When it came to opportunities, they mainly revolved around Pokémon and items.
For Pokémon, Hisuian forms certainly had their own unique advantages. However, for Paul, who prioritized raw talent and potential, they didn't seem all that useful.
Still, if he happened to come across some, he could catch a few and hand them over to Reggie for training. It would be a good way to help his brother refine his skills as a Pokémon breeder.
But that raised a question—
If he was in a completely different world, would his Poké Balls still work?
That was something he'd have to experiment with later.
As for items, the Peat Block was something Paul had been after for a long time.
With a Peat Block, he could evolve his Ursaring into an Ursaluna—the only one of its kind in the Sinnoh region.
Its strength would increase dramatically, and the Evolutionary Stones he had yet to use could officially be retired.
Other than that, there was one more thing he had to try—
Would evolving Dewott in Hisui allow it to become a Hisuian Samurott?
Back in the game, the evolution requirement for Hisuian Samurott was simply "evolving in Hisui."
This meant that even in the Hisuian era, if a Hisuian Dewott were taken to another region, it would only evolve into a normal Samurott.
In theory, a Pokémon's worth wasn't determined by its form alone—just differences in appearance.
But for Paul, Hisuian Samurott was undoubtedly the superior evolution.
However, evolving it within less than 15 hours would be tricky. He'd have to talk to Dewott and push for a forced evolution, hoping it would work.
After all, Dewott had already matured enough—it wouldn't end up like Ash's Charizard in the anime, struggling due to inexperience.
Aside from that, Paul couldn't think of any other rare or worthwhile opportunities to pursue.
A Battle in the Distance...
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
As Paul pondered, a series of thunderous explosions suddenly echoed from afar, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Turning his gaze toward the source, he spotted a battlefield littered with towering stone pillars, a large tree standing at the edge.
In the midst of it all, a girl clad in traditional Hisuian attire was locked in battle against a glowing golden Alpha Electrode.
The sheer pressure radiating from Electrode was terrifying—
It was even more fearsome than Flint's Infernape.
Countless electrical orbs and lightning strikes rained down toward the girl. And yet, the Hisuian girl remained composed and resolute.
She dodged gracefully, rolling out of harm's way while hurling strange sachets at Electrode.
Over and over again, she threw the balms, each toss making Electrode's fury intensify.
At times, she would even send out a Pokémon to land a decisive blow, dazing Electrode just long enough to continue her barrage of soothing balms.
Once it recovered, the battle resumed—a relentless cycle of skillful dodging, well-timed attacks, and expert use of the balms.
"Is this what they call the 'Ultimate Hisuian Trainer'?"
Even Paul, a top-tier competitor from Veilstone City, found himself utterly dumbfounded.
To be able to evade attacks from a near-Champion-level Pokémon so effortlessly…
Even he wasn't sure he could pull that off.
As Paul watched in shock, the girl's balance faltered for the first time.
She stumbled, and in that instant—
A thunderous energy ball slammed into her, sending her flying dozens of feet through the air.
Paul instinctively considered jumping in to help.
But before he could move, he saw her twist midair, smoothly rolling upon landing.
She brushed off the dirt, barely fazed and immediately resumed the fight—as if getting blasted was just part of the routine.
Paul felt a tremble run down his spine.
"Is this even humanly possible?"
His face remained unreadable, but internally he was completely shaken.
...
Time has passed.
For over half an hour, the girl persisted—until at last, her final balm struck the Alpha Electrode dead center.
The golden glow surrounding Electrode gradually faded, its wild rage has receded.
Once its mind cleared, the now-calm Electrode let out a small chirp, acknowledging the girl's strength.
Then, out of nowhere, it produced a golden tablet, offering it to her before rolling away.
Shortly after, two men in blue Hisuian uniforms approached the girl, engaging in a brief exchange before departing.
Paul hesitated.
"Should I go introduce myself…?"
He recalled something about this Hisuian girl—she looked remarkably similar to Dawn.
And if he remembered correctly, she was also a traveler from another world.
Unlike him, however, she was personally summoned by Arceus—not an accidental trespasser like himself.
Among all the canonical protagonists across games, manga, and other media—
this so-called Ultimate Hisuian Trainer was—without a doubt, one of the strongest.
Most protagonists at best, defeated Arceus with their Pokémon.
But she?
She fought Arceus head-on—and physically beaten it with soothing balms until it acknowledged her strength.
As Paul hesitated, Akari didn't.
She noticed something strange on her Arc Phone—a mysterious signal appearing out of nowhere.
Turning her head, she spotted Paul from miles away.
A wide grin spread across her face.
"A fellow traveler!"
"Braviary, take me over there!"
Without hesitation, Akari summoned her Hisuian Braviary, leapt onto its back and soared toward Paul.
"Hey there!"
She waved enthusiastically from the sky, her voice carrying across the distance.
Within moments, she arrived, recalling Braviary mid-flight and dropping down from over ten meters, landing effortlessly in front of Paul.
"Hi hi hi~!" She beamed.
"I'm Akari, a fellow traveler!"
"I currently live in Jubilife Village as a member of the Galaxy Expedition Team, working on the very first Pokédex!"
Akari circled around Paul excitedly before taking out her Arc Phone, confirming that he was indeed, another Arceus-chosen traveler.
Her smile widened.
"I never thought I'd meet another modern-day person after all this time! This is amazing!"
Paul nodded, offering a brief introduction.
"I'm Paul, from Veilstone City in Sinnoh. I just arrived in this world, and I was in the middle of training before the Lily of the Valley Conference."
"So this is what it feels like to meet someone from home while stranded in a foreign land..."
Akari's eyes lit up.
"No way! I'm from Sinnoh too! My hometown's Jubilife City!"
Her excitement faded slightly.
"Too bad… When the great Sinnoh deity, Arceus summoned me, I hadn't even received my first Pokémon yet. All I had with me were my clothes and my phone. If only I had brought a Pokédex..."
She sighed.
"If I had a modern-day Pokédex, compiling this world's first Pokédex would be so much easier…"
Paul thought for a moment, then handed her a black Pokédex.
"I have a Pokédex with me. You can borrow it for reference. But, by the way, do you know where I can find a Peat Block?"
Paul took out a black Pokédex and handed it over while asking.
"A Peat Block? What do you need that for? Starting a fire for cooking, or evolving your Ursaring?"
Akari took the Pokédex, opened it carefully and looked at it, while jotting down notes as she spoke.
"For evolution."
"Oh, I see. Back in my time, Peat Blocks were pretty common. You don't have any?"
"Different worlds. The Sinnoh I'm in, Peat Blocks are so rare that even historical records barely mention them. Since I got this chance to travel here, I wanted to dig one up and evolve my Ursaring."
Since he was asking for help, Paul explained patiently, hoping to get reliable information.
"So, you and I aren't from the same world... If you only need one, then there's no need to go searching—I've got one right here! Consider it a gift!"
Akari let out a sigh mid-writing, then casually pulled a Peat Block from her pouch and tossed it to Paul.
"Thanks!"
Paul checked the item carefully before storing it securely in his backpack.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access advance chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23