Dawn jogged to catch up with Shinji, looking at his still cold and rigid back, and helplessly let out a light sigh. She had already become immune to his sharp tongue.
If it were before, when he mercilessly mocked Ash like that, she would probably have been unable to resist retorting a few times. But after spending so much time together, she had long since figured out Shinji's personality—this guy's mouth was as hard as a rock, and the thoughts in his heart were never expressed properly. Arguing with him was a waste of energy.
"Shinji, wait for me!" Dawn quickened her pace to keep up with him, her tone cheerful. "Let's go to the Pokémon Center first and get settled. You have a Gym challenge tomorrow."
Shinji's steps paused slightly. He glanced sideways at her, noticing she wasn't puffing out her cheeks and complaining as usual. A barely noticeable flicker of surprise passed through his dark purple eyes before they returned to calm. He gave a faint "Hmm" in response.
The two walked side by side out of the Steel Gym and headed towards the nearby Pokémon Center.
Along the way, Dawn chattered non-stop about the details of the Gym battle, occasionally asking Shinji for his opinion on Gym Leader Roark's Pokémon. Although Shinji's replies were brief, he didn't outright ignore her as he usually would.
They soon arrived at the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy greeted them with her usual gentle demeanor.
After completing the check-in procedures, the two went to their assigned room—a double room with a living area, spacious enough for them to settle in temporarily.
Dawn tossed her backpack onto the sofa and slumped down onto it herself, letting out a long sigh. "Finally, we can rest. My feet are sore from all that walking."
Shinji, meanwhile, placed his backpack in a corner of the bedroom. After adjusting the Poké Balls on his belt, he turned to Dawn and said, "I'm going to train at the practice field in the back. You can go have fun on your own."
"Alright," Dawn agreed readily, her eyes sparkling. "Then I'll go check out the mall in Iron Island City and buy a few things."
Shinji nodded and walked straight out of the room.
He didn't head directly to the practice field. Instead, he went to the public phone booth in the Pokémon Center and dialed a familiar number.
After the call connected, a somewhat steady male voice came from the other end. "Shinji? Why are you calling all of a sudden?"
"Bro, please send Lairon over," Shinji said concisely, skipping any small talk. "I need it for my Steel Gym challenge."
Raiji's voice carried a hint of understanding. "The Steel Gym? Roark's Rock-type Pokémon? Lairon's Steel type would indeed be effective against them. No problem, I'll arrange the transfer right away."
A moment later, the transfer device next to the communicator lit up, and a Poké Ball appeared inside. Shinji reached over, picked it up, and waved it in front of the camera.
"Thanks," Shinji said before hanging up.
Lairon was a Pokémon he had caught earlier, with an potential that had reached the 'Good' level. It hadn't yet evolved into its final form, so its potential was still immense.
This Gym battle would be a perfect opportunity for it to gain practical experience while leveraging its Steel-type advantage.
After carefully clipping Lairon's Poké Ball onto a special holder on his belt, Shinji finally made his way to the training grounds in the Pokémon Center's backyard.
The training field was somewhat empty in the evening, with the sunset dyeing the area a warm orange-red.
Shinji walked to a secluded corner, took two Poké Balls from his belt, and tossed them out one after the other.
"Chimchar, Lairon."
A flash of white light, and Chimchar landed nimbly, the flame on its tail swaying in the evening breeze.
The figure that emerged from the other flash of light was steady and imposing—deep gray metal armor covered its entire body, and its blue eyes were calm yet sharp. It was Lairon.
"Groar—" Lairon let out a low growl, its gaze turning toward Shinji, carrying a sense of steady trust from their reunion after a long separation.
Shinji's gaze lingered on Lairon for a moment.
After not seeing it for a while, Lairon's physique seemed sturdier, and the luster of its armor appeared deeper. Clearly, Raiji had been taking good care of it.
