"But… I refuse."
Sure, battling Ash was always fun—but Paul simply couldn't muster any interest in Ash's current lineup.
"Huh? Why not?!"
Ash was stunned. Paul's previous sentence had made it sound like a battle was guaranteed. How did it suddenly flip into a rejection?
"Aside from your Pikachu, none of your other Pokémon interest me." Paul said coolly.
What exactly was Ash's current team?
Besides the eternal constant, Pikachu (maybe leveled up a bit, but still unpredictable), there was the regional bird Staravia, the not-yet-traded Aipom, and the ever-eager, slightly clueless Turtwig.
If Pikachu didn't pull off something big, this lineup was a total giveaway. Paul had zero interest.
More importantly, even if Pikachu did go all-out, it still might not measure up to Chimchar's full potential.
Paul wasn't keen on seeing Chimchar "overextend" itself too early by evolving or growing too fast.
Even if the chance of overexertion was slim, it was still unnecessary risk—and if it could be avoided, it should be avoided.
"Wait—how do you know which Pokémon I've got?"
Ash was about to argue back but suddenly realized, how would a Paul from another world know what Pokémon he had?
"Does it matter?"
Even if the butterfly effect had shuffled a few Pokémon around, things wouldn't be that different. Paul's interest remained low.
Paul began walking away from the group. It wasn't every day he got to visit the anime world. If he didn't use this chance to recharge at the Tree of Beginning, the next cross-world trip would take a while to prepare.
So no, he wasn't heading back to his home universe just yet—he planned to explore a few places first.
Ash stood silently, clenching his fists, and watching Paul walk away step by step, frustration building inside him.
"If I were him, I'd refuse your challenge too."
That voice came from the other "Paul"—the alternate Paul from this universe—walking by with a Pokémon egg in his arms. He glanced at Ash but didn't stop.
Considering the power he held—enough to beat a Champion and the fact that, other than Chimchar, his team had no weak links, it was perfectly logical for Paul to refuse Ash's challenge.
Even if their roles were reversed, he'd likely do the same.
"What if I transferred some of my older Pokémon over?"
Ash paused, then raised his voice as the idea struck him.
He only had four Pokémon with him right now. Transferring two of his former Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab wouldn't be a bad idea. He could always rotate new captures in later.
"Oh? Now that sounds a little more interesting."
Paul paused briefly and turned around.
"Do you have Charizard?"
A battle between Chimchar and Charizard—now that would be fun to watch, win or lose.
"Uh… he's still training in the Charicific Valley. He's not at Professor Oak's lab right now."
Ash scratched his head sheepishly.
That reminded Paul—right, Charizard had stayed behind in Charicific Valley after the Battle Frontier arc and didn't return to Professor Oak's lab until the Unova BW era, when he was summoned back to Ash's side for a while.
"Then suit yourself."
Even without Charizard, any of Ash's old Pokémon would still be better than the baby-level rookies he had now. Paul didn't mind—he was all for the unpredictability.
"Alright! I'm going to transfer them right now!"
Ash bolted off toward the Pokémon Center without another word, quickly dialing up Professor Oak to begin the transfer.
The rest of the group exchanged glances and slowly followed, including the alternate "Paul", who was curious to see how this matchup would unfold.
Along the way, Paul reviewed his plans for where to go next. By the time they reached the Pokémon Center's backyard battle arena, Ash was already sprinting out, Poké Balls in hand, looking like he could barely contain his excitement.
"Let's do this, Paul! I've been waiting for this!"
"You choose the rules. No need for a referee."
Paul's words made Brock, who had just stepped up to volunteer as referee, freeze mid-step.
"Then let's do a full battle! All-out, no holds barred!"
Ash's spirits soared—after seeing how impressive alternate Paul had been, he was fired up and ready.
"Fine by me. Chimchar, battle time!"
Without hesitation, Paul tossed out the Poké Ball he had already prepared.
"Yaaah!"
The Fire-type landed on the battlefield in peak condition, eyes sharp, and brimming with fighting spirit.
Every battle with another trainer was a precious opportunity to grow—and with each fight, Chimchar's chances of victory increased.
"Chimchar, huh? Then it's you—Aipom, I choose you!"
Ash scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex before throwing out his Poké Ball.
"Aipom!"
Aipom landed and gave a polite bow, like a proper gentleman.
"You can go first!"
"Aipom, use Swift!"
"Aaii~!"
