"Bro, the Poké Balls have been sent over."
Not long after, Paul got in touch with Reggie, and through the help of his Rotom Phone to transfer over the four Pokémon one by one.
"Transferring so many back at once, huh? Good timing—we can rotate out the ones in the Day Care now. So, what's next on your agenda?"
Reggie smiled as he sent over Torterra, Electivire, Ninetales, and Ursaluna to Paul.
"I'm planning to search for the so-called 'Tree of World's Beginning'—to see whether it really exists, and if there's anything special about it."
Paul responded calmly, casually tossing the four Poké Balls over his shoulder as he released his team.
"Oh, that place? I remember we actually went looking for it once, back in the day...
Didn't find anything though. Hopefully you have better luck."
Reggie's eyes briefly lit with nostalgia. He recalled that back when he was challenging the Battle Frontier, he'd taken Paul to Rota City out of curiosity.
Naturally, they had heard the legends about the Aura Guardians and the mythical Tree of Beginning. They even tried to look for it themselves. Unfortunately... they came back empty-handed.
The Tree of Beginning—a majestic, mysterious existence woven deep into myth.
If it were truly as accessible in real life as it appeared in the movie set in Orudoran City of Rota, then whatever inhabited it, no matter how powerful or enigmatic, would probably have been thoroughly dissected and studied by humans by now.
"Finding it shouldn't be a problem. What I'm more concerned about is how strong its guardians really are."
From Ash's account, Paul had learned that in this version of the world, the Tree of Beginning's location was shrouded in mystery—completely invisible from afar and only detectable once you were close enough.
If not for Ash being the chosen Aura Guardian and the Hero of the Rainbow, blessed with protagonist-level luck and guided by Lucario, he might never have found the place at all.
That said, Paul had his own ways of tracking things down. Locating the Tree wasn't the issue—what worried him more were the guardians that protected it.
In the movie canon, the Tree was guarded by the Regi Trio—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel—and the mythical Pokémon Mew, who shared a symbiotic relationship with the Tree. Aside from that, it relied on a rather underwhelming immune system made of natural defense mechanisms.
But according to Ash, during his encounter at the Tree of Beginning, he was surrounded by multiple Regis—not just the original three, but also the modern titans: Regieleki, the Electric Titan and Regidrago, the Dragon Titan.
And even more alarming—there wasn't just one of each. There were multiples.
If Mew hadn't stepped in at the crucial moment, the Tree's natural defenses wouldn't even have had a chance to activate. Ash and Lucario would have been wiped out by the Regi Titans and classified as hostile intruders.
"The Guardians… Yes, we should definitely stay cautious. Safety always comes first."
Reggie said seriously. He and Paul had traveled to some strange and mysterious places in the past—places where the guardian Pokémon were formidable in their own right. But that was nothing compared to the Tree of Beginning, the origin of the world itself.
"Yeah. We'll be careful."
"Wait a sec, Paul—don't hang up just yet."
Paul nodded and was about to end the call when Reggie stopped him.
"?"
"I'm planning to open a branch of the Day Care in another region. I won't be able to go there myself, so I might need to trouble you with checking things out on my behalf."
Reggie said with a relaxed smile.
"A branch? Can you even manage all that?"
Paul wasn't questioning Reggie's capabilities by itself, but even their current Day Care in Veilstone City was running at full capacity.
And now he want to expand?
Something doesn't add up.
"There are a few partnership projects with the League involved. I'll just be laying out the basic framework at first. I'll take over the detailed planning once I've got more free time."
"Hmm…"
While Paul and Reggie discussed logistics, the Pokémon Paul had just released had already scattered like rabbits let loose in a field.
"Woo~"
Ninetales, elegant and phantom-like, leapt through the grass in a graceful arc—pouncing directly onto Hisuian Samurott, pinning him to the ground.
With an air of dominance, her front paws pressed down on his chest as she towered above him, eyes narrowed and mouth curled into a playful smirk.
