Shinji's words were cold and direct, like a biting winter wind sweeping across the battlefield and reaching everyone's ears.
Ash knelt on the ground, holding Pikachu who had lost its ability to battle, his cheeks flushed red with frustration and anger.
"Wait a minute, Shinji!" Ash suddenly looked up and shouted loudly, "The battle isn't over yet! I still have one last Pokémon!"
Shinji's footsteps didn't pause for a second, and he didn't even turn his head back, merely raising his hand to wave casually.
His indifferent voice drifted over with the wind: "No need, it's a waste of time."
"You!" Ash trembled with rage, his hands clenched tightly, yet he was powerless to argue back.
The fact that the opponent had defeated his Starly and Pikachu in a near-crushing manner left him deeply shaken.
Just then, a hand suddenly reached over from the side and lightly patted Ash's shoulder, the tone carrying a bit of understanding and comfort: "It's fine, it's normal to lose to Shinji. That guy is ridiculously strong, I'm really going to have to fine him."
"A-Xun? Why are you here?" Hearing the familiar voice, Dawn turned her head to look, and a look of surprise immediately appeared on her face.
She had originally been feeling uncomfortable because of Shinji's hurtful words, but seeing an acquaintance now, her attention was temporarily diverted.
The newcomer was none other than A-Xun, who had met Shinji once outside Rowans Laboratory.
A-Xun and Dawn were both fellow townsfolk from Twinleaf Town and had known each other for a long time.
"It's Dawn!" Seeing Dawn, A-Xun also showed a happy smile and waved a greeting. His prominent golden spiky hair was particularly striking under the sunlight, and he wore his usual lively smile.
"I was passing by and saw someone battling from afar. When I got closer, I saw it was Shinji, so I came over out of curiosity. I didn't expect to run into you."
Interrupted by this sudden reunion, the fire and frustration in Ash's heart were temporarily suppressed.
He looked up at A-Xun and asked Dawn, "Dawn, who is this?"
"Hello, I'm A-Xun from Twinleaf Town, and I'm currently traveling to challenge the Sinnoh League!" A-Xun stepped forward proactively, extending his hand to Ash and introducing himself with a tone full of energy.
"I'm Ash, I'm also a Trainer on a journey!" Ash quickly set aside his displeasure, shook A-Xun's hand, and responded with a smile.
At the same time, he pointed to Brock beside him, "This is Brock, he's my traveling partner and an excellent Pokémon Breeder!"
Brock nodded slightly to A-Xun with a gentle smile: "Hello, A-Xun."
"Since we're both traveling for the Sinnoh League, how about we have a battle, Ash?" A combative glint flashed in A-Xun's eyes.
He had witnessed Shinji's strength firsthand before and knew he was currently no match for him. Meeting Ash, a fellow traveling Trainer, immediately ignited his interest in a battle.
"No problem!" Ash agreed without a second thought.
The crushing defeat by Shinji just now had left him full of pent-up anger. At this moment, he precisely needed a battle to vent his emotions and regain his confidence.
"Let's do a one-on-one battle, how about it?"
"Deal!" A-Xun readily agreed.
And so, the "utility man" Brock went back to work, skillfully walking to the center of the field to act as the referee for the two.
Compared to his helplessness against Shinji, Ash's commands were noticeably more composed when facing A-Xun, a rookie Trainer who had just debuted.
The battle experience he had accumulated over years of travel was fully displayed here as he commanded Aipom to nimbly dodge Piplup's attacks while seizing opportunities to counter.
Before long, A-Xun's Piplup was defeated by Aipom, falling to the ground with its eyes turned into swirls.
"Piplup is unable to battle, Aipom wins!" Brock announced the result of the match.
"Come back, Piplup, you worked hard." A-Xun recalled Piplup, showing no sign of discouragement. Instead, he flashed a bright smile, "Ash, you're really amazing!"
"Right back at you!" Ash also laughed, the gloom from his previous defeat having dissipated significantly. He stepped forward and patted A-Xun's shoulder, "Your Piplup is very energetic too. As long as you train well, it will definitely become very strong in the future!"
After a battle, the distance between the two instantly closed, and their friendship grew deeper in this hearty confrontation.
As for Dawn, she had quietly left the field to find Shinji while the two were preparing to battle.
She knew Shinji's personality and was more worried that if he continued to be so cold and sharp-tongued, he wouldn't have any friends. She wanted to change him.
Inside the lobby of the Pokémon Center, Shinji was handing over the Poké Balls containing Murkrow and Elekid to Nurse Joy at the front desk, saying in a flat tone: "I'll leave them to you, Nurse Joy. Please help them recover their strength."
