Today was the day. It was finally time for my dragon training programs final evaluation. Admittedly, the course felt rather short, being only a month long, but I guess that came from the course being designed to teach about how to train Dragon Types, not to train them. Evan would be my examiner of course, but he told me that he would have some helpers come in as well to preside over some parts of the evaluation that needed their skills.
Rolling out of bed, I woke Axew after I had changed out of my pyjamas. We went to grab breakfast and were greeted by Evan in the hallway.
“A'richt wee jimmies, feeling duin fur th'day?” he said as we walked to the cafeteria. He looked rather excited for us since apparently we were his first “students”.
(Translation: “Alright boys, feeling ready for today?”)
“I’m a bit nervous, but I’m about as ready as I can be,” I responded quietly.
“Dinna be worried aboot it. Fae whit a've seen a'm sure ye 'n' Axew wull pass this,” Evan said as he tried to encourage me.
(Translation: “Don't worry about it. From what I've seen I'm sure you and Axew will pass this.”)
I mumbled a thanks as a response, but that was the end of the conversation.
We grabbed breakfast, which was fried eggs and sausages today, before sitting down to eat. Evan left when I was half finished to set some things up, leaving me and Axew to eat.
As I chewed on a sausage I tried to distract myself from feeling nervous by thinking about what I could do after the evaluation. I asked Axew a few question about it as well, and we decided to try and meet up with Yancy and Spinda for a celebration/do-better-next-time dinner after the evaluation, since they were our only friends.
I really need to try and make more friends. And get their contact info.
After we finished breakfast we had roughly 30 minutes before the evaluation, so I gave Yancy a quick call on my Xtransceiver.
She picked up quickly and after we said hello I told her my plans for the evening and asked her if she was free.
“Well, work doesn't need me tonight, so I reckon I could go to dinner with you. But would it be alright if I brought someone with me? He’s a new member of our team and I want to introduce him to you. He’s also curious to meet you, since you have an Axew.”
Well, I do need to make more friends.
“Sure why not? Can’t wait to meet him. Would it be alright if I text you the details later then?”
“Yep! See you soon then. And good luck with the evaluation!”
With that, we ended the call.
Feeling a bit less nervous I grabbed my notebook with my Dragon Type training notes and did some quick revision for the rest of my free time, while Axew sat at my feet napping.
Soon, it was time to go, and I placed my notebook in my bag before rousing Axew.
Still nervous, I walked to one of the PokeCenters fields where Evan had setup a desk and some chairs. In one of them there was a woman in a white shirt with a purple belt and cuffs, with her pants a deeper purple. Next to her was a female Indeedee.
Seeing me approaching, Evan smiled and gestured for me to sit down. Once I had taken a seat he began to speak.
“A'richt Charlie, welcome tae yer final evaluation. This evaluation wull be split intae three bits, whilk ur as follows,” he said, pausing to grab a clipboard.
(Translation: “Alright Charlie, welcome to your final evaluation. This evaluation will be split int three parts, which are as follows,”
“The foremaist pairt is tae evaluate th' physical condition o` yer Dragon team member. This wull include thair diet, feeding schedule, Moves 'n' grooming technique, which wull be dane by me,” he said, listing out all the requirements before flipping the paper on his clipboard.
(Translation: The first part is to evaluate the physical condition of your Dragon team member. This will include their diet, feeding schedule, Moves and grooming technique, which will be done by me,”)
“Th' seicont pairt wull be evaluating th' bond atween ye 'n' axew. This wull be dane by mah old friend Maggie ower 'ere 'n' her Indeedee, as thay kin read anither beings emotions.” He said, gesturing over towards the woman in the chair.
(Translation: “The second part will be evaluating the bond between you and Axew. This will be done by my old friend Maggie over her and her Indeedee, as they can read another beings emotions.”)
She must be a psychic then. Wait, can she read my mind right now? Hey! Anyone in here with me?
Sensing my gaze, Maggie looked at me and said, “If your worried about me reading your mind then don’t be. I can only read emotions, and I need physical contact for that. Same with Indeedee, minus the contact.”
Well now I just feel like a fool.
Seeing that we were finished, Evan continued.
“Th' final pairt wull be yer knowledge about training Dragon Types as weel as how League laws apply tae thaim. Ah will need tae keek at ony notes ye'v taken as weel as gie ye a wee exam oan th' basic laws regarding Dragon Types.”
(Translation: “The final part will be your knowledge about training Dragon Types as well as how League laws apply to them. I'll need to look at any notes you've taken as well as give you a small exam on the basic laws regarding Dragon Types.”)
