Not long after the Festival, Ash and the others met Todd Snap – at exactly the same time as last time, which was sort of weird but made Ash think that there was some kind of time-travel thing going on.
Like how when he'd gone back in time thousands of years at Michina, everything had been the same except for the things they'd specifically changed to be different.
It wasn't like he could get answers on that, though, and in the meantime Todd showed them his collection of photos.
"These are impressive!" Brock said. "I don't know much about how to do photography, but they look nice."
"I… huh," Ash frowned, tilting one of them first one way and then another. "I think that one's got me in it."
"Really?" Todd said. "Which one?"
He saw the photo Ash was examining, and frowned. "Um. That's a picture of a Pidgeot going through the sound barrier up near Cerulean."
"Yeah!" Ash agreed. "I took a day-trip to Sinnoh around then."
"And this one looks like Ash's Charizard," Misty pointed out. "In fact, I think that one's got him in as well."
"That one was near Cerulean, too," Todd provided. "I was up there for a while."
"Oh, yeah!" Ash agreed. "Since Pidgeot's nowhere to be seen, that's probably when Charizard was testing out a new move with me. Otherwise it'd be when we took Damien back to the police, but he'd show up then."
"Sorry?" Todd said. "If you don't want me to-"
"It's fine!" Ash replied. "Actually, feel free to keep doing it!"
Todd took plenty of photos at their training session that evening, and the next day he was going through his shots as they walked down the road.
"This one's nice," he said – the camera had caught Togekiss just as she tried copying Ninetales's use of a Flamethrower attack, and the rose flames of Sacred Fire formed a kind of core to the outer edge from Ninetales's attack. "Hey, since we're close… are you guys going to take the League Qualification Exams?"
"We're Gym Leaders," Misty shrugged. "Ash might, though."
Ash had been wondering about that.
He knew you couldn't take your own Pokémon in, not and do anything with them, because the whole point was to show your intelligence or something.
"How do people who take it do?" he asked.
"Well… generally not great on their first League Challenge," Todd admitted. "I think it's meant to be so that trainers who are going to use passed-down Pokémon have an idea how to use them?"
"I don't get that," Misty admitted "If someone did have strong Pokémon they'd got somehow, either they'd be able to do the normal Gym Challenge or they're going to have trouble in the League…"
Ash shrugged. "Well, I guess it'd be nice to see how well I do!"
Fortunately, you could register pretty much straight off, and not long afterwards Ash was in the exam room.
The first section was true or false answers, and he was pretty sure he'd got them all right… or, most of them at least… but then the next part was about recognizing Pokémon.
The first question that came up, he looked at the black circle, then frowned. "Uh. Well, I guess it's…"
He tapped out an answer – Voltorb.
The examiner waited until everyone had put in their answers, then pressed a button to reveal the solution. "The answer is – a Jigglypuff, seen from above."
Ash raised his hand.
"Is something wrong?" the examiner asked.
"How could you tell that apart from all the other circles you can get from other Pokémon in other ways?" he asked. "What about if it's a Seedot seen from below? Or an Azurill hiding behind its ball?"
The examiner adjusted his clothes. "The point of the year long course here is to allow the students to become familiar with what to expect. So-"
"Dexter?" Ash asked, looking over at where his friends were watching.
The Porygon materialized. That is not a sufficient explanation. If this test is supposed to indicate anything, it should be breadth of knowledge. A partial listing of Pokémon with identical silhouettes under the correct conditions: Squirtle, Wartortle, Kakuna, Sandshrew, Jigglypuff, Parasect, Diglett, Poliwag, Grimer, Muk, Gastly, Voltorb, Electrode, Ditto – need I continue?
He shimmered. However… in checking records, it appears that the last year of lessons here have repeatedly and only used the answer of Jigglypuff. Is there a reason for this that isn't simply your course attempting to skew the numbers?
The examiner coughed loudly. "Ahem. As I was saying. The point of this test is to examine whether you are able to recognize Pokémon under unusual conditions."
"If I saw a round silhouette I'd only assume it might be a Jigglypuff if I was directly overhead and the ground was glowing," Ash muttered. "I'm pretty sure their ears don't normally go in that far, either..."