With a slight thought, a pale blue system panel unfolded in his mind:
[Lairon♦]
Level: 39 (Superior Class)
Type: Steel + Rock
Ability: Rock Head
potential: Excellent
base stats: 43
Moves: Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Headbutt, Iron Head, Protect, Rock Tomb, Double-Edge, Earthquake
Its level had increased by 1 since the last check, but it still had some way to go before evolving into Aggron.
"Chimchar," Shinji spoke, his voice unusually clear. "Dodge Lairon's attacks with everything you've got."
"Chim!" Chimchar's eyes sharpened, its body lowering slightly as it entered a battle-ready stance.
"Lairon," Shinji turned to the other Pokémon. "Listen to my commands."
He intended to observe Lairon's current combat strength firsthand through actual sparring, while also training Chimchar's evasion skills.
Facing Lairon's attacks, Chimchar reacted swiftly, nimbly sidestepping to dodge. Its steps were light and quick as it darted around the field, avoiding Lairon's repeated assaults.
Shinji stood to the side, his dark purple eyes fixed intently on the movements of the two Pokémon, silently noting Lairon's attack speed, power, and the fluidity of its move combinations.
After a round of training, both Pokémon were slightly panting and showing signs of fatigue.
Shinji was relatively satisfied with Lairon's performance. Its strength was even better than he had anticipated, and it would have no trouble handling tomorrow's Gym battle.
Once he had assessed the situation, Shinji took out his Poké Balls and recalled Chimchar and Lairon.
He then turned and went back to the front desk of the Pokémon Center, handing all his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy. "Please restore their energy, Nurse Joy."
"Leave it to me!" Nurse Joy smiled gently, took the Poké Balls, and walked into the treatment room.
Meanwhile, Dawn wasn't idle either. She happily explored the mall in Iron Island City by herself, doing some shopping before returning contentedly.
After taking care of his Pokémon's recovery, Shinji returned to their room.
Pushing the door open, he found the living room empty, with no sign of Dawn. He guessed she was still out shopping.
So, Shinji grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom, planning to take a shower to wash away the fatigue from training.
As the warm water streamed over his body, Shinji's thoughts remained on tomorrow's battle.
When he finished, wrapped only in a towel around his waist, and pushed open the bathroom door while drying his damp hair with another towel, he was startled to see Dawn sitting on the living room sofa, fiddling with a few shopping bags.
Hearing the noise, Dawn looked up.
Their eyes met, and the air instantly froze.
Dawn's gaze involuntarily fell on Shinji. His physique was much better than she had imagined.
His damp purple hair was still dripping, water droplets sliding down his neck, past his collarbone, along the smooth lines of his chest, and disappearing into the towel.
The towel barely covered his waist, revealing a lean, toned upper body and defined abdominal muscles. His body, shaped by years of training, wasn't overly muscular but had clear, powerful lines.
"Ah!" Dawn snapped back to reality, her cheeks flushing bright red instantly, even her ears turning pink. She flusteredly turned away. "S-sorry! I didn't know you were showering!"
Shinji also instantly realized his state of undress was inappropriate. A flicker of panic flashed in his dark purple eyes before he quickly regained his composure, though his ears still uncontrollably felt slightly warm.
Without saying another word, he abruptly sidestepped out of Dawn's line of sight, hurried back into his room, and slammed the door shut with a "Bang!"
Leaning against the door, Shinji took a few deep breaths. His heart was still pounding uncontrollably, and he couldn't help but pat his face.
In all his life, this was the first time he had felt so flustered. The sudden awkwardness had left him somewhat at a loss.
In the living room, Dawn took a few deep breaths, her cheeks still burning.
She couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Who would have thought that the usually cold Shinji could have such a flustered side?
And... she stole a glance toward the bedroom, thinking to herself: Who knew Shinji had such a nice physique? At this thought, her cheeks flushed red again.
It took quite a while before Shinji managed to compose himself, put on clean clothes, and walk out of the bedroom.
By then, Dawn had returned to normal. Seeing him come out, she wore a sly smile. "Shinji, all cleaned up?"
Shinji's gaze was still a bit unnatural. Avoiding her eyes, he gave a faint "Hmm."
