S.R: You guys should be happy we decided not to be cruel.
M.R: Yeah, we were going to wait until it was time to go back to school to post this episode just so we could make the joke "It's time for school!"
S.R: But we agreed to be nice… Mostly because we have a certain pair of fans Cough Cough PhoenixWyvern and his girlfriend Cough Cough that would have killed us.
Phoenix: Did somebody say my name?
M.R: NOOOOOOOO! YOU UNLEASHED THE KRAKEN!
S.R: Get back in your box! Pushes Phoenix into a box before sealing it shut and jumping on the lid.
M.R: Good thinking, but you do know he's got to come out of there eventually?
S.R: But it's too early for his appearance. Besides we need to move on to the story now.
ASH'S POV
After my first training experience with my new Umbreon and Espeon, I knew I made the right call in basing all my strategies for Koga around the two. Putting my current team in order of strongest to weakest I'd say the two of them tie with Pikachu for being number one. Following that would be Charmeleon, then Golbat. After Golbat it would be Ivysuar with Conan surprisingly being the weakest.
I figured that Conan would be slightly stronger since he's been training with the others for a while now, but it seems everyone back at the ranch still continued to work hard and grow stronger even without me. I suspect Professor Oak got bored and started helping them out when he wasn't entirely focused on his research.
But that's besides the point, since I figured he wouldn't be able to help himself and would try to work with the Pokemon sent to the lab by myself and Gary…
Speaking of Gary we had run into him again, but instead of battling he told me about the Pokemon League Exam. Apparently just down the road from us was a building where trainers that couldn't travel the entire region for any reason could take a test and if they can pass two parts of the exam they'd be exempt from having to earn eight badges to participate in the Indigo League. According to Gary there are three parts to the exam, two of which are centered around battles.
The third and final portion of the test is the hardest. If you can pass that part, supposedly you are a talented enough trainer that the current Elite Four would grant you the right to challenge them despite not being the Indigo League winner.
"So how'd you do Gary?"
"The written test was far to easy… The first battle portion was strange but I managed to pass it as well. But that third part… I utterly failed. I'd tell you more but I'm not supposed to."
"So do you get to go straight to the Indigo League?"
"I could, but I think I'll keep traveling and earn the eight badges anyway."
"Figures. Though I can't say much because I'm already planning to do the same."
"Well, I'm heading out now. Good luck with the test. Smell ya, later Ashy-boy!"
With that Brock, Cynthia, and I continued on our way. We found the building Gary was talking about and I signed up for the test. Surprisingly Cynthia did to, though when she looked my way she gave me a smile and winked. We were just in time, and the two of us were quickly lead to the test hall and placed in seats with the exam paper in front of us. The second we sat down the examiner gave the go ahead to start the test. All kinds of questions came up.
Name: Ash Ketchum
Age: 10
Hometown: Pallet Town
1. What is Meowth's type? - Normal type
2. What heals poison? - an Antidote or a Pecha Berry
3. Charizard is both Fire type and? - Flying type
4. You are required to have what badge in order to use Flash? - The Boulder Badge
5. The Earth Badge comes from what gym? - The Viridian City Gym
6. What berry can cure confusion? A Persim Berry
7. What is the maximum number of Pokemon usable in an official Pokemon battle? - Six
8. Ghost type Pokemon are weak to? Ghost type Pokemon and Dark type Pokemon
9. Magikarp evolves into? - Magikarp evolves into Gyarados
10. The starter trio is comprised of? - The starters are Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle
Finally after a hundred questions the test was over. Because it's a simple written exam we have to wait until the assessor grades the tests. If we pass we move on to the next part. If we don't we have to try again next year. But to me it was really easy so I'm not worried about that. We didn't wait very long for the questioner to finish grading the written part. Reading off a list of names that included mine and Cynthia's he told us we passed and to head to the battle stadium for the next part of the test.
"Despite this portion of the test being centered on battle, we are still testing you. Not your Pokemon and their ability. But you and how you handle battle situations. Everyone pick three Pokemon and submit them to us for a bit."
Following his order I thought about who I'd battle with. Since Pikachu has been my long time partner I knew he'd be in for sure. After a moment I decided to use Espeon and Charmeleon as well. It's a pretty versatile team, and they are all capable so I don't think I'll have too many issues. Submitting my team I stepped back and waited for the next order.
"Once again we are testing you, not your Pokemon. Because of that we asked each of you to submit three Pokemon. Those Pokemon are now going to be randomized and loaned to another trainer. You will have ten minutes to learn about the three Pokemon you receive before battling each other. The goal is not to win, but to show that you are able to adapt to the situation on hand. As such this segment will take an hour."
