The temporary research station set up on the outskirts of Glendale had been buzzing with activity for days. After weeks of theoretical development and careful calibration, the Silph Co. team—alongside Ray—was finally ready to begin the first round of practical testing on the updated version of the Aptitude Measurement Unit, now referred to as the AMU-X.
This time, it wasn't going to involve students or school battles. The first test phase would be conducted exclusively with Pokémon owned by authorized Silph researchers. The goal was to obtain consistent measurements in controlled environments and determine whether the machine could finally distinguish between internal sublevels within the same aptitude color.
Ray stood inside the technical tent with three engineers and Dr. Lysand, watching as data streamed in from the central console.
"Subject One: Flareon," one of the operators announced. The Pokémon stepped into the center of the circular scanner—an elevated platform surrounded by refined sensor nodes.
Aptitude Color: OrangeSublevel: Light Orange (Est. Score: 43.2)Stability Index: 89.7%
Ray nodded. "That matches its recorded development profile—strong early potential, but stagnant growth afterward."
"Subject Two: Jolteon," came next. This scan took slightly longer, but eventually, the results appeared.
Aptitude Color: OrangeSublevel: Deep Orange (Est. Score: 59.4)Stability Index: 91.3%
"Same base category," Dr. Lysand murmured, "but completely different growth potential."
Ray jotted notes on a clipboard. "Exactly. The original system would've lumped both together as equals. But Jolteon clearly has a superior refinement ceiling."
Testing continued for hours. A Sandslash categorized as Light Green, a Ninetales labeled Deep Green, a Golduck registering as Core Green, and even a Hitmontop that surprised the team by ranking Light Blue, though its raw power hadn't yet caught up with its aptitude potential.
What impressed the tech team most was how the AMU-X no longer returned inconsistent readings along the edges of sublevels. Ray's work on statistical thresholds for each subrank was finally paying off.
"The gap between Core and Deep is stabilizing," one engineer noted. "That Parasect we scanned yesterday? Definitely Deep Green based on its stamina and recovery scores. But last week, we wouldn't have caught that."
Ray watched the data scroll by with a mix of satisfaction and restraint. "Let's continue testing against mobility, endurance, and attack recovery. Light-class Pokémon should show more agility, while Deep-class should excel in power and durability."
And so it was. Over the course of two full days, more than 60 Pokémon were scanned and evaluated. Multiple cases confirmed that Pokémon sharing the same base aptitude displayed wildly different overall capacity thanks to their sublevel differences.
By the second night, as the team reviewed the accumulated data, Ray exported a full report. On his screen appeared the headers he had long dreamed of seeing:
Category: Green
Light Green: 61–67
Green: 68–74
Deep Green: 75–79
Category: Blue
Light Blue: 80–85
(Pending calibration for deeper ranges...)
There were still sublevels left to define—especially in higher categories like Purple or the mythical Aurora. But for the first time, theory was becoming something real. Measurable. Replicable.
"We'll need at least three more calibration phases before proposing a public release," Dr. Lysand said. "But if this continues, Ray… your system might become the new standard."
Ray smiled quietly. The third year at the academy hadn't even started yet—and already, his vision was beginning to reshape the world.