After receiving treatment, Paul left the Pokémon Center with his Pokémon.
In an open field, Paul released all of his Pokémon. They gathered around, watching a projection displayed by the Rotom Phone using Psychic to cast a hologram.
The video showed a battle between Chimchar and Roserade.
Everyone watched as Chimchar accidentally unleashed the Power of Rage. Before they could even react to the surprising display, Chimchar's anger intensified, and it suddenly exploded with an overwhelming force, a terrifying surge of energy within it erupted.
All of this happened in just a few seconds. But in that short time, Chimchar's power had changed dramatically.
The scene left Paul's team speechless.
These were Pokémon at Elite Four and Champion-level, some had even recently learned to control the Power of Rage as taught by Mewtwo, believing they too could unleash great strength.
But could any of them multiply their power several times over?
Twice? Three times? Maybe four or five?
Certainly not tenfold.
Yet Chimchar, fueled by both Rage and a unique form of Blaze, completely shattered that limit—its power increased more than tenfold.
After watching the footage, every Pokémon looked at Chimchar differently.
They used to think Chimchar had potential, sure, but nothing extraordinary.
Now? It made sense why Paul had made an exception and chose to capture it. Chimchar truly had something special.
If nothing else, when comparing potential for explosive power at equal strength, no other Pokémon on Paul's team could rival Chimchar.
"Vireee~"
Electivire nodded approvingly.
"Ursah~"
Ursaluna scratched its head, staring in disbelief. The raging wild-eyed Chimchar from the video looked nothing like the well-behaved little monkey standing calmly in front of them.
"Chaah~"
Hisuian Samurott silently etched Chimchar's terrifying burst into memory. He vowed to grow stronger himself, refining his dual-blade style to its peak, so that he wouldn't be completely outclassed if they ever had to fight.
Raw strength wasn't enough—it needed speed, precision, and endurance. If he could master those, even Chimchar wouldn't be able to defeat him.
"..."
Each Pokémon had its own reaction—some were pleased, some indifferent, others were inspired. Only Ninetales remained distant.
'Chimchar? Powerful? So what?'
She had the Flash Fire ability! Even if Chimchar's flames were overwhelming, once she activated her sealing techniques, it wouldn't be able to use many Fire-type moves.
She was the nemesis of Fire-types—and proud of it.
Still, even though reactions varied, Chimchar felt something it had never experienced before: the undivided attention of the whole team. It was both exhilarating and a little prideful.
Paul, however, remained stern.
"The power inside you is strong, stronger than anyone realizes." He said, meeting Chimchar's gaze.
"But no matter how much of that power is already yours, if you haven't learned to control it, it doesn't count as your true strength."
"So, from this moment forward…" Paul's tone sharpened.
"…do not attempt your Blaze state again."
"Yah?!"
Chimchar blinked, halfway through nodding in determination, only to freeze mid-thought.
'Wait—what? Shouldn't mastering that power be the goal? Why forbid it?'
"The fire is powerful," Paul said quietly. "But it's not something you're ready for. When you're truly strong, you won't even need to search for it. It will come to you, no matter how deeply it's hidden within. But when you're still weak, the harder you try to grasp it… the harder it becomes."
"Your willpower, your body, your strength—they're not ready to bear that fire."
In the anime, every time Chimchar triggered its special Blaze, it was always during moments of extreme desperation—explosive bursts that took a toll on its body, like a child trying to master college-level studies.
Yes, he had Torterra to heal it, but time was a resource too—it shouldn't be wasted.
This was where Paul's philosophy diverged from his anime counterpart.
There was still time. Why rush the process and risk ruining potential?
"Yah~"
Chimchar immediately understood Paul was doing this for its own good. It declared it would train harder than ever, become stronger like Electivire and the others and eventually master both its inner power and that blazing fire.
"Just follow the plan I gave you, one step at a time. Master Rage Power, your moves, and your Awakened Form. Once you do, you'll be able to catch up to them."
And what did Paul consider "strong enough" to unlock Blaze?
It was simple, when Chimchar evolved into Infernape.
