Chapter 19: Pokémon Alliance Professional League

"If you want to challenge me to a battle, then come find me here at this time every night!"

Ryoma suppressed the excitement inside him, pretending to be unconcerned as he turned around, and casually waved goodbye, his figure gradually disappearing into the lobby of the Club.

"Alright, I'll come back to find you tomorrow!"

The boy clenched his fists as he watched Ryoma's back, feeling that he had finally found a good opponent. If he could defeat this guy, he was sure he would be able to pass the intermediate Trainer exam!

Hearing the boy's words behind him, Ryoma let out a sigh of relief. After paying at the front desk, he quickly entered a training room and released Sandshrew.

"Hey, little foodie, did you hear that?"

"If you can defeat that Wealthy Young Master, you'll earn 1,000 yen each time!" Ryoma said excitedly.

"Sha?"

Sandshrew looked puzzled; it didn't quite understand what 1,000 yen represented.

"Money is a good thing. You need it for using, eating, and playing. Just like how you enjoy big meals, they all cost money…"

"Shashasha!"

As Ryoma explained, Sandshrew's eyes began to brighten.

So money equals big meals? I'm getting excited!

"That's right! Money is equivalent to big meals. If you want to provide for yourself, you have to earn your own food. As long as you keep winning against that Wealthy Young Master, you can enjoy big meals every day."

"Of course, if you lose, then you won't have any money, and without money, there won't be any big meals!"

"Shashasha!"

Sandshrew immediately patted its chest confidently, assuring Ryoma that it wouldn't lose.

"Don't worry; as long as you win, I'll save everything you earn. When the time comes, you can buy whatever you want to eat!" Ryoma smiled slightly.

Feeling Ryoma's reassurance, Sandshrew was filled with motivation. It didn't even wait for Ryoma to lay out the training plan before running over to the Rapid Spin machine, asking for Ryoma to turn it on.

Ryoma was more than happy to oblige, quickly running over to activate the Rapid Spin machine.

Perhaps due to its enthusiasm, Sandshrew's speed in training Rapid Spin was astonishing. By the end of the night, it had learned the move, fully executing Rapid Spin at 100% capacity with the aid of the machine, prompting Ryoma to reflect on the allure of good food.

...

The next morning, Sandshrew happily enjoyed its Miltank milk.

Before meeting Ryoma, it had been eating sporadically, with the hope of being full feeling like a luxury.

But now, everything had changed for the better, and it was all because it had found its Trainer. It knew it needed to become stronger, stronger, and stronger!

"Sandshrew, after you finish eating, wash your hands. Today we're going to dive deeper into Sand Attack training," Ryoma said casually, popping a bun into his mouth with a smile.

"Sha!"

Sandshrew nodded and stuffed the last bun from the plate into its mouth, then happily patted its belly.

Without waiting for Ryoma to urge it, Sandshrew jumped up to the sink and, under the astonished gaze of people in the shop, turned on the faucet to wash its hands.

"Hey, didn't the teacher tell us that Sandshrew is afraid of water? Why isn't this Sandshrew afraid? Is the teacher lying to me?" A student eating nearby watched in shock, beginning to doubt the teacher!

"It seems that the training has been effective. Good habits really need to be cultivated from a young age," Ryoma said with a chuckle, feeling quite clever!

After the little interlude of eating and washing hands, Ryoma took Sandshrew back to the abandoned construction site.

"Sandshrew, our task today is to completely master Rapid Spin!"

On a concrete surface, Ryoma took out his notebook and began outlining today's training plan for Sandshrew.

"Sha!"

Sandshrew clenched its small fist, looking full of determination.

Under Ryoma's guidance, Sandshrew rolled into a ball and executed Defense Curl, wrapping itself in Normal-type energy. It then started to make the Normal-type energy circulate rhythmically, causing its body to spin like a top...

With the experience from training Rollout, as long as Sandshrew could successfully get itself to spin, the subsequent training would proceed step by step.

First, Ryoma found a slope for Sandshrew to practice moving while using Rapid Spin. As long as it completed this step, Sandshrew would have effectively mastered Rapid Spin.

Next up was to practice, practice, and practice some more, finally aiming to achieve a level of proficiency similar to Rollout, allowing for continuous turning and attacking movements. Thanks to the spinning motion, it would also be more variable than Rollout, making it easier to maneuver.

After a full day of training, that evening, Ryoma took Sandshrew to the food plaza to enjoy a big meal as promised.

"This is yesterday's big meal. As for tomorrow's, that will depend on your performance tonight," Ryoma said casually after placing their order.

"Shashasha!"

Sandshrew patted its chest, indicating that it would definitely achieve this!

"The championship battle for the Pokémon Alliance Professional League Summer Playoffs is about to begin…"

"Now we welcome the two teams entering the arena: the reigning champions, the Sky Crown Team, and this year's strongest dark horse, the Devon Team!"

While Ryoma quietly enjoyed his meal, a loud noise from the television suddenly caught his attention.

It turned out that at some point, a staff member had turned on the television, which was broadcasting a live Pokémon battle.

"Pokémon Alliance Professional League?"

Hearing this, Ryoma felt a sense of familiarity, recalling those moments spent with friends at the internet café.

"But what is the Pokémon Alliance? Is it a new game from some company?"

Curious, Ryoma turned to look, and he immediately saw the huge battle arena on the television screen, where five people were standing on either side of the arena.

"Five versus five?"

Ryoma blinked in surprise. Although he thought this Pokémon Alliance might involve battles among Pokémon, having five people on each side seemed a bit excessive!

It was somewhat reminiscent of the popular Hero Alliance trend.

"All team members are ready. Now, let's roll out the big screen to determine the battle arena!"

With the host's voice coming through, the large screen in the arena lit up, ultimately freezing on the grassy battlefield.

"Whoa, the arena has been confirmed; it's the grassy field."

As the battle arena was confirmed, a resounding roar echoed throughout the venue, and the central plain battle arena began to slowly lower, making way for a field covered in grass to rise up and replace the previous arena!