A huge oval building stood before Roy, resembling the venue of the Pokémon Contest, but more than four times the size.
This is the Dome Arena in downtown Rustboro City, and 2,000 meters west of here is the Devon Corporation headquarters.
It is also the largest Battle Arena in the northern part of Hoenn, which is divided into five small battle arenas and one large battle arena.
The battle types in the Dome Arena are 1v1, 3v3, and 6v6, as well as Pokémon 2v2 doubles Double Battle mode.
Different battlegrounds are available for Pokémon Trainer of different levels, and hundreds of battles are held in the Arena every day.
The battlefield's layout is modeled after the Pokémon World Championship arena in Sapporo City, Unova Region. It is said that the venue was established by the younger brother of Kiku, the Gym Leader of Sapporo City, Unova Region.
Since Roy doesn't even have the most basic Junior Trainer Qualification Certificate yet, Agatha brought Roy here specifically to watch the match today.
Roy hadn't expected Agatha to bring him here. He'd seen this Arena on IQ before and wanted to sign up.
After all, a large number of people go to the Dome Arena to watch the games every day, making it a good place to gain Popularity Points.
However, to register for the Dome Arena, you need at least Junior Trainer Qualification Certificate and a Senior Trainer Qualification Certificate as a guarantor to participate in the competition.
Now, all of his Pokémon are level 30 or higher, and with Agatha vouching for him, all he needs is the Junior Trainer Qualification Certificate.
Agatha bought two tickets to enter the venue. They bought tickets for the Advanced Division, each costing 1,000 Poké Dollars. Before they even entered the largest Arena, they heard a Tsunami roar of cheers.
It's clear that battles are the most Popularity Points in the Pokémon World.
The game had been going on for 10 minutes at this point.
In the battlefield
A beginner -Beginner King level Charizard is wrestling with another beginner-level Elite Four- Feraligatr.
The two were almost evenly matched in strength. Arcs of electricity appeared on Charizard's claws as it tried to take down Feraligatr with a single Thunder Punch.
The Feraligatr wasn't one to be trifled with either; it Spit Up four Water Gun in quick succession to create distance between itself and the Charizard.
Not everyone is a master of type reversal. In the end, the Pokémon Trainer of Feraligatr came out on top, using Muddy Water at the crucial moment to bring down the Charizard that was about to take off.
The moment Charizard was defeated, the audience supporting Feraligatr erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, while the Pokémon Trainer had been holding the Charizard sign sadly put it down.
Roy couldn't imagine how high the Popularity Points would be if he were the one standing on the command platform.
What's special is that there are no restrictions on Pokémon types here; any Pokémon can participate in battles. Roy even saw a Ghost type Pokémon Trainer using a level 55 Banette to battle Electabuzz.
This is very rare in official events, and it seems there were some Banette fans in the audience.
"Chansey, do you think Roy will come today?"
"Geely! Geely!"
Although Joy Yanan followed Roy's IQ, Roy hadn't posted anything for several days.
Just as she was about to send a Holographic Communication to Roy to remind Roy that it was the day to remove his bandages, two figures appeared in front of the Pokémon Center.
However, the people who came were not Roy, but Officer Jenny and a Pokémon League Pokémon Trainer in charge of the certificate examination. She knew both of them.
"Officer Jenny! I've missed you so much!"
Nurse Joy ran out from the front desk and pounced on Officer Jenny... and then on the Arcanine behind her. The Limber touch and warm feeling made her completely powerless against these Fluffy creatures.
The key point is that Arcanine even gave Chansey at the front desk a Taunt look, as if to say, "Your mom doesn't want you anymore."
Chansey strongly condemned Joy's behavior, saying, "Isn't Chansey's touch much better than that stinky dog's?"
And then there's Arcanine's Taunt gaze, making Chansey want to throw an Arcanine Toxic at it; the two Pokémon seem like natural rivals.
After having her fill of being the boss, Nurse Joy finally remembered to ask Officer Jenny why she was at the Pokémon Center today—was it for Arcanine's checkup?
"No, a student from the Rustboro Academy is taking the beginner Pokémon Trainer exam today."
It turns out that Officer Jenny is the referee in charge of the assessment, and the Pokémon Trainer next to her is today's Pokémon League assessor.
Surely Officer Jenny doesn't need to personally administer a beginner Pokémon Trainer's assessment?
Couldn't we just hire any Gym apprentice?
Seeing Joy's puzzled look, Officer Jenny was also helpless. If it were just an ordinary person, she really wouldn't need to come.
But the people who came today are different.
The Trainer Qualification Certificate exam also requires someone to vouch for the candidate. Students like Roy usually have the Academy vouch for them, but the person who vouched for Roy was none other than Kikuko, the Ghost Elite Four member from the Kanto region.
The other party has such powerful connections, so she had no choice but to come in person.
"Roy?!"
Upon hearing the name she had been thinking about all morning, Nurse Joy blurted it out.
"What? You know him?"
Officer Jenny looked at her younger sister with suspicion.
Before Nurse Joy could explain...
"Sister Yanan!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Nurse Joy turned around and saw that it was Roy and his Primeape.
However, after only half a month apart, it was obvious that Roy seemed to have gotten a little darker and taller.
A week passed quickly. During this time, Roy trained with Agatha in the back mountain every morning, and went to the Battle Dome to watch matches and learn combat techniques in the afternoons and evenings.
For seven whole days, training was scheduled every day. Roy felt that he had become much stronger, and even Litwick had learned to make Shadow Ball with his head.
This morning, after training, I brought my Primeape to the Pokémon Center on time to have its bandages removed.
Upon entering, I saw Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and a Pokémon Trainer wearing League Badge.
"Are you Roy applied for the Junior Trainer Qualification Certificate the day before yesterday?"
Roy handed his ID Card to Officer Jenny, Officer Jenny then looked behind Roy, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.
"The teacher didn't come."
Agatha didn't come along; according to the other party, it was just a Junior Trainer Qualification Certificate.
If Roy can't even pass this test, he might as well find a place to bury himself and never say he's my apprentice when he goes out.
Hearing Agatha Christie hadn't come with Roy, Officer Jenny visibly relaxed, indicating that the assessment could proceed after the Pokémon's energy level was tested.