The large battle courtyard behind Pallet Primary School buzzed with excitement. Students filled the stone benches surrounding the simulated arena, a wide circular ring with sand in the center and soft stone barriers on the edges.
Today was special — a Trainer Strategy Simulation.
No Talents.
No capture attempts.
Just basic tactics, observation, and learning.
The school had brought out six battle-ready loaner Pokémon — simple, docile creatures used for beginner training. Each was low-level and had White- or very weak Green-level Talents, if any.
Aiden sat on the bench with his group: Ash, Red, Gary, and Blue.
They were all buzzing.
"Man, I hope I get Spearow!" said Gary, bouncing his leg.
Ash grinned. "Rattata's gonna be mine. You'll see some real moves!"
Aiden gave a small smile. "They're not your Pokémon. You're just commanding them."
"That's the same thing," said Blue.
Aiden shook his head. "No. There's a difference."
⸻
The Pokémon Lineup
The assistant teacher, Mr. Brine, stood in front of the class with a remote and six Poké Balls floating behind him via a small drone.
"Alright, class! Today's teams are randomly chosen. You'll each be assigned one of our loaner Pokémon and matched against another pair."
The six available Pokémon were:
• Rattata – fast, aggressive, classic scout.
• Spearow – aerial mobility, peck and dive tactics.
• Nidoran♂ – defensive, poison-type edge.
• Caterpie – mostly for status effects.
• Poliwag – a little speed and water splash.
• Hoothoot – support and confusion pecks.
The class oohed and aahed.
⸻
Teams Announced
"First battle: Team One – Aiden and Red.
Against Team Two – Blue and Ash!"
The four boys exchanged competitive looks as Mr. Brine handed them the Poké Balls.
• Aiden got Poliwag.
• Red got Nidoran♂.
• Ash got Spearow.
• Blue got Rattata.
Gary laughed from the benches. "No way! Rattata and Spearow? You guys are gonna destroy them!"
Aiden ignored him. He was already thinking.
⸻
Battle Begins
The match started.
Spearow burst into the air like a feathered missile, while Rattata darted low, zig-zagging toward Nidoran. Blue called out quick orders, clearly having practiced.
Red reacted instantly. "Nidoran, defense up! Brace and Poison Sting if it gets close!"
Thump! Rattata hit, but Nidoran held.
Then Aiden struck.
"Poliwag — water jet, now! Aim low at Spearow!"
A small but focused stream of water caught Spearow mid-dive, forcing it to swerve off course.
Ash blinked. "Whoa! Okay, again! Dive left!"
Poliwag followed up, keeping pressure with splash attacks, forcing Spearow to climb too high to be effective.
Meanwhile, Red had guided Nidoran into locking Rattata in a close exchange. The tiny poison spikes had begun to irritate the faster, weaker rodent.
Blue gritted his teeth. "Hyper Fang, now!"
"Dodge left!" Red shouted.
Too late. The bite connected.
But Nidoran didn't go down.
Aiden saw the window.
"Poliwag — body slam the Rattata from behind!"
With a chirp, Poliwag bounded up and belly-flopped Rattata into the sand.
The bell rang.
"Team One wins!"
——
Aftermath
Ash groaned and fell back on the bench. "Man, you guys were fast."
Red high-fived Aiden. "That water jet was timed perfectly."
Aiden just nodded. "You handled Rattata well. I just spotted the angle."
Blue grumbled something about "luck" and stomped back to the benches.
Mr. Brine clapped. "Excellent work! That's what strategy is all about — not power, but synergy and reading the field."
⸻
As the matches continued, Aiden kept watching quietly. He took notes. Not just on commands — but on how the Pokémon moved, how they responded to fear or pressure, and how even weak Pokémon could win with the right moment.
It's not about Talent yet, he thought. It's about knowing how to use what you've got.
That's how he'd win when his time came.
Not just by copying powerful Talents.
But by understanding everything.