Wally understood that if the same reasoning process was used to explain different moves, choosing Shadow Ball would inevitably earn more points than choosing Double Team.
However, after thinking it over carefully, Wally ultimately chose Thunderbolt—a move he felt relatively confident explaining, while still being difficult enough to demonstrate his knowledge.
He wrote down everything he could think of.
By the time forty-five minutes of the examination had passed—exactly half the allotted time—he had already finished every question.
After spending another five minutes checking his answers and confirming that there were no obvious problems, Wally raised his head.
At almost the same moment, Joy also looked up.
Clearly, she had finished as well.
The two exchanged smiles and simultaneously raised their hands.
Since they had already completed the examination and were confident that they had done enough to pass, they requested permission to submit their papers early.
And so, under the astonished and skeptical gazes of the other examinees, Wally and Joy walked out of Room 303.
The examination was ninety minutes long, yet only fifty minutes had passed.
The other examinees were astonished by the speed with which Wally and Joy had completed the paper.
Of course, some were also suspicious.
After all, the two of them looked far too young, making it difficult for the others to believe they could really have finished the examination so quickly.
As for Nurse Joy, the proctor, she sealed their papers before returning to the front of the room.
She once again carefully looked through their information, then smiled with some curiosity.
…
…
“You’re finished already?”
The speed at which the two had completed the examination was within Professor Birch’s expectations.
Seeing them come out early didn’t surprise him much.
“It was fairly easy,” Wally and Joy answered almost simultaneously.
“How do you think your scores will turn out?
Why don’t we make a bet?”
Professor Birch smiled.
“If both of you place within 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’ll be no reward.”
It was hard to tell whether he was joking or serious.
A reward?
Wally didn’t need to think to know that a reward from a Master Breeder would certainly be something good.
And even if he failed to meet the condition, there didn’t seem to be anything for him to lose.
As for the overall performance of this year’s examinees, Wally had no idea.
This examination wasn’t affected by age, so even if Wally wanted to say he was certain to take first place, that would be impossible.
At the very least, when facing Joy right beside him, Wally had no confidence that his score would surpass hers.
Although he had answered the questions smoothly, who knew whether some of the answers he believed were correct contained hidden flaws?
Furthermore, even with the written-analysis questions he was confident about, there was no way he could expect to receive full marks.
“We accept the bet.”
Neither Joy nor Wally had any reason to refuse Professor Birch’s wager.
Perhaps even Professor Birch himself was already expecting to give the two of them their rewards.
“Then it’s settled.
Let’s look forward to the results of the examination.”
A score of 60 was required to pass the first stage of the examination.
At most, 100 examinees could advance.
If more than 100 people reached the passing mark, those with the lowest scores would be eliminated until only 100 remained.
The second stage of the examination would then begin.
As for the number of people who ultimately passed the entire Junior Pokémon Breeder examination each year, it was generally fewer than ten.
Even in years with a large number of successful candidates, there were only slightly more than ten.
In some years, there were only four or five.
Despite this, Wally and Joy weren’t nearly as nervous as the other examinees.
The examination ended at 9:30.
The grading would take until approximately the afternoon, and at 2:00 p.m., everyone’s results would be announced.
Immediately afterward, the proctors would announce the questions for the next stage of the examination.
Several hours passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Wally and Joy didn’t go anywhere.
They remained in their room and discussed the questions from the written examination.
After listening to Professor Birch explain some of the questions, Wally finally realized that there was always someone better and that there were always greater heights to reach.
Some answers he had believed were correct really did contain flaws.
The traps hidden within the questions were practically everywhere.
As for the written-analysis questions, Birch patiently analyzed them for both Wally and Joy, step by step.
The two youngsters found the discussion fascinating.
A Master Breeder truly deserved his reputation.
His reasoning was rigorous, with every point connecting seamlessly to the next.
His analysis was compelling enough to draw Wally completely into it.
He almost wished Birch would explain a few more questions of the same type.
“Oh, it’s almost time for the results.
Come on… let’s go see them together!”
Birch glanced at the time.
“Sure.
Let’s go.”
Joy smiled as she stood up and walked out of the room.
Wally was looking forward to it as well.
He had already estimated his own score and wanted to see whether there was any discrepancy between his estimate and the actual result.
After listening to Professor Birch’s explanations, he also realized that several of his answers had contained flaws caused by gaps in his knowledge.
Compared with Joy, this was one of his weaknesses.
Elsewhere, the other examinees were also discussing the results.
“I wonder who got first place in the written examination this time… Usually, the top five in the written examination are practically guaranteed to pass the overall examination, right?”
“More or less.
Unless something unexpected happens, that’s probably the case.”
“I think I did pretty well.
I hope I at least passed the written examination.
The second stage is the practical examination, and that’s my strong point.”
As they talked, most of the examinees and their family members gathered in front of the large screen where the results would be announced.
The plaza was large enough to accommodate a considerable crowd, so there was no need to worry about overcrowding.
Judging from the number of examinees this year, there was more than enough space for everyone.
“Quick… Look!
Forty-sixth place—that’s me!
That’s me!
This is the first time I’ve passed the written examination!
It looks like I’m one step closer to becoming a Junior Pokémon Breeder!”
“I see mine!
Seventy-five points!
Fifteenth place!”
“That’s mine… Tenth place!
Seventy-eight points!”
Everyone stared at the electronic screen.
Starting from eighty-eighth place, the names and scores of the examinees appeared one after another.
The first-stage written examination could advance at most 100 examinees.
If fewer than 100 people passed, then everyone who scored at least 60 points would advance.
Clearly, fewer than 100 examinees had reached the passing mark this time.
Among the several hundred examinees, the dozens who had managed to distinguish themselves still hadn’t reached the level of Junior Pokémon Breeders.
However, in terms of knowledge alone, they were already far more knowledgeable than most Trainers.
After all, Pokémon Breeders were a special profession.
Watching the examinees around them react with either joy or disappointment, Wally and Joy paid little attention to them.
They stared intently at the screen, afraid of missing their own names.
The display had already reached tenth place, yet neither of their names had appeared.
That naturally meant that both of them had placed within the top ten.
As for exactly where they had placed, they would have to keep watching.
Ninth… eighth…
Seventh…
Even when sixth place appeared without either of their names, the two finally relaxed.
At the very least, they had already won half of their bet with Professor Birch…
Next came fifth place.
Still neither of them.
Then fourth place—
Finally, Wally’s name appeared on the large screen.
Fourth place — Wally — 85 points — Excellent.
Next came third place: 86 points.
At the same time, a young man in his twenties jumped up and cheered excitedly.
Then came second place.
Joy — 88 points.
But the score of the person in first place was a full ten points higher than Joy’s.
98 points — Wallace.