"Settle down," came the calm but stern voice of Instructor Melaine, a middle-aged woman with violet eyes and a commanding presence. She stood before a massive chalkboard filled with Talent diagrams and dungeon outlines. "Today's topic: Dungeon Theory."
The students, including Aiden, Red, Blue, Ash, Gary, and Daisy, all perked up. Even the usually sleepy Ash opened one eye.
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What Are Dungeons?
Instructor Melaine pointed to a rotating 3D image of a cave, floating above her hand thanks to a simple psychic projection.
"Dungeons are naturally occurring zones of concentrated energy and spatial distortion. Inside, space warps. Time doesn't flow normally. And most importantly — Talents awaken or mutate faster here."
The room went silent.
"They are the crucibles of this world. Treasure troves and death traps, both."
Aiden leaned forward. He already knew this — but now he wanted the official breakdown. Real knowledge.
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Types of Dungeons
She turned and scribbled down a tier list on the board:
White < Green < Yellow < Blue < Pink < Gold < Red < Rainbow
"Humanity has only confirmed dungeons up to Gold-level," she said firmly. "Red and Rainbow? Theoretical. Only hinted at in old ruins and wild rumors."
"Each dungeon's level is determined by the average Talent rating of the Pokémon inside, the complexity of its environment, and the rarity of the items it produces."
"Green-level dungeons are considered stable beginner training zones. White ones are often shallow and sometimes contain only abandoned resources."
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What's Inside a Dungeon?
Aiden raised his hand. "Instructor, what exactly can be found in a dungeon besides Pokémon?"
She smiled. "Good question, Aiden. Dungeons are more than habitats. They're ecosystems — entire worlds — with four major elements."
1. Pokémon with Dungeon-Enhanced Talents
• Many Pokémon that live in dungeons have had their Talents mutate or evolve over time.
• Dungeon energy can strengthen even a White Talent into a borderline Green or higher.
• Territorial and aggressive due to energy surges.
2. Dungeon Cores
• The heart of every dungeon.
• Pulses out energy that maintains the distortion and creates Talent-rich environments.
• Destroying it collapses the dungeon — but it's protected by either a boss Pokémon or labyrinthic trials.
3. Dungeon Items
• Items like Talent Crystals, Skill Stones, Aura Infused Shards, and Psychic Memory Threads.
• Talent-ranked too: A White Talent Crystal might barely help a weak Pokémon, while a Pink-level Skill Stone could teach a rare move.
• Humans can use some of these with the right training or machinery.
4. Environmental Anomalies
• Pools of energy-infused water that accelerate healing.
• Burned terrain that never cools down.
• Trees that feed on aura instead of sunlight.
"Everything in a dungeon has value," Melaine added, "but danger scales with that value."
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Dungeons & Nobility
Another student, Blue, raised his hand. "Why do nobles get first claim on dungeons?"
"Politics," Melaine said flatly. "Landowners control access. Nobles hoard the deeper-tiered dungeons, especially Yellow and above. It's a huge part of why noble families can pass down power."
"But remember: Talent matters more than bloodline. A noble with a White Talent won't survive a Green-level dungeon."
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Field Usage
"Elite trainers use dungeons to train Pokémon past normal limits. A Pokémon trained in a dungeon might gain unique resistances, even sub-Talent evolutions or mutations."
"Legendary Pokémon?" she added. "Many live in permanently closed dungeons — ones humanity may never breach."
The class froze. No one spoke.
Aiden felt a chill. Even knowing what he knew, the idea of a Rainbow-level dungeon made his heart race.
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Closing Exercise
"Your homework," Melaine said, "is to read the profiles of three dungeon-bred Pokémon and theorize how their Talent evolved. Bonus points if you can guess which dungeon tier they came from."
The bell rang.
As everyone packed up, Aiden stayed seated. His eyes were locked on the board, on one word glowing in psychic ink:
"Rainbow — Status: UNKNOWN"
"Someday," he whispered, "I'll find one."