Many of the high-ranking matches were far different from what Ash had imagined.
If it weren't for the excellence of the Spirit Beasts themselves, the poor command skills of the candidates could easily have been described as amateurish fumbling.
To Ash, it looked like a battle of clumsy rookies.
The first time Ash watched those battle videos, she genuinely felt as though she had been disconnected from the world for too long, overcomplicating what were actually simple matters.
Take the Beast Master Department Practical Exam, for example.
Ash had always assumed the battles would resemble the Pokémon ranked matches she played on her Nintendo Switch.
Something like strategic clashes and psychological warfare.
But in reality?
It was all about brute force!
Strategic clashes?
None whatsoever.
Psychological warfare?
The concept didn't even exist!
It's no wonder the old man had looked so pained and disappointed when talking about the practical exam.
If Ash were in his position, watching the younger generation grow in such a misguided way, she'd be furious too.
Of course, Ash understood this was only temporary.
After all, this was just an entry-level exam.
When everyone started at roughly the same point, who wouldn't want to take shortcuts?
But for Ash, this was actually good news.
At the very least, her confidence had grown significantly.
As long as she could find a suitable Spirit Beast, Ash believed that with her years of experience battling in Pokémon's Master Ball tier, she had a solid chance of making it into the 30% acceptance rate for the practical exam.
...
Solvale Beast Master High School.
After the second class.
"Ash," called out Anaya, the class president, who had just returned from the teacher's office with a stack of report cards.
She stopped Ash, who was about to head outside with her classmates for some exercise during the break.
"Teacher Naveen wants you to go to his office. You can skip the break period exercises."
"Oh, alright," Ash replied, pausing in surprise.
Although she wasn't sure why Teacher Naveen wanted to see her, she thanked Anaya before jogging toward the teachers' office building.
Teacher Naveen full name is Naveen Polishetty
He is the homeroom teacher for Ash's Class 12-11.
He was a rather stern person but deeply cared for his students.
At least in Ash's impression, Teacher Naveen was a pretty easygoing person to deal with.
Knock knock.
When Ash knocked on the door of the teacher's office, Naveen was sitting at his desk while flipping through some papers.
Without looking up, he said, "Come in."
Ash pushed the door open and stepped inside, standing before his desk.
"Teacher Naveen, do you want to see me?"
Naveen set aside the papers he was holding and glanced up at Ash, he then gestured to a nearby chair with a faint smile.
"Take a seat."
Ash nodded her head and obediently sat down at the desk.
"Teacher Naveen, what did you want to talk to me about?"
As she sat, Ash caught sight of a sheet of paper on the desk in front of Teacher Naveen.