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Alain vs Paul; Battle Of The Strongest!

Choose Every Statement That You Agree With


  • Total voters
    91

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Well-Known Member
Ash and his JN team vs Paul (Torterre, Electivire, Garchomp, Drapion, Ursaring, 6th member of your choice). 6v6 with one gimmick allowed, though Paul probably has none. Who‘d win? @PokemonBattleFanatic-
Ash wins since he beat Leon but it'd be a close match,Paul mega evolves Garchomp with Magmortar as his 6th pokemon.I can see Paul beating Iris,Raihan,Gladion,Sawyer and Kukui.

Not sure about Cynthia,Steven,Diantha and Alain.But given the ridiculous powerscaling,the fact that Paul is still an active trainer,both were on equal footing in late DP and easily defeated Ash's Dragonite I'd like to believe that he could defeat them.

Of course the Paul haters will counter this argument by saying his best feat is finishing in top 8 of the sinnoh league and before that getting spanked by Cynthia and Brandon.

Either he stayed at the same level he was at in DP or he got a power amp just like everyone else in Journey,I'm going with the latter.I don't find it believable that Ash would leave Paul in the dust and have such a huge gap in power to the point of Paul getting swept in a full battle.
 

PokemonKnight

#1 Sylveon Fan
Paul's best feat is finishing Top 8 in Sinnoh. That is canon. The only other positive feat is looking decent against Ash in a training battle. Basically, a token gift from the writers.

He didn't participate in the PWC (a silly reason that didn't do justice to his character), so he missed out any feats there.

Alain made it to the Masters 8. Yes, he was annihilated by Leon. A fate, which every battler outside of Ash, has suffered and would have suffered.

It is likely that Paul got a power boost in Journeys. Certainly the writers giving him nearly every champion ace ever suggests such. But any power level gauge is vague and speculation about how good he really is.

Alain was confirmed a top-8 trainer. Darth Charizard wins going away. Even without Mega Evolution.
 

Damerdal

[Dam]n h[er] Gan[dal]f!
This would be an epic battle.

Paul has way too much versatility and strategies to let this be a simple Mega Charizard X sweep. I'm actually shocked there were votes that Alain can sweep Paul. Alain has the best Pokemon, but Paul is a better trainer. Rest assured, if this battle ever took place, the writers would make this a close 6-5.
 

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Well-Known Member
This would be an epic battle.

Paul has way too much versatility and strategies to let this be a simple Mega Charizard X sweep. I'm actually shocked there were votes that Alain can sweep Paul.
I would've disagreed with you if this was back in XY but now in Journeys you have trainers like Ash & Iris that can magically become champion level in a short amount of time with little to no on screen training to back it up.Paul defeated Ash's Dragonite in a sparring match and he didn't even use the pokemon he was using back in DP,so they of course would instantly be much stronger than how they were portrayed back then.

Alain beats Paul 10 out of 10 times in a 1 v 1 using MCX,he isn't sweeping Paul in a full battle and logically Alain wouldn't open up the battle using MCX.It's a question mark on whether or not Paul can actually beat Alain but it would definitely be close especially if Paul uses one of the gimmicks like Mega Evolution.
Alain has the best Pokemon, but Paul is a better trainer. Rest assured, if this battle ever took place, the writers would make this a close 6-5.
Yeah Alain has the better ace while Paul has the better team

Alain
Charizard
Metagross
Bisharp
Unfezant


Paul
Torterra
Electivire
Drapion
Ursaring
Garchomp
Magmortar
Honchkrow
Nidoking
Gyarados
Metagross
Gliscor
Hariyama


Paul has a plethora of powerhouses that he trained up which is more than I can say for Alain.Paul's ace is a match for the aces of Gary/Harrison,he has a stronger roster than Virgil and Tyson and is just as smart and strategic as Conway,Katie and Sawyer.
 

Damerdal

[Dam]n h[er] Gan[dal]f!
I would've disagreed with you if this was back in XY but now in Journeys you have trainers like Ash & Iris that can magically become champion level in a short amount of time with little to no on screen training to back it up.Paul defeated Ash's Dragonite in a sparring match and he didn't even use the pokemon he was using back in DP,so they of course would instantly be much stronger than how they were portrayed back then.

Alain beats Paul 10 out of 10 times in a 1 v 1 using MCX,he isn't sweeping Paul in a full battle and logically Alain wouldn't open up the battle using MCX.It's a question mark on whether or not Paul can actually beat Alain but it would definitely be close especially if Paul uses one of the gimmicks like Mega Evolution.

Yeah Alain has the better ace while Paul has the better team

Alain
Charizard
Metagross
Bisharp
Unfezant


Paul
Torterra
Electivire
Drapion
Ursaring
Garchomp
Magmortar
Honchkrow
Nidoking
Gyarados
Metagross
Gliscor
Hariyama



Paul has a plethora of powerhouses that he trained up which is more than I can say for Alain.Paul's ace is a match for the aces of Gary/Harrison,he has a stronger roster than Virgil and Tyson and is just as smart and strategic as Conway,Katie and Sawyer.

