The familiar blonde-haired Trainer—Barry, was feeling far from calm at that moment.
Defeat Palmer? Defeat his father, Palmer?
Was this something he was even allowed to say out loud?
Forget about the power of Pokémon for a second—this was pure bloodline supremacy, wasn't it?
"Got it."
Paul watched as Barry's face twisted with discomfort. The realization dawned on him.
"What? What do you mean, got it?!" Barry shot back, flustered. "I just need to improve a little! This year, I'll absolutely beat my dad and steal his Battle Tower from him!"
Barry was visibly agitated, spitting out reckless words and swearing vengeance!
"Good luck with that." Paul replied casually, but the indifferent expression on his face said it all.
"What's with that face?!" Barry snapped. "Don't think just because you're strong now I'm afraid of you! I'll duel you! I'll beat you!"
Barry wasn't going to let this go. Was Paul looking down on him? He was one of the top five Trainers of Sinnoh's new generation!
"Fine, I'll battle you for real later."
Paul glanced at the sky, then briefly checked Barry's World Coronation Series ranking. Nodding, he agreed.
"Great. I'm going to crush you."
Barry gritted his teeth after delivering the threat. His mind was already visualizing Paul being utterly defeated by his overwhelming strength.
Although that possibility seemed slim, dreaming wasn't a crime. One must always have ambition!
"Isn't Lucas traveling with you?" Paul asked casually as they walked toward the battle arena.
"Yeah, he challenged the Battle Frontier recently," Barry responded, still visibly sour. "He barely beat my dad, then left for Hoenn. He's searching for Mega Stones there."
Paul noted Barry's frustration. After all, they had grown up together, traveling the same paths as childhood friends. But why was Lucas able to defeat his father, while Barry couldn't even get a spot in the Champion League? Was that fair? Was that even logical?
Barry's jealousy was starting to cloud his thoughts.
But he was fortunate. His father had given him both Mega Stones and Keystone, so he didn't have to travel all over searching for them. All he had to do was get stronger and defeat his father, who had given him the stones in the first place.
"Mega Stones, huh... I'll have to go look for one later." Paul mused aloud, remembering his own Pokémon could Mega Evolve.
It had been a while since he had worked on that goal, but it was about time he got back to it.
"By the way, is that Chimchar your new Pokémon?" Paul asked, noticing Barry had been eyeing the Chimchar that was walking beside him.
"Yahh~!"
The Chimchar puffed out its chest and let out a confident call. But Barry's next comment quickly changed its expression.
"It seems lively, but compared to Lucas' Infernape, it still has a long way to go."
Although Lucas' Infernape had been consistently beaten by Paul's Pokémon since it was a Chimchar, that didn't mean it lacked potential.
On the contrary, Infernape had enormous strength.
"Yah! Ha!" Barry grinned.
Instantly, Chimchar clenched its fists, glaring at Barry, a spark of dissatisfaction in its eyes.
It couldn't tolerate being looked down upon by anyone, especially in front of its Trainer.
"Talent doesn't define everything." Paul remarked, defending Chimchar. "This little guy's got its own strengths."
"Yahh~!"
Chimchar seemed to feel reassured, a sense of comfort welling up inside it.
"That's right! What matters is the will! My will is unbreakable!" Barry declared proudly, standing tall. This was the confidence of someone chosen by Arceus!
"Maybe." Paul replied noncommittally, thinking back to the time a year ago when Barry had been utterly crushed after facing an Electivire in Hoenn.
"That was then!" Barry snapped, guessing Paul's thoughts. "My will is unbeatable now!"
"Then prove it." Paul said coolly, with an unreadable expression.
They arrived at an indoor battle arena, and Paul led Chimchar to one side.
"Alright, let's set up the match." Barry said, already pulling out his phone.
Because he had registered earlier, Barry's ranking had already reached the Great Class rank, a tier above Paul.
