Why is my Pokémon acting a little weird?

Qiao Ran nodded, but Eve beside him quietly pulled his sleeve and whispered something to Qiao Ran.

"When Sister Tie comes out later, don't call her by her name. Just call her Master Tie."

"why?"

"This... is because Sister Tie's name is a bit special, so she doesn't like others calling her by her name, which often leads to various misunderstandings." Eve explained with some embarrassment.

"What's her name?" After hearing what Eve said, Qiao Ran became more and more interested.

"Um... her name is Tie Ji..." Eve blinked. "This name doesn't actually have any special meaning. It's just because Sister Tie's parents happened to..."

"The last name just happens to be Tiehe Ji." Qiao Ran subconsciously took over the conversation and gave a quick answer.

However, after saying this, Qiao Ran always felt that something was strange.

"Anyway...anyway, don't just call Sister Tie by her name." Eve's face turned slightly red.

With her repeated emphasis, Qiao Ran silently kept this matter in mind. No matter what difficulties he encountered, he would not cry out - unless he could not help it.

————————————————————————————

The wait at the gym's front desk didn't last long before a woman dressed very conspicuously appeared in front of Qiao Ran and Eve.

Although she was a beautiful woman in her twenties, with long, silver-gray hair that swayed with her movements, Qiao Ran's first impression of her was that she was "handsome."

She was very tall and slender, with a pair of long boots on her feet. She was wearing a slim-fitting top and skirt similar to a military uniform. Not only that, she also had a long white windbreaker draped over her shoulders.

However, the most eye-catching thing is not just these, but that in her hand, she was holding a silver steel shovel. God knows what she was doing with it.

Repair the water pipe?

"E-F-!"

The moment she saw Eve, she rushed forward and hugged her in her arms. As for the shovel, she threw it aside with a terrible "boom" sound.

Qiao Ran took a quick look and discovered that a hole had been smashed into the marble floor under the shovel. How strong was this guy...?

"Poof!" Eve didn't react at once and was buried directly in Tieji's cotton pile. Although the clothes were tight-fitting, Tieji's connotation was still very scary.

"I never thought I would see you again in the gym."

Tieji grabbed Eve and hugged her for a while, but before Eve died, she finally freed her.

"The last time I saw you, you were still a little girl. I didn't expect you to have improved so much now."

Tieji touched Eve's head with a smile.

"Hehehe." Eve also laughed. She was very happy that the elder she admired suddenly praised her.

"However, I didn't expect that you would do so many things..."

"I didn't do anything." Eve touched her cheek embarrassedly.

However, Tieji suddenly shook her head.

"How can you say you didn't do anything? Didn't you already run away from home? You actually have such courage... Not bad, not bad."

"Eh?"

Eve's smile froze on her face and her face turned red.

Private...private private private elopement??????????????

When did I elope?

Tie Ji didn't see Eve's expression, but turned her gaze to Qiao Ran. However, compared to her attitude towards Eve, her eyes were much colder, and her narrow eyes were full of coldness.

"Are you right, my little boyfriend? You were the one who tricked little Eve out, weren't you?"

Looking at Tie Ji's hostile eyes, Qiao Ran couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. As expected of the gym owner, the oppression was truly terrifying. However, his heart was full of question marks.

elopement???

elopement??

I, Qiao, am a decent person. Why would I do something as meaningless as eloping? Besides, if he were to elope, he wouldn't elope with a girl like Eve who's more of a lolita type!

He doesn't want to be taken away by the police!

"Eve and I are just traveling together. We don't have any special relationship. I will hand her over to her sister when she comes."

Qiao Ran defended himself a little excitedly. This matter concerned his reputation, and he had to explain it clearly. Otherwise, when his mother watched the news and found out that her son was handcuffed and censored on TV, it would be too late.

"Your name is Tieji, right? As a gym leader, how could you not see such a simple thing? Our relationship is just traveling together!"

Qiao Ran's words were sincere and powerful, but after he said this, the entire gym seemed to be haunted and fell silent.

"..."

Tieji's face had turned dark. She walked to the side silently and picked up the shovel on the ground with a clang.

"It's not enough to just say my name, you even have to add that word..."

"It seems... I underestimated you. You're a disobedient little fellow..."

Chapter 52 051 [Iron Princess]

"boom!!!"

There was a loud noise inside the gym.

Looking at the shovel that flew past his forehead and then deeply inserted into the wall behind him, Qiao Ran had only one thought in his mind. If God could give him a chance to start over, he would only say three words to the owner of the shovel - "CNM".

"Not bad, he dared to challenge me and didn't piss his pants when facing my shovel. Little Eve really picked a good man."

Tieji put on a masochistic smile and took off the glove on her right hand.

She narrowed her eyes and licked her lips lightly with her tongue.

"Let me see just how good you are. I'm turning down all other matches this afternoon and will target you specifically, little brother... Although your profile shows you only have one badge, I won't treat you based on that. Don't harbor such naive notions."

Tie Ji's boots made crisp tapping sounds on the marble floor. She walked to Qiao Ran's side and pulled the shovel out of the wall. Broken bricks rolled on the ground.

The terrifying power made Qiao Ran shudder. Was this guy human? ? ? Could he be a Pokémon? ?

If this wasn't a gym challenge, he would have probably pulled out his Poké Ball right then and there.

"Oh my god...it needs maintenance again...ahhhhh..."

The staff member nearby couldn't help but let out a cry of despair when she saw the floor and walls that had been ravaged by the evil hands. However, no one present heard her words.

"Challenge me with all your might, all your intelligence, all your soul!"

Tie Ji stopped not far from Qiao Ran, put the shovel in front of herself, and knocked a small hole in the ground.