There were theories in the anime: some said Blaze triggered its evolution; others claimed Ash's love and bond allowed Infernape to master it.
But let's be real—just how strong was that fiery power in the show?
Even after finally mastering Blaze and evolving, Infernape barely managed to defeat Electivire. It didn't dominate, it won by inches.
And that's supposed to be "the ultimate flame"?
What a joke.
Before mastering Blaze, Chimchar could one-shot foes like Zangoose or Ursaring that were leagues stronger.
After evolution? It couldn't even beat a tired Electivire in one shot.
That's why Paul had no intention of using the Blaze trigger just for evolution.
Over stabilizing Chimchar would only limit it. Its path wasn't about balance, it was about extremity: Rage, Awakened Mode, and Special Blaze. All in.
Why settle for ordinary when you already have the strongest fire?
No madness, no survival. Blaze must be blazing.
"Wooo~"
Suddenly, Ninetales' smug expression shifted. She scurried off to a nearby bush without warning.
"???"
The other Pokémon stared, stunned.
'What just happened?'
"Samurott, check it out."
Paul called Samurott by name.
"Chaah~"
Without hesitation, Samurott followed his closest companion into the foliage.
Only a few minutes passed before the two emerged again.
But both wore expressions that were… strange.
Paul and the rest watched in confusion as Ninetales extended her tails toward him. Nestled between them was a Pokémon Egg, still warm and softly glowing.
"You… laid an egg?" Paul asked, staring at the freshly delivered egg. He put two and two together, remembering Ninetales' sudden dash.
"Wooo~…"
Ninetales didn't look pleased.
She was still young. How had this happened?
She understood the biology, sure—but emotionally? She wasn't ready.
She hadn't meant to lay an egg!
Samurott was her true love, but did their romance need an egg to prove it? Absolutely not!
A child? That was just… life's messiness intruding on her freedom.
She was still chasing strength, still enjoying life. She didn't want the burden of raising a kid.
With a look of pure annoyance, Ninetales shoved the egg into Paul's arms and trotted off to Torterra for healing.
"..."
After receiving treatment, Paul took the egg and turned his gaze towards Samurott.
"Chaah~"
Samurott, with its usual cold demeanor, didn't even spare a glance at the egg. Instead, it walked off to one side and began practicing its combined Water, Wind, and Dark-type sword techniques.
Dealing with just a Ninetales had already exhausted it, but at least Ninetales, as a sparring partner, wasn't a mere decoration—its presence didn't hinder Samurott's training.
But now, there was another responsibility to take care of. Samurott was afraid it might lose control and end up slicing the egg by accident.
It's well known that Samurott only cares about the swordsmanship. Reproduction, for Samurott, is simply a means to carry on the bloodline.
"..."
Paul blinked and turned his attention to the other Pokémon. As his gaze swept across them, every single one of them turned their heads and resumed training.
'Are you kidding me? What's with the stare? It's not my egg!'
If Paul wants to play with the little ones in the Breeding Center, then fine. But what's the big deal with an egg?
Out of all the Pokémon, only Froslass, Chimchar, and Torterra stayed behind.
"Yah~"
Chimchar, the first to see the Pokémon egg, was filled with curiosity. It stared intently at the egg, eager to know what kind of Pokémon might be inside.
"Vireee~"
However, before Chimchar could take a closer look, it was swiftly swept away by Electivire's tail, which then pulled it back and gave it a solemn piece of advice.
"Don't keep staring. Curiosity will only lead to trouble. Focus on training, stay away from distractions, and you'll grow stronger."
"Your potential is limitless. Your future is boundless. Don't get caught up in emotions like Samurott does with its attachments."
"Yah!"
Chimchar, still naive, nodded in agreement.
Paul glanced at Torterra, and then immediately gave up.
Torterra was calm and gentle, and it could be a good caretaker for the egg, but it didn't have the proper hands for the job. It wasn't quite practical to leave the egg in its care.
"Eeno~"
Froslass leaned against Paul, extending its hand to take the egg. Back in its old group, Froslass had taken care of many eggs and baby Snowy Pokémon.
