After obtaining the Trainer qualification, Xiao Zuo registered with the Alliance.
Xiao Zuo also gained the right to challenge Gyms and participate in the Alliance Tournament. From today, Xiao Zuo officially stepped into the Trainer profession.
The first thing Xiao Zuo did after becoming a Trainer was to go tell his mother and sister.
When he saw his mother, she already knew about it.
Because his mother is currently a breeding center employee, the Lin Yuan Town Breeding Center is where Lin Yuan Town Trainers keep their Pokemon.
All Trainers registered in Lin Yuan Town, if they haven't applied for transfer, will have all their captured Pokemon sent here for care, treatment, and breeding, just like Professor Oak's preserve.
However, Pallet Town doesn't produce many Trainers in a year; Ash's generation only had four people.
In Lin Yuan Town, where Xiao Zuo is, there are over thirty new Trainers this year, with Xiao Zuo being the last one. The others departed more than a week ago.
"Xiao Zuo, from now on, all the Pokemon you catch will be sent here, and Mom can take care of your Pokemon," Xiao Zuo's mother said, stroking his head.
"Yes, Mom, I'm a Trainer now! I'll work hard. Oh, right, Mom, is there a fee for transferring Pokemon to the breeding center?" Xiao Zuo asked.
"Oh, that. I know. After becoming an Alliance Trainer, there are three options. Option one: no fees required, the Alliance is fully responsible. However, the Alliance requires the breeding rights for the Pokemon once. The Alliance will find a mate for your Pokemon, breed a Pokemon egg, and the egg born once belongs to the Alliance."
"Option two: you pay for yourself. The annual upkeep fee for a Pokemon kept at the breeding center is 20,000 yuan per Pokemon. The Alliance is only responsible for feeding and care, nothing else."
"Option three: you can apply to establish your own transfer station, allowing you to build your own breeding center. The application limit is that the Trainer must reach the level of a Senior Trainer, and the fee is 5,000,000 yuan."
These were the only three options. When Xiao Zuo heard his mother say this, he thought, the Alliance is indeed overbearing.
Free care is impossible. They want to endlessly fleece the Trainers, providing a large number of Pokemon eggs to the Alliance each year.
As for self-payment, 20,000 per Pokemon. Any Trainer usually has more than a dozen Pokemon, rarely fewer than six. Even Alliance Trainers, how much salary do they earn annually? How many people can afford it?
As for the last option, that basically cuts out eighty percent of people.
Those who can reach the level of a Senior Trainer are either from wealthy families and don't lack money, or they are highly capable and have risen through their own efforts.
Such individuals would be recruited by the Alliance to become Trainers under the Alliance, becoming 'insiders,' and these rules would no longer apply to them.
Even if they don't join, very few can afford five million Alliance coins.
"Sigh, Mom, is there even a choice here? Only the first option is viable."
Xiao Zuo was also helpless. Not to mention he was poor and had no money, even if he did, he couldn't afford to spend like this. No wonder ordinary people can't afford to raise Pokemon.
"Indeed, Mom also thinks this is the best way. Later, when our Xiao Zuo becomes strong and joins the Alliance, our family will surely prosper!"
His mother's face was full of smiles, looking at her child, feeling very confident in her heart.
Her son would definitely become a very powerful Trainer, just like his father.
"Oh, right, Mom, I think we should rent a house in town. That way, it's convenient for you to commute to and from work every day. And my sister should be sent to school. This way, there's no fear of danger; being too close to the wild is still very dangerous."
He Zi had encountered danger before, being attacked by a Spearow, which left a lasting impression on her.
Seeing Xiao Zuo say this, his mother thought for a moment and agreed that it was a good idea. She said, "Alright, Mom has a stable job now, so let's rent a house and send your sister to school."
After his mother agreed, Xiao Zuo found an apartment close to the breeding center and moved his mother and sister there.
The house wasn't big, with only two bedrooms. His mother and sister each had a room, and Xiao Zuo could sleep on the sofa.
Since he would be going out for training soon, there was no need to rent a larger place.
Although the house was small, it was fully equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and shower, which made Xiao Yan incredibly happy.
The next day, Xiao Zuo arrived at the farm north of Lin Yuan Town.
This was a cattle ranch, a farm that raised cattle and Tauros.
Tauros are powerful laborers, and many farmlands, crops, and mountainous areas would purchase Tauros as labor.
Cattle, of course, were for eating. The Pokemon world also has many ordinary creatures.
The farm owner came out and saw a young man walking towards him, and immediately went to meet Xiao Zuo.
This was an elderly gentleman, riding a Tauros, galloping towards Xiao Zuo, stopping abruptly in front of him.
"Young man, is there anything I can help you with?"
Xiao Zuo looked at the old man riding the Tauros and thought, "Just two inches more, and the horn would have hit my face."
