After the minor incident earlier that day, Aiden enjoyed a peaceful afternoon nap—only to wake as the sun was already sinking below the horizon.
Of course, he would've happily slept longer—
—if not for the tremendous racket outside, which forced even his blissfully empty mind to return to reality.
Stepping out of his room, he found Sylveon seated on the sofa as usual, watching a Kalos-region prime-time drama before dinner.
Beyond the slightly ajar kitchen door wafted the rich aroma of hot pot—Indeedee had apparently beaten him to dinner preparations.
As for Lucario—it was leaning against the wall outside the kitchen, eyeing him with unmistakable wariness.
Something about its gaze felt… off. And if he actually deciphered what it meant, he suspected his psyche might not survive the impact.
Instinctively, Aiden averted his eyes—and firmly refused to think any further.
Stepping outside Sunshine Gym, the culprit behind his rude awakening immediately revealed itself.
"Roar!!!"
Fully recharged, Salamence circled ceaselessly above the Gym, wings beating powerfully as it let out frequent, thunderous roars.
Perhaps it was a lingering effect from its Shelgon days—when movement had been so restricted—or perhaps the long-cherished dream of free flight had finally become reality. Either way, Salamence was now utterly lost in its own world, oblivious to heaven and earth alike.
Occasionally, a Squawkabilly or Fletchling would flutter nearby—only to be instantly terrified by the commotion and flee beyond Aiden's line of sight.
Though admittedly noisy, this street-racing behavior at least proved Salamence was brimming with vitality.
Still—it had been so exhausted this morning it fell asleep midair. To have recovered completely by now spoke volumes about its exceptional physical constitution.
Cabo Poco had only a handful of residents anyway. Might as well let it run wild a little longer before dinner.
Aiden shifted his gaze to Miraidon—looking exactly as lazy as ever.
Sure, its sudden power surge earlier had been undeniably cool—but the moment it confirmed Aiden was safe, it had promptly reverted to its current couch-potato form.
Was being a slacker its true nature all along?
"Gaaao?"
Detecting Aiden's gaze, Miraidon—who had been blissfully sniffing the delicious aromas wafting from indoors, a blissful smile on its face—suddenly lifted its head.
As if to say:
'Dinner time yet?'
Sure enough—even after regaining its power, its personality hadn't changed one bit.
But that was fine, too.
Aiden chuckled, patting Miraidon's head.
"Just a little longer. Indeedee will call us when it's time."
As the Gym's current only two idlers—human and dragon—Aiden simply plonked himself down beside Miraidon.
Perfect chance for a chat before dinner.
"Truthfully, from the moment I first met you, I had a hunch you were probably an incredibly powerful Pokémon."
As he spoke, Aiden's mind drifted back to the flashback memories that had flickered before his eyes during his near-death fall that morning.
Back when he was just a rookie Gym Leader with only an Eevee and a Riolu, he'd witnessed firsthand how Miraidon—cornered alongside the Mabostiff by a pack of Houndoom—had unleashed a Discharge attack that wiped out the entire group in an instant.
Of course, his prior-life memories probably played an even bigger role.
That was precisely why he'd always struggled to reconcile this food-obsessed, perpetually lazy Miraidon with titles like "Legendary Pokémon," "Paradise Guardian Dragon," or "Iron Serpent."
But after seeing Miraidon actually throw down today—even just a little—he had to admit: it was genuinely cool.
"Gaaao?"
Miraidon shot him an impatient glance, as if completely failing to grasp his words.
In truth, it was actually feeling a bit guilty—it had a nagging sense that its actions today had been a tad rash.
After all, aside from itself, there were clearly several other capable rescuers at Sunshine Gym at the time, right?
Take Mewtwo, for instance—that monster's Psychic power was so absurdly strong it probably could've lifted the entire Gym if it tried.
Or Marshadow, lurking in the shadows and seemingly treating Aiden as its sworn brother—it likely knew moves capable of teleporting people and Pokémon into alternate dimensions.
Yet both had deliberately chosen to stand by and do nothing.
Which left only one possible conclusion.
This was a trap!
