The people on the arena naturally don't know what Paul is thinking. By now, Brandon had made his decision on his next Pokémon. He threw out
The people on the arena naturally don't know what Paul is thinking.
By now, Brandon had made his decision on his next Pokémon. He threw out his fifth Poké Ball.
"Go, Solrock!"
With a flash, a giant rock Pokémon resembling the sun floated into the air. Its large semi-circular eyelids revealed a narrow black slit, within which eerie red pupils gleamed.
"Graaah!"
The moment Solrock appeared, Garchomp immediately locked onto it with a murderous glare. With a powerful kick, Garchomp charged straight at Solrock at full speed.
Dragon Rush!
"Trick Room!"
A purple glow emanated from Solrock's body and quickly expanded into a shimmering distortion that engulfed the entire battlefield.
As soon as Trick Room activated, Garchomp, who had reached Solrock's position, suddenly found its speed drastically reduced.
Conversely, Solrock's speed surged. In a flash, it dodged the attack and flew to the opposite side of the arena.
Power Swap!
Following Brandon's command, Solrock immediately initiated its next move attempting to swap Garchomp's heightened attack power for its own.
But—
Dig!
Before Power Swap could take effect, Garchomp instantly burrowed underground, vanishing from sight and leaving Solrock without a target, causing its move to fail.
Earthquake!
To activate Earthquake, contact with the ground is essential. Calmly, Solrock benefiting from its Levitate Ability—descended toward the ground.
However, just as it made contact, the earth beneath it suddenly caved into a pit of quicksand—Sand Tomb! Solrock found itself positioned directly over the center of the trap.
While its Levitate kept it from being swallowed entirely, it was now forced to keep altitude, unable to fully engage with ground-based moves. Dropping too low risked being dragged beneath by Garchomp lurking in the sand.
But that didn't mean Solrock was safe.
"Sandstorm!"
At Paul's command, a violent tornado erupted from the Sand Tomb combining with the swirling sandstorm. A scattering grains of sand struck Solrock's body relentlessly, steadily wearing it down.
Old tricks don't matter, only whether they work.
And clearly, against Brandon's Pokémon—especially ones that couldn't overpower Garchomp, this strategy remained highly effective.
Despite Solrock's struggle, its strength was still limited. It remained trapped within the controlled zone of the Sandstorm, unable to break free no matter how hard it resisted.
Draco Meteor!
At this moment, Garchomp burst from the Sand Tomb and fired a glowing energy sphere skyward, which split into dozens of meteor-like projectiles that rained down on Solrock, guided by the vortex winds.
Psychic!
A surge of psychic power exploded from Solrock, releasing shockwaves that disrupted many of the incoming meteors, causing premature detonations.
BOOM! BOOM!
The repeated explosions lit up Brandon's eyes with sudden inspiration.
"Gather the meteors together and detonate them all at once!"
Solrock instantly understood. Using Psychic, it gathered the remaining meteors into one tight cluster. Once gathered—
BOOM!
The accumulated energy exploded in an instant. The blast not only inflicted minor damage on Solrock itself but also obliterated the vortex from within, shattering its confinement.
With the storm dissipated, Solrock had successfully broken free!
"Sol—"
But just as it escaped, Solrock noticed a shadow falling overhead. Looking up, it saw Garchomp descending rapidly, its Dragon Claw glowing a vibrant green.
Fury Cutter!
This move, which Garchomp had learned from Hisuian Samurrot wasn't typically useful. But against Solrock, even a moderately trained Fury Cutter proved devastating.
Seizing the opportunity, Garchomp struck again and again, each slash stronger than the last.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Fury Cutter grows stronger with each consecutive hit. After several well-placed blows combined with the natural type advantage, Solrock could barely withstand the assault.
With the final slash, Solrock plummeted like a falling star, crashing into the ground in a violent explosion.
As the attack ended, Garchomp didn't stop. Wielding its most powerful strike, it lunged toward the Trick Room itself, its claw slicing through the distorted space.
The Trick Room shattered like broken glass, dissipating entirely.
"Well done. Return."
Before Garchomp even landed, Paul had already recalled it into its Poké Ball.
After such an intense battle, Garchomp had expended considerable stamina. Since Brandon only had one Pokémon left, Paul simply switched out.
