By now, Aaron had already run into his first Pokémon.
And it was another Primeape.
What a coincidence—back in the small secret zone, he had also encountered that veteran Primeape.
Beginner (Mid Stage).
At first, Aaron even thought that since they kept crossing paths, maybe it was fate and he should go easy on it. But he hadn't expected this one to glare at him as if he were its mortal enemy.
"Kraaaa!"
Primeape shrieked angrily and charged straight at Aaron.
"Greninja. Stomp it."
Aaron merely glanced at it and spoke calmly.
"Nin."
Greninja's half-lidded eyes shifted toward Primeape, just as indifferent as Aaron's.
Birds of a feather.
In the next instant, Greninja stepped forward and drove its foot straight into Primeape's face, slamming it into the ground.
Primeape went down on the spot.
"Beep."
"Points +10."
The scoring watch on Aaron's wrist emitted a mechanical voice as the display updated:
Personal Points: 10
Beginner: 10–20 points
Intermediate: 20–40 points
Advanced: 40–60 points
Elite: 100–200 points
Gym-Level: 1000 points
Those were the official point values for defeating Pokémon.
Seeing how little he had gained, Aaron clicked his tongue in mild disappointment and continued deeper into the inner circle with Sceptile and Greninja.
As he advanced, he finally reached an area closer to the center.
And there, he encountered several Elite-class Pokémon.
They resembled bulls—but each had three tails swishing behind it.
Tauros.
[Name: Tauros]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Adamant]
[Type: Normal]
[Ability: Speed Boost]
[Base Stats Total: 490]
[Level: Elite (Early Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Elite]
[Known Moves: Tackle (Mastery), Work Up (Proficiency), Tail Whip (Proficiency), Horn Attack (Proficiency), Assurance (Proficiency), Raging Bull (Proficiency), Zen Headbutt (Basic)...]
[Description: Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon. Bursting with energy and stamina, it has an explosive temper—if it doesn't like what it sees, it'll keep charging until the target is flattened...]
...
There were four Tauros, all Elite (Early Stage).
If any other examinee saw them, they would probably turn and run on the spot.
But Aaron's eyes lit up. He glanced at Sceptile and Greninja.
"You can each take two, right?"
Greninja gave a faint, disdainful smirk and nodded.
"Greninja."
"Sceptile."
Sceptile also signaled that it was fine.
"Alright. Greninja—Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Then Power-Up Punch."
"Sceptile—Grassy Terrain, then Leaf Blade."
Aaron issued his commands without hesitation.
"Greninja!"
Greninja brought its hands together. A puff of white smoke exploded outward, and in the next instant, ten shadow clones surrounded it.
Its right fist ignited with white light as it shot toward two Tauros at high speed.
"Sceptile!"
A vibrant green glow surged from Sceptile's body as it slammed both hands onto the ground.
In an instant, dense vegetation spread across the field, carrying a faint floral scent.
Light flashed along Sceptile's forearms, and pale blades formed along the backs of its hands.
Then it burst forward through the trees at high speed, charging toward the other two Tauros.
"Mooo!"
Caught off guard, the four Tauros bellowed in anger. A crimson light flickered in their eyes as they lowered their heads and charged with Tackle, rushing at Greninja and Sceptile.
Greninja and its shadow clones moved like lightning. In the next instant, they were already at the sides of two Tauros, Power-Up Punch fully charged—
—and then they struck.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
A series of heavy impacts echoed through the clearing.
"MOOO—!"
The Tauros struck by Greninja's main body let out a pained bellow as it was launched high into the air.
It lost the ability to fight immediately.
A Perfect-level Power-Up Punch, combined with Protean and type advantage, turned the blow into overwhelming force. There was no suspense—the Tauros dropped instantly.
The other Tauros, the one hit by a shadow clone, crashed to the ground as well, roaring in fury.
"Greninja. Quick Attack. Finish it."
Aaron's calm voice rang out once more.
That unlucky Tauros had only just forced itself back to its feet when black lightning flashed.
Before it could react, it was slammed into the ground again.
Its eyes spun, and it lost the ability to fight.
"Beep. Beep."
"Points +200."
Two Elite (Early Stage) Tauros added 200 points to Aaron's total.
On the other side, Sceptile's Leaf Blade came down hard on one Tauros's head.
With one clean strike—
—for a split second, it looked as if the blow might have severed it.
Tauros let out a miserable bellow.
"Moo—!"
Even its voice cracked.
The ground split under the sheer force of the strike, gravel bursting outward—
and Tauros collapsed, knocked out cold.
Grassy Terrain enhanced the power of Grass-type moves.
Verdant Avatar amplified it further.
Combined with the same-type bonus—Leaf Blade struck with overwhelming force.
Tauros dropped instantly.
The final Tauros watched everything unfold in a heartbeat.
Four had entered—now only one remained.
Fear flickered in its eyes.
Without hesitation, it turned and bolted, sprinting for its life.
It didn't look back once.
A ruthless bull.