Chapter 303: Ash vs. Paul! There's No Way You're Beating Me
Should he take Mammon up on this? Ash was thoroughly torn. Logically, this reeked of a trap — Mammon was clearly the type to have three ulterior motives for every one thing he said. But emotionally, he was genuinely tempted. If Mammon actually helped, maybe there'd be a real way to finally resolve Lucario's fixation. And looking at the boy and girl across from him — per Mammon's own words, both Sinnoh trainers were rookies, same as him. Just starting their own journeys this year, same as him. Which meant — even if they were prodigies, there was no reason he should just lose to them outright, right?
Ash figured he could win this. That confidence was real. But — what if he couldn't?
A long silence settled over the group.
"So? Made up your mind?"
After a few minutes, Mammon asked with a smile.
Ash gritted his teeth, still caught in indecision.
"Mammon, if Ash loses, what exactly do you want him to do for you?" Brock asked, his voice firm.
"Relax, nothing bad. And I can promise you — nothing that would go against Ash's own principles. Otherwise, feel free to refuse. Sound fair?"
Mammon coaxed gently.
"Or is it that you don't have confidence in yourself, Ash? Kanto's supposedly gifted young trainer, too scared to battle a Sinnoh trainer his own age?"
"That's not it at all!"
Ash flared up instantly. What was that supposed to mean?! Him — Ash, of Pallet Town — scared of some kid from another region his own age?
"Fine! I won't lose!"
Hook, line, and sinker. The corner of Mammon's mouth curled upward. Ash really was Ash — didn't take much bait at all. When it came down to it, gifted as he was, this was still his very first year on the road; nowhere near as seasoned as the version of him from later in the anime's timeline.
"Ash?" Brock's expression shifted — too reckless.
"It's fine, there's no way I lose to them!" Ash declared firmly, eyes locked on Platinum and Paul. He wasn't losing to some out-of-towners.
Brock sighed inwardly — this was obviously Mammon goading him into it. These two Sinnoh rookies, personally brought all this way by Mammon himself, kept close at his side — no question they were genuine prodigies he valued highly. Brock knew full well this was going to be a real fight.
"Now that's some confidence. A little Red-like, even." Mammon applauded Ash approvingly.
"So — pick one. Dawn or Paul, who do you want to battle?"
Mammon settled in, waiting patiently for Ash's choice.
Paul remained expressionless as ever, giving Ash a brief glance. Something about this hot-headed trainer rubbed him the wrong way, for reasons he couldn't quite place.
Platinum blinked. Ummm— An oddly strong sense of déjà vu washed over her. She looked at Ash with genuine sympathy — this felt uncomfortably similar to her own experience getting roped into Team Rocket at the Sandgem Lab, courtesy of Lord Mammon. Sympathy aside, though, if Ash picked her as his opponent, she wasn't going to hold back — not for a second. First, because Lord Mammon was watching right now. Second, because Platinum genuinely believed Team Rocket was a good thing, and Mammon clearly valued them, investing resources into their growth without hesitation. And besides — who knew what exactly Mammon intended to have Ash do, win or lose?
"Which one should I pick?" Ash's face scrunched up, gaze bouncing between the two of them.
"That girl looks kind of like a noble young lady — probably the friendlier one," Misty whispered to Ash. Platinum's gentle bearing and clean, refined features made a strong, favorable first impression easily enough. Paul, by contrast, carried a stern, almost gloomy air that made him feel hard to approach.
"You can't judge a battle by appearances. Both of them are probably genuinely strong, Ash. Go with your own gut on this," Brock said, shaking his head, overruling Misty's suggestion. She clearly wanted Ash to pick Platinum — but what did a trainer's actual strength have to do with looks or bearing? Speaking of which, wasn't Caitlin, standing right there beside Mammon, also stunningly elegant on the surface? And she was a genuine monster underneath. Brock had every reason to suspect Platinum's actual strength might well exceed this "Paul" kid's by a wide margin.
"Then I'll pick this one. Not sure why, but something about him rubs me the wrong way." Ash's gaze locked onto Paul the moment he said it, meeting Paul's own stare head-on. Ash glared at him without a hint of hesitation; Paul's eyes narrowed slightly in return.
Brock: "..." Misty: "..."
Rubs him the wrong way? That's the reasoning? Still, Ash's instincts tended to be reliable, and it was his own battle to fight — might as well let him.
"I'm picking this guy!" Ash pointed straight at Paul, addressing Mammon.
"Looks like you've been underestimated, Paul." Mammon couldn't help a grin, addressing Paul directly. Made sense, honestly — expected, even. Both Platinum and Paul shared deep, meaningful ties to Ash in canon. Dawn especially — the only returning female lead in the anime who'd shown up in person to cheer Ash on at the Masters Eight tournament, with real screen presence to match. And Paul's rivalry with Ash needed no further introduction. Mammon was genuinely looking forward to this matchup.
