The second round of the group match was scheduled for Wednesday night. Prior to that, Luke had to face the final exams for several courses at Magic City University.
These exams pertained to the practical training of several elective courses, namely "Pokémon Breeding," "Pokémon Battle," and "Sinnoh Pokémon History."
Due to his earlier deception of Professor Rowan, Luke managed to secure a top grade in the course "History of Sinnoh Pokémon" without much surprise.
The remaining two courses were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, conveniently not interfering with Wednesday's upcoming match.
Despite this, Luke wished he had a valid reason to excuse himself from the game.
On Monday, the first-year students from the Department of Finance were engrossed in the final training session for the "Pokémon Breeding" course.
The professor, with hair grayed by age, was patrolling the examination room vigilantly. Within the room, four Berry mixers were arranged in groups of four.
The task at hand was none other than the production of Pokéblocks, with the exam evaluating each candidate's ability to work as part of a team.
Nervous expressions filled the room as candidates focused intently on the machinery, acutely aware of the repercussions of any mistake.
Creating Pokéblocks was a collaborative effort, and any errors could lead to a failed batch.
Amid the tension that pervaded the classroom, Luke let out an audible yawn, inadvertently drawing the gaze of those around him.
The professor cast a brief glance at Luke and remarked, "Stay attentive to the task at hand."
Luke's group consisted of only three people.
Damien wiped the sweat from his forehead and complained, "Second Brother, you said you knew how to do this!"
Twain chimed in with a wry smile, "Honestly, I knew I would make so many mistakes!"
In the assessment of Pokéblock quality, the number of errors committed by the producer played a determining role.
Creating Pokéblocks individually posed significantly more challenges than working in a team.
Twain had assumed that with his experience, he could assist Damien with ease.
However, he had not anticipated that Brother Damien wouldn't require any help at all!
"Alright, since you two seem to be struggling, I'll take over," Luke teased.
"Fine, I'll just be the lazy one!"
Upon hearing Luke's remark, Twain's face lit up with excitement as he promptly moved away.
Damien maintained his grip on the machine and confidently asserted, "No, we're a team!"
Luke couldn't help but smirk.
Ten minutes later, Luke stepped in to assist.
The professor examined the finished products from Luke's group as he lowered his frame and observed them closely.
The Oran Berry cubes they had produced were crystal clear and nearly transparent, just a hair's breadth away from achieving top-tier quality.
The professor glanced at Luke and the others and commented in a detached manner, "Did you genuinely do this yourselves?"
"Absolutely!" Damien replied confidently, patting his chest. "It was the result of the relentless effort put in by the three of us."
The professor nodded, making a note, "90 points, you three have passed!"
Twain stared in astonishment, his eyes wide.
90 points?!
None of the students at the Pokémon Academy next door had managed to attain such a high score!
Exiting the classroom, Twain's spirit slowly began to recover, and he muttered while trembling, "We... we got 90 points?"
Luke appeared perplexed, remarking, "It could have been a perfect score."
"Exactly!" Damien exclaimed proudly, his voice booming. "If you had joined in, the three of us would have achieved a flawless performance!"
Luke hesitated before responding, "Well..."
"It seems that I might have an innate knack for creating Pokéblocks," Damien mused, rubbing his chin. "Maybe I should also consider enrolling in the Breeding Department?"
Luke chuckled silently, not uttering a word in reply.
System shows that Luke's [Pokéblock Craft Lv3] has been upgraded by 1 Level again, and it has become Level Lv4.
[Pokéblock Craft Lv4: You have a lower probability of making a Pokéblock of perfect quality, and the success rate when making Pokéblock is increased by 70% (your craftsmanship is comparable to the coordinated Master)]
Accumulating proficiency can upgrade Ability, which Luke discovered only recently.
Reaching Level 4 represents a mastery achieved by skilled professionals, and Luke's Pokéblocks could command a high selling price in the market.
However, vending Pokéblocks requires a valid professional license, a route not feasible for Luke, who couldn't afford to dedicate a year or two to complete a nutritionist or physician course.
As a result, the Pokéblocks he produced would ultimately be valued less than his own Pokémon.
The test results were promptly announced, and the Luke team rightfully secured the first place position.
