Chapter 16: Group of Oddish
After exchanging a few words, Terrance and the others gained a preliminary understanding of Wallace's personality.
From Wallace's mouth, Terrance also learned the reason why he came to the Breeder exam.
Wallace listened to his friend's advice, hoping to increase his own strength through Breeder training.
"My friend, he is an Intermediate Breeder, but he has exceptional talent in the Trainer field."
Terrance understood. It seemed that not only he had realized it, but many talented Trainers and Coordinators had also recognized the importance of Breeder knowledge and used it to enrich their own skills.
"The people who have passed the first exam, please gather at the second exam's assigned spot immediately."
The message was repeated three times, while also informing them of the location of the second exam. They exchanged glances and ceased their conversation, making their way to the second exam's location.
Wallace, June Joy, and Terrance walked together, drawing a lot of attention. The invigilators who were silently observing them from the background couldn't help but look forward to these three prodigies next exam.
The location for the second exam was a large courtyard behind the headquarters.
The order was still being supervised by the invigilators from the first written test.
Once everyone had arrived, a middle-aged man announced the topic for the second exam, "Emergency Rescue, you are already familiar with it, but for the specific details, please take a look here."
As the man spoke, a group of green Pokémon emerged in full view of the examinees.
"This is... Oddish..." Someone exclaimed in surprise upon seeing these Pokémon.
"Oh my, there are probably close to a hundred Oddish."
Someone counted the number of Oddish and found it somewhat unbelievable.
"Are they the topic of our second exam?" Most people voiced their doubts upon seeing this scene.
Their guesses were not far off. The middle-aged man in charge of the entire exam nodded and said, "That's right. Your second exam is related to this group of Oddish."
Upon hearing this, Terrance and the others glanced slightly, observing these Oddish.
"They are ordinary Oddish."
After observing for a moment, they arrived at this conclusion.
Seeing the confusion among the crowd, the man continued, "There are a total of eighty-eight Oddish here. Next, each of you will be assigned one, and at the same time, you will be given a special medicine prepared by a Senior Breeder specifically for this exam."
"This potion can simulate Burn injuries caused by a move. After administering this medicine to the Oddish, you will have 15 minutes to treat their injuries using the materials we provide. If it exceeds 20 minutes, the burns on the Oddish will worsen. Therefore, you only have 15 minutes. If you cannot resolve it within that time, you will be considered disqualified."
"At the same time, the invigilators will grade you based on the different effects and time it takes to resolve the Burn injury. Those who score 85 points or above will pass this exam and obtain the Junior Breeder's certification—"
The entire crowd erupted in astonishment. No one expected the emergency rescue to unfold in this manner. It was the first time in history that such a format had been used. Eighty-eight Oddish and eighty-eight bottles of medicines prepared by a Senior Breeder — It seemed that the Breeder Headquarters is truly being extravagant this time.
"Do you have any more questions?"
After a moment of silence, no one made a sound. However, it was evident that each of them had already begun extracting necessary information from the man's words.
Oddish, Burn...
These details were not overlooked by the examinees present.
Those who were able to pass the first round of exam were not ordinary individuals who would simply go with the flow.
The pass rate for Junior Breeders was lower compared to advancing to Intermediate or even Senior Breeder. This was a fundamental issue. As long as the basics were solid, except for the level of a top-tier master, one could progress through extensive research over time.
And those who can become Junior Breeders are the cream of the crop, selected based on their exceptional talents.
Currently, there are only over ten thousand registered Breeders in the League.
And the population of the Hoenn region alone is in the several millions.
"So this is the topic of the exam." After listening to the middle-aged man, Terrance was eager to give it a try.
He also wanted to test himself and see how far he could go in this situation.
"It seems like both of you are very confident." June smiled and looked at Terrance and Wallace, noticing that they weren't showing any signs of nervousness.
"Of course, as a Coordinator, one must always maintain a calm mindset and demeanor." Wallace said.
"Let's go pick an Oddish and receive the medicine." Terrance looked at the other examinees who had already started moving and said to the two of them.
"Alright, let's go!" June shouted.
Eighty-eight Oddish, each one not much different from the others. These Oddish should have been raised by the Breeder Headquarters. After all, their pollen and the saliva of the evolved Gloom are highly valuable materials.
"Please take care of it." After receiving the medicine, Terrance took an Oddish with him. The Oddish also knew its mission, and fortunately, with the medicine prepared by the Senior Breeder, the burn effect wouldn't cause significant harm to the Oddish in a short period. This provided ample time for the examinees.
Bringing the Oddish back to his spot, Terrance saw all the materials that he could use.
There were about twenty different kinds, of course, it was impossible to use them all. As for how to combine them and bring out the best effects, it would depend on the examinees' choices.
When everyone was ready, the middle-aged man reiterated the rules and warned the examinees not to haphazardly mix medicines due to time constraints, unless they had enough confidence. Otherwise, they would face a lifetime ban from future exams.
Finally, the exam began, and the large clock with a fifteen-minute countdown started swinging.
As the ticking of the clock began, Terrance, like all the other examinees, first spoke to the Oddish and, once the Oddish confirmed its readiness, he quickly applied the medicine to the Oddish's leaves.
Next, he had to make the medicine based on the Oddish's condition!
There are many different causes of burns, and different burns require different treatment methods to achieve better results. However, it doesn't mean that other healing items for Burns have no effect. The most well-known one is Burn Heal, which is almost a universal medicine. Although its effect may not be the best, it can be used for all known Burns.
First, he smelled the scent of the medicine, and then he looked at the Oddish.
"Oddish, how do you feel?"
Half a minute passed, Terrance paused and started asking about Oddish's condition.
"Oddish~"
Although the Oddish wanted to cooperate with Terrance to the best of its ability, Terrance found it difficult to understand what the Oddish was trying to express. He had no choice but to observe the subtle cues it was giving.
First, Terrance looked at Oddish's expression, the changes in leaf color, the known main ingredients of the medicine, and the time it took for the burn reaction to occur. He recalled his knowledge of pharmacology while methodically deducing the situation.