Paul

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Paul (Japanese: シンジ Shinji) is a major recurring character in . He is a Pokémon Trainer from Veilstone City who was first seen at the end of Two Degrees of Separation!, though his full introduction was in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. He is 's main rival in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.
==History==
===Pre-series===
Paul started his with his throughout Sinnoh, having been inspired by his older brother Reggie's own travels.
In A Pyramiding Rage!, it was revealed that, while Paul was still a beginning Trainer, he watched Reggie lose to , thus costing him a victory of the Kanto . Afterwards, Paul became determined to become more powerful. Like his brother, Paul traveled through Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto, participating in their respective s, but failing to win any of them, before returning to Sinnoh.
===Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl===
Paul debuted briefly in Two Degrees of Separation!, although he was formally introduced in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!, where he captured three but released two of them after finding out they didn't know . He challenged to a three-on-three . After the battle resulted in a tie, Paul the third he , writing it off as weak, and walked off.
In Different Strokes for Different Blokes, he defeated Ash in a Single Battle after meeting him along the way when exploring Bewilder Forest. He caught his in the forest. During the episode, he insulted Ash and especially his by calling it pathetic, sparking their rivalry. At this point, Ash realized Paul's strategy of disregarding Pokémon and then releasing them if they did not meet his expectations. He also commented that he would not lose to Paul again.
In Shapes of Things to Come!, Paul then battled the Oreburgh Gym Leader Roark and managed to win the . Although he stayed to watch Ash's first battle against Roark in the next episode, he walked off. His style of indiscriminately releasing weak Pokémon was shown again as he gave the he used against Roark to a kid in the Pokémon Center after it easily lost to Roark's Geodude despite the 4x type advantage.
In Top-Down Training!, Paul challenged the Sinnoh League to a Full Battle. After his first four Pokémon were easily defeated by Cynthia's Garchomp, he surrendered.
In Tag! We're It...!, he was a participant in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, where he was partnered with Ash. Despite winning the quarterfinal match, he was disappointed with his and released him, which Ash quickly caught. Eventually, Paul and Ash managed to win the tournament. Paul then revealed how he captured Chimchar: one day, he ran across him and saw him activating his Ability to ward off a horde of that were violently attacking him. Paul was impressed and decided to catch Chimchar, but he never managed to recreate that powerful Blaze while under his ownership. After winning the tournament, he wrote off the tournament as nothing more than an opportunity to boost his battling skills, giving his Soothe Bell prize to Ash.
In Riding the Winds of Change!, Paul caught his .
In Pika and Goliath!, he watched Ash's Pikachu battle Sho's . After watching Pikachu lose to Raichu, he approached Ash and said Pikachu needed to evolve to even come close to being an equal to Raichu. Later on, he witnessed Pikachu defeat Raichu in Ash's rematch against Sho.
Prior to Lost Leader Strategy!, Paul returned to his hometown Veilstone City, where he challenged the new Gym Leader Maylene to a Gym . His Pokémon had a type advantage over Maylene's team. This, coupled with the fact that Maylene was feeling out of sync with her Pokémon, resulted in an embarrassing match in which she failed to knock out a single one of his Pokémon. As Maylene awarded him with the , Paul noted that she was the weakest Gym Leader he had ever battled, which greatly upset her.
In Chim - Charred!, Paul battled Ash after arguing with him over Ash's true skills as a Trainer. After using his Gliscor to defeat with relative ease, he then pitted his Ursaring against Chimchar. Chimchar struggled for much of the battle, but ended up making a comeback and defeating Ursaring after finally activating Blaze. The battle ended prematurely when Chimchar's Blaze couldn't be controlled since it was activated out of resentment and a determination to defeat Paul. Paul was impressed as this version of Blaze appeared much more powerful than the one that initially drove him to catch Chimchar in the first place.
In Aiding the Enemy!, Paul used his in a Single Battle against Ash and his newly evolved , defeating Ash with ease partly due to Grotle being unable to adapt to its loss of speed. This was seen by his , who later helped Ash's Grotle handle the changes in its evolution.
In Pursuing a Lofty Goal!, he participated in the Squallville PokéRinger with his Honchkrow, and made it to the finals but lost to Ash's Staraptor, which was newly evolved.
In A Pyramiding Rage!, Paul challenged to a Full Battle, hoping that he would be able to do what his brother failed to. However, he lost to Brandon without defeating any of his Pokémon. Brandon informed him that this loss was because he could not control his emotions.
Following Reggie's suggestion in A Pyramiding Rage!, Paul battled Ash in a Full Battle in Pedal to the Mettle! and Evolving Strategies!. It was revealed that Paul had evolved his into since his battle with Brandon. Despite Ash's Chimchar evolving into and three of Ash's Pokémon using the Counter Shield strategy, Paul won the match easily with only two of his Pokémon fainting, one of which, Ursaring, having defeated half of Ash's team nearly single-handedly.
