As the night came, the main hall of the Trainers' Village had mostly emptied.
"Are you sure this is where Paul is staying? I don't see him anywhere."
"Maybe he's off adjusting his team or planning a new strategy?"
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Lucas, Barry, and Dawn had come specifically to find Paul—to offer some encouragement, and maybe share a few pieces of advice, whether they would be useful or not.
"You're looking for me?"
A calm voice echoed from the corner of the room.
Barry turned around—and the moment he sensed a strange psychic ripple, both Paul and his Froslass appeared seemingly out of thin air, startling him so much his eyes went wide and he nearly leapt back.
"Ah! Paul, you can't just show up out of nowhere like that—you scared the life outta me! You owe me a fine or something!"
"I've been here the whole time. Just… thinking."
Paul replied evenly.
"Froslass' illusions are getting even stronger, huh?"
Lucas and Dawn, who had seen this trick before, weren't particularly surprised. Back then, Lucas could still detect the distortion in Froslass' illusions with the naked eye. But now? Her illusions blended into the environment seamlessly.
It was obvious—Froslass had made a massive leap forward.
"Eeno~"
Froslass gave a slight nod, standing quietly beside Paul.
"Paul, tomorrow, all three of us—Lucas, Barry, and I—will be cheering you on from the stands." Dawn said with a bright smile.
"Yeah, you'd better crush that Darkrai Guy for me! As my strongest rival, Paul, you have to give Tobias a solid beatdown and wipe that smug look off his face!" Barry added, pumping his fist.
"Tobias' Darkrai is incredibly powerful. The rest of his team hasn't even been revealed. You'll need to stay sharp." Lucas said, analyzing calmly.
"In theory, if the rest of Tobias' Pokémon are on par with his Darkrai, then his overall team strength is probably greater than yours—or mine. You'll need to approach this with the right tactics."
Though Lucas had obtained Hunter J's Salamence, the truth was, he hadn't had enough time to fully bring out its potential.
Going up against someone like Tobias—whose information was virtually a blank slate—while Lucas' entire hand was already revealed… He figured his odds of victory would be, at best, thirty percent.
"Yeah. I know."
Paul had been thinking through countless strategies for his next battle. But even now, he hadn't fully committed to one.
"Don't let Lucas scare you, Paul." Barry scoffed. "So what if Tobias is strong? He's just hiding behind one overpowered Darkrai! I refuse to believe the rest of his Pokémon are all Legendaries or Mythicals too. Just go in there and wreck him!"
"Maybe."
Paul didn't agree, but he didn't argue either. Instead, he turned to Lucas and asked something out of the blue:
"Do you think… one of his Pokémon might know the move Defog?"
"Defog?" Lucas frowned, considering the question. "If I were as strong as Tobias, and I could sweep through any opponent with just Darkrai alone during my travels, I probably wouldn't bother teaching my other Pokémon something as situational as Defog."
"Even if he wanted them to learn it mid-tournament…and unless he had anticipated this strategy from the start, it's unlikely his team would've been trained with Defog in mind."
Lucas' tone remained analytical.
"So if you're planning to use terrain control or field effects—especially ones that reduce visibility—this might actually work against him."
"Hmm... That's what I was thinking too."
Paul nodded, deep in thought.
He had been reflecting on all possible tactics, and although he had a few viable strategies in mind, the unpredictability of Darkrai and the lack of information on the rest of Darkrai's team made it difficult to commit to just one.
"But you guys really don't have to worry too much." he added flatly, "Even if I lose, it's not like the world's going to end."
"What are you saying!"
Hearing Paul's indifferent response, both Dawn and Barry looked a bit displeased.
"Don't you dare talk like you're going to lose!"
Barry folded his arms. "The entire region—no, the whole world is watching this finals match. You're our last hope to stop that arrogant guy!"
"That's right." Dawn added seriously. "You've made it this far because you never gave up on becoming stronger. Don't forget that."
Paul didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at Froslass, who silently met his gaze with a calm, icy stare.
"…I know."
He looked down at the Poké Ball in his hand. The familiar coldness of its surface grounded him.
"I'll do what I've always done. Push forward, fight smart, and aim to win."
"That's the spirit!"
Barry pumped his fist in encouragement.
"Show us how the Sinnoh region battles! You've got fans rooting for you from all over the world!"
Just then, a notification alert rang out on the nearby screen.
A message had popped up:
[Final Match Announcement: Paul vs. Tobias — Scheduled for 10:00 AM Tomorrow Morning]
"All right." Lucas said, straightening up. "Looks like it's official."
The air suddenly felt heavier with the looming pressure of tomorrow's showdown.
"Lucas." Paul called out, as the others began to prepare to leave. "One more thing."
Lucas turned back. "Yeah?"
"…You said you're more interested in defeating gods than befriending them, right?"
At that, Lucas blinked, then chuckled softly. "Yeah. I've always thought that taming Legendary Pokémon doesn't mean a thing if you don't have the strength to stand equal to them."
Paul gave a rare smirk, small and subtle.
"Good. Then I guess I'll show everyone what it means to bring down a god."
The chilling silence that followed wasn't born of fear—but anticipation.
The night before the finals descended slowly upon the tournament grounds, covering the Trainer Village in the cool quiet of dusk.
Somewhere in that silence, a Froslass faded into the shadows with a faint, echoing "Eeno…"
That night, the moon was obscured by drifting clouds, and a chill breeze swept across the Trainer Village.
Inside Paul's room, the lights were off. He sat alone in the darkness, elbows on the windowsill, watching the wind rustle through the trees outside.
The flickering shadow of a single Pokémon moved silently across the glass.
Froslass hovered nearby, her form semi-transparent in the gloom, her presence ghostly and still.
"…You never asked me to win." Paul said softly, as if speaking to himself—or perhaps to her.
Froslass didn't reply. She simply floated closer, her gaze never leaving him.
"You don't fight because you want to prove something, do you?"
Paul turned to look at her. "You just… fight to protect."
There was no answer.
But for Paul, her silence said more than words ever could.
He reached down, pulling a small well-worn notebook from his bag.
It was filled with years of notes, diagrams, and training logs. The edge of a page stuck out—one scribbled with battle strategies from the Sinnoh League.
He tore it out, folded it, and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
"…I'm not going to try and copy anyone else. I'll fight my way."
Froslass floated beside him, silent as ever, a soft mist curling around her body.
And outside, the wind picked up. Clouds began to part.
A sliver of moonlight spilled into the room.
Paul stood and walked to the mirror, adjusting his jacket. He looked at himself, saw the sharpness in his own eyes—the same edge that had carried him through every rival, every loss, every evolution.
"I don't need the stars aligned. I don't need miracles." He said, as much to himself as to the Pokémon beside him.
"I just need six."
Six partners.
Six choices.
Six chances.
Tomorrow, it ends.
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