(Hint: Chapters 114 and 115 include some questions. If you don't like that, you can skip to Chapter 116.)
Once he finished the fill-in-the-blank section, it was on to the general knowledge questions. Those were comparatively easy, and none of them could stump Auron.
Most of these simply showed you a picture and asked you to identify things like that Pokémon's evolution.
Take Question 2 in the general knowledge section: next to it was a picture of a Kricketot, and the question read, "Which of the following is the evolution of the Pokémon shown on the right?"
A: Kricketot
B: Kricketot
C: Kricketune
D: Kricketune
The problem itself was simple; it all came down to what you called things. And it's often these simple, nitpicky items that cost people points.
Another example: Question 6 asked for Coalossal's Hidden Ability.
A: Steam Engine
B: Flame Body
C: Flash Fire
D: White Smoke
At first glance, the obvious choice would be A: Steam Engine—after all, that Ability is unique to the Coalossal line.
But that's exactly where the trap lay. [Steam Engine] is indeed unique to Coalossal and its pre-evolutions, but it's a regular Ability. The Hidden Ability is actually [Flash Fire].
Then came the standard fill-in-the-blank section: five questions, one point each.
The Figy Berry's flavor is _____.
In normal battles, the Pokémon with the most type weaknesses is _____.
…
He filled them in quickly and moved on to the True/False section.
The presence of Gengar lowers the surrounding temperature by about 5°C.
A Pokémon with [Pastel Veil], upon entering the field, will cure allied Pokémon of the [Poisoned] condition.
Shiny Alcremie's forms differ not only by head decoration but also by color.
…
…
He ticked them off in short order: True, False, True, True, True. Done. Next section.
Cutting through each part without a hitch, Auron arrived at the final essay question.
"Suppose you used more than two Legendary Pokémon in an international competitive event and, because of that, won the championship. Your opponent, Nomura Eriya, reported to the officials that your Pokémon were illegal. Write a letter to Nomura Eriya that includes the following points:
'I obtained my Pokémon through my own capability—none of your business.'
'I painted my Cherish Ball to look like a standard red-and-white Poké Ball. If you don't like it, paint yours too.'
You may add appropriate wording to keep the piece coherent. Your composition must be at least 800 characters."
Auron blinked at the prompt. How was this so similar to that mock "Pokémon college entrance exam" he'd seen back in his previous life on Bilibili?
Though the Bilibili exam had been about the Lily of the Valley Conference, specifically Tobias and Ash.
Auron shook his head, tossing out the thought.
"Don't get distracted. Just finish it and be done."
He considered his approach for a moment, then set his pencil flying across the page.
The 2B graphite halted and resumed in steady strokes. After a while, Auron looked over the 800-character essay on his test paper and smiled, satisfied.
"Solid performance. Eight hundred characters—right on the dot. Perfect."
He praised himself inwardly, read the composition once more to check the flow, and only then went back to Question 1 to do a full review.
Once the check was complete, Auron stood. Under the surprised gazes of his classmates, he handed in his paper to the equally surprised proctor and walked out of the classroom.
After all, very few people submit early during the college entrance exam. Most keep checking and re-checking, forever feeling short on time and wishing they could squeeze in just one more pass.
Out in the corridor, Auron did some quick mental math.
The next subject was Ideological and Political Education. The exam ran for one hour, from 10:30 to 11:30, with a thirty-minute break between the two sessions.
Since he'd turned in his paper roughly thirty minutes early, that left him about an hour to kill. He wasn't allowed to leave campus, though.
So he ambled toward the front gate, thinking he'd talk to his dad and mom through the barrier.
He hadn't expected that as soon as he reached the gate, a crowd of parents would swarm him, peppering him with questions.
"Young man, why are you out so early? Was the test easy?"
"Yeah—was it hard? Give us a hint?"
"Hey, kid, were there any especially tricky questions this year?"
"Hey, what's this year's essay topic?"
So many voices at once startled Auron. If the heavy iron gate hadn't been between them, he'd have worried they might smother him.
He looked toward the person who'd asked about the essay topic. From his outfit, the guy looked like a reporter.
Auron checked with a nearby teacher first. "Can I say what the essay topic was right now?"
The teacher shook his head. "No. You'll have to wait until the exam session ends. Before it's over, you're not allowed to disclose anything about the test."
Auron had no choice but to spread his hands helplessly and tell the reporter-looking man, "You heard him. It's not that I won't help; I'm just not allowed to say."
The man was affable about it and waved the manuscript in his hand. "No worries. Just tell me when the bell rings. The article's mostly written; once I have the essay topic, I'll fill it in."
Auron glanced at the sheet in his hand. Across the top, in extra-large bold characters, it read:
"SHOCKING!! THIS YEAR'S COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM ESSAY TOPIC IS ————————. HOW ARE THIS YEAR'S TEST-TAKERS SUPPOSED TO COPE WITH A PROMPT LIKE THIS?!"
Auron was speechless. Well then—UC's "Department of Shocking Headlines," are we?
He stopped paying attention to the press of people outside the gate and peered through the crowd to pick out his parents.
After a bit of searching, he finally spotted Dad and Mom under a tree not too far to the side of the gate, with Gengar and Audino and the others.
Gengar's attention had been fixed on Auron the whole time. Noticing Auron had seen them, it grinned from ear to ear and waved its little stubby hands.
Auron smiled and waved back. When he saw his parents weren't planning to come over, he pointed inside the campus to indicate he was heading back in.
His dad nodded and pointed at the crowd—too many people—meaning it was better not to chat right now.
Auron understood, nodded back, and walked deeper onto the grounds.
He had nothing else to do anyway. Better to stroll and take in the campus scenery than stand at the gate being stared at.
Time slipped by. When figures began trickling through the campus lanes, the bell signaling the end of the exam session rang out as well.
Everyone rushed madly for the restrooms, while Auron alone sat quietly on the edge of a flowerbed in the shade, watching it all.
Half an hour passed in a blink. The sunlight slipping through the leaves had only crept a short distance across Auron's shoulder.
He got up and returned to his exam room, sat in his seat, and waited calmly for the teacher to place the test papers on the desks.
This subject was Ideological and Political Education. Because early submission wasn't allowed, Auron didn't blaze through it like the previous test.
He took his time, reading each question twice before starting to write, making sure he had the prompt pinned down.
Unlike other subjects with standard answers, this one awarded points so long as you wrote enough and stayed on topic. Write a lot and stay on target, and you'll score high. Write a lot, stay on target, and hit the graders' sensibilities, and you might even get full marks.
So not only do you have to feel out the intent behind the prompt; you also have to anticipate the test writers' thinking, the graders' mindset, and so on and so forth.
(End of chapter)