A/N: New tiers added for specific stories. Do check it out. Show you support for this story. Creator Name: Blaze98
For the first time since the practical exam had begun, the global livestream fell into something close to stunned silence.
Millions of viewers sat frozen in front of their screens—some with snacks forgotten in their hands, others leaning forward unconsciously, parents holding their breath as if their own children were the ones standing in that scorched clearing. The battle had ended, but the tension hadn't released yet. It lingered, heavy and unresolved.
Ritu's voice finally cut through the quiet.
"Oh—" she said, exhaling softly before composing herself, professionalism sliding back into place. "And… he lost. The challenger loses five points."
The chat reacted instantly.
[WHAT???]
[HE FOUGHT A DRAGON]
[THAT WAS ORANGE RANK WTF]
[HOW IS HE EVEN STANDING]
Ritu didn't rush them.
She let the reactions pour in for a few seconds before continuing, her tone shifting—less announcer, more analyst.
"Still," she added, eyes flicking toward the data scrolling beside her screen, "that was one hell of a fight. From what we can see, his Pokémon were mid–Blue rank Charmander—now evolved into Charmeleon—and a mid–Green rank Meowth."
She glanced back up, eyebrows lifting slightly.
"And he chose to challenge an Orange-rank Shelgon. Even if it was recently promoted, Orange rank is classified as team-battle difficulty. That's not recklessness—that takes guts."
The chat slowed again, messages changing tone.
[RESPECT]
[HE DIDN'T RUN]
[THAT EVOLUTION THO]
Ritu smiled faintly.
"And it seems," she continued, leaning closer to her monitor, "that the story isn't quite over yet."
The main screen shifted, zooming back into the island clearing.
Rakesh was visible again, kneeling beside his fallen Pokémon. A medical drone hovered nearby, having already dropped off the limited supplies permitted for the exam—three standard potions, no revives, no extras.
Viewers watched as he used two of them carefully.
Not hurriedly.
Not wastefully.
First on Meowth, who stirred faintly as the potion's glow faded, breathing evening out. Then on Charmeleon, whose chest rose more steadily as the burn marks and bruising softened under the healing energy.
Only after both were stable did Rakesh stand.
The camera followed him as he turned back toward the dragon.
Shelgon remained where it had stopped, shell scorched and cracked in places, breathing heavy but controlled. Just behind it, filling the frame with an oppressive sense of scale, stood Salamence. Her wings were folded now, but her posture was anything but relaxed. Golden eyes tracked Rakesh's every step, sharp and calculating.
"She hasn't moved," Ritu noted quietly. "The Salamence is allowing him to approach… but she's watching. Very closely."
The tension returned, thicker than before.
Rakesh slowed his pace deliberately, hands visible, movements careful. He didn't reach for a Poké Ball. Didn't issue commands. Instead, he knelt a short distance away and reached into his pack.
Berries.
Oran berries first, their blue skins catching the fading sunlight. Then Yache berries—rarer, frost-kissed fruits known for easing the strain of dragon and ice-based energy.
He held them out with both hands.
An offering.
The chat exploded again.
[IS HE INSANE]
[THAT'S A SALAMENCE BEHIND HIM]
[WAIT… HE'S OFFERING FOOD?]
Shelgon shifted slightly, claws scraping against stone. Its head tilted, nostrils flaring as it scented the berries. It didn't attack. It didn't retreat either. Slowly, cautiously, it leaned forward and took the offering, jaws closing around the fruit with a low, rumbling sound.
Ritu let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"He's checking for injuries," she said softly. "Even after losing points. Even after being knocked out."
The camera panned upward just enough to catch Salamence's reaction.
She stepped forward once.
The world seemed to stop.
Then Rakesh extended a few berries toward her as well, arm steady despite the obvious danger.
Salamence stared at them for a long moment, eyes unreadable.
Then she turned her head away.
Rejection.
Not aggression.
