Chapter 246: Journey Goals – The New Masters Eight

"What? Gary left? And Paul's gone too?!"

A few days later, Ash Ketchum arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory, just as he was about to depart from Pallet Town to deliver some research materials. That was when he heard the news.

"Yeah." Professor Oak nodded. "Gary said he still feels too inexperienced. He wants to travel around with Pokémon, train along the way, and figure out his own path."

"Paul also has his own schedule to follow, so he left as well."

Professor Oak chuckled as he continued, "I had a long discussion with Paul over the past couple of days. His training methods were quite the eye-opener, even for an old man like me."

"He could definitely become a trainer as powerful as Red, Blue, and others someday."

Ash's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Training methods? Are they really that special? Enough to impress even you, Professor?"

"Yes. He shared his original self-created growth training method and a concept he calls Bloodline Reawakening Mode."

"The former is quite complete and doesn't leave much room for critique. But the latter is still unstable, with a lot of uncertain variables—more reliant on luck than I'd prefer."

Professor Oak smiled again.

"I gave him quite a few suggestions, though. If he refines it, it could become far more stable and effective."

Ash, ever eager to learn new training techniques, cheered up.

"Is that something that needs to be kept secret? Or… could you tell me more about it?"

Despite his enthusiasm, Ash respected boundaries. If it was confidential, he wouldn't pry—that much he made clear.

"Paul doesn't mind others knowing about his methods." Professor Oak said frankly. "He believes that true strength always rises to the top. Even without these techniques, strong trainers will still find ways to grow."

"He said he'd rather share what he'd learned than keep it to himself. I plan to write a research paper on the foundational aspects of his methods and publish it under his name. Once it's ready, I'll send you a copy."

"Honestly, with his discipline and attitude, it's not an exaggeration to call him a true Trainer in every sense of the word."

Many trainers develop their own unique training systems—but most choose to keep them secret. Paul, however, had no such reservations. He made his stance clear with a simple wave of the hand:

"Keep it secret? No need."

He spoke with quiet confidence and unwavering resolve:

"The strong will always become stronger. Even without these methods, powerful trainers will still find ways to become powerful."

"If someone uses my methods to train Pokémon stronger than mine, and they crush me in battle—then I'll just train even harder to surpass them."

"My goal is to become the strongest Trainer!"

"And the strongest Trainer isn't made by relying on some powerful technique alone."

"True strength lies in the bond between the Trainer and their Pokémon—not just in the method."

"I will become the strongest Trainer…"

"The strongest… in the entire world!"

The strength in his voice—its clarity and determination—was something Professor Oak could still vividly recall, even now.

Ash clenched his fist with renewed resolve.

"All right! Then I'll make sure to study it carefully once I get it. I want to see just how amazing Paul really is!"

"Pika!"

Ash and Pikachu both clenched their fists, their spirits high and burning with determination.

...

Meanwhile, On the other side of Kanto, Paul had already left Professor Oak's Laboratory and was now riding his Garchomp to the Pokémon Center in Pewter City.

True to his usual style of careful planning before action, Paul had already decided on his next objectives after parting ways with the lab.

First, he would challenge the Battle Frontier.

Second, he aimed to seek out the mysterious Cameran Palace in Rota Town—the place said to be connected to the legendary Hero of Aura.

Starting with the Battle Frontier: the closest facility to Paul at the moment was the Battle Factory, located not far from Mt. Moon.

As long as he could defeat Factory Head Thorton, he would earn the Knowledge Symbol, a mark of strategic excellence.

In the anime, Ash once commanded his Charizard in a legendary battle against a friend's Articuno—a showdown that was seen by many as the beginning of his rise to greatness. That battle ended with Ash earning his first Frontier Symbol.

Though in Paul's eyes today, that Articuno was a poor excuse for a Legendary Pokémon—unable to use Mind's Eye or Sheer Cold, and even losing in long-range clashes against Charizard—it was still worth exploring the challenge.

After all, the Battle Frontier, especially the Kanto one, held a very special meaning for Paul.

Especially the Battle Pyramid… and the man who presides over it.

As for his second goal—seeking Cameran Palace—Paul's true aim wasn't so much the castle itself, but a far more elusive location nearby, one that appeared in the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew:

The Tree of Beginning.

