On the way back, Sutter still felt as though everything was unreal.
Yet the fact remained—his Rhydon had indeed been stored inside the Poké Ball.
"It truly is unbelievable…" he sighed in amazement, unconsciously quickening his pace.
He couldn't wait to tell the knights under his command about the official Trainer Examination and the existence of Poké Balls.
The encampment of the Pokémon Domain's Knight Order was located between northern Fairhaven Town and the Black Forest. Their primary duty was to guard against wild Pokémon from the forest attacking human lands.
However, now the entire outer perimeter of the Black Forest had already been incorporated into the Pokémon Domain. Only the dense, dangerous inner region still remained outside their control.
And as other territories continued to build Pokémon Breeding Zones, the Black Forest would gradually be eaten away piece by piece, until the entire region was fully absorbed into the domain of Aspiration City.
This was also one of the reasons why every major territory chose to establish Pokémon Breeding Zones—after all, the Black Forest contained countless valuable resources. Conquering it would bring tremendous benefits to each domain.
Thump, thump, thump—
As Sutter approached the knights' camp, he immediately felt the ground shaking rhythmically.
It was the knights undergoing their daily physical training. Had it been move training, the noise would have been even greater.
"Adjutant, when the knights finish training, have everyone gather at the central arena," Sutter said, gripping the Poké Ball tightly as he walked toward the training field.
Before long, the knights began filing toward the arena. Although it was spacious, it still felt crowded—because each knight had a Rhyhorn standing beside him.
"If everyone received a Poké Ball, our mobility would be dramatically improved," Sutter murmured to himself.
In his mind, he could already picture it—knights riding on their Rhyhorns, each carrying several Poké Balls at their side. When battle began, they could instantly release their Pokémon into the fight.
If that became reality, every knight would be equivalent to carrying an entire squad with him. Depending on the situation, they could release their Pokémon at will, leading to a qualitative leap in combat strength.
And that wasn't the only benefit—Poké Balls could enable countless new tactics. Especially in siege warfare—if they could infiltrate a city, they could instantly deploy an entire knight squad from within!
But the greatest advantage appeared in the wild. Being able to store Pokémon in Poké Balls and carry them anywhere was incomparably convenient. After all, certain terrains limited the movement of Pokémon.
Take for example the Knight Order of Aspiration City—if they attacked another city, forests and mountains were major obstacles. Rhyhorns struggled to cross them.
But with Poké Balls? They could simply carry their Rhyhorns to the other side, reorganize the squad, and resume battle.
At sea, most Pokémon struggled to reach distant islands. Poké Balls could solve that too.
They could even perform airborne deployments. As long as they had a Pokémon capable of flight, they could quickly drop troops into the battlefield—enhancing mobility to an astonishing degree.
"Lord Sutter, the Knight Order has fully assembled," the adjutant reported respectfully.
"Good. You've worked hard," Sutter nodded, shifting his gaze to the knights below. "I've gathered everyone today because I have good news!"
Hearing their captain's words, every knight stood straighter. After weeks of training, even the newly recruited knights had developed excellent discipline.
In the midst of their anticipation, Sutter finally announced, "His Highness Aven has issued a public notice—come next spring, the Official Trainer Examination will be held!"
The Official Trainer Examination!
The knights' eyes lit up with excitement. They had waited far too long for this announcement.
Yet some faces turned sour—they had already heard there would be a written test. That was the part they dreaded most.
If the exam took place in the spring, many feared they wouldn't have enough time to memorize everything in the Trainer's Handbook.
Too difficult—far too difficult…
Some knights silently mourned. Many of them struggled even with basic reading, let alone memorizing an entire handbook.
"Next, I'll explain the contents of the official Trainer Examination."
Sutter swept his gaze across the knights. When he saw those who looked particularly distressed, a faint grin tugged at his lips.
He could already imagine how they would react once he told them the benefits of becoming an Official Trainer.
Soon, he outlined the exam rules exactly as Aven had explained. Aside from the written test, the knights remained calm—they were confident in every other part.
"And now… the benefits of becoming an official Trainer."
Sutter took a deep breath and held up the Poké Ball.
Seeing the round fruit-like ball in his hand, the knights froze. They all recognized it—this was the strange "berry" His Highness Aven frequently used, an item capable of sealing Pokémon.
But why was it in their captain's hand? Wasn't this object exclusive to His Highness?
"Heh, I know you're curious about what this is," Sutter said smugly.
Instead of explaining, he pressed the button.
A burst of white light shot forward, materializing into his Rhydon.
The knights stared, wide-eyed.
What were they seeing? Their captain actually possessed the same sealing technique as His Highness Aven!?
Then, with another press of the button, a beam of red light swept over the Rhydon, pulling it back into the ball.
This time, the knights were struck speechless. Their captain truly had mastered Lord Aven's sealing technique!
"Hehe, I know what you're thinking," Sutter said, scanning the crowd. "You assume I learned His Highness Aven's sealing arts, don't you?"
Before they could reply, Sutter shook his head.
"This is no sealing technique. Everything you saw was thanks to this Poké Ball!"
"As long as you possess a Poké Ball, you can do everything I just did—freely releasing and recalling your Pokémon!"
Shock rippled through the crowd.
So all of this was because of that device called a Poké Ball?
If they obtained one, they too could wield such power?
"Wait—Captain Sutter said this was the benefit of becoming an official Trainer!" a knight suddenly realized.
Everything connected instantly—this must be the reward!
"That's right! This is the benefit of becoming a official Trainer!"
"The first official Trainer Examination of the spring will be held among the Knight Order, the Patrol Guards, and the Rangers."
"If you succeed, each of you will receive one Poké Ball personally crafted by His Highness Aven!"
