"Yaa-yi-yaa-yo~ yaa-yi-yaa-yo~ hehehehe~ hehehehe..."
"With my partners by my side, we'll grow strong and take on bosses!"
"Beat Paul, surpass Red, become the top Star Rider..."
In a deep forest, a cheerful young girl sang a self-made tune as she strolled leisurely down a woodland path.
Rattata and Butterfree, hidden in the grass and behind trees, peeked out at the noise then quickly lowered their heads and resumed munching quietly.
Even the usually aggressive Beedrill swarms, sensitive to disturbances in their forest domain, noticed the girl's bold presence and immediately surged forth, aiming to eliminate this threat to their territory.
"BZZZZ~"
A swarm of Beedrill descended, encircling the girl like a deadly shadow, ready to strike.
"Wow~ So many adorable Beedrill~"
Surprisingly, the girl didn't panic. Instead, she gazed at the Pokémon around her with curiosity, a nostalgic sparkle flashing in her eyes as she remembered the time she ran away from home and caught her first Pokémon.
Thud!Thud!Thud!Thud!Thud!Thud!
Just as the Beedrill prepared to attack, several Poké Balls on the girl's belt burst open, releasing beams of white light.
"Nido~"
First appeared a burly Nidoking, whose sheer presence and roar instantly cooled the Beedrill's rage.
"Chaba~"
Beside him, an Arbok coiled on the ground, flicking its tongue. Its chilling stare made the Beedrill shudder. A Seviper next to it lashed its bladed tail against the ground, clearly impatient.
In the shadows, a grinning Gengar loomed, while a calm Venusaur radiated a subtle but powerful aura.
One of the Beedrill, eyes equally cold, began rubbing its twin needles together, glaring down its kin.
"BZZZZ~"
So you're a Beedrill too, huh?
In perfect unison, the entire swarm buzzed angrily at the girl's Beedrill—then disappeared in a flash, fleeing at high speed.
"You guys are so scary~"
Leanne chuckled and stuck out her tongue at her Pokémon.
"Nido~"
Nidoking proudly thumped his chest and lifted his head high, until his expression suddenly grew stern. He quickly scooped Leanne onto his shoulder and turned to face a certain direction, alert.
"Chaba~"
"Banaa~"
"..."
The other Pokémon followed suit, all turning seriously toward the source of an ominous energy.
"Is there a powerful Pokémon over there?"
"It hasn't shown up this whole time, so maybe it doesn't mean harm. Let's check it out!"
Ever curious, Leanne made up her mind.
She wasn't the bravest, but as long as her partners were with her, she felt unstoppable!
"Nido~"
Nidoking nodded to the others and led the way.
They parted the bushes to reveal a wide lake that instantly lifted everyone's spirits.
But their relief didn't last long.
They quickly noticed something terribly wrong.
A large section of the lakeshore was covered in absurd, thorny, towering plants—taller than any tree in the forest. The vegetation was so dense that nothing could be seen beyond it.
Even more disturbingly, the plant growth was still spreading—200 meters, 300 meters... The strange flora devoured everything in its path, even creeping across the lake's surface and filling it in.
"What is this? Frenzy Plant gone wild?"
Leanne gasped, her mind leaping to the move's name as she glanced at her Venusaur.
"Banaa~"
Venusaur, who knew Frenzy Plant, shook its head furiously, eyes filled with disbelief.
That's Frenzy Plant? Are you kidding me?
Even going all out, its own Frenzy Plant couldn't cover even a fraction of this scale!
"What kind of presence could create this...? Could it be the mythical forest guardian—Celebi?"
Leanne racked her brain. Only a powerful Celebi might pull off something this extreme.
But before she could ponder further, something changed.
Three minutes later, the monstrous vegetation began glowing green. Then, like dandelion seeds, it dissolved into shimmering specks of light, merging peacefully into the surrounding nature.
"What... kind of being was that?"
Leanne and her Pokémon stared, unblinking, at the heart of the now-cleared field. Soon, a massive form emerged—a body like a hill, with a great tree growing from its back.
A Torterra.
Standing beside it was a purple-haired boy and a group of intimidating Pokémon.
"That's... Paul?!"
The name popped into Leanne's mind—the very Paul she had referenced in her song.
"Not bad. Finally broke through."
Paul checked the Rotom Phone data, then walked over and patted the towering Torterra's leg.
After tireless effort, Torterra had finally surpassed its limits and reached Champion level.
"Raaaa~"
Torterra let out a proud cry, and with a thought, grew a plant under Paul's feet, lifting him up so he could rest on its back and pat its head.
Paul smiled, half exasperated, half fond.
Stronger now, but still just as humble.
"Ursaah~"
Nearby, Ursaluna compared its bulk to Torterra's, surprised to find itself still smaller. None of the other Pokémon even came close to eye level.
Torterra now stood nearly 2.5 meters tall, most Pokémon didn't even break 2 meters.
