In the vast, quiet examination room, there was only one table and one chair.
Hisoka sat alone with an A4 paper exam on the desk, printed with questions on both sides. The Ace Trainer professional assessment consisted of two stages: the first was a written exam, and the second was a practical combat drill.
There were no proctors in the room, but a spherical security camera was mounted clearly in the top right corner.
First question: What is the evolved form of Charmeleon?
This is too easy! Hisoka had expected much harder questions given that this was the Ace Trainer assessment. He quickly wrote down the words "Charizard" and moved on to the next item.
As a top student in his previous life who was practically born into an academic atmosphere, Hisoka was never afraid of a pen and paper test.
Question: List the three evolved forms of Eevee.
Hisoka wrote: Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon!
In truth, Hisoka had a much more complete answer. Besides Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon, there were also Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon, Leafeon, and Sylveonfive other branching evolutions.
However, Hisoka didn't want to stand out too much. Currently, researchers in the Kanto Region had only identified the Fire, Electric, and Water branches of Eevee's evolution. Naturally, the standard answer on a Kanto exam would only include those three.
If he tried to show off by writing the other five, it would be pure stupidity. He needed a score of 85 or higher on the written portion just to enter the second round of practical drills.
The questions grew harder as the test progressed, but fortunately, Hisoka had never neglected his thirst for knowledge while learning his professional skills. It took him about half an hour to finally fill both sides of the paper.
Computer grading took a little time, so Hisoka waited quietly in the lobby.
"Hisoka, congratulations! Your score on the written exam is 98!" the freckled girl said, running over happily with the test paper.
"Not a perfect score?" Hisoka was somewhat surprised. He took the paper. "Let me see where I went wrong."
Question: Identify the Name from the Picture! The image on the paper was a completely circular black silhouette. Hisoka had written Electrode, but the computer's standard answer was Voltorb.
"Are you kidding me?" Hisoka cursed, a rare outburst as he tossed the paper down. "I want to strangle the guy who wrote this test. Tell me, how can you tell if a black circle is a Voltorb or an Electrode?"
"Getting a 98 is already super impressive." The girl didn't mind his swearing. In fact, she felt he looked even cooler like this. With stars in her eyes, she explained, "The League does this on purpose. They want to make sure no one gets a perfect score as a way to remind trainers not to be complacent."
Hisoka understood. This was a "guaranteed fail" question. If you wrote Voltorb, the correct answer would be Electrode. If you wrote Electrode, the correct answer would be Voltorb. No matter what you wrote, it was wrong.
The freckled girl picked up the test paper from the floor and smiled. "Wait here for a moment, I'll go arrange your combat instructor. It won't take long..."
"Alright, thank you," Hisoka nodded politely.
...
"The Ace Trainer practical assessment is a two on two match..." A middle aged man wearing a blue and white striped jersey and a League referee cap began introducing the rules. "The first Pokémon you use will be provided by the League. There are three Poké Balls here; choose whichever one you like."
The man in the jersey held out a tray before Hisoka, upon which sat three identical red and white Poké Balls.
Hisoka looked at the steady expression of the examiner. His index finger tapped lightly across the three balls, much like playing a piano, producing a crisp thump thump sound against the surfaces.
"Hurry up and pick one. They're all the same regardless of which one you choose."
Snap. Just as the man began to lose his patience, Hisoka grabbed the ball on the far left.
"Alright, let's begin!" Hisoka shrugged, looking innocent.
"Come then, let's see what Pokémon you have."
Hisoka threw the Poké Ball in his hand. With a pop, a red light flashed, and a gray, four legged beast covered in armor appeared on the battlefield.
"Moo!"
It let out a cry like a wild bull. There was a thick, single horn above its nose, and a piece of the armor on its back had a curved gap. It was a Rhyhorn. Hisoka had encountered them many times while performing tasks in the Viridian Forest. Furthermore, back when his Weavile was still a Sneasel, it had once killed a Rhyhorn in the wild.
Seeing the Rhyhorn appear on the field, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corner of the examiner's mouth. "In that case, this will be my Pokémon!"
"Cha! Cha!"
With a sharp side kick and a powerful spinning kick, a humanoid Pokémon with spring like legs appeared. Its eyes were white with black edges, filled with the aggression of a martial artist.
It was a Hitmonlee, a fighting Pokémon specialized in leg techniques. It was said that the power of its side kick was enough to snap a tree the thickness of an adult's waist.
"A Fighting type against a Rhyhorn, which is Rock and Ground type. I knew it wouldn't be this simple."
Hisoka began to understand the purpose of this assessment. It tested a trainer's ability to react on the fly and how to quickly adapt to an unfamiliar Pokémon. Furthermore, facing an opponent who possessed a type advantage increased the difficulty, serving as a significant test of a trainer's knowledge of moves and their mental fortitude.
The man in the jersey folded his arms, sneering inwardly. Kid, this is an Ace Trainer practical assessment, not some house play gym match!
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