A trap to trick it into revealing its power!
Though its time among humans was short, Miraidon understood some basic truths.
The better a Pokémon performed, the more "trust" it earned from its Trainer—and the more troublesome opponents it would be forced to face, plunging it into a vicious cycle.
In other words: the greater the power, the heavier the burden.
Conversely, as long as it kept acting exactly as before—slacking off until even Aiden stopped expecting anything from it—it would shoulder zero pressure.
As long as it embraced its slacker nature, it would be invincible!
Alas—the blissful life it had cultivated was thoroughly shattered today.
If Aiden discovered it was actually a deeply hidden expert… wouldn't he start dragging it off to work all the time from now on?
No thank you—
Using just one electric net this morning already felt like it drained twenty years' worth of its electricity reserves. It absolutely needed to slack off hard for a while to recover!
Thinking this, Miraidon promptly melted into a liquid-like puddle atop its plush cat cushion.
Unaware of its internal monologue, Aiden raised an eyebrow—looking thoroughly impressed despite not understanding a thing.
Despite its metallic body, when its head rested on Aiden's lap, it felt virtually weightless.
Truly, Miraidon had far better restraint. Had it been the clumsy Salamence, his leg would've gone numb in seconds.
Thinking this, Aiden suddenly found its current lazy-dragon form far more endearing than its earlier cool-guy act——
Smiling, he narrowed his eyes and gently stroked Miraidon's back.
For fur-covered Pokémon, this was one of the finest ways to show affection—even the slightly tsundere Sylveon would lose itself completely in his masterful petting skills.
Yet even for steel-bodied Miraidon, the effect wasn't half bad.
Before long, under Aiden's practiced hands, Miraidon's eyes narrowed in bliss, its expression slipping into unconscious enjoyment.
"Indee~"
Several minutes later, Indeedee's ethereal call echoed through the Gym—prompting Miraidon to jolt awake, leap from its nest in a single bound, and sprint headlong into the Gym without a backward glance.
By the time Aiden processed what happened, Miraidon had already vanished.
About this, he could only smile wryly.
Even after "recovering its password," it remained utterly unchanged.
But that was fine, too.
Compared to an aloof, powerful Iron Serpent, a timid, food-loving Miraidon was far better suited to Sunshine Gym.
Aiden stood up and waved toward the sky.
"Hey, Salamence—dinnertime~"
"Roar!"
So cool!
Mid-flight Salamence instantly nosedived—then, just before impact, executed a perfect brake. Its feet touched down with a cushioning stomp, landing steadily before proudly turning its gaze to Aiden.
Look, look—a flawless aerial stunt!
Yet contrary to the praise it expected, what greeted it was an "angry-mode" Aiden—lips twitching violently, a faint aura of black steam rising from his head.
"Growl?!"
Startled, Salamence instinctively turned to look behind itself.
Where it had slid across the ground, two distinct black skid marks now marred the earth—soil and grass torn up in its wake, splattered mud leaving the area in complete disarray.
Oh no!
Salamence instantly realized it was in deep trouble.
Everyone knew Aiden's greatest pet peeve was Pokémon that damaged the battlefield. Many past Gym challengers had been punished precisely for this reason.
And in its momentary arrogance, it had just done the exact same thing!
Feeling guilty, Salamence immediately lowered its head—its tail, which had been thumping the ground like drumsticks, falling still.
"...I'll let it slide today."
Seeing Salamence recognize its mistake, Aiden could only sigh and wave a hand dismissively.
This was unavoidable—after all, Salamence had only just evolved. Excitement was only natural for a dragon, and it likely hadn't even fully adjusted to its new form yet.
Yet just as Aiden turned to enter Sunshine Gym, he suddenly halted—staring blankly at the open doorway.
In that moment, another realization struck him.
"Salamence's size… probably won't fit through, will it?"
Aiden turned back, his gaze flickering between the bewildered Salamence and the doorframe—before reaching the inevitable conclusion: No way. Absolutely no way.
According to the Pokédex, Salamence's standard height was 1.5 meters—but that figure likely referred only to its torso while standing upright, almost certainly excluding its absurdly large wingspan.
