Pallet Town
Pallet — the color of pure white, the symbol of a new beginning.
Though it lies tucked away in the western part of the Kanto region, Pallet Town has never been just another small town in the eyes of its people.
It is the research institute of Professor Oak, one of the most revered authorities in the field of Pokémon research. It's also where Red, the Champion of Kanto, and his longtime rival Blue, the current Gym Leader of Viridian City, hail from.
And beyond these legendary figures, the latest Indigo League Champion and runner-up were both from this very town: Ash Ketchum and Professor Oak's grandson—Blue's younger brother—Gary Oak.
Having even one of these names attached to a place would put it on the map. To have them all gathered in a single town? It's no surprise that even the most renowned cities across Kanto now pale in comparison to Pallet Town's fame.
Riding on the back of his Charizard, Ash quickly returned home. After greeting his mother Delia and his Claydol, he made his way to Professor Oak's lab, curious about why the professor had called for him.
He also planned to carve out some time to learn more about Paul, spend a moment bonding with his Pokémon, and prepare for the battles ahead.
But what he didn't expect was—
"Gary? What are you doing here? Weren't you helping Blue manage the Viridian Gym?"
The moment Ash stepped into the lab, he spotted the spiky-haired boy slouched on the sofa, expression gloomy and eyes fixed on the Poké Ball in his hand.
Normally, Gary—who loved to compare himself with Ash—would've already fired off a smug comment or at least tossed out a teasing hello.
But this time, Gary didn't even lift his head. He just stared silently at the Poké Ball in his grasp, motionless.
"Gary was completely defeated by a trainer who came to challenge Blue." Professor Oak said, approaching with his usual cheerful smile beneath his white lab coat.
"Seems like the loss hit him harder than he expected, so he closed the Gym and came home to cool off."
"A challenger strong enough to go up against Blue must've been really powerful. I mean, I've challenged both Red and Blue several times before, and every time I got utterly wrecked. But still…" Ash trailed off, frowning slightly. "Losing is just part of the journey. You lose, then train and come back stronger!"
Ash truly didn't get it. After all this time on the road, hadn't they all been through worse?
The last time he remembered being shaken this badly was way back when he lost to Cross—and even then, it was only because of the Shadow Pokémon Marshadow and its strange influence.
Honestly, setbacks had been part of the journey since day one.
After nearly a year of traveling—experiencing two near-death encounters at Mt. Coronet and New Island—Ash, who had almost "died" twice, couldn't understand why Gary would be so devastated over a single loss.
A crushing defeat? Sure, it's normal to feel down for a bit. But self-isolation? Wasn't that going too far?
"Gary said the challenger was about his age—only competed in one League tournament." Professor Oak added with a shrug. "From what I hear, the kid won that tournament too, just like you."
"Huh?! No way—Gary didn't get completely wiped out, did he?"
Ash blinked in surprise. Sure, he always believed he was a lot stronger than Gary, but that didn't mean he thought Gary was weak.
On the contrary, their match in the championship finals had been hard-fought.
Of course, maybe that was because Gary knew him too well and built his whole strategy around countering him.
"Anyway, enough of that—Professor Oak, you called me here for something, right?
Let's get to it, so I can finish prepping for my big match against that Trainer named Paul!"
"Paul?!"
Ash had barely finished his sentence when Gary—who had been frowning moments earlier—suddenly looked up, confirming, "Did you just say Paul is challenging you?"
"Yeah, why?" Then it clicked. "Wait… the Trainer who beat you… was Paul?!"
Ash stared for a second before it all sank in.
"That guy's Pokémon were powerful—and strange. In battle, he strikes without hesitation the moment he sees an opening."
"He doesn't give his opponent a second to breathe. And the way he trains… it's intense. Harsh, even."
Gary didn't respond to Ash's question directly—he just started talking.
"How strong is he?"
Ash had seen his fair share of unique Pokémon, so that didn't surprise him much. But strength? That was something he needed to know.
"My top six Pokémon…I couldn't even take down a single one of his. He beat my entire team using only two Pokémon."
"And in the Lily of the Valley Conference finals… Paul used six ordinary Pokémon to defeat Tobias, whose team was made up entirely of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon."
Gary summed up Paul's strength with just those two statements.
"That strong…?"
Ash couldn't hide his shock. Whether it was taking Gary down so cleanly or beating a full team of Legendary Pokémon, that was… beyond incredible.
Honestly, at this level, there were probably very few Trainers below the Elite Four who could even stand a chance against Paul.
"Exactly. I watched the footage—every one of his Pokémon is unique, each with its own strengths. Even his most 'ordinary' Pokémon can rival the best we have."
"Is that so…?" Ash's eyes lit up. "Now I'm fired up, Pikachu!"
"Pika-Pika!"
Pikachu pumped its tiny fists excitedly from Ash's shoulder.
The stronger the opponent, the more fired up they got!
"…This guy…"
Watching Ash, Gary fell silent.
And suddenly, he realized just how vast the difference between them really was.
Maybe… maybe he'd been too naïve all along.
"Oh right—Professor! What did you call me here for again?"
After the excitement died down, Ash turned back to Professor Oak.
"Right, about that." The professor began. "Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region—he recently made some new breakthroughs in Mega Evolution research.
He has some crucial data I need you to deliver for me…"
"As a thank you, he will give you a piece of information about your Pokémon's Mega Evolution Stone, or maybe just give you a Mega Evolution Stone."
Professor Oak chuckled warmly.
"A Mega Stone? I'll make sure it gets delivered safely!"
Ash lit up with excitement and jumped to his feet. Right now, aside from the Mega Glove embedded with a Key Stone, the only Mega Stone he had was the one for Charizard. If he could get his hands on other Mega Stones, that would be even better!
Currently, Mega Stones were only known to appear in the Kalos and Hoenn regions. Even if Professor Sycamore didn't offer him one or share information, Ash had already been planning to travel to one of those regions anyway.
"Alright then—Pikachu, let's head next to Kalos!"
"Pika~!" Pikachu chirped in agreement.
"Then, I'm going to check in on my other companions first."
"Pika!"
Sharing a smile with Pikachu, Ash watched as his partner leapt down from his shoulder and followed him as they turned toward the backyard of the lab.
With a call summoned by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Ash was able to gather all of his Pokémon together. Once assembled, they began talking and also reviewed a battle footage of Paul.
After watching the footage, the Pokémon's initial excitement gave way to a tense seriousness—as if they were preparing for a formidable enemy. With Ash's encouragement, though, their spirits reignited. They were fired up, each one eager and ready, itching to face Paul head-on.
Finally, after two days of anticipation from both Ash and his Pokémon, Paul arrived in Pallet Town.
Upon reaching Professor Oak's Laboratory, Paul requested assistance with updating the data on his Arc Phone, unlocking a feature that would allow him to transfer Pokémon directly from the device.
After that, he made his way to the backyard.
What he saw was Ash and his Pokémon in the middle of intense training.
"Looks like you're ready." Paul said calmly.
(End of Chapter)
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