Chapter 89: The City Full of Electricity
"Huff... huff... huff... huff..."
A tiny Pokémon, out of breath, carried another Pokémon on its back. The Pokémon being carried seemed to be injured, listlessly allowing itself to be carried along.
"...", "..."
After what seemed to be an intense communication, the Pokémon carrying the other stubbornly shook its head and, gritting its teeth, slowly walked forward.
Suddenly, in their field of vision, a tall building stood before them. The exterior of the building was covered with various cables, and a buzzing sound continuously emanated from within.
A crackle of electric sparks flashed.
"!"
The Pokémon carrying the other was instantly overjoyed. It gently put down the Pokémon on its back and, after settling it down, sneakily ran towards the building alone.
…
Zidian City.
As its name suggested, this city was inextricably linked to electricity. (Translator's Note: 紫电 Zǐdiàn means "Violet Electricity").
With the passage of time, the entire Pokémon world had already moved on from the steam technology of the previous generation and had fully entered an era of electrification and intelligence. The endless stream of smart appliances and devices created an enormous demand for electricity among the people, and the largest power generation facilities in the entire Middel Region were distributed here.
Humans and Pokémon utilized these machines, which operated day and night, to generate electricity, supplying power to most cities. This cluster, in turn, attracted many interested parties. Over time, the residential area established around the Middel Power Plant formed the Zidian City of today.
A Guiding-type Gym—the Electric Gym—was also located here.
At this moment, at the entrance of the Gym, a dejected girlish voice sounded.
"How is it closed??"
"Ahhhhh, I've been so unlucky lately! First, I lost my wallet, then I encountered an earthquake, and now even the Gym door is closed... boohoohoo..."
Rio moved past Ming Rizhao and saw that the main gate of the Electric Gym was tightly locked, with a notice board hanging on it: "The Gym Leader of this Gym is out on business. Challengers, please wait for the Gym Leader's return."
"(Pokémon Language) There, there..."
As always, the understanding Ralts, in Ming Rizhao's arms, comfortingly stroked Ming Rizhao's cheek with its small hand.
Rio, walking by Ming Rizhao's feet, was also a little worried.
"So what do we do now? Should we go to another city and check? After all, we don't know when this Gym Leader will be back..."
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, and a flyer drifted down to Rio's feet.
"Hmm? What's this... Zidian City Electric Town Prize Pokémon Battle Competition?"
Rio held the flyer and read it out word by word. Then he thought for a moment, held up the flyer, and shook it at Ming Rizhao.
"Hey, why don't we enter this competition first?"
"There are prizes, you know?"
Rio emphasized the words "there are prizes," knowing Ming Rizhao as he did. As long as there were prizes involved, this slightly money-loving young lady would definitely not miss it.
As expected, Ming Rizhao took the flyer, and after a few glances, money symbols appeared in her eyes.
"The first prize is... one electric magnetic levitation motorcycle... This one, I must win it!"
Ming Rizhao was so excited she almost howled. Following the directions on the flyer, she headed towards a corner of Zidian City.
Zidian City, Electric Town.
As mentioned before, Zidian City possessed the largest power station in the entire Middel Region. Therefore, the electrical appliance manufacturing industry was also very developed. Various electric-powered devices were produced and distributed in this town, including all sorts of electric vehicles and home appliances. Among them, there was one street almost entirely composed of this type of shop, and thus, this "Electric Town" was born.
Walking down the street, the dazzling array of electrical products on display made the three little ones stare without blinking.
"Ooh, ooh, look! That's the superstar Diantha! Her Gardevoir is super powerful."
Ming Rizhao exclaimed in admiration at the beautiful female star appearing on a giant television screen.
Ralts, in her arms, also looked on with a face full of longing.
"The champion from XY has appeared. Could it be that this world also has a region similar to Kalos? In that case... does that mean I also have a chance to Mega Evolve?"
Rio was also paying attention to this world-famous female superstar, but obviously, his focus was not on the same aspect as Ming Rizhao and Ralts.
The thought that besides evolving into Lucario, he also had the possibility of Mega Evolving into Mega Lucario, made Rio's heart burn with excitement.
"But this TV is really huge. Truly worthy of being a product from Zidian City."
