The next morning, Ash's biological clock woke him up punctually at seven. He opened his eyes and instinctively tried to stretch as usual, but his arm froze halfway through—the steady breathing of Misty from the bunk above could be heard.
Oh right, yesterday he and Misty shared a room.
He cautiously lifted the blanket, placing his bare feet on the floor, each step taken so carefully for fear of making any noise that would wake the person above.
Then, carrying his clothes and toiletries, he slowly turned the bathroom doorknob, slipped inside, and closed the door just as slowly.
If Brock saw this scene, he would definitely scold Ash severely!
When Ash stayed in a room with him, it was never this quiet!
But with Misty, it became a completely different attitude, prioritizing romance over friendship!
Still, despite Ash's cautiousness, Misty woke up because she usually woke around this time. Though normally, she'd linger in bed for a while after waking.
Yet upon hearing movement from the bathroom, she instantly became wide awake—right, she was sharing a room with Ash yesterday!
The person in the bathroom outside must be Ash, but how exactly did she fall asleep last night without remembering a thing?
Swiftly, she ran her fingers through her bedhead, using her fingers as a comb for a hasty tidying, and patted her cheeks to make herself look less sleepy.
Only after doing all this did she realize what she was doing, and she couldn't help but bury her face in the blanket in a silent, distressed cry.
Why was she nervous? He was Ash, her boyfriend. Not a stranger.
But precisely because he was her boyfriend, that's why she was more nervous.
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and Ash emerged, seeing Misty sitting on the bed with her face buried in the blanket.
"Hey, Misty, you're awake?" Ash wiped the water droplets off his face, "Did I wake you?"
"No, no." Misty immediately emerged from the blanket, waving her hands, "I woke up myself, usually at this time too."
Ash didn't notice Misty's nervous anomaly; instead, he stepped aside to make room for the bathroom: "Then go wash up, I've squeezed the toothpaste for you."
Misty was stunned for a moment. Hugging Togepi, she got out of bed and peeked into the bathroom. The wash cup was already filled with water, and the toothbrush had toothpaste squeezed onto it.
Her cheeks suddenly heated up; this guy, normally so careless, was now particularly thoughtful!
"Th-thank you." She said softly, hugging Togepi as she slipped into the bathroom and began her washing routine.
…
The morning didn't present any ambiguous scenarios, but did offer a unique warmth between the couple.
After lingering in the room for a bit, Ash and Misty arrived at the Pokemon Center, partly for breakfast, and partly for Ash to exchange Pokemon with Professor Oak to prepare for the Sunyshore Gym challenge.
In the Pokemon Center's main hall, before the public video phone.
Snowflakes flashed on the screen, and soon Professor Oak's familiar face appeared, with the same cluttered yet organized desk behind him in the lab.
The cuffs of his lab coat were stained with some grass blades, probably just returned from the backyard.
"Oh, Ash! Calling this early, have you encountered some rare Pokemon again?"
"No, I wanted to exchange some Pokemon." Ash said, taking out a Pokeball from his belt, "I'm heading to challenge Sunyshore Gym today, their Gym Leader specializes in Electric Type, very strong. I want to switch two Pokemon more suited against Electric Type."
"Ah, I see. Sunyshore Gym… that's Volkner from the Sinnoh Region, yes? He's quite an extraordinary opponent!" Professor Oak stroked his chin, "Which two are you planning to swap?"
Ash reported two names. Professor Oak nodded, turned to head to the backyard, and shortly returned with two Pokeballs, the cuffs of his lab coat with more grass blades.
"Ready?"
"All set."
Both placed their Pokeballs on the transfer device simultaneously. A flash of light and the exchange was complete.
Ash picked up the newly arrived Pokeballs, a smile tugging at his lips; no matter how the Gym battle went today, letting some old friends make an appearance was a joy for both him and the Pokemon.
Just after stowing the Pokeballs, footsteps were heard behind him.
Brock and Serena walked over, one after the other. Brock was full of spirit, while Serena wore a smile but had faint dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she had not slept well last night.
