"mu! mu...."
After being knocked down by Focus Punch, Starly initially trembled, trying to get up.
But, after several attempts, it ultimately failed to overcome its physical limitations and collaed on the ground, unable to battle.
"Go!"
Seeing this, Ash didn't think much.
He simply took an empty Poké Ball from his belt, enlarged it, and threw it.
A red light flashed, and Starly was directly drawn into the Poké Ball without any struggle.
The Poké Ball didn't even tremble, indicating a perfect capture.
"I caught Starly!"
"Pi~ka!"
"oki!"
After Ash picked up the Poké Ball containing Starly, Pikachu and Aipom also celebrated.
Pikachu didn't expect that the first partner caught in the Sinnoh region would be so smooth.
"Amazing... not a single wasted movement."
Although Dawn still has a rudimentary understanding of Pokémon battles, even a layman can see the value of Ash's commanding ability in this battle.
He made the most correct choices in every scenario, and also used Shadow Clone to create an illusion for Starly, thereby hiding Aipom's true position, in order to complete the final fatal blow.
"So decisive... How does it feel like Ash's commanding ability has leaped forward in such a short period of time? Has he undergone special training?"
It's not just that, Dawn, but even Brock, who had been traveling with Ash for a long time, was surprised by this.
No... maybeit is precisely because they have been traveling together for so long and understand each other better that Brock feels that the current Ash is somewhat extraordinary.
Even though the opponent is just an ordinary Starly, if it were the Ash of the past, he would still have suffered a setback at the beginning, and would not have been as strong and confident as he is today.
"Hmph, you're going to catch a guy of this level?"
"? !"×n
Just as Ash was putting away Starly's Poké Ball, before Dawn and Brock could congratulate him, an untimely voice suddenly came from behind them.
"You are..."
"Hey! What do you mean by that? That's so rude, isn't it?"
Brock still wanted to ask the other person's identity first, but Dawn, who was more impatient and straightforward, directly expressed her dissatisfaction on Ash's behalf.
Ash looked at the other person, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
With short purple hair, wearing a purple and deep cyan-green long-sleeved jacket, his face was full of indifference, as if he didn't care about anything in the world, and in his gaze towards others, there was only a sense of scrutiny.
Paul.
The strongest and most troublesome rival Ash encountered during his travels in the Sinnoh region, completely opposite to Ash in terms of Pokémon training concepts, a trainer who focuses on Pokémon talent, type matchu, and various tactics.
"I'm just stating the truth."
Facing the aggressive Dawn, Paul still had no intention of changing his answer.
He completely ignored Dawn and Brock, who were standing in front of him, his gaze fixed only on Ash, who was observing him.
"Your commanding ability is passable, so in theory, you should be considered a decent trainer.
In that case, you should be more strict when choosing Pokémon."
He said in a guiding tone:
"That Starly has an arrogant personality, but it doesn't have the strength to match its arrogance.
It couldn't distinguish the situation at all in the short few rounds of exchange.
Although it has a bit of battle awareness, it is too foolish, and the skills it used are only those that most Starly can master."
"What exactly do you mean? So in your opinion, Ash shouldn't have caught this Starly?"
"That's nothing to do with me.
I'm just giving my advice from the perspective of a Pokémon Trainer.
I mean, if you're going to catch even Pokémon of this caliber... heh, even the best commanding ability is useless."
"You—"
"Okay, calm down."
Seeing that Dawn was about to get completely angry, Brock quickly stopped her, and then looked at Ash behind him with a pleading look.
Of course, when asking Ash for help, Brock was actually a little scared, because what this person said was a bit... strange.
If Ash also lost his mind because of his words, things would be difficult to deal with.
"Say what you want, anyway, I firmly believe in my choice."
Ash gave Brock a reassuring look, and then walked up to Paul, confronting him head-on.
"If a trainer's ability requires extremely talented Pokémon to highlight it, or if only those talented Pokémon can help the trainer reach the end,
then the problem must lie with this year's Pokémon League competition~ I have always believed that the bond between trainer and Pokémon can break through the constraints of ability and help each other reach a farther shore."
Ash's statement was also impolite, a complete negation of the other's point of view.
"Ridiculous.
" Paul snorted.
"So you think you can beat me in the Pokémon League competition? With your cowardly ideas?"
"How would I know without trying? Pokémon battles are inherently something where you don't know the outcome until you fight, right?"
On this point alone, Paul did not deny Ash's idea.
Indeed... if he hadn't actually seen it, he would never have thought that his brother would appear so weak and powerless when facing Frontier Brain Brandon, without even a shred of ability to fight back.
"el!"
Paul didn't retort, but the Electrike, who had been standing quietly by Paul's feet, couldn't help it.
Arcs of electricity flickered on its plug-like horns, and it looked ready to battle Ash.
"Don't do anything unnecessary."
"el..."
But, Electrike's fighting spirit was quickly suppressed by Paul's scolding.
Before leaving, he gave Ash a meaningful look and left his last words.
"I don't have time today.
If we meet next time, I'll prove how foolish your so-called bond between trainer and Pokémon is.
" Novel Network
Watching Paul's departing figure, Ash was thinking that he didn't seem to have left his name yet, while Dawn was still sulking, her good mood for the day ruined.
"What's with that guy? He's so arrogant! Anyone would think he's some kind of important person!"
"I mean, every trainer has different ideas, so it's inevitable that there will be such a persistent trainer."
Brock shook his head.
Although he said that, as a Pokémon Breeder, he found it difficult to agree with Paul's ideas.
If there's no bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon, then wouldn't Pokémon just be a simple tool for Trainers and humans?
A silent atmosphere flowed between them, lasting until Aipom in the back started playing pranks on Pikachu again.
Maybethe always mischievous Aipom was the one who hated heavy atmospheres the most.