Kricketune… a hero?
As he observed the Kricketune before him—a far more battle-ready presence than the average of its kind—a strange thought surfaced in Paul's mind.
"Return."
Out of respect for his opponent, Paul withdrew his Metagross and swapped it for another Poké Ball.
"Ninetales, prepare for battle!"
"Woo~"
The elegant Ninetales landed gracefully, its long flowing tails swaying naturally as a playful smirk curled at the edges of its mouth.
"Kricketune, Focus Energy, Swords Dance, Sing!"
Right from the start, Kricketune showcased its strength as Nando's ace, executing three moves simultaneously while charging toward Ninetales.
Focus Energy sharpened its senses, Swords Dance boosted its attack, and Sing attempted to ease the opponent into sleep—all in perfect unison.
Yet, Ninetales remained motionless, watching Kricketune's display with calm detachment.
As Kricketune closed the distance to less than ten meters, a cascade of pink heart-shaped energy floated around Ninetales and drifted toward its opponent.
Attract!
Faced with the incoming hearts, Kricketune swiftly swung its blade-like arms in a flurry, slicing through the airborne hearts with precision while continuing its charge.
However, just as it was about to strike, a mysterious blue glow flickered in Ninetales' eyes, and Kricketune suddenly found itself momentarily paralyzed midair.
Extrasensory!
Though it managed to break free using its Swords Dance-enhanced strength, several hearts had already made contact.
Despite Kricketune's agility, it couldn't evade them all in time. A moment of distraction was all it took for its eyes to glaze over with twin heart-shaped pupils.
Clearly, Kricketune had fallen under the effect of Attract.
"Fire Blast!"
Before Kricketune's heroic willpower could shake off the status condition, flames surged around Ninetales, forming an ominous red aura. In the next instant, a blazing fire erupted from its mouth, surging straight toward Kricketune.
At such close range, by the time Kricketune regained its senses, its entire vision was already swallowed by roaring flames. It barely managed to raise its arms defensively before being engulfed in the explosion.
BOOM!
The blazing blast sent Kricketune hurtling backward like a ragdoll, bouncing across the battlefield multiple times before skidding to a stop.
Though it was still moving, Paul knew better than to assume the fight was over. Taking advantage of Ninetales' Flash Fire-boosted power, he decisively called for a follow-up.
"Flame Burst!"
"Woo~"
Fireballs flared at the tips of Ninetales' nine tails. Guided by Extrasensory, they soared through the air, striking Kricketune in rapid succession.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of fiery explosions echoed across the stadium—nine in total—before Kricketune was finally defeated.
The heroic Kricketune entered the battle!
The heroic Kricketune was defeated!
"Kricketune is unable to battle! Ninetales is the winner! The victory in this match goes to Paul!"
The referee declared the outcome.
"Wow! Paul's Pokémon are incredibly strong! Even with Nando's ace Pokémon giving it everything, it was completely overwhelmed!"
"Let's congratulate Paul on securing victory with an absolute 3-0 sweep!"
The commentator's voice rang through the stadium, followed by waves of cheers and applause.
"Not bad. Return."
Paul retrieved Ninetales into its Poké Ball, nodded slightly toward Nando, then bowed briefly to the referee before turning to leave.
As he stepped out of the battle tunnel, a tall-young man with long blue hair draped in a rust-colored coat, approached the battlefield.
His steps were steady and calm, carrying an air of elegance as if he were here to observe rather than battle.
Paul slowed his pace, giving the young man a deep glance before silently turning into another tunnel.
Once Paul had left, the blue-haired young man turned slightly, casting a fleeting smirk in his direction.
Instead of leaving the stadium entirely, Paul entered the spectator stands, leaning against the railing to watch the next match.
"The second round of battles is about to begin! Up next, we have Trainer Tobias facing off against Trainer Luke..."
The battle was easier than expected. The blue-haired Tobias elegantly tossed his Poké Ball, releasing Darkrai onto the battlefield.
With just a few well-executed moves—Ice Beam and the devastating combo of Dark Void followed by Dream Eater—he utterly crushed his opponent's team.
It took him fewer than five attacks to sweep all three Pokémon.
Watching this unfold, Paul simply turned around and left.
Without staying to witness the conclusion, he exited the battle arena and headed to the lobby to check the live broadcasts of other matches.
There, he saw Lucas and Barry engaged in their own battles.
Due to the unique nature of this world, Barry was significantly stronger than his counterpart in the anime—a true powerhouse.
As a result, both Barry and Lucas displayed overwhelming dominance, effortlessly defeating their opponents.
Once all battles concluded, the faces of the remaining trainers appeared on the large screen. Within moments, the system swiftly rearranged the matchups, generating the new battle pairings.
Paul's next opponent was a brown-haired young man.
After obtaining the information, Paul turned away from the screen and immediately started researching his next challenger.
Trainer Profile: Volo
Hometown: Kanto Region
Pokémon Team:
Tyranitar
Rhyperior
Sandslash
Gigalith
Hippowdon
Excadrill
Steelix
Flygon
Achievements:
Top 32 in the Indigo Plateau Conference
Top 16 in the Ever Grande Conference
Runner-up in the Lilycove Conference
This opponent was quite unique—a trainer who had journeyed through multiple regions. Judging by his team composition and past battle footage, it was clear that Volo specialized in Sandstorm tactics.
Most of his Pokémon had Rock and Ground typings, making him a formidable opponent.
"A Sandstorm team, huh..."
Paul narrowed his eyes as the thought crossed his mind. He immediately began considering which Pokémon from his roster would be best suited to counter such a strategy.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that his team was actually well-equipped to deal with Sandstorm strategies.
After all, he had several Ground- and Steel-type Pokémon:
Torterra
Mega Garchomp
Metagross
Aggron
Ursaluna
Additionally, Froslass was an excellent Pokémon for setting up Hail, which could disrupt Sandstorm conditions. Meanwhile, Samurott, with its Water typing, could exploit their weakness.
With this in mind, Paul now had a wide selection of Pokémon to choose from to counter Volo's team.
He needed to carefully select the outstanding Pokémon for the battle.
Sandstorm mechanics, boosted Special Defense for Rock-types, chip damage from the weather, Sand Force, Sand Veil…
As he mentally calculated all these factors, Paul walked over to the communication terminal and dialed a familiar number.
The screen lit up, revealing Reggie on the other end.
"You're only swapping this one?" Reggie asked.
"Yeah." Paul replied as he slowly withdrew a Poké Ball and tucked it into his pocket.
"I might need it."
"Alright, then. Good luck on your match!" Reggie said with a smile.
"I will." Paul replied calmly.
With his current strength, defeating Nando was a trivial matter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access advance chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23