Chương 138: Chapter 133

Paul was already present when I arrived. Our match was scheduled to take place at noon, which was in ten minutes, yet he looked like he had been here for quite a while. Next to Paul, waiting alongside him, was his brother Reggie, who looked moderately pleased for some unknown reason. As I approached, Paul crossed his arms. We weren't on a true battlefield, but, rather, we had chosen an open space in the snowy plains to the southeast of town.

Paul's somewhat unhappy figure was framed by the snow-covered evergreens in the distance.

"You battled Brandon," Paul accused practically the instant I was close enough to hear.

"Yeah. I did," I replied. Paul narrowed his eyes while Reggie scratched the back of his head and chuckled. No further words were exchanged as he stared at me as if expecting me to continue. Instead of directly doing what he wished, I purposefully stopped, waiting for Paul to ask politely. Eventually he just responded with an "And?" I figured that was the best I was going to get.

"And I lost," I said. Paul stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

"My team didn't faint any of his Pokémon, if that's what you're asking, but we got extremely close," I stated.

"Registeel was brought to near unconsciousness, but Brandon returned it before my Pokémon could take it out. Regirock was similar, though it only took a single one of my team members to get it low. As for Regice..." I paused, needing a moment to get my words in order.

"The mistake I made was approaching the battle only considering the opponent ahead of me rather than the overall match. My choices were correct for the Pokémon we faced, but, in the end, I left my team with nobody able to faint Regice. All three Pokémon who faced it couldn't scratch its frozen body, which caused it to practically steamroll over the remaining half of my team. Honestly, its Clear Body ability might as well be called 'Invulnerable Body' for all the lack of damage we did."

"I know what you mean," Reggie said, chiming in.

"My team had the most trouble with Regirock, even with Rock Types tending to be so weak to so many different moves. My Staraptor and Drapion could barely chip its surface, and Regirock was easily able to use that to wear them down with super effective moves." When Reggie said that, Paul's angry face shifted for just a moment. I could swear his frown was more upset than angry, but it soon shifted back to its usual displeased tone. I turned back to face Reggie once more.

"I'm surprised you had that issue," I said.

"Azumarill was able to fight it almost all by herself thanks to her Type advantage. She might have won with a better strategy, too. In the match, her Liquidation caused its body to crack and chip partially, but she was eventually done in with a Hyper Beam and Shock Wave combo." Paul scoffed. Reggie spoke up before Paul could say anything.

"Your Azumarill must be stronger than I thought, then. Regirock's defenses are hard to break through."

"Yeah. Azumarill is really strong." With that discussion reaching its conclusion, I turned back to Paul.

"Look, Paul, my team might have lost, but we learned a lot. Brandon's Pokémon were practically specialized in using Lock On, which helped me realize just how weak my Pokémon are to highly accurate moves. They're best when they can manipulate attacks to miss or become a glancing blow. Most of our time in Sinnoh has been spent on developing more basic, head-on strategies to shore up that weakness, but it's still a work in progress."

"I hope you don't use such weak strategies against me," Paul said while scowling. Reggie frowned slightly at his brother's harsh words. I regretted accepting Paul's challenge so easily last night, but this battle would be good for the both of us.

"Paul, I don't plan on using those 'weak strategies' against you. This battle is going to be practice for the Conference. Unlike last time, my team is going to go all out." What negativity that remained on his face was reduced at that comment, thankfully. He sent a glance over to Reggie before moving over to his designated spot. I positioned myself across from him and took a deep breath to properly center myself for this fight. Reggie began to lay out the rules.

"This will be a three on three battle with no limits on switching imposed," he called out.

"Additionally, neither trainer will be allowed to use Mega Evolution. I want a nice, clean match, alright?" Reggie directed that comment to Paul, who continued to frown but nodded. I stayed back, choosing not to comment. These rules were a repeat of what they were back in Veilstone, and I hoped that this time, Paul would be more satisfied with the outcome. I planned to win. More specifically, I was going to win. Paul would have no choice but to accept my team's strength when that happened.

If he couldn't, well, he had his battle with Ash to get through in the Conference.

"Begin!" Reggie called out.

"Magmortar."

"Mawile!" Hitting the field was a rotund, red-hot Pokémon. Orange and yellow flames coated its body both as a design on its flesh and in its superhot, literal form. Two clawed arms bounced back and forth on its sides, each one containing a hole in its palm that could shoot out moves like a cannon. Magmortar grinned when it saw Mawile. The Steel Type on my team stayed brave in the face of such a major Type disadvantage.

"Magmortar, Fire Spin," Paul commanded.

