The next examinee, Number Two, used a Sandshrew.
But it was still defeated easily by the red-haired boy's Charmeleon.
Eichi was Number Twenty, the last one in the hall.
There were still many before him. At first, he worried about time.
There were twenty examinees per arena, and each had fifteen minutes.
He thought there might not be enough time, but soon realized he was wrong.
Under Charmeleon's fierce attacks, several participants lasted less than a minute.
Eichi knew it would soon be his turn and began preparing himself.
During the following matches, two people used Beedrill.
But both were quickly defeated.
However, one participant from an ordinary family used a Pokémon provided by Silver Academy.
It was a Pidgey. Though he still lost, he managed to fight Charmeleon for five minutes using a few clever tricks.
The three teachers watching nodded in approval.
Aside from that boy, no one else caught Eichi's attention.
The three judges, getting bored with the repetitive grading, began chatting.
Before long, their conversation turned to a certain rumor.
The tall teacher asked, "Have you heard about that kid who used a Beedrill to take down a small poaching group?"
The teacher with glasses replied, "Of course! When I arrived in Viridian City, people were already talking about it."
The female teacher joined in, "I've heard of it too."
The tall one said, "They say that boy was only ten years old. Do you think he'll show up for this exam?"
The teacher with glasses shrugged. "No idea."
The female teacher smiled. "I hope he does. If he joins Silver Academy, I'd really love to see what that Beedrill looks like."
The tall teacher chuckled. "Honestly, I think the story's exaggerated. A Beedrill that strong? Hard to believe."
The man with glasses agreed. "A friend of mine works at the Viridian City Police Department. He showed me pictures of the scene.
All the Pokémon involved were seriously injured, especially that dead Arbok.
Without an extremely powerful attack, it'd be impossible to cause those kinds of wounds.
We all know that Arbok are brutal Pokémon.
After evolving from Ekans, they become much stronger.
There's no way an ordinary Beedrill could cause that much damage, especially against sixteen Pokémon at once."
The more they talked, the more they agreed it was impossible.
Sure, Beedrill could be that strong, but only after countless resources and training from top-tier academies.
How could a ten-year-old from a normal family raise such a powerful Beedrill?
In the end, the three concluded that the rumors were exaggerated.
By the time their conversation ended, the red-haired boy had just beaten the sixteenth examinee.
He smirked and shouted to the others, "Is that really all you've got?
If I'd known you were all this weak, I wouldn't have bothered coming!
Come on, next one! Let's finish this fast so I can leave."
The remaining examinees were furious, glaring at him angrily.
The red-haired boy only looked back with contempt.
The three judges sighed helplessly.
The female teacher said, "Keita's being way too arrogant. Isn't that a bit much?"
The tall teacher shrugged. "He's still young. Geniuses are always like that."
Eichi, sitting quietly in his seat, watched Keita without saying anything.
He simply touched Beedrill's Poké Ball at his waist.
He knew Beedrill had heard those words too.
The next few challengers were all angry, wanting to teach Keita a lesson.
But every one of them was swiftly defeated.
A boy sitting beside Eichi clenched his fists. "That's too much! Are we just going to let him keep acting like that?"
He grumbled a few more words before falling silent.
Then, it was Eichi's turn.
When his number was called, every examinee turned to watch.
They all knew Eichi, the academic prodigy.
Everyone was curious about his practical skills.
Some even hoped he'd finally put that arrogant boy in his place.
The three judges looked through his file.
"So he's the top student?" one asked.
"I wonder how good he is in battle," another said.
Keita looked at Eichi with a bored expression. "Using your own Pokémon or one of the Academy's?"
Eichi answered calmly, "I have my own."
"Oh?" Keita asked, "What kind of Pokémon?"
"It's a Beedrill," Eichi said.
Keita sneered. "Another Beedrill? What a worthless Pokémon."
Eichi's face stiffened slightly, and the Poké Ball on his waist trembled faintly.
Expressionless, he asked, "Is this Charmeleon your strongest Pokémon?"
Keita raised an eyebrow. "No, it isn't."
"I want to see your strongest one," Eichi said.
Keita smirked. "What, are you crazy? Fine then. Charmeleon's been fighting for a while anyway.
Since you're asking, I'll let you see my strongest Pokémon."
He threw out a Poké Ball. "Come out, Gliscor!"
Gliscor, the Fang Scorpion Pokémon.
Type: Ground, Flying.
Abilities: Hyper Cutter, Sand Veil.
Hidden Ability: Poison Heal.
Description: It hangs upside down from tree branches to silently watch its prey, then strikes from the air in an instant.
It glides soundlessly through the sky, stabbing the enemy's weak spot with deadly precision.
It can circle the entire world on a single breeze without flapping its wings once.
Gliscor looked like a massive purple scorpion, with a huge stinger on its tail and broad, leathery wings.
Eichi activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor.
Talent: Excellent.
Strength: Experienced (Peak).
This Gliscor's talent was higher than Charmeleon's, and its energy level was slightly above it as well.
It was already at the peak of the Experienced tier, only one step away from Elite.
The three judges were surprised. They didn't understand why Keita was using his strongest Pokémon now.
After Gliscor appeared, Eichi took out his own Poké Ball.
"Beedrill, it's your turn."
He tossed it into the air. "Go, Beedrill!"
A flash of white light revealed Beedrill's tall, sharp figure.
The three judges' eyes widened.
The tall teacher murmured, "That Beedrill…"
The female teacher finished his thought. "It's been trained exceptionally well."
The red-haired boy, however, only scoffed.
He thought it looked a bit bigger than normal, nothing more.
"Come on then," Keita said arrogantly.
"Gliscor, use Guillotine. Finish it in one hit."