After leaving Fula City, Paul made the decision to challenge the Battle Dome while passing through the area.
Unlike the other Frontier Brains, challenging Tucker required a special procedure. As a bona fide superstar, every move he made was under the spotlight, and all official matches had to be scheduled in advance.
And that's where the complications began because once Paul booked his challenge, it seemed like the entire Kanto region knew about it overnight...
Kanto Entertainment Weekly: "Superstar Tucker to Face New Challenger — Sinnoh League Champion Paul!"
League Insider: "Following challengers Wally and Calem, a new contender steps up to battle Tucker!"
Hollywood Entertainment Daily: "Wally says: 'If Paul could beat me, it makes perfect sense he can beat Tucker too.'"
Pokémon Entertainment Digest: "Calem comments: 'Paul vs. Tucker? There's no suspense in that matchup at all!'"
Paul hadn't even arrived at the Battle Dome and the news of his upcoming match was already plastered across entertainment columns and fan blogs, most of them were full of clickbait headlines designed purely to chase views.
Paul, naturally, was completely speechless after seeing the coverage.
Seriously? The person I'm actually battling hasn't even said a word yet, but you people are already bickering and stirring up drama? How is this even real?
And as for Wally and Calem, Paul couldn't help but wonder if they were going to blow a fuse when they saw how their comments had been ripped out of context and blown out of proportion.
By the time Paul arrived in the city where the Battle Dome was located, he hadn't even had time to plant both feet on the ground before a flood of people rushed to surround him.
Microphones were shoved in his face one after another, accompanied by an surge of noise and questions.
"Challenger Paul, do you believe you can defeat Tucker?"
"Have you prepared a specific strategy for this battle?"
"How would you rate Tucker's strength as a Frontier Brain?"
"..."
The barrage of questions gave Paul a bit of a headache. Not even after winning the Lily of the Valley Conference had he dealt with this many reporters. And now? All of this frenzy just for a match against a so-called superstar?
It was almost hilarious.
"No comment." Paul said coolly, forcing his way through the crowd and walking off without another word.
—
And just like that, the day of the battle arrived.
Inside the Battle Dome Arena, the stands were already packed by the time the sun rose. Not a single seat remained empty, most of the attendees were Tucker super fans, of course.
To them, this wasn't just a battle. It was the equivalent of going to a live concert to watch their idol perform in person.
"At last... he's here."
A deep, magnetic voice echoed from the broadcast speakers, and the massive display screen lit up with Paul's figure.
"He began his journey in Veilstone City of Sinnoh, training hard and growing stronger with every step. In the Lily of the Valley Conference, he triumphed over Tobias, a trainer who commanded six Legendary Pokémon and seized the championship.
Many now regard him as the strongest League Champion of his generation."
"Now, driven by a desire to keep climbing ever higher, he has journeyed here from Veilstone to carve out a new path in the Battle Frontier. His name... is Paul!"
As the voice fell, a column of light descended onto one side of the battlefield.
With his hands in his pockets, Paul stood calmly beneath the glow, his composed expression revealed to the entire world.
But the moment was fleeting—within two seconds, the spotlight dimmed. A cascade of dazzling multicolored lights swept across the arena, and the announcer's voice boomed out once more.
It was as if Paul's appearance had merely been the prelude to introduce the true star of the show.
"To all who have gathered in the Battle Dome, be mesmerized by the dazzling moves and masterful strategy!"
"The Battle Dome's superstar—Tucker has arrived!!"
As the words rang out, a cloaked figure swept across the air above the arena.
"Beautiful audience, welcome to the Battle Dome! Tonight, I hope you all enjoy the show to your heart's delight!"
With a dramatic flourish, Tucker threw off his cloak revealing an outfit as dashing and radiant as a male floral fairy.
"Paul, I'm counting on you to put in a wonderful performance that lives up to the 'Symbol of Tactics' today." Tucker said with a grin.
"Of course." Paul replied coolly.
"Excellent. The calm ones are often the ones who devise the most brilliant tactics."
"Your challenge tonight will face the weight of the earth and the freedom of the skies—the fusion of land and sky, water and fire."
As Tucker spoke, two Poké Balls flew from his hands.
"Roooaaar~!"
"Wooooah~!"
