The arena didn't feel like a gym.
It felt like a courtroom built out of earth and steel.
The survivors stood scattered across the floor like numbers waiting to be sorted.
No banners. No cheers.
Just fear.
Instructor Viper stepped into the center and let the silence fill him like it belonged to him.
"Trial Island was the screening," he said, voice echoing cleanly. "It removed the weak."
His eyes moved across the recruits. Not faces. Not people.
Assets.
"Now comes the Final Exam."
A few recruits shifted.
Viper raised a hand.
"No giant leaderboard," he continued, almost amused. "You don't get to memorize names. You don't get to hunt favorites."
He tapped the side of his own TR Device.
"You will only see your own rank."
A pause.
"But rank is not private."
His voice sharpened by one degree.
"If you want someone's rank… You take it. In public. Right here."
A cold ripple ran through the arena.
Viper's smile didn't reach his eyes.
"You challenge someone above you. You win—you take their rank. You lose—you fall."
He let that settle.
"And yes," he added, casually, like discussing the weather. "Pokémon may die. Trainers may die."
No gasps.
Because everyone here already knew what Team Rocket was.
Viper looked up at the mirrored glass.
"The judges are watching. The Boss is watching."
Then he looked back at the recruits.
"Act accordingly."
For half a second, nothing happened.
Then the first notification hit the air like a gunshot.
Not on a screen in the arena.
On every TR Device that mattered.
A public challenge ping.
[ CHALLENGE REQUEST ]
Rank 4 → Rank 1
STATUS: PENDING
A murmur rose.
Rank Four.
Someone brave. Someone stupid.
Or someone protected.
Enzo didn't move. He didn't react.
He stood near the center, hands behind his back, posture calm like the arena belonged to him.
Proton watched the crowd with predator eyes.
Ronnie looked too excited, like this was entertainment.
Then a man stepped forward.
Clean uniform. Controlled smile. Eyes that looked like they'd never slept hungry.
Henry.
One of Sabrina's.
He stopped a few meters from Enzo and lifted his chin like the world owed him.
"So you're Rank One," Henry said, voice loud enough to carry. "Let's see if your myth survives real light."
Enzo didn't bother with pride.
He didn't bother with intimidation.
He simply nodded.
"Sure."
The challenge was confirmed instantly.
[ CHALLENGE CONFIRMED ]
Rank 4 vs Rank 1
LOCATION: MAIN FLOOR
Viper stepped aside.
"Begin."
Henry's hand snapped down.
"Hypno."
Light burst.
The air changed.
A tall, yellow figure materialized with a pendulum already swinging—eyes half-lidded, posture disciplined, breath steady. It didn't look wild.
It looked trained.
Enzo's gaze flicked once.
The System answered automatically.
[ SYSTEM SCAN — TARGET IDENTIFIED ]
Specimen: Hypno
Level: 34
Potential: GREEN
Ability: Insomnia
Moves:
— Psychic (Psychic)
— Hypnosis (Psychic)
— Dream Eater (Psychic)
— Disable (Normal) | Reflect (Psychic)
Obs: "Well-trained. Handler behavior: abusive under pressure."
Henry smirked, satisfied with the reaction he thought he saw.
"I heard you like tricks," he said. "Let's see how you handle real psychic pressure."
Enzo didn't answer.
He didn't even look at Henry.
He looked at the battlefield like it was a map.
Then he lifted a Poké Ball.
"Haunter."
Light spilled out like ink.
Haunter formed with a low, lazy hover—hands detached, grin too wide, eyes too pleased with itself.
The arena chilled by a fraction.
Henry's smile twitched.
"A Ghost?" he scoffed. "Cute."
He flicked two fingers.
"Psychic."
Hypno's eyes glowed.
The air bent.
A heavy invisible force snapped forward like a whip.
Haunter—
wasn't there.
It slid sideways into shadow like it had never existed in that spot.
The psychic blast hit nothing.
Dust jumped. Air shook.
Haunter reappeared two meters to the left, giggling.
