After becoming Champion, Paul still wasn't sure what a Champion was supposed to do. But he was very clear about what he wouldn't do.
Yes, Champions wield real authority. But honestly, which person who rises to Champion actually cares about power? What people respect most is the honor that proves one's true strength.
That's why most Champions bear little responsibility, rarely participate in League administration, and often go off pursuing their own "side careers."
Paul had no great passion for any side profession. But he certainly wasn't about to waste his time managing the League or playing savior for world peace.
At his first Sinnoh League executive meeting as Champion, Paul made only five proposals:
Stronger confinement, oversight, and control of Team Galactic members.
(Paul did not want a repeat of the Pokémon Journeys scenario—where Galactic remnants escaped, seized the Fire Plate and the Source of Life, captured Heatran, and even forced Arceus to appear.)
Crack down harder on Pokémon Hunters and the black market.
Improve benefits for novice Trainers, including standardized raising and free distribution of beginner Pokémon.
Support Pokémon–human ecological cooperation and shared development initiatives.
Develop a Max Raid–capable battle facility in Veilstone City, establishing the Veilstone Colosseum as Sinnoh's premier stadium.
Once Paul laid these out, the League expected him to fulfill Champion duties by handling various minor affairs. But instead, they found he had seemingly vanished into thin air.
When League officials realized this, they fell into awkward silence—
Great. Another Champion like Cynthia or Steven Stone: a free-range Champion who lets things run on their own.
Sigh… well, we're used to it. Let him be.
....
Days later, under bright sun and clear skies—
At a Pokémon Day Care, two little Fairy Pokémon in frilly skirts watered plants and pulled weeds. Beneath the eaves, a Bibarel dozed peacefully against the wall, utterly content.
Above, a Staraptor led a tight formation of Flying-types, soaring as if in a military drill.
On the grass, Reggie sat surrounded by his Pokémon, all watching a Lairon lying in the center. They were studying ways to adapt Toxic + Venoshock for Steel-type Pokémon, while also pondering: how could Poison-types themselves ever be made to experience poisoning?
This was a research request Paul had left behind, along with two of his own experimental ideas:
If a Steel-type Pokémon were forced to ingest immense quantities of toxins, could the damage inflicted from within cause poisoning?
If ordinary Pokémon venom could be trained to become more corrosive—even surpassing that of naturally corrosive Pokémon—might it be able to poison or at least harm Steel-types?
Reggie had to admit, the ideas shocked him. That's why he had taken time in recent days to investigate.
"Roooose~"
"What is it, Roserade?"
Lost in thought after long hours of testing, Reggie felt a nudge from Roserade and turned with mild confusion.
Following its gesture, he noticed a boy standing silently beside him—he wore a red-and-white cap, a crimson jacket, denim jeans, and carried a round-faced Pikachu on his shoulder.
Reggie froze. Then recognition struck.
"You're… Red!? What brings you here?"
The shock lasted only a moment. Before him stood the legendary Trainer who had defeated Leon and claimed the title of the world's strongest Trainer.
But what business could such a legend possibly have here… unless—
"..."
Red gave the faintest nod. He raised his phone, revealing Paul's image on the screen.
"…Ah, you're looking for Paul. Well, that's unlucky timing. He only stayed here two days after becoming Champion. Then he took his Pokémon and disappeared—I've no idea where he went."
Reggie chuckled to himself, recalling Paul's face growing darker and more irritable as the press hounded him nonstop after his victory.
"Do you have some business with him? You can tell me first, I'll pass along the message when he gets back."
Reggie thought hard. For Red to travel all this way, it had to be one of two things: either he wanted to challenge the newly crowned Champion to a battle… or he wished to see the mysterious Pokémon Mewtwo, which had never before been recorded.
Anything else seemed unlikely.
Red: "..."
He stayed silent for several seconds, then swiped the screen. This time, an image appeared—Paul standing alongside Mewtwo.
Reggie's heart skipped.
"Just as I thought…!"
But in the very next instant—
As Red raised his other hand and tossed a black-and-gold Ultra Ball, the Pokémon that emerged in the courtyard was identical to the one in the image on his phone.
Reggie's expression froze solid.
Another Mewtwo…
"The Mewtwo of this world… was in Red's possession?!"
...
After Paul disappeared, the outside world buzzed with endless speculation.
Some believed Paul had gone traveling, challenging strong Trainers across the regions. Any day now, rumors might surface of him defeating an Elite Four member or even a Champion.
Others argued he was roaming the globe in search of Legendary Pokémon, attempting to battle and capture them.
Still others thought Paul had retreated to some desolate wilderness, honing his strength in solitude—preparing for the inevitable clash of the World Coronation Series.
After all, few doubted that the Trainer who had so decisively defeated Cynthia would be unable to rise to the level of the Masters Eight.
And yet, reality was… more complicated.
The moment Paul vanished, he was simply gone. For more than a month, not a single word, not a trace.
As time passed, his "heat" slowly faded. The spotlight shifted to the new generation.
Across every region, the once-invincible Elite Four members seemed struck by some invisible curse: battle after battle, they were defeated by rising stars who had barely traveled for a single year.
While these new "protagonists" surged forward, Paul had long since been spending his days in the Hisui region.
There, he crossed paths with Akari, the protagonist of those distant days. Training side by side with Akari and his Pokémon, Paul's growth accelerated once again.
In less than a month, every one of his Pokémon had reached the level of a Champion.
Staying there so long, Paul half-joked to himself that his own body was transforming into that of a "Super Hisuian."
Of course… that wasn't what mattered.
During this time, Akari herself captured the Mythical Pokémon Darkrai and Cresselia, as well as the Colossal Titan of Legend, Regigigas. He even quelled the raging storms of the Forces of Nature—the Four Cloud Guardians.
Once the dust finally settled, Paul and Akari set out together one day, departing from their coastal base to explore the hidden places of Hisui.
Their path led them to a desolate road, untouched by human presence.
Following it, the two soon came upon what looked like a peculiar little hill.
But climbing it revealed the truth: the hill was only a façade. At its center lay a sunken hollow, holding a spring of crystal-clear water.
At that moment, the Poké Balls holding Palkia and Dialga quivered faintly in their hands—a silent signal of the place's significance.
"It seems this must be the legendary Sendoff Spring." Akari observed, gazing curiously around at this point where the real world connected to the ruined Distortion World.
"Which means Giratina should be within. Let's go."
In the games, finding Sendoff Spring was simple. But in reality, it had taken Paul and Akari a long time to track it down.
Now that they'd arrived, Paul could hardly contain himself.
"Then let's go." Akari agreed.
She released her Braviary, which settled onto its riding harness. Extending one hand, she pulled Paul up behind him.
The two exchanged a glance, then together descended into the abyssal cavern before them—
A gateway to another world.
(End of Chapter)
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