Charizard soared through the skies while Swampert stomped onto the battlefield with a tremor.
"The King of Fire and Sky—Charizard! The Overlord of Water and Earth—Swampert! These are the foes you must overcome." Tucker declared.
"Today's battle will be a Double Battle. Once both Pokémon on one side are rendered unable to battle, the match is over."
As the rules were announced by a referee piloting a custom aerial craft, he flew over to Paul's side and asked:
"Paul, the Frontier Brain has already chosen his team. It's time for you to decide your two Pokémon as well. You may also switch them on the spot if you wish."
Right after speaking, a teleportation device emerged behind Paul, offering the option to swap out his team.
"No need."
Paul had already revised his team once before the match. There was no need to do it again.
After a brief moment of thought, Paul reached into his coat pocket, pulled out two Poké Balls, and threw them forward.
"Ninetales, Drapion, to the field!"
"Wooo~!"
"Draaah~!"
Twin bursts of white light landed on the battlefield—the elegant and regal Ninetales, and the fierce venomous Drapion made their dramatic entrance.
"Wooo~!"
Ninetales glanced lazily at the crowd before sitting gracefully on the ground, completely unbothered by the fact that this was a battlefield.
"Ready—GO!"
At the referee's command, the battle officially began.
"Speed—use Pin Missile!"
Paul gave his order sharply.
"Draaah~!"
Drapion sprang into action the moment the words left his Trainer's mouth. With both arms raised, it unleashed a storm of Pin Missiles in every direction, bombarding the battlefield with no blind spots.
"Fire cleanses all. Charizard, use Blast Burn!" Tucker called out confidently.
"Imprison." Paul countered coldly.
Charizard grinned, exuding confidence as it opened its jaws to unleash its flames only to freeze mid-action as an eerie purple glow radiated from Ninetales, bathing it in spectral light.
In that instant, Charizard's mind went blank. The majority of its Fire-type moves techniques it had mastered over countless battles were suddenly inaccessible.
The move Imprison, which seals off all techniques the user also knows had taken full effect. And Ninetales, being a fellow Fire-type, knew nearly all of Charizard's standard arsenal.
Charizard stood there dumbfounded, mouth opened. It had never encountered anything like this before and for a moment, couldn't think of any way to recover.
"Fortify the frontline—Swampert, use Protect!"
Without hesitation, Swampert leapt forward and soared over Charizard, throwing up a shimmering green shield just in time to block every last one of Drapion's Pin Missiles.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!"
"Swampert, counter with Mud Shot." Tucker added calmly.
"Rooar!"
"Wha~!"
Charizard quickly composed itself, beating its wings to launch a barrage of wind blades straight at Ninetales. Meanwhile, Swampert turned its attention toward Drapion, blasting a concentrated stream of mud from its mouth.
"Night Slash and Flamethrower!" Paul commanded.
Even as the blades of wind rained down, Ninetales remained motionless and undaunted. Flames spiraled around its body triggering and with a snap of its jaws, it fired off a concentrated burst of Flamethrower, carving a clean opening right through the flurry of Air Slashes. The wind blades beyond that gap simply dissipated, incapable of reaching Ninetales at all.
With the attacks neutralized, Ninetales began to charge up a Nasty Plot, its eyes gleaming as its Special Attack sharply rose. Then, with a single pulse of energy, the Gravity around the entire battlefield intensified.
Under the crushing pull of doubled gravity, Charizard's flight faltered—its body slammed down toward the ground uncontrollably.
But it wasn't the earth that caught it—it was Ninetales, materializing before it like a haunting specter.
At that moment, Ninetales transformed into a master pianist and Charizard's body became its grand piano. With brutal elegance, Ninetales began playing a beautiful yet punishing composition—the Iron Aria of Ninefold Steel.
Charizard twitched in agony, expression contorted as if it were an audience member overcome by the performance's emotional depth—equal parts suffering and surreal artistry.
On the other side of the battlefield, Drapion was under fire from both Mud Shot and the residual Air Slashes. However, it nimbly dodged the twin assault with the enhanced agility granted by Acupressure. It darted toward Swampert and lashed out with both pincers in a deadly double stab.
"Wha~!"
