"When did it Mega Evolve?"
That question simultaneously flashed through the minds of both Brock and Nurse Joy.
Having seen or even used Mega Evolution themselves, they naturally knew that Garchomp was one of the Pokémon capable of undergoing it.
But just now… it didn't seem like Paul had triggered Mega Evolution for Garchomp at all, did he?
After thinking for a few seconds, both could only conclude that it must have been a special technique Paul and Garchomp had trained together—a way to suddenly and swiftly Mega Evolve in the middle of battle, catching the opponent off guard.
What they didn't know, however, was that this mysterious Mega Evolution had almost nothing to do with Paul at all.
Paul hadn't secretly activated Mega Evolution through a Key Stone the way they imagined.
In fact, he had never intended to train Garchomp specifically to pull off some sneaky surprise Mega Evolution during battle. In his mind, Mega Evolution was something you triggered as soon as you sent out the Pokémon—not something to drop in mid-battle like some kind of dramatic anime twist.
"Not bad. Another breakthrough."
Paul didn't hold back his praise.
Unlike the rest of his team, Garchomp was the typical combat-driven breakthrough Pokémon.
Whenever their training hit a wall or progress began to stall, throwing Garchomp into a battle against a strong opponent never failed to break through the plateau.
In fact, standard training often paled in comparison to the explosive progress Garchomp achieved in high-intensity battle.
"Gaarr~!"
Garchomp proudly lifted its head and puffed out its chest as it rose from the ground. After giving Latias a dismissive snort, it returned to Paul's side.
"Keep up the hard work."
Paul returned Garchomp to its Poké Ball, offered Nurse Joy a polite nod, and turned to leave—leaving behind a group still filled with questions.
Because of Garchomp's sudden and unexpected breakthrough, Paul wasn't in a hurry to challenge the Battle Factory just yet.
As the saying goes, the beginning is always the hardest—and yet Garchomp had actually managed to achieve Mega Evolution without the aid of a Key Stone in that moment.
Now, the most important task was to seize this opportunity and train the rest of his team intensively so that they too could grasp this ability.
Due to the unique nature of Mega Evolution—requiring a fusion of bonds between Trainer and Pokémon under normal circumstances, a Trainer could only perform Mega Evolution once per battle.
Once triggered, both Trainer and Pokémon needed a short period of rest before they could perform it again.
Otherwise, consecutive Mega Evolutions could overload the Trainer, possibly leading to poor decision-making mid-battle.
Just imagine: if Garchomp could one day autonomously Mega Evolve, that would essentially be like gaining a second Mega Evolution opportunity in a single match.
Of course, this was still only a theory—how it would play out in reality remained to be seen. But no matter the case, Garchomp's progress today was undeniable.
After leaving the Gym, Paul exited Pewter City and found a secluded spot in the surrounding forest to begin training with his entire team.
Unfortunately, whether it was due to Garchomp's current condition or something else, even after two or three days of focused training, there was still no sign of it being able to Mega Evolve on its own.
Instead, it was Aggron who made a breakthrough. During their sparring sessions, it finally learned Outrage. That meant it could now begin training in its Bloodline Reawakening mode.
Seeing that his initial plan wasn't working, Paul temporarily backed off. He returned all his Pokémon to their Poké Balls so they could meditate and train internally, then mounted Metagross and flew toward the Battle Factory.
The Battle Factory wasn't particularly far from Pewter City—at Metagross' speed, the journey would take less than an hour.
Sure enough, just over thirty minutes later, a unique structure built out in the wilderness came into view.
Before Paul could even land, a jet aircraft zoomed past overhead, heading straight for the factory and touched down first in one of the facility's warehouse.
As Paul jumped off Metagross' back, a muscular man stepped out from the warehouse and approached him.
"Young man—what brings you here? Are you looking to collaborate, challenge, or just have a friendly exchange?"
The man removed the goggles from his head and studied Paul and the shiny Metagross at his side.
"I'm Paul from Veilstone City, and I'm here to challenge the Factory Head, Noland."
