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Chapter 72: Separate Paths; A Trade

  "Sleeping it off when you're in trouble" might sound like a joke, but there's some truth to it.

  Barry had buried himself uhe covers for a long time, wallowing in self-pity until he unknowingly drifted off to sleep. When he woke up and looked out the window, it was already te.

  As someone even more optimistic than Ash Ketchum, no matter how disheartened or frustrated he felt, a good nap always helped him bounce back.

  Feeling hungry, he headed downstairs. After retrieving his Pokémon, he decided to treat them to a nice dinner.

  Just as he passed by a ward, Barry caught sight of the trainer who had defeated him earlier today—Winter—and his Dewott. Both seemed deeply troubled, their demeanor off in a way he couldn’t quite uand.

  What’s wrong with these two? Barry wondered. So what if Paul beat them twice?

  He thought about his own experieting swept by Electabuzz in a six-otle—and how he had already bounced back from it. pared to that, Winter’s rea seemed unnecessary.

  Always the oo lend a helping hand, Barry pushed open the door and stepped io che them.

  “Winter, what’s going on with you two?” He asked.

  “Dewott... Dewott suddenly stopped responding to me.” Winter said, his red-rimmed eyes filled with helplessness.

  “Stopped responding? That’s odd. Sure, your battle strategy might have had... a few issues, but it’s not bad enough for something like this to happen, is it?”

  Barry had watched the earlier battle. While Winter’s tactics weren’t perfect, they shouldn’t have caused such a dramatic fallout.

  “I don’t know...” Winter muttered, shaking his head, pletely at a loss.

  “Wait a minute—where are Dowett’s scalchops?”

  Barry suddenly noticed that Dewott’s signature scalchops which it had used in battle, were missing. sidering how much Dewott relied on those shells for moves like Shell Bde and Fury Cutter, they must have been important to it.

  “Scalchops? The shells are gone? How did that happen?” Winter excimed, realizing the scalchops were missing.

  He recalled that this wasn’t the first time su i had occurred. After battles, he often fot to pick up the scalchops Dewott dropped, sometimes finding them ter and sometimes losing them entirely.

  The pair Dewott had used i battle were already its third set, painstakingly refed over two weeks.

  “Let me think... I remember noicked them up earlier. Maybe we ask him when he es to the Pokémoer.”

  For once, Barry seemed unusually reliable as he tried to calm Winter down.

  “o wait.”

  “Ah!”

  A cold voice suddenly came from behind Barry, startling him so much that he jumped aside.

  “Paul! ’t you make some noise when you walk? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

  Ign Barry, Paul reached into his pocket, pulled out two scalchops, and tossed them toward Dewott.

  “Cha-cha~!”

  Dewott, who had been staring bnkly at the ceiling, lit up the moment it saw the scalchops. With a swift jump, it grabbed its beloved shells and pced them ba its thighs.

  Perhaps the emotional turbulence had been too much for it, as Dewott’s usual clear crisp cry had turned hoarse and deep.

  “Uji~”

  Dewott carefully adjusted its shells and then bowed slightly toaul, its expression was serious.

  Paul gave a slight nod before turning to leave, not sparing Winter or Barry annce.

  After handing the rest of his Pokémon to Nurse Joy for treatment, Paul specifically asked her to examine his Electabuzz, ed about the effects of the Zap Pte it had absorbed during their intetles.

  While waiting, Paul grabbed some food and sat in a quiet er to eat, his mind preoccupied with training strategies and refining his approach to raising Pokémon.

  He eve a message to his brgie, about Electabuzz’s situation.

  Reggie: "Swallo Pte? How’s that even possible?"

  Even Reggie, an experienced breeder, was stunned by the news. Had anyone else told him this, he would’ve thought it was a joke. But ing from his meticulous younger brother, he took it seriously.

  Reggie: "Alright, after yym battle, seabuzz to me. I’ll have Professor Rowan exami and keep it here for observation until you return to Veilstoy."

  “Got it.” Paul replied suctly, putting away his phoer finishing his meal.

  As he returo the froo retrieve his Pokémoiced Winter a standing nearby. Winter appeared nervous, while Dewott’s expression remained cold and indifferent.

  “Thank you for returni’s scalchops. I really appreciate it.” Winter said, bowing slightly.

  “Appreciation? Ha...”

  Paul let out a mog ugh, his tone sharp.

  “Appreciation... does that mean anything? A trainer’s responsibility is to take care of their Pokémon, not trouble others or make their Pokémon suffer for their own inpetence.”

  “You...”

  Winter’s eyes turned red, his tears threatening to fall as Paul’s words hit him like a hammer.

  Paul scoffed, shaking his head.

  “Holy, I don’t know how you’ve sted this long as a trainer. Looking at the way how you battle, it’s hard to believe Dewott is even yours. Do you even know what moves it knows? Trainers like you only raise okémon.”

  “Cha-cha~”

  Dewott nodded in agreement, its hoarse voice emphasizing its disdain.

  “You...”

  Winter was at a loss for words, devastated by the realization that eve had turned against him.

  At that moment, Nurse Joy returned with Paul’s Pokémon.

  “All of your Pokémon are fine, aabuzz is i health as well.” She said with a kind smile.

  “Thanks.” Paul replied, colleg his Poké Balls.

  “aul, hold on a sed!”

  "Is there something you need, Nurse Joy?"

  Hearing a voice as gentle as wind chimes, Paul paused briefly and g Nurse Joy.

  "Paul, and Winter... I've been you both for a while now, and I've also been keeping an eye o's performance.

  To be ho, I feel that Dewott might not be the best fit for you, Winter."