Unlike Charizard who was caught completely off guard by the sudden shift in gravity, Swampert had seen everything coming. It had already tracked every twitch of Drapion's movement with sharp, calculating eyes.
It didn't dodge. Instead, it braced itself and unleashed a move, taking the direct hit from Night Slash.
"Boom!"
A clean strike—Night Slash landed squarely on a critical spot!
"Whaa~!"
But before Drapion could even celebrate, it was Swampert who smirked first. The Counter it had set up earlier now activated with devastating force, its fist slamming into Drapion and sending it flying.
If Swampert had taken serious damage from that critical hit, then the injury Drapion now suffered was nothing short of disastrous.
In a flash, Drapion was left brutally battered.
"Roooaar~!"
A cry of pain rang out—Charizard had just been blown away by Ninetales.
Swampert, who had originally intended to pursue, immediately changed course. With a powerful leap, it caught Charizard in midair and gently laid it down on the battlefield.
Even from that brief exchange, Charizard's body was now covered in wounds.
Had Iron Tail been more effective against it, Ninetales' unrelenting barrage might have already knocked it out.
"Wooo~"
Likewise, Ninetales used its tails to catch Drapion's massive form as it fell. A quick inspection showed Drapion was in even worse shape than Charizard.
After all, Drapion's Night Slash had landed directly on Swampert's weak point, and with its Sniper Ability, the resulting critical hit had dealt even more frightening damage.
But with that overwhelming force turned back on itself through Counter, the recoil was simply too much for Drapion to withstand.
"Attack—Pin Missile!"
"Ninetales, Fire Blast!"
Paul gave his command without hesitation.
Drapion, rallying its strength, launched a barrage of Pin Missile to blanket the sky, while Ninetales unleashed a blazing Fire Blast that roared across the field, forming an inescapable web of fire and steel.
"Howl within the storm, Charizard—use Hurricane!"
Charizard's wings flared wide as it whipped up a massive gust. The winds quickly merged into a swirling Hurricane, becoming a towering vortex that tore through the barrage, scattering the Pin Missiles midair.
"Water complements wind—Swampert, use Hydro Cannon!"
Swampert launched a beam of compressed water into the heart of the hurricane, merging seamlessly with the storm. A towering Aqua Tornado, dozens of meters tall surged across the battlefield, overwhelming the Fire Blast and then charging straight toward Ninetales and Drapion with terrifying momentum.
Faced with such an assault, both Ninetales and Drapion looked small and fragile. Yet, the fire in their eyes didn't waver in the slightest.
"Break the core—Pin Missile!"
Reinforced and refocused, Drapion raised its claws and unleashed another volley of Pin Missiles, this time aimed directly at the base of the Aqua Tornado—its most powerful and vulnerable point.
Countless glowing green projectiles were instantly shredded the moment they touched the swirling fusion of water and wind—they looked impressive, but clearly lacked the force needed to break through.
Even so, they managed to slow the advance of the Aqua Tornado just a little.
At some point, no one could say exactly when Ninetales who had been sitting on the ground had already completed a second Nasty Plot and was now standing tall.
Flames surged in both her eyes and along her sleek form. With a snap of her jaws, she released a blast of fire so intense that it detonated on impact.
"Boom!"
The Fire Blast expanded mid-flight, growing into a roaring inferno several meters tall before colliding with the Aqua Tornado. The resulting explosion blew the watery vortex apart in an instant.
A dense mist of white steam billowed over the battlefield, completely obscuring visibility. Nothing inside could be clearly seen.
"Sometimes," Tucker mused, watching the obscured battlefield, "there's a kind of elegance in not seeing anything clearly. This... is the beauty of ambiguity."
Then his tone hardened.
"But right now, hitting the target is all that matters."
"Charizard, Swampert—Earthquake!"
That's right, both Charizard and Swampert had access to Earthquake.
In real battle terms, Earthquake affects everything grounded in a certain radius. So as long as the opponent isn't airborne, it's guaranteed to hit.
Rumble—!
The ground trembled as both Pokémon slammed their limbs down, triggering a seismic explosion that echoed like a beast's low sorrowful roar.
Charizard and Swampert didn't waste energy roaring or calling out. Their focus was clear: if anything reacted after Earthquake, they'd strike immediately.
But... silence.