"Of course, if you want more than one, you'll have to purchase them from the Pokémon Breeding House. In principle, you may buy up to six."
"With Poké Balls, you can do everything I demonstrated earlier—store your partner Pokémon and carry them easily!"
As Sutter's voice resounded across the arena, the knights erupted. They couldn't believe their ears.
In that instant, all their hesitation vanished.
They no longer cared about how difficult the written test was—they just wanted to pass the exam and obtain a Poké Ball as soon as possible.
"With Poké Balls, we can attempt countless new tactics," Sutter continued enthusiastically. "After the exam, I'll form a new specialized knight squad composed of those who obtain official Trainer certification."
He then shared several of the tactics he had envisioned. The knights, inspired, clenched their fists in motivation, determined to give their all.
"That's enough for today. Work hard when you return!"
"I'm sure the Patrol Guards and the Rangers are also being mobilized right now. I will not allow the Knight Order to fall behind them!"
The knights answered loudly, then rushed back to camp—eager to begin memorizing the Trainer Handbook.
No matter what, they had to pass. They could feel it—this exam would become the dividing line for their future strength.
…
At the Rangers' camp, things unfolded exactly as Sutter predicted—Matthew was also rallying his men.
Compared to the Knight Order, the Rangers wore confident expressions.
Many of them had been magical beast hunters before becoming Rangers—naturally familiar with Pokémon.
Hunters needed to understand the dangers of the wild, and knowing Pokémon was basic survival knowledge. Those who didn't… were long buried in the Black Forest.
Thus, when Matthew explained the exam, the Rangers remained calm.
But when they saw the Poké Ball, their reactions were even more exaggerated than the knights'.
Anyone who had survived years in the wilderness instantly understood how priceless a Poké Ball was. Any beast hunter would go mad seeing such an item!
Being able to store Pokémon during wild expeditions would make survival infinitely easier—preventing countless dangers.
And as a sealing tool, Poké Balls would have multiplied their capture efficiency a hundredfold back when they were hunters!
Of course, that life was in the past. Since becoming Rangers, they no longer missed their old identity—they now took pride in their new role.
"Captain Matthew, rest assured!"
"We'll give everything we have to become official Trainers!"
"These Poké Balls are like they were made especially for Rangers—we must obtain them!"
Confidence overflowing, they quickly returned to study, determined to pass in a single attempt.
…
Finally, the Patrol Guards.
Compared to the knights and Rangers, their situation was… far from optimistic.
Most members were ordinary civilians—many struggled with reading. Memorizing the Trainer Handbook was terrifyingly difficult.
"This won't do…"
Peter rubbed his temples. "Maybe we should hire teachers from the school…"
The other patrol members wore the same bitter expressions. Why did becoming a Trainer require literacy?
If it was purely physical tests or combat, they had full confidence.
But a written exam? That felt impossible for those who barely recognized letters.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves for reading lessons," Peter urged them. "Since His Highness has decreed it, we must overcome this obstacle. We're patrolmen—we endure hardship better than anyone!"
After the mobilization, Peter immediately began thinking about who could teach them.
His first thought was the former Ironblood Knights—they had teaching experience and strong discipline.
Especially Bloodhowl or Darius as he prefers to be called now was the former Ironblood Knight Captain. He had trained countless knights and would surely teach the patrol members well.
"Peter, I found Captain Darius," the deputy captain, Simon, said, rushing back.
His expression was strange, hesitant, as though he didn't know how to say it. After a long moment, he finally spoke:
"Captain Darius … is already here in our Patrol Guard."
"…What?" Peter froze. "He came to us on his own?"
"No… not exactly." Simon scratched his cheek awkwardly. "He's… already one of our patrol members."
"What!?"
Peter jumped to his feet. "Take me to him!"
..
At the camp, Darius sat calmly reading the Trainer Handbook, clicking his tongue in admiration.
This book truly was a masterpiece.
That His Highness Aven could create something like this—Ironblood Fortress had lost for a good reason.
Not just Aspiration City—across the entire Sinnoh Continent, Aven's scholarly brilliance was surely unmatched.
He wondered how Aven compared to the Wisdom City ruler—widely acknowledged as Sinnoh's greatest female scholar.
"Darius, can you actually understand that handbook?" a patrol member beside him asked.
Darius nodded. "Yes, I went to school when I was young, so I can understand it, albeit barely."
"Really!?" the patrolman's eyes lit up. "Then can you teach me? I want to take the Trainer Exam too!"
"Of course," Darius said with a smile.
Hearing this, the surrounding patrol members excitedly gathered around, staring at him with hopeful eyes.
Darius looked at these men—people he had lived and worked beside recently—and a warm smile touched his face.
After being pardoned by His Highness Aven, many of his former comrades had chosen to start anew.
Some became teachers, others merchants. As for him, he quietly changed his name back to Darius and joined the Patrol Squad.
Only after truly experiencing life as a patrolman could he fully sense the strength of the Pokémon Domain—and the happiness of its people.
Compared to civilians in other territories, the people of the Pokémon Domain always carried smiles, lived in abundance, and obeyed the laws willingly.
This was the first time he had ever felt what "freedom" truly meant.
Seeing the eager expressions of the patrol members before him, Darius did not refuse. He beckoned them closer and began teaching.
He started with the Attribute Type Chart. To him, this chart possessed epoch-defining significance.
As he recalled his own years of combat experience, he realized everything perfectly aligned with the chart. It was like everything had suddenly become clear.
Gradually, the patrol members fully immersed themselves in learning, listening to Darius like obedient students in a classroom.
At some point, Peter had already arrived outside the camp. Seeing Darius teaching so seriously, he couldn't help but smile.
With Darius's help, the Patrol Guards finally had hope.
(End of Chapter)