The sky had turned overcast, heavy with the promise of an incoming storm.
Before Paul could decide whether to treat his Pokémon or begin training, or even find shelter just in case it began. A commotion nearby broke the silence.
"Ahh!" "Yaaah!"
"Grrr!" "Cha!"
The frightened cry of a Pokémon was quickly drowned out by a chorus of wild and chaotic calls.
From the nearby trees, a wounded Chimchar was darting through the branches, clearly fleeing for its life.
"Cha!"
A sharp blade of wind—Air Slash whistled past, severing the branch that Chimchar was about to land on. The monkey Pokémon lost its balance and tumbled.
"Yah!"
Chimchar's panicked cry was cut short as a muscular arm struck its stomach midair, sending it flying to the ground.
It tumbled across the dirt, groaning in pain, but forced itself to its feet and sprinted toward the path ahead. A group of Zangoose, their faces twisted with cruelty were close behind.
Was this a battle over prey… or territory?
A natural conflict. Not something Paul would normally intervene in.
Still… what if this Chimchar had potential?
"...Let's check it out."
With a slight pause, Paul recalled his Electivire and followed.
'Run! Run! Run like your life depends on it!'
Chimchar pushed through the pain, racing forward with only one thought in mind.
Because it did depend on it.
The landscape shifted around it, but the wounded Chimchar, focused solely on escaping, didn't notice where it was headed.
"Yah!"
Suddenly, Chimchar skidded to a stop—any further, and it would have plummeted from a cliff nearly a hundred meters high, down into a raging river.
That fall would be fatal.
Terrified, it staggered back a few steps and turned around, trembling.
"Cha!"
"Grrr~"
With a few cold and menacing growls, five Zangoose emerged from the shadows surrounding Chimchar completely. Cruel smiles curled across their muzzles.
"Yah… yaaah…"
Chimchar trembled uncontrollably, despair washing over it.
Paul arrived at the cliff's edge just in time to witness the scene. His hand instinctively reached for a Poké Ball in his pocket.
"Grrr!"
Before he could act, the Zangoose pounced all at once.
Faced with the lunging predators, Chimchar's mind snapped. As total despair consumed it, something inside awoke.
"Yah! Aaah!"
A strange power surged through Chimchar's body. Its vision blurred. Behind it, flames burst to life, stronger than ever before as it flipped through the air, blazing in a spinning inferno.
Blaze activated!
Flame Wheel!
At that moment, Chimchar unleashed its most powerful attack to date.
The charging Zangoose didn't even have time to react. Like bowling pins, they were scattered across the field, crashing to the ground in all directions.
A one-hit knockout.
Even after taking out five Zangoose, the Flame Wheel didn't lose momentum. Chimchar kept spinning in a fiery blur, the ground scorched even though it couldn't catch fire.
When it finally stopped, Chimchar stood dazed, seemingly unaware of what it had just done. Silence blanketed the cliffside.
Could that really have come from a Chimchar?
Paul stared, stunned, his expression growing serious. He slowly pulled his hand away from the Poké Ball.
That flame… it was powerful. If harnessed properly, defeating Brandon would be that much more possible. Maybe even catching up to him.
That thought flashed through Paul's mind, and with determination, he stepped forward to capture Chimchar.
But after only two steps, he froze—his eyes narrowed at the figure descending from above.
Two figures stood before him: a Garchomp radiating draconic might and another Paul.
A version of himself, transported here from another world.
That Paul ignored his anime counterpart and calmly approached the dazed Chimchar, crouching down to examine it.
"Yaaah~"
Startled, Chimchar glanced up in confusion and fear, locking eyes with the newcomer.
"Look." Paul said, pointing at the fallen Zangoose. "That was all you. There's tremendous power inside you."
"Bzzt~"
Chimchar followed his gaze, stunned to find all the Zangoose scorched and unconscious. Their fur was charred from head to tail.
'That was me?'
The thought struck Chimchar like lightning, so shocking it couldn't believe it itself.
As if reading its mind, Paul confirmed gently, "Yes. You did that. All of it."
"The fire inside you is powerful… and fascinating."
With quiet intensity, Paul held out a Poké Ball from the Hisui region, his voice dropping to a devilish whisper:
"Do you want to grow stronger? To master your flames… to control your destiny?"
"Yaah…"
Chimchar remained confused, glancing between the two Pauls.
Its mind was a blank slate yet somewhere deep inside, it knew this moment would change everything.
Fear, doubt, and dread swelled… but then it remembered. The pain. The bullying. The hunger. The helplessness.
Its gaze hardened.
"Yaaah!"
With resolve, Chimchar stepped forward and slapped the Poké Ball.
In that moment, Chimchar's eyes shone. Its body turned to light.
The ball didn't even shake, just a quiet "click."
Chimchar was caught.
In any world, whether by Paul or his alternate self, it wasn't just a matter of catching a Pokémon, it was Chimchar choosing him.
Choosing its future.
Paul had often wondered what it would be like to raise Chimchar himself, to train the "big brother" of his team.
But as he looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, he felt… calm.
"You came again."
A quiet voice broke the silence behind him. Paul turned to see his anime-world self watching him coolly.
"Yeah," he said. "Wanted to see what was interesting about this world… and see you too. That Chimchar won't show its true power in your hands." he added, "Let me raise it."
"You caught it. It's yours. No need for justification."
The original Paul looked at his other self with a conflicted but rational gaze.
(End of Chapter)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access the advanced chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23