"Rocks!" I yelled. Mawile's jaws formed shards of stone on them as if they were sweat before she flicked her large mouth and sent them forward. Rather than the Rock Type move jabbing into Magmortar, she had the stones impale themselves into the ground and hide in a Stealth Rock. As she set that up, Magmortar raised its arms in the air and quickly sent out flames to create a chaotic tornado of flame.

The Fire Spin was created in a moment, giving Mawile no time to run away before the attack was thrown forward and landed. Mawile's body heated up in the harsh fires that spiraled around her position. Rushing out of it risked her taking more damage than if she just sat inside. My initial plan has been to recall her here, but the Fire Spin had her trapped and would prevent her from being returned.

"Fire Punch," Paul said.

"Hunker down and continue. Look for an opening to try what we talked about." Mawile nodded and brought her jaws forward defensively. Magmortar easily stepped through the wall of spiraling flames without being damaged, then it moved right up to Mawile. Like a blowtorch, a blade of fire shot out of one of the holes on Magmortar's hands. It punched it forward right at Mawile, who easily ducked under the blow. Magmortar blinked at such an effortless dodge and tried again.

Once more, Mawile ducked and avoided the attack. Paul had fallen right into our trap.

"Iron Head!" I ordered. Mawile was taking continuous damage from the Fire Spin, but that didn't mean she was helpless. A Steel Type-infused mouth slammed into Magmortar's exposed stomach, who flinched with a cough.

"Good. Now Thunder Fang!"

"Heat Wave!" Even with that flinch, Mawile didn't get the chance to land her attack before Magmortar exploded outwards with raw heat. The attack slammed into Mawile and pulsed through her, turning her metal jaws red hot. She groaned in pain, and this time, she wasn't able to use the movement portion of Sucker Punch to easily dodge. Such a technique had worked against melee attacks, but a wide area of effect prevented its use. Mawile fell to a knee.

She panted heavily before pushing right back up to continue her attacks. Magmortar seemed relatively unharmed, obviously able to keep going. That was why Paul's next move surprised me.

"Magmortar, return," he said. The Fire Spin faded, unrelated to the disappearing Pokémon. I used this opportunity to recall Mawile.

"Nidoking," Paul continued. I raised my eyebrows.

"Florges," I called out. My pure Fairy Type hit the field as Paul's Poison and Ground Type appeared across from her. Florges stared at her opponent with an imposing glare as the regal Nidoking stared right back just as imperiously. Paul's Pokémon hid a wince as Mawile's trap triggered and jabbed it with Stealth Rocks. There may have been no limits on switching for this battle, but if Paul wanted to abuse that, his Pokémon would pay the price.

"Psychic," I ordered Florges. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Toxic Spikes," Paul replied. Florges's eyes glowed blue with Psychic Type energy as Nidoking arced its back. From its own spikes, countless shards and caltrop-like shapes were launched out and scattered across our side of the field. Whatever Pokémon I sent out was likely to become poisoned when pricked. Despite Nidoking successfully getting off its move, it didn't do so unscathed. Florges managed to grab it in her psychic grasp, causing it to go still and become pained by the compressing energy.

However, Florges was no Psychic Type. Nidoking did indeed take super effective damage, but all it needed to do was flex to shatter its binds. Its heavy feet shook the ground as it lumbered forward. I used this opportunity to give another quick order of my own.

"Grass," I told Florges, using a codeword. She didn't hesitate in the slightest. Bright, lively energy was released from her leaves as a wave of grass sprouted out from the light snow and turned the field a vibrant green. Nidoking pressed on as healing energy started to slowly pour into it from the Grassy Terrain. Florges then disappeared with Camouflage. Paul seemed to be expecting this.

"All around you. Poison Sting," he ordered. Nidoking dropped to all fours before countless purple needles shot out of its back every which way. I carefully watched the field to see if Florges's position would be revealed. Through her Camouflage, a few of the poisoned needles seemed to hit something midair. The grass around that point wavered as Florges's Camouflage weakened.

"There!" Paul called out. Before now, I had thought Nidoking was a slow Pokémon. It was dense, and every meticulously placed footstep had sunk into the ground. However, with Paul alerting it to Florges's position, Nidoking had no hesitation when it leapt forward. The speed it reached was far faster than I expected, though Florges was ready for the surprise. Nidoking's hands glowed purple with Poison Jab. It never got to deliver.

