"What are these alloys made of?" Roy asked, tapping on the training room wall with fascination.
Earlier, Riolu had struck the wall with Rock Smash—a move powerful enough to shatter a massive boulder twice the height of a person. Yet the special alloy wall remained completely undamaged, without even a hairline crack.
It wasn't just that the walls were unscathed; the foundation hadn't even trembled from the impact. This level of structural integrity was remarkable.
If such construction technology had existed in his previous life, humans would have been completely safe from earthquakes.
"It must be reverse-engineered from technology found in the spiritual domain ruins," Roy speculated.
His curiosity about these spiritual domains grew stronger by the day. He wanted to confirm whether they were connected to the Pokémon world he'd seen in games and anime. Perhaps he could discover something significant there.
Unfortunately, entry to spiritual domains was restricted to Professional Trainers only.
Setting aside his curiosity, Roy glanced down at Squirtle.
"Time to start training, Squirtle. I'll supervise you personally."
Squirtle raised his arm enthusiastically and clenched his fist.
"Squirtle!" he exclaimed—Ready to go!
Meanwhile, Riolu had already begun his training routine nearby. His personality was remarkably mature and disciplined—reliable like a miniature adult.
After experiencing the satisfaction of growing stronger, battling, and competing, Riolu no longer needed Roy to motivate his training or fighting spirit. When he needed rest, he would stop on his own and consume energy cubes. When his body wanted to slack off, he would ring the Soothe Bell himself, providing self-motivation.
He wore both the Soothe Bell and the weighted training bracelet throughout his session. As long as the training method remained consistent, Riolu could work out independently.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun on that iron plate!" Roy instructed.
Following his command, Squirtle puffed his cheeks and released a jet of water that struck the metal target. When the attack ended, a display screen near the iron plate illuminated.
"Move identified: Water Gun"
"Power rating: D+"
"Move identified: Icy Wind"
"Power rating: D"
"Move identified: Ice Punch"
"Power rating: E+"
Squirtle's overall rating was D. The D+ level Water Gun confirmed that his strength indeed lay in special attacks. The non-STAB Icy Wind performing as well as a same-level Water-type Pokémon's move proved his natural talent with Ice-type moves. The melee Ice Punch barely scoring E+ was clearly his weakest point.
With this data collected, Roy became even more confident in his training approach for Squirtle.
"Squirtle, keep using Water Gun!" he commanded.
"Continue!"
"Why are you stopping? Keep going!"
"Again! Now use Icy Wind this time!"
Roy monitored Squirtle's physical condition using his Aura perception. When he sensed Squirtle approaching his limit, he called out, "Okay, rest for five minutes. Finish eating your energy cubes, then we'll continue."
"Squirt... tle..." Squirtle collapsed on the ground, wiping sweat from his body with his small hands.
Stop pushing so hard! I literally don't have a drop of energy left!
"Don't give up, Squirtle," Roy encouraged. "Don't you want everyone to see how special you are? Don't you want Principal Finn and your father Blastoise to see that we can go further than they ever did?"
As he spoke, Roy struck another motivational chord, and for a moment, he could almost hear Might Guy shouting about the power of youth.
Energized by this double dose of inspiration, Squirtle regained his spirits. He ate the energy cubes, quickly replenishing the energy his cells had depleted.
Five minutes later, Squirtle resumed his training, consistently executing moves.
This cycle repeated throughout the morning. By lunchtime, Squirtle had completely exhausted his energy reserves twelve times, while Riolu had only done so three times. Consequently, Squirtle consumed twice as many energy cubes as Riolu.
The higher a Pokémon's level and the more intense their training, the greater their demand for energy cubes—and the faster Roy's points dwindled. Even with over 2 million points as a base, he couldn't help but feel concerned.
At this rate, he estimated his two million points would last only four or five months. Fortunately, Squirtle's emoticons were gradually gaining popularity online. Compared to participating in competitions, gaining popularity this way was slower but provided long-lasting, continuous income.
'As my team grows in both number and strength, daily expenses will become my biggest point drain,' Roy thought. 'I should only buy necessary items and TMs, and develop more sustainable income sources for the future.'
At lunchtime, Roy let Riolu and Squirtle rest and eat in the training room while he headed to the cafeteria to meet Serena and Reece.
Although they weren't in the same class anymore, they had agreed to meet daily during lunch.
Before Roy had taken more than a couple of bites, Reece began discussing Capital University's school team.
"The school team is finally recruiting new members?" Roy's eyes brightened.
Ca[pital University encouraged students to create clubs and organize activities, providing funding and venues. For clubs that achieved notable results, the school also distributed substantial scholarships.
