Time passed quickly. After leaving the lake, Paul headed to a nearby Pokémon Center to rest for the night.
The next morning, as the sun rose, Paul resumed his journey toward Sandgem Town. Reflecting on the events of the previous day, he came to a realization: it's better not to release Pokémon unless he was certain of their potential and value.
If a Pokémon showed exceptional talent, he might treat it with a more considerate attitude. However, when faced with a Pokémon that didn't meet his standards and had a poor temperament, it was simply frustrating.
As Paul walked through the woods outside the town, his attention turned to the wild Pokémon in the area. Once he received his Pokédex from Professor Rowan's lab, he'd be able to assess their potential directly. For now, he could capture them in advance and evaluate them later.
"Elekid, get ready to battle," Paul commanded, tossing a Poké Ball into the air.
From the Ball emerged Elekid, its fists already in motion from its earlier training. Paul pointed to a Budew basking in the sunlight, its flower bud opening and closing atop its head.
"Elekid, use Thunder Punch."
The Budew had noticed Paul as soon as he threw the Poké Ball. Its flower bud glowed with a greenish light, releasing a whip-like tendril aimed at Elekid.
Absorb.
Elekid sneered, shattering the attack with its Thunder Punch. With swift precision, Elekid closed the distance and landed a decisive blow. The Budew was sent flying, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop.
"Poké Ball, go!"
Paul wasted no time. Before the Budew could fully lose its ability to battle, he threw a Poké Ball. It struck the Budew, transforming it into red light and absorbing it. After two shakes, the ball went still.
Budew captured.
"Let's keep going. There's another Pokémon over there. Take it down," Paul said, gesturing toward a Shinx peering out from a patch of grass.
The Shinx, its blue and black fur shimmering in the light, showed no fear despite being discovered. Its ears and tail, adorned with star-like patterns, twitched with excitement as it locked eyes with Elekid, ready for battle.
Under Paul's orders, Elekid used Quick Attack, accelerating toward Shinx with its hand glowing white, preparing Brick Break. The Shinx responded with a counterattack, its teeth glowing with a cold, eerie light. Bite.
Just before impact, Elekid twisted mid-charge, evading Shinx's bite. It followed up with a precise Brick Break, striking Shinx's head and breaking its momentum. Shinx crumpled to the ground, unable to continue the fight.
"Challenging despite such a power gap? It must have the Rivalry ability," Paul muttered, picking up Budew's Poké Ball.
He examined the fallen Shinx and concluded, "Rivalry boosts attack power against Pokémon of the same gender but weakens it against the opposite gender. A double-edged sword."
While Rivalry might be acceptable on some Pokémon, Paul found it less desirable on Shinx, which had access to better abilities like Intimidate or Guts. With Elekid's top-tier potential already secured, he had no interest in capturing an average Shinx.
Continuing through the woods, Paul's attention was drawn to a red cricket-like Pokémon standing upright with "whiskers" resembling an instrument. It was none other than Kricketune, known for its helpful nature.
"Don't underestimate it. Use Thunder," Paul commanded with a serious expression.
Although Kricketune was of little value to him, its singing could put even Elekid to sleep, warranting caution.
After a series of battles and captures, Paul finally arrived at Professor Rowan's lab by noon.
"Ding-dong~"
"The door's open. Come in," a voice called from inside.
Paul entered the lab's main hall, where several researchers and assistants were working. Among them stood an elderly man with white hair and a beard, clearly Professor Rowan. Two other boys were also present—one wearing a red beret and the other with spiky yellow hair. Both wore scarves, one red and the other green, and sported unique watches on their left wrists.
The two boys looked familiar, and Paul quickly formed a guess about their identities.
"Professor Rowan, I'm Paul from Veilstone City. I contacted you earlier about picking up my custom Pokédex," Paul said, bowing slightly in respect.
"Perfect timing. I can give all three of you your Pokédexes at once," Professor Rowan said, smiling as he handed over two red Pokédexes and one black one.
"Thank you very much," Paul said, accepting the black Pokédex.
"Thanks, Professor!" the boy in the red beret said politely.
"Thanks a lot, Professor~" the spiky-haired boy added, then turned to his companion. "Lucas, now that we're official trainers, let's have a battle!"
"Another one? Didn't I beat you yesterday?" Lucas replied, exasperated.
"That doesn't count! Yesterday, Piplup and I weren't familiar with each other. There's no way your Chimchar should have beaten us. This time, I'll win for sure!"
Seeing Barry's persistence, Lucas reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but there are others here. Let's battle later."
Turning to Paul, Lucas introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Lucas, and this is Barry. We're both new trainers from Twinleaf Town. We came here to pick up our Pokédexes today."
"Just to pick up Pokédexes?" Paul asked, noticing something odd.
"Well, yesterday, while we were at Lake Verity, a group of Starly attacked us. We found Professor Rowan's briefcase, which had three Poké Balls inside. Each of us took one to fight off the Starly," Lucas explained.
"Since we were already planning to get our starter Pokémon, Professor Rowan gave them to us early. Today, we're just here for the Pokédexes."
Professor Rowan added, "There were originally three Poké Balls in the case, but when it fell, one rolled away. Despite searching, we only found one damaged ball, and its Pokémon was gone. Hopefully, it'll find its way back."
Sensing the somber mood, Professor Rowan changed the subject. "Alright, young trainers, there's a battlefield in the backyard if you want to test your skills. Let's go."
With that, he led the way outside.
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