Jubilife City Pokémon Center, lounge.
Li Wei and Dayou chatted quite a bit, while the two younger girls stuck together, successfully isolating the confident woman named Selene.
Confidence radiated from Selene, as though first place were already hers.
The young woman who pushed open the door held a printed sheet and read with a bright smile:
"Li Wei, 97 points; Mizuki, 88 points; Selene, 81 points; Yuko, 77 points; Dayou, 73 points. Congratulations on advancing to the second round."
"For the second round, you will choose your Pokémon in order of your first-round scores."
Dayou's eyes widened, and he couldn't stop himself from swearing. "Fuck, what kind of monster are you?"
The two younger girls, Mizuki and Yuko, couldn't help turning to look at him either.
They had thought Li Wei had just coasted through the first round. It turned out he was a genius?
Selene refused to accept it. "How is that possible? That's ridiculous!"
Li Wei had completed a paper worth 97 points in under forty minutes. That was beyond her comprehension.
The young woman calmly explained, "The papers were graded by computer. If you have any objections, you can request to see Mr. Li Wei's paper."
Selene immediately raised her hand. "I object!"
Looking a little helpless, the young woman said softly, "All right. Please follow me."
Out of curiosity, Mizuki and Yuko followed along as well.
After reading Li Wei's answers, Selene didn't say a word.
Aren't you going to say something like, "Fortunes change! Don't underestimate a girl just because she's struggling now"?
Watching the silent Selene, Li Wei inwardly snarked.
Selene suddenly realized she seemed to be acting a little like a villain.
No one suspected Li Wei of cheating, because the paper had been randomly assembled from the entire question bank.
Before the exam, no one knew what the questions would be,
not even how many multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, or true-or-false questions there would be.
Li Wei scoring 97 points could only be a testament to his ability.
Dayou, who stood over half a head taller than Li Wei, patted him on the shoulder.
"Just what you'd expect from someone whose family runs a Pokémon Day Care! You've got a strong family tradition! I really should come interview at your place in a couple of days."
Selene, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked, "Your family runs a Pokémon Day Care?"
Li Wei nodded. "Yes. I've been learning from my grandfather since I was little."
"No wonder."
The young woman spoke up at just the right moment. "If you have no further objections, Ms. Selene, shall we begin the second round?"
The second-round assessment was very simple.
The young woman led them into a room containing five Pokémon.
Electrike, Marill, Cherubi, Glameow, and Skorupi.
"Each of you will choose a Pokémon, groom it, and prepare some food for it. A panel of judges will score your work."
While the young woman explained, Li Wei looked around and noticed the surveillance cameras.
The judges would probably watch through those.
"Please note that all five Pokémon are rather picky eaters. Based on the first-round scores, Mr. Li Wei will choose first."
Li Wei pointed at the small, green-furred canine in the corner.
"I choose Electrike."
Li Wei's choice surprised them a little.
Normally, choosing Marill, Cherubi, or Glameow would have been easier.
At worst, Marill would spray you with a Water Gun, but an unhappy Electrike could shock you!
They chose in order of their scores, leaving only Skorupi when Dayou's turn came.
Dayou didn't seem to think it would be difficult. He clapped his hands and smiled.
"Come on, little Skorupi."
Looking at the towering Dayou, Skorupi broke into a cold sweat.
Skorupi had originally wanted to throw its weight around, but prudently followed him instead.
Li Wei put on insulating gloves and selected a nonconductive brush from the assortment.
"Electrike, come here."
Sitting on the floor, Li Wei took out a Pokéblock, instantly drawing Electrike's attention.
The moment Li Wei took out the Pokéblock, the other Pokémon were drawn to it as well.
Glameow, in particular, swallowed involuntarily.
[Ding! Gained 109 Pokéblock proficiency points.]
Meanwhile, in the room next door.
Several judges, including Nurse Joy, were watching the five candidates intently.
"Mr. Dayou certainly has an intimidating presence. Even Skorupi is afraid of him."
"It has its pros and cons. Being too intimidating can sometimes make it difficult to bond with Pokémon."
"Insulating gloves and a nonconductive brush. Master Lian's grandson has a very solid grounding in Pokémon Breeding."
"Yes. Electrike stores electricity in its fur, so brushing is an essential step. He's following the correct procedure."
"Now let's see how he brushes it. If he can't put Electrike at ease, he'll get shocked."
An elderly man's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's a high-quality Pokéblock! It appears to be an Oran Berry Pokéblock for restoring stamina."
Pokéblocks came in four quality grades: low, medium, high, and perfect.
As his Pokéblock-making skills improved, Li Wei had gained a chance of producing high-quality Pokéblocks.
Nurse Joy looked slightly puzzled. "Why Oran Berries?"
Oran Berries had a complex flavor, combining spicy, sour, bitter, and astringent tastes, yet the blend was strangely wonderful.
"If Li Wei made it himself, he's certainly an accomplished young man."
"Could Master Lian have made it?"
"That's possible too."
While the judges were discussing it, Li Wei had already begun brushing Electrike's fur.
Aside from the possibility of getting shocked, brushing Electrike was actually easy. All he had to do was brush in the direction of its fur.
Throughout the process, Electrike kept its head resting on Li Wei's knee, cooperating no matter how he moved it.
Nurse Joy gave him 100 points.
"Full marks for coat care."
"Electrike's body language also shows that it's very comfortable."
"Next, let's see how he prepares its food."
They could prepare simple food, or make more challenging items such as Poffins and Pokéblocks.
There were Pokéblock machines in the exam room, and Li Wei chose the model he used regularly.
"He's going to make Pokéblocks."
Li Wei pulled out the inner container to make sure it had been properly cleaned and had no lingering odors.
Nurse Joy nodded slightly. "He even considered flavors carrying over? Very attentive."
Using the Oran Berry Pokéblock earlier had given Li Wei a rough idea of Electrike's tastes.
He could simply keep using Oran Berries. There was no way he could go wrong.
From a pile of Oran Berries, he used Appraisal Eye to select several of good quality.
About twenty minutes later, the translucent, gleaming Pokéblocks that dropped out made Li Wei pause.
Appraisal Eye provided the answer.
[A batch of nearly perfect Oran Berry Pokéblocks.]
Nearly perfect!
These were the best Pokéblocks Li Wei had made to date.
Fragrance filled the air, and the sounds of Pokémon swallowing came one after another.
The elderly man suddenly stood, looking excited. "These Pokéblocks are even better than the earlier one!"
This judge specialized in Pokéblocks.
He knew very well how difficult it was for someone Li Wei's age to produce Pokéblocks of such quality.
"Don't run off!"
Dayou grabbed Skorupi, who had been trying to sneak over and steal a bite.
"Everyone can have a taste."
Before you continue