Pokémon Center – In Front of the Video Communicator
"You've earned all eight Gym Badges. What's next for you, Paul?"
"Are you planning to travel around for more training or will you return to the Pokémon facility first to adjust your team and refine your strategies?"
On the screen, Reggie smiled as he looked at Paul.
"I'll head back for a while first, do some training, adjust my team, and then decide on my next steps." Paul replied.
There was still plenty of time before the Lily of the Valley Conference. With time on his side, Paul honestly hadn't made any concrete plans yet.
Most likely, he would travel around, train his Pokémon in interesting locations, or seek out strong trainers for battles.
"I'll be waiting for you, then." Reggie said with a smile.
"Help me switch out some Pokémon first, big bro."
"Which ones do you want to swap?"
"…"
After making his selections, Paul swapped his current team for Torterra, Electivire, Garchomp, Froslass, Dewott, and Ursaring before ending the call.
After resting at the Pokémon Center for a day, Paul left Sunyshore City and made his way toward Veilstone City at a steady pace.
That day, while stopping to rest in Spring Path—a small town near Veilstone City, he was watching a battle video—Elite Four Aaron vs. Champion Cynthia, in which Aaron had been completely overwhelmed.
Just then, he overheard an interesting conversation.
"What? The Champion is in our town? At the ruins outside the city?"
"Yeah! I heard they recently excavated some ancient artifacts in the ruins outside town, and since the Champion was passing through, she decided to check them out."
"What are we waiting for? This is our chance to see the Champion in person!"
"You think you're the only one with that idea?"
"Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner?"
A group of teenagers discussing the news suddenly erupted into chaos, shouting excitedly before sprinting out of the Pokémon Center.
"Cynthia, the Champion?"
Paul closed the video he had been watching, slipped his Rotom Phone into his pocket, and with his hands in his coat pockets, he casually strolled toward the city outskirts.
The Ruins Outside Town
After spending most of the day finally managing to buy an ice cream, Cynthia arrived at the ruins.
She carefully observed the newly excavated artifacts, her small tongue flicking over the ice cream with every few seconds—her expression is serious, yet her appearance is undeniably adorable.
"Wow, Miss Cynthia is so beautiful!"
"This is my first time seeing the Champion in person."
"No wonder she's the Champion… she's stunning."
"She's so cute… I just want to—"
A sizable crowd had gathered around Cynthia, all were watching her with admiration.
Despite their excitement, they kept a respectful distance, showcasing their self-restraint and high regard for the Champion.
So, when Paul walked past them expressionless, directly approaching Cynthia, their faces has changed.
"Miss Cynthia, right?"
Ignoring the gazes of those around him, Paul stopped about five meters away from Cynthia and spoke.
"Huh?"
Cynthia turned her head, her face briefly flashing a look of innocent surprise as she met Paul's gaze.
"I'm Paul from Veilstone City. I challenge you to a Pokémon battle."
Paul wasted no words and issued a direct challenge.
"What the heck? That guy dares to challenge the Champion?"
"He got guts, I'll give him that!"
"He's so arrogant! Does he really think he can defeat the Champion?"
Even before Cynthia could respond, murmurs of disbelief and mild irritation rippled through the gathered spectators.
"It's been a while since I received a random challenge outside an official match." Cynthia remarked, regaining her usual confident and elegant demeanor. "Are you competing in the Sinnoh League?"
"I just earned my eighth badge." Paul answered with a nod.
"Alright, then. I accept your challenge." Cynthia said with a slight smile.
Leading Paul to a more suitable battleground, she took her position.
"A full six-on-six battle—does that work for you?"
Standing across from Cynthia, Paul asked calmly.
Having recently defeated a Raichu and an Infernape, Paul wanted to gauge the strength of Cynthia, a Champion-ranked Trainer considered one of the strongest among the top champions.
"A full battle? That's bold."
"He's out of his mind. He doesn't stand a chance."
"He's just embarrassing himself!"
The onlookers scoffed mercilessly.
"Let's begin, then. Soar through the skies, Garchomp!"
Unlike many other top-tier Trainers, Cynthia had a habit of leading with her ace, Garchomp in battles.
Moreover, she never held back, showing no mercy against challengers.
Her philosophy was simple—if someone challenged her seriously, she would respond in kind, utterly overwhelming them.
This was precisely why so few people dared to challenge her.
"Ahh~!"
With a deep guttural growl, Cynthia's Garchomp emerged from its Poké Ball, landing effortlessly on the battlefield, its sheer presence exuding immense power.
Paul responded by sending out Dewott.
"Dewott, prepare for battle!"
"Cha-cha!"
Dewott brought its scalchops close to its sides, quickly entering a focused state, sharpening its senses with ForeSight.
Its twin eyes gleamed with a ruthless glint.
"Dewott, use Aqua Cutter!"
"Cha!"
Since the battle wasn't in a structured stadium, the distance between the two Pokémon wasn't too large.
Instead of moving immediately, Dewott remained still, raising its Shell Swords and charging up energy.
Then in a split second, its body vanished, transforming into a streak of blue light as it dashed toward Garchomp, slashing from an incredibly tricky angle!
"Garchomp, defend!"
Without changing it's expression, Garchomp swiftly raised its blade-like forearms, effortlessly blocking the incoming Aqua Cutter.
"Cha—!"
Dewott's eyes flashed with determination as it relentlessly slashed its twin scalchops, moving in rapid succession like a storm of strikes.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
However, despite Dewott's sharp and calculated attacks, Garchomp blocked every single one with its superior strength, reflexes, and experience, preventing any meaningful damage.
"Use Ice Beam!"
Suddenly, Dewott shifted strategies, its scalchops ceasing mid-swing as its mouth unleashed a long-prepared Ice Beam, striking Garchomp directly on the head!
Taking advantage of this critical hit, Dewott immediately followed up with another Aqua Cutter, slashing fiercely at Garchomp.
A critical hit!
Having landed a solid blow, Dewott swiftly retreated to a safe distance.
"Brick Break!"
But just as Garchomp regained its footing, a fierce red light flashed in its eyes. With a sudden aerial flip, it soared high into the sky, its wings glowing white as it dived straight toward Dewott.
"Dodge it!"
Dewott keenly tracked Garchomp's movements. With a burst of water at its base, it propelled itself out of the way, narrowly avoiding the incoming attack.
Brick Break struck the ground—but there was nothing there.
"Not bad. But now, Dragon Rush!"
Garchomp twisted its body midair, a chilling predatory aura exploding from within. Locking onto Dewott, it shot forward like a missile.
There was no escaping on this one!
"Aqua Cutter!"
Dewott's blades gleamed as it focused its energy, water rippling along its edges. With a sharp burst of Hydro Jet propulsion, it surged forward, meeting Garchomp head-on.
"Boom!"
The moment they clashed, Dewott was sent hurtling backward.
"Stone Edge!"
Before Dewott could even land, jagged stone pillars erupted from the ground striking it midair—securing the knockout.
"See? I told you—this guy was just asking for humiliation."
"A mere Dewott? There's no way it could stand up to a Garchomp."
"Beaten in just two moves? That's hilarious!"
"..."
Amidst the mocking voices of the spectators around him, Paul remained silent. Without a word, he retrieved Dewott into its Poké Ball and threw out another one.
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