"Vireee~"
"Yaaah~"
Soon after arriving at an open clearing, Paul threw out two Poké Balls—Electivire and Chimchar.
The two Pokémon, one large and one small, appeared from their Poké Balls and immediately locked eyes.
"Viree~"
'A new teammate?'
"Yah..."
Electivire narrowed its eyes, exuding pressure directly toward the smaller Chimchar. The little monkey flinched and took several steps back in fear.
"Vireee~"
This reaction made Electivire pause. It glanced toward its trainer, as if seeking confirmation—
'Where did this scrawny monkey come from? Weak body, poor talent, easily frightened... utterly useless.'
"Gaaaar~"
Watching from the side, Garchomp explained what had happened earlier. Even it didn't quite understand why Paul had chosen to capture Chimchar.
It had to admit—Chimchar, in its outburst state, was fierce. Compared to when it was still a Gible, it might even have been taken out in one hit.
But what if it dug tunnels to dodge, used Sand Tomb to hinder, and finished with a powerful Crunch—how would Chimchar respond to that?
Sometimes, you can't just rely on explosive power. The gap in raw talent is still a factor.
As for back in the Electabuzz days—open with Protect and Charge, and no matter how blazing Chimchar's Blaze ability is, it would've been blocked and one-shot regardless.
Garchomp had its doubts, but after listening to the account, Electivire didn't look down on Chimchar. It was reminded of two other monkeys it had once battled.
Lucas' Infernape and Ash's Infernape.
The first one? Decent talent, sure, but no match in power.
The second… a bit different. Weaker than the first, but the moment that strange flame burst out, it had honestly startled Electivire.
That power was strong, yes—but the monkey hadn't yet mastered it. Mediocre control. Not a real threat.
But this Chimchar? Based on Garchomp's description, it resembled Ash's Infernape an awful lot.
"Vireee~"
At this thought, Electivire stopped paying attention to the other Paul and his own counterpart. Instead, it turned its curious gaze toward its Paul.
If other worlds could have another Paul, then why not another special monkey?
"You're not wrong." Paul said, having read Electivire's thoughts with his psychic powers. "This guy... has potential. He fits well with our team's training methods and atmosphere."
"Vireee~!"
'Little monkey! Come follow the boss! I'll take care of your entire path to strength!'
Electivire instantly understood. Time to recruit a new little brother.
Sure, it was the senior member of the team—but it's lonely at the top.
It always felt its position was unstable. What it needed was a pure-hearted rookie, someone to form the all-new Electivire Squad!
The bar wasn't high: during internal sparring, just beat down Torterra.
"Yaah~"
Chimchar looked hesitant. Though it was clearly afraid of Electivire, something about the big guy felt off.
"Alright, let's start with treatment."
Paul didn't give them much time to chat. He scooped Chimchar into his arms, applied healing medicine, and began massaging its muscles.
At the same time, he began chatting with the other Paul.
"Yah~"
Chimchar melted into relaxation from Paul's massage. Before long, it dozed off.
This day had been far too overwhelming.
"Vireee~"
Seeing that he couldn't recruit his little bro just yet, Electivire gave up for now. He turned to the other Electivire, the one that had been staring at him the whole time.
'What are you looking at, you little punk?'
"Vireee~!"
'What's wrong with looking at you?'
Even though the opposing Electivire could feel the massive pressure radiating from its counterpart, it roared back—perhaps out of pride, perhaps out of defiance.
The sound had barely faded when a flash of gold exploded in front of it, followed by a deep pain in its gut.
BANG!
The other Electivire was sent flying like a cannonball.
"Vireeee~"
The veteran Electivire grinned at both Paul's, then turned into a streak of golden light and charged toward its counterpart.
'Time to teach this rookie about love, peace, and the beauty of the world.'
The two Paul's? Totally unfazed.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Through further conversation, Paul began to understand why this alternate version of himself had given up on his journey after just one region.
It was simple: having been influenced by both Paul and Reggie in a short time span, "Paul" found himself more irritable the longer he traveled. None of the Pokémon he captured sparked his interest.
So after earning two badges with just Turtwig and a few temporary captures, he went home.
Back in Veilstone City, he calmed down and began studying breeding methods, researching Paul's training philosophy… and gradually reconciled with Reggie.
Perhaps fate works in strange ways. From a random egg in the daycare, he hatched an Elekid with talent equal to Turtwig.
Later, during another city trip, he captured a goofy but extremely tough Gible.
Three Pokémon—perfect mirrors of the ones Paul had used to defeat Brandon: Torterra, Garchomp, and Electivire.
He had to admit, fate was uncanny.
After everything fell into place, the rest of the journey was smooth.
He traveled to Hoenn and Kanto to grow stronger, participating in their Pokémon Leagues…
At the League, he made the Top 8 once and placed second another time.
Now, he was preparing for the Lily of the Valley Conference. Once he won his first championship, he'd go challenge Brandon at the Battle Frontier, and then face the Elite Four and Champions.
"Good luck."
At the end of their exchange, Paul offered a sincere blessing. Then, after a pause, he added:
"If you really want to win, there are two people you should pay extra attention to."
"Who?"
Paul slowly spoke two names:
"Ash Ketchum… and Tobias."
Ash—no explanation needed. He's the anime's protagonist. Anything is possible with him.
Tobias—only appeared once, but took the crown with just Legendary Pokémon. Fans call him the "Legendary Beast Guy." That alone was enough reason to be cautious.
"Got it. I'll remember."
"Paul" nodded. No questions asked. He mentally took note of both names.
Since the warning came from himself, it had to be important.
"No, just give them some attention." Paul clarified. "The trainer's focus should never be just on rivals and strong opponents. It should be on themselves and their Pokémon."
"As long as you're strong enough, you can beat anyone."
Reading his counterpart's thoughts, Paul gently shook his head.
(End of Chapter)
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