Paul's Chimchar was undeniably a genius Pokémon, but it simply hadn't had enough time to grow.
At its current level, it was far too early for it to be standing on a stage like this. Ash couldn't understand why Paul would let Chimchar debut here of all places.
And more importantly, what exactly was this Super Blazefire Ability?
How was it different from the standard Blaze?
While Ash's mind was filled with questions, the battle on the field had already begun.
Scarlett's Pokémon was a Golem, Rock- and Ground-type, an inherent hard counter to Chimchar.
On top of that, Golem's level had reached a solid High level, placing it vastly above Chimchar in raw power. Chimchar's stats hadn't yet been trained to their limits, and like Pikachu, its attack output fluctuated heavily. Under these conditions, the difficulty of defeating Golem was absurdly high.
No, it was outright impossible.
Even if Ash himself were commanding Chimchar, the odds of victory wouldn't exceed thirty percent, and that estimate assumed he didn't understand what Super Blazefire actually did.
After all, even if an Low level Pokémon received a boost from Aura Power, it would at best reach Low-high or Mid level. The gap to Golem remained massive. Chimchar's stats weren't maxed, it hadn't evolved, and Ash genuinely couldn't see how it was supposed to fight across such a gulf.
So then, why had Paul sent Chimchar out?
On the battlefield, Chimchar launched itself forward with Flame Wheel under Paul's command.
Golem didn't even bother to dodge.
Flames exploded as the attack struck, but they barely scratched Golem's rocky hide. In response, Golem raised its massive fist and slammed it down.
The flames engulfing Chimchar were instantly extinguished as its entire body was smashed into the ground.
A deafening boom echoed across the Rock Field. Cracks spiderwebbed across the terrain, making the sheer force of the blow painfully obvious.
Chimchar's face twisted in agony.
Yet Paul's expression didn't change in the slightest.
He simply watched coldly.
Ash frowned.
What was wrong with this guy?
Leaving aside the decision to send out a clearly weaker Pokémon, Paul's commands made no sense, purely reckless frontal attacks. Even when Chimchar was smashed into the ground, Paul showed not a trace of concern.
It was as if the Pokémon fighting out there wasn't his at all.
Wasn't this too much?
On the field, Chimchar struggled upright. Clearly in pain, yet still forcing itself to stand, still choosing to fight for its Trainer.
Scarlett didn't hesitate.
She ordered Golen to use Rock Slide.
Paul told Chimchar to dodge with Flame Wheel, but the level gap was simply too great. Even using the move's momentum, Chimchar failed to escape the falling rocks.
Luckily, the flames cushioning its body absorbed much of the impact. Otherwise, Chimchar would've lost its fighting capability then and there.
Even so, it was now barely standing, like a candle flickering in the wind. One more solid hit would finish it.
Only then did Paul's expression finally change.
His cold gaze sharpened, becoming slightly solemn, laced with expectation.
"It's time," Paul said flatly.
"Chimchar, show me that power of yours. Stimulate the flame inside your body."
Chimchar turned to look at its Trainer.
Then it gritted its teeth and desperately squeezed out every last bit of strength it had.
It knew what power Paul wanted.
But after following him for so long, Chimchar had never once succeeded in awakening it. Now, with its stamina nearly exhausted, this was theoretically the most likely moment.
Yet no matter how hard Chimchar pushed, the flame on its tail didn't grow any stronger.
Forget Super Blazefire.
It couldn't even activate ordinary Blaze.
Scarlett didn't understand what Paul was attempting, but she had no intention of letting her opponent stall.
"Golem, Rollout!"
The attack surged forward.
Chimchar, still desperately forcing its power outward, had no time to dodge.
The blow struck directly.
Rollout crushed Chimchar's last remaining stamina. Its body skidded helplessly across the field, stopping at Paul's feet.
Paul didn't kneel.
Didn't speak gently.
Didn't even look concerned.
His eyes held only disappointment.
"Useless."
Paul recalled Chimchar into its Poké Ball and immediately sent out his next Pokémon, Torterra.
Paul hadn't raised his voice, and amid the noise of the arena, most people didn't hear him.
But Ash did.
And the anger on his face was impossible to suppress.
"This guy… he's gone too far."
"What happened?" Brock asked.
"When Chimchar collapsed, Paul didn't comfort it at all," Ash said grimly.
"He called it useless."
Brock and Misty froze.
Their expressions darkened with anger.
"That's disgusting," Brock said sharply. "A Pokémon fights until it collapses, and instead of comforting it, he insults it?"
"Ash, if you face him," Brock said seriously, "you have to teach him a lesson."
Their resentment toward Paul was immediate and overwhelming.
A Pokémon gives everything for you on the battlefield, and when it falls, you call it trash?
How was that any different from Team Rocket?
Even the Team Rocket trio treated their Pokémon far better than this.
How could someone with so little affection raise Pokémon to such terrifying strength?
Was there really no justice in the world?
With Torterra entering the field, there was no need to keep watching.
Scarlett's Pokémon wasn't weak, but against a Peak level Torterra, it stood no chance whatsoever.
And Paul didn't even exert himself.
Even if someone wanted to gather data on Torterra, there simply wasn't enough information to collect.
