The next morning, as the first rays of dawn stretched over the Nursery fence and painted the courtyard's stone tiles a pale gold, Paul had already finished his basic morning exercise.
At the dining table, warm rice balls and bowls of prepared Pokémon food were neatly arranged. Reggie was bent over, distributing food to several Skitty gathered at his feet.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up.
"You're up? Going to train after eating?"
"Mm."
Paul picked up a rice ball and ate quickly. A few minutes later, he swallowed the last bite, wiped his mouth, and said,
"Brother, I'm heading to the backyard to train."
Reggie nodded and continued his work.
---
The training ground in the backyard had already been leveled, with several large rocks placed around for training. Marks from previous battles still scarred the ground.
Paul stood in the center of the field, his gaze sweeping across the Pokémon nearby before he said in a low voice:
"Chimchar, Zangoose, come here."
The two Pokémon stepped forward and faced each other. Instantly, an invisible tension filled the air.
The moment Chimchar saw Zangoose—especially its scarred face and sharp eyes—its body stiffened. The flame on its tail flickered slightly.
Memories of the day it had been surrounded by three Zangoose instantly surfaced like a dark shadow.
It subconsciously took half a step back, unease filling its eyes.
"Alright. You two will battle."
Paul's cold voice cut through the tense silence.
He glanced specifically at Zangoose.
"Zangoose—fight with your full ferocity. No holding back."
"Begin."
The moment the command was given, Zangoose's eyes flashed fiercely. With a low growl, its claws gleamed with a cold light as it used Slash, lunging toward Chimchar at incredible speed.
A violent gust rushed toward it.
Chimchar's pupils shrank.
Its fur stood on end as the memory of being cornered by Zangoose against a cliff resurfaced vividly.
It wanted to move—to counterattack with Flame Wheel.
But its body felt nailed to the ground.
Its limbs refused to move.
All it could do was watch helplessly as Zangoose's claws closed in.
Bang!
The claws slammed into Chimchar's small body, sending it flying backward. It rolled across the ground several times before stopping.
"Chimchar, attack!" Paul shouted sternly.
But Chimchar could only stare at the charging Zangoose in terror, its body frozen and unable to dodge.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Zangoose's assault was like a raging storm. Slash and Fury Swipes came relentlessly.
Chimchar became a living target, repeatedly knocked to the ground as new injuries accumulated rapidly.
All it could do was curl up and shield its head with its arms, letting out helpless cries. Pain and despair filled its eyes.
Paul stood where he was, arms crossed.
His dark purple eyes were like a frozen lake—calm and emotionless.
Even as Chimchar was beaten severely, he didn't stop the battle.
Finally—
Zangoose's Crush Claw slammed heavily onto Chimchar's back.
"SCREECH—!"
Chimchar let out a sharp cry as the impact sent it flying into a tree trunk. It slid down and collapsed onto the ground, completely unable to continue fighting.
"Stop."
Only then did Paul speak calmly.
Zangoose immediately halted its attack, standing there and panting heavily, its eyes still fierce.
Paul reached into his pocket and tossed several high-quality Energy Cubes to Zangoose.
"Recover your stamina."
Zangoose immediately lowered its head and devoured them.
After that, Paul walked over to Chimchar and gently picked it up.
Chimchar's body was burning hot and covered in wounds.
In its hazy consciousness, it felt Paul lifting it and barely managed to open its eyes, seeing his expressionless profile.
Fear filled its heart.
It was afraid of being abandoned for being useless.
It let out a weak cry, tinged with pleading.
Paul ignored the sound. He simply carried it under the shade of a large tree.
He took out a special Potion from the system shop and carefully sprayed it over each wound.
The stinging medicine made Chimchar's body twitch, but it held back from crying out.
Instead, it quietly watched Paul's stern expression.
Paul remained silent, fully focused on treating the injuries, his fingers precise and steady.
---
Days passed.
Paul's training routine gradually became fixed.
Every morning, he would bring Chimchar and Zangoose to the backyard for battle training.
Chimchar was knocked down again and again.
Paul watched without expression.
Afterward, he silently treated Chimchar's injuries.
At first, Reggie frowned when he saw this seemingly cruel training method and nearly stepped in to stop it.
But each night, he saw Paul quietly massaging Chimchar's muscles and carefully helping it recover.
Paul always did it alone under the moonlight.
Seeing the focused care in those silent movements, Reggie eventually stopped interfering.
Leaning against the doorway, watching his younger brother work quietly under the moonlight, he understood.
Everyone had their own way of building bonds with their Pokémon.
Behind Paul's strictness was another form of responsibility and expectation.
In the end, Reggie simply sighed softly and walked away.
He chose to trust him.
---
A week passed quietly.
During this time, Paul learned from the news that Ash, the Trainer from Kanto, had successfully defeated Brandon, the Battle Pyramid's Frontier Brain, completing the entire Battle Frontier challenge.
The news sharpened Paul's gaze.
Time waited for no one.
Meanwhile, the results of this week of brutal training finally began to show.
Chimchar had changed.
At first, it didn't dare resist.
Later, it began instinctively blocking attacks with its claws and using Ember.
At first, it could only whimper after being knocked down.
Later, it struggled to stand back up and continue fighting.
Through this cycle of battle and recovery, Chimchar's level rose to Level 14.
