Ever since Chimchar first gained awareness in the wild, it had been bullied by other Pokémon.
It wasn't until a pack of Zangoose cornered it, driving it into absolute desperation, that Chimchar accidentally unleashed a burst of terrifying power. That momentary eruption caught Paul's attention.
After Paul took it in, life on his team was never easy. Still, Paul was the only one who had ever extended a hand to Chimchar since its birth.
No matter how harsh Paul was, no matter how cold his treatment became, he was still Chimchar's one and only.
For Paul's sake, Chimchar gave everything it had.
It knew Paul valued strength. It knew he had captured it because of that sudden, blazing outburst. And so Chimchar struggled desperately to recreate that power, again and again.
But no matter how hard it tried, that terrifying blaze never returned.
Paul pushed its body to the brink time after time, leaving its life hanging by a thread. He believed that desperation would force the flame to erupt, that Chimchar would awaken that power simply to survive.
Yet even on the verge of death, nothing happened.
Not only Paul, Chimchar itself began to wonder if that eruption had been a once-in-a-lifetime miracle.
After all, it hadn't even been conscious when the power manifested. It was Paul who told it that such strength existed within its body.
Chimchar believed him.
So it struggled with all its might to excavate that power, to ignite it again, but the results were always the same.
Failure.
When brute force failed, Chimchar tried another path.
If it couldn't explode with power, then it would grow steadily instead, raise its level, little by little.
But even that path led nowhere.
No matter how hard it trained, its level wouldn't rise. Its strength wouldn't increase. The flame wouldn't awaken.
In Paul's words, it was trash.
Being abandoned had always been a possibility Chimchar sensed, but it refused to accept it, refused even to imagine it.
Reality, however, was merciless.
Paul did abandon it.
What Chimchar never expected was that the moment Paul turned his back, someone else would choose to reach out.
The disbelief was overwhelming.
And so was the doubt.
'Do I even deserve this?'
It had already disappointed Paul, would it disappoint this new human as well? The one who had shown kindness at first sight, who had healed its battered body without asking for anything in return?
If this person discovered how useless it truly was., would he discard it too?
'Don't overthink it, Chimchar. You have unmatched potential.'
'I won't say you're the strongest Pokémon in the world, but I'm certain you're the strongest Chimchar.'
'If that guy couldn't bring out your power, it doesn't mean I can't.'
Ash's voice echoed in its ears.
Chimchar snapped its head up and met his gaze.
In those eyes, it saw care. Encouragement. Trust.
Things it had never once seen in Paul's cold, single-minded stare.
'I'll prove it wasn't you who failed, it was him. Let me unlock your potential and leave him stunned.'
Ash extended his hand again.
This time, Chimchar didn't hesitate.
It placed its small paw into Ash's palm.
That simple gesture spoke volumes, it was a choice, an answer, an acceptance of the kindness offered.
Life could be strangely theatrical.
Ash had only intended to mediate a conflict, yet somehow ended up taking in an abandoned Chimchar.
As Chimchar entered the Poké Ball, even Ash felt dazed, as if waking from a dream.
Had he really just captured such an extraordinarily gifted Pokémon?
Encountering a Sinnoh starter alone was already remarkable. But finding one with triple-S potential, casually discarded by someone else?
It felt more absurd than a television drama, hard to believe such a thing could happen in reality.
The situation reminded Ash of Charmander.
Though that Trainer had been even crueler than Paul, Ash hadn't captured Charmander immediately. That journey had been tangled and painful.
This time, though, it felt like fate had simply placed Chimchar in his hands.
Or perhaps Arceus itself was spoon-feeding him destiny.
Paul had come to the Indigo Plateau Conference seeking powerful, high-aptitude Pokémon, dreaming of Dragon Island, never realizing the true magnitude of what he had thrown away.
This was a being that might one day touch the realm of divinity.
If Paul ever learned of Chimchar's true aptitude, would he regret it?
Probably not.
Though their acquaintance had been brief, Paul's character was laid bare on the battlefield. From the start, Ash had sensed how fundamentally different they were.
Ash didn't want Paul's regret.
He wanted Paul's acknowledgment.
The useless one wasn't Chimchar.
It was the Trainer who couldn't unlock its potential.
After that midday interlude, Ash and the others returned to watch the Indigo Plateau matches.
In the afternoon, the battles shifted to the Grass Field, Conway's arena.
The Trainer named Conway appeared mild and scholarly behind his glasses.
