Morning sunlight spilled onto the windowsill. The boy with short purple hair furrowed his brows and slowly woke up.
"Ow..." He had drunk wheat juice yesterday, and his head hurt a little today.
Paul sat up, holding his forehead, and discovered that he was in a four-person dorm room.
With loft beds above desks, the room housed Young Master Mao's three students and Paul, their teaching assistant.
After following in Gary's footsteps and challenging the Kanto and Johto Leagues in succession, Paul had felt somewhat discouraged.
He couldn't win. He really couldn't win. Top four in the Little Cup, top eight at the Silver Conference.
How was anyone supposed to win two consecutive championships within two years of starting out?!
At a loss, Paul had originally planned to follow his older brother's route and continue challenging the Hoenn Region.
But with his confidence shaken, he could only slow down and raise his Pokémon.
Maybe my training skills just aren't good enough, Paul pondered.
So, after watching Young Master Mao's May 20 livestream, Paul had thought of a solution.
Wasn't Young Master Mao the best possible teacher? As long as he learned Young Master Mao's training methods, he would definitely break through his own limitations.
Once he had built up enough strength, he would sweep straight through the Battle Frontier and hold his head high! In Paul's mind, a chubby chibi Paul stood with his hands on his hips, laughing heartily.
"Oh, you're awake." As Paul's thoughts wandered, Brendan's voice rang out.
The guy was wearing a face mask, watching battle footage while rubbing hand cream onto his hands.
"What are you doing?" Paul frowned.
"Skincare..." Brendan rolled his eyes. "Single guys like you wouldn't understand."
"Weirdo~" Paul rolled his eyes, got out of bed, and went to wash up.