Ryan was still staring at Aaron as though he had misheard the introduction.
"...General?"
Major Grant cleared his throat. Apparently, the simple version was not going to be enough.
"Major Ryan, let me introduce him properly. This is Aaron, this year's top scorer on the College Entrance Exam. He's also a recipient of Hualis's highest national honor and was personally appointed by the Chairman as an Honorary General of the Hualis Pokémon League."
Ryan went completely still.
His gaze shifted from Grant to Aaron, then back again.
So Grant had not been joking.
The young man standing in front of him really was an Honorary General.
Ryan immediately straightened and gave Aaron a respectful salute.
"General Aaron. My apologies."
Aaron waved it off.
"Relax. Just call me Aaron. Grant does."
"That's right," Grant added with a grin. "No need to stand on ceremony with him."
Ryan hesitated before nodding.
"Understood... General Aaron."
Aaron stared at him.
Grant suppressed a laugh.
"Close enough. Now let's get ready to enter the secret zone."
That finally moved things along.
The expedition members changed into insulated suits designed for extreme environments. Aaron put on one of the white thermal sets as well. The teams also carried specialized energy weapons capable of injuring Advanced-level Pokémon and, with a solid hit, posing a threat even to some Elite-level opponents.
Once preparations were complete, both groups assembled near the entrance.
Sealine City had brought fifty personnel, along with Grant and Aaron. Rivergate City's team numbered fifty-one, bringing the expedition to a total of one hundred and three people.
Grant and Ryan exchanged a glance.
"Everyone ready?"
The confirmation came quickly.
"Then we're going in."
One by one, the expedition members crossed the boundary of the newly discovered secret zone.
...
The first thing Aaron saw was white.
Snow covered everything.
It fell steadily from a pale sky, burying the ground beneath a thick layer of powder and weighing down the branches of every tree in sight. Beyond the entrance stretched an enormous frozen wilderness, with no sign of the comparatively mild weather they had left behind at Highbank.
Even through his insulated clothing, Aaron could feel how severe the cold was.
Around him, the expedition teams immediately began checking their equipment. Air monitors came online, positioning systems began establishing reference points, and portable scanners started mapping the terrain ahead.
Grant studied the preliminary readings on a tablet.
"All right. We move forward from here."
The group began making its way through the snow.
Their first objective was not to search for treasure or rare Pokémon. Before anything else, they needed to determine how dangerous the secret zone actually was—its terrain, environmental hazards, Pokémon population, and how far the accessible area extended.
Only after that could anyone seriously consider exploiting its resources.
That was where the real value of a secret zone lay.
Blaze's family, for example, controlled a Fire-type secret zone that produced valuable resources such as Fire Stones and Fire Dragon Fruits. Materials like those could strengthen Fire-type Pokémon and, depending on their quality, even improve their potential.
Evolution stones alone could be enormously valuable. A Fire Stone could evolve Growlithe into Arcanine or Eevee into Flareon, among other species.
Resources like those were one of the reasons Blaze's family had remained wealthy and influential for generations.
Aaron was still wondering what an untouched Ice-type secret zone might contain when a deep rumble rolled through the distance.
He stopped.
The sound grew louder.
Then the entire slope ahead seemed to move.
A wall of snow broke loose and came crashing down toward them.
"Avalanche!" someone shouted.
Grant reacted immediately.
"Move! Get clear!"
The expedition began scattering away from the avalanche's path, but Aaron was already reaching for a Poké Ball.
"Charizard!"
Red light burst across the snow.
Charizard appeared in front of the group, crimson dragon scales standing out sharply against the frozen landscape.
Aaron pointed toward the approaching wall of snow.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"GRAAAZARD!"
Charizard planted his feet, spread his wings, and unleashed a massive blast of concentrated flame.
The attack tore across the frozen landscape and slammed directly into the avalanche.
BOOM!
Heat swept outward as tons of snow vanished into a violent burst of steam. The leading edge collapsed almost instantly, and the rest of the avalanche broke apart behind it as Charizard's flames continued carving through the descending mass.
Within seconds, the roaring wall of white had been reduced to a vast cloud of steam drifting across the slope.
Everyone who had been preparing to retreat gradually stopped.
Grant lowered the arm he had raised to direct the evacuation.
He glanced at Aaron.
Then at Charizard.
"Ahem."
Aaron looked over.
Grant kept a perfectly straight face.
"Well. That works too."
Aaron smiled.
Ryan, however, was not paying attention to the joke.
His eyes were fixed on Charizard.
This was no ordinary specimen. The Pokémon was larger than most members of its species, its body covered in powerful crimson dragon scales, and the sheer force behind that last attack had been enough to erase an avalanche in seconds.
Ryan had enough experience to judge the rough level of an attack when he saw one.
Gym-level... easily.
Possibly even approaching Gym (Peak Stage) in raw destructive power.
That realization hit harder than he expected.
Ryan was already in his thirties, and his own strongest Pokémon had only reached Gym (Late Stage). Grant, despite being considerably younger, was at roughly the same level.
Aaron had only just reached adulthood.
And one of his Pokémon was already displaying power like this.
Ryan finally understood why someone so young could hold an honorary rank normally unimaginable for a student.
He looked at Aaron again, this time with none of the earlier confusion.
So that's what kind of Trainer he is.