Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

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After leaving the black market, Xia Yan didn't walk anymore, but hailed a taxi.

Target: Silver Elf Battle Club!

Everything started there. Tom Rouche has certainly left, but he must have left something behind.

Xia Yan's idea was very simple.

If you have a grudge, you must take revenge. If you can't beat someone, wait until you have the strength to do so.

Having been toyed with like a fool by Tom Ruchi for so long, he wasn't going to develop the morbid belief that the other party was too strong and that he should just obediently accept it.

That's not rationality, that's masochism.

After paying double the fare to appease the taxi driver's complaints, we arrived at the Silver Elf Battle Club again.

The interior decoration has been restored to its original state, seemingly unaffected by the previous Roto incident. Even the huge fish tank in the corner has been replaced, and the aquatic creatures inside are active under the dazzling daylight lights.

Ignoring the strange looks from people passing by, he strode to the front desk.

I stopped a step away from the front desk.

His eyes, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, flickered between light and shadow; the shadow cast by Anna, or rather Tom Ruchi's incident, had not yet completely dissipated.

The receptionist was different. She was just as tall, pretty, and professional, but it just wasn't the same.

Before the busy hazelnut could even look up and see who it was, it smelled a sour, foul odor and couldn't help but frown.

When she looked up and saw Xia Yan standing in front of her, her professionalism allowed her to smooth her furrowed brows and reveal a professional smile, but the disgust in her eyes could not be erased.

"Sir, what's wrong with you...?"

Xia Yan took out a card and placed it on the counter without saying a word.

When Hazel saw the card that represented her status as a mid-level sparring partner in the club, she couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

"Please wait a moment."

With a "beep," some basic information about Xia Yan was displayed on the computer screen.

"Xia Yan..." Hazel silently repeated the name in her mind. The difference between Xia Yan's appearance in the information photo and his current appearance was too great.

When I scrolled to the bottom of the information and saw that the registered Pokémon was a Weedle, I understood immediately.

With an apologetic expression, he handed the card to the counter with both hands. "I'm sorry, sir. Because you've been missing for a month, the club has already hired a new Weedle Trainer as a training partner, so..."

Xia Yan has been missing for some time.

Of course, the Silver Elf Battle Club couldn't leave this spot vacant forever.

Xia Yan was not surprised by this.

He nodded and said, "It's okay, but I remember that the club has a rule that says when a training partner leaves due to unexpected circumstances such as the evolution of a Pokémon, that training partner has one chance to challenge another training partner, and the winner stays."

“That’s right,” Hazelnut nodded in reply.

That made her understand what Xia Yan meant.

"So, do you want to challenge the Ironshell Pupa's sparring partner? Or will you still choose the Unicorn Bug?"

To keep their jobs, one Pokémon evolved, and then another Pokémon was used to continue the work.

All too common.

“No.” Xia Yan shook his head.

"That is......"

Xia Yan's eyes flickered.

Beedrill.

Chapter Three: Beedrill!

Beedrill?

Hazelnut twitched her eyelashes.

Silver Elf Battle Club is no ordinary club; the sparring partners here earn high salaries, but their skills are correspondingly stronger.

If Xia Yan had captured another unicorn beetle, or rather, used a recently evolved iron-shelled pupa, she could understand.

But Beedrill is a bit...

Although a month has passed, enough time for a normal Weedle to evolve into a Beedrill, can a newly evolved Pokémon be compared to a Pokémon that has been evolved for a long time?

Hazelnut was skeptical about this.

However, since it was a club rule, and sparring partners who left unexpectedly had this opportunity once, she couldn't refuse.

"Please wait a moment," Hazel said, walking towards the supervisor's office.

Soon, a tall woman dressed in a professional and capable suit appeared in Xia Yan's line of sight.

"He's the supervisor," Hazel said, leading the way.

The woman didn't react to Xia Yan's appearance and asked with a smile, "You're Xia Yan? You've been missing for a month?"

Xia Yan nodded calmly and said, "It's me."

