"Viree~"
In that moment, Electivire felt better than ever—his whole body brimming with energy, wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
I feel like I could beat my earlier self with ease!
"Thank you."
Paul looked at Mew with genuine gratitude, giving it a deep bow in appreciation.
"Viree~"
Electivire imitated Paul and respectfully bowed to Mew as well.
After all, it was thanks to Mew that he had grown so much stronger; a bow to show his thanks was only proper.
"Raaa~"
"Wooo~"
"Gaaar~"
"Chaah~"
"Draah~"
Seeing this, the other Pokémon including Garchomp also called out to Mew in turn, expressing their gratitude and acknowledgement.
"Mew~"
Mew, lying comfortably on a pink bubble, raised its head with a smug little smile, rolling around in the air with great delight.
"Viree~"
Hey little bro, let's see where you're at now.
Electivire turned toward Garchomp, gesturing him with his hand before flying out into the open sky.
He had gained tremendous power. However, at least for now, it was hard to say whether that growth was enough to surpass Garchomp.
Naturally, Electivire was curious about just how strong Garchomp had become.
"Gaaar~"
Alright, big bro!
Eager for battle, Garchomp followed close behind.
His thoughts were similar to Electivire's, but with one small difference: he wanted to see if his own growth was enough to finally defeat Electivire.
And so, a ferocious battle erupted between the two.
The clash distorted the weather for miles around—dark winds howled, clouds twisted and scattered, making it look from afar as if some freak natural disaster had struck.
The commotion even forced Paul to have Mew temporarily mask the disturbance by drawing upon the power of the Tree of Beginning, so as not to attract unnecessary trouble.
Electivire had grown considerably especially with his new ability, which kept his electricity charged and amplified to staggering levels.
However, therein lay the problem—most of Electivire's recent growth still centered around his electric abilities.
And Garchomp, who now even slightly surpassed Electivire in level, just so happened to resist Electric-type attacks completely. As a result, Electivire's odds of victory plummeted.
If that were all, it might have still been manageable. In the past, Electivire could still control the battle with his superior speed and Ice Punch.
But things had changed.
While Electivire's speed and physical power had risen further thanks to his mastery of magnetic forces, Garchomp's progress hadn't stalled either.
Using Killing Intent Lock-On, his instinctual battle sense—Garchomp could sense and react to Electivire's every move, no matter where or how the attack came.
This predictive edge made close combat nearly impossible for Electivire to land clean hits.
What frustrated Electivire the most wasn't Garchomp's type advantage or offensive might, it was the combination of Rough Skin recoil and the constant chip damage from Sandstorm.
Unable to secure a quick knockout, Electivire was gradually worn down by sand and recoil damage, ultimately succumbing to exhaustion.
"Gaaar~"
When Garchomp finally returned to the Tree of Beginning carrying the fainted Electivire in his arms, his grin was utterly unstoppable—he was practically ready to burst into laughter.
At last! I finally beat Big Bro without him holding back!
The pride surging through Garchomp's chest was impossible to suppress.
I, Garchomp, have finally risen to stand tall! In this moment, I, Garchomp, am unbeatable!
"Well done."
Seeing Garchomp grinning like an overexcited shark, Paul still offered high praise.
"Raaa~"
Garchomp gently placed Electivire down before Torterra for treatment, his smile growing even brighter at Paul's words.
As Torterra began healing Electivire, he too offered Garchomp a smile and nod of approval.
Up until now, he had been the only one in the team who could take down Electivire in a head-on battle. Even Ursaluna rarely managed to overcome Electivire when he went all-out with maxed-out offense and speed.
Now that Garchomp had joined those ranks, it was clearly a cause for celebration.
As for Torterra himself falling behind due to the others' rapid growth through their own "pay-to-win" methods?
No big deal.
Torterra was a broad-minded Pokémon. Although he couldn't match them right now, he was confident that one day he would catch up.
After all, he was still attuning himself to the power of the Plates and the Tree of Beginning—comprehending the essence of life and growth itself.
It's only a matter of time before my abilities break through as well!
"Raaa~"
Hearing Torterra's praise, Garchomp's smile grew even more radiant.
Who would've thought? Even I, Garchomp, could one day become the strongest on the team!
"Viree~"
When Electivire finally regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Garchomp's dazzling grin.
Immediately, the flames of competitiveness blazed within him.
He nearly lost control—tempted to throw a few punches, as the elder brother, just to vent his frustration. But Paul's voice rang out at that moment.
"You were always so proud, how does it feel to be overtaken now?"
"Frustrating? Aggravating?"
"Viree~"
Paul's words poured over Electivire like a bucket of cold water, supressing the flames and bringing him back to his senses.
