Pokémon: Trainer Paul

Oreburgh City.

Situated in the Southern region of Sinnoh, Oreburgh City is a mining metropolis blessed by abundant natural resources and teeming with energy.

The City is also home to the Oreburgh Gym, which specializes in rock-type Pokémon and is currently led by Roark.

Interestingly, Crasher Wake, a Gym Trainer from Pastoria City, was once the leader of the Oreburgh Gym. However, he handed over the position to his son, Roark, so he could focus on excavating fossils. This has led to some tension between the two.

After arriving in this natural mining town, Paul drove his truck directly to the police station and handed over everything inside to Officer Jenny.

"I never thought someone with such a terrible track record would finally get what they deserve. Don't worry, we'll ensure he faces severe punishment. Thank you so much for supporting our work." Officer Jenny said gratefully as she escorted Paul out after locking up the culprit.

"Alright. If handling his Pokémon becomes inconvenient later, you can contact the Day Care Center in Veilstone City." Paul suggested before leaving.

In fact, the League typically handles Pokémon from criminals in one of three ways: releasing them into the wild, transferring them to a protected reserve, or finding them a new trainer.

Dealing with a criminal's Pokémon is often tricky.

Paul wouldn't have cared if these were just an ordinary Pokémon, but the Houndoom and Tyranitar were both rare in Sinnoh. More notably, when he scanned them with his Pokédex, he discovered that both were female.

Well... those who know, know.

Perhaps they could help the Day Care Center generate some income.

"Understood. We'll conduct a detailed evaluation later." Officer Jenny replied with a slightly deeper smile, clearly understanding Paul's hint.

Handling Pokémon isn't simple. No matter how valuable they are, their behavior and temperament must be thoroughly assessed.

For safety reasons, they can't be casually given to a new trainer. Even releasing them into the wild or placing them in a reserve requires consideration of potential ecological impacts.

If a Day Care Center or breeder is willing to care for them, that's naturally the best solution.

By now, it was already evening, making it unsuitable to challenge the Oreburgh Gym. After leaving the police station, Paul decided not to wander around and headed straight to the Pokémon Center to rest.

As he pushed open the door to the Pokémon Center, Paul scanned the surroundings with a cold expression, a trace of doubt in his eyes.

The more skilled a person is, the sharper their intuition and observational skills tend to be.

As a fairly competent martial artist, Paul could passively sense traces of aura, enhancing his sixth sense.

From training his Pokémon earlier to battling the criminal and even now, Paul had a persistent feeling that something—or someone—was watching him. It was unsettling.

"Is it just my imagination?"

Finding nothing unusual after a thorough look, Paul shook his head and walked into the Pokémon Center, handing his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy before preparing to rest.

Unbeknownst to him, a small figure peeked out from behind a large tree near the Pokémon Center once he was inside.

"Chuuu~"

"Shah?"

The little creature froze as its stomach growled loudly. It quickly crouched down and burrowed into the ground, scurrying off in search of food.

"What kind of Pokémon is this?"

Dusk had fallen, and Paul who had stepped back outside the Pokémon Center, stared thoughtfully at the hole behind the tree.

The next morning...

In the mountainous terrain near the mines, Paul was out for his morning training with his Pokémon.

"Blissey~ Blissey~"

Leading the way was Blissey, cheerfully calling out cadence while using Gravity to intensify the workout for Paul, Elekid, and Ursaring.

This wasn't just a simple morning jog—it was a weighted endurance run.

Elekid wore a specialized training device that forced it to expend significantly more energy to perform even basic movements.

As for Ursaring, it's massive size made it difficult to find suitable equipment, so Paul improvised by strapping some of his own weights onto it. He also had Ursaring carry a boulder weighing several hundred kilograms.

With Blissey amplifying the effects of gravity, even at its modest pace, the training proved unexpectedly grueling.

"Alright, take a moment to recover before we start the next round of training." Paul instructed after an hour of running.

By the river at the base of the mountain, the Pokémon were drenched in sweat as they caught their breath.

"Elek...kid..."

Elekid collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Throughout the session, it wasn't just battling the training device but also the oppressive gravity field.

Unlike in the games, gravity doesn't necessarily pin flying or floating Pokémon to the ground in real life. As long as they're strong enough, they can resist it.

This was precisely the point of Paul's training—forcing Elekid to use Magnet Rise to float under the effects of Gravity.

It sounded simple but was more far challenging than defeating Ursaring in direct combat.

"Boom!"

"Urrr!"

Meanwhile, Ursaring heaved the massive boulder it had been carrying onto the ground.

Lifting the boulder wasn't particularly difficult for Ursaring—after all, even a Teddiursa could manage it.

However, running while carrying it was an entirely different story. It wasn't just more exhausting but also demanded exceptional control over strength and balance.

Under Gravity, the boulder's weight had effectively doubled, making the task exponentially harder.

This warm-up run was no less taxing than Elekid's speed drills.

Still, Gravity training had its benefits. Once it ended, both Pokémon felt noticeably lighter, with slight improvements in strength and speed.

While the two Pokémon rested, Paul retrieved a chair and fishing gear from his bag, setting them up by the river.

Most gym battles required a team of three Pokémon, but Paul currently only had two. This was against the rules.

Sure, winning was all that mattered, but disregarding the rules would be disrespectful to his opponent.

Paul planned to spend the day training and hopefully, catch a suitable Pokémon while fishing. If he couldn't find one that met his standards, he'd settle for anything that would meet the Gym's requirements.

"Resume yesterday's training." Paul instructed as he cast his fishing line into the water.

"Blissey~"

Blissey retrieved an egg from Paul's bag, carefully polishing it while enveloping the area in Gravity to restart the training session.

"Elek!"

"Urrr!"

Elekid crouched slightly, shaking its arms to warm up, while Ursaring stretched its limbs to prepare for the next round.

Once ready, both Pokémon's eyes sharpened, their fighting spirit igniting.

The sounds of their training echoed across the area.

Once again, Paul felt the faint sensation of being watched.

Just as he prepared to confront the mysterious presence, something else caught his attention, forcing him to abandon the thought—for now.

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