“Young people really are full of energy. Picking a fight the moment they meet. What a lively bunch.”
A very muscular middle-aged man wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts walked over to Zhang Tian and Hao Fei.
“You two are students from Class Six, right? I’m the examiner for your test.”
The middle-aged man took out a small notebook and looked at the two of them.
“Who’s Zhang Tian?”
“Who’s Hao Fei?”
“I’m Zhang Tian.”
Zhang Tian looked at the middle-aged man and answered calmly.
“I’m Hao Fei.”
Hao Fei answered as well.
“Good. You both look energetic.”
The middle-aged man nodded and scribbled something in his notebook.
“Has the seed candidate been decided yet?”
The middle-aged man asked.
“Not yet.”
Zhang Tian shook his head.
“Good. Then the two of you can battle each other. Whoever wins will receive the seed candidate slot.”
“Besides that, I’ll also evaluate your performance during the battle and give you a score.”
“In other words, this fight between the two of you isn’t merely a competition for the seed candidate slot. It’s also part of your exam.”
“Any objections?”
The middle-aged man looked at them calmly.
“None.”
Zhang Tian shook his head.
“Perfect!”
Hao Fei puffed out his chest, looking eager to teach Zhang Tian a lesson.
“Good. Follow me. I’ll take you to the battle field.”
The middle-aged man stopped writing, waved them over, and walked toward the nearby battle arena.
Under his guidance, Zhang Tian and Hao Fei arrived at the designated battle field.
“You two, take your positions first. I’ll announce the rules.”
“First: once an opponent’s Pokémon is seriously injured, you are not allowed to attack it again. If you kill the opponent’s Pokémon, you will at minimum lose your Trainer qualification. In more serious cases, all Pokémon in your possession may be confiscated. The final punishment will depend on the circumstances.”
“Second: once a Pokémon is seriously injured, the referee—that’s me—may directly declare the winner.”
“Third: Flying-type Pokémon cannot fly higher than 100 meters.”
“Fourth: Flying-type Pokémon cannot remain airborne continuously. They must descend at least once every minute.”
“Fifth: Attacking the opposing Trainer is prohibited.”
“All right, that’s it. I’m starting the countdown.”
The middle-aged man finished reading the rules in a somewhat lazy tone, looking almost completely unconcerned.
“Ten… nine…”
“…three… two… one… zero!”
The instant the countdown reached zero, Zhang Tian and Hao Fei simultaneously threw their Poké Balls.
“Go, Pidgeot!”
“I’m counting on you, Meowscarada!”
Meowscarada was a humanoid, feline Pokémon standing around 1.5 meters tall.
An elegant Meowscarada appeared in front of Hao Fei.
It looked like a pampered young lady from a wealthy family, carrying an unmistakably refined and noble air.
At the same time, Zhang Tian’s Pidgeot appeared in front of him.
Zhang Tian’s Pidgeot was enormous.
A normal Pidgeot was only around 1.5 meters tall, while his Pidgeot stood a staggering 2.3 meters tall.
Zhang Tian suspected that Pidgeot’s enormous size had something to do with all the monster meat it had eaten from the Monster Hunter world.
After all, the monsters in that world were all enormous.
“Cawww!”
Pidgeot let out a wild cry.
Unlike the elegant Meowscarada, Pidgeot was extremely fierce and savage.
It was like an apex predator from the wilderness—violent, ferocious, and radiating a dangerous aura.
“What a fierce Pidgeot.”
The middle-aged examiner looked at Pidgeot, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.
He had seen plenty of Pidgeot before, but he had never seen one this fierce and savage.
It reminded him of the powerful Dragon-type Pokémon found in wild Secret Realms.
The same wildness.
The same ferocity.
The same aura of an apex predator.
“This Pidgeot has been raised exceptionally well. It isn’t far from reaching Gym Leader Class either.”
“The younger generation really is becoming more impressive. The waves behind really do push the waves ahead.”