"All your efforts have always been poured into electricity, electricity, electricity."
"But how much of that strength is really your own? Most of it comes from the Plates."
"Don't waste your talent. Work on all aspects of your abilities—including your psychic powers."
"If your psychic abilities were better, if you had the same predictive battle sense as that Medicham from before, would Garchomp have been able to beat you just now?"
Even with all his growth, Electivire would still struggle against Torterra and Garchomp at the same level due to their type matchups and special traits.
In a way, this imbalance acted as both a restraint and a motivation.
After all, if one Pokémon in the team became invincible, it might lead to complacency.
Now that Electivire had been overtaken by his younger sibling, he would undoubtedly work even harder to catch up.
"Viree~"
Electivire lowered his head slightly, acknowledging that while Paul's words weren't entirely correct, they hit home in many ways.
Especially regarding his psychic abilities.
Had he refined them just a little further, if he could have slowed Garchomp's attacks at critical moments with psychic interference, his Ice Punch would have landed.
But what actually happened?
With all his focus on amplified electricity and magnetic powers, he had completely forgotten that he even had psychic abilities.
It wasn't even a question of how effective they were, he hadn't used them at all. And that was inexcusable.
There was no defense for this failure.
"You have the greatest talent and potential of all. Don't misuse it, keep pushing forward."
Paul stepped forward, gently placing his hand on Electivire's head in encouragement.
Of course, Paul wasn't exaggerating—Electivire's innate talent was, indeed unmatched.
Among all Pokémon he'd encountered (excluding exceptional existences like Mew, Dialga, and Palkia), none rivaled Electivire's raw potential.
Even before, Electivire had already been a top-tier specimen. And now, after the fusion of Electrum Crystal and the Plates, his talent had reached even greater heights.
For ordinary Pokémon, few could compare.
"Viree~"
Electivire nodded slowly.
I will not waste my youth. I'll train harder, forge ahead, and carve out my own path to strength—until I crush all those little upstarts!
Paul didn't linger at the Tree of Beginning much longer. After letting the Pokémon spend some time playing with Mew, he bid farewell and moved on.
There was little point in staying here. Instead, Paul planned to explore the world some more, perhaps even check out Mt. Hideaway.
He recalled that there were quite a few massive Onix on Mt. Hideaway. But with Rotom utilizing its mobile device capabilities, locating the largest one should be fairly easy.
Of course, this wasn't his primary objective. Thanks to the advent of Dynamax, the size of a Pokémon was no longer as significant as it once was.
Besides seeing whether there was an exceptionally talented giant Onix there, Paul's real motivation was sparked by recent news: Bruno had already arrived near Mt. Hideaway to train.
In the main world, Paul still lacked confidence to challenge the Elite Four, but against an Elite Four member from the anime universe, he felt fully capable of testing himself to see if he could take them down.
Since Rotom hadn't yet finished scanning every location, Paul decided to pay Bruno a visit first.
Flying through the skies atop Garchomp with Electivire following alongside, he made his way forward.
After passing over Viridian City and Viridian Forest, Paul arrived at the starting place of the Kanto region—Pallet Town.
But this time, Paul didn't stop. Instead, he flew straight toward the mountains beyond Pallet Town.
Mt. Hideaway lay somewhere behind Pallet Town. Rotom had already pinpointed its location on the way here, so there was no need to ask for directions.
Before long, a barren rocky mountain appeared before Paul's eyes. The mountainside was stripped bare of vegetation, exposing raw earth and jagged stone.
"Rotom, scan the mountain and locate the largest Onix inside."
Paul pulled out his phone and instructed calmly.
He remembered that while Mt. Hideaway housed many huge Onix, the one Bruno had sought out was the largest of them all.
Or rather, only the largest was worth Bruno's time.
Granted, for Paul who possessed a Dynamax Band—it wasn't something worth investing much effort into. Size alone no longer impressed him.
"Please wait, Trainer. Scanning in progress—Roto~"
Rotom's voice rang out from the phone as invisible waves of energy dispersed in all directions, rapidly engulfing the entire mountain.
In mere moments, the mountain's terrain had been completely mapped out. The locations of every wild Pokémon soon appeared on Rotom's display.
About three minutes later, Rotom concluded its scan.
"Report: There are over a hundred Onix within this mountain. Among them, thirty-seven are classified as giant Onix. The largest one is located in a valley on the southeastern slope."
"Let's go." Paul ordered coolly.
"Gaaar!"
Garchomp growled in response and banked toward the indicated direction, with Electivire trailing closely behind.
...
Elsewhere on Mt. Hideaway, a muscular man wearing training pants and bare-chested was practicing near a mountain stream alongside his Machamp.
