Cynthia didn't attend the event in person that day, but she watched Paul's performance on TV, after all, he was a genius Trainer from her own Sinnoh Region, and she had to pay attention.
In her view, Paul had already taken a wrong path, and the person who could set him on the right course was appearing in this Quartz Conference.
But she didn't expect that before these two even faced each other officially, they had already crossed paths privately; otherwise, how could Chimchar have ended up in Ash's hands?
With Cynthia's insight, she could see that Chimchar possessed an extremely terrifying potential, but to what extent, even she couldn't fully discern.
After all, she didn't possess Ash's Eye of Insight, but she did know that Paul couldn't bring out Chimchar's potential.
It's not that Paul isn't a capable Trainer, nor that his training methods were problematic, it was that he and Chimchar simply didn't match.
Paul's character was apparent at a glance, while Chimchar's character was the complete opposite of Paul's cold demeanor. The more pressure, the less it could realize its potential.
If Cynthia were to choose, she felt Ash suited Chimchar better; only Ash's gentle nature could allow Chimchar to release its potential without pressure instead of relying purely on heavy burdens.
However, since Chimchar was already Paul's Pokemon, it seemed unrealistic for Chimchar to join Ash.
But reality is always magical; who would have thought that within just two days, Chimchar would change hands?
And in just a few days after the transfer, Ash had unearthed Chimchar's power. It even evolved during a battle, showcasing the chemical reaction between a suitable Trainer and a suitable Pokemon.
Of course, not every suitable Pokemon and Trainer can reach the level of Ash and Chimchar; this is also linked to Chimchar's innate talent and Ash's potential as a Trainer.
On the other side, when Paul saw the evolved Chimchar, an unusually difficult expression appeared on his cold face: he'd trained Chimchar hard for months, and yet it remained stuck at the Advanced Junior Level.
But just two days after he abandoned Chimchar, not only did its level rise, but it also evolved into Monferno right in front of his eyes. What kind of operation is this?!
It's like receiving intelligence that a box of gold is buried underground, digging tirelessly for months only to find not a trace of gold, nor even a rare mineral.
Then deciding to put down the hoe, deeming it a fruitless effort, only for someone else to take over and, within a couple of days, dig up that box of gold!
This is exactly his situation now; the hidden strength within Chimchar was the gold. Despite spending so much time, he couldn't obtain it, whereas Ash unearthed it in just a few days.
Is the gap between him and Ash too vast, or was Chimchar not satisfied with his training and was acting out?
Paul isn't a petty person who blames others for his faults, although he often says his Pokemon are useless, he really means it for himself, as a form of self-discipline.
If a Pokemon is useless, the Trainer is equally at fault, and after that, he would work even harder with his Pokemon to enhance their strength.
But now, he really couldn't help it; wasn't Chimchar just acting with him?
Even if Ash had a way to unleash Chimchar's potential, it shouldn't be to the extent of such a drastic change in just a few days, should it?!
This isn't just unleashing Chimchar's potential; it's like it's an entirely different Pokemon!
Paul didn't have feelings of regret, but one thought lingered: to find out why Chimchar suddenly seemed like a different Pokemon, whether in battle capability or level improvement, it was completely different from when under his care.
Could it really be the difference in Trainers?
...
"Unbelievable, Ash's Chimchar evolved into Monferno during the battle, and that Flame Wheel just now directly defeated Giselle's Marowak! Is this the power of Kanto's superstar? Allowing a Pokemon to evolve during battle, what a bold move! But he succeeded!"
"Facing the evolved and significantly stronger Monferno, what Pokemon will Giselle choose to respond with?!"
The host's words made Giselle purse her red lips helplessly; she didn't expect that against a Chimchar with a whole class lower level than Marowak, she would be faced with a one-hit KO situation. This evolution was simply outrageous.
After evolving, Monferno's strength increased by more than just one level, but the good news was that her Marowak was also her weakest Pokemon.
This time, her lineup included two of her strongest mains and her weakest main; this weakest was one of her initial catches. Due to its talent and racial limitations, it lagged behind her other Pokemon, yet Giselle still chose to keep it with her, nurturing it with dedication and effort.