The Examination Underway

These questions were all highly specialized and could not be underestimated. A breeder needed an exceptionally thorough understanding of Pokémon; a superficial grasp of the basics was nowhere near enough.

Knowing these things might not seem all that impressive, but this was only the foundation expected of a junior breeder. Raising a Pokémon well, or making a living that way, required far more effort than that.

At the Pokémon Centers stationed in every city and town, Pokémon nurses-that is, Nurse Joy-were required to meet at least the standard of an intermediate breeder.

The knowledge tested in the junior breeder examination was far from representative of the whole field.

Compared with the knowledge of the top masters, this was child's play.

Terrance continued answering the questions. The ten fill-in-the-blank questions did not take him long either. Only twenty minutes had passed by the time he reached the last two extended-response questions.

The extended-response questions required answers of at least 150 words. They were generally grounded in practical situations and required a great deal of knowledge to be brought together. They also often went a little beyond the current examination level, giving candidates a chance to demonstrate a higher level of ability.

Each was worth twenty points, and the grader awarded marks based on the key points in the candidate's answer. A score above ten was usually considered quite good.

The questions on the paper varied in difficulty, but the last two major questions were the key to assessing a candidate's level.

Extended response [illustration attached]: The white areas on a Marill's cheeks have turned pale green, and it is in considerable pain. How should this be treated?

Even Terrance paused when he saw the first question and began organizing his thoughts. Unlike the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, the extended-response questions did not simply test knowledge of a single Pokémon.

The extended-response questions on the junior breeder examination involved two Pokémon. Fortunately, this was only a written test, and people had more or less figured out the patterns behind the questions after years of examinations.

Terrance, for one, had repeatedly studied past exam questions and their explanations and had gotten a sense of how to approach them. It was much the same as the approach to exams in his previous life.

Still, a written test was only a written test. Whether a breeder could take emergency measures in a real situation was another matter.

Marill, pale green, pain.

After thinking carefully for several minutes, Terrance finally began to write.

Starting with its behavior and symptoms, the pain might have been caused by an injury or a status condition, such as Paralysis, poisoning, or a Burn.

The pale green on Marill's cheeks suggested that some substance had altered the condition of its body.

So perhaps it was suffering from a status condition. Pale green... Looking at the illustration, Terrance did not find the relevant clue at first.

The knowledge tested in the junior breeder examination was not meant to be too difficult for candidates; it generally only tested them on fairly common Pokémon. As Terrance recalled, both poisoning and Paralysis could cause Marill pain.

Marill generally liked to play in water and mostly lived in forests. With that in mind, Terrance could narrow the possibilities down to Bug-type and Grass-type Pokémon.

The first Pokémon Terrance thought of was Wurmple and its evolutionary line, but after some thought, he immediately ruled them out.

Beautifly's Stun Spore was brownish-yellow, the toxin from Bug Bite was brown mixed with purple, and the toxin from Poison Sting was dark purple.

Dustox was much the same. The symptoms caused by its toxins were reddish-purple, which did not match this case either.

As for Grass-type Pokémon such as Oddish and Shroomish... their symptoms did not seem to match either.

However, after sorting through the habitats and characteristics of other Pokémon, Terrance finally settled his attention on Shroomish.

Although both Shroomish's Stun Spore and Poison Powder differed from the symptoms, Shroomish had another distinctive feature: its own special spores.

These spores, when released, were different from Poison Powder and Toxic. Shroomish generally treasured them and only released them when in great danger. The spores also contained some toxins, together forming a powder unique to Shroomish.

These spores could be used against enemies or made into medicine; they were excellent medicinal ingredients.

Most importantly, Shroomish loved eating the moist, decayed-leaf soil found in forests, so they were very fond of damp places.

With that, the answer became clear. Marill and Shroomish were the key to reasoning through the question.

Even so, the question was only half answered. Knowing the cause, the candidate still had to demonstrate what a breeder should do about it.

Someone with no idea what was going on would probably write an answer such as using an Antidote, but the question could not be that easy. Besides, starting treatment without thoroughly understanding the situation could often cause a Pokémon further harm.

Terrance wrote: First, have Marill stop moving, then gently squeeze its tail until its cheeks turn dark green. The best option is then to detoxify it with a Pecha Berry or a Lum Berry, with an Antidote as the next best choice. If nothing has been prepared, Marill should avoid wasting as much energy as possible and refrain from using moves while medicine to neutralize the poison is found as soon as possible. After the poison has been neutralized, Marill should release its energy freely until it is exhausted. This is the safest approach.

Marill's large, round tail stores plenty of the nutrients it needs to grow. After poisoning, the toxins invade its tail first, and those nutrients are contaminated as well. To keep the toxins from penetrating deeper and harming Marill's future growth, Marill must first stop using its tail to move, keeping the toxins in a less active state. Next, massaging the tail and taking advantage of its special elasticity can squeeze most of the foreign toxins into the cheeks. This is the first place detoxifying medicine takes effect, and also where it is most effective.

The process is not yet complete, however. The toxins have not all been expelled at this point. Although Marill is no longer in serious danger, as a precaution, it still needs to keep using moves and consuming energy to release as much as possible of the toxins that have invaded its energy. Only then can the problem be considered essentially resolved.

Of course, different toxins and different poisoned Pokémon all required different solutions. This was precisely the challenge that tested breeders.

After writing all this down in fairly precise terms, Terrance breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, even he found a major question like this mentally exhausting at his current level.

Without wasting time, Terrance immediately looked at the second question.

How would you enable a Meowth to master one of the following moves? Please choose one and explain-

Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Double Team, Water Pulse...

This was another kind of question, concerning the training of Pokémon moves. It was likewise one of the fundamental skills shared by breeders and trainers.