(Grey's POV)

  I sat in the corner of the big hall, leaning my back against the wall. My fingers kept tapping against my backpack. Even though I had come in third, I didn't feel like celebrating yet. The room was full of energy—kids laughing, parents taking pictures, and the smell of fresh ink on new licenses. But something about the whole thing felt a bit off to me.

  I kept looking at the final score sheet. Third overall was great, but the way the scores were split was weird. The guy who got the highest mark in the written test didn't even make the top five in the battle exam. It was the same for the top battlers; most of them barely passed the written part. It showed that being good at one didn't mean you were ready for the other.

  While waiting, I ended up talking to a few other candidates. That's when it clicked. Most of the kids in the top ten weren't like me. They came from families with money—the kind of families that could afford private coaching or high-end prep materials that I had to beg or borrow.

  A guy named Felix, who I'd chatted with during the breaks, leaned over and whispered, "Don't get too caught up in the rankings, Grey. Most of these guys didn't even need to score high. Their parents have enough pull to get them a great starter from a private breeder anyway. They only took the exam to show off."

  He also told me something that made my stomach turn. Apparently, the League was doing this "Elite Four Sponsorship" as a bit of a publicity stunt. There had been a lot of reports of terror attacks lately, and the public was getting nervous. By giving away "rare" Pokémon to top students, the League made it look like they were in total control and looking out for the next generation.

  Before I could think about it too much, a voice came over the speaker. The top four of us were called into a private room. This was it, surprisingly the meeting was in Celadon itself so the other 3 candidates were teleported here.

  We walked into a large, quiet office. It was a huge change from the noisy hall outside. Standing there were the four members of the Elite Four: Lance, Agatha, Bruno, and Lorelei. They didn't say much at first, but you could feel how powerful they were just by being in the same room.

  Lance stepped forward. He explained that since we were the top four, we wouldn't be getting the usual common starters. Instead, they were offering us Pokémon they had specifically bred from their own teams.

  "We have four choices for you today," Lance said, pointing to the Poké Balls on the table. "Axew, Gastly, Machop, and Swinub."

  He explained that these weren't random. Lorelei had provided the Swinub, Bruno the Machop, and Agatha the Gastly. As for the Axew, Lance had bred it himself from his Dragonite and a Haxorus. He was honest with us: he wasn't giving out Dratini because they were too rare and took way too long to evolve for a new trainer. Axew was still a pure Dragon, but it was a bit more manageable—though only just.

  I watched the other three kids. I knew what they were thinking because I had the same thought. Most trainers avoid Dragons and Ghosts as starters.

  Dragons are cool, sure, but they're a nightmare to start with. They are famous for being stubborn and having an attitude. If you aren't from a Dragon-tamer clan where you're raised around them, they might not even listen to you. Plus, they take forever to evolve. While a normal trainer's Pidgey is evolving and getting stronger, a Dragon-type stays in its basic form for months or even years. It's a huge disadvantage when you're just starting out and need to win gym badges to afford food.

  Ghosts were just as bad. They liked to play tricks on their owners, and if you weren't "in sync" with them, they were more of a headache than a partner.

  Aria, who took first place, didn't want to take any risks. She chose Swinub. It was a solid choice—loyal and great for the early routes. The second-place guy, who looked like he just wanted to smash through every battle, went straight for Machop.

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  Then it was my turn. The only ones left were the Gastly and the Axew.

  I looked at the Axew. It was small, with green scales and little tusks on the sides of its mouth. It wasn't jumping around or acting cute like a normal starter. It just stood there, looking at me with these really sharp, determined eyes. It looked like it had something to prove.

  I thought about it hard. If I took Axew, my life was going to be difficult. I didn't have much money, and I knew Dragons needed high-quality food and a lot of patience. My journey would be much slower than the others. I could take the Gastly and hope for the best, or I could have taken a common Pokémon earlier and had an easier time.

