Terrance and Joy

Finding food was much simpler than finding a resting place. Terrance wasn't a picky eater; as long as the food provided the basic energy needed to keep moving, it was enough—anyway, he was only staying for a week.

If this was an "actual combat" assessment, whether it involved facing a flock of Spearow or fighting for a resting spot, it might have been a challenge for an ordinary Trainer. But for Terrance, it was no big deal.

After about an hour, Terrance returned with some food that humans could digest. During this time, a few foolish Pokémon attacked him, but were all driven away by Mismagius.

Back in the cave, Terrance noticed that Examiner Joy had already pitched her tent and was eating compressed food on her own.

"..." Terrance.

The assessment rules specified that apart from a small amount of water, examinees were not allowed to bring any food and were required to obtain it themselves on the deserted island.

This also indirectly tests the Trainer's skills.

Terrance found the process of applying for a Gym Trainer position to be unnecessarily cumbersome. However, he understood that if it were easier or more relaxed, the role would lose its value, and the benefits wouldn't be as promising as he envisioned.

After bringing back the food, Terrance quietly went out again to gather firewood. By the time he returned, the sky had already grown dark.

Touching his empty stomach, Terrance suddenly felt as if someone had rummaged through the food he brought back.

As if noticing his confusion, Examiner Joy explained, "I checked your food. It's all safe to eat. But apart from the Berries, it's better not to eat the rest raw."

Terrance thanked her and then called out his Castform. He instructed it to create a weakened version of Sunny Day. However, it was filled with a lot of energy, so it should last for a long time. In an instant, the cave lit up.

Shortly afterward, the firewood was stacked, and Castform ignited it with a flame, then Terrance began preparing a simple dinner.

Examiner Joy, having already eaten her fill, watched as Terrance roasted his food—so poorly that it neither looked appetizing nor smelled pleasant. Shaking her head, she lost all appetite. However, Terrance ate with gusto; after a tiring day with no proper meals, he wasn't about to complain about his hard-earned dinner.

After Terrance finished eating, the cave fell into silence again. Having just finished his meal, Terrance wasn't sleepy and felt that continuing like this in awkward silence wasn't a good idea, so he took the initiative to start a conversation with Examiner Joy.

As for the first question: why had she become an examiner?

Examiner Joy's expression kept changing, hesitating on how to respond, seemingly embarrassed to share.

Terrance found it strange but chose not to press out of politeness…..

Lucy Joy sighed inwardly. Should she admit that she had failed the Intermediate Breeder exam three years in a row and couldn't bear the embarrassment anymore?

However, the Joy family's genetic advantage was undeniable. Although Lucy didn't transition into a Trainer until a relatively late age, she won the Indigo Plateau Conference in the same year and joined the Pokémon League. Now, in her twenties, she was already a rising star as an inspector.

This assignment as Terrance's Gym Trainer examiner was handed down from higher ups. The intent was clearly to "polish" her reputation. If the examinee under her guidance became an outstanding Gym Leader, it would significantly bolster her standing within the league.

While Lucy didn't know much about Terrance's background, the league faction who approved his application certainly does. Terrance has already gained significant recognition and possesses immense potential. Befriending such a talented genius would naturally be of great benefit. But she was still in the dark.

"Then why did you apply to become a Gym Trainer? At your age, shouldn't you be traveling around and challenging League Conferences like a normal Trainer?"

She was also quite confused, but her question was completely brushed aside by a single cheerful sentence from Terrance.

"My dream is to become a Gym Trainer," Terrance said.

"???" Lucy Joy.

What kind of half-hearted answer was that?

The atmosphere turned awkward again.

Both of them had reasons for not wanting to answer. Terrance certainly couldn't say that he saw the Gym as a means to make money, while eyeing the few spots each Gym offered for outstanding apprentices to become Trainers for free… Saying such a thing might earn him a bad mark in the examiner's evaluation.

After exchanging a few more words, Terrance started feeling sleepy. He released Mismagius to stand guard and went straight to sleep.

The cold was no longer an issue; now they just need to be on guard against nighttime attacks from outside Pokémon.

---

At dawn the next day, Terrance yawned as he woke up and immediately noticed Mismagius staring at him.

"Thanks for staying on watch all night."

Among Terrance's Pokémon, only Mismagius could stay alert and energetic without needing sleep. The night was Mismagius's domain—whether it was training or battling, it performed best under the cover of darkness.

The night had passed with Mismagius training on its own and keeping a lookout.

It had been about six months since Mismagius left the Battle Tower. During this time—especially while at the academy—its progress had been the biggest.

Returning with two illusion skills "Flash" and "Darkness", both enhanced through Lucky Chant and practiced to a high degree of mastery, Mismagius had achieved outstanding results in both the Tower of Despair and the Tower of Confusion.

Moreover, upon returning to the academy, Mismagius also talked with the seniors in the Haunted House and once again gained a lot of experience and inspiration.

The "Flash" and "Darkness", polished over several months, had become second nature thanks to Mismagius' natural talent for illusion skills. In technical terms, with a simple gesture... the opponent would find themselves ensnared in either blinding light or overwhelming darkness—struggling to escape.

At this level, further improvement in these skills was difficult. As for the extensions of these two illusion skills, whether Mismagius uses Flash before Darkness or the other way around to create different psychological effects, it had mastered incorporating them into battle. Now, further improvement of these two skills depend on Mismagius' own growth; improving them by doing simple repetitive training has already reached a bottleneck.

Terrance was already brainstorming new, simpler illusion skills for it to learn.

Since entering the academy and leaving it, his Pokémon had fought countless battles. After each one, Terrance crafted new training plans for them, aiming to push them to higher levels.

Given Terrance's current strength—if he were to add Gallade to his team—unless he encountered peers like 'Cynthia,' 'Steven,' or 'Lance,' it would be almost impossible to find an opponent who could challenge him. However, Terrance wasn't content with the status quo. The gap between him and others will only widen as time goes on. Perhaps he can still be considered one of the best among his peers now, but ten years from now, he may not even achieve half of what Steven and others have accomplished now. Growing at an ordinary, steady pace simply wasn't an option.

This deserted island, in its own way, was proving to be an excellent training ground for Terrance.

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