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The Trainer Certification Exam was akin to getting a driver's license or an accounting qualification—something that wasn't too difficult but also not exactly easy.
The exam consisted of two main parts: a written test and a practical battle test.
The written test covered a wide range of nightmarish multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks, and open-ended discussion questions with no standard answers. There was even an essay section.
However, the examiners grading the papers were usually quite lenient. As long as the examinees got most of the basic questions right, no "person" would deliberately fail them.
...Well, Pokémon examiners were always full of goodwill.
Especially those like Master Hu, who might look as sly as a fox but were actually full of kindness toward humans.
As for the practical test—
Examinees had to capture a certain number of wild Pokémon within a set range, as well as defeat a certain number of opponents.
The level of the Pokémon used in the exam would adjust based on the examinee's skill, with the minimum fixed at Level 30—equivalent to a third-year middle school student's level. It wasn't too difficult.
Pass both, and you'd earn your Trainer License, allowing you to legally catch more Pokémon.
However, it was important to note that the exam intervals were short, meaning Pokémon wouldn't have much time to rest. Trainers had to carefully manage their Pokémon's stamina and energy.
Consuming Berries and Moomoo Milk was allowed, but unlike in the games, recovery wasn't instant. It took time to digest and take effect.
If a Pokémon fainted midway, the Trainer would have to wait until the entire exam was over before heading to a Pokémon Center.
That was the gist of it.
"Kinda troublesome," Li Xiang muttered, rubbing his temples as he memorized a pile of study materials.
When game knowledge stopped being just for fun and became something he had to learn and master, the disconnect made him feel like he was back in college, slogging through a major he had zero interest in.
Beside him, Lin Feng was using tweezers to pick bits of wood out of his Charmeleon's teeth.
They were currently at Lin Feng's family's fruit shop, waiting for Lin Lan to finish changing so they could head to the Pokémon Association together.
The two of them were taking the written test, while Lin Lan was there to register her newly obtained Pokémon.
"HYAH—!!"
With a sharp tug, Lin Feng yanked out a splinter as thick as a pinky finger from Charmeleon's gums, causing the fire lizard to whimper in pain. The force sent Lin Feng stumbling backward, landing hard on his butt.
"Damn!" he gasped, then sighed in relief. Watching Charmeleon whine while clutching its jaw, he shook his head. "Next time, don't use the table legs as a chew toy!"
"If you'd just spend a little from your secret stash to buy it a proper chew toy, this wouldn't happen, you cheapskate," Li Xiang remarked, side-eyeing him.
Lin Feng was like a money-hoarding Pikachu—once cash entered his hands, it never left. Even now, with money to spare, he was reluctant to spend it.
Glancing at the wooden splinter in his hand, then at Charmeleon still licking its sore teeth, Lin Feng finally relented. "Fine, I'll buy a chew toy."
Raising a Pokémon was far more complicated than most people imagined. It wasn't just about leveling up and grinding EVs like in the games—care extended to every little detail, like dental hygiene, claw maintenance, and more.
Interestingly, aside from status conditions, Pokémon could also suffer from stomachaches, colds, fevers, heatstroke, loss of appetite, and even cavities.
Different Pokémon had different needs, and maintaining their health was a shared responsibility between Trainers and Breeders.
The reason Li Xiang was thinking about all this?
Two days ago, Riolu had collapsed from heatstroke after overtraining.
Symptoms included lethargy, dizziness, loss of appetite, and dry heaving.
It had scared the hell out of him.
That night, his mother, Mrs. Yin, had torn into him, asking if he thought Pokémon were just tools that didn't feel pain or exhaustion.
"Are you trying to kill them with that kind of training intensity?"
She'd even said he "wasn't fit to be a Trainer" and that his behavior was no different from that Zhu Huihui guy.
Li Xiang had been so ashamed he wanted to crawl into a hole.
He wanted to argue, but he had no defense.
He had gotten too impatient, forgotten the importance of balance, and let his hunger for strength blind him to his Pokémon's condition.
Forcing growth never ended well.
Realizing this, Li Xiang had no choice but to scale back his training plans again and again.
Pokémon have limits too.
Still, nobody was perfect. Every Trainer went through a phase where they pushed too hard, unsatisfied with their Pokémon's progress.
Mrs. Yin's scolding was just her way of making sure he remembered— so he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
And Li Xiang understood that.
Before long, Lin Lan came downstairs in her prettiest dress, followed by an adorable Eevee with a ribbon around its neck, a funky haircut, and a fluffy white-dyed ruff.
