January 7th, Wednesday.
The leisurely holidays in Sinnoh were always short-lived. After the break ended, Aiden quickly returned to the Paldea region.
Though he hadn't been away for long, upon returning to Sunshine Gym alone and opening the door to find a pitch-black, completely empty hall, Aiden couldn't help but feel a wave of emptiness.
As the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia naturally had her own work to attend to after the holiday.
From preparing for the Dragon-type Master Tournament in Paldea to celebrating the New Year's holiday in Sinnoh, the fact that they could spend nearly a month together was already quite rare.
"Ah..."
Though he knew it was unreasonable to ask for more, transitioning abruptly from the lively warmth of their time together back to solitary living still left Aiden feeling downcast.
In the end, all his emotions condensed into a sigh. After slapping his cheeks and giving himself a "wake-up slap," Aiden forced himself to perk up and regain some spirit.
"Since I'm back, I'll prepare well for the work ahead!"
With the arrival of the new year, he would officially lead Sunshine Gym from decline to glory.
Starting with becoming one of the eight Gym Leaders on the Victory Road!
Spring break had ended, and students would soon welcome the new semester. As an examiner, he couldn't afford to slack off.
After returning to the gym, Aiden quickly released all his current Pokémon.
"Grrr?"
Miraidon opened its eyes and, upon seeing the familiar interior layout, immediately wore a happy expression.
Thus, Miraidon quickly trotted out of the gym, returning to its loyal post.
Traveling was just too unfriendly for it. It had no interest in sightseeing or encountering other Pokémon.
Home suited it better!
Seeing this, Aiden couldn't help but twitch his lips.
If he didn't trust his judgment so absolutely, he might have thought this guy was just a freeloader...
However, it was still too early to draw conclusions. Everything would only become clear once Area Zero reopened.
Until then, all he could do was try to gather the five secret seasonings to restore Miraidon's full power.
After letting out a sigh, Aiden turned his gaze to the other Pokémon.
"Bagon..."
Upon returning home, Bagon quickly closed its eyes, its body relaxing.
Then...
Thud
Like a kitten instinctively kneading, the newly freed Bagon immediately began bumping its head against Aiden's calves.
Though the force wasn't strong—each impact sending it tumbling backward due to recoil—the little guy remained tirelessly enthusiastic.
"..."
Every single one, why are they all so troublesome?
Aiden could only helplessly rub his forehead. Fortunately, Bagon's strength was minimal, and he gradually got used to this "painful yet joyful" sensation.
Since it was a way of expressing affection, he could only tolerate it for now!
"Riolu!"
As possibly the most disciplined presence in Sunshine Gym, the moment Aiden looked away for a few seconds, Riolu had already picked up two dumbbells and begun today's training regimen.
To this, Aiden could only silently give a thumbs up.
The recent trip had significantly impacted Riolu. Though they had challenged some wild Pokémon along the way, the training volume might still have been insufficient for it.
Even so, the progress of the Unseen Fist training had quietly reached the critical 95% mark.
However, according to Aiden's guess, truly mastering the Unseen Fist might require passing the final trial at the Isle of Armor Dojo—the same process as obtaining Kubfu's evolution materials in the game.
It would culminate in a face-off with Master Mustard.
Perhaps when Riolu hit a bottleneck, he'd need to make time for a trip to the Isle of Armor Dojo?
Come to think of it, it was a bit strange...
Though Riolu had joined Sunshine Gym not long ago, it quickly became a disciple of the Isle of Armor Dojo through travel-based training functions, learning fighting techniques under the two Kubfu masters.
Yet, Aiden had never been to the Isle of Armor, nor had he met Master Mustard.
Perhaps Master Mustard didn't even know that this Riolu actually had a Trainer...
That's right—it's me!
Shifting his gaze from Riolu, Aiden looked at Sylveon, who was already lying on the sofa, skillfully using its ribbons to remotely turn on the TV and start searching for the shows it had missed during the trip.
The first thing it did upon returning home was catch up on TV dramas?
Hadn't it said it wanted to show the drawing of Bloodmoon from Kitakami to Master Smeargle? Had it already forgotten?
Aiden sighed.
"Pon?"
In stark contrast to the relaxed demeanor of the other Pokémon, Ogerpon, who had crossed the ocean from Kitakami to Sunshine Gym in Paldea, appeared very tense and seemed unaccustomed to its new home.
"Don't worry, Ogerpon."
For this fragile and sensitive little cutie, Aiden could only helplessly reach out and pat its head to comfort it.
