Complete annihilation. All the results they had worked so hard to build up since the Treasure Hunt had amounted to absolutely nothing once they reached the skills assessment stage.
That was the final thought shared by the students who took part in the challenge.
Plenty of people failed to beat the beautiful Miss Rika, but every now and then someone would barely force their way through on the strength of their bond and enter the second stage. And then they would learn what a true wall of sigh-inducing iron really was.
And so, a strange nickname began spreading among the students. A few of the more knowledgeable ones pointed out that the power of the second Elite Four member was completely abnormal.
If they could at least trade a few blows with Miss Rika while she was holding back, then the moment they reached the second stage, they basically wouldn't even survive one move.
Of course, the very small handful of students who had broken through to the second stage still couldn't summarize any useful experience from it. In the end, they could only arrive at the standard answer:
"If you're bad, then train more."
"The new Elite Four member is so strong...! And that enormous Pokémon! My partners couldn't do anything against that giant thing. It was too huge! It just casually used Heavy Slam and knocked my partner out."
"I-I got a Steel dragon that shot out electrical blasts, and no matter how much I attacked it, it did nothing. The more I attacked it, the tougher it got!"
"You all had it easy compared to me. When I fought him, I saw a huge sword. I even had my Pokémon use Iron Defense to boost its defenses, and it still got one-shot in a single slash!"
"I ran into a Riolu. I know it only becomes Steel-type after evolving, but Steel Tera still counts as Steel. But that Riolu was absurdly strong! It knew Bullet Punch, and it also had a meteor-like heavy punch! And it could fly!"
The students of the Losers' Alliance kept swapping notes, and the more they talked, the more terrifying it all sounded.
"I've never seen a Riolu that could power up and fly! And it was super fast, it could copy all my Pokémon's moves, and it always moved first. There's no way to beat that!"
Theoretically speaking, just barely making it past the watered-down version of Rika had already required everything they had.
But losing that horribly at the second stage still dealt them a serious double blow, physically and mentally.
What they had seen with their own eyes, that iron wall they had once imagined from afar, had now fully materialized and become the reality standing in front of them.
But from Hikaru's perspective, Rika had already gone easy on them by a ridiculous amount.
Because when challenging the League, challengers could use however many Pokémon they wanted. But during Gym Tests, Gym Leaders would generally send out a fixed number of two to four Pokémon, and that varied slightly from region to region.
For example, in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Kanto Gym Leaders like Misty would use four Pokémon against challengers from Johto, and they would carry held items too.
But in Unova, after the Virbank Gym was established, Roxie usually only used two Pokémon.
Paldea, meanwhile, used a standardized four.
"But just like some Ace Trainers, if you only focus on training three or four Pokémon and then go straight to challenge the League, that's usually very dangerous."
A full team of six gave you far more room for error in battle. And if you were already challenging the League, then even if you had to grab a couple of random Pokémon from the roadside at the last second, you should still be showing up with a full six.
After all, this was a place where you had to battle the Elite Four.
This was the room you don't get to leave unless you fight.
You had to have at least some idea of what you were walking into.
"In official tournaments like the Indigo Plateau Conference and the Silver Conference, the preliminary and knockout rounds use 6-on-3 singles. But once you reach the final championship bracket, it becomes full 6-on-6 battle."
"And if you're challenging League headquarters, even bringing six might not be enough. Ideally you'd want one or even two full squads, and then build your lineup in advance based on the information you've gathered."
Even Ash, starting around the later stages of the Indigo Plateau Conference, had begun checking information and adjusting his lineup accordingly.
The only ones who could blast through the Elite Four or League headquarters with just one team were usually the protagonists and rivals of each generation.
Beyond them, there basically weren't any.
"In other words, these students who got eight badges and came to challenge the League are, at best, around the level of Ace Trainers. But for kids, that's already very impressive."
"And as for Champion rank, even if you aren't literally the regional Champion, there's no way you can win that title while only bringing three or four Pokémon."
The work ended quickly and cleanly. The students were beaten until they could do nothing but open and close their mouths, got a serious taste of failure, and would turn that pain into motivation to keep moving forward.
News about the new Elite Four member also spread through Naranja Academy, since the League headquarters was literally right there on the mountain behind the school.