The next question appeared.
Ash raised his hand again. "This is a spiral, but… is this Pokémon seen in a mirror? Is it a silhouette? Is this in colour?"
"Please, answer the question," the examiner said sternly.
Ash actually did have a fairly good memory of what this one was, but he was annoyed now and put in Dratini.
The answer turned out to be Poliwag, but the examiner moved on quickly once he saw Ash's hand going up. "Now, this Pokémon has a fiery tail."
Ash put in Rapidash.
Naturally, the answer they meant turned out to be Ponyta.
Dexter formed on his own this time. I most definitely object! There are about a dozen Pokémon with flaming tails, how is anyone supposed to know which one you mean?
"Stop disrupting the exam!" the examiner insisted.
My entire purpose as a digital construct is to pass on correct information! Dexter said. And you are making a mockery of it!
Todd took a photo of the class rankings.
"Do you have to?" Ash asked.
"I've never seen someone whose letter grade was I before," Todd defended himself. "Especially when there's a footnote that says it means 'Interfering busybody we wish we could flunk, but he scored too high'…"
The practical section was something that Ash was actually experienced in, which was battling. Sure, it was battling with Pokémon he didn't know, but… well, unlike the rest of the day's exams it was something he could actually enjoy.
He took his belt of three Pokéballs, then went up to the first examiner.
"My Pokémon is a Venonat," the examiner explained. "Send out your first."
Ash took a Pokéball at random, and got a Fearow.
He closed his eyes, concentrating.
Was he there yet?
"Why are your eyes closed?" Fearow asked.
He was!
"What moves do you know?" Ash replied.
"Uh," Fearow began, confused. "Fly, Drill Peck, Drill Run, Focus Energy…?"
Apparently that had taken up all the time Ash had for thinking, as the examiner waved his hand. "Signal Beam!"
"Fly!" Ash countered. "Get into the air, keep moving. Make sure you're never flying directly towards or away from Venonat, make his job harder! And Focus Energy!"
"How are you even-" Fearow began, taking off anyway.
"I can understand you!" Ash replied. "Dodge left!"
Fearow whirled away to the left.
"Use Drill Run to amplify your dodge!" Ash added. "But fit in a Focus Energy and then tell me!"
"This is weird," Venonat muttered.
"Charge Beam," the examiner said.
"Dive down!" Ash said, as fast as he could, and the Fearow he was commanding duly did a drop-dodge. The Charge Beam flashed past without hitting him, and Ash pointed. "Climb! That's great, now turn left – and straight – now, turn towards Venonat and do a barrel roll!"
Fearow did an aileron roll.
"No, a barrel roll!" Ash corrected. "The one where you do a spiral! And Drill Peck!"
Venonat fired Charge Beams and Signal Beams up, but it was much harder to hit Fearow than the Bug-type was hoping because Fearow was coming down from the direction of the afternoon sun. Only one attack hit, and then Fearow slammed in a Drill Peck that knocked the examiner's Venonat out in one blow.
"Thanks!" Ash called. "Come on back, I'll see if I need you for the next bit!"
Ash's second choice was a Mankey, and the examiner sent out a Drowzee.
"Hey, Mankey!" Ash said, taking his hat off. "Keep this on, and go nuts!"
Mankey pulled Aaron's hat onto her head firmly with one hand, then charged forwards.
"Hypnosis," the examiner called. "Hypnosis. Hypnosis! Why aren't you doing Hypnosis!"
"I'm trying!" Drowzee protested, as Mankey beat him repeatedly about the head with some punching move or other. "It's like there's nothing to hypnotize!"
"Oh, and what moves do you have?" Ash checked.
The third and last examiner readied his Pokéball, and Ash took a deep breath.
Okay, he had three Pokémon still, but he didn't know what one of them had to bring to the table, and he didn't know the examiner's Pokémon either.
"Go!" he said, throwing the third Pokéball, and got a Parasect. "Okay, what are your moves?"
"Cross Poison, Giga Drain, Fury Cutter, Poison Powder," Parasect related.