"This is our home from now on!"
"Pon yoh~"
Ogerpon nodded, carefully observing its surroundings while its eyes quickly filled with anticipation.
Great! From now on, it wouldn't be alone anymore, nor would it have to live in that empty cave filled with complex memories.
Ogerpon had already begun to look forward to its new life with Aiden.
"Pon~"
Under Aiden's encouragement, Ogerpon finally relaxed and cautiously approached Sylveon, sitting beside it.
"Sylve~"
Compared to Ogerpon's somewhat socially awkward demeanor, Sylveon, the designated social butterfly of Sunshine Gym, was much more straightforward.
Noticing that Ogerpon was sitting in a corner of the sofa, Sylveon immediately used its ribbons to pull it closer.
Classic Sylveon.
Aiden gave Sylveon a thumbs up.
Seeing that all his Pokémon had something to do, Aiden finally felt at ease and prepared to focus on his own tasks.
After being away for so long, aside from hiring a Ratatta housekeeping company for a thorough cleaning, he also needed to promote the reopening of the gym.
Thus, Aiden opened his phone and logged into his PokéTV account, which had been dormant for days, only posting one video during the holidays.
[Azure Wings:
The new semester is approaching—are you all ready to challenge Sunshine Gym?
By the way, this semester, Sunshine Gym will serve as one of the designated examination gyms on Paldea's Victory Road~ (though it seems everyone already knows this)]
The moment the post went live, it garnered numerous likes and comments.
[Teacher Azure, you actually remember to come back? I thought you'd defected to Sinnoh and weren't coming back…]
[It's a new semester again, boys—no need for me to remind you what to do, right?]
[Dislike, initiated!]
Looking at the scrolling comments, Aiden couldn't help but twitch his lips.
So the "dislike" meme wasn't going away anytime soon?
"Mew!"
Just as Aiden was about to reply to a few lucky comments, a familiar meow suddenly rang in his ears.
Aiden immediately looked up to see Mew, who seemed to have arrived at Sunshine Gym right on time.
"You really know how to pick your timing."
While smiling and teasing, Aiden extended his hand, gently tapping Mew's forehead.
If it had come a day earlier, he wouldn't have been back yet. If it came two days later, Orange Academy would have started, and he wouldn't have had time to play with it.
Arriving precisely on the day he returned to Paldea—did Mew have the ability to foresee the future?
"Eevee is watching TV on the sofa. You should get along well with it and the new member of the gym."
"Mew~"
Mew instinctively covered its mouth, emitting a series of giggles.
At the same time, it turned its gaze toward the two figures on the sofa—one large, one small.
"Sylve!"
Seeing its good friend appear so quickly, the evolved Eevee immediately waved its ribbons in greeting.
"Mew?"
Sensing its familiar aura, Mew quickly approached. After carefully observing Sylveon for a moment, it finally realized.
It really was its Eevee friend—just evolved!
Unfortunately, Mew itself had no potential for evolution. Despite living in this world for so long, it had never experienced the sensation of evolution light bathing its body...
"Pon?"
Noticing a strange presence, Ogerpon instinctively shrank back, trying to hide behind Sylveon.
However, the size difference between the two Pokémon was too great, and this action instead drew Mew's attention.
"Mew~"
Ogerpon's little movements made Mew burst into laughter. It also friendly extended its tiny hands toward this seemingly clumsy Pokémon.
So this was the "new companion" Aiden mentioned?
Since it was a companion of Eevee and Aiden, it was also its friend.
Seeing the three adorable Pokémon quickly bond and watch TV together, Aiden's lips curled into a faint smile.
With Sylveon and Mew around, Ogerpon probably wouldn't feel lonely anymore, right?
"Mew~"
The scenes playing on the TV occasionally elicited crisp laughter from Mew.
But soon, it suddenly remembered the purpose of its reappearance at Sunshine Gym and instantly jolted.
"Mew!"
Aiden, who was preparing sandwiches, saw Mew suddenly fly in front of him and spoke helplessly:
"Be patient—it'll be ready in a bit."
"Mew!"
Mew shook its head vigorously, unsure how to explain and could only hover anxiously.
But soon, it cleverly devised a "cross-server communication" method.
A sudden flash of white light enveloped Mew's body, and in Aiden's astonished gaze, its transformation ability took effect.
Mew quickly transformed into a being that looked about 70-80% like itself but had a more human-like physique.
Upon seeing the Pokémon Mew had imitated, Aiden froze—
Isn't this Mewtwo???
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