That's why Paul wants to know, how exactly did Ash do it?
How did he manage to unleash Chimchar's potential, bringing it to where it is now? Where are they really different?
Only by knowing these things can he become stronger!
"Your biggest mistake was being too harsh with Chimchar." Ash said as he took out a Pokeball, which opened instantly, revealing the spirited Monferno beside Ash.
Immediately after the match ended, Ash used the Power of Viridian to heal Monferno. Although Monferno's injuries were not light, Ash's Power of Viridian is no longer what it used to be. It's a power that can grow; as its usage increases and his understanding of it deepens, the healing ability grows stronger too.
For a Pokemon as powerful as Monferno, it takes less than two minutes to recover, even faster than a Pokemon Center.
Now Ash is like a moving Pokemon Center, even better than a Pokemon Center.
Once Monferno appeared, he excitedly looked around, thinking there was going to be another battle. The joy of his previous two victories had given him enough confidence and allowed him to savor the thrill of victory.
Under Paul, he hardly won, but in his first battle under Ash, he defeated his opponent by surpassing his level, and that felt incredibly refreshing!
But when Monferno's gaze shifted to Paul, he froze instantly; after all, how could he forget his former Trainer?
He didn't expect that in just a few days, after he had just become stronger, his former Trainer was again in front of him.
Is he here to take him back?
With his current strength, he could indeed return to Paul's side, and if he continued to grow at this rate, he could even become Paul's trump card!
Yet Monferno no longer wished to go back...
His current Trainer is great, even better than Paul!
He had no complaints about Paul's rigorous training, nor did he mind Paul's lack of smiles, nor his not treating Monferno's injuries after battles.
Monferno simply wanted to stay by Ash's side because Ash was nicer, nothing to do with gratitude or grudges.
"Don't worry Monferno, Paul isn't here to take you away, and even if he wanted to, I wouldn't agree. You are now my Pokemon, my partner!" Ash saw Monferno's concern and crouched down to gently touch Monferno's furry head, smiling as he spoke.
Ash's words instantly eased Monferno's worries, and he boldly began to look Paul in the eye.
Paul glanced at Monferno's appearance, his eyes briefly showing a hint of strange emotion, a flicker that soon disappeared. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ash, seemingly puzzled as to why Ash had brought Monferno out.
Was it just to show how well Monferno is doing now?
"Can you tell what's different between Monferno now and how Chimchar was when he was with you?"
"...It's stronger."
"Stronger? In what way?"
"Besides strength, what else could it be?"
"That's where you're mistaken." Ash stood up and looked at Paul seriously, pounding his fist against his heart and speaking clearly, "Monferno's strength didn't come from his physical power, but his heart. Because his heart grew stronger, he could become this strong."
Paul: ...
"When Chimchar was with you, although he trained very hard, he never experienced the taste of victory. No matter how strong he got, he always failed, and you only thought the environment wasn't challenging enough, that Chimchar hadn't been pressured enough."
"I know you wanted to put Chimchar in dire situations to unleash the flame inside him, just like the fierce fire Monferno showed in the match. But that kind of power can't be triggered by pressure or adversity; even if it is, it's just a coincidence."
"Power unleashed coincidentally, without a strong heart, is uncontrollable. You saw Monferno raging earlier; if he was still in your hands and unleashed that power, the outcome would have been complete chaos until his Physical Strength was exhausted."
Paul's eyes slightly narrowed as if remembering that scene. In fact, he knew how difficult it was to control that power, but he always wanted to unleash Chimchar's power first, control was a secondary concern.
If it couldn't be unleashed, then there would be nothing to control, right?
But in reality, the impact of that power was far more exaggerated than he imagined. It's not a power you can grasp through repeated activation; as Ash said, without a strong mind and spirit, Chimchar... Monferno would never control that power in his lifetime.
"You want to know why Chimchar has grown so much recently? Why did he advance to the Advanced Peak after evolving? Actually, I haven't done any training these past few days; I've just been combing Chimchar's body, taking him out to enjoy himself, occasionally reinforcing his power, and that's all."
Paul looked startled, his face showing disbelief, "How is that possible? Without training, you can't grow stronger. Are you saying you can become stronger just by having fun?!"
If Ash had said he went through tough training, or used his special abilities to improve Monferno, or even said Monferno had issues with him, Paul could accept all those reasons.
However, Ash claimed he was just playing these days... What does that mean? Trampling on his concept of training Pokemon?
Can simply playing easily surpass all his rigorous training, is that it?
"It's not simply about playing, but combining work with rest. You already helped me with the work part." Ash slowly revealed the truth about Monferno's growth to Paul.
"Before, Chimchar received too much training, but back then he was covered in injuries, all the results of training suppressed by his wounds, leading to Chimchar never being able to improve."
"I restored Chimchar's injuries, helped him adjust his body, and then let him relax. As for improvement... it was about releasing all the training results suppressed inside him. So for the work part, you already helped me with that."
Paul: ...
According to Ash, the reason Chimchar could reach this point in just a few days was partly because of his own efforts?
Paul looked at Monferno with a complicated expression, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He didn't regret what he did because that's how he trained and treated his Pokemon.
It was just a pity that because of differing training methods, he missed out on a Pokemon with great potential. If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be; even if Chimchar stayed with him for a lifetime, he couldn't realize Chimchar's potential, and that's the reality.
"Thank you for the guidance, let's see the real deal in the next match." Paul nodded slightly to Ash, then walked away briskly, without a hint of sentiment towards Monferno.
Monferno watched Paul leave decisively, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment. In the end, he still didn't get Paul's acknowledgment; the other party seemed not to regard him at all.
"Don't mind how he's acting; in truth, he still has feelings for you. When he saw you grow stronger, he didn't harbor jealousy but felt a bit happy. Besides that, there's some regret too, but it's mostly positive feelings; it's just that he's not open about it." Ash said with hands on hips, with a face full of emotion.