Before Orin could ask any of the dozens of questions that had already popped into his mind, Dendra spoke up again.
"Alright!" she declared.
"First, let me give you a quick overview. Come with me."
She led him toward a large screen mounted on the side wall.
"Rotom, show me the building layout!"
"ROTO!"
A Rotom Phone suddenly flew out of her pocket and attached itself to the screen.
The display immediately flickered to life.
The next moment, a three-dimensional hologram of the entire Nexus Fitness Gym appeared in front of them.
"Whoa..."
Orin couldn't help staring.
He had seen holographic technology before back in Saffron City, but it was usually limited to large advertisements and commercial displays.
This felt far more advanced.
The hologram rotated smoothly in midair while various sections of the building lit up in different colors.
"Now," Dendra began, pointing at the floating structure,
"the first thing you need to understand is that there's a huge difference between a Pokémon Gym and a Fitness Gym."
She looked directly at him.
"In a Pokémon Gym, you'll learn how to better utilize your Pokémon's abilities, moves, battle strategies, and strengths."
Her finger shifted to another section of the hologram.
"But a Fitness Gym is all about developing the foundation underneath all of that."
She grinned.
"Strength. Stamina. Flexibility. Endurance. Coordination."
Then she pointed between Riolu, Elgyem.
"Not just for your Pokémon either."
A dramatic pose followed as she pointed at him.
"For YOU too!"
"Oh..."
Orin nodded in understanding.
"So it's basically like a martial arts dojo."
"Exactly!" Dendra said, snapping her fingers.
"Similar, but not quite the same."
She pointed toward him dramatically.
"A dojo is usually focused on combat, techniques, and fighting styles. The Fitness Gym is focused on something even more fundamental."
Then she flexed an arm.
"Your body!"
"The gains you earn here help you understand your body better, strengthen it, and keep it in peak condition."
She grinned brightly.
"As they say—a healthy body is the secret to a happy life!"
Orin found himself nodding in agreement.
In his previous life, he had never been particularly fit.
Years of neglecting exercise had eventually caught up to him through various health problems.
After receiving a second chance in this world, he had made a conscious effort to exercise regularly from a young age.
And honestly...
the results had been incredible.
Having a stronger, healthier body improved almost every aspect of life.
"Good!" Dendra said, noticing his reaction.
"At least I won't have to spend twenty minutes convincing you that exercise isn't a form of torture."
She tapped the hologram again.
"Now then!"
The floating building expanded.
Floor after floor appeared in front of them.
"There are seventy floors above ground in the Nexus Fitness Gym."
Orin raised an eyebrow.
Of course there were.
Apparently Nexus couldn't build anything without making it absurdly huge.
"As a fresher, you'll probably spend most of your time on the first ten floors," Dendra continued.
The hologram zoomed in.
Individual sections lit up one after another.
"The first few floors contain general fitness facilities, training equipment, and beginner-friendly exercise zones."
More sections lit up.
"Then there are indoor running tracks, swimming complexes, recovery centers, flexibility halls, partner training zones, and specialized areas designed for different Pokémon species."
Orin watched the hologram closely.
The deeper Dendra went into the explanation, the more impressed he became.
The place seemed to have everything.
And not just for humans either.
Entire sections were dedicated to helping trainers and Pokémon exercise together.
"If the first ten floors already have all of that..." Orin said curiously.
His gaze drifted toward the dozens of remaining floors.
"Then what's on the upper floors?"
"Hehe."
Dendra smiled knowingly.
"You think that was everything?"
She crossed her arms proudly.
"Well, you won't have access to most of it as a fresher yet, but there's no harm in giving you a quick overview."
Only then did Orin understand why she had been smiling.
As Dendra continued explaining the facilities located higher up, his expression gradually became more and more stunned.
There were dedicated sparring arenas.
Artificial mountains designed specifically for climbing and endurance training.
Gravity training chambers where the gravitational force could be adjusted.
Entire environmental floors capable of simulating deserts, volcanoes, arctic tundras, rainforests, and even severe storm conditions.
The sheer scale of it made his head spin.
"Rio..."
Even Riolu's eyes had become wide and sparkling by this point.
The little Fighting-type looked ready to sprint toward every single floor immediately.
Meanwhile, Elgyem had become distracted in an entirely different way.
She floated up to the hologram and repeatedly extended her hand toward it.
The glowing orbs on her fingers blinked once.
Then twice.
Then stopped.
"Elgyem?"
She stared at the hologram in confusion.
Apparently, she couldn't understand why her scanning ability wasn't working on it.
"Isn't all of this a bit... excessive?" Orin asked with a wry smile.
For a moment, he was genuinely tempted to ask whether they were secretly training Saiyans in this building.
At this point, he wouldn't have even been surprised if the seventieth floor contained a Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"There can never be too much when we're talking about gains!" Dendra declared dramatically as she slapped him on the shoulder.
Orin nearly stumbled forward.
"Come on!"
She pointed deeper into the facility.
