January 7, Wednesday.
Leisurely holidays in Sinnoh were always short-lived. Once his vacation ended, Qingyu soon returned to the Paldea Region.
Although he hadn't been away for long, Qingyu couldn't help feeling a pang of emptiness when he returned to the Sunshine Gym alone, opened the door, and found the hall pitch-black and utterly deserted.
As the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia naturally had work to attend to after her vacation.
From her arrival in Paldea to prepare for the Dragon-type Masters Tournament until the end of the New Year holiday in Sinnoh, they'd managed to spend nearly a month together. That was already a rare luxury.
"Sigh..."
Still, even knowing he couldn't ask for more, Qingyu couldn't help feeling down at the abrupt shift from that warm, lively atmosphere back to living alone.
In the end, all those emotions became a single sigh. Qingyu patted his cheeks, gave himself a "Wake-Up Slap," and forced himself to perk up, recovering some of his energy.
"Since I'm back, I might as well get ready for the work ahead!"
With the new year underway, he would officially lead the Sunshine Gym from decline to glory.
Starting with his role as one of Victory Road's Eight Gym Leaders!
Spring Break was over, and the students would soon begin a new semester. As their examiner, he couldn't afford to slack off.
After returning to the gym, Qingyu soon let out all the Pokémon currently with him.
"Graow?"
Miraidon opened its eyes and brightened up at the sight of the familiar interior.
It immediately trotted out of the gym to return to its faithful post.
Traveling really wasn't its thing. It had no interest in sightseeing or chance encounters with other Pokémon.
"Home" suited it much better!
Qingyu's mouth twitched at the sight.
If he hadn't trusted