The young teacher asked cautiously, "Group Leader, what score do you think we should give? Personally, I would give this question full marks."
After listening, the Group Leader sighed with emotion and said, "This candidate is truly remarkable. Oguri, based on what he wrote, give him full marks for this question."
"Understood," Oguri replied.
Since the classroom was originally very quiet, everyone else heard their conversation. The female teacher wearing glasses asked, "Oguri, what are you two talking about?"
Oguri lifted the exam paper in his hand with a hint of pride and said, "Regarding this paper in my hand, I was a bit uncertain about the final question. He wrote so well that I wanted to give him full marks, so I consulted the Group Leader."
Another teacher wearing glasses interjected, "So the Group Leader also thinks it deserves full marks?"
"That is correct," the Group Leader stated.
Oguri grinned and said, "Therefore, this paper earns one hundred points."
As soon as he said that, all the teachers looked up and crowded around.
"It really is a hundred! In all my years of grading papers, this is the first time I've seen a perfect score."
"In the Johto region over the years, the number of people who have achieved a hundred on the theory assessment can be counted on one hand. I remember there were... how many?"
"There were four. With this one, it makes five."
"And look at this handwriting; it's truly beautiful."
Everyone gathered around the paper, discussing it animatedly. As the grader, Oguri felt quite proud. At this point, he became curious and wanted to know the name of the paper's owner.
Exam papers usually have the name section stapled shut, but peeking is generally harmless. Thus, Oguri lifted the flap and saw four characters written in the name column.
Yoshino Eichi!
The second assessment took place in the afternoon: the practical assessment. This classroom was different from the others; it contained several glass display stands, with rows of desks positioned behind them. On each desk was a notebook with a clipboard underneath.
The invigilating teacher assigned each student a seat and registered them. Then, the invigilator began to speak: "In a moment, you will be divided into groups of ten for the practical assessment. As for what you should write in the notebook on your desks, you should all know by now. I don't need to say more."
Subsequently, Eichi was assigned to a corner. When the exam time arrived, the invigilator took out a Poké Ball and released the Pokémon inside.
It was a listless Sentret. The invigilator placed it onto the glass stand and used a transparent container to prevent it from moving around.
The content of the second assessment involved observing the Pokémon in the container. Candidates had to judge its physical condition based on its fur, voice, movements, and eyes. Furthermore, some Pokémon had abnormal statuses that needed to be identified. Finding them wasn't enough; one also had to formulate a breeding plan and determine how to treat the abnormal statuses. The assessment required completing all of this within two hours.
At the start, several people gathered around to observe closely. Eichi did not step forward; he stood a short distance back. Firstly, with his eyesight, standing further back allowed him to see more clearly than them. Secondly, after activating the Eye of the Bug Emperor, he could see details that others could not.
This Sentret had an Ordinary talent grade and was at the Rookie rank. Judging by its fur, body shape, movements, cry, and eyes, it was clearly a wild Pokémon. It likely suffered from frequent hunger and malnutrition, as its body size was slightly smaller than official data.
While Eichi was observing, several girls had already taken out their notebooks and begun writing while they watched. Eichi, however, did not pick up his pen. He circled the stand once. This Sentret's mental state was poor. It appeared to be lethargy caused by malnutrition, but Eichi felt it wasn't that simple.
Therefore, he began to use his Bug Force to sense Sentret's emotions. A moment later, Eichi's eyes brightened.
Sentret was currently in pain. There was a very tiny scar on its tail, and the curve of its tail was slightly off. He knew what was going on; this Sentret's tail must have been injured and had not yet fully healed.
Having observed enough, Eichi stopped and returned to his seat to begin writing. He first wrote his name and then analyzed every aspect of Sentret, being particularly detailed regarding the injury to its tail. Next, he formulated a breeding plan, such as starting with wound treatment and feeding it specific Berries. He wrote over a thousand words in a flowing manner.
After finishing, he reviewed it once. Feeling there were no issues, he prepared to hand it in. At this time, other candidates were still observing. Some who hadn't learned well almost had their faces pressed against the container—didn't they see they were scaring the Pokémon inside?
These Pokémon were all captured from the wild. It was the same every year; after the assessment, they would be sent to a nearby Pokémon Day Care to be raised for a while before being sold to ordinary families so they would no longer have to suffer.
Just then, the invigilator was patrolling and walked past Eichi. Eichi took the opportunity to hand in his report.
He then went downstairs. This time, Eichi wasn't the first; a few others were faster than him, mainly because Eichi wrote slowly, which cost him some time.
Diao Kato followed closely behind him. Seeing Eichi, his suspicions grew—Could Eichi really be a genius?
When Eichi saw Professor Kant, he simply said, "Performed as usual."
Professor Kant nodded and said, "In a moment, the results for the theory assessment will be out." He pointed to a giant electronic screen in the middle of the hall and continued, "You'll be able to see the scores on there shortly."
An hour had passed since Eichi came down, so the final hour went by quickly. As soon as the assessment ended, a large crowd swarmed down, and all the students from Silver Academy arrived. They began chatting. Generally, in these situations, a large group of people would gather around the top students to compare answers.
A moment later, the electronic screen in the center lit up. A broadcast voice rang out from somewhere: "The ranking for the theory assessment results will be announced in three minutes."
Below, everyone began discussing animatedly while watching the screen. A group behind Eichi started chatting.
"This time, Karasawa and Akanishi should be in the top three."
"I think so too."
"With their strength, there shouldn't be any problem."
Eichi turned his head to look at them. Among them were two people surrounded by a crowd. One had black hair, wore glasses, and was dressed in a red and white casual outfit, looking very refined. That was Karasawa. The other had reddish-orange hair, a square face, looked somewhat rugged, and wore a black tracksuit. He stood with his arms crossed and looked quite arrogant; that was Akanishi.
Suddenly, a voice shouted, "It's out!"
Eichi immediately turned his head to look.