Regigigas, a Normal-type Legendary Pokémon.
According to lore and passed-down legends, it towed entire continents with ropes.
It was the Master of the Titans, capable of creating five Legendary-level giants from special icebergs, rocks, magma, electrical energy, and crystallized dragon energy.
And such a powerful Pokémon resided deep within the Snowpoint Temple.
Therefore, doing a favor for Candice, the future Snowpoint Gym Leader, was perfectly fine.
In fact, it was a massive profit.
Furthermore, aside from the temple, Sinshi had suddenly thought of another angle.
‘The panel’s charging method relies on exploring things with a long history.
So, if the exploration target…
is an incredibly ancient Pokémon like Regigigas, could that trigger the charging condition?’
Sinshi wasn’t sure, but it was undoubtedly a direction worth trying.
The only thing to watch out for was that if the panel caused any commotion, it might wake up the giant, who was known for having a terrible temper when roused from its slumber.
However, that was a matter for the future.
Until he possessed sufficient strength and Candice officially became the Gym Leader, there was no need to worry about it.
‘I just don’t know if she can understand the goodwill I’m showing.
If she’s as dense as Agumon, all my efforts will be in vain.’
Looking up at the bright night sky as silver moonlight spilled over him, Sinshi closed his eyes, sat up to stretch, and then lay back down on the grass behind him.
When he opened his eyes again, his vision suddenly darkened.
A piece of pleated yellow fabric appeared in his line of sight, blocking half the moonlight from above.
Sinshi frowned in confusion.
Right next to the fabric obstructing his view were two smooth, snow-white “pillars.”
Sinshi froze for a moment, shifting his gaze further back.
As the sight before him increasingly aligned with a certain guess in his mind, Sinshi immediately covered his eyes with his hand.
A second later…
“Ah!!!”
A scream sharp enough to pierce eardrums echoed through the night sky.
…
“Ahem, sorry, I really didn’t mean to,” Sinshi said awkwardly, looking at Candice, who was sitting on the ground with her legs tucked underneath her, her face flushed bright red.
Who could have anticipated that a simple stretch would coincide perfectly with Candice walking up behind him just as he lay back down?
Given that angle and position, even with safety shorts, it was still incredibly embarrassing.
It wasn’t until a few minutes of silence passed in this bizarre atmosphere that the resentful look in Candice’s eyes slowly faded.
After straightening her posture, although the blush on her face hadn’t completely vanished, her expression gradually returned to normal.
She let out a soft breath and said earnestly, “Thank you so much for the Berries and the grilled fish.
You really helped Snover and me solve our dinner problem.”
“It was nothing, don’t mention it.”
Seeing that she had composed herself, Sinshi waved his hand dismissively before asking, “By the way, how is Snover doing?”
“After eating the Oran Berry, it’s recovered quite a bit.
There shouldn’t be any major issues,” she replied.
Sinshi nodded.
“That’s good.”
Following those words, the two fell into a long silence, and the atmosphere returned to that same eerie quietness from before.
Sinshi didn’t take the initiative to speak.
He could tell that she had something she wanted to say but couldn’t quite bring herself to voice it.
If she wasn’t in a hurry, neither was he.
After all, he had thick skin.
As for Agumon, who was lying nearby digesting his food, he was even more unbothered.
After all, someone who could listen to ghost stories and remain completely unfazed when a strange noise suddenly came from outside the door naturally wouldn’t panic over such trivial matters.
Of course, rather than being fearless, Sinshi leaned more toward the theory that things just went in one of Agumon’s ears and out the other—or that he simply wasn’t listening at all.
That was probably the case right now, too.
Meanwhile, after struggling internally for a long time, Candice finally spoke up slowly, “If you don’t mind me asking…
when you proposed that battle and acted like you were going to ruthlessly crush us, only to suddenly hold back at the end…
were you trying to use the bond between Snover and me to make us realize each other’s value, thereby bypassing our conflict?”
“I take back what I said before.
At least your head is on straight.
You still have the potential to inherit the Gym,” Sinshi chuckled, tapping his own head.
Seeing this, Candice offered an awkward smile.
Then, she bowed deeply and said in a solemn tone, “Even though Snover took quite a beating, I’m still incredibly grateful that you helped us reconcile.”
“I only gave you a push.
Whether you can truly go back to how things were depends on you making a change.
Otherwise, everything is pointless,” he replied.
“I understand.
After what happened just now, I will definitely work hard.
Thank you so much!”
“I already told you, there’s no need.
It was just a small matter.”
“Actually…
I have one more question,” she muttered.
“You want to ask if helping you was premeditated or a spur-of-the-moment decision?
And if it was premeditated, what was my motive?
Is that it?”
To prevent Candice from dawdling and taking forever to get to the point, Sinshi simply laid it all out himself.
Having her thoughts exposed so bluntly, Candice’s eyes widened in surprise before she nodded.
“Yes.”
“You can rest easy on that front.
I helped you because Snover retrieved my grilled fish and drove away some potential threats.
I just lent a hand out of a desire to return the favor…”
“I see,” she breathed.
Candice had just breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could say anything else, Sinshi’s next sentence instantly made her heart leap into her throat again.
“Of course, it was also because of you.”
“??!!”
Candice’s body immediately tensed up.
Especially when she felt Sinshi’s gaze lingering and wandering around her waist after saying those words, she felt a profound sense of dread.
Recalling the accident from just moments ago, her pretty face flushed crimson once more.
“That thing…
could you let me take a look at it?” he asked.
Hearing those words and seeing Sinshi point at her waist, Candice’s mind raced wildly.
As someone who had recently been keeping up with trendy fashion and media, her thoughts instantly jumped to scenes from certain explicit books, causing her brain to nearly short-circuit.
Even though Sinshi had indeed helped her, and Snover seemed to like him, and his skills as a Trainer were solid, and he was quite good-looking with a nice build…
was it really okay to move this fast?
Weren’t they supposed to get to know each other first before anything else?
Were they really just skipping straight to the plot?
Watching Candice seemingly fall into a ‘Confused’ status after hearing his words, Sinshi felt utterly baffled.
He merely wanted to look at the belt around her waist used for holding Poké Balls, as well as the Poké Balls themselves.
Having just arrived in this world, he hadn’t even seen a real Poké Ball yet.
If he didn’t get a feel for the genuine article, it would be a huge loss if he ended up buying counterfeit products later.
After all, he was just starting out, and every single penny was crucial.
So what was with Candice acting so weird right now?
Sinshi couldn’t help but feel that he should take back his earlier compliment about her head being on straight.