Pokémon: Trainer Paul

Pokémon Center

After arriving at the Pokémon Center, Paul took care of two tasks: he handed over his Pokémon to Nurse Joy for treatment and contacted Reggie to check on Electabuzz's status. Additionally, he decided to give the Spiritomb he hadn't released back to Reggie.

Spiritomb is an extremely rare Pokémon that tends to cause havoc if set free. Most trainers find it challenging to train such a Pokémon. However, with Reggie and the skilled breeders at the daycare, Spiritomb could be properly raised, providing valuable experience. Without hesitation, Paul sent it back.

Having nothing to do while waiting at the Pokémon Center, Paul decided to head out to restock supplies. Remembering Lucas' mention of the tournament, he also went to the Casual Tournament registration desk to sign up and received his registration number.

Casual Town

Though it's just a small town, Casual Town boasts an excellent location. Nestled between Hearthome City and Veilstone City, it is surrounded by notable landmarks like the Casual Ruins and various archaeological sites. A vast grassland lies nearby, and the town itself is well-developed, featuring skyscrapers, a daycare, a Contest Hall, a battle arena, and more.

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

The largest arena in town was packed to the brim, with dozens of trainers gathered on the battlefield and spectators filling every seat.

On the field, the trainers surveyed their surroundings, listening intently to the tournament organizer's speech.

Paul stood at the edge of the crowd, quietly observing the other trainers while keeping an ear out for useful information from the speech.

Through his careful observation, he recognized a few familiar faces, such as Lucas and the blonde-haired Barry.

However, Paul wasn't interested in making small talk. Beside him, his Turtwig stood obediently, waiting for the battle to begin.

The rules of the Casual Tournament were simple: trainers were paired up with partners based on their registration numbers for double battles. To win, they needed to defeat their opponents and advance through the rounds.

The prize was rather unique—not the Soothe Bell seen in the anime, but an item called the Leftovers. This special item usable by most Pokémon, allows the holder to gradually recover HP during battles.

"Interesting." Paul murmured. The reward sparked his competitive spirit. While he already had multiple Leftovers, such a versatile item was always in demand. Ideally, every Pokémon in his team could carry one for training purposes.

At this moment, the tournament organizer's voice echoed:

"The Casual Tournament officially begins! Please check the big screen to find your teammate based on your registration number. Get ready for the upcoming battles!"

All eyes turned to the screen, where numbers flashed rapidly before settling into pairings.

"Number 6 paired with Number 9?"

Paul glanced at his registration number and spotted his teammate on the screen.

He didn't rush to look for them, preferring to wait and observe. After all, whoever was left without a partner would naturally be his teammate.

"Paul, have you found your teammate yet? Are you Number 25?"

Lucas approached Paul, eager to ask.

"Number 25, over there." Paul replied, pointing to a loud blonde-haired trainer holding a "25" sign.

"I'm paired with Barry? Not bad!" Lucas grinned and waved goodbye. "Good luck, Paul! Make it to the finals!"

"Are you Number 6?"

A male voice suddenly came from behind Paul.

"Yes. Are you Number 9?"

Paul turned to see a somewhat familiar figure—a young man with simple clothes, flip-flops, greenish hair, and a plain face. Adjusting his glasses, the man gave off an air of intelligence.

"Good to see you again, Paul. I'm Conway. We battled once at the Jubilife Victory Cup. Let's do our best!"

Beside Conway, stood his Slowking, crowned with its shell-like headgear and exuding an air of authority as it nodded approvingly.

"This should be interesting." Paul muttered with a faint smile.

Conway grinned slyly. "If you use your Ursaring with my Dusknoir, or your Electabuzz with my Slowking, victory is guaranteed."

Conway's strategy was straightforward. Paul's Ursaring and Electabuzz had left a deep impression on him during their last battle, and he assumed they had only grown stronger since.

"Good idea." Paul acknowledged.

"Of course! I've studied numerous league battles and designed many strategies." Conway said confidently, adjusting his glasses.

"But I don't plan on using either Ursaring or Electabuzz." Paul said calmly.

"What?!" Conway was stunned.

"You're not going to use the two Pokémon we both agree that would guarantee victory? What are you planning?"

"I intend to use only Vulpix, Turtwig, and Dewott. You can plan around that." Paul replied without a hint of concern.

For Paul, this tournament was more about training his Pokémon than winning.

"Even without those two, but with your skills, victory should still be achievable."

Fortunately, Conway forced himself to calm down. After all, Paul's previous Pokémon had been incredibly strong. The rest of his team surely couldn't be far behind in terms of power.

With a bit of strategy, winning shouldn't be too difficult.

"Alright, judging by everyone's expressions, I assume you've all found your partners. You may now leave the stage and start strategizing. This afternoon, the Free-For-All Tournament officially begins!"

As the host finished speaking, the crowd began dispersing.

After leaving the stage, Paul didn't part ways with Conway. Instead, he initiated a simple conversation.

"Do you have any ideas?"

Paul was curious about Conway's approach—his reputation as one of the few trainers noted for tactical prowess had piqued Paul's interest.

"Although I don't know the exact level of your Pokémon or their movesets, based on my knowledge of Vulpix, Turtwig, and Dewott, they're all well-rounded in terms of speed, power, and flexibility, regardless of their training direction.

Given that, I'd opt for Pokémon that can either assist yours in battle or match their offensive style. Tactical Pokémon are tricky if they're not perfectly complementary—they could end up being a disadvantage instead."

Once the topic shifted to his area of expertise, Conway spoke confidently and at length.

"Any specific examples?"

Paul's tone remained nonchalant as he probed further.

"For instance, if you pick Dewott, I'd likely choose Heracross. If you go with Vulpix, I'd pair it with Slowking. For Turtwig, I'd opt for Lairon…"

As Kalpin explained, a realization dawned on him.

"Wait a second… it seems like all of my Pokémon would pair well with yours.

Even though it might not be an ideal synergy, it should be more than enough for this tournament's level of competition."

"Then let's go with that. For the first match, I'll use Vulpix. Pick whoever you like."

Paul casually tossed out the statement before heading toward the Pokémon Center.

"Wait! Does your Vulpix know any special moves? You need to tell me so I can plan a proper strategy!"

Chasing after Paul, Conway sighed in exasperation. Thankfully, they managed to have a brief exchange, leaving Conway with a somewhat satisfactory answer.

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