With a flick of its tail, Aipom launched a flurry of glowing golden stars straight toward Chimchar.
"Flame Wheel."
"Chimchar!"
Chimchar didn't flinch. Wreathed in flames, it charged head-on, spinning rapidly and tearing through the barrage of Swift stars before barreling straight at Aipom.
Ash wasn't backing down.
"Focus Punch!"
"Aaii~!"
Aipom began charging up, dashing forward to meet Chimchar mid-attack. But what it didn't expect was just how fast Chimchar really was.
Before it could fully charge the punch, the Flame Wheel was already upon it.
"Jump!"
In a desperate move, Aipom leaped into the air, hoping to avoid the attack and deliver its Focus Punch from above.
But it didn't expect Chimchar to spring up at the exact same moment—both Pokémon collided mid-air.
BOOM!
"Aagh!"
Aipom cried out as it was slammed backward tumbling to the ground. When it landed, it was already unconscious.
"A one-hit KO?!"
Dawn couldn't help but shout in disbelief.
"That Chimchar's even stronger than I thought." Brock observed, eyes narrowed. "It read Aipom's move like a book."
"Yahh!"
Chimchar landed in a flourish, pulling off a couple of flashy backflips before puffing out its chest with pride.
Thanks to the training and care it had received from the rest of Paul's team, this was no longer the scrawny little monkey it used to be.
"Come back and rest. You did great."
"Go, Turtwig!"
Ash recalled Aipom and considered his next move. Chimchar was clearly stronger than expected, so he went with his fastest option—Turtwig.
"Let's show them your speed, Turtwig—use Razor Leaf!"
"Twiig!"
Turtwig appeared confidently on the field, shaking its head as it launched a flurry of sharp-edged leaves.
"Dodge it—Flame Wheel!"
Chimchar flipped backward effortlessly, avoiding the flying leaves with ease before igniting and spinning toward Turtwig once more.
"Dodge, then Razor Leaf again!"
Despite its stubby legs, Turtwig exploded into motion with surprising speed, keeping its distance while flicking its head to fire another wave of Razor Leaves.
Thanks to its powerful flames, Chimchar wasn't injured—but even so, it couldn't quite catch up.
Looking at how Chimchar was struggling to catch up with its opponent, Paul spoke directly.
"Stop chasing. Use Bulk Up to dodge instead."
"Yahh~"
Chimchar, still grasping the concept of motivational battle strategies, decisively halted its pursuit and began to focus on strengthening itself.
The Razor Leaf attack came rushing in, but with its agile movements, Chimchar dodged it. If that didn't work, it could always unleash a fiery blast to burn through it.
Seeing this, Turtwig had no choice but to keep circling Chimchar, repeatedly firing off Razor Leaf hoping for an opening.
"This isn't working..."
Ash's expression grew serious. It was clear that his opponent was using some sort of power-enhancing technique. If this wasn't stopped, even his remaining Pokémon might struggle against Chimchar.
With that in mind, Ash quickly ordered,
"Use Tackle!"
At the command, Turtwig's eyes narrowed, and it charged like a cannonball.
"Yahh~"
Just as Turtwig's attack was about to land, Chimchar, seemingly unaware, suddenly spun around and unleashed a Fire Punch.
"BOOM!"
With a loud crash, Turtwig was sent flying back, its speed even greater than before.
After landing on the ground, Turtwig tried to struggle, but it ultimately collapsed, unable to continue fighting.
"Yahh~"
With two victories under its belt, Chimchar remained in great condition, looking as though it hadn't exerted much effort at all.
"Come back, Turtwig. You did well."
"Go, Staravia!"
Ash recalled his Turtwig and sent out his trusted Staravia.
"Staravia, use Gust!"
As it flew out of its Poké Ball, Staravia flapped its wings, summoning a fierce gust of wind.
"Flamethrower!"
Chimchar immediately responded, spitting a powerful Flamethrower that cut through the strong wind, its fiery stream still strong as it headed toward Staravia.
"Quick Attack to dodge!"
Staravia's body became a flash of white light as it barely dodged the Flamethrower, diving straight toward Chimchar.
"Flame Wheel!"
Chimchar was unfazed by the oncoming charge. It activated its Flame Wheel and surged forward.
Just as they were about to collide, Ash suddenly shouted,
"U-turn!"
Staravia's movement shifted dramatically. It spiraled upward to avoid the direct clash with Flame Wheel and instead came down from above, crashing into it.