The Pokémon grooming industry in this world was thriving. Dyed fur and styled hair were so common that Li Xiang sometimes couldn't tell if a Pokémon was actually shiny or just artificially colored.
"Bro! Li Xiang! Let's go!" Lin Lan called out cheerfully.
The girl had finally gotten the Pokémon she'd always wanted and was over the moon—so much so that she'd apparently been giggling in her sleep.
At least, that's what Lin Feng claimed. Whether it was true or not, Li Xiang had no idea.
Lin Feng loved exaggerating his sister's antics.
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Pokémon Association
Oddly enough, this was Li Xiang's first time properly visiting the Qingcheng Pokémon Association's main building.
Most of his memories of the place came from his predecessor's fuzzy recollections.
Seeing it in person, though?
It was way more impressive than the pictures online.
Forget the grand buildings topped with giant Poké Ball structures— Even the distant, stadium-like battle arenas, some open-air and others partially covered, were enough to catch his eye.
The standard large battlefield was 106 meters long and 68 meters wide—big enough for even Onix and Steelix to move freely and dodge attacks with ease.
But that still wasn't the limit.
Further away was an ultra-large battlefield designed for Master-level battles—153 meters long and 100 meters wide.
It wasn't open to the public under normal circumstances. Only during official Master-rank matches or promotion tournaments would Trainers get to use it.
And then—
There was the Qingcheng Colosseum, also known as the Battle Jungle— an open-air, multi-terrain circular arena with a diameter of 700 meters.
700 meters!
If Li Xiang hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed such an absurd battlefield existed.
What did 700 meters in diameter even mean?
A total area of nearly 400,000 square meters!
The Forbidden City was only 720,000 square meters!
Even Dynamaxed Pokémon would have room to move around in there!
Of course, the colosseum wasn't entirely surrounded by spectator stands. Its edges were lined with high walls and dense wire mesh.
This arena was meant for large-scale team battles— Doubles, triples, even five-on-five.
It was also used for capture challenges, where Trainers had to catch a set number of wild Pokémon within a time limit.
In short, it had way more uses than the Master-level battlefield and saw far more frequent activity.
"Hey! Stop staring! We've got an exam to take!" Lin Feng waved a hand in front of Li Xiang's face, snapping him out of his daze.
The two were now standing in front of a smaller building, waiting in a long line with their IDs and registration forms, ready to enter for the written test.
Lin Lan had gone to the main building to register her new Pokémon.
Logically, the Pokémon Daycare should've handled that. Why did she have to go to the Association?
...Probably something happened at the Daycare.
Li Xiang didn't dwell on it.
What he was worried about was whether he'd flunk the test today.
If he failed, he'd have to wait another month to retake it.
The number of examinees was massive, and their ages varied wildly—from baby-faced middle schoolers like them to grown men with stubble.
Most were frantically reviewing notes, giving off strong "cramming last-minute" energy.
Li Xiang nodded approvingly. Now this feels familiar.
Yang Tianwang and Qu Sheng had taken the test yesterday and gotten their results on the spot—
63 and 72, respectively.
They'd bragged about it to him, spamming messages like:
"Marks don't matter as long as you pass!"
"Learning doesn't need depth—just enough to scrape by!"
Their moods were probably similar to someone who'd barely passed their driver's test.
It only made Li Xiang feel even more like he was back in college, taking certification exams with his classmates.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the examinees were let in.
To prevent cheating, all study materials, phones, Poké Balls, and other belongings had to be labeled and handed over.
Each person was also scanned head-to-toe by a Watchog using its flashlight-like eyes.
These Pokémon, which barely had any presence in battles, were extremely popular in other fields—like security checks.
The exam hall was a tiered classroom, with each examinee seated roughly two meters apart, separated by dividers.
At the front, an Alakazam maintained a constant Psychic field over the entire room, ready to detect any suspicious activity.
They weren't messing around.
Li Xiang sat in his assigned seat, quietly grumbling to himself.
The proctor stood at the front, using a microphone to announce the rules—no talking, no cheating, violators could face detention, etc.
Basically, the usual scare tactics.
Then, the test papers, scratch paper, pencils, and erasers were handed out.
A bell rang.
The proctor declared the exam officially started, and Li Xiang slowly picked up his pen.
First question: What are the effects of the ability Electric Surge? [Multiple Choice]
A. Boosts the power of Electric-type moves.
B. Reduces damage taken by Electric-type Pokémon.
C. Prevents Pokémon from falling asleep.
D. Changes Nature Power to Thunderbolt.
A classic freebie.