"I'm the newly appointed supervisor. You can call me Supervisor, or Ivy, either is fine," Ivy introduced herself simply.

Looking at Xia Yan, who looked disheveled but had exceptionally bright eyes, Ivy said, "It just so happens that Fu Ji doesn't have any members right now. Come with me. Hazel, go and call the technical and human resources departments."

Hazelnut lowered her head, stuck out her tongue, and obediently replied, "Okay."

"plz follow me."

Ivy reached out and led Xia Yan into the inner passage.

Xia Yan silently followed behind him, his hand unconsciously touching the round elf egg in his backpack, feeling the warmth emanating from the backpack.

Its birth is not far off.

Ivy didn't notice Xia Yan's actions. Walking ahead, she suddenly asked, "I wonder why Mr. Xia Yan suddenly disappeared for a month?"

Xia Yan put down his hand that was touching the elf egg and said calmly, "Because of some things, I had to stay in the wild for a while."

"Oh? You spent a month in the wild?"

Ivy tilted her head slightly, glancing at Xia Yan out of the corner of her eye, and thus gained some understanding of his current appearance.

"That's really amazing, to be able to live alone in the wild for such a long time."

Ivy casually made a compliment.

Compared to Loto back then, this supervisor seems to be more talkative, more approachable, and less aloof.

It's clear from her reaction that the Rockets didn't care about such an insignificant character as him.

Whether he is missing or not is not important.

"arrive."

Before long, after a question-and-answer session with Ivy that showed no signs of impatience, they arrived at a training room.

Inside, a young man with short black hair and a gloomy face was training his Pokémon, the most conspicuous of which was undoubtedly a Beedrill vibrating its wings at an extremely high frequency.

It was Fukichi who joined the club as an intermediate sparring partner with Beedrill.

"Manager Ivy."

When Fuji saw Ivy approaching with someone, he immediately stopped training.

“Fuji, this is Xia Yan. Not long ago, the club used Weedle as a training partner for his Pokémon. Now his Weedle has evolved, and he hopes to have a battle with you,” Ivy explained with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Fuji's expression immediately darkened, his narrow eyes sweeping over Xia Yan with hostility.

It's said that rivals are enemies, but in the Silver Pokémon Battle Club, sparring partners who use the same Pokémon are even more like enemies among enemies.

Only one of the two can remain.

The outcome was sealed the moment Xia Yan appeared here.

The job at the Silver Elf Battle Club offers the highest pay and best benefits of all the clubs, and no one wants to give it up.

But he quickly composed himself, managed his expression, and smiled at Ivy, saying:

"Since this guy wants to give it a try, then let him try. We should always give him a chance, right, sir?"

Ivy maintained her smile, her expression remaining unchanged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

But then he saw Xia Yan extend his hand to him.

Fuji paused for a moment, then almost instinctively reached out and grasped it.

By the time he realized what was happening, Xia Yan had already arrived at his position on the battlefield, leaving Fu Ji dumbfounded, staring at the dark handprint imprinted on his still relatively fair palm.

It also faintly emitted a foul odor.

Fukichi: "..."

The anger that had been suppressed in my heart suddenly became somewhat uncontrollable.

He walked slowly and heavily to the opposite side of Xia Yan.

In terms of psychology alone, Xia Yan had the advantage.

Just then, Hazel, who had left earlier, arrived with the club's technical and human resources staff.

"The rules are simple: each side can only send out Beedrill. Once one Beedrill is unable to battle, the other side wins and has the right to stay," Ivy said simply, leaving the arena to the two of them.

Since they are all Beedrill, there is no question of which Pokémon should be summoned in which order.

"Go, Beedrill." Fuji pointed to the arena, and with a "buzzing" sound, his Beedrill, which looked to be quite well-trained, appeared in the arena.

Xia Yan discovered Fuji's giant Beedrill as soon as he arrived here.

Of all the Pokémon, it's no exaggeration to say that Xia Yan knows Weedle and Beedrill the best, so he can roughly judge the Beedrill's situation with just one glance.

Pokémon: Beedrill

Type: Bug + Poison