The Results Are In
Terrance understood that if he chose a different move to write about, and his explanation followed the same course, choosing Shadow Ball would certainly earn him a higher score than Double Team. After thinking it over carefully, however, he chose Thunderbolt, a move he felt reasonably confident about but that wouldn't be too easy. He wrote down everything he could think of, point by point, and finished answering every question after 45 minutes, just halfway through the exam.
After spending five minutes checking his answers and making sure there were no problems, Terrance looked up. At the same moment, Jun raised her head too. Clearly, they had both finished. They exchanged a smile and raised their hands together.
Since they had finished and were sure they could pass, they asked to hand in their papers early.
And so, under the astonished and skeptical gazes of the others, Terrance and Jun walked out of exam room 303.
The exam lasted 90 minutes in total, and only 50 minutes had passed.
The other examinees were astonished by how quickly Terrance and Jun had answered. Some were skeptical, of course. The two looked so young that they found it hard to believe.
After covering their papers, Nurse Joy Rin, who was proctoring the exam, returned to the front of the room and carefully looked through their information again. Then she smiled, a little curious.
"All done?" The speed at which the two had answered was within Master Katsumune's expectations, so he wasn't particularly surprised to see them come out early.
"It was fairly easy." That was the answer both Terrance and Jun gave.
"How do you think you did? How about we make a bet? If both of you rank in the top five among this year's examinees, I'll give each of you a special reward. If you don't make it, then naturally there won't be one."
It was hard to tell whether he was joking or serious as Master Katsumune spoke with a smile.
A reward?
Terrance didn't need to think to know that a reward from a top breeder would surely be something good. Besides, there didn't seem to be anything to lose even if they failed to meet the master's conditions.
Terrance didn't know how well an entire group of examinees usually did overall, but this examination had nothing to do with age. He couldn't say he was sure to take first place. At the very least, he wasn't confident he could score higher than Jun.
Although answering the questions had gone fairly smoothly, who knew whether there were flaws in the answers he believed were correct?
What was more, even on the argument question he was confident about, he couldn't possibly get full marks.
"We accept the bet." Neither Jun nor Terrance had any reason to refuse old Master Katsumune's wager. Even Master Katsumune himself was probably expecting to give them both rewards for certain.
"All right, then. Let's look forward to the results." The passing score for the first examination was 60 points, and a maximum of 100 people were allowed to pass. If more than that qualified, those with the lowest scores would be eliminated until only 100 remained. The second examination would follow immediately afterward.
As for the number of people who ultimately passed the junior breeder examination, it was about the same every year: fewer than ten.
Even in years with many successful candidates, there were only a little over ten, while in lean years, there were as few as four or five.
Even so, Terrance and the others didn't seem as nervous about the examination as the other examinees.
The exam ended at 9:30, and grading the papers would likely take until the afternoon. Everyone's results would be announced at 14:00, immediately followed by the proctors announcing the subject of the next examination.
The hours flew by in the blink of an eye. During that time, Terrance and the others didn't go anywhere, staying in the room to discuss the questions from the written exam.
After hearing Master Katsumune explain a few of the questions, Terrance came to understand that there was always someone better and always more to learn. Sure enough, some of the answers he had thought were correct had flaws in them. The traps in the questions were practically everywhere.
Katsumune then helped Jun and Terrance analyze the argument question in minute detail, leaving them both exclaiming over how satisfying it was. A top master truly lived up to his title: his reasoning was rigorous, with every point leading into the next. His analysis was engrossing, and Terrance listened, utterly absorbed, wishing he could hear him discuss a few more questions like it.
"Oh, the results should be out soon. Come on... let's go see them announced!" Master Katsumune said, glancing at the time.
"Sure, let's go." Jun stood up with a smile and walked out of the room.
Terrance was looking forward to it too. He had estimated his own score and wanted to see how far off he was.
After hearing Master Katsumune's explanations, he also knew that his limited experience had caused flaws in several of his answers. Compared with Jun, that was where he fell short.
Elsewhere, the other examinees were discussing the results among themselves. "I wonder who came first on the written exam this time... Generally speaking, aren't the top five on the written exam almost certain to pass the whole examination?"
"More or less. That's probably how it'll go, barring any surprises."
"I think I did all right. I hope I at least passed the written exam. The second practical test is my strong suit."
As they talked, most of the examinees and their families had gathered in front of the large screen displaying the results. The plaza could hold plenty of people, so there was no need to worry about crowding. Judging by the number of examinees this year alone, there was more than enough room for them.
"Quick... look! Forty-sixth place, that's me... that's me! It's my first time passing the written exam! Looks like I'm one step closer to becoming a junior breeder!"
"There I am! Seventy-five points! Fifteenth place!"
"That's me... tenth place! Seventy-eight points!"
Everyone watched the electronic screen as the examinees' names and scores appeared one after another, starting with eighty-eighth place. The first written exam admitted a maximum of 100 examinees, but if fewer than 100 qualified, the passing score of 60 points still applied. Clearly, fewer than 100 examinees had reached the passing mark this time.
The dozens who had distinguished themselves among several hundred examinees had yet to reach the standard of a junior breeder, but in terms of knowledge, they were already far ahead of most trainers. Breeding was, after all, a specialized profession.
Terrance and Jun paid no attention to the examinees around them, some happy and some disappointed. They watched the screen intently, afraid they might miss their names. The display had reached tenth place without either name appearing, which naturally meant they had both ranked in the top ten.
To find out exactly where, they had to keep watching.
Ninth, eighth...
Seventh... Only when sixth place appeared without either of their names did they breathe a sigh of relief. At least they had half won their bet with Master Katsumune...
Next came fifth place, and it was still neither of them. Then, at fourth place, Terrance's name finally appeared on the big screen: fourth place, 85 points, excellent. Next was third place, with 86 points, and a young man in his twenties jumped up cheering. In second place was Nurse Joy Jun, with 88 points. But the first-place score was a full ten points higher than Jun's: 98 points, Wallace.