However, Paul shook his head, rejecting the offer.
"It's not suitable. The difference in elemental types is too great."
Froslass, being an Ice-type Pokémon with formidable power, constantly exudes a cold aura. Even without using its moves, its body is chilling to the touch. Caring for a Fire-type egg in that environment could easily extinguish it.
"Eeno~"
Froslass, feeling defeated, withdrew its hand and sighed.
"I'll handle it myself for now."
Paul made his decision, but his thoughts were already racing. He was set on sending the egg off to someone else.
Forget about the egg being from a Champion-level Pokémon, or its genes possibly being stronger than those of Ninetales or Samurott. Potential is just a possibility, who can really predict how far it will go?
Ninetales' genetic potential was already maxed out, and Paul didn't think the egg would ever surpass Ninetales' abilities.
Even if it did, so what? He already had two Fire-type Pokémon. If a Legendary like Moltres or even Reshiram wanted to join his team, he'd only send them straight to the Breeding Center for his older brother to take care of.
Unless, of course, there was a mythical Pokémon like Victini that could bestow limitless power, or Ho-Oh that could bring life back from death. Those were the only exceptions.
As for other Fire-type Pokémon, they were no better than Electric-types or Grass-types in Paul's eyes—he would reject them without a second thought.
Paul valued a Pokémon's innate talent, but that was just the beginning. Once both trainer and Pokémon recognized each other, there would be no replacing them with others.
For Paul, this Pokémon egg was a "not worth eating, but too valuable to discard" kind of thing.
As for Ninetales and Samurott, he understood their attitudes.
Don't be fooled by the appearance of Pokémon being pure and kind. They're not human!
They don't have the same moral standards, and they don't necessarily care for their offspring until they're grown and independent. That's why many trainers might find an abandoned Pokémon egg in the wild.
A typical example is Ash's Soundwave Dragon in the anime.
"Maybe I should send it to my older brother for care... or maybe…"
Suddenly, Paul had an idea.
In the anime world, the "Paul" who captured Chimchar still didn't have any strong Fire-type Pokémon. Maybe he could send this egg for him to take care of.
As for the original's Duck Flame Beast or whatever, there was no way it could be stronger than his egg's future Vulpix.
Even if it didn't learn Gravity, mastering the Fire-based Outburst skill would already be enough to rival most Fire-type Pokémon.
Once it combined Fire with Psychic abilities and learned Steel-type moves, it would become a powerful force.
"Let's leave it to him."
After all, it was the offspring of his own Pokémon. Paul felt it was best to find it a capable trainer.
Also, the last time, that Glitch Bear hadn't been captured by "Paul," so he never gave him the peat block from Hisui.
Now, with the reappearance of the Moonlit Bear in the anime world's Sinnoh region, Paul was curious how far "Paul" would go in the league. Would he be able to defeat the anime world's Tobias?
He also thought about checking out the Kalos region to visit the kingdom where Magearna resides, but his thoughts were interrupted as he focused again on his training.
...
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. The egg hadn't hatched yet, but the Pokémon inside had stabilized.
Paul, still holding the egg, took out his Rotom Phone and began planning his next steps.
A golden light flashed, and Paul vanished from the main world.
After a moment, or perhaps longer, Paul's figure appeared in the anime world's Sinnoh region on the outskirts of a city.
"What city is this?" Paul thought, looking around at the strange but familiar surroundings.
Holding his phone, he walked toward the city while searching for information to learn about the anime world's trajectory.
Tobias hadn't shown up yet, and the Lily of the Valley Conference hadn't started. As expected, the DP plotline hadn't ended.
Soon, Paul identified the approximate timeline.
Just then, he noticed a group of people running in a specific direction.
"Hurry! I heard Miss Cynthia is nearby!"
"Champion! I've never seen her in person! I'm going to the ruins to check it out!"
"…"
"Cynthia is here? Could it be that one?"
Paul's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his direction to follow them.
He hadn't defeated Cynthia in the main world. Maybe he could test himself against the anime version of her first?
"Well... let's see what happens."
(End of Chapter)
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