In Double-Time Battle Training!, it was revealed that Paul had earned the from Canalave Gym and, by doing so, had collected the eight Badges required to enter the Sinnoh League.
In Fighting Ire with Fire!, Paul encountered Ash for the first time since their Full Battle. He also met his admirer for the first time; however, Paul wasn't impressed by him and refused his offer for a battle, suggesting he battle Ash instead since he was denying all challenges to go into serious . He later watched the battle between Ash's Monferno and and when , , and Empoleon were nearly crushed by one of 's damaged mechas, he saved the three with the help of his . He then witnessed Monferno evolving into , who then saved Electabuzz and the other Pokémon from getting crushed. Paul was impressed by Infernape, and gained a little respect for Ash at how well he had raised him. When asked by Ash if they could have another Full Battle, Paul confirmed they would in the Sinnoh League, and that Reggie was looking forward to seeing it.
Paul entered the Lily of the Valley Conference in An Old Family Blend!, where he was shown in the stadium along with all of the other competitors. He passed the preliminary round in League Unleashed! and defeated Barry in the third round in Casting a Paul on Barry! with his superior tactics and the superior power of his Pokémon.
His next battle was against his rival Ash in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, continuing into A Real Rival Rouser! and Battling a Thaw in Relations!. After a fierce battle, Paul was finally defeated, and he and Ash parted on good terms, Ash having earned Paul's full respect. It also seemed Paul had decided to change himself somewhat, as when Electivire was defeated, he thanked it for a job well done; up to this point, this was something Paul practically never did, even if his Pokémon won. Afterwards, Paul stated that his next intention was to return to Snowpoint City and re-challenge Brandon.
He briefly appeared in The Semi-Final Frontier!, where he watched Ash as he lost to .
Privately commenting to and on the battle between Ash and Paul, Cynthia predicted that they would both be entering the Champion League soon.
Paul made a cameo appearance during the ending credits of Zoroark: Master of Illusions, in which he was seen visiting ancient ruins with statues of and .
===Pokémon Journeys: The Series===
Paul made a cameo appearance in a flashback in Advice to Goh!.
In Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, Paul appeared at Professor Oak's Laboratory in order to learn more about Pokémon from . During the visit, he reunited with Ash. Knowing that Ash was in the Masters Eight of the World Coronation Series, Paul used his , , and (reflecting the Pokémon owned by , Cynthia, and , respectively) to battle against Ash's Lucario, , and , and ultimately lost. As Paul left, Professor Oak revealed that Paul had received an offer to become a Gym Leader.
In The Fiery Road to Mastership!, Paul appeared with Reggie, watching Cynthia's Masters Eight Tournament match against . In the next episode, they watched Ash's match against Steven. Paul expressed a greater interest during Ash's battle against Steven's Metagross, seemingly pleased that his training with Ash had been effective.
==Character==
Paul underwent quite a bit of character development throughout Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. Early in the series, Paul was very reserved and apathetic. As such, he displayed very little emotion when interacting with others, other than an occasional rough smirk when dealing with . He was also very callous, seeing as tools for combat rather than living beings to make friends with, and his only concern in them being their strength in . He strongly disliked weak Pokémon and had a tendency of them if they continuously underperformed in battles or otherwise failed to meet his expectations. To this effect, Paul always checked new with his Pokédex to learn what moves they knew, and released them if he deemed them not strong or potent enough. As for the ones he decided to keep, he was shown to be cold, stern, and demanding, willing to engage in ruthless strategies in battle if he felt they would ensure a victory or make his Pokémon stronger, even if it risked injuring them in the process. He felt that bonding with Pokémon would only turn them into slackers, which was proven on one occasion when he gave his prize Soothe Bell, an item that raises a Pokémon's happiness, away to Ash. 
He also had a habit of scolding his Pokémon for losing to opponents he felt they could have beaten, some examples being his , , and , once again showing his distaste when expectations weren't met. These beliefs and behaviors were best exemplified in his harsh treatment of Chimchar (which in and of itself was noted to be much worse compared to that of his other Pokémon); he was shown to have fed him straight from tin cans and rushed him so they could get back to training, as well as forcing him to not dodge attacks (even super effective ones) for the sake of being able to activate his Ability at will under pressure. He was also shown to have had his other Pokémon relentlessly attack him for this same purpose. This particularly brutal treatment had formed out of Paul's impatient desire to recreate the powerful first impression which led to Chimchar's capture, a result which Paul's training methods ultimately failed to produce. Notably, besides Chimchar, none of Paul's Pokémon expressed any truly overt dislike or dissatisfaction with Paul as a Pokémon Trainer despite his tough methods, and none are known to have ran away of their own volition, with his and in particular becoming more powerful battlers under his training.
