Pokémon: Trainer Paul

"Poké Ball, go!"

At that moment, Paul took out a Poké Ball and threw it, successfully capturing Gardevoir.

When it came to a wild Pokémon, Paul had his own principles:

If you want to battle my Pokémon, I'll gladly fight you.

If you attack me directly, don't blame me for fighting back.

His approach to wild Pokémon was flexible, yet pragmatic. Strength, appearance, or rarity meant little to him. Whether it was a Gardevoir, a Caterpie, or even a Legendary Pokémon, his standards remained the same.

Holding two Poké Balls in his hands, Paul activated his Pokédex to scan them.

GARDEVOIR

Type: Psychic, Fairy

Ability: Synchronize

Gender: Female

Moves: Teleport, Psychic, Moonblast, Double Team, Heal Pulse, Disarming Voice, Hypnosis, Dream Eater

RALTS

Type: Psychic, Fairy

Ability: Trace

Gender: Female

Moves: Confusion, Teleport, Disarming Voice, Growl

"One is acceptable. But the other one… not so much."

After reviewing the data and observing the Pokémon, Paul made a quick assessment.

Ralts was clearly a newborn with weak strength and barely passable potential. To Paul, it had no real value and wasn't worth raising. Releasing it back into the wild would be the logical choice.

Gardevoir, on the other hand, had decent strength. In a one-on-one scenario, it could likely defeat the weakest member of his team—Vulpix—or perhaps even Gible before it was sent to the daycare for training. Its potential fell somewhere between excellent and top-tier, making it a candidate for either training or release.

"Let's keep them for now."

After some thought, Paul decided to keep both.

With most Pokémon, Paul wouldn't hesitate to keep one and release the other. However, these two had a potential value, even if they weren't immediately useful to him. His family's daycare hadn't yet bred a Ralts, making it a worthwhile addition to their breeding stock.

Verdanturf Pokémon Center

"Paul, what's up? Why are you messaging me again? Sending me another Pokémon?"

On the screen, Reggie smiled in amusement, clearly curious about his brother's latest antics. Despite the short duration of Paul's journey, he'd already sent several valuable Pokémon back to Reggie—eight fossil Pokémon of various genders and a rare Spiritomb, all of which had a significant breeding potential.

"What is it this time?"

"Ralts." Paul said plainly.

"Ralts?! Isn't that Pokémon both adorable and rare? It also has great utility moves. Aren't you going to train it yourself?"

Reggie looked surprised. He had once wanted a Ralts as an assistant for breeding but eventually settled on a Blissey after failing to find one.

"Its potential is too low."

Paul's reasoning was as simple as ever.

"That's so like you." Reggie said with a resigned smile, fully aware of his brother's strict standards.

"Sending it now."

Paul wasted no time, placing Ralts' Poké Ball in the transfer machine.

"I got it."

Reggie quickly retrieved the Poké Ball and showed it to Paul.

"There's also a Gardevoir. I'm keeping it for now, but I might send it to you later."

"A Gardevoir? That's great! Wait… Paul, don't tell me these two are—"

Before Reggie could finish, Paul had already hung up the call.

Reggie sighed, realizing what had happened. Paul had captured both a mother and daughter pair of Pokémon, only to separate them without hesitation. That was just how Paul operated.

Paul's plan for Gardevoir was simple: have it teach his Vulpix a few key moves.

Moves like Hypnosis and Dream Eater were practical and within Vulpix's learn set. Psychic could also be worth learning or at the very least, integrating its principles into Vulpix's Extrasensory. Teleport was another move to experiment with—this was the real world after all, and unexpected results were always possible.

Additionally, Gardevoir's Heal Pulse could temporarily serve as team support.

After a brief and amicable interaction, Gardevoir, now calm, "smiled" in agreement with Paul's plan.

As Paul approached the counter to retrieve his Pokémon, Nurse Joy handed him the Poké Balls with a gentle reminder:

"Your Pokémon have fully recovered. Be sure to give them adequate rest."

Paul nodded politely. "I will…"

"Miss Joy! Miss Joy!"

Before Paul could finish, a frantic boy burst into the Pokémon Center, carrying a Leafeon in his arms.

"Please… Please help my Leafeon!"

The boy placed the Leafeon on the counter, his voice trembling with urgency.

Paul noticed that the Leafeon's body was tinged with a sickly purple hue, its wounds showing signs of severe infection. Clearly, this was no ordinary poison.

"What kind of poison is this? Blissey, prepare for surgery!"

Nurse Joy quickly took charge, rushing Leafeon into the operating room alongside her Blissey.

Paul knew that with poison of this magnitude, even moves like Heal Bell wouldn't suffice. Only surgery combined with antidotes could save the Leafeon.

"Damn it… How did this happen?"

The boy clutched his head in despair.

"What poisoned it? Where did it happen?" Paul asked.

"A Drapion… No, just a Skorupi! It looked so ordinary. I wanted to catch it, but my Leafeon got caught and poisoned after just a few seconds of contact…"

The boy's face was pale as he recounted the events.

Having heard enough, Paul turned and left the Pokémon Center, heading east toward the forest.

Verdanturf Forest

Skorupi, huh? Its evolved form Drapion, is a powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon.

Paul recalled how his Drapion had been a key player in defeating multiple Pokémon from Ash's team during a tournament. Additionally, Reggie's starter Pokémon had been a Skorupi, which had long since evolved into a Drapion renowned for its battle prowess and precision in techniques.

No matter the reason, Paul decided to track down this Skorupi. If its potential was high enough, its unique poison alone could make it a valuable asset to his team.

With his pace quickening, Paul entered the forest and began searching systematically.

To improve his chances, he released Gardevoir, Vulpix, and Dewott to assist in a coordinated sweep of the area.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed in the distance.

"Let's check it out."

Without hesitation, Paul and his Pokémon headed toward the source of the sound, hoping the Skorupi hadn't already been captured by someone else.

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