After washing up, he changed into sportswear and went to the open area of the living room to begin his daily training—three rounds of the Dewford Twelve Forms and two rounds of Tai Chi.
His movements were smoother than before, with almost no lag between transitions. Muscle memory was gradually taking shape.
After finishing, Xinhai was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He took a shower, then began preparing breakfast for his partners.
The aroma of Pokémon food soon filled the room.
Eevee finally crawled out of bed, letting out a tiny yawn as it padded over to its little bowl and squatted down. Its big brown eyes were full of anticipation.
Charmander and Axew also ran out of the room. Their tails spun like windmills as they circled around Xinhai's feet, crying, "Roar!" and "Axew!"
"Don't rush, it'll be ready soon." Xinhai smiled as he portioned out the food. His partners immediately gathered around and began eating in big mouthfuls.
After breakfast, Xinhai cleaned up the dishes. Just as he was considering the day's training plan, his Pokédex suddenly vibrated.
He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Ryosuke Onodera.
"Xinhai! How did the Gym battle go? Did you win? (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"
The message was followed by a sticker of an Electabuzz nervously spinning in circles.
Xinhai smiled and tapped out a reply. "I won. The Mind Badge is mine."
Almost the instant the message was sent, the other side replied.
"Ahhhhh! I knew you could do it! You're amazing, Xinhai! (ノ≧∀≦)ノ"
"How did the Double Battle feel? Was it difficult?"
Xinhai gave a simple reply, describing the battle before adding, "Double Battles really are much more complicated than singles, but I trained specially for five days beforehand, so I was fairly prepared."
Ryosuke Onodera