"I'll teach him a proper lesson." Paul said flatly, stepping calmly over to the open clearing beside them.
"Ha! What a cocky guy! We'll see who's teaching who a lesson." Ash caught the remark, of course, and wasn't about to back down either.
"Pfft~" Platinum couldn't help finding some strange humor in watching the two of them go at each other already.
No need to search for a battlefield — the open clearing right here was already perfect. Ash and Paul took up positions on opposite ends.
"So, shall I referee this match?" Platinum volunteered eagerly, stepping to the sidelines, glancing between the two of them, her pretty, pale face bright and infectious. Brock, who'd been quietly gearing up to volunteer for referee duty himself, was left standing there feeling faintly cheated.
"No objection." That was Ash.
"Much appreciated." That was Paul.
"Great — then let's begin. This match is between Ash and Paul." Platinum raised an arm, announcing formally.
"The rules for this match are—"
She turned to Ash at that point.
"Full battle. I'm going to make this guy eat his words!" Ash pulled out a Poké Ball. A full battle — six-on-six — the format that tested a trainer's complete strength and tactical range most thoroughly.
Paul, one hand in his pocket, had no objection.
"Rules: full six-on-six battle. Both sides may switch Pokémon freely during the match. The first side to have all six Pokémon lose the ability to battle loses."
"Battle, begin!"
Platinum announced the rules, then withdrew calmly from the field, leaving the two trainers alone within it.
"Feels like Dawn's opened up a lot lately," Caitlin remarked suddenly.
She still remembered how withdrawn and subdued Platinum had been right after joining Team Rocket — reserved, introverted, guarded. Now she was unmistakably far more outgoing and cheerful.
"That's a good thing. Under that rigid, aristocratic family upbringing, her true nature had been pretty heavily suppressed," Mammon said with a light laugh.
"Mm. Do you think Paul can beat Ash?" Caitlin glanced over at Ash. She had her own impressions of the boy too.
"Who knows." Mammon didn't answer directly.
On the field.
Ash and Paul stared each other down — for two total strangers, deciding who'd move first still carried real weight. Paul, though, didn't seem to care much about that at all. He drew a Poké Ball, enlarging it in his hand, but made no move to throw it right away.
"I don't like you."
Paul said, bluntly, out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Ash genuinely thought he'd misheard, then bristled with indignation once it registered. What was that supposed to mean?
"I don't like you. Something about you — it irritates me."
Paul's tone remained perfectly level — but that very calm was exactly what set Ash's temper flaring instantly. Dislike was dislike; Paul had always been someone who said exactly what he thought. He was starting to understand now, honestly, why he felt this instinctive distaste for Ash — the guy shared some particular quality with his own "wasted-potential" older brother.
"What are you even talking about? Like I'm thrilled to look at your sour face either, glaring at everyone like that." Ash was thoroughly annoyed now. This guy's been scowling this whole time, and he has the nerve to say he dislikes me*?*
"I don't know what Mr. Mammon sees in you, but—"
Paul flicked out his first Poké Ball, backhanded.
"Drapion! Ready to battle!"
"Grr—!"
With a low growl, a massive scorpion-like Pokémon landed heavily before Paul, swinging its pincers threateningly at Ash. Drapion — Poison/Dark type.
"Drapion, huh. Impressive presence. And this Pokémon's genuinely bad news for Ash," Brock noted, brow furrowing slightly, studying the ferocious Drapion. "Its great type combination leaves it weak to only one type — Ground — and Ash doesn't have a single Ground-type on his team."
Brock looked worried.
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine. Have faith in Ash! There's no way he loses to some out-of-region trainer," Misty said quietly. Faith was about all that was left at this point.
"Drapion, huh?"
Ash studied the massive, menacing Pokémon before him — a Sinnoh native, his first time facing one in person. Pokémon-loving as ever, some part of him couldn't help a flicker of genuine excitement despite everything.
But — that irritating voice across the field cut back in.
"You're actually lucky, not picking Dawn."
Paul's calm, steady eyes fixed on Ash, his expression, as ever, showing next to nothing.
"But the result's going to be the same either way. There's no way you're beating me."
Damn it!!
Ash gritted his teeth. This guy — why was he so infuriating?
"Keep your eyes wide open, then! Watch exactly how I beat you!"
Ash threw his own first Poké Ball with real force.
"Dragonite! You're up!"
A flash of white light, and Dragonite landed before him, wings beating steadily. Just some out-of-towner from Sinnoh. And an irritating one at that.
I'm winning this.
☆☆☆
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