I was unable to express my gratitude to Nurse Joy for taking me in as both of us were always busy.

Being a Nurse seems to be more than just healing Pokemon, especially if the nurse, junior nurse, must look after and prepare the Pokemon Centre for the next league after the current one ends.

With Ghost or Psychic Pokemon having the ability to pop around in places, they are not allowed. The on-duty nurse must own a ghost and psychic Pokemon, or they will be provided the Pokemon, for surveillance of the privacy machines in the Centre rooms.

The machines alert the room occupant and the Nurse if a ghost or Psychic Pokemon intrudes, instead of blocking teleportation or dematerialisation, as blocking them consumes too many resources.

The Gengar I played with is Nurse Joy’s and helps her in surveillance of the Centre and she has her senior’s Psychic Pokemon it seems.

On the night before my exams, with my mind finally free from revising what I learnt that day, I initiated a conversation with the nurse.

“Why did you take me in?” I asked and continued.

“I thought you would contact an orphanage or the Police.”

“Well, you were almost an adult and with the exams around. I thought I would see your score and suggest a way forward in your life.”

“ You don’t believe I will get the government fund,” I asked.

“ At first, I doubted you, but seeing how Gengar always follows you around and listens to you. I know you will become a great trainer,” she said smiling.

“ Thank you, for everything. I know I didn’t say it enough,” I smiled and spoke.

After having a meaningful conversation with the nurse for the first time and meeting her senior’s Medicham.

We departed to our rooms to sleep.

….

The trainers' License exam will be conducted first followed by the J.I.E.

With Porygon monitoring the PokeNet, the exam can be written from anywhere with a Poketerminal.

But the Pokemon Centre had visitors that day.

The soon-to-be adults from the local orphanage arrived at the Centre to attend their exams, just like me.

I perfectly memorised 3 and a half books from the allocated 5 and read the remaining books once.

‘I did all I could,’ I thought exhaling forcefully.

I sat before my system for the exam 20 minutes early and started looking at the nervous faces of my fellow examinees.

I was always very tense for any exam before, even when I did not care about them. I think the environment gets to me.

But this time I felt somewhat calm for someone who is writing an exam that is going to decide his future, even when I got irrational anxiety bouts, they petered off quickly.

Now I think about it after coming to the Pokemon world, I never felt afraid for more than a few moments. I mean I still have some doubt niggling at the back of my mind whether I can get the fund, stopping me from having a proper sleep. But whenever my heart starts beating too erratically, it usually calms very quickly.

As I realised the fact, I began to panic -there it was- suddenly I felt like my emotions got doused.

‘ Aura again’ I thought.

I had no other explanation. I tried to rationalise what the aura was doing to my head.

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Privacy was always a sore spot for me. With all my life controlled by my parents, I fiercely guarded what little amount of privacy I had.

Thinking back, I definitely felt elated, and excited when I came to the Pokemon world.

‘I can still feel happiness.’ I noted.

Whatever was happening to me. It was only suppressing negative emotions and that too only when they run too high and may be stray thoughts.

I was too focused these days.

I threw this new problem to the back of my mind, deciding to investigate about aura-users and only come forward with my problem if I found someone I could trust.

I took deep breaths and started willingly ignoring the problem with the aura.

‘It is not negatively interfering with my life.’ I rationalised.

As the timer ticked down, my Trainer’s exam License started.

It was not too tough.

I finished the exam by clicking the submit button. I got my results immediately and just as I expected I passed. With Porygons working, the results for both exams are posted after the test time is done.

The whole exam was about basic survival questions with Pokemons added to the mix.

Every year they mainly focus on the Pokemon ecosystem. And I read extensively about it because it was very interesting.

Awakened Pokemon are called initiate, interim, and elite according to their respective evolution stages.

Whereas Unawakened Pokemon are called wildling, Alpha, and Apex according to their respective evolutions.

In the wild, each awakened Pokemon or each Apex has its territory and the offspring of unawakened Pokemon are generally left to fend for themselves after they come off their baby stage.

But without any experience backing them, their growth is usually stunted as berries are always under some more experienced unawakened Pokemon watch.

All Pokemon, awakened or not, generally avoid killing each other except in the dark month. But if Pokemon just out of the baby stage contends with Pokemon in advanced stages, unintended casualties can occur.

To remedy this, awakened Pokemon of old made a pact with humans of old.

The Pokemons just off their baby stage will be herded to the area around trainers' routes. With the whole area warded off from more experienced Pokemon. With Rangers and respective Awakened Pokemons of the territory defending the areas.

Some Pokemon have egg moves even when their parents are not elite Pokemon. The pact will help them and other newbie Pokemons to not lose their potential by slowing their growth.

They can even get experience by battling each other or by challenging the trainers passing through the route.

So, it is illegal for trainers to kill Pokemon on any route. Rangers and Awakened Pokemon roam around the trainers' route patrolling for any lawbreakers.

The death energy on killing Pokemon cannot be removed by any means. Thus, indicating Rangers or awakened Pokemon if the pact is broken.

After completing my J.I.E., I went to my room to sleep properly for once, deciding to see my results after a proper rest.

I woke up in the evening skipping my lunch and started walking towards the system room to see the results.

As I made my way to the system room, the nurse followed me.

We didn’t talk as I booted the system and logged in to the website.

“99.692 percentile.” I read aloud.

“Congratulations” Nurse Joy said smiling.

After seeing my result, I felt relief that I was going to get a chance to acquire an elite Pokemon egg and was disappointed that the egg was not going to be Charmanders.

Only people who score above the 99.9 percentile can choose the Kanto Royals and have a chance to battle to gain offspring of elite Royal Pokemon.

No matter how my battle goes, I won't be able to acquire any of the Royal Pokemon.

“Well, you got great results,” Joy said.

“ I assume your grandpa didn’t give you the books for the J.I.E. when you were nine.” She asked.

I nodded not willing to talk.

J.I.E. preparation books are changed every year. As the exam only asks the dry facts in the book, you can’t start preparing for it from a young age.

‘Maybe if I got here early, I would have gotten more time to prepare and maybe my starter would have been Charmander.’ I thought morosely.

‘ Being sad is going to accomplish nothing. I should be happy I didn’t get here on the day just before the exam,’ I consoled myself.

I am going to participate in my first battle tomorrow to battle for a chance to have an elite Pokemon egg as my starter.

Suddenly anticipating my first battle, I grew excited, willingly not focusing on missing a Charmander.

I looked at the nurse and asked, excitedly.

“ Where I am going to have the battle”.

“Excited, are you? The battles are done in the Pokemon centre itself. Don’t worry, the League trainer will be here at 6 o'clock”.

I was shocked when I read that Professional League trainers would come to the examinee’s city for the battle, I thought the journey would take time and assumed at least one day delay, stupidly, forgetting about the teleportation.

“ Will you watch?” I asked.

“Of course, I am going to be the referee” she answered.

I quickly apologised to Nurse Joy and ran off to check previous J.I.E battles.

Which I found were not accessible to the public. So, I ran back to the Nurse and asked her about the J.I.E. It seems it will also be her first time participating in a J.I.E. battle.

‘Great! It feels like today is not going to be my day,’ I thought my earlier excitement evaporating.

…..

The League trainer stepped into the centre at sharp 6’0 clock.

He looked like your average middle-aged man, with nothing standing out about him, except the sturdy feeling he gave off.

He didn’t even look buff, so maybe it’s an aura thing again.

On seeing me an arrogant smirk adorned his face, giving me a bad feeling.