After seeing this Raticate's level, Himeko was already silently mourning for that unlucky examinee.
Sure enough.
The moment the test began, Inoshishe-sensei didn't even give a command.
Raticate used Quick Attack into Super Fang, slamming straight into Poochyena head-on.
It was so fast that the scrawny boy with glasses didn't even have time to set up any battle plan!
Poochyena crashed to the ground, its eyes turning into spirals as it lost consciousness and combat capability.
"Chi-ya!"
Raticate used Quick Attack again, returning to where it had been standing. Its short, thick forepaws pumped nonstop, as if extremely satisfied with its own performance.
The entire area around the battle arena fell dead silent.
No one expected the match to end this quickly.
From the start to Poochyena falling, it hadn't even been two seconds.
That Poochyena's strength was already considered pretty good.
And yet, in front of this Raticate, it couldn't even last two seconds!
At this point, it wasn't just people like Himeko—who had the Eye of Appraisal and could see a Pokémon's attribute data—who understood.
Everyone else understood too.
This Raticate was strong—absurdly strong!
To instantly defeat that Poochyena, it had to be at least Entry-level High-tier, maybe even Entry-level Peak!
With that thought, everyone's faces turned ugly.
They didn't believe the Pokémon they had raised could possibly beat this Raticate.
"Fail. Next."
Inoshishe-sensei didn't even lift her head. She simply drew a huge X behind the first name on the score sheet in her hand.
The boy with glasses went deathly pale and sank down onto his knees, staring at the unconscious Poochyena with a pitiful, grief-stricken expression.
"Yes! I passed!"
"Whoa! Thank you, Sensei! This is amazing!"
…
At the same time, perfectly timed cheers drifted over from the two neighboring battle arenas—two other examinees had passed.
The joyful tone, contrasted with the oppressive gloom over Arena No. 10, was almost cruel.
Tears welled in the bespectacled boy's eyes.
He clenched his fist tightly.
A flush began to creep across his pale cheeks.
"Why?! Why?!"
He wiped his tears and shakily stood up.
"I've trained so hard for so long—why won't you let me pass?!"
"I'm clearly Entry-level! I clearly meet the standard!"
He howled hysterically, bloodshot eyes locked on Inoshishe-sensei, demanding an answer.
"Because your examiner is me."
Inoshishe-sensei raised her head.
For the first time, her gaze landed on the boy.
Her voice was icy, without the slightest hint of emotion.
"I don't care about others, but here you follow my rules. I only want geniuses."
"People like you—even if I pass you—once you get into a university, you'll only waste the school's resources."
"So accept reality."
She adjusted her glasses.
Her knife-sharp eyes raked over him.
Students who cried and threw tantrums after losing—she'd seen plenty over the years.
Even so, she had never changed her standards.
Inoshishe-sensei knew it clearly.
Students with talent at his level—even if they entered a university—would be at the very bottom, like disposable cannon fodder.
They'd be allocated little to no resources, with none of the soaring opportunities they imagined.
In that case…
It was better to stay and help build Wintergreen City, maintaining public order.
The City Defense Forces' pay and benefits were no worse—and only better—than what students at their low level would get after entering a university.
"You're doing this for your own selfish reasons!"
"Everyone knows the City Defense Forces belong to the Moo Family! And the current military commander surnamed Kudou is also one of your Moo Family's people!"
"You deliberately use such a strong Pokémon to fight—aren't you just deliberately making sure nobody passes, so you can replenish the City Defense Forces with manpower?!"
The bespectacled boy refused to accept it.
The moment he said it, Arena No. 10 went quiet.
Even the nearby arenas paused their battles.
Everyone looked over.
"Such a strong Pokémon?"
Inoshishe-sensei lowered her head to look at Raticate.
For the first time, a smile appeared on her face.
"Two months ago, this was a Raticate at Entry-level Low-tier. It was defeated by a Starter-level High-tier Charmander from Wintergreen Forest—so thoroughly that even its teeth were smashed."
"If you can't even beat a Raticate like that, is it that you're trash… or that he was too strong?"
(End of Chapter)
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