Honestly, Hikaru really wanted to complain about that setting.
"Don't tell me students with eight badges can just eat lunch, take a one-hour break, then casually run over and challenge the Elite Four as a little post-meal workout. This place is way too close to the school!"
That was because the Paldea League was tightly bound to the academy like some giant corporate structure, but even so, the idea of students running out during a class break to challenge the League still felt absurd.
Fortunately, Naranja Academy did have one great thing going for it:
Students chose their own classes.
Except for troublemakers like Team Star, who simply didn't attend class at all... and going by the protagonist's behavior in the game, she spent most of her time outdoors barely surviving in the wilderness anyway. It wasn't like she seemed to attend that many classes either.
So after getting thoroughly beaten down, those students rushed right back to campus life and started loudly telling everyone they knew, and everyone they didn't, all about what they had seen and experienced at the Pokémon League.
For anyone at all, being able to make it to the Pokémon League, even if they failed the challenge, already proved their strength was not to be underestimated. And for the Trainers themselves, it was an extraordinary experience too.
And through "certain channels," these students also learned that the Steel Elite Four member was about to challenge Unova's Champion Road. They also learned that the results of the Champion Assessment would be used as a reference in selecting Frontier Brains.
For students who loved battling, this was obviously a great opportunity to improve themselves, and facilities like battle frontiers were rare things indeed in Paldea.
So before Hikaru left, he heard a very strange rumor:
"Other regions only have one Champion, but our region has Champion rank. So if the Steel Elite Four member beats another region's League, doesn't that mean our region is stronger than theirs?"
That sounded like the sort of propaganda rumor Geeta would come up with, but it was actually something some random NPC had already said before Scarlet and Violet came out.
At first, it seemed like it was meant to hype up the prestige of Paldea's Champion rank, but after release, perhaps because they didn't want to step on the older Champions' heads, regional Champions still remained a thing, while Champion rank turned into something more like an honorary trainer status under the Paldea League.
"So now I'm Paldea's promotional ambassador?"
Hikaru was speechless when he heard the rumor before leaving. And Geeta even came to see him off with a smile.
"Oh dear. This is truly troublesome."
Geeta said it was troublesome, but in reality she was in a very good mood. She was just pretending to complain.
"I had honestly thought a new Champion-ranked Trainer would definitely appear this year. But instead, not a single one made it through the second assessment. And they couldn't even defeat any one of your Pokémon?"
"The League staff say they heard students spreading some pretty outrageous rumors. Some of them are saying you can defeat Pokémon barehanded... and that you can jump higher than a three-story building."
"Of course, I also know that... that might actually be true. But what exactly did you do during battle for them to learn that?"
Hikaru thought about it for a moment.
"The publicity angle was your doing, right? But as for what I did in battle..."
"You know how League battle rooms aren't actually that big. A lot of moves don't have room to unfold properly. Sometimes students' Pokémon just start throwing out moves wildly, so I just used my psychic power, and the greatsword I use sometimes, to knock those moves away directly."
Geeta: "..."
"So you barehandedly knock away Pokémon moves. The students must have been terrified. I'm suddenly starting to think that if I had you help teach at the academy, you could do an excellent job as the PE teacher too."
Geeta closed her eyes slightly and took a deep breath.
Hikaru spread his hands.
"Then I'd have to be mysteriously sick every day so I could slack off. After all, what school's PE teacher isn't always out sick?"
That left Geeta rather speechless.
"PE classes absolutely cannot be taken away. I now fully understand that students' physical condition may be one of the greatest obstacles they face in the Treasure Hunt process. In the future, once the challenge facilities and special buildings like the Phantom Towers are completed..."
"And when they have to fight Titan Pokémon in different regions, if their stamina is poor, they'll probably be defeated very easily."
All five Titans had already become local "special legends" of a sort. The students had been passing the stories around by word of mouth, and since the Treasure Hunt naturally involved exchanging information, quite a few students now knew that all five Titans made special dishes.
Being able to defeat a Titan and eat one bite of a special dish had now become a brand-new goal for some students.
But apparently, a group of students had gone to challenge Bombirdier the Open Sky Titan, and in the end only one of them managed to reach the top and eat the bitter fries.
