Pokémon: Trainer Paul

"Chimchar, you did a great job. Take a rest now."

After regaining his focus, Lucas recalled Chimchar into its Poké Ball, offering a few words of encouragement.

"Ahhh! That's cheating! How can an Elekid fly? This has to be against the rules—there should be a fine for this!"

Off to the side, Barry couldn't hold back his disbelief as he watched the airborne Elekid on the battlefield.

Hearing Barry's exclamations and observing the match's outcome, Elekid smirked slightly and descended from the air, arcs of electricity dancing around it. The Pokémon carried itself with an air of command.

"That move is called Magnet Rise. It allows the user to hover in the air for a limited time. Typically, Ground-type moves can't hit a Pokémon that's airborne," explained Professor Rowan.

Then, curious, the professor turned to Paul and asked, "Since your Elekid knows Magnet Rise, why didn't you use it earlier? It would've avoided getting hurt altogether."

"Elekid only recently learned Magnet Rise and isn't proficient with it yet," Paul replied after a moment. "If it tried to attack Chimchar mid-air, it would have missed due to Chimchar's agility. On the other hand, Chimchar could easily land its attacks on an airborne Elekid."

Understanding dawned on Professor Rowan. "Ah, I see. So you had Elekid brace itself for the damage to lure Chimchar into a false sense of security. Then, you forced it into a corner with Thunder, finally countering with Magnet Rise. Clever."

Barry's face turned awkward as he processed this. "He put that much thought into a casual battle? I thought he just forgot Elekid could hover. Turns out I was the one being naive."

"Paul, you're amazing," Lucas admitted, his tone sincere. "Chimchar and I still have a long way to go."

Lucas now realized how careless he'd been. Assuming Paul wasn't aware of Chimchar's ability to use Dig—a move effective against Ground-types—he had underestimated his opponent. In the end, Paul had turned the tables with a well-executed strategy. Lucas could only admit defeat.

With his victory, Paul felt a small sense of accomplishment, especially as a novice trainer and a time traveler. Yet, there was something else he needed to address.

"An Oran Berry—this will restore your energy."

Releasing Budew from its Poké Ball, Paul handed over an Oran Berry. As Budew consumed it and its injuries healed, its body briefly glowed red, as if shedding some invisible constraint.

"Paul… are you going to release it again?"

"But Budew just fought for you!" Barry and Lucas were both stunned, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Is it strange?" Paul replied matter-of-factly. "Precisely because it fought for me, I can see it has no place on my team. Why waste time for both of us?

"If I were to keep it longer only to release it later, wouldn't that be more harmful?"

From the recent battle, Paul had clearly assessed Budew's potential. In his own words:

Its HP, Special Attack, and Defense were mediocre.

Because of this, the otherwise sound decisions made during its match against Piplup had failed to yield the desired results.

"Elekid, what do you think?"

"Bzzt-bzzt!" Elekid crossed its arms and nodded approvingly. It fully agreed with its trainer's rationale.

To Elekid, the idea of Paul surrounding himself with "weaklings" was unthinkable. It would be a disaster for a Pokémon like itself, driven by the desire to grow stronger.

Ignoring the thoughtful looks on Barry and Lucas's faces, Paul approached Professor Rowan and offered a respectful bow.

"Thank you very much for letting us use your facilities."

"It's no trouble at all," Professor Rowan replied with a smile. "Watching a battle is a pleasant way to relax."

"Elekid, let's go."

With a simple call, Paul turned and walked into the distance.

"Budew~"

Budew watched Paul's retreating figure with a sense of loss.

Barry, however, made up his mind.

Suddenly, Budew noticed the trainer of the Piplup it had just battled crouch down in front of it, looking at it earnestly.

"Budew, Paul might not want to be your trainer, but I think you're incredible.

"If it weren't for you, who knows how the battle between Piplup and Elekid would've turned out?

"Honestly, I'd love to be your trainer. Let's get stronger together. Would you like that?"

Barry's clear and sincere gaze gradually melted away Budew's doubts.

"Budew!"

In the end, Budew agreed, becoming Barry's Pokémon.

"Barry, you…"

"Paul's logic is sound, but… I feel like I'll never have his talent in this area," Barry admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah… I get that," Lucas replied, nodding in agreement.

Some things were easy to understand but far harder to replicate.

Meanwhile, Elekid, who had been walking alongside Paul, suddenly recalled Paul's earlier comment about being a "target" while flying.

Deciding to practice, Elekid activated Magnet Rise again, hovering above the ground.

"Not bad," Paul said, nodding in approval. "From now on, spend half your time practicing Magnet Rise.

"Eventually, you should aim to reach your ground speed while airborne. After that, work on height and agility.

"Once you master this, you'll essentially be able to fly. And a flying Elekid is far more formidable than one stuck on the ground."

Elekid's eyes narrowed. It had only wanted to test the move, not float all day.

"Remember," Paul continued, "this isn't just about flying. Magnet Rise can enhance your control over electricity and magnetic fields. With enough practice, you could even accelerate or manipulate those fields to your advantage."

Hearing Paul's vision for Magnet Rise, Elekid was shocked. It had never realized the move held such potential.

"12 o'clock direction. Use Magnet Rise and Quick Attack—go!"

Spotting a Starly perched on a tree branch, Paul issued the command.

"Bzzt!"

Electricity crackling, Elekid shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Crash!"

"Starly!"

Startled, the Starly took off, eyeing Elekid and Paul warily before flapping away.

"Perfect. Chase it down. Use Magnet Rise and Quick Attack to take it out," Paul ordered.

"Bzzt-bzzt!"

Determined, Elekid surged forward, sparks flying as it gave chase.

Paul followed at a steady pace, always keeping up no matter how fast Elekid moved.

Thus, a peculiar series of crashes echoed through the forest, a testament to Paul's rigorous training regimen.

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