"Ursaluna! Garchomp! Prepare for battle!"
"Boulderrr!!"
At Paul's command, Garchomp vanished from its original position in an instant, charging toward Ursaluna with a ferocious, bloodthirsty aura. Its blade-like arms gleamed with a green light as it slashed down with full force—
Outrage! Dragon Claw!
But Ursaluna was far from defenseless.
"Ursah!"
The moment Garchomp appeared in front of it, the once slow and seemingly passive expression in Ursaluna's eyes transformed in an instant.
As flames erupted from its body, a crimson glow radiated from its eyes. Its massive paws swung forward, directly colliding with Garchomp's blades.
Burn! Guts! Endure!
BOOM!
The two Pokémon clashed with explosive force, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Both were blasted backward, landing on opposite sides of the field.
"Grrrhh…"
"Roooaar!"
The moment their feet touched the ground, both of them neither wasted time.
Ursaluna lunged forward, charging with a powerful Headlong Rush, its massive frame barreling toward Garchomp with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Garchomp locked onto its target with a fierce gaze, its killing intent intensifying. Its entire body turned into a crimson blur, diving down from above in a devastating assault.
BAM!
A thunderous impact followed as the two Pokémon clashed once more, engaging in a ferocious contest of sheer strength!
Blow after blow, the battlefield trembled beneath their relentless attacks. And yet, after multiple exchanges, it became clear—despite Ursaluna's legendary brute force, Mega Garchomp was starting to gain the upper hand.
Normally, Ursaluna was the undisputed powerhouse of Paul's team. Once Guts was activated, its raw strength became truly impressive.
However, the moment Garchomp Mega Evolved, the difference between them narrowed. In its Bloodline Awakening Plan, even though its move power didn't quite match Ursaluna's, its superior technique and control gave it an edge.
More importantly, Garchomp's Special Attack and Speed far exceeded than Ursaluna's.
As the battle dragged on, Ursaluna—crippled by its burn and accumulating damage—gradually began to falter.
Minutes later, Mega Garchomp finally seized the opportunity, delivering a decisive Dragon Claw that sent Ursaluna crashing to the ground in defeat.
"Gaaarchomp!"
Garchomp appeared over its fallen opponent, both blade-like claws resting on Ursaluna's motionless body. As a flash of white light enveloped its body, it reverted to its normal form, panting heavily—but its expression was triumphant.
"Not bad."
On the sidelines, Paul's lips curled into a faint smile.
At first glance, it seemed like Mega Evolution wasn't as dominant as expected, given that Garchomp barely managed to defeat Ursaluna.
But that would be underestimating Ursaluna's strength.
Among Paul's team, it was one of the top three strongest Pokémon. In terms of raw power, it was undeniably number one.
And this was without using Belly Drum.
If Ursaluna had gone all out with Belly Drum, even Mega Garchomp, along with Torterra and Electivire together, might not have been able to withstand its rampage.
"GAARR…"
Despite its exhaustion, Garchomp was happy and excited.
No matter how much their team evolved, the top three remained unchanged: Ursaluna, Electivire, and Torterra.
Under normal circumstances, no other Pokémon could single-handedly take down one of them.
But today, it did.
Sure, it was with the power of Mega Evolution, but Garchomp believed that one day, it wouldn't need Paul's help. One day, it would defeat Ursaluna with its own strength.
Paul looked at the rest of his Pokémon and spoke calmly.
"All of you, keep working hard. Get stronger."
His gaze then shifted to Aggron and Metagross.
"You two have a potential. When the time comes, don't embarrass yourselves."
"Aggrrrr!"
"Grroo!"
Hearing this, both Pokémon's eyes gleamed with determination, their thirst for power is intensifying.
Now that Mega Garchomp had defeated Ursaluna, if they couldn't keep up, wouldn't that make them look weak?
"You all need to step it up. Don't fall behind."
Seeing the fighting spirit in his Pokémon, Paul then turned to the rest of his team.
"....."
One after another, the Pokémon roared in agreement, determined not to be left behind.
Only Rotom Phone remained eerily silent, deep in a dreamlike state as it meditated with Calm Mind + Yoga Pose, lazily avoiding the situation.
Lily of the Valley Conference Registration
Time passed in a flash.
After an intense period of training and adjustments, Paul made a surprising decision—he finished all training before departing for Lily of the Valley Island.
He focused on adjusting his Pokémon's mental state and team coordination, ensuring everyone was in peak condition.
A few days later after reaching a nearby town, Paul boarded a ferry, setting sail for Lily of the Valley Island.
As expected, the island was packed with people.
With the Lily of the Valley Conference about to begin, the crowds had swelled to their peak for the year. Trainers from all over Sinnoh—and even around the world—had gathered to witness the grand event.
Registration Hall
Inside the massive registration hall, countless Trainers who had earned all eight Gym Badges were lined up, waiting to register.
Everyone had at least one Pokémon by their side.
Paul, as always, stood quietly in line—with Froslass by his side.
While he preferred having a Pokémon accompany him while traveling, his team had a major problem—almost all of them were massive.
Froslass was the only one with a relatively normal size.
The next smallest was Ninetales, but even it were over 1.5 meters tall, making it inconvenient for everyday travel.
At least Froslass had the ability to turn invisible when necessary.
When it was Paul's turn, he handed over his Badge Case and a newly issued black Pokédex.
The Nurse Joy at the counter scanned the Pokédex, confirming his eligibility.
"Registration complete! Here is your room key for the Trainer Village. Best of luck in your battles!"
"Thank you."
Paul accepted his belongings, gave a polite nod and turned to leave.
As he walked through the crowd, Paul carefully observed the other Trainers, scanning for any particularly powerful opponents.
Perhaps the Heatran that appeared in the anime's registration scene?
Or maybe Tobias?
Unfortunately, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Realistically, every League Conference had thousands of participants—far more than the audience typically imagined.
Just like in the Indigo Plateau Conference, where Trainers had to compete in preliminary elimination rounds before advancing to the Top 64, the Lily of the Valley Conference operated on a similar system.
With a two-day registration window, spotting a single opponent in the crowd was like finding a needle in a haystack.
After a brief scan, Paul sighed and shook his head.
With nothing significant to see, he turned and headed toward his assigned room.
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