Henry's eyes narrowed.
"Again."
Psychic.
Again.
Haunter vanished again.
Not fast.
Not frantic.
Just… never where the attack landed.
Like it was mocking the idea of being hit.
The crowd started to murmur. Not cheering.
Watching.
Measuring.
Henry's jaw tightened.
"Hypnosis."
Hypno's pendulum swung.
A wave of drowsy pressure rolled across the floor.
Haunter tilted his head like he was considering it.
Then he drifted backward, letting the wave pass through empty air.
He wasn't resisting.
He was simply refusing to be present.
Haunter's grin widened.
Then he moved.
A flicker.
A cold hand brushing Hypno's shoulder.
Shadow Ball—small. Not a finisher.
A jab.
Hypno flinched.
Henry's eyes flashed.
"You let it touch you?"
Hypno's posture tightened. It tried to reset.
Haunter didn't let it.
Confuse Ray.
A ring of warped light snapped into Hypno's eyes.
Hypno blinked.
Henry's voice sharpened, angry now.
"Don't you dare hesitate."
Hypno tried to stabilize.
Haunter drifted in again.
Mean Look.
The shadow around Hypno thickened like tar.
It couldn't retreat.
It couldn't reposition.
It was locked in place with a Ghost that refused to be caught.
Henry's control started to crack.
"Psychic!" he snapped. "Hit it!"
Hypno fired again.
Haunter slipped behind it.
The blast hit the floor.
Haunter tapped Hypno again.
Not hard.
Just enough to make it feel helpless.
Henry's face reddened.
He wasn't losing because Hypno was weak.
He was losing because Enzo wasn't even trying to overpower him.
He was humiliating him.
Henry's voice rose.
"Useless."
Another miss.
Henry's tone got worse.
"Pathetic."
Another small hit from Haunter.
Henry's temper snapped like a wire.
"Do you want to be replaced?" he hissed.
Hypno's pendulum trembled.
It wasn't fear.
It was strain.
And then Henry did the one thing that turned the arena into silence.
He stepped forward and struck his own Pokémon.
A sharp slap across Hypno's face.
Hard enough to make its head turn.
The crowd froze.
Even Viper's expression didn't change.
But the air did.
Because Hypno didn't flinch like a servant.
It flinched like something that had been hit too many times.
Henry grabbed Hypno's neck and shook it, rage spilling out.
"Do your job."
Another hit.
"You're embarrassing me."
Another hit.
The pendulum swung wildly now, out of rhythm.
And Hypno's eyes—
weren't calm anymore.
They were empty.
A deep, exhausted kind of empty.
Haunter drifted back, almost curious.
Enzo didn't move.
He just watched.
Henry raised his hand again.
Hypno moved first.
Not with technique.
Not with elegance.
With decision.
A pulse of psychic force slammed into Henry point-blank.
No beam. No show.
Just a crush.
Henry's body locked for one second—like invisible hands had grabbed every bone at once.
Then he dropped.
Hard.
Still.
Silence flooded the arena.
A few recruits took a step back without realizing it.
Hypno stood over the fallen trainer, pendulum still swinging—slow now, controlled again.
Like it had finally found peace.
Enzo's eyes narrowed.
He felt it before he saw it.
Hypno's gaze lifted.
Not to Viper.
Not to the glass.
To him.
And then the voice touched his mind.
Smooth. Cold. Clear.
Hypno (telepathy):He was weak.
Hypno (telepathy):If you want… I can serve you.
Enzo didn't blink.
For half a second, even he had to respect the audacity.
A Pokémon killing its trainer in the middle of the Final Exam.
Then offering itself to the man who won without sweating.
Enzo glanced toward the mirrored glass.
He didn't see faces.
But he felt eyes.
And then a second voice slid into his mind, silk over steel.
Sabrina.
Amused. Irritated. Calculating.
Sabrina (telepathy):Keep it.
Sabrina (telepathy):I have no use for a Pokémon that killed my disciple.
