"Puff-puff-puff-puff!"
The sound of rapid-fire impacts echoed through the clearing. In a scene that would baffle any ordinary passing traveler, Ash—the young man with the black cap and the newly awakened blue Aura—was standing over a pile of watermelon rinds. With a rhythmic contraction of his cheeks, he was unleashing a literal Seed Machine Gun (Bullet Seed), the black seeds whistling through the air to shred a row of soda cans set up thirty feet away.
"See that? It's all about the diaphragm and the compression in the cheeks," Ash said, wiping his mouth and looking at his pupils: a very confused Turtwig and a wide-eyed, blushing Dawn.
"Turt...?" Turtwig stared at the mangled cans, then at Ash's mouth. His little turtle brain was struggling to process how a human was outperforming most Grass-types at their own signature move.
"Ash, that's... is that even legal?" Dawn asked, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her pink mini-skirt. "How can a human do things only Pokémon are supposed to do? First that Agility stunt, and now this?"
"Strictly speaking, I'm a special case," Ash laughed, extending his hand. A swirling orb of blue energy—a miniature Aura Sphere—materialized in his palm, casting a cool glow over the grass. "Awakening my Aura didn't just give me 'radar'; it upgraded my physical specs. I'm a bit of a 'Psychic' in my own right now."
"Then... then teach me!" Dawn's eyes sparkled with sudden ambition. If she could spit seeds like that, she'd have a secret weapon for the next Contest! She grabbed a slice of watermelon and looked at him expectantly. "Teach me hand-in-hand!"
"Alright, but it's a tough road," Ash said, stepping toward her. He was interrupted by Turtwig, who stood up on his hind legs and planted his front paws on his hips.
"Turt! Turt-turt!" ("Hey, Boss! I thought I was the student here!")
"Don't worry, Turtwig," Ash said, crouching down to eye-level with the turtle. "I've already given you the core mechanics. You're a natural genius, so you can handle the solo grind. Dawn, on the other hand... well, she's a bit 'clumsy' and needs a lot more... personal attention. You understand, right?"
"Turt!" Turtwig puffed out his chest, pride swelling at being called a genius. He nodded solemnly, took half a watermelon, and crawled away to begin his "high-IQ" training.
"Hey! I heard that! I'm not clumsy!" Dawn huffed, waving her pink fists.
"If you weren't clumsy, you wouldn't need hand-in-hand guidance, would you?" Ash teased. He took the watermelon from her, bit off a large chunk, and demonstrated the "thump-thump-thump" technique one more time, obliterating a fresh target.
Then, he held the remaining half of the slice to her lips. "Your turn. Take a bite."
Dawn froze. Her gaze darted from the watermelon—specifically the part Ash had just bitten—to his mischievous eyes. If I bite that, she thought, her face heating up to a radiant crimson, wouldn't that be... an indirect kiss?
Seeing her hesitation, Ash's grin only grew wider.
"Oh, for the love of Ho-Oh, someone give me a sweet romance too!" Brock wailed from the sidelines, turning his back and weeping into his hands as he prayed to the heavens for a break.
"Ah..." Dawn finally succumbed, closing her eyes and taking a small bite from the same spot.
"Good. Now, the posture is everything."
Ash moved behind her. He didn't just stand there; he pressed his chest against her back, his hands wrapping around her waist, his thighs brushing against hers. The proximity was electric, and Dawn felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest.
"W-why are we so close? Is this really necessary for seeds?" she squeaked, her voice trembling.
"Everything is for training, Dawn," Ash whispered into her ear, his breath making her shiver. "I'm holding your waist to correct your center of gravity. I'm pressing against your legs to keep you stable. And I'm holding your hands to... well, to make sure you don't get nervous."
"Hmph... you're so cunning," she whispered, her face a mask of embarrassment. But she didn't pull away.
For the next hour, they "practiced." Dawn's seeds were actually hitting the targets, though her accuracy wavered every time Ash adjusted his grip.
"Turt...?" Turtwig looked back from his solo session, seeing his Trainer practically fused to the girl's back. He tilted his head. Maybe the Boss was right, the turtle thought. She must be really, really clumsy if it takes that much holding just to spit a seed.
Finally, Dawn lowered her head, her cheeks aching. "Ash... I can't do it anymore. My mouth is so sore! This is way harder than it looks." She turned in his arms, looking up at him with a pleading, charming gaze. "Please, can we stop? I think only you can be this 'extraordinary'."
"Of course," Ash said, finally letting go and pinching her nose playfully. He had achieved his goal: Dawn wasn't thinking about the sad Combee anymore, and their "synergy" had reached a new level.