However, Paul had a major turning point after his crushing loss to in A Pyramiding Rage! and underwent a serious attitude adjustment; he maintained his reserved and stoical personality, but he ceased his cruel tendencies and began treating his Pokémon less like tools and more like highly professional partners. While he still doesn't show them open affection like Ash does, he seems to have dropped his habit of scolding them; in fact, he started to do the exact opposite and commend them not only when they won, but even when they lost, which was something he practically never did prior. For example, in Battling a Thaw in Relations!, he praised his Electivire after it defeated Ash's Gliscor, and thanked it for its efforts after it lost to Ash's Infernape. It is unknown if he continues to practice his selective catching methods after this point as he has never been seen catching or releasing Pokémon again. He had also seemingly become less apathetic and more caring of others, which was best exemplified in Fighting Ire with Fire! when he helped save Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's Piplup, and Barry's Empoleon from 's destroyed mecha.
Paul originally felt that Ash was a weak Trainer when they first met, as shown when Ash captured and he questioned him about how strong this Starly was. Ash's very different attitude towards Pokémon provided much fuel to their rivalry. Despite this, Paul barely recognized Ash as a serious Trainer or a rival; Paul regularly disregarded Ash's speeches about friendship and love, taunting and belittling him almost every time they encountered each other, with Ash's Pikachu's usage of seemingly being the only initial point of Paul's interest. Paul also occasionally found Ash's training style to be hypocritical, accusing him at a few points of using methods similar to his own, specifically ones that Ash had criticized him for; these include Ash's decision to enter the Wallace Cup and his method of having his own Pokémon attack each other. Their radically different beliefs often led to intense arguments, with Ash's friends once noting that their attitudes made it impossible for the two to ignore each other.
However, Paul's first hint of respect for Ash was shown in A Pyramiding Rage!, when he was very surprised to hear that he had won his own Brave Symbol from Brandon, something both his brother and later Paul himself failed at. Notably, after this discovery and his subsequent defeat at the hands of Brandon, Paul would become more subdued and much less caustic in his interactions with Ash. Though they remained at clear odds for the time being, he started regarding Ash more seriously and would no longer mock his abilities as a Trainer. His change in attitude was shown after his victories against Ash and , where, despite their losses, he would not dismiss their efforts like before and would even be complimentary after a hard-fought battle. After a long, tough battle in Sinnoh's Pokémon League Conference, Paul ended up losing to Ash, and in doing so, gained respect for him and ended their bitter rivalry on civil terms.
Paul has also been shown to have a certain degree of athleticism, as seen in Different Strokes for Different Blokes when he and Chimchar were able to downwardly scale a cliff of a waterfall near Bewilder Forest by swinging and leaping from rocks and branches. His catchphrase when calling out Pokémon is "<Pokémon>, standby for battle!" (Japanese: ○○！ バトルスタンバイ！ <Pokémon>, Battle Standby!).
As revealed in Lost Leader Strategy!, Paul occasionally gives some of his Pokémon to his brother Reggie for temporary training and caretaking. He disagrees with his brother's decision to give up on being a Pokémon Trainer after failing to get the Brave Symbol from Brandon, and often harbored contempt towards him for having similar views and beliefs about Pokémon to Ash. Nevertheless, it seems that their brotherly relationship has been reanimated. As shown in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, during their video conversation, Paul seemed disappointed that Reggie would not be able to come to the match because of his work, but was glad to hear that his older brother was supporting him in the battle with Ash.
Paul appears to feel complete indifference to , shown most tellingly in A Gruff Act to Follow where he is revealed to have not remembered her name. However, he talks to her about Ash much later in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, confessing his main problem with Ash is how his talk about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength through his bond with them and that any Pokémon has the potential to be strong reminds him a lot of his brother. Paul shows a mix of mild respect and distaste towards in their few interactions. While usually keeping his distance due to his association with Ash, Paul willingly opened up about Chimchar's history when questioned by Brock in Glory Blaze!, and later explained his frustrations with Reggie to Brock in Aiding the Enemy!. Paul does show respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, , Nurse Joy, , and Brandon. He also shows respect to Gym Leaders, but not ones who he feels are weak. For example, he was shown to respect Roark whom he judged to have been a worthwhile opponent, but he was openly rude and mean to Maylene after defeating her with ease.
During Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Paul was shown to have developed a lighter side, allowing Electivire to go play with and . He appeared to be strict, yet more calm-headed, scolding Ash for seemingly ignoring his Pokémon's well-being. He also complimented his Pokémon on their performance, regardless of result, and was shown to talk to others with his usual coolness, yet openly smiling at them, seen when Paul bid Infernape farewell. Paul's change was attributed to the fact that he was asked to become a Gym Leader, making him want to learn more about Pokémon and their nature.
