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[Orin Murasaki Encounter Roll: 5/7]
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Just as Dendra had said, there were quite a few facilities inside the changing rooms. But Orin's mind was still occupied with his Pokémon, whom he had only parted from a few minutes ago.
So he quickly changed his clothes, stuffed his backpack into a locker, and headed back out.
Before leaving the changing room, he couldn't help but glance at himself in the mirror.
Raising an eyebrow, he realized that almost his entire gym outfit had been gifted to him by Terri.
From the black, form-fitting jersey that showcased his biceps, to the black shorts, gym shoes, and even the newly gifted purple training shorts.
He looked himself over for a moment before chuckling.
"Did she want me to remember her every time I go to the gym?"
He casually snapped a few pictures of himself and sent them to her.
Then he grabbed the gym bottle and towels she had given him and headed back out.
A low, pumping tune played through the wall speakers as people and Pokémon alike moved from one exercise to another without stopping.
Remembering where Dendra had gone, Orin promptly made his way toward the weight-training area.
Most of the equipment looked familiar—weight machines, benches, barbells, and dumbbells—but holographic displays and other high-tech additions had been integrated into nearly everything, giving the entire area a distinctly Nexus feel.
He quickly spotted Dendra and Hariyama standing beside one of the machines.
But before he could walk over to them, a scene nearby made him stop dead in his tracks.
There was a girl with wavy, bright golden hair. Her orange tank top hugged her generous chest, leaving her toned midriff and perfectly defined abs on full display.
She was currently doing barbell back squats.
And the barbell was absolutely loaded with weights.
Every time she lowered herself into a squat, her powerful thighs tensed against her black shorts before explosively driving her back to her feet.
"fifteen… sixteen…"
She muttered the numbers under her breath as she continued her reps, while the holographic display built into the rack automatically tracked her count.
And every time she squatted, her deep cleavage was impossible to miss from Orin's position.
He couldn't help but wonder how hot that view must look from behind.
The girl eventually caught him staring.
"What? Never seen a girl lift before?" she asked with a teasing grin.
Yet she didn't stop.
She simply continued with her reps, apparently far more amused by his reaction than bothered by it.
Orin smiled wryly.
Normally, he would never stare at a girl like this inside a gym.
But this wasn't exactly a normal situation.
Her gorgeous face and hot figure aside, the mere fact that she was here had left him stunned.
"Ugh… twenty!"
With one final push, she straightened herself and stood tall.
Orin quickly moved behind her, setting his bottle and towel down before stepping forward.
"Here, let me help."
He reached for the barbell and helped guide it safely back onto the rack.
The moment his hands closed around it, he felt the full weight of the loaded bar. The holographic display built into the rack showed 100 kg (220 lbs).
'Damn. She really was lifting all of this herself.'
"Wow… such a gentleman too." She flashed him a smile as she grabbed a towel from the side and wiped the sheen of sweat from her forehead.
"You really can lift," Orin said, his eyes sweeping over her impressive physique. He couldn't deny that seeing her strong sexy body had him more than a little turned on.
"Thanks." She grinned. "I'm Yang. A fresher."
Her lilac eyes swept over him with open curiosity.
Orin couldn't help but blink.
'So she really is the same Yang I was thinking of.'
Yang Xiao Long.
One of the lead characters from RWBY.
Seeing another fictional character suddenly standing right in front of him was something he could never quite get used to.
"I'm Orin. Also a fresher." He replied with a smile.
"Oh, you two have already met!"
Dendra's energetic voice suddenly cut into their conversation.
"Orin, this is the other fresher I was talking about. Yang! She's been coming here every day since last week."
"Well, I couldn't exactly wait until the academy started." Yang chuckled. "And when I heard they had a free gym, I just couldn't help myself."
She shrugged, looking completely unapologetic.
Then she looked back at Orin with a playful grin.
"So, what about you? Is this your first time at a gym? Is that why you looked so stunned earlier?"
"No, it's not my first time." Orin smiled easily. "I was just surprised by how much you were lifting. I used to handle about that much myself a few years ago, so I know exactly how heavy it can be."
"Oh? So you're telling me you could lift more than that, is that it?" Yang raised an eyebrow, a competitive glint appearing in her lilac eyes. "Talk is cheap. How about you prove it right now?"
Her gaze sharpened as she looked him over.
Orin had said it partly to show off and partly to see if Yang was as competitive as she had been in the show.
Judging by that expression, he already had his answer.
'Yep. Definitely competitive.'
