"Rio!"
"Chimcharrr!"
A blue and an orange Pokémon dashed out of the entrance of the Fitness Gym, racing down the stairs before charging up the slope ahead.
"Ah! That was such a good… ugh, morning workout!" Yang moaned happily, stretching her arms high above her head.
"Yeah, it certainly was… nice." Orin muttered, his eyes lingering on the hot sight in front of him.
Yang's casual stretch pulled her tank top tighter against her body, emphasizing her toned abs and her big boobs. It wasn't just Orin who noticed. A few passing students couldn't help glancing in her direction as well.
Yang either didn't notice the attention or simply didn't care. She certainly didn't seem embarrassed by it, and she made no comment about Orin's lingering gaze.
"Chimcha!"
Chimchar, who had been racing ahead with Riolu, suddenly turned around and ran back toward them.
"What happened, Chimchi?" Yang asked curiously.
Orin almost couldn't hold back a chuckle.
He had already learned that Chimchar was male, which somehow made the nickname Yang had given him even funnier.
"Oh, I get it! You must be getting hungry." Yang crouched down toward him. "Come on, hop back into your Poké Ball. I'll get you something to eat."
She quickly recalled Chimchar before he could even protest.
"Ugh, if I don't put him back in, I'm afraid he's gonna run off to who-knows-where." Yang sighed, shaking her head.
She tucked the Poké Ball away before rubbing her stomach.
"Actually, I'm feeling pretty famished myself. That always happens after a good workout." She grinned. "I should head back to the dorm and grab a bite."
"Oh, you're going back to the Valor Dorm, right?" Orin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. The cafeteria food is free, and who can say no to free food?" Yang replied with a wide grin.
Orin had half a mind to invite her out to eat after hearing that she liked free food, but he didn't even know if there were any good restaurants on campus.
Besides, he already had plans, so he simply filed that information away for later.
"That is definitely true. By the way, I'm pretty curious—do the Valor Dorms look any different from the Lumina Dorms?" Orin asked, thinking about how clean and sleek the glass dorms of Lumina were.
"Well, you can come with me and check it out right now if you want," Yang offered, raising an eyebrow.
Orin wasn't sure if Yang was giving him a signal, but knowing her from the show and from the little time he'd spent with her, he was pretty sure her intentions were purely friendly.
"I've actually got to meet up with some friends from my dorm, so I can't come over right now." Orin gave her a regretful smile.
This morning, he had texted Bianca before going for his run, asking if she would like to have breakfast together. Yesterday's lunch date had ended in a disaster, so he was determined to make things right this time.
Thankfully, Bianca had texted back just a couple of minutes ago. She had apparently just woken up and said she would grab a bite with him in about an hour, after she freshened up.
"That's cool. Just send me a text when you want to visit. You've got my number already." Yang gave his arm a friendly pat.
"Yeah. You can show me around then, and maybe I'd be able to meet your sister too," Orin mentioned casually.
"You want to meet Ruby? Well, I can't guarantee you'll find her inside the dorms." Yang gave him a half-grin. "She normally can't stay in the same place for more than a minute. Although, right now, she's probably still sleeping soundly."
"Heh. She sounds like your sister, all right," Orin said with a chuckle.
"Huh? What do you mean? Ruby and I couldn't be more different! Just Yesterday—"
As Yang started listing off all the ways she and Ruby were different, Orin couldn't help but focus on one particular detail.
In the RWBY show, Ruby was definitely an early riser, so it was strange hearing that she apparently wasn't one here.
Maybe this was a little warning for him not to rely too heavily on his "canon" knowledge of these characters. Their worlds and this Pokémon world were clearly different, so it was only natural that the characters themselves—whether it was their personalities or their habits—would turn out differently.
Or maybe he was overthinking it, and Ruby had simply caught the Pokémon protagonist syndrome of sleeping in late, just like Ash.
And although Yang had been complaining about Ruby, the happy expression on her face told Orin that she was actually enjoying talking about her sister.
She must really love her.
As Yang continued listing Ruby's various cute and annoying habits, Orin couldn't help but wonder if this was what people meant when they called someone a Siscon.
"Ugh, I talked too much. My tummy is protesting for food. I'm gonna have to run." Yang grabbed her stomach dramatically.
"Looking at you is making me hungry too," Orin said with a smile, his gaze briefly drifting toward her toned abs.
It took him a moment to realize how his words could be misinterpreted, but thankfully, Yang didn't seem to notice the double meaning.
"Hehe, you don't have to thank me," she said with a chuckle. "Anyway, later, Orin! And don't forget to come to the gym tomorrow morning, or I'll drag you out of your room myself!"
She waved before taking off down the stairs at full sprint.
"Uh…"
Orin had wanted to tell her that they could just take the shuttle bus back to their dorms together, but Yang was already halfway up the slope.
"She really has too much energy," Orin muttered, though he couldn't help feeling a little worried. If Yang was this hyperactive, then just how energetic would her sister Ruby be?
"Riolu!"
Riolu had returned after sprinting all the way to the end of the slope and back, narrowly passing Yang on her way up. Yang had simply called out a quick goodbye to her as they passed each other.
"Let's head back to our room, Riolu," Orin said with a smile.
"Rioo!"
Riolu pumped her little fists and immediately shifted into a running stance.
"No, we're not racing," Orin said with a wry smile. "And we're really in no hurry to get back. We can take our time."