He was none other than Bruno, one of Kanto's Elite Four.
Upon hearing rumors that a highly talented powerful Onix resided here, Bruno had made a special trip to search for it.
But since traveling such a long distance just to search seemed a bit wasteful, he took the opportunity to also train here with his Pokémon. The mountain provided an excellent environment for rigorous training.
"Hm? What's that?"
During a rest break, Bruno casually looked up and spotted two figures—one grayish-blue, the other yellow flying overhead toward the opposite side of the mountain.
"Electivire can fly?"
From his distance, Bruno couldn't clearly identify Garchomp, but he did recognize Electivire's general outline, leaving him rather surprised.
Even in Paul's world, Electivire rarely used Electromagnetic Levitation to fly. In the anime universe, it was practically unheard of.
As far as Bruno knew, he'd never seen a flying Electivire before.
"Let's go check it out. Return, Machamp."
Driven by curiosity, Bruno recalled his Machamp into its Poké Ball and sprinted off in the same direction as Paul.
Even in mountainous terrain, Bruno's speed was incredible.
Each stride carried him several meters forward with ease, and even sheer cliffs towering over ten meters posed no challenge, as he skillfully leapt from one foothold to another.
Before long, he had closed much of the distance between them.
When he reached a cliff edge, Bruno spotted a battle unfolding in the valley below.
There, a purple-haired youth accompanied by Garchomp and Electivire was commanding his Ninetales in a battle against an enormous Onix.
The size difference between the two Pokémon was staggering. Although the Ninetales was already among the larger specimens of its species, it still looked tiny compared to the massive Onix.
An ordinary trainer would likely assume that Ninetales stood no chance against such a colossal opponent.
But Bruno saw something different. Even from this distance, though he couldn't assess their precise strength, he could faintly sense a unique aura emanating from the Ninetales.
Facing the gigantic Onix, Ninetales displayed nothing but pride and a faint smile, completely devoid of fear.
Surprisingly, it was the Onix—hulking and menacing, its scarred face making it appear even more ferocious that was cautiously bracing itself, not daring to lower its guard.
"To make an Onix, who holds the type advantage this wary… Could it be that this Ninetales is far stronger than the Onix?" Bruno speculated.
Down in the valley, Paul calmly watched the Onix and issued his command:
"Sunny Day."
"Wooo!"
With a slight upward curve of its lips, Ninetales' body shimmered as its power resonated with the sky above.
In an instant, sunlight over hundreds of meters intensified dramatically, saturating the entire valley with radiant solar energy.
"Rooooar!"
The Onix, feeling the searing heat, growled and struggled to maintain its composure. It then unleashed Rock Tomb.
Massive boulders rained from the sky like a torrential downpour, aiming not just for Ninetales but for Paul and his entire position as well.
"Use Nasty Plot, then Psychic."
A flash of white light enveloped Ninetales as it quickly activated Nasty Plot, greatly enhancing its Special Attack. With a mere thought, it unleashed Psychic.
Mysterious psychic energy blanketed the sky, halting every falling boulder mid-air in an instant.
In all its long years, Onix had never witnessed such a spectacle. Its eyes widened in shock.
But Ninetales didn't give it time to recover.
"Wooo..."
Its mesmerizing, fox-like eyes emitted a haunting blue glow as all the suspended boulders reversed course, hurtling directly toward Onix.
"Rooooar!"
Snapping out of its daze, Onix braced itself. Hardening its body, it rapidly countered with repeated Iron Tail strikes, smashing through many of the incoming rocks.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
The collisions rang out one after another. Though it sustained some damage, Onix barely managed to withstand the assault.
But the next moment, a sense of dread gripped it. Terrified, it looked up at Ninetales.
In its mouth, a yellow sphere of condensed energy had already formed—an ominous aura spreading through the air.
"Fire Blast."
At Paul's command, Ninetales released its fully charged Solar Beam. The blinding beam sliced through the air like a lance of pure light, targeting Onix's massive body.
"Rooo—!"
Seeing the incoming blast, Onix immediately tried to dig and flee underground.
Whether its size and speed would allow it to escape was uncertain, but its instincts screamed: I can't take this hit!
Yet before it could burrow, its entire body froze—paralyzed by Ninetales' psychic power.
Its eyes darted one last time toward the eerie blue glow in Ninetales' gaze, and then its vision was consumed by blinding sunlight.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion engulfed Onix entirely as shockwaves rippled outward.
In the valley, only Paul and his three Pokémon stood firm, unmoved by the blast.
When the dust finally cleared, Onix lay unconscious in a deep crater, completely defeated.
(End of Chapter)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access the advance 80 chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23