Chapter 16:

The Entrance Exam

The Pokemon Isekai.

The moment I stepped outside, the first thing I noticed was the wind.

Not the weak kind you barely feel.

Real wind.

Cool air rolled across the open landscape, brushing through my hair and clothes as if the entire world outside the lab had been waiting for me to finally step into it.

The backyard stretched far beyond what any normal laboratory should’ve had.

Calling it a “yard” honestly felt insulting.

It was practically its own ecosystem.

Open fields rolled endlessly beneath the evening sky, tall grass bending in waves beneath the breeze. Wildflowers dotted the landscape in patches of blue and white while enormous stones rested half-buried throughout the plains like ancient ruins swallowed by time.

Farther out, the land sloped downward into scattered forests.

Beyond that—

Mountains.

Massive ones.

Dark silhouettes cut against the orange horizon while clouds drifted lazily around their peaks.

For a second, I just stood there staring.

Well damn.

We’re actually doing this.

Then I spotted Flint.

Way out in the field, sitting alone on a single tree stump.

Of course he was.

The man somehow managed to look mysterious without even trying.

As I walked closer, I noticed he was absentmindedly tossing a Poké Ball into the air and catching it with one hand over and over again.

His eyes weren’t on me.

They were fixed on the mountains.

The breeze carried through the field between us, rustling the grass around his boots.

It must be Blaziken inside that Poké Ball.

…What exactly is he planning on doing?

Eventually he turned back toward the lab.

His eyes landed on me immediately.

Then he stood up.

Without a word, he started walking in my direction.

“Go, Blaziken.”

He tossed the Poké Ball upward casually.

The ball burst open midair.

Light exploded outward in a spiraling stream of red and white before crashing into the ground beside him—

And Blaziken emerged.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Its body resembled a humanoid bird of prey, covered in crimson and cream-colored feathers. Long white hair-like plumage flowed down from its head like a mane while flames flickered faintly around its wrists with every movement.

Its claws dug into the dirt.

Sharp golden eyes locked onto me instantly.

Even standing still, it radiated heat.

Not metaphorically.

Actual heat.

The air around it shimmered slightly.

I swallowed.

…Right.

My turn.

I smirked anyway.

“Go, Tinkatuff.”

I tossed the Beast Ball upward with one hand.

The strange dark-blue sphere opened with that same distorted pulse, space briefly warping around it before light shot outward—

Tinkatuff appeared beside me with a triumphant yell.

“Ta-ta-TUFF!”

It slammed its oversized hammer against the ground proudly.

The impact cracked the dirt beneath it.

I folded my arms confidently.

Internally?

I am EXTREMELY terrified.

Steel-types are weak to Fighting…

And Fire…

Right?

Because fire melts metal.

Which means—

I looked back toward Blaziken.

Oh.

We are getting absolutely cooked.

Tinkatuff stood there full of confidence, gripping its hammer like it was ready to personally beat evolution out of this oversized fire chicken.

Meanwhile I was already imagining our obituary.

I’m sorry little guy.

There is genuinely nothing we can do.

The worst part?

Tinkatuff looked completely oblivious to the fact we were about to be folded into next week.

“Are you ready?” Flint shouted across the field.

“What?” I yelled back. “I can’t hear you over the wind!”

Flint sighed.

“Ah, whatever.”

Then he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck slightly.

“I welcome you,” he announced loudly, “to the Caelora Trainer Academy entrance examination.”

The breeze swept through the field dramatically behind him like the world itself was trying to make him sound cooler.

“In order to pass, you must satisfy the criteria established by your coordinator.”

He pointed directly at me.

“Your task is simple.”

The wind blew between us.

Flint slowly turned his head toward the setting sun hanging low above the mountains.

“Land a single hit on either me or my Pokémon before sunset.”

I blinked.

…Wait.

That’s it?

Honestly that sounded pretty manageable.

I didn’t need to win.

Didn’t need to survive.

Didn’t need to knock him out.

Just one hit.

One clean hit and we pass.

That’s completely doable.

Then Flint spoke again.

“Mega Evolution.”

I froze.

Slowly, I looked back up at him.

“…Excuse me?”

Blaziken roared.

Energy exploded outward from Flint’s body.

My eyes immediately locked onto the strange crystal replacing his left eye—a glowing Mega Stone embedded into a black metallic frame covering part of his face.

The stone ignited brilliantly.

At the same moment, Blaziken’s body became engulfed in violent light.

Its form expanded.

Sharpened.

The flames around its wrists erupted into blazing streams reaching nearly to its elbows while its physique became noticeably leaner and deadlier.

Its hair-like plumage lengthened wildly.

Its eyes burned brighter.

More primal.

More violent.

The ground beneath it cracked slightly as heat distorted the air around its body.

Mega Blaziken.

Oh.

Cool.

Cool cool cool cool cool.

“We’re dead,” I whispered.

“Ta?” Tinkatuff looked up at me.

“Like super dead.”

Flint leaned down beside Blaziken.

He whispered something into its ear.

Quietly.

Too quietly to hear.

But—

I knew how to read lips.

And I very clearly understood what he said.

“Kill them.”

Silence.

Tinkatuff slowly turned toward me.

The confidence from earlier?

Gone.

Completely gone.

Its face looked horrified.

We stared at each other for a long second.

Then simultaneously:

“We are SO fucked.”

“Don’t worry,” I said immediately, voice shaking violently.

“This is light work. Trust.”

Flint straightened back up.

“Blaziken,” he ordered calmly.

“Use Agility.”

Mega Blaziken vanished.

No—

Not vanished.

Moved.

Its body blurred around the battlefield in rapid bursts, feet striking the ground so quickly the dirt exploded beneath each movement. It darted left and right around Flint while shadowboxing at impossible speed.

The heat alone blasted through the field every time it moved.

[OPPOSING BLAZIKEN’S SPEED DRASTICALLY INCREASED]

“Hey, Able!”

I snapped back to reality.

Flint stood in the distance smiling at me.

“Good luck.”

Tinkatuff screamed something incoherent while pointing frantically between me and the moving death missile across the field.

“Relax,” I said quickly.

“I’m a professional.”

I glanced toward the horizon.

Sunset.

Three hours minimum.