"Chaah~"
Samurott, who had been smiling just a moment ago, immediately went deadpan. His grin vanished. With a swift motion, he punched Ninetales aside, drawing a blade-like arm and pointing it directly at her—clearly inviting a duel.
In terms of raw power and close-quarters speed, Ninetales was one of the trickiest to deal with on his team. The perfect sparring partner to sharpen his blades against.
"Woo~"
Ninetales wasn't offended in the slightest. Still smiling, she trotted off toward an empty clearing—ready for a serious match.
"Ursaah~"
Meanwhile, Ursaluna had found a spot bathed in warm sunlight. With a firm stomp of its paw, the earth rumbled beneath it as a massive stone platform rose from the ground. It adjusted its posture slightly and laid down atop the rock, completely at ease.
This ability wasn't just a show of strength—it was the result of its recent training focused on terrain control beyond Earthquake. By combining moves like Rock Tomb, Stone Edge, and Earth Power, Ursaluna had learned to manipulate the battlefield itself.
In battle, this technique might be able to exert a subtle but significant influence on certain kinds of Pokémon.
After all—who said training had to involve constant movement?
As the embodiment of the land itself, wasn't it perfectly reasonable for Ursaluna to stay still like a Torterra, lying flat against the ground while refining its skills?
With each deep breath, faint tremors rippled around it—small-scale Stomping Tantrums and Earthquakes activating rhythmically with its breathing.
Electivire, by contrast, was far more excited. With the number of Pokémon at the daycare having increased, standard training routines were fine, but chaotic discharge attacks were no longer permitted within the facility.
Now, soaring high into the distant sky, Electivire could finally let loose—unleashing its pent-up electricity freely and recklessly. It roared with exhilaration as lightning surged from its body, releasing all the emotion it had been suppressing.
Only after thoroughly venting did it slowly and lazily descend before Metagross, initiating a unique kind of exchange.
The content of their conversation was far from ordinary. They discussed topics like electricity, current flow, magnetic fields, magnetism, psychic power, precision targeting through mental focus, and amplification techniques using charged particles...
Such obscure subjects would baffle most humans and Pokémon alike—even Paul might not fully comprehend them.
Among the team, only Metagross, with its incompletely developed but already super-efficient brain, could carry on such complex dialogue with Electivire. After running calculations, it would provide precise feedback and collaborative support.
Truly, Metagross lived up to its title as a multi-functional support and training unit.
After thorough analysis, it offered insights that deepened Electivire's understanding of moves like Plasma Shower and Plasma Bath.
Now, the move Plasma Thunder Punch was nearly complete—within arm's reach of full development!
Unlike the others, Torterra simply stayed by Paul's side the moment it emerged from its Poké Ball, standing guard like a steadfast sentinel.
"Not bad at all. Looks like you've made solid progress."
"Raaaa~"
After Paul finished speaking with Reggie, Torterra finally got what it wanted—a gentle pat and some well-deserved praise. A warm smile bloomed across its face.
Seeing that his Pokémon were all enjoying their own moments of leisure, Paul didn't intrude. Instead, he leapt up and landed on Torterra's back, settling in to watch the group of companions who had traveled alongside him for so long.
Maybe one day, he mused,
Once I've reached all my goals... it wouldn't be so bad to just live quietly with my Pokémon somewhere like this.
The thought pulled him into a quiet daze.
Unlike other "cross-world travelers," perhaps shaped by the many experiences he had gone through, Paul's dream had always been straightforward—to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer.
But what did it mean to be the strongest?
To become a Champion? To dominate an entire region?
To defeat all the protagonists across generations and emerge victorious in the World Coronation Series as the so-called strongest Trainer on Earth?
If that's all it takes, does that truly make someone the strongest?
No. Not even close.
Not until he had faced and overcome every powerful Pokémon this world had to offer. Only then could he begin to call himself the strongest.
And besides… perhaps even that wasn't enough.
"Beep-beep~"
Suddenly, the electronic chime of his phone vibrating in his pocket jolted Paul from his thoughts.
(End of Chapter)
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