On a bright, sunny morning, Ash, Pikachu, Xiao You, and Brock stood outside the venue for the Pokémon Appraisal Exam, gazing up at the tall building.
"We're finally here!" Ash clenched his fist, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "This time, I'm definitely going to get the Pokémon Appraisal Badge!"
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu also jumped excitedly on Ash's shoulder.
Brock smiled as he checked the items in his backpack: "I heard this exam is quite difficult, so we need to be fully prepared."
"That's right," Xiao You pushed up her glasses. "Apparently, the pass rate is only about 20%."
Just then, a young man with a camera strapped to his back hurried over: "Sorry, sorry, did I keep you waiting!"
"Ache!" Ash waved in greeting. "You're just in time; we were about to go in and register."
Ache adjusted his camera and said with a smile: "As your temporary photographer, I can't miss such an important moment. Let's go, we'll go in together."
The four walked into the spacious main hall of the venue, where many Trainers had already gathered. Ash noticed a Joy in a white lab coat standing in a corner, diligently looking through some documents.
"Even Joy is here to take the exam..." Ash muttered softly.
Brock nodded: "The Pokémon Appraisal Exam also requires medical knowledge, and Joys often take these kinds of exams to improve themselves."
The staff at the registration desk handed each of them a form: "Please fill in your basic information and choose whether or not to participate in today's exam. The exam is divided into two rounds: the first round is a written test, and the second round is a practical battle."
Ash unhesitatingly checked the "participate" box: "Of course I'll participate!"
After filling out the form, the staff gave each of them a number plate: "The written test will begin in half an hour. Please store your luggage in the designated area; only pens and admission tickets are allowed into the examination room."
Ache volunteered: "I'll help you watch your luggage; I'm not taking the exam anyway."
"Thank you so much!" Xiao You handed her backpack to Ache. "My notebook is inside; please take good care of it."
Brock patted Ache's shoulder: "We'll treat you to a meal after the exam."
"Then I'll really look forward to it." Ache smiled and raised his camera. "I'll record your brilliant performances!"
Half an hour later, Ash, Xiao You, and Brock were seated in the written test room. There were about fifty examinees in the room, so quiet that only the sound of pens scratching paper could be heard.
The invigilator stood at the front and announced the rules: "The written test duration is 90 minutes, with a perfect score of 100. The top 30 will advance to the second round of practical assessment. Now, the exam begins!"
Ash took a deep breath and turned over the test paper. The first question was a short-answer question about Pokémon type matchups, and the second question was to list three Pokémon that can learn healing moves... These were all easy for Ash.
The azure flute hanging around his neck shimmered slightly in the sunlight, but just like during previous exams, it wouldn't give Ash any hints.
"Question three, please describe the changes in Onix's abilities before and after evolution..." Ash's lips curved slightly upward; he was very familiar with this question. He quickly wrote down the answer, his pen scratching on the paper.
Xiao You pushed up her glasses, carefully reviewing the questions. She was good at theoretical analysis, but some obscure Pokémon knowledge still made her pause and think occasionally. Brock, on the other hand, seemed at ease; as a former Gym Leader, his understanding of Pokémon was quite comprehensive.
Time passed by, minute by minute. When the invigilator announced, "Only ten minutes left," Ash had already checked all his answers.
"Submitting my paper!" Ash confidently raised his hand.
Walking out of the examination room, Ash stretched with a big yawn: "The questions were simpler than I thought!"
"Of course they were simple for you," Xiao You said with a smile. "I wasn't too sure about a few questions."
Brock nodded: "Especially that question about the unique Pokémon of the Alola region; I almost got it wrong."
Ache came up to them, handing each of them a bottle of water: "How was the exam?"
"Feeling good!" Ash took the water and gulped down more than half the bottle. "Now we just wait for the results."
An hour later, all the examinees gathered in the hall again, waiting for the results to be announced. The rankings began to scroll across the huge screen.
"First place... Ash! 98 points!" the host announced.
"What?" Ash's eyes widened. "I'm first place?"
"Pika Pika! (Great job, Ash!)" Pikachu happily jumped onto Ash's head.
Xiao You clapped excitedly: "That's amazing, Ash!"