"Return, Solrock."
As the dust settled, Brandon also recalled his defeated Solrock, then raised his final Poké Ball and threw it simultaneously with Paul.
"Your turn, Cacturne!"
"Electivire, get ready!"
"Ne~!"
"Viree~!"
A humanoid Cactus Pokémon wearing a deep green hat appeared, its strange grin stretching across its face.
However, upon seeing the eager and energized Electivire across from it, that grin quickly froze.
Logically, Cacturne knew Electivire's level wasn't higher than its own.
But instinctively, it sensed danger!
This was a kind of fear it had never experienced before, even when facing Regirock or Registeel.
"Viree~"
Electivire stood there, grinning with a seemingly friendly and trustworthy expression.
"Go, Plasma Fist!"
As soon as Paul gave the command, Electivire transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing from sight.
SWISH!
Amidst crackling electricity, Electivire appeared like a thunderbolt before Cacturne, its massive thunder-charged fist swinging forward.
Had this been Paul's home timeline, Brandon and Cacturne would've likely used Spiky Shield to block Electivire's assault.
Without moves like Hammer Arm or Spiky Shield, Cacturne was at a severe disadvantage.
However, it still had one option—
Sucker Punch!
Following Brandon's command, the dazed Cacturne's fists glowed as it threw a preemptive strike.
But before it could celebrate, Electivire's mischievous laugh rang out.
"Viree~!"
"Cacturne?!"
Cacturne realized too late that Electivire had blocked its Sucker Punch.
Before it could react, Electivire's lightning-charged fist completely filled its vision.
As one who could spar with Garchomp's Rough Skin-enhanced body like it was nothing, Electivire's overwhelming strength simply crashed through Cacturne's small spikes. The repeated strikes left Cacturne almost powerless to resist.
The onslaught continued, dealing massive damage in mere moments.
"Hang in there!"
Under Brandon's command, Cacturne glowed faintly white, barely managing to endure the relentless assault while desperately seeking an opportunity to counterattack.
Bullet Seed!
Finally, as Electivire's pace momentarily slowed, Cacturne seized its chance and fired a rapid barrage of seeds.
But Electivire instantly countered with Fire Punch, effortlessly smashing the seeds out of the air.
"Vireee~"
I just switched moves to bait you, and you really fell for it, little guy~
Electivire laughed gleefully, fully in control.
"Thunder Punch!"
At Paul's command, Electivire twitched its twin tails, one grabbing Cacturne's wrists, the other wrapping tightly around its torso. Sparks erupted as Electivire held Cacturne immobilized, while its Fire Punch continued pummeling nonstop.
Unable to break free, Cacturne endured for only a few moments longer before losing consciousness, and was then tossed aside like trash.
"Viree~"
Pathetic. Even opponents like this require me to step in?
Electivire turned toward Paul with a helpless shrug, then swaggered behind him grinning with arrogant pride.
"Your moves were efficient enough, just too much showing off."
Paul gave the boastful Pokémon a deadpan look.
"Viree~"
Electivire shrugged again.
It had only dared to toy around because it saw how weak its opponent was.
If it were facing Cynthia's Garchomp, Flint's Infernape, or Volkner's Medicham—that would be a whole different story.
That would be playing with your life!
"Every battle must be fought with full effort and seriousness, no matter who the opponent is!"
Paul patted Electivire firmly on the shoulder as he spoke each word with conviction.
"Vireee~!" Electivire responded somewhat awkwardly.
Once Paul finally stopped patting it, Electivire subtly rolled its shoulder and wondered inwardly—
This trainer didn't even seem to use much strength… so how did that actually hurt?
As expected, this guy isn't human… at least not a normal one!
"You are a competent and powerful Trainer. Both your Pokémon's strength and your control over battle flow are truly exceptional. Perhaps it's my own lack of strength that prevented me from drawing out your full power, but it's very clear—your battling style is overwhelming and suffocating."
"Every one of your Pokémon has its own specialized battle system and style. Without prior knowledge of your full team, defeating you is tremendously difficult."
Pyramid King Brandon recalled his Cacturne and looked at Paul with a solemn expression. His eyes reflected seriousness, though inside, his emotions were surging with mixed feelings.
Losing was normal after all, there's always someone stronger out there. He had tasted defeat many times before.
