After being tortured by all sorts of absurd questions for several hours, Xingye still stuck to his principle of never giving up and finished every single one.
Once he confirmed submission, the Porygon specifically responsible for grading would immediately begin marking the test in the system. The results would be out in one minute.
Looking at that glaring score of 114, when the test had actually been a thousand multiple-choice questions, he would not have scored this low even with his eyes closed. Xingye's mindset changed ever so slightly.
He lowered his head, seeming to lose all color. His arms hung limply at his sides as he sat in his seat like burned-out ash, as though he had understood something.
After taking a brutal beating, Xingye finally saw reality clearly. At this level, he had actually been confident he could develop a Z-Move? He might as well go to a construction site and mix concrete with Machoke and Gurdurr. He should forget about running Odd Jobs too.
Little Gengar floated outside. Seeing him like this, it pressed itself against the window, looking worried.
"Gengar?"
"I'll take you guys out to eat later. Let me have some quiet first..."
Xingye answered, his confidence truly on the verge of collapse. Still, he quickly pulled himself together. At worst, he could spend some time studying properly over winter break and retake the exam next year. He had talent, after all, so he learned quickly.
He then stood up, ready to leave, but his gaze suddenly caught sight of Lillie and Selene talking ahead of him. That was not important, though. What mattered most was the score displayed on the screen!
"Full marks..."
Xingye, who had only just recovered, suffered another devastating blow. He had sympathized with her that morning, thinking she was like his former self... yet it turned out he had been completely crushed by her in every aspect!
Sensing his gaze, Lillie turned to look at him. She seemed to be in quite a good mood today. Seeing that Xingye was looking at her score, she asked curiously, "Your results are already out too, right? I've seen you carrying books around these past few days..."
Selene picked up where she left off. "Don't drag our class down! I may not like you much, but we're classmates. If you want to review, we can help you."
"No, thanks..."
Xingye hurriedly replied before slipping away. If he stayed any longer, who knew how badly he would be crushed? He should just honestly go into seclusion and study.
Selene crossed her arms, shook her head, and sighed. "Still as irritating as ever... I asked Hau to help me look into it. He really doesn't have any family, and he's been a Trainer for less than two months. Before that, he'd been wandering everywhere."
"So that's why he developed that kind of personality..."
Lillie had guessed as much before, but this was the first time she had learned the truth. She looked at Selene and said with a smile, "No wonder you took the initiative to offer help just now, Class President."
"We're classmates. Besides, I heard he skipped ahead after defeating Uncle Hala, so... I want to battle him again at full strength!"
"That was your real goal, wasn't it!"
"Haha..."
Xingye, who had already left, knew nothing of their conversation. He was currently taking Gengar and Cyclizar to the school cafeteria for lunch while browsing some things online.
There was still a Pokémon cultivation exam that afternoon. The school would apparently randomly assign each student a Pokémon.
Then, within the allotted time, they had to simulate the most suitable training plan for that Pokémon, write it down, and submit it. That was only one part of the exam.
There would also be Pokéblock-making, scoring by both the Pokémon and the proctor, and a whole pile of other things... In short, it was especially troublesome.
"Making Pokéblocks? A blender, Berries, and speed requirements... I've never done it, but it doesn't seem particularly difficult."
Although he had been dealt a blow that morning, Xingye was still very confident about this exam. There was no way he would fail again, right? No one understood raising Pokémon better than him!
In the blink of an eye, afternoon arrived. Gengar and Cyclizar went off to play again, while Xingye headed to the athletic field with the other students.
He also took a look around and discovered that their entire grade had fewer than a hundred students!
"Alola's largest school. What a lie."
Once the student count was confirmed, the proctors from each class had every student step forward to randomly draw their partner for this exam—a Pokémon.
These Pokémon were all wild. Most lived in Hau'oli City and were very familiar with humans. The school had invited them to help with the exam, and they would receive payment afterward to spend in Kabukicho.
"Wild Pokémon..."
Xingye was the last to step forward. He drew a slip and opened it for a look. It was an Alolan Meowth, and he inexplicably had a bad feeling about it.
"One that lives in the city? Don't tell me..."
He frowned slightly, then saw a gray Meowth walking over proudly on all fours, its tail raised high. Their eyes met.
"Meow?!"
"I want to change Pokémon!"