My eyes went wide at that and I was slightly worried about Pikachu not listening to someone else. But with how they set things up every one can see who is given what Pokemon, so I let out a sigh of relief when Cynthia is who Pikachu was paired with. Weirdly enough Cynthia got all three of the Pokemon I submitted. Eventually they got around to me, and I had to laugh. Ironically enough Cynthia and I just swapped our Pokemon for this.
I ended up with her Garchomp, Lucario, and Glaceon. Finally I was able to put a name to the Pokemon she used along side Lucario when she came to rescue me back in Grampa Canyon, it was her Garchomp. Scanning them with the Pokedex I was surprised to learn Garchomp was a Dragon type. But I got over that quickly once I saw their moves.
Garchomp has Crunch, Fire Fang, Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush, Sandstorm, Slash, Dig, Earthquake, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, and Poison Jab.
Lucario has Aura sphere, Quick Attack, Metal Claw, Counter, Sword Dance, Bone Rush, Close Combat, Shadow Ball, Psychic, and Flash Cannon.
Glaceon has Quick Attack, Bite, Ice Fang, Barrier, Ice Beam, Protect, Hail, Return, Echoed Voice, and Blizzard.
Based on what I had seen of Cynthia and her battling, Garchomp and Lucario are probably her two powerhouses. That made a lot of sense considering they have more moves and are more combat oriented than Glaceon who had supportive moves like Barrier and Protect. Since Lucario was the one I knew the most about, I decided he'd be the ace up my sleeve when battling and decided my battle order would be Garchomp, Glaceon, and then Lucario. Having that settled I let the trio out of their Pokeballs and told them about the situation. They agreed to work with me, just in time as when they nodded our ten minutes to prepare were up.
The inspector split everyone up into battle pairs and one after another we began our battles. My battle was against another young person named Clive. Starting off I used Garchomp and Clive used a Gloom. Due to Gloom's Grass typing Garchomp was at a slight disadvantage but I didn't let that info slow me down. Especially since Cynthia had trained Garchomp well. I had him use Sandstorm to obscure Gloom's vision then rush in close and use Slash followed by a Fire Fang. Gloom countered with a Stun Spore but Garchomp had already backed off so it didn't take effect. But I took advantage off Gloom's reach and the second it was open had Garchomp rush back in and finish it off with Dragon Claw.
The next two Pokemon Clive used were defeated similarly. Weirdly enough I was able to get through most of the battles I was asked to fight with Cynthia's Pokemon using only Garchomp. There were only two battles that made me swap out to Glaceon, and Lucario had yet to see any fighting. The hour that this part of the test was supposed to take flew by, and surprisingly only twelve of the thirty of us that made it this far passed this second portion of the test.
"To those of you that passed part two I have to congratulate you. Since this test is mainly for those that can't travel the region to earn eight badges for any reason, you can leave after you've claimed the proof of completion from the front desk right now and leave if you wish. Normally we wouldn't give you the option to opt out, but we started this test later than intended so we are running behind. Also a few of you have such well trained Pokemon that I'm not certain you all could take the third test before the day is over."
Out of the twelve, I was the only one that didn't head back to the front desk. I told the examiner that I was only taking the test, to see how far I've come since I started the journey and was planning to collect eight badges regardless. Cynthia denied continuing on to the third part of the test, saying that she wasn't ready for it. Apparently she had challenged Sinnoh's Elite Four once and was destroyed, so she knew even if she passed this part of the test she couldn't take on the Kanto Elite Four either.
"Well then, Ash follow me. We have a second battle field set up for the third test because it is much harder, and can destroy the field, so rather than risk having to delay testing while we repair the battle field we have a back up battle ground that is specifically for this test."
"Can you tell me what I'm getting into with this test?"
"I can but you and the two accompanying you can not mention it to anyone."
"Alright."
"I'm a former Gym leader so I already know, also you can take him asking as proof that I acknowledge that it's supposed to be a secret."
"Okay then… The third part of the test is a battle. You may use your full team. Your opponent is Lance of the Elite Four. HOWEVER you do not have to win in order to pass. Because of the power behind his team Lance is only permitted to use one Pokemon. You do not have to defeat that Pokemon. You just have to land an attack on whichever Pokemon he uses. Lance will not be allowed give any orders other than to dodge, instead he'll rely on his Pokemon's ability to fight on it's own. If you can draw the battle out for hour, meaning his Pokemon cannot defeat all six of your Pokemon within that time frame without orders you can pass as well."
"So either land an attack, or survive long enough… I'll give it a shot, but I don't know if we'll be able to do it."
"It's good to see that you are humble. Because you just have to land one attack a lot of people get over confident and fail."