Still, among all the Titans, the Open Sky Titan was considered one of the easiest to challenge. And according to witness reports from the last few days, it seemed to have picked up quite a few injuries. That was why students had managed to defeat it lately.
And also, oil from nearby towns hadn't been going missing.
Hikaru immediately understood what had happened.
The Open Sky Titan had probably been flying around nearby and discovered the potatoes in Asado Desert. That bird had gone to steal potatoes, but Great Tusk must have caught it in the act.
So the earlier guess had turned out to be right. Bombirdier, as a Dark-type, really did like stealing things, but you absolutely did not want Great Tusk catching you at it.
"They say ancient Pokémon will destroy Paldea's ecology, but Earthshaker Titan... were you the one protecting Paldea's ecology? You're so kind."
It was precisely because of these recent reports that Geeta finally made up her mind and made a decision that defied her ancestors - meaning the academy's 800-year history.
Using the authority of the chairwoman, she would revise one important school rule.
As for classes getting taken over...
PE classes absolutely could not be taken away.
And at the same time, she had also informed Rika that she really had gone too hard.
As for Larry and Hassel, they had enjoyed an exceptionally relaxed day, getting the chance to breathe in the middle of their high-intensity work.
That, too, was one of the "hidden benefits" Hikaru had brought.
Even Geeta herself felt strangely uncomfortable after having almost an entire day of work stopped.
Geeta shook her head and made her final judgment.
"For the young sprouts to grow better, battle classes and PE classes absolutely cannot be occupied."
"As steel tempered through forging... their hardness is still far, far insufficient!"
Hikaru left behind a Door at the Paldea League, so that if he had time later, he could quickly return. For that purpose, he rented an unused room.
And he also told Geeta how to call that Steel Tera Dragonite over to sub in for him.
If it was that guy, the students might have an easier time of it... maybe?
After all, Big Dragonite-sensei wouldn't carry Poké Balls, and it wouldn't use healing items either. Even though it had Roost, it might not necessarily use it at the right time.
Arven, meanwhile, had been kept behind by Geeta.
And there was no need to think about what Geeta would say to him. It was obvious.
So Hikaru left first together with Professor Juniper.
Professor Juniper was taking a large pile of documents back to Unova. Stack after stack of files had been crammed into a giant suitcase, because a briefcase simply couldn't hold them all. And as for how they were getting back...
They were taking a Flying Taxi to Levincia, and then transferring to a ship.
Professor Juniper had come by ship before. In the Pokémon world, that was one of the major ways of traveling.
If you didn't have a large Pokémon capable of both flying and crossing the sea, you had to rely on transportation.
And actually, Fly itself was a very advanced skill. Not every Trainer could use airborne movement techniques proficiently.
It was the same reason that so many Trainers, even if they had Pokémon that could float, still chose to travel on foot.
In Alola, if you wanted to fly, you first had to be skilled at using Poké Ride.
And some Professors, such as Professor Hastings from the Ranger regions, deeply resisted riding flying Pokémon because he was terribly afraid of heights.
Professor Juniper said, "After I get back, I'll probably just stay in the lab... There's still so much left to write. Anyway, good luck when you go challenge the Unova League. Once you pass through Route 10 and the badge gates..."
Then Professor Juniper suddenly took a deep breath and said seriously to Hikaru,
"There was once a Trainer who had trained on Champion Road, and he said that doors are the boundaries that divide one space from another. In other words, beyond a door lies another world."
"I don't know whether Mr. Alder or Top Champion Geeta is stronger, but now that you're an Elite Four member yourself, you should have already truly felt what challengers are thinking and experiencing when they stand before the Elite Four."
"To them, you exist in a realm they have never witnessed. The moment they pass through the doors of the Pokémon League, those children clearly feel that they have entered an entirely new world."
"When we first met, you weren't nearly as strong as you are now... But the speed of your growth has gone far beyond anything I imagined."
"Hikaru, can I ask you something? Do you regret traveling together with Pokémon?"
Professor Juniper's question, along with the words of that Trainer who had once gone down Champion Road, were both things from Black and White.
At the end of Opelucid City, Professor Juniper would give the player a Master Ball and ask that question, encouraging Hilda or Hilbert to keep moving forward.
And before the gate for the Quake Badge, you would meet an Ace Trainer who would place special emphasis on doors, as though he too had once passed through those eight gates and reached a whole new world.
