"Trainer, Rotom has successfully detected a special energy fluctuation."
From Paul's pocket, his Rotom Phone floated out, its screen flashing with a pair of expressive eyes and a mouth.
"So we've finally found it? Where is it?" Paul's expression turned serious as he spoke.
In truth, the slope where Paul now stood wasn't far from the so-called Rota Town. Based on extrapolations from the movie canon and what Ash had told him, it could be inferred that—
The location of the Tree of Beginning in this world still lay in an uninhabited region not far from Rota.
Before coming here, Paul had stopped by Rota Town to resupply. Once he arrived at this area, he instructed Rotom to begin large-scale psychic detection using the Arceus Edition of the Rotom Phone.
Paul didn't possess Aura, nor was he some chosen Hero of legend. On his own, there was no way he could have located the Tree of Beginning.
However, unlike most protagonists, Paul had one key advantage: his Rotom Phone was an Arceus Special Edition, equipped with high-grade detection and mapping capabilities. He simply had to command it to trace the fluctuations of the Tree of Beginning.
"According to scans, the special energy fluctuation lies roughly 20 kilometers to the north. The mapped data has been rendered for you."
The Rotom's expression vanished, and a special map appeared on the screen.
The map displayed a roughly plotted path leading toward the target zone. However, upon reaching the destination area, the visuals gave way to a strange blank space.
It was as though—while the area appeared normal from afar—on the projected map, it existed as a completely different realm.
"Mountainous terrain… Sounds good. I'll head out to investigate tomorrow."
After reviewing the display, Paul leapt off of his Torterra's back. Clenching and relaxing his fists, he gave Torterra a firm pat and ordered:
"Call everyone in."
"Raaaa!"
With a low cry, Torterra gathered energy in its mouth and launched a brilliant Solar Beam into the sky.
The blinding burst caught the attention of all nearby Pokémon, who quickly assembled before Paul, standing in formation and awaiting his command.
"The place we've been searching for—has finally been found. Starting tomorrow, we may encounter Pokémon even stronger than any of you have faced. Rest up and prepare today. We depart at dawn."
Paul's tone was calm, yet firm.
"Grrooo!"
"Viree!"
"Roooar!"
"Chaah!"
"Draah!"
"Raaaa!"
At his words, every Pokémon's eyes lit up with determination. They responded in high spirits, their fighting will reignited.
On most days, the only true pressure these Pokémon ever felt came from within themselves. Other Trainers' Pokémon were either too weak or too strong—and even those who were on par didn't always get the chance to battle them.
But if tomorrow brought a lineup of powerful opponents... that might just be interesting. At the very least, every single Pokémon on the team would get a proper fight.
"Electivire and Metagross are training together—sharpening their precognitive skills through Mind's Eye lock-ons, refining their Plasma Thunder Punch, and practicing uninterrupted move execution mid-battle to improve their technique."
There's a form of training where a Pokémon, after mastering a certain move or ability, learns faster by sparring with others who can use or imitate that same skill. Through mutual growth and comparison, they evolve together.
"Grrooo~"
"Viree~"
Electivire chuckled and gave Paul a confident look.
Mind's Eye? Plasma Thunder Punch? Just like those Thunder Plates it had metaphorically "digested" before, it was determined to master them all—down to the last spark!
Led by Electivire, Metagross followed along as the two moved off to a corner to begin their training exchange.
One was aiming to become a fully rounded "hexagon warrior"—a fighter with no weak points. The other had been groomed from an early stage to become that very ideal. Their paths were similar enough to make them perfect training partners.
"You two, keep sparring." Paul ordered.
"Make sure to keep your distance and focus on ranged attack power—especially with Water- and Fire-type moves. No holding back."
As for Ninetales and Hisuian Samurott, Paul had no interest in indulging whatever primal, fire-meets-water, close-combat passions they might be entertaining. He wanted them to clash like true opposites—incompatible and unyielding.
He wanted Samurott to realize something.
You're a Water-type, and yet your Hydro Cannon can't even beat Ninetales' Flamethrower? Shouldn't you be ashamed?
"Wooo~"
Ninetales stood tall, her nine tails fanned out with pride, casting a cool confident glance at her opponent.
She might give ground on other matters—but when it came to victory, she didn't yield an inch. She would purify all with her flames!
"Chaah—!"
