The grin off Ash's face hadn't faded all the way through Oreburgh Tunnel, and it was still present even halfway to Jubilife. All because he had won his first gym badge in Sinnoh! So what if he had lost his first challenge to Roark? After some special training with Dawn, and some inspiration from her contests, he had come back better than ever, and defeated the Rock-type specialist in their second match. This time, he had even managed to force out Roark's Rampardos, and beat that monster of a Pokémon as well!

The Kanto native was so pleased that he was far outpacing his two companions. Which was frustrating Dawn, because they had been walking all day without a single break, at a ridiculous pace.

"Ash! Ash!" Dawn called. "Can we take a break?" She huffed in annoyance when Ash, chatting up a storm with Pikachu, couldn't seem to hear her. "Brock, can you get him to stop?"

The older teenager shook his head. "I don't think I can yell louder than you, Dawn. Besides, he can't keep this pace up forever. He'll be forced to come to a stop."

A few moments later, Brock was proven right, as Ash, not watching where he was going, tripped over a stray tree root and tumbled head first into the ground. Pikachu, having better reactions than his trainer, jumped off his trainer's shoulder in time, and asked if he was alright.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks, Pikachu."

"Maybe now we can stop for a little lunch break?" Dawn asked, hands on hips.

Ash opened his mouth to respond, but his stomach did first, growling loudly. "Hehe, lunch sounds great! Hey, Brock, do you mind if I just help with setting up? I want to get some more training in!"

Brock smiled, knowing the younger trainer's tendencies all too well. He had come prepared for this. "Sure thing Ash. I did most of the cooking for this week in advance, so everything only needs to be heated up. Be back in an hour, ok?"

"Even if they're leftovers, I know they'll taste good if you were the one who made them!" Ash set up the folding table, chairs, and laid out a checkered tablecloth at lightning speed before he dashed off with Pikachu in tow, eager for some more training.

Dawn watched him go, shaking her head. "Brock, am I as bad whenever a contest is approaching?"

Her companion wisely abstained from answering that question.

One hour of training later, Ash looked at his assembled team with fondness. " I want to thank all of you for that extra training we did, before and after that gym battle. I can see you guys getting stronger every single day. Pretty soon, we'll be unstoppable! This gym badge is our proof!"

Right as the cheers from his Pokémon ended, a familiar voice rang out behind him.

"So, you managed to get the gym badge after all. Tell me, how many times did you challenge Roark? Four? Five? Did he eventually take pity on you and give it away?"

Ash whirled around to see the smirking face of his newest rival. "Hey, Paul. Are you out doing some training like we are?"

"Something like that," the other trainer replied, hands in his pockets. "I heard a bunch of noise out here and thought I'd investigate. And you never answered my question. How many times did it take you to finally beat Roark, anyways?"

Ash was about to retort that he had beaten the Oreburgh Gym Leader on his second try when Dawn and Brock came to join him.

"Ash!" Dawn scolded. "We told you to come back an hour ago. Now your food has gone cold. Don't tell me you lost track of time again-" she cut off when she realized who he was with. Dawn couldn't even blame Ash for missing lunch if Paul had shown up. Paul got on her nerves an awful lot, and she wasn't even a trainer directly competing against him. She couldn't imagine how Ash felt.

Brock crossed his arms. He knew how this one was going to play out. Ash and Paul got along as well as oil and water did, after all.

"Roark was tough, but I beat him on my second try, with these Pokémon." Ash gestured to his team. "Because I believe in my team, and I know how strong they are. I won't give up on them just because they lost one battle."

"That's why you're weak," Paul stated coldly. Honestly, when was this loser going to get it through his thick skull that catching the first Pokémon he saw was a terrible strategy? "I told you on day one that your Starly had low potential. Your Aipom is whatever, and I know a good Turtwig when I see one, and yours is below average, to put it kindly."

The three Pokémon Paul called out bristled at the insults. Ash did the same, because he couldn't help but get angry at Paul's blunt dismissal of him and his Pokémon, no matter how many times he heard it. "Yeah? I'll prove how strong they are in a battle!"

