"Aha! I knew it had one of these," I exclaimed, tapping away at the screen.
A low, disgruntled grumble cut through the air behind me.
I glanced down.
Zangoose was still curled in my lap, one eye cracked open, staring up at me like I'd just insulted her ancestors. She let out another irritated huff and buried her face deeper into my lap.
I snorted, suddenly feeling like a man who had disturbed a very judgmental housecat.
The device I'd used in my dorm was actually a modified Pokégear—one specifically tailored for school use only. Which meant that alongside having the school's version of my trainer card on it, it also had various other functions.
"Let's see if this works how I think it does," I muttered, aiming the lens at her sleeping form.
The Pokégear beeped softly, and after a few seconds, her stats appeared on the screen:
Species: [Zangoose (Partner)]
Aura Grade: [In-Training]
Type: [Normal]
Height: [0.3m]
Weight: [8.03kg]
Ability: [Toxic Boost]
Awakening: [N/A]
I squinted, my eyes zeroing in on two parts I didn't immediately recognize.
Well—one, actually. I'd read about Aura Grades earlier. It was 'Awakening' that was still a mystery.
Whatever it was, I'd have to figure it out later.
The history book had explained that before the rise of the Aura Guardians, Pokémon were judged by their "level" and capped arbitrarily. But when humanity unlocked the ability to read and manipulate Aura, the truth came out: a Pokémon's max level wasn't fixed, and it was able to be raised.
The level system was promptly dropped in favor of a new standard—Aura Grades.
'In-Training' covered Pokémon from Level 1 to 9, indicating a Pokémon's Aura was still unstable. From there, each Grade covered a ten-level span. Grade 1 started at 10, Grade 2 at 20, and so on—all the way up to Grade 9, or Level 90.
Only Level 100 broke that pattern. That level had a name of its own: Legend Grade.
The term wasn't just symbolic. It was created out of respect for the only known trainer to ever raise a Pokémon that far.
World Champion Cynthia.
A basic Garchomp was already a Pokemon in the pseudo-legendary club. But hers was not only a Partner Garchomp, but one that she managed to bring to the maximum level!
And what if she stacked Mega Evolution on top of a max level Partner Garchomp? Or any of the other force multipliers this world had to offer?
That was why she was known as a living legend.
The undeniable proof that a human and Pokémon together could climb all the way to the top.
Despite her being pretty young for such a legendary trainer, she was already included in the history books. And the books worshipped her.
The specialists quoted in the books even estimated that within the next few decades she'd be able to lead us to expanding our territory to a whole 15% of the world. That was ridiculous levels of praise in my opinion, but who was I to question it?
If anyone in the world could be called a Pokémon Master, it was her. I was just some student with a Zangoose as his partner.
"Not that I think any less of you, Partner," I whispered, running my hand over her fur. "Our goal isn't to become the strongest in the first place."
To reach the wilderness, we would have to become somewhat powerful, but that was all. We didn't need overwhelming strength like Cynthia, we just needed enough power and resources to explore on our own.
But for that to happen, I had to start somewhere.
The final evaluation was just over a week away, and I'd already been handed a head start: Zangoose. The other students wouldn't even get their partners until tomorrow.
That gave me one day. One day to get ahead. And in a system like this, even a little head start could mean a lot.
A higher class placement wasn't just for prestige—it meant a bigger monthly point stipend. More points meant better meals, better training gear, better access to resources that would be locked behind paywalls for the rest of us.
It meant priority access to training arenas, simulated wild zones, and even one-on-one mentorship opportunities with faculty.
Truthfully, I didn't care if the staff acknowledged me or not. But my personal feelings didn't change the fact that the more I stood out, the bigger the benefits.
In short: power, opportunity, and attention. And all of it could be bought with performance.
So if I wanted to reach the wilderness someday… if I wanted to explore the unclaimed 97% of the world and not die doing it, this was where it started.
I needed Zangoose to get stronger. Fast.
Which meant I needed to quickly form an Aura Bond.
And right after that, learn how to perform a basic Cleansing.
The books had made one thing abundantly clear—without a bond, a Pokemon's potential would just stagnate and rot. It didn't matter how talented the species was or how hard they fought. Without that link, it was all just wasted power.
The people here were born with Aura and even if they never utilized it, it was something that had been with them from the beginning. Me? I was from another world—one without any Aura whatsoever.
From the moment I stepped foot in this world, I could feel that power buzzing under my skin.
I'd thought I was imagining it in my initial excitement, but I felt it flare up once more after Zangoose chose me as her partner.
And now? I had a good enough grasp that I could at least push it to the surface.
As my Partner, she was as close as any Pokemon could ever get to forming an Aura Bond with me. Even if my understanding and control of Aura was shallow—
"All it needs," I muttered under my breath, my hand atop her head. "Is a little push."
So I pushed.
Not with force. Not physically. Just… with intent. Like tugging on something I couldn't quite see but knew was there.
Aura wasn't instinctual for me. It didn't move as smoothly as a limb like it probably did for the people born here. But I could feel the edges of it, like heat rising off pavement or static before a storm.
The books called it a current—one that ran through all living things.
And now, I had a reason to reach for it.
Zangoose was warm beneath my hand, her breathing slow, steady. I focused.
Not on what I wanted, but on her. The shape of her aura, however faint, was tethered to mine now. But that wasn't an Aura Bond, just a representation of her choosing me as her Partner.
Yet it was more than enough for a spark of the real thing.
I exhaled and tried something else—this time not tugging at her Aura but offering something outward.
And in that moment, a bridge between us opened.
Suddenly, I wasn't sitting in a library any longer, but a place much deeper than that. A world that wasn't quite mine or hers, but ours.
And in that space… I felt her.
Sharp. Proud. Coiled like a spring. There was no uncertainty, no fear—just fierce self-assurance. Like a blade that didn't question whether it could cut.
There was no test for me to pass. I had already done so.
I was hers. And she was mine. That truth burned at the core of her being, bright and unshakable. Not because she had been tamed, but because she had chosen. And the idea that her choices could be wrong didn't exist in her world.
To her, the world outside our bond was lesser. Unworthy. The others—students, Pokémon, trainers—they didn't matter.
Only us.
The certainty in that hit like a spark through dry grass, igniting something... I couldn't quite describe. It was loyalty, and affection, and recognition. A shared hunger to carve our place into the world—and a quiet, defiant promise to never kneel while doing it.
In return, I offered her myself.
The wanderlust. The fascination. The longing to step into the unknown and claim it.
Not to dominate this world. But to belong to it. To explore the world in spite of any obstacles that stood in my way.
For how could I claim this world was my home if I couldn't even walk freely in it?
And she understood, but she wasn't surprised. That level of ambition was something she'd expected of her Partner.
And then, as quickly as it had begun, the sensation ebbed. Our bond didn't vanish, but it grew quiet—like a heartbeat you no longer had to focus on to hear.
I let out a slow breath, half-laugh, half-exhale.
I slowly drew my hand back. Her ear twitched. She shifted just enough to rest against me again.
"Arrogant little thing, aren't you?" I murmured with a smile. "You know you can't be right all the time, yeah?"
She flicked an ear but didn't wake. I snorted.
"Then again… you did choose me. So maybe you're onto something."