For a moment, the room was filled with the cheerful laughter of trainers and Pokémon, adding a touch of warmth to the simple room.
Xinhai gently placed Ralts on the Limber bed. Although the little guy was still a little disappointed that he couldn't play this time, the pinky promise he made with Xinhai put him at ease, and he began to close his eyes and Calm Mind on the bed.
Xinhai approached Combusken and Eevee, gave them a few brief instructions, and then said, "Alright, you two go and rest too. I'm going to schedule Gym Battle for tomorrow!"
Xinhai took out his Pokédex from his pocket, opened Pokédex skillfully, and swiped his finger across the screen to find and tap on the " Gym Reservation System".
The interface is simple and clear, listing the locations of various cities in the Hoenn Region. The logos of the major Gym also appear above the cities, and there is a small arrow representing each gym moving up and down in Rustboro City.
Xinhai clicks on the Rustboro Gym icon to enter the Gym information page.
" Rustboro City, Rustboro Gym, Gym Leader: Rock Dragon Rock! The Gym is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM..."
After looking at the information for a while, Xinhai clicked the reservation button in the lower right corner and then continued watching the Gym Battle Pokémon in the Rustboro Gym!
The Pokémon used in Gym Battle are usually common in the local Pokémon, which is also a way to promote the unique features of the Gym, such as the Rustboro Gym.
The Pokémon Pokémon battles at this Gym are usually the evolved forms of Geodude, Onix, and Nosepass, with Nosepass being the most representative Pokémon of the Rustboro Gym.
The Combusken, who gets excited at the thought of Gym Battle, also came over, its eyes filled with fighting spirit as it looked at the three Rock type Pokémon on the screen.
Just then, a message popped up on the screen confirming the successful reservation. Xinhai clicked to view. "Trainer Bai Mu, you have successfully reserved a Gym Battle at the Rustboro Gym. Please arrive before 3:00 PM tomorrow. Latecomers will not be accepted. Please also bring your valid ID or Pokédex. Thank you for your cooperation, and we wish you a successful challenge!"
[Your reservation has been successfully submitted! The Rustboro Gym has received your battle request. Reservation number: KNZ-2025-0724. Please bring your valid ID or Pokédex to the Gym reception desk to register before 2:30 PM tomorrow. We wish you a successful challenge!]
'Three o'clock in the afternoon? That's a good time.' Xinhai thought to himself, 'Tomorrow morning, I can let Combusken and Eevee do some simple physical training, have breakfast, and then rest and recover. We can also do some adaptive training to get them in shape.'
Having finalized his plans for tomorrow, Xinhai glanced at the Combusken peeking out from the side and said with a smile, "All set! Tomorrow at three in the afternoon, it'll be up to you and Eevee to see how you perform!"
"Wow!!!" Combusken jumped up and down excitedly, swinging its fists twice, as if it couldn't wait to start the battle.
"Eevee!" ( Xinhai's see what happens then!) Eevee, who was lying on the bed, stood up, its fluffy tail held high, and barked Hustle.
Although Ralts didn't open its eyes while Calm Mind, it could clearly sense this joy and determination through Telepathy, and the corners of its mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.
Xinhai smiled as he looked at the two spirited Pokémon and the quietly Calm Mind Ralts, his heart filled with confidence for victory tomorrow.
In the training room of the Rustboro Gym, Trainer Morisaki stood at the edge of the training field, watching several Geodude and Graveler take turns using Rollout to Tackle a specially made rock target.
"Pay attention to the rhythm! Maintain a steady Rollout!" His deep voice echoed in the spacious training room.
The Geodude and Graveler growled, their rocky surfaces gleaming as they diligently carried out their commands.
Just then, the Pokédex in the Trainer Morisaki's pocket emitted a notification sound, indicating that a message had been sent.
"Beep beep beep--"
He took out his Pokédex from his pocket and checked it, only to find it was a new message from the Gym receptionist.
'This should be the list of trainers Gym Battle tomorrow.' Trainer Morisaki glanced at the time and clicked on it, and sure enough, it was the list of trainers who had registered for Gym Battle all day tomorrow.
His gaze quickly swept over the brief information of each trainer and the time of their Gym Battle. When he saw a name marked in red, he stopped swiping the screen.
Trainer's Name: Xinhai Bai Mu
League Affiliation: Direct descendant trainer, Joy family
Pokémon: Combusken, Ralts, Eevee
Appointment status: Appointment successful (Appointment number: KNZ-2025-0724)
Appointment time: 15:00
" Xinhai Bai Mu?" Trainer Morisaki murmured the name, a knowing glint in his eyes. "That kid who ranked in the top eight of the Challenger Tournament, and he even got investment from the Joy family?"
He hesitated for a moment, then took the Pokédex to a relatively quiet corner of the training room, opened the communication function, and after scrolling through the numbers, found a number labeled "Miss Roxanne ".
After a brief pause, the communication was connected.
A woman's voice, as clear as a nightingale's song, drifted over, accompanied by the soft rustling of pages turning.
"Senior Brother? Is there something wrong that you're calling at this hour?" Roxanne's voice carried a hint of inquiry.
"Excuse me, miss. It's about the Gym Battle," Trainer Morisaki replied respectfully.
"Senior Brother, I've told you several times, just call me Roxanne, there's no need to use honorifics." Roxanne's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"Yes, Miss!" Trainer Morisaki smiled and replied.
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line before Miss Roxanne said helplessly, "Sigh, Senior Brother, just tell me what it is!"
Trainer Morisaki regained his seriousness and said softly, "It's like this, there's a very promising trainer who has booked Gym Battle for tomorrow, and this trainer has also received investment from the Joy family."
"A trainer invested in by the Joy family?" Roxanne paused in her book, her voice filled with obvious doubt. "Senior Brother, do you mean I should come back and investigate them to see if they're worth our investment?"
"That's right." Trainer Morisaki nodded. "However, it's not our Gym that's investing, it's you. In two years, the gym leader will be passing the Gym down to you, so investing in a few promising trainers now will benefit you in the future."
"Was it my father's idea?" Roxanne's voice suddenly softened, and the rustling sound of turning pages stopped completely, leaving only her shallow breathing in the receiver.
Her tone was calm, but Morisaki could detect a hint of displeasure beneath that calm.
As the heir to the Rustboro Gym, Roxanne's life isn't as easy as people think. As a teenage girl, she should be enjoying beautiful things like other girls her age.
However, due to her family circumstances, she could only live with Rock type Pokémon, and she had always lived according to her father's wishes, without any freedom.
Later, after being persuaded by the principal of the Rustboro Trainer School, her father, Rock Dragon Rock, finally agreed to let her study at the Trainer School for three years, which gave her some freedom.
Now, three years are coming to an end, and she has one more year to graduate. Her father has once again begun to arrange her life.
"It's the owner's idea..." Morisaki's voice was calm and certain, without any evasion.
He knew this junior sister he had watched grow up all too well; he could almost feel the heavy weight of her emotions surging beneath her calm tone through the communicator.
On the other end of the communicator, Roxanne's breathing seemed even lighter, and silence weighed on her heart like a heavy rock.
Morisaki knew that this silence was a silent resistance.
He recalled the girl, Roxanne briefly laughed, learned, and was curious about everything like an ordinary girl at the Trainer School, and that image overlapped with the girl who was now firmly bound by her identity as the Gym leader.