Sabrina (telepathy):I need to save face.
Enzo understood instantly.
She couldn't be seen reclaiming it.
Not after that.
Not in front of the others, behind the glass.
Enzo stepped forward, picked up the fallen Poké Ball, and held it out.
Hypno didn't resist.
It let itself be recalled without a struggle.
Click.
Clean.
Like a contract signed.
Viper's voice echoed, neutral as a stamp.
"Rank One retains Rank One."
No drama.
No condolences.
Just bureaucracy.
Enzo returned to his place like nothing happened.
Proton watched him with a new kind of caution.
Ronnie looked like he was trying not to laugh out of sheer disbelief.
Then the next challenge arrived.
[ CHALLENGE REQUEST ]
Rank 2 → Rank 1
STATUS: PENDING
The air shifted.
Even the recruits who didn't understand politics felt it.
Rank Two.
Janine.
She stepped forward with a controlled face and burning eyes.
Koga's daughter.
She moved like someone trained in discipline and pride from birth—shoulders straight, steps silent, confidence polished.
But the moment she looked at Enzo, the polish cracked.
She didn't see a rival.
She saw an insult.
"I challenge Rank One," Janine said.
Enzo nodded once.
"Okay."
The challenge confirmed.
[ CHALLENGE CONFIRMED ]
Rank 2 vs Rank 1
LOCATION: MAIN FLOOR
Janine threw her ball.
"Venomoth."
Light flashed.
A large Venomoth unfolded wings like stained glass—powder shimmering, eyes sharp, posture calm. It wasn't just strong.
It was loved.
A lifetime partner.
Enzo's System opened automatically.
[ POKÉMON PROFILE — UPDATED ]
Specimen: Venomoth
Level: 37
Potential: BLUE
Ability: Shield Dust
Moves:
— Bug Buzz (Bug)
— Sleep Powder (Grass)
— Poison Powder (Poison)
— Psychic (Psychic)
Obs: "Long-term bond detected. Trainer history: childhood imprint. Discipline: high."
He just lifted his Poké Ball.
And for the first time, he didn't choose subtlety.
He chose inevitability.
"Corviknight."
The air felt smaller the moment it appeared.
A black steel bird, massive, armored, eyes glowing red like a warning light. It didn't flap wildly.
It hovered like a verdict.
Janine's face changed.
The instant understanding of matchup.
Steel.
Flying.
Her Venomoth's entire kit became a joke in one second.
Janine's composure snapped, and her voice was tight.
"This is unfair," she said, before the battle even started. "This entire system is supposed to reward performance. Not… miracles."
Enzo didn't answer immediately.
"That's impossible," she spat. "No recruit should have something like that. Not here. Not now."
Her voice rose.
"This is supposed to be fair! We're not the League! We're not supposed to be—"
Enzo laughed.
Not warm.
Not friendly.
A short burst of pure disbelief.
"Fair?" he repeated.
The word tasted wrong in his mouth.
Janine bristled.
"Yes. Fair. We're supposed to be different. We're supposed to—"
Enzo cut her off, eyes cold.
"You want unfair?" he asked, voice calm as frost.
He took one step forward.
"Unfair is me landing on Trial Island with a defective Koffing that only wanted to explode."
Another step.
"Unfair is you arriving with a Blue-tier Venonat you've trained since you were a child."
Another step.
"Unfair is me sleeping with no allies, no protection, no safety—because if I relaxed, I died."
Another step.
"Unfair is you having Rocket Points waiting for you because your father's name opens doors."
He stopped.
And his smile sharpened.
"Unfair is me not even knowing who my father or my mother were."
The arena stayed silent.
Janine's lips parted, but no words came out.
Above them, behind the glass—
Sabrina laughed.
A soft, delighted sound like she'd just seen a toy break in an interesting way.
Koga's face was stone.
And Giovanni's voice—low, disappointed—cut through the private air behind the glass.
"Koga," he said. "I expected more from your daughter."
Koga bowed his head, stiff.