I mean, even prior to Journeys, I would say that Alain vs Paul would be the high-level version of Ash vs Drake from the Orange Islands championship. I could see Paul going Lake Acuity style on Alain, and having a 2-5 lead before Mega Charizard X comes out. Then it's pretty much MCX raid boss rest of the way.
 

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Well-Known Member
Sorry, Journeys itself confirms that Alain is better

Alain is the sixth best trainer in the world, so there is not much to say here
Trainers Stronger than Current Paul
Ash - Yes
Leon - Yes
Cynthia - Yes
Steven - Yes
Diantha - Yes
Alain - Sure
Lance - Maybe
Raihan - Maybe
Iris - No
Bea - No
Kukui - No
Sawyer - No
Gladion - No

Right now I'd put Paul somewhere near Raihan,the other trainers below him I can see Paul beating,he has a stronger ace without relying on gimmicks and a much deeper roster of pokemon at his disposal.I refuse to believe that Iris is stronger,back in BW she rarely trained and her team was very underwhelming.Post BW she somehow manages to defeat Alder off screen,that Dragonite that defeated her Haxorus is the same Dragonite that lost to Paul's Garchomp in a sparring match.Outside of Haxorus the rest of her team isn't all the impressive even with the whacky powerscaling in Journeys,Paul's Torterra/Electivire/Drapion/Ursaring hard counters her Excadrill/Dragonite,the rest of her pokemon are weaksauce.
 
Trainers Stronger than Current Paul
Ash - Yes
Leon - Yes
Cynthia - Yes
Steven - Yes
Diantha - Yes
Alain - Sure
Lance - Maybe
Raihan - Maybe
Iris - No
Bea - No
Kukui - No
Sawyer - No
Gladion - No

Right now I'd put Paul somewhere near Raihan,the other trainers below him I can see Paul beating,he has a stronger ace without relying on gimmicks and a much deeper roster of pokemon at his disposal.I refuse to believe that Iris is stronger,back in BW she rarely trained and her team was very underwhelming.Post BW she somehow manages to defeat Alder off screen,that Dragonite that defeated her Haxorus is the same Dragonite that lost to Paul's Garchomp in a sparring match.Outside of Haxorus the rest of her team isn't all the impressive even with the whacky powerscaling in Journeys,Paul's Torterra/Electivire/Drapion/Ursaring hard counters her Excadrill/Dragonite,the rest of her pokemon are weaksauce.
The problem is that Journeys already established a Top 8. If it were for me, I would put Paul pretty close to Cynthia as I doubt Paul didn't train after DP, and at that time he was close to Ash's level.
 

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Well-Known Member
The problem is that Journeys already established a Top 8. If it were for me, I would put Paul pretty close to Cynthia as I doubt Paul didn't train after DP, and at that time he was close to Ash's level.
If it were up to me I'd have him compete in the PWC,he'd be just behind Leon and Ash.This would essentially be the same formula that was used in previous leagues,have Ash beat the main rival (Paul) before he goes on to face the league rival (Leon).In other anime the rival is usually close to the protagonist in power (Vegeta/Kaiba/Sasuke).
 

SerGoldenhandtheJust

Deluded Dreamer
Trainers Stronger than Current Paul
Ash - Yes
Leon - Yes
Cynthia - Yes
Steven - Yes
Diantha - Yes
Alain - Sure
Lance - Maybe
Raihan - Maybe
Iris - No
Bea - No
Kukui - No
Sawyer - No
Gladion - No

Right now I'd put Paul somewhere near Raihan,the other trainers below him I can see Paul beating,he has a stronger ace without relying on gimmicks and a much deeper roster of pokemon at his disposal.I refuse to believe that Iris is stronger,back in BW she rarely trained and her team was very underwhelming.Post BW she somehow manages to defeat Alder off screen,that Dragonite that defeated her Haxorus is the same Dragonite that lost to Paul's Garchomp in a sparring match.Outside of Haxorus the rest of her team isn't all the impressive even with the whacky powerscaling in Journeys,Paul's Torterra/Electivire/Drapion/Ursaring hard counters her Excadrill/Dragonite,the rest of her pokemon are weaksauce.
LMAO that's just your bias for saying Paul is better than Iris when Iris is in the Masters 8, period.
Paul is around Raihan/flint levels, possible vying for the top 9 or 10 spot sure, maybe
He isn't better than Lance or Iris despite them losing in the first round
 

TheNewGuy

Well-Known Member
Paul is a step below Raihan but not much. Top 20 trainer though. Drasna was ranked 12 before Ash beat her. I think she would be a very challenging opponent for Paul.

The problem is that knocking out Dragonite might be Paul's best ever feat. His absence and lack of wcs participation does him no favours in discussions like this.
 