Long blades of twisted grass shot out of the ground to wrap around the jumping Nidoking's extended foot. Its momentum carried it forward, but the Grass Knot held it back. Empowered by both Florges's changed Type and the boost to Grass Type moves from Grassy Terrain, the tripping attack did its job as Nidoking face-planted into the ground. It only took the presence of a handful of petals before the Poison Type was overwhelmed by the mass of Florges's Petal Dance.

Paul looked just as unhappy as ever when he returned the fainted Nidoking. Petal Dance had practically taken it out all on its own. Florges spun around, confused as part of the aftereffects of her move. Despite that, she had a goofy smile on her face in celebration of a successful battle. Neither of us had known Nidoking could lunge forward that fast, but we probably should have given the large horn on its head making it perfect for charging.

Personally, for this match, I was happy that Camouflage let Florges hide a use of Calm Mind so well. Paul had two Pokémon left, with one still completely healthy, but he went ahead to send out one that had appeared before. When Magmortar hit the field dozens of sharp stones dug into its side. The Fire Type's eyes pressed together briefly in pain. I used that moment to return to Florges. Paul could probably tell I didn't plan on sending out the injured Mawile as I hadn't called for a Wish.

My third team member appeared on the field, and I could tell they weren't the Pokémon Paul had expected.

"Your Carbink," he stated in moderate surprise.

"Correct. Carbink is one of the strongest members on my team." Paul looked unimpressed. Carbink was such a small Pokémon, but their small size made their durability even more impressive. Some of the Toxic Spikes burst upwards when Carbink neared them on the ground, poisoning the poor Rock Type Pokémon. Thankfully, however, only one layer of Toxic Spikes had been placed, meaning Carbink was only injected with a small amount of poison.

They would suffer from a constant rate of damage from a basic amount of poison, rather than a rapidly growing rate that came with a more toxic payload. As it stood, Carbink was already using Iron Defense immediately upon being sent out. Such a move wouldn't help much against Magmortar's Fire Type attacks, but it was good to have in effect just in case Carbink ever decided to use Body Press. Paul decided not to wait any longer.

"Flamethrower," he ordered. Carbink was enveloped by flames. When the attack faded, Carbink was still there, almost completely unharmed.

"Again," he repeated. The same thing happened. Carbink's quick Light Screen helped to minimize the damage.

"Do it," I told Carbink. I couldn't see Carbink's mouth, but I knew they were smiling. It had taken months to get to this point, and now Carbink was a near unbeatable Pokémon. Sure, they still would have certain weaknesses, but against Magmortar, Carbink was practically guaranteed to win.

"Toxic!" I screamed. In truth, Carbink didn't send out the classic, sludge-like poison the move usually entailed. Rather, bright red dust was sent forward in a cloud that Magmortar didn't even think to dodge due to how unusual it looked for a Poison Type move. Magmortar clearly hadn't realized what had happened, as the second the dust encompassed it, Magmortar began to cough.

"That was Toxic?" Reggie asked. Paul had his Magmortar send out more attacks against Carbink. The only one that seemed to even put a dent in them was Fire Spin's recurring damage.

"That was Toxic modified to work for a Rock Type," I replied.

"We struggled for a long time to figure out how Carbink could potentially use the move before stumbling onto an answer. Cinnabar is an extremely poisonous stone, mostly due to its mercury content. Carbink can use that stone's trait to use Toxic, sending out a toxic cloud rather than some poisonous gunk." Reggie nodded, impressed at our ingenuity. I turned back to focus on the field.

Carbink was looking somewhat worse for wear thanks to the constant heat from the flames and their continuing poison, but Magmortar was visibly panting and wheezing. The Fire Type looked like it was having genuine trouble staying conscious. Even if Paul switched it out now, it would likely faint to Stealth Rocks upon being sent back in. Seeing this, my strategy for this match was now fulfilled. I specifically chose my team members not on their raw power but on their power to wear a foe down.

Paul could try with all his might, but my team would grind his team down into defeat. Paul tried to call for a Fire Blast, but the Toxic proved its value when Magmortar fainted instead. Carbink looked a bit sick from their own poison, so I returned them as well.

"One Pokémon left!" I called out. Florges hit the field once more. Paul's hands clenched into fists.

"You used Carbink. Why did you not use Azumarill? Or Ninetales?" he asked.

"Azumarill is one of my strongest Pokémon. I don't want to over rely on her when the other members of my team deserve to compete as well. The same is somewhat true for Ninetales, except she's sitting this one out because she gorged herself on food last night and got sick." I felt bad about my team missing the festival yesterday, so I had paid Lacey to deliver a bunch of treats to Sycamore's lab. It slipped my mind that Ninetales effectively had no one keeping an eye on her to make sure she paced herself.

