The exam schedule was arranged strictly according to admission numbers.
By coincidence, Zhou Shenyao's number was right next to Oliver's.
That meant for every written subject that followed, their seating positions remained unchanged.
She watched in growing confusion as—
Every single exam, the moment early submission was allowed—
He stood up and handed in his paper.
No hesitation.
No checking.
No visible stress.
He kept the mask on throughout, and after the first incident, the invigilators no longer questioned him.
The students in the same hall gradually got used to the "strange masked examinee."
Privately, he became gossip material.
"There's this guy in our hall who's already given up."
"Every test, he hands in the paper as soon as he's allowed."
"Probably knows he has no hope."
Only Zhou Shenyao felt otherwise.
She couldn't explain it.
But she was certain—
He wasn't someone who had given up.
Pokémon Practical Exam
With all cultural and theory exams completed, the final stage arrived:
Pokémon Practical Combat.
Chengdu alone had over 80,000 candidates.
There were barely a hundred certified battle examiners.
Even if each examiner tested 100 students per day—
It would still take eight full days.
So the exam adopted a special format:
Candidates would battle unmanned Pokémon.
The supervising teachers would score performance based on:
Tactical decisions
Composure
Move selection
Survival duration
Damage dealt
The examination Pokémon were typically at Senior Level.
Scoring standard:
Survive one move without being knocked out → Pass
Survive five moves → 200 points
300 points (full marks) → Match the Senior-level Pokémon evenly in battle
Very few in history had ever achieved full marks.
If someone did—
Even if their cultural scores were zero—
Top universities would fight to recruit them.
Oliver's Turn
Because of adjacent admission numbers, Oliver and Zhou Shenyao were assigned to the same practical arena.
Each venue had:
1 scoring examiner inside
2 supervisors outside to prevent information leakage
Finally—
Oliver's number was called.
He stepped into the arena calmly.
The system requirement was clear:
Provincial Top Scorer.
He didn't know how others performed.
So he would simply—
Max out everything.
The written exams?
Full marks were guaranteed.
The battle exam?
He wouldn't take risks.
To ensure absolute maximum scoring—
He released Milotic.
The arena Pokémon was:
Magnezone – Senior Early Stage.
Seeing a Water-type opponent, Magnezone revealed a hint of disdain.
The examiner announced,
"Begin!"
Magnezone immediately fired Thunderbolt.
Exam Pokémon battled over a hundred candidates daily.
They did not hold back.
Their goal was efficiency.
End the match quickly.
Water Without Water
Oliver didn't need to speak.
Milotic's fan-shaped tail struck the ground.
There was no water on the arena floor—
Yet ripples spread outward.
Like striking the surface of a lake.
The ripples surged toward Magnezone—
Then—
Exploded upward in a violent torrent!
It was Water Pulse—
But elevated to a terrifying level.
The supervising teacher's eyes widened in horror.
The impact blasted Magnezone straight into the ceiling—
And punched a hole clean through it.
Water cascaded down like rain.
The arena fell into stunned silence.
The examiners had expected:
A few defensive moves.
Maybe some clever positioning.
What they got—
Was overwhelming suppression.
The Senior-level test Pokémon—
Launched like a projectile.
Above the arena—
Sunlight streamed through the newly opened ceiling.
Milotic floated elegantly amid falling droplets.
Serene.
Untouched.
The examiner swallowed hard.
"Full… full marks."
There was no other possible score.
Outside the arena, candidates waiting their turn stared at the ceiling in shock.
Zhou Shenyao's eyes widened.
That Water Pulse—
That level of control—
That overwhelming presence—
A memory surfaced.
Research paper.
Conference footage.
The Fairy-type announcement.
A name.
Her heart skipped.
It couldn't be…
Could it?
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