"Paul?" Peter turned his head toward the window.
"Let's go check it out… something feels off," Whitney said, lifting her leg off Peter's lap. She always liked sitting like that when they ate together.
By the time they reached the forest, Ash Ketchum and Paul were already facing off.
Behind Ash stood a battered and exhausted Chimchar, its body covered in wounds. Even so, it looked nervously at Paul, afraid—terrified, even—of disappointing him.
"It's already in this condition! It doesn't have the strength to keep training—shouldn't it be treated first?!" Ash's voice carried an edge rarely heard.
He was never the kind of trainer who forced his Pokémon.
From Bulbasaur refusing to evolve, to Pidgeot guarding its forest, to Primeape chasing its fighting dream, to Butterfree flying across the ocean—Ash always chose respect.
But Paul… was the complete opposite.
For him, there was only one goal:
Strength.
Anything that couldn't keep up—or refused to follow his philosophy—was discarded.
Paul's expression didn't change. "Mind your own business. How I train my Pokémon is none of yours."
"But—!"
Ash tried to argue, but Paul had already turned away.
Chimchar hesitated… then followed.
Soon, the sound of attacks clashing echoed from deeper within the forest.
Ash clenched his fists, hesitated for only a moment—then ran after them.
Dawn and Brock followed as well.
Watching their backs disappear into the trees, Peter shook his head slightly. "Let's go back."
He knew.
This… was the first step of Ash entering the someone's heart.
Whitney looked worried. "Will they really be okay?"
"They'll be fine," Peter said calmly. "They're both walking their own paths."
As he spoke, he finally understood what Cynthia once meant.
Both Ash and Paul shared the same desire—to grow stronger.
But they chose completely different roads.
Neither was absolutely right. Neither was absolutely wrong.
Paul's method was harsh, even extreme—but it forged resilience, awakened instinct, and forced out hidden potential.
At the cost… of scars.
Ash's method was gentler, built on trust—but sometimes, it meant leaving potential untapped. Like his Bulbasaur, who mastered Solar Beam without evolving and even acted as a leader at Professor Oak's lab.
Had it evolved into Venusaur, perhaps Charizard wouldn't have been his first-generation ace.
But Ash had something Paul didn't.
He could awaken a Pokémon's will through trust—through bonds.
In the end, Chimchar's brilliance came from both of them.
Paul gave it discipline and fire.
Ash healed its fear and gave it courage.
Only then… did that blazing pillar of flame erupt skyward.
This was its path.
And Peter wouldn't interfere.
He would simply watch… and wait.
…
Not long after returning to the Pokémon Center, Brock carried the unconscious Chimchar back and treated its injuries.
Under everyone's questioning, Paul finally revealed how he had first encountered it—
That terrifying flame.
A blaze so intense it seemed capable of lighting up the world.
"So you joined this tag battle… just to use your opponents' fire to strengthen Chimchar?" Brock frowned.
Paul didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced at Peter—who was casually feeding watermelon to Whitney—and said, "That's one reason. The other… is to take revenge on him."
Peter, completely unfazed by the attention, smiled. "Babe, is the watermelon sweet today?"
Everyone: "..."
Even Paul's usually expressionless face twitched slightly. "Hey! This time, I'm not losing!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever makes you happy," Peter waved him off, continuing to feed Whitney.
Under everyone's gaze, her cheeks puffed adorably as she chewed, a faint blush spreading across her face.
"Unbelievable…" Paul muttered, his expression dark as he turned and walked away.
Dawn blinked in surprise. "So he can get angry…"
Brock nodded. "Apparently."
Ash shouted after him, "Paul! Don't let Chimchar battle tomorrow!"
Paul simply waved his hand without looking back.
…
The next day, late morning.
Peter arrived at the arena with Whitney, letting out a long yawn.
"Haah—"
They'd stayed up late the night before… experimenting with "new card game strategies."
As a result, they hadn't even eaten breakfast.
By the time they reached the spectator stands, Group A's matches were already halfway through.
Brock and his partner had finished their battle—their coordination improving noticeably as they advanced to Round 3.
Meanwhile, the match currently underway featured two familiar teams:
Ash & Paul
vs
Saikikka & Karate-ō
Just like in the original timeline, Ash sent out Turtwig, while Paul stubbornly chose the already-injured Chimchar.
Their opponents fielded Metagross and Zangoose.
The moment Chimchar saw Zangoose—
It froze.
Fear surged from its past memories. Its already weakened body began to falter, its movements riddled with mistakes.
The battle quickly spiraled into chaos.
Just as Zangoose was about to land a decisive blow, Ash ordered Turtwig to intercept with Bite, blocking the incoming Slash.
But in the very next moment—
Paul commanded a Flame Wheel.
And he didn't hold back.
The attack struck not only the opponents—but Turtwig as well.
Even Metagross took heavy damage from the blast.
"What are you doing, Paul?!" Ash shouted.
Paul said nothing.
Saikikka couldn't help but yell, "I've never seen someone this crazy—you're hitting your own teammate?!"
Karate-ō seized the moment. "Zangoose, Slash!"
"Zan!"
Zangoose blurred forward, grabbing Chimchar by the back of its neck. Its claws gleamed as they aimed straight for its face.
"Flamethrower!"
Paul gave the command.
But Chimchar… couldn't move.
The fear had already taken hold.
"…This is the end." Paul closed his eyes, disappointed—accepting what he believed to be the truth:
This Pokémon… was a failure.
At the last second, Turtwig's Razor Leaf cut in, forcing Zangoose back and saving Chimchar.
But Turtwig itself collapsed, its energy spent.
"Perfect chance! Zangoose, Fire Blast!" Karate-ō shouted.
A blazing, cross-shaped inferno tore through the air, heading straight for the immobile Turtwig.
Everything seemed decided.
Everyone watching thought—
This was the end for the disjointed pair.
And yet—
Just as the Fire Blast was about to hit—
A small, fiery figure stepped in front of Turtwig.
Chimchar.
It raised its arms, blocking the attack.
The flames surged wildly—
But instead of being consumed, Chimchar began absorbing them, its body trembling under the strain, yet refusing to let a single spark reach Turtwig behind it.
Then—
A flicker.
Its eyes ignited with determination.
"Thump."
"WHOOSH—!"
The flame on its tail exploded outward, blazing brighter than ever before.
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T/N:
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