"Morning Ash, Misty." Brock yawned, "How was your sleep last night?"
Ash tucked the two Pokeballs into his belt, nodding: "Pretty good."
Misty also nodded; despite some minor incidents, this cohabitation was rather enjoyable.
"Haha, Misty, you must've been awakened by Ash this morning, right?" Brock teased slightly.
Misty blinked, recalling the morning's scenes, and truthfully said: "Nope, Ash woke up very quietly this morning, not a sound, I woke up by myself."
"…What?" Brock's grin faltered.
"When he got up, I didn't hear a thing, not even the faucet was noisy." Misty thought for a moment, adding, "He even squeezed the toothpaste for me."
Brock's expression looked like someone had stuffed an entire lemon into his mouth.
He slowly turned his head, looking at Ash with an incredulous gaze, as if seeing a stranger.
"You—Ash—that guy who blasts me out of my dreams at six or seven in the morning every day, suddenly learned to 'tiptoe' just by sharing a room with Misty? And even squeezes toothpaste for her?"
Ash looked a bit unsettled under the scrutiny: "Wh-what's wrong? Isn't it proper to be quiet?"
"Proper?" Brock raised his voice by half a note, "Then why didn't you think it was proper when you lived with me? Clanging and banging at six in the morning, you nearly drove me insane!"
"But now that you're rooming with a girl, you suddenly learn to tiptoe? And squeeze toothpaste? When have you ever squeezed toothpaste for me?"
Ash scratched his head, thought about it seriously, and offered what he considered a reasonable explanation: "Well, you're not Misty."
Brock clutched his chest, staggered back a step, leaned against the Pokemon Center's front desk, looking like "I can't go on" in a dramatic fashion: "Putting romance over friendship, the world is going downhill, people are becoming unkind."
"I slept with you for half a year, and you ignored me. Spend one night with Misty, and you learn to tiptoe and even squeeze toothpaste!"
Misty's cheeks flushed from his words, and she couldn't help but scold, "What do you mean 'spent one night'? Brock, can't you talk less weirdly!"
"Exactly." Ash nodded in agreement, "Besides, Misty is my girlfriend, unlike you!"
This righteous remark left Brock fuming.
"Serena, you say something too!" Brock clutched his chest, seeking help.
Serena stood aside, her slightly blue-tinged eye bags making her look a bit tired, but seeing Brock's dramatically distorted expression and Misty's blushing irritation, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"I think it's perfectly normal for Ash to be a bit special to Misty?"
Brock fell completely silent. He looked up at the Pokemon Center's ceiling and sighed lamentably, "Poor choices in friends."
After breakfast, the four of them got ready and left the Pokemon Center.
The Sunyshore Gym was situated on the west side of Ecruteak City, sharply contrasting with the quaint old cobblestone streets.
The entire gym's exterior was composed of silvery-gray metal panels, with crisp and clean lines reflecting a soft glow in the sunlight.
A line had already formed at the entrance, about ten people, some leaning against the wall playing on their phones, others squatting on the ground flipping through notes, seemingly having waited for a while.
Ash and the others positioned themselves at the end of the line. Brock craned his neck to look ahead and roughly counted: "Quite a few people, definitely busier than Ecruteak Gym."
"After all, it's an outpost gym from the Sinnoh Region." Misty said, holding Togepi and eyeing the tech-filled building, "It's more attractive in terms of fame and rarity compared to local gyms."
"But compared to the Battle Pyramid, this is nothing." Ash remembered the massive crowd at Goldenrod City, shaking his head. This queue looked long, but it was only about ten people, so the turnover shouldn't be slow.
Sure enough, in less than half an hour, the people ahead went in and then came out one after another. Some left dejected, some with expressionless faces, and occasionally a few with smiles, likely having obtained a badge.
As it was nearly Ash's turn, the gym doors burst open, and a cap-wearing boy stormed out angrily. His cheeks were flushed, and he muttered angrily, his voice loud enough for Ash and his friends at the end of the line to hear every word.