"BOOM!"
The collision took place, but instead of the expected scene where Staravia broke through Flame Wheel, it was sent flying back, crashing into the ground.
"Flamethrower!"
Chimchar immediately broke out of its Flame Wheel form and with a swift turn, shot a fierce Flamethrower straight at Staravia.
"Staaaar!"
Staravia let out a loud cry as it fell from the air, defeated, and joining the ranks of Ash's earlier Pokémon.
"Yahh~"
Chimchar bounced excitedly back to Paul's side.
Despite having only learned a few moves in this time, Chimchar's battle experience honed by harsh training, was enough to overwhelm most Pokémon.
It wasn't that Chimchar was arrogant, but it felt that Ash's training seemed a little too predictable. Its opponent's attacks were straightforward, lacking any tricks.
"Come back, Staravia. You did well."
Ash's attitude shifted slightly as he recalled Staravia, his respect for Paul growing, especially after watching how calmly he had handled the battle without breaking a sweat.
Did Ash not realize that starting with Pikachu or one of the other Pokémon he'd just transported would likely have given him a higher chance of winning against Chimchar?
No, he knew.
He just wanted to prove that his newly caught Pokémon were strong too—nothing more.
But now, it seemed like Paul wasn't giving him that chance.
A powerful Chimchar like that... if only Ash had one himself...
"Pikachu!"
Lost in thought, Ash was snapped back to attention by a familiar voice.
"Pika~ Pikachu!"
Pikachu stood up proudly, patting its chest, and eager to join the battle.
"Hold on, Pikachu. Let this one shine for now."
Ash crouched down and rubbed Pikachu's head, then stood up and decisively threw a Poké Ball.
"Cyndaquil, you're up!"
Since Ash didn't have a Fire-type Pokémon on his team at the moment, he had Cyndaquil transferred over. Now, it was perfect timing for a fiery showdown with Chimchar.
"Cynda~"
In a flash of white light, Cyndaquil appeared on the field, a little smaller than Chimchar, but still quite adorable as it scratched its head.
Upon seeing its opponent, the timid little Pokémon instinctively took a step back. But once it realized this was a battle, it quickly took a step forward, and a fiery resolve igniting on its back.
"Cyndaquil, show your strength—use Flame Wheel!"
"Cynda!"
With a battle cry, Cyndaquil transformed into a fiery wheel and charged toward Chimchar.
"We'll use Flame Wheel too."
"Yahh!"
Chimchar wasn't afraid, meeting the challenge head-on with an even stronger Flame Wheel.
But after a single clash, Cyndaquil's smaller Flame Wheel was easily overwhelmed, and it was sent flying.
Had this been the first battle, perhaps Cyndaquil could have faced off more evenly with Chimchar, but after the self-boosting techniques Chimchar had been using, it clearly held the upper hand in power.
"Smokescreen!"
Seeing Chimchar about to chase after Cyndaquil, the latter quickly puffed out a thick cloud of black smoke, shrouding the area and concealing its movements.
Just as Chimchar tried to follow, hundreds of golden stars shot out from the smoke, forcing Chimchar to unleash flames to destroy them all.
Seizing the opportunity while Chimchar was distracted, Cyndaquil dashed through the smoke, speeding toward Chimchar with Quick Attack.
"Flamethrower!"
Chimchar, however, was quick to react. Despite its seemingly unsteady stance, it flipped backward in mid-air and struck out with a ThunderPunch.
"BOOM!"
When the monkey and mouse collided, one was bound to be hurt.
Cyndaquil, with a face full of Thunder Punch, was knocked back and struggled to get up, its body now trembling.
"Yahh~"
Chimchar proudly raised its fist, clearly pleased with how well it had executed the Thunder Punch.
It wasn't arrogance—it had just recently learned the move from Electivire, and now it seemed to have mastered it quite well.
"Come on, Cyndaquil, hang in there!"
On the other side, Ash, seeing that Cyndaquil hadn't given up yet, immediately shouted for it to use its secret technique, Heal Pulse.
"Cynda~"
The trembling Cyndaquil suddenly glowed with white light, as if responding to Ash's call. It was evolving!
"Wow!"
As the light faded, Cyndaquil had transformed. Its once tiny and cute frame had elongated, its timidity replaced with confidence and a newfound elegance.
Cyndaquil had evolved into Quilava!
(End of Chapter)
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