Chapter 10
Lillie waits for the others outside of the Pokémon school, planning to meet there before they go to see Ash, reflecting on her phobia and how Latias had affected it. Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles arrive quickly, and Mallow arrives a few minutes later with Misty. Misty clears up that she used to travel with Ash, and they relax after remembering her from photos Ash showed them, though Misty is exasperated when she learns that Legendaries have been showing up.
At the beach, Pikachu chooses not to take part in the battle against Paul due to comforting Absol, who still seems disconcerted from her disaster sense. Pikachu thinks of looking into meditation when he sees the Alolan group coming, surprised to see Misty among them. Ash, having just finished negotiating his team for the battle, spots Misty as well, and the two of them hug before exchanging questions. Misty agrees to put off hearing the whole story until he's had his battle with Paul.
Kukui referees the six-on-six battle, with each Pokémon fighting only one round each and the victor being the first to win four rounds.
The first round is Ash's Swellow versus Paul's Gliscor. Swellow bombards Gliscor with Aerial Ace attacks, surprising Paul with how fast he is, but Gliscor manages to catch Swellow in a Guillotine. Then Ash has Swellow take off, the smaller bird effortlessly lifting Gliscor and throwing him into the ground, winning the match. Paul and Absol are both stunned, with Pikachu praising Swellow being too tough to be beaten down and too stupid to realize he's breaking physics.
Round two is Ash's recently evolved Gigalith against Paul's Ursaring. Gigalith sets up a Sandstorm while Ursaring boosts its stats, and after an exchange of ranged attacks, Ursaring charges in for a close-range attack. Gigalith manages to parry and retaliate using its Sturdy ability, but Ursaring charges in again, sending Gigalith flying with Giga Impact. But as the recharge from the move leaves him stuck in the Sandstorm, Gigalith wins the round with Hyper Beam.
Round three is Ash's Meganium against Paul's Aggron. They clash in close combat, but Aggron gains the upper hand with a Metal Claw swipe and Fire Blast. Ash tells Meganium to respond with Vine Whip, but with new potential in her, she unleashes Frenzy Plant instead. Ash rolls with it, but realizes too late that he's falling into a trap as Paul tells Aggron to take the blow. Another Fire Blast on the stunned Meganium knocks her out, giving Paul the victory as he explains that Frenzy Plant had the same drawback as Giga Impact.
The two silently agree on their selections for round four, Ash sending out Infernape and Paul sending out Electivire. Pikachu explains the history between the two to Absol, who struggles to keep track of the likely victor between Infernape's agile and hard-hitting attacks and Electivire's powerful electricity. Electivire manages to catch Infernape by the tail with his electrical tendrils, but he endures the pain until Ash gives the signal. Grinning, Infernape taps into his Blaze Ability and puts all of his power into a Flare Blitz that Electivire fails to Protect against. The explosion sends both of them flying, but Infernape manages to get back to his feet, winning the round for Ash.
Round five is Ash's Latias against Paul's Drapion. Ash reflects on how Latias was eager and is now against a powerful opponent, while Paul is surprised by the Legendary Pokémon but recognizes instantly that she's not used to battling. Strategizing with Ash by telepathy, Latias evades Drapion's Dark Pulse in the air and uses her Dragonbreath to form a smokescreen before turning invisible. Overcome with the adrenaline of battle, she disregards Ash's warning to be careful as she attacks, which allows Drapion to ensnare her with his tail. He defeats her quickly, and Ash consoles her for the loss, saying she has more to learn.
The final round is Ash's Muk against Paul's Weavile. Misty and Paul are both surprised by his choice of Pokémon, but Paul sends Weavile to try attacking in close range. Muk shrugs off every physical attack for several minutes before, at Ash's command, using Body Slam to smother Weavile, winning the round effortlessly.
Having won the battle, Ash shakes hands with Paul, who accepts the loss with a sincere smile and backhanded compliment. Suddenly, Ash sees light from one of his eggs, and arrives back over just in time to see it hatch into a Lugia.
