-010- Elf Battle Club

"You're here to train your Pokémon at the Battle Club, right?" The middle-aged man asked as soon as Eevee finished pressing its paw print.

"Yes! That's right. Do you have an Electric Room here?"

Before coming, Tong Si had already done his homework. Aside from battling with other trainers, the Pokémon Battle Club also featured many specialized rooms. For instance, there were the Electric Room, Grass Room, Rock Room, Sand Room, and other attribute-specific chambers, all designed for targeted Pokémon training.

"Of course we do, but isn’t your Pokémon an Eevee?" The man looked puzzled. Even if Tong Si wanted to evolve Eevee into a Jolteon, there was no rush to take her to the Electric Room now. With his experienced eye, he could tell at a glance that Tong Si was a rookie trainer who’d only recently obtained his Eevee.

"Yes, but Eevee isn’t the one I’m training today. It’s this one!" Tong Si said, releasing Elekid from its Poké Ball.

"Elekid!" Every time Elekid emerged, it would strike a cool pose. Tong Si had teased it before for having a bit of a celebrity complex.

"Elekid? I didn’t expect you to already have two Pokémon. All right then… follow me."

The man pushed open the glass door, inviting Tong Si inside. Once inside the club, Tong Si saw all sorts of equipment for Pokémon training.

A pair of Machoke were in the midst of weightlifting practice. On the ring, a Hitmonchan was sparring with a Primeape. The club was spacious, and aside from the special training equipment, there were several battle arenas as well.

At that moment, one arena was in use, with a Trubbish and a Shinx battling. Both trainers were clearly newcomers, and a small crowd had gathered to watch.

"My name is Zhang Shanjie. You can just call me Brother Shanjie," the man introduced himself.

"All right, Brother Shanjie!" Tong Si followed him to the bar.

Every trainer visiting the club for the first time needed to register. "Please show your Trainer Card."

"My Trainer Card? Brother Shanjie, I haven’t officially registered with the Pokémon League yet," Tong Si replied a bit awkwardly. He already owned Pokémon, but official registration would have to wait until after the college entrance exams.

"I see… Well, that’s no problem. We’ll just open a temporary room for you, though it is a bit more expensive." Zhang Shanjie slapped his forehead, remembering Tong Si was a new trainer. He was quite used to students obtaining Pokémon before the college exams—every university had several direct-admit students, and even now several were training here at his club.

"That’s fine," Tong Si replied without concern for the cost. His main priority was getting Elekid the best training possible.

Zhang Shanjie entered a string of details into the computer. "How long do you want the room for?"

Tong Si thought for a moment. "Three hours."

Zhang Shanjie typed it in, then handed him a yellow card. Tong Si noticed the words "Temporary Card" on it.

"Three hours in the Electric Room, that'll be fifteen hundred League coins."

Tong Si didn’t hesitate. Training at a club like this was always pricey, even more so for a private room. He scanned the QR code with his phone, paid, and soon after, a staff member came to guide him.

"This way, please…" The staff member was very enthusiastic, chatting with Tong Si about the club’s history, and even mentioning that they sold TM discs. There were also several vending machines stocked with Pokémon sports drinks and various energy cubes, though the prices were on the high side.

"This is your rented Electric Room. Just insert the card here and the electric facilities will power up. When your time is up, the system will automatically shut everything off. Please make sure to finish your training within the allotted time. Good luck to your Pokémon," the staff member said, showing Tong Si where to insert the card.

The display on the wall lit up, and the room’s lights came on. Tong Si saw the countdown had already begun.

As soon as the staff left, Tong Si wasted no time. "Let’s get started, Elekid!"

"Elekid!" Elekid was bursting with excitement.

"Eevee~" In the corner, Eevee munched on popcorn Tong Si brought, cheering for Elekid.

Tong Si noticed the room was small, containing only a one-cubic-meter electric device. But the moment it powered on, the space shimmered with arcs of electricity. He wondered if it was his imagination, but the whole magnetic field seemed to intensify.

"Elekid!" Elekid approached the device. Trainers brought their Electric-types here to harness the energy for training their moves.

Elekid did the same, pressing one arm to the machine and channeling the surge of electricity into its body.

"Elekid!" It was far more powerful than any household current at Tong Si’s home. He grew worried for Elekid.

"Can you handle it, Elekid?"

Elekid nodded, continuing to absorb energy as its antennae flashed with electricity.

"Elekid…" It cried out in pain and unleashed a powerful Thunder Shock.

Tong Si quickly stepped back—this was several times more intense than usual!

After releasing the energy, Elekid felt much better and kept absorbing more. Repeating the process—absorb, release, absorb, release—over and over, until after about ten repetitions, Tong Si was amazed to see each Thunder Shock growing stronger than the last.

"So that’s the secret—no wonder so many trainers bring their Electric-types here for special training. It really does increase the power of their moves!"

Of course, for Elekid to boost the power of Thunder Shock to the level of Thunderbolt wasn’t something just any Electric-type could accomplish.

Tong Si began to wonder: if Elekid’s Thunder Shock could already reach Thunderbolt-level strength, what would happen if it actually learned Thunderbolt?

He opened the system panel. He’d seen the [Skill Shop] before, and Thunderbolt was listed for 100,000 points. Coincidentally, he had exactly 100,000 points right now.

"System, I want to exchange for Thunderbolt!"

[Beep-boop.]

[Thunderbolt has been redeemed. 100,000 points deducted. Redemption complete.]

As the system’s voice faded, Tong Si saw his points balance drop to zero on the data panel. At the same time, a new [Skills] option appeared in his inventory.

Opening it, he found the newly added Thunderbolt skill.

… (To be continued)