Would Aaron really let prey that had already fallen into his grasp escape?
"Sceptile—Wood Barrier. Block it!"
Aaron shouted.
"Sceptile!"
A surge of green energy erupted from Sceptile's body. The roots beneath the ground writhed violently, bursting upward to form a thick, hardened wooden barrier directly in the path of Tauros's charging hooves.
Thud.
Tauros lost its footing and pitched forward, crashing headfirst into the dirt.
"Moo—!"
It let out a pained bellow.
"Sceptile, finish it!"
"Mega Drain!"
Aaron's voice rang out again.
"Sceptile!"
With a low snarl, Sceptile released a beam of green energy that struck the fallen Tauros squarely.
"Moo—!"
Tauros struggled briefly—then went limp.
In the end, it couldn't escape Aaron's assault. It collapsed completely, joining the others in defeat.
Beep. Beep.
"Points +200."
The scoring watch delivered its cold mechanical notification once more.
Another 200 points added.
Nice.
Aaron continued his sweep through the zone. To increase efficiency, he also released Snorlax and Gyarados.
With four Pokémon working simultaneously, they cleared the surrounding forest for several kilometers.
As time passed, half of the exam had already gone by—three hours.
Within a radius of several kilometers, every single Pokémon had been defeated. After they passed through, nothing was left standing.
Not a single Pokémon capable of fighting remained in the area.
Aaron's score had climbed to a staggering 25,000 points.
Beneath a large tree, he took out Energy Cubes and distributed them to Greninja and the others to restore their stamina.
After finishing the cubes, the four Pokémon quickly recovered their strength.
Energy Cubes truly were remarkable.
Once they had rested sufficiently, Aaron led them deeper into the inner circle.
It was time to challenge a Gym-Level Pokémon.
He stared into the dim forest ahead, a flicker of battle intent flashing in his eyes.
With his four Pokémon at his side, he strode forward with steady, resolute steps.
...
Inside the Tidecrest control room, Deputy Commander Xander and several officers watched the live rankings displayed on the main screen.
"Currently ranked first is Elias. As expected of the Deputy Commander's youngest son! Hahaha—like father, like son!"
"Exactly. It seems this year's Tidecrest champion is almost certainly Elias."
"Congratulations, Deputy Commander."
"A prodigy ranked in the top twenty of the Hidden Dragon Rankings, after all."
The officers voiced their congratulations.
Xander kept his stern expression, though a faint hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
"He's still too immature," he said evenly. "He needs further tempering. Once he enters the Pokémon Elite Defense Academy, I'll train him myself."
"Huh?"
One of the officers suddenly let out a startled exclamation.
Everyone followed his gaze.
On the leaderboard, a name was climbing at an astonishing speed.
Top 100…
Top 90… Top 80… Top 70…
Top 50…
Top 10!
Finally, with 25,000 points, that name surpassed Elias—
Claiming first place.
A full 10,000 points ahead.
The room fell into a strange silence.
The shift had happened far too quickly.
The officer who had just confidently declared Elias the champion felt his face burn with embarrassment.
"Wh—who is that?!"
"Aaron?!"
"I've never heard of him. Is he the descendant of some Elite Four member? How can he be this strong?"
"25,000 points in just three hours? That's insane!"
"Has he been farming Elite-tier Pokémon nonstop?"
"Don't his Pokémon get exhausted?!"
"How can he possibly keep up that pace?"
Questions erupted around the table.
It was almost unbelievable—borderline impossible.
"Technical team, confirm the data."
"Report: all readings are normal."
Though reluctant to accept it, they had no choice but to face the reality before them.
Even Xander couldn't completely hide the shock in his eyes.
Aaron…
The name sounded strangely familiar. He was certain he had heard it before, yet for the moment, he couldn't place it.
Perhaps this wasn't a bad development.
It might help temper Elias's arrogance.
His youngest son excelled in nearly every aspect—except that his pride ran a little too deep.
If he could learn restraint, then perhaps one day Elias might surpass him and step into the Champion level.
Xander stared at the name at the very top of the leaderboard, lost in thought.
"Could it be… that this year, Tidecrest will produce a true rising star?"
...
Meanwhile, Aaron had already ventured deep into the innermost region.
The air here felt noticeably heavier.
An eerie chill lingered beneath the canopy, drawing a slight frown from him as a faint sense of unease stirred in his chest.
Before he could think further—
"Torterra!"
A thunderous roar shook the forest.
Ahead, trees toppled one after another as dust and debris billowed into the air.
A massive Pokémon emerged from the collapsing woodland.
It resembled a colossal turtle. A rugged shell covered its back, and atop that shell stood a towering tree.
Torterra.
[Name: Torterra]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Bold]
[Type: Ground/Grass]
[Ability: Shell Armor]
[Base Stats Total: 525]
[Level: Gym-Leader (Early Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Gym-Level]
[Known Moves: Tackle (Mastery), Earthquake (Mastery), Razor Leaf (Mastery), Wood Hammer (Proficient), Absorb (Proficient), Mega Drain (Proficient), Leech Seed (Proficient), Synthesis (Proficient), Crunch (Proficient), Leaf Storm (Basic)…]
[Description: Torterra, the Continent Pokémon and the evolved form of Grotle. Not particularly fast, but endowed with astonishing stamina and endurance…]