Cynthia hadn't been present to watch the matches that day, but she had seen Paul's performance on television. After all, he was a genius Trainer from her own Sinnoh region, so it was impossible not to pay him some attention.
In her view, Paul had already taken a wrong path, and the person who could pull him back onto the right one had appeared at this Indigo Plateau Conference.
What she hadn't expected was that before the two had even met in an official match, their paths would already cross in private. Otherwise, how could Paul's Chimchar have ended up in Ash's hands?
With Cynthia's sharp eyes, she could tell that Chimchar possessed terrifying potential. Just how terrifying, however, even she couldn't fully see.
After all, she didn't have Ash's Eye of Insight.
But there was one thing she was certain of, Paul had no way of unlocking Chimchar's true strength.
It wasn't that Paul was weak as a Trainer, nor that his training methods were fundamentally flawed. The problem was far simpler and far more fatal: Paul and Chimchar were incompatible.
Paul's personality was cold, rigid, and oppressive, something that could be seen at a glance. Chimchar, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The more pressure it was placed under, the more its potential became sealed rather than released.
If Cynthia had to choose, she felt Ash was far more suitable for Chimchar. Only someone with Ash's gentle, encouraging nature could allow Chimchar to grow without fear, without being crushed beneath relentless pressure.
But Chimchar had already been Paul's Pokémon. Logically speaking, it should have been impossible for it to go to Ash.
And yet, reality often defied logic.
In just two short days, Chimchar had changed Trainers.
More than that, in those few days, Ash had already unearthed Chimchar's hidden power, and it had even evolved in the middle of battle. This was the chemical reaction that occurred only when the right Trainer met the right Pokémon.
Of course, not every suitable pairing could reach the level of Ash and Chimchar. That was inseparable from Chimchar's own talent, and from Ash's extraordinary instincts as a Trainer.
On the other side of the field, Paul's cold expression finally cracked.
Watching Chimchar evolve, a rare trace of ugliness appeared on his face.
He had trained Chimchar for months, pouring effort into it day after day, yet it had remained stuck at the same level stage, showing no signs of progress.
And now?
Just two days after being abandoned, Chimchar's level had risen, and it had evolved into Monferno right in front of him.
What kind of joke was this?!
It felt like learning that a chest of gold was buried beneath a patch of land. You dig tirelessly for months, turning the soil again and again, yet find nothing, not even a trace of rare ore.
Frustrated, you finally give up… only for someone else to arrive. Two days later, they dig up the treasure you'd failed to uncover.
That was exactly how Paul felt.
The power hidden within Chimchar was that chest of gold. He had spent months digging and failed, while Ash had unearthed it in mere days.
Was the gap between him and Ash truly that vast? Or was Chimchar simply rebelling against his training?
Paul wasn't the type to blame others for his failures. When he called his Pokémon "useless," those words were just as much directed at himself.
A Pokémon's weakness reflected its Trainer.
That belief was what drove him to train even harder.
But this time… he couldn't suppress his doubt.
Could Chimchar really have been pretending all along?
Even if Ash had methods to stimulate Chimchar's potential, such a dramatic transformation in just a few days was absurd. This wasn't simply drawing out latent strength, it was as if Chimchar had been replaced with an entirely different Pokémon.
Paul didn't feel regret.
He felt obsession.
He needed to know why.
Why Chimchar's combat power, growth rate, and overall performance were completely different from when it was under his command.
Was it really… the difference between Trainers?
"Unbelievable!" the commentator shouted.
"Player Ash's Chimchar has evolved into Monferno in the middle of the battle! And that Flame Wheel just now defeated Player Giselle's Marowak in a single strike! Is this the strength of Kanto's Supernova?! Letting a Pokémon evolve during battle, what a daring gamble! And he actually succeeded!"
"Now then, facing a Monferno whose strength has skyrocketed after evolution, what Pokémon will Player Giselle send out next?!"
Hearing this, Giselle pursed her red lips helplessly.
She hadn't expected such a result either.
Against a Chimchar whose level was an entire major realm lower than Marowak's, her Pokémon had been instantly defeated. That evolution was completely unreasonable.
After evolving, Monferno's strength had jumped by more than a full tier.
The only consolation was that Marowak had been her weakest Pokémon.
Her lineup consisted of two core main forces and one weaker member, Marowak. It had been among the earliest Pokémon she'd captured. Due to talent and racial limitations, it gradually fell behind her other partners.
Even so, Giselle had never abandoned it.
In fact, Marowak was the Pokémon she had devoted the most care and effort to training.
No matter the circumstances, she always brought it into battle. That was her persistence, her pride.
But persistence didn't change reality.
In a tournament like the Indigo Plateau Conference, where experts gathered from all regions, and especially against someone like Ash, having a weaker Pokémon instantly defeated was, frankly, inevitable.
But being insta-killed by a newly evolved Monferno was not part of Giselle's plan.