That Ace Trainer might once have left his name in the Hall of Fame.
Or perhaps he was merely a near-Champion who had failed.
Either way, he stood at the gate of the Quake Badge, watching every person who went forward toward Champion Road.
Hikaru answered Professor Juniper using the words of some child from Opelucid City, along with the words of a certain Backpacker.
And at the same time, he borrowed another very famous line.
The very line that had been mentioned at the end of every episode ever since the Pokémon anime first began airing:
"It's only because people and Pokémon are together that they can experience the joy of both winning and losing. Joy lasts only a moment, but happiness lasts forever. Pokémon have always stayed with me, and I have always stayed with them."
"That's all."
"Our journey is still going to continue."
TO_BE_CONTINUED.
Professor Juniper smiled, and there were ripples of joy in her eyes.
"Thank you. That was the best answer I could have asked for."
"Maybe later, I'll ask Hilda and Hilbert the same question. And Cheren and Bianca too. I hope they can find the truth and ideals that belong to them on their own paths as Trainers."
She took three TMs out from her person.
"This is the support I can offer you. I originally wanted to give you a Master Ball, but you clearly don't need something like that."
"If these are to express the strength shared between people and Pokémon, then these three moves are the most suitable of all. These are the moves known since ancient times in Unova as the Pledge moves."
"And now, even more beautiful encounters between humans and Pokémon are about to be born! I'm looking forward to them!"
"Every person is unique. No matter what happens, they can keep moving forward with their Pokémon, without hesitation!"
"Goodbye!!!"
Hikaru nodded and watched Professor Juniper board the Flying Taxi.
A distant wind blew over the lush green fields. Three young Pokémon, led by a young man, departed from Mesagoza.
And those three carefully chosen, brand-new starters could not understand at all what Hikaru and the lady Professor had been talking about.
All three of them were still a bit dim and innocent, but they still vaguely sensed that it had probably been something very important, and something very interesting.
Cabo Poco.
A tiny, delicate little town. A town with a gentle, understated air.
"Hello! This is the Cabo Poco Pokémon Center. Would you like your Pokémon healed?"
In the game, Cabo Poco didn't have a Pokémon Center, but in reality, the area around Paldean towns had more Pokémon Centers than anywhere else. There was no way a town wouldn't have one. The starter town only lacked one because the protagonist's house itself basically functioned as a Pokémon Center.
And Paldea's Pokémon Centers were also very different from those in other regions. Rather than Pokémon Centers, they felt more like gas stations or roadside service stops. The staff stood in large open-air kiosks, just standing there outside.
If it was by the sea, with a nice breeze and bright sunshine, that was one thing. But even the Pokémon Centers on Glaseado Mountain were built the same way. At that point, it really did feel like shameless copy-paste laziness.
Did Nurse Joy stand in freezing wind wearing short sleeves? That cold resistance was ridiculous.
"No, I arranged to meet someone here."
At the Pokémon Center in Los Platos, an older woman would say, "Pokémon Centers are very convenient places to meet people." After all, they were conspicuous, fixed in place, and clearly marked on the map like gas stations.
The "Joy" behind the counter maintained a professional smile while curiously looking at the three Pokémon playing nearby.
"Your Pokémon seem to be very rare species. I've seen the same kinds brought here for healing before."
"Those children... if I remember correctly, they're called Fuecoco? Quaxly, and..."
"Sprigatito," Hikaru supplied. "You'll be seeing these Pokémon a lot in the future. They're going to be given to students as their 'initial partners.' In other words, they are carefully selected strong Pokémon suitable for beginners to raise."
"The school has already adopted advanced raising methods from other regions..."
Joy's eyes kept moving from one of the three to another.
"Initial partners? I've heard about that from other regions. Those are the Pokémon classified by very famous Professors, right? I've heard Pokémon like that are especially suitable for beginner Trainers, and their final evolutions are also extremely powerful!"
"Though the Pokémon around Cabo Poco aren't very strong, so I usually don't see injured Trainers or Pokémon here. It's a very quiet posting, so I tend to just sort of drift along."
"Though there are rumors about violent Pokémon nearby, since none of it's been confirmed, I still haven't seen any myself after being here all this time~"
(End of Chapter)
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