𝒳

"Okay you two! Let's lay down some ground rules!"

Ash grinned, an old nostalgic feeling running through his veins, right alongside his excitement. In an instant, it was like he was fourteen again, facing off against Paul, with Dawn at his side.

Well, she was actually standing between the two of them, but same difference really.

In a forest clearing, only a few minutes walk away from Lake Verity, Ash and Paul stood face to face, ready to brawl. It was a smaller venue than either trainer was used to, but it would more than do.

At Dawn's call, Ash laid down his terms.

"Let's do this! Three Pokémon each, no other restrictions!" It was simple, but more than enough for the two of them to get a feel for each other. From Paul's reaction, it seemed he had no qualms— Apart from a clarification.

"Unlimited switching then?" He only held his gaze on Ash for a moment, before he shuffled between a set of Poké balls in his hands.

"You know it!" Standing tall, Ash gripped the rim of his cap, feeling his excitement crackle in the air. Though perhaps that was the crackle of Pikachu's electricity.

"Pikaaaaa!" Just like his partner, Pikachu had a grin he couldn't contain.

Their fervor seemed to nip at the edges of Paul's aloofness, as their old rival snorted.

"Alright then, Ash. Let's see what you've got to show me!"

"It'd be my pleasure!" Rearing back, Ash called out his first Pokémon without a hint of hesitation. "I choose you, Froakie!"

With a flurry of light to mark his arrival, Ash's springy partner entered the scene, leaping forward and taking an aggressive stance towards Paul. His pose matched his trainer's tit-for-tat.

"Froa— Froa!"

Paul held steady, the new Pokémon not rattling him for a moment. With a relaxed flick of his wrist, he called out his own Pokémon.

"Gumshoos, standby!"

"Guuuuuumshoos."

Where Paul kept his reaction to a minimum, Ash did quite the opposite. His grin only grew as a totally new Pokémon took the field— A stocky, rodent-like Pokemon that stood on two legs and scowled from behind a mass of yellow hair. In an instant, Ash had his Pokédex out.

It beeped, giving him no information whatsoever.

"I see you weren't taking it that easy." Of course Paul would've caught new Pokémon while in Alola, Ash reasoned. He expected nothing less.

When Ash looked up, he found Paul stowing away his own Pokédex.

"Neither were you. I guess we're both running blind." Despite the setback, Paul didn't falter. He simply moved ahead. So, Ash would do the same.

It was showtime.

"Hit 'em fast, Froakie! Use Cut!" In a flash, Froakie raced forward, a blade of light in his grip as he zeroed in on his opponent. Despite Gumshoos's size advantage, there was not a hint of hesitation in Froakie's movement.

"Gumshoos... U-turn." Holding until the last possible moment, Paul sent his Pokémon into action. Gumshoos shot forward, their claws digging into the dirt as they suddenly matched Froakie's speed.

"Froakie?!" Caught off guard by the sudden acceleration, Froakie faltered, raising his blade forward in defense. In an exchange of blows, Gumshoos slammed into Froakie's chest, as Froakie slashed across Gumshoos's.

"Gumshoos!" Using Froakie like a springboard, Gumshoos leapt away. They backflipped, returning to Paul's side just as their trainer raised their Poké ball into the air. Then, in a move that surprised Ash and Froakie alike, Gumshoos landed onto their own Poké ball and returned inside.

That move, U-turn. It switched Gumshoos out after it was used. It reminded Ash of a similar technique Iris's Emolga knew— Volt Switch.

"Pulling out already, huh? Guess you weren't kidding about wanting to switch!" Ash's jeer had little effect on Paul, who simply raised another Poké ball forward.

"Standby for battle, Torterra!" Where Paul's first Pokémon was a completely new face, his second was anything but. Ash couldn't help but grin as the familiar goliath took the field, shaking the ground under his feet. "Now, use Stealth Rock!"

"Tooooorterra!"

"Hah! It's been a while since we've seen that one! Froakie, use Cut again!" At Ash's word, Froakie raced ahead again, zigging and zagging past the flurry of stones that flew out from Torterra's position. The rocks instantly embedded themselves into the dirt at his feet, as Froakie closed the distance in mere moments.

"Oakie! Froa!" Launching himself into the air, Froakie crashed down onto Torterra, slashing his blade against his opponent's shell once, then twice. Torterra shuddered, but he did not cry out.

Paul scoffed, and he raised his arm forward.

"Don't let it rest! Stone Edge!"

"Dodge it, Froakie!"

"Terra!"

