The academy courtyard was quiet that afternoon.
Most students had gone home or remained inside the campus dorms, but Ray had returned home early—by special request and permission—to do something he'd been waiting nearly two years to do.
He stood in the open field behind his house, holding his first and only Pokéball in hand. Its red-and-white surface gleamed softly in the sunlight, as if aware of the moment's weight.
Across from him, Pidgey hovered in the air for a moment before landing gently on the fence post, tilting his head in curiosity.
"You ready?" Ray asked softly.
Pidgey blinked once, then nodded.
Ray had explained everything the night before—what the Pokéball meant, the legal responsibility, and the significance of officially becoming bonded.
Pidgey understood.
And he had chosen Ray just as much as Ray had chosen him.
Ray took a slow breath, then raised the Pokéball.
There was no need to battle or weaken Pidgey—this was a willing bond, a partnership sealed by trust and time.
"Alright, partner," Ray whispered, "let's make it official."
He pressed the activation button.
The Pokéball opened with a soft chime, and a swirl of red light enveloped Pidgey. For a brief second, Ray could feel a pulse of connection rush through him—like the moment two puzzle pieces clicked together.
The ball wobbled once in the air.
Then twice.
Then—click.
The bond was sealed.
📍 New Registration Detected.Partner Confirmed: PidgeyAptitude: Green – DeepCombat Level: 17
Ray's eyes widened.
Combat Level...?
A glowing panel shimmered across his vision—his Statsight had changed. Evolved.
Before, it had always shown Aptitude and its sub-level. That alone had been powerful.
But now, a new line pulsed beneath:
Combat Level: 17
"What... does this mean?" he murmured.
He thought back to the old Pokémon games from Earth. In those, Level was everything—damage scaling, evolutions, stat growth. But this world… it wasn't quite the same. Aptitudes hadn't existed in those games. And Level certainly hadn't appeared like this before—not visible, at least.
Yet here it was. Clear as day.
Ray looked at the floating numbers again. They hovered beside Pidgey's name like a HUD.
Pidgey – Deep GreenCombat Level: 17Status: Healthy | Focused
The words shimmered faintly, like data filtered from some invisible system.
Was this how others saw Pokémon too?
No. If it were, everyone would've been talking about levels constantly—not Aptitude, not bond strength. Which meant...
This new layer—Combat Level—was part of his Statsight alone.
It wasn't shown by the Guild readers. It wasn't even referenced by instructors.
"Why now?" he wondered aloud.
Was it the capture? The finalization of a full bond?
Or had it been waiting to unlock?
Pidgey fluttered onto his shoulder, chirping once as if to say, "You good?"
Ray chuckled, but his mind was spinning.
"Yeah, buddy. Just figuring out what this means…"
That night, at dinner, Ray's parents noticed the way he stared thoughtfully into his plate.
"Something on your mind, Ray?" his mother asked gently.
Ray looked up. He almost told them. Almost.
But he stopped himself.
Not because he didn't trust them.
But because… this wasn't something he could explain yet. Not without raising questions he wasn't ready to answer.
So instead, he smiled softly and said, "I'm just happy. Pidgey and I are officially a team now."
His father grinned. "Then let's celebrate that."
They raised their glasses of berry juice, and even Pidgey got a small fruit bowl on the table.
That night, Ray lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the soft glow of his Pokéball resting beside him.
A bond was sealed.
His power had evolved.
And now he had one more secret.
Not out of pride.
But because the more he understood this world…
…the more he realized how little everyone else did.