Chapter 253: The Saffron City Battle Tower
The Saffron City Battle Tower was located on Century Avenue in the city's new district. Situated on the banks of the Saffron River, with the modern skyscrapers of the Silph Financial District at its back, it stood in brilliant contrast to the international architecture of The Promenade across the river. It was a multi-functional building that combined Pokémon battles, urban sightseeing, and fashionable dining all in one.
"Wow, it's so tall and magnificent."
Standing at the base of the tower, Basalt looked up at the structure soaring into the clouds and marveled.
Compared to the Oriental Pearl Tower from his old world, this Battle Tower was far more grand and spectacular.
He had done a bit of research before coming, so he knew that the tower had nine floors. The first floor was a public lobby, and from the second floor up, each level corresponded to a trainer rank, from Beginner all the way to Champion.
Novice and Legendary ranks were not included. Novices were too weak to bother with, and Legendaries were mythical beings that almost never appeared before the public. In fact, even the ninth-floor Champion stadium was empty year-round, sometimes not seeing use for years at a time. The Elite Four-level stadium on the eighth floor was opened occasionally, but not often, and mostly for exhibition matches.
As for Master-level battles, those were more common. As one of the five great nations, the Saffron Battle Tower frequently hosted spars between Master-level trainers, both domestic and international. Whether or not these were open to the public, however, depended on the masters' moods.
The lower ranks, like Gym Leader and Pro-level, were as common as sand on a beach. In Metro City, Gym Leader-level trainers were a rare sight, but Saffron City's "siphoning effect" was incredibly strong. Trainers from all over the nation, and even the world, gathered here to train hard and battle, all striving to reach the rank of Master.
This was Saffron City, a place where masters gathered.
"Welcome to the Saffron City Battle Tower, sir. How may I help you?"
As Basalt walked into the first-floor lobby, a beautiful receptionist in a pencil skirt immediately came to greet him, a professional smile on her face.
"Hello, I'd like to register for a membership," Basalt stated his purpose.
A place like the Battle Tower was, without a doubt, members-only. But the requirements weren't high; it was mostly just a matter of paying.
"Of course, sir. Please come this way to register."
Led by the receptionist, Basalt handed over his Pokédex and filled out the relevant information. Since the Pokédex was equivalent to an ID card and already contained most of his details, the process was quick, taking only three or five minutes.
But when she saw Basalt's trainer rank, even a worldly receptionist from an international metropolis like Saffron City was a little taken aback.
A 19-year-old Advanced-rank Trainer... that wasn't a common sight.
After paying the 1,000 League Currency registration fee and depositing another 9,000, Basalt received his member card.
"Mr. Basalt, now that your registration is complete, we need to perform an energy level check on the Pokémon you wish to battle with to determine their rank. After that, your Pokémon can challenge others at their corresponding level. Of course, you can also challenge higher ranks, but that Pokémon must maintain a win rate of over 90%."
"Oh? You already have mature energy testing machines here?" Basalt raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
In the past, determining a Pokémon's rank required a comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors. It was time-consuming, laborious, and not always accurate. But with the advancement of energy research, energy testing machines had appeared, which could measure the intensity of a Pokémon's internal energy.
Determining a Pokémon's rank by its energy level was a more advanced method, though it hadn't been widely adopted yet. There was a popular theory in the scientific community that as these machines developed, each rank would be further subdivided, allowing for an even more precise measurement of energy control.
But then he remembered this was Saffron City, a world-class battle facility. It made sense.
"Of course," the receptionist said with a sweet smile. She led Basalt to a large machine that looked a bit like an X-ray scanner.
Following her instructions, Basalt placed his four Pokéballs on the machine.
He pressed a switch, and a beam of light scanned the Pokéballs. The Pokémon's data instantly appeared on a screen.
Excadrill: Advanced-Rank.
Bronzong: Advanced-Rank.
Lileep: Advanced-Rank.
Larvitar: Beginner-Rank.
When she saw Lileep and Larvitar on the list, the receptionist's eyelids couldn't help but twitch a few times. The presence of these two Pokémon spoke volumes.
But as a highly professional staff member, while she was shocked internally, she didn't let it show on her face. "Mr. Basalt," she said, as if nothing were out of the ordinary, "your registration and Pokémon rank assessment are complete. Next, would you like to request a practical battle, a sparring partner, or the observation service?"
The Battle Tower's main business was, of course, Pokémon battles, but it wasn't limited to that.
The sparring service allowed members to request an opponent of a specific rank and species, and the tower would do its best to accommodate them.
The observation service allowed members to watch battles between high-level trainers to gain experience or inspiration.
Of course, the latter two services burned through money. Those without deep pockets rarely chose them.
But Basalt? His pockets were definitely deep.
There was a saying that floated around the Battle Tower: if you have enough money, you can even hire a Master-level trainer as your sparring partner. And that wasn't just a rumor.
"I'll try a practical battle first," Basalt said, his eyes narrowing. This was what he had come for.
"Very well. Would you like to go to the Beginner-level floor or the Advanced-level floor?"
"The Beginner floor."
In terms of battle experience, Excadrill was definitely the most seasoned, followed by Bronzong and Lileep, who weren't far behind. Basalt had been spending every evening at his university's Battle Club. The average sophomore couldn't handle him anymore. As for Excadrill, even some of the third-year students couldn't keep it in check.
But compared to his main three, Larvitar's battle experience was practically zero. It needed to catch up.
"Very well, sir. Please come this way."
The receptionist led Basalt to an elevator. As they ascended, she continued to explain the rules. "In the practical battle zone, we have two important metrics. The first is a point system: you get 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss. The second is a win-rate system. The system will automatically track your win rate for different Pokémon, ranks, and match types, as well as your overall win rate."
"Generally, a trainer with a higher win rate is stronger. As your win rate increases, we will match you with opponents of corresponding skill to ensure you always feel challenged..."
"In addition, some of our members prefer not to reveal their identity. So, we can also provide a cloak or mask, as well as a voice-changing device, to meet all our customers' needs..."
Although Basalt already knew some of this, the receptionist's voice was so pleasant that he didn't have the heart to interrupt her. Besides, an awkward silence would have been worse. The high-EQ Basalt wouldn't have that.
He did, however, need the cloak and voice changer.
Larvitar was his trump card and future ace. The whole reason he had come here was to gain battle experience without revealing its existence.
Donning the cloak, his face and figure were completely hidden. His voice, processed by the voice changer, became a flat, emotionless monotone.
Then, sitting in a private lounge, he used the computer in front of him to submit a request for a random match. As a new member with no battle history, he didn't even have the right to challenge a specific person.
Before long, he was matched. His opponent was a sunny-looking boy with a bowl cut and a bright, toothy smile.
At the same time, the screen displayed the battle location: Field 12.
"My first opponent in Saffron City. I hope he doesn't disappoint."
Basalt's lips curled up slightly. He stood up, pushed the door open, and headed for Field 12.
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