The middle-aged man sighed inwardly.
Meowscarada
Level: 38 (Elite Class)
Held Item: Leftovers
After taking a glance at Meowscarada’s information, Zhang Tian frowned slightly.
Leftovers were much more troublesome in the real world than they were in the games.
After all, in the real world, Pokémon could actually dodge attacks.
Unlike in the games, where avoiding an incoming attack wasn’t really an option.
Buzz!
The instant Pidgeot entered the battlefield, it immediately used Agility.
At the same time, Meowscarada activated its move, Baby-Doll Eyes.
“Meow!”
Meowscarada looked adorably at Pidgeot.
A strange pink light shot from its eyes toward Pidgeot, which had just finished using Agility.
Pokémon battles in the real world were completely different from the battles shown in the anime.
A human’s speaking speed simply couldn’t keep up with the speed of Pokémon attacks.
By the time a Trainer finished giving an order, the opponent might already have attacked.
Therefore, during battles, Pokémon primarily relied on their own judgment.
Trainers could at most give a few brief reminders, much like a basketball coach giving instructions from the sidelines.
Psychic-type Pokémon were an exception.
Psychic-type Pokémon could generally communicate through telepathy, allowing them to connect directly with their Trainers.
Telepathy was incomparably faster than spoken commands.
That was why Trainers could continuously direct Psychic-type Pokémon during battle.
Whoosh!
Pidgeot had frequently sparred with Blood Orange Bishaten and Tobi-Kadachi.
Its battle experience could now be described as extremely rich.
Its ability to dodge attacks had been honed to the extreme.
It was no longer the inexperienced rookie it had once been.
“Quick Attack!”
Pidgeot shot toward Meowscarada.
With Agility and Quick Attack boosting its speed, Pidgeot was now moving at four times its original speed.
It was incredibly fast.
Since the battlefield wasn’t particularly large, Pidgeot practically reached Meowscarada in an instant.
“Meow!”
Meowscarada neither dodged nor retreated.
Instead, it immediately used Disarming Voice.
Clearly, Meowscarada intended to rely on its Leftovers and exchange damage with Pidgeot.
Buzz!
Invisible sound waves spread outward from Meowscarada.
Boom!
Pidgeot was too close to Meowscarada to dodge.
The sound waves struck it head-on.
However, Meowscarada didn’t escape unscathed either.
Pidgeot’s razor-sharp talons pierced directly into both of Meowscarada’s eyes.
Bang!
Pidgeot was blasted backward by the sound waves, tumbling through the air before landing more than ten meters away.
Fortunately, Disarming Voice only had a base power of 40, so Pidgeot wasn’t seriously injured.
Compared to Pidgeot, however, Meowscarada was in a much worse state.
With both eyes slashed by Pidgeot’s claws, Meowscarada clutched its face and rolled around on the ground in agony, letting out an extremely shrill cry.
Quick Attack itself wasn’t particularly powerful.
But Pidgeot had struck a vital point.
“What a vicious Pidgeot.”
The middle-aged examiner stared deeply at Pidgeot.
“It doesn’t look like a Pokémon raised by a human at all. It looks more like one of those veteran alpha Pidgeot from the wilderness that have survived countless battles.”
The examiner raised his voice.
“The winner is Pidgeot!”
“Congratulations, Student Zhang Tian. You have obtained the seed candidate slot.”
“Both of you have passed the exam. I’ll record your results in the system.”
“At four o’clock this afternoon, go to the city research institute to collect your Trainer certificate and your rewards. If you’re late, your rewards will be forfeited.”
After leaving those instructions, the middle-aged examiner strode away.
His work here was finished.
There was no reason for him to stay any longer.
“Come back, Meowscarada.”
Hao Fei recalled Meowscarada into its Poké Ball.
He shot Zhang Tian a hateful look before quickly leaving and heading toward the Pokémon Center.