"She is still young," he replied. "She has much to learn."
After Koga's words, a soft laugh drifted behind the mirrored glass.
Sabrina leaned forward, chin resting on her hand like she was watching a play she'd already memorized.
"So," she said, voice light, almost playful. "Can I keep him?"
Koga's jaw tightened.
Archer didn't blink.
Ariana's nails tapped once against the armrest—sharp, irritated.
Giovanni didn't even look at Sabrina at first. His gaze stayed fixed on the arena floor, on the black-winged steel bird, on the boy who stood like the earth itself owed him space.
Then Giovanni finally spoke.
"That's not a question for me."
He turned his head just enough.
And his eyes slid to Nero.
Sabrina's smile brightened, like she'd been given permission to be cute. She turned too, posture shifting—less Executive, more temptation.
"Executive Nero," she said softly. "Senior…?"
Nero didn't smile.
He didn't sigh.
He didn't react the way men normally reacted to Sabrina.
He simply looked at her.
Not with anger.
With the kind of calm that promised consequences.
The air behind the glass went colder.
Sabrina's smile faltered by a fraction.
Nero's voice came out flat.
"No."
One syllable.
A guillotine.
Sabrina held the look for a second, as if considering pushing.
Then she decided she liked breathing.
She leaned back, lips pursed in theatrical disappointment—but her eyes stayed on Enzo, hungry with curiosity.
Behind them, Archer and Ariana were the only ones who looked genuinely miserable.
Not because of the spectacle. Because the math had finally caught up.
Archer's faction had been erased. No subordinates left to represent him down there. No survivors to salvage. Ariana's side had one and it was Elise. Alive. Barely. No Pokémon. No mental stability. A broken recruit who would have to return next year and crawl through Trial Island again.
They finally realized the extent of the trap.
They had spent months infiltrating the recruit pool, bribing promising candidates, and smuggling in resources to build factions that would serve their interests. They thought they were buying loyalty.
But the Shadow Unit had seen it all. And instead of stopping it, they had used Enzo.
Enzo hadn't just defeated their factions; he had harvested them.
Every potion, every rare item, every advantage they had secretly introduced to the island… Enzo had taken it. He had consumed the very resources they sent to destroy him. They had unknowingly funded the creation of the weapon standing on the podium.
Archer unclenched his jaw. Ariana smoothed her expression.
A silent understanding passed between them. They wouldn't touch him.
Not out of fear of Nero. But because touching Enzo now would be sabotage against Team Rocket itself. He was too strong. Too efficient.
He had become too valuable to be broken by petty revenge.
They silently vowed never to underestimate the Shadow Unit again. And for now, the boy was untouchable.
Down below, Janine's hands shook slightly.
Not from fear.
From humiliation.
Enzo didn't even order an attack.
He didn't need to.
The matchup was already cruelty.
Janine stared at Corviknight.
Stared at Enzo.
And then, with a bitter motion, she raised her hand.
"I… forfeit."
A collective inhale swept the recruits.
Rank Two just surrendered without a single move.
Viper's voice came down like a stamp.
"Rank One retains Rank One."
Janine stepped back, jaw tight, eyes wet with rage she refused to show.
And that's when Proton moved.
He stepped forward like someone who'd been waiting patiently for the right moment.
"I challenge Janine," Proton said.
Janine whipped her head to him, offended on instinct.
"You?" she snapped. "You think you can—"
Proton's smile was small.
"Yes."
Challenge confirmed.
[ CHALLENGE CONFIRMED ]
Rank 2 vs Rank 25
LOCATION: MAIN FLOOR
Janine's eyes narrowed.
"Fine."
She threw her ball again.
Venomoth returned, wings trembling now—not from weakness, from emotion.
Proton didn't play games.
"Crobat."
A blur of purple and black exploded into the air.
Crobat's wings beat once and the wind snapped sideways.
It moved like a knife thrown by someone who knew anatomy.
Venomoth fired Psychic.
Crobat wasn't there.