"Hello, I'm a new Trainer from Lin Yuan Town. I heard you have powerful Electric-type Pokemon. I'd like to ask for your guidance; I want my Pokemon to learn Electric-type moves."
Xiao Zuo stated his purpose and released Meowth.
"Oh? You're quite resourceful, hahaha! To actually find me here, alright, let me show you!" The old man said, throwing a pokemon ball and releasing an Ampharos, golden all over, standing upright, with a tail like a light bulb.
"Meowth, here we go! Be sure to feel it carefully and try to grasp the move as soon as possible."
Xiao Zuo had Meowth prepare. Meowth, being a feline Pokemon, could naturally generate static electricity, so learning Electric-type moves wasn't difficult.
"Little fellow, get ready! Don't just pass out. Ampharos, give it an appetizer first, Thunderbolt!"
After he spoke, Ampharos's tail glowed, its body emitting electric sparks, and a golden electric bolt shot out towards Meowth.
Meowth, in order to learn Electric-type moves, struck a pose and prepared. "Zzzzzzzzzzz," a crackling sound, and with that one hit, Meowth was instantly knocked out.
Looking at the fainted Meowth, Xiao Zuo covered his head, "Oh my god."
"The level gap must be too big. Meowth is probably under level 10, and that Ampharos is at least level 30 or above. Even the lowest move's power is excessive."
Xiao Zuo went forward, picked up Meowth, and gave it two sitrus berries to help it recover.
"Young man, your Meowth's level is too low. This won't do. You need to expose it to electricity little by little to gain understanding. Learning cross-type moves independently isn't that simple," the farm owner said to Xiao Zuo.
If a Trainer doesn't use a TM, learning moves of a different type than the Pokemon's own is very difficult.
If Meowth had an Electric-type TM, it would learn the move in minutes, but figuring it out on its own would certainly not be as fast.
"How about this, come, let's go to my house, have some tea, and I'll teach you properly."
The farm owner warmly invited Xiao Zuo into his house. Xiao Zuo was there to learn, so of course he couldn't leave and agreed.
The farm owner then lifted Xiao Zuo onto Tauros's back, and then dust flew as they galloped away in a flash.
Sitting in the farm owner's house, Xiao Zuo finally understood what it meant to be wealthy.
The entire house was luxuriously decorated, and nothing was cheap. "Thank you, Mr. Farm Owner," Xiao Zuo said, taking the tea handed to him by the farm owner, expressing his gratitude.
"Hey, no 'Mr. Farm Owner,' just call me Grandpa Wu. Young man, making Meowth learn Electric-type moves isn't something that happens overnight. You have to let it get used to the feeling of electricity first."
As he spoke, he took out a special device with faint electric currents flickering on it.
"This is my custom-made current simulator. It can release small currents to let Meowth gradually experience them." Xiao Zuo's eyes lit up; this was a good item.
Xiao Zuo placed Meowth next to the device. Meowth was initially a bit scared, but gradually approached with Xiao Zuo's encouragement.
With a faint crackling sound, Meowth felt the current, its body trembling slightly.
After several attempts, Meowth seemed to get a feel for it, a hint of excitement flashing in its eyes.
"It seems to be working a bit, but this is just the first step. Next, you need to take Meowth to adapt to this current, and once it's fully adapted, then let Ampharos try."
Xiao Zuo nodded seriously, filled with gratitude. He took Meowth aside to do some training.
Grandpa Wu saw Xiao Zuo diligently learning and went out, leaving Xiao Zuo and Meowth to train on their own.
Time flew by. In one afternoon, Meowth had trained to the point where it felt no discomfort from the device's current, and its fur could even frequently emit faint currents.
"Grandpa Wu, I learned a lot today, but it's getting late. Can I come again tomorrow?" Xiao Zuo asked, feeling a bit embarrassed to disturb him so much, especially since Grandpa Wu had helped him a lot.
"Don't be polite. I'm bored staying here every day anyway. You can come to see me anytime in the future." Grandpa Wu was very polite, and perhaps he truly was bored staying alone, so he actually hoped Xiao Zuo would visit him more often. The two bid farewell.
For the next few days, Xiao Zuo ran to the estate every day, leaving early and returning late, for three consecutive days.
After three days of unremitting effort, Meowth finally successfully unleashed a powerful Electric-type move at noon on this day.
"Meowth, use Thunderbolt on that pillar!" Xiao Zuo commanded. "Meow!" Meowth let out a cry, then its body emitted golden lightning, quickly striking the wooden stake in front and shattering it.
"Beautiful!" Xiao Zuo clapped his hands excitedly. Meowth had learned Thunderbolt; this was simply a great weapon.
Thunderbolt has a power of 80, a 100% accuracy rate, and a chance to paralyze; it's simply an essential skill for home and travel.
