Chapter 132: Pokémon League Admissions Exam
The next day, everyone bid farewell to Brock and left the fossil site.
"Let me take a picture, let me take a picture!" Todd pleaded with Misty.
"No, it's still an egg. What if the camera emits radiation?" Misty cradled the Pokémon egg, shrinking back to protect it, handling it with extreme care.
Todd: "…"
What kind of excuse is that?
Yawning, Natsume watched the scene. Todd's home was just ahead, so he was traveling with them for the time being.
In Misty's arms was the Pokémon egg Ash had brought along, which would eventually hatch into a Togepi. Ash had been looking forward to it, but now he entrusted it to Misty, as something even more exciting awaited him.
"Come on, Charizard, let's bond and train properly!"
By the side of the road, Ash and Charizard pressed their palms together, heads bumping, testing their strength against each other.
Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder, blowing a whistle and waving two small flags to cheer them on.
Charizard's face flushed red as it struggled to move back, but despite its resistance, Ash's forward momentum remained unshaken, keeping pace with the others walking alongside.
Natsume's gaze lingered on Charizard.
Since yesterday afternoon, he had performed a full-body check on Charizard. Its natural talent remained as poor as ever, and due to evolving early, its body was smaller than a typical Charizard.
In his system tasks, there was also an A-rank project concerning Charizard. Originally, he had planned to tackle it after Charizard evolved. But now, it seemed the key to the project might not lie with Charizard itself.
Natsume's thoughts drifted to Charizard Valley.
He had never been there, but that was the turning point where Charizard's growth began to accelerate exponentially. Perhaps the key to the project lay there.
He recalled, from his past life playing games, that certain specialized training could enhance a Pokémon's innate talent. But in Kanto over the past few years, he had never heard of training that could influence a Pokémon's natural abilities. Now it seemed Charizard Valley might hold such a method.
He thought of his Dragonite. Despite its seemingly average stats, under the constant influence of limitless energy, its physical power was comparable—or even superior—to other Dragonite of the same level.
If he could send Charizard to Charizard Valley, its talent could be improved.
Natsume decided that he would find a way to have Charizard train there for a year, enhancing its natural abilities while also improving Dragonite's control over itself.
During that year, he also needed to search for Ho-Oh. With the holy flames capable of resurrection as a backup, Natsume could safely modify Dragonite without concern.
"By the way, you guys are entering the League Tournament. Have you passed the Pokémon League Admissions Exam?"
Todd adjusted his camera and asked.
"What's a Pokémon League Admissions Exam?"
Ash had knocked Charizard onto the ground and looked curiously at Todd.
"Uh, looks like you haven't passed at all," Todd said, pointing to a tall building at the center of the nearby town.
"My home town has a Pokémon League Admissions Exam facility," he explained.
"Hey, Natsume, what's a Pokémon League Admissions Exam?"
Ash recalled Charizard, which now seemed much more obedient. The moment Ash withdrew it, a small look of relief appeared on its face.
"Pokémon League Admissions Exam?" Natsume paused, thinking for a moment before remembering.
"Here," he said, handing a small booklet to Ash.
"What's this?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"Key points before the test," Natsume said seriously.
"To participate in the Indigo League, you need not only to collect eight badges but also to pass the Pokémon League Admissions Exam."
"The test is 70% theory and 30% practical battle performance."
He opened the booklet.
"The theory section has two parts: general Pokémon battle knowledge and some rules of the League Tournament. The total score is 100, and you need at least 90 to pass."
"Ah!" Ash held his head, looking as if the sky had fallen.
"This is hopeless," Misty muttered, covering her face.
"Don't be discouraged. Most of it is common knowledge. Ash, if you memorize the tournament rules, you should be fine," Brock reassured him.
"Really?" Ash glanced at the thin booklet of only a few pages, skeptical.
"Of course. I'll be taking it myself, and I've already summarized it," Natsume added.
Hearing that, hope sparked in Ash's eyes again.
"Mr. Todd, please let me borrow a quiet room!" Ash grabbed Todd's hand, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Uh, sure. My home is nearby; follow me," Todd said.
They followed him to a large house. Almost every wall inside was covered with photos of various sizes, leaving barely any empty space.
"Wow! Mr. Todd has taken so many Pokémon photos!" Misty exclaimed.
"This is my private collection, where I process photos. It's very quiet in here," Todd explained, opening a door to reveal shelves packed with photo albums.
"All right, I'll work hard!" Ash said, carrying Pikachu, and ran inside.
He opened the booklet and read carefully.
"Usually, there are about ten bonus questions. Natsume really prepared well to summarize these," Ash said excitedly as he flipped to the predicted bonus questions.
"Why is it recommended to exhale (blow air) when facing Dragon-type Pokémon?"
Ash was completely confused.
Flipping to the answer—
"Because of Dragonair."
"???"
Is this booklet even reliable?
Ash hesitated but continued reading.
The next day, at the Pokémon League Admissions Exam Center, Natsume accompanied Ash, each taking a numbered tag.
Behind them, Todd, Misty, and Brock also held tags, though they weren't participating in the League—they were just there for support.
Ash leaned against the wall, looking very nervous. Pokémon battles he knew well, but no one had told him there'd be a test!
The walls of the center were covered with various League Tournament rules.
"Don't worry, Ash," Misty said, patting his shoulder.
"The Pokémon League Admissions Exam lasts several years. If you pass this time, you won't need to take it again for any League Tournament in the coming years."
"I only memorized it overnight… it still feels unreliable," Ash muttered, shaking slightly.
"If necessary, you can review the points on the walls," Brock suggested, pointing down the corridor.
Ash took a deep breath, focused, and glanced over, startled.
"Pokémon aren't allowed to dance while entering the field. Why is that?"
He blinked.
"Because some trainers tried to cheat by making their Pokémon perform moves like Dance early and then enter battle," Natsume explained, appearing with a sandwich in hand.
"What about this one?" Misty asked, pointing to a rule highlighted in red, very noticeable.
You can read more (around 150+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https://ravenarchives.com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.