He still had an hour before he needed to meet Bianca, so there was no reason to rush.
"Riolu!"
Riolu seemed to agree, giving him a heavy nod before promptly skipping down the steps.
Orin could only sigh helplessly. Either Riolu hadn't understood what he meant, or she had understood perfectly and simply wanted to run anyway.
At this point, all he could do was follow after her at a light jog.
He did feel a little mentally tired after leaving the gym, though it had nothing to do with the workout itself.
Dendra's routine had actually been fairly light for him. Still, he didn't mind, especially since he hadn't gotten much sleep today. He didn't want to push himself too hard first thing in the morning.
Besides, Dendra had promised to send him his own training plan later in the week. According to her, it would be tailored to his physique and strength, pushing his body appropriately without going overboard.
Their conversation at the gym had also made it surprisingly easy for him to get both Dendra's and Yang's phone numbers, giving the three of them a way to stay in touch.
Orin had even mentioned that he would like to talk to Dendra in more detail about his own training, as well as the kinds of exercises Riolu and Elgyem should be doing.
Part of it was a genuine interest in improving his training and taking better care of his Pokémon, but the real reason was that he wanted to get closer to the hot senior.
Dendra had happily agreed. She even seemed to appreciate how seriously he was taking his training despite being a first-year.
Even with all those positive developments, Orin still felt mentally tired.
He was used to enjoying more of his own quiet time in the morning. Whether he was going for a run, training inside his room, or exercising on the terrace or in the front garden, his mornings were usually peaceful and quiet.
Which was why having to keep up with two loud and energetic babes so early in the morning had been surprisingly exhausting.
Although being able to ogle their sexy bodies up close more than made up for it.
"Are you still sleeping, Brina?" Orin asked, gently caressing the crystal around his neck, but received no reply.
He could only sigh and leave her be for now.
Soon, Orin and Riolu took the shuttle bus back to their dorm.
They were the only two returning together. As Elgyem had started wobbling in midair toward the end of their workout, making it obvious that she was exhausted.
Orin had noticed how hard she had pushed herself. She had stubbornly copied everything Riolu and Chimchar did, even using her telekinesis to lift weights alongside them.
Considering Elgyem might never have used her psychic abilities so extensively before, it wasn't surprising that she had eventually run out of steam.
Orin had offered to let her rest inside her Poké Ball, and this time, Elgyem had accepted without a single protest.
So she was still quietly resting inside the Poké Ball in his pocket.
Once they returned to the room, Orin decided to wash Riolu first before taking a shower himself.
He had barely started getting things ready when the crystal around his neck suddenly grew warm.
"Yawn… Brina is hungry, Onii-chan."
Brina materialized in front of him, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She looked like she had barely woken up. Without saying another word, she wandered over to the bed and promptly flopped down face-first onto the mattress.
"…Brina. If you're tired, at least lie down properly."
Brina responded with an unintelligible mumble, her face still buried in the sheets.
"What's gotten into you? You're acting unusually spoiled today."
With another sigh, Orin turned her over and adjusted her position until her head was resting properly on the pillow.
"Brina… are you feeling okay?" he asked, sitting beside her and placing a hand against her forehead. Thankfully, she didn't seem to have a fever.
Still, Orin couldn't shake his concern.
Brina had spent hours inside a piece of rock, only to emerge afterward as if nothing unusual had happened. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't bring himself to consider that normal.
Brina had explained it all as being the result of her psychic powers, but Orin couldn't exactly accept that explanation at face value. It sounded too convenient, especially when he had no idea what kind of psychic ability could allow someone to enter a solid rock and remain inside it for hours.
At the same time, he couldn't completely dismiss her explanation either.
He had lived in this world for fifteen years, but there was still so much about it that he didn't understand. Psychic abilities were very real, and there were undoubtedly things they could do that he had never encountered before. For all he knew, Brina really was telling the truth, and he was simply too ignorant about psychic powers to understand what was happening.
All in all, Orin had seen it happen with his own eyes, so all he could do was accept that it was possible, even if he couldn't understand how.
That left him with nothing but worry about what was happening with Brina.
If only he had Big Sis Sabrina's phone number. She probably would have been able to answer all of his questions.
Unfortunately, Orin wasn't even sure she would be willing to answer him.
He had asked her before why he wasn't allowed to leave Saffron City for so many years, but she had never given him an answer. In fact, as far back as he could remember, Orin had never been able to contact her himself. If Sabrina wanted to see him or speak with him, she would simply make it happen.
Otherwise, there was no way for him to reach her.
"Ugh… Onii-chan, let Brina sleep," Brina mumbled, lazily swatting his hand away.
"…Go get Brina some breakfast. And don't forget all those sweets you promised Brina last night."
She rolled onto her side and pulled another pillow into her arms, apparently done with the conversation.
Orin couldn't help but smile wryly. Even half-asleep, she hadn't forgotten about the sweets.
He took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of her sleeping face, a loving smile spreading across his own face. In fact, he already had an entire folder dedicated to pictures of Brina.
He had labeled Yang as one before, but Orin had to admit that, somehow, after coming into this world, he himself had ended up becoming a full-blown Siscon.
And honestly, who could blame him?
As Brina was cuter than every Pokémon in this world!
And if anyone dared to disagree, Orin would gladly ask Brina to blast them into the sky—Team Rocket style!