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Well-Known Member
LMAO that's just your bias for saying Paul is better than Iris when Iris is in the Masters 8, period.
Paul is around Raihan/flint levels, possible vying for the top 9 or 10 spot sure, maybe
He isn't better than Lance or Iris despite them losing in the first round
Why would Iris be stronger when her best pokemon lost to the very same pokemon that Paul defeated in a training battle?Are you just going to skip over everything that happened in DP and BW?

Suggesting that she's stronger than Paul just because she was in the masters 8 isn't saying much when he wasn't even in the PWC at all.Outside of Haxorus,Dragonite and Excadrill what else does she have that's a legitimate threat?

Paul's Torterra/Electivire/Drapion/Ursaring/Magmortar/Honchkrow would smoke her back in BW,now in Journeys everyone has gotten a significant power boost.If Paul's Garchomp defeated Ash's Dragonite in a sparring match why should we not expect the same thing from his other pokemon that were established?This doesn't favor Iris at all especially from a skill standpoint.
 

SerGoldenhandtheJust

Deluded Dreamer
Why would Iris be stronger when her best pokemon lost to the very same pokemon that Paul defeated in a training battle?Are you just going to skip over everything that happened in DP and BW?

Suggesting that she's stronger than Paul just because she was in the masters 8 isn't saying much when he wasn't even in the PWC at all.Outside of Haxorus,Dragonite and Excadrill what else does she have that's a legitimate threat?

Paul's Torterra/Electivire/Drapion/Ursaring/Magmortar/Honchkrow would smoke her back in BW,now in Journeys everyone has gotten a significant power boost.If Paul's Garchomp defeated Ash's Dragonite in a sparring match why should we not expect the same thing from his other pokemon that were established?This doesn't favor Iris at all especially from a skill standpoint.
The circumstances for their defeats was much much different though
You're talking as if Paul took down Dragonite with ease, when he took it down thanks to Dragonite trying something different and failing. Meanwhile with Iris Dragonite was also struggling, until Iris did give it a morale boost too and Ash used his unconventional strategy to turn Haxorus 's power against him.
Different scenarios, doesn't mean that it implies Paul's Garchomp > Dragonite > Haxorus at all

Iris has Dragonite, Excadrill, Haxorus, probably a full Garchomp, goodra hinted in the iris episode, official merch for the anime also hinted Hydreigon. Considering Iris is a champion and a masters 8, fair to assume they are strong as well. We also don't know whether Paul's mons have received a power boost since he got all new ones in JN, like Ash's JN team being stronger
Since Paul clearly himself puts himself below Masters 8, and Iris is one of them, safe to say it's clear who the narrative favours more
 

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Well-Known Member
You're talking as if Paul took down Dragonite with ease, when he took it down thanks to Dragonite trying something different and failing.
It was quite easily if you rewatch the battle,trying different things is no excuse it lost.
Different scenarios, doesn't mean that it implies Paul's Garchomp > Dragonite > Haxorus at all
That's your opinion
Iris has Dragonite, Excadrill, Haxorus, probably a full Garchomp, goodra hinted in the iris episode, official merch for the anime also hinted Hydreigon.
Paul counters all the pokemon you just named,he has a deeper roster with a plethora of powerhouses.
Considering Iris is a champion and a masters 8, fair to assume they are strong as well. We also don't know whether Paul's mons have received a power boost since he got all new ones in JN, like Ash's JN team being stronger
Oh yes let's be stupid and act like none of Paul's pokemon except Garchomp,Gyarados and Metagross got a power boost to match everyone else in Journeys.That'a out of character considering Paul doesn't train just 1 or a select few of pokemon.
Since Paul clearly himself puts himself below Masters 8, and Iris is one of them, safe to say it's clear who the narrative favours more
No he just wasn't put into the PWC,he had the stupid reason of not competing because he hates "noisy crowds",no the writers just didn't have plans for him,his return was a last minute thing and you could clearly see that in his return episode it was rushed.
 
It was quite easily if you rewatch the battle,trying different things is no excuse it lost.

That's your opinion

Paul counters all the pokemon you just named,he has a deeper roster with a plethora of powerhouses.

Oh yes let's be stupid and act like none of Paul's pokemon except Garchomp,Gyarados and Metagross got a power boost to match everyone else in Journeys.That'a out of character considering Paul doesn't train just 1 or a select few of pokemon.

No he just wasn't put into the PWC,he had the stupid reason of not competing because he hates "noisy crowds",no the writers just didn't have plans for him,his return was a last minute thing and you could clearly see that in his return episode it was rushed.
1 minute ago

two funny reactions

I don't know if people think you're a circus or if they're just trolling
 

Sham

The Guardian of Ruin and Birth
Iris has Dragonite, Excadrill, Haxorus, probably a full Garchomp, goodra hinted in the iris episode, official merch for the anime also hinted Hydreigon. Considering Iris is a champion and a masters 8, fair to assume they are strong as well.
Whole conversation is yikes but I think she’s using utilities Emolga. If memory serves me right even shoulder mons count as six Pokemon on your team.

I laugh for the "that's your opinión" card because almost anything that has been said in this thread is an opinion
I’m just laughing out of boredom
 
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