"—All those who cannot withstand the test of iron and blood, get out of here!"

"The official battle will start in thirty minutes. Enjoy your last moments of fun!"

Thirty minutes of rest time is not very long, but Eve lowered her head and apologized directly to Qiao Ran.

"I'm sorry... It's all my fault. Maybe I made Sister Tie angry, otherwise she wouldn't treat you like this... It also made things more difficult for you... She's actually like a real sister to me..."

"It's okay, I think it might be my own problem."

In response to Eve's apology, Qiao Ran rubbed his head in distress.

He felt that he was most likely affected by a debuff called "as long as a human female he met for the first time gets within three meters of his body, his favorability towards her will drop rapidly." Whether it was Long Jiangxue, Shi Yiyi, or even Tie Ji now, they all got hit by this strange buff. As for Eve, the only one who survived... it was probably because she didn't get within three meters of him when they first met.

Not only that, these gym leaders are weirder than each other. The gym leader in Longjiang City is very active but does things his own way, and likes to give inexplicable speeches of justice; the current Iron Princess... not only does she have a weird name and weird clothes, but she is also weirdly strong. Qiao Ran always has the illusion that when the Pokémon battle starts, the trainers will also carry shovels and fight.

"That guy... has he always been this strong?"

Qiao Ran was a little puzzled. If he had that much strength, how could he be pinned to the ground by his own Pokémon like this, unable to resist?

"Well... I'm not really sure. Sister Tie seems to have been like this since she was a child, but I've heard some legends."

Eve looked around, then

He leaned quietly into Qiao Ran's ear.

"I'm telling you this quietly. Don't tell anyone else that I revealed it."

"I know I know."

Qiao Ran swore that he would never tell anyone else, and at most he would just talk to his own Pokémon.

"Well then... Actually, I heard that Sister Tie's ancestors were somewhat special... It's said that there's a Pokémon element in their bloodline..."

"Varied……"

When Qiao Ran heard the news, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. He really didn't expect that Tie Ji's strange power was related to these things.

"Shh—it's just a rumor. We don't know if it's true or not. How could humans possibly be with Pokémon? That kind of thing is... too perverted."

Eve put her finger to her lips and made a hushing gesture. As for herself, she actually didn't believe this rumor. After all, humans and Pokémon are two different races, and this kind of thing can only be regarded as a legend at best.

"Hmm... Yeah, yeah, how can humans and Pokémon, hahahaha."

Qiao Ran nodded awkwardly, but no one knew what he was thinking in his heart.

Is it true that Pokémon cannot bond with humans?

No - in the Pokémon world, there are actually such examples and legends. In the Unova region, there is a boy named "N" who is born with the power of perceiving minds. Judging from his ability and green hair, he is very likely the child of the telepathic Pokémon Gardevoir or Aledo.

And judging by Rotom's constant mention of "humanoid groups," this possibility might not be impossible. However, would they lay eggs or give birth to live young?

No...that's not right. Why am I thinking about these things?

Qiao Ran shook his head and quickly drove away these messy thoughts. He was about to start the gym challenge, and now was not a good time to think about these things.

--------------------------------

Half an hour passed quickly, and Qiao Ran followed the staff's instructions and arrived at the indoor arena of Jinling Dojo.

There are no spectators or shining stages here, it is just an ordinary arena, but the surrounding decorations are full of metallic and modern beauty.

"Welcome, challenger from Longjiang City."

Iron Princess, holding a shovel, appeared on the other side of the arena.

"You didn't run away, you didn't show any fear... Very good, you are indeed worthy of standing here."

"The rules of the gym match are three on three. I will send out my first Pokémon first. Think carefully about your response strategy!"

Tieji took out a silver-gray Pokéball from her belt. Qiao Ran recognized the shape. There was no doubt that it was a special Pokéball used to capture heavy Pokémon - the Heavy Ball.

"The first one I sent out was—Come out! Coco…"

Tie Ji shouted loudly, but Qiao Ran couldn't help but feel relieved when he heard this.

Coco... The only Pokémon with such a name is Kokoro, which also happens to be a member of the Steel type. If it is really just Kokoro that has not evolved yet, then this first Pokémon is still quite easy to deal with.

However, looking at Qiao Ran's appearance, Tie Ji chuckled and suddenly stopped throwing the Poké Ball.

"You...just breathed a sigh of relief, didn't you?"

"...!"

Qiao Ran couldn't help but widen his eyes when his inner thoughts were suddenly spoken of.

This woman...

"When you heard it was Coco... you thought of Kokodora, right? But that's undoubtedly wrong. The reason I called her Coco is simply because this Pokémon's nickname is Coco. Don't think I'll let you down. Don't be so naive."

Tie Ji shook her fingers, took out the Poké Ball again, and made a throwing motion.

"Come out! My first Pokémon—Possibly a Pokémon!"

Chapter 53 052 [First Battle! ]

"boom!!"

An explosive roar came from the ground. The mere appearance of the giant steel beast on the battlefield caused a strong sense of oppression, and the earthquake-like shaking was only caused by its fall to the ground.

This is a Pokémon whose entire body is covered in iron armor. It even has two sharp metal horns on its head. Its entire body is full of explosiveness and power.

"Ho ho ho ho!!!"

The behemoth roared, and an almost tangible strength emanated from its body. This was the solidity and heaviness unique to Steel-attribute Pokémon.

"Boscodora..."

Qiao Ran pondered, a drop of cold sweat dripping down his face.

"Boskodora, the Iron Pokémon, Level—32!"

Looking at the data displayed on the Rotom Atlas, Qiao Ran took a deep breath. Just as the strange gym owner said, she really didn't intend to hold back this time!