about that!" Kubfu cried. "It's about Chito's Pokemon!"
"What, the weird Rapidash?"
"No!" Kubfu yelled. "That thing is not a Rapidash!"
"It seems that Kubfu has decided not to fight!" the announcer called. "As a result, the winners of the tournament are Kitanai Chito and his Rapidash!"
Chito let out a harsh laugh. "What a coward."
"Kubfu isn't a coward!" Ash yelled.
"He is if he can't even be bothered to come in and take his beating like a man," Chito retorted. "Honestly, I can't see what all the fuss was about. This was the easiest victory of my life."
"Hang on!" The announcer's voice crackled over the speakers. "It seems new information has just come in! Apparently Kitanai Chito has made a false submission - his Pokemon isn't a Rapidash, it's a Legendary from Galar known as Spectrier! As such, Kitanai Chito is disqualified from the P1 Grand Prix, and the winners are Ash Ketchum and his Kubfu!"
"WHAT?" Chito yelled. "He didn't even attend the final match! He gets the trophy for just running away?"
'Rapidash' glanced at Chito. "I told you that wasn't going to work," it telepathically grumbled.
"Oh, shut up, Spectrier!" Chito growled. "This stupid tournament's a waste of time anyway!" He rounded on Ash. "You! Don't think you're hot stuff just because you got handed a win you didn't earn! I challenge you to a rematch at the Big P Pokemon Race in two days! I'll show you how much stronger I am than you!"
"You're on!" Ash retorted before anyone reasonable in the room could stop him.
"I can't believe we lost!" Korrina growled as she and Falkner watched Ash and Kubfu accept the championship belt (and the prize money) through a window. "And to a cheater? We're supposed to be the cheaters!"
"And that brat got the prize money," Falkner grumbled. "Lucario could've beaten that Kubfu any day of the week!"
A rush of wings disturbed the two Team Rocket members. Both twisted to see a pair of Dragonite, one normal-colored and one purple, descending to a point right next to them. Off their backs slid a grinning Liza and Drake. "Well, well," said Liza. "Another mission not going as well as you'd hoped?"
"Shut up, you two," Korrina growled. "Just a momentary setback, that's all. We'll get that twerp and his Pokemon yet."
"I think not," said Liza. "Boss's orders - you're supposed to report back to Johto, effective immediately."
"It's a bit of a surprise that you didn't already receive those orders," Drake remarked.
"Yeah!" Aron piped up. "Unless you did, and you ignored dem."
"Which I'm sure no proper agent of Team Rocket would dare do." Liza smirked.
Korrina and Falkner both looked furious, but knew they were cornered. "Of course not," Korrina growled through gritted teeth. "Come on, Falkner. Let's get back to Johto."
Drake, Liza, and Aron couldn't quite keep their laughter to themselves as Falkner and Korrina stormed off, which definitely didn't help the latter two's collective mood.
"So now what's da plan?" Aron asked.
"Follow the kid," said Drake. "Keep watch. Wait for an opportune moment, and strike hard and fast. And as for Haunter and Ditto, keep training. That kid's strong, and I want to be as strong as possible when we confront him again."
Ditto and Haunter both grinned. "Ditto!" Ditto cried.
"You learned a new move and you got the win!" Ash cried. "That was really amazing, Kubfu! Great work!"
Kubfu grinned at the praise.
"How'd you know that wasn't a Rapidash, anyway?" Ash asked.
"Ash, Kubfu's also a Legendary from Galar," said Clay. "He probably knows all about his fellow Legendaries."
Kubfu nodded; he felt somewhat ashamed at just how long it had taken for him to identify Spectrier.
"So now you're heading to the Big P Pokemon Race?" Cyrus asked.
"You bet I am!" Ash replied.
"And I suppose pointing out that you have nothing to gain by accepting Chito's challenge isn't going to change that?"
"Of course not!"
"That is about what I expected," Cyrus muttered.
"That was a pretty impressive performance against that Tsareena."
Kubfu glanced up, as did all three humans, to see Anthony, the Trainer with the Hitmonchan, walking up with the Pokemon in question beside him. "Hi!" said Ash, rising to meet him. "I wish we'd gotten to battle!"
"So do I," said Anthony. "I won't lie, losing because of a cheater kinda blows. I understand that the organizers couldn't just run it back, but I would have at least enjoyed a finals match between Hitmonchan and Kubfu. But anyway, I'm not here to reminisce about what could have been."
He held out a hand. "I'm here because I want to make you an offer. Your Kubfu's strong, but it can be stronger. I'm a Fighting-type Trainer by trade, and I want to make your Kubfu into a real champion Pokemon. If I could give your Kubfu some training-"
"No."
Anthony glanced over at Clay. "I'm sorry, Ash and I are-"
"First off, I already know Ash's answer." Clay glanced at Ash.
"Yeah, I'm with Clay," said Ash. "I'm not giving up Kubfu to some random Trainer. Honestly, what is it with random Trainers asking for my Pokemon? It's getting really annoying."
"But-" Anthony began.
"And second," said Clay, "you really should be paying more attention to your family."
Anthony glared at Clay. "Winning the P1 Grand Prix is my lifelong dream."
"And I'm not saying that's a bad thing," Clay replied. "But it can't be your life. You've got a daughter who loves you - at least give her some small amount of love in return."
Anthony's Hitmonchan touched its Trainer's arm and nodded. Seeing that, Anthony heaved a sigh. "I guess you're right," he murmured. "I really did let this consume me. Sorry for trying to requisition your Kubfu."
Ash said nothing, but nodded in acceptance.
"I should go." Anthony turned and walked away, Hitmonchan by his side.
"Ahem."
Kubfu glanced back, his eyes narrowing. "What do you want, Primeape?"
Primeape stood where he was, looking surprisingly sullen. "I…" he began, acting as if he was trying to force words out. He took a deep breath. "I…guess you're…stronger than I thought," he admitted. "That Tsareena…that was a good match."
"Thank you," said Kubfu.
"That said," Primeape growled, "you'd better be ready. Because I'm going to train harder than I've ever trained before in order to beat you. And one day…I will beat you. You got that, squirt?"
Kubfu smirked challengingly. "You just try it, tough guy."
I had a lot of fun with the P1 Grand Prix, in case you couldn't tell.
Yes, Kuba and Chito are both OCs. Well…Chito is. Kuba is complicated, so I won't bother explaining him yet.
As for Chito, he's simply a vehicle for a moment that will be in a very near-future chapter. One that, I'll be honest, I'm very excited to write.