"Second place, Joy, 96 points. Third place, Xiao You, 94 points..." The host continued to read the list.
Brock looked at the screen and found his name: "25th place, just made it to the next round."
Ache gave a thumbs up: "You all advanced, that's incredible!"
The host gestured for everyone to be quiet: "Congratulations to the top 30 examinees! The second round of practical assessment will begin at 2 PM this afternoon. The rules are as follows: Each examinee will randomly receive a belt containing 3 Pokémon, and the examiner will also randomly receive 3 Pokémon.
You won't know what Pokémon you'll get, and neither will the examiner. The competition will be a 3v3 single battle. Defeat the examiner to receive the Pokémon Appraisal Badge!"
Ash clenched his fist: "Random Pokémon battles? This is exciting!"
Xiao You seemed a bit worried: "Not knowing what Pokémon we'll get... This difficulty is too high."
"This is precisely the time to test a Trainer's adaptability," Brock analyzed. "No matter what Pokémon you encounter, you must find a way to maximize their potential."
During their lunch break, the four found a restaurant to eat. Ache ate while flipping through the photos he had taken: "Ash, it's really surprising that you got first place in the written test."
Ash took a bite of his sandwich: "I did a lot of preparation! Although the azure flute doesn't give me hints during exams, it has taught me a lot about Pokémon knowledge in general."
"Speaking of the azure flute," Brock asked curiously, "does it really contain information on all Pokémon?"
Ash touched the pendant around his neck: "Yes, Arceus told me when he gave it to me that it contains all the knowledge of the Pokémon world. But it's more like a library; I need to learn and memorize it myself."
At 2 PM, the practical assessment began on time. Three battlefields were set up in the center of the venue, and 30 examinees were divided into three groups to compete simultaneously.
"Group one, Ash versus Examiner Yamamoto!" a staff member called out.
Ash took a deep breath and walked to the designated battlefield. The staff member handed him a red belt with three Poké Balls hanging from it: "Please randomly select a belt; these are the Pokémon you will use in this battle."
Examiner Yamamoto on the opposite side also received a blue belt: "Are you ready, young man?"
"Ready anytime!" Ash replied firmly.
The referee raised the flag: "Battle start! Both sides, please send out your first Pokémon simultaneously!"
Ash and the examiner simultaneously threw out their first Poké Balls. Two flashes of white light appeared, and on Ash's side, it was an... Onix! And on the examiner's side, it was a Blastoise.
"Oh no!" Xiao You exclaimed from the stands. "Water is super effective against Rock and Ground types; the type matchup is completely unfavorable!"
Brock frowned: "And Onix is slow, making it hard to dodge Blastoise's attacks..."
On the field, Ash, however, smiled: "Onix? Perfect! Onix, use Sandstorm!"
Onix let out a low roar, instantly kicking up a whirlwind of sand. Blastoise's Water Gun lost its accuracy in the Sandstorm.
"Clever!" Brock clapped. "Sandstorm not only lowers accuracy but also slowly drains Blastoise's stamina!"
Examiner Yamamoto clearly didn't expect this move: "Blastoise, use Rapid Spin to clear the Sandstorm!"
Blastoise retracted into its shell and spun rapidly, trying to disperse the sand. Ash seized the opportunity: "Now! Onix, use Bind!"
Onix's massive body suddenly coiled around the spinning Blastoise, and the immense strength made Blastoise cry out in pain.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump quickly!" the examiner shouted in a hurry.
But it was too late; Onix's Bind attack prevented Blastoise from concentrating enough to use a move. A few minutes later, Blastoise collapsed.
"Blastoise is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Please send out your next Pokémon!"
Examiner Yamamoto recalled Blastoise and threw out his second Poké Ball. This time, a Flareon appeared!
"Fire type has an advantage over Rock type," Xiao You said happily after seeing it.
Ash, however, was confident: "Onix, use Sandstorm again!"
Sand dust once again filled the entire field, and Flareon's Ember attack was greatly weakened in the Sandstorm. The examiner commanded: "Flareon, use Quick Attack to get close!"
Flareon turned into a white blur and charged towards Onix. Ash was waiting for this: "Onix, use Rock Tomb!"