Across the field, the examiner had sent out a Hitmonchan.
"Okay," Ash began. "So we need to make sure you don't get hit by a Fire Punch… right! Poison Powder!"
He held up Parasect's Pokéball and Fearow's at the same time, swapping one Pokémon out for the other even as the Poison cloud appeared in the air. "Flap your wings, blow the powder at Hitmonchan! Now, around to the side and Drill Peck!"
Hitmonchan switched from Fire Punch to Thunder Punch at the examiner's order, and slammed it into Fearow as the Flying-type came in. The impact knocked Fearow backwards, spinning through the air but not out, and Ash watched just long enough to make sure Fearow had recovered and wasn't going to crash before switching him out for Mankey.
"Cross Chop!" he said, and Mankey darted in to attack. She got hit by a Mach Punch from Hitmonchan, but landed her Cross Chop anyway, and Ash kept an eye on her.
"Now, Thrash!" he said.
Mankey's next attacks were a blur of punching and kicking and loud annoyance, and Hitmonchan blocked every attack but couldn't make enough time to use one himself. Mankey was disorienting herself with the attacks, quickly ending up dizzy enough that she might be more of a risk to herself, but Ash saw it coming and switched her out with Parasect again.
"Giga Drain!" he ordered.
"Fire Punch!" the examiner replied.
The single Fire Punch hit Parasect hard enough that the Grass-type nearly fainted on the spot, but they'd already been draining energy from Hitmonchan and it was just enough to keep them going.
"Fearow, your turn!" Ash decided, switching Pokémon again. "Fly up nice and high to build up speed for a Drill Run!"
"Not a Drill Peck?" Fearow checked.
"Drill Run protects you against Thunderpunch," Ash explained.
Then Hitmonchan fell over.
"Or just wait for the poison to work," Ash added.
"You know, I'm impressed, Ash!" Misty said, that evening. "I've never seen a diploma awarded so reluctantly before."
"Yeah, but they misspelled my name," Ash sighed. "I'm Ash Ketchum, not Ash, um, I don't know how to pronounce that but it ends with 'off'."
"Oh no," Riolu groaned. "How terrible, we'll have to do the gyms after all… woe is us..."
"Why are these even called breeding centres?" Ash asked. "It's such a weird name."
"It's terminological confusion, is what it is," Brock explained. "Pokémon breeders focus on every aspect of raising a Pokémon, starting with its parents, but most of what they actually do is about medical care, diet, fitness training, working with the Pokémon's ability to understand cues… all kinds of things."
He chuckled. "But, well, it's like calling someone a marathon runner. Ninety-nine percent of the running they do is over shorter distances, but if they do end up running marathons and nobody else does that then that's what they get named for."
"Or how my sisters are called gym leaders!" Misty contributed. "You know, like how almost everything they do is performance art!"
"I shouldn't laugh," Ash said, but did.
Then Dexter beeped.
James is letting you know he's caught his Weepinbell, he said. So he'll want it restored, if possible.
"Got it," Ash replied. "...I guess meeting James at the breeding centre is probably a good call, actually, it's an obvious place and they know where it is. Who was running it…"
He frowned, thinking.
"Wow," Misty said. "You can actually hear the gears squeaking."
"Hey!" Ash protested. "It was… oh, yeah, Birch and Cassidy, right?"
"I'm sure that's not his name," Brock frowned.
"Yeah, but if I bother trying to remember it it's more than he's worth," Ash said. "And if he's annoyed he's not thinking straight, which helps us!"
The others stared at Ash.
"...it's so weird to hear you say that kind of thing," Pikachu said.
"Yeah, yeah," Ash replied. "Anyway, Misty, you've got Psyduck with you, right? And this is the city with that restaurant owner who really likes Psyduck! So let's go and get that free meal!"
Now that is not surprising for Ash to remember.
"Wow," Ash said, when they reached the breeding centre after their free meal. "This place is a dump."
Butch and Cassidy both looked surprised, though they hid what kind of surprised well under their professional masks of being the kind of workers who took good care of the Pokémon entrusted to them.
