Chapter 19: On the Field! Beedrill vs. Pansear!
Charmander was ecstatic. It looked up at Melody, its eyes sparkling with joy, and scrambled on its short legs into her arms. Melody hugged it tightly, planting a kiss on its little head before walking off the battlefield, victorious.
The exam continued.
"Congratulations, that was a great battle," Kenji said with a sincere smile as Melody walked toward him.
She shook her head. "I only won because the examiner didn't expect my Charmander to know Dragon Pulse."
After all, a normal Charmander at that level would typically only know low-power Fire-type moves like Ember. Her easy victory was entirely due to that information gap.
With her match over, Melody took her Charmander and joined Kenji at Arena 55 to wait for his turn. Being number 60 in the queue meant a long wait. Even if every match before his took only a minute, he'd still have to wait an hour.
Two and a half hours dragged by...
"Next up! Number 60! Kenji!"
Finally, Kenji's name flashed across the electronic screen. Melody, and the now-drowsy Charmander in her arms, both perked up.
"Good luck, Kenji."
"Char-char!"
Kenji gave a small nod, his grip tightening on the Poké Ball in his hand. He walked up to the official's desk, handed over his ID, and placed his Poké Ball on the scanner.
As the device lit up with a green light, a wave of relief washed over him. His Beedrill, a fusion of nine different Weedles, had passed the verification check without a hitch.
He took his Poké Ball back and stepped onto the battlefield.
"Go! Beedrill!"
Kenji threw the ball. A beam of red light shot out and materialized into his powerful partner.
"Bzzzzzt!"
Beedrill flexed its lance-like arms, buzzing with battle-ready energy.
"Whoa, it's a Beedrill..."
By now, most of the students had finished their exams and left. Among the few who remained, a few gasped in surprise. There had been other students who had drawn Bug-types like Weedle or Caterpie, but nine out of ten of them hadn't evolved their Pokémon. Not everyone could get their Weedle to evolve into a Kakuna on the second day like Kenji had. Bug-types had a fast growth cycle, but by the time they reached the level for evolution, the one-month training period was often already half over, leaving no time for the pupal stage.
On the other side of the field, the examiner who had been battling all afternoon stretched, walked off, and was replaced by a fresh one.
"Let's go!" the new examiner called, tossing out his Poké Ball.
A flash of red light revealed a small, red monkey Pokémon with a tuft of flame-shaped hair on its head.
Pansear
Level: 14
Ability: Gluttony
Potential: F
"A Pansear?" Kenji blinked. He didn't know much about this Pokémon; it hadn't left much of an impression on him in the anime from his old life. But it was a Fire-type, which gave it a slight advantage over his Bug/Poison-type Beedrill.
Can it still get a one-hit KO even with a type disadvantage? Kenji wondered.
That's right. He wasn't worried about losing. He was worried about whether or not his Beedrill could maintain its perfect knockout streak.
"A Pansear... that guy's luck is terrible," one of the remaining students in the audience commented.
Next to him, Melody, still cradling her Charmander, showed no signs of concern. In fact, hearing the comment, she couldn't suppress a slight smirk. She had been training alongside Kenji every day. She knew exactly how monstrous his Beedrill was.
"The battle... begin!" the referee announced.
"Pansear! Use Incinerate!" the examiner commanded.
Pansear tilted its head back and unleashed a stream of fire that shot toward Beedrill.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack! Then use Focus Energy!"
"Bzzzt!"
A white light flashed on Beedrill's wings and it vanished from its spot. A moment later, its red compound eyes gleamed as it gathered its concentration.
"Quick Attack again! Follow up with Poison Sting!" Kenji ordered.
The next instant, Beedrill shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Its yellow-and-black body became a blur, its twin stingers held out in front of it as it charged the Pansear.
"So fast!" the students in the audience cried out.
Even the examiner's pupils contracted in shock. Could a Beedrill that was barely a month old really move that quickly?
Even Kenji was momentarily stunned by the burst of speed. Then he realized what had happened.
The Quick Claw!
He couldn't believe his luck. The item's effect had triggered on his very first attack, granting Beedrill that explosive acceleration.
"Dodge it!" the examiner yelled, but before the words had even left his mouth, Beedrill was already upon the Pansear.
"Sear!—"
BAM!
Before the monkey Pokémon could react, Beedrill slammed into it, its two lances digging into Pansear's body and eliciting a cry of pain. Without pausing, Beedrill raised its left stinger, which was now glowing with a purple light, and brought it crashing down.
Poison Sting!
CRACK!
"SEAR!—"
Reeling from the two powerful blows, Pansear was sent flying backward, tumbling across the field several times before coming to a stop. Its eyes had become swirls. It was out cold.
A one-hit KO.
"Pansear is unable to battle! Beedrill is the winner!"
A smirk touched Kenji's lips. This was the result he had expected.
"Great job. Return, Beedrill."
He recalled his Pokémon and walked off the battlefield. As he made his way back to the stands, he felt many more eyes on him than before.
"Let's go," Kenji said, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the sudden attention.
Melody nodded. With Kenji's exam finished, there was no reason for them to stay.
Outside the gym, Kenji immediately spotted Leo and his family waiting for him. A short distance away, Marcus was also there, clearly waiting for his daughter.
Kenji gave Melody a quick nod of farewell and hurried over to join Leo's family.
The following days were filled with the academic portions of the exam. The assessment battle against the Gym Leader was scheduled for after all the written tests were completed. Despite being busy with his exams, Kenji made sure his Beedrill's training didn't fall behind.
Time flew by, and for the average student, the long and grueling Trainer Licensing Exam was finally over.