Training from 5 AM to 10 PM...
Seventeen hours a day...
Genius! Paul is a damn genius!
With training this intense, no wonder everyone's stopped messing around.
Why didn't I think of this kind of method before?
Gliscor looked up and met Caleb's admiring gaze—and instantly felt like the world had crumbled.
It had been hoping its Trainer would bring some justice... and yet...
At that moment, Gliscor realized: no matter how fierce the blizzard outside, it couldn't compare to the chill that had settled deep inside its heart.
Inviting Paul into the Gym—well, the guy had watched the place for five whole days, so thanking him was only fair.
At the very least, he deserved a proper meal.
"Here, try this lemon egg dish I made," Caleb said as he placed a steaming plate in front of Paul.
This was Caleb's own culinary invention—scrambled eggs stir-fried with lemon, orange, and tangerine.
On the surface, it looked like a perfectly normal plate of eggs, but the flavor? A wild mix of tart lemon, sweet tangerine, and citrusy orange—truly unique.
Paul stared at the softly glowing golden eggs, a complex expression crossing his face.
But after training all morning at full intensity, his stomach was growling loud enough to roar.
Despite some hesitation, he finally picked up his spoon, took a small bite, and placed it cautiously into his mouth.
In an instant, a tsunami of flavors flooded in—acidic, sweet, zesty—all clashing and swirling as they traveled down his throat.
"How is it?" Caleb asked eagerly.
"...Tastes good," Paul said instinctively.
"Great! Eat up—there's more in the kitchen, I'll get you another plate!" Caleb grinned, already getting up.
"N-No need." Paul quickly put his spoon down. "Let's focus on business first."
That dish had left far too strong a visual impact!
Just looking at it once was enough. No one should have to suffer a second glance.
"You're right—business first. We'll eat after the match."
Caleb nodded in agreement.
They headed to the battle field.
"Let's go full 6-on-6," Paul suddenly said.
"Huh?" Caleb blinked, then realized what Paul meant.
A full 6-on-6 battle!
Generally, the more Pokémon used in a battle, the higher the Gym's strength—and its difficulty level.
Weaker Gyms use 2-on-2, the standard is 3-on-3, and tougher Gyms—like Norman's in Hoenn—go 4-on-4.
The toughest, like Viridian Gym, use 5-on-5.
Currently, Solaceon Gym uses a standard 3-on-3 setup.
6-on-6 is simply too much for most rookie Trainers, so most Gyms don't even offer it.
But since it was Paul's request, Caleb couldn't very well say no—he'd just have to reluctantly accept.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Caleb's mind. "Hey, you don't mind if I stream this, right?"
Anytime a full battle like this happens, it's a guaranteed magnet for views. There was no way he'd let this kind of content go to waste.
"Do whatever," Paul said coolly.
With the livestream set up, the battle began.
Paul didn't waste words. His Poké Ball expanded in his hand, and he flung it with a snap of his wrist.
"Battle prep! Drapion, go!"
With a low snarl, a vicious-looking purple scorpion Pokémon landed hard on the battlefield and rose up, hissing at Caleb.
Caleb remembered the full battle between Paul and Ash at the Lily of the Valley Conference. Even though Electivire was Paul's ace, the MVP was definitely Drapion.
Its spring-loaded pincers and aggressive style had left a deep impression on Caleb.
Poison/Dark-typed Drapion is not only immune to Toxic, but it also blocks Dusknoir's Prankster status moves—literally built as a counter.
Caleb could already imagine Paul sneakily scouting his team setup during those training sessions in the backyard…
Wait—don't tell me all that "helping" was just to spy on my lineup!
What a sneaky bastard!
"Your turn—go, Skarmory!"
A Poké Ball arced through the air and burst open in a flash of white light.
With a metallic screech, a giant steel bird landed on the field.
Steel/Flying-type Skarmory.
"I'm first!"
"Let's see what underhanded tricks I can learn today."
"A full battle?! (Shook)"
"Hey, I'm new—who's the Gym Leader? The Drapion guy?"
"Purple-haired guy, destroy the heretic!"
Within the first minute, the livestream had already drawn over ten thousand viewers. That's what it means to be top tier.
On the field:
"Drapion, Taunt!"
"Skarmory, Pluck!"
Both Trainers called out commands simultaneously.
Paul was a little surprised—no Stealth Rock? No Spikes?
He'd occasionally wandered through Solaceon Town during his stay. Honestly, this little town was full of weirdos—red, yellow, blue, green, gray, white, pink, purple-haired kids everywhere, not to mention the beefy old man who looked like a mummy but could break trees with a single punch.
Their behavior wasn't exactly normal, but thanks to their advice, he'd picked up a lot about Caleb's preferred strats.
Combined with everything he'd observed in the Gym's backyard during training, he had a pretty good idea of the team setup by now.
But still—he'd been out-predicted right from the start.
As Drapion let out a mocking screech, Skarmory swooped down and slammed it with a heavy blow from the sky.
Given Skarmory's naturally high Defense, even without using Iron Defense, the damage was no joke.
A single Pluck had already put Drapion on the ropes.
Paul clicked his tongue—this was annoying.
But he quickly made the smart play: recalling Drapion.
It still had a role to play later—no point letting it faint now.
He threw his second Poké Ball.
A massive, burly Pokémon with thunderbolt-like tubes running along its back burst onto the field.
Electivire!
Paul's ace!
Caleb immediately recalled Skarmory in response.
With 6-on-6 rules, Gym Leaders are allowed to swap Pokémon too.
"Go, Amoonguss!"
A sly smile crept across Caleb's face as he tossed out his second Poké Ball.
A mushroom-shaped Pokémon appeared in a flash.
Facing away from the opponent, Amoonguss looked oddly serene—and incredibly reliable.
The moment Paul saw it, his expression froze.
He'd never seen this one before.
"A new Pokémon? I've never seen this Gym Leader use it before."
"Anyone else smell a sneaky strat?"
"Ugh, this one's so ugly."
Never seen it, huh?
Caleb smirked.
Well, you're about to get very familiar with it.
"Amoonguss—use Spore!"