"Not bad strength, quite a rare sight... but judging from its condition... Poké Ball, go."
Paul slowly walked up to the crater, carefully studying the massive form of the Onix. His brows furrowed slightly.
Still, he took out a Poké Ball and tossed it, capturing the Onix inside.
The Poké Ball shook twice before it dimmed with a soft click, falling into the pit motionless.
"Wooo~"
Ninetales, with a slight wave of its telekinetic power, floated the Poké Ball over to Paul.
Taking it in hand, Paul didn't bother to check the Pokédex data like he might have done long ago. Instead, he casually slipped the Poké Ball into his pocket and calmly turned toward the rocky cliff behind him.
Standing there having approached unnoticed, was none other than Bruno.
"This kid… such keen perception..."
Though surprised at being discovered, Bruno kept his composure and leapt down lightly from the cliff into the valley.
"I'm Paul from Veilstone City in Sinnoh."
"Elite Four Bruno of Kanto. An honor to meet you."
With just a glance, Paul instantly recognized this familiar figure—identical to his counterpart from his original world.
"Didn't expect you to know me, kid. Seems like I'm quite famous, haha.
But you're something else too. The Onix I came all this way to catch never even showed itself to me. You arrived and immediately managed to capture it."
Bruno glanced at the Poké Ball containing the Onix in Paul's pocket, then studied Paul and his Pokémon behind him.
Though information in this anime-like world often lagged behind or varied, as an Elite Four member, Bruno was well-informed and he easily recognized Paul's Garchomp.
He had already suspected Paul's strength. Now that he was up close, his suspicions were fully confirmed.
Ninetales, though seemingly newly advanced to the Elite Four tier was in peak condition. Its effortless victory over the Honor-ranked Onix just now was more than enough proof of its power.
As for Electivire and Garchomp, their terrifying auras were noticeable even from a distance.
Bruno thought to himself: even his strongest partners might not match the sheer presence these two radiated.
Conclusion: this was a mysterious and powerful young trainer.
"Just a stroke of luck, I caught it since I happened to come across it." Paul said nonchalantly, then looked Bruno straight in the eyes.
"But compared to that Onix, I find you far more interesting. Would you accept my challenge? Let's have a battle."
"A battle? Facing off against a powerful young trainer like you before leaving, sounds like time well spent."
Bruno thought for a moment, then smiled and accepted.
He had traveled all the way to Mt. Hideway specifically to capture the giant Onix. Now that the strongest Onix was gone, there was little reason to linger.
"How about a full 6-on-6 battle?" Paul suggested.
Normally, wild trainer battles were often limited to 3-on-3. But since his opponent was an Elite Four member, the more Pokémon involved the better.
Winning would fully prove his strength; losing would still offer valuable experience. Either way, it was worth it.
"Good thinking, but unfortunately I didn't bring that many Pokémon with me. I only have three."
Bruno spread his hands, revealing the three Poké Balls he carried.
"3-on-3 works too." Paul shifted slightly to clear a wide enough area and continued, "Both sides may switch Pokémon during the match. The first trainer whose three Pokémon all faint loses. Sound good?"
Although he could sense Paul wasn't simple, as an Elite Four member with his own pride, Bruno wouldn't let Paul pick first after already seeing his three main Pokémon.
Thus, after agreeing, Bruno was the first to send out his opening Pokémon.
"Very well. My first one is…"
"Machamp!"
As the Poké Ball opened, a large gray humanoid Pokémon appeared in the valley—four muscular arms, a golden belt, and black trunks.
It was Kanto's iconic Fighting-type: Machamp!
"Machamp. Immense strength. Its four arms allow it to attack simultaneously, with a terrifying punching speed that even Electivire and Samurott would struggle to match. Common abilities: Guts and No Guard."
Information about Machamp flashed through Paul's mind.
He knew Bruno owned multiple Machamp—some with Guts, some with No Guard. As for which ability this one had, Paul wasn't yet certain.
Guts was straightforward. But No Guard, while making moves always hit in-game, operated differently here. Even so-called "sure-hit" moves weren't absolute in real life—too many variables were involved, even bordering on causality manipulation.
Thus, in reality, No Guard allowed both combatants to sense each other's presence constantly, enhancing motion perception and greatly improving precision.
If Bruno had chosen a different Pokémon, Paul might have considered sending out Ninetales or Drapion.