"Froa— Froa!" Froakie had barely a second of pause before he was on the move once more. A torrent of glowing stones flew through the air, battering the ground and tearing up grass and dirt at his feet. With each leap he took, Torterra's attack got closer and closer to hitting the mark. "Froakie!"

"Can't stay on the defense. Gotta—!" Ash grinned, his eyes flashing up to Torterra. The sturdy tortoise was surrounded by a dozen floating stones, waiting their turn to be fired. "Froakie! Jump, then climb!"

"Oakie!" Instantly understanding Ash's plan, Froakie went into a roll, letting a barrage of rocks crash into the ground behind him. Then, with a bounce, he leapt straight over more oncoming stones!

"Huh!" Paul was actually taken aback, as Froakie began to use the flying stones as footholds, climbing up into the air and closing the distance to Torterra in the process. "Blow them out of the sky, Torterra!"

"Tooooor—!"

"Jump and hit 'em while ya can, Froakie! Use Cut!" At Ash's command, Froakie leapt, leaving the last stone behind and dodging Torterra's counterattack. The height he gained would just have to do. Flashing a blade in his hand, Froakie crashed down on Torterra's back, delivering another decisive blow!

"—terra!" This time, Torterra really felt it, recoiling against the attack as Froakie hacked away at his shell. Grunting, Torterra responded by launching his volley of stones down on Froakie.

"Get outta there, Froakie! Use Water Pulse!"

"Hold it, Torterra!"

Froakie leapt back, charging and firing a torrent of water that sent him flying back to Ash's side. The maneuver nearly had Torterra's own Stone Edge strike himself, but Paul had quickly caught on to Ash's ruse.

Ash grinned, flicking his thumb beneath his nose as Froakie did the same.

With the sight of the mirrored pair facing him, Paul couldn't help but pause and snort.

"You're as slippery as ever, Ash."

"And you're just as crazy strong! Even going all out, Froakie can barely touch Torterra!" Despite the solid licks the two had gotten, Paul's old partner was looking sturdy as ever. Speed wasn't going to win this matchup.

"Took you long enough to notice." Despite his praise, Ash couldn't crack Paul's usual aloof demeanor.

He was just gonna have to swing a little harder!

"Froakie—!" With a flick of his wrist, Ash raised Froakie's Poké ball forward— Only for Paul to snap up in response.

"Torterra, come back!" Before Ash could even press the button, Paul was on the move, returning Torterra and calling out his own Pokémon in the same motion. "Gumshoos! Standby for battle!"

The unfamiliar new Pokémon returned, as Ash went into his second pick.

"Hawlucha! I choose you!" Arriving with a flurry of movements and flourishes, the passionate warrior Hawlucha took the field. He struck a powerful pose, locking eyes with the opposing Gumshoos.

"Luch—!" Unfortunately, before he could finish his proud declaration, the Stealth Rocks at his feet struck. A handful of embedded stones slammed into his side. "Hawlu!"

"Darn it, Stealth Rock, right— Sorry Hawlucha!" Quickly recovering, Ash snapped his view back to his opponents: Paul and his mysterious partner, Gumshoos. He had yet to see just what the Alolan native was made of. Time to test it out. "Let's go! Use High Jump Kick!"

"Body Slam!"

In perfect unison, Hawlucha and Gumshoos shot forth, their leg and shoulder shining with their respective typal energies. With a fierce cry from each fighter, they crashed into one another— Only for Gumshoos to blow straight through Hawlucha!

"Whoa!" Ash stared in shock as Hawlucha flew back, skidding to a stop at his side. He knew that Body Slam was strong, but that was something else! "Guess we'll just have to not go head-to-head. Hawlucha, get above 'em and use Flying Press!"

"Lucha!" With a nod of understanding, Hawlucha flew into the air, flipping and extending his arms out at the peak of his jump. In an instant, he went in for a divebomb.

"U-turn, now!" At Paul's word, Gumshoos flipped, leaping into Hawlucha with claws bared. This time, the result was reversed— Hawlucha's powerful attack easily overpowered Gumshoos, blowing them back as the two locked into a head-to-head.

Gumshoos was far from out, however. With a twist, they tore away from Hawlucha, kicking against his chest like a springboard. Launching across the field, Gumshoos returned to Paul's side, clicking their Poké ball as they landed.

"Pika!?"

"Returning again?" Ash furrowed his brows, thoughts racing as he watched Paul move back to Torterra. Why would he pull out so soon, after just switching them in? "That Body Slam was killer, unless... Paul knew it wouldn't be as strong the second time."

