"Raya, Kinsey, Kurt..."
As Mandia calmly read out the names of those eliminated one by one, many Trainers who initially held hope felt their hearts sink, and their faces paled.
The remaining unannounced Trainers grew tense, fearing that the next name called would be theirs, as they lacked confidence in their performance.
After Mandia finished reading the list, seventeen individuals failed to meet the score requirement and were eliminated, while the rest successfully advanced.
Including the earlier batch of eliminations, nearly half of the Trainers had already failed just after the first written test round, leaving only around twenty participants.
With two more rounds yet to come, it was expected that very few would ultimately pass all the assessments.
As the eliminated Trainers gradually left, the second round commenced. Similar to the written test, this practical ability assessment also deviated from previous years' formats.
Traditionally, each Trainer received a standard Poké Ball, tasked with capturing a Pokémon, then briefly training it to meet specific cultivation requirements. The evaluation results depended on how well these criteria were met by the Pokémon.
This time, no Poké Balls were provided; Trainers had to capture and briefly train Pokémon using their own abilities.
"In ancient times, there were no Poké Balls, yet people still managed to capture powerful Pokémon through their wit and wisdom. A true Trainer doesn't rely solely on Poké Balls!" Mandia declared.
This change undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the assessment, leaving many Trainers dumbfounded. How could they capture Pokémon without Poké Balls? Without the constraint of a Poké Ball, Pokémon would hardly obey commands.
Unless they used brute force, but that approach negated any chance of proper training or establishing trust with the Pokémon. Moreover, mistreating Pokémon would invite scorn from others.
"I just realized, without Poké Balls, I have no idea how to capture a Pokémon."
"How is this even possible?!"
For most Trainers, capturing Pokémon without Poké Balls seemed incredibly challenging. Typically, they relied on defeating a Pokémon in battle before using a Poké Ball for capture, gradually building rapport afterward.
Poké Balls were a crucial element in the standard method of capturing Pokémon, but without them, Trainers felt helpless and uncertain how to proceed.
The invention of Poké Balls was a groundbreaking achievement that propelled the profession of Trainers to its historical peak. However, without Poké Balls, Trainers found themselves stripped of their ability to capture Pokémon effectively.
Mandia's point held true; even in ancient times, before the existence of Poké Balls, many individuals managed to capture Pokémon successfully. This indicated that capturing Pokémon without Poké Balls was indeed feasible.
However, due to the immense difficulty in capturing Pokémon without Poké Balls and the prevailing circumstances of those times, Pokémon were primarily utilized as vital tools for warfare.
It wasn't until modern times, with the advent of Poké Balls, that virtually anyone with suitable conditions could become a Trainer and capture Pokémon. As peace prevailed across the continent, Pokémon gradually ceased being instruments of war.
Despite this shift, the tradition of Pokémon battles persisted, leading to the profession of Trainers becoming mainstream on the continent.
Kalia had read some history books, but accounts of ancient wars were often briefly touched upon, with limited detailed records available.
However, there are records of ancient celebrities capturing powerful Pokemon during those times. It's noteworthy that with limited technology, people relied on their own relatively weak strength to capture Pokemon many times more formidable than themselves, truly remarkable feats.
For the second round, although Poké Balls were prohibited, Kalia was confident in her ability to tame a wild Pokémon.
The Pokémon in this area were notably gentle, clearly intentionally cultivated by the League. Otherwise, taming any significantly aggressive species without Poké Balls would have been virtually impossible.
This significantly reduced the challenge; as long as one approached these Pokémon with sincerity, the success rate remained fairly high. The main hurdle lay in some Trainers' inability to adapt to this unconventional method.
"You have two days to capture a Pokémon. You'll need to arrange your own food and accommodation. Once captured, you can request an inspector for verification. Those who pass will proceed to the next phase, which also lasts two days: teaching your Pokémon a specified move. Successfully completing both stages marks the end of the assessment." Mandia observed the crowd's anxious expressions, unsurprised, and calmly explained.
"The assessment begins at 2 PM today and concludes by the same time two days from now. You may prepare accordingly."
With those final words, Mandia departed, leaving behind only the supervisors and Trainers.
"This is too challenging! Without Poké Balls, how can we capture them?" As soon as Mandia left, the whispers among Trainers turned louder, filled with complaints and hopes of finding solutions.
Since the assessment hadn't officially started, discussing strategies was permissible. Utilizing this time to devise a quick capturing method would be ideal.
"Kalia, do you have any ideas?" Mark had successfully passed the first written round, but the practical second phase felt like navigating through hell for him, completely daunting.
"I-I'm not entirely sure either." Kalia shook her head; while books could provide some guidance, blindly following them wouldn't suffice. The key lay in their performance once the assessment began.
"However, with Poké Balls out of the equation, we should try more gentle approaches," Kalia suggested. Without Poké Balls, defeating and capturing Pokemon using them would not work.
The best strategy now was to foster a bond gradually before attempting capture.
True Pokémon capture involves gaining the Pokémon's recognition, willingness to follow, and obedience to the Trainer's commands. Using a Poké Ball merely provides insurance for both the Trainer and Pokémon, but it serves only as such. If a Pokémon does not acknowledge its Trainer, eventually, it will break free from the Poké Ball's constraints and escape.
Therefore, once a Pokémon recognizes and accepts its Trainer, there won't be any significant issues, even without a Poké Ball; the Pokémon will still willingly follow their Trainer.
Soon, 2 PM arrived.
Trainers re-entered the wilderness area, some already having a plan, while others took things step by step.
This round of assessment consisted of two phases over four days: Capture phase and Nurture phase. Additionally, during these four days, Trainers had to manage their own food and accommodation.
It was anticipated that many Trainers would be eliminated again.
***
In a specific location within the wilderness area:
Kalia set her capture target as the previous Togetic since it seemed to have a good rapport with Charizard.
Captured Pokemon during the assessment cannot be taken away afterward, so Kalia didn't particularly care about the species; Togetic, with its gentle nature, was undoubtedly the best choice.
Her first step was to interact and quickly build familiarity with this Togetic.
As for food and lodging, it wasn't a significant concern for Kalia, who frequently spent time in the wild. Even sleeping directly on the ground with Pokemon guarding her ensured safety.