"Rotom~"
Training day after day, and while Rotom usually dislikes battling and being active, Paul decides it's time to put it to the test. But once it steps out of the phone, the spirited and mischievous Rotom plunges into silence—hovering motionless, expressionless, and staring back at "Paul."
"Rotom?" "Paul" calls out.
He doesn't underestimate the Rotom; whether it fights or not, Paul knows if this version can't beat Rotom, then stronger Pokémon could be sent next. Then he commands, "Garchomp, prepare to battle!"
"Gaaaa!"
A Garchomp emerges, looming over the grounded Electivire—clearly a powerful contender.
"You attack first." Paul orders.
"Garchomp, use Stone Edge!"
Garchomp slams its tail, creating jagged blue pillars shooting skyward aimed at Rotom. But Rotom hovers steady, and draws dark energy—it fires a Shadow Ball, shattering the stone pillars like armor-piercing rounds.
"Dragon Claw!"
Just as the Shadow Ball comes close, a green flash splits it in two, exploding into smoky wisps.
"Meteor Mash, Dragon Claw!"
From the obscuring mist, an orange meteor splinters overhead, falling in a torrent. Garchomp, its eyes aflame, enters Bloodline Mode, claws shining like sickles, and leaps up.
But Rotom doesn't flinch. Using Telekinesis, it freezes dozens of meteors mid-air.
"Fight fire with fire!" Rotom returns Garchomp's tactics with its own.
"Garchomp!"
Garchomp roars and slashes at the stilled meteors, yet a golden flash whizzes by: Rotom reappears behind it.
"Ignite!"
Rotom conjures wisps of Will-O-Wisp, burning Garchomp from the rear as it tenses to strike.
"Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp makes a fierce downward slash, but its claws pause just inches from Rotom's helmet-like head. Rotom's eyes glow blue as it holds the claw suspended with psychic might.
"Fight fire with fire."
Rotom summons dark flames around Garchomp, inflicting burn and draining its strength.
Garchomp tries to dodge but finds its muscles immobile. One strike after another bears down until…
Bang! Bang!
Panting and spent, Garchomp drops, defeated.
Rotom closes its eyes the moment Garchomp can barely stagger away. "Paul" silently withdraws Garchomp to its Poké Ball, astonished:
"This Rotom can use Psychic?"
Without hesitation, he sends out his next Pokémon:
"Torterra, prepare to battle!"
"Torterrra!"
Earth trembles as Torterra appears, roaring with determination. But then it freezes—lock eyes with Paul, glances to its trainer, and stands uneasy.
Once Paul nods, Torterra steels itself.
"Grow!" "Paul" commands.
Since receiving the growth-training manuals, "Paul" and Torterra have been perfecting this technique. Torterra glows white and roots begin to sprout across its back, reinforcing its body mid-battle.
"Rotom~"
Rotom mirrors this surge, gleaming with its own aura. As a Pokémon that meditates over twenty hours a day, Rotom channels willpower in battle to buff itself. Now, seeing Torterra's growth, it matches power-for-power.
"End it quickly. Use Frenzy Plant!"
"Paul" orders, unleashing Torterra's strongest move.
"Torterrra!"
The ground cracks as dozens of spiked plant columns ram toward Rotom. Paul doesn't fight fire with fire, he counters:
"Double Team."
Rotom splits into dozens of ghostly duplicates floating around. The plant attacks slam into the illusions, tearing up earth—none hit the real Rotom.
Frenzy Plant ends. The earth settles, and Torterra's body is affected by recoil, frozen mid-action.
Unexpectedly, Rotom reappears—
"Ignite!"
Will-O-Wisp flares again, burning Torterra as Paul chants his mantra. Torterra's body convulses under unknown constraints.
Finally, Torterra falls, out of combat.
"Return and rest."
"Paul" recalls Torterra, his expression was colder now, his hand trembling as he hovers over the remaining Poké Balls.
On the ground, the original Electivire—the one "Paul" first brought, shakes awake and groans from burnout, assuming it will fight.
"Vireee~"
Despite being at only one-third power, it refuses to yield. "Paul's" gaze flicks at it. Then, in a soft yet firm tone…
"I give up."
A quiet surrender.
"You're far from my level right now. Next time, I'll challenge you again."
"Vireee…"
Electivire is stunned, "Paul" rarely admits defeat.
"If you face a stronger foe and can't prove your strength, then surrendering isn't always wrong." Paul notes before calling back Rotom:
"Rotom, return."
In a flash of light, Rotom snaps back into the Rotom Phone.
"Trainer, Rotom was awesome!"
Rotom is smiling bright on the screen.
"Good job. Training clearly didn't go to waste." Paul praises.
Seeing Rotom as a tool Pokémon, Paul acknowledges its win—no reprimands here.
'Rotom is the best!'
Its pride gleams, fueled by being the only Rotom linked to an Arceus-level phone.
"Keep it up. I'll let you battle again when there's a chance."
Rotom's smile freezes.
"Trainer… I have zero interest in battling. Please let me stay in the phone forever. Roto~"
Rotom confesses weakly, its personality naturally introverted even after being captured. Life inside the phone lets it indulge in power buffing. Outside, it feels like returning to a primitive age.
"I see. Then stay in there." Paul replies dryly.
"Got it! Roto~" Rotom declares before deactivating its screen.
"How long will you stay this time?" "Paul's" voice came over.
"Depends on mood—and on my plans."
Short term, Paul isn't heading anywhere immediate.
He's already captured Mewtwo and Dialga—the top-tier Legends. Other Legendary Pokémon fall into two categories: ones it can't even beat, and ones it could beat but wouldn't want to capture.
Paul's goal: to become the strongest Trainer. He has two paths—catch the strongest, or train his Pokémon to be the strongest.
Unlike in the games, he won't toss out "weak gear" for stronger replacements. He believes even his non-Legends, with enough training, can beat many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
Having already captured Mewtwo and Dialga, the two most powerful—he has no interest in Lugia or the like for now.
But, ironically, he could go to the Whirl Islands next, with Mewtwo leading the charge, and capture Lugia and its offspring.
However, today he's not interested.
Then, "Paul" asks, "I have some questions about training Garchomp, Torterra, and Electivire. Can I ask you?"
That simple line troubled "Paul" a long time. Trainers often approach Professors or Champions—but here, Paul's identity is very special, he is himself in alternate world.
Yet after this battle, he realized admitting inferiority was okay. Seeing one's flaws is the first step to improvement.
"Sure." Paul says, giving a faint, knowing smile.
Since the cascading effect has changed so much, why not change a little more—see how far the alternate Paul can go?
Game-changer scenarios flash: could he battle Tobias at the Lily of the Valley Conference and win? Could he beat Drake? Could he diverge from prophecy to win the Elite Four and then become a Gym Leader—and later Champion, instead of the other way around? Could he actually defeat Leon and Ash to become the strongest trainer in the world?
What truly excites him is training someone strong enough to fight against himself one day.
The idea grips him.
In this anime world where years feel like the same day, what surprises await if he returns?
So, Paul scrapped most of his plan. He stays outdoors with "Paul," continuing training with their Pokémon.
Electivire and Garchomp teach their own kind while Paul mentors "his other self" and Torterra.
(End of Chapter)
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