Ishii Kyosuke, with his mouth covered, let out two muffled sounds. Seeing Xinhai's serious expression, he nodded to show he understood.
Only then did Xinhai release his hand. Ishii Kyosuke took a deep breath and rubbed his chin, though a trace of curiosity still lingered in his eyes.
"Fine, fine, I won't ask." Though Ishii Kyosuke said he would not ask, his gaze circled Xinhai's face once more before he turned toward his training area. After taking two steps, he looked back and added, "But honestly—you two really do make a good match standing together."
"Go train already!" Xinhai waved him off irritably.
Ishii Kyosuke laughed loudly and jogged away.
Xinhai shook his head, casting those messy thoughts from his mind, then headed straight for the treatment equipment area at one side of the grounds.
He retrieved the Poké Balls he had left there after the morning's battles—Blaziken, Gardevoir, Eevee, Mightyena, Krookodile, and Sceptile. The six Poké Balls lay neatly across his palm, warm and solid to the touch.
After confirming that all the Poké Balls had completed their recovery treatment, he turned and walked down the corridor toward Independent Training Room Six.
After swiping his card and pushing open the door, he found the other partners still training in their respective spots. None of them stopped just because Xinhai had returned.
Not wanting to interrupt the others' training, Xinhai walked to the center of the room and pressed the release buttons one by one, letting all six Pokémon out.
Blaziken, Gardevoir, Eevee, Mightyena, Krookodile, and Sceptile appeared in the training room one after another.
The moment Eevee came out, she habitually jumped onto Xinhai's lap and rubbed her little head against his hand. Gardevoir hovered to his right, a hint of inquiry in her red eyes.
"Everyone worked hard