-042- Double One Hundred Thousand Volts

The Electabuzz unleashed a supercharged Thunderbolt, instantly sending smoke rising from the shell of the Turtwig. When the Turtwig poked its head out, it was clear the creature had lost all ability to fight. The entire crowd fell silent.

"Turtwig has lost the ability to battle. The match is over. Tong Si and Electabuzz are the winners," the referee announced, reacting just in time. Even though he was stunned, the facts were undeniable: Electabuzz had defeated Turtwig with lightning that surpassed the power of a thunderstorm.

"What... What just happened?" Only moments before, Song Xuyang had been full of confidence, but now his face was dark and sullen. Tong Si’s command had been for Thunderbolt, hadn’t it? Since when had Thunderbolt become so powerful?

Lei Yu, backstage, was also dumbfounded by what he saw. As the son of the Jiahua City Electric-type Gym Leader, he was well-versed in all kinds of electric-type moves. What Electabuzz had just used was absolutely the move Thunder, Lei Yu was certain of it!

But how had this Electabuzz learned Thunder? They were all rookie trainers, and even Lei Yu’s own Pokémon had not mastered that electric-type ultimate move. It wasn’t for lack of trying—his family owned an Electric-type gym, so he should have had the advantage. But learning Thunder just wasn’t so easy.

Yet here was this Electabuzz, using it effortlessly.

Lei Yu now considered Tong Si his greatest rival in the tournament.

Back at the arena, Tong Si touched his nose and returned Electabuzz to its Poké Ball. With the referee’s announcement, he had no reason to linger. After stepping down from the battle stage, he left immediately. Only then did the audience recover from their shock, and began to heap praise upon Tong Si.

Jiang Tao rose and faced the crowd. "Friends, my name is Jiang Tao—Tong Si is my brother..." he shouted loudly. But soon, the audience’s voices drowned him out. Who cared who Jiang Tao was? All they cared about was Tong Si and his Electabuzz! Who wouldn’t love a Pokémon capable of such a powerful electric move?

In an instant, Electabuzz became a sensation.

Tong Si returned backstage, reported to Zhang Shanjie, and then prepared to head for the Pokémon Center.

Zhang Shanjie had not expected Tong Si’s strength to be so formidable. It seemed Tong Si hadn’t shown Electabuzz’s full power during the preliminary melee three days earlier. Little did he know that even now, Electabuzz was still far from displaying its true abilities.

The next match was nowhere near as shocking as the last. Lin Jintong and Lei Yu were both strong, and their battle was fiercely competitive. In the end, both their Pokémon exhausted themselves and lost the ability to fight, resulting in a draw. Tong Si now led by two points, with Lin Jintong and Lei Yu each holding one, and Song Xuyang at zero.

...

After detoxifying Electabuzz at the Pokémon Center, Tong Si returned to the JOJO Breeding House.

The two eggs in the incubator showed no signs of hatching. Tong Si changed the water in the machine and added fresh nutrients. Then he went back to the yard to feed the other Pokémon.

For today’s tournament, Tong Si brought Electabuzz, leaving Eevee in the yard. Without supervision, the five Pokémon could easily demolish Tong Si’s yard. After Eevee had defeated them two days ago, they all regarded Eevee as their leader and obeyed her completely.

"Tong Si..." At that moment, someone visited the breeding house. "Xin, is that you?" Tong Si entered and saw Song Xin, dressed today in a red dress, looking as beautiful and composed as ever.

"Tong Si, I never expected you to be so skilled in Pokémon battles!" Song Xin, upon seeing him, excitedly grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

Tong Si was left bewildered by her enthusiasm. Wait, was Song Xin at the tournament venue today?

Sensing his confusion, Song Xin explained, "I watched the livestream. The match at the Sun Club was broadcast online. Several short video platforms have already uploaded clips of Electabuzz’s final move. You can check for yourself."

"What?" Tong Si hadn’t realized the match was livestreamed. He’d thought it was just a rookie championship sponsored by the CEO of the Qixi Blue Bird Group, held between clubs. Who knew it would be so public?

He opened his phone, searched for Electabuzz, and found that the battle had already hit the trending list. There were multiple edited versions of Electabuzz’s final double Thunderbolt. The netizens’ enthusiasm made Tong Si both amused and helpless.

"What do you think of Song Xuyang’s strength?"

Song Xin suddenly asked.

"Song Xuyang? Honestly... Among our peers, he’s pretty strong, but to me, just average," Tong Si shrugged, clearly unimpressed.

"Oh? Is that so? He’s my brother," Song Xin said, pressing a finger to her lips and frowning slightly.

"What?" Song Xuyang was Song Xin’s brother? Hearing this, Tong Si realized they shared the same surname.

"But not a blood brother—more like a cousin. And our relationship isn’t very good, so I’m actually glad you beat him," Song Xin said, relieving Tong Si’s worries—he’d thought she’d be upset.

"I remember the crowd calling him 'Young Master Song.' Xin, does that mean you’re a 'Young Lady' too?" Tong Si recalled the shouts from the audience.

"I used to be. Now I’ve left the family," Song Xin replied, clearly someone with a story, though she said no more, and Tong Si didn’t ask. Jiahua City had plenty of big families, and Tong Si never paid them much attention.

Song Xin’s main purpose for visiting was to see Electabuzz. Who wouldn’t be captivated by such a powerful Pokémon? Previously, Song Xin always played with Eevee whenever she visited. This time, she wanted a photo with Electabuzz, even recording a short video to upload online.

Eevee, seeing this, pursed her lips, strongly protesting that Tong Si hadn’t brought her to the tournament. Before, Song Xin always made videos with Eevee, and each video received plenty of likes. Eevee had grown to love the camera, and as a future star performer, she was deeply dissatisfied with Electabuzz’s popularity surpassing hers!

"Tong Si, you should make some short videos with Eevee. She loves performing, and viewers on those platforms adore cute Pokémon like her," Song Xin suggested, seeing Eevee’s eagerness.

"I’ll consider it," Tong Si said, looking at Eevee’s sparkling eyes, thinking it was indeed a good idea.

... (To be continued)