Paul

Paul (Japanese: シンジ Shinji) is one of Ash's rivals. From Veilstone City, he most likely headed to Sandgem Town to get his starter, he has since traveled through Kanto, Johto & Hoenn. However, he is not a caring trainer, what he wants from his Pokémon is pure power and the trainers he faces to be strong. When he first meets Ash, he demands a 3 on 3 Battle, however since Ash was still looking for Pikachu, Ash couldn't battle, this warranted some aggravation on Paul's part. Paul is also known to release his Pokémon if he deems them weak or useless. Some fans call him a "cold-hearted power monger" which seems somewhat appropriate due to his ambition and seeing his Pokémon as tools for his own glory. Paul is similar to the rival in Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, who is often referred to as Silver.

Personality
Paul is a cold, callous, and rather arrogant trainer. He has no interest in being friends with anybody, even his own Pokémon, and simply sees his Pokémon as tools to win Pokémon battles. He is often annoyed and exasperated by Ash's actions and tendency to act like a child, and Paul seems to barely see their rivalry.

Paul rarely shows emotions, although on some occasions he does show much emotions. A very significant time was when in A Pyramiding Rage, when he let his anger get out of control during his battle with Brandon. Paul also almost never smiles, except for the occasional smirk and a small chuckle when dealing with Ash. In Chim-Charred! He chuckles and says to Ash, "Man, you get worked up."

Towards the end of the saga, after the battle with Ash, Paul reforms and is shown congratulating Electivire on a job well done, something that he had never done prior to the three-parter final battle. Paul then decided to return to Snowpoint City to rechallenge Brandon and he bids farewell to Ash, albeit on more friendly terms.

Pokémon
As a result of Paul's selective team creation, his active team is composed of Pokémon that he deems to be powerful. While the captures of Ursaring and Gliscor were shown in Different Strokes for Different Blokes and Riding the Winds of Change! respectively, the rest were obtained off-screen. The On-hand Pokémon List contains Paul's Pokémon whom are currently used by him in the Sinnoh League and against Ash. It was later revealed that his Torterra, Nidoking, Hariyama, Weavile, Froslass, Drapion and Electivire have a type of sentimental value to him as he captured these Pokémon when he first started his journey as a Pokémon trainer.

Kanto League

 * 8 Unknown Badges

Johto League

 * 8 Unknown Badges

Hoenn League

 * 8 Unknown Badges

Sinnoh League

 * Coal Badge
 * Cobble Badge
 * Icicle Badge
 * beacon badge
 * 4 Unknown Badges

Pokemon League Status

 * Kanto Conference (Indigo League): Unknown
 * Silver Conference (Johto League): Unknown
 * Ever Grande Conference (Hoenn League): Unknown
 * Lilly of the Valley Coference (Sinnoh League) Loses to Ash: Top 8

Contests

 * Hearthome Tag Battle: Champion-with Ash
 * PokéRinger - Squallville: Runner-Up

Trivia

 * Paul's appearance and personality is heavily based on Silver's; at first some fans assumed that he was the anime counterpart of Silver. This was proven false because Silver already appeared in the anime before Paul. However, the appearance was brief, so Paul may be a remake of Silver the way Lyra is Kris 's game remake.
 * Strangely enough, Paul's hometown is Veilstone City, which is also where Team Galactic's base was set up. Also interesting to note is that, in the games, you can only evolve Murkrow by use of the Dusk Stone, which is only available inside of said base.
 * Oddly, out of almost all the battles Paul and Ash were in, Paul was the victor, making him a lot stronger than Ash, yet he couldn't defeat Brandon the Pyramid King but Ash could because Paul fought out of anger.
 * Although a Pokédex is often red or pink Paul's Pokédex is black.
 * Paul smiled when he lost to Ash Ketchum in the Sinnoh league.
 * Paul and Ash share the dream of becoming the world's best trainer.
 * Paul is the only named trainer to own an East Sea Gastrodon.
 * Paul is the kind of trainer who doesn't let any entry hazards stop him from making substitutions.
 * Paul's Torterra is the only Pokemon he has that has never been seen getting yelled at, no matter what it does.
 * Unlike the original owners of Tepig and Charmander, Paul doesn't try getting Chimchar back despite witnessing its power. This could be Paul's own act of kindness, as it shows that Paul truely acknowledges Chimchar's growth as Infernape, unlike the other trainers, who wanted their abandoned Pokemon for their power.
 * Paul also didn't lie or fake a kind farewell to his Chimchar, like Chamander and Tepig, but rather demamded that Chimchar leave in a harsh voice.