"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Machop didn't mean to!"
A little girl, around seven or eight years old, dressed in an All Star Fitness Club trainee uniform, ran up to Rex. She was adorably petite, and an energetic Machop followed closely behind her.
Panting slightly, the girl reached Rex and held Machop's head down with both hands, bowing repeatedly in apology. Clearly, it had been Machop who had thrown the stone ball earlier.
"What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around before."
Now that Rex had regained his composure, he brushed the dust off his pants and stood up. He looked at the nervous little girl and asked gently.
He'd been at the fitness club for a while and was familiar with all the regulars—he'd never seen her before.
"I'm Aliza! It's my first day at the club. And I've never seen you before either, big brother!"
Aliza blinked at him, just now realizing that she didn't recognize him either.
As they talked, Rex learned more about her.
Aliza was actually Coach Layton's granddaughter. She didn't live at the club because her mother didn't want her growing up to be a fighter. Normally, she went to school, and only came to the club during breaks or when she had time off.
But Aliza herself loved the atmosphere of the All Star Fitness Club. Whenever she had a chance, she'd bring her Machop along to train with the other older students.
Today was one of those days. And the stone ball that had nearly taken Rex's head off was actually one of Machop's workout tools.
Apparently, Layton's Machamp had picked out a big rock from the mountains and carved it into a training sphere using Brick Break—then gifted it to her.
The reason it came flying in Rex's direction was because Machop had gotten too excited during practice. It had been tossing the rock higher and higher for fun, but lost control and sent it hurtling off course.
If it had been any of the younger trainees walking around that corner instead of Rex, things might have gone very badly. Aliza could've ended up in serious trouble over Machop's recklessness.
"It's okay, Aliza. Just be more careful when you and Machop are training, alright? Don't do anything that might put you—or others—in danger."
Once Rex was sure it was an accident, he didn't press the issue. Besides, the incident had actually helped him break through a plateau. In that split-second emergency, he had instinctively executed a perfect Brick Break—his body now remembered the technique's path.
That alone was worth the scare.
"Got it, Rex! I promise we'll be more careful next time. I'm really, really sorry."
Seeing that Rex wasn't mad, Aliza relaxed and bowed deeply with Machop beside her, both of them apologizing earnestly.
After parting ways, Rex returned to his training grounds to reflect on that moment of instinctive execution. He could now feel the flow of Fighting-type energy within him much more clearly—his hands practically itched with the memory of the movement.
"Machop, you can't let it go to your head, okay?"
Aliza stood on a bench, hands on her hips, lecturing Machop with a tone far too serious for her age.
Machop, for its part, crossed its arms and turned away with an attitude that said, "Sure, you talk—doesn't mean I'm listening."
That pushed Aliza's buttons. Huffing and puffing, she threatened to tattle to Grandpa Layton.
That wiped the smugness right off Machop's face. Of all things at the All Star Fitness Club, the one thing Machop feared most was Layton's Machamp.
That Machamp, tasked with Machop's training, was ruthless. It didn't tolerate laziness. If Machop underperformed, it'd be met with a flurry of terrifying punches until it got its act together.
Just the thought of it sent a shiver down Machop's spine. The mental image of being pummeled again made it break out in cold sweat.
Immediately, Machop straightened up and nodded earnestly, accepting Aliza's scolding without a word.
Satisfied, Aliza decided to drop the threat. After all, she was a little scared of her grandpa too. If he found out how close they'd come to injuring someone, she knew she wouldn't get off easy either.
So really, that whole "telling Grandpa" thing? Just a bluff.
"Aliza, what are you and Machop doing over here?"
Just then, Layton's voice boomed from behind. Both Aliza and Machop jumped like startled cats.
"N-Nothing! We were just, um, going over our training plan!" Aliza stammered.
Machop nodded rapidly, especially after spotting Machamp looming behind Layton.
"Hm. Alright then. Come with me—I want to introduce you to someone."
Layton didn't question her further, just waved for her to follow.
"Oh… okay!"
Feeling guilty, Aliza obediently followed with Machop in tow.
Soon, they arrived at the small courtyard where Rex stayed.
"Rex, come here a moment. I'd like you to meet my granddaughter Aliza. I don't believe you've been formally introduced."
Rex had already sensed Layton approaching and met him at the gate. He smiled when he saw Aliza trailing behind.
When she realized Rex was the one her grandfather had brought her to meet, Aliza panicked. What if he told on her?
"Nice to meet you, Aliza. I'm Rex," he said with a playful wink, pretending this was their first encounter.
"Hi, Rex! I'm Aliza!" she said brightly, breathing a silent sigh of relief.
Layton then got to the point: he hoped Rex's Machamp could help train Aliza's Machop.
As far as Layton was concerned, there was no better role model. Even his own partner Machamp couldn't match Rex's in raw power.
And if it came to training his precious granddaughter's Pokémon, only the best would do.