Infernape had a solid plan, but Paul had no intention of letting his Ursaring be a mere punching bag.
"Belly Drum, Guts!"
Right from the start, Paul commanded Ursaring to use Belly Drum, a move it had only recently mastered.
Ursaring took a deep breath, striking its belly with force. A crimson glow erupted from its body as it winced in pain.
By sacrificing half of its HP, Belly Drum maximized Ursaring's Attack, pushing its strength beyond even Infernape's.
But that wasn't all. As soon as Belly Drum took effect, flames flared up around Ursaring's body, triggering its Guts ability.
Guts, boosting Attack by another 50%!
At this moment, in terms of raw power alone, Infernape was no match for Ursaring!
And even that wasn't the full extent—Ursaring's Life Orb hanging around its neck, would further amplify the power of its moves by 30%!
Effectively, its next attack would hit with 480% of its normal strength!
"Earthquake!"
With its setup complete, Ursaring immediately followed up with Earthquake, sending a terrifying shockwave surging toward Infernape.
"Whoaaa!"
Infernape knew it couldn't withstand such an Earthquake head-on. It leaped high into the air to evade the damage, while unleashing a powerful Flamethrower toward Ursaring.
"Flare Blitz!"
As the flames erupted, Infernape adjusted its posture mid-air. Fire engulfed its entire body as it dove toward Ursaring with Flare Blitz, merging its flames with Flamethrower for a devastating combined assault.
"Counter with Endure!"
Seeing Infernape opt for a head-on clash, Ursaring didn't hesitate for even a second. It abandoned its Earthquake and activated Endure, bracing itself as it charged toward Infernape to take the attack head-on.
BOOM!
The two Pokémon collided mid-air, and a massive explosion of energy erupted across the battlefield.
No one could say for certain—between Infernape, burning with stacked attacks and Ursaring, having maxed out its strength through Guts and Endure—who would come out on top.
"Whoaa!"
"Ursaa!"
Their roars echoed through the smoke as the two Pokémon crashed back down toward the battlefield.
Infernape, despite sustaining severe injuries, still possessed the combat instincts to land a follow-up Mach Punch at incredible speed.
Ursaring, not known for its agility was caught off guard. Having barely held its ground after the last impact, it suddenly found itself under attack again, forced into a defensive stance.
Within moments, its stamina hit critical levels.
However, driven by its unyielding will, Ursaring endured and prepared a counterattack.
"Earthquake!"
"Close Combat!"
At the very instant they landed, both trainers gave their final commands.
As soon as Ursaring touched the ground, it used the momentum of its landing to unleash the most powerful Earthquake possible.
Meanwhile, Infernape's fists ignited with fighting spirit as it delivered a last desperate Close Combat straight into Ursaring's midsection.
BAM!
A crushing impact rang out. Ursaring's body froze for a moment before it was sent flying.
CRASH!
The massive bear tumbled across the battlefield, finally slamming into the stadium wall, leaving a deep crater in the reinforced structure.
"Ur... sa..."
Pressing its claws against the wall, Ursaring struggled to stand. It glanced at Infernape who remained motionless on the battlefield, before finally collapsing onto the ground.
Ursaring is unable to battle!
However, instead of celebrating, Elite Four Flint's expression grew solemn as he stared at the unmoving Infernape.
His Infernape wasn't the type to remain still after a victory.
"Whoaa...."
A moment later, Infernape slowly turned its head toward Flint, its gaze unfocused. Letting out a weak cry, it too, fell to the ground.
Infernape is unable to battle!
Flint: "A draw..."
Volkner: "It's actually a draw..."
Infernape had already taken considerable damage from its earlier battles against Garchomp and Electivire.
Against Ursaring, which had maxed out its raw power through Belly Drum, Guts, and Life Orb, it was at a clear disadvantage in brute force.
Endure allowed Ursaring to survive the Flare Blitz collision, and Earthquake—an attack with a natural type advantage—was enough to take out Infernape's remaining HP.
Since Paul's last Pokémon had fainted, while Flint still had two left, Paul lost the match.
Yet, despite his loss, Paul showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips.
Flint, the victorious, found himself standing there in disbelief, his face was more troubled than triumphant.
After all, his Infernape—his ace Pokémon, one that could even go toe-to-toe with Cynthia's Garchomp—had just been taken down by an unknown young challenger.
It was an embarrassing defeat, to say the least.
If Flint could smile at a moment like this, he'd be crazy.
"Return, Infernape. You did well."
Flint let out a deep breath, steadying his emotions as he recalled his Pokémon.
Perhaps he had underestimated his opponent, but that didn't change the fact that Infernape had been defeated.
"Not bad. Return."
Paul smirked slightly as he recalled his Ursaring.
Defeating an Elite Four ace with three Pokémon—especially an ace stronger than even Raichu—was an achievement to be proud of.
Besides, his Pokémon had started the battle from scratch, building up their power throughout the fight. Given those conditions, this was more than satisfactory.
"You're quite the talented young man, Paul."
Flint walked toward him, hands in his pockets, and his tone was filled with admiration.
"At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if I see you competing in the Champion League or the Elite Four Challenge in the next couple of years."
The Champion League was an exclusive competition where only winners of major tournaments—such as Pokémon League Champions—could participate.
Even the weakest trainers in the Champion League were at least Gym Leader-level, with no upper limit.
Meanwhile, the Elite Four Challenge was a direct battle against the Elite Four, where a trainer could potentially replace a current member.
However, one couldn't simply defeat an Elite Four member to take their spot. The challenger had to prove their expertise in a specific type and defeat at least two Elite Four members of that type before they could qualify for a position.
"Thanks for the battle."
Paul gave a small nod, neither agreeing nor denying Flint's prediction. With that, he turned and walked away.
Champion League, Elite Four Challenge—he wasn't particularly interested in either.
In an era filled with genius, rising stars, and world-class trainers, he knew that some would achieve Champion-level strength without ever needing to enter these competitions.
Just look at Red. He hadn't been in the scene for long, yet he was already Champion-tier. By the time he finished his journey and returned to Kanto, he would likely claim the Champion title outright.
For Paul, these traditional tournaments weren't the ultimate goal. He might consider them if the timing was right, but if not, he'd simply focus on bigger challenges.
Like...
The World Coronation Series—reaching the Masters Eight.
Even if he couldn't make the Masters Eight right away, he could at least aim for Ultra Ball or Great Ball Tier this season.
And beyond that, something even more exciting...
The Battle Frontier.
"Red, Tobias, and now Paul... These young trainers just keep getting stronger." Volkner muttered.
Flint nodded grimly.
If they weren't careful, the next batch of Elite Four candidates might just knock him off his throne.
Better start training.
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