"Please leave it to me!" Nurse Joy gave a gentle smile, took the Poké Balls, and turned toward the treatment room.
"Shinji!" Dawn walked in through the lobby entrance at that moment, quickly stepping over to stand beside him with a look of slight reproach on her face. "Can you be a bit more tactful when you speak in the future? What you said just now was really hurtful and quite unlikable."
There was clear dissatisfaction in Dawn's voice as her deep blue eyes stared straight at the side of Shinji's face.
"His strength wasn't enough." Shinji turned his face, his dark purple eyes looking at Dawn. His tone remained cold, without the slightest intention of admitting he was wrong.
In his view, if someone's strength wasn't sufficient, it simply wasn't sufficient. There was nothing wrong with telling the truth.
Hearing Shinji's self-righteous response, Dawn was instantly infuriated. Her cheeks puffed out like a little bun, and her deep blue eyes were full of anger: "My strength isn't enough either! Then don't travel with me anymore!"
After saying that, Dawn turned around and ran out of the lobby in a huff, without even looking back once.
Watching Dawn's angry departing back, Shinji's hand, which was halfway extended, froze in the air.
Only then did he realize in hindsight that his words just now might have truly been a bit too much.
He opened his mouth, wanting to call out to Dawn, but he didn't know what to say. He could only watch helplessly as her figure disappeared through the doorway.
Regarding Dawn's departure, Shinji felt more worry than anything else.
Dawn had only just started her journey and lacked experience; it was too dangerous for her to leave alone.
He didn't hesitate for a moment. After Nurse Joy returned the recovered Poké Balls, he immediately took them back and quickly chased after the direction Dawn had gone.
His pace remained steady, but compared to his usual composure, there was now a bit more urgency.
Before long, he caught up with Dawn, who was walking quickly with her small bag on a path outside the Pokémon Center.
On the path through the woods, Dawn walked forward fuming, her steps hurried and heavy, as if she wanted to vent all her anger onto the road surface.
Dawn also noticed the sound of Shinji's footsteps behind her. Her anger hadn't subsided yet, and she didn't want to talk to him at all, so she quickened her pace again, trying to shake him off.
But how could she get her way? No matter how fast she walked, Shinji could always keep up easily.
After all, Shinji trained with Pokémon year-round. His physical strength and endurance far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and traveling was no trouble for him.
After a few back-and-forths, Dawn herself was the first to get out of breath and break into a sweat. She had to stop, leaning her hands on her knees and gasping for air.
Just then, a hand suddenly reached out in front of her, handing over a bottle of water with the cap already unscrewed.
At the same time, Shinji's cold voice sounded above her head, carrying a trace of imperceptible softening: "Here, drink some water."
Hearing Shinji's words, Dawn was first stunned, then laughed out of anger.
She straightened up, gave Shinji a grumpy glare, snatched the bottle of water, and began to gulp it down.
The cool liquid slid down her throat, instantly relieving her thirst and calming her agitated emotions quite a bit.
After finishing the water and letting out a burp, Dawn finally calmed down completely.
She turned to look at Shinji's still expressionless face. The anger in her heart gradually dissipated, leaving only helplessness. Dawn knew she had been angry for nothing.
This guy is really a blockhead!
Forget it, there's still a long time ahead. Just wait and see how I'll train you properly, Dawn thought with a bit of mischief in her heart as she looked at Shinji.
And so, Dawn proactively put the previous unpleasantness behind her and, as usual, walked quickly to Shinji's side, chattering about what she had seen on the road just now and about the battle between A-Xun and Ash.
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like the happy chirping of birds in the woods, instantly dispelling the previous unpleasantness.
Shinji still maintained his eternally frozen expression, only occasionally letting out an "Mm" from his nose as a response.
However, his gaze would occasionally drift toward the chattering girl beside him, and a hint of softness that even he hadn't noticed flashed in his dark purple eyes.
Along the way, whenever they encountered wild Pokémon, Shinji would take out Chimchar's Poké Ball, release it, and engage in battle.
To him, the most important thing right now was still to improve the strength of his Pokémon.
After all, Chimchar's strength was still lacking, and its use of Flamethrower was unstable.
Shinji focused on observing every movement of Chimchar, occasionally giving concise commands.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and spilled onto the two, stretching their shadows long.
Between Dawn's crisp talking and Shinji's occasional brief responses, a subtle balance and understanding were quietly forming.
The journey, which was originally somewhat dull, actually gained a bit of warmth in such an atmosphere.