"Pinsir is unable to battle—Hisuian Samurott wins!"
"Therefore, the victor of this match is the challenger—Paul!"
Sergio announced the result blankly.
Even though his own mentor ranked near the bottom of the Battle Frontier's Head Brains, still… wasn't that loss a little too one-sided?
For a moment, he felt a little dazed.
"Return, Pinsir. You did well."
As soon as he lost the match, Noland felt a pain of defeat and self-doubt—but it passed in a flash.
After all, as an adult and an intellectual… he was good at keeping himself composed.
Besides, this wasn't his first loss. Recently, he'd already been defeated by several teenage Trainers around Paul's age.
Yeah… he was getting used to it.
"Cha-ha!"
Hisuian Samurott stood calmly on the battlefield, basking in the thrill of victory and the high of a good fight.
Even if its opponent wasn't particularly strong, it shared something in common with Ninetales—it didn't care who the opponent was. As long as it could battle and win, that was all it needed to feel the excitement.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a few days since it last saw Ninetales.
It missed her.
"Cha-ha~"
As it was lost in thought, a surge of water carried it off the ground and gently lifted it toward Paul, where it conveyed its feelings.
"I'll try to make that happen soon." Paul replied after a moment of thought.
After all, he was planning to investigate the Tree of Beginning soon.
What that place would actually be like—how closely it resembled the version seen in the movie was still uncertain. Best to bring his strongest and most suitable Pokémon with him.
Ninetales was definitely one of them.
As for whether Samurott would be chosen... that was still up in the air.
To put it simply—it all depended on the circumstances.
"Chaaah~"
A subtle glimmer of joy flickered in Samurott's eyes as it nodded quietly.
"Return for now."
Paul took out its Poké Ball and recalled it, then exited the field with the others.
"This is the proof of your victory over me—the Symbol of Knowledge. Even though I don't feel particularly worthy of presenting it to you, let me just say one thing: use your knowledge in both battles and training. Haha."
Noland handed over the badge that he'd prepared ahead of time.
"I will. Thank you."
Paul accepted the symbol, examined it briefly and then stowed it away.
"You're really an incredible young man. Are all of your generation this strong?" Noland remarked with some amazement.
"In just the past two weeks, I've lost several times to Trainers your age."
Though he was the weakest of the Frontier Brains, losing repeatedly like this still stung his pride a little.
"Pardon me, but… were there many of them?"
Paul had already started turning to leave, but this remark made him pause.
From what he knew, there weren't many Trainers around his age who could easily defeat someone like Noland. The odds were high that some of them were… special individuals.
"There weren't that many—just three." Noland replied, scratching his head as he recalled. "One was a girl with her hair in a bun. Her Serperior moved so swiftly that my Venusaur couldn't land a single hit."
"The other two were boys. One had a very powerful Gallade, and the other brought along a special Greninja. Both of them and their Pokémon—were clearly top-tier."
"I see."
Hearing this, Paul fell into thought.
The girl wasn't hard to guess—Serperior, hair tied in a bun. It was most likely Mei, a Trainer from the Unova region.
As for the two boys, the one with Gallade was a bit harder to pin down, but based on that single clue, Paul suspected he was probably Wally from the Hoenn region.
The other one, however, was easier to identify. A Greninja with unique traits… Paul was fairly certain he was referring to Calem, the Trainer from Kalos.
No matter who they were, Paul looked forward to battling them.
"Hey, Paul, since you've already obtained the Symbol of Knowledge, are you thinking about continuing on to challenge the Battle Frontier?"
Just as Paul was about to take his leave, Thorton suddenly extended the invitation.
"The Battle Frontier?" Paul turned to him and shared his original plan. "I've been thinking of getting stronger first and then challenge Brandon at the Battle Pyramid."
Why "original" plan?
Because if the other Frontier Brains were only around Noland's level, it didn't seem like it would be that meaningful to challenge them in the first place.
"Brandon is indeed a formidable Trainer, but don't underestimate the other Frontier Brains either."
"Those guys are no pushovers. They're not far behind Brandon in terms of strength."
"If you manage to defeat all six and collect every Frontier Symbol, conquering the Battle Frontier with your strength, you'd have a solid shot even against the Elite Four."
"So, I'm sincerely inviting you to challenge the other facilities too."
"If it's on the way, I'll consider it."
Paul gave an evasive response to the invitation.
He wasn't the kind of hot-blooded Trainer who chased after glory for its own sake. The honor of conquering the Battle Frontier didn't mean much to him.
Once you're a member of the Elite Four—or even the Champion—who would still doubt your ability to handle the Battle Frontier?
"Well, then I'll look forward to your challenge when the time comes."
Seeing Paul remain so calm and rational, Thorton could only respond with a small smile.
"I'm off."
Paul took out a Poké Ball and released his Metagross, leaping up onto its back in one smooth motion.
"Grrooo~"
Metagross folded its limbs in and crackling with electric energy, shot off into the distance.
"I really wonder how many of these young Trainers can actually defeat the other Frontier Brains… or even Brandon…"
Noland sighed, before suddenly remembering something.
"Oh right! I just finished developing a new All-Terrain Combat Vehicle! Want to help me test it out?"
He looked at Thorton with the gleam of excitement—and an unmistakable hint of treating him like a lab rat.
"I need to go inform the other Brains. You go play with your toys yourself."
"Psh, don't think I don't know I was the last one you notified…"
Noland muttered under his breath, watching him drive away. Shaking his head, he turned back into the factory to continue his high-tech research.
…
"Battling is the best form of training. Strength lays the foundation for victory—but it's your brain that determines how fast you grow stronger."
"Don't fall into the habit of brute force just because you like it. Use that powerful mind of yours to calculate and predict—only then will you truly get stronger."
High above the ground, Paul rode atop his Metagross, speaking to it as they moved through the air.
It's often said that Metagross' brain rivals that of a supercomputer. Yet most Metagross, despite possessing such incredible potential, never truly tap into it.
To Paul, this was like sitting on a gold mine without knowing how to dig it up.
"Grroo…"
Metagross let out a confused sound.
Knowing your brain is fast is one thing—but understanding how to use it and what to use it for, is something else entirely.
Take for example, its scientific mastery of moves like Magnet Rise combined with its inherent knowledge of Gravity. Under gravitational pressure, it could maneuver more smoothly than even Electivire when airborne.
But ask it to spontaneously develop new techniques? Sorry, that's beyond its scope—it simply can't come up with anything.
"I want you to predict every possible move an opponent could make in battle—their action paths, their attack angles—then strike with pinpoint precision. Land every hit. Evade every escapable blow."
"And every move you use—amplify its power to the max by executing it in the most optimal way possible."
Paul laid out two simple but crucial demands.
In battle, if a Metagross learns to fully utilize its advanced intellect and psychic abilities, how many same-level opponents could realistically defeat it?
"You could even start applying your brain to everyday life—analyze everything you can, or even just the things you want to understand."
"Grroo…"
Taking Paul's words to heart, streams of data flickered across Metagross' eyes—it was beginning to learn how to truly engage its mind.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive explosion rang out in the distance. A thick column of smoke rose into the sky.
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