One of these days, Paul told himself, he'd humiliate Ash so badly that the other trainer would never recover from it. Beating Ash and taking his money never got old for Paul, and thus he obliged with a laugh. "So eager to lose. Well, be my guest. How about this time, since we've both got our gym badges, we make it a little more complicated. Each of us uses three Pokémon, and no substituting during the battle. Only in between. Think you can handle that sort of battle?"

"I can handle any sort of battle!" Ash said confidently. It wasn't a lie. In his battle against Juan at the Sootopolis gym, he even managed to win a battle that shifted from a double to a single midway through.

Paul nodded his head at Dawn. "You. Flip a coin to see who sends out a Pokémon first."

"My name is Dawn, you jerkface. I've only told you three times already," the coordinator muttered under her breath, but she tapped her Pokétch coin toss app nonetheless.

"Heads!" Ash called.

Dawn thought about lying when it came up tails, but she eventually told the truth.

Brock knew Paul didn't like a referee telling him when his Pokémon were done battling, but he stood at the side of a battle like one would anyways, because he knew that a match between Ash and Paul could turn ugly. A moment later, Dawn came to stand beside him.

Ash looked at his four Pokémon, quickly coming to a decision. "I'm leading with Aipom!" The Normal-type bounced its way onto the battlefield. Paul took only a second to choose his Pokémon as well.

"Chimchar, stand by for battle!"

"Paul sure likes using Chimchar to battle Ash," Dawn said, a bit too loudly. "I wonder why that is."

"It's because Ash is the only trainer a weakling Pokémon like Chimchar actually has a chance against." Said trainer and his companions gritted their teeth, furious with the way Paul talked down to his Pokémon, but of course, Paul ignored their reactions. "You better win this time, Chimchar."

Neither trainer was willing to let the other take the first move. "Chimchar, Ember!

"Aipom, use Swift!"

The attacks collided in a shower of sparks, evenly matched. Well, Aipom was better in melee range anyways, Ash thought. "Use Tail Slap!"

His counterpart wasn't backing down. "Scratch, let's go!"

Both Pokémon were nimble, but it was clear to everyone watching that Aipom's attacks had much more power behind them. The same amount of hits were landed by both Pokémon, but Chimchar was getting the worse end of each exchange.

Brock knew that Paul's battling style involved less dodging than the average trainer. Ash's rival would always take an opportunity to hit back, even if that meant taking damage in return. But with Chimchar it seemed even less.

Additionally, Paul had shown what he thought of supposedly weak Pokémon. Clearly, he saw something in Chimchar, but then why was he putting it through such rough battling?

Both Pokémon backed away from each other, panting. "You're doing great, Aipom! Tail Slap, again!"

This time, Paul had seen enough. "Use Dig!" Chimchar burrowed under the ground to dodge Aipom's powerful tail. Ash knew Chimchar could use Dig, however. He was ready for this.

"Now, Aipom! Time to use Bounce!" The Normal-type used its tail as a spring to rocket itself into the air. When Chimchar burst out of the ground, it was to attack thin air.

Aipom slammed into the Fire-type with impressive force, forcing Chimchar to the ground. Dawn cheered out loud when Aipom connected. All the hard work Aipom had been putting in with her Buneary to learn Bounce had paid off!

Maybe Chimchar has finally been pushed to the limit, Paul thought. "Get up and use Flame Wheel!" Chimchar staggered to his feet and covered himself with fire, but Paul could only grimace in irritation. It was the same old Flame Wheel. Nothing like the overwhelmingly powerful, Blaze enhanced one that Chimchar had displayed that one time.

"Use Double Team!" Suddenly, there were five, then ten, and then twenty Aipoms on the battlefield. Chimchar surged forward with Flame Wheel, but only burned through some illusions. If Chimchar's fire was Blaze-enhanced, then perhaps it would have been able to destroy every copy and find the real one all in one attack.