But if this Machamp possessed No Guard combined with certain burst abilities, his other Pokémon might be overwhelmed too quickly.
Therefore…
"Garchomp, battle ready!"
Paul kept his expression steady as he sent out his strongest member—Garchomp.
Garchomp's diverse abilities combined with Rough Skin for counter-damage, made it an excellent choice against Machamp.
"Gaaar!"
Garchomp straightened its back and strode forward. Even before fully settling into position, a sudden glow enveloped its body instantly transforming into Mega Garchomp. Its ferocious aura surged across the battlefield.
"This... this presence..."
Bruno's expression grew serious. Just a moment ago Garchomp was already impressive, but its Mega Evolution radiated a pressure far beyond ordinary—even Lance's ace might not command such overwhelming might.
"Sandstorm, activate."
Paul spoke calmly.
"Gaaar!"
With a smirk, Garchomp summoned an eerie sandstorm. Violent winds whipped up massive grains of sand, swirling and raging across the entire battlefield.
Ability: Sand Force activated!
"Machamp, Dynamic Punch!"
Knowing how strong the opponent was, Bruno showed no hesitation and commanded directly.
"Champ!"
Machamp fully understood its foe's strength. Pushing off the ground, it launched itself like a missile toward Garchomp. All four fists radiated a brilliant white light, gathering explosive force.
Sometimes, speed is strength.
But sometimes, strength is speed.
With enough power and proper technique, terrifying speed can erupt!
This was one of Bruno's not-so-secret specializations.
Facing Machamp's assault, Paul's plan was simple.
Dodge? Not an option.
If Machamp specialized in raw offense, then Garchomp would meet it head-on!
After all the effort developing Garchomp's capabilities, could it not withstand a full-power clash?
"Dragon Form, Dragon Claw!"
Energy condensed around Garchomp as a strange blue dragon tinged with a bloody aura, took shape above its body. Wielding its massive scythe-like claws, Garchomp charged to meet Machamp.
BOOM!
The dragon and projectile collided in a massive explosion. The shockwave rippled outward, nearly knocking both Paul and Bruno off balance.
As the smoke cleared, the two Pokémon had forcefully blown away the blast with sheer power.
Machamp's combined Dynamic Punches had unleashed tremendous force, weakening Garchomp's Dragon Form—its dragon projection now flickering and unstable.
Unfazed, Garchomp let the dragon form dissipate and engaged Machamp at close quarters.
While Mega Garchomp's Rough Skin remained active, Dragon Form lacked its counter-damage properties. In this situation, its normal Mega Evolution form was better suited.
Thus, Mega Garchomp relied on its heightened battle instincts launching successive Dragon Claws at Machamp.
But Machamp was equally monstrous, its four fists followed the principles of Bullet Punch, delivering explosive Dynamic Punch strikes in rapid-fire bursts. The sheer flurry left Garchomp on the defensive, gradually being pushed back.
Dynamic Punch also carried a confusion effect. Normally, any other Pokémon would have fallen into confusion by now and been pummeled into submission.
But Garchomp, empowered by its bloodline unctrontrollable state, simply shrugged off the confusion and grew fiercer with each exchange.
Though heavily pressured and often forced to block with both scythe-claws, Garchomp endured.
While it seemed Garchomp was being overwhelmed early in the match, in reality, its battle senses augmented by bloodline awakening and its opponent's No Guard-enhanced motion clarity allowed it to carefully read Machamp's every move, blocking and deflecting with minimal damage.
Meanwhile, with Rough Skin's constant counterattacks and the sandstorm's relentless assault, Machamp had been steadily accumulating damage throughout this brutal exchange.
The moment they realized this, both Machamp and Bruno's mindset shifted—and not for the better.
But so what?
They had to keep attacking regardless!
"Ice Punch!"
Having discovered that Dynamic Punch was ineffective in confusing the opponent, Machamp swiftly switched tactics.
All four of its muscular arms glowed simultaneously as it launched an Ice Punch assault, hoping to capitalize on the type advantage to bring Garchomp down quickly.
"Fire Blast, ignite!"
But Garchomp refused to yield. In the blink of an eye, intense flames erupted from its body, burning fiercely and counteracting the freezing power of Ice Punch, delaying its own defeat.
"It's almost time..."
