Rhea stood in front of the sleek, gss-panel counter inside Cylge City's Gym HQ, her fingers lightly drumming against the registration screen.

  “Trainer name?” the attendant asked.

  “Rhea Arden.”

  “League ID?”

  She slid her card forward.

  The attendant scanned it, nodded, and checked the battle board. “Perfect timing. Grant’s team is recovering from a streak of challengers—he's scheduled to be back tomorrow. Your Gym battle is officially locked for 10:00 AM.”

  Rhea nodded. “Thank you.”

  The screen lit up with confirmation, and a ping echoed on her Pokégear.

  Behind her, Benoit nearly bounced in pce. “So that means…”

  “We’ve got the whole day free,” Rhea said.

  He raised his arms in victory. “YES! Finally! A full day without battles, route mud, or some wild Pokémon ambushing me for my snacks.”

  “You screamed when a Dwebble poked your ankle,” Rhea muttered.

  “It came out of the ground! I thought it was a rock!”

  Cylge City – A Day to BreatheCylge City was Kalos’s coastal jewel—a haven for cyclists, climbers, tourists, and now, a couple of League hopefuls with sore legs and extra time.

  Built into seaside cliffs, the city spread over two levels. Below were cafés and the scenic boardwalk. Above, the Gym and residential streets curled along winding stone paths and sloped bike trails. It felt like a breathing space carved into the edge of the world.

  “First stop: food,” Benoit decred. “If we’re calling this a vacation day, I want to celebrate my life and honor the Pokémon who didn’t knock us off cliffs this week.”

  “That's oddly specific,” Rhea said, following him toward the boardwalk.

  They hit the stalls hard. Grilled corphish skewers. Fried berry dumplings. Frozen Moomoo milk bars. Frogadier watched it all with passive disinterest—until Rhea bought a spicy poffin and pretended she was going to eat it. That got his attention.

  Benoit wandered off halfway through lunch to buy a Noibat hoodie that fpped when he ran.

  Skye flew over the beach, riding the updrafts. Riolu practiced silent katas on the sand with Zigzagoon sitting nearby, proudly eating dropped berries.

  Even Rhea rexed—just a little.

  By mid-afternoon, they’d met up with Lucas and Liliane again. The tter had already filled two pages of her notebook just documenting Frogadier’s new body nguage post-evolution.

  “I think his foot stance changed 1.2 degrees,” she said excitedly.

  “He’s not a floor mp,” Rhea replied, but she still helped her double-check the footage.

  They climbed the rope bridge toward the lookout cliff and took a breath as the wind rushed past them.

  Hard to believe how far they’d come.

  The Next Morning – Cylge Gym9:45 AM.

  The Gym floor smelled of clean stone and ocean wind. It wasn’t an ordinary battle space—it was a full-blown arena built into a climbing complex. Ptforms jutted out at different levels, with artificial rocks and slopes giving the field vertical depth. Cameras floated silently above, streaming to local League coverage.

  Rhea stood at her designated side. Frogadier by her feet. Skye perched above the arena’s left pilr, wings tucked.

  Benoit and Liliane sat in the stands—he wore his fpping hoodie, waving a Cylge snack fg. She had two tablets open, recording the match for “research purposes.”

  Then, Grant entered.

  Tall, lean, dressed like he’d just come off the wall behind the arena. He looked calm, but there was weight in the way he moved—like every step came with control.

  “Rhea Arden,” he said, offering a polite nod. “I’ve seen your battle reports. Detailed stuff. You track terrain patterns like a climber watches handholds.”

  “I’m aiming for clean wins,” she replied.

  “Then let’s see if you can earn one.”

  He clipped a Poké Ball free.

  “Battle Start. Two-on-two. No substitutions. First side with both Pokémon knocked out loses.”

  Gym Battle – Rhea vs. GrantFirst Matchup: Skye (Fletchling) vs. AmauraGrant opened with Amaura—a Rock/Ice-type with ancient power and elegance. Its crystalline hide gleamed under the arena lights.

  “Skye—air pattern, double loop,” Rhea called.

  Fletchling unched into the air, circling wide.

  Grant gave the signal. “Aurora Beam. Clean shot.”

  Amaura’s mouth glowed, releasing a prismatic bst of light that nced toward Skye.

  “Drop hard, then Quick Attack!”

  Skye dipped fast, letting the beam skim past before rocketing upward and smming into Amaura’s fnk. The ancient Pokémon staggered but didn’t fall.

  Too bulky for hit-and-run. I need a rhythm break, Rhea thought.

  Grant was calm. “Rock Tomb. Close ground.”

  Stone pilrs erupted under Skye mid-flight. One clipped her right wing.

  She spiraled.

  “Recover into glide! Keep moving!”

  Skye gritted her beak and straightened, wings shaking.

  “Peck, low angle, pull out hard!”

  She dove again—narrow, precise—stabbed her beak into Amaura’s side, then veered out before a follow-up.

  Amaura groaned and dropped.

  Ref’s fg went up. “Amaura unable to battle!”

  Rhea exhaled. One down.

  Grant recalled it, no change in expression.

  “Nice control. Let’s see if you can hold it.”

  Second Matchup: Frogadier vs. TyruntThe second Poké Ball cracked open—and Tyrunt burst onto the field, snarling. Bigger. Meaner. Faster than its fossils implied.

  Frogadier stepped forward silently.

  “Bite, now!” Grant snapped.

  Tyrunt lunged.

  “Side roll—Water Pulse!” Rhea shouted.

  Frogadier slid left, palms glowing, then unleashed a pulse of rippling water that hit Tyrunt dead-on. It roared but kept moving.

  “Dragon Tail!”

  “Jump! Pound, rear fnk!”

  Frogadier jumped just before the sweeping tail could sm him, flipped mid-air, and struck Tyrunt behind the neck. It stumbled.

  Rhea’s mind raced.

  Grant’s baiting high-speed exchanges. Tyrunt’s attacks are wider but slower. I need to dodge forward, not back.

  “Tyrunt—Crunch!”

  “Slide under—Water Pulse, face!”

  Frogadier ducked low and fired again—this time from inches away. The bst rocketed Tyrunt back.

  “Don’t let up! Double Team!”

  Three Frogadiers blurred into motion. Tyrunt growled, spinning in pce, unable to pin one down.

  Rhea watched its eyes.

  It’ll go for the middle—

  “Counter left!” she yelled.

  Frogadier dodged and spun left—just as Tyrunt lunged at the decoy.

  “Now—Pound, center mass!”

  Frogadier smmed into its chest.

  Tyrunt dropped.

  “Tyrunt is unable to battle! Challenger Rhea wins!”

  Post-BattleGrant approached as the crowd cpped politely.

  “You don’t just pn. You adapt. That’s rare.”

  He handed her the Cliff Badge—a jagged stone pressed in silver. Her second badge.

  “And this.” He passed her a TM. “Rock Tomb. You dodged it well. Now you can learn to control it.”

  Rhea accepted both, heart steady.

  Two badges.

  Two Gym victories.

  Frogadier stood beside her, calm and ready for the next step.

  Benoit unched down the stairs, spinning his fg.

  “YOU DID IT! THAT’S BADGE NUMBER TWO!”

  Liliane followed, holding a checklist. “That was incredible. Rhea, your command phrasing post-evolution—did you modify it for his new frame?”

  “A bit,” Rhea said, smiling.

  Behind her, the cliffs of Cylge waited.

  Ahead of her, Shalour City and the Tower of Mastery stood on the horizon.

  But for now—

  She stood at the peak.