While the other contestants were thinking about what kind of Pokemon food to make, Suzie and Daisy grabbed a basket and went around the shelves, taking the ingredients they wanted.
It took them about five minutes to collect the ingredients they wanted. Suzie left the stage first, followed by Daisy.
Seeing a few contestants running toward the table, the host decided to introduce them.
"Aha! We have our first contestant. Her name is Suzie, a famous breeder from Kanto, Celadon City. She is often featured in many popular magazines."
Suzie's delicate face and gentle temperament made many men's hearts throb as they cheered for her. She wasn't as beautiful as Lorelei, but she got a certain charm to her that attracted many people's attention.
"The second contestant is," he looked at the card in his hand and smiled. "Daisy Oak!"
The crowd fell silent at that.
"Yes. You guessed it right. She is not only Professor Oak's relative but also his granddaughter."
Hiss!
The crowd erupted into a harsh whisper. Professor Oak was a legendary figure known all over the world. He was the one who kickstarted the spreading of Pokemon knowledge and was also one of the key figures in the League's fast-paced development all these years.
After Suzie reached her table, without wasting any more time, she quickly sorted the ingredients and cleaned them one by one.
A few moments later, the other contestants left the stage and ran toward their table to prepare their Pokemon food.
"There are five minutes left," the host reminded loudly.
Every contestant was working hard to prepare their own Pokemon food as the clock ticked by.
Five minutes later, the host finally told everyone to stop what they were doing. The next step would be the judging phase.
"Now! I want to invite Linda to the stage. Please bring your Pokemon food," the host said through his mic.
Linda was just an ordinary girl with freckles on his face. She slowly walked to the stage and placed four bowls in front of the judge's Pokemon.
She stood at the side nervously as the four Pokemon smelled the food.
"Cloys!"
Looking at the mushy food in front of it, Closter pushed the bowl away and shook its head.
"Linda seems to be in trouble," the host sighed. "Closter doesn't like this kind of food at all."
The girl was almost in tears as the other Pokemon rejected her food. In the end, only Arcanine gave her a passing score.
Hisoka watched the assessment with interest. Then, his eyes crossed Suzie's, who was waiting for her turn. He smiled and flashed her a thumbs up, to which she returned with a wave.
Beep! Beep!
He took out his new phone and put it on his ear.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mr. Hisoka?" A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Yes, I'm Hisoka," he replied.
"Good."
After confirming his identity, the woman continued, "I'm Suzuki from the Hunter Association on Kumquat Island..."
Hanging up his phone, he fell into deep thought. The woman told him that the hunter exam would start ahead of schedule.
Initially, he and Suzie planned to go to Kumquat Island together after the competition was over.
This sudden call interrupted his plan. Most of all, the woman was already waiting at the Pokemon Center on Tangelo Island.
When he asked her why the exam was advanced, the woman said it was arranged by the higher-ups. They even had to send people to pick up the hunters who participated in the hunter test this year.
In the end, he could accept the Hunter Association's arrangement. If he didn't participate in this test, he would be unable to attend another test within three years.
After he sent a message to Suzie about the sudden change of plan, he stood up and strode towards the exit.
***
Pokemon Center.
As soon as he entered the Pokemon Center, Hisoka saw a woman in a black suit waving her hands toward him. She looked about thirty years old and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
He wasn't surprised that she recognized him. His photo could be found on the hunter website.
As he went over to her, he saw another three people sitting at the table, two men and a woman.
The first man was heavily built and had short dark hair. Seeing Hisoka coming, the man gave him a big smile.
Meanwhile, the second man was wearing a black sleeveless tailcoat-like vest with a pink tuxedo top underneath it. He looked about his age and wore a tight domino mask that covered his eyes.
Finally, the woman had dark tan skin and waist-length black hair in a fly-away style with two locks being blue, just like her eyes. She wore red lipstick and blue eyeshadow. She also had a black bandana and a pair of goggles on her head.
"Since everyone is here, let's get to know each other first. You are likely to become partners during the assessment," Suzuki said coolly.
The muscular man nodded and said, "I'm Doran from Johto."
"Will." The blindfolded man raised his head and smiled, "A magician from Johto."
"Shelly from Hoenn." The beautiful woman introduced herself and turned to Hisoka, "What about you?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Hisoka. Hisoka shrugged and said, "I'm Hisoka from Kanto."
Suzuki glanced at her watch and said, "Right now, it's 1.30 pm. You have thirty minutes to deal with your personal affairs. I'll be waiting at the dock first. Remember, don't be late."
After saying that, she stood up and headed out of the Pokemon Center.
"What a cold woman," Doran murmured, followed by a nod from everyone at the table. They agreed with what Doran said just now.
"By the way, I heard from my friend that the exam this time will be done in a four-person team, and only four people will be able to pass," he whispered.
"There's no use thinking about it right now," Shelly said, twirling her hair. "We still have to pass the elimination stage first. Do you think you can pass the first test?"
"Of course!" Doran said confidently.
To be able to participate in the hunter exam, everyone's strength must be at least close to an Elite Four. Naturally, everyone was confident in their own strength.
"Alright, everyone, I'll go to the pier first," Doran nodded at them and strode out of the door.
"I'm coming with you," Will stood up and left the building with Doran.
After they both left, only Hisoka and Shelly were left at the table.
Shelly crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. She then looked at him with a faint smile on the corner of her mouth.
"I'm leaving too," Hisoka said, getting up from his chair. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We might have a chance to work together in the future."
"Me too," Shelly replied. "But I still want to remind you that as a qualified hunter, you'd better keep your guard up. Especially against the one who sounded friendly or amiable."
"I'll keep that in mind," Hisoka nodded at her and went toward the back. He wanted to see Lapras and take Milotic with him.
***
After two days of getting along with each other, Lapras finally opened her heart to him. At the same time, she had completely accepted Milotic as her companion and playmate.
He slowly and gently placed his hand on top of her hand. He could feel a slight tremble on her body. While Lapras was grateful to Hisoka for saving her, she was still afraid of human beings.
"I'm sorry. We won't be able to accompany you next time," he rubbed her head with a smile. "But don't worry, Suzie will come to check up on you."
"La!"
Lapras's wisdom was quite high among many Pokemon. Not only could she understand what he said just now, but she was also able to discern what he wanted to do next. She knew that Hisoka was leaving and her new friend, Milotic, would follow him.
Letting out a sob, Lapras slowly moved away from him.
"Mee!"
Milotic leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against him. She pointed her tail at Lapras. She was sad to see her new friend looking like that.
"We'll be leaving soon. Say goodbye to her," Hisoka gently stroked Milotic's back and patted her head.
"Mee!"
With a flick of her tail, Milotic plunged into the water and quickly swam to Lapras to comfort her.
Watching Milotic and Lapras frolicking with each other, his mind wandered to the two people he met earlier, Will and Shelly.
Will, if he remembered correctly, became an Elite Four in the future. He was particularly famous for his peculiar appearance. There wasn't anything else interesting about him, though.
He was more interested in Shelly, one of the admins of Team Aqua. However, he wasn't sure whether she had joined Team Aqua yet.