Instead, Chimchar stopped after two rotations of Flame Wheel, unable to keep the attack going. Ash took his chance to land the finishing blow. "Go for Swift!"

The real Aipom jumped above its copies and fired off a shower of stars that Chimchar could not avoid. The Fire-type was thrown back and collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up.

Brock would have stepped in, but Paul conceded his Pokémon's defeat. Chimchar is such an embarrassment.

"Way to go Aipom!" Dawn whooped.

"Yeah, that was awesome! Your Bounce was perfect!" Ash looked over to his rival with a wide grin. "Still think Aipom isn't strong now, Paul?"

Paul returned Chimchar to its Pokéball. "I've seen nothing to make me change my mind, from either trainer or Pokémon." Ash's smile dropped instantly. "All I see is a loser celebrating too early, when all he managed to do was overcome a shameful effort from a weakling Pokémon."

Ash felt a surge of protectiveness for the Fire-type. "Hey! Chimchar battled hard for you! The very least you could do is acknowledge that!"

"Chimchar didn't do anything right," Paul corrected, to the ire of Ash and Dawn. Brock held his tongue for now, because Paul would not keep Chimchar around if not for something. He couldn't think of what that reason was, though.

There was no time to dwell on it, because Paul was sending out his second Pokémon. "Aron, stand by for battle!"

Dawn scanned the unfamiliar Pokémon with her Pokédex, as Ash made his decision to stick with Aipom. "Aron. The Iron Armor Pokémon. This Pokémon is continually building its armor by eating iron ore. When it evolves, it discards its armor for a new one. That discarded armor can be used to make iron and steel products."

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"Normally, I would disagree, leaving Aipom in against a Pokémon that's both Steel and Rock-type, but Ash knows what he's doing. Aipom has got this!" Dawn said confidently.

Brock shook his head. "Don't underestimate Paul. I'm sure he remembers that Aipom can use Focus Punch. He wouldn't have sent out Aron if he didn't have a strategy prepared."

Maybe he was planning to use Aron's Sturdy ability, paired with a move like Counter or Metal Burst? Brock himself had used that strategy a few times in gym battles. It was risky in this situation, because it would leave Paul with a severely weakened Aron, and only one healthy Pokémon to go up against two of Ash's. They'd have to wait and see what Paul decided to do.

Ash wasn't concerned about that. All he knew is that he had a prime opportunity to seize this battle by taking out Aron in one shot! "It's slow Aipom, so it shouldn't be able to interrupt you! Use Focus Punch!"

It did take several seconds for Aipom to build up the energy in its tail to use the attack, but once it was ready, it charged forward. Paul wasn't worried, though. He had a plan for this.

"Protect, then Iron Defense!"

Instead of connecting on Aron, Aipom's Focus Punch impacted a green bubble around it. Aron took the time while Aipom was bounced back to channel Iron Defense, successfully reinforcing its armor with Steel-type energy.

"They can't do that forever," Ash said with determination. "Focus Punch, again!"

Paul countered the same way. "Protect, then Iron Defense!"

This time, Aron's Protect wobbled and warped against the power of the Focus Punch. It held enough for Aron to get a second Iron Defense in.

"We're breaking through this time! Once more Focus Punch!"

But Paul was done playing defensively. "Take it, then Body Press!" Aron reared up so that the Focus Punch hit its midsection. The Steel-type shuddered with the impact, but remained standing. It then brought its full weight down on Aipom, with startling force for a Pokémon of its stature.

"Aipom!" Ash called out, but he quickly realized that his Pokémon had been cleanly knocked out. "Return. You were great out there, so take a long rest."

Dawn was astonished, and wanted some answers. "Brock, how did Aron win by landing only one attack? Aipom hadn't even taken that much damage from Chimchar!"

"Body Press is a Fighting-type move, so it's super-effective on a Normal-type," Brock explained. "What's more, its power actually increases as a Pokémon's defense increases. We thought Paul was using Iron Defense so Aron could survive a Focus Punch, but he was boosting his attack power as well. A clever strategy."

