Chapter 13: Pokémon Center

"It's time! Go, Sandshrew, aim for the nine o'clock position!"

Seeing this, Ryoma knew the moment had come and decisively issued his command to Sandshrew.

"Here it comes! Electabuzz, use Thunder Punch and release all your electrical power!"

When Raiden saw Sandshrew rolling, he had already given up on the idea of dodging. He knew that even if Electabuzz used Quick Attack, it might not be able to avoid the opponent's Rollout at maximum speed.

Thus, he had early on commanded Electabuzz to gather its electrical power, planning to unleash it in a direct attack.

Roar!

Electabuzz sensed the deadly threat of Sandshrew's Rollout and let out a loud roar, instantly channeling all its electrical energy to its hands.

Although the move it was using was Thunder Punch, Electabuzz spread its hands wide, preparing to take the hit directly, enveloped in electricity, as if its hands were wearing electric gloves!

Boom!

In the next instant, the two Pokémon collided violently in the center of the arena. With a tremendous roar, their figures momentarily became locked in a stalemate, as Rock-type energy clashed with Electric-type energy, producing explosive sounds!

However, with Sandshrew pushing Rollout to its limits and the added power from Defense Curl boosting its attack, it had already elevated Rollout to the maximum strength it could achieve at this stage.

Thus, after a brief stalemate, Electabuzz's figure began to tilt backward uncontrollably, showing signs of the Electric-type energy enveloping its hands starting to collapse under the pressure.

"Don't give up! Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!"

Seeing this, Raiden's eyes filled with urgency, and he quickly shouted the command.

"Electric!!!"

Raiden's eyes also showed determination. With a loud roar, Electabuzz was instantly enveloped in lightning, pouring it out forcefully from its palms!

Boom!

With the full eruption of Thunderbolt, the clash between Rock-type and Electric-type seemed to reach a breaking point, and then it exploded with a loud crash, sending smoke billowing into the air!

Boom!

Faintly, two more collision sounds echoed, but enveloped in thick smoke, no one could tell what had happened.

"Is there a winner?"

"Which side emerged victorious in the end?"

The host, seeing the situation, quickly shouted excitedly, stirring the tense emotions of the crowd. Everyone stood up, tiptoeing to try and see clearly through the smoke!

After about half a minute, the smoke in the arena began to slowly dissipate, revealing the battered battle arena and the two Pokémon lying on either side of the battlefield.

"Did both Pokémon lose their ability to battle simultaneously?"

Seeing the scene unfold, the host shouted loudly.

However, the referee delayed announcing the match's result. Even if both Pokémon fell, there was still the final countdown. As long as one of the Pokémon stood up before the count reached ten, that would be declared the victor!

But even as the countdown concluded, neither Pokémon rose, and the referee directly announced the result of the battle.

"The battle is over, and the final result is a draw!"

"However, since the champion's Pokémon has fallen, that means…"

"The challenger has succeeded in their challenge!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, an explosive cheer erupted from the crowd.

After all, it was quite rare for challengers to succeed in their challenges, and this was a classic case of an underdog winning, especially due to that final collision, which got all the spectators thrilled. Even now, they were still excitedly recalling the intense clash!

However, at this moment, Ryoma had no mood to accept the cheers from the crowd. After the battle ended, he recalled Sandshrew into its Poké Ball. Sandshrew was severely injured and needed immediate treatment.

Fortunately, the battle rules included a provision that any challenger who succeeded would receive free healing services provided by the Pokémon Club.

Thus, after recalling Sandshrew, Ryoma hurriedly followed Raiden, who was also rushing to get Electabuzz treated, toward the Pokémon Center responsible for healing Pokémon.

It was clear that the Pokémon Club had considered the issue of Pokémon injuries when choosing their location, as the Pokémon Center was conveniently located right next to the Club.

Upon entering the Pokémon Center, Club staff members were already waiting. After Ryoma and Raiden arrived, they took their Poké Balls and ran into the Pokémon Center's designated green passage.

Seeing the staff take Sandshrew into the treatment room, Ryoma finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to observe the layout of the Pokémon Center.