With the explanation finished my evaluation had officially started.
The physical examination of Axew went well, with no issues found, apart from his still smaller than average size since he was a runt. Evan gave me a free pass on that though, since he saw in my feeding plan to slowly increase Axews meal size so that he could grow properly and not just put on unnecessary weight. My grooming technique was also a pass, since the special oil I rubbed into Axews scales helped keep them healthy, and the grinding/snapping of his tusks counted as grooming as well.
For the final part of the physical evaluation, Axew had to show what my training had taught him, which was the reason why we were doing this on a battle field. First, he showed off his three moves, Scratch, Bite and Leer. We had worked hard to get them to an acceptable standard in regards to usage time. Axew also managed to barely use Bite and Scratch at the same time, giving us some extra points. The only place where I felt we were falling short was with Axews abilities, as we hadn’t even started training them yet. The only progress I had made was some research on them to start theorising a training program for Rivalry, which was in my notebook.
However, it seemed that the Moves were enough, and Evan told us that we had passed the first part of the evaluation.
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Next up was the bond evaluation. Maggie had Axew and I sit down next to each other while Indeedee stood across from us, a faint blue glow surrounding her horns and eyes. Maggie asked Axew questions about how he feels about me and how much he trusts me, with Indeedee detecting Axews emotions as his response.
So this part of the evaluation must be to make sure I can “control” Axew when he gets stronger, and not have a Haxorus that doesn't listen to me.
After Maggie finished asking Axew questions she held out her hand and touched Indeedee. They both seemed to have a silent conversation before she smiled and told Evan that I had passed.
With that, we moved onto the final part of the evaluation. Evan gave me a sheet of paper with about 30 questions on it that I had to answer in short or long answer form, while I gave him my notebook to evaluate my training program, ideas, and understanding of Dragon Types. It took me about 2 hours to complete the exam, and made me rediscover my hatred of them. Evan finished looking through my notebook in only an hour, so the evaluation was to be finished after he marked my exam.
I felt pretty tense sitting in front of him while he marked my test. My head was filled with the million different ways I could have answered the questions that may or may not have been better, and I was starting to stress out. Thankfully, Axew sensed my discomfort and came to sit in my lap, giving me a small hug which helped me calm down. After what felt like an eternity, Evan finally finished marking my test.
Standing up, he handed it to me with a big grin on his face.
“Weel done laddie, ye'v passed th' evaluation!”
(Translation: Well done boy, you’ve passed the evaluation!”)
I heaved a sigh of relief as I sunk into my chair, finally relaxing my tensed muscles. I had done it. I was officially a certified Dragon Type Trainer.
“Wance a've sent aff yer ootcomes tae th' League thay shuid update yer trainer caird ID wi' yer certification, sae ye'll be able tae offically train Axew by yersel' wi'oot me. Thir's an' a' some restricted resources oan th' League sites that ainlie Dragon Type Trainers kin access as weel,” Evan said as he patted me on the shoulder.
(Translation: “Once I've submitted your results to the League they should update your trainer card ID with your certification, so you'll be able to offically train Axew by yourself without me. There's also some restricted resources on the League sites that only Dragon Type Trainers can access as well.”)
When Evan finished congratulating me I turned to look at Maggie. She simply nodded at me before she left with her Indeedee, obviously not wanting to stay any longer.
I thanked Evan for all his help training Axew and I and I gave him a small gift I had prepared earlier. It was a 100 PokeDollar gift card to a liquor store I had found, since I had noticed that Evan liked to drink after our daily training was finished.
He almost seemed to salivate at the thought of the store, and thanked me with a great two-handed handshake as he said goodbye. He would probably leave tomorrow on a flight, so we could say a proper goodbye then.
Before we did anything else Axew and I returned to our room to rest and recharge after our stressful morning. I also used this time to find a restaurant nearby that served good food, and reserved a table for Yancy, me and her mystery friend later tonight, texting her the time and place. After that, we just laid in bed and watched TV, leaving only for lunch before returning and continuing until night. Eventually I started to get ready. I took a short shower and found some clothes that looked alright. Just some jeans and a grey button up shirt. I also gave Axew a quick clean to get rid of the dust from the field when he demonstrated his moves, and oiled his scales to make them shine.
With that we were ready to go out to dinner with friends. For the first time since arriving here. Which was a bit more than a month ago.
I really need to get out more.