His battle was a joy to watch.
Every move flowed naturally, as if calculated in advance. Every action from his opponent was anticipated and countered before it could fully unfold.
Even though their raw strength was similar, the opponent never stood a chance.
The spectators enjoyed the spectacle, but Conway's opponent was miserable.
Every move was predicted.
It was infuriating.
When the battle ended, Conway hadn't lost a single Pokémon, another clean three-to-zero sweep. It wasn't overwhelming brute force, yet the opponent had been utterly helpless from start to finish.
And worse, the match revealed nothing useful.
What he showed today was likely the weakest end of his main roster, perhaps even a secondary team.
As an information-gathering specialist, Conway understood better than anyone how valuable intel was. With his opponent's data already in hand, why would he ever go all out?
As a result, every Trainer hoping to scout Conway walked away empty-handed.
Ash and the others gained no concrete data on Conway's Pokémon either.
But Ash had observed something far more important.
Conway's battle style.
Pokémon battle Pokémon, but only Trainers battle Trainers.
Raw strength on the field was one thing. The mental duel between Trainers was another.
As long as Ash didn't lose that battle of minds, his Pokémon would never fail him.
"Let's go. Nothing else worth watching today," Ash said as he stood. "I'm taking Chimchar for special training. Next match, I'm letting him shine. First step, get his confidence back."
With that, he jogged out of the arena.
Misty and the others didn't call after him. They understood perfectly.
To Ash, helping Chimchar prove itself, to Paul, was probably even more important than winning the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, it was Day Five.
The first preliminaries were complete. Four days had cut the field in half. The next three rounds would take only four more days, two for Round Two, one for Round Three, and one for Round Four.
After that came a full week of rest.
Then, the Top 32.
The schedule was brutal. To stand out, a Trainer had to be prepared both on and off the battlefield.
Proper rest mattered. Tactical reserves mattered even more.
Many Trainers had already revealed their trump cards in Round One. If they didn't adjust in Round Two, reaching Round Three would be difficult, if not impossible.
Ash's match was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Day Five, one of the earliest bouts.
The stands were packed.
And after several days of absence, Cynthia and Leon reappeared in the VIP box.
Anyone with eyes could tell, they were here for Ash.
They were willing to sit through every preliminary match just to watch him.
The audience was stunned.
Ash was famous. Ash was strong.
But strong enough for two reigning Champions to attend every preliminary?
These were the top two Trainers in the world.
Did Ash really command that much prestige?
He did.
They were here for him alone.
His first match had already delighted them. Now, they were eager to see what surprises he would bring in Round Two.
In an inconspicuous corner of the stands, Paul sat silently.
Blue jacket. Arms crossed. Expression cold.
His eyes never left Ash.
Whatever he'd said before, Paul clearly respected the Trainer who had gone toe-to-toe with Elite-level opponents.
Every scrap of information still mattered.
"Welcome to the Indigo Plateau Conference!" the announcer boomed.
"Today's spotlight shines on the ever-popular Ash, facing a beautiful Academy prodigy, Giselle!"
"Rumor has it Giselle once battled Ash and narrowly lost! If that's true, today may be her chance for revenge! Can she avenge that defeat? Let's find out!"
Amid the roar of the crowd, Ash and Giselle stepped onto the field.
Giselle looked noticeably more mature now, her figure fuller, her presence poised on the edge of adulthood.
Even Ash blinked in surprise.
Giselle's luck was abysmal. With so many possible matchups, she'd drawn him.
"We meet again, Giselle," Ash said calmly.
"I didn't expect Round Two either," she replied. "I'm not who I used to be… but it seems you've grown even more."
Her gaze was complicated.
She had improved tremendously since the Academy.
But Ash's growth dwarfed hers.
So much so that she barely recognized the rookie who had once sparred with her in simulations.
Who could believe that in half a year, really, just three months, he'd reached the level of battling Elite Four-tier Trainers?
The world truly loved its drama.
One of the reasons Giselle entered the Indigo Plateau Conference was to face Ash again.
Yet now that the moment had arrived…
It felt too early.
Lose here, and her very first Conference run would end embarrassingly fast.
"Trainers, send out your first Pokémon!" the referee announced, finally cutting through the tension.
Both Trainers laughed awkwardly.
They'd nearly forgotten they were already on the battlefield.
"Go, Marowak, time for revenge!"
"I choose you, Chimchar!"