Chapter 2: Helios Entrance Exam 1

[Oak Residence]

4 months later…

The time had finally come, it was the day I would be debriefed on my mission.

"How'd the training go?" Seiichi asked as I sat down.

"I think it went well," I replied. "Daru had evolved into a Darmanitan, Spike has gotten more used to battling, and Blastoise is even stronger now."

"That's great," Seiichi smiled. "Hopefully that'll be enough for the mission."

"Speaking of the mission, you still haven't told me how this is supposed to go."

"What more do you need to know?" Seiichi asked. "I already told you everything. All you have to do is find out what Bellinor is doing at Helios Academy."

"Yeah but like, how?" I asked. "Getting information from him isn't going to be easy at all."

"Figure it out," Seiichi said. "I'm sure you'll get the info somehow."

"Thanks for telling me nothing."

"Whatever," Seiichi said shrugging her shoulders. "Here." She handed me an envelope.

"What's this?"

"Once you get to Helios Academy, you'll need to use this to convince the school to let you take the entrance exam."

"Entrance exam?! You never told me there was an exam."

"I thought you knew that? Didn't Kuraki tell you that?"

"I think so, I never really cared though because I never thought about joining Helios Academy," I said, stuffing my face into my hands.

"Well, I'm sure you'll pass. The passing rate is like 25%, easy enough."

"Easy for you." Seiichi is a genius, so this is child's play for her.

"After you pass the entrance exam, you'll be able to start the mission. Simple as that, you understand?"

"I guess so but, how is the entrance exam going to go?"

"No idea."

Maybe she isn't much of a genius after all.

"Ugh. Forget it, I'm going to get going then," I said as I stood up.

"Good luck," Seiichi said with an oddly unsettling smile.

"T-thanks."

The run back home was filled with many thoughts of doubt, I'm starting to remember the conversation I had with Kuraki regarding how difficult it was for her to pass the entrance exam.

'She barely managed to get in, and she is fucking battle goddess. Perfect win record and yet she barely passed.'

'Can I really do this?'

[Kanto Airport]

Whatever doubts I had before being here have just multiplied.

"Yo pussy, you okay?" Haiiro waves his hand in front of my face. "Don't tell me, you already have cold feet huh?" Haiiro starts laughing. "I can't believe a weakling like you is trying to join Helios Academy."

"You lost to me remember, you're not much better than me now," I respond trying to hold my ground.

"I wasn't being serious that time, if I was I would've broken you mentally, right?"

"Huh?"

"Wahhh, my pet bear lost his arm. Aw, man now I never wanna battle again. I don't want more Pokémon getting hurt now, wahh~"

"Shut up!" I grab the collar of his shirt. "I swear to god, I'll fucking kill you if you talk about Chubby that way again."

"Chubby?" Haiiro laughs even harder. "That's a fucking stupid name. I think the name 'Pussy' would suit him better."

"I'm not fucking around, I will fucking kill you if you even mention him again."

Haiiro puts both his hands up. "Oh wow, so scawy~. Bitch Boy is so threatening."

"What'd you call me?"

"Bitch boy, I think you should put me down now, you're attracting a crowd."

Looking around, a crowd has formed around me and Haiiro. "Ugh." I let go of Haiiro's collar.

"Why'd you stop? You scared of a couple of people looking?" Haiiro kicks me onto the ground. "Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to become a real man, if I recall correctly doesn't a real man stand his ground? I don't think you're doing much standing right now."

"Damn, me personally I would not let someone talk to me like that, but that's just me," A random teen in the crowd said. A couple of laughs are heard from the crowd, especially from Haiiro.

"Well, this is boring. Just turn around and go back home Bitch Boy. You'll save yourself from even more embarrassment." Haiiro walks away in triumph, leaving a broken Blake laying on the ground.

'I fucking hate that guy.' Haiiro always finds a way to put me down. Whenever I try to make a change and stand my ground, he always sends me back down to where I was, a broken husk of a kid with big dreams.

'I can't let what happened get to me now, Seiichi is counting on me right now.' I stood back up with whatever bit of confidence I had left.

I clench my fists. 'I'm not backing out of this now.'

…..

