Pokémon: Starting with a Volcarona

In terms of initial potential, whether it's Charmander, Treecko, or Gastly,

they were arguably even more outstanding than Zeraora or Metagross.

Treecko needs no elaboration—it had been carefully selected by Nathan from an entire city.

Even before officially becoming Nathan's Pokémon, it had already helped him achieve impressive results.

Charmander, on the other hand, carried dragon's blood within it—so intense it required a suppression suit just to keep under control!

If it weren't equipped with the same model of suppressor armor used for Mewtwo,

Charmander likely would've already entered Rage,

gone berserk, and died from exhaustion!

Blood too rich in dragon lineage is not necessarily a good thing.

It turns the Charmander into something akin to the "SkullGreymon" from Digimon—

mindless, and doomed to fight until death.

Because that is the true nature of dragons.

…

On the first day, the whole Pokémon University was lively and bustling,

with even a welcome party held in the evening.

Nathan was invited to give a speech—he declined.

However, on the second day, the freshmen's nightmare began.

The military training instructors were strict, and the volume of exercise was immense.

Even compared to actual military academies, it was no less intense.

After all, for trainers to grow, the wild and the secret realms were essential.

Therefore, a strong physique was also mandatory.

But for Nathan—who had trained in the wild with Pokémon since he was young—

this level of training was barely a warm-up.

During this month of military training,

both Nathan and his Pokémon experienced a rare sense of peace.

There was no need to seek out battles; most of their time was spent training and resting.

No constant tension, no need for overthinking.

If others knew what Nathan was thinking,

they'd probably label him an outright freak.

For most students, military training alone was a living hell.

After all, most of them were spoiled rich kids.

…

Until the end-of-month assessment.

"I'll be your opponent. Last five minutes against me, and you pass,"

the instructor announced loudly in the on-campus battle arena.

"However, Nathan—your requirement is to defeat me."

His face, serious and old-fashioned, somehow gave people a strange sense of reassurance.

"No problem. I've always wanted to see how strong a military trainer really is."

Nathan tilted his head, replying without the slightest hesitation.

To him, this wasn't favoritism,

but rather a rare opportunity to receive some real personalized training.

Still, many students looked at him with a gloating expression,

as if hoping to reclaim some shred of dignity or superiority.

Maybe to them, this was "punishment"—a targeted setup.

It just shows: the world of the strong and the weak are entirely different realms.

No wonder the elites—wealthy and powerful alike—

were so eager to send their children here,

willing to spend ridiculous tuition fees.

…

Soon, the students began battling the instructor one by one.

At this stage, most freshmen only had two or three Pokémon.

Three was common, and four was extremely rare.

The instructor used a very typical Pidgeotto—not even gym-level in strength.

Then, under Nathan's gaze, which made it feel like he was watching kindergarteners brawl,

a series of brutal beatdowns commenced.

It wasn't that the instructor was particularly strong—

the freshmen were just terribly inexperienced.

After a while, Nathan even started to feel bored.

"Want some sunflower seeds?"

Someone suddenly offered from beside him, handing over a packet.

Only then did Nathan notice that a number of senior students had arrived,

watching the scene with great interest.

It reminded him of that classic saying:

Seniors bullying freshmen; veterans hazing rookies.

Shrugging, Nathan accepted the sunflower seeds and joined in as one of the "evil ones."

He didn't look like a freshman at all.

…

"My name's Johnny Han, third-year. What do you think of these battles?"

The chubby guy named Johnny stared at the one-sided fights as he asked casually.

"How do I think of them? Boring beyond belief. Absolutely unbearable."

Nathan yawned as he replied to Johnny's question.

After battling national-level contestants,

watching these freshman fights was simply… painful.

You ever seen someone use Ember against a Pidgeotto?

How about a Rhydon using Take Down on an airborne enemy,

only to launch itself out of the battlefield entirely?

Or Pokémon using brute force with zero tactics—like dumb tanks smashing headfirst into walls?

Using "turn-based combat" to describe their style wouldn't even be an exaggeration.

It felt like they were playing a game—not actually battling.

"True. But you are the 'Son of God,' after all."

Johnny nodded knowingly, getting way too familiar all of a sudden.

"Wait, what the hell is 'Son of God'?"

Nathan turned to him with a look of disbelief.

Just after he had finally escaped the nonsense title "Thunderflame Saint,"

he was about to get hit with another one?

Of course he was.

Johnny chuckled. "Right now, the whole internet is raving about how monstrous you are.

So extraordinary that just a couple of days ago,

a bunch of people came together and decided unanimously:

you're the Son of God, the literal son of the Creator!"

"Oh, and by the way, even the Pokémon League has acknowledged the title."

Hearing that, Nathan felt a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat.

Son of the Creator?!

He didn't want anything to do with that alpaca-looking thing (Arceus)!

Son of God?!

If Nathan hadn't spent the past month focusing on calm self-discipline,

he might've already stormed the Pokémon League HQ with a blade!

Before he could even reply, the last freshman stumbled down from the battlefield,

clearly having failed to last five minutes.

…

"Nathan, I hope you take this seriously,"

the instructor said as he took out a Poké Ball, his entire aura exuding the presence of a powerful warrior.

The Poké Ball opened—

and the aura of a true Elite-level Pokémon swept across the field!

A scarred Arcanine, bearing three deep gashes over its left eye, stepped forward.

It didn't look majestic or mighty,

but its presence was like a blade in the wind—sharp and deadly.

Just meeting its gaze made Nathan feel like a knife's edge was pressed against his skin.

There was no doubt—

this was a survivor of the battlefield,

a Pokémon that had rolled through piles of corpses,

an elite that lived alongside death itself.

Gone was Nathan's lazy, half-asleep expression.

In its place—seriousness and focus.

"Instructor, I look forward to learning from you."

Facing the instructor and his Arcanine,

Nathan's right eye gleamed crimson, his voice calm and composed.

The next second, a golden figure appeared on the field.

After a month of honing, it had also reached level 52,

and had mastered the use of the Electric orb to near perfection.

As if reborn—

Nathan's signature Pokémon!

Zeraora!!

"zoar!!"

With sharp, vertical pupils locked onto Arcanine,

Zeraora entered the field already burning with battle intent.

The month of meditation had made it stronger, more grounded—

but it also left it craving a fight to prove itself!

…

"Agility!"

"Agility!"

At the exact same moment, both Nathan and the instructor gave their commands.

Arcanine blurred into a red afterimage,

while Zeraora became a streak of blue lightning.

"Flamethrower!"

No need for detailed instructions—

the instructor calmly called out the move name.

Arcanine had already locked in its prediction—

aiming and firing precisely at where Zeraora would be!

"Dodge into the air, then behind—Chidori!"

One hand in his pocket, Nathan gave his command unhurriedly.

Without hesitation, Zeraora followed it to the letter.

A powerful leap dodged the searing flames—

then came a cry like a thousand birds chirping, piercing the ears of all the students present.

Freshmen stared in confusion; upperclassmen watched in awe.

What looked like an opening move...

struck Arcanine cleanly on its flank!

At that, the instructor's always-stoic face finally shifted slightly.

"If you had lost that bet, you'd already be halfway to losing."

(End of Chapter)

TN: Hi, I just posted a new Pokémon novel in my patreon, its free so please check it out. I posted 5 chapters of it but if you guys feel lazy you can also check my profile here but it only has 1 chapter of it to give you guys a taste. I'll start posting on it next week so that I can mass update.