Paul stared at me in disbelief.

"I thought we were going to have a serious battle," he said.

"We are." I frowned.

"Don't look down on my Pokémon. My team isn't limited to just Azumarill and Ninetales." Paul reached into his jacket and pulled out one last Pokéball. He clutched it tightly, practically glaring at the Pokémon I had sent out. There were a few moments where he seemed genuinely angry, but then his expression suddenly lightened. With an unexpectedly amused acceptance, Paul sent out his third and final Pokémon for our match.

"Gastrodon," he announced. The slug Pokémon warbled its name and vibrated its frills. It was clearly an East Sea Gastrodon, as its upper half was green, and it had a softer blue lower half. Its tiny feet-nubs scooted it forward on the floor as the Stealth Rock dug into it. The Pokémon winced, but it remained relatively undamaged. As a Water and Ground Type, Florges's Grass Type moves would be incredibly difficult for Gastrodon to withstand.

"Alex!" Paul suddenly yelled. Neither of us had given our Pokémon orders just yet. I looked over to him to see what was up.

"Send out Mawile," he said.

"What?"

"I lost." Both Reggie and I were genuinely taken aback by Paul's sudden change in attitude.

"I specifically prepared Gastrodon to counter the other members of your team, Azumarill primarily," he said.

"Gastrodon's Storm Drain ability would make her stronger if Azumarill used any Water Type moves, forcing you to choose between restricting your options or empowering my Pokémon. With your decisions, I can't use that strategy now, but I still want Gastrodon to fight. Your Florges is too strong. Petal Dance would take Gastrodon out too quickly."

"So... You're withdrawing, but you still want to continue?" I asked.

"Correct," Paul said firmly. I had mixed feelings about this change. I accepted, of course, but I didn't think I would see Paul shift so suddenly. When he challenged me last night, was he already experiencing a change in his mindset, or had he been more annoyed than ever? Regardless, if this meant he would be less aggressive all the time, I was willing to accept this. This outcome also meant I had easily beaten Paul, and just two days ago, Paul had easily beaten Ash.

I took that as a good sign I could potentially beat Ash in the Conference, but that was only relative to Ash's weaker, Sinnoh-caught Pokémon. Many of his Pokémon that had taken on the Battle Frontier were likely to show up in the Sinnoh Conference, and he still had plenty of time to train and prepare before then. For now, however, I still had this battle to get through. I ordered Florges to use Wish before swapping her out for Mawile, who was healed shortly after reemerging on the field.

Reggie, still serving as our referee, looked over our Pokémon one last time before calling for us to resume the match.

"Sandstorm, Gastrodon!" Paul yelled"Taunt! Stop it!" Mawile was a bit too slow to use Taunt, even though Gastrodon was slower than her. Harsh winds of sand and dust began to whip around the field. The move came out so quickly, it had seemed Gastrodon had been preparing to use it ever since that first instant it appeared on the field. Mawile was unaffected as a Steel Type, but so was the Ground Type Gastrodon.

"Earth Power," Paul ordered. It was hard to see anything between the harsh winds, but I could just barely make out the ground under Mawile beginning to bulge upwards. I called for an Iron Defense. It was too late. The ground exploded underneath her. Even though she had been healed with Wish, Mawile was still injured. The super effective damage proved to be far more than either of us expected, and right there and then, Mawile fainted. Surprised, I returned my Pokémon.

"Sandstorm was used to create the relevant weather, and Gastrodon's Hidden Ability, Sand Force, used that to make her attacks stronger. Earth Power received a drastic increase to power as a result. Even if Mawile hadn't fainted, two hits would have taken her out," Paul said. Such a strategy would have let Gastrodon give Azumarill a run for her money if she had been sent out here. I had to applaud Paul for the careful plotting, but my team choice just didn't work out in his favor. Silently, I sent out Carbink.

Carbink, too, was immune to the damaging effects of the Sandstorm, but they actually received an extra benefit. The coarse sand helped immunize Rock Types from damage, which increased Carbink's already massive defense even further. Their poison condition continued to hurt them. Carbink, though probably as defensive as they'd ever be, was on a timer.

"Toxic," I ordered.

"Muddy Water," Paul countered. A cloud of red, cinnabar-infused dust was sent out of Carbink's neck fluff. Gastrodon, not one to be poisoned so easily, tried to wash it all away with a hastily conjured wave of dark brown water. I yelled a command at Carbink, and they quickly floated forward to make a tunnel within the wave itself. Light Screen protected the move just long enough to let the move coat Gastrodon with the poisonous effect.