"Enough talking. Let me show you the first floor properly!"
Before he could protest, Dendra was already marching ahead with Hariyama following closely behind.
Riolu immediately chased after them.
"Elgyem!"
Elgyem abandoned her battle against the hologram and floated after the group as well.
Dendra enthusiastically guided them through section after section of the enormous training floor.
Every machine looked incredibly advanced.
Some adjusted automatically to the user's height and weight.
Others scanned body composition before recommending optimal settings.
A few even projected holographic instructors to demonstrate proper form.
What impressed Orin the most was the difficulty selection system.
Every machine had multiple modes.
Casual.
Sport.
Competitive.
Hard.
And finally—
Hell Mode.
Orin wasn't entirely sure why a treadmill needed a setting called Hell Mode.
"The first four floors have a bit of everything," Dendra explained as they walked through the training area.
"That's why they're also the busiest floors in the entire building."
She gestured around them.
"It's still early in the morning right now, but by evening you won't find a single machine sitting empty."
Then she pointed upward dramatically.
"My advice? If you ever come here during peak hours, head for the higher floors."
"Got it," Orin said with a nod.
Though to be honest, he was barely listening at this point.
His attention kept getting stolen by everything happening around him.
A Dragonite was doing weighted pull-ups with thick metal plates hanging from a specially designed harness.
Nearby, a Machoke casually bench-pressed an amount of weight that looked completely unreasonable.
A Scizor blurred across a high-speed running track.
A Tyranitar carried what looked like an entire boulder across its shoulders.
And in one corner, a Machamp was spotting a student who was attempting an absurdly heavy lift.
It was honestly a feast for the eyes.
"Riooo..."
Riolu wasn't much better.
Her head kept turning left and right as she tried to look at everything at once.
The little Fighting-type looked ready to challenge half the Pokémon in the building.
Another thing Orin quickly noticed was just how popular Dendra seemed to be.
Students greeted her constantly as they walked through the gym.
Some waved.
Others stopped to chat.
A few even asked her for training advice.
It genuinely felt like she knew everyone here.
Through her introductions, Orin ended up meeting quite a few seniors himself.
Unfortunately, none of them were familiar faces from the anime or games.
"Over there are the changing rooms," Dendra continued, pointing toward a large section of the floor.
"They've got showers, saunas, recovery baths, and secure lockers for your belongings."
Then she looked him up and down.
"If you didn't bring proper training clothes, just let me know. The gym provides standard workout gear too."
"I brought my own," Orin replied while adjusting the backpack on his shoulder.
"Wonderful!"
Dendra immediately slapped him on the arm with enough enthusiasm to make him stumble slightly.
"Then what are you waiting for? Go get changed!"
"Uh..."
Orin hesitated for a moment.
"There is one thing I forgot to ask."
"Hm?"
"How much does all of this cost?" he asked curiously.
"Is there a monthly fee? Or maybe a yearly membership?"
Dendra stopped walking.
Then she stared at him for a few seconds.
"What are you talking about?"
She burst out laughing.
"The facilities here are completely free for students."
Her grin widened.
"You're a Nexus student, aren't you?"
Orin blinked.
Then he looked around at the gigantic state-of-the-art fitness center.
The seventy floors.
The advanced equipment.
The pools.
The recovery centers.
The environmental simulators.
The countless staff and Pokémon maintaining everything.
And all of it was free.
"Free? Seriously?"
Orin once again felt just how absurdly good it was to be a Nexus student.
"Hmm... well, if you want to reserve private training rooms or specialized facilities, those cost Nexus Credits," Dendra added while rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"But for a fresher like you, NCs are incredibly valuable."
She pointed at him seriously.
"So don't go wasting them on things like private rooms just yet."
"Alright," Orin nodded.
After seeing the Nexus Store yesterday, he already knew how precious Nexus Credits were.
"Good!" Dendra clapped her hands.
"Now go get changed quickly. I'll have your Pokémon start with some light exercises in the meantime."
"Riolu!"
Riolu immediately puffed out her chest enthusiastically.
"Elgyem."
Meanwhile, Elgyem simply stared back blankly.
Orin wasn't entirely convinced she even knew what exercise was.
"Okay, you two," he said, crouching down slightly.
"Listen to Dendra and don't cause any trouble."
His gaze lingered specifically on Riolu.
"Riolu!"
She nodded with surprising seriousness.
Dendra pointed toward a section of the gym near the far wall.
"Come meet us over there once you're changed."
Then she grinned.
"There's another fresher training there too."
"Oh?"
Orin's curiosity was immediately piqued.
He nodded and headed toward the changing rooms.
Halfway there, he couldn't help glancing back.
This would actually be the first time Riolu and Elgyem would be spending time away from him.
Fortunately, both Pokémon were obediently following Dendra toward a nearby weight-training area.
Seeing that, he felt considerably more at ease.
"I wonder who this other fresher is..." Orin muttered to himself.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Hopefully it's another hot girl."
Still smiling to himself, he stepped into the changing rooms.