A battle between rivals

Once all the round-of-sixteen matches ended, the quarterfinal matchups appeared on the main stadium's big screen.

Sure enough, Ash drew Paul as his opponent for this round.

"I absolutely won't lose to Paul!"

The moment Ash saw the matchups, his fighting spirit blazed.

Paul's expression remained unchanged, but beneath the surface, his emotions surged as well.

Both had long awaited this match, and their clash was bound to send sparks flying.

"Even though Ash used a completely different Pokémon lineup from the anime in his last match..."

"Given his personality, he'll most likely use his Lake Acuity lineup against Paul."

"Paul, on the other hand, might do what Ash did earlier and bring a lineup different from the anime."

"If that happens, the outcome really will be hard to predict."

Bai Shi rested his chin on one hand, looking thoughtful.

To be honest, he favored Paul a little more.

Still, Ash was an utterly unpredictable Pokémon Trainer, the kind who rose to strong opponents and faltered against weaker ones.

It would hardly be surprising if he suddenly outdid himself against Paul.

They would have to wait until tomorrow's battle to know who would win.

"What will come of Ash and Paul's encounter?"

"Perhaps we'll have our answer very soon!"

Cynthia, attending as a special guest, also looked forward to the match.

The next day, the battle between the two rivals, Ash and Paul, officially began.

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

Having won the right to move first, Ash chose Pikachu as his lead Pokémon.

"Aggron, stand by for battle!"

Paul sent out Aggron, a Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Aggron, use Flash Cannon!"

"..."

The opening battle played out exactly as it had in the anime.

Paul first sacrificed Aggron and Gastrodon to identify Ash's full Pokémon lineup.