Perhaps due to the influence of Pokémon civilization in this world, which originated from the Secret Realm, this Pokémon Center had some similarities to the ones Ryoma remembered. Even the nurses wore uniforms reminiscent of Nurse Joy, accompanied by their own Chansey.

"Hey there, your Sandshrew has been raised well. This time, it was my oversight!" Raiden approached Ryoma and said.

"I was just lucky this time. If I hadn't faced an Electric-type Electabuzz that isn't particularly fast, I wouldn't have won," Ryoma replied humbly.

"Smart of you to acknowledge that. Let's have another match sometime!" Raiden nodded and then patted Ryoma on the shoulder before heading straight toward the Club.

Meanwhile, staff members from the Club approached Ryoma, handing him his original registration fee of 100 yen along with the 10,000 yen reward for successfully completing the challenge.

Watching Raiden leave along with the staff, Ryoma fell into deep thought.

This world's Pokémon civilization had only existed for a short 23 years, and it was only in the past three years that Pokémon began to enter the lives of ordinary people, so most Trainers were still in the exploratory stage.

However, it was evident that those prominent families and large enterprises had already begun to interact with Pokémon, and they likely participated in the exploration of the Secret Realm. The Club was probably associated with such organizations; otherwise, the Starry Sky Pokémon Club wouldn't possess such comprehensive knowledge of Pokémon breeding.

"Secret Realm, huh?"

"If I ever get the chance, I definitely want to see the Secret Realm myself."

Ryoma mused, but he knew that to enter the Secret Realm, one must become a Pokémon Hunter, and the qualifications for being a Pokémon Hunter were much harder to meet than passing civil service exams. Moreover, one needed to be at least a high-level Trainer to qualify.

Even these powerful Champions were merely intermediate Trainers, still quite a distance from becoming high-level Trainers, let alone Ryoma, who was just a beginner Trainer!

Upon entering the Pokémon Center, Club staff members were already waiting. After Ryoma and Raiden arrived, they took their Poké Balls and ran into the Pokémon Center's designated green passage.

Seeing the staff take Sandshrew into the treatment room, Ryoma finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to observe the layout of the Pokémon Center.

Perhaps due to the influence of Pokémon civilization in this world, which originated from the Secret Realm, this Pokémon Center had some similarities to the ones Ryoma remembered. Even the nurses wore uniforms reminiscent of Nurse Joy, accompanied by their own Chansey.

"Hey there, your Sandshrew has been raised well. This time, it was my oversight!" Raiden approached Ryoma and said.

"I was just lucky this time. If I hadn't faced an Electric-type Electabuzz that isn't particularly fast, I wouldn't have won," Ryoma replied humbly.

"Smart of you to acknowledge that. Let's have another match sometime!" Raiden nodded and then patted Ryoma on the shoulder before heading straight toward the Club.

Meanwhile, staff members from the Club approached Ryoma, handing him his original registration fee of 100 yen along with the 10,000 yen reward for successfully completing the challenge.

Watching Raiden leave along with the staff, Ryoma fell into deep thought.

This world's Pokémon civilization had only existed for a short 23 years, and it was only in the past three years that Pokémon began to enter the lives of ordinary people, so most Trainers were still in the exploratory stage.

However, it was evident that those prominent families and large enterprises had already begun to interact with Pokémon, and they likely participated in the exploration of the Secret Realm. The Club was probably associated with such organizations; otherwise, the Starry Sky Pokémon Club wouldn't possess such comprehensive knowledge of Pokémon breeding.

"Secret Realm, huh?"

"If I ever get the chance, I definitely want to see the Secret Realm myself."

Ryoma mused, but he knew that to enter the Secret Realm, one must become a Pokémon Hunter, and the qualifications for being a Pokémon Hunter were much harder to meet than passing civil service exams. Moreover, one needed to be at least a high-level Trainer to qualify.

Even these powerful Champions were merely intermediate Trainers, still quite a distance from becoming high-level Trainers, let alone Ryoma, who was just a beginner Trainer!