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I really should watch DP soon. Chimchar and Infernape are just some of my favorite Pokemon, so I love to actually see all the character development one gets in the anime.
The symbolism is pretty real, as well. Paul basically represents your average hardcore Pokémon gamer, while Ash represents the casual players who choose to use their favorites. Sadly, love and trust gets you nowhere in the games (lol), but props to the anime for highlighting on that.
It's always funny for me to see people hate on Ash for not following their rules for Pokemon training that they follow in the games. Of course, Ash is going to treat his Pokemon as friends or whatever. That's what the anime is about. It's all about friendship and the trust between Pokemon and trainer. The anime isn't really going to praise people who don't treat their Pokemon well, as was shown with the difference between Ash and Paul.
@Astinus I wouldn't be surprised if the writers designed Ash and Paul's rivalry for that very purpose. I mean, there's nothing wrong with playing casually, even if many people look down on it, That being said, there's nothing inherently wrong with Ash's battling style either, and I think the clash of ideals between Ash and Paul was executed in an excellent, symbolic manner.
Ash vs. Paul was definitely my favourite rivalry in the anime, they really were perfect counterparts to each other and really brought out each others strengths and flaws. The final battle between them was just... wow. Honestly that rivalry was one of the biggest reasons for me to keep watching the show haha.