[Helios City]

Helios City, one of the biggest cities in the whole world. It's a city where many trainers gather and is the home of many rich families and corporations.

At the center of the city is the most prestigious academy out there, Helios Academy. Only a select few people are even allowed to take the entrance exam, and even fewer pass to become students. A school where being a genius is the norm.

And in front of the academy is a broken country boy, driven by his lust for Seiichi, hatred for Haiiro, and his desire for some sweet, sweet revenge.

"What's that country bumpkin doing here?" A gray-haired snobby kid asks.

"It appears he is signing up for the entrance exam Master Damien," his butler responds.

"A peasant like him? Ahaha, don't make me laugh. He won't even pass the first round of the tournament."

'A tournament huh? Thanks for the info shorty.'

"Next," the Clerk in the front called.

"This envelope is for you." Handing the clerk the envelope, the clerk widens her eyes in shock after reading what was inside.

"Ah yes, right this way sir, the entrance exam is located in the Battle Stadium. Left of the giant statue you'll see once you enter. You can't miss it."

"Thank you, ma'am."

'What did Seiichi write in the envelope?'

'Well, I can figure that out later.'

[Helios Academy]

"This place is huge," I said as I walked through the gate.

You never truly grasp how big this academy is until you're there yourself.

"Left of the giant statue, does she mean that golden statue right there?"

The Walter Helios Monument. A tribute to the founder of the academy.

"Why'd they make it so huge?"

"Well, he is an important person after all." A guy said from behind.

Turning around, the guy in front of me seems to be a teen around the same age as me. He's wearing a black cap with a yellow stripe down the middle, similar to what Kaito wears. Along with a matching-colored tracksuit.

"The name's Yutaka, Yutaka Hoshizora. What's your name?" Yutaka asked while reaching his hand out.

"Oh, I'm Blake Hiiro. It's nice to meet you." I shake his hand.

"You don't seem to be a student here, are you taking the entrance exam?"

"I am, what about you?"

"Of course, and I'm about to wash the competition."

"Wash the competition my ass," a familiar voice said.

"Haiiro." I start glaring at the uninvited guest.

"Blake you know this guy?" Yutaka asks.

"Sadly," I respond.

"Sadly? You should be grateful that I'm even gracing you with my presence after what happened at the airport Bitch Boy."

"Why would I want to be anywhere near you, also stop calling me that."

"I don't think you have the right to speak to me like that, man I can't wait for when I get to humiliate you."

Yutaka steps in between the two of us. "Hey I don't know what is going on between the two of you, but you're going to need to shut your mouth."

Haiiro laughs. "Now someone else is protecting you again Bitch Boy, how very manly of you. I'm done with you, you bore me."

Haiiro walks away.

'If I bore you so much, don't talk to me.'

"Thanks, Yutaka."

"No problem, I've dealt with a lot of guys like him before. They act all high and mighty when it's a one-on-one, but once someone else joins the fray they just back off," Yutaka explains. "Let's head towards the Battle Stadium before we're late for the exam."

"Oh shoot, I almost forgot about that."

….

[Helios Academy - Battle Stadium]

"So this is the battle stadium, it's gigantic," I said in awe.

"Let's get registered quickly before it starts," Yutaka said dashing off.

"Right," I reply will chasing after him.

…..

Apparently, contestants are split into 4 different groups. I got placed into Group D while Yutaka got placed in Group B. Group A fights first, then after the final two are decided, Group B then fights to determine their final two, and so on.

Basically, I'm going last.

The waiting room for group D has a giant screen hanging from the ceiling, allowing us to see the battles going on while we wait.

At the stadium…

"Welcome one and all to the Helios Entrance Exam!" The announcer said. "As most of you already know, the Helios Entrance Exam is conducted in a tournament setting where only the top 8 prospecting students will be allowed to enter Helios Academy. The students will be split into 4 different groups, Group A, B, C, and D. Each group of students will have 8 students fighting it out to reach the finals of their group in order to become official Helios Academy Students!"

"Thank you Joe for the explanation." An old man with a white robe said. "I'm sure many of you may know me but for those who don't, I am Aether Helios, the headmaster of this fine academy."

"The headmaster's here?" A young man in the stands said.