We walked to the restaurant and arrived with 10 minutes to spare. I found our table and checked the menu while Axew and I waited for Yancy and her friend. A few minutes later Yancy appeared with a guy who looked the same age as her. He had bright blond hair with a mole on his chin and was dressed in jeans and a black button up shirt similar to me. Yancy had brought Spinda with her and her friend had brought a Ralts, much to Axews delight.
Once she saw me Yancy brought her friend to the table.
“Hi Charlie! I would like you to meet my friend and fellow crew-member Curtis,” she said, gesturing towards Curtis.
“Nice to meet you Charlie! Thanks for letting me tag along to dinner with you and Yancy,” he said, shaking my hand. His Ralts introduced itself to Axew as well and shook Axews hand, much to the lizards confusion.
We all sat down then and spent a few minutes choosing our food before making an order. Yancy ordered a pasta with a salad, Curtis ordered some chicken breast and I ordered a porkchop. For the Pokemon we chose a diced blend of their favourite berries, with a small pastry desert for them as a treat.
Once we ordered we began to chat.
“So Curtis, what’s your job on the crew? Yancy told me that she was a makeup artist so I was wondering what you do,” I said, curious about what Curtis did.
He seemed to hesitate a little after hearing me but quickly said “I’m just a costume designer. It’s nothing too special.”
It seemed like he didn’t want to talk about his work much.
“Really? That’s still pretty cool. Say, where did you get Ralts?” I said, awkwardly changing the topic to his Pokemon.
“Ralts was a friend I made in Hoenn on a work trip who ended up coming home with me,” he responded, looking down at his Pokemon and giving it a small pat on the head.
Now where have I heard that before?
“Oh yeah, how did your evaluation go today Charlie?” Yancy asked as she watched Axew talk with Spinda and Ralts. Curtis also seemed interested in how I went.
“Well, I passed! But I have to wait for the League to process my results before it’s official,” I responded.
“That’s wonderful to hear! So your finally a Dragon Trainer now!” she said, thrilled to hear my good news.
“So does that mean you’re going to compete in the next League season with your Axew then?” Curtis asked.
“Not quite. I still need to pass an online trainer course before I can officially compete. But that should be done in roughly a month.”
“Wait, you haven’t done a trainer course? I thought that was part of the regional curriculum,” Yancy said.
Both Yancy and Curtis looked a bit confused about how I hadn’t finished a trainer course yet.
Ok brain, give me a good excuse.
“W-well my family lives up in the mountains and my parents home schooled me as a child to save money, so I didn’t have a chance to do the course until now.” I stuttered, hoping they would buy the excuse.
I mean, its more believable than the truth anyway.
“O-oh. Well, I’m glad to see that you’re getting the chance now. Was it included with your dragon training course?” Yancy said, looking a bit awkward about bringing it up.
“Yeah, the League included it to since I need the certification anyway if I want to compete with Axew,” I lied.
Although it’s not too far from the truth.
With that our conversation ended as dinner was served. The food was really good and we talked a bit more. It was mainly just small talk, like “did you see this show?” or “what did you think of that League match yesterday?” but it was fun.
It was calming.
We soon finished our meal and got ready to leave. Axew had become good friends with Ralts, and the three Pokemon were having a small game of tag outside while we paid the bill. Once we had finished, we all left the restaurant and said goodbye to each other.
Before he left Curtis gave me his Xtransceiver number so that we could keep in touch, which was rather nice of him.
Axew and I were the first to leave as we could just walk back to our home, while Yancy and Curtis were waiting for a taxi to take them back to the hotel they were staying at with the rest of the crew they were part of.
Halfway back to the PokeCenter Axew got tired, so he crawled up my back and sat behind my head, with his small legs on my shoulders. I didn’t really mind, since he wasn’t too heavy.
It took me half an hour but I made it back to the PokeCenter. I went straight to my room and put Axew on the bed before changing into my pyjamas and brushing my teeth.
That was fun. Hope I can see both of them again sometime. Still can’t shake the feeling that I had seen both of them somewhere though.
Before I went to bed I had a quick flick through the TV channels to see if there was any news on the Vertress Conference. After a few minutes I found a talk show with that female idol Nancy that was doing a Vertress special. Although, there was another idol too. I think the show said his name was Christoph? Anyway, both of them looked familiar but I couldn’t figure out why. I stopped thinking about it after they began interviewing trainers who were confirmed to compete in the Conference, which was interesting, but I had to stop watching halfway because my eyes were having trouble staying open.
Ready to hit the sack, I turned off the TV and got into bed with Axew, who had been dead to the world since we got back.
You must have had fun too.