After returning to the dorms, the first thing everyone did was fight for the bathrooms and take a long, hot shower.
Then they headed straight to the cafeteria for a proper meal.
Those ten days in the wilderness had been nothing short of a nightmare.
They were determined to make up for every bit of suffering in one go.
Even Zane—the devil of an instructor—had, quite rarely, granted them half a day off to recover before the final phase of training began the next day.
Everyone treasured the precious half-day—and then… slept
If time was limited, then sleep had to be maximized.
...
The night passed without incident.
At seven in the morning, on the Pokémon battle field, Aaron and the others stood in neat lines.
Instructor Zane still wore the same poker face as he calmly swept his gaze across them before speaking.
"First, congratulations on making it this far. To be honest, you've shown more backbone than I expected."
"I originally thought that by today, at least half of you would be gone. But surprisingly—"
"Only five people were eliminated."
"That leaves twenty-five of you."
"That alone deserves a word of praise."
Zane's voice was loud and clear. A few students couldn't help letting faint smiles creep onto their faces.
"But—don't be happy too soon."
The shift in tone instantly wiped away the budding joy.
Everyone straightened up, faces turning serious as they waited for what came next.
"The final stage of training camp begins now."
"Pokémon battles."
"This phase will train your ability to command Pokémon, control the flow of battle, and adapt on the fly."
"Each day, I will assign different instructors to act as your opponents, so you'll be fighting against a variety of Pokémon."
"Ten days from now, the official Pokémon battle assessment will take place. Failure means immediate expulsion from the training camp."
"The winners will represent Training Camp No. 1 in battles against the other camps."
"The victor of the inter-camp battles will receive generous rewards jointly provided by the military and the academy."
"Those who perform exceptionally well may even be directly recruited by the Military Pokémon University."
"That means you can enter one of the nation's top universities without taking the college entrance exam."
"And you'll receive a full set of benefits on top of that."
As Zane laid out the training plan, he dropped a bombshell.
Everyone's eyes lit up with intense excitement.
Why had they worked so hard all this time?
Wasn't it all for the chance to enter a top-tier Pokémon university?
And now, that opportunity was right in front of them.
How could they not be thrilled?
"Ding—Mission Triggered: Complete the Training Camp Assessment."
"As an ambitious young trainer, how could you be stopped by a mere training camp assessment? Complete it in the most show-off way possible to clear the mission."
"Mission Reward: Increase the proficiency level of a designated skill by one level; Advanced Pokémon Candy ×1."
The system's voice echoed in Aaron's ears.
Another mission.
He accepted it immediately. When he saw the reward, a thought flashed through his mind—
Was this going to produce his first Ultimate-level skill?
Excitement flickered in his eyes.
Frogadier already had two Perfect-level skills. If one of them were upgraded again, it would reach the legendary Ultimate.
Even Aaron had only heard of Ultimate-level skills in rumors.
He had never actually seen one.
Those skills weren't something that could be achieved through repetition alone.
What mattered most was a Pokémon's comprehension.
Only when a Pokémon grasped the true essence of a skill could it evolve into an "Ultimate" technique—one that surpassed ordinary moves.
Aaron's heart stirred with anticipation.
...
Zane clearly noticed the excitement in their eyes and spoke slowly.
"I'll say it again—don't get excited yet. First, you have to pass the training camp assessment before you're even qualified to represent Camp No. 1."
"All trainees—"
"Prepare for Pokémon battle training."
At Zane's command, everyone immediately spread out. Each student was assigned an instructor for one-on-one Pokémon battles.
Aaron's opponent was a dark-complexioned instructor, at least 1.8 meters tall. Solid muscle from head to toe—built like a powerhouse.
The burly instructor grinned at Aaron, flashing a broad grin.
Aaron returned the smile and nodded in greeting.
The instructor spoke up.
"Aaron, right?"
"I'll be in charge of your Pokémon battle training today. Let's begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, the instructor threw a Poké Ball.
A Beedrill appeared on the field, the three poisonous stingers on its arms and abdomen glinting with cold light under the sun.
"Bzzzzzz—"
Aaron's eyes automatically pulled up Beedrill's data panel.
[Name: Beedrill]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Jolly]
[Type: Bug / Poison]
[Ability: Swarm]
[Base Stats: 395]
[Level: Intermediate (Late Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Elite level]
[Known Moves: Twineedle (Proficient), Fury Attack (Proficient), Rage (Basic), Pursuit (Basic), Focus Energy (Basic)…]
[Description: Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. The evolved form of Kakuna. Its stingers on both arms and its tail can repeatedly pierce enemies…]
...
An Intermediate (Late Stage) Beedrill.
That would be tough for most people—but for him…
It felt a little underestimated.
Aaron didn't waste any words. He threw out a Poké Ball of his own.
A Shiny Frogadier landed on the battlefield.
"Khss…"
Frogadier's naturally disdainful gaze was instantly provocative.
The battle began.