Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

Qiao Ran nodded, but Eve, standing beside him, quietly tugged at his sleeve and whispered to him.

"When Sister Tie comes out later, don't call her by her name directly. Just call her Gym Leader Tie."

"Why?"

"That... is because Sister Tie's name is a bit special, so she doesn't really like people calling her by her name. It often causes all sorts of misunderstandings," Eve explained with some difficulty.

"What's her name?" Hearing Eve say that, Qiao Ran became even more interested.

"Um... it's Tie Ji..." Eve blinked. "This name doesn't actually have any special meaning. It's just that Sister Tie's parents happened to..."

"Happened to have the surnames Tie and Ji, right?" Qiao Ran subconsciously finished her sentence, answering before she could.

However, after saying this, Qiao Ran felt that something was a little off.

"An-anyway, just don't call Sister Tie by her name," Eve said, her face flushing imperceptibly.

With her repeated emphasis, Qiao Ran quietly kept the matter in mind. No matter what difficulties he encountered, he wouldn't call her by her name—unless he couldn't help it.

The wait at the gym's reception area didn't last long before a strikingly dressed woman appeared before Qiao Ran and Eve.

Although she was a beautiful woman in her early twenties, with long, shimmering silver-gray hair that swayed with her movements, Qiao Ran's first impression of her was "handsome."

She was tall and had a perfect figure, wearing long boots. She was dressed in a fitted top and skirt, similar to a military uniform. Not only that, but she also wore a long white trench coat draped over her shoulders.

However, the most eye-catching thing wasn't just these details, but rather—in her hand, she held a gleaming silver steel shovel. Who knows what she was going to do with it.

Is she fixing pipes??

"Eve—!"

The moment she saw Eve, she rushed forward and pulled Eve into a hug. As for the shovel, she tossed it aside, letting out a terrifying "boom."

Qiao Ran glanced over quietly and saw that the marble floor beneath the shovel had been cracked, forming a pit. This woman... just how strong was she?

"Pfft!" Eve didn't react in time and was immediately buried in Tie Ji's ample chest. Although her outfit was form-fitting, Tie Ji's endowments were quite formidable.

"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it, to see you again in the gym."

Tie Ji hugged Eve for a while, and before Eve could suffocate, she finally released her.

"The last time I saw you, you were still a little girl. I didn't expect you to have improved so much now."

Tie Ji smiled and stroked Eve's head.

"Hehehe." Eve also giggled. She was very happy that an elder she admired had suddenly praised her.

"However, I also didn't expect you to have done so many things..."

"I didn't do much," Eve said, touching her cheek sheepishly.

However, Tie Ji suddenly shook her head.

"How can you say you didn't do anything? Didn't you elope from home? You actually have such courage... Good, good."

"Huh?"

Eve's smile froze on her face, and her cheeks turned red.

El-eloping?????????

When did I elope???

Tie Ji didn't notice Eve's expression. Instead, she turned her gaze towards Qiao Ran. However, compared to her attitude towards Eve, her eyes were much colder, her narrow eyes filled with icy intent.

"Don't you agree, little boyfriend... You're the one who tricked little Eve into leaving, aren't you?"

Looking at Tie Ji's hostile gaze, Qiao Ran couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. As expected of a Gym Leader, the pressure was truly terrifying. However, his mind was filled with question marks.

Eloping???

Eloping???

I, Qiao, am upright and proper. Why would I do something as meaningless as eloping? Besides, if I were to elope, I wouldn't elope with a loli-type girl like Eve!

He didn't want to be taken away by the police!

"Eve and I are just traveling together. We happen to be traveling together, and there's no special relationship. When her sister arrives, I'll hand her over to her sister."

Qiao Ran defended himself a little agitatedly. This matter concerned his reputation, and he had to clarify it. Otherwise, if his mother saw the news and found out her son was on TV with his hands cuffed and his face blurred, it would be too late.

"You're Tie Ji, right? As a Gym Leader, how can you not see such a simple matter? Our relationship is just traveling together!"

Qiao Ran spoke with sincerity and conviction, his voice resounding. However, after he finished speaking, the entire gym fell silent as if it were haunted.

"..."

Tie Ji's face turned completely dark. She silently walked to the side and picked up the shovel on the ground with a clang.

"Not only did you say my name, but you also specifically added that word..."

"It seems... I underestimated you. You're a disobedient little fellow..."

Section 52 051 [Tie Ji]

"Boom!!!"

A huge sound erupted from inside the gym.

Seeing the iron shovel fly past his forehead and then embed itself deeply into the wall behind him, Qiao Ran had only one thought left in his heart: if heaven gave him another chance, he would only say three words to the owner of the shovel – "CNM".

"Not bad, you actually dare to provoke me. You didn't even wet your pants facing my iron shovel. Little Eve really picked a good man."

A sadistic smile spread across Iron Maiden's face, and she removed the glove from her right hand.

She narrowed her eyes, her tongue lightly licking her lips.

"Let me see what you're made of. I'll postpone all my other matches this afternoon and focus on you, little brother... Although the records show you only have one badge, I won't treat you with the standard of just one badge. Don't have those naive thoughts."

Iron Maiden's boots made a crisp sound on the marble floor as she walked up to Qiao Ran, pulled the shovel out of the wall, and broken bricks rolled onto the ground.

The terrifying strength made Qiao Ran's heart skip a beat. Was this person even human??? Could it be a Pokémon???

If this wasn't a Gym challenge, he might have taken out a Poké Ball on the spot.

"My goodness... it's going to need repairs again ahhhhhh..."

A staff member nearby, seeing the abused floor and wall, couldn't help but let out a cry of despair. However, no one present heard her words.