"Well, I do need to get back to my Pokémon first. After that, I can show you how much I can lift." Orin replied with a wry smile.
"Ah! Where did my Chimchi go?" Hearing his words Yang suddenly looked around in alarm.
"He's over there with Orin's Pokémon. Hariyama is keeping an eye on them, so don't worry," Dendra said reassuringly. "Although, I did warn you yesterday that you need to keep an eye on him."
"I only looked away for a minute and he disappeared!" Yang rubbed her forehead with a groan. "It's like taking care of a mini Ruby."
Hearing Ruby's name, Orin was pleasantly surprised.
'So Ruby is here too.'
That meant Yang's younger sister—and one of the main characters from RWBY—was here in this world as well.
"So, you were about to show us how much you can lift, right, Orin?" Dendra shifted the focus back to him. "I'm interested in seeing that too. It would give me a general idea of what kind of training plan I should prepare for you."
"Training plan?" Orin raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Dendra slapped him lightly on the arm. "I'm doing my Masters on Physical Education for both humans and Pokémon. I've gotten into the habit of making training plans for people at the gym."
She gave him an enthusiastic grin.
"Just think of it as a hobby of mine!"
"I see." Orin nodded. "Well, then, I thank you in advance."
"Come on, stop procrastinating! Or are you planning to take back your words?" Yang egged him on, her earlier worry about her Pokémon already forgotten.
"Well, alright." Orin shrugged.
"Do you need to warm up first?" Dendra asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. I just jogged all the way here, so that should be plenty of warm-up." Orin approached the barbell.
"Nice." Dendra gave him a thumbs-up.
"Let me help you." Yang flashed him a teasing smile as she started adding more weight to one side of the barbell.
"You said you were able to lift 100 kilos a few years ago, so 140 kilos should be fine, right?" she asked, unable to suppress her grin.
"Hmm…"
Orin matched the weight she had added on the other side, then added another plate.
"This much should be fine."
The holographic display updated immediately.
TOTAL LOAD: 150 kg (331 lbs)
A red warning flashed across the display as the system detected that the barbell was unbalanced.
"Can you add one to your side too?" Orin asked politely.
"Umm… are you sure?" Dendra asked, looking a little concerned.
"Yeah. I have a small gym setup at home, so I lift this much on weekends. Don't worry." Orin gave her a confident smile.
"Okay…"
Yang matched the weight he had added to the other side, making the total weight 160 kg(353 lbs), her teasing expression slowly turning into one of genuine interest.
'Maybe he really wasn't boasting after all.'
As Orin lifted the barbell from the rack and settled it across his shoulders, he couldn't help but think about why he had started training in the first place.
In his previous life, he had tried to become healthier and fitter by going to the gym, but losing weight had never been easy for him.
Whenever he asked some of his gym buddies how they had managed to build such impressive physiques, they usually gave him the same answer: they had started working out while they were still in school or had played sports regularly throughout their childhood.
Their words had always made him curse himself for not being more active when he was younger.
So, when he was born into this world, he made sure not to repeat that mistake.
He didn't just want to become fit.
He wanted the muscular physique he had always dreamed of having.
And this body of his seemed to be naturally talented.
With only some dedication and a better diet, he had been able to build muscle far more easily than he ever could have in his previous life.
Even after leaving the dojo with a bit of Terri's help, he had set up a small gym at home and continued training on his own.
And he had kept getting stronger.
Maybe it was because this was the Pokemon world, as so far he hadn't found any obvious limit to his growth.
'Maybe one day I'll be strong enough to punch Mewtwo in the face!
Something even Ash never managed to do!'
The thought almost made him laugh out loud.
"Alright…" He muttered brining his focus back.
"1… 2… 3!"
With those thoughts running through his mind, Orin easily began his squats under the watchful eyes of two attractive women.
Yang counted along with him, her lilac eyes following his movements with growing interest as his muscles tensed with every repetition.
Dendra watched as well, wearing an appreciative smile as she studied his form and physique.
"16… 17… 18… 19… 20!"
Orin exhaled sharply after completing his twentieth rep.
Before he could even reach for the rack himself, Dendra was already there, helping him safely return the barbell to its place.
"I'm convinced... you beat me fair and square, Orin." Yang grinned as she rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh? Were we competing? I didn't even realize." Orin replied with a teasing smile.
"You just wait." Yang tightened her grip on his shoulder, her grin widening. "I'm gonna train hard and get way stronger than you, mister!"
"It's so amazing to see such spirited juniors! Hahaha!" Dendra laughed, giving both of them an enthusiastic pat on the back. "Looks like this year is going to be quite fun!"