A sly smile crept onto Paul's face—
I've been waiting for Garchomp to finish powering up. What are you waiting for?
As expected, in the very next moment, the pressure that had been suppressed within Garchomp finally burst forth after enduring the long barrage.
Both Machamp and Bruno sensed the danger, but it was already too late.
"Gaaaa—"
Murderous intent flashed within Garchomp's blood-red eyes as it broke through Machamp's four-punch defense. Its twin Dragon Claws slashed out at lightning speed, faster than Machamp could react.
Two crescent arcs swept through from different angles, striking both sides of Machamp's waist.
The scene froze, as if time itself had stopped.
Machamp's expression stiffened, a wave of excruciating pain flooding its mind.
Before Machamp could make any move, Garchomp now fully transformed into a ferocious dragon, unleashed a scorching Dragon Breath from above. Like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, its Dragon Claw descended once more.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted, sending clouds of dust billowing.
With a powerful stomp, the mighty dragon kicked Machamp's limp body like a cannonball, slamming it back against the mountainside from which it had come. It crashed into the ground, completely incapacitated.
"Gaaaar—"
Having finished, the draconic form dissipated revealing Mega Garchomp, panting heavily as it leaned on its twin scythes for support.
This Machamp was at least on par with Bruno's ace-level battlers, extremely powerful. Garchomp had faced significant pressure in the initial exchange; it wasn't much easier than battling Electivire.
Being able to claim victory this easily had still required catching the opponent off-guard.
"Not bad. Keep up the good work."
Though the battle hadn't been exactly easy, Paul still offered a firm nod of approval.
In theory, with Garchomp's current strength, going all out would allow it to overwhelm the standard Elite Four Pokémon seen in the anime without much trouble.
However, there was one problem—the Elite Four of the Kanto region in the anime world, were generally portrayed as stronger than their counterparts elsewhere.
This wasn't simply due to the mysterious power scaling in the earlier seasons, but also because the Kanto Elite Four balanced one another so closely that they never produced a definitive champion.
That alone proved that the Kanto Elite Four were at least close to Champion-level strength. Otherwise, how could even Lance with his Champion-caliber power, fail to fully dominate the others?
"Viree~"
Electivire gave Garchomp an approving thumbs-up, his eyes gleaming with praise.
Even though he himself currently struggled to match the Ground-type Garchomp, that didn't mean he couldn't handle Machamp. For an opponent like Machamp, Electivire was fully confident he could win.
"Wooo~"
Ninetales also let out a soft cry of admiration, gazing at Garchomp approvingly.
Against a Machamp without the No Guard Ability, it knew it wasn't much of a match right now.
Even its closest partners, Froslass and Torterra, would probably struggle to fend off Machamp's fearsome four-fisted onslaught. That Garchomp could take it down was an impressive feat.
"Gaaaar—"
The red glow in Garchomp's eyes faded slightly as it turned to smile at Electivire, Ninetales, and Paul. But when it faced Bruno again, its expression instantly shifted, exuding killing intent once more.
If Bruno's remaining Pokémon were all at Machamp's level, then even with its boosted attack and speed, it would still struggle to secure an easy victory.
It would have to fight with everything it had.
"Return, Machamp. You did well."
Bruno recalled the fallen Machamp into its Poké Ball, his gaze now locked on Garchomp with a mixture of confusion and solemnity.
He simply couldn't understand it.
It was one thing for Garchomp to dance between attacks while performing Swords Dance, all while sustaining a terrifying sandstorm. But where did all these bizarre abilities come from?
A unique self-evolution ability.
An ominous, killing-intent-fueled mode.
Rough Skin's counter-damage.
And the mysterious draconic energy transformation.
Each of these strange powers was more bizarre and outrageous than the last. Bruno couldn't comprehend how any Trainer's Pokémon could possess such a strange and diverse arsenal of abilities.
But in truth, this was perfectly reasonable. Compared to the anime world, Paul's "Main World" was many versions ahead. The development of move combinations, abilities, and battle strategies was far more advanced.
Even in his own world, there were very few people who could fully grasp the scope of Paul's Pokémon abilities without directly referencing his private data.
After all, Paul's style of developing his Pokémon was often theoretical, unconventional, and somehow evolved into something both peculiar and terrifyingly powerful.
(End of Chapter)
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