"Wooo~"
Ninetales happily leapt onto Torterra's back, curling up with a contented sigh.
"Chaaah~"
Hisuian Samurott, newly transferred to Paul, clenched its blade-arms tightly, resolve burning stronger than ever.
It knew there were four towering figures ahead of it—Mewtwo, Electivire, Garchomp, and now Torterra. Each one a mountain.
Even if its talent rivaled the last three, it still had far to go.
I will catch up. No matter what!
Aggron, Drapion, and Metagross all felt the same—only Froslass, more easygoing than Ninetales, simply gave a serene smile.
"You... need something?"
Suddenly, Paul turned toward Leanne, who had been quietly inching closer with her Pokémon.
"Ah, um, h-hi there! Lovely weather today... didn't think I'd run into you, Paul..."
Caught, Leanne stammered awkwardly.
"?"
Paul raised a brow. "You here to challenge me?"
After a few seconds of recognition, he recalled her info and assumed she was here for a battle.
"Y-yes—I mean no! Just passing by! Not challenging, nope!"
Reflexively, Leanne nearly agreed. But remembering the earlier scene, she shook her head furiously.
A real Trainer never fears strong opponents. Even with only a slim chance, they fight on.
But she knew—even with all six of her Pokémon, she probably wouldn't even have a one-in-a-thousand chance against Torterra.
Leanne, you'll beat Paul someday... just not today!
Paul, unfazed, shifted his gaze to her Pokémon, analyzing their strength.
Honor Tier. Close to Elite Four level. If she'd faced his old self at the Lily of the Valley Conference, maybe she'd have had a 30–40% win rate. Not bad.
"Your Pokémon are well trained. How about a battle?"
Paul offered.
"N-no thanks... I-I really can't win."
Leanne waved her hands awkwardly.
Her Pokémon stared in silent disapproval, until they remembered Torterra's monstrous Frenzy Plant. Then they too went quiet.
"Not against Torterra. Samurott will battle your six."
Paul glanced at Samurott, who gripped its twin blades tighter.
"Chaah?"
Samurott's eyes sharpened.
Battle. Whether strong or weak, there's always something to learn.
"Ah? Not Torterra...?"
Relieved, Leanne perked up.
If she was right, Samurott was about Elite Four level—not as terrifying as Torterra. In a six-on-one match, maybe she had a shot.
"Yes. All six of your Pokémon versus Samurott. Gengar won't use Destiny Bond or Curse."
Paul added.
Using Destiny Bond in a spar? That's just cheap. And Curse + Toxic? Even Electivire or Torterra would struggle with that.
Leanne blinked. "Six on one?"
"Mm."
Samurott had mastered Detect and Shadow Sneak, near unbeatable in one-on-ones. But against six opponents at once?
Even Samurott didn't know if it could handle that.
"Chaaah~"
Samurott's eyes lit up. No Protect or Safeguard, this would be tough.
A 1v6 against Honor-Tier Poison-types? Even for Samurott, a win wasn't guaranteed.
"Nido~"
"Chaba~"
"..."
Leanne hesitated, but her Pokémon didn't.
Their opponent had spoken. Time to go!
"Alright, let's do it!"
Seeing her team's eagerness, Leanne agreed.
"Three minutes to prepare."
Paul and Samurott moved to the center of a clearing.
"6v1. It won't be easy. If you want to avoid Toxic and win, you'll need to eliminate the most persistent threat first."
In later generations, Poison-types using Toxic always hit. While that wasn't literally true in real life, ignoring it would be foolish.
Paul stepped back.
This wasn't just a battle. It was training.
"Chaaah~"
Samurott gripped its blades, eyes scanning Leanne's Pokémon. Calculating attack order.
Leanne quickly gathered her team.
"Here's the plan. Poison it, weaken it with status moves, then gang up and wear it down."
Poison-types vs tough foes? Always go for the debuffs. That's the Poison way.
ROAR!!
With a unified cry, Leanne's team encircled Samurott from six angles, ready to attack.
"Chaaah~"
Samurott locked eyes on Venusaur.
"Banaa~"
Feeling that sharp gaze, Venusaur lowered its body, fully on guard.
"Going for Venusaur first...?"
Leanne mused. Venusaur got stronger the longer a battle dragged on—strong defense, favorable typing. Made sense to eliminate it quickly.
"Ursaah!"
The battlefield went quiet, until Ursaluna's roar broke the silence.
The match began!
"Chaaah~"
In a flash, Samurott leapt skyward, water spiraling around its body like a blue comet—charging straight for Venusaur.
"ROAR!"
At the same time, Nidoking raised his arms. A barrage of rocks and Toxic droplets rained down between Samurott and Venusaur. Beedrill activated Agility and shot toward Samurott, twin spears glowing crimson.
Seviper and Arbok moved next, spitting Toxic from afar. Gengar's eyes flared blue, launching a blast of psychic energy.
(End of Chapter...)
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