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Reiji, Paul's older brother, is an excellent breeder who runs a Pokémon Day Care in Veilstone City.
However, in the past, he was actually an outstanding Trainer.
This was evident from the badges of various regions that Ash and Brock saw in the living room.
The Pokémon Day Care Reiji ran wasn't far; after walking for a short while, Ash and Brock had already reached their destination.
Upon entering the hall, they clearly saw badges from various regions.
These included the eight badges from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.
On the path of a Trainer, this was already enough to be considered excellent.
It even included six badges from the Battle Frontier.
Aside from the Brave Symbol from the Battle Pyramid, they were almost identical to the badges Ash possessed.
Brock looked at the badges with silent admiration, and at the same time, he asked his question, "Are all these Paul's badges?"
"No, they're mine~"
Reiji responded with a smile, then looked at the Chimchar he had asked Ash to release, his eyes filled with appreciation.
"This is the Chimchar that Paul abandoned. It looks like it's living very happily!"
"Chim~"
Hearing this, Chimchar nodded in agreement.
Although training was still tough after joining Ash's team, it no longer had to endure Paul's ruthless training.
Moreover, Pikachu accompanied it every day for practice, so it never felt boring, and it could clearly feel itself getting stronger every day.
Especially the new moves Ash taught it, which were more than all the moves it knew before.
"You're too kind~"
Ash patted Chimchar's head, smiling as he looked at the Chimchar in front of him.
"I wonder if Ash would be willing to have a 3-on-3 battle with me, so I can witness the strength of the person who has defeated Paul multiple times~"
...
Reiji's sudden challenge felt a bit abrupt to Brock.
"Of course, Mr. Reiji!"
Facing an experience package delivered right to his doorstep, there was no reason for Ash not to accept, and he immediately agreed wholeheartedly.
So, after a brief tour of Reiji's Pokémon Day Care, they followed him to the open space outside the house, ready for a Trainer battle.
During this time, many Pokémon gathered to watch.
Among them was an Electabuzz with a mischievous grin, its eyes full of fighting spirit as it looked at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"Pika?"
Electabuzz's intense gaze naturally caught Pikachu's attention.
It turned its head in confusion, finding a bipedal golden cat-like Pokémon staring intently at itself.
"Pika~"
Through its keen sense of smell, Pikachu successfully identified it as Paul's Electabuzz.
But it didn't pay too much attention, focusing its gaze on the battle that was about to begin.
"Gligar, come on out!" Ash then sent out the Gligar he had recently caught, "Watch closely, remember to observe Chimchar and their battle attitude~"
Ash had no intention of having Gligar participate.
After all, this Pokémon had issues such as being timid and prone to Charm, so he didn't plan to let it battle until they had properly bonded.
Instead, he intended to let Gligar observe the battle first, to prepare it mentally for future training.
"Gligar~"
Meeting a human who provided plenty of food, Gligar happily nodded, agreeing to Ash's request like a good child, even sticking out its tongue and winking to act cute.
Meanwhile, Dawn and Lucario had just returned with the runaway Maylene.
"Yay~ Another battle!"
Seeing Ash and Reiji standing on opposite sides of the open space, and Brock standing in the center as the referee, the clever Dawn immediately realized there was a good show to watch.
She pulled Maylene to sit on the steps in front of the house, "Maylene, there's a good show to watch! Ash is even stronger than Paul!"
To pique Maylene's interest, Dawn deliberately brought up Paul's name.
"Really? Then I'll have to watch closely!"
Dawn's tactic was immediately effective, making Maylene focus intently on the match.
"Go, Bibarel~"
"Go, Chimchar~"
Both simultaneously sent out their Pokémon; Ash's was the Fire-type Chimchar, while Reiji happened to send out the Water-type Bibarel.
"Chimchar, huh? That works too!" Reiji was surprised, but then a hint of interest arose in him, "Bibarel, Secret Power~"
"Bibarel~"
Under Bibarel's control, green glowing particles appeared around Chimchar, attempting to envelop it.
"Chimchar, Dig~"
Secret Power produces different effects depending on the terrain; on grass, it can cause sleep or poison.
"Chim~"
Feeling its eyelids growing heavy, Chimchar quickly perked up, and before the green light reached it, it used its hands to Dig a hole and burrowed into it.
"Stay alert~" Reiji observed cautiously.
Bibarel did the same, vigilantly looking around.
"Chim~"
In a flash, Chimchar emerged from Bibarel's left side and immediately delivered an uppercut.
However, the prepared Bibarel leaped up and clasped its hands together to block Chimchar's punch.
"Bibarel, Hydro Pump~"
As Bibarel landed, a thick stream of water instantly shot out.
"Flamethrower~"
Chimchar also promptly used Flamethrower, spewing a thick pillar of fire that collided with the opponent's attack.
To Reiji and Maylene's astonished eyes, the water jet, which should have easily extinguished the flames, turned into steam and continuously evaporated under the intense heat.
"What incredible flames~"
Chimchar's Flamethrower was able to match Bibarel's Hydro Pump, leaving Reiji no choice but to exclaim.
Pika~
Hearing Reiji's praise, the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder immediately sat up, patting its chest with its small yellow paw, indicating its contribution.
However, Pikachu's particularly cute moment went unnoticed, as the battle was still ongoing.
"Bibarel, Anger Tooth!"
Taking advantage of the dense steam, Bibarel, with a pair of large incisors gleaming, rushed into the Mist, launching a stealthy attack.
"Step back, Power-Up Punch~"
Just as Bibarel's massive incisors were about to hit Chimchar, Chimchar instinctively followed Ash's command, miraculously dodging Anger Tooth.
At the same time, it unleashed Power-Up Punch in an uppercut stance, sending Bibarel flying with a single blow.
"Brick Break~"
That wasn't all; Chimchar then lunged forward to follow up with a Brick Break, striking Bibarel like a heavy blow.
This sent the opponent flying backward again, rolling a few times before falling to the ground, its eyes showing the typical swirl pattern.
"Amazing prediction~" Maylene's expression was solemn; no wonder Dawn praised him so highly, his strength was indeed impressive.
"Incredible~ No wonder he can beat Paul!"
Reiji exclaimed with delight, then recalled Bibarel and sent out a completely purple Pokémon, Swalot!