The next morning, Black Feather woke up and went to the restaurant in the Pokémon Center to have breakfast.
"Free food, it tastes amazing!" Black Feather smiled as he looked at the curry meat sauce noodles in front of him.
The Alliance's benefits for direct trainers were clear in every aspect of life—food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
"Hehe!" The Lobster Soldier waved its claws, but Black Feather noticed it looked a little tired.
"Is the Lobster Soldier feeling weak?" Black Feather wondered. He touched the Lobster Soldier's body and noticed its shell wasn't as moist as usual, but it felt warm and dry.
"Ah, I see!" Black Feather realized. "Even though Lobster Soldiers are amphibians, they need to replenish water regularly. Without enough water, they can become sluggish and tired."
This information was in the training manual. A regular trainer might take a while to figure it out, but Black Feather knew it right away.
He quickly went to the front desk and asked for a bathroom, where he let the Lobster Soldier take a good shower.
"Wow, wow, wow~~" The Lobster Soldier moved its six short legs in excitement, clearly happy.
"Hehe!" It waved its claws, showing its eagerness.
Black Feather squatted down, tapped the Lobster Soldier's claws, which was their special greeting.
"Great! The Lobster Soldier is full of energy now. If we bring over some female shrimps, could we have baby shrimps?" Black Feather joked.
The Lobster Soldier looked confused, so Black Feather decided to take it for a sparring match instead.
Back in the Pokémon Center, the hall wasn't as busy as last night. Some trainers were getting ready to leave, while others were still sleeping in.
"Good morning, Miss Joy!" Black Feather greeted.
"Good morning, Trainer Kuroyu!" Miss Joy smiled warmly.
Black Feather walked up to her and said, "Miss Joy, could you find me an opponent for a sparring match? It doesn't need to be too strong, and the opponent should be traveling for no more than a year."
Miss Joy nodded and went to work on the computer.
The Pokémon Center had a battle arena, but ordinary trainers had to pay to use it. However, direct trainers like Black Feather didn't need to worry about that; all expenses were covered by the Alliance.
"Trainer Black Feather, please wait a moment. No one is looking to battle right now," Miss Joy said apologetically.
Black Feather didn't mind. He used this time to chat with Miss Joy and gather some information.
"You're so interesting, Black Feather Trainer!" Miss Joy giggled, covering her mouth.
Black Feather leaned in and said, "You can just call me Black Feather. By the way, I don't know your name yet."
"My name is Joy Lin, but you can call me Xiao Lin," she replied enthusiastically.
Just as they were enjoying their conversation, an alarm sounded from the computer.
"Ah, Black Feather, your opponent has been matched."
Black Feather turned to look and saw a boy about his age standing at a self-service machine, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
Following the directions on the screen, Black Feather made his way to the outdoor battle arena.
"Are you my opponent? Just so you know, I'm going to defeat you!" the boy declared confidently.
Black Feather felt a bit embarrassed by his dramatic speech but didn't waste any time and began the match.
"Go, Lobster Soldier!" Black Feather threw a Poké Ball, and the Lobster Soldier appeared, excited and ready to fight.
The enemy trainer threw his own Poké Ball. "Go, Snake Bear!" he called, releasing a Snake Bear.
Black Feather opened his Elf Illustrated Book to check the information on the Snake Bear.
"Snake Bear, the Beanie Pokémon, a Normal-type. They tend to walk in zigzags because they're always curious and interested in everything."
There wasn't much detail, but Black Feather wasn't worried. He quickly commanded, "Lobster Soldier, use Foam Ray!"
The enemy trainer quickly responded, "Snake Bear, block with Sand Attack!"
The Lobster Soldier shot out sky-blue bubbles, but most were blocked by the sand. A few bubbles made it through and hit the Snake Bear.
"Now, Snake Bear, charge at it with a headbutt!" The enemy trainer ordered.
The Snake Bear gathered energy and rushed at the Lobster Soldier.
"Want to fight close-up? Lobster Soldier, use Combo Attack!" Black Feather responded.
The Lobster Soldier skillfully blocked the Snake Bear's headbutt with one claw and then struck the Snake Bear with the other claw, sending it flying backward.
"Good job, Lobster Soldier!" Black Feather cheered.
The Snake Bear cried out in pain and was knocked back several meters.
"Don't give it a chance, Lobster Soldier! Use Foam Ray to finish it!" Black Feather ordered.
The Lobster Soldier sprayed a barrage of bubbles, overwhelming the Snake Bear and slowly draining its energy.
"Snake Bear, no!" the enemy trainer cried out, rushing to pick up the weak Snake Bear and holding it in his arms.
Black Feather walked over to the Lobster Soldier, who was still eager to fight. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, this was just a warm-up. I'll make you work even harder this afternoon!"
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