The classroom walls of Pallet Town Primary were covered with posters showing Pokémon in dynamic poses — a Machop lifting boulders, a Butterfree scattering dust, even a Charmeleon surrounded by flames.
But today, all of those posters were ignored.
Because today's lesson wasn't about species or type matchups — it was about something deeper.
Talent Theory.
Mr. Bell, an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard and the calm presence of a retired Gym Trainer, stood before the class. A glowing 3D projector hummed softly beside him.
Aiden sat near the front. His pencil was sharp. His mind, sharper.
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"What is Talent?"
Mr. Bell paced slowly.
"When you turn 15, you'll undergo your Talent Awakening. You'll also receive your starter Pokémon. This process is monitored by the League using Talent Resonance Machines — massive things. Can't move them. You get one shot. No resets."
He clicked a button. A diagram appeared — a glowing human silhouette with a swirling light at its chest.
"Your Talent appears as a special ability, deeply bound to your body and mind. Some of you might get physical gifts. Others might receive passive auras, enhancements, even elemental affinities."
Ash whispered to Red behind Aiden, "I hope I get something cool like fire fists."
Mr. Bell raised an eyebrow. "Fire fists are rare, Ketchum. Don't hold your breath."
The class chuckled.
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Talent Tiers
Mr. Bell tapped the board again.
"Talents are ranked by color:
White < Green < Yellow < Blue < Pink < Gold. That's all you need to worry about."
"Today, we'll focus on White and Green Talents — the most common tiers."
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Examples of White-Level Talents
The board changed. A slide showed a few descriptions:
• [White Talent: Slight Speed Boost]
Increases foot speed by 10% during adrenaline spikes.
• [White Talent: Stomach of Iron]
Can eat spoiled food and resist low-grade poisons.
• [White Talent: Keen Eye]
Slightly enhanced long-distance vision. Not enough to see auras.
"These are common. Sometimes overlooked," Mr. Bell explained. "But they matter. Keen Eye helps with hunting, scouting, even sniping in the Rangers."
Aiden wrote them all down. He wasn't interested in copying these, but learning what baseline looked like helped him understand how far the gap was.
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Examples of Green-Level Talents
Next slide:
• [Green Talent: Stone Skin]
Reduces physical damage from punches and slashes by 15%.
• [Green Talent: Ember Breath]
Can exhale small flames when heart rate increases.
• [Green Talent: Wind Pulse]
Can release short-distance air bursts from palms once every few minutes.
Gary raised his hand. "So someone with Ember Breath could light a fire in the woods?"
Mr. Bell nodded. "Correct. Or defend themselves. Don't underestimate Green-level. That's the tier where Talents start changing real outcomes."
Aiden frowned in thought. Wind Pulse? That one could be useful, if refined…
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Student Discussion
Red leaned over. "Do you think we'll get something like that?"
"Hard to say," Aiden murmured. "White is almost guaranteed. Green if you're lucky."
"Hey," Ash grinned. "What if I get something cool and you don't?"
"I'll just copy yours," Aiden said calmly — then smiled like it was a joke.
Ash blinked. "Wait, wh—?"
Red laughed. "Ignore him. He's messing with you."
Aiden didn't clarify.
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Aura Insight
Mr. Bell turned back to the class.
"Aura users — if you're one of the rare few — can sometimes 'feel' the strength of a person or Pokémon's Talent. It's not exact, but you'll get a sense of color. Still, most of you aren't aura-sensitive."
He didn't know that Aiden was.
Aiden had already started feeling faint pulses around some of his classmates. Weak white glows. Very faint green auras from a couple kids.
He memorized who they were without writing it down.
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Closing the Lesson
"Next week," Mr. Bell said, "we'll cover Yellow and maybe even Blue-level talents. Don't get your hopes up. Most of you will never even meet someone with a Blue Talent. Let alone have one."
The bell rang. Chairs scraped back. Kids talked excitedly about what Talent they wanted.
Ash: "Maybe something with lightning!"
Gary: "Teleportation. Like a mini psychic jump!"
Blue: "Don't be dumb. Teleportation's probably Pink-tier or above."
Aiden just kept thinking.
No one knows what they'll get. But I'm not trusting to luck.