"She's refusing the food," Ritu observed, voice careful. "But she's also not intervening."
The implication sank in.
Respect.
Across living rooms, dormitories, training camps, and crowded watch parties, something subtle shifted. This wasn't just about battle points anymore. It wasn't even about winning or losing.
It was about what came after the fight.
And as the sun dipped lower on the island and the camera lingered on a boy standing unarmed in front of a dragon, the world watching began to understand something the exam had never put into words—
This test wasn't only measuring strength.
It was measuring character.
The moment Rakesh began to step back, signaling that the encounter was over, the atmosphere shifted again.
Without warning, the Salamence on the ground threw back her head and roared.
It wasn't a warning roar.
It wasn't territorial.
It was loud enough to make the microphones spike and the livestream crackle with distortion.
Across the world, people flinched.
Some parents grabbed their children's shoulders instinctively. Watch parties erupted into startled shouts. Even seasoned trainers leaned forward, hearts pounding, as the second Salamence—the one circling high above—folded its wings and dove.
The camera operator barely managed to keep up.
The sky-born Salamence descended like a missile, wind screaming around its massive form, the force of its approach bending tree branches and kicking dust into the air. For a split second, panic rippled through the audience.
[IS IT ATTACKING HIM??]
[GET OUT OF THERE]
[WHY IS IT COMING DOWN—]
Ritu sucked in a sharp breath but forced herself to keep speaking.
"Everyone—everyone stay calm," she said quickly, though her own voice carried tension. "Let's… let's see what happens."
The Salamence didn't strike.
At the last possible moment, it flared its wings and landed directly in front of Rakesh, the impact sending a shockwave through the clearing. Leaves lifted into the air, stones rattled, and Rakesh staggered back half a step, boots scraping against the ground.
The dragon lowered its massive head.
Then—
It opened its mouth.
Time seemed to freeze.
From between its jaws, something rolled forward gently, completely at odds with the fear it had inspired moments earlier.
An egg.
Smooth.
Pale.
Faintly shimmering with patterns that caught the dying sunlight.
It came to rest on the ground between the Salamence and Rakesh.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke.
Not on the island.
Not in the observation rooms.
Not across the millions of screens worldwide.
Ritu's eyes widened.
"Is that…?" she began, then stopped, as if afraid to say it out loud.
Rakesh stared down at the egg, frozen, his breath caught somewhere between disbelief and awe. He didn't reach for it. Didn't move at all.
Then the Salamence reared back and roared again.
This time, the sound wasn't meant for the audience.
It was meant for him.
The force of it hit like a physical wall. Rakesh's hair whipped back violently, his jacket snapping against his frame as he stumbled a full step backward, barely keeping his balance. The message was unmistakable.
Not a gift.
A judgment.
A challenge acknowledged.
A life spared.
The Salamence turned away without another glance, moved toward the battered Shelgon, and with surprising gentleness, lifted the newly evolved dragon onto its back. The second Salamence took to the air immediately, circling once overhead like a final warning etched into the sky.
Then both dragons launched themselves upward.
Wings beat once.
Twice.
And they were gone—vanishing over the treetops, leaving behind only silence, broken branches, and a single egg resting in the dirt.
The camera lingered.
Rakesh stood there, unmoving, staring at what had been left behind, while Meowth stirred weakly at his feet and Charmeleon let out a low, confused sound.
Ritu finally found her voice.
"…Ladies and gentlemen," she said softly, "I don't think we just witnessed part of an entrance exam."
The chat exploded, messages blurring into a flood of disbelief, awe, and fear.
[IS THAT A DRAGON EGG]
[WHY DID THEY LEAVE IT]
[WHAT DOES THIS MEAN]
[THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TEST]
And somewhere, far away from the island but very much aware of what had just happened, Aakash watched the screen in silence.
Because some moments didn't belong to exams.
They belonged to the future.
__________________________
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