The TV switched to another channel, and only then did Rio shift his attention from the TV program to the television itself.
This TV, specially placed by the merchant outside the shop, was a full 2 meters long and about 1.3 meters high, equivalent to a nearly 150-inch TV from his previous life. Moreover, its pixel density was high and its color reproduction was realistic. Looking at it up close was a very stunning visual enjoyment.
However, although 150-inch TVs were not common, it wasn't as if Rio hadn't seen larger ones in his previous life. So, after a moment of amazement, he couldn't help but frequently glance at the shop across from the TV store.
That was a very large, semi-open-air commercial establishment.
Inside were rows of sleek, streamlined electric vehicles, full of a mechanical feel. Some had thick, sturdy dual wheels, while others didn't even have wheels, only a body that was somehow levitating, making Rio drool.
"I wonder if the prize for that competition in Electric Town is one of the vehicles here. If it is, I'll be rich."
Imagining himself as Kamen Rider... bah, a Pokémon Knight, a rapturous, silly grin appeared on Riolu's face.
Just like that, the three little ones, filled with a sense of novelty, finally arrived at the competition venue in Electric Town.
"Ah, there are still quite a lot of people."
Ming Rizhao stood on her tiptoes to look at the people queuing up to register. Although it wasn't as exaggerated as at the Pokémon Ecological Reserve, it was still quite lively.
However, there were quite a few special people here:
Some were young children still carrying school bags, some were maintenance workers in work clothes with wrenches hanging from their waists, some were cheerful old men leaning on canes, and some had an even more peculiar style. Over there was a young fishmonger with a headband, wearing a waterproof apron, and smelling of fish. In front of him was a young lady asking everyone if they wanted to buy a flower. Even queuing behind Ming Rizhao were two middle-aged uncles in slippers and tank tops, asking each other about their recent lives.
"How come you're also participating in the competition this time?"
"Don't mention it. Last time I didn't get that prize washing machine, and my wife nagged me for a whole month. When she saw there was a competition this time, she didn't even cook and just yelled at me to go compete. What about you?"
"My old lady has her eye on that automatic variable frequency air conditioner this time. She insists I win it back, and if I don't win, she won't even give me my allowance."
"Ah, that's really tough on you..."
"Isn't it though..."
"If we get a chance to face each other, how about it, brother? Go easy on me?"
"We're all in the same boat..."
The two middle-aged uncles sighed for a while, looking at each other with an "I have a good brother while you have a good wife" kind of gaze.
Rio, who was eavesdropping, thinking he might hear some secret, was left speechless.
So, Pokémon competitions in this world aren't all the very serious type. There are also these kinds that seem a bit unreliable.
It was finally Ming Rizhao's turn after a long wait. After registering her name and signing the competition contract, the young girl received a number plate: "33".
"Hello, your registration is complete. Please pay attention to the broadcast announcements, and then proceed to the designated battle arena for your match."
The staff member politely informed Ming Rizhao of the relevant details and then proceeded to handle the next person in line.
"That's, that's it for registration? Don't they need to verify my trainer identity? Or register my participating Pokémon?"
Ming Rizhao was a bit confused, standing on the side blankly, clutching her trainer ID card.
A passing auntie chuckled and said, "The competitions here are just for our own entertainment. How could they be as formal as those official competitions? Little girl, is this your first time in Zidian City?"
"Yes, it is. Are you also a competitor?"
"Just call me Aunt Keiko. The Gym Leader here loves Pokémon very much, so every so often, he cooperates with the merchants of Electric Town to hold Pokémon battle competitions like this. Since anyone can participate, besides us local residents of Zidian City, many tourists also join in while visiting. Therefore, this Electric Town competition has gradually evolved into a major event for our town."
Aunt Keiko explained a whole lot in a rush, and finally said she had to hurry home to cook dinner before bidding farewell.
The three little ones then wandered around Electric Town for a while longer before hearing a call from the broadcast.
"Contestant number 33, please proceed to arena number 3 for the first round."
"I repeat, contestant number 33..."
Ming Rizhao nervously straightened her clothes, then pumped her fist to rally her two little Pokémon companions. "It's our turn! Let's do our best!"