The elevator stopped on the third floor. The doors opened, revealing a corridor carpeted in dark gray.
Tightly shut dark wooden doors lined both sides of the corridor, each marked with a number.
Several oil paintings of Pokémon hung on the walls, all Psychic-type—Alakazam, Gardevoir, Xatu, Espeon... Each was exquisitely rendered in soft colors, perfectly complementing the training center's overall style.
At the end of the corridor stood a floor-to-ceiling window, offering a view of Mossdeep City's skyline. The glass facades of several high-rises gleamed gold beneath the sunlight.
Xinhai found his Training Room No. 23 and pushed open the door.
The room was more than twice the size of the one he had rented in Lilycove City.
The floor was covered in professional battle flooring. Its dark gray surface was marked with crisp white boundary lines, with a standard-sized battle zone in the center and a command area on each side.
A metal pillar made of special alloy stood in each of the four corners. Fine energy patterns could vaguely be seen flowing slowly along their surfaces, similar to the setup of the battlefields aboard the Sea Emperor.
There was also plenty of open space around the field, filled with all sorts of training equipment—obstacle posts for speed training, power gel for strength training, targets for move accuracy training... Everything was there.
A row of rest chairs stood against one wall. Beside them was a small treatment area containing a treatment bed and a portable energy detector.
"Not bad." Xinhai nodded in satisfaction, took the Poké Balls from his waist, and pressed their release buttons.
Red light flashed in succession as Blaziken, Krookodile, Grovyle, Mightyena, Zigzagoon, Eevee, Charmander, Axew, and Weedle appeared one after another in the room.
"Starting today, we'll be specially training here for five days." Xinhai's