Paulo Conflicted

Hmph. It seems these kids are a bit more than we can handle at present...

Let's retreat for now. But mark my words... the next time we meet, we'll be far stronger!

Guess you had to come to my rescue again, huh, Scottie... Thanks.

Tsk! Do you need to have your ears cleaned? I told you it would be unwise to rush in like that.

Oh well. What's done is done. At least this allowed me to witness something great.

What do you mean?

You got upset when your friend's pride was insulted, then fought hard to defend it. That's not something you see every day.

All right! Now that we've chased off those scalawags, you are free to challenge me for a badge once again.

But you must be exhausted, my friends. Why don't you take a rest here and catch up with me on the road ahead?

Hapu's got a point. We should take a quick break here so that we're back to full power when we challenge her!

Sorry, Scottie... I think I'm gonna go.

What? Why? You didn't get hurt back there, did you?

No, it's not that. After my battle with Hapu, she told me that what I'm missing is self-confidence...

and I need to give that some real thought. Challenging her again is gonna be pointless until I figure out my issues.

I see...

I'm not giving up yet, though! I've still got time to work this out before the tournament matches begin!

You'll see! I'll continue to get stronger, collect all the badges I need, then sign up to compete in the PML!

Good luck in your battle against Hapu! I'll see you around soon!

Wow, he just up and left... Think Paulo's gonna be OK?

Why are you so worried about Paulo, anyway? We'll see him again real soon, like he said.

And when we do, I'm sure he will have grown into a powerful rival for us to compete against.

Hahaha! I like your enthusiasm!

Hahaha! I like your enthusiasm!

All right! Let's head out as soon as this rest stop is over. Final badge, here we come!