At that, Paul returned Gastrodon with a sigh, even though this pseudo-battle wasn't yet finished. He held the Pokéball in his hand and stared at it in thought. Carbink shook any poisonous dust off their body then rushed back to me. I smiled at my Pokémon and rubbed their head affectionately. Carbink responded with one of their proud speeches, which faltered towards the end due to their poison.

"You did a great job," I said.

"Nigh-impenetrable defenses combined with Toxic is going to make you a wall to behold against any non-Steel and non-Poison Type foe. We just need to get you a way to heal, and then you can become almost invincible, yeah?" Carbink's eyes took a page out of Rapidash's playbook with the way their eyes literally glimmered. I returned them to their Great Ball to put a pause on their condition and walked over to Paul. I caught the end of his conversation with Reggie as I moved closer.

"... with Brandon. Just because I didn't beat him doesn't mean I didn't win in my own way." Paul nodded softly, taking on the role of the younger brother surprisingly well. Just like I had done with Carbink, Reggie rubbed his brother's head affectionately. Paul angrily pushed Reggie's hand away.

"So. Paul," I said once the moment was over.

"I didn't expect you to take that so well." Paul let out another sigh.

"I lost. It's as simple as that," he said.

"My team needs to get stronger, so we're going to train. Like you said, losing is still a teaching moment. You helped reveal mistakes we need to correct." I couldn't help but to frown at that. I had said that recently, but that wasn't my overall goal.

"Paul. Do you understand my and Ash's complaints?" I asked. He didn't immediately respond, and his gaze was directly at the floor.

"You dislike my battling style," he said slowly, questioningly.

"I dislike how you treat your Pokémon," I replied.

"If you want to win, you have to treat them with the respect they deserve. Pokémon aren't just things we battle with. They're our friends and companions. Listen to them, and you'll find your skills improving by leaps and bounds. Even more, you might even find a unique strategy or two to use."

"Actually, Alex's Florges is a good example of this," Reggie pointed out.

"I've never seen a Florges so heavily lean into its connection to the Grass Type as much as her. Alex, I imagine this strategy was primarily her idea?"

"Mostly," I admitted.

"Her favorite move is Petal Dance, so I tried my best to figure out a way to better incorporate it into our strategies. She battles because we're friends and she enjoys it. I don't force her into these things." Paul nodded before glancing over the field behind us. He wasn't smiling, but he certainly wasn't frowning. In a way, he almost reminded me of Azumarill, though he didn't look anywhere near as angry by default.

"Honestly, I think I do," he finally responded. I still needed to earn my fifth and final ribbon, and, with the current schedule, I was cutting it tight. The next Snowpoint Contest had been delayed a few days due to everything that went on with Hunter J, and there was a boat leaving for Sunyshore City, where my final Gym would be, scheduled to leave almost immediately after. From there, Gardevoir would be able to use Teleport to bring us to Lake Acuity, where the Grand Festival was set to be.

That all hinged on winning the upcoming Contest, which would likely be hard, but I believed in my team. Before we did that, however, there was one last thing to do. Ninetales was happily back on the team, having had plenty of time to rest up after the show battle as well as the food coma she inflicted on herself. She merrily skipped along in the cold weather as we approached the Snowpoint Gym to talk to Candice. I hadn't been here before, but it was pretty easy to find.

Located right on the edge of town, it doubled as both a place filled with Ice Types and a public ice rink on Fridays. My purpose of visiting was to help Ninetales in specific. As an Ice Type, it made sense for her to receive help from an Ice Type expert. As it stood, the front lobby was empty, so there was no wait as I went up to the Gym Trainer receptionist and asked to see Candice. Candice wasn't doing anything too pressing.

When I entered the side room she was in, I saw that she was helping her Abomasnow get free of shedded pine needles that were frozen to its body. As the weather was slowly heating up, such a thing needed to be done.

"What's up, Alex?" she asked. Abomasnow rolled onto its back beside her.

"I wanted to ask for some advice regarding Ninetales. There's a move I want her to learn," I said. Candice glanced between Ninetales and I. I could see her eyes linger on my Pokémon. The Gym Leader tried her best to hide the growing smile on her face, but with the way the corners of her mouth were curled upwards, I could tell we weren't going to have trouble getting her help. I decided to not beat around the bush. I went ahead and asked her outright.

"I want Ninetales to learn Sheer Cold. How can we do that?" Candice didn't have a Ninetales of her own. She practically leapt at the opportunity to work with a member of Ninetales's species. We only had a few days to spare, but with Candice's help, Ninetales got a solid head start into learning the one hit K. O. move.