==Pokémon==
As a result of Paul's selective team creation, his active team is composed of Pokémon that he deems to be powerful. As shown many times throughout the series, Paul regularly rotates the Pokémon in his possession, basing his choices on his knowledge of the opponents he prepares to battle. This can be most prominently seen in his Full Battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where he prepares many specific moves and strategies for Ash's Sinnoh party based on all of their previous encounters.
Paul is a highly skilled battler, able to observe the battling styles of others and incorporate them into his own. This was shown in his Lily of the Valley Conference battle with Ash, where he adopted several of Ash's unorthodox strategies and quickly used them to his advantage. It was shown again in Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, where Paul was able to imitate the battling styles of , , and in order to prepare Ash for the Masters Eight Tournament.
Whilst the captures of Ursaring and Gliscor were shown in Different Strokes for Different Blokes and Riding the Winds of Change!, respectively, and Ninjask's was revealed in a flashback during Glory Blaze!, his team has for the most part been off-screen. Several other Pokémon in his possession were caught onscreen but later released, as they were deemed not strong enough to remain on his active roster.
The Pokémon Paul does not carry with him on hand are left with Reggie at his home in Veilstone City. This list is from Paul's Pokémon up to Pokemon Journeys: The Series:
===On hand===
===With Reggie===
===Released===
It is implied that Paul has caught and released many more Pokémon than what has been shown onscreen.
===Given away===
==Achievements==
===Badges obtained===
It can be assumed that Paul has at least eight Gym Badges each from Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto, as he has entered all three of their championship competitions.
====Sinnoh Badges====
This listing is of the Badges Paul has obtained in the Sinnoh region:
* (Shapes of Things to Come!)
* (prior to Lost Leader Strategy!)
* (prior to Aiding the Enemy)
* Four unknown Badges (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
* (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
===Pokémon League===
Paul has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:
* Ever Grande Conference - Unknown (prior to Two Degrees of Separation!)
* Silver Conference - Unknown (prior to Two Degrees of Separation!)
* Indigo Plateau Conference - Unknown (prior to Two Degrees of Separation!)
* Lily of the Valley Conference - Top 8 (Battling a Thaw in Relations!)
===Pokémon competitions===
Paul has competed in the following :
* Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition - Winner (with ; Smells Like Team Spirit!)
* Squallville PokéRinger - Runner-Up (Pursuing a Lofty Goal!)
====Gallery====
Ash Paul Winning Soothe Bell.png|Paul after winning the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition
==Voice actors==
==Artwork==
 	 	 	
Concept artwork from	Concept artwork from	Concept artwork from	Artwork from "After the story"Anipoke_PR's Tweet
==Trivia==
* Paul was first revealed to the public through a CoroCoro scan that showed him alongside and commanding a . However, his name and role were not revealed until the following week, and so, he received the fan name "Nugai" (a pun derived from "new guy") during that time.
* Three of have evolved while battling Paul: Turtwig into , Staravia into , and Chimchar into . Both Turtwig and Staravia evolved while battling . Paul also witnessed Monferno's later evolution into .
* Paul is the first regular rival seen a Pokémon and receiving a Gym Badge on screen.
* If one does not count the Squallville PokéRinger, Paul has been defeated onscreen four times, with three of his Pokémon debuting each time.
* Paul has battled Ash more times than any other rival.
* Paul shares his Japanese name with that of Lake Verity.
* Paul is the only Trainer to abandon one of Ash's Pokémon that has been seen more than once outside of flashbacks.
* Paul is the only character to have participated in a Full Battle against Ash more than once.
* During his battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, Paul recalled his Pokémon a total of seven times, the most out of any Trainer in the animated series within a single battle.
* Paul has participated in four Full Battles on-screen, the most of any Trainer in other than Ash.
* Paul is the first regular recurring character to battle the of a core series region.
* Paul owns a Pokémon of every type except for . While he used to own an , it was not a Fairy type at the time when he owned it.
* Paul makes a cameo appearance alongside his Pokémon in the ending Let's Join Hands.
* In the English dub, Paul has a habit of referring to things he dislikes as "pathetic". No equivalent phrase exists in the Japanese version.
* During the tenth season, Paul's catchphrase was "Stand by!" instead of "Stand by for battle!".
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	シンジ Shinji 	Possibly from 真珠 shinju (pearl), a reference to . Could also be named after 宮崎慎二 Shinji Miyazaki.
English, French, German, Italian,	Paul 	Possibly from pearl
 	Polo 	Spanish adaptation of Paul
Korean 	진철 Jincheol 	Possibly from 진주 jinju (pearl)
Chinese () 	真司 Zhēnsī 	From the name 真司 Shinji. Also similar to 真珠 zhēnzhū (pearl)
Chinese () 	真司 Jānsī 	Same as Mandarin name
Russian 	Пол Pol 	Transcription of English name
==References==
==Related articles==
* 
* Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
Category:Animation characters
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