"Pokémon Appraisal Theory?"
"Bro, you didn't... forget you had a makeup exam, did you?"
Hearing Xin Mu repeat the subject's name, the person on the other end of the phone seemed a little exasperated. Xin Mu answered immediately, though, giving him no reason to suspect anything was wrong.
"Ahem, no, I overslept. Where was it again? I'll head over now."
"At the student center. You've got twenty-something minutes left. You can still make it if you leave now."
"Got it."
After hanging up, Xin Mu opened the map app on his phone and checked the school's location. That much hadn't changed; the university's layout was the same as he remembered.
The student center meant the university's student activities center, which stood in the southeastern part of campus.
He had gotten lucky when renting his place. In a residential complex near campus, he had met an elderly man he got along with and rented this conveniently located little apartment at a fairly low price. It was only a few hundred meters from the university gates as the crow flew.
As for his finances, besides the money he had saved from working during breaks, there was also an insurance policy the orphanage director had given him. It paid out a sum once he was admitted to an undergraduate program. As long as he didn't squander it, he would have enough for food and living expenses throughout university.
Another portion would be paid out after graduation, which was one reason Xin Mu planned to go straight to the makeup exam. Besides, no matter how much the world had changed, having another academic qualification was always useful in peacetime.
The exam's location wasn't a problem, but the subject certainly was. Xin Mu had never heard of a course called Pokémon Appraisal Theory, yet in a sense, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
He had already crossed into another world, after all. Xin Mu considered this the biggest change brought about by that different world. Pokémon themselves were fantastical beings, a group possessing almost limitless potential and tremendous power. Arceus, who stood at their origin, even ranked as a creator god of the multiverse.
Although he hadn't yet learned much about this world, Xin Mu could tell that humans and Pokémon currently lived together in relative harmony. Humans would naturally study Pokémon and try to understand them, so there was nothing strange about making them a school subject.
Whatever the exam covered, though, it made little difference to Xin Mu. Too many years had passed since he graduated.
He had graduated without trouble back then, but after all these years, he had long since forgotten what he'd learned. If he had arrived any earlier, Xin Mu wasn't even sure he could have gotten into this university again.
Fortunately, this was the final round of exams before graduation, and the questions were generally prepared separately.
Xin Mu easily found his exam materials on his phone. The written exam covered eleven questions in total, ten of which were guaranteed to appear. Answering six correctly would be enough to pass, just like the ordinary course exams he remembered.
But these exam questions...
Question one: Which Pokémon is this circular silhouette?
There wasn't a single clue beyond a black circle. At least several Pokémon fit that description, yet the answer was specifically-a Jigglypuff viewed from above. And this wasn't the only question like that.
Question two: Which Pokémon does this flame belong to?
Answer: Infernape.
Without the answer key, Xin Mu was certain these questions would finish him off.
These were already special questions simplified to improve the graduation rate. If he had to take the original version, Xin Mu really could start preparing to repeat another year.
With his knowledge of Pokémon, memorizing these questions quickly wasn't too difficult. Besides, they weren't much different from the absurd daily quests in games.
By the time Xin Mu had gotten dressed, Meownei had already prepared his makeup exam admission slip and supplies, and even unlocked his bicycle for him.
"Come on, let's go together. Once the exam's over, we can take a look around outside."
"Meow~"
Xin Mu didn't look for Meownei's Poké Ball. Meownei was a Pokémon who disliked staying inside a ball. Apart from being released from one when he first received Meownei, the Pokémon almost never went into a Poké Ball.
Once they were downstairs, Meownei settled onto the bicycle's rear seat with practiced ease, wrapped both arms naturally around Xin Mu's waist, and headed toward the exam venue with him.
"Bees..."
Xin Mu observed his surroundings along the way. He saw ordinary bees and little flying insects flitting among the flowers. Apparently, this world didn't contain only humans and Pokémon; at the very least, insects existed too.
