-017- Jiahua City Elf Association

After breakfast, Tong Si decided to take Eevee and Elekid to the Pokémon Association of the Pokémon League in Jiahua City to register as a rookie trainer.

Yun Zishan, meanwhile, was forced to go home and catch up on sleep.

When it was time to leave, he lingered at the glass door, reluctant to part, his eyes glued to the Mareep egg inside the incubator for a long while.

“All right, time to get some sleep. You’ve only had two hours all night—are you really that excited?” Tong Si patted Yun Zishan on the shoulder, urging him to hurry home and rest.

“Okay, I’ll come back after I wake up!” Yun Zishan replied, bidding Tong Si farewell before dashing off toward his house.

Tong Si shook his head, a little speechless.

“Tong Si, heading out?” Song Xin drove by and, seeing Tong Si standing at the breeding house door, stopped her car to greet him.

“Yes, I’m going to the Pokémon Association to register for my rookie trainer ID card,” Tong Si replied straightforwardly.

“Oh? Is that so? Coincidentally, I have some errands to run in Jiahua City as well. Get in—I’ll give you a ride,” Song Xin gestured toward the passenger seat.

“Really? Thank you so much, Sister Xin!” Tong Si didn’t stand on ceremony, opening the door and climbing into the passenger seat.

“Tong Si, if I remember correctly, you have two Pokémon, right?” Song Xin knew full well that Tong Si had two Magikarps and three wild Pokémon in his yard.

But officially, only Eevee and Elekid belonged to him.

“That’s right,” Tong Si nodded.

“So, which one are you planning to register?” Song Xin asked seriously.

“Huh? Can’t I register both at the same time?” Tong Si was puzzled.

“Of course you can’t. What are you thinking?” Song Xin shot him a glance, surprised he didn’t know.

Though Tong Si was well-versed in all things Pokémon, he was less familiar with the Association’s regulations.

Typically, after registering as a trainer, the Association would give each rookie a Trainer Handbook, detailing the different trainer ranks and the relevant rules.

“To start with, rookie trainers can indeed raise more than one Pokémon, but only one can be officially registered. After registration, you’ll receive your trainer ID card, which starts at the Ordinary level. If you keep a clean record for three months—no violations—you can register other Pokémon after that. There will be no number limit then.”

Song Xin was very clear on all the rules in the Trainer Handbook.

“So that’s how it is. So today I can only register one Pokémon? Any others I catch during these three months have to wait until after that period to be registered?”

“In theory, yes—as long as you have no violations in those three months. For instance, abusing your Pokémon, releasing your starter, and the like. If you do things like that, the Pokémon Association will blacklist you for life, and you’ll never be allowed to become a trainer.”

Song Xin explained the forbidden actions ahead of time.

However, from what she’d observed of Tong Si, she believed he would never do such things.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Sister Xin.”

Though he could only register one, Tong Si had already decided in his heart to register Elekid.

After all, to compete in the Rookie King Tournament, he’d need to use his trainer ID card to sign up.

It was called the Rookie King Tournament because all participants were rookie trainers.

And the only Pokémon allowed in the contest was the one registered on their ID card.

Soon, Song Xin drove into the city center of Jiahua City.

But they ended up stuck in a traffic jam for two hours on the way to the Association.

“I’m really sorry, Sister Xin. I’ve made you waste so much time,” Tong Si apologized.

If she hadn’t given him a ride, she wouldn’t have been caught in such a long jam.

“It’s fine, no trouble at all,” Song Xin answered with a sweet smile.

“I’ll head out, then. Next time, dinner’s on me,” Tong Si said as he opened the door, waving to Song Xin as he got out.

“Go get in line. There are probably a lot of people registering as rookie trainers today.”

“All right...”

Shortly after Tong Si got out, Song Xin drove away.

Turning to gaze at the red-and-white Pokémon Association building, Tong Si couldn’t help but marvel.

“The Association’s building is so big! And this is just the Jiahua City branch—how extravagant must the main headquarters be?”

He thought to himself that he must visit the League’s headquarters one day. For now, he joined the queue outside the Association.

He had to admit, the line was enormous.

After all, it was only two days since the college entrance exams had ended.

Normally, it took about a week for a Pokémon egg to hatch.

Which meant that most people in line were either specially admitted students or rookie trainers who’d gotten their Pokémon early.

“Hey, man, what’s your starter Pokémon?” Tong Si, bored in line, decided to strike up a conversation with the person in front of him.

“Me? I don’t have a starter yet,” the guy replied, flashing a big grin.

“So why are you in line?” Tong Si was confused.

“I just wanted to experience what it’s like to be a trainer ahead of time. I’ll leave once it’s my turn.”

Hearing this, Tong Si felt exasperated.

So there was a third group in this line—those just here for the fun of it?

After over an hour, it was finally almost Tong Si’s turn.

Outside the Association, there were several battle arenas.

Some rookie trainers, after registering, paired up to have their first Pokémon battle.

And, as expected, since they were all new, their skill levels were pretty close.

Even some who were top students at school found that theory wasn’t the same as practice; real battles brought surprises and special situations.

A good trainer had to make rapid judgments and choose the best strategy in the heat of battle.

That’s how you gained the upper hand and won.

Tong Si decided that after registering, he’d battle these rookie trainers as well, earning a few points as “tuition” for teaching them.

“Bro, I’m out. This morning’s training experience was fun and satisfying. When I’m a real trainer, let’s have a Pokémon battle!” said Chen Jiji, the guy in front of Tong Si, before waving goodbye and leaving.

Since he’d left, it was now Tong Si’s turn to register.

“Please show your documents,” the staff member said, paying no attention to people leaving the line.

There had been plenty of “simulated trainers” like Chen Jiji that morning, so the staff was used to it.

Tong Si handed over his ID and other documents.

Once they were verified, the staff let him inside the Association.

… (To be continued)