  But then I remembered how I got here. I didn't get to third place by taking the easy way. I got here by staying up late, borrowing books, and working harder than the rich kids who had everything handed to them.

  "If I wanted an easy life, I wouldn't have bothered with this exam," I thought to myself.

  I wanted to be the best. And if that meant starting with the hardest Pokémon to train, then so be it. I wasn't going to let myself get lazy or look for shortcuts now.

  "I'll take Axew," I said.

  I saw Agatha chuckle a bit, and Lance actually smiled.

  "It won't be easy, Grey," Lance warned me. "A dragon won't respect you just because you have a license. You have to earn it every day."

  "I know," I said, reaching out.

  The Axew didn't lick my hand or wag its tail. It just gave a small, serious nod and bumped its head against my palm. It was a deal.

  As I walked out of the building with Axew's Poké Ball on my belt, I felt a new kind of weight. I had just made my journey ten times harder, but for the first time, it felt like I was actually starting my own story, not just following a script. I had a dragon. Now, I just had to make sure I was good enough to lead it.

  (Lance's POV)

  As I stood at the front of the room, watching the top four candidates gather, a familiar wave of disappointment washed over me. Honestly, I wasn't keen on being here. The whole affair felt like an elaborate publicity stunt designed to pacify a restless public. With recent terror attacks shaking the foundations of our society, the League desperately needed a win—a show of strength. I had my doubts about how effective this would be, but orders were orders.

  I had spent considerable time tracking down a Haxorus to breed with my Dragonite just to secure an Axew egg. My own people, the Blackthorn clan, were notoriously stubborn about parting with a Dratini, and I couldn't blame them. A pseudo-legendary Dragon-type is a precious commodity. Besides, I agreed with the council's reasoning; a Dratini was too rare and far too temperamental for a novice. The last thing I wanted was to burden a child with a Pokémon that would actively resist them from day one.

  When I finally acquired the Axew egg, I was hopeful. The species has incredible untapped potential, but I was painfully aware that few trainers were prepared for the grind of raising a Dragon. I had seen too many youngsters falter, eventually opting for "safer" Pokémon when the growth slowed down.

  As the candidates made their choices, a familiar frustration began to set in. The girl who ranked first took the Swinub without a second thought. Efficient, but predictable. The second-place boy snatched the Machop, clearly looking for brute strength over long-term strategy.

  Because the Pokémon were already out of their Poké Balls, they could see everything. I looked at Axew, standing there as it was passed over again and again like an unwanted burden. I sighed internally, fully expecting the next candidate—Grey—to follow suit and choose the Gastly out of pure self-preservation.

  I watched them closely, noting the hesitation in their eyes. They knew the prestige of a Dragon, yet they shied away from the challenge it represented. I wanted to believe Grey might be different. I had seen his file; he had fought his way up from nothing to reach this rank. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes—a flicker of real perseverance.

  When Grey stepped up, I wondered if he would succumb to the pressure like the others. But when he locked eyes with Axew, the air in the room seemed to shift. I could sense a connection forming, and for a brief moment, I felt a spark of hope. When he finally declared, "I'll take Axew," that disappointment I had been feeling transformed into genuine respect.

  Grey had chosen the harder path. He was embracing the struggle.

  I observed the Axew's reaction—a small, serious nod. It was a rare sight. It seemed the hatchling had already granted the boy a sliver of respect. The real question was whether Grey could maintain that respect as the journey grew grueling.

  It wouldn't be easy. The bond between a trainer and a Dragon is fragile, especially in the beginning. Dragons are unique—powerful, yes, but prideful to their very core. Having one as a starter is a massive gamble that only pays off for those with an iron will.

  I gave Grey a nod of acknowledgment. Perhaps he would prove me wrong about this new batch of trainers. Perhaps he would be the one to show that true strength comes from facing adversity head-on rather than picking the easiest tool for the job.

  As they left the room, I felt a flicker of hope for the future. There was definitely more to this boy than met the eye. If he could truly handle the challenge ahead, he might just surprise us all.