Technically, it could squeeze through by folding its wings—but without them for balance, Salamence would probably wobble with every step… and might just demolish the entire Gym in the process.
(To be honest—is this really 1.5 meters? ————)
Aiden fell into deep thought.
"Growl?!"
Though a half-beat slow on the uptake, Salamence quickly deciphered the truth from Aiden's body language—and stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
No… it can't be!
Before evolving, it had already missed meals—if it couldn't even double its food intake after evolving, what was the point?!
Moreover, before evolving it could at least watch everyone eat—now it couldn't even enter Sunshine Gym?! Imagining a future where it, like Miraidon, would have to sleep outside the Gym——
No—it was even worse! At least Miraidon had its own dedicated nest!
Unconsciously uncovering reality's cruelty, Salamence's eyes began welling with tears.
If I'd known this, I'd rather have stayed a Bagon forever!
"I won't let you go hungry—just give me a moment to figure something out——"
Aiden could only offer comforting words while sinking back into thought.
Leaving Salamence to eat alone outside really was too pitiful.
One Pokémon missing from Sunshine Gym's dinner table—guess who didn't get an invitation?
The eating problem was easy enough to solve—they could just move the dining table outside from now on to keep Salamence company.
But beyond that lay even thornier issues.
For instance—where would Salamence sleep?
It couldn't seriously stand guard beside Miraidon on either side of the Gym entrance——
Thinking this way—with the Gym's Pokémon roster steadily growing—it really was time to put Sunshine Gym's expansion plans on the agenda.
As for today—they'd just have to make do.
Aiden quickly made up his mind, stepped into the Gym, and immediately locked eyes with Mewtwo—who was already watching him.
Target acquired!
"I'm counting on you, Dora——Mewtwo!"
"Quick—use your almighty Psychic power to shrink Salamence's body by half!"
He couldn't do it himself—but Mewtwo, who wielded Psychic power as casually as breathing, surely had a solution.
Aiden had absolute faith in Mewtwo's abilities.
?
Facing Aiden—who had suddenly clasped his hands together and bowed his head in earnest supplication—Mewtwo instinctively tilted its head, mentally conjuring a giant question mark.
That nickname of his felt oddly irritating—but it couldn't pinpoint why——
Still—it was Aiden's request, and for Mewtwo, this truly wasn't difficult.
"Understood."
Mewtwo nodded and promptly walked toward the door.
With a casual flick of its hand, its eyes instantly glowed blue—its immense latent Psychic power surging outward and swiftly locking onto the curiously staring Salamence.
"Growl?"
Under Salamence's bewildered gaze, the world before its eyes suddenly began expanding rapidly.
Even Mewtwo—who had previously been slightly shorter than it—gradually grew towering.
Before long, a Salamence shrunk to nearly half its size—even comparable to its former Shelgon form—stood outside the door.
Aiden, who had been intently spectating nearby, couldn't help but give Mewtwo a thumbs-up.
Truly—in the real Pokémon world, Psychic was undoubtedly the attribute and ability with the highest ceiling.
Just like Aiden's instinctive nickname suggested—if he could imagine it, Mewtwo could probably do it.
In a sense, calling it "Super Dorae-Mewtwo" really wasn't inaccurate.
Though Mewtwo clearly didn't appreciate the nickname——
"Done."
Upon beholding its "masterpiece," Mewtwo nodded in satisfaction—then promptly reverted to its usual aloof demeanor.
"I merely used Psychic power to trigger its innate danger-avoidance instincts. Nothing difficult."
"However, this method cannot alter its actual weight—so be careful——"
Before Mewtwo could finish, the thrilled Salamence leaped forward—easily clearing the Gym's doorway and landing lightly on the floor.
Then——
Crack! The floorboards near the entrance instantly splintered under its feet, and Salamence tumbled to the ground with a pained cry.
If one word could describe Aiden's feelings at that moment, it would be: numb.
Still—since they'd already decided to expand Sunshine Gym, reinforcing the original structure was definitely necessary too.
Especially with a certain overenthusiastic Salamence around——
At this point—dinner first.
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