"Ow—Machamp, your body's like solid steel!"
Rex scowled at his swollen, reddened knuckles, speaking in exasperation.
Hearing the complaint, Machamp scratched his bulging, muscle-bound head sheepishly.
They'd just finished a sparring session. Of course, Machamp wasn't attacking—he was playing the role of punching bag, focusing solely on defense while Rex went all out on offense.
Even so, Rex hadn't gained the upper hand once. Every punch that landed on Machamp's rock-solid body had resulted in recoil damage to Rex himself.
After days of training, Rex had finally managed to perform the Brick Break technique successfully—but it was still far from usable in a real fight.
In an actual battle, he wouldn't have the luxury of spending several minutes focusing to summon his Fighting energy.
Yes, Rex currently needed several minutes just to prep and execute a single Brick Break. And even then, it didn't always go off.
Still, Rex was satisfied. Just reaching this point was an achievement. He might not be able to fire off the move at will, but at least he'd learned it.
For Martial Artists, learning a skill was just the beginning. Mastery required countless hours of practice—until they could unleash it instinctively, just like Fighting-type Pokémon.
Only when a skill became fully integrated into their personal combat style could one be considered a mature Martial Artist.
As for Rex, he was far from that point. He wasn't just a beginner at skills—he barely had a combat style to speak of.
Most Martial Artists rose through real battle experience, honing their style over time. Rex, on the other hand, had focused on physical conditioning through body training alone to reach this stage.
So yes—by comparison, he might be the weakest Martial Artist out there. If he faced someone else at the same level, he'd probably be the one getting stomped.
But Rex didn't mind. He never planned to go all-in on this path anyway.
Still, to patch some of the gaps in his technique, he kept using Machamp as a sparring partner.
It was a tried-and-true method. Most Martial Artists raised at least one Fighting-type Pokémon to train alongside them.
Rex had skipped that step. Now that Machamp was fully grown and powerful, sparring with Rex offered little to no benefit for him.
Even so, Machamp was thrilled to be helping his Trainer. Since evolving, he didn't need Rex's direction as much—but now the roles were reversed. Guiding Rex filled him with pride.
As Rex poured sweat into his training, a trio of uninvited guests boldly stepped into Rex Farm.
"Boss, maybe we should just call this off…"
A scrawny young man spoke nervously to the burly leader at the front.
"Shalin, you coward," scoffed a chubby man beside him.
"Valen, do you realize this is the guy who beat Eck?!"
Shalin glared.
"All right, enough," their leader, Juan, cut in. "We took the job. We finish the job. We're already here. What, you want people laughing at us for backing out?"
The three of them were a minor bounty-hunting squad under the Hunter Guild. They made their living off posted jobs.
When Rex became the target of a high-bounty hit after defeating Eck, Juan had hesitated at first—but ultimately took the risk.
He didn't plan to fight fair anyway. The plan was simple: use guns. No matter how strong Rex's Pokémon were, if the Trainer died, the battle would be over.
Gripping the gun he'd painstakingly obtained, Juan led his team deeper into the farm.
Originally, he'd hoped to ambush Rex outside, but after waiting fruitlessly, he decided to storm the farm directly—hoping to take him out before he had time to react.
He knew full well this mission was dangerous. One wrong move and all three of them could end up locked up alongside Eck.
Yes—Eck had already been sentenced to life by the Pokémon League. There'd be no second chances for him.
The Hunter Guild had tried to rescue him during his transfer, but Officer Jenny's forces were ready and waiting. The rescue team was immediately captured.
After taking repeated losses, the Guild's leadership was furious. But they soon gave up on saving Eck.
Compared to the colossal power of the League, the Hunter Guild was nothing—they were forced to scuttle in the shadows.
And so, their anger was redirected at Rex. His bounty was increased significantly, drawing the attention of many bounty hunters.
Still, most kept their distance. Beating Eck was no small feat.
But Juan was desperate. He owed a fortune to an underground casino, and this job was his only shot at clearing his debt.
Compared to facing the casino's relentless collectors, going after Rex didn't seem so bad.
That's why he insisted on taking the job—even with Shalin's objections.
Before infiltrating the farm, Juan had done his research. Only Rex and a single female staff member—Yuli—currently lived there. None of them were worried about her.
Their concern was Rex's Pokémon. If he could beat Eck, his team had to be top-tier. But that's why they weren't planning a standard battle.
"Boss, look—something's flying this way."
Though Shalin hadn't liked the plan, he wasn't indecisive. Now that they were here, he was ready to see it through.
As he scanned the surroundings, he spotted a dark shape approaching rapidly from the sky.
The sight instantly put all three on high alert. Their hands raised, fingers tightening on the triggers of their rifles.
"Run! It's a whole flock of Swellow!"
By the time the shadow got close enough to identify, it was too late to aim—there were far too many.
(End of Chapter)