Onix swung its tail, and huge rocks fell from the sky, directly hitting the charging Flareon. A one-hit knockout!
"Flareon is unable to battle!" the referee's voice rang out again.
Applause erupted in the stands. Ache excitedly recorded everything: "That was amazing! Ash completely controlled the pace of the battle!"
Sweat beaded on Examiner Yamamoto's forehead; he hadn't expected this young man to be so formidable. He threw out his last Poké Ball: "Go, my ace!"
A flash of white light, and a majestic Dragonite appeared on the field!
"Dragonite?!" Ash's eyes widened in surprise. "This is trouble..."
Dragonite is a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, with immense power. Ash's Onix was already exhausted, with almost no chance against Dragonite.
"Onix, just a little longer, use Rock Tomb!" Ash commanded.
Onix gathered its strength, and several huge rocks fell from the sky, attempting to trap Dragonite. But Dragonite easily flew up to dodge, then landed a Dragon Claw directly on Onix's vital spot.
"Onix is unable to battle!" the referee announced.
Ash recalled Onix, murmuring softly: "You did well." Then he threw out his second Poké Ball.
This time, what appeared was a... Muk!
"Muk?" Ash blinked, then smiled. "Interesting! Muk, use Sludge!"
Muk spewed out a large amount of poisonous Sludge. Although Dragonite dodged most of it, it was still splashed with a small amount, showing a pained expression.
"Dragonite, use Hurricane to clear this Sludge!" the examiner commanded.
Dragonite flapped its wings, and a strong storm swept across the field, not only clearing the Sludge but also blowing Muk around erratically.
"Muk, hang in there!" Ash encouraged. "Use Minimize!"
Muk's body suddenly shrank, becoming more agile. Dragonite's subsequent Dragon Claw attack actually missed!
"Good opportunity!" Ash seized the moment. "Use Poison Gas!"
Muk spewed out purple toxic mist. Dragonite accidentally inhaled it and immediately fell into a poisoned state.
"Oh no!" The examiner's face changed. "Dragonite, finish this quickly, use Hyper Beam!"
Dragonite gathered all its strength, preparing to unleash a powerful beam. Ash, however, smiled: "Muk, use Protect!"
A shield of light appeared around Muk, perfectly blocking Dragonite's full-power attack. And after using Hyper Beam, Dragonite entered a brief state of paralysis.
"Now!" Ash shouted. "Muk, use Gunk Shot!"
Muk seized the opportunity, condensed all its toxic substances into a ball, and slammed it hard into Dragonite. Poisoning combined with this fatal blow, Dragonite finally couldn't hold on and collapsed to the ground.
"Dragonite is unable to battle! The winner is Ash!" the referee announced loudly.
The entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Xiao You and Brock excitedly ran down from the stands, while Ache was busy recording this thrilling moment.
Examiner Yamamoto recalled Dragonite, walked up to Ash, a smile of appreciation on his face: "A wonderful battle, young man. To be able to devise such effective tactics without fully understanding your Pokémon is truly impressive."
"Thank you for your guidance!" Ash bowed. "This was a very meaningful battle."
A staff member walked over and handed Ash a sparkling badge: "Congratulations on passing the Pokémon Appraisal Exam. This is your Appraisal Badge!"
Ash took the badge, which shimmered with dazzling light in the sunlight. He turned and held up the badge to his companions: "We succeeded!"
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, happily rubbing against his face.
Xiao You smiled and said: "Although I was eliminated in the second round, I'm very happy to see you win."
"Me too," Brock patted Ash's shoulder. "But next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
Ache put down his camera: "To celebrate, I'm treating tonight!"
"No, we said we'd treat you!" Ash corrected with a smile.
The four walked out of the venue, their shadows stretching long in the setting sun. Ash clutched the badge in his hand, his heart filled with anticipation for the future.
"Where to next?" Xiao You asked.
Ash looked into the distance: "Let's continue our journey! There must be more challenges waiting for us ahead!"
"Pika!" Pikachu raised its small paw, as if making an oath.
The figures of the four young people and one electric mouse gradually disappeared into the sunset, with new adventures awaiting them...