"I heard the headmaster only attends the entrance exam if he finds a gifted prospect taking it." A young woman explains.

Next to the headmaster are 3 students, A young man wearing a red cap with dazzling red eyes, a young woman with some kind of black dress and emerald, green eyes, and another young woman with silver hair and a white dress accompanied with sapphire blue eyes.

"These students right next to me are the pride of the Academy," Aether said.

Kaito, Kuraki, and Marcheline. Three of the academy's greatest geniuses happen to be present.

The roar of the crowd grew once they saw the three geniuses.

"Normally the four of us wouldn't attend such an event but this year's exam is special. Many incredible geniuses are participating in this year's exam, so we've decided to host an extra tournament for the winners of the exam. This winner of this extra tournament will receive a Dratini."

Hearing that hyped up the crowd even more.

"Woah, that's an incredible prize." A person in the crowd said.

Dratini is a very rare Pokémon, it's hard to find any of them in the wild these days so this extra tournament is worth winning.

"I hope you all are excited because this tournament will be one for the record books folks!" The announcer shouted. "Without any further delay, let the Entrance Exam begin!"

A large applause is heard throughout the stadium.

"This first battle is going to be a special one, a battle between two incredible prospects," The announcer said. "On one side is the son of a very rich man, Dante!"

Cheers are heard throughout the stadium as the purple-haired noble walk up to the battlefield.

"On the other side is a genius among geniuses, the son of the Professor Shiima, Haiiro!"

The roars of the crowd as Haiiro approaches the battlefield are enough to make you deaf.

"This battle will be a one-on-one match; the battle will end once one side cannot battle," the referee said.

"Hmph. You don't stand a chance." Haiiro said arrogantly.

"We'll see." Dante said flicking his hair back. "Go Gengar."

From the Pokeball, a purple ghost with a sinister grin appears.

"A Gengar huh?" Haiiro said as he sent out Umbreon. "Good luck winning with that."

"Battle begin!" The ref shouts.

Gengar immediately disappears, catching Haiiro off-guard.

"Gengar use Focus Blast!" The Gengar appears behind Umbreon and fires the Focus Blast, sending Umbreon flying but Umbreon manages to stick the landing before releasing a Dark Pulse in response. The Dark Pulse blasted the Gengar out of the stadium defeating it.

"Huh?" Dante said in shock. "You didn't say a command though."

"Oh my bad, I forgot most people don't people don't know how to do that," Haiiro laughed. "I told you that you didn't stand a chance."

The ref sticks his hand out. "Gengar is unable to battle, which means the winner of this battle is Haiiro Shiima."

The crowd cheers at the brilliant, albeit rather short battle.

"My my, it seems like he is able to use the Aura Bonding technique already," Aether said, pleased with the fact that a prospect has shown a decent proficiency in Aura Bonding.

Every living thing has an Aura, only Pokémon are able to use this innate ability freely. Even though humans aren't able to breathe fire or summon rainstorms with their aura normally, humans are able to use aura to communicate with their Pokémon in a process called Aura Bonding. Aura Bonding connects the trainer with their Pokemon, allowing them to share thoughts in battle. It's a very useful technique that allows trainers to battle without giving away their future actions ahead of time.

"He's from Pallet Town, right?" Aether asked Kuraki.

"He is indeed. He's a bit of a dickhead, but his talent is no joke." Kuraki explained.

"Pallet town seems to be a hotspot for geniuses."

"It sure is," Kuraki replied.

…..

After a lot of waiting and napping, the moment I've been dreading has finally come. It's now Group D's turn to battle, leaving the waiting room I find Yutaka talking to his Typhlosion.

"Ah, Blake!" Yutaka runs up to me. "You saw my battles right? I was really kicking ass out there."

"I missed your first battle but I managed to see your second one. You're really strong."

"How'd you miss the first battle?" Yutaka asked, slightly annoyed at the fact that I missed one of his battles. "That battle was a nail-biter for sure."

"I was taking a nap, sorry 'bout that," I responded.

"Whatever, you're battling now right?" Yutaka asked.

"Yeah, apparently I'm going against this kid named Damien."

"Good luck, I heard that he's the little brother of Marcheline Allard."

"That's not good," I said while sweat starts to appear on my face.

