Seafoam Islands Resort Zone, Pokémon Center Corner
"Bzzz~bzzz~"
Paul was holding his Rotom Phone, dialing a call.
Soon, Scott's chubby face appeared on screen, smiling cheerfully as he congratulated him:
"Ah, Paul! I heard you already defeated Anabel and earned the Ability Symbol. It's a shame I couldn't watch the match, what a pity. Still, congrats! You've officially qualified to challenge Frontier Brain Brandon now."
"Where is Mr. Brandon right now?"
Paul ignored the praise. What mattered was the location of the Battle Pyramid.
After defeating Anabel, Paul had used his Rotom Phone to search for the current whereabouts of the Battle Pyramid. According to online data, the Pyramid had been stationed near the Seafoam Islands about a month ago. But after coming all this way, he found no trace of it.
Left speechless and mildly frustrated, Paul had no choice but to call Scott, the founder of the Battle Frontier to ask about Brandon's current location.
"Oh, that… Right, I forgot to tell you since you were unreachable for a while. Mr. Brandon accepted an invitation to explore ancient ruins in another region. He's currently away from Kanto." Scott said with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head.
"Where exactly? Any details? When will he be back?"
Paul asked coolly.
"Last I heard, he was near Ecruteak City in Johto. I don't have a precise location. He's likely exploring inside the ruins and unreachable by signal. If I had to guess, he should be back in a week or two."
"Let me know when he returns."
"No problem!"
After ending the call, Paul began pondering his next move.
His original plan was to defeat Brandon and dominate the Battle Frontier before heading to challenge Drake, securing the title of the strongest Trainer beneath the Elite Four (not because he couldn't beat them, but to establish a solid rank).
Should he explore the Seafoam Islands a bit? Maybe look for Articuno?
Probably not necessary. According to his knowledge, Red had already captured the Articuno from Seafoam Islands. As they say, no two kings on one mountain. No point in going now.
Since Brandon wasn't around, the next step would be to challenge Drake, and through the Champion League, aim to claim the Orange League Winner's Cup.
As he continued to consider what else needed doing, voices from nearby teens caught his attention.
"Hey, did you hear? There's a tournament going on at the Battle Arena. The winner gets to challenge Lorelei!"
"Seriously?"
"It's already starting. Not a strict format, more like a gauntlet. The last one standing gets to challenge her."
"That sounds unfair to the final challenger."
"Fair? What's fair? No regular Trainer can beat Lorelei anyway. If you can't survive the gauntlet, you wouldn't stand a chance against her."
"You've got a point. When does it start?"
"Already started. Hurry up!"
"Shoot!"
The two teens dashed out of the Pokémon Center.
"Lorelei, huh?"
Paul's interest was piqued.
He had defeated Bruno in the anime world, but never scored a true 1v1 win against an Elite Four member in the real world.
He was curious: did he now have the power to defeat one?
Unfortunately, his Electivire—the best candidate for countering Lorelei's Ice-types was away with Mewtwo at the Tree of Beginning.
And while Torterra was powerful, it was too vulnerable to Ice-types to be reliable here.
Fortunately, he still had other capable Pokémon: Ursaluna in Awakened form, a Flash Fire/Nasty Plot Ninetales, and Samurott who could read moves and counter with Sacred Sword, each had potential ways to make up the difference.
"Let's go see."
Decision made, Paul rose and briskly followed the crowd.
...
Battle Arena
Located near the Seafoam Islands Resort, this facility served as a battleground for visiting Trainers. It featured a proper battlefield at its center, capable of seating large audiences for match viewings.
At this moment, Trainers and tourists interested in Pokémon battles were flooding in, eager to catch a glimpse of Lorelei of the Elite Four.
Among them, confident and competitive Trainers were stepping into the arena to challenge the reigning battler.
By the time Paul arrived, the match had already begun. A well-built girl with a tidy bun and striking features was commanding a Serperior, effortlessly demolishing challengers.
An Elite-level Serperior, just its sheer presence overwhelmed its foes.
Like a maxed-out player stomping through a beginner village, it took down opponent after opponent in a single move.
No matter if they sent out Arcanine, Charizard, Jynx, or Beedrill, all fell swiftly.
The girl and her Serperior became the center of attention.
Even stamina management wasn't an issue; instead of using Synthesis, Serperior simply drained its foes dry with Giga Drain.
"She's gotten stronger. But by how much? Hard to say with such a power gap."
Leaning against the railing, Paul murmured as he watched the girl.
It was Rosa.
He hadn't expected to run into her again so soon.
But with the skill disparity between her and the challengers, Paul lost interest after a few rounds and turned his eyes across the arena, scanning for Lorelei.
Soon he spotted her on a private platform: dressed in a smart office outfit, glasses perched on her nose, curves accentuated by the wind, gazing into the horizon, occasionally glancing down at the match.
She looked every bit the cosmopolitan beauty enjoying her holiday, basking in sunlight and breeze.
"Lorelei... Will you be the one I lose to as expected? Or will you become the first Elite I ever truly defeat?"
Paul's eyes flashed with intensity, fists tightening at his sides.
Whether from instinct or fate, Lorelei happened to look down and lock eyes with Paul, meeting his gaze with a serene, knowing smile.
"And yet another challenger falls to Rosa and her Serperior! That's 23 straight victories for her, all with a single Pokémon! Any more challengers?"
The announcer's voice rang out across the arena.
No one responded.
After all, the current format allowed the champion to switch Pokémon between matches, but Rosa hadn't needed to. Her Serperior alone had carried her all this way without taking a single hit.