"I went out and bought a few things earlier," Dawn said, shaking the bags in her hand with a bright smile. "For your Gym battle tomorrow, I've prepared a surprise for you!"
Seeing Dawn acting normally again and not dwelling on the earlier awkward situation, Shinji gradually relaxed and returned to his usual aloof demeanor.
He gave a slight nod. "Let's go eat."
The Pokémon Center's dining hall was brightly lit, with many Trainers having their meals.
As Shinji and Dawn walked in, they heard a familiar voice:
"Shinji! Dawn!"
Ash was waving from a table not far away, with Brock sitting across from him, smiling and nodding at the two.
Dawn's eyes lit up, and she pulled Shinji toward them. "Let's sit together!"
Shinji initially wanted to refuse, but Dawn was already dragging him over, so he reluctantly followed.
The four of them sat around the table, and the atmosphere was relatively pleasant.
Dawn and Brock chatted, while Ash kept glancing at Shinji as if he had something to say.
Finally, Ash couldn't hold back. "Shinji, for your Gym battle tomorrow, let me see your skills? I want to see how you take on Gym Leader Roark."
Shinji looked up, his dark purple eyes meeting Ash's, his tone indifferent. "Whatever."
Hearing Shinji's usual indifferent response, Ash didn't press further. As long as he agreed, that was enough. I'll see what your battling style is like.
For the rest of the time, they ate quietly, occasionally exchanging a few words about Pokémon-related topics.
After the meal, they each returned to their rooms to rest and prepare for the next day's Gym battle.
Before heading back to her room, Dawn turned to Shinji and made a fist. "Good luck tomorrow!"
Shinji nodded. "Get some sleep."
...
Early the next morning, at the Steel Gym.
Shinji, Dawn, Ash, and Brock arrived at the Steel Gym as planned.
Pushing the door open, they found Gym Leader Roark already waiting by the battlefield. Seeing them enter, he smiled and walked over.
"Good morning, Shinji," Roark greeted with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Ash and the others behind Shinji. "Looks like we have an audience today."
"Good morning, Mr. Roark!" Dawn greeted politely, with Ash and Brock following suit.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Roark."
Shinji nodded in response, then quickly walked to one side of the battlefield and took his position. Roark went to the other side, both ready for battle.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire battlefield grew tense and filled with fighting spirit.
Just then, a crisp, cheerful, and energetic cheer suddenly rang out from the spectator stands:
"Go Shinji, go!"
"Shinji Shinji, GOGO!"
Shinji instinctively looked back and froze in place.
He saw Dawn wearing a pink cheerleader outfit, with a fluffy skirt and a white bow tied at her waist. She was waving pink-and-white pom-poms, looking so vibrant and eye-catching.
Beside her, Piplup and Buneary were also dressed in miniature cheerleader outfits, with small colored ribbons tied on their foreheads. They bounced up and down alongside Dawn, cheering in an utterly adorable manner.
Sunlight streamed in through the Gym's skylight, illuminating that small section of the spectator stands.
The girl's bright smile, the Pokémon's cute outfits, and that energetic voice created a fascinating contrast with the Gym's serious battle atmosphere.
So this was the surprise Dawn had mentioned.
Seeing Shinji look over, Dawn's smile grew even brighter. She waved her pom-poms vigorously. "Shinji, you can do it! No problem, no problem at all!"
At this sight, even the usually indifferent Shinji couldn't help but let a faint, almost imperceptible smile tug at the corner of his mouth, a hint of warmth flickering in his eyes.
The smile was faint but undeniably real, startling both Ash and Brock—they had never seen Shinji wear such an expression before.
After this brief interlude, the referee walked to the center of the field, raised the flag in his hand, and announced loudly:
"The battle between Gym Leader Roark and challenger Shinji will now begin! Each side may use three Pokémon. The battle ends when all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle. Additionally, only the challenger may switch Pokémon, and the challenger makes the first move!"
As the words fell, the tense and exciting Gym battle officially began.