"Oh, you've caught a new Pokémon, and it's a Turtwig!" Paul said, his eyes filled with a fleeting sense of nostalgia as he looked at the Turtwig at Ash's feet. Ash caught the brief moment of reflection. It made sense; Paul was a Sinnoh trainer, and his starter was also a Turtwig.
"So, how about a battle? This guy is pretty strong!" Ash suggested with a smile, sensing that this was the best time for a match.
"Hmph, I'd like to see what it can do!" Paul sneered, accepting the challenge. He needed to train his Chimchar anyway. He picked up the Poké Ball he had dropped and found an open spot to face Ash, ready to battle at a moment's notice.
"Oh my, a battle as soon as you meet?" Dawn said, holding her head. She felt like something was off between the two of them.
"It's normal. There's a saying among trainers: 'The moment your eyes meet, the battle begins,'" Brock explained to Dawn while watching the field.
"Really? I've never heard that before," Dawn said, tilting her head, her light blue eyes showing her confusion. Was it because she was a Pokémon Coordinator?
Meanwhile, the battle between Ash and Paul had already begun. Paul sent out his Fire-type Chimchar, while Ash used his Grass-type Turtwig. On paper, Paul had the type advantage. However, Ash was known as the "master of type disadvantages," so the outcome was still uncertain.
"Chimchar, use Flame Wheel!" The moment the battle started, Paul took the initiative and commanded Chimchar to make a preemptive strike.
"Chimchar!" As soon as the command was given, flames engulfed Chimchar's body, and a large fireball rolled rapidly towards Turtwig. This sight made Dawn a little nervous. The Fire-type Chimchar already had the advantage against the Grass-type Turtwig, and now it had the first move. But Ash remained completely calm.
"Turtwig, show him what you've learned and dodge it!"
Turtwig's focus intensified as it carefully watched Flame Wheel's trajectory. Just as the fiery wheel was about to hit it, it turned into a green blur and easily dodged the attack, standing right next to Chimchar.
"Ember!" Paul's cold face was filled with surprise at Turtwig's speed and agility. But he quickly realized they were close, and this was an opportunity. Chimchar, having stopped its Flame Wheel, was ready to shoot out a blast of fire from its mouth.
But Turtwig wasn't going to give its opponent a chance. Before Chimchar could use Ember, Turtwig used its sharp beak to use Bite, clenching down hard.
"Chimchar!" A look of pain instantly appeared on Chimchar's face. It shook its right arm violently, trying to throw Turtwig off. The flames in its mouth flickered and died out. Ash's training for Turtwig was designed to seize the moment of vulnerability after an opponent's attack, giving Turtwig the first move in the next turn. It was working perfectly.
"Great, now shake it on the ground, then throw it!"
Turtwig, hearing the command, bit Chimchar's right arm and began slamming it on the ground. After a few cries of pain, Turtwig spun around and threw Chimchar hard onto the ground.
"Hmph!" Paul grunted in displeasure. Chimchar, noticing Paul's glare, forced its injured body to stand up.
"Flame Wheel!" Paul gave another cold command, ignoring Chimchar's injuries.
"Turtwig, finish it off with a full-speed Tackle!"
But just as Chimchar was about to move, a green blur charged and slammed into it. The result was exactly what you'd expect: Chimchar lay on the ground with swirly eyes, completely unable to battle.
"What? It's that fast?!" More than Chimchar's defeat, Paul was shocked by the speed of Turtwig's last Tackle. He was certain that his own Torterra, when it was a Turtwig, was never that fast. This was... He looked at the defeated Chimchar, his expression complicated.
"You did great! A perfect win for your first battle!" Ash said, squatting down to praise Turtwig, who had run over to him.
"Turtwig~" Turtwig closed its eyes, enjoying Ash's praise and acting incredibly well-behaved.
"Wow, that's amazing! He won against a type disadvantage!" A stunned Dawn said from a distance. She had never imagined Ash would win so easily.
"Alright, Dawn, let's go over there," Brock said calmly. Compared to Dawn, who was still in awe, Brock, who had been traveling with Ash for several regions, was much more composed. Winning with a type disadvantage was just a normal thing for Ash, sometimes even a bonus.
"Useless," Paul said with a look of disgust as he walked over to Chimchar's location and prepared to recall the fainted Pokémon.
"Wait!" At that moment, Ash walked over, holding a Potion he had just gotten from his system backpack.
"..." Paul stared at the medicine in Ash's hand, his expression cold. He didn't stop Ash, but he did say, "Don't get involved." He then turned his back, ignoring Ash as he treated Chimchar. Ash didn't mind. He just went ahead and sprayed the Potion on Chimchar's right arm. Like many large turtles, Turtwig had a surprising bite force. It loved to bite his head. If not for his rock-solid head, he was sure he would have been hurt by Turtwig's beak.
"Ash is so thoughtful and patient with Pokémon, unlike someone else," Dawn said loudly, comparing Ash's actions to Paul's.
"Hmph," Paul scoffed, his back to Dawn and the others. He had heard her complaint, but his face was only filled with disdain.
"Are you still in pain, little guy?" After the Potion treatment, Chimchar's injuries had healed, and it had regained consciousness.
"Chimchar!" Chimchar jumped up and down, full of energy, showing Ash it was completely fine.
"Stop getting involved in the future," Paul said, noting that Chimchar was fine. He immediately recalled it with his Poké Ball and walked away, completely ignoring their expressions.
"What a jerk! No good deed goes unpunished!" Before Ash could say anything, Dawn was already grinding her teeth and stomping her foot, venting her frustration.