Dawn's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, but her smile showed that she was happy.
She was flattered by Xiaoyun's sudden earnestness, but more than that, she felt joy from the bottom of her heart, and her thoughts began to wander...
"Dawn... Dawn? Why'd you suddenly space out?" Seeing Dawn lower her head without speaking, Xiaoyun thought she was embarrassed because there were too many people around and waved a hand before her eyes.
"Hm? Huh? What is it, Xiaoyun?" Only after he waved his hand before her eyes did Dawn raise her head and speak softly to him, her face still slightly flushed.
"Professor Oak's saying goodbye to us."
Xiaoyun pointed at the videophone screen. When Professor Oak had seen him and Dawn gazing at each other just now, he hadn't interrupted.
Instead, he had turned to give Brock and Ash a few instructions before finally looking back at them.
"Ah, sumimasen!"
"I actually let my mind wander during our conversation. That was terribly rude of me."
Only then did Dawn remember that Professor Oak was still there, and she began bowing in apology. Xiaoyun's sudden move just now had really left her at a loss, making her completely dazed.
"Hahaha, it's fine, it's fine. You're young, so I understand. We were all young once."
Professor Oak didn't mind. He even looked at Xiaoyun and Dawn with considerable interest, remarking on how wonderful it was to be young.
It couldn't help reminding him of those days.
He and Agatha had traveled together, among flowers and beneath the moonlight, so sweet on each other...
Ah, those truly were unforgettable memories. He wondered how Agatha was doing now...
"Professor Oak, let me talk to Ash."
As Professor Oak reminisced about his departed youth, a gentle voice pulled him from his memories.
"Well, everyone, until next time. Ash, your mother has something to tell you."
With that, Professor Oak disappeared. A moment later, a woman in casual house clothes appeared on the screen. It was Ash's mother, Delia.
Xiaoyun didn't interrupt Ash and his mother as they asked after each other. He took Dawn away from their conversation and waited in Professor Rowan's lobby.
"Xiaoyun."
"Hm?"
"Could... could you keep going with what you were saying earlier?"
"Huh? What did you just say, Dawn? I didn't catch it."
"Never mind." Dawn looked at the boy playing dumb. He had been so good at flirting just now, making her lose herself for a moment, yet now he couldn't understand her. She felt so annoyed.
"What is it, Dawn? I really didn't hear you just now. I spaced out."
That wasn't a lie. Xiaoyun had been planning the next leg of his journey and his training schedule, so he hadn't heard what Dawn had said.
"It's really nothing!" Hearing Xiaoyun keep asking, Dawn suddenly felt too embarrassed to repeat what she had just said, and her face flushed slightly as she spoke.
"What the heck? Dawn's such a hassle." Without seeing Dawn's flushed face, Xiaoyun blurted out a tactless remark.
"What. Did. You. Say?"
Hearing Xiaoyun actually call her a hassle nearly made Dawn's white hat fly off in anger. Her flushed expression turned angry, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready to teach him a lesson!
"No, no! I said Dawn's so gentle." Seeing Dawn's expression change drastically, Xiaoyun finally realized something was wrong. He hurriedly sprang off the sofa and began explaining, though his explanation came a little too late.
"I don't believe you. You were definitely talking about me just now."
"No, I wasn't."
"I don't believe you. You were."
"I already said I wasn't!"
"You yelled at me!"
"No, I was just-"
Don't try to fight back. If a girl says you did it, then you did it, or else...
Sure enough, Dawn immediately shut the door and sent out her trusted ace, Piplup.
"Go, Piplup."
"Pip, Piplup, pip!" The plump little penguin proudly lifted his chubby face and patted his chest with a little wing.
He meant that she could leave it to him, and he guaranteed he would take care of it properly. With that, he launched his round little body toward Xiaoyun.
"Seriously? You're even bringing Piplup into this?"
He complained to Dawn as he watched the plump little penguin lunge at him, then instinctively dodged.
Oh... he'd dodged it.
"This guy's a little dumb. Did he lose his brains fighting Team Rocket these past two days?" Xiaoyun watched Piplup miss and fall face-first to the floor, looking at him with a slightly odd expression.
"Piplup!!" Seeing Xiaoyun's somewhat scornful gaze, the little blue fatty felt his pride wounded. He climbed off the floor, shook his round head, and stared at Xiaoyun, ready to use Tackle again.
"I'm warning you, don't come any closer!" Xiaoyun also grabbed a cushion from the sofa, intending to pin him to the floor the moment he came over.
From Dawn's perspective, she saw Xiaoyun hold a cushion in front of himself while Piplup's yellow feet were itching to move.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Dawn wondered whether she should have them stop. Why did it feel as though they really were about to fight?
"Ahem..." Just as the boy and Pokémon were about to engage in a fierce battle inside the laboratory, Professor Rowan's light cough came from behind them, preventing the battle from beginning.
"Xiaoyun, what are you doing?" Professor Rowan approached with Ash and Brock and asked curiously.
"Nothing, Professor. They're just fooling around," Dawn told Professor Rowan, a little embarrassed.
"Exactly, exactly. We're just playing a little game to build our bond."
Xiaoyun simply used the cushion to clamp Piplup against his chest, ignoring the struggling Piplup, making it look as though the boy and Pokémon must have a very close bond.
"I see. Building your bond is certainly a good thing."
Seeing how Xiaoyun held Piplup, Professor Rowan also assumed the two were playing some sort of game and asked no further questions.
"Ash, have you finished talking to your family?"
Xiaoyun now looked at Ash behind him. Unlike his earlier bedraggled state, Ash had changed into the new trainer outfit his mother had sent him and looked completely refreshed.
"Yeah. I was just about to say goodbye to Professor Rowan and head to Oreburgh City to challenge the Gym." Wearing the same clothes as in the original Sinnoh Region story, Ash smiled at me with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
"Really? I'm heading to Oreburgh City too, but before that, Dawn and I need to go to Jubilife City. Apparently, there'll be a Pokémon Contest there soon, and I want to go with Dawn so she can enter," Xiaoyun answered Ash.
"I see. Then let's part ways here. We can battle next time we get the chance." Seeing that Xiaoyun didn't intend to travel with him, Ash suggested they part ways.
"Sure, but I won't go easy on you." Xiaoyun was actually looking forward to battling Ash too, but not today. He would wait until he caught a new Pokémon before battling him.
"Looks like this tournament won't go very smoothly for Ash," Brock mused from behind them, his eyes narrowed. Remembering Xiaoyun's impeccable command earlier, he felt a trace of concern for Ash.
After saying goodbye to Professor Rowan once more, they prepared to set off on their respective journeys. As soon as they left the laboratory, they saw a purple-haired boy dressed in purple standing beneath a tree opposite the laboratory, with an Elekid beside him.
Seeing everyone come out, the purple-haired boy raised his head and looked at them with an indifferent gaze. Or rather... he was looking at Ash!