"Can't touch Pokémon? But just now it was fine… Is it some kind of psychological trauma?"
After hearing Moon and the others, Hoshino immediately thought of this, and then Lillie's previous actions seemed to make sense.
She liked Pokémon but couldn't touch them, only able to use Pokémon dolls as a substitute, which was why she showed that expression when picking up dolls.
"Gengar?"
Gengar didn't understand why she suddenly acted like that, and then Hoshino picked him up.
It was then that Lillie finally snapped out of it, clutching her chest, looking shaken, like a frail young lady, inspiring sympathy and a desire to protect.
"Um… I'm sorry, I didn't know you had this thing about being scared of Pokémon…"
Hoshino couldn't have anticipated this beforehand; he just saw that she didn't have a Pokémon and liked dolls, so he sympathetically let her hold Gengar for a bit, with no other intentions at all.
However, upon hearing this, Lillie subconsciously took a step back to maintain distance from Gengar, then averted her gaze and forced an explanation to him: "I'm just consciously… choosing to avoid Pokémon… It's not fear, don't misunderstand…"
After speaking, she sat back in her seat and leaned on the desk. The sea breeze, carrying a hint of chill, blew in from the window beside her, making her golden-yellow hair, spread over her shoulders and shimmering with a halo of light, flutter slightly.
The classroom was silent, and all the other students' gazes fell on Hoshino simultaneously. They didn't seem angry, just silently watching.
Although he never cared about what others thought, bullying was just bullying, but this feeling now was really too uncomfortable.
"Hey, why do I feel guilty? I didn't bully her, did I…?"
"Gengar…"
Hoshino didn't understand, and Gengar, whom he was holding, understood even less. Both felt as if they had done something wrong, but in reality, they seemed to have done nothing.
Fortunately, the class bell rang at that moment, and as Professor Kukui walked in from outside, the strange atmosphere in the classroom gradually dissipated.
"…"
Hoshino temporarily pushed the recent incident out of his mind. Lillie, in the front row, also sat up. Although he couldn't see her expression from behind, just her back alone suggested she wasn't doing well…
"Two days apart, and everyone is still so energetic, but it seems someone caused trouble again, bullying kids and such, but let's set that aside for now…"
Professor Kukui glanced at Hoshino's seat, merely giving a reminder that the school was aware of this matter, but there was no need to worry about it.
He then continued, "This Friday marks the start of winter break. As for whether you want to participate in Royal Battle or train Pokémon during the holiday, I can't control that. Just be safe. What I need to talk about now is the final exam!"
"…"
At these words, everyone listened attentively, only Hoshino instantly had a black question mark over his head. What was a final exam? It felt vaguely familiar, like a long-dead word suddenly resurrecting to attack him!
As he pondered, Professor Kukui continued, "If you fail, you'll have to apply for a makeup exam next year. This is related to your graduation three years from now. Of course, students who study diligently usually don't need to worry about this. However, if someone hasn't studied for three years, skipping classes will also require remedial lessons. Good luck."
The meaning of these words was clear: they were directed purely at a certain individual. Coasting for three years? Impossible. If you dare to fail, you won't graduate, plain and simple, directly targeting him.
"???"
Hoshino spread his hands, question marks plastered all over his face. He had basically slept through the past two months and hadn't studied at all. In these few short days, even last-minute cramming wouldn't be enough!
His comeuppance had arrived, unstoppable. Messing around, messing around, and in the end, failing everything. He didn't even know how many subjects there were, let alone what the exam would cover. There should be battles, right?
"Boss Slowking, save me!"
He could only rely on his talent to speed up his learning now. However, based on his understanding of Pokémon, it shouldn't take too long, but the three years of makeup exams were the most deadly part.
Without further ado, he couldn't be bothered to listen to Professor Kukui continue. Time was short; he'd better pull out all the books and start looking through them first.
"Gengar?"
Gengar lay on the desk, tail wagging, curiously looking along with him. The unique atmosphere of the entire class was concentrated right here.