At the beginning, whenever Paul massaged its muscles, Chimchar would rub its head against his hand with a pitiful expression, hoping for a bit of gentleness.
But Paul remained unmoved.
Until one night.
After finishing Chimchar's massage, Paul stood up to leave and coldly said:
"This is the price of becoming stronger. If you can't endure it, you'll always be bullied by Zangoose. If that's the case, leave. I don't need useless trash."
Those cold words struck Chimchar's heart like a hammer.
It stared at Paul's departing back as the flame on its tail flickered violently.
That's right.
If it wanted to become stronger…
If it didn't want to be bullied anymore…
Then it couldn't live in fear forever.
That night, Chimchar curled up in the corner.
The flame on its tail burned brightly the entire night.
From that moment on, something in Chimchar's eyes changed.
Fear was replaced by determination.
---
The next day's training began.
For the first time, Chimchar took the initiative to assume a battle stance.
Facing Zangoose's Slash, it no longer tried to run.
Instead, it blocked with its claws and countered with Ember.
Although the attack wasn't strong enough to seriously hurt Zangoose, Paul's eyes shifted slightly.
That night, Paul said to Chimchar:
"You're no longer afraid of Zangoose."
"But that power—your Blaze—you still haven't truly mastered it."
"Tomorrow, I want you to release it."
---
The next day, the atmosphere on the training field was extremely tense.
Paul didn't just summon Zangoose.
He also called over Elekid, Murkrow, Froslass, and Gastrodon, surrounding Chimchar in the center.
"Elekid—Thunderbolt!
Murkrow—Night Shade!
Froslass—Psybeam!
Gastrodon—Water Pulse!"
"Target: Chimchar."
The command stunned every Pokémon present.
Elekid hesitated, looking at Paul, then at Chimchar.
It didn't move.
"Execute the command."
Paul's voice suddenly turned cold.
The next moment—
Golden lightning from Thunderbolt, the dark beam of Night Shade, the swirling sphere of Water Pulse, and the cold energy of Psybeam blasted toward Chimchar from four directions.
"SCREECH—!!"
Under the barrage, Chimchar screamed as its body was instantly covered in injuries.
Its stamina rapidly drained as it was pushed to its limit.
Paul raised his hand, signaling the others to stop and retreat.
Then he turned to Zangoose.
"Zangoose. Continue."
"Fury Swipes."
Zangoose roared and rushed forward, its claws raining down on the already staggering Chimchar.
"Chimchar!"
Paul suddenly shouted.
"Release your Blaze!"
"Burn!"
"Only by surpassing your limits can you truly become stronger!"
"Let the flames devour your fear!"
The overwhelming pain and Paul's shout became the final catalyst.
Chimchar threw its head back and roared.
Something inside it shattered.
BOOM—!!!
A massive burst of scorching energy erupted from Chimchar's body.
The flame on its tail exploded outward, becoming a blazing inferno that engulfed its entire body.
Its eyes turned crimson.
A wild aura surged from it.
"Yes! Just like that!"
For the first time, a trace of admiration appeared in Paul's eyes.
"Flame Wheel!"
Chimchar instinctively curled its body, transforming into a blazing wheel of fire that slammed into Zangoose.
BANG!
Zangoose was sent flying backward and collapsed, instantly losing its ability to battle.
But Chimchar didn't stop.
Its crimson eyes suddenly locked onto Paul.
The flaming wheel turned—
and charged straight toward him.
"Paul!"
Reggie, who had just arrived after seeing the massive flames, shouted in alarm.
Elekid and the others tensed instantly, ready to rush forward.
But Paul raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
He faced the roaring wheel of fire directly.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only absolute calm.
Just as Flame Wheel was about to hit him—
Paul stepped forward and grabbed Chimchar with both hands.
The scorching flames burned his palms and arms instantly.
Pain shot through him, and sweat appeared on his forehead.
But his grip never loosened.
"Calm down!"
Paul shouted sternly.
"Endure it!"
"This is how you become stronger!"
"If you can't even control your own power, you'll never be anything but a useless Pokémon!"
His voice cut through the raging flames.
Chimchar trembled.
Its spinning slowed.
The flames began to shrink.
The crimson in its eyes gradually faded.
Finally, the blazing inferno returned to the small flame on its tail.
Seeing Chimchar return to normal, Paul quietly breathed out.
But his face remained calm.
He gently placed the exhausted Chimchar on the ground.
"You can't control your power because you're still too weak."
"Training ends here."
With that, Paul turned and walked back toward the house.
His steps were steady.
But as he turned away, Reggie and the Pokémon noticed something.
Paul's arms, hanging at his sides, were trembling slightly.
Clear burn marks covered them.
Chimchar sat on the ground.
It looked at Paul's retreating back… then at the defeated Zangoose.
Remembering the immense power it had just unleashed—and the moment Paul stopped its Flame Wheel with his bare hands—
Chimchar's eyes burned with determination.
It had finally taken its first step toward becoming stronger.
And Paul was leading it forward with the harshest methods imaginable.
---
Back in his room, Paul silently treated the burns on his arms with special burn medicine from the system shop.
The pain made him frown slightly.
But his eyes were brighter than ever.
---
I'm posting many TL fan.
This fanfic will continue or not depends on how well this fanfic, survival of the fittest.😂