Normally, a battle like this would have been impossible to match up in the system, but with both Trainers agreeing to a direct match, it was now possible.
As the match was about to begin, a floating Rotom appeared in the air, announcing the rules.
"The World Championship Cross-Tier Battle begins! Due to the indoor arena, this match will be a 2v2. Trainers may switch their Pokémon during the battle, and the match ends when both Pokémon from one Trainer lose their fighting ability."
"Please release your Pokémon."
As the Drone Rotom finished announcing, it began recording the battle on video.
"Paul, this time, I'll definitely win!" Barry said, throwing his first Poké Ball with determination.
"Go, Roserade!"
"Roseee~!"
A flash of white light, and Roserade appeared on the battlefield, striking a regal pose like a queen at a masquerade ball. As soon as it spotted Paul, it immediately took an aggressive stance.
"Chimchar, get ready for battle!"
Paul didn't even bother taking out a Poké Ball, speaking coldly instead.
"Yahh!"
Chimchar was undeterred by the strong opponent. It charged forward with fierce determination.
The brave little monkey wasn't afraid of any challenge!
"Uh... Paul, are you sure about this?" Barry questioned, momentarily stunned.
It was normal to take on higher-ranked opponents, but Chimchar was still an inexperienced Pokémon. Roserade was no joke, it had only just surpassed the Elite Four level.
This felt almost disrespectful to Barry's Roserade.
"Sure."
Paul shrugged. A single round battle wouldn't matter. If Chimchar lost, it lost—it wasn't a big deal. The important thing was giving Chimchar more battle experience.
If Paul didn't think defeating Barry would move him up to the Great Class rank, he probably wouldn't have bothered with an indoor arena battle at all—he'd have just done a simple outdoor match.
But the simple "Sure" meant more than just acceptance to Chimchar, it was a form of encouragement.
"Yahh~!"
Chimchar turned to Paul, nodding firmly before charging ahead with renewed confidence, its fiery tail blazing high in the air!
"Since that's the case, I won't hold back!" Barry smirked.
With no more hesitation, he was going all in.
Drone Rotom hovered overhead, its mechanical voice echoing across the battlefield:
"Battle start!"
"You can go first." Paul said calmly.
Seeing that the opponent wasn't resisting, Barry could only smile and accept the courtesy.
Paul, fully aware of the power gap between the two Pokémon, gave a simple command:
"Chimchar, Flamethrower!"
"Yahh!"
Already in battle mode, the little Fire-type monkey opened its mouth and unleashed a searing stream of flames. Fueled by fighting spirit, the Flamethrower this time was clearly stronger than before.
If that hit landed cleanly on a Pokémon of equal strength, it would be lucky to escape without being knocked out.
However...
"Shatter it."
Roserade had no intention of dodging. With a flick of her floral whips, she didn't even need to use a move. She lashed out, effortlessly dispersing the oncoming flames.
But Chimchar wasn't discouraged in the slightest. Just as the Flamethrower subsided, it launched itself into the air, spinning into a Flame Wheel.
Fire surged around it, warping the air with heat as the attack rocketed toward Roserade.
BOOM!
But Roserade still didn't flinch. Her whips, now glowing green with energy, lashed out once more—this time using Power Whip, completely dismantling the oncoming Flame Wheel and sending Chimchar crashing to the ground.
"Ugh! Haa…"
Chimchar clutched his stomach in pain, curled into a ball on the dirt. Even so, he struggled to rise again.
"This is too much, Paul." Barry muttered. "The gap's just too wide."
A single close-range, type-disadvantaged move had nearly knocked Chimchar out. How much more could it possibly endure?
"Use Flame Wheel again. With Blaze."
Paul didn't answer Barry, simply giving another command.
"YAHHH!!"
With a fiery scream, Chimchar ignited once more, channeling all its courage into a second Flame Wheel.
This time, the flames were even more intense.
Yet Roserade still wasn't impressed. With a cool flourish of her whip-like vines, she struck again.
