Hearing Aaron's words, Zane's expression darkened.
Don't tell me this kid still has another trump card…?
The thought crossed his mind—and he immediately rejected it.
Impossible!!
No way.
This is ridiculous…
Am I seriously being pushed this far by a high school student?No wonder the instructors under me have all been on edge lately…
This kid is unreal.
Zane's lips twitched as the thought ran through his head, leaving him momentarily speechless.
At the same time, a sharp glint flashed through Aaron's eyes.
He spoke calmly to Snorlax:
"Snorlax… Snake Man Form!!"
"Then attack the cave—Gum-Gum King Cobra!!"
As Aaron's words fell, dense steam burst from Snorlax's body once more, white vapor billowing and spreading.
Snorlax's massive frame rapidly compressed.
Its protruding belly vanished, replaced by a lean, densely muscled physique. Thick white steam swirled around its body, threaded with faint, unfamiliar patterns.
When the steam finally cleared, a Snorlax barely two meters tall stood on the battlefield—compact, solid, and powerfully built.
No—this could no longer be called Snorlax.
Where was the rotund body?
Where was the slow, lumbering bulk?
This form had a new name.
Snake-Man Snorlax.
"Snorla—!"
Snake-Man Snorlax released a fierce roar, an overwhelming presence surging outward and pressing down on everything around it.
"Hiss—!"
Zane nearly ground his teeth to dust as he sucked in a sharp breath.
"This is Snorlax!?"
"A Snorlax that's this lean—and this muscular!?"
"This is completely insane!!"
Zane stared as if he'd seen a ghost, disbelief filling his eyes. This completely overturned his understanding of Snorlax as a fat, sluggish Pokémon.
"Gulp…"
Zane swallowed hard.
Before he could recover from the shock, Snorlax had already launched its attack.
Snake-Man Snorlax's fists shot forward at blinding speed.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Each strike detonated the air with sharp bursts, moving so fast they were invisible to the naked eye.
For a split second, the outline of a cobra flashed along its fists—feral and deadly.
The relentless barrage slammed straight into the tunnel where Steelix was hiding.
"Not good—!"
Zane's pupils shrank sharply. His instincts screamed that this attack was extremely dangerous.
He shouted immediately:
"Steelix—get out, now!!"
But before Steelix could react, violent impacts echoed from underground.
Boom—!!
A massive explosion erupted beneath the battlefield. Steelix's enormous body was blasted out of the tunnel and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Dust billowed into the air. Rocks scattered in all directions.
Steelix's eyes spun.
It had completely lost the ability to continue fighting.
The battle ended with Aaron's Snorlax defeating three opponents in a row.
A clean victory.
But it hadn't come easily. Snorlax had pushed itself close to its limits.
Even so, the fight gave Aaron a clear sense of Snorlax's true combat strength.
It could contend head-on with Elite (Mid Stage) Pokémon. Against Elites (Late Stage), things would be far more difficult—unless it held a clear type or matchup advantage.
Otherwise, victory would be extremely difficult.
With Zane's final Pokémon defeated, the result of this training camp assessment was decided.
Aaron had passed.
Zane stood there in silence, staring at the unconscious Steelix. Then a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He took out a Poké Ball and recalled Steelix.
"Rest well, Steelix."
"You've done extremely well."
After that, he walked over to Aaron and stopped in front of him.
"Congratulations."
"Aaron, you've passed the assessment."
Aaron smiled.
At the same time, a familiar system notification rang out in his ears.
"Ding~ Congratulations on completing the mission: Complete the Training Camp Assessment!"
"Rewards obtained: One designated skill proficiency increased by one level, one Advanced Pokémon Candy…"
...
The mission was finally complete.
Now Frog Boss could advance to an Advanced Pokémon—and even gain an Ultimate-tier skill.
Aaron's heart surged with excitement.
An Ultimate-tier skill!
That kind of ability was almost unheard of. Even Champion-level experts didn't necessarily possess Pokémon with Ultimate-tier skills.
And now, his Frog Boss was about to have one.
The thought alone made Aaron grin from ear to ear.
"Feeling the instructor's… 'generous kindness,' huh…"
"So—about that thirty thousand…"
Aaron shot Zane a grin, rubbing his fingers together in a gesture anyone could understand.
Zane blinked, looking puzzled.
"What thirty thousand?"
"What are you talking about, Aaron?"
"Alright—enough chatter. Get back into formation. We're about to announce the list of those who passed."
With that, he turned and walked away without the slightest pause.
Leaving Aaron standing there, completely dumbfounded.
He stared at Zane's retreating back, disbelief written all over his face.
No… not a back.
That was the back of a dog.
"Zane, you damn mutt!!"
"You shameless liar!!"
...
On the training field,
Everyone's Pokémon assessments had concluded. Some were devastated, some were overjoyed, and others burned with anger.
On the platform, Zane stood expressionless. He swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke.
"This training camp assessment has officially ended."
"The results have disappointed me."
"Out of 25 participants, only 5 have passed."
"20 have been eliminated."
"I will now announce the names of those who passed."
"Aaron, Grace, Simon, Ethan, Victor."
"Those who passed will remain."
"The rest are dismissed."
"Go pack your belongings. Transportation will be arranged to send you back to school."
...
And just like that—
From the original thirty participants, only five remained.
...