The identification theory exam wasn't about battling, but rather about whether one could identify problems in various aspects—such as being familiar with the characteristics of a certain type of Pokémon, or understanding how its moves work.
Recalling his knowledge of Slowbro, Rowan came up with a rather abstract answer.
"Because this particular Slowbro was especially slow to react—it took a long time before it realized it had been hit."
According to unofficial Pokémon records, there was once a Slowbro that had been charmed, but it didn't realize it until several years later, causing it to go berserk in the Wild Area. [TN: I couldn't find the context Author is referring to here.]
Before evolving, Slowpoke doesn't even feel pain when its tail gets bitten off, and it grows a new one fairly quickly. That's what Rowan understood about this kind of Pokémon.
Aside from excessively slow reaction, he really couldn't think of any other reason—after all, Leafage doesn't deal continuous damage, and Slowpoke had only been hit once before losing the ability to battle.
The examiner didn't say anything—just nodded silently, then gestured for Rowan to leave the exam hall and make room for the next person.
All that was left now was to wait. Theoretically, the results wouldn't take long to come out. If there were no surprises, he'd just have to wait to receive his license.
"Let's go, Nekomi. Time to eat. We still have to return someone else's Pokémon."
"Meow~"
The borrowed Weavile wasn't even used—Nekomi had finished the speedrun solo. But Rowan didn't know that the examinees who came after him weren't so lucky.
Haunter couldn't handle the overpowered Meowscarada, but it showed no mercy to the other students.
Boom!
Before they could leave the activity center, a sudden thunderclap rang out outside the venue. Blinding lightning lit up the corridor windows, and several panes shattered in the process. Then, everything fell silent again.
The peaceful environment made people not even consider the possibility of a terror attack. Once things calmed down, a few of the braver ones even moved toward the direction of the thunderclap.
But the school's emergency response was quicker. The broadcast system soon announced what had happened.
"Remain calm! All proctors maintain order in the exam halls! It was an Electric-type Pokémon losing control! Only minor property damage—nothing serious! The exam will continue!"
"An Electric-type losing control… sounds like no one was hurt. I wonder whose Pokémon it was."
The school didn't even consider it a serious incident. They didn't interrupt the exam, which clearly meant that the damage was limited to property only. Still, it gave Rowan a very real sense of just how destructive Electric-types could be in the real world.
"Nekomi, what do you think about me catching an Electric-type Pokémon and then training it to specialize in charging things?"
"Meow?"
"That way, I could save on electricity bills—and maybe even earn a little extra on the side."
As he spoke, Rowan pulled out his phone to check his electricity bill payment records. Same familiar rates as always—didn't look like anything had changed.
"I remember reading that a single Electivire can power all the buildings in a major city for an entire year. If you exclude industrial usage, that should save quite a bit... Actually, I should probably visit a power plant sometime."
Rowan thought about it carefully. With a Pokémon's abilities, discharging electricity was simple. As long as it wasn't a newborn, any Electric-type had its own methods of discharging electricity. The real challenge was figuring out how to convert that electricity into usable energy.
At first, Rowan didn't pay much attention to the incident. It was just a case of a Pokémon losing control, an electric shock, some school property damage—nothing serious. At least, that's what he thought, until he stepped out of the activity center and saw a bike as black as charcoal.
"Nekomi, when I came here... there was just one bike, right?"
"Meow."
"So... that's my bike…"
"Meow."
Nekomi nodded, then gently patted Rowan on the back, as if to say, "My condolences."
The paint on the bike frame had been completely scorched black. The rubber on the tires had melted from the intense heat of the electric shock, releasing waves of burnt, acrid stench.
Nearby the bike, staff were handling the aftermath, along with the one responsible for it.
A red and white cap, spiky hair, a blue-and-white track jacket, and by his side—a "yellow mouse."
This duo was all too familiar to Rowan. It was none other than Ash and Pikachu—the boy who, despite being ten years old, had been traveling for 25 years and journeyed across eight regions.
Also with them were a tan-skinned, squinty-eyed young man and an orange-haired girl—Brock and Misty.
Judging by the style of his hat and the friends at his side, this was the Ash from the Indigo League series.
But that wasn't the main point. The main point was—within several hundred meters around the area, Pikachu seemed to be the only Electric-type Pokémon.
And this "untimely demise" of the bike… well, someone had to take responsibility and pay for the damages.
When Rowan walked over, the three of them were bowing and apologizing to the staff handling the aftermath.
Hmm… everyone understood each other, so it seemed the language spoken across regions was the same. Oddly, despite this, English still exists.
The staff didn't really make things difficult for Ash and the others. Since the school allowed students to bring Pokémon, there were already policies in place for such incidents. They had good insurance coverage—unless there were casualties or someone blew up an entire school building, it was all considered minor.
After giving the three of them a lecture and having them sign some paperwork, the staff members also left the scene.
"How's Pikachu doing?"
"Looks fine now. It probably released all its stored electricity at once."
"I see… So Ash, don't you think it's time to reflect on how all of this happened?!"
Now that Pikachu had recovered, Misty didn't hold back. She grabbed Ash by the ear without hesitation.
They were originally supposed to head to the Johto region for the Silver Conference. But Ash overslept, causing them to miss their ship to Johto. The rescheduled trip ended up turning back due to weird weather and ended up docking in Illumina.
Since they were already in Illumina, Ash decided on the spot to change plans and explore the region instead. It was said that Illumina was very different from other regions, and had even secured the right to host the next Pokémon World Championship.
In most other regions, it was common for kids to receive their first Pokémon and set out on their journey at age of ten. But Illumina was different.
Most children born in this region received a theoretical education at school when they turned ten, learning all sorts of written knowledge. Traveling wasn't something considered until after graduating from high school. This led to Illumina having the highest concentration of Pokémon academies of all kinds.
That was also why the group had come here to visit and explore.
"Excuse me, everyone—could you talk about your issues later? How about settling the compensation for my bike first?"
Besides the school property, Rowan's bike was the only "casualty." There really weren't words to describe how unlucky that was.
Following the direction Rowan pointed, Misty and Ash saw the scorched remains of the bike—blackened and crumbling. In that moment, old memories floated to the surface of Misty's mind.
"A bike… a bicycle… Ash, don't you feel like I've forgotten something?"