Paul Fields

Shinji Paul Fields is the secondary antagonist of Tears of the Fallen. He's from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region. He's a member of the Tekiyoku and an Ice Manipulator.

Background
Paul attended Sinnoh Academy and maintained a friendship there with Barry and Zoey. The three got along well, despite different personalities. They were close friends and were there for each other.

Past
As highlighted in Episode 31, approximately 3 years ago from the start of the story, Paul was at Sinnoh Academy on November 3rd being spoken to by Barry and Zoey. He was asked to come study with them for the upcoming math exam and to plan their hangout for Barry's birthday, which was in 3 days. Paul refused, saying he doesn't care about math and might fail anyway. Barry and Zoey ended up convincing Paul to come with them to Hailey's for snacks. Paul agreed, saying there was something he wanted from there anyway.

Upon getting to the store, a sign read that the store had closed down and went out of business yesterday. Paul said he was going to get a Hailey's brand lemon-flavored ice cream bar that he usually picked up when walking home alone. Frustrated, Paul leaves and tells them not to follow him.

45 minutes later, Paul got a knock at his room at PokéLife Apartments which he shares with Barry. It was Barry and Zoey again. He yelled at them for being here, but stopped when he noticed that Zoey had one of the lemon-flavored ice cream bars in her hand. She gave it to Paul. He was confused and asked how they got this. They said that after he left, they had found out where the store owner lived. They went there and discovered he had some of the ice cream bars stored away. He gave a whole box of them to Barry and Zoey. Zoey revealed that this was Barry's idea. Paul was grateful. Barry then asked him again to come study with them. Paul smiled and agreed to come with them.

Present
Paul, Barry, Zoey were friends of Gary and Tracey at Sinnoh Academy. Gary and Tracey are childhood friends of Ash and he roomed with them when he first arrived in the city of the academy, Jubilife City, to meet Alain. They then introduced Paul, Barry, Zoey to Ash, since those three were also rooming at PokéLife Apartments, with Zoey living on her own and Barry rooming with Paul.

After Ash, Alain, and Dawn left Sinnoh to start their journey, Barry, Zoey, and Paul were about to start on an altruistic journey and help others in need around the regions. In Episode 6, the night before they set out, Zoey was packing in her room and Barry was at his apartment with Paul. Suddenly, Paul attacked Barry from behind after slowing his movement with Mist of Depression, showing that he's actually an Ice Manipulator, previously unbeknownst to Barry. Paul then declared how there is no good in the world, followed by the Tekiyoku war cry, proving he's actually a member. Paul fled the area.

Not much was shown for Paul after that, but it was clear that he was training hard, due t o his strength in his returns. He first returned at the end of Episode 25. He encountered Barry one night outside Barry's hotel as he was thinking of things. Paul dodged all of Barry's strikes and did not fight back. He ignored Barry, who wanted to know why Paul betrayed them. Kenny showed up then, who had been watching. Paul just remarked on how weak Barry is since he's not a Manipulator yet. He left the scene.

Paul returned again in Episode 28. He sh owed up late in the fight against the Mokusetsu for the Psychic Plate, Fushigi, in Sinnoh. He ended up fighting Barry, avoiding every strike from him again. He ignored Barry's pleas for him to come home and go back to their friendship. He knocked Barry unconscious. The same thing happened after that when Zoey fought him. Paul and the others with the Tekiyoku ended up losing the battle and retreated. Paul did n ot show up with Annie, Oakley, and Zero in the report to Lysandre for what happened in the fight for the Psychic Plate.
 * Hidden Plot Information

Personality
Evidently, Paul is a back-stabber. He does not show loyalty if he has someone stronger to show loyalty towards, which was apparently Lysandre.

Paul is a grumpy person, which was present even when he was friends with Barry and Zoey at Sinnoh Academy. He usually has a short temper, but he can control it pretty well. He's also pretty smug, showing conceitedness when facing Barry and Zoey in battle, which he was able to back up with his skill.

He prefers solitude, seen by the fact that when he made his first two return appearances in Sinnoh, he was always by himself, not even arriving with the other Tekiyoku people he fought with in the battle for the Psychic Plate, Fushigi.

Strangely, he's an Ice Manipulator. His personality seems to clash with what the required personality is for Ice Manipulators. This suggests that he's probably hiding parts of his personality.

Additional Information

 * Hidden Plot Information

Barry
Paul shows no signs of kindness towards Barry now that he turned on him. He arrogantly talks down to Barry about how Barry wasn't a Manipulator at the time of Paul's first return in Sinnoh. He pushes Barry to get more power, which had a temporary negative effect on Barry when he became thirsty for more power in Sinnoh.

Paul fought Barry for the first official time in the battle for the Psychic Plate, Fushigi. Before fighting, Paul expressed pleasure in how Barry was finally an Electric Manipulator, but maintained his arrogance. Barry didn't land a single hit on Paul, while Paul proved to be too strong for Barry.

Paul ignores Barry's pleas to return home to continue their friendship. Paul actually hasn't said much on the topic, other than telling Barry that Paul doesn't need anyone.

Zoey
Paul didn't turn on Barry in front of Zoey, so she found out about this later from Barry. In the fight for Fushigi, Paul also fought Zoey after Barry. Paul didn't show any remorse to her either, knocking her unconscious.

His behavior towards Zoey is similar to Barry, although he seems less focused on Zoey, not nearly as pleased at her being a Grass Manipulator as he was with Barry being an Electric Manipulator. Paul ignores Zoey when she tries to tell him how much his actions affect Barry.

Naming

 * His first name, Shinji, is his Japanese name in the official Pokémon anime. It seems to come from the word, shinju, which means "pearl". He could also be named after the music composer, Shinji Miyazaki.
 * His middle name, Paul, is his name in the English dub of the anime. This seems to also be a form of the word, pearl.
 * His last name, Fields, was randomly selected from an English name generator.

General

 * His birthday, September 28th, is the original Japan air date of the episode of the Pokémon anime he first appeared in, which was actually part of a 3-episode special premiere in Japan.
 * Paul is the youngest member of the Tekiyoku.