She took a slow breath, returned Marowak's Poké Ball to her pocket, and calmly drew out another.
"I'm counting on you, Gengar."
A flash of light burst open, and a deep-purple figure materialized on the battlefield, the Ghost-type Pokémon, Gengar, its grin wide and unsettling.
"This Gengar…" Ash felt a flicker of familiarity the moment he saw it.He couldn't remember every Pokémon he had ever faced, but this one stood out.
"That's right," Giselle said, her tone carrying a hint of pride. "It's the same Gastly from back then, the one that lost to your Ralts."
Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.
"After that match, he received proper training. He's not the same anymore."
She lifted her chin. "Originally, I planned to use him against your Gardevoir… but dealing with Monferno first will do just fine."
That Gastly had originally belonged to the academy. After the match, it followed Giselle, and the academy, surprisingly generous, officially transferred it to her.
From that point on, Gastly's growth had been explosive.
In just a few short months, it evolved continuously, its strength skyrocketing. A few days ago, it had officially reached Mid High evel.
That speed was terrifying.
Among trainers of the same generation, only Gary and Misty were slightly ahead, and even then, only by a narrow margin. Compared to Ash, however, the gap was undeniable.
Back then, Ralts and Gastly had been at the same level.
Now?
Ralts had already reached Peak Stage.
Giselle's talk of "revenge against Gardevoir" was nothing more than wishful thinking.
But against Monferno?
That was different.
Even after evolving, Monferno had only reached the Mid level. Even with Ash's Aura Power pushing him further, at most he could touch the Medium.
Jumping two levels immediately after evolution already placed immense strain on Monferno's body. That he could even sustain this power was impressive, otherwise, Marowak wouldn't have fallen so quickly.
But against a Mid high-Level Gengar?
That gap was real.
"Monferno… can you do it?" Ash asked quietly.
"Mon!"
Monferno's fists ignited as he shadow-boxed in the air, eyes burning with excitement.
This was Quick Attack, a move he had only learned after evolving.
His stance, his rhythm, even his gaze were different now. Compared to when he was still Chimchar, the change was unmistakable.
Perhaps it was because he had always been forced to fight above his level under Paul, losing again and again, that his confidence had slowly eroded.
This victory had reignited it.
Monferno could feel the difference too.
He knew Gengar was stronger. He knew the gap was vast. Even with Ash's power, victory was uncertain.
But he still wanted to fight.
He wanted to break through.
"In that case, let's go!" Ash waved his hand decisively.
"Monferno, Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it, then Shadow Ball," Giselle responded coolly.
Gengar vanished in an instant.
The Flamethrower tore through empty air.
A heartbeat later, Gengar reappeared beside Monferno, a dark sphere already formed in its palm, Shadow Ball, launched point-blank.
"Flame Wheel!" Ash shouted.
The speed difference was overwhelming. Monferno barely had time to react. Dodging was impossible, blocking was the only option.
"Mon!"
The Flamethrower never stopped.
Monferno curled his body inward, flames spiraling around him as the stream of fire wrapped tight, transforming into a blazing wheel!
Fire and darkness collided.
BOOM!
A violent explosion tore through the battlefield.
When the smoke cleared, Monferno was sent flying, tumbling across the ground more than ten times before barely stopping at the edge of the field.
Ash staggered back, clutching his shoulder, pain flashing across his face.
"So the gap really is this big…" he muttered grimly.
Monferno had just evolved. His power hadn't stabilized. He could barely bring out seventy to eighty percent of his current strength, and even Ash's Aura boost couldn't fully compensate.
Under normal circumstances, an Mid leve trained to perfection could contest an Mid-High.
But this wasn't normal.
That single clash had drained nearly eighty percent of Monferno's stamina.
Another exchange like that, and he'd be down.
"Monferno, let's change tactics.."
Ash stopped mid-sentence.
Something was wrong.
Inside Monferno's body, a violent power surged upward, flooding him in an instant.
"Monnn!!!"
Monferno leapt to his feet, eyes turning blood-red as he slammed his fists against his chest. The flames on his back erupted wildly, twisting into the shape of a blazing "大", scattering sparks across the field.
Blaze, activated.
But this wasn't normal Blaze.
The temperature of the entire battlefield skyrocketed.
Ash froze, eyes wide.
This was the first time he had ever seen Blaze this violent.
"So this is it…"
"The Super Blazefire Ability the Eye of Insight detected."
A normal Blaze increased Fire-type power by fifty percent.
This one?
At least one hundred percent, and still rising.
More than that, Monferno's offensive stats were surging. Power. Speed. Explosiveness.
Defense and stamina hadn't changed, but everything else was being pushed to the limit.
This wasn't a balanced enhancement.
It was a pure offensive overload.
Ash could feel it, heart and body resonating with Monferno.
This power meant one thing:
Monferno was burning everything he had.
And then, Ash's expression changed completely.
Because he was losing the connection.
The bond between Trainer and Pokémon, the one that had always been clear, was fading.