This had been going so well, but now Dawn was getting a bit nervous for Ash. "Come on Ash! You can do it!" She cupped her hands and shouted, trying to convince herself and her friend.

"Aron is still slow, and it hasn't moved from where it started the battle," Ash mused quietly aloud. "I got it! We"ll stay out of its range and pepper it from afar. No matter how high its defense is, it will eventually go down." Mind made up, he selected his second Pokémon. "You're up Turtwig!"

The Grass-type bounded onto the battlefield. "With your speed, Turtwig, you'll run circles around them!" Ash encouraged his Pokémon.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Paul said ominously.

"Well, we'll have to see," Ash retorted. "Don't stay too long in place, Turtwig! Keep on the move and keep using Razor Leaf!"

"Aron! Use Rock Polish so you can avoid those attacks!"

The Steel-type glowed again, but this time, everyone can see its body looked like it had been freshly polished and sanded, much smoother than before. When it finally did move, it accelerated quickly, leaving the Razor Leaf headed its way in the dust.

Dawn gasped, and a quick look at Brock confirmed the bad news. "Aron is faster than Turtwig now! And Ash can't switch Pokémon!"

As much as he disliked Paul, both for his attitude towards Pokémon and his constant belittling of Ash, Brock felt a begrudging respect. Not many trainers could shift from a defensive, counterattacking style like Aron used against Aipom to an offensive one where they were the aggressor so seamlessly, which Paul was clearly aiming for by improving Aron's speed.

The irritating truth was, Paul, with his unorthodox and at times cruel training style, was an incredibly talented trainer. One that was going to push Ash to the limit.

After avoiding all of Turtwig's Razor Leafs, Paul commanded it to use Iron Head. Aron turned and charged for the Grass-type, head lowered and gleaming brilliantly.

"Turtwig, use Withdraw to defend yourself!" The Grass-type ducked in its head and protected all its vulnerable parts so its shell would be taking the impact of the Iron Head. It lessened the damage to some degree, but Turtwig was still thrown back several feet.

"Don't let up!" Paul ordered. "Iron Head again!"

"Turtwig! Counter with your Bite!" Both Pokémon charged forward, Turtwig with its beak-like jaw wide open, while Aron was lowering its head like a battering ram. When the two Pokémon collided, Turtwig's bite didn't even leave a scratch on Aron's metal armor. On the other side, the force of Aron's Iron Head threw Turtwig back twice as far as it did last time, when the Grass-type was defending himself.

Turtwig almost tumbled straight into the hole created by Chimchar in the previous battle. Ash was about to warn his Pokémon when he realized that was what he needed to flip this battle on its head.

Paul figures one more attack should put Turtwig down for good. "Finish this, Aron! Iron Head!"

"Trust me and wait for it, Turtwig!" The Grass-type's instinct was to curl up again, but it held its ground and remained ready on its trainer's command. Ash gave the signal when he was sure Aron or Paul couldn't react. "Now, dodge by going into the hole!"

Turtwig dove into the hole right before it was run over. As Ash had suspected, Aron wasn't used to running this fast, and it struggled making quick turns. "Nicely done! Use Razor Leaf while we have an opening!"

The slicing leaves battered Aron from behind, and even though it had used Iron Defense twice, it was plain to everyone that it was wearing down.

"You always think you're so clever," Paul spat. "Aron, Rock Tomb." Aron launched an orb of purple energy towards Turtwig once it had managed to turn around.

"Heads up!" Turtwig ducked into the hole, dodging the attack. But what neither trainer or Pokémon anticipated was the Rock Tomb expanding into a rock formation on impact, effectively sealing off the hole."

"Oh no! Turtwig doesn't know Dig, and won't be able to get out!" Dawn said worriedly, clenching the hem of her skirt.

Brock looked towards the only open entrance. "There's only one way out now."

Paul knew it too. "Charge in there and finish Turtwig off with your Iron Head while it's trapped!"

