"Since everyone has their Pokémon now, let's release them first!"
"I'll go first! Come on out, Piplup!"
The moment they arrived at the backyard, Barry acted like a wild Ponyta off its reins. He pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it with an enthusiastic shout.
"Pip-pip-lup!"
With a cheerful cry, a small, adorable blue-and-white penguin Pokémon appeared on the ground, chirping energetically.
"Chimchar, it's your turn!"
Lucas followed closely, throwing his Poké Ball into the air.
"Chim-chaaaar!"
Out popped a Chimchar with a swirled tuft of hair on its head and a flaming tail. The mischievous Pokémon hopped around the field before sticking out its tongue at Piplup, making a teasing face.
"Pip-lup!"
Piplup's initial excitement vanished in an instant as it glared fiercely at the taunting Chimchar.
"Chim-chim-chaaaar!"
Chimchar wasn't fazed. It doubled down on its antics, sticking out its tongue again and shaking its tail at Piplup provocatively.
"Piplup!"
Enraged, Piplup looked ready to charge at Chimchar to teach it a lesson.
"Alright, that's enough, Piplup! You'll get your chance to battle soon!"
"Chimchar, behave yourself too."
The two trainers quickly stepped in to calm their fiery and watery companions.
"Hey, Paul, why aren't you releasing your Pokémon?"
With Piplup and Chimchar pacified, Lucas turned to Paul, who had been silent since they arrived. He was momentarily stunned by what he saw.
"What's the matter, Paul? Come on, send out your Pokémon! Huh? What's going on?"
Barry also noticed the unusual quiet and looked over, only to freeze in confusion.
"You two can battle first. Don't mind me," Paul replied flatly, holding five Poké Balls in one arm while using his other hand to scan each one with his Pokédex. His focus remained on the device.
"Budew, type: Grass/Poison, gender: Female, ability: Natural Cure, moves: Absorb, Growth."
"Kricketot, type: Bug, gender: Male…"
"Shinx… Intimidate…"
"Starly…"
As Paul scanned each Pokémon, the Pokédex displayed their stats, including gender, abilities, and moves, as well as more detailed information like height and weight.
By analyzing these details and observing the Pokémon, Paul could roughly gauge their potential. However, most of them didn't interest him; their basic moves and abilities were already enough to deem them unworthy of his time.
"They only know the most basic moves? Useless…"
"Wait, does this one know that move? Let's check its potential."
Paul paused at the last Pokémon on his list.
Budew.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Poison Point.
Moves: Absorb, Stun Spore, Growth, Energy Ball.
After scanning the final Pokémon, Paul pocketed his Pokédex and Poké Balls before finally looking up.
"What's the deal, Paul? How come you already have so many Pokémon? That's unfair—you should be fined!"
Barry, who had assumed Paul was a beginner, was caught off guard. He'd thought he was just a supporting player in their group, but it turned out he'd already captured a team of Pokémon. Her confidence wavered.
"Many? Even with more, those Pokémon are practically useless," Paul remarked dismissively. He tossed four of the Poké Balls into the air, releasing the Pokémon inside.
The freed Pokémon scattered in different directions, clearly startled.
"What are you doing?"
Barry and Lucas exchanged confused glances, not understanding Paul's actions.
"Paul is releasing those Pokémon, granting them their freedom," explained Professor Rowan, who had been observing calmly from the side.
"Releasing them? Why?"
Barry was baffled.
"Is it because you think they're weak? But with proper training, they could become strong," Lucas guessed, though he still didn't quite understand.
"Pokémon with such poor potential are everywhere. If I wanted to train them, I could catch new ones anytime. I'm not wasting my time on them," Paul replied with a faint, ironic smile.
As someone who had traveled to this world, Paul understood the truth: there were no weak Pokémon, only weak trainers. Any Pokémon could grow stronger with proper training.
However, raising a Pokémon with low potential would require far more time, effort, and resources than training one with innate talent. So why waste time on those that weren't worth it? Reality wasn't like a game where you could change stats or natures. If he was going to train, it would be for the strongest.
With that, Paul pulled out the Poké Balls for Elekid and Budew, tossing them into the air.
"Elekid!"
"Budew~!"
The confident Elekid and the timid Budew appeared on the field, their contrasting personalities evident as they surveyed their surroundings.
Paul's words left Lucas and Barry visibly shaken. While they couldn't deny his logic, they couldn't imagine treating their own Pokémon that way.
"You two battled yesterday. Why not face me today? It's a good chance to test their strength," Paul suggested. He wanted to evaluate Budew's abilities in a real battle.
"Alright, I'll battle you first. After I beat your Pokémon, I'll take on Lucas!"
Before Lucas could respond, Barry eagerly accepted the challenge.
"Piplup!"
Piplup jumped forward, puffing out its chest and looking determinedly at Paul.
"Budew, prepare for battle," Paul said coolly, glancing at Budew.
"Budew~"
Budew hesitated but hopped forward, nervously facing Piplup.
"Both sides ready? Let the match begin!"
Professor Rowan stepped in as the referee.
"Piplup, let's go! Charge forward and use Bubble Beam!"
"Pip-lup!"
Piplup dashed toward Budew, unleashing a stream of bubbles from its beak.
"Use Growth."
Though inexperienced, Budew resisted the urge to dodge and followed Paul's command. Closing its eyes, it used Growth to boost its strength.
"If you won't dodge, don't blame me for being ruthless! Piplup, use Peck!"
Seeing the attack land, Barry grew excited.
Piplup, now close to Budew, focused energy into its beak, causing it to glow and elongate as it charged at Budew.
"Absorb. Aim for its legs."
Paul's calm voice gave Budew the confidence it needed. Opening its flower bud, it launched a green energy whip that wrapped around Piplup's legs.
The move was super effective!
Piplup, its feet immobilized and off balance, tumbled to the ground and slid directly to Budew's feet.
Upon successfully landing Absorb, a surge of energy flowed from Piplup to Budew, healing most of the damage caused by Bubble Beam.
"Energy Ball!"
In real battles, there's no turn-based system, and Paul wasn't about to give Piplup a chance to recover.
Budew leaped backward, absorbing life energy from its surroundings to condense a vibrant, emerald-green Energy Ball in front of it. Once fully formed, the attack was hurled at the downed Piplup.
"Quick, counter it with Bubble Beam!"
In this critical moment, Piplup opened its eyes and, from its prone position, fired a Bubble Beam.
Boom!
The stream of bubbles collided with the oncoming Energy Ball, and the two attacks clashed fiercely before eventually exploding, creating a gust of wind that sent both Pokémon skidding backward.
"Whew, that was close. I almost lost," Barry sighed in relief before quickly issuing another command:
"Piplup, use Agility!"
The moment the move was activated, Piplup's speed skyrocketed. It began circling Budew at high velocity, its sharp gaze fixed on finding the perfect opening for an attack.
"Absorb!"
Hearing Paul's command, Budew regained its composure. It unleashed a flurry of green energy tendrils, sweeping them in wide arcs to attack all around and attempting to use the opportunity to defeat Piplup.
"Now, Peck!"
As Budew launched its attack, Piplup and Barry's eyes lit up.
This time, Piplup leaped into the air, spinning rapidly. Its sharp beak, now resembling a drill, pierced forward like a missile aimed directly at Budew.
Just as the attack was about to land, Paul's voice rang out once more.
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