There were some words of comfort for the unfortunate loser, Shizuka, so Lucas decided not to intervene himself.
The marathon match between her and Carmine meant they were running up against lunchtime.
For a while, Clavell hesitated—should he dismiss everyone for lunch and a break, or squeeze in another match before the meal?
He glanced at Lucas.
With a resigned sigh, Lucas nodded to Clavell:
"Let's go for it."
The second battle would be Paul versus Kieran.
Paul loved building strategies, but his real strength was in decisive, fast-paced fights, not dragging things out like Shizuka.
As for Kieran…
Lucas didn't know just how much the boy had improved over these two months, but he was confident Kieran and Paul were near equals now.
In terms of natural talent, Lucas concluded, Kieran might actually have the greater potential, able to nurture his Pokémon faster, even making the main team for this event.
Paul, meanwhile, favored consistency; even in the anime, he trained his Pokémon with Spartan discipline, and had traveled through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn.
Back in Sinnoh, he was still only challenging the "League Conference"—a basic step for elite trainers. That, plus Lucas's own observations, led him to think Paul's trainer talents were a bit less than Kieran's.
Paul had trained at Naranja Academy for almost half a year now. After the exchange, he, Nemona, and Shizuka would head to Hoenn—Paul to challenge their League Conference, Nemona to the Battle Frontier, and maybe run into Ash.
But that was for later.
Their ability to bring out everything they'd learned these six months would decide the outcome of this "genius versus genius" showdown.
Both combatants would pull out all the stops. The battle would not drag on.
Since Lucas knew his students best, Clavell didn't want to end the morning's events on a sluggish note.
With a wave of his hand, he called for the second match to begin.
Paul VS Kieran!
At the Sun Plaza, Paul was glaring fiercely, his sharp, intimidating eyes fixed on the timid-seeming Kieran across from him.
"I won't be holding back."
"...!"
Seemingly stung by the challenge, Kieran stopped avoiding Paul's gaze and shouted back with all his might:
"I'll defeat you—and prove myself!"
"...If you think you can, bring it on."
Dropping the words, Paul turned calmly to his spot, resolve burning in his eyes.
On the Blueberry Academy side—
Drayton remarked in surprise: "Kieran, that little coward, actually learned to talk big?"
"Since the break, Kieran's changed a lot, you just didn't notice, Drayton-senpai." Crispin, Kieran's classmate, didn't find it odd at all.
"Shows just how little attention you pay to your classmates," Amarys interjected, needling Drayton.
Lacey added: "As much as I don't want to admit it, I think at this rate, Kieran might surpass us all soon."
But only Carmine, just returned from the Pokémon Center, knew the real reason.
Kieran had heard that nearly every Naranja Academy student in this exchange had been Lucas's student at some point.
He just didn't want to lose to any of them. That's all.
But being called a "coward" was a different matter.
To Carmine, only she was allowed to tease her own little brother.
So she directed her annoyance at Drayton instead, with even Amarys as collateral damage.
"Instead of worrying about Kiki, maybe you, the Blueberry League Champion, should think about how you'll handle that student named Nemona."
"After all, last time you lost—badly~"
"Don't let everyone else win, only for you to be the sole loser."
Suddenly made the butt of the joke, Drayton, embarrassed, snapped:
"I'm not who I was months ago! This time, you'll all see how my Dragon Legion crushes her, one step at a time!"
"This time, she's the challenger!"
Confidently rambling on, Drayton didn't notice the match had begun—Paul vs Kieran!
Paul, as expected, led with his Ursaring.
Rather than training a whole squad, he'd been focusing on just three, planning to fill out his team after traveling.
Compared to his clashes with Ash, Ursaring now carried even greater presence.
Kieran's Pokémon choice surprised even Lucas.
The villain Pokémon, Fire/Dark type—the infamous king of the ring, Incineroar!
Evidently, Kieran caught it within the Blueberry Academy's Terarium. It looked powerful, and its entrance roar nearly made Ursaring flinch.
The battle was on immediately. Under Kieran's command, Incineroar slammed both fists down, unleashing a wave of Normal-type energy right at Ursaring.
"Fake Out!"
The shockwave was lightning-fast—Ursaring had no time to dodge, freezing in place.
Kieran, contrary to his usual temperament, pressed the attack with rare ferocity, commanding Incineroar to pounce on Ursaring like a wild tiger.
Ursaring quickly shook off the "flinch", fire flickering in its fur as it roared and squared off against Incineroar.
It used "Brick Break," its only Fighting-type move, with Paul cashing in on his credit-earnings from the academy for a "Flame Orb". This triggered Ursaring's "Guts" ability, boosting its strength further—added to its type advantage, the attack hit hard.
Still, Lucas thought this wasn't optimal.
In fact, "Facade" would've been even more effective with a Guts-Flame Orb combo. If you're playing with status abuse, Facade is a must.
Lucas made a mental note—before Paul's journey, he'd send him to Kikui City to study "Facade" under old man Larry.
