The sun dipped lower on the horizon, painting the sky in hues of crimson and gold.

  In Jubilife City's Battle Pza, a crowd roared with excitement, all eyes fixed on the podium below.

  Oage stood Paul, calm and posed. Beside him were his two stalartners, Elekid and Ursaring.

  This moment beloo them.

  "After three days of intetles, the Jubilife Victory Cup has finally e to a close."

  "Emerging victorious among hundreds of partits is Paul from Veilstoy! With extraordinary skill, he defeated 14 challengers in a row using only two Pokémon, g the championship title with an ued streak."

  "Now, let's give a round of appuse to gratute Paul, our champion! We also invite our sponsor…"

  As the announcer finished, a middle-aged man in a suit stepped forward.

  "Amazing! A hero in his youth! To win such a prestigious tour at ye is truly impressive. I hope you tio achieve eveer success as a Pokémon Trainer."

  The man handed Paul a trophy and a Pokémon Egg, his tone warm with admiration.

  "Thank you very much." Paul said, bowing slightly as he accepted the items.

  "Woohoo!""Yeah!"Cp, cp, cp!

  Cheers and appuse echoed across the square. The crowd looked at Paul with a mix of admiratioement, and respect.

  Paul sed his surroundings, taking in the sea of faces and itting this moment to memory.

  For the first time, a flicker of joy welled up inside him. The feeling spread through his chest, and for once, Paul allowed himself to savor the moment, a rare smile tugging at the ers of his mouth.

  "Bzzzt~"

  "Raawr~"

  Notig their trainer's expression, Elekid and Ursaring puffed out their chests with pride, reveling in their first moment of glory.

  As the award ceremony cluded and the crowd began to disperse, Paul's expressiouro its usual calm.

  When it's time to cim the special reward for his ten-win streak, Paul chose an Evolution Stone, one of the rarer options avaible. While accepting his prize, he turo the sponsor.

  "Excuse me. May I ask okémon this Egg tains?"

  Having grown up in a Pokémon daycare, Paul was ner to Pokémon Eggs. However, even experienced breeders found it nearly impossible to identify the exaon within an Egg without specialized equipment.

  "This Egg? Hmm… I'm irely sure myself." The man replied after a moment of thought. "We obtai from the Kantion. It's said to belong to a species that's quite popur there but rarely seen in the wild here in Sinnoh."

  In any region, popur Pokémon typically fell into two categories:

  The first included species known for their strength, such as pseudo-Legendaries or those with immeential, like Dragonite or Tyranitar.

  The sed were those adored for their appearance—charming, elegant, or cute Pokémon like Eevee or Ralts, capable of winnis regardless of their power.

  Either opur Pokémon generally held signifit training value, albeit t degrees.

  For Paul, however, only ohing mattered: potential.

  "Thank you." he said, nodding politely before leaving without further ado.

  Had Paul e from a less privileged background, he might have sold the egg to a breeder or daycare for a quick profit, especially without knowing the Pokémon's potential.

  But Paul, hailing from a daycare-owning family, wasn't short on resources. Selling the egg wasn't even a sideration.

  Still, he thought to himself, let's see when it hatches. If it's talented, I'll keep it. If not, I'll leave it with my brother.

  The advantage of having a daycare at his disposal meant Paul could afford to raise many Pokémo, his personality didn't allow for nurturing "useless" ones.

  Better to release them ht than waste food and resources, he thought.

  After resting at the Pokémoer, Paul left Jubilife City to tinue his journey.

  As for the Evolution Stone, while it could enable Ursaring to evolve into Ursaluna someday, Paul removed it.

  "Items are useful for enhang your power, but you must not rely on them. Dependenly breeds pcy." Paul told his Pokémon as they stood uhe bzing sun.

  "Wheime es, I'll give you the appropriate tools. But for now, foproving your own abilities. The stronger you bee, the better those items will serve you."

  Fag his Pokémon, Paul tinued, "Start training. Avoid using power-boosting moves. Defeat each other using your teiques alone."

  bat, Paul believed, was the best form of training. It allowed his Pokémon to refiheir abilities and gain valuable experience, boosting their overall strength with every battle.

  "Blissey, your assistance please. Use Gravity on Elekid and Ursaring." Paul instructed.

  As Elekid and Ursaring began sparring, Paul sat in the shade, cradling the Pokémon Egg. He wiped it down carefully before pg it in an incubator.

  Suddenly, Paul felt a presence—a faint, watchful gaze. His sharp instincts kicked in as he surveyed the area.

  Gently setting the incubator aside, Paul stood and walked toward the source of the sensation, his movements trolled and silent.

  "Who's there?" Paul called out, parting the bushes with a swift motion.

  But all he found was ay burrow leading underground.

  "Dugtrio?" Paul muttered as a set of three heads briefly popped up before vanishing into the hole ihan a sed.

  "It was Dugtrio, but something feels… off." Paul thought, frowning slightly.

  Before he could iigate further, the distant roar of engines snapped him back to reality.

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