"What a terrible gym! Having students deal with me? I traveled all the way to challenge the Gym Leader, not play house with their students!"
He kicked a pebble by the roadside as he walked, sending it skidding far away.
Ash's gaze sharpened, and he quickly caught up.
"Hi, what happened in there?"
The boy glanced up at Ash, seeming to find someone to vent to, and poured everything out: "That Gym Leader, Volkner, thinks there are too many challengers, and their skills are uneven, so he has his trained students take his place. To challenge him, you have to first get past his student."
His voice grew more agitated as he spoke, raising it further: "Don't you think that's disrespectful? I traveled all the way from New Bark Town gathering badges, and after finally arriving here, I couldn't even meet the Gym Leader, just to be brushed off by a student!"
"Was that student... strong?" Brock interjected.
The boy's expression instantly turned as if he'd swallowed a fly. His lips moved a few times, and suddenly his voice went low: "...I didn't even take out one Pokemon, he beat all three of mine."
After speaking, he seemed eager to avoid further questions, lowering his cap brim and quickly leaving, leaving Ash and his friends looking at each other.
Misty watched the boy's fading figure, a bit sympathetic: "Though his attitude wasn't great, he at least battled his way here as a Trainer. Being beaten 3-0 by a student is quite a blow."
Brock stroked his chin, thoughtfully: "Volkner, in the Sinnoh Region, lost interest in Gym challenges because he lacked opponents."
"He came to Johto hoping to find some strong challengers, but while the quantity of challengers here is greater, they're all of mixed skill, and those not strong enough who insist on challenging likely annoyed him, so this is his solution."
"Having a student pre-screen challengers before they're eligible to battle him." Ash continued his line of thought, fixating on the silvery-gray metal doors, "The idea is understandable, but the execution feels disrespectful."
He paused, his voice slightly lowering.
"What's more important is, when a Trainer loses the passion to personally greet challengers in the gym arena, what else is left for him?"
Misty turned her head, watching Ash's profile.
Ash's voice was calm, yet it contained a hidden emotion: "Volkner has lost the fiery spirit of a Trainer."
Ash's voice wasn't loud, yet every word was distinct.
He looked at Pikachu beside him, recalling the start of his journey, remembering the challenges faced along the way.
No matter the opponent's strength or weakness, he was always full of passion, which is the primal emotion of a Trainer.
And Volkner, lacking that emotion, led him to act this way.
"I'll show him in the Pokemon battle that battles aren't just about strength and victory!" With those words, he said no more and stepped towards the silvery-gray doors.
About ten minutes later, it was finally Ash's turn.
The guard was a middle-aged man in a blue uniform. He glanced at Misty and the other three behind Ash, and formally asked, "Are all of you challengers?"
"They're my companions, here with me, but not participating in the challenge." Ash stepped aside to allow room for the three behind him.
The guard nodded, said something into a walkie-talkie, and then stepped aside to make way: "Go on in."
The four walked through a corridor not too long. The corridor walls, like the exterior, were made of silvery-gray metal, embedded with cold white light strips, illuminating the passage brightly and coolly.
The end of the corridor opened up to a standard battle arena, the floor was made of light gray hard material with white boundary lines drawn.
The edges of the arena were for the Trainers' command positions, and further beyond were several rows of simple spectator seats.
Rows of lamps hung from the ceiling, lighting the entire arena as bright as day.
A young man with spiky blonde hair stood at the center of the arena.
His posture was upright, dressed in a blue long-sleeved jacket with a black undershirt and dark blue pants, a row of Pokeballs hung at his waist. He had a handsome face, but his brow and eyes conveyed a lazy detachment, like he wasn't interested in anything before him.
Seeing Ash and his friends walk in, he barely lifted his eyelids.
"I'm Gym Leader Volkner." His voice was not loud, and his tone was flat like reciting a repeatedly told line, "The challenge rules are as follows, a three-on-three match, with the winning Trainer defeating the opposing three Pokemon."
"Furthermore, your opponent is not me, but my student Alex. Only by defeating Alex will I accept your challenge."
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