Recently, various organizations—including the Psychological Research Club, Fighting Enthusiasts, Tactical Discussion Club, and Pokémon Farming Club—had extended invitations to Roy, but he had declined them all.
The purpose of these associations was evident from their names: they were dedicated to researching how Pokémon powers could benefit society, academics, sociology, and other fields.
Battle wasn't everything in the Pokémon world—but everyone had to admit it was always the most prominent aspect. Therefore, regardless of which Pokémon university, no matter how many clubs existed on campus, there was always one club that stood out above all others: the Pokémon Battle Club.
The full name of Capital University's team was the "Capital University Pokémon Battle Club Representative Team." Only selected team members could participate in one of the most prestigious Pokémon competitions for young trainers—the National Collegiate League.
"The recruitment timing varies each year, but it's generally before midterms," Roy raised his eyebrows. "When does the school team plan to start recruiting this year?"
Reece, coming from a wealthy family, was talkative and sociable. With abundant free time, good looks (though perpetually single), he could chat with anyone and knew all the campus gossip—essentially a walking information desk.
"Same as usual—two months from now, before midterms," Reece replied with a smile. "Why so eager? Don't tell me you're hoping to be selected as a starter for the school team? To compete in the National Collegiate League?"
Seeing Roy's noncommittal reaction, Reece froze.
"You can't be serious?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Brother, let's be realistic here."
Reece's exaggerated reaction was understandable. Typically, only juniors became regular members of collegiate teams with opportunities to participate in the National Collegiate League for two years.
Capital University's previous recommended students often became official team selections in their sophomore year. These individuals were widely recognized as "geniuses."
This wasn't unique to Capital University—Central and League Universities, the two most prestigious institutions, maintained even higher standards. Many of their first-year recommended students couldn't secure starter positions even in their sophomore years.
The stronger the school team, the higher the threshold for selection.
Wanting to be a member in your freshman year? That seemed like challenging the natural order.
Only at weaker schools might "freshman selection" occur, where the general student level was low enough that a genuine prodigy could quickly rise to prominence.
"Everyone needs dreams," Roy shrugged. "Nothing to lose by trying."
Serena propped her delicate chin on her hand. "Your expression suggests more than just 'trying.'"
Roy chuckled, no longer denying it.
Serena sighed quietly, thinking she'd guessed correctly. When she'd first heard about the team recruitment, she had anticipated Roy's reaction.
He seemed like a different person lately—suddenly talented and confident in Pokémon battles. If not for certain habits and personality traits remaining consistent, she might have suspected a Ditto was impersonating him.
"I heard this year's Collegiate League will be different from previous ones," Serena mentioned casually.
"Because of the upset at the Asian Championship, officials decided to increase Trainer support. Beyond the usual prizes, this year's Collegiate League champion will also receive an opportunity to enter the 'Crown Tundra' to catch Pokémon..."
"What?!"
Roy looked surprised, while Reece reacted even more dramatically, jumping up from his seat.
The Crown Tundra was the name of a "spiritual domain." This was the most exceptional spiritual domain, with the current Pokémon League Headquarters built at its entrance.
According to rumors, as many as five or more Legendary Pokémon resided permanently in the Crown Tundra.
Of course, Legendary Pokémon were beyond most trainers' reach. What truly excited countless Trainers was another highly credible rumor: groups of pseudo-legendary Pokémon from major regions inhabited the Crown Tundra.
Legend had it that Frances's champion Dragonite had been captured in the Crown Tundra.
If news spread that the National Collegiate League champion would get a chance to enter the Crown Tundra to capture Pokémon, every school team member would fight desperately for victory!
"Is this information reliable?" Reece asked quickly.
"Probably," Serena glanced at Roy. "Ivy told me."
"If Senior Ivy said it, it must be true. Wow, this is huge news..."
Reece mumbled to himself.
Roy asked curiously, "How did you get Ivy's contact information?"
"After I acquired Vulpix, Ivy added me herself. She was concerned about Vulpix's condition and shared lots of advice about raising Fire-types," Serena explained, clearly impressed by the senior student as she smiled slightly.
"Senior Ivy had no choice but to leave Vulpix with the school. Her main team already had six Pokémon, and she lacked the time, energy, and resources to raise another. Rather than letting Vulpix languish under her care, she preferred finding a Trainer who would treat it well while also contributing to the school."
In this world, there was no limit to how many Pokémon one could own. With sufficient money and qualifications, a person could raise hundreds. However, for active Trainers, six main Pokémon was considered the most scientifically and practically reasonable number.
The official Pokémon League also advocated the "six main Pokémon" configuration.