One of the most mysterious and extraordinary places in the entire Pokémon world, the Tree of Beginning was said to be infused with powerful space-time energy.

If Rotom could gather enough energy through the Arc Phone, they might even be able to explore alternate worlds.

As for whether the Tree of Beginning truly existed, Paul had once asked Ash about it and gotten some insight.

Though many elements were different from how they appeared in the movie—some subtly, others drastically—one fact remained:

The Tree was real.

Now, Paul sat in the Pewter City Pokémon Center, resting and watching the Masters Eight Tournament broadcast alongside other Trainers.

After a year of ranked battles, the World Coronation Series had crowned a new Masters Eight lineup. The final rankings, from eighth to first, were as follows:

8th Place: Lance

7th Place: Blue

6th Place: Iris

5th Place: Red

4th Place: Diantha

3rd Place: Steven

2nd Place: Cynthia

1st Place: Leon

…

Originally, Lance ranked as high as second in the world. However, following the Kanto Champions Exhibition Tournament, he suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of rising stars Blue and Red, causing his ranking to plummet all the way to the bottom of the standings.

Blue, despite being a Gym Leader and a formidable trainer, had faced fewer high-level challengers and was generally considered slightly weaker than Red, which placed him just behind Red in the rankings.

As for Iris—known both as the female protagonist of the anime and as the Champion in the games—perhaps due to subtle shifts in this merged timeline, she seemed to be riding a wave of fate. It was as if the world itself had bent the rules in her favor, allowing her to shine earlier than expected.

She began her journey around the same time as Red and Blue, but with a natural ability to communicate with Dragon-type Pokémon, Iris departed from the Village of Dragons already in command of a full team of six Dragon-types.

During Paul's own journey in preparation for the League Conference, Iris—much like Red—embarked on cross-regional travels and had already captured nearly every non-Legendary Dragon-type Pokémon known.

By chance, Iris and Red eventually crossed paths during their respective journeys and decided to battle.

As expected when two overpowered trainers collide, someone was bound to get hurt.

Iris was the one who fell short in that match. But rather than be discouraged, she grew stronger from the experience. In the Champions Tournament, she defeated former Champion Alder and officially took up the mantle as the Champion of the Unova League.

She is now widely recognized as the Dragon Master of the Unova region.

As for the rest of the World Coronation Series' Masters Eight, they were all reigning Champions of their respective regions—each one powerful enough to earn the world's respect.

The original member Raihan? Whether in the present or the future, he was destined to be outpaced by the new generation. There's little point in bringing him up.

At this moment, Paul was watching the first round of the Masters Eight Tournament.

The matchups were:

Blue vs. Steven Stone,

Iris vs. Lance,

Red vs. Cynthia,

Diantha vs. Leon.

All four matches were the talk of the year. From Blue, a Gym Leader who hadn't even reached Champion status, facing off against Steven, the Champion of Hoenn; to a clash between two Dragon Masters; to a head-to-head between two reigning Champions; and finally, the anticipated debut of Leon—the undefeated Monarch—every match was a spectacle.

As the battles played out, time ticked by—and what followed shocked the entire world.

Leaving aside the expected victory of the undefeated Leon, Red, Blue, and Iris—three of the tournament's newest faces—each defeated a reigning Champion and advanced to the next round.

The outcome stunned Trainers everywhere.

But there was no time to linger in shock—the next matchups had already been announced:

Red vs. Iris,

Blue vs. Leon.

Whether it was Blue—the upstart who had toppled a Champion—now facing the unbeatable Leon, or a clash between two regional Champions in Red and Iris, the world couldn't look away.

Out of respect for such a major event, Paul had gone out of his way to rent a training field equipped with a giant screen. He released all of his Pokémon to train together while keeping a close eye on the unfolding tournament.

The semifinals of the Masters Eight concluded the next day, and compared to the previous rounds, the results were something most could accept.

Red had defeated Iris to advance, earning the chance to face Leon—who had conquered Green in a winner-takes-all showdown.

Another day passed, and the most anticipated battle of the year was about to begin.

Paul and his Pokémon stood before the giant stadium screen early, ready to witness this momentous match.

The current lineup of the Masters Eight is bound to change in the future, but who will replace whom remains uncertain…

(End of chapter)

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