The examination hall was empty and silent.
There was only a single desk—and a single chair.
Kael sat alone on the chair. On the desktop lay an A4-sized exam paper, printed on both sides and filled with questions. The Elite Trainer Professional Assessment consisted of two stages: the first was a written exam, and the second was a live combat evaluation.
There were no proctors inside the room. Instead, a circular surveillance camera was openly installed in the upper-right corner of the ceiling, monitoring everything.
Question 1: Charmeleon's evolved form.
…That's it?
Kael blinked. He had expected something far more difficult—this was the Elite Trainer certification, after all. Without hesitation, he wrote down Charizard, then immediately moved on to the next question.
In his previous life, Kael had been a straight-A student. He'd grown up practically living inside exam halls. Written tests were the one thing he feared the least.
Question 2: The three evolved forms of Eevee:
Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon!
Technically, Kael knew a much more complete answer. Besides Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, there were also Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon, Leafeon, and Sylveon—five additional branch evolutions.
But he had no intention of showing off.
At present, researchers in the Kanto region had only confirmed Eevee's Fire-, Electric-, and Water-type evolutions. Naturally, the standard answers on a Kanto-region exam would include only those three. Writing down the other five just to flex would be downright idiotic.
After all, the written exam required a score of 85 or above to qualify for the second round—the practical combat assessment.
The questions grew progressively harder toward the end. Fortunately, Kael had never neglected his hunger for knowledge while studying his professional skills. After roughly half an hour, he finally finished filling in the entire double-sided exam paper.
Computer grading took some time, so Kael could only wait quietly in the main lobby.
"Kael! Congratulations!"
The freckled receptionist came running over, clutching the test paper with a bright smile.
"Your written exam score is 98 points!"
"Not a perfect score?"
Kael looked surprised. He snatched the paper from her.
"Let me see exactly where I messed up."
Identify the Pokémon from the image.
The picture showed a perfectly round, pitch-black silhouette.
Kael's answer: Electrode.
The computer's correct answer: Voltorb.
"…What the hell?!"
Kael rarely cursed, but this time he couldn't help it. He flung the test paper aside.
"I swear I want to chop up the idiot who wrote this question. Tell me—how are you supposed to tell whether that black circle is Electrode or Voltorb?!"
"Hey, getting 98 is already insanely good," the freckled girl said, completely unfazed by his outburst. If anything, she thought he looked even cooler now. Her eyes sparkled as she explained,
"Questions like this are deliberately designed by the League. The point is to prevent anyone from getting a perfect score—and to remind Trainers not to get complacent."
Kael got it immediately.
This question was a guaranteed wrong answer.
If you wrote Voltorb, the correct answer would be Electrode.
If you wrote Electrode, the correct answer would be Voltorb.
No matter what you chose, you were wrong.
The freckled girl bent down, picked up the discarded exam paper, and smiled.
"Please wait here for a moment. I'll go arrange your practical combat examiner. It won't take long…"
"Alright. Thank you," Kael said politely, giving her a nod.
...
"The Elite Trainer practical assessment is a two-on-two battle."
A middle-aged man wearing a blue-and-white striped tracksuit and a League referee's cap explained the rules.
"The first Pokémon you use will be provided by the League. Here are three Poké Balls—choose any one you like."
The man walked up to Kael holding a tray with three identical red-and-white Poké Balls resting on it.
Kael glanced at the examiner's calm expression. Then, with his index finger, he lightly traced across the three Poké Balls—tapping them one by one like he was playing a piano. Crisp tap-tap sounds echoed.
"Hurry up and pick one," the man said impatiently.
"It doesn't matter which you choose. They're all the same."
"Alright~"
Just as the examiner was starting to lose patience, Kael suddenly grabbed the leftmost Poké Ball.
"Okay, let's begin."
Kael shrugged, looking completely innocent.
"Fine. Let's see what Pokémon you got."
Kael threw the Poké Ball in his hand.
Bang!
A burst of red light flashed—and a massive, gray, quadrupedal beast appeared on the battlefield. Its body was covered in armor-like plating.
"Moo—!"
It bellowed like a raging bull. A thick horn jutted out above its nose, and the armored plate on its back bore a curved notch.
Rhyhorn.
Kael had encountered plenty of them while carrying out missions in Viridian Forest. In fact, back when his Weavile was still a Sneasel, she had once killed a wild Rhyhorn.
Seeing the Rhyhorn on the field, the examiner's lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"Then my Pokémon will be this one."
"Lee! Lee!"
A razor-sharp side kick.
A spring-loaded, explosive roundhouse.
A humanoid Pokémon leapt onto the battlefield, its legs moving like coiled springs. Its pupils were white with black rims, and its eyes radiated pure fighting intent.
Hitmonlee.
A Fighting-type Pokémon renowned for its leg moves. It was said that a single side kick from Hitmonlee could snap a tree as thick as an adult man's waist.
"A Fighting-type… against a Pokémon that's both Rock- and Ground-type."
Kael exhaled softly.
"Figures. I knew it wouldn't be that easy."
Now he understood the purpose of this assessment.
It was meant to test a Trainer's on-the-spot adaptability—how quickly they could get a handle on an unfamiliar Pokémon. And on top of that, the examiner deliberately chose a Pokémon that countered the one provided to the candidate.
The difficulty was cranked up from the start.
This tested not only a Trainer's technical knowledge and experience, but also their psychological resilience under pressure.
The man in the tracksuit crossed his arms, a cold smile forming in his heart.
Kid… this is the Elite Trainer practical exam.
Not some kiddie Gym battle.