Paul introduced himself concisely, his words sharp and purposeful, but his gaze remained fixed on the man.
"I'm Noland. If it's a battle you want, give me a moment. I'll need to gather my Pokémon first."
Noland smiled as he spoke.
Most of his Pokémon weren't carried with him—they were kept within the Factory—so it would take some time to call them out.
"Master! You're back safe again!"
Just then, a brown-haired young man came jogging over excitedly.
"You brat! Don't curse it like that—saying 'back safe' is bad luck."
Noland chuckled as he gave the youth a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"This young man here wants to challenge me. Help me gather my team, Sergio."
"Got it—just a minute!"
Sergio responded quickly and ran back into the Factory.
"Come inside with me, Paul."
Noland led the way, guiding Paul toward the battle arena.
As Paul recalled Metagross and followed Noland, he asked casually, "I heard there's a migrating Articuno in the area. Have you seen it?"
His tone was neutral, but his eyes carefully watched Noland's expression.
According to Paul's memory in the anime timeline, Noland was known to be friends with an Articuno. But in this world, that detail was still unclear.
"Articuno? That's a Legendary Pokémon. It's not something you see just because you want to."
Noland tilted his head with a shrug. "Most of those rumors are probably false. Don't waste your time chasing tall tales. Better to spend that time training your Pokémon or working on tech research—it's far more worthwhile."
"I see."
Paul gave a calm reply. Based on what he'd just observed, unless Noland was an award-winning actor, chances were he really hadn't seen Articuno.
Not that Paul had intended to battle the Articuno if he found it—he simply wanted to catch it.
A wild Articuno with average strength but high potential could be a valuable addition to his main team. Even if its talent was subpar, it could still be sent home and used as a breeding mascot or figure for the ranch.
Too bad—no such luck.
"To my knowledge, Articuno doesn't just leave its territory and go migrating for no reason."
Just then, another voice cut into the conversation.
Paul and Noland both turned their heads to see a slightly overweight man in sunglasses, dressed in casual wear, and leaning lazily against a red sports car.
"Scott, you're here?"
Noland greeted him with familiarity.
"The World Championships and the Pokémon League just wrapped up." Scott said as he approached with a smile. "The Battle Frontier's about to heat up again, so I figured I'd give you a heads-up."
"No worries. I'm not so easy to take down—relax."
Noland grinned.
"I'm Scott, one of the founders of the Battle Frontier. I'm mainly in charge of publicity. Would you mind if I stayed to watch your match later?"
Scott directed the question toward Paul.
"I don't mind." Paul replied coolly.
At that moment, Sergio came over, followed by a massive crowd—Noland's Pokémon.
"These are all my Pokémon. Challenge how many you want, and whichever ones you choose—it's entirely up to you." Noland said with a flourish.
The Battle Factory was a unique facility and unlike the other Frontier Brains, Noland had his own style.
Challengers could battle him using any format they wanted. The choice of how many Pokémon to face—and which ones was left entirely up to them.
Confidence was the name of the game.
Well… though he was also the Frontier Brain who gave out the most commemorative symbols.
Paul scanned the group briefly. There were dozens of Pokémon—an impressive range of types and species. From Sandslash, Venusaur, Pinsir, Nidoking, Machamp, Golduck… they were all there.
"Are these your strongest Pokémon?" Paul asked, eyes sweeping across the group.
There were plenty of them, no doubt. But in terms of strength… well, it left something to be desired.
After thinking it over, Paul said:
"Pick your six best. I want a full six-on-six battle."
He was a Frontier Brain, after all—there had to be some challenge worth testing.
If Noland proved strong, it could be a worthwhile match. If not, Paul figured his own team would sweep through with minimal effort.
"A full six-Pokémon battle, huh? Not many challengers ask for that."
"Well...just the six of you!"
Noland glanced over his team, finally selecting and returning six to their Poké Balls: Venusaur, Pinsir, Flygon, Rhyperior, Aggron, and Golduck.
With that, he led Sergio, Scott, and Paul into the special arena located within the Battle Factory.
(End of Chapter)
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