Night – Somewhere in Twinleaf Town
Dawn, Barry, and Lucas were gathered together, eagerly seeking guidance from Palmer about Pokémon training and battle strategies.
Paul stood silently beside them, gazing up at the starry night sky. Though he appeared indifferent, he was listening to every word of their conversation.
"Dad, when are you leaving? If you're still around tomorrow, have a battle with me!"
As the discussion wrapped up, Barry suddenly turned to Palmer, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"I'll be here for a few more days before heading out again." Palmer replied casually. "But a battle? Forget it. What could you possibly learn from battling me?"
Others might not know Barry well, but Palmer did.
He would listen to advice from almost anyone—except his own father. Whatever Palmer said went in one ear and out the other. It's completely useless.
Even if Palmer crushed Barry in a battle, the kid would just shrug it off as expected. After all, wasn't his father supposed to be stronger?
"Aw, come on…" Barry grumbled.
"If you really want to improve, you'd better off battling Paul, Lucas, or even Dawn. You'd gain a lot more from them than from fighting me."
Palmer didn't give Barry a chance to protest, his tone was firm and serious.
Barry might not listen to him, but if he lost to a rival with his same age, that would sting—and that kind of lesson would be far more effective.
"It's not like I haven't battled them before! It's not like I always lose! My win rate against Lucas is actually pretty high!" Barry huffed, puffing out his cheeks in defiance.
Lucas let out an awkward laugh, choosing not to argue.
It was true—he didn't have a great win rate against Barry. But that was because their battles weren't formal matches. They mostly used their battles for training, trying out new strategies and moves. Losing more often than winning was just part of the process.
Still, if it were an official tournament match, Lucas was confident he could take Barry down.
"You're still too young." Palmer chuckled. "One-on-one battles only show how strong a single Pokémon is in the moment. If you want to measure true strength, you need to battle with a full team."
"Have you ever battled Lucas in a 3v3 or a full 6v6 match? What's your win rate?" Palmer asked pointedly.
"Uh… not that often, but I haven't lost that much either!" Barry said, his voice betraying a hint of guilt.
One-on-one battles were fine, but in full-team battles or doubles matches? Barry definitely lost more than he won.
"You'd better start challenging Lucas, Paul, or Dawn to a full-team battles. Otherwise, when you get to the League, even if you somehow make it to the Top 8, there's no way you'll beat your opponent."
"And also, stop interrupting me and your mom's alone time." Palmer added with a grin.
With a hearty laugh, he patted Barry's shoulder before turning to Paul. His tone shifted to a more serious one.
"Paul, do me a favor and have a proper battle with Barry. Teach this overconfident kid where he really stands."
Then, in a lower voice, he added discreetly:
"Give me a favor and agree to it, alright? Next time you challenge the Battle Tower, just give me a heads-up. You can come anytime without making an appointment."
"Just treat him like a sparring partner. Beat him however you like—think of it as a warm-up for the League."
"A practice opponent like him isn't easy to find, so humor him for a bit."
Palmer clearly understood both Barry and Paul better than Barry does.
"Fine." Paul said, giving Barry a glance before nodding.
As Palmer had pointed out, Barry might not be on his level but he wasn't completely incompetent. At the very least, he could serve as a decent sparring partner.
"Since Dad said so, I'll battle Paul properly this time! I'll wipe away my past losses!" Barry declared, looking fired up.
Palmer smirked. "Sounds good. Let's set it for two days from now—by Lake Valor. If I have time, I might drop by to watch."
"Works for me. Then, I'll leave now." Paul replied curtly before heading back to the Pokémon Center.
"I'm not wasting any more time! I need to analyze Paul's team and battle style. Two days from now, I'll make my comeback!"
Barry, convinced that Paul had gone off to adjust his lineup and research him, suddenly felt the urgency of the situation. Without another word, he sprinted back home.
"This guy…"
The remaining three exchanged helpless sighs and shook their heads in unison.
Lake Valor – The Next Day
A gentle breeze rippled across the lake's surface.
The water was like a mirror, reflecting the heart—revealing joy, sorrow, love, and longing.
Early in the next morning, Paul left Twinleaf Town and arrived at Lake Valor. It was time to train.
"Come out, all of you."
Standing by the calm lake, Paul felt a sense of openness in his chest and his mood became much brighter. He took out a set of newly adjusted Poké Balls and tossed them forward.
"Cha-cha~!"
"Viree~!"
"Woo~!"
"Eeno~!"
"Raaah~"
"Grooo~!"
With a series of cries, six Pokémon materialized by the lakeshore.
"Woo~!"
The moment it heard that long-missed voice, Ninetales—having just emerged from its Poké Ball—leaped forward without hesitation.
"Cha! Cha?!"
Dewott, thinking it was under attack, nearly slashed down with its Water Pulse infused blade. But as soon as it recognized the familiar golden-furred figure, it froze for a brief second—just enough time for Ninetales to pounce and knock it to the ground.
"Woo~"
Ninetales nuzzled its head against Dewott several times before wrapping all nine of its tails tightly around its partner's limbs, completely restraining it in an unyielding embrace.
"Cha~..."
Dewott struggled a few times, but as soon as it realized that every movement only caused Ninetales' Iron Tail to tighten further, it gave up, resigning itself to its fate.
Expressionless, Dewott simply stared at Paul with its ancient unreadable gaze, silently asking:
"Are you seriously not going to do anything about this?"
To its utter shock, Paul merely glanced over and rather than intervening, fanned the flames further:
"Ninetales, take Dewott over there to train. Use Attract, Psychic, and Hypnosis, sharpen its blade properly and help refine its swordsmanship."
"Cha-cha?!"
"Woo~"
Even Ninetales was momentarily surprised at Paul's unexpected understanding. But it quickly accepted the order with delight, dragging a wide-eyed Dewott into the nearby woods.
The other Pokémon witnessing this unfold, were stunned. Since when was their Trainer this... open-minded?
Wait a minute… does this mean romance can take up training time?!
For a brief moment, many of the Pokémon were struck with newfound inspiration. They glanced around—only to realize that every single one of their companions was just another battle-hardened brother-in-arms.
Never mind. Time to refocus on getting stronger with the team.
"Together as brothers, single and strong!"
Paul had no idea what his Pokémon were thinking—and frankly, he didn't care. He had his own reasoning for instructing Ninetales to act that way.
Dewott showed traces of an incomplete sword will—a true blade needed relentless forging and tempering, and so did its swordsmanship.
An undeveloped blade's will was useless in battle. If it wasn't refined, then it had no value.
Paul was simply using Ninetales as a tool to push Dewott forward—mentally, physically, and spiritually.
"Alright, line up!"
At Paul's command, the remaining Pokémon instantly stood still.
When it came to battling Barry, Paul wasn't bothered to construct a well-planned lineup. Instead, he decided to throw in the six Pokémon that were currently the weakest in his team and use the battle as a test of their progress.
Aside from Ninetales, Dewott, Gabite, and Metagross, his initial selection had included Drapion and Froslass.
But plans never kept up with reality.
While dropping off his Torterra for recovery, Paul received an update from Reggie, Drapion was currently undergoing specialized training under its mentor to refine a more advanced acupressure technique—the Controlled Acupoint Striking.
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