…
Although the incident with Lillie had occurred, perhaps because the final exams were approaching, no one in the class paid attention to Hoshino. Everything was as usual, including the Yorozuya's business.
He had been busy studying recently and didn't have much time for other things. Anyway, the winter break was coming soon, so they could deal with anything then.
However, Gengar's boxing training was still on schedule. The book explained how to teach Pokémon moves, which could be learned faster with certain materials or the assistance of other Pokémon.
And then Cyclizar very willingly served as a punching bag. Since he couldn't be hurt, he just let Gengar's soft punches land on him, completely spoiled.
Finally, time quickly arrived at Thursday!
According to Hoshino's eavesdropping on his classmates, today would be the Pokémon breeding and written exams, and tomorrow would be the group battles, with teachers from other classes assigning grades, using everything learned this semester.
Upon entering the classroom, the atmosphere was different from usual. Everyone was quite quiet; some looked nervous, some confident, and some were secretly cramming.
Hoshino carried Gengar back to his seat. As he passed, he noticed Lillie was still diligently reading and studying, not noticing him walk by.
"Sigh, poor kid…"
He didn't know what to say. She studied a lot of theoretical knowledge about Pokémon and deeply loved Pokémon in her heart, yet due to an unknown psychological trauma, she couldn't touch them.
How to describe this feeling? It was like his previous life, perhaps. He called himself a Pokémologist who deeply understood Pokémon and loved Pokémon immensely, but could only stare blankly at screens and Pokémon dolls and figures.
That's why Hoshino sympathized with her. And his own situation wasn't so bad, because Pokémon didn't truly exist in that world. But in this world, they were right before her eyes—that was true torture.
"Gengar…"
Gengar was also looking at Lillie. He was still very concerned about the last incident, feeling that it was his fault that she had such a strong reaction.
…
After a moment, the teacher from the adjacent class, serving as the proctor, walked in with two Gumshoos participating in the proctoring. He announced that everyone should put away their Pokémon and phones, and the exam was about to begin.
Helplessly, Gengar could only go play with Cyclizar. He still liked quietly listening to lectures here, but there was nothing that could be done.
Hoshino quietly waited for the exam papers to be distributed. He heard it was a comprehensive exam, but to his surprise, the next second, a blue display screen, similar to a projection, suddenly appeared on his desk, instructing him to touch it with his Trainer ID and then scan his face to confirm his candidate information.
"This desk is also high-tech?"
He was genuinely surprised. He had thought that this, the only Pokémon School in the Alola Region, couldn't be ordinary, even if there were indeed very few students.
After confirming the information, exam questions began to appear on the screen. It felt somewhat like browsing online courses, but more advanced. It was just a pity that in Rotom Phone's panel mode, many functions couldn't be used, otherwise, he would have just searched for answers on the spot…
"Let me take a look first… Good heavens, there are a thousand questions… Although I've only studied for a few days, as long as I pass, it should be fine. No problem."
Hoshino was quite confident in this aspect. With so many questions, most were naturally multiple-choice, so there was really nothing to worry about. He had originally thought it would be very difficult.
"Let's look at the first question…"
[In a wild mountain forest environment, when Nidoking and Nidoqueen reach their mating season, what method does Nidoking generally use to resolve this (1 point)]
[A. Direct courtship, B. Gradually develop a romantic relationship, C. No need to consider, directly force it and run after Nidoqueen lays eggs, D. Nidoqueen is too scary, better go back and find Ditto]
"???"
Opening with a shock, Hoshino was stunned. Are these kinds of questions really okay? And how do you choose? It feels like all of them are correct! And what class even teaches this kind of knowledge?
He started with a question he didn't know, and he skipped it without hesitation. It was only one point; losing it was fine. Next question!
[It is well known that the temperature and smoke released from Torkoal's back are very suitable for grilling and making smoked food, making it a good helper for camping. So, which of the following ingredients, when smoked with Torkoal, provides better energy replenishment (1 point)]
[A. Sitrus Berry, B. Seedot, C. Slowpoke's tail, D. Kyogre]
"???"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000
(Note: Replace "@-" with "a" on your web browser.)