Trainers returning from the Kingdom of Roc

Chapter 17: Battle Club

After Hou Hao's earth-shattering display of the flashing mosquito coil tadpoles this morning, the day's classes were completely ruined.

On the surface, classroom order was maintained, with the teacher explaining the formula for energy cubes and the attribute restraint table on the podium. However, many of the students below had shifty eyes and were whispering among themselves.

The nib of the pen unconsciously drew swirling patterns or light blue outlines on the notebook. Their minds had long since flown to the forests and rivers outside the city. Even when the teacher called on them to ask a question, the students who were called on would often pause for a few seconds and give a completely irrelevant answer.

The teachers also felt a mix of emotions and found it difficult to truly engage in teaching.

They understand better than the students what a Shiny Pokémon, especially one caught in an E-rank region, represents.

It wasn't just luck; it was more like a vivid, tangible miracle that crashed into their familiar cognitive framework.

Seeing others showing off their shiny Pokémon online feels like watching a story from another world through a screen. There might be envy, but the impact is limited.

But the real-life examples around me are completely different. The classmate who was in school with me yesterday is now the focus of the whole school, holding that dreamy light blue little guy.

The sense of reality that "this kind of thing really can happen, and it happened to someone I know" is incredibly stimulating.

More importantly, the Green Tributary is merely an E-rank wild area open to novice trainers. Theoretically, it contains only the most common and ordinary Pokémon species, and in the eyes of countless veteran trainers and students, it is almost entirely devoid of Shiny Pokémon.

If he can do it, why can't I?

This idea, like wildfire, ignited in the hearts of almost every student and many young teachers.

Hou Hao's performance was not top-notch, and his identity as the son of the gym owner was subconsciously overlooked in this incident, since his father had never caught Flash either, right?

That mosquito coil tadpole was more like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, a pure stroke of luck. If such luck could befall Hou Hao, why couldn't it befall him?

A subtle, almost rebellious collective mentality is spreading.

Prince and general, would you rather have a kind?

Are those powerful trainers, gym leaders, and champions necessarily starting from a higher point than us? Perhaps all they lack is an opportunity, a chance to step into the wild and be favored by fate.

Luo Yan appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly she knew better than anyone where this undercurrent would lead.

He could almost foresee that in the next few days, weeks, or even longer, the E-level or even D-level wilderness areas around Jiangcheng that are open to the public, similar to green tributaries, would likely see an unprecedented surge in visitors.

The place, which is usually frequented by individual trainers or school groups, will be filled with a large number of young trainers with dreams of shining, curious citizens, and even media outlets looking to dig up news and business opportunities.

The forest trails will be crowded with people searching for unusual colors, every stone by the river may be examined, and every suspicious clump of grass will be repeatedly disturbed.

The tranquility of the wilderness will be shattered, the daily routines of Pokémon will be disrupted, the pressure on security personnel will increase dramatically, rescue calls may become more frequent, and the number of people who can actually find a second Shiny Pokémon is probably one in ten thousand.

However, hope and fervor often disregard probability.

But all of this was no longer relevant to Hou Hao, the person in question. At this moment, what the two of them cared about most was the match against the club that night.

The school bell rang, but the day's restlessness and lingering effects hadn't subsided. Luo Yan and Hou Hao had no intention of lingering. They met up with Lu Feng, who was already waiting at the school gate, and got into the car.

With a low growl, the vehicle merged into the evening rush hour traffic, its destination the gaming club in Jiangcheng.

This battle club is quite famous among local trainers.

While not the largest or most luxurious, it is well-equipped and far superior to those simple private venues on the street.

More importantly, this place has indeed produced some outstanding players who have made their mark in regional and even higher-level competitions. It has a strong atmosphere of practical combat and can be considered a small landmark of Jiangcheng's trainer culture.

However, Jiangcheng itself is not a popular tourist city, nor a transportation hub, and lacks the natural advantage of attracting a large number of trainers from other places to come here for challenges or exchanges. Therefore, those who are active here on weekdays are mostly college student trainers from the city and surrounding areas, ordinary trainers who are eager to accumulate practical experience, and some middle-aged enthusiasts who, although no longer young, still cherish unfulfilled dreams or simply love battles.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the sounds of engines roaring from the club could already be faintly heard. As we got closer, the sounds became even clearer.

The club's exterior is quite imposing; more like a large, multi-functional sports stadium than a club, its huge floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the bright interior lights and the shadows of people moving about.

Led by Lu Feng, a regular customer, Luo Yan and Hou Hao skipped the hassle of queuing at the entrance and quickly entered through the side player/member entrance.

The moment you step inside, a wave of sound and heat hits you.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

The main venue is a sunken standard battle arena, surrounded by tiered seating. The venue is currently quite full, with people intently watching the intense battle taking place. A lithe Thunder Beast is locked in combat with a nimble Chinchilla, with lightning and high-speed sparks flying everywhere, eliciting gasps from the audience.

But the club has much more than just one battle arena. Through the open corridors and transparent partitions, you can see that the interior is divided into several battle rooms of different sizes, a coffee area for people to rest and chat, a shop selling basic supplies and souvenirs, and even several electronic screens that display the rankings of local trainers and information on recent popular battle reservations in real time.

Hou Hao's eyes couldn't take it all in at once; he looked around excitedly, pointing and gesturing. "Wow, that area over there is sand! Look, that person is using a Scyther, one of the rarest Bug-type Pokémon!"

Luo Yan appeared more composed, but his gaze swept quickly and carefully over the surrounding environment, the trainers' condition, and the tactical level displayed in battles on different fields.

This is indeed a stage where trainers' wisdom, strength, and passion collide directly.

Lu Feng grinned as he looked at the two of them, especially Hou Hao, who seemed eager to try.

"I was just as excited as you guys when I first came here. Alright, stop just watching. I'll take you to register as trainers, and then you can go up and battle a couple of times, how about that?"

...