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[Defeated Pokémon: Floatzel]
[+53 Experience Points]
Kael watched as the system notification blinked into view, his heart racing with pride.
He quickly pulled up his status panel.
---
[Species: Mareep]
[Level: 14 (73/100 XP)]
[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Hidden Power (Dragon), Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore]
[Evaluation: A Mareep on the verge of evolution]
---
For the past ten days, Kael had been fighting one to two battles a day inside the Shadow Pit.
The difficulty varied.
Weaker opponents barely required effort [Thunder Shock] alone was usually enough to knock them out. But with less danger came fewer rewards: the experience gains were minimal.
Stronger enemies, though, like today's Floatzel, pushed Kael to his limits. Despite having a type advantage, Kael had to play carefully and exploit every opportunity just to win.
But the reward? Worth it. Fights like those grant close to 50 experience points in one go.
Now, after ten days of non-stop battle, Kael had reached level 14.
And with it, a new move [Cotton Spore].
It scattered soft wool into the air, drastically lowering the opponent's movement speed.
Kael had even taken it a step further he combined it with his natural [Static] ability. Every spore carried traces of his electrical charge. Enough fluff stuck to an enemy, and the static would build up leading to surprise paralysis.
As far as six-move limitations went, Kael felt like he had crafted something effective a small combo with big potential.
Looking again at his system evaluation, he noticed the text had changed.
[Evaluation: A Mareep on the verge of evolution]
His heart skipped a beat.
In the games… Mareep evolves at level 15.
One more win, just one more, and I evolve.
The very idea made Kael's blood surge with excitement.
Evolution wasn't just cool it was power. A huge leap forward in battle ability.
And if he could evolve before this "cycle" ended, he was sure the system would reward him with even more points.
But he calmed himself. Excitement could cloud his judgment. He had to prepare. Strategize.
What he didn't know… was that his next battle would be the most brutal of his life.
---
Somewhere in the admin sector of the underground facility…
Inside an office lined with weights and punching bags, a powerful man pummeled a heavy bag with methodical force.
Sharp, focused eyes, sweat-soaked bronze skin, and a body sculpted through years of training this was Kaise.
Once the owner of a League-certified martial arts dojo, Kaise had turned his back on the League and joined the Shadow Syndicate Dark Star.
Through sheer strength and experience, he had risen through the ranks and was now the manager of the Shadow Pit.
Kaise liked his job.
It wasn't as profitable as the logistics or combat departments, but it gave him access to discarded Pokémon ones he could sell quietly for extra cash.
He'd also earned favor with others in the organization by gifting standout Pokémon from the Pit to rising stars or influential contacts. It was a long-term strategy that had been working.
Best of all? The job was low effort.
His subordinates handled the day-to-day work. Kaise spent most of his time training, strengthening his body.
Because in the world of Pokémon… strength was the only thing that mattered.
After finishing his routine, he took a shower, wrapped a towel around his neck, and flopped into the reclining chair behind his desk.
He casually picked up a folder: "Top Performers - Shadow Pit."
Flipping through the pages—
"Hm… a Bulbasaur with strong Poison-type potential."
"A Tangela with Psychic?"
"Wait… what's this?"
His brows raised in mild surprise.
"A… Mareep?"
He pulled the file.
[Hidden Power: Dragon
Exceptional battle instincts
16 matches, 16 wins
[Static] + [Cotton Spore] combo strategy]
"Huh… interesting."
Kaise couldn't help but be impressed. 'A Mareep with perfect performance in the pit?'
He'd seen plenty of strong Pokémon in the past, but not one from such a... domestic species.
It made him pause.
Should this one be sent back to the central storage vault?
Usually, any Pokémon that survived long enough to impress the higher-ups ended up doing big things either recruited by elite Trainers in the combat division or added to the organization's rare rental pool.
But this… was a Mareep.
The case still held a bias against it. Housepet. Support role. Not a fighter.
Still… maybe this one deserved a shot.
He made a decision.
For its next battle, I'll assign a true test to a serious opponent. And I'll watch it myself.
If it passes… maybe it'll be the first Pokémon this month to earn a return ticket out of the Shadow Pit.
---
Clack!
A red beam shot from a spinning Poké Ball, and Kael landed lightly in the arena.
He barely even flinched he'd grown used to this routine.
Heart pounding with anticipation, he glanced across the arena to see his opponent materialize.
The creature stood upright like a man, its massive orange-brown body radiating power. Its thick arms were coiled with muscle, and its crimson nose crackled with embers. From its maw protruded two curved fangs, glowing faintly with heat.
"Pignite…"
Kael's heart skipped.
He knew that Pokémon well from his old world.
A Fire/Fighting-type starter from the Unova region. A fan favorite. Powerful, relentless.
If this is a Pignite… then it evolved from Tepig at level 16.
That meant this opponent wasn't just strong it had already evolved. At least two levels above Kael. And with significantly better base stats.
A bead of sweat trickled down his woolly brow.
Why is something like this in the pit?
---
From the control room, Kaise watched the screen.
He felt a twinge of regret.
That Pignite had once been a high-value capture taken from a breeder in Nimbasa.
As a League-aligned species, it was extremely rare to find one in Dark Star's possession.
Unfortunately, the thing was a disaster.
Disobedient, arrogant, and recklessly aggressive.
If it had merely ignored commands, there might've been hope for reconditioning. But in battle, it was too dangerous to charge in mindlessly without a strategy.
No one wanted to partner with a loose cannon.
So it had ended up here.
Still, Kaise had no doubt that it would overpower a Mareep.
Stats, training, and evolution were all on Pignite's side.
But… if that little sheep managed to show him something special he'd intervene.
He wouldn't let it die for nothing.
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