[Don't worry Linda, he's just very gently touching them with his fingertips, and then he's pulling his hands back away soon enough.]
There are a few reasons why an electric-type may have trouble when it comes to storing or discharging their electricity. One can be illness causing an inability to release built-up electricity. In the case of Pikachu, it looks like something similar to the flu, I think. It can also be caused by strong electromagnetic forces, which severely affect the electric glands. [Hence why he seemed to be checking them for a second, to see if something felt off about them.] I'm not a Pokemon Doctor, so I can't really confirm that particular taste one way or the other...however, I personally don't think it's illness in this case, since you said that this has been going on for months--if she was sick, I doubt she would be moving as well as she is right now.
Another is, as you said, simply shorting out. As electric-type Pokemon build up electricity, they often need to discharge it somewhere to release excess energy so as not to result in a short or worse. If I recall correctly, Pikachu release the built-up energy through their tail, which acts as a grounding rod, to remove unneeded energy safely. It's possible that Linda's been shorting out because she hasn't been doing this as often as she needed to, either due to how she's been trained or simply being unable to do so given her current electrical output...
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There are a few reasons why an electric-type may have trouble when it comes to storing or discharging their electricity. One can be illness causing an inability to release built-up electricity. In the case of Pikachu, it looks like something similar to the flu, I think. It can also be caused by strong electromagnetic forces, which severely affect the electric glands. [Hence why he seemed to be checking them for a second, to see if something felt off about them.] I'm not a Pokemon Doctor, so I can't really confirm that particular taste one way or the other...however, I personally don't think it's illness in this case, since you said that this has been going on for months--if she was sick, I doubt she would be moving as well as she is right now.
Another is, as you said, simply shorting out. As electric-type Pokemon build up electricity, they often need to discharge it somewhere to release excess energy so as not to result in a short or worse. If I recall correctly, Pikachu release the built-up energy through their tail, which acts as a grounding rod, to remove unneeded energy safely. It's possible that Linda's been shorting out because she hasn't been doing this as often as she needed to, either due to how she's been trained or simply being unable to do so given her current electrical output...