There was only a table and a chair in the empty and quiet examination room.
Hisoka was sitting on the chair, the test paper neatly placed on the table. The official assessment of Elite Trainer was divided into two parts. The first part is a written test, while the second part is a combat test. Applicants are then evaluated based on the combined theoretical and practical skills exam.
There are no invigilators in the exam room except for a CCTV at the corner of the room. Although the possibility of Hisoka cheating in the exams is low, the camera is still recording Hisoka's whole movement, not leaving him out of its sight.
Then, he took a deep breath and turned the test paper to the second page.
First question: What is the next evolution of Charmander?
This is too easy!
Hisoka thought it would be a difficult question. This is still an official assessment for elite trainers. Then, he quickly wrote down the answer, 'Charmeleon,' and then moved to the next question.
'Even the high-school exam back on earth is much harder than this.' he thought.
Hisoka, who had graduated from college, is not afraid to take the written exam.
Second question: Name the three evolutions of Eevee.
'Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon.'
In fact, he can write more answers to this particular question. There are five more Eevee evolution besides the three Pokemon he wrote, which are Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon. However, Hisoka doesn't want to expose this secret. At present, the researchers in the Kanto region have only found Eevee's three evolution branches. It was obvious that the standard answer for this question would be those three Pokemon. It would be even foolish for him to write about the other five evolutions when the examiner might grade his answer wrong. Additionally, the examinee's written test must reach 85 points or more to enter the second part of the combat test.
The questions became increasingly difficult as he progressed. Fortunately, Hisoka did not lose his thirst for knowledge of this Pokemon world when he was in the orphanage. It took about half an hour for him to finish answering the question on the test paper.
While his paper was being graded, Hisoka stayed outside the examination room to take a short break.
A few minutes later, the freckled lady from the reception went out of the examination room and walked toward him with a happy look.
"Congratulations, Hisoka! Your written test score is 98 points!"
"Huh? I remembered that I answered all of them correctly," he said in surprise as he took the test paper from her.
"Hmmm. Let me see which question I answered wrong."
...
Tenth question: Guess the name of this Pokemon. Above the question was an image of a black figure of a Pokemon with a round shape. Hisoka answered Electrode due to its big size. Unexpectedly, the correct answer turned out to be Voltorb.
"Damn it!" Hisoka cursed and threw the test paper on the table.
"I'm going to beat the guy who wrote this question. How was I supposed to know it's a Voltorb just from this black figure. They look pretty much the same!"
"It's still amazing to score 98 points on the test." The lady praised Hisoka's result.
"This kind of question is actually deliberately created by the League, not only to prevent someone from getting full marks but also to dissuade the trainers from being too complacent."
Hisoka suddenly understood that this question was a trick done by the League. If he writes Voltorb, then Electrode is the correct answer and vice versa. It is going to be marked as a wrong answer either way.
Then, the lady picked up the test paper on the table and said with a smile, "Please wait here for a moment. I'll call the examiner for the second part of the test, so you can start the combat assessment as soon as possible.
"Well, thank you!" Hisoka nodded politely.
…
"The combat test will now begin. This is a two-on-two battle-"
A man wearing a black shirt with the referee's badge pinned on his chest explained the test rules, "You will be using a Pokemon provided by the League in the first round. There are three Pokeballs here. You can choose any one of them."
A man in his early 30s walked over to Hisoka, carrying three Pokeballs on a tray.
Hisoka glanced at the second-phase examiner calmly. Meanwhile, his hand was tapping on the surface of each Pokeball, trying to decide his pick.
"Just hurry up and pick already. It's the same no matter which one you choose."
Grab!
When the other party was starting to get impatient, Hisoka quickly grabbed the Pokeball on the left side.
"Okay, I'm ready!" Hisoka said in determination.
"Come on out then. I want to see what kind of Pokemon I got."
Hisoka threw the Pokeball in his hand into the air. Accompanied by a popping sound, a four-legged rhinoceros-like Pokemon with a body covered in gray, rocky plates suddenly appeared on the field in a flash of red.
"Roar!" It roared while raising its thick horn into the air.
'So, it is a Rhyhorn.' he thought.
Hisoka is quite familiar with this Pokemon. He had encountered them many times when he was doing some missions in the Viridian Forest. Also, his Weaville once killed a Rhyhorn in the wild when she was a Sneasel.
Looking at the Rhyhorn that appeared on the field, a smile appeared on the corner of the man's mouth.
"I'll go next. Come out, my partner!"
"Hitmonlee!"
A Pokemon appeared as it side kicked the air several times before ending it with a roundhouse kick. It is a humanoid Pokémon with an ovoid body, lacking a distinct neck and head. Its legs can freely contract and stretch, similar to a coiled spring.
Hitmonlee is a Fighting-type Pokemon who is great at using kicking moves. It is said that its leg is powerful enough to knock down a tree with only a simple kick.
"Fighting-type Hitmonlee against a Rhyhorn with Ground and Rock typing. I know the test it's not going to be that simple."
Hisoka has somewhat guessed the real purpose of this exam so far. It is to test the trainer's ability to react on the spot. Since the examinee has to follow the rules, they'll have to quickly get familiar with the temporary Pokemon provided by the Trainer Admission Center.
Moreover, they'll have to fight against the examiner in a disadvantageous position, being restrained by the other party's Pokemon typing, which increases the difficulty by another level. In conclusion, this test will test the trainer's skills and knowledge as well as their psychology.
The man, who was acting as the combat examiner, crossed his arms and secretly thought, 'Heh! This is an Elite Trainer assessment test kid, not the usual Gym Challenge.'