Donghuang Academy – Evaluation Arena
"Hattrem, use Psybeam."
Inside the arena, Hattrem raised her hands to her chest.
A moment later, a spiraling beam of deep pink psychic energy shot forward.
Facing the incoming attack, Swampert narrowed his eyes.
Water surged around his body.
Liquidation — activated!
Wrapped in rushing water, Swampert burst forward at extreme speed.
The sudden acceleration was so fast that even the spectators—Geng Zhi, Fuecoco, and Swablu—were momentarily dazzled.
"Hattrem—now!"
"Psychic!"
"Hattrem!"
In the next instant, an overwhelming psychic wave erupted.
Boom!
Swampert was blasted backward like a snapped kite, his charge completely shattered.
"Stop there, Hattrem," Ethan said calmly.
Hattrem immediately withdrew her psychic power.
Seeing Swampert lying in the distance, worry appeared on her small face.
"Hattrem…?"
She was clearly afraid she had gone too far.
But the next second—
Swampert rolled over and sprang back to his feet.
He looked a little battered, but otherwise perfectly fine.
Ethan smiled.
"How did it feel?"
"Any ideas on how to break through Psychic-type techniques?"
Swampert blinked, then began gesturing animatedly in midair.
Ethan laughed.
"Exactly—use momentum."
"Psychic power ultimately depends on the opponent's mental limit."
"If your force exceeds that limit, you can break through."
"If you'd jumped three or four meters higher earlier, even if Hattrem blocked you, she wouldn't have been able to stop your descent."
"And then a second Liquidation would hit even harder."
Swampert's eyes lit up.
"Swampert!"
He was eager to try again.
"Not today," Ethan said, shaking his head.
"Hattrem and I still have the entrance evaluation."
"You rest, think it over."
"After the evaluation, she'll train with you again."
Hattrem nodded enthusiastically.
"Hattrem~!"
Swampert returned to his Poké Ball, deep in thought.
Ethan turned back to Hattrem.
"Well done."
"The iron-ball training paid off."
"Your psychic control is extremely precise now."
Hattrem beamed.
Being praised by Ethan clearly made her very happy.
At that moment, Fuecoco waddled over.
"Fue~!"
The little Fire-type was congratulating her too.
Ethan smiled.
"Thanks, Fuecoco."
Fuecoco scratched his head proudly.
Then Geng Zhi walked over, Swablu perched on his head.
"Ethan… this is insane."
"With Hattrem at this level, who among the freshmen can compete with you?"
Geng Zhi had witnessed everything—from Hattrem's capture, training, and evolution, all the way to this moment.
Half a month ago, she could barely control her psychic power.
Now she was casually unleashing high-level moves.
Meanwhile, he still hadn't figured out how to make Fuecoco behave consistently.
He sighed internally.
The gap felt cruel.
Ethan, however, remained modest.
"There's always someone stronger."
"This year's freshmen are said to be exceptional."
"I might not even make the top ten."
Geng Zhi stared at him.
Brother… you don't have to lie like that.
"Alright," Ethan said.
"Let's head to the evaluation hall."
"If we're late, we could lose our qualification."
They left the training area and walked for several minutes.
Soon, they entered a massive hall filled with people.
At the center stood a young woman Ethan recognized immediately.
She was the top scorer he'd met on enrollment day.
Standing beside her was a powerful-looking Nidorina.
"Nidorina—maximum output!"
"Head Smash!"
"Nidooo!"
Nidorina roared as an overwhelming aura exploded from her body.
She charged forward—
Bang!
Her massive body slammed into the testing machine, shaking the entire platform.
A moment later, a mechanical voice echoed through the hall.
Student: Irene Qin
Evaluation Pokémon: Nidorina
Score:91,451
Congratulations!
You have broken the Donghuang Academy entrance evaluation record!
The hall fell silent.
Then—an uproar.
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