"That Brock, honestly!"
At the Pokémon Center, Sumire crossed her arms, looking quite annoyed at Brock, who was giving a help to Nurse Joy in the distance.
After finishing their meal, Sumire had wanted to discuss tomorrow's battle with Brock privately, but he had put on a white lab coat and gone to give a help to Nurse Joy instead.
"Croa~"
Croagunk, standing before Sumire, shared the same frustration.
Puffing out its cheek pouches, it looked down gloomily at its right hand and then at the serious-looking Brock, letting out a low, uncharacteristic croak.
"It seems Croagunk is quite out of sorts since it didn't get to act today!" Ash, who possessed the Viridian Power, could slightly sense the feelings of the Pokémon.
At this moment, he could feel that Croagunk's mood was actually one of profound bewilderment.
"Could it be because it didn't get to use Poison Jab all day?"
Hearing this, Dawn, sitting next to Ash, immediately understood. Seeing Croagunk's somewhat stifled expression, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
"Pikachu~ Pikachu~"
Pikachu's reaction was even more exaggerated, clutching its stomach and laughing out loud.
"Thud~"
In its carelessness, its entire body even tumbled off Ash's shoulder.
"Hahaha, Pikachu, you're really being too much!"
Pikachu's performance made Dawn laugh again. At the same time, she leaned down caringly, preparing to pick up the Electric Mouse.
"Ash, why is there light flashing outside?"
Dawn held the adorable Yellow-skinned Mouse in her arms and gave it a few strokes, but her gaze suddenly caught the firelight rising outside the window.
"Could it be that Paul is doing special training?"
Recalling Paul's cold-blooded training of Chimchar and considering the current time, the person outside was likely Paul and his Pokémon.
"What? Is he still training in the middle of the night?" Dawn was shocked.
Even she and Ash had just finished their training and were preparing to rest and then Sleep; she hadn't expected that Nuisance Paul to still be out there.
"Come on, let's go take a look!"
Once Pikachu was back on his shoulder, Ash pulled a curious Dawn along as they walked outside.
...
"Elekid, Thunder; Torterra, Hyper Beam; Murkrow, Shadow Sneak; Ursaring, Aura Sphere!"
In an open area, Paul called out the names of each Pokémon in turn, using the same moves against Chimchar.
"Chimchar, use Flame Wheel!"
Facing the moves unleashed by the four Pokémon, Paul indifferently ordered Chimchar to meet them head-on, not allowing it to dodge.
"Chim~"
By now, Chimchar was already covered in injuries. Faced with Paul's harsh command, it had no choice but to spit out flames once more to cover its body.
It turned into a massive wheel to clash head-on with those moves.
Boom~
As the final sound of an explosion rang out, the solitary Chimchar, unable to withstand the assault from the four Pokémon, was sent flying with sparks scattering everywhere before collapsing to the ground.
"That poor little Chimchar, meow~"
In a certain patch of grass, two people and a cat were silently watching it all.
The Meowth in the middle even spoke in human tongue, feeling pity for the tragic Chimchar.
They were none other than the Team Rocket Trio, whom we hadn't seen in a long while.
For certain reasons, they had encountered this quite pitiful Chimchar and had temporarily given up on the uncatchable Pikachu to focus their attention on Chimchar instead.
"I really don't understand how this guy has the heart to put Chimchar through such cruel training!" James, who loved Pokémon immensely, said in disbelief.
He really couldn't fathom how the boy before them could be so cold-hearted.
"If you ask me, we should just snatch Chimchar away. Wouldn't it be better to just let the cute little Chimchar escape this misery?"
The hot-tempered Jessie declared her intent to rush out, but she was held back by James and Meowth, each grabbing one of her legs.
"Jessie, don't just go out there to be defeated! Don't forget, we can't beat him at all~"
"That's right, meow! We have to think this through!"
This harsh reality immediately made Jessie slump to the ground in discouragement. "Honestly, this Little devil is just too wicked. He's not even as good as that other Little devil!"
"Exactly (meow)!" x2
The Team Rocket Trio suddenly felt that the Little devil who often blasted them off was much more pleasant to the eye. At least if Chimchar were with Ash, it wouldn't be subjected to such cruel training.
"Elekid, use Thunder to wake it up!"
On the other side, Paul's beating hadn't ended. Elekid rapidly swung its two arms to generate electricity, and a thick bolt of lightning struck down towards Chimchar.
"This is bad, meow!"
"No, I can't watch this anymore!"
"Charge!"
The Team Rocket Trio was watching with hearts in their throats. They couldn't stand it any longer and were about to launch a charge.
But a familiar voice rang out, making the Team Rocket Trio stop in their tracks.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Another golden current of electricity rushed toward the lightning from the Thunder attack and successfully dispelled it, sparing Chimchar from being electrocuted.
"It's you again!"
Paul and the Elekid at his feet turned their heads and discovered that the familiar Ash was quietly arriving, with a well-behaved girl following beside him.
The Thunderbolt just now was naturally the work of the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"Chimchar is already tired; he must rest!" Casting a glance at the poker-faced Paul to state his stance, Ash leaned down and picked up Chimchar to heal its wounds.
He didn't waste a single word during this time, because words were useless to the current Paul.
"What is all this for? To let Chimchar get hurt to this extent!" Unlike the calm Ash, an angry Dawn immediately rebuked Paul for his actions.
"Answer me, you cold-blooded, emotionless Poker Face!"
"To get stronger!" Under Dawn's repeated questioning, Paul finally spoke the truth.
A hint of reminiscence for the past appeared on his cold Poker Face as he slowly recounted the extraordinary Blaze he had encountered within Chimchar.
...
"So, I must force out the unparalleled flames within Chimchar's body and truly make them my own! Besides, this is the path Chimchar chose for itself!"
"So that's how it is, meow!"
"As expected, Chimchar is a child with immense potential!"
Meowth and Jessie were even more satisfied with the Chimchar they had their eyes on.
"But this Little devil's method simply cannot stimulate Chimchar's potential!" James, who cherished Pokémon deeply, said with a frown.
"Don't worry, meow. Isn't that other Little devil still here?"
Meowth looked toward Ash's position. By now, under the influence of the Viridian Power, Chimchar's injuries had all recovered, and it had opened its eyes.
"You've recovered. Chimchar, let's go!"
Seeing that Chimchar had regained consciousness, Paul turned away decisively, leaving with Torterra, Ursaring, and his other Pokémon.
"Chim Chim"
The conscious Chimchar let out a few cries to express its gratitude, then watched the direction Paul had left and chased after him.
"Ash, Chimchar..."
Having learned the reason for Paul's obsession, Dawn not only couldn't understand it but was even more worried about Chimchar.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow, I will resolve all of this!"
Looking at the girl's worried face, he patted his chest in assurance.
No one understood Paul's current mindset better than he did.
Not just because he had seen the plot, but because in the games, he had also been a "Paul"!!!
And the only thing the other party was wrong about was that in reality, one could never become a thorough "Paul."
At the very least, regarding one's attitude towards Pokémon, one must lean toward people like "Ash."
Because the world of Pokémon is reality, not a game in one's hands.
Thinking of this, he then took Dawn's delicate hand and returned to the Pokémon Center amidst her bashfulness.
Leaving behind the Team Rocket Trio by the bushes, their faces written with shock.