The memorable Doll Festival had come to an end. With no desire to deal with the noisy trio of Ash, Brock, and Misty, Gary Oak set off on his journey alone. That's right—alone.
After the festival, Lorelei received an urgent communication from the league: Ariana, one of the four commanders of Team Rocket, and Archer, another commander, had both evacuated the Johto region and were heading toward Kanto. Kanto's police department requested assistance from the Elite Four overnight. Lorelei quickly changed back into her black professional attire and flew away on a Pidgeot dispatched by the league.
This was just another day for the Elite Four; while they might seem idle most of the time, when something serious happened, they were always the first to respond. Lorelei left in a hurry, and Gary didn't have a chance to chat with her properly, leaving their strange atmosphere abruptly unresolved.
"Well, it's probably for the best. Some things are better left unsaid, right, Eevee?" Gary asked while carrying Eevee on his head. Eevee looked up at the sky, wondering why he was being asked; it couldn't compete with her since it couldn't even produce offspring...
Gary took out a map and glanced at it. The straight-line distance to Cinnabar Island was about three days. After reaching there, he would transfer to a boat, arriving at Cinnabar Island about a week later. Deciding to book a luxurious suite with his phone, Gary finally stopped his aimless thoughts. A soak in the hot springs, some seafood, and after defeating the Cinnabar Gym, he could head back home.
He would take a boat directly to Viridian City and then ask Giovanni for a badge—As Giovanni's savior, asking for a badge shouldn't be too much to ask...
"But what if Giovanni likes me too much and wants to keep me as a Team Rocket officer? If he doesn't give me the badge, what can I do?" Gary pondered while stroking his chin. "It's not impossible…"
"Excuse me..." A somewhat familiar female voice sounded from behind Gary.
"Who are you... Wait! Giselle?!" Gary jumped back in surprise as he awkwardly sized up the girl in front of him.
"Long time no see, Teacher Gary," Giselle greeted him warmly with a nod. Seeing how much her aura had changed, Gary was curious. "What happened to you?"
With a wry smile and a slight bow, Giselle explained, "Ever since I got expelled from the Trainer Academy, I've been following your advice and embarked on my journey aiming for the Indigo League. However…"
After hearing her explanation, Gary finally understood. It turned out that after being scolded by him once, Giselle had truly started her journey like an ordinary trainer. However, having left behind the academy's structured system and lacking any social experience, this young girl had been robbed three times in just one week after setting out. She also lost eighteen wild battles along the way.
Her pride had been thoroughly crushed. Slowly learning about traveling knowledge from scratch took her over a month just to leave Celadon City. With the opening date of the Indigo League approaching day by day and only two badges in her pocket, she felt anxious.
So she racked her brain for an alternative way to earn badges: the Pokémon League Assessment Exam! The Pokémon League Assessment Exam was akin to an official grading system. Trainers who passed written tests and practical assessments could earn badges that granted them direct access to the Indigo Conference.
This was an alternative route for those who were busy with work or older participants. After all, regardless of what one does or how old they are—if they still have dreams, they shouldn't be overlooked...
Gary's eyes lit up at this realization—relying on others could lead to disappointment; relying on oneself was key! No matter how difficult Giovanni might be with him—if he secured that league qualification badge first, he wouldn't have anything to fear!
"Um... Teacher Gary, I really know I was wrong; can I participate in the assessment exam?" Giselle stood there shyly looking down at her toes while fidgeting with her hands...
"Well—of course! As long as you recognize your mistakes," Gary generously nodded. "Where do we sign up? I'll go with you; I might as well take the exam too."
"Really?!" Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Of course," Gary nodded. "After all, participating in the Pokémon League Assessment Exam is also an official channel."
"That's great! Being able to take the exam with you makes me so happy! If there's anything I haven't improved on yet, please feel free to criticize me harshly or—just slap me twice! I can take it~" As she spoke excitedly, she began blushing again...
Gary's mouth twitched as he took two steps back. "Uh... that won't be necessary…"
"No! The deeper the love, the harsher the discipline! Please give me your loving punishment! Teacher Gary! I have whips and gags here... don't hold back!" Giselle excitedly moved closer to him.
"Stop! Keep at least one meter away from me! I don't love you; therefore I don't want to use any kind of 'loving punishment' on you. Just act normal!" Frowning as he stepped back again—Gary was genuinely bewildered. Were all rich people this playful? Wait! I'm rich too... cough cough... So that's fine then—
"Well then—let's go," Giselle tentatively asked.
"Where to?" Gary replied irritably.
"Right over there~" She pointed toward a building ahead. Looking up, Gary saw not far away in a vast open plain surrounded by trees and iron fences—a campus-like structure sprawled out before him.
In its center stood a giant dome-shaped stadium with a sign reading "Pokémon League Assessment Center" hanging above!
Cough cough! "Let's go check it out." Keeping his distance from Giselle, they both walked into the assessment center together.
Behind a large circular counter sat staff members in blue uniforms efficiently handling paperwork. On a whiteboard next to them were posted exam times; each exam lasted about three hours.
There would be three batches of exams daily limited to 200 participants each time. The assessment center would evaluate candidates based on their written scores combined with their practical performance before announcing qualified candidates later that afternoon.
The surrounding candidates were quite diverse—from workers dressed in suits to mothers bringing their children along—even elderly gentlemen with gray hair were present...
Glancing at the time, Gary decisively approached the counter. "Hello! I'd like to sign up."
"Here—please fill this form out," said a female instructor behind the counter while handing him a form through her glasses.
Taking it seriously, Gary began filling it out: "Name... Gary Oak; Gender: Male... Ideal partner type...? What is this?" He raised his head in confusion and exasperation.
"Oh! Sorry! Wrong form—that's for a dating website membership..." The instructor blushed slightly as she quickly handed him another sheet instead.
"Sigh..." Gary sighed again and continued filling out his information.
In one corner on a sofa, Giselle gazed at him dreamily. "You're useless; wherever you go—you're such an outstanding and eye-catching man~ Slurp~ Ha~" Nearby candidates shivered slightly as they quietly distanced themselves from this peculiar girl on the couch...
After finishing up,the instructor handed him a number tag. "Here's your exam number." Looking at number 25 flashing before his eyes made Gary's mouth twitch.
"Can I change this?" The instructor awkwardly smiled. "No... also…"
While speaking,the instructor reached toward Eevee perched on Gary's shoulder.
"Buoy!" Eevee fluffed up angrily; what did this woman want?
"That's right; we need you to submit any Poké Balls you're holding for examination," she said with an innocent smile plastered across her face.
Frowning slightly,Gary's irritation grew. "Sorry; I don't have any habit of submitting my Poké Balls—and besides—I've applied for an exemption regarding carrying limits for my Poké Balls so there's no reason for me to hand them over." His gaze turned cold as he spoke deliberately clearly.
Surprisingly enough,the surrounding candidates gasped at how assertive he sounded. After hesitating briefly,the instructor smiled submissively. "Okay then—it's fine~"
"Thanks for understanding." Gary nodded before turning away while holding Eevee, leaving without further ado. However,the instructor's gaze shifted sharply beneath her glasses—a glint of sharpness flashed briefly before disappearing.