Aside from the sound of their own seismic assault, there was nothing. No response, no giveaway tremors from their foes.
There should've been something—Ninetales and Drapion should have been hit, or at least disturbed.
Still, nothing.
The mist lingered thickly across the field. Left alone, it would take time to dissipate naturally.
Sensing something was off and realizing the mist no longer gave him the advantage, Tucker made a snap decision.
"Charizard, use Hurricane! Blow it all away!"
With a deafening cry, Charizard summoned a powerful Hurricane, ripping through the mist and scattering it to the skies.
And finally, the truth was revealed.
Suspended in midair, Ninetales hovered using Psychic, her nine elegant tails fanned out like wings. Drapion, massive and menacing, was being carried aloft by her telekinetic grip.
Gravity was active on the battlefield—that much was true. But as the one who had triggered the Gravity field, Ninetales could partially bypass it at will.
That's how she'd tricked everyone, trainers and Pokémon alike into believing both she and Drapion were still grounded.
But the moment the mist cleared, Ninetales and Drapion moved into action. No time wasted.
Fire Blast and Pin Missile rained from above once again!
Ninetales opened her mouth—this time, unleashing an even larger Fire Blast, so wide and dense it could cover over half the battlefield. It descended like divine judgment.
Drapion followed close behind, its tail flicking with calculated malice, launching a barrage of high-velocity needles from the air.
Just how devastating was the combined assault?
Tucker didn't need to calculate.
All it took was one look and he knew.
Charizard and Swampert weren't going to dodge this.
"Charizard, Hurricane again! Swampert, Protect!"
At that moment, Charizard unleashed a full-powered Hurricane straight toward the oncoming Fire Blast, not to trigger it prematurely but to weaken its force.
But beneath that blazing inferno, the fierce winds of Hurricane were like a passing breeze, utterly incapable of halting the falling flames even for a moment.
Seeing this, Swampert made a swift decision, activating Protect to shield both itself and Charizard from the terrifying onslaught.
BOOM!
The Fire Blast struck, erupting into a colossal mushroom cloud. The battlefield was left scarred and cratered in its wake.
In the very center of the blast, both Swampert and Charizard were panting heavily, but they'd gotten lucky.
Though the green protective barrier around them had faded to a dim glow under the impact, it had done its job: they survived the Fire Blast.
But in the very next moment, Poison Tail-like Pin Missiles rained down from all directions in the sky, each of them homing in on the exhausted Pokémon below.
Under the precise control of Drapion, every single missile struck a vital point on both Pokémon with deadly accuracy.
POP! POP! POP!
A fresh wave of explosions echoed across the battlefield. Swampert and Charizard collapsed on the ground, completely unable to continue.
"Draah~"
"Woo~"
Ninetales floated down gently from the sky, while Drapion landed firmly beside it. The faintest hint of satisfaction appeared on both of their faces.
It wasn't just the thrill of victory, it was something deeper. The moment they brought down those two formidable opponents, something inside them clicked into place. Their aura surged, their strength ascended: they had broken through, each now reaching the Elite Four tier.
"Swampert and Charizard are unable to battle, Ninetales and Drapion are the winners!"
The referee declared the result.
"Swampert, Charizard—thank you both for such a brilliant performance."
Tucker recalled the two Pokémon to their Poké Balls, applauding as he stepped carefully across the battered terrain toward Paul, offering genuine praise.
"Paul, your Pokémon showed remarkable strength and adaptability. Your final strategy was brilliant, you truly deserve the title of a master tactician."
"And thank you for your stunning offensive, I hope you'll continue to push forward in the future."
"I will." Paul replied calmly.
"Then, everyone—let's give Paul a big round of applause!"
Tucker spread his arms wide.
"Yeahhh~..."
CLAP CLAP CLAP...
"Woooh...!"
Cheers and applause erupted across the arena.
With the lights beginning to dim, Tucker offered one final line:
"Until we meet again."
Then he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
"Hard work always pays off. You both did well, rest now."
Paul quietly removed a small tactical emblem that Tucker had discreetly placed on his shoulder during the match, tucking it away before turning to his two Pokémon and speaking gently, recalling them.
And then, under the gaze of countless onlookers, he exited the field.
Serene, composed, and undefeated.
(End of Chapter)
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