  "W-What? Nurse Joy, you must be mistake and I have traveled together ahrough so much. Sure, there are... some minor issues, but I care about it deeply, and I’m w hard to bee a capable Trainer. I want to grow strether with it..."

  Nurse Joy’s voice remained soft, but her words pierced Winter’s heart, toug on the fear he had buried deep within. His face turned pale, and he scrambled for words to prove that he a were a good match. His eyes darted frantically as he g Dewott, hoping for reassurance.

  But this time, he was disappointed.

  The Dewott that had always supported, enced, and cared for him now looked at him with calm indifference. Even the hands on its scalchops were still, resting motionlessly.

  Paul, witnessing the se, stayed silent. Like an outsider, he politely observed, his mind already shifting to his pns and training schedule.

  "Please, don't get worked up. Let me finish what I have to say," Nurse Joy tinued gently.

  "Winter, I feel that perhaps being a Trainer isn’t the best path for you. Maybe you could try expl other roles, like being a Breeder, a Researcher, or even furthering your studies at a Pokémon Academy to find a path better suited for you."

  As she offered these f words, Nurse Joy's attentiouro Dewott’s expression. It was Dewott's calm, distant gaze at Wihat had vinced her to speak her mind. Although she didn’t know the full story, she could tell—Dewott had lost all hope in Winter and was ready to move on.

  Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before Dewott left altogether.

  "Not suitable... to be a Trainer? Further studies?" Winter murmured, his voice trembling.

  Cp, cp.

  Nurse Joy cpped her hands lightly, drawing their attention back to her. She smiled and made a suggestion:

  "How about this? Why don’t the two of you trade Pokémo Dewott go with Paul, and Paul offer a suitable Pokémon to Winter in exge."

  "Trade?" Paul remained silent, sidering her words. While Dewott’s performance was impressive, Nurse Joy’s suggestion seemed sudden and uninformed. Did she really uand the situation well enough to propose this?

  "Hehe, actually, I’m good friends with your brgie," Nurse Joy expined with a chuckle. "I know your family runs a Breedier, and with all the Pokémon you have there, I’m sure there’s ohat would suit Dongtong."

  She tinued, "Remember, choosing a Pokémon is a two-way street. Trainers choose their Pokémon, but Pokémon also choose their Trainers. If a Trainer and their Pokémo patible and ’t work through their differences, it’s uo end well."

  Paul nodded in agreement. Nurse Joy’s reasoning was sound. There were plenty of examples, even in the anime. Dawn and Ash, for instance, successfully sed Pokémon and helped their teams grow stronger. Of course, there were also cases like Ambipom leaving to py ping pong—but the underlying principle held true. patibility mattered.

  Even in his own past, Paul’s retionship with Chimchar had broken down because they were inpatible. The release of Chimchar had beeable, though its subsequent success with Ash was aory entirely.

  "Fine," Paul said simply. His Breedier had plenty of Pokémon. Trading one was no problem.

  Besides, he already had a zy Kabuto he nning to send back for retirement. It might work as a trade.

  Unlike Paul, roached the situation rationally, Winter iraling into aional struggle.

  "Dewott... Dewott," he stammered.

  At that moment, Dewott made its choice. It stepped forward, o Paul, and calmly positioself by his side, gazing at Winter. Its eyes were steady, yet they seemed to vey tless unspoken words. Those words poio a single clusion:

  We’ve been through a lot, and I’ve done so much for you. But now, I o take a new path and pursue my own growth—perhaps with Paul, perhaps alone, but definitely not as things were.

  Winter’s eyes filled with tears. He opened his mouth, but the torrent of emotions densed into one word:

  "Alright."

  After some time, Winter regained his posure, having e to terms with the situation.

  "The only Pokémon I offer in exge is this Kabuto. If you’re not ied, you choose any other Pokémon from my Breedier," Paul said, pulling up a list of avaible Pokémon on his phone.

  Though Kabuto didn’t meet Paul’s exag standards, it wasn’t a poor choice. The real issue was its ziness. Kabuto preferred lounging around unless specifically directed, earning its reputation as a “living fossil.”

  "I’ll take Kabuto," Winter said, smiling through red-rimmed eyes. "Its id-back demeanor is kind of adorable. I think I’ll like it."

  Winter’s renewed determination shohrough, as if he’d grown up ht. Gone was the timid, hesitant boy from before.

  "Alright, follow me," Nurse Joy said, leading them te bck mae. She gestured for them to stand oher side and instructed, "Return your Pokémon to their Poké Balls and pce them in the slots."

  "Thank you for everything, Dewott. I promise to take better care of myself moving forward," Winter said sincerely.

  "Cha!" Dewott crossed its bdes in aowledgment, then allowed itself to be recalled.

  As Winter held the Poké Ball, memories of their time together fshed through his mind. With a deep breath, he pced the ball into the slot.

  Paul did the same with Kabuto’s Poké Ball.

  "Let’s begirade!" Nurse Joy announced, pulling the lever. The Poké Balls were whisked away, and their tents sed. Moments ter, the trade was plete.

  "e on out, Kabuto!" Winter said, releasing the fossil Pokémon and scooping it into his arms.

  "Ka?" The drowsy Kabuto blinked in fusion, then snuggled into Winter’s embrad promptly fell asleep.

  "Please take good care of Dewott and help it grow stronger," Winter said, bowing deeply to Paul before leaving with Kabuto in his arms.

  Paul g the Poké Ball in his hand. "If you want to grow stronger, let’s work hard together," he said to himself.

  The ball wobbled slightly in response, as if agreeing.

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