"You got this, have faith in yourself," Yutaka said while patting my back.

"I'll try."

"It's time for the final few battles of the Entrance Exam." The announcer said. "On one side is a prince in the making, the little brother of the esteemed Marcheline Allard, Damien!"

The roars of the crowd hurt my ears. I guess that's what you'd expect from the little brother of one of the strongest in the Academy.

"On the other side is, uh, Blake Hiiro."

The crowd goes silent, that's to be expected though.

"Wait, wait, wait. Blake Hiiro is here?" Kuraki asked as she started to look down at the battlefield.

"You know him, Kuraki?" Aether asked

"Yeah, he's fro-" Before Kuraki finishes her sentence, Kaito steps in.

"He's from Pallet Town, and he shouldn't be here."

"Hey, don't interrupt me!" Kuraki shouts.

"Why is that Kaito?" Aether asked.

"He'll stain Pallet Town's reputation," Kaito answers. "This is no place for a talentless nobody like him."

Marcheline walks up to join the conversation. "You don't like him at all, huh Kaito."

"Yeah, seeing him just makes my blood boil." Kaito clenched his fists.

"Maybe he's gotten much stronger?" Kuraki said. "He has always been a very hard-working guy."

"No matter what he tries, he can't beat talent. That's why he's always lost to us and Haiiro, no matter how hard he trained," Kaito remarked.

"Talent this, talent that. You're always like this. Just watch the battle then," Kuraki replied.

"How tragic," Damien said with a little chuckle. "It seems fate really hates you, country boy. I'll give you a chance to forfeit right now, so you can avoid the humiliation I'm about to give you."

"Forfeit? I've come too far to turn back now," I replied.

"So be it," Damien said as he threw his Pokeball into the air, coming out of it is a kind-looking dragon with two antenna-like parts pointing behind it, a Goodra.

I reach for Daru's Pokeball but Spike appears from his suddenly.

"Spike, what are you doing?" I ask the Eevee. Spike turns around and hisses at the Goodra, seems like it wants to fight.

"You sure you're up for the task Spike?" Spike nods in agreement.

"This isn't even going to be a battle," Kaito laughed. "Can't believe he decided to use his weak Eevee."

"Is he even being serious?" A person in the crowd asked.

"He must have hit his head as a baby," another person said.

"Really? An Eevee. Is that the best you can do?" Damien laughs. "This'll be easy."

"Are you sure about your choice of Pokemon?" The ref asked me.

"'Course I am," I answer with a smile.

"Well then, you already know the rules so, battle begin!" The ref shouts.

"Goodra use Dragon Pulse!" The Goodra charges up a beam of draconic might.

"Spike, use Quick Attack!"

As the Goodra unleashes its Dragon Pulse at Spike, Spike dodges it with ease and starts closing in on the slimy dragon. Spike tries to hit the Goodra but is swatted away by Goodra's tail.

"Damn, use Swift!" Spike's tails begin to glow, Spike whips his tail around to produce shiny stars that are sent towards Goodra.

"Ha, Use Flamethrower."

The Flamethrower and Swift collide, but Flamethrower overpowers the little Eevee, engulfing it in flames.

"It's over now," Marcheline said as she sat back down in her seat.

Spike falls to the ground, charred. He's barely managing to move.

"End it with Dragon Pulse Goodra," Damien commanded.

The Goodra begins to charge up, while I watch Spike struggling.

Eevee begins to hiss at the Goodra, seems like he still has some fight in him.

'I made a promise to Seiichi, I promised her that I'd make it into the academy and find out the secrets of Bellinor. I can't afford to let her down now.'

Aura begins to flow from my body and Spike's, although invisible, I could still feel it. Reaching out for Spike, my eyes begin to glow white, time begins to slow down because my thoughts start speeding up.

'Eevee isn't a strong Pokemon, but it is small, which means it's a small target.'

This gave me an idea.

'Dodging the incoming Dragon Pulse would be an easy task, Spike has the energy to do so. Spike can use Quick Attack, Swift, Tail Whip, and Double Edge. Double Edge is a powerful attack but Spike can only use it around one more time before fainting, so I'll need to finish it with one hit.'

The answer is obvious.

Time to win this battle.