Still oblivious to the true weight of the situation, Samurott raised its head in defiance. Upon seeing Ninetales' proud stance, it scoffed completely unfazed.
Sure, Ninetales was strong, and sure, his own long-range attacks were admittedly subpar—but he was a Water/Dark-type! That gave him perfect type coverage against her!
Too bad Samurott had trained so obsessively in swordplay, it had forgotten one key fact: While it did dominate in melee thanks to its combo of Sucker Punch and Detect, its ranged game… was another story entirely.
Ninetales' ranged attacks were already slightly stronger by default. With her Flash Fire Ability active, that advantage would only multiply.
Moreover, while Psychic-type moves may be ineffective against Dark-types in terms of direct damage, reality doesn't always have to play by such straightforward rules.
In many ways, Psychic power—in the real sense—is perhaps the most versatile and near-supreme force there is!
"Wooo~"
Realizing that Samurott hadn't quite wrapped his head around that concept, Ninetales let out a mischievous giggle, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes as she trotted off to the side.
Naturally, the ever-confident Samurott followed, unaware he was being playfully led toward a truth Ghost-types have long come to accept.
"You two—show me what you've achieved in training lately."
With those words, Paul walked alongside Ursaluna and Torterra toward a level clearing. There, he turned to face them.
These were two of his true heavyweights, and their progress—in both growth and battle—was something he had a deep interest in.
"Ursaah~!"
At the command, the simpleminded calm that usually lingered in Ursaluna's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a fierce crimson glint.
During everyday sparring sessions, they rarely went all out, and Ursaluna almost never used Belly Drum. As a result, it typically lost more than it won.
But this time, with its Trainer watching, it would reclaim its pride—and settle the score with Torterra all at once!
And Torterra? Of course it wasn't going to back down.
"Raaaa!"
Torterra, who always paid close attention to Paul's thoughts, now had the perfect opportunity to prove itself. The honest, unassuming gaze it often wore gave way to sharp intensity.
Ursaluna had made a breakthrough in power. Did that mean Torterra hadn't?
"Begin."
Paul stepped to the side, arms crossed, and speaking calmly.
"Ursaah!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Ursaluna bellowed and erupted into flames—Guts activating—followed by a sudden Belly Drum, trading its stamina for maximum power.
In an instant, Ursaluna had entered its peak state.
Then, it stomped the earth with raw force, Earthquake—shaking the terrain as it launched itself forward, charging across dozens of meters toward Torterra with a thunderous leap.
Torterra wasn't about to pull punches either. If Ursaluna was going all in, so would it.
"Raaaa!"
The ground beneath Torterra erupted as it countered with its own Earthquake, minimizing the impact from Ursaluna's. At the same time, jagged vines tore through the cracked soil and shot skyward.
Frenzy Plant!
As the fusion of Power Whip and Frenzy Plant progressed, perhaps due to its extraordinary talent, it had now broken through a critical threshold—able to unleash Frenzy Plant without suffering any of its usual drawbacks.
It wielded the entangling greenery as effortlessly as it once did the vines conjured through Ingrain, treating the hardened flora like extensions of its own body.
A sudden surge in power!
But no matter how formidable Frenzy Plant might be, in the face of Ursaluna in Bloodmoon form, with its attack stat maxed out, not even a wave was stirred. Every tendril of plant life that tried to touch it was instantly pulverized to dust by the sheer force of Headlong Rush.
Even Torterra's Solar Beam fired off instantly without needing to charge, stood no chance—it was shattered into drifting particles of light by the charging force of Headlong Rush, like a flickering illusion swept away by the wind.
Headlong Rush—unstoppable!
And yet, despite the overwhelming momentum, Torterra didn't use Protect. It had grown familiar with Ursaluna's patterns. It knew that if it used Protect now, it might not be able to hold the line the next time.
Still, Torterra did not give up. Just as the Headlong Rush was about to strike, a special barrier materialized in front of it—positioned perfectly between itself and Ursaluna.
Reflect—a move that creates a shimmering wall to reduce the power of incoming physical attacks.
Because of Reflect and the stacked effects of other weakening strategies, Torterra managed to avoid being one-shot by Ursaluna's ferocious charge.
Upon seeing this, Ursaluna wasted no time.
As soon as Headlong Rush ended, it immediately followed up with Giga Impact. The massive bear hurled itself forward like a living cannonball, slamming straight toward Torterra with unstoppable momentum.
(End of Chapter)
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