It cut underneath the arc, came up at Venomoth's flank.
Wing Attack.
Venomoth staggered.
Janine hissed, trying to regain rhythm.
"Sleep Powder!"
A cloud burst.
Crobat rolled through the air, barely avoiding it, but the edge clipped its wing.
It wobbled—
then stabilized instantly.
Proton's voice was calm.
"Confuse Ray."
Crobat's eyes flashed.
Venomoth's flight stuttered.
It tried to correct, tried to aim Bug Buzz—
but the confusion broke its tempo.
Proton didn't let it reset.
"Bite."
Crobat slammed in, fangs sinking into Venomoth's collar.
Not enough to kill.
Enough to control.
Venomoth screamed, shook free, tried Psychic again—
Crobat vanished.
Then returned with another Wing Attack that hit clean.
Venomoth dropped altitude.
Janine's face tightened.
She was skilled.
But she wasn't prepared for a Crobat at this level.
This wasn't a recruit's flyer.
This was an assassin's.
Venomoth launched Bug Buzz—desperate, loud, ugly.
Crobat cut through it, took the edge of the damage, and still reached the target.
One last hit.
Venomoth fell.
Fainted.
Silence.
Janine stood frozen for a second, then recalled Venomoth with stiff hands like she was swallowing glass.
Viper's voice echoed.
"Rank Two is reassigned."
Proton's TR Device chimed.
Janine's chimed too.
Rank shifted.
Enzo watched it happen without expression.
Above, behind the glass, Petrel leaned forward with visible interest.
He hadn't sent anyone to Trial Island. He'd waited. Like a vulture with patience.
"Interesting," Petrel murmured, eyes fixed on Proton. "That one… has teeth."
Petrel's voice lifted, addressing the room generally, assuming the recruit was up for grabs or belonged to a minor faction leader he could bully.
"If that recruit has a handler," Petrel said smoothly, "I am willing to buy him. Double the standard rate."
He waited for one of the lower officers or even another Executive to speak up.
"Not for sale."
Petrel blinked and turned his head.
He didn't look at Petrel. He kept his eyes locked on the arena floor.
"He is mine," Nero said. "They all three are."
Petrel's eyebrows rose. He looked from Proton, to Enzo, to Ronnie, and then back to Nero. The realization clicked. The Shadow Unit.
"Yours?" Petrel chuckled, though the sound was dry. "I didn't know you were collecting strays, Nero."
Nero didn't answer. He didn't need to.
In the center seat, Giovanni didn't speak. He simply watched the exchange, and for a brief second, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
A silent, terrifying approval.
The message behind the glass was clear:
The top wasn't available. Not anymore.
Down below, Ronnie stepped forward, grinning like a man watching his own destiny get rewritten.
Someone tried to challenge him for Rank Three.
Ronnie didn't speak.
He just threw his ball.
"Beauty."
Fearow erupted into the air—ragged, violent, eager.
The challenger's Pokémon barely had time to take a stance before Fearow hit it like a spear.
One.
Two.
Three strikes so fast they blurred.
The challenger's Pokémon collapsed.
The challenger stumbled backward, face pale.
Ronnie leaned forward slightly, eyes bright.
"Don't," he said cheerfully. "Make me do that again."
No one challenged him after that.
The podium locked itself in place.
Rank One: Enzo.
Rank Two: Proton.
Rank Three: Ronnie.
And down near the line of Rank One Hundred—
the real slaughter began.
The desperate kind.
Recruits fighting like drowning men. Pokémon collapsing from exhaustion. People screaming when their rank dropped and they realized they might not even graduate into being useful.
Viper watched it all like an accountant watching a market crash.
The island had made monsters.
The exam was choosing which monsters got to keep breathing.
Enzo looked up at the glass one more time.
He couldn't see them.
But he could feel the weight of attention pressing through it.
A slow, cold truth settled in his chest. The podium wasn't the only prize. In the corner of his vision, ignored by the rest of the world, a blue text pulsed. He still had a System Mission to complete.