"Ah, to be young. So full of spirit, starting a fight right off the bat." A powerfully built middle-aged man in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt walked over to Zhang Tian and Hao Fei.
"You must be the students from Class 6. I am your examiner for today," he said, pulling out a small notebook. "Who is Zhang Tian? And who is Hao Fei?"
"I'm Zhang Tian," Zhang Tian said softly.
"I'm Hao Fei," the other boy stated.
"Good. Both full of energy." The middle-aged man nodded, making a few notes in his book. "Has the seeded spot been decided?"
"Not yet," Zhang Tian shook his head.
"Alright, then you two will battle. The winner gets the spot. In addition, I will be evaluating your performance to give you a rating. To put it simply, this battle is not just for the seeded spot; it is your exam. Any objections?" he asked calmly.
"None," Zhang Tian replied.
"Just what I wanted!" Hao Fei puffed out his chest, eager for a chance to teach Zhang Tian a lesson.
"Good. Come with me, I'll take you to the battlefield."
The man led them to a designated battle area on the field.
"Take your positions. I will now read the rules of the match."
"One: Once an opponent's Pokémon is severely injured, you may not attack it further. If you kill the opposing Pokémon, you will be disqualified as a trainer, and all of your Pokémon may be confiscated, depending on the circumstances."
"Two: If a Pokémon is severely injured, I, as the referee, can declare a winner on the spot."
"Three: Flying Pokémon cannot exceed an altitude of 100 meters."
"Four: Flying Pokémon cannot remain in the air indefinitely. They must land at least once per minute."
"Five: Do not attack the opposing trainer."
"Alright, that's it. I will begin the countdown," the middle-aged man said, looking a bit lazy and disinterested.
"10, 9, 8... 0!"
The moment the countdown ended, Zhang Tian and Hao Fei threw their Poké Balls in unison.
"Come out, Pidgeot!"
"It's up to you, Meowscarada!"
A humanoid, cat-like Pokémon appeared, standing about 1.5 meters tall. "Meow," it purred. This Meowscarada had an elegant, refined air, like a pampered lady from a wealthy family.
At the same time, Zhang Tian's Pidgeot appeared before him. It was massive. A normal Pidgeot stood at 1.5 meters tall, but Zhang Tian's was a towering 2.3 meters. He guessed its immense size was a result of its diet of monster meat from the Monster Hunter world. After all, the monsters there were all enormous.
"SKREEEE!" Pidgeot let out a wild, piercing cry. In stark contrast to the elegant Meowscarada, it was ferocious and untamed, like an apex predator of the wild brimming with dangerous energy.
"What a fierce Pidgeot," the examiner murmured, a trace of surprise in his eyes. He had seen plenty of Pidgeot, but never one so savage. It reminded him of the powerful Tyranitar from the untamed wildlands just as ferocious, just as predatory.
"This Pidgeot is almost at the Gym Leader tier," he thought with a sigh. "The young people these days are getting stronger and stronger. The new generation truly surpasses the old."
Meowscarada
Level: 38 (Elite Tier)
Held Item: Leftovers
Zhang Tian's brow furrowed slightly as he saw the information. In the real world, Leftovers was a much more troublesome item than in the games. Here, Pokémon could physically dodge attacks, unlike in the turn-based games.
Fwoosh! The moment it appeared, Pidgeot used Agility.
At the same time, Meowscarada activated its own skill: Charm.
"Meow!" it purred, looking at Pidgeot with a cute expression. A strange pink light shot from its eyes, heading straight for Pidgeot, which had just finished its Agility.
Real-world Pokémon battles were different from the anime. The speed of human speech couldn't keep up with a Pokémon's attack speed. By the time a trainer finished shouting an order, their Pokémon might have already been hit. Therefore, Pokémon had to rely on their own judgment during a fight. A trainer could, at most, offer a few reminders, like a coach during a basketball game. The exception was for psychic-type Pokémon, which could communicate telepathically with their trainers, allowing for constant command.
Swoosh!
Pidgeot executed a beautiful flip, effortlessly dodging the Charm. Having sparred frequently with the Blood Orange Bishaten and the Tobi-Kadachi, its combat experience was now incredibly rich. Its evasive abilities were maxed out; it was no longer the rookie it once was.
"Quick Attack!" Pidgeot shot toward Meowscarada. With the boosts from Agility and Quick Attack, its speed was now four times its normal rate. The battlefield wasn't large, and it closed the distance in an instant.
"Meow!" Meowscarada made no attempt to dodge, instead opting to use Disarming Voice. It clearly intended to rely on its Leftovers and trade blows with Pidgeot.
Voom!
Invisible sound waves rippled out from Meowscarada. Pidgeot was too close to evade and was struck head-on. However, Meowscarada didn't get off easy. Pidgeot's sharp talons shot forward, piercing straight through its eyes.
Thud!
Hit by the sound waves, Pidgeot tumbled backward more than ten meters. Fortunately, Disarming Voice only had a power of 40, so its injuries were not severe.
Meowscarada, on the other hand, was in a much worse state. It rolled on the ground, covering its ruined eyes and letting out a miserable shriek. Quick Attack's power wasn't high, but Pidgeot had aimed for a critical weakness.
"That Pidgeot doesn't fight like it was raised by a human at all. It's more like a battle-hardened veteran from the wild."
The middle-aged man gave Pidgeot a deep look, then announced loudly, "The winner is Pidgeot! Student Zhang Tian, congratulations on securing the seeded spot. You have both passed the exam. I will register your information now."
"Go to the city's Pokémon Research Institute at 4 p.m. to receive your certificates and your rewards. If you are late, the rewards will be forfeited."
With that, the middle-aged man's work was done. He turned and strode away.
"Return, Meowscarada." Hao Fei recalled his Pokémon, shot a hateful glare at Zhang Tian, and then hurried off in the direction of the Pokémon Center.