"Challenge me with all your might, exhaust your intellect, and rack your brains!"

Iron Maiden stopped not far from Qiao Ran, propped the iron shovel in front of her, and made a small pit in the ground by tapping it.

"—Men who cannot endure the trial of iron and blood, all of you, get out of here!"

"The official battle is set for thirty minutes from now. Enjoy your last moments of fun!" ... The thirty-minute rest period wasn't very long, but Eve lowered her head and directly apologized to Qiao Ran.

"I'm sorry... it's all my fault. Maybe I angered Sister Tie, otherwise she wouldn't treat you like this... and she even increased the difficulty for you... She's actually like a big sister to me..."

"It's okay, I think it might be my own problem."

Facing Eve's apology, Qiao Ran rubbed his head in distress.

He felt like he might be suffering from a debuff called "As soon as a woman he meets for the first time approaches within three meters of him, her favorability towards him drops rapidly." Both Long Jiangxue and Shi Yiyi, and even Iron Maiden now, had been hit by this strange buff. As for Eve, the only one who escaped... it was probably because she didn't approach him within three meters when they first met.

Not only that, but these Gym Leaders were stranger than the last. The Gym Leader in Longjiang City was extremely proactive but acted on her own whims, and liked to give inexplicable speeches about justice. The current Iron Maiden... not only was her name strange, her attire was strange, but her strength was also strangely immense. Qiao Ran had a feeling that once the Pokémon battle started, the trainer would also come down to fight with a shovel.

"Is that guy... always that strong?"

Qiao Ran was a bit puzzled. If he had that much strength, how could he be pinned down and unable to resist by his own Pokémon like this?

"Um... I'm not really sure. Sister Tie has always been like this since she was little, but I've heard some legends."

Eve looked around, then

quietly leaned into Qiao Ran's ear.

"I'll tell you quietly, but you absolutely can't tell anyone I told you."

"I know, I know."

Qiao Ran swore that he would absolutely not tell anyone, at most he would just chat with his own Pokémon.

"Alright then... actually, I heard that Sister Tie's ancestors were a bit special... It's said that within her bloodline... there are components of Pokémon..."

"Wh—"

Qiao Ran's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this news. He really hadn't expected Iron Maiden's incredible strength to be related to these things.

"Shh— this is just a rumor, we don't know if it's true or not. How can humans have Pokémon components, right? That kind of thing is... too perverse."

Eve put her finger to her lips and made a shushing gesture. As for herself, she didn't really believe such rumors, after all, humans and Pokémon were two different species. Such things could at most be considered legends.

"Mhm... Mhm, yeah, how can humans have Pokémon, hahahaha."

Qiao Ran nodded somewhat awkwardly, but no one knew what he was thinking in his heart.

Can Pokémon really not combine with humans?

No— in the Pokémon world, there are indeed such examples and legends. In the Unova region, there was a boy named "N" who was born with the power to sense minds. Judging by this ability and his green hair, he was likely the child of the psychic Pokémon Gardevoir or Gallade.

And from Rotom's constant mention of "humanoid groups," it might not be impossible. However, would it lay eggs or give birth to live young then?

No... wait, why am I thinking about these things?

Qiao Ran shook his head, quickly dispelling his messy thoughts. He was about to start the Gym challenge, and now was not the time to be thinking about these things.

The half-hour passed quickly, and Qiao Ran followed the staff's guidance to the indoor arena of the Jinling Gym.

There were no spectators, no dazzling stage, just a plain and unremarkable arena. However, the surrounding decorations were full of metal and modern aesthetics.

"Welcome, challenger from Longjiang City."

Iron Maiden, holding her iron shovel, appeared on the other side of the arena.

"You didn't run, you didn't cower... Good, you are indeed qualified to stand here."

"The Gym Battle rules are three-on-three. I will send out my first Pokémon first. Think carefully about your counter-strategy!"

Iron Maiden took out a silver-gray Poké Ball from her belt. Qiao Ran recognized the shape; undoubtedly, it was a special Poké Ball used to capture heavy Pokémon – a Heavy Ball.

"My first Pokémon is— Come out! Coco..."

Iron Maiden shouted loudly, but hearing this, Qiao Ran couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Coco... there was only Cacnea with a name like that, and it happened to be a Steel-type as well. If it was just an unevolved Cacnea, then this first Pokémon would be quite easy to deal with.

However, looking at Qiao Ran, Iron Maiden chuckled and suddenly stopped her action of throwing the Poké Ball.

"You... you just let out a sigh of relief, didn't you?"

"…!"

His inner thoughts suddenly exposed, Qiao Ran's eyes widened in surprise.

This woman...

"Hearing 'Cacnea'... you thought of Cacnea, didn't you? But that's undoubtedly wrong. The reason I called out 'Coco' is simply because this Pokémon's nickname is Coco. Don't think I'll go easy on you, don't be so naive."

Iron Maiden wagged her finger, took out the Poké Ball again, and made a throwing motion.

"Come out! My first Pokémon—Ag!gron!!!"

"BOOM!!"

An explosive roar erupted from the ground. The moment the steel behemoth appeared on the battlefield, it exuded an intense pressure. The earthquake-like tremor was merely from its landing.

This was a Pokémon mostly covered in iron armor, with two sharp metal horns on its head, its entire body radiating explosive power and strength.

"ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR!!!"

The behemoth let out a furious roar, its palpable aura washing over them. This was the unique sturdiness and gravitas of a Steel-type Pokémon.

"Aggron..."

Qiao Ran murmured, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his face.

「Aggron, the Armor Pokémon. Level—32!」

Gazing at the data displayed on the Rotom Dex, Qiao Ran took a deep breath. Just as the peculiar Gym Leader had said, she truly wasn't holding back this time!