Sisters

The day after the preliminary rounds concluded, there was a rest day before the official tournament began. This break was necessary because once the official matches began, they would be broadcasted worldwide, requiring thorough preparations by the Unova League organizers and the local battle company.

Additionally, the battles in the preliminary rounds had been intense, and many participating Trainers needed time to recuperate.

With no matches to participate in, Yuga decided to explore Castelia City with Chatot. He felt that since he was in the Unova Region, he shouldn't miss the chance to visit its largest city.

Castelia City boasted numerous skyscrapers, making Verdanturf Town look like a remote countryside in comparison.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Shimizu?" As Yuga was heading to try the famous Castelia ice cream, he heard someone call his name from behind.

Turning around, Yuga saw a girl with a camera in hand, riding a Gogoat towards him at a leisurely pace.

"Who are you?" Yuga couldn't recall her name, but he vaguely remembered her as Viola's sister. The encounter with her was what had prompted Ash to travel to the Kalos Region.

Seeing Yuga's puzzled expression, Alexa introduced herself, "I'm Alexa, a journalist. By the way, my sister Viola is also participating in the Competition, just like you."

Yuga, recalling her name, nodded and asked, "Hello. Is there something you wanted to discuss with me?"

Alexa waved her hand dismissively, chuckling, "No, no, just didn't expect to bump into the Champion of the preliminary rounds on the street. It's a professional habit of mine."

Yuga understood her role as a journalist, so he didn't mind her approach and didn't hold it against her.

"By the way, my sister is visiting the Castelia Gym. Would you like to join us? Since you're aiming to become a Gym Trainer too, it might be a good learning experience."

Alexa suddenly remembered something and suggested this to Yuga.

Viola and the Castelia Gym's Gym Leader, Mr. Burgh, specialized in Bug-type Pokémon, and Viola wouldn't miss an opportunity to learn from an expert in her field.

Yuga considered for a moment and then agreed to Alexa's proposal. He hadn't visited many Gyms besides Mr. Moore's Lavaridge Gym, Mr. Norman's Petalburg Gym, and Sabrina Saffron Gym. Exploring and learning from different Gyms was a valuable experience.

Alexa said, "Great, let's go together. Do you have a ride Pokémon? If not, you can ride on my Gogoat. Walking there might take a while."

Yuga replied, "I do."

With that, Yuga released his giant Absol and signaled for it to lower itself so he could mount it.

Seeing the colossal Absol, Alexa couldn't hide her amazement. "How did you manage to raise an Absol this big? It must eat quite a lot, doesn't it?"

Indeed, Absol had grown significantly during this period. It now stood at nearly eight feet tall, a true behemoth. Luckily, its growth seemed to have halted recently; otherwise, Yuga would have faced some challenges.

Despite its large size, Absol had a substantial appetite, consuming about three to four times more food than before. Fortunately, Yuga could afford to feed it.

Riding on such a colossal Pokémon drew the attention of many passersby, and Yuga received numerous admiring glances.

The Castelia Gym was located in the city center. With Alexa guiding the way, Yuga arrived at the Gym's entrance swiftly.

After dismounting from the Gogoat, Alexa had a brief conversation with the staff at the Gym's entrance. Then, she turned to Yuga and said, "Let's go in. We're allowed to enter now."

Yuga recalled Absol into its Poké Ball and followed Alexa into the Castelia Gym.

As Yuga entered the interior of the Gym, he realized that the entire Castelia Gym was built within an Ecopark.

Inside this Ecopark, lush vegetation flourished, and various Bug-type Pokémon inhabited the trees. There were not only the native Bug-type Pokémon of the Unova Region, like the Sewaddle line and Venipede line, but also Bug-types from other regions, including Caterpie, Weedle, and Wurmple.

Yuga even occasionally spotted rarer Bug-type Pokémon like Scyther and Heracross darting through the foliage.

Yuga couldn't help but marvel at the wealth of the Castelia Gym. Even though it was considered a relatively weak Bug-type Gym, it was beyond comparison with regular Gyms. It was rare for any Gym to be built within an Ecopark like this.

Moreover, Mr. Burgh, the Gym Leader, was a formidable Trainer in his own right, deserving of overseeing such an important Gym in Castelia City.

Following Alexa deeper into the Ecopark, Yuga could hear sporadic sounds of battles from within.

After traversing layers of lush plants, Yuga and Alexa arrived at a battle arena. In the arena, a Vivillon and a Leavanny were engaged in a fierce battle.

The Vivillon belonged to Viola, while the Leavanny was owned by Mr. Burgh.

Unlike Yuga's Vivillon, which had a simple black and white snowflake pattern, Viola's Vivillon had large purple-red wings, and it's a common meadow pattern.

Yuga quietly asked Alexa, "Tomorrow's competition is about to start. Is it okay for your sister to engage in such intense battles right now?"

Alexa, snapping a quick photo of the battling Pokémon, shrugged helplessly. "If she's willing, there's nothing I can do."

At this moment, Viola's Vivillon found itself in an extremely unfavorable situation. The clash between Vivillon's Gust move and Leavanny's Silver Wind was intense. However, Leavanny's Silver Wind quickly overwhelmed Vivillon, and the ensuing attack lifted Vivillon into the air. When the move subsided, Vivillon had lost its ability to continue the battle.

Viola returned her Vivillon to its Poké Ball and sighed, saying to Mr. Burgh, "I lost."

Mr. Burgh also recalled his Leavanny and smiled, "You did very well."

Alexa, leading Yuga into the battle arena, saw her sister looking disheartened and said, "Come on, you chose to participate in these battles. Don't look so gloomy after a loss."

"Big sister, you're here! Oh, and Shimizu Yuga, what are you doing here?" Viola exclaimed when she saw Yuga following behind Alexa.

Viola was surprised to see Yuga, whose name and appearance were now well-known among all the competitors. She hadn't expected to meet him today.

"It was a coincidence. I happened to meet Miss Alexa and decided to come along. Miss Viola, Mr. Burgh, hello. I apologize for this sudden visit," Yuga greeted them both.