𝒳

Over on the sidelines, Dawn was having the same thought, as she watched Torterra hit the field once again.

"Paul would only do that if he knew Body Slam wouldn't do the same damage again— But how?" Taking on a furrowed expression matching Ash's, Dawn went into thought. "Could it be, Gumshoos's ability?"

𝒳

"Flying Press!"

"Stop them with Giga Drain!"

Hawlucha shot through the air at blistering speeds, wings spread wide as he dive-bombed. Tendrils of green energy from Torterra rose to block him, but Hawlucha would blow straight past them.

"Luuuuucha!" With a twirl and flourish of his wings, Hawlucha dispersed Torterra's counterattack, before slamming into the goliath himself.

"Make some distance with Stone Edge!" Though Torterra shuddered, he held firm, throwing Hawlucha off and rearing back in one motion. Slamming into the ground, Torterra sent two waves of rocky pillars rippling out— One pushed Hawlucha away, whilst Torterra rode the other back towards Paul.

"Keep on top of it, Hawlucha!" Ash grinned, watching Hawlucha skipping from one pillar of stone to the next, evading each blow as he was driven up and away.

Driven up.

"Now, High Jump Kick!"

"Lucha!" Standing atop a small mountain of stone, Hawlucha struck a mighty, fiery pose— then another! And another! "Hawlucha!"

Hawlucha leapt from his perch, wind and gravity adding to the momentum of his mighty kick.

Paul furrowed his brows.

"Torterra! Use Stone Edge— To move to the right!"

"Huh?!" Ash stared in shock as Torterra pounded his feet, a pillar of stone throwing him to the side. A sure hit instantly became a near miss, which meant— "Hawlucha!"

"Lucha!?"

Moving too fast to redirect or recover, Hawlucha kept going and crashed into the ground. All of that extra momentum was now recoil damage, dealt straight to Ash's Pokémon.

"Oh no, Hawlucha!" A moment of panic was quickly swept away. Ash had to get Hawlucha out of there, before Paul's counterattack rolled in! "Jump up and—!"

"Torterra, return! Standby for battle, Gumshoos!" In another bewildering move, Paul recalled Torterra again, leaving Hawlucha untouched as he recovered and leapt away.

"You feeling okay, Hawlucha?" Ash's mind was buzzing, flipping between checking on his Pokémon and trying to figure out what Paul was doing. Another aggressive switch, why?

"Hawlu— Lucha!" Hawlucha was hanging in there, the damage serious but still manageable. With a strong forward stance, he indicated his desire to continue.

"Pikapi. Pika-kachupi?"

"Yeah, no point in just speculating," Ash reasoned, his stance growing firm once more. "We're just gonna have to feel this out!"

"Gumshoos, Body Slam!"

"High Jump Kick!" Again, things went differently— Where before Gumshoos's Body Slam easily overpowered Hawlucha's High Jump Kick, this time Hawlucha cleanly won the match-up. The powerful kick sent Gumshoos reeling, before they rolled to the side and went in for another blow. "Karate Chop!"

"Go low, Gumshoos!"

Hawlucha's fist slammed into Gumshoos's shoulder, bringing the attack to a stop and splitting the two apart. In a flash, each trainer knew their next move.

"Again!

Another exchange of blows, another parried strike which blew the two combatants away. It almost seemed like a stalemate— If it weren't for the clear exhaustion in Gumshoos's panting chest. They were working a lot harder to match Hawlucha than vice versa.

Ash knew this. Paul knew this. So when Paul raised Gumshoos's Poké ball up, Ash knew his next move.

"Oh no you don't— Hawlucha, return!" Intent on beating Paul to the punch, Ash went to recall his Pokémon first.

With that, Paul smirked.

"Pursuit!" It was a ruse! Gumshoos blitzed forward, claws reared as the light of Hawlucha's Poké ball reached him. Even when his form became coated in red, Gumshoos still managed one final swipe, a blow that sent Hawlucha reeling as he returned.

"Pika!?"

"Huh?! Did that—" Ash looked down at Hawlucha's Poké ball, putting two and two together after a moment of thought. "Pursuit lets you hit a Pokémon even while they're switching out."

"Careful, it's learning." Even when confirming Ash's intuition, Paul wrapped it in a layer of biting sarcasm. The comment made Ash grumble, as he quickly swapped Pokémon again.

"Froakie, I choose you!" Before his temper could get the best of him, Ash sent out Froakie once more, letting the precocious frog take the field with a proud cry. Unfortunately, that cry would soon be cut short. "Wait, Froak—!"

