Empoleon fearlessly tore through the shimmering Silver Wind unleashed by the opponent's Mothim. With sharp agility, it dodged through the gusts, lunging forward as its Metal Claw raked across Mothim's body with a powerful slash!
Mothim was sent flying through the air.
"Ah! Mothim!"
Its Trainer called out in alarm, clearly distressed.
Ash and the others watched from the sidelines as Barry—eccentric catchphrases and all—commanded with focus. Say what you will about Barry's personality, he was undeniably skilled. And Empoleon, his strongest Pokémon, responded instantly to every command.
Before Mothim could regain balance midair, Empoleon charged once more!
"Great job, Empoleon! Finish it with Drill Peck!"
Empoleon's beak surged with energy as it spun like a high-speed drill, hurling itself toward Mothim and landing the decisive blow.
Mothim collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold.
"Yes! That's three wins in a row! Empoleon, you're amazing!"
Barry dashed over and hugged Empoleon, who gleefully returned the embrace.
Then, he spotted a familiar group approaching. "Ash? Ash, Dawn, and Anabel? You guys are here too, in this lakeside town? Hahaha, awesome! You won't believe it—I just got three straight wins! Pretty impressive, right?"
Barry was absolutely buzzing.
"But Ash," he continued, a determined look flashing in his eyes, "you beat my dad. I've got to work even harder to surpass both you and him!"
Then Barry blinked, as if remembering something. "Oh right! I also ran into Paul here. Can you believe it? He's in this town too—Hey, speak of the devil—there he is!"
He pointed behind Ash.
Sure enough, Paul—stoic as ever—was walking toward them.
Upon spotting Ash, Paul's expression subtly shifted. He clearly hadn't expected to see him here.
"Yo Paul!" Barry waved enthusiastically. "You must've already gotten your badge from Sunyshore Gym, right? That gym is the best—they're just handing out badges lately!"
Indeed, the current Gym Leader, Volkner, had grown so bored of weak challengers that he had started giving out badges to unworthy opponents.
That was how Barry got his—fastest badge ever. So, naturally, he thought it was the coolest gym of all.
Paul, however, scowled. "That kind of badge is a disgrace. I refused to take it."
He turned to Ash. "I didn't think you'd come all this way just for a free badge…"
Ash's voice cut in coolly. "You're still the same, Paul—judging others without truly understanding them. Do you even know anything about Volkner?"
"Volkner," Ash continued, "is a close friend of Elite Four member Flint. His true strength is at least at the peak Pseudo-Elite Four—he may have already crossed into Elite status. Just because he gave out a few badges doesn't mean he's weak."
Paul's expression darkened. The implication was clear: he had seriously misjudged the Gym Leader.
So... Sunyshore Gym wasn't a joke—it was possibly the strongest Gym in all of Sinnoh?
Paul turned back toward Ash. After a pause, he said with conviction, "Then I'll go back and challenge Volkner properly. But first—Ash, I want a battle with you. Use your Monferno."
A direct challenge from Paul!
"Huh? Are you regretting letting Monferno go now that it's gotten so strong?" Dawn teased with a smirk. She'd never liked the cold way Paul treated Pokémon as tools.
"I don't regret anything," Paul said calmly, "I just want to see how powerful it's become."
Ash met his gaze and nodded. "Alright."
Excitement surged through the crowd of Trainers nearby. No one wanted to miss a battle like this.
Even watching others battle could be a valuable learning experience.
Ash and Paul moved to the battlefield.
"Let's go, Monferno."
"Go, Electivire."
Monferno vs. Electivire.
This matchup had a history. Back when Monferno was still Chimchar, and Electivire was Elekid, these two had battled countless times.
The moment they faced off, the tension spiked—an old fire reignited between them.
Paul didn't wait.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Eleeeectriiive!"
Electivire roared and unleashed a surge of electricity. Its power had grown—it was now level 53, the strongest Pokémon in Paul's current team. With its blue-tier potential, it had evolved into a true powerhouse.
But Monferno was stronger.
Its level was even higher, and its innate talent surpassed Electivire's by far. The only thing holding it back was that it hadn't evolved yet.
"Dig!"
Monferno dashed forward, then vanished into the earth with expert speed—dodging the electric blast effortlessly.
"Electivire, now!"
Paul wasn't caught off-guard.
He had long anticipated this move. Electivire drove its twin tails into the ground, then with brute force, ripped the terrain upward in one clean motion!
Monferno was flung out into the open.
But it had expected this. Before Ash could even issue another command, Monferno retaliated with a Flamethrower, colliding head-on with Electivire's second Thunderbolt!
Flames and lightning clashed in a violent burst. The battlefield was engulfed in a searing explosion of heat and static—a thunder-fire mushroom cloud towering over them!
Monferno's eyes locked onto Electivire.
Memories surged—the cold rejection, the beatings, the pain.
All of it.
Suddenly—whoosh!
The flame on Monferno's tail erupted like a wildfire, and the surrounding temperature spiked dangerously!
Monferno had activated its Blaze—but not just any Blaze.
This was the Awakened Blaze—a rare transformation that could be activated at will without the need for desperation!
Paul was speechless.
This was the power he had dreamed of—the special Blaze he'd chased but never obtained.
Then it happened.
Wooooom!
Surrounded by a halo of sacred flame, Monferno's body began to glow with a divine light.
Ash's eyes widened.
He was more excited than if he had caught a Legendary Pokémon.
"Finally… it's happening…"
"Infernape—my brother—I've waited a long time for you!"
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T/N:
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