As they walked back towards Hariyama and their Pokémon, Orin asked which houses they were in.
"We're both in Valor," Dendra answered. "I was quite happy when she decided to follow me and choose Valor, because it's the strongest house!"
She declared the last part loud enough for several nearby students to hear.
"Yeah!"
"Valor!"
A few voices from around the gym echoed their agreement. Judging by how many of them were wearing Valor jackets, it seemed like quite a few members of the house were training here.
"Um, that wasn't actually the reason." Yang scratched the back of her head. "My sister Ruby rushed through the Valor door, so I just ended up following her."
"Oh, I'll take it either way!" Dendra said cheerfully, apparently not caring about the actual reason.
"By the way, you've told me several times that you'd bring Ruby along. I've never even seen her yet."
"Ugh, she's still fast asleep. It's almost impossible to wake her up in the morning." Yang rubbed her temple. "Even after getting into the academy, she still hasn't grown up."
She shook her head before turning toward Orin.
"Anyway, what about you, Orin? Which house are you in?"
"I'm in Lumina." Orin grinned.
So there are two hot and cute sisters in Valor, huh?
For a brief moment, he couldn't help but wish he had chosen Valor instead.
Then he remembered his gorgeous neighbors and quickly discarded the thought.
"Huh? Yellow is my favorite color, so Lumina must be a cool house too!" Yang said, giving his arm a playful punch.
"Yep. It sure is." Orin smiled simply while mentally questioning her logic.
"Rio!"
"Elgyem!"
"Chim… charr!"
Looking ahead, Orin saw all three Pokémon lifting weights.
Riolu had a pair of pink dumbbells in her paws, easily pumping out one rep after another.
In front of Elgyem sat a pair of blue dumbbells, which she was lifting with her psychic powers. Her movements were precise and steady as she followed Hariyama's instructions.
The last Pokémon was a small chimpanzee with orange fur. A distinctive swirl of hair curled on top of its head, while a small flame burned at the end of its tail.
It was a Chimchar, and it was currently lifting a pair of red dumbbells with its five-fingered hands.
"Hariyama!"
Hariyama called out each repetition, and all three Pokémon followed along with his count.
"This is so adorable." Orin couldn't help but grin as he pulled out his phone and started filming the training session. "Is that Chimchar yours?"
"Yep!" Yang said proudly. "With some regular weight training, I'll have him getting as strong as me in no time!"
"Your Riolu seems pretty interested in strength training," Dendra added from the side. "And that other Pokémon…"
She glanced at Elgyem, who was still lifting the dumbbells with her psychic powers.
"Well, she's certainly curious. And she's pretty good at following instructions."
Orin understood immediately.
Elgyem had probably spent the first few minutes scanning every piece of equipment in sight before finally deciding to follow Dendra's instructions and start exercising
"Rio!"
The moment Riolu spotted him, she dropped the dumbbells and excitedly ran toward him.
Elgyem followed, though unlike Riolu, she carefully used her psychic powers to place the dumbbells back on the rack before floating over.
Chimchar was less concerned with putting his weights away. He immediately ran toward Yang while still clutching the dumbbells in his tiny hands.
Orin knelt down and pulled both of his Pokémon into a hug.
"Well, did you have fun lifting weights?" he asked with a smile.
Now that his Pokémon were back beside him, he finally felt completely at ease.
"Riolu!"
Riolu happily pointed toward the weight area, apparently eager to show him everything she had been doing.
Meanwhile, Elgyem quietly floated out of the hug and hovered nearby, her eyes wandering towards Yang.
"Now, don't play coy with me." Yang reached down and gently rubbed Chimchar's head. "I told you to stand beside me patiently until I finished my reps, not run around."
"Chimm" Chimchar tried to run away but Yang easily held his head in her palm.
"Okay, with all of you here, how about I show you freshers some easy exercises you can do with your Pokémon?" Dendra clapped her hands enthusiastically. "They're still in their growth phases, so it's important that they get plenty of exercise and it will help increase their bonds with you."
"Rio!"
Riolu spread her arms excitedly, as if she understood exactly what Dendra was saying.
Elgyem, meanwhile, was completely distracted by the overhead shining lights.
"Cool! Let's have a great training session, then." Yang flashed Orin a grin, already looking eager to get started.
Orin couldn't help but smile back.
Training with his Pokémon, while spending time with two hot babes?
'My birthday just keeps getting better and better.'
***
[Sav112 has added Waifu, Yang Xiao Longfrom RWBY to this story!]