As for Kieran, beyond his surprising battle instincts, his Incineroar was well trained. You could see it in the rippling chest muscles as it moved.
But one thing disappointed Lucas.
Kieran didn't really know how to use Incineroar right!
Aside from the opening "Intimidate" and "Fake Out", utility moves like "Roar", "Parting Shot," or other rotation tools never appeared.
Kieran simply steered Incineroar to brawl, relying on its bulk, going toe to toe with the boosted Ursaring.
But Lucas had to admit—the battle was far more entertaining than the two-hour ordeal earlier.
The previously drowsy crowd was electrified, and the reporters picked up their pens anew.
Finally, the two Pokémon's duel ended as "Thrash" and "Darkest Lariat" clashed.
Both fell in quick succession.
A tie!
The score stood at 1-1, and both Paul and Kieran felt pressure mounting.
Paul realized that, on paper, Kieran might have the stronger team.
Kieran was having just as hard a time, finding Paul's tricksy strategies troublesome.
As soon as Briar signaled the next round, both trainers sent out their second Pokémon.
Paul's side: A croc-like Pokémon with red scales, blaze in its jaws, white markings across its body—atop its snout, a swirling fireball emitting strange soul energy.
Fire/Ghost type: Skeledirge, the final evolution of Fuecoco from Paldea.
Kieran's Pokémon was entirely new:
A cormorant-like bird with blue feathers and a pair of silly, round eyes like Psyduck or Magikarp. Flying/Water type, the "first of five great calamities" of Pokémon—Cramorant!
Skeledirge vs. Cramorant.
On paper, Cramorant had the type advantage.
But Skeledirge, under Lucas's coaching, had learned a highly specialized moveset.
With its hidden ability "Unaware," Paul trained it into a fixed routine.
The "Slack Off" move copied from Smeargle let Skeledirge stay in longer; its signature move "Torch Song" ramped up its power as it went. Will-O-Wisp and "Yawn" added even more to its stall game.
Even Lucas's Torterra found Skeledirge a tough opponent before its evolution—it was the team's mainstay before Ursaring grew up.
As the battle opened, Paul chose straight offense:
"Torch Song!"
Skeledirge bellowed a fierce song, the fireball on its snout morphing into a fiery phoenix that soared toward Cramorant.
On Kieran's side, Cramorant—silly as it looked—poured all its focus into battle. Its instincts were fearsome.
Without needing a cue, Cramorant flapped into the crowd just in time, avoiding Torch Song.
Some onlookers wondered if it had run away, only to see Cramorant swoop back into the air—gripping a panicked Pikachu by the tail in its beak!
"?!"
Even Paul was briefly caught off guard. As Cramorant powered up in midair, he immediately had Skeledirge fire off another Torch Song.
Cramorant wouldn't just sit back. Under Kieran's command, it summoned a huge wave with "Surf" to smash through Torch Song and slam Skeledirge.
"The move...so powerful..." Eri gasped, seeing the flames extinguished as the huge wave crashed over Skeledirge.
"Because that's Cramorant for you," Penny replied grimly, explaining Galar's Cramorant research.
"Dividing all but minimal energy to the brain—leaving the rest for battle—is insane," Arven muttered.
"Even if it forgets everything instantly, it'll never forget the trust of its trainer. It can always fight at full tilt. That's so moving!" Nemona added, eyes shining with excitement.
On the battlefield—
"Tch."
Paul clenched his teeth. Cramorant was even trickier than Incineroar.
Skeledirge, already powered up by Torch Song, managed to vaporize the Surf, and even slotted in some healing with "Slack Off".
But Paul sensed danger—especially since he barely researched such odd Pokémon.
Was that poor Pikachu just bait for paralysis?
Seeing Director Clavell unimpressed, Paul knew it wasn't that simple.
At that moment—
Cramorant, with feathers charred, sent another huge wave at Skeledirge.
Paul could only try and vaporize the wave as before—but this time, paralysis kicked in, disrupting Skeledirge's rhythm.
That split-second misfire allowed Surf to connect. As Paul grimaced and directed another recovery move, he resolved to recall Skeledirge when possible and send in Torterra next.
Kieran suddenly shouted: "Cramorant, now's the time!"
Alarm bells rang in Paul's head.
He instinctively reached for his Pokéball, but Cramorant was faster.
With a terrified squeak from Pikachu, the long-held energy glowed white, wrapping Pikachu in light. Then, with a boom, it was launched at Skeledirge like a living missile.
BOOM!
An even bigger explosion rocked the plaza—leaving a crater.
Amid the dust, a dazed Pikachu sat upright unharmed, but Skeledirge was KO'd, belly up.
Who could have imagined that, combining "Gulp Missile" with "Stockpile" and "Spit Up", Cramorant would unleash such terrifying burst power?
"So strong..." whispered the usually-calm Paul in awe.
When the dust settled, a deep pit was all that remained.
Beside the untouched Pikachu, Skeledirge lay KO'd, four feet in the air.