The suddenness of their triumph left Damien somewhat dazed, struggling to process the overwhelming happiness.
Twain eagerly grasped Luke's hand and exclaimed, "Brother Luke, I want to be a slacker next time!"
"Count me in too!" Damien chimed in with righteous determination.
—
Upon returning to his rental house that night, Luke was met with Gastly's eager gaze fixated on the scroll, sending shivers down his spine.
"My ancestors, please don't touch that thing!"
Fortunately, Gastly hadn't delved deeply into the contents of [Blue's Breeder's Handbook].
Luke feared the day Gastly would lick the handbook clean, which might be the same day it would nibble on the [Toxic experience].
Luke couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.
Attempting to create a Pokéblock using Leppa Berry, Luke had five berries to work with, but none of them achieved the desired perfect quality.
"It seems the odds of success are indeed quite low," Luke mused.
Meanwhile, Gastly had opened its mouth wide and consumed an entire pot of Pokéblocks.
Gastly: choking noises (*⊙~⊙)
"Seriously, you've devoured that much?"
"You'll be in for a rough night!"
Leppa Berry had an effect of promoting excitement.
Throughout the night, eerie howls and ghostly wails emanated from the construction site next door, carrying on until dawn.
The next morning, on Tuesday, Luke hurried to campus for the final exam of "Pokémon Battle".
The exam was being held at the Magic City University Competitive Center.
Functioning as a college-level battle arena, the facility was well-equipped and came with comprehensive protective measures.
Though most of the stadiums weren't open to students and were reserved for college competitions, it occupied a sprawling 20,000 square meters within the athletic center.
Approaching the exam venue, Luke found a sizable crowd surrounding the area, comprised of students from his class.
A new sports teacher wearing a peaked cap blew his whistle loudly and announced, "Classmates, shall we reschedule the exam for tomorrow?"
The crowd responded with a mix of disappointment and frustration.
"Tomorrow doesn't work for me, Teacher!"
"Yeah, we've already made plans based on the previous schedule. Why change it now?"
Suppressing a grin, Luke gestured to Damien and asked, "Brother Damien, what's going on?"
Damien scratched his head and explained, "Looks like the Battle Department needed extra training, so they temporarily occupied the stadium."
"It's only logical. They're specializing in battles, after all," Damien shrugged. "Let's just go back to the dorm and play games!"
Luke was ready to follow suit, but he noticed a commotion up ahead within the crowd.
A determined girl from the finance department stepped forward and argued, "We clearly booked the stadium first!"
"According to the usage rules, the Battle Department has priority. It's written down."
"We were in the middle of a match. It's not even the college league!"
Trying to quell the tension, Gao Teacher interjected, "Let's not get too worked up, everyone. Let's have a discussion!"
"Discuss? Are you guys just standing by while we're being treated unfairly?"
As the situation escalated, a girl with a single ponytail walked out of the stadium.
"I'm here to discuss as well, even though I'm a girl."
Whispering to Luke, Twain chimed in, "That's Angela Shen, the Fairy Type Aristocratic Family heiress I mentioned!"
"Even though it's not the league season, school team members still have priority to use the stadium."
Angela Shen furrowed her brows. "I'm a freshman school team member."
Her words temporarily quelled the uproar.
The fact that a freshman was already a member of the school team was impressive in itself.
"Is being on the school team really that great?" Damien retorted. "You're the only one with access, it's not just for your class!"
"Exactly!"
"Don't bring up the school team to boast," Angela Shen stated sternly. "If any of you can defeat me, I'll naturally step down from the school team."
Damien was caught off guard and withdrew his remark, clearly irritated.
A tense silence hung in the air.
Gao Teacher tried to diffuse the situation, urging, "Let's not forget, we won't be able to reschedule this later!"
At that moment, a surge of red light emitted from a Poké Ball.
Gastly emerged, its blood-red eyes gleaming, and it panted heavily, its eyes bloodshot!
The effects of the Leppa Berry from the previous night hadn't worn off!
All eyes in the crowd turned to Luke.
Suppressing a rising smile, Luke subtly released another Poké Ball.
Gastly, you little troublemaker.
Don't make me to intervene!