As the inspector finished speaking Brock and Cynthia split off to watch from a distance, while he moved to a referee position. Lance stood up from the wall he'd been leaning on and walked to his side of the field. He and I got in position as the referee began the match.
"This is a test battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet town and Lance the leader of the Kanto Elite Four. The challenger Ash may use his full team, while Lance can only use one Pokemon. Trainers send out your Pokemon."
Since I knew this would be tough, and almost impossible for Conan I decided that I would forfeit before he came into play. Because I wasn't sure which of his Pokemon Lance would use for this I decided to play it cautiously and start off with Golbat. Lance, probably knowing that I was going to try and play it safe because of how long I took decided to use a Gyarados.
"This is not the Gyarados I use for those who come to challenge the Elite Four here in Kanto, or the one from my champion team in Johto, so you can breathe a little easier. Gyarados I trust you to do this."
"Even though I'm not sure I can do this, I'm pumped up! Golbat let's go!"
With that we began the battle. Even without his orders Lance's Gyarados was almost brushing us off. None of Golbat's attacks were able to hit, either being dodged easily or blocked with it's overwhelming power. In the end Golbat wasn't capable of scratching Gyarados, being defeated with one hit. Not letting it get to me I returned Golbat to his Pokeball praising him for giving his all despite the disadvantage. Letting Charmeleon out I kept the battle going, only to have a similar defeat. Following Charmeleon I used Espeon who fared a lot better than both Golbat and Charmeleon but was still taken down. Umbreon was next, and followed Espeon's lead giving a much better fight than Golbat and Charmeleon but still losing.
"I must say I'm impressed with you Ash. You weren't over confident, and even though you've lost four Pokemon you're keeping a level head. On top of how well trained your Pokemon are, I have to give you credit. Since the last League tournament only one other person has managed to last more than ten minutes in this test. You and Gary Oak are top tier trainers… I look forward to the day you two challenge the Elite Four."
"I thank you for the praise, but I need to say this now. I'm only using one more Pokemon here, so I'm probably going to fail. Even with my Riolu, Conan being as strong as he is, I'm certain that he's still too young and small for a battle at this level."
"Since you claim a Fighting type Pokemon is still too young I take it this Conan isn't even a year old yet?"
"That's correct. He hatched from an egg I won while on the S.S. Anne. I'm proud of how strong he's become, but just like the rampaging Rhydon we found a few days ago he isn't ready for this. Sorry to pin this on you Pikachu, but it's your turn."
I said nodding my head to Pikachu as he hopped off my shoulder. Bouncing to the battlefield Pikachu was ready. Even with his type advantage the two of us knew he wouldn't be able to defeat this Gyarados. That didn't stop us though, instead it made us try even harder. In the end even Pikachu lost to Gyarados, but he was the one that came the closest to hitting Gyarados. He also lasted the longest, at eight minutes. I was surprised when I glanced up at the timer after declaring my loss. Golbat and Charmeleon were defeated in four minutes each, Umbreon and Espeon lasted six minutes each. Add in Pikachu's eight minutes and we had lasted twenty eight minutes against Lance.
"Even though you did not meet either requirement to pass I have to say that was a very impressive effort. Like I said earlier you and Gary Oak are the only two who have attempted this challenge since the last Indigo League Tournament that have managed to hold out for more than ten minutes. I have a feeling that you two are destined for great things, so I'll be keeping an eye out for you both."
When Lance finished speaking he stuck his hand out and I shook it. Even though I had failed the test I was proud to have gained my idol's attention. I was also excited because he said I was destined for great things. With a happy feeling I made a beeline for the front desk to turn down the proof that I had passed the exam and then ran to the nearest Pokemon Center planning to have my team checked out, get a good nights rest and work even harder from here on out.
S.R: Well that's the test over with. Sniffs the air a few times Hey is something burning?
M.R: I don't think so, but it doesn't hurt to check. Looks around before noticing some smoke from the box that S.R is sitting on Oh it's just the box you put PhoenixWyvern in.
S.R: Well he's just gonna have to calm down and wait a few chapters before I let him out.
M.R: You might want to put the box in a freezer or something that way he can't burn it down.
S.R: Yeah, I'll go do that now Stands up and grabs the box before walking off.
ON HAND:
1. Pikachu (m) 2. Riolu (m) 3. Golbat (m) 4. Charmeleon (m) 5. Espeon (m) 6. Umbreon (f)
TRAINEE FIELD RESEARCHER SLOT ADDITIONS:
7. Ivysaur (f)
AT THE RANCH:
1. Pidgeot (f) 2. Gyarados (f) 3. Beedrill (m) 4. Nidorino (m) 5. Muk (m) 6. Wartortle (f) 7. Gengar (f) 8. Growlithe (f)