The candidates waiting around the battle arena all fell silent.
They stared at the Raticate standing on the platform, shock written all over their faces.
This… this was real?
This Raticate's strength was definitely considered good among Pokémon of the same level.
And yet a Pokémon like that had actually been crushed at the Entry-level Beginner tier…
By a starter-stage Charmander?
Even its teeth had been smashed?
That was way too absurd, wasn't it?
If it was true…
Then just how strong was that Charmander supposed to be?!
"Chi-ya! Chi-ya!"
Raticate yelled at Teacher Moo twice in dissatisfaction.
Obviously, in a public setting like this, Teacher Moo bringing up its embarrassing past made Raticate feel humiliated.
But when it recalled the scene from back then—
The pain and disgrace of having its incisors shattered clung to it like a curse it couldn't shake off.
That Charmander's silhouette flashed through its mind.
Its body immediately trembled violently.
Catching Raticate's reaction, the doubts in the hearts of the candidates vanished in an instant.
So that's how it was!
This Raticate had been beaten into trauma!
Looks like there was a very good chance the story was true!
And then they looked again at its two big teeth.
Compared to an ordinary Raticate, there was clearly a noticeable gap between its upper and lower incisors.
They didn't bite together cleanly.
It was probably because its teeth had broken before, and even now they still hadn't fully grown back.
After hearing all that, Himeko's expression slowly became… complicated.
Two months ago?
Wintergreen Forest?
Charmander?
Put those elements together—
Why did it match her situation perfectly?
Don't tell me…
Was this Shiko's doing?
That couldn't be possible!
Two months ago Shiko already had that kind of combat power?
That was ridiculous!
Himeko was extremely curious.
She tried to communicate with Shiko inside the Luxury Ball, to ask clearly whether he was the one who did it.
But Shiko couldn't be bothered to acknowledge her at all—no response whatsoever.
As if he were asleep.
Himeko tried for a while longer…
And could only give up.
"Get off the platform. Stop sniveling here and embarrassing yourself."
On the battle arena, Teacher Moo looked at the boy in front of her and snorted coldly.
The boy wiped away his tears, returned Poochyena to its Poké Ball, and walked off the platform without saying a word.
"Next."
Teacher Moo glanced at the score sheet in her hand.
Right after that, the next candidate stepped onto the platform.
The candidate who went up wore a heavy expression.
He released a Meowth from his Poké Ball.
This Meowth's level was even a bit lower than that previous candidate's Poochyena.
There was no surprise at all.
Raticate ended the battle in a single hit.
"Chi-ya!!"
Victorious, Raticate was brimming with pride, waving its short forepaws with an arrogant look.
"Next."
Teacher Moo didn't even lift her head.
She casually marked an X on the score sheet and called the next candidate onto the platform.
The atmosphere around Battle Arena Ten was oppressive and stifling to the extreme.
This powerful Raticate brought crushing pressure to every candidate.
Entry-level Peak strength.
Against it, as they were now…
They truly had no way at all.
"Next."
"Next."
"Next."
"…"
Teacher Moo repeated those three words over and over again.
Like a cold, mechanical voice prompt.
Eighteen candidates went up in a row.
And not a single one of them lasted even one round against Raticate!
Teacher Moo stared at the entire column of X marks on her sheet, and her brows knit together.
More than a third of the examinees had already been tested.
Forget passing—
There wasn't even one candidate who made her eyes light up!
This year's students…
Were just too terrible.
"Next!"
Teacher Moo called out.
As soon as her voice fell, Joji brushed aside the hair over his forehead.
With an exasperated look in his eyes, he glanced toward Himeko standing in the crowd.
He let out a cold laugh.
Then, after flashing another meaningful expression, he slowly walked up onto the battle arena.
"Joji-sama is here! It's Joji-sama's turn!"
"Joji-sama will definitely pass! His starter Pokémon is Dratini!"
"Yeah! A pseudo-legendary Pokémon that strong—there's no way it won't work!"
"…"
The moment Joji stepped onto the platform, the previously heavy and stifling atmosphere instantly became restless.
If anyone among the candidates at Battle Arena Ten could pass under Teacher Moo's hand…
Then in everyone's eyes, the person most likely to do it—
Was Joji.
(End of Chapter)
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[[email protected]/Zukooo]
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