As Chimchar closed in, it tried to dodge mid-spin—but Roserade's Power Whip lashed out with surgical precision, knocking the attack off course and sending Chimchar tumbling across the battlefield again.
It took several long seconds before Chimchar finally managed to rise to his feet. His whole body trembled from pain, his breathing labored.
He had been so confident. So determined to prove himself. Yet in the face of Roserade's effortless counters, his heart burned with frustration.
Chimchar's eyes reddened, not just from the pain, but from the fury and humiliation boiling inside.
He clenched his fists tight.
A red aura began to shimmer across his body.
Blaze—activated!
This wasn't some mystical fire—just Chimchar's own innate Blaze ability, triggered at critical health.
"It's useless." Barry shook his head. "The gap is too big."
A Chimchar who hadn't even reached Gym Leader level—trying to defeat a Pokémon at Elite Four tier?
Unless Victini, the mythical Pokémon who grants infinite power to others personally intervened, there was no chance.
But even then—would it still count as Chimchar's victory?
Suddenly, Barry's eyes widened in shock.
Because Chimchar hadn't just activated Blaze.
The fury in his bloodshot eyes hadn't faded. The fire of his fighting spirit still surged.
And with it came something deeper…
The Power of Rage—awakened!
"He actually activated it?" Paul's usually icy expression shifted slightly.
In recent weeks, the team had been studying Mewtwo's Rage State, and teaching it to select compatible Pokémon.
Chimchar had tried, but his talent and level hadn't been enough. No matter what, he couldn't awaken it.
Yet somehow… now, in this moment of desperation…
He had done it.
But Paul's surprise wasn't over yet.
"YAAAAAH!!"
Chimchar roared to the heavens. Flames burst from his body, his tail ablaze like a tower of wildfire. Crimson fire coiled and danced around him like frenzied petals, licking the air with unquenchable wrath.
The surrounding temperature skyrocketed. The battlefield shimmered with heat distortion.
In this moment, Chimchar's power had surged by more than tenfold.
A Special Flame—triggered!
But this power… it was too wild. Too unstable.
Chimchar had lost control.
Even so, Paul remained composed.
"Flame Wheel!"
"YAAHH!!"
But Chimchar didn't listen.
Instead, it opened its mouth—and unleashed a monstrous explosion of fire. It wasn't just a Flamethrower anymore. This flame consumed all energy in its path, erupting in chain detonations as it surged forward.
"Use Hyper Beam—NOW!!"
Barry shouted, finally snapping out of his daze. If that flame hit, even an Elite-level Roserade could be critically injured!
"Ro—seee!"
Roserade didn't dare hesitate. Energy gathered between her hands, and she unleashed a blinding Hyper Beam, clashing with the torrent of flame.
BOOM!
A colossal explosion shook the battlefield. Dust and smoke erupted in every direction.
Before the smoke cleared—a giant, blazing Flame Wheel tore through the haze like a firestorm.
"Another Hyper Beam—full power!!"
Barry was panicking now. This new Flame Wheel was even more devastating than before.
Roserade leapt back, gathering her energy once more and fired a second Hyper Beam.
The two forces collided mid-air.
But the Flame Wheel didn't stop. It pushed forward, grinding through the Hyper Beam like a comet breaking through the atmosphere.
"Roseraaaaaade!!"
Roserade's heart pounded. She gritted her teeth and poured even more energy into the blast.
Bit by bit, the Flame Wheel began to slow.
In the end… the difference in raw strength couldn't be denied.
Chimchar, even pushed beyond his limits and overflowing with rage, could not overcome the gap in experience and power.
BOOM!
With a final blast, the Flame Wheel exploded in mid-air.
Chimchar's small body shot out of the explosion, tumbling to the ground.
He didn't rise again.
"Chimchar is unable to battle! Roserade wins!"
Drone Rotom announced the result.
(End of Chapter)
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