"It's our chance too!" Ash yelled, to try and reach his underground Pokémon. "Aron won't be able to dodge, so give it the strongest Razor Leaf you got!"

Paul's Pokémon rushed inside, and all anyone heard after a long delay was a thump, crash, and a crack, as Aron's Rock Tomb was being split apart.

Several seconds later, the entire rock burst into shards, flying out every which way. Turtwig was ejected from the hole next, followed by Aron, who was forcing it into the sky with its Iron Head. The Steel-type was panting heavily, and to Brock and Dawn, looked like it was about to keel over in exhaustion.

But it was still standing, which they couldn't say about Turtwig. Ash recalled his second Pokémon. "Thank you, Turtwig. You battled really well."

His rival scoffed in disbelief upon hearing those words. "Is that what you really think? That Turtwig battled well? When are you going to stop deluding yourself into thinking that weakling Turtwig you caught is worth keeping around? Cut bait and move on already."

"Paul still doesn't understand, does he," Dawn whispered to Brock, disgust for the purple-haired trainer seeping into her tone.

"He's not going to take our word for it, either," Brock replied. Honestly, Paul's words made the fact that he continued to keep Chimchar around so surprising. What did he see in the Fire-type?

"Listen Paul," Ash began angrily. "All Pokémon have the potential to become strong and do incredible things. If you believe in them, and encourage them, and work through defeat instead of giving up on them, you would see that!"

Paul shook his head. "Forget it. I'm tired of giving you advice. Keep Turtwig. A pathetic trainer deserves an equally pathetic Pokémon." Ash's reply was cut off by his rival, recalling Aron. "I assume that Staravia evolved from the Starly you had caught when we first met? Send it out. Let me show you what I've been doing, instead of wasting my time with a Starly like you. Murkrow, stand by for battle!"

Dawn brought her Pokédex up again to scan this Pokémon. "Murkrow. The Darkness Pokémon. Murkrow was feared and loathed as the alleged bearer of ill fortune. This Pokémon shows strong interest in anything that sparkles or glitters. It will even try to steal rings from women."

She checked her hands after hearing the blurb on Murkrow on reflex. "It's annoying that Paul switched out his Aron. It was on its last legs. Staravia would have picked it off easily."

"True, but Aron's condition won't improve any," Brock assured her. "If Staravia can beat Murkrow, then he'll be the victor.

An unpleasant thought came to Dawn. "But if Staravia and Murkrow tie like last time, then Paul will win because he still technically has Aron, right?"

"Correct. Everything is riding on this one battle." Both spectators turned their eyes to the sky, where both Pokémon were eagerly waiting for the start of the battle.

Both trainers called for the same move. "Wing Attack!"

Watching the two Flying-types clash was like watching an epic duel between two master swordsmen. In this case the blades were the Pokémon's own bodies and the sparks that would have been flying between the metal was the energy coming off them each time they clashed.

Neither Pokémon was backing down.

They made sure they were at full speed when they slammed into each other, and then looped around again to repeat the process.

Everyone could clearly see where the two black birds with glowing wings struck each other, captivatingly but violently. What was difficult to ascertain from the ground was if either Pokémon was winning.

It looked to Ash that Murkrow could match Staravia's power. But could it match their speed? "Staravia!" He shouted upwards, and his Pokémon immediately broke off the aerial battle to listen to Ash's command. "Use Quick Attack!"

This time, when Staravia went in to meet Murkrow, it was covered in the white energy of Quick Attack, and was moving twice as fast as the other Pokémon.

Recognizing this, Paul also adapted his strategy. "Stop and use Haze!"

Murkrow canceled its attack and breathed out a black fog that obscured Staravia's view of the other Pokémon.

"Use Gust to blow that smoke away!" Ash called. Staravia also canceled its attack, and summoned a powerful current of wind that quickly dissipated the smoke. But a different aerial battle was about to take place.

"Murkrow, Dark Pulse!"

Ash barely caught sight of the enemy Pokémon as the fog was cleared away, charging up its next attack. A spiraling beam of energy was launched straight at his Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" Staravia barely avoided the first one and flew away, but Murkrow was right behind it. Chasing the other Fire-type with and not letting it have a moment of respite with repeated Dark Pulse attacks.

Back on the ground, it wasn't looking good to Dawn. "Is it just me, or does Murkrow have Staravia on the run?"

"Murkrow having Dark Pulse is really difficult for Ash and Staravia, since they don't really have a move to match and defend. Staravia has to get in close, while Murkrow can use Dark Pulse to try and fish for an opening," Brock commented, watching Staravia twist and turn to try and evade the constant stream of attacks.

Right on cue, a Dark Pulse finally clipped Staravia's back, sending Ash's Pokémon into a tailspin. Staravia spiraled towards the ground, and Ash screamed out for his Pokémon before it crash landed.

"Open your eyes Staravia! You have to use Gust to keep yourself up!" His voice jarred open Staravia's eyes, and the Flying-type flapped its wings desperately and barely kept itself airborne by creating a ball of wind between the ground and itself.

While that was happening Paul had caught his Pokémon's eye. "Get it ready," he told Murkrow, and Paul's Pokémon, instead of chasing after Staravia, drifted upwards and started flying in circles, safely out of reprisal range. With each loop, the glowing white energy surrounding Murkrow seemed to get larger and brighter.

Brock had mostly stayed out of this battle, but he couldn't resist giving Ash a tip in this instance, lest they be totally caught unaware of Paul's strategy. "Ash, look up. Murkrow's preparing an attack."

The Kanto native took Brock's advice and glanced up just in time to see Murkrow finish circling, and start a divebomb. "Whoa, that's some attack," he said to himself, but Ash wasn't backing down. "We've got powerful attacks too though, right Staravia? It's time to show 'em your Aerial Ace!"

Paul could have laughed. Ash was so predictable, matching force for force. "This is why I will always be better than you. While you waste your time trying to make a weak Pokémon serviceable, I pick Pokémon that can actually achieve greatness!" Paul lifted his arms in an imitation of his Pokémon which was screaming downwards while Staravia was soaring upwards to meet it. "Now, it's time to show you the most powerful Flying-type attack there is, that my Murkrow is already capable of using: Sky Attack!"

At this point, there was no backing down from the inevitable collision. Both Pokémon had put their all into this attack, both in terms of speed and power, and calling for a cancellation would mean that the Pokémon that backed off would get the full brunt of their opponents attack. The only thing to do was to see who came out on top.

The two Flying-types collided head-on, resulting in a massive explosion of energy. Paul smirked and Ash ran out to catch his Pokémon as Staravia fell back to earth, knocked unconscious by Murkrow's Sky Attack. He was able to catch Staravia and stop it from crashing to the ground, but Ash was forced to his knees.

Paul thought it was a fitting way to end the battle, with Ash looking up at the stronger trainer. He recalled Murkrow, and waved Brock off, who was fishing through their bag for his prize money with a sour look on his face. "Keep the money. Beating you and putting you in your place is reward enough. Even though it wasn't much of a match." He turned around and started to walk off, though he had one last parting shot. "Next time, I might not even bother accepting a challenge. Unless you finally capture some different Pokémon."

Ash trembled in rage as his rival walked away dismissively, but Dawn quickly got in the way so he couldn't see Paul's back. "Don't listen to him, Ash. You and your Pokémon are training the right way. I know one day, you'll be the one celebrating."

"She's right, Ash. Don't let Paul get to you. He isn't worth it.," Brock added, laying one hand on his old friend's shoulder.

He knew it was good advice, but Ash could still hear Paul's taunts ringing inside his head. "I still want to beat Paul more than anything," Ash admitted. "Winning against him is the only way my Pokémon and I are going to get the respect we deserve. So that's what I'm going to do. No matter how long it takes, I won't stop working until we defeat him!"