Atop a low hill stood a boy with blood red eyes, the kind that looked carved rather than born. Determination simmered behind them, a thin smirk tugging at his lips as sunrise washed the world in muted orange. Satisfaction. Anticipation. Hunger for the road ahead.
Beginner's Guide to Pokémon ranks
-By-Alexander Creed
Pokémon, creatures of mystery, beasts born of the wilderness and impossible forces. They've existed longer than recorded history, maybe longer than the world as humans understand it. Some are small enough to be mistaken for harmless pets. Others could level cities without breaking stride.
Across the world, people classify Pokémon by age, evolution, breeding habits… but none of that matters as much as raw strength. After digging through libraries and rumors, these are the stages I've pieced together:
1. Basic Pokémon- The most common stage, but not synonymous with weak. A basic Pokémon that trains properly can flatten small buildings. "Basic" only means one thing: it hasn't crossed the threshold into the next stage.
2. Attuned Pokémon- These are the ones who've crossed the Attunement Threshold, capable of drawing on their elemental nature and projecting it as aura. Some gain physical enhancement, others manifest elemental fields. Progress into this stage can take years, and many Pokémon stay trapped in the gap forever. The only reliable sign of Attunement is the presence of aura, whether elemental or physical.
3. Apex Pokémon -A stage that few even glimpse. Apex Pokémon can generate domains, territories where their will defines the rules. Their elemental control pushes past technique into instinct. Unlike Attunement, the breakthrough to Apex happens in a single event, usually violent, often transformative. The Pokémon doesn't evolve into something new. It becomes a perfected version of itself in every aspect.
4. Sovereign Pokémon-A confirmed rank that nobody explains. The League pretends otherwise, but the gaps in the public records are too clean to be accidental. Requirements unknown. Barriers unknown. Abilities unknown. A pattern of silence usually means the truth is inconvenient.
5. Legendary-The most powerful category, though nobody seems to know why some Pokémon are considered Legendary. The term feels ritualistic, like a label people inherited rather than understood. No consistent criteria. No transparent definition. Just a word.
Trainers have tiers too, and for some reason a trainer can't command a Pokémon far above their stage. The League says it's about "bond compatibility." That feels like a polite version of the truth, not the full one.
1. Basic Trainers- Rookies with standard partners. They form most of the population. Small privileges, small salaries, small expectations. The League likes predictable things.
2. Aligned Trainers- Rare. A single Attuned partner elevates a trainer to this rank. Their strength jumps dramatically from the previous rank, enough that the League assigns them to towns instead of villages. The privileges are generous enough to suggest the League is trying to keep them loyal.
3. Apex Trainers- Anyone with an Apex partner. The backbone of the League. Their privileges are mostly hidden from the public. Anything hidden usually implies capability beyond the comfortable threshold.
4. [Name Unknown] Trainers- A confirmed rank that the League pretends does not exist. Entire documents scrubbed clean. A deliberate absence is louder than a truth.
The boy closed his notebook softly. The title on the cover read, Everything You Need to Know Before You Start Your Own Pokémon Adventure.
He set the pen down, lay back on his bed, and stared at the Pokéball resting on the table. His partner waited inside. His beginning waited outside. And even though he felt tired down to the bones, his mind drifted backward, following a path he didn't often visit.
Back to a storm.
Thunder tearing open the sky. Rain hammering the earth. A basket on the steps of a neglected building. A sleeping child who didn't flinch at the chaos around him.
A door creaked open. A nun stepped out, noticed the basket, and lifted it gently. Lightning gave the world a single bright frame, enough to illuminate the wooden board above the doorway.
Pallet Town Orphanage 7.