Xingye instantly panicked. Every single Stray Meowth in Hau'oli City was in league with the Meowths outside Kabukicho that were always trying to kill him!
He recognized the Meowth, and the Meowth recognized him too. With none of its companions nearby, it instinctively wanted to run away. But the next second, it came to its senses, revealed a sly grin, and continued approaching...
"Meow~"
"!!!"
Changing Pokémon was impossible. This was a test for honest students who normally studied diligently and seriously. No matter what Pokémon they faced, they had to handle it with ease.
Even Lillie, who was afraid of getting close to Pokémon, got serious after maintaining a distance of about two meters from the Audino in front of her.
All the students had already begun getting familiar with their respective Pokémon. Only Xingye had no need to get familiar with his—and even wanted to run.
"Meow~"
The Meowth walked directly over to him and lay down on the spot, swishing its tail. But with that sly expression, it was clearly about to cause trouble.
"What kind of luck is this?!"
Xingye was speechless. Who would have thought that those guys who guarded Kabukicho every day would take part-time jobs in their free time—and that he would run into one?
Still, he could only grit his teeth and face it. Since he could not get points from the Meowth, he would get them from the proctor instead. That should not be a problem.
Raising an Alolan Meowth was not difficult. Its move pool was not deep; he only needed to give it an all-in-one top-tier setup. The key was making the Pokéblocks. Would this thing even eat them? It would probably spit them right back out...
So he decided to turn the Pokéblocks into food. What he had learned from Nae-chan could finally come in handy.
"Even with only Berries, it'll be enough!"
Xingye immediately went to the other side to search for Berries to use as ingredients and seasoning. He did not notice that Cyclizar and Little Gengar were hiding in the grass nearby, cheering him on.
After picking his Berries, he used the blender to grind some of them into powder. Only then did he add in the remaining Berries he needed and operate it using the method for making Pokéblocks.
He was still rather meticulous about this. At the very least, the finished product had to look like a Pokéblock. As for whether it actually was one inside, that did not matter.
"Meow?"
The Meowth could not understand what Xingye was doing, so it quietly crept closer. But cats had always had very sensitive noses, especially the Meowth family. Naturally, it could tell that this was not a Pokéblock...
"Just the final seasoning step left..."
Xingye was completely focused. He had added a flavor specifically designed to attract Dark-type Pokémon. He refused to believe the Meowth could spit it out after eating it.
But just as he completed the final step, the Meowth, which had been waiting for a long time, leaped from behind, snatched away the food, and ran off with it. Someone's efforts had been completely wasted.
"???"
"I knew it..."
Xingye stopped what he was doing. It did not matter anymore. There was not enough time to make another batch anyway. If he failed, then he failed. His luck was just too bad.
Compared to the blow from that morning, this afternoon's setback was still bearable. It had been exactly what he expected. He just had not expected that guy to steal everything.
The other students had basically all noticed the commotion, but they were busy with their own work and could not stop to watch. They could only continue the exam...
"Meow~"
The fleeing Meowth was incredibly happy. It had gotten revenge and scored a free meal too.
Then, in the small grove it had run into, it encountered Cyclizar and Gengar...
In the blink of an eye, the day ended. Xingye could not muster much energy for anything. He had failed two subjects, and there was still a battle exam tomorrow—his final hope. This one day had truly made him realize quite a few things.
"I really do need to study properly. I'll read when I get back."
"Gengar~"
Gengar waved its little fist, cheering him on. Cyclizar beneath him also let out a cry.
They had just bought groceries in the commercial district and were on their way back to Kabukicho. At the same time, they were thinking about how to deal with those Meowths.
"Those guys..."
Cyclizar was fast. Before Xingye could finish plotting, they were already nearing the Drifter District.
But at that moment, a chorus of cat cries caught their attention. Xingye immediately became alert, ready to deal with any sudden situation.
Cyclizar seemed to have noticed something, however. It suddenly sped up and cried out. Little Gengar did the same; both of them had discovered something.
"Cyclizar!"
"Gengar!"
"Hm?"
Xingye froze slightly. Cyclizar then stopped on its own, something it rarely did, and their gazes followed toward the distance.
By the wall along the street, a group of gray Meowths had gathered together, making all sorts of delighted noises as if they were having a wonderful time.
And in their midst was a white Mickey-like creature, somewhat resembling that Miffy rabbit, trembling all over...
Before you continue