Its slippery movement made it nearly impossible to land a blow. Even those who could survive its strikes simply couldn't hit it back.
Trainers in the audience weren't hesitating out of fear. They were simply thinking: how do you even land a hit on that Serperior? Until they had an answer, none dared step forward.
After all, if you can't land a hit on your opponent, victory is impossible.
"My turn."
Seeing that no one had stepped forward for several seconds, Paul leapt down from the bleachers and walked onto the battlefield, stopping across from Rosa.
"I'm Paul, from Veilstone City. I wish to challenge Elite Four member Lorelei."
His voice echoed clearly across the battlefield, projected by an unseen mic through the venue's speakers.
"Challenging Master Lorelei won't be easy, you'll need to last till the very end. Let's see what surprises our 24th challenger Paul might bring!"
The announcer's voice was full of anticipation.
"Challenger, release your Pokémon."
The referee signaled the start.
"Torterra. Get ready."
Paul had no intention of revealing which Pokémon he'd use against Lorelei just yet. Since a gauntlet-style challenge required endurance and Torterra wouldn't be fighting Lorelei anyway, he decided to start with his most durable battler.
"Raaa—!"
With a rumble, Torterra's massive form appeared on the field. Compared to before, it had grown even larger, like a small hill had taken root in the stadium. The Serperior standing across from it looked tiny, barely half the size of the tree on Torterra's back.
Gasps swept through the crowd. Even Lorelei, watching from the VIP balcony, lowered her sunglasses slightly and narrowed her eyes at the sight.
"Your Torterra got bigger again, didn't it?"
Rosa hadn't battled Torterra before, but she'd seen it once. Clearly, it had undergone another significant breakthrough.
"It made some progress." Paul replied coolly.
With the possible exception of Mewtwo who had likely already surpassed Champion-level, the rest of Paul's team including Torterra, Garchomp, and Electivire, had all reached the peak of Elite Four caliber.
And next time… Garchomp and Electivire might just hit Champion level too.
"Progress, huh… Come back, Serperior."
After a few seconds of silent thought, Rosa exhaled and recalled her Pokémon.
Serperior's slippery evasive movements were stylish, and she'd even developed a method to make it float. But asking an assassin to fight a walking fortress? That was too much.
"Then let's go, Volcarona!"
Rosa tossed out a Poké Ball, and a large majestic moth Pokémon emerged. Its brilliant blue eyes and crimson antennae framed its fluffy white mane, while six orange wings shimmered with ember-like patterns. Its body was stout and elegant, speckled with black markings along its torso and wings.
As the Solar Pokémon and a symbol of the sun, Volcarona was one of the strongest Fire-types.
Originally, Rosa had planned to save it for Lorelei. But now, if she wanted the right to face the Elite Four, she had to defeat Paul first.
"Battle, begin!"
The referee's hand sliced down to signal the start.
"Quiver Dance, then Fiery Dance!"
Volcarona fluttered midair, gracefully twirling as heat radiated from its wings, flames curling through the dance. In the process, its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed all rose.
"Light Screen. Control the field."
Unmoved by the firestorm, Torterra calmly summoned a shimmering barrier. Then, without flinching, it rooted itself deep into the earth—Ingrain activated, spreading vines and roots across the battlefield.
Volcarona's Fiery Dance slammed into the Light Screen and still landed a solid hit, but Torterra immediately began absorbing energy, healing visibly.
"No good, we need to end this quickly!"
Watching Torterra heal unnervingly fast, Rosa felt a chill despite the heat.
Theoretically, Volcarona's type advantage should secure a win in a drawn-out battle. But if it turned into a war of attrition, Torterra would easily outlast it.
"Volcarona, use it—Firestorm Butterfly!"
Rosa's voice rang out loud and clear.
Unlike Paul who liked to develop strange battle tactics, Rosa preferred combining compatible moves into powerful custom techniques like many main protagonists.
Firestorm Butterfly was Volcarona's ultimate offensive move: a fusion of Quiver Dance, Fiery Dance, Hurricane, and Heat Wave—a devastating attack with overwhelming power. The only drawback was its high energy cost.
"Voooohh…"
Volcarona let out a piercing cry and began spinning rapidly midair. Wind gathered around it, flames intensifying into a blazing vortex. As wind fed flame, the inferno grew.
In just under three seconds, Volcarona had become a whirling firestorm—a raging solar cyclone that made the whole arena stiflingly hot, bringing color to every spectator's cheeks.
Once the fiery vortex reached critical mass, Volcarona dove at Torterra, looking like an incarnation of the Sun God descending upon the battlefield.
The blazing vortex was about to ravage the forested mountain.
Standing behind Torterra, Paul could feel the true pressure of the attack but he didn't flinch. He telekinetically blocked the heat around him and gave a single command:
"Protect."
Torterra remained unshaken. A shimmering impassable barrier sprang up around it, holding firm against the spiraling flames.
Above, Volcarona blazed like the sun. Below, Torterra stood as unmoving as a mountain.
It was like divine punishment descending from the heavens.
Yet, for all its ferocity, the attack still couldn't breach the Light Screen and Protect combo.
"Sunny Day!"
From the center of the firestorm, a bright orb shot skyward and burst, bathing the arena in intense sunlight. The temperature spiked again, boosting the power of all Fire-type moves.
But Torterra still didn't move. It simply maintained its defenses—Light Screen and Protect, refusing to give ground.
(End of Chapter)
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