"Excuse me?" Cassidy asked. "Sir, our centre has excellent sanitation, a top-ten rating from an accredited organization… we're committed to the welfare and development of all the Pokémon we look after here."
"Then how come you've got them all so close together?" Ash asked, pointing through the wall. "Their auras seem really cramped in against one another, and Misty's Togekiss isn't reacting well either."
Togekiss had been putting on a brave face, but she drifted down a bit and Misty gave her a soothing hug.
"We should probably have a look," Ash added.
"Sorry," Cassidy said, shaking her head. "Since… many of the Pokémon are only used to their trainers, they would react poorly in the presence of another trainer. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."
Butch decided to add his own comment. "Unless you want one of your Pokémon raised? That Riolu of yours could evolve in mere days if you left him with us."
"No thanks, if I give anyone my Pokémon to raise it'll be because I trust them," Ash replied.
He reached into his pocket, and tossed a fleck of gold into the air. "Dexter?"
Stand by, ready. Set up.
The Porygon formed, and two Lock On beams came glaring out of his eyes. Thunder Waves targeted. I suggest not resisting.
At that point, Brock came in the door. "Hey, guys! Good news, bad news thing. Good news, I got Officer Jenny to follow me!"
"Bad news?" Misty asked.
"Oh, right," Brock said, as the officer skidded into the room. "I didn't get around to asking, so-"
"So!" Jenny said. "You're the one who's been trying to chat up all my cousins!"
She blinked.
"Wait. Why is that weird Pokémon shining red dot lights on those two Pokémon Centre workers?"
"They're keeping the Pokémon here in terrible conditions!" Ash explained. "And they're lying on the ads, this place is only a paradise for a Pokémon if that Pokémon's a Trubbish or Aron. And yeah, Brock does do that a lot, but I don't think he's that bad."
He looked at Misty. "Is he that bad?"
Misty shook her head.
She also muttered something about how Brock didn't get the chance because she hit him with her Goldeen if he tried, but that was neither here nor there.
"If these two are criminals, I'll have to arrest them," Jenny said. "And get the Pokémon here back to their owners. But…"
She paused. "Why Aron?"
"Lots of cages to eat," Ash explained.
"Anyway, if your friend has done something wrong then I'll have to take him in as well, but I'll go and check what he's done," Jenny decided.
She didn't find anything to keep them in town, and that afternoon Todd said goodbye as he was heading back north.
Ash invited him to come and watch his Pokémon League victory, which made Misty sigh about unrealistic expectations, then not long afterwards James turned up with a Weepinbell.
"So, are you done with having the guy with the camera around?" the blue-haired trainer asked. "I have not shampooed this properly, it'd be a crime to be photographed in this state!"
"Yeah, Todd's gone," Ash agreed, closing his eyes. "And… great, that one can be reminded!"
He reached out his hand, touching the Grass-type, and there was a flash.
James mumbled something.
"What was that?" Ash said, leaning closer.
James repeated it, with more mumbling.
"Hmm," Pikachu said. "I think it was, roughly, 'that's fine and all, but why did he have to evolve so he's eating my head?'"
"Yeah, why is that?" Ash asked.
"He feels nice," Victreebel answered.
James pulled the Grass-type off his head. "Phew! It's strange why that happens, but my Cacnea and Carnivine are just the same way… where are you headed next, anyway?"
"Cinnabar," Ash replied. "I've got a badge to win!"
"Well, don't use Squirtle in the main arena," James advised. "He gets touchy about that for some reason. Something about massive explosions, I don't know why that would bother anyone…"
AN:
I've never agreed with the characterization of Brock as a pervert or similar. It's too... offensive, for me to believe he'd have friends like Ash, Misty and so on.
Instead, I choose to see him as being just overly enthusiastic.
As for the Pokemon League school, that was naff. Really, really naff. In the anime, it's a place that seems designed to turn out either overconfident League challenge failures, or (potentially) Pokemon Rangers. All that 'work with any Pokemon' stuff is the job of a Ranger, whereas a normal trainer is the opposite.
It so happens that the Pokemon used in the "practical" part of the exam were randomly generated for this chapter. I think the results went well.