"Froa?!" The Stealth Rocks struck once again, slamming Froakie in the head and making Ash wince all at once— he'd felt that one. Ash cursed himself as he grit his teeth.

"What a reckless move, Ash. Did you seriously forget about my Stealth Rocks again?" Paul shook his head. "You never would've done that the last time we battled!"

"Hey—!"

"Pikapi! Pikachu pi— Pika kachu, pi!" Before Ash could get ahead of himself, Pikachu came in to cool his jets. No point in getting fired up over this, after all.

Ash sighed.

"You're right. Gotta keep my cool." Locking his eyes back onto the battlefield, Ash considered his options. He had to get ahead of Paul's switching game, but with Stealth Rocks out, swapping between Pokémon aggressively wouldn't be an option. At that thought, Ash got an idea. "Maybe we should commit to our third pick. You or Fletchinder could turn this—!"

Ash paused, reaching into his pocket for Fletchinder's Poké ball and finding another one entirely: Latias.

For a moment, Ash considered the possibility of choosing her. Latias would absolutely throw Paul off his game and be a total wild card for the match. That wasn't even mentioning how crazy strong she had to be.

As quickly as the thought came to mind, however, Ash dismissed it. Latias had joined Ash as a companion, not a battler. He'd only offered to 'catch' her as a means of keeping her safe, after all.

Shaking his head, Ash stowed her Poké ball away again. It didn't matter. He didn't need her to win this.

𝒳

"Come on Ash, what're you doing out there?" Dawn furrowed her brows, watching as the battle resumed once more. The agile, maneuverable Froakie was running circles around the slower Gumshoos, avoiding their devastating Body Slams and slippery U-turns. As long as Ash could prevent that move from connecting, he could delay another switch as well.

Yet, that didn't sit right with Dawn.

"Avoiding, delaying— You can do more than that, can't you, Ash?"

"Perhaps he can't."

Dawn jumped, for an instant surprised by her sudden guest, before calming when she realized who it was— Conway. The eccentric battler grinned as he joined her side to watch the battle unfold.

"Paul has him in quite a bind. This strategy pushes Ash to switch as aggressively as he is, while punishing said switching with Stealth Rocks and moves like Pursuit," Conway explained, pushing his glasses up. After a moment, he paused and smiled. "But you probably already knew that."

Dawn hummed in thought, before shaking her head.

"It's more than just that— Paul is controlling the pace of the whole battle, keeping Ash on the back foot," she explained, seeing beyond the mere mechanics. "Ash needs to find a way to take the lead, and start battling on his own terms."

Her observation surprised Conway, his gaze flickering to her for a moment before he snorted.

"Beauty and brains— This is why I love you, Dawn."

Dawn laughed.

"Well, who wouldn't love me!"

𝒳

"Body— U-turn!"

"Dodge it!"

In long strides, Froakie backflipped across the battlefield, narrowly avoiding Gumshoos's feints with each leap he took. As long as Ash could prevent a U-turn from connecting, they could hold Paul here indefinitely. But that was easier said than done.

"Now Water Pulse!"

"Froooakie!" The moment his feet skidded against the ground, Froakie had the attack primed and ready. He blasted Gumshoos back with a torrent of turbulent water, right as they tried to close the distance.

"Roll away and strike again!" At Paul's command, Gumshoos dropped and rolled, aiming to shoot ahead and hit Froakie head on— But they slipped. The slippery wet grass sent Gumshoos careening onto the ground.

Ash grinned— The perfect opportunity.

"Frubble them, Froakie!"

"What!?" Paul stared in shock as Froakie launched his own neck bubbles at Gumshoos. Whatever it was, he didn't want anything to do with it. "Dive back, now!"

Gumshoos went to move, but slipped once more— With that, it was done. Froakie's frubbles coated their hands and feet, binding them to the ground.

"Gotcha!" Ash cheered. With Gumshoos locked down, they could finish this. "Now, Water—!"

Paul flashed Gumshoos's Poké ball, readying to return them and swap to Torterra once more. Ash needed to pivot, fast.

"Froakie, return!" Beating Paul to the punch, Ash preemptively switched, sending out Hawlucha in one move. "I choose you!"

"Haaaw— Lu! Cha!" This time when Hawlucha appeared, he was ready for Paul's Stealth Rocks. Though they still clipped his sides, he held firm, deflecting a few of the errant rocks with a swipe of his hand. Now he was ready to face Torterra.

Paul smirked.

"Gumshoos, Hidden Power!" Another trick! From their entangled position, Gumshoos threw their head back, a plume of