Aside from knowing that Torterra had reached Peak, all other information about it remained unknown. That was precisely why Paul chose to send Torterra out as his second Pokémon.
Torterra was his ace.
If its data were fully exposed, it would be highly disadvantageous for him. But using an ace Pokémon to deal with weaker opponents didn't require any real effort. Even if Torterra battled, observers wouldn't be able to gather meaningful information.
At most, they could confirm its level.
Everything else was completely hidden.
Since some information about Torterra had already leaked during the Sacred Fire incident, Paul saw no reason not to continue using it.
That was his strategy.
And it worked perfectly.
Even though Paul used Torterra to sweep all three of his opponent's Pokémon, those observing carefully still learned nothing. No data. No habits. No tells.
Only Ash could see everything clearly.
"I didn't expect Paul's Torterra to already be at Peak," Gary muttered sourly as he watched Paul recall Torterra and leave the field with his usual cold expression. "He really has improved over these past few months."
It felt like Paul was deliberately showing off, but Gary had no proof.
Paul's demeanor was icy, but his appearance wasn't bad at all. In fact, that aloof, distant air only made him more appealing. Quite a few girls nearby were cheering loudly, openly expressing their admiration.
Paul, of course, paid no attention.
Gary, on the other hand, was visibly irritated.
Ash was one thing, Gary knew he couldn't compare.
But Paul?
At most, Paul had only been traveling a little longer than he had. Give Gary the same amount of time, and he was confident he could beat Paul senseless.
Unfortunately, reality didn't work that way.
The competition was about current strength, not future potential. If future strength counted, everyone would just be borrowing power from tomorrow. That indignation in Gary's chest was useless.
Everyone turned to him.
"If the pressure at this Indigo Plateau Conference is strong enough," Ash continued calmly, "it could break through its current level."
Ash had been silently analyzing Torterra the entire time, and he'd reached a clear conclusion.
Paul's Torterra hadn't just reached Peak, it had been there for quite a while.
Every single stat had been trained to the absolute maximum for its tier. More importantly, its stamina had already reached S-rank.
Without long-term, meticulous training, that simply wasn't possible.
With all its stats capped, advancing to Elite Four Level or Champion was no longer a question of foundation, it was a question of opportunity. As long as Torterra experienced enough pressure or intense battles during the conference, that final breakthrough could happen at any time.
Gary was right.
Paul truly was his rival, and his greatest obstacle at this Indigo Plateau Conference.
In terms of Pokémon levels alone, Gary only had Blastoise that could reliably contend with Torterra. If he didn't use special methods, the outcome between them really was uncertain.
But Ash wasn't worried.
In a real battle, he had no intention of holding back. Any method worth using would be used.
After Paul's match, the group watched the next battle for a while, found it dull, and decided to leave.
A few people recognized Ash as they exited, but under Misty's quiet reminders, no major disturbance occurred. After signing a handful of autographs, they left smoothly.
Ash was already something of a celebrity.
Without a mask, getting recognized was almost inevitable.
They headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Contestants were provided with free meals and could bring up to three family members. Between Ash and Gary, that meant six seats, far more than they needed.
The food at the Indigo Plateau wasn't bad.
But it was… ordinary.
After two bites, Ash stopped chewing.
Compared to his own cooking, it was noticeably inferior. For a moment, he found himself unable to continue eating.
That realization left him stunned.
Had my palate really become this picky? Is that even possible?
Pikachu, meanwhile, had no such concerns. As long as there was ketchup, everything was delicious.
With nothing else to do, Ash glanced out the window, and froze.
"You guys eat first. I'm heading out," Ash said abruptly, scooping up Pikachu, ketchup still clinging to the corner of its mouth, and dashing outside.
Brock and Misty exchanged confused looks.
Until Gary leaned toward the window.
"That's Paul, isn't it? And that Pokémon, Chimchar? What are they doing out there?"
On the small lawn outside, Paul and Chimchar stood facing each other.
Chimchar looked utterly dejected.
Paul looked exactly as cold as ever.
"It seems Ash sensed Chimchar's condition," Brock said darkly. "Look at it, it hasn't even been to the Pokémon Center."
So long after the battle, Chimchar still hadn't received treatment.
What kind of Trainer was Paul?
"Let's go," Brock said. "We should see this for ourselves."
Outside, Ash reached the lawn with Pikachu clinging to his shoulder.
Just then, Paul spoke.
"You can leave. I no longer have any use for you."
"Chim?"
Chimchar looked up at him in disbelief, as if it thought it had misheard.
"I don't have the ability to raise you," Paul continued flatly. "Forget where you came from. Go wherever you want. There's no place for you here anymore."
He'd originally meant to say go back to where you came from, but remembering that they weren't in Sinnoh, he adjusted his words slightly.
The meaning, however, was unchanged.
Chimchar was being expelled from the team.
"My team has no room for the weak."
Chimchar had been abandoned.
"Chim! Chim!!"
For once, the usually timid Chimchar cried out loudly.
Paul couldn't understand Pokémon speech, but the meaning was obvious.
'Don't abandon me.'
Paul's resolve didn't waver.
Several months had passed since he captured Chimchar.
He'd sent it into every Gym battle across Kanto, and without exception, Chimchar had been defeated every time.