I landed the first shot and knocked them out in one move. What else is there to say?
That, more or less, summed up what everyone who lost to Gabriel must have been thinking.
Off to the side, James and King could only offer sheepish smiles as they looked toward Gabriel and Dratini still standing confidently in the arena. Neither of them had expected Gabriel to bring out his ace just for a class exercise, let alone for something as trivial as a perfect attendance record. And none of them imagined Dratini's power had grown to such a staggering level.
Two months of rigorous training had not only strengthened Dratini's physique but also allowed the lingering Dynamaxenergywithin him to continuously temper his body. At this point, Dratini was in an entirely different league—far beyond what James and King could hope to handle.
"Alright then. The last one standing in the ring is Gabriel," said Mr. Kim, nodding as he addressed the class. "That makes him class leader. Anyone have objections?"
The class remained silent.
"No objections? Good. Gabriel is now the class leader. Class dismissed for today. Tomorrow's lesson is Interpersonal Combat (possibly a shorthand for internal combat training)—I expect you all to be on time."
Mr. Kim then turned toward the trio.
"The rest of you may leave. Gabriel, James, King—stay behind."
All three looked at each other in confusion but obediently followed him to the office.
Once inside, Mr. Kim leaned back in his chair, nodding with approval.
"You three are probably the strongest in the class. Honestly, there's not much more I can teach you when it comes to battle tactics."
He took a sip of water and looked at them with a rare softness.
"I know my own limits. Teaching you theoretical knowledge is fine, but I'm not so sure I have more field experience than you do. So for the sake of your future, I've decided to write you a recommendation letter for the Battle Society. It's where our academy's top talents gather—and being part of it will do wonders for your growth."
He set the cup down and looked at them with a serious expression.
"Now, my recommendation only gets you into the trial phase. Whether or not you stay in the Battle Society will depend on your own skills."
"Um… sir," Gabriel interjected, raising his hand. "We kind of… already joined the Battle Society when the semester started."
"...??"
Mr. Kim had just taken another sip of water—and promptly spat it out in shock. Luckily, no one got drenched.
"Cough cough! Wait—what? When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
The trio exchanged an awkward glance, and finally, Gabriel stepped forward to explain.
"Actually, we visited the Battle Society on the first day of school. The president is King's older brother. After seeing our potential, he brought us on as reserve members."
Well, that was awkward.
Mr. Kim wiped his mouth calmly, trying to play it cool.
"Good. Saves me the trouble, then. The Battle Society has excellent resources—top-tier training equipment and comprehensive data—and members can use them for free. It'll be a great help with your Beast training."
He paused, then added matter-of-factly:
"In the Battle Department, real strength is measured through combat, not theory. There's little I can teach you now. You should spend as much time as you can in the Battle Society. As for your grades—well, we've got a Friendly Match scheduled between all year groups in two months."
The moment he said Friendly Match, his expression twisted into a terrifying grin.
"Let me be clear," he said menacingly. "There are 45 students in your grade. For every one of them you defeat, I'll give you an extra ten points. Beat five? That's full marks. And if you manage to defeat 15—well, you can skip my classes for the rest of the semester."
Gabriel blinked at his teacher's slightly manic expression. This… didn't feel very friendly at all.
Still, the offer was awfully tempting. Skipping class at will? Classic Battle Department stuff—strength really is everything.
Year-wide battle?
The skipping-classes perk aside, Gabriel was intrigued by this so-called Friendly Match. What exactly did it entail?
But seeing Mr. Kim lost in his own villainous daydreams, even Gabriel didn't dare ask.
Better find someone else to ask.
The three of them quietly slipped out of the office while Mr. Kim was still basking in his own dramatic monologue.
Gabriel looked around, puzzled. "Wait... is that really it? That's the end of class?"
"Of course," King shrugged.
"Our curriculum in the Battle Department focuses heavily on field experience. We don't actually have that many traditional lectures. The instructors care more about whether we can fight, not whether we sit through slides."
Gabriel nodded thoughtfully. It felt oddly easy—but something about that ease also felt a little... suspicious.
Don't overthink it.
"Hey, King—what's the deal with this Friendly Match again?"
"Oh, that?" King blinked. "It's exactly what it sounds like. A match between different year groups."
That's all? Gabriel squinted.
"Could you explain a little more clearly?"
King scratched his head, then replied, "It's basically an all-out, multi-year free-for-all. It's meant to build camaraderie between students—and help improve your survival instincts."
"Survival?!" Gabriel echoed, alarmed.
"You don't know?" James chimed in. "It's held in a primal forest environment. Every participant is dropped off in the wild and expected to survive alone for two weeks. Staying alive is the priority."
Gabriel's mind reeled. A two-week survival gauntlet in the wilderness? This wasn't a friendly match—this was Pokémon Battle Royale!
Wait… students from other year groups too?
"You don't mean there'll be upperclassmen involved, do you?" he asked cautiously.
"Of course there are," King replied as if it were obvious. "It's an inter-year event."
An all-out war across every year level?
Gabriel immediately pictured June—King's older brother and president of the Battle Society. Just sensing that guy's aura gave him pressure. No wonder Mr. Kim was so confident in his deal. Defeating 15 people? Gabriel would be lucky to not get hunted down by the seniors.
King gave him a skeptical look. "Don't tell me you were actually considering Mr. Kim's offer."
Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "...Maybe a little?"
King sighed in exasperation.
"You should drop that idea. First-years like us are usually just walking points for the upperclassmen. They're the real powerhouses. If we can just make it to the end without getting wiped, that's already a win."
Gabriel laughed awkwardly, understanding the truth. Though he was a regional champion, turning potential into real combat strength took time—and compared to the upperclassmen who had trained for years, he still had a long way to go.
As for Mr. Kim's tempting offer?
Yeah… he'd just pretend that never happened.
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Hi guys sorry for the long update i was hospitalized due to allergy. So enjoy this 2 chapter update guys.
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