Beyond that, there were more signs of Pokémon everywhere.
The mascot outside Snow King was "taunting" the neighboring Luckin Coffee shop. Beside Snow King's mascot, however, a companion was dressed as Munchlax, apparently for some new collaboration.
Luckin Coffee also had a more chibi-styled Stantler, who seemed a little inhibited. Unlike the Snow King staff, who had completely let loose behind their costumes, the Stantler kept losing ground in their showdown. Snow King had already taken over half the storefront.
Xin Mu also spotted a Machoke beside a truck being loaded and unloaded, clearly working much more efficiently than a human.
Soon, Xin Mu reached the university gates. Other students on campus had Pokémon with them too, though there weren't many, and quite a few of them were heading in the same direction as him.
The Meowscarada on his bicycle's rear seat drew plenty of attention. Meowscarada wasn't a common Pokémon in Donghuang. Some people were seeing a real one for the first time, while others had never even heard of the species.
Although they attended the same university, the admission scores for different majors varied, and everyone made different choices. Pokémon were amazing, but life wasn't impossible without them. Some people simply had no interest in them at all.
Making his way through the crowd, Xin Mu soon reached the activities center in a corner of campus. It was far grander than the one he remembered, however, and a display board beside it read, "Employment rate rankings for the Pokémon Information Management class of 2016."
Quite a few other examinees stood nearby, holding books such as Ecological Atlas of the Galar Region and Factors in the Formation of Regional Pokémon.
"Stop looking around! Over here!"
While Xin Mu was still mentally comparing the changes to the activities center, someone at the entrance had already spotted him. It was Zhang Lin, the classmate who had called to remind him to hurry over.
"You're really laid-back, huh? It's this late and you're still in no rush... Wait, a Meowscarada? Is it yours?"
"Yeah."
"You sure kept that under wraps. I've never seen you bring a Pokémon out in all four years. If you've already got one, why borrow mine?"
"Just in case. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. I don't want to spend another year here."
Pokémon Appraisal Theory sounded like a purely theoretical course, but it actually included a practical component. Students could bring their own Pokémon or rent one from the university. Generally speaking, working with a familiar Pokémon improved their chances of passing.
"That coat... You must have put a lot of effort into raising this one. Did all the money you scrimped and saved go into your Pokémon?"
"More or less. Let's talk later. See you after the exam."
"I've already registered Weavile with the examiner. Just take your ID over and scan it. With your Meowscarada too, you should be set. I'll wait for you at the food court. Want me to get you something to eat?"
"No need. I'll decide when I get there. I'm heading in."
After taking Weavile's Poké Ball, Xin Mu entered the exam venue with Meownei. He and Zhang Lin had always been close.
Xin Mu had also already used the notes on his phone to sort out his relationships in this altered world.
Meownei's coat alone revealed something of how well the Pokémon had been raised. Appearance wasn't everything, but it could reflect a great deal.
As a proper top student, Zhang Lin had extensive theoretical knowledge, which was why he had remarked that Meownei had been raised well.
Nor did he find it particularly strange that Xin Mu had brought a Meowscarada. Starter Pokémon weren't as abundant as the common birds and bugs found near towns in every region, but neither were they as rare as giant pandas. Their distribution was strongly regional.
Besides wild populations, every region had places dedicated to breeding Starter Pokémon. Hoenn's Mudkip marshes and Paldea's Sprigatito catteries were examples.
Obtaining a Starter Pokémon wasn't complicated either. If someone was the right age and had a Pokémon research lab nearby, they only needed to apply in advance to receive their own Pokémon when they set out.
Xin Mu owning a Pokémon from Paldea wasn't beyond understanding. Everyone had their own little secrets, after all. If Zhang Lin had anything on his mind, it was probably whether Xin Mu would let him observe Meowscarada properly so he could write a report.
While Zhang Lin wrestled with that question, Xin Mu reached the entrance to the exam room with Meownei.
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