But this time felt especially bitter. Despite being an accomplished Trainer himself, standing before Paul made him feel small and powerless.
It had been many years since he last encountered such a hopeless situation. Today's battle left him completely at a loss.
Though his Pokémon's levels were actually higher than Paul's, Paul's team somehow brought out 200% of their full potential as the battle progressed, constantly improving mid-fight.
Meanwhile, Brandon's own Pokémon struggled under Paul's suppression tactics, unable to even display half their usual strength, completely forced into a disadvantage.
Even his Legendary Pokémon, Regirock and Registeel barely held their ground. The rest of his team? The less said, the better.
Though Brandon had lived for decades and developed a strong unwavering Trainer's heart, Paul's performance had nearly shattered it.
If Brandon were instead a young Trainer in his teens or early twenties, he might have been completely crushed mentally by this experience.
For now, Brandon forced himself to maintain a calm exterior—upholding his image as a Frontier Brain.
"In my view, a truly great Trainer needs both battle prowess and training mastery. A battle style is merely the foundation, but raising the strongest Pokémon is even more crucial."
"Human reaction time is limited. No matter how skilled the Trainer's commands may be, it's impossible to micromanage every moment in battle. But if your Pokémon are strong enough, you only need to issue key tactical orders. True strength isn't just high levels or raw power, it's the ability to overwhelm peers and even defeat opponents far above your league."
Paul calmly explained his philosophy, then glanced over to face "Paul" (the alternate world version of himself).
"Although this may not be of much use to you… the Symbol of Bravery belongs to you now."
Brandon stepped forward and solemnly handed Paul the Frontier Brain's Symbol of Bravery.
"Thank you."
Paul accepted it flatly and turned to walk over to "Paul" and Reggie. From his backpack, he casually tossed over a document to "Paul."
"This is…?" "Paul" asked, somewhat puzzled.
"A paper outlining part of my training methods, feel free to reference it."
Paul had read through the paper when Professor Oak helped him publish it. He even printed a copy for study, filling it with notes and insights.
Since it was no longer of use to him, gifting it to the alternate world version of himself felt like the right thing to do.
"Thank you!"
"Paul" and Paul briefly locked eyes and exchanged a slight bow.
"Just for reference. A Trainer must have their own mind and ideas. Here, keep this as a remembrance. I look forward to battling you one day, Paul."
Paul then casually tossed the Symbol of Bravery he just received into "Paul's" hands. After giving Reggie a nod, he turned and left.
In this world, keeping the Symbol held no meaning for him—he would eventually defeat this world's Brandon as well.
"Viree~"
Electivire tilted its head, curiously sizing up "Paul" before flashing a toothy grin and following after Paul.
Reggie watched Paul's departing figure, as if glimpsing the future version of "Paul" himself, feeling both comforted and inspired.
Meanwhile, "Paul" quietly lowered his head, staring silently at the Symbol of Bravery and the document in his hands.
Even Brandon continued to stare solemnly at Paul's retreating figure, his profile deeply etched into Brandon's memory, destined never to fade even after many years.
The helplessness he felt during the battle remained crystal clear in his mind.
"Viree~"
After leaving the Battle Pyramid, Electivire finally couldn't help but poke Paul's shoulder, gesturing back toward the Pyramid with its thumb.
Ever since the battle ended, it had been confused—
What was going on back there? Why was there a younger version of Paul and Reggie? And both of them felt so different from their counterparts…
Though Reggie appeared to maintain a polite smile, his aura was far from gentle in fact, it leaned somewhat toward icy coldness.
As for "Paul," he was far more immature—noticeably younger even than when Electivire had first met Paul.
Not just in age and physique, everything about his presence felt entirely different.
"They're simply alternate versions of me and my brother from another world. But it might be worth paying attention to them, who knows? We may get to battle someday."
Everyone knew how complicated the anime timeline could be. For now, things were fine—but the next time Paul returned, ten or twenty years might have already passed in this world.
So perhaps, when Paul returned again with true Champion-level strength, this world's "Paul" might have reached Champion level as well. That kind of evenly matched battle was something Paul rather looked forward to.
"Now… let me think, where should I head next?"
Paul casually explained to Electivire before falling into thought.
(End of Chapter)
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