Should Ash accept Damian's proposal?
Ash was extremely conflicted at this moment. His logic told him that this might be a trap. After all, a person like Damian definitely had a lot of schemes in mind.
But emotionally, he was tempted.
If Damian helped him, there might be a way to help Lucario resolve its obsession.
And...
Ash looked at Platinum and Paul standing opposite him. According to what Damian said, these two people from Sinnoh were rookie Trainers just like him.
That meant they had all started their journeys this year.
In that case, even if they were genius Trainers, there was no reason he would lose to them, right?
Ash felt that he should be able to win. This was his confidence. But the problem was—what if he didn't?
The atmosphere fell into a long silence.
"So? Have you finished thinking about it?"
After waiting for a few minutes, Damian asked Ash with a smile.
Ash bit his lip, still hesitating.
"Damian, if Ash loses, what do you want him to do for you?" Brock asked Damian in a heavy voice.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I can also promise you that it will absolutely not go against your principles, Ash. If it does, you can refuse. How does that sound?"
Damian spoke in a very persuasive tone.
"Or is it that you don't have confidence in yourself, Ash? Is the genius Trainer from Kanto afraid to battle Trainers of the same age from Sinnoh?"
"Damn it! That's not it at all!"
Ash immediately got angry when he heard that. What was he saying?!
He was the great Ash from Pallet Town. How could he be afraid of people his own age from other regions?
"Fine! I definitely won't lose!"
He took the bait...
The corners of Damian's mouth curled up slightly. Ash was truly Ash. He couldn't help himself after a little bit of prodding.
At the end of the day, although his talent was excellent, this was Ash in his first year of traveling. He was nowhere near as mature as he would be later.
"Ash?"
Brock's expression changed slightly. He was being too impulsive.
"It's okay. I can't lose to them!"
Ash spoke with absolute certainty. His eyes stared at Platinum and Paul.
He would not lose to outsiders!
Brock felt helpless. This was clearly a provocation from Damian. Platinum and Paul had been personally brought by Damian to stay by his side.
They were undoubtedly Trainers Damian valued. Brock knew very well that this would be a tough fight.
"You really have a lot of confidence. You're starting to look a bit like Red," Damian praised Ash while clapping his hands.
"Then, go ahead and pick one. Platinum or Paul—which one do you want to battle?"
Damian waited patiently for Ash to make his choice.
Paul remained expressionless. He glanced at Ash. For some reason, he found this emotional Trainer annoying.
Platinum blinked. Hmm...
Why does this feel so familiar?
Platinum looked at Ash with a bit of sympathy. She felt like she had been pulled into Team Rocket by Damian at the Rowan Research Lab in a similar way.
However, sympathy was one thing, but if Ash chose to battle her, Platinum would not go easy on him. She would definitely give it her all.
First, Damian was watching.
Second, Platinum felt that Team Rocket was actually quite good. Damian also valued them and spared no effort in training them.
Besides, no one knew what Damian would actually make Ash do yet, right?
"Which one should I choose?"
Ash wrinkled his face. His gaze moved back and forth between Platinum and Paul.
"Platinum looks like she'd be easier to talk to," Misty whispered to Ash.
Platinum gave people a gentle first impression.
On the other hand, Paul's face was serious. He gave off the feeling that he was hard to get along with.
"You can't judge a battle by first impressions. Both of them should be strong. Ash, just follow your instincts."
Brock shook his head and rejected Misty's suggestion.
"What does a Trainer's strength have to do with their vibe?"
Speaking of which, wasn't Caitlin standing next to Damian also? But she was a monster.
Brock had a reason to suspect that Platinum might be stronger than Paul.
"Then I'll choose Paul. For some reason, looking at him makes me feel annoyed."
Upon hearing this, Ash's gaze locked onto Paul. His eyes met Paul's.
Ash stared at Paul without any fear. Paul narrowed his eyes slightly.
Brock: "..."
Misty: "..."
He feels annoyed looking at him? What kind of reason is that?
However, Ash's intuition was usually accurate. Since this was his own battle, they would let him choose.
"I choose Paul!"
Ash pointed at Paul and spoke to Damian.
"It seems you are being underestimated, Paul," Damian said with a faint smile.
How should he put it? This was expected.
Whether it was Platinum or Paul, both had history with Ash in other stories.
And Damian was looking forward to this battle.
"I will give him a proper lesson," Paul said calmly. He slowly stepped out onto a nearby empty space.
"Hmph! What an arrogant guy! We'll see who teaches who!"
Ash naturally heard that sentence and refused to back down.
"Pfft~"
Looking at the two of them facing off, Platinum felt a strange sense of comedy.
There was no need to look for a special battleground. The open space right here was the perfect field.
Ash and Paul stood at opposite ends.
"In that case, I will act as the referee for this battle. Is that okay?"
Platinum volunteered and walked to the side of the field.
This left Brock, who was just about to step up as the referee, standing there awkwardly.
"I have no objection," Ash said.
"I'll leave it to you," Paul said.
"Okay then. The battle between Ash and Paul will now begin."
Platinum raised her arm and announced.
"The rules of the battle are..."
At this point, Platinum looked toward Ash.
"Let's do a Full Battle! I'm going to make Paul admit total defeat!" Ash took out a Poké Ball.
A Full Battle was a 6-on-6 battle.
Paul kept one hand in his pocket and had no objections.
"The rules are a Full 6-on-6 Battle. Both sides may switch Pokémon during the battle. When all six Pokémon of one side are unable to battle, the other side wins."
"Battle start!"
Platinum announced the rules and then stepped back from the battlefield, leaving the two opponents in the center.
"I feel like Platinum has become a lot more cheerful lately," Caitlin suddenly spoke up.
She still remembered that when Platinum first joined Team Rocket, her mood was usually low. Her personality was also shy and reserved.
"That is a good thing. With the education she received at home, her own personality was kept under tight control," Damian said with a light laugh.
"Mm. Do you think Paul can defeat Ash?" Caitlin glanced at Ash.
She also had an impression of this boy.
"Who knows?"
Damian did not give a direct answer.
On the field.
Ash and Paul stared at each other. For two Trainers who were meeting for the first time, the order of sending out Pokémon was important.
However, Paul didn't care about that. He took out a Poké Ball. The ball enlarged in his hand, but he was in no hurry to throw it.
"I don't like you."
Suddenly, Paul spoke very bluntly.
"Huh?"
Ash thought he had misheard. After he realized what was said, he let out a huff of dissatisfaction.
What is he talking about?
"I don't like you. There are certain things about you that I hate."
Paul's tone was still calm, but it was exactly that calmness that made Ash's temper flare up instantly.
Hate was hate. Paul had always been someone who said exactly what was on his mind.
He now roughly understood why he had a natural dislike for Ash. It was because Ash had certain traits that reminded him of someone he couldn't stand.
"What kind of nonsense are you saying? It's not like I enjoy looking at you either. Who are you showing that sour face to?"
Ash was extremely annoyed.
This guy who always had a grumpy face actually had the nerve to say he hated him?
"I don't know what Mr. Damian sees in you, but..."
Paul flicked his wrist and threw his first Poké Ball.
"Drapion! Prepare for battle!"
"Long—!"
A massive scorpion-like Pokémon landed heavily in front of Paul. It waved its claws and growled at Ash.
It was Drapion, a Poison- and Dark-type Pokémon.
"A Drapion, huh? Its aura is strong. Also, this Pokémon is difficult for Ash to deal with."
Brock's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Drapion.
"Its type combination means it is only weak to Ground-type moves. And Ash doesn't have any Ground-type Pokémon with him."
Brock was worried.
"It's okay. Trust Ash. He won't lose to a Trainer from another region," Misty said softly.
At this point, all they could do was have faith.
"A Drapion?"
Ash studied the large, fierce Drapion. This was a Pokémon from Sinnoh. It was his first time facing one.
As someone who loved Pokémon, Ash felt a bit of excitement.
However, Paul's voice came from across the field again.
"You're actually lucky that you didn't choose Platinum."
Paul's steady, calm eyes watched Ash. His face seemed like it would never show any change in emotion.
"But the result is the same. You can't possibly win against me."
Damn it!!
Ash grit his teeth. How could this guy be so frustrating?
"You! Keep your eyes wide open and watch! I'm going to show you how I beat you!"
Ash threw his first Poké Ball.
"Dragonite! I choose you!"
With a flash of white light, a Dragonite flapped its wings and landed in front of Ash.
Paul was an outsider from Sinnoh, and an annoying one.
Ash was going to win.
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