The evaluation for intermediate-level trainer organized by the Pokémon Trainer Guild was divided into three parts.
The first, the written exam, was held in the morning. In the afternoon the results were published, and the physical tests of the Pokémon and the practical battle portion continued.
"Hahahaha, look, look! I got 90 points! I'm super smart!" exclaimed Alex Baxter at 2 o'clock, pulling out his phone anxiously and shouting with excitement as he saw his score.
Immediately, several trainers around him gave him admiring looks. Ninety points was a pretty high grade, more than enough to advance without trouble to the next round.
"And you, Ethan? How much did you get?" asked Alex Baxter, raising an eyebrow and glancing sideways.
But instantly, his expression froze, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"96 points?!" he exclaimed after a while, struggling to look away, completely confused.
"What's wrong with the world!?" he muttered, as if everything had lost its meaning.
"Hahaha, it was just luck... pure luck," said Ethan Black, scratching his head with an embarrassed smile. Not even he expected such a good score.
"Luck, my ass! If the other trainers knew your real situation, they'd want to kill you for sure!" snorted Alex Baxter, glaring at him in annoyance.
Ethan Black hunched his neck and, to avoid more comments, pulled him along to enter the practical test area.
...
In just over half an hour, all the trainers who passed the written exam had already gathered in a large battlefield.
There were several physical measuring machines, and as long as the Pokémon passed that evaluation, they could move on to the next phase of the exam.
Obviously, those who applied for the intermediate-level trainer evaluation knew very well the condition of their Pokémon. Only a few unlucky ones were eliminated: their Pokémon were right at the borderline of being fit, and a poor performance cost them approval.
Naturally, Ethan Black's Sandslash passed without a problem, while Alex Baxter's Magneton almost failed, though it barely managed to pass in the end.
After the basic physical tests, the last stage of the evaluation began: the practical battle.
"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! Alex, you're a joke! Your Pokémon almost didn't even pass the physical test!" mocked a young man with a somewhat eccentric style who approached without restraint.
"Jake Turner!" said Alex Baxter as he turned, frowning as he pronounced the full name with resentment.
"Correct!" laughed Jake Turner. "Could it be because your Charmander never managed to beat my Squirtle?"
"Now you come out with a Magneton just because it has an advantage over my Squirtle... But even so, your training is still lousy."
Jake Turner shook his head with a disappointed look.
"Trash! My Charizard just got injured right before the exam! And even if it's Magneton, I can still crush you!" growled Alex Baxter, clenching his fists.
"Charizard? Don't make me laugh!" mocked Jake Turner. "I know very well your Charmander barely evolved... It's impossible for you to already have a Charizard!"
"I've had enough! Let's fight right now! I'll give you a good lesson!" snapped Alex Baxter, pulling out his Pokéball, ready to battle.
"With me? Hahaha! I got 95 points in the written. I'm second overall. And you? What rank did you get? Do you even have the right to challenge me?" said Jake Turner, looking at him with disdain.
"Uh... if I'm not mistaken, your opponent is me," intervened Ethan Black with a smile.
"And who the hell are you?" asked Jake Turner with scorn.
"Sorry, it's just that I scored one point higher than you. I came in first place," replied Ethan Black, narrowing his eyes calmly.
He had observed the whole conversation, clearly noticing the enmity between Jake Turner and Alex Baxter, and how the latter always seemed to be at a disadvantage.
"You're the one who came in first?" repeated Jake Turner, also narrowing his eyes, and an evident tension arose between them.
In fact, according to the rules of the practical evaluation, the first place in the written had to face the second... And they had just been paired up!
"Ethan, please give that idiot a beating!" begged Alex Baxter. "If it weren't for my Charizard still being injured, I'd drag him into the training field myself!"
"Him, beat me? Don't make me laugh!" scoffed Jake Turner. "Alex, shall we bet like before?"
"Bet what?" asked Alex Baxter, frowning.
"How about... that slot? If you lose, you give it to me. And if I lose, I'll do the same," proposed Jake Turner, clearly already prepared.
"That slot?!" Alex Baxter grew serious. That slot was something his father had obtained with much effort...
"What's wrong? Scared? If you're scared, forget it," taunted Jake Turner with a mocking smile.
"Scared? Not in your dreams! We bet! And this time you're going to lose!" replied Alex Baxter decisively. Then, he pulled out his phone and added: "Let's record this, just in case you deny the deal when you lose!"
"Lose? Not a chance!" replied Jake Turner, accepting the recording without hesitation.
"Ethan, please win this battle!" begged Alex Baxter as soon as Jake Turner walked away.
"But what exactly are you talking about? What slot is that?" asked Ethan Black, intrigued.
Alex Baxter took a deep breath and explained: "The League plans to mass-breed certain Pokémon to use them as standard starters for new trainers. That slot we talked about is the right to adopt one of those starter Pokémon."
"Starter Pokémon? Which species are on the list?" asked Ethan Black, his eyes shining with excitement.
"The League hasn't defined the final list yet, but there are about twelve species in pre-selection. In the end, they'll choose six to mass-breed and assign them as starter Pokémon for new trainers," said Alex Baxter, clearly excited.
After all, if they were chosen by the League, it meant they were outstanding specimens within their species. Getting one would mean a huge boost for the team.
"Starter Pokémon, huh? I wonder if they'll be like the three starters from the anime..." thought Ethan Black.
"If it really is those three, they have an extremely high breeding value. Having one in the team would greatly increase combat power," nodded Ethan Black, mentally reviewing all the starters from each generation.
Then he looked at Alex Baxter with some doubt, not knowing if he should keep asking.
"Don't worry," said Alex Baxter, rolling his eyes as he noticed his gaze. "If you defeat Jake Turner, the slot will be yours. And if you lose... well, we both lose."
"Then it's settled! I'm going to win this battle!" exclaimed Ethan Black, eyes blazing and his Sandslash's Pokéball in hand. He felt his whole body burning with excitement!
(End of chapter)