Pokémon: Trainer Paul

"Well then, I'll be heading out first."

Under Paul's slightly surprised gazed, Ueno pulled out a Poké Ball and released a Gyarados.

"Rooar!"

The towering form of Gyarados hovered above the water's surface, its intimidating presence sending ripples of fear through the area, scaring off many nearby Pokémon.

A Gyarados? Is this a mountaineer?

In Paul's experience, mountaineers typically carried Pokémon like Geodude or Onix, Rock- and Ground-types.

At most, some mountaineers used Fighting-types for their strength or scouting Pokémon for exploration. But a Gyarados? Paul had never seen that before.

"I'm not a traditional mountaineer. Gyarados is a perfect partner—strong and versatile."

"It can swim and fly (though not very high), making it one of my best companions for exploring uncharted territories." Ueno said proudly, noticing Paul's gazed.

Clearly, this mountaineer was transitioning into an explorer, no longer purely a climber—he'd lost the "soul" of a mountaineer.

"Alright, until we meet again. Gyarados, let's go!"

With that, Ueno and Gyarados crossed the river and disappeared into the distance. Paul turned his attention back to his Pokémon.

After finishing their training and lunch, Paul gave his instructions:

"Turtwig, practice using your roots in areas without soil while inside your Poké Ball. Also, try manipulating leaves to refine your energy control."

Elekid, work on releasing and controlling different energies without using your moves."

"Bzzt!"

"Twiig!"

The two Pokémon, accustomed to this rigorous routine, responded earnestly.

Other Pokémon might be talented, but Paul's Pokémon were even more gifted.

Other Pokémon trained hard, but Paul's Pokémon trained harder.

While others rested, his team kept pushing themselves.

Even when inside their Poké Balls, they thought about training and improving—and sometimes even trained inside.

This relentless effort was why they were stronger than other Trainers' Pokémon.

Paul recalled Turtwig and Elekid to their Poké Balls and called over Vulpix.

"Vuul!"

With a delighted cry, Vulpix leapt onto Paul's shoulder, affectionately nuzzling him.

The reason for keeping Vulpix out was simple: the river ahead was hundreds of meters wide.

The easiest way across wasn't swimming but having Vulpix assist.

"Meditate to enhance yourself, then carry me across the river."

Having practiced yoga extensively, Vulpix had already mastered the move Calm Mind. For safety, Paul had it meditate first.

"Vuul~"

Calming itself, Vulpix activated its psychic powers, lifting both itself and Paul as they floated across the river.

The crossing was uneventful, and within a minute, they reached the other side.

"Stay focused, feel the energy, meditate, and practice your yoga."

Once on solid ground, Paul instructed Vulpix to continue training.

Vulpix had grown significantly, and its size was starting to outgrow Paul's shoulder. Once it fully matured or evolved, there'd be no space for it there.

In truth, as long as his Pokémon were diligent and obedient, Paul was lenient with them—relatively speaking.

"Vuul~"

Vulpix let out a soft cry and closed its eyes, absorbing the sunlight as it entered a warm meditative state.

Following Ueno's advice, Paul ventured deeper into the forest along the mountain wall.

The trees grew sparser as the rocky terrain became more prominent, with brown cliffs and ochre soil dominating the landscape.

The unique environment caused the number of Pokémon to dwindle. Some hid in the trees, while others concealed themselves among the rocks.

Soon, Paul came across a cave. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

The cave was filled with yellowish-brown walls and scattered stones. Occasionally, Geodude disguised as rocks could be spotted.

Being close to the entrance, this layer of the cave wasn't too dark, and Paul could clearly see his surroundings.

In any location, rare and powerful Pokémon wouldn't be near the surface; they'd always hide deeper within.

Without lingering, Paul ventured further into the cave.

Along the way, he encountered Pokémon like Machop, Geodude, and Zubat, none of which piqued his interest.

As he explored deeper, he spotted Chingling, Golbat, Cleffa, Clefairy, Bronzor, and Graveler.

However, Paul refrained from battling them and pressed onward until he saw a blue-and-white Pokémon floating cross-legged in the air—a Meditite.

Meditite was a dual Fighting- and Psychic-type Pokémon, and its evolved form Medicham, was the epitome of yoga power.

"Vulpix, get ready to battle!"

"Vuul!"

Vulpix instantly opened its eyes, leaping to Paul's side, brimming with fighting spirit as it stared at Meditite.

"Medi~"

Noticing the commotion, Meditite landed gracefully on the ground and assumed a battle stance.

"Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"

"Vuul!"

Energy gathered in Vulpix's mouth as a bright blazing flame illuminated the cave, surging toward Meditite.

"Medi~"

Meditite calmly raised its right hand, its eyes glowing brightly. The flames froze mid-air, then condensed into a fiery sphere under its psychic control.

With a wave of its hand, the fireball reversed direction, hurtling back at Vulpix with even greater force.

"Quick Attack!"

Vulpix's body turned nimble, darting like a ghost toward Meditite. Instead of dodging the fireball, it charged straight into it.

Upon contact, the flames were absorbed into Vulpix's fur, turning it fiery red.

Flash Fire activated!

With its ability triggered, Vulpix's Fire-type moves grew even stronger.

Meditite startled by the display, hesitated just long enough for Vulpix to close the distance. Its six tails shimmered with metallic light, whipping toward Meditite.

In the nick of time, Meditite's eyes flashed with a peculiar purple hue. Its body twisted unnaturally, narrowly dodging the Iron Tail attack without a scratch.

Detect!

"Overheat!"

Before Meditite could react, Vulpix unleashed an intense burst of flames in the shape of a character, engulfing Meditite.

"Boom!"

The explosion sent both Pokémon flying. While Vulpix remained unscathed, Meditite collapsed, unable to battle.

"Poké Ball, go!"

Paul threw a Poké Ball, which captured Meditite after a few shakes.

Instead of retrieving it immediately, Paul released Turtwig and Elekid from their Poké Balls.

"Twig!"

Turtwig retracted its roots, curiously observing the cave.

"Bzzt!"

Elekid stood with its arms crossed, its body flickering with icy blue golden yellow and fiery red energy as it practiced controlling different energies.

"Show me the results of your training. Head deeper into the cave, find strong Pokémon and defeat them so I can capture them."

Sometimes, Pokémon had a better eye for strength, making it easier to identify weaklings or underdeveloped Pokémon and instead challenge stronger ones.

"Bzzt-Bzzt!"

Elekid, raring to go, dashed off in a golden flash toward a Machop lifting a large boulder.

Turtwig followed, jogging into the cave's depths in search of a worthy opponent.

"You too, Vulpix. Find a Pokémon to battle, and remind them not to stray too far."

As the two Pokémon left, Vulpix handed Paul the Poké Ball containing Meditite using its psychic power. Paul scanned it with his Pokédex while giving instructions.

"Vuul!"

Having endured tough training, Vulpix refused to be left behind and eagerly sought its next opponent.

An inexperienced Trainer might capture Pokémon one by one